RE: [FT4] Full Thrust for Four-year-olds

G'day Noam,

> My older son turned 4 today 

Happy birthday to him!

> I'm looking for advice on 
> simplifying FT to a 2 ship (to start) game that wont' 
> overwhelm or bore him.

You don't have to change much. I'd start off with:

a) staring in fairly close (say a couple of range bands apart)
b) low speeds (so you don't have turns where no one can shoot)
c) he always gets the initiative (such small children can't wait for
others
to go first usually)
d) only you write movement orders he just points where he wants to go
and if
he can manage he goes there, if not tell him can't quite manage it and
explain what he's closest option is. After his movement is done then
follow
out your orders - the fact their ship has already moved gives them just
enough patience to allow you to get in moving your own ;)
e) skip missiles and fighters for now (so you may want to use the SSD
from a
SDB/BDN of another nation instead of the CV's real SSD)
f) make lots of dying noises when you take thresholds
g) when he takes thresholds make "oh no I've made them mad now I'm gonna
pay" comments 

The last two weren't necessary for Lachy, but they were required to keep
Janneke hooked the first few times - small kids don't take losses well
at
the start and have to learn to be good losers... then you've got the
even
harder task of teaching them to be gracious winners ;)

OK these are all fairly obvious, but to be honest FT really doesn't need
that much changing for kids to get a grip and the less you change the
less
you've got to change back as he gets older/more confident and can use
fighters/missiles, write orders etc.

Have fun

Beth - who is trying to figure out exactly which "girl soldiers" Janneke
meant when she asked for some for her upcoming 5th birthday...