This post is related to my previous post, MACE: Charge Updated. Again, this is more for my own reference, but if you have anything to contribute, feel free.
Counter - Defensive Action
When a Player is dealt Damage by a Strike or Blast, they may spend a Charge Token in order to Counter. Use the rules below.
Counter - Spades or Clubs
Play a card of the corresponding Suite (Spades for Strike, Clubs for Blast). If the CV (card value) of the card played is higher than the CV of the attacker's card, then negate all Damage. In addition, the attacker takes Damage equal to the CV of the card you played.
What is going on?
It may not seem like a huge addition, but it adds a lot more depth to MACE. Because Counter is a Defensive Action, you can perform them as many times as you want in response to Damage. What this results in is both awesome close combat exchanges or Dragonball style energy blast battles.
To give you an idea of what I mean, below is an example.
Fighter A uses a Strike for 6 against Fighter B. Fighter B responds by using a Counter for 8. Fighter A also has a Charge Token, so he spends it and a Strike Token to use a King (13) of Hearts as a return Counter. Fighter B is suddenly in trouble, so plays a Block for 7 and takes the rest on the chin.
This is just one example of how Charge Tokens add a new element to the game.
For those who don't know what MACE is, click here.
Playtest Observations
I tried out the new system for both Charge Tokens and Counters. It was good I did, because it led me to some interesting situations.
One of the situations was when a Player takes enough Damage in their own Turn from a Counter to cause a Knockdown. What if they had not Momentum Boosted, do they lose the opportunity? Does their Turn end with them Knocked Down, or do they count as getting back up? This is somthing I will have to address in the revision, as before it was not really possible to take Damage in your own Turn.
As it stands at the moment, if you are Knocked Down during your own Turn due to a Counter, your Turn ends and you remain Knocked Down. However, determining this led to another problem.
That problem was that the Counter was potentially game winning by itself. A succesful Counter negates the opponents Damage, then does full Damage equal to the CV of the card played. Because this is done outside the Players Turn, when their Turn then comes around, the opponent is Knocked Down and ready to finish.
Sure, you can Block or Dodge an opponents Counter, but if you have no higher cards or Blocks in hand, the Counter can be the finishing blow. Whether I will ammend Counter to do less Damage will only be determined after more playtesting. On the up side we were both very careful with how we attacked when our opponent had one or more Charge Tokens.
More later after we playtest some alternatives.
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