Conquer Club

Map Name: Truckin U.S.A.
Mapmaker(s): dolomite13
Number of Territories: 90-110 TBD
Special Features: Bombards, Conditional Borders, Killer Neutrals, Possibly Decay, Nonstandard Bonus Structure.
What Makes This Map Worthy of Being Made: I am a fan of pick up and deliver board games, and their are a ton of them out there. I feel like it would be possible to simulate that feel with conquer club by allowing you to choose which bonuses to conquer based on which territories you hold.

The map below is very crude. It's just for discussion about the basic idea. The cities and cargo routes will need a lot of work as will bonuses etc.

Please feel free to leave feedback.

=D13=

Latest Idea - Draft 2

In this version of the map each player starts with a truck location near the front of their truck. Trucks have an autodeploy on first space and bonus for extra cargo spaces (not depicted on map below) The truck can conquer the rest of the truck spaces which in turn can all conquer the left side of any contract. The left side of the contract conquers the corresponding city. When you hold the left side of a contract and the city that corresponds to the right side that right side city can attack the right side. When you have both sides of a contract you gain the bonus. If you only hold the right side of a contract then that side may assault the "stollen cargo" space which in turn can bombard any truck additional cargo spaces. You winy holding the right side of all contracts.


Map Image:



Original Idea - Draft 1

Basic idea is to upgrade your truck and take contracts that will help you take over all cities. All of your truck spaces conquer each other. You may conquer only one contract per truck space (you may conquer contracts already conquered by other players) an hijack their contract. You may also conquer the "stolen cargo" space to bombard cargo locations away from players, stolen cargo starts with n5 and is killer 5. Trucks start with one space, a second space can be conquered and starts n10 the third space starts n20. Players also start with 4 map spaces and if they conquer the shortest rout between two cities and have conquered the contract for those two cities they gain the contract bonus. If you have no cities you can assault any city from any of your truck spaces. Winner is player who controls all cities.

Map Image: http://imageshack.com/a/img268/6924/a8hn.png

When I first say this idea, what popped into my mind was:


Do we really need another? I know this game is widely different then USA 2.1 - mostly because of the Bonus set-up and the use of a secondary playing field (the contract & trucks) - But in the most part I feel that this whole idea could piggie back on top of the USA 2.1 map...

Because of this I was not fully invested or interested in this map - and I did not leave any comments the first time I saw it.

But let's put that to the side and step back a little and really look into the workings of this map design... The over all idea was a little clumsily written, but I think I grasp it, and I'll try to repeat how I believe this game is played.. Then I'll go ahead and leave suggestions of changes and additional ideas that can be added - but keep in mind - these are my suggestions and opinions - and any, all or none of them might ever get adopted into this map design...

First off all players start with one truck and 4 spaces on the nation's map.
(Do not know if the spaces on the map are random or pre-set. If they are random, and since all contracts out combinations of two city deals - It is possible that a player might get a huge advantage because of the drop.)
This map is made for up to 8 players..

Players can attack their own truck in order to add two additional expansions on to it - each will give the player the ability to carry a contract - allowing all players up to but no more then 3 contracts per game.

These trucks can attack:
1) The expansion slots on it's own truck to grow
2) Other Trucks and their expansion slots
3) Any and all contracts (Each location can only be attached to one contract)
4) Stollen Cargo
5) Any city on the map (if does not all ready control a city)

Stollen Cargo will allow the player to bombard cargo locations. Since cargo starts in a city, ends in a city, and passes through any and all spaces heading to final destination - Stollen Cargo can pretty much bombard anywhere on the map.

Bonuses are paid to those whom control the contract and both cities tied to that contract

The winner is the player who controls all the cities..

This is how I read the rules above - I could be wrong, but to the most part - that is how I see it...


Suggestion #1
Soon we will be making up to 12 player maps - so as a standard from this point forward, we all should be trying to make all maps playable with 12 players. Adding 2 more trucks at the bottom for both sides would solve this issue and would be an easy fix.

Suggestion #2
Player starts with a Truck and 4 locations on the national map.
(I do not know if these cities are randomily placed or preset. If they are random then their is a chance that a player will have a huge advantage on the drop because they could actually end up with the starting and ending locations of a contract right off the bat.)

What I suggest, is that players start with the Truck only... Do not give them any spaces on the national map at the start.
Suggested design of the trucks:


I think their Initial Trucks section should be auto-deploy for what ever base amount the designer wishes the players to play with.
I feel trucks can attack too many places... In my opinion they should only be able to attack these areas:
1) Additional Cargo Space on it's own Truck (Free up space for another contract/load)
2) The starting city section of any contract.

I think the additional cargo space sections on their own truck should be bonuses.
Example:
Players start with one Truck section worth 5 Auto-Deploy each turn
Second Section of truck is 10n - if captured player get's a +2 to deploy.
Third and last section of own truck starts as 20n - if captured player get's an additional +3 to deploy for a total of +5 deploy bonus which is exclusive to them, and they can try for it at any time.

Suggestion #3
Now that the Trucks can only clear out it's own trailer and/or attack the starting section of any contract - Which all players can be fighting each other over and hi-jacking each others contracts - preventing them from getting their trucks on the road; brings us to the contracts themselves....

