SUPER VORCON WARS
Super Vorcon Wars is, to quote from the precise rulebook, “an enhancement of
the long running and popular, computer moderated Vorcon Wars.” I couldn’t have
put it better myself: SVW is a genuine enhancement of VW (which I reviewed in
July 1986). The games features have been broadened and developed —
but unfortunately the price has also gone up! John Nicholson, founder of
Vorcon Games, released SVW to complement, and not to replace the original.
The new and improved features of SVW reflect all that John has learned about
the game during his four years of moderation. So, what is so special about
SVW? Is it any better than the original? It is worth the extra 40p per turn?
And, most importantly, are its players having fun?
VORCON RE-CAP
As you may
or may not remember, Vorcon Wars is a sixteen-player game of global strategy
and diplomacy —
with the ultimate aim of gaining power over a fully circumnavigable
semi-developed world. The planet of Vorcon is divided into ‘hexes,’ each hex
having its own function (agriculture, industrial, forest and so on) and longitude/latitude position. These hexes must be captured, and defended by
deploying armies about them — thus expanding the amount of world controlled. Diplomacy is often ignored,
and battle soon erupts when players meet — and can be anything from a minor skirmish to an all-out nuclear bash. That,
very basically, is Vorcon Wars. Super Vorcon Wars is an attempt at improving
this masterpiece of simplicity and playability!
THE DIFFERENCES
The basic
differences and additional features of SVW in comparison to the original
are: new land types, revised hex layout, subordinate commanders, spy
satellites, running points score (which can grant your commander a Super
Commander status — very effectively raising military might), additional options and diseased
food supplies. This may not make much sense to non VW players, but the rest of
you will know what I mean.
HEX
Should you prove super-efficient at stockpiling
food supplies for your forces, diseases will become rife — destroying your stockpile very rapidly. To overcome this difficulty, the
Laboratory hex has been created: when disease appears, you must set up one of
these to discover the antidote. Once the antidote is discovered (at economic
expense) and the stockpile has fallen, the problem vanishes and the lab is
destroyed. This prevents players from stockpiling so much food that they
needn’t worry about feeding their armies during battles.
SUBORDINATES
A
problem encountered by many in Vorcon Wars is the limited range of your
commander’s effectiveness when moving armies. Your troops can only be moved
when within viewing range of your commander (the SVW equivalent of the Chess
King — a very important entity). In SVW, subordinate commanders can be created to
control a minor campaign on one border while your main commander has an
additional print-out sheet. This feature allows a greater use of strategy, yet
it could be argued that it de-limits the use of diplomacy (a powerful player
with many subordinate commanders has little need to trust in allies).
SPIES IN THE SKY
In the revamped game, satellites can be ‘re-directed’ away from your
commander’s location to any co-ordinate you choose to spy on — effectively allowing you to keep an eye on the opposition while you temporarily
play semi-blind. This switching of orbits cuts down the satellite’s life, but
it is a useful idea.
OTHERS
Additional options and land hexes exist to
accommodate the features covered here. There is certainly more scope for
strategy with the use of subordinate commanders and spy satellites, but only
time will tell how the game goes down.
CONCLUSION
SVW is not necessarily a
better game than the original, although if you are looking for a fast turnaround game that has a lot of scope, then it may well be the better option —
it’s up to you. SVW does cost more to play though. Vorcon Wars costs £1.00
per turn, while Super Vorcon Wars comes in at £1.40 (which can be weekly,
fortnightly or every three weeks).
PBM FORUM
SPORTS
Dear Brendon,
Are there any PBM sport games, other than those based on soccer?
Chris Counsell
Yup, there certainly are. I shall be covering an American
Football game next issue — I’ve also heard rumours of a cricket
game that’s under development. I will fill you in on the details should
they be forwarded to me. Does anybody know of any amateur non-football sport
PBM games?
BK
VERY TIGHT!
