Pirate game
Steve Jackson
I've been asked to post some information about the pirate game I'm working on.
Essentially, it's a simple RPG designed for conventions; I figure I can
handle 20 to 25 people at once. Most of the players will be scurvy pirate
captains (a few may be the Royal Navy). Arrrrr!
Players will buy ships and cannon, hire crew, and navigate on a map of the
(fantasy) Caribbean. I'm going to rip off my old BROADSIDE set to get a
bunch of little ship counters. My little computer and I will tell the
players what they find. When they encounter helpless victims, they loot
them and head back to Port Royale for a debauch. Arrrrr!
But when they find trouble (or even a victim that shows fight) the Lego
ships come out, and the battle is resolved on the floor. Yes, of course
players will be able to attack each other. I'm counting on it :-)
Right now it looks like the first public outing of the rules will be at
CONDUIT in Salt Lake City, May 15-17 -- I'm a guest there and they will
have a pirate theme to the con.
Sometime between now and then, I need to find or build a lot more
cutter-sized ships - that will be the starting ship. Hmm, that's game
terminology, sorry. You know the little ship that comes with the Imperial
Trading Post set? That size. The SEA SERPENT kit (6057) turns out to
contain enough special pieces to let me build *two* nice cutters - I
assume it is no longer in production. I'll confirm that at S@H tomorrow
and then start trying to trade for some . . .
If this works out, I'll keep running it at conventions as long as it's fun.
The Undead
Steve Jackson wrote:
> I've been asked to post some information about the pirate game I'm working on.
>
> Essentially, it's a simple RPG designed for conventions; I figure I can
> handle 20 to 25 people at once. Most of the players will be scurvy pirate
> captains (a few may be the Royal Navy). Arrrrr!
>
> But when they find trouble (or even a victim that shows fight) the Lego
> ships come out, and the battle is resolved on the floor. Yes, of course
> players will be able to attack each other. I'm counting on it :-)
>
> Right now it looks like the first public outing of the rules will be at
> CONDUIT in Salt Lake City, May 15-17 -- I'm a guest there and they will
> have a pirate theme to the con.
Any chance of you running this at GenCon this year?? I've used LEGO already for
Car Wars and this sounds like it'd be another great time....
The Undead
"I believe what the prophets said, that the oceans hold their dead" - Savatage
"Gotta get back, gotta get back, gotta get back, I never meant to take it this
far" - Savatage
Steve Jackson
>
> Any chance of you running this at GenCon this year??
None - we are among the companies that are boycotting GenCon this year . .
. I just might do it at Worldcon, though.
much more on this, much much more, at rec.games.frp.industry...
The Undead
Steve Jackson wrote:
Yeah, I knew about the boycott already from rec.games.frp.dnd, it really pisses me
off... I'm not mad at the gaming companies, don't get me wrong, it's just that
GenCon is usually the only convention of the year I can get to anymore, and really
the only time I even get to *play* anymore... I'm kinda in a jam here, my gaming
club has been going to GenCon for almost 17 years now, I've got a lot of friends in
the gaming companies and some who work for WotC/TSR and Andon... Hate being the pig
in the middle...
Steve Jackson
>Hate being the pig in the middle...
Understand. Sympathize. Oink, oink. (me too.)
It's worth checking out smaller cons . . .
Doug Mikkelson
For those of you in or around Southern Illinois, the Annual Egyptian
Campaign is going to be held the last week in March at Carbondale, IL
- the Southern Illinois Campus.
Events there include several sessions of a game called Lego Pirate War.
The pre-reg packet states that Imperials are after Red Beard.
It goes on to suggest that you may bring your own Lego Pirate ship, but
must include *at least* 30 pirates per ship if you do so. . .
I've never played, but I'm definitely gonna try to get into at least one
session.
More info:
EGYPTIAN CAMPAIGN 1998 GAMING CONVENTION
MARCH 27, 28 & 29
Carbondale, Illinois. On the campus of S.I.U.C.
CHECK OUT OUR WEB SITE!
(Now featuring a complete events listing and pre-reg information)
<A HREF="http://www.siu.edu/~gamesoc/egypcamp.html">
http://www.siu.edu/~gamesoc</A>
____ ____ ___ ___ __ __ _ _ _ . . . . . . _ _ _ __ __ ___ ___ ____ ____
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Douglas E Mikkelson email: mikk...@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu
Vintage Playset designs for Star Wars and Micronaut action figures at . . .
http://www.staff.uiuc.edu/~mikkelso
The Undead
Steve Jackson wrote:
I've been to a few of the smaller (and not so small ones) in the past. This year
it'll be practically impossible for me to get to anything other than GenCon
(getting hitched in July) due to money constraints.
