Re: ME-PBM: neutrals in grudge games From: usenet@eastman.Kodak.Com (usenet) Date: Thu, 22 Sep 1994 14:36:14 +0000 It is my experience that some players (teams) are good and will welcome a contributig neutral with open arms while some teams are scum-bags who will "use" a neutral and try to screw them in the end. I personally am a member of a team which welcomes neutrals and we don't concern ourselves with who's going to win (individually) at all. Many of us have not even looked at our individual victory conditions! One must keep in mind that the price for an individual victory is not really that great while the feeling of victory and friendship when a team effort produces a sound tromping of the opponents is nothing short of a natural high (and gives you the right to feel a little superior-- until the next game!) It is important for a neutral to scope out the attitude of a team before joining. I also think it's pretty hard for a team to win while sabotaging a neutral that has joined (or any other team member) unless the opponents are incompetent. There just aren't that many free orders which don't need to be used against the opponents. If the neutral keeps his characters moving and active in enemy areas, about all they can do is steal gold. If they try to get his characters in enemy areas, the enemy might get them! Also many games end with little or no warning (the enemy realizes it doesn't have a chance and wants to start using their money in a new game where they do.) A team planning sabotage will probably not succeed in my opinion. I believe that it is much more common for neutrals to wait and join when victory is assured and they know their Victory Points are in the top three. In one of my current team games we have two neutrals which are trying this and we have a surprise for them! - North Gondor Referenced By Up