AGENTS ARE STILL OVER-POWERFUL
I'm not saying this just because the Free characters in ME 10 are getting
particularly the Cloud Lord, can churn out so many super-agents that they
can kill and kidnap with impunity. Any that are captured by guards escape
the following turn, any that are Doubled can be Countered, or re-doubled by
allied emissaries.I don't object to assassins as such. They have their place to play in the
game like any other characters. What I do object to is the way their sheer
NUMBERS dominate the midgame and decide the endgame. No nation in history,
mythology or fantasy ever churned out agents of such power so quickly and
in
such numbers as the Cloud Lord can in ME. CL can name agents at rank 40,
plus 20 to assassinations/kidnaps, plus the chance of stealth.NO other nation in Middle-earth can name new characters capable of carrying
out Hard orders from the second they are named! This is unfair on ALL
other
nations, not just the Free. It unbalances the game. Moreover it pushes
the
Cloud Lord to produce just one type of character. Those characters may be
a
game-winners, but when you have such HUGE advantages, is playing the
position really that much fun? So you win a game playing Cloud Lord, big
deal. Win a game as the Woodmen, then you have achieved something!I suggest CL should name agents at 30 not 40, with plus 10 not 20 to
assassinations and kidnaps, but still with the chance of stealth. This is
the same level of advantage when creating new characters that other nations
have.Secondly, something should be done to inhibit the way in which companies of
up to 9 of assassins can be deployed to hit up to 9 targets in a single pop
centre. Again, this has no justification in history, mythology or fantasy.
Assassins were and are SOLITARY killers. Show me a single instance where
assassins operated as a group. I don't think the word assassin is
mentioned
ONCE in all Tolkien's writings. So where is the justification for a gang
of
up to 9 of the bastards in the ME game?
I am against making rules that say: you can't do such-and-such; this
irritates players who want to know: why not? It's more intelligent to make
rules reflect history/mythology/fantasy. So what can be done to make
assassins behave in a realistic, solitary manner? Remember, this has to be
entered on a computer program!How about: 1) only a nation's highest-ranking agent can attempt an
assassination/kidnap? This is explained very easily: the top guy takes
precedence. Yes, this is true in criminal fraternities as well as
government agencies!
2) only one assassination/kidnap order per nation per turn? Explained very
simply by the need for secrecy, plus the intelligence and logistic
resources
needed to get the assassin to the right place at the right time, and to
make
sure he was not intercepted!
Or 3), if a company moves onto an enemy pop centre, the chances of one or
more members of the company getting discovered could be multiplied by the
number of people in the company. Those discovered should be arrested by
the
local militia (with appropriate chance of escape to a neighbouring hex next
turn). Of course the chance of discovery should also be influenced by the
loyalty of the pop centre, and any fortifications (therefore guards). So a
pop centre with very low loyalty would offer little or no resistance, but a
fortified capital city would be realistically well guarded!4) allow mages to cast a one-shot Warding spell on a pop centre, or Guard
spell on a character. Such spells would have to be renewed each turn to be
continually effective, would only be as strong as the mage's skill rank,
and
therefore an assassin/kidnapper who was skilful enough or possessed an
appropriate artifact would still get through to complete his mission.On a related subject, the Steal gold order should be chucked out
altogether.
It is ludicrous that a thief, or even a number of thieves, can steal enough
gold to cripple a nation's economy. As for training your agents by having
them steal gold from your allies' pop centres, what real-life ally would
allow that? Stealing artifacts from enemies is one thing, stealing tons of
gold quite another.Summary: the Dark servants win too often. This is due almost entirely to
their superiority in agents. My suggestions are intended to restore
balance
···
slaughtered. I wrote on this subject in the old Allsorts NL, and haven't >changed my opinion. The vast majority of ME games are won by the Dark >Servants. The reason is simple: if the game goes the distance, the DS, and
to the game. If you've any comments or better ideas, send 'em in!Richard Devereux.