Analysis of the Call to Arms system
Core Gameplay
Call to Arms uses a base movement system, attack system, and special actions ships can use to alter their performance.
Players roll for initiative every round.
Loser activates one of their ships first, then players take turns activating ships until every unit has been moved.
In Babylon 5, units must move half their Move rating forward every activation. After that they may make their first turn according to their turn rating. If they have multiple turns, they must move 2" after the previous turn before turning again.
In Star Trek all units can move up to 12", they may stay stationary or go in reverse. A ship's Movement Rating is how many inches forward the ship must travel before turning. Therefore, a ship with a turn rating of 6 can turn twice if it moves 12" - the first turn at 6", and the second at 12".
After moving, the activated ship chooses which special action to make and performs the necessary test. Special Actions alter how ships operate or provide additional abilities. Each advantage comes with a trade off or restriction and some have a chance of failure. If a special action requires a test and is failed, the ship acts as normal and it's special action has been wasted.
Once all capital ships have been moved, auxiliary craft are moved.
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Attack Phase
Players may measure distance at any time.
The player that won initiative picks a capital ship unit and activates it. They then choose which weapons will attack which targets, and then resolve these weapon attacks one at a time. Weapons have a maximum range, a fire arc they can shoot out of, the number of dice they roll to attack, and special properties that alter the weapon's effect on the base mechanic.
The attack dice are rolled and successes score damage against the target.
In Babylon 5, the target has a hull rating that determines what rolls hurt the target.
In Star Trek, all targets are hit on a 4+ by default. Range, ship and weapon traits can alter these results.
The number of hits that surpass the defenses then roll again to determine their effect. 1 deals no damage, 2-5 deals 1 damage, and 6 deals 1 damage and causes a critical effect. Weapon traits can alter these results.
Each critical result rolls a die on the critical chart to determine the system hit.
In Babylon 5, any crit could generate any severity of result.
In Star Trek, each crit to a location inflicts an increasingly severe effect.
Damage is recorded. Below a certain threshold, ships become Crippled. This severely weakens the ship and limits it's capabilities.
After a ship resolves all of it's attacks, the other player activates a capital ship and play repeats until all capital ships have fired.
Once all capital ships have attacked, auxiliary craft have their chance to attack. In Babylon 5, If they are contacting other auxiliary craft, they attack using Dogfight rules.
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The rules play well after the initial learning curve. The use of dice pools to resolve weapon attacks allows reliable estimation of a weapon's expected performance. Ships are capable and have statistics that make fleet construction interesting. Their interactions fit the theme of each fiction they seek to model and resolve rapidly.
The exception based ruleset is difficult to learn at first due to the variability of conditions and sequencing. The lack of reference components makes checking the rules taxing. The high amount of ship hit points is a chore to track without component assistance. Critical Hits take a lot of rolls to determine and referencing the chart and effects takes time. Tracking the effects of Critical hits across a battle is difficult without component assistance. The rules are written in an unclear manner.
The game has had balance issues since publication for Babylon 5 more than four editions ago. Lots of testing will be required to ensure as much fairness as possible when using these mechanics.
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Tabletop Spaceship Wargame Part 9, Researching Star Wars Armada
Before I continue with developing my game I'm going to examine several other entries in the genre. I'll summarize the game system and then interpret my findings for my game.\
This entry will concern Star Wars: Armada (SWA) by Fantasy Flight Games.
SWA is a science fiction miniature wargame set in the Star Wars universe. Players build fleets and selects upgrade and configuration cards to an agreed point value. Once your fleet is constructed you select 3 objectives from a set of 12 that will suit your fleet. The player with the least points in their fleet chooses who is first player. First player looks at the objectives of the Second Player and picks one. That determines the special conditions of the scenario.
The map is 6' x 3' with non-grid movement.
Ships that leave the map are destroyed.
Each game lasts 6 rounds.
Ships have attacks in each of four firing arcs. Different ships have different sized arcs; these differences are shown on each ship's base. Each arc shows it's attack rating which determines how many dice of each type that arc uses when attacking.
There are three types of dice in SWA that determine the range band they can be used at and the relative distribution of results on them. Red dice are long range, blue dice are medium range and have no blank faces, and black dice are short ranged and have more Critical ratings. Squadrons can only fire any dice up to Distance 1. Exception rules can allow dice to be fired outside of their normal range set.
