Wheel of Time - LA CBM Llamaserver - FIGHT !

[Kheldron]

Prologue

The Wheel of Time turns, and ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the age that gave its birth comes again. In one Age, called the Late Age by some, an Age yet to come, an Age long past, a wind rose. The wind was not the beginning. There are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But it was a beginning.

Leaning over the balcony, the figure had been looking at the frozen fountain for some time when the wind broke his musing.
Something was wrong. Or, at least, different.
Angluk knew it immediately, though he would have been hard pressed to explain how. Or what.
Though many felt he was destined to be a powerful Angakot – some said maybe the most powerful in a thousand year – most of what he already had achieved had been mere luck in his opinion. Too much of what he did and felt about magic still asked for an explanation, when it was not a trial just to do it again.
All too often was he reminded of the slow decay of everything related to magic since the Age of Legends, the Early Age as some called it. Be it spells or ways to craft items of Power, so many things had been lost in time than people often regarded magic as mere myth or trickery. Like this old fountain his teachers had told him had been a site of Power eons ago. Who would have believed it now that it was crumbling under the burden of time ?

For no apparent reason, Angluk suddenly felt really excited. Something was at work, of that he was sure. Something deep.
Staring once again at the old ruin, his eyes widened as surprise stole his breath and left him gaping in the wind.
The fountain !
While some untrained eyes would have passed by without a second look, he could now feel the Power rising through the ice, with a bluish light growing by the minute. A few moments later and he could have swore he saw some brilliant gems beneath the ice.
Excitement quickly changed to exhilaration as he understood what he had felt in the wind. Magic. Raw Power pouring out of the very air. His smile broadened as he extended his hands. The atlantian knew he could master it.


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Farewell R.J., wherever you might be. The dragon still lives in us.
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This game epitomizes the end of the Late Age, when magic finally returns in force to this world after a long decay. This is a prologue to the next turn of the Wheel of Time, the next Early Age, an Age of Legends.

My most heartful thanks go to Llamabeast for graciously hosting this game and...well, for everything he does for the community. Day after day after day.

Server : Llamaserver (see FAQ here : http://forum.shrapnelgames.com//showthread.php?t=35160 )
Era : Late
Map : Alexander (no sites)
Mods : CBM 1.3
Special :
Magic site frequency 75
Pretender Design : drain scale is not allowed (Magic is everywhere !)
Research difficult
Hall of Fame 15 (Age of Legends !!!)
Renaming allowed
All other settings to default
12 players


List of Players :

1/ Kheldron – Atlantis
2/ Don Pablo - Caelum
3/ Apsophos - Marignon
4/ Deadnature - Pythium
5/ Archaeolept - Jomon
6/ DonCorazon - Agartha
7/ Firewalker - Patala
8/ Nihil - Mictlan
9/ Kim - Gath
10/ Kuritza - Bogarus
11/ vfb - TienChi
12/ Hoplosternum - Utgard

Any comments or suggestions are welcome. I know a lot of players don't want to play if there's Ermor or Rlyeh in LA. I honestly don't care. We can submit it to vote if someone wants to play one of these and it bothers others.

24H timing with quickhost for the first 20 turns then 48h until 40th turn, then 72h. 2 stale turns in a row without warning and I turn you AI.

[don_Pablo]

Caelum please

[Apsophos]

I'd like to play Marignon.

[Deadnature]

Pythium if you don't mind.

[Denisius]

I'll have a go as Pangaea.

[DonCorazon]

Tien Chi please

[Jazzepi]

I'd like to play.

What's the (no sites) mean?

Jazzepi

[Kheldron]

There are several Alexander maps on the Llamaserver. The original one has got some special sites locations (libraries, fresh waters etc...)
The no sites version is supposedly all-random

[Jazzepi]

I'm going to have to rescind my notice to join. I'm simply too busy!

Jazzepi

[Firewalker]

I would like to play ... you guessed it: Patala.:D

[Nihil]

I would like to join if possible, Mictlan please :-)

[KIM]

I'd like to play Gath :cool:

[Kuritza]

As Bogarus please.

[Janlm]

err.. sign up as, Rlyeh? :)

[Kheldron]

Well if noone objects for Rlyeh, we just need a last one.

[DonCorazon]

Firewalker! Welcome back.
I don't necessarily object to R'yleh/Ermor, but would vote against them if there were a vote.

[Hoplosternum]

I'll play if you will have me. Utgard please :)

[Kheldron]

Ok we're full then. Prepare your pretenders I'll open the game soon

[DonCorazon]

I'd like to switch to Agartha - just to try something new. Thanks.

[Kheldron]

Ok guys, game has been created on Llamaserver, you can send your pretenders any time now.

[Kuritza]

Rlyeh is a bit too much if you ask me, but oh well.

[Kheldron]

Ok as promised in the original post, we can submit it to vote, which is fair since Rlyeh was the 11th...

DonCorazon and Kuritza are against.

I'm neutral.

What do you think all?

[Hoplosternum]

Against. But I am not that fussed.

The problem is if R'lyeh gets a good start the whole game will be about stopping them. Unless the 'new' Atlantis can kill them off of course.

[KIM]

I´m neutral too

[Janlm]

Firewalker! Welcome back.
I don't necessarily object to R'yleh/Ermor, but would vote against them if there were a vote.

If you have no objection, whats that post about then?

Anyways, I've never played la r'lyeh before, and i can promise you i'm not a very good player. So if r'lyeh is overpowered or not won't matter much really :)

[Kuritza]

Of course it will. Ermor can be eliminated with enough effort, Rlyeh cannot since he's underwater, thus his victim of choice is pretty much denied future even if Rlyeh doesnt win afterwards.
IMHO, of course.

[Nihil]

I am against as well, you have to take in consideration also the map, it is a bit special and Atlantis and Ryleh might not meet in a long time....

[Hoplosternum]

Firewalker! Welcome back.
I don't necessarily object to R'yleh/Ermor, but would vote against them if there were a vote.

If you have no objection, whats that post about then?

Anyways, I've never played la r'lyeh before, and i can promise you i'm not a very good player. So if r'lyeh is overpowered or not won't matter much really :)

The question you have to ask yourself Janlm is do you want to play them ;)

No one can have you next door without suffering badly so people will gang up on you early and often. You are killing off a lot of diplomatic options for the (all be it decent) chance to win by taking a very powerful but very toxic power.

If you want to be enemy number one then keep R'yleh. But whether you are good or not won't stop your dom killing off your neighbours pop or driving their leaders mad. So you won't have many friends even if you are propping up the score graphs :p

[Firewalker]

I haven't played a game out with R'lyeh or Ermor in LA, but I would defer to others who consider them way unbalanced. Nay.

