Dominos of War - New and Improved!

After a few more playtests of our game Dominos of War, we discovered that the game can go on for too long and there can be a lot of stalemates depending on what the players choose to do. We also noticed a tendency for people to rely on certain strategies which prolong the game without advancing it while also frustrating both players.

The reason for this issue was that some pieces seem to be much for useful and would get overused. So, we created a new rule. Now, when a piece is killed, it gets discarded instead of being placed back in the pool as it was before. This might help with the other factions in the game as well if there happen to be any overpowered pieces.

The rules do not state how many of each type of piece there should be; we have left it to the players to decide. (Just make sure both sides have the same amount of each type.) However, here are some guidelines for deciding:

1. The General should have 3-4. You don't want too little in case something happens to them and then you're out of luck. You also don't want too many because then they lose their value. Four seems like a good amount.

2. The Sniper should have 3-5. The sniper was the piece that was overused so the game dynamics will change quite a bit depending on how many snipers you allow in the game. Experiment and see what you like best. I think three would be a fine amount.

3. The Grunt should have 4-7. The grunt is a generic piece with pretty good movement and attack, but with nothing else remarkable about it. They've always been a bit underutilized, but with the advent of the new "discard pile" they have become a little bit more useful. Five would probably be just fine.

4. The Grenadier should have 3-5. They come in handy but you don't want them getting overused. We played with three and that seemed to be the perfect amount for them.

5. The Kamikaze should have 4-5. There is really no need for more, but since they are so volatile it is good to have extras.

Here is a link to the google doc of the rules: Dominos of War Rulebook.

Please leave comments if you have questions, comments, criticisms or suggestions. Although this is a fun and playable game, it is still a work in progress and we welcome new ideas. Enjoy!

Dominoes of War

A few years back, me and my friend Rob came up with a game that only uses army men and dominoes to play. It's a strategy game that can be tweaked in different ways. You can mess with the size and/or shape of the playing field or add factions to the game. I'll post the rules as we created them, but feel free to play around with the rules after you've tried it our way.

The next blog post has pictures of two people playing the game.

Dominoes of War

By Seth Lyons and Rob Deckard

Pieces

Dominoes – At least 80 dominoes all the same size and color on the back, the front doesn’t matter.

Army Men – Must have 5 distinct types of army men with at least 3 of each type.

(Optional) Cowboys – Also must have 5 distinct types of people with at least 3 of each type.

(Optional) Indians – Also must have 5 distinct types of people with at least 3 of each type.

Making the Game

If you’re going to play with two factions of army men, then you’ll have to somehow mark them as different. We used red and purple nail polish to color code the two different factions. Allow time for drying.

Set-Up

Step 1 – Count out 64 dominoes. Place them face down on the table and mix them up. Then place them into an 8 by 8 grid pattern leaving enough space between them to be able to flip each of them.

Step 2 – Flip a coin or play Rock, Paper, Scissors. The winner gets to decide who goes first. The player that goes first will set their base first and make the first moves in the game.

Step 3 – The player who is selected to go first will place their base. Choose anywhere around the outside edge of the playing field (the dominoes set into a grid pattern) to place your base. Put the dominoes of your base perpendicular to the tiles that make up the playing field so that you can easily tell them apart. Your base must have 1 or 2 entrances, be made up of exactly 6 dominoes which all have to connect, and has to follow the same grid pattern as the rest of the board.

After the first player has placed their base, then it is the second player’s turn to place their base following the same rules.

Step 4 – The first player places a wall down. A wall is a domino set on its side in between any two dominos in the playing field. Walls block troop movement and cannot be attacked through. After the first player places their first wall, the second player then places a wall anywhere they want. Then the first player places a second wall, followed by the second player placing a second wall. Now that there are 4 walls on the field, move on to step 5.

Step 5 – Stock your bases. Select a troop from your army to place on each tile of your base. If you want secrecy while you stock your base, you can put up a temporary divider and then take it down after both players have stocked their bases.

After the bases are stocked, you’re ready to begin playing.

How to Play

On your turn you can perform 3 actions. These actions can each be used to move a troop or to attack with a troop. You can only use one action on each troop per turn. For instance, you cannot use two actions to move a troop and then attack with it, you can only move or attack with each troop per turn.

Each type of troop has its own way of moving and attacking. Troops can change direction in the middle of moving.

