looking for playtesters

Such an overwhelming response. Let's try a new tack.

ONLY if you like playing miniature battles or hexmap boardgames or possibly Diplomacy or a related game are you likely to be at all interested in playing this game.

However, if a microgame boardgame implemented on computer - browser based for players - might interest you I have an instance of the game for you to look at.

The Mod password for this instance of the game is 000
so you can create and delete wars.

http://gxnpt.0fees.us/gx/index.html

I would really appreciate some feedback here in this thread.

To any visiting non-members who see this and want to playtest as a group, email me at my gmail account megxnpt@gmail.com and I will make you your own instance of the game to play with.

Good point - and very related to my gaming the last 2+ decades having been limited to a bit of wasting time in things like Evony and Grepolis until they each started to resemble a job more than a game.
Anybody have a better classification term for this sort of small hex-and-counter wargame in current nomenclature? Mini Multiplayer?

From my (self only) playtesting I suspect that the tendency will be for a player to become a "client state" of another player or set of players as opposed to being totally eliminated or resigning the game. And I fully expect "surrender and declare winner" rather than total elimination to actually be the end of most games.

Also from my own testing, the turtle defense is not a viable strategy. Example: 1 planet can maintain 5 basestars for 15 weapons and shots and each has armor of 4 but 2 planets could maintain 10 cruisers for 20 weapons and shots and 2 armor each.

I like the written orders bit myself. BUT, there is no need to use anything but mouseclicks to enter them - typing is left as an option but I rarely type in a vector.
Left click on map and level buttons populates the Position, right clicking populates the Target. Vector updates itself with changes in Position and Target (or you can type in Vector).

The Copy buttons copy Vector into each segment vector (or you can type in the segment vectors).

(For the Build phase you can select an owned planet from the select field OR by left clicking on the map.)

This is an expansion/revision of what originally was a "microgame" when it was poorly published back in 1978. The original game incorporated some aspects of miniature battles that I (and my gaming group back then) liked but eliminated others like measuring etc. we didn't like by using the hexmap board. Paperwork for each ship was like miniature battle paperwork and was for each ship (but 10 ships was a big fleet and we never saw a fleet larger than 15 ships in a year of playtesting). The written orders idea came from "wooden ships" naval warfare miniature rules.

Alliances started out as a way to play the game as teams but grew (bad idea, bad idea, get back in your box -- well,ok, since you won't go back).
Testing showed that the shifting alliances gave it an entirely new twist and the "feel" was just a little bit like Diplomacy but remained a wargame instead of a mostly Art-of-the-Deal game which is how I think of Diplomacy itself.

This is an excellent example of the type of feedback I was hoping for.

The beginning of the game is build a couple ships - usually scouts - and grab a couple planets. (But, will you go for 2 sides or a 1 side and 1 toward center or both toward center?).

The second turn of the game (after initial planet grab and possible alliances) MIGHT have conflict involved depending on players and choices in the first turn.

The third turn of the game is almost certain to involve conflict (at least in a 4-6 player game). After all, a scout ship can go completely across the board in 3 moves. Even allies tend to get in each others way on turn 3 and onward.

Perhaps an expansion of the rules with an intro section on game strategy/tactics?
Anyone have more input in this area?

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A comment in general on my game:

It was designed to be a game I would enjoy playing. It is definately a niche sort of game that will only appeal to a few -- but that describes all hex and counter wargames.

I can use it as a play-and-pass game on just my laptop - tedious if more than 2 players.

I can use it with my computer serving as a LAN server on my router for multi-device in person games.

I can use it off a web server (even most free hosts) as an online game using Skype etc. for chat while playing if not in same room.

The final production version would ideally have these same 3 options but with the server capability built in or bundled with the game for local/LAN use.

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I suspect we are will soon see an expanding desire for games that a person can buy and use both locally multi-device or online.

Any opinions on this?

going to do the open playtest run through the end of March

http://thesingularitytrap.com

I deleted bits that amounted to ramblings (I kept the parts that showed progress) - and the games website http://thesingularitytrap.com now includes some demos to play with and I attempted to address the elements you pointed out.

Frankly, I am thinking at this point - since I have been unable to get any response via multiple forums involving actually playing a game (although reddit resulted in a few nonsense game creations on 1 copy linked by the oddlings.tk site) - that I might release it via torrent just to see if it will spread that way as unofficial shareware.

After the open play period ends on the actual game website I plan on killing off all current forum posts including boardgamegeek and videogamegeek etc. etc.

It may be too much of niche game for general interest, but a final announcement post might be appropriate. Currently undecided about doing that or simply vanishing all forum threads.

IF anyone actually wants to check it out see the website.

IF anyone is interested in playing with me involved as a player or wants to have a private copy to use for a weekend or somesuch I can be contacted via that website (links to my gmail email).

In general, I am bored with attempts to get people to look at it and it is no longer bugging me for development so it may be time for me to figure out which Discworld books I have not read yet.