KSP "Great Game" (RULES DRAFTING IN PROGRESS!)

[Holo]

The Great Game was essentially a large strategy board game used to make up the back story of the pen-and-paper RPG "2300 AD". It's been described as somewhat like a free-form civ game.

If anyone else would be interested in participating in such a project, I could set up a website and stuff for it.

A website is up:

http://kerbalgreatgame.webs.com/

webs.com because both I'm an idiot and if it was hosted on my own computer the website would go down every night.

Edited September 12, 2013 by Holo

[Holo]

I'm bumping this, is anyone interested? Also, to avoid breaking rule 2.3a, here is nyrath's excellent explanation of what the Great Game was.

There was a (sadly defunct) game company called Game Designer's Workshop. For their hard-SF role playing game 2300 AD, they needed a future history. So they simulated it with a game, the so-called "Great Game." A team of expert players was each assigned one nation and the game was played until the time reached 2300 AD. The events that occurred were recorded, and became the future history.

[wminsing]

This is the sort of thing I'm interested in, but how would you envision it working in KSP?

-Will

[Rage097]

This is the sort of thing I'm interested in, but how would you envision it working in KSP?

-Will

Okay, Off topic but this infuriates me. Why sign your name after posts? we know who you are by the user name to the left of the screen, and you can add a signature if you feel you must have it in a section SPECIFICALLY for signatures [/rant]

Anyway, on topic. This sounds like a cool idea.

[superm18]

Sounds very interesting, but I would like to see some "gameplay" or a mockup of the bord

[regex]

Okay, Off topic but this infuriates me. Why sign your name after posts? we know who you are by the user name to the left of the screen, and you can add a signature if you feel you must have it in a section SPECIFICALLY for signatures [/rant]

Most people do it because it infuriates others.

regex

[Rage097]

Most people do it because it infuriates others.

regex

Ah, 'nother case of don't feed the Trolls I guess. Oh, well.

[M5000]

Ah, 'nother case of don't feed the Trolls I guess. Oh, well.

Nah, I do it often. Not all the time. Usually it's when I don't wish to really remain active in the thread, but am dumping important or relevant information in one post. Or, I don't just add it to my signature because it's more genuine if one types it out every time. More sincere if you will. I also sign as "M5K" so it's not necessarily my name, but what many people call me. I dunno, it's just a thing. A style of posting.

Anyhow, back on topic guys please and thank you, this is about making an RPG in KSP, not about posting preferences. c:

-M5K

[wminsing]

Okay, Off topic but this infuriates me. Why sign your name after posts? we know who you are by the user name to the left of the screen, and you can add a signature if you feel you must have it in a section SPECIFICALLY for signatures

Because I consider it polite to sign my real name and not just leave my forum login as the only means of identification. It's a long-time habit of mine. I have to admit I'm slightly taken aback; I've been doing this across many forums and mailing lists for well over a decade and this is the VERY FIRST time someone has complained about it.

But to get back on topic, yes, I'd like to hear about the proposed rules system for a 'great game'. I'm pretty familiar with the AD2300 setting, but IIRC the creators never published their own 'great game' rules anywhere.

-Will

Edited September 12, 2013 by wminsing

[Fiddlestyx]

This thread has been derailed.

-Fiddlestyx

[Rage097]

Indeed it has, we should try to get back on topic. But Meeeeeehehhhhhh...

-Rage

EDIT: @Holo below me:

Edited September 12, 2013 by Rage097

[Holo]

This is the sort of thing I'm interested in, but how would you envision it working in KSP?

-Will

It could be anywhere from just using the setting (the kerbal system instead of the solar system) to playing out combat scenarios and the like in-game.

Sounds very interesting, but I would like to see some "gameplay" or a mockup of the bord

Here's one I made earlier:

But to get back on topic, yes, I'd like to hear about the proposed rules system for a 'great game'. I'm pretty familiar with the AD2300 setting, but IIRC the creators never published their own 'great game' rules anywhere.

From Nyrath's site there's a link to a downloadable overview (at http://www.projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/supplement/the-game.zip) of the rules. I envision us brainstorming out the actual rules on the external site I'm going to make, based on this.

-Thomas (screw you Rage092 )

Edited September 12, 2013 by Holo

[TheSaint]

Thread drift is an amazing thing.

I loved the 2300AD setting (I actually bought the first incarnation, Traveller: 2300). The setting was awesome. The rules were crap. At one point I wrote a set of conversion rules to use the setting with GURPS, but I never got around to running a campaign in it. Star Cruiser (the space combat game for 2300AD) was one of the best space combat games ever made, played the heck out of it. It still heavily influences my thoughts on space combat.

That said, I think it would be difficult to run a Great Game in KSP right now, just because we know so little about Kerbals. We know nothing about their national identities. We don't even know if they have any national identities. They may have a single world government. They may be a hive mind, for all we know. Even if they aren't all that alien (just humans in short green bodies) you still may end up writing a whole lot of stuff that will get overwritten by canon at a later date. You would have to start your Great Game in the Kerbal equivalent of the Early Bronze Age. What you really need to do is create a map of Kerbin for Civilization IV and play out their history there. (Civilization V sucked, IMHO.) I think I have a new project for the weekend....

