Please note, although we will take some time out of work tomorrow, should
everything go okay we do intend to work through as normal.
Clint
Hello Everyone
FLAGSHIP RATINGS SURVEY - please send to Flagship Ratings (address and email
below)
Flagship, the most widely-read PBM magazine, runs an ongoing poll rating all
PBM games for different qualities. We'd like to ask you to help non-players
get a fair assessment of our games, by sending your opinions - good, bad, or
mixed - to Flagship.
Please fee free to rate other games as well. If you wish to add comments
about the games you play, these can be printed in Flagship's Rumours from
the Front section. All ratings received my November will go in the prize
draw.
The categories are all from 1=low to 10=high.
ANTICIPATION: 1=who cares when the turn comes; 10=my world revolves around
each turn.
GM QUALITY: 1=goes out of his way to abuse me; 10=deserves Nobel prize.
DEPTH: 1=easier than breathing; 10=needs several lifetimes to crack.
INTERACTION WITH OTHER PLAYERS: 1=no diplomacy; 2=a letter is an extreme
rarity; 10=dozens of calls and letters each turn.
VALUE FOR MONEY: 1=total rip-off; 10=grossly underpriced.
FLAGSHIP RATINGS FORM
YOUR NAME (essential):
YOUR ADDRESS (essential):
YOUR RATINGS (essential):
GAME NAME GM Anticipation GM Quality Depth Interaction Value for
Money
Please return to:
Flagship Ratings 2002
c/o Tim Lomas
211a Amesbury Ave
London
SW2 3BJ
or email: flagshipratings@antsnest.demon.co.uk
Your assistance here is very welcome! 
The following new games are filling up. (Descriptions of the type of game
follow - please check this when contacting me with regards to playing in
that game).
Waiting List: When I get all 25 nations into the game I will allocate you
your choice of nation from the list of nations that you have sent me -
please send multiple nation choices. All nations are potentially available
until I set up the game.
Upto 2 nation game: You can play one or two Aligned nations, or one Neutral
nation.
2 nation game: You must play two nations.
Bofa: 2wk [Game 4] Beginners game - (Vet: ALL 1650 orders available): 4
Nations taken. (Please note FP have been upgraded).
1650 2wk [Game 66]: 22 available. Waiting List game.
2950 2wk [Game 239]: Email. Waiting List. 11 nations available.
1000 2wk [Game 40]: Probably going to be a Normal game (ie one nation per
allegiance allowed +20% kid/ass). 5 FP, 4 Neutral, 4 DS taken so far. 12
more nations needed.
1000 2wk [Game ??]: Also we're planning a NKA game - please get in touch.
19/20 taken with some variant rules.
Note please ask for variant games we can try to get you opposition for them
if you are interested - mostly Grudge teams though - if I get 10 players for
any single type of game then I will put it up for general availability below
and push it;
Grudge Games we need opposition for:
2950: Mark W (most of team), Darren Morris 1000: None 1650: None
Last Alliance: None WoTR: None
I have drop-outs available - don't forget you get a free turn for taking
these up...
E [Early] = 0-10 turn, M (Midgame]= 11-20, L [Late game] = 21+ [A= Aligned
if a Neutral, N= not aligned if a Neutral, P = Postal and Email game, G=
Grudge, 1w = 1week game, 3w = 3week game]
Bofa: Veteran (NM - e)
1000: One - Evil (l), South Kingdom (E-N)
2950: Quiet (m -P), Dark (m), Rhun (m,m)
1650: Dog (m), Harad (m-sort of aligned), Harad (E, N)
Thanks
Clint
Player report game 131 4/9
Dan----Game 131
Put this on the poster for Middle Earth: the end is in shadow.
This game flirted with victory and defeat on every level, through military
invasion, emmy attack, sudden
bankruptcy, untimely drops, and relentless team effort.
If you are part of another game while reading this and your side is losing,
take it as an omen not to give
up. If you're winning, read in it the phrase whispered to triumphant Roman
generals on parade: all glory is fleeting.
Half grudge match (nothing official, but with several experienced players on
each side who knew each other and coordinated well) and half madhouse, this
one-week game began with heavy FP army pressure on Mordor. The DS held the
pass with difficulty, dropping the bridge while making thin gains in Rhun.
Then the neutrals split � Rhudaur and Easterlings for the FP, Harad and
Corsairs for the DS, with the Duns eliminated early. The quicker buildup and
declaration by FP neutrals gave their side a strong second wave of attack by
turn 15.
