League of Martyrs – a Typical MOBA Experience

Number of players: 6 (3 v 3) Ideally

In this game, two teams compete to run it down mid as fast as possible. The team that

SACRIFICES ALL THREE MEMBERS FIRST WINS! You want to make galaxy brain

plays to prevent members on the other team from sacrificing themselves, while helping

your teammates sacrifice themselves. You can achieve this by utilizing turrets on the

map and unique abilities. Keep yourself alive, so you can die!

1. Game Components

Map, martyr cards, ability cards, wyvern cards, status tokens, HP indicators, cooldown (CD) indicators, and player tokens.

2. Setup 1. Each team picks 3 martyrs by claiming (first claim, first pick). Teams take turns

claiming one of the martyrs until they each have 3.

2. Each player gets their martyr card, its corresponding ability cards, and an HP

indicator.

3. Each player gets one Summoner Spell of their choice (explained in section 9)

4. Decide orders

a. Teams decide amongst themselves which team goes first.

b. Turn Order: Team A martyr 1 → Team B martyr 1 → Team B martyr 2 →

Team A martyr 2 → Team A martyr 3 → Team B martyr 3

c. Martyrs within a team can move in any order. (i.e. martyr 1 this turn can be

martyr 1, 2, or 3 next turn).

5. Place the map between all of the players.

6. Place CD indicators near the map in a horizontal

row with descending order (see diagram).

7. Each player places their abilities below CD indicators

according to the CD on the ability cards.

8. Each player places their player token at the starting

tile.

9. Finally, place one of the four wyvern cards at the 4th

CD indicator. (See section 12)

10. Start the first round, and repeat rounds until one

team wins the game by having all 3 members dead at the same time (all three

Martyrs on CD, see section 8—can only be achieved through sacrifice).

3. Turn

In each turn, a player can perform 3 types of actions multiple times:

1. Move to an adjacent tile.

● The player can move up to 2 tiles per turn.

2. Cast an ability.

● You cannot target yourself unless the description says so.

3. Normal Attack (deal 1 DMG to another Martyr in the same tile with you)

● The player can only attack once per turn.

The actions can be performed in arbitrary orders in the turn, such as (ability, attack,

move, ability, move)

4. Round Each round consists of one turn for each player. After all players had their turn in a

round, aftermath will be performed.

5. Aftermath There are two parts in aftermath.

1. All martyrs on a tile with turret will take damage according to the

number indicated on the left side of the map.

You can sacrifice yourself by dying to

the turrets even if you are not in the

base. In the aftermath, all damage is

done simultaneously.

2. Shift all ability cards in cooldown to the

next lowest CD indicator (see diagram).

7. Base ● Bases are the tiles indicated by the red area on the map. In this area, you can

win the game by dying in any form (suicide, killed by other players, or by turrets).

● A non-base tile (non-red area) is any tile that is NOT in base area.

8. Life & Death

Two types of Death: typical death & sacrifice.

1. Typical Death

a. Any kinds of death besides sacrifice are considered as typical death. As

a result of a typical death, you will revive immediately on your next turn.

2. Sacrifice (three ways)

a. Executed by a turret (HP reduced to 0 or below by a turret)

b. Die in any possible way within the Base (red area)

c. Haunted by phantoms to death as a host.

All the abilities of the dead martyr (as a result of typical death) will be on CD as if the

martyr just used them.

Revive: Your HP is restored to max, and you are teleported to the closest ward

(checkpoint) behind your place of death. Then you can perform your actions in that

turn.

IMPORTANT: If the player is sacrificed and win condition has not been achieved yet,

the player’s abilities will not be put on CD. The sacrificed player will become a

phantom and choose to attach to a living player until the attached player dies (Yes, you

can attach to an ally or an enemy). The phantom’s player token will be taken by the

host.

● The attached player is the host. At the end of each round, the host loses 1 HP

for each phantom the host is attached to. If the host dies as a result of that, it is

considered as a sacrifice.

