The Mario Kart Grand Prix is a prestigious event. Thousands upon thousands of people come to see it every year, and none are dissapointed. People enter the ranks and get either spat out or rise to the top of fame and fortune. But what about those who do not wish to bother with all of the glitz, the glamour, the backstage, and just want to do what they know how to do the best-race? Fortunately, there is a medium for people in that catagory. Named after a certain pink spherical character who is reported to have given a hi-five to a certain blue-hatted Boo, the Kirby Open still gets a few followers, but all are only interested in one thing-the racing.
The rules are exactly the same as in the Grand Prix-racers from around the world take to the grid, and the first person to go around the track enough times is declared the victor. Here, however, there are no prizes, no backstage shenanigens, heck, there isn't even an entry fee. Karts are freely supplied by donators, although modules are allowed to be installed provided they are supplied by the racers. It's basically all about the racing, and that's how it really should be.
Rules heartily stolen from Monk12.
There are a few different rolls a player may attempt during a turn, depending on what they want to accomplish.
The simplest roll is the Racing Check, which resolves in typical RTD fashion. Racing Checks always have the results listed here, and may have additional effects related to the circumstance that warranted the check. Normally, the only results possible are 1-6, but modifiers may produce higher or lower outcomes, so those are listed here as well.
0 and Below- Your action FAILS, and you suffer a HICCUP (see Karts)
1- Your action FAILS, and you lose ONE Momentum
2- Your action FAILS
3- Your action FAILS
4- Your action SUCCEEDS
5- Your action SUCCEEDS
6- Your action SUCCEEDS, and you gain ONE Momentum
7- Your action SUCCEEDS, and you gain TWO Momentum
The second type of roll is the Pass, which is the check you make to pass another driver (or avoid being passed!) Pass rolls are always opposed checks, and thus have no other effects- a 1 is just a 1, and a 6 is just a 6, with no change in Momentum. Pass rolls are always modified by your current Momentum.
Then there's the Hazard Roll, which is made to avoid hazards like Bananas or Chain Chomps, or to hit Item Boxes. It is identical to the Racing Roll, except that no Momentum is gained or lost from rolls.
Next, there is the Item Roll. Each player gets a bonus to their item roll related to their position in the race, using a d8. First Place gets no bonus, Second Place gets +1, Third gets +2, etc. If a player has fallen behind, they get an additional +1 bonus to this roll. Consult the Items tab for rules on when Item Rolls are made and the uses of specific items.
Finally, for cases off the course the standard RTD convention is used- in binary situations, 1-3 is a fail and 4-6 is a pass.
0: Starting the Race
Starting the race is a special turn all its own. Players start with Zero Momentum, and the only action Players can choose to attempt is a Rocket Start. A Rocket Start is a special instance of a Racing Check- players who succeed on a Rocket Start receive +2 Momentum, Players who critically fail receive no Momentum, and players who choose not to risk it or who otherwise fail to succeed gain +1 Momentum. Players are ranked by their Momentum, and ties are broken by opposed Racing Checks.
1: Player Action Phase
The first thing that happens in a turn is the resolution of player actions. Player actions resolve from first place to last, as determined at the start of the turn. Players can choose their action from the following list- this list does not cover all possible player actions (for example, specifically ramming an opponent into a hazard,) but this is the base point for thinking about player actions.
Drive Aggressively- The player cuts corners close, squeaks through narrow openings and generally tries to outperform the competition. The player makes a special Racing Check, gaining One Momentum on a 4, and Two Momentum for each result higher than that.
Drive Defensively- The player focuses on maintaining their position, providing a +1 bonus to avoid being passed, and to avoiding attacks. A driver using this action only attempts to Pass in the Movement Phase if his Momentum is twice that of the racer ahead of him.
Draft- The player drafts behind the driver ahead of him, looking for an opening, and makes one free Pass Attempt even if his Momentum is lower than that driver's. Drafting players do not lose Momentum if they succeed on this Pass Attempt, and if their Pass Check result is 10 or higher, they gain ONE Momentum.
