The basic building blocks of the system:
- gridded playing field;
- units of 8 infantry or 4 cavalry (I had played with the idea of units of 4 inf and 2 cav before, but larger units look better)
- every turn the player rolls for command points to be spend on a timetrack (see this earlier blogpost to explain the concept)
- damage is only resolved when a unit is activated, thus creating a level of uncertainty about the effect of fire
- damage can result in various status changes: less firing, less movement, more command points needed, ... rather than removing figures.
There are some interesting ideas in the development of these rules.
ReplyDeleteRoss,
DeleteWhen writing my own rules, I always try to focus on 1 or 2 core mechanisms before adding whistles and bells. In this case, I really want the "time track" idea to work as an activation mechanism (I stole the idea from the Conan Boardgame); and I wanted to have a combat resolution that didn't require removing figures. I always think it's a shame that nicely painted models are removed from the table - I want to keep on the table as long as possible.
As for combat resolution, damage markers are placed next to a unit, but will only get resolved if that unit activates again, thus introducing uncertainty on both sides what exactly the outcome is. Whether it works psychologically (the thrill of immediately seeing the results of your actions) remains to be seen.
As for not removing figures, I need some other effects, hence the reduction of movement/firing/... capabilities.