LEGO Board and Tabletop Games (non-video)

[BattleBrik]

Hi,

I'm a new member to the site....

I've looked in this thread and in the "LEGO Mafia and Role-Play Games" and I can't seem to find a central forum or thread for non-video games that use LEGO.

I'm thinking of LEGO official games from the game line (Minotaurus, Ramses' Pyramid, etc), Heroica itself (not the online RPG), and any other LEGO-inspired games like Brikwars, BrickQuest, Mechaton, etc.

Anyone interested in these and wanting to discuss? Is there a better forum/thread?

Thx

Edited March 3, 2016 by BattleBrik

[tokvinn]

hi

i am a Lego Board game lover to :)

i collect them,and the Lego Chess games :)

just love the games.. they are so fun to play.. me and my boy simpley loves them :)

[BattleBrik]

hi

i am a Lego Board game lover to :)

i collect them,and the Lego Chess games :)

just love the games.. they are so fun to play.. me and my boy simpley loves them :)

Awesome! So which are your favorite official LEGO Board games? I like Hogwart's and Herocia the best...but I haven't played them all.

Thx

[MrRoy]

I saw your project on Ideas and checked out the rules you were working on while your project was live.

I'm interested in your thoughts on putting a game project on Ideas and how far you got with your BattleBrik/Minifig Melee game rules. If you would like to try this forum for a public discussion to see in anyone else is interested, let me know. I don't do PM's.

Other than that I am interested in discussing BrickQuest, Brickwars, et al. and anything else non-video game related (RPG or board)

[Moderator: if there is a better forum, move/inform and we'll go there]

Thanks.

[LEGODalekbuster523]

I've only played three of the LEGO board games, although I think the three I have tend to vary in quality. LEGO Minotaurus is a lot of fun, LEGO Ramses Pyramid was alright but the LEGO Harry Potter one was a bit of a disappointment.

[BattleBrik]

I saw your project on Ideas and checked out the rules you were working on while your project was live.

I'm interested in your thoughts on putting a game project on Ideas and how far you got with your BattleBrik/Minifig Melee game rules. If you would like to try this forum for a public discussion to see in anyone else is interested, let me know. I don't do PM's.

Other than that I am interested in discussing BrickQuest, Brickwars, et al. and anything else non-video game related (RPG or board)

[Moderator: if there is a better forum, move/inform and we'll go there]

Thanks.

Thanks MrRoy! BattleBrik was the old project (and my username) but Minifig Melee is the new version and is actively being developed.

I am on a three month "pre-launch" effort to get everything (including the rules) ready to unveil for either Kickstarter or some other method of releasing to the public.

The best way to stay up-to-date is to go to http://www.minifigmelee.com/ and sign up for the newsletter.

Thx!

[MrRoy]

Done. Let's talk again later.

[BattleBrik]

Done. Let's talk again later.

Great! That said, I am interested in discussing my game and similar games in this forum as well. I'm always looking for insights from AFOL gamers...

Since this thread is not seeing much action otherwise.... I'm all for an open discussion of the game here.

Let's kick it off with an open-ended question that drove me down the path to creating the game:

"What would you look for in a tabletop miniatures game that uses LEGO minifigures and LEGO dice?"

[MrRoy]

I am a pre-school teacher and I have 10 kids of my own, the youngest four of them still game with me with their friends and other club members ranging in age from 3 to 12.

So, the game needs to be easy to learn and episodic, short segmented "mini-games" or encounters so they don't get bored.

Also, no one can "die."

The gaming sessions cannot last longer than three hours total, with some of that time designated for snacks/refreshments and some of the time for sociability (non-gaming). So we're talking about two to two and a half hours of total game time in one night.

There has to be variety in the game or games. But there has to be a unified storyline that captures the attention and imagination and includes each player.

There's some starters...

What else?

[Chromeknight]

"What would you look for in a tabletop miniatures game that uses LEGO minifigures and LEGO dice?"

Simplicity and customisablilty.

Which is kinda a shame since they work against each other.

A game needs to be simple since I, probably like most other people, don't have a group of hard core gamey freaks who like to deconstruct rulesets and grok systems for fun. So, the people I play with need simple. They have the attention span of an 8 year old when it comes to new games (though to be fair, some of them are 8 year olds). But that's ok. They're playing games. With Lego. They don't need or want to be doing calculus and rocket science.

