Well, if anyone remembers me working on this monstrosity before, I've revamped it to a quality I feel is acceptable, and now I'm planning on doing some preliminary runs with the current rule set. And so, without further ado, the rules:
Dwarf: The Hammering is a card game based on many concepts present in Magic: The Gathering, though some differences exist between the two.
1. Phases of Play
A turn in D:TH is far more simplified compared to M:TG's rather complex system. Each turn can be divided into five steps, during two of which only passive card effects may be used.
1a. Beginning Phase
At the beginning of your turn, you draw a card no matter how many cards you have in your hand.
1b. Primary Phase
The first actively usable phase of your turn is called the Primary Phase, during which you may play cards and activate card effects.
1c. Combat Phase
The next phase is the combat phase of your turn. Unlike the previous step, you may not play cards or activate effects unless specifically noted by a card's description. The actual game mechanic of combat will be discussed later.
1d. Secondary Phase
The secondary phase, while not the 2nd phase of your turn, is the second phase during which you may play cards and activate card effects. You may not enter your combat phase at this point.
1e. End Phase
The last phase of your turn is the end of your turn. Like the beginning phase, only passive effects may be used here. If you have more than 5 cards in your hand you must choose a card to discard and send to your crypt. After your turn, the next person in the play order may begin his/her turn. You also may -(X) any cards you have in play at this time.
2. The Play Field
The play field during a game of D:TH consists of a couple areas.
2a. The Field
The field is where all currently active creatures, constructions, and ongoing events exist. There is no limit on how many creatures, constructions, or events you may have in play: the only limiting factor is your resource pile's size. Only from here can you use effects that require a creature to use it's action (abbreviated by the (X) symbol).
2b. The Crypt
Most commonly called a graveyard or discard pile in other card games, this is where creatures, constructions, or events go when they are incapacitated, dismantled, or otherwise removed from play.
2c. Your Deck
Your deck, while not necessarily part of the playing field, is an essential piece of the game located in play. You must between 20 and 40 cards in your deck before you may begin a game of D:TH. As you draw cards and use effects, your deck may become depleted. If you happen to reach a point in the game when you have no cards left in your deck and are forced to draw a card, you are removed from the game. This is also the only place where absolutely no effects may be triggered. Also, any time a card requires you to search your deck, you must shuffle your deck after the effect.
2d. Your Hand
Again, not a part of the field, your hand is a major part of the game. Your hand is limited to 5 cards and if at the end of your turn you have more than 5 cards in your hand you must choose a card and discard it, sending it to your crypt.
3. Playing Cards
3a. Creatures
Directly below a creature's name is it's resource cost. Whenever you play a creature, you must pay it's resource cost, unless told not too by an effect; if you cannot pay a creature's resource cost, you may not play that creature. If a creature's resource cost includes a full word in parentheses there must also be a biome in play that provides that specific biome type. You may play as many creatures as you can afford to each turn. Whenever a creature comes into play it immediately expends its action, by simply coming into play, not by activating an effect.
3b. Constructions
Constructions also have their resource cost displayed below their name. Unlike creatures however, constructions do not expend their action by coming into play. Also, constructions only have one combat stat, their toughness, allowing them to block/be targeted by attacks.
3c. Events
Events immediately begin their effect upon coming into play. Following using an event's effect, unless it has the {Ongoing} type, remove it from play and send it to your crypt. Events with the {Ongoing} type remain in play until an effect causes them to be removed from play.
3d. Biomes
Biomes do not have resource costs and do not require certain biomes are in play. If a biome has an effect it begins immediately.
4. Combat and Fortress Strength
4a. Deciding Melee Attackers
Creatures in D:TH are either melee attackers or ranged attackers. There are a number of differences between the two. When you begin your combat step you declare your melee attackers and what player you are attacking. That player then chooses which creatures or structures will take the attacks, choosing one per attack. When a melee attacker does damage to another creature, that creature takes damage equal to the attacking creature's stregnth, the first listed number at the bottom of the card. Damage is subtracted from the creature's toughness, the second listed number, and is kept track of for the turn. If a creature's toughness is ever 0 that creature is removed from play and sent to its owner's crypt.
4b. Deciding Ranged Attackers
After declaring melee attackers, and the defending cards have been chosen, you may select your ranged attackers. Ranged attackers are only different from melee attackers in one way: instead of the defending player choosing the creatures to defend, the attacker chooses what creatures defend the ranged attacks, again, one defender per attack. Ranged attacker have the word 'Ranged' listed before their effect. Ranged attackers cannot attack constructions.
