Re: What points systems are worth looking at?

David Brewer wrote:
> What relatively good point systems do people know of that could 
> provide a useful reference... for writing point systems for our 
> beloved GZG games? Or games in general? What have you seen and 
> liked (in part if not in whole)?
> 
> Also useful would be any system that spruces up a pick-up game 
> where players can bring a pre-generated force to an unreferee'd 
> game and arrive at something less than wholey bland.
> 
> So far as example we've had Heavy Gear, Armati and DBM. What
> else can people throw into the ring?
> 
> ...Also, since Stargrunt currently has no points system, maybe we 
> could start writing one for that...

Another useful mechanism for a points system is described in the
Avalon Hill game Squad Leader.	This system was used for a random
scenario generation by which the boards, defensive units, and 
attacker and defender victory conditions would be determined by
a draw of a standard deck of cards.

Both players would then submit bids in terms of forces (and points)
to acheive the attacker's victory conditions.  The low bidder would
become the attacker and the high bidder would receive the defender
forces.

Instead of the points being used as a comparison between an attacking
and defending force, or a "balanced meeting engagement", the point
system is used to compare the values of two attacking forces.

In Full Thrust terms, a defensive fleet could be designed, any terrain
specified, and a victory condition for the attacker defined, such as
the destruction of a specific ship, complete elimination of the fleet,
etc.
without the attacker losing 50% of his or her own point value.	You 
could specify either human technology only or one of the alien races.

I've been kicking around the idea for using this method for setting up
another PBeM game and having point bids used for determining sides for
the players. 

Jon Davis