Re: blocking and some of my thoughts
And Your idea is the same as I read it initially... but then I thought of a possibility of 'freezing'/locking up enemy units with the best defensive unit (or units) - not to eliminate them... but to keep them fixed in place. Time limit of 4 rounds may mean that if the units get stuck on the hill-side or valley-side, they may not be available to the player where it counts.
Also, You have arranged the defensive values in such a way that every unit is able to defeat every unit, so this tactic may simply not work with certain.
It is, however, interesting/ puzzling (in a positive sense) that the attacker can only achieve 'no effect' or 'enemy eliminated' result... there is no way to hurt yourself with a bad die roll :)
Side note:
Is there a significance to the fact that unit symbols on the KIA side are reverted? Take a look at red infantry counter with a city skill - it looks like the symbol ended up rotated 180 grades :)
Thursday/ Friday I hope to have more questions. I like the lore and that this is the original setting.
Viewing post in SplinterCard jam comments
"It is, however, interesting/ puzzling (in a positive sense) that the attacker can only achieve 'no effect' or 'enemy eliminated' result... there is no way to hurt yourself with a bad die roll :)"
[edit - I missed your point about the blocking strategy to stop them respawning. I think it can work sometimes, but as you say the unit values aren't really set up for this. Maybe in future designs. At the same time, I tend to shy away from mechanics that can be gamed in a way that wouldn't make sense in a real conflict, where possible]
Mm, this was because with one card played at a time, I thought it would be ok to leave the choice to return fire up to the commander. If it were more like a standard wargame where you play many units attacking at once, I would build in a return fire mechanic I think. In the larger version of this game I was working on before the jam, dead units get to return fire at half strength, and there is an overwatch system.
Good spotting on the KIA thing! I think I'll leave it - upside down = dead, no? haha
One thing that kept confusing me in my solo games was the meaning of "a round" and "a turn". In the rules, those two are introduced in a section 'round structure' and it starts with:
"On their turn, the player chooses a card..."
I had to reread this few times and keep reading about the subsequent usages of 'a round' (a card can be used only once per a turn and per a round, nukes are claimed at the end of a round, not a turn).
Part of it is my own grasp of language: I always thought that 'a turn' is a longer unit than 'a round' - that players take rounds in a single turn of the game.
The designers managed to create a game where a lot of depends on decisions of players - which unit to send, when and which way. I'd like assymetrical sides with different ratings/ special abilities but this design works. It is simple - it certainly serves as a teaser for the "bigger game" that is in the works :)
Ah, you may be correct about rounds vs turns. I am by no means a seasoned wargamer - I may be getting the convention wrong! I've jumped in the deep end despite minimal recent experience.
I was thinking of boxing - you take turns hitting each other (effectively) for a while, then the "round" ends, and then you start over.
Yes, I agree about symmetry. I did it this way to save myself having to playtest as much :p - the next/bigger version is very asymmetrical, a kind of clifftop scifi Dday landing scenario.