Disc Duelers
Disc Duelers Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Materials
- Credits
- Real-Space Gaming
- Character Cards
- First Time Setup & Classic Elimination Mode
- Gameplay
- Option: Items & Crates
- Option: Point Capture
- Option: Rotating Roster
- Option: Team Play
- Game Variant: Disc Soccer
- Game Variant: Disc Volleyball
- Game Variant: Disc Racing
- FAQ & Clarifications
- Tips & Tricks
- Designer's Note
Materials
- 52 character cards
- 50 item cards
- 1 sticker sheet
- 53 white character discs (1 is a replacement)
- 1 black disc (for variants)
- 4 red mini-discs (ranged attacks)
- 6 brown wood cubes (crates)
- This rulebook
Credits
Game Design by D. Brad Talton Jr. Artwork by Fábio Fontes.
Disc Duelers is presented by Level 99 Games (lvl99games.com). ©2012 by Level 99 Games, all rights reserved.
Special Thanks: Matt Locklin, Matt Locklear, Andrew Ackerman, Chad Hantak, John Parmalee, Mark Hadley, Kevin Brusky, Chris Holm, Ed Healy, Andrew Tullsen.
Real-Space Gaming
What is real-space gaming? A real-space game is one that takes place in real space using real physics and real materials.
In a real-space game, moves are made by pushing the parts along the table, and physics takes care of the resolution. For example, in Disc Duelers, the primary way of moving a character or making an attack is to flick or prod the character's disc. How far can a character move? What's the range of their attack? It's all decided by how far and how accurately you can perform that flick.
Real-space gaming is messy. Things will happen that aren't covered in the rules. Someone will bump the table. Someone will nudge the terrain. This is normal, and you will need to make snap judgments to keep things moving and minimize impact on the game. Just keep in mind that the most important thing is to have fun.
Making Space
In this game box we've included characters, items, and rules. However, the play area, the most important component of the game, is up to you to provide.
A Disc Duelers game plays best on a 4-foot square or circular table, but any kind of surface can work fine. You can even add special terrain with special rules, if you want! But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Here are some ideas to help you set up.
Collect a few items from what's available to get set up. Here are some criteria for good terrain:
- Closed shapes make the best terrain.
- Wooden blocks or stackable pieces can be put together to make larger terrain pieces.
- Terrain should be heavy enough that it won't move when hit by the character discs–styrofoam is usually not good for terrain.
- Terrain should have a hard exterior. Hard terrain will bounce discs more effectively, making trick shots easier.
- Terrain should not be valuable or breakable.
- Terrain should usually be single-level, at least when introducing the game. Pieces with ramps are usually better for advanced players.
Once you have assembled enough terrain to make the table cluttered but not crowded, you are ready to play. Try to play in an area where there are no couches or low-sitting coffee tables–there's nothing worse than having to move furniture when something falls off the table (and things will).
Safety Precautions
This game features small wooden discs which can fly around the area. These discs pose a choking hazard for children and pets. Take care to retrieve any discs which have fallen out of play as quickly as possible and to clean up the game completely when you are finished playing.
Flying discs can also injure adults who do not take proper care. Always pay attention when another player is making a shot. Do not shoot towards other players. Do not make shots with unreasonable or excessive force.
Play in an area where you are not worried about flying objects damaging walls, furniture, breakables, collectibles, or heirlooms.
More than just the Box
As you can probably tell from the sentiments above, Disc Duelers is a much less structured game than many others in your collection.
We encourage you to build upon the game with new terrain forms, play modes, scenarios, and whatever additional possibilities you can imagine. Experiment! You can share and explore new ways to play at lvl99games.com/games/discduelers/
Character Cards
Character cards are the heart of Disc Duelers, and there are plenty to choose from!
Reading Character Cards
Each character card has an illustration, two icons (red and blue discs) and a special effect. The illustration on the character card will match the illustration on the character disc. Together, the disc and card are called the Character.
The red disc number is the number of Attack Actions the disc can make when it takes a turn.
The blue disc number is the number of Movement Actions this disc can make when it takes a turn.
The special effect differs by character. You can read the special effect below each character in text format, but the icons should become familiar quite quickly, since each character's look and power are quite distinct.
All Characters have 5 life.
