From: Christopher Weuve Subject: Throneworld [LONG] (was Re: Out of the Wrapper) On Mon, Jun 23, 1997 at 10:17:55 AM, Peter Card wrote: > Down at the Gameskeeper in Oxford, I picked up... > > Throne World from TimJim/Prism > > 2-6 players , 3-6 hours, the thematic prequel to Time Agent, its an > explore/expand/conflict space empire building strategy game, with a > mounted board and ~800 counters. Each turn a player can make a limited > number of moves and attempt research in a single field. It seems that you > need the tech to play with the big boys in the end game. Different races > have minor advantages in different fields. The first player to reach the > target number of worlds and hold the winning position for a complete > round, wins. It just so happens that Arius Kaufmann and I played this last night for the first time. We found it very enjoyable, and with great promise. ANNOTATED SEQUENCE OF PLAY is as follows: A. Expansion Phase (each player does separately) 1) One TRANSFER or up to three JUMPS and/or SCANS Each side has units called Command Bunkers. Command Bunkers allow you give orders to your units (such as JUMP to a specific location within JUMP range, determined by your tech level in JUMP) or SCAN systems within your COMM range, determined by your tech level in COMM. SCAN allows you to do a sensor scan of a system. At the beginning of the game, each system has placed in it, face down, a chit which describes the contents of that system -- development value, ground tech level, space tech level, ground forces present, and space forces present. Most systems start out with neutral powers, which must be defeated to claim the system. Many space and ground units take cargo space, and must be transported by ships with cargo capacity. Command Bunkers and planetary Shields, on the other hand, are moved through the use of the TRANSFER command. 2) Action chit play. Each player starts the game with 5 Action chits. Some can be played at this time (such as Artifact, which allows two research attempts, or Economic Boom, which increases the economy of a world by the amount on the chit), while others can be played during another player's turn (such as JAM, which negates a SCAN). 3) Draw chits to bring total to 5. B. Empire Phase (all players perform simultaneously) 1) Make one research attempt. Each player has a Technology Track, consisting of a number of boxes attached linearly. At the top of each box is a number, which indicates the tech level of the specific chits in the box. NOTE that the some of the numbers are the same, e.g., the numbers may repeat, such as 1,2,2,3,3,4,4,4,5,5,5,6. Between each two boxes is a number with a plus sign; to advance to the next box, you must roll equal or greater than that number. There are four different technologies: Comm, Jump, Space and Ground. Each has a chit, with an arrow pointing up to the tech level (except as below). Comm and Jump tech levels define the range of the two functions; Space and ground tech levels are used in combat (more below). Most of the different races also have a similar track of numbers at _bottom_ of each box; this is the tech track for their specialty technology. The Pasha, for example, have advanced Space capbilities, so their Space chit has an arrow pointing down, to the bottom tech track. The bottom track is more forgiving, say: 2,2,3,3,4,4,5,5,5,5,5,6. So, using the numbers I gave above, say my Space and Comm are in the second box. I elect to perform a research attempt on Comm, and the number I need to roll to go to the next box is a "2" or greater. I roll a "3", so I advance one box. My tech level is still a "2" (meaning that I can perform SCANs and give orders to units two hexes away), although I am now one step closer to a tech level of "3". If I was going from the last TL box to the first TL5 box, on the other hand, I would probably need to roll a "5+". Note that even though the Space and Comm chits are in the same box, if I was the Pasha, which have a natural advantage in Space, I would be one step closer to TL3. 2) Draw and resolve one Event chit. Event chits are random events which are usually similar to Actions. Sometimes they effect everyone, e.g., Scientific Advance, which allows everyone to make an unscheduled research attempt, whereas other times they specifically designate the first or last player for the turn. 3) Perform Production on production turns. Production usually happens every other turn, but some Event chits can advance or delay production. 4) Advance production marker (on the handy on on-board chart which tracks which turn is a production turn). C. End Phase (general bookkeeping things). COMBAT takes place at any location where there are forces from two or more players, and at least one wants to fight. There are both Space and Ground units. In most cases, the space battle must be finished before the ground battle can begin. Combat takes place through a simple hit dice method; each ship/ground unit rolls a number of dice ranging from 1 to 3, with each "6" achieving a hit. If the firing unit has a higher tech level, the difference in tech level between the two is used as a DRM, in effect lowering the number need to hit. [If the firing unit has a TL of 4 and the target has a TL of 2, then the firing unit effectively hits on a 4+.] Combat takes place in round of simulatneous combat. Some units are better (i.e., roll more dice) on one side than the other. Most units are one-step, although Heavy Infantry is two- step and Command Bunkers (and Shields, IIRC) are three-steps. In addition, units have synergistic effects -- Assault trips roll 1 die per unit on defense UNLESS their is a Command Bunker present, in which case they roll 2 dice per unit. This game has a _lot_ of dice-rolling. The largest battle of the evening, for example, involved 35 dice on one side and 29 on the other for the first round, although the numbers got smaller as attrition increased. Prism includes three dice with the game; I plan on adding another 20 or so. The RULES are well written, complete and concise, and do as good a job of taking you through the system in a step-by-step manner as can be expected. There is an index which, while short, is fairly complete -- in every instance where we were looking for something, we were able to find it very quickly. The rulebook is only 12 pages long, including 1.5 pages of player and Design Notes (very useful!), the last two of which are a summary of the Action and Event Chits (both a manifest and a summary of effects), Sequence of Play, Jam/ Intercept Sequence, Battle Sequence, Race Summary, Unit Summary, and a System Tile Manifest. I personally photocopied the last two pages onto a single piece of light cardstock and laminated it for use as a player aid. The PHYSICAL COMPONENTS of the game are very well done, and up the the usual TimJim/Prism style. The mounted map is of the quad-fold style Avalon Hill has made famous, and contains a Systems Owned track, the Production Turn track, and lots of useful information.. Each player receives an Empire Mat with the tech level track, a staging area for various fleets, a treasury and production track, and a chart detailing the various attributes (cost, offense dice, defensive dice, steps, cargo capacity) of the types of units in the game. There are two Battle Mats, double-sided (one ground, one space) mats for use in conducting combat. They summarize all the attributes of the units, even to the difference in capability of some units on Attack vs Defense. These are VERY well done. Beware, though -- this game takes upa lot more space than the size of the board indicates. The Empire Mats are always is use, and the Battle Mats are essentially so as well. This, plus a space to roll the dice, effectively requires a playing area at least triple the size of the board. The counters were well die-cut, and require but a brief swipt of the knife to loosen completely. My only gripe (and it is an exceptionally minor one) is that some of the diecutting between the counter strips was a little uneven, making it difficutl to separate the two strips with a knife without actually shaving the counters. More games should be able to boast that this is the minor gripe. As an interesting side note, I recently noticed at my local game store (the incomparable Game Parlor in Chantilly, Virginia), that there is another game that is very similar which just came out. It is called _Twilight Imperium_, and on the surface differs from _Throneworld_ in what appears to be relatively minor ways: the map is made of hex shaped tiles (each of which may have more than one planet), so the board changes each game; the combat system seems like it might be less involved (although my cursory exmination is by no means authoritative), the different races have different abilities, and technology works differently. Overall, though, it is somewhat similar, and I can help but wonder if it is inspired by the same PBM game -- _Phoenix_ -- that inspired _Throneworld_. In fact, they are so similar, that I have decided against attempting to learn them both at the same time, for fear that I would be unable to learn either well. Finally, the cost: _Throneworld_ retails in the $40-50 range, and I think it is worth every penny. [_Twilight Imperium_, incidently, retails at $50 or so for the basic game, plus another $15 for the expansion, which adds two new races and something tech related which I do not now recall.] --Chris Weuve [My opinion, not my employers.] mailto:caw@ascend.com (w/day) mailto:caw@wizard.net (h) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Give me the strength to change the things I can, the grace to accept the things I cannot, and a great big bag of money." [author unknown]