Subject: [warpspawn] The Great Machine Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2004 15:50:44 +1000 (EST) From: Curufea To: warpspawn@yahoogroups.com I've rewritten and simplified the rules to this game I wrote ages ago. It should now be playable. I do need to work on formatting the rules properly though.. The Great Machine I kinda got inspired by the Girl Genius game and This Incredible Machine and Cheapass games in general :) http://www.cheapass.com The Evil Mad Scientist Doctor Herr Guffin has left his assistants (Igor, Igor, Igor and lest we forget, Igor) in charge of his experiments while he goes to a convention on "Evil Inventions and the Applications in Modern Society". The experiment in particular is a machine he designed to breed a better rat (because the kids these days had gone and invented a better mousetrap). It is a mixture of mechanical and electronic feeder/torturing device. The object of the player (called Igor) is to have his favourite rat the biggest by the time the master returns. This involves making sure that toggles tilt the pipes in the machine such that the food pellets go to the player's rat - and avoiding/rotating the shocking motor such that the other rats are shocked (which causes them to lose food pellets, probably through vomiting). There are event cards as well (things like Cardiac Arrest - fattest rat gets a chronic heart attack and dies). Other complications are - Food pellets are lost if they enter an empty cage. Pellets are gravity fed (they move from the feeder at the top, down to the cages). The motor will rotate the electrical charge to shock in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction Event cards - some of which speed up the arrival of the master. Setup Choose a rat to be your subject. Decide what order you are playing in (roll a dice or something). Place your rat in an empty cage on the board in turn order. The player who places their rat last, now flips a coin for each toggle. On heads, the toggle is tilted left. On tails it is tilted to the right. The player who placed their rat first, now randomly determines which cage is connected to the electricity. Each player then draws 2 event cards and 3 movement cards. Each player has a turn, then the marker for the Arrival of the Master is moved down one slot. Turn sequence (for each player) Pick up one event card or one movement card. Play one card (either event or movement) or discard a card. Rotate motor. The cage that the electrical shocker is now connected to, is shocked. If there is a rat inside, they lose one pellet. If they have no pellets, nothing happens. Drop food pellet The Motor The Motor is initially set to spin clockwise. If there are 4 or less players in the game, the motor moves 90 degrees per turn. Otherwise it moves 45 degrees. Cage8 Cage1 Cage5 +-----+-----+ | \|/ | Cage4+ --O-- +Cage2 | /|\ | +-----+-----+ Cage7 Cage3 Cage6 The Master If the Master arrives, the game is over and the fattest rat wins. If there are more than one winners, they are disqualified and the winner is the next fattest rat. The "Master Returns" track that tells you when the game ends goes down by 1 after all players have had a turn. There are 20 slots in the track, some event cards modify the time of his arrival. Cards All cards are kept hidden and drawn face down. They are only revealed when they are played. Cards must always be played in a player's turn, with one exception - Timely Intervention. Event cards may be played on anyone. If an event card is played on someone else and the description specifies that something happens "this turn" then the even occurs in that person's turn. If there are options on an event card, the player who plays the card chooses the option. Most event cards are multiples except the sudden death cards which are unique. Players may not have more than 5 cards. Rat Death Remove the rat until that player's next turn - it comes back with no pellets. They may chose which empty cage it comes back too at the start of their turn. The board The 4 or less player board Hopper || /----------Toggle----------\ /---Toggle---\ /---Toggle---\ Cage1 Cage2 Cage3 Cage4 The 5-8 player board Hopper || /----------Toggle----------\ /---Toggle---\ /---Toggle---\ /-Toggle-\ /-Toggle-\ /-Toggle-\ /-Toggle-\ Cage1 Cage2 Cage3 Cage4 Cage5 Cage6 Cage7 Cage8 Movement Cards- 10x Toggle Pipe:Move a pipe's toggle to the opposite side 10x Toggle Pipes:Move two pipes' toggles to the opposite side. You may not move just one 10x Toggle Many Pipes:Move three pipes' toggles to the opposite side. You may not move just one or two. 5x Reverse Motor:If the motor is moving clockwise, it now moves counter-clockwise and vice versa. 5x Speed Motor:Motor moves twice. Event Cards- Cardiac Arrest:The fattest rat has a sudden fatal heart attack (Urk!) - it dies. If more than one, randomly determine which. Master's Coach Approaches:The clatter of coach wheels on cobblestones heralds the advance of the Master. Move arrival forward 4 Postcard from the Master:He is having fun at the Convention and wishes you weren't there. Move arrival back 2 Animal Liberationists:Successfully free the rats from their cages. The rats attack and eat them before returning home. Give each rat 2 pellets. Short Circuit:A wire shorts somewhere. This turn there is no electrical shock. Burn Out:The motor shorts. This turn the motor does not function. The electrical shock occurs to the same cage. Stripped Gear:A gear no longer has teeth. Choose a toggle - it cannot be flipped until your next turn. Cracked Gear:A gear breaks. Choose a toggle - it cannot be flipped until your next turn. Super Glue:You glue a toggle in position - it cannot be flipped until your next turn. Poison Pellet:The pellet dropped this turn will kill the rat that eats it. Lightning strike:Motor shorts this turn. This turn the motor does not function. The electrical shock occurs to the same cage. The rat that was going to be fed is electrocuted. Unshocked rats are so