3 Headed Hydra (multiplayer)

[robort]

I've been mulling this in my head for awhile. A new and possibly fun way to play multiplayer magic. Opinions, thoughts, ideas, lol pidgeons to try this out. I personally like the concept and it needs tweaking. Any place I put a question mark is where I am unsure about but here goes.

It's 2 teams of 3 to start. Should the teams be preset or determined by roll?. If there is a roll then the 3 highest rolls are on a team and the 3 lowest are on a team. The ones who rolled highest for each team is the Higher hydra and is in the middle while the other 2 are Hagra hydras on each side. Why I say roll, it gives randomization and others a chance to be the Higher hydra. Tie breakers are just reroll.

Life totals is either 50 or 60? Because of the next few rules.The Higher hydra distributes/determines life totals for each player on the team. 50 life Higher hydra must take at least 35 of the life while distributing/determining the rest. However Hagra hydra can't go starting no lower than 5 life. So it could be 35/7/8, 35/5/10, 40/5/5. Now if it is 60 the minimum 5 life for Hagra remain the same but Higher hydra starts with minimum of 35 but can go to 50.
Hydra hits/damage are just like commander damage and are only done by either Higher hydra and recieved by Higher hydra.
27? Hydra hits/damage to a Higher hydra will end the game. Not sure if it be 27 but 27-31 seems reasonable.

Now should all players run a commander deck? Have Higher hydra run a commander deck and the 2 hagras run 60 card decks? All players run 60 card decks? Or just open to letting players choose?

Roll as normal to see who goes first. Now as a team goes first, only the Higher hydra goes first, and can use any mana available from the team while only hagra can use only theirs. The going first only applies in main phases but Higher hydra can use any mana at all times. To much on going first?

Attacking: Declare wich head(s) you are attacking. However, Hagra hydra can only attack/block the hagra hydra sittting across from them or the Higher hydra. It can't attack/block the Hagra hydra diagnally from them. Higher hydra can attack/block any of the heads.

Death: If a hagra head dies should everything the hagra has on the field stay? Because I'd think it to be still part of the hydra or because that part of the hydra is dead and no longer accessible.
If a Higher hydra dies either from hydra hits or loses all life then other team wins. So yes one can lose both hagras and still win or have both hagras and still lose.

Now infect? Is or should it be part of? If so how much damage of it? If there is X number higher than 5 starting life than a hagra, how much should the hagra need?

Should commander rules apply if commander decks being used? How should mulligans be used? Should I use commander banlist or?
With 3 decks on each side, Should at least one deck be of diffrent colors?

Now with just that alone is good for starters. I honestly do need opinions, questions, ideas and what nots. Because I have friends interested but it really needs help in the finishing touches before firing up.
If anybody gives it a go before I do, please let me know the results so I can improve and finish this up.

[Mostlynotgay]

Read up on the Emperor Variant. It's fairly similar and might give you some ideas. (Like, really similar)

I feel like there are some rules you have that aren't listed that would help. I'm assuming middle player has the highest life and his 2 teammates have the lower. 5 life seems pretty low. Like you can kill that turn 1. I'd imagine, since you're using hydras, you have some special rules on death. Like that player comes back after a turn or something.

What are the rules of the game?

[robort]

Read up on the Emperor Variant. It's fairly similar and might give you some ideas. (Like, really similar)

I feel like there are some rules you have that aren't listed that would help. I'm assuming middle player has the highest life and his 2 teammates have the lower. 5 life seems pretty low. Like you can kill that turn 1. I'd imagine, since you're using hydras, you have some special rules on death. Like that player comes back after a turn or something.

What are the rules of the game?

Thank you. Yes it is middle player (higher hydra) with the highest. The life totals I just don't want to see them to high. The side players are basically the weaker of the 3. Making the middle the strongest. About thier possible quick death. Allow the middle player to be able to place objects anywhere on thier side? From creatures, enchantments, artifacts et-cetra. But no longer has control of those objects when they do place them in another teamates zone. I will have to think and work on that.

Rules besides the ones created so far also include the normal magic the gathering play.
Also interesting about the Emporer version. I didn't know someone made that.

[robort]

Let's see what everyone thinks about, along these lines. The side heads (hagra) who start at X life. If hagra loses X life on a turn. It automatically dies but returns on that players upkeep. So if you start out with 5 life and any given moment you lose 5 life, instant death but you do return and keep playing. This also hinders hagra's from any insurmountable life gain. Even if said person takes 20 damage while having 5 life. It's still 5 lose of life and death/return still happens.

That seems better and more interesting.

Any more questions, thoughts, ideas, suggestions ?

[robort]

By the way, this is just a rough draft so any input is appreciated.

Another idea, life can't exceed 100? 150? for any player

[Mostlynotgay]

Actually you may have hit on something there.  One rule could be that all 3 heads must be dead at the same time, or they "grow back."  So i'm envisioning something like this:
(MH = Main head or Middle Head, H1 and H2 are the two side heads)

MH has, say, 30 life.  H1/H2 have, say, 10.  Heads can't gain life. 

If you kill a head, that head will respawn not on teh next turn, but the turn after (so 2 turns) unless you kill another head.  So a turn would look like this

Turn 10:
h1 MH h2
Kill h2
turn 11
h1 MH
turn 12
h1 MH h2 grows back with full 10 points of health.

If you manage to kill another head durring turn 11, then h2 won't grow back until turn 13) 

you have to kill the heads one after another, or all at once. 


another fun rule you can play with is a rule that my play group made up for our Emperor games.  the "Emperor" (or, in your case, MH) gets a 10% damage reduction from all sources for each head still alive. 

[robort]

Actually you may have hit on something there.  One rule could be that all 3 heads must be dead at the same time, or they "grow back."  So i'm envisioning something like this:
(MH = Main head or Middle Head, H1 and H2 are the two side heads)

MH has, say, 30 life.  H1/H2 have, say, 10.  Heads can't gain life. 

If you kill a head, that head will respawn not on teh next turn, but the turn after (so 2 turns) unless you kill another head.  So a turn would look like this

Turn 10:
h1 MH h2
Kill h2
turn 11
h1 MH
turn 12
h1 MH h2 grows back with full 10 points of health.

If you manage to kill another head durring turn 11, then h2 won't grow back until turn 13) 

you have to kill the heads one after another, or all at once. 


another fun rule you can play with is a rule that my play group made up for our Emperor games.  the "Emperor" (or, in your case, MH) gets a 10% damage reduction from all sources for each head still alive.

I like this a lot cause it seems to balance things out.