Winter King

Josh Kozun

1/27/15

Winter King is a battle-royal style game, where four players pick from four different mages and

move around an arena-style board attempting to kill the others and be the last one standing within a

limited amount of turns. This is done by using the various spells (3 per character) available to each

Mage, and items available for purchase at in game shops, to either attack directly or negatively affect

the other players. There is a catch however, as each classes' powers come with a price to pay for using

them. These "Prices" range from lowering the maximum life and movement of their character, damaging

the player, or making them more vulnerable to attacks. This means that players have to decide when

and how often to use their powers, instead of just attacking whenever they have the chance, adding a

layer of strategy to the game akin to a simplified version of Dungeons & Dragons.

As I've said, the gameplay is meant to be somewhat similar to Dungeons & Dragons, a sort of

D&D-Light with its own mechanics. As such, the target audience for this particular board game would be

the tabletop gaming crowd, either those who play the super in depth RPG's, or just those into more

outside the box board games like "Betrayal on the House on the Hill" or "Settlers of Catan". The people I

picture playing this game probably enjoy fantasy quite a bit, and enjoy finding little known yet

interesting board games to play with like-minded people. In other words, people who enjoy slightly

more complicated and imaginative board games than the standard "Monopoly".

I went through many different interpretations of the theme "Winter is Coming" throughout the

design process. The concepts ranged from a game based off of Lovecraft's "At the Mountains of

Madness" because it took place in Antarctica, a tower defense style fantasy game set on a snowy

mountain, and a stealth based, multi-path game that never really got past conception. But I settled on

this particular concept; a fantasy battle-royal with light RPG elements. I used this particular idea because

I felt the mechanics were the most fleshed out and interesting out of all the others, not so much

because of its relation to the theme. I will say that my idea behind the setting stemmed from Game of

Thrones being a fantasy series. This isn't to say that the setting was necessarily based off of Game of

Thrones (in fact the setting is entirely of my own design, with the one exception possibly being the death

battle aspect of the story, but even that was dragged from my earlier tower defense concept) but the

idea to place the game in a fantasy setting was indeed inspired by the Game of Thrones theme. I knew

that wouldn't be enough though. So I started thinking about the quote itself, and the various

connotations it could have during gameplay. I started thinking less along the lines of Winter as a thing,

and more its status as a season and what that season often represented to the passage of time. And

then I thought up the Winter King.

I've always had a thing for having a limited amount of time to complete a game, with games like

Majora's Mask and Pikmin being among my favorites. And it has been proven to work in a board game

setting, in the case of things like Mario Party; limiting the amount of turns players have to win in a board

game ramps up the competitiveness as a whole, adding a sense of impending dread to the whole

experience and making every move a player makes count for something, and every screw up mean that

much more. Not only that, this idea of a clock ticking down and having to prepare for it parallels the

passing of the seasons in times of old; people had to prepare for the entire year for the coming of

Winter. Winter was destructive, the embodiment of death in many cultures. So I decided to think in

terms of that mentality while perfecting the mechanics of the Winter King. In short, the use of the

theme in this case ended up being influenced by the games mechanics, not the other way around.

Rules:

The Goal: The Goal of the Game, as previously stated, is to be the last player standing out of four

starting combatants. This is accomplished by using spells and items to attack the other players. They

must finish the death battle within 28 full Turn Rotations. If there are still multiple players left alive at

this point in the game, the Winter King spawns on the Frozen Throne, and the win conditions change;

whoever kills the Winter King, i.e. deals the finishing blow, is the winner. Players can still attack each

other at this stage of play, but they have to balance attacking the others with trying to deal as much

damage to the Winter King as possible, all while avoiding his board filling attacks. If a player becomes

the last player standing after the Winter King spawns, they still have to kill the Winter King. If the Winter

King kills all players, then the game ends with no winner.

