Re: [piecepack] Fwd: Good Portsmanship contest results

[Iain.407138@...]

But Ron, what do you *really* think?

;o)

No seriously, thanks for doing
this Ron. The goal of the competition is perfect and you have done an *excellent*
job.

I hope none of the designers take any offence at the feedback. It's
honest, useful and done with love... It sounds like all these games are 95%
there. I look forward to playing them.

-- 
Iain
http://cheyne.net/blog


--- piecepack@yahoogroups.com wrote:
OK, the Eradicator account has never
posted to the piecepack list
> before, so it's being moderated, and the message
isn't going through.
> Thus, I'm sending the contest results myself -- but
I haven't read
> them yet!
> 
> Confused? Read on. :-) Congratulations
to the winner and runner-up!
> 
> Ron
> 
> ---------- Forwarded message
----------
> From: Meredith The Eradicator Hale <piecepack7@...>
>
Date: Mar 18, 2007 11:10 PM
> Subject: Fwd: Good Portsmanship contest results

> To: Ron Hale-Evans <rwhe@...>
> 
> Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,
consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do
> eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore
et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad
> minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation
ullamco laboris nisi ut
> aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure
dolor in
> reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat
nulla
> pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in

> culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
> 
> OK, now your
e-mail program won't spoil the surprise by displaying the
> first line. :-)

> 
> WINNER OF THE GOOD PORTSMANSHIP CONTEST:
> The Colonists of Natick,
a port of The Settlers of Catan Card Game,
> by Gary Pressler
> 
> RUNNER-UP:
Shopping Mall, a port of MarraCash, by Michael
> and Stephen Schoessow.
> 
> Congratulations to Gary, Michael, and Stephen! I'll be sending the
> contest prizes to Gary ASAP. I'll also try to come up with a little
> something
for Michael and Stephen.
> 
> 
> It took me longer to judge this contest
than I thought, largely
> because in many cases I had to play two games instead
of one: the
> contest entry, and an original that was unfamiliar to me. So,
I
> apologise, and here's the feedback on the games. (I hope to have
> 

> feedback on the noncompeting games as well later.)
> 
> As Clark Rodeffer
said recently, authors receiving feedback
> should be prepared to take a
little vinegar with their honey
> (or vice versa). Game authors are encouraged
to request even _more_
> detailed feedback, which I will be happy to provide
as time permits in
> private e-mail or on the list. Practically all the games
that didn't
> win qualify as "good fixer-uppers", and in my opinion can be
turned
> into darn fine games with a bit more playtesting, feedback, and

> tweaking. Make no mistake, this is a good batch of games.
> 
> If there
is one common problem, it's that the entry rulesets tend to
> be hard to
understand and need to be better organised, preferably
> with tables and
player aids. I realise it might have been somewhat
> unclear how to do this
within the plain text / Markdown constraint of
> the contest. However, I
do encourage the authors to streamline their
> rules, add player aids, and
so on, when polishing them for formal
> release.
> 
> I don't know who
the authors are as I write this. When I'm done, this
> message will go to
Marty Hale-Evans for an edit pass, and then to
>  Meredith "The Eradicator"
Hale, who will add the authors' names and
> send it to the piecepack list.

> 
> Finally, if the authors would be kind enough to drop me a note and
say
>  whether it's OK for me to web-publish a PDF of the contest version
of
> 
> their rules while they're working on the release version, I would

> greatly appreciate it.
> 
> Now on to the feedback.
> 
> 1. WINNER:
The Colonists of Natick, a port of The Settlers of Catan
> Card Game, by
Gary Pressler. This game is solid, playable, and
> well-presented, the stand-out
winner of the contest. It hums along like
> a little sports car; in the marketing
jargon of the computer industry, it
> "just works". The "San Marco" (I divide,
you choose) mechanism for
> selecting events from dice is a welcome improvement
on the original
> game. It is the most "piecepacky" of the contest entries
(with the
> possible exception of Pub sCrawl), and makes ingenious use of
its
> single-piecepack constraint. One of my playtesters suggested opening

> the game up to more than two players by using more than one piecepack.

> I'm not sure I agree with that, but the author does mention the possibility

> of an expansion using a seasonal piecepack, and I look forward to that
a
> great deal.
> 
> 2. RUNNER-UP: Shopping Mall, a port of MarraCash,
by Michael and
> Stephen Schoessow. Although we had some rules questions
for the author,
> this is another game that pretty much "just works" as presented.
Everyone
> who played it enjoyed it, and most of us agreed it was an improvement
on
> the original. Indeed, I tend to think of it as Fischer Random MarraCash,

> because the random setup fixes a problem with the static layout of the
original
> game's board in the same way that Bobby Fischer has tried to overcome

