Antics Antics is a roleplaying game where you work with your friends to make your hive a happy, productive place to live. There has been a change in the world, all the ants can feel it. We are all becoming something more but as ants we know that we must use our differences to help make the whole better. Each player starts off with a single worker and her own space in the colony where she can store surplus resources and rest for the night. Through the course of the game your worker can become stronger, tougher, and more popular and help expand the colony. Supplies Pencils and paper for everybody, a sheet of hex paper for a map, and as many six sided dice as you can muster. Getting Started 1) Choose a name 2) Write down your name at the top of a sheet of paper. 3) Mark the position of your Ant-hill in the center of the map 4) Each player draws three cards from the location deck and places one of those locations on the map. 5) Three Evolution Cards are set out and three Improvement Cards are set out. 6) Day one starts, its early morning, you are an ant. Game Mechanics Your Ant Each player has an ant, a worker, that starts the same as all the rest. Travel: Travel tells you how far your ant can go. When you make a travel check roll your travel dice along with any bonus dice from help or the time of day. Any 4s, 5s, or 6s you roll is 1 hex you can move. All ants start with 3 Travel. Carrying Capacity: This tells you how much food you can carry back to the Hive. All ants start with 8 Carrying Capacity. Gather: Once you get to a location where you can gather food this will tell you how quickly you are stocking up as well as how quickly you are depleting this location. Any 4s, 5s, or 6s you roll is 1 food gathered and any 1s you roll depletes the location's Resources by 1 as well as moving the day along. All ants start with 4 Gather. Attack: Ants by themselves are weak, only 6s you roll when attacking count as successes, but together they are strong so all ants with you attack at the same time. If you get more successes than the creature you are attacking has Defense successes then you have increased it's Fear by the difference. All ants start with 1 Attack. Defense: Again, ants are tiny and vulnerable and only 6s count as successes for ants on defense. If an ant is damaged by an attack they lose Energy rather than gaining Fear. All ants start with 1 Defense. Energy: You can use your Energy to do anything not listed with the other Abilities and 4s, 5s, and 6s all count as successes. When you roll your Energy any 1s are removed but they don't move the day forward and any 6s rolled refresh your energy. When you have no more Energy you can't do anything for the rest of the day but lay there and over night you can gain back 1 Energy. Another ant could carry you back to the hive if they choose to but doing so takes up 4 Carrying Capacity. All ants start with 8 Energy. Usefulness: Your Usefulness is a measure of how much you contribute to the hive. You earn Usefulness by completing Assignment Cards and you may discard an Assignment Card and draw another for the cost of 4 Usefulness. Just like Popularity, Usefulness can be used to evolve your ant. Usefulness evolutions tend to be more about personal improvement. Popularity: Your Popularity is a measure of how much the ants in your hive like you. You earn Popularity by completing Event Cards. Just like Usefulness, Popularity can be used to evolve your ant. Popularity evolutions tend to be more about improving the cadre of ants who travel with you. Currently Carrying: This number tells you how much Food you have Gathered. Allies: As you get more popular you will gather allies around you. If you have an ability to add your allies to a roll each Ally counts as a single die. If an Ally die comes up a 1 that Ally leaves you (probably eaten) otherwise Ally dice follow the rules for whatever kind of roll they are helping you with. All ants start with no Allies. Time Each day is broken into six parts; Early Morning, Late Morning, Midday, Afternoon, Evening, and Night. Each part of the day has a thing it is good for where the ants will be more successful and some parts of the day have things the ants are required to do. The time of day changes when there have been nine 