Ships can make 2 attacks per turn as long as they are out of two different arcs. Attacks are resolved by selecting an attacker, selecting a target, checking fire arc and range, check for obstruction, then rolling dice. You total the damage and record any critical results, the opponent decides whether to use any Defense tokens they have to reduce the impact of the attack and then damage is resolved on the target.
When damage pierces the shields and a critical result is available a damage card is flipped over and inflicts a negative effect on the target.
Movement is handled through several components interacting. A ship has a speed value that determines how often and how quickly it can turn. Each ship card has a diagram showing how many turns at which distance the ship can make. To move the ship, you grab the movement tool component and click it into a shape that matches the legal moves shown on the ship card. You lock the ruler into the base and then move the ship to the distance segment that matches the ship's speed.
Ships perform special actions by selecting from four choices ahead of their turn. Larger ships need to pick these actions in advance. These special actions are how ships change their speed, control fighters, repair, and concentrate fire.
Squadrons can either move or fire after all capital ships have moved and fired. With a capital ship special action and proximity they can move and attack, before the other ships. Squadrons have hit points and attack ratings against capital ships and fighters. They have no facing and no heading restrictions. When capital ships attack fighters, they roll dice against each squadron within a firing arc with their anti-squadron value.
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I had a hard time playing this game. The rules are written in an incoherent style and out of order so I ran the game incorrectly several times. From my experience the game is functional but far from what I want, and it doesn't feel like Star Wars.
Let's go into each element.
Components
This game relies heavily on proprietary components to be playable. From the range and distance ruler, to the maneuver tool, to the damage deck, to the custom 8 sided dice used to attack, to the upgrade cards, to the ship cards, to the base plates, and so on and so on. From a utility perspective the reliance on such components makes the game less accessible. If a component breaks or becomes lost, replacing it is more difficult and costly than general implements.
There is also the issue of how effective the components are:
Damage Deck: The use of this to generate critical hits is flawed. Each card removed from the deck takes some number of different critical results out of the potential pool, altering the probability of receiving any given critical result. For this to operate damage cards need to be stacked near the stricken ship's card which can cause organizational problems with the higher hull point ships. Either the cards are stacked and it's difficult to tell how damaged the ship is, or they are spread out and take up a large amount of table space to communicate a small amount of information.
Solutions:
Critical results should be determined by a random result whose probabilities don't change based on how much damage has been dealt in the game. Rolling dice and comparing the result to a chart is an example. Having a marker for each critical in the shape of a card is acceptable but the method to generate those results is not.
Range Ruler
This component performs approximately as expected. A tape measure is better for maneuvering Squadrons since the length of the ruler can get in the way and move ships accidentally. The cardboard can bend as well as peel, so quality is an issue.
Solution:
Distances measured in inches / cm so that any measuring tool can be used.
Movement Tool
This component does not achieve it's basic function of precision movement within the rules. The plastic it is made of is so flexible that a player can shift the position of their end point. The use of the tool also requires three separate components to function properly - the speed dial, the ship card's maneuver chart, and the slotted base to lock the tool into. The length of the tool, like the Range Ruler, is awkward and can accidentally shift ships.
Solution:
Have a standard movement measure in inches / cm. Have each ship card show the amount it must move forward before it can turn. Speed determines the full distance the ship must move.
Squadron Bases
Squadrons are mounted on round bases and have an activation toggle and rotating HP dial. The stiffness of the components makes it difficult to adjust Squadron HP without shifting their base. The initiative toggles slide out the side of the base which makes placing the fighters close together impossible.
Solution:
Represent squadron HP with a die. Represent squadron activation with a colored token.
Mechanics
========================================================================
The Command dials system is interesting and I like the hidden simultaneous orders. However I find it doesn't add much to play. It allows mistakes to be punished easily for slower ships and has minimal penalty and maximum benefit for small ships. The timing and use of tokens complicates play while adding small or very conditional benefit. The structure of the rules makes the Maneuver command vital, while concentrate fire adds a small bonus. Squadron Command is one of the only ways to use Squadrons effectively and it still has too many restrictions to be fully effective.
Solution:
Replace Commands with system akin to Special Actions that are a tradeoff with a chance of failure or penalty. The raw capability of ships should not be inhibited to make room for this system.
