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From: ccrdan@ucdavis.UUCP (Dan Gold)
Newsgroups: net.games.board
Subject: Re: Opening Discussion
Message-ID: <47@ucdavis.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 1-Sep-85 16:26:32 EDT
Article-I.D.: ucdavis.47
Posted: Sun Sep  1 16:26:32 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 2-Sep-85 09:16:07 EDT
References: <394@brl-sem.ARPA>
Distribution: net
Organization: University of California, Davis
Lines: 68

> 1)  What are the relative merits of political interaction games
> vs. conventional war games?
> 

I find that there still is enough "uncharted territory" out there
with regards to political-type games to make them interesting.
Conventional wargames these days are mostly just rehashes of some beaten-
to-death topic.  For a really good multi-player political-type game,
with a dash of "war" for the blood-thirsty, try "Spies."  It
is SIMPLE to learn (only TWO TINY pages of COMPLETE rules!) and can be
easily played in an evening.  For you purists out there, there are still
copies of the SPI (not TSR/SPI) version with the awful purple cover
available.  Also, see if you can find a copy of "Empires of the Middle
Ages" (I got mine right when it came out).  It is kind of long but very
easy and fun.

> Some of my favorites of this type are:
> 
> Civilization  (Avalon Hill):
> 	Long and moderately complex, but very playable once you
> 	get used to it.  The game is played at several different
> 	levels: territory aquisition, trading, cultural growth.
> 	I highly recommend it.

Me too.  Get the expansion set from AH to add more flavor.

> 
> Illuminati  (Steve Jackson Games):
> 	I reviewed this recently in net.games, so I'll just say
> 	that it is great for anyone with a slightly warped sense
> 	of humor and a cynical mind.  Fast and playable.
> 
> 
> Diplomacy seems like it might be good game for that sort of thing,
> but I haven't played it yet.  I will be starting one soon on the
> net, though.
> 
> 
> 2)  How does one go about getting other people interested in "war
> games?"  (using the term in its generic sense.)

Try MB "Axis and Allies".  It is really kind of fun (really!) and 
everyone loves the 3-D pieces.  

Also, "Rommel in the Desert" is supposed to be pretty good and quite
easy.

You might also consider the classic of classics, Risk.

> 
> 3)  Not really a question at all:
> 
> I have great difficulty understanding the current computer game
> craze.  I don't just play games for the strategic challenge, but
> for the human interaction, as well.  Some my gaming friends have
> been my best friends, on and off the board.  I sometimes worry
> about a society that is so willing to abandon human society to
> interact with a computer.  Anybody else feel this way?  Anybody
> think I'm all wet?
> 

As long as humans remain unpredictable and clever they will always remain
the favored opponents.  Take that(!) all you jokers who read the source
to "hack" and then get those awesome scores.

Dan Gold

...ucbvax!ucdavis!minnie:ccrdan