Important Mechanics:

Score Sheet: Each player at the start will be given a score sheet; this sheet will be used by the

players to keep track of all information pertaining to their character. Similar to a D&D character

sheet.

d#: The letter d followed by any number is the kind of dice a player rolls for whatever action

they're doing. For instance, if an attack says 1d3, that means that they roll a six sided die and cut

the number in half. If it says 2d6, it means roll two six sided dice (note: the only die that is used

in this game is a single d6. In the event a move requires the player to roll more than 1d6, they

will simply roll the die however many times indicated.) Dice will also be used at the start of the

game to decide who goes first; players will each roll 1d6. Whoever gets the highest number goes

first, and Turn Rotations will be linked to them. From that first player, the game progresses

clockwise.

Turn Rotation: A turn rotation is one full cycle of turns. So say the Druid went first, then the

Necromancer, then the Witch, and last the Pyromancer. When the turns cycled back to the

Druid again, that would be one Turn Rotation. The players must attempt to have the last piece

left on the board before 28 Turn Rotations are up. After that, the Winter King spawns in the

center of the board, and the victory condition changes from defeating each other to being the

one to kill the Winter King.

Turn: A turn is one players move during a Turn Rotation. At the start of a Turn, players' take any

ongoing damage and negative effects from where they start into account. After that, they may

either use a spell or move. If a player moves, they can stop mid move and use a spell, at which

point they can't move anymore. If a player chooses to move before they use a spell, at the end

of the move they may use a spell.

For instance:

The Player rolls. Then moves and uses a spell.

Or...

The Player uses a spell. Then rolls and moves.

Or...

The Player uses a spell. Then rolls, and moves in for melee. This stops their move.

Or...

The player rolls. Then moves in for melee, and uses a spell.

Turns and Turn Rotations will be tracked on the score sheet.

HP (Hit Points): HP is a characters Health. Each character has a different starting health level, but

no max level. For instance, if the Witch's Familiar attacks a player and the Witch is at her starting

level, she will add the gained health on top of her starting health. The same thing applies to the

use of Health Potions. Hit points will be tracked on the score sheet.

Perk: Each Mage has a special ability that gives them a bit of a leg up over their competitors. For

instance, the Necromancer's perk allows him to return to life if he is killed by another player.

Some perks also double as the Price for their magic.

Price: The spells the players cast don't cost any mana. But power comes at a price; each Mage's

power has a downside that serves to limit the players use of their abilities. For instance, while

the Witch's Familiar essentially gives her twice the board presence at all times, if it gets killed,

her health is cut in half and she is locked from using her Level 3 spell for the rest of the game.

Any kind of price counter will be kept track of on the score sheet.

Melee Dmg: If one player moves adjacent to another, they are in close enough proximity to

attempt a Melee Attack. Each class has base Melee damage, as in the damage that can be done

with a Melee attack without the help of any spells. These attacks can be performed even after a

player has cast a spell or moved on a turn. But if they move and then Melee, the movement

stops, but if they haven't cast a spell yet they may.

The Winter King: In the world of Drakefell, there is a Frozen Throne. And on that Throne sits the

Winter King. A powerful thing, the Winter King. A dangerous thing. A deadly thing. In eons past

he wandered the land, and the kingdom was his own. But soon Five mages rose to power, and

took back the Frozen Throne. Then the leader sat the Throne. And he locked the King under the

ground, and sat there as the key. But after many years, the Arch-Mage weakened, and thus so

did the lock and key. As he sat, the other Four divided the kingdom of the Frozen Throne

amongst them, and as the Arch-Mage sat and died, the others plotted and schemed. As the

Arch-Mage passed away, the lock was damaged and needed a key. So although the Four now

fight for control, they unknowingly fight to be the key. But as they fight the lock erodes and will

slowly melt away. And if one of the Four won't sit the Throne, the Winter King will come again.

HP: 120

Perk: Freezing Aura - The Winter King has a 5x5 square aura around him at all times. If a player

starts their turn in it or moves through it, they take 4 damage.

Spells:

-Winter Warrior: If a player should end their turn next to or start their turn next to the Frozen

Throne, the Winter King will attack for 2d6 melee damage.

