Set-Up
Here's the list of things you need to do to start a game of Crisis Collide:
- Find another player to be your opponent!
- Each of you must secretly select a team of three characters to serve as your combatants. Each combatants on your team must be different - no duplicates. One of your combatants will be designated your leader and will enter battle first.
- Set up a one-dimensional arena, consisting of seven "spaces" arranged in a single line. Mark the third and fifth spaces in the line as the arena's starting positions.
- Reveal your respective leaders, place them on the arena's starting positions, and get ready to rumble!
Anatomy of a Fighter
A combatant consists of the following:
All combatants fall under a larger set of fighters. Fighters include all sorts of other entities that may have some or all of the stats listed above, but really, the only thing they have in common is that they occupy a space on the arena and can be hit by various attacks (described below). All combatants are fighters, but not all fighters are combatants.
The stats listed above are explained thoroughly in further sections.
- Their name
- A class designation (Offense, Defense or Support) which identifies their primary set of capabilities in battle
- A difficult designation (Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced) which identifies ease of use for a relatively new player
- An HP stat - how much damage they can take before being knocked out and eliminated
- An AP stat - consumed in order to use their abilities
- A Move stat - in the form of -X : +Y where X is how far backwards they can move at one time, and Y is how far forwards
- Resistance stat - how much damage from particular types of attacks is decreased/increased when hitting this combatant
- A Trait - a passive ability that is active at all times and influences the combatant's strengths and/or weaknesses
- A set of Abilities - things your combatant can do to influence the battle - can be attacks or other supportive capabilities
- A set of Crisis Abilities - special abilities that are limited in use, but can help to turn the tide of battle
All combatants fall under a larger set of fighters. Fighters include all sorts of other entities that may have some or all of the stats listed above, but really, the only thing they have in common is that they occupy a space on the arena and can be hit by various attacks (described below). All combatants are fighters, but not all fighters are combatants.
The stats listed above are explained thoroughly in further sections.
Objective and Game Flow
The goal of Crisis Collide is to eliminate all of your opponent's combatants. The most common way to do this is to lower the HP of each opposing combatant to 0 via attacks and other abilities!
At any given point, only one combatant from each player is actively present on the battlefield and fighting the opponent. Battle takes place over turns, each of which is split into three phases that take place one after the other. At the start of each turn, each player secretly makes their choice of action for each phase of that turn. Afterwards, these selected actions are revealed, and the turn plays out to determine a victor!
For each action, each player has a choice among the following:
By default, your combatant will stay in place and rest.
At any given point, only one combatant from each player is actively present on the battlefield and fighting the opponent. Battle takes place over turns, each of which is split into three phases that take place one after the other. At the start of each turn, each player secretly makes their choice of action for each phase of that turn. Afterwards, these selected actions are revealed, and the turn plays out to determine a victor!
For each action, each player has a choice among the following:
- Your current combatant makes a movement followed by performing one of their abilities
- Your current combatant shifts out of battle and is replaced by one of your inactive, non-eliminated combatants (max 1 per turn)
- Your current combatant makes a movement, then rests; if they rest all three phases, their AP is completely restored
By default, your combatant will stay in place and rest.
Movement
For each action, if you choose the movement/ability combination, you'll be able to direct your combatant's movement before they use one of their abilities. Arenas are one-dimensional battlefields with set boundaries, consisting of a set of spaces all neatly arranged in a row. Each combatant has a Move stat in the form of -X : +Y, where X is the maximum number of spaces the combatant can move backwards as part of the movement part of this action and Y is the maximum number spaces the fighter can move forwards.
Moving is simple: all you have to do is specify a space, and your combatant will move to it! You can specify a space with any phrase of one of the forms listed below. Note that in every scenario, "forward" refers to the direction pointing from your combatant to the opponent's combatant. Simply replace X in every form with the non-negative integer of your choice.
If you direct your combatant to move to a particular space, but they're not able to reach that space for whatever reason, they will automatically move "as close as possible" to that space instead.
Both your combatant and the opposing combatant will attempt to make their movements at the same time for each phase. Note that if both combatants attempt to move to the exact same space, one of two things will happen:
Moving is simple: all you have to do is specify a space, and your combatant will move to it! You can specify a space with any phrase of one of the forms listed below. Note that in every scenario, "forward" refers to the direction pointing from your combatant to the opponent's combatant. Simply replace X in every form with the non-negative integer of your choice.
