Re: [piecepack] Re: Chariots

["Mark A. Biggar" <mark@...>]

Benedict wrote:
> Hi, Mark
>
> I don't have any specific ideas for individual special actions, but I 
> was wondering if choice of special actions could be done in a 
> different way once you havemore of them. 
>
> If, for example, you have 8 different special actions what if once 
> an action has been used by a chariot in a lap it can't be used by 
> anyone else? This could be noted by placing the special action 
> coins on a separate piece of paper (a special action 'board') next 
> to the special action chosen. The first player to choose off 'the 
> menu' gets the most choice, and the selection possibilities 
> decrease as each one is used up. Once the lap (or movement 
> round, or whatever time segment you decide) the special action 
> coins would go back to the players and all 8 actions would be 
> available again.

That's an interesting idea.  I'm not sure that it would work as well as
a Chinese menu method, mostly for the reasons you give below.

> You would have to decide how to implement who gets to choose 
> actions first from the list - maybe the player in last place could 
> get first choice.

I'm not sure I understand what you are saying here.  If the last place 
player never pick an action, then no-one gets to or that players have to
pick an action for future use that they don't yet know what they will
need.

> Without having thought about beyond the initial idea, the benefit 
> to doing something like this - as long as the special actions are 
> fairly balanced (not necessarily of equal value, just nothing 
> horribly over- or underpowered) - would be increased angst over 
> which chariot would choose which special action(s), an 
> additional dimension to the special action part of the game.

I think that the special actions are more of a tactical feature then
a strategic feature and need to be chosen on a more spur of the moment
as the situation of the player's chariot changes.

> The downside I see would be an increase in analysis with 
> potentially longer turns, which may be a downer in a race game 
> depending on the crowd.

Yes, this is suppose to be a fast and tactical game any thing that
causes slower play is not a good thing.

> Even without any other changes a game which had people 
> rooting for their chariots, especially when the chariots are 
> wooden pawns and not cool-looking plastic reproductions of the 
> Roman type, this game has got to be a winner to play.

Which is yet another reason not to slow things down.


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