[Deadnature]

I say let him play R'lyeh. We all recognize the threat of R'lyey, so does Atlantis. As long as we have that awareness and Atlantis I don't think it should be a problem.

Disclaimer: I have never played against LA R'lyeh so I am just guessing here :)

[Janlm]

I don't care, I just wanted to try them out finaly... but whatever, I didn't want to start some kind of whine contest about wether or not they are overpowered(I guess its better with one water nation with 40 water provinces all for himself). If this has to get to some kind of vote or whatever, i'll rather just withdraw from the game right away.

Firewalker! Welcome back.
I don't necessarily object to R'yleh/Ermor, but would vote against them if there were a vote.

If you have no objection, whats that post about then?

Anyways, I've never played la r'lyeh before, and i can promise you i'm not a very good player. So if r'lyeh is overpowered or not won't matter much really :)

The question you have to ask yourself Janlm is do you want to play them ;)

No one can have you next door without suffering badly so people will gang up on you early and often. You are killing off a lot of diplomatic options for the (all be it decent) chance to win by taking a very powerful but very toxic power.

If you want to be enemy number one then keep R'yleh. But whether you are good or not won't stop your dom killing off your neighbours pop or driving their leaders mad. So you won't have many friends even if you are propping up the score graphs :p

[Kheldron]

Wow, I didn't think I would have started such a riot with a simple poll.
Well I'm of course kind of biased since Atlantis is better suited than most to go after LA Rlyeh and I never played against them in MP.

I'm sorry if it hurts you in any way Janlm, it clearly wasn't my intention.
Don't you want to enlist with another nation ?

[DonCorazon]

I don't necessarily object to R'yleh/Ermor, but would vote against them if there were a vote.

If you have no objection, whats that post about then?


It wasn't clear to me from the game organizer's post whether there was going to be a vote or not. The meaning of my post was

1) if there was no vote, I wouldn't object - eg I'd be willing to play and wouldn't withdraw.

2) if there was a vote, I'd vote against having either Ermor and R'yleh in the game.

He left it open and I exercised my right to vote. No big deal.

[Kheldron]

Well I think all of this came from lack of leadership from my part. I should have stated things and rules more clearly.

To sum up, it seems Rlyeh indeed gets a lot of bad karma so we'll try to avoid that. As you stated, Alexander and its 40 water provinces may not be the right map for a single water nation, despite all the amphibious Atlantis, Patala and Mictlan.

Janlm, I present you my sincerest excuses for all of this. Just tell us if you want to play another nation.

[Kheldron]

Janlm told he wouldnt come back for another nation.It seems there's room for another player. One last then.

[Hoplosternum]

Janlm, I present you my sincerest excuses for all of this. Just tell us if you want to play another nation.

I am sorry too :( I didn't mean to drive him away.

But you can't casually play LA Ermor or LA R'lyeh. They are not like other nations. Not only are they very strong but even if played badly or by the AI they really affect their neighbours. It is almost a pre game declaration of war on all your neighbours.

[Firewalker]

Hey, guys --

Sounds like we are delayed a bit, but I just wanted to let you know I'll be getting my pretender uploaded after work tonight (5-6pm-ish CST). Looks like I am the last to get it in.

[Kheldron]

You're not since we need to recruit our last player

[Kheldron]

we still need a last one to go

[slMagnvox]

Could I sign on as Tien Chi?

[archaeolept]

yes i'm sure you could slmag - they need one more player in order to get this game on the road :)

[slMagnvox]

Score. Unless anyone objects, I'll upload a pretender late tonight, early Saturday morning. For the Tien Chi. Gotta patch in CBM before designing pretender, right?

[Kheldron]

Welcome in slMagnvox ! yes you've got to install CBM

[Kheldron]

Game has been launched!

Good luck and have fun guys.

[Hoplosternum]

Denisius - Pangea

Pangaea has staled both turns. Is there something wrong? Should we look for a replacement?

[DonCorazon]

I was wondering why this game is moving so slow. Sub or re-start? Having a staling capital as a neighbor is a pretty huge advantage. Annoying. Grumble, grumble.

[Kheldron]

Yes, I got no reply from him so I don't know if he's still around.
I'm for a restart because we're only turn 3 and as you say that might be a huge advantage to his neighbors.

Do we restart with only 11 of us or do we try to get a 12th, knowing it might delay a few days?

[Hoplosternum]

I agree with a restart as it is too good to be next to a none playing capital.

Although if we could get a replacement he would not be too disadvantaged. Alexander is quite big - almost 300 provinces - for 12 so he'll have plenty of expansion room. Plus he should have a nice stack of cash.

But I am happy with a restart with 11, or with 12,or carrying on with a replacement. I just think carrying on without one might not be so good....

[DonCorazon]

I would vote re-start given how early it is. If we can find a new responsive player we can get caught up in no time. I also don't mind playing with 11.

I don't think finding a sub is a good idea. Not fun getting stuck with someone elses nation choices and stales and we're only on Turn 3. Denisius is on my personal Avoid list.

[archaeolept]

he was on yesterday on IRC... And there was another game that had to restart/find a new player as he just didn't show. So, yeah...

[archaeolept]

hey, i'll join - i'm about out in 2 of my games- if you can give me until late this evening to come up w/ a pretender... not pangaia, maybe jomon, perhaps arcos or midgard.

[Kheldron]

Ok Archa you're in. Please tell us which nation you chose. I'll restart the game

[Hoplosternum]

OK lets restart with archaeolept :)

Presumably we will all have to send in our Pretenders again so let us know when :)

[Firewalker]

Restart certainly makes sense after only a couple turns.

[Kheldron]

I've just restarted the game and deleted Pangeas pretender so none of you should have to resend it except for Archaeolept

[archaeolept]

great. i'll get a pretender in this evening... so w/in 12 hrs.

[Kuritza]

Absolute crap.

[archaeolept]

??

pretender submitted for Jomon.

[DonCorazon]

Within 12 hours as was promised, what's the prob Kuritza? Thanks for stepping in Arch

[Kheldron]

Game launched

[archaeolept]

hey kheldron, because it was a restart and the first turn, you might want to delay hosting on this just to make sure t'ien chi and utgard don't end up staling on us... :)

[Kheldron]

We only miss Utgard and he's got until tomorrow morning. Hopefully that should be ok :)

[Hoplosternum]

Hmm, well I sent the turn (Utgard) in this morning I thought but it obviously hasn't arrived or been rejected. I'll send it again this evening. Sorry for the delay....

[archaeolept]

as an admin, is it possible to send out an email reminder (like llama's 6hr warning reminders) to Utgard? Help him remember he's playing...

[Kheldron]

I think there's an automated reminder with Llamaserver 6h before the deadline. That's what I get in other games hosted with Llamaserver but I'll have to check

[DonCorazon]

Looks like Caelum wasn't as lucky 2nd time around...

