Space Opera - Test Games

[GrumpyMel]

Ok, so here are the results of the rolls

Cadwall = GrumpyMel
Romanov = Bombur
DeCastillo = Casus Belli (picked)
Sian-Chi = Sapper32
Drako = Lunaticus

Looks like I'm the only one who the dice decided plays the same power.....which is totaly fine, as I have no problems with Cadwall. If anyone is unhappy with thier result...I'll happily trade as well...I have no problems playing any power. Baring that, Bombur...I'll need your e-mail address, you can PM me...or send it to sd.grumpymel@gmail.com ... Absent any last minute objections...I'll start up the game tomorrow night.

[GrumpyMel]

Ok game restarted and 1st turn sent on to Bombur.....hopefully the address I have for you worked...and you were able to recieve the turn. If not let me know.

[Casus_Belli]

Anything happening?

[GrumpyMel]

The turn should be with Bombur....if I have his e-mail right.

[Bombur]

I sent the turn yesterday to Casus Belli

[Casus_Belli]

I've had a really careful check of my inbox for the last three days, and it's not there. Email is

frasersteele@bluepin.net.au

[Bombur]

Sending again...tell me if you fail to receive it. The e-mail I sent it before was the right one.

[Casus_Belli]

I'll give it a couple of hours and let you know.

[Bombur]

It seems you aren´t receiving them...I sent a copy to Lunaticus

[Lunaticus_matrixforum]

I got the email from Bombur with the turn.
Hmmmm. Iirc I also had some problems sending out mails to Casus_Belli. In the end it only worked for me using my secondary google-mail account.
So Bonbur I recommend that you also sign up for a google account and try sending via this again in the future.
This turn 1 I will forward and see if this works....
Best Regards and have fun everybody.

[Casus_Belli]

Sorry, a little more than a couple of hours. I now have the turn from Lunaticus. I have no idea what's going on with the email [&:]. It's a very rare, intermittent sort of thing, so it's hard to know where to start. I have nothing to do with google, I don't use their email and I don't think I even have a google account.

Anyway, I will get to the turn asap, and I hope everyone has a good game, although of course, being crushed by the indefatigable forces of House DeC can't be pleasant, I'm sure. [8D]

[GrumpyMel]

Casus,

I did a little check for you and bluepin.net.au has it's mail-server on a blacklist (only one though). That probably explains some of your e-mail problems. Depending upon the blacklist and rule set that an individual senders mail server uses... it may simply block all communications with bluepin.net.au ....meaning that any mail they try to send you gets silently dropped and vice-versa.

The rules for using blacklists are configured on individual e-mail servers.... so some people will be able to send just fine while others (using a differenr ISP) can't.

You might want to pick-up a second e-mail address somewhere (gmail is pretty good...I use it myself...and it's free) just in case you run into communication problems like this.

[sapper32]

Turn 1 complete and sent on to Drako

[Casus_Belli]

Thanks a lot for doing that and for the info GrumpyMel [:)]. I might have to set up another email account just for games.

[GrumpyMel]

Cadwall Turn 2 done and sent on to House Romanov

[GrumpyMel]

Turn 4 sent on

[Lunaticus_matrixforum]

Turn 6 played.

Well I have a concern as to the game. Playing last in each round and being in a quite crowded area I was cut of from a major expansion route I needed to declare war on my neighbour on turn 4 (or so). After several rounds of war and heavy losses on both sides I can already say that for me the game is over in round 6 from a competitive point of view as I will no longer be able to expand on par with the other players.
I admit it was not wise to start a war early however being cut of at my home system in one direction was no option either.

[GrumpyMel]

Well, the way I see things from a pure position standpoint....

Drako has access to Hecate (21 K Prod, 2 Starbases, 1 Iso, 1 Org, 2 Min)
Loki (6K Prod, 1 Starbase, 3 Iso, 1 Org, 2 Min)
Charon (12K Prod, 2 Starbases, 1 Iso, 4 Org, 0 Min)
Chronos (8K Prod, 1 Starbase, 1 Iso, 1 Org, 1 Min)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total = 48 K Ground Production, 36K Space Production, 7 Isotopes 7 Organics, 5 Minerals


Kesh is contested (if players choose to go that route) and the winner of it probably nabs Eylasium too.

