Favorite/Least Fav AMPU Phases

[vcczar]

Please only respond to this if you have playtested or are playtesting. Not putting 2.10 as an option because it isn't much of a phase. 

@MrPotatoTed @ConservativeElector2 @Cal and etc. 

[ConservativeElector2]

Elections are my fav, closely followed by appointments. I also love gubernatorial actions and judicial stuff of course.

There is no really least favorite phase for me, but I chose faction realignment. 

[Willthescout7]

I don't really have a least favorite, though some of the housekeeping stuff can drag. But that'll go much faster on computer than by hand.

[MrPotatoTed]

I love the wild chaos of the random events -- who knows who will drop dead and what will happen next.  Total wild card.  And I think the scripted event chains mostly work beautifully.

GovActions need the most work, I think, at least for CPU.  Linking it more to traits of the individual governor, so who the governor is actually matters.  I'd also like to tie industries to governor expertise, so you need an agriculture Governor if you want to grow the agriculture industry, etc.

[vcczar]

12 minutes ago, MrPotatoTed said:

GovActions need the most work, I think, at least for CPU.  Linking it more to traits of the individual governor, so who the governor is actually matters.  I'd also like to tie industries to governor expertise, so you need an agriculture Governor if you want to grow the agriculture industry, etc.

Put this in suggested fixes if it isn't already. 

Yeah, initially I had no Gov actions because the game is about the Fed Gov. But then I created token actions just so Gov had something to do. Had to have Govs because so many Govs run for president. Then since we had like a year before Anthony could even get started on AMPU, I had time to flesh stuff out. 

I'd say, as a creator, I'm most interested in the president and congress dynamic, including scripted events and general events and legis props. I'm lease interested in the SC, Gov, and Mil, which is why all of these were initialy kind of token parts of the game as they weren't initially designed to be much of a focus. They're also all phases that I would probably automate when I'm playing the game. 

I haven't playtested personally since the first playtest, so I can't really even respond to my own poll. 

I think my absolute favorite part of the game--both in creating it and in visualizing it for the computer--is the Presidential Conventions. 

[ShortKing]

I love leaders emerge, esp because I think it’s fun to see what other human players look for in leaders for their faction, and one thing I think this game does really well is open up the avenues for potential power centers to emerge. Foreign affairs is just not something I find as engaging as the others.

[Willthescout7]

31 minutes ago, vcczar said:

Put this in suggested fixes if it isn't already. 

Yeah, initially I had no Gov actions because the game is about the Fed Gov. But then I created token actions just so Gov had something to do. Had to have Govs because so many Govs run for president. Then since we had like a year before Anthony could even get started on AMPU, I had time to flesh stuff out. 

I'd say, as a creator, I'm most interested in the president and congress dynamic, including scripted events and general events and legis props. I'm lease interested in the SC, Gov, and Mil, which is why all of these were initialy kind of token parts of the game as they weren't initially designed to be much of a focus. They're also all phases that I would probably automate when I'm playing the game. 

I haven't playtested personally since the first playtest, so I can't really even respond to my own poll. 

I think my absolute favorite part of the game--both in creating it and in visualizing it for the computer--is the Presidential Conventions. 

I was really concerned that conventions, especially with the CPU would be boring and resolved quickly each time. The whigs have proved me wrong and I'm in love with them now.

[ebrk85]

I haven't made it through a whole round in a playtest yet so can't truly answer the poll.  I will say just watching and reading through all the playtests I did enjoy watching the leaders emerge phase and seeing who people would pick and try and develop.  I know I will also enjoy the appointments phase and trying to create a cabinet and satisfy all the regions, interests and lobbies as best you can.  Random events is always fun too because you don't know exactly what's about to be thrown at you.  As far as least favorite I'm not sure yet. Might have a better answer once I actually have played through each stage.  Oh and I didn't even mention elections which are great fun too.

[OrangeP47]

I'm contractually obligated to say realignment is my favorite because I always do 60+ shifts.

[Arkansas Progressive]

Leaders is definitely my least fav. 

Favorite is events. 

[Willthescout7]

I wanna change my answer

[Lars]

2.1 and 2.2 are definitely annoying, but Congress can just feel like a swamp (no pun intended) of rules, counterrules and exceptions.

[Vols21]

Random events and elections are the ones I look forward to.  It is fun to see what the results will be.

some tasks are tedious in the test format as we cull thru the rules and spreadsheets, but I think will be better when it’s more automated in the game.   Example would be trying to find Legislation I can propose (just hard to find anything that appeals to my ideology or cards - and when I find something good, it’s from an distant era and cannot be used now, or has some other rule applied which wasn’t spelled out under the proposal tab).   I’d almost like to see some basic generic legislation to use when all else fails (to either help or regulate an industry, or basic “choose ideology such as liberal, moderate, conservative” bill regarding “choose aspect such as economic, foreign affairs, education, etc.) and maybe some fluff bills to name a Battleship or airport etc, (airport could go to Gov action too ).     Gov actions are hard to succeed (in our tests anyway ) - I’d like to see them get an additional Gov Action to try and slightly better chance of success.

if you flesh out the phases that were added as a afterthought (like the Gov actions, wars, etc) it will add some extra fun in my opinion.   For one of the tests I’m doing I added a tab for State history to record any interesting notes for each state as they happen such as feuds that developed like Burr vs Hamilton  (even if taking the game event and spinning it with a storyline).  I think it could be fun to look back at over time.

[vcczar]

11 hours ago, Vols21 said:

some tasks are tedious in the test format as we cull thru the rules and spreadsheets, but I think will be better when it’s more automated in the game.  

I am envious of those that can lead these playtests. I led the first one for like half of it. i felt like my blood pressure was at stroke-level every time I had to calculate everything. I just have terrible patients for tedious things. I don't really have the temperment to make games, considering all the spreadsheet work. A lot of it is knowing that I have to produce the results in a timely manner to keep the game engaging, and I just have too many other things going on, and I'm in a living situation that isn't very condusive to focusing much of the time. The fact that I was able to have spreadsheets full politicians, legis props, events, etc. kind of surprises me sometimes. I love coming up with ideas for games, but I prefer to just draw the ideas out on paper, but the spreadsheets, the rules, etc., the formalizing of it all, I don't so much enjoy. I'm the type of person that needs it all on computer for me to even enjoy playtesting, but obviously the playtesting has to come first. As I've said many times, I only made the game because it didn't exist and I wanted to play it. I've waited years for people to make this game. They didn't. So I did. I feel compelled to make other games I want to play, but I know I'll never make one that takes as much work as this one again (except AMPU 2, but most of the work will be done via AMPU 1). I look forward to generating more game ideas in the future, but I know I'll agonize over the making of them several times. i probably should just stick to teaching, which i'd be happy to do if people would make the games I want to play.