DS: Bjarni Egilsson, based on ideas from many sources) Notes based on experience with the battle: You can use any number of people; just split them evenly. This battle is best held in an open field (i.e., no trees or other obstacles). Mark out a rectangular field as large as you have room for, or as appropriate for the number of players participating. It is possible that not everyone will wish to participate (there are those who do not wish to play a goblin), in which case I suggest that combatants have their choice between joining this game and some "normal" battlegame occurring elsewhere at the same time. As in many informal football games, it is recommended that the defense wait 3-5 seconds before charging the line, and that the number of rushers be limited. Mark the boundaries as clearly as possible, including the outer edges of the end zones. Once a person steps out of bounds, they cannot re-enter that play. (There is no such thing as being "forced out," since you have a weapon to take care of anyone who approaches, and there is no physical bumping...) Everyone who participated seemed to have a lot of fun with it! The fighting and adrenaline both run quickly. Rules: 1.All participants are members of two goblin clans which are at war over a most treasured object. (A tub of candy or something similar works well, and the team is welcome to do as it pleases with this treasure after the game.) To avoid injury to innocent family members and needless property damage to the villages, the leaders of the goblin tribes have agreed to settle their disputes on the football field. 2.Membership in the clans (teams) will be marked by armbands, headbands, or war paint. For a football: if you have a foam or stuffed football, that would work great. Otherwise, make an elongated spellball, or use a normal spellball or throwing dagger -- anything that can be thrown and caught easily and safely. 3.To score a point, a team member must have possession of the football beyond the opponent's goal line, without having stepped out of the marked boundaries. A "safety" is counted the same number of points (i.e., one) as a touchdown. There are no ways to score by kicking. 4.More or less regular football rules apply (including things like "offsides" and "pass interference"), except that instead of tackling or blocking each other, each player has a single, one-handed, less than 4 foot weapon (hinged or non-hinged), with no armor, shields, magic, or projectiles. Any wound kills. Dead players are asked to signal their death clearly and quickly, and to do their best to avoid interfering with those who are still alive. Deaths last until the beginning of the next down. (See below.) 5.After gaining possession of the football, a team has four plays to score. (If the field is large enough, there may be a certain distance they need to go to gain a "first down.") On the fourth down, they may choose to forfeit the ball by throwing or kicking it to the other team (this must be announced in advance). (Initial or post-scoring kickoffs are also conducted this way: the ball can be kicked or thrown.) 6.Both leaders have huge numbers of goblins at their call. As players die, they are "replaced" on the next play by another family member who looks a lot like them. (In other words, the same Amtgardian, who is now representing a relative of the goblin who just died.) All participants have one life per play, for as long as the game lasts. 7.The game may continue as long as the reeve or the two captains are willing to let it, but a general guideline of one hour is recommended. At the reeve's or captains' discretion, teams may change ends of the field halfway through. (Halftime shows are optional.) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Feed the Monster (DS: Quintar and DS: Bjarni Egilsson Notes on this battle: It was fast paced, and a lot of fun. There are a couple of variations. Rock Muncher scenario (Quintar): Each team needs to have at least one Rock Muncher (see the description under Mystical Creatures on this web page). Two (or more) large chunks of foam represent gold bars. To score a point, a team must get one of the gold bars and feed it to their Rock Muncher (who holds it in both hands, with no weapons, and says "eating"x10). The reeve then tosses the gold bar back onto the field, or holds it until all gold bars have been eaten and then tosses them all out onto the field. Game continues until tired. Basic monster list (set in a badlands area): 2 Rock Munchers, plus one or two of each of the following -- Gazer (see the Mystical Creatures list), Earth Elemental, Lizardman, Troll, Giant, Giant Spider, Catperson. Sandwich scenario (Bjarni): Three teams. Each has, at their base, a foam "sandwich" component. (Two are "bread," one is "filling.") Each team has 3 (or more) Goblins they're trying to feed. When one team has all three parts assembled into a sandwich, they must guard one of the Goblins while it, unarmed, eats the sandwich by saying "eating 1, eating 2,..." up to "eating 20." That team then scores a point; the reeve calls a hold; foam pieces are re-distributed, and counts are advanced. If a team is ahead of all others by 2 points, 2 of their Goblins must eat the sandwich together (counting together). If ahead by 3, then 3 Goblins, etc.; up to the number of Goblins that are on the team. If an eating Goblin dies or moves their feet before the count is finished, no point is scored and play continues. Estimated battle time of 30 minutes. