Survival

Rules for Survival

An all-reader postal game inspired by Technosphere and Ursuppe

by Richard Smith 2001 (revised 2004)

1. Players

Every single reader of the zine is in the game whether they like it or not. Each person is the god of one species fighting for survival on a small island. It is up to each player whether or not he gives his creatures divine aid or leaves them to fend for themselves.

2. Setup

2.1. Creatures

Each player starts with one creature of a particular type (its offspring will also be this type). Prior to gamestart players may state their preference, otherwise creature is randomly assigned as a Herbivore, Omnivore and Carnivore, and has 1 AP (Attack Point). They are named using the player's name, and also given an id which is a sequential number plus the type (e.g. 42H).

Herbivore: May not eat meat. Can eat grass or fruit. Dies if fails to feed on 2 successive rounds.
Omnivore: May eat meat or fruit, not grass. Dies if fails to feed on 2 successive rounds.
Carnivore: Only eats meat. Dies if fails to feed on 3 successive rounds. Gets +1 attack when "ravenous".

Players may choose a start hex for their creature (otherwise a random non-water hex).

Creatures start with one Evolutionary Advantage (see later). Players may choose otherwise it is random.

The creature's initial behaviour can also be specified (default defensive for herbivores, semi-defensive for omnivores and carnivores).

2.2. Map

The island can be any shape or size divided up into hexes.

Each hex can be:
Water: No creatures on the island can swim so these hexes cannot be entered (exception for creatures with Swimming advantage).
Desert: No vegetable food (may be prey or carrion).
Grasslands: Grass and other plants suitable for the stomachs of herbivores only.
Jungle: Plenty of fruits and other plants suitable for omnivores and herbivores.
Grasslands and jungle are assigned a number of meals which they can provide.

The ideal number of hexes and amount of food available depends on the number of players, and the optimum ratio is yet to be determined. The first run of the game for 44 players is using 100 hexes with 1-4 (D4 random) plant meals per fertile hex, and a 1 in 3 chance of a single dead body on desert hexes.

At the top of each hex, three numbers are shown as (x,y,z) where x is the number of corpses to eat and y is the number of plant meals available and z is the maximum number of plant meals at the start of Spring (in the first run of the game these values will not change from year to year). At the bottom of the hex the id numbers of creatures present are listed (e.g. 11,42,56).

3. Play

3.1. Seasons

The game starts in Spring Year 0. No creatures are "hungry" (see later) and all vegetation is at maximum. At the start of the Spring turn in Year 1 (and subsequent years) two things happen:

3.1.1 Plant Growth - all vegetation returns to its maximum value

3.1.2 Reproduction - all living creatures asexually give birth to another creature. The newborn creatures start in the same hex as the parent by default, but the player may specify any neighbouring hex. Newly born creatures inherit any evolutionary advantages the parent has, plus gain a new one. All new creatures of the same species gain the same advantage, except in the case of an advanced gene which one or more of the creatures does not have the prerequisite basic gene - these creatures get the basic gene instead.

3.1.3 Evolutionary Advantages - The following advantages are available:

1. Extra Stomach - herbivores only. The creature can consume 2 grass meals instead of 1 if there is sufficient food left on its turn to eat. This means the creature does not become hungry if it fails to eat in the following turn. If it does eat the spare meal is passed on to the next season. Note that a creature with this advantage will not gain 2 meals in the case where there is exactly enough to go round. Also it cannot eat an extra meal if it is already carrying spare food.
2. Body Armour - herbivores only. A predator attempting to eat an armoured opponent must win by 2 clear numbers (e.g. 5 vs. 3) or a stand-off occurs.
3. Foul Odour - any creature. Malodorous creatures are selected last by predators (i.e. selection is by odour then AP). In addition, in it's first 1 on 1 fight in a season the creature can make a foul excretion which reduces the opponent's AP by 1 (but never below 1).
4. Fangs - carnivores only. Gives +1 on the best dice roll for every fight (so a 6 becomes a 7).
5. Speed - any creature. Allows movement of 2 hexes instead of 1.
6. Swimming - any creature. Allows creature to swim across a water hex instead of its normal movement. The creature can emerge from any side of the hex. Creatures with Speed can swim 2 hexes.
7. Twins - any creature. If there are less than 4 of the species on the island, each creature spawns two offspring instead of one in spring. If there are 4 or more, each creature has a 50% chance of twins.
8. Cannibalism - carnivores and omnivores only. Creatures can prey on their own species.
9. Killer Instinct - carnivores only. During the predator phase, the creature may opt to attack two victims in the hex. If both attacks are successful, the first victim is eaten and the second left as carrion. If the creature kills another whilst defending, this counts and one of the two attacks.
10. Camouflage - any creature. A camouflaged creature hides during the predator phase (so cannot attack). An attacking predator only has a 1 in 3 chance of spotting the hidden prey. Creatures with this advantage may choose not to use it on order to attack.