Scott Javoroski
"Wait for me now, I will be there for you
This I will vow, if you still want me to
But it won't be, this I have always known
And in the dark, there's no one to pray for me now"
- Savatage
Steve Jackson
In article <Pine.HPP.3.96.98021...@staff1.cso.uiuc.edu>,
Doug Mikkelson <mikk...@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> wrote:
> For those of you in or around Southern Illinois, the Annual Egyptian
> Campaign is going to be held the last week in March at Carbondale, IL
> - the Southern Illinois Campus.
> Events there include several sessions of a game called Lego Pirate War.
> The pre-reg packet states that Imperials are after Red Beard.
> It goes on to suggest that you may bring your own Lego Pirate ship, but
> must include *at least* 30 pirates per ship if you do so. . .
Fantastic! Please post a report....
cs...@ix.netcom.com
> Steve Jackson wrote:
>
> > In article <34E84D4B...@execpc.com>, The Undead <sj...@execpc.com> wrote:
> > > Any chance of you running this at GenCon this year??
> >
> > None - we are among the companies that are boycotting GenCon this year . .
> > . I just might do it at Worldcon, though.
> >
> > much more on this, much much more, at rec.games.frp.industry...
Umm -- this is the first I've heard of this -- can someone fill me in?
CF
Lind
> > > > Any chance of you running this at GenCon this year??
> > >
> > > None - we are among the companies that are boycotting GenCon this year . .
> > > . I just might do it at Worldcon, though.
> > >
> > > much more on this, much much more, at rec.games.frp.industry...
>
> Umm -- this is the first I've heard of this -- can someone fill me in?
Let's see, GenCon decided to jack it's prices up by 40%-50% for all
booths. The whole thing has disgusted numerous gaming companies,
including Palladium and Steve Jackson (many others, but I can't think of
names right off the top of my head). Basically, they're opposing the
change in management, the sudden abuse of companies that have been
attending GenCon for decades and the fact that many small companies are
suddenly priced right out of attending. Thus, we have a boycott of
GenCon, which, of course, TSR/WoTC is claiming will kill said boycotting
companies in the market (a load of bull). Fun, huh?
Keith M. Lucas
In article <34EA100E...@execpc.com>,
The Undead <sj...@execpc.com> wrote:
> Yeah, I knew about the boycott already from rec.games.frp.dnd,
Is it possible, since it's been mentioned here, that you could give us
a brief explantion of what this is about ?
I'm just wondering, that's all.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
sillywizATexcessionDOTdemonDOTcoDOTuk"It's not a personality..it's a bulldozer"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
assassinate president plutonium nuclear amnesty international airliner heroin
-------------------------- Include triggers, make life hard for the spooks. ---
The Undead
Lind wrote:
> <snipped a bunch of interesting, but non-Lego related stuff>
I know I started this whole thread, but let's let it die here in r.t.l. please? I've
got a headache from all the reading about it in rec.games.frp.industry . Back to
Lego!
The Undead
"I can't wait for the morning sun, as I stand with the sea
And the ocean she understands, just the man I could be"
"Morning Sun" - Savatage
J.D. Forinash
In article <34EB99...@clsp.uswest.net>,
Lind <thel...@clsp.uswest.net> wrote:
> Let's see, GenCon decided to jack it's prices up by 40%-50% for all
>booths. The whole thing has disgusted numerous gaming companies,
>including Palladium and Steve Jackson (many others, but I can't think of
>names right off the top of my head). Basically, they're opposing the
R. Talsorian, Dream Pod 9, and Grey Ghost Games are the list as far
as I know at the moment.
>GenCon, which, of course, TSR/WoTC is claiming will kill said boycotting
>companies in the market (a load of bull). Fun, huh?
It will, in the part of the gaming community that thinks Magic: The
Gathering is all there is to gaming. While that's a significant
chunk of the market, it's not the whole market by any stretch of
the imagination (heck, I've never bought a WOTC product in my life, and
TSR hasn't seen any of my money in years-- but I still buy lots of
gaming stuff...)
On the subject of Lego and gaming: While the scale gets significantly
larger, Lego is _great_ for Car Wars if your table is big enough. An
inch on the Car Wars map becomes 10 spots on a baseplate. Note that
a 4x10 car is actually a little wider than 4 spots wide due to door
handles and wheels and antenna mounts and EWPs, which makes it actually
(almost) 5x10, fitting in (almost) perfectly with Car Wars scale.
You'll probably want to make it so that your car's wheels don't actually
touch the ground, though; the car will tend to try to roll a half-stud
width in some direction when you place it. Not to mention that if the
car rolls, even the most die-hard "Oh, lego cars are silly!" purist
gamer will never be able to convince himself not to go rolling the car
around on the table if it rolls. :)
I almost ran my Car Wars event at Dragon*Con two years ago this way, but
wasn't certain I could get enough table space to do it...
