From the Mouth of Sauron
Issue: E-22
Date: 06-12-94
First Word
Since my game 97 turn hasn't come in yet, I can't crow about my
victories over the Dark Servants. Instead, lets talk curses, which
I seem to be suffering from in abundance in a couple of my games.
I don't like curses. Hate them, in fact. Couldn't find a single
reference to a curse being used in the trilogy, with the exception
of the Black Breath the Nazgul could wield. And to do this, they
had to be so close they could cut you down with a sword anyway (as
in challenge-close, not just 'in the same hex').
Why do I hate curses? Because there isn't any defense against them.
Elrond dies just as easily as some 30-point yahoo from Dunland.
Now, can you seriously see a pack of upstart mortal mages being able
to inflict a jumped-up version of the flu on a millenia-old elven
sorcerer? Or what about the immortal Nazgul? Please, give me a
break! And if this is possible to begin with, why isn't there a
single instance of such magic described in Tolkien's works? The
only 'curses' I could find were not life-threatening and were cast
in the First Age by some of the most powerful beings ever to exist
- while they were standing right next to the target.
In a sense, curses are like dragons: ME-PBM's equivalent of a nuke.
They don't take any real skill to develop or strategy to use; you
simply pick up a weapon (easy to do if you have our database), order
a group of mages learn the spells off of it, then move from place to
place slaying characters left and right. Hell, there isn't even any
real chance of failure!
Compare this to an agent carefully crafted over the course of the
game, surviving life-threatening situations time and again to end up
one of the premier assassins of his day. Even so, he puts his ass
on the line every time he gives an order, and can still be defeated
by a foe willing to invest the effort. Not so with a curses team.
So, as my best characters fall to the common cold gone wild, I rail
against curses and curses teams. The trilogy was an epic full of
heroism and glory; yet try as I might, I just can't see anything
heroic or glorious in a curses team - or in the death of it's
victims.
Tom
Other Notes
>From Paul C.
I think the business of sizes is proportional with NO upper limit.
I have an army in a long running UK game which is currently 4,500
big. It is reported as an Army, not large. I have another which is
6000 + which is not hiuge, cant remember off hand if its large or
normal. So the moral is you have to guage size according to all
other game armies, I guess the best way to do this is to talk to
people :-)
>From Dennis DeYoung
Also regarding the new game set in 2940. I have been following your
articles/guesses in the Mouth and think you are doing a great job of
predicting. You have probably thought it out better than GSI, you
may be disappointed in what they come up with. I know zero about
the new game. However I am now in a game with a guy (his third
ME-PBM game) who lives in Florida near GSI who is also play-testing
the new game. He hasn't told me anything yet but I figured I would
ask him about what the kingdoms are and the other general stuff that
you would find in the rule book before even playing a turn. Would
you be interested in me passing along rule book info (he has the
rule book) for Mouth readers? I agree with your policy about not
passing along info which would spoil the newness of playing the 2940
game (pop ctr sizes and locations, character stats, etc.) but I
personally am interested in finding out about some of the "public"
info (i.e. rule book as oposed to stuff you learn during the course
of play.) Anyway, let me know.
[Tom's reply: I expected GSI to play-test with a non-player group,
given that the nature of the game means that anyone who's been
around a while has a distinct advantage over someone who hasn't.
Guess I was wrong.
So a warning here: even if you get into the first game open
to the public, you could end up playing against someone who already
has most of the setups, a rudimentary artifact/encounter list, etc.
Don't expect everyone to be new - any of the playtesters or their
friends could be in your game.]
>From Darin Fitzpatrick
RE: Sauron's bakery
My mother-in-law reports that this recipe is in her Chattanooga
Junior League cookbook, with the same story. This neither confirms
nor denies the "legend" status, but the story has been around for a
while. My wife, by the way, was not at all surprised at the $250
tab - this is the company that sells his & her Faberge Eggs and
Caribbean islands. I baked a batch and brought 5 dozen to work.
They were gone by lunchtime.
RE: Army size
This story, it occured to me, would make a good "How I Got Shafted"
entry. As Southern Gondor, I consolidated my navies on turn 2.
Turn 4 a QA navy showed up at Fanuilond, and I figured that it was
just one of her starting navies, since it was just "a navy." I had
moved a small army there that turn by coincidence, and lost the
ensuing battle, since I was indeed outnumbered. The consequences
were not far-reaching, since the remnants of Ingar's forces were too
small to inflict any damage on my fortified pop centers, but I was
unpleasantly surprised. I didn't figure out what happened until
someone explained the relative sizes to me much later.
RE: Pop center combat
Is it really better to peel off troops on suicide missions than it
is to give the "Siege" order? Any data on the chances of siege
success?
The Rules say, in the description of the "Threaten" order, that
"other threatening armies of the same nation will contribute to the
success of this order." Does this mean the other armies need to
give the order, too, or will their mere presence help cow the
inhabitants?
When figuring the bonus for Destroying a pop center, I just consider
it a strength bonus of 10%, not a reduction of defense. It's a
question of semantics, but a strength bonus is a bit "cleaner."
Destruction also adds more army morale than capture, and the rules
state on p. 55 that it is easier to do. The "Sample Pop Center
Combat" is for both capture and destruction, but the bonus for
destruction is not clearly defined.
RE: Army hostages
I took a hostage after squeaking out of a major battle with 160
survivors. (This was textbook case for mages with armies -
"Blessings" saved my bacon.) I captured Bolvag, the commander of a
smallest enemy army. I suspect that his force was eliminated in the
first round of combat, so maybe that increased the odds. Anyway, a
victory need not be decisive.
RE: The Rangers of the North
I have already expounded on this position, so I'll keep this brief.
Having Arathorn II as chieftain in 2940, despite his death in 2933,
is hardly a "liberal" interpretation of the "circa" dates. If GSI
can resurrect the centuries-dead nations of Cardolan and Rhudaur in
1650, then a seven-year fudge won't even make them blink. Also, I
would not be too surprised to find NO starting armies for this
position. Maybe a good hiring ability would compensate for this,
but if everybody is militarily weak at game start, then the 5000
investment is probably not exorbitant. The capital placement is a
tough one. I personally would make it Imladris, and keep the Noldor
in the Havens. Fornost Erain might work if it were hidden.
RE: New game in general
My citing of "ME-PBM 2950" is taken directly from a response from
Bill Feild. I asked for info about "the new game" and he wrote
"2950." Maybe that's how "circa" things are.
I would not be surprised to find the overall positions of Free
Peoples and Dark Servants generally reversed. The DS are near the
end of a long building program, and the FP are struggling to survive
in the Desolation of Smaug, in the empty lands of the Trollshaws,
and under the shadow of Mordor in the dying realm of Gondor. Elves
are sailing West in droves, and who can blame them? Things are bad
all over.
The Free Peoples, then, are the ones in need of a rallying cry, a
leader in the valiant struggle of underdogs against the Black Shadow
that has daunted so many to its will. The Servants of Sauron will
have their way unless the Free Folk of Middle-earth stop them. I
think I will opt for the bitter, possibly fruitless endeavor of
saving Middle-earth. That is, unless I can get Saruman....
