Brikwars
Brikwars
"A [construction brick] gaming system for individual level combat originated by Mike Rayhawk. It's similar in intent to other individual level miniatures games, but with an emphasis on mayhem and humor. A wide selection of 'TekLevels' allows players to simulate combat in any combination of time periods and genres.
Like many games offered free of charge on the internet, BrikWars is appealing in concept, but in practice nearly impossible to play. Rules that appear straightforward at first become perniciously more complex with each passing chapter, almost as if the author were using the rulebook as the medium for some long-running and obscure practical joke. It's a testament to the obstinate nature of AFOLs that they've managed to play as many battles as they have, despite the author's every attempt to thwart them."
Entry from the BrikWiki online encyclopedia as of September 2, 2005, which opens the foreword for the 2005 core rules
You know how when you were a little kid, you would make all your action figures fight each other in hilarious, violent combat? Have you ever tried to play Warhammer with LEGO? Brikwars recognizes both of these matters, and is one of many proposed solutions.
A strategy game designed to be played with LEGO mini figures (though it can support any type of minifig), it acts as a way to try and play a wargame with minifigures while using something resembling rules.
It treats the matter of toy combat with all the irreverence it deserves, and the author claims that the entire thing is sort of a purposeful Take That against "Stop Having Fun!" Guys. The 2005 core rules are littered with quotes, jokes, Lampshade Hangingings, and a Take That against anyone who deserves it. Even if you don't ever play it, the rules are an entertaining read.
Even though Brikwars can be played with any combatants with any background, the author and fans have created a setting for the game, mostly known as the Brikwars Universe. The background of this universe is found at the Brikwiki.
- Absurdly Sharp Blade: most swords.
- Alternate Character Interpretation: The author characterizes minifigs along the lines of the fallen heroes of Valhalla- violent Blood Knight-like creatures, who are bored unless having a good brawl. It's less disturbing than it could be, considering they're LEGO.[1]
- The Brikwiki even describes peace as a "feared yet thankfully rare disease".
- Bitz Box: For your spare LEGO.
- Conservation of Ninjutsu: The "Ninja Scum" unit is very different from a regular ninja, specifically because of this trope.
- In addition, the more Hero units there are on a team, the worse each of them does.
- Also applies to all units in a CP match; the more units the weaker each has to be.
- Chainsaw Good: The Orange Transparent Chainsaw, Exactly What It Says on the Tin.
- Crowning Moment of Awesome: Heroes have the "Heroic Feat" ability, which lets them have a rule-flaunting Crowning Moment Of Awesome if the player wins a dice roll against the opponent.
- Death of a Thousand Cuts: One alternate rule makes Hero units longer-lived by using this. It also gives people an excuse to have LEGO blood every time they get injured.
- Design-It-Yourself Equipment: Design-it-yourself everything, by the game's nature.
- Eldritch Abomination: Brikthulhu.
- Built With Lego: Or MegaBloks or...
- Fantasy Kitchen Sink: The Core Manual invokes this trope quite quickly, and understandably. It is mentioned that nothing would make sense otherwise.
- Good Thing You Can Heal: They're LEGO. No matter how badly the units get dismembered, you can always put them back together.
- Improvised Weapon: "If a minifig can't find a real weapon, Random Objects are better than nothing, although this is only because having nothing sucks to such an impressive degree."
- Loads and Loads of Rules: Invoked, under the assumption that making it up as you go along is more fun, and more appropriate for toy combat.
- Red Shirt: One of the specific abilities of hero units is they can make nearby regular units "Redshirt" to protect themselves
- Rule of Fun: Rule Zero.
- Rule of Funny
- Rules Lawyer: The rules are complicated specifically to thwart such tactics.
- Shout-Out: All over the place.
- Soft Water: "It's a generally accepted action-movie fact that pools of liquid such as water or quicksand, no matter how shallow, will cushion Crash impacts safely and completely."
- unless it's more funny to have them die horribly of course.
- Take That: Against anyone who takes themselves, rules, or games too seriously.
- Talking Is a Free Action: Or, under these rules, a Quick Action. Other Quick Actions are free, but not all are.