Round Ground
Introduction
Round Ground is a 2-3 player game whose goal is to capture a series of hexagonal-shaped territories and to eventually control the three FLAG territories while keeping their opponents from doing the same. Taking over hexagons is done by throwing darts. Each captured territory provides a player with certain benefits during their turn. Also included in the gameplay are playing cards and moving armies.
The theme of the game is a war between Alien’s and Magicians, with the technologically advanced aliens trying to steal the secret of magic. The secret is hidden inside of the planet Round Ground, an ancient spaceship shaped like a disk (dartboard)
Message from the Game Designer
Round Ground is a unique game that combines elements of a board game and darts. I made this with my own hands and invented it with my mind. This game is a part of me, I hope you like it a lot.
There are Premium Copies are available through special Order but they are $120 or more just for the parts before assembly without any development or craftsmanship compensation included.
If you truly enjoy the game and cannot pay the outrageous price for the full version, but would still like to make a purchase, we will work with your budget, the whole point of this is to get the game in the hands of the players that want to play it without investing over 30k in production.
So, check out our website, ‘like’ us on Facebook, and if this is your copy of the game – ENJOY!
Alex Stukalov
A Little Round Ground Prose
This is Round Ground.
Round Ground is better than other Board Games because it has Darts.
Darts are sharp - sharp things can be dangerous.
Don’t be scared - I’m here.
Don’t be afraid of the darts - you won’t hurt yourself - I believe in you.
Unless you stab yourself on purpose - that might hurt.
Please don’t Stab yourself on purpose.
We love you
Have fun playing Round Ground
Game Components
1 - Round Ground Game Board - a Territory Map mounted on a handmade Dartboard
1 - Damage-Free Hanging Strip
1 - Rules Booklet
3 - Darts
45 - Territory Markers pins –3 colors 15 pins
21 - Army Unit pins- 7 Round purple pins, 7 hexagon yellow pins and 7 square orange pins
6 - Tower Units pins
18 - Ability Cards
Game Set-Up
1. Set up the game board on a wall by applying the damage-free hanging strip to the center of the dartboard. Establish the throw line from the board (we recommend 72inches or more). The game difficulty can be increased or decreased by changing how far from the board the thrown line is marked. When the darts are being thrown all the players must be behind the designated throw line and the range must be clear of pedestrians.
2. Shuffle the 18 Ability cards.
3. Set out the darts, tower units, and separate Territory Markers and Army Pins by color.
4. Determine the player’s turn order; the shortest player goes first.
Turn Actions
A Player may do any of the following actions in any order during their turn:
1. Throw a dart (with an attack value of 1) at the territories (with an initial defense value of 0) on the game board. When a player’s dart successfully wins (attack value greater than the defense value) it captures that territory. The territory has to be marked with a flag (denoted by a colored pin); an enemy flag has to be removed.
2. Move any Army and/or Tower Units through any number of connected friendly territories. Army pins can also end there movement in an enemy territory that is adjacent to a friendly hexagon it could have moved into otherwise
3. Play any number of the Ability Cards
Territories
The Round Ground game board is made up of a center territory (SKULL) and 18 surrounding territories. There are 7 different hexagonal-shaped territories:
SKULL – This center territory enhances the occupying player’s next dart (very next throw by player even if not until next turn) with an unlimited power of attack. Once the power is used it cannot be used again until the player re-captures the territory. This power allows a player to potentially capture a FLAG or TOWER Territory and/or kill multiple Army Units.
FLAG – The 3 FLAG territories are probably the most important of all the territories. While they have no activated abilities themselves, a player wins the game when captures all three.
Flags are more difficult to capture than the other territories because they have a passive defense of 1 instead of 0. It means they act as though they have an Army Unit defending them at all times.
But if they do have army units defending then they are vulnerable to attack before the flags natural defense.
There are four ways to capture the Flag:
1. Hit it with a dart twice. The throws have to be consecutive.
2. Hit the territory SKULL and hit the territory FLAG right after.
3. Use an Ability Card. Some of the cards allow to reduce the defense of the territories FLAG, increase the attack of the dart etc.
4. Transfer an Army Unit to the FLAG (to contribute to your attack) before hitting it with a dart.
CLOVER (aka Lucky Clover) –Provides a player with a re-throw of a dart each turn for each CLOVER Territory occupied. CLOVERS Territories only allow re-throws of a dart; they NEVER allow to kill an extra army or to activate/capture an extra territory.
ARMY – Produces Army Units when captured or activated by a friendly dart. If multiple ARMY territories are occupied then a dart may produce one Army unit for each ARMY Territory occupied. All of them appear on the captured/activated territory, but may be moved immediately. A player cannot have more than 6 armies at the same time.
When an Army Unit is in friendly territory it adds one to the territory’s defense. When an Army Unit is in an enemy territory it adds one to any attack made on the space.
Army Units do NOT attack without darts.
