Free-for-all Succession Game

[-Jrabbit]

Note to the group at large and Bloody Monk in particular: I'm having fun here. I'm not upset. This stuff is thrust-and-parry, nothing more.)

Originally posted by Bloody Monk
So, too robust it would appear. Or too thin skinned.

Calling me thin-skinned is actually the closest you've come to upsetting me. Apparently my smilie usage needs work...

You insist you are capable. Is not this the place to demonstrate that??

At my discretion. With 4 turnsets played the first day and limited personal time available, speed was of the essence. So I plunged onward, feeling free to be impulsive in this romp.

Is RCC hectoring??

No. RCC objections to my my actions were duly noted and copped to. You seem to take the fact that I wasn't apologetic about it as some sort of betrayal of your erzatz philosophy of SXN. That is not RCC.

Is it so unreasonable to expect that those who join in a group endeavor would give their best?? Does not the very concept of RCC spring from the foundational principal of getting the most from the least effort per turnset??

The actual RCC is no problem. I started succession gaming as a learning tool (with bonus socializing). The fact that I knew darned well the techniques I was flouting (and still did as I pleased) seems to be what offends you. Tant pis. C'est la vie.

Is the near certainty of the distant outcome even remotely relevant??

With no goal other than "just win"? Well, yes. IMHO. And frankly, during my turns, MHO is the one that counts.

Look, I'm all for you having your fun...

Despite all appearances...

[Scouse Gits]

Seeking comment from the gallery:

The incentive to 'play at speed' seems to be contrary to 'play at best' - does this matter? - or should we seek a compromise?

Stu

[duke o' york]

I don't think that Monk really cares about this either to be honest.

Hopefully he'll come back with a riposte to match the quality of the duel so far.

So SG, fancy a tenner on the rabbit?

[Scouse Gits]

Neah - he doth protest tooo much - my tenners on The Monk (after all he does represent my favourite government )

[Bloody Monk]

Originally posted by Scouse Gits
Seeking comment from the gallery:

The incentive to 'play at speed' seems to be contrary to 'play at best' - does this matter? - or should we seek a compromise?

Stu

When you have folk thumbing their nose at the very idea of being "constrained" by playing at their best and who also boast about how satisfied with themselves they are about flouting that constraint, then why bother.

I mean, really Stu, why bother??

Just have fun. Whoopeeeee!!!

I can see it now..."I thought it would be a gas and loads of fun to delete all the units and sell off all the white goods. This will give the next player much gold, and besides, I was just having fun; and don't you dare say that I did that because I couldn't think of anything better to do. I know how to play well, I tell you; I just didn't care to this turn. And how dare you tell me I can't have fun."

Why bother.

Monk

[Bloody Monk]

-Jrabbit,

Sorry you got your nose so far out of joint. I shouldn't have said you were thinskinned; beside you, thinskinned folk have armor plate for skin.

(Hope I'm using smilies correctly; wouldn't want you to get the wrong idea.)

RCC is a traditional part of SXN games. The idea has always been for everyone to improve their gameplay. Even experts.

Not that you will care but here is an example of another way to deal with RCC from another game.

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?postid=2678714#post2678714

A very adult response, don't you think??

Monk

[-Jrabbit]

As you yourself said...

Originally posted by Bloody Monk
As I understand the first post, this is like a free for all. First to finish and post, self selects themselves as "next" in line. Play but play quickly.

As far as dealing with RCC, I think I'll stand on the breadth of my responses on this forum over time.

Regarding group effort, I'll similarly stand on my record.

Within this game, it appears we shall disagree. Since I seem to be cast in the role of miscreant and you in that of supreme arbiter, pronounce as thou wilt, O Bloody One.

Just try to remember: It's a game.

[Elephant]

Originally posted by Scouse Gits
Seeking comment from the gallery:

The incentive to 'play at speed' seems to be contrary to 'play at best' - does this matter? - or should we seek a compromise?

A worthy experiment, IMHO. A lot of SXN games seem to bog down with missing players or week-long turns. Perhaps a "call the ball" mechanism, good only for 2-4 hours? Don't give up on the "speed" side, though. Nothing improved my chess play like Speed Chess.

Can't let the MPers have all the fun...

