Metropolis

Mainmatch 9: Metropolis

The goal of Metropolis is to score the most points across 12 rounds and to secure those points by successfully doing the number of actions equal to the number of the points.

--Board design--

The game is played on the a hexagonal board found in #mm9-updates over the course of a pre-game auction and 12 rounds. Players will move along the edges of the hexagons and stop at vertices. Vertices with shapes are stations, vertices without are intersections.

Players are labeled as "bullets" of their chosen color. Hexagons may also be colored a pastel version of that color to represent area control.

The board that will be used in the game is linked below. It will also have all different players on it to demonstrate colors.

--Pregame auction--

Every player is given 20 coins to use in the pre-game auction and the rest of the game.

In the pre-game auction all players will submit a number of chips they wish to spend. Only the winner’s bid is taken and the winner gets to select a starting vertex and one of the hexagons to immediately invest 3 coins in and gain control of (area control will be explain more in depth later). Rest of the players will be put on a random intersection and will not gain any area.

--Game start and submissions--

All players will start the game with 2 points. Number of points you have dictates how many actions you can take in a round. This means that in the first round you will can take exactly 2 actions.

You may increase the number of points by buying your Nth point for N*N coins.

If any of your actions fail, you will lose 1 point no matter how many actions failed. If you fail to submit, even if you submitted one less action than you need to, you will take no actions and you will lose 2 points.

Additionally, every round will have an auction. It is a closed bid auction using coins, where only the winners bid is taken. The reward is usually an item that allows you to take a specific 1-time action, and it always contain a rail

You will receive the reward from the auction at the start of the following round. Rails will be put on the board before the actions of the following round. Reward in r12 will be given at the end of the game

--Movement--

You will start the game on a vertex. From that vertex you may move along an edge to an adjacent vertex. After your first movement you will not be able to go make a 180° turn with your train and travel back along an edge you just passed.

You will also be able to put rails you win from auctions on the board. These rails must be put such that they connect 2 vertices and are not crossing an edge or a vertex. You are able to move along these edges the same way you travel along the edges, without making 180° turns.

While standing at one end of your rail, you may spend an action to move another end of the rail to any vertex such that the rail doesn't cross an edge.

Players may spend an action to set a fee on one of their rails. You may make enact different fees for different rails.

Players may move along the opponent's rail, giving them the fee, plus giving hosts a few coins as tax.

The tax is 1 coin in first 4 rounds, 2 coins in rounds 4-8 and a third of the fee, rounded up, in rounds 9-12

--Area control--

As one of your actions, you may choose to invest up to 3 coins in a hexagon you are adjacent to.

If you are the player that invested the most coins in a hexagon then you take control of that hexagons.

Hexagon that you control are coloured a pastel version of your chosen color.

In rounds 3, 6, 8, 10 and 11 the player who has invested the most in a given hexagon will receive the number of coins equal to the difference between his total investment and 2nd highest total investment. For example, if Red has invested 5 coins and Zero has invested 2, then Red would gain 3 coins.

If you are the only player to invest in a hexagon, 2nd highest investment is 0.

--Passengers --

Passengers are a small shape, that matches one of the shapes of stations. passengers want to be delivered to stations that are the same shape as them.

Stations that have passengers will be filled in and there will be a list of passengers at every station to the right of the board.

In Nth round, 4+N passengers will appear at up to 6 predetermined stations. The sequence where and which passengers appear will be unknown to players.

If you are at a station that is adjacent to a hexagon you control, you are able to pick them up. You will pick up all of the passengers present, unless their count exceeds the number of seats in your carriage. If that happens, left-most passengers are picked up first

Your carriage can hold 4 passengers. You may buy another carriage for 15 coins.

You may also drop off your passengers at a station. All passengers whose shape matches the station's shape will be dropped off automatically using this action, and you may request to drop off other passengers.

Delivering your Nth passenger to the correct station will give you N coins immediately.

--List of actions--

To summarize, you need to submit as many actions as you have points, the list of possible actions is:

• Move along an edge
• Move along your rail
• Set a fee for a rail
• Change the position of your rail
• Move along opponent's rail
• Invest in an adjacent area
• Pick up passengers
• Drop off passengers
• Buy a carriage
• Buy a point
• Use an item

Moving along an edge will move you to the vertex you share an edge with. This action fails if you are not adjacent to the edge you are trying to move along or if you are trying to make a 180 turn.

Moving along your rail will move you from one vertex that your rail is connected to, to another. This action will fail if you are not adjacent to your rail or if you are trying to make a 180 turn.

Changing the position of your rail requires you to be on one of the ends of your rail. The action allows you to move another end of the rail to another vertex such that the rail doesn't cross an edge.

This action fails if you are not at a vertex where your rail is.

Setting a fee on a rail sets the price at which other players can use your rail.

This action cannot fail.

Moving along opponent's rail requires you to be at an end of a rail, not doing an 180° turn and having enough money to pay the fee.

The action allows you to move along a rail your opponent has placed.

This action fails if any of requirements are not met.

Investing in an area allows you to select a hexagon adjacent to you and invest up to 3 coins in it. Player with most coins invested will take control of the hexagon.

This action if an area you are trying to invest to is not adjacent to you

Hexagons pay out the difference between yours and next highest investment in rounds 3, 6, 8, 10, 11.

