The Haunted Casino
A HorrorClix Campaign by Nate "RedNinja" Gleason

Introduction:

Whatever HorrorClix monster archetype you prefer to play, whether you believe it’s the body count of victims or the amount of monsters you kill that determines victory, or even whether your for or against Guardians, we can all agree on at least one thing - a lot of luck is involved in a game of HrC.

Sure, it could be argued that the monsters a person chooses to play, his position on the map, and his general strategy all support the importance of skill…but when so many dice are being thrown about, all it takes is a Critical Hit or a Critical Miss to kill an opponent’s best monster or have your own killed, which can very easily be the difference between a win and a loss. Add in abilities such as Protector and Martial Artist, as well as Plot Twists such as “Look Left, Dodge Right”, the fate of an entire game can come down to the roll of a six-sided die.

Thus, the point of this variant is to introduce a certain amount of skill into such matters (beyond the stats of monsters), while also providing an interesting opportunity to create ongoing games through which you can opt to add a story.

PS - Yes, the casino is named “The Haunted Casino”. ^_^

Materials:

- Everything needed to play an ordinary game of HorrorClix.
- A deck of ordinary playing cards.
- Tokens to redo an attack “roll”
      These can be just about anything, but I suggest using a minion or victim token, which will later be explained (these may be used on the map). Aesthetically, I like to make the front’s black with large, red X’s.
- 4 Tokens to represent Slot Machines
      Feel free to make these anything that can fit in a single space on the map.  These will be placed on the map, though they don’t have to be ‘hidden’.
- Paper and Pencil

Rules, Section 1 - Casual Play
Outline of the Basic Rules for Quick, Casual Games

This section will be fairly short because, in essence, The Haunted Casino is played similar to an ordinary game of HrC. The only major differences being -

A) All attack rolls are replaced by a single hand of a card-game of the attacking players choice, with the controller of the targeted monster acting as the dealer (This can be Blackjack, Poker, etc). If the attacking player wins the hand, the attack succeeds.

B) At the beginning of each game, each player is issued a ‘reroll’ token. Players use these tokens to replay lost hands, or to replace the card-game system with a ‘normal’ attack roll using dice (The token is then expended and you must use the rerolled/rolled result). These tokens carry across games if unused, and there’s no limit to how many you can have.

If you don’t know how to play such card games, or feel you don’t know enough to give the game great variety, just consult the internet or your local bookstore for information.

Note: Anything that would affect an attack roll also affects these card games.

Rules, Section 2 - Ongoing Games
Advanced Rules for Creating On-going ‘Scenarios’

This section is where we’ll be capturing the casino feel of this variant, as opposed to simply replacing attack rolls. We’re going to add in a Coin system where monsters can purchase ‘items’ which they can equip in later games, among some other very cool things. But first, I’ll highlight the very basics -

- You’ll need an indoor map, and possibly an indoor/outdoor map.

- You’ll want to keep track of the ‘stats’ of all monsters for later games, via pen and paper. The monster can only be a single figure, not an entire REV set. I suggest this format -

NAME: (A name that you give to the figure.)
FIGURE: (V Vampire Enforcer, U Mi-Go, etc.)
CURRENT COINS: (The amount of Coins the monster possesses.)
TOTAL COINS: (All the Coins the monster has ever earned. When a monster has earned 2,000 Coins, this becomes unimportant.)
ITEM 1: (One of the two items the monster has equipped.)
ITEM 2: (The other of the two items the monster can equip.)
ALL ITEMS: (All items a monster owns.)
NOTES: (Story related stuff, jokes, etc.)

- Only two people can play this variant at any time.

Section 2-1 - Setting Up The Map

Setting up the map is done in a similar fashion to an ordinary game of HorrorClix, except that each player gets two Slot Machine tokens that can be placed anywhere on the map that’s at least 3 spaces away from any starting area and not occupied by a victim. However - they can only be placed on indoor terrain.