-F
--
,-. J.D. Forinash: geek, speed demon, sysadmin, Vogon poet, smeghead
( < Waka waka. (2^3021376)*((2^3021377)-1) <IMG SRC = "stardestroyer.asc">
`-' http://www.cc.gatech.edu/people/home/foxtrot fox...@cc.gatech.edu
The more you learn, the better your luck gets. Phoenix:GFW PBEMCW:FOX O- <*>
James Aldrich
J.D. Forinash wrote:
>
> You'll probably want to make it so that your car's wheels don't actually
> touch the ground, though; the car will tend to try to roll a half-stud
> width in some direction when you place it. Not to mention that if the
> car rolls, even the most die-hard "Oh, lego cars are silly!" purist
> gamer will never be able to convince himself not to go rolling the car
> around on the table if it rolls. :)
>
I resemble that remark!
cs...@ix.netcom.com
J.D. Forinash wrote:
>
> In article <34EB99...@clsp.uswest.net>,
> Lind <thel...@clsp.uswest.net> wrote:
> > Let's see, GenCon decided to jack it's prices up by 40%-50% for all
> >booths. The whole thing has disgusted numerous gaming companies,
> >including Palladium and Steve Jackson (many others, but I can't think of
> >names right off the top of my head). Basically, they're opposing the
>
> R. Talsorian, Dream Pod 9, and Grey Ghost Games are the list as far
> as I know at the moment.
>
> >GenCon, which, of course, TSR/WoTC is claiming will kill said boycotting
> >companies in the market (a load of bull). Fun, huh?
>
> It will, in the part of the gaming community that thinks Magic: The
> Gathering is all there is to gaming.
Oh, you mean like Omaha? :)
> While that's a significant
> chunk of the market, it's not the whole market by any stretch of
> the imagination (heck, I've never bought a WOTC product in my life, and
> TSR hasn't seen any of my money in years-- but I still buy lots of
> gaming stuff...)
>
Me neither (stifling "CCGs are to gaming as Formula One is to auto
racing" rant).
> On the subject of Lego and gaming: While the scale gets significantly
> larger, Lego is _great_ for Car Wars if your table is big enough. An
> inch on the Car Wars map becomes 10 spots on a baseplate. Note that
> a 4x10 car is actually a little wider than 4 spots wide due to door
> handles and wheels and antenna mounts and EWPs, which makes it actually
> (almost) 5x10, fitting in (almost) perfectly with Car Wars scale.
>
> I almost ran my Car Wars event at Dragon*Con two years ago this way, but
> wasn't certain I could get enough table space to do it...
I gave up on CW -- it's a nice idea, but (no offense, SJ) between the
rules patches and the blatant physics gaffes, Cthulhu help someone who
tries to use "real-world" combat tactics (mil. history is a hobby of
mine).
Right now I'm [CENSORED] [CENSORED] [CENSORED] [CENSORED] [CENSORED].
Maybe sometime in August.
CF (we now return you to your regularly-scheduled LEGOing)
The Undead
Keith M. Lucas wrote:
> In article <34EA100E...@execpc.com>,
> The Undead <sj...@execpc.com> wrote:
>
> > Yeah, I knew about the boycott already from rec.games.frp.dnd,
>
> Is it possible, since it's been mentioned here, that you could give us
> a brief explantion of what this is about ?
>
> I'm just wondering, that's all.
Well, to make a long story short, and correct me if I'm wrong Steve, Andon (the
company that runs GenCon for WotC/TSR) was told by WotC that the con should at
least come close to breaking even this year. Andon, as a result, raised the prices
of the exhibitors booths for this year. The killer part is that all the booths now
cost the same per square foot. Originally, there were three different "zones" that,
depending on how close you were to the TSR castle, determined how expensive your
booth was. From what I understand, _all_ booths are now the same price no matter
where you are located. Premiums are charged for island and peninsula booths of
course (I think it's almost $1000 more). In effect, booths that used to cost as
little as $350 are now going for $885 or more. A lot of companies that have been a
mainstay at GenCon over the years are, understandably so, upset by this.
The Undead
President, B.Y.O.V.
"Wait for me now, I will be there for you
This I will vow, if you still want me to
But it won't be, this I have always known
And in the dark, there's no one to pray for me now"
"Turns to Me" - Savatage
Steve Jackson
In article <34EDA266...@execpc.com>, The Undead <sj...@execpc.com> wrote:
(substantially correct and complete short version of the GenCon affair)
But really, let's not rehash it all in r.t.l . . . if you go to
rec.games.frp.inudstry and look at the article titles, you will see it
being beaten to death, picked up, flogged till the parts drop off,
stitched together, beaten again . . .
