HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: faigin@aero.org (Daniel P. Faigin)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Subject: Re: Machiavelli question
Date: 9 Nov 92 07:56:13
Organization: The Aerospace Corporation, El Segundo, CA
NNTP-Posting-Host: soldan.aero.org
In-reply-to: rnlee@sdcc3.ucsd.edu's message of 9 Nov 92 01:06:19 GMT

On 9 Nov 92 01:06:19 GMT, rnlee@sdcc3.ucsd.edu (Profess'nal Agitator) said:
> Is there an initial treasury or does everyone start off with zero ducats?

From the rules: "Players compute their income during the Military Unit
Adjustment and Income Phase, which is only performed during Spring Campaigns.
*The initial set up and placement of military units at the start of the game
counts as this Phase for the first Spring Campaign of the game*".

Thus, when you start the game, you compute income. You must pay for all
military units, although you cannot built new ones (although units that cannot
be paid for must be removed). This forms your starting treasury. Look at rules
V.A.1 - V.A.4.

Daniel
--
[W]:The Aerospace Corp. M1/055 * POB 92957 * LA, CA 90009-2957 * 310/336-8228
[Email]:faigin@aerospace.aero.org              [Vmail]:310/336-5454 Box#13149
		    "And as they say, the rest is compost"
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
From: lunatic@netcom.com (Lunatic Johnathan Bruce E'Sex)
Subject: Re: BTECH:  On artillery
Organization: Netcom; Renegade User
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1992 17:52:01 GMT

In article <1992Nov7.174339.2182@gacvx2.gac.edu> phygod72@nic.gac.edu (Phil ) writes:
>5 ton heilos, moving 30/45, carrying TAG.  Sure, they don't have armour, but I  
>don't *need* armour:  it's a +8 to hit them (+5 for fast movement, +3 for  
>jumping--heilos are always considered jumping)...I think that might be wrong,  
>but no matter...it is +5 if I am...*plus* your movement...I'll take 60 of the  
>buggers (at 300 tons)--not committing all of them at once, either.
>
>I can put three of the buggers on the mech that I want to hit (improve my  
>chances by three).
>
>What it boils down to is this:  kiss any one mech on the board good-bye per  
>turn (smaller mechs will die off more quickly)...
 
    ___
     |hose VTOLs have jump movement modifiers for both Attacker and
 Target (Compendium, p. 42).  So you have a +3 to hit anything, and
 everyone firing on your VTOLs has a maximum +5.  Try going up against
 a Clan mech with a targeting computer and pulse lasers or LB-X ACs.
 They've got a -4 total for the pulse lasers, or -5 for LB-X flak.
 So basically for every pulse laser or LB-X AC on every Clan mech with
 a targeting computer you can kiss one of your VTOLs goodbye.  The
 targeting computer isn't even all that important, either.  I think
 you could consider that a common Clan force would have about an average
 of three pulse lasers or LB-X ACs per mech.  That's three of your
 VTOLs gone per turn.  And then those Clanners can train the other
 half of their weapons on anything else that strikes their fancy.
 Which, eventually, will be your artillery tanks, since they have
 absolutely no hope of outrunning Clan mechs, regardless of how many
 mapsheets away they are (5 max, to stay in range).

-- 
   _______________________________________________________
  /         -= Lunatic Johnathan Bruce E'Sex     (:      /
 /  lunatic@netcom.com  GEnie: LUNATIC  CI$: 76170,672  /
/______________________________________________________/
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
From: faigin@aero.org (Daniel P. Faigin)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Subject: Re: Machiavelli question
Date: 9 Nov 92 12:53:41 GMT
Organization: The Aerospace Corporation, El Segundo, CA
NNTP-Posting-Host: soldan.aero.org
In-reply-to: rnlee@sdcc3.ucsd.edu's message of 6 Nov 92 14:17:33 GMT

On 6 Nov 92 14:17:33 GMT, rnlee@sdcc3.ucsd.edu (Profess'nal Agitator) said:
> According to the rules, fleets may only convert to garrisons at ports,
> and available fortress locations are marked by a filled in square.

Actually, fortresses in the standard game are an open square. Fortified cities
are filled-in squares.

> Well, what about Corsica and Sardinia?

> These both have port markers, but are filled in circles not squares.
> Should these be garrison locations?  If not, what is the significance
> of the port marker?  