>From Doug Bergstrom
A couple of things: About Doom, finished it on the hardest level,
but have now heard there is even a harder one.
[Tom's note: yes! coming out this September is DOOM - Hell on
Earth! Version 1.2 with three episodes/27 total levels came out
about a month ago.]
Battle considerations against pop centers. I was always confused by
what was meant by easier to destroy then capture. Is it possible
that what GSI considers easier, is really the extra morale bonus for
destroying vs. capture (I think 1-15 over 1-10)?
[Tom's note: I recently had a battle vs. a pop center where I
should have lost the combat - but issuing 'destroy' gave me the
extra edge to win (still had the army disbanded). So I know it has
to be a bonus to your combat strength, or a reduction of the defense
value.]
About gliches in the game, I think I pointed out how badly GSI can
mess up one turn in an earlier MOUTH. But in all fairness, after my
wife (it was her turn) sent a copy (next day air) of the previous
turn and her latest, and a nice letter explaining the changes that
she expected to be done. GSI did comply and compensated with free
turns, of course I don't know what the outcome would have been if
these actions would have directly affected another player. I did
find it strange that GSI said this had never happened before.
It does make me wonder if that sabotage bridge which came out
sabotage fortification (my own) was really my mistake or GSI's. It
sure allowed the Long Rider to run over my now unfortified Buhr
Mahrling.
Anyway great job guys! And everyone in my games:
ME 27: The FP "ARE" going to win! You can either take a beating
Dragonlord or get out now. We had a weenie roast at Dol Guldor and
have started building boats to visit your "LAST" ally on his island.
ME 43: Reverse, the DS are going to win! There is nothing you FP
can do to stop it. I am up to 30+ assassinations would've been more
but I kidnapped a couple. Which leads me to point out you don't get
any credit for a kidnap/execute.
ME 61: I don't want to talk about.....to wishy washy.
ME 158: New round, FP are off and running "OVER DS". I predict
that we are going to win, if I can just find that Dragonlord guy.
>From Darren Beyer
I recently had an army situation where my army of over 2000 troops
met up with three enemy armies, one of 2000, one of 1000 and one of
126. Normally my army would have overrun the army of 126 and I
called GSI for a rules clarification.
It seems that your army must be moving to overrun an enemy army. If
you move into a hex containing an enemy army small enough to be
overrun or you are moving and it meets you then you will overrun it.
If you are sitting still and the enemy army moves into your hex you
will stop it, but not overrun it. In this case it appears that my
army was stopped by the large enemy armies before the small army
moved into the hex. Therefore I did not overrun it.
Too bad since this small army had a dragon in it which cost me my
force and a character in my army.
>From David Foreman
A point on the SIZE of navies...
Like armies, the size adjective on a navy is determined by the
relative size of the navy in question with all other navies. UNLIKE
armies, navies can appear and disapear quickly (anchor/pickup
ships). In game 104, as the Quiet Avenger, I found myself the proud
owner of 10 warships and 4 transports called a HUGE navy. The
following turn I was again a SMALL navy. This happened several
times during the game. I later determined that the other naval
nations had anchored all their ships, leving my pitiful squad as the
largest ACTIVE fleet in Middle Earth.
On the subject of seiging with 100 troops, I lost three characters
with 800HI that attacked an undefended castle and they all died.
That's not much of a trend, but it certainly says that casualties
could be bad. The commander in question was an 89.
A point on hostages. If you have a free agent order available in a
hex when you are fairly sure you will take a hostage that is pretty
good (say a Nazgul), issue 'execute hostage' on the character.
Contrary to the book, you can execute ANY hostage in a hex if that
hostage is held by ANY character belonging to your nation. Doing
this execute order reduces the enemy character's chance of escaping
before you can kill him.
[Tom's note: I should've mentioned this before. In one game, I've
a team of agents who regularly kidnap/execute. The person doing the
execute is almost never the person who actually holds the hostage.]
>From Keith Petersen
For the record, I was part of the #150 FP who quit. (Someone in the
last mouth wanted to know).
Keith
>From Lucas T. Cuccia II
Some time between Game 113 and Game 128 (unless this change came for
128), the Nazgul received an overhaul. From Akhorahil through
Uvatha, all Nazgul have at least 100 skill points. I have setups
from that game and Game 139 to prove this. Current stats are:
CO AG EM MG ST
Murazor 40 40 70 30
Khamul 30 30 30 40 30
Dendra Dwar 20 20 60 30
Ji Indur 20 40 40 30
Akhorahil 20 20 60 30
Hoarmurath 30 20 50 30
Adunaphael 30 30 40 30
Ren the Unc. 30 20 50 30
Uvatha 60 20 20 30
I guess GSI felt that the principle servants of evil should be
"tougher" than ICE thought.
News from the Net
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Post #1
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From: aray@cwis.unomaha.edu (ALAN WAYNE RAY)
Subject: MEPBM--Woodmen Position
Date: Fri, 3 Jun 1994 03:50:22 GMT
Hello All!
I have a friend who's playing the Woodmen position. It's
turn 12. She wants to drop it but I'd like to find someone willing
to take it over. A little info. about the position. She has strong
Emis., 2 armies. 8 pop centers, one being a City, and the other a
Mtown, in about 2 turns she should have another Mtown. She has 2
artifacts. She is in no danger of being put out of the game.
Ngondor has been eliminated, and I believe the Witchking was
eliminated just this turn, not sure. Rhudaur has dropped, and so
has the Harad I believe. Duns and the Corsairs have gone evil,
Easterlings have gone good, I believe.
The game is still pretty balanced. If anyone wants more
info. or is interested in taking over the position please let me
know
ASAP.
Write me at Aray@cwis.unomaha.edu.
Thanks,
Alan
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Post #2
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From: v117gv8r@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu (Thomas E Burnett)
Subject: New Middle Earth team game anyone?
Date: Fri, 3 Jun 1994 12:35:00 GMT
All:
I and a freind or two are considering starting a team for
GSI's Middle Earth. We are looking for players who have email
addresses and experience with the game to join us in playing as
Free People. If you are interested contact me at this address or
at:
as045@freenet.buffalo.edu
Thom Burnett
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Post #3
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From: kdmcgee@aol.com (KDMcGee)
Subject: Re: MEPBM 155
Date: 6 Jun 1994 20:58:02
In article (lepag001.767116715@maroon), lepag001@maroon.tc.umn.edu
(Garrett R Le-Page) writes:
Greetings, Easties. Arthedain here.
KDMcGee@aol.com
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Post #4
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From: rta@mundil.cs.mu.OZ.AU (Richard Terence ALLEN)
Subject: MEPBM newbie
Date: Tue, 7 Jun 1994 09:38:40 GMT
Hi folks,
Im a new player to MEPBM. My preferences where Northern
Gondor, the witch king and then southern Gondor. Was this a good
idea? The game is just starting in Australia so we're all rather
new to it. Any other suggestions?
