StoneQuest
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Rules by Richard Smith A magical mystery game for 5-8 players. Each player controls a team of two wizards, vying for victory in a friendly competition (there is no combat). The competition takes place in a walled magical arena, divided up into squares by blue mists and red lines. By moving around the arena and casting spells each team attempts to gain as many runestones as possible. When signing up for the game, each player must supply start locations from A1 (top left) to I9 (bottom right) for both wizards, and silly names for them. The wizards' start locations are revealed at gamestart, but thereafter positions are unreported. At gamestart each player is privately sent details of each of his own wizards' locations as follows. |
Current location:
North: Solid wall? Red line? Blue mist wall?
East: Solid wall? Red line? Blue mist wall?
West: Solid wall? Red line? Blue mist wall?
South: Solid wall? Red line? Blue mist wall?
Floor: Red Pentagram: What number if any?
Floor: Blue Pentagram: What number if any?
Other Locations:
Other squares or parts of other squares that can be seen by line of sight - this includes walls, lines and pentagram values. Wizards cannot see much through the blue mist walls.
Any other wizards that can be seen - this will be the actual wizard with line of sight, or a vague blob indicating the presence of an unknown wizard if he is in an adjacent square (not diagonal) on the other side of a blue mist wall.
Turn 1 then begins with players casting spells then moving.
Spell Casting and Movement (in order):
1. A wizard may cast a detect aura spell. This will reveal the name of an unknown wizard in a nearby square. Each wizard can do 3 detect aura spells per game.
2. A wizard must cast a number spell from 1 to 9. This may result in him gaining one or more runestones and a change to the pentagram numbers in the square. Each wizard has unlimited number spells (but one and only cast per turn).
3. A wizard may cast a teleport spell in place of normal movement. Each wizard can cast only 1 teleport spell per game.
4. A wizard may move (can stay put) one square (N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W or NW). This may be made conditional on his own number and/or detect aura spells, but no other information.
For the second and subsequent turns, the GM sends each player privately the details of each wizard's new location, and the results of any detect aura spells. The results of number spells are magically detected by all other wizards and so are given publicly in the turn report. E.g. "Dulux the White casts number 7 and gains 3 runestones. The red pentagram has no number. The blue pentagram has no number". A summary list of squares where stones have been obtained is reported each round together with the number (e.g. B1=9, D3=5). This may temporarily reveal wizards' locations.
Players then submit spell casting and movement orders as described above.
Should a wizard cast a number spell that is "illegal" he gets zapped with a non-lethal lightning bolt and his number spell is adjusted to the lowest legal value. The bolt may be red, blue or purple. As further punishment a demerit is awarded. Demerits are used as a tie-breaker in the event of equal numbers of stones at the end of the game (less is better). The turn report will say something like "Dulux the White casts 7 *BLUE ZAP* 5".
Any number of wizards can be on the same square. Those casting a successful number spell on the same turn share the stones equally, rounding up to the nearest whole stone. There are other ways that stones might be shared, but these are not revealed to the players.
Should a player NMR, both his wizards will cast a random number spell and stay put.
The game ends when all available runestones have been claimed, or 12 turns elapse. The player with the most runestones (sum of both his wizards' totals) at the end of the game is the winner. If there is a tie the player with the least demerits wins.
If anyone reading this wants to GM a game of StoneQuest - please email me and I'll send you the secret GM's eyes only rules you need.
January 2006