Subject: Random Response

From: "Kevan " <kevan@s...>
Date: Sat, 05 Aug 2000 14:07:11 -0000

Mm, hello. Sorry I've been so quiet lately. Haven't really been able 
to
find the time to get up to speed with things and chip in, lately.

For what it's worth, though, some comments to bits and pieces spoken 
over
the past week or so:-

>We could stipulate that those type of Actions must be played as 
either the
>first or last Action of the phase -

The Shunting stuff does (or did, or *should*) say that it's only
performable as the first Action; I think we might have done this for
Clamping as well, as a way to "attach" the Action to the Move. Which 
is
useful. Last-Action Actions seem fairly frivolous, though.

>then, if you play it as the first
>Action of your post-move phase (say), then it lasts until the 
beginning of
>your next post-move phase; if you play it at the end of the phase, 
it lasts
>until the -end- of your next post-move phase.

Nastily confusing. I think everything should just last until the end 
of
your next Turn, since pretty much all game-wide horrors are going to 
be
played Post-Move anyway. We can always chuck exceptions into the text
of Actions, when we need them.

>I've only just now noticed that (for example) the District line 
terminates
>at Edgware Road. Had we been playing that as a terminus before? 

Mm, I remember doing a particularly viscious Ruttsborough Slingshot 
from
Hammersmith, in one game...

>I still don't think Bronze should be that rare. Particularly if 
it's going
>to take 10 of them to make a Silver! 

Are we keeping Zone Passes, though?

>We are trying for accuracy with reality, but it seems to me that we 
could
>make a couple minor changes from the LUL map on our official map for 
the
>purpose of gameplay, such as dropping the Queen's Park non-
interchange.

Hm, I'd hope that the ruleset would be robust enough for us to play
it on whatever map we had to hand (provided we were all using the same
one, naturally).

Some varyingly piffling and terse comments on the impressive-looking
Ruleset, while I'm here:-

>A move consists of a series of steps.

I applaud this. Very clear way of putting it.

>Players cannot claim a Token bonus for a Station landed on if the 
Player
>has claimed a Token bonus for that Station within eir last 3 Turns. 

Hm, this strikes me as annoying to remember, at first, but probably
isn't that bad in practice. We'll see.

>The Station of Mornington Crescent is closed.

"..., by default, closed." sounds more understandable.

>unless they play [Open MC].

"...during their Pre-Move phase."

>A Player may not have less than 0 tokens of any type.

That's rather obvious, isn't it? And caught by the "can't spend Tokens
you don't have" things anyway. Trimming of extraneous stuff like this
is something we should try and do all along, I think. It is pleasing
that the Ruleset reads far more like something you'd get printed on
the inside of a box lid. I trust we can keep it so.

>[Block <station>] 
>
>A station can be blocked using the block action, provided the 
blocking
>player is at a station adjacent to the station to be blocked.

Hm, might it be wise to break convention and just write this as
"[Block <adjacent Station>]"?

>MC may not be blocked.

What? Why not?

>Move

Hm, why is this listed as an Action when 2.2 clearly separates Actions
from Moves?

>The Open MC Action may be played to allow a Player to move to 
Mornington
>Crescent. MC will remain open only during the Turn it was played in.

Just saying "Mornington Crescent becomes Open for the rest of the 
Turn"
would be more precise and catch-all.

>[Pick up <x>] 

Hm, so we're losing the ability to pick up Tokens from Stations we've
passed through?

>blocked: When a station is closed [...]

Tish.

>closed: When a station is closed a piece may occupy it. No player may
>occupy a closed Station.

Don't these two contradict? And what if a Station closes while you're 
on
it? It really should just be "may not Step to it", with an appropriate
amendment to 3.1 ("A Player may not Step to a Blocked or Closed
Station.")

>line/zone: A thing on the map.

Excellent.

>line change: A line change occurs when a Player steps from a Station 
on
>one Line to a Station on a different Line.

Hm, does it? What about flipping between Lines as you sail around the
Circle?

>Occupy: On a Player's turn, the Stations e started and ended eir Move
>at, as well as any Station moved to or from using piece-moving 
Actions,
>are considered to have been occupied by that Player during that 
turn. 

Confusing. At the end of my Turn, I'm considered to "Occupy" several
Stations at once? I'm even considered to Occupy them before I've made
my Move?

>pass through: A Station is passed through if it has been stepped to 
or
>from during a Player's Move.

Hm, would this be better as "to *and* from"?

Nitpicking, anyway. Nice to see such progression of things, and I
thoroughly look forward to playing a test game.

Kevan

--
kevan@s...
http://www.stormloader.com/kevan
"Plagiarise. Let no-one else's work evade your eyes."

---

From: "Snow" <snowl@s...>
Date: Sat, 5 Aug 2000 19:10:21 +0100

The ruleset has been updated appropriatly.

http://www.egroups.com/files/l-nomid-d/

I only reply to parts that require discussion.

> of Actions, when we need them.

Hmm. I must read stuff more carefully. Riff's wording means
something entirly different to what I thought it said. I'd go along
with Kevan's suggestion.

> Are we keeping Zone Passes, though?

Dunno. Depends what happens about possessions really.

> "...during their Pre-Move phase."

Superfluous if [Open MC] is a pre-move Action.

> you don't have" things anyway.

There are 3 things to say about having less than 0 Tokens, but I can
never remember what they all are at the same time and end up writing
the same thing twice. I'll think about this for a while.

> "[Block <adjacent Station>]"?

Maybe. What do others think?

> What? Why not?

Because it's a trivially easy way to stop a win. But we haven't
discussed it yet; it's just a place holder.

> Hm, why is this listed as an Action when 2.2 clearly separates
Actions

It does put the format for the GSD in the same place as the Actions.
But there's no real reason for it to be there really. Do you want it
gone?

> Hm, so we're losing the ability to pick up Tokens from Stations
we've

Dunno. I don't see why we shouldn't be able to now we have a charge
for it. Do others agree?

--Snow
6hrs sleep and I still feel great. I won't need sleep at all by the
end of the month.