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Talk:Homejinks: Difference between revisions
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== Name Change ==
I propose the name: "Mini Homeworlds" as it is played with just 3 trios. It's amazing how rich the game is for so few pieces. But it's important to play the correct variant (see below). Homejinks with its original rule and dice is kind of boring and seems less balanced.
== Rule Clarifications, Please ==
This seems to be an enjoyable tiny version of Homeworlds. However, some rules need clarification.
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* I'd propose the term "Upgrade" for the Blue action. And in conformity with current rules: Build for Green, and Conquer for Red.
* What about the variant to this game that is played without dice, but where every action is according to your preference? Does this work?
* I'm curious. Was this game playtested? I'll give it a try and get back with findings. I see it is in development phase (label), but on the other hand it's complete (version V1.0) . . . It seems that with 3 trios, only 9 ships in the game, isn't the game rather trivial despite the different actions? In any case, I don't think the game can be very complex and after a few games, it's clear how to get ahead and win. If that is true, what would be the optimal supply instead? With too many ships, perhaps the game won't ever end? I really don't know yet. Can anybody share their experience with this game? That would be appreciated. I will be back on this subject myself.
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== Playtests ==
I playtested the game, and it was fun to try. However, we found the game wanting and was not as fun because of the Black forced pass. We tried to come up with a different way of using the dice. We tried the following:
* No dice. This definitely doesn't work. First player wins a rather short game. After both players do: Upgrade, Upgrade, Build, Upgrade, the first player will sac the Medium, move over to the Large and capture. Now, the first player has two larges and the other player will not be able to catch up any more. The second player can choose to spread out, for example Upgrade, Build, Upgrade, Move (now they have two Mediums), but it won't matter.
* throw a D6. If it's 1-3, then you are forced to pass; if it's 4-6 you get an action of your choice. This game is a bit more fun, but the amount of passes is too harsh.
* throw a D6. If it's 1-2, then you are forced to pass; if it's 3-6 you get an action of your choice. This game is much more fun and isn't trivial. We still weren't satisfied with the forced pass.
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| III || R/B || Y/G || This game is most balanced. We had great fun. It has reversal of fortune (you can win, even when you seem lost).
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Table. "Two-Two" Combos.
* On my way home I considered that, indeed, one could even assign 2 allowed actions to any throw of a D6 as follows:
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| 6 || Y/G
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Table. "Half half".
I playtested this game, and it was delightful. Complete with what we have started to call "reversal of fortune" (see above). This game has the most intriguing scenarios of all the above variants; it is perfectly balanced. For each turn, a particular action has a probability of 1/2, but it's paired with one of the others at random. It works particularly well. Please, give it a try.
We noticed several patterns related to strategy:
2. If a player has the largest possible size for their ships, they are more prone to have to pass. But the weaker player only needs to pass when they are practically lost, and that may happen after more than 40 moves! Passing may happen but for the stronger player is some kind of "luxury problem". But beware not to lose your advantage.
3. The game is about the timing of the sacrifice. If you have only 3 ships and you want to sac a Large, it is not certain you will be able to get your Large back. But it depends on the Bank and the game state. Perhaps it's too early to sac. If you do it too early, your plan can backfire and may leave you very vulnerable to a counter attack. To assess whether it's too early, envision what would happen if your plan meets an obstacle (the dice). If you are too weak to be able to withstand a counter attack, reconsider and aim for a build of upgrade first.
[[User:Cuc|Cuc]] ([[User talk:Cuc|talk]]) 03:25, 3 November 2020 (PST). Revised [[User:Cuc|Cuc]] ([[User talk:Cuc|talk]]) 23:55, 3 November 2020 (PST)
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