This model will slow the game down, but you will have a combat system without dices. You have a variant of this in 'A game of thrones'.Īnother way is to use the same model as in Magic Realm (you get extra points if you succeed to understand the rules ) ). In each battle, secretly select a number of points to boost your army. Variant 1: Add a pool of command points or battle points. The stronger unit removes the weaker one. This is the same model that is used in Stratego. One way it to use the High takes the low as the base model. This is what will really set your game apart!ĭo you still want to have a random combat or. (For example, in a simple model with Infantry/Artillery/Cavalry, Artillery would be able to attack from farther away, Cavalry would be faster, Infantry cheaper, etc). Having said all that, I think that these games are good guideposts, but I think that for your game to really stand out, you should try your hand at a combat resolution mechanic of your own! Decide what aspects of the theme you think are most important to model, and build the system around that. Another good game that I've played only once is We the People. Other nice card-based combat systems include Dune, (in which your combat strength is determined in part by how many units you indicate you're willing to lose should you win the battle), Lord of the Rings:the Confrontation (kind of like Stratego with cards) and A Game of Thrones (blends the card-supplementing of LotR:Confrontation with Diplomacy-style support rules). If you lose badly in this battle, chances are your cubes will come out en masse in some future battle. We'll see how it works.Īs Rene also mentioned, Wallenstein has probably the best randomized combat resolution mechanic I've ever seen - the 'cube tower', in which both sides throw their cubes into the tower, and some come out while other get stuck in the tower. I'm working on a game right now where I'm trying out a deterministic combat resolution, and hoping that the tension will come from where the combats will take place rather than what their outcome will be. I agree with Rene, perhaps try out a deterministic model.

Table top games without dice