Multifaction PBM using -ian faction switch.

[afrit]

[standard disclaimer] If this is not an original topic, and has been hashed and kille before, please direct to relevant thread[end disclaimer]

Going through froggy's excellent unit guide (yet again) I stumbled upon the -ian cheat . It was an eye opening experience For one, replays are much more instructive with the blimp view camera (airplane shot) I'll never do replays any different.

Well I'm sure many of you are aware of -ian, so I'll get to my point.

I noticed that many PBMs end up being non-challenging after a few reigns, as the PBM's faction,if played correctly, becomes dominant . So players have come up with rules to make it more challenging (e.g no offensive wars, no peasant governors, no excomm etc...)

I think -ian gives us a new option . I propose a multi-faction PBM should get sarted in which each reign is played by a different faction. To do this, the host would take the savegame file, load it with -ian on, switch factions and then save it back. Then the next player has a new faction that he plays under normal (i.e without -ian which makes battles too easy etc..) conditions. When his King dies, the host repeats the -ian trick.

There are many ways the factions can be chosen. It can be a game between 2 factions where they alternate for a reign (or a period of years, say 20) as a competition, or we can pick the next faction based on its leader's age and overall situation etc....

The downside is that the PBM loses its continuity of one nation, the upside is that every player can play all out for his favorite faction to win. I think with GA points, the game could be interesting as the new King will have to make her faction catch up with the one of the previous player ....

What do you all think? Any takers?

PS: I did look at some threads in the Throne Room that discussed using this for simulating Multi-Player without success. They concluded that the switching cannot be done too often otherwise the AI messes up the human's plan. My proposal is to do it per reign to provide continuity.

[mercian billman]

It's a cool idea but, like you said it lacks the continuity of a normal campaign. It's rewarding to make small kingdoms like Sicily, and Aragon become major powers, or recreating Rome with the Byzantines etc.

I think the only way this type of PBEM could be successful is if every player was required to write a summary not just of their kingdom but, the whole medieval world.

The player would have to list which countries were at war and stuff like that, general information about their own country, and some details of the battles they fought etc.

IMHO it would be intresting to see how the world evolves if every player switched factions, no faction would become overly dominant, and if one did another player would simply take over and try to destroy that faction.

[afrit]

mercian billman,
I agree with you about having to track the entire world. IN this case, I think .matteosartori. is appropriate.

I thought more about it overnight, and in a GA campaign there are natural breaks in the timeline every 25 years or so when scores are counted. So what we can do is instead of playing the role of a King, you play the role of advisor to the King (and his son if necessary) until the jubilee year, at which time your advisor character retires. This way you can earn the faction you play some GA points. Then the next player picks a new faction to play with the aim to make that faction lead in points . Then when the first player's turn comes up again, he can again take up his faction (or a new one if it is dead).

I think the best number of players is 3-4 for something like this.

I really believe it would be a neat experience, because now you have to earn your faction points AND set it up so that the AI can survive with that faction until your next advisor reign (e.g if you know the AI will take over your faction for the next 50 years, you might want to leave them with good defenses and not over-extended because the AI is horrible at preventing rebellions and civil wars).

afrit

[lonewolf371]

Sounds interesting, a sort of primitive version of multiplayer strategic gaming? Still, I think I would rather build up something along the lines of the super eastern defense triangle, switch to one of the western powers and crush it. This way we might be able to actually watch all the Catholic knights in action