Joshua Kronengold <mneme@xxxxxx> typed something resembling:
Rob Bryan writes:
On Tue, Mar 31, 2009 at 4:18 PM, Joseph Peterson
<jeepeterson@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hmm, I really must play some second-builder-plays-first games; just
since my last email in this thread I've been re-convincing myself that
it's maybe broken. Or at least that I see a tactic for second builder
I want to play until I see why it isn't crushing.
I think it -is- broken; I've still not seen a depiction of 2p1st that
isn't flat-out worse than straight turn-taking -- and I suspect that a
smart small universe play in 2p1st is broken (which is one thing you
can do there that you can't do in regular play -- force a small
universe as first player).
<snip>
I haven't seen any discussion of a Settlers of Catan style setup
phase. In Settlers, the players place one starting set of pieces in
turn order, then they place a second set in reverse turn order, with
the second set determining starting resources. This means the last
player gets to place all his starting pieces at once and determine his
starting resources before anybody else.
In Homeworlds, you could do something similar, with the first player
choosing one star, then the second player choosing both his, then the
first choosing the other star and his starting ship, then the second
his starting ship. You could even let the player choose when to draw a
piece as his ship, or even leave that determination till the end. I
don't know Homeworlds well enough to see balance issues with this,
though I'd love to hear discussion.
Harold