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Guardians of the Great Treasure (a Halloween battle) (DS: Bjarni Egilsson) Equipment: ground tape (with nails and hammer) to mark castle walls "treasure chest" with candy or other goodies inside (a big plastic lidded tub, spray painted gold or brown, works great) white face paint and black eyeliner pencils for facial details and, of course, garb and copies of monster rules for the monsters The following is the recommended MAXIMUM monster contingent, to be split up evenly among two teams (in addition to those not playing monsters). If you use fewer than the number listed, just try to keep them balanced: 2 Dread Knights [if you don't have two knights available and willing to play this, use one of the lesser undead listed below -- such as Ghosts or Ghouls -- as the team leaders] 2 Ghosts 2 Giant Spiders 4 Skeletons 2 Wraiths 2 Ghouls 2 Zombies 4 Gargoyles (as single-minded treasure guardians) Scenario: One Dread Knight and his/her minions (living or otherwise) are in possession of a "fabulous treasure," and have it tucked away in their castle (marked out with ground tape, with one or two entrances). The other Dread Knight wants it, and is attacking the castle. (Ideally, the Dread Knights are the team captains, and choose their followers.) The battle is pretty standard, other than that, with one twist: the Gargoyles serve as guardians of the treasure (hovering or perching nearby) and fight to protect it from changing hands. However, they consider that whichever team last TOUCHED the treasure is the rightful owner to defend, even if the person who touched it last died while doing so, and even if this means they are suddenly in the middle of "enemy territory" with none of the "rightful owners" around. (Out of respect for the great antiquity, they will never touch the treasure themselves.) Thus, though they will die to defend the treasure, they change loyalties every time the treasure is touched by a new team. Notes: Played in DS. I was one of the Gargoyles, and enjoyed my position. As I had hoped they would, many people valued "touching the treasure" more than their own life, because it meant getting the Gargoyles on your side. There were several suicidal lunges, some successful and some not. But if they touched it, then by golly that dead corpse was the new owner as far as I was concerned. - Bjarni Egilsson -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Please Don't Eat Me! (Thanksgiving battle) (DS: Bjarni Egilsson Scenario: The various animals often eaten in great festivity at this time of year have decided not to go quietly this time. They have armed themselves and rebelled, led by an annoying little food-dog (Were-chihuahua - see Silly Creatures list). The hunters are led by an expert, because "that's what he does best" (Were-tigger - see Silly Creatures list). Both teams have rallied human (or whatever) supporters. This battle was written to allow the Were-chihuahua and Were-tigger authors to play their Silly Creatures, primarily as annoyance factors within the battle, but you could just as easily substitute something a bit more ordinary. Predator side: Catperson(2), Griffon(2), Snow Serpent Prey side: Centaur, Pegasus(2V), Entangling Mass, White Rabbit Neutral healers Notes based on playtesting: 1.When we tried it in DS, we allowed any creature in flight to enter combat with another creature in flight (in other words, Griffons can fight Pegasi in flight). (Great chance to role play!) 2.Remember that Griffons love horse flesh (Centaur, Pegasus). 3.Entangling Mass will function as walking salad. 4.For this battle, the White Rabbit was toned down: only 2 points armor, and Animal Rights Activism deactivated (since it doesn't work well against hungry hunters anyway). - Bjarni Egilsson -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Flag battles Divide populace into teams and give each team a flag. The teams fight each other for the flags until someone is delcared a winner. To win a team must capture the other team?s flag and hold it for 15 minutes or 3 attacks. These are basic requirements and can be varied. A stationary flag battle requires that the team flag stay at the base (which is declared at the beginning of the game). When the opponant?s flag is captured it must be brought back to the base. The clock stops when a flag is moved, and the clock starts when there are two flags at a bas. This can be varied for more than two teams also. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mutual annihilation Populace is divided into teams and fight it out until one team is shattered. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pirate Ship battles Outline two large pirate ships with rope, the ships should be about 10? apart and connected by two planks. Each team takes a ship and the object is to board your opponants ship. You can play this with flags or just mutual annihilation. Be sure to define ahead of time if the planks can be destroyed; the ships cannot be destroyed. We occasionally play this with some classes variations include, allowing one or two people per side the heal spell, allowing archery, allowing classes w/spell bolts only - no range magic, allowing everything but mass magics (Very Chaotic). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Castle Battles Divide into two teams, defending and attacking. You will need to construct some semblance of a castle. Leave a space for the drawbridge (where most of the fighting will be done). You can use hay bays, ropes around trees or whatever else is safe and works. The defending team is inside the castle and the attacking is outside. Lay down rules on castle walls ahead of time- no casting through them, fighting though them or projectiles through them. If your using something that permits you can make provisions for destroying castle walls. Start with the drawbridge down and let the teams fight until the attackers are killed or the castle is taken. You can define taken as a flag or just overrun. When your done you can switch off teams and let the attackers defend. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monster hunts Pick a monster that your park has the class abilities to deal with. If your populace is larger, you may need multiple monsters. Then yell lay-on and its the populace vs. the monster until somebody is shattered. Its very important for the monster to have a sense of humor. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------