To pick up passengers you have to be at a station that has passengers to pick up. Additionally, the station has to be adjacent to an area you control.

This action fails if a station has no passengers, or if it is not a station, or the station isn't adjacent to your hexagon.

To drop off passengers you have to be at a station. All passengers whose shape matches the shape of a station are automatically dropped off, plus any additional passengers, specified in the submission.

Delivering your Nth passenger to the correct station will grant you N coins.

This action fails if you have no passengers in your carriage or if you are on an intersection.

Buying a carriage costs 15 coins and adds another carriage where you can put 4 more passengers. This action fails if you don't have enough coins.

Buying your Nth point costs N*N and gives you 1 point. This action fails if you don't have enough coins.

Using an item involves you using the item that you have gained from an auction. This action fails if you don't have the item you are trying to use.

--Round Updates--

Actions one by one. Actions from all players resolve simultaneously. This means that all first actions resolve at once, then all 2nd actions etc.

When picking up passengers, left-most passengers will be picked up first.

When dropping off passengers, they will be dropped off in random order. You may specify the order you want them dropped off in.

In case of any action failing, it is ignored and the list continues. This could lead to many actions failing due to a single move action failing. Note that the penalty for that is still only 1 point.

Public board updates will have an image, containing board after all actions have resolved; all players next to the vertex they are on, on the edge or rail they last moved along; any passengers players may carry; list of stations with passengers; everyone's current score and the winning bid for the auction (just the bid, not who the winner is)

Players will be told in private the number of their coins, how many coins they gained from people using their rails, if any, and which of their actions failed, if any.

--Submission Format--

We would appreciate if the actions are ordered in a list, starting from first action.

Moving along an edge should specify which edge, either using cardinal directions (use north-west, west by itself will not be counted.) or stating the 2 hexagons the edge separates.

Moving along a rail is similar.

Changing the fee or position of a rail should specify which rail, by the letter of the hexagon the rail is in.

Dropping off passengers should specify, whether you want to drop off only the matching ones, or all of them. This will default to only the matching passengers.

--Game End--

After the actions of 12th round are resolved, the reward from r12 auction is given out and then coins that you have will be automatically converted into points using standard conversion rates.

After that everyone's scores and coin counts will be revealed.

The player with the most points wins and gains 1 ToL.

The player with the least points loses and gets a ToD.

In case of a tie for either a ToL or a ToD, coin counts are compared. The player with more coins is ranked higher.

In case of a further tie, players become joint winners or joint losers.

--Tradable items--

• Unplaced rails. Rails gained from auctions may be traded before they are placed.
• Items from auctions.
• Passengers. If at deadline you have more passengers than you had before the deadline, then the excess will be discarded. In other words, passenger trades have to be 1 for 1, checked at deadline

--Edge cases--

[1] If a player ever has 0 or -1 points, it is announced and everyone gains 2 points.

[2] If there is a tie for an auction, no bid is taken and no reward is given out. Max bid will still be announced.

[3] If multiple players try to pick up passengers from the same station in the same action, the player who bid more in the auction for the round will resolve first. In case of a tie, neither players gets passengers, but the action does not fail.

--Example round--

Let's take this possible board.

Chaotic has traded with Lexi, giving her a Square passanger and taking a Circle passanger.

His submission looks like this:

• Move along his rail to the east.
• Drop off passengers.
• Pick up passangers.
• Move along Sally's rail to the west.
• Drop off all of the passengers.

Bid 0 in the auction

Sally's submission is:

• Move south
• Pick up passengers
• Drop off passengers
• Move along her rail

Bid 4 in the auction.

As a result, Sally will pick up the passengers first and Chao's 3rd action fails.

The board for the next round may look something like this:

Chaotic will get an update saying that he got the coins from 3 passengers he delivered, that his 3rd action failed and that he got 3 coins from rail fee.

There is a 24 hour pregame time, then we will have a 24 hour pregame auction

@Contestant Pregame time will be extended to 48 hours due to my inability to post images until Wednesday.

Clarification: Bying a point allows to submit 1 more action in that round.

Clarification: Investments pay out at the start of the round

Clarification: If you do not have enough room for passengers, left-most passengers will be picked up first.

If there are 2 rows of passengers, top row first, then bottom row

Rules have been edited to reflect that

Clarification: Outside perimeter where only 2 lines meet is still an intersection

Clarification: Winner of pregame auction will win 3 coins to invest in a hexagon and the right to choose a starting vertex

There are no other rewards

All ingame auctions have a rail, pregame auction doesnt

Also, you don't have to invest next to where you start

Amendment: When putting down a rail that you won at an auction, you can set the fee for free. If no fee is specified, it is defaulted to 0.

Clarification: When putting down a rail it doesn't have to be adjacent to you

Amendment: Not placing the rail for 2 rounds (so not placing the rail from r1 auction in r3) will remove the rail from you.

Rule Change: Round 12 will have passengers appear at 9 stations instead of 6.

@Contestant There have been a few concerns about Rail Steal item, and thus the usage of the item will be altered

The item will not take up an action, and may be used freely in a round.

The item will activate only after all the actions for the round had been resolved, and such no actions may fail in the round the rail was stolen in.

This is a drastic change, so the winner of the auction will receive 2 coins as compensation

Large investment item will function in the same way