So once a player attacks a starting section of a contract - from their - they can assault what ever city that contract starts from.. This brings the trucks out of the depot and finally onto the actually national map.

Once on the map, the player can branch out and travel down any road in any direction - hoping to end up in the destination city of the contract that placed them on the board.

Trucks in this example - can not attack other trucks, can not attack Stollen Cargo - and can attack any and all starting sections on any contract with no max limit to number of contracts.

Suggestion #4
If a player has the initial part of a contract, has the starting city - and has reached the destination city - then while controlling all three areas will be able to attack the last half of the contract - to close it out and collect it's bonus...

Only way to attack the destination section of a contract is to have control of:
1)Initial part of contract
2) starting city
3) destination city
And it's the destination city which can attack the last half of the contract in these cases.

As long as the player has control of both parts of the contract they gain the bonus - even if they lose one or both of the cities later on. Only way for them to lose this bonus is for another truck to challenge that contract by attacking and claiming the first section of the contract away from the player (hi-jacking the contract)

Review :
1) Truck attacks first half of contracts
2) first half of contract attacks it's corresponding starting city.
3) Must still have first half of contract, initial city, and destiny city - to attack last half of contract from destiny city
4) If own both half of the contract you gain the bonus.

Suggestion #5 Stollen Goods...

I think Stollen Goods is too powerful in your version...
What I would do is this...
If a player owns both half of a contract and another player challenges them by capturing the initial half of the contract - this splits the contract in half and at this point no one get's the bonus - but the player who has the last half of the contract can now attack Stollen Goods from that half.

Stollen goods is attacked by the second half of a contract if the player controlling the second half of the contract, no longer controls the first half.

From Stollen Goods - the player can bombard any (2nd, or 3rd) section of any player's truck.
1st section of player's truck is starting point...
Has one-way attack to 2nd section of truck and one way attack to any contract.

Stollen Goods allows the player to slowly strip other players from their two expansion slots from their trucks.

Suggestion #6

Winning condition is the first player to control the 2nd half of every contract. They do not need to have control of the cities, they do not need to maintain control of the first half... But as long as they have completed all contracts and maintain control of the second half as proof of receipt then they win the game.

Suggestion #7 add-ons

I've written too much all ready - so I will not go into detail - but having s Patrol Car (CHP) per major route that can bombard certain roads for trucks that are speeding or over weight would be a cute addition as well as having rest areas which are safe from police - and from which spot can attack the police on that route... Multiple rest stops on a route - but only one police car per route..



Well - that's my 2 cents - sorry for writing a book....

Nice Reply!

That gives me a lot to digest and if filled with great ideas.

=D13=

I changed the map to follow many Aleena's suggestions (whom I may need to give design credit to).

With 12 players the map is very cramped so I didn't yet put any location text etc on anything ... I just wanted to the the general mechanics on the map so we can all see if the idea will work as a CC map. I do like the other ideas like police and rest stops etc and want to revisit them as development continues.

I will soon have the XML for Krazy Kingdoms done so once that gets into beta I will need to make a decision as to which of my melting pot ideas I would like to work on for a draft stamp.

=D13=

dolomite13 wrote:I changed the map to follow many Aleena's suggestions (whom I may need to give design credit to).

\


don't worry about giving me any credit - I'm not that vain - My advise and suggestions are all ways free and usually ignored...


Do like this design more - and it would be an interesting game right out the door - for all players start out fighting over contracts before they can actually ever get to the road... (Though no player can ever be wiped out of the game - "unless nuclear spoils are being used") - This makes this game an internal struggle where a player that would of usually been wiped out, can come back and win - or in the very least still effect and change the out come of the game...

As for the Trucks - I pictured that only the 1st space of the truck can attack the Contract - so the player needs to divide his forces - half to conquer TRUCK BONUS and protect them - as a one-way dead end route - and the other to move from Truck space 1 to fight over contracts. Also Truck space #1 can never be attack by any player at any time... ((Instead of having all truck spaces being able to attack contracts))

Also contract Bonuses are going to be hard to hold onto - so a player needs to think ahead and split his forces - one half to secure the contract and the other half to finish the contract... Because of this I think Contract bonuses are too low... But over all I do like this version better then the last..

To Save space maybe....
Truck Space #1 is the cab of the truck - and that will allow you to cut the truck sizes down "Squeeze the trailer of the truck to hold 2 spaces instead of 3" ... (For a total of 6 space areas smaller - or the size of 2 trucks smaller.. Then maybe have 4 rows of trucks with 3 trucks each instead of 2 with 8 trucks - move the contracts between the trucks and the map - instead of between the trucks - Spread out the contracts a little so instead of 3 rows of 5 contracts you can have 5 rows of 3 contracts - this might allow you to make your map 20% bigger...

I feel if this is something your passionate about then - go for it!!! And take the time to work out all the details and design - for it is a work of love - who knows - maybe the initial concept does not peek others attention as it might yours - but once they play it - they might find it to be one of their best maps....

This map has a lot of potential. I'll have to pop in later and follow the potential developments. I'd like to see this map get made though.