Game 5693 - Partial Diplomacy

[Maximus Dominus]

Elementalist looking to buy 50K food.

I haven't issued my turn orders for next turn (Turn #15), yet, but I may have some food I can let you have. I don't know if I'll have 50,000 food units available, though, once all of my other orders are issued.

[Maximus Dominus]

Such a quiet, quiet place. This discussion thread, I mean.

With several wars raging, one might think that there would be more noise afoot. Yet, there's not.

What a pity. So, I suppose that leaves it up to me to try and drum up a bit of noise. I hope that it doesn't offend any sensibilities, here, as I set about to do just, exactly that.

This is a Partial Diplomacy game of Alamaze, which means that I can't contact other players in this game about anything in this game, off of this game thread, and that's for the duration of this game. What a long haul through Quietsville this one's gonna be. 'O woe is me! Ill tidings!

Let me get this straight, just so that I understand. Experienced Alamaze players want a bigger Alamaze player base, rather than a small Alamaze player base. Yet, they practice the well-worn ritual of silence in game threads? Such silly people!

You don't want players to drop from their games of Alamaze, so you practice  silence, silence, and more silence. Um. . .what's wrong with this picture, people? Such an excess of silence is, in a word, boring. It doesn't even give people not in this particular game of Alamaze anything new to read, every time that you - each of you - choose to remain silent.

You've got to make noise, people. Lots and lots and lots of noise. You've got to talk shit. You've got to talk smack. Well, you don't literally have to do any of those things, but the quiet is as big a game killer as you're likely to ever find. It's not that no one ever posts in Alamaze game threads. Rather, it's that Alamaze game threads, generally speaking, tend to be fairly quiet (even very quiet), compared to game threads in other games that I've played in the past. Maybe it's just a habit that the very experienced players who comprise the current bulk of Alamaze's current still-relatively-small player base have fallen into. Maybe it's not intentional on anyone's part.

Oh, I know that everybody's schedule and situation is different. I know that DuPont, for instance, is a very bust man, this time of year. And I know that everyone isn't like me, as far as all of the postings on all kinds of subjects that I've deliberately, consciously posted in the Alamaze forum over the last month or two. It's not for my own benefit that i have posted as much as I have, since I've started playing Alamaze and taking a greater interest in the game, its player community, and its future. Perhaps I should follow the lead of many of you, and just fall off the planet of posting, and inundate the Alamaze forum with a great nothingness, a humongous dose of silence. It would in fact, require zero effort on my part, in order to accomplish that. Come to think of it, some might even prefer that I go that route.

I just don't understand the point of all this silence.

Me? I declare war on silence. Minimalism yields very little in the way of passers-by having interesting tidbits of conversation to stumble across, when they visit the forum, here.

If you really, truly want to be silent, to post little, to post very infrequently, then you do that. Me? I've decided to step things up a notch in this particular game thread for game 5693. Feel free to ignore it or to skip past it. Also feel free to add me to your Ignore List. It's real easy to do, and there's a link to facilitate you being able to do that located at the far top-right of the forum.

I'm gonna end this posting, here, and in just a little bit, I'm gonna post something else. Happy reading!

[RELLGAR]

Don't you know there's a world war going on? That's the reason. Thank you John for giving us some enjoyment though it.

[Maximus Dominus]

Known Population Center Locations
AD = Minor City (Amazons)
CD = Village (Underworld) (Usurped Turn #14)
DC = Village (Amazons)
DE = Town (Amazons)
DJ = Village (Amazons)
ED = Village (Amazons)
EJ = Town (Amazons)
EG = Village (Amazons)
FG = Village (Amazons)
FL = Town (Amazons)
HO = Town (Amazons)
IF = Village (Amazons)
JJ = Major City (Amazons)
ML = Town (Amazons)
MM = Town (Amazons)

* NOTE: The Amazons start with a Hidden Capital. I offer a reward for its location.

[VballMichael]

DK - All
Silence approaches. The nasty giants have nearly eliminated the honorable Knights of Death. With only 1 PC left after this turn, and only 1 emissary, and only 1 small group, I repeat that silence approaches. I tried for a secret village in the Forgotten holds, but the Forgotten would not allow it to stay DK. That's ok. The DK has done some harm and will continue to pester and annoy. On a positive note, lots of Giant resources in Mythgar means undefended holdings in Untamed Lands.

DK - GI
Nice attack thus far. But we are not dead yet. We can still bite your foot off.

[Maximus Dominus]

DK - All
Silence approaches. The nasty giants have nearly eliminated the honorable Knights of Death. With only 1 PC left after this turn, and only 1 emissary, and only 1 small group, I repeat that silence approaches. I tried for a secret village in the Forgotten holds, but the Forgotten would not allow it to stay DK. That's ok. The DK has done some harm and will continue to pester and annoy. On a positive note, lots of Giant resources in Mythgar means undefended holdings in Untamed Lands.

DK - GI
Nice attack thus far. But we are not dead yet. We can still bite your foot off.

I can spare a foothold, if you want it. Maybe more than one.

Partial Diplomacy precludes me from communicating a location elsewhere other than here, where all eyes can see. I'll give you more than just a village, if you want it. Of course, sheer distance between our realms may make it difficult to get there.