FOREST (aka Magic Forest) – Provides the player with an Ability Card when captured or activated by a friendly dart. If multiple FOREST Territories are occupied then a dart may produce multiple cards – 1 for each FOREST Territory occupied. A maximum of 6 Ability Cards may be owed at any one time. However a player may discard some the cards to make space for drawing the new ones.
Ability Cards grant a variety of powers that may or may not be useful at different points throughout a game of Round Ground. For example, Ability Cards are often essential to surprise victories or quick turnarounds.
The blue Ability Cards have the special ability that allows them to be combined in pairs for additional benefits, these bonuses are listed under the table “Blue Card Combinations”, at the end of the rules booklet.
The 18 Ability Cards should be shuffled before each game. The used cards go to the discard pile.
TOWER – Provides the player with two Tower Units that can be placed on any ‘friendly’ territory that is connected to the TOWER Territory by other controlled territories.
The Tower Pins physically block incoming darts. They also defend friendly Army Units from dart attacks unless an even or greater number of enemy units is present on the same territory. This means that if a friendly territory with Army Units and a Tower Unit is attacked by a dart then no armies are getting destroyed.
The TOWER Territories themselves can only be captured by an attack that is enhanced by the SKULL Territory or an Ability Card, unless it is unclaimed and neutral.
If a player loses control of a TOWER Territory then the two Tower Pins earned by occupying that territory are removed. However, if a territory that has a Tower Pin is captured by an opponent then only that particular Tower Pin is returned to the owner for replacement on the next turn.
Friendly Army Units already occupying a friendly TOWER Territory may ‘teleport’ to any territory on the game board instead of a normal move action.
SPACESHIP - Provides a player with an additional dart for each SPACESHIP Territory occupied when captured or recaptured. Additional darts can be gained only once per turn. For example, you hit a SPACESHIP Territory and gain a dart, you throw your free dart and you hit an enemy controlled (but undefended) SPACESHIP Territory, you still capture the territory, but you do not gain any additional darts.
An Example Turn
Jim throws the dart and hits the blue SPACESHIP Territory. It is controlled by another player but not protected by any armies, so Jim captures it - the dart has a +1 attack value vs. the territory’s defense of 0. Now this territory belongs to him, he removes the opponent’s territory marker and puts the territory marker of his color on his new occupied territory.
Because Jim already controls one of the other 2 identical SPACESHIP Territories he not only captures his new territory, but he gains the benefits twice, so now Jim has 2 more darts to throw. Jim tosses his 2nd dart and hits a TOWER Territory, this territory is already controlled by an enemy so it has unlimited defense - Jims unmodified attack 1 dart fizzles.
So, disappointed, Jim throws his third and final dart. Jim must be having an off day because he misses the game board by a mile, but lucky for Jim he has control over a CLOVER Territory and since he only occupies one CLOVER Territory, Jim will only be receiving one re-throw. So with Jim’s final attack he throws the dart and hits an enemy controlled territory, this particular territory is being defended by an Army Unit with a defense +1 vs. the attacking dart with an attack value of +1. As with most cases the Army Unit is destroyed by attack of the basic dart but the territory is successfully defended.
Play would then progress to the next player. Unfortunately Player 2 wasn’t paying attention and threw his dart while someone was walking behind the board! His dart flies past the board and hits a defenseless and unsuspecting child. The parents file a lawsuit. GAME OVER – you lose, the child loses more and his lawyer wins. We prefer the version of the game without lawyers, so please throw darts with care and in a safe area.
Other Important Stuff
For one turn after a player captures (or recaptures) a territory it is safe from being re-captured by opponents.
SPACESHIP, ARMY, and FOREST territories provide dart throws, Army Units, and Ability Cards only when successfully captured or activated by a friendly dart.
The territories’ ability to provide dart throws (SPACESHIP), Army Units (ARMY), and Ability Cards (FOREST) can be used only once per turn; the second activation of the same type territory on the same turn does not result in any extra dart throws, Army Units, or Ability Cards.
A player cannot have more than 6 Ability Cards, 6 Tower Units, or 6 Army Units at a time. To gain new Ability Cards a player has to use or discard some of the ones he already has in possession. Army Units fight till the bloody end; they can’t be “discarded”.
If a dart lands exactly (the opponents determine if it is truly on the line) between 2 or more territories, then the current player may attack their preference.
The primary win condition is that a player occupies all three FLAG Territories. However, for games that seem to drag on forever there is an alternate win condition. All the players should agree on the turn (after three more turns or something similar) when the victory gets assigned by counting points:
7 Points for each FLAG hexagon controlled,
3 Points for every Territory on the boarder of the dartboard,
2 Points for the middle 6 hexagons,
1 Point for the SKULL, each Ability Card, and each Army Unit.
Whoever has the most points wins the game.
Option Rule Adjustments and Additions
You are encouraged to have fun with this game and perhaps even come up with your own house rules. Please send us your house rules and we will include the most interesting in our next release of the rules booklet.
Blue Cards’ Combinations Table is not included in this text
