FG: Galactic Overlord III Signup

[GeneralTacticus]

Link to Previous Game Thread.

Galactic Overlord
A New Forum Game from
Jamski Productions

Overview

Galactic Overlord is a game of space strategy and warfare for any number of players. It is turn based and builds on the success of the well known Paper-Stone-Scissors^tm system. Each player is the ruler of a faction determined to bring the whole galaxy under their domination using every means at their disposal until they are the sole survivor and the almighty Galactic Overlord!

Setting up the Game

Each player starts the game with three Bases. A Base is a planet, hollowed out asteroid, huge space station or any other large structure capable of supporting life and industry. Each player also starts the game with 20 Build Points, or BPs. As long as the player has at least one base still in operation he recieves an additional 5 BPs each turn per home base, and 2 BPs each turn per captured base. The player's initial BPs can be used before the game starts to build the starting Ships or more Bases according to the following table:

Spending BPs

Self-built bases 1 through 6 cost 16BP each.
Self-built bases 7 through 12 cost 32BP each.
Self-built bases 13 through 18 cost 64BP each and so on.

Frigate......1 BP     
Cruiser......2 BPs
Battleship...3 BPs
Dreadnaught..4 BPs
Titan........5 BPs

The more expensive the Ship, the more Bases are required to build one:

Frigate......1 home Base     
Cruiser......2 home Bases
Battleship...3 home Bases
Dreadnaught..4 home Bases
Titan........5 home Bases

***NOTE - Only self-built bases count towards maximum hull sizes***

Each Ship built can be armed as you wish with Lasers, Fighters or Torpedoes with each weapon taking up one unit of space from the Ship's total. A ship may only carry one kind of weapon.

Frigate......1 unit of space/2 hit point     
Cruiser......2 units of space/4 hit points
Battleship...3 units of space/6 hit points
Dreadnaught..4 units of space/8 hit points
Titan........5 units of space/10 hit points

EXAMPLE : A Battleship might have 3xLasers (Laserbattleship), a Cruiser 2xTorpedoes(Torpedocruiser) and a Frigate 1xFighters (Carrierfrigate).

BP's may be stockpiled for use later during the game.

Playing the Game - Orders

This part of the game is similar to Nuclear War^tm. Each player sends his orders to the GM who processes them all together once they are recieved.

Normal Orders (you may make both these orders in conjuction with the orders in the next section)

• Build Ships/Bases : You may spend your BPs or stockpile them for later. Ships built that turn may be used for attack and defence, Bases built may be destroyed that turn. Damaged Ships may be fully repaired for a cost of 1 BP (Now you see why big ships are good)
  ***NOTE - You need to already have bases built for them to count for hull size allowance.***
• Use Spy : If you have a Spy you may stop one of your opponents orders that turn being exectuted. The Spy is lost. Spy affects Attack!, Rebuild Generator and Train Spy.

Special Orders (you must choose only one of these per turn)

• Attack! : This starts a fight between your fleet and that of an opponent. You must choose which ships to send, and which to leave at home in case you yourself are attacked that turn. See Combat for more.
• Raise Shields! : This protects your Bases and Ships from all attacks that turn, and also stops any spies. Any opposing fleet that attacks you will take twelve Hits (distributed as per combat damage) while you remain snug and secure. The generator is exhausted by this use and must be rebuilt.
• Build Generator : Rebuilds a shield generator. Multiple shields can be stockpiled for later use.
• Train Spy : Trains and inserts a new Spy for your cause. Multiple spies can be stockpiled for later use.

Alliances

You may want to orgainise joint attacks on an opponent with an ally. In this case you must agree on an Order of Battle between the allies. If two differenet opponents attack at the same time without informing the GM of their alliance, then the defender must fight them consecutively, fighting first against the one who posted their orders last.

It is possible that when a player is attacked by two non-allied fleets at the same time that he loses both battles. In this case both attackers gain a base. Allied fleets that attack together must decide who is to get the captured base.

The GM applies hits to allied fleets in the same way as to a normal fleet. This means that if one ally has smaller ships than his partner, he will take the bulk of the casulties. War is hell.

The GM

The GM will report each turn on the activities of each player. He will keep their orders secret and their current navies secret also, but will reveal their bases, the size of their navy and their current BPs.

