Card Samples Boxer’s Jab

The Boxer's Jab Card

Boxer's Jab
What you see above is a sample of one of the cards that go into the Scattershot Collectible Card Game (working title: Scattershot presents: the Full Tilt Collectible Card Game or "Full Tilt" for short). This card game can be used in place of combat in any scene played with the tabletop version of Scattershot or independently, simply as a card game. In this column, we're going to explore the ins-and-outs of this prototype of the card game one card at a time.

Before we delve into the example, let's cover the basics of the rules. (And yes, ultimately we'll be going through them all, not in any sensible order - like backwards or forwards - but more like sideways.) At the beginning of each battle (the alternative name for a hand of Full Tilt), each participant goes through their personal deck and chooses the cards that will make up their Foundation. They play these cards out in their Foundation, reshuffle their deck and put it aside (see below).

Each Foundation must have at least the one Persona card (the card that represents the Persona fighting) for the combatant engaged, but can also have a number of alternative specifications cards (Martial Arts Style cards, Prop or weapon cards, disguises, and et cetera).

There will also be spaces in the Foundation for:

1.

1. Your deck (where you draw cards from, on the right),
   2.
2. Your Experience Dice (dice-shaped counters that let you 'flip' a result, right next to the deck),
   3.
3. Your Persona arrangement (with specifications cards, to the left of your deck)
   4.
4. Their Hit Points (counters that represent how much 'fight' is left in the Persona, right above the card),
   5.
5. Their Residual Effects cards (cards that, once played, have a way of affecting the battle for a while thereafter, right above your deck), sometimes special counter piles will be required by the play of certain cards, these will go here too.
   6.
6. and a Discard pile (to the right of your Activity Spaces, face down).

Above each Foundation, two Activity Spaces are reserved for that Persona's Tableau. Each of these spaces is where individual Actions, Combos, Sequences, or Flurries will be played. Each Persona is limited to two such spaces (unless noted otherwise on a card in play).

At the beginning of their turn, a player may play cards into an Open Activity Spaces (left one first) or onto their Foundation (some cards describe how they are played elsewhere, follow those intructions first). Frequently, a player has already played into one or more of their Activity Spaces during another player's turn; these spaces are Closed once that Engagement is concluded. Once a player has closed all their Activity Spaces, has played any Free Actions or Free Actions cards they desire, and has exhausted their hand for playing on their Foundation to their satisfaction, they will declare their turn over and clear off their Tableau to face down on the Discard pile. (Certain cards have effects that extend past the player's turn and will be moved to a Residuals Effects area per the instructions on them.)

Each Activity Space must be played out or interrupted before play can move on to anything else (Interruptions can Close play on the current Activity Space; once the Interruption is finished, play returns to the original player's turn). When a player plays an Action against other Persona(e), it's called an Engagement.

During an Engagement, the other Persona's player may elect either to Forfeit an Activity Space and play a Response into it, Default to a Free Action (the most common is the Dodge-2), or do nothing. If they choose to Forfeit, they may play the appropriate cards into one of their own Open Activity Space (they must have some left in order to Forfeit). Some Forfeit Actions count as Interruptions to the action prompting them and some don't, see the specific card for details. Note: some defense cards may result in Following Actions; these count as Interrupt Actions that can be played onto the previously played Forfeit Action card before that Activity Space is Closed. (A sequence of Action and Following Actions is also called a Flurry of Actions.)

A player may also 'Hold an Action' on their turn by playing any card into an Open Activity Space face down; this Closes that space and the face down card remains there (is not cleared away at the end of the turn) until either circumstances allow it to be used (at which point it is turned over and played as though during its Persona's turn as an Interruption of another's play) or at the beginning of that Persona's next turn (at which time the face down card is discarded unrevealed).

After a player declares the end of all of their Personae's turns and when they are finished clearing their Tableaus, play passes to the player to their right (play moves counterclockwise around the table). Play proceeds until preset victory conditions are met or all but one Persona is either without Hit Points or is in Rout. The winner has either achieved their victory conditions or Held the Field.

Now, I'll go through the numbered call-outs and the rules that involve them:

1 Special Instructions

Anything that a card does beyond its basic Action (see number 5) is detailed here. Combo Moves and Payoff Routines are also detailed here.

In this example, we see a potential 'part one' of a Combo Move. A Combo Move is any set of Actions used in sequence that yield more than one damaging attack in a single Activity Space. The Boxer's Jab card illustrates the start of a basic '1-2 punch.' Provided that the player has an Off-Hand Punch in their hand (that's what those two symbols indicate - one for Off-Hand , one for Punch Type attacks - more on attack Types in the next call-out), they can play that onto this card in the same Activity Space of their Tableau during the same Turn as soon as the Boxer's Jab card (and any Forfeited Actions that aren't Interruptions) is resolved. Some Combo Move Special Instructions also have them as the Following 'part two' of a Combo (and can come as quite a surprise).