Dear Brendon,
After joining Starglobe a few months
ago, I have been venturing about the globe discovering stars and sending
messages. In December’s CRASH you wrote
that ships with a ‘sending messages’ score greater than twelve may
send tight beam messages. Hmm, I have forty-four points, but have had no
indication on my print-outs of this new ability. How exactly do I send these
messages?
M Hillman
I’m sorry to say that I shall not give away the
‘secret’ of tight beam messages. The point to remember when playing
Starglobe is that the Mulhollands designed it to be a game of
discovery: where’s the fun if you are told how to do everything? The
best advice I can give you is to experiment with your sending messages order;
it is also worth seeing if PRIOR, Main Computer’s data banks hold any
clues... but I have said enough — try it!
BK
A COMPLAINT
Dear Brendon,
Although I find your column both interesting and informative, I would like to
complain about your ‘overview’ of Saturnalia in the
Christmas Special.
You gave the impression that the game was both boring and mediocre. Your
overview hardly touched on the politics of the religions, and on the feuds that
go on between them! Not even a mention of the degree of planning and diplomacy
that is involved — elements of strategy and war-gaming come in when
battles or confrontations are being planned.
Fame is surely what most people aim for; surely calling it multi-player was
an understatement. Saturnalia has over 1,000 players, and was voted
Best Game at the First British PBM Convention!
That concludes my grumble. Thanks for writing such a good column, soon may
it spread to four pages!
J Cottrell
I am sorry that you disagreed with my overview of Sloth Enterprise’s Saturnalia game
— each to his own is what I always say. I based the overview on the
feelings passed on to me by readers and friends alike who generally seem to
rave about this game; this (to me) appears to be a safe way of writing about a
game. Still, your letter has put the record straight. By the way, I personally
do not use the PBM Convention Awards as a yardstick for my column’s
contents as they do not represent a true cross-section of the
players’ beliefs. The FLAGSHIP FACTORS (where available) are the most
accurate reflection of a game’s quality, and it is these statistics
that I try to go by.
BK
PLEASE
Dear Brendon,
Please, please, please, please, please (etc) ask Lloyd to publish a photo of
his typewriter!!!
A Collingwood
NOT VERY WHITTY
Dear Brendon,
I am a long time CRASH reader and RPG player. As one of my hobbies being
Football, I leapt at the chance of playing Guy Whitty’s PBM
football game mentioned in your column. After receiving an info sheet, I sent
Mr Whitty £7.00 to start up and play the game. For reference, my team was
named ‘Garlic United’ (account number C29) — a member of the
C-ARLA league. Since sending these details and the cash to Mr Whitty’s
address I have heard nothing.
Four months ago, I posted him a letter in an attempt to discover why I had
heard nothing from him. Please could you help me — have I lost my
money, or did I do something wrong?
G Williams
I have received a number of letters on this subject, and
personally am quite worried about what is happening here. I have written to Guy
Whitty but am yet to receive a reply. Is anybody out there actually playing his
game? If so, then please write in and tell me. If you are reading, Guy, please
either come up with the goods or refund your applicants’ credit by cash,
postal order or a guaranteed cheque. This matter cannot continue like this for
long.
BK
OUT!!!
Dear Brendon.
Has a PBM game GM the right to throw you out of the game, or to stop the game
without a refund — even if you are in credit?
C Counsell
Yes, the GM does have the right to throw players out of his
game, if he has good cause to do so (if the player has broken house rules for
example). He can also stop running a game without notice (although this is not
a very good way to make a company popular). The GM should, by law, offer you a
credit refund or transfer — perhaps to another game — so
don’t worry!
BK
IT’S A SHAME!
Dear Brendon,
Three months ago I wrote enclosing a large SAE, asking for details of
It’s a Crime! as mentioned in the July ’86 issue of CRASH.
I am yet to receive a reply. Could you please investigate, and send the details
requested if possible.
G Burkill
I long since forwarded all Crime! applications to KJC Games. Not so long ago, they finally sent out all
the requested rule books (so I am informed). I suggest that anybody still
waiting should write to: IT’S A CRIME! START-UPS, KJC GAMES.
BK
That’s all for this month’s PBM FORUM — keep
those letters coming!