Game aids from Origins

[Sunflare]

While playing a couple of games at Origins being run by Eric he was using a couple of things that I thought made the game go A LOT smother without all the chits and fiddly bits which for me is one of the things I dislike about the game. The biggest thing is the laminated ship mats he was using. Is there any way to get ahold of these or the files for them. I have thought about doing something similar in the past. but I just dont have the time to sit here and scan all the ship mats and edit them. Also he had these cool smoke markers that they had for sale. I should of bought them then when I had the chance, but I didnt and now I want them. Anyone know where I can get the smoke markers? Any info would be great. Thanks

[Nightmoss]

While playing a couple of games at Origins being run by Eric he was using a couple of things that I thought made the game go A LOT smother without all the chits and fiddly bits which for me is one of the things I dislike about the game. The biggest thing is the laminated ship mats he was using. Is there any way to get ahold of these or the files for them. I have thought about doing something similar in the past. but I just dont have the time to sit here and scan all the ship mats and edit them. Also he had these cool smoke markers that they had for sale. I should of bought them then when I had the chance, but I didnt and now I want them. Anyone know where I can get the smoke markers? Any info would be great. Thanks

Chris, I don't know what version of ship log/mats Eric was using so I'd send him a PM to find out exactly. The smoke markers are for sale right here on the Anchorage Store:

http://www.aerodromeaccessories.com/...-of-glory.html Go down about 2/3rds of the page.

Cheers!

[7eat51]

Hi Chris,

Here is a link to the smoke markers: http://www.aerodromeaccessories.com/...d-markers.html

Really glad you are onboard with us. We are preparing a solo campaign, starting 1 July. Consider joining us. It will be quite fun, I believe.

As for the laminated ship mats, we will be working on a different version. One thing we are cautious about is violating intellectual property, so once I know I can post a version that is not in violation of copyright law, I will announce it as I upload the pdf.

I am glad you had a good experience at Origins. I hope you whole time there was fun.

[The Royal Hajj]

Welcome to the site Chris. What SGN games did you play in at Origins?

Also, I do have the smoke cloud markers in stock at the moment.

[soul taker]

The smoke makers are great I bought three sets of them at Origins. Silly me thought three sets would be enough, I’m going to have to order some more of them.

Try this for ship mats it might work out for what you want. http://sailsofglory.org/downloads.php?do=file&id=83

[Sunflare]

I played in one of the morning intro games, though I knew how to play already. I also played a larger battle where the British were trying to stop a French convoy..........it was stopped. One of the poor French 3rd rates was boxed in and received two raking broadsides fore and aft as well as a third one from starboard. Sank it in one turn. Poor French.

As for the file listed I tried it, but it does not work correctly and every field is an error. I do not have MS Office and use OpenOffice which does not seem to like that file.

[fredmiracle]

As for the file listed I tried it, but it does not work correctly and every field is an error. I do not have MS Office and use OpenOffice which does not seem to like that file.

I was under the impression, as I guess you were, that OpenOffice attempted to offer a reasonable amount of compatibility with MS Office, but apparently that is not the case. When looking at it I found this post on the openoffice.org help forum:

I am sorry that you expect Calc to import and use Excel functions and formulas. ... If you are not willing to rework the formulas then you will have to stick with Excel.

Sorry

[Sunflare]

I was under the impression, as I guess you were, that OpenOffice attempted to offer a reasonable amount of compatibility with MS Office, but apparently that is not the case.:

No problem......I might try it on a friends computer and print them out and just use my printer at home to photocopy them as I need them.

[DeRuyter]

Hi Chris,


As for the laminated ship mats, we will be working on a different version. One thing we are cautious about is violating intellectual property, so once I know I can post a version that is not in violation of copyright law, I will announce it as I upload the pdf.

I am glad you had a good experience at Origins. I hope you whole time there was fun.

Eric:

Did you use crew actions in your Origins games? I was looking at the photos that Sven posted and I have to say the table looked nice and uncluttered with the laminated mats! I am going to be using all the advanced rules in an upcoming convention game, that's why I was asking. Do your logs allow for actions to be written in somehow?

Thanks

Eric

[7eat51]

Hi Eric,

We did not use crew actions. Actually, we kept the rules pretty basic, adding a couple as the games progressed and folks grew in their comfortability with the game. We did do sail settings and different ammo, but sail setting was simply done before anyone executed any maneuver. At the beginning of each turn, players place their cards face down when they are ready to play - a trick I learned from Keith so the GM knows when everyone is ready. Before the cards are switched over, players indicate if they are changing sail settings up or down one step. The cards are turned over and maneuvering takes place.

I found the time to go quickly in most games, and given the newness of the games to most players, keeping it basic worked quite well. Origins attracts gamers of all stripes. If I were to run a game at a war-game-specific con, especially a naval-oriented con, I would include more with a caveat in the description about assumed familiarity. Next year, I hope others will join the GM ranks and do the 3-hour games, some with more rules and expected experience, while I stick to the 2-hour slots assuming nothing.

We will develop a new log, more comprehensive and thematic. The ones we had we did the day before we left, I believe. As we played, I noticed how people were marking them, and they seeded some good ideas. Eric, having used the laminated ones, I doubt I will ever do anything else in the future. They are easy to set up, use, and clean up afterwards.

When is your upcoming game? If we have time, we can work on some and email you the file. We printed ours off at the UPS Store and had them laminated there, brought them home, cut them, and mounted them on foam board for a little sturdiness.

I will post another item we made that really helped. I will have Sue take a picture and I will post it later today or tomorrow.

