Re: Retrograde from hell

on 6/9/00 6:11, Mikko Kurki-Suonio at maxxon@swob.dna.fi wrote:

> Unfortunately, these tactics are often horribly boring no matter who
wins
> in the end. Thus, IMHO, a game system would need to make it BLATANTLY
> obvious that they won't work.

I happen to agree that games involving this manner of tactics are
usually
very boring, but I must play the devil's advocate here for a moment.

One of intentions behind FT is to have a generic system IIRC, capable of
providing a base system for a wide variety of situations, making it
adaptable to a number of specific backgrounds.

Some of these backgrounds may include such tactics in battles.	If the
rules
system COULD make it so such tactics were useless it would be narrowing
down
the backgrounds one could use FT to game in.  Such restrictions, if
desired
by the players, should be left for house rules IMHO.

Next issue is that some players might want to try such a tactic out. 
I'm
certainly not volunteering (too much Federation Retro from SFB sorry)
but
I'll bet there are some people out there that are masochistic enough to
like/try this.

Lastly, how does one change the current rules to do so without adding
undue
complication or artificial feeling rules?  One way might be change the
rule
that aft arcs are no longer limiting to fire - making it the current arc
opposite the direction in which the majority of thrust from the Main
Drive
was employed.  However, I'd rather not have to compute this every turn -
it
might however make an interesting one off type of game just to see it's
effects are.  Then again maybe not depending on your preferences.

Kevin Walker
sage5@home.com