While We Wait: Boredom Strikes Back

[Yui108]

thanks karalysia

 

[Masada]

100 years of divergence...

 

[Adrogans]

All this talk before about the expectations of NESers and such has me wondering, how complicated a ruleset are NESers generally willing to use? I mean even if the execution is excellent the ruleset can be too complicated and/or time consuming which would also limit the NESing experience. Or maybe there is a specific stat or general setup which turns you off immediately?

I would need to look back, but I do know there have been some NESes I took one look at the rules and decided it wasn't worth playing so I know I have a limit but never really sat down to explore where that line is.

Anyway was just kind of interested in what people like and don't like in rulesets.

(damn I'm tired sorry for the rambling)

 

[Abaddon]

If I can't "break" it within a second read through, its probably too complicated for me to bother with.

UNLESS it is an accomplished mod, then i'll put up with it.

A new neser, with complicated rules? I'd bet against it even making update 1.

 

[Thlayli]

I personally thought that SysNES was ridiculously complex, too complex to play in. But the writing is really quality for what is essentially a board game, and the updates are frequent, so I've loved it so far. Honestly, frequent, well written (interesting and sophisticated) updates are all that's necessary to create immersion and get a good playerbase, no matter what the ruleset looks like.

Next question: What is a 'good' NESer, and what does it take to become one?

 

[Angst]

I've never really liked NESes with too complicated rules. N3S was a great application of rules, I'm sad it is so slow atm.

I'm a boardgame NESer anyways.

RE: A Good NESer
I value the qualities of politeness, contribution and intelligence. Not skill. A person is a good NESer if he or she makes the NESing experience fun for the remaining players.

 

[Adrogans]

I don't think of myself as a good NESer, but I try to (generally) send short to the point orders and seperate them out for ease of reading. I also will write stories as my interest remains.

I will say that as Dachs put it, IIRC, playing musical nations is annoying to me. I try to play my nation until it is run into the ground if things go wrong. Sometimes fighting a losing battle can be fun and make for good story writing.

 

[Birdjaguar]

Good NESers send interesting orders that make the game interesting for both the mod and other players; they arrive on time.

 

[Abaddon]

I want to mod. I have the time, is anyone interested in me modding? If so, what?

 

[Lord of Elves]

I want to mod. I have the time, is anyone interested in me modding? If so, what?

A story-based fresh start NES would be nice. I am sorely missing Amon Savag's stASNES, which gave me the odd story to write for most days of the week.

 

[Kentharu]

Sysnes took the simplicity of boardgames, but allowed you to also spend e on creative stuff. Like spy satilities and parades!

 

[Disenfrancised]

I personally thought that SysNES was ridiculously complex, too complex to play in. But the writing is really quality for what is essentially a board game, and the updates are frequent, so I've loved it so far. Honestly, frequent, well written (interesting and sophisticated) updates are all that's necessary to create immersion and get a good playerbase, no matter what the ruleset looks like.

Next question: What is a 'good' NESer, and what does it take to become one?

I think one of the imprtant things about the good update turnaround (apart from my own awesomeness of course) is the concious decision to limit player numbers - it seems quite often you get a massive swell at the begining that forces the mod to do a lot of useless work and then two thirds of them leave/don't send orders.

Also the limited NPCs make it so much easier, I'm now firmly of the opinion that although Alt-histories are fun, they just don't work as games.

Finally a more closely circumscribed rule structure actually reduces the work players have to do, or at least the length of orders they have to write - the ones I got from you Thlayli for up16 are probably the longest of any set I've gotten for SysNES so far (minus ones with multiple treaties).

Good NESers do the research, and finish thinking inside the box before they try thinking outside it . Also sending orders (of any quality) on time is required.

 

[Thlayli]

On althists, I think the collaborative timeline/AFSNES model still has a lot of promise to it...if players have developed their cultures from the ground up, they're much less likely to act stupidly with them.

NK has suggested going into althists with long BT's to avoid uncharacteristic nation behavior on day one.

But yeah, the traditional althist approach has plenty of flaws. Maybe we need a game model that de-emphasizes playing a nation state as opposed to playing a culture?

EDIT: And sorry about the length. Interstellar warfare is complex business.

 

[Matt0088]

EDIT: And sorry about the length. Interstellar warfare is complex business.

321 words would indicate otherwise, unless....

 

[Yui108]

My idea is that the player should play as just the ruler of a nation, with all the capabilities and handicaps inherent.

 

[Thlayli]

321 words would indicate otherwise, unless....

Yes, Matt, I betrayed you and skinned your children alive. Or maybe I also had business in Izar system to take care of that you don't need to know about.

 

[Swissempire]

A good player is a good actor - they stay IC and their play reflects that. The deeper into their nation a player gets directly correlates with more care put into their stories and more thought put into their orders. OOC activity or sharp, unjustified IC play hampers a NES, whereas committed players build it up. And good players bring something interesting to the table, imho. Anybody can build a culture that is all about conquering everything in sight and becoming the biggest nation with the biggest army by way of brute force and ahistorical/inhuman commitment to not giving a frak about anything but your color on the map. Even conquerers cared about their legacy/had goals/wanted more women in their harem. NESers should balance building up a realistic civilization and having goals they pursue that make sense for their civilization. If your small Italian duchy lives in constant fear of its neighbors and doesn't have an economic center or really anything of note domestically, it doesn't want a small, insignificant colony in South America until things are in order at home.

Yes, Matt, I betrayed you and skinned your children alive. Or maybe I also had business in Izar system to take care of that you don't need to know about.

Are you making enemies again Thlayli?

Matt, have fun with this one. I say completely unsarcastically that Thlayli is one of the most fun players to be IC enemies with.

 

[Thlayli]

You so colossally misunderstood the situation that it is funny, but okay.

 

[Swissempire]

You so colossally misunderstood the situation that it is funny, but okay.

Is that towards Matt or me? I understood the situation completely, from an IC point of view. And that's how I chose to play it. And if that wonderful NES were to pop up again, your Stratego Kings would still have to worry about waking up with Bladeist blades slaughtering their people in unceasing religious holy war.

 

[Kraznaya]