Overview
To play Team Pig Tickler you need two teams of Pig Tickler lancers. These should be painted in two different colours (red and blue make an excellent choice), or they should use different uniforms. Eureka Miniatures makes at least two different types of lancers (the same lancers with different head gear). Eureka also makes lancers on Penny Farthings which could also be used for Team Pig Tickler.
Team Pig Tickler is played just like regular Pig Tickler but individual scores don't matter. Every time a rump is scored, the team scores the points, not the individual lancer. The game continues until one team has scored 10 rumps.
Any of the house rules on this site can be used, except that a special version of the initiative card house rules are used (as described below).
Roster
The teams can be any size, but 4 to 12 is recommended. It is also recommended that each team have the same number of lancers.
Each player should have at least one lancer on the field at all times. If a player can not field a lancer, the game is over. Each team has a fixed number of substitutes. There should be at least two substitutes per team at the beginning of the game. No team should have more substitutes than there are figures on the field at the beginning of the game. In other words, if there are 3 figures on the field at the beginning of the game, there should be no more than 3 substitutes available.
"Regulation" Team Pig Tickler has a maximum of 4 figures on the field per team, with a maximum of 4 substitutes per team.
(Where did the "regulation" team size come from? See the Tickle and the Ivories home page.)
Set Up
Players flip a coin to see which side places the first lancer. The winner of the coin toss decides if they are going to place first or second. The first lancer is placed according to the Pig Tickler rules, and then the other player places a lancer according to the rules. The teams alternate placing lancers around the outside of the field until all of the on-field figures are placed. The substitutes are kept off to the side.
After all the lancers have been placed, the pig is placed in the centre of the field, facing in any direction. The stoker is placed anywhere as long as the stoker's base is touching the pig's base. The team that placed the first lancer places the pig and the stoker.
Initiative Cards and Turn Sequence
Instead of each player taking a turn in a pre-arranged order, a deck of initiative cards is used. Each figure on the field has a card representing it. If you are using a standard deck of cards, one team is represented by the red cards and the other team is represented by the black cards.
The cards for both teams are shuffled together into one deck. Since decks of cards are cheap, you could buy one specifically for the game and write the lancer's name or number on the card in indelible ink. A deck made up of blank business cards could also be used.
An additional card is added to this deck prior to the deck being shuffled. If you are using a standard deck of playing cards, use the Joker card. In "regulation" Team Pig Tickler this would result in a deck of 9 cards: 4 for the red team, 4 for the black team, and 1 Joker. All of the cards are shuffled together and the deck is ready for the first turn.
The cards are turned over one at a time. The card indicates which lancer is activated that turn. When a lancer is activated, he takes his turn as per the regular Pig Tickler rules: the lancer moves, the pig is moved, and then the stoker is activated. Once a lancer completes his turn, his card is placed in the discard pile.
If the Joker card is turned up, the turn ends and the Joker is placed in the discard pile. All the cards in the discard pile only are shuffled together. This shuffled discard pile is then placed beneath the pile of cards that have yet to be turned over. This sets up the deck for the next turn. Before any cards are turned over for the next turn, make Recovery Rolls for any wounded lancers. (This is also when broken lances are replaced, unicycle damage is repaired, etc. if using those house rules.)
The referee may interrupt a lancer's movement as per the regular rules. However, only a player on the opposite team from the current lancer may activate the referee. For instance, if a blue lancer is moving, only a red player may activate the referee.
Wounded Lancers
If a lancer is wounded, a player can replace the lancer with a substitute when the wounded lancer's card is turned up. The replacement comes from the the pool of available substitutes. If there are no substitutes, the lancer can not be replaced and the team must play short a lancer.
At the end of a turn — after the Joker is turned up but before the first card of the newly-shuffled deck is turned over — make a recovery roll for all wounded lancers. If a wounded lancer is okay, he is placed on the substitute list. Continue to roll at the end of each turn for every wounded lancer. If a lancer dies or resigns, he is removed from the game and the team is down a lancer.
(Unicycle repair rolls are made at the same time as Wound Recovery rolls.)
Optional Rules
Activation
Instead of using cards to randomly activate the lancers, players activate lancers one at a time. The player who won the coin toss at the beginning of the game activates first. After that players alternate activation.
A marker is placed beside the lancer after the lancer's turn is over. This indicates that the lancer was activated. A player may not activate a lancer with a marker beside it.
The turn ends when all lancers have been marked with an activation marker. All of the markers are removed, then the players test for wound recovery, etc. as part of the end-of-turn procedure.
If players are not using the Forfeit optional rule (see below), it is possible for one team to have fewer lancers than another team. If a team has fewer lancers available to activate than another team, the player may "pass" instead of activating a lancer. If the player has the same number of available lancers, or more available lancers, than any other team that player must activate a lancer.
Forfeit
In "regulation" games, if a team runs out of substitutes and is unable to field a minimum of 4 players, that team forfeits the game. The other team wins, regardless of the score.
Star Players
Each team has 3 star players. One lancer has a +1 added to his manoeuvre roll. A second lancer has a +1 added to his roll on the Hit Adjudication Table. A third lancer is strong and has a +1 added to his Recovery Table roll. These players can be placed on the field or they can be left "on the bench" as substitutes.
Timed Games
Instead of playing to 10 rumps, players can play to a number of times through a deck, or to a specific time on the clock. The winner is the team that scored the most rumps when time expires.
In the case of a tie, players shuffle the deck and keep playing until one side scores a rump. That side is the winner (this is known as the "golden rump" rule).
Two Stokers
Eureka Miniatures makes two different stoker models, one with a shovel and one with a bucket of coal. This rule allows you to use two different stokers in Team Pig Tickler.
At the beginning of the game, each team writes down on a piece of paper which stoker they bribed (the stoker with the shovel/spade or the stoker with the coal).
During a lancer's turn, the lancer's player may select either stoker, but he can only select one of them.
The player can use either stoker to stoke the pig (allowing an extra move of the pig). However, for all other purposes the player can only use the stoker bribed by his team.
When the player wants to move a stoker (except to stoke the pig), or when a player wants to attack a lancer with a stoker, he first shows all the players the stoker that was bribed by his team. He then moves that stoker, or uses that stoker to attack another player, as per the regular Pig Tickler rules. For the rest of the game, this is the only stoker that can be used to attack another lancer.
It is possible for both teams to bribe the same stoker!
(See the Two Stokers house rules for ways of using two stokers in regular Pig Tickler games.)
Design Notes
This is a fun game for multiple players, but it's particularly good for two players as it allows each player to run with multiple figures. The card activation method works best with Team Pig Tickler. Not only does it add excitement, but it makes it easier to figure out which lancer goes next.
The idea for this rule came from the fact that Eureka makes two different types of lancer figures, and also makes lancers on penny farthings.
Players may find that the number of figures needed is excessive. For "regulation" Team Pig Tickler you need four figures per team on the field. There are also four substitutes per team. Ideally each substitute would be represented by its own lancer figure. This, however, is not necessary. Players can keep track of substitutes on a piece of paper. Thus for a regulation game you only need eight figures (four per team).
