It always seems like the "good idea" bug bites when I'm walking my daughter to sleep at night, or driving in the car - two times that are not conducive to capturing the thoughts. This time, though, I'm trying to get them down quick...
Two key ideas that I'm trying to get through as I work out the bugs in this game/concept:
1. The idea that you have a plan, and everyone knows what the plan is, and if you want to change it, you have to expend some effort changing it, and it's not instantaneous. You can't suddenly turn 2 companies left to face a new threat you never knew was there, without some delay / confusion / significant effort.
And in a game, I want to do it without written orders.
The way I'm trying to capture this is by having players lay out their sequence of orders/missions with a set of cards that specify what type of missions and when they shift from one to the next. To change from that mission costs some form of effort (command points, probably) and depends on what you're changing to/from. It keeps the game moving by not bogging down into written orders, while still committing players to a plan, and keeps the relevant modifiers in front of them at all times.
2. Leaders have varying traits/qualities. There are different ways these are put into place currently. ASL has morale modifiers. LnL has morale modifiers, and skill cards. PG allows for activations, but little else. The new leaders in the W@W series allow for some powerful modifiers of *any* stat, which to me seems a bit too wide-ranging, but I've yet to play it to know for sure.
I want leaders that have strengths and can be put in a position to play to them. Some are aggressive, others meticulous. Some are very demanding trainers, and others are very creative. I want them to have the ability to not just modify something within their units, but to have an effect on their execution of certain missions as well.
That's all I've got tonight. It's been a long day...
By: Brant
18 May 2011
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2 comments:
1. Good solution. Think of RoboRally.
2. I dunno. I think the powers of leaders are overrated in most games, given how difficult it is to get troops back up off the ground and moving once the first crack-and-thump is heard. Just getting that accomplished is quite enough, I woudl think.
my old gaming group had a lot of fun using some homegrown rules about leaders.
Using Napoleonics, battalion leaders were rated from aggressive to cowardly. Most were average.
Then we defined moments he had to make a decision (first artillery fire, seeing enemy units for the first time, being charged, things liek that.) Then based on his situation, there was an odds ratio determined. (If a unit advancing with support came under artillery fire for the first time. No other enemy units might be in sight, but he had two other battalions supporting him, a battery of guns, and a skirmish screen. This gave him 4-1 odds. Probably would "follow orders".)
There was a table of odds, going up to about 4-1 and down to 1-4.
Rolled a d6 (this predates d10s) and came up with a result. Each commander personality would have slightly different reactions.
For example, in the above situation, most would follow orders, but a cowardly type might halt, defend in place, possibly even retire out of range.
The player was roughly a division commander, who spent most of his time managing his commanders to follow his plan, or adapt to the enemy moves.
We thought it made for a better simulation of what a commander would do, than trying to get one more skirmish platoon to fire at that battery. You could do that, but your command radius made that potentially dangerous.
Also, the commanders could seriously mangle a plan.
One Hungarian hussar colonel saw a Prussian battalion fall back behind a hill. Being a firebreathing hussar (aggressive personality) he made a decision and charged over that hill, a two turn effort. The army commander cringed at the die roll because he was sure his cavalry was going to be ruined, a la Balaclava.
However, when the hussars crested the hill, they found the Prussians deployed into road column, totally unable to defend themselves.
This move won the game. And the army commander didn't want to make it. The unit commander took the initiative on his own.
Lots of fun, but not everyone's taste.
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