addressalign-toparrow-leftarrow-rightbackbellblockcalendarcameraccwcheckchevron-downchevron-leftchevron-rightchevron-small-downchevron-small-leftchevron-small-rightchevron-small-upchevron-upcircle-with-checkcircle-with-crosscircle-with-pluscontroller-playcredit-cardcrossdots-three-verticaleditemptyheartexporteye-with-lineeyefacebookfolderfullheartglobe--smallglobegmailgooglegroupshelp-with-circleimageimagesinstagramFill 1launch-new-window--smalllight-bulblinklocation-pinm-swarmSearchmailmessagesminusmoremuplabelShape 3 + Rectangle 1ShapeoutlookpersonJoin Group on CardStartprice-ribbonprintShapeShapeShapeShapeImported LayersImported LayersImported Layersshieldstartickettrashtriangle-downtriangle-uptwitteruserwarningyahoo

Story Games Seattle Message Board › Rules Hacks › A Thousand Years Under the Sun (Recommendations)

A Thousand Years Under the Sun (Recommendations)

KC K.
kckrupp
Seattle, WA
Post #: 22
Matthjis Holter's map building game, A Thousand Years Under the Sun (download here) is light on rules and tells the group to do things without providing a strict procedure. Here are some recommendations for helping things run more smoothly:

  • Use Pencils: I always forget this and end up bringing pens, but for map building games, it really works out better if you come prepared with pencils and erasers.

  • Start with a Microscope Palette: This is something I steal for almost every game I facilitate at SGS. Take an index card and draw two columns. One column will be for elements we'd like to see in the game, and the other column for things we do NOT want to see in the game. Pass the card around letting each player add 1 element to one of the two columns; the other players can ask for more detail or clarification about an element added to the card. The things in the "NO" column will not be added to the fiction of the game. I tend to just pass the card around the table twice, giving each person a change to add a total of two elements to the palette.

  • Start - Each Player Adds 1 Element to the Map: Matthjis' instructions simply state that the players should add a little to the map. The best way to handle this is 1) as a group decide if there are any major boundaries to the map (e.g. if your map is going to take place across planets, you may want to draw a few planets initially to build off of), then 2) go around the table and have each player add one little element to the map.

  • Watch Something Grow - When you have 2-4 Players: In the Appendix, Matthjis states that if you have "too few" Players you can choose to make an element grow a second time after all the other Players have made that element grow once, but he doesn't explicitly state the number of Players this applies to - it applies to any game with less than 5 Players. If you have less than 5 Players, you can make a element grow a second time if all the other players have already made that element grow once (this way you aren't stuck with 5 tier arcs that can't reach their apex.)

Edited by KC Krupp on Jun 20, 2017 10:28 AM
Ben R.
thatsabigrobot
Group Organizer
Seattle, WA
Post #: 742
The rules specify that you may only make each element grow once. This can, however, be a problem if you have fewer than 5 players. If you have 2-4 players, ditch this restriction.
Actually he covers that at the end of the document: you can contribute to an arc again once everyone else has.
KC K.
kckrupp
Seattle, WA
Post #: 23
Actually he covers that at the end of the document: you can contribute to an arc again once everyone else has.
You're right; I missed that the first time. He mentions it in the Appendix, but never explicitly states how many Players is "too few." -.-

I revised the original post to reflect this.

Edited by KC Krupp on Jun 20, 2017 10:28 AM
Story Games Seattle was rebooted in March 2010 as a weekly public meetup group for playing GMless games. It ran until March 2018, hosting over 600 events with a wide range of attendees.

Our charter was: Everyone welcome. Everyone equal. No experience necessary.

DELETE SECTION