Re: [FT] Huge games? Yikes!!

-MWS- spake thusly upon matters weighty: 

> I've been reading posts on the list about games with 20, 30, and even
60 (!!)
> ships *per side*, and I'm starting to wonder if anyone actually plays
the
> games out to completion. :)

Usually to the point where the victory is not in any doubt or for 
about three to four hours. A lot of times, its pretty obvious 
what'll happen by then. 

  Also, how many of you playing these huge games
> are taking an entire weekend to run these monstrosities?

My group plays weeknights, usually after work, after pizza, after 
warming up with some card games of various natures. So we don't 
usually get spooled up till 7:30 or later and we usually finish 
around midnight. 

  It would be an
> interesting correlation to see if the nominal allocation of gaming
time is the
> determining factor on the game size <g>.

There is obviously a practical maximum. 

  The games that I find myself playing
> tend to be on the small size - 500 to 1000 points (fleet book) per
side.  Part
> of that *is* determined by alloted game time - I'm normally limited to
gaming
> after hours during the week, so our normal maximum game length is in
the 2.5
> to 3 hour range. 

That would suggest battles of 10-20 ships per side. But OTOH, when 
you get more ships on the board, the first few turns are a heck of a 
lot more bloody and a lot more things die, so it helps to compensate 
for larger ship counts. 

 It *is* rather difficult to play a good game with a large
> number of ships per side when you run out of time after the 2nd or 3rd
turn .

I think we're usually (in a big battle) on to about the 6th or so 
turn anyway. 

 
/************************************************
Thomas Barclay		     
Voice: (613) 831-2018 x 4009
Fax: (613) 831-8255

 "C makes it easy to shoot yourself in the foot.  C++ makes
 it harder, but when you do, it blows away your whole leg."
 -Bjarne Stroustrup
**************************************************/