Martian 8-Ball
| Martian 8-Ball | ||
|---|---|---|
| Robert Potter | ||
| Five-handed Martian Coasters for two! | ||
| Players: | 2 | |
| Length: | Fast | |
| Complexity: | Low | |
| Trios per color: | 1 | |
| Number of colors: | 5 | |
| - - - - - - Other equipment - - - - - - | ||
| Treehouse die, six-sided die, Martian Coasters, Black Martian Coaster | ||
| Setup time: | 1 minute | |
| Playing time: | 5 minutes - 10 minutes | |
| Strategy depth: | Medium | |
| Random chance: | Medium | |
| Game mechanics: | Dynamic board, Race | |
| Theme: | Abstract | |
| BGG Link: | [1] | |
| Status: Complete (v1.0), Year released: 2013 | ||
Setup
- Place the black coaster in the center of the table, and place each coloured coaster adjacent to one side, forming a cross.
- Create five three-colour trees, and place each on a coaster of a colour not included in the tree.
Gameplay
- Assign two transparent colours to each player, leaving the opaque black (or white, if using Xeno pieces) unassigned.
- "Warms" vs. "cools" is an intuitive grouping for Rainbow pieces.
- Play proceeds as in two-player Martian Coasters, with each player attempting to complete both of their nests.
The "8-Ball"
The black nest is the "8-Ball". As in billiards, the 8-ball cannot be scored until the scoring player has completed his other objectives.
- No player may complete the black nest until both of his coloured nests are completed. Any player doing so forfeits any remaining movement points or special actions and loses immediately.
- A player may not directly move any black pieces until he has completed at least one coloured nest.
- Black pieces do not prevent aim, hop, or dig actions affecting them indirectly.
- Black pieces do not prevent moving a piece from below them to the top of their stack using movement points.
Winning
- A player wins when both of his nests are completed, and he completes the black nest.
- As implied by the name, a player may not complete the black nest until both of his coloured nests are completed. Completing the black nest prematurely results in a loss for that player.
Variations
- Two-handed play can be sped along by limiting each player to one colour.
- This game could be expanded to three- or four-handed play by limiting each player to one colour.