Hi all
Am glad to see this is generating a little interest
despite limited membership of the list
Clint can I suggest you publicise this list in an
email to all email players - I very rarely read the
account information that is emailed and so I only know
of this list by chance...
In response to what I have read so far, I thought I
would set out (for newer players) my thinking
The great strength of the Middle earth engine, I
think, is that the game mechanics are fairly
transparent in most areas, though not completely so.
As a consequence it is possible to have a good idea of
what the consequence of doing X, Y and Z is.
The strength of 1650 in particular is that it is all
action from T1. Essentially similar startups between
games means a team can have a good idea of the options
facing them (and the opposition) and so the game has a
strategic element that would be hard to reproduce if,
say, what the enemy had (& where) was almost pure
guesswork.
I am now in my 13th game of mepbm, and am looking for
ways of reducing the known aspects just a little, or
experimenting with small changes in the game balance.
Note that I am NOT suggesting these changes should
apply to all games - so if people do not like the
thought of playing where the CLord cannot assassinate
before T5 - then those people can just chose not to
play that game. I believe I helped set up what was
the 1st game of 1650 with precommitted neutrals, and
in Game 17 I believe that, with my team & the enemy
team leader(s) we proposed the 1st game where the
Easterling pop centres are divided between the LR,
Northmen and Eothraim
In terms of defining what can be done, I suggest the
following. Clint perhaps you can let us know if any
of the below is not do-able
1) Whatever is done must be based on the existing 1650
nations
2) Start up amendments can take the form of changes to
pop centres sizes, locations, fortifications
3) Changes to characters should take the form of
changes to ranks of the existing set of characters
4) Starting artefacts could be swapped between
nations, but artefacts lost at the start of the game
should remain lost
5) Changes to starting gold may be made
6) Special conditions must be easily enforced (eg a no
assassinations policy before turn 5 would be enforced
by any player having characters assassinated)as these
conditions will be player agreed, rather than
programmed
Ideally we should devise some flexibility to allow
players to chose how to influence their startups. I
think these should also encourage nations to address
their weaknesses, rather than build gross strengths.
For example, if the scenario allowed all the free
people 2 characters to have 20 skill point
enhancements, we should perhaps also specify that no
skill be so enhanced above 70, and that the Noldo
could not enhance his mages above 60 (Elrond continues
to start at 70)
Clint I have 2 specific questions
1) Your comment re CL assassinations being at +10,
rather than +20. Does this mean you can influence a
nation's special abilities?
2) Is it possible to randomise artefact numbers
All the best
Mike
ยทยทยท
_________________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com