Rome PBeM game, who next?

[Braden]

So which faction would you like to see as a start for a PBeM campaign? I will propose the rules to be virtually the normal (Hard Campaign / Medium Battle/Large Size Units) but with a 15 year turn base between players.

I have no preference and have chosen this list due to the abilities of each faction to be quite user-friendly and capable of creating an interesting, long running campaign.

Campaign will be to version 1.5, my own version is modded to remove Green Place Arrows and extra large unit banners. I also use the minimal UI. All these are easy mods with instructions on Froggbeasteggs guide if you want to use them (I have them mainly as they make for better screen pics), if you don’t wish to use them this will not effect the .sav files so is 100% compatible. The only other thing to consider is the mod to make factions playable - but this will only apply IF a normally non-playable faction is chosen.

[econ21]

I was just looking at the list of completed RTW PBMs and it seems mighty short. Indeed, I can only find one - for Germany:
https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=44997
For that reason, I would be inclined to veto Germany - been there, done that.

But the others seems fairly open. PBMs for Carthage, Gaul, Julii and Scipii all seemed to have stalled.

Like Mount Suribachi, I think Carthage might be fun - it was rather challenging when I participated in a failed PBM for it.

https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=40057

To up the challenge, I would advocate some constraining house rules. No retraining (apart from full units or fleets) would be one. No extermination (except for Rome - payback time!) might be another. Glorious achievements might be fun for this faction - for example, I think players should be required to march some elephants from Carthage to Rome via Spain by the time Hannibal managed it.

I'd also play on very hard campaigns to keep the AI armies up to strength.

[Braden]

My own first inclination was Carthage, being one of my favourite factions, but as I haven’t played a Gaul campaign at all yet….I voted that way. If Germania doesn’t get the votes, it won’t be selected. As I’ve said I have no bias with this, I personally feel Germania is too easy anyway, hence I also voted Gaul as a potentially challenging Barbarian faction.

Campaign difficulty – Yes, I would have to agree with Very Hard. Even with the improvements in 1.5 campaign difficulty is still below par, I’m currently doing some play-testing on the factions listed (20 year stints) and started with Hard setting, which as been VERY easy for Carthage for example. I do want the campaign to remain balanced so it’s accessible to all potential players – including those who only play normally on Medium. This can be corrected as those less experienced players could be added mid-term in the game and benefit from the previous players gaming. Its another factor I need to build into the House Rules.

House Rules:

Some will be decided once a Faction has been chosen. I would agree with the No extermination rule (except for stated settlements), but I don’t understand the “No retraining” rule. What’s the thinking behind this? In my experience retraining is a last recourse as it depletes unit experience more than merging.

Glorious Achievements are planned to be a big part (if I can get suitable targets). To use your example though there may be a requirement to get a unit of Elephants from Corduba to Rome via Massilia by a certain date OR from Carthage to Rome via Massilia but with no definitive year. A similar GA for Carthage would be to ensure control of Tingi, Siwa, Carthago Nova & the Islands Sicily, Crete, Sardinia, Palma and Rhodes (not Cyprus) as well as Rome & the Elephant trek & 50 provinces. I want to make the GA’s challenging without being near impossible.

[TinCow]

Carthage would definitely provide for some interesting campaigns. I love the idea of having to take Rome via Iberia.

[YAKOBU]

I would love to play Germania again but have already completed a PBEM with them so am going to join the consensus and vote for Carthage. I don't think I've really played them individually or by PBEM.



P.S. Its 12.43pm here in the UK and I'm just wondering how long it takes Tricky Lady to spot this PBEM

P.P.S If anyone is wondering Tricky Lady is a good friend from another country that I have met through the org. My PBEM's would not be the same if she didn't join!

[Tricky Lady]

P.S. Its 12.43pm here in the UK and I'm just wondering how long it takes Tricky Lady to spot this PBEM

Well, about 4 hours and a half, it seems

Voted for Macedonia, even though I am currently playing a Macedonian campaign (ahem, well, more precisely: that's the last campaign I have been playing, must be some two months ago).
We could create some nice rules here to, for instance only expanding to the east to subdue the other hellenic nations (can imagine this being not too easy when the Roman factions are attacking you from the West at the same time).

But as I probably won't join this PBM my vote doesn't really matter
I'll see; it's just that I dropped out of the WRE PBM as I thought the rules were a bit too harsh for a player like me who likes to play an easy game If you're not going for the Ultimate Challenge or if you can't find enough players to sign up, you can count me in. I'll keep an eye on this thread to check which direction you'll take.

PS. I noticed that I failed to complete my write-up(s) in the Germania PBM. Oopsie, I completely forgot that I still had to update those posts.