1s rolled. Early Morning: Every morning you wake up in the hive you must take an Assignment Card. There is also an Event Card that is turned up so that everyone can see it. Completing your Assignment earns you Usefulness while completing the Event will earn you Popularity. During the Early Morning you can travel your Travel+2 Late Morning: Late Morning is the best time for ants to get things done and so you get both Travel+1 and Gather+1 during this time of day. Midday: At Midday your Energy starts to be depleted so you lose 1 energy. Afternoon: Doing anything but traveling in the Afternoon costs 1 energy. Evening: If you aren't back to the hive by Evening draw a new Threat from the deck and add it to the map. Night: If you spend the night in the hive all of the resources you are carrying turn into Energy and each ant refills their Energy from the common pool. If you completed your Assignment you gain the Usefulness noted on your card. If you completed the Event you gain the Popularity on that card. You can use your Usefulness and Popularity to buy one of the available Evolutions or one point of each to shuffle an Evolution back into the deck and draw a new one. If there is Energy left once all the ants have been refilled the group may spend that Energy building one of the Improvements that are available. Assignment Cards (52) Patrol Around the Hive (5), Make a complete circuit around the hive. If you roll a 1 on your Travel while patrolling draw a Threat card and place it on the map. (4U) Patrol Between the Hive and the Nearest Resource (4), Make a complete circuit to the nearest Resource and back to the hive. If you roll a 1 on your Travel while patrolling draw a Threat card and place it on the map. (5U) Patrol Between the Hive and the Furthest Resource (2), Make a complete circuit to the furthest Resource and back to the hive. If you roll a 1 on your Travel while patrolling draw a Threat card and place it on the map. (7U) Patrol Between the Hive and Any Resource (3), Make a complete circuit to the Resource of your choice and back to the hive. If you roll a 1 on your Travel while patrolling draw a Threat card and place it on the map. (6U) Gather from the Furthest Resource (6), Make it to the furthest Resource and Gather your fill before returning it to the Hive. (9U) Gather from the Nearest Resource (8), Make it to the Nearest Resource and Gather your fill before returning it to the Hive. (7U) Gather from Any Resource (10), Make it to the Resource of your choice and Gather your fill before returning it to the Hive. (8U) Explore (4), Draw a Location Card and move to a place on the map a number of hexes away from the hive as directed by the card and then return. (10U) Contribute (2), Stay at the hive and do busy work. (2U) Help (8), Go with another ant on their Assignment and help them out as best you can. (3U) Event Cards Show Off (4), Prove that you can do more than someone else. (5P) Prank (4), Play a dirty joke on someone else. (1P) Friendly (4), Cheer someone else up. (3P) Play (4), Make up a new game and play it with someone else. (4P) Brave (4), Take on the closest threat to the hive. (5P) Adventurous (4), Take on the furthest threat from the hive. (6P) Foolhardy (4), Take on the most dangerous threat. (7P) Pithy (4), Explore a new location. (8P) Helpful (4), Help someone else with their Assignment. (5P) Switcher (4), Switch Assignments with someone else. (3P) Dumb (4), Go looking for trouble (draw a new Threat, put it on the board, and go face it). (10P) Nice (4), Make someone a gift. (3P) Race (4), Challenge someone to a race and win. (5P) Location Cards (52) Major Resource (15), Place outside 2d6 of Hive. (Resources: 6d6) Minor Resource (20), Place outside 1d6 of Hive. (Resources: 2d6) Guarded Resource (10), Place outside 2d6 of Hive and draw a threat from the Threat deck to place within one hex of this resource. (Resources: 4d6) Aquatic Resource (4), Place outside 2d6 of Hive and draw water to and from this location from off two sides of the map. It takes two successes to pass any hex with water in it. (Resources: 3d6) Rival Hive (1), Place outside 3d6 of Hive. This resource is always guarded by an ant and produces a new ant every Early Morning. (Resources: 10d6) Spider Hole (2), Place outside X of Hive. This resource is always guarded by a spider. (Resources: 12d6) Threat Cards (52) Worm (10), Place outside 1d6 of the Hive. Worms stay put. (Hunger: 1;Attack: 1;Defense: 1) Ant (10), Place within 1d6 of a Resource. Each Early Morning the ant moves 1 hex closer to a resource. Once it is on a resource the ant will drain its Hunger from that resource every night. (Hunger: 2;Attack: 1;Defense: 1) Antlion (8), Place within 2 of a Resource. Each night the Antlion will move 1 hex closer to the hive and attack any ants in its hex. (Hunger: 2;Attack: 2;Defense: 2) Fly (6), Place within 3 of a Resource. So long as the fly is within 3 of a resource it will drain its Hunger from its resource at Midday and Night. (Hunger: 2;Attack: 3;Defense: 3) Spider (4), Place within 4 of a Resource, the spider will attack ants who enter any adjacent hexes. (Hunger: 3;Attack: 4;Defense: 4) Fish (2), Place within a water hex, the fish can attack this and any water hex adjacent to it. (Hunger: 4;Attack: 4;Defense: 6) Frog (4), Place within 1 of a water hex. Each part of the day it will move 1 hex closer to the nearest ant and attack if within 1 hex. (Hunger: 4;Attack: 6;Defense: 4) Lizard (4), Place within 1 of a Resource. The lizard will stay put until an ant moves within 2 hexes of it and then it will move 1 hex per part of the day in pursuit of the closest ant and attack when they share a hex. (Hunger: 5;Attack: 5;Defense: 5) Bird (2), Place at the edge of the map. Each Late Morning the bird will attack an ant at random excepting those in the hive or on a resource. (Hunger: 5;Attack: 7;Defense: 6) Anteater (2), Place at one corner of the map. Each day move 1 hex closer to the Hive. When it arrives it will remove its Hunger in Energy from the Hive before the ants can refill every night. (Hunger: 10;Attack: 8;Defense: 10) Evolution Cards (52) Scamp (4; 4U), When you roll your Energy any 5s or 6s refresh your Energy. (Energy: +1) Flying (4; 3U), Each Travel success you roll lets you move 2 hexes and you may attack anything within 1 hex of yourself. (Travel: +1) Efficient Gatherer (4; 2U), When you roll your Gather any 1s you roll do not deplete that location's Resources. (Carrying Capacity: +2) Speedy Gatherer (4; 2U), When you roll your Gather any 1s you roll do not count towards moving the day forward. (Carrying Capacity: +2) Sharp Pincers (4; 1U), When you roll your Attack any 5s or 6s count as successes. (Attack: +1) Poison Pincers (4; 1U), When you roll your Attack any 6s you roll explode [roll a new die, if that die is a 6 roll again, keep going until you roll something other than a 6]. (Attack: +1) Armored Carapace (4; 1U), When you roll your Defense any 5s or 6s count as a success. (Defense: +2) Supporters (4; 6P), When you roll your Energy you may add any number of Allies to your roll. (Allies: +2) Very Popular (4; 6P), If you are in the Hive at Night you may spend 2 Popularity to gain 1 Ally. (Allies: +2) Nimble Allies (4; 4P), When you roll your Travel you may add any number of Allies to your roll. (Allies: +2) Hard Workers (4; 2P), You can Currently Carry equal to your Carrying Capacity plus your Allies. (Allies: +2) Efficient Workers (4; 3P), When you roll your Gather you may add any number of Allies to your roll. (Allies: +2) Daring Allies (4; 2P), When you roll your Attack you may add any number of Allies to your roll. (Allies: +2) Loyal Allies (4; 2P), When you roll your Defense you may add any number of Allies to your roll. (Allies: +2) Improvement Cards 352) Foraging Tunnels (26; 5E), Place touching any part of the Hive so that it is 1 hex closer to a location with resources. Aphid Farm (7; 10E), When you turn gathered resources into Energy each night you get 4 extra energy. Place touching any Hive hex. Training Cavern (7; 15E), Each Early Morning you can spend 1 Energy per ant to gain 1 Attack or 1 Defense for the day. You may do this once for each Training Cavern you have built. Place touching ant Hive hex. Nursery (5; 20E), Each Early Morning your ants gain 1 Ally. Place touching your main Hive hex or any captured enemy hives. Embassy (5; 20E), Place this touching both any Hive hex and any enemy hive to turn all its remaining Resources into Energy and make it a part of your Hive.