RSW

Years ago, Flying Buffalo ran a StarWeb variant called "Pandora's Box," wherein a single Berserker had a homeworld with 50 Industry, but NO keys. All the other, non-Berserker, players had the standard set-up. The idea was that the Berserker would sit at his HW, building and building, until somebody else wandered in. Then Pandora's Box would open, and the robots would start flying. I would like to try starting a game like this. Of course, in order to avoid confusion with the artifact Pandora's Box, I'd call the game Jack-in-the-Box, and the Positronix type as modified would be called the Jack.

Flying Buffalo used a bidding system to choose who would play the Berserker (players would bid money from their accounts, and winning bid would pay their bid as their set-up fee). That, of course, could not be done here, but Dave tells me the game could be set up to randomly assign player types.

What do you think? Would anybody be interested in giving it a go? Opinions on whether the mix of character types should be Classic or Advanced?

I dont understand the point? No fleets for the beserker? How is he going to expand, other than migrate to the neighbor worlds, then he is stuck unless he builds more industry but he cant since he has no ships there.

Oh, I neglected to mention he also has 50 mines. He keeps building ships until someone blunders into his world. Figure HWs are 5 or 6 jumps apart, so it would take 5 or 6 turns of expansion for one or more of the non-Berserkers to find his HW (maybe longer if they proceed cautiously, probing before moving). By that time there would be 250 to 300 ships (or more) on the HW to vaporize the intruders and break out to start a rampage of conquest and PBBs. Sure, it's a slow start, but he can possibly rampage enough to win. Of, course, nothing stops the others from forming an alliance with the Berserker once they encounter him.

It sounds somewhat entertaining, but given the explicit warning that this is the scenario I'd just make sure the guy playing the mushroom had no chance at all. You'd have to disable more basic game features or put in more complicated constraints like no probes, no migrations, no PBB's, etc.

Smart move is after 4 turns of expansion, just probe.

I agree, turn off probe or the ant hill will never be disturbed.

QJ had a game similiar in which all players fought allied vs the designer who had a massive advantage, double all production but he would start just like any other player.

Anyway I would try it out. 5 players? 4 on 1...what is the player to ant ratio

make it a 'last man standing' game...