Re: 5th piecepack competition + more questions

["mschoessow" <mikeschoessow@...>]

---> And then if it does suit the piecepack to a "T", you wont get 
voted 
> simply because you followed the rules. Ignore what the Piecepack 
is 
> alltogether, and copy another game that is difficult and german. 
> Then you will win. To all Newbies, Dont follow the Rules outlined 
in 
> the Comp. It is the surest way to loose. Open your game closet 
close 
> your eyes and pick two games at random, and FORCE the piecepack to 
> become that game. 
> 
> And if this is not what happened in the last comp. Please let me 
> know.

The fact is that many of the great games designed each year (and I'm 
not talking about just piecepack games) borrow from earlier games, 
sometimes in very obvious ways. This is well understood and 
appreciated by the great majority of board game enthusiasts, and has 
resulted in some of our most well-liked games (such as Puerto Rico 
for example). Game mechanics are frequently quite delicate and 
balanced, especially in the great games, and it often takes 
considerable play-testing to achieve this. Because of this, a modest 
change in the basic mechanic of game, along with an inventive 
innovation or two can lead to a completely new game, with its own 
unique strategy and charm. If this can be successfully achieved by 
utilizing most or all of the unique complement of bits that is a 
piecepack, then why shouldn't such a game be a strong contender or 
winner in a piecepack design contest?

All dedicated game designers believe that their games are good 
games, worthy of praise by other game players. Otherwise why show 
them around? But everyone has their own tastes, their own 
expectations, and will make their own judgement on a game, almost 
always, I suspect, ultimately based on how much satisfaction or fun 
the game brings them. Certainly that's how it works with me. Some of 
my own games have been well received by other gamers, but more often 
not. Not too long ago I entered what I felt was a pretty darn good 
game in the Abstract Games Magazine contest for simultaneous 
movement abstract strategy games but, no win, no second place, no 
honorable mention as one of the other six or eight games they 
described after the contest. I was disappointed. But that's OK. Time 
to move on. 

Eric, it's time to move on. Put your energies into your next games.

-Mike Schoessow