This game is a idea pitched on Game Design Showdown on BGDF.com. It is a pure [ideaphase] – just words!
Score 9/10 : 1 Bronze + 1 Silver.
April 2015
theme: Losers’ Lounge
Inevitable ending
The warriors acquired the Springfield carbines from the dead soldiers and formed a complete circle around the last of Custer’s command. Soldiers shot their horses for breastworks. One by one the soldiers died, the firing lessened. Last Stand Hill was covered in dust and smoke.
Replay the battle of Little Big Horn as general Custer and the 7.th Cavalry. The game is divided into two separate phases. Your goal is to survive phase A and as many rounds you can in phase B. Custer can get reinforced by 2 players, Banteen and Reno, with an extra optionally seat playing as Native American leader Crazy Horse.
Components
playing mat with cards sized grid in 5 rows of 10. with terrain indicators.
20,20,20 Unit, Command and reinforcement cards.
reload tokens, markers & dices
80 hostile cards shuffled in 10 predefined waves.
A 9 turn board.
Turn
1:Reveal hostile 2: commands 3:move 4:firing 5: casualties + reload.
Fortification
Start out by placing all 20 units on one side of the mat in 5 groups. Wave 1 of hostile cards are distributed faced down opposite. Move the turn marker and flip the number of hostile cards written on the turn board. The number of cards flipped will increase for each wave. You’re lucky if the hostile card is empty otherwise it’s an charging group of indians (on horse or foot). Indian cards immediately advance 1 or 2 spaces. Ground forces can use terrain cover.
Custer draw 4 command cards ( to a maximum of 8) and plays any number. (move, treat wounded, morale, fire, fortify/skirmish, volley, scout, flee). He may keep or discard the remaining cards.
The Indian forces are controlled by simple rules – always moving forward and always firing when within range. If Custer plays a command on a stack it can apply to all or some.
Combat
Custer can command all or some of the troops in a stack to fire.A dice for each firing squad, modified by distance, determine if the hostile card is shot down. Shooting units get a reload marker until the end of the next turn.
Indians fire in the same way – but only after the US player. When Indians enter a US tile no commands on the group is allowed – only the flee card (which leaves some behind to die). To resolve a close combat you roll a dice for each unit in combat.. 1-2 is a casualty on opposing force.
Overrun
This phase continue where you left off – but with a reshuffle of indian cards without the empty cards. All cards are distributed and now several units will charge forward each round – impossible to survive?
End
Survive 10 waves of attacks thus completing “fortification” earning 1 point for each US card left. No cards are moved
Survive as many rounds possible in Overrun phase and count 1 point pr. round when all US cards are gone.
Indian player gets 1 point for each dead US card and -1 point for each round in the Overrun phase.
Joining
If a player starts the game solitaire other players may join during fortification phase. Remember its not allowed to turn away other players.
US army players will join the game with 6 extra units and draw and play their own command cards. The Indians will reveal extra cards each round thus increase difficulty.
A player joining as Crazy Horse may look on and swap the wave cards and draw his own command cards affecting the Indian charge.
Quick end
At any time players can choose to switch to the Overrun phase. This will surely end the game quickly so players can attend other games.