Sunday, January 9, 2011

Rules Text - Adapting Klondike Solitaire

The Evil Plan uses the rules for Klondike solitaire, slightly modified.

Taking a standard 52-card deck of playing cards (without Jokers), one upturned card is dealt on the left of the playing area, then four downturned cards (from left to right). On top of the downturned cards, an upturned card is dealt on the left-most downturned pile, and downturned cards on the rest until all piles have an upturned card.

The four foundations (each one representing the completion of a step in your evil plan) are built up by suit from Ace to King, and the tableau piles (representing your assets) can be built down by alternate colors, and partial or complete piles can be moved if they are built down by alternate colors also. Any empty piles can be filled with a King or a pile of cards with a King. The goal is to move all of the cards to the foundation, where you have previously placed the Ace of that suit. Once you have done this, you have "finished" that suit (thus, completing a step in your plan)- the goal being, of course, to finish all suits (thus, bringing your plan to fruition), at which time you will have won.

Dealing out the Deck:

Turn three cards at once and set them one atop the other as you draw them. You may only interact with the top card.


Building your Assets

In the Evil Plan, each pile is going to represent one of your Assets. An asset can be an individual, inanimate object, small group or large organization depending on type. You can assign any number of cards to an asset and they may be only be reassigned when moving a pile as per Klondike rules.

Examples of types of Clout: A network of lawyers, The mayor of a local hamlet, A local barmaid who directs drunken adventurers towards your cavern, King Axelrod’s slimy advisor, King Axelrod himself, The President of the local Parent Teachers Association.
Examples of types of Forts: A mobile golem body (with a handy storage area in the abdomen, to afford you a better view), A ramshackle hut that’s only defense is it’s unassuming appearance, a gigantic cloud castle in the center of the sky.
Examples of types of Mooks: Tucker’s Kobolds, A group of ineffective henchmen, Gognar the Barbarian, Flymebrythe the Red Dragon, X’ythlene - that friendly illithid who rents a room from you.

The four suits represent types of possible resources (with the exact iteration depending on the asset). The higher the card value the better the effort (with face cards being worth 10 and Aces being worth 11).

Suit/Asset Type Clout
Hearts Valor/Loyalty
Spades Guile/Viciousness
Diamonds Resources
Clubs Smarts

Suit/Asset Type Fort
Hearts Hearth
Spades Deadliness
Diamonds Sophistication/Size
Clubs Puzzles/Terrain adv.


Suit/Asset Type Mook

Hearts Resistance
Spades Strength
Diamonds Dexterity
Clubs Intelligence

Arrange your asset area as per normal Klondike rules (moving piles if necessary). Once settled, assign details to each pile using the table above as a springboard.

You must assign one of each asset type (one Clout, one Fort, one Mook). This is only required during the initial set up. If your pile uses multiple cards of the same suit, you will add those together to get your relevant skill. For example, a Mook with 4C and 7C in his pile will effectively have an Intelligence of 11.

Once you’ve built your assets (and given them back stories and/or other details) you may play Klondike as normal.

Play
When you pick up an unheld resource (a card you can legally pick up) and add it to your Asset, narrate how that happens. I recommend using the lowest card on the pile that is being added to as the “acting” card for narration purposes. You may use any of your other Assets to color this, but you must narrate how the loose resource gets added to that Asset’s pile. You always get to pick up an unheld resource, as per normal Klondike rules.

If you move a pile onto another pile, you narrate how this happens using the method above.

If you are dealt three cards and cannot pick up the top card, you may either:

1. Put the cards face up next to the deck and deal out three new cards.
OR
2. Attack it! First, assign details based on the cards in the waste (a maximum of 3). These cards should represent some sort of Opposition to your demilich; meddlesome kids, wandering adventurers, or curious monsters, just to name a few examples.

The player acts using any individual Assets Relevant Skill (or skills) that the player finds acceptable. You narrate how that Asset and the Demilich act against the Opposition.

Roll the relevant Skull Ability + Relevant Skill vs. Card Target # (equal to double the card’s value).

If has your Asset has no Relevant Skill, your demilich can just use a relevant Skull Ability.

If you succeed, the card goes to the bottom of the deck. If you fail, you have to take a counter attack from the Opposition. (go to The Opposition Acts!) Narrate the results either way. You may now take the new top card (if you can) or attack again! You may also deal out three new cards instead.

The Opposition Acts!

If you fail on an attempt on an Opposition, you have to defend against the fallout. Narrate how things come back to haunt the Asset you used. The Opposition Value is equal to all the cards in it’s draw (up to 3). You defend with the highest value card in the defending asset’s pile (the bottom most card that is face up) + any one other Relevant Skill + the relevant Skull Ability. If the Opposition Value is higher than the total after rolling, that asset takes damage equal to the difference between the totals.

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