Zamboni Wars

Zamboni Wars
Chris Kice
What could possibly be cooler than driving a Zamboni? How about armor plating your Zamboni and arming it with a giant, frickin' laser!
:Players	Players:	2 - 4
:Time	Length:	Fast
:Complexity	Complexity:	Medium
Trios per color:		1
Number of colors:		1 per player
Pyramid trios:
Monochr. stashes:
Five-color sets:		1
- - - - - - Other equipment - - - - - -
Martian Coasters, 1 six-sided die
Setup time:		1 minute
Playing time:		5 - 10 minutes
Strategy depth:		Medium
Random chance:		High
Game mechanics:
Theme:		Sci-Fi Battle
BGG Link:		Zamboni Wars
Status: Complete (v1.0), Year released: 2007

Setup

Each player chooses a color and takes all the Icehouse pieces of that color. (The non-transparent "House" pieces are not used in this game.) Place the coasters in their normal starting position with the "dotted" corners facing into the center. Each player creates a nest of their pieces and places them on their side ("flat") in the corner of their color board with the tip pointing clockwise.

4-Player Setup

Turn Sequence

1. Roll and move
2. Fire your laser at another Zamboni (if you can)

Movement

• At the start of their turn, each player rolls the six-sided die to determine their movement points.
• Movement costs 1 point per space in the direction the piece is pointing and movement must respect the directional arrows on the board. You can only move "forward" in the direction your Zamboni is pointing.
• Turning (reorienting your Zamboni) also costs 1 point, regardless of the amount turned. You can not turn 360 degrees - each turn must face your Zamboni in a new direction. While you can turn to a 45-degree diagonal for aiming purposes (see below) you can only move in straight lines according to the arrows on the board spaces. (You can not spend two subsequent movement points turning. For instance - turning 45-degrees left, then 45-degrees right still counts as a single movement. You need to turn, then move, then turn again.)
• All points must be used on each turn! You cannot stop before your points have been expended.
• Two Zamobnis can not occupy the same space at the same time. If another player is in your way, you have to go around them.

Movement Example

Firing Your Laser

If, after the movement is complete, you are aimed at another Zamboni in range (within 4 squares) you can fire your laser. Zambonis can fire along straight or diagonal paths on the board. (However, you will need to use your last movement point to turn 45-degrees in order to fire a diagonal shot.) If you have a clear shot, roll the six-sided die to see if you hit. If the target still has a complete Zamboni (one complete nest), you need a 5 or 6 to hit. If they only have 2 pieces left (small piece and medium piece), you need a 4, 5, or 6 to hit. If they only have a small piece left, your shot automatically hits. If you hit the target, one layer of armor is removed from the target Zamboni. (Take the largest piece from the nest and remove it from the game.) If the Zamboni is already down to its last piece, it is destroyed and eliminated from the game.

Firing Range Die rolls needed to hit

Winning

The player with the last remaining Zamboni wins the game!

Optional Rules

Treehouse Cover Rule

You have the option of using the Treehouse die as cover for the game. You can have 1 die for every two players in the game. The dice start at the center of one of the four boards, as chosen by a six-sided die roll-off. (The player with the highest roll gets the cover on their quarter of the board.) The Treehouse die can be pushed at no movement expense by any Zamboni. Lasers cannot penetrate the cover. Be careful - it is possible to move the die to a position where it is stuck due to the restrictions of the movement arrows. (If the die needs to be pushed from a direction that you can't enter the space from, it still works as cover but is no longer portable.)

Warp Zone Rule

The center of each board is a Warp Zone and, for one movement point, can transport your Zamboni to the center of any other board. It does not reorient your piece - you just move to the other board's center facing the same direction as when you departed your previous location.

Tips

• Be careful of diagonal shots. While it may get you a quick hit, you need to spend the last point of your current turn to rotate 45-degrees to take your shot and the first movement point of your next turn to turn in the direction you wish to move. If you roll a 1 on your next turn, you're a sitting duck for the entire round!

• Have an escape plan. If you manage to corner another player and miss your shot, one lucky roll on their part can easily turn the tables!

Translates

Spanish Rules by seoman (www.labsk.net & icehouse.labsk.net)

Notes

I created this game out of a desire to show demo attendees other games you could play using Treehouse and Martian Coasters. I like the idea of using Icehouse pieces on their sides à la RAMbots and thought a tank/maze battle would work really well with the various components.

• Zamboni Wars is listed on BoardGameGeek.

Credits and Copyright

This game was invented by Chris "Nekura" Kice and was publicly released to the IcehouseGames.org wiki. It is licensed under the Creative Commons License (Attribution-NonCommercial)

This game is in no way affiliated with Frank J. Zamboni & Co., Inc., makers of Zamboni ice resurfacing equipment.

Entered in the Icehouse Game Design Competition, Summer 2007
Winner: Pylon 2nd: Subdivision 3rd: Zamboni Wars 4th: Geomancy
5th: Penguin Soccer 6th: Moon Shot 7th: Martian Coaster Chaturanga 8th: Trip Away