By Christopher Brooks

A and P 2022 fall

Have you ever wondered how Santa is able to fly around the world in order to deliver presents to all the good boys and girls of the world? Well, there is an answer, it is joints. Joints allow movement. To those who may be wondering, the objective of my project is to compare the structure of the knee joint to 5 other joint types using a board game. What a game it is!
In the game, players discover the complexities of arthritis diseases striking the knee as well as the 5 other synovial joints. In this game each player is Santa Claus, and they are trying to reach all the cities on the board before the other players. However, they are also trying to avoid obtaining a variety of arthritis while trying to give other players arthritis. This is a perfect illustration of synovial joint risks and use in a fun and competitive setting.

In this game, joints and their diseases are front and center. The game introduces seven different varieties of arthritis and their pathway leading to disease. In order to appreciate this game as they play, players are encouraged to peruse through the information provided. There is a section covering physiology of synovial joints, a section covering the ways arthritis targets joints, and a list of arthritis varieties. Because of the complexity of the topic, there are many cards in this game and many rules. A lot of the information is found on the cards. Much of that information corresponds with information found in this document such as all biological information. Therefore, it may be a card with information on a specific disease, or a card with information about specific physiological traits of joints.

There are other factors that will influence play through as well. First players can only keep a certain number of cards. In addition, they have the choice to draw a limited amount of cards from other players. Also, many cards may be used to stop players where they are by getting them lost, stuck or in the wrong location. There are cards that remove disease traits and apply them to opponents. All in all, this is a game of using strategy to avoid arthritis.

I made all the art on a computer.
The Santa Claus game where you get arthritis
this information about names of joints is found in the essay and cited there. These particular images are not anatomically accurate they are just meant to show what joints are where. They are rough sketches of the skeletal figures found in section 9.4 of the open stax text book

Rules to the game

Welcome, the world is in on the eve of Christmas and is expecting Santa. However, Santa is having health problems and may have arthritis. During this game he will travel to listed cities of the world. To complete, each city must be visited at least once.  If you gain arthritis during game play you must cease play. If you have arthritis at the end of the game you also lose. Your Santa then cannot visit all the world due to the pain and the children will be heart broken.

To win the game you must not have arthritis and must reach all the listed cities first. Each city is connected to other cities by a flight corridor; Santa cannot deviate from flight corridors or he will be shot out of the sky by a nation’s military. Also he can only move to one city at a time. Card actions After each player lands on a city, they have a turn where they draw 4 cards either from the deck or other players or both as long as the total equals 4 cards.  These will be drawn from the opponents’ hand with their back facing you. During this turn they players can play up to 4 cards of their choice. Eventually, all the cards will be drawn from the pile. At that point draw cards from other players 4 cards. These can be of any amount from any number of players as long as the cards equal 4 in total. These will be drawn from the opponents’ hand with their back facing you. If there is only 3 or less cards to be drawn total from players and the card pile is empty then the game ends. There are special cards that can be played during a players turn that do special things to other players. These are placed in from of them and affect them starting their next turn. These can slow opponents down, transport opponents or put a clue card on an opponent’s  joint. These cards can be played after the player moves to a new city. These can also be played as part of the 4 total maximum number of cards from a player a turn.  All action cards played besides clue cards are out of play for the rest of game after use. Clue cards either remain on a specific joint or are removed and placed into the hand of the person who removed it from the joint. If someone puts an action card on you that says you or anyone else cannot move through a region and if you or anyone else is in it, you and them are stuck for the number of turns it says. So you draw 4 cards and can deal 4 cards from that hand each turn. If you are stuck or trapped or lost a turn do not draw cards or move for the number of turns it say unless you transport immediately somewhere else. You can only immediately transport yourself if the card says you can immediately transport yourself. Otherwise, you can only transport opponents.

Giving arthritis

To do so you must place clue cards from your hand (after you draw) on the joints of opponents. There must be 4 cards on (at least) on a single joint and 4 of those cards must each suggest the same arthritis type.   (so if there are four cards on a joint but they correlate to different arthritis types then that Santa does not gain arthritis). After each clue card is placed for a specific joint, the clue card cannot be placed on another joint unless it is removed. When the game ends, each remaining player looks at their remaining cards and if they have 4 clue cards that correlate to the same kind of arthritis, that player has arthritis and loses. There are also cards that can remove a clue card. They can be played on that players turn and one clue on any joint can be removed and put into their hand (the gained clue card does not count against the number of cards drawn that turn). The moment a 4th card that correlates to the same arthritis is laid down on the same joint for your Santa, you have arthritis and lose. You must then read about that type of arthritis in the informational bulletin provided

Words on the Cards These are what the cards say in the game. All biological info is found on the essay and cited. The other information is not.