A game needs to be simple. This means the stats attributed to miniatures need to be minimised and if possible intuitive and easily represented in physical form. The decision system (the bit that uses dice) will be simple as a consequence of using the Lego dice, even two together is only an 11 point normalised distribution if using numbers or a 36 result array otherwise.

The more actions are hard coded into miniature stats or base rules rather than decision outcomes, (eg. 'Figs move 12 studs is way simpler than 'Figs move 2d6 studs) the simpler the system also.

But conversely it needs to be customisable. This is a trait rarely found in other non-lego TMGs. Because most TMGs want you to buy 'their' figures and scenery and so on.

And this is the heart of a great LEGO TMG, getting this without sacrificing simplicity. What do I mean by customisablilty? Think of a standard Lego fig. They can be assembled with a range of things in their hands, can wear helmets, armours, life jackets, air tanks etc. All stuff that would reasonably make a difference to their stats or to the actions they can perform. Just like any nicely painted static miniature. But the Lego fig isn't glued or painted (if it is, you need help, not games!), so theoretically, what they're carrying or wearing could change mid game. How does the rules allow for/encourage that?

If the ruleset doesn't, why play with Lego rather than painted minis or cardboard standees or whatever?

And it's not just figs. I build a cool tank, can I use it in the game? What about destroying and rebuilding terrain? Does the game drive players to play with Lego as Lego or is Lego just the interchangeable medium it's presented in? Like a Lego chess set, where the peices being lego is cool, sure, but they could just a easily be glass or wood or origami.

Two more points flow from this.

Does the game have a strong setting which restricts and clearly guides what players build? Does it pick one theme to the exclusion of others. Ie. This is a sci-fi game, your pirate isn't welcome here (unless he's. Space-Pirate.) Or is the game a happy anarchy where Classic-Policeman fights alongside Darf-Fader (not tm!) against the evil red-kai-ninja and his buddy Iron-Fig?

Connected to that is the question of which comes first, rules and stats (now go build fig and vehicles etc) or do figs and vehicles come first and here are some guideline to say what they can do and are worth.

BrikWars does this well but totally fails the simplicity criteria.

BrickBattles by James Brown is very simple and LEGOy, encouraging play, but requires a lot of player agreement and fudging to be balanced and fun.

Conversely, Song of Blades and Heroes, my go-to TMG, is simple but using Lego for it is purely an aesthetic choice. I do it to avoid buying and painting a pile of minitures. There's some customisablilty but nothing that encourages playing with Lego as Lego.

Anyway, that's my two thought. Simplicity and Customizability.

(Also if there's a better word for what I'm trying to say there rather than Customizability please please let me know!)

[BattleBrik]

Guys,

Your responses are gold! I have thought through much of the same things...but you guys have touched of some very important points.

I don't want to make it seem like I have all the answers, but I will reply with how Minifig Melee addresses these items and ask some more questions to help refine.

Don't want to parse the whole answer? I summarize in bold.

So, the game needs to be easy to learn and episodic, short segmented "mini-games" or encounters so they don't get bored.

I address the "easy to learn" part below... but as for the gaming sessions,

Minifig Melee has two "modes": Match-up is a one-off battle on a map that is either per-designed or built (using rules) on the spot for one session. Mission is "episodic" where players play through multiple sessions that make up a campaign. Players can choose the path their campaign takes and characters grow over the course of it.

Also, no one can "die."

How about being "knocked out" of the game? With rules based on mode and/or mission criteria that indicate whether a minifig can re-spawn in a session or not....

The gaming sessions cannot last longer than three hours total, with some of that time designated for snacks/refreshments and some of the time for sociability (non-gaming). So we're talking about two to two and a half hours of total game time in one night.

Agreed... I was aiming for 30-60 mins for a Match-up and 60 mins for Mission. The rinse/repeat of a turn is pretty streamlined at this point so after set up, things run really smoothly.

There has to be variety in the game or games. But there has to be a unified storyline that captures the attention and imagination and includes each player.

Minifig Melee will have themed sets. (see http://www.minifigmelee.com/products/ for some of the ideas). Each set would come with a specific campaign story-line, but there would also be cross-set story-lines. There will be a system for easily mixing & matching and stringing together. I will want to provide an online forum or other method for this to be crowd-sourced so you can go to the website and find cool missions/campaigns that others have built.

