Opossum - Started

[llamabeast]

It's been quite a while since I ran a game for new/newish players - so I thought I would get one going. This game will run on my automated PBEM server ( www.llamaserver.net (http://www.llamaserver.net) ).

This'll be an MA game, played on a modified version of Parganos I've made (attached). It's similar to the normal Parganos map, but I've reassigned the terrain types a bit to make it a bit fairer (so one person doesn't start in an endless swamp, for instance).

There's room for 7 land nations and one water nation, but I'd actually prefer not to use the water nation spot.

The timer will be on 24 hour quickhost (i.e. it hosts when all turns are in or after 24 hours, whichever is sooner). Once we reach mid game and the turns start to take longer the timer can be extended to 48 hours if people prefer.

Required level of newishness: Up to you! If you don't feel it would be unfair to play against new players, you're welcome. Probably you'll have played 0, 1 or 2 MP games or so.

Please post and say what nation you'd like! Make sure you read other people's posts to check your nation hasn't already been taken. Oh, one thing: No Vanheim, just to prevent upsetting double-bless instant knockouts.

To upload your pretenders:

- Make sure you don't have any pretender-affecting mods (e.g. Conceptual Balance) enabled
- Go to Game Tools -> Create a pretender god in Dominions
- Go to the savedgames/newlords folder in the dominions directory, and find your pretender file (e.g. mid_pythium_0.2h)
- E-mail the file to: pretenders[ at ]llamaserver[ dot ]net
- Crucially, you must have the game name 'Opossum' in the subject line of your e-mail

The players are:

Pythium - Chicanist
Man - DryaUnda
Abysia - Zylithan
C'tis - TrajanX
Marignon - JanIm
Shinuyama - Potatoman
Ermor - carlosib

---- Players who will be saved a spot if they want it for next newbie game, probably in a couple of weeks or so.
? - Forsooth
Ulm/Machaka - duke_commando
Jotunheim - Ubercat

[Janlm]

i'd like to play Marignon

[llamabeast]

Wow, that was fast. I was just midway through PMing you.

[Janlm]

heh i was just browsing the forums and noticed the thread http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[Potatoman]

I'd like to play! Not sure what nation yet, need to think about it a bit more.

Despite my 2003 registration date, I've only played in 1.5 MP games (got Helheim rushed in the first one), so I'm still new to MP Dominions.

[carlosib]

I'd like to play. I'll pick my nation later if possible.
Thanks http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[llamabeast]

Wow, you're all fast.

Potatoman, you reminded me - I think I will ban Vanheim, as I don't want someone to get bless rushed. Not a lot of fun that. I think Vanheim is the only real offender in MA though.

[llamabeast]

Okay, theoretically got seven already, but I haven't had confirmation from the first four (and one of them appears to be completely out of contact), so please carry on signing up. If I get significantly too many players I'll start an overspill game in a couple of weeks or so.

[Zylithan]

Um.. how about Abysia? I've never done MA or MP, so it should be a learning experience.

[carlosib]

I'll go with Ermor if available.

[Potatoman]

I'm thinking Eiru, C'tis or Machaka right now.

[duke_commando]

I'd like to join as Machaka if you've still got room.

oops, if you want machaka, potatoman, I'll go with Ulm

[Ubercat]

I know you said the game was for newbs only. Despite the fact that I've been in about half a dozen MP games now I still consider myself to be one.

The beauty of DOM is how unique the factions are. Perhaps I might not count as a newb if I play Mictlan again, but give me a different faction and it's like being a newb all over again. I've been bouncing some Jotunheim ideas around and if I can, I'd like to play them in this game. Contingent on a spot being open of course, which appears iffy at this point.

-Ubercat

[AlgaeNymph]

I've decided to play Man. Let me know specifically what you want me to provide, since I've never done this before.

Speaking of files, where's the modified map? I don't see it as an attachment.

[llamabeast]

DryaUnda - I forgot to attach it, and am in a bit of a rush now. But it's attached to the first post of the 'Mongoose' thread.

[TrajanX]

Hey, thanks for holding a spot for me! I've been at work and haven't been able to post until now. I've never played MP before, although I've got some SP experience with most races.

If C'tis is availble I'll go for that. (Random choice... just went through the manual and picked the first one that looked interesting and I haven't tried out yet).

[Potatoman]

I'll take Shinuyama.

[AlgaeNymph]

I got the map file with no problems.

I assume the game hasn't been physically created yet, since I've been unable to send my pretender file. I'm assuming there's nothing to worry about, but I thought I'd mention it.

[Chicanist]

ok, i am in for this one. i guess i'll try pythium.

[Janlm]

DryaUnda, you can always check that sort of things on the web site. http://www.llamaserver.net/

The game hasn't been created yet.