● The phantom does not have health, cannot be targeted, cannot attack, and will

not revive back to a martyr.

● Multiple phantoms can attach to the same player.

● During a phantom’s turn, they can cast their abilities as if they are the host. The

phantom does not provide extra movements for the host.

● If phantom’s ability is a passive, the host will acquire it instead.

Special Case If two or more martyrs die in the same round which results in both teams achieving their

win condition, the martyr that is closer to the Fountain Laser wins the game for the

team. If that is still a tie, the first team that says “GG EZ” in unison first wins the

game.

9. Summoner Spells ● All players get one at the beginning of the game.

● A Summoner Spell can only be used once per game.

Flash ● Instant.

● You cast the spell to move to an adjacent tile.

● If you use the spell to move out of the target range of another spell, the caster

should choose a new target if there is one.

Push ● Range 1

● You cast the spell to move another player in either direction away from the

fountain laser by 2 tiles.

● You cannot move after casting this spell in that turn.

Smite ● Range 2

● Choose one:

○ Deal 3 damage to a wyvern

○ Deal 2 damage to another player

10. Martyr

Terms:

● HP (Health Point): indicated at the top left of the Martyr card, HP is how much

damage you can take before it reaches 0. When that happens, you die.

● CD (Cool Down) (X): after casting an ability, you must wait X rounds before

casting it again.

● DMG (damage): the amount of health taken away by an attack.

● ATK: the amount of damage a single attack can do.

● Heal (X): add X HP back but not over max HP.

● Range (X): you need to choose target within X tiles away to cast the ability.

(0 means on the same tile with you)

● Slow : the martyr moves 1 less tile in next turn. (uses a slow token to denote)

● Stun : the martyr’s next turn will be skipped.

● Invulnerable : the martyr cannot take any damage

● Instant: You can play the ability on other player’s turn. (see section 11)

HP Placement:

● Use your martyr card to partially cover your HP card to

indicate your HP.

● The illustration shows that PUFF-PUFF has 4 HP left.

11. Chain of Actions & Resolution ● When an instant ability is played, the chain of actions begins.

● The chain grows when more instant abilities are played.

● When no other new instant abilities are played, the chain ends.

● The chain is then resolved backwards (where the most recent ability in the chain

will cast before others).

● An instant ability will always resolve before last action is resolved.

12. Wyverns ● There are 4 elemental Wyverns. Wyverns provide different special effects that

last for one round. Their effect changes as they cycle through the CD indicators. ● One of the four Wyverns will spawn in the 4th CD indicator at the beginning of

the game (chosen randomly). If it dies, a different Wyvern will spawn at the start of the next round.

● Wyverns have 8 HP and can be killed to get rewards to help win the game. ● Players can attack a Wyvern by attacking anywhere in the Wyvern area

(highlighted in green). ● Players who damage a Wyvern take 1 DMG in return. ● Getting killed by a Wyvern is considered as a typical death.

Fire

4. You can attack yourself

3. Abilities have +1 range

2. You can cast abilities on yourself

1. Abilities DMG +1

Reward: Permanent. Your team members have +1 ATK, and +1 attack range

Water

4. If you did not move or attack, reduce all your abilities CD by 1

3. If you used Summoner Spell this round, you are invulnerable

2. If you did not move during your turn, heal yourself by 2 at the end of your turn

1. Heal deals DMG instead, and dealing DMG heals instead

Reward: Pick one: swap HP between any two players OR heal a player to full health.

Earth

4. If all your abilities are on CD, +1 ATK

3. You can attack turret to trigger an immediate attack on you from that turret

2. Attacks can move a player by 1 tile

1. If you are at a turret, +1 ATK

Reward: Permanent. When targeting your team, all turrets have +1 range.

