Re: Star Grunt 2 : Whenit finaly comes together.

On Tue, 27 May 1997, Darryl Adams wrote:

> Lets get one thing clear here. I dont have to run this. I want to
promote
> the game, as it is the best futuristic small combat system I have
seen.

Is it more supportive of the game for you to go in, unresearched and
unprepared and have problems, or do the groundwork and planning
necessary to /really/ demonstrate how the system works?

> Given that the demo game is a free form format (we supply the table,
rules
> and figures if needed, and the players supply the time and fun) we did
not
> feel we had to be SGII propeller heads. 

This seems like an Archetypical Bad Idea(tm), to me, if you'll letting
the players at a Con game bring any old figures (without limit?) that
they want.  If you provide the table and figures from the top, you can
prepare two or three different pre-planned scenarios before you hit
the Con, and show the really best side of the system.

Any time you volunteer to promote a game you don't want to embarass,
you're going to /have/ to be a propeller-head; there is simply no
quick and dirty way to do a good job of it unless you're willing to
sink the work in.  You have to know everything, implicitly, or at
least enough to convey a sense of security to the newbies.  You have
to understand the spirit of the game before even the rules.  You have
to be sure enough to be ready to say 'no' when someone wants to break
said rules.  I say, 'if you're going to do something, do it RIGHT.'
For Con demos, that's even more true.

> But given that Australia is heavily dominated by GW, and that many
people
> are disenchanted with the Model of the Week and excessive price rises,
we
> NEED to cater for those who are use to points (GW players plus Modern
and
> WWII).

No, actually, you don't.  Why not cater to the facets you clearly
point out as the problem and turn the lack of points into a bonus:
there are no required models, you can use MicroMachine Terror Troops,
if that's what you like; because there's no point system, no one's
going to bring their Megamunch Commando ($79.96 from GW, special
order) to the table and expect to get to play it just because the
Orkshop says its only worth half a point.  Focus on the fact that it
puts control into the /player's/ hands, not some faceless organization
that doesn't know how they play, and you've eliminated the need to
justify having no points.

> While it is all well and good to say that you must structure the game
for
> the scenrio, in the stituation we finds ourselves in, we feel that a
point
> system will serve us well.

So throw something, anything, together but be sure to point out its
not official nor even necessary, and even give a short discussion
about how to design scenarios around mission objectives rather than
point costs.  (I find the random 3x5 solution, with near-randomly
placed objective markers, and no exposure until mission completion, to
be /incredible/ fun, no matter the balance of forces.)

> We know the technolagy. Bith players have played enouth DSII to know
the
> impact of lasers and plasma and grav. Sice the scaling is different
you
> have "twists" that you do not expect.

Then you don't /know/ the technology of SGII, you assumed you knew.
You were proven wrong in the details.  This is why you don't find
these things out in a public game at a Con.

> If it got to the field, it would have been worth the points. I aborted
> because I dare not risk losing it. I valued the asset, so in a way, i
gave
> it a point value (I can risk the APC , but not the Gunship) 

Then you don't need a points system; a valuation system is already in
place, as a result of your choices.  My bringing a Gunship to the
table may be valuable to /me/ if moving it to the engagement area
causes my opponant to change his tactics enough to give me breathing
room, even if it never enters the board.  A Gunship on the map may be
worthless to me if the terrain doesn't aid me in allowing me to dust
an LZ.	The value of the Gunship (and, really, any element) is
completely unrelated to any static point value, and that's the point
I'm trying to get across.

> We are "PROMOTING" the game. We are encouraging people to bring
whatever
> minitures they have to try the system out with. We want people who are
> willing to play the game so we can have people to play against.

This, again, sounds to me like a Classicly Bad Idea(tm).  If you're
going to let people bring whatever figures they want, a point system
isn't going to help you, anyway.  You're going to have to cons up
stats on the spot for various elements, in random numbers, for each
participant.  You'd be better off simply eyeballing relative force
compositions and turning them loose; you'd be forced to /even if there
was a point system/.

> Yes it would be nice to have a nice netted out scenerio, but without
> knowledge of players and pefered units, it would be a waste of time.

What you plan to do does not sound like a good way to promote SGII,
despite the fact it plays up one of its stronger facets (no required
figures).  Because of the completely random nature of the forces
you'll have to work with and the fact that you are, self admittedly,
not SGII propellor-heads, its looking like a recipe for, if not
disaster, certainly a less enjoyable gaming experience than it might
be.

A better structure might be two sessions with pre-planned scenarious
and set elements and a third 'bring your own platoon' game in which
you pit any platoon-sized force against any, without regard to point
value or 'balance' beyond a 'well, your force is primarily power
armour while his is all skinnies, why don't you start at morale
SHAKEN?' or a larger number of missions to accomplish for the more
powerful forces.  A similar setup can be done doing an all GW-figure
SGII game, where people bring balanced forces of GW platoons, they're
loosely converted to SGII and then have at.

-- 
[  Alexander Williams {thantos@alf.dec.com/zander@photobooks.com}  ]
[ Alexandrvs Vrai,  Prefect 8,000,000th Experimental Strike Legion ]
[	     BELLATORES INQVIETI --- Restless Warriors		   ]
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		      "There are no innocents."