The Trenches

The Game As Interactive Narrative

The Trenches is a game fictionally set in a World War 1 timeframe. The idea is that two opposing armies have dug trenches just outside of firing range on opposite sides of a Grim Valley. Grim Valley is bisected by the Blood river - named after the many men that have lost their lives trying to cross it.

Each player is given a cannon, a machine gun, a bomb and an unlimited supply of bomb runners. The object is to send a bomb runner from your trench to theirs, detonating the bomb when it reaches the destination. By detonating the bomb, you will breach the opposing army's trench and create safe passage for your army through Grim Valley. The first person to bomb the opposing side wins the game.

The Trenches is an interactive narrative in the fact that the players are provided a back-story and a future story with a gap in the middle, which they narrate through game play. Each move, each decision plays to the outcome of the game. In other words, the players write history as they play the game.
The Trenches is a game in which two armies are pitted against each other. Each army has dug a trench overlooking Grim valley and the Blood river. The only way to allow clear, safe passage from one side of the valley to the other is to bomb the other side's trench. You have been assigned the task of carrying a bomb to your enemy's base and detonating it. Should you succeed, your army will be able to march through and invade the enemy territory successfully.



Game Contents

+ a board
+ 3 carrier game pieces per side
+ 1 machinegun piece per side
+ 1 canon piece per side
+ 1 bomb per side
+ 4 wall pieces
+ 4 turn markers per side
+ a 4 sided die
+ a 6 sided die
+ a 8 sided die
+ game cards for each carrier and a gun/cannon pieces
+ 30 hit point tokens.

Setup

Lay out the board. Using the 6-sided die, roll for placement of the first wall. Count from the top of the board the appropriate number of spots and place a wall piece. Repeat the process, skipping the next grid section until all walls have been laid. See graphic 1a.

Distribute the following to each side: 3 carriers, 1 machinegun, 1 canon, 1 bomb, 4 turn markers (1, 2, 3, X), a game card for each of the 3 carriers, canon and machinegun.

Each player should place the canon and machine gun in their respective trench on separate squares. Each player will start with the bomb and 3 carriers on the start square in each respective trench. The players should take this opportunity to lay out their game cards and place the appropriate number of hit point tokens on each card (tokens will be removed each time damage is taken).

Game Play

To begin the game both sides should role the 8-sided die to determine who goes first. The player with the highest number should proceed.

Each round begins by setting turn markers on game cards. Place the markers in the order in which you would like the game pieces to move. The turn markers should not be revealed to the opponent. Once both sides set the turn markers, the turn phase will begin.

The first player then turns over their 1 token and makes a play using that unit. If that unit has been destroyed, the player loses that particular turn. For any pieces (carriers, canon, machine gun) their turn can be made up of either attacking or moving. Once that piece has attacked or moved, the turn goes to the next player who reveals his number 1 turn marker. Each round consists of 3 turns (1, 2, 3) with x being a decoy.

End Game

If during a turn the carrier with the bomb makes it to the opposing side's trench, that player automatically wins.

Rules by Piece

Walls - Walls do not affect canon shots.. Machine gun and runner shots are stopped by hiding behind the appropriate wall. Walls should be set on every even numbered row, randomly determined by a 6 sided dice roll, at the beginning of the game (see figure 2). Walls do not have hit points and never change the duration of the game.

Canon -The canon cannot pivot or turn, it can only shoot length-wise down the board. The canon can be moved during a turn anywhere within that player's trench except the square that holds the machine gun. The canon can shoot a random distance determined by the 8-sided die). Each shot does damage to the square in which the shot lands, and all squares immediately adjacent. The initial damage is 4 points, with splash or adjacent damage being 2. Diagonally adjacent squares count as splash damage. The canon will damage both friend and foe alike. Walls do not affect the canon's shot. Canons have 4 hit points - if a canon's hit points are 0, the canon is destroyed and removed from game play.

Machine Gun - The machine gun cannot pivot or turn, it can only shoot length-wise down the board. The machine gun can be moved during a turn anywhere within that player's trench except the square that holds the canon. The machine gun can shoot a random distance determined by the 6-sided die). Each shot inflicts 2 points of damage to any runner in the first occupied square between the gun and the spot rolled. If runners occupy no spots the shot crosses, no damage is inflicted. Walls or runners who are between the gun and the bullet's destination will stop machine gun bullets. The machine gun will damage both friend and foe alike. Machine guns have 4 hit points - if a machine gun's hit points are reduced to 0, the gun is destroyed and removed from game play.

Bomb Runners - Bomb Runners carry a pistol but their main job is to get the bomb from one side of the board to the other. Each player may have as many as 3 runners in play at one time, but only 1 runner may hold the bomb at any given time. A bomb handoff may be executed if both runners end the turn on the same square. The handoff must be made at the beginning of the turn and must be stated clearly to the opposing side. A handoff counts as a turn. Runners must choose to move, attack, or hand off any given turn.

For a runner to move they must role a 4 sided die. Once the die has been rolled the runner must move that number of spaces, and cannot step on the same square twice in 1 turn. Runners have 2 hit points - should a runner die, the game piece is moved back to the ally trench. That runner may be used again.

Runners carry pistols and have a range of 2 squares in any direction. Each turn a runner may inflict 1 point of damage, with one shot, per turn, provided they declare who they're attacking and roll a 3-6 on a 6 sided die. If a runner rolls a 1 or 2, they miss.

The Bomb - Each side has a bomb. The idea is for a runner to carry the bomb from once side of the board to the other. Should a runner get shot down in the process; the bomb stays on the battlefield until either side recovers it. If the opponent recovers the bomb, the bomb automatically goes back to its start position. If an ally recovers the bomb, that runner may pick up where the last runner left off. It is important to note, the runner must end a turn exactly on the spot of the bomb to recover it. The recovery is made at the beginning of that player's next turn.

Water - There is a stream running through the middle of the board. If a runner crosses a stream square, movement is reduced in a 2:1 formula. For each square that contains water, 2 moves are required to navigate through that square. Water does not affect shooting distance.

Here's a link to the full proposal pdf.