FRAY | CHAMPIONS OF THE EVERY-VERSE | PREVIEW SERIES #1
Selecting your Champion
By Mark Stogdill
Fray: Champions of the Every-verse steeps its combat in the lore of its Champions and their place in the grand schemes of the all-powerful Watchers who choose them. Each playable Champion comes from a different realm, place, and point in time and space and reflects either a historical fiction or fantasy archetype that the player may be familiar with. These archetypes, paired with the individual Champions backstories, create a narrative tapestry that the player, assuming the role of the Watcher, can use to decide whom to select and for what reasons, either personal or tactical.
Watcher ....
who will be your champion?
At the start of the game the players agree on a game size which ranges from selecting 1 – 3 Champions per player. The game size is determined before Champion selection and each player chooses the equivalent number of champions to their opponents. There are two game types to choose from:
In a two-player game, players may decide to choose only a single champion each. This is referred to in the rules as Single Mode. Single Mode may be selected for time (it plays fast and can accommodate multiple games in a short time frame) or because players find the idea of single combat and its rewards, drawbacks and unique challenges appealing. On the Champion Card that accompanies each Champion and represents all of their stats and abilities one side of the card will be Yellow, denoting the Single Mode stats for that Champion. Single Mode stats differ in various ways from the Team Mode stats on the Crimson colored side of the card.
Single Mode Champion Card
In a two-player game, players may decide to choose only a single champion each. This is referred to in the rules as Single Mode. Single Mode may be selected for time (it plays fast and can accommodate multiple games in a short time frame) or because players find the idea of single combat and its rewards, drawbacks and unique challenges appealing. On the Champion Card that accompanies each Champion and represents all of their stats and abilities one side of the card will be Yellow, denoting the Single Mode stats for that Champion. Single Mode stats differ in various ways from the Team Mode stats on the Crimson colored side of the card.
Single Mode Champion Card
A two-player game with multiple champions per player or a three to four player game (with either 1 to 3 Champions) is referred to in the rules as Team Mode. Team mode (denoted on the Character Cards by the crimson colored side) has a few variations on Champion abilities that can interplay with the other Champions on your team. Certain Champions, Like Myrina or Mitsu, have abilities that can either enhance members of your team or affect multiple enemy Champions. The combinations of these abilities add a layer of consideration to the selection process as players may want to contemplate how Champion interactions affect their overall strategy for victory.
Team mode Champion Card
A two-player game with multiple champions per player or a three to four player game (with either 1 to 3 Champions) is referred to in the rules as Team Mode. Team mode (denoted on the Character Cards by the crimson colored side) has a few variations on Champion abilities that can interplay with the other Champions on your team. Certain Champions, Like Myrina or Mitsu, have abilities that can either enhance members of your team or affect multiple enemy Champions. The combinations of these abilities add a layer of consideration to the selection process as players may want to contemplate how Champion interactions affect their overall strategy for victory.
Team mode Champion Card
Once the game mode and size are selected players roll off using a six-sided dice (D6) to determine who goes first. Starting in descending order, the highest roll going first, each player chooses a single champion from the pool of available champions. If each player will be fielding more than one Champion, continue on in the same order, choosing one Champion at a time until all the champions are selected. Once all the champions are selected the players then decide amongst themselves which side of the arena their champions will be deployed from. There are four separate deployment zones on the main game board and four squares in each zone. Once the start zones are selected players may place each champion on any of the four squares in their zone. Then the game begins.
Each Champion is powerful and dangerous in the arena, so deciding which to choose comes down to a few factors. What is your play style? If you like slipping in and out of combat maybe Gadget or Erabeth would be best. If you like playing the tank, trudging along into battle with your weapon and armor and facing opponents head on, maybe Mitsu or Baldren would be best. If you prefer staying back at range and slowly dismantling your opponents from the perimeter maybe Brint or Sethrious would be your choice. What genre do you prefer? If you are a fan of Kurosawa films, then Mitsu is your boy. If you love spaghetti westerns then maybe you’d want to play as Sheriff West. Fray: Champions of the Every-verse was designed so that each player can find a character they love, one that reminds them of a story they liked as a child or maybe a movie or show they still like.
Fray: Champions of the Every-verse was designed so that each player can find a character they love, one that reminds them of a story they liked as a child
In the game, the player is the Watcher. The idea of the Watchers came from the notion that as kids a lot of us would debate the big questions with our friends. Sometimes those questions were things like “who would win in a fight, a gladiator or samurai” or “who is cooler, a cowboy or pirate”? Answering those questions is part of the fun of Fray, and if that’s the case for you, it’ll be easy to make your selection!
