Desktopia Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Contents
• Game Manual
  • The Orders
• Game Pieces
  • Disks with Stickers
  • Character, Artifact and Missile Cards
  • Ritual Cards
  • Damage Tokens
  • Time Cards
• Disks
• Characters
  • Heroes
  • Veterans
  • Fighters
  • Artifacts
  • Missiles
• Game Basics
  • The Camp and the Battlefield
  • Game Objective
  • Player One
• Script Choice and Preparations
  • Disposition of Forces
  • Character Card Description
  • Character Abilities
• Hits
• Power Sector and Power Hit
• Character Life Points
• Ranged Weapons
• Spells
• Character Traits
• Character Class
• Three Actions per Turn
• Flicks
  • The Theory of Flicking
• Ranged Attacks
• Spells
• Artifacts
  • How to Gain Control Over an Artifact?
  • How to Gain Control Over an Artifact Already Controlled by Another Player
  • Using an Artifact
• Rituals
• Penalties and Bonuses
  • Penalty Time Cards
  • Bonus Time Cards
• A Few Rules to Remember
• Terminology
  • The Reserve
  • Discarding Cards
  • Nearby (Adjacent)
  • Allied Character vs. Enemy Character
• Appendix
  • Detailed Description of Spells, Traits, Missiles, Artifacts and Rituals
    • Spells
    • Character Traits
    • Character Abilities (continued)
    • Missiles
    • Artifacts
    • Rituals
• Script Book

Game Contents

• 64 disks of four colors (16 of each color), including:
  • 3 × 31 mm (1.22 in) disks of each color
  • 4 × 28 mm (1.10 in) disks of each color
  • 4 × 23 mm (0.90 in) disks of each color
  • 5 × 15 mm (0.59 in) disks of each color
• 128 stickers (2 for each disk)
• 49 cards, including:
  • 20 character cards
  • 4 artifact cards
  • 8 missile cards
  • 12 ritual cards
  • 5 time cards
• 24 damage tokens
• Game manual
• Script book

Game Manual

Desktopia is a fascinating game that requires good planning, physical coordination and a good eye. It has mighty warriors, mysterious artifacts and deadly missiles. They are represented by disks of varying sizes and colors that have to be sent flying toward their targets with a well-aimed flick of a finger. The game set includes a large number of interesting scripts, but you can always download more from the official web site at www.desktopia-game.com.

The Orders

• The Order of Grass is a union of noble mystics and clairvoyants. Their impregnable citadels with finely-wrought gates stand tall and proud right next to the transparent Outside walls, and the colossal holy trees can be seen even from the farthest corners of the House. This Order is said to be the oldest in existence. Its emissaries roam the Floor tirelessly, trying to convince the tribes inhabiting the dark corners of the House to move closer to the Order's domain of light.
• The Order of Fire is proud and independent nomadic warriors. A long time ago they discovered that fire can be a source of light, heat and deadly power. Ever since that day, the Elders of the Order keep vigil near the horns of Blue Flame, and the warriors who pass the test of the flames spread across the House like wildfire looking for a battle. Fierce and caring not for their wounds, they never retreat, even if struck by the magic of Grass or hounded by the monsters of Dust.
• The Order of Dust insists that everybody in the House recognize their authority, citing ancient tales and what they claim to have heard from the Giants themselves. They claim that there was Dust in the House a long time before life and even light came there. The Order's theoreticians formulate sinister doctrines proclaiming the primacy of death, and their practitioners develop dark rites of destruction and domination in great detail. Anyone who fails to yield will be destroyed.
• The Order of Metal strives to establish a new order inside the House. The Order has the means to achieve this goal — its adepts managed to learn a great deal from the mysterious Giants. The ambitious technomages from the Order of Metal have already mastered the Spark Units and view this as only the first in a long list of victories to come. Their new-found power will enable them to make all the other Orders understand one simple truth: their time is over.

Game Pieces

Disks with Stickers

Wooden disks with stickers on both sides are the main game pieces of Desktopia. Each character, artifact and missile is represented by a disk on the battlefield and a card in the player's camp. The card bears the same illustration as the disk. Disks represent the position and condition of your characters, artifacts and missiles on the battlefield.

Character, Artifact and Missile Cards

Character, artifact and missile cards specify the parameters and traits of the disks currently on the battlefield.