[don_Pablo]

Yes.
The cost of restart...

[archaeolept]

went blind w/ your pretender? ouch... i never do that :(

[Kuritza]

Same thing here. Nothing terrible yet, but my position is a whole lot worse than last time.

[Kheldron]

I was wondering if people got something equivalent to the first start as I got exactly the same starting location ! I didn't know if it was something in the map but...well, now I know

[DonCorazon]

Different spot for me.

[Kuritza]

Different location as well.
Also, all kinds of unlikely highly upleasant crap that didnt happen first time just occured. Sorry for bringing my bad mood on board, but I love rehosts after a good start.

[Kheldron]

Well if it can soften things a bit I just had a drought, which is as good as it can get for a cold nation :)

[Firewalker]

I don't know if I like my new position better or not. Feels a little less "secure" down the road. About the same on balance. No nasty randoms yet.

[archaeolept]

well, nothing to compare the start to... nothing good or bad has happened; i guess that's good ;p

and i had the same starting location as my test game, and thought they might be set... but then had a different one on a second test game... it could be there are just very few allowed starting positions... of course I could check the .map file ;p

[DonCorazon]

Uhm...I was just looking at the magic site settings for this game and noticed no Drain scales were allowed. I hadn't picked up on this earlier and took Drain scales for Agartha. Very sorry to throw yet another wrench in to the game...

I will defer to the group/admin on how to proceed.

[archaeolept]

hmmm that's a poser... I certainly don't want a restart. For most nations it wouldn't matter, balance-wise, but in such a high gem game, all agartha needs is a bit of conj to start absolutely rocking, and the points saved by taking drain allow a very strong Risen Oracle. Maybe some sort of minor balance penalty? like conj can never be your highest research path? (just on your honour). I think that itself would do it - slow down a rush to umbrals and tomb oracles...

Or we can just not worry about it at all :)

[DonCorazon]

I didn't take a risen oracle, I actually took a pretty unconventional pretender as far as I know, and I haven't started on Conjuration. Agartha actually seems somewhat crappy as Ironhawk and I were just discussing on IRC. You need Darkness to take advantage of your native troops, but to cast it you need Construction to get boosters, then you need Conjuration for the summons.

Anyway, really sorry about this guys - I truly did not mean to mess the game up.

[archaeolept]

well, w/out a rush to conj, drain hurts... so while it is unthematic to the game, as an honest mistake, I can't say it bothers me. :)

[Kheldron]

Well it's definitely unthematic but to say the truth I want this game finally going so without blatant advantage to Agartha...:re:

[Kheldron]

Mictlan has asked for a delay this weekend.
furthermore, I'll be out of town on monday so I just turned the game to 48h hosting. I'll reset the timer to 24h on tuesday.

[DonCorazon]

Well it's definitely unthematic but to say the truth I want this game finally going so without blatant advantage to Agartha...:re:

I am not sure what you meant. I don't mind re-starting again or doing anything else to make sure people feel its fair. When I start to conquer the world though I don't want people complaining :)

[archaeolept]

he's saying that it gives you no especial advantage, and to keep playing :)

[DonCorazon]

Ok, for what its worth, I will abide by archaeolept's suggestion of not letting conjuration ever be my highest path. and i don't have a Tomb Oracle so that's not an issue.

[slMagnvox]

Hey, maybe we could have a quick gameplay explanation (I'm not a newb, wait, don't rush me!).

How can a drain scale be leveraged into an advantage and what is the relation to Conj?

[archaeolept]

well, taking drain gives you design points, but makes research slow. Usually the disadvantages outweigh the advantages, but w/ certain nations w/ very high research mages, like Bogarus, it can make sense. The Idea would be that you make up for drain by using those points to accelerate your early expansion.

In this case, though, Agartha has some very good summons fairly early in conj., so in theory they could try and ignore having good research and just aim for umbrals and tomb oracles. Which would be a strategy - however, really, Agartha still needs a bunch of research (like construction, and darkness), so it is still problematic taking drain.

[Kuritza]

Kek. And I'm all for another restart, actually!

:P

[Nihil]

Mictlan has asked for a delay this weekend.
furthermore, I'll be out of town on monday so I just turned the game to 48h hosting. I'll reset the timer to 24h on tuesday.

Something went wrong, there was no delay over the weekend, I staled but it is ok with me, and now it shows the turn shoud have been excuted yesterday and we are still waiting for it.

[archaeolept]

turns on llamaserver are delayed, as the email provider seems to be having issues; possibly due to hurricane Ike.

[Kheldron]

Yes there seem to be some poblems as the timer has already been reset on 24h while I'm sure I left it to 48h on sunday.
I'm really sorry about all this but there's not much any of us can do about it, especially if it's a Ike problem :-/

[Hoplosternum]

Llama is based in the UK so I'd be surprised if it's anything to do with Ike.

But he is away on holiday and many of the games are having problems.... So it may be a while before we find out what is wrong.

[archaeolept]

yah, all his games are on hiatus for a bit it seems - go outside and enjoy the autumn ;p

llamaserver is in the UK, but it looks like his email host is in houston.

[Kheldron]

Ok Llama has come back and game is on again. I'll postpone the turn for a few hours as we miss bogarus.

[archaeolept]

bogarus was still last and unsubmitted before llama's server went down... so i think he's AWOl. He'll have received llama's notification as well - still, a few hours won't hurt.

then we can get back to playing the game :)

[DonCorazon]

We Agarthan's can't see too well, but it seems we have been invaded by some oversized swamp snakes and a sneaky assassin. We vow this war will cost the nation of Pythium dearly.

[Kuritza]

I had to stay overtime in the office again, and again it resulted in a staled turn - 2nd time now. Thanks for waiting, really...

[DonCorazon]

Did you ask for an extension?

Agartha is proud to announce we took Babylon from 9 hydras, 2 serpent priests, a healthy PD, and a scout prophet.

Hopefully Pythium has learned its lesson and will not force the two of us to waste our resources early in the game when there is still plenty of independent lands left to share.

[archaeolept]

changing the quickhost time to 30 hrs would prevent such an event happening again. sometimes you have a long day.

[Kheldron]

Kuritza I would have been happy to postpone...if only you had asked.:(
I'm really sorry but I don't stand idly in front of my computer waiting on every turn to check if everyone submit it on time. My wife, baby, job and friends prevent me from ever being able to do that.

We can go on a 36h hour schedule if it suits everyone better

[Deadnature]

Did you ask for an extension?

Agartha is proud to announce we took Babylon from 9 hydras, 2 serpent priests, a healthy PD, and a scout prophet.

Hopefully Pythium has learned its lesson and will not force the two of us to waste our resources early in the game when there is still plenty of independent lands left to share.

Right, you didn't mention the casualties of that battle though:

44 of your shades to 0 of my troops. Well, I guess you did wipe out my 10point-pd.

