Goblin Cave
A game designed for 1KM1KT 24 hour game
design competition.
Little Spaces
by
Stuart Burns
[Link]@[Link]
Contents
Death of a Warlord
Setup
How to play
How to win friends and influence goblins
Moods
Issues
Pages
Pages
Pages
Pages
Pages
Page
2-3
4-5
6
7
8-9
10
What happens if we whack the pointy ceiling rocks wif a big stick?
Keeton, Goblin Warlord
It was an accident, right? None of us seen it coming a mile off. Biggest
stack I've seen ANY goblin make, and that's saying something, you
know. And there he is at the top, old Keeton. Always game he was. Is.
Yeah, I know he isn't dead yet, but the writings on the wall, yeah?
I mean, he fell all that way, landed on his head. And that rock
skewering his leg didn't do him any favours. I'm telling you, we've got
some hard times ahead, unless someone comes forward as Warlord
soon.
You?
Don't make me laugh. You couldn't get old Keeton to give you his
Warlord hat if you were the pointiest goblin here!
Drible, Former Goblin Sycophant
Tragedy has befallen the cave.
Keeton; Goblin Warlord, has been
mortally wounded during a publicity
stunt lies on his deathbed.
It is only a matter of time before he
succumbs to his wounds, at which
point all hell will break loose.
Blood will paint the cave walls as
goblin turns on fellow goblin
in a fight for dominance.
That is, unless Keeton could be
convinced to name a sucessor.
Some enterprising young goblin who
could unite the cave, gather the
support of the goblin horde, lead the
goblin warband to victory!
After all, how hard could it be to
gather a consensus among goblins?
Goblin cave is a game of power, persuasion and pointiness.
You join the other goblins vieing for power within your cave. You must
attempt to convince your fellow goblins of your leadership potential,
and gain Keetons approval to become Warlord.
You and the other players take on the role of rival goblins, attepting to
unite the goblin horde under one banner; yours. You must gather a
warband of at least 12 goblins to prove your worth to Keeton and have
enough of a majority to keep the rest of the goblins in line.
You will need:
A note on dice:
Two dice of the same kind per player
(this represents your goblin)
A D6 is a 6 sided die, for
example.
20 dice of varying types and colours
(D4, D6, D8, D10, D12, D20)
A table or other gaming area.
Six coins or tokens per player
to mark your goblin followers.
You will see dice referred
throughout this game as D4,
D6, D8 etc. This simply refers
to a dice with DX many sides.
Athough a variety of dice is
required, you do not need each
dice to be unique. Having
between 1 and 5 of the same
kind of dice is more than
acceptable. More than that
and the game will become less
interesting.
If you do not have a variety of
dice available, unfortunately
GOBLIN CAVE will not be
the game for you.
The fun in GOBLIN CAVE
comes from variety, and if
your cave is full of
ANGRY and POINTY
goblins, it will lead to a very
boring game.
Each dice represents a goblin within GOBLIN CAVE.
Each player will have two dice of the same kind.
One of these dice will represent your goblin within the cave.
You will move this goblin about the cave, interacting with the other
goblins.
You will use your other dice to roll for your goblin interactions.
Goblins within the cave are physically varied,
represented by the type of dice used
:
Goblins have BIGNESS, more sides to a dice mean a bigger goblin.
Goblins have POINTINESS, less sides mean more pointiness.
Thats not to say goblins do not have emotional depth.
Goblins have a MOOD, which is indicted by their colour.
Goblins have ISSUES. What number shows on the dice indicates
what ISSUES are on that goblins mind.
You must learn how to use these attributes to influence the goblins
around you, convincing them to join your warband.
How to play:
Set up your A4 board. An A4 sheet of paper will do, but a cave map is
included at the back of this booklet. You can fold the booklet open, and
play on that!
Roll all twenty dice on the gaming board. Where they fall is where that
goblin stays. What number they show indicates what ISSUES the
goblins are thinking about. You then each take turns in placing your
goblins. Remember to roll your goblin's ISSUE. Reroll if you get a 1.
Everyone rolls a dice of the same kind. The player who gets the highest
number goes first. Play continues clockwise.
In your turn, you may move your goblin to any location on the board in
a straight line not blocked by other goblins.
You may then do ONE of the following:
Raise or lower your ISSUES by 1 (change the number showing on
your dice to reflect the change.) To a minimum of 2 and a
maximum of 19.
Initiate a CONFRONTATION or a CONVERSATION.
Direct ONE of your warband to move to any location on the board
in a straight line not blocked by any other goblins.
Direct ONE of your warband to initiate a CONFRONTATION or
CONVERSATION.
Direct ONE of your warband to join a stack at the bottom or top
of that stack.
If you START your turn with 12 goblins in your warband, you win
Keetons approval, and take on the mantle of Goblin Warlord!
When one goblin meets another,
a CONVERSATION or a
CONFRONTATION is started.
What are being discussed or argued over
are ISSUES (Page 9)
COVERSATIONS use BIGNESS to
determine who wins. The bigger and better
the argument, the more likely the goblin
you are talking to will be won over.
CONFRONTATIONS use POINTINESS
to find the victor. The pointier and more
dangerous your goblin, the more likely
the goblin you are facing will concede
defeat and join you.