3.1.4 Advanced Evolutionary Advantages - The following advantages are available from Year 2 (i.e. round 9 onwards). In some cases a standard gene is a prerequisite.

11. Fangs 2 - carnivores only - requires Fangs. The creature has huge, deadly fangs that give +2 on the combat dice roll.
12. Body Armour 2 - herbivores only - requires Body Armour. The creature has an incredibly tough carapace that means an attacker must win by 3 clear points on the dice (e.g. 7 vs 4) or a standoff results.
13. Speed 2 - any creature - requires Speed. The creature can move up to three hexes.
14. Amphibiousness - any creature - requires Swimming. Creature can remain in water hexes rather than just passing through. The creature must be on a land hex in Spring in order to give birth. Each water hex yields one fish meal per season suitable for omnivores and carnivores. Amphibious carnivores can attempt to eat other amphibious creatures as well as try for fish. Amphibious herbivores can spend time in water hexes but there is not enough plant matter to constitute a meal for them. Carrion is not available in water hexes (gets lost in the water).
15. Poison any creature - requires Foul Odour. Creature cannot be eaten as its flesh is poisonous. Poisonous creatures will only be attacked in the predator phase by a carnivore's Killer Instinct extra attack, or by a carnivore which specifies that it wants to kill a poison creature even though no meal will result. Dead poisonous creatures do not become edible carrion.
16. Long Neck - herbivores only. Creature can reach food high up in the trees that other creatures cannot. Each (grassland and jungle) hex has one additional meal available to long-necked creatures only. This meal is always consumed last, so when it has been consumed the hex shows -1 meals available. A tussle is not required if there are enough meals to go round including the extra one. Also where there is a tussle and one of the victors has a long neck, this meal will be consumed.
17. Tracking - carnivores and omnivores. Creature may follow any other creature starting from the same hex. Tracks cannot be followed across desert or over water. If two or more creatures attempt to track each other they go round in circles ending up in the original hex. If the creature being tracked moves more hexes than the tracker is able to, the tracker only follows for the number of hexes its movement allows.

3.2 Orders

3.2.1 Placement and Movement

On the very first round (Spring year 0), creatures are placed on the board instead of moving. On other rounds, players may order their creatures to move to an adjacent hex or stay put. On later Spring rounds, existing creatures move and new born creatures are placed. As well as being placed newborn creatures are assigned an evolutionary advantage (see 3.1.3).

3.2.2 Behaviour

Each creature may be defensive, semi-defensive or aggressive, default is defensive for herbivores and semi-defensive for omnivores and carnivores. Unless otherwise stated, it is assumed that a creature will continue in the same mode as the previous turn.

Defensive: The creature will never act as a predator, and will fend off rather than kill attacking predators. Squabbles over plants or carrion will be non-lethal to the defensive creature (it backs off rather than fight to the bitter end).

Semi-defensive: As defensive, except that carnivores and omnivores become predators if there is no other food available. For herbivores, there is no difference between defensive and semi-defensive.

Aggressive: For carnivores and omnivores, the creature will aim to kill and eat another even if there is an easy meal available. Aggressive creatures (including herbivores) gain +1 on the best dice in all fights and tussles, and are willing to fight to the death so are killed if they lose.

3.2.3 Enemy Species

The only other option in the orders is to declare one rival species your enemy for this turn. This is a blanket assignment for all conflicts in which your creatures will always attack theirs in preference to other species. This is applied ahead of AP and Foul Odour considerations.

3.2.4 Defaults

The default (NMR) is to move in a random direction, behave defensively (semi-defensive omnivores and carnivores) and fight the weakest opponent if there is a choice. Movement is determined by a D6 roll. If there is no enterable hex in the direction indicated, the creature stays put. If the random hex is water, and the creature has swimming, another D6 is rolled to determine the exit hex. Creatures with Speed have a 50% chance of using the extra move. Other evolutionary advantages are used by default. Note that a player may specify standing orders which will be used in the event of an NMR.

3.3. Feeding and Combat

On completion of placement and/or movement, all creatures attempt to feed.

