Re: MEPBM 'riddle help' = you guys are weak...

From: MDBench@spamisevil.concentric.net

Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997 00:00:00 +0000

On Tue, 12 Aug 1997 19:27:27 -0700, Eric Myerson
<eric.myerson@worldnet.att.net> wrote:

>RedEyeJoe wrote:
>>
>> About moving pop.centers....
>> It would be very hard to make such a change because some pop.centers
>> owned by two different nations and two different allegiences could come
>> side by side or very close to each other.
>> Imagine that to happen to the QA and the Harad.....
>> Move 2734 one hex east (2834) and 3034 one hex west (2934).
>> Result: Harads capitol army moves east and crunch the QA capitol in turn
>> 1.
>>
>> But when you'r at it, try to make that change, if you succed, to come to
>> Europe. :)
>>
>> RedEyeJoe
>
>Aaaaaarrrrrgggghhhhh!  I am currently playing QA and have just played QA
>in a different game, the thought of being intermingled with Harad gives
>me nightmares!!!!!!!
>
>Eric

Yes, but which is worse? Having 1 population center nearer an enemy,
or having the enemy know the location and size of ALL of your
population centers along with their fortification levels AND while we
are at it the size and composition of all your starting armies AND the
names and proficiency of all your characters?

To put it blunty, having all that information in the open gives
'veteran' (read: weenies with information they should not have
and probably would not have the know-how to obtain by issuing
orders in MEPBM) players a *huge* advantage over rookie players,
especially in regards to launching a quick knockout blow vs.
an inexperienced enemy in the early turns of a game.

I won't even get into how some Nation on THE OTHER SIDE OF MIDDLE
EARTH knows EVERYTHING about a certain enemy Nation (i.e.
Southern Gondor knowing all about the Dragon Lord's forces
and assets). Remember, the primary factors that saved the Free
Peoples in the Lord of the Rings were luck and LACK OF INFORMATION.
Sauron - potentially the most powerful single indicidual in all of
Middle Earth at the time (with the possible exception of Tom Bombadil)
and without a doubt the most powerful mage - *did not know* where the
Shire was, so he had to scout it out. The delay in finding the Shire
*barely* gave Frodo and Co. time to get out of town.

Moving population centers by 1 hex in *any* direction will make people
find them, plain and simple - as opposed to 'knowing' where *every*
enemy population center in Middle Earth is at game start.

And while we are at it, why don't they use 4th age rules for all non
famous characters and also for army building in the 2nd and 3rd age
games? For example, as the Noldor in a 2nd age game you have Elrond,
Elladan, Elrohir, and Glorfindel at game start and $5500 to purchase
at least 6 other characters (*please* don't nitpick me on the $ or
numbers, I am stressing the idea not the game balance of my quickly
thought up numbers) and $12000 to build your armies with a discount
for archers and light infantry (hey, you're Elven...<G>).

I know this may be tough to implement, but I think *everyone* would
have a better time playing MEPBM. The veterans would have more of
a challenge, and the new guys would gain some badly needed breathing
room and time (how many times have you seen a new player drop a
position because he gets swarmed on turn 2 by 4 Nations who know
*everything* about his Nation in advance?).

And don't even get me started on 'hidden' (I use this term VERY
loosely in 2nd and 3rd age games...<G>) population centers...<G>

Respectfully Yours,

Michael Bench (Khamul was really a nice guy, people just kept
killing his pet spiders and he was forced to react...<G>)

References

Re: MEPBM 'riddle help' = you guys are weak...
Eric Myerson <eric.myerson@worldnet.att.net>
Tue, 12 Aug 1997 00:00:00 +0000
MEPBM 'riddle help' = you guys are weak...
MDBench@spamisevil.concentric.net
Fri, 08 Aug 1997 00:00:00 +0000
Re: MEPBM 'riddle help' = you guys are weak...
Eric Myerson <eric.myerson@worldnet.att.net>
Mon, 11 Aug 1997 00:00:00 +0000
Re: MEPBM 'riddle help' = you guys are weak...
RedEyeJoe <juden@algonet.se>
Mon, 11 Aug 1997 00:00:00 +0000

Referenced By

Re: MEPBM 'riddle help' = you guys are weak...
Eric Myerson <eric.myerson@worldnet.att.net>
Tue, 12 Aug 1997 00:00:00 +0000
MEPBM 'riddle help' = you guys are weak...
MDBench@spamisevil.concentric.net
Fri, 08 Aug 1997 00:00:00 +0000
Re: MEPBM 'riddle help' = you guys are weak...
Eric Myerson <eric.myerson@worldnet.att.net>
Mon, 11 Aug 1997 00:00:00 +0000
Re: MEPBM 'riddle help' = you guys are weak...
RedEyeJoe <juden@algonet.se>
Mon, 11 Aug 1997 00:00:00 +0000