A game needs to be simple since I, probably like most other people, don't have a group of hard core gamey freaks who like to deconstruct rulesets and grok systems for fun. So, the people I play with need simple. They have the attention span of an 8 year old when it comes to new games (though to be fair, some of them are 8 year olds). But that's ok. They're playing games. With Lego. They don't need or want to be doing calculus and rocket science.

Yes! The stats, actions, interactions, calculations should all be simple. I'm aiming for that magical "easy to learn, but hard to master" combo.... I want the game to be playable by an AFOL with kids to have fun, but also by experienced miniatures gamers who want to match wits with their friends.

A game needs to be simple. This means the stats attributed to miniatures need to be minimised and if possible intuitive and easily represented in physical form. The decision system (the bit that uses dice) will be simple as a consequence of using the Lego dice, even two together is only an 11 point normalised distribution if using numbers or a 36 result array otherwise.

The more actions are hard coded into miniature stats or base rules rather than decision outcomes, (eg. 'Figs move 12 studs is way simpler than 'Figs move 2d6 studs) the simpler the system also.

A key concept of the game is that different colored tiles represent different stats and body locations for the minifig...and the dice color/icons correspond. The general system is that a minifig's stats (of which there are 6) are determined at minifgure design time (see below) and then any Action the minifig takes in the game is backed by one of the stats. When the player takes an Action, they roll the dice and any matching colors add to their result. One color is always a failure (black) and one is always a success (white) and that also gives the minifig a boost (see below). Results are in the 1- 6 range so the math is super simple and every point counts.

But conversely it needs to be customisable. This is a trait rarely found in other non-lego TMGs. Because most TMGs want you to buy 'their' figures and scenery and so on.

And this is the heart of a great LEGO TMG, getting this without sacrificing simplicity. What do I mean by customisablilty? Think of a standard Lego fig. They can be assembled with a range of things in their hands, can wear helmets, armours, life jackets, air tanks etc. All stuff that would reasonably make a difference to their stats or to the actions they can perform. Just like any nicely painted static miniature. But the Lego fig isn't glued or painted (if it is, you need help, not games!), so theoretically, what they're carrying or wearing could change mid game. How does the rules allow for/encourage that?

If the ruleset doesn't, why play with Lego rather than painted minis or cardboard standees or whatever?

Wow! So glad you pointed this out! This was one of the main unique mechanics that has driven the development of Minifig Melee!

In Minifig Melee, character stats are directly driven by the miniature. Now I'm not talking about the typical "if the mini is holding a gun, they have ranged attack" abstraction here...I'm talking about every weapon, piece of armor, or object on the figure equates to in-game stats..and the points build system reflects this and balances it. Players go through a step-by-step process of assigning stats to their custom built minifigure (assuming they haven't chosen one of the pre-built characters who were built using the same system).

Also, each Minifig can have one or more rule-bending special abilities based on the minifig's construction that really adds fun and spice to the game play. Rolling a white on a dice allows the player to put a white tile on the minifig's card and these can be collected and spent to use the specials. This gives a push-your-luck element where you want to get the timing right and you can strategize to pull off combos.

By the way, minifigs may lose items during the game and the map may have items that minifigs can pick up to improve their stats.

And it's not just figs. I build a cool tank, can I use it in the game? What about destroying and rebuilding terrain? Does the game drive players to play with Lego as Lego or is Lego just the interchangeable medium it's presented in?

This is the "fun set-up" part of the game's tagline. I have been involved in many "hobby games" over the years where it is not just about playing the game, but building armies and terrain for the game that makes it so much fun. I see folks who get into this game building cool terrain, objects, hazards, etc to supplement the game... I want a community where players share their creations and/or crowdsource the stats.

Does the game have a strong setting which restricts and clearly guides what players build? Does it pick one theme to the exclusion of others. Ie. This is a sci-fi game, your pirate isn't welcome here (unless he's. Space-Pirate™.) Or is the game a happy anarchy where Classic-Policeman fights alongside Darf-Fader (not tm!) against the evil red-kai-ninja and his buddy Iron-Fig? Connected to that is the question of which comes first, rules and stats (now go build fig and vehicles etc) or do figs and vehicles come first and here are some guideline to say what they can do and are worth.

