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 - Delta Quadrant
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#572336
Chris Sloan has developped a new 1E multiplayer format. It is really balanced and very fun to play with preconstructed decks. Each affiliation has special abilities and the spaceline set-up is so well designed that interaction is more or less mandatory. It is really lots of fun, so try it out.

Memorable moments:
Luther Sloan first appeared naturally out of nowhere, scoring points, then got bribed and afterwhats captured. Famous for shifting allegiances :) .
I have never seen a facility firing on a ship for points... Well, happened here...
Center of the Galaxy was Shaka-Ree. Requiring Range 6... Without a sizable fleet, impossible to fly by...

Try it out, it is worth it.
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Chief Programmer
By eberlems
 - Chief Programmer
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Explorer
2E European Continental Quarter-Finalist 2023
2E  National Second Runner-Up 2023
#572337
A bit different start compared to normal 1E games with ship and crew from start.
2 card plays and 2 carddraws takes a while to get used to.
Every deck was preconstructed and had small special rules.
The need to come close to the opponent to reach your missions is a nice touch.
Y form spaceline with Shaka-Ree in the middle gets an issue for damaged ships.
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First Edition Rules Master
By BCSWowbagger (James Heaney)
 - First Edition Rules Master
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Community Contributor
#572340
Well now I feel extra bad for missing out on a chance to play this format this weekend!

Hopefully another chance will arise.

EDIT: If anyone has the ruleset for this format, I'm always FASCINATED by homebrew rulesets of all kinds. (They often offer insights into different directions the game could take.)
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By ShipNerd
 - Beta Quadrant
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#572361
BCSWowbagger wrote: Sat Feb 19, 2022 5:44 pm Well now I feel extra bad for missing out on a chance to play this format this weekend!

Hopefully another chance will arise.

EDIT: If anyone has the ruleset for this format, I'm always FASCINATED by homebrew rulesets of all kinds. (They often offer insights into different directions the game could take.)
The format originated a few years ago in my local group as the oldies said, they have no longer have time (due to kids etc.) or focus for long complex competivie 1vs1 OTF games, wanting something more casual, fun and easy going. Making it multiplayer compatible was a natural step. The format is currently offered to the trekcc since a few month waiting for approval as unranked MP format to be put into the organized play guide.

the option to contact me to already play in the Interactive MP Format was linked a few month ago too (trekcc or dojo discord):
viewtopic.php?f=24&t=45316
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First Edition Rules Master
By BCSWowbagger (James Heaney)
 - First Edition Rules Master
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Community Contributor
#572419
ShipNerd wrote: Sun Feb 20, 2022 9:56 amThe format is currently offered to the trekcc since a few month waiting for approval as unranked MP format to be put into the organized play guide.
Hang on, I'm on the TrekCC these days, aren't I! Do I have a copy of the format? I don't think I do, but I've been known to mislay PMs.

(In my personal experience, unranked formats tend to get added to the OPG if lots of people around the world are playing them, rather than the other way around. But I'd like to see the rules / card pool, if possible, so I can see whether it's something I'd like to play locally!)
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North American OP Coordinator
By The Ninja Scot (Michael Van Breemen)
 - North American OP Coordinator
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1E World Quarter-Finalist 2023
2E World Champion 2023
Tribbles World Champion 2022
The Traveler
1E North American Continental Champion 2023
2E North American Continental Champion 2023
  Trek Masters 1E Champion 2024
1E Canadian National Champion 2023
1E American National Champion 2023
2E Canadian National Champion 2023
2E  National Runner-Up 2023
2E American National Second Runner-Up 2023
1E The Neutral Zone Regional Champion 2023
2E The Neutral Zone Regional Champion 2023
#572420
If it is the same thing that you've mentioned before, I sent back the following:

Everyone picks a preconstructed decklist and makes no changes to it.
And
That's it?

I'm missing how this format is supposed to work exactly.

Also, there is no way currently for the tournament system to score any multi-player tournament format.

So, there would be no way to implement this or any other multiplayer format without a significant amount of reprogramming and modification of the tournament system at the barest of minimum.

Michael
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By ShipNerd
 - Beta Quadrant
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#572445
The Ninja Scot wrote: Mon Feb 21, 2022 6:00 pm
Also, there is no way currently for the tournament system to score any multi-player tournament format.

Michael
You did sent me that message in PM, to my request to have the MP be a unranked but official scenario in the organized play guide.

As I already responded to your PM via PM, its not supposed to be scored, recorded or ranked. I am waiting for the trekcc / organized play that I have PMed the entire organized play department + 1e Leads, to let it be part of the organized play document to announce such a unranked/unscored Multiplayer *scenario* to make player aware of such an event and how the procedure for that is, who decides it etc..

Please respond to my response by PM as an PM, thx. Further posts here about my PMs requests might be ignored, as I am waiting for my last PM reply (which was summarized here) there.
Last edited by ShipNerd on Tue Feb 22, 2022 9:50 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Director of Operations
By JeBuS (Brian S)
 - Director of Operations
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1E Deep Space 9 Regional Champion 2023
#572446
At this time, multiplayer formats are incompatible with the tournament record-keeping systems in place. It's not about ranking. It's that the whole system was built on the assumption of 1v1 games. It would be a non-trivial matter to change that.

