Grave robbers from outer space
Encyclopedia
Grave Robbers from Outer Space (GROS) is a card game
designed by Stephen Tassie and published out by Z-Man Games
. GROS parodies movies and movie cliché
s, especially those from science fiction
and horror
movies. It is played with a specially designed 120 card deck.
The idea of the game is to create a movie (made up of a location and characters, and having your characters holding prop
s). Each of these cards has a "defense strength" (DS) between +10 and -15. The sum of the values on your cards is the defense of your movie. The goal is to have the strongest movie (i.e. the one with the highest defense) when either there are no cards left to draw, or one of two cards with the words "Roll The Credits" is played.
Each card is in one of five colors:
The two "Roll The Credits" cards are all black with the words in large red letters in the center.
You are dealt a hand of six cards. If you have no characters in your initial hand, you return your hand to the draw pile and draw a fresh hand, continuing to do so until you have at least one character in your hand.
You then put out your characters. Once all players have put out their characters, play begins.
Any time any card is played, its quote is read, otherwise it is not in play.
On your turn, you fill your hand to six cards. You may then play as many cards as you like, with three restrictions:
You may take a prop from one character and give it to a second character, this counting as the prop that the second character is given this turn.
You are allowed to change not only your own location, but any other player's location.
The Defense Strength (DS) of your movie is equal to the sum of the point value of your location, your characters, their props and any special rules that will add to these point values. For example, certain special effect cards give bonuses to a character or to a prop, and certain cards affect other cards. For example, the Nymphomaniac Cheerleader gives a bonus of +1 to all characters with the trait Male in the same movie.
You attack other players' movies using creature cards. Each creature has an "attack strength" (AS). If a creature's AS is greater than or equal to the movie's DS, then the player who played the creature gets to choose one of the characters to die (i.e. go to the discard pile with all of its props).
Special Effects cards can be played at any time, during any player's turn. You simply read the quote and apply the effect. These can change the outcome of an attack either way, or can do all sorts of different things.
After you have played any and all the cards you want to, you may also choose to discard any amount of cards. Play then passes to the next player.
The game is over when either there are no cards left in the draw pile, or someone plays a "Roll the Credits" card. The person who wins is the person with the highest DS at that time.
The other games are:
Each game has a slightly different rule as to the circumstances when a "Roll the Credits" card may be played. Other than that, the games all use the same rules of play.
Card game
A card game is any game using playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, be they traditional or game-specific. Countless card games exist, including families of related games...
designed by Stephen Tassie and published out by Z-Man Games
Z-Man Games
thumbZ-Man Games is a company incorporated in 1999 in the USA to produce games. The headquarters is in Mahopac, New York, near New York City. It is named after its proprietor, Zev Shlasinger...
. GROS parodies movies and movie cliché
Cliché
A cliché or cliche is an expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has been overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, especially when at some earlier time it was considered meaningful or novel. In phraseology, the term has taken on a more technical meaning,...
s, especially those from science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
and horror
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
movies. It is played with a specially designed 120 card deck.
The idea of the game is to create a movie (made up of a location and characters, and having your characters holding prop
Theatrical property
A theatrical property, commonly referred to as a prop, is an object used on stage by actors to further the plot or story line of a theatrical production. Smaller props are referred to as "hand props". Larger props may also be set decoration, such as a chair or table. The difference between a set...
s). Each of these cards has a "defense strength" (DS) between +10 and -15. The sum of the values on your cards is the defense of your movie. The goal is to have the strongest movie (i.e. the one with the highest defense) when either there are no cards left to draw, or one of two cards with the words "Roll The Credits" is played.
The Cards
Each card contains the following information:- A name ("The Babysitter", "Wrong Side of the Gorge")
- A picture (Special Effect cards do not have pictures on them)
- A quote ("Why should I believe your story, kid ... say, is that a tentacle?")