Thanking you in advance,
-Tefkin
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reply from Patrick F. McGehearty (patrick@convex.COM)
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There are 25 positions, and with a number of completed games, most
positions have a fair share of results in the top three. That
being the case, the real question is what type of game to you want
to play? The positions you list all are military/commander oriented.
Others are also in that category. If you want to sit back in the
mountains and use agents to kill off your enemies, then the Cloud
Lord is for you. If you want to be left alone for a while to build
your economy, the Haradwaith looks powerful.
Each position has its strengths and weaknesses. What you do with
it depends strongly on how effective your allies are. If you are
one of the front line FreeP countries, and you can convince your
allies to feed you money, you can build almost unstoppable armies.
If they won't support you, and you overbuild the armies, you can
go bankrupt. The dark side has great challenges as well.
Have fun learning!
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Post #5
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From: forester@elvis.srl.ford.com (Brian Forester)
Subject: ME-PBM, game # 141
Date: 7 Jun 1994 15:05:10 GMT
Looking for players in game #141 of ME-PBM.
I took over the standby position for the Blind Sorcerer.
--
Brian (forester@elvis.srl.ford.com)
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reply from trubador@aol.com (Doug Christensen)
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In article (2t22b6$qtf@eccdb1.pms.ford.com),
forester@elvis.srl.ford.com (Brian Forester) writes:
>Looking for players in game #141 of ME-PBM.
>I took over the standby position for the Blind Sorcerer.
I am the Corsairs in this Sitzkrieg. Will send you other names
and addresses later.
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reply from eschnurr@netcom.com (Eric Schnurr)
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Brian,
Good to here from you...I am the Cloud Lord.
Drop me a note at eschnurr@netcom.com
Anyone else out there from game #141???
- Eric Schnurr
--
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| Eric Schnurr | eschnurr@netcom.com |
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Post #6
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From: jminor@soda.berkeley.edu (Josh Minor)
Subject: Re: ME-PBM Game 164
Date: 8 Jun 1994 20:37:04 GMT
I am playing the Easterlings in game 164. Feel free to send
me mail rather than a paper diplo.
Josh
jminor@soda.berkeley.edu
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Post #7
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From: bigegg@vespucci.iquest.com (Greg Lary)
Subject: ME-PBM
Date: 8 Jun 1994 21:28:21
What is the ME-PBM game I keep reading about? I haven't seen in on
any of the FAQ's or at the FTP sites. Could someone give me some
info on this? It sounds interesting.
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reply from kdmcgee@aol.com (KDMcGee)
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ME-PBM is a commerical Play-By-Mail game based on the fantasy
trilogy of J.R.R. Tolkien. The company that runs the game is Game
Systems Inc. of Miami , Florida. The game costs $25 to start (the
first time) and $6.50 per turn.
Best,
Kevin
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reply from Patrick F. McGehearty (patrick@convex.COM)
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ME-PBM = Middle Earth Play-by-mail
A miltary/strategic/economic/character/diplomatic game based on the
Middle Earth meta-verse created by J.R.R. Tolkien. It involved 25
players in a single game, 10 for the Free Peoples, 10 for the Dark
Servants, and 5 Neutrals.
In the US, it is run by
Game Systems Inc
PO Box 160129
Miami, FL 33116-0129
305-274-5559 (2-5pm EST)
I don't have the contact info for the companies running it in UK or
Down Under.
New player registrations are $25 which includes the rule book and
two turns. Additional turns are $6.50 each. Most games are run at
a rate of one turn every two weeks.
If you mention my name in your first $25 submission, I get a free
turn, so if you are so inclined, I would be pleased for you to give
Patrick McGehearty as your referral. :-)
Most players have a large collection of data about the game which
gives them a significant advantage over those without it. This data
is available over the net from various sources. You can sign up
with a few friends if you want to be in the same game (call GSI for
details), or just sign up and meet your fellow players on the phone
or by mail during the game. Don't signup for too many games at once
until you get into the flow of things and see what your time
commitment and phone bills are like.
- Patrick McGehearty
patrick@convex.com
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reply from gl8f@fermi.clas.Virginia.EDU (Greg Lindahl)
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Middle Earth (ME-PBM): a commercial strategic simulation of J. R. R.
Tolkien's fantasy universe.
[...]
The commercial game Middle Earth (ME-PBM) has a mailing list. The
human who runs it is kazandar@aol.com.
>From the PBM List:
Game: Middle-Earth Play-By-Mail (ME-PBM)
Type: Conquest/Adventure (Fantasy, strategic)
Duration: (Averages 25-40 turns)
Turns: 2 or 3 week turnaround. Phone turns accepted (+$3)
GM: Computer-moderated
Costs: $6.50/turn, $25.00/$12.50 for first/following setups
(150+ Page Rulebook, 2' * 3' Full Color Map of
Middle
Earth, 3 Month Subscription to GSI strategy
magazine,
2 Free Turns)
Description:
Conquest and Adventure in J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy world of Middle
Earth. In each game, there are 25 players who take on the role of
a Dark Servant (10), Free Peoples (10), or a Neutral (5). The goal
of the game is for Good to destroy all of Evil (or vice versa). An
optional victory is attained by delivering the ONE RING to Mt. Doom
or to Sauron. Each player controls a kingdom and individual
characters.
In many ways similar to Alamaze, but more developed.
Opinions:
THE BEST PBM I HAVE EVER PLAYED!! Your turns are laser printed and
you receive updated kingdom maps every turn w/ updated character
sheets for your heroes. If you in in love with Tolkien's books,
this is THE GAME for you. ME-PBM has been programmed in consultation
with Iron Crown Enterprises (I.C.E.), makers of the Middle Earth Role
Playing System. - Zach Harman (zharman@umaxc.weeg.uiowa.edu)
Company: Game Systems Inc. (GSI)
P.O. Box 160129
Miami, FL 33116-0129
(305) 274-5559
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----
The ftp sites don't have anything on this game. I know that there
are lists of various items & locations & encounters out there, which
I would love to archive.
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Post #8
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From: talus@delphi.com
Subject: ME-PBM: Encouter-Amon LHAW and Amon Hen
Date: Thu, 9 Jun 94 22:39:41
I have just run into an encouter with a chair called Amon lhaw
whith one character and a chair called Amon Hen with another. The
options are the same for both:
Destroy the chair
Sit and clear your mind
sit and think of a nation
sit and think of a character
sit and think of an enemy character's death
say one word
flee
ANyone out there have any Idea what I should do in this situation?
(Freepeople characters)
Thanks
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reply from millera@MCS.COM (Alan Miller)
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No time to look it up, but I believe you want either NATION or
CHARACTER. Most of the others will have no effect. NATION should
tell you that nation's relations to you (so use on a Neutral or DS),
CHARACTER should tell you something about a character.
good luck,
ajm
--
Alan Miller \\ millera@mcs.com
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Post #9
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From: eichmann@ceres.amp.uni-hannover.de (Holger Eichmann)
Subject: MEPBM: Games 46 (GAD)
Date: Sun, 12 Jun 1994 11:34:01 GMT
I am playing the Easterlings in game 46 in UK (GAD) and I am looking
for other players in that game
Holger Eichmann
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Post #10
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From: u2k22@teach.cs.keele.ac.uk (R Vine)
Subject: ME-PBM by E-Mail
Date: 12 Jun 1994 13:37:29 GMT
The UK game of ME-PBM (GAD) now supports turn input via email. The
format of input is still being tweaked but the following seems to
be working ok.
