Subject: MN: Re: Straddles, Mid-Move Actions

From: "Wayper, Paul" <WayperP@p...>
Date: Mon, 24 Jan 2000 12:35:32 +1000

On Friday, January 21, 2000 7:46 PM, Kevan Davis
[SMTP:kevan@s...] wrote:
> Very true. Maybe the neatest solution would be to have "Special Moves"
> and "Translocations" ("Straddling counts as a Translocation"), so that
> Flonging could simply say "A Flonged Station may not be the target of a
> Special Move or Translocation."

Sounds fine to me. I'll try to put it in Proposal-speak.

> I fear we'd fall over ourselves if we tried to speak of Straddles as
> "Special Moves" when they're not Moves, or if we spoke of Wilds as
> "Translocations" when they were still Moves (and obey many critical
> Rules by dint of counting as Moves).

Oh, true. I'm just looking at a more general class of moves that don't pass
through stations. But that's relatively beside the point.

> 
> > Likewise, having a codification for an Action-Translocation gets
> similar
> > gains in version control.
> 
> I could speak this sentence in a meeting at work and I'm sure everyone
> would feign understanding. But yes, I see what you mean.

What was I on? Who knows?

> Hmm. Although dramatic (swinging near to a Station to detonate a
> Suspect Package mid-Move, then rushing away), it makes the notation a
> lot more complicated ("[LV+3] Charing Cross [Blocking Camden Town from
> Euston]"?), and may give Players too much power - and thus too much to
> think about - through such freedom. Perhaps.

True - likewise, there are few things I could think of, apart from the
trivial token collections, that needed to be done mid-move; mainly because
this isn't an interrupt game like MtG, but a play-your-turn-out game.

> I remember that we originally had some Actions that were playable
> mid-Move, but we shifted away from them over the years (beside a few
> hangovers such as "[Dropping a Black Token at Wherever]", which are
> meek enough to work). The precise reasons and arguments we used elude
> me, though.

Just that there was very little that you could do _then_ that actually
needed to be mid-move. Now, I feel that most of the Clamps are pretty
pointless - no-one uses them because, in order to clamp someone, you open
yourself up to retributive clamping pretty much all the time (hmmmmm -
straddling or compass work...) If you could clamp someone mid-move, it
would be a lot more fun, but then everyone would either go around with
Knerdling Sticks or multiple Clamps as soon as they came within zone 1...

Save to say that there's nothing I can think of in the current ruleset that
really benefits from being able to be played mid-turn. However, it's an
avenue we should consider occasionally to add new elements to the ruleset.

Have fun,

Paul Wayper -- DPI IS&S ITO Computer Systems Officer
SigClean 1.5a prevents all errors in transcription, transmission, and
reception of eMail, destroys sig and email viruses, and stops flames.
Report all bugs to the author. SigClean is FreeWare. (c) 1998-9 PJW

---

From: "Kevan Davis" <kevan@s...>
Date: Mon, 24 Jan 2000 05:45:16 -0800

> Now, I feel that most of the Clamps are pretty
> straddling or compass work...)

I disagree, because retributive Clamping *also* leaves you open to, er,
retributive Clamping. If you hang around to Clamp someone back, they
might Clamp you again. Or at least Shunt or otherwise annoy you.

Personally I only Clamp people if I know they're too short on Tokens to
retaliate, or that I could get rid of a given Clamp quite easily. I
don't think Clamping's become that rare, has it?

> If you could clamp someone mid-move, it

Perhaps. Although an amendment to bring Clamps in line with Suspect
Packages (droppable at any Station you've passed through this Turn)
might be worth trying, just to see how it affects things.

> avenue we should consider occasionally to add new elements to the
ruleset.

Well, I think the Suspect Package and Token Dropping Actions are
precedent enough; proof that a "do something at a Station you've passed
through" is a perfectly good way to implement pseudo-mid-Move Actions
(the only real difference being that you can pay for them with Tokens
you gain during your Move).

Kevan

--
kevan@s...
http://www.stormloader.com/kevan