A character card shows, from top to bottom: Name, Attacks, Movements, Special Power.
Ready & Unready
During the game, characters will become ready and unready. To mark a character as unready, just turn the character card on its side.
Defensive characters don't get as many attack opportunities, but you can safely leave them in the center of the area to retaliate against opponents who target their softer allies.
First Time Setup & Classic Elimination Mode
First Time Setup
Before your first game, you will need to set up the game by applying the stickers on the sticker sheet to the 52 white character discs. We've included one extra disc, just in case any become lost.
The square Flag Stickers are included for use with the Racing Variant in the back of the book. Don't apply them to the discs!
Classic Elimination
This is the most basic version of Disc Duelers, and can be played by anywhere from 2 to 6 players. We recommend starting with this game mode before trying out the others.
Playing without Items
We recommend playing without items for your first game. When doing so, you will need to remove characters with item-related powers from the character card deck during setup. These are: Abarene, César, Clive, Endrbyt, Gerard, Lixis, Iri, and Sera.
Terrain Setup
Set all terrain to the side so that you have a clear table. Starting with any player, each player takes one piece of terrain and places it anywhere on the table, going clockwise around the table. There are a few rules to observe when placing terrain:
- Terrain cannot block any portion of the table's surface from any other–you cannot divide the table or create closed shapes of terrain.
- Two pieces of terrain must be placed at least one short card edge apart from each other.
Continue until the terrain has been as evenly divided among the players as possible. Any leftover terrain can be left out of the game.
Player Setup
Give each player 6 random character cards. Each chooses one of these six to keep, then passes the remainder to their left. Continue this process until each player has kept a set of 3 cards*. Discard the rest of the cards back to the box. They will not be used in this game. This is called a Character Draft.
*In a 3 or 4 player game, build teams of 4 cards. In a 2 player game, build 5 card teams, and start with an 8 card hand.
Each player claims the discs corresponding to the cards they kept (those with matching pictures), and places their cards along one edge of the table. Placing the cards on a separate table or on top of terrain is ideal, so discs will not collide with them during play.
Setup Round
Randomly choose a player to go first. The first round is called the Setup Round. During this first round of play, no attacks may be made, and no one takes damage.
Instead, each player places a disc from their team onto any edge of the table, and makes 2 moves with it. Continue this until all discs are on the table.
During the Setup Round, no discs can take damage, and no special powers activate.
Gameplay
The game proceeds as a series of turns, starting with the first player in the setup round and going clockwise.
When a player's turn begins, they must activate a ready disc and take a turn with it. Turn that disc's card 90 degrees to unready it, then take a turn with that disc (see moving and attacking).
At the end of your turn, if all of your character cards are unready, turn them all back to their ready status. If you only have 1 character, this will happen every turn.
Movement
Movement actions are represented by a blue disc.
To move a disc, first announce that you are making a Move. Next, flick, poke, or prod the disc with your hand. If the disc moves at all, then the move is legal.
When moving, your disc can hit terrain without incurring any life loss. Hitting other discs during movement causes your disc to take 1 point of damage.
Attacking
Attacking works just like movement, except for two important changes.
When attacking, hitting any terrain will cause you to take 1 damage.
When attacking, hitting any other disc will cause the disc that you hit to take 1 damage. Hitting discs while attacking does not cause damage to the attacking disc.
Good Control is the path to victory!
Elimination
When one of your discs has 5 or more damage on it, remove it from play immediately. That disc and its character card are returned to the box. All of your characters immediately become ready and regain 1 life when one of your discs is eliminated.
When a player has only 1 disc left, he does not unready that disc after it acts.
If all of a player's discs are eliminated, that player is eliminated from the game.
The last player standing wins!
Turns
On a player's turn, that player will select one card from their team that is ready to act, and take a turn with it. They will unready the corresponding card by turning it on its side, then take actions with the disc matching the card. This card will not be able to act again until all of the player's other cards have taken turns.
During a turn, a disc is able to make a number of moves equal to its 'movement' rating, and a number of attacks equal to its 'attack' rating. It may also be able to use some special powers.
Unless otherwise noted, all discs have 5 life.
It helps if you remember that attacking is just the opposite of movement. "When you move, hitting terrain is OK; when you attack, it's bad. When you move, hitting discs is bad; when you attack, it's OK."
