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| Cover courtesy of The Classic Microgames Museum |
Tournament Melee is a set of rules for holding a Melee competition.The basic rules are taken from The Fantasy Trip: Melee Man-to-Man Combat with Archaic Weapons,a MicroGame, first released by the company Metagaming in the 1977 and several editions thereafter.Initially the game was released in a thick clear plastic bag and included a 24 page rulebook, a heavy paper stock hex map, and a sheet ofcardboard counters.The Melee rules are short and concise.A character has a strength (ST), dexterity (DX), and movement (MA).A character is given weapons and armor, and they fight with their enemies on a small hex board.A single combat game requires about 5 minutes of playing time.Characters fight until one is dead or unconscious, and the other is declared the victor.
Tournament Melee expands the rules of Melee intoa single-elimination tournament.Rules are provided for randomly assigning characters and fighting arenas.
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| Cover courtesy of The Classic Microgames Museum |
Unconscious losers are at the mercy of the crowd.The crowd vote is simulated by a fair coin toss.
Unconscious losers are fixed up and nursed to health for a loser melee.The Loser Melee consists of all unconscious losers who were spared by the crowd.The sole survivor of this battle wins their freedom.
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| Cover courtesy of The Classic Microgames Museum |
Clear Hex-No change from the basic rules.Normal line-of-site.Normal movement.Normal hex for missile fire or thrown weapons.Normal combat.
Tree Hex-Blocks line-of-site.Blocks movement.Blocks missile fire and thrown weapons.Blocks combat.
River Hex-Normal line-of-site.Entering the hex costs 2 MP.Exiting the hex costs 4 MP.Characters may leap over the hex at normal cost (1 MP) if they are moving full speed (no dodge or crawl).Normal hex for receiving missile fire or thrown weapons.Affects adjDX by 2 for normal/pole weapons (attacker/defender in river receives detriment).
Scrub Bushes/Vegetation Hex-Modified line-of-site.Acts as a "fallen body" for kneeling/prone cover in adjacent hexes.Entering the hex costs 2 MP.Exiting the hex costs 4 MP.Characters may leap over the hex at normal cost (1 MP) if they are moving full speed (no dodge or crawl)Normal hex for receiving missile fire or thrown weapons.Affects adjDX by 2 for normal/pole weapons (attacker/defender in scrub receives detriment).
Rocks/Stone Hex-Normal line-of-site.Entering the hex costs 2 MP.No other effects on combat.
Pit Hex-Normal line-of-site.Entering the pit kills the character.Force your opponents to retreat into the bottomless pit for instant victory.
Hill Hex-Modified line-of-site.Unmarked hexes are level 1.Units can see/shoot up or down a line of hills (e.g. 123, 111223, 12333, 322222221) Units cannot see/shot up and down a line of hills (e.g. 121, 12332, 3212, 1232)Hills cost 1 extra MP to move up. For example a clear 2 to 3 move costs 2 MP.Hills do not add MP when moving down.Attacking down hill adds 1 to DX (not missile or thrown weapons).Attacking up hill subtracts 1 from DX (not missile or thrown weapons).
Updated 2000 December 29
Fighters are awarded experience points as per the "Combat to the Death" rules.That is to say, each kills receives 50 EP, and 100 EP are required tomove up a ST or DX point.
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| Cover courtesy of The Classic Microgames Museum |