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  1. - Top - End - #1
    Bugbear in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Inside

    Default Test and critique my Roll and Write?! (Also share your own?)

    Quite short, light-weight board game with very little materials or effort needed. Any possible similarity to other games completely accidental and unintentional.

    Spoiler: Rules
    Show
    What you need:
    6 x 6 grid on paper (each square big enough for all players' markers)
    6 x d6 dice (or 6 per player)
    pens and more paper
    small markers in different colours (lots, 20 or so per player is a good start. Legos, hard candies, bottlecaps, small pieces of paper, what ever works... Or just draw your markings, but this makes the board single-use-only)
    marker for alchemist's hut

    A master alchemist has announced a competition for a new apprenticeship. The bravest, most cunning and least cowardly candidate gets the spot. Each of the following achievements will net one point in the end:
    - mapping most areas in the dark woods
    - finding most rare ingredients for the alchemist
    - NOT being the first to lose your cool
    Apprentice with most points gets the spot.

    Draw and number the map grid from 1 to 6 on two sides, so that each square corresponds with two numbers:
    1 2 3 4 5 6
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6




    This is the map of the dark woods.
    Toss the alchemist's hut marker in any random place on the map, so that it's in the corner of four different squares. All players start from here. (This means four different squares are treated as the starting spot. You can choose which one of these you start your mapping journey after throwing your first dice)

    At the start of your turn, throw the six dice. The dice form three pairs, always so that the first pair of your choosing represents movement (if possible), and the second and third pairs either mapping and/or discovery of ingredients (rare occurence), or increased horror (most likely outcome).

    Movement: Always the first action on your turn. You must move if possible. Both orthogonal and diagonal movement allowed. You can only move to a square next to the square you currently are in. Example: You start in spot 4-3, and roll 1, 4, 5, 5, 6, 6. The only possible dice combination allowed for movement is 5-4, so that is the only path you find, and must take it.

    Mapping: You map the area by leaving markers of your own colour on all the squares you move to, and on all squares you can see from where you are, represented by dice left over from movement. Example: You moved to square 5-4, and have 1, 5, 6, 6 left. The only square directly next to you, and the one you are able to map this turn, is 6-5. Place a mapping markers on both of these two spots.

    Discovery: After movement, if the remaining dice happen to form matching pairs (e.g. 4,5 and 4,5) AND that square is directly next to you, you find a rare ingredient: a magical mushroom. This will surely ensure you will get the apprenticeship! You also map that square, so place your marker on it.

    Horror: oh, the horror. If any of the dice can not be used for any other action, they will turn into your inner fears: Maybe that sound was a beast? Or ghosts? Or a deep chasm that triggers your phobia of heights? Or just your own self-doubt, preventing you from being able to do much else than hunker down and cower in fear? Easy rule of thumb; if you can't move, all of your dice turn into horror.
    Example: You used 5, 4 for movement, 6, 5 for mapping, so have 6, 1 left. These last two are not next to you, so they turn into your inner fears, insecurities or possibly entirely very real and not at all imagined ghastly monsters that might eat you?!!
    Mark your fears on a piece of paper, from 1 to 6. Place one x on column 1 and one on column 6. (optionally, you can label your fears for added immersion, e.g.: 1: deep chasms 2: scary voices 3: living, angry trees 4: evil snakes 5: The Darkness 6: the fear of being seen as a failure by everyone else).

    Example two: You were in square 2,2 but rolled 4,4,4,5,6,6. This means you can't move, and so are paralyzed with fear and must fill in your horror on the fears chart. You already had single horror markings in 1 and 4, so your new horror scores will become:
    1: x
    2:
    3:
    4: xXXX
    5: X
    6: XX

    At any point, you can consume one of your rare mushrooms to reduce any one fear by two points. But remember, they are rare and invaluable, and possibly very toxic..

    As soon as a player reaches six horror markings in any one of their six different fears, they will scream so hard and loud that everyone in the woods can hear it, and all players can't help it but run straight back to the alchemist's hut.
    Then, the most accomplished (or, least unaccomplished) mapper wins. In case of a tie, the alchemist finds you all inadequate, and everyone loses.

    Note:
    Squares can be mapped only once by each player.
    You can move to squares that are already mapped, but you can't map a square that already has your marker on it (other player's markers don't have any effect on you). This means any rolled dice that could have been used for mapping turn into horror points, if the square has already been mapped by you.


    (is this even the correct forum for this sort of stuff?)
    Last edited by thirsting; 2021-01-14 at 07:43 AM. Reason: little bit of clarity
    Well that was awkward.

  2. - Top - End - #2
    Ettin in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jun 2015

    Default Re: Test and critique my Roll and Write?! (Also share your own?)

    Quote Originally Posted by thirsting View Post
    Quite short, light-weight board game with very little materials or effort needed. Any possible similarity to other games completely accidental and unintentional.

    Spoiler: Rules
    Show
    What you need:
    6 x 6 grid on paper (each square big enough for all players' markers)
    6 x d6 dice (or 6 per player)
    pens and more paper
    small markers in different colours (lots, 20 or so per player is a good start. Legos, hard candies, bottlecaps, small pieces of paper, what ever works... Or just draw your markings, but this makes the board single-use-only)
    marker for alchemist's hut

    A master alchemist has announced a competition for a new apprenticeship. The bravest, most cunning and least cowardly candidate gets the spot. Each of the following achievements will net one point in the end:
    - mapping most areas in the dark woods
    - finding most rare ingredients for the alchemist
    - NOT being the first to lose your cool
    Apprentice with most points gets the spot.

