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Battle for Stormgate
#11
(05-09-2019, 03:45 PM)Brekk Wrote: OK a question from a newbie.  Why are games set to silent?  Is this a strategy thing, concerns about collusion?  The reason I ask is  half the fun of a game would be talk on the boards this is of course from my perspective, I like hearing some of the great in character writings and smack talk.  In my case as a new player this also allows me to communicate and ask questions of other players in or off the forum so I learn faster, without "cheating".  Not asking for a change to the game just trying to understand the reasons.

I agree, but have yet to see a 'full communication' game posted. The potential for fun with smack talk (or strategy, if that's your "thing") is immense and one of the things that first roped me into this. Closest I've seen is forum communication games. But really, if I was going to attack someone, I certainly wouldn't be looking for allies (or people to look the other way) on a public forum. 

I blame the snowflakes. Always the snowflakes.

Also not asking for a change to this game, but at some point would love to be able to do some strategery.
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#12
It is mostly about teaming up. We have found that some folks ally early and often and then other folks feel the power of a gang attack. Not always, but often enough to cause the introduction of the silent.
Having said that, Rick offers numerous formats. Team games happen and you can do all the smack talk you want. Full diplomacy games happen and that is the original intent of the game.
Personally, I now prefer silent or anonymous. I don't have the time or the energy to go win friends on the forum.
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#13
I like the anonymous games too VBall. Just play.
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#14
I also remember when games ran before the mandatory time limit.. smh lol
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#15
(05-09-2019, 03:45 PM)Brekk Wrote: OK a question from a newbie.  Why are games set to silent?  Is this a strategy thing, concerns about collusion?  The reason I ask is  half the fun of a game would be talk on the boards this is of course from my perspective, I like hearing some of the great in character writings and smack talk.  In my case as a new player this also allows me to communicate and ask questions of other players in or off the forum so I learn faster, without "cheating".  Not asking for a change to the game just trying to understand the reasons.

You'll get a lot of perspectives on this, Brekk.  It's a very good question.  If we get a lot more players with your inclination, we're happy to do full diplomacy games.  But the reality is our current player base does not prefer that style for a few reasons:


1.  Some players are very diligent about communicating with everyone every turn and then putting the pieces together as to what is happening everywhere, giving them a strategic advantage just by gathering information from others. Not saying it shouldn't be a reward for hard work, its just a lot of players consider it kind of outside the game and possibly more based on relationships.

2.  Most players wouldn't mind some diplomacy, regarding trades mainly or cease fires, but don't want to be super active in diplomacy to stay competitive.

3.  Full diplomacy games were to the point that before turn 1 ran, multi kingdom alliances were formed and players known not to join early alliances were frequent targets by a pack.  These alliances of a certain set of players tended to carry over from game to game.

4.  There was an ever-present insistence on "Game Long NAP (non-aggression pact).  A few players in particular would try to secure NAPS with all but one neighbor, and then with the other borders secured, attack the one remaining threat in a blitz.

5.  Some players do not enjoy the diplomacy aspect and the restrictions on their freedom to act resulting from agreements, especially the game long naps which then prohibited stopping a kingdom from winning due to the agreement.

5.  Diplomacy games go more slowly, and require more work.  Often players wait until the deadline just in case a diplomacy request comes in.

The best we have now are Alliance games, or something like the Master/Apprentice.  Alliance games are four teams of three kingdoms.  They have about the right amount of diplomacy for most players, allow the sharing of clever ideas and boasting of great moves: just among the three players on a team.  The critics here would be the suspicion that two teams had kind of understood to if not work together, to not attack one another, and if both attack the same other team, the suspicion rises.  Second, that despite pretty much saying in the game thread it is important not to drop, a player dropping screws up the team, even though we can turn the abandoned position over to another player on the team, usually it is after a critical missed turn which inspired the drop.

