The premise is simple: reframe life as a collection of games. We gather and spend resources and currencies in the real world, we compete for status, we solve problems, we gain new skills.

Some games we play against ourselves, and others we play as teams.

But it’s not easy to frame life as a meta-game because we all play on different boards.

Sonoma (named for this gathering!) consists of a template on which we can all build on our own boards, and a minimal set of rules to bring a common structure to each round. It’s an “infinite game” that has no defined end.

I’ve been doing a paper version of the game for much of the past year with friends and family, but tonight’s version will be hosted on a collaborative spreadsheet and so it’s totally customizable.

We’ll demo and play a round.