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I really like the concept of this game, but it's lacking in some areas. I have been trying out some ideas, such as the battle map and the giant past map I uploaded in the gallery before. Not going to use them. One requires 2d8s and the other one would need 2d10s to jump around with. For one thing, I definitely want more historic jumps, hence the bigger map.
So, I thought, why not just stick with standard D6 dice? Instead of using 2 maps (one for the past and one for future), let's just insert another quadrant or two, then we can use either 36, 72 or 108 total spots.
When the player crosses the center space, simply roll a die to determine which other quadrant you jump to or if you remain in the same one.
There's 102 historic periods I've compiled and researched, at least 20 of them devoted to prehistoric times. There are 6 remaining spots used for the Timepolice. I've retained most of the original dates, except for a few of the obscure ones whose opponents would be represented in another battle. The rest were selected based on those that peaked my interest and most significant battles of history.
Rather than opening a pamphlet to look up the game stats and historical notes for each location, I would like to use a series of cards, like the following...
These battles will have actual opponents fighting each other rather than just ganging up on the Time Tripper, and each stage will have 3 different units. If one side is defeated, then all attention is directed at the Tripper.
Which brings me to another topic, improved ratings. For example, I weighed all modern guns simply determined by their bullet diameter X case length. The black powder guns are compared vs their comtemporaries and advances. For armor and weapons, I sort of followed the max damage and protection values from Dungeons and Dragons game as a rough guideline. Again, its historical effectiveness versus the armors of the day were also considered. From there, a proper alignment was needed to correctly balance the guns to the armor. A suit of full steel will cancel out the most basic of early arquebus. From there, plate begins to disappear as the guns gain lethality. Mounted soldiers gain 1 level of attack for melee weapons, and those on armored horses would gain 2, all of which already factored onto the card.
Defense now comes with 2 ratings;(A) Melee (includes arrows and bolts)(B) Ballistics (anything that uses gunpowder or explodes).
The Time Tripper for this variant will be one from modern day, a soldier that gets to wear the lastest body armor, a wider selection of military-issue arms and have the option of grabbing the ceramic plate inserts, gas mask, parka, etc.
All starting equipment however, will be randomly generated, or select one from each of the four catagories. I threw out the weight tracking issue. Wearing or using certain items lowers your maximum move to 3 spaces rather than 4.
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Steve Schacher
California
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I can see that you're having a lot of fun with this!
Steve
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Yes I am. Fun little project. Also a good excuse for researching various bits of world history.
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PLAYTEST NOTES
For the few lurkers out there that are interested in my progress with this new variant, I've done many battle stages to get a feel for the new ratings, charts and historical jumps. Here's an overall rundown of my thoughts so far.
1) Opponents are definitely more active, though the aggression level towards the Tripper is about the same, mainly because of the 3-way battle plans that the new Detection chart produces. The additional A+ and T+ results forces a unit to engage their historical opponent. Half of the overall "Towards" and "Attack" results are directed at the Tripper. Situation gets hairy quick when one set of enemies are eliminated, then all the attention is directed to the Tripper.
2) Individual movements rated from 1-7 make the battle flow better. Its difficult to avoid the light cavaliers and hungry therapods. The fastest cover the map within 2 turns. Equipping one of the newer items, like the ballistic plates, or a machine gun puts the Trippers max speed at 3, rather than 4.
3) I keep forgetting to roll for "out of ammo" chance.
4) The actual victors of the real battle represented should always act first (after the Tripper makes his move). Opponents do not counter attack out of their turn. This gives the edge to the victors again. Prehistoric carnivores get to act first over the herbivores.
5) No more hit-point tracking for the beasts. Defensive ratings for the beasts are based on their weight class, then adjusted by whether they are a carnivore or herbivore and finally a point of two increase for certain body features, horns, armor, oversized jaws, etc. You need the shotgun or high-cal sniper rifle to reliably bring down the big game. Though a few are so huge only the .50, the 20mm, or rocket will down them. In these situations its best to let them fight amongst themselves and warp out as soon as possible.
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Guess I'll post a little update. Map has been increased to 17 x 17. Close range is more lethal now. No more cartoonishly bad troops missing their shots from 2 spaces away. The Tripper is still the better shot, but not by alot. Use cover to drop their accuracy. Added barbed wire, sand bags, gas and deep mud effects for some battle stages. New rule effects like "cannon-fire" and "hold-up situation" as well.
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Steve Schacher
California
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Still watching.
Steve
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Thought I would pop in just to show that the Advanced Time Tripper project isn't dead.
Cards are grouped by one of three grids. This way you dont have to print out all of them and just use the one or two you like if you go that way. There are no sea battles and no future or fantasy jumps, only major historical battles.
And here's the "Attack minus Defense" chart realigned. I also reformatted some of the other charts. There's still that slight chance that an opponent can be disabled under the "0" column.
Lastest update as of May 24, 2012
There will only be 2 grids, not 3. I want variety but not repetition.
Of those two maps, 60 spots will have historical soldiers, and 12 for prehistoric times. A few of the stages will not have opposing enemies, they will just focus on the Tripper. Here are the dates:
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Posted Mon Oct 17, 2011 5:37 pm