That being said, I'd like for it to be possible some day.
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By ShipNerd
 - Beta Quadrant
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#572447
JeBuS wrote: Tue Feb 22, 2022 9:46 am It's that the whole system was built on the assumption of 1v1 games. It would be a non-trivial matter to change that.

That being said, I'd like for it to be possible some day.
I believe that the system does not keep records and that it would be difficult to reprogram it. No need to.

So just announcing the tournament as a MP scenario to make the player aware and point at the organized play guide for rules (to publish them there eventually) is possible once the rules are published in the Organized play guide. Simply not entering results - as there are irrelevant in an MP anyway.

Waiting for the organised play department response via PM when they like to negotiate with me, for me giving the rules to be used in the organized play guide, if wanted by them :)

Edit: Even after another message the request was ignroed for a couple of month now, just as other projects that range up to 14 month ago. Quess my ambitions scare some trekcc people LOL. MP ist just to much fun to deal with trekcc politics.

Currently further MP matches can be played see also the dojo Multiplayer channel. Don´t do policits or analyse the rules, play the game offline and online and with those you like :)
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First Edition Rules Master
By BCSWowbagger (James Heaney)
 - First Edition Rules Master
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Community Contributor
#572477
ShipNerd wrote: Tue Feb 22, 2022 10:13 am Edit: Even after another message the request was ignroed for a couple of month now, just as other projects that range up to 14 month ago. Quess my ambitions scare some trekcc people LOL. MP ist just to much fun to deal with trekcc politics.
I wear a green badge now, but, when I wrote the new 1E Rulebook back in 2014, I wasn't even a volunteer yet. Nobody was afraid of my ambitions! Everyone in the CC welcomed my contribution.

But organizations move slowly, and it's hard to push things through. That's no slight against the CC. It's just hard (and takes tons of effort) to get lots of people on the same page about the same thing at the same time so they all follow the same plan -- and all the volunteers already have plates full with regular tasks. It took about five years for the Rulebook to become "official."

I mean, look at TNG-Only Format. That's the CC's own idea, it's been in testing for almost two years, and it still isn't in the Organized Play Guide! Second Edition Bridge Crew Format is really cool, but has never appeared in the OPG to my knowledge. And you think it's that the CC is "afraid of your ambitions" because it hasn't enshrined your format in the OPG after 8 weeks? C'mon, man, that's silly!

That's why I released the Rulebook publicly. Instead of trying to navigate the CC system, I wrote the thing and immediately made it available to everyone, on my own website. I offered it to the CC, but didn't push it on them, and kept on privately updating it. The community started using it, started saying good things about it, and that actually helped grease the skids so that it eventually became official.

That's what I think you should do here. You have a cool thing. @Caretaker's Guest likes it, and I trust his judgment quite a bit. So post it far and wide! Here in the forums, there on the Dojo, and over on your own personal website if you have one! If it's a good format people want to play, they're going to play it. If lots of people start playing it, that's when it becomes likely to become official.
Currently further MP matches can be played see also the dojo Multiplayer channel. Don´t do policits or analyse the rules, play the game offline and online and with those you like :)
I WANT to try playing your MP format, but I can't see the rules because you won't post them here! :)
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By nobthehobbit (Daniel Pareja)
 - The Center of the Galaxy
 -  
Moderator
#572487
If this is going to get back to legitimate discussion of a proposed multiplayer format, I'll let this continue. But if there's more "OP won't return my DMs" griping, I'm locking this thread.
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By ShipNerd
 - Beta Quadrant
 -  
#574105
There is a fresh report (text + pictures) in the dojo server of a real life Interactive Multiplayer event :)

Channel: #1e Multiplayer in Organized play there
Dojo Server:
https://discord.com/invite/rsRy5GV
Bossikamura authorizes new people there.
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First Edition Rules Master
By BCSWowbagger (James Heaney)
 - First Edition Rules Master
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Community Contributor
#574534
Report:

I played this format today and had a very fun & interesting time. Thanks to ShipNerd for organizing the event.

The MP format is quite a radical spin on the normal game -- but, within its context, it works pretty well. My notes:

There are a handful of similarities with Warp Speed:

(1) As in Warp Speed, you ignore a lot of icons (quadrants, hologram, [1E-AU], basically anything that keeps you from playing nouns at your outpost).

(2) As in Warp Speed, you have two normal card plays.

(3) Similar to Warp Speed, you draw two at end of turn. (Which is like "drawing up" but not identical.)

After that, the departures are large.

(4) The spaceline is very rigidly defined (I'll come back to that).

(5) Only dual-icon dilemmas are allowed.

(6) Dilemmas are spit out at random from a dilemma pile, similar to 2E's. (You can encounter the same dilemma twice at a given mission.) All missions have 4 dilemmas to be faced, except the outpost missions, which have 5. In effect, it was a LOT like requiring all players to use The Squire's Rules, and that did indeed speed things along.