Ritual Cards

These cards correspond to special one-time actions. Players usually receive these cards over the course of the game and can immediately put them to use. See more about rituals in the corresponding section of the manual.

Damage Tokens

Damage tokens are placed on a character's card once it has taken some damage. The character will perish when the number of damage points will be equal to, or greater than, the number of the character's life points.

Time Cards

A player receives them upon committing a punishable action (loss of action) or, on the contrary, as a bonus (an extra action). See more about time cards in the Fines and Bonuses section.

Disks

All the disks in Desktopia vary in size and color. The colors of the disks correspond to the colors of the Orders — green, orange, gray and blue. There is a set of disks of different sizes for each color. There are four sizes altogether:

• 31 mm (1.22 in): Hero and Artifact disks
• 28 mm (1.10 in): Veteran disks
• 23 mm (0.90 in): Fighter disks
• 15 mm (0.59 in): Missile disks

There are stickers of corresponding sizes for every disk — one for each side of the disk. The color of the circles on the stickers always corresponds to the color of the disk.

Before you play your first game of Desktopia, you have to place all the stickers on the disks. It will not take much of your time, since the stickers have already been pre-cut and come with an adhesive layer. In this rule book we will explain further how to apply the stickers to the disks as well as provide additional details about the types of disks in the game.

Characters

Characters are people and entities that you and your opponents will move around the battlefield by flicking them with your finger. This manner of moving around allows the characters to attack each other and use certain abilities.

Each character has a limited number of life points. The maximum number of life points is shown on the left side of the character's card, under the portrait of the character. If a character receives an amount of damage equal to (or greater than) the amount of life points it has, the character dies and the corresponding disk has to be removed from the battlefield.

Characters are divided into three ranks, from the strongest to the weakest: heroes, veterans and fighters.

Heroes

Heroes (31 mm/1.22 in disks) are unique characters with their own names and, in most cases, a larger-than-usual number of life points. If a hero is wounded in battle, this damage is represented by damage tokens placed on top of the hero's card in the player's camp. If a hero's card accumulates a number of damage tokens equal to (or greater than) their maximum amount of life points, the hero perishes. If a hero receives a life point, a wound token is removed from his or her card. Heroes are the most valuable characters in any squad.

You have to place 2 stickers on each hero disk. They both have the same illustration, except one is in full color and one is black and white. The black and white side of the hero disk represents a special battlefield condition. This side is never used in the starter set of Desktopia, but it will come in handy for the expansion packs.

Veterans

Veterans (28 mm/1.10 in disks) are the strongest type of ordinary fighters. Each veteran has a maximum of 2 life points. When a veteran is wounded, their disk is turned over to show the side with a drop of blood painted on it. When wounded veterans receive a second point of damage, they die. If they receive a life point, their disks are turned over again so that their healthy side is on top.

You have to place 2 stickers on each of the veteran disks: a regular (healthy) one on one side, and one with a drop of blood on the other side.

Fighters

Fighters (23 mm/0.90 in disks) are the cannon fodder of Desktopia. Each fighter has only one single life point. When fighters get wounded, they die instantly. Please note: each side of the disk has a different sticker on it, representing two different types of fighters! This will allow you to use four fighters of one type in one battle and four fighters of a different type in another (or use both types of fighters in any other combinations).

You have to place 2 different stickers on each fighter disk. The color of the disk must be the same as the color of the frame of the sticker! Each sticker represents a different type of fighter, both of which belong to the same Order.

Artifacts

Artifact (31 mm/1.22 in disks) disks are the same size as hero disks. Artifacts are inanimate objects that affect the game when present on a battlefield. Artifacts have no life points and cannot be destroyed. Please note: some scripts use special objects that are represented on the battlefield as disks. Use the reverse side of the artifact disks with the icons of special items on them to represent these special objects.

Each artifact disk needs a sticker with the artifact icon on one side and a special item icon (with a barrel on it) on the other side.

Missiles

Missiles (15 mm/0.59 in disks) are used for ranged attacks by characters with specific abilities. Missiles include arrows, spells and every other means of attacking the enemy from a distance. Missiles are usually removed from the battlefield immediately after the result of a given shot has been established or placed on the disks of characters that have been targeted.

Each missile disk must have the same missile icon on both sides.

