Speed Game

[OutsideLime]

Hi guys,

Prompted by a comment of frimmel’s in another thread, thought I’d launch the topic…

A friendly opponent and I are staging a test of a 2-player speed game this weekend.  The basic concept is this (and I’m sure it will require a bit of balancing):

Get a timer that can be started and paused/unpaused, and that shows minutes/seconds.  At the start of your turn, start the timer.  Let it run while you Research Technology, Purchase Units, and Combat Move.  Pause during Combat.  Unpause for Noncombat Movement and Mobilization.  Once you’ve placed your last unit, stop the timer.

Collect your income, but observe this new rule:  If your overall time breaks three minutes, your opponent gets 1 IPC from the collecting nation’s income to immediately add to any of his nations’ cash stockpiles.  For every additional 30 seconds over 3 minutes, he gets an additional IPC.  He can split up these bonus IPC among his nations however he wants, but he must assign them immediately.

exception:  Russia gets four minutes to start, since you’re coming right off the US turn and haven’t had time to think about it.

Reset the timer and repeat the process for every turn.  I think this will be a fairly strong motivation to get those turns done quickly, no?

What do you think?

~Josh

[balungaloaf]

a little too fast.  i would give 7 minutes to 10, b/c once it gets into it, you’re really gonna be thinking about your moves.

i’ve had games take a ridiculous amount of hours and days to finish.

[squirecam]

You should be thinking about your turn all the while your opponent was moving.

This was why the 3-4 minute timer on the hasbroken CD worked.

I agree with the Op and dont think 10 minutes is necessary

[OutsideLime]

Yeah, 10 minutes is too long… we’re going for a “speed game” here, remember.    :wink:

~Josh

[Baghdaddy]

@OutsideLime:

Hi guys,

Prompted by a comment of frimmel’s in another thread, thought I’d launch the topic…

A friendly opponent and I are staging a test of a 2-player speed game this weekend.  The basic concept is this (and I’m sure it will require a bit of balancing):

Get a timer that can be started and paused/unpaused, and that shows minutes/seconds.  At the start of your turn, start the timer.  Let it run while you Research Technology, Purchase Units, and Combat Move.  Pause during Combat.  Unpause for Noncombat Movement and Mobilization.  Once you’ve placed your last unit, stop the timer.

Collect your income, but observe this new rule:  If your overall time breaks three minutes, your opponent gets 1 IPC from the collecting nation’s income to immediately add to any of his nations’ cash stockpiles.  For every additional 30 seconds over 3 minutes, he gets an additional IPC.  He can split up these bonus IPC among his nations however he wants, but he must assign them immediately.

exception:  Russia gets four minutes to start, since you’re coming right off the US turn and haven’t had time to think about it.

Reset the timer and repeat the process for every turn.  I think this will be a fairly strong motivation to get those turns done quickly, no?

What do you think?

~Josh

Have the player with the least number of VC at the end of the round determine how long each player should get next turn sequence.  Allow the amount of time to change in increments of 30 seconds up or down from the previous round.  Start the game with 5 minutes per player.  A player can always end his turn early.  Min time is 2:00, max is 8:00.  Game has a total clock of 3 hours.

Example.  Game starts with 4 minutes per player. 
End of round 1, Axis has taken Calcutta, VC count is 7-5. Total game clock is 20 minutes.  Allies decide to put some time pressure on and make the time 3:30 per player. 
End of round 2, Axis has taken Leningrad, VC is 8-4. Total game clock is 37.5 minutes. Allies make it 3:00 per player. 
End of round 3, time pressure caused Axis to slip up in Western Europe, Paris is liberated, VC is 7-5. Total game clock is 52.5 minutes. Allies want more time pressure, 2:30 per player.
End of round 4, time pressure was disaster for Allies, US player flubbed West USlast turn, Japan occupies, Germany recovers Paris but Leningrad falls, VC is 8-4.  Total game clock is 65 minutes.  Allies bump time up to 3:00 per player.

Play continues in this fashion with loser controlling pace of game (less units to worry about, defense tends to be more static).  If when loser (Allies) start to build up, they can increase turn clock to allow more time for move however now they are playing against the total game clock countdown.Â

A variation of this is to have the IPC increase / decrease determine who gets to adjust the turn clock.  This plays more to the Axis since once the Allies start to turn the tide, the Axis can slow the game down to run out the game clock.

A skill handicapping version of this involves ounces of beer = VC for each side for the players involved.  The winning side is drinking more each turn than the losing side => game may seesaw back and forth as players have a hard time focusing on the game.  This is a good version to play if your opponent is wearing a bikini…  :evil:

[frimmel]

What about more like chess? You get forty five minutes to an hour. Clock doesn’t run once combats are declared. Maybe give the Allied player some more time as they have three sides to move.

[Guest]

10 minutes TOTAL per nation.
10 minute break each hour.
1 hour per turn.

[frimmel]

I would think the point of a clock would be to keep the game under 4 hours?

[Guest]

Then 5 minutes per nation, 10 minute break every 2 turns.
2 turns an hour.

Even then you would be hard pressed just to roll dice and move pieces in the allotted time, especially Japan by mid-game, and Germany early in the game.