New SS 6.4 HS: preparations thread (2 turns per week)

[sonnet]

My nickname on Twcenter is : Invicta (for anyone how might know me there)
Please read carefully

I'm starting a new HS using SS 6.4 mod. It'll be a skip a few mod (which means some turns-likely about 60 turns- will be played with the AI
leading all the factions). A few changes will be made at the begin of teh 1st turn, to ensure that some factions won't disappear and to get a more balanced setup (I'll publish those changes later, but most noyably mongols stacks will be reduced, KoJ will get 1-2 elite stacks to not die, Byzantines will get the same too as also HRE might get some help -i need to check that before giving final instructions to the admin of this HS-)
I'll be the manager of the HS, which means my authority is above everyone else concerning the HS.
This means in practical terms that I'll decide who will be the admin (I won't be admin and I won't ever hold the admin password,
but on the other hand I'll decide who'll keep the admin password).
I'll appoint an external admin who'll take decisions about rule-breaking and assign appropriate punishments (I won't take part in the decisions. Also I'll likely appoint 1 or 2 players to be co-admin: they won't take any part in deciding punishment or checking turns.
They'll just help the main admin, by posting periodical map, resetting password and skipping turns when needed.
of the admin in any way, and he'll act independently. Everyone including me, must accept his decisions. On the other hand before the HS
starts I'll give some indication to the admin about how to act. In particular, whenever someone breaks a rule, the admin must make sure that the player who broke it, should not only not profit form it but also be assigned a proper punishment. Whether breaking the rule was voluntarily done or not, players needs to accept it as if they made a mistake -i.e like putting their own army in the wrong position-. A milder punishments might be given to factions on the brick-or close to- of destruction. This is because sometimes, players play lightly-some time purposely- when their faction is about to day. So this is done to not let players to take advantage of this).
Now the most important part: the HS will have a turn every 3 days (first cycle Mon-Wed and second Thurs-Sat).
You'll choose a day and a windows timeframe. For instance if you're generally available to play between 5-8pm on Monday, and you'll have your second turn on Thursday.
Or else play between 5-8pm on Wednesday and Saturday.
This way you'll know in advance when you'll have to play, as also being that you chose the timeframe, you'll have to play when it most suits you.
This way we'll have a moderately fast HS (2 turns per week, that's why the real deal). To that end you'll need to understand that why reloading is allowed, still it's not an excuse to delay your turn.
If you have only 10 minutes that day , you'll be asked to play in 10 minutes.
Ideally players should not spend more than 30 minutes on their turns (which should make HS more unpredictable and funnier). If you take longer, it's your choice but you have no excuse to delay
the submission of your turn (if you really can't play you should notify at least 24 hours before your turn is due and ask to be subbed).
As also remember that focus of the HS is not winning, but enjoying it. So you'd be expected to play up to very end of your faction (that's why hard to die)

Now please read carefully.
Among the new rules, I might introduce a new rule called the : "decisive battle"
Basically during a war, when a smaller faction is getting bashed by a bigger one, it can call the "decisive battle".
This will be played on online multiplayer (we might set up a room inside some vpn , you don't need to worry about that as I'll set it for you and it'll be easy to join). Basically the loser will have this way the chance to revert the outcome of the war.
The losing part will be assigned less money (so he'll have less chances to win)than the winning part (i.e 8k for the losing side and 12k for the winning side). So the losing side we'll have less chances to win, but if he win, peace will be enforced (10 turns likely) and he'll get back at least one or 2 regions of his choice (to be defined).
This will add not only unpredictability (as even big empire won't be sure to crash small ones until the very end).
But it will also bring more advantages:
1-Players will keep motivated longer, since even when they're losing teh war, they still hold chances to revert the balance (even if not completely).
2-Until now, players with "reloading skills" and more time to play, have got a considerable advantage in HS. This rule, being the battle played in real time, will give more advantage to the ones who actually can really play a battle without using any sort of cheats.
3-More balance: players always choose bigger factions to get more chances to win. Now even with small factions you'll get your own good chance. But that's not the end: some factions have good units for playing battles which are not so good in AR. With this rule those factions are less at disadvantage.


Depending on how many players will take part in it, I'll define the map borders.
We might take up to 15 players maximum (and still 2 turns per week will be played, do not worry about that).