Email GAD Games at 100065.3016@compuserve.com
Game #
Player #
SECURITY #
(char) (order#) (order code) (other info)
aland 495 ArmyMan
aland no order given
byron 610 GrdChar aland
byron no order given
etc.
Basically, as you can see, the format follows that given in the
results.
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The One Ring
From Tom Walton
I recently heard some odd rumors about the One Ring, which came out
of a game where the Ring is currently at Mount Doom about to be
thrown into the volcano. I didn't want to print the rumors without
some hint of confirmation which, alas, I didn't get. But I did get
a nice note from Bill at GSI which may interest you. Here it is:
"GSI has deliberatly kept pretty quiet about the nature of the One
Ring, other than it uses with regard to ending ME-PBM. It clearly is
the most powerful artifact in ME at the time and, as such, it the
hardest to locate and then secure.
There have been quite a few succesful locations of the One Ring,
including once in the orignal ME-PBM playtest. However, to date, all
those attempts at bring the One Ring successfully to Barad-dur
either went awry or the character lost the One Ring along the way.
However, there have been many attempts, with a few being successful,
since the 940 spell changes, and we expect to see the first game
ending via the mechanism in the not-to-distant future.
As much as I would like to comment further, GSI prefers to keep
**mum** about the One Ring."
Submissions
A reader pointed out that many of the articles our faithful readers
write are quite good and could easily get into "Whispers of the
Wood". Unlike this humble publication, "Whispers" will actually
compensate you with a free turn or two or a free setup in a new
game.
For those of you who've articles in a past Mouth, you might consider
doing this. Remember, you own all rights to what you've written, so
you can resubmit to "Whispers" at will. It'll also broaden your
readership, as many who get "Whispers" don't have email.
Think about it; you could actually profit (in a roundabout sort of
way) from the articles you've sent to us!
[From Brian: Several articles have already appeared in both (namely
some of my early S & T, Tom's article on Winners & Losers, etc.). A
submission to "The Mouth" would allow you as a writer to "wet your
feet" and get some constructive criticism before submitting to
"Whispers..." ]
GSI and Customer Service
This is another installment on the question we asked a couple of
issues ago. These letters were picked as representative of a group
of comments made (we couldn't possibly print all of the letters, it
would take us hours just to mail the Mouth out). The names of both
authors have been removed to insure anonymity.
Letter #1
Once when I called to check on three turns which were sent in
together in a 2-day mail envelope, I was told that only two of the
turns had arrived. I explained that three had been sent together,
so if 2 were there, then the third one must be there also. Sure
enough, after sitting on hold for about 6 minutes, I was told that
the turn had been misfiled. In another one of my games, my turn
apparently never arrived at all. I was special serviced, so I
called to see what the problem was. They said they still hadn't
gotten the turn. Then, just out of curiousity, I called back a week
later to see if the turn had arrived. It hadn't. So, 11 days had
gone by since I mailed it, and they still didn't have it. I don't
know if it got lost by the USPS or if it was once again misfiled.
I also know that many people have complained about GSI's fax
machine. Apparantly it doesn't print the turns very well...the ink
gets blotched. I also recently heard a horror story about a
"phone-in" turn. A Fire King player had 4 of his orders
botched...two were "hire army" and one was "improve pop center".
The fourth order caused large amounts of chaos...he had an agent in
the Eothraim capital along with some Cloud Lord agents. He was
supposed to be guarding one of the CL characters, but GSI says that
he put 605 instead of 610. However, in the phone message, the FK
said "Guard character" and he also gave a character ID. As a
result, 2 of the Cloud Lord agents were captured by the Fire King.
Now, I understand that the order # may take precedence over the
order code. But I just don't see how they could have screwed this
one up, especially when he gave a character ID with the order.
Also, why in the heck would the FK be guarding the Eothraim
capital?
One thing that I think GSI should do to help alleviate problems, is
to put players' phone numbers on file when they send them in. I
know that this FK player has sent his phone number in numerous
times. However, he failed to leave his phone number when he called
in his turn. Either GSI doesn't keep them on file, or they were
just too lazy to bother calling this guy to iron-out the
discrepancies in the orders. It's been a while since I've spoken to
this player, but I plan to call soon to see if GSI did anything to
correct the mistakes.
[Tom's note: many a complaint have been sent about GSI's fax
machine. It apparently doesn't print very well and orders can get
mangled for lack of readability.
One person also told me a way he uses to track whether or not
his turns arrived, which he developed after getting special serviced
alot. He sends in a check for each game with a minimal amount of
money in it ($15.00, now $25.00); if he gets special serviced he
checks his bank records to see when the check arrived. Doesn't work
so well now with the $25.00 minimum, but it is a thought.]
Letter #2
I issued a MovArmy order to move an army to one of my pop centers
where I had just shipped food. I FAXed in a correction when I
realized I would collide with another army in the area. The
correction was to ForcMar via a different route to the same
destination. GSI got the FAX, changed the movement directions, but
didn't change MovArmy to ForcMar. I ended up short of my
destination, nowhere useful. I immediately sent them an e-mail
message describing the error; two days passed without a reply.
Finally I called, talked to Bill. He wouldn't move my army to the
pop center because it appeared on other player's maps, but he did
transfer all the food (stores + production) from the pop center to
the army's baggage train (saving me an order) and canceled the FAX
correction charge. I wonder though if he would have moved the army
if it wasn't on an opponent's map. Also, he hadn't received the
e-mail message even though almost two days had passed; good thing
I called!
Speculation for Middle Earth PBM 2940
By Lucas T. Cuccia II
There are some character changes that can be considered reguarding
The Noldo Elves (Elrond and his people) and The Rangers of the North
(Aragorn and his people).
As stated in the Return of the King and in other other passages, the
twin sons of Elrond, Elladan and Elrohir frequently joined up with
the Dunadan Rangers of the North in their fight against the evils of
the north. My proposal is that they are move from the Noldo ranks to
the Ranger ranks. This would leave the Rangers having Aragorn,
Elladan, Elrohir, Halbarad, and 4 others (possilbly some hobbits).
[From Brian: The point of Elladan and Elrohir being included in the
Ranger setup was metioned in the last issue of "The Mouth," but I doubt
that Halbarad and Aragorn will be characters. Aragorn was not old
enough, and presumably, neither was Halbarad (but then GSI has been
known to get a little free and loose with the facts before).]
To fill in these two character slots, the Noldo could pickup the
following 2 characters:
Galdor- He was Cirdan's envoy at the Concil of Elrond. He would be
a second character to start at Mithlond West, with Cirdan being the
other.
Stats- 20 agent, 20 emmissary, 30 mage, and 25 stealth
Arwen- She is the daughter of Elrond, and though she is to wed
Aragorn, she still remains with her father at Imladris.