Ram Driver- Instead of trying to cleanly pass another driver, you can try to Ram them out of the way. The next time you are involved in a Pass action, you first make an opposed Pass Check modified by your respective Momentums. If you succeed, your target loses Two Momentum and that player cannot oppose you in that Pass Action (effectively ending their attempt to pass you or allowing you to freely pass them. You still lose Momentum for passing as normal.) The Rammed driver must make an immediate Racing Check to avoid spinning out, losing additional Momentum. If you fail, only you lose One Momentum and the Pass action resolves as normal.
Take Shortcut- Some sections of the track have alternate paths, most often shortcuts. Some paths require the use of an item to enter (a Mushroom to boost straight across a wide curve, for example,) some paths require Racing Checks to enter (hitting a narrow line of Dash Panels,) and some paths require both (landing a long Mushroom-fueled jump across water.) The specifics are detailed in the course info.
Power Slide- The player attempts to Power Slide to gain a speed burst. The player makes a Racing Check- on a success the player gains a +1 bonus to Passing checks made that turn and may make one free Pass Attempt if his Momentum is higher than the driver ahead of him. The Power Slide check normally incurs a -1 penalty because it requires space to perform- normal curves and broad straightaways do not incur this penalty, while broad curves provide a +1 bonus to powersliding.
2: Movement Phase
This phase represents the actual movement along the track. First, any active Blue Shells hit. Next, any features of the course need to be navigated, whether good or bad- the only exception is Item Boxes, which are hit during the following phase.
Finally, players jockey for position throughout their movement. Starting with the player in last place, if a driver has higher Momentum than the the driver ahead of him, he attempts to Pass. If his Pass succeeds, he moves ahead and loses one Momentum, then repeats the process- there is no limit on the number of pass attempts a driver may make in a single turn. Drivers that used a Defensive Driving only attempt to Pass if their Momentum is double the driver ahead of them.
If the driver currently in Last place in the segment has Momentum of 0 or less, he must make a Racing check modified by their Momentum to avoid Falling Back. A player that Falls Back has wiped out, and must repeat their current segment. A player that has Fallen Back has their Momentum set to THREE.
If the driver currently in First place in the segment has Momentum of 5 or greater, he can make a Racing check to Pull Ahead. A player that Pulls Ahead successfully immediately advances to the next segment and must immediately navigate any hazard in that segment- any loss of Momentum means that the player does not Pull Ahead. Once a player has completely Pulled Ahead, he loses FOUR Momentum.
3: Cleanup Phase
A couple things happen during the Cleanup Phase. First, Item boxes are hit- item rolls are assigned, and anyone who hits a Fake suffers the consequences. Then, if the course is subject to changing conditions or special events, this is when those effects come into play. Finally, any Player with a Momentum less than Zero has their Momentum set to Zero, Players with Momentum higher than their Cruising Speed have it lowered to that speed, and the order of the players is finalized for the start of next turn. The Finish Line is crossed at the very end of the Cleanup Phase.
Items can be acquired from item boxes found at the end of particular segments of the course. During the Cleanup Phase, each player makes a Hazard Check to hit an item box. On a success, they make an Item Roll and consult the following chart to see which item they receive. The odds of hitting an item box are delineated in the course description.
Items marked with Dragged are automatically used and pulled behind the Kart, providing a +3 dodge bonus against Green Shells and Red Shells- if this bonus is the reason the player survives the attack, the item is treated as hit and lost. Additionally, a player that fails to Ram or Pass the driver dragging the item must make a Hazard Check to avoid hitting the item. Dragged items MUST be used before deploying another item. If a driver Spins Out or Flips while Dragging an item, that item is dropped on the track as a Hazard.
1- Banana- Dragged. When laid on a segment of track, the Banana forces any driver following the user to make a Hazard Check to avoid. The driver immediately following the user takes a -1 penalty to this check, the next driver takes no penalty, and all subsequent checks receive a +1 bonus.
The Banana can be thrown forward at a player- the target must be in the same segment as the user, and the target cannot be the driver immediately ahead of the user. The user designates a target and makes an opposed Hazard Check to hit that player. The attack takes a -1 penalty. If the Banana misses, it lands on the track as normal, and all players receive the +1 bonus to avoid it. The user must make an hazard check of their own to avoid it.
A driver hit by the Banana spins out, losing ONE Momentum.
