From the Mouth of Sauron
Date: 04-30-95
Issue: E-32
Note: all authors retain exclusive rights to their material.
Reprinting is allowed for non-commercial game use only.
The Mouth is edited by Brian Mason and Tom Walton. All
correspondence can be sent to them at:
Brian Mason - mason@chara.gsu.edu
Tom Walton - kazandar@ix.netcom.com
First Word
==========
Greetings once more. It has been a longer than usual pause since issue
31, but after clearing up some problems with email we're back and
operating more efficiently than ever. I'll let Tom elaborate on the
details (if he's up to it).
I (along with most other people out there I suppose) recently received
an email from Bill Feild about email turn reports, as I'm sure most of
you did, and it looks like GSI will be offering this service in a bit
to just about everybody with an email outlet. This was something I
mentioned to Bill a few years ago, and I'm glad to see that GSI is
making this sort of service available.
I've dredged up some old stuff for this issue, most of which is
unresolved from older issues of "From the Mouth of Sauron." If you
can't find the time to write an article for us (and we wish you
would!), then try to help fill in the various databases on climate,
bribe/recruit, and major town/city recons. Every little bit helps!
I was going to go into a long digression in this editorial explaining
my part in the delay of this issue, but I'll just leave it short and
say that I was out of town on an astronomical observing run for a week.
Sorry about the trouble.
I'll give myself a paycut.
Brian
Web Page Announcement
=====================
>From Phredd Groves
Howdy!
I've just completed the first steps in a major overhaul of my MEPBM
info pages!
First and foremost is that they have moved to a new URL:
http://charlotte.acns.nwu.edu/phredd/MEPBM.html
If you use the old URL, you'll get a link to the live page. That
shouldn't go away for a while.
I've also [IMHO] improved the formatting of the page and added some
new features.
o You can now read back issues of the Mouth of Sauron on the Web!
This is a project under construction. I'll be slowly formatting
each edition to look nice on the web. All of it is fairly
readable right now, but tables are an unintelligible eyesore.
o I've also added links to other sites relevant to MEPBM in
one way or another, including a link to the ADOBE Acrobat
web page to allow folks to download it.
So, check it out if you haven't lately and let me know what you
think!
Notes from Holger Eichmann
==========================
Some data for your population center/climate list:
winter spring summer fall
Easterling:
3538 hot hot hot hot
3220 hot hot hot hot
3713 cold cool mild cool
4228 hot hot hot hot
4430 hot hot hot hot
3605 severe cold cool cold
4318 cold mild warm mild
4335 hot hot hot hot
4014 cold cool mild cool
4133 hot hot hot hot
3319 cold mild warm mild
Quiet Avenger:
3533 hot hot hot hot
3335 hot hot hot hot
3034 mild ? :-( hot warm
3437 hot hot hot hot
2135 mild warm hot warm
3234 hot warm
I also have information about some other pops, which I captured, but
perhaps you should publish the information you already got first
that we can see where are still blanks.
About bribing of characters:
Emissary with rank 69 failed to bribe emissary with rank 68 with
10000 gold (the gold was not paid!)
Emissary with rank 73 successfully bribed emissary with rank 68 with
20000 gold
Emissary with rank 120 successfully bribed emissary with rank 69
with 10000 gold
Do you have information about how many gold does an emissary of rank
82 need to have a good chance to bribe Khamul (ranks unknown; turn
20)?
Another information:
>From a battle of an army with two dragons against an army with
woses I
calculated the combat strength of the woses in that battle: around
9500.
Comments Regarding "Revising the Middle-Earth Combat System"*
=============================================================
By Brian Mason
(* Tom Walton, From the Mouth of Sauron, #30)
In reading Tom's comments in last issue, I suppose I (and just about
every body else out there) began thinking of changes we'd like to
see. Here are some other changes I'd like to see made.
- Effect of armor and weapons on army morale: I don't think it is
unreasonable to expect that army morale would go up if troops are
given better equipment.
- Effect of emissaries on army morale: Emissaries should have the
ability to give "pep talks" to improve army morale as well.
- A different option to Tom's plan of increasing the value of light
troops (and here I mean light infantry, light cavalry, and archers,
but not men-at-arms (discussed below)) would be to increase their
speed. This could be accomplished with some rigor by adding
additional movement cost tables for light troops or more easily by
allowing all light troop armies to force march as their normal
movement rate (i.e. get the 14 point movement AND the normal
increase in morale if travelling with food).
- Men-at-arms I interpret as being scum of the earth mercenaries.
While this accounts for their coming equipped with armor and weapons
it does not take into account their basically self-serving nature,
also, the combat and constitution values do not reflect the fact
that these are not conscripts but professional soldiers. I would see
their combat and constitution values increased unless they are
facing a numerically superior army in which case they would desert
before combat.
- I don't like the idea of having combat weapons affect morale. One
of the things I like so much about the 2950 scenario is that army
combats are much more character and artifact driven than the 1650
scenario. Heros and wizards can have a tremendous effect on battle,
and this is reflected in the books. Aragorn and Gandalf are said to
be "worth 1000 mail clad knights a piece," and likewise, the
presence of mighty combat artifacts should make an over-balancing
effect on small army combat.
- I am very much in agreement with Tom's comments vis a vis navy
movement heavy/light troop creation, and additive command skills in
armies. The morale would seem difficult to handle, but I'm sure
that it could be worked out. It is certainly true that armies rarely
fight until they are completely destroyed.
Notes from Sam Freeman
======================
Some material for the next Mouth...
1) A couple issues ago, somebody reported that char could move more
than 12 hexes if they were in an army/company that moved, and then
they tried to MovJoin to an (non-existant) army. We just tried this
and it failed. Maybe GSI had closed that loophole.
2) Does anyone read the alt.fans.tolkien and/or
rec.arts.books.tolkien newsgroups? Would the readership of those
groups be willing to help out with riddles, etc.?
3) Have ents ever been encountered by chars and/or outside of
Fangorn forest?
I just had an encounter in the Rhun area in a 1650 game. [Brian --
you may have already seen my post on r.g.pbm about this.] I
originally thought it was a vampire even though the options were
different, but someone suggested it may be an ent. The "errand"
refered to may be the search for entwives. What do you think?
Here's the description...
He is at camp when a sudden chill passes through him and a shadow
momentarily obscures the stars overhead. Alert and ready for
action, he scanned the surrounding terrain but could see nothing.
Then from out of the night he heard a hollow voice. "Little do I
like others so near to where my errands take me! Speak, lest I
silence you forever."
ATTACK the speaker
declare your ALLEGIANCE
INTERROGATE the speaker about the errand
APOLOGIZE for the intrusion
REQUEST information
WAIT and say nothing
say __________
FLEE
King Tarondor's Ride
====================
by Jon F. Zeigler
Twenty knights came riding out of the sunset, the banner of the
White Tree flying in the wind of their passage. Sentries saw them
from far over the plain, and cried aloud in joy when they saw who
had come.
"The King! The King!"
