FT Scenarios (was: Re: [GZG] Re: Points systems)

[Ground Zero Games <jon@xxxxxxx>]

Just chipping in on the whole scenario/victory conditions issue, I 
have always felt that one of the best systems (and a possible one to 
use "officially" for Ft in the future) is the randomly-drawn scenario 
card set-up, used to such good effect way back in "Seastrike" and 
much copied since (notably in Brilliant Lances etc): each player 
draws a card giving them a mission objective, a force level budget, 
victory conditions and any special conditions attached.  The player 
does not know what card his opponent has drawn.

To use this sort of idea for FT, we could require each player to 
bring along X CPV of ships of his choice; the force level given by 
the objective card then specifies how much (as a %) of this force he 
can actually put on the table for the game - so 50% means not more 
than 50% of the total fleet CPV, IN FULL SHIPS of course (so if he's 
put 60% of his points into one uber-dreadnought, he's stuffed - it's 
been recalled by Fleet Command, and he can only field the remaining 
40% of smaller stuff!).
We might have cards ranging from "Major fleet attack - destroy or 
drive off 50% of enemy ships, forces available 100%", right down to 
"you have minimal forces available for a limited strike, objective is 
to destroy or cripple any ONE enemy ship of MASS 50 or greater (or 
his largest ship if all below 50 mass), forces available 20%", plus a 
lot of others in between.....
Then, if you want to introduce odd variables like the "Crown Prince 
is a junior officer on a CL, if you lose the ship he is on you lose 
the battle", as a supplementary condition on a scenario card, then 
that's fine - but you'll also have a main objective to fulfil, and 
your opponent will have his own objective - if, in trying to complete 
his own mission, he happens to destroy that CL, that's the way it 
goes. Of course, if you keep that one CL hanging back out of harm's 
way, the opponent may well get suspicious and send a fast squadron 
round your flank to pick it off.....  ;-)

Jon (GZG)
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