More than one player per side?

[mroyer]

Hi all,
I'm just learning WitE and it looks like it is going to be a lot of fun. I've played the venerable Europa table-top board game from GDW/GRD most of my adult life and this offers a lot of the same feel for online play. Some of my favorite memories playing Europa were the multi-player games where a group of players would play each side - each Axis player controlling an army group for example.

I am wondering if it's possible/rational to do a similar thing with WitE's PBEM or Multiplayer systems. Is there any technical limit that would preclude several players from serially building up a turn for one side before turning the final result over to the opponents? Just curious (I haven't even clicked on the PBEM button yet so I don't know what's there).

Thanks for any thoughts on this,
-Mark R.

(I guess I have the same question for WitW, but I haven't purchased that game yet.)

[sillyflower]

Yes it is. Belphegor and I used to play together as Russians. We were 'THEPROS' (by which I think he meant "the pro's") according to Hitman, tho' others may have called us something else. We only played multiple German opponents once tho'. Rest were singletons.

You can only do it by PBEM

[loki100]

ORIGINAL: mroyer

Hi all,
I'm just learning WitE and it looks like it is going to be a lot of fun. I've played the venerable Europa table-top board game from GDW/GRD most of my adult life and this offers a lot of the same feel for online play. Some of my favorite memories playing Europa were the multi-player games where a group of players would play each side - each Axis player controlling an army group for example.

I am wondering if it's possible/rational to do a similar thing with WitE's PBEM or Multiplayer systems. Is there any technical limit that would preclude several players from serially building up a turn for one side before turning the final result over to the opponents? Just curious (I haven't even clicked on the PBEM button yet so I don't know what's there).

Thanks for any thoughts on this,
-Mark R.

(I guess I have the same question for WitW, but I haven't purchased that game yet.)

For WiTW its easier depending on how you want to split up the game. If you buy the Torch expansion there is a 4 player scenario - one on each side to control the air war and the other the land war. The Torch expansion is well worth it as the N African scenarios are great fun (for both sides), low unit density, lots of space for movement and a real logistics challenge

[timmyab]

It is possible but it's not very practical. It's not even that easy to find a reliable 1 v 1 opponent who doesn't just disappear when it suits them.
You need seriously dedicated and trusted players otherwise the thing falls apart very quickly. One 4 v 4 game I joined was full of highly enthusiastic players and then fell apart on turn 1
If the game was designed for team play that would help a bit, but it would still need a group of dedicated players.

[mroyer]

Thanks sillyflower and loki100 - glad to hear it's possible and is even been done.

timmyab - is your non-practical comment related to technical difficulties of managing many players or is it purely related to the difficulties of getting reliable opponents who'll stick it out? I hear you on the latter count - I guess in the old days of face-to-face, table-top wargaming people who were dedicated enough to travel and get together, were also dedicated enough to play through the game, at least for a while. Online lowers the entry-bar significantly and makes it easier for the less dedicated player to start and quit, I suppose.

Thanks for the responses,
-Mark R.

[timmyab]

ORIGINAL: mroyer
timmyab - is your non-practical comment related to technical difficulties of managing many players or is it purely related to the difficulties of getting reliable opponents who'll stick it out?

There are all sorts of problems even if you had a team of highly dedicated players.
One of them is the sheer time a turn takes to complete. Another thing is that players are often either too dominant or too passive. One guy I played with decided to do the whole turn himself because he knew best ) (which he did actually, but that's not the point). I gave him 9/10 for gaming skills and 0/10 for delegation skills
Another problem is that really somebody needs to take charge in a benign kind of way, but I found that nobody wants that job, so it was like war by committee with predictably limp results.
Discrepancies in player skills are also a problem.

Also the game isn't designed for team play. There's a lot that could be done but there's not enough demand to warrant the development costs.

[sillyflower]

Belphegor and I split the roles and we never quit. All our opponents did apart from Smokindave and Disgusted Vet who both died amidst the ashes of the Reichstag.
Belphegor was keen that we reprise The Pros to play WiTW, but I didn't like the game at all.

[mroyer]

Got it. Tread with caution - it's a slippery slope...
Thanks again for the commentary - very enlightening.

-Mark R.

[c00per]

I remember the days of table top scorched earth. If I remember correctly that was the first time I met liquidsky back in the eightees. Joe was that you or Brian I cannot remember ?