The next several weeks were grim for the DS, but a forced bankruptcy on the
Easterlings secured the
backfield at last while the Harad and Corsairs rolled across Gondor. Their
excellent military play
paralleled an FP balance of defense and pillage, led by Arthedain, the
Eothraim, and the Dwarves.
The game already had the other classic highlights (crippling agent waves
from the Cloud Lord, Woodies, and Sinda; and inspired defense by the Dog
Lord, Dark Lts, North Gondor, the Fire King) along with plenty of surprises,
including the Cardolan army materializing in lower Khand and the Rhudaur
emmy squad running wild in Mordor.
The Dragon Lord, South Gondor, and Woodmen were down, the Northmen and Witch
King displaced, and by turn 30, nearly every nation had faced a serious
capital assault.
Then the third and final FP push came as a lightning strike � agents and
emmy teams took the secondary line of fortified pop centers just as armies
invaded Mordor from the North and West (with the bridge restored to
Osgiliath), and they sped across the front to quickly capture two capitals,
eliminating the Ice King and sending the rest of the DS scrambling.
But their armies were eliminated soon after, largely by a mix of agents and
mages, and the FP character
assault (one turn saw 19 characters at Luglurak and another dozen in the
adjacent hexes) ended in a
decisive DS gain that lead several turns of character and pc dominance.
Why did the DS win? It's hard to point to one answer. The FP attribute their
folding in part to being unable to replace the Sinda/Dwarves, which
certainly made a difference, as did the challenges for the DS on that front:
four Witch Kings, four Long Riders, three Ice Kings. Other factors were
clearly essential for the win -- the Harad/Corsairs strength, the Cloud Lord
's agents, the curse squad and emmy teams � but this game was so close that
even early strategic decisions held the balance.
I know why we didn't lose � any of us, on either side, at several earlier
points. We were stubborn.
Dan Newman Game 131, 1650 one-week Qt Avngr/Blnd Sorc
Harad/Corsairs II: Wade Frost
Cloud Lord/Dog Lord: Paul Roberts
Drk Lts/Fire King: Luis Gambarte
Long Rider IV: John Briggs
Witch King IV: Mick Horne
Ice King III: Rollin Roberts
CorsI/WK III/LR III: Brad Brunet
Arthedain/Cardolan: Scott Nolan
Noldo/Eothraim: Jim McIsaac
Rhudaur: Thomas Huckenbeck
Nmen/SG: Darren Heyward
Dwarves/Sinda: Will Frankenhoff
NG: Ed Merrick
Game 221 player report
Adunaphel completed her survey of Forlond's stores, and was returning to the
town hall, when Zokhad appeared from the shadows.
"What are you doing here?" she snapped "Did I not order you and your minions
east?"
"Yes, your grace, you did, but word has arrived from the Misty Mountains.
The Noldor have surrendered. The war is over; we have won."
"What? But, it cannot be. My plans are not yet complete. I have three Nazgul
more to eliminate to assure my ascendancy..."
"Not to worry, your grace. I am certain you stand first among the Nine, er,
I mean the Five that remain."
Adunaphel(#7) did finish first, and Hoarmurath (#6), Akhorahil (#5), and Ji
Indur (#4) all died, raising her from #7 to #4. But did she really help
engineer their demise? I guess we will never know for certain, but given the
overall cooperation by all the Dark Servants, I'd have to say not.
Quiet Avenger - Andrew Jones - 1733
Dog Lord - Ulrik Bisgaard - 1575
Witch-king - Stuart Taft - 1509
Corsairs - Jon Shushan - 1425
Dark Lieutenants - Timothy Minnig - 1425
Khand Easterlings - Brian Porter - 1150
Long Rider - William Minnig - 1142
Fire King - William Flynn - 1108
Ice King - Mark Woodsmall - 1075
Cloud Lord - Vassilis Manologlou - 1058
Dragon Lord - Iain Watson - 900
Blind Sorcerer - Namgyal Dorje - 750
The final standing were impressive for the Dark Servants, twelve of the top
thirteen, and doubly so when you consider that the White Wizard lost three
cities, two major towns and a town on the very last turn, knocking him all
the way down to 400 Victory points. Another turn or two and the Dunlendings
would have fallen from his twelfth place as well. And just what did Saruman
and Enion do to incur the combined wrath of the Dark Servants? It is a long
and twisted tale.