Back to the logs, I recommend keeping it simple, clear, and easy to use during the game. I will draw a mockup of some ideas, scan it, and post it here by this evening. I can do a freehand version fairly quickly. It would be nice to get feedback on it as well before Sue does the computer graphics.

Best wishes,
Eric

[7eat51]

We made this ruler to help when measuring grape/chain and short-ball distances. Having the vertical holder enables my less-than-petite hands to get the ruler into the fray easily.

The Ruler




Grape/Chain within range




Looks like it will be long-distance after all

[Nightmoss]

We made this ruler to help when measuring grape/chain and short-ball distances. Having the vertical holder enables my less-than-petite hands to get the ruler into the fray easily.

The Ruler




Grape/Chain within range




Looks like it will be long-distance after all

What an excellent Idea!!! Is Keith considering making these as accessories? I'd certainly consider purchasing more than one, especially if they were portable (knock down flat).

[7eat51]

I am willing to sell Keith the design rights and patents.

Jim, it is surprising how much of a difference they made. It was so easy doing most every measurement.

We are going to make something similar for Wings of Glory to determine close vs. long range.

With both SoG and WoG rulers, the next iterations will have a thinner measuring arm to enhance one's ability of determining if a shot is within arc. I want long-range thin versions as well for the same reason. The thinness cannot detract from the arm's rigidness, though.

[Nightmoss]

I am willing to sell Keith the design rights and patents.

Jim, it is surprising how much of a difference they made. It was so easy doing most every measurement.

We are going to make something similar for Wings of Glory to determine close vs. long range.

With both SoG and WoG rulers, the next iterations will have a thinner measuring arm to enhance one's ability of determining if a shot is within arc. I want long-range thin versions as well for the same reason. The thinness cannot detract from the arm's rigidness, though.

In just the solo games I've played the long vs short measurement could be problematic when there are several ships engaged. Being able to approach top down will minimize error and bumping problems. Even if Keith and the Anchorage doesn't produce something like this I'll be crafting something similar for sure.

[Capn Duff]

Now
I do like that ruler

[7eat51]

the long vs short measurement could be problematic when there are several ships engaged. Being able to approach top down will minimize error and bumping problems.

Precisely. Also, at a larger table, it is so much easy measuring from above, so to speak. Being able to reach over and drop the ruler down was a great help.

[fredmiracle]

I would buy 2 sets of those rulers in a flash

[Nightmoss]

Eric, thank you for the inspiration to repurpose the old SoG rulers that I just couldn't bring myself to throw out. I'll still buy the 'official' AA product if Keith produces it, but this will work out in the mean time. Thanks again for a such a great idea and implementation.

[Andy Blozinski]

I might try to make one of those with wire for the range sticks.

[7eat51]

I might try to make one of those with wire for the range sticks.

I was thinking about wire because the thinness would be nice. The only issue would be rigidity. It the wire bends, the measuring can be compromised. That got me thinking about very small diameter metal tubing or rods.

Please post what you come up with Andy.

[DeRuyter]

Hi Eric,

We did not use crew actions. Actually, we kept the rules pretty basic, adding a couple as the games progressed and folks grew in their comfortability with the game. We did do sail settings and different ammo, but sail setting was simply done before anyone executed any maneuver. At the beginning of each turn, players place their cards face down when they are ready to play - a trick I learned from Keith so the GM knows when everyone is ready. Before the cards are switched over, players indicate if they are changing sail settings up or down one step. The cards are turned over and maneuvering takes place.

I found the time to go quickly in most games, and given the newness of the games to most players, keeping it basic worked quite well. Origins attracts gamers of all stripes. If I were to run a game at a war-game-specific con, especially a naval-oriented con, I would include more with a caveat in the description about assumed familiarity. Next year, I hope others will join the GM ranks and do the 3-hour games, some with more rules and expected experience, while I stick to the 2-hour slots assuming nothing.

We will develop a new log, more comprehensive and thematic. The ones we had we did the day before we left, I believe. As we played, I noticed how people were marking them, and they seeded some good ideas. Eric, having used the laminated ones, I doubt I will ever do anything else in the future. They are easy to set up, use, and clean up afterwards.

When is your upcoming game? If we have time, we can work on some and email you the file. We printed ours off at the UPS Store and had them laminated there, brought them home, cut them, and mounted them on foam board for a little sturdiness.

I am running a game (Battle of Cape Ortegal) on July 17th at Historicon in Fredericksburg Va. Since it is the con for hard core wargamers (grognards) I do get experienced age of sail players. The consensus in my group is that the actions and advanced rules add a lot to the game. The big question is as you noted, is whether that will work for a convention game. I will have 8 SOL and hopefully 8 players with a 4 hour time slot.

Unfortunately I don't have much time to customize ships logs and rig the ships since I am also painting units for a tournament. I do like the erasable logs though, and your measuring stick , or rather Jim's version using the older wooden rulers.

Eric

Eric

[soul taker]

Eric your ruler was a good idea. It really seemed to help with the games at Origins with all those ships in a tight space. Your post has reminded me that I need to try to come up with something like that for myself.

[fredmiracle]

The consensus in my group is that the actions and advanced rules add a lot to the game. The big question is as you noted, is whether that will work for a convention game. I will have 8 SOL and hopefully 8 players with a 4 hour time slot.

I don't have a lot of experience with conventions, but with each person running only one ship, and 4 hours to play, I would think advanced rules would be quite doable. They don't add that much time, really, just a bit more thought. With one ship, the complexity burden is quite manageable

I guess the trick will be getting the players up to speed on the rules and gameplay as quickly as possible. It's no fun to find out halfway in that you've been doing something wrong, or can't do something you thought you could. I guess quick reference charts and such would be important there...