Tarondor was barely in the camp before he had dismounted. He
threw the reins to the first soldier who stepped forward. "Where is
the Prince-Captain?" he asked.
He was quickly shown to the command tent. There Prince
Telumehtar stepped forward to meet him. Telumehtar was a blurred
copy of his father. His face was less hawklike, more rounded, and
he was shorter and more stocky than the King. Still, their eyes
were the same steel-gray. The King stepped forward and embraced his
son. Then they moved into the tent. "What news, Father?" the
Prince asked softly.
Tarondor opened the wine that stood on the Prince's camp table.
"Worse and worse. The Orcs no longer merely raid out of Mordor,
they come in full companies. Minas Ithil is besieged. Cirith
Ungol, Durthang, and the Towers of the Teeth have fallen. I fear
the worst."
"War," said the Prince. "As if Gondor had not enough
troubles."
"I rue the day we ever let the Watch on Mordor slacken," said
the King, tossing off his wine. "Plague or no plague, the men
should have been found. These orcs would never have gained such a
foothold in the Black Land even ten years ago."
Telumehtar shrugged. He was a pragmatic man. "So be it. What
is to be done?"
"That depends." Tarondor looked at his son, measuring him.
"How soon can the army ride?"
"At dawn. Sooner, if you want to leave in the night."
Tarondor smiled grimly. "I do."
Telumehtar was as good as his word. Before the first pale
light of dawn appeared in the East, the army had left its bivouac
outside the town of Romenost. The red sunrise found twelve hundred
horsemen thundering south across the great plains. Far ahead, a
grey line on the southern horizon, stood the Mountains of Mordor.
Six days later, the land was no longer green and fertile, but
hard-baked and desolate. The army continued on its mad ride,
passing barrows and broken monuments from time to time. A great
battle had been fought here, two thousand years before.
A scout, lightly armed and clad in worn leather, appeared
beside the track ahead of the King and his knights. He saluted,
controlling his string of remounts easily with one hand, and waited
for Tarondor.
"What is it, Mablung?" asked the King.
"Sire. There's something you should see up ahead."
"Very well." tarondor spurred his horse onward.
Beside the path, in the shadow of a standing stone, huddled a
small party of civilians. There were two women and a child, guarded
by an old man. When the King arrived, the old man fell to his knees
in the dust. His voice cracked with fatigue. "Thank the Powers
that you've come, Sire."
"What has happened?" asked Tarondor. The Prince and the rest
of the King's guard rode up and stopped to watch.
The old man looked up. "I am Ostoher, my lord, a trader who
lives in Tir Nindor on the edge of the Battle Plain. Two days ago
the town awoke to an attack. There were Orcs and strange men out of
the East. The militia tried to defend the walls, and there was a
squadron of the Horse-masters visiting from their lands. But there
were too many. We were overcome. Few of us escaped the sack."
The King's face grew grimmer at the old man's words. "I feared
this. Was there no warning? Were there no scouts, as I had
ordered?"
"There were, my lord," quavered Ostoher. "It did no good.
They were too many. . .too many. . ." His voice trailed off. His
head bowed forward as if he could no longer muster the strength to
hold it up. "How could it happen, Sire?" he asked, barely audible.
"How could there have been so many?"
The King frowned, waiting to see if more information was
forthcoming. Then he reached a decision. "Prince-Captain. Give
these people food and water and detach ten men to escort them north
to Romenost. Then we ride on."
The Prince snapped orders, then turned to speak to Tarondor
privately. "Father, is it wise to ride to the attack without more
intelligence? We have no idea as to the enemy's numbers, his
leadership. This could be a trap."
The King nodded. "I know, son. I believe the risks are
reasonable. The orcs could not have stormed Tir Nindor without
losses. . .and I refuse to believe that there were so many that
twelve hundred horse could not deal with them. The Watch failed
only four years ago. If Mordor can muster an army of such size so
soon, then we are undone in any case."
"You command, Father," said the Prince. "The men and I will do
our best."
Tarondor smiled, and grasped his son's shoulder. "You and the
men will make me proud. Be sure of it."
Then he pulled on his reins and set his horse into motion.
"Now ride! The Kingdom's fate goes with us. We must strike, and
our hands must not be light!"
Within minutes, the army was in motion again, the thunder of
hoofbeats deafening in the afternoon.
Tir Nindor was burning.
Tarondor took almost no notice of the wrecked town, clearly
past saving. Between the holocaust and his horsemen stood an army,
and that was his business at the end of eight days' ride.
"What think you, son?" he asked the rider at his right.
The Prince shrugged. "They could have moved away, knowing that
Gondor must respond to this attack. They did not, and their ranks
show no sign of fear. This is a trap."
The King nodded. "My estimation as well. But what kind of
trap? And what can we do but spring it? We cannot allow such a
provocation as this to go unanswered."
"Perhaps the emissaries will have an answer," said Telumehtar,
pointing.
From the black ranks of the enemy a party of riders came, white
flag fluttering in token of parley. The King's keen eyes could pick
out their leader, a massive figure in black plate, eyes invisible
within a closed helm. No emblem could be seen on his shield, and
none flew from the lances of his army.
Tarondor rode out with his knights, heedless of fear. All was
silent, except for the crackle of the distant fire and the low sound
of wind across the grasslands. The King raised his voice. "What
brigand or Orc-captain are you, to so boldly dare the wrath of
Gondor?"
A harsh grating sound came from the black captain's helm, and
it seemed that he was laughing. "Call me Gothmog, if you must have
a name, little king. And come you forward, alone, to meet me. I
will have your life's blood on this ground."
Challenge. The Prince leaned forward, and hissed, "You cannot
accept, Sire. We outnumber them. Give pitched battle!"
The King frowned. "No, son. Did we not say that there was a
trap here? And here it is, and it cannot be avoided." He turned,
and clasped his son's arm. "Be ready. When the outcome is certain,
charge to the attack. Even if I fall, let no Orc or Man escape to
tell the tale and lend fire to the hearts of their comrades."
Then the King turned toward the enemy, and shouted, "So be it.
If the Powers be willing, I shall meet and overmaster you today!"
Gothmog was tall and heavy. Whatever kind of creature he might
be was hidden behind the dull black armor he wore. There was no
more than the occasional glint of eyes from behind his closed helm.
About him there seemed to come a shadow, where no light could
penetrate the thick cloud of smoke above. Black shield stood ready,
and the knotted right hand held a great flail whose weights were
shaped like skulls.
Tarondor rode forward, slowly, checking his equipment one last
time. Shield and helm, relics of the Kingdom from ages past, were
firmly in place. His sword, the bright Star of Battle, was sharp in
his hand. The White Tree shone on his shield as he spurred his
horse forward.
Gothmog was an avalanche. The monstrous wolf that bore him was
fast as lightning, and its fearsomeness made the King's horse flinch
despite its many battles. Three leaden skulls whirled in midair, to
crash down on Tarondor's shield and stagger him in the saddle. The
Orcs roared as the King struggled to right himself.
