"House rules"

[Jimmer]

A lot of mention has been made about "house rules". Sometimes, this comes up when talking about the old boardgame, and sometimes in relation to EiANW (or, EiH).

Let's use this thread to post house rules you or your games have used, and whether they were effective or not.

Please do NOT comment on someone else's house rule unless they invite comments. Everybody can decide for themselves whether they like a rule for their game or not.

[Jimmer]

I'll start with this:
 
A lot of email games have the rule "24 hours, max, to take your turn (phase, really).

[Jimmer]

French and British peace conditions:
 
These two powers start the game at war. This is a standard option in the game.
 
In the boardgame, there was an optional rule that GB had to take "remove Napoleon" and that France had to take "two fleets", or they couldn't settle the war. Since both of those are terms only available under an unconditional surrender, playing with this option also adds that the peace must be unconditional.
 
I think there was one more condition one of them had to apply to the other, but I can't remember.
 
By the way, this rule CAN have the impact of causing what would have been a surrender to no longer be one. Unfortunately, the game will not realize that, and will let the surrender occur anyhow. They way it can get blocked, for example, is if someone takes "remove 1 fleet" from GB before France gets a chance to take a condition. In those cases, I think you just have to wing it.

[Jimmer]

Here's an idea (never been tried, though):
 
To simulate a greater match to the board game version's much richer diplomacy phase, have a house rule that no major power can implement successful diplomatic actions (influence or ally or downgrade the same) on the same minor country more than one turn in succession. If they succeeded last turn against a minor, they have to delay a month before trying again. If they failed, however, they can keep trying (diplomats are like that: Take a vacation after a success, but annoy them into the ground when they fail).

[NeverMan]

1. I don't like the 24 hour max rule. If you want to play fast then this game should just have TCP/IP implemented, otherwise, get comfortable, it's like playing a good game of chess over the mail, what's the rush?

2. Yes, great "house rule" and should, IMO, always be implemented. It would be nice to see this option implemented in the game since it's really quite imperative.

3. I don't really care for this one.

EDIT: One of the house rules we always played with was to put a cap on bids. If two bids are the same then it's resolved with a die roll.

[Murat]

I like the 24 hour max as it keep the game moving but I would expand it a bit by skipping all Prussian and Austrian naval moves unless they have a fleet and are at war and having the host send out a message reminding the person they are up at least 3 hours before haing the AI move them.
 
I do not like the surrender conditions rule since 2 fleets from Britain or 3 corps from France can be a moot point (counters are very low as a result of battles and not worth taking or you would prefer a longer peace but want the other nation to keep its units to weaken another opponent for example).
 
I would not restrict diplomacy. Minor nations get grabbed up fast and the diplomtic opportunities become fewer as the game goes on.

[bresh]

How does the 24H rule work when battlefiles need to be exchanged ?
Say one could have as many as 10+ battles, as the phasing player you might want to do it in certain order. Say if u have some corps not in battle who could reinforce different fights.
 
But as far as i know battle-files goes
choose chit, exchange files.
then round 1, exchange files. 
maybe round 2, exchange files.
then maybe round 3, exchange files.
 
etc.
And then maybe new days battle....
 
 
Regards
Bresh

[NeverMan]

ORIGINAL: bresh

How does the 24H rule work when battlefiles need to be exchanged ?
Say one could have as many as 10+ battles, as the phasing player you might want to do it in certain order. Say if u have some corps not in battle who could reinforce different fights.

But as far as i know battle-files goes
choose chit, exchange files.
then round 1, exchange files. 
maybe round 2, exchange files.
then maybe round 3, exchange files.

etc.
And then maybe new days battle....


Regards
Bresh

Out of curiousity, how long does it take now to resolve a battle, providing you don't pre-select the chit for the unit (which I would rarely, if ever, do)?

[bresh]

Im guessing depends on number of days the battle continues...
 
But for pbm purposes, you exchange files as described, and not everyone sits at their pc waiting for exchanges.
 
Note that i do not have any experience about it
I dont think its wise to preselect chit, since your tactics could differ if 1 corps attacked compared to 8 corps...
 
 
Regards
Bresh

[NeverMan]

ORIGINAL: bresh

Im guessing depends on number of days the battle continues...

But for pbm purposes, you exchange files as described, and not everyone sits at their pc waiting for exchanges.

Note that i do not have any experience about it
I dont think its wise to preselect chit, since your tactics could differ if 1 corps attacked compared to 8 corps...


Regards
Bresh

So lets say the battle goes 1 day. Do files have to get exchanged everytime a user decides to do something? (pick chit, commit gaurd) If so, using PBEM could take weeks to resovle one battle. That seems crazy to me.