2- Fake Item Box- Dragged. The Fake Item Box functions the same as a Banana, EXCEPT in two instances- First, players dragging a Fake Item Box DO NOT receive the +3 Dodge Bonus for dragged items. Second, if it is played on a track segment containing Item Boxes NO player receives the +1 bonus to avoid, and any player rolling a 2 or 1 to pick up an item automatically hits.
A driver hit by the Fake Item Box flips, losing TWO Momentum.
3- Triple Banana- Dragged. As the Banana, but the Driver has three of them. The Dragged bonuses do not stack, and failed Passers/Rammers need make only a single Hazard Check to avoid them. The Driver may use any number of Bananas per turn. Multiple bananas in one segment count as a single hazard that lasts until all bananas have been hit.
4- Green Shell- Dragged. The Green Shell can be shot forwards or backwards. If the user does designate a target, then the attacks of the Green Shell receive a +1 bonus against the intended target. The Green Shell still attacks intervening drivers in this case.
The Green Shell attacks by making an opposed Racing Check with a -1 Penalty. If the attack roll is a natural 6, and misses, then the Shell takes a funny bounce and receives a +1 bonus to its next attack. If the attack is a natural 1, then the Shell bounces off a wall and reverses direction.
A driver hit by the Green Shell flips, losing TWO Momentum.
5- Blooper- When used, the Blooper sprays ink on the windshields of all opponents. The ink imposes a -1 penalty to all Racing, Pass, and Hazard Checks until the end of next turn. The ink can be washed off earlier by driving over a Dash Panel or by using a Mushroom, Boo, or Star.
6- Bob-omb- Dragged. Similar to the Banana, Bob-omb can be thrown forward at a player or dropped on a track. There is no penalty to the attack if Bob-omb is thrown forward, and the driver immediately behind the user receives a -1 penalty to dodging. On a direct hit, players are thrown into the air, setting their Momentum to Zero.
Even if Bob-omb does not hit the targeted player, the next two drivers in line must make a Racing Check to avoid the blast radius. A driver caught in the radius spins out, losing ONE Momentum.
7- Mushroom- The Mushroom provides an immediate speed boost to the user. The user gains TWO Momentum and makes a free Pass attempt against the driver ahead of them in the segment, even if their respective Momentums would not normally allow it. If there is no driver ahead of them in the segment, the user may attempt to Pull Ahead instead.
8- Red Shell- The Red Shell is identical to the Green Shell, except that it always attacks the driver immediately ahead of the user with a +3 bonus.
9- Triple Green Shell- This item functions the same as a Green Shell, except that instead of being dragged behind the kart they spin in a circle around it. Each individual Shell provides a +2 bonus against Green Shells, Red Shells, and in Rams. A driver may fire any number of Green Shells in a single turn.
10- Blue Shell- The Blue Shell always targets the player in first place, striking at the end of the next turn's Action Phase. A direct hit causes a player to fly into the air, setting their Momentum to Zero as well as losing all items. The targeted player can attempt to drive close to another player to force them to share the effects of a direct hit- this is treated as a special case of the Pass roll.
Even if not involved in a direct hit, the following two drivers must make a Hazard Check to avoid the blast radius. A driver caught in the radius spins out, losing ONE Momentum and losing all items.
11- Star- This item causes a player to become invincible until the end of next turn. While invincible, the player has access to certain shortcuts, is immune to all items, and gains ONE Momentum. Whenever an invincible player rams another driver, that driver flips, losing TWO Momentum. Whenever an invincible player is involved in a Pass, that pass is treated as a Ram attack.
12- Thunderbolt- This powerful item causes all other players to shrink, slowing to a fraction of their speed until the end of next turn. Shrunk players lose THREE Momentum and take a -2 penalty on all Racing and Pass Checks made until the duration expires.
Characters are taken directly from Monk12's Mario Kart Grand Prix. To register a character, you need to do so on his game. Characters, for the sake of this game, do not retain ANY oftheir stats and/or hiccups, but may choose to take one (1) module to the race. Use of a module is optional but not required. If you want to, you can borrow a module for a race: just specify a Benefit for the module and I will randomly decide upon a hiccup to accompany it. You may only roll one module per race-if you don't like the one I give you, don't use it.
