From: Terry Mason <terry@m...>
Date: Thu, 12 Jan 2006 23:08:59 +1300
Subject: [GZG] RE: FT Scenarios
_______________________________________________ Gzg-l mailing list Gzg-l@lists.csua.berkeley.edu http://lists.csua.berkeley.edu/mailman/listinfo/gzg-l > On 1/12/06, John Tailby <john_tailby@xtra.co.nz> wrote: > Are people really going to want to play games where they are > outpointed 5:1? > [quoted text omitted] > It's called "economy of force". > [quoted text omitted] > Your mission suddenly becomes "positively ID enough enemy ships to > convince your fleet headquarters you havn't come down with galloping > cowardice, then withdraw your force. If you're feeling froggy, or > your enemy has deployed badly, go ahead and shoot up a couple of his > smaller ships before you go." > I actually like games like this where the goal isn't always just blow > Jaime There is a point where you have a glimmer of hope and no chance at all. What do you need to get someone to play a 5:1 suicide mission? - an ulterior motive. I have seen the same problem with WWII rules, people get bored with encounter battles and just blowing everything up. The rule sets provide the game mechanism for combat and a point system for making it fair, but gamers want more after a while. What you need is a higher level of the game to provide the strategy that is not as complex as a full blown campaign. For example, you make the decision to send a fleet of cargo ships on a mission without escorts because it is critical to your long term strategy. The cargo fleet gets intercepted and is wiped out, an unfair battle that you wouldn't want to play out but it could have paid off. Had you added some escorts it may have been worth playing out to add damage to the enemy fleet for a long term effect. You need another combat mechanism to "auto resolve" battles when the winning odds are too low or perhaps for absenteeism in multiplayer games. I have been working on a simple "overgame" which is essentially a board game that creates scenarios from your own fleet manoeuvres, but has multiple winning conditions. Has anyone done anything similar?