Re: [GZG] Multi-level rules sought.

Actually...

More like this. If I were to run a military scifi RPG using FMA, what
would I want to make it a success? Well, a couple things. I want to be
able to zoom and out as needed.

So some context, like a campaign system, that lets you tie one battle
to the next. What does victory (or defeat) mean, in terms of the rest
of the game? That's the GM's job, to be sure, but a rule set can help.

Second, it requires some ability to translate from stargrunt up to
dirtside and back. This is why I'm really happy whenever GZG releases
one of their 6mm miniatures in 15mm scale; harmonizing the ranges gets
you in the mode where you become more invested in your army. It also
might be a useful hedge against power-gaming: if dirtside favors one
unit organization, and stargrunt favors another, and the logistics
rules of some theoretical campaign systems a third (and assuming that
a player uses a consistent TO&E for all levels), then you end up with
forces that aren't so tightly optimized for a particular game.

Third, in Full Thrust, it means a few things. First, there's very
little attention given to crew quality in FT. I think that's a pity,
because it comes up in fiction all the time. People (as represented by
marines, DCP's and fighter pilots) are de-emphasized compared to
hardware. I'm not necessarily saying that it use a Special Orders
system like certain other space games, but it does have its
attractions. I could live with less variety in ship design components
if the system let me differentiate between a crack NAC crew, a trained
but ill-treated ESU conscript staff and a lowly gang of mutinous scum
(arggh!). It doesn't just add to the fun, it encourages you to start
building a history around a ship and its crew.

Another thing in FT would to make fighters slightly less disposable
than they are now. I know that revisiting fighters is a priority for
the playtest crew, so I imagine we'll see stuff there. Whatever
happens, it's hard to put a player-character pilot into a game (even
an Ace) when he dies more often than a character in Paranoia.

Finally, it would be nice to see some of the campaign-oriented
elements of FT explored. We know that minor shuttles are included with
every ship; how many? What types? Star Trek, Star Wars, and BSG all
have some equivalent of the Raptor: the all-purpose utility shuttle.
Sure you can house-rule one up, but it's a nice chance to add some
tactical value.

Anyway, that's what I'm talking about when I mean multi-level rules.

On a related note, what's GZG's policy with regard to extensions and
web-published house rules?

Rob

> Message: 1
> Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2008 8:40:00 -0400
> From: "Ryan GIll" <rmgill@mindspring.com>
> Subject: Re: [GZG] Multi-level rules sought.
> To: gzg-l@vermouth.csua.berkeley.edu
> Message-ID: <E1Jqp7y-00066b-B8@elasmtp-junco.atl.sa.earthlink.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"
>
> Almost like there needs to be a stargrunt level ship to  ship ruleset?
>
> --
> Ryan Gill
> sent from my treo

-- 
Robert Mayberry

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