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View Full Version : Phases and how they work


cgutzmer
01-17-2010, 08:06 PM
OK - this is important. I dont know if my vision will work or not.

I envision all three phases as relating to one another when played all at once. each phase can also be a standalone game with a set scenario or objective.

Phase one deep space combat - big ships and squadrons duke it out.

Phase 2 - atmospheric combat and bringing resources to ground - establish bases

phase 3 - ground battle and conquest of planet

when played as a campaign (all three together) you need to plan well. If you lose a freighter in phase one you will have fewer resources/units in phase 3. If you lose a cruiser you might have fewer fighters/dropships in phase 2.

I see it that if one phase does not affect the other phases then whats the point of the overall game? Sure a player might get smeared in the opening phase but that would make for a quick game that would start over again. maybe. This approach might not work at all for two player as I look at it more closely. It might only be feasible for 3 or more players, that way players that are weakened might have to team up or something - more strategy! If its just two player then whowever did better in the opening phase would likely be much stronger later making it nearly impossible for the other to win.... hmmmmm

another option would be that each phase starts mostly new. If players survive the previous phase then they start the next phase fresh. Seems kinda bogus to me but for two player it might be needed. This could (or could not) be seen as three different games that work together or three phases of one game.

option three is that they are not interlinked at all. This doesnt sound too fun to me. Each phase is simply a different game. This would lead to us developing three different games to market to different groups.

Help me out here guys - I know you all have valuable input and most likely you all have more experience in this than I do. I will keep an open mind as I hope everyone does.
Chris

Blackronin
01-17-2010, 08:21 PM
Here it goes.

System one: (What I would choose)

Players can play all three Phases/Games as solo games for stand alone diversion, or;
Players could play an assault to a planet where one player would buy with points and assault armada and the other a defensive armada, playing the three Phases/Games with what they could save from the previous game, or;
Players could player the real McCoy, a strategic game that started with each having a map of a galactic sector, would buy their forces and would move, attack, invade using the three phases/games during several games until one capitulate. If players decided that Capital Ships didn't exist in their universe, they could play only Phases/Games two and three. If they decided that orbital defense wasn't really necessary, they could play Phases/Games One and Three.

System two: (Acceptable after 3 beers)

One game only. Assault only. The game would be the assault to a planet. With the 3 phases going one after the other. The table divided in three and a whole new concept of game would emerge with this. Still it would be hard to sell the models in my opinion.

System Three. Three different games not interlinked. I can't see no reason for that. To do this we choose one of the games and work on it.

cgutzmer
01-17-2010, 08:28 PM
we defintely agree on system one :)

I gotta take a break before my head explodes (plus I took too long to answer and lost too many threads in my new posts area ;)
thanks!

Blackronin
01-17-2010, 08:44 PM
Nice :) I'm happy that we can agree on this. It makes all the difference.

cgutzmer
01-17-2010, 08:58 PM
option one is pretty much what I had in mind all along. I just dont think I have the understanding/game knowledge to explain it properly.
Chris

ThunderChild
01-18-2010, 05:36 AM
My head is spinning just from reading this...
Correct me if I'm wrong... doesn't system/option one incorporate the other two?
It looks like the only difference is the amount of resources/ships/etc each phase/game/whatever starts out with... If so, why not give the player the option?
"If you want to play ONLY ground combat, start with a full set, if you want to link it to the previous phase/game/whatever start with the appropriate number of pieces dictated by the previous phase/game/whatever"...

Again, I'm a simpleton when it comes to game mechanics, so if I missed a lot of detail here, please let me know... :D

Blackronin
01-18-2010, 07:01 AM
No. It looks like that, but in reality, doing integrated systems that work properly, not systems with ad hoc integration rules, requires a proper insight.

ThunderChild
01-18-2010, 11:51 PM
Ok, cool. Thanks! :D