DeCastillo has access to Phaedrus ( 17.5K Prod, 2 Starbases, 3 Iso, 1 Org, 3 Min)
Vera Cruz (10K Prod, 1 Starbase, 1 Iso, 2 Org, 1 Min)
Minerva (27K Prod, 2 Starbases, 1 Iso, 2 Org, 2 Min)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total = 54.5K Ground Production, 30K Space Production, 5 Isotopes, 5 Organic, 6 Minerals


The way I see it, he has slightly more ground production, you have slightly more space.... that's kind of a wash. You have a small edge in resources. He DOES have the advantage of going before you which would allow him to seize the Kesh starbase before you if he went for it...and also gives and edge in aligning NPC factions. Your resources/production is also spread out over more planets so harder for you to get....another advantage to him. HOWEVER, on your side.....you are facing only 2 potential adversaries... DeCastillo & Romanov.... while he is facing 3 Drako, Romanov & Sian-Chi. That's a significant potential advantage to you. Also he has 2 planets (Minerva & Vera Cruz) potentialy exposed to attack while you have only one (Charon)...and Minerva in particular is far more tempting target then your planet. You also have 1 planet, Loki which is ONLY accessable from your Home Planet.....so I'd say you have a definate advantage in protected position.

I'm not really sure who comes out of that mix in a better position.

Kesh & Eylasium come out to 28K Ground Production & 12K Space Production, 3 Isotopes, 6 Organics & 3 Minerals that could swing either way between Drako & DeCastillo.

By comparison...here is how I see the other players positions....

Cadwall has Grail, Vigil, Heimdall & Avalon which they likely will get before anyone else can. That comes out to .....
55K Ground Production, 36K Space Production, 6 Isotopes, 5 Organics, 6 Minerals.


Solstice would normaly be considered in contention between Sian-Chi & Cadwall. That's 19.5K Ground & 12K Space Production, 1 Isotope, 2 Organics & 2 Minerals that could swing between Cadwall & Sian-Chi.


Sian-Chi has Tranquility, Nyx, Baba Yaga & Hyperion that they likely can get to before anyone else. That comes out to...
69K Ground Production, 42K Space Production, 6 Isotopes, 7 Organics & 4 Minerals.

Romanov has Sanctus, Ninevah, Marduk & Circe that they can likely get to before anyone else. That comes out to....
71K Ground Production, 42K Space Production, 7 Isotopes, 5 Organics & 6 Minerals.

I think looking at the numbers and the way things could swing...things come out roughly ok. Romanov has a bonus in that he doesn't have anything that he has to contend to get his numbers....but he's also right in the middle....and possible to be attacked by all players...so I think that balances out a bit. Sian-Chi might be a bit bonused...but I don't think overly much.

NOTE that this is NOT neccesarly how things have to shake out....players certainly have alot of latitude in the directions they choose....I'm just counting planets by the number of jumps from the players starting positions..and who CAN get to that planet first...if they choose to.

I don't think the Drako position is a particularly bad one. The 2 basic strategic options I see are are A) To try to cut a deal with the DeCastillo players to divide up Kesh & Eylasium between you and both go after the Central players (Romanov & Sian-Chi). This isn't a bad option since it assures you of a 3 on 2 situation...since Cadwall borders neither of you....but it does require a cetain level of trust & cooperation with the DeCastillo player. OR B) Conflict with DeCastillo and try to convince either Romanov or Sian-Chi to come in on your side. This isn't a bad option either.... as you've got 2 players to try to woo...and Minerva (in particular) and Vera-Cruz are pretty attractive targets for them. It would be tough to get both players...as one would likely be fighting Cadwall....but you've got a decent shot at woo-ing the other one to your side.

Of course.... DeCastillo will be trying the same sort of game....but he's got a tougher job at it.

Anyways....that's just my take on it. Not sure on how things have actually gone down for you....so it may be that you are in pretty bad shape at this point.... but turn 6 is still very early in the game.

[Casus_Belli]

I could be prepared to settle for the isotopes on Kesh, it's north-east corner, and free passage to Elyasium, for the time being, if such a deal was offered.

I don't think there's a card to sue for peace. I'm having the same problem in another game. Is it just me? I reckon you need to be able to make peace to have an interesting long-term diplomatic game.

[GrumpyMel]

Well...the only thing that being in a "state of War" should effect if you aren't actively attacking/moving into the other players territory would be anti-supply (not a factor in this scenerio) and intercepts of air transport missions (definately COULD be a factor). I guess if you turned off air intercepts in the systems which you shared and essentialy just stopped offensive operations, you would have effectively the same effect.

Technicaly I could put in "Sue for Peace" action cards but to do it right would be a little tricky. It would require one side playing an Action Card to extend the offer and that trigering the other player (on thier turn) getting two Action Cards...one to accept and the other to decline the offer....otherwise it would be exploitable.... since it only takes one to make war but two to make peace.

If I have the time I'll look into seeing if I can add it to the next version...