4c. Constructions and Damage
Whenever a construction blocks an attack or is targeted by an attack, it takes damage the same way a creature would.
4d. Fortress Strength
You begin a game of D:TH with 10 fortress strength points. Certain actions decrease or increase the amount of fortress strenght points you have, and if you ever have 0 fortress strength points you lose. Along with card effects causing damage to your fortress strength, any time a creature is sent to your crypt and the attacking creature's strength exceeded the defending creature's toughness, you lose fortress strength equal to the difference between the attacking creature's strength and the defending creature's toughness. Whenever a construction is destroyed you do not take damage like this.
4e. Defending Creatures
If a defending creature's toughness exceeds the attacking creature's strength, the attacking creature is sent to it's owner's crypt. This does not apply to when a construction blocks an attack or when a ranged attacker attacks.
4f. Direct Attacks
If a player lacks any creatures or constructions to take damage, that player loses fortress strength equivalent to the combined strengths of all the attacking creatures.
5. Effects and Actions
Some creatures or constructions have effects that require you to pay certain costs to use. The resources are removed from your resource pile just like with resource costs for playing creatures. If an effect has a (X) symbol in it that symbol means "Use the action of". The similar symbol, -(X), means "Return the ability to use an action to". If an effect is not preceded by a cost, that effect is considered passive and activates whenever it is described to activate. Actions with costs may only be used during the Primary and Secondary phases. Every card has a single action it may perform each turn. If a card has already used its action in the Primary phase it cannot attack. If a creature attacks in the Combat Phase, it may not use its action in the Secondary phase. Attacking uses a creature's action for the turn.
6. Resource Piles
Resources, while similar to mana in M:TG, are different. At the beginning of a game of D:TH you begin with 10 food, abbreviated by the (f) symbol, and 3 of each other resource type, stone, abbreviated (s); wood, abbreviated (w); and metal, abbreviated (m). Certain creatures have effects with the word 'Produce' followed by a resource symbol and an amount. Whenever such a creature uses that effect, you gain that specific kind of resource and that amount of it. Other creatures may have symbols like the following listed in their resource costs to play them or to use their effects or in their effects: (w/m/s), (w/m), (w/s), (m/s). These denote that there is an option between the two or three listed resources. If followed by a number, such as in a resource cost, all resources payed must be of the chosen type; there is no mixing and matching resources with mixed resource symbols, only all of one type.
9. Card Types
A card's types are listed beneath it's resource cost. A type only denotes which effects apply to it. The only exception to this is the {Ongoing} event type. Events with the {Ongoing} type are not immediately removed from play and may only be removed from play if another card's effect says to remove an event from play.
8. Shorthand, or words that appear on cards that mean things
Ranged - Creature is a ranged attacker
Produce - Adds the indicated type and amount of resource to your resource pile
Demand - At the beginning of your turn, pay the indicated amount of resources of any type. Unlike with mixed resource symbols, you may mix resources payed. If you cannot pay the indicated amount, or choose not to pay, you lose fortress strength equal to the indicated amount. Present on all {Noble} creatures, and only present on them.
Upgrade - You may play this card without paying its resource cost by removing the indicated card that you control from play and sending to your crypt.
Butcher - You may send this card to your crypt and add the indicated amount of (f) to your resource pile.
Those are just the, unfortunately long winded, game rules. The actual process of acquiring cards is pretty simple. You start with 50 points to spend on cards to fill your deck. A 'booster pack' comes with 11 cards in it and costs 10 points. A full starter deck, of which only two have been made so far, cost 40 points. For each win you get 15 points, and for each loss you get 5 points. Also, there can be multiple people playing a game of D:TH, so there will sometimes be multiple losers.
number to determine which card they draw from their deck and PM them what they card they drew. I'll keep track of what cards they have in their hand, and I suggest players do as well.
To sign up just post saying you would like to play and pick a deck, or choose a booster. The booster contents are listed in text files formatted to make editing them easier for myself in Notepad++.
120 different cards. A Booster pack gets you a randomly selected 11 cards. Costs 10 game points.
Contains 40 cards, though I doubt any worthwhile combos. Costs 40 game points.
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Topic: Dwarf: The Hammering, a play by post card game based on DF (Read 20672 times)