[llamabeast]

Okay guys, we're full. duke_commando and Ubercat, I'm afraid you just missed the boat, so I'll save you spots in the next newbie game, which I guess I'll probably get organised in a couple of weeks or so. Harass me if necessary.

Everyone else - please upload your pretenders. The game is now created. I'll add instructions for uploading your pretenders to the first post.

The map will be essentially the same as the one attached to the first post of Mongoose, but I'm going to modify it to make the seas barren. So capturing the seas will potentially give a strategic advantage, but no advantage in income (otherwise it would be grossly unfair as partially amphibious nations like Ermor would have heaps of free territory).

[Zylithan]

graphs will be off, right? renaming on? (why is renaming default off.. it seems nice? am i missing some abuse of it?)

also, submiting pretender now.

[llamabeast]

Graphs will be on, as will renaming.

[Zylithan]

cool. good to know. thanks.

[AlgaeNymph]

llamabeast said:
The map will be essentially the same as the one attached to the first post of Mongoose, but I'm going to modify it to make the seas barren.



Does that mean I'll need to download a different map from the one I got from Mongoose, or is the tweak server-side?

[llamabeast]

Yeah, actually there will be another map to download - I haven't done it yet though. Shouldn't take me long once I get round to it though (which will probably be when all the pretenders are in).

Talking of which, we're just waiting for TrajanX now. I'll PM him.

[Chicanist]

i'm going to be out of town until 10/3, can we delay until then? this is the "busy" part i was talking about in my PM http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[if not just kick me out of the game and i can pick the next one]

[llamabeast]

Okay, in that case we'll start on the 3rd October. Hope that's okay with everyone.

This is actually something of a relief for me as well as I haven't done the map yet and have been ridiculously busy moving house, going to IKEA etc.. Not that doing the map is a big job mind, it's just hard to get any time at all on the computer when I'm not meant to be working (like now!). Apologies for the delay though.

[Janlm]

its cool

[Zylithan]

So... do we start tomorrow? Will there be some sort of announcement? If turns have to be turned in by a certain time.. what time and time zone is it? Sorry if this is total noobishness... but, well... I'm a total noob http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[llamabeast]

Apologies guys, I have failed in my mission. I'll start the game tomorrow though, for sure.

When it starts it'll e-mail you the turn (and I'll post here), so you'll know it's started. The first turn will allow 48 hours, in case of problems. Subsequent turns will only allow 24 hours. Hosting will occur 24 hours after the last one, or when all turns are in, whichever is sooner. Hopefully it'll always be when all the turns are in, as otherwise someone's staled! Each new turn will be e-mailed out along with the next hosting time - but you can also always look at www.llamaserver.net (http://www.llamaserver.net) (take a look now to see the information it shows).

[llamabeast]

The game should be about to start. I'll attach the map to the first post.

Enjoy the game guys!

[Zylithan]

yay for llamabeast and his llamaserver!

i'll do my turn after i get home from work.

[llamabeast]

Thanks! I'm in a bit of a rush unfortunately and haven't had a chance to check it's all worked okay. Hopefully it has!

Note that all the seas are dead - no population, no magic sites. I wanted to add disease causing sites, but it seems there are no underwater ones. So anyway, water has strategic but no income value.

[Zylithan]

i got my turn. havent opened it yet. so looks good

[Potatoman]

Uh, what do I do with the TRN file I got? I put it with the other TRN files in tutdata, but I don't see any option to use it in game.

[Zylithan]

make a folder in SAVEDGAMES.. call it something like oppossum.

put the .trn in the oppossum folder in the savedgames folder.

open dom3, play existing game, oppossum.
once your turn is done, there is a .2h in the oppossum folder.. send it to turns@llamaserver.net i think.

[Potatoman]

Thanks, that worked.

Turn sent.

[llamabeast]

Cool, yeah sorry I forgot to post my little guid to actually playing the game.

Just waiting on C'tis for the first turn.

[Potatoman]

I'm sorry, but I'm moving into a new apartment this weekend and won't have an internet connection available to me until Tuesday the 9th. Could we have another intermission until that time?

[Zylithan]

turn 2 is up.. i dont know if you're still around potatoman, but if you are, go for it.

i'm fine to wait. i mean, i'd rather play 30 turns tonight http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif but if i need a delay I'd like to have one, so I'm fine granting that to others.

[llamabeast]

Postponed. I's just waiting for you Potatoman, so just play it whenever you get back online.

Good luck with the move!

[llamabeast]

Alright guys, tips for a fun game (taken from a post of mine on the Mongoose thread):

- Engage in lots of diplomacy. It's fun. Send messages to your neighbours, preferably in the character of your nation. Make threats, deals and alliances. One thing though - if you actually agree to a deal (such as peace for n turns, or exchanging items), do stick to it, otherwise you are likely to upset other players and make the game unfun.
- Post in-character stuff on this thread. See Tuidjy's posts on the "Neo Xekinima" thread for an excellent example of this. I really enjoy reading that thread.

