The Middle Way X - Faerun EA [Abandoned]

[Hellboy]

We're abandoning this thread for reason of it having been thoroughly trashed. For players interested in discussing the game, the new thread is titled "The Middle Way2 - Faerun EA"


This game will be played on the Faerun map in the early age. I am starting with the map that Hadrian II edited (starting from Edi's map) for his Faerun PBM game (here). Hadrian II's map is attached here, but I'll be doing some edits prior to starting, most notably I'll remove all the indy fortresses.

I'm looking for 16 players in this game and I'm aiming at intermediate players, but newbies are welcome. I'll not turn away veterans, but if you're a top player in veteran games, this game might be underpowered for you. For newbies, the one thing I really don't want to see is a turn 2 or 3 drop (and I've seen 4 of those in my first two Dom3 games). For that reason please be sure you're ready for a 6 month commitment on a large map game. You should have at least played the tutorial and/or a SP game through 20 turns, with a pretender similar to the one you're playing here.

I would love to see this game get started w/ a 5 - 15 turn blitz, but I know that will be difficult in a large player game. If we're having difficulty getting 16 players, we might considering starting w/ some AI positions set on "impossible"


Server:
TBA

Settings:
Hall of Fame: 15
Magic Site Frequency: 50-60?
Renaming: on
Graphs: off?
Others are standard

Hosting Schedule:
24hr QH, moving to 48hr QH later

Victory Conditions:
VPs or #Provinces?

Mods:
CB?
Worthy Heroes?

On Stales and Lost Causes:There is no hard and fast rule, but 3 successive stales are sufficient cause to be set to AI, unless you have communicated with the host (me). A complete lack of communication combined with numerous stales also justifies setting to AI.
I know from experience that it's depressing to playing a losing position, but your fellow players will appreciate it when you "give hell" to those taking you out. Still its clearly better to go AI then to stale indefinitely, but it would be appreciated if you would announce your intention to go AI on this thread, prior to doing so.

Sheap's Rules of Diplomacy (multiplayer tips 1 and 2) will be in effect. (You don't have to role play, although it is encouraged, but you do have to be civil.)

Players:
1. Abysia - Sandman
2. Agartha - Tyrant
3. Arcoscephale - Darrel
4. Atlantis - Meglobob
5. Hellheim - Amhazair
6. Lanka - Shovah32
7. Marverni - Teraswaerto
8. Mictlan - WSzaboPeter
9. Niefleheim - Xox
10. Pangaea - Dedas
11. R'lyeh - Evilhomer
12. Sauromatia - imororg
13. T'ien Ch'i - Terrel
14. Yomi - Izzyz


Discussion Points:
Game Concept: My idea behind this game is that it is a "high magic" game, and thus the increased magic freq & choice of EA. However, I suspect that the combination of increased magic site freq + CB + Worthy Heroes favor T'ien Ch'i, so we'll open all 3 decisions to debate and go with the consensus.

Graphs: I'd prefer graphs off, but I believe newbies benefit greatly by having this on, so we can turn graphs on if most players want that.

Mods: I'd like to play with CB & Worthy Heroes, but I have no experience w/ either, so we can discuss this. One of Sheap's games, recently completed (here), used both these mods, and it seemed to work out well.

Victory Conditions: I'm open to using either VPs (but definitely not cumulative VPs) or # of provinces as victory conditions. If we go with VPs, 40% seems to low to me, I'd be thinking 50% - 55%.

Links:
Location for downloadable Faerun map (you will need Faerun_large_v2, and Faerun_large.tga within that).
Conceptual Balance
Worthy Heroes

Feedback:
CB: Y-1 N-7
Worthy Heroes: Y-7 N-1
Graphs: Y-1 N-3

[Evilhomer]

Sounds sweet im in, will decide nation in a moment.

Edit: nation will be R'lyeh.

Im really for using wh and cb.

IF you intend to do vp you should have graphs on, else the game will end and some players will have no clue what happened so to speak....anticlimatic end I assume.

[Tyrant]

I'll take Argatha please.

I vote in favor of Worthy Heroes, it adds fun with no down side.

I vote against CB. It's supposed to be a balance mod, but i think it's premature to start trying to rebalance a game that when very few players have completed even 5 games.I looked at it before Concepts of Creation started but not since, so maybe it's different now, but it seemed to me to be a more or less random collection of changes, and i just don't see the point. I'd rather explore the basic game before I mess around with mods.

I really love the Faerun map, but it is truly huge, and think that needs to be kept in mind when considering victory conditions and magic sites frequency. Given the size, the end game positions will be epic no matter what. I kinda suspect that after about turn 60 or so only single, unemployed and freindless players will really be able to contemplate absolute victory at even 40%, and many players may opt for "alive and strong" as their personal goal.

Counting VPs at turn X (100?)might be a good alternative. It leaves us with goals but might make for a little less cut-throat game. I'm fine with whatever is decided, just wanted to throw that out there.

[Shovah32]

Im in as lanka. I really think graphs should be on and for victory i vote for either provinces or just default and let players decide who wins.

[Meglobob]

I would like to play Atlantis.

I would prefer magical site setting of 60 or higher.

I consider myself a intermediate player.

I doubt you will be able to blitz, but I am game if you can manage it! I find 24hr quickhost for first 20 - 30 turns and then 48hr quickhost best, personally.

No opinion on mods but will they affect any other MP's I am in?

I prefer graphs off.

Prefer provinces victory but I am easy.

Thanks for offering to host/run the game Terrel.

[FrankTrollman]

Deleted.

[Sir_Dr_D]

I'm in. I agree with using both mods. (If Tien Chi has the upper hand that shows the CB will need to be adjusted. But Tien CHi will likely not have the advantage by much. I am willing to take the experiment.) If we use Vps, my vote is to have one VP per capital only.I like the idea of no score graphs as well.

I would like to play as arco.

[Hellboy]

FrankTrollman said:But I wouldn't play with conceptual balance. Life is too short to spend large amounts of time playing with that mod.

Care to elucidate? And, if I can ask, have you played w/ CB in an MP game?

Not that I'm bent on playing w/ CB - I'm just interested in hearing more about it.

[Hellboy]

Meglobob said:
I doubt you will be able to blitz, but I am game if you can manage it! I find 24hr quickhost for first 20 - 30 turns and then 48hr quickhost best, personally.

That's about what I'm thinking.

No opinion on mods but will they affect any other MP's I am in?

I haven't tested this, but I know it was not a problem under Dom2, I have to believe it is not a problem under Dom3. One thing you really used to need to be careful about, however, was turning the mods on and off. This was especially true when creating your pretender; many people used to create the pretender under the wrong mod, and lost lots of points that way.

Thanks for offering to host/run the game Terrel.

My pleasure.

[FrankTrollman]

Deleted.