Game Basics

Desktopia's flick-driven game mechanism makes it unique: players flick their finger to propel character or missile disks, thus moving them and attacking enemy forces. The ability to accurately flick a disk, however, is not as crucial as the ability to carefully plan out the moves and time the attacks.

The Camp and the Battlefield

Desktopia is played on a medium sized table (about three feet by three feet). The exact size of the battlefield is not that important. The border of the battlefield is usually the edge of the table. If the table is too big, you can define the borders of the battlefield by any means available (pencils, books, a wire etc).

The surface of the desk should ideally be smooth to facilitate sliding. If your disks do not slide well across the surface of your table, try using a table-cloth (or removing it if that is what is slowing down the disks).

Each of the players will also need some space to lay out their camp, which will house their character, artifact and missile cards, as well as spare disks and time/ritual cards picked up during the game. You can set your camp up at a different table (or chair, shelf, book, box or even the floor), or have it on the same table as the battlefield, as long as the borders of the battle field and the camp are clearly defined and do not overlap.

Game Objective

A player wins once all of the enemy characters are vanquished. However, some scripts may modify this goal or add additional conditions for achieving victory.

Player One

The identity of Player One may be determined by the script, or the players may leave it up to a draw. Once the first player's move has been made, the turn passes to their neighbor on the left side.

Script Choice and Preparations

Disposition of Forces

Before you begin, choose a script out of those available from the Script book or the web sites www.desktopia-game.com. You can also develop and use a script of your own. Some scripts specify a limited number of players. Thus, if four people intend to play Desktopia, they have to choose one of the four-player scripts.

The script describes the disposition at the beginning of the game:

• Starter squads: each player selects one of the parties involved in the script and takes the disks and cards of the corresponding characters, artifacts and missiles.
• Landscape: the battlefield is formed by whatever objects can usually be found on your desk. They may include books, cups, your laptop, mouse or remote control. Exact reproduction of the script's landscape is not necessary. If you believe that your vase is of a suitable size to represent a tower and if all the other players agree, everything is perfectly fine. After all, it is your battlefield!
• Disposition of forces: each player places their disks on the battlefield according to the script.

A script can also contain special conditions for achieving victory or defeat.

Character Card Description

The character card shows:

• the name of the character;
• the class of the character (for example, pastor);
• the rank of the character (for example, hero);
• the maximum number of life points (for example, 5 points);
• the missile type and amount (for example, 3 Ticks);
• the available actions (a hit, a shot or a spell);
• the detailed description of the actions (for example, what exactly a spell does).

Character Abilities

Each character's abilities are represented on the card. Abilities can be divided into hits, shots, spells and traits.

Hits

The ability to deliver a hit is represented on a character card by a sword icon.

• Hit — Once a character's disk is flicked, the character deals 1 point of damage to every enemy character whose disk collides with [sword icon]. (Editor's note: the printed text reads "whose diskit collides with ." with the icon missing from the text layer; the word "diskit" is read as "disk" and the icon is shown here as a bracketed placeholder.)

A hit is counted when, after being flicked, the character bumps into one or several enemy characters. Each enemy character hit receives 1 point of damage. The damage can result in the death of the enemy character if the amount of damage received is equal to (or greater than) the number of their life points. The character that delivers the hit and all of its allied forces are immune to the damage from the hit.

Some characters can deliver special hits. A special hit has additional properties other than dealing damage to the enemy. There are three types of special hits represented by the following icons:

• Vampire Hit — the attacker with this power receives a number of life points equal to the amount of damage he dealt to the enemies.
• Fire Hit — when the attacker with this power hits enemy characters, you can place a Flame missile on each of the characters hit.
• Dryad Hit — when a character with this power bumps into allied characters after being flicked, each of the allied characters hit receives a life point. When the character bumps into foes, damage is dealt as usual.

Power Sector and Power Hit

Some character disks have power sectors represented by the red portion of their circumference. In order to perform a power hit (a variant of the regular hit), the player must flick the disk by hitting the red part of its circumference. Power hits cause twice as much damage as normal hits.

Sectors of new types with other properties may appear on new character disks in Desktopia expansion packs.

Example: If a player flicks Kharu in one of the directions indicated by red arrows, the power strike option will activate, and Kharu will deal double damage to one of the enemy Rampracks. If a player flicks Kharu in a direction indicated by a gray arrow, Kharu will only deal a single point of damage.