People always say the most fun games are the ones with lots of messages flying around and posts on the forum. Silent games are fun too, but miss out on one cool element of multiplayer play - they're a bit more like single player versus very competent AIs.

[Zylithan]

Yeah.. looking forward to some diplomacy.. once I figure out who my neibhors are http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif We're only one tunr in http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

But.. we should move forward soon, right? Potatoman said he'd be back today?

ALSO... new patch 3.10 is out. Are we going to switch to this? How/when? Llama?

[Potatoman]

Posting from work... I will hopefully be able to take my turn today. The broadband installer guy is going to be coming around sometime before 6 pm.

Thanks for waiting, everyone!

[Zylithan]

Good to hear the move went well, and gl with the bradband installation.

[Zylithan]

Rock on. Turn 3 begins.

Um... So I think we all got the following message from host:

"Ermor had an unexplainable increase of wealth this turn. This could be caused by cheating."

Should I just assume this is tripped by a very nice good luck event early in the game when that could cause a large perturbation in income? I am not accusing of cheating... but the llamaserver autosent this message.

I've never seen a message like this before... someone reassure me please http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[llamabeast]

I have seen this before, occasionally - it seems to be caused by overzealous anti-cheating measures by Dominions, and has never so far in my experience corresponded with any actual dodginess. Just to be sure I checked Ermor's turn, and he has the amount of money you'd expect, so definitely nothing to worry about.

[carlosib]

I havent seen turn 3 yet, but i can assure you i havent done anything weird nor illegal in the first 2 turns. Anyway, thanks for checking the turn file llamabeast since I wouldnt like to be suspected of cheating.

[Zylithan]

Very good. I suspected it was just dom3 being overprotective , but wanted to confirm. I'm unaware of any way to cheat anyways, and I trust everyone here.

No insult meant!

Looking forward to meeting people in the game..

[Janlm]

Heh, i was wondering about that strange message as well... however now I just have to wonder, what kind of income do someone have when the game itself start accusing you of cheating?? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[TrajanX]

Hey guys, sorry I've been quiet and all, and a little bit slow, I just started a new job and am still settling in.. plus the hours haven't been so great!

Your future Benevolent Reptilian Overlords will try to post soon http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif but until then I had a kind of pressing game question ... what the h*** is a crown icon? in the overland map? It's a little crown. Near the province flag. Just above where dominion candles go. I have never seen this before. Is it yummy? Will it ensure countless millennia of sauric rule? Or is it nasty and warmblooded?

Thanksssssssss for any help

[Zylithan]

I spy 5 crowns on the world map. Are these victory points or something? Are we not playing the default win condition? If so, what are the rules?

Tx,
Z

[Zylithan]

Hey,

first of all, you guys rock! I was able to play 3 turns yesterday. I like this pace!

Second, keep your narsty black candles away please! Actually, I'm pretty excited to start bumping into people and interacting.

Third, can anyone tell us what the crowns are or do?

Thanks,
Z

[Janlm]

I don't know really, but I think they are the victory points, but since they are disabled they won't matter.

[llamabeast]

They are victory points. They won't help you win (that victory condition is turned off), but they do help spread your dominion. Each crown produces one candle per turn for its owner, so they're like uber-temples (equivalent to an ordinary temple for a dom-10 god).

[Zylithan]

Wow. Pretty cool. Thanks.

[carlosib]

Sorry guys, i really dont know how the game is going. I've been out of town since friday and even though i thought i would have acess to a computer to keep playing my turns i didnt http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/frown.gif
This is the only chance i have at a computer and all i can do is tell you that i'm still in the game and coming back tomorrow evening. Then things should get back to normal and i'll keep playing my turns regularly as usual.
Thank you for understanding (and not setting me to AI) http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif
Carlos

[llamabeast]

I will postpone the current hosting by 24 hours so carlosib doesn't get another stale.

[carlosib]

Thank you Llama.
I've just played and submitted my turn http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[Zylithan]

Game is starting to get fun/stressful. Trying to figure out how to make compromises with potential allies is like being a 4 year old learning to share again.

All the turn 10 turns are submitted, but I haven't received turn 11. Maybe it's just in limbo. When I go to the status page it looks.... unpleased?
----------------------------------------------
http://www.llamaserver.net/gameinfo.cgi?game=Opossum
----------------------------------------------
Game: Opossum
Turn number 11
Next turn due: 15:25 GMT on Wednesday October 17th

Invalid nation name! Waiting for 2h file
Invalid nation name! Waiting for 2h file
Invalid nation name! Waiting for 2h file
Invalid nation name! Waiting for 2h file
Invalid nation name! Waiting for 2h file
Invalid nation name! Waiting for 2h file
------------------------------------------------------

[llamabeast]

Yeah, doesn't look so good does it? I'll look into it, hang on...