The rules and the themes will give constraints. Groups can keep it restricted to a theme, or mix&match as desired. The game engine works for any minifig in any genre but the pre-packaged sets allow for specifics. Obviously some rules (guns/lasers for example) may not make sense in certain sets.... but players get to decide and build accordingly. Vehicles in particular is an area I have not thought through too much.

BrikWars does this well but totally fails the simplicity criteria.

BrickBattles by James Brown is very simple and LEGOy, encouraging play, but requires a lot of player agreement and fudging to be balanced and fun.

Conversely, Song of Blades and Heroes, my go-to TMG, is simple but using Lego for it is purely an aesthetic choice. I do it to avoid buying and painting a pile of minitures. There's some customisablilty but nothing that encourages playing with Lego as Lego.

Minifig Melee is focused on small skirmish teams... 2 to 4 minifigs on a small map. Every character counts. This is quite different than the other games you mention because those are designed for massive battles and large forces. This is what differentiates those games from mine. I want this to be quicker, more focused, but yet still have all the customizability. I want the rules to be much tigher so fudging and balancing are not required....but "open" enough to allow for new actions to be introduced as needed. I want LEGO to be a key aspect of the game play...but for it still to feel like an actual game you'd want to play on its own even if you aren't a total AFOL.

Let me know if any of that does or doesn't make any sense and if you have any specific questions or recommendations.

Thx!

Edited April 8, 2016 by BattleBrik

[MrRoy]

Typically, I have play sessions for 2 to twelve kids. If their PC falls in battle they "time out" for three turns (Rest and Recovery) or until someone spends an action giving them first aid. If they drink a healing potion or get a beneficial spell they're back to full health or near full health. But any longer than three turns, which can last between five and fifteen minutes and I lose their interest no matter what's at stake.

So no one "dies" but they lose play actions and input into the gaming sequence, until they are back "in the saddle." If all allies are in Rest and Recovery the battle is over and my monsters win. Usually, my monsters take a pretty good beating.

"Oh, my poor monsters!" -Dave Arneson

[BattleBrik]

Typically, I have play sessions for 2 to twelve kids. If their PC falls in battle they "time out" for three turns (Rest and Recovery) or until someone spends an action giving them first aid. If they drink a healing potion or get a beneficial spell they're back to full health or near full health. But any longer than three turns, which can last between five and fifteen minutes and I lose their interest no matter what's at stake.

So no one "dies" but they lose play actions and input into the gaming sequence, until they are back "in the saddle." If all allies are in Rest and Recovery the battle is over and my monsters win. Usually, my monsters take a pretty good beating.

"Oh, my poor monsters!" -Dave Arneson

Is this a particular game you're describing or a home-brew? Does each player have just one character?

Do you think the same is true if the player has a force of 3-4 characters? ... Do you think it is more acceptable for a character to stay out if the player has other characters from their force still playing... in other words, maybe the issue isn't that the player's characters never die, but that the player isn't totally out of the game?

[MrRoy]

1. The game is complicated to explain.

We have Foundational Rules: Designer's Rules, the implicit theoretical basis of the game, (the mathematical representation of game state and how and when it changes) I create these.

We have Operational Rules: Player's contribute here, the average of rules in the minds of all players. It's what players do to play the game.

Some of the above are Written Rules that give explicit formulation of how to do certain things.

Some are Behavioral Rules, the "unwritten" rules that are implicit rules of behavior regarding sportsmanship and social contract

There are Laws, think "Tournament Rules" which are explicit behavioral rules, properties, sanctions and corrections that I usually impose but only if and when necessary.

Official Rules require Authorization, that's when Laws become part of the Written Rules.

Advisory Rules concern strategy and tactics and allow open contribution and debate until they become Behavioral or Operational, etc.

There are rules regarding Equipment and House Rules that include the feedback of players and designed to tone the Operational Rules.

Play is the Application (or non-application) of the rules to equipment. (In the case of the latter think rules not observed for specific reason)

Finally, Modes are different rules or rule sets which apply during different parts of play or play sessions.