Character Life Points

The amount of life points a character has cannot exceed the maximum amount of life points specified on the card. If a character is at full health and receives additional life points, they instantly disappear. However, a character can receive a number of damage points greater than their current amount of life points. There are a number of abilities, for which this is of importance.

Example: After being flicked, Ezzen hits the first Untouchable with the Lariat of Pain, dealing the enemy 2 points of damage and, destroying him. Ezzen should receive 2 life points as a result of the Vampire Hit ability, but he is at full health. Ezzen himself receives 1 point of damage from the Lariat of Pain. Ezzen ricochets from the first Untouchable and bumps into the second, dealing him another 2 points of damage and receiving 2 more life points. Thus, 1 point of damage from the Lariat of Pain is healed. Then another point of damage is received from the Lariat, which leaves the Ezzen with 1 life point.

If a character receives an amount of damage equal to (or greater than) the amount of life points he or she has, the character dies. The disk of the dead character is removed from the battlefield, but their card remains in the player's camp, which is necessary for some abilities to be used. The Disks section (located in the beginning of the manual) explains how to represent the current number of life points for characters of different rank.

Ranged Weapons

The ability to use a ranged weapon is represented on a character card by an arrow icon. The type and number of missiles that a character can use are specified on the right side of the card, underneath the character's portrait. The number of missiles specified on the card is known as the "maximum amount of missiles".

A shot, or a ranged attack, is an action when the player flicks a missile disk instead of a character disk. The player takes one of the missiles available to the character and places it next to the character disk (no further than the diameter of the shooting character's disk). The shot is considered successful if a disk collides with another disk. The result of the shot depends on the effect described on the missile card.

Example: Akeru shoots a Tick at Vailla. The distance between Akeru's disk and the missile cannot exceed the diameter of Akeru's disk, which makes it possible for him to shoot around corners.

Characters with the ability to use ranged weapons may have access to a limited or a limitless supply of missiles. If the supply is limited, the missile disks are placed on the card of the character that uses them; used missiles are discarded and do not return to the character's card.

If the supply is limitless, missile disks are also placed on the card of the character that uses them. Once used, missile disks return to this card. Limitless supply of missiles is represented on the card by the infinity symbol ∞.

If a character card runs out of missile disks, the character will not be able to use ranged attacks until the missiles become available again. A character's supply may include different missiles of the same type (additional kinds of missiles will be included in the upcoming Desktopia expansion packs). The type of missile is specified on both the character and the missile card.

If a character's supply of missiles is limited, their number can never exceed the maximum amount of missiles specified on the character's card. The maximum amount of missiles also represents the number of missiles available to a character at the beginning of a game (unless the game script specifies something else).

Once a missile disk is flicked, determine the result of the shot based on the effects specified on the missile card. Depending on the type of missile used and its effect, after the shot the missile disk may be:

• discarded,
• returned to the unlimited supply, or
• applied to the target that it collides with.

If a missile fails to collide with any character disks, it is discarded. If the supply of these missiles is unlimited, it returns to the card of the missile. If a missile hits its target, its effect is applied to a single enemy character — the one hit by the missile disk. If the missile disk collides with several characters, the player who made the shot chooses one of them to apply the effect of the ranged attack onto. The character that the effect of the shot is applied to is known as the target. Different missiles have different effects. The effects of a missile as well as its activation time are described on its card. Missile effects have to be applied.

Some missiles have long-term effects, which are specified in the corresponding descriptions on the missile cards. Missiles with long-term effects are mounted on the character disk they hit. A good example of a long-term effect is paralysis from a Vampire Tick, which temporarily incapacitates the enemy character. Some long-term effects are permanent; others can only be activated once a turn. If the disk of a character with a long-term effect missile disk on top of it collides with another disk and the missile is knocked off the character, the effects of the missile are dispelled. If you flick your character with a missile disk on top of it and the disk gets knocked off, its effects are also dispelled. The missile is then discarded, or returned to the unlimited supply.

Any number of missiles can be stacked on top of a single character disk. In this case, they can be arranged in a stack, with the missile that was the first to hit the target at the very bottom, followed by the next one and so on.

Spells

The ability to use spells is indicated on the character cards by a vortex icon.

