To the Death-Phoenix and Matalai

The unofficial but official board game known as “To the Death” is based on Shakespeare’s play Macbeth. There are a lot of references to the play as well as third-party references that aren’t.There are four playable characters in the play, them being Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, King Duncan, and Banquo. They all die in the end, but the objective of the game is to be the last one standing. All four characters have their own unique path to take around the game board, and the game will be finished by the first two players to enter the center of the board (the other two are just out). While in the Battle Zone, the two players fight with different kinds of cards they collected on their way to the center.

In our board game, there are three (motif) kinds of cards to select, the first type being the attack cards. They will be used once two players enter the Battle Zone, which is in the middle of the field. Every attack card represents a weapon, and weapons include Swords, Axes, Bows/Arrows, and Spears, which were all used in the 1500s, if not specifically in the Shakespeare’s play Macbeth. There are two one of a kind cards, one that says ‘Skin them from the Nave to the Chops’, which is a reference to Act 1, Scene 2 of the play. The other card is like the opposite, and it says ‘SUICIDE’ in big letters. This is a reference to Lady Macbeth’s demise in Act 5. It is exactly what it sounds like; whoever picks up the card has to use it right away, and once they do, they’re out the game.  

There are also some health cards in the game that increase players’ defense. Health cards include (but aren’t limited to) horses, wine, and Chain Armor. Chain Armor was worn by Macbeth and Malcolm during the final few scenes of the play, because of the war between Scotland and England. Horses were occasionally ridden in the film. There is no direct reference to wine in the play, but it’s been around since 1500 BC and has some health benefits to it as well. The last type of cards are called movement cards, which are used before two players enter the Battle Zone. The cards don’t just say ‘move x spaces forward’ or ‘move y spaces back’. There are references to major or minor situations from the actual play, like how Macbeth became mentally unstable etc. The cards also include certain motifs from the play like death and sleep.

Instructions:

Winning the Game

The winner will be whoever beats their opponent in the Battle Zone, after the first two players get there.  

Losing the game

There is more than one way to lose. The first way is picking up the SUICIDE card in the health card deck. You’ll have to use it instantly.

The second way is when someone uses the ‘Skin Them From the Nave to the Chops’ card on you in the Battle Zone. That card causes instant death on the one it was used on.

The third way is to lose the race to the Battle Zone, finishing in third or fourth. You then won’t play anymore.

Playing the game

1. Race to the Battle Zone

The game starts with all four players at the beginning of their labeled paths to the Battle Zone. Every character has their own path to follow, and they’re all designed differently. The players take turns picking up movement cards from the deck, following whatever the card says, and picking up attack and health cards on the way.  If you’ve picked up a card that says to move back when you’re at the start, then just put it at the bottom of the deck and pick up another one. The first player to enter the Battle Zone will have to wait for the second player, and the game will continue with those two players.

2. Battle in the Battle Zone

   The two remaining players use the attack and health cards they have collected to fight each other (if you have somehow managed not to take any card at all, just take five of both kinds of cards). Both start with 30 health, and every card says weather it reduces or increases it. Attack cards reduce your opponents health, while health cards increase your own, and also have a ‘tag’ in the corner that says ‘health’ so you’ll know which  ones are which. You can only choose one card to put down every turn, so choose wisely. If the card allows more than one use (it will say so in the bottom right corner if it does), then you can take it back after you put it down and it goes into effect. The game ends once someone’s health goes down to 0.