[From Brian: Arwen spent most of the Third Age in Lothlorien, not at
Imladris.]
Stats- 20 emmissary, 20 mage, and 25 stealth
By GSI doing this they only have to make up 4 new Ranger characters,
this means less guess work on their part.
Other notes- reguarding Thranduil's Kingdom of Northern Mirkwood
Legolas should have the following stats:
Command 30, Agent 20, Emmissary 20, and Stealth 20
Other character possibilties for this position are as follows (as
per ICE's Mirkwood module):
Camthalion- Commander 30, Agent 10, and Stealth 20
Heladil- Commander 20, Agent 10, ans Stealth 20
Huinien- he is Ringlin's master and is the actual owner Ringlin's
1650 era artifacts: Agent 20, Emmissary 10, Mage 60, and Steath 20
Arien-She is another assistant to Huinien: Emmissary 10, Mage 30
and Stealth 20
Other notes- reguarding Elves in general and their stealth:
I feel that stealth in the new game should be on more rigid lines.
The elves of this era are of four distinct "Quality" levels and
should be awarded stealth in that manner. This should apply to the
at start character base and maybe to new hires as well.
Noldo should have 25 stealth. The Noldo are as follows:
Glorfindel, Ringlin, Erestor, Galadriel, and Huinien and Aegnor of
the new characters.
[From Brian: Gildor is also Noldo.]
Elrond and his family should have 25 stealth also. Even though they
are half elven, the are of very royal descent. Elrond family is as
follows: Elrond, Elladan, Elrohir, and Arwen of the new characters.
Sindar and Nandor should have 20 stealth each. The existing
characters are Cirdan, Gaerdae, Celeborn, Thranduil, Lanthir, Othar,
Tharudan, and Taurnil. The new characters Legolas, Heladil, Galdor,
Aldan, Arvairie, Carihir, Fanar (Nandor), and Turli de (Nandor)
The Silvan are the least in stature of the Elves and should have 15
stealth each. They are all newly proposed characters. They are
Arien, Camthalion, Haldir, Irven, Orophin, and Rumil.
New hires should be given stealth along these lines.
Other Note-It would seem to me that all elves should come with
stealth. SInce all new characters are "Heroes", one would think that
the few dozen (if that many) new characters created would at least
be stealthy.
Other Note-Beornlings in Middle-Earth PBM:
This proposed ability in both games would give the Woodmen
potentially great characters and it would make the nation requested
more. The 1650 setup provides for the Woodmen to get either a
stealth bonus or a bonus to there challenge rank. Why not give a
character both and say here is a Beornling ? This would change the
following Woodmen characters as follows.
Beneoracer -30 command , 10 agent, 15 stealth and +20 challenge
bonus
Beoraborn-40 command, 10 agent, 10 mage, 15 stealth and +20
challenge bonus
Bornbeneor-30 command, 10 emmissary, 15 stealth and +20 challenge
bonus.
Beorn of 2940- 50 command, 10 agent, 10 mage, 15 stealth, and +20
challenge. He was a real bad-ass.
(Note in game 113, Waulfa at start and 5 new hires each had +20
challenge, if that number varies so be it.)
By providing the Woodmen with the abililty to get a character with
both 15-25 stealth and +20 challenge, they would be asked for often.
Strategy & Tactics: The Witch-King
>From Brian Mason
I've delayed writing this article for some time for a couple of
reasons. One, my worth co-editor waxed my Cardolan in game 62
playing the Witch-King, so he undoubtedly has better advice than I,
and two, while Brian Lowery has not taken out my Rhudaur in game 97
he has certainly demonstrated that he also is "smarter than the
average bear." Also, this article is going to be read by many other
"pundits" in the game (hello out there Jeremy, David, Glen, etc...)
who will be able to shoot numerous holes in my plans contained
herein.
Well, if I didn't think I could take a few shots, Rhudaur would have
joined the Dark Servants in 97, so drop back, reload, and get ready,
here is my effort...
I'm first going to look at the usual set of basic data about the
position, discuss important developments in the region which may or
may not determine early exactly how the position is played. I'll
discuss how these affected play in the specific cases of games 62
and 97. I'm then going to make some specific observations regarding
the position. The unknowns in the region make such a big difference
in how the position is played that it would be foolish to attempt to
come up with a specific turn-by-turn strategy.
Basic Data
First, consider how the Witch-King compares to other positions
(Allegiance Comparison Tables, Tom Walton, "The Mouth," #3):
item for comparison among all among Dark Servants
=================== ============== =========================
Total Tax Base 12th 1st
Resource Base 10th 1st
Combat Strength 8th 2nd
Character points 3rd 2nd
Artifacts 2nd 1st
The Witch-King has fair production in some areas, very poor in
others. Expected production (Population Center Development, Brian
Mason, "The Mouth," #2) which has not been adjusted for climate for
the nation of the Witch-King would be as follows:
material le br st mi fo ti mo go
=========== ===== ===== ===== ===== ===== ===== ===== =====
production 1359 342 151 13 4326 103 306 2491
Regional Development
So many of the early actions of the Witch-King will be determined by
how play develops in the region. The important developments which
will affect play substantially are listed below as well as how they
will pan out. I'll selfishly mention how these activities panned out
in the two games I've played where the Witch-King has been my
primary adversary. In game 62 I played Cardolan while the Witch-King
was played by Tom. In game 97 I played Rhudaur with the part of
Murazor portrayed by Brian Lowery.
1. The position of Rhudaur - These two positions essentially
share the same map and are parked in each others back
yard. This is the only position in the region whose
armies are stronger than yours. Which way this position
goes and how competently it is played will determine a
great deal about the long term status of your position.
In game 62 Tom convinced Rhudaur to join him. While
Rhudaur did not last long, his attack on Metriath
prevented the Cardolani invasion of Angmar.
In game 97 Brian Lowery was unable to convince me to
join the Dark Servants. We've been slugging it out ever
since.
2. The position of the Dunlendings - While not as lethal as
Rhudaur, this position joining the Free can be
troublesome as it allows Cardolan to focus all her
attention on you. If you can't get them to commit, every
turn you keep them neutral is one more turn you do not
have to face the recruiting power of Cardolan.
In game 62 Tom also convinced Rhudaur to join him (Tom
will tell you that diplomacy is not his strong suit -
Ha!). It was the Dunlendings who eventually delivered the
death blow to Cardolan.
In game 97 the Dunlendings dropped.
3. The competence of the Dragon Lord - This position is even
tougher than the Witch-King. If you can keep this player
going he can possibly prevent the Woodmen, Sinda, and
Dwarves from paying too much attention to you.
I am unsure how the Dragon Lord played in game 62.
However, with the drops of the Woodmen and the Sinda,
Dragon Lord competence was hardly necessary.
In game 97 the Dragon Lord play has been less than
stellar (discretion prevents me from telling the truth
here, but those in the game know what I mean).
4. How aggressive Cardolan and Arthedain are - If they come
right at you with all their strength you will be pressed.
If they play soft it will give you time to decide where
and how to attack them.
In game 62 Cardolan was a tiger (okay, a tabby).
