B5 Wars Info...

Hello everyone: I was hanging around the Agents of Gaming WWW page, eher they
had recently put up a progress report on their upcoming "Babylon 5 Wars"
wargame. They were considering creating some "web tests" where they will put
up some playtesting rules up on their page. When I wrote AoG for more info,
the rep said they would put up these test early this week. Keep watching!

Later,

Yes, but I wonder how like FT this is really going to be. Did you see the
critical hit chart for the starfury? Having to keep track of each individual
fighter's damage doesn't sound too appealing. (OK, PDAF scores a hit against
Starfury #24; just a sec while I find that sheet.)

This makes me worry about the miniatures as well; I can't see them being in FT
scale with fighters like that. The fact that they are selling them 2 to a
package would seem to bear that out.

The news of the public test is good, though. Perhaps we can flood them with
suggestions to make the minis FT sized and thereby gain a new line of ship
models.

Ramblin' on,

Nick Caldwell cncald@aol.com

______________________________ Reply Separator

> On Mon, 21 Oct 1996 CNCALD@ccmail.monsanto.com wrote:

> Yes, but I wonder how like FT this is really going to be. Did you see

It all depends on what you want. If you want a detailed system of space combat
then B5 Wars may be your system. If you want something a little more abstract
then sitck to Full Thrust. As for me, I can swing both ways.

> This makes me worry about the miniatures as well; I can't see them

        I don't know....put a six sider next to fighter and TA-DA....a
Full Thrust fighter group. Where is it written that an FT fighter groups
had to be teny tiny models mounted in groups of six.  The "full-fledged"
ship minis are already supposed to be in an exagerated scale. Again, It all
depends on what YOU want. Besides you can always use the fighter minis for
Silent Death

> The news of the public test is good, though. Perhaps we can flood

Must every space wargame build itself around the idea that it will be
converted to Full Thrust? AoG has its own ideas about how to make a wargame.
If you don't like the system then you can exercise your right as a consumer in
a Free Market economy and not purchase it. (This isn't the ESU, you know.) I
too look forward to the B5 minis, especially the EA minis. I tried to scratch
build a Omega Class Destroyer out of wooden dowls, card

board and other odds and ends; it look like crap (although the all wood

hyperion class CA I made didn't look too bad). I plan on buying the minis for
FT, then splerge and by B5 Wars when it comes out.

Later,

> On Mon, 21 Oct 1996, <Mark Andrew Siefert> wrote:

> Must every space wargame build itself around the idea that it

But of course! Didn't you know?

;) ;) ;) ;)

> Mark A. Siefert wrote:

> both ways.

I hope your girlfriend knows about this!;)

> On Tue, 22 Oct 1996, Mike Miserendino wrote:

> Mark A. Siefert wrote:

Gina is a very understanding and progressive woman. She can understand if I
choose to spend some time with another game system.
She not a prude or anything ;-)

Later,

> > Mark A. Siefert wrote:

You're lucky! She has not yet realized that your inability to "settle down"
with *one* game system clearly foreshadows your inevitable betrayal of your
relationship with her. Why this *resistance* to *Making A Commitment* to ONE
game system? How was your relationship with your mother? How did potty
training go? You probably have so many unresolved issues from childhood that
not only do you stray from one game system, you probably are not content to
play games IN JUST ONE GENRE! Not happy with a few SF systems, I bet there's a
dirty little fantasy game in the back of your closet, now isn't there? Or
perhaps some retched historical simulation under the bed!

Please Mr.Siefert, seek help NOW! Sure, it seems like it's a harmless pastime.
but it is symptomatic of the deterioration of Western Civilization(tm) as we
know it!

Deepest sympathies,

Bringing things back to the subject (sort of (8-) ):

I took a look at the AoG WWW page, and saw the prices they're planning to
charge. I know it's dangerous to judge this early in the production phase,
but I'm kind of worried about the prices - $25 US for a sourcebook?

Is anybody else worried about this, or am I just being paranoid?

J.

At 11:43 PM 10/22/96, Jerry Han wrote:> Bringing things back to the
subject (sort of (8-) ):
> I took a look at the AoG WWW page, and saw the prices they're planning

Gaming prices depend heavily on the production quality. Compare, oh R.
Talsorian Games with BTRC. Both have good games, but Mike Pondsmith at R
Talsorian is willing to kill himself to get a page layout just right.
And he gets more money per page than BTRC.. or most "small-press"
gaming companies. TSR, FASA, Games Workshop, all have large production staffs.
This boosts prices.

On top of that, not only does the license to print a B5 game cost money, but
printing color stills from the show will cost a LOT of money. Both items here
are affordable, but far from cheap.

And, what's the page count? $25 is way to high for 96 pages, but 144 or 196
pages at $25 is a fair price.

It's awfully hard to tell. Besides, the production value will probably
reflect a mass-market value. These books will be almost the first
sourcebooks of any kind (unlike Trek) to appear on store shelves. The B5 games
stand an excellent chance of selling well in the bookstore chain market,
Waldenbooks, B. Daltons and the like. Those customers will expect something
that looks like Mr.Scott's Guide to the Enterprise or any of the recent Star
Wars books, and they'll pay those kind of prices too.

<disclaimer> I've worked in the gaming and marketing industries, written for
R. Talsorian, have actually played a BTRC game, am a design student, finally
bough Mekton Zeta for the graphic design, and remembers his mom complaining
that his first Star Trek Technical Manual cost all of $12
</disclaimer>