Winning the Game

You win the game by destroying all the bases and fleets of your opponents to become the Galactic Overlord^tm!!!

Playing the Game - Combat
Combat Version 1.2

Combat is a simple, and yet complex, Paper-Stone-Scissors^tm system :

Lasers    - beat - Fighters
Fighters  - beat - Torpedoes
Torpedoes - beat - Lasers

Every player must also specify an "Order of Battle" every turn, whether attacking, or expecting to be attacked. Failure to do so results in the loss of your whole fleet in confusion and panic. This is simple to do though. The players must specify what order they want to use their weapons.

EXAMPLE : Lasers-Fighters-Fighters-Torpedoes-Laser-Torpedoes (LFFTLT)

These can be further refined by different tactics.
Tactics 1 - Range:
You may instruct your captains to try to engage at different ranges.

• Close In - Lasers from both fleets count an extra x2. If both fleets Close In then this stacks to a x4. This negates Back Off.
• Back Off - Lasers from both fleets count an extra x0.5 penalty. This is negated by Close In. If both players Back Off this stacks to x0.25.

Default is no special orders.

Tactics 2 - Formation:
You may instruct your captains to engage using different formations.

• Bunch Together - Your ships huddle together to protect each other from Fighters, but are more vunerable to the large explosions of Torpedoes. Attacks with Fighters against Bunched Together fleets are at x0.5, while Torpedoes get x2.
• Spread Out - Your ships spread out, making the fleet hard to target with Torpedoes, while leaving individual ships vunerable to Fighters. Attacks with Fighters against Spread Out fleets are at x2, while Torpedoes get x0.5

Default is no special orders. These orders can be used even when sending out a single ship.

Example of full OOBs:

Attack: TFFTLT back off, bunch
Defence: LFTFTL close in, default

• Add hitpoints for fleets involved in the battle (2xBP cost of fleets)
• Add total Fighters/Lasers/Torps in each fleet.
• Sort fleets according to their empire's Order of Battle. Fleets with no OoB are destroyed.
• Adjust raw fighter/laser/torp numbers.
• The fleet with the "winning" tactic in a given round has their raw total attack strength doubled.
• Spreading or bunching your fleet affect the opposition's raw total attack strength. Double or halve this accordingly.
• The higher adjusted total wins. Apply Hits equal to the difference between the totals.
• Combat continues until one fleet recieves more hits than it has hitpoints, or 6 rounds of combat have taken place.
• A destroyed fleet loses.
• If both fleets survive, the fleet that takes the most Hits is the loser.
• Remove destroyed ships, smallest first, in the same order as the OoB.
• If the attacker won, he captures one base.
• If the attacker destroyed the entire enemy fleet, he captures all his opponents bases.

TLFTLF		FFLTLT

hp 106		hp 48

4LB 1LT		3LF
2FD 2FT		18FF
1TB 3TT		3TF


RAW DATA
Spaced		Jamski
-----------------------------------
18 torpedoes	18 fighters
17 lasers	18 fighters
18 fighters	3 lasers
18 torpedoes	3 torpedoes
17 lasers	3 lasers
18 fighters	3 torpedoes

back, default	back, spread
L > F > T > L

ADJUSTED DATA
Spaced		Jamski
-----------------------------------
9 torpedoes	32 fighters	Spaced takes 23 hits
8.5 lasers	18 fighters	Spaced takes 10 hits
18 fighters	1.5 lasers	Jamski takes 17 hits
9 torpedoes	3 torpedoes	Jamski takes  6 hits
4.25 lasers	0.75 lasers	Jamski takes  4 hits
72 fighters	3 torpedoes	Jamski takes  68 hits

First we calculate the hitpoints of the ships involved in the battle. Spaced has 5 battleships, 2 dreadnaughts and 6 titans, so (5x3 + 2x4 + 6x5)x2 = 106.
Jamski has 24 frigates, so (24x1)x2 = 48 hitpoints.
In this example, Spaced has 4 laser-battleships and one laser-titan. (4x3) + (1x5) = 17, so his raw laser damage is 17.
He has 2 fighter-dreadnaughts and 2 fighter-titans, (2x4) + (2x5) = 18 so his raw fighter damage is 18. The rest of the raw damage is calculated in a similar manner for both fleets.