In the standard game (I'm not familiar with the PS map), Corsica and Sardinia
are non-fortified cites. Only armies and fleets can be there. The port marker
is used to indicate where a fleet can be built. There are cities in
Machiavelli that, although the province has a coast, are so far inland that
fleets may not be built.

Daniel
--
[W]:The Aerospace Corp. M1/055 * POB 92957 * LA, CA 90009-2957 * 310/336-8228
[Email]:faigin@aerospace.aero.org              [Vmail]:310/336-5454 Box#13149
		    "And as they say, the rest is compost"
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Subject: PD/Shareware Tactical war games ?
From: klein@huji.ac.il (David Klein)
Date: 4 Nov 1992 07:35:15 GMT
Reply-To: klein@sunrise.UUCP (David Klein)
Organization: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
NNTP-Posting-Host: sunrise.huji.ac.il

   The title says it all. Does anyone know where I can get Public Domain
or shareware or freeware etc... Tactical war games. By tactical I mean
battles on the level of tanks not divisions.

   Thank you

   David Klein
   KLEIN@SUNRISE.HUJI.AC.IL


Newsgroups: rec.games.board
From: m91kgh@tdb.uu.se (Karl-Gunnar Hultland)
Subject: Re: Btech: New technology?
Organization: Dept. of Scientific Computing, Uppsala Univ.
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 19:29:36 GMT

RedSwordTarga (dv52151@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu) wrote:
: <OPQ@psuvm.psu.edu> writes:
: 
: 
: >The turret---
: 
: Why build a turret when removing the lower arm actuator lets all your
: arm mounted weapons do this for free?


Maybe to get a 360 degree firing arc??



			Karl


-- 

Karl-Gunnar Hultland              Vox Dei, Vox Populi
m91kgh@bellatrix.tdb.uu.se
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
From: jfc@athena.mit.edu (John F Carr)
Subject: WiF naval rules
Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Date: Sun, 8 Nov 1992 22:53:10 GMT


In an attempt to make naval combat and strategy more realistic, one of the
WiF players I play with came up with a partially hidden naval system.

Without this variation I used to joke a lot about sending up spy satellites
to find out the composition of enemy naval forces.  In reality navies rarely
knew for sure whether any enemy ships were in an area.  Perfect intelligence
also tends to produce "death stacks": all ships get concentrated in an area
to defeat the enemy fleet which is known to be there, or a stack gets
constructed with n+1 air factors, where the enemy has n.

Even with this system there are some problems.  There are fewer attempts to
get n+1 air points, but huge stacks still appear.

Maybe sea areas are too large, or there should be some requirement that a
fleet be split to invade two distant hexes in the same sea area.  For
example, taking the sea near Sicily gives the Allied player the ability to
invade northern Italy, which seems unreasonable.

Has anybody else worked on fixing these problems?



--
    John Carr (jfc@athena.mit.edu)
From: oberland@vax.sonoma.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Subject: Re: Games that belong on every gamer's bookshelf
Date: 13 Nov 92 13:29:49 GMT
Organization: Sonoma State University

My list of top 10
(not necess. in order)

1:CIV/Advanced CIV - Terribly fun, and if you play it like Diplomacy, with wars
and alliances being common(can you say embargo?) it gets to be even better.

2:Grass - Amazingly vicious game.  An ABSOLUTE must have.  Like Nuclear War
series, but nastier.  Like a Hayduke book brought to life :)

3:Nuclear War/plus the other sets - Virus.  MX-Missile. Destroy the planet.
Spying.  Need I say more?

4:Axis and Allies - Fun and easy.  Lots of options and variants.  Easy to make
an even fight if you want.

5:Wiz-War - The ultimate "beer&pretzels"(boy I hate that name) game.  Easy 10
minute learn and setup game.

6:Panzer blitz/leader(any AH tank game) - Great for those times when dice and
easy are not wanted.  Pure tactics and strategy, but not unwieldy.
  -Gettysburg(AH old version)is also in the same category, but too unwieldy to
   be in the top 10(about 12-15 or so)

7:Planet Busters - heh. Remember this old gem?  Kill that Zerstor.  Bust that
Planet.   As good as Wiz-War, but harder to learn and play.  Appeared in Dragon
Magazine WAYYYY back.

8:Chess - yes, it sort of doesn't "fit", but I play 3-d, as well as on various
shaped boards and versions(eg:Chineese), so it remains very challenging. 
Plus, I love to gloat at my friend's stupid moves.  Best strategy game period.

