Author Topic: WTF is Beyond The Stars! ?  (Read 3938 times)

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Offline Þórgrímr (OP)

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WTF is Beyond The Stars! ?
« on: April 09, 2009, 12:24:59 PM »
The Stars Beckon! is a unique 4X game due to its inherent freedom to design you Power as you see fit. For example, it does not assign any intrinsic benefits to tyrannical governments over liberal democracies, or to centrally planned economies over free markets. Any such distinctions are made in your description of your Power, and how you practically play it.

Thus, if you wish a police state, you should start with in a large number of Secret Police and Informers, or if you want a free trade economy, you should let others invest in your nation, have a large merchant fleet and make plenty of Trade Goods. There are some Advantages and Disadvantages that can be used to further define a Power, but the specific angle those take is still up to you. For example a Fanatical Population could be the result of a bunch of indoctrinated, ignorant peasants ordered to die for the Fatherland, or it could also be the result of a free society who see themselves as the greatest civilization in the galaxy and will defend their freedom to the death.

In the end, it's all up to you, and how you physically construct and play your Power . Freedom of choice, not restrictions, is what The Stars Beckon! is all about. Have fun in designing and playing your Power, and welcome to the fascinating universe of The Stars Beckon!



You are probably reading the various rules threads and shaking your head in amazement at the insane amount of rules for a game.  :D

Now you may be asking yourself why did I take on the Don Quixote-like attempt to make such a flexible, and in someways complicated, set of rules? Glad you asked!  :D Beautiful counterattack, it was a joy to watch, even though the third Shock Army disintegrated in that attack. This is what I mean by getting satisfaction from complexity.

The second game was SPI's Campaign for North Africa. All I can say about this one is quote designer Richard Berg about it, "CNA was designed to be the most realistic game on the north African campaign. When you play it you will see the frustration Rommel experienced by his lack of supply. In fact Combat is a side effect of the logistics system and is not the main focus." Amen Richard.  :shock:  So mind numbingly shallow they are a hit with the mainstream wannbe gamers.  :evil:  

By 2003 I was so sick of the dumbing down process, which is STILL continuing by the way, I began to tinker with creating my own set of rules for a 4X game I wanted to see.

So that is the history of why I began my crusade as Don Quixote, erm, I mean as a concerned gamer, to try and reverse this dumbing down process, if even just in my li'l corner of the universe.  8)



Cheers, ??rgr?mr
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 06:00:00 PM by Þórgrímr »
Sic vis pacem, para bellum
If you want peace, prepare for war
 
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