Re: Movement types (and vector markers)

On Tue, 21 Jul 1998, Beth Fulton wrote:

[snip banter on newbies and vector movement]

> Overall though I wouldn't say that people find vector movement
difficult -
> though for the purposes of huge fleet battles cinematic movement may
still
> be the better option, especially with regard to keeping track of
courses
> etc. (bumped arrows could become a nightmare once there's a heap of
ships
> on the table). One solution my husband figured out to the bumped arrow
> problem was to clearly specify one side of the table as 12 and then
use
> numbered counters (1-12) which are placed next to your ship indicating
> which course you're on (your ship placement still indicates facing),
when
> you move you leave it at the start point so you can work out your new
> course at the end of the movement then you pick up the old one and put
the
> new one down next to your ship (its proved to be fast and essentially
> tamper proof).

I ended up chucking the counters entirely.  Instead, I got a bunch of
3/4"
nylon washers, clipping a gap in the ring so it can fit on the mini's
post.  Prime and paint black and paint a little yellow arrow on it.  You
get a ring you can depict movement direction which is more or less
integral to the base and can't get confused with other markers.  You do
need some sort of marker to leave behind when you move the ship, but a
die
works fine for this.  However, it does have a cost (the washers were
US$0.12 each plus time).

As for the vector system, I love it.  In fact, I find it even easier to
teach than the cinematic movement. It seems more intuitive.  It also
keeps
the sneaking behind a slow ship and staying there less common as the
large
ship can turn around and blast you.  Staying in the blind spot takes a
little more finesse. ;)

A temporally displaced		Bill Nitsche (bnitsche@u.washington.edu)
	hobbit			Oceanography, University of Washington