-Winter Furry: The Winter King will, at the end of every full Turn Rotation, blast a section of the

map, starting from the top half and going clockwise, for 3d6 damage. The sections of the map

that are hit by this are anything within the area between the row of spaces coming diagonally

from the Frozen Throne. This blast can be blocked partially by walls.

-Winters End: Once the Winter King gets below 40 health, Winter Furry becomes this spell,

wherein instead of attacking one section of the board for 3d6 every turn rotation, he attacks the

whole board for 4d6. This is still partially blocked by walls.

The Board: The Board is split into two distinct sections; the Outer Rim, and the Coliseum. The Outer Rim

contains the 4 shops, and the 4 starting spaces for each character, placed in the middle of each side and

on each corner respectively. To enter the Coliseum portion, players must exit the outer edge through a

gate marked on the board. Once inside, they can freely retreat back to the edge through these gates,

but only through these gates; apart from the gates, the Coliseum is enclosed in a wall, similar to the

ones seen within the Coliseum, that block progress and attacks (unless stated by the ability being used).

Within both the Edge and Coliseum, players will find the Exp and Gold spaces they need to level up for

their more powerful spells and buy items from shops for short and long term character buffs. At the

center of the Coliseum sits the Frozen Throne. This square is impassible by players under all

circumstances, and is where the Winter King spawns after 28 Turn Rotations. Players will move about

the board using a d6. An important thing to note about movement is that players cannot move back

onto spaces that they've just moved off of. For instance, if a player moves off a square as the first move

of their roll, they may not for the next move go directly back to that square. The number of dice rolls

used for movement by players is 2d6 unless stated by an ability their character has. For instance, the

Druid's Wolf form can move for 3d6, as can the Witch's Familiar, while the Skeletons of the

Necromancer can only move 1d6. This in conjunction with the Walls and required Exp for spells

instigates strategic movement in the players, in both affectively moving around the board to avoid

damage and collect Exp and Gold, as well as setting up spells affectively for the best possible affect.

Important Squares:

Experience Squares (Exp Squares): To access all of their abilities, players will need to gain

experience. This is done by landing on special Exp tiles on the game board. To access the Level 1

spell, players need to touch 1 Exp square. For Level 2, they must touch 4 more different squares.

And for the Level 3 spell, the players must touch 10 different Exp tiles in total. The player cannot

hit the same Exp tile more than once in a row. Exp players collect will be tracked on their score

sheet.

Gold Squares: Gold squares give players gold to use at Shops. Each Square has gives the players

100 gold. Gold players accumulate will be tracked on the players score sheet.

Wall: A wall is a thick line on one side of a square on the board. Players cannot move through

these walls (unless stated in special abilities) and most attacks cannot penetrate them.

Item Shops: Items can be purchased at shops around the board. There is one shop on each side

of the board, which can be accessed from the front in the Coliseum section of the board, and

from each side around the outer edge. Shops cannot be passed through. Items the players

collect will be kept track of on the score sheet.

Items Available:

-Passive Items: Players can only carry one Passive Item at a time. They cannot use the item the

instant they buy them, and must wait until their next turn. The items are:

Health Potion: +5 Health (300 gold)

Magic Die: On a players turn, they may take another move (1000)

Spell Scroll (1000):

-Necromancer: Add +10 counters back on.

-Pyromancer: Subtract -5 damage done to self by Aura.

-Druid: Add +10 turns back on to Animal counter of players choice.

-Witch: Heal Familiar for +5 health.

Armor (2000): Each Mage has a set of unique armor that buffs their abilities in a certain way.

They cannot buy other peoples armor. Armor perks will be kept track of on the score sheet.

-Bone Armor: Allows Necromancer to summon 5 skeletons instead of 3. Adds -3 penalty to

damage against Necromancer.

-Witch's Hat: Familiar now does 2d6 damage and gains the Druid's Wolf dodge.

