"Arena" - Ascension-style play
I happen to really like Ascension. Tonight, I tried to tweak my REDBG game to see if I could emulate the general framework and flow of Ascension.
Arena
The Set Up
All players choose characters as usual. Use Mercenaries-mode loadouts for all characters. Choose desired resources and shuffle them into a deck. Set individual piles aside for each Ammunition card, Green Herb, Red Herb, and First Aid Spray. Arrange mansion as usual.
The resource area (henceforth termed the center row) consists of 6 cards at any given time. This includes 4 resources and 2 creatures from the mansion, drawn from the top of the resource and mansion decks, respectively.
The game setup should look as such: Center row of six cards, set up (left to right) as creature, creature, resource, resource, resource, resource. To the left of the creatures is the mansion deck. To the right of the resources is the resource deck. Above each center row card is a basic resource pile (Ammo x10, Ammo x 20, Ammo x 30, Green Herb, Red Herb, First Aid Spray).
Turn Progression
Turn rules are similar to Resident Evil, not Ascension. Players start their turns with a single Buy, Action, and Explore, and may use them in any order desired. Drawing hands, inventory decks, and discard piles are handled identically to Resident Evil and are subject to Resident Evil: DBG rules, except where noted otherwise.
Buying Resources
Players may buy from any of the basic resource piles, or from any resource in the center row. Once a resource is bought from the center row, it must be immediately replaced from the resource deck.
Exploring
Players defeat creatures in the center row by exceeding their health value with (a) chosen weapon(s) (just like in REDBG). Once a creature is defeated, the attacking player obtains the creature card and its decorations, and it is immediately replaced by another creature from the mansion deck.
If a player has multiple explores, they may either...
-Use all explores at once, in which case they may use the cumulative damage from all weapons to fight each creature. If the player chooses this option, they must fight the creature each creature is replaced with from the mansion deck, and may not fight the creature in the opposite center row creature slot.
-Use explores one at a time. They may choose to defeat any creature in the center row, but may not reuse weapons (unless indicated otherwise).
If a player chooses not to explore in a turn, they take damage indicated by the creature in the center row whose damage output is lowest. In this case, the player may choose to banish the creature and avoid damage. To banish, the player must either...
-Discard ammunition from their hand equal to the health of the creature (rounded up).
-Trash ammunition from their hand equal to half the health of the creature (rounded up).
If a creature is banished, it is trashed, and is subject to rules outlined in "Trashing".
If a creature is defeated/banished, and the card which replaces it has effect text, that effect is applied to the player which defeated/banished the creature.
Trashing
Players may trash any resources in their hand during their turn, or gained in the same turn, with the exception of ammunition cards.
When any card is trashed, it is returned to its appropriate pile, and that pile is shuffled.
End-Game Scenario
The game is over when all creatures are defeated. The player with the most decorations is the victor.
Other
All other aspects of play are subject to rules indicated in the latest Resident Evil: DBG game manual, except where indicated herein, or where modified by official post hoc rule updates.
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I played a single round of this, and thought it was fun. I'm sure there are intricacies and card exceptions which don't fit perfectly into this paradigm. Any suggestions are of course welcome, and please ask if you need any clarification about what I've laid out. Enjoy!