If your group is competitive, try to be the first Hero to kill a Villain, and the first Villain to be killed. Whether you like to cooperate, compete, or just have fun making up silly stories--avoid killing a Hero, or everyone loses.
-**Materials**: You will need 6 index cards per villain, and 1 index card per hero (or similar materials, notebook paper will also work). You also need one d6 (normal six-sided die) per player.
+**Materials**: You will need 6 index cards per Villain, and 1 index card per Hero (or similar materials, notebook paper will also work). You also need one d6 (normal six-sided die) per player.
> *24. I will maintain a realistic assessment of my strengths and weaknesses. Even though this takes some of the fun out of the job, at least I will never utter the line "No, this cannot be! I AM INVINCIBLE!!!" (After that, death is usually instantaneous.)* - Peter Ansprach, 100 Things I'd Do If I Ever Became An Evil Overlord
| 5 | Living Robot | I sailed the seven seas to | barely make a living | by betraying the heroes |
| 6 | Lone Gunslinger | In Japanese high school, I will | defeat my rival | by foiling the villain's plan |
-Choose or randomly roll your character's starting **Approach**.
+Choose or randomly roll your character's starting **approach**.
| d6 | Approach |
|----|----------|
- Make up a name for your hero, and describe your Hero to all the other Heroes and Villains.
- Heroes start with 2 HP, or Health Points. If the Heroes fail against an Obstacle, they lose 1 HP. If you are reduced to 0 HP, you die and the game is over for everyone.
- Write down the six approaches: **Physical, Smarts, Spirit, Charm, Energy, Coolness**. Put a checkmark next to your starting **approach**. This is the only approach you can use right now.
-- As you adventure, you will may get sweet loot. Loot gives you additional **Approaches**.
+- As you adventure, you will may get sweet loot. Loot gives you additional **approaches**.
- Each Loot gives the Hero one additional approach. You roll randomly to see what approach the loot give you.
- If you're unlucky, you may get an approach you already have. You can give away loot when you get it, but you can't reroll.
- Once a Hero gets loot, you put a checkmark next to your new approach. You can now use that approach to beat Obstacles.
- If the Heroes collectively beat all the Villains, the land is safe. All Heroes and Villains win, even if you didn't beat a Villain.
## Making Villains
-Make up a villain, or roll randomly to make your Villain. "I am a(n)..." (roll once per column)
+Make up a Villain, or roll randomly to make your Villain. "I am a(n)..." (roll once per column)
| Roll | Description | Thing | Name | Title | Habit | Special Move
|------|-----------------------|------------|-----------------|------------------|---------------------|---------------------------|
- The 3rd obstacle is weak to 3 approaches
- The 4th obstacle is weak to 2 approaches.
- The 5th obstacle is weak to 2 approaches.
- - The villain is weak to only 1 approach.
+ - The Villain is weak to only 1 approach.
4. Stack your index cards neatly, so only the front of the first Obstacle is visible to Heroes.
5. Get ready to describe the first obstacle in your lair aloud.
- Whenever an Obstacle is first revealed to the Heroes, you describe the Obstacle aloud to them.
- Before describing it, read the front of the card aloud.
- - Make the Obstacle sound easy, cool, sexy, or rewarding. You want Heroes to come to your lair and kill you, instead of one of the other villains.
+ - Make the Obstacle sound easy, cool, sexy, or rewarding. You want Heroes to come to your lair and kill you first.
- Try to hint at any weaknesses in your description. Heroes shouldn't be going in blind.
- Describe the obstacle in a way that matches BOTH the written description, and the weaknesses you roll. For example, a Ogre weak to Physical might have a big target on their back. It's hard to match both but that's what makes it fun.
- Select which Hero goes first however you like.
- For the remainder of play, each Hero in turn selects a visible **Obstacle**. After they beat it or fail, play passes to the next Hero. This continues until the game is won or lost.
- Obstacles (Success and Failure)
- - Each Hero in turn selects one Obstacle, indicating it. The Hero states which of six approaches they use: **Physical**, **Smarts**, **Spirit**, **Charm**, **Energy**, or **Coolness** they use. For example "Gertie uses Spirit on the flock of seagulls."
+ - Each Hero in turn selects one Obstacle, indicating it. The Hero states which of six approaches they use: **Physical**, **Smarts**, **Spirit**, **Charm**, **Energy**, or **Coolness**. For example "Gertie uses Spirit on the flock of seagulls."
- Heroes can only use the approaches marked on their character sheet.
- Villain descriptions give Heroes clues about which approaches will work.
- The Villain gives a thumbs up if the Obstacle is weak against that approach, or a thumbs down if it is not. The Villain never describes the action after they set the scene.
- The Hero describes where and how they got the Loot, what it is, and how the Hero improves.
- After an Obstacle is beaten, it is removed from play. That Villain turns face-up the next Obstacle in their lair, and describes it aloud to the Heroes just like the first.
- Final Villain Showdown
- - Turning face-up the final Obstacle, the Villain themselves, is more detailed. The Villain describes their inner sanctum, and how the villain greets the Hero. They describe the villain's appearance and activities in detail, hinting at any special weaknesses or secret goal.
+ - Turning face-up the final Obstacle, the Villain themselves, is more detailed. The Villain describes their inner sanctum, and how the Villain greets the Hero. They describe the Villain's appearance and activities in detail, hinting at any special weaknesses or secret goal.
- The final fight works exactly like any normal Obstacle.
- When the final Villain is defeated (or wins against a Hero), the Villain can help describe the action if they want. Villains are encouraged to cry out "No, this cannot be! I AM INVINCIBLE!" or similar nonsense on defeat.
- Winning or Losing the Game
projects / za3k.git / commitdiff