Mothership Down

A one-round algorithm game by Richard Smith 2007

Overview Each player is a rival alien race (please think of a silly name for your race) who must do battle with every other alien race for supremacy. Fortunately the universe is a civilised place and nobody has to die. Pre programmed robot space ships do battle instead. Only then are the losers' populations enslaved.

The game is played on a league table basis (details below).

Each race gets 100 points which they can allocate as follows:

Mother Ship: Attack: 0 Defence: 1-50
Fighter 1: Attack: 1-20 Defence: 1-20
Fighter 2: Attack: 1-20 Defence: 1-20
Fighter 3: Attack: 1-20 Defence: 1-20
Fighter 4: Attack: 1-20 Defence: 1-20
Fighter 5: Attack: 1-20 Defence: 1-20

A Battle

The battle is fought toe-to-toe. The mother ship occupies positions 1-5. Fighter 1 defends position 1 on its own mother ship and attacks position 1 on the enemy mother ship, and so on. The battle consists of a variable number of rounds - it continues until one (or both) mother ship(s) has been destroyed, or all fighters have expended their attack points. If both mother ships survive then the one with the least damage points is the winner. A draw can occur if both mother ships are destroyed at the same time (firing is simultaneous) or if the fight ends with both mother ships on equal defence points. The game is played on a league table basis, with each race playing every other. Three points are awarded for a win by destruction, two for a damage points win and one for a draw.

A Round

Each round all fighters must fire a shot of strength 1 or greater (unless they have no attack points left). This shot does damage equal to its strength to the opposing fighter's defence points, and its value is deducted from the available attack points of the attacker. Enemy fighters are destroyed when they reach 0 defence. Spare points do no carry through to the mother ship but once a fighter is destroyed all subsequent shots damage the mothership.

Example Orders

Race: The Ziltoidians

Mother Ship: Attack: 0 Defence: 40
Fighter 1: Attack: 7 Defence: 5 Attack pattern 223
Fighter 2: Attack: 7 Defence: 5 Attack pattern 223
Fighter 3: Attack: 7 Defence: 5 Attack pattern 223
Fighter 4: Attack: 7 Defence: 5 Attack pattern 223
Fighter 5: Attack: 7 Defence: 5 Attack pattern 223

Attack pattern 223 means fire a 2 then another 2 then a 3. Conditional orders are NOT allowed in this game.

If the Ziltoidians played themselves, a draw would occur as all the fighters would be destroyed on the third shot, but no damage would be done to either mother ship.