A Payoff Routine is triggered when all the Actions it requires are completed in the listed sequence and the card listing it is played last. Payoff Routines have special results over and above those of the cards leading up to them (the aptly named the 'Payoff').

2 Type and Set

The Types Section gives the information about using a card in the most direct fashion. This example is just a basic attack. The Sets Section shows what kinds of Martial Arts implicitly contain this Action. Many cards will have more than one symbol in Sets Section, because they tend to belong to several Martial Arts Sets.

This symbol means that this is a Punch Type Attack. With Punches, certain situations can result in an unprotected Persona taking some 'backbite' Damage from their own Attack. It also means that the Action is performed with one's hands; any situational modifiers affecting the hands has to be taken into account.

This symbol means that it belongs to the 'In the Ring' set. Several Martial Arts Styles, such as Boxing and Tae Bo, include all of the 'In the Ring' cards. When a character uses a Martial Arts Style that includes this symbol, they may make use of any card with it in its Set Section without any penalties.

3 Ordinal Randomizer

This is a number that appears on every card. It ranges from 1 to 20 and provides that 'random factor,' similar to the tabletop role-playing game.

Whenever another player, playing against you, decides to play anything other than an automatic maneuver, you must discard one card. You turn it face down in front of you where the other player can see its back. They will attempt to guess the Ordinal Randomizer number on it by saying a number (from 1 to 20) out loud. Turn over the card, showing it to the other player, and then move it to face-down on your Discard Pile.

Next, you subtract the two numbers (the guess and the discarded card's), smaller from larger (no matter which is larger). When the two numbers are more that 10 apart, you must first apply the 'Rule of Tens.' The 'Rule of Tens' happens because the 1-20 sequence is actually treated as a circle with the 1 next to the 20. The way the 'Rule of Tens' works is you take 10 away from the larger number and give it to the smaller. Let's say that your guess is 1 and the card reads 18; according to the 'Rule of Tens,' this becomes 11 and 8 (the difference is 3 either way - before the 'Rule of Tens' it counts 'around the bend' of 20; 18->19->20->1).

Finally, the player of the card compares this result to his rating for this Action. Tab has a Tae Bo of ±5; his player would count from the result, 3, up to his rating ±5 out of his opponent's Hit Points pile onto the Boxer's Jab card. First his player says "the result is three...." Then, taking one of his opponents Hit Points he counts, "Four;" taking another, "and Five; that's my Rating" (he has put two of his opponent's Hit Points on the Boxer's Jab card). If his opponent has any kind of defenses, he counts them out of Tab's hit (the Hit Points on Tab's Boxer's Jab card) and the remaining Hit Points are sent to the Discard Pile at the end of Tab's Turn.

4 Card Title

This is the name of the Action that the card represents.

5 Action Parameters

The Action Parameters explain what the basic Action is, even when the Special Instructions don't come into play. These are the symbols that describe what a card can do and how it can be used, things like what kind of Action the card represents, any limitations it has on what if can effect, how it affects subjects, and any temporary effects it has on the user.

In this example, this symbol means that the Action can only affect subjects the Actor can physically touch. The resolution of this Action determines whether contact is actually made and what degree the effect should have.

This symbol indicates that the Effect of this Action is Blunt Damage. Blunt Damage has no additional effect other than the number of Hit Points it removes. Other types include Cutting or Skewering Damage (and others).

The "xUE" indicates that, like all physical Attacks, this one does extra Damage based on Strength of the Persona using the Multiplier Column on the UE Chart. Strengths from ±3 to ±5 may ignore this (their Multiplier is x1).

This designates an Action where the Actor does not 'drop their guard' or become Off-Guard during its use. If another symbol were in this one's place, it could mean that the Actor is 'open' briefly to Advantageous Attacks or even for longer. Were it a short-term 'dropped guard' only an Interrupt Action Attack could take advantage of the opening.

6 Hit Location Icon

This is the Hit Location Icon:

It shows what Location an Action can affect. If it shows more than one Location, the player of the card has their choice (as limited by any other card in play). In this example Locations 2 and 4 are highlighted. The player can choose either one (sometimes setting up a Payoff Routine or such). Also for example, if the player has a card like Squat in play, then the Locations are 'moved down' instead of hitting Locations 2 or 4, the player could choose 4 or 6 (* is included in 6 in most cases, but carries special penalties and effects, if chosen as the target).

The Hit Location Icon allows a player to use strategies to lessen the amount of Damage needed to eliminate a subject. For example, while some Damage to the head (Location 2) is always lost to the bony protection of the skull, frequent Damaging Attacks can have secondary effects like Punch Drunk and Knockout. Choosing Location 2 also allows a player to make use of a Disadvantage like Glass Jaw.

Puncturing Attacks to Locations 4 and 6 usually have additional effects like Internal Bleeding and Sudden Death, even when they don't eliminate an opponent's Hit Points completely. I'll get into the various Special Effects in later columns.

