Simultaneous Movement vs. Turn-Based

[dumbbell]

If I were to change only one thing about the game’s original rules, I would change the rules from turn-based movement to simultaneous movement.

Weapons fire and damage is simultaneous, so let’s make movement simultaneous too.



The original rules have players taking turns moving their starships, one after the other, based on which captain has won the tactical advantage. This system is turn-based. First, one captain moves his ship, then another captain moves his, then another, etc. Captains who have some tactical advantage make their moves in response to the moves that captains who lost tactical advantage make. This ranking of tactical advantage is largely based on which ship has the most movement points for the turn. Obviously, the captain who won tactical advantage has a tremendous advantage in that he not only moves last and can move in response to the movement of all other captains, but he also has the most movement points.



Make the change to simultaneous movement.



To do so, players must use scratch paper to plot a valid movement for each movement point in advance. Do this during the Power Allocation Phase. Plot a valid movement for each movement point in advance for the entire turn, not just for one phase at a time.



After all players have plotted their movement, they reveal their scratch papers with their movement plots. Ships must now expend their movement points as plotted in the Power Allocation Phase during the next three Movement Phases. Players may still execute tactical heading changes at the end of each Movement Phase.


This changes the movement from turn-based to simultaneous to match the simulated weapons fire and damage.

[trynda1701]

Your suggested movement plot idea is how the space combat game "Full Thrust" from Ground Zero Games works. Within your speed plot, say you plot at speed 6, you might go forward 2, spend 1 point to turn (I can't off the top of my head remember if it's 30° or 60° per turn, the game is not hex based), go forward 2, and finish the last point to turn starboard, giving a LOT of variation in movement plots!

As the FASA STSTCS game has three phases in the standard game turn (and some people use the five phase variant from the earlier STIII version of the game), against one plot per game turn for "Full Thrust", perhaps have individual plots for each phase? I feel if you plot out a multi-phase turn in advance, it might slow the game down a bit, especially as you realise sides are moving away from each other, and are committed to the plotted movement for another phase before you can replot to turn back towards each other the next turn (eg both fleets try a starboard flanking maneuver)?

It certainly an interesting variation to house rule, as a lot of us use various house rules of our own. If anyone is playing regularly, unlike myself, I'd like to hear how they find this suggestion works.

How did you feel it changed or enhanced the standard method, @dumbbell ?

[dumbbell]

It works well, more like a video game.

I suggest plotting simultaneous movement for the full game turn and then using three movement phases per turn to interrupt movement to allow for opportunities to fire weapons.

The basic building block of the game is the full game turn. The order of play is first movement and then firing. However, to simulate simultaneous activity we need to be able to make course corrections at any time during movement and we need to be able to fire weapons at any time during movement. That is where dividing movement into phases comes in. We take our one turn of movement and interrupt it a number of times to allow for course corrections and to allow for opportunities to fire weapons.

At the end of each movement phase, we can make a tactical heading change (at the cost of one superstructure point and one point per warp engine) and we can fire weapons that we have not already fired during this game turn.

Strictly speaking, five movement phases per turn makes for a more accurate simulation, but I suggest three movement phases per turn because it speeds the game up from five interruptions per turn and provides a better balance between accurately predicting and being surprised by competitor movement. I would suggest, however, to try five movement phases with some old Four Years War ships with lasers because the five interruptions seem to fit that “slower” era better. Otherwise, I would suggest plotting simultaneous movement for the full game turn and then using three movement phases for a better balance of predictability versus surprise.

One drawback compared to the original rules, though, is that the “tactical advantage” now goes to the player who is smarter rather than to the captain who has the most movement points.

[rabid]

This is a great idea, it kind of works like X-wing Miniatures.

There, you have to set your move in advance having no idea what your opponent is going to do. THen they reveal the movement and that's when pilot skill (captain's proficiency rating) comes into play. The more expert pilots move last and fire first, but they don't know where people are going, they have to anticipate.

[thescreamingswede]

I'll be breif since I had planned to include this in my Unearthed Arcana Rules set, but we tried simultaneous movement back in the day with mixed success. Life has gotten in the way this year, but I hope to put our rules and conclusions up soon.