Weak pretenders game
 

This game will be PBEM over llamaserver, maybe starting Tuesday of next week. I'll get a wraparound map from gandalf or use his scripting instructions to make one of my own.

The rule is - you will be randomly assigned a pretender designed by someone else http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif. Game will be late era, with standard rules (unless anyone has a good reason why not.)

These are the design rules:
* Pretenders must be mobile and awake.
* Their domstr must be at least 5, and cannot be more than 6 points greater than base domstr.
* Their net scales (excluding temperature) cannot be negative.
* You cannot take both turmoil and misfortune.
* You must have the correct temperature for the nation in question.
* You cannot take a pretender with blood for a nation with no blood on their national recruitable mages.
* The number of new paths you are allowed to add are restricted by the new path cost of the pretender:
- 10 - as many new paths as you want.
- 20 - 4 new paths
- 30 - 3 new paths
- 40 - 2 new paths
- 50+ - 1 new path
* Special rules for LA Ermor: Nevermind,

* IMPORTANT ONE I FORGOT: If you have unspent points left over, the player who gets the pretender can spend them if they wish. So spend all your points.

* Rules may be extended if I think you're too clever http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif.

Submitted so far:
* DrPraetorious, LA Marignon - Freak Lord, domstr 5, 3 fortune, 3 order, 2 sloth, 3 death, 1 drain, 7F1B.
* Zaramis, LA Man - Master Druid, domstr 7, 3 order, 3 sloth, 3 death, 1 luck, 2 magic, 7N.
* Starshine_Monarch, LA Pangaea - Crone, domstr 7, 2 turmoil, 2 productivity, 3 death, 3 magic, F2A3W3E3S2D1.
* BigDisAwesome, LA Mictlan - Freak Lord, domstr 7, 3 productivity, 1 heat, 3 death, 3 misfortune, 3 magic, 2F2A3W2S3N3B.

Just post the description here. You can feel free to revise it and make it worse as more suggestions poor in http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif.

The Nation/Pretender combo that you design will be randomly assigned to one of the players - you will never get your own design. Since it's PBEM, there will be no passwords set, I'll actually make and send in the pretender files and then change the e-mail addresses in the server config after the pretenders are loaded.

The goal, of course, is to make the weakest pretender possible, since one of your opponents will be using it. There will be extra props for the designer of the pretender who is crushed most completely.

Enjoy!

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

HAHAHAHHAHA

THIS LOOKS AWESOME DR. P!

Definately count me in. Should I pick a nation and make a design for it?

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

Great idea, Dr.P.

I was thinking of this same idea awhile ago after I was assigned a pretender made by someone else in the Justified Aggression game. The restrictions are good, as you could really make some brutal pretender desgins without them. Looks like great fun.

I'd like to join this one, but I'm already in 4 games and I think that's enough for now.

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

This is interesting...
Question though... Pretender is random, is nation as well?

EDIT: DOH! I used logic + reading, disregard above question. Of course it is.

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

* Nation: Man, Tower of Chelm
* God: Master Druid
* Magic Paths: Nature 7
* Scales: Order 3, Sloth 3, Death 3, Luck 1, Magic 2
* Dominion strength: 7

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

so,death 3, misfortune 3 would be a valid combo? Yech.

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

What size map do you want? Since Im messing with those scripts I can shift to working in the number you have in mind

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

25 provinces/player, with water provinces equal to:
(water players * 0.75) / (land players + water players * 0.75)

Can we do that? Obviously that's approximate http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif.

Yes, death 3, misfortune 3, productivity 3, magic 3 would be a valid combo. In fact, I think that'd probably be a more servere penalty than what I suggested for LA Marignon...... although giving a heavy infantry position prod-3 seems so generous. Hmm....

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

So.. am I trying to create as weak as possible a pretender within that ruleset or a pretender as strong as possible within that ruleset?

Stupid question, but... I felt I had to ask it.

It decides whether I give Atlantis a father of winter with fire magic.

I noticed in the rules that you didn't require us to use up all the points we could...

Are we avoiding physically resilent pretenders or is it merely coincidence that the chassis chosen aren't very durable.

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

This game seems incredibly fun. Wish I had the time to spare...

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

Lazy, I think you just make the weakest guy possible and some-one elses is picked for you http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif. The mage-like pretenders have low dom and must spend alot to get high in a particular path and are pretty useless in combat to boot so they will probably be popular.

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

I've been answering people's questions by changing the text of the original post http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif. So reread it if something didn't make sense, because I probably changed the text.

Go ahead and post descriptions, yeah.

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

Count me in on this one, Doc. This sounds like fun.

The pretender I made is for LA Pangea:

Crone:
Magic: F2A3W3E3S2D1
Dominion: Str:7, Trm2, Prod2, Dth3, Mgc3

Is this not flawed enough?

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

(redundant)

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

Sounds fun, but I think I'll pass. I'll try to give nations with problems my attention and not just play away for fun http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

lol, does that crone start out old? maybe pump up fire more to give her some real old age.

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

Sorry, but doesn't LA Pangaea have access to D2 mages?

Going for old age, it really would be best to give her to a nation that will have trouble forging a Skull Staff. It just wouldn't be right to have her cast TwiceBorn and come back as a wight mage.

Maybe give her lots of fire, and hand her off to abysia. The nation where no mage lives. Though blood gets in the way there as well. We don't want no stinking boots of youth.

