From: David Wessman Subject: RE: Tahiti Tahiti was designed by Kevin McPartland and published by 3W. It's sort of an Axis & Allies type of game, i.e. low complexity strategy game with some economics/resource management. We found it to be fun and played it several times. The system could be adapted to similar situations. From the box: The clan chiefs have always struggled for control of your island, but now population pressures have added new impetus to these clashes. Will you succeed in becoming Tahiti's sole chieftain? Or will you and your clan be forced to take to the high seas in your war canoes, in desperate hope of discovering an uninhabited archipelago? Tahiti is a game for one to four players, of clan warfare typical in Polynesia before European contact. Players build war canoes and train warriors to create a force to strike at their adversaries, while protecting their home village. The player is represented on the board as the Chieftain unit - if this unit is killed, the game is lost. If all seems hopeless, the player can quit Tahiti and lead his clan on an expedition over the high seas into the unknown. Each turn represents two weeks of real time. Each hex spans 60 miles. Special rules for solitaire play. One 17" x 22" map of Tahiti's jungles, plains, mountains, coral reefs and political divisions. 247 5/8" counters depicting Chieftains, Clan Elders, Shamans, Population, Militia, Slingers, Fighters, Heavy Troops, War Canoes, Villages, Logs (used to build villages and war canoes) and Control markers. Here's some optional/variant rules we devised: House Rules for 3W's Tahiti by David Wessman, David Collins and David Pendery - "We are Dave" The following rules were developed after several playings of Tahiti. Most of these games were played with four players, and a few with three players. During those games we encountered a few situations that just didn't feel right or detracted from play balance. In particular, the retreat rules allow for a retreat of up to nine hexes. This despite the fact that no unit in the game can voluntarily move more than three or four hexes over land! This may be as the designer intended, but we found it unbelievable. Another phenomenon that occurred in every game was that everyone would quickly build a single killer stack consisting of their Head Chieftain, Shaman, a Slinger and two Heavy Troops. If they were lucky on their clan elder rolls, any with a combat value of one were also added to this stack. So here we have three or four monsters weighing in at 12 to 14 combat points. As long as they stay out of each other's way, they can sweep through any other hexes on the map, never facing anything worse than a 10. In other words, they could be confident of victory more than 90% of the time. More often they would be used to hit stacks of population units that were engaged in building a village. The basic tactic being to just steamroller along the coast toward the enemy Home Village. In the inevitable clash between Head Chieftains, the loser's situation would just go from bad to worse. No one ever recovered unless the victor backed off and let them. It quickly became obvious that, even if your own Home Village was threatened by your neighbor on the other side, you were better off pressing your attack against your other neighbor to eliminate him. You'd then gain his territory, perhaps some population and other resources and you could rebuild your Home Village in your new territory, far away from your new enemy! We couldn't agree more with the designer's assessment of the most controversial aspect of the game, the expedition table (where a die roll determines if you "discover Hawaii" and win automatically!) In practice, a win on the expedition table was not accorded any respect and so was a worthless, hollow victory. The other players continued the game to determine the real winner...he who rules all of Tahiti! 3. Setup 3.1 Home Areas The 3 and 4 player scenarios have some player's Home Areas bereft of jungle (and one turn's log production behind their neighbors.) A more egalitarian setup for the 3 player game substitutes Mahaena for Tiarei. For the 4 player game substitute Pare for Arue, and Papara for Paea. 6.1 Construction and Training (clarification) ALL builds and production are completed before an area which the player has taken control of generates its population units. The new population will therefore not take part in any builds. There should have been a cross reference to rule 11 here. Make this phase simultaneous for all players. This greatly speeds play and will lessen the impact of one player getting two turns in a row. No clan may have more combat units than population. Villages count as one population. A player discovered to have more combat units than population at the end of his combat phase must immediately reduce a sufficient number of combat units to redress the balance. The labor resources available to these islanders required most people be involved in actually supporting one another (farming, gathering, etc.), rather than out chasing the neighbors with clubs. Too many troops and people starve? Though it's never explained what the women and children are doing, you can bet they account for most of the population. 7. Land Movement: 7.5 Land Zones of Influence "Doubling back" (moving away from an enemy ZI then back and adjacent) to avoid combat during movement is forbidden. In the rules as written, movement into an enemy combat unit's zone of influence (ZI) requires the moving unit to enter the enemy unit's hex and initiate combat, (provided sufficient movement points remain), which is easily circumvented by "doubling back." Enemy villages and population also have ZIs. Whenever a combat unit moves adjacent to an enemy village or population it must move into the enemy occupied hex and attempt to capture them. The ZIs of villages and population may (must?) be ignored when the moving stack is instead going to attack enemy combat units during that move. Conflict between clans was essentially over resources, and villages and population (especially) represent resources that would be snatched up whenever possible, a combat unit moving into enemy territory would not move past these resources without attempting to capture them (unless they were on their way to "prove their manhood" in a big fight.) Terrain Effects Chart: Mountain ridges may be crossed by combat units as long as all units are subjected to automatic reduction (as if they panicked.) Cost is +1 movement point to the terrain being entered. This isn't as useful as it might sound, but is more lenient than the designer allowed for. We wondered if a hike over a ridgeline would really render a unit as "militarily useless" as the designer believed. 