Dumb rockets
Jan. 12th, 2025 11:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sniffnoySo today I learned that the entire time I've been playing Space Alert, I've been getting a rule wrong. It's something that doesn't affect all that much, I think, and we're likely going to just keep playing the same way? I dunno.
It's just funny because like -- I'm like the guy who knows all the rules and interactions in Space Alert (well, in the base game; the expansion is way too complicated for that, also I don't even have it), but, uh, this one rule I had wrong because there was never any reason to look it up!
And that is: Rockets. When Oren taught me the game, he said, the rockets are smart rockets, so if there's nothing within range for them to hit they don't explode, they just circle back and return to the bomb bay. Only if there's something to target are they used up.
Turns out that's not what the rules say! The rules say that when you shoot a rocket you do in fact use up that rocket, no matter what; so you can only shoot rockets 3 times per game, that's it.
...hm, I guess that does maybe affect that a bit, because it means you can't to the same extent spam rockets as a vacuum action. But then, 3 is still quite a bit -- many games rockets don't get used at all -- so uh actually you still likely can? Are you really going to fire more than 3 rockets all that often?
So yeah I dunno. Probably not going to change it, everyone I know uses the "smart rockets" rule -- usually because I taught them. :P I dunno where Oren got the rule from! But yeah.
It's just funny because like -- I'm like the guy who knows all the rules and interactions in Space Alert (well, in the base game; the expansion is way too complicated for that, also I don't even have it), but, uh, this one rule I had wrong because there was never any reason to look it up!
And that is: Rockets. When Oren taught me the game, he said, the rockets are smart rockets, so if there's nothing within range for them to hit they don't explode, they just circle back and return to the bomb bay. Only if there's something to target are they used up.
Turns out that's not what the rules say! The rules say that when you shoot a rocket you do in fact use up that rocket, no matter what; so you can only shoot rockets 3 times per game, that's it.
...hm, I guess that does maybe affect that a bit, because it means you can't to the same extent spam rockets as a vacuum action. But then, 3 is still quite a bit -- many games rockets don't get used at all -- so uh actually you still likely can? Are you really going to fire more than 3 rockets all that often?
So yeah I dunno. Probably not going to change it, everyone I know uses the "smart rockets" rule -- usually because I taught them. :P I dunno where Oren got the rule from! But yeah.