[VballMichael]

DK - All
Silence approaches. The nasty giants have nearly eliminated the honorable Knights of Death. With only 1 PC left after this turn, and only 1 emissary, and only 1 small group, I repeat that silence approaches. I tried for a secret village in the Forgotten holds, but the Forgotten would not allow it to stay DK. That's ok. The DK has done some harm and will continue to pester and annoy. On a positive note, lots of Giant resources in Mythgar means undefended holdings in Untamed Lands.

DK - GI
Nice attack thus far. But we are not dead yet. We can still bite your foot off.

I can spare a foothold, if you want it. Maybe more than one.

Partial Diplomacy precludes me from communicating a location elsewhere other than here, where all eyes can see. I'll give you more than just a village, if you want it. Of course, sheer distance between our realms may make it difficult to get there.

Thanks for the offer, but yes that is far away. I will fight it out .2 to 1. Mano a Giant.

[RELLGAR]

DK - All
Silence approaches. The nasty giants have nearly eliminated the honorable Knights of Death. With only 1 PC left after this turn, and only 1 emissary, and only 1 small group, I repeat that silence approaches. I tried for a secret village in the Forgotten holds, but the Forgotten would not allow it to stay DK. That's ok. The DK has done some harm and will continue to pester and annoy. On a positive note, lots of Giant resources in Mythgar means undefended holdings in Untamed Lands.

DK - GI
Nice attack thus far. But we are not dead yet. We can still bite your foot off.

The FO didn't sink you. I knew where your village was and had showed up there the turn he took it back. 

The Deathknights should welcome death.

[Eregnon]

FO-GI

So just out of curiosity, what are your intentions?

[Maximus Dominus]

It's kind of a comedy of errors watching myself play Alamaze. Not in every game of Alamaze that I am playing in, currently, but certainly in at least a couple of them - Game 5693 being one of them

For me, personally, there's a little bit of a victory with each order in the game pertaining to military stuff that I am able to successfully do. Finally being able to create patrols, a short while back, was really a big step forward for me. Now, that doesn't mean that I'm any good at, nor effective with, using patrols, but it was something that I just encountered considerable difficult overcoming.

Now, I am moving various military groups around the map. Not getting very far, and continuing to fumble the ball, time and time and time, again. It's a lot like putting the pieces of a puzzle together - the military puzzle.

It's not a particularly competent way to play the game, but I am learning. Bit by bit by bit, I am acquiring more and more familiarity with the various component parts of this game. Which, by the way, is a whole other ballgame from strategizing effectively and in a timely manner, within the context of the game that is Alamaze.

All of a sudden, not one, but two kingdoms declare my kingdom an enemy. Now, that's real progress along the learning curve! Maybe it was something that I said? Maybe it was something that I did? Or perhaps it was one or more combinations of the two.

Amazon patrols flitting across the map like gnats. Other Amazon forces on the move. This part of the military puzzle is going to take longer to solve. In all likelihood, it will require experimentation across multiple games of Alamaze, in order to move past this obstacle, as well.

Having now declared my kingdom their enemy, both the Amazons and the Forgotten will now both come for me. Will I lose? The smart money says yes. If nothing else, two kingdoms in good shape that are played by very experienced players likely tend to have more resources at their disposal, both collectively and individually, than just one kingdom played by a still fairly inexperienced newer player (namely, myself). And to a considerable degree, war in Alamaze boils down to resources, and bringing forces and assets that resources provide to bear in a timely and effective manner.

Now, I don't really care about winning, and I certainly don't care about losing. In fact, I very much count on those who are now my kingdom's declared enemies to benefit me, by teaching me through their examples how to bring my kingdom down from its current place in Alamaze's minor pecking order to a place of wretched defeat, to a state of utter annihilation.

The worst enemy in Alamaze, of course, is the quiet. Am I playing against computer-controlled kingdoms, or against living, breathing, thinking, feeling human beings? Is Alamaze a realm of mimes, I wonder? Moving, yet saying nothing (or nearly so).

There are different ways that I could rate Alamaze, both as a game and as an experience. How should I rate the banter between players aspect of the game, currently? Sparse, perhaps? I wouldn't go as far as to say that the banter experience is non-existent, but that part of the game, at present, is well behind other aspects of the game - such as game design or programming.

The sum totality of all of the experience that I have amassed, thus far, playing Alamaze wouldn't fill a thimble. That said, I'm currently one of the most active Alamaze players currently playing. Surely, that counts for something, doesn't it? Love me, hate me, say what you want about me, but are you more active than I am, currently? Not last week, and not last month, and not over the last several years - but now, as in right this very moment in time?

You lack the time. I understand that. You've played Alamaze until the edge has been worn off of it. I understand that, too. Burned out? No problem, I do understand. I can very much relate to burnout when playing games. I can even relate to burnout with banter.

For many in gaming life, banter is not just a part of the game (whatever game that they are playing). Rather, banter becomes the game. The game is the game, and the kingdoms are the kingdoms, but the players - that's where the real energy either is or is not, where any game is concerned.

Hopefully, the banter end of the game will pick up, at some point. Losing is a part of most games. Boredom, however, doesn't tend to be a better part of any game.