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for those of you who have had the oppertunity to play this classic game by richard garfield, know how much fun it is. i came upon the idea to make it a forum game. for those that don't know how to play, i'll post the rules here. we'll have to refine things to run smoother in this format, but i'm sure it will be doable.
[TURN SUMMARY][list=1][*]Deal the Program cards.[*]Arrange Program cards face down among your five registers.[*]Announce intent to power down or continue running next turn.[*]Complete each register in order: execute Program cards, complete board movements, resolve all interactions, and touch flags and repair sites.[*]Clean up and end-of-turn effects.[/list=1]
[1] Deal Program cards
The GM deals out nine program cards to each robot. for each point of damage a robot has sustained, it receives one less program card. So, a robot with three damage will only receive six cards instead of nine. For any robot with five or more damage, see "locking registers."
[2] Program Registers
After players receive their program cards, and choose which five cards you want to use this turn. Put those cards in order and PM your Register back to the GM like so:
(1) move one, priority 670.
(2) rotate left, priority 360.
(3) move two, p 530.
(4) rotate left, p 380.
(5) move one, p 560.
[3] Announce Power Down
A player with a damaged robot may choose to power down. A power down announced this turn takes effect on the next turn.
At the beginning of the turn when your robot powers down, all your damage is repaired. the robot does not receive or execute programs, but board elements will still affect it. For example, a powered down robot on a conveyor belt will still be moved by that belt even though it is not moving on its own.
Other robots can push a powered down robot, and the root can still be damaged. because of that, a powered down robot may be damaged during the turn. If you announce a power down for the next turn, but are destroyed before then, you can choose to re-enter play that turn either powered down or not.
before program cards are dealt each turn, players whose robots were powered down last turn may decide to leave them powered down if they wish. at the beginning of each turn that a robot is powered down, all damaged is repaired.
[4] Complete Registers
complete the five registers in order in this sequence:[list=A][*]Reveal Program Cards[*]Robots move[*]Board Elements Move[*]Lasers Fire[*]Touch Checkpoints[/list=A]
A. Reveal Program Cards
each player reveals his or her program for that register.
B. Robots Move
movement
move each robat as its program card indicates. A Move 2 will move a robot forward 2 spaces, a back up card will move a robot back 1 space, and so on.
priority
the priority numbers on each program card indicates a robots priority for that register phase-how quickly it moves. whenever robots are likely to bump into each other, priority numbers determine who moves first. a higher number means faster movement, so a robot with a 200 card will go before a 100 card.
pushing other robots
when robots collide, one will push the other. robots can be pushed anywhere on the board (or even off the side!), into a pit, or onto a conveyor belt. a robot cannot be pushed through a wall, though, so the movement of a pushing robot will simply stop if it runs into a wall. robots can run into walls all day long without taking damage.
C. Board Elements Move
Board Elements move in the following order:[list=1][*]Express conveyor belts move one space in the direcion of the arrows.[*]Express and normal Conveyor belts move 1 space in the direction of the arrows.[*]Pushers Push if active.[*]Gears Rotate 90 in the direction of the arrows.[/list=1]
more than one board element may affect a robot in any register phase.
Conveyor Belt Priority
normally, all robots on a conveyor belt are moved simultaneously; because these movements are not from program cards, they have no priority ranking. sometimes, more than one belt will converge ontho the same space and robots being moved may arrive there at the same time. robots being moved by conveyor belts never push other robots, so in these cases, both robots remain on the belt. similarly, if a robot is already in the space another robot would be moved to by a conveyor belt, then the robot on the belt stays there.
if it is not clear what should be done, then neither robot will move.
[picture example goes here]
Rotating Conveyor Belts
some belt spaces have a curved arror indicating a rotating secion. a robot that has moved onto a rotating belt space by another coveyor belt is rotated 90 in addition to being moved foreward with the normal movement of the belt. this is true even when a robot is moved from an express belt onto a normal belt.
