Mara - EA game for newish players - full - Page 16

sum1lost · #**151** September 13th, 2007, 04:08 AM

Well, crap.

I'll do my best to get my turns in, but uni stuff has got my *** beat. I don't really have the time to complete my turns consistently, even on a weekly basis. I'll do my best, but I will inevitably stale a few rounds here and there.

parcelt · #**152** September 13th, 2007, 11:20 AM

If it would help you out I wouldn't mind moving to for example a 48hr schedule?

Warhammer · #**153** September 13th, 2007, 12:23 PM

I'd certainly be up for doing this. We can keep it on quick host so if we get the turns in early we can keep it moving.

Warhammer · #**154** September 13th, 2007, 05:00 PM

OK, executive decision time here, we're moving to 48 hour host and leaving quick host on.

fungalreason · #**155** September 13th, 2007, 05:57 PM

I played Maverni in this, and made just about every mistake you can. I thought this was going supposed to be a newbie game

Anyway... the game starts, I try to expand quickly. End up choosing to traverse the mountains because it seems like there's more room there. I probably would have done better by expanding south and just fortifying a natural chokepoint. I receive a message from Caelum asking me to turn over 3 lands. Doing so would leave me FAR behind in territories and completely cut off any room to expand. I didn't think I had any option. In fact the request was so unreasonable, I assumed his message was simply an excuse to instigate war. Therefore I decided to take a more aggressive response.

I attack, and send out messages to negotiate a NAP with the only other neighbor I knew about at that point, Yomi. Unfortunately, I was way too late on the diplomatic front. He attacked the SAME turn (Hadn't received any messages at that time, so I probably should have been more on guard).

Basically I knew at that point I was screwed. I somehow ended up 2 front war while playing a weaker nation. I also hadn't found any Indy provinces that could make scouts so I had no clue who my enemies' neighbors were. So all I could do was make forum posts and hope someone would pick up on the hint and join forces with me against one of them...

I knew my army couldn't take Caelum's head on. My initial plan was to simply avoid his troops, pillage and disrupt what I could, and research up to something that could deal with the mammoths. However, Yomi's attack forced me to pull mages off research to defend. At that point, I could only hope for luck or aid from some outside source... it didn't come.

I split forces and tried to send one squad to deal with one of Caelums armies that was marching through my lands. The Caelum strike force ended up not having enough chaff, and lost half my mages. This is when I realized my pretender was awful. I really should have gone with a SC of some sort. Mammoths just trampled everything I had. The other force was fairly successful at fending off Yomi's first wave, but having little income, and minimal research at this point made it just a waiting game. Yomi's Blade winds and fireballs sealed my fate.

Caelum offered peace when I was down to 2 or 3 lands. But I sent an antagonistic reply simply to ensure my swift demise. I was out of the game, and I was pretty sure the two of them were allied by then anyway.. so why bother?

That's about it from my end. I had fun even though I got crushed. At least I learned to spend more time figuring out and/or testing a good pretender design for nations I play

Snacktime · #**156** September 14th, 2007, 10:01 AM

Nice summary fungal - had no idea what happened to you really, I was 100% underwater back then

Hey great idea to move to 48 hour hosting. I am pretty busy at work too and was pretty sure I would stale once this weekend as it was. Everyone accommodated my trip over Labor Day so I feel if sum1won needs more time for turns that's totally fine.

Anyway thanks Warhammer, quickhost will allow us to play faster when everyone is around, and this way the game won't be distorted by stales.

Cheers! Oceania

sum1lost · #**157** September 18th, 2007, 12:59 AM

That last battle may have cost C'tis quite a bit. 23 commanders and 50 ghosts gone.

And an artifact.

Still, the top 5 targets were not eliminated. This time. Ah, well.

Its worth mentioning at this point that Caelum and I weren't allied at any point. I had just attacked when he sent a message to me asking for help.

Warhammer · #**158** September 18th, 2007, 11:54 AM

Well, when he publicly invites you to take his provinces so he can kamakaze his army, it is almost just as well.

sum1lost · #**159** September 19th, 2007, 12:54 AM

Accidently subimitted a half-finished turn last round. Apologies to all.

IndyPendant · #**160** September 27th, 2007, 01:21 AM

Heh. Thanks for clearing up the Marverni end of things, Fungal. I can see how you would think my initial 'offer' was just an excuse for war--it wasn't, but heck it was a reasonable conclusion, and I may have shot my own foot off for my campaign by being so, uuuh...'direct' with you. And the fact that Yomi attacked you the same turn you attacked my neighbouring province goes a long way towards explaining what was happening from your side! : )

You know, I'm doubly glad I didn't just go A.I. after all. I've been able to hurt Tien-Chi all out of proportion to my current power level. How many leader-turns, and hundreds of gems, have been used up in rituals trying to weaken my army and leaders? How many hundreds of Tien-Chi's units have I killed? (Over 200 in just this last turn's battle!) How many turns and armies have been wasted maneuvering armies around in an attempt to take me out of the game? Now I'm down to one. single. province.

And *I'm still heeeeeeeeeeere!* : )

Vengeance against the backstabbing liar aside, I'm actually kind of curious now to see just how long I *will* last. Oceania can safely ignore me now (assuming he's so inclined), since I have no intentions of risking my final bastion of defense in any sorties against him.

Tien-Chi cannot however. Because if he does, then I'll simply wait. Until he's in the middle a war with someone else. And then begin to expand outwards once more. (There are three particularly juicy Tien-Chi controlled plains provinces nearby!) So, waste more gems and/or units taking me out of the game entirely--while the other players who don't have to bother with annoying little ol' me continue to grow unhindered--or leave me there and risk having me gobble up some provinces later on. Either way, Tien-Chi, I bleed you a bit more before I'm truly done.

And the real irony in all of this is that Tien-Chi and I could have been true allies. Together we probably could have taken out Oceania, particularly since Yomi and C'tis went to war on the same turn. But I guess Tien-Chi was the scorpion, I was the frog, and now (I hope!) he drowns with me.

It's wierd. I've been enjoying myself more these last ten turns or so, in the role of righteous avenger, controlling but one army flying around harrassing Tien-Chi (and taking a few nibbles at Oceania as well), and preparing for the inevitable turtling-up in my home province...I've been enjoying the game more now than I have since I sensed everyone wanting to gang up on the poor winged folk in the middle, oh, 30 turns or so ago.

It will also be interesting to see if Yomi and/or C'tis will become foolish/desperate enough to consider anything approaching an alliance with Tien-Chi. Guys, all I can say is, watch your backs if you do. Carefully.

And what the heck's going on with the two of you, anyways? That's a pretty tepid war you have going on, there...; )