Benefits
Dirty Weapons- Cost 1 Coin, whenever this Kart fires a Shell or throws a Bob-omb, if the attack roll is a 6 it inflicts a hiccup on the target. Can be disabled and re-enabled at will throughout the race. GROSSLY ILLEGAL- use of this has a chance of Race Disqualification.
Item Bonus- Cost 3 Coin, Karts with an Item bonus get +1 on Item Rolls.
High Acceleration- Cost 3 Coin, Karts with high Acceleration get +1 Momentum any time they start a turn with Zero Momentum. This applies at the start of a race, before Rocket Starts.
Free Item- Cost 3 Coin, driver starts race with an item. The Item Roll to determine what item they start with is made with no bonus, even if another Module has the Item Bonus Benefit.
Compensator- Cost 3 Coin, cancels out a Hiccup. Unlike other Modules, this does not inflict a Hiccup of it's own.
Rubber Band Forward- Cost 3 Coin, gives a +2 bonus to avoid Falling Back
Speedy- Cost 3 Coin, allows a maximum Momentum of 6 (normally 5)
Ramming Speed- Cost 6 Coin, provides +1 on Ram Checks.
Nitrous- Cost 6 Coin, gives ONE Momentum on a successful Powerslide in addition to other effects.
Highly Maneuverable- Cost 6 Coin, gives a +1 bonus on Driving Aggressively.
Hiccups
Featherweight- -1 on Ram Checks.
Low Loot- -1 on Item Rolls.
Slow- This Kart's Maxiumum Momentum is 4 (standard is 5)
Banana Magnet- This Kart suffers an additional -1 penalty to avoid Bananas.
Rubber Band Back- Racing Checks made to Pull Ahead take a -1 penalty
Sticky Wheel- When Driving Aggressively, a roll of 2 results in the loss of ONE Momentum
Not Aerodynamic- When Drafting, you must have higher Momentum than the Kart ahead of you.
Faulty Weapons- Works identically to the Benefit described above, except you cannot choose to suppress the effect. If you don't bribe the officials before the race (perhaps because you suffered this Hiccup mid-race,) and the Faulty Weapon ability triggers because one of your Shell or Bob-omb attacks rolled a 6, you face race disqualifcation.
Whenever a Player rolls a
0 or lower on any check, instead of losing extra Momentum their Kart suffers a random Hiccup. In the course of a clean race, this is a fairly infrequent occurrence, since the only normal effects that impose a penalty on rolls are dropped items like Bananas, the rare Thunderbolt item, and on some courses Hazards.
Players can also suffer a random Hiccup as the result of hitting certain
Hazards on the most dangerous courses- these Hazards are clearly marked, so Defensive Driving is a prudent action in those segments!
Finally, certain honorless dogs have been known to use
Dirty Weapons- this is a Module Benefit that disables certain safeties in damaging items such as Bob-omb and the various Shells. When those items make an attack roll and roll a 6, they inflict a Hiccup in addition to their other effects. Dirty Weapons are, of course, banned by the League, but when has that stopped anyone? Corporate Sponsors often use their leverage to bribe officials to look the other way, provided it doesn't hit any driver other than the target. Drivers acting unilaterally (at the behest of the Bounty Hunter's Guild, or because they are assholes) must cover the cost of
Bribes themselves.
Karts that suffer mid-race Hiccups have no way to cure them on-track, unless they have a Module with the
Compensator Benefit that is not already
Compensating for something.
The Kirby Open is open to anybody who has a character in Monk12's Mario Kart Grand Prix. Anyone interested in participating in the Kirby Open must register their interest here in between races. I will then randomly select a number of players to participate on the next race. FOr the first race, we will race on Luigi Circuit, but from that point onwards, the winner of last race gets to decide the next track. Tracks must be chosen from the list of tracks that Monk12 keeps up to date on the OP of the MKGP thread. If you wish to use a module from the Mario Kart Grand Prix game, tell me-if you want me to roll one, also tell me. Any modules rolled will be disposed of at the end of the race. If you aquire a hiccup in the race, you have to deal with it for the rest of the race, but it will be fixed for free afterwards.
Failing my ability to miss something obvious, I think we should be alright. If you have a character form MKGP, post here to get a chance of claiming a spot. If you don't have a character there, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR.
) and some very very very large numbers at times.