One of my primary goals right now is to design an easily accesible game. A game is accesible because of the following things:
A) Price
B) Difficulty to learn
C) Portability
I had a crazy idea one day that it might be possible to make a simple strategic battle game using a buck and some change. I also allowed myself a plaid tablecloth. Since this game could be played impromptu, it passed the third requirement. The price was not only cheap - it was essentially free. Most everyone has pocket change lying around. If they don't, it's easy to borrow some from somebody else anyway. The last requirement was a shallow learning curve. This was a gimme - it would be painful to write anything too complicated given the simplicity of the bits and board used.
I began toying around with ideas. I created the simplest rules set I could think of - but still leaving some room for customization by the players. This game is not meant to be abstract, as this tends to turn away the targeted wargaming crowd. Ideally, this would be a fun time killer that could also be used to introduce "n00bs" to wargaming.
Below are my notes so far - clearly not too much. Please note that this is a work in progress and has yet to be tested. There is more but--(see note at bottom). Also, the unit values may seem overly simplified, but those were the values that were the most logical for gameplay:
I am posting this to see if others have had similar ideas, would like to collaborate, or simply have some comments (or flames! Those are usefull too) for me. If this is absolutely stupid, please let me know - I don't want to waste any more time on it ; )
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Summary: Rules for a simple and quick and cheap wargame using only coins
1.0 Introduction
2.0 Setting Up
3.0 Basics
4.0 Playing
1.0 Introduction
1.1 What is it and why?
[Insert game name] is an attempt to make a simple, quick, and extremely cheap wargame. Many games require players to buy costly pieces and playing fields. I tried to break the mold and make a game playable by virtually anybody. [Insert game name] can be played anywhere with only pocket change and a large paper napkin.
2.0 Setting Up
2.1 Army Setup
Before the game can begin, both players must agree upon a cost for their armies. For beginners, a good army cost might be 50 cents. The players may then choose any combination of pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters that total that amount or less. The one restriction is that the army mustn’t be more than ¼ mines rounded up.
2.2 Board Creation
The board must be configured to fit these armies. The following formula should be used to decide the dimensions of the board for a two player game:
Length of each side [in spaces] = sqrt (army cost * 2) + 1
This formula is a lot simpler than it looks. If a calculator is not handy, feel free to approximate the square root. The proper sized board for a 50 cent battle between two players is 11 x 11. The board is apt to have many more spaces than coins to place on them. If the resulting root is not a whole number then round it down to the closest whole number. If the board is already made, it should be folded to these dimensions. One technique for doing this is to fold two of the edges down to the size needed [Diag. 1]
If a pre-drawn board is not available, one can be made easily using a large piece of paper and a pen. Simply draw rows of evenly spaced dots down the page [Diag. 2]..
2.3 Win Conditions
At this point players should agree on a win condition for the game. Win conditions are completely up to the players to decide. For a typical beginner game, a ‘last man standing’ win condition should be used. This means that the last player to have pieces on the board wins. This condition requires the winning player to be active and thus promotes a quicker paced game. A more strategic game could use a ‘capture the flag’ type of win condition. The goal is obvious: place one of your units on your opponent’s flag piece. A gold dollar or a folded bill could symbolize the flag. Both players would place their flag like any other piece at the start of the game. It would remain there for the rest of the game. This win condition leads to a slightly slower paced game than the ‘last man standing’ condition does. It is also spurs players to be a lot more defense. Although a purely aggressive tactic could be used to win this sort of match, it is unlikely to work due to the resulting gaps in defense. If a play group is rather ambitious, they can attempt to adapt the rules for more than two players. Although many things would have to be tweaked such as the board formula and play sequence, it could be an incredibly fun twist on the game. The list of possible win conditions is endless so, instead of going into more detail, I am going to stop this section here. I think it is only fair that players are encouraged to invent their own new variations.
3.0 Basics
3.1 Units
Each type of coin or “unit” has three preset values that determine how it can be played. These values symbolize the unit’s Attack, Defense, and Range. The table below gives the values and names for each coin.
Coin Unit Attack Defense Range
Penny mine 1 1 Stationary
Nickel troop 1 1 1
Quarter tank 2 4 2
Dim jeep 2 2 3
Dollar flag N/A N/A Stationary
[FORMATTING ERROR; THIS SHOULD BE A TABLE, JUST ALLIGN THE ROWS]
EDIT: Looks like the software doesn't like TABLE tags... I took the liberty of formatting it correctly, hope you don't mind ;) --hpox
3.2 Army Placement
Once a board has been created and players have chosen their units, the units must be placed on the board. Units may only be placed in empty spaces. The zones in which each player is allowed to deploy units depends on the agreed upon scenario. For basic games, the rule of thumb is that the middle two rows are off limits and that each player may only place their pieces on their respective side. If the scenario includes a flag to capture then teach player’s flag is placed following the same guidelines as the unit placement. All units are placed with their heads side FACEUP and their ‘top’ facing forward.
4. Playing
4.1 Game Sequence
The game is played in rounds. A round is defined as the time in which every unit on the board gets a chance to move. Rounds are broken up into turns. Each player gets their own turn to move their units. At the start of each round, players roll to determine whose turn is first. Ties are broken with a second roll.
4.2 Turn Sequence
The player whose turn it is has the option of moving any and all of their units once. After a coin unit has been moved, it is turned 180 degrees to the right. This signifies that the piece may not be moved again until the player’s next turn.
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There is more but it is in my typing shorthand (random grumblings)
If you've made it this far, you probably need bifocals now. . .
- Silverdragon0
You know Silverdragon...I like the War of Coinage. Something about your ideas for this game make me think it would be rather fun to play. Novelty perhaps. Simplicity perhaps. Whatever it is, I should of thought of it. ;)
Actually, I don't see any reason it wouldn't work and be amusing to play. One thing caught me though and that is how you get your values for each coin.
On a side note, you could fold dollar bills into little planes to get aerial combatants. :)
I'm going to have to think on this one a little and see if I can come up with some other ideas to spice it up.
Have fun!
-Vexx