Subject:
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Re: Brickfest 2000 Pirate Game Postmortem
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.gaming
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Date:
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Tue, 20 Jun 2000 04:51:13 GMT
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Viewed:
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2645 times
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Aha! It looks like I can now read/post to the Lugnet web interface! Unless of
course this message does not show up, in which case, ignore the above.
I enjoyed reading Frank's writeup. Yes, as far as I know, this is the first
major "blindtest" of the rules . . . interesting to see how they go when I'm not
around!
In lugnet.fun.gaming, Frank Filz writes:
>
> The game requires much more preparation that I had realized.
No kidding :-\ Good thing we LIKE this stuff.
> range sticks made out of LEGO bricks.
Cool!
>
> FACILITIES:
>
> It would have been MUCH nicer to have a lockable or otherwise secure
> space.
Absolutely.
.
>
> GMING:
>
> Major problem - we only had one GM.
Congratulations on *surviving* . . .
> One issue later in the game was how to work with a younger player.
Yes, I continue to struggle with this. The young ones really enjoy themselves,
but sometimes they do things that annoy adults (e.g., pick up their ships and
walk around with them)
> - deputize some of the players to oversee combats which are not near and
> dear to them
In my experience, players will play fair once they understand the rules, and
combat referees are not really necessary.
> - let some assistant GMs run a bunch of NPC ships.
Yes. I've found that many people think that this is just as much fun as actually
playing. An assistant GM can control an Imperial warship, roleplay it fully, and
really enjoy himself, even though he can't be the "winner" of the game.
> RULES:
>
> Simpler damage charts for NPC ships would help
?? You can just ignore the parts you don't use . . .
>
> . . . the game also
> has to move at a pace such that over the course of a few hours, islands get
> plundered, ships get robbed of their cargo, and an occasional prize is
> taken).
Yes. As the game develops, I am throwing out more and more of the things that
don't directly contribute to ACTIVE sailing around, fighting and plundering.
>
> The weather was a real drag. We played almost the entire game under a light
> wind from the west. I used the pre-generated chart, and several times, even
> though the 5 or 6 roll to change the weather came up, the next line on the
> chart was the same.
Arrrr. I thought I had rooted out all those. I just went back to my source and
found 3 and fixed them. Sorry . . . At any rate, if you find the wind is not
changing enough, you can make
it change on a 4-6, or just TELL the players it has changed :-)
> Things like turning radius and pursuit rules perhaps should appear on the
> record sheets (need to think about some rules to summarize on the record
> sheets)
Good point re: turning radius. I'm no longer using the pursuit rules at all ...
> ... the battles occurred at the same pace
> as ship movement, so it was possible to sail into a battle.
Yes, I think that's fun.
>
> I liked the way I ran skeletons.
That does sound like fun.
> Some thoughts have been raised about rule changes:
>
> - initiative randomizer (I think this would add too much complexity . . .
Agree.
> - things like swivel guns (probably a complexity add)
Yes. Had 'em in an early draft, took 'em out. Not only do they make the combat
charts longer, but (though they look neat in models) they don't travel well.
> - siege mortars
Yes. Though I was thinking of these as fort weapons that, with a good roll,
would drop a big fat ol' heated shot onto the deck of an attacking pirate. And
they could be pre-sighted on a spot in the ocean in hopes that a pirate would
end his turn there . . . giving a HUGE bonus to hit.
> - Different range penalties for grapeshot (may add complexity, need to look
> at the suggestion)
Grapeshot is broken right now, for sure.
> - wind speed variation seemed to add complexity without much value (wind
> direction change on the other hand is worthwhile)
Next time I revise the rules, I will double the "standard" wind speed. Makes
things move much faster, so to speak.
> - should hull hits affect speed (if they did, some of that speed loss could
> be kept until the ship is properly repaired, this would reduce the need for
> the hidden damage chart)
Hmm. I want to do SOMETHING to encourage people to shoot more at the hull.
> - it has been discussed to have the combats run asynchronously (sorry - I'm
> a techy) to ship movement (I don't think this would be good - if we speed
> things up, I think it will be less of a problem
I started off with asynchronous combat, and found it slowed things down.
> - maximum ranges for cannon might be worthwhile, though no one ever tried to
> shoot from one side of the ocean to the other, in fact, only a few shots
> were ever taken at more than 18", and I think 30" or so was the maximum
> range a shot was ever fired at.
A FAQ is "what's the maximum range?" As the rules are written, it just gets
harder and harder to hit . . . I really ought to figure out the utter absolute
all-bonuses-applied max range just so I can answer that question, but most
people are satisfied with "Beyond 3 feet it will take dumb luck to hit."
> SUGGESTED CHANGES:
> - Detail out the rules for all the creatures (these need not be revealed of
> course)
I thought I had detailed creature rules on the site. No?
> - need smaller rulers for personal combat
Heh. Send me your address and I'll send you a batch of the little 6" rulers SJ
Games made up for giveaways!
Darn, I have just GOT to make it to a Brickfest sometime . . . or maybe try to
host a Piratefest here in Austin. Wonder how many people would come to Austin
just for a weekend of brick-trading and Arrrrr! ??
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Message has 3 Replies:
 | | Re: Brickfest 2000 Pirate Game Postmortem
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| Steve Jackson wrote in message ... (...) Hooray! Welcome aboard matey, or should that be captain... (...) Probably the best thing to do is just let the younger player do as they will, so long as they don't do something which directly affects (...) (24 years ago, 20-Jun-00, to lugnet.gaming)
| | | Re: Brickfest 2000 Pirate Game Postmortem
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| (...) ...woohoo! (...) ...Well, despite all our missteps and problems, everyone seemed had fun, which is the #1 goal of the game. And most people seemed to accept the little problems as just part of the game so didn't even mind them :-) (...) (...) (24 years ago, 20-Jun-00, to lugnet.gaming)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Brickfest 2000 Pirate Game Postmortem
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| Ok, I've been kicked off my duff by Evil Stevie himself to write my final postmortem. We haven't seen any additional comments for a while. I'll discuss various areas as they come to me. PREPARATION: The game requires much more preparation that I had (...) (24 years ago, 18-Jun-00, to lugnet.gaming)
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