• Registered: 2006-08-24
  • Posts: 3

Topic: Record Sheets Question

This question recently came up in our gaming group and I was wondering how other groups handle it.

Show starship recordsheets be shared prior to the battle?

At this point three options have arisen with noone really willing to budge much.

1 - Share nothing until the system/weapon is used
2 - Share everything
3 - Share everything but special equipment with Spinal Mounts not being considered special equipment.

Please explain how your group handles this and what if any discussions you have had about. Has it changed as players matured away from the book designs?

Jeff

  • Registered: 2005-03-27
  • Posts: 811

Re: Record Sheets Question

All information should be available to all players (except cloaked ships, of course)

Levels the field for player in the know vs n00bs

If you all agree, however, and all skill levels are equal, it is appropriate to hide some information to make the games more exciting but use common sense.  You should know what your ship captains would know.

e.g in the Terran civil war, it was made more fun (but slightly frustrating) when I knew there was a new ship class on the board but didn't know the particulars. 

In no way should this be used to cheese-ify your wins. that cheese is old and tastes bad.

  • Registered: 2005-08-20
  • Posts: 17

Re: Record Sheets Question

In my opinion it really depends on the nature of the game.

Simple 1-off battle? Show the sheets.

Campaign related battle? Unless one side has some intell available to tell what the other ships consist of, only reveal things as they become obvious. In other words, as jimbeau said "You should know what your ship captains would know."

  • Registered: 2006-01-22
  • Posts: 38

Re: Record Sheets Question

In a campaign we keep them secret. If my opponents want to discover what my ships are packing he has 2 ways to find out: 1 Espionage in the campaign and 2 battle.
In a 1 shot where your doing points vs points then yeah you generaly know what your opponent has on hand.
  Personally I've always liked SFBs (Star fleet battles) bogey intel rules.
At certain ranges types of info becomes available. At long ranges a ships hull size becomes apparent, at closer ranges its class, closer still its variants, closer still what type of weapons its packing, still closer whether they are powered up (not a problem in starmada as they are always powered up!). You get the idea.
It worked very well and was quite straight forward.
  Plus from a campaign point of view it really helps get some extra mileage out of Long range sensors over and above the normal use for them.
And no I don't normally equip any of my ships with them unless they are an explorer vessel, long range recon, or scout vessel. Mostly because at low levels they take up a big chunk o'space in the ships.

  • Registered: 2005-03-27
  • Posts: 811

Re: Record Sheets Question

At certain ranges types of info becomes available. At long ranges a ships hull size becomes apparent, at closer ranges its class, closer still its variants, closer still what type of weapons its packing, still closer whether they are powered up (not a problem in starmada as they are always powered up!). You get the idea.

That has the potential for coolness, but could get really paperwork-intensive.

I'd probably only play that in a campaign type game, where the GM tracked what each side "knows" about the others.

Come to think of that, it would acutally work as far as a VBAM cmapaign goes, to track that sort of stuff.

  • From: Denver, CO
  • Registered: 2005-03-27
  • Posts: 3,578

Re: Record Sheets Question

mcconje wrote:

Show starship recordsheets be shared prior to the battle?

Unless there is a specific reason not to (e.g., the scenario involves a "new prototype", or it's part of a blind campaign), I would say that everybody's record sheets are visible at all times.

Daniel Kast
Majestic Twelve Games
cricket@mj12games.com

mj12games's Website

  • Registered: 2005-03-28
  • Posts: 287

Re: Record Sheets Question

The way I handle this in my campaigns is when a new ship is encountered the player across the table is welcome to ask questions, etc. just like normal - but not necessarily able to review the sheet directly (so they can get size info, etc.) and then in the battle observe speed, weapons, etc.

At the end of the battle, both sides get copies of any new ship classes encountered - as output of battle comp scans.

This keeps some element of surprise in first appearances, but allows intel to progress from contact reports.

Probably not perfect. But it has worked so far for us.  smile

  • Registered: 2005-03-27
  • Posts: 811

Re: Record Sheets Question

I'd like to remind people that those battles have been between you and me so the only person who DOESN'T see them is me tongue smile

But Since I am obviously the better tactician, that hasn't bothered me too well.

  • Registered: 2005-03-28
  • Posts: 287

Re: Record Sheets Question

jimbeau wrote:

I'd like to remind people that those battles have been between you and me so the only person who DOESN'T see them is me tongue smile

At the table true enough.
It matters to the strategic commanders (which are different folks, for those others of you reading this) having to send their ships into the engagement without knowing what could possibly happen.

jimbeau wrote:

But Since I am obviously the better tactician, that hasn't bothered me too well.

tongue