Big Game Ideas Part Two

A daydream of a big game and thoughts therof.

I've been thinking about Big Games (see post below).  The event is described below in the form of stages, eventually I wish to use this as a framework for a big game plan, a brainstorm of an ideal.  By compiling this over several days and letting it roll around in my brick-for-a-brain, I should come up with something.

This post should be best understood after reading my previous entry, An appeal for Big Games 
which is found below.  This post will most likely be edited if folks make comments on it.

Six weeks before the game event: The planning.

Six weeks before the big game begins, the event is described to all of the participants, the date has been set for months, and some money has been pooled to secure the site.  Players are divided into teams, ideally six or more per side.  Each team decides upon a general, these generals and the game designer meet to receive secret missions, team-specific objectives, intel on the enemy, fluff, et cetera.  The generals then confer with their team.  They come up with a plan, a real plan on how to handle the enemy.  Generals are given the ability to assign players to certain locations in the game, or to specific skirmish tables, according to the wishes and availability of the players.  Things like when-the-player-is-showing-up and what-kind-of-army-the-player-has is considered.  Since the first night (see Friday night) are smaller games, generals should be able to arrange challenges and call-outs made by players (e.g. Boroth vs. Cterry smackdown), and encourage their teammates to tailor-design their armies to handle a specific task.

The big game is a big event for the year.  There's no reason why all the strategy has to happen Saturday evening after beer number five.

Friday Afternoon:  We show up.

Big games are usually held in these hotel conference rooms, or the like.  Players show up at all times of the day, some are available at 9am, some don't make it until Saturday morning.  It would be great if the big game could accommodate players from all time zones, wouldn't it?  If someone could come Saturday but couldn't come on Friday, that should be fine, and vice versa.  We all have jobs and/or commitments, distances to travel, and family to take care of.

Friday Night: Games go into the evening.

I see players showing up, even coordinating their arrival times so they could finish their Friday night games and possibly finish another one.  Friday night would be casual, yet full of games, acts of bravado and team decisions.  By the end of the evening, the Friday night games would be tallied, and one side would be able to deploy.  In a perfect world, as soon as someone is done with their Friday night games they would be able to deploy on the main table.  

Saturday Morning: The battle begins.

I love this tradition, that there isn't a lot of monkey-shines before the game begins on Saturday.  Folks eat breakfast, then head to the hall and roll dice.  Pretty great stuff.

Saturday Afternoon: Food arrives.

The game is probably, at best, on turn three at this stage.  Instead of breaking for lunch, I'd like to see a few party subs delivered.  Everyone eats with their hands and napkins, there aren't a ton of plates and cutlery and sauces strewn about.  Save that kind of eating for supper.

Saturday Night: Battle rages on, the game changes pace.

Last year we came up with something called the "world clock," which I never really thought was fleshed out that well but everyone seemed to like it.  Considering that there is a "Main Battle," and I really like battles "mixing," as it were, I'd like to see at a to-be-decided-time (6pm?) the Main Battle turn from a separate "World Clock" battle to a "World War" battle, where everyone is ready to fight one another, basilisks can fire the length of the table, Titans can fight Titans et al.

Saturday into the Morning: The side games.

Mixing it up, the way I've described it, would probably "kick out" a player every once in a while, someone with a forward position getting royally trounced and wiped off the table.  Almost immediately, he should be able to start another game somewhere in the hall.  As soon as two of them are able to play a game, any game, they should be able to still score points for their team.  Aeronautica?  Epic?  Poker?  All legal stuff for side game points.

Sunday Morning: Clean up and drink water.

Everything should be done.  The clean-up should be quick, minimal, and efficient.