Re: [OFFICIAL] FMA Testing...

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>Jim 'Jiji' Foster / jfoster@nospam.kansas.net / Jiji @ AnimeMUCK
>
>On Thu, 15 Jul 1999 23:00:20, 'twas written:
>
>>The first and most important job in testing FMA to get it to a
publishable
>>stage is to make sure that the CORE RULES are solid, simple and
adapatable.
>
><snip>
>
>>Rather than trying to add complexity and variables at this stage, the
>>object should be to refine the basics to the simplest possible form of
the
>>game - THEN we can add all the bolt-on goodies.
>
>Makes sense. Could you perhaps elablorate on what constitutes the
'core'
>rules? Only the [OFFICIAL] stuff so far? Unit morale? Weapon Effects?
>Wounding? If you could provide some direction regarding the items you
feel
>are essential, that might help focus things a bit. I'm fairly certain
that
>everyone who's contributed so far sees the focus of their input as
being
>'core'.

An eminently sensible question! Right, the stuff I see as being the core
rules are manily those applicable to the most basic example of the game,
and those that will be used for all genres and periods that the rules
may
be used for: they will cover the activation sequence, actions in
general,
movement, basic  fire combat, close combat, reaction tests, effects of
wounds (in simplest form) and similar stuff. The sort of rules you would
use if you just took 3 or 4 figures a side and played a quick half-hour
fight with them, to teach a complete novice the basis of the game.

The next level of complexity (which we could term the "full rules") will
then cover this sort of thing:	the out of ammo rules that we've been
discussing, weapons that deviate from the basic system (eg: shotguns,
full
autofire, sustained fire etc), indirect fire weapons, wounds in more
detail
and medical treatment, reaction and overwatch fire, leadership and
action
transfers, basic vehicle rules etc. The kind of thing that most players
WILL use in most games, but you don't want to introduce till they have
learned the basic game engine.

Finally, on top of this will come the very detailed stuff and advanced
rules, options etc - explosives/demolotions, cyborgs, specialities,
detailed vehicle rules, and anything else we can think of!
>
>>fixed then we can start laying on the chrome......
>
>Speaking of chrome, I think the core rules need to cover cybernetic
>enhancement, bio-reeningeering and nanomachines! Really, all it would
take
>is another half-dozen counters per figure... ;)

See stage 3 above!!  <grin>
>
>Seriously, though, I'm planning on running a test this weekend with a
>young friend who's Star Wars-obsessed. As his gaming experience has
been
>largely of the computer or CCG variety, I'll see how 'teachable' this
set
>is. I plan on using the 'range bands by troop quality' variant proposed
a
>few days back. AAR on Monday, if warranted.

The results of this will be very interesting - please post an AAR!

Jon (GZG)
>
>
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