Your Santa has had a stiffness while moving the head

        Clue pointing to all arthritis types

         Put card on Atlas/Axis joint

Your Santa has inflammation in The ligamentum teres

          Clue pointing to all arthritis types

                     Put on hip

Your Santa has inflammation in the the mid tarsal ligaments

        Clue pointing to all arthritis types put on tarsals

Your Santa has inflammation in the the plantar ligaments

        Clue pointing to all arthritis types put on tarsals

Your Santa has inflammation between the Radius and the Carpals

            Clue pointing to all arthritis types

Your Santa has inflammation between the Metacarpals and the Carpals

            Clue pointing to all arthritis types

Your Santa has Hypo methlated CD40LG and CXCR3

        Clue pointing to lupus put on any joint

Your Santa has methylated AQP1, Col1A1 and CLEC3

           Clue pointing to Osteoarthritis put on any joint

Your Santa has inflammation in the

       carpals and metacarpals

     Clue pointing to all arthritis types

Your Santa has pain in the

       carpals and metacarpals

 Clue pointing to all Psoriatic Arthritis

Put on carpals and metacarpal joint or Tarsals 

Your Santa is positive class I allele of the Hla–B27 gene

Clue pointing to Ankylosing spondylitis and Reactive Arthritis

Put on Knee, Tarsals, or Atlas and Axis joint

Your Santa has inflamed cruciate ligaments

      Clue pointing Arthris in the knee

Your Santa has Significant Back Pain

     Clue pointing to Ankylosing spondylitis

Your Santa has elevated Natural Killer cell

and Macrophage numbers

      Clue pointing to Ankylosing spondylitis

Your Santa high amounts of cytokines il17 and il 23

      Clue pointing to psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis,

                   and ankylosing spondylitis

  Your Santa has a Fever and hands are swollen

Clue pointing to Rheumatoid arthritis and Reactive Arthritis

Put a card on carpal/metacarpal joint, or Radius /carpal joint

Your Santa has Reduced miR-10 mrna

  Clue pointing to Rheumatoid arthritis

     Put on any Joint

Your Santa has increased levels of

 Anti Citrullinated Protein Antibodies      

  Clue pointing to Rheumatoid arthritis

     Put on any Joint

Your Santa Smokes two packs a day

     Clue pointing to Rheumatoid arthritis

    Put on any Joint

Your Santa Has Skin Inflammation

  Clue pointing to Psoriatic arthritis

Put on any Joint

Your sata has narrowing intervertebral discs

Clue pointing to Psoriatic arthritis

      Put a card on radius and carpal joint, and carpals/metacarpal joint, the axis/atlas joint, or hip joint

Your Santa Has Flaky Fingernails

       Clue pointing to Psoriatic arthritis

Put a card on radius and carpal joint, and carpals/metacarpal joint, the axis/atlas joint, or hip joint

  Your Santa Has Eye Inflammation

 Clue pointing to Psoriatic arthritis and Reactive Arthritis

Put on tarsal, or Knee Put a card on radius and carpal joint, and carpals/metacarpal joint, the axis/atlas joint, or hip joint

Your Santa just had a Urinary Tract Infection

       Clue Pointing to Reactive Arthritis

      Put on tarsal, or Knee

Your Santa’s pain and inflammation is

generally on one side

     Clue Pointing to Reactive Arthritis

Put on tarsals, or Knee

Your Santa Has Headaches and Seizures

             Clue Pointing to Lupus

                 Put on any joint

Your Santa Has large amounts of auto immune complexes in hands

             Clue Pointing to Lupus

    Put a card on carpal/metacarpal joint, or Radius /carpal joint

Your Santa Has A lot of Cellular Wate in Blood

              Clue Pointing to Lupus

             Put on any joint

Your Santa is an Alcoholic

        Clue Pointing to Gout

         Put on Tarsals and the knee

Your Santa eats a lot of Red Meat

       Clue Pointing to Gout

        Put on Tarsals and the knee

Your Santa his high levels of Uric acid

       Clue Pointing to Gout

        Put on Tarsals and the knee

   Your Santa is Obese

Clue Pointing to Gout, Osteo arthritis,

     and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Put on Knee, Tarsals, or Hip joint, Carpals and Metacarpals