When a troop lands on an un-flipped tile on the playing field (not in a base), you have to flip over the tile, then check for an event.

            If the tile is a double (1-1, blank on both sides, etc.), then it is a mine. The troop that landed on the mine explodes (take him off the board) and the tile gets replaced with an extra tile. The mine tile goes to a discard pile where it stays for the rest of the game.

            If the tile adds up to any of the following totals then you get a bonus. Bonuses must be used immediately or forfeited.

            Total    Bonus

            10        Spawn a troop in your base without using an action.

            12        Perform an extra action on your turn. May use it on a troop that has already used an action on that turn.

            17        Add an extra tile to your base. May be an entrance. Has to be attached to base.

            20        Move a wall of your choice to anywhere on the field.

           

After a player has used all three actions, it is the other player’s turn. A player does not have to use all of their actions. They can pass without doing anything if they wish.

A players troops can enter the enemy's base. Troops can attack from inside the base or shoot into the base.

Goal

Victory is achieved when a player eliminates all enemy troops on the field and in the bases.

Troop Types

Army Men

General

Move: 1 space in any direction.

Attack: 1 space in any direction.

Other: Can use an action to spawn a troop into the base. The General must be out of the base to spawn a troop.

Grunt

Move: 3 spaces horizontally or vertically.

Attack: 4 spaces horizontally or vertically.

Sniper

Move: 2 spaces horizontally or vertically.

Attack: Infinite in the direction it is facing.

Other: At the end of your turn, you must choose which direction each of your snipers will face. On your next turn, they can only attack in the direction they are facing.

Kamikaze

Move: 2 spaces horizontally or vertically.

Attack: See "Other".

Other: The kamikaze can run onto the same tile as an enemy, causing an explosion that kills the enemy, the kamikaze, and anyone on the 8 tiles surrounding the enemy, unless there is a wall in between the kamikaze and a troop.

Kamikazes will also exploded when shot, causing anyone on the 8 tiles around the kamikaze to die. A player can shoot their own kamikaze to make him explode.

A kamikaze can also run into a wall to blow it up. They have to have enough movement to get through it. (For example, a kamikaze cannot blow up a wall that is between 2 tiles and 3 tiles away.) Blowing up a wall causes anyone on the 8 walls around the kamikaze to die, except for anyone who is on the other side of the wall that is destroyed (or any other walls that may be around).

If a kamikaze lands on a mine, they still cause a 3 by 3 explosion.

Grenadier

Move: Diagonally 2 spaces.

Attack: 2,3, or 4 spaces away horizontally or vertically. Can throw over walls and other troops.

Cowboys

General

Move: 1 space in any direction.

Attack: 1 space in any direction.

Other: Can use an action to spawn a troop into the base. The General must be out of the base to spawn a troop.

Quick Shot

Move: 2 spaces horizontally or vertically

Attack: 5 spaces split between 2 directions horizontally or vertically. (Has to shoot in two directions, so max range is 4)

Shotgunner

Move: 2 spaces in any direction.

Attack: 2 spaces in any direction.

Gunslinger

Move: 2 spaces in any direction.

Attack: 2 spaces in any direction.

Other: Can use multiple actions on one turn.

Sniper

Move: 2 spaces horizontally or vertically.

Attack: Infinite in the direction it is facing.

Other: At the end of your turn, you must choose which direction each of your snipers will face. On your next turn, they can only attack in the direction they are facing.

Indians

Chieftain

Move: 1 space in any direction.

Attack: 1 space in any direction.

Other: Can use an action to spawn a troop into the base. The Chieftain must be out of the base to spawn a troop.

Sniper

Move: 2 spaces horizontally or vertically.

Attack: Infinite in the direction it is facing.

Other: At the end of your turn, you must choose which direction each of your snipers will face. On your next turn, they can only attack in the direction they are facing.

Shotgunner

Move: 2 spaces in any direction.

Attack: 2 spaces in any direction.

Spear Thrower

Move: 2 spaces horizontally or vertically.

Attack: 3 spaces in any direction. Can throw over walls and other troops.

Lightfoot

Move: 3 spaces horizontally or vertically.

Attack: 2 spaces horizontally or vertically.

Other: Can climb over walls (move like the wall isn't in the way).

If a tile turns out to be a mine, it does not explode on him (just leave it there).