distraught they refuse to eat food for this turn and the next. Super pellet:The pellet dropped this turn is worth double. Nasty bug:Your rat and any rat in an adjacent cage lose one pellet through vomiting Blockage:The next pellet to drop gets stuck in a pipe it travels through. You choose. It sticks, blocking off the part of the pipe where it is until the pipe is toggled to the other direction. It then proceeds in that direction Total breakdown:The machine must be rebuilt. Flip a coin for every toggle - heads, it tilts left. Tails, to the right. Any broken toggles are repaired. Fitness meme:Rats start exercising, and none but the thinnest can gain any weight until your next turn. Ethics committee:The ethics committee places an injunction on the experiment. The machine stops until your next turn. (but other events can still happen). Rat Static:Your rat sends a charge to all adjacent cages. The adjacent rats lose a pellet. Black economy:Discard a food pellet and draw two cards. Caffeine prophesy:You are so hyped on caffeine to keep the experiment going that you have a prophetic waking dream - Look at the top four cards in the deck, then replace them in any order. All nighter:Have an extra turn after this one. Nobbled a passing geezer:You have received more funding! Look through the deck and Choose any card you want (to play now or keep in your hand), then reshuffle the deck. Timely intervention:Cancel another player's event card as it is played. This is the only card that can be played during any turn. This does not count against your own turn. Airline strike:Master is stuck. Move arrival back by three. Positive reinforcement:Master hears of progress. Igor's happiness results in better care and the fattest rat gets an extra pellet. Negative reinforcement:Master requests progress report. Weakest rat gains/loses an extra pellet. (toss a coin) "This should only take you a minute":Master emails to request 20 extra slides with animations and a new statistical analysis for his presentation. Lose your turn. All nighter:Have an extra turn after this one. Rubber boots:Your rat is immune to electric shocks until it dies. You know a guy:Use your contacts to hasten or delay (your choice) the Master's return by two turns. Someone beat us to it!:No point going on. Kill all the rats and start a new experiment (but the clock keeps ticking for the Master's return). Proved a private theory!: You win. As far as you're concerned, anyway. The Experiment keeps going, though, so you might as well try to win that, too. (No game effect, but a moral victory). Part-time job:Less time, but more resources. Lose a turn, but take two turns in a row next time. Collaboration:Choose a friend. Next time your rat receives a pellet, theirs does too. Next time their rat receives a pellet, so does yours. Works until either rat is zapped, then they forget. Plagiarism:Choose an enemy. Steal one of their pellets. Greased gear:Motor moves to the opposite side. Stuck gear:Choose a toggle - it cannot be flipped until your next turn. Lost gear:Choose a toggle - it cannot be flipped until your next turn. Convention dinner:Master gets roaring drunk and tells the story about the convention convenor, Igor, and the ferret. Is shunned by other mad scientists. Move arrival forward by 2. Poster session:Master spends the evening chatting up evil graduate students. Move arrival back by 2. Hopper blockage:No food pellets dropped this turn. Laxative pellet:The pellet dropped this turn will cause the affected rat to lose two pellets (and the laxative pellet). If a rat cannot afford these pellets, it dies. Rat escape!:The chosen rat escapes. It takes the rat owner their turn to recapture. No pellet loss. No shock. Extra food:Two pellets are dropped this turn. Pavlovian response:Your rat from this turn until your next, may avoid electrocution by cowering in fear at the far side of the cage. Will not eat. Pavlovian response:Your rat from this turn until your next, on hearing any toggle move in any other player turn, responds as if it had been fed. Counts as one extra food pellet, except for the purposes of Starvation or Heart Attack. Starvation:Thinnest rat dies. If more than one, randomly determine which. Flooded cages:All rats are shocked if any rat is zapped this turn. Union Action:All rats go on a hunger strike and refuse to eat until your next turn. Noxious rat:Rat's emissions put rats in cages within 2 cages off their food. These rats will not eat this turn. Old reanimation experiment:For this turn, all rats treat electrical charges as food. Old friends:Master realises why he hates going to conventions. Move arrival forward by two. Biomorphic resonance:Fattest rat loses a pellet, thinnest rat gains one. If more than one, determine randomly which. Deal!:Swap your rat cage with another player's. WarHamster:Rat gains spellcasting ability, but isn't sure what to do with it. No game effect. Psycho rat:Chosen rat halts toggle that is immediately next to its cage until the owner's next turn. Mellow rat:Chosen rat does nothing. Cancels any rat-effecting card. Cleaning duty:You got the short straw. Lose a turn, but take any card from the discard pile. Leftovers:Feed your rat some stuff you found in the back of the fridge. Toss a coin: Heads- add a food pellet, Tails- vomit up a food pellet. Maze!:Rat enters the food tubes. Moves one toggle every player turn (not just the owner's) towards the hopper until it gets a food pellet, at which point it returns to its cage. While in the pipes, cannot be zapped. Explosion!:Someone forgot to reverse the polarity of the neutron flow. Any four adjacent toggles are damaged and immovable until your next turn. Maze!:Rat enters the food tubes. Moves one toggle every player turn (not just the owner's) towards the hopper until it gets a food pellet, at which point it returns to its cage. While in the pipes, cannot be zapped. Extra food:Two pellets are dropped this turn. ---------------------------------------------------------------