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

You may want to restrict any pretender made for LA Ermor. A pretender without death 3 would be impossible no? For that matter you could pump all points into growth 3, production 3 magic 2. low dominion -- LA Ermor would be eviscerated.

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

I may avoid using LA Ermor pretenders, or put additional restrictions on them, yes.

However, it is possible to empower your way up the death scale with the income out of your fort. Would it suck? Yes. Could you manage anyway? Maybe.

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

Ok, I made a pretender for LA Mictlan. Should work.

Freak Lord

2 fire
2 air
3 water
2 astral
3 nature
3 blood

7 Dominion
3 productivity
1 heat
3 death
3 misfortune
3 magic



Total of 1 point left over. Look good?

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

Apparently I did give my Crone an extra Magic scale, sorry. She only had 1 point leftover. I suppose the idea for my crone wasn't the whole old age thing, but moreover giving their guy a bunch of magic paths that made no sense. Note she only has one Death magic skill and no Nature Magic at all. This way, it is extraordinarily difficult to cast Carrion Woods that is so important to LA Pangea. Besides, even a Wight Mage is not THAT hard to kill. To help this along, I gave her a low level of Astral magic so she can be Mind Dueled. The scales I made so it would be difficult to raise a large non-undead army. Minotaurs are expensive and, while the production helps a bit, it is effectively countered by the Turmoil and Death scales. Not to mention the Death scale will make it quite difficult to field a large army because of supply, and with the relatively high dominion, the effects will easily spread to their conquered provinces. So basically, I had nothing special in mind, just sort of an all-around kind of sucky.

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

So, uh, just when is the game gonna start?

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

Sometime tomorrow. Gandalf was gonna generate a map for me.

I also need anyone who is going to play to PM me with their e-mail so I can tell llamaserver. Once both of those things are done we can start.

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

I'm not in, unfortunately.

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

My submission for the title of worst pretender

LA Arcoscephale Lord of Fertility
Dominion 8
Nature 7
Astral 1

Order 3
Sloth 3
Luck 3
Drain 3

Nil poi left to spend

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

I PM'd you a link to a catalog. Let me know if you want some changes and want me to generate a new batch of maps for you to shop thru.

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

Several of those maps would be fine.

I'll pick one and send it to llamaserver sometime tonight - RL issues have come up with regards to my little brother and I'm kinda swamped today.

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

Just in case you need another god (I'm not playing...)

MA Vanheim. (See, they have blodd mages...)
Awake Vampire Queen
Dominion 7
Turmoil 3
Prod 3
Death 3
Luck 1
Magic 2
Cold 1
1 Earth, 2 Death, 3 Blood.
1 free point.


Good luck bless rushing with THAT.

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

You'll need to download the attached map, which was generously provided by Gandalf using the mapgen generously provided by Paradoxbringer.

Sorry for the delay; finding housing for my little bro has been exhausting and my PI (boss) just got back from vacation, so I've been a bit swamped. The map is attached - you will need it to play. I'm not 100% pleased with the graphic changes I made on this one but at least it should be possible to tell the terrains apart easily.

I picked this map because it has a lot of choke points, which pleases me.

I'll upload pretenders and then switch over to e-mails for all the players as soon as llamabeast sets up the game. Thanks to llamabeast for providing the hosting and e-mail server.

We'll start with a 48hr quickhost in case people have problems, and then move to 24 hrs until a war starts, at which point I'll move back to 48, unless that seems unreasonable to anyone?

Good luck (or bad luck, if you get my pretender design)!

I'm a little drunk, hopefully I didn't forget anything.

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

Nice choices. Were the colors OK for recognition?

I particularly like what you did for subtle recognition of "farmland". I need to remember that one.

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

Sorry, I forgot to start this game last night. Will do later today.

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

Okay, the game should be started and the turn files should ship shortly. Let me know if you don't get a turn file, or if I messed up horribly and gave you the God you designed http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/frown.gif.

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

I got my turn file, but I can't get the map to work.. It doesnt show up when I try to start a new game either, but the files are there, just like with all other new maps

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

It may be a macintosh issue, as you're playing on a Mac. Maybe it can't read the text file? Try opening the .map file in notepad and then saving it again.

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

Boy this is gonna be an uphill battle.

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

I'd like some reviews on how the different nations are perceived? Personally, I've done pretty good with the nation I was given, considering the scales and god..

I'm very curious how the one playing Man are doing http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

This build sucks. I attacked an indie province and lost http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/frown.gif.

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

Heh. You know what? This might be the first game ever, where the independents win.

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

If enough people took misfortune the world could be ruled by barbarians!

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

Ha! At last, I'm able to start *summoning vinemen*. With them, and some elementals summoned in combat, your number is up now, you indie bastards.

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

I take it DrP got Man then http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

Did Marignon go AI?

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

He seems to have, yes.

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

So who's playing Mictlan? And where did that barbarian horde just go to?

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

Gah! A plague just hit my capitol!

Anyone else have any bad luck yet?

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

What's going on here? I just got 2 emails from Llamaserver, one is turn 20, and then I got turn 21 which said I staled.

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

Evidently the server was down for a period and it was not possible to do turns or to administer it and then it hosted?

I'm not 100% clear on what is going on here myself, I'm afraid.

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

Well, it was a good concept, but somewhat rocky from the get-go. I'm toast, I concede.

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

Well I think I'm the only one still doing turns in this game. Unless Patala chimes in you could probably take this game down Llamabeast.

Re: Weak pretenders game
 

Yep, I think that's fair to say. Patala has staled 28 times!!

I'll take it down now, hope it was fun.