Almost before Tarondor could recover, the attack was again upon
him. Once more he reeled back in his saddle, unable to strike at
his foe. He turned frantically, saw Gothmog's wolf wheeling more
quickly than any horse could, and came to a decision. He kicked out
of his stirrups and jumped to the ground, yelling to send his horse
bolting away. As Gothmog returned for another pass, the King ducked
under the three spinning skulls, and met the wolf of Hell with steel
in its breast.
The wolf howled in anguish at the deathblow, crashing into the
King and knocking him off his feet. Gothmog, taken by surprise,
tumbled from the saddle with a great din of metal. A groan went up
from both armies to see their captains dismounted. Tarondor picked
himself up, bruised and dazed but not seriously hurt, and saw the
black mass of his enemy rising nearby. With a yell, he moved to the
attack.
Now the advantage was to the King. Without the momentum of the
wolf's charge, the leaden skulls of Gothmog's flail had less force.
Tarondor met blow after blow on his shield, careful to prevent the
skulls from looping over the shield's edge to crush his arm or face.
The Star of Battle leaped forward, seeking an opening.
It took some time to find one. Gothmog was huge, but fast, and
careful with his shield. Still, the King retained enough strength
to respond when the shield rose a trifle too high. The sword struck
forward like a snake, and pierced the black leg between greave and
cuisse.
Gothmog bellowed, dropping to one knee and momentarily losing
control of weapon and shield. The King pressed his advantage,
dodging to one side and directing a tremendous downward blow at the
exposed neck. Gothmog fell, and did not move.
When the King came to his senses, he found himself standing
over the fallen captain. Gothmog was still unmoving, and it was
clear he would never move again. Tarondor shouted, and saw and
heard his horsemen riding to the attack, the bright points of lances
glittering in the new sunlight. When he looked toward the burning
town, the host of Mordor was melting away.
Moments after the charge flew by in a roar of hoofbeats, the
Prince reined in beside his father. "A great victory, Sire!" he
shouted, his usual reserve shattered by joy.
The King looked down at Gothmog, and felt his exhilaration
drain away. "Maybe," he whispered, too softly for his son to hear.
"But for how long?"
Notes from Keith Petersen
=========================
Regarding the men-at-arms discussion. True men at arms are quality
troops, but that's not what GSI has in mine. Think Persian levies
and I think you'll come closer to the truth. These are untrained
bodies put in front of the enemy. They have numbers on their side,
but any group, even with lots less soldiers will probably chew them
up and spit them out.
Anyhow, regarding the Balrog of Moria, in the original ME, game #11,
I had a crt with about 290-300 challenge (I'm not sure exactly when
I ran into Mr. Balrog; I think it 300 challenge though). I'd already
killed 5 dragons with this character -- he had a balrog/dragon
slaying weapon. I had not even been *hurt* the last three dragons
that I killed. I had easily killed "a balrog."
I fought the Balrog of Moria to a standstill. Lost about 50 health,
and drove him off. I know I hurt him, but I didn't get anything out
of the encounter, either. So anyone who wants to tangle with a
balrog that fought my character (with a balrog slayer!) to a
standstill is probably committing suicide. And shouldn't expect to
get anything out of the encounter. Mr. Balrog was spotted later on.
Population Center Combat
========================
by Brian Mason
An activity which I seem to find myself constantly engaged in is
calculating army strength to see if my army is sufficient in size to
capture or destroy a population center. Rather than engage in this
exercise any more I have decided to come up with the following
table. In this matrix, population centers are cross-indexed with the
possible fortification levels to give a final defense value. The
loyalties of the population centers are taken to be the "at-start"
values (i.e. city = 100, major town = 75, town = 55, village = 40,
and camp = 30).
Population Center and Fortification Defense Value
============================================================
pop center | citadel keep castle fort tower none
-----------+------------------------------------------------
city | 58000 42000 30000 22000 14000 10000
major town | 46375 32375 21875 14875 7875 4375
town | 38750 26350 17050 10850 4650 1550
village | 34300 23100 14700 9100 3500 700
camp | 31460 21060 13260 8060 2860 260
============================================================
It is reasonably straightforward given the guidelines in the me-pbm
rulebook to convert an army strength into "equivalent heavy infantry
units."
In a similar table below, the number of heavy infantry needed to
capture or destroy the above population center and fortification is
listed. The number of heavy infantry needed are assuming they have
weapon and training ranks of 30, with an army commander and army
morale rating of 30 as well. It also assumes realtions are hated.
Further, it sets the nation terrain, nation climate, troop terrain,
troop tactic, and tactic vs. tactic modifiers to 100.
Number of Heavy Infantry Needed
============================================================
pop center | citadel keep castle fort tower none
-----------+------------------------------------------------
city | 10985 7955 5682 4167 2652 1894
major town | 8783 6132 4143 2817 1491 829
town | 7339 4991 3229 2055 881 294
village | 6496 4375 2784 1723 663 133
camp | 5958 3989 2511 1527 542 49
============================================================
Given the conditions outlined above, each change of +/- 10 in any
modifier (the most obvious of which are weapon, training, commander
rank and morale) will adjust the number of heavy infantry needed by
+/- 3.125 %.
The army troop type has effects which are expected. For example, to
get the same effect you need 62.5% as many heavy cavalry, but this
is offset as heavy infantry cost only 66.7% as much. Generally, the
results are as you would expect, with one notable exception.
Troop Type Strength to Cost Ratios
============================================================
| ratio of | ratio of troop || value to
troop | troops to | cost to heavy || cost
type | heavy infantry | infantry cost || ratio
---------------+----------------+----------------++---------
heavy cavalry | 63 % | 67 % || 95 %
light cavalry | 125 % | 125 % || 100 %
light infantry | 200 % | 200 % || 100 %
archers | 150 % | 200 % || 75 %
men-at-arms | 500 % | 500 % || 100 %
============================================================
So, to capture or destroy a population center, archers are the most
cost effective method (with heavy cavalry a distant second).
However, the army will get decimated by any and all combats due to
the low constitution value of archers.
Tom's note: I used a much cruder method than Brian's. I divided my
full army strength by 2.5 to account for reductions made through the
combat algorithm, then compared it to the defensive value of the pop
center with a 100% loyalty. If my army was stronger than the pop
center under these conditions, I'd most certainly win.
However, while my system works for sure-fire combats it doesn't take
into account closer ones like Brian's table does. I plan to store
this under it's own file for reference.
My Thoughts on Middle Earth
===========================
By Jeff Holzhauer
Since The Mouth gives us all the opportunity to inflict our egos on
each other, who am I to refrain?
Playing by Email
----------------
The idea is very intriguing, but a cost benefit analysis is called
for. First of all, we can already submit turns by email, so there is
no change there. The only change is that we would receive turns a
few days faster (2-3 days for me, in suburban California) and we
would receive the turns in an electronic format. I am unfamiliar
with the Adobe Acrobat format. There would be an extra benefit if
the format of the turns is amenable to being incorporated into a
spreadsheet or database for easy analysis.
