A number of years ago I mistakenly described a four hour game as an "ultra quicky" game. Paddy Griffin sent a letter to me, correcting my error. It shows how much under the sway of bad mainstream rules that I thought four hours was fast. Since then I've come to view four hours as then length of time it takes to game the entire 1812 invasion of Russia (all the battles included)!
Recently, my wife became the leader of a local medieval reenactment group and turned her attentions toward recruiting new member. I suggested that I might make a five minute game to try to pull in children and interested teenage wargamers. The game I tried second was a bull fighting game.
Why bull fighting? Well, for one, I've never seen a bull fighting game done before. I've got pretty little miniatures to do the game with, and it is a very medieval thing to do (ranking right up there with bear baiting and horse fighting). The other aspect that attracts me is capturing the psychology of the bull fight. Bulls normally run when faced with crowds in strange places. It is only by goading them that one is able to get them to fight.
THE SET UP
The game was set up on the head of a drum, placed on the ground. A bull was placed in the center surrounded by a circle of ten or so figures, and a couple of trees. The players ran the people, while I moved the bull.The players were told that the purpose of the game was not only to kill the bull, but to do so in style (daring dodges, elegant turns, and a clean coup de gras in the end, ole!). Making the bull snort and buck, added to the "Style" of the event. If the bull broke through the ring of people then he got away. So the players were faced with a challenge.
THE RULES
Bull Fight! is a great hand-fulls of dice (GHOD) game, in which one can roll as many six sided dice as one wishes. My dice are hand painted (one red side, one green side, and four yellow sides) but any six sided dice will do. Players roll to move and attack with one figure. The figure moves one centimeter (a base length) per green (or six) rolled. If on reaching the bull one has greens left over, the they are converted into attack.One can chose to goad the bull (which makes it more angry but does not kill it) or attack the bull (which might kill it, ole!). Some of the figures are unarmed and my only goad. Two figures have long rapiers, and may try to kill from a centimeter and a half away!
If one rolls reds (one's) then complications can happen. One can stumble, fall, or (gasp!) loose one's hat!
If the bull attacks then one may try to dodge it. it is easy to dodge. But difficult to do so well. A poor dodge may save one's person but lose one's macho. A good dodge may lead to a graceful kill as the matador delivers the killing blow to the raging bull.
The bull, mean while, is trying to escape for the mess. At first the bull will try to run away. If left unmolested, the bull would circle in vain, looking to a break in the ring. Only if attacked, or pressed into too small a space, would he attack. The bull rolls one die a turn until goaded into anger. One die assures that the bull will not attack.
Goading and attacks add dice to the bulls anger. The more dice the bull has to roll then the greater the chance he has of trying to gore one of the participants. As with the players one green means the bull can move one stands length (but the base in one inch rather than one centimeter in the bulls case). Remaining greens can be used in an attack. Once in a fight with someone, the bull will stand and kick and butt, till he bucks, where on he goes after someone else.
Reds (one's) cause complications to the bull: snorting, bucking, stomping, etc. Many of these things also increase the bulls anger. If the bull rolls enough reds then he dies of his wounds and the game ends.
If a bull rolls no greens, then he turns around and runs away from the people three stands lengths. The bull can make a 180 degree turn to do this since bulls are highly maneuverable (as I discovered as a child).
THE PLAYERS
The game ran remarkably well. I turned out to be a five minute game rather than the two minute game I had hoped for, but it accomplished my aim of simulating bull psychology. The players were mainly teenage boys, though some younger children played as well. Spectators stood around to watch the game proceed, though none yelled Ole! at the appropriate times. Some people commented on the cruel nature of the sport (obviously animal rights activists). But the event was generally well received. Some of the players wanted to play again that evening, but I wanted to spend time with my wife.In at least one instance the game lead to a discussion of why bull fights are done. The most interesting theory put forward, was that they are a hold over of the ancient religious practice of sacrificing god (Zeus, The Great Bull of Heaven) so that the crops would be fertile. A very different point of view from the animal rights position!
THE TABLES
| MOVEMENT | DODGE | GOAD | ATTACK | COMPLICATION |
| 0 turn | - | - | - | - |
| 1 stand | poor | +1d | - | - |
| 2 stands | okay | +2d | - | - |
| 3 stands | good | +3d | +4d | lose your hat |
| 4 stands | great | +4d | +6d | stumble, no dodge |
| 5 stands | Ole! | +5d | +8d | fall, no move |
| 6 stands | Ole! | +6d | Ole! | run! booooo! |
| BULL'S MOVE | Goring | Complication |
| 0=3 stands away | - | - |
| 1 stand forward | misses | snort |
| 2 stands | catches cape | buck + 1d |
| 3 stands | kicked man | stomp +1d |
| 4 stands | man falls, no move | bull falls, +2d |
| 5 stands | man gored | bull injures self +4d |
| 6 stands | Ole! man killed | bull dies of wounds |
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© Copyright 1997 Hal Thinglum
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