Re: Subordinate players, a good idea ?

From: llucky@crl2.crl.com (Bob Thomson)

Date: Tue, 01 Jul 1997 00:00:00 +0000

In a posting that seems clearly off-topic for this, the rec.argue.about.ads
newsgroup, Russell Wiltshire <russell.wiltshire@virgin.net> wrote:

>I'm currently developing a pbm game and I would appreciate a bit of
>feedback on the following issue: is it a good idea to design the system
>such that players that aren't doing so well can become allied to a dominant
>player, who can help them out. The subordinate players could then break off
>and go it alone if and when they manage their nations well enough to be
>able to do so.
>
This is a very good idea that is very difficult to implement in practice.
Most pbm games involve growth or evolution of a position.  One of the
pleasures of playing is to make decisions that cause your position to
grow and expand in some way.  You'll need to find ways to help players
with lesser positions to catch up with those ahead of them without
making the leading players feel like they are being punished for their
success.

What kind of game is it?  If it's a power politics type game, one of the
ways to change the relative strength of the players is to make the time
frame long enough that characters grow old and die within the game.  That
way, the player who is very strong because his position includes the
High Priest or Emperor would have to regroup when his lead character isn't
around any more.

In an empire-building game this might be harder to do in a way that would
be fun.  If you make the time-frame long enough, all empires have a period
of decline, it's true.  The problem is, it's a lot more fun to build the
British Empire up to the point where the sun never sets on it than it is
to manage the decline as colony after colony breaks away.

- Bob Thomson

--
Llucky Llama Games                             Bob and Debbie Thomson
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References

Subordinate players, a good idea ?
"Russell Wiltshire" <russell.wiltshire@virgin.net>
Tue, 01 Jul 1997 00:00:00 +0000