Speaking of Sports

We take a short break from baseball for some gladiator games.

Latest Arena of Heroes

My previous iteration of Arena of Heroes featured teams of fantasy races duking it out. It fizzled out.

Recently, I decided to bring it back in a new fashion. I want an ultra-compact game. Not quite a wargame in a matchbox, but still small enough to play on my very cramped desk.

This is the current version. I used a small plastic box with a board, counters, dice, and rules inside.

The Rules

The rules are based on my air combat rules. You can see them in operation here.

The key aspect of the rules is that movement is relative. Each plane makes a maneuver roll. Its final score after mods determines its position relative to other planes. Roll high enough and you can attack an enemy plane. Double the enemy's roll and you get a tailing shot.

My latest Arena of Heroes rules use the same concept. In brief, here is the sequence of play.

1. Maneuver Phase - roll D6 per gladiator. Higher roller may attack, and gets bonus if doubles opponent's roll.
2. Combat Phase - Both gladiators roll a D6. Attacker hits if he beats the defender's roll. Bonus to damage if doubled opponent
3. Damage Phase - Roll a D6. 1-3 = defender knocked back, 4-5 defender wounded, 6 = defender takes 2 wounds. 

Normally 2 wounds KOs an opponents, but some may be hardier.

Test Bouts

I decided to do a 4-gladiator tournament to test the rules. I'm using some of the fantasy counters I made for the original version of Arena of Heroes.

Bout 1 - dwarf champion vs. goblin archer

The goblin managed to get a couple of shots off before the champion closed. But the champion pursued, wounded the goblin, then hacked him down.

Bout 2 - dwarf warrior vs. orc brigand

Quick bout - it was a 1 shot kill.

Final Bout - dwarf champion vs. orc brigand

The dwarf champion lasted a little longer, getting a a couple of strikes that missed. But then the orc brigand skewered the champion.

In all, the tournament lasted about 10 minutes. Just the kind of speed I was looking for.

Special Abilities and Stuff

Other than making the goblin weak (+1 on damage against it), I did not give any special abilities. But it is something I'd like to do to provide a little variety.

I also want to add some ability to level up. I'm thinking of a campaign where I follow the exploits of a particular gladiator. I would determine opponents randomly and see if the main character can excel in the arena, or die a miserable death.