- X spaces forward (i.e. the space X spaces away and in front of your combatant)
- X spaces backward (i.e. the space X spaces away and behind your combatant)
- X spaces in front of <named entity of your choice, usually the opponent's combatant>
- X spaces behind <named entity of your choice, usually the opponent's combatant>
- <explicitly labeled space on the battlefield>
- Same space (i.e. the space your combatant is currently on)
- Same space as <named entity of your choice, usually the opponent's combatant> (esp. helpful for Colliding, explained later)
If you direct your combatant to move to a particular space, but they're not able to reach that space for whatever reason, they will automatically move "as close as possible" to that space instead.
Both your combatant and the opposing combatant will attempt to make their movements at the same time for each phase. Note that if both combatants attempt to move to the exact same space, one of two things will happen:
- If at least one of the combatants moved backward, then the one who moved forward will stop short, and move to the closest space in front of the other combatant that they can occupy.
- If neither combatant moved backward, a collision will occur and the combatants will be forced back to their original positions! You might take advantage of this to keep an opponent rooted in one spot or maintain a positional advantage. There's also a second, more devastating application of colliding that will be covered in a little bit...
Abilities
Abilities make up the bulk of your combatant's capabilities, and most of your actions each phase will command your current combatant to use one of their abilities!
There are several parts of an ability:
Most abilities (with a notable exception) will cost your combatant's AP to use; if your combatant can't pay the AP, they won't perform the ability! So be sure to keep an eye on your combatant's Stamina, and either shift them out (more on this later) or spend a full turn Resting to recover it if it gets too low.
If an ability inflicts damage to a fighter, the fighter will take damage equal to the ability's Attack stat, minus the Resistance of that fighter that matches that ability's Type. For instance, if a fighter with 30 Physical Resistance is hit by a Physical ability with an Attack stat of 200, they will lose 170 HP. Remember, reaching 0 HP will result in a fighter being eliminated!
Attack stats can be split into two parts, their Strength and their Hit Count, e.g. if the Attack stat is "50 x 3," 50 is the Strength and 3 is the Hit Count. If the Hit Count isn't listed but the Strength is, the Hit Count is 1 by default. An ability with an Attack stat of "50 x 3" strikes an opponent with an Attack stat of 50 three times, and that means Resistances are applied three times to the total damage! A fighter with 30 Resistance wouldn't take 120 damage from this attack; they'd take 60!
Alternatively, you can also simply order your combatant to not use an Ability during a phase.
There are several parts of an ability:
- Cost - The price that your current combatant needs to pay in order to use the ability
- Attack - If listed, this ability will inflict the listed damage to each fighter it hits. Expressed as "Strength x Hit Count" if multi-hit
- Range - In the form A : B; if listed, all opposing fighter between A and B spaces front of user will hit be hit by ability when used
- Type - Physical, Elemental or Spiritual
- Priority - If combatants both use an ability during a phase, the one with higher priority goes first; in ties, they are simultaneous
- Crisis Rate - How much this ability will raise your side's Crisis Rate if performed - more on this later
- Attributes - Special tags that might influence his this ability interacts with other abilities
- Any other effects or qualifications that come with this ability
Most abilities (with a notable exception) will cost your combatant's AP to use; if your combatant can't pay the AP, they won't perform the ability! So be sure to keep an eye on your combatant's Stamina, and either shift them out (more on this later) or spend a full turn Resting to recover it if it gets too low.
If an ability inflicts damage to a fighter, the fighter will take damage equal to the ability's Attack stat, minus the Resistance of that fighter that matches that ability's Type. For instance, if a fighter with 30 Physical Resistance is hit by a Physical ability with an Attack stat of 200, they will lose 170 HP. Remember, reaching 0 HP will result in a fighter being eliminated!
Attack stats can be split into two parts, their Strength and their Hit Count, e.g. if the Attack stat is "50 x 3," 50 is the Strength and 3 is the Hit Count. If the Hit Count isn't listed but the Strength is, the Hit Count is 1 by default. An ability with an Attack stat of "50 x 3" strikes an opponent with an Attack stat of 50 three times, and that means Resistances are applied three times to the total damage! A fighter with 30 Resistance wouldn't take 120 damage from this attack; they'd take 60!
Alternatively, you can also simply order your combatant to not use an Ability during a phase.
Shifting and Collisions
You can also instead have your current combatant shift out in place for your action, replacing them with another one of your combatants! Simply specify which of your (non-eliminated) combatants you'd like to switch in when you attempt a shift, and you'll attempt to switch to that combatant. Any actions you select after that shift will be for the new combatant you select to enter battle. Shifting occurs before all abilities to be used that turn are performed.