[example]
the rotation happens only if the robot is moved onto the rotating space by another belt, not when the robot moves onto the rotating space with its own movement or by being pushed. in those cases, the belst does not rotate the robot; it simply moves the robot normally when the board elements move.
[example]
D. Lasers Fire
Board lasers
A robot that ends a register phase in a space that has lasers going through it takes 1 damage for eafh laser in that space. lasers don't pass through robots, so if multiple robots are in the path of the same beam, only the robot closest to the source is damaged.
robots can move through lasers undamaged. only robots that are still in the path of a laser after all the board elements have moved take damage.
Robot Lasers
in addition to the lasers shown on the boards, all robots are equipped with a forward firing laser. any robot in another robot's line of site takes one damage. to bbe in a robot's line of sight, the other robot must be in front of it with no obstacles (like a wall or another robot) in between. robot lasers fire across the board until they hit something.
E. Touch Flags and Repair Sites
Any robot that has survived the mayhem to this point and is on a flag "touches" that flag. Starting next turn it can move on to the next flag in the order. Any Robot on a flag or repair site updates its archive location by putting its Archive marker on that space. if the robot is destroyed before reaching another archive location, this is where it will re-enter the race.
this completes a single register phase. Repeat this sequence for each register, in order.
[5] Cleanup
Timing
After finishing the last register phase in a turn it's time to clean up the mess from this turn and prepare for the next.
Repairs and Upgrades
Robots on a single-wrench space repair 1 damage. robots on a crossed wrench/hammer repair 1 damage AND draw one option card. when an option card is drawn it is posted for all to see.
Wiping Registers
Discard all program cards from registers that are not locked.
Setup for the Next Turn
players whose robots were powered down this turn will announce whether their robots will remain powered down for the next turn. each robot that was destroyed this turn re-enters play in the space containing its archive marker. that player chooses which direction the robot faces. robots re-entering the race take 2 damage. a player may decided to re-enter the race powered down for the next turn (to repair incurred damage).
Multiple Archive Markers on the Same Space
if two or mor robots would return to play on the same space, they're placed back on the board in the order they were destroyed.
the first robot that was destroyed gets the archive space, facing any direction that player chooses. the player whose bot was destroyed next chooses an empty adjacent space (including a diagonal space) and puts the robot on that space. that robot can face any direction of that player chooses, except that there cannot be another robot in its line of sight 3 spaces away or closer.
ignore all board elements except for pits when placing your robot in an adjacent space. you cannot start a turn with your robot in a pit. they suffer enough as it is.
after cleanup, lather, rinse, and repeat.
[DAMAGE and DESTRUCTION]
Because being lasered, rammed, pounded, or pushed into a pit tends to affect a robot's ability to "think," damaged robots get one fewer program card for each point of damage they've taken.
damage/effect
00: dealt nine program cards
01: dealt eight program cards
02: dealt seven program cards
03: dealt six program cards
04: dealt five program cards
05: dealt four program cards, lock register 5
06: dealt three program cards, lock registers 4 and 5
07: dealt two program cards, lock registers 3, 4, and 5
08: dealt one program card, lock registers 2, 3, 4, and 5
09: dealt zero program cards, lock all registers
10: DESTROYED!
Locked Registers
If A robot has 5 or more damage, its registers begin to lock up, from register 5 all the way down to register 1.
once a register is locked, the Program card in that register stays there until the damage locking the register is repaired. when repaired, the program card is discarded.
registers are unlocked in reverse order going from 1 to 5. a robot with all its registers locked still moves, the program cards from the previous turn stay in place and that program is executed again.
Using Option Cards to Prevent Damage
if you want, a robot with an Option card cand discard it to avoid receiving a point of damage. you can do this for as many Option Cards as you possess, but it must be done before the start of the next turn or you can send a note to the GM with your register, telling him which options you would discard in case of damage.
Destruction
A robot is destroyed when:
a destroyed robot immediately loses an option card of that player's choice and that player loses one life. each player has three lives.