The maximum amount of damage a disc can typically take from an attack (without items or special powers) is 3 points: 1 point for the attack itself, 1 point for the disc hitting terrain, and 1 point for knocking the disc off of the table. However, it is quite hard to do all 3 kinds of damage with a single attack.
A single character cannot take two points of the same kind of damage in one attack–if a disc hits two pieces of terrain, for example, it still takes only one damage.
(The red disc is attacking, the blue one is moving.)
Ranged Attacks
Many characters mention Ranged Attacks. A ranged attack is performed by placing the small red disc within an inch of the attacking disc, and then flicking just the red disc.
If the small red disc hits any terrain before it hits a target, the attack fails and does no damage.
Otherwise, the ranged attack works just like a regular attack, and deals damage as normal or as described by the character card.
Some ranged attacks are chained, meaning that the red disc can be flicked multiple times on its path to the destination. In this case, the disc is still removed as soon as it hits a terrain piece or a character disc.
Ranged attacks start within an inch of the attacking disc, then are flicked away.
It's possible for Terrain to become dislodged or fall during play. If your move causes a terrain piece to fall over onto another disc, that disc takes damage just like from a regular terrain collision. Then remove any pieces of terrain destroyed this way from the board. A disc that moves into an unplayable area is reset just as if it had fallen off the board from that point.
It can be exciting to build easily destructible terrain, traps, and more into your game play area... use your imagination!
Kallistar is one of many characters who make ranged attacks.
Falling off the Table
Sometimes a disc will fall off of the table. If this occurs, leave it off of the table until the end of the current turn.
If the acting disc (the one taking a turn) falls off of the table, its turn ends immediately.
After the current turn ends, all discs that fell off of the table take 1 damage. Those that are still alive can be placed back onto the table within 6 inches of the edge by their owners.
Collateral Damage
When a disc is hit by a disc that was attacked, it takes 1 point of damage (for example, if A knocks B into C, both B and C would take a point of damage).
Any disc that hits a piece of terrain outside of its turn takes damage, so you can use moves to bash enemies into terrain, if you aren't worried about taking extra damage yourself from colliding with them during movement.
Defeat
If a disc takes damage such that 5 damage is now on its character card, then the disc is defeated. Remove the disc from the table, and discard its card back to the box.
When a character is defeated (or injured, in the sports games), they discard all items attached to his character card.
Option: Items & Crates
Option: Item Cards
Item cards can be acquired during the game, and have specific powers that the character holding the item can utilize.
An item card shows, from top left: Action Type, Single or Multi-use?, and the Item Card Effect, alongside the item's Name.
Reading Item Cards
The item card has two icons in its top left. One is superimposed on a red or blue disc, and the other on a card back.
The first icon determines which kind of action (attack or movement) and how many of that kind of action are required to utilize the item. A (recycle) symbol in this area means that the item is always active, and doesn't need an action to be used.
The second icon determines whether the item is reusable. An arrow means that the item is discarded after being used, while a (recycle) symbol means the item can be used multiple times.
Using Item Cards
When the item is used (or whenever relevant, for always-active items), follow the effects in the bottom of the text box.
Characters may only carry 2 items at a time. If a character gains an item while they have 2, they may discard one to gain the new item. Characters may not drop held items unless an ability says so.
Crates & Items
Items are optional, and can be included in almost any game mode. We recommend not playing with items during your first game, and mixing them in once you have experienced the basic Classic Elimination game at least once.
Many items can be used in conjunction with your character's built-in powers! Look for exploitable combinations to gain an unfair advantage over opponents!
Placing Crates
If playing with items, you will need to set up the game board with crates (the brown cubes included in the box). The number of crates in play should always be half the number of players in the game (to a minimum of 3). Leave some crates aside if not playing with a full compliment of players.
Crates are dropped onto the table from any point from a height of at least 1 foot. If a crate bounces off of the table or onto terrain such that it cannot be reached, the player to the right of the one who dropped it may 're-drop' the crate, following the same rules. If they miss, re-drops continue around the table until someone drops it successfully.
When a character disc touches a Crate, either with an attack or a move, remove the crate from the table, then draw the top card of the item deck.
