SAW: Studs At War
combat rules for Legos and Megabloks
(c) 2005 Robert Seater

this draft was last updated 1/6/06
comments welcome: rseater@mit.edu
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Overview

These are rules for a table-top combat game using stud-based building blocks -- e.g. Lego and Megablock bricks.  The intention is to have the rules of the game simulate the physicality of the legos.  As minifigs and verhicles take damage, they are physically torn apart.  You can repair and heal models buy putting pieces back onto them.  Similarly, the reach (range) of a hand-to-hand weapon is exactly the number of studs it extends out from its bearer.

Another theme is for stats to be 'a priori'.  If you look at a model, you should be able to guess its stats.  For example, normally a soft had has AC 1, a hard helmet has AC 2, and a visored helmet has AC 3.  If you know a unit's stats, you know exactly how much it cost.  Cost is formulaic and simple; you get exactly what you pay for.  For example, the cost of a weapon is twice the average amount of damage it will do each turn.  If a sword can make 4 attacks doing 3 damage each with a 50% chance of hitting, it costs 2 x 4 x 3 x 1/2 = 12.

That said, you need a character sheet for each unique model to eliminate any doubts or ambiguities.  Character sheets are short and easy to create, but are important to fast and fair gameplay.

This is a project in progress, and the rules are still changing.  I am trying to make sure they (1) are not abusable, (2) encourage a variety of tactics, (3) are simple and elegant, (4) are fast to execute during game play.
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Possible Game Objectives

headcount reduction - eliminate all heads attached to enemy minifigs
leader elimination - completely eliminate the enemy leader model
capture the flag - carry enemy flag back to own base to score, optional neutral flags
summon the demon god - mine bricks and forge them into components
escape/penetrate - get a certain number of assembled minifigs to a certain location
king of the mountain - hold the top of the 'mountain' for one full turn
king of the mountains - at the end of the turn limit, be holding the most waypoints
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Terrain

choosing terrain:
Players collaboratively choose the battlefield terrain.  Each chooses an equal proportion of the surface area.  For example, each player might need to provide one 16x32 plate and 16x32 plates, which are then slid together in a predetermined configuration.

color:
Different colors indicate different types of terrain (e.g. blue is water, yellow is sand, white is snow).  These have no effect on the game except when referred to.  For example, some footwear provides a movement bonus on certain terrain, and some minifigs leg attachments provide benefits/penalties for different terrain.

hazardous conditions:
Vacuum: at the beginning of each turn, each minifig takes 2 lobbed-area-effect damage
Underwater: at the beginning of each turn, each minifig takes 1 lobbed-area-effect damage
Air supplies (a trait of some pieces of armor) counteract (or at least mitigate) these effects.

rough terrain:
Rough terrain is terrain with actual ups and downs in it, as it is made out of uneaven bricks.  It affects movement simply because there are vertical components all along it -- in order to go 8 studs horizontally, a minifig might have to cover 4 studs of vertical distance, thus needing to use a total of 12 studs worth of movement.

flight:
A flying unit can move its full movement horizontally and also move its full movement vertically, both in the same turn.  There is nowhere a flier can go that land-bound units cannot follow, but the flier often gets there faster.
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Exposure

A piece is exposed if it can be removed without removing any other pieces from the model.  This does not count carried equipment (e.g. weapons and tools).  Pieces resting on the ground are not exposed.

A is above B if A will always be exposed prior to B.  B is below A.

A cycle of pieces, each of which is above the next, is considered to be one piece for the purposes of removing them.  Upon removal of the set, separate them.