From the offlined archives: Dragonraid 2nd Edition card game

[classicdrogn]

I created this to be a minigame in Ninja Robot Space Fighter, but it's perfectly playable IRL. It's meant to have a TCG feel while using standard playing cards and/or a Tarot deck. Do please tell me what you think of it, especially if you actually play it in a group - I've only playtested it solitaire.

Dragon Raid 2nd Edition

A card game for 2-6 players

Terms:

• Turn: The period in which a player can choose cards from their hand to Attack other players.
  
• Round: The period in which a single Battle is contested, including dealing each player a hand of cards, discarding and replacing any cards in those hands, dealing an ambush card, each player's Turn, any Ambushes during those Turns, and tallying the Battlefield of each player to determine who wins the Battle. All cards are collected and shuffled at the end of each Round.
  
• Battlefield: An area in front of each player where their cards are placed, seperately (not in stacks) and face up, after being played. It is the cards in the Battlefield at the end of a round that determine which player wins the Battle.
  
• Command Post: (Tarot deck only) a central area where Major Arcana are put in play.
  
• Skirmish: the process of deciding the winner between attacking, defending, and any ambushing cards.
  
• Soldiers: the counters used to keep track of progress in the game. Some players may want to call them by other warrior-like names, but they're all the same; Braves, Conscripts, Dogz, Footmen, Grunts, ICPs, Lancers, Mercs, Minions, Ninja, Peons, Rabble, Samurai, Toadies, etc.
  
• Army: Each player's supply of Soldiers.
  
• Sortie: The number of Soldiers put into the Battle or added to a card in a Skirmish by each player.
  
• Battle: A central area holding all the Soldiers Sortied by all players in one round.
  

Rules:

• Each player will need an Army to play, the more Soldiers the longer the game will last. 100 each is suggested with minimum Sorties of ten, increasing by five each time a player is eliminated. Actual toy soldiers make particulary good Soldiers, but ordinary poker chips are easier to stack. It is suggested that threee types of markers be used, with values of 1, 5, and 10 Soldiers respectively. The larger denominations may be called Squads and Platoons if desired.
  
• Determine turn order before dealing, the person with the last turn deals.
  
• Each player is dealt five cards at the beginning of the round, and may discard up to all five cards and be dealt replacements.
  
• If a Tarot deck is being used, any Major Arcana in the player's hand should be played to the Command Post or discarded and replaced with regular cards before any Skirmishes begin. Each player may only put one Major Arcana in play per round.
  
• Each player Sorties a number of Soldiers, ranging from the minimum to their entire Army, placing them in the Battle. If the player's Army is empty at the beginning of a round, they are out of the game. If their Army does not contain enough Soldiers for the minimum Sortie (due to opponents' Thieves, for example) they must Sortie all their remaining Soldiers.
  
• Each player recieves one more card, left on the table face down, which may be played at any time as an Ambush. The remainder of the deck is placed face up as a discard pile. Players may look at their own Ambush card. If a Major Arcana is recieved as an Ambush card, it must be discarded and replaced with a normal card.
  
• The player whose turn is active may then play a card to Attack any other player, placing it face up on the table. Two cards of the same suite may be played as a single Attack or Defense if desired. The Defender may play any card in Defense, the higher face value winning.
  
  Either player may Sortie any number of additional Soldiers to add to the attack or defense value of the card(s) played, placing them beside the relevant card. The Attacker, Defender, and any Ambushers may take turns Sortieing additional Soldiers as desired to determine the winner of a particular Skirmish. If the player has no more cards in his hand, Soldiers may still be Sortied in this fashion, effectively adding to a card with a value of zero and no Special Ability.
  
  The special effect of whichever card(s) win the Skirmish are applied, then all played cards are placed in their player's Battlefield. Ties go to the defender. Attacks may be allowed to pass unopposed if the defender does not want to play any cards, in which case the attacking card's special ability automatically succeeds. When the Skirmish is decided, all extra Sortied Soldiers are added to the Battle.
  
• Ambush cards disrupt a Skirmish and send any lower-value cards from the attack or defense to the Discard pile. If unused by the end of the round, these ambush cards are added to the owner's Battlefield just like any remaining hand cards. They may be used by either side of a Skirmish, or by any other player at the table on a Skirmish they are not involved in, either in support of (combining face value with) the attacker or defender, or to attack both sides, as chosen by the player using the Ambush card. Regardless of who plays them, ambush cards will always send ALL lower value cards in the Skirmish to the Discard pile.
  
  Ambush cards use their special effect on the owners of all defeated cards, making a high-value thief or wizard exceptionally desirable for ambushes.
  
