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Bugs: Recent Topics Paging, Uploading Images & Preview (11 Dec 2020)

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× Talk about whatever you like related to games that doesn't fit anywhere else.

Interviewing Cosmic/Dune guys, any questions you have?

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17 Oct 2017 17:41 #255859 by Erik Twice
So, I'm currently talking with Bill Eberle and Peter Olotka about their non-Cosmic games. I feel we know a lot about the design of Cosmic but not so much about Dune, Borderlands, etc. So if you have any questions in mind or stuff you would like to know about, feel free to tell me and I'll try to see if I can talk about it with them :)
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17 Oct 2017 17:54 #255860 by Shellhead
I have heard that Eberle and Olotka were working on an Amber boardgame back in the '70s, but it somehow became a Dune boardgame. If so, I would be interested in any comments they want to make about that Amber design, especially the board.

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17 Oct 2017 17:55 #255861 by dysjunct
The Herbert estate has a reputation today as being almost impossible to work with. How were things different when you were licensing Dune, and what do you think changed?
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17 Oct 2017 19:03 #255867 by Erik Twice

Shellhead wrote: I have heard that Eberle and Olotka were working on an Amber boardgame back in the '70s, but it somehow became a Dune boardgame. If so, I would be interested in any comments they want to make about that Amber design, especially the board.

From what I've heard at BGG it was a different project for West End games. They made a prototype and when asked about it, Olotka looked for it but it has been lost. Apparently it was never published because of rights issues.

I do plan to ask them about Amber, though.

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17 Oct 2017 19:26 #255868 by quozl
Why does it seem that so few people get Borderlands? How would they change things so more people get it?
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17 Oct 2017 19:45 - 17 Oct 2017 19:47 #255870 by Michael Barnes
Where has modern tabletop game design gone wrong?

Oh wait, didn't see that it was about specific games. Let me think about that.
Last edit: 17 Oct 2017 19:47 by Michael Barnes.

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17 Oct 2017 19:53 #255872 by Vlad
Dune:
What are your favorite house rules/variants? In particular, to make Fremen faction more powerful & attractive for alliances?.
Do you feel that "Sietch blocking" (ie, preventing a faction moving into a sietch by arranging a fake battle in it) is an important part of design?

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17 Oct 2017 20:56 #255873 by Sevej
Where do you lean toward people/mechanic balance? Which of other design are more toward mechanics, which more toward people? How do you make this decision?

Some games tend to have very tight mechanism to control the outcome, others may rely more on the "people component" (Cosmic probably being very near toward the end of the spectrum of people component).

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17 Oct 2017 21:50 #255876 by Da Bid Dabid

Vlad wrote: Dune:
What are your favorite house rules/variants? In particular, to make Fremen faction more powerful & attractive for alliances?.
Do you feel that "Sietch blocking" (ie, preventing a faction moving into a sietch by arranging a fake battle in it) is an important part of design?


They will likely not comment on house rules/stuff if they are consistent with what they have said before. They did not design even the advanced rules nor even the "optional rules" ie. faction stuff that make the factions so unique and in the past have not had much to say about them.

Dune/Rex - I think I read somewhere that this was first designed around the idea of a Roman Triumvirate type theme (or something like that). Considering Dune is considered by fans to be one of if not the greatest board game tied to theme of all time, do they feel that a retheme like Rex has potential to be successful or did the design process inherently link the game so tightly to the Dune universe that any separation automatically weakens the design?

Where many other good game play mechanics have been re-implemented or borrowed by modern designs for games that were successful before them. Why is it there doesn't seem to be many systems similar or have built upon the (ultra fun and amazing - editor's opinion ;) ) battle wheel combat resolution in Dune? Alternatively do they believe a certain game type or mechanic has come from the roots seeded in the Dune game?

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18 Oct 2017 00:25 - 18 Oct 2017 00:33 #255878 by Chapel
Borderlands: Have you ever talked with Klaus Tuber about inspiration in part from Borderlands for Settlers?

Dune and Borderlands: And why are they so far away from each other??

Last edit: 18 Oct 2017 00:33 by Chapel.

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20 Oct 2017 20:32 #256115 by Erik Twice
One question, before I offend someone: What has happened to Kittrridge? He is no longer a member of Future Pastimes (the company Eberle and Otolka work on and which owns EON) and I haven't been able to find any sort of contact info about him. Do you guys know something? Just in case you guys know something.

Da Bid Dabid wrote: They will likely not comment on house rules/stuff if they are consistent with what they have said before. They did not design even the advanced rules nor even the "optional rules" ie. faction stuff that make the factions so unique and in the past have not had much to say about them.

This is true. Notably, Bene Gesserit coexistence is an optional rule which to me is a massive change. All other changes (Kwisatz Haderach, Karama Powers) are minor, no more different than adding reinforcements or kickers to Cosmic.

I'm also told that Fremen being weak is a result of Avalon Hill's advanced rules (Double spice blow, paying spice to bid on the wheel). The guys at the WBC managed to balance things out by maing Fremen bid for free, as they would in the basic rules. Still, they made the claim that the BG has 1 too many powers and I agree.

There is something I want to ask them about, though: Did they design the game to include Bribery (binding negotiation) or is it an Avalon Hill addition? The Emperor has no actual alliance power if everyone can give other players spice.

Dune/Rex - I think I read somewhere that this was first designed around the idea of a Roman Triumvirate type theme (or something like that). Considering Dune is considered by fans to be one of if not the greatest board game tied to theme of all time, do they feel that a retheme like Rex has potential to be successful or did the design process inherently link the game so tightly to the Dune universe that any separation automatically weakens the design?

I plan to ask them about this as I know Olotka was involved in the redesign of Rex to some degree.

[quote[Where many other good game play mechanics have been re-implemented or borrowed by modern designs for games that were successful before them. Why is it there doesn't seem to be many systems similar or have built upon the (ultra fun and amazing - editor's opinion ;) ) battle wheel combat resolution in Dune? [/quote]
I've heard many eurogames and euro designers were actually inspired by the combat wheel. It's just that they have simple auctions instead of double-blind-lost-bid ones so it's not as apparent.

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20 Oct 2017 21:41 #256117 by Michael Barnes
Probably not a question for the EON gang...but is Mike Chapel the only person left who still owns Tempus...and does he play it?

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20 Oct 2017 21:52 - 20 Oct 2017 21:53 #256119 by Chapel

Michael Barnes wrote: Probably not a question for the EON gang...but is Mike Chapel the only person left who still owns Tempus...and does he play it?


It's actually not a bad game. I do enjoy it. I think when people stopped looking for the perfect 90 minute Civ, which it was not, and start looking at it as a pretty cool logistics game, Tempus starts to shine. Minus some turtling issues.
Last edit: 20 Oct 2017 21:53 by Chapel.

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