PBEM Game: Yarnspinners 2 (Running)

[The Panther]

I am interested in playing under these new rules also. I will lay a claim to Man for this purpose.

My comments:
1. Zen balance mods - YES!
2. Saber-Cherry mods - maybe, for I am not sure if that is fully ready yet until the test game goes further.
3. Map suggestion: Orania. I would ask for impossible (or maybe just very difficult) AIs for all nations that are not present. Also, 9-strength indies to slow down the computer players.
4. PBEM with NO quickhost. The hosting schedule should be at a fixed time every 2 days. In fact, I would extend the host time every third turn to three days to allow for the yarns. This would mean a fixed weekly host schedule, always on the same three days of every week.
5. Put 200 PD (or whatever the max is) in every capitol (but not for the AI players) to make sure a nation is not easily eliminated until later in the game when PD no longer matters. The neutral player could send additional pearls and even gold if a player is dying but still writing yarns. People do cheer for the underdogs. But death can obviously still happen even with all this and might make a darn good story for the losing side!
6. I like the idea of an unassailable neutral nation with massive astral income to send rewards for yarns. It could be like a news network, staying neutral and observing the world. Giving it the Eyes of God (with 999 gems so it won't get overwritten) and posting the full map every third turn would be really cool indeed.
7. Very difficult research. This will allow for lengthy story lines as the mages labor away forever and ever, trying to produce something worthwhile which their God has demanded. I really hate those normal research games where the high-research nations can be done before turn 50.
8. Maybe we could require all players to use a strong fort to help with the capitol defense. Perhaps give us a choice of Castle (80 pts) or Fortress (60 pts) only, both of which are quite useful and have the added bonus of making mad-castling a lot harder.


Thats all I can think of right now. This sounds amazingly fun! I can't wait to get started!!!


Panther

[Sedna]

Count me in. I promise to cultivate a (somewhat) less bloodthirsty/world-dominating persona.

Zen's balance mods and difficult research are fine choices, and I think Panther's proposed hosting schedule (three fixed times a week) is excellent. Put the three day stretch over the work-week for those of us who have to deal with such things. I'm okay with restricting castle choices, but I hope people would choose the thematically appropriate options anyway (I still don't expect to see many mountain forts). Orania is a neat map, but it's so large and I'm not sure how I feel about AIs as they cannot write interesting stories. My gut instinct would be to go with a smaller map and try to have only humans.

The problem is not finding humans (they're everywhere), but finding truly dedicated ones. I hope everyone who is volunteering is prepared to be in this (and write) for the whole game. The original Yarnspinners will have taken about 8 months which is quite a commitment. Speaking of which, we should give this game an end condition also. If we're discouraging slaughter of active writers then we'll need some other way to crown a winner. 60 turns with points awarded for standing in the score charts worked pretty well, but clearly requires a small map so that interesting things will happen before the end.

[Alneyan]

A couple of remarks, additions, suggestions...

- I would rather not have AIs either; however, if a few more nations are needed, I think I could play two or three minor nations, without the mighty PD or free astral pearls. That would also solve the matter of the independent nation.

- I like Panther's suggestion about the *much* improved PDC. This PD would appear after turn 2 I think, as the Gnomes of Zurich will need one turn to do some Mass Wishing (say, two hundred Visa wishes, which would give 175 gems times 200... Ought to be good enough to build up some nice PD in all capitals).

- On the topic of victory conditions, and giving a second chance: with the strengthened PD, I think nations will be safer from the wrath of their neighbours, so a victory by "killing 'em all" should work. If it appears that the game is becoming annoying because of two nations hoarding and playing the Maginot line, I guess the game could be ended then.

- On selecting nations: are you fine with picking nations on a "first come, first serve" basis, or would you rather select your nations in a random order? For example, the Mighty Dice could rule that Sedna will pick his nation first, and then it could be Pasha, and so on.

- On rewarding yarns: I would say some sort of consensus could be considered here. All yarns where some effort has been made may be worth one astral pearl, but if your fellow players enjoyed one of your yarns, it could result in one or two more pearls. Of course, if one of you knows someone willing to act the part of the Judge, please let us know.

[quantum_mechani]

I am strongly against a large map, particularly with AIs. I think the yarns would be a lot more interesting if there is a writer from both sides of wars.

[djo]

I am interested in playing. I've been reading the original thread since I bought dom2 a couple months ago. Can't wait to hear the end of that one...

My thoughts for YS2:

- turns: I like the 3 turns, one yarn per week fixed schedule idea; I've done some writing, and doing about 500 words/yarn/week is doable (Sedna and puffyn have been writing in that word range, but every turn!)

- mods: small mods (eg, Zen pretender, balance) ok, big mods (eg, Cherry's recruitable unit) can be overwhelming for the inexperienced

- selection: I'm ok with random order, but perhaps give Sedna and puffyn (if interested) first choice due to their performance in YS1?

- victory: I like a fixed turn length, too

Alneyan's other suggestions are all fine by me.


A question: 2.15 or 2.16?


Another question: every good sequel needs a subtitle; YS2: The Long-winded? YS2: Writer's Vengeance? YS2: Mutant Offspring? YS2: Wrath of the Wordy?

[PashaDawg]

I am not especially excited about random selection of nations. I find that a polite "first come - first serve" almost always works fine. For example, I selected Tien Chi, but if someone else really, really wanted that nation, I would be happy to play another. And, of course, it would not break my heart if others preferred a more orderly selection process. We are all good sports.

[puffyn]

Count me in on Yarnspinners 2: How many would-be wordsmiths does it take to come up with a catchy name?

It looks like most people are agreed with the 3 turns / 1 yarn / 1 week schedule, which is fine by me. 's lotta work, writing 500 words of deathless prose every turn...

I don't like the idea of random nation selection; you should play a race that you'll be able to get in character for, since that's what'll keep you yarning. I say everyone should name their top choice, and if there's a conflict have a backup in mind. I would like to play C'tis.

Zen's mods are fine with me, but I'm not particularly in favor of other more extensive mods.

As for the map: it looks like about 10 people have expressed definite interest at this point (counting a few from the Yarnspinners Classic thread who haven't migrated here yet), which would be a good number. Not sure if it's enough for a map like Orania, though I agree that it looks nice. Perhaps if there were no water races... plus there will be the Land of the Giver of Pearls in there somewhere also. But early contact is key, I think, to maintaining enough dramatic tension.

And no AI's. They're just too easy to kill, and they wouldn't respect truces made for narrative reasons