The next step is to determine which Japanese card will be played. If you examine the Neutralize Allied HQs (Yellow box), you will see that the Japanese are ordered to concentrate air units against the Allied HQs in the Philippines and Singapore, with a third choice moot at this time as there are no other Allied HQs in the Dutch East Indies (DEI). These elements cover the historical Japanese strategy. If you examine the âAggressive Air Superiority Strategyâ (Orange box) you will see it has three elements: Neutralize Allied HQs, DEI Surrender, Malaya Surrender. The next step is to determine the initial objectives for this strategy. The Japanese sideâs cards have a logistics strength of 20 or greater, so the strategy chosen is âAggressive Air Superiority Strategy.” You get there by following the decision yes/no questions that ultimately lead to âGâ and the stated result. Here is the new Axis of Determination Chart. Opening Hands (number is the card number followed by an abbreviated title) What I wanted to do in this article is walk you through the first card played by Erasmus 2.0 in the 1942 Short campaign so that you can get an idea of how the system works. As I write this, my good friend Francisco Colmenares is rendering the remaining charts into this new format. I am currently testing these charts on CSW with the Empire of the Sun board that has resulted in several version changes the most recent is version 8. The charts for the Japanese opening are available online at Consimworld and Board Game Geek, so if you are interested, feel free to give them a spin. These are the kinds of things that I will improve in Erasmus 2.0. From a presentation point of view, Erasmus version 1.0 requires some significant player input for Taskforce activation and such, plus the system can use a bit more explanation with examples. The Allies play a solid mid and end game, but I have found that Japanese play in the end game could be improved. If you are new to Empire of the Sun, using the âBot as an input will get you over some of your initial learning curve challenges. Now that is not to say that a player with full knowledge of both hands of cards cannot manipulate the system, but that in general it plays a solid opening. When I look at Erasmus 1.0, I would say that from an opening game play perspective, the âBot plays well. However, Erasmus is getting a complete makeover from its initial incarnation. The natural question is, “What is going to change?” From a core game mechanics and components standpoint, nothing beyond a couple of card typos. So, now fast-forward to the Empire of the Sun 2 nd edition reprint. I must say that did make me laugh, but it also says that the system is credible as an opponent. The reply came back that if this was the case, I won. During their initial games, I made the comment that if they were using the âBot, they were playing me. An amusing anecdote is Michael and Tom from the Rally in the Valley podcast recently reviewed Pericles. My impression is this system has been well received and that many gamers, myself included, are getting much of their Pericles table time using the solo system. Next came Pericles, and I went back to my roots in computer programming and used decision logic diagrams. That said, I have become convinced that without a computer program or a tailored App, any solo system for a complex game is still going to require some amount of player input. I would say that it worked for Churchill, but some felt that it needed more detail. My more recent experience with âBots came with my co-design of Fire in the Lake, using Volkoâs COIN solo system that I reprised in Churchill. Although I did incorporate the option that once you start with the Japanese, you can switch to the Allies in 1943, ultimately the task required a new solo system. My history with solo systems goes back to my 20 th century release of VG’s Peloponnesian War, so I examined that method for this system. I blithely said âsureâ not realizing how much work this would entail and how difficult it is to write computer logic for humans. When I was working on Empire of the Sun 2 nd edition, Gene Billingsley convinced me to create a new solo system for the game.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |