Tuesday, May 03, 2011

Kings of Air and Steam - Character abilities

For those interested, here are the current character abilities and special movement cards for Kings of Air and Steam. We tested the first draft and made some adjustments. these are not final, but are probably pretty close to what the final game will have in it.

Each movement phase will go in turn order, so move-1 cards will always go before move-3 cards, but given the same movement card, Harvey and Reginald will always act before Clint and Eli. As compensation, the later turn order characters have the more powerful abilities.

Each player will be assigned 1 team, and each team has 2 characters from which the player will choose. Each character has a special ability, and each team also has a special movement card and potentially unique Airship stats as well.

1a - Harvey Golding: Start with a Level 2 Airship and $20 instead of $12 (or $15?).
Harvey Golding is the stepson of Lawrence Golding, out to salvage his father's empire.

1b - Reginald Kain: Start with a Level 2 Airship. Place additional starting depot after other players have placed.
Reginald Kain was Lawrence Golding's business partner, he helped Lawrence found Golding Enterprises and would hate to see it crumble.

1move - Move 0*, + Action

2a - Aurelia Bayley: As an Action, convert 1 cube of one color to 1 cube of another color.
Aurelia is a quirky inventor, out to prove that what the industrial revolution needs is a healthy dose of science.

2b - ISAAC (Intelligent Steam Automated Airship Captain): Discard a Cube to get 1 additional Action (1x/action)
Aurelia's clockwork assistant I.S.A.A.C. is an adept Airship pilot.

2move - Move 7** (Straight line)

3a - Eva Blane: Start with Level 2 Train. May construct a new link for $1/tile and place a Depot on it.
3b - Victor Blane: Start with Level 2 Train. $1 discount on Depots.
3move - Move 2* + Ship 1 Good (execute during 2*move round).
Son and Daughter of one of the original Rail Barons, Eva and Victor's contacts in the rail industry reach far and wide. As Rail Barons, Eva and Victor have a jump on other teams when it comes to depots and rail lines, but they're not as adept with Airships, so their Engine and Cargo upgrades top out lower than other characters. We might add storage limits to Depots, in which case Eva and Victor would be allowed to store more goods in each Depot.

4a - Flora Kingston: Upon filling a city, draw 2 New Demand tiles and choose 1.
4b - Bishop Kingston: When Delivering 2+ cubes, may place 1 in supply rather than on City (that one doesn't count toward capacity limit).
4move - Move 2, then Move 2 (execute during 4move round).
British shipping magnates Flora and Bishop Kingston are experts in the industry, very in tune with the demands of the marketplace. With Lawrence Golding gone, they have come to British Colonial America in order to claim their rightful crown as the true Kings of Air and Steam.

Flora and Bishop's Engine upgrades slower than other characters, but their Cargo upgrades faster.


5a - Clint Castle: Free Route Adjustments, and 1x/round may make an additional Route Adjustment without using an action.
5b - Eli Diamond: Play a (1-3) movement card as an action
5move - Move 6**
Clint Castle's grandfather Beaufort Castle was the first to employ the Diamond Engine in an Airship - and doing revolutionized Airship Racing at the time. That event is what inspired Lawrence Golding to adapt the Diamond Engine for his shipping industry. Clint Castle, with his Grandfather's racing Zepplin, has teamed up with Eli Diamond, who's grandfather invented the Engine itself, to bring the speed of Airship champions to the industrial revolution.

As a champion racing ship, the Sky Castle's cargo upgrades slower than other characters'. But their Engine upgrades faster. When it comes to piloting an Airship, this team cannot be beaten.


6a - Sebastian King: When delivering, may pay up to $3. For each $1 paid, draw 1 Market tile. If any match the cubes delivered, +$3/cube.
A habitual gambler, Sebastian King has tried a lot of failed ventures. Having won an Airship in a poker game from a con man, King thought it might be fun to enter the burgeoning shipping industry that he'd heard so much about. Knowing very little about Airships, he teamed up with the only Airship pilot he knew, which happened to be the man who he'd won the ship from!

6b - Corday McQuinn: 3 times per game, may spend 1 "Swindle" token to deliver 1 off color cube with a delivery.
A con man by nature, Corday McQuinn's pride took a hit when he lost his Airship to Sebastian King. He was happy to be recruited to pilot it by it's new owner. Both Sebastian and Corday have something of a dark side, but they have become friends and partners in order to make it rich as shipping magnates.

6move - Move 0-3*

7a - Thaddeus Birch: Use opponents' depots for $1/cube instead of $2/cube
When Mafia lieutenant Thaddeus Birch gives you an envelope of cash in exchange for using your depot, you don't count it in front of him.

7b - Mort Flynn: When using 1*, 2*, or 3* movement card, may Steal at the end of movement (stealing counts as picking up).
Mafia thug Mortimer Flynn finds it easier sometimes to take goods from another depot or Airship then to fly all the way to a factory.

7move - Move 0* + Steal 1 Good (stealing counts as picking up).

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