I'm quite happy with the way that battle went and I look forward to our future encounters. :)

[DonCorazon]

Well given your forces, it was quite a miracle that Agartha managed to pull off a victory, regardless of the cost in free spawn shades. The shades regenerate with the Lord of the Gates and next round you'll see the fearsome Agarthan Battle Mage Cadre 2nd Division. ( now is where you should be trembling, hehe)

PS Anyone who neighbors Pythium might want to take advantage of his momentary distraction in steamrolling Agartha. He has at least 13 hydras in and around our lands - the rest of Pyth cannot be that well defended right? If not now, then I wish my neighbors luck when they face the hydra rush alone...

[Deadnature]

Exactly, you were lucky that my hyras retreated...

[DonCorazon]

As promised Pythium met the Agarthan Battle Mage Cadre 2nd Division. This time 5 of 6 hydras were destroyed, along with Pyth's HoF prophet, and a Serpent Priest. The 6th hydra barely made it off the battlefield. Agarthan casualties were 10 auto-spawned shades.

Admittedly, this battle is wrecking Agartha's economy early in the game when there is plenty of easier fruit to pluck and we'd prefer a ceasefire. Those hydras and priest cost over 1500gp and it could easily happen again next turn. But if Pyth is bent on our destruction so be it - we will do the world a favor and inflict as much damage as we can.

[Deadnature]

Heh, I forgot to change my Hydras scripting; hold and attack was useless for that battle.

I am bent on your destruction now that you've publicly boasted of your "victories" and tried to get other people to attack me. I might have signed an NAP3 with you after our first encounter, but I read your post about that battle and thought, "is this guy serious?"

.....well now that I think about it, let's give peace a chance :)

[DonCorazon]

Hehe, yes, I am rarely serious.

The first battle report was the work of the Agarthan Spin Department - heads will roll for their selective fact disclosure though it was a miracle but hardly a victory. But you can't blame a a ruler for trying to save his nation. I mean, have you ever looked at Agartha's units? Then add hard research, CBM (which nerfs Agartha further), and a hydra rush. What is an aspiring pretender to do? Anyway, we hope for peace as further war will ultimately destroy little Agartha, but probably cost Pythium more than it could get just tapping easier pastures.

[Deadnature]

No worries, you do what you need to...via diplomacy or otherwise. I'm doing the same thing diplomacy-wise in another game.

Anyway, long live peace! (at least between Pythium and Agartha)

[Firewalker]

Hey ... looks like this game was a short one for Patala. A little bad luck and being next to a rush nation cut things a bit short. For those interested, it is looking like either Atlantis or Hinnom shall have a second capitol soon.

I've set myself to AI this turn.

[archaeolept]

sorry to hear that - I was wondering who was keeping you down. Better luck next game :)

[DonCorazon]

FW, I feel your pain. There are some aggressive bless rushers in the WoT - not easy for the slow non-bless nations to get off the ground, especially with hard research working against us. Better luck next time!

[Firewalker]

I really like Patala, but I need to come up with a better early game strategy. I've tried a couple things, but it is true that they need some space and luck. Once they can get some turf, they can get going.

[archaeolept]

50% plague in my cap :O


don't worry, not looking for sympathy ;)

[DonCorazon]

looking at your score graph i am guessing it must be the result of overpopulation

[DonCorazon]

Looks like siMagnovox / TC is going to stale the second time in a row and hasn't been on the forums in a week. Might want to look for a sub.

[archaeolept]

i think so. he's been at peace, his situation is good, the game is early - perfect for subbing.

[Kheldron]

Ok I posted to ask for a sub. I'll delay for 24h to get someone

[Hoplosternum]

Really sorry about this but I have gone on holiday and I believed I would have internet access so that I could continue the game and diplomacy. But although I have Dominions and a PC I have no internet access. I won't be back for about another 5 days. Please can the game admin turn me to AI (you will need to change my email address and take my turn - turning it to AI - to do this I think.

I am very sorry about this. I thought I would have internet access (I have before when going on holiday in the same area but the cottage I has gets no signal at all nor do the nearby villages).

Utgard

[Kheldron]

I'm not sure what we should do. We posted to find a sub for TC but to no avail so far.
Tienchi and Utgard are two preeminent nations in our game and it would wreck things to set them AI now IMO.

What do you think all ?
Should we :
- set them AI
- wait for 5 days for Hoplosternum's return and hope to find a sub for Tc in the meantime
- any idea?

[archaeolept]

don't set them AI. As much as I've been enjoying the turns, I'd counsel waiting for utgard to return, and using the time to find a sub for T'ien Chi. hopefully a small hiatus won't cause any more problems.

or find a sub for TC, and let Utgard stale a turn or so... that's no big deal; he's still not in any war afaik.

[Nihil]

I would also wait for Utgard and in the meantime see if we can get a sub for Tien Chi.

[Deadnature]

likewise, I'm all for waiting as I have too many games going already :)

[vfb]

The leadership of TC has been overthrown, and a new barbarian King sits on the throne.

Please PM me if you have diplomatic or trade agreements with TC.

[Kheldron]

Ok vfb you're in and thank you :)
I just changed TC email so if you didn't already receive the turn, just request a new one on llamaserver.

You have until the end of this WE when Hoplosternum/Utgard comes back to send your orders.

[Hoplosternum]

Hi everyone,

I am back :)

Thank you very much for waiting :)

Cheers!

[archaeolept]

yay, we're back under way :)

[DonCorazon]

The Agarthan Magical Emporium is now open for business. Many wondrous items available for purchase: flaming brands, gleaming shields, and magical skulls that will help you pass your exams. Prices are base cost + 3 gem forging fee. And for those nations wise enough to have peace treaties with the scholars of Agartha, we will waive the forging fee.

Come one, come all, supplies are limited!

[vfb]

The Eastern Tien Chi Export Company is worried that Agartha may be unable to meet the initial surge of demand for its wares. So, we have decide to assist them by providing an additional supply of manufactured goods to the world.

Price is base cost, for all nations in the land. We are selling most Const-4 items. Our manufacturing base has not yet ramped up to its full operating capabilities, but we are recruiting more and more of our peasants into our factories every month.

Get your orders in early to avoid shipping delays!

[archaeolept]

one stale... it's getting around the time when we should move to 48 hr hosting (or, 50 hrs is better, as it helps avoid the precession problem).

I'm fine w/ the current schedule, but the game is certainly about to become more difficult. I'd say as soon as someone asks, we should go to two days.

[Kheldron]

Oh great I sent my turn just before going to bed and didn't wait for the reply.
The lovable Murphy's law kicked in and my turn never reached Llamaserver or whatever.
As if I needed a stale right now...