[Holo]

That said, I think it would be difficult to run a Great Game in KSP right now, just because we know so little about Kerbals. We know nothing about their national identities. We don't even know if they have any national identities. They may have a single world government. They may be a hive mind, for all we know. Even if they aren't all that alien (just humans in short green bodies) you still may end up writing a whole lot of stuff that will get overwritten by canon at a later date. You would have to start your Great Game in the Kerbal equivalent of the Early Bronze Age. What you really need to do is create a map of Kerbin for Civilization IV and play out their history there. (Civilization V sucked, IMHO.) I think I have a new project for the weekend....

I'm thinking that rather than have one 300-year game and everything ends forever (and probably moves to a tripod domain, since all the dead websites seem to be there for some reason), there could be multiple great games running in series or even in parallel. That way, even if canon overwrites it there'll still be new games being run with new information.

I love your idea of running it in Civ IV. If you end up doing it, I'd love to see the results and the different nations could be used in the Game. For now, the nations existing could be player-made based on some kind of space race/kold war scenario.

It doesn't matter whether the Kerbals have national identities or not, I'll just veto that part in favour of an interesting Game.

-Thomas

Edited September 12, 2013 by Holo

[TheSaint]

I'm thinking that rather than have one 300-year game and everything ends forever (and probably moves to a tripod domain, since all the dead websites seem to be there for some reason), there could be multiple great games running in series or even in parallel. That way, even if canon overwrites it there'll still be new games being run with new information.

I love your idea of running it in Civ IV. If you end up doing it, I'd love to see the results and the different nations could be used in the Game. For now, the nations existing could be player-made based on some kind of space race/kold war scenario.

It doesn't matter whether the Kerbals have national identities or not, I'll just veto that part in favour of an interesting Game.

-Thomas

Okay, but if I'm going to make a map, someone has to go make Kerbalized pictures for all of the Civ leaders.

[Holo]

Okay, but if I'm going to make a map, someone has to go make Kerbalized pictures for all of the Civ leaders.

I might use my "10,000 hours in gimp" skills to do such a thing . Know where I can find a list of Civ leaders and their pictures?

[TheSaint]

I might use my "10,000 hours in gimp" skills to do such a thing . Know where I can find a list of Civ leaders and their pictures?

http://www.civfanatics.com/civ4/info/civilizations/

Mostly just joking on that one, the leader images in the game are 3D animations, that might be a bit more work than it's worth. We'll just have to replace the first syllable of each nation's name with Ker- in all the configs. (Kergyptians, Kerbalonians, Kersians, etc.)

Did you use an app to get that gridded Kerbin map above? That would make creating a Civ map much easier.

[Holo]

http://www.civfanatics.com/civ4/info/civilizations/

Mostly just joking on that one, the leader images in the game are 3D animations, that might be a bit more work than it's worth. We'll just have to replace the first syllable of each nation's name with Ker- in all the configs. (Kergyptians, Kerbalonians, Kersians, etc.)

Did you use an app to get that gridded Kerbin map above? That would make creating a Civ map much easier.

No, just my elite GIMP skills. I found the original map from kerbalmaps.com and modified it from there.

If you want the base 3-colour image that I used to make the map, I can supply that too.

[TheSaint]

No, just my elite GIMP skills. I found the original map from kerbalmaps.com and modified it from there.

If you want the base 3-colour image that I used to make the map, I can supply that too.

Bummer. I was going to download the high-res map from there to work off of, since it shows mountains and water features. It would be nice to just find an app that will let me superimpose a grid on it to define the squares for the Civ map. I'll look around and see what I can find.

[BostLabs]

I just thought I'd pop in here and say this sounds like a interesting project. My time is limited so I won't be able to join, but it sounds neat.And...-burp

Edited September 12, 2013 by BostLabs
Damn formatting messed up my joke. :)

[wminsing]

From Nyrath's site there's a link to a downloadable overview (at http://www.projectrho.com/public_htm...t/the-game.zip) of the rules. I envision us brainstorming out the actual rules on the external site I'm going to make, based on this.

Ah, I had not ever seen this set of notes! Well, I'm definitely interested if you want to start something up; happy to help brainstorm rule ideas, background story, etc.

-Will

[Holo]

Ah, I had not ever seen this set of notes! Well, I'm definitely interested if you want to start something up; happy to help brainstorm rule ideas, background story, etc.

-Will

I've set up some forum sections on the website:

http://kerbalgreatgame.webs.com/apps/forums/

In the coming [time unit]s I'll be making threads about how the outline of the rules can be adapted and extended for Kerbal uses.

-Thomas

Edited September 13, 2013 by Holo

[jtyotJOTJIPAEFVJ]

This sounds like an exciting thing. I'll be following this.

-jtyotJOTJIPAEFVJ

[Ekku Zakku]

Definitely going to be following this as well, seems really cool! =3

[Holo]

Glad there's a lot of people interested in this project! We won't be able to play without a ruleset, so if you want to see this happen you can help with the brainstorming on the website.