(7) Each affiliation has (a) a restriction, (b) a power, and (c) a bonus point mechanic. This is all coded to the affiliation's mechanical and story-based flavor. I played [Dom]. My restriction: no attacking [Fer] . My power: my Attack Ships could, once per game per opponent, decloak a ship. Also, twice per game, my invasive transporters could beam through opponent's shields. My points: 5 bonus points per personnel battle I won. I only know the three that were in our game, but they were indeed flavorful and shaped the game massively.

(8) The win condition is interesting. When any player reaches 85 points, or when time is called, it triggers the endgame. In the endgame, each player gets 2 more full turns (except the player who went first and the player who hit 85 points; they only get 1 full turn). The player with the most points at the end of the endgame wins.

(9) Mission stealing is completely forbidden.

(10) All decks are preconstructed, so any problems this format might have in a constructed format are solved straight off the bat.

(11) There is no real "seed phase," only a Mission Phase. There are no Doorways. Dilemmas are picked later, during an attempt, from a dilemma pile. You are required to seed your only facility (an outpost) at a specific mission, so it's not really a "phase."

(12) There are no affiliation attack restrictions and no leader requirement. Exception: the Federation can only attack if it is attacked first (as its restriction), and has (as its power) the ability to cancel battles twice per game if [Fed] Diplomacy > opponent's Treachery present.

(13) Each deck gets 8 predetermined cards at the start of the game. It is a mixture of Ships, Personnel, and maybe Events/Interrupts if you pick the right deck. All these cards are played automatically at the end of the seed phase, so you start with a substantial jumpstart. I had two ships + 5 personnel in play before my first turn started!
(14) Your cards may not initiate battle (or use abilities) (or get bonus points) at an opponent's outpost mission. They are safe zones.

(15) Okay, back to the spaceline, because this was the part of the format I personally found the most elegant, and it's the reason everything else worked.

There is a single "hub" card (not considered any player's mission) at the center of the spaceline --normally an unattemptable mission. In our game, it was Diplomatic Conference. (I got the impression the "hub" card can vary based on which decks are involved.)

From the "hub", each player "controls" one spoke, or "spacearm." Each spacearm has a ❖ Space mission on the far end, and is rigidly constructed from there:

❖ SPACE
==> YOUR OUTPOST MISSION (a [S] mission of your choice)
==> A planet mission owned by the opponent on your right.
==> A space mission owned by the opponent on your right.
==> A planet mission owned by the opponent on your left.
==> CENTRAL HUB (shared by all)

So my spacearm ended up looking like this:

❖ Space
==> Reopen Trade Discussions ( [Dom] Outpost) (4 span)
==> Upgrade Munitions (owned by [Kli] player Preston) (4 span)
==> Warped Space (owned by [Kli] ) (5 span, uggggh)
==> Investigate Massacre (owned by [Fed] player Chris) (3 span).

So there's only one mission I can attempt on my arm: Reopen Trade Discussions. I have three other missions, but one of them is at the near end of Preston's [Kli] spacearm (18 span from my outpost), and my others are in the middle part of Chris's [Fed] spacearm (21 and 24 span from my outpost, respectively).

That jumpstart including a ship suddenly looked a lot less gamebreaking when I started staring down that supply line.

But the long supply lines ended up being the centerpiece of the game.

They made ships and ferrying ability very very important. I had like 6 or 7 ships out by the end and still didn't feel like I had enough. (I also didn't have enough personnel, because I kept playing ships, so I was struggling with dilemmas.) Realizing you don't have enough SECURITY to pass Dangerous Liaisons or Eminian Distintegration Chamber is barely even a roadbump when you're 3 or maybe 6 RANGE from your outpost. It looks VERY different when you're 18 span from home.

The spaceline shape also forced interaction. There was nothing for it: we all HAD to go visit our opponent's territory, and our opponents generally HAD to come visit us. And all of us got points from interacting with opponents. (Klingons scored by having their own Honor personnel die in ship battle, and Feds scored by stopping SCIENCE in enemy territory for a full turn and surviving.) So we ended up having a very interactive game -- which turned out to be quite a delight when playing Trek with 3 players instead of the usual 2! We all at some point tried to get the other two sides to fight and leave us alone for a minute so we could go solve -- and, if we happened to be behind, the leaders were usually willing to let us take that breather and catch up!

In the end, I won at time, 39-34-5. (Preston, who was playing only his second game since 1996, came in second, and would have tied me if he'd found a way to get one more Honor personnel to die in Glorious Battle.) I was a couple of turns away from getting my second mission solved, but I just didn't have time to ferry my Eris with Diplomacy (to combat The Clown: Guillotine) alllllll the way out to Expand Karemman Operation before time was called and the endgame expired.

It was a very neat format, and gave me a lot of ideas for what a more generalized (i.e. not entirely preconstructed) "Commander format" for Trek might look like. If you happen to get a chance to play with ShipNerd and 1 or 2 other friends, it's a pleasant way to spend an afternoon.

I can answer other questions about our game if there are any.
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 - Delta Quadrant
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#574541
The format is refreshing and fun to play. Looking forward to try it again when I have returned from Austria.
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