[gwheelock]

I just ran a combat test playing both France & Prussia (hey you win more battles if
you play both sides[:D]).  Here is what I got for the file exchanges :
 

The way I worked was france attacked both Madgeberg & area148.
As soon as I got to France's land-combat phase; I had to pick ONE of these &
then the "battle file ping-pong" started :

1) France Picks chit.  Program creates .battle file; battle file sent to "Prussia"
2) Prussia loads all previous phase files  thru France land MOVEMENT phase
(there is no France Land COMBAT phase file yet - that comes after ALL battles are done)
3) Prussia puts "pbembattle_gamename_areaname0.battle" file into the BATTLES subdirectory.
4) At this point the area (Magdeberg in this case) should have the normal combat yellow hightlight
- pick this (sometimes the program picked it automatically; sometimes not - its inconsistant)
[the inconsistancy may be due to my running both sides]
5) Prussia picks chit; runs 1st round of combat.
6) Prussia sends >MODIFIED<&nbsp; "pbembattle_gamename_areaname0.battle" file back to "France"
7) France loads turn; resumes battle; takes any losses; decides reinforce & guard commit; etc.
8) France sends >MODIFIED<&nbsp; (>MODIFIED< "pbembattle_gamename_areaname0.battle")
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; (ie the "latest" copy of the file) back to "Prussia"
9) Prussia takes his combat losses for the >1st< combat round; runs the 2nd combat round; sends
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; file back to "France"
10 repeat 7-9 until combat is complete (including persuit); at this point France is now ready to
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; run his next combat (Area148)

&nbsp;
Does this help clarify the file exchanges ?
&nbsp;

[NeverMan]

It does actually, thanks.

Basically it can take hours, days, weeks or months to finish one combat, depending on who you are playing with and how often they chose to play.

[DCWhitworth]

ORIGINAL: NeverMan

ORIGINAL: bresh
Im guessing depends on number of days the battle continues...

But for pbm purposes, you exchange files as described, and not everyone sits at their pc waiting for exchanges.

Note that i do not have any experience about it
I dont think its wise to preselect chit, since your tactics could differ if 1 corps attacked compared to 8 corps...

Regards
Bresh

So lets say the battle goes 1 day. Do files have to get exchanged everytime a user decides to do something? (pick chit, commit gaurd) If so, using PBEM could take weeks to resovle one battle. That seems crazy to me.

Files are exchanged every battle round, plus an extra one for pursuit. It generates a battle file everytime you click 'done' for a battle round. So that amounts to eight exchanges of files for a full day.

It's worked out pretty well for the group I'm playing in at the moment since players try to arrange to be online at the same time for files exchange. With both players available it took around 20 minutes to fight my first major battle.

[NeverMan]

ORIGINAL: DCWhitworth

ORIGINAL: NeverMan

ORIGINAL: bresh
Im guessing depends on number of days the battle continues...

But for pbm purposes, you exchange files as described, and not everyone sits at their pc waiting for exchanges.

Note that i do not have any experience about it
I dont think its wise to preselect chit, since your tactics could differ if 1 corps attacked compared to 8 corps...

Regards
Bresh

So lets say the battle goes 1 day. Do files have to get exchanged everytime a user decides to do something? (pick chit, commit gaurd) If so, using PBEM could take weeks to resovle one battle. That seems crazy to me.

Files are exchanged every battle round, plus an extra one for pursuit. It generates a battle file everytime you click 'done' for a battle round. So that amounts to eight exchanges of files for a full day.

It's worked out pretty well for the group I'm playing in at the moment since players try to arrange to be online at the same time for files exchange. With both players available it took around 20 minutes to fight my first major battle.

Here is the rub. You guys try to be ONLINE at the SAME TIME anyways, probably because all the exchanging of emails would be a HUGE PAIN in the arse and take practically ETERNITY. That is a VERY, VERY smart way to play this game.

...........kind of like if you were doing via TCP/IP connections.

[DCWhitworth]

House rules we are using in our EIANW game -

24 Hour turnaround of phases
No movement through Dardanelles without permission
Only unconditional surrender between GB and France
No abuse of minor countries (e.g. deliberate sacrifice of fleets port raiding)
No use of loaned corps in a battle if they're not at war with the opponent

[DCWhitworth]

ORIGINAL: NeverMan

Here is the rub. You guys try to be ONLINE at the SAME TIME anyways, probably because all the exchanging of emails would be a HUGE PAIN in the arse and take practically ETERNITY. That is a VERY, VERY smart way to play this game.

...........kind of like if you were doing via TCP/IP connections.

True but you only require the two players involved in the battle. Getting all seven together to play by TCP/IP would be something of a nightmare I think especially given the length of the game. PBEM is necessary.

[NeverMan]

ORIGINAL: DCWhitworth

House rules we are using in our EIANW game -

24 Hour turnaround of phases
No movement through Dardanelles without permission
Only unconditional surrender between GB and France
No abuse of minor countries (e.g. deliberate sacrifice of fleets port raiding)No use of loaned corps in a battle if they're not at war with the opponent

This brings up a question I have (which might not apply to the CEiA):

What about abuse of a major power's fleets/corps? If one major power is in control of another MP for the duration of that year and thinks he is going to lose control, he could destroy the fleets by blockade running. For instance, if GB had control of Spain by some lucky chance and thought next year France might have control of it.

We also had that as a "house rule" when we played. It just keeps the spirit of the game better.

[Murat]

ORIGINAL: DCWhitworth

House rules we are using in our EIANW game -

24 Hour turnaround of phases
No movement through Dardanelles without permission
Only unconditional surrender between GB and France
No abuse of minor countries (e.g. deliberate sacrifice of fleets port raiding)
No use of loaned corps in a battle if they're not at war with the opponent

Dardanelles is a good rule but it should apply to trade too and be made an option.

minor country abuse has not happened in any game I have been in and is counterproductive for everyone. was more prone to abuse with the advanced naval rules since it generated hulks.

loaned corps do not fight in battles against people they are not at war with I thought. I know controlling major forces won't fight with a controlled (not owned) minor.

UMP rules do not exist in EIANW. Bad rule anyway for the problem pointed out by Never.