[Braden]

@ Tricky Lady,

I have to point out that my PBM will not be the Ultimate Challenge. There will be elements included in the House Rules to add more of a challenge BUT they will not be compulsory….you can still “win” without completing them, it will just be a “minor win”.

I want to make the next PBM as accessible as possible, for all players, even those (like myself) who have only previously played a single player game.

Difficulty levels will be VH / M but this is mainly so we can produce a more active and interesting game, with setbacks, a more aggressive and active AI etc. Notice battle difficulty level will still be Medium. So, sure the AI may be more aggressive but when it comes down to the battle the player will still have a distinct edge and if you routinely beat the AI in single player at Medium you’ll still have a rewarding game.

The House Rules and Glorious Achievement goals will be racially/culture based as you imagined.

[Mount Suribachi]

Like the idea of playing Carthage and leading Elephants to Italy via Iberia and Southern Gaul

[Braden]

...then you'll just LOVE what I've come up with IF it does end up as Carthage!

(yes, I am drawing rules up for each potential faction)

[Dutch_guy]

care to give somewhat of a sneak peak concerning the Carthage rules ?

Would help making a choice, as for now I'd have to chose between Carthage or maybe even Parthia/Armenia - even if they're not included in the poll.

[Braden]

Hmmm…ok. Prepare yourselves! (Please be aware that this isn’t a finished proposal, I keep going back to it – all of them actually – and added bits, taking bits out etc…this is lifted directly from the document I’m working on)

House rules (Carthage).

1. The Campaign ends when 50 provinces are held including the following Target provinces/regions: Rome, Crete, Siclia (all of Sicily), Sardinia, Baliares, Carthago Nova, Corduba. In addition to this a Special Task should be completed before the campaign ends (see * below).

2. No settlement to be Exterminated (enslavement is permitted).

3. The following factions MUST be eliminated: Iberians, SPQR, Scipii & Numidia.

4. The only buildings permitted to be demolished in any captured (or previously held) settlement are religious buildings.

6. Elephant units cannot be re-trained OR merged. All other units are re-trainable etc as normal.

*Special Task: At least ONE complete (i.e. full original strength, not retrained or merged) Elephant unit (any type except Merc) should be marched from Carthage to Rome via the following regions – Numidia, Mauretania, Baetica, Hispania, Taraconenis, Narbonensis, Transalpine Gaul & Cisalpine Gaul (the last section to Rome from Cisalpine Gaul, is up to the player). How you perform this task is up to the player. N.B. You do not have to hold or have protectorate status over these regions, only that you pass the unit through them en-route to Rome. The unit can be depleted during the fight for Rome itself but must not be Routed or Destroyed at this point. If you wish to complete this extra task, screenshots will be nice.

Victory!

A Major Victory = All above House Rules completed. (By the Gods! Well done, I didn’t expect that!)

A Minor Victory = House Rules 1 & 3 are completed but the Special Task is incomplete/failed/not attempted. (Well done again, you rule supreme, but how much better tasting could that victory have been….)

A Minor Loss = House Rule 1 completed, Special Task incomplete / Failed. (Darn! SO very close…and yet so far)

A Major Loss = Summer 476AD is reached, no House Rules completed. OR, Player Faction destroyed. (D’oh! Why! When! Where! What! Nooooooo!)

[Mount Suribachi]

Summer 476 AD?

[Dutch_guy]

6. Elephant units cannot be re-trained OR merged. All other units are re-trainable etc as normal.

I´d like to suggest the following ;

Allow retraining - except for elephants - but you're not allowed to retrain more than one unit a settlement each year....thus rendering it impossible to retrain your entire - half dead - army in just one year or sorry....a half year.

Come to think of it, the above suggestion is how it was done in Medieval...

[Braden]

Apologies for the "Summer 476AD" major typo as I couldn't remember the preset end year/date of the game. Like I said - working document.

Dutch - your suggestion regards retraining is taken on board and I'll have to look into it. In truth I do want some limits to retraining but didn't want to be too restrictive so we could welcome the widest player base fo the campaign.

[Avicenna]

Braden, I also suggest that Carthage itself should be kept ;).

This seems to be an interesting PBM, I'll check for updates.

[Braden]

Well....yes, need to add that to the list. Obvious really, silly me!

We should be looking to recruit for this next PBM next week. By the looks of things it'll be Carthage, VH/M/L, with players using a reign each but I have to devise a rule to ensure succession is to fairly old characters (50 perhaps).

[Braden]

Carthage rules finalised. Available on request.

[Dutch_guy]

Braden, you might want to open another thread solely for the PBM now that the faction has more or less been decided upon, the other thread would contain the definite rules, reigns, and player comments on the game itself.

[Braden]

Yeah. good idea.