[IndyPendant]

Hmm...the Three Lakes map does look neat, but I see a few difficulties using it in this game:

1) There are 9, maybe 10 players. The map has 104 provinces, which means we will have only 10.4-11.5 provinces per player. That will make for a *brutally* vicious game, particularly under difficult research.

2) The mountains and border mountains are clustered together, which reduces suitable starting points even further. I suspect fair placement will be difficult to implement for this map.

3) This is a preference thing; some players may call this an *advantage*. ; ) --There are zero choke points on this map. There are also few plains.

Note that I'm not saying 'no'. Just pointing out potential issues with the 3-Lake map, in this game.

I suggest the wraparound Silent Seas map.



--No, I'm kidding. : )

If we wanted large expansion room (which could fit the difficult-research theme), we could go Cradle. Or we could use Cradle and invite one or two more players.

Otherwise, of the maps I am aware of, I would probably prefer the Desert Eye over Three Lakes. That isn't a strong preference though, and I will play in either happily.