[KIM]

me too ;)

[archaeolept]

yah... that was kinda funny given you two are involved in such heavy fighting and both staled... we can always go to 2 day hosting when you guys feel the need.

[DonCorazon]

Agartha is again under siege and this time shall soon fall. We cancel all our NAPs so that friends and enemies alike might feast on our magic rich lands. Also, we are having a liquidation sale on magic gems and items - we will trade 1:1 our astral pearls for your death gems and sell dwarven hammers for 6 death gems. Goodbye cruel world that sandwiched us between such mean and powerful nations :)

[vfb]

The Tien Chi Artifacts and Goodies Manufacturing Company announces that we are closing our factory for refurbishing and unfortunately cannot process any more orders at the moment.

If you have a pending order with the Tien Chi Artifacts and Goodies Manufacturing Company, rest assured that we will complete the manufacturing of your goods as promised. This only applies to new orders which have not been negotiated yet.

Stay tuned for the grand re-opening, coming soon!

[Kheldron]

Ok, Gath seems to be on the verge of staling again so I postponed the game by 12h. I also changed hosting interval to 48h from now on.
I hope it'll be enough for Gath since he didn't ask for a delay.

[KIM]

Thanks Kheldron !!! I have a bit of work in home...

[archaeolept]

hey, glad we're back on track :)

but the game's also getting more complex, and has entered the midgame. I'd like to move over to 2-day turns.

[Kheldron]

I had already changed it but it seems the server lost it when it reset.
done !

[Kuritza]

Demented Tzar of Bogarus, Demetri the Terrible, has seen some terrible omen. Convinced that Tsar Demetri's fate is sealed, he has stepped down and appointed his namesake to be the new Tsar until this ominous conjuction of stars is over.

---
I am away for vacation, for two weeks. Until then, Dimaz will replace me for this game; his mail is dimazzz80 (at) gmail.com

Please change the email tomorrow - perhaps I will be able to make one more turn this evening. :) Switching to 3-days schedule would be great as well, I'd hate to miss too many turns in this game - I really like it so far.
Have fun!

[vfb]

Mictlan, you have just placed yourself in the way of the Tien Chi Manufacturing Conglomerate, Real Estate Division. We are conducting survey operations in the New East provinces. You would be well advised to remove yourself from our path.

-- Chief Yao, Mergers and Acquisitions

[vfb]

The Tien Chi Goods and Items Manufacturing Company has noticed a drastic drop in our sales recently. We did not know why this occurred, so our investigators were dispatched to determine the source of our economic problems. They have reported back that it is the fault of the Jomonese, who have achieved monopoly status.

Tien Chi hereby revokes our NAP with Jomon. It is now turn 38, so hostilities can begin in turn 41.

Jomon has far more lands than any other nation. They have a huge lead in research, forts, income, gem income, dominion, army size, EVERY graph. Not only that, they were first to const-8, and have forged all the useful artifacts. And now, they have cast the Gift of Health. We expect tartarians to begin pouring out of the depths of Jomon hell soon.

So now is the time to strike! Nations of Wheel, put aside your differences. If you cannot make peace with your enemy, then at least seek a ceasefire. You destroy yourselves while Jomon grows bigger and bigger and more powerful.

The Jomon monopoly must be smashed, and the pieces of its empire broken from each other.

Tien Chi has no chance of accomplishing this on our own. We urge all nations to take up their swords against Jomon now, for the hour is late and all our doom is at hand.

-- Prophet Yao of Tien Chi

P.S. Gank Jomon!

[archaeolept]

meh, tartarians - that's a bit of a joke at this time isn't it? especially for a non-death nation such as ourselves. GoH was mostly to prevent all the irritating barbarians. I guess T'ien Ch'i could count ;p

while we do seem to have been doing well lately, we are more than happy to distribute the wealth to our friends :)

[vfb]

Tien Chi is sure your Sceptre of Dark Regency will help you summon some tartarians when you get your research done.

Anyhow, it would be nice if you were prevented from even summoning tartarians, since Jomon really does not even need any. We truly are all doomed if you get tartarians too.

There is no honor or glory in being a vassal state of the Jomon empire. Other pretenders allying with Jomon must be sad to realize they have given up all hope of their own ascension. What is the point, then? Nishida Kitaro, the Lord of Suicides, has robbed you of your hope. One Wa to rule them all, and in the darkness bind them.

The allies of Jomon can redeem themselves by swearing off their loyalty to Jomon, and declaring themselves free nations once again.

-- Prophet Yao of Tien Chi

P.S. Don't forget: Gank Jomon!

[DonCorazon]

Agartha's merry band of rogues are clinging on to dear life trying to wage the final jihad against our unholy conquerors. We hope their conquest has been costly, or at least a nuisance. We only ever wanted to be left alone to forge items for the rest of the world...
:)

PS just for my own understanding of the game, I have bane venom charms in Issus, which is being sieged by Bogarus - are both the siegers and siegees getting diseased I wonder?

[archaeolept]

meh. attacking me becasue i am too large, or because you want what I have, or that I have dealt w/ someone dishonourably, would all be valid reasons. but tartarians? that's absurd - my research is barely past yours, or bogarus's - are you near getting tarts? Let alone that I have no native death magic, and really would need to bootstrap to demi-liches first. Attack me for solid reasons, not bs ones.


don: yeah, those bv's should be getting everyone. they got my scout ;p
It was pretty funny seeing the battle - all of pyth's mages were diseased :D

[Dimaz]

all of pyth's mages were diseased
And most of Bogarus army too, thanks Don, hope it's the last turn of "someone is spreading badly deceases in Issus".

[don_Pablo]

meh. attacking me becasue i am too large, or because you want what I have, or that I have dealt w/ someone dishonourably, would all be valid reasons.

Powerful empire should have a respective challenge. )
Elders of Caelum break a NAP with Jomon and declare a war since trn 41.

[archaeolept]

I'm travelling today, and will have very little chance to work on an extremely difficult turn before host tomorrow. I would like to request a one day extension.

[Kheldron]

game postponed for 24h as requested

[archaeolept]

well, first turn of war against the alliance... some good raids at least, but, oh man, what a horrible way to lose such a beautifully kitted out golem

He got crippled. Utgard fled, but had one crippled guy... so the golem slowly and futiley crawls after the fleeing giant, until turn 50 runs out and the golem goes *poof* :(

[vfb]

"Tien Chi hereby revokes our NAP with Jomon. It is now turn 38, so hostilities can begin in turn 41."

I always thought that meant that we would wait until turn 41 to give orders to attack. Did everyone start without me?

If so, TC apologizes for our late arrival into the fray.

