Re: RopeCon 98 Report

On Thu, 30 Jul 1998, Thomas Barclay wrote:

> Strangely enough, most people that we taught SG2 to mastered it first 
> crack (as long as we had a ref to just sort of 'keep an eye out' and 
> offer reminders of things like cohesion distances and when confidence 
> checks were made). Maybe I've been just lucky to play with people who 
> play far too many games and so learning a new one is just another 
> momentary focus and not a major undertaking. 

Well, I can only speak for my group, but I think I'm getting too old for
complex games. These days I have time for gaming only once or twice a
month. Some games get the "focus" every once in a while and are played
more -- others are played maybe once in 3-6 months.

With that frequency of playing I don't really memorize the rules and
given
that e.g. DS2 lacks a cheat sheet and a good selection of pre-designed
vehicles, well, it failed to be a hit in our group which is a pity
because
I really, really like the game (it just has too many %T$$#"%&$# counters
on the table -- if I wanted "sneeze-away" cardboard counters, I'd play a
%$%"$#%"$# boardgame). It's just a tad too complex for the time I have.

Last time we played DS2 the game felt somehow funny, and GEVs were
zipping
across the table with gay abandon. Well, rereading the rules afterwards
I
noticed I had forgotten about "under fire" markers and the limitations
on
claiming "easy ground" movement bonus. Oh well, another precious gaming
eve wasted. Haven't played DS2 since... though I am planning to.
 
Notes: Large club with several players who own the rules? You gotta be
kidding, this is Finland. In our group I own ALL the rules and ALL the
minis and I also get to paint ALL of them -- this is the only way I ever
get to play anything besides GW and maybe Warzone. 
 
> Now, OTOH, I find that funny because I'm used to 1/72 scale WW2 or 
> MicroArmour which used to take us a minimum of six hours to wade 
> through, and most SG2 I've seen, even with lots of units on the 
> board, will only take 2-3.5 hours, a normal Con slot. 

Well, I have a family and the wife insists the figs are off the dining
table by morning -- if I can't finish a game in roughly 4 hours
(including
setup), it never gets finished.

> And the target audience is a factor - promoting 'gaming' by getting 
> non-gamers interested is something that such straightforward, 
> simplistic games are good for. 

Well, I must be the odd man out, but even with 15+ years of gaming, my
tastes are turning more and more into simple but elegant(*, fast games.

*) Simple but elegant is not the same as simple. It is perhaps best
described by the old cliche: "A minute to learn, a lifetime to master".

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