A Rifts boardgame

[slade the sniper]

Taking the idea from oni no won and this thread...
What if...
there was a Rifts boardgame?
What would people want to see, what scale, what mechanics, and finally and most importantly... how to get into KS's hands without being sued?

Discuss.

-STS

[glitterboy2098]

we almost had one.
toxic people harassed its creator during the kickstarter, including doxing and death threats. it led him to attempt suicide.
he survived, but he's basically withdrawn from gaming entirely.

i miss him.

[slade the sniper]

Carmen Bellaire, the guy that did Powers and Powers 2 for Heroes Unlimited?
Well, if I do one it wouldn't be on KS.... ugh, that place is kinda skeezy lately.

-STS

[glitterboy2098]

well he was trying to get a new game publishing company off the ground at the same time, pretty much the thing kickstarter was invented for. unfortunately the timing was bad.. it got hit with the backlash from the way the robotech tactics situation had been going, and the toxic people from that decided to attack him. he wasn't really involved in it, but he was making a palladium connected product thus they saw him as an extension of palladium, ignoring the fact he had his own company just licensing the rifts IP.
honestly it was a whole mess.


but back on the original topic.. he games was a sort of hybrid miniatures/board game. basically a miniatures game but with battle mats. sorta like the Star Wars: Imperial Assault game.

so there is certainly potential there for other styles of games. i know that one freelancer created a rifts themed version of Talisman some time back, though he never tried to get it produced.

[slade the sniper]

Wellll, since I don't care about making money, I'm thinking about doing a Rifts themed wargame (no minis... the scaling is just awful for modern/future weapons... check 40k and Battletech for that nightmare) so hex and counter style, maybe platoon level (40 dudes or 4 vehicles per) and off board arty/air support and have logistics/merc company creation be a big part of it. Alternately, maybe go big and do the Coalition Wars (Tolkeen... then maybe a historical one about the FoM vs Chi-Town) at about battalion level with specialized units at platoon level.

The rules are pretty simple (normal hex and counter movement, combat results table) with the draw being the silly number of unit types between Tolkeen and the CS. Cartography is pretty simple to prototype as is physical parts... and the game can be tested on Tabletop Simulator for free. So, the question would then be, how to give it to KS so PB can make some money off the idea?

-STS

[slade the sniper]

Ok, so I've decided to use my wargaming system to see if I can replicate the Coalition Wars (vs Tolkeen) as a decently entertaining wargame. If I think it is decent enough, anyone want to playtest it prior to sending it to PB/KS?
Alternately, since it would be a mod of an existing system for another system, anyone got the inside track on how that would work with PB? I know their submission for the Rifter is pretty anti- third party works but I wouldn't give up my mechanics just to get PB game, but am more than willing to share and give all the profits to KS and Co.
Anyway, just rando thoughts.

-STS

[NMI]

I am willing to playtest.

[slade the sniper]

I am willing to playtest.

Do you have TTS or willing to put components together like a print and play? Alternately, I can send you a full playtest package in a poster tube.

-STS

[glitterboy2098]

Ok, so I've decided to use my wargaming system to see if I can replicate the Coalition Wars (vs Tolkeen) as a decently entertaining wargame. If I think it is decent enough, anyone want to playtest it prior to sending it to PB/KS?
Alternately, since it would be a mod of an existing system for another system, anyone got the inside track on how that would work with PB? I know their submission for the Rifter is pretty anti- third party works but I wouldn't give up my mechanics just to get PB game, but am more than willing to share and give all the profits to KS and Co.
Anyway, just rando thoughts.

-STS

sorta like those avalon hill historical wargames?

[slade the sniper]

Ok, so I've decided to use my wargaming system to see if I can replicate the Coalition Wars (vs Tolkeen) as a decently entertaining wargame. If I think it is decent enough, anyone want to playtest it prior to sending it to PB/KS?
Alternately, since it would be a mod of an existing system for another system, anyone got the inside track on how that would work with PB? I know their submission for the Rifter is pretty anti- third party works but I wouldn't give up my mechanics just to get PB game, but am more than willing to share and give all the profits to KS and Co.
Anyway, just rando thoughts.

