JOUST SIM

INTRODUCTION
Card game based on the 1982 Arcade game.
1-2 players. 

DISCLAIMER
Joust is a licensed property. 
This is merely a fan site. 

VICTORY
The player with the highest score at the end of the game wins. 

GAME END
The game ends when all players have lost all of their Life counters. 

LIFE COUNTERS
Each player starts with 3 Life counters. 

GETTING KILLED
If you lose a life counter, you discard your hand and your turn ends immediately. 
You continue playing on your next turn. 
You start at an altitude of 1D6. 

PLAYER KNIGHTS
Both players are Knights. 
One player rides an Emu. 
One player rides an Ostrich. 

ENEMIES AND OPPONENTS
Minor distinction: 
Player Knights are Opponents
Knights from the Foe Deck are Enemies. 
Knights from the Foe deck are also called Buzzard Knights. 

THE DECKS
There are 2 common decks: 
The Foe Deck and the Player Deck. 

PLAYER DECK
There are 3 types of cards: 
Altitude cards: These immediately put you at the new indicated altitude. 
Modifier cards: These alter up or down your current altitude. 
Special cards: These have some other effect. 

DICE
A Six Sided Die is needed. 

SCORING
Each player scores points as Follows: 
Deed:					Points Scored
Kill Enemy Knight Bounder		5
Kill Enemy Knight Hunter		10
Kill Enemy Knight Shadow Lord		15
Kill Opponent’s Knight			10
Kill Pterodactyl 			20
Claim Gladiator Wave Card		10
Surviving a Wave			5
Surviving a Wave without being Killed	20

SPAWN POINTS
Cards from the Foe Deck come into play face-up at 4 spawn points. 
There can only be 4 Foe cards in play at a time. 
The Spawn points are numbered 1 to 4. 

WAVES
Every time you kill X Buzzard knights, a Wave ends. 
Immediately discard all Foe cards in play
X is determined by the Wave Number. 
Wave:		X:
1		4
2		5
3		6
4		7
5		8
6		9
7		10
8		11
9		12
You retain your current altitude from one Wave to the next. 

RECORD KEEPING
Use paper and pencil to keep track of: 
Wave Number
Buzzard Knights killed in a Wave
Scores

REDUCED RECORD KEEPING VARIANTS
Play without the concept of Waves, or 
Have all waves be X = 4. 

ALTITUDE
All Foe cards have an Altitude rating. 
Altitudes can range from zero (lowest) to ten (highest). 

FALL TOKENS
This indicates your current altitude has dropped one level. 

LAVA RULE
If your altitude ever goes to zero or less, you fall into the 
Lava and lose 1 Life Counter. 

MORTAL DANGER DODGE RULE
If you are about to be killed by an opponents knight in 
Joust phase, you may play a Modifier card to adjust your height in order to evade. 

SETUP
Roll high on 1D6 to see who goes first. 
Each player rolls 1D6 to see what altitude they start out at. 

TURN SEQUENCE
Players take turns. 
Each turn has 6 Phases:
Foe Phase
Knight Phase
Fly Phase
Joust Phase
Score Phase
Enemy Phase
End Phase

FOE PHASE
Flip cards from the top of the deck so that there is a 
Foe card at each of the 4 Spawn Sites. 
If the deck runs out, shuffle the discard and draw from it. 

KNIGHT PHASE
Fill your hand to 4 cards from the Player Deck. 
If the deck runs out, shuffle the discard and draw from it. 

FLY PHASE
Play an Altitude card or a Modify card or gain a Fall Token. 
If you play an Altitude card, discard all other 
Altitude cards, Modify cards, or Tokens you have in play. 

JOUST PHASE
If you are one altitude level over an enemy or opponent Knight, you may kill it. 
A killed Opponent’s Knight loses a Life counter. 
If you are at the same altitude as a pterodactyl, you may kill it. 
Discard Killed Foe cards. 
You may only kill one Foe or opponent in this phase. 

SCORE PHASE
Keep track of points scored in this phase. 

ENEMY PHASE
If any Foe or opponent is exactly one Altitude level above you, you are killed and 
Lose one life counter. 

END PHASE
You may discard one Player card from your hand. 

FOE DECK CARD LIST
Name:			Altitude:
Bounder Knight		1
Bounder Knight		2
Bounder Knight		3
Bounder Knight		4
Bounder Knight		5
Bounder Knight		6
Bounder Knight		7
Bounder Knight		8
Bounder Knight		9
Hunter Knight		1
Hunter Knight		2
Hunter Knight		3
Hunter Knight		4
Hunter Knight		5
Hunter Knight		6
Hunter Knight		7
Hunter Knight		8
Hunter Knight		9
Shadow Lord		1
Shadow Lord		2
Shadow Lord		3
Shadow Lord		4
Shadow Lord		5
Shadow Lord		6
Shadow Lord		7
Shadow Lord		8
Shadow Lord		9
Pterodactyl		1
Pterodactyl		2
Pterodactyl		3
Pterodactyl		4
Pterodactyl		5
Pterodactyl		6
Pterodactyl		7
Pterodactyl		8
Pterodactyl		9
Gladiator Wave		Claim when you kill your opponent

PLAYER DECK CARD LIST
Name:			Altitude	Notes
Altitude		1
Altitude		2
Altitude		3
Altitude		4
Altitude		5
Altitude		6
Altitude		7
Altitude		8
Altitude		9
Altitude		10
Altitude		1
Altitude		2
Altitude		3
Altitude		4
Altitude		5
Altitude		6
Altitude		7
Altitude		8
Altitude		9
Altitude		10
Flap Flap Flap		+2
Flap Flap Flap		+2
Altitude Adjustment	+1	
Altitude Adjustment	+1
Drop			-1	
Drop			-1	
Dive			-2	
Dive			-2	
Maneuver		-		Discard to Draw 2 cards
Maneuver		-		Discard to Draw 2 cards
Run Away		-		Negate getting Killed
Run Away		-		Negate getting Killed





CARD SET AVAILABLE!
Thanks Ron!
Click Here

LINKS
Joust Simulator  Play For Real!!!
Wikipedia  Joust History



COMMENTARY
Am a little confused by the rules though.  It isn't clear how/when you encounter the foes.  Extrapolating from the  arcade game, each player would start from opposite end of the "board" (which would be the four "spawn" points) and each turn each would encounter the next foe.  For example, Player A moves left-to-right, and in the Joust Phase would encounter the left-most foe, while Player B encounters the right-most foe; they'd score (or not), get killed if that foe is 1 altitude higher (or not), each discard a card (or not), then the foes they'd encountered would be replaced if killed, the players would then each draw to 4 cards, play altitude/modify, Player A would encounter the second-to-left foe, while Player B would encounter the second-to-right foe.  Presume the next turn they'd encounter each other?  When a player had encountered all 4 foes in line (and the opposing player if there is one), his knight starts over at the side of the "board" he started from (or turns around), simulating continual flight across infinite spawn points until the Wave is over?
 
As a variation, have there be a "space" between spawning points in which the knights don't encounter a foe (no Joust Phase) that turn but can adjust altitude; upon which if it's a two player game the opponent can play one of his own player cards on a Foe to adjust the Foe's altitude.  Alternately, or in addition, in a two-player game, in the Joust phase your opponent can adjust a Foe's altitude using his own player cards, and you can counter with additional cards from your hand - would have to be judicious about doing this since you'd not be able to count on the cards you had for your next encounter.