🚀 go-pugleaf

After reading through about 10K lines on the subject of game balance, I
hx{Yh,+ conclusion:
 
        'Game Balance depends upon the game'
 
To claify, I'll post some of the responses (and try to post the authors
name if I still have it).
 
* Rank the players against others of the same approximate strength (1).
* Have more disasters and challenges for the higher ranking players (1).
* Have an infinite map (2).
* Have a variety of roles for the player to choose from which have their
  own victory conditions (2)
* Give newcomers an advantage (3)
* Allow the option of an alliance to win (3)
* Have more than one victory condition (4) (7) (8)
* Hinder the more powerful players by imposing a point/piece or tax on
  each of the 'units' (5) (6)
* Tax the players and spread the wealth around inversely to the strength
  of the players (6)
* Make it harder to run a bigger empire (6)
* Let new players be parts of the old players empires (eg the result of 
  a civil war) (Njha* Have multiple victory conditions BUT don't let the other players know
  what they might be (10) (4)
* Have raiders attack the rich characters (0)
* Use life expentancy (5)
* Have more disasters and misfortunes for a more spread out empire (11)
* Use a 'pie method' of playing - one player gets to choose something 
  first but the other player gets to do something else first (12)
* Create a large enough playing field so that new players can choose to
  start farther away from already established players (2)
* Make alliances effective but still only allow ONE person to win (0)
* Incorporate a communication lag for larger empires (0)
* Use a hidden board and a game master (5)
 
(0) unknown - lost message header         (1) Nat Brooke
(2) Russell Wallace                       (3) martin        
(4) Graham Mathews                        (5) Jonathan
(6) Amit J. Patel                         (7) Paul Fly
(8) Frank Miskevich              PPPPPP  P9) Maa9:Y
*Oewinkel
(10) Serge Gilette                        (11) Christopher Jam
(12) Brad Johnson
 
Each of these points are valid in the context of certian games.  They
have helped me to become more aware of winning conditions.  Out of the
list above, I think I am going to use:
 
1. Multiple victory conditions
2. Make alliances effective but still only allow ONE person to win.
3. Allow 'new' players to pick thier starting spot.
4. Make it harder and more costly to run a larger empire.
 
Of course, these will work for a few ideas I have...others they won't.
 
Thanks for all the feedback!


-- 
Vince Laurent 
Internet  vlaurent@cactus.org
Connect America BBS 1:382/10