When you initiate a CONVERSATION
with another goblin, roll your dice.
If you roll HIGHER than the numbr of
sides they have, you win them over
to your cause, and can place a token
underneath them.
When you initiate a CONFRONTATION
with another goblin, roll your dice. If you
roll LOWER than the numer of sides they
have, you win them over to your side and
can place a token underneath them.
Goblin Stacks
So your goblin is the pointiest gal
this side of the stalagmite, but
you are somewhat lacking in social
grace? Climb on top of another
goblin! Your arguments will seem
twice as good as you lord it over
the surrounding goblins.
Your eloquence ties your
opponents in knots, but you faint
at the thought of fisticuffs? Lift a
goblin above your head! Show off
your power!
In order to win the game, you will
need to master the art of goblin
stacking. Goblin stacking is
simple; bigger goblins at the
bottom, smaller goblins at the top.
You cannot stack a goblin of the
same or greater BIGNESS on top
of another goblin.
When it comes to stacking, the
brains of the outfit sits at the top,
wile the muscle supports the base.
This allows you to turn your
pointy powerhouse into a dandy
diplomat, or vice versa.
When your goblin is at the top of
a stack, multiply all of their rolls
by the numbe of goblins n the
stack. A stack of two goblins
(your goblin + 1) will DOUBLE
all rolls, doubling the effectiveness
of their CONVERSATION, but
HALVING the effectiveness of
their CONFRONTATION. A
stack of three goblins will
TRIPLE all rolls, and so on.
When your goblin is at the bottom
of a stack, divide their rolls by the
number f goblins in the stack
(rounding up).
A stack of two goblins (your
goblin + 1) will HALVE all rolls,
doubling the effectiveness of your
CONFRONTATION, but
HALVING the effectiveness of
your CONVERSATION.
As you only have 6 tokens per
player, it is necessary to utilise
goblin stacks to meet the 12 goblin
target.
So you have a bunch of goblin
companions, well on your way
to a mini warband of your own.
But wait...
Who's this? Another goblin is
talking to your newfound friends?
And, they are leaving with her?
No!
At least you have all of your
best buds. They'll never leave
you. They understand you like
those guys never did. Not like
that lot...
When you look at the goblins
inhabiting the cave, you will notice a
variety of colours of goblin around
you. These colours represent the
mood of the goblins around you.
Goblins find it easier to empathise
with other goblins who feel the same
way as themselves. As such, once
they join you they will be a lot less
likely to leave you than a goblin who
feels differently from you.
Refer to the colour chart on page 9
to identify how goblin moods
interact
.
If you add a goblin of the same
colour as yours to your Warband,
this goblin will not allow other
players to challenge your allegence.
If your goblin is one colour to the
left or right of the goblin in your
group, other players can challenge
you for allegence. Opposing player
chooses the challenge, you win
draws.
If your goblin is two to the left or
right around the hub of the wheel
of the recruited goblin, other
players can challenge you for
allegence. You choose the
challenge, opposing player wins
draws.
If a goblin you recruit is the
opposite of your goblin's colour on
the wheel, it can be recruited like
any non warband goblin. Your
opponent initiates a
CONVERSATION or
CONFRONTATION as they would
normally. If they succeed the
goblin will leave your warband and
join theirs. If they fail the goblin
stays with you.
WHITE coloured goblins will
always be treated as if they are
opposite moods to your goblin.
BLACK coloured goblins will
always be treated as loyal, one
colour to the left or right of your
goblin.
9
For example, if your goblin has
ISSUES 3, she can recruit goblins
with ISSUES 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 9,
while a goblin with ISSUES 6 would
only be able to recruit other goblins
with ISSUES 3, 6, 12 and 18.
If, on the other hand, your ISSUES
do not align, you can still initiate the
CONVERSATION or
CONFRONTATION. It will not
result in a recruit for your warband,
however. If successful, you will be
able to move the target goblin's
ISSUE number UP (for successful
CONVERSATIONS) or DOWN (for
successful CONFRONTATIONS).
You are able to convince your
opponents to change their views
slightly.
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A goblin with ISSUES 1 would be
perfect then, right? Wrong. A
goblin with ISSUES 1 is so freaked
out they cannot recruit, be recruited
or do anything much really. Until
you raise their ISSUES they will
cower where they stand. An already
recruited goblin will leave your band
immediately upon reaching 1
ISSUES.
Agoblin with ISSUES 20 would be
pretty annoying to, right? Yes
actually. They sit about, smug and
self satisfied, and refuse to
participate in any stacks. Until you
lower their ISSUES number, they
will remain where they are.
When you set up your game,
the issues which are important
to each goblin will become
readily aparrent. In many
ways, what ISSUES a goblin is
thinking about are one of the
most important aspects of
Goblinity. It is what makes
each goblin unique.
The number which shows on
the dice represents that
goblin's current ISSUE it is
thinking about. In order to
even begin recruiting a goblin
you must be talking about the
same ISSUES.
When a CONVERSATION or
CONFRONTATION is
initiated, you must check how
your ISSUES number
compares. If your number is
equal to, or can be divided or
multiplied by a whole number
to get your opponents
ISSUES number, then you are
both on the same page.
Recruitment can begin in
earnest!
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