9:Those Awful Green Things - Another gem.  Not many people know about it, but
it is super fun to play, especially when you don't take it seriously. "ag! Now
look at what I did! Aaaaaaaa.... run away!!!..." :)

10:Clay-O-Rama - Another Dragon Magazine game.  Sooooo much fun it is
unbelievable.  Love that "Gravity weapon" :) (allows you to drop a book on the
enemy, or toss onto the ceiling) - Last time I played, tho, it got stuck up
there(oops).  Guess I threw it too hard...(heh)  Almost as much fun as tossing
Gummi-Bears on the ceiling during class.  Same problem about sticking, too :)
                                                           
Order would be:
CIV, CHESS, Grass, A&A, Clay-O-Rama, PBusters, Nuclear War, and the rest.
***
Top 5 RPG's - a bonus list :)
1:Paranoia - Die 7 times in 5 minutes and ROFL doing it :)
2:AD&D FIRST EDITION - Requires more role-playing and record-keeping, but
  since it has worked with only a couple mod's for all these years(12 for me),
  I see no reason to change.  NOT for the meek or the hurried, tho.(heh)
3:Chill - Like Chuthlu, but nastier, and open to more options and realism.
4:Champions - Fun, and non-genre-specific.  
5:Traveller series - LOVE that Sci-Fi.  Possible to do many things.

That's it :)
Joe
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
From: arp2@ellis.uchicago.edu (andrew robert polis)
Subject: Re: BTECH: Re: ??Batech vs Robotech
Reply-To: arp2@midway.uchicago.edu
Organization: University of Chicago Computing Organizations
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1992 23:07:23 GMT

Stephane Matis writes:
>Ok, a matter of trivia. BattleTech has had VR at many stages of the Game
>already. Noe rules, understand, but the Star League sorucebook described
>some of the most "pristine" VR technology. 
>
>First: Aerospace pilots fly in space, without their cockpit and their
>fighters being in the way. They simply sit in space, while the VR
>equipment maps the sourings of the fighter for their view.
>
>Second: Mechwarrior have helmets with such strong induction, that they
>don't even have a view through visor. In fact, the BattleMech's computer
>feeds all visual straight into the brain through the enhanced version
>neural contacts.
>
>Third: Armor crews have higher tech "Neurolhelmets" then the Inner
>Sphere military Mechwarriors circa 3025-3040...
>
>Star League was great, I'd really like to do a "Scenario/Sourcebook" on
>it, with optional rules for 2750 Tech. And accroding to the response I
>have seen from others on the net, it might be popular.
>
Yes!!!!  Please do this, I've been waiting years to seesomethig like that 
(ever since I got the Star League book), and now it might finally be done.
Be sure to include those technologies that didn't make it into the 2750
Tech Readout, sucj as the snub-nosed PPC, and the Headhunter Missiles.
I'm glad you're as interested in the Star League as I am.
>
>
>+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
>| Stephane I. Matis |  E-Mail : kgnome@cs.concordia.ca  | Viva NeXTSTEP 3.0 ! |
>|.............................................................................|
>|------------ bla bla Mecha*Press bla bla Dream Pod 9 blabla FASA ------------|
>| BATTLETECH ----------------------------------------------------- NeXThead ! |
>|------------ aka : Major Adrian Hammerhand, WolfNet Intelligence ------------|
>+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+





-Andrew Polis
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
From: Bruce_Harper@mindlink.bc.ca (Bruce Harper)
Subject: Re: Games that belong on every gamer's shelf...
Organization: MIND LINK! - British Columbia, Canada
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1992 17:02:40 GMT

Well, since everyone else is doing it...

1. Advanced Third Reich
2. Advanced Civilization
3. Pax Britannica
4. Guns of August
5. War and Peace
6. Risk (for non-gamers)
7. Diplomacy (you never know)
8. Jutland
9. 1914 (but who would play it?)
10. Wrasslin' (for intellectuals with short attention spans)

I would include

11. Rising Sun

but it currently is on the table, the desk, the floor ... anywhere but the
shelf...
From: wlw@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Will Walker)
Date: Wed, 4 Nov 1992 16:10:48 GMT
Subject: Re: WiF question: CW units
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Fort Collins, CO, USA
Newsgroups: rec.games.board

In rec.games.board, doug@abby.chem.ucla.edu writes:

> In article <1992Oct27.234700.171621@zeus.calpoly.edu>, damartin@zeus.calpoly.edu (David Martin) writes:
> >
> >Now isn't that a round about way to present a rule.
> 
> It is presented more straightforwardly earlier in the rules, in the section on
> the Force Pools, I think.