[llamabeast]

Okay, fixed. You should all have received the turn files, disguised as resends (since the initial sends failed, since I added an error in the code earlier today).

[Zylithan]

only 10 minuets sinec your post, but I haven't gotten a resend yet.

[llamabeast]

Oops. Fixed.

[Zylithan]

got it now http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[llamabeast]

Yeah. I turned the server off while fiddling with it and forgot to turn it back on! Good job you prompted me to check it before I went home. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[Janlm]

eh.. sorry about staling, i'm not really sure how that happened..

[Potatoman]

I'll be out of town and away from my computer Friday/Saturday this week. Could you please hold back the next turn (I just submitted turn 14) until I can return on Sunday?

As an aside, any gossip? I'll share first: the mighty *Frumple*, cold blooded Lord of Insects, died a few months ago, as you may have noticed. He was slain not in combat, but by an infection he received from the spear of a lucky militiaman. Sometimes poor hygiene can pay off, apparently!

[Zylithan]

Wow. Died of infection, eh? That's rough. I would have traded you some penicillin for a bunch of gems.

[llamabeast]

Can someone send me a PM to remind me to postpone hosting for Potatoman after the next hosting please?

[llamabeast]

Postponed by 24 hours.

[Potatoman]

Thanks for the postponement. Turn sent.

[Janlm]

It looks like we all got a stale turn because of the troubles with the llamabeast server. Is it something we should do something about?

[Janlm]

hm nevermind, it seems that even though the stale log does say that we all staled, there hasn't really been any...

[Janlm]

so now both me and man is earning too much gold according to the host? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif this is kinda strange, and I didn't even earn that much gold...

[Potatoman]

General Umber, second in the order of Red Ghosts, Slayer of Tigers, and Lord of the Eastern Reaches handled the spyglass as if it were a sleeping Anaconda, ready at any moment to wrap it's coils about his neck and squeeze. Peering cautiously into the lens, Umber surveyed the C'tis camp across the valley in the waning light. It was as organized and disciplined as Umber's own camp was not, with weary-looking human slaves constantly toiling to erect siege engines and shore up the makeshift defenses around the lumpy stone fort that had been constructed for the C'tissan bigwigs. Patrols of spear-wielding lizardmen patrolled the orderly lines of soldiers tents, and sentries atop small towers stared back at him from the other side of the valley. Umber counted the enemy at almost 300 warriors strong.

Grimacing, he handed the spyglass to his companion, a cup of rice wine appearing in his meaty hand as if by magic. "What is this C'tissan fool Liverwurst doing? He is as cowardly as that grand high fool Greenish, and yet I must sit here like a helpless babe and wait!"

His companion stirred uncomfortably. Judging by the slur of his voice and the unsteadiness of his gait, Umber was well into his cups tonight. Again. The never-ending tension of impending battle had dragged on for nearly half a year now, and everyone felt its toll. "Lord Umber, you would countermand Lord Greenish's instructions?"
The attendant did not mention the grisly fate of the late Lord Off-White. There was no need to; it was never far from his successor's mind.

"No! No. No, of course not. Damn it. My army'll wait here for 6 more damn months if that's what Greenish wants, but he's inshane. Battles are decided by steel, by boyz, and by tactics, not untested magical trickery and slight of hand! If Greenish thinks he'll just put the war on hold for a few years while he brews up his latest witchesh brew of 'dread magic' then he's got a lot to learn about war! Why that C'tis popinjay plays along with his nonsense, I've got no damn idea. Maybe they're just waiting for that damn fog to kill us all. Why, I've seen what that fog does to the boyz, it's Frumple-damned poison! Do you remember the last time you saw Victor, after his raid? It was all we could do to keep him from coughing his damned gutsh out all over my carpet, and he didn't even last the night. He was just a human, of course, but some of the Boyz are skittish and one of the scouts is feverish. We oughta to attack now, before the fog passes over the valley and sickens ush all."

"This is ground is holy to *Frumple*, Lord Umber. The miasma has no force here. And I humbly suggest that you reconsider your lack of faith in the power of Master Greenish's magic; though your esteemed personage has not visited his workshop, I have seen the savage and cruel things that he creates there. I can do little more than re-emphasize that they are truly terrible. The potential for destruction in them is immense, and we have judged it worth the delay."

Umber snorted, unhappy with the situation but powerless to change it. "I wish I shared your faith, Masamuro, but I've yet to see the church of *Frumple* succeed at anything except taking credit for the victories of my soldiersh. Have Greenish bring his monsters and his cruel techniques to the battle. Have him come himshelf. And when he flees back to Mount Shinuyama after ruining my planning, my war, and my army, why, then maybe he'll learn better! Damn, if his [censored] is half of what you make it out to be, I'll tear off my own left hand and eat it. Ha!"