Attach the item card to the character who opened the crate by placing it to the side of the board together with his character card. Only the character who acquired the item can use it.
The removed crate is then dropped by the player to the right of the one whose turn it currently is (that is, the player whose turn is furthest away) using the crate drop rules.
Initial Setup
If you are setting up at the beginning of the game, each player drops one crate onto the field before discs are placed, following the normal rules for crate dropping.
Crates cannot be picked up by moving discs during placement or setup–only once the game begins proper.
Acquiring Items
Items are acquired by opening Crates which appear on the table during gameplay.
Option: Point Capture
Point Capture is a play style that prevents players from being eliminated, meaning everyone will be in the game until the very end!
In Point Capture games, when a disc is defeated, the player who did the finishing attack gains 1 point.
The defeated disc stays off the board. But its card still remains in play, and unreadies as normal. The next time the defeated disc would take a turn, it comes into play on any edge of the table and begins its turn as normal.
The first player to reach a set number of points (usually seven or eleven) is declared the winner.
Option: Rotating Roster
You can use this option to add variety to a point-capture game.
When a player is defeated, instead of returning the defeated disc to play, the owner of the disc draws 3 character cards and chooses one to replace his defeated character with. That character comes into play and replaces the defeated one.
Option: Team Play
To play with a group of more than six players, team play is recommended. In team play, each player has only one disc to control.
| # of Players | Teams |
|---|---|
| 8 | 2 teams of 4 players |
| 9 | 3 teams of 3 players |
| 10 | 2 teams of 5 players |
| 12 | 3 teams of 4 players OR 4 teams of 3 players |
| 14 | 2 teams of 7 players |
| 15 | 3 teams of 5 players |
| 16 | 4 teams of 4 players |
Setup
Players set up so that each team has their own side of the table. Deal each player 3 characters, and let them choose their favorite to use during the game. Discard the other cards to the box, they will not be used.
Each player places their disc on the edge of the table and gives it two movement flicks, just like a normal Setup Round.
Turn Order
When a team's turn begins, all players on that team take a turn. Players can act simultaneously, quickly, or slowly, so long as each one of them takes a single action with his or her disc.
Once all players have taken a turn, it is the next team's turn.
Defeat & Falling in Team Games
Team play uses Point Capture Rules, so each time a player is defeated, they restart on their team's side of the table at the beginning of the next team turn.
A player who goes off of the side of the table also begins on their team's side of the field.
Scoring Points
A player makes a point for their team whenever they defeats the disc of an enemy team member.
In a 2-team game, a player can also score a point for their team by standing within 3 inches of the enemy team's starting side at the end of their team turn.
Use Options and Variants to build the game YOU want to play!
Game Variant: Disc Soccer
Overview
This is a game for 2 players that takes between 1 and 2 hours to play.
In this game, you will attempt to use your characters to move the black disc down the field and into your opponent's goal.
There are no fouls in disc soccer, and knocking out your opponent's discs is a viable strategy to get an advantage on turns. The player with the most discs in play gets the most turns, and is therefore more likely to score!
The game goes on until one player scores 7 points, or until 3 non-scoring rounds pass. The player with the most points is then declared the winner!
Setup
Set 20 character cards face-up on the table. Players draft teams of 8 characters, taking turns back and forth.
Only 5 of these 8 discs will be in play at a time. The remaining 3 discs will go on your bench. The discs on the bench are out of play and kept off of the table. They do not receive turns.
Terrain may exist, but the table should be largely clear. Each player should have a goal on his or her side of the table, erected from two markers, such as two pennies or two wooden blocks. Try to choose goal markers that will not be moved around easily by collisions.
Divide the play area evenly into two sides, using tape, markers, or some other method.
Resetting / Setup
At intervals during gameplay, there will be a Reset. Here are the times to reset:
- When either player scores a point
- When all players on both sides are exhausted / defeated.*
- When the game is first beginning after setup.
The team who was last scored upon (or a coin toss, at the game's start) gains possession of the Black Disc and may place it anywhere on their side of the field.
The player with possession arranges their discs however they like. They may freely swap discs between their play field and their bench, as long as the field has no more than 5 active discs in play. It is a good idea to swap with your bench often, so that your team does not become bogged down with excessive damage.
The player without possession then arranges their discs however they like.