Some people may be perfectly happy to view their turns
electronically, and make their decisions based on that. I would not.
I'm a hoarder and a scribbler. I've saved a copy of every ME-PBM
turn I've received. I also love carrying them around and making my
decisions at work, in the car, in bed, etc. That's (IMO) one of the
great strengths of PBM. Therefore, I will have to print out the
pages.
If I remember correctly, PC Magazine estimated the cost per page for
my printer (HP540) at 4.3 cents. That would be for typical business
letter coverage. The average turn page is (conservatively) twice as
dense. Since it's only one sheet of paper, lets call it 8 cents a
page. My 2950 woodmen turn is only 7 pages (in reduced format). On
the other hand, I have 1650 turns going up to 13 pages, in the
reduced format. Since I won't be playing anymore 2950, I'll use an
average turn size of 10 pages. 10 pages @ 8 cents equals $0.80 per
turn. This cost does not include the inconvenience of having to
print the turns yourself, more frequent purchases of ink cartridges
and paper, etc.
GSI's cost per page is probably much lower, let's call it half of
mine. They save additional costs though. With Email turns they do
not have to print the order sheets (say 3 pages). Their savings 13
pages @ 4 cents equals $0.52. They also save on envelopes, return
envelopes and postage. Average postage is probably $0.78, plus,
let's call it 5 cents for envelopes. GSI's total savings is $1.35
per turn.
[Tom's note: not including the most expensive commodity - labor.]
Taking into consideration that these are all rough numbers, and that
GSI is rightfully entitled to a return on their investment in making
the turns Emailable, we should expect to see a turn fee discount of
at least $1.00 a turn. If the discount is not at least that, I, for
one, will not be receiving my turns by Email.
Of course, those of you that can print for free or have poor postal
service (including international players) might see more benefit for
your cost than I do.
Also, GSI may decide that it would be good business practice to not
cut turn fees at all. People who could print their turns for free,
and some others, would chose Email anyway, and GSI would make a
substantial additional profit on these people. The rest of us would
just keep doing it the old way.
One final question: How is GSI going to handle 3x5 cards with Email
players? I guess my days of creative 3x5 creation are nearly over.
Thanks for the bandwidth,
Jeff Holzhauer
[Tom's note: in an impromptu survey of the few games that run in
both pbm and pbem formats, the cost for the pbem version - generally
with pbem rulebook and front-end software for turn creation - is
about two dollars lower than the pbm version. This is because
printing costs, and the labor associated with printing, stuffing,
and mailing, are THE major expense of a pbm company. You cut these
out and you drastically reduce your overhead, especially in light of
how fast paper prices are rising.
In conversation with an owner of a company which runs both pbem
and pbm, the owner stated that he'd jump for joy (or words to that
effect) if he could do all of his business via email, even at the
lower prices. In fact, he intimated that not only would it be much
simpler, but the savings in overhead, personnel and materials would
increase his profit margin by a hefty amount - again, even though he
charges a couple of bucks less for the email turn. And, of course,
there's the realistic option of one week games or head-to-head
games, which in turn increase cash flow....]
Editorial Response to the Previous Article
==========================================
>From Brian Mason
I think Jeff raises some excellent points, and truly, me-pbm by
email has some problems associated with it.
Dave Rossell suggested that I write up something related to
retrieving adobe acrobat via ftp. While Phredd Groves has
courteously provided a link to adobe from his me-pbm World Wide Web
page, I found that scratch disk limitations prevented me from
accessing it that way, so I returned to the old-fashioned direct ftp
method. [Tom's note: I used Phredd's web page to link and had no
problems downloading the program, although the adobe server seems to
be a bit on the slow side.]
Getting the file is straightforward this way. Use ftp to
ftp.adobe.com with username as "anonymous" and your email address as
the password, change directories to pub and get the files
appropriate to your system.
In reading the documentation and licensing agreement it is apparent
that adobe acrobat licenses it as a single-user single-machine
product. Allowing me to divert into a selfish response here, this
does not help me at all.
Several times a year I am at various astronomical observatories all
over the globe, and these are VERY unlikey to have adobe acrobat.
The best method for me is to receive the PostScript version. While
Jeff points out the cost of this, at least for me, at work or more
especially visiting another institution, the cost is free.
Therefore, discounting the cost, the speed of getting turns,
especially when I am away from home but have email access makes the
PostScript version the way for me to go.
I've had several email discussions with Bill Feild as well as
getting some information regarding aol and compuserve from Tom
Walton and Jeremy Richman. The status of me-pbm by email right now
is this:
Due to limitations on file size, GSI is unable to send files via aol
to
internet addresses. At present, they are also having problems
sending binary PDF files (for adobe acrobat), uuencoded PDF files,
and PostScript files without some corruption or truncation.
Compuserve has acknowledged to Bill that the problem is with
compuserve and not with GSI. At present, compuserve is working to
correct the problem, but it is not working yet. AOL accounts are not
affected by this, and they can send/receive turns via this method.
If I discover any change with internet addresses and GSI turn
reports I'll report it here.
Another Editorial Response
==========================
>From Tom Walton
Actually, my response has more to do with the mechanics of pbem than
the move itself. When GSI announced that it was going to make turns
available via email, I assumed they'd do so through a direct
connection from a home server or using a provider which doesn't
limit mail to 32k per chunk, like most commercial providers do (no
such limitation exists for NetCruiser, hee hee). Then I thought:
"idiot, they can't do that. All the people using commercial
providers would get truncated files unless they sent them in
chunks." Kinda like we do with the Mouth.
Of course, the answer was staring me right in the face. If the
Acrobat Reader already had the formatting, character picture
bitmaps, and so forth stored in it's database, then all GSI would
have to do would be to send a file that the reader could interpret.
A compact string of numbers would do the trick, and could easily be
fit into 32k for even the largest of turn reports.
This would also have some rather obvious side benefits. For one
thing, the character pictures wouldn't have to be transmitted with
every turn; they'd just be called up by the reader and stuck into
the appropriate screen location. And the player would be able to
peruse the character bitmap database and choose which pictures he
wanted for his characters, a nice little perk. If his character and
someone else's were involved in challenge, the character picture
i.d. would simply be transmitted by GSI to the second player and the
picture would appear in the challenge report.
In fact, most of GSI's encounter routines, nation message texts, and
announcements are stock items that could be incorporated into the
database. Again, only the specific results - in number format -
would have to be transmitted, resulting in the reader pulling up
what it needed. This would be extremely efficient in terms of
bandwidth used, and wouldn't give away anything about the mechanics
of the game (e.g., with encounters you'd have the text and the
results in the reader, but no way to connect the two; the links are
on GSI's home computer, as well as pertinent items like hex location
and the actual encounter i.d.).
So during the write-up for the last issue I was thinking 'cool,
GSI's really on the ball with this one; they can expand off the
reader for all sorts of interesting utilities'. Until I read
Brian's article above.
Now, unless I somehow misinterpreted things, it looks as if GSI is
trying to send the WHOLE turn - each and every time - to the player.
