Game Overview
Welcome to Champions on Ice, a strategic board game where 2-4 players compete as rival figure skaters vying for gold at a major international competition. Manage your skater’s energy, plan elaborate routines, execute elements under pressure, and win over judges to become the champion!
Components
- 1 Game Board (showing ice rink, judges’ area, and scoring track)
- 4 Skater Meeples (different colors)
- 40 Program Cards (20 Short Program, 20 Free Skate)
- 60 Element Tokens (jumps, spins, step sequences – various difficulties)
- 20 Judge Cards (representing different judging preferences)
- 24 “Crowd Favor” tokens
- 16 “Energy” tokens
- 1 Judge Preference Dice (6-sided, custom faces)
- 1 Performance Dice (6-sided)
- 4 Player Reference Sheets
- Scoring Pad & Pencil
Game Setup
- Place the board in the center.
- Each player chooses a skater color and takes the corresponding meeple, placing it on the “Starting Line” space.
- Shuffle the Short Program cards and deal 5 to each player. Return the rest to the box.
- Place Element tokens in piles by type (jumps: red, spins: blue, steps: yellow).
- Randomly select 3 Judge cards and place them face-up near the board.
- Place Crowd Favor and Energy tokens in reachable piles.
- Determine first player (most recent ice skating experience, or youngest).
Game Structure
The game consists of 2 rounds:
- Round 1: Short Program (4 turns per player)
- Round 2: Free Skate (6 turns per player)
Each round, players will build and perform a program before moving to final scoring.
Turn Sequence
On your turn, choose ONE of the following actions:
1. Practice Element
- Take 1 Element token from any pile (choose difficulty: Basic/Intermediate/Advanced)
- Add it to your “Program Sheet” (reference card) in an available slot
- Gain 1 Energy token (max 5 per player)
2. Choreograph
- Draw 2 Program cards (from current round’s deck)
- Keep 1, discard the other
- Program cards provide special abilities, bonus points, or element requirements
3. Perform Element
- Play a Program card (if required) and use Element tokens from your sheet
- Roll Performance Dice:
- 1-2: Element flawed (-1 point, lose 1 Crowd Favor)
- 3-4: Element clean (gain points equal to element difficulty)
- 5-6: Element stellar! (gain bonus Crowd Favor token)
- Discard used Element tokens
- Lose 1 Energy token per element performed
4. Rest
- Regain up to 3 Energy tokens
- May discard 1 unwanted Program card
Judge System
At game end, each Judge card scores one aspect:
- Technical Specialist: Awards points for most variety in elements
- Artistic Judge: Awards points for Crowd Favor tokens
- PCS Judge: Awards points for completed Program cards
Roll the Judge Preference Dice during final scoring—this gives one Judge card double value, representing the panel’s shifting focus!
Crowd Favor
Crowd Favor tokens act as wild cards:
- Can be spent to re-roll Performance Dice
- Can convert to 2 points during scoring
- Award bonus points at game end
Winning the Game
After both rounds, calculate:
- Element points (from performed elements)
- Program card bonuses
- Judge awards (including Preference Die result)
- Remaining Energy (1 point per 2 tokens)
- Crowd Favor tokens (2 points each)
Highest total wins gold! Tiebreaker: Most Crowd Favor tokens.
Advanced Rules (Optional)
- Rivalry System: Target another skater with “pressure” tokens that force them to re-roll one successful element
- Injury Risk: Advanced elements require 2+ Energy or risk “injury” (skip next turn)
- Signature Move: Each skater gets one unique element worth bonus points if performed last
Designer Notes
Balance your program like a real skater: technical difficulty vs. artistic expression, energy management, and strategic risk-taking. Watch the judges’ preferences—sometimes a perfectly executed triple axel matters most, other times storytelling wins the day!
Estimated Playtime: 60-75 minutes
Ages: 10+
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