You may also include a single ‘reroll’ token in your victim pool. When revealed, these cannot be moved. Treat them as though they were victims before they’re slain/rescued, but upon grabbing them, you can use them like any other ‘reroll’ tokens.

Section 2-2 - The Coin System

The Coin system is what will really make this variant stand out on it’s own. Monsters will earn Coins which they can use to purchase items to equip, and even enter a High Roller’s Room later on.

Earning tokens can be done in a number of ways, which will now be explained:

Slot Machines: By far, the most prominent way to earn Coins is to end a monsters movement on a Slot Machine. However, these are not slain or rescued - they’re played.

When a monster plays a Slot Machine, roll a d6. On a 1 or 6, the monster earns
100 Coins. On a 2 or 4, they earn 250 Coins. On a 3, They earn 350 Coins.

After a Slot Machine is played, it is destroyed and removed from the map.

Slaying Victims: In order to get away from a monster or thank a guardian, victims will offer a monster 50 Coins when slain or rescued.. If the coins are taken, the victim is removed from the game instead of being placed on the monster’s card.

Betting: Whenever a player makes an attack, he may bet as many as 100 Coins that the attacking monster possesses. If the attack fails, the targeted monster receives an amount of Coins equal to the bet from the attacking monster. If the attack succeeds, the targeted monster loses an amount of coins equal to the bet, which the attacking monster receives. If the targeted monster doesn’t have an amount of Coins equal to the bet, it must give all the Coins it has.

Winning the Game: When a player wins a game, he earns 200 Coins to distribute between his monsters. These do not need to be divided equally, nor in specified increments.

After a game has ended and the winner has distributed the 200 Coins they’ve earned for winning among they’re monsters, both players are allowed to purchase prizes from the Prize Counter, which will be explained later.

Make sure to keep track of not only how many Coins a monster has, but how many It’s earned altogether. Once it’s earned 2,000 or more Coins, it can enter the High Rollers Room.

Section 2-3 - High Roller’s Room

The High Roller’s Room, if you choose to use it, is played on an indoor/outdoor map. If possible, both players should start on outdoor terrain, even if they aren’t on opposite sides of each other.

Only monsters that have earned a total of 2,000 Coins may enter the High Roller’s Room, or simply put - you can only build an army for it out of monsters that have earned at least 2,000 Coins.

Otherwise, the High Roller’s Room plays exactly like the normal casino, except that you earn 1.5 times as many Coins. For example, Victims offer 75 Coins instead of 50, and rolling a 1 or 6 while playing Slots earns you 150 Coins instead of 100.

The maximum bet for an attack in the High Roller’s Room is also increased to 150 Coins, as opposed to 100.

Section 2-4 - Bringing it All Together

If you haven’t already come to the conclusion, The Haunted Casino is all about earning Coins. But while I’ve said many times that they allow you to buy items from the Prize Counter at the end of the game, I haven’t really touched on what these prizes do.

This will be done in the final section, on the Prize Counter.

Rules, Section 3 - The Prize Counter
Monsters Spend Their Hard-Earned Coins on Fabulous Prizes

The Prize Counter is the name for a phase at the very end of the game, where players are allowed to purchase items for their monster’s to equip, allowing them to affect their in-game prowess in later games.

It’s important to note that you’re not spending YOUR points…the monsters are spending their own. As such, you can’t use the points earned by one to pay for the prize of another. (Although you can buy certain prizes for YOURSELF, but they must be bought by a single monster.)

Any given monster can only equip two items that they’ve bought, and can only equip/re-equip them at the very beginning of a game, not during or afterwards. In addition, the prizes that they un-equip don’t disappear, and can be re-equipped if you so desire. Unequipped equipment cannot be sold or traded.

I largely suggest that you and whoever you play this variant with create and agree on equipment that fits your own playing style, but I will end this article with some examples of potential equipment:

PLAYER ITEMS:
Reroll Token: 500 Coins: An extra reroll token. Used just like a normal reroll token.

