Lifeboats: A game of negotiation

[dethwing]

Lifeboats is a game where players attempt to get as many of their sailors and officers from leaky lifeboats to the safty of the islands in the distance.

I'm hoping to play with the full 6 players, but it can be run with less.

The board is very simple. At the top are 3 islands of length 2, 2, and 3. At the bottom is where the 7 lifeboats start [6 players + 1 black boat]. The boats start a distance of 3 "steps" from saftey. Once a boat has moved forward 3 times, it unloads its passangers to saftey and players who have people on this boat will score.
Scoring
Each island scores differently, and each type of person also scores differently, depending on if you reach an officer or a sailor. Left to right [With Officer then Sailor] the scoring is:
Island 1: 8/6
Island 2: 6/4
Island 3: 7/5

Set up
Each player will be given 2 officers, and 4 sailors as well as one boat. The 7 boats will be randomly placed at the bottom of the board
In over the board play, the players choose where they want to start, I'm doing this to cut down on some time
One person is given the "Start player" role and selects where he would like to place one of this 6 pieces. Players go around in this fashion placing all of their people. Each boat has a capicity of 6 pawns [Both types of pieces take up the same ammount of space]

Gameflow
Each turn has 3 phases. If this is the beginning of a new phase, the start player passes to the next player. Since this game is based on voting, there needs to be a contingency for ties. The start player breaks ALL ties, whether or not he is involved in them.

Phase 1: These boats have leaks!
One boat is given a leak. Players vote on which boat will get a leak. A leak simply is a water spot that takes up one capacity on a boat. Two things can happen after a boat is given a leak. If there is an empty spot left, the leak is simply placed in it. If there is not an empty spot, a second vote must take place: People on the boat decide who to throw to the sharks!
This second vote only involves those on the boat that is in trouble. In this case, voting is WEIGHTED based on the value of the pawns on the boat. Officers get 2 votes, while sailors get 1.

Finally, in either case, if the number of leaks on the boat outnumbers the number of people on it, [Not counting empty spaces. For instance, 2 leaks and 1 person = Out numbered], that boat sinks and all the people on it are eaten by sharks.

Phase 2: These boats can move!
Players vote on which boat will move forward one space. If a boat moving forward reaches the end, [3 steps] its complement of passangers disembarks and the boat is removed.

Phase 3: I don't like my boat!
Starting with the start player, each player must choose one of their people in any one boat and leave it. Only one pawn may leave any one boat. If this rule precludes you from having to jump a boat, then you are skipped.
Once the last person has jumped a piece overboard, he then chooses any other boat to enter [As long as it is NOT the boat he left]. The chosen boat must have capacity to fit another person, and there is no limit on how many ENTER a boat during this phase. Play passes backwards around for re-entering boats. That is, the start player will re-enter LAST.

After these 3 phases, the start player passes to the next player, and you do it all over again!

Special voting: I'm in charge here!
Each player is given 3 "Captain" cards at the beginning of the game. At ANY point for which a vote is called, and the player is involved in, a player may choose to play a captain card. Two things can happen
If no one else plays a captain card: Then the player has "pulled rank" and makes whatever decsision is to be made arbitrarily.
If ANY ONE else plays a captain card : All captain cards are lost and no rank is pulled. Players involved forfeit their vote for that round.

Either way, the card is used and you only get 3 for the entire game!

Finally, if the game is a tie, then the winner is the player whose boat reaches saftey first. [This is the only importance of having a boat be "yours". Everything else is cosmetic]

Anyone interested? Sign up!

Because this game depends heavily on player interaction [Discussions, arguing, voting....] I'm going to probably set a time limit for each phase. And no secret conversations are allowed. All talking must be done in this thread.

1. The Great Crep'er
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[The Great Crep'er]

Quite a game you have here dethwing (I am indeed envious! ) and I do enjoy voting. Just hope I'm not screwed over this time. *crosses fingers*

/in

Land ho!
_________________
Potato. Belgium. Eight. Random Lynch # Mafia awaits.

[Duke Gnome*]

If I understand correctly you need people to individually place 36 characters, one at a time, before the first phase even starts? Based on the speed of GL Games recently, good luck!

(not /in)

[dethwing]

Yeah....I might randomize that as well.

Edit: If I came up with a way to get the set up to go faster would you be in?

[Lepton*]

This might be manageable in an AIM chatroom. I'll be online Monday evening (US east coast), send me a message if you are interested. (LeptonTheHeavy)

[dethwing]

Could be. I'm always on....