“Have I got some swampland for you. Investing in Florida real estate represents the opportunity of a lifetime.”

The core concept for my strategy board game—which I’ll call “Everglades”—is that the players are speculative real estate investors trying to amass the greatest wealth and power during the early development of South Florida.

Some of the other historical events and facts that may inspire game elements include:

• Devastating hurricanes could hit the state with no warning (use to encourage speculative behavior).
• The September 1928 hurricane (storms were not named at the time) did most of its damage (1,836 people killed) through flooding after the levees around Lake Okeechobee were breached. In game terms, hurricane events affect land value or destroy assets on certain properties.
• The state-operated Internal Improvement Fund financed development projects and distributed land grants. Implementing this in the game, land is available outside of the market and funds from the bank are available to support development. Perhaps fund money is disbursed based on group decisions of the players.
• A major natural resource exploited in early Florida history was bird plumage (feathers were sent north for fashionable hats). One of the historical tradeoffs represented by the could be exploitation of natural resources versus environmental protection.
• To support development many canals were constructed to both drain the swamp and carry people and goods. However, while canals did drain swamp to create land for development, and were at the center of much corruption, they did not accomplish much in the way of transportation. In game terms, players dig canals as a method of acquiring cash and real estate.
• Railroads were successful at bringing people to Florida and delivering goods to markets in the North. In contrast to the game’s treatment of canals, railroads built by players enhance the value of assets built on land to which they connect.