High Guard is like Magic: The Gathering

[Supplement Four]

I've been considering HG lately, having been a Traveller rpg player for 25 years (this month!) but never a HG player.

I always used Book 2 space combat and rarely designed ships and stuff. I've always been much more of a story-driven GM and not much of a gearhead (although it does facinate me to a degree).

But, looking at the HG system through fresh eyes, and thinking of Trillion Credit Squadron, it really hits me that High Guard really is like Magic: The Gathering.

I'll explain.

I've never been a CCG card player. If I play cards, I play poker. Magic has no appeal to me at all--that was the generation behind me.

But, I've got a new player in my game who is a big Magic buff (and he's about a decade younger than me). The guy plays online, and he goes to tourneys.

He describes how the way you assemble your deck is key, and then you go in to do battle.

Isn't that the way High Guard is played?

I mean, you assemble a vessel (or a fleet) the best you can (sometimes given TCS monetary and tech limits), and then you fight it out, seeing how well your fleet performed.

Isn't that just about the same thing?

I guess the difference is that Magic players can't actually design their own cards.

But, they're very similar processes, if you think about it.

 

[Supplement Four]

I've been considering HG lately, having been a Traveller rpg player for 25 years (this month!) but never a HG player.

I always used Book 2 space combat and rarely designed ships and stuff. I've always been much more of a story-driven GM and not much of a gearhead (although it does facinate me to a degree).

But, looking at the HG system through fresh eyes, and thinking of Trillion Credit Squadron, it really hits me that High Guard really is like Magic: The Gathering.

I'll explain.

I've never been a CCG card player. If I play cards, I play poker. Magic has no appeal to me at all--that was the generation behind me.

But, I've got a new player in my game who is a big Magic buff (and he's about a decade younger than me). The guy plays online, and he goes to tourneys.

He describes how the way you assemble your deck is key, and then you go in to do battle.

Isn't that the way High Guard is played?

I mean, you assemble a vessel (or a fleet) the best you can (sometimes given TCS monetary and tech limits), and then you fight it out, seeing how well your fleet performed.

Isn't that just about the same thing?

I guess the difference is that Magic players can't actually design their own cards.

But, they're very similar processes, if you think about it.

 

[flykiller]

it has been observed before that high guard arena battles are won or lost in the shipyard, yes.

personally I'd still like to see a ccg called poke-high-guard.

 

[flykiller]

it has been observed before that high guard arena battles are won or lost in the shipyard, yes.

personally I'd still like to see a ccg called poke-high-guard.

 

[flykiller]

it has been observed before that high guard arena battles are won or lost in the shipyard, yes.

personally I'd still like to see a ccg called poke-high-guard.

 

[flykiller]

it has been observed before that high guard arena battles are won or lost in the shipyard, yes.

personally I'd still like to see a ccg called poke-high-guard.

 

[aramis]

That's because HG has little impact from tactics, unlike Mayday/Bk2.

But plain and simple, battles are won by having a crew that can take advantage of the tools at hand for better aggregate effect.

A good crew and a mediocre vessel should be able to beat a poor crew on a good vessel... something which is rare in HG.

In MTG, a good deck design AND good play skill, and a bit of luck, all conspire. HG nearly elminates the play skill.

 

[aramis]

That's because HG has little impact from tactics, unlike Mayday/Bk2.

But plain and simple, battles are won by having a crew that can take advantage of the tools at hand for better aggregate effect.

A good crew and a mediocre vessel should be able to beat a poor crew on a good vessel... something which is rare in HG.

In MTG, a good deck design AND good play skill, and a bit of luck, all conspire. HG nearly elminates the play skill.

 

[Golan2072]

Originally posted by Aramis:
In MTG, a good deck design AND good play skill, and a bit of luck, all conspire. HG nearly elminates the play skill.

You've hit the nail right on its head: High Guard is about big ships rather than about people. LBB2 is far more PC-centric and story-centric, but suffers from serious limitations such as the inability to group turrets together (so you'll have to roll 30 times every turn for your 1,000-ton cruiser with 10 triple turrets) and the use of vector-movement (realistic feeling but complicated and cumbersome).

A combination of these two systems' strengths would be the ultimate CT ship system.

 

[Golan2072]

Originally posted by Aramis:
In MTG, a good deck design AND good play skill, and a bit of luck, all conspire. HG nearly elminates the play skill.

