Re: [GZG] [FT] Strategic Campaigns?

Hi Nyrath,

I'm currently running a campaign using Stellar Conquest for the
strategic
side of things.  It seems to be working very well (we're up to turn
12/13,
having started in late December/January - I project that it will take
about
a year to run to turn 44 and THE END).

Yes, the tech and economics are simple (we still haven't quite worked
out
the time span of the strategic moves, though somewhere between three
months
and a year seems to fit) but as the objective of the campaign is to
provide
table top battles, this fits in fine.

One player has already discovered the error of not going for three hex
FTL
movement early on (as the other three of us did) and I understand the
Japanese intend going to four hex movement this build phase (assuming he
gets his orders in before the cold death of the universe).

As player/umpire, I have taken a leaf from the 5th Frontier War book and
preplot my moves about three turns out.  I borrowed Sean Schoonmaker's
system of Captain/Admiral ratings (posted to this list some years back)
and
so have forced the other players to preplot a bit as well (which means I
can
also move the game forward a couple of turns at a time if things are
quiet).

It depends on the depth of modeling you wish to go to.	As my group are
all
busy folks and game infrequently (and one is in another city), skating
over
the nitty gritty of polical factions and intricate economic modeling
suites
us fine as we want to push some lead around on the table top, and yet
have
the illusion that there is something deeper going on behind the scenes.

For example, having created levels of expertise for my captains and
admirals, I also gave them names (and have encouraged the other players
to
do likewise), and so suddenly my battle reports become a lot more
interesting when the famous Vitse-admiral Zhou, victor of the Battles of
1st
and 2nd Dubhe, and his mighty 3rd Fleet are mentioned.	And who can
forget
the unfortunate Kapitan Zaneta Ma, commander of 4th Fleet, who led her
command straight into the jaws of a Kra'Vak Huntergroup at Spica, tried
to
turn and run, and was then vapourised without firing a shot?  Or
Huntleader
Da'Tah of the 2nd Host of the Kra'Fas'Kon (thanks to Beth Fulton and
Brian
Bell for notes on Kra'Vak language) who at Schedar was so intent on
protecting his precious fighters, that he allowed the Hu'mans to destroy
the
Heavy Destroyer Ru'Na and pummel the Heavy Destroyer Doa'Tat before
finishing them off like the space lice they were?  (The NSL admiral at
Schedar, Vettinghoff, has had a carrier postumously named after him by a
grateful populace.  NSL High Command are convinced that it was the nasty
ESU
who wiped out the NSL ships at Schedar.  As no NSL ships have survived
an
encounter with the KV, this is an understandable mistake, as the KV are
the
hidden fifth power in the campaign, based right in the centre of the
map!)

In the end, it comes down to the time and effort you have to spend on a
campaign, and whether it is sustainable for your players.  SC provides
battles, and, with minimal effort, a nice narrative flow.  I can keep
all
the records in a simple Excel workbook (which I can use to generate
player
reports) and every few turns I add to my campaign log so at the end we
will
all have a story of what happened.  Works for me! :)

David

> From: Nyrath the nearly wise <nyrath@projectrho.com>
> Subject: [GZG] [FT] Strategic Campaigns?
> To: gzg-l@lists.csua.berkeley.edu
> Message-ID: <444A4403.2080602@projectrho.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
> If one wanted to make a full strategic campaign
> set in the Full Thrust universe, what game would you use?
>
> I'm currently examining one called
> Victory by Any Means Campaign Guide
> http://www.vbamgames.com/products/
> which looks quite good.  However I have not actually
> played a game using it.
>
> I did have fun back in 1977 with an out of print
> game called Star Empires
> http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/13415
> but that game has some serious problems.  Nothing
> that can't be fixed, but it needs some play testing
> and tweaking before it is playable.	But while
> I have a copy, it is almost impossible to find.
>
> I suppose a game like  Stellar Conquest could be adapted.
> However, it has a very simplistic technology and economic
> model, and is also very out of print.
>
> Any others?

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