Arthedain was humbled into near submission after an early
combat with the Witch-King. He became despondent and
dropped following an agent assault by the Cloud Lord
(courtesy of Jeremy Richman).
In game 97 Cardolan was initially aggressive but his
later play has been... well it has offset that of the
Dragon Lord. Arthedain, despite being a new player, has
been very aggressive and has continued to press the
attack.
5. Which way the Dwarves go - Usually the Dwarves at
Khazad-Dum go straight for Goblin Gate. If they instead
bypass Goblin Gate for Mt Gunabad or move West out of
Khazad-Dum you might have some problems.
In game 62 the Dwarves started off with possibly some of
the worst play I have ever seen (except, possibly, the
1988 Atlanta Braves). This position was later taken over
by a competent player who was able to take out a
virtually undefended Rhudaur.
In game 97 the play of the Dwarves has been workmanlike.
Heck, he killed Ji Indur, who am I to complain?
6. How martial the Noldo are - Typically, this position is
not played in this fashion, however, if they opt for a
massive military buildup they can do it quite quickly at
Imladris, and put some impressive formations under
formidable leaders on the field.
In game 62 the Noldo made big plans. I never saw any of
them pan out. They are, however, still in the game
(anybody out there (Dave Holt? Jeremy?) who knows how
this goes?
In game 97 the Noldo have been played by three different
people. First very conservative, then very aggressive
(and foolhardy), and now playing in a more thoughtful
manner.
Possible Development
1. What to do with Murazor? The only weakness of the
Witch-King is that he does not have agent skill. However,
he is a formidable emissary, a powerful mage, and an
adequate commander. The best place to put this wraith is
having him as a backup commander move with your primary
attacking army which allows him to: one, train troops to
improve his command rank, conjure hordes to improve the
army strength, provide artillery support for armies in
combat with combat spells or fearful hearts, and provide
an effective protector against some of the better
challenging characters of Arthedain, the Dwarves, or the
Noldo should the army come into contact with those.
2. Emissary Development: While Murazor is your most
formidable emissary, he is far more important as a mage,
and as a subcommander in your armies. Anguilion is an
adequate emissary, and with the pectoral an excellent
one. Given his starting emissary rank he can name
emissaries early in the game (perhaps three of the first
four slots).
3. Where to place camps: Many decisions for where to place
camps depend a great deal on whether or not Rhudaur joins
the Dark Servants.
If Rhudaur remains neutral or joins the Free Peoples the
following locations are good spots: 1502-1702 (at these
locations you get both the good and varied production of
hills and rough (albeit at poor climactic production
rates) as well as ideal locations from which to strike at
Arthedain (Fornost is one regular march from 1502 by
calvary, one forced march from 1602 by cavalry).
With Rhudaur in the fold of the Dark Folk, many other
spots pop up, namely: 1803 as another hills & rough hex
and the jumping off spots where the Cardolan and Dwarf
maps do not overlap: 1808, 1810 and 1812.
If you do not care whether or not you can be seen, 2105
and 2106 are almost inaccessible as well as many other
hill & rough and mountain hexes. Also, 1905, 2005, and
1906 (the three village/towers) can be improved to
town/towers.
There are many other places all over the map where you
can develop, however, most of these are done without
having adequate military protection.
4. Bringing an ally North: I've seen this in every game, in
various levels of involvement from agent actions of the
Cloud Lord and Long Rider to direct military action with
the some of the Mordor nations receiving recruiting bases
from the Witch-King. Of all the Mordor nations the Fire
King might be the best choice because of his free hiring
of armies. However, if the South is secure either the
Cloud Lord or the Blind Sorcerer (or, as in game 97, both
of them) can also free up some resources to fight for
Eriador.
5. Army actions: Only Northern Gondor starts the game with
a better crop of commanders than the Witch-King. Of
those, two (Dancu and Durkarian) have agent abilities and
make excellent subcommanders. Also, with a better
collection of combat artifacts than any other position,
and better command artifacts than all except Arthedain
they have an additional combat bonus.
At first, the plan should be to recruit until some
determination can be made for who to attack. It is
possible to make a balls-of-fire attack on any one
target, however, doing this on enemy territory might be
unwise.
Attacking Cardolan exposes your right flank to Arthedain.
Attacking either one makes you vulnerable to Rhudaur
while attacking Rhudaur leaves you open to subsequent
attacks from Arthedain and Cardolan.
Without regular recruiting and cooperation with the
Dragon Lord, Mt Gunabad also becomes a very difficult
position to hold.
A strategy I have seen used with success is to place many
of the cavalry forces under a good commander which then
moves across and into Free People population centers in
northern Mirkwood and Rhovanion threatening them away.
6. Mage actions: Both Fearful Hearts and Conjure Hordes are
very effective spells for the Witch-King. However, unlike
the Dragon Lord and Blind Sorcerer the realm of Angmar
does not have an overabundance of mages to put into
specific tasks. While Murazor can learn difficult spells,
and can find artifacts, using him in this capacity does
not allow him to provide army support.
7. The Dwarf population centers: 2004 is a thorn. Threaten
it away soon.
8. Dragons: You have several population centers in the
mountains and with a good encounter response list for
dragons you can get these nukes in your army. These can
drastically affect the balance of play. However, even
with a good encounter list be prepared to lose
characters: you will (so don't send in your good starting
characters!).
In many ways this position is most similar to Northern Gondor. Your
position, while strong, is not as strong as those that surround and
oppose you. You spend more time reacting than acting. Good Luck with
it!
>From Tom Walton
Until Arthedain turned his tail between his legs and dropped, game
62 was by far and away the most challenging I've ever played. As
the Witch-King, I was hit by combined Arthedain/Cardolan forces
fairly early, as well as threatened to 'submit or die' by a very
militant Rhudaur. Things did not look at all good until I managed
to convince the Duns and Rhudaur to sell their souls to ol' Sauron;
and even then, Cardolan still managed to wreck my armies and even
get a force inside of Angmar.
That was also one of my early games, so my dragon database had yet
to be built. Because of that, I never had a dragon in any of my
armies, nor, due of the incessant fighting, did I have characters to
spare to comb the mountains. Much of my success was due to luck:
three times I managed to guess where and when huge enemy armies
would strike, catching them before they could hit Angmar; I also had
some good fortune in my 'diplomatic' efforts regarding neutrals
(despite what Brian says about my diplomacy, I convinced Rhudaur to
join me by threatening to take him down with me if he attacked; I
won the staring contest).
In discussions with other players, I've found that many of my ideas
for this position run contrary to what they'd do if they were
running it. Ah, well. As with all of our S&T's, please take
everything with a grain of salt.
The Military
This is a military position if there ever was one. You're
essentially doomed unless the cards all fall your way, so you might
as well give it everything you've got right from the beginning.
This means recruiting, and to hell with the treasury or forced tax
increases.
