RE: [DS] New points system? Nah... new design system.

The problem with a pure descriptive system is that you will
get someone saying "I've put a HEL/5, Superior FCS, Superior
ECM, and Superior PDS on each motorcycle. All are laser 
based, so do not need long barrels or access points, and as
such are not visible on the figure. Oh, and by the way it
also have a grav based VTOL capibility, so it can do pop
up attacks." Then begins to unload hundreds of them.

As in FT, many DS2 games are one-offs where each side brings
some figures. If there is no way to balance them beforehand,
you spend all of your playtime trying to figure out what 
can be fielded. SG2 is much more scenario driven. Most of
the SG2 forces (except vehicles) have much in common. Almost
all of the forces have a basic soldier with a AAR, a SAW
gunner, a GMS/P soldier, and a Comms specialist. With this
in mind, a general scenario can be cooked up indicating
that side X gets so many squads of 6-8 figures and 1 or 2
levels of command; and side Y gest so many squads (same
limits). And it can be expected to be fairly balanced.

Perhaps DS3 should use unit quality for firing and FCS
either shift this up or down one for Superior and Basic
FCS?

-----
Brian Bell
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-----Original Message-----
From: David Brewer [mailto:david@brewer.to]
Sent: Wednesday, November 21, 2001 07:25
To: gzg-l@csua.berkeley.edu
Subject: [DS] New points system? Nah... new design system.

The major problem here is that some of the DS2 design system is
"descriptive"; balanced only with a points system and some is
"constructive" and, to a degree, self-balancing. Old Dirtside had
a purely descriptive system where you just wrote down what the
vehicle stats were (based on inspecting the miniature you already