- Traits (Not all cards have traits)
- Special rules for the card
- A title word or words ("In 3D", "Sinister")
Each card is in one of five colors:
- Green - locations ("The Mall", "Tokyo Skyline")
- Blue - characters ("The Military Officer", "Skippy the Wonder Dog")
- Orange - props ("The Flashlight", "The Hat")
- Red - creatures ("Lava Men", "The Gym Teacher")
- Yellow - special effects
The two "Roll The Credits" cards are all black with the words in large red letters in the center.
Rules
At the beginning of the game, six cards are drawn at random from the deck. From the title words, which appear at the bottom of the card, you create a title for the game. At the end of the game, each player receives five bonus points for each word that appears both in their movie and in the game title. Many players choose not to play with this rule, and skip this phase.You are dealt a hand of six cards. If you have no characters in your initial hand, you return your hand to the draw pile and draw a fresh hand, continuing to do so until you have at least one character in your hand.
You then put out your characters. Once all players have put out their characters, play begins.
Any time any card is played, its quote is read, otherwise it is not in play.
On your turn, you fill your hand to six cards. You may then play as many cards as you like, with three restrictions:
- You cannot affect other players' movies in the first round.
- You cannot "roll the credits" in the first two rounds.
- You can put out as many props as you have characters, giving one prop to each of your characters on your turn.
You may take a prop from one character and give it to a second character, this counting as the prop that the second character is given this turn.
You are allowed to change not only your own location, but any other player's location.
The Defense Strength (DS) of your movie is equal to the sum of the point value of your location, your characters, their props and any special rules that will add to these point values. For example, certain special effect cards give bonuses to a character or to a prop, and certain cards affect other cards. For example, the Nymphomaniac Cheerleader gives a bonus of +1 to all characters with the trait Male in the same movie.
You attack other players' movies using creature cards. Each creature has an "attack strength" (AS). If a creature's AS is greater than or equal to the movie's DS, then the player who played the creature gets to choose one of the characters to die (i.e. go to the discard pile with all of its props).
Special Effects cards can be played at any time, during any player's turn. You simply read the quote and apply the effect. These can change the outcome of an attack either way, or can do all sorts of different things.
After you have played any and all the cards you want to, you may also choose to discard any amount of cards. Play then passes to the next player.
The game is over when either there are no cards left in the draw pile, or someone plays a "Roll the Credits" card. The person who wins is the person with the highest DS at that time.
Additional games
There are nine other similar versions of the game. Each can be played on its own, or can be combined with the others.The other games are:
- Cannibal Pygmies in the Jungles of Doom (action and adventure movies)
- Kung Fu Samurai on Giant Robot Island (Asian cinema, including animeAnimeis the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
) - Grave Robbers II: Skippy's Revenge (more sci-fi and horror)
- Bell Bottomed Badasses on the Mean Streets of Funk ('70s and blaxploitationBlaxploitationBlaxploitation or blacksploitation is a film genre which emerged in the United States circa 1970. It is considered an ethnic sub-genre of the general category of exploitation films. Blaxploitation films were originally made specifically for an urban black audience, although the genre's audience...
movies) - Berserker Halflings from the Dungeons of Dragons (fantasy movies)
- The Scurvy Musketeers of the Spanish Main (swashbucklingSwashbucklerSwashbuckler or swasher is a term that emerged in the 16th century and has been used for rough, noisy and boastful swordsmen ever since. A possible explanation for this term is that it derives from a fighting style using a side-sword with a buckler in the off-hand, which was applied with much...
/piratePiracyPiracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...
movies) - Bushwhackin' Varmints Out Of Sergio's Butte (Western (genre)Western (genre)The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
movies) - Silent But Deadly Night (ChristmasChristmasChristmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
movies) - Grave Robbers III: Suburban Slashers (even more sci-fi and horror)
Each game has a slightly different rule as to the circumstances when a "Roll the Credits" card may be played. Other than that, the games all use the same rules of play.