Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 17, 2017 10:29:11 GMT -7
So the pop-up menu is wrong, but there is a work-around. I'll try that when I have some time.
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Post by JAFisher44 on Jul 17, 2017 18:12:45 GMT -7
Ok ironnerd. I checked all versions of the VASSAL mod and the 3.5 does, indeed, have a "move forward" option that moves your piece forward one hex. I agree that that was poorly conceived. I was confused because I have never used the menu to move a piece. You can simply click and hold on the game piece and drag it to the position you want it to occupy. I do, of course, use the menu for rotation.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 17, 2017 18:18:29 GMT -7
Ah-HAH!!! So we were BOTH right. At least now I can move around better. I still need to work with this module to get it all figured out. Coming from the ST:STCS software, this thing is much less user-friendly.
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Post by JAFisher44 on Jul 17, 2017 18:21:29 GMT -7
Also, I don't use 3.5 cause it sucks! 2.2 is the best version.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 17, 2017 18:23:47 GMT -7
Good info. I'll download that on tomorrow. Thanks.
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zaarin7
Lieutenant
I'm up for Vassal/Skype gameing.
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Post by zaarin7 on Jul 17, 2017 20:07:11 GMT -7
I read that play is on Friday nights. I'd be up for that if were talking about Vassal here.
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Post by Gorn on Jul 19, 2017 21:17:08 GMT -7
I'm always up for hosting if my house rules are acceptable. I've killed the shield reinforcement. All shield faces come on at the amount it takes to fully power 1 face. But you cannot give more power to shields - they stay lower as they are hit; you can only add bonus rolls power to them. You are allowed to transfer remaining shield power among faces after each firing phase. I'll open a game at 8 pm Eastern this Friday, using module 2.2 There's a choice of Scenarios that require more roleplaying. Call your civ!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2017 15:42:56 GMT -7
2.2 is much better than 3.5. Since I don't feel like playing any game with people I can't sit with and laugh with, and just hang out with, I'll probably never get much use out of this Vassal Module. I'll just bust out the dice and paper (and chips, beer, pizza, and cokes) and have a good time.
I may not know any physicists, but I do know some really goofy gamers who know how to have a good time with dice and people. That's what games like this are really about. A connection with people. Face-to-face, across a table wasting time with kindred spirits and stepping away from the fucked up bullshit of the world for a while and pretending to be a Starship captain. If the new guys sucks, we help him/her out. If the GM boogers up, we just roll with it. We're a weird lot. Men, Women, Teens, old folk, white, black, Asian, Hispanic, Middle-eastern, Heinz 57, Straight, Gay, Trans, liberal, conservative, hunters and vegetarians, IT nerds, mechanics, students, between jobbers, too many jobbers, parents, and confirmed bachelors - crazy when you realize there are only six to eight of us (depends on the night)! To find our table, just follow the loud laughter and the smell of Brian's spilled root beer (every fucking time...).
That's good stuff when you can get swing it. Once in a while, we even open the games and play a little.
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Post by Gorn on Jul 21, 2017 17:20:50 GMT -7
I don't get a chance to play this much in real life. The posts in here of game reports are pretty much all the times I got a chance. Most people don't care about something long "obsolete", even though it's LOADS better than 'battle wing'.
Game is up for anyone who wants to give it a go. With or without voice.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2017 14:33:17 GMT -7
That is unfortunate. It's a good old game, and like all good things it is best enjoyed with good friends around a table with snacks, drinks and, loud laughter. Short of that, and On-line game is pale, but passable replacement. Like when you want a beer, but only have iced tea. Your thirst is quenched, but it's not as satisfying.
I am fortunate in that I like to be around some really strange people. That got me involved in conventions where I run Battletech. That, in turn, got me into a very weird, very wonderful, very loud gaming group at the local game store. I started going to these conventions to watch anime and stay up late with my artist friends working on story ideas for our terrible comic book (it was so bad...).
Unfortunately, my fellow gamers are convinced that this game is way to complex. Clunky-as-crap old Battletech is not problem for them but ST:STCS is too complex... I'll get them one day.
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Post by Gorn on Jul 26, 2017 22:37:48 GMT -7
Well I had a good 1-on-1 game with a forum member last week. It was quite refreshing. There is always Friday night coming up....any takers?
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Post by Deleted on Jul 27, 2017 4:52:04 GMT -7
Good. I hope the group grows. The more players you have in a game, the better (to a point, of course).
Who won?
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Post by Gorn on Jul 28, 2017 5:13:30 GMT -7
Same scenario played out again with an almost 20 yr old, and he, too solved the problem and saved the planet! Unfortunately, he also "cured the disease by killing the patient". The cool thing is that he chose to play as Romulans - so he got the Rom Bird of Prey. Under my house rules shielding, he had a bit more power. The fun thing is keeping a calm face while scrambling to make up a good reply and response when the player comes up with viable actions not in the script! A good GM always says "yes" if they're not restricted to "no".