You've hit the nail right on its head: High Guard is about big ships rather than about people. LBB2 is far more PC-centric and story-centric, but suffers from serious limitations such as the inability to group turrets together (so you'll have to roll 30 times every turn for your 1,000-ton cruiser with 10 triple turrets) and the use of vector-movement (realistic feeling but complicated and cumbersome).

A combination of these two systems' strengths would be the ultimate CT ship system.

 

[robject]

Interesting... so it could be possible to design a variant of HG which uses design skill and play skill... or that plays in a M:TG way... hmmmm.

 

[robject]

Interesting... so it could be possible to design a variant of HG which uses design skill and play skill... or that plays in a M:TG way... hmmmm.

 

[Supplement Four]

Originally posted by Employee 2-4601:
You've hit the nail right on its head: High Guard is about big ships rather than about people.

HG is more of a wargame. The ships are the characters, like pieces in a regular non-rpg game. What do you spend your time on? Designing ships, tweaking them, growing them, just like you would an rpg character.

I'm not really sure a mesh between HG and Book 2 combat is needed. Book 2 can be played as either a wargame (ships on the kitchen table or hexboard without regard for characters), or it can be played very rpg-specific (as I normally do with the deckplans laid out in front of everybody, keeping track of range using range bands, and focussing all the action inisde the ship, watching the players handle what they can "see" on their sensors and reacting to damage their ship takes).

Book 5 can handle small, PC-sized, Book 2 ship engagements, if you want a quickie fight. But, I think both systems are needed--depending on what you're trying to accomplish in your game (a giant space fleet battle, or a single opponent for the PC's ship).

 

[Supplement Four]

Originally posted by Employee 2-4601:
You've hit the nail right on its head: High Guard is about big ships rather than about people.

HG is more of a wargame. The ships are the characters, like pieces in a regular non-rpg game. What do you spend your time on? Designing ships, tweaking them, growing them, just like you would an rpg character.

I'm not really sure a mesh between HG and Book 2 combat is needed. Book 2 can be played as either a wargame (ships on the kitchen table or hexboard without regard for characters), or it can be played very rpg-specific (as I normally do with the deckplans laid out in front of everybody, keeping track of range using range bands, and focussing all the action inisde the ship, watching the players handle what they can "see" on their sensors and reacting to damage their ship takes).

Book 5 can handle small, PC-sized, Book 2 ship engagements, if you want a quickie fight. But, I think both systems are needed--depending on what you're trying to accomplish in your game (a giant space fleet battle, or a single opponent for the PC's ship).

 

[flykiller]

High Guard is about big ships rather than about people.

actually it's about big fleets.

 

[flykiller]

High Guard is about big ships rather than about people.

actually it's about big fleets.

 

[aramis]

Given that, by using mayday movement, and MT vehicle combat rules and conglomerate unit rules, I can get a feel much like Bk2, but handling large ships quite well, a pair of almost incompatible combat systems isn't a necessity.

ANd the big problem is the midrange: 600-3000 Td ships. Too big to be quickly handled in B2, too small to be interesting in B5.

 

[aramis]

Given that, by using mayday movement, and MT vehicle combat rules and conglomerate unit rules, I can get a feel much like Bk2, but handling large ships quite well, a pair of almost incompatible combat systems isn't a necessity.

ANd the big problem is the midrange: 600-3000 Td ships. Too big to be quickly handled in B2, too small to be interesting in B5.

 

[Supplement Four]

Originally posted by Aramis:
Given that, by using mayday movement, and MT vehicle combat rules and conglomerate unit rules, I can get a feel much like Bk2, but handling large ships quite well, a pair of almost incompatible combat systems isn't a necessity.

Mayday includes a section for merging High Guard with Mayday (movement like Book 2 using hexes).

That's where I got my High Guard ranges I use in the sensor rules I posted recently.

 

[Supplement Four]

Originally posted by Aramis:
Given that, by using mayday movement, and MT vehicle combat rules and conglomerate unit rules, I can get a feel much like Bk2, but handling large ships quite well, a pair of almost incompatible combat systems isn't a necessity.

Mayday includes a section for merging High Guard with Mayday (movement like Book 2 using hexes).

That's where I got my High Guard ranges I use in the sensor rules I posted recently.