Need help with creating a children's wizard duel game (WIP)

[The Witch-King]

Hi homebrewers!

I need help creating a wizard's duel game for a group of children. My local church does a Hogwarts-themed summer camp for kids and the kids want to be able to play a wizard's dueling game. Currently, they have the kids stand across the room from each other and take turns. You point a dowel at the other person and say the name of the spell you're casting and then you get to toss a bean bag at them and if it hits, you score a point.

Now--I'm thinking there's gotta be a better way to make a game of this type. The problem is making a game that's interesting but at the same time, not too complex. This is what I've come up with so far. It's a work in progress. I should probably also add that what I've come up with isn't that Harry Potteresque but it could be.

Wizarding Duels

A duel consists of a fight between two wizards. All you need for play is paper and pencil, one 20-sided die, three pennies for each player, three nickles for each player and some glass beads (like for Go, Pente or Magic: The Gathering).

Character Creation: Each player creates their wizard before play. A Wizard has a name, and three styles of magic.

A style of magic consists of a Color and four Power Words.

The Colors are: Red, White, Black, Blue, Green, Purple, Brown, Pink, Silver and Gold.

What a Color means is up to you but here are some examples:

{table=head]Color|Meaning

Red|Fire
White|Winter, Healing, Protection
Black|Shadow
Blue|Water, Ice, Air
Green|Forest, Plant, Elf
Purple|Night
Brown|Animal, Earth
Pink|Fairy, Love
Silver|Moon
Gold|Sun
[/table]

These are just suggestions. If to you dragons are Green and you want Green to be Dragon Magic for your wizard, that's fine.

Power Words: Power Words are things magic can do. When you cast a spell, if the description of the spell matches what one of the power words for that style can do, you get a bonus.

Paralyze--Paralyze an opponent temporarily.

Blast--Blast them with fire or an explosion.

Zap--Zap them with lightning.

Bash--Bash them with a rock or something heavy.

Call--Call animals or monsters or soldiers to fight for you.

Protect--Defend yourself with a magic shield.

Hex--Place a curse on someone, like maybe a curse of clumsiness.

Move--Make something fly or teleport or swim or be carried along on a wave of sand or something.

Trick--Trick someone with illusions for example.

Trap--Tie someone up with growing vines or shadowy tentacles.

Hide--Hide your wizard with a mist or maybe a spell of invisibility.

Read--Predict your opponent's future actions through mind-reading or empathy.

Create--Make a wall or a sword or some other object.

Enchant--Make something better with magic, like make a sword magical so it does more damage.

Heal--Heal wounds, cuts and bruises.

Note: No, there's no real difference between Blast, Zap and Bash, and no real difference between Paralyze and Trap. It's just to give the kids more options.

Sample magic styles:

Snake Magic
Color: Green. Power Words: Call, Trap, Bash, Paralyze.

Storm Magic
Color: Blue. Power Words: Zap, Move, Bash, Hide.

Fox Magic
Color: Red. Power Words: Trick, Hide, Move, Call.

Arabian Sand Magic
Color: Brown. Power Words: Trick, Hide, Move, Trap.

Note: There's nothing stopping a player from using the same Power Words in two or even all three styles. When a Power Word is used, it is used with that particular style and the beads that mark this only pertain to that particular Power Word. So if John uses Ogre Magic to Bash Bobby's wizard, the bead he puts down on Bash under Ogre Magic doesn't affect his use of the Bash Power Word for Storm Magic if his wizard has both Ogre Magic and Storm Magic.

Once you've got a Character created, you're ready for play.

Players play a round of Rock, Scissors, Paper to see who goes first.

Turn Sequence:

The player who's turn it is is referred to as the Attacker and the non-phasing player as the Defender.

Roll For Flow:

The attacker rolls a 20-sided die and consults the Flow table.

{table=head]Die Roll|Color

1-2|Red
3-4|White
5-6|Black
7-8|Blue
9-10|Green
11-12|Purple
13-14|Brown
15-16|Pink
17-18|Silver
19-20|Gold
[/table]

The Flow represents the flow of magic in the universe at that time.

Whatever Color the roll indicates is Up. If a player's Color is Up, then he or she gains a bonus when using Spells of that Color.

Recovery Phase:

The attacker removes one penny, one nickle and one bead from on top of his/her character sheet.

Action Phase:

The attacker can either Cast a Spell or Pool Mana. The player can also Alter Flow.

Alter Flow: Alter Flow can be done in conjunction with Cast a Spell or Pool Mana. If the player chooses to Alter Flow, he or she can reroll the Flow die for a new color. If the same Color comes up again, it stays. A player can only do this once every three turns and so the player puts down three nickles to indicate this.

Pool Mana: By taking a moment to replenish one's magical energies, the player can remove all beads from off of his or her character sheet. However, this can only be done every three turns and so the player puts down three pennies to indicate this.

Cast a Spell: A Spell consists of a name, if the player can think of one and a description of what the spell does. If the Spell makes use of that style's Power Words in its description then the player gets a bonus.