Air

4. If you choose to not attack in your turn, +1 movement

3. If you have full health in your turn, +1 movement

2. If you choose to not cast in your turn, +1 movement

1. All abilities are instant

Reward: All your team member’s abilities are taken off CD

13. Odd number of players ● With an odd number of players, the team with less players will vote (or decide

randomly) for a player to control an additional martyr

● All other rules with be the same

Martyrs

Arterie HP 8 (red)

(Bloodletting) Passive: Your basic attacks have +1 range. You can make one

additional attack after each move. If you attack a single target 3 times in a row in a

single turn, move the target by 1 tile.

Dust HP 8 (brown)

(Fan the Hammer) Range 2 CD 2: Choose the closest row with at least one player.

Deal 1 DMG to and slow all players in that row by 1.

(Sureshot) Range ∞ CD 3: Deal 2 DMG and stun the first player in one direction.

Faun HP 9 (green)

(Nature’s Trade) Range 2 CD 2: You lose 1 HP. Heal the target by 3 HP.

(Invocation) Range ∞ CD 4: Instant. Heal all players by 3 HP (including yourself).

Harp HP 8 (light blue)

(Metronome) RANGE Passive: Choose one of the following each turn. The same

option cannot be chosen twice in a row:

- Deal 1 DMG to a target.

- Heal a target or self by 1.

- you +1 movement this turn.

(Tempo) RANGE 2 CD 2: Move a status from one target to another target. Deal 1 DMG

to the second target.

Jackie Lee HP 10 (orange)

(Bold Reflexes) Range 1 CD 2: Move to target player’s tile. Heal that player and

yourself by 1 HP.

(Hurricane Kick) Range 0 CD 3: Deal 2 DMG to the target and move the target by 2

tiles. If the target lands on a tile with one or more players on it choose one of those

players as the new target and deal 1 DMG to the new target and move the new target

by 1 tile.

Kopie Wright HP 9 (gray)

(Violation) CD 3: Choose an ability currently on CD and cast a copy of that ability.

Reduce CD of this ability by 1 if the copied ability is CD 1.

(Exchange) Range 2 CD 2: Swap position with another player and deal 1 DMG to that

player.

Professor Muscles HP 12 (purple)

(Textbook Toss) Range 2 CD 1: You lose 1 HP. Deal 1 DMG and slow the target by 1.

(Acid Sweat) Range 0 CD 2: You lose 1 HP. Deal 1 DMG to all other targets on the

same tile as you.

Puff-Puff the Pufferfish HP 8 (pink)

(PUFF!!!) Range 0 CD 4: Can only be used while Puffed Up. Move all other players in

one direction by 2.

(Spike) Range 3 CD 1: Can only be used while Deflated. Deal 1 damage to up to 2

targets in one direction.

(puff-PUFF) Passive: At the start of your turn, you can switch to one of two states:

Puffed Up, or Deflated. When Puffed Up, +1 ATK. When Deflated attacks have +1

range

Throne HP 9 (gold)

(Burning Wheel) Range 2 CD 2: Choose one:

1. Deal 2 DMG to the target.

2. you +1 movement this turn

(Divinity) Range 2 CD 4: Instant. The target becomes invulnerable until the start of

your next turn.

Thunderclamp HP 10 (white)

(Boost Clamp) Range 3 CD 2: Pull the first target in a given direction to the tile

adjacent before you. Deal 2 DMG to that target.

(Electro Punch) Range 0 CD 2: Deal 2 DMG to the target. Increase the CD of one of

the target’s abilities by 1.

Weasel HP 8 (blue)

(Burst of Speed) RANGE 0 CD 1: You +1 movement in this turn. Slow yourself by 1 at

the end of this turn.

(Bandit Trap) RANGE 1 CD 2: Place a trap on a tile. The first player to enter that tile

takes 2 DMG and slow by 1.

(You Are Too Slow!) Passive: You + X ATK when attacking a target (X = the number

of slow tokens the target has)

Appendix

Map

Character Cards

Playtests