In essence, you have to recruit 1400-1800 heavy infantry a turn to
have any chance of stopping a combined Arthedain/Cardolan team which
plays competently. Don't rely on having both Rhudaur and the Duns
going your way, because even if they do (not bloody likely) they'll
probably commit after the decisive opening battles. In addition,
they'll no doubt be tied up with the irate Dwarves and others,
limiting their effectiveness (in 62, Rhudaur wasn't terribly
competent and was conquered by the Dwarves after doing much of
nothing).
If Arthedain and Rhudaur are working together, they'll probably make
a combined push around turn 6. Good thing, too, because if you
recruit at the above rates you'll be running a deficit in excess of
20,000 gold by this time. You'll essentially be on the verge of
bankruptcy, so battle is a blessing.
This is the first critical juncture of the position. If you guess
where the enemy is going to march, you can catch them in a mega-
battle which'll result in the utter destruction of most of the armed
forces for hundreds of miles around. If not, they'll fly right past
you into Angmar and wreak such destruction that you might as well
kiss your nation goodbye. Even if you later destroy the nasty
invaders, your economy will be so trashed you won't be able to stop
the them in the next round.
In game 62, I correctly guessed Arthedain's line of approach and
managed to bring more troops to battle than he did. Though I lost
Murazor that turn (Argeleb challenged my army commander, but Murazor
challenged Argeleb first - and was cut down), I destroyed about 90%
of Arthedain's armies and opened the approach for an invasion. My
remaining forces were enough to capture/threaten the enemy towns.
I've seen the above repeated so many times that my general tactics
follow an 'after the holocaust' type of battle, wherein much of the
armies that start the game are toast by turn 6 or so:
- divide your infantry into one force and your cav into another.
Have the infantry march directly into Arthedain and start
threatening away his towns left and right. Try to draw the enemy to
your main army, both to occupy his attentions and to keep him from
counterstriking into Angmar.
- with the cav force, make attacks to the rear of Arthedain. Don't
capture; the Noldo can easily threaten away anything you take here.
Instead, destroy all those little towns and villages in the
backwaters. This will also lower loyalty, in turn making threats by
the big infantry force easier to accomplish.
- continue to recruit like crazy in Angmar. You'll need it to stop
Cardolan, the Dwarves, and possibly one of the neutrals if they
decide that you look too good to pass up.
The above tactics provide for three things:
(1) Home defense.
(2) A second wave of armies if home defense isn't required.
(3) The ruin of Arthedain.
I don't recommend fighting more than one opponent at a time,
especially for this position. You can't possibly out-recruit
Arthedain and Cardolan, much less Arthedain, Cardolan, and the
Noldo; your best hope here is to cripple or destroy one nation using
your initial forces plus massive numbers of new troops, to even out
the odds when the inevitable second wave of troops come pouring
forth from the Free nations. If you can put Arthedain down, or hit
it so bad that it becomes a minor power, the odds of you surviving
to the mid-game are much improved. If you fail in doing this,
you'll almost certainly be destroyed soon after.
The Economy
On turn 1 or sooner, raise taxes to 80%; you'll be needing the gold.
Don't worry about loyalties, because all of your pop centers are
fortified (and thus won't degrade). If you're concerned about Noldo
emissaries, just remember that once they're good enough to steal
your towns they'll do it regardless of what the loyalties are.
Also on turn 1 dump all of your excess goods on the market,
including any food in armies that you won't be using (leave your cav
with food, though!). Try to build up your treasury to give you a
cushion against a large deficit. In game 62, I was at one point
running a deficit of better than -30,000, and the only thing that
saved my bacon and allowed me to stop my Cardolani foe was a rather
enormous treasury.
Try to supplement your economy with captures close to home, ones
that you can could for some length of time. The Dwarven town at
2004 is a good choice, as is the Woodmen town at 2405. Once inside
Arthedain, the towns near Fornost Erain can be taken for a few turns
if your main army is in the area and available to engage the enemy.
There's some rather heated debate on whether or not this position
should develop emissaries. Given the high tax rate and the
automatic loyalty degradation, camps will be in peril of being lost
if you don't spend several turns raising the morale. Even so,
you'll have to come back and give the pop centers a boost every few
turns.
On the brighter side, the Misty Mountains are overrun by dragons,
and this means that you've got some excellent free emissaries
already doing the job for you. My approach is somewhat middle
ground; I believe you should put down about a half-dozen camps in
the mountains of Angmar and in the Grey Mountains, out of reach of
enemy armies. Using the Pectoral, you can quickly raise these camps
to villages to boost your tax base, then to towns (the only position
that can really do this right from the start of the game).
These camps will suplement the tax and resource base of Angmar, but
their primary use is with....
Emissaries and Dragons
Angmar is a military position, not an emissary one. With the
Pectoral, however, you can develop a small but very competent
emissary team capable of hitting an enemy town - and stealing it -
in a single turn. They'll also be able to counter Noldo efforts
along this same line.
My suggestion would be to create an emissary early on, then have
Angulion transfer the Pectoral to him. Create a second emissary to
follow the first. Number one creates a camp, number two improves
loyalty. Pass the artifact back and forth to let each get the big
skill boost.
One turn 6 or 11, have the two emissaries run back and create two
more emissaries. Give the Pectoral to these two new emissaries and
have them improve the camps to villages, while the original two
improve loyalty. By turn 15 or so, you should have four very good
emissaries AND the pectoral. You'll be ready to go on the
offensive, or to work defensively by building new major towns off-
map (in case you're in danger of losing Angmar).
I recommend against naming more than four emissaries for the Witch-
king. You'll need the rest of your character slots for army
commanders.
One other effect that both the camps and the emissaries will have is
improving the chances (dramatically) of running into a recruitable
dragon. There's nothing like a dragon to even things out a bit, and
putting down camps in the Misty and Grey Mountains attracts them
like flies to, well, you get the picture. If anything, this is much
more important than adding a few villages to your nation. By using
emissaries, you kill several birds with one stone.
Characters
Aside from the emissaries, build straight 40-point commanders. Your
agents are relatively useless except for scouts against Arthedain
and Cardolan (the Noldo will kick their butts), yet your characters
are good enough to resist Free kidnap/assassination attempts during
the opening game. Try to get agent support from other Dark Servants
better equipped to be effective.
The same goes for mages. Early mages just aren't going to be very
useful, taking turns to train up - turns which you don't have. You
can't afford to be wasting your character slots on characters you
can't use.
As for commanders...well, play the Witch-king and you'll see just
how many commanders you're actually going to need. If anything, I
was almost always short a commander or two even when I was maxed out
on characters.
Diplomacy and the Switch
The entirety of your good fortunate is in the hands of Rhudaur and,
to a lesser extend, Dunland. If you want to survive against
competent opponents, you'll need Rhudaur's help. Be prepared to
offer alot for his early entry into the war (artifacts are a small
price to pay for 8,000 troops in aid just at the game start).
Dunland usually goes good, so all you can really hope for here is to
keep him neutral for as long as possible. Even neutral, Dunland
will tie down some of Cardolan's troops, and he probably won't be
able to restrain himself from stealing some Free gold. If you can
keep him out of the war until one of the enemy is destroyed, you've
done better than most Witch-king players.
