My older son turned 4 today and he's going to hold me to a promise I made him
to teach him my "spaceship game". I'm looking for advice on simplifying FT to
a 2 ship (to start) game that wont' overwhelm or bore him. I know some listers
have experience in this regime and would appreciate any advice.
He's already decided his ship will be my SDN, mine will be my CVH, and his 21
month old brother's will be a nice heavy cruiser. I think little bro will wait
a while before I let his brother try to blow him up.
G'day Noam,
> My older son turned 4 today
Happy birthday to him!
> I'm looking for advice on
You don't have to change much. I'd start off with:
a) staring in fairly close (say a couple of range bands apart) b) low speeds
(so you don't have turns where no one can shoot) c) he always gets the
initiative (such small children can't wait for others to go first usually) d)
only you write movement orders he just points where he wants to go and if he
can manage he goes there, if not tell him can't quite manage it and explain
what he's closest option is. After his movement is done then follow
out your orders - the fact their ship has already moved gives them just
enough patience to allow you to get in moving your own;) e) skip missiles and
fighters for now (so you may want to use the SSD from a
SDB/BDN of another nation instead of the CV's real SSD)
f) make lots of dying noises when you take thresholds g) when he takes
thresholds make "oh no I've made them mad now I'm gonna pay" comments
The last two weren't necessary for Lachy, but they were required to keep
Janneke hooked the first few times - small kids don't take losses well
at the start and have to learn to be good losers... then you've got the even
harder task of teaching them to be gracious winners;)
OK these are all fairly obvious, but to be honest FT really doesn't need that
much changing for kids to get a grip and the less you change the less
you've got to change back as he gets older/more confident and can use
fighters/missiles, write orders etc.
Have fun
> G'day Noam,
Janneke
> meant when she asked for some for her upcoming 5th birthday...
Y'know, Beth, you really MUST write an article someday on "Better Parenting
Through Wargaming"......
:-)
> On Sat, 5 Jan 2002 13:28:06 +1100 Beth.Fulton@csiro.au writes:
<snip>
> Beth - who is trying to figure out exactly which "girl soldiers"
Well, *all* of them, Mom....
On Saturday, January 05, 2002 2:15 AM, Noam Izenberg
> [SMTP:noam.izenberg@jhuapl.edu] wrote:
> his 21 month old brother's will be a nice heavy cruiser. I think
Although he probably doesn't realise that a full fighter complement from a CVH
will annihilate his SDN at long range...
On Saturday, January 05, 2002 8:57 PM, Ground Zero Games
> [SMTP:jon@gzg.keme.co.uk] wrote:
Janneke
> >meant when she asked for some for her upcoming 5th birthday...
Hey, Beth. If you do write it, it might make it into the GZG Scenario Book.
;-)
Thus spoke Beth.Fulton@csiro.au on Sat, Jan 05, 2002 at 01:28:06PM +1100
:
> You don't have to change much. I'd start off with:
Add in h) don't make threshold checks for engines; not being able to manuever
really puts a downer on your day, and having two sets of manueverability may
confuse. This one can get removed when he gets older;)
From: "Robertson, Brendan" <Brendan.Robertson@dva.gov.au>
> On Saturday, January 05, 2002 2:15 AM, Noam Izenberg
> SDN vs CVH & CH? Sounds like a future supermunchkin in the making.
His interest was in the minis themselves. They are the biggest two I have,
after all. He doesn't yet know anything about stats or SSDs. I assumed that I
would use FF or DD SSDs with each to start out with.
The trick is going to be playing at a time and place so Little Brother doesn't
come by and play the ion storm, ripping minis from bases, etc..
I have to assume if Zev's interest holds there will be a munchkin era in
there somewhere. It is part of responsible wargamer parenting to try to get
the wee ones through and over that stage as quickly as possible so they don't
annoy their classmates, etc.. with it later (and so that they
can deal with their classmates who are still munchkins).
Also; f) can be expanded to just making sound effects, rocket noises for
movement, shooting noises for firing, and the dying noises for thresholds as
suggest.
--
Best regards,
Flak
Hive Fleet Jaegernaught
http://www.geocites.com/flakmagnet72
> Monday, January 07, 2002, 3:42:58 AM, Colin wrote:
CP> Thus spoke Beth.Fulton@csiro.au on Sat, Jan 05, 2002 at 01:28:06PM
+1100 :
> You don't have to change much. I'd start off with:
CP> Add in h) don't make threshold checks for engines; not being able to
manuever CP> really puts a downer on your day, and having two sets of
manueverability may CP> confuse. This one can get removed when he gets older;)