An Introduction to Ultimate Chaos: Sample Game Part 1

Hi, I’m David Spitzley, and I’m running a session of Ultimate Chaos at U-Con 2012 (time TBD). Ultimate Chaos is simple enough to describe: Each player selects a different card game (collectible or non-collectible), and plays it against the others, resolving interactions between the different rules through a set of Rules of Engagement (posted on my website). In practice it can be a little messy 🙂 So, for your edification, I’ll be posting several turns of an example game. Feel free to post questions, comments, etc.

Our players have settled down to a cozy game of Ultimate Chaos. (NOTE: Click on photos for larger versions)

Beginning with the gentleman in the red suit, they are:

Cardinal Fang: An aggressive On the Edge (i.e., OtE) player, with a deck named “Cabbies for a Better Tomorrow.” This is a game with an Isolated victory condition (accumulating 12 Influence), which will be worth 3 victory points if he achieves it.

Cookie Monster: Our celebrity ringer (and BFF of Wil Wheaton) is playing mass-market favorite Munchkin, and will gain 3 victory points if he gets to 10^th level.

Beaw: Grim master of strategy, Beaw is playing Netrunner, using his patent pending “Tesla Security Research” deck. After some discussion amongst the players, the decision is that his victory conditions are Isolated, and he will score 3 victory points if he accumulates 7 Agenda points.

The Brit: This man (or woman? Sure, why not) of mystery is playing Magic: the Gathering (i.e., M:tG), with a deck called “Hybrid Roses.” Based on the standard M:tG victory conditions, she’ll gain 1 victory point any time another player is eliminated from play by any means.

After a bit of discussion, the players decide that given the various games in play that they’ll forgo adding the Eye of Chaos, as Munchkin’s trading rules and combat aid open up enough ways to get cards swapping around.

Highlights

Round 1

Cookie Monster becomes a Wizard
Beaw plays two pieces of Ice, one on his hand and one to create a secondary data fortress.

Round 2

Cardinal Fang begins his turn putting Duro-Trench onto his cabbie Jack Rack, but Cookie Monster plays a Curse from his hand, which makes him lose one Small item. After some debate as to whether the Duro-Trench is Small, they resort to Rule VIII: Filling Holes, and follow the Curse’s instruction that an item is Small if it doesn’t say that it is Big.
The Brit finds this amusing and nominates Cookie Monster for 1 victory point for winning the debate. Beaw votes in favor in the hopes of getting the points moving, so Cookie Monster receives 1 victory point, represented by a Babylon 5 Chaos Mark, appropriately enough.
Cardinal Fang follows this up by having Jack Rack try a “run” on Beaw’s hand (using Netrunner’s rules under Rule V: Attack Flexibility). Beaw rezes the Snowbank, a Wall that ends the run unless the Runner pays 1 bit. After the group argued that Jack could defeat Sentry Ice but not Walls, he returns Jack home defeated.

Round 3

Cardinal Fang puts Johnny Kazoo into play and decides to attack The Brit’s Kavu Predator (using OtE rules), not liking the implication of the Predator’s growth potential or Trample abilities. Looking around the table, The Brit offers Cookie Monster an Island if he has anything useful in trade. Knowing that Fang is now after him, Cookie decides to make the trade. The Brit plays her newly obtained Druid Fluid, which the players judge to be worth +3/+3 based on typical OtE rules, and the Predator squishes Johnny Kazoo.
Beaw notes that according to Scoring Option 5B: the Jumping Jesus Phenomenon, Fang, Cookie and The Brit all deserve a victory point for getting three players involved in a single interaction.
After drawing a Thief and switching classes, Cookie decides to Look for Trouble and plays the Island from his hand, putting it into play in front of him. Everybody scratches their heads…
The Brit sends the Kavu Predator to run Beaw’s hand, and makes the argument that a) she shouldn’t need to pay to break subroutines on the Ice, as no cost is listed on the Predator to use its Power, and there are icebreakers that cost 0 to use, and b) the Predator’s Trample ability should allow it to penetrate Walls. Both seeing the aesthetic value of her arguments, and realizing they needed to start figuring out loopholes to use against Beaw, the group agrees. Beaw gives out a gutteral squeak as The Brit draws a 1-point Agenda from Beaw’s suddenly underprotected hand. The Brit decides to nominate herself under Scoring Option 5A: In All the Confusion…, but the others decide she just scored a major coup and that he doesn’t need further rewards.

To Be Continued on Wednesday…