I finally got to see a ruler in use in Mobile Frame Zero and the effect it has on the game at PAX East. Before this point I had always used a tape measure. The reasons behind this are twofold. One, I'm a little bit old-school. Two, the original design of the ruler is awful. Sorry, Vincent and Joshua, it just is. The one Joshua used when running his game is a "whip" of 1x4 Hinge Bricks about nine pieces long. Heh, it's a Nine-Section Whip Chain. :-) The main body of this brick measures 1.25", each hinge adds 0.25". With one unit of movement being roughly 1.5" -- there is overlap where the hinges connect -- this allows mechs to move farther on each turn. At one point, under the old rules, there was an optional rule that allowed a mech multiple activations if they possessed multiple Initiative dice. Under this rule you could attack multiple times but move only once. Now I understand why. Although I wonder what a game would look like with a modification of that rule allowing double movement only if you use a tape measure to measure movement?
I believe I'll be making a Ruler before I play again though. I can't wait to see what effect it has on my gameplay.
I think this should be revisited once you have used it in a game. Photos of the game you use it in would be nice as well. I think have a Briklink order to place.
ReplyDeleteOh, definitely!
ReplyDeleteI saw something neat somewhere online about using a tailors tape and cutting it up because it has two rulers in one since they are typically double sided and compacts well for storage and transport.
ReplyDeleteAs there might be some confusion, the Ruler design I dislike is the OLD Mechaton one that used Technic axles. I like the NEW one that uses Hinge Bricks.
ReplyDelete