MK HeroClix House Rules

Monday 18 October 2010

Labels A to Z, Part 11

Technology - MSW - Technology is the usage and knowledge of tools, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization. The term can either be applied generally or to specific areas: examples include construction technology, medical technology, or state-of-the-art technology or high technology. Technologies can also be exemplified in a material product, for example an object can be termed state of the art. Technologies significantly affect human as well as other animal species' ability to control and adapt to their natural environments. The human species' use of technology began with the conversion of natural resources into simple tools. The prehistorical discovery of the ability to control fire increased the available sources of food and the invention of the wheel helped humans in travelling in and controlling their environment. Recent technological developments, including the printing press, the telephone, and the Internet, have lessened physical barriers to communication and allowed humans to interact freely on a global scale. However, not all technology has been used for peaceful purposes; the development of weapons of ever-increasing destructive power has progressed throughout history, from clubs to nuclear weapons. I use this label on my MS Wars blog when talking about the different types of technologies in my MS Wars game.

Terrain - MSW - Terrain, or land relief, is the vertical and horizontal dimension of land surface. When relief is described underwater, the term bathymetry is used. Topography has recently become an additional synonym, though in many parts of the world it retains its original more general meaning of description of place. Terrain is used as a general term in physical geography, referring to the lie of the land. This is usually expressed in terms of the elevation, slope, and orientation of terrain features. Terrain affects surface water flow and distribution. Over a large area, it can affect weather and climate patterns. I use this label on my MS Wars blog when talking about Terrain in rules or brought for my MS Wars game.

Test Gaming - MSW - I use this label on my MS Wars blog were playing a game of MS Wars to see if the rules are working and the units are balanced.

Transformers - NSL - Transformers is a Hasbro toy line centered on two factions of warring alien robots. In its 26-year history, the toyline has expanded to encompass comic books, animation, video games and movies. Transformers: G1 includes both the animated television series The Transformers and the Marvel Comics comic-book series of the same name, which is further divided into Japanese and British spin-offs, respectively. Sequels followed, such as the Generation 2 comic book and Beast Wars TV series, which became its own mini-universe. Generation 1 characters underwent two reboots with Dreamwave in 2001 and IDW Publishing in 2005, also as a remastered series. There have been other incarnations of the story based on different toy lines during after 20th-Century. The first was the Robots in Disguise series, followed by three shows that consist of the "Unicron Trilogy" (consisting of Armada, Energon, and Cybertron). A live-action film was also released in 2007, a sequel has since been released in 2009 and a third film coming out in 2011, again distinct from previous incarnations, while the Transformers Animated series merged concepts from the G1 story-arc, the 2007 live-action film and "Unicron Trilogy". I use this label when talking about Transformers on is blog.

Turn Structure - MSW - In turn-based games, game flow is partitioned into well-defined and visible parts, called turns. A player of a turn-based game is allowed a period of analysis (sometimes bounded, sometimes unbounded) before committing to a game action, ensuring a separation between the game flow and the thinking process, which in turn presumably leads to more optimal choices. Once every player has taken his or her turn, that round of play is over, and any special shared processing is done. This is followed by the next round of play. In games where the game flow unit is time, turns may represent such things as years, months, weeks or days. Turn-based games come in two main forms depending on whether, within a turn, players play simultaneously or take their turns in sequence. The former games fall under the category of simultaneously-executed games (also called phase-based or "We-Go"), with Diplomacy being a notable example of this style of game. The latter games fall into player-alternated games (also called "I-Go-You-Go", or "IGOUGO" for short), and are further subdivided into (A) ranked, (B) round-robin start and (C) random—the difference being the order under which players start within a turn: (A) the first player being the same every time, (B) the first player selection policy is round-robin, and (C) the first player is randomly selected. Some games also base the order of play on an "initiative" score that may in part be based on other, outside factors as well as dice rolls. The term turn-based gaming is also used in Play-by-mail games and to refer to browser-based gaming sites that allow for game-play to extend beyond a single session, over long periods of time—often taking months for complex games like Go or chess to finish. I use this label on my MS Wars blog were talking about the Turn Structure of my MS Wars game.

The next Labels A to Z post will be Units, Videos, Warhammer, Warhammer 40k and Warmachine. Until next time, enjoy.

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