Hell on Eight Wheels: Sixteen - Basic Rookie Rules

Stage 1.0: Basic Rookie Rules

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 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 Set Up: Place the five rookie team cards on the team board. Shuffle the card deck, and deal ten cards to each player, then deal a face down card to each team member.  Once all cards have been dealt out, thirty will be on the table or in player’s hands, with twenty-four remaining in the deck.

Board Set Up: Each player places their skaters on the designated starting grid markers. A team’s three blockers and pivot may be placed interchangeably on any of the forward markers behind the first starting line, the jammer must be placed behind the second starting line. Place the board activation marker to highlight the grid line behind the first starting line.  

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). A skater may have up to 2 speed tokens. 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).  

Ignore track markings at this stage (we’ll look at them as further rules are introduced).

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 player controlling the passive skater may choose to initiate a block. When a block is initiated, the player of the passive skater may draw a card or play a card from their hand. The player of the active skater may do likewise. If the active and passive skater’s cards match suits, the block has failed and the active skater passes unhindered. If the cards have different suits, each skater has an impact equal to either their card rank or their strength score (whichever is lower). The skater with the lower impact loses a speed token. If the active skater 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.  

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.

[EXAMPLE OF A BASIC ROOKIE JAM TO BE WRITTEN]