Exhuming a Discussion on Military Numbers and Roleplay

[xiaodave]

Originally posted by GeneralTacticus


That's true to an extent, but the main advantage FCL holds is simple: they can, if they choose, make their defeat an incredibly bloody one, which no realistically played democracy is going to accept. FCL can't win the war militarily, but they can get a more favourable peace deal by other means... which is as it should be.

I would actually argue that they couldnt. I havent put all the countries through the calculator, but based on the ones I have put through I would expect FCL's forces inside Azan to be outnumbered on the order of 50-1. They could rp Thermopole, after all anythings possible in rp, but that would require ten other players to rp being completely strategically flummoxed by a vastly inferior force.

[joncha]

You're forgetting all the support they've received from the Hive. That makes the Israel analogy quite valid, IMO.

[xiaodave]

I just wanted to take a post to tell mr Rasputin that I do admire the work it took to make the calculator. I dont want you to think I'm trashing it or anything, that is certainly not my intent. Its well designed and well concieved, for a work in progress. I just want to point out some things that I think need to be considered before any of this gets set in stone.

[GeneralTacticus]

In terms of overall military power, FCL might be outmatched to that degree, but in terms of troops actually in Azan? No. Especially not when you consider that they have their entire nation's resources on hand to wage the war, whereas many of the others invovled (like me, or Auldoninna), have to deploy troops a long way from home. Finally, a lot of FCL forces are stationed in cities, and those are hell to fight in, especially if you're requried to avoid excessive civilian casualties or general damage, while they aren't.

So, to sum up, FCL isn't as outmatched as you're suggesting, and they still have the ability to make things very messy if they choose.

[xiaodave]

Originally posted by joncha
You're forgetting all the support they've received from the Hive. That makes the Israel analogy quite valid, IMO.

Okay I think I will give up for the night. Everyone is missing my arguement.

My point isnt to argue weather or not a small nation might possibly be able to rp a theoretical defense against a larger one (or ones). My point is that in terms of designing rules for a game: why would you want to design something that Requires the majority of nations on the board (and all new players) to play from a position of such staggering weakness that they need to pull off an agincourt every time they take the field. And do you really think that the larger nations will honestly assume the role of rping the military buffonery it will take to keep the smaller players in the game.

Tomorrow, I will put my money where my mouth is so to speak. I will detail my own plan, rather than poke poor rasputins with sticks. I wont be as realistic as this calculator but from a gameplay standpoint I think it will prove more desireable.

[Rasputin]

i am happy to see what you vome up with, but i guess i always been a realist, i like to see some conections to reality , but not too many that make it unfun....

a fe woptions i been thinking off..

problems people raised.

1. New nations wont role paly military...

solution. i think newbies shouldnt, only takes 8 months to get to approx Boondi nations size so let the newbies post in othe threads..

2. Popualtions too big.

Soultion. set a max popualtion string say to 1.5 bill and any one above that popualtion will only be calcualted at 1.5 bill ..

[xiaodave]

Originally posted by Rasputin
i am happy to see what you vome up with, but i guess i always been a realist, i like to see some conections to reality , but not too many that make it unfun....

a fe woptions i been thinking off..

problems people raised.

1. New nations wont role paly military...

solution. i think newbies shouldnt, only takes 8 months to get to approx Boondi nations size so let the newbies post in othe threads..

I dont agree. It would be a damn shame to have a new player see the military threads, think to himself "Thats the kind of game Ive been looking for" and then come here to have people tell him, you cant play for eight months. Think he'll wait, cause I dont and just like that youve lost a player, perhaps one that would have enriched the game for everyone.

2. Popualtions too big.

Soultion. set a max popualtion string say to 1.5 bill and any one above that popualtion will only be calcualted at 1.5 bill ..

Now this just punishes people who have 1.5+ populations. It makes no sense whatsoever to single out them to have thier numbers reduced and nobody else. If you do want to fix the population numbers to something more realistic it seems that just dividing everybody by ten would do the trick. The big guys would be about the size of the US or Indonesia, new players would be about the size of Luxembourg. 700 mil would make you a Vietnam or France and 1.5bil would put you in Brazil.

[Rasputin]

im fine with that too, a division by ten of the popualtion is an easy fix ...