"Please, General, let me escort you back to your tent." Umber's voice was becoming dangerously loud. There was some danger in speaking ill of Greenish publicly; Lord Off-White was only able to be identified via dental records.

"No! More wine! Takashi, MORE WINE!" Giving up, Umber's companion left the General to his cups and retreated to a nearby bluff. Across the valley, the torchlights of the C'tissan camp twinkled like fireflies beneath the setting sun.

"You'll have your fight soon enough, Umber. Soon enough."

[Potatoman]

So, what's happening out there in the world? Marignon is knocking on the gates to Avalan forest in the northwest and Shinuyama and C'tis are having some epic battles in the northeast (check out our army graphs, heh) but aside from that, I've got no real knowledge of world events.

But somewhere, something I don't know about must be happening! Sharing your nation's current events or plans on this thread, if they are remotely interesting, will win you 2 pounds of Shinuyaman gold! No need for too much detail if you think it'll put you at a tactical disadvantage, but those generous with information may receive tips!

[Janlm]

I guess its hardly news, but Marignon and Man fought a decisive battle very recently, and now the holy marignon forces is besieging the fortress of Man. And still keeping their borders strong, by the way..

[Janlm]

hmmm, this is very strange... can someone tell me, how i can possible suddently receive 4 friars, and 27 flaggelants(without any form of stealth) out of the blue, without any kind of random event message. And then have them appear deep into Ermor land and seeing them attacking and conquering his province?

Ermor if you read this, be asured I did not mean to attack you...

[Zylithan]

Janlm - It's my understanding that "that just happens" with Marignon. It's a "perk" of their fanatacism, that often ends up leading to more wars. I've never played them, but I saw a post elsewhere about this.

[carlosib]

Yes, i've re somewhere that it is a bad random event for Ermor more that a good one for Marignon. Anyway, i hope for the sake of our peaceful relationship that you dont oppose to me taking that province back, mainly cause it borders my capital city.

[Janlm]

ok fair enough, but i didn't see any kind of random event... anyway sorry about the stale, I guess i should have asked for a delay. Was out drinking and stuff, didn't realize i had that little time http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[Zylithan]

potatoman - i love your summaries and diplomacy. I'm trying to get my PhD this month, so I'm super busy, but I hope once that's done, if I am still alive, I can help bring some more fun role-playing here.

Also, rock on everyone.. fast turns recently!

[Potatoman]

Thanks! I've been saving my turns from the beginning and will write a nice AAR once the game is over, or if I am wiped out.

[Chicanist]

Alright, I just set myself to AI. Good game to Ermor, those Jade Maidens completely bowled me over. I'm actually curious as to what a good counter would have been -- maybe I should have tried creating hordes of militia to surround/protect (and die for) my mages? Something for me to play around with in a test game I guess http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[Zylithan]

Let me know if you figure out http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

I sort of figured, if you have a strong bless and are lucky enough to find a province that that, it's pretty tough to stop you. I mean, everything has counters, right, but normally strong bless units have a recruitment limit that that lets one circumvent.

I'm not trying to diminish anyone's skill here... luck is always a prt of the game, and part of being a good player I imagine is being able to recognize and take advantage of your own.

p.s. GG Chicanist! Hope to see you around.

[carlosib]

Well played Chicanist! You held right until the end and fought bravely. I agree that finding such a province is a great advantage. I love my Jade Maidens and they have turned into my main force. And i love special provinces and the "randomness" they add to the game. I haven't seen anyone else using strong independent troops...i cant be the only one who got amazons, am i?

[Zylithan]

i have lots of nice footmen that i will unleash upon you from my indy provinces. mwa ha ha!

what do you mean all the footmen are on fire?

[carlosib]

Guys, can we make the switch to 48 hour turn hosting? I'm really struggling to make the 24 hour deadline and the game is getting more complicated now that we reach the 40th turn mark.

[llamabeast]

Done. I hope that is okay with everyone else, but I tend to think it's better to err on the side of longer turns if there's a danger of people finding it stressful.

[carlosib]

Thanks Llama. I think so too, it's not fun playing when you are so worried about not staling a turn that you can't plan your strategy carefully.

[Potatoman]

Ooh, but things are just about to get REALLY interesting http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/laugh.gif

[Zylithan]

thats fine by me. I'm pretty busy in rl now, so it helps.

[Potatoman]

Is C'tis still there?

If so could you please try to send in turns for the 48 timer, or set yourself to AI? I don't mean to sound mean, but you have only a single water province, 0 income, and 1 naked Triton Lord- if you want to keep playing, your turn would take less than a minute. And if you're done with the game, please set yourself to AI so everyone's turns aren't dragged out waiting for you to stale.

