If you want to have a starter game, why not use 2950 with only 5-8 nations
and have them spread out. This would give the newbies some time to spread
out and learn the game before encountering their neighbors/foes.
You could try using nations which have characters familiar to readers of the
books and/or the movie ie:
Dunadan (Aragorn, Elrohir, Elladan)
NG (Faramir, Boromir, Denethor)
Sinda (Celeborn, Galadriel)
WK (Murazor, Bolg)
DkLts (Gothmog, Urzahil aka the Mouth of Sauron)
DrL (for geographic balance)
pick a neutral out of the way (like Rhun) or a more LotR-like WW (Saruman)
Alternatively (and this might be better if the program allows it) you can
set up a scenario using a smaller geographic distribution such as SG, NG,
and RoR vs 3 Mordor nations with Corsairs or Khand as a neutral. Cut the
unused portions of the map out of the game (Arnor, Mirkwood, Rhun, etc).
If you want to use 4th age, you can easily create nations which would
parallel the familiar ones chosen above or you could create "all-star"
nations which could include most of the familiar names on the FP side
anyway:
Elves (Elrond, the twins, Arwen, Glorfindel, Galadriel, Celeborn,
Legolas,Thranduil,etc)
Men (Aragorn, Faramir, Boromir, Denethor, Theoden, Eowyn, Eomer, etc)
Hobbits and Dwarves (Gimli, Frodo, Samwise, Bilbo, Merry, Pippin, etc). I
would add a Treebeard and Gandalf to this nation for balance or make the
hobbits nasty agents.
The DS could be a similiar thing with perhaps the 3 nations each having two
Nazgul.
I would suggest a WW type neutral.
If the map could be made smaller, so be it; if not, the Men could be based
in Gondor, the Elves in Lorien, and the Dw/Hobbits in Arnor, with the DS
being placed in eastern Mordor, Western Mordor and either Mirkwood or in the
QA area.
SNA's could be designed to provide game balance. I suggest no +20 assass.
Another twist could be to make all the nations neutral (as long as that
wouldn't trigger an end of game due to VCs)
Just some ideas, but it shouldn't be too difficult to get something workable
as long as skills are roughly equal on both sides. If 7 isn't a good number,
9 or 11 should be feasible as well.
Tom MacCabe
···
-----Original Message-----
From: Middle Earth PBM Games <me@MiddleEarthGames.com>
To: mepbmlist@yahoogroups.com <mepbmlist@yahoogroups.com>
Date: Friday, July 06, 2001 12:40 PM
Subject: Re: [mepbmlist] Battle of the Five Armies
I am looking for a new game for newbies - something that takes some of the
best bits of the game and introduces them slowly in a non-damaging
environment (see discussions before). It's an introduction to the game so
that the players can then move onto play the game properly. There would be
around 5 nations (hence Battle of the Five Armies) and we're probably using
the FA engine.(We're trying to get something to fit the expected increase in players when
the film turns up primarily, and secondarily to have normal new players
have
a better introduction to the game. Third, I am afraid to say, is have
something small and new for you all to play. Maybe it can be developed
that
way but 1st and 2nd aims are what I am looking for.)
Note if you (or others) want to design a FA scenario then that would be
fine. We can't really change the VPs for SS - but we are getting around
that in a couple of games with using only 24 nations and one of the
Kingdoms
out of bounds.
Clint
WHAT is the premise to all these posts/replies, Clint? Are you designing
a
FA
scenario to emulate the political/military environment at the time of
"The
Hobbit"? If so, ye gods...count me in!!! I'd love a crack at playing
Bolgs
forces
But what kind of game would it be?
What other nations (there's 20 more, if a normal FA scenario)?
Would there be alterations to the normal victory conditions/game end,
focused
upon Erebor instead of the normal NK/SK related objectives?
Curiously,
Tom FrancisMiddle Earth PBM List - Middle Earth and Harlequin Games
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