Lessons Learned
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NewsNewsNews fromfromfrom BreeBreeBree MEPBM Newsletter: Issue 25, January '04 "Strange as News Lessons Learned from Bree..." by Mike Bateman The Lord of the Rings, chapter 9 Harlequin recently put out the call for Bree articles, force as is required to get the job done. If you have a so I decided to put together a list of conceptual huge army, send it to do huge army things (crush cities pointers that might help put those order-specific and raze capitals). If your army is big and the only instructions you get elsewhere into context. Since targets in the area are towns and villages, split it up and the game occurs in four realms (tactical, economic, hit multiple targets at once (again, speed kills). The Talk at the diplomatic, and characters), we'll summarize lessons corollary statement to this concept is use multiple small learned in each area over the next four issues. armies where targets are available. Multiple small 'Prancing'Prancing Assuming, of course, that Harley actually prints armies can take multiple routes to the same target or can this thing and I don't get shouted down by an angry hit several different targets. Your opponent can't cover group of sweaty gamers! Let's give it a go with all the avenues and targets (nobody ever can). He Pony... armies first; I hope you find something can tie down and frustrate your large armies useful among all this rubbish! for turns with small blocking forces: not so with page 1 Armies multiple small armies. "Lessons Learned" The first and When your opponent foremost lesson does catch the small on the topic of armies he will butcher page 2 - 4 armies is obvious them wholesale: "Modified Allegiance yet often unfortunately he will Comparision Tables" forgotten: it is still be trying to chase New Games better to attack down the ones that got than defend. If through his defenses Stand-by positions & you try to cover when the next wave of Grudge Games all of the troops hits his shores. possibilities, I've always been News from ME Games your armies will amused by monkey spend their time on endless patrols style Kung Fu, a fascination that leads me to page 5 - 9 and will never approach your enemy's call the next lesson: do the Drunken Monkey. nation. Think first of how you are going to massacre Monkey style is successful because it is unpredictable. Hall of Fame your foe, then plan your movements to intercept The erratic motions tend to confuse a foe, leading him Contacting the MEPBM any attackers as best you can while on your way to to block punches that are never thrown and open to Office & Payments his pop centers. With that in mind, let me further kicks that were not seen. It is almost always possible to refine this point to read: it is better to attack pop line up an army so that it has at least two potential The Wind of Change centres than armies. Pop centers are highly targets. Think about what you would like your An Old Chestnut predictable in both combat value and location. You opponent to do and send out dummy icons to get that won't waste time chasing them down and when you reaction. (Meanwhile, your real attack can approach by do get there you will do lasting hurt to your enemy. an alternate route). Throw out 'lightning rod' forces for page 8 And yes, I have seen folks design complete enemy patrols to hit, and then let the real attack skulk campaigns around the destruction of an enemy's in by a different route. Flagship MEPBM Challenge army, leaving his nation intact to make more troops. Finally: know your opponent. Everyone has a Cup This leads straight to my next talking point: dominant playing style. You should be able to make a speed kills. All too often, grandiose plans designed reasonable call on the type of player you face in three to amass thousands of troops over three or four turns (Suicidal, Aggressive, Methodical, Whimsical, page 10 - 11 turns collapse when commander X was assassinated Sluggard). If you haven't encountered your foe in three "A Valiant Defence" or army Y had to be dealt with. Armies are there to turns, that says something as well. You should also be used, put those money-grubbing buggers to work! know your own style and pull something completely Attack your foe much and often, momentum does out of character on occasion (a Crazy Ivan for you page 12 exist and once you have it you will be hard to stop. submariners). Oh, of course there are times and targets that require I hope these guidelines have proven useful. Winter Tolkien Quiz massed force, but, generally speaking, you are better While not specific moves and order sequences, they off sending 1000 guys now than 3000 guys in two might make a useful list to use as a touchstone every turns. Less time sitting on your heels means less other turn or so. Are you playing defensively? Could News from Bree #25 time on the payroll, fewer turns for assassins, and your attack come sooner? What type of guy am I facing? © Colin Forbes & ME Games quicker subjugation of your enemy. How big does this force really need to be? All of these 2004 Next I'd like to address the philosophy of are things you need to be considering when attempting [email protected] economy of force. That is to say, use only as much to maximize the impact of your armies. New games Modified Allegiance Waiting List: When I get all 25 (or Comparison Tables: part 1 24 for Gunboat) nations into the game I will allocate you your choice by Brian D. Mason of nation from the list of nations When Tom Walton wrote "Allegiance Comparison when expected gold production is taken into account that you have sent me - please send Tables" which appeared in "From the Mouth of Haradwaith actually produces more than Northern multiple nation choices. Upto 2 Sauron" (#3) for the 1650 game, and I did it for the Gondor. nation game: play 1 or 2 Aligned 2950 game in issue #35 of that e-publication, we nations, or one Neutral nation. made certain simplifications which I'd like to here Another factor is that gold production is produced in modify. quantites that, while adjusted for climate, are not The following new games are affected by population center size. In other words, filling up. As originally presented, the tables were created to when you upgrade a gold producing camp to a village, see the balance of the game in key areas and regions while all other produce will show a 20% reduction in FA: 1000 of the game and to see what sort of comparisons can production, gold will remain the same. Therefore, to [Game 42] be made between the various alliances. get a new baseline on gold production, it is based on the 2 week turnaround same as other factors which show game-to-game 6 nations available. So far we have There are certain simplifications that were made at variation: the sample nation setups found on Bobbin's D: 2(+3), G: 7, N: 6 (+2K). Need that time that can here be refined. But, even with website (http://www.middleearthpbm.co.uk/). 3 more DS, 