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Post by Deleted on Jul 28, 2017 6:20:46 GMT -7
A good GM always says "yes" if they're not restricted to "no". Gorn, I totally agree with you.
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Post by Gorn on Jul 29, 2017 3:00:36 GMT -7
You can let the dice rolls say "no", if it's a tricky task.
___________________________________________________________________
back on topic: does anyone have a source for transpicture.ocx ?
I seem to be missing it on my Win 10 laptop to get the game running. I suppose I could always reconnect my XP comp and go hunting for it...
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 29, 2017 4:33:19 GMT -7
Dice rolls are the primary reason for the GM screen. It allows the GM to lie about the result of a roll. Without the die rolls, the game loses a little drama.
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Post by starcruiser on Jul 29, 2017 6:29:56 GMT -7
And that's the rule in all good RPGs... If played correctly.
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Post by Gorn on Jul 29, 2017 20:10:19 GMT -7
I roll in front of the screen - distortion or misrepresentation of data goes against all my training.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2017 5:47:41 GMT -7
Gary Gygax may not seen it that way, but to each GM his own.
Sometimes I don't even roll the right dice. I just want the gamers to hear a die roll and wonder. Sometimes I smile, just to sew the seeds of panic. Sometimes, I chuckle, and say "Didn't see that comming". In the end, it's all a show for the players to enjoy. If the dice don't help with the story, I ignore them. If they do help the story progress, I go with them. Sometimes, however, they actually suggest something I had not thought of, and I have to change the story a little. GMing is a two way flow of ideas. The players will do things I had not planned for, causing me to rewrite the story a bit. That's what makes GMing fun.
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Post by JAFisher44 on Jul 30, 2017 14:02:04 GMT -7
This is the difference between the storyteller and the simulationist. A storyteller GM's goal is to present a story to the players. Granted if done well the players should feel involved in the story, but when push comes to shove in the end the story will play out mostly intact. A simulationist GMs goal is to present a situation that challenges the player's characters and let the dice fall where they may.
I personally prefer simulation over story because when playing with a storyteller I feel that the end result is already mostly fixed and little I can do will change that.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2017 14:20:37 GMT -7
The difference lies in the type of game and the game master himself. In an RPG, I am far more story-oriented. But it's not a line-by-line story. It's a general goal, setting, NPC's, and some other interesting tidbits. The players always derail any carefully crafted story line a GM may come up with, so the GM has to think on his feet - okay... they were not supposed to kill that guy. Now how do I get them the info they need? It turned out that the info was on a slip of paper inside a dirty sock given to the PC's at the beginning pf the game by an old drunk who claimed to be a famous soldier (turns out he was telling the truth).
In a strictly tactical game, I follow the dice a bit more closely. The problem is that with Battletech, I'll almost always win (not bragging, I've been playing the game for 30+). So I have to fudge rolls to give the players a chance. On those times when I have really good players (as I did at MomoCon in Atlanta), I roll out in the open, and use every trick I can think of to give them a challenge. I lost, but it was close. We had a great time.
In an strictly tactical campaign, I have to mix it up so the poor bastards can survive. They may still utterly fail in their mission and end up broke and trapped on some forgotten planet, but most of the time they survive (even the dreaded Spleen Shot in Mechwarrior).
I can't do that with ST:STCS yet. I'm still a player at this one, not a GM yet - though I may have no choice if I want to play it with my current group.
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Post by starcruiser on Jul 30, 2017 18:48:53 GMT -7
Yes - it does depend on the nature of the game being played itself.
When playing old fashioned D&D, the story was the core of the game. You could try to "let it happen" naturally (and a good GM was essential there) but - the story often dictated the path taken.
With games like STSTCS you have a scenario to play out that may, or may not be tied to some type of story. There's a lot of room there to decide whether you want the game to hold to the story, or just let the dice fall where they may...
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Post by Gorn on Jul 31, 2017 1:22:36 GMT -7
For STSTCS I have several scripted scenarios where storyline points have to be met. But some players yank me well off the path sometimes. Then I have to scramble to get those points in somehow. On top of it, I don't care what ship is being used by whom - any of them can die, if their rolls are bad.
It's worked out pretty good so far, and in fact I prefer STSTCS as roleplaying vs D&D.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2017 8:35:24 GMT -7
...It's worked out pretty good so far, and in fact I prefer STSTCS as roleplaying vs D&D. I was going to ask that... Does anyone actually play ST:STCS in Command and Control mode where players act as a specific officer (Captain, Chief Engineer, Helmsman, and Science Officer/Navigator)?
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Post by starcruiser on Jul 31, 2017 18:57:09 GMT -7
It's worked out pretty good so far, and in fact I prefer STSTCS as roleplaying vs D&D. Pretty the same here. I can't imagine trying to play actual D&D now (high school was a long time ago).
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