Balanced rule sets for a tactical TBS

[Ask_]

I am interested in finding a rule set to be implemented in a simple
browser-based strategy game under GPL license.
The requirements are:
1) General similarity with existing games, including tactical battles
in HoMM, AoW, default Wesnoth era, etc.
2) GPL-compatible license (ripping the rules from a commercial game
is probably a copyright violation)
3) Fantasy theme -- because the graphics will be ripped from Wesnoth

Additionally, the wishes are:
1) Square grid
2) Normal ranged attacks (not Wesnoth-like)
3) No recruiting during the battle --
armies should be pre-purchased a-la Warhammer
4) Many-side battles (say, 2-4 players)
5) No factions (all players have the same unit selection)
6) Tested and balanced -- this is the hardest part and the reason
I want community help.

Perhaps there is some (active or abandoned) game project with
suitable rules and open license? Or maybe somebody
*with TBS game design experience* will volunteer to help
develop and test the rules? Note that there is no need to help
with the programming, only the design.

If a good rule set will be found, the game will be released
approximately in January.
Without the good rules, the game will be released anyway with "generic"
ruleset, but will probably be a lot less interesting to play.

[thespaceinvader]

So... you want to make a game, but you want someone else to make it for you?

It doesn't work like that.

[Velensk]

I do in fact have a few system skeletons hanging around however none of them fit your requirements.

I would note that considering that you want mirror matches barring first player advantage or inherent tactical supremacy issues your game will be prebalanced by default. (Inherent tactical supremacy issues are things where the system emphasizes some skill/variable above all others for example in a system where you can move your full movement then fire a unit that can shoot further than any other unit can shoot and move and move as fast as any unit would be inherently stronger than any other unit regardless of how much damage it can do or take unless there is some way to damper its mobility [possibly the edge of the map] likewise in a system where only one unit can take an action per turn having stronger units tends to be inherantly superior to having many units)

[Ask_]

Note that there is no need to help
with the programming, only the design.

So... you want to make a game, but you want someone else to make it for you?
It doesn't work like that.

Actually, sometimes it does, depending on what motivation I can offer.
But, note that I do not want someone to make it, just to suggest the rules.
Judging by the threads on this subforum, there is no shortage
of ideas, as opposed to actual implementations.

considering that you want mirror matches barring first player advantage or inherent tactical supremacy issues your game will be prebalanced by default

Balance is not only a question of player advantage,
but also of units/strategies. The reason for mirror is exactly to minimize
balancing work needed.

[JackBarber]

Quick fix to "First-Player Advantage" is just to maybe reduce the movement speed by half on the first turn...

[Ask_]

I am even prepared to just admit first-mover advantage and declare
that for truly fair match, an equal number of games should be played
with either player moving first and second, like in chess or bridge.

[Sevis]

It really depends on what kind of game you want it to be.

If you want to have a lot of custom units, a powerful damage system, and generally a lot of room for making stuff up, you could try to use/modify the BrikWars rules. The latest (2005) edition has a good balance of power and complexity, while the previous (2001) is as complex as anyone could wish for a game to be, and QuickWars (or simply the first few chapters of the latest edition) is simple and effective.

However, this is only good advice if what you want to make is somewhere close to how I imagine a TBT game. Make it more like HOMM battles, or Wesnoth and this advice is useless. While basing your game on an existing system will initially give it better balance, and lower the amount of work you have to do, this advantage will not last. You will almost certainly end up implementing special moves, units with modified rules, and other factors that lower balance. Thus, is to start with a reasonably basic system (it hardly matters which one), and then build up from that, balancing things out as you go. I don't know how much information you have that you haven't posted here, but judging from your `wishes', I'm guessing you have a very good idea of what you want, and are having trouble explaining it.

[Ask_]

BrikWars rules

Thanks for the amusing reference.
LEGO popularity is practically zero in my country,
but it was still a fun reading.

While basing your game on an existing system will initially give it better balance, and lower the amount of work you have to do, this advantage will not last.

It does not need to. The main goal is to implement a complete, if simple,
game, by the hard deadline (till the end of the year).
One of the disadvantages of such a short development is that
there is really not much time to "balance as you go".

Nevertheless, the rules are already drafted.
They will be finalized on Friday and implemented a week after that.
(You can see them at http://github.com/kravitz/ttb-game-protocol
but I warn you of both high level of technical detail and
low level of English knowledge by most authors).

[Midnight_Carnival]

But, note that I do not want someone to make it, just to suggest the rules.
Judging by the threads on this subforum, there is no shortage
of ideas, as opposed to actual implementations.

Sorry I missed this.

Yes, I can not help at all with programming or graphics, but I'm bursting with ideas.

Tell me all about the theme or basic idea you have in mind and I'll gladly start dumping ideas on you!

[Ask_]

You can see theme description in the my first post.
The basic design is already finished,
although not formally specified and not pushed out to the repository yet.
Of particular note is that we decided to use simultaneous turns,
so first-mover advantage problem is radically solved.
Of course, it is replaced by a quite different set of interface problems

In the nearest time (next few weeks) we would need help with
the actual unit/faction design.
The unit design requirements are:
1) Suitable for Wesnoth-based graphics (preferably of mainline units)
2) Moderately diverse and balanced (this is, of course, impossible to achieve
without testing, but I'd like to state it as a primary goal nonetheless)
3) Suitable for mirror matches, as all matches will be mirrors, at least at first
4) Have a minimal number of special abilities (preferably none) -- those
may be added later, for now they will only slow down the development

[Midnight_Carnival]

Sounds like you don't need me then!

Best of luck to you.