Designer: Jackie Fox
Publisher: Devir
Artist: Jennifer Giner
2-5 players  |  90 min  |  ages 16+  |  MSRP $60  |  BGG Entry
TIme to teach & learn: 10-15 min

Game Synopsis

It’s 1977 and you’re living the dream : a crappy job to pay the bills and a band playing gigs in seedy bars. One day soon, you’ll be discovered. You’ll score a record deal, sell albums, and tour across the country. Screaming fans will fill arenas and buy your merch. They’ll sing out with your anthems and make sweet love to your ballads. But for now, there’s rent to pay and songs to write. The future is so close you can taste it. Can you become a rock star for the ages? 

Rock Hard 1977 places players in the roles of struggling musicians hoping to find a road to fame and fortune by rocking out. How you spend your time in pursuit of this dream will shape the course of your career. Do you spend your time promoting the band, booking more gigs, rehearsing, or writing new material? Do you hang out after hours hoping to make the right connections, record a demo tape, or hire extra crew? There’s always pressure from the real world - the job gives you money, but takes precious time away from the band. And there’s always the temptation of candy. It could give you extra energy in the short term but ultimately put you on a path to ruin.

Why We Love Rock Hard 1977

The joy of the game comes from the immersive experience it creates each time you play. The goals you aim for are both public and personal but each involves improving your musical career: your skills, your creativity, your reputation. And the way you go about achieving these goals forces you to make tough decisions each day. Time is precious and you cannot do it all. From morning to the wee hours, you’ll have an array of choices to make including when and if you want to work your mundane job. A critical moment comes when you will have to decide when to quit your job and pursue your rock star dream full time. Quit too soon, and you may struggle to have the money you need to take advantage of spaces on the board, day or night. Quit too late, and you may squander too many chances to for the band to be heard or seen because you were too busy working. 

From the ten different musicians (each with their special talents) to the daily actions and choices you face, Rock Hard is set up to inspire players to connect with their alter ego in a way that feels meaningful and even a bit profound. The world of the game is so compelling, it gives players the tools to really imagine what it could be like to live the life of a struggling artist - even the darker temptations they might face. Rockers in the game may consume candy which will (most of the time) grant extra actions BUT each time candy is used, your craving increases. If you roll a die equal to or higher than your craving, you’ll be sent to recovery and lose half your day’s actions. 

Rather than glorify drug use (with its candy metaphor) Rock Hard illustrates the law of diminishing returns that accompanies the temptation for short term pleasure or gain. Occasional use might bring benefits but ultimately, too much candy will crash your music career. Giving players agency to understand and play with these risks adds to the reality of your situation and the fun. That temptation is always there. How often, if ever, can you give in to it? By not looking away from these hard choices, designer Jackie Fox, a rock star in her own right, gives us not a window into her world, but a playground to understand and empathize with anyone who may dream of playing music that can move millions and the fame and fortune that follows. That makes Rock Hard 1977 a wonderful, compelling and thoroughly enjoyable ride to take each and every game.

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Congratulations to designer Jackie Fox

More information on Rock Hard 1977 at: Devir

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