    Draw and number the map grid from 1 to 6 on two sides, so that each square corresponds with two numbers:
    1 2 3 4 5 6
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6




    This is the map of the dark woods.
    Toss the alchemist's hut marker in any random place on the map, so that it's in the corner of four different squares. All players start from here. (This means four different squares are treated as the starting spot. You can choose which one of these you start your mapping journey after throwing your first dice)

    At the start of your turn, throw the six dice. The dice form three pairs, always so that the first pair of your choosing represents movement (if possible), and the second and third pairs either mapping and/or discovery of ingredients (rare occurence), or increased horror (most likely outcome).

    Movement: Always the first action on your turn. You must move if possible. Both orthogonal and diagonal movement allowed. You can only move to a square next to the square you currently are in. Example: You start in spot 4-3, and roll 1, 4, 5, 5, 6, 6. The only possible dice combination allowed for movement is 5-4, so that is the only path you find, and must take it.

    Mapping: You map the area by leaving markers of your own colour on all the squares you move to, and on all squares you can see from where you are, represented by dice left over from movement. Example: You moved to square 5-4, and have 1, 5, 6, 6 left. The only square directly next to you, and the one you are able to map this turn, is 6-5. Place a mapping markers on both of these two spots.

    Discovery: After movement, if the remaining dice form matching pairs (e.g. 4,5 and 4,5) AND that square is directly next to you, you find a rare ingredient: a magical mushroom. This will surely ensure you will get the apprenticeship! You also map that square, so place your marker on it.

    Horror: oh, the horror. If any of the dice can not be used for any other action, they will turn into your inner fears: Maybe that sound was a beast? Or ghosts? Or a deep chasm that triggers your phobia of heights? Or just your own self-doubt, preventing you from being able to do much else than hunker down and cower in fear? Easy rule of thumb; if you can't move, all of your dice turn into horror.
    Example: You used 5, 4 for movement, 6, 5 for mapping, so have 6, 1 left. These last two are not next to you, so they turn into your inner fears, insecurities or possibly entirely very real and not at all imagined ghastly monsters that might eat you?!!
    Mark your fears on a piece of paper, from 1 to 6. Place one x on column 1 and one on column 6. (optionally, you can label your fears for added immersion, e.g.: 1: deep chasms 2: scary voices 3: living, angry trees 4: evil snakes 5: The Darkness 6: the fear of being seen as a failure by everyone else).

    Example two: You were in square 2,2 but rolled 4,4,4,5,6,6. This means you can't move, and so are paralyzed with fear and must fill in your horror on the fears chart. You already had single horror markings in 1 and 4, so your new horror scores will become:
    1: x
    2:
    3:
    4: xXXX
    5: X
    6: XX

    At any point, you can consume one of your rare mushrooms to reduce any one fear by two points. But remember, they are rare and invaluable, and possibly very toxic..

    As soon as a player reaches six horror markings in any one of their six different fears, they will scream so hard and loud that everyone in the woods can hear it, and all players can't help it but run straight back to the alchemist's hut.
    Then, the most accomplished (or, least unaccomplished) mapper wins. In case of a tie, the alchemist finds you all inadequate, and everyone loses.

    Note:
    Squares can be mapped only once by each player.
    You can move to squares that are already mapped, but you can't map a square that already has your marker on it (other player's markers don't have any effect on you). This means any rolled dice that could have been used for mapping turn into horror points, if the square has already been mapped by you.


    (is this even the correct forum for this sort of stuff?)
    So heuristically the squares on the sides have less adjacent squares and increase the odds of being scared (so avoiding those is probably a good idea unless you do not have the choice)

  3. - Top - End - #3
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    OldWizardGuy

    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    California
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Test and critique my Roll and Write?! (Also share your own?)

    Quote Originally Posted by thirsting View Post
    Discovery: After movement, if the remaining dice form matching pairs (e.g. 4,5 and 4,5) AND that square is directly next to you, you find a rare ingredient: a magical mushroom.
    Honestly, I don't know what you mean by "matching pairs" here since there are only 2 dice left.

  4. - Top - End - #4
    Ettin in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jun 2015

    Default Re: Test and critique my Roll and Write?! (Also share your own?)

    Quite interestingly there is no interactions between players other than the end of the game caused by fear.
    So you could have experienced players play their turns simultaneously(with a fear tiebreaker based on what should be the turn order)

  5. - Top - End - #5
    Bugbear in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Inside

    Default Re: Test and critique my Roll and Write?! (Also share your own?)

    Quote Originally Posted by noob View Post
    So heuristically the squares on the sides have less adjacent squares and increase the odds of being scared (so avoiding those is probably a good idea unless you do not have the choice)
    Yes, and that doesn't feel right. But I don't know how to make those squares more fair. (Maybe having the map be sphere-like projection where there's a "mysterious path" on each side, through which you can go, for example from 6-4 to 1-4 and back?)

    Quote Originally Posted by Sermil View Post
    Honestly, I don't know what you mean by "matching pairs" here since there are only 2 dice left.
    That example is right after moving, so still 4 dice left. Discovery is just a special case of mapping. I'll try to make it more clear later.
    Last edited by thirsting; 2021-01-14 at 07:22 AM.
    Well that was awkward.

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