All discs, including defeated discs, recover 1 life and become ready when there is a reset. A disc that is defeated will return to life and be playable again due to this life gain. Discs on the bench recover 2 life per reset instead.
*Each time there is a reset due to condition 2 (no more turns left), make a note of it on your score pad.
Moving the Ball
The black disc can be moved by touching it with either an attack or a move (it never does damage).
When the black disc touches a player disc that is not the currently active character, that player may immediately make two move actions. This is called a Pass/Intercept Bonus, and interrupts the current turn. It does not unready a character, and can be used by a character even if he has already taken a turn.
Using these bonuses, you can pass to your allies, but your enemies might also intercept the ball and knock it out. Use team setups and these bonus turns to move the ball rapidly down the field. A disc that is defeated by an attack at the same time he gets a pass/intercept bonus doesn't receive this bonus movement.
Scoring
When the black disc enters a player's goal (on the opposite side from him), that player gains 1 point. Then perform a reset.
Scoring immediately ends the round, even if a player would normally get a pass/intercept bonus.
Good sportsmanship is for players–your discs can be as rough as they want on the field.
Disabled
Discs who have 5 or more damage are removed from play for the rest of the round, and do not get their turns. This can cause one player to have more turns than their opponent. In the case where one player still has turns, and the other player does not, the player with turns remaining continues taking turns until he no longer can or until he scores.
Penalties
When the Black Disc leaves the table, a penalty is incurred. In this case, the penalty-causing player is the one whose turn it was.
In case of a penalty, the turn ends immediately, and the player whose turn is next chooses their character to use for their upcoming turn.
The chosen character is moved to the edge of the table where the black disc fell, and may place the black disc and his own character disc anywhere within 6 inches of that point.
Game End
The game ends when a player scores their 7th point OR when there are 3 resets due to no more turns being left (condition 2 under 'resetting').
In the first case, the player who scored their 7th point is declared the winner!
In the second case, the player with the most points is declared the winner. In the case of a tie, play rounds until either player scores a point.
Game Variant: Disc Volleyball
Overview
This is a game for two players that takes about 1 hour to play.
In this game, your goal is to have the black disc on your opponent's side of the field at the end of his turn. Use your powers and attacks to disable your opponent or cut off his options, so that he is unable to return your serves.
Unlike regular Volleyball, you can stand on your opponent's side of the field. The first to 11 points wins!
Play Option: Items
You may choose to play without items in this mode, or with items, whichever you prefer. The item rules are the same as normal for this mode, with a few changes:
Only two crates are dropped, and they are re-dropped each time there is a reset. If crates are in play during a reset, they are removed before new crates are dropped.
Setup
Use a tape or laser or two markers to divide the table in half. Each side will want about 4 square feet of play area (a 2 foot by 2 foot area)
Each player has three characters. Draft 3 characters from starting hands of 6 characters. Randomly select a server for the first turn.
Resetting
The board will be Reset every time a point is scored, and the player most recently scored against is the 'Server'.
- Every character recovers 1 life.
- Place the black disc on the side of the Server. This player arranges their characters however they wish and readies all characters.
- The second player may then freely arrange their characters and readies them all.
Gameplay
If the ball is on your side of the table at the start of a player turn, then it is your player turn. Ready all of your characters. You may take a full disc turn with each of your characters, then your player turn is over.
You can move the black disc with an attack. It will do 1 damage to a character if it is hit during a move.
If the black disc is on your side of the table or out of the play area at the end of your turn, then your opponent gains a point. Reset the table, and you are now the server.
Injuries
When a character loses all of its life points, it suffers an injury. Injured characters are removed from play, and only return to play during a reset. An injured character who returns to play returns with 2 points of damage already on it.
Penalties
Knocking the black disc entirely off of the table (not just out of the play area) causes a penalty. A penalty is a point for the other team.
A character may cross onto their opponent's side of the table, but may not attack the black disc while it is on this side of the table. Touching the black disc with an attack or move while it is on the opponent's side of the table is a penalty.
Field Line
It is possible that the black disc comes to rest on the center line of the field. In this case, it is considered to be still on the side of the player who caused it to come to rest there.
