Thursday Nights R.I.P.?

[AP]

So we havent played in over a month... should we try for another time?

Anyone up for playing tonight?

[kirkh]

I'd like to start giving it a try again now that I'm confident I've solved my crashing problems. My problem is that by the time 8PM tonight rolls around I will have forgotten all about it.

I hate to say it, but the nature of DP (requiring four players minimum) makes it tough to schedule online games. It's almost like the rules were written with the sole focus of inhibiting online play. Getting two players to agree on a time to play any game online is a bit of a struggle, but the difficulties increase exponentially the more players one needs to play an "official" game. That's why I wish the rules could be adjusted somewhat for online play. One has to look at the reason behind the "four player minimum" rule. If I'm not mistaken, it was written to prevent two players from getting together and running up their mission/kill numbers. Personally I can't see that happening with online games. I'd think the occasional one on one online game should be fine. Us "online only" players are already hamstrung enough when it comes to increasing our mission totals by rarely being able to play. The four player minimum rule just exascerbates that. I've been playing VDP online since I first started it up lo those many years ago and my best pilot still has only 8 missions, and that was because of the campaign we played last year. My next best pilot only has 4 missions. I think if we really want VDP to take off, we need to take a long hard look at what's dragging it down and try to correct it. I know the traditionalists who have face to face gaming to fall back on won't agree, but I'm tired of trying to find ways to bring this game into the modern age by making it accessible to more people, only to be told there are archaic rules that must be adhered to. As a community, if DP players want the game to grow they'll need to look at ways to bring it to the masses. I think eliminating the four player minimum for online games is one of the compromises they'll need to make. I know there have been a couple three person online games using balloons, but if there are two guys sitting online for hours waiting for a third and fourth to show up, they should at least be able to get in an official one on one game while they wait. Then if the required four don't show up at least they haven't completely wasted their whole evening. I'll admit that's my biggest reason for participating recently. I have no desire to get online and have to sit there doing nothing for an extended period waiting for players to show up. Maybe I'm wrong and the only reason for the four player minimum is because the game simply doesn't play well with only two players. I could see that being the case. If so, let me know. I'll get off my soapbox now but I do think the only way to increase online participation on a regular basis is to relax some of the rules that inhibit growth.

[AP]

Kirk,
Thank you for 'getting on your soapbox'! We need more players input like this if we are going to get VDP to take off. I agree with you that it has been difficult to organize games, and we have prolly lost many players like youself due to the fact that no one wants to sit around & wait to start a game!
I feel we need to focus our efforts on improving our methods of organization. As far as the rules go- they were written before ‘online’ even existed, so they are not setup for internet play. I have played many a 2 player game FTF in teaching new players to play (not for mission credit!) and the game mechanics really just do not work for 1 vs. 1. It just becomes whoever wins intiative roll wins, and that’s just no fun. Three really is the minimum for a game, and I think we need to focus our efforts on the organizational aspect of VDP. A weekly game is a time commitment, and many players just don’t have time these days to make that… so maybe if we set up a bi-weekly or even monthly game that is well planned ahead that would help?
Dan has incorporated some great tools on the new DP website that should encourage play, we just need to start using them. Maybe we could use the calendar function on the site to input our availability to play?
The new module really streamlines the setup process as well, so we should be able to start playing a single game in less than an hour, which will help the mission building aspect.
It comes back down to generating interest in playing the game, and a scheduling system so we can get interested players online at the same time. I think we need to start using the new website to encourage this. The more ideas on HOW and WHEN to organize games the better - my 2 cents

I have softball now on Thurs nights all summer, so wont be able to make it until 9PMish CST. I would love to play on Mon or Tues nights, and start around 6 or 7PM CST. I know Brian had expressed intrest in one point in playing earlier as well- hopefully I have not scared him off completely with our last complicated scenario game…

Should we start a thread on the new site of times people would like to play? Use the calendar & mark your available time? Send out email invites for a game ahead of time??

[AP]

I'd like to see the VDP players start using the dawnpatrol.org website now too, since we have our own VDP dedicated website there... it may help to generate interest if we are using our own site... so can we continue this discussion there?

[kevan]

Sorry I haven't been able to make it for the last few weeks. I've had a bad stretch for being out of town during the week, and my schedule is pretty nuts through to mid-summer. Even finding time to keep up with the email game #8 has been challenging. I hope to be more available starting mid-August.