> the modern dependence on book openings with Fischer Random Chess. Nor
> is that the only improvement to the game; there are many. There is an
>
"improvement" we never used, and that's the one in which you can
> exchange
managers between different stores you own in the mall. After
> some analysis,
we agreed that this was probably because the game is a
> little too short,
so tempo is everything, and you can't waste a turn
> action not making money.
Pretty easily fixed by adding a few more
> customers (pennies), we thought.
Finally, Shopping Mall could use a
> bit of zazz. The theme is a little drab.
It makes perfect sense, but
> the game could have taken a tip from Take Off,
Eh! and added some
> funny colour text. Even renaming it "Regional Manager"
would lend a
> bit of humour. But overall, a splendid game.
> 
> 3. Globular
Cluster, a port of Tikal, also by Michael and Stephen Schossow.
> Globular
Cluster is a fine, solid, playable, close port of Tikal. The only
> serious
problem with this game is that it's _too_ close a port of the original,
>
and doesn't really improve on it significantly, unlike the winner and
> runner-up
in this contest. Other, minor problems include the spacing of
> supernovas
toward the end of the game, which needs some tweaking, and
> again, that
the game is such a close port that players familiar with
> the original tend
to muddle the themes, calling supernovas "volcanos",
> and so on. Nevertheless,
one of my playtesters, for whom Tikal is a
> personal favourite, remarked
that if he were going on vacation and
> didn't have room for Tikal, he would
bring a piecepack and the rules
>   to Globular Cluster. High praise!
>

> 4. Sonic Bio-Mutants in Space!, a port of Holiday, by Jonathan
> Dietrich.
First, a tip of the hat to the author for good taste in choosing
> a game
to port: the forgotten classic Holiday, by Sid Sackson. The
> way the author
ported the world-travel mechanic to rook-like
> constraint on a rectangular
grid is ingenious and fascinating. However,
> it's also a little murky. Whereas
Holiday has incredible clarity -- you
> always know which exotic location
you want to jet to next --
> Bio-Mutants often left players hemming and hawing.
The ending is
> also somewhat anticlimactic and drags a bit. However, everyone
who
> played it agreed that it had depth, and repeated play would probably

> be rewarded.
> 
> 5. Croquet for Piecepack, a port of Croquet, by Dan
Smith. While the rules
> to this game need streamlining and better organisation,
there is fun to
> be had after you get through them. The die-rolling mechanic
to
> determine the success of a shot adds a lot to the fun; it seems to
> simulate superb players with terrible obstacles. One of my playtesters
> said he would rather see two or more dice used for more realistic
> odds,
but I rather liked the one-die mechanic. It gives a springy,
> bouncy feel
to the game that's not at all apparent from merely reading
>  the rules.
However, in the end, the rules are just too fiddly. They
> need a good edit
pass. It's also interesting to note that Croquet for
> Piecepack is more
of a simulation than a direct port, unlike every
> other game in the contest.
It certainly took some imagination to port
> a lawn game, though.
> 
>

> 6. Take Off, Eh!, a port of El Grande, by Clark Rodeffer. "OK, so ten
out
> of tenfor style, but minus several million for good thinking, yeah?"
--
> Zaphod Beeblebrox. If games could win with theme alone, Take Off, Eh!

> would leave the other entries coughing up blood in the dust. (Maybe
>
 the author was just pandering to the judge, since I enjoy Canadian
> comedy.)
However, mechanics count too, and the mechanics to this game
> need more
playtesting. One game of TOE! was enough to show there are
> some serious
things wrong. In our game, for various reasons, the Queen
> hardly moved
at all. Imagine if the King never moved in El Grande --
>  it would be a
static, anticlimactic disaster for all players. We were
> all also put off
by the incredible redundancy and clutter in the rules
>  -- multi-page tables
repeated multiple times at random intervals,
> and so on. The rules to this
game are actually something
> like six or eight pages longer than the rules
to the original when
> printed in the same typeface. The author jokes that
the rules are
> redundant so they'll waste paper and support the Canadian
lumber
> industry, but this is a case where form intrudes on function, and
with
> respect to this bit of humour, my playtesters and I share the
> sentiment
of the Queen: "We are not amused." Everyone who played
> agreed the game
was fixable, however, and we have several suggestions.
> 
> 7. The Wandering
Merchant, a port of Merchant of Venus, by Jorge
> Arroyo Gonzalez. This game
was pretty fun. One of my playtesters
> remarked he'd rather play it than
the original. I might agree, once some
> basic problems are fixed. For example,
the game claims to be for from
> one to eight players, but it can't support
anywhere near that many.
> Every player needs a horse (Moon coin) to haul
their cart, but there are
> only six Moon coins in the game, and some players
can end up with
> more than one. Thus, the absolute maximum number of players
is six,
> and even thatmany players will break one of the basic mechanics
in
> the game, which is the competition for horses, since everyone will
> have just one horse and be unable to get another one. Another problem
>
is with the theme of the game. The author transposed a science fiction
>
setting of galactic trade to a fantasy setting, but while there are wizards

