Ruleset

1 - Introduction
2 - Turns
3 - Moving
4 - Tokens
5 - Station Parts
6 - Actions
7 - Glossary
8 - Todo

Rule 1 - Introduction

Mornington Crescent (MC) is a game played on a map of the London Underground. The object of the game is to put ones train on the station of Mornington Crescent.

The game may be played by 2 or more players. Each player has a train which at all times must stay on the map. Players may hold tokens and station parts if they're acquired during the game.

Initially MC is closed for rebuilding. In order to put ones train on MC the station must be rebuilt. To rebuild the station one must acquire 2 platforms, 2 lifts, 4 ticket machines and a station announcer. These are called station parts and can be purchased at certain stations or stolen from other players.

The unit of currency in MN is the token. Tokens are used to buy station parts and pay for actions where appropriate.

Each player takes a turn in strict rotation. The order having been decided by some mutually acceptable means before the game is started. Once a game is started new players may only join if all players agree.

At the start of the game each player has a train, no tokens and no station parts. All players start with their trains at Tottenham Court Road.

Each Turn may last at most 60mins. A turn may contain zero or more actions. Each station a player's train moves to or passes through takes 10mins. Other actions take time too.

Moves are actions. Moves are divided into steps. A step is moving between one station and a station adjacent to it. Each step takes 10mins. A player may not step to the same station twice in the same Turn or step to the station the train started the turn at.

Rule 2 - Turns

A turn may last up to 60mins. A turn may contain one or more actions. Each action has a certain duration. The sum of durations of the actions may not be more than 60mins.

A turn may contain comments. Comments are part of a turn, but their content has no affect on the game.

A turn must be a well-formed XML Element with the following format:

<Turn player="Rushton">
<Block station="Knightsbridge"/><Move station="Green Park, Oxford Circus"/><Shunt player="Cryer" force="2" station="Bond Street, Marble Arch"/><Move station="Regent's Park (BL)"/>
<Comment>More defensive than offensive.</Comment>
</Turn>

All parts of the turn must be put inside the turn element or as an attribute to the turn element. Nothing may may be added to the turn that is not part of this ruleset except inside comment elements.

  • The player attribute of the turn element must contain the name of the player making the turn.
  • Comment elements are optional children of the turn element and may occur more than once. There is no restriction on what may be put inside a comment element, but they must occupy less than 5k of space when in XML format per turn.
  • Action must be in the format specified by this ruleset.
  • Actions may only be added if this ruleset permits it.

Rule 3 - Moving

  • A player's train is moved using the move action.
  • A move consists of a series of steps.
  • Each step must be between adjacent stations.
  • A player may not step to a closed station.
  • All steps (excluding the first station) must be listed in the Move action.
  • Each step adds 10mins to the turn. The same station may not be stepped to twice in the same Turn, nor may a player step the station the Turn was started at.

Rule 4 - Tokens

A Player may not have less than 0 tokens.

When an item or action is paid for, the cost is removed from the player's tokens. If a player has insufficent tokens then the action may not be played/item not bought.

Rule 5 - Station Parts

NamePriceMax # in gameDetails
Station Announcer201

Station Announcers may be bought from termini stations. A termini station is one which has only one adjacent station.

Platform10#players * 2 -1

Platforms may be bought from interchange stations. An interchange station is one which has at least 3 adjacent stations.

Lift10#players

Lifts may be bought from any station that is a least 10 steps away from the closest other player by the shortest route.

Ticket Machine5unlimited

Ticket Machines may be bought from any station that holds another player.

Rule 6 - Actions

NameCostDurationDetails
Move010 per step <Move steps="station1, station2, station3..."/>

A move is made up of several "steps". A step is the movement between one station and a station adjacent to it. You cannot step to a station that is closed. When a move is made the player's train is move from their current station to the last station stepped to.

A player may not step to a station already stepped to or from this turn.

Shunt-#steps30 <Shunt player="Garden" steps="station1, station2, station3..."/>

One player may shunt another provided they are both at the same station. The shunting player may move the shunted player any distance via any route e choses. The shunted player may not move through or to closed stations. The shunting player loses tokens equivalent to the number of steps the shunted player takes.

Block-x10 * cost <Block station="station" strength="x"/>

A station can be closed using the block action, provided the blocking player is at a station adjacent to the station to be blocked. Onced a station is closed a train may not move to or through it until it is unblocked. MC may not be blocked. The cost of blocking a station is any number of tokens.

Unblock-2 * block stength10 <Unblock steps="station"/>

A station can be unblocked using the unblock action. When a station is unblocked it is no longer closed. MC may not be unblocked. The cost of unblocking a station is twice the number of tokens used to block the station.

Steal-230 <Steal player="Garden" item="item type"/>

A player may steal any single item (tokens or station parts) from another player at the same station by playing the steal action.

Work+120 <Work/>

A player may play the work action and gain 1 token for doing so.

Slave+560 <Slave/>

A player may play the slave action and gain 5 tokens for doing so.

Buy-varies20 <Buy item="item type"/>

A player may buy a station part with the buy action. The buy action may only be used once per turn. If the number of a particular station part in the game would increase above the specified maximum for that part the buy action may not be played.

Build030 <Build/>

The build action may only be played at Mornington Crescent. To play the build action a player must have 2 platforms, 2 lifts, 4 ticket machines and a station announcer. If a player plays the build action that player is the winner and the game ends.

Rule 7 - Glossary

adjacent: One station is said to be adjacent to another if there is a line segment going between the two stations.
closed: When a station is closed a train may not move to or through it.
interchange: An interchange station is one that has at least 3 adjacent stations.
line segment: A line segment is a piece of line that goes between two stations and has no intermediate stations.
MC: Short for Mornington Crescent.
Mornington Crescent: A station on the London Underground. Also the name of a game.
shortest route: The shortest route between two stations is the route that takes the least number of steps.
step: A step is part of a move that goes over exactly one line segment.
terminus: A terminus station is one that has only one adjacent station.

Rule 8 - Todo

NOTES:No LV, no game time, no post/pre moves, trains not "pieces", no passing, no home stations, one type of token