Re: Starmaster

From: kythyn@aol.com (Kythyn)

Date: Fri, 08 Sep 1995 00:00:00 +0000

Bob <bmclain1@khan2.dandelions.com> writes:
> I played Starmaster, and one of its best features was designing a race
> during the set-up process.  Odyssey, the new fantasy PBEM from Gamer's
> Den (info@den.com), offers the same thrill.  You have a set number of
> points from which to put together a unique starting position.

>(David desJardins writes:
>I don't see much similarity here.  In Starmaster you made fundamental
>decisions which could not easily be altered later, making your race
>better at some things and worse at others, for example.  In Odyssey you
>choose which things to buy, but entirely from among things that can be
>acquired during play, so your initial purchases seem to me to mostly
>affect the rate at which you can acquire things that you want, and not
>particularly your long-term position.

>Of course, a player who has a particular set of aims might choose a
>start position which helps to achieve those aims, and might then
>subsequently go in that direction.  But a player with a totally
>different start position could also pursue the same ends without much of
>a long-term handicap.

I'd like to add a minor elaboration on David's statement concerning
initial purchases.  The one thing that you buy for your characters that
may be quite difficult to raise after the game begins are basic attributes
like brawn, mobility, etc.  Many titles and probably some quests require
certain high levels of these.  The titles in turn are required to gain
control of victory-condition locations such as guilds.  There are items
that can add to these, I think, but not to the degree necessary to meet
these requirements.

In addition, these basic attributes can be critical to fighters in party
combat, helping to determine hit points (which can be bought with
experience during the game) and damage done and absorbed (which cannot be
bought, to my knowledge).

Further, the opportunity cost of the experience points one would have to
spend to make up for purchases not made initially is high, since your
opponents will be outrunning you in their development if they purchased
properly.

References

Re: Starmaster
desj@ccr-p.ida.org (David desJardins)
Fri, 08 Sep 1995 00:00:00 +0000