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Halji30 - The Competition

Almost thirty years ago Battle of the Halji crept into being....

Way back in 1987 in another life I worked in a co-operative called Fugitive Games. This was long before the internet with its social networking and crowd-funding. Running any kind of games business took serious amounts of cash, something we never had, though we did get access to an overdraft via winning a Prince's Trust award.

One outcome was Battle of the Halji, a mad, chaotic, monster in a box. Playing it was always more of an experience than a game. The original rules more than show their age. Yes, copies of the rules and the components and the box still exist. They are loitering in the corner of what is now my mother's house.

The question was what to do with them...

The answer is a game design competition. Talking it over with fellow fugitive and friend, Jake Thornton, we have decided to offer a Thirty Year Anniversary edition which will be available in 2017. The new edition will include the original game and also several sets of new rules.

The first set will be a modern take, revisiting the original idea, but bringing the rules up-to-date. The second set will be a co-operative version. The other sets depend upon the results of our competition which starts now.

Here are the rules:

1. You must design a new game using only the components from the original box. No new components are allowed, though non-obvious use of what's included in the box is entirely reasonable and somewhat encouraged. The more of the original components you use, the better.
2. The new game must be set in the original theme. This does not mean it has to be exactly the same story, but must clearly be part of the same world.
3. You can design any type of game you want as long as it sticks to (1) and (2).
4. The rules must be written clearly, in English, and in a sensible font so our ancient eyes can read them. If we can't read it, it's unlikely to win. Remember, we're not judging your layout skills, or your fancy graphics, just your game design.
5. Your submission must be sent to us as an A4 pdf. If you win we will ask for it in Word so we can edit and lay it out.
6. It costs £9 to enter (30p x 30). Payment details (Paypal) will be sent to entrants on application. You can get the details by emailing Jake.
7. There is a maximum limit of 30 entries. First come, first served.
8. If you don't have a copy of Halji already, don't worry. There are some links to a PDF version below, and a video of all the game contents so you can see what you have to work with.
9. Entries must arrive by 9am Tuesday the 13th of September 2016 (UK time). Don't ask.
10. Copyright in the original game rules, game world, and distinctive terms and images remains with us. Copyright of your new design remain with you. By entering this competition you agree to allow us use your new rules in print and digital editions of the 30th Anniversary Limited Edition Rules for no charge.
11. If you are the winner, in addition to getting your name (and game) in print, you'll also get a one-day mentoring/consulting session with Jake, either in person or over Skype (depending on where you are). This would be ideal to discuss any game ideas you might have, and get the benefit of advice from someone with three decades' experience in the games industry.
12. Finally, we reserve the right to not declare a winner if there is no entry of sufficient quality. Conversely, if there is more than one stand-out submission we may decide to have more than one winner. The judges' decision is final in this and all other competition matters.

Here's the video showing what's in the box.

And here are the links to the files:

Incidentally, the new rules we’re writing follow the rules above too. The only new component the 30th Anniversary edition will include is the new rulebook, so everyone has the challenge of making something with a fixed set of components.

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