One year ago...

[Greg Smith]

One year ago yesterday, we playtesters received the first version of the rules for the second edition of A Call to Arms.

Nearly 2800 emails later, and now there is 6 and a bit weeks until it will be available.

 

[Tankdriver]

If the six weeks is correct, I can't wait!!
If this is like six weeks in normal game company terms, I HAVE to wait!

 

[Da Boss]

am looking forward to it!!

Hope all goes well - Lot of hard work gone in to it by people like Greg - thanks

Have Fun

 

[CZuschlag]

6 weeks left -- that's about the time it starts getting formatted for the printers, right? You've basically complete work on playbalance, then, right?

Docs signed off and delivered to printers is good.

How do you feel about it? Nailed it?

 

[Chernobyl]

How do you feel about it? Nailed it?

edited it?

Chern :lol:

 

[Right Hand of God]

proof read it?

 

[E Nicely]

One year ago yesterday, we playtesters received the first version of the rules for the second edition of A Call to Arms.

Nearly 2800 emails later, and now there is 6 and a bit weeks until it will be available.

I would say it qualifies for being heavily playtested.

Anyone care to argue about Gaim weaponry, the Nova, or new Dilgar ships a little more?

 

[Hash]

Just as an aside, Matt mentioned passing it to a different "fresh" group of playtesters prior to release, for a final check and to ensure that fully playtested quality to the game...

Did that happen or did time pressure for release have to curtail that? Just curious...

 

[Burger]

proof read it?

QFT!

Just as an aside, Matt mentioned passing it to a different "fresh" group of playtesters prior to release, for a final check and to ensure that fully playtested quality to the game...

Did that happen or did time pressure for release have to curtail that? Just curious...

QFT too! If time pressure caused this step to be skipped then please for the love of the Great Maker, screw the schedule and get the playtesting phase 2 done.

 

[TenaciousB]

Anyone care to argue about Gaim weaponry, the Nova, or new Dilgar ships a little more?

Well, we'll wait and see what the new Dilgar ships are like before we start mouthing off :wink:

 

[CZuschlag]

Burger has the right of it, methinks.

EDIT: Original plan quoted from Hope and Fears -- Play Balance in 2nd Edition (sic) thread.

I'm always pesermistic about things... I can just see the 2nd edition needing a lot of refining to become playable. Which is frustrating as first edition is nearly there.

It is equally frustrating to see you type this

What do you think 2e is? And what do you think we have been doing since Armageddon?

The answer is that we have been refining to make it playable. And it is not a huge leap from 1e, as we know those rules are 'nearly' there', as you say.

At the end of the day, 2e is going to be the very best we can do for the game, and we are by no means relying on the extended playtest group to ensure this. A little while before release, we are going to have a second group created, drawn again from people on this forum (probably the mosy vocal, cynical and pessimistic ones ). This will act as the Test Group for 2e, using the final laid out files for the game, and will have the opportunity to poke holes and break balance.

 

[H]

I think opening it up to a new group of playtesters would be good for the game in that new eyes get to look at it, but bad for the forum in that the old playtesters would get naffed off that essentially it would imply that they may not have done a great job. They are a touchy enough bunch anyway (well we can be quite mean to them) so I could just see forum explosion written all over it. But then the forum is only a small part of the ACTA community, and new playtesting to pick up on "sagi" issues might be worthwhile, but with only 6 weeksish till release I very very much doubt it.

 

[Burger]

the old playtesters would get naffed off that essentially it would imply that they may not have done a great job.

If I were a playtester I'd be glad for a secondary group of playtesters... so if anything slipped though, I could blame them

And nice forum search-fu, CZ :lol: Lets hope Mongoose keep this promise.

 

[H]

well we did see a new name pop up last week and claim to be a playtester, so maybe a secondary group was created from um, new posters? actually, no, that makes no sense. either way, it's damned late in the day to start a new platest group.

 

[Hash]

If a second playtest group hasn't been selected yet...and there is time, then I repeat my initial suggestion:

Please pass it to some of our US cousins (notable CZ, Ripple, and that gaming group). To be fair, they've been the first to highlight many issues, including the 1st edition Sag and have been, IMO, spot on accurate in their analysis of game flaws to date...at least flaws as I perceive them

 

[Right Hand of God]

If Mongoose is going to hit the release date there is absolutely no chance of a 2nd playtesting group. However, since they haven't hit any release date in who knows how long there shouldn't be a problem in finding the time for an expanded group of players to have a look and try to twist it to see if anything breaks.

 

[Davesaint]

If Mongoose is going to hit the release date there is absolutely no chance of a 2nd playtesting group. However, since they haven't hit any release date in who knows how long there shouldn't be a problem in finding the time for an expanded group of players to have a look and try to twist it to see if anything breaks.

Actually you might be suprised at how many games our group(ripple, Czuchlag, Prelude, myself, and about 6-7 more of us) could get done in a week. I could see us getting a good 10-20 games in a given week if we put our social schedule completely on hold. :wink: Of course the Mrs might not like that, but it could be done.

I figure over a 2 week timeframe of pretty extensive gaming we should be able to find most of the loopholes in the rules.


Dave

 

[Burger]

I too vote for Dave/Ripple/CZ's group to be tier 2 playtesters

 

[Triggy]

We'll have to ask Matt - I'd be more than happy for this to happen to be honest as it would give another perspective and hopefully nothing too obvious would slip through. (I think there are four ships I'd pick right now that I'm definitely not happy with but at least I know which they are and most of the rest I'm really happy with!)

 

[Da Boss]

Well at least with email its all quite easy to send over!