Re: [Announcement] Eldritch Commercial Launch

From: Carter Apps <capps@Toronto.BCSC.ON.Bell.CA>

Date: Thu, 16 Jul 1998 00:00:00 +0000

Juggernaut Press wrote:
>
> Greg Lindahl wrote in message <6oijf7$2ep@news3.newsguy.com>...
> >David desJardins <desj@math.berkeley.edu> writes:
>
> >> One of the *advantages* that I think that Eldritch has over Olympia is a
> >> *simpler* time model.
>
> >
> >[ Disclaimer: I looked at the Eldrich rules for about 5 minutes... ]
>
> >
> >It looks to me like the time model is identical to Atlantis 2.
> >
> >The spells and pretty much everything else looks like an elaboration
> >to the Atlantis 2 systems, although most of the details of the spells
> >aren't in the rules.
>
> All games of this genre (Olympia, Atlantis, Eldritch, Lorenai, Overlord, et.
> al.) share certain similarities, but after you have read the Eldritch
> rulebook a bit more carefully I think you will find that the game is much
> more than 'an elaboration to the Atlantis 2 systems'. Perhaps some of the
> folks who have played both Atlantis and Eldritch (in playtest) would like to
> comment? They're the only ones who can make a truly valid comparison.

I have been in Atlantis 3 for 100+ turns and the Eldritch beta test for
44 turns and there is certainly enough difference to consider playing
both for different reasons.
Atlantis is large, I suspect too large.  Even at the highest point of
playership in the current game the land size was too large to create any
real need for player strife.  That's not to say that wars did not
breakout even from turn 1 but this was due to crazies or aggressive
players (+ old grudges from other pbms) not a scarcity of land or
resources.  The ability of grow with out competition has created players
with turns of up to 2000k, this leads to burnout, apathy and eventual
retirement without ever having the fun of managing a war.
My current turn is still in the 800k range and in several regions still
have no solid borders and in other cases no neighbours.

The division of factions between war, trade and magic points forces
direction and limitations on your faction.  This linked with # of
players and begining density in the 6 starting locations leads to a game
of alliances/grand alliances and mega alliances. You are really given no
choice, to play a mixed factions means you are not efficient, to play a
specialized faction means you really have no choice but ally with
someone else with the other abilities you lack.  I'm sure anyone playing
will agree that finding someone willing to be a pure trade faction is
next to impossible.  Should you try to play as a total independant you
will likely get squished.
Big alliances means more email than any one person should ever get, I've
had days with 50+ mails. This is a game or hobby not a job and the time
involved can get oppresive.

In Atlantis magic is King of the battle field, eventually making normal
troops nearly pointless except for taxation.  The mages themselves, the
items they make, and the monsters they summon overpower everything even
the dreaded double bow.

Eldritch has more player choice, the number of producers/taxers/mages
depends on markets and needs of the player, playing style and your
ability to expand.
Magic and production has more depth but means a lot more micro
management of your faction.

As each person likely starts alone in a village you have the opportunity
to grow and expand independantly from each other until contact.  This
gives you time to prepare and learn before having to decide if you want
to be in an alliance or before you have to get involved in a war.  It
seems quite possilbe to play an entire game without needing to cooperate
and if you do, you will certainly never have to cooperate with more than
a couple of people. This means less mail and less time.

The balance of mages vs normals in battle I have not tested  and cannot
comment.
The fact that the number of mages is not limited as in Atlantis the
chances of losing your entire faction in a single incident is unlikely
in Eldritch, (Even if you are stabbed in the back by someone playing an
illegal second faction under a hotmail account.

The number of resources/ types of weapons/ armour/building types/races
battle formations and the depth of the magical skills gives Eldritch
much more interesting flavour than Atlantis has.  Eldritch due to it's
mico management is more complicated and somewhat slower to grow and
develop but a strong overall game.

What's needed is for some eager players to write some player utilities
like the automappers and some of the other things the Atlantis players
have available.

Carter

References

Re: [Announcement] Eldritch Commercial Launch
David desJardins <desj@math.berkeley.edu>
Tue, 14 Jul 1998 00:00:00 +0000
Re: [Announcement] Eldritch Commercial Launch
lindahl@pbm.com (Greg Lindahl)
Wed, 15 Jul 1998 00:00:00 +0000
Re: [Announcement] Eldritch Commercial Launch
"Juggernaut Press" <pbm@gamesbymail.com>
Wed, 15 Jul 1998 00:00:00 +0000

Referenced By

Re: [Announcement] Eldritch Commercial Launch
David desJardins <desj@math.berkeley.edu>
Tue, 14 Jul 1998 00:00:00 +0000
Re: [Announcement] Eldritch Commercial Launch
lindahl@pbm.com (Greg Lindahl)
Wed, 15 Jul 1998 00:00:00 +0000
Re: [Announcement] Eldritch Commercial Launch
"Juggernaut Press" <pbm@gamesbymail.com>
Wed, 15 Jul 1998 00:00:00 +0000