Squadrons
Squadrons are not effective enough. Overall they rarely get used outside of lists built to support them completely, or with special edge cases like 8 A-Wings. They cost points to field and if you lose all of your capital ships you lose the scenario, so each fighter is taking away from that threshold. They tend to have single die attacks against capital ships and most cannot deal critical effects. Some of these factors are mitigated with the Squadron command and others with hero squadrons, but squadrons should be an effective auxiliary to the fleet without intense handicap, specialization, or extreme edge cases.
Solution:
Each capital ship comes with a set amount of Squadrons included in it's point cost.
- or -
completely rework squadrons to be either less of a factor, or more of a factor in gameplay.
Upgrades
Upgrades in this game come in several types. One squadron of each type can be upgraded to a unique 'hero' squadron with an ability and modified statistics.
Capital Ships can be upgraded with upgrades and unique titles. Unique titles are upgrades that alter statistics or provide abilities to a ship of a specific type. Each Unique Title can only be used once in a fleet, and can only be applied to the Title's key ship.
Each capital ship has a list of upgrade 'slots'. Each slot lets that ship equip a single upgrade of that type for the point cost listed on the card.
The problem: An upgrade costs the same regardless of what ship takes it. That does not take into account the difference between all of the ships that can equip an upgrade. It undermines the whole point of a point based fleet purchasing system. The unique upgrades do not scale with fleet size.
Ships are incapable without upgrades - they are designed to only be fielded with equipment to be effective.
Solution:
Each ship pays a price for a given upgrade based on it's effectiveness on *that ship*. Cards can be used to record the upgrade powers.
Conclusion:
There isn't much I can take from this game due to how ineffective the mechanics are in terms of accessibility and balance complexity.
This entry will concern Star Wars: Armada (SWA) by Fantasy Flight Games.
SWA is a science fiction miniature wargame set in the Star Wars universe. Players build fleets and selects upgrade and configuration cards to an agreed point value. Once your fleet is constructed you select 3 objectives from a set of 12 that will suit your fleet. The player with the least points in their fleet chooses who is first player. First player looks at the objectives of the Second Player and picks one. That determines the special conditions of the scenario.
The map is 6' x 3' with non-grid movement.
Ships that leave the map are destroyed.
Each game lasts 6 rounds.
Ships have attacks in each of four firing arcs. Different ships have different sized arcs; these differences are shown on each ship's base. Each arc shows it's attack rating which determines how many dice of each type that arc uses when attacking.
There are three types of dice in SWA that determine the range band they can be used at and the relative distribution of results on them. Red dice are long range, blue dice are medium range and have no blank faces, and black dice are short ranged and have more Critical ratings. Squadrons can only fire any dice up to Distance 1. Exception rules can allow dice to be fired outside of their normal range set.
Ships can make 2 attacks per turn as long as they are out of two different arcs. Attacks are resolved by selecting an attacker, selecting a target, checking fire arc and range, check for obstruction, then rolling dice. You total the damage and record any critical results, the opponent decides whether to use any Defense tokens they have to reduce the impact of the attack and then damage is resolved on the target.
When damage pierces the shields and a critical result is available a damage card is flipped over and inflicts a negative effect on the target.
Movement is handled through several components interacting. A ship has a speed value that determines how often and how quickly it can turn. Each ship card has a diagram showing how many turns at which distance the ship can make. To move the ship, you grab the movement tool component and click it into a shape that matches the legal moves shown on the ship card. You lock the ruler into the base and then move the ship to the distance segment that matches the ship's speed.
Ships perform special actions by selecting from four choices ahead of their turn. Larger ships need to pick these actions in advance. These special actions are how ships change their speed, control fighters, repair, and concentrate fire.
Squadrons can either move or fire after all capital ships have moved and fired. With a capital ship special action and proximity they can move and attack, before the other ships. Squadrons have hit points and attack ratings against capital ships and fighters. They have no facing and no heading restrictions. When capital ships attack fighters, they roll dice against each squadron within a firing arc with their anti-squadron value.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I had a hard time playing this game. The rules are written in an incoherent style and out of order so I ran the game incorrectly several times. From my experience the game is functional but far from what I want, and it doesn't feel like Star Wars.
Let's go into each element.
