1) Create the map as the players move, with stars not existing until players grab them (and, by grabbing them, generate their traits). Probably makes the most sense and is really elegant.
2) Drop a handful of random dice on the table, seeing where they land. The size of the die indicates the mass of the star but the number rolled is their actual magnitude (brightness) and shows how far away they are visible. If you roll a 1 on a d20, for example, that’s probably a massive black hole, big but really dim. This seems a lot more fun, but a pain in the ass to record, once you want to move the dice.
Perhaps there’s a way to combine these together?
Quick question: In the first method, is the process to generate the star’s traits the same as you describe in the second method? I’m assuming so for now.
Thinking out loud here: My first thought was something like the “blip” counters in board game Space Hulk.
To quote from this review:
“In the game, the Marine player does not actually see the aliens moving until they are in his direct line of sight. Until then, they’re represented by “blips”, little cardboard tokens that are meant to evoke the motion detectors that were featured in Aliens. The Genestealer player moves these on the map and once spotted they’re replaced with 0-6 aliens…”
I think that’s similar to what you’re going for in the first method, right?
The second method is really neat though, so I’m wondering if you could roll a bunch of dice, then cover them with cups? Wait… That’s basically the same as the first method.
Hmm…
I suppose both methods are technically the same, the difference is how much information you want at one time.
The first method favors in-game, on-the-fly travels. The upside is that there’s a lot of surprise as the game progresses. The (possible) downside is that it’s a step in actual play might distract from other stuff you’d rather focus on in the design. (I dunno that for sure, obviously. Just trying to figure out pros and cons.)
The second method favors having a readymade world before the game begins. This is cool for those who would rather not interrupt the flow of play for star-generation. This isn’t so great for whoever has to record all this stuff before the game begins.
Assuming that the second method favors pre-game prep, you could very easily make a web-based random generator for the second method, correct? That takes care of the record-keeping problems right there.
(Incidentally, is there a way to get an email or RSS alert when a new comment is posted? I’d love to engage in a longer discussion, but it’d be another stop in my already dauntingly lengthy morning web-travels.)
By: Daniel Solis on July 19, 2008
at 2:59 pm
Daniel, the RSS feed for comments is linked down at the bottom of the menu bar on the right, under META.
By: Jonathan Walton on July 20, 2008
at 12:04 am