So this is an odd one...an illustrator friend of mine and I came up with a simple card and dice game with an unusual theme...ridiculous and comical ways to meet your end. We've designed 60 different cards, ranging from the proverbial "Running With Scissors" to the ludicrous "Landmine Hopscotch."
The goal is to take the least amount of "Trauma" and be the last player standing against the onslaught of dumb deaths, as well as the efforts of your opponents to push you closer to meeting your maker. Every card you "survive" has a power which becomes yours for use either in helping yourself or harming others in play.
The deck also includes "Intervention" cards, which are used to get yourself out of taking Trauma, or to reverse a Trauma-inducing play by an opponent.
The core gameplay is based on Poker, using the dice rolls to match the "hands" shown on the cards, thereby surviving, or "cheating death." There are rules beyond this core mechanic, but it doesn't go much deeper than that as we tried to keep the game fast, light and "stupid simple."
I'm curious though...is there enough game here? I imagine the illustrations should be enough to draw the target audience in initially, but can it sustain? Does it need to? Is the game "stupid like a fox," or just plain stupid???
See the cards and 1-page rules here:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/eg1eh5mw6i3w09j/DDD%21_UNPUB_PnP.pdf?dl=0
"I assume in the multiple rolls, players may choose to re-roll as many or few of the dice as they like?"
Yes it's totally up to the player which dice they re-roll. This choice is obvious when going for the Death Roll on the card, less so if they're simply trying to get out of the turn without taking Trauma with a complete full house/straight/etc.
"what happens if they get the roll they need on the first try? do they still get to have the Death Roll result?"
If they roll a complete "hand" on the first try, players are rewarded the card even if the roll doesn't match it. This is outlined in the "First Roll/Second Roll" section towards the bottom of the rules page. Basically players are rewarded for making tough/lucky rolls on the first try.
"If the player decides to flip a new card instead of going for the one that's showing, do they flip it on top of the one showing, or next to it? It would be interesting if all face-up available cards are kept as possible matches for new players -- this would mean they have several things they can use to complete. If this is the case, do they have to pick which card they're doing on the Death Roll?"
As it is, the card sits on top of the previous one and is the only card that can be played for from that pile. As it is, a player must call which card they're rolling for at the beginning. More options means higher likelihood of having a card to play for, especially if players don't have to call it until after their first roll. I think this game has plenty of room for house rules, so players may make it as easy or difficult as they like.
I've played it with a few groups, and all seem to really like it initially, usually for the illustrations as they discover them card by card as the game progresses. My biggest concern is that the game loses much of its appeal once players already know the cards...it's like a good joke, it's most valuable when introducing to someone who doesn't know it. It's also HIGHLY luck-based, which some like, others loathe. Given the tone and theme, I think it's OK...but that's why I wanted to put it to the gamer crowd here on BGDF. Especially as I consider Kickstarting this one!