So now we come to our first line of combat with 18 torpedoes against 18 fighters. As fighters beat torpedoes, the fighters number is doubled, giving us 32 damage. Next, tactics are taken into account. Spaced used default, so no change there. Jamski spread his fleet out, so torpedoes do half the normal damage, giving us 9 damage. We then compare these two numbers. 32 beats 9, so Spaced takes the difference (32-9) hits. This is not enough to kill his fleet, so combat continues to line 2.

Next, 17 lasers versus 18 fighters. As lasers beat fighters, the raw laser damage is doubled to 34. Due to tactics, however, this is divided by 2 twice. Both players back off, halving laser damage, which leaves us with 8.5 damage, 8 rounded down. 18-8 leaves Spaced to take an additional 10 hits. This is still not enough to kill his fleet, so to round 3 we go.

As you can see from the table above, Spaced's fleet rallied after the initial two rounds and drove away the Jamski hordes.

[GeneralTacticus]

GM: GeneralTacticus

Current Player List:

joncha
Whoha
Kuciwalker
Kassiopeia
DrSpike
Skanky Burns
Geomodder
Boshko
Chaunk
Smiley

[Whoha]

+1 I confirm wanting to join this game.

[DrSpike]

Me.

[Kassiopeia]

M... oh.

In any case, thanks for volunteering to GM. A lot of work involved.

[joncha]

/me readies for battle.

[Skanky Burns]

I should have been auto-listed in this game. Harumph.

[GeoModder]

Well, let's give it another shot!

(Write-in)

[Bosh]

I'll give it a shot.

[Chaunk]

[DrSpike]

Lots of interest.

[GeneralTacticus]

So... thoughts on rules changes? I believe there were people proposing limits to shield and spy stockpiles, and I was trying to generate some discussion on fleet adjustment during combat.

[DrSpike]

Proposals:

1) If GT is happy with the combat updated round by round then do that, it's clearly better.

2) Regarding combat generally, I feel the balance has shifted a lot to no casualties for the winner from the mutual destruction we had before (though, in fairness many of the battles last game were lopsided). I don't want to tone it down too much, since we want to encourage violence ( ), but I wonder if the modifiers are a touch too strong.

3) There should be limits on both shields and spies. I'd say a separate limit of 3 for both works well.

4) I think there should be no limit on building; it isn't necessary in this game like in NW, since if you die you lose the lot in one turn. I favour keeping the higher costs after a certain point, but 32 for base 7 is silly. How about 16 cost until 6, then 24 cost until 9, then 32 thereafter? Seems better to me.

5) What happens when two people attack on the same turn needs work. I don't think the first person to send in orders should go first - I have always felt that way in forum games. It should be randomised. The second person should attack *whoever* is in the base, leading the "lucky" second person the chance of mopping up the original owner, or taking on the new conqueror.

[GeneralTacticus]

For #1 - I'd be happy to do that, I'm just a bit worried about the effects it would have on combat, given that anyone who managed to get in a crushing first round would almost inevitably win the entire combat. Perhaps an adjustment every 2 or 3 rounds?

For #2 - I think, as you said, that this simply resulted from very lopsided battles. And it should be noted that in the last battle of GO2, Geo was outnumbered by over two to one, yet he still managed to destroy over 20% of our combined fleet on the very first round. It's all in the tactics.

For #3 - no objections here.

For #4 - Agreed. As it is, new bases after the sixth won't turn a profit for 7 turns, which, IMO, is rather too long.

For #5 - interesting idea. Thoughts, everybody?

N.B. I think the current rules regarding the second player to arrive are fine - they might well not want to attack whoever the new owner is, as they might be using entirely the wrong OOB, and/or be simply outmatched by the scale of the enemy fleet.

Oh, and should I add a note regarding co-op victory to the rules? I don't really think it takes anything away from the game (obviously, since I went for it with Spike), and I think the added glory of being the sole winner provides enough incentive not to go for it automatically. If I'd thought I could win by going it alone, I most certainly would have.

[DrSpike]

Originally posted by GeneralTacticus
If I'd thought I could win by going it alone, I most certainly would have.

Me too.

[Spaced Cowboy]

Oh Hell, I'm in again.