I've thought about almost a 1st Cycle of Alamaze solution, allowing just a fixed set of allowable messages, just filling in the variables like the amount of gold or the abbreviation of a character name.  Further restriction I've considered is you must have a noble at a PC of the kingdom to be approached, or one side or the other has a group at the PC or the two groups are in the field.  It would also be cool in this case to allow through the game system messages to be exchanged under those conditions between turns, i.e., not necessarily in conjunction with the turn commands submitted. The diplomacy would also count as an order against Influence, so would not be a constant, reflexive, "How are you" thing, but rather used for critical junctures.

Anyway, all players are encouraged to post questions on the forum, generally under Newbie Questions but perhaps elsewhere.  Just phrase the question without identifying the game, the personas other than your own is assumed, and not the kingdom unless that is germane to the question.
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#16
Some players like to play a lot of games.  6 or 8 at a time is not all that uncommon. A full diplomacy game take a lot of time if you want to follow all of the comments and try to recall who has agreements with who.   That is another reason some of the "hard core", for lack of a better word, avoid them.  The three turn forum only diplmo is a compromise that helps get a game filled quickly.  No one wants to be sitting around for weeks waiting for a game to start and that has happened before.
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#17
I am a fan of the in game diplomacy option and feel you should have to send an emissary to a capital or at least a town of the person you want to communicate with. The emissary should also be required to stay there to maintain an alliance. After all allies must be in constant contact. It would also allow for another level of covert action. Intercept messages. ?
Live your life so that the fear of death can never enter your heart, be not like those whose hearts are filled with fear of death, so that when their time comes, they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way.

Sing Your Death Song And Die Like A Warrior Going Home.
Tecumseh, Shawnee Chief
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#18
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)Acererak
7)Drogo
8)AlatarTBW
9)Brekk
10) The Painted Man
11)
12) Strylian
Live your life so that the fear of death can never enter your heart, be not like those whose hearts are filled with fear of death, so that when their time comes, they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way.

Sing Your Death Song And Die Like A Warrior Going Home.
Tecumseh, Shawnee Chief
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#19
(05-09-2019, 03:57 PM)The Painted Man Wrote:
(05-09-2019, 03:45 PM)Brekk Wrote: OK a question from a newbie.  Why are games set to silent?  Is this a strategy thing, concerns about collusion?  The reason I ask is  half the fun of a game would be talk on the boards this is of course from my perspective, I like hearing some of the great in character writings and smack talk.  In my case as a new player this also allows me to communicate and ask questions of other players in or off the forum so I learn faster, without "cheating".  Not asking for a change to the game just trying to understand the reasons.

I agree, but have yet to see a 'full communication' game posted. The potential for fun with smack talk (or strategy, if that's your "thing") is immense and one of the things that first roped me into this. Closest I've seen is forum communication games. But really, if I was going to attack someone, I certainly wouldn't be looking for allies (or people to look the other way) on a public forum. 

I blame the snowflakes. Always the snowflakes.

Also not asking for a change to this game, but at some point would love to be able to do some strategery.

Damn those snowflakes. Now I have to grab a shovel.
Live your life so that the fear of death can never enter your heart, be not like those whose hearts are filled with fear of death, so that when their time comes, they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way.

Sing Your Death Song And Die Like A Warrior Going Home.
Tecumseh, Shawnee Chief
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#20
Thank you everyone for the explanation, it makes a lot of sense from the perspective of veteran players.
I think what I like about the current mentor game I am in Mentor/Apprentice (again REALLY appreciate all the vets of the game stepping in and helping the new players) is all the knowledge that would simply never be known if it hadn't been started, likely I would have walked away from Alamaze after a few games of getting my ass kicked and no real good feel for the depth of strategy y or relationships being built. Knowing there is a "type" of game for teams I will look for those formats.

Ry Vor, I like the the ideas and counting against influence is a nice idea.
Even if you could have a game discussion for each game in play which all that could be exchange is trades, whether that be gold/food/artifacts/info nothing more it would seem that it would open up some of the classes that use TOT for instance as a weapon.

I think a random small gold/food bonus to one random kingdom who is not last to hit enter on a game be a little incentive to put turns in faster Smile Hopefully I am not annoying the veterans of the games with my ideas, I know there is always a lot of reasons why stuff does/doesnt happen I just like knowing the why.
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