A spell is a unique character action that requires no flicking. Some characters use spells to deal damage to their enemies, move their own disks (or enemy disks) across the battlefield, receive extra missiles for their supply and achieve other effects.

The player does not flick the character disk to use a spell. Instead, the spell text is read from the card, and the corresponding actions are taken. For example, the player chooses the targets for the spell and distributes its effects.

Please note: character cards only feature short versions of the spells. Consult the corresponding section of the manual for additional information about how to use the individual spells.

Example card text: "Put 2 Tick missiles from the reserve on Akeru's card."

Character Traits

Character Traits are described at the bottom of the card.

Character Traits are passive abilities. Players do not need to spend an action to activate a Character Trait: their effects are activated automatically. Some Character Traits can be used to deal damage to the enemies, receive extra missiles for the character's supply, heal allied characters and so on.

The Character Trait is described on the card, explaining when exactly a particular trait activates. Some traits are activated at the beginning of a turn; others activate towards the end (after a character hits an opponent, for example). The effects of a Character Trait are not optional and must be carried out, unless the wording of the description states that "you may" use this effect, in which case it is up to the player to decide whether or not to activate it.

Once the trait is supposed to activate, the player reads the corresponding text from the character's card and performs the actions specified. For example, the player may choose the targets for a trait and distribute its effects. Some traits are permanently active and go into effect whenever the player's disk is exposed to an external influence. For example, traits may make their owners immune to attacks of characters of a particular rank.

Please note: character cards only feature a short version of the trait description. Consult the corresponding section of the manual for additional information about individual Character Traits.

Character Class

Each character belongs to the class indicated on their card. For example, the hero Adjarkha belongs to the Chieftain class. Classes will play an important role in future Desktopia expansion packs.

Example card text (Adjarkha): "Once your turn is over, you can move a Flame missile mounted on a character disk to the disk of another character."

Three Actions per Turn

A player can use up to three characters in a turn (each of them only once). The action limit may be modified if the player is holding a bonus card. A player may perform fewer than three actions per turn if:

• the player is holding penalty cards,
• the player does not wish to use up all three actions and thus skips the ones that remain,
• the player has less than three active characters left and performs as many actions as their number permits.

Each character can take an action of one of the following three types. The player can only choose one of them.

• a flick;
• a ranged attack (if the character in question has the necessary ability);
• a spell (if the character in question can use spells).

Character Traits activate during the turn. Character Traits do not use up any actions. In fact, many of them will activate even if the characters they belong to took no actions at all during that turn. Traits activated at the end of a certain action may only be used by the character that takes the action in question during that turn.

If a player controls one or more artifacts, each of the artifacts may be used once in a turn without taking up an action. Consult the corresponding section of the manual for additional information about Artifacts.

If you are using ritual cards in your Desktopia game, a player can use any number of rituals during a turn without wasting any actions. Ritual cards are then discarded.

Flicks

Players can use their characters by flicking their disks. A flick can lead to one of the following results:

• If your character does not collide with any other disks, the action will result in a simple relocation of this character.
• If a character collides with an enemy character (or several enemy characters), they will inflict either a simple hit on them (this is an ability shared by all of the characters) or one of their special hits (if any of those are available to the character in question). The effects of the hits and special hits are described in the Character Abilities section (see above).
• If a character collides with another character that has a missile disk on top of it and the missile gets knocked off as a result, the effects of the missile are canceled.
• If a character bumps into an artifact, the artifact most likely will change owners. The rules for controlling Artifacts are described in detail in the Artifacts section below.

Collisions of disks with landscape objects do not affect the outcome of the flick.

A single flick can have several results: a character can first collide with an allied character, then an enemy character, and, finally, an artifact. These three collisions will all have different results.

Example: A player decides to spend an action on flicking their Energan. This can be used either to try dealing damage to the Elemental with a hit (red arrow), or to hide from a potential enemy hit behind the corner of an obstacle (blue arrow).

The Theory of Flicking

During the game players may flick the disks of their own characters (if they choose the "flick" action) or the missile disks (if they choose the "ranged attack" action). When maps or rules refer to "flicking a character", it means that the player should "flick the disk of that particular character". In Desktopia the word "flick" is used to indicate the action of flicking a character disk. Instead of "flicking the missile disk" the manual will often use the words "shooting" or "performing a ranged attack" with the missile in question.