Yeah, I teach all this to the kids by actually doing it, not theorizing about it, but it's nice to talk to adults about it once in a while. :)

2. Each player has a troupe, think cast of characters in a play. They are free to choose any PC (sometimes more than one) and if one of their PC's falls in battle I typically have them continue to play with a different PC to keep their interest and the session going. You play until all your PC's allowed into each session fall. Then the battle is over and a victor is declared and reward or consequences are dealt out.

3. Players will own between 1 and twenty-something PC's. They keep them in cases and are responsible for the proper maintenance and protection of the PC, consumables, companions (pets), possessions and powers.

Edited April 11, 2016 by MrRoy

[BattleBrik]

1. The game is complicated to explain.

Pretty cool. Reminds me of a modified form of Nomic. This sounds like a game theory class...or college-level parliamentary procedure ... and you're doing this with pre-school kids?!?!

[MrRoy]

Yes, and then they join the club and come once or twice a month from age five to twelve, for three hour play sessions. I just don't explain it to them the way I can to you, because they would have no idea what I'm talking about.

Edited April 12, 2016 by MrRoy

[Whiteagle]

Hi,

I'm a new member to the site....

I've looked in this thread and in the "LEGO Mafia and Role-Play Games" and I can't seem to find a central forum or thread for non-video games that use LEGO.

I'm thinking of LEGO official games from the game line (Minotaurus, Ramses' Pyramid, etc), Heroica itself (not the online RPG), and any other LEGO-inspired games like Brikwars, BrickQuest, Mechaton, etc.

Anyone interested in these and wanting to discuss? Is there a better forum/thread?

Thx

Other than that I am interested in discussing BrickQuest, Brickwars, et al. and anything else non-video game related (RPG or board)

I too am interested in discussing Lego-based Tabletop on this forum, as I've been banned from both the Brikwars forum and now 4chan for stupid reason, and have figured out how to make this forum E-mail me updates!

I am a pre-school teacher and I have 10 kids of my own, the youngest four of them still game with me with their friends and other club members ranging in age from 3 to 12.

So, the game needs to be easy to learn and episodic, short segmented "mini-games" or encounters so they don't get bored.

That's a lot of kids!

But yeah, living in the middle of no-where, one of the few people I see often enough to play a game with are my young nephews, so being able to keep the attention of an energetic seven year old is a definite plus.

Also, no one can "die."

Actually, one of the strengths War-gaming with Lego minifigures is how you can use them to awesomely depict destruction and dismemberment, with as much or as LITTLE graphic detail as you want.

Great! That said, I am interested in discussing my game and similar games in this forum as well. I'm always looking for insights from AFOL gamers...

Since this thread is not seeing much action otherwise.... I'm all for an open discussion of the game here.

Let's kick it off with an open-ended question that drove me down the path to creating the game:

"What would you look for in a tabletop miniatures game that uses LEGO minifigures and LEGO dice?"

Simplicity and customisablilty.

...

But conversely it needs to be customisable. This is a trait rarely found in other non-lego TMGs. Because most TMGs want you to buy 'their' figures and scenery and so on.

And this is the heart of a great LEGO TMG, getting this without sacrificing simplicity. What do I mean by customisablilty? Think of a standard Lego fig. They can be assembled with a range of things in their hands, can wear helmets, armours, life jackets, air tanks etc. All stuff that would reasonably make a difference to their stats or to the actions they can perform. Just like any nicely painted static miniature. But the Lego fig isn't glued or painted (if it is, you need help, not games!), so theoretically, what they're carrying or wearing could change mid game. How does the rules allow for/encourage that?

If the ruleset doesn't, why play with Lego rather than painted minis or cardboard standees or whatever?

And it's not just figs. I build a cool tank, can I use it in the game? What about destroying and rebuilding terrain? Does the game drive players to play with Lego as Lego or is Lego just the interchangeable medium it's presented in? Like a Lego chess set, where the peices being lego is cool, sure, but they could just a easily be glass or wood or origami.

Two more points flow from this.

Does the game have a strong setting which restricts and clearly guides what players build? Does it pick one theme to the exclusion of others. Ie. This is a sci-fi game, your pirate isn't welcome here (unless he's. Space-Pirate™.) Or is the game a happy anarchy where Classic-Policeman fights alongside Darf-Fader (not tm!) against the evil red-kai-ninja and his buddy Iron-Fig?

