Re: The GZG Digest V1 #254

One of my favorite games is Imperium.  I have Dark Nebula, 
also, which uses the same mechanics.  I'm interested in
the pbem.  The Terrans don't have a chance.

I've been trying to start a strategic campaign using those 
mechanics for years.  My latest attempt was using FT as the
tactical combat system but the initial proposal ("yeah! 
let's do a campaign to give our battles some meaning") 
turned into a yawn two weeks later (last Fri. night).  

And wow, they almost lynched me when I said I changed
the FTL drive requirements so FTL drive fuel became
important strategically (no magical anti-matter).
"Gee guys, the rules are not set in stone.  I didn't
change the combat rules which is what you really
want the same."

FYI: fuel, being hydrogen, rules are borrowed from 
Traveller and Fifth Frontier War.  You can get it
from gas giants or planets with water.
   A ship with an FTL (Jump) drive makes one jump
per week (good for strategic game mechanics).  The
maximum distance (in hexes) is the maximum FTL drive 
rating.  You can write this in the FTL drive icon 
instead of that squiggle line and it gets halved like 
the main drive on the first threshold hit.
   An FTL drive takes up 5% of the ship, no matter 
the maximum distance it can jump (Traveller uses 
1+distance as a percentange but that is too small in 
FT tonnage ratings).  The cost is drive mass x 2 x 
maximum distance.  The highest maximum distance is 6.  
Fuel space is 5% x distance, cost is zero.
Examples: 100 mass, Jump 2 - 5 mass, 20 cost, 10 mass
for fuel; 100 mass, Jump 4 - 5 mass, 40 cost, 20 mass
for fuel.
   Add in streamlining (partially at 5% mass, 
streamlined at 10% mass, atmospheric at 20%), time to 
refuel, and you've added some logistics and 
strategy to a campaign.
(oh my gosh, I have to plan a strategy?  ya know, "think"?)
You can create a strategically mobile fleet 
that is weak in combat ability and/or a slow fleet that 
is your main combat fleet.

Glen

> Date: Sun, 18 Apr 1999 02:35:12 -0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)
> From: Keith Watt <kwatt@astro.umd.edu>
> Subject: Re: Gloat
> 
> On Sat, 17 Apr 1999, Laserlight wrote:
> 
> > Found a copy of GDW's strategic game Imperial.  Anyone else have it?
 If so,
> > care to try PBeM?
> 
> Is that "Imperial" or "Imperium"?  If the latter, I've done a V_Map
> tileset that would make PBeM fairly easy...
> 
> Keith