Re: Babylon 5 Wars (LONG)

On Mon, 17 Mar 1997, Christopher Weuve wrote:

[I'm chopping heavily in the interest of brevity]

> second choice I would settle for an elegant non-vector movement system
that 
> replicated the TV show.  

Would you have settled for the "almost correct" version RL:Interceptor 
and Aerotech use?

> I think the "works in its own reality" is key.  If that reality is
well-
> crafted, and thought through ahead of time, then it works.  Too often,
though, 
> the reality appears to come after the game.  

I fully agree. Too many games have flawed internal logic, but still most

of our simulationist critics never get beyond the "elves don't exist"
stage.

> I find it somehow revealing that those whom I consider to be some of
the best 
> SF designers (such as Chadwick, Miller, and Costikyan) also have a
substantial  
> historical game design credits as well.  

...and some demerits too. Chadwick's Ironclad & Ether Flyers is an
interesting game and has good background info, but "battleship"
simulates 
naval warfare of the era just about as well. Volley & Bayonet is a 
constant source of argument with the Nappy crowd (then again, they seem 
like a very argumentative crowd anyhow...).

> Even some of the Games Workshop staff  
> have wargame backgrounds -- Jervis Johnson, for example, is an old 
> _Stalingrad_ player.

It's funny how they went into designing the "roll 6 to kill" games they 
criticized way back in the 70's and early 80's... 

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