Connected to that is the question of which comes first, rules and stats (now go build fig and vehicles etc) or do figs and vehicles come first and here are some guideline to say what they can do and are worth.

BrikWars does this well but totally fails the simplicity criteria.

While I agree with your thoughts on Customisability (one of the biggest points of tabletop game play is how much you can personalize your gaming avatars, your characters and armies are YOUR dudes after all, but most physical representation is in the form of static miniatures that one has to be rather skilled in model building, sculpting, and painting in order to truly make one's own), I disagree that Brikwars fails to be simple, at least totally...

You see, Mike Rayhawk actually goes to great lengths to try and simplify the game, both to stream line play and to reduce the amount of book-work players have to deal with.

In fact, it was technically an argument over his change to the Super Natural Die rules, part of an effort to create a version of Brikwars that doesn't rely on point cost balances, that got me banned from that forum.

THING IS, Brikwars is suppose to be as flexible as the building brick system it primarily makes use of, so it has a large amount of granularity back ended onto it in order to accomplish this.

For instance, my Battle Droids only have an Armor Rating of 2 (As opposed to a standard Minifig's 4) and have a special rule that gives them a +1 to Skill with Ranged Weapons, but a -2 for Melee Skill.

This makes for a very shooty army, but one that gets demolished in close combat, a perfect representation of what happens as soon as a Jedi whips out their Lightsaber!

Still, you don't NEED to use those extra rules, and instead play a more advanced version of Quikwars.

A key concept of the game is that different colored tiles represent different stats and body locations for the minifig...and the dice color/icons correspond. The general system is that a minifig's stats (of which there are 6) are determined at minifgure design time (see below) and then any Action the minifig takes in the game is backed by one of the stats. When the player takes an Action, they roll the dice and any matching colors add to their result. One color is always a failure (black) and one is always a success (white) and that also gives the minifig a boost (see below). Results are in the 1- 6 range so the math is super simple and every point counts.

...

In Minifig Melee, character stats are directly driven by the miniature. Now I'm not talking about the typical "if the mini is holding a gun, they have ranged attack" abstraction here...I'm talking about every weapon, piece of armor, or object on the figure equates to in-game stats..and the points build system reflects this and balances it. Players go through a step-by-step process of assigning stats to their custom built minifigure (assuming they haven't chosen one of the pre-built characters who were built using the same system).

Also, each Minifig can have one or more rule-bending special abilities based on the minifig's construction that really adds fun and spice to the game play. Rolling a white on a dice allows the player to put a white tile on the minifig's card and these can be collected and spent to use the specials. This gives a push-your-luck element where you want to get the timing right and you can strategize to pull off combos.

By the way, minifigs may lose items during the game and the map may have items that minifigs can pick up to improve their stats.

...

The rules and the themes will give constraints. Groups can keep it restricted to a theme, or mix&match as desired. The game engine works for any minifig in any genre but the pre-packaged sets allow for specifics. Obviously some rules (guns/lasers for example) may not make sense in certain sets.... but players get to decide and build accordingly. Vehicles in particular is an area I have not thought through too much.

Minifig Melee is focused on small skirmish teams... 2 to 4 minifigs on a small map. Every character counts. This is quite different than the other games you mention because those are designed for massive battles and large forces. This is what differentiates those games from mine. I want this to be quicker, more focused, but yet still have all the customizability. I want the rules to be much tigher so fudging and balancing are not required....but "open" enough to allow for new actions to be introduced as needed. I want LEGO to be a key aspect of the game play...but for it still to feel like an actual game you'd want to play on its own even if you aren't a total AFOL.

Let me know if any of that does or doesn't make any sense and if you have any specific questions or recommendations.

No offense BattleBrik, but it's this sort of bookkeeping complexity that turns people off Brikwars....

The granularity of various Equipment Modifiers and Character Stats, while meaningful to the gameplay, end up being a lot to keep track of.

Thankfully, the fact that your game focuses on minifigure teams of two to four helps mitigate this a lot as, like in an RPG, keeping track of the stats of singular characters is a lot easier than entire armies.

You also will hopefully not fall into the pitfall of Mobile Frame Zero; a nigh incomprehensible presentation of a rather clunky system.

This is the "fun set-up" part of the game's tagline. I have been involved in many "hobby games" over the years where it is not just about playing the game, but building armies and terrain for the game that makes it so much fun. I see folks who get into this game building cool terrain, objects, hazards, etc to supplement the game... I want a community where players share their creations and/or crowdsource the stats.

