Story gaming

[Jabberwocky]

While I understand that sentiment, at the same time you can always be over prepared for a battle etc. But I do suppose that could just be my mindset. Id figure youd bring a standard x amount of forces with y amount of z sized vehicles that will be used in battle as well as alil extra just incase someone who may want to try to play instead of just watch. I am wanting to have my army built up along with an opfor or two just in case for that very scenario. But lego can be expensive and life chaotic so I understand the sentiment. But you don't exactly need all sorts of fancy helicopters n such to leave either. I mean OP Geronimo they crammed 2 helicopters worth of people onto one. Other special forces scenarios etc they walked their happy butts to safety. Sometimes you don't have the tactical means for exfil like that either. One example is the infamous black hawk down. A mass exodus to get everyone off the battle field can still look heroic even with what would and could be deemed mission failure.

[Steel_Valkyrie]

You're making too many insignificant rules, methinks. Let the players decide what to do.

[stubby]

While I understand that sentiment, at the same time you can always be over prepared for a battle etc. But I do suppose that could just be my mindset. Id figure youd bring a standard x amount of forces with y amount of z sized vehicles that will be used in battle as well as alil extra just incase someone who may want to try to play instead of just watch. I am wanting to have my army built up along with an opfor or two just in case for that very scenario. But lego can be expensive and life chaotic so I understand the sentiment. But you don't exactly need all sorts of fancy helicopters n such to leave either. I mean OP Geronimo they crammed 2 helicopters worth of people onto one. Other special forces scenarios etc they walked their happy butts to safety. Sometimes you don't have the tactical means for exfil like that either. One example is the infamous black hawk down. A mass exodus to get everyone off the battle field can still look heroic even with what would and could be deemed mission failure.

I'm thinking of a situation where two third graders take out their box of pieces from their grand total of three mixed up lego sets. I want to give them a setup where they can still play a game even though they don't have a lot of resources, and they can still have a road map to keep having fun even after one side is losing.

[RedRover]

I hope for the third-graders' sake they are not on these forums.

[mercury19]

I hope for the third-graders' sake they are not on these forums.

I think he's using third graders because a large number of people who play brikwars have the same attention span as third graders. I myself am one of them.

[runnybabbit223]

I hope for the third-graders' sake they are not on these forums.

I think he's using third graders because a large number of people who play brikwars have the same attention span as third graders. I myself am one of them.

Ha! amateur.

I have the attention span of a spastic mosquito!

[stubby]

I hope for the third-graders' sake they are not on these forums.

Me too! But there are plenty of third-graders playing the game who aren't on the forums. The forums are only one slice of the community.

[Zupponn]

We're that slice of moldy bread that's been dropped on the floor, but you refuse to throw out.

[lordintype]

Personally, I have the attention span of- hey! A kitty!

[Jabberwocky]

Perhaps it was just the fact that im from an army family.... however even at a young age with sandbox battles and little green army men.... I aimed to have a glorious battle. I got the wounded home. I lived for those MoH moments in our little made up wars. 3rd graders etc should have no trouble using their imagination to dream up such events to get them to leave a game early (perhaps not if while trying to leave they actually started having fun). While it can be spectacular to leave with all sorts of mechanical vehicles. Its not necessary

[stubby]

Good idea! I'm editing #10.

10. TACTICAL RETREAT. Regardless of what happens from this point forward, they've lost the battle. But they'll live to fight another day! From now on, every time one of their minifigs escapes off a "friendly" side of the battlefield, alive or dead, they get an Almighty Benny. After this, even if they manage to defy the odds and achieve their objectives or kill all opponents, it's up to the players to come up with the in-Kanon reason why it still ended up being a phyrric loss for their side.

[Tzan]

10. TACTICAL RETREAT. Regardless of what happens from this point forward, they've lost the battle. But they'll live to fight another day! From now on, every time one of their minifigs escapes off a "friendly" side of the battlefield, they get an Almighty Benny. After this, even if they manage to defy the odds and achieve their objectives or kill all opponents, it's up to the players to come up with the in-Kanon reason why it still ended up being a phyrric loss for their side.

Uh oh ...
Who is going to explain what pyrrhic means to a third grader?

I'll use it in a sentence.

"While Mike clearly lost the battle, by spelling pyrrhic wrong, he might still claim a pyrrhic victory for having created a nice new rule."

[Red_SPAMbot]

I admire the sentiment to want to put more storytelling into gaming in whatever form. Many of my favorite games have very Narrativist rules sets, and I've found as I get older I really prefer games where the players can get invested in story and the rules are less and less crunchy. I started in D&D at a young age, and shortly thereafter Star Frontiers, Gama World, Robotech, but I found over the years I'm attracted to games that are about story telling like Amber Diceless RPG, and now Lords of Gossamer and Shadow, small indie games like Apocalypse World and In Spaaaace and Puppetland or even prototype or unpublished games like Otherkind and Hungry, Cold and Alone. Anyway, I prattle on...

While it's true that players don't really need rules to tell stories, and ultimately it comes down to your local group of buds as to what flies and what doesn't, I've also found it's helpful to have examples of rules that promote storytelling. Not only does this encourage the spirit of imagination, but it also may act as encouragement or catalyst to potential players that haven't necessarily been exposed to something like that before.

When life hands you Kanon, make Kanonade.
I really like the idea of these rules as suggestions for stringing together larger campaigns. One of the things I like most about the BrikWars rules is that they encourage an official observance of denouement after all the carnage. One suggestion I have, and I think perhaps might weave the kanon rules in with other mechanics of the game is to introduce another economy for the Almighty Benny. What if one of the uses for an Almighty Benny was as a bidding chip for having narrative control in the aftergame? Perhaps by chipping in a benny, you get to add in a "But Also" effect regardless of whether you're a Winner or Loser. Also, it would give a use for bennies after the game if you've been too drunk or forgetful to use them during the game.

[TastySkippy123]

too drunk or forgetful to use them during the game

Theres a simple answer to that: don't drink while brikwarsing

But yeah, I think ya on to something, though I don't know the proper brikwars rules so well....

[CaptainZebra]

But yeah, I think ya on to something, though I don't know the proper brikwars rules so well....

I do make up half of it as I go along when I play...