[Grigor]

Playing now...

[Grigor]

Free-for-all SXN, 12 turns

380 Open game, examine our position after the Lagomorphic joyride: 15 cities, 30-70-0, researching Univ (19 turns...), 23 techs (which means we are on tech # 18); Germans have Seafaring; Sioux and Carts have Poly;
Our cities have food issues, which in many cases could be eased by Harbors. We could build Copes somewhere (4 monks has good food and 4 specials, and Central city has HG and lots of ocean. I guess we are going for Mono and Mike's, but you wouldn't know it by our haphazard civ. Some caravans are soon to be delivered to Celtic demanders. Reaching the Persians is long in our future, but there looks like a good canal site to the southeast of Flash. The only characteristic I can see of our civ is a decided predilection for canals.

We need a soul! A goal for our people! A shining slogan!

In 12 turns, we decide on Develop the Homeland!

Plan: Abandon war (for the nonce) bulld KRC, Cope's, libraries, Harbors, MP, Temples in core cities. Courthouse in 4 monks. Persian Canal with City Walls. Try to build 8 caravans for Mike's for my successor.

An ambitious program indeed, but here goes.

Spent lots of money. Germans: give Rep, Monarchy for Seafaring. Tribute: 150g. Carts and Sioux refuse talk. Celts: give Republic, Construction so they can grow for us.
Press Enter

400 4 monks Silk to Tintagel (d, 42) Central City builds Library
420 Hill fort Copper to Caernifon (d, 28g) Central city builds Harbor.
440* Persians almost done with Oracle. Babs almost done with GL. Time to gift them.
Central City completes KRC. Horse kills Sioux archer=>vet
460 zzz
480 build white goods

500 zzz
520* Bribe Sioux vet legion. Babs: 200g. Carts: rep, const for Poly, peace.
540 Sioux will complete Great Wall. Persian Canal finally founded.
560 Sioux build Great Wall. Sioux: Peace.
580 Univ=>Mono Barking Mad beads to Caernifon (d, 76)
600 * defensive position established against Sioux, our new friends.
620 Carts start Cope's. Hmm- we are hard by the 8 caravans for Mikes, but Mono is 14 turns away. Maybe Cope's first... after a University in Central City
640 Largest - That's Us. Persians #2, Carts, Celts, Sioux, Babs.

That's all. I hope the .zip save works.

[Grigor]

OK, I look forward to RCC. This is the part of the game where I tend to bog down completely, and this was no exception. I got a wonder and can complete another next turn. Peace with most civs, and the canal city to the Persians with the beginnings of a shipchain. Mono is coming, and then Mikes, and then Revolution to Republic and WLTC days. I built a number of harbors which seem unnecessary at present, and there are still some outposts with food problems. I unfortunately needed to sell the barracks in MonkWine to bribe the Sioux at an important moment in case anybody wonders.

[Scouse Gits]

I'm intrigued with your thinking vis a vis KRC - personally I have built it once in the last four ot five years (a four rivered pheasant site - pretty) but generaly consider it a complete waste of time - enlighten me...

[Scouse Gits]

Twelve turns

-4) SG[1]
-3) -Jrabbit
-2) Old n Slow
-1) Grigor

[Rasputin]

is this open to any to play or is it just for the better players. if it opne to any i would like a turn, but if you olny after the same old "best" players ill sit back andf lurk as usual ...

[Grigor]

As to KRC, I can't recall the last time I used it either. It is actually hard to reconstruct what came over me.

My thought process involved wanting to get to 10-shields/turn in monarchy and perhaps 20/turn in republic for faster caravan and infrastructure purposes. I also thought to rehome a bunch of triremes to central city once Shakes was built to keep the shipchain possible in the early stages of representative govs. I was astonished at the lack of infrastructure and was running out of cash after 2 turns, as were the AI civs who gave us most of what they had. Our science rate was so slow relative to our civ size that it looked like Cope's would have been a drop in the bucket. So I chose (panicked) to build KRC first. In retrospect, getting to Mono (hence Mikes, hence Republic) even one turn earlier was more important and Cope's should have come first.

I hoped we would look better after 12 turns than we do. So I think there were other stategic mistakes as well.