One more PBEM, Anyone?

[nbarclay]

So far, the PBEM's I've gotten involved in have been entirely human affairs. I'd like to start one involving a mixture of 4 humans and 4 AI's to see what it's like, and I figured I'd see if there's interest here before posting to the general PBEM area. (I'm planning to move the game there eventually to avoid cluttering up the GS area more.) I'd like it to be a standard map, maximum land, continents game, on Monarch level. If possible, I'd like to use careful selection of AIs coupled with culturally linked starting positions to get two humans and two AIs on each side of the map. (Even better would be if someone would volunteer to set up a map for us, ensuring comparable land masses and reasonably comparable starting positions, assuming scenarios work properly in PBEM.)

Two special rules:

(1) Human players are not permitted to sign alliances with AIs against other human players unless MPPs have already caused AIs to get involved in the war. Such alliances would be highly unbalancing in the early game, but the exception allows a player without Nationalism to use alliances to counteract de facto allies brought in through MPPs.

(2) In no case may a civ ally and/or hold MPPs with both of the two strongest AI civs (as indicated by the power graph) simultaneously, or with more than two AI civs simultaneously. This is also intended to avoid having one human use AIs to gang up on another.

Nathan

[FrustratedPoet]

Since I'm about to lose my PBEM game against Conqueror some time soon ... I'm in on this one.

[DeepO]

I'd like to join too, to have another role than the GoW in the Euro PBEM. The rules seem ok, even if I normally love playing the alliances game.

Two remarks:
1) I wouldn't move it into the PBEM forum, but if possible keep it to ourselves. We only need 1 thread to discuss it, and everything we learn from it can benefit us.
2) I suggest one of the first things to do is finding a name for this game, there are quite a few of them going on already. It becomes hard to reference all of them...

DeepO

[nbarclay]

Originally posted by DeepO
I'd like to join too, to have another role than the GoW in the Euro PBEM. The rules seem ok, even if I normally love playing the alliances game.

Two remarks:
1) I wouldn't move it into the PBEM forum, but if possible keep it to ourselves. We only need 1 thread to discuss it, and everything we learn from it can benefit us.
2) I suggest one of the first things to do is finding a name for this game, there are quite a few of them going on already. It becomes hard to reference all of them...

I already have a tentative name picked out: "Four and Four" (perhaps using 4/4 as shorthand). I have no problem with leaving it here if that's okay with everyone.

In regard to playing the alliances game, you can still ally with humans against humans or AIs, or with AIs against AIs. You can decide whether to engage in a research partnership with the other human on your continent, try to vassalize him, or take him out completely. It's only the "bribe all the AIs to gang up with me against a human" strategy that I'm trying to close off. (Imagine playing against Carthage and having them take advantage of their Commercial trait to get writing in 40 turns and then bribe two AIs to help triple-team you and you should see my reasoning.)

Nathan

[DeepO]

Four and Four

As to alliances: I agree on keeping it out, but why do you think I like it? I'm normally the one who is coming with a few allies onto someone else (SP, of course, I still have to finish my first MP game)

DeepO

[nbarclay]

Originally posted by DeepO
Four and Four

As to alliances: I agree on keeping it out, but why do you think I like it? I'm normally the one who is coming with a few allies onto someone else (SP, of course, I still have to finish my first MP game)

I never said I thought you'd like it, just that I thought you'd see my reasoning. And do you seriously think I'm not usually the one who enlists allies to gang up on enemies in SP? But MP is a whole different game, because every dirty trick we pull on the AI's in SP, another human just might take a notion to pull on us.

Nathan

[DeepO]

So... signing alliances against another AI is still perfectly allowed, no?

DeepO

[FrustratedPoet]

If I'm understanding Nathan right, the only kind of alliance not allowed is:
Human/AI .vs. Human
(except if an MPP forces such an alliance).

[nbarclay]

Originally posted by FrustratedPoet
If I'm understanding Nathan right, the only kind of alliance not allowed is:
Human/AI .vs. Human
(except if an MPP forces such an alliance).

Correct.

[alva]

As for maps, why not see if there's one in the scenario folder that fits.
There are more or less symmetrical maps in there

[nbarclay]

Originally posted by alva848
As for maps, why not see if there's one in the scenario folder that fits.
There are more or less symmetrical maps in there

I poked around in the scenarios some a few days ago, and I don't remember anything offhand that I'd especially like for four humans and four AIs (not that there couldn't be something I'm forgetting). If someone else can think of a suitable scenario, I'm open to suggestions.

Although I'm not quite sure I want things too symmetrical. It's more competitive when one player doesn't get a whole lot better starting position than another, but there's something to be said for having to go out and explore the world rather than knowing from the scenario what it's like. Thoughts, anyone?

Nathan

[nbarclay]

So far, we have FrustratedPoet, DeepO, and myself as players. Anyone interested in being our fourth?

Nathan

[Dominae]

Two of my PBEM games have crashed and burned, so sign me up here if you haven't found your fourth (...sounds like Bridge).


Dominae

[Arrian]

Do you still want someone to set up a map? I could probably handle that...

Generate a map, set the starting locations, save as scenario, right?

-Arrian

[nbarclay]

Originally posted by Dominae
Two of my PBEM games have crashed and burned, so sign me up here if you haven't found your fourth (...sounds like Bridge).

Or Spades, which I played a lot of in college. Welcome.