Factory Floor Guide
[coming soon]
so... do we have any takers?
[TURN SUMMARY][list=1][*]Deal the Program cards.[*]Arrange Program cards face down among your five registers.[*]Announce intent to power down or continue running next turn.[*]Complete each register in order: execute Program cards, complete board movements, resolve all interactions, and touch flags and repair sites.[*]Clean up and end-of-turn effects.[/list=1]
[1] Deal Program cards
The GM deals out nine program cards to each robot. for each point of damage a robot has sustained, it receives one less program card. So, a robot with three damage will only receive six cards instead of nine. For any robot with five or more damage, see "locking registers."
[2] Program Registers
After players receive their program cards, and choose which five cards you want to use this turn. Put those cards in order and PM your Register back to the GM like so:
(1) move one, priority 670.
(2) rotate left, priority 360.
(3) move two, p 530.
(4) rotate left, p 380.
(5) move one, p 560.
[3] Announce Power Down
A player with a damaged robot may choose to power down. A power down announced this turn takes effect on the next turn.
At the beginning of the turn when your robot powers down, all your damage is repaired. the robot does not receive or execute programs, but board elements will still affect it. For example, a powered down robot on a conveyor belt will still be moved by that belt even though it is not moving on its own.
Other robots can push a powered down robot, and the root can still be damaged. because of that, a powered down robot may be damaged during the turn. If you announce a power down for the next turn, but are destroyed before then, you can choose to re-enter play that turn either powered down or not.
before program cards are dealt each turn, players whose robots were powered down last turn may decide to leave them powered down if they wish. at the beginning of each turn that a robot is powered down, all damaged is repaired.
[4] Complete Registers
complete the five registers in order in this sequence:[list=A][*]Reveal Program Cards[*]Robots move[*]Board Elements Move[*]Lasers Fire[*]Touch Checkpoints[/list=A]
A. Reveal Program Cards
each player reveals his or her program for that register.
B. Robots Move
movement
move each robat as its program card indicates. A Move 2 will move a robot forward 2 spaces, a back up card will move a robot back 1 space, and so on.
priority
the priority numbers on each program card indicates a robots priority for that register phase-how quickly it moves. whenever robots are likely to bump into each other, priority numbers determine who moves first. a higher number means faster movement, so a robot with a 200 card will go before a 100 card.
pushing other robots
when robots collide, one will push the other. robots can be pushed anywhere on the board (or even off the side!), into a pit, or onto a conveyor belt. a robot cannot be pushed through a wall, though, so the movement of a pushing robot will simply stop if it runs into a wall. robots can run into walls all day long without taking damage.
C. Board Elements Move
Board Elements move in the following order:[list=1][*]Express conveyor belts move one space in the direcion of the arrows.[*]Express and normal Conveyor belts move 1 space in the direction of the arrows.[*]Pushers Push if active.[*]Gears Rotate 90 in the direction of the arrows.[/list=1]
more than one board element may affect a robot in any register phase.
Conveyor Belt Priority
normally, all robots on a conveyor belt are moved simultaneously; because these movements are not from program cards, they have no priority ranking. sometimes, more than one belt will converge ontho the same space and robots being moved may arrive there at the same time. robots being moved by conveyor belts never push other robots, so in these cases, both robots remain on the belt. similarly, if a robot is already in the space another robot would be moved to by a conveyor belt, then the robot on the belt stays there.
if it is not clear what should be done, then neither robot will move.
[picture example goes here]
Rotating Conveyor Belts
some belt spaces have a curved arror indicating a rotating secion. a robot that has moved onto a rotating belt space by another coveyor belt is rotated 90 in addition to being moved foreward with the normal movement of the belt. this is true even when a robot is moved from an express belt onto a normal belt.
[example]
the rotation happens only if the robot is moved onto the rotating space by another belt, not when the robot moves onto the rotating space with its own movement or by being pushed. in those cases, the belst does not rotate the robot; it simply moves the robot normally when the board elements move.
