Black Pawn Trucking playtest/review

[Ron Hale-Evans <rwhe@...>]

Well, I just played a game of Black Pawn Trucking, by Phillip Lerche,
from the Rulesets in Progress folder of the Files section of the list.
For the record, this is version -- hey, there's no version number on
it.  Well, the first version posted.

There's a lot to like about this game.  First, it's a piecepack
"economic solitaire"; I can't think of another.  You spend your time
picking up raw materials (suit-side-up coins) and delivering them to
nearby tiles of the same suit on a map of the British Isles, where
they are turned into finished products (value-side-up coins), which
you then deliver to nearby tiles with the same value.  This elegant
use of the way tiles show both suit and value at once while coins show
only one at a time is extremely appealing, and helps the game truck
right along.  I have a few questions and quibbles, however.

1. The rules read, "Moving your truck consumes fuel, which costs
   money. It costs $1 per city moved through (including your
   destination city) plus $1 per good carried (in the Goods In Transit
   box)...".  So if I have a truck carrying one good and I move
   through three cities, do I pay $4 ($1/city + $1/good) or $6
   ($2/city, because I'm carrying a good)?  I played it the former
   way, as that's the way the rules seemed to read literally.  If you
   mean the latter, Phillip, I would say something like "It costs $1
   per city moved through plus $1 per good carried per city moved
   through", and give an example.  This might be a crushing fee,
   however.

2. The rules read, "If there are less than 4 goods on the map you must
   pay $4 and roll the 4 dice to procure new delivery contracts", but
   the Turn Summary on the playmat reads, "If there are <3 goods on
   the map roll 4 dice and pay $4 to place new (raw) goods on the
   map."  This seems to be a rules conflict.  I used the <3 rule.
   Actually, I didn't use that either, or I would have gone through
   all the coins in the cup.  I see this now, but I can't help
   thinking a description of play in the rules (e.g. "Because of this
   rule, you will eventually go through most or all of the coins in
   the cup") would be useful.  By the way, what do you do when there
   are <3 (or <4, depending on the correct rule) goods on the map, but
   the cup is empty?

3. I think you should pay _after_ you move your truck, not before.
   It's less confusing that way; you can count the spaces you're
   moving as you move the truck.  I don't think it would make much
   difference to game play except when the player is low on funds and
   has a lot of loans, in which case it might give the player a slight
   edge.

Now two extra-quibbly quibbles:

4. I think the instructions for placing and moving the pawns on the
   money track should be more explicit.  For example, it is not
   initially clear why there are two money tracks, and why you
   shouldn't place both pawns on the same one. (The instructions say
   to place one on 0 and one on 10.  The bottom track has both.)

5. Hey, since this is Great Britain, shouldn't the money be counted in
   pounds instead of dollars? :-)
   
Although I enjoyed the game a great deal, I will wait to play it again
until Phillip clarifies the rules somewhat, especially issues #1 and
#2 above.

Keep pawn tr-- oh, you know.

Ron

p.s. Phillip, point of information: where did the nickname 
     "Benedict" come from?

-- 
    Ron Hale-Evans ... rwhe@... ... http://ron.ludism.org/
	 Center for Ludic Synergy, Seattle Cosmic Game Night,
Kennexions Glass Bead Game & Positive Revolution FAQ: http://www.ludism.org/