Volcanoes in game

[Ben]

I remember talking about an idea I had when Miniature Trading was still operational – trying to expand on the idea of a simple volcanic custom island and make it more “real”.  Ideas include:

-Having a true eruption (science project style) where “lava” comes out of the volcano and any ships affected get fire masts proportionate to how much lava they get hit with.
-Have a range-based effect where certain ships within X of the island get X amount of damage.
-Making it as “real” as possible. This is where it gets really silly. I’m talking real explosions in a room that wouldn’t have the players in it (remote detonation of a small explosive charge).
Have a fluid that comes out of the custom volcano that actually hardens and forms new land – this would be epic since it could change the size of the volcano island and make for tighter passage on the ocean. For ships docked at the island, it could also permanently ruin them and trap them in a hardening lava, making them effectively shipwrecks that could be partially submerged in the lava.
Finally, the most ridiculous one – have the custom volcano erupt an acidic fluid that would melt or eat the styrene ships. This would be if nobody was in the room during the eruption (definitely cameras recording though), and would likely require an extensive airing out period afterwards due to any fumes that would result from the toxic materials (especially their interaction with the styrene and paint).

Yes, more ramblings from a crazy Pirates puppetmaster. XD
Any other volcano-based ideas to use in Pirates games?

[Woelf]

I liked how the game Survive! included a volcano. It had three different sets of tile types that got removed in order, one per turn, and one of the (eight) tiles in the last set had a volcano on the reverse side. When that one was removed, it erupted and the game immediately ended. You’d know the end was getting close, but wouldn’t know for sure when it was going to end until it did.

You could do something similar with Pirates where after so many turns, everyone starts rolling a die/dice at the end of their turn. If anyone hits the specific target, the game ends.

[Ben]

You could do something similar with Pirates where after so many turns, everyone starts rolling a die/dice at the end of their turn. If anyone hits the specific target, the game ends.

Certainly an interesting idea, and dramatic.  Could result in more desperate tactics earlier in games with a less predictable ending.

Though part of the reason I like the volcano idea is the aftermath – dealing with fires, seeing who made it through the chaos okay, and possibly venturing onto new land.  It could also open up the possibility of land combat or greater zone control – building a fort on new volcanic land that can hit another fort on a regular island, or maybe Ramsgate’s L+L cannon having coverage of an enemy’s home island.

[Author]

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