Prepare To Be Boarded ~ rules

Deidzoeb · Joined: 02 Jun 2002 Location: Michigan

Prepare To Be Boarded! is a game of message board combat. All you need is one opponent, an online message board that automatically displays the date and time of each posting, some unsuspecting rubes, and the desire to destroy your opponent. Players "wound" each other by:
* writing longer and longer posts
* clumsily manipulating the non-players who join your discussion, or
* exchanging broadsides.
WARNING: Keep away from any message boards where this kind of thing might be prohibited or viewed as unforgivably anti-social. And don't say I didn't warn you!

Although the game seems to encourage trolling, it can and should be played without intentionally angering others. Similarly, combatants must refrain from ad hominem attacks. A proper session of this game should read like a reasoned debate between two or more people. Anything less would be unworthy of associating with the name Prepare To Be Boarded!

Yet another euphemism for the same old Stat you've always used.
Each player begins with a set amount of "Take My Ball And Go Home" points. Like wound points or good ol' Hit points, TMB&GH points represent the the number of hits a message board combatant can endure before she must exit the game, in this case, retreating. This involves the loser taking a parting shot, making up some lame excuse that allows her to retreat in honor. Example: "Well, if you're going to make wild statements like 'Capitalism is the fairest and most efficient system available,' then obviously there's no appealing to reason. Anyone who would say that is beyond my reach. It's like butting your head against the wall trying to convince you of anything." Et cetera.

{I'm guessing that 40 TMB&GH pts for each player would be right for an average game, but this might change after further playtesting.}

Deidzoeb · Joined: 02 Jun 2002 Location: Michigan

Pre-game negotiation.
Terms of the game or house rules should be established via email or some other contact outside of the message board where the game is to be played. In fact, you might use a totally separate message board to communicate details outside the game. (But trying to play PTBB in both message boards at the same time would be ill-advised.) Combatants should agree on how many TMB&GH points each player begins the game with, time limitations (if you don't want it to drag out more than two weeks), etc.

Decide on a specific topic for debate at this point, taking into consideration topics that you'd like to argue as well as topics that are more likely to draw an equal number of followers to either side. A person who chose to argue against the need for a Terror War in Afghanistan might be disadvantaged on a VFW message board, for example, where it would be difficult to find many who would agree. Topics could range from politics to religion to game design to knitting needles. Choose a populated message board where people feel free to join conversations uninvited. If you suspect that you won't be able to agree on all details of the game, it might help to decide on an independent judge.

Finally, decide who will post the first message. For those too obstinate to agree, it is customary for the guest to take the opening move (the combatant who was invited into battle).

Here's a sample agreement you might fill in before play begins:

Topic of debate (be specific): ____________________________
First post will be by: ____________________________
Beginning TMB&GH Pts: ____________________________
Time Limitation: ____________________________
Judge whose decisions we'll respect: ____________________________
House Rules or notes: ____________________________

Firing Across the Bow.
The first player creates a new topic of discussion or a new discussion thread. Never begin your game on an existing thread. It wouldn't be cricket. This first post should be a simple declaration of your position in the debate, with a few reasons why you feel that way.

The first reply should advance the opposing viewpoint, with a few statements to support this belief, or rebuttals to the guest's opening shots.

Deidzoeb · Joined: 02 Jun 2002 Location: Michigan

Numerological Reduction instead of Dice.
The randomizing mechanic of this game is... [continued on page 2]