Re: The Artifacts Game - [nation selection]
 

Yeah, I've used Crumble to help capture VPs as well. Its not as big of a problem as your scenario would make it out to be. After all - the defense of these points must have been laughably weak to not be able to defeat even the toughest SC going solo. Where was that player's disintegrators? Life for a Lifes? Even Paralyze w/ spell focus and eye of the void would do the trick.

IMO, the more realistic scenario of:
1) knocking down domes over the VP
2) teleporting in an entire army w/ mage support
3) survive having every other player in the game devastate your force with artillery/assassination spells
4) finally defeating the defenders of the fort

Is fantastically difficult. If you can pull this off, IMO, you deserve to win the game.

Re: The Artifacts Game - [nation selection]
 

Well the problem is you always find this more or less unprotected castles to send such forces. AI players, nearly dead players. Castles without much mages are not rare in end game! Capital mages are often used to fight in field battles instead of being at home and research in end game.

Re: The Artifacts Game - [nation selection]
 

I felt I was as solidly in control of RAND 1 as was possible given the wrapped map and the volume and quality of other players. My hold on things was certainly getting kind of tenuous at the end (especially since I'd staked my chances at that point on a cap-grab), but up until then I'd gotten some huge lucky breaks (shadow seers!) as well as playing a nearly mistake-free game...If I'd not managed to win I think the game would have probably dragged on until near the end of time, since no one else was in anywhere near as strong a position, and once the research was all done it becomes quite easy to gang people from across the entire map.

I also would have had a really bad time of things if any of the caps I'd attacked had been domed...Plus I got most of my VPs the old-fashioned way, killing Mictlan, Tir, Marverni and Ulm myself and winning Pangaea when I beat Ulm, so I only teleported onto 2 caps, total. (well, 3, but shark attack is retarded...) I earned the other 7 capitals, and once I'd gotten that big it was pretty near impossible to hold onto all my provs, there are simply too many borders to defend at that point, and with 15+ nations it's pretty hard to get strong enough to take on the whole world at once.

Re: The Artifacts Game - [nation selection]
 

One observation. It seems that starting positions have been set with no randomizing. I'm not a huge fan of knowing that so and so in in such and such a spot nor of them knowing the same about me.

Mix em up please http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: The Artifacts Game - [nation selection]
 

Not possible, due to the way artifact placement happens.

Re: The Artifacts Game - [nation selection]
 

So is this PBEM like in the OP or is it hosted like QM says? I can find the llamaserver but not the port http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/frown.gif

Re: The Artifacts Game - [nation selection]
 

It is PBEM. You email your pretender in.

Re: The Artifacts Game - [nation selection]
 

Hmm, don't recall saying it was hosted, but if I did sorry for any confusion.

Anyway, llamserver is really easy, but if you have problems here is the FAQ .

Re: The Artifacts Game - [nation selection]
 

Pythium pretender uploaded. All you slackers need to get on the ball. Let's get this game rolling.

Re: The Artifacts Game - [nation selection]
 

Where can i find any info about the server? Or should i email my pretender simply to Ironhawk instead?