Game Balance

mepbmlist
#1

Thank you Nick. I see that in a few ways where I had previously thought I was
alone in the dark, I am not (no pun there....).

I too have been getting a little tired of the "facts" as presented to us. I have
yet to see a recent compilation of game results. While much of the info and
opinion that we rely on to make sense of the Middle Earth world we find
ourselves immersed in (facade, Bobbins, et al..) is excellent, it is also, mostly,
outdated where it is info, and anecdotal/opinion otherwise.

I wish I myself was willing to ask the GM's for the results in order to compile it,
but alas, I haven't the time. I am also a little tired of people saying "this is
what happened in a game I was in, therefore it is the holy truth".....for reasons
I am sure you can appreciate....

Having said that, I WILL share my own anecdotes:

Freep victory in a game where ALL DS where viable, and Mordor was entered not
once, never even ordered the tour maps we were so far from attempting it....

Potential DS victory in a game where they have no business still trying. WK and
Dragon long gone, Mordor crashed from 3 directions all around, took 15 turns
before someone finally assassinated someone......yet, those of us who remain
are still battling the winter econ, the various threatening icons, etc....Lots of
fun this one!

Moral of the story? Anything can happen, especially now with this expanded
player pool. The agent "tweeks" have definitively lessened the DS powers. The
game seems to my inexperienced mind, quite well balanced.

Also, this "talk" I keep seeing about the better players "always" picking DS?
I don't see that either. I have played in 3 games (only) but have seen some
excellent AND well known players mixing it up on both sides.

I am the type who automatically takes the underdog, but team wise, I really
don't know who that would be......maybe I'll just play Rhudaur forever.....

Regards,

Brad Brunet

···

On Sun, 14 January 2001, Nick Barnes wrote:

People keep going on about game balance favouring the DS. Facade states
that anyone who has ever recruited a dragon is a cheat, and a figure of 66%
DS wins is constantly being quoted.....

Personally I am getting fed up with it, I'm not going to stay silent any
longer, and I say that that is a complete load of crap.

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#2

A recent compilation of game results, supposedly updated

11/18/00.

http://www.middleearthpbm.co.uk/main/statisti.htm

If it wern’t possible to win as the FP, the DS would have a 100%

win ratio, not a 66% win ratio, the fact that the FP won a game

does not make the statistics untrue. We did not simply 'make

this up’ as you seem to think. As far as agent tweaks, that limited

the power of mid ranged agents, that double character guard bonus

thats in the book is untrue, far to many 70pt agents have been cut

down by 90-100 agents(every single time), and the FP have just

as many mid level agents as the DS do, the high powered agents

are the DSs advantage, and those are virtually unaffected.

Instead of trying to discredit something
by denying compiled statistics

, explain to us all how it was in the game designers grand

sceme for the DS to be able to place a few camps and generate

a constant stream of 30k combat modifiers. Perhaps your games are

this close as the FP because you’re opponents are not doing

this. If you don’t accept the game statistic results posted

by Bobbins, then by all means compile your own or poll

the player base on who they feel has the upper hand in the

game(which was what I suggested).

If you really want to play the underdog, play the Eoth, Woodmen,

Dragonlord or Witchking, all of whom look forward to nothing

but a world of hurt when their turns come in, they have no neutrality

to spare them hostilities in the early game.

···

----- Original Message -----

From:
ditletang@canada.com

To: mepbmlist@egroups.com

Sent: Sunday, January 14, 2001 8:42 AM

Subject: Re: [mepbmlist] Game Balance

`On Sun, 14 January 2001, Nick Barnes wrote:

People keep going on about game balance favouring the DS. Facade states
that anyone who has ever recruited a dragon is a cheat, and a figure of 66%
DS wins is constantly being quoted…

Personally I am getting fed up with it, I’m not going to stay silent any
longer, and I say that that is a complete load of crap.

Thank you Nick. I see that in a few ways where I had previously thought I was
alone in the dark, I am not (no pun there…).

I too have been getting a little tired of the “facts” as presented to us. I have
yet to see a recent compilation of game results. While much of the info and
opinion that we rely on to make sense of the Middle Earth world we find
ourselves immersed in (facade, Bobbins, et al…) is excellent, it is also, mostly,
outdated where it is info, and anecdotal/opinion otherwise.

I wish I myself was willing to ask the GM’s for the results in order to compile it,
but alas, I haven’t the time. I am also a little tired of people saying “this is
what happened in a game I was in, therefore it is the holy truth”…for reasons
I am sure you can appreciate…

Having said that, I WILL share my own anecdotes:

Freep victory in a game where ALL DS where viable, and Mordor was entered not
once, never even ordered the tour maps we were so far from attempting it…

Potential DS victory in a game where they have no business still trying. WK and
Dragon long gone, Mordor crashed from 3 directions all around, took 15 turns
before someone finally assassinated someone…yet, those of us who remain
are still battling the winter econ, the various threatening icons, etc…Lots of
fun this one!

Moral of the story? Anything can happen, especially now with this expanded
player pool. The agent “tweeks” have definitively lessened the DS powers. The
game seems to my inexperienced mind, quite well balanced.

Also, this “talk” I keep seeing about the better players “always” picking DS?
I don’t see that either. I have played in 3 games (only) but have seen some
excellent AND well known players mixing it up on both sides.

I am the type who automatically takes the underdog, but team wise, I really
don’t know who that would be…maybe I’ll just play Rhudaur forever…

Regards,

Brad Brunet

Get your FREE personalized e-mail at http://www.canada.com
`

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