Loco Dome

Loco Dome is a variant of Locomotive Versus that pits two Contestants, each with a Roster of five Locomotives, against one another. This utilizes the Locobase, a database created by Wes Barris and Steve Llanso, hosted at www.steamlocomotive.com. The data enclosed on this website is included on the rear of Locomotive Cards, though it has been modified and amended to suit and complete each card.

To Play, you need two players (Contestants), with five chosen Locomotives or Locomotive Cards. Judge(s) may also be present to keep score, assist in research, and approve Style Points.

Setup:

One of the Judges, if any are present, should be tasked with keeping track of the list of called Statistics, the score, and available Markers.

The Contestants should each prepare a Roster of five Locomotives and refer to their associated Locomotive Card. If there is no card available for a given Locomotive, the appropriate Steamlocomotive Dot Com page can be used. Contestants are not allowed to look at the Steamlocomotive Dot Com page or the rear of the trading card for anything but their Active Locomotive. However, they are allowed to look at any pictures of any locomotives in the game at any time.

Rosters may consist of any five Locomotives, including duplicates. They should be decided upon before the game begins, and both Contestants should be aware of their composition. Locomotives are either “Active” (currently being used in the game), “Dormant” (not currently being used, but available for use), or “Knocked Out” (knocked out of the game and unavailable for use). Only one Locomotive for each Contestant may be Active at a time; if a new one is Activated, the Active Locomotive becomes Dormant. 

Contestants are not allowed to compare Values between Locomotives in their Rosters during play.

Gameplay:

A Contestant is selected by the Judge(s) or by coin flip. This Contestant is now the “calling” Contestant, and they must Activate one of their Locomotives. The opposing Contestant then does the same.

Play begins when the calling Contestant announces, or “calls” a Statistic from the rear of their Active Locomotive’s Card, or Steamlocomotive Dot Com page. The opposing Contestant must reply with the Value of the called Statistic from their Active Locomotive. The calling Contestant will then state their Locomotive’s Value for the Statistic, and scoring is done as described in Statistic Scoring. If the opposing Locomotive does not have a known Value for the given Statistic, but at least one of that Contestant’s Dormant Locomotives does, the calling Contestant must choose one of those Locomotives to target instead. The Value for the given Statistic is used, but this Locomotive is not Activated. The calling Contestant may not call a Statistic that their Active Locomotive does not have a known value for, or that their Opponent’s Roster has no known Values for. Each Statistic may only be called once between Resets.

In the event of a tie, the opposing Contestant is given the option to Activate a Dormant Locomotive and use that Value for the Statistic. No matter their decision, if a tie remains, the calling Contestant must do this. If it is still a tie, the opposing Contestant is considered the victor, but no points are awarded.

Every 20 Points, counted cumulatively, each Contestant receives one Marker, which may be used for one of the following actions:

• Swap: either Contestant may use this Marker between Statistic calls. They may Activate one of their Dormant Locomotives. This can still be used even if the Contestant has no Dormant Locomotives.

• Block: the opposing Contestant may use this Marker after the calling Contestant has called a Statistic, before responding with their Value. They may Activate a Dormant Locomotive, and use that Locomotive’s Value for the current Statistic.

• Knock Out: the calling Contestant may use this Marker when they are in the lead but greater than 10 points away from winning, instead of calling a Statistic. They must select a Style Point which they believe is applicable to their Active Locomotive and not applicable to the opposing Contestant’s Active Locomotive. The opposing Contestant may then respond in kind with their own Style Point, or with the correction that the Style Point applies equally to both Locomotives, making a pair. The calling Contestant may then respond again, and so on until a Contestant is unable to respond with a valid Style Point. After ten pairs, Style Points that apply equally to both are not counted towards the total.

• If the opposing Contestant is unable to respond, their Active Locomotive is Knocked Out. Both players, starting with the calling Contestant, must Activate a Dormant Locomotive to continue.

• If the calling/instigating Contestant is unable to respond, their Active Locomotive is Knocked Out, and they must Activate a Dormant Locomotive to continue. Contestants then switch roles.

• If 25 pairs are successfully made, or if both Active Locomotives are identical, they are both Knocked Out. Both players, starting with the calling/instigating Contestant, must Activate a Dormant Locomotive to continue.

• Sacrifice: the opposing Contestant may use this Marker after the calling Contestant has called a Knock Out, before responding with their first Style Point. They must sacrifice one of their Dormant Locomotives to immediately end the Knock Out sequence. That Locomotive is Knocked Out, and the calling Contestant must Activate a Dormant Locomotive. Contestants then switch roles. A Sacrifice may not be used during a Detonation or Sudden Death.

• Detonation: either Contestant may use this marker between Statistic calls if they are trailing by 20 points or more. They may Knock Out both their Active Locomotive and their opponent’s Active Locomotive. This cannot be countered. Each Contestant may only cause one Detonation per game.

The record of Statistics is Reset after every other Marker used. If every single valid, non-known-zero Statistic for the calling Contestant’s Active Locomotive has been called, the record may be Reset at their request, between Statistics. A Reset due to a Knock Out sequence should be effected after its completion. A Reset due to a Block should be effected before that Statistic is marked in the record.

A Contestant wins when they reach the point threshold (100 points, minus ten for every Knocked Out Locomotive on either Roster), or when their opponent’s entire Roster is Knocked Out. If both Contestants meet a win condition simultaneously (all Locomotives KOed or point threshold lowered beneath the scores), the contestant with more points wins, or the match ends in a draw if point totals are equal.
If a Contestant only has their Active Locomotive remaining, and they are thus unable to Activate a Dormant Locomotive when required, they enter Sudden Death. They must instigate a free Knock Out sequence against an opposing Active or Dormant Locomotive of their choice. If the instigating Contestant’s Active Locomotive is not Knocked Out by the result, they become the Calling Contestant and play proceeds normally. Their opponent must Activate a Dormant Locomotive to continue.