-STS

sorta like those avalon hill historical wargames?

Exactly like those AH wargames.

-STS

[slade the sniper]

I am going to do a linked campaign starting with Chalk's Folly, the CS offensive, the Sorcerers Revenge (in 2 parts, first with the Demonix, then the Dragon Lords), the demobilization of Tolkeen, Holmes' campaign through the xiticix, Free Quebec's change of heart, the renewed campaign against Tolkeen, Holmes' Five Minutes of glory (or six minutes reminiscent of Midway), and the final offensive destroying Tolkeen. Between each phase, commanders will have to make several actions to reinforce, repair and reposition forces. If smaller battles are desired, there are plenty of small units to do that with in the area.

So, yeah. I'll keep you posted.

edit: I never realized just how, um, bad Palladium maps are...

-STS

[slade the sniper]

So, I guess the first step is creating a map, then make unit counters. I already have the format for counters (because I already have game rules that are going to be adapted for this project) just need to figure out the symbol I am going to use for "powered armor" if I want to use NATO symbology or if I'm going to use icons (like I did for my other games). Icons are probably more intuitive, so I'll use those. That just means I need icons for every single type of unit... skelebots, SAMAS, Glitter Boys, wizards, etc. Trawling the interwebz for things I can easily graphically modify to be what I need.

Anybody got any free icons or a free decent topographical map of the Tolkeen area I can use?

Also, what color to use for each side? Tolkeen should be... blue and the CS red, but the CS really likes black so a black on white or white on black works well enough.

-STS

[slade the sniper]

Going to use Red for the Coalition as they are the aggressors, and Blue for Tolkeen as they are defenders. Guess no one has icons or a decent topo map... shame. Well, guess that's what I'll be doing for a bit.
The rules are already made and I already have a lot of the basic scenario points I'll need for the Rifts themed product on my itch.io page (Strife for the system, and Make War, Not War for the scenario specific stuff I'll be building off of).

-STS

[drewkitty ~..~]

A way to get it play tested would be to take it to a gaming convention and get volunteers.

[slade the sniper]

A way to get it play tested would be to take it to a gaming convention and get volunteers.

Thought about it, but I'm also doing Tabletop Simulator for anyone who has it. I am already past the "do this, do that" me explain everything phase and need people do to the blind playtesting phase where I am not there to explain it.

Another thing is that the game uses iterative play (play easy mode, then add more rules, then play with all rules) to teach the game play... and so it isn't a five minute read and set up. I mean the basic idea is easy to explain: 2 actions a round (move, move or attack attack or move attack, whatever), Offense compared to Defense, roll d100, hit or miss, apply damage.

That's it. The names for all the "stats" are self explanatory (range, speed, size, damage, resilience). Offense and Defense are modified by Tactical Advantages, of which there are 10 available at the start of the game using the skills that each side has.

Everything else is just permutations and modifiers of that (terrain, cover, altitude, chemical warfare, etc.).

-STS

[slade the sniper]

So, after I get Coalition Wars done, pretty sure Triax, Vampire Kingdoms and Atlantis would be the next three to knock out.

-STS

[slade the sniper]

Almost done with all the TO&E elements and Order of Battle stuff... I had no idea that the Coalition has 4 freaking Aircraft Carriers! That is so much air power on demand.

Plus, the fact the CS was able to dump roughly a million troops (armed with MD weapons and equipment) and a half million skelebots into the effort AFTER losing 34K+ troops in Operation Fullbore (which was expected).

The CS has no problems with population or production of high tech gear.

-STS

[slade the sniper]

Kinda funny note, in 1997 with Coalition Navy, there was a paragraph about how bad nukes are and how the CS would never use them, even against Tolkeen. In 2000, the intel report in the first Tolkeen Siege book, the CS launches upwards of 44 nukes at Tolkeen. LOL.

-STS