Ancient Times #0495 3/3 From: keith.langley@mdcs.com (Keith Langley) Date: Mon, 27 Mar 1995 21:10:27 +0000 STANDINGS: Population in hundreds: Votlansh 36, Chicane 33, Storch 31, Gramunch 29, Ettahae 29, Magian 27, Levi 27, Tyr 24, Mobius 18. Provinces controlled: Gramunch 15, Ettahae 14, Storch 11, Levi 11, everyone else 10, Mobius 7. Holy Writ One True Faith game #3 Update to last issue's deity list: TAVERNA will use puzzles in debates. Her investments cost $12 due to high absenteeism. Read "About vacant provinces" in the news for Game #2, as it applies to this game as well. Bad weather in Poland - Heavy rain north of Warsaw forced the cancellation of a missionary journey by Dudley. Roebuck invades Odessa - The Seers of Roebuck launched a double invasion, landing on both coasts of Odessa. The battle was large and bloody with catastrophic casualties on both sides. Both armies lost troops to inter-Goblin squabbles. The agnostics of Odessa had an army that was almost entirely artillery. They pounded the Seers mercilessly, but enough of Roebuck's troops survived the barrrage to capture the province. Crispin takes Byzantium - The Machine Master's troops attacked from Rumelia with a hobgoblin army built around rockets. The defenders had missiles of their own, but were outmatched by the Crispian forces, who won despite heavy losses. LETTERS (Drehme) - I may be contacted through my representative: Julie Varga, xxx-xxx-xxxx. (Roebuck) - For trade: one very southern province. If interested (or even if not), contact me through: Robert Quick, xxx-xxx-xxxx. (Roebuck) - Taverna, the heroes are yours, as agreed. Please remove them. Thank you. NOTES ON EXPLORATION, HIDING, MONEY, AND STUFF Many players have discovered that by leaving a single economic point in a province, they can receive a continuous printout of that province. While an effective tactic, this is one that is easily countered. To steal money or other goods normally requires a Special Mission. Even if there is only a cargo ship, a temple, a hero, or a single worshipper protecting the goods, heroes or priests must still go through the infiltration/ results/ escape routine described in the rules for Special Missions. BUT...if carts or economic goods are UNPROTECTED, no mission is required to confiscate them. Any hero, priest, temple, ship or worshipping population can simply say "I want that", and it's theirs. This does not interfere with the confiscator's regular orders; it takes no time or effort. An UNPROTECTED resource is defined as carts and/or economic points without any other owned item in the province. Agnostic provinces never confiscate anything. You may order moving units to "confiscate any goods found" as they move, and they will take as much as they can carry. If more than one player tries to confiscate the same goods, the GM will figure out what happens; a battle between heroes could erupt - so be careful about ordering confiscation lightly or routinely. So how come hiding heroes don't generate a printout, but a lousy wood point does? Well, a hero is an individual; a wood point left in a province represents a tiny investment or business concern. WHile the proprietors don't actually worship You (or if they do, there are too few of them to count as a population point), they are in contact with Your organization. They are wimps, though, and will cave in at the first sign of trouble. No, you cannot give "hide" or other orders to an economic point! Some other points that people often overlook: Carts only move one space, even if accompanied by a cavalry hero. They also do not fly even if their leader does. A cart requires 10 cargo spaces if loaded on a ship. It does not have cargo capacity of its own while on a ship. Units can carry economic points equal to their cargo requirement/ size ratings. For example, a human cavalry hero can carry two points; a western human pike unit can carry 40 points. This capacity is lost when the unit itself is being transported, as on a ship. When sailing, it is almost always safer to use coastal movement than to cross an open sea where other players may have warships patrolling. However, if you have no hero or priest aboard,or if you are using a warship, you may not move coastally through an uncontrolled province. Although patrolling warships may not enter an uncontrolled province (except as part of an attack), they are considered to escort cargo ships all the way across the sea and to the harbor entrance. This does not interfere with their ability to conduct piracy or other attacks on the same turn, should a likely target present itself. Up