[archaeolept]

oh god the NAP system is so absurd... if you were to have a zero turn warning, then you're just attacked "out of the blue". A one turn warning, basically says "i'm attacking, you will be hit next turn". so a 1 turn warning on turn 38 would mean attacks could land on turn 39, just as a zero turn warning on turn 38 meant you were attacked right then...

and a 3-turn warning on turn 38 means attacks can land turn 41.

mind you, I would have preferred to have waited another turn :o

I guess that means we should just restart the NAP cancellation timer ;p

[vfb]

Well, I disagree on your definitions, but I know that you made an attempt to abide by the NAPs. We can start a thread in the main forum if you like to discuss when NAPs end, better yet do it as some sort of broken poll, and I'm sure it'll turn into a massive flame war. :D

Anyway, I hope you were not disappointed in the total lack of action on my side, and I'll try to make up for it this month. :)

TC

[archaeolept]

a 3-turn non aggression pact means you must give a 3 turn notice. notice was given on turn 38... 1 turn notice would be an attack the next turn (1 turn later) ie 39... etc.

but, I agree, dealing w/ NAPs is a real pain, prone to confusion and misunderstandings even when everyone has the best intention - and, of course, I've seen people "miscount" often enough. When I cancel a NAP I always say the turn attacks can land, just to make things clear.

[vfb]

Yeah, but the attacks landed in 40. :)

When you are in turn 41 (game says '41' when you open it), the battles you are looking at happened the previous month, 40. At least that's the way I look at it. Giving your orders is like step zero in the turn resolution sequence for that month.

So like you say, notice was given on turn 38... 1 turn notice would be an attack the next turn (1 turn later) ie 39, 3 turns would be an attack in 41. So in 41 you give the orders to attack. Turn 42 comes and I get to watch as my hopes for victory unravel. :)

[archaeolept]

it is in turn 41 that i receive these reports. in what turn are these battles? last turn, turn 40 - i played that and sent it in. In which turn are the battles to be found? ... turn 41.

look at it this way. if you have zero turns notice you are merely surprised by the attack: you had zero turns in which to prepare for it.

by your method of counting, having been notified by you in turn 38, near in on it at that, i had turn 38 to prepare... 39, 40, and 41 - so 4 turns to prepare.

I think this should be the form for a NAP cancellation when posted to a forum, or pm'ed: "hi, just letting you know...I will send the formal notification in game such that you will receive it w/ the new turn (turn 39), and, counting 3 turns from that, your turn 42 can have legitimate post-NAP battle reports."

;)

giving the turn that will include the battle reports clears up any possible alternate understanding.

[vfb]

Sounds good to me! Or terribly confusing, or something along those lines anyway. :) I am not exactly known as a NAP-lawyer-type-guy, and most^H^H^H^Hall games I run have a "NAPs don't really count" rule.

Anyway I expect the defenses of Jomon, and offenses, to be all-the-more spectacular, considering the extra turn you've had to prepare, then. Oh hold on, I suppose I had an extra turn too. Hope you won't be disappointed! :D

[vfb]

Ohhhh Noooooooo .... poor Gallus, prophet of Pythium, did not have a chance against the lightning-quick Commander Corn of TC.

[Kuritza]

Sinister conjuction of stars has gone, and the demented tsar Demetri the Terrible has reappeared at the red-brick capitol of Bogarus, reclaiming the strands of rulership.
He muttered something about being pleased with the state of affairs, so only a handful of boyars were fed to hunting dogs for attempting to thwart Demetri's return.

---

I'm back from my vacation; please change Bogarus' email address to Kuritzagames (at) gmail.com

[vfb]

The Tien Chi Goods and Oddities Manufacturing Bidness is pleased to announce that due to the fact the we no longer view Jomon as possessing monopoly powers, we are realigning our corporate paradigms to achieve higher shareholder value through increased synergies obtained by the downsizing of our Real Estate Acquisitions branch.

-- TC

[DonCorazon]

The Agarthan resistance lives on, though it took a hefty blow after the Merry Men were caught between Mari, Pyth and Bogie. We were pleased to see Pythium's capital fall this past turn. Let this be a lesson to warmongers. If only Pythium would have listened to our pleas for peace we might have both gone on to achieve great things together. Instead, their misguided war has left their empire in shambles. Agarthans meanwhile frolick in our capital (sans fort however :). For anyone who wishes to contribute to our cause, especially those powers that benefited from us leading the hydras on a wild goose chase - we accept cash, gems, and money orders. We expect our candle will burn out shortly so send those checks or especially death gems soon.
:)

[Kuritza]

Having sent vile empoisoners to our lands after we have heard their pleas for help and launched an offensive against Pythium, Agarthans have sealed their fate. Let their terrible and inevitable death be a warning to anyone.

[DonCorazon]

Those empoisoners were in Pythium at one time. Seems control changed faster than we could move the out...

[Kuritza]

I see. Pythium must have joined the 'scorched earth' club.

[DonCorazon]

Agartha is withdrawing poisoners that are now on Bogarus controlled lands. We hope to avoid future golem attacks. :)

[Kuritza]

Just in time - second time I wouldn't forget about sepulchral's cold aura. :)

[Deadnature]

I see. Pythium must have joined the 'scorched earth' club.

Indeed we have, after realizing how annoying it can be (thanks Don http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif )I've decided that its my best revenge against the hated Bogarusians....you have to admit though, it is a fitting demise for the "Serpent Cult"

[DonCorazon]

Once, long ago, I did not believe in scorched earth. But in a recent string of games, I seem to get continually rushed, usually by newer players. In my last 3 games I have been attacked before turn 10. It is always bad for me, and so far it has generally turned out bad for the attacker. What I don't understand is the initial gains are usually far offset by the later losses, not to mention the fact that attackers are missing out on having a pretty good neighbor - willing to trade, never break a NAP, etc. But I cannot seem to convince the aggressors to leave my people alone early on despite the fact that these early wars are hard for either side to recover from.

So anyway, my policy now is to do everything I can to make rushers regret it and using every means to hurt the enemy including slaying pretenders, burning down labs, poisoning the water, selling off gems, calling in allies, and anything else I can think of.

Hopefully some day people will choose someone else to rush and leave me alone to research and trade in peace. :)

[Kuritza]

First off, metagaming (trying to influence future games in this one) isnt exactly what I call good maneers. Other than that, scorched earth has absolutely no reason; I hope you dont expect me to turn back and return your capitol because of some black servants?
Second, when it comes to me, the effect will be just opposite - if anything, I will perceive such player as an enemy in other games too.
And third - no, I dont have to admit it. :) Bogarus is quite well-suited to counter such tricks.

[DonCorazon]

I wouldn't call it metagaming. I actually find I respect those opponents who do everything they can to try and keep their nation alive, rather than just roll over as soon as things start to go poorly for them. And fighting a defensive war when you have no chance of winning is actually quite fun and a good time to try new tactics and learn. Bane venom charms are in the game for a reason and are a decent tactic to damage your foes economy and disease their mages - burning down labs and forts weakens your foes so if you get allies to help they have less chance to strike back. I don't see these actions as having "no reason". So IMHO it is not "bad manners" at all, but playing the game to its fullest. For me it is more of a metagaming issue to start off a new game perceiving someone as an enemy - that is something I never do and I consider to be bad manners.