Casting a Spell is an opposed roll. The attacker gives the Color, name (if any) and description of the spell, including what Power Words are being used in the spell.

Note: There's NO BREAKING and NO STEALING. If a player describes their wizard using a wand or a magic sword or a shield or whatever, your description cannot include breaking or stealing their tool.

The attacker then rolls a d20.

Modifiers:

If the spell has a cool name: +2.
If the spell makes use of a fresh Power Word (one that doesn't have a bead on it): +3.
If the spell makes use of a used Power Word (one with one or more beads on it): +1.
If the attacker's Color is Up: +4.

The defender then rolls a d20.

If the spell has a cool name: +2.
If the spell makes use of a fresh Power Word (one that doesn't have a bead on it): +3.
If the spell makes use of a used Power Word (one with one or more beads on it): +1.
If the defender's Color is Up: +4.

If the attacker's modified roll is higher than the defender's modified roll, then the attacker gains 1 Advantage Point.

If the attacker's modified roll is twice that or higher than the defender's modified roll, the attacker gains 2 Advantage Points.

If the defender's modified roll is twice that or higher than the defender's modified roll, the defender may remove one penny, nickle or bead from off of his or her character sheet.

The first wizard to reach 10 Advantage Points wins.

Attacker or defender: If you use a Power Word, you put a bead on that Power Word.

Example Turn:

Rick is playing High Wizard Karik.

Susan is playing Snake Charmer Nys'iss.

Susan wins the game of Rock, Paper, Scissors and goes first.

She rolls for Flow and the Flow is White. Neither Susan nor Rick have any White styles so she decides to leave the Flow alone for now.

Susan decides to cast a Spell.

She uses Green Snake Magic. She decides to cast a spell she calls Serpent's Alarm. She describes this as Nys'iss ringing a bell which magically summons snakes to come to her aid and bite Karik with their poison fangs. She is using the Power Words Call and Paralyze.

Rick decides to defend Karik with Blue Storm Magic. He casts a spell he calls Rising Storm. He describes this as swirling mists forming around Karik and bolts of lightning stabbing outward to attack the incoming snakes. He is using the Power Words Hide and Zap.

Susan rolls a d20. She adds +2 for a name, and +6 for the two Power Words she has used. She gets a total result of 17.

Rick rolls a d20. He adds +2 for a name and +6 for the two Power Words he has used. His result is an 11.

Since Susan has scored higher than Rick but not twice as high, she gains an Advantage Point in the duel.

Both Susan and Rick then place beads on the Power Words they used for those particular styles and it is now the beginning of Rick's turn.

[Elemental]

Great idea. I'm sure the kids would love to play it (to tell the truth, I'm kind of want to as well).

I just think there's one thing that needs clarifying, is there a limit to the number of power words you can use in a spell?
Because, if there isn't, then some one can turn around and get a +18 to their roll by using four fresh power words and a cool name while their colour is up.

[The Witch-King]

Great idea. I'm sure the kids would love to play it (to tell the truth, I'm kind of want to as well).

Thanks!

I just think there's one thing that needs clarifying, is there a limit to the number of power words you can use in a spell?
Because, if there isn't, then some one can turn around and get a +18 to their roll by using four fresh power words and a cool name while their colour is up.

Hmm--no, not as written. I guess I thought making it +3 for a fresh one and +1 for a used one would encourage you to alternate and mix it up but I guess kids aren't going to necessarily follow whatever game logic I come up with anyway.

Now that you mention it, I guess you could even cast a spell that didn't use any of your Power Words if you wanted. For example, if you couldn't think of anything appropriate but say your Color was Up.

[Mulletmanalive]

I'm always dubious of adding where kids are concerned. Most of the kids i've taught don't like doing it if they can help it, hence me wondering about the dice mechanic

Have you thought of renaming the options in Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock?

Winner gets to throw his beanbag first, after all, the attacks in Harry Potter are almost always quickdraw affairs.

Lizard - Expeliamus [it looks like grabbing]
Spock - Protego [Looks like a shielding gesture]
Paper - Petrificus Totalus [the whole wrapping thing]
Scissors - Reducto [cutting type thing]
Rock - Stupify [it's a fist...]

[Amechra]

Well, if you want some more inspiration, there is always this.

Basically, its what you get if you take Rock Paper Scissors and base a Wizard's Duel around it.

[Mulletmanalive]

Well, if you want some more inspiration, there is always this.

Basically, its what you get if you take Rock Paper Scissors and base a Wizard's Duel around it.

Good lord, that's tortuously complex... I've only skimmed it but it looks like it would be insanely hard to judge fairly whether the moves had been pulled off or not...

[Amechra]

Well, I don't suggest just taking it wholesale; a much simpler version is called for, especially for kids.

[BarroomBard]

You could make a simpler game based on the "Waving Hands" idea like so:

You have two hands, Left and Right. There are five one handed gestures: Wave, Wiggle Fingers, Proferred Palms, Digit point, and Snap, or whatever gestures you want.

Each of the five gestures is strong against two and weak against two of the others, like Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock.

There is one two-handed gesture: clap.

