Introduction A number of years ago, in one of the first issues of the Society of Twentieth Century Wargamers' Journal, appeared a mini-game something along the lines of "How to run a Terrorist Organisation". It was a paper-and-pencil "desk exercise" type game, and to my mind didn't work particularly well, since the player was not really faced with any choices of action. However the idea of a non-figure terrorist game still appealed to me, and I wrote a few notes on it at the time. Having moved house, my notes have reappeared and I thought I'd have an attempt at a game. I decided to broaden the scope of the game to include legal and illegal influence peddling, and so-called lawful "Non-Violent Direct Action" as practised by sundry protest groups in the UK. In fact the title of the game may be somewhat misleading, since the object of the player(s) is to wear down the resolve of the Powers-That-Be in order that their cause is achieved. Recourse to violence is not necessary ! The Game Turn Sequence The game is played in a series of turns. During each turn each player may attempt one action, the player with the highest current level of resource points (see below) goes first, followed by the other players in descending points order. Set-up To play "Revolting Behaviour !" (hereafter RB!), each player requires two full decks of playing cards, and a number of counters (pennies etc.) or scrap paper to record resource points. In both decks, Aces count as value 1, Jacks as 11, Queens as 12, and Kings as 13. Each player must ensure that both decks are well shuffled before the game begins. The first deck is called the "Cause Deck". The cards drawn from this deck represents the resilience of authority to the demands of the players group. Each player draws a number of cards face down from their deck. The players must not look at these cards values. The higher the number of cards the longer the game, although the total number doesn't actually matter as long as all players draw the same number. These cards are known as the "Cause". I would recommend starting with ten cards for your first game. Each player also begins with resource points (representing personnel, material, and cash) equal to twice the number of cards drawn from the Cause Deck. Players randomly determine how begins the first turn. Actions Each player may attempt one action per turn. Actions can do either of two things - raise more resources or reduce the "Cause". The suits and colours of the cards indicate different types of activity: Red Suits (legal activity): Diamonds - Legal fund-raising (flag days, jumble sales, TV appeals) Hearts - Legal / semi-legal force ( political influence-buying, protests, marches, "Non-Violent Direct Action" ) Black suits (illegal activity): Clubs - Illegal fund-raising (protection rackets, blackmail, kidnapping, drug peddling) Spades - Illegal force ( assassination, bombing, sabotage) A player must first decide which type of activity he wishes to perform that turn (legal fund-raising, Illegal force etc.), then decide on the severity of the action. The higher the severity of the action, the harder it is to perform but the more rewards are gained from pursuing it successfully. If the player is attempting to perform a force action against another player he must declare his target at this time. Action Benefits Table: In order to succeed in an action, a player must draw cards from his action deck until a drawn card fulfils the success requirements of the action: Action/Severity Mild Moderate Strong Legal Fundraising (Diamonds) Half (rounded up) of cards face value of resource points Cards face value of resource points Twice cards face value of resource points Legal Force (Hearts) Half (rounded up) of cards face value of action points Cards face value of action points Twice cards face value of action points Illegal Fundraising (Clubs) Cards face value of resource points Twice cards face value of resource points Four times cards face value of resource points Illegal Force (Spades) Cards face value of action points Twice cards face value of action points Four times cards face value of action points Mild: Card of same colour as action (i.e., any red card for a mild legal fund-raising action) Moderate: Card of same suit as action (i.e. any Hearts card for a moderate legal force action) Severe: Card of same suit with a value of8 or higher (i.e. a cards of face value 8 or higher for a severe illegal force action). A player draws cards one at a time. For each card he draws he must pay one resource point for a legal action, or two resource points for an illegal action. He may stop drawing cards at any time, but still must pay the cost of any cards drawn. The effect of a successful action is immediate, with the player either gaining the resource points or the action points. The action deck must be reshuffled afier each action attempt by a player. Using Action Points Action points gained by a successful Force action can be used in one of two ways - either against the players "Cause" cards or against another player. Action points cannot be split between players, or between players and the "Cause". Points may not be held over to subsequent turns. For every two full action points spent against a player, that player must loose one resource point. Action points are used against the "Cause" to remove cards. When a force action is successful, the topmost cause card is revealed. If the number of action points remaining equals or exceeds the face value of the card, then the card has been overcome and is removed from the "Cause". If the action points are less than the value of the card, the action has no effect, however the "Cause" card remains face up. Defeating the "cause" ard costs action points equal to the value of the card. Remaining action points are carried over to the next card in the "Cause" and may defeat that in the same manner, For Example: a player has 10 action points. He draws the top "Cause" card revealing a 7. He overcomes this card and discards it, and having three action points remaining draws the next "Cause" card. If the new "Cause" card has a value of 3 or less, it too will be overcome, otherwise the new "Cause" card will be placed face up on the "Cause" pile. Drawing a Joker If a Joker is drawn at anytime, the authorities react with a campaign against the organisation. The current action or attempt against the "Cause" automatically fails, and five cards are added to bottom of the players "Cause" pile from the players "Cause deck". The player also draws the top card from his action deck and looses the face vale of that card in resource points (Jokers count as 15 points). Winning and Losing A player wins the game when the last "Cause" card in his "Cause" is defeated. He may also win the game if all other players have had their resource points reduced to zero. Players who have been reduced to zero points may opt to start a new cause, and generate a new "Cause" pile and resource points in the same manner as the start up for that game. Back to The Gauntlet No. 13 Table of Contents Back to The Gauntlet List of Issues Back to Master Magazine List © Copyright 1998 by Craig Martelle Publications This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. 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