Components
This game relies heavily on proprietary components to be playable. From the range and distance ruler, to the maneuver tool, to the damage deck, to the custom 8 sided dice used to attack, to the upgrade cards, to the ship cards, to the base plates, and so on and so on. From a utility perspective the reliance on such components makes the game less accessible. If a component breaks or becomes lost, replacing it is more difficult and costly than general implements.
There is also the issue of how effective the components are:
Damage Deck: The use of this to generate critical hits is flawed. Each card removed from the deck takes some number of different critical results out of the potential pool, altering the probability of receiving any given critical result. For this to operate damage cards need to be stacked near the stricken ship's card which can cause organizational problems with the higher hull point ships. Either the cards are stacked and it's difficult to tell how damaged the ship is, or they are spread out and take up a large amount of table space to communicate a small amount of information.
Solutions:
Critical results should be determined by a random result whose probabilities don't change based on how much damage has been dealt in the game. Rolling dice and comparing the result to a chart is an example. Having a marker for each critical in the shape of a card is acceptable but the method to generate those results is not.
Range Ruler
This component performs approximately as expected. A tape measure is better for maneuvering Squadrons since the length of the ruler can get in the way and move ships accidentally. The cardboard can bend as well as peel, so quality is an issue.
Solution:
Distances measured in inches / cm so that any measuring tool can be used.
Movement Tool
This component does not achieve it's basic function of precision movement within the rules. The plastic it is made of is so flexible that a player can shift the position of their end point. The use of the tool also requires three separate components to function properly - the speed dial, the ship card's maneuver chart, and the slotted base to lock the tool into. The length of the tool, like the Range Ruler, is awkward and can accidentally shift ships.
Solution:
Have a standard movement measure in inches / cm. Have each ship card show the amount it must move forward before it can turn. Speed determines the full distance the ship must move.
Squadron Bases
Squadrons are mounted on round bases and have an activation toggle and rotating HP dial. The stiffness of the components makes it difficult to adjust Squadron HP without shifting their base. The initiative toggles slide out the side of the base which makes placing the fighters close together impossible.
Solution:
Represent squadron HP with a die. Represent squadron activation with a colored token.
Mechanics
========================================================================
The Command dials system is interesting and I like the hidden simultaneous orders. However I find it doesn't add much to play. It allows mistakes to be punished easily for slower ships and has minimal penalty and maximum benefit for small ships. The timing and use of tokens complicates play while adding small or very conditional benefit. The structure of the rules makes the Maneuver command vital, while concentrate fire adds a small bonus. Squadron Command is one of the only ways to use Squadrons effectively and it still has too many restrictions to be fully effective.
Solution:
Replace Commands with system akin to Special Actions that are a tradeoff with a chance of failure or penalty. The raw capability of ships should not be inhibited to make room for this system.
Squadrons
Squadrons are not effective enough. Overall they rarely get used outside of lists built to support them completely, or with special edge cases like 8 A-Wings. They cost points to field and if you lose all of your capital ships you lose the scenario, so each fighter is taking away from that threshold. They tend to have single die attacks against capital ships and most cannot deal critical effects. Some of these factors are mitigated with the Squadron command and others with hero squadrons, but squadrons should be an effective auxiliary to the fleet without intense handicap, specialization, or extreme edge cases.
Solution:
Each capital ship comes with a set amount of Squadrons included in it's point cost.
- or -
completely rework squadrons to be either less of a factor, or more of a factor in gameplay.
Upgrades
Upgrades in this game come in several types. One squadron of each type can be upgraded to a unique 'hero' squadron with an ability and modified statistics.
Capital Ships can be upgraded with upgrades and unique titles. Unique titles are upgrades that alter statistics or provide abilities to a ship of a specific type. Each Unique Title can only be used once in a fleet, and can only be applied to the Title's key ship.
Each capital ship has a list of upgrade 'slots'. Each slot lets that ship equip a single upgrade of that type for the point cost listed on the card.
The problem: An upgrade costs the same regardless of what ship takes it. That does not take into account the difference between all of the ships that can equip an upgrade. It undermines the whole point of a point based fleet purchasing system. The unique upgrades do not scale with fleet size.
Ships are incapable without upgrades - they are designed to only be fielded with equipment to be effective.
Solution:
Each ship pays a price for a given upgrade based on it's effectiveness on *that ship*. Cards can be used to record the upgrade powers.
Conclusion:
There isn't much I can take from this game due to how ineffective the mechanics are in terms of accessibility and balance complexity.
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