From: "Steffan O'Sullivan" Subject: Sped-up TLC We finally had time to try a game with some speed-up rules. We only had 1.75 hours to play, so that was one limiting factor: if we didn't finish, we'd count points. The dead piles were face down, no looking through them during the game. The second speed-up rule we used was supply: we rolled one extra d6 (no matter the quantity called for) and dropped the lowest die. This was immensely satisfying - the game was the most enjoyable we have ever played because we both could try things at least two turns out of three. I hate sitzkrieg games, and this definitely was not one - *all* of the other games of TLC I've played before had long sitzkrieg periods. This rule is a keeper, for sure. The third rule change we used was terrain. We simply dealt out nine random terrain spaces and agreed beforehand, no matter what they were, that we would each start with ~5/7 of the listed supply. So the USA started with 15 supply, and the Germans with 19. The terrain was very interesting - lots of expensive, Difficult terrain, and it made the game much more exciting than any we had played before. Also tougher to maneuver in, but that became a challenge. We liked it - this is a keeper, too, though we may experiment a bit with the starting supply available. We opted not to use an alternate victory condition for this game, going instead with the time limit or capture HQ, whichever came first. The game ended due to time, not because an HQ was taken. I (Germans) lost by one point! I didn't mind at all - for the first time I thoroughly enjoyed the game. I could strategize things a turn or two in advance, maneuver and make some daring strikes, and had actually captured two of his starting zones by the end of our playing time - something the Germans had never done before in our games. He had a great time too: very tense and exciting game, and neither one of us really knew who was ahead since we weren't counting points exactly. All in all, I recommend any of these rules to anyone who thinks TLC by the book takes too long, as I do. -- -Steffan O'Sullivan sos@oz.plymouth.edu Plymouth, NH ------ http://oz.plymouth.edu/~gaming/ ------