Necromancer's Tower

A game entry for the Single Card Challenge.

2 players square off using only a handful of coins and a single card. Will the Necromancer be victorious in defending their tower? Will the General be able to sneak a single soldier through and win?

Equipment: This card & 9 coins (3 in 3 different sizes - e.g. 3 nickels, dimes & quarters).

One player (General) uses troops (coins) to attack. The other (Necromancer) casts spells, killing them.

Setup: General shakes coins to randomize which heads / tails are up and places on the table, hidden from opponent. Table is divided in 4 imaginary zones between players.

Soldiers have health (large coins = 3 health, medium = 2, small = 1). If the coin is tails side up, it has a shield which protects from the first point of damage they are dealt. If shielded soldiers are damaged, flip them. If a soldier is damaged the same or more than their health, they are removed. They regain full health each turn.

Gameplay: General plays first. General puts 1 - 3 of their coins onto the Field zone. Each turn they may advance 0 - 3 coins from each zone to the next. Each turn, General may flip one coin (giving them a shield). This coin may be in play or camp (hand). After playing coins, and flipping one, they end their turn. If one coin reaches the Tower (advances off the table from zone 4), the General wins.

Necromancer holds card in both hands, left and right thumbs at top, covering circles. You cast 1 spell / turn. To cast, move down left thumb as far as you like to pick damage, then right thumb as far as you like to pick a spell. (Doesn't have to be in the same row: e.g. 4 damage could be for any spell). You can't move your thumbs back up, except by casting Tome. Deal X damage equal to the last damage number uncovered the spells below. You may skip your turn once per game. If all soldiers are killed, you win.

Spells:

Lightning: X damage split any way among targets from any 2 zones.

Deathtouch: Kill X shieldless soldiers.

Poison: X damage to each shieldless soldier in one zone.

Reanimate: Place dead soldiers with their total health = X as zombies in zone 4. They don't move. They deal their health as damage once to a single soldier in zone 4, you choose how, before dying.

Tome: X damage to 1 target, then reset both thumbs to the card's top, resetting the spellbook. Thumbs can be moved up only once per game.