Below are the rules to Saratoga Sabotage, the Oregon Trail-themed modification of SiSSYFiGHT3000 developed by Rory Fitz-Gerald, Jon Manning, Leo Cho, Taylor Kalajan, Ryan Milligan, and I as part of the 10th Annual Game Design Workshop at GDC this year.
Players: 4 to 6
Players start with 5 white poker chips, and five blue poker chips
White poker chips denote progress toward the West Coast, or progress points.
Blue poker chips denote supplies/ammo
Goal – Be the first to reach 12 progress points
Each player has a deck with the following cards –
Target Cards
-Red
-Blue
-Green
-Purple
-White
-Black
-Self
Action Cards
- Move
- “Head West” – Target = Self – Gain one progress point
- “Convoy” – Target = Another player, and that player targets you with a move action – Both gain 2 progress points, both lose 1 supply point
- Bullet
- “Get Supples” – Target = Self – Gain 2 supply chips
- “Sabotage” – Target = Another player – That player loses one progress point, initiating player loses 1 supply point
- Raid
- If and only if 2 or more players play “Raid” and target the same player – Target player loses 2 progress points per attacker, attacking players lose 1 supply point each. If only one person raids another player, no damage is dealt and the attacker loses a supply point.
- Defend
- “Circle the Wagons” – Target = Self – Divide total number of lost progress points in a round by half, round down. You now lose that many progress points. If no one attacks you, you lose a progress point.
- “Git Of Mah Land” – Target = Bullet – You take no damage from any “Bullet” attacks which target you, and you take the supply points those players lost in attacking you. If no one attacks you, you lose a progress point.
- “Indians!” – Target = Raid – You take no damage from any “raid” attacks which target you, and you take the supply points those players lost in attacking you. If no one attacks you, you lose a progress point. If only one person performs a raid attack against you, you do not lose a progress point.
- “You Scoundrel!” – Target = Another player – You take no damage from that player, and instead the damage is reflected onto that player. You gain the supply point that player lost in attacking you.
All communication must be public.
All communication does not have to be comprehensible to all players, but must be in a mutually agreed-upon language.
At the start of a game players choose their color, and place that color card in front of them on the table.
1 Round = 2 Turns
No cards played in the 1st turn of a round can be played in the 2nd turn of a round.
A Round –
Turn 1 –
Players choose their action, and the target of that action and lay those cards face down in front of them.
Once all players have chosen an action and a target, all players’ actions and targets are revealed simultaneously.
Players resolve the results of their actions.
Players do not pick up the cards in front of them at the end of this turn. The cards played cannot be played again in this round.
Turn 2-
Players choose another action, and another target.
Once all players have chosen an action and a target, all players’ actions and targets are revealed simultaneously.
Players resolve the results of their actions and targets.
Players pick up all the cards they have laid down in that round and begin a new round.
If at end of a round, a player has 12 progress points, he is declared the winner.
For the purposes of action-resolution, attacks are resolved before progress points are awarded.