  
  
• When the active player does not wish to use any more of their hand cards, or all have been played, their turn is over. When all players have had a turn, the player with the strongest Battlefield (highest total value of cards) wins the Battle, and all cards are placed in the discard pile and shuffled. In the event of a tie, split the pot evenly and draw for a high card after shuffling to win any remainder. Major Arcana do not have any face value, and so do not affect the outcome of the Battle directly. Play continues until each player is out of Soldiers in their Army at the beginning of a round, or resigns with the Soldiers currently in their Army.
  

Cards:

The playing cards in Dragon Raid are used to represent heroes who turn the tide of the Battle and lead their player's Soldiers to victory. Two decks will be required to avoid running low on cards with more than three players, though four technically can play using a single deck, five if each player is limited to four discards per round, and even six players with a single deck if players are limited to two discards per round.

The game may be played using an ordinary 52-card poker deck plus two Jokers or with a Tarot deck, with additional Dragons and unique powers for the Major Arcana that change the flow of play. It is reccommended to use only a single deck's worth of Major Arcana if using Tarot cards, since there are so many Major Arcana compared to Minor Arcana when considered as playing cards. Since Tarot decks tend to be disproportionately more expensive han normal cards, and of a different size (making shuffling them together difficult if not impossible) to use one deck of each, deal hands of six cards instead of five, three from each deck after shuffling seperately, and maintain two Discard piles.

Card values:

• Diamonds = Coins/Pentacles = Thieves
  
• Hearts = Cups = Healers
  
• Clubs = Wands = Wizards
  
• Spades = Swords = Fighters
  
• Jack = Knight = 11
  
• Queen = 12
  
• King = 13
  
• Ace = 14
  
• Joker = Page = Dragon = 20
  
  Ignore the suite of Dragon cards when using a Tarot deck
  

Card Special Abilities:

• Thieves capture their face value of Soldiers from the opponent's Army and add them to the player's Army.
  
• Wizards capture at least one card from the opponent's hand or Battlefield, which is then added to the player's hand. The attacker chooses the captured card, but does not get to see the faces of those cards still in the opponent's hand. (Hand cards must be chosen unseen, with only the backs fanned out.) The total value of captured cards is subtracted from the value of the wizard, and if the result is above zero another card may be captured.
  
• Fighters attack or defend with double their face value, including when they are used to add to another card's value. The other card's value in such a case is not also doubled unless it was also a Fighter, however. They force the defender to discard the lowest card in their Battlefield. Extra Soldiers Sortied to support a Fighter are not doubled. When The Fool is in play, the card discarded from the battlefield is chosen blindly, by the defender (the player who owns that battlefield)
  
• Healers may return any cards with a total face value equal to or less than twice their own from the player's Battlefield to their hand. Extra Soldiers may be Sortied as usual to increase the value of a Healer for this purpose, and are also doubled. Healers may also be used to attack or defend normally but return to the players hand instead of the Battlefield after a Skirmish if the player wins it, and may combine with cards of any suite to increase their value. Healers may not themselves be healed.
  
  
  
• Dragons send any card they defeat to the discard pile rather than the player's Battlefield regardless of whether they are used to attack, defend, or ambush, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup. The value of the opposing cards is subtracted from the value of the Dragon and any card(s) riding it, and any cards in the opponent's (and/or ambushers') Battlefield with face values totalling up to the remaining value are also Discarded. Dragons may be ridden by (be played and combine with) a second card of any suite or two cards as long as those two cards are of the same suite, from the same hand, and in such a case the special ability of the riding card(s) is also applied at the end of the Skirmish. They may also be ridden by Healers to increase the number of cards that can be Healed. Dragons played as Ambushes may not be ridden, but can be combined with other cards in the Skirmish like any other Ambush card.
  

Tarot deck Major Arcana each have unique powers that, when placed in play in a player's Command Post, affect all players during that Round. The use of Major Arcana is an optional rule that all players should agree to before beginning the game, as the constantly shifting rules can become confusing.

Major Arcana powers:

• The Fool: All Battlefield cards must be placed face down, and players may not look at the faces once placed. Special Abilities which affect Battlefield cards must be handled like capturing cards from an opponent's hand with a Wizard, subtracting the value of Battlefield cards from the played card after picking each one blindly.
  
• The Magician: Players may place a card from their hand face down on the table as a second Ambush card.
  
• The High Priestess: All Ambush cards must be placed face up on the table.
  
• The Empress: Healers may be Healed, by Sortieing a number of Soldiers equal to their face value.
  
• The Emperor: All cards double their face value when used to Defend. (Warriors use 3x their face value.)
  
• The Hierophant: Any card in the player's hand may be played as a Healer of the same face value, including Dragons.
  
• The Lovers: Cards of any suite may be played together and combine face values. Only one Special Ability is used, chosen by the player.
  
  
  
• The Chariot: Wizards capture double their face value in opponent cards. (counters Strength)
  
• Strength: Wizards capture only half their face value of opponent cards. (counters The Chariot)
  
• The Hermit: The player's Ambush Card may be picked up and added to their regular hand.
  
