New: Hexem (free, closed-ended, www, computer, historical, wargame, abstract)

From: donotreply@pbm.com (PBM List Autoposter)

Date: Sun, 29 Feb 2004 20:13:05 +0000

Name:		Hexem
Costs:		Free
URL:		http://www.scabport.com/mr/
Frequency:		one per week
Email:		TimRobinson zat paradise.net.nz
Type:		Abstract web multiplayer war game
Last-Update:		2004Feb28
Keywords: free, closed-ended, www, computer, historical, wargame, abstract

Description:

A minimalist abstract wargame.	 Only one kind of army, two kinds of hex
(and one of them is "gap"), only one command!	The game continues until
the GamesMaster decrees that it is obvious who is going to win (or that
nobody is going to win).

*** FULL RULES ***

INTRODUCTION

The Game

Experience has shown me that the simplest games are not only easiest to
implement, but also result in the fewest questions and complaints.
This is not a simultaneous movement game. Command entry is simultaneous
but movement is sequential.
This is my first play-by-web game. I acknowledge some influence from the
board game "Risk".

Victory

Whoever occupies the most hexes is winning.

Communication

Players are encouraged to coordinate their activities by email, and urged
to keep me informed of their plotting. (I like a laugh, and it never hurts
to keep the Gamesmaster in a good mood.) Public proclamations like
insults, challenges and manifestoes are very much a part of the game.

Mechanics

Each week you will log on to this web site to view the game situation.
(All players see the whole board and everything in it.) You will pick your
name from the list of players, and then click on the hexes you wish to
muster, in the required order of execution. The chosen hexes will be
highlighted and also listed. Finally you will click the submit button, and
your orders will be sent.

Getting Started

Take a look at the Board for Turn 0. There are several countries
available, one for each player. But who gets which?
Decide which countries you like, and email me with their names and how
many armies you bid for each one. Any country you don't bid for gets a bid
of zero.
I will do my best to assign countries to players who bid most for them.
And I will deduct the successful bids from armies on the board. You will
lose only the armies you bid for the country you actually get.

GAME ELEMENTS

The Board

The board consists of hexes and gaps arranged in a honeycomb pattern, like
this. There is no wrapping round in either direction, so edge hexes have
fewer neighbours than middle hexes.

Hex

The board is divided into hexes.
Hexes are coloured according to their owners, and labelled with the number
of armies.

Gap

Sometimes, where you would expect to find a hex, there is only a blank
space. This is a gap - a place where no army can ever go. Gaps make the
board more interesting and provided natural defensive lines.

Army

Each hex contains one or more armies, all belonging to the owner of the hex.

COMMANDS

Muster

There is only one command! This is called muster. So you only have to
specify the hex and the computer does the rest. Moreover, there is no
tedious typing: you just click on the hexes you want.
There is no limit to the number of hexes you can muster in one turn.
However, the more musters you make, the later they will be executed. This
makes it more likely that your opponent's forces will have already moved,
with potentially disastrous results.
When a muster is executed, every neighbouring hex you own will send all
its armies to the specified hex. If you own that hex at the moment of
muster, that's all that happens. However, if the hex is owned by another
player, your mustered armies must fight the defending armies there.
If there are at least three attacking armies for every defending army, all
defending armies are destroyed and the attacker moves in. If not, all
attacking armies are destroyed.
Armies may be mustered repeatedly, which means a chain of musters will
move a large army over long distances in a single turn.
TURN SEQUENCE

Repeat for each player, from shortest to longest command sequence: (In
case of ties, the player with fewer hexes goes first. And if there is
still a tie, it is broken at random.)

* Execute the player's musters in the order given.

At the end of the turn:

* Add one army to every hex (except gaps).

[ This is a new entry for the PBM List. You can find the list
itself, and instructions for adding games or comments, at
http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/pbm_list/ -- greg ]