And with the formatting and pictures, you're talking a heck of a lot
more than 32k. Not to mention a real waste of bandwith, since all
of this stuff is being duplicated endlessly over and over again.
If that's true, then GSI did in fact miss the boat. Not only are
they going about things incredibly inefficiently, but they put
themselves into a bind with customers who use commercial services.
With the 32k limitation that applies to most services, the customer
will either have to log in at an alternate site and download, ftp to
an alternate site and download (both have security problems, since
in these systems it'd be easy to steal another player's turn
report), get the turn report in a dozen 32k chunks and reassemble
it, or just be content with paper mail.
My questions is: why? With a front-end piece of software, you can
do things the way I described above and rid yourself of all the
headaches, connect time costs, and so forth. It compromises nothing
in regards to the game mechanics and lends itself to useful
manipulation. Give the players the code and they can come up with
the utilities themselves, which means that GSI doesn't have to do
any extra programming to provide goodies. And you don't need to use
proprietary software; you can simply program the whole front-end
piece with something like Visual Basic and use a freeware email
interpretation program to strip out things like mail headers and
footers so the program is left with just the data to look at.
I'm still unclear as to what exactly GSI is doing, and as to the
rationale behind their actions. I hope to hear more on this in the
future from Brian's investigations. I certainly hope I've badly
misinterpreted what's going on, because I can't for the life of me
figure out why they'd do pbem so inefficiently.
MEPBM 2950
==========
By Jeff Holzhauer
I join those who are disappointed with the 2950 scenario. I
understand the reasons why some people like it, and do not begrudge
them their opinion, but ....... I was hoping for so much more. GSI
had the opportunity to create a whole new game dynamic based on a
proven system. They took this opportunity and wasted it. So little
has changed. The nations are almost all the same. The locations are
all nearly the same. Almost all of the hidden pop centers are the
same places. The nation advantages are unchanged. Saruman gets 40
point commanders!?! Where the hell did that come from? I don't seem
to remember being impressed by the brilliance of Saruman's
commanders in the books. Shouldn't Theodan have started as a double
agent? What happened to all of the orcs in the Misty Mountains and
Mirkwood?
Most of my disappointment was due to high expectations, caused, in
part, by The Mouth of Sauron. Brian and Tom's ideas for the new
nations were so much better than what actually happened. Imagine if
the Fire and Ice Kings had moved to the Misty Mountains. Suddenly
Eriador and Mirkwood are major battle areas. As it now stands,
unless Dunland *and* the White Wizard go evil, there should be no
Dark Servant troops west of the Rhovanian and Ithilien by turn 10,
at the latest (barring brain dead or dropped free peoples). With
good free people play, make that turn 6. That part of the game's a
blowout. After that, I imagine it would be pretty damn boring for
the western free peoples.
Which brings me to my main complaint about 2950: It's boring. Greg
Reid and Tom Walton summed this up nicely in Mouth 31, but let me
add my piece.
I'm playing the Woodmen (which may be my sole problem, but I don't
think so). The Woodmen start with 250 points of command ability
(5,000 gold a turn). This is very exciting for me, considering I
can't field an army, worthy of its name. I have my tax rate at 59%
and have added three villages and a town to my starting position.
With a big 100 man army, I have to sell food every turn to keep from
going under. Now that I'm allowed 17 characters, I'm finally up to
12. If I had been playing a two week game, I would have had to fire
a character to make it through winter. (Sudden thought: imagine
winter in a one-week game!) I think we're winning, and my agents and
emmissaries are at effective levels, but I'm bored.
Some people may like this type of scenario, but I don't. I like
ME-PBM because it's so fast moving. If I wanted to play a slow
moving game, there are many other PBM games out there with much
greater depth. ME-PBM's strengths are as a wargame. As a building
game, it leaves a lot to be desired. The system is just not detailed
enought to be a satisfying builder.
Well, you may not have wanted my opinion, but you read it anyway.
Sucker :-P
Thanks for the bandwidth,
Jeff Holzhauer
Database on Climates, a Growing List
====================================
Brian Mason
At the request of some of the readership, I'll include below the
Climate database as it exists. Thanks to Greg Reid, Thomas Meier,
Holger Eichmann, and Kevin McGee the list continues to grow. There
is still a great deal missing, but we now have complete climate
datasets for the following positions: Northmen, Southern Gondor,
Dwarves, Cloud Lord, Fire King, Rhudaur and Easterlings. We have
mostly complete (missing a few seasons for a few population centers)
climate datasets for the following positions: Eothraim, Cardolan,
Northern Gondor, Witch-King and the Quiet Avenger. We have mostly
incomplete (usually one season per population center) for the
following positions: Woodmen, Arthedain, Sinda Elves, Noldo Elves,
Dragon Lord, Dog Lord, Blind Sorcerer, Ice King, Long Rider, Dark
Lieutenants, Corsairs, Dunlendings, and the Haradwaith.