8. Sea Movement: 8.4 Off map All-sea hexes. There are presumed to be all-sea hexes adjacent to those along the map edges. Units may use these hexes to avoid enemy zones of influence and reefs. 9. Land Combat: 9.2 Procedure: (change to panic rule) Units retreating from combat are susceptible to panic. Each retreating unit rolls for panic. In each hex of retreat, a roll of one, two or three (rather than an odd die roll), results in the unit being reduced per the standard rules. For each hex retreated away from a victor who has declined pursuit, a modifier of minus one is applied for each hex between the retreating units and the victorious units. E.g.: a retreat of four hexes is called for and the victor has declined pursuit. In the first hex of retreat, a roll of 1-3 results in panic, in the second hex a 1-2, in the third a roll of 1, and in the fourth no panic is possible. If they aren't chasing you anymore wouldn't you start to relax? (change to pursuit rule) Victorious combat units may pursue retreating units only if they have movement points remaining. In other words a unit's movement allowance is for movement and pursuit after combat. Victorious units may always pursue at least one hex even if they moved their entire movement allowance to enter combat. This really puts a damper on some of the freewheeling advance after combat possibilities. But it accurately reflects the fact that a tremendous amount of energy is used in combat, let alone movement. If you've just tired yourself with a long march, then exhausted yourself in combat, you aren't going to be too interested in running halfway down the island. Villages add one to the combat value (like jungle hexes). Home villages add two. This isn't because there is anything defensible about the village in a physical sense, but in a morale sense. Historically, villages were rather easy to rebuild, so losing one wasn't a catastrophe, (although if the nearest jungle was depleted it might be.) Nonetheless, like people anywhere, you fight harder for your "home" wherever it is! Rally: After retreat Head Chieftains and clan elders may attempt to rally units that have panicked. The units must be free of enemy ZIs. A number of units equal to the leader's command rating may be rallied. For each unit roll one die. A roll of one rallies the unit one level. We really had a hard time accepting that units couldn't have some small hope of a quicker recovery after panicking. 9.3 Retreat Path: The maximum length of a retreat path is four hexes. As commented on earlier, how can units move twice as far after combat as before? (change to panic rule) Friendly units in the retreat path are susceptible to panic. A modifier of minus one is applied for each hex between the unit's hex and the hex where the original battle took place. Panic may be contagious, but it is also tempered by distance. (change to capture rule) Population units retreating into an enemy controlled area belonging to a clan other than their attacker when that attacker has declined pursuit are captured by the owner of that area. This is a neat little twist that's kind of fun when it happens. 11. Area Control Upon gaining control of a neutral area population is generated at random. For each hex whose terrain is suitable for a village a roll less than six creates a population unit. For each other hex in the area a roll less than five creates a population unit. This improves the replayability of the game as a whole but can unbalance things in a hurry if someone gets a run of bad dice. You may wish to establish a minimum of one or two population regardless of the die rolls. (A number of methods may be used.) 15.2 Sea Combat The defender in a coastal hex decides whether to remain on shore for Land Combat or embark for Sea Combat. Its not explained why the attacker gets to declare whether combat in a coastal hex is land or sea. Why would defenders outnumbered only in canoes not just stay on the beach and dare the attackers to come ashore? Amphibious attacks are historically very difficult against opposition. The attacker may choose which beach to hit, but the defender decides how they're going to defend that beach! 17. Alliances Players may make alliances with each other to allow freedom of movement through each other's territories and may freely stack with each other. Allied units are considered friendly during retreats and are subject to the same panic effects. This opens up many new strategies and facilitates trade if rule 18 is used. 18. Trade Add several generic "Trade Goods" markers to the counter mix. Any village not involved in production of war canoes or military training may instead produce Trade Goods. These may be used to purchase logs or finished war canoes, even population. This adds a new dimension to player interaction while lessening the loss of productivity for "empty" villages. >---------- >From: Alan Poulter[SMTP:admin@grognard.com] >Sent: Sunday, March 16, 1997 2:05 AM >To: Multiple recipients of list CONSIM-L >Subject: Tahiti > >A lot of people who correctly guessed the Challange said they had never >played or >even seen 'Tahiti' before. I had not heard of it till I borrowed a copy to >scan for the Challenge. Has anybody played it? Opinions? > >Alan Poulter > > >Web-Grognards >