Again, another great reason to use Lego in Tabletop; The sheer PLASTICITY of Characters and the Environment!

[MrRoy]

Greetings, Whiteagle, and thank you for joining this thread, I do have a game club and a very indie system that can be explained over time. I welcome the opportunity to interact with you here. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Rayhawk at BrickFairNE14, where I and my marshals played over 140 guests on Saturday and close to 95 on Sunday. During the chance encounter in Manchester, NH I showed Mike my copy of his rules from 2000, I had printed out and carry with me to show people the conceptual origins of Legendaria. I had previously explained my club and game, and could tell he was someone special, so I said, "Are you a gamer at all?" He said, "Yeah, sort of." I said, "O.K. well I told you who I am and what I do, now it's your turn." He proceeded to blow me away with the question, "Ever hear of Brikwars?" I said, "Yes, sir I have." He said, "I invented it." I cannot say what happened next because I could not believe I was meeting one of my real life heroes. To this day, I have not had a similar moment to compare with this, though someday I hope to. Maybe interacting with you here could prove to be less fortuitous and more profitable if you are willing to share your experience and insight.

I gotta go for now, but I WILL be checking in. Let us begin with introductions and then get topical. Theoretical at first and then getting specific to game styles and mechanics.

Edited May 28, 2016 by MrRoy

[Whiteagle]

Greetings, Whiteagle, and thank you for joining this thread, I do have a game club and a very indie system that can be explained over time. I welcome the opportunity to interact with you here. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Rayhawk at BrickFairNE14, where I and my marshals played over 140 guests on Saturday and close to 95 on Sunday. During the chance encounter in Manchester, NH I showed Mike my copy of his rules from 2000, I had printed out and carry with me to show people the conceptual origins of Legendaria. I had previously explained my club and game, and could tell he was someone special, so I said, "Are you a gamer at all?" He said, "Yeah, sort of." I said, "O.K. well I told you who I am and what I do, now it's your turn." He proceeded to blow me away with the question, "Ever hear of Brikwars?" I said, "Yes, sir I have." He said, "I invented it." I cannot say what happened next because I could not believe I was meeting one of my real life heroes. To this day, I have not had a similar moment to compare with this, though someday I hope to. Maybe interacting with yo here could prove to be less fortuitous and more profitable for your experience and insight.

I gotta go for now, but I WILL be checking in. Let us begin with introductions and then get topical. Theoretical at first and then getting specific to game styles and mechanics.

Yeah, Mike can be pretty awe inspiring, especially since his career as a commercial design artist got him a Job at The Lego Company around the time of Lego Universe, and the surreal story where he had to go to a new employee orientation designed to introduce the staff to the art and styling of Mike Rayhawk.

Of course, having become their Art Department head, he's on a pretty high horse when it comes to telling people what to do with their lives.

I, on the other hand, are one of the numerous man-children who frequented the Brikwars forum, specifically the one that whined too much about his sucky life and kept posting pictures of his LDD builds all over the place.

[MrRoy]

Sorry, late night. Typed reply, then accidentally nav'd away and erased it. Better now. My wife and I run a pre-school and the kids come to my game club. I teach them how to "play." They become designers of their own play and in the same fashion of their own "games." Then they apply the success they have learned to their own behavior, school, sports, work, life. What I do is effective for people of all ages, myself included, but I have primary access to kids age 3-12. I am also a coach. But really, I just talk to people and ask a lot of questions. It is how I prefer to work, Socratic Method and all. So, on the topic of Brick Gaming, let's just let 'em fly. I'm game, but we should start sort of theoretical and go to gaming style and finally the hard core mechanics (too boring to talk about how far a unit can move in one turn, at first at least.) Anyways, I will start checking in more often, if you are active on this thread or if anyone else joins or re-joins us.

[BattleBrik]

Sorry I was away for a bit and missed welcoming Whiteagle to the discussion....

No promises, but I will try to be better about checking in here and adding input/thoughts/etc.

Thx

[MrRoy]

Me, too. I am also working on a game theory internet course with someone who has posted here and on Ideas. So if anyone is interested let me know and when we figure out what we are doing we'll let people in.