Strange Battles [Group game making]
12-13-2011, 03:58 PM
Based on an idea that came up in Group Projects. It was either a battle tactics, or a factional simulation game. After much thinking, I have decided that we should invent a Battle Tactics game instead of a Turn Based Strategy with cities and such. The main reason was bookkeeping, and game length.
Our goal should be to invent a system which allows us to play out interesting battle scenarios, using minimal bookkeeping in reasonable time, while still keeping many options and details. We don't even need balance in army building and unit crafting, since the more interesting scenarios and stories might rise up without it. A castle getting defended against all odds through craftiness is more interesting then two equal forces just running into each other and hoping for the best.
That said, Arbitrary Unit Costs should still be calculated, in case somebody wants to play out a balanced version.
Some ideas I had:
Hexagonal map with structures, from good movement freedom.
Pre-battle logistics:
1, Ambushes: In case of an ambush, the ambushing party may place down his or her pawns after the ambushed person does.
2, Pitched Battle: Both sides choose placements before the battle
3, Encounter: Both sides choose their locations without knowing the locations of the others.
Units made from mix and match of traits, for example, Sickness Engineer Artillery units could be Catapult Beasts, who can not only throw poisonous... rocks, but they could dig trenches.
Chance for the players to exist on the field: A physical representation of your avatar might be present on the map. Perhaps he or she could increase his or her odds of victory through good story telling.
Low Need For a GM: Perhaps with suitable rules, GMs might not even be necessary. However, that would exclude Invisible and Hidden units... A possible solution is "And now the Hat Troopers hide", and you write down their hiding place on a piece of paper and remove them from the map. And when someone steps on that place, you could reveal the location. However, that still only works in a real world implementation. Hmmm...
Our goal should be to invent a system which allows us to play out interesting battle scenarios, using minimal bookkeeping in reasonable time, while still keeping many options and details. We don't even need balance in army building and unit crafting, since the more interesting scenarios and stories might rise up without it. A castle getting defended against all odds through craftiness is more interesting then two equal forces just running into each other and hoping for the best.
That said, Arbitrary Unit Costs should still be calculated, in case somebody wants to play out a balanced version.
Some ideas I had:
Hexagonal map with structures, from good movement freedom.
Pre-battle logistics:
1, Ambushes: In case of an ambush, the ambushing party may place down his or her pawns after the ambushed person does.
2, Pitched Battle: Both sides choose placements before the battle
3, Encounter: Both sides choose their locations without knowing the locations of the others.
Units made from mix and match of traits, for example, Sickness Engineer Artillery units could be Catapult Beasts, who can not only throw poisonous... rocks, but they could dig trenches.
Chance for the players to exist on the field: A physical representation of your avatar might be present on the map. Perhaps he or she could increase his or her odds of victory through good story telling.
Low Need For a GM: Perhaps with suitable rules, GMs might not even be necessary. However, that would exclude Invisible and Hidden units... A possible solution is "And now the Hat Troopers hide", and you write down their hiding place on a piece of paper and remove them from the map. And when someone steps on that place, you could reveal the location. However, that still only works in a real world implementation. Hmmm...