A flick is counted if a player's finger touches a disk. Different players have different flicking techniques, but usually players do it by holding their fingers as follows.

Ranged Attacks

Players can perform a ranged attack if their characters have the necessary ability. The mechanics and the effects of ranged attacks are described in the Character Abilities section (see above). Missile disk flicks are subject to the same regulations as character disk flicks. Players who fail to comply with them are penalized in the same way (see the Penalties and Bonuses section).

Spells

A player can use spells if his or her character has the necessary ability. The mechanics and the effects of spells are described in the Character Abilities section (see above). When a player uses a spell, no flicks are made, and the character involved usually remains in the same position.

Example card text: "Flick one of your characters that has fewer life points than Ramprack. The flick will not use up an action."

Artifacts

Same as heroes, artifacts are represented by 31 mm (1.22 in) disks. Similarly to any character of Desktopia, artifacts belong to one of the four Orders. Players never flick artifact disks. Artifacts are indestructible.

In order to use an artifact, a player needs to take it under his or her control. The Order affiliation of the player and the artifact does not matter. Any player can gain control over any artifact.

How to Gain Control Over an Artifact?

In order to gain control over an artifact, a player has to flick one of their characters. If the character disk collides with the artifact disk, the player can put the character disk on top of the artifact disk and gain control over the artifact from that moment on. Only a neutral artifact can be taken under control. In this case "neutral" stands for an artifact that is not currently controlled by another player. Once a player takes control of an artifact, the artifact's card is added to the player's camp.

How to Gain Control Over an Artifact Already Controlled by Another Player

To take control over an artifact that is already being controlled by another player, the enemy character's disk needs to be removed from the artifact disk. This means that you have to use a flick or a ranged attack to free the artifact disk. If a character or a missile hits the artifact with sufficient strength, the enemy character will be knocked off the artifact disk. The freed artifact can then be taken under the player's control by using another character.

Using an Artifact

A player can use an artifact under his or her control once per turn. There is no limit on the number of artifacts that a player can control and use over the course of a turn. It is up to the player's discretion whether or not to use an artifact on a particular turn.

The moment when an artifact's ability goes into effect is determined by the text on the card. If the card does not specify an activation time, the player may use the artifact anytime during the turn, but only once per turn. When an artifact activates, the player reads the description of its ability from the card and performs the necessary actions. They may involve choosing the target and distributing its effects of the effects.

Artifact abilities are much like Character Traits. Similarly to the traits, the use of an artifact does not require a dedicated action.

Rituals

Ritual cards make the game of Desktopia less predictable, while at the same time adding new strategic elements to the game-play. The use of rituals in Desktopia is optional. The authors of Desktopia recommend that only experienced players introduce ritual cards into the game. If you are a new player, play a few games without rituals first and work out the finer details of Desktopia.

Before you begin a game, shuffle the ritual deck and place it face down anywhere where it would be within easy reach of all the players. Players can only receive a maximum of one ritual card per turn. A player can take the top card from the deck at the end of his or her turn in one of the two following cases:

• if the player deals 4 or more points of damage to enemy characters over the course of a single turn,
• or if the player fails to deal any damage to enemy characters over the course of a single turn.

Players can invent and introduce new rules for receiving ritual cards.

A player looks at the ritual card taken from the deck and can either play it immediately or place it in their camp face down to be played later during one of their turns. A player can keep any number of ritual cards in his or her camp and play any number of those during a turn.

The description of the card being played and its abilities can be found on the card. A card that has been played is discarded, and should be placed in the discard pile. If the deck runs out of cards, the discarded cards are reshuffled and used as a new deck.

When players begin a campaign (or a series of battles), each player can keep their unused ritual cards to be used in the next battle.

Penalties and Bonuses

A penalty in Desktopia results in a player losing his or her next action.

A penalty is applied if the player flicks one or more disks across the border of the battlefield (their own as well as their opponents').

If a flick or a ranged attack results in one or more disks leaving the battlefield, players whose disks have been knocked off the battlefield must return them to the table. Each disk is returned to the location where it had crossed the border of the battlefield. The distance between the disk and the border of the field or any other disks in the vicinity should be equal to the diameter of the disk in question. The penalized player gets to place his or her disk back on the table first, followed by all the other players in a clockwise order.

