From: SAS/ALLSORTS <allsorts@compuserve.com>
Hi I am setting up a pre-aligned neutral game like the normal one - any
ideas as to which would be best to team up with which side?
I've a fondness for the 2950 game, but I've never sat down to work out a
good split of the 5 neutrals (duns, WW, Rhun, Khand, corsairs). And I've no
idea what nation should be inactive (a 3-2 split is a big no-no in such a
cash-strapped set up).
In my first 2950 game we have all 5 neutrals go free - guess which side one
:). In my second game we had rhun, khand, and Duns go dark (splat went the
rhun), corsairs went free (and won the game), and WW didn't do anything.
In my third game the rhun and khand went free for one turn, and then
dropped. WW and corsairs went dark, and duns did nothing. WW and corsairs
are expected to come first and second.
The dark corsairs and inactive khand GREATLY helped my QA (its M 'moneybags'
Peters in that game), so this option allows a lot of money to flow to the DS
coffers, which is a BIG help for the WK and Dragon Lord.
Have an inactive corsairs ? That position seems to come out very well
regardless of the side they pick, so maybe take them out. Rhun goes free,
khand goes dark. So you have to decide who goes free and dark between the
duns and WW.
Maybe a free duns and dark WW ? A free dun allows a second free nation to
have double rank scouting (we DS LOVE stomping on the woodies to remove that
SNA from the free side), and the WW has a citadel to stop the riders and
Duns stomping on him - he also have saruman able to found camps from T0. But
I admit its a hard slog for the dark WW, as he is all alone between enemies.
I've can't imagine what would happen for a dark duns and free WW - apart
from the WW and riders going west to take out the duns, and the free praying
that the Woodies don't get taken out. I think the first option (free dun and
dark WW) is more balance.
If we leave the corsairs in, then I'm not sure what side he should be on.
Maybe duns and WW go free. Khand and corsairs go dark, and rhun is inactive
? But this leads to a long (boring ?) game as we have the north of the map
free, and the south dark. While I think this is a more balanced split, i'm
worried about the grouping of nations. I always like mixing sides amongst
each other to allow for early panic attacks.
In 1650 the neutrals are Rhudaur, harad, duns, easterings, and corsairs. The
standard option is rhu and harad go dark, duns and corsairs are free,
easterlings are inactive.
This is a nice option. The harad allow the DS to have some money, the free
corsairs allow some early fighing with the harad, and the rhu have no other
option but to be dark (otherwise the Witch King is a goner).
If you want to make it harder for the dark, I would make the harad free.
I've played a free harad, and I was stomped on by hordes of DS agents, so
the DS can still win. The corsairs have to go dark to even up the numbers
(which puts the fear of a sea invasion into the free - always a nice idea),
and since the free have a HUGE economic advantage, I would activate the
easterlings on the DS side, and make it a 13 to 12 game.
thanks
m
p.s while my game as a free harad was as a standby (and rather short), many
people felt it was one of the best games they were in (the neutrals were not
pre-set if that makes a different).