> and elves and dwarves and so on in the game, there's precious little
>
magic. Why not set the game in the Wild West? They had carts and
> horses
too. Summary: Has some basic problems, but will probably
> eventually be
quite playable.
> 
> 8. Pub sCrawl, a port of Senet, by Jonathan Dietrich.
If Take Off, Eh! is the
> thematic high point of the contest, Pub sCrawl
is the low point. I
> personally found the theme, a drinking contest where
players try
> to avoid vomiting on the steps of the frat house, distasteful
to the point
> of causing me to procrastinate playtesting the game. However,
when I
> actually played it, it was surprisingly enjoyable. The mechanics
work
> quite well, especially for a roll-and-move game. They add some strategy

> to Senet with blind bidding for the initiative to move, and they speed

> Senet up with some mechanics borrowed from its descendant,
> Backgammon.
The game also makes good use of the components
> of a single piecepack. This
is the only port of an abstract game in
> the contest, and if it had stayed
abstract, it would have scored a lot
> better. I would advise the author
to lose the theme, and maybe reduce
> the number of rounds in the game (each
round is equivalent to an entire
> game of Senet), or let the players decide
how many rounds they will
> play. Removing or changing the theme would reveal
another of the game's
> strong points: playtesters agreed that it would be
an excellent game to
> play with kids, except for the inappropriate theme.

> 
> 
> 9. Temple of Gold, a port of Goldland, by Jorge Arroyo Gonzalez.
Another
> game that's basically OK, but badly needs more playtesting. The
setup
> for the game is long and complicated, complicated even further by
the
> fact that the setup rules are actually broken (they conflate the Suns

> and Summer suits once or twice, which caused much confusion). The
> rules
need clarity, streamlining, and player aids, player aids, player aids
> (preferably
with graphics). The treasure-finding "triangulation"
> mechanism is clever,
but broken in at least two ways (the author did
> not seem to consider null
tiles and edges). It would be nice if the
> game had a bit more intrinsic
colour; it doesn't really stand well on
> its own but expects you to know
all about what things are and why they
> work that way because you played
the original game. As for Goldland
> itself as a choice of games to port,
I enjoy it, but it tends to
> suffer from what I call the Golden Snitch problem
(cf. Quidditch in
> the Harry Potter books): the only thing that really matters
is getting
> to the Temple first, not the adventures you have beforehand.
Temple
> of Gold seems to work (or not) the same way.
> 
> 10. Human Harvest,
a port of Atta Ants, by Todd Krause. First, I think the
> 
> choice of game
to port here is brilliant. Atta Ants could have been
> 
> an original piecepack
game. The components map from Atta Ants
> to the piecepack nicely: tiles
to tiles, ants to coins, and so
> on. That said, the game doesn't really
gel. In the original game, the
> spiders move slower than the ants, so the
ants can leave the nest and
> go foraging without constantly getting gobbled
by spiders. In Human
> Harvest, the human militias (= spiders) move _faster_
than the cyborgs
> (= ants), so the cyborgs are in a constant state of zugzwang

> ("Zugzwang means that one player is put at a disadvantage because he
>
has to make a move � the player would like to pass and make no
> move."--Wikipedia).
In short, it's never to the advantage of the
> cyborgs to leave the factory
(= nest), and there is no rule (that we
> could find) that says you have
to. I actually suspect that the author
> initially paraphrased the rules
to Atta Ants and did a
> search-and-replace on them, because there's one
place where the word
> "ant" is used instead of "cyborg". Anyway, I suspect
this is a
>  beginner effort, so please try again. Make the spiders slower!
:-)
> 
> That's all! Thanks to Meredith "The Eradicator" Hale for all her
help.
> Also, as usual, Marty Hale-Evans for her help and putting up with
me.
> Thanks also to my playtesters Dave Adams, John Braley, Karl Erickson,

> Kisa Griffin, Mark Haggerty, Marty Hale-Evans, Gorm Nykreim, Mark
> Purtill,
Tim "AlphaTim" Schutz, Chad Urso McDaniel, Steve Vallee, and
> Eric Yarnell.

> 
> Ron H-E, Port Authority
> 
> --
>     Ron Hale-Evans ... rwhe@...
... http://ron.ludism.org/
> Mind Performance Hacks book: http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/mindperfhks/

>            Center for Ludic Synergy: http://www.ludism.org/
> (revilous
life proving aye the death of ronaldses when winpower wine has
>        
           bucked the kick on poor won man)
> 
> -- 
>     Ron Hale-Evans
... rwhe@... ... http://ron.ludism.org/
> Mind Performance Hacks book:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/mindperfhks/
> 	   Center for Ludic Synergy:
http://www.ludism.org/
> (revilous life proving aye the death of ronaldses
when winpower wine has
> 		   bucked the kick on poor won man)
> 
> 
>
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