Guards! Guards! A Discworld Boardgame (2011)

The game sees players taking on the role of newly recruited members of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch. With the Eight Great Spells missing from the Unseen University the future of the Disc hangs in the balance. Each player is tasked to collect and return a number of the spells to the university before it is too late. Each player selects one of four Guilds to infiltrate, Thieves, Assassins, Alchemists or Fools. Their chosen Guild Card will give them a specific selection of the Great Spells to collect and grants them a unique Guild Ability which can be used to hinder their opponents. It is also used to mark the players Charm, Guild and Magic abilities, which can be developed throughout the game.

There are twelve locations on the board where players may charm (or bribe) volunteers to join them on their quest.
The characters are split into three Volunteer Decks each representing the range of inhabitants who might be found in different locations within the city; Lords & Ladies, Man & Beast and Shades & Shadows. Each Volunteer is assigned a set of skill attributes which can be used individually to protect the Spells, or combined with those of other volunteers and used to complete the Wizards Challenges - five tests of strength, brain, and worthiness which the runners must complete in order to enter the Unseen University with the Spells. A selection of enchanted scrolls, weapons, armour and magical items can be purchased by players to equip their volunteers and boost their attributes.

The Elucidated Brethren of the Ebon Night.
A number volunteer cards carry the ‘Mark of the Brethren’
A secret society who aim to summon a greater dragon to the city in a plan to overthrow the powers that be in Ankh-Morpork.
If a player holds three of these cards at any time, he may choose to call a dragon to a specific city quadrant. This effectively shuts down that area of the city until the dragon is driven off. (handy if there are spells located there that are needed by your opponents) Opposing players may choose to face the dragon individually or to co-operate with other players and send a combined squad of volunteers to see off the beast. (Dragons may also be called to the city automatically during the game (on the turn of a fate card) If this happens all players must send at least one volunteer to face it.)
Members of the Brethren may also be secretly planted in city quadrants to operate as saboteurs.

Spell Runs
When a player feels has recruited the right volunteers they move to collect and return the first required Spell (as marked on their Guild Card) You can send up to 4 volunteers on a Spell Run. Opponents may use magic, or Saboteurs if they have one in play, to try and stop a spell run. If all (or any) of your runners make it to the Unseen University, they must attempt one of the Wizards Challenges (resolved by totalling a specific attribute score of the successful runners, with any bonuses gained from items or magic and a dice roll). If successful they have returned the Spell. The volunteers used are seen to have fulfilled their duty and are discarded. The player then goes on toward his next spell (recruiting new volunteers along the way). The winner is the first to return the five Great Spells shown on their Guild Card). Being set in Ankh-Morpork there are of course many other random hazards that face the players, but we don’t want to spoil the surprise and tell you everything! Where’s the fun in that?

Prior to approval by Sir Terry Pratchett and a select group of Discworld fans in 2010, the original prototype of Guards! Guards! had been viewed by Rio Grande, Fred Games, Z-Man & Kosmos back in 2009. Based on their feedback the game was redesigned and Z-Man were most keen to publish.
This delighted long time role players and Discworld fans/designers Boyd & Brashaw who had originally created the game over fifteen years ago.
The Cunning Artificier, Bernard Pearson put Boyd & Brashaw in touch with Discworld illustrator Stephen Player who agreed to produce the unique 90 volunteer cards based on Discworld characters from over twenty of Sir Terry's books. Each card also contains an amusing or relevant excerpt taken from the Discworld books about that character.
It is hoped the game will be available for purchase in summer 2011.
A game created for Discworld fans, by Discworld fans; with enough in it for the hobby gamers to enjoy as well.
There are still a few copies available on www.guardsguards.com and for a limited period you will receive one of four Bookmarks illustrated by Stephen Player FREE! There you can also download the very popular updated FAQs with the 'A Player's Turn' section.
Guards! Guards! officially sold out of its first print run on 5 December 2011 less than three months after its official launch on 24 September 2011.