Anyway, Agartha shall soon be gone. Hats off to Pythium - they were a worthy foe and we wish them well in their struggle against imperialist impression. :)

[Kuritza]

Wait wait wait :) Didnt you just write, that you resort to burning earth to discourage other players from rushing you in future games? :) Read again - I thought I saw just that. And now imagine that you start next to somebody who will scorch his (and your) lands if you only dare to attack him and win? How fun is that?
So naturally, I see that player as a rather bad neighbour. I dont like being blackmailed.
Anyway, there was a scorched earth topic long ago, and its a matter of players choice after all. I just stated my opinion... and these empoisoners in my capitol are already dead anyway. :)

[Deadnature]

Kuritza, why do we continue playing at all after we know that we cannot win?? Because its fun and (in a game) revenge is fun. After my series of mishaps, I had two choices: set to AI, or keep up the fight to the last even though victory is impossible. I chose the latter, as did Agartha as would any player who doesn't want to just give up. BV-charm is just one of the many tools for this purpose. And, what else am I supposed to do with all of these D-gems? :)

I hope you don't take this personally as I didn't take it personally when you attacked me. I'm not trying to influence future games, just having fun in this one.


Oh, and hats off to you too Agartha...and shame on my overconfidence :(

[Kuritza]

Nothing personal, of course. :)

[archaeolept]

llamaserver does not seem to be accepting my turn. perhaps it is just slow, but i've now sent it multiple times w/ no response or update. If it hosts w/out it I guess i'll be asking for a rollback :(

/me crosses fingers

edit: lol, it accepted it right at the host

[Kheldron]

I have a really hard time keeping up, staled more than I believed I would and it'll be worst during the holidays when I'll be off.
Worse, I don't have time to check the game often enough to ensure you an efficient host.

Sadly I think I'll soon go AI as I don't see the point of a sub for a dying nation.

That was nonetheless a fun game for me and wanted to thank you all for it. Real life just kicked in and...

Is anyone up for hosting?

[DonCorazon]

The Agarthan merrymen have at long last restored their capital, a clear sign of our imminent ascendancy to supreme Pancracker. We offer all nations the chance to bow down before us now, and we will spare them the eternal torture of those who chose instead to resist. Beware, enemy invaders are committing suicide in the streets in despair!

Muhammad Saeed al-Sahhaf (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Saeed_al-Sahhaf), Minister of Information, now of Agartha :)

[archaeolept]

hmmm... I'd rather redo the staled turn, as it certainly caused me issues - everyone has to remember to redo the turn though, and not send in the same, possibly corrupt, 2h file.

personally, i plan on opening up an instance of the old turn just to quickly guide me in redoing it. shouldn't be that hard.

Though i did get to kill the "eater of gods" in this turn ;p

[Kuritza]

Yes yes yes, roll back pretty please. I had absolutely no events this turn, so perhaps I even benefited from this bug, but staling feels..... BAAAAAD.

[vfb]

I'll have to give up some free gold and a free magic item, but meh. It's a bug so I won't object to rolling back. Any chance of finding out the cause of the crash?

[Kuritza]

But lets decide if we roll back asap or at least postpone hosting for 24 hours - I'm busy tomorrow.

[archaeolept]

yes definitely - it should be easier to redo the turn than the first time, but it's also beginning to be a bit hectic around here... a little bit slower for the next week would be good :)

i've pm'ed kheldron - he seems to still be checking in fairly regularly, so he should get the message today.

[archaeolept]

ok, Kheldron has given me the admin password - I'll be rolling back the turn when i get back from my chores, sending out a message, and will postpone the time for the redone turn 52 for an extra day and a bit.

edit: ok, done. remember to redo the turn and not send the old one in.

I'm going to just change the hosting schedule to 72 hours for the next 3 turns, as that will cover this turn and christmas and the hangover.


double edit: that all seemed to have gone through fine. Very easy system admining on llamaserver. mandatory Llama rocks.

[Deadnature]

Umm, it seems my soldiers have engaged in a little impromtu guerilla-warfare...even though they shouldn't be capable of it. In province 152 Bogorus has just successfully stormed my fortress. However, this turn shows a large army "hiding" there even though they are mostly undead and almost none of them have stealth.

So I have given them orders to "attack this province" in the hope that they will be quickly defeated and go away.

Bogorus: this army shouldn't be too hard to handle, but I definetly don't want to exploit this glitch, so let me know what you want me to do.

- Deadnature

[Kuritza]

Ok, no problem. My army should handle them.

[archaeolept]

lol that's pretty strange. i've never seen that glitch.

also, 3 day turns seem good for the holidays, but this one turn is smack on top of christmas - i might extend it an extra day, if no one minds :)

[vfb]

Oh bugger.

Who is the greedy nation summoning all the treelords and not turning them into useful chickens or meese or something. :(

[vfb]

Those of you living in the oceans may wish to watch out for quite a large quantity of fire gems the TC Manufacturing Corporation just flushed down the drain. Not only that, we managed to cram 99 blood slaves into the mix too. We offer the world our sincere apologies for this minor industrial mishap.

[archaeolept]

let's see... was it Magoth with the Unquenched sword in... lake fortune? the Aral sea?

We would like to congratulate the TCMC on using this opportunity to improve their quality control procedures.

[vfb]

let's see... was it Magoth with the Unquenched sword in... lake fortune? the Aral sea?

We would like to congratulate the TCMC on using this opportunity to improve their quality control procedures.

Oh no, much worse. Tien Chi tried to create an Eternal Pyre but it unfortunately fizzled. And all the Arch-devils are already partying in the Wheel of Time, the depths of Hell are empty.

[archaeolept]

congrats to don pablo for a good war, for sticking it out until the end, and for almost buggering me at the gates to his castle :)

of course if my stupid mages had cast what they were supposed to it would have been a bit safer on my end :grrr:

[vfb]

Mictlan, sorry about your guys in the water! That province had been indy for a bunch of turns and I couldn't remember who had taken it.

Bogarus, your casting of Arcane Nexus is in direct violation of Secret Clause #57 in our NAP agreement, and that NAP is hereby cancelled. Normally this would mean immediate occupation by TC inspectors to ensure compliance under the Banned Rituals Framework, but since Jomon is kicking everyone's butt, we'll let it slide with a mere NAP cancellation.

-- TC

[Kuritza]

Speaking in your terms, our casting of Arcane Nexus was a desperate response to growing Jomon monopoly on the market of summoned working labour-power, as well as attacks by Jomon's sattelites. We expect cooperation from these still willing to keep the world market competitive!