The game opened much as expected, but it soon became apparent that the
Corsairs, Dunlendings and White Wizard had formed an alliance against both
the Free Peoples and the Dark Servants. Their form of diplomacy did nothing
to endear them to the Dark Servants, even though they did manage to
eliminate the Dunadan Rangers. The question of eliminating them went from if
to when very early.
Many times during the course of play one or more nations demanded the Dark
Servants attack the White Wizard, but until the elimination of the Gondors
was nearly complete, cooler heads prevailed.
The Dark Servants recruited the Khand, and managed to gain the Corsairs'
support only after the original player dropped out. So from the Dark
Servants' perspective, we had a team of twelve.
What happened with the original Long Rider and the Rhun Easterlings remains
largely a mystery to the Dark Servants. About all we can say for certain is
that the Free Peoples destroyed the Rhun Easterlings and the Long Rider
dropped by turn 8. We found a replacement player for the Long Rider, but the
position was in really bad shape. Why this happened is even more of a
mystery. Some speculated that the Long Rider and the Rhun joined together,
but at least one mutual acquaintance denies this, and if they had, I for one
would have expected them to fare much better.
The Dark Servants first signal victory was the three Kings and Dark
Lieutenants capture of Osgiliath(3024) on turn 6, which enabled Dark Servant
forces to cross the Anduin for the first time. Despite the subsequent
destruction of both Anduin bridges, from this point on the Free Peoples
proved unable to completely clear the west bank of Anduin of Dark Servant
forces and recruiting bases.
About the same time, the Dunlendings and White Wizard apparently attacked
the Rangers, which left the Witch-king free to focus on northern Mirkwood.
So the fighting there took place entirely in the initial Free holdings,
which made effective defense that much more difficult. The Neutrals' move
also made it
possible for the Dragon Lord to hold onto Goblin-gate(2409) the entire game,
which still astounds me.
Another Dark Servant signal victory was the Dog Lord capture of
Edoras(2321), the Riders capital, on turn 15. While this move did not
eliminate the Riders, they were so weakened that they were no longer
considered a threat. Their neutralization effectively isolated the Gondors,
allowing the bulk of the Dark
Servants to focus on them alone.Around this time the original Corsair player
dropped out and the Dark Servants recruited his replacement. This sealed
Gondor's fate both by adding the Corsair forces to the Dark Servants and by
freeing the Quiet Avenger forces from having to guard against a hostile
Corsair. Within a turn or two the southern Anduin bridge was restored and
the raiding in Gondor escalated into a multi-national invasion.
Unexpectedly, turn 18 witnessed the only major Free People capture. The
Sinda managed to pull together enough troops and war machines (80 or so) to
capture Dol Guldur(2715). They didn't hold it long, and soon thereafter were
driven from most of Lorien, but it was a commendable effort.
At this point, effective Free resistance rapidly disintegrated. Free People
major towns or capitals fell about every turn for the rest of the game:
Maethelburg(2508) on turn 16, Pelargir(2927) on turn 19, Aradhyrnd(2908) and
Dol Amroth(2227) on turn 20, Azanulinbar-dum(3707), Buhr Widufiras(2711),
Caras Galadhon(2514), Minas Tirith(2924) and Linhir(2527), the new Riders
capital, on turn 21.
With Gondor subdued, and multiple avenues of approach available for attacks,
the Dark Servants now attacked the White Wizard and Dunlendings, taking five
major towns and cities from the White Wizard in the two turns before the
game ended, including Angrenost(2219), which was by then a City/Citadel.
While the military successes are much easier to quantify and appreciate,
what went on behind the scenes had at least as much, if not more, impact on
the results of game 221. Consistent teamwork among the Dark Servants was the
most important. Agents, emissaries, and mages supported and were themselves
supported by the Dark Servant military efforts.
Thanks to generous economic cooperation among the Dark Servants, no position
suffered from a lack of funds, and most were able to maintain a full or
nearly full slate of characters throughout the game. And the market moved
according to Dark Servant desires virtually every turn.
And of course, the Dark Servant agents made their mark. The Cloud Lord alone
accounted for 42 kills, almost 2 per turn, along with many key
fortifications and armies. Other nations agents accounted for many more
kills and untold amounts of gold.Again, an impressive team effort. Thanks to
all for a fun game! Andrew Jones
Check out our Message Board: www.PbmForum.com and the "mepbmlist" via
http://www.MiddleEarthGames.com
···
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Middle Earth Games
Mailto: me@MiddleEarthGames.com
Website: www.MiddleEarthGames.com
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