Is it?  I have the rule book right in front of me and I still don't see
it.  Could you be more specific?

will (wlw@fc.hp.com)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
From: keith@cco.caltech.edu (Keith Allan Schneider)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Subject: Re: A&A - Can Allies ever win (II)
Date: 12 Nov 1992 19:29:53 GMT
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
NNTP-Posting-Host: punisher.caltech.edu

>>>I will generally agree that any factory built in the Far East is
>>>basically a giveaway to the Japanese. However, if you consider the
>>>Allied forces on the board at the start, it isn't much. If you wait, the
>>>Japanese will roll right over them anyway. The key here is to stall. By

>>One of the most effective ways to stall is to build an IC in India.  Britian
>>can get quite a force their pretty quickly.  Nothing that Japan can knock
>>out right away.  It is particularly effective if the Russian planes and
>>perhaps some American units get sent there.

>Waste of effort, British should be using transport to help take out
>Germany, retake Africa, and garrison Karelia (so the Russians can fight
>the Japanese on the mainland, reducing the use of the Japanese navy).

It is all a matter of timing.  You don't want Japan to expand too quickly...
After that, why does it matter who stops Japan?  Russia or Britian can
do so.

>>>attacking with almost anything there you can go a long way towards
>>>gaining time for Russia. And let me point something else out, as well.
>>>If the U.S. and Britain have Germany on its knees, Russia can almost
>>>singlehandedly hold off Japan until the other two can come. Japan is
>>>limited in mainland forces, whereas Russia can just pound away with
>>>infantry (although you are most likely advised simply to put them in the
>>>way since they are twice as better on defense than on offense). 

>>Most Japan players seem to build industrial complexes on the mainland
>>rather right away.  It is probably a good idea to build a large number

>Then you are not playing against people with the proper plan.  If you
>build a factory, it will be stratbombed till you get an AA gun there,
>hence factories cost 20 each.  For 16 you can build 2 transports which
>will bring over 4 inf per turn.  Notice the transport inf are not a turn
>behind, since you can build the inf the same turn as the transport, then
>bring the inf to the mainland the next turn.

Again it is timing.  Bombers are expensive.  As soon as the allies build
a few, Japan can easily buy an AA gun.  IC's on the mainland are very
effective, especially if you are building tanks.  Also, they allow
deportation to a wider area more quickly.  Timing also comes into play
when you consider the building or aircraft and navies..

>>of infantry (make sure you keep them in a large group) to threaten
>>Moscow.  Russia can't defend both Moscow and Karelia.  Of course, German
>>is hard to defend too.  The best way is to build all infantry, I guess,
>>but the allies can still easily get a foothold somewhere.  America

>And Uk, who has made a joint, huge, fleet with the Americans

>>can land a large force in North Africa, from where it can reach any
>>number of places (like Southern and Western Europe, and others).

>Such as Germany...

Exactly.

keith
From: ksoutor@unlinfo.unl.edu (kevin soutor)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Subject: WANTED: WWII EASTERN FRONT GAMES
Date: 10 Nov 1992 16:50:30 GMT
Organization: University of Nebraska--Lincoln	
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: unlinfo.unl.edu

I am looking for games dealing with the Russo-German conflict during 
World War II.  If you have one or more that are cluttering up the 
shelves I would be very interested in hearing from you at 
ksoutor@unlinfo.unl.edu.  I welcome games from any company and from 
any publication time.  I would primarily deal in money but I do 
have a limited trading stock.

Thanks!

--
       Kevin Soutor        | "Buzzards gotta eat, same as worms!" |
 ksoutor@unlinfo.unl.edu   |               -- Outlaw Josey Wales  |
From: s903609@minyos.xx.rmit.oz.au (ACE)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Subject: Re: Btech : LRM/SRM ammo
Date: 10 Nov 1992 05:49:18 GMT
Organization: RMIT Computer Centre
NNTP-Posting-Host: minyos.xx.rmit.oz.au

roleary@st.nepean.uws.edu.au (Rocqueforte OLeary) writes:

>G'day,
>does anyone have any any interesting varient LRM/SRM rounds ?

