FH - game log of another noob

[GrimFinger]

"Man does not live by shields, alone."
- Unknown Starfarer

How amusing that you fancied that shields would be your species' salvation from the likes of Darkseid.

FOOL!!

Removing the unknown factor from combat would simply unravel the game further, for me. Everyone's entertainment value mileage may vary, of course, but I prefer that players look less to the math, rather than more. Why? Simply because I think that unknown factors, particularly with regard to core game mechanics, can be very helpful in building up the atmosphere factor of a game, especially a space conquest game involving different species.

How much atmosphere is created from knowing that all players start the game equal? That doesn't make the Klingons more Klingon-ish, does it?

I don't want a player to attack Darkseid and his minions, because that player knows that he will win by a 2.783421 attack advantage differential. Likewise, I don't want Klingons avoiding attacking the Federation, simply because the math shows that the Federation is more powerful.