When a combatant shifts out of battle, their HP will remain the same, but they'll recover all of their AP. Make sure to shift every once in a while to make sure you have enough AP to use your Abilities when you need it, to get a favorable one-on-one match-up with the current opposing combatant, or to save your combatant from certain knockout!
But be warned, shifting is not without risk! You can only try to shift once a turn, and you can't command your combatant to move to another space on the same phase that you try to shift. Because you'll be forced to stay still, the combatant you choose to have enter battle might be something of a sitting duck for that phase!
In addition, if the opposing combatant collides with you by moving into your fighter's current space on the same phase that you attempt to shift, then the shift is negated, and the rest of your commands for that turn are rendered invalid! Your opponent will get to wail on you while you're completely vulnerable, so whatever you do, don't get caught trying to shift out when they try to collide!
Note that only combatants can collide with each other, and only non-combatant fighters can collide with each other.
When a combatant shifts out of battle, their HP will remain the same, but they'll recover all of their AP. Make sure to shift every once in a while to make sure you have enough AP to use your Abilities when you need it, to get a favorable one-on-one match-up with the current opposing combatant, or to save your combatant from certain knockout!
But be warned, shifting is not without risk! You can only try to shift once a turn, and you can't command your combatant to move to another space on the same phase that you try to shift. Because you'll be forced to stay still, the combatant you choose to have enter battle might be something of a sitting duck for that phase!
In addition, if the opposing combatant collides with you by moving into your fighter's current space on the same phase that you attempt to shift, then the shift is negated, and the rest of your commands for that turn are rendered invalid! Your opponent will get to wail on you while you're completely vulnerable, so whatever you do, don't get caught trying to shift out when they try to collide!
Note that only combatants can collide with each other, and only non-combatant fighters can collide with each other.
Crisis Rate and Crisis Abilities
Each side in a battle starts with a Crisis Rate (abbreviated CR) of 0; this CR is shared among all combatants on your side. Some abilities have a Crisis Rate stat associated with them; performing that ability will increase your CR by the stat's amount. You can then spend your CR as the Cost of a special type of ability known as a Crisis Ability: an ultra-powerful ability with a lot of oomph, enough to potentially turn the tide of the battle around! Plan out your use of Crisis Abilities carefully, because they can be in short supply and you'll want to get the most value out of your CR as you can!
Where things get interesting is that you gain CR much more quickly when your side is in a bind! Whenever one of your combatants is eliminated, you'll instantly gain 100% Crisis Rate that you can spend on your Crisis Abilities right away! Use this to turn the tide of the situation!
Where things get interesting is that you gain CR much more quickly when your side is in a bind! Whenever one of your combatants is eliminated, you'll instantly gain 100% Crisis Rate that you can spend on your Crisis Abilities right away! Use this to turn the tide of the situation!
Eliminations and Victory
When a combatant's HP is reduced to 0, they are eliminated and can't participate in battle any longer! When a combatant is eliminated, the current turn immediately ends, and the player controlling that combatant must immediately shift in one of their other non-eliminated combatant before the battle resumes.
Obtain victory by eliminating all enemy combatants!
Obtain victory by eliminating all enemy combatants!
Special Rulings and Misc.
In general, the effects of ability effects have priority over the effects of trait effects, which have priority over the effects of field effects, which have priority over the rules of the game. Dominance in priority is transitive.
In general, if there are two effects of the same priority where one specifies something can't be done, while one specifies it can, the former takes priority over the other.
If a submitted command is invalid for whatever reason, but the phase for which the command has been issued has not commenced, the player will be allowed a time period during which they may correct the command. If a previously valid command becomes invalid as a result of any change in the state of the game, it will be ignored entirely, and a default command (typically "stay in place and rest") will be used instead.
All final calculations are rounded down to the nearest integer. For example, if a fighter with 25 HP was affected by an effect which explicitly halved their remaining HP, they would have 12 HP left. However, attacks can never deal negative damage; the lowest amount of damage they can do is 0.
In general, if there are two effects of the same priority where one specifies something can't be done, while one specifies it can, the former takes priority over the other.
If a submitted command is invalid for whatever reason, but the phase for which the command has been issued has not commenced, the player will be allowed a time period during which they may correct the command. If a previously valid command becomes invalid as a result of any change in the state of the game, it will be ignored entirely, and a default command (typically "stay in place and rest") will be used instead.
All final calculations are rounded down to the nearest integer. For example, if a fighter with 25 HP was affected by an effect which explicitly halved their remaining HP, they would have 12 HP left. However, attacks can never deal negative damage; the lowest amount of damage they can do is 0.