Re: GotM: Gardens of the Moon, vets, busy MA game [signup+discuss]
 

45EA, 40MA, 35LA afaik

Well, if you want to keep the game balanced and competive, it's good idea for players to have ~the same level of skill, but given the nature of the game, people usually ganging up on the strongest player, few newbs getting eaten wouldn't exactly break the game? Well, actually, given indie strenght 9 it could, but...

About the marking of capitals, you could always just bash peoples' heads the standard way until someone captures all the required VPs and declares themselves the winner(doubt there will be much cheating like that). You couldn't track it in the score graph, even if you wanted that, though.

Re: GotM: Gardens of the Moon, vets, busy MA game [signup+discuss]
 

You can track your VP count at a temple, as every vp gives you 5 "temple points"

Re: GotM: Gardens of the Moon, vets, busy MA game [signup+discuss]
 

Well, we don't actually have to play with victory points to consider capitals victory points.

I dislike the idea of having my capital marked from turn 1.
We already did a game like this "BEER", where the required amount of capitals was 7, but they were not marked, instead every nation had to keep a personal account of everyone's control of capitals, and watch out so nobody steals the game.

It worked out pretty good.

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/showt...highlight=beer

Re: GotM: Gardens of the Moon, vets, busy MA game [signup+discuss]
 

Quick observer comment

I applied similar settings to the above to a game I ran 18 months ago (CarCrash http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/showthread.php?t=42834).

The only problem that occurred was when one of the main contenders forgot the winning conditions, which is entirely the fault of the player not the settings. Other than that the game was fine. I've also just started two Newbie games with a "hold X capitals" win requirement, but without having capitals VP marked. So I think it is certainly a valid combination of settings and victory conditions.

And personally (as I've ranted about many times in the past) I think having capitals VP marked not only helps the powerful nations to rush, which is help they certainly don't need, but it also encourages lazy play by having a very important bit of intel given to you for nothing. If you want to know who owns the capitals, you should be both made to find them in-game, and made to expend resources keeping track of who owns them.


And if you want to do fixed starts and still keep capital locations secret, then you need to find someone not playing in the game to sort the map out (not it :)), but then importantly, for that person to only distribute the image file to the players, and NOT the .map file (As the .map file is needed by the llamaserver, but the players only need the image file. As giving out the .map file also gives out the start locations)

Re: GotM: Gardens of the Moon, vets, busy MA game [signup+discuss]
 

Calahan, you've translated my thoughts into words, thanks!

Re: GotM: Gardens of the Moon, vets, busy MA game [signup+discuss]
 

@wraithlord

I'm pretty sure that I am not a complete newb. I've been playing for more than three years, and I played DomII before that. I haven't won a non-duel game yet, except as an ally, but I think I qualify as a vet

Re: GotM: Gardens of the Moon, vets, busy MA game [signup+discuss]
 

BigandScary, thanks for answering that ever awkward Q. I signed you up :)

All, re. not marking VPs. OK, they will not be marked. Each player will have to keep tabs on how many capitals he controls. Each capital is worth one VP and the first player to control enough to meet the winning condition wins.

re. magic sites, I see no reason not to take the MA default.

Pjoo, given the capital VP conditions, extreme difference in experience levels is even more unbalancing. Perhaps I'll aim for my next game to be open for all and learn from experience how it ends up.

Re: GotM: Gardens of the Moon, vets, busy MA game [signup+discuss]
 

No problem. When I leave on my extended sabbaticals people forget I'm here.

Re: GotM: Gardens of the Moon, vets, busy MA game [signup+discuss]
 

Oh beer, that brings back memories. Fun game.

The honor system on the vps worked fine as well. I'd be all for non marked caps and also no graphs.

Also magic sites at default and not 45.

Re: GotM: Gardens of the Moon, vets, busy MA game [signup+discuss]
 

I think we should add that the caps have to held for "x" turns (maybe 3?) before the winning condition is met.