Greetings,
	  I came up with a design involving selectable range and
warhead variations. This involved three range categories for the
basic version of short, medium and long. The damage was 3, 2, and 1
respectively. The ranges were around 7, 14, 21 (ie 1-2,3-4,5-7 for
the short range mode). For a SMLM-20 (Short Medium Long range Missile)
the damage was VERY powerful. The system was quite bulky and weighty,
but a lot of fun on 80 ton Archer variants. When clan tech came along,
the weights and size made it a VERY potent weapons system (but this
shouldn't surprise anyone :-)). 

>One other thought...If LRM's are 31st century equivalent of 20th C.
>Folding Fin Areil (spelling ?) Rockets (FFAR), which I kinda seen them
>as being, then their range should be 1,800 Meter's i.e. 3 times normal.
>I then times all weapons ranges by 3, and the ranges seem quite good.
>Haven't play tested it yet, but what do you think of the idea. Makes 
>Clanners even nastier IMHO.
>Cheers,

	Well, as far as I can say about the range is that this problem
can not be solved nicely with Btech. The ranges are CONSISTENT not
REAlISTIC. Best not to worry about it too much. One thing you should
consider is that hexes are thirty meters across and yet only one mech
plus a friendly vehicle can fit in each. Not too bad until you consider
physical attacks, especially with one mech in the middles and six pounding
at it from six different directions. Now that stretches the realms of        
realism. 'Later.

			       ACE
                   s903609@minyos.xx.rmit.oz.au
	        " How deep is the ocean ? " - Eric
" No Silicon Heaven ? But where would all the calculators go ? " - Kryten
      " Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast." - Hero Rimmer
Engineering : The art of using something without actually understanding it.
From: erwinrd@sumax.seattleu.edu (Richard D. Erwin)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Subject: Looking for Game Reviewers...
Date: 9 Nov 92 07:27:32 GMT
Article-I.D.: sumax.5693
Organization: Seattle University, Seattle WA

I'm looking for reviwers for the following wargames:

1) Buena Vista:  Major battle of the Mexican-American War (1848).  Very low
counter density, as this is an attempt to provide a more accurate simulation of
Mid-19th Century land warfare, and there's some paperwork involved.  If the
latter doesn't distract from making the game enjoyable, this could result in
the best thing to come along for the period since GABCW...

2) Red Christmas:  A resurgent Russia tries to take out the American facilites
at Cheyanne Mountain before the cavalry can ride to the rescue.  Without a  
doubt the winner of the Jekell/Hyde award: UGLY box art (the bagged game's art
is much better), but beautiful game components.  The interesting thing, other
than the nuclear-powered tunnel moles, is that it's not hex-based.

3) Treasures of the Sierra Madre:  This will require a four-person group at a 
minimum.  Try to show how ruthless you can be as you use gold, slavery and the
occaisional show of force to become the boss of Mexico.  The period covered is
approximately 1898 to 1907, and while this game owes a lot to such classics as
Machiavelli and Diplomacy, things are a bit more fleshed out, with a bit more
historical chrome than in those two games.  There also the possiblility of the
game system defeating all players...

4) The Black Prince Quad:  This is another game by 3W/Rob Markham; unlike the
last few games produced, however, this one actually looks both historical and
playable.  If I read the rules right, it also looks like you can "backfill"
them into the _Crusades Quad_, having a game that plays as well as the cover
looks.  The period covered is the Hundred Years War, with the battles being
Crecy, Poitiers, Navarette and Berneuil.

Contact me for details if you're interested.
From: keith@cco.caltech.edu (Keith Allan Schneider)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Subject: Stratego
Date: 13 Nov 1992 22:04:18 GMT
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
NNTP-Posting-Host: punisher.caltech.edu

Anyone play Stratego?  Are there any good computer programs out there
that can play?  How about programs that let two people play over the network?

Anyone find the "perfect setup"?  Quite a bit of strategy apparently takes
place before any movement takes place.

Is this a game that can be played on a very high level?  That is, are
there any Stratego "masters" out there, or does too much depend on the
relative setup to allow for this?

Hmm...  I enjoyed playing this game and was just wondering if anyone else
had some thoughts.

We used to play a variant where the attacker reveals the piece, and then
the defender simply says "higher or lower" (or the same).  This way, there
is a bit more strategy involved.  Even the bombs aren't revealed as such
until a miner comes along.  Also, we never player the rule where the defender
replaces the attacker's position if the attacker is lower...

keith


Newsgroups: rec.games.board