Our game is based on hopscotch, but with a battle element thrown in.
Elements brought in from hopscotch
- Jumping nodes
- Claiming nodes as one’s own
There can be a maximum of 3 players maximum and the player needs at least another opponent to play. Each territory our game board represents a fictional geographical location on the battlefield. As such, the territory borders are drawn to define the geography of those
regions. Our game also uses an area movement game mechanic as implanted by Risk.
But instead of armies , our game uses ‘nodes’ with different attack and defense ‘stats’ which can be conquered and used against other factions.
Players continue conquering territories and ‘nodes’ until two territories of a different faction are adjacent to each other, whereby the game enters battle phase. The last faction which makes a move becomes the attacker and the other a defender. The faction with a intact territory wins.
When attacking, the attacker may choose from air, ground or sea attacks which have different bonuses to cater to the kind of territory they are attacking. Before the battle phase
starts, both players may chose to draw ‘Fate Cards’ which may have positive or negative
effects The attacking faction rolls a dice, and the number becomes the attacker’s attacking
force, after which all relevant bonuses are added to it.
The defender rolls the dice and like the attacker, all relevant bonuses are added to it. The attacker’s attack is considered successful if it is larger than the defender’s number. If he attack is successful, then the node is taken and added to the attacker’s territories.
Explanation of attack-defense mechanics:
As in real warfare, certain positions are considered more ‘strategic’ than others, and some places might be good for holding out against some kinds of attacks.
As in the Battle of Hastings in 1066, King Harold of England led his troops up a hill to defend against a Norman attack. This was because he knew that the Norman archers who could easily wipe out his infantry under normal battle conditions. However, shooting uphill, the Norman archer’s effectiveness was greatly reduced and gave Harold a fighting chance.
We plan to implement this ‘choice’ in our gameplay by offering different stats or characteristics to the different nodes/territories in our game. This way, players might rush for a strategic asset and hold the line, or choose whatever mode of attack which suits the target (enemy territory).
How we do this is by implementing the attack /defense mechanism. We thought the armies of ‘Risk’ were realistic, but more complicated to play. What we were aiming for was something easy to pick up, yet gave the player the chance to make strategic choices.
The Attack/Defense System
As mentioned before, the battlefield will be full of territories, each of which have different stats or bonuses for each mode of attack.
Assuming the attacker had a 3+ bonus in air, he could use the air attacks as the bonus gives him 3+ attacking power. But if the defender had 2+ defensive bonus, he might forgo a chance of having a larger attack in favor of another mode of attack which the defender has less bonus instead.(which might have a higher chance of actually winning.)
Summary of game events:
- Players expand territories by claiming them. Players roll dice to determine who picks first. Players can only pick territories adjacent to their own territory, in effect expanding their territory.
- Once a faction claims a territory next to another territory or node belonging to another faction, battle phase starts.
- The faction who moves into the node adjacent to another faction’s territory is considered the attacker.
- The attacker chooses from 3 modes of attack – air, ground and sea- each of which having different bonuses.
- The attacker then chooses whether or not to draw a ‘Fate Card’.
- Attacker rolls dice to determine base attack score and all bonuses are added.
- The defender is forced to use whichever mode of defense according to the attacker. (eg: attacked using air, defend using air.)
- The defender then chooses whether or not to draw a ‘Fate Card’.
- Defender rolls dice to determine base defense score and all bonuses are added.
- If the attacker’s total attack score is higher, the territory is considered overrun and claimed by the attacker.
- Cycle runs until only one faction is left.
Example:
Attacker’s Stats:
Air 3+
Ground 2+
Sea 1+
Defender’s Stats:
Air 2+
Ground 0+
Sea 3+
Attacker has 3+ bonus in air attacks.
Defender has 2+ bonus in air defense.
If the attacker had used the air attacks and rolled a 4 and the defender had rolled a 5.
Attacker’s total attacking score: 4 + 3 = 7
Defender’s total defensive score : 5 + 2 = 7
This leaves them evenly matched as the attacker’s bonus is just 1.
However, if the player were to take into account that the defender had +0 bonus in ground
defense, he could actually use ground attacks to get a +2 advantage over the defender,
compared to the +1 of his strongest attack - air attacks.
Sorry for all the delays, we are aware that we are WAAYYY behind schedule, but i hope you can bear with us for just a little longer.. We shall be posting up the Maps and more rules on gameplay and Fate Cards.
-Chan Hwa Ta
