This will be the working title for the OTHER skirmish game I'm working on. It will have a lot more units in it, but they will all be solo models. No units. I really think this is the major idea that separates skirmish from wargame. With THIS project, I'm working backwards from my original skirmish game. You know, it REALLY needs a name right now. I can't keep calling it "my first skirmish game". It sounds like a kit for 12 year olds to make their own.
Gearbox...
Blood & Cog....
Arcana Victoriana.......
I wanted something nice. These are the first nice ones that I could come up with. I welcome all suggestions. I have to stress that this set in a traditional Victiorian Steampunk setting. Europe, top hats, monocles; proper gentlemen. I'll write the setting and factions at a later date. It's already written down in my notebook, which is why I had no need to write it here.
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As for barnyard brawl (laaaaaame name). Much like most new creators I've seen, I had the idea for it but no real mechanics. (Prepare yourself for the wall of fun description of the game.) In the spirit of 'Animal Farm', the animals on the farm have taken sides and fight for rule over the barn. The line has been drawn. Chickens, Ducks and Dogs will work together. Sheep, Goats, and Botswana work together and so on. Each animal has a cost to add into your army. Some can be bought in small groups (like chickens). Larger animals like Donkeys and Horses are Neutral and may be purchased for either side. There are also "defectors" which can be bought as well. If you want a Chicken on your side, but it doesn't normally work for your side, you pay twice its cost to use it.
I'm sure 2-sides + 1 neutral are enough. I don't want to break them into factions, as the groups of animals are already small. If this game really gets going, I might just have the farm animals employ the help of woodland creatures and add them to the neutral side. Squirrels, Skunks, Rabbits, etc.
What I REALLY want to stress with this game is __simplicity__ . I thought, (and you may be thinking), "OMG! This is totally retarded and/or totally cool/hilarious!" It is supposed to be all 3. With all of the wargames that are out there coupled with the players that take their game WAY TOO SERIOUSLY (tournament wargamers), I wanted to make a game in the same vein as Steve Jackson Games' "Munchkin". Munchkin makes fun of Power gamers of Pen and Paper RPGS in a fun, easy, light-hearted (backstabby) way. Barnyard Brawl makes fun of tournament players of War Games in the same way.
Touching back on simplicity. I want the combat, and pretty much everything else, to be as simple as possible yet engaging enough that older gamers can play it. I want to use the movement from the wargame "Song of Swords and something-or-other". Movement was limited to 3 levels: Slow, Normal, and Fast. 3 pre-determined lengths using rods. Since, no doubt, everyone will want curvature in their movement (yet still use rigid measuring tape), I'll be cutting out those bendy, fuzzy things from Michael's Art Store that wrap around your pencil. Think Bendoroos only thin and fuzzy. That's all I have from my head. Nothing was written down up until now. It's all been in my head for about 3 months now. Ideas and suggestions are most welcome. I'll throw in just about anything you give me. I want to play this just for the sake of playing it.
Comments
how bloody?
As for the Victorian brawling game, for the color of the name, is it one where the units get "killed" or are they otherwise eliminated ("knocked out", "stunned", etc.). I can easily imagine a London street brawl, and so naming that might come easily, but I don't see such a thing resulting in many fatalities, just bruised egos, bloody noses, and maybe a broken bone or two.
You know, I never really
You know, I never really though about that. All of the models are characters with names. None are nameless. Having them "die" would be bad. For sake of story, they will be injured to the point where they are incapable of continuing combat but manage to retreat. They could be captured as well and bargained for. These characters ARE gentlemen, after all.