If the players accidentally displace disks on a battlefield (not as a result of flicking a disk) or perform flicks incorrectly, they must return the disks to their original positions. No penalty is applied in this case.

Penalty Time Cards

If a penalized player did not reach the limit of actions available in the course of the move, they skip their next action. In other words, the number of actions available to the player during that turn is reduced by one. If the player had already taken all of the available actions, they receive a time card and place it in their camp black (penalty) side up.

At the beginning of his or her next turn, the player must discard the penalty cards received and skip a corresponding amount of actions. If the number of penalty cards held by a player at the beginning of the turn is greater or equal to the number of actions for that turn, the player skips the whole turn and discards all the penalty cards.

Bonus Time Cards

The reverse side of the Time Cards is purple. Sometimes a player can receive the right to take an extra action during his or her next turn due to their abilities or script conditions. In this case, they take a Bonus Time Card and place it in their camp bonus (purple) side up. When the player takes the extra action during the next turn, they discard this card. Players cannot stock up bonus cards by saving them for future turns. If a player gets both a Penalty and a Bonus card, the cards cancel each other out and both cards are discarded.

A Few Rules to Remember

The Rule of Deficiency: if an action or the use of an ability requires a disk or a card, neither of which can be found in the reserve or the limitless supply, the player cannot complete the action or use the ability as planned.

The Rule of Maximums: a character can never receive more life points or missiles than the maximum numbers specified on its card.

The Rule of Priority: if the text on the card contradicts the rules, the card takes priority over the rules. The text of the script has priority over both the rules and the text on the cards.

The Rule of Sequence: if several events are to occur simultaneously (for example, at the beginning or at the end of the turn), their sequence is determined by the player whose turn it currently is.

The Rule of Stability: if the disks on the desk have been moved (accidentally, or as a result of breaking the rules), players return their disks to their previous position.

Terminology

Desktopia scripts and cards use a number of special terms.

The Reserve

The Reserve consists of all the disks and cards that are not being used on the battle field or as part of the players' camps. The reserve is usually kept in the game box. Disks and cards may be taken from the reserve if required by an active Character Trait or conditions denoted by the script.

Discarding Cards

When a player discards a card or a disk, they return it to the reserve.

Nearby (Adjacent)

Two nearby or adjacent disks on the battlefield are disks that stand so close to each other that one can put a missile disk on top of the both of them horizontally and it will stay put. If one disk is placed on top of another, the terms "nearby" or "adjacent" are not used.

Allied Character vs. Enemy Character

An allied character is any character that belongs to you or to another faction that is allied with you according to the script. If the description of a character's ability specifies "any allied character" or "any character", the ability in question can be applied to this character, too. An enemy character is any character belonging to a player defined as your opponent in the script.

Appendix

Detailed Description of Spells, Traits, Missiles, Artifacts and Rituals

Please note: character, missile and artifact cards contain shortened descriptions of their abilities. The full versions of all abilities can be found here.

Spells

• Ramprack — Flick any character with fewer life points than the Ramprack. The spell takes into account the amount of life points Ramprack has at the moment the spell is being cast and not the maximum number of possible life points. This flick will not use up an action. You can also flick a character that was already used that turn. If you flick a character that hasn't been used yet, you can use one of your actions later on and flick this same character again.
• Akeru — Put 2 Tick missiles from the reserve on Akeru's card.
• Phantom — Swap the Phantom disk with the disk of any of your other characters currently on the battlefield.

Character Traits

• Elemental — When an Elemental deals damage to enemy characters that already have Flame missile disks on top of them, these characters receive double the amount of damage.
• Smoker — Smokers are immune to hit or ranged attacks carried out by Veterans and Fighters. The Fighters and Veterans can however inflict damage to the Smoker by relying on spells and character traits.
• Adjarkha — At the end of your turn you can move a Fire missile disk, resting on top of a character disk, from one character to another.
• Untouchable — At the end of the turn, Untouchable deal 1 point of damage to every adjacent character, friend and foe alike.
• Div — When Div dies, you can place its disk on top of the card of any of your other heroes. The next time this hero attacks an enemy, he will deal an additional point of damage. Once the attack is carried out, remove the Div disk from the hero's card and discard it.