[Kassiopeia]

Re: #1, I don't like the prospect of a crushing first round either. Perhaps the current system is the best approximation, after all, I can hardly see "real" space battles taking place so that commanders throw only a sort of ship at a time at the enemy.

Re: #2, I agree with GT, the modifiers are alright.

Re: #3, #4

Re: #5, I support this idea. Since the attacks are hardly co-ordinated, it's not possible to tell who will be first until somebody gets there, so it'd do well to randomize it.

[Chaunk]

Perhaps instead of continuous damage, we should calculate damage after the first 3 rounds of combat, and also make the OOB split into two halves, each of which contains lasers torpedos and fighters. For example then, TLTLFF would not be allowed, where TLFFLT would be allowed.

[GeoModder]

#1 and #2: I'm in favour of counting damage and distracting ships each round, just to make tactics very important. At least there is more chance then that both sides have damage.
But if the majority does not agree to this, how about this: the OoB MUST consist all weapon types in groups of 3, and after that all weapons are used (after 3 battle rounds thus), destroyed and damaged ships are counted and distracted if necessary. The order in which the weapons are fired linked with the formation and distance still have their effect, and battle damage happens more likely on both sides then. So never 2 similar weapons in the first group of 3, and a countdown after all weapon types have fired then.

#3:

#4: I can see the merit of Spikie's reduced base building costs after the 6th, but why not together with it that base 7-12 only adds 4 BP's every turn/base, 13-18 only 3 Bp's? I see it as that the best interstellar real estate is populated after the first 6, and so less 'minerals' can be harvested by the remainder.

Or else, why not 'incorporating' conquered bases by the new empire by letting them increase their BP' from 2 to 5 in a number of rounds (with 6 as max. again for 5 BP's bases)? As we saw in GO II, the last 3 Overlords were the ones who kept building first before conquering neighbours. Let the agressive overlords also have a way to have good real estate in due time.

#5: a randomizer could be that who is the closest in the gamelist attacks the victim first. But I wouldn't automatically let a second attacker starting the battle if his assumed victim is already mopped up. One can always order to press the attack if he wishes so there is no need for this.

Sth that came up during last game: someone attacks, but fails. Another overlord takes in the meantime all his bases. So in essence we have an overlord with quite a number of ships left but no bases anymore. How about allowing such an overlord continue to exist so he can try acquiring new bases by seeking an allied attack or even a single attack?

Another possibility: new order 'attack to the death'. An overlord orders to continue attack untill one of the fleets is no more. To achieve this the OoB starts again after the first 6 rounds are done.

And yet another proposal: put the base cap back on six, but in every battle an attacker can only conquer one base. If there are more attackers on the same overlord then they can all attack different bases, and the 'Huh, bases already owned by another player??' won't happen so offen anymore. Only the first attacker will meet the strongest fleet and has the least change to succeed, and so on.


Edit: ah, I see Chaunk has the same idea regarding the OoB...

[Whoha]

fighters and torpedos would be launched before the ships got into real danger,so the current combat system is ok.

[GeoModder]

O yes, regarding alliances... how many overlords may share victory then? Will we decide a cap on that?

[Kuciwalker]

Can I join?

[joncha]

I believe you have been pre-selected.

[Kuciwalker]

Oh.

[GeneralTacticus]

I think Geo and Chaunk's idea is probably best; it would increase the importance of tactics, while not making the opening rounds the sole determinant of victory. However, I think the rules for destroyed ships would need some revision if we went down this route; maybe, instead of removing all ships of a certain type before moving on to the next, eliminate all small ships first, then then the bigger ones?

[Kuciwalker]

I thought it already worked that way.

[GeneralTacticus]

It doesn't. You can put any weapon type anywhere in the OOB you want, and unless a fleet is destroyed outright, losses have no effect until the end of combat.

[Kuciwalker]

I meant smaller ships destroyed first.

[GeneralTacticus]

Yes, but AFAIK, you remove a larger ship of the same type ebfore a smaller ship of a different one; e.g. if lasers were first on your OOB, a laser titan would be removed before a fighter frigate.

[GeoModder]

That is a good idea, GT. Hadn't worked out yet how ships were removed due to battle damage (was not so important for me as player, the GM took care of that ).