Having grown up in this game without access to the internet, I am torn by the MOS boys and their actions. A group systematically gathering and publishing artifact and dragon information was damaging to the game--which they did not intend. The fog-of-war was eroded. But, as BB has noted if you change things around, someone else will do it again.
On the other hand, they were players (like myself) who loved the game (like myself) and were fascinated by its inner workings (like myself). I can't be to critical, I guess.
Ed Mills
···
From: "kingoftherill" <kingoftherill@yahoo.com>
Reply-To: mepbmlist@yahoogroups.com
To: mepbmlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [mepbmlist] Re: randomization of artifact numbers
Date: Thu, 21 Oct 2004 15:06:24 -0000Then are we back to Ed's position that the unforseen effects of any
changes will be bad for the game?I've read the various positions along this line of thought especially
those in the last day. I agree with Brad Brunet certain artifacts are
well known. I do not agree with the position that most artifacts are
picked up for their primary powers. Most of the Curse artifacts have
that power for their secondary power. They are picked up either to
get access or deny the enemy access to those powers. I know we have
picked up artifacts simply to get the ability to teleport which had
nothing to do with its primary power.Maybe it is just me, but I find it absurd that a DS can simply camp
on a hex if you know the right one, and recruit the dragon when he
returns every single time. I am not addressing balance here. If we
were then there are lots of issues. Not just dragons, or artifacts.
My comment is that to me the knowlege everyone has on every dragon is
simply out of reason. Dragons have personalities in Tolkiens writings
they are not predictable but in our game they are completely so.Brad
--- In mepbmlist@yahoogroups.com, Darrell Shimel
<threeedgedsword35@y...> wrote:
> > To me, I fail to see what improvement to the game
> > that randomization
> > of artifact numbers would have. The mere fact that
> > they are artifacts
> > means that they are known and that legends and
> > histories about them
> > would have been passed down. To me it would seem
> > more logical to
> > randomize secondary powers so that you don't always
> > know exactly what
> > you have when you get it and would have to then cast
> > research
> > artifact on the toy once you got it to have a more
> > clear picture of
> > what you really have.
>
> Once again, small changes can have huge ripples....
> which is why it has been recommend that MEPBM be VERY
> careful making changes.
>
> Currently, they most effective defense to the agent on
> slaught, is the curse squad.
>
> Something as simple as randomizing the secondary
> powers of artifacts would eliminate the ability to
> effectivly use curse squads. With a couple hundred
> artifacts, it would take 20 turns for 10 mages to
> identify which artifacts give access to SM.
>
> It is the lack of SM artifacts in 1000 that mages so
> utterly useless. This is a big part of the reason
> that the game is such an agent shoot-out, and is also
> the least popular of the 3 scenarios.
>
> > The biggest thing I think needs to be worked over is
> > the dragons.
> > Dragons are capricious and should be moody and
> > unpredictable.
>
> Again, a small change can have a huge effect. Dragons
> are a major balance in 1650 to the massive FP economic
> advantage. There would no longer be a major reason
> for DS to stay active in the Misties. There would no
> longer be a reason for the FP to really care about
> rooting the DS out of the Misties.
>
> Something as simple as randomizing the dragon
> responses would have huge ripples through the game.
>
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