Where there is more than one creature in a hex, events are resolved as follows:

3.3.1. Predator Phase.

Aggressive carnivores and omnivores (plus semi-defensive carnivores and omnivores with no alternative) attack their prey. All combat is on a 1 v 1 basis. If there is more than one predator, attacks take place in descending order of attack points, random thereafter. If the attacker wins it eats the victim. If the attacker loses it is killed if aggressive, if semi-defensive it only dies if the intended victim is aggressive, otherwise fended off. If the attacker is killed it will also be eaten by the victor, provided the victor is not a herbivore and has not already fed. If the victor does eat and was due to have an attack later in the sequence, this is forgone unless the creature has Killer Instinct.

Where there is a choice of creature to attack, the default is to pick the one with the lowest attack points, then pick a defensive rather than aggressive target. Predators may not attack their own species unless they have the Cannibalism advantage. Even if they do, their own species will always be the last choice.

Each fight is resolved as follows: Each combatant rolls a number of six-sided dice equal to its attack points, and takes the highest. If there is a tie then a stand-off occurs. Otherwise the winner gains an additional Attack Point (maximum AP is 6), and the loser is killed/eaten/fended off.

In the event of a stand-off the attacker may try for carrion and/or fruit (if any) but may not have another attack. Creatures killed (but not eaten) on this phase are available as carrion this turn.

3.3.2 Carrion Phase.

Any carnivores or omnivores who have not been fed now try for the carrion (corpses of dead creatures) if any is present. A tussle will not take place if there is enough food overall to go round (e.g. one corpse and one fruit meal between a carnivore or an omnivore). If there is a tussle, all creatures roll one D6 for each AP, and take the best. The rolls are ranked and the best rolls all get a corpse according to the number available. A stand-off only occurs if the tie is relevant - e.g. with three corpses and 4 creatures getting 6,4,4,2, both 4s get fed.

The winner(s) gain an AP (maximum AP is 6). Loser(s) are fended off unless they are aggressive, in which case they are killed. In the event of a stand-off or non-lethal defeat, omnivores may subsequently try for a plant meal (not grass!). Creatures killed on the carrion phase do not count as carrion until next turn.

3.3.3 Plant Phase.

Herbivores and unfed omnivores compete for fruit, herbivores only if grass. Again if there is enough for everyone, no combat takes place. If there is a tussle, then the loser(s) are sent packing and thus go hungry unless aggressive, in which case they are killed (if all combatants are the same species the fight is always non-lethal).

A tussle is resolved as follows: All creatures roll one D6 per AP and the spoils are divided up in order of best number and according to the amount of food available. For example if there are two meals and three contestants, the two best get fed. There is no "stand-off" situation - roll-offs are done if necessary. The winner(s) gain an AP (maximum AP is 6).

3.3.4. Example

Hex B7 is Jungle and contains one dead body and two fruit meals.
9C, 11C, 13O, 16H, 19H and 22H all enter the hex.
9C is aggressive and attacks 22H. 9C has 3 APs and rolls 3, 2, 6. 22H has 1 AP and rolls a 5. 22H is eaten (9C gains an AP).
11C and 13O tussle over the carrion (just the original corpse, not 22H as he's been eaten). Neither are aggressive and they both have 2 APs. 11C rolls 3 and 4, and 13O gets 2 and 3, so 11C eats the carrion and gains an AP.
13O, 16H and 19H all now compete for the 2 fruit meals. None is aggressive and all have 2APs. 13O rolls 1 and 2, 16H rolls 2 and 6 and 19H rolls 5 and 6. This means that 16H and 19H both feed and gain an AP, poor old 13O goes hungry.

3.4. Hunger and Death

A creature which fails to eat becomes "hungry" for the next turn. A second turn without sustenance results in death for herbivores and omnivores, but carnivores live on as "ravenous" which gives them an extra Attack Point (still max 6). They die if they fail to eat the next turn and become carrion. If they do eat they go right back to normal (not hungry).

4. Turn Report

The turn report includes an updated version of the map with revised creature positions and numbers of food available shown (the map at the end of these rules is blank - the GM would draw numbers on it at the start of the game).

The report also contains a status table, one row per creature giving the following information:
Player name, Creature ID (inc. type), Hex, Behaviour, APs, Evolutionary Advantages, Hunger Status, Enemy Species, Notes. The Notes could be used to say what happened to the creature - e.g. eaten by 18C. Alternatively the GM could omit the notes column and write a weely interwesting account of this season's battle for survival.

5. General Notes

No creature can have more that 6 Attack Points.

Collaboration between species is permitted. Press is welcomed. Players may give their species silly names if they wish.

6. Game End

The game ends when only one species remains (or is clearly dominant), or a predetermined number of turns (suggest 12-15) have been completed. The winner is the player with the most surviving creatures. A draw between two or more species can be agreed should an equilibrium occur.

7. Sample Map

light green = grassland; dark green = jungle; blue = water; yellow = desert.