Tug of War - Progress Thread

[Gandalph]

OK, I got this idea while thinking about a recent "Capture the Flag" thread, but my search for the thread, to give credit to the originator, came up with a thread from 2001, and I know that isn't it.

Anyway, I came up with this idea.

I created a map (click here to view), and a mod, {EEK, OH NO, not another mod???}, yes, a mod. The mod allows the Game Master to build a ship with indestructable components (so it cannot be destroyed) and place it in the center of the "spider web grid". All players (max of 8) start at the outside edge of the map and have view of all sytems and omnipresent view, so you can always see what everyone else is doing. The object of the game is to capture the tug, through intel, ship capture, or allegiance subverter, and get it back to your home planet. The first one do to so, wins!!

Special rules will be as follows;
1)You cannot take the Game Master racial trait (for obvious reasons - I needed this trait to enable what needed to be done at game startup)
2)You cannot attack or intel another players home planet (entering there home system will be extremely risky because there is only one WP to defend and it should be well defended)
3)All's fair out on the grid

The normal settings;
Starting resources: 20000
Starting planets: 1
Home planet value: Good
Score display: all
Technology level: Low
Racial points: 2000
Quadrant type: Custom
Quadrant size: Custom
Event frequency: None
Event severity: N/A
Technology cost: Medium
Victory conditions: Tug reaches home planet
Maximum units: 2000
Maximum ships: 300
Computer players: None
Computer difficulty: N/A
Computer player bonus: N/A
Neutral empires: No
Other game settings: The mod takes Stellar Manipulation away from the player and adds a couple of special components and facilities exclusive to the Game Master (which is why this racial trait is Banned) One of the indestructible components is the bridge which has a mineral cost of 80,000 so when the "tug" is in your posession, you will have to pay the maintenance cost (btw, also 10,000 orgs and 50,000 rads). The map has all good warp points and an even amount of rock/gas/ice and different atmospheres (ie - every system has 12 planets, one each atmosphere of each different type) None atmosphere is not represented, so you will not want this type. I REPEAT, DO NOT TAKE NONE ATMOSPHERE AS THERE AREN'T ANY!! Again this was for game master purposes (and the fact that there are no none gas giants and I wanted an even playing field).

The game is not setup yet, so please post your interest/comments here. Hope you like (otherwise I've wasted a bunch of time)!!

[ April 11, 2003, 04:49: Message edited by: Gandalph ]

[MegaTrain]

Seems like a pretty cool idea. I might have to jump on this, since I just finished my Last game.

How do you make the "flag" indestructable?
Would it survive even if someone captures it and can't pay the maintenance? (Normally, your ships self-destruct when you can't pay, right?) Could someone who captured it Analyze it (thus disassembling it) ? Maybe these are all things discussed before.

Would the "flag" ship have normal ship movement (6-10)? A cloaking device? Shields? Weapons? Would we have to wait till we captured it to see?

You've gotta come up with a catchy name, too. Based on the custom map you've made, how about "Galaxy Wide Web", "Tasty fly for dinner", or "Race of the Spiders"

[Fyron]

I would assume that the game master would build a new flag if the first one got scrapped from maintenance.

[MegaTrain]

I think the other thread you're referring to is here:
http://www.shrapnelgames.com/cgi-bin...=008404#000001

The other thread mentions that if you give a component 0 hitpoints, it is indestructable. Also, if you make it as part of a custom racial tech tree, nobody can make their own "flag ship".

It would be quite disruptive, though, if the flag ship got lost to maintenance.
Best case scenario: have a "spare" ship already built in your "solo" system, and have it located on a sector with a warp opener. If the unthinkable happens, you could have the new flag ship into position in 1 turn (either back to the center, or back where it was when it died).

[Fyron]

If you reread the game description, that is already covered. The game master has a custom racial trait already.

[PvK]

Neat idea, and nice map!

PvK

[Katchoo]

I'll play. Just us know when you're set.

[spoon]

This sounds like a job for the Worms of Woe.

[Gandalph]

OK, some interest!! Let me answer some of these questions.

Megatrain - The catchy name is "Tug of War", get it? The Tug has 3 indestructable components, the bridge and 2 ion engines 1 (and these are the only engines, so ship movement is 2), so it can still move when damaged. It is otherwise a defenseless ship (no armor, shields or weapons) which will cause it to run for a corner during battles.

If you can't pay the maintenance, I wouldn't suggest trying to capture it, unless it's a Last ditch effort to prevent someone else from getting it home.
If, for some reason including lack of maintenance, the Tug gets destroyed, the Game Master can build and place a new ship in as few as 3 turns.

If you analyze the ship, you will not get components as they are racial specific and analyzing the ship is not the object of the game.

The Game Master pays the maintenance until the Tug gets captured.

Because the components are racial specific, noone can make thier own.

To everyone - The idea of high maintenance was to force empires to be balanced economically and militarily. Your empire has to be able to afford the maintenance and protect the ship from all the others.

A question came up on IRC Last night about alliances. I do not have a problem with forming any alliance, just realize that there can only be 1 winner, whoever gets the Tug to his Homeworld.

The Mod needs to be installed at PBW before I can setup the game. I will post in this thread when that happens. Feel free to continue to ask questions and I will continue to answer them.

Gandalph

[MegaTrain]

Originally posted by Gandalph:
If you analyze the ship, you will not get components as they are racial specific and analyzing the ship is not the object of the game.

Well, I meant disassembling and analyzing the Tug as a method of self-destruction. (I assumed that "fire-on" wouldn't work if it had indestructable components.) This might be a Last-ditch effort if the enemy fleet is closing in and you don't want them to capture the Tug ship from you.

We could probably just make a house rule against this, and beat up any player who uses this tactic.

I wonder if there is a way to prevent someone from retrofitting this ship? As the special components are racial techs, you couldn't make a design incorporating those elements, but you could still "gut" the ship by retrofitting it to "standard" components, then zip it back to base with movement 13 and claim a win (or fire on and destroy it, I suppose).

UNLESS you had a non-standard hull type that nobody else had access to. Then you could not design a ship to upgrade it to. Can you make a hull size a racial tech? (This is probably the easiest option).

If that wasn't possible, to prevent retrofitting you could just make a super-SMALL ship size, that way you couldn't retrofit anything onto it, even removing the special components. If it was size 5kt, for example, but still required a bridge, life support, and crew quarters, you'd never be able to make a new legal design. The special bridge would count as all three component types to make it work. You could even MOD movement-2 into the hull itself, and make the bridge the full size of the ship.

[ March 20, 2003, 15:35: Message edited by: MegaTrain ]