Too bad all my board-game playin’ buddies moved out of Raleigh, otherwise I’d be all over this shiznizzle. Cheapass Games publishes board games, video games, and other varieties of games. The catch? It’s all very cheap, because the manufacturers are independents! You should check out “Kill Doctor Lucky” and “One False Step for Mankind”.
From the “One False Step” page: “California: 1849. Where the mayors of stupidly rich Gold Rush towns can squander the resources of their citizens on pretty much whatever they want.
“This month, it’s a race to the Moon. Will it work? Probably not. The real goal is to earn enough votes to become governor. But it seems the best way to impress your constituents is by doing something grotesquely stupid and dangerous, like blasting them into space. It’s one false step for Mankind, one giant leap for you.”
If that isn’t a brilliant game, I don’t know what is.