HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: cscoging@unpcs1.cs.unp.ac.za (Chris Scogings)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Subject: Re: Roark's Drift
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 10:32:04 GMT
Organization: Dept. Computer Science, UNP
Distribution: na
NNTP-Posting-Host: pc092.cc.unp.ac.za

Hobie Orris <hobie@zooid.guild.org> writes:

>I am currently playing the Lou Zocchi 1978 version of Roark's Drift, which
>has a lot of rough edges.

No, it consists entirely of rough edges.  For starters, the battle took 
place at Rorke's Drift (named after an Irishman) - I should know, I live 
about 2 hours drive from the place.

It doesn't need a second edition, it needs a complete revamp.  If anyone 
sees this game DO NOT buy it.

>P.S. For those of you totally mystified by this posting, I'll explain that
>Roark's Drift is a re-creation of the action in the 1978 movie "Zulu" which
>itself re-creates the 1879 attack of 4000 zulus on a British trading post.

Yes, the game recreates the movie which was a good adventure story and a 
very bad historical documentary.  Eg: the attack took place mainly at night 
but the movie takes place in day time so you can see things better!

The combat results are also interesting: 1 Brit fires 1 bullet and kills 5 
Zulus, or, 1 Brit gets hit by 1 bullet and slows down (that's ok) but 5 
Zulus get hit by 1 bullet and also slow down (??)

This is not a personal attack, it's just that this game is so ridiculous it 
is definitely not worth playing with out a COMPLETE revision.

Chris

Never try to teach a pig to sing
It wastes your time and annoys the pig
                               - Robert Heinlein
From: rhorner@ugly.UVic.CA (Roger  Horner)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Subject: Re: VGs Civil War question
Date: 15 Dec 92 10:02:38 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada

How is CW?  I bought it used about 7 years ago and haven't had a chance to play
it (I bought SL at the same time and played it about 6 times before I left for
University).  I don't have any time for the next four months, but after I
graduate in May I can see myself getting back into gaming.
-- 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Roger Horner (rhorner@sirius.UVic.ca)                    University of Victoria
4th Year Electrical Engineering Student                  Victoria, BC, Canada
              If you don't like my spelling, use a real dictionary!
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
From: hassink@cs.UAlberta.CA (Hassink Brian John)
Subject: Re: A&A: Why does America fight Germany?
Organization: University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 1992 09:07:26 GMT

pca8c@Virginia.EDU ("Phil Abel") writes:

>As the saying goes, "divide and conquer". If all three allies
>focus their efforts solely on Germany, they are hoping that
>they will be able to overwhelm it before Japan becomes too
>powerful.

>As for the Americans, they never really seem to get much done
>fighting Japan. It takes too many turns to deploy a decent
>invasion fleet over there, and an industrial complex in
>Ssinkaing is a risky endeavour. It may fight off the Japanese
>for a couple turns, but no doubt it will soon fall into the
>wrong hands... Discovering this inefficiency, many players
>have opted to stage an actual "D-Day" and attempt to land a
>force in Europe.

>I agree with you that Japan shouldn't be ignored completely.
>However, I find it very difficult for the Americans to stop
>them outright. My strategy as the US is to try to delay the
>advance of Japan as long as possible and to try to gain some
>sort of foothold either in Europe or Asia... The former is a
>much easier task.
> 

Well, I'll have to give this strategy a try. It looks as though it
will make it even tougher for the Axis to win with this method.

In all our previous games, the US goes full scale against Japan. 
Basically, Japan will get the coastal territories of Asia but not
much beyond that. Japan can't produce enough units on the mainland
(even with two factories in mainland Asia) to adequately take the
entire continent over. Japan also needs to keep large forces in
Japan itself, as well as the northern coastal territories. The large
US production capability gives the US a much stronger navy within
two turns, after which she moves the whole fleet to Alaska and can
then start shipping troops across. America can either go after
Japan or land in Asia. In either case, Japan can't withstand this
type of strategy for long and eventually she'll either lose her
capitol or all of Asia.

In the meantime, Germany has been kicked out of Africa. Russia has
captured east Europe, Britain has grabbed Norway and probably been
able to take western Europe at least once.

This is generally the approach that's been taken in our games. I'll
have to try out this "America goes after Germany" thing in subsequent
games, that is if I can convince anyone to play this lopsided game
again. In any case, it looks like an even better way to assure an
Allied win. This game really needs some fundamental re-working if
it's to be an equal contest for both sides.

Brian
hassink@cs.ualberta.ca
From: bruceb@mpd.tandem.com (Bruce Burden)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Subject: Re: Talisman questions
Date: 11 Dec 92 17:41:28 GMT
Organization: Tandem Computers (MPD) Austin, TX

schrey@oak.NoSubdomain.NoDomain (Timothy M. Schreyer) writes:

>  How does everyone handle the "magic whirlwind" that can ensue when 
>  someone has a player character who must maintain at least one spell?
>  This character can draw and fire about four or five spells before
>  hitting one which is not "as required" or "at any time".
>
	When I eventually setled on was defining the phrase "at the beginning
    of the turn" as meaning exactly that. The beginning of the round ends
    AS SOON AS some action is taken, such as casting a spell.

	While it doesn't limit the "at any time" spells, you will probably
    run into a "at the beginning of the turn" or an "as required" which
    will stop your "magic whirlwind".
>
>  In light of this, does anyone else feel that the Prophetess is over-
>  balanced for the game?
>
	The Prophetess is a powerful character, but as has been stated
    isn't particularly strong. Characters can gang up in her, or the
    player can take chances and encounter things other than the bags of
    gold.

	If the Prophetess is the only good character, she can become a
    real pain. "Oh, lets see, either the <special evil sword> or the
    2 st. monster. Yes, definitely the monster." That gets a VERY favorable
    reception from the other characters, yep :-)



								Bruce



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Bruce Burden            bruceb@mpd.tandem.com         Tandem Computers Inc.
From: desj@ccr-p.ida.org (David desJardins)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Subject: Re: Europaphiles - where are you??
Date: 12 Dec 92 05:15:45 GMT
Organization: IDA Center for Communications Research, Princeton

Bruce Burden <bruceb@mpd.tandem.com> writes:
> I think that if you are going to do more than state a preference
> for a game, you need to be prepared to cite counter-examples. This
> was not initially done.

> I expect to purchase a game that is playable.

Well, not to belabor the point, but I think this is worth one more round
of discussion.  I don't expect that when I buy a game, simply that it is
playable.  That seems an incredibly low standard.  Certainly I---never
having designed or tried to design a game---could in a few days concoct
a game which would be playable.  I would do this by taking some basic
ideas from other games in the same genre, packaging them together, and
balancing the result with a little playtesting.  (Which is more than
some gamesellers do, but I digress.)

The result would be playable.  It just wouldn't be interesting.  It
wouldn't have anything more than a hundred other games already do.  It
wouldn't have anything more than ten thousand other gamers could equally
well throw together.

What I expect when I buy a game is that the game designer actually
design.  That is, have some ideas that are new, and better than the
ideas that I have off of the top of my head.  And package them with
existing ideas in thoughtful and appealing ways.  And do this all much
better than I could do it myself.

                                        David desJardins

P.S. I hope that it is clear that this posting is not at all about
Europa, and what that game series does or does not have.  It is about
what game buyers should expect of game designers and sellers.
Organization: Freshman, MCS general, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1992 13:36:02 -0500 
From: "Jonathan T. Moore" <jmci+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: A&A: Why does America fight Germany?
	<1992Dec12.221325.20725@Virginia.EDU>

pca8c@Virginia.EDU ("Phil Abel") writes:
> America vs Japan is a very effective strategy and I have used
> it many times with smashing results. If you find yourself up
> against a ruthless German player, though, you might want to
> have the US focus on the Atlantic instead. As far as speed,
> the US can have a whole flotilla of transports off Germany by
> the end of the second turn (faster than building a shipping a
> fleet in the Pacific).
> 
> My current obsession is trying to devise a means by which
> Germany can counteract this strategy, and it has been a
> difficult task. I have found a way to get through Karelia
> before the UK/US fleets land troops, but still must commit a
> substantial force to the defensive... meaning I have less
> forces available with which to keep driving into Moscow.

Please, please elaborate. What's your strategy to take Karelia real
quick? And remember, Erik the Enforcer is watching....
-----------------------------------------------
Jon Moore             (jmci@andrew.cmu.edu) 
 "What have I got in my pocket?" --Bilbo     
 "Let the truth of love be lighted,          
  Let the love of truth shine clear." --RUSH 
-----------------------------------------------
From: eschneid@sparc52.tamu.edu (Erich R Schneider)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Subject: Re: SFB vs GEV FAQ.
Date: 11 Dec 92 15:36:37
Organization: Texas A&M University
NNTP-Posting-Host: sparc52.cs.tamu.edu
In-reply-to: ccjm@st-andrews.ac.uk's message of 11 Dec 92 11:01:52 GMT

In article <1992Dec11.110152.25471@st-andrews.ac.uk> ccjm@st-andrews.ac.uk (Colin Charles James MacDonald) writes:

>Let's all chant: NO MORE ADDENDA, NO MORE ADDENDA.

First off: FASA does not produce SFB, Task Force Games does.

Second: "No more addenda" is also the rallying cry of the designers these
days. They have admitted, again and again, that producing a lot of addenda
for the "core rules" was a totally wrong-headed way to go about it.
The whole point of the Captain's Edition is that the rules are finished
and will not be mucked around with anymore. TFG is practically staking
its reputation on this.
--
Erich Schneider  eschneid@cs.tamu.edu

"Today/Yes  Winners/Yes Losers/Yes  In the Zone/Yes  Tomorrow/No"
                       - Walter Jon Williams, _HardWired_
From: desj@ccr-p.ida.org (David desJardins)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Subject: Re: Titan rules addenda/errata
Date: 12 Dec 92 07:28:12 GMT
Organization: IDA Center for Communications Research, Princeton

Bruno Wolff III <bruno@csd4.csd.uwm.edu> writes:
> Titan Rule Changes & Clarifications (11/26/91)

> Rules Change/Clarification, 20.3: During Battleboard play
> when a player rolls more dice accidently (or on purpose) for
> a strike or rangestrike the opposing player in the Battle
> may choose to not have the penalty (of 20.3) apply.

I hate to quibble, but this still isn't clear.  There are three possible
choices the opposing player could make:

  (A) Reroll with the correct number of dice and use the lower number of
      hits.

  (B) Reroll with the correct number of dice and use the number of hits
      rolled, regardless of whether it is less or greater.

  (C) Accept the roll of the incorrect number of dice.

Option A is the one in the rules; can the opposing player choose B, or
C, or either?

                                        David desJardins
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
From: zippy@cbnewsl.cb.att.com (steven.s.albert)
Subject: VGs Civil War question
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Distribution: na
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 19:12:56 GMT


I'm going to make another pass through the rules, but I don't remember
seeing one on this.  My eastern theater is a shambles (I'm the south).
At the moment, no VP cities in the east are in supply (Virginia and
South Carolina have been taken and the rail net in NC is cut).  No
depots are left either.  What happens to the reinforcements on the eastern
track if there is no place in the theater in supply to enter them?  Thanks.

	Steve Albert
	ssa@usl.com
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Subject: Re: A&A - I think I found it!!!!
From: oberland@vax.sonoma.edu
Date: 14 Dec 92 02:57:37 -0800
 <sf_Euk600VB=Q4z0VC@andrew.cmu.edu><1992Dec12.223920.1@vax.sonoma.edu> <sf=517a00VB=A=8UVl@andrew.cmu.edu>
Organization: Sonoma State University

In article <sf=517a00VB=A=8UVl@andrew.cmu.edu>, Erik Lauer <el0g+@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:
>>There.  The results do not lie.  For you as Russia to keep me from
> pasting you,
>>you HAVE to put 18i or more in Karelia.
>>Problem is:  I then coast into Caucasus, and revert to my original plan.
> 
> I think Russia is asking for it if they do not put 19 inf, 3 tanks in
> Karelia myself.  I assume they do that.  What is the plan you revert to
> if they leave one inf in the Caucasus, and why would leaving 2 or 3 inf
> in the Caucuses stop you (as I remember you attak the Caucasus with
> enough to croush 2 inf, so why would they leave more than 1 there?) ?

Lessee... IF I plan to attack Karelia, I have not enough to take
Caucasus if threre is more than 1i.  REMEMBER: I sent it ALL!
If you have nothing there, you cannot take any territory next round, and
you get screwed.

The other plan was discussed a while back, and is a MUCH better plan in terms
of risk and viability, but is much less effective.

IF you leave 1i in there, I send in 6-7 units, mostly tanks, and FORCE you to
split your attack(you didn't build in Russia)between E,europe and Cuacasus, and
also have to deal with 4-8 units in norway and Ukraine.
You didn't build any armor, so I take advantage of that, and force you to split
into at LEAST 3 forces, with 1, MAYBE 2 "3's".  Looks bad after I attack.