Passing / Intercepting
If the black disc touches a player whose turn it is not, then that disc may immediately make one move, then one attack (this works very similar to the pass/intercept rules in Disc Soccer)
Winning
The first player to Eleven points wins the game. If you like, you can play best of 3 games.
Game Variant: Disc Racing
Overview
This is a game for 2-6 players that takes between 1 and 2 hours to play.
Each player has 3 discs. The first player to get 2 discs across the finish line wins.
Racer selection is by draft, just like Classic Elimination Mode.
Setup
Set up a generously sized table. Five or six feet square or circular is about right.
Place terrain to create a circular track, and make sure all players know which direction they should be heading around the track.
Place pairs of upside-down character discs or small coins along the track about 6 or more inches apart to act as gates. During the race, players must pass through these gates in succession to perform a lap around the track. Use tokens to mark how many gates a character has passed through. (Some flag stickers are included so you can make gate terrain pieces if you wish)
If a gate is moved during play, return it to its position.
Gameplay
Play works as normal, with each player taking turns and moving along the track.
Characters can still take damage and claim/use items during the race as normal. Just remember that each character must pass through each gate to complete a lap!
A character can use his entire turn to Repair. If he does, he removes all damage from his character card and flips it upside down. Until the start of his next turn, he cannot take damage.
A character may repair anytime, but if he has 5 or more damage, he MUST use his next turn to repair.
Turn Order
Each round, turn order proceeds with the last place disc and moves towards the first place disc. It can be helpful to place the character cards in turn order off to the side of the table, and reorder them each turn to keep track of the changing turn order.
Laps
If you are playing multiple laps, you will need to have some tokens on hand to keep track of laps. A single lap is usually enough for most games.
When a racer crosses the finish line of his final lap, he is removed from the table right away.
Option: Items
Items can be used in this play mode, and the item rules work as normal.
Option: Team Racing
This mode can be played by 9, 12, 15, 18, or 21 players. Players are divided into teams of 3, and each player gets 1 disc.
The first team to have 2 of its 3 racers cross the finish line wins!
FAQ & Clarifications
Q: My character has 'Ranged Attack'. Can they also make Melee attacks?
A: With the exception of Kallistar (who says she can only use Ranged Attacks) every character has a 'normal' or 'melee' attack that can be used by flicking their character disc. If these characters have special ranged attack bonuses (like Ottavia and Tatsumi) they don't get these bonuses when using their melee attack.
Q: Can I bounce my ranged attack off of terrain?
A: No. Once a ranged attack hits terrain, any other target that gets hit by it is unaffected.
Q: Can I use Kaitlyn's Power to lift up the hand of a player playing Iaxus or using the Barrier?
A: Yes. If you do so, the player may not place their hand back on the table afterwards–the effect ends entirely.
Q: My disc is stuck in a corner of terrain or is otherwise impossible to flick.
A: You can slide the disc to put one finger-space between your disc and any nearby terrain or other discs before flicking. You cannot use this 'free spacing' to cause damage or push a disc off of the table, however.
Q: My disc has become stuck on top of terrain or in a place where it will never be reachable.
A: If the other players at the table decide the disc has become stuck or is in a place where it cannot be reasonably reached by other discs, consider it as though the disc had fallen off of the table. It comes back into play within 6 inches of the spot it got stuck.
Tips & Tricks
- Take some time to test out your table before starting. Smooth tables will cause discs to fly further, while covered tables or padded tables typically allow discs to travel much shorter (and stop more abruptly) with the same amount of force.
- If you want to measure precisely, 6 inches is one short card edge plus one long card edge. A foot is two short card edges plus two long card edges (or the game box plus one long card edge).
Disc Duelers is part of the World of Indines, a collection of games features recurring characters in a vibrant and growing fantasy world. Many of the characters in Disc Duelers also appear in other games in the series like BattleCON, Pixel Tactics, Seven Card Slugfest, and more. Visit lvl99games.com for more information on the World of Indines series of games.
Designer's Note
Disc Duelers is designed to be a game that you build the way you want to play. If there are rules, cards, items, or the like that don't work at your table, establish house rules and make the game yours!
In many ways, it is a baseline–a kit upon which to build the game you want to play.
I hope you have a great time designing arenas and battling with your Disc Duelers!
- D. Brad Talton Jr.
It's time... ...to disc duel!