Capture the Flag!

We've been "quarantined" for some time now. I use the term in quotes because we're not entirely housebound - we're "allowed" outside (and I do go outside) for shopping, and exercise, and such.

The more important part of the lock-down is that the schools are physically closed, and have taken to remote instruction instead. The "instruction," for my children, involves sending out packets of information and activities to complete daily. Typically there is only 2-3 hours of work per day, at most. This leaves a lot of down-time for the children.

My youngest and I took some time out of his unfilled day to create a game. I won't go into a lot of detail about how we came about it, but the end result is a game we are calling Capture the Flag.

The game is played on a hexagonal grid with pieces constructed from old wine corks. It's somewhat like chess with pieces that move and act in certain ways depending on attributes. The goal is simple: Be the first to capture your opponents flag.

The Pieces

• 1 Flag
• 1 Level 1 and 2 archer
• 1 Level 3 archer
• 1 Builder
• 4 Barricades
• 9 Combination cavalry and infantry

The Archer

The archer starts as level 1. The player can use an action on their turn to upgrade the archer to level 2, and another action on another turn to upgrade to level 3. The archer has a better chance to hit it's target at higher levels. The archer attacks by rolling a 1d6, and if the result matches what is on top of the piece, it hits.

The Builder

The builder does not begin the game on the playing board. The player will need to consume an action on a turn to summon the builder onto the board. Once on the board the builder can use an action on a turn to build a barricade. The builder cannot attack

The Barricade

The barricade is simple; it simply consumes a spot. The opponent can either go around the barricade or spend a turn destroying it. Once destroyed the barricade cannot be rebuilt.

Cavalry and Infantry

The Cavalry and Infantry pieces share the same physical pieces. When placed with a single line on top the piece is Infantry. When placed with two lines on top the piece is Cavalry. Cavalry can do more damage than Infantry. When a Cavalry piece is damaged it is flipped over and becomes Infantry.

Game Play

Every turn, each player gets two actions split between to pieces. The pieces chosen can do any of the following:

• Move or Attack
• Upgrade the Archer or Attack
• Summon the Builder or Build

The game ends either when one player lands a piece on their opponent's flag, or when one player runs out of possible turns.

We do (rather, I do) have printed instructions for the game, and we're still play testing to iron out some details. If I could figure out how to make this a digital game I would; as it is, I think I'm going to look a little further into making it a proper tabletop game. The boy has done me proud!

(c) All images and photographs, unless otherwise specified, are created and owned by me.
(c) Victor Wiebe