HEXAGON FC ARENA: The granddaddy of them all, the Hexagon Fighting Championship Arena is a time-honoured venue, described as the world’s most famous ‘Cathedral of Combat.’ The HFCArena is regarded as the premiere stage on a which a fighter can truly make their own mark in pankration history.
Athenian Palaestra, Ancient Greece
ATHENIAN PALAESTRA: Introduced at the Olympic Games of 648 BC, pankration (παγκράτιον: all-power) was the world’s first ‘mixed martial art’. In those elemental days of Olympians battling offensively and defensively with all their skill, the only forbidden unarmed combat techniques were eye-gouging and biting…. Thus it was, in contests dedicated to Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom, Craft, and War, that the greatest pankration athletes would compete in a six-sided arena: The Hexágōn (ἕξἀγών). The victor claimed the title of ‘Pantokrator’ (Παντοκράτωρ: all-powerful).
Johnson Winklejack MMA, USA
HEY PUSSY ARE YOU STILL THERE?: The greatest fighters from around the globe travel to train at the world famous Johnson Winklejack MMAgym in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Here, sparring sessions in training camp are just as brutal as championship matches, but the competition is friendly.
The Sensei’s Dojo, Japan
ON DEADLY GROUND: Though he rose to international fame as a Hollywood sex symbol, the quest for martial arts mastery has always been the true lifelong passion of The Sensei. The disciples in his dojo learn all his “deadly stuff”—including two or three things that we once thought were illegal.
Specialist Rulesets: the Four Pillars of MMA
—Wrestling—The Noble Struggle—
EMBRACE THE GRIND: At Gravediggers Wrestling & Grappling Academy, fighters train “The Noble Struggle,” grappling with ♣️Takedown Shots, ♠️Throws&Trips, ♥️Chokes and ♦️Locks. No striking. ATTACKS with ♣️Takedown Shots from one or two hexes away score DAMAGE and TOP CONTROL. ATTACKS with ♠️Throws&Trips from one hex away scores DAMAGE and TOP CONTROL. ♥️Chokes and ♦️Locks end the fight. Matches are an unbroken duration of 5 minutes, or 10, 15, or even longer, as agreed by both fighters in advance—do not reset fighters at the end of the deck, simply reshuffle and continue. Win by submission, referee stoppage, or judges’ decision. Let the bodies hit the floor, and let chips fall where they may.
—Jiu-Jitsu—The Gentle Art—
SNAP, NAP, or TAP: At Diamond Hearts Submission Jiu-Jitsu, fighters train “The Gentle Art,” grappling with ♣️Takedown Shots, ♠️Throws&Trips, ♥️Chokes and ♦️Locks. No striking. ATTACKS with ♣️Takedown Shots from one or two hexes away score TOP CONTROL. ATTACKS with ♠️Throws&Trips from one hex away scores TOP CONTROL. DAMAGE is not calculated, so no chips are required. Only submission victory is possible. No ROUNDS, no time limit—do not reset fighters at the end of the deck, simply reshuffle and continue—first fighter to secure a ♥️Choke or ♦️Lock submission is the winner. UH, VAI MORRER!
—Muay Thai—The Art of Eight Limbs—
THAI HARD: At Tiger MMA‘s sunny waterfront gym, fighters train “The Art of Eight Limbs”: using ♣️Outside Kicks, ♠️ClinchKnees♥️PowerPunches, and♦️Elbow Strikes. No touch-butt in the park: no grappling, no submissions. ATTACKS with ♣️Outside Kicks score DAMAGE from two hexes away. ATTACKS with ♠️ClinchKnees from an adjacent hex score DAMAGE and MOVE both tokens together by one hex. ATTACKS from an adjacent hex with ♥️PowerPunches and ♦️Elbow Strikes score DAMAGE. Chok Dee!
—Boxing—The Sweet Science—
STAND AND BANG: At Strike Force Underground Fight Club, fighters train “The Sweet Science,” sparring with ♣Crosses, ♠️Jabs, ♥️Uppercuts and♦️Hooks. No rolling around on the ground: no grappling, no submissions. ATTACKS with ♣Crosses, from one or two hexes away score DAMAGE. ATTACKS with ♠️Jabs from an adjacent hex score DAMAGE and MOVE both tokens together by one hex. ATTACKS with ♥️Uppercuts and♦️Hooks from an adjacent hex score DAMAGE. Calculate ALL DAMAGE from ♣Crosses, ♠️Jabs, ♥️Uppercuts or ♦️Hooks by hex position, MULTIPLIED by the number of ATTACK cards played together as COMBINATIONS: straight runs of two, three, four, or five consecutive cards of the SAME SUIT = 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x DAMAGE. Just bang, bro!
Unsanctioned MMA Venues
BEWARE: The following venues are NOT sanctioned for Official Competition by the World Pankration Authority
WPA Headquarters: “Downtown Throwdown”
On deep-cover assignment for your nation’s top covert intelligence agency, you’ve infiltrated an exclusive celebrity MMA gala. Good news: you’ve uncovered a conspiracy at literally the highest levels of the World Pankration Authority. Bad news: there are only two ways off this rooftop. Alive, or dead.
No rounds
No penalty for fouls
All fights are TO THE DEATH
Grapple opponent off the edge for a winner-takes-all, sudden death victory
Heroic Forces Command Z: Codename “Zeta Force”
Heroic Forces Command is dedicated to showing extreme courage, bravery, and noble daring, on missions involving self-sacrifice around the globe; but, when tensions rise between the soldiers of Zeta Force Red Squad and Zeta Force Blue Squad, they settle their differences on the helicopter landing pad.
No rounds
No penalty for fouls
All fights are TO THE DEATH
Hermes Frontier Cycler: “Earth v. Mars”
In the year 2121, Mars colonists declare independence from Earth. The Hermes Frontier Cycler, an interplanetary freight and passenger transport vessel—specifically, its zero-gravity central docking hub—serves as the site of frequent unarmed clashes between Terrestrial and Martial partisans.
No rounds
No penalty for fouls
All fights are TO THE DEATH
Fighters who DEFEND a grappling ATTACK flip TOP CONTROL
Fighters may MOVE through hexes adjacent to opponent without stopping
Hexopticon Federal Corrections: “Cell Block Six”
Only the most brutal violent offenders are locked up in “The Hex”: an infamously overcrowded prison, notorious for its frequent riots. A half-dozen new inmates just arrived this morning: unfortunately, in Cell Block Six, there’s only room for one of them. The guards won’t stop the violence: they’ve all got money riding on these fights!
No rounds
No penalty for fouls
All fights are TO THE DEATH
Six fighters, one in each corner: 3-on-3, 2-on-2-on-2, or Free For All
No CORNER ADVICE
Fighters hands only hold THREE cards, not five
Fighters immediately DEFEND incoming ATTACKS and refill their hands
Fighters under TOP CONTROL cannot DEFEND against ATTACKS (♣️Strikes) from outside hexes
Hexagon Fighting Championship 