Gangsters Vassal Module PBEM Conventions
Updated 150902
Design considerations requiring play difference from Face-to-Face tournament
play
- There is no feasible way to enforce a time limit for a player executing
a turn. Hence a player will have a more optimized move as time constraints
are removed. It is common in FTF tournament play to use a timing device limiting
a player turn to for example two minutes. Hence stellar performance in PBEM
play is not an indication of the same player's ability to execute effective
turns in tournament play with severe time constraints.
- All player's money banks are public knowledge in this module, whereas this
is often secret in FTF tournament play. As players could choose to keep records
or each players income and expenditures, there is no justification to add
complexity to the module to ineffectively keep this knowledge secret.
- All the tracks on the gameboard have been removed and instead displayed
on a secondary map (General Track). Unlike in FTF play, all PEBM players will
have the same perspective when viewing the board. Tracks at rotated and upside
down orientations are not justified to keep the map identical to the published
gameboard.
Turn execution using VASSAL
- When starting a turn, use File/Start Logfile. You will be asked to name
the file and the storage location on your computer. All Game tokens should
be moved one space at a time to allow the movement to be documented in the
game control window. All comments, die rolls, changes made to the General
Track, and actions within a turn are recorded step by step
- When your turn is complete, File/End Logfile. This will write the logfile.
Send this file to the next (or all) player(s)/GM per the GM procedure. DO
NOT File/Save. This latter action will only save the end position of the map
and delete the logfile.
Map Issues
- All spaces on the map have an invisible named zones corresponding to the
map.
- The awkward hexes involve the Central Avenue Bridge and The Viaduct. The
zones for the higher elevation moves through the center of the space. The
lower elevation spaces are at the outside or abbreviated to the start of the
zone. This may take awhile to get use to.
Subways
- This is a frequent problem area for new players.
- Subway Transfers: Transfers can be activated only by movement into a Subway
space - not by starting a turn from one. The piece moves onto a Subway enterance
at the normal cost for entering of a space and is then placed on another Subway
exit of the active player's choice at no additional cost. It may depart the
Subway exit in any direction.
- COP/PUBLIC ENTRY: When a Cop or Public piece enters play, it does so from
a Subway space corresponding to its move die roll. Being placed on a Subway
space from offboard is equal to the movement of one space. Therefore, a Cop
entering play with a "move" die roll of "1" always end
its turn on the #1 Subway space.
Organized tournament play.
- Although it would be at the Gamemaster's desecration, it is anticipated
all die rolls and pass off of turns to be noted using ACTS [http://acts.warhorsesim.com/login.asp].
All players should be registered users (there is no cost). ACTS keeps both
a permanent record of all die rolls (in addition to sending a email to all
players) and keep track of time lag between all player turns. The latter aids
GM's determine who is the player most responsible for games not completed
within the required time window.
- The inherent VASSAL die roller is suitable for online play and PBEM player
between familiar trusted players in casual games. However many prefer the
use of a third party server for AREA rated and/or tournament play. This avoids
guilty feelings for a succession of excellent die rolls or despair for a succession
of poor die rolls. Everyone can blame the die server [nobody's friend].
- It also avoid the possibility of a player canceling a poor die roll by
restarting the VASSAL turn from save (a common tactic by those playing computer
games vs AI; such persons may not understand the concept of cheating as
they think everyone does it).
- A common rule of thumb is not to trust anybody who does not trust anybody.
- A more common issue is the loss of die rolls not captured due to forgetting
to turn the log file on.