One very useful tactic I've seen and that Brian describes above is
to have a Mordor player recommit part of his resources to Angmar
after trading major towns. This improves Angmar's chances quite a
bit, and provides a nasty surprise for unsuspecting enemies. If a
Mordor power is otherwise uncommited, getting him to come north will
be a blessing.
Speculations on player positions in the 2940 game:
Imladris/Mithlond Elves
By Brian Mason
A Long Digression
Before I get into an actual analysis of this position, let me point
out a technique I use for determining the abilities of some of the
newer characters in me-pbm 2940.
GSI uses the supplemental materials produced by Iron Crown
Enterprises (ICE) in the naming of characters, encounters,
artifacts, population centers and other aspects of the game. While
my actual investment in ICE products is rather modest compared to
some of the hard-core fantasy role-playing types out there, even my
listing allows us to see some general trends in the table below. The
first column list the character name, the second lists the
Middle-earth role-playing level (from ICE), the third lists the
combined me-pbm skill rank (from GSI), and the fourth lists the
ratio me-pbm skill rank divided by merp level. The mean and standard
deviation of this ratio is 3.09 +/- 0.6. Given this range, a low and
high range is established within which the GSI skill rank may fall.
Those are listed in columns five and six along with a flag listing
whether or not the true skill rank falls within the estimated skill
rank range in column seven.
me-pbm me-pbm
MERP skill / low high within
Name Level rank MERP guess guess range?
--------------------------------------------------
Hallas 5 50 3.0 12.4 18.4 no
Seammu 7 30 4.3 17.4 25.8 yes
Briam 7 30 4.3 17.4 25.8 yes
Guntram 8 30 3.8 19.9 29.5 yes
Bondan 9 40 4.4 22.4 33.2 no
Morwen 10 30 3.0 24.9 36.9 yes
Valadan 10 40 4.0 24.9 36.9 yes
Alquawen 11 30 2.7 27.4 40.6 yes
Chilperic 12 30 2.5 29.9 44.3 yes
Broggha 12 40 3.3 29.9 44.3 yes
Meneldir 13 40 3.1 32.4 48.0 yes
Osric 14 40 2.9 34.9 51.7 yes
Marl Tarma 18 50 2.8 44.8 66.4 yes
Rogrog 20 50 2.5 49.8 73.8 yes
Taurnil 20 60 3.0 49.8 73.8 yes
Argeleb 25 70 2.8 62.2 92.2 yes
Nimrodel 25 70 2.8 62.2 92.2 yes
Elrohir 25 90 3.6 62.2 92.2 yes
Elladan 25 90 3.6 62.2 92.2 yes
Gildor 30 80 2.7 74.7 110.7 yes
Amroth 32 80 2.5 79.7 118.1 yes
Erestor 40 100 2.5 99.6 147.6 yes
Glorfindel 50 130 2.6 124.5 184.5 yes
Cirdan 60 150 2.5 149.4 221.4 yes
Murazor 60 150 2.5 149.4 221.4 yes
Elrond 65 170 2.6 161.8 239.8 yes
Some interesting things are noted about this. First, in general, the
higher the level, the lower the ratio (dropping as low as 2.5), and
second there are some cases which flat do not fit (e.g. Hallas).
These are probably cases of GSI introducing the artificial inflation
of attributes to get greater game balance.
Back to the Imladris/Mithlond Elves
Now, getting back to the position, this one has the potential to be
the least changed of all the player positions. I mentioned in a
previous issue the possibility that Imladris could be the capital of
the Ranger position, but with the exception of that play, not much
else is likely to change. Generally, throughout the Third Age, the
total number of Elves in Middle-earth decreased, so it is possible
that some of the population centers are smaller in size (or possibly
one of the smallest ones gone entirely). Apart from this, I would
expect few changes in population centers.
It is also possible that the Imladris/Mithlond Elves character
position is very similar to that of the Noldo Elves from the 1650
game. As a matter of fact, it is entirely possible that they are
identical. Listed below are the characters from the 1650 game and a
supplemental list of characters. The supplemental list is included
for three reasons: one, as mentioned in the article on the Rangers
it is possible that Elladan and Elrohir are characters of the
Rangers position. Two, it is also possible that the character of
Arwen is a character of the Lothlorien Elves or the
Imladris/Mithlond Elves. While she is Elrond's daughter, she is also
Galadriel's granddaughter and spent most of the years preceding and
following 2940 in Lothlorien. Three, it is possible that GSI might
just include new characters to "mess with our minds." Note that some
of those in the supplemental list have the lower "sinda stealth
rank."
Before I list this, let me state how I vehemently disagree with
keeping stats the same 1300 years following the 1650 game, however,
it is likely that this is exactly what GSI is going to do.
Name co ag em ma st
============== ==== ==== ==== ==== ====
Cirdan 40 20 40 50 25
Elladan 50 20 20 25
Elrohir 50 20 20 25
Elrond 40 60 70 25
Erestor 40 60 25
Gaerdae 50 25
Gildor 30 20 20 10 25
Glorfindel 60 30 40 25
Aiwe 10 20 20
Aranto 40 20
Arwen 10 10 20 25
Ascarnil 40 25
Coibor Dan 10 20 20 20
Hilvanar 30 10 20
Nardhol 50 20 25
Vilyadhol 30 30 20
The final item of business is to discuss what additional artifacts
the other Imladris/Mithlond Elves might have (like they really NEED
more!).
Imladagollo - Arwen's Cloak - +30 ?? stealth or agent??
Runya - Ascarnil's Sword - +1000 ?? combat
This position could possibly be a clone of the Noldo position from
the 1650 game, or it could be drastically altered with Imladris,
Elladan, and Elrohir gone to the Rangers and other population
centers degraded slightly from the 1650 game. It is very unlikely in
any event that the Imladris army from the 1650 game is still around.
It is more likely that the army is even weaker. This position will
probably be in a position in the early game to concentrate on
population center development in the region most free of Dark
Servants.
Last Word
Here I am, complaining again.
Recently, in game 97 I was engaged in a combat at Carn Dum. Playing
Rhudaur I was attacking the Witch-King. I had 1441 heavy infantry and
I was attacking 1500 heavy cavalry. While my training and morale was
better, he had a better commander, combat artifacts, and the benefits
of defending the place.
All other factors being equal, he should have destroyed my army, and
still had enough left to lick his wounds.
However, I had a dragon.
No I've spent some time in the past issues of "The Mouth" talking about
play balance, and nukes, and the general bad properties of dragons.
But, I'm no dummy.
If there is an inherent flaw in the game (like dragons encounter results
being known TOO well), then it behooves you to take advantage of it.
So, I found Throkmaw and demanded that he join me.
He complied, and just to make it easier for me (or the Arthedain, or the
Noldo, or the Dwarves) to find him in the future, I gave him an artifact.
Like I said, I'm no dummy.
The point of all this is as follows: I took a situation, where through
skill I should have lost and because I have access to an encounter list
I destroyed a superior army.
Those of you who are into fair play, however, are advised that it didn't
turn out well for me as he had a dragon, too. So my army also was food for
worms.
And in another development, he took my capital.
But that's another story.
Brian