Man Battlestations Forum
Other Naval Games => Space Naval Games => Topic started by: Easy E on July 09, 2019, 05:04:59 pm
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.... good stealth and detection metrics?
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The only accurate stealth mechanic is to have the stealthed opponent map their movement separately where the opponent cannot see. But this is wildly impractical for many reasons, and I think I've only seen it used once, though I can't recall the game (hexes were involved) …
A good approximation systems I like, even if a bit too random, is from TREK ATTACK WING (and a variation is in X-Wing) of all things. Cloaked ships are still on the board BUT:
-- All Shooting grants them 4 extra Defense dice
-- When they decloak, they can reveal to be a small template away in directions chosen by the opponent.
The former works well on average, but if you're like me, I whiff all the defense rolls and it meant nothing. A more static auto-dodge token or two PLUS extra dice would work better.
The latter works AMAZINGLY well, giving that "Surprise, I'm over here!" effect when executed well. Doubly so for those effect that allow extended templates for the reveal displacement. For poor pilots though, they can easily be outmaneuvered into a wide front firing arc.
Worst "Stealth and Cloak" effects? The Relthoza in Firestorm Armada. First off, I can never keep straight which was which … don't give things similar names but wildly different mechanics. Second, the "Always On" effect was worthless because it nuked your own firepower OR simply made the game all about long range sniping for VPs then hiding - a terrible play experience for both IMHO.
Ironically PLANETFALL had the best system in that core mechanic - where reliance on "exploding" dice was crucial, simply taking that away for shooting at Relthoza had an amazing swing on shooting. I vastly preferred it over playing shielded forces.
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The only accurate stealth mechanic is to have the stealthed opponent map their movement separately where the opponent cannot see. But this is wildly impractical for many reasons, and I think I've only seen it used once, though I can't recall the game (hexes were involved) …
I have a vague recollection of cloaking device movement in some generation of Star Fleet Battles at least having off map, plotted, motion as an option.
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Full Thrust kinda has a stealth Stealth mechanic, in that the fixed turns and written orders combine to allow hidden movement; You write the orders for a miniature that is not seen on the table, then work out with a counter its position and reveal it when decloaking.
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You write the orders for a miniature that is not seen on the table, then work out with a counter its position and reveal it when decloaking.
I seem to recall that as well, but anything more than a turn of plotted "backlog" and it became really hard to continue to plot movement without marking the table/giving it away somehow.
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“They Come Unseen” has a stealth mechanic built in that works very well. This is the board game from Osprey Games about anti-submarine warfare in the Cold War. Ruckdog and I reviewed it on the podcast a couple years ago.
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Sorry for the Threadomancy, but I took some of the thoughts this thread helped me generate and put them into a blog post on wargame design.
https://bloodandspectacles.blogspot.com/2020/08/wargame-design-detection-and-stealth-in.html
You guys may or may not find it interesting, but these thoughts are driving some of my thinking around some future game projects. One of which is Korean Air War and another is "modern" naval.