Looney Labs Icehouse Mailing list Archive

[David Artman <david@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I have clarified first-shot Colonization in the victory conditions.

It's funny: every time I make a game, I discover hidden "rules" or assumptions. I actually didn't think of counting the small for a 1- or 2-point landing when one Colonizes--I just thought of it as the end game and the coincidental landing of a small wasn't relevant. But by your reading--and merely logically parsing the rules as written--it DOES score, because it DOES fulfill the "part of small in tube" condition for scoring. I guess I'm fine with that latter interpretation, but I WILL go clarify on the wiki (by saying "you gain the point(s) for the small and the game immediately ends" or some such).

I am not sure getting all three in is even possible, short of some serious luck (i.e. a fluke). My larges almost never even move from the launch pad, and even if I'm "forcing" things with the medium (to Colonize) the large only slides a few inches. You'd have to all-but-punt the large out from under the two others, to get it moving downrange.

But all that said, sure, I could toss out a one-line rule addition that does something unique and fun with the large. I am interested in the "lowest score wins" as a condition, because that let's the desperate, neigh-doomed loser have a shot at winning no matter how far behind he or she is in points. A final escape clause, so to speak. A desperation shot. But I don't want to call it a catastrophe (b./c of Homeworlds)....

How about "Cracked the Moon"? You hit it so hard that it cracks in half and loses stability, winging off into space....

Finally, it looks like there are several conditions that I could add for additional results:
Small only (facing away) - current, 1 point
Small only (facing toward) - current, 2 points
Small and Medium - 1 or 2 points, per above, and endgame
Medium only - ???
Small and Large - ???
Large only - ???
Small, Medium, and Large - ???
(Though the latter three get subsumed into "if any part of the large goes into the tube, the game ends immediately and the player with the LOWEST score wins" with or without points for a Small.)

But I wonder if anything is really gained by those extra conditions in the middle of the list (your idea for Large = Lowest Score Wins is cool, though). Thoughts on that?

As for turnless--that just came about by me slapping a footnote onto every rule that asserted something. Variations are EASY to write, once a game is fairly firm. Heck, they write themselves, once you can spot elements that easily flip-flop or toggle between different techniques of play.

Again, glad you like it!
David