[archaeolept]

as Hoplo is looking for a sub for Utgard, I'll postpone hosting for a day just so i can get a sense of what is happening. As utgard isn't much in any hot war, it wouldn't cause much of an issue if he were to put in a half-assed or stale turn, but I see that with about 12 hrs left to go only Gath and Mari have their turns in, so it seems an apt spot to put in a day's postponement.

[vfb]

Thanks, even though Tien Chi Incorporated has been suffering from a lack of productive expansion recently, we also appreciate the delay.

[Hoplosternum]

I have put in a turn. Though like most of my turns it would probably be considered half-assed ;)

zzcat has expressed an interest in taking over from me :)

Who is game admin now? Does zzcat just need to send the game admin his email and the game admin can do the rest?

[archaeolept]

i'm the admin now

/me looks at admin options

Yup - he just has to pm me his email address and I can change it :)

[vfb]

The proud barbarian kings who run the industries of Tien Chi refuse to be dragged along into the annals of obscurity, as the god of the nation whose coalition we join ascends.

We have already cancelled our NAP with Bogarus, because of the AN. Tien Chi once again ends our NAP with Jomon. But of course we will wait our three (*) months (**) (***) before engaging in any hostile activities against our once peaceful neighbors.

Now, hurry up and destroy each other, and in three months, Tien Chi will be coming by to pick up the pieces!

-- TC


Small print:

* (or two as the Jomonese count)
** (waiting periods may be voided if more nonsense like another AN or Forge etc is cast).
*** (since this notification comes after most nations have already done their turns, the three months starts next month, so TC may give hostile orders upon receipt of turn 67).

[Kuritza]

Isnt it the time to slow down our hosting schedule? Its getting serious, and I have lots of work to do.
At the very least it would be great to postpone hosting for 48 hours - I wont have the time to play this weekend.

[archaeolept]

3 days is normal for this stage of the game. hosting postponed for 48 hrs as per request.

[DonCorazon]

Nice, one day for each of my provinces.

[archaeolept]

and a bit! sorry, got behind, "forgot" about this all - adding half a day to deal w/ it :)

[archaeolept]

sorry guys, i've just had too much come up .. i'm putting the host ahead 7 more hours; then i'll set it to 3 1/2 days per turn, as kuritza wanted slower turns... though, in this case, having the extension just meant the turn was put off until it was too late and I couldn't remember what was going on, was somewhat sick, and overloaded w/ stupid stuff to do ;)

anyways, I have to go out now, but the turn is mostly done and I can finish it when I get back.

sorry for the delay. If anyone has a similar need for a delay sometime, i'm usually pretty easy to contact, here, or in the IRC channel. I'm sending the password to Quantum Mechani in case I'm not around, as well.

[vfb]

Truly the end times are upon us! I spend 100 pearls on a Wish, and I don't even get to meet a lesser horror, never mind Kurgi or something fun like that. But my Vitriol Lion summoner gets eaten for burning off a couple water gems.

[DonCorazon]

Ahh the irony of watching Agartha and Pythium's champions destroy each other in the arena...sweet memories of mutual destruction.

Someone please put us out of our wretched existence. Agartha feels like the guy who enslaved Karsa Orlong (House of Chains).

[Kuritza]

Btw, maybe we postpone hosting by 24 hours? With corruption up, there's much to consider, and lots of micro with scripting mages etc.

[vfb]

Excellent idea! Seconded.

[archaeolept]

postponed by 24

[archaeolept]

sorry for the delays - trying to deal w/ things, and it doesn't make any sense to sub out the position. Hopefully I should be able to get back into it after this turn and we can go back to a regular(ish) pace.

[Kuritza]

/yawn

[vfb]

sorry for the delays - trying to deal w/ things, and it doesn't make any sense to sub out the position. Hopefully I should be able to get back into it after this turn and we can go back to a regular(ish) pace.

It's fine as long as you are sending yourself emails or PMs requesting the delays. I suppose you could also ask yourself for a delay on IRC. ;)

But if you are tied up IRL why don't you just add a few days to the timer, and everyone can go away and do stuff, and then come back and hey presto, new turn.

Don't forget to PM yourself though!

[archaeolept]

heh yah sorry - i keep thinking that if i give myself a few hours I'll be able to come to it and get the whole turn done like that!

but then it's still the same situation and I hurriedly add a few more hours to it :(

I really have to get the turn in - AI or subbing makes no sense. Hopefully, things will be fine after this

/crosses fingers
/knocks on wood
/summons a tart

[archaeolept]

ok, I added 18hrs to the timer, which will give me tomorrow morning to do the damn thing. if I can't get to the turn, it'll just host.

[vfb]

The problem is Jomon has far too many provinces and castles. Just give some to TC and it will make your turns go faster. :)

Games on maps this size should have victory conditions other than "kill everyone", I think.

[archaeolept]

yah, of course... but everyone loves the idea of some sweeping epic battle - at the beginning of the game when the victory conditions are set...

[archaeolept]

got in at least a semi-turn... :)

[Kuritza]

Postpone hosting by 24 hours? :)

[Kuritza]

Oh, and while we are at it.
Since everyone is either actively helping Jomon to win or just waiting for it to happen, I suggest we call it a game. Endgame is rather tedious, especially with AC up, and with no real competition its not fun either.
Your thoughts?

[vfb]

TC is willing to be declared a full-blown subsidiary of the Jomonese empire. We welcome our overlord oppressors with candies and flowers and all the virgins we saved up to cast AC with, but never got a chance to, because Mictlan beat us to it.

Who wants to siege 87 forts, or however many castles Jomon has? :P

[Kuritza]

Ah, Jomonese agents who infiltrated once-mighty Zhungo surrender unsuspecting Middle Kingdom to their oversea masters. :)

(sorry, just joking) ;)

[zzcat]

Utgard will accept the rulership of Jomon. Resistance is pointless when the opponent is 5 times bigger than you:)

[archaeolept]

24 hr extension np - man, I am not looking forward to a full-out endgame, but of course I'm willing to fight. painfully and slowly, of course :(

Fort construction continuing apace :)

[Kuritza]

Of course you are. :) But others are not, I'm affraid. I was looking forward to fighting you, but not with several third world countries backstabbing me. :)
So I vote for Archaeolept as a winner.

[KIM]

I vote for Archaeolept as a winner, too

[Nihil]

The third-world nation of Mictlan votes for Jomon as well. Well played.

[DonCorazon]

The Workers Paradise of Agartha concedes.

[archaeolept]

eh... i was just about to do stuff ;p

a lot of fun wars... but omg endgame can become so painful

[Hoplosternum]

Congratulations Archaeolept! And glad to see Utgard survived to concede at the end too :p