Snake Eyes: 4,000 Coins: A special VIP badge. Allows you to use ‘normal’ attack rolls (with dice) whenever you want.

EQUIPABLE ITEMS:
Falcon’s Eye: 500 Coins: Gives a monster the eyes of a bird of prey. You may peek at any face down victim that’s two spaces away from the equipped monster.

Lightspeed Boots: 1,000 Coins: Boots that let the wearer move faster. Increase the equipped monster’s Speed Value by 1.

Spiked Gloves: 1,000 Coins: Gloves covered in razor-sharp spikes. The equipped monster gains the following ability: “Ferocity - If this monster makes a close combat attack, increase its damage value by 1.”

Hyperspace Cannon: 5,000 Coins: A powerful gun infused with alien technology.  Can only be used once per game. You may use this when a monster attacks to increase it’s range infinitely.

Zombie Kibble: 500 Coins: “Junk” food you won’t find at a grocery store. Can only be used once a turn.  Only Zombies may equip. You may use this at the beginning of your turn, or if the equipped monster is showing an hourglass, to heal the equipped monster of 1 click of damage.

Pimp Coat: 2,000 Coins: The ultimate status symbol of a true playa. Can only be equipped by Guardians and Slashers.

If the equipped monster is a Guardian, it gains the following ability: “Pimp Smack! (Righteous) - This monster gets +1 to its damage value for every rescued victim token on its card.”

If the equipped monster is a Slasher, it gains the following ability: “Pimp Smack! (Spree) - This monster gets +1 to its damage value for each slain victim token on its card.

Pimp Cane: 2,000 Coins: Made out of diamond, encrusted with diamonds. Can only be equipped by Guardians and Slashers.  The equipped monster gains the following power: “Stamina - Damage dealt to this monster is reduced by 1.”

Schoolgirl Uniform: 5,000 Coins: A monster gains all the abilities of a Japanese schoolgirl (Haven’t you ever watched anime?!). Can only be equipped by the monsters Vampire Hunter and Candy Striper. Plot Twists cannot be played in response to the equipped monster slaying/rescuing a victim.

As for making your own, here was the theory behind each item -

Reroll Token and Snake Eyes: Items that affect the player, not the monster.
Lightspeed Boots: Item that increases a monsters combat values.
Spiked Gloves: Item that gives monsters an ability.
Hyperspace Cannon: ‘Once a game’ item, as well as an extremely powerful item.
Zombie Kibble: A “trait” specific item.
Pimp Coat and Pimp Cane: A set of items, as well as items that effect two of the more ‘human’ races.
Schoolgirl Uniform: An item specific to a certain monster/monsters.

Once again, these items should be tailor-made to your own playing style, as well as any scenarios you make for this variant. All I listed were examples for you to use and springboard your own ideas from.

Scenarios
None Here, But Plenty of Ideas for One! ^_^

I’m not going to give you any scenarios here, since these will largely be dictated by the prize items you create for the Prize Counter. But I will give some food for thought:

- Create Prize Counter items that effect a certain scenario, or prizes that can only be bought during the Prize Counter phase at the end of a scenario.

- Create a prize for winning a certain scenario, then build a scenario around the
prize.

- Create a scenario around a certain card-game, with special effects for certain hand (For example, allowing a player to heal a monster 1 click if they get a flush in Poker).

This variant is rich ground for creating scenarios. There are so many ways to add to or alter the game that it shouldn’t take you more then a minute to come up with a good idea for a scenario.

Conclusion

Ultimately, the reason this variant works is that it puts a game inside of a game, replacing the mundane task of making an attack roll with a quick, short game of cards, while it gives you something to work towards at the end of the game.

So take a visit to the Haunted Casino Today! But remember - on Thursdays, the buffet is stocked with HUMAN BRAAAAIIIINS. ^_^

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