-Fur Pelt: Allows the Druid to stay in any animal form for 3 Turn Rotations without that Animals

turn counter ticking down. He can use this ability 3 total times. Adds -3 penalty to damage

against Druid.

-Insulated Suit: Subtract Aura damage done to self by -5, and boost damage by +2. Adds -3

penalty to damage against Druid.

Pieces: Each player picks one of the Four Mages (Game Pieces):

Necromancer: One of the Four Mages that helped the Arch-Mage take the Frozen

Throne from the Winter King, purely on the grounds that, were he to help the others,

the Arch-Mage would give him materials for his research. He is a cold man, with little

patience for the troubles of others, and a childlike fascination with death and the dying.

As such, he's devoted his life to its study, and it's manipulation as a force. He wants the

Frozen Throne, not for control, but for knowledge; he believes that, were he to sit the

throne, he would attain enough power to create his magnum-opus; a spell capable of

perfect reincarnation. Essentially, mastery over life and death.

Starting HP: 65

Starting Melee Dmg: 4

Perk: Phylactery - If the Necromancer were to be killed by another players attack, he is

not dead that turn. Instead, he has a chance to revive himself by running back to his

starting square. While in this state of undeath he can pass through the normally

impassible walls on the board, but if he takes any damage he is dead for good.

Price: Necrosis - As the Necromancer summons more minions and sustains them, his

body begins to deteriorate. This slows his movement speed, and makes him more

susceptible to damage, until he cannot move at all. Starting Counters: 50. At 40: -3 to

movement rolls. At 30: +2 to damage rolls against Necromancer. At 20: -6 to movement

rolls, +4 to damage rolls against Necromancer. At 10: -9 to movement rolls, +6 to

damage rolls against Necromancer. At 5: No longer able to move. At 0: Dead. Cannot

use Phylactery if he was killed by his Price.

Spells:

-Level 1 Spell: Skeletal Warrior - Summon 1 Skeleton 1 square away from you each time

you cast the spell. You can summon up to 3 Skeletons (5 with the Bone Armor). HP: 10.

Dmg: 1d3 (Melee). Movement: 1d6. Price per Cast: -1 for first, -2 for second, -3 for third

(and so on for a fourth and fifth).

-Level 2 Spell: Zombie Wall - Summon a 3 square long wall for 5 turn rotations. It acts

the same as the walls on the board. However, if a player starts their turn next to it, runs

into it, or attacks it, they take 5 damage. If the spell is cast again before the wall fades,

the player may relocate the wall. This also restarts the turn counter for the wall. HP of

Wall: 10 Price per Cast: -5. Price for Relocation: -3

-Level 3 Spell: Homunculus - Summon a Homunculus 1 square away from you. He lasts

for 3 turn rotations, but can be sustained. Homunculus HP: 30 Homunculus Dmg

(Melee): 3d6. Homunculus Movement: 2d6. Price per Cast: -7 Price to Sustain: -5

Pyromancer: One of the Four Mages that helped the Arch-Mage take the Frozen Throne

from the Winter King. He did it for power, and control of the kingdom. But he grew

bitter once the Arch-Mage took the Throne for himself, even if he'd been given a

Kingdom of his own. Once the Arch-Mage started to fall ill, he plotted with the Witch to

make his move on the Throne, planning to double cross the Witch once she'd helped

him obtain it. Out of all the Four, he wishes the Throne for the simplest of reasons; for

power.

Starting HP: 70

Starting Melee Dmg: 5

Perk/Price: Heartburn - As the Pyromancer casts his spells, an Aura grows around his

character. As the Aura grows, the Pyromancer's spells become stronger. Also, if a player

starts their turn in the Aura or enters the Aura, they take damage. But as the Aura

grows larger, the Pyromancer will steadily take more and more damage over time.

At 10: Starts taking 1 damage per turn rotation, players who start next to or pass

through the Aura take 2 damage. Aura is 3x3. At 20: Starts taking 2 damage per turn

rotation, players who start next to or pass through the Aura take 3 damage. Aura is 4x4.