• Wheel of Fortune: Each player rolls a die for each card played, and adds it to the value of that card. Warriors do not double this die value.
  
  
  
• Justice: All players involved in a Skirmish (Attacker, Defender, any Ambushers) must Sortie the same number of extra Soldiers to their cards. If one player does not have enough Soldiers in their Army, no player can Sortie more than that number of extra Soldiers to the Skirmish.
  
• The Hanged Man: The player's Ambush card may be played as a Healer (regardless of suite, and including Dragons) to return cards from their Battlefield to their hand. The Ambush card is then placed on the Battlefield.
  
• Death: Any card may be played as a Warrior of the same face value, including Dragons.
  
• Temperance: Extra Soldiers Sortied to increase the value of cards count double.
  
• The Devil: Any card may be played as a Thief of the same face value, including Dragons.
  
• The Tower: All cards double their face value when used to Attack. (Warriors use 3x their face value.)
  
• The Star: Thieves capture double their face value of opponent Soldiers. (counters The Sun)
  
• The Moon: Any card may be played as a Wizard of the same face value, including Dragons.
  
• The Sun: Thieves capture only half their face value of opponent Soldiers. (Counters the Star)
  
• Judgement: The minimum Sortie is doubled for this round.
  
• The World: All Ambush cards double their face value. (Warriors use 3x their face value, 4x for the relevant use if The Emperor and/or The Tower are also in play)
  

Optional Rules:

• Battlefield cards may be counted as in poker (pairs, straights, flushes, etc.) to determine the winner of the pot, instead of by simple face value
  
• Four players may form teams of two with a shared war chest, playing in attack-defense-attacker's team mate-defender's team mate order within the turn and within the round, where the defender's team mate was the dealer, and the attacker's team mate is the dealer next round. Attacker and defener play cards normally, while team mates may play one card to combine with the attacker or defender's cards, and any player may use their ambush card as usual. If the maximum cards were played by a team, up to five cards may combine their face value.
  
  
  
• Two players may control two hands each, as in a four player team game.
  
• If more decks of cards are available, any number of players can take part, but Rounds can get very long. For practical purposes, five or six really is the most players that can be accomodated.
  
• One to three dice may be used, rolled by attacker and defender and added to the value of their played cards. If The Wheel of Fortune is in play, an extra die would be rolled if this optional rule is used.
  
• If "poster decks" with unmistakeably different faces can be obtained (such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, and Transformers decks, for example) one deck may be used for each "character class" rather than working in suites. In such a case suites are ignored and only which deck the card belongs to matters. Note that because the back patterns will be different, this makes obvious what type of cards are in a player's hand or set aside as an ambush, though number values will remain unknown to opponents. This may be preferable for novice players or younger children, to make the game easier.
  
• If toy soldiers or poker chips (or a ready expedient such as coins, stones, or polyhedral dice) are not available, each player's Army and Sorties may be tracked on scrap paper.
  
• In a tournament setting, each player may continue to higher brackets with their total Army from lower brackets, but starting Army size may be smaller and minimum Sorties should also increase accordingly to avoid very long games.
  

Strategy:

• If you have sevens or lower in your initial hand, discard them.
  
• Players who are very familiar with the rules may raise the number of Major Arcana that can be put in play in the Command Post each round. Alternately, players might keep seperate comand posts (the Major Arcana in each only in effect when that player is involved in a Skirmish or Ambush) and play up to two or three Major Arcana into their own Command Post each round, assuming they receve that many in the cards they are dealt.
  
• Play Thieves, then Wizards, then Fighters, then Healers - and Fighters only if there's something in the opponent's Battlefield.
  
• Save healers for the end of your turn if there's anything worth healing, even if it means letting some attacks go unopposed.
  
• Sortieing extra Soldiers to increase the value of your cards is effective, but can quickly empty your Army. It's best to only do so when just a few extra Soldiers will win the Skirmish, possibly in combination with an Ambush card, or to when an opponent plays a Dragon.
  
• The use of ambush cards is a bit different depending on the card's value. Because they send all lower value cards to the Discard pile rather than the player's Battlefield, it's best to only use low-value Ambush cards when you are the attacker or defender to combine with your normally played card(s), to avoid weakening your Battlefield. Ambush cards with a high face value are better used to interrupt a contest between two other players, attacking both sides to force them to be Discarded.
  
  
  
• In a game with more than two players, plan to have at least three cards in your hand when you end your turn to defend with. If your ambush card is good you MAY count it as one, but it's better used to break into a contest if possible.
  
• If you run out of hand cards early in the round in a game with more than two players, resign. You lose what's in the Battle, but without cards to defend with you'll be the target of everybody else's Thieves and lose your Army.
  

- CD
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows