thread: 2007-09-13 : Mechaton campaign: battle 5 setup
On 2007-09-21, Kilodyne wrote:
Ive been reading the campaign notes recently. While I???m extremely jealous that I???m not able to participate in this campaign, I???m beginning to realize that, in my opinion, there???s a little something missing from the campaign as its being played.
After reading through the campaign notes a couple more times, I think I???ve figured out what that something is: campaign level resources.
Currently, aside from some fantastic role play to create the backstory, the only thing tying each individual battle to the next is a running total of points. In my opinion, what makes the idea of a campaign so appealing, is the opportunity to macro manage resources, to choose how to assign those resources to individual skirmishes, and the concept that the results of one battle affect start of another. Again, in the current campaign, all of this occurring only within the realm of role play.
Mechaton, by its design seems to embrace the idea of simplicity, and it campaign rules should be no different. I don???t claim to have a perfect solution, but one idea that did come to mind would be to make your campaign victory points worth something at battle setup. For example, you might blackmail some Space Port executive, sacrificing a few Society and Conscience points for the delivery of an extra oneshot rocket. Unfortunately, I can see this idea drifting farther and farther from simplicity as you try to determine the appropriate cost for each resource. The idea though, is to create a structure where players can sacrifice points they???ve already obtained in an attempt to ensure the next victory. Sacrificing too few points will not give you the resources you need for victory, and sacrificing too many points will not give you a return on your investment.
Maybe I???m in the minority and this is not the way Mechaton campaigns need to go. Vincent, do with this idea what you will. I just thought that is was my duty as a fan of the game to help it develop into the best game possible.
Oh and I???m still waiting for 2 of you to get together and have 2 simultaneous battles fought sequentially works out. 8 mechs averaging 3.5 attachments split any way you choose between 2 battlefields without revealing beforehand how the mechs are split. Maybe its just me, but that sounds like gold! :)