Character Abilities (continued)

Editor's note: the printed page 19 lists the following entries under the Appendix heading with no sub-heading of their own; they continue the Spells and Character Traits lists above.

• Kharu — Just before flicking Kharu, you can place a Lariat missile disk on top of any of the characters in play.
• Minusoid — When a Minusoid dies, one player of your choice receives a penalty time card and places it in his or her camp.
• Energan — When an Energan dies, take a bonus time card and place it in your camp.
• Baaroun — At the beginning of your turn, place a Lightning missile from the reserve onto the Baaroun's card. He starts with no missiles, but can have up to 3 Lightning missiles at a time.
• Vailla — When Vailla shoots a Magnet, he can target both allies and enemies.
• Shawakh — At the end of the turn you can take one or two Shield missiles off Shawakh's card and place them on top of one or two characters (foes as well as allies). Only one Shield missile can be placed on a character disk.
• Vampal — At the beginning of the turn the Vampal receives an amount of life points equal to that of the number of nearby allies.
• Hornbug — A wounded Hornbug is incapacitated and cannot carry out actions.

Missiles

• Scorching Flame — Long-term effect. A Scorching Flame deals 1 point of damage to the target at the end of your turn.
• Wandering Tornado — Deals 1 point of damage to the target. If the first Wandering Tornado shot misses the enemy character, use the same missile to shoot again, firing it from wherever it ended up after the previous shot.
• Thorn Shield — Long-term effect. The target does not receive damage when damage is due. If a Thorn Shield gets knocked off the target as a result of a flick or a shot, it still manages to prevent the damage from this flick or shot.
• Hardened Arrow — Deals 1 point of damage to the target.
• Chain Lightning — Deals 1 more point of damage to the target than the number of Lightning missiles in possession of the character who had made the shot. Once the shot has been made, discard all of the remaining Lightning missiles.
• Magnet of Power — Flick the target once without using up an action. If the target belongs to another player and the flick results in a hit or a special hit, the usual hit or special hit effects apply, as though the Magnet's target belonged to you. You cannot gain control over an artifact as a result of flicking another player's character.

Artifacts

• Lariat of Pain — Long-term effect. Lariat of Pain can be used on friend and foe alike. If you or another player flicks the target and the flick results in a hit or a special hit, they deal one point of damage more than usual. The character that you flicked receives one point of damage as well. This effect is applied to the target of the flick, even if the Lariat of Pain missile gets knocked off as a result of the flick.

• Vampire Tick — Long-term effect. Incapacitates the target. Deals 1 point of damage to the target at the beginning of your turn, after which a hero of your choice is granted one life point.

• Smithy of Dust — You can only use the Smithy of Dust if you have fewer Fighter pieces on the battlefield than you did at the beginning of the game. When an enemy character dies, resurrect one of your slain Fighters. Actions required:

  • choose a Fighter slain in this battle whose disk was discarded but whose card remains in your camp,
  • take this Fighter's disk from the reserve and place it on the battlefield next to the Smithy of Dust.

  The character is incapable of acting during the turn he was resurrected in, but they retain all of their Traits.

• Fire Mine — Choose one of its two effects:

  • give a missile from the reserve to every character on your squad capable of firing a missile;
  • knock missiles off all of your characters that have a missile on them.

• Fountain of Life — Each of your characters with only 1 life point left recovers one life point. This effect is based on the actual number of characters' life points and is not applicable to the maximum amount of life points.

Rituals

• Summoning — Take a disk of any Fighter belonging to your Order and place it on the battlefield next to one of your heroes. If you do not have a card for this warrior in your camp, take it from the reserve and place it there.
• Purification — Discard any one missile disk placed on top of a character's disk or on top of their card.
• Healing — A character of your choice receives 1 life point.
• Teleportation — Move a disk of one of your characters from one part of the battlefield to another (without placing it over any of the other disks).

Script Book

The Desktopia set also includes a Script book, which contains the following:

• A set of three campaigns for two and three players, each of which represents a series of battles. During each of the battles fought in the course of a campaign a player can receive advantages that are transferable to the next battle of the same campaign.
• Tips for the initial disposition of the forces: correlation of powers, landscape, squads involved and examples of ready made scripts for two, three and four players with both standard and special conditions for achieving victory.
• A number of one-player scenarios that offer a solution for a given problem and help drill certain tactical moves, used by one of the Orders.