Hex Name Winter Spring Summer Fall Owner
0408 Forlond |mild |mild |mild | Noldo Elves
0508 Lanthir Lamath |mild | | | Noldo Elves
0605 Telenaug |severe|cold |cool |cold Dwarves
0606 Noegrod |severe|cold |cool |cold Dwarves
0611 Harlond |mild | | | Noldo Elves
0707 Culwic | | | |mild Arthedain
0708 Mithlond-West |mild |mild |mild | Noldo Elves
0710 Mithlond-East |mild | | | Noldo Elves
0807 Eruimar | | | |cool Arthedain
0808 Galenros |mild | | | Noldo Elves
0810 Elostirion |mild |mild |mild |mild Noldo Elves
0812 Zagragathol |cold |cool |mild |cool Dwarves
0907 Caras Celairnen| | | |cool Arthedain
1006 Caras Fornen | | | |cool Arthedain
1014 Annon Baran |mild |mild |mild |mild Cardolan
1015 Traith Chefudoc|mild |mild |mild |mild Cardolan
1106 Baraketta | | | |cool Arthedain
1109 Tarmabar | | | |mild Arthedain
1113 Minas Girithlin|mild |mild |mild |mild Cardolan
1211 Athrad Sarn | | | |mild Arthedain
1219 Suduri |mild |mild |mild |mild Cardolan
1307 Rood | | | |cool Arthedain
1317 Balost |mild |mild |mild |mild Cardolan
1406 Malborn High | | | |cool Arthedain
1407 Fornost Erain | | | |cool Arthedain
1409 Bree |mild |mild |mild |mild Arthedain
1420 Enedhir | | |mild | Dunland
1510 Minas Malloth |mild | | |mild Cardolan
1513 Metriath |mild |mild |mild |mild Cardolan
1514 Argond |mild |mild |mild |mild Cardolan
1614 Tharbad |mild |mild |mild |mild Cardolan
1715 Nin-in-Eilph | | |mild | Dunland
1720 Angren | | |mild | Dunland
1804 Carn Dum |polar |polar | |polar Witch-King
1806 Cargash |cold |cool |mild |cool Witch-King
1817 Larach-Duhnnan | | |mild | Dunland
1905 Angsul |severe|cold | |cold Witch-King
1906 Shedun |cold |cool |mild |cool Witch-King
1907 Eldanar |cold |cool |mild |cool Witch-King
1908 Nothva Rhaglaw |cold |cool |mild |cool Rhudaur
1910 Fennas Drunin |cold |cool |mild |cool Rhudaur
1916 Cillien | | |mild | Dunland
1917 Wularan | | |mild | Dunland
1918 Arailt | | |mild | Dunland
1922 Freawul | | |cool | Dunland
2004 Zarak-dum |polar |polar |polar |polar Dwarves
2005 Morkai |severe|cold | |cold Witch-King
2006 Mount Gram |polar |polar | |polar Witch-King
2007 Penmorva |cold |cool |mild |cool Rhudaur
2008 Cameth Brin |cold |cool |mild |cool Rhudaur
2009 Thuin Boid |cold |cool |mild |cool Rhudaur
2010 Harnalda |cold |cool |mild |cool Rhudaur
2017 Treforn | | |mild | Dunland
2039 Ardumir | | | |warm Corsairs
2109 Tirthon |cold |cool |mild |cool Rhudaur
2119 Angrenost |mild |mild | |mild N Gondor
2121 Aglarond |severe|cold |cool |cold N Gondor
2135 Vamag |mild |warm |hot |warm Q Avenger
2136 Eradas | | | |warm Corsairs
2137 Caldur | | | |warm Corsairs
2208 Elnost |cold |cool |mild |cool Rhudaur
2209 Imladris |warm |warm | |warm Noldo Elves
2212 Khazad-dum |severe|cold |cool |cold Dwarves
2220 Dunlostir |mild | | |mild N Gondor
2223 Morthondost |mild |warm |hot |warm S Gondor
2225 Rendul |mild |warm |hot |warm S Gondor
2227 Dol Amroth |mild |warm |hot |warm S Gondor
2236 Isigir | | | |warm Corsairs
2305 Mount Gundabad | | | |polar Witch-King
2324 Glanhir |mild |warm |hot |warm S Gondor
2325 Edhellond |mild | | | Sinda Elves
2327 Cirith Dunrandi|mild |warm |hot |warm S Gondor
2328 Endil |mild |warm |hot |warm S Gondor
2337 Maros | | | |warm Corsairs
2339 Pellardur | | | |warm Corsairs
2405 Buhr Fram |severe| | | Woodmen
2409 Goblin-Gate |severe|cold | | Dragon Lord
2411 Eorcan |cold | | | Woodmen
2413 Cerin Amroth |warm | | | Sinda Elves
2421 Calmirie |mild |mild |warm |mild N Gondor
2424 Calembel |mild |warm |hot |warm S Gondor
2427 Sarlond |mild |warm |hot |warm S Gondor
2430 Caras Tolfalas | | | |warm Haradwaith
2437 Barazon | | | |warm Corsairs
2438 Havens of Umbar| | | |warm Corsairs
2508 Maethelburg |cold | |mild |cool Woodmen
2514 Carad Galadhon |warm | | | Sinda Elves
2520 Onodrith |mild |mild |warm |mild N Gondor
2527 Linhir |mild |warm |hot |warm S Gondor
2534 Kas Shafra | | | |warm Haradwaith
2535 Sukh Akhor | | | |warm Haradwaith
2605 Waetan's Lodge |cold | | | Woodmen
2608 Caras Amarth |cold | | | Sinda Elves
2609 Carrock |cold | | | Woodmen
2613 Sarn Lothduin |cold | | | Woodmen
2615 Vidus |cold | | | Woodmen
2617 Tir Limlight |cold |mild |warm |mild N Gondor
2619 Tir Anduin |mild |mild |warm |mild N Gondor
2622 Imdorad |mild |mild |warm |mild N Gondor
2626 Minas Brethil |mild |warm |hot |warm S Gondor
2628 Fanuilond |mild |warm |hot |warm S Gondor
2630 Eithel Thurin | | | |warm Haradwaith
2631 Barad Harn | | | |warm Haradwaith
2632 Has Adri | | | |warm Haradwaith
2634 Sook Ada | | | |warm Haradwaith
2635 An Pharax | | | |warm Haradwaith
2703 Kala Durlakarth|polar |polar |polar |polar Witch-King
2709 Galadbrynd |cold | | | Sinda Elves
2711 Buhr Widufiras |cold | | | Woodmen
2712 Sairtheod |cold | | | Woodmen
2715 Dol Guldur | |mild |warm | Dragon Lord
2730 Methir | |warm |hot |warm Haradwaith
2732 Caras Mirilond | |warm |hot |warm Haradwaith
2734 Kas Shadoul | |warm |hot |warm Haradwaith
2809 Sarn Goriwing | |cold | | Dragon Lord
2833 Has Yayb | | | |warm Haradwaith
2835 An Zalim | | | |warm Haradwaith
2904 Zarak Dum |polar |polar |polar |polar Dwarves
2908 Aradhrynd |cold | | | Sinda Elves
2912 Buhr Widu |cold |cool |mild | Eothraim
2915 Ceber Fanuin |cold | | | Sinda Elves
2924 Minas Anor |mild |mild |warm |mild N Gondor
2926 Minas Arthor |mild |warm |hot |warm N Gondor
2927 Pelargir |mild |warm |hot |warm N Gondor
3002 Celeb-Ost |polar |polar |polar |polar Dwarves
3012 Buhr Waldmarh |cold |cool |mild | Eothraim
3020 Tir Nindor |cold | | |mild N Gondor
3022 Lag-scara | | | |mild Ice King
3024 Osgiliath |mild |mild |warm |mild N Gondor
3026 Bar-en-Tinnen |mild |warm |hot |warm N Gondor
3028 Tir Ethraid |mild | |hot |warm N Gondor
3034 Lugarlar |mild |warm |hot |warm Q Avenger
3104 Lag-auris | |polar | | Dragon Lord
3105 Buhr Thurasig |severe|cold |cool |cold Northmen
3108 Dale |cold |cool |mild |cool Northmen
3109 Esgaroth |cold |cool |mild |cool Northmen
3110 Londaroth |cold |cool |mild |cool Northmen
3112 Buhr Ailgra |cold |cool |mild | Eothraim
3113 Buhr Waldaes |cold |cool |mild | Eothraim
3116 Romenost |cold | | |mild N Gondor
3120 Thuingwathost | |hot | | Dark Lts.
3121 Lag-konzi | |hot | | Dog Lord
3122 Durthang | | | |cool Ice King