At the worst, my plan forces thewAllies to massively rearrange their plan,
and loose some important pieces(like UK's fighters).  Guess they attack Germany
with mostly infantry...)
I have witnessed the game WON by the AXIS a LOT(almost every te, because the
Allies can't hinder Japan quick enough to keep them from backstabbing Russia.
Even getting in Russia with one lousy infantrty kills them forever if the
Axis are doing their job.  If not, Germany gets 2 free turns to re-build as
they scramble to limit their losses.

Joe
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
From: hassink@cs.UAlberta.CA (Hassink Brian John)
Subject: Re: A&A Question: Placement of Ships
Organization: University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1992 02:29:43 GMT

2huwbeach@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu writes:


>	In my 1984 version of A&A, Britain is to place a Battleship at
>Gibraltor at the beginning of the game.  Also Germany is to place a sub in 
>the Southern Europe Sea Zone.  The problem is that both Gibraltor and 
>Southern Europe share the same sea zone.

Bingo! Since Gibralter is in two sea zones, and Germany is specifically
told to place its sub in South Europe, then Britain has no choice but to
place its Battleship in the Atlantic zone of Gibralter.


>I know there is also a rule stating
>that a ship cannot pass through the Gibraltor/North Africa Sea Zone unless
>it owns the countries on both sides of the sea pass.  So what we usually do is
>place the British battleship in the sea zone just west of Gibraltor and place
>the German sub in the Southern Europe sea zone just east of Gibraltor.  But
>neither of these ships can pass through the Gibraltor strait since neither
>Britain nor Germany own both sides of the strait.  Is this correct?  Was this
>an oversight in the rules?  Opinions are welcomed.

>			Thanks

>			Matt Rose
>			Univ of Kansas
>			Remote Sensing Lab

>		/ Refighting WWII since 1989	/


Newsgroups: rec.games.board
From: ptd2@po.CWRU.Edu (Palmer T. Davis)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Subject: Re: SFB: Getting back into it
Date: 15 Dec 1992 16:28:25 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Reply-To: ptd2@po.CWRU.Edu (Palmer T. Davis)
NNTP-Posting-Host: thor.ins.cwru.edu


In a previous article, mcsbc3maw@dct.ac.uk () says:

>In article <1992Dec8.063909.19642@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU>, labc-2fi@e260-1g.berkeley.edu (Matthew L. Seidl) writes:
>> 
>> I used to play SFB, about 6 years ago.  I was wondering what I need to buy
>> to get back into it with all the new rules and supplements.
>
>The Captain's edition consists of , at present .
>[deleted]
>		The stuff before the Break is pretty essential

However, if you were a Commander's Edition player six years ago, you 
can probably get away with just buying the ``Captain's Rulebook'' package
instead of that long list of stuff.  If you want to get all the way back
in, you'll also need modules J-K-R1-R2-R3-R4.  R5 can be taken or left
at your leisure.  (I left it.)

-- PTD --
-- 
Palmer T. Davis      ___
<ptd2@po.cwru.edu>   \X/   cthread.  cthread_fork().  Fork, thread, fork!
Newsgroups: rec.games.board,rec.games.design,rec.games.trivia
From: gletty@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Bruce Gletty)
Subject: Re: Europaphiles - where are you??
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 20:42:25 GMT

cpf@alchemy.TN.Cornell.EDU (Courtenay Footman) writes:
>The trouble is that the Russians can do this in FITE.  There losses
>are horrendous, but they can slow the Germans drastically.  I have
>never gotten to the second summer, to see if the high Russian losses
>make them easy meat for the Germans, but they do have enough
>forces to "stop" (3 hexes a turn == "stop") the Germans through
>the first summer.

Yes, it does make them easy meat for later in the game. You need to
save up Soviets. Its really hard to counter attack with the Soviets
against a German that conserves his army. It will be impossible if
you throw away yours.
-- 
This post is mine, and does not necessarily reflect the views of C.C.S.O.
From: spm2d@uvacs.cs.Virginia.EDU (Steven Miale)
Subject: Re: TITAN: some simple questions
Organization: University of Virginia Computer Science Department
Distribution: usa
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 1992 23:31:56 GMT

In article <Ef_E6hK00awRI4f1kh@andrew.cmu.edu>, "Timothy C. Worsley" <tw1r+@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:
> 	This is the same thing that you do when you use a "spin-cycle" in ther
> brush/swamp/desert.  If you like, you can teleport 6 spaces in a circle,
> and end up in the same space.  It seems that if a brush/swamp/desert
> space is vacant for spin, that the tower is also for a teleport.  It is
> exactly the same situation.  If there were any prohibition, it would
> have certainly been stated explicitly.

It isn't the same situation.
In a loop, you actually *leave the hex* and then come back in;
this is ok.

When you teleport to the same tower, you *don't* ever leave the
tower. Thus, you cannot teleport to the same tower you are currently
occupying.

Steve
-- 
__________________________________________________________
Steven Miale - spm2d@virginia.edu   | Don't blame me -
University of Virginia              | I voted Libertarian.
Charlottesville, Virginia           |
From: ccjm@st-andrews.ac.uk (Colin Charles James MacDonald)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Subject: Re: SFB vs GEV FAQ.
Keywords: SFB
Date: 15 Dec 92 09:28:08 GMT
Organization: St. Andrews University, Scotland.

In article <1992Dec10.072659.4858@netcom.com> elvis@netcom.com ('kEvin') writes:
>
>>>>>> hcobb@fly2.berkeley.edu (Henry J. Cobb) writes:
>>>>>>Q: Whats the Difference between Star Fleet Battles and Ogre/GEV?
>>>>>>				GEV		SFB
>>>>>>Time taken to learn rules:	30 min		Nobody ever has...
>>>>Time taken to get bored     30 mins      Hate it or love it always
>
>Actually, that last statement is just plain wrong.
>
>I LOVED SFB when I first started playing,(early 1982) and played
>
>...large section deleted...
>
>kEvin
>played at least once a week for 4 years, hate it now


*sigh*. I hate to say it, but I concur. My original post was made in a moment
of righteous indignation { :) }; reading your post brought me back to earth.
Actually, the best thing that has happened to me recently was lending my
(old) Volume 2 to someone and not getting it back, along with losing my
fighter module and PF SSD's. I LIKE fighting cruiser engagements (real
cruisers, not the nasty indistinguishable War variants), and I LIKE muddling
through with the entirely self contained Volume 1.

Yeah, let's get back to basics!

-----
Colin
-----
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
From: dennis@tvnews.tv.tek.com (Dennis Borman)
Subject: Re: A&A: World at War Optional Rules
Organization: Tektronix TV Measurement Systems, Beaverton, OR
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 1992 03:32:38 GMT

In article <1g5eosINNl7t@terminator.rs.itd.umich.edu> foelsche@css.itd.umich.edu (Karl Foelsche) writes:
>Well the summary pretty much says it all, from what I've read so far, it sounds pretty cool.

I am   new to this group. But I have been playing A&A for a few years now. But
I have never heard anything about these rules and the expansion sets mentioned
in other posts. Could somebody Email me any info on these subjects, please.

Does Anybody in the Portland OR area play A&A?

thanks in advance
Dennis Borman

dennis@tvnews.tv.tek.com
From: barich@bach.udel.edu (Dewey H Barich)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Subject: Axis & Allies -- The Net Showdown
Date: 16 Dec 92 06:43:46 GMT
Organization: University of Delaware

Well, it seems I will moderate a game between Erik and Joe!  We will
start sometime after New Years, details to be worked out.  Now, the
reason I'm here right now is to determine how those of you following
these discussions would like to see the results displayed.  It has been
suggested that we post a summary of each round (all 5 countries).  I
think this would be enough, but will do what I can to satisfy the
majority (let me not be the dictator!).

So, I propose to post a summary as described above when the game gets
started.  I would appreciate any input from those of you interested.

But, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE send such responses via e-mail, so we don't
clutter up this group too terribly much, OK?  I'm leaving town late
Friday afternoon, so I will try to post the results of the "vote", as it
were, then.  Sound good?   GREAT!!!!

My e-mail address is 

barich@brahms.udel.edu

Dewey

And may the best strategy win!!!  (that is the point  :-)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
From: dunger@lamar.ColoState.EDU (Dallace Unger)
Subject: Re: VGs Civil War question
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 17:47:47 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO  80523

In article <1992Dec14.191256.2200@cbnewsl.cb.att.com> zippy@cbnewsl.cb.att.com (steven.s.albert) writes:
>
>I'm going to make another pass through the rules, but I don't remember
>seeing one on this.  My eastern theater is a shambles (I'm the south).
>At the moment, no VP cities in the east are in supply (Virginia and
>South Carolina have been taken and the rail net in NC is cut).  No
>depots are left either.  What happens to the reinforcements on the eastern
>track if there is no place in the theater in supply to enter them?  Thanks.

Build a depot and then you're in supply.  Remember you don't have to be
in supply to build the depot.

Dallace Unger