franklin johnson
United States
santa cruz
California
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JUNKS! - A Pirate Variant for the Great Khan Game
The mercenary pirate fleets of Chi, Chu and Wu (junks) are an amusing representation of the pirates that used to plague the South China Seas (as in 'Terry and the Pirates'). They are also worth four ships, rather than three, if you can get them working together. This rarely happens, though. I have an optional rule which will make this more likely. I think it will also help players who are behind, need ships and/or have forces too small for normal assaults.
When a junk is killed it does not go to the bottom of the discards thus becoming unavailable until a re-shuffle. Instead, it goes home to its island on the map to patrol the Swil Passage. Mark the island with a counter from an unused set, or a penny, or something, and place the junk along the side of the board near its island. It now acts as though a player had placed it on the board as an independent pirate fleet. Instead of a player collecting shares, however, they pile up on the junk's island as treasure.
When a junk is discarded, it stays in the discard pile (giving other players a chance to get it). When the discards are sealed by an event, the junk is removed and goes on patrol, as in the above paragraph.
In his turn, a player may use his one attack to attack a junk on patrol, whether independent or player. If he sinks it, his turn ends. If he captures it, he may then immediately attack another junk, and so on untill he runs out of ships, calls off the attack or all the patrolling junks are gone.
If the player can land at least one sword on a junk island the same turn its junk has been sunk or captured, he gets all the treasure on that island.
Captured junks are added to the players hand and kept, even if he calls off the attack. A junk that's sunk will go ker-plunk... sorry! will go back on patrol after the players turn ends (you can't keep a good pirate down)..
Note that the treasure on the island of a patrolling junk can only be taken by defeating the junk - sinking or capture. You cannot land air units on the island to grab the treasure without a fight; the junk is assumed to take it for safekeeping, head out to sea, and land it when the air units have left.
Note that this means that once played, the junks will never be out of play now, unless they are in someone's hand. This constant availability will make it easier to pick up a complete set. Also, players who are short of ships and/or money will now have a little easier time of it, as the big players will usually not want to waste attacks like this.
And finally,
we will now see
the pirate junks of Wu-Chu-Chi
strike terror into you and me;
they'll strike as four instead of three!
A thing you hardly ever see.
So tell me if you all agree
that this is fine as it can be.
(The variant, not the poetree).
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Posted Sun May 13, 2007 5:49 pm