Hell on Eight Wheels: Seventeen - Advanced Rookie Rules

Stage 1.5: Advanced Rookie Rules

Additions to the 1.0 rules:

-          Skater stress when a skater plays a card higher than their relevant attribute.

-          Designation of the Lead Jammer and what this entails.

-          Refined Blocking Rules

-          Track Markings and the effects these have on movement

Play Requirements

1 x Track Board

10 x Skater Markers (5 per player)

20 x Speed Tokens (10 per player)

1 x Activation Marker

10 x Stress Markers

10 x Practice Skater Profile Cards (5 per player)

A Standard Deck of Cards

Practice Skater Profiles

1. 1 x Jammer

Soul: 8, Speed: 8, Strategy: 6, Strength: 6

(Ignore Abilities and Traits)

2. 3 x Blocker

Soul: 6, Speed: 6, Strategy: 8, Strength: 8

(Ignore Abilities and Traits)

3. 1 x Pivot

Soul: 8, Speed: 6, Strategy: 8, Strength: 6

(Ignore Abilities and Traits)

Set Up:

Team and Board Set Up: As per Basic Rookie Rules.

Action Sequence:

Activation: Any skaters highlighted by the activation marker activate. Any players with an active skater flip the skater’s face down card and play a card from their hand; using these two cards, one is allocated to speed and one to strategy. If more than one skater has activated, the one with the highest allocated speed card moves first (resolve ties using the allocated strategy card).

Movement: When a skater is activated, you may add a speed token, remove a speed token or leave the number of speed tokens unchanged (during the first turn it is recommended that you add a speed token to each skater as they activate, otherwise they will be unable to move). They may move a number of grid units forward equal to their respective card or their speed attribute (whichever is lower) multiplied by their number of speed tokens. While moving forward around the track, a skater may move laterally a number of times equal to the card allocated to their strategy or their strategy attribute (whichever is lower).

If a player has played a card with a value higher than the skater’s attribute (for either speed or strategy) they may use the card value, but they suffer fatigue for pushing themselves beyond their normal means. If a player pushes their skater in this fashion, the skater gains a fatigue token. If a player pushes their skater again, while they still possess a fatigue token, they gain a second fatigue token and their fatigue lasts for the remainder of the jam. A third token gained in this fashion causes the duration of the fatigue to last for the remainder of the bout. A fourth token removes the skater from the bout; they’ve pushed themselves too far and are just too tired to continue.

Any time a skater moves onto a track segment marked with a white arrow, they automatically move forward an additional segment at no movement cost. Track markings like this tend to be found more commonly on the inside edge of the tracks rounded corners, they reflect the way that a skater moves faster around the track when they hug the inside edge. Any time a skater moves onto a track segment marked with a yellow arrow (whether through a deliberate move or being pushed automatically with a white arrow), their next move automatically shifts outward in the direction of the arrow unless a lateral movement is spent to maintain position on the track.

Blocking: A skater may block an active skater if that active skater moves into their threat zone. In this simplified version of the rules, either a block works (and knocks a rival skater to the ground), or it doesn’t work (and the rival skater passes unhindered).

Any time an active skater moves into a passive skater’s inner threat zone (the track segments adjacent to them), the player controlling the passive skater may choose to initiate a block. When a block is initiated, the player of the passive skater compares their skater’s strategy score with that of the active skater (any modifiers due to fatigue or injury are included when comparing the strategy scores).

Respective Strategy Scores	Cards
Active Passer has a strategy at least 3 pts higher than Passive Blocker	Passer 3 Cards Blocker 1 Card
Active Passer has a strategy higher than Passive Blocker	Passer 2 Cards Blocker 1 Card
Passive Blocker has a strategy higher than Active Passer	Passer 1 Cards Blocker 1 Card
Passive Blocker has a strategy at least 3 higher than Active Passer	Passer 1 Card Blocker 2 Cards

Cards may be drawn randomly from the deck, or may be played from the player’s hand.

Only cards lower than the skater’s strength count as valid block results. If the active passer has a valid card matching the suit played by the passive blocker, the blocker’s card is discarded. Once any matched cards have been discarded, if the blocker has no cards left, the active passer continues their path forward without hindrance. If the passive blocker has any cards still in play, the active passer has been blocked.

If a block is successful (the blocker still has cards in play), choose one of these cards as the impact card. The block has an impact score equal to either the impact card’s rank or the passive blocker’s strength score (whichever is lower). If the impact score is lower than the active passer’s strength, the passer is hampered (lose a single speed token). If the impact score is higher than the active passer’s strength, the passer is knocked on their butt (lose all speed tokens). If a skater is knocked down, all other skaters in an adjacent segment must draw a card and compare the result to their strength, if the result is higher than their strength attribute they also fall; if any of these skaters falls, they risk further falls among adjacent skaters (It is possible for an entire team to fall down in this manner).

If the active passer loses all of their speed tokens in this way, their movement and activation ends.

Scoring:

The aim of a roller derby bout is to run rings around the opposing team. This is the job of the Jammers. Only Jammers may score points, and they may only do so once they have completely lapped the pack.

Once a jammer has completely lapped the pack, they are able to earn a point by passing an opposing skater. Each skater passed in this way earns a point, and if a skater completely passes the opposing team, they may attempt to lap the pack again for another round of point scoring. 

The Lead Jammer:

Once either jammer has passed through the pack, the jammer currently ahead is designated the “Lead Jammer”.

End of the Jam:

A jammed is timed as the activation marker makes its way around the track. Each time a complete sweep of the track is made by the activation marker (allowing every skater to activate at least once), a period of 15 seconds of game time is considered to pass. A regular jam lasts a maximum of 2 minutes; eight complete circuits of the activation marker.

While the jam would normally last a total of eight passes for the activation marker, the player controlling the Lead Jammer may call off the jam early. A player will typically do this when their jammer has scored points by passing the pack a second time, while their opposing jammer is still caught in the thick of the pack. Calling off the jam early is a strong strategic advantage. It can also ensure that a game remains fast paced and action packed rather than dragging.

[EXAMPLE OF AN ADVANCED ROOKIE JAM TO BE WRITTEN]