7 Flurry Sequencing Symbol

The symbol in this place aids in arranging the Sequence of a Flurry. Remember, Flurries can be dictated by Scripts on other cards (or must match the Script on a card with a Payoff Routine). In order to assemble a Flurry, match the symbol in the lower left-hand side of the card being put down to the symbol in the upper right-hand side (under the Hit Location Icon) of the card already in play in the current Activity Space. If the symbols don't match, the card cannot be used as this part of the Flurry.

These symbols also deal with Tip Control issues for Melee Weapons and Momentum bonuses when doing Flurries and for Payoff Routines. Some Forfeit-to Actions will be played here to change where the end of your weapon is left, affecting your next Action with that weapon. Some Weapons cards will list special advantages for assembling Flurries of differing lengths by offering a Momentum bonus. Momentum bonuses may cause more damage, overcome lighter weapons more easily and so forth.

8 Persona Name and Description

Each Persona Card will give a Name and a brief description of the Persona. This will be augmented by longer write-ups in the collector's guides and on the website.

One of the special features of the Full Tilt is that every card does 'double duty.' When the Ordinal Randomizer number is on top (the card is right-side up) the card is an Action (an Attack in this case); turned the other way (ill dignified or upside-down), it becomes a Subject card (a Persona card in this case). You will also notice that when played as a Persona, the image on the card is oriented so its player sees the image correctly. Played as an Action, it gives his opponent a graphic depiction of what Action is being taken towards them.

Anything in italics within the description counts as an Advantage or Disadvantage. If the player can maneuver play into a situation where an Advantage comes into play, they may receive an extra Experience Die (or Dice, see the description) to use at that exact moment performing an action related to the Advantage. If they maneuver play into a situation where their Persona suffers from the Disadvantage, they may add an Experience Die (or Dice) to their Experience Die Pool.

In Full Tilt, unlike Scattershot, Experience Dice act merely as counters. They never actually get rolled. When a player chooses to use one the Action it applies to is 'Flipped' and the die is discarded immediately. An Action may be Flipped up or down. A Failure is Flipped up to a Success by the complementary amount (subtract the result from 10). A Success is Flipped up to a Telling Blow. A Success can be Flipped down to a Failure and a Failure can be Flipped down to a Catastrophe. (I will cover how to convert Telling Blows and Catastrophes in a later column.)

Anyone playing may Flip any Action they see while it is being resolved. One player may Flip an Action that was just Flipped by another as soon as the previous Experience Die is discarded. This can go on for several Flips if there are the Dice for it. You do not have to Flip an Action in the opposite 'direction' of the last Flip, it is your Experience Die and your choice.

9 Persona Abilities

This is the listing of the Full Tilt relevant abilities that a Persona has. Further Abilities and a better write-up will appear in the collector's guides and on the website.

In this example note, the symbol appears here too. This means that Tab's Tae Bo includes all 'In the Ring' Actions, like the Boxer's Jab. The symbol means that Tae Bo also allows Kicks from the 'High Kick Set' of Actions. Tab's player will be able to use any cards that have these symbols in their Sets Section (see number 2 above) without any penalties.

Some Martial Art cards will not only give the symbols for the Sets of Action they employ but may also include specific Actions listed separately. This allows a large number of Martial Arts to be depicted in Full Tilt. Furthermore, there are ways that a Martial Art card may be played well into the game as a surprise (such as using a card like the 'There's something I ought to tell you; I'm not left handed either' card).

10 Persona Stats

Each Persona is listed with all six Stats. While they may not come up in every battle, there will certainly be cards that affect them and ways that they can affect battle.

Note that Stats are not listed in the classic Scattershot fashion as numbers, but as their 'deciding factor' levels (see number 3 above for how that works). Here's a simple conversion chart. On the left is the deciding factor; on the right is the modified Scattershot Rating.

An exact guess is required for modified totals of 2
±1 3-7
±2 8
±3 9
±4 10
±5 11
±6 12
±7 13
±8 14
±9 15-19
±10 20 and above (you can't miss this one)

While this doesn't perfectly match the probability distribution of rolling 2 ten-sided dice against a number, it's close enough for a card game.

I still am working on a way to depict both a 'deciding factor' and a total for both Hit Points and Power on the cards (very often these will be tracked using piles of tokens so a total is necessary).

It's not too hard to imagine and create Full Tilt Cards. For simple Actions, merely create a name, select the areas affected, determine the Reach/Damage/Modifiers, indicate how it affects Tip/Garde/Momentum, and decide on what Types and Sets it relates to. More complex cards detail Payoff Routines, Combo Moves, Martial Arts Sets, and so on. Ill dignified, you can create Props, Weapons, Personae, Geography, and et cetera. In later columns, we plan to run contests for original or creative designs.

Fang Langford