Re: [GZG] John's Shipbuilding

["Samuel Penn" <sam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Thu, January 19, 2006 0:27, Ground Zero Games said:
>>On 1/18/06, Samuel Penn <sam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>>  On Wednesday 18 January 2006 19:54, Brian B wrote:
>>>  > On 1/18/06, Grant A. Ladue <ladue@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>>  > >    I agree, whether a *race* would surrender or abandon it's ships
>>> is
>>>  > > more of a campaign or setting issue.  I think that the issue of
>>> whether
>>>  > > it's *possible* to surrender ships in battle is something we can
>>> talk
>>>  > > about in general game terms.
>>>  > >    What I'm getting at here is that the major problem for
>>> surrendering
>>>  > > your damaged/sinking ship in modern times (WWI -> ) seems to be
>>>  > > communicating that surrender to the other side.
>>>  >
>>>  > A universally accepted pattern of strobe lights or  "surrender
>>> beacon"
>>>  > transmitters, similar to distress beacons?
>>>
>>>  And then you come across a race that considers your distress beacons
>>>  an attack against their spirit Elders, so they target all your
>>>escape pods...
>>>
>>
>>Sure, if you want to be a jerk about it, I suppose you could come up
>>with a similar objection to ANYTHING that could be suggested as a
>>signal of surrender.
>
>
> I think that was the point....  ;-)

I'm glad someone didn't miss it. At least two (that I've read)
SF stories have worked an interesting plot out of the confusion
caused by mis-read surrender signals.

Then there's all that dancing caused by red alerts.

> If you're dealing with a hostile first-contact situation, the two
> forces don't share any frame of reference at all; in this case,
> surrender would (IMHO) be most unlikely

It may be of interest in a GM run campaign game, but only until
the players figured out why the aliens insisted on fighting to
the death.

> Glad to see this has stimulated so much active list traffic, even if
> the Gropos must be getting a little bored by now....!  :-)

Well, I did mention the Fthip[1] - little baby elephants that
surrended by rolling on their back and sticking their legs in
the air. The humans thought they were playing dead in an attempt
to trick them, so shot them anyway. Of course, the Fthip also
shot the humans who were stupid enough to come out of cover
carrying a white battle standard.

Gropos can play that game as well, especially if they're
wearing battle armour in a hostile environment, and *can't* drop
their weapons.

[1] Footfall, Niven & Pournelle.

-- 
Be seeing you,            Web: www.glendale.org.uk
Sam.                       IM: samuel.penn@xxxxxxxxx


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