You cast spells by throwing either two one-handed gestures, or clapping.

This gives you a total of sixteen possible gesture combinations, much more manageable.

[The Witch-King]

I decided to expand the examples so the kids could have more to look at.

High Wizard Karik
High Wizard Karik's styles are Storm Magic, Pyromancy and Royal High Magic.

Storm Magic
Color: Blue. Power Words: Zap, Move, Bash, Hide.

Thunderclap: The wizard claps their hands and there is a mighty wave of thunder, bashing their enemies and rolling them away. Power Words: Move, Bash.

Jovian Thunderbolt: The wizard throws a bolt of lightning into the ground in front of their enemy, causing an explosion. Power Words: Zap, Bash.

Rising Tide: A wave of water lifts the wizard up and races the wizard across the battlefield to an advantageous position. Power Word: Move.

Pyromancy
Color: Red. Power Words: Blast, Trap, Protect, Create.

Bars of Flame: Jets of burning fire spring up in a circle around the target, surrounding it with flame. Power Words: Create, Trap, Blast.

Flaming Shield: A circular barrier of flame appears between the wizard and his attacker, protecting the wizard from harm. Power Words: Create, Blast, Protect.

Royal High Magic
Color: Purple. Call, Trick, Enchant, Heal.

Princely Might: An aura of authority and personal magnetism radiates outward from the wizard compelling attacking creatures to cease their attack. Power Word: Trick.

Loyal Guards: A troop of knights in shining, magic armor come to the aid of their sovereign. Power Words: Call, Enchant.

Blade of the Realm: The wizard draws a sword from its scabbard and enchants it with the blessings of the Kings and Queens of yore. Power Word: Enchant.

Snake Charmer Nys'iss
Snake Charmer Nys'iss' styles are Snake Charmer Magic, Copperhead Magic, and Black Mamba Magic.

Snake Charmer Magic
Color: Green. Power Words: Create, Trick, Hex, Protect.

Hypnotic Snake Eye: A large green snake with glowing eyes hypnotizes whatever's attacking the snake charmer. Power Words: Trick, Hex, Protect.

Scaled Newborn: A giant snakes bursts out of the ground to defend the wizard. Power Words: Create, Protect.

Hissing Serpents: Thirteen snakes in unison hiss a curse against the enemy wizard. Power Word: Hex.

Copperhead Magic
Color: Brown. Power Words: Hide, Move, Transform, Heal.

Healing Venom: A copperhead rises up to bite the wizard near a wound and the wizard is healed. Power Words: Transform, Heal.

Burrowing Serpent: A giant snake bursts out of the ground under the wizard's feet and carry the wizard on its back as it burrows back into the earth out of harm's way. Power Words: Hide, Move.

Stonescale: This gives either the wizard or called serpents scales of stone. Power Word: Transform.

Black Mamba Magic
Color: Black. Power Words: Call, Trap, Bash, Paralyze.

Neurotoxin: A snake bites the enemy wizard or one of the wizard's creatures with a paralyzing venom. Power Words: Bash, Paralyze.

Song of the Pythons: Giant pythons are summoned to wrap around the enemy and hold them fast. Power Words: Call, Trap.

[erikun]

My first question is, would the kids be interested in this? I mean, they get to throw stuff at other people. I would've really liked the chance to stand up and throw stuff at random people when I was a kid, especially when it doesn't involve getting hit by large rubber balls in return from the more athletic kids. This sounds a bit like going to a soccer game and bringing out a soccer-based Monopoly board game. Don't be surprised if some of the kids aren't so interested.

Second, wouldn't d6 and only six colors - Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple - work far better for this? It would be far easier to keep track of the order, far easier to represent the colors (Is that yellow or gold? Is that white or just a bright silver?), and a die that the kids are far more likely to recognize. You would need to adjust the modifiers, though.

Speaking of that, some "feelies" or physical objects might keep the kids interested longer. A deck of 18- or 30-cards, each one of the six colors, could act as a randomizer seperately from the d6. You can probably buy (or make) six-sides dice, each with a different color, easier than doing so on a d10 or d20. Perhaps make color-coded cardboard "cards" for the kids to hang onto, to represent their three styles of magic. You'd probably also want blank white cards, for the kids to write down their power words.

This does seem rather complex for what I assume to be intended as a quick game. As I mentioned, feelies may make the game more interesting to look at and perhaps simplify things. Perhaps reducing the bonuses (+1 cool name, +1 fresh power word, +1 matching color) would make things easier to remember along with a smaller (d6) die size. This could even remove the need for extra beads, as you would simply turn over the power word when used for the first time and turn it back face-up when they pool mana.

I am also not sure this is very Harry Potter-ish, but I guess that is sort of arbitrary. It does feel rather magic-y, which I guess is the point.

[The Witch-King]

I've given it some thought and I think you're right. So I'm going with the six colors idea (White, Red, Green, Blue, Purple and Black). I found that the local craft store carries blank six-sided dice so I can just paint the colors on them and roll. And I'm going with your idea to use cards for colors and Power Words (and reducing the adds to +1).

Thanks for all your help!