INTRODUCTION

Free-for-All is one of the best ways to play a multiplayer game of Genesis when you have three or four players. This is where everyone enters the same arena and dukes it out - no allies, no partners. The winner is the last man standing.

CORE RULE CHANGES

The rule book that should be followed is the most recent edition.

FORMAT-SPECIFIC RULES

At the beginning of the game, determine who the Starting Champion will be as you usually would. For each round, the turn order starts with the Starting Champion and goes clockwise (to the left).

Politics are inevitable in multiplayer, and who doesn’t enjoy a good side deal? However, no matter what deals you make and who you call an ally at the table, that does not change the effect of the keywords “ally” and “enemy.”

Arena Setup

For this format, you will only need one arena mat to play on. 

3-Players

Each player starts on either the 1, 2, or 3 spots indicated on the arena below. Only one player per square.

4-Players 

Each player starts on either the 1, 2, 3, or 4 spots indicated on the arena below. Only one player per square.

LET’S GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!

Smash is an excellent way to play a Free-for-All format with your friends and see who is the real champion of the arena. This variant of the Free-for-All format incorporates a point system to determine a winner instead of a “last man standing” system.

Stocks & Respawning

Beyond being a Free-for-All format, there is one additional change to the way this format plays, and that’s with Stocks. At the beginning of the game, all players start with three Stocks placed on their starting location. 

Each time you kill a champion, you take one of their Stocks as a trophy. This Stock is not added to your pool of Stocks. It is used to count scores at the end of the game. 

Once a champion runs out of Stocks, they are removed from the game, and everything they own is removed.

Respawning

When you are killed, you return to your starting location and come back stronger than before! Each time you are killed you respawn at your starting location and gain the following benefits:

  • Remove your exert token and all ailments.

  • Reset your health to its starting value.

  • Reset your aura to its starting value.

  • All abilities printed on your champion that deals damage are increased by X, where X is the number of times you were killed.

    • This includes Idiris Fire Ball, Alta’s Lightning Surge, etc.

    • All of the Vampire’s drain abilities increase the life loss and life gained by one.

  • Your energy reduction stat is increased by X, where X is the number of times you were killed.

The End of the Game

Two situations will cause the game to end. The first is if there is only one champion standing. The second is if any champion runs out of cards in their timeline. 

If either of these events occurs, then the game ends, and you can begin to determine the winner. 

Determining the Winner

The winner of the match is not determined by the last one standing, it is a calculation of points based on the number of Stocks obtained and retained. The score is counted by:

  • 2 points for each Stock you collected from killing another champion

  • 1 point for each of your Stocks you were able to keep

FAQ

  • What happens if you kill yourself?

    • If you kill yourself, your Stock is removed from your pile, but no one gets it. This can be a good strategy to stop your opponents from getting the edge.


Untested Rule Ideas

Timed Match

Try this format where champions have infinite Stocks, but the game is on a timer. At the end of the timer, you can determine the winner. However, since no one would have any remaining Stocks in this format, you can -1 for each Stock lost. For example, if Idiris killed three champions but died twice, her score will be 4 = 3(2) + 2(-1).

My suggestion, try for an hour-long match.

More Stocks

If you want to extend your game’s length, try playing with five or seven Stocks instead of three.

Respawn Invulnerability. 

The round you respawn back into the arena, you cannot lose health. This stops your opponents from swarming your respawn point and immediately killing you again.