Rules of the Game
NSNations is a very simple game, requiring three people involved: two players and a Gamemaster. The cards are based on a Defense - Attack relationship, with Attack doing damage to the opponent's Defense. The opponent's Defense represents the amount of health that each and every nation has. Defense, when attacked, is not regenerative, and all data is compiled by the Gamemaster.
Let's take a look at an example:
This is the Kraven Corporation Card. I will outline the basics of the card:
Defense is the 'Health' of the card. When a card's total Defense reaches 0, that card is knocked out. The stated Defense, furthermore, is the amount of points accrued for Influence. If an opponent knocks out Kraven, for example, he gains 6 Influence. However, if the opponent knocks out Kraven with a +2 Bonus from another card, then regardless of the bonus, the opponent only gains 6 Influence. Higher Health cards, therefore, are much more difficult to knock out, but accrue more Influence.
Abilities are non attacks that are in play as long you have the conditions to fulfill. Consisting of two kinds: passive and active Abilities, they either are always on (such as Red Tide's Vast Reserves) or fulfill conditions and requirements to be on (such as Falkasia's Masterful Negotiations). They are not attacks, and do not have to be activated during your or your opponent's turns, and in between a single player's turn, Abilities are always checked to see if they default. Categories of Abilities can sum down to:
Once per turn - They are active during yours and your opponent's turn, but once it comes back to your turn, they are reset until the condition can be fulfill again.
Conditional - They may activate regardless of whose turn it is, insofar as the condition they require to be fulfill has been fulfilled. The player owning that card must still declare that Ability.
Passive - Buffers, Bonuses, and and detriments are all considered to be activated the entirety of the game, unless the card owning that Ability is knocked out. Whether passive Abilities stack or not, is up to the card's wording.
Once per card - This may be used only once, and only once with an individual card. Once that card has used that Ability, it cannot be used again except on a different individual card.
Once per game - This may only be used by the player once in a given match, regardless of any other identical cards or effects.
By default, if an active Ability has no condition (such as Astrolinium's
Say Hello to My Much Larger Friends), presume a default
Once per turn situation. All clarification and final rulings, however, go to a Gamemaster to decide.
Attacks are the means upon which damage is usually collected on an opponent. Attacks require no cost to use, save for what is noted there, and all conditions must be fulfilled for an attack to be valid. Even if the card is knocked out from the effect of its own attack, an attack is still considered valid. Using an attack immediately ends that card's turn.
Type is an indicator of what major construction this nation card is. A Type factor is important as it affects the outcome of the damage to an opponent's card.
Resistance is crucial to advantage play. When an opponent attacks one of your nations, if it has a resistance, it will be nullified IN TOTAL at the specified amount. For example, The Kraven Corporation has -2 Economic Resistance. This means that when an Economic-Type card attacks the Kraven Corporation, the attack's effectiveness is immediately -2. This means if an Economic-Type card attacks Kraven with 5 damage, the final damage Kraven Corporation takes is 3. Resistance is always tallied as the last variable in all damage.
Military is Resistant to Economics, Economics is Resistant to Political, and Political is Resistant to Military
Playing the Game
Cards are sorted on a 5 versus 5 plane, where attackers may choose to target the opponent. 5 cards do not have to be in play, but you must have at least 1 card in play. Cards may attack an opponent's card that has already been attacked. Cards may furthermore pass, should they choose not to attack. Undoing a pass or attack requires the approval of both the opponent and the Gamemaster.
The Gamemaster will shuffle both decklists using a random list generator. The top four cards become the immediately usable cards. In those four cards, you must have a nation card. If you do not have a nation card, you must have the Gamemaster reshuffle your deck. The same is true for your opponent. With the top four cards, you place them down into one of your 5 nation active slots or put them into your Safe / Reserve Zone. Your opponent does the same.
The player with a lower player score goes first. If both players are of equal scorecount, then the Gamemaster will decide who will go first through whatever method is applicable.
During your Turn...At the beginning of your turn, after all effects in between and your opponent's attack is finished, the topmost card from your deck is placed into your safe zone.
During your turn, before your attack, you play may down Nation cards into your nation spots or place them in your safe zone. Likewise, you may use any cards that you have in your safe zone. These can be Diplomacy cards (Grey borders), Battlefield cards (Purple borders), or Alliance and Region cards (Orange borders). Up to 2 Battlefield and / or Alliance and Region cards can be played by each player at a time. These cards remain in play until they are changed with another card or removed by some other game mechanic. Battlefield and Alliance and Region cards cannot be moved by choice of either player. When these cards are changed, the original cards are discarded.
Diplomacy cards (grey borders) can be used at any point prior to the attack, and must be discarded immediately upon use. The Gamemaster will catalogue all discards from both players.
You may call back a nation from the 5 attacking slots into your safe zone. The safe zone cannot be attacked, but you also cannot attack. All cards from the safe zone retain the amount of damage they originally had. Calling a card back consumes that card's ability to act for that turn.
Once you have exhausted all options you wish to do, you may attack, or pass on your five cards. These cards act independently of each other, and not as 5 cards all in tandem. Once you have decided to 'pass' or 'attack' on each of your cards, your turn ends.
How to WinThere are three ways to win:
- At the end of the game, when the players have exhausted through their decks, the one carrying more Influence wins the game. If there is a tie, the game becomes a round of sudden elimination whereupon the first knockout decides the winner
- You eliminate all nations from your opponent's playing field
- If you have decked out by the end of a specific amount of turns determined by the Gamemaster
The GamemastersThe Gamemaster will record and transcript all events that occurred during each player's turn, recording what was discarded, who attacked, who passed, etc. Because of fairness, game turns cannot proceed without a Gamemaster present. Players fighting each other cannot be considered for legal play without a presiding Gamemaster. Gamemasters are volunteers who watch over the game, and anyone can be a Gamemaster. Gamemasters will also be responsible for shuffling both decks and keeping an eye on both players' conduct. If a Gamemaster is accused of playing not according to the rules and expectations, then telegram me and I will
wreck his shit.PS. You can run a max of 4 cards of an individual card in a deck.
Playing Purely Text GamesYou can eschew the images entirely and play purely text games, which is viable through this format:
Nation 1 (Current Defense/Total Defense)| Nation 2 (Current Defense/Total Defense)| Nation 3 (Current Defense/Total Defense)| Nation 4 (Current Defense/Total Defense)| Nation 5 (Current Defense/Total Defense)
Battlefield / Region Slot 1 | Battlefield Region Slot 2
Safe Zone:
Moves: Discard Pile
Insert Discarded Cards Here
Deck Draw line
Insert Deck Draw Line Here
And you can work from there. The Game will record all commands and attacks you do within the Moves section, and to make it easier, I've added a handy code for you:
- Code: Select all
[align=center]Nation 1 (Current Defense/Total Defense)| Nation 2 (Current Defense/Total Defense)| Nation 3 (Current Defense/Total Defense)| Nation 4 (Current Defense/Total Defense)| Nation 5 (Current Defense/Total Defense)
Battlefield / Region Slot 1 | Battlefield Region Slot 2
Safe Zone:[/align]
[b]Moves:[/b]
[floatleft][b]Discard Pile[/b]
Insert Discarded Cards Here[/floatleft] [floatright][b]Deck Draw line[/b]
Insert Deck Draw Line Here[/floatright]