[example]
D. Lasers Fire
Board lasers
A robot that ends a register phase in a space that has lasers going through it takes 1 damage for eafh laser in that space. lasers don't pass through robots, so if multiple robots are in the path of the same beam, only the robot closest to the source is damaged.
robots can move through lasers undamaged. only robots that are still in the path of a laser after all the board elements have moved take damage.
Robot Lasers
in addition to the lasers shown on the boards, all robots are equipped with a forward firing laser. any robot in another robot's line of site takes one damage. to bbe in a robot's line of sight, the other robot must be in front of it with no obstacles (like a wall or another robot) in between. robot lasers fire across the board until they hit something.
E. Touch Flags and Repair Sites
Any robot that has survived the mayhem to this point and is on a flag "touches" that flag. Starting next turn it can move on to the next flag in the order. Any Robot on a flag or repair site updates its archive location by putting its Archive marker on that space. if the robot is destroyed before reaching another archive location, this is where it will re-enter the race.
this completes a single register phase. Repeat this sequence for each register, in order.
[5] Cleanup
Timing
After finishing the last register phase in a turn it's time to clean up the mess from this turn and prepare for the next.
Repairs and Upgrades
Robots on a single-wrench space repair 1 damage. robots on a crossed wrench/hammer repair 1 damage AND draw one option card. when an option card is drawn it is posted for all to see.
Wiping Registers
Discard all program cards from registers that are not locked.
Setup for the Next Turn
players whose robots were powered down this turn will announce whether their robots will remain powered down for the next turn. each robot that was destroyed this turn re-enters play in the space containing its archive marker. that player chooses which direction the robot faces. robots re-entering the race take 2 damage. a player may decided to re-enter the race powered down for the next turn (to repair incurred damage).
Multiple Archive Markers on the Same Space
if two or mor robots would return to play on the same space, they're placed back on the board in the order they were destroyed.
the first robot that was destroyed gets the archive space, facing any direction that player chooses. the player whose bot was destroyed next chooses an empty adjacent space (including a diagonal space) and puts the robot on that space. that robot can face any direction of that player chooses, except that there cannot be another robot in its line of sight 3 spaces away or closer.
ignore all board elements except for pits when placing your robot in an adjacent space. you cannot start a turn with your robot in a pit. they suffer enough as it is.
after cleanup, lather, rinse, and repeat.
[DAMAGE and DESTRUCTION]
Because being lasered, rammed, pounded, or pushed into a pit tends to affect a robot's ability to "think," damaged robots get one fewer program card for each point of damage they've taken.
damage/effect
00: dealt nine program cards
01: dealt eight program cards
02: dealt seven program cards
03: dealt six program cards
04: dealt five program cards
05: dealt four program cards, lock register 5
06: dealt three program cards, lock registers 4 and 5
07: dealt two program cards, lock registers 3, 4, and 5
08: dealt one program card, lock registers 2, 3, 4, and 5
09: dealt zero program cards, lock all registers
10: DESTROYED!
Locked Registers
If A robot has 5 or more damage, its registers begin to lock up, from register 5 all the way down to register 1.
once a register is locked, the Program card in that register stays there until the damage locking the register is repaired. when repaired, the program card is discarded.
registers are unlocked in reverse order going from 1 to 5. a robot with all its registers locked still moves, the program cards from the previous turn stay in place and that program is executed again.
Using Option Cards to Prevent Damage
if you want, a robot with an Option card cand discard it to avoid receiving a point of damage. you can do this for as many Option Cards as you possess, but it must be done before the start of the next turn or you can send a note to the GM with your register, telling him which options you would discard in case of damage.
Destruction
A robot is destroyed when:
- It recieves its tenth point of Damage, OR
- It moves or is moved into a pit, OR
- It moves or is moved off the edge of the board.
a destroyed robot immediately loses an option card of that player's choice and that player loses one life. each player has three lives.
Factory Floor Guide
[coming soon]
so... do we have any takers?
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