[Game Design] Skylanders Carpet Battle (Or, Benjie’s Toy War)

So, last night my daughter was at a friend's house after school so my five year old son was home... he wanted to play with daddy (requisite "but daddy isn't a toy" dad joke was made) and since we don't do "screen time" on weekdays that precluded his primary addictions for the most part… but he still wanted to “play Skylanders*” but had a vague, frenetic “pick them up and hit them into each other while yelling their names” concept of playing with the things.

In the back of my brain for some time I've been trying to come up with a game to play with the Skylanders figures… you know… kinda running in an idle process somewhere in my brain… and yesterday I just decided to wing it… these rules were modified slightly both during game play and after we finished so I’m presenting the rules as they stood after re-explaining them to his sister when she got home.

So, I present:

Skylanders Carpet Battle (Or, Benjie’s Toy War)

BIG UGLY FIRST DRAFT VERSION

Giant Figures are “Bosses” (I wanted to call them “Commanders” but the boy insisted on “Boss”)

Swap Force Figures are “Generals”

Normal Figures are “Normals”

Magic Items are “Items” … Items do thing... This was a fun creative exercise to come up with what they do based on what they look like and what they would do in game… I’ll provide a chart** of what we came up with for inspiration

From here forward I’ll use those terms… that way if you want to play this game with army men, ponies or action figures you just have to figure out which are which.

Every turn you have 5 action points.

Bosses cost 3 to move but any generals touching their base can move with them for free.

Generals cost 2 to move but any normal figures touching their base can move with them for free

Normals cost 1 to move.

A “move” is one index card length… you put the card down in front of the figure and then move the figure to the other side.

Each player chooses one Boss, Two Generals and 4 Normals to form their team and arrange them on one end of the room.

Spread out the “Magic Items” randomly around the middle of the room about halfway between the two teams.

You can pick up an item by moving your figure to touch it… items affect the figure carrying it but can be freely passed between grouped figures.

Bosses can carry 3 items, Generals can carry 2 items and Normals can carry 1 item (we decided on this rule after the boy attached all of the items to one normal which made him effectively invulnerable).

Combat:

If a figure is able to hit another figure*** the player can use an action to roll the appropriate die.

Bosses roll a d12 and require a 6 to be hit.

Generals roll a d8 and require a 5 to be hit

Normals roll a d6 and require a 4 to be hit

One hit knocks the figure prone. Two hits and the figure is removed from play. Rolling Twice the required number counts as two hits (so an 8 would eliminate a Normal and a 12 would eliminate a Boss)

If a figure starts it’s turn prone it can stand back up for 1 action.

The game is over when one team is entirely eliminated.

*(If you don’t know what Skylanders are you are a blessed person indeed… basic primer: it’s Action/Platformer except you get new characters by buying toys and then putting them on a USB “portal” that reads the toy and let’s you play with that character in the game… the toy also keeps track of experience and collected gold and levels up and can buy new skills and hats that grant stat bonuses… the salient detail here is that the boy owns about a hundred painted miniatures from the game https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=801-wgK06qc )

** Magic Items to Item Conversion Chart:

The Magic Items in Skylanders have bases like the rest of the figures so they can be knocked prone to signify they are exhausted for a period.

Things that look like they make you physically tougher (or grant a defence bonus in game)	+1 Defense Require the next higher number to hit the figure (aka 5 for Normals, 6 for Generals, 7 for Bosses)
Things that look like they make you magically tougher/more nimble (or freeze of slow enemies in game)	+1 Invulnerability Requires 1 more hit to eliminate that figure Once Per Turn ( first hit knocks this Item prone instead of the figure)
Things that look like weapons (or grant a attack bonus in game)	+1 Attack Add +1 to all of your attack rolls
Things that look like they make you go faster (or grant a speed bonus in game)	Once Per Turn you may move one card length and one card width ( first use knocks this Item prone so you remember)
Things that looks like portals, gates or teleporters	Once Per Turn Teleport one figure anywhere on the floor
Things that look like treasure (or the thing that let’s you find treasure in game)	You can pick up items that are within one card length instead of having base contact.
Things that looks like they control time (or freeze time in game)	Take one extra action per turn.
Things that look like potions (or heal you in game)	Once Per Turn, If a figure is eliminated it is restored to full health ( first use knocks this Item prone so you remember)
Things that look like vehicles	Once Per Turn, when you take a move action. Roll a D12. 1-6 move normally, 7-11 move twice, 12 move three times.

***(probably need real rule for this… because we played it “dad mode” I just agree with statements like “This one has a gun so he can shoot anything two cards away” or “This one has a magic wand so he can shoot any figures in a line (line of sight)”)