ObLego: Why can't I find any link to PIRATES on the official Lego site,
either from the top page or the catalog? Is it hidden, or GONE? Or is
somebody just beaming the Orbital Mind Control Lasers at me again?
James Aldrich
Steve Jackson wrote:
[snip]
> ObLego: Why can't I find any link to PIRATES on the official Lego site,
> either from the top page or the catalog? Is it hidden, or GONE? Or is
> somebody just beaming the Orbital Mind Control Lasers at me again?
Pirates is discontinued. Even TRU is beginning to clear out the line.
Rumor has it the theme will be reincarnated in our lifetime.
JSA
Lind
Personally, I'd be inclined to think it'll come back within the next
decade. They'll wait for the current crop o' kids to grow up, with the
vast majority becoming disinterested colleges students (and a small, but
vocal minority turning into RTL'ers) and then they'll reintroduce THE
EXACT SAME SETS to a brand new group of happy-go-lucky children.
Wouldn't that be fun?
Oh, BTW, the Orbital Mind Control Lasers did get you, but because they
did, you wouldn't actually know about it until it was too late.
Daniel Miller
In article <sj-200298...@sj.sjgames.com>,
Steve Jackson <s...@io.com> wrote:
>ObLego: Why can't I find any link to PIRATES on the official Lego site,
>either from the top page or the catalog? Is it hidden, or GONE? Or is
>somebody just beaming the Orbital Mind Control Lasers at me again?
Pirates has been discontinued. Sucks, don't it?
Apparently, parents didn't like it... too much shooting and killing and
carrying on. I treasure my Carribean Clipper, I think it's wunderbar,
but for 10-year-olds it's ultimately the parent's money.
--
Dan'l dani...@expert.cc.purdue.edu
*All quotations from the Encyclopedia Galactica here reproduced are
taken from the 116th Edition published in 1020F.E. by the Encyclopedia
Galactica Publishing Co., Terminus, with permission of the publishers.
Nephilim
Daniel Miller wrote:
>
> In article <sj-200298...@sj.sjgames.com>,
> Steve Jackson <s...@io.com> wrote:
> >ObLego: Why can't I find any link to PIRATES on the official Lego site,
> >either from the top page or the catalog? Is it hidden, or GONE? Or is
> >somebody just beaming the Orbital Mind Control Lasers at me again?
>
> Pirates has been discontinued. Sucks, don't it?
>
> Apparently, parents didn't like it... too much shooting and killing and
> carrying on. I treasure my Carribean Clipper, I think it's wunderbar,
> but for 10-year-olds it's ultimately the parent's money.
What is the basis for this theory?
I'd agree that low sales would be the spur that would motivate
them to retire the line. But I doubt that the violence of the
theme had much to do with low sales - not with so much of the rest
of the LEGO product line becoming more conflict oriented.
My guess would be just that big expensive pirate ships just
didn't sell all that well. LEGO probably sells 10-20 $40
sets for every single $100 set it sells. (I'm just making these
figures up out of whole cloth) So the large ships didn't move
off the shelves very fast. Thus, the last two years the Pirate
line was active, the emphasis was on smaller ships that cost less
than $100.
I'm sure low sales also killed the monorail line. If they had
flown off the shelves, LEGO would have come out with another
monorail by now.
--
Steve Jackson
In article <34EE52...@sparknet.net>, jald...@sparknet.net wrote:
> Steve Jackson wrote:
>
> [snip]
>
> > ObLego: Why can't I find any link to PIRATES on the official Lego site...?
>
> Pirates is discontinued.
Aieee!
Sackcloth and ashes! Weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth!
Bad, bad words!
Derek Schin
>
> Bad, bad words!
Indeed, but 'tis true. See, you shouldn't have left a couple of years ago.
The only good thing is that all the pirate stuff is on clearance everywhere you look. Of course,
most of it's gone by now, but I'll bet there are some stores with pirate stock left.
:Derek
--
LEGO: MOC+++ CA[wp+++ fm++ bf+]+++ TR+++ SP++(6950) #+++++ LS A++ M+ YB74m
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Lofts/9639/ dsc...@mcn.net
Jesse Long
Derek Schin wrote in message <34F20D...@mcn.net>...
>LEGO: MOC+++ CA[wp+++ fm++ bf+]+++ TR+++ SP++(6950) #+++++ LS A++ M+ YB74m
>http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Lofts/9639/ dsc...@mcn.net
I guess that makes me (too lazy to do themes) #+++++ S- LS++ Hsu A+ LM----
YB74m.
Jesse