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Shannon V. OKeets -> RE: Vive LOC Vichy? (2/13/2006 9:29:33 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: pak19652002
quote:
ORIGINAL: lomyrin
Yes, I did not really think you were contemplating adding this option. It is, however, a very nice additional option in the boardgame, and is almost a game in itself. It changes how France is played and tends to cause a summer of 40 fall of France.
As far as I am aware, the LoC Vichy option is in very widespread use among the WiFFE players.
Lars
I apologize. I thought more people were aware of the LOC Vichy rule and therefore I did not grease the skids with any kind of explanation. Before you all get too worked up, take some time to learn about the rules, how they work, and why they were created. Maybe it's too complex to include in the game, but maybe not. Let's not pull out the long knives just yet!
LOC Vichy did not come from Mars, rather from a tremendous amount of work and playtesting by true WiF experts. Below is a summary I wrote to introduce my tutorial team to the option.
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LOC Vichy is the nickname given to an alternative set of Vichy rules proffered in ADGs periodical, Lines of Communication (and, perhaps a WiF Annual).
LOC Vichy's premise is that the formation, nature and structure of historical Vichy France was by no means inevitable and that the RAW Vichy rules are too inflexible in that they can only result in one basic outcome.
A group of experienced players completely rewrote the Vichy rules to allow for a great variety of outcomes depending on battle results, player objectives and chance.
Until Vichy is declared, opposing MPs earn chits for winning battles, taking (and holding) cities, and other factors. These chits can be spent to declare Vichy France, vary its geography, determine control and loyalty of French units, influence or purchase French territories around the world, force certain concessions from Vichy, and achieve a number of other outcomes favorable to one side or the other.
Most fundamentally, the nature of Vichy France is determined by the relative success of the opposing sides in the French campaign.
The result is a far more dynamic and nuanced process of Vichy formation that can differ significantly from the historical model.
Some feel the benefits are outweighed by the added complexity, but it seems like more and more players are using it.
http://members.aol.com/wifcon/home/vichy.html
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Peter
Thanks for the additional information.
My task is to implement WIF FE (as defined by RAW 7m). I am very strongly opposed to adding to that task or redefining it.
One of Chris' problems with completing CWIF, and I believe one of the problems faced by almost all game developers, is a moving target as to what is being created. There are several other war games in development at Matrix Games and I have read posts about how they are being 'improved' as they are being created. Now I am not opposed to improvements, but I am opposed to redesigns. Clearly the VOC Vichy rules are a complete redesign of the Vichy rules for WIF. The number of new items mentioned in your short introduction is more than 1.
I have said this before, and I'll repeat it again now. There are hundreds if not thousands of house rules for WIF and I am certain that many of them are excellent. It is not my job to include them and trying to do so will delay the release of MWIF. They are not translated into code instantanteously. Every new subsystem (e.g., Vichy France chits) has to be examined in light of every other subsystem in the game (US Entry, delaring war on minors, aligning minors, ...). I would bet large amounts of money that there are interactions of the new VOC Vichy rules with some of the other rules (e.g., the 80 optional rules) that have not been analyzed thoroughly. And by thoroughly, I mean that every possible combination has been considered and the interactions rigidly defined - so rigidly defined that code can be written to implement them.
My mantra remains: design, code, test. Do NOT redesign.
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