Space Mines
an icehouse game by Robert Seater (2004)

players: 2 or more
pieces: 1 stash per player plus 1 additional stash to represent asteroids.
playing field: any flat surface encompassing several square feet.
object: to gain points by mining asteroids. In the process of doing so, you will enage in a space battle in the midst of the asteroid field.

Phase I: setup asteroid field and distribute fleets
The number of asteroids is one more than the number of players. This means that in a 2 player game you will have 3 asteroids to fight over. Asteroids are represented by upright pyramids of a mixture of sizes. Scatter them around the playing field, roughly 6 inches apart from each other, although you can experiment with other configurations.

Each player receives an equal number of pyramids in his or her color, representing ships in his or her fleet. The number of small, medium, and large pyramids may be any distribution, but each player should have the same distribution of sizes as each other player. These ships are a mix of mining vehicles and combat ships that have been sent to escort the miners. For your first game, try giving each player 2 of each size ship.

size 3 - battleship - very strong in combat, gets to attack before smaller ships do, has no mining capabilities
size 2 - cruiser - moderate combat and mining capabilities
size 1 - scout - limited combat and mining capabilities, fires last in combat, can squeeze into small gaps easily

Phase II: line up ships
Each player chooses an ordering for his or her ships. Line them up in front of you -- the ships on the left end of the line will enter play before those to the right.

Phase III: deploy fleet
Players alternate placing ships onto the board, each time taking the next ship from the left end of his or her lineup of ships. A ship is put into play by placing it on its side anywhere there is free space.

You may not touch or bump any other pyramid on the board while placing your ship. Doing so in a non-trivial manner is punished by the loss of the ship being placed. This will usually not happen.

Phase IV: combat and mining

Now ships will fire and mine in three waves. First all 3's will fire, then all 2's, then all 1's. It's slightly more complicated than that, since each ship fires is a slighly different fashion.

first wave: battleships fire 3 times
All battleships (size 3 ships) fire simultaneously, attempting to destroy enemy ships. After noting which ships have been hit, remove them all from play. It does not matter if you hit an asteroid.

Repeat twice more with the surviving battleships.

second wave: cruisers fire/mine 2 times
all cruisers (size 2 ships) fire simultaneously, attempting both to destroy enemy ships and to mine. After noting which ships AND which asteroids have been hit, remove hit ships from play. Each player gains 1 point for each of their cruisers that hit an asteroid.

Repeat once more with the surviving cruisers.

third wave: scouts fire then mine
All scouts (size 1 ships) fire simultaneously, attempting to kill only. After noting which ships have been hit, remove them all from play. It does not matter if you hit an asteroid.

All surviving scouts (size 1 ships) fire simultaneously, attempting to mine. After noting which asteroids have been hit, remove them all from play. It does not matter if you hit a ship.

firing rules:
	All ships fire directly forwards from their tip and have unlimited range. The base (back side) of each pyramid is a shield and cannot be harmed by incoming fire. Other than that, a ship hit by any shot, either enemy or allied, is destroyed regardless of its size. It does not matter who destroyed each ship, or how big the attacking and defending ships are; one shot takes anything out. If a ship is hit more than once simultaneously, it absorbs all of the incoming attacks and is then destroyed -- the additional attacks are not necessary for destroying the ship, but they are still blocked by the rubble.

Remember that you can destroy your own ships!

	Mining is just like shooting; you have to be on a clear line of sight with an asteroid. However, asteroids are never destroyed no matter how often they are shot or mined.

Summary:
3's fire
3's fire
3's fire
2's fire/mine
2's fire/mine
1's fire
1's mine

Phase V: evaluation and victory
Count up the number of mineral-points you mined. If you had the fewest losses, then double your point total. The higher value wins.

In a 3 player game, the player with the fewest losses triples his or her score. The player with the next fewest doubles his or her score. In larger games, extend this pattern. If two players tie for Nth place in terms of losses, both get the Nth place bonus and there is no N+1th bonus.

Theory:
3's fire first and three times, but do not actually grant you points.
2's have the potential to gain you 2 points each.
1's have the potential to gain you 1 point each.

	3's should be used to attack 2's before they get a chance to do any mining, preferably aiming so that several 2's are in your scope. If necessary, aim at 1's, but they aren't as valuable. It can sometimes be worth aiming at 3's, but usually not worthwhile -- you can't stop a 3 from getting its first shot off, and additional shots often go wild and aren't worth worrying about.

	2's should be pointed at asteroids, as they have the most potential for earning points. It is tempting to place them early to claim the real estate that is close to the asteroid, but then you leave yourself vulnerable to having all your miners taken out by a single well aimed 3.

	1's are equally beneficial if pointed at other 1's or at asteroids, as either way you will net yourself 1 point over your opponent (since 1's fire aggressively before they mine). Better yet, point a 1 at an enemy 1 with an asteroid on the far side. You will kill the enemy 1 before it gets to mine, and then get a clear shot at the asteroid yourself -- a net gain of 2 points. As a result, chains of alternating 1's will often end up snaking out from an asteroid. All but the last one will be destroyed when they fire, then the last one will get to mine the asteroid.

	If an enemy mining ship is not placed close to an asteroid, then you can cut it off by placing another ship in front of it, with your armor plate protecting you from its gun.  Miners, especially 2's, should go right up against asteroids. As a result, it can be worthwhile to aim 3's at empty space near asteroid, anticipating future placement.

	Don't bother pointing smaller ships at larger ships, since there's no point in shooting them once they've fired. However, if you are sure that they are going to be destroyed by the time you get to fire, you can aim through them in anticipation of a clear shot. The exception to this rule is that it is ok for 1's to point at larger ships if an asteroid it on the other side -- the 1 will get to first fire and clear a path, then mine the asteroid beind the now-dead blocking ship.

Variation:
	Use an additional stash to represent monoliths. Monoliths are setup upright and scattered around the field. There are roughly twice as many Monoliths as Asteroids. Monoliths absorb all incoming fire, are never destroyed, but yield no minerals. They are just obstables.  Try the regular game before adding monoliths.