Clix Battleball
by Papyrus

All HorrorClix (HeroClix or Mage Knight) rules not superseded by these rules are in force during play. If you intend to mix figures from the three games, you need to decide which of their rules will be primarily used and if/when the other games’ rules will apply.

Restrictions:

No soaring, these games are played in domed stadiums, flying characters can only hover.

No Sentinel sized or larger pieces can be played. Single and double base figures only.

Victim, Minion, or Bystander tokens are not permitted to be a part of a team (but may remain a part of the game per the clix rules used to play).

Use of battle field conditions, plot twists, and/or any other cards need to be agreed to by both players prior to choosing teams.

The Field:

The actual board from Milton Bradley’s Battleball board game is the assumed playing field for these rules.
[Editor's note: I am working on acquiring a PDF version of the original game board]

Alternately, Heroscape tiles arranged in alternating rows of 16 and 15 tiles across (side line to side line) and 31 rows of tiles from end to end (goal line to goal line).

Also, any grid map (hex or square) with the same number of spaces can be used. It is not necessary for square grids to have their squares shifted alternately like the actual Battleball board does.

Feel free to add goal posts, side line benches and the like. Victim, Minion, or Bystander tokens (or figures) can be included as “non-combatants” even if just as mobile blocking terrain. See Additional Variants, below.

A football marker will also be needed. Anything that will fit on a figures base will do fine. Battleball comes with an excellent football.

Object of the game:

The first team to score 2 touchdowns, is the standard Battleball victory condition.

Games can be played to different score totals, or with time or turn limits if desired.

Game Setup:

Determine point values and choose your teams.

Set the football marker in the center of the field on the 50 yard line of spaces. Set up any 3D objects to be used (goal posts adjacent to the center space along the end zone, and side line benches on opposite sides, adjacent to opposite side lines between the 20 to 30 yard markers).

You will need Corpse Token nearby to represent the hindering terrain fallen players become. You can also use the hindering terrain markers provided in the starter set.

Set up your teams behind their own 20 yard lines.

Determine which team will go first via coin toss, or by highest die roll.

Play:

Play proceeds according to the clix (Heroclix, Horrorclix or Mage Knight) rules being used. This refers to which player goes first, movement, and combat.

It is recommended that instead of using team point values to determine how many figures move per turn, players alternate 1 figure each. Play will be less complex if both players agree to not allow figures to be pushed. However, even if pushing figures is not allowed, figures with Willpower (or like) ability, can act and take a second action token.

In order to score a goal, players have to cross into their opponent’s end zone with a figure in possession of the football. Any figure in an end zone that does not possess the football is immediately removed from the game. Even if entering the end zone without the ball is due to a “knock back”, the figure is removed from play. No figure can “push” to enter their opponent’s end zone, even with the Willpower (or like) ability.

Each time a goal is scored, the field is cleared and reset, as Game Setup above. Unlike in original Battleball, monsters that have been killed do not return, and clicks of damage are not healed on the figures remaining in the game.

The ball may be picked up by any figure landing on the space it occupies, so long as it is not in another figure’s possession. The ball is made of a telekenitically null material. Figures with those kinds of abilities are not able to use them to gain possession. However, by manipulating the environment around the ball, they can force it to be moved to another space with their power. (This rule is meant to apply not only to telekenisis, but any like power that would allow a figure to take possession from a distance). As with all of these rules, mutual agreement by the both players can allow such abilities to give figures possession of the ball.

Monsters that have been killed are replaced by a Corpse Token (or hindering terrain marker) that makes the space they formerly occupied, hindering terrain (a carnage marker in the original Battleball game). These are removed between goals, when the field is cleared and reset, as Game Setup above.

Any successful hit on the figure carrying the ball results in a fumble, see below. It is recommended that the Heroclix knock back rules (see below) are used even when Horrorclix and/or Mage Knight figures are in play.

Hand off:

Two figures on the same team, in adjacent spaces, may hand off the ball as a free action once per turn.

Roll below the receivers defense value to complete.

A “miss” results in a fumble. Fumble using the fumble dial below.

If the passer is a heroclix figure and has super strength, doubles result in a knock back and a fumble.

Passing:

To pass, roll 2d6 below the receivers attack value to complete. +1 to that roll for every space between passer and receiver.

A “miss” results in a fumble. Fumble using the fumble dial below.

Players cannot pass into an end zone, or within the 10 yard line in front of it.

If the passer is a heroclix figure and has super strength, doubles result in a knock back and a fumble.

2 Goals win the game:

Variations could include; more points to win, and/or winner must win by 2 goals, or a time limit and winner has highest score when time runs out.

Fumble dial example:

Place the fumble dial where the figure was, with the arrow pointed directly away from the figure making the attack.

Roll 3 dice, the results show the direction the ball is fumbled in. Prior to rolling, one of the die must be assigned as “distance”, using an odd colored die will help. The odd colored die determines the distance; 1-6 spaces for ranged hits, odd = 1 and even = 2 spaces for melee hits and fumbled hand offs.

Additional Variants:

Game officials, as non-clix figures or tokens, are blocking terrain. Game officials are bystander / victim tokens controlled alternately by the players.

Goal Posts and side line benches are yellow for super strength purposes and blocking terrain when planted.

To make games less one sided, you can not allow transporter piece to carry others, or require teams to contain equal numbers of transporters.

To level the playing field in a more complex fashion, figures with phase / teleport / leap & climb / flight, can block and base each other nullifying their opponent figure’s phase / teleport / leap & climb / flight ability. For example, Storm would have to fly around Spiderman (2 spaces away to avoid a break-away roll) because of his leap & climb ability.

Knock Back Rules:
When a player rolls doubles on the dice on a successful attack roll (except for two 1s, which never succeed), the target is knocked back after any damage taken from the attack is applied. Knock back represents a character being thrown backward by the force of an attack. Certain powers and team abilities might knock back a character or prevent a character from being knocked back. Check for those powers and team abilities before taking damage from the attack.

A knocked back character is moved back 1 square for each 1 damage taken. Move the character in a straight line away from the attacking character—called the knock back path—even if that path is on a diagonal. If multiple characters take damage from an attack, power, or game effect that causes knock back, resolve the knock back starting with the character farthest from the attacker. If an attack, power, or game effect knocks back a target that is not along a straight line from the attacker, the target is knocked back away from the attacker along a straight vertical, horizontal,
or diagonal line chosen by the attacker.

Knock back damage. A grounded character’s knock back path cannot continue beyond a wall, the edge of the map, the boundary of elevated terrain, or the boundary of blocking terrain. If it would do so, the character’s knock back path stops in the square before the path would cross into any of those areas, and the character is dealt 1 knock back damage, as shown in Figure 9. Knock back into a wall or terrain feature does not destroy it or deal it any damage. Hindering terrain has no effect on knock back.

Powers that reduce damage dealt also reduce knock back damage. Knock back damage is dealt (and reduced) separately from damage dealt by the attacker.
If the knock back path would cross a square occupied by another character, including
a soaring character, place the knocked back character in the last unoccupied square before it would cross the square occupied by a character. Stopping in this way does not deal damage to either character.
Double-base characters, transporters, giant characters, and colossal characters ignore knock back.

The original BattleBall rules (PDF)

Questions, Comments, Concerns or Suggestions regarding this variant can be posted in our forums