Your Santa Has increased Chondrocyte Receptors

   for alk1 and alk5

            Clue Pointing to Osteo Arthritis

       Put on Knee, Tarsals, or Hip joint

Your Santa Has Increased amounts of 

             Metalloproteinase

           Clue Pointing to Osteo Arthritis

         Put a card on any joint

Your Santa Has had joint injury

      Clue Pointing to Osteo Arthritis

        Put a card on any joint

You can remove a clue card from a joint Relating to

Rheumatoid Arthritis/Psoriatic Arthritis/ Reactive Arthritis

Your Santa used Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs       

   (DMARDS)

Your Santa is taking tnf-a blockers

You can remove a clue card from a joint Relating to ankylosing spondylitis and Reactive Arthritis

Your Santa has been taking Ustekinumab and Secukinumab

You can remove a clue card from a joint Relating to ankylosing spondylitis

You can remove a clue card from a joint relating to Rheumatoid Arthritis

 Your Santa takes Omega three fatty acids

You can remove a clue card from a joint relating to Lupus

Your Santa take Monoclonal Antibodies

You can remove a clue card from a joint relating to Lupus

Your Santa took specific Anti Malaria Medications

You can remove a clue card from a joint

You can remove a clue card from a joint

You can remove a clue card from a joint

You can remove a clue card from a joint

You can remove a clue card from a joint

Lost cannot move for 2 turns     Lost cannot move for 2 turns

Lost cannot move for 2 turns     Lost cannot move for 2 turns

Lost cannot move for 2 turns     Lost cannot move for 2 turns

Sleigh broke transport and land in Paris immediately for parts

Sleigh broke  transport and land in Sydney immediately for parts

Reindeer sick transport and land in Cape Town immediately for medicine

Reindeer sick transport and land in New York immediately for medicine

Forgot presents transport and land in New Delhi immediately to retrieve them

Forgot presents transport and land in Limon immediately  to retrieve them

Santa dropped wallet transport and land in Chicago immediately  to retrieve it.

Blizzard strikes N. America

cannot move through or into it for 2 turns

Blizzard strikes Europe.

cannot move through or into it for 1 turns

Blizzard strikes Asia

cannot move through or into it for 2 turns

Blizzard strikes Europe.

cannot move through or into it for 2 turns

Blizzard strikes Asia

cannot move through or into it for 2 turns

WildFires strike Africa

cannot move through or into it for 3 turns

WildFires strike Australia region

cannot move through or into it for 1 turns

WildFires strike Africa

cannot move through or into it for 2 turns

WildFires strike Australia region

cannot move through or into it for 1 turns

Trasport yourself or anyone immediately to Honolulu

Transport yourself or anyone immediately to Beijing

Transport yourself or anyone immediately to Cairo

Transport yourself or anyone immediately to St Petersburg

Transport yourself or anyone immediately to Lagos

Transport yourself or anyone immediately to Tokyo

Transport yourself or anyone immediately to Reykjavik

Transport yourself or anyone immediately to Darwin

Transport yourself or anyone immediately to Bangkok

You can remove any clue card from a joint

And immediately play it on another player

You can remove any clue card from a joint

And immediately play it on another player

You can remove any clue card from a joint

Your Santa Used N S A I D S

You can remove any clue card from a joint

Your Santa Used N S A I D S

You can remove a clue card from a joint

Your Santa Used N S A I D S

You can remove a clue card from a joint

Your Santa Used N S A I D S

You can remove a clue card from a joint

You can remove a clue card from a joint

You can remove a clue card from a joint

You can remove a clue card from a joint

One Comment

  1. Christopher’s project is very nice and well made. It is very detailed and uses a fun concept to teach the players of the game about joints and arthritis in a way that I thought was pretty simple and straightforward but effective. In the game the objective is to have Santa visit every city and not get arthritis to win. The players draw cards whenever one of the players lands on a city and the players draw cards from any of the other players 4 cards that they placed on the board. The cards are action cards that cause the player to not move or become stuck on the board or any other specified action the card says and after an action card is used it’s discarded. There are also clue cards which are placed or removed by the players onto the joints of other players which are the players own personal boards in the game. If a player reaches all of the cities or there are no non-discarded action cards left the game ends. If a player has four or more clue cards pertaining to a certain disease on one of their joints they have arthritis and they lose and have to read about the disease in the information bulletin that’s provided. The bulletin has lots of great information on synovial joints and diseases that cause arthritis in these joints such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and reactive arthritis to name a few of the diseases.

    Dustin Kelly

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