One Hex Combat Resolution, and jeweled teeth

["Brandon J. Van Every" <vanevery@indiegamedesign.com>]

From: Jakob Ilves [mailto:illvilja@yahoo.com]
>
> > designer / mediocre programmer write a Python script that
> > implements a
> > One Hex Combat Resolution system.  With that sort of API tool, Xconq
> > doesn't have to be a game about hiding outside of cities you've just
> > taken over.
>
> Oh, yes, I know!  Take the city with ONE tank... And don't
> leave any other units in it when the
> enemy is nearby.  But cannot GDL be written such that unless
> you kill or route away all units of a
> certain type, you cannot capture the unit?  Isn't there a
> "occupant-defend" or such?  Or maybe
> that just means they counter attack and if they fail to slay
> the attacker the attacker then has a
> chance to capture the city ANYWAY?

Maybe all of these things can be done in GDL already.  The question is,
does anyone know they can do them?  Is it a fungible API?  Is it OO,
hiding details you don't want to deal with at present?  I will be making
a judgement this weekend, as I attempt to embed Python into Xconq.

> I remember when I first saw Xconq in 1988, it was a hacked up
> version at Chalmers university and
> in that game, you _STUFFED UP_ your cities with all kinds of
> infantry, mechinf and armor and an
> attacker had to slay ALL of them to capture the city.  Sure,
> if all defenders had the experience
> level "green" (lowest) and the attacker were a commando unit
> with experience "Ramboid" (highest
> level) that attacker could actually carry out one attack and
> destroy them all defenders in a row
> and then march in.  Of course, that commando would then
> better leave, because commandos were not
> excellent city defenders in that game.

Do game developers and game players have easy ways of switching to
whatever they prefer?  Do different variants get played regularly?  If
not, why not?

> <offtopic>
> "Advanced Dungeon and Dragons".
>
> Let's see if that struck you with sentimentality as well! (of
> an enjoyable kind of course :-)
> </offtopic>

"S1: Tomb Of Horrors."  The first dungeon module!  I have always been a
sucker for Egyptian tomb crawls.  I can't possibly think bad of movies
like The Mummy, it goes deep into childhood.  Trapping your soul in a
floating skull's teeth, that's gaming!  With the dancing dagger of the
sample dungeon in the basic D&D blue book a close second.  I was a big
fan of the Sinbad movies.


Cheers,                     www.indiegamedesign.com
Brandon Van Every           Seattle, WA

Taking risk where others will not.