If C'tis is no longer here, could the admin please set him to AI?

[carlosib]

Hey guys, i know it may be annoying, but can we extend this turn's hosting time for another 24 hours? Just for turn 45, then back to 48 hs.

I think everyone will agree that the game is on fire and i think the epic battles and strategies that we saw in the last turn require some thinking and careful planning for next turn.
Thanks in advance http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Zylithan, Potatoman, those were some nice battles!!! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[Janlm]

by the way, sorry for staling the last turn. I had taken my turn, but for some reason i forgot to send in the file, how silly of me...

Llamabeast, is it possible to receive reminders earlier than three hours before the turn timer?

[Potatoman]

Haha, yes there were some epic battles this turn! I didn't expect to see 21 Thaumaturgs/Grand Thaumaturgs in that force though! Quite the unpleasant surprise, actually. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/eek.gif

Fortunately, the army didn't actually perform too badly. Not many of those nasty 3-star sacred maidens survived to fight again, at least. It's obvious that sheer brute strength isn't the way to go against so much magical artillery, though... Gotta try something different now. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[Zylithan]

I'd appreciate extended turns for a little while actually. RL is gonna be on and off pretty busy until Dec 3. But, I think I can probably make all/almost all of my turns fine as is.

Z

[llamabeast]

I just postponed this hosting by 24 hours for carlosib. Also I changed the reminder time to 6 hours, following JanIm's question.

I wonder if it might be a good idea to have a proper admin for this game who reads the thread more regularly than me. Any volunteers?

[Zylithan]

If no one else wants to, I'd be willing to do this. I warn you that I will be hideously unfair however. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

On another note... the turn after this one... could we get a longish delay? I'll be away from computer until Sunday b/c of us thanksgiving.

[carlosib]

Thanks llama!! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif
I have no problem with Zylithan's request to a long weekend delay. As usual i'd rather have long turns than rushing them.

[Zylithan]

OKay, seeing no objections, I'll PM llamabeast about becoming the admin for this game.

[Potatoman]

I think Zylithan staled last turn. Llama, could you please add a 24 hour delay for this turn so that Zylithan can return in time to avoid a second stale?

[carlosib]

Yes, i shouldnt be saying this since i'm being invaded by him, but for the fun of the game i vote for delaying the hosting time as much as needed so that he can play his turn and not stale again.

[llamabeast]

Er, okay, postponed. That's a bit odd as Zylithan is the game admin, but I do what I'm told...

Incidentally I'm finding it a bit hard to keep up with the many LlamaServer game threads recently. If you want me to do something, please PM me.

[Zylithan]

hey, i am back, and i am now admin. so post anything here or pm me.now, off to see what staling did to me...

p.s. appreciate everyone's willingness to be tolerant of delays, etc... very cool group of folks.

[Potatoman]

The evil green light of the funeral pyre burned late into the night, consuming the bodies of the fallen with a lively crackling and occaisonal racuous hiss that belied the somber atmosphere of its keepers.
Around the fire sat eight warrior ghosts of Shinuyama, great heroes side-by-side with fearsome villians, silently tending the bane pyre in honor of their fallen comrades. Body after body went into the fire; dai bakemono, bakemono sho, ghoul, human, wight, vine ogre, elephant, amazon, even the husks of the possessed warriors of Ermor were given to the flames. And as the pyre cheerfully accepted each offering, the ghostly attendants began to chant the stories of the dead in their low, chill voices. Scribes were ready; the stories of the dead are sacred in Shinuyama, and those of exceptional power or emotion are etched into the side of the mountain itself with letters of gold, to be remimbered and storied forever.
Story after story was chanted by the ghosts, and the scribes began to run out of skins for writing upon, so enormous was the number of dead and the number of chants. But the sorcerors conjured new writing skins made of fire and the scribes writ upon them with dashes of water and puffs of steam, and so no chant was lost.
Slowly, over the course of many stories, an accounting of the battle took shape.
Shinuyama had marched down upon the border of Ermor from their mountain domain, hundreds strong and augmented by a strange legion of strange magical, mechanical, and monstrous creatures. They were confronted at Ermor's northern stronghold by a well-organized throng of Ermor's sacred shadows, amazons, and no less than 20 of Ermor's feared dark wizards. The battle that followed was intense, bloody, and dominated by fearsome magics. In the end, however, Shinuyama's power was crushed against the shield of Ermor and they were left to regroup atop a nearby mountain. Few of the Shinuyaman troops were truly effective against Ermor's Shadows, especially protected by their conjured storm and magical darkness, and it did not take much to break their morale and cut them down as they ran.
Indeed, the only fighters who seemed capable of stopping the Shadows were the warrior ghosts themselves, such few that were summoned to fight.

