I’m interested in possibly putting together a module, and being a lazy bastard, I’d like to leverage someone’s work (with attribution, of course!) Of course, if I’m going to go to the trouble of “borrowing” the blood sweat and tears of someone else, I’d like to make sure that what I’m borrowing is of the highest possible quality.
Therefore, I’m wondering if anyone has any suggestions on a top quality module to use as a reference point/starting point/example of how to do things right. Your suggestions would be most appreciated…
I couldn’t make any suggestions without having at least a thumbnail sketch of the game for which you want to create a module. There is far too much variation out there. Does it have a hex grid? Does it have hidden information? Cards? What are you looking to achieve (if anything) in terms of automation, information tracking, etc?
Take a look at “NATO - The Next War in Europe {VG},” or possibly “Panzerkrieg.” Both are standard turn-based war games with no significant bells or whistles.
You won’t be able to easily “swap” the counters, maps, or charts, but you should get a good idea of how the module is built. Once you start it’s really not too hard, but there’s usually a ton of repetitive work to get all of the pieces into the game.
As Rich stated, either of those games would be a good base. Simplest method is to open the ‘model’ up and then start up a new module. Starting at the top, work your way through the new model, copying the structure and concepts etc. I was able to complete a basic uncomplicated module that worked fairly quickly that way.