Spells and Arrows, Heroes and Spies
© Garry Walker 2019. All rights Reserved
Spells & Arrows, Heroes & Spies is a game of makes and misses for two basketball players that combines static shooting with a fantasy RPG. One player acts as Mage, defender of the realm, and an opponent plays as Spy, tasked with escaping a kingdom of court lines and marker cone stacks.
Using the map board as guide, place a single marker cone on the court for each orange and yellow circle. These cones make up the 8 towns, 2 border gates, and other places of interest within the kingdom. A court side table is required for the map/score boards and 18 spell cards.
A game begins with one player announcing a Victory Number. The opponent considers the number and chooses to play as spy or mage. The spy wins the game if total points earned from escapes equals or exceeds the Victory Number; the Mage wins if the spy fails to reach the Victory Number.
The spy starts the game at B with the goal of exiting with escape points through a pair of border gates (WG or EG). The spy moves along court lines - both real and dotted imaginary - traveling from marker cone to adjacent marker cone usually by paying an exit toll to move off and away. The toll is paid in the form of made baskets equal to the total number of marker cones stacked at the location.
A six sided dice serves as shot clock, counting down from 6 with each basket attempt. After the clock expires, the spy continues to make basket attempts but “miss” counters are now placed on the score board for each failed attempt. Three miss counters or an escape through a gate end the spy’s turn.
The spy enters a game with a health rating of 4. Health and the spy’s location is tracked using a six sided dice placed on the map board. The spy’s health is increased by 3 whenever exiting the pharmacy (P) but can never exceed 6.
The spy enters the game with no armour counters. The spy earns 1 armour counter whenever exiting the armoury (A). The spy is limited to no more than 2 armour counters.
Four Goto marker cones allow the spy direct travel to specific locations. Baskets are not required to exit a Goto portal.
Place a Travel counter on the score board when a spy exits one of eight towns: E2, E3, E4, E5, W2, W3, W4, & W5. Theses counters determine the value of an escape ( 2 or 3 points apiece).
Reset the shot clock to 6 and remove all miss counters at the end of turn. Do not adjust health, or armour and travel counters unless escape occurred.
Following an escape, a spy begins their next turn at B with a health rating of 4, and without armour counters or travel counters.
The mage begins the bottom half of each turn with the half court also serving as a workshop where spells are cast in an effort to hinder the spy’s escape.
A starting line-up of court spells 1 thru 5 are placed face up on the court side table. Place cards 6 thru 8 - bench spells - under card 9, Librarian’s Bench. For now, bonus spells 10 through 18 are considered out of play.
Spells and the patterns of baskets required to cast them are listed on individual spell cards. Starting from the green star, a single basket must be made at each point in the pattern on the card. Grace, in the form of permissible missed attempts, is tracked by counters placed on the spell card. Grace counters can alter a spell’s potency. A spell fails when missed shots exceed measures of grace extended.
A failed spell results in a spell fail counter placed on the score board. Two spell fail counters on the board end the mage’s turn. Should the mage abandon a spell cast attempt, add a spell fail counter.
The mage is limited to 5 spell casting attempts per turn unless modified by specific spell cards. Use a six sided die as a spell clock to countdown casting attempts from 5.
The mage cannot have more than 5 court spells in play. To be eligible for casting, bench spells must first become court spells by casting Librarian’s Bench. More than 5 court spells in play requires a spell card to be cut from the court and placed under Librarian’s Bench.
Bonus spells are introduced to the bench in numeric order whenever Librarian’s Bench is cast without a miss.
Court spells cannot be cast consecutively during the same turn; Librarian’s Bench is not a court spell.
Spells can add elf marker cones to guard towns and gates. These additional marker cones increase exit tolls. A single elf marker cone can be stacked atop towns and gates along the 3pt line and up to 2 elf marker cones added to towns inside the line. These cone stacks are maximum limits and cannot be exceeded. In addition to the 2 gates (WG,EG), 8 towns can be guarded. Point (B), the armoury (A), and pharmacy (P) are not considered towns, cannot be guarded with elf marker cones, and require an exit toll of a single basket.
Exit tolls reset each turn. If, for example, the spy ends a turn having made 1 of 2 required baskets, 2 baskets are required next turn before moving off and away.
In response to a missed spy basket attempt, the mage can deliver elf arrow damage to the spy in guarded towns or guarded gates at a cost of one arrow counter and basket executed from the guarded location. If successful, the mage may continue making successive shots until missing a basket or running out of elf arrow counters. The mage is limited to no more than 5 arrow counters at any time.
An elf arrow reduces the spy’s health by an amount equal to the value of the successful basket (2 health points inside the 3 pt shooting arc or 3 health points along it). Spy armour reduces arrow damage by 1 per armour counter. If health is reduced to zero (or less) the spy is captured and the game ends.
The mage can also spell cast marker cone giants along any unoccupied road span connecting adjacent location marker cones. A road span may never be occupied by more than one giant. On court, we distinguish giants from fixed locations by inverting the cones.
Giants do not deal damage but may leap from one span to another following a spy’s missed basket attempt at a cost of 1 leap counter and successful mage free throw (y). The mage may continue making successive free throws and moving giants until missing a basket or running out of leap counters. The mage is limited to no more than 5 leap counters at any time.
The spy moves past a blocking giant by making successful free throws (y) equal to the giant’s cone stack. In this exchange, marker cones are permanently removed from the giant’s cone stack with each successful spy free throw. If destroyed, remove the giant’s last marker cone from the court and advance the spy directly to the destination at the end of the span.
If a spy’s turn ends before the giant is destroyed, return the spy to the location marker cone anchoring the span.
Despite appearances to the contrary, the W4 to E4 span requires a single giant to block.
The mage may not make loose arrows or leap giants in response to the spy’s turn ending.
A game ends with a spy’s capture or following a predetermined number of turns played (5).
