Re: Missiles/Grazers

From: buserian_at_juno.com <buserian>
Date: Tue Jan 24 06:23:50 2006


Howdy All,

On Tue, 24 Jan 2006 15:00:24 +1100 Robert McArthur <rjmcarthur_at_gmail.com> writes:
> buserian_at_juno.com wrote:

> > Having die roll charts for spirits might work, but easier to just
define
> > spirit cups. But then, you have to have a bunch of different spirit
pots.
> > Either way, it's messy. Limited to only a few scenarios, though.
>
> This huge difference, IMHO, between DP and NG in game terms is the size

> of the support versus your own troops - the tribes are painfully small
> compared to the enourmous power of the spirits you can find. Now this
is
> somewhat compensated for by the size and usability of the entire map
and
> the lack of magician units. I think that bringing such huge spirits
into
> DP is a very dangerous move without some serious playtesting.

Excellent words of caution. Since I'm one of the primary instigators, I will try to remember this.

> > Well, I am also in favor of limiting the number of normal units that
can
> > be in a fertile hex, too. I've said it before -- I don't think you
can
> > reasonably get 10 hexes worth of soldiers into a single 30 square
mile
> > hex (or whatever it is) to allow for anything other than passing
through.
> > Once you're there, even overnight, there just isn't room for everyone
and
> > all their stuff, at least not in any way that would let even some of
them fight.
> >
> Well, no examples but I one could certainly add to the rules to make it

> less *likely* that big stacks form rather than being proscrictive. For
> example, for every non-individual unit above (say, arbitrarily,) 4 in a

> hex then, at the start of the next turn in the random events phase,
there's

> a) a 25% chance of plague happening that turn in that hex; and/or
> b) a 33% chance that in-fighting takes place and each non-individual
> unit has to roll a 4-6 or be disrupted. The chance goes down to
20%
> with a hero in the stack, and 10% if a superhero. The chance is 0%
> if there is a superhero and best friend [essentially it's the
number
> of leadership which does this, so Ethilrist==superhero for this
rule]

> How would that be?

Um... complicated? _Very_ complicated? :)

> > Also, it has occurred to me JUST NOW that the support rules are a bit
> > whacked, too. You have to have support in a chaparral hex, even if
you
> > just end your movement there, right. So that means you have to bring
an
> > entire herd of cattle with you _just to sleep overnight in a hex_
before
> > you move on? Sounds like myth dictating game rules, which is not
always
> > the best way to do things. Maybe support should be rethought just a
tad.
>
> I always thought so :-) I just don't know quite how!

My current thought is that support isn't required until the second turn a unit remains in the same hex? Maybe?

> > Sort of, yes -- something to make missile fire a bit more effective.
But
> > I still favor eliminating missile fire as a separate set of rules,
and
> > just use one combat results table for everything except Chaotic
Magic,
> > adding Disrupt and Retreat options to that table.
>
> I quite like simplifying it as well to one table. Any thoughts on how
> the new table would look?

Nope. Well, OK, some thoughts. Basically, I see two options:

  1. Make the table more like it was in WB&RM, more like the Missile Fire Table, actually -- static results based on the missile factor and die roll. But maybe replace "1 unit eliminated" with "3 CF eliminated" or the like.
  2. Allow the attacker to spend some of the CF loss to cause other effects than elimination, rather than having any set results.

Steve

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