Thanks for the reply!
precinctomega wrote:
It sounds a little confusticated to me. On the one hand, you want a broad brush, regimental game with minimal book-keeping and a potent combat-resolution system. On the other, you want oodles of customization options (which will increase complexity and book-keeping and make combat less likely to resolve decisively) with near endless different unit types and options.
I think you misunderstand me, or at least my intentions...
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I'd not outright say that the two sides are utterly mutually exclusive.
I agree, in that I believe they are not mutually exclusive at all! The Broad Brush comment is correct, above, but I do not believe in any way, shape, or form that depth needs to mean complication. Depth, to me, means options, and options mean my units might function and look different than your units, but it doesnt mean the rules have to change...meaning that the flow of the game can still be there.
This is actually where I feel Strike Legion went wrong. The options are plentiful, but many of them do, in fact, change the flow of the game, and often add new dice rolls or other elements that must be tracked outside of the normal game mechanics.
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In fact, I tried to take on some of your thoughts myself, when I was writing HorizonWar. We have high customization for mechs and airframes (and, in fact, more to come, as I'm about to release the Advanced Rules for mechs), but much more limited customization for other battlegroup elements (although that section of the rules hasn't been released yet). Our core rules actually do away with "units" entirely, adopting an approach more like a skirmish game, although they are re-introduced in the Advanced Rules as an option.
I like to think our combat resolution mechanic is pretty decisive, but the area that I focused on that most hits your needs is in book-keeping. There is some book-keeping to do, as damage degrades an element's capabilities the more it takes, but I'm very proud of the fact that you can fit a medium-sized army list on the back of one of our business cards.
Anyway, if you're interested, you can get the first two volumes - MechaWar, which does mech combat; and AirFrame, which does (you guessed it) air combat - for £1.00 each from
Precinct Omega. The third volume, that introduces the rest of the combined arms battle group (called, logically enough, BattleGroup) is in closed beta, but if you'd like to give it a test-drive, send me a PM with your email and I'll send along a copy of the latest test document.
That goes for everyone who reads this, by the way, until our open beta starts in mid-April.
R.
I actually own MechaWar...I bought it the day it announced on TGN just to support you because I thought the concept was cool. I browsed the rules and didnt print them out.
It's true, I am not looking for a beer-and-pretzels kind of game. But to show that my original point can work together, take a look at Song of Blades and Heroes. That game lives for character customization, and every expansion that comes out adds heaps of new options to give your troops. However, the game mechanics are SO simplistic as to be almost childish. How does a game keep things so simple but have such depth in character creation? Well, its because the mechanics arent awkward or clumsy in the first place. The two can live in harmony (depth/complexion of unit development, and rules that still flow). In SOBAH, its just TOO simple.
Now look at Future War Commander. His rules have a bit of chunk to them, enough that it took me a while to study them to see past my initial gut reactions to what I saw, but his unit development is almost silly-easy (its like the opposite of SOBAH!). The author even states on p.122 of FWC that he limited special rules for the units he designed on purpose - but I think that's the once place he went really wrong. If you tripled the number of special abilities available when making armies, as long as it is done correctly, it doesnt need to wreck the game.
Anyway, I might break out Mechawar and check it again...especially if you're combining the games! Thanks for the comments. Definitely appreciated.