Eventually, the chanting grew soft and died. For a moment, only the scrabbling of pens against rough paper was heard as the scribes recorded the last song, and then the congregation began to depart. There would be a lot of marching in the morning.

[Zylithan]

oy. sorry i've been slow. RL is crazy, but I'll try to be better! fun game!

[carlosib]

What a game! Nice writing Potatoman http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif
I'm looking forward to another epic battle between us to finish what we started that day...

[Zylithan]

Hi all. I'm moving this weekend, so I might be away for a little while. I just played a turn ahead now, and I think I should be able to play the next turn some time Monday, so I don't think I need a delay, which would be cool. Sorry to have been slow recently, doing my best. Game is crazy.

[carlosib]

Well, i'm going on holidays tomorrow. I'll be away until next saturday and don't know if i'll be able to play turns until then. I'm playing my turn tonight and on sunday i should know if i can get a computer to play or not.
Worst case is i'll stale a couple of turns, so any delay will be welcome so that i lose as few turns as possible.
Thanks guys!

[Zylithan]

We're down to pretty few players. If you just let me know how long a delay you need when, I think that is reasonable, and in keeping with our friendly atmosphere.

[carlosib]

Thanks Zylithan, i'll let you know on sunday, hopefully i'll be able to keep with the hosting schedule...this game is getting better every turn http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[Potatoman]

Yeah, we should be able to postpone if you need to. I notice that some random thaumaturg just shot to the top of HOF... was there a big battle my spies missed, somewhere?

[carlosib]

Hi guys, i'm reporting from Pinamar, a nice beach here in Argentina http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif
The good news is the hotel has a computer and i think i will be able to play my turn. I have to do some stealth mission to install the game, patch it and play when there's noone around but i guess i'll manage to pull it out. The bad news is i'll have to ask you for a 48 hour delay since i haven't even been able to look at my turn http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/frown.gif
Thanks in advance!! Looking forward to keep playing the game...though i cant complain about being at the beach and playing tennis all day http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

[Zylithan]

Just postponed hosting for 48 hours. Hope everyone is doing well.

[carlosib]

Thanks Zylithan! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif
I managed to play my turn (barely). The bad news is this computer has no 3D capabilities so i cant watch the battles. That's a mayor problem in a game like this when i'm spending almost 2 hours giving orders to each of my 50+ mages individually...not knowing how things worked isnt much fun.
So i ask for a final favour, would it be possible to delay the hosting of this turn until sunday 18:00?
That would give me the chance to get home and be able to watch the battles i missed in this last 2 turns.
That would be the last request i make, i promise
Thanks everyone in advance and for being patient with me http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[Zylithan]

its fine with me. I'll go ahead and give the order, and if someone is displeased they can let me know, and we'll see.

[Zylithan]

I'm going to be out of town until Jan. 1. Would anyone object to delaying hosting? I assume there are other people who will have problems as well. I will try to play my turns, but strongly suspect this won't be possible.

Apologies and gratitude in advance.

[carlosib]

I'm having a similar problem. I'll be in town but with lots of things to do and would love a hosting delay until Jan 1.

Thanks http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[carlosib]

Well i'm ready to send my turn so that we get things going again in this game. If it's ok with everyone i'll send it today (Wednesday 2nd) at around 22:00.
If someone needs a little more time please let me know so i can keep holding my turn

[Zylithan]

i'm good for you to turn in your turn.

should i set the game back to 48 hour turns? is everyone back now?

[Potatoman]

And with Marignon's message this turn, the list of Shinuyama's friendly nations has dropped down to... 0. Greenish vs. the world time. But he has grown strong! Good luck. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Elsewhere in the world, Borale, the history-rich capitol of Ermor, lies burning and ravaged beneath a green tide of Bakemono. The consolidated Ermorian force made its stand there, but were winnowed by the devilry of Shinuyama's Council of Sorcerors for months before the first Shinuyaman siege machine rolled to the gate. Hundreds of soldiers were pulverized by meteors torn from the void, frozen solid by a fierce conjured winter, pierced through the heart by seeking arrows, or incenerated by flames from the sky. When the horde of grim-looking Bane Lords and Bakemono finally arrived, the defenders were terribly outnumbered and out-magicked. The Ermorian pretender known as Shan was abandoned by his masons in the rout and cut down by Greenish's right-hand Bane, Fuchia, who was made the new governor in honor of his bravery.

[Potatoman]

The game looks like it might be over soon! I'm not sure I can resist Abysia's sudden, monstrous dominion push- he's taken out almost all of my dominion in just two turns! Unless we can keep at least a pocket of dominion alive, this could be the last turn for Ermor, Man, and Shinuyama.