3123 Barad Perras | | | |cool Ice King
3124 Minas Ithil |cold | | |cool N Gondor
3125 Lag-shemat | | | |cool Ice King
3126 Lag-majakul | | | |cool Ice King
3217 Buhr Anthar |cold |mild |warm | Eothraim
3220 Ashkiri |hot |hot |hot |hot Easterlings
3221 Morannon | |cool | | Dog Lord
3222 Carach Angren |cold |cool |mild |cool Cloud Lord
3223 Katund-akul | | | |cool Ice King
3224 Barad Ungol |cold |cool |mild |cool Fire King
3225 Lag-digtumarr |cold |cool |mild |cool Fire King
3230 Lag-malmabus | |cool | | Long Rider
3234 Wathduin | |warm |hot |warm Q Avenger
3316 Thorontir |cold | | |mild N Gondor
3319 Ursh Lanna |cold |mild |warm |mild Easterlings
3321 Lag-hundur | |cool | | Dog Lord
3322 Lag-ujakdagul | |cool | | Dog Lord
3323 Lag-lithlad | |hot | | Dark Lts.
3324 Lag-zajarzot |hot |hot |hot |hot Fire King
3325 Lag-flaksharbtu|hot |hot |hot |hot Fire King
3327 Lag-vrasfotak |cold |cool |mild |cool Fire King
3329 Olbamarl | |cool | | Long Rider
3335 Kul Dinbar |hot |hot |hot |hot Q Avenger
3416 Buhr Beorills |cold |mild |warm | Eothraim
3421 Lag-ulurikon | |cool | | Dog Lord
3422 Lag-fhauga | |cool | | Dark Lts.
3423 Barad-dur | |hot | | Dark Lts.
3426 Barad-wath |cold |cool |mild |cool Fire King
3428 Barduath |hot |hot |hot |hot Cloud Lord
3437 Tir Harn |hot |hot |hot |hot Q Avenger
3506 Nahald Kudan | |cold | | Dragon Lord
3528 Nurumurl |hot |hot |hot |hot Cloud Lord
3533 Jug Rijesha |hot |hot |hot |hot Q Avenger
3538 An Karagmir |hot |hot |hot |hot Easterlings
3605 Lar-Huz |severe|cold |cool |cold Easterlings
3607 Barak-shathur |severe|cold |cool |cold Dwarves
3612 Buhr Mahrling |cold |cool |mild | Eothraim
3621 Carvarad | |cool | | Dark Lts.
3622 Minas Durlith | |cool | | Dark Lts.
3624 Ostigurth | |cool | | Dog Lord
3626 Rul |hot |hot |hot |hot Cloud Lord
3627 Urlurtsu Nurn | |hot | | Blind Sorc.
3629 Kul Tarkorul |hot |hot |hot |hot Cloud Lord
3630 Kal Nargil |cold |cool |mild |cool Cloud Lord
3707 Azanulinbar-dum|severe|cold |cool |cold Dwarves
3713 Ilanin |cold |cool |mild |cool Easterlings
3712 Kardavan |cold |cool |mild |cool Northmen
3715 Buhr Gadraught |cold |mild |warm | Eothraim
3716 Warfinger |cold | | |mild N Gondor
3819 Buhr Padaruik |cold |mild |warm | Eothraim
3822 Lug Ghurzun | |cool | | Dragon Lord
3829 Virk Ulgath | |hot | | Blind Sorc.
3916 Kheled-nala |cold |mild |warm |mild Dwarves
3928 Zarok Ioriag | |hot | | Blind Sorc.
3929 Luglurak | |cool | | Blind Sorc.
4013 Shrel-Kain |cold |cool |mild |cool Northmen
4014 Riavod |cold |cool |mild |cool Easterlings
4015 Scari |cold |cool |mild |cool Northmen
4017 Lest |cold |mild |warm |mild Northmen
4025 Burch Nurn | |hot | | Blind Sorc.
4126 Orduga Aivaisa | |hot | | Blind Sorc.
4133 Sturlursta Khan|hot |hot |hot |hot Easterlings
4215 Tol Buruth | |cold | | Long Rider
4217 Dilgul |cold |mild |mild |mild Northmen
4228 Khand Amu |hot |hot |hot |hot Easterlings
4318 Mistrand |cold |mild |warm |mild Easterlings
4324 Neburcha | |hot | | Long Rider
4325 Buhr Ovaisa | |hot | | Long Rider
4335 Ovatharac |hot |hot |hot |hot Easterlings
4413 Rhubar |cold | | | Sinda Elves
4415 Elgaer |cold |cool |mild |cool Northmen
4425 Lagari Orath | |hot | | Long Rider
4430 Laorki |hot |hot |hot |hot Easterlings
On the Bribing and Recruiting of Characters
===========================================
by Brian Mason
While there has been very little input, I suspect the prime reason
for this is the lack of orders. However, allow me to summarize
results. I don't think there is enough data to establish a trend,
much less determine cutoffs for success. However, the results are
interesting. Possibly the most informative result is that if you
fail in a bribe attempt the gold is not paid out.
So be daring! Attempt a bribe! (but send your results to me for
futher tabulation. :-)
Thanks to Holger Eichmann, Jeff Holzhauer and Thomas Meier for their
contributions.
Emissary Rank Bribed Character Rank Gold Offer Successful?
------------- --------------------- ---------- -----------
55 100 6000 yes
80 110 2500 yes
69 68 10000 no
73 68 20000 yes
120 69 10000 yes
Recons for Major Towns and Cities
=================================
by Brian Mason
In a much earlier "From the Mouth of Sauron" I asked readers to
supply me with data related to the Recons provided by Major Towns
and Cities which are off your nation map. Specifically, at what
loyalty level these are provided. While the results are less
complete (and more results are always gratefully accepted) some data
can be seen. Thanks to Glen Mayfield, Rochelle Newman, Ed Bailey and
Gordon Griffith for providing this data.
No Recon - 23, 35, 40 (x2), 46, 47, 48, 51, 58
Recon - 55, 60, 61, 63, 69
There seems to be either a Gaussian distribution scheme or some sort
of step-function which determines whether or not you get reports as
their is no clearly defined cutoff. Further data is desired to clear
this up.
On the Lighter Side
===================
Fro Darin Fitzpatrick
Goromil promised, along with the Deepwood Bracelet, some humorous
limericks. Gorovod, disappointed, has composed a few, and "Issues
Poetic Challenge" with the following:
A strapping young lad from Pelargir
Studied magic with undying ardor
But tuition was dear
And his debts grew, I fear,
With every term larger and larger!
So Goromil entered the Army
"Here," he thought, "Nothing will harm me!"
He worked off his fees
With astonishing ease
Casting spells 'til his peers thought him barmy.
Soon ancient items of yore
Were what Goromil went looking for.
Eol's old blade,
A harp Daeron made,
Were the tools he brought back to the war.
But questing takes time, as we all know,
And the penalties of it must follow
His mage dissertation?
A shabby creation!
And his ranking's now less than the Noldo!
The War of the Ring: A Proposal
================================
>From Tom Walton
I've long been dissatisfied with the portrayal of Tolkien's world by
GSI, but I enjoy the game for other reasons and continue to play it.
In fact, it's the only pbm/pbem game I'm currently in (though that
will change soon). I was hoping that the 2950 scenario would be
more true-to-form, and unfortunately was disappointed. This led me
back to an idea I'd kicked around in the past.
About a year ago I thought about putting together a pbem game with
front-end interpretation/manipulation software for a Middle-Earth
game, set in the final year of the War of the Ring. This is the
time period when military activity started really picking up and the
primary period covered by the Trilogy. Each turn would be a week,
and it would run from the time Frodo left the Shire to the time the
Ring was destroyed (about 48 weeks, if I'm not mistaken).
The Ring in and of itself would be a non-factor in the game. In ME-
PBM, finding the Ring is a chance occurrence requiring no real
skill, only perseverance and luck; it invalidates skillful play by
your opponents (much as dragons do). The assumption in this game is
that Frodo WILL destroy the Ring (else, the Free are doomed no
matter what) and that's what ends the game.
However, whether or not Frodo destroys the Ring, the Free must be
able to hold out against the Dark Servants until he does. That's
what the game focuses on: the desperate attempt by the Free to
preserve some semblance of good and right civilization in the face
of Sauron's hordes. For what good would destruction of the Ring do
if Sauron's armies conquered Gondor and Rohan, for example? Sauron
might be gone, and his empire might collapse into a dozen smaller
petty kingdoms, but how long do you think it would be before some
other powerful servant united enough of Sauron's empire to wipe out
the beleagured remnants of the Free, like the Northmen, the Dwarves,
and the few remaining Elves? What kind of life would the peoples of
Middle-Earth have if Gondor and Rohan were no longer, and in their
place stood kingdoms of orcs and evil men?
Getting the picture here? Even if Sauron is destroyed - and the
game assumes he will be - he might inflict so much damage that the
Free could never recover. But if the Free can hold out long enough,
they'll be able do duplicate the results of the trilogy, wherein the
collapse of Sauron's empire allowed them to mop up the disorganized
remnants even though they were badly outnumbered in all regards (re-
read the Battle of Morannon to get a good picture of just what deep
---- they were in).
So the Ring is effectively removed from consideration, while a time
limit is imposed because Frodo's going to make it to Mount Doom, and
there's nothing you can do about, Sauron m'man. The game becomes a
fast-paced strategy wargame where ultimate conquest isn't the goal,
but rather the achievement of certain minimum requirements prior to
game end. The Free have to hold on to most of what they have, while
the Dark Servants need to take it way from them. Certain sites,
like Minas Tirith, would have particularly value, attracting Nazgul
like flies.
The game would also eliminate or ignore certain items that aren't
reflected in the trilogy. No pop center build-up, for example; it's
rather silly to think that you could create a major town out of
nothing in a year, much less two months. Even getting a camp-sized
population moved, settled, and producing more than they consume in
start-up costs would require more than a year. So what you start
with is what you get, barring capture of enemy sites. This stays
true to Tolkien, where pop center build-up was something that took
place over centuries in most cases.
Also eliminated are the devastating effects of agents. Not a single
major character was assassinated in the trilogy, and so such actions
would be incredibly difficult in the game. The idea of stealing
tons of gold would also be dumped. The primary use for agents would
be the gathering of information, the dissemination of
misinformation, and critical pieces of sabotage and treachery at the
right moment (Wormtongue, anyone?). Another example of change would
be sorcery, which only a few characters would possess: Gandalf, the
Nazgul, the Mouth of Sauron, certain Elves, etc.
But the game wouldn't solely be an exercise in army conflict.
Characters would have the ability to shape events and change the
course of the war. Under the prototype army mechanics, leadership
skill is one of two primary determinants for calculating army
strength and responsiveness; a good leader could easily make all the
difference in the world. A good leader and well-trained troops
could whip an army five times the size of their own.
I'm going on and on here. The game is something completely
different than that produced by GSI; the mechanics aren't even
remotely close to what you're used to.
The reason I and a few others stopped working on this system is
because I learned that Elan owns all the rights to the trilogy
setting, and they in turn subcontract out to I.C.E. It appears that
someone, somewhere, bought the rights to produce a pbm or pbem game
set in the War of the Ring, and they just haven't bothered to do
anything with those rights (nope, GSI isn't the company; they aren't
authorized for a WotR scenario). That meant that unless we could
purchase the rights, we couldn't produce the game commercially for
profit.
However....
I wrote up a chunk of the game mechanics prior to the revelation.
The mechanics aren't encoded yet, but it would be simple enough to
expand on them. While a WotR pbem game couldn't be produced for-
profit (at least, not until I figure out a copyright work-around),
it COULD be produced as freeware. Not a darn thing anyone can do to
stop that. Tho', of course, I'd copyright the mechanics (they're
generic, not specific to one game).
My question is: if a pbem game were produced in this scenario and
under these circumstances, would you consider playing? And assuming
that the sticky copyright laws could somehow be dealt with, would
you pay for it? Is this something you, the reader, might be
interested in, or are you content with GSI's product?
I don't want to work on this unless someone's going to get some use
out of it. At the same time, if I do work on it I want to satisfy
the desires and wishes of ME players everywhere while remaining true
to the trilogy.
If interest is high enough, I'll draw up a draft document with
player position summaries and major elements for perusal. If not,
I'll wave goodbye to the effort and hit the ol' DELETE key. What
say you?
Last Word
=========
Several weeks ago I sent out a note informing the Mouth readers that
my address had changed. I'd like to reiterate this fact just to
make certain that submissions and mail don't keep going to the old
AOL and Delphi accounts.
Prior to the node upgrade, AOL had the most convenient commercial
mailer available. After the node upgrade, I experienced so many
problems that getting the Mouth out was a trying process at best,
and issues were often delayed for days or longer when I couldn't
maintain a link long enough to do the mailing (or establish one in
the first place). I finally got fed up with the lack of technical
know-how on the part of the AOL staff (hell, they know less than I
do about communications hardware and software) and switched over to
Netcom. There aren't any problems with Netcom that I've encountered
so far, and the interface is far better re the internet than that
provided by Delphi. So I'm dumping these old accounts and going
solely with the Netcom folks.
That's good news for the Mouth, as it means that I should be able to
mail the bloody thing out whenever I feel like it. No more hours
lost with constant back-to-back lockups on AOL, or accidentally
getting that $9/hour service charge on Delphi for logging on prior
to 6:00 p.m. Having seen Netcruiser in action, I only wish I'd
known about it sooner; it's convenient without being brain-dead
(except for that silly Gopher map), a fine alternative to hunting
down every piece of shareware I can get my hands on and configuring
all of it for direct access. I don't care enough to waste the time
doing that sort of thing.
As far as ME goes, I'm still looking for interesting bits of
software. Now that I've more convenient ftp/telnet/web access all
I need is a location and file name for our archives. If you could
kindly provide such information to me I'd be very grateful; should
I acquire enough fun stuff I'll be certain to make it available to
our readers at a central location.
I'd also like to make a call for climate data to complete Brian's
table. Though I at one time had most of the stuff he's looking for,
I never keep my game turns after the game ends and, alas, they're
all in a landfill someplace now.
Until next time,
Tom