Super Amoeba Battle!
I just did laundry and someone had a dryer running with 84 minutes on it. I have no idea why anyone would dry their clothes for 84 minutes. Mine were in for half that time and were starting to get toasty. I guess 84 minutes is for if you like your pants to crackle and crumble into a fine powder as you walk to class.
Nat and I invented a game called Super Amoeba Battle! Here it is. Note that the plural of amoeba is, for at least the universe of discourse of this game, spelled amoebae.
Super Amoeba Battle!
-Super Amoeba Battle! is played on a checker board.
-Each player gets 12 pieces.
-Pieces need not be placed on checker spaces; they occupy only the area covered by their base.
-Pieces represent parts of an amoeba.
-Pieces of the same color that are touching are considered a single amoeba.
-Any amoeba consisting of one piece immediately dies and is removed from the board.
-There is a deck consisting of all the face cards of a 52-card deck, and all the numerical cards two through six. Each player begins play with a hand of three cards.
-Play begins after each player has secretly arranged their pieces into one or more amoebae behind the third line of their side of the board.
-Play proceeds in turns. The player with the red pieces takes the first turn.
-During his or her turn, a player may do each of the following:
-Draw a card, if he or she has less than three in hand.
-Move any combination of his or her amoebae a total number of times equal to the number of amoebae that he or she had at the beginning of the turn.
-In order to move an amoeba, a player picks up one piece from an amoeba and places it back on the board anywhere where it is still touching the amoeba from which it originally came.
-If a piece is moved to a place where it is touching more than one amoebae simultaneously, all the touching amoebae become one amoeba.
-At any time during their turn, either player can play a face card. Players can play multiple face cards in one turn. After a face card is played, it is discarded. The face cards have the following effects:
-Ace: kill a piece. Choose one piece (except a nucleus piece; see nucleus variation at the end) to remove from the board. Remember that pieces not touching any other pieces die automatically.
-King: push a piece. Place your finger firmly on the the piece of your choice and slide it one piece width directly toward your opponent's side of the board.
-Queen: pull a piece. Place your finger firmly on the piece of your choice and slide it one piece width directly toward your side of the board.
-Jack: revive a piece. If any of your pieces has been killed, you may place it back on the board at the location of your choice. If it is placed in contact with an opponent's amoeba, this results in combat.
-Whenever a player's amoeba comes in contact with one of his or her opponent's amoebae, whether by moving, pushing, pulling or reviving, combat begins. Each player may play one numerical card from their hand, at the same time. After they are played, the number on each player's card is added to the number of pieces that make up his or her amoeba in combat. The player with the highest total wins the combat. In the event of a tie, both players lose. The losing player(s) remove the piece(s) of their amoeba that are in contact with the opponent's amoeba. Face cards may be played during combat and their effects are carried out immediately.
-A player wins then either all their opponent's pieces have been removed from the board, or when one of their amoebae touches the opponent's side of the board.
-Nucleus variation: At the beginning of play, each player chooses one piece to be designated as the nucleus. Then, instead of winning by reaching the other side of the board, a player wins when the opponent's nucleus has been eliminated.
Of course, it's all open to variation and revision, especially triple (and quaduple!?!?) amoeba combat and the effects of face cards.
Nat and I invented a game called Super Amoeba Battle! Here it is. Note that the plural of amoeba is, for at least the universe of discourse of this game, spelled amoebae.
Super Amoeba Battle!
-Super Amoeba Battle! is played on a checker board.
-Each player gets 12 pieces.
-Pieces need not be placed on checker spaces; they occupy only the area covered by their base.
-Pieces represent parts of an amoeba.
-Pieces of the same color that are touching are considered a single amoeba.
-Any amoeba consisting of one piece immediately dies and is removed from the board.
-There is a deck consisting of all the face cards of a 52-card deck, and all the numerical cards two through six. Each player begins play with a hand of three cards.
-Play begins after each player has secretly arranged their pieces into one or more amoebae behind the third line of their side of the board.
-Play proceeds in turns. The player with the red pieces takes the first turn.
-During his or her turn, a player may do each of the following:
-Draw a card, if he or she has less than three in hand.
-Move any combination of his or her amoebae a total number of times equal to the number of amoebae that he or she had at the beginning of the turn.
-In order to move an amoeba, a player picks up one piece from an amoeba and places it back on the board anywhere where it is still touching the amoeba from which it originally came.
-If a piece is moved to a place where it is touching more than one amoebae simultaneously, all the touching amoebae become one amoeba.
-At any time during their turn, either player can play a face card. Players can play multiple face cards in one turn. After a face card is played, it is discarded. The face cards have the following effects:
-Ace: kill a piece. Choose one piece (except a nucleus piece; see nucleus variation at the end) to remove from the board. Remember that pieces not touching any other pieces die automatically.
-King: push a piece. Place your finger firmly on the the piece of your choice and slide it one piece width directly toward your opponent's side of the board.
-Queen: pull a piece. Place your finger firmly on the piece of your choice and slide it one piece width directly toward your side of the board.
-Jack: revive a piece. If any of your pieces has been killed, you may place it back on the board at the location of your choice. If it is placed in contact with an opponent's amoeba, this results in combat.
-Whenever a player's amoeba comes in contact with one of his or her opponent's amoebae, whether by moving, pushing, pulling or reviving, combat begins. Each player may play one numerical card from their hand, at the same time. After they are played, the number on each player's card is added to the number of pieces that make up his or her amoeba in combat. The player with the highest total wins the combat. In the event of a tie, both players lose. The losing player(s) remove the piece(s) of their amoeba that are in contact with the opponent's amoeba. Face cards may be played during combat and their effects are carried out immediately.
-A player wins then either all their opponent's pieces have been removed from the board, or when one of their amoebae touches the opponent's side of the board.
-Nucleus variation: At the beginning of play, each player chooses one piece to be designated as the nucleus. Then, instead of winning by reaching the other side of the board, a player wins when the opponent's nucleus has been eliminated.
Of course, it's all open to variation and revision, especially triple (and quaduple!?!?) amoeba combat and the effects of face cards.