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Christopher Weeks wrote:
> > > 5. How many hours would you feel like committing to the game?
>
> I could start on Friday at about noon and stop on Sunday at about four. I'd
> want 3-4 hours of sleep each night and maybe a total of five hours off for
> eating, walking, and seeing other stuff. So I think that adds up to about 39
> hours.
It's clear from the responses here that a bunch of folks would enjoy a
Piratefest. I hope we can eventually do this, because I'm willing to
commit a weekend to the Pirate Game, I'm just not willing to commit all
of Brickfest weekend to the game.
> > > 6. Do you have any thoughts on how better to run the game?
>
> We need turn-forms that indicate the possible moves, how the wind affects
> moves, and provides a blank form/spreadsheet where the players write their
> moves. This would normalize and speed up play and if we turned them in to the
> GM when done it would help with the recap. There could even be a place for us
> to write notes on damage done and taken and stuff.
Yes, better player charts is one thing I've thought about. That can be
done either by putting more on the ship record sheet, or by making big
posters.
> > I think we need to set up Friday. This would allow all the time spent
> > Saturday to be actual play time (set up takes about 2 hours, perhaps a
> > little more).
>
> IIRC it was way more than two hours. Getting more people involved in set up or
> doing as much as possible in advance would be great. What if you arrived with
> baggies of crew tucked into cutters? What if those of us who wanted to built
> islands ahead of time and had write-ups about what was going on there? We
> could do more ahead of time if we chose to.
Perhaps it was more than two, but I agree. Setup needs to happen Friday.
Having all the scenario islands prebuilt would be a big help. Reducing
the reliance on one person's collection for the islands would help. If
there was enough island material present Friday, folks could have set it
all up, and then if I really wanted to, I could make adjustments.
> > I think I have gone overboard in the scenario islands. I think the next
> > game will be much more focused on battling other ships, but I will
> > probably still have some scenario islands. A thought which just rolled
> > through my mind is to recruit a player to run the islanders.
>
> Sure. Actually I volunteered to do that either last year or the year before.
> I have some ideas about how islanders should work but the rules for
> implementing it would be better if the ship-players didn't know them.
I think this last is important, so as we get nearer to Brickfest I'll be
interested in hearing from folks interested in doing this, and we will
work together to define these other factions.
> > This brings some thoughts on creative ways to use assistants in running
> > the game. One thought is to have one or two players run the merchant and
> > navy ships. This would make sure these ships really get run. The players
> > running these ships would need to commit to making the game fun for all
> > since initially the navies would certainly outgun the pirates.
>
> I think the way to do this is to make them a viable playable position rather
> than setting them up as GMs. Pirates could have a set of victory points or
> conditions different from those of imperials which would different from those
> of merchants which would be different than those of islanders. That makes four
> (or more?) factions that could actually be fun to play with goals that run
> sometimes counter and sometimes with each other. It would make for creative
> interaction.
I think you're right, and I will be exploring things. The trick is how
to make the merchants playing positions without creating too much work
for the GM. A deck of cards indicating merchant cargos available for
transport might be one way to do it.
If anyone has thoughts about how to make the merchants viable playing
positions, please let me know. The navies are a little easier.
> > I would really like to do something to do a better job of establishing
> > the committed players.
>
> I haven't been committed yet! I will be at brickfest.
Oh, we're going to commit you at Brickfest? :-)
> The real trick is going to be figuring out how to get out to San Diego on my
> employer's tab in February. I can't find an appropriate class to take...yet.
I will be starting to plan for Brickswest. I think if I assist Steve in
running the game, I will get a lot of helpful experience.
> > The past two years, we've started out with a
> > feeling of it being a small game, and that assistants would not really
> > be so necessary, and would limit the number of actual players. In both
> > games (more so the first year, but then the first year it was a very
> > novel game to the general fandom, and we were is a central location),
>
> Can we play in a more central location this time? We were really stuck out on
> the ass-end of the universe last summer.
>
> > If setup went well on Friday, we could even have a short battle game.
>
> If the GM could arrive earlier that would be possible. ;-)
I'll try...
> > I may simplify the weather (I'm not sure how
> > much the multiple wind speeds contribute, but it is important that wind
> > direction be used and that it change).
>
> I like multiple wind factors (speed and direction) but I'm not sure that the
> system in use is that great. I'd like the system to provide a 25% of each
> factor changing from one turn to the next. That way, 50% of the time, the wind
> would remain the same and only 12.5% of the time would both factors change.
>
> > I may look at starting players
> > off with bigger ships (though I hate to then dispense with the cutters,
> > though perhaps each player could be started with 2 or 3 classes of ship
>
> I agree that it would complicate the game, but some system of points to spend
> would be great. Especially if more than just ship classes were on offer. Can
> I buy an especially competent crew instead of an extra hull class?
I would definitely do something like that, though there would be a
"quickstart" option for those without the inclination or due to game
constraints (i.e. once the game starts, or should be starting, I won't
want to spend time answering questions, if you are familiar with the
rules and can sit on the side doing your figuring while the game is
running fine, start asking me questions and I'll tell you to take the
quickstart option).
I have no problems with those who are willing to commit more to the game
by doing this before Brickfest (ask all the questions you want then) or
on Friday getting something of an advantage over the player who drops in
on Saturday in the middle of the game.
> > hard to come up with a way to run both a battle game and a campaign
> > game. By doing that, the big ships would get their glory in the battle
> > game, and the campaign game can settle for some players
> > making an upgrade to a class 2 or even class 3.
>
> This really doesn't seem that hard to me. Unless you're serious about only
> spending six hours on the game. Or was that only out of your Saturday hours?
I was most specifically trying to put some cap on the Saturday hours,
and six was really just a starting point. It does depend a lot on when I
actually arrive and what I get to do on Friday. 24 hour availability of
the room would extend the hours I'd be willing to commit, though I do
still need 6-8 hours of sleep. And next year I actually want to spend
time in the castle and train rooms.
--
Frank Filz
-----------------------------
Work: mailto:ffilz@us.ibm.com (business only please)
Home: mailto:ffilz@mindspring.com
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