At 30: Starts taking 3 damage per turn rotation, players who start next to or pass

through the Aura take 4 damage. Aura is 5x5 (continue from there until death.)

Spells:

-Level 1 Spell: Fire Whip - A melee fire attack that can be used up to 4 squares away

from the Pyromancer, and directed around corners and walls to pull other players to the

Pyromancer. Can be used to hit the Witch while she is flying. If it is, the attack instantly

brings her down to earth and she takes +3 extra damage. If a player is pulled towards

the Pyromancer, the Pyromancer can attack them for Melee damage (and move if they

haven't moved that turn). Dmg: 1d6. Burn: 2

-Level 2 Spell: Flamethrower - A 3x5 cone of fire that shoots out diagonally from the

Pyromancer (3 squares diagonal, 5 squares across). Can be partially blocked by walls.

Dmg: 2d6. Burn: 6.

-Level 3 Spell: Fireball - Can be fired anywhere the Pyromancer has line of sight. When it

hits the spot of his choice, it explodes into a 5x5 square around the spot, hitting

everyone in the vicinity. Dmg of Initial Point: 3d6. Dmg of Inner Ring: 2d6. Dmg of Outer

Ring: 1d6. Burn: 10

Witch: One of the Four Mages that helped the Arch-Mage take the Frozen Throne from

the Winter King. To be fair, the Witch had never intended to help them; she'd been a

wild card throughout the war, helping or hindering whichever side suited her fancy at

any given moment. Such is her fickle way. But near the end of the conflict, the Winter

King attacked her, and so she decided to retaliate with the rest, ending up tipping the

scales in the favor of the Magi. Due to her nature, she was unaware of the Arch-Mages

deteriorating health until the Pyromancer approached her and asked for her help in

claiming the throne. The Witch agreed, purely because she'd grown board with the long-

lasting peace. But soon she grew tired of the Pyromancer's antics, and decided that

when he went to take the throne, she would double cross him. She wants the throne

because others do.

Starting HP: 50

Starting Melee Dmg: 3

Price/Perk: Familiar - The Witch controls a second piece. This piece is her Familiar. The

Familiar can't use any of the Witch's spells, but is directly tied to the Witch; when the

Familiar deals damage to another player, the Witch gains that much life. Conversely,

whenever the Familiar takes damage, so does the Witch. If the Familiar dies, the Witch

loses half of her current health and is restricted to only her Level 1 and 2 Spells. The

Familiar can use Gold spaces, but not Exp spaces, and it cannot use shops. If the Witch

were to use a Health Potion, the Familiar would heal to. The difference is that his health

caps at 50. Familiar HP: 50. Familiar Dmg (Melee): 1d6. Familiar Movement: 3d6

Spells:

-Level 1 Spell: Hex - A spell that can hit any opponent within a 5x5 square of her,

regardless of obstacles. Apart from dealing damage, it also slows opponents movement,

and deals a small amount of damage over time. Dmg: 1d6. Movement Penalty: -3. Dmg

over Time: 2 per turn rotation for 3 turn rotations.

-Level 2 Spell: Fly - The Witch can move around the board ignoring obstacles that would

normally obstruct her path for 3 turn rotations. While in this state, she cannot be the

target of Melee attacks, and can move through other players. While in this state

however, she cannot use Exp spaces, Gold spaces, or do Melee damage.

-Level 3 Spell: Curse - A highly damaging melee attack, that also deals large damage over

time. Dmg: 2d6. Dmg over Time: 5 per turn rotation for 3 turn rotations.

Druid: One of the Four Mages that helped the Arch-Mage take the Frozen Throne from

the Winter King. He helped because of the effect the King had on the land and it's

creatures, destroying anything in its wake and corrupting the inhabitants into twisted

versions of themselves. He raised the Arch-Mage sternly, and was his right-hand during

his rule, sticking by him as best he could. As the Arch-Mage's health deteriorated, he

searched for a worthy successor, but to no avail. One day, the Witch's Familiar came to

him and told him of the Pyromancer's bid for the Throne. With this knowledge in mind,

the Druid vowed to sit the Throne to protect it from those who sought to abuse it; in his

eyes, a reign of fire would be no better than one of Ice.

