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Mechanic Monday: Out of Mana Tramples on Through

Did I really end my last entry with “Til net time!”? Lord I hope that was an intentional cyberpunk joke.  Look, it’s 11:36pm and I’m tired, and I’ve already been writing all evening, so you’re getting the bare minimum from me - especially since I still need to shower and get back to MtG Arena, which I’ve now downloaded.  RIP priorities - you would have loved me having you.

Excess Damage Represented by Additional Pieces

In GREEM, each player has stacks of 3, 2, or 1 checkers.  On a player’s turn, they may move a stack a number of spaces equal to the height of the stack.  If a stack lands on a friendly stack of equal or lesser height, the stacks are combined.  If a stack lands on an opposing stack of equal or greater height, it removes the opposing stack.  If a stack lands on an opposing stack of lesser height, it removes the opposing stack and creates a new friendly stack, which has a height equal to the difference between the two stacks.  The game ends if all spaces on the board have a stack (in which case the player with the majority of occupied spaces wins) or if only one player’s pieces remain (in which the player with pieces remaining wins).

Another abstract with stacks.  What can I say, if they were good enough for Sid Sackson and Steve Jackson, they’re good enough for me.  This idea could go a couple of different ways - right now there’s pure capture/replacement, with big stacks capable of multiplying alarmingly, but also as easy to remove as anything else; or there’s the image I still have in my head, of nothing being removed but pieces stopping short of capture, with their excess momentum forming a line of pieces on the opposite side of the “hit” piece, like splash damage.  In case it wasn’t clear, this simulates the MtG mechanic Trample.  I think the splash damage thing might be more interesting.  Less like a Chess capture and more like a Tafl hammer creating its own blast of anvil.

Right, that’s all for this week.  Maybe this shite idea will keep morphing until it’s something usable.  Tifl next time!

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