[Zylithan]

Oh general greenish, you really are quite silly, but very flattering. My dominion can not stand up to your steel and your mages. The entire world shakes in fear of your mighty armies, stands astonished at your horde of gems, and drools over small fractions of your abundant farmland. Abysia is but a mere distraction to your empire, and you still seek to turn my allies against me.

[carlosib]

Well, that's it. Finally i got dominion killed. What a newbie mistake! Anyway it was a nice game and i got to learn a lot about it. I really enjoyed fighting Abysia and Shinuyama. Too bad i didnt spot my nation weaknesses before it was too late.
Good luck to everyone!
It was great playing with you http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[Potatoman]

Good game Carlosib! I enjoyed our battles, though I tended to be on the losing side of the equation more often than not. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

I'll probably be following you out of the game next turn via dominion death, unless something strange happens.

[carlosib]

To be honest i was looking forward to a huge 1000+ troop battle between our armies, but you did great in remotely killing most of my troops using ritual spells. If it wasnt for that i'm confident i would have done much better. My mages were scripted to cast will of the fates, fog warriors, quickening, doom, storm, lots of shadow blasts, paralize, soul slays, etc...that until they died in the camp frozen, burnt or pierced by seeking arrows http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/frown.gif
Anyway, i think this game is yours if you manage to survive Abysias huge dominion push.

[Zylithan]

Good game carlosib! You handed my army its rear on a plate repeatedly. I was not successful in remotely killing your mages.

I was also looking forward to you and Potatoman having huge battles, but it didnt quite work out that way for me http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/frown.gif

Anyhow, great playing and look forward to seeing you around.

[Zylithan]

Wow. New turn. Good games to Man and Shinuyama. Shinuyama - you played an excellent game, really much better than I did. Man.... I rarely saw you, we started so far away, but I had fun diplomacy-ing with you.

Gotta say... wow... blood sacrifices are.... effective.

[Potatoman]

Good game to everyone!

I was looking forward to the free for all at the end of the game, but it was not to be. The dominion push was incredibly potent! Despite my military and magical supremacy, and my 20+ priests preaching with my pretender in my home province, my entire empire was wiped out from full strength in only 3 turns.

The war against Ermor was the highlight of the game for me. After the first bloody battles, I realized that I just couldn't match Ermor's battle magic and decided that I had to rely on supercombatants and ritual bombardments to win against his deadly Thaumaturgs. Fortunately he was occupied with Abysia while I hid behind a wall of earthquake traps and researched up to Flames from the Sky, which proved just as effective as I had hoped it would be. But had Ermor really pressed me at the time, he probably would have been able to hurt me badly before I teched up to the spell.

Anyone out there know how to defend against a blood sacrifice push? It seemed unstoppable, on the level of a moon-sized asteroid plowing through a tissue factory. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/tongue.gif

[Janlm]

wow thats increddible, I didn't even think it was possible for us to do this...

Well thanks for a great game potatoman, sorry I had to turn on you like this http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[Janlm]

err, its only you and me left Zylithan http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[AlgaeNymph]

How'd I get dominion killed? Not that I mind pre-se but I didn't get to bequeath my skull mentors to Abysia.

[Janlm]

oh well it seems i'll get dominion killed too, how the hell did you manage to spread your dominion that extremely?

[carlosib]

Great game guys! I love the way Abysia won this game. This is why dominions is such a great game, forcing us to be aware of every aspect of the game and not just building troops and winning on brute force. I thought Abysia was lost, being Shinuyama so powerful, but he found just he right game strategy and that was it. Well done!!

[Zylithan]

If I had been a better player I don't think I would have won, I would have been militarily competitive, and would have lost. But I gave up, and thought, maybe I have a long shot to dominion kill if Ermor and Shinuyama are caught up fighting each other. So I built a temple in every province I owned. Then I realized I could blood sacrifice. So for surprise, I put a lvl 3 priest in every province I owned, got a steady blood flow (80+ slaves/turn) before I did any sacrifices, and then... WOW.

good game, I had fun, and ended up getting lucky, but I think many of you played much better.

[Janlm]

well congratulations zylithan, game is not officually over. I went from about 7 positive dominion everywhere, to -10 in all my provinces in one turn http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[Zylithan]

yeah, i wasnt ready for what happened at all, but i figured.. 20 lvl 3 priests maximally blood sacrificing, plus 20 temples a turn...

i think the way to stop this is not to let a blood nation build that infrastructure. because each sacrificing priest is worth several temples i think, so there is no way to fight them on a dominion basis unless you have overwhelming province count. being in the corner helped me, i had fewer risks... militarily i was quite weak the whole game.

anyhow, lots of learning for me. i had never seen communiuns used before, and ermor showed me to them to the tune of my whole army at one point.

[carlosib]

Well game is officially over. Congratulations Zylithan!! You won it in a really cool way!! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif