Cage Match!: The MMA Fight Game
Cage Match!: The MMA Fight Game Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Start
Pick or randomly choose 2 fighters of matching weight class (e.g. Middle Weight). Both players start at 60 hit points of muscle, 60 body nerves, and 40 head nerves. Both players start with 0 focus.
First Fight
Greg O'Connor vs. Frank Duke is recommended, and both players can agree to just stick to the STANDING position, eliminate the Shoot & Clinch move, and eliminate combos.
Object
Win via knockout by reducing your opponent's head nerves OR body nerves to 0 (reducing muscles to 0 does not matter for ending the game), OR win via submission by successfully applying a submission move from the GROUND position, which typically requires first passing the guard. Each turn of the game involves simultaneous, secret action selection and the combination of actions determines the outcomes and the dice rolls that follow. Every move has a counter.
Using the Action Pad
There are 4 total action pads, one each for STANDING, CLINCHING, GROUND and GROUND – PAST GUARD. Each uses only one action pad at a time. If GROUND, each player is in either the Dominant or Submissive position.
Each turn, both players place the black action selection cube on their action pads plus any focus they want to spend. Place any focus you are using to activate your power punch/kick or Special on that move. Place up to 2 focus to add +1 to dice for each focus, and up to 2 focus to add +4 damage for each focus, in the designated areas. Any focus to dice applies to the entire turn, but extra damage can be dealt only once (in a Shoot+Take-Down, for example).
You can use special actions as indicated on your character sheet if you can pay the focus cost and are in the correct Position. Special actions mimic their "Action Type" and are subject to the same outcomes.
Action Order
1. Choose and Reveal
Place the black action cube on any action plus any focus you want to spend this turn. When both players are ready, both reveal their choices by lifting their screens. If you chose a move that you can't do, then do the default move (see POSITION table).
2. Resolve
Look up the interaction of actions on the Fight Card. Look up the full resolution on the results table and follow the instructions. Examples:
- TRADE BLOWS! (red icon with two dice showing attack symbols): Both players make attack rolls, but no defense rolls, and both attacks do full damage.
- WHO FASTER! (orange "VS" icon): Both players roll-off, only the winning attack does damage and any effects (like going to CLINCHING and trying for a take-down).
- SLICK MOVE! (blue icon with a defense die and an attack die): A "D" roll indicates an attack vs. defense roll-off, to see if the defender takes half or full damage. For Slick Move!, this is then followed by an attack roll by the defending player, without another defense roll.
Any time focus is spent (or gained), if your action fails or you miss, it is still spent (or gained). The only special case is the Focus action, which gains 6 focus, but only 3 when the focusing fighter takes damage.
2-Action Moves
Parry + Strike is a 2-action move with multiple dice rolls, explained in the example above. You may follow with an undefended attack that doesn't require focus. If you follow with a Shoot, it results in CLINCHING but you may not attempt a Take-Down attempt. A Sprawl + Strike also results in a counter attack, a Trip or Take-Down requires winning a roll-off to do damage and go to GROUND.
Shoot & Clinch + Take-Down is also a 2-action move, and is the only way to go from STANDING to other positions, aside from some special actions. If the Shoot is successful, positions goes to CLINCHING and the fighter may immediately try to win a roll-off to go to GROUND with dominance, otherwise stay in CLINCHING.
3. Record
Record all damage to muscles, head nerves or body nerves. Once muscles are reduced to 0, all damage goes to head/body nerves.
Gain any focus for Jab, Low Kick, Dodge, etc. or Focus actions.
Change position, if applicable.
4. Combine
If you did a Stage 1 attack and did full damage to the opponent, and the opponent didn't do a full damage attack to you, you can spend 1 focus to do a Stage 2 attack. Your opponent rolls to block, on win or tie takes ½ damage, and ends the combo. If you win, s/he takes full damage and you can spend 1 focus to do a Stage 3 attack, which your opponent may again roll to try to block to take ½ damage and avoid take-downs, but on failure takes full damage and effects.
All Attacks Require a Roll of Both Dice
- 2 or lower or Double 1s: Miss
- 3+: Damage muscles
- 8+/9+ (Muscle Rating, 8+ vs. Feather Weight, 9+ vs Middle Weight): Damage head/body
- Double 6s: Automatic hit, double total damage to head/body (A defender taking half due to defense still takes half this damage, defender rolling double 6s negates damage), counts as 2 straight dice roll wins in GROUND.
All attacks, even if not defended, require a roll of both dice and add any bonuses.
Positions
The POSITION table on the sheet lists five positions: STANDING, CLINCHING, COLLAR TIE, GROUND, and GROUND – PAST GUARD. Track the current Position. Special actions map to their action pad when the fighter is in the proper position.
Standing/Clinching Fight Card Results
Look up the results of the two actions on the Fight Card, then go to the Results Table for full details if needed. The results table lists each outcome with its dice rules and description:
- TRADE BLOWS! — Both players: Attack rolls. Hit does full damage. No combos.
- WHO FASTER! — Both players: Roll-off. Only high roll hits, full damage, may start a combo. If successful attack is a shoot or throw, follow "Shoots in!" rules.
- SWIFT ATTACK! — Punch/Kick/Knee: Attack roll. Jab beats Shoot or Throw. If in CLINCHING, the Sprawl gamble didn't pay off and sprawler is getting hit. Hit does full damage, and may start a combo.
- TAUNTS! — No rolls. Focusing fighter gains full focus charge (6). A protecting fighter still gains 1 focus.
- SLICK MOVE! — Both players: Roll-off. Parrying fighter: Attack roll. Parrying fighter must beat or tie attack roll to take no damage, lose and take ½ damage to muscle, then make any attack that doesn't require focus but no take-downs, and may start a combo.
- SPRAWL N' BRAWL! — Sprawling fighter: Attack roll. Sprawling fighter makes any attack that doesn't require focus. Hit does full damage and may start a combo (not many fighters have CLINCHING combos). If attack is a Trip/Take-Down, must win (not tie) roll off to go to GROUND.
- PROTECTS! — Both players: Roll-off. Protecting fighter must beat or tie roll-off to take no damage, lose and take ½ damage to muscle but avoid position changes, no combos.
- BRUTAL HIT! — Punch/Kick/Knee: Attack roll. Both players: Roll-off. Make an attack roll. To break, win roll off to go to STANDING but still take ½ damage; avoid any other position change. On tie or below, hit does full damage and any take-down/collar tie succeeds.
- SHOOTS IN! — Shoot/Throw: Attack roll. Both players: Potential Roll-off. Throw does full damage. If any player shoots, does full damage and go to CLINCHING. A shooting fighter may then attempt to go to GROUND by winning (not tying) additional roll-off.
The fight card grid itself (which outcome results from each pair of chosen actions) is a colour-coded chart on the sheet and is not reproduced here; use the printed Fight Card to look up the pairing.
Components and Character Sheet Notes
- Focus Tokens (max 10): Focus is tracked with the focus tokens.
- Increase your chances with the dice: Place up to 2 focus in this circle, +1 to your dice roll for each focus.
- Increase damage: Place up to 2 focus in this circle, +4 damage for each focus.
- Hit Points: Track hit points on the Hit Point chart. If your Muscles or Body Nerves get reduced below 30, you get -1 to all of your dice rolls. If both are depleted, you get -2 to all of your dice rolls.
- Character sheet, action entries: Each action on a character sheet shows a Focus cost (a negative number, e.g. -1 indicates -1 focus for the Head Kick), a dice modifier (e.g. -2 for the head kick), damage (e.g. 10 for the head kick), a Head/Body indicator (Body for low kick), and any focus generated during the Record phase (none for Head Kick but +1 for Low Kick).
- Keep Focus generated here: The sheet's callout marks the character sheet area where focus generated is kept.
- Special actions: Special actions map to the action pad when in the proper position.
- Other character sheet notes: Character bonuses, specialty, style, muscle rating and combo entries are printed on each fighter's own character sheet. The one-page sheet shows an example (Greg O'Connor, Boxing, Middle Weight; Frank Duke, Kickboxing, Middle Weight), but does not state their full rules, so they are not transcribed here.