Fwd: [piecepack] New Piecepack game: Japan

[Ron Hale-Evans <rwhe@...>]

Hi Aaron,

Nice analysis. One main question: What does RK stand for?

Thanks,

Ron H-E

On Mon, Jun 4, 2018, 12:13 AM Aaron Waters aaron.waters@gmail.com
[piecepack] <piecepack@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

>
>
> Hi Daniel,
>
> First let me say I like this implementation. I'm an RK fan so I recognize
> the source. For years I've thought the original was a great two player,
> so-so three player, and kind of randomish and dull as a four player. I
> eventually traded away my copy, since it is much more rare for me to have a
> chance to play two player games and when I do my friends often want to use
> the opportunity to play exclusively two player games (which I personally
> thought the original was one of, but since it said otherwise on the
> box...). Very clever use of the double 0 domino as the special reuse an
> existing samurai, and the use of the die as ronin is also good.
>
> So that being said, the rules were pretty clear in general, though it's
> possible that some unclear parts may have been clear to me knowing what it
> was based on. There were two things I saw, though, that I thought could be
> improved. One is probably just a typo, but I think you want the word
> 'placed' instead of 'place' when you talk about setting up the dice in
> front of the players.
>
> The other is that I think your setup instructions could use a lot more
> detail. At a minimum I think you should add the words "wherever you want"
> about the coin placement, because the very first thing that came to my mind
> was to wonder if there was only one possible way of placing them while
> keeping them from being orthogonally adjacent. I'm assuming the intent is
> to have them somewhat randomly distributed and well spread out. If so, you
> might want to explicitly say that. Also I'm guessing, since you have the
> players place the coins suit side down, that you intend them to shuffle
> them so they don't know which number is going where. If so, it would
> probably be better to explicitly say that as well. The other possibility
> would be that you're placing them face down just so the other player
> doesn't know which number you are placing where but that you would know
> where your numbers were (and so could try to separate some numbers from
> each other and/or put some close together). Even if neither of these things
> make that much of a difference to overall gameplay, I think it's still
> generally better to make them explicit and you could also then suggest the
> other possibilities as variations.
>
> One additional thought I had, and you may have already considered this and
> decided it didn't work or wasn't useful, but what about allowing the die
> also to be used off of land like the ships from the original. It could only
> influence a coin if it was placed adjacent to it before it was otherwise
> surrounded. Anyway, just a thought.
>
> And one last thought, since you're using the name Japan and nothing in
> your rules has even the tiniest of ties to anything Japanese, perhaps you
> might want to think of moving the rightmost rows of tiles up some to
> generally curve the island a bit like Honshu is. That or call the dominoes
> samurai and the die ronin or just change the name to something abstract
> like games like Yinsh, etc. do.
>
> Hope this helps,
> Aaron Waters
>
> On Sat, May 19, 2018 at 1:17 PM, 'Daniel Ajoy' da.ajoy@...
> [piecepack] <piecepack@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
>
>> Hi,
>>
>> I'm finalizing the rules of this game. It has been playtested extensively.
>>
>> https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vP6xsylndUYN6PtlpA7jjG9ROKpN9
>> MF3sef9FKlURG8/edit#
>>
>> What I need is for someone to go over the rules and point to me things
>> that are unclear, or could be improved.
>>
>> I'm still preparing the final graphics.
>>
>> Daniel
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------------
>>
>> ------------------------------------
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------------
>>
>> Yahoo Groups Links
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
> --
> If kine is the plural of cow,
> And the plural of sow is swine,
> Then pumpkins may hang from a vow,
> And coronets rest upon brine.
> - Ambrose Bierce
> Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.
> -Oscar Wilde
>
>
>
>



--
Ron Hale-Evans ... http://ron.ludism.org <http://ur1.ca/4iaf3>