Starting HP: 68

Starting Melee Dmg: 3

Perk/Price: Transformation - The Druid has the ability to assume the forms of different

creatures to further his own abilities, making him faster, stronger, or gain new powers

depending on the Transformation. But he cannot stay in these forms for long; as he

stays in an animal shape, he begins to weaken and lose his humanity. Eventually, if he

stays in a form for too long, he will be unable to turn back, and be weaker than in his

human form. The Druid can transform between forms on other players Turns, but he

cannot act on said turn. Also, if the Druid switches Animals on his turn, the turns

available to the previous animal do not reset.

Spells:

-Level 1 Spell: Wolf - The Druid becomes a Wolf. While in this form, the Druid has a

chance to dodge incoming spells if they roll a 5 or higher on a d6. Also, if the Druid is

attacked from Melee range, he may attack for his own damage, and then make a

movement roll. Dmg: 1d6. Movement: 3d6. Limit: 60 turns. After 20 Turns: Can no

longer dodge spells. After 30 Turns: Still take damage when countering melee attacks.

After 40 Turns: Can no longer deal damage while countering melee attacks, but can still

move away. Movement reduced to 2d6. After 50 Turns: Movement reduced to 1d6.

After 60 Turns: Damage dealt to the Druid gets a +4 bonus. Cannot revert to human.

-Level 2 Spell: Bear - The Druid becomes a Bear. While in this form, incoming attacks

against the Druid become much less effective. Dmg: 3d6. Movement: 1d6. Damage

Reduction: -2. Limit: 40 turns. After 10 Turns: Damage Reduction Reduced to -1, takes a

-2 penalty to melee damage. After 20 Turns: Damage Reduction Gone, takes a -4 penalty

to attacks. After 30 Turns: Damage reduced to 2d6. After 35 Turns: Damage reduced to

1d6. After 40 Turns: Damage dealt to the Druid gets a +4 bonus. Cannot revert to

human.

-Level 3 Spell: Basilisk - The Druid becomes a mighty Basilisk. While in this form, if a

player is in the Druid's line of sight, there character is frozen for one turn rotation. Also,

when the Druid makes an attack in this form, the player hit takes ongoing damage.

While a Basilisk, the Druid can hit the Witch while she is flying. Dmg: 2d6. Movement:

2d6. Ongoing Damage: 5 damage every turn rotation for 3 turn rotations. Limit: 20

turns. After 5 Turns: Can no longer deal ongoing damage. After 10 Turns: Movement

reduced to 1d6. After 15 Turns: Can no longer hit the Witch while she is flying. After 20

Turns: Line of sight ability now gone, attacks against the Druid get a +4 bonus.

Play Test:

` As far as what worked, I was very pleased to see people who played the game incorporating

strategy into their movements and attacks, as I'd hoped. The mechanics of the spell casting, perks, and

prices really forced people to think ahead a few steps on every move, and mix melee attacks with the

more powerful spells so as to not cripple themselves in the long run, but deal as much damage in the

short term as possible so as not to spawn the Winter King. Speaking of the Winter King, it felt like the

game moved a bit too quickly to spawn him very often initially, so players never really had to face him,

which is a shame because he is key to the aesthetic of the games world. Apart from that, the players and

myself ended up tweaking several character abilities throughout the play test to balance things out, as

initially certain characters were much stronger in the long run than others. Suffice it to say, this project

was an interesting experiment, and having to work within such rigid parameters made me realize that,

while making a game, I will not always be able to do everything I want and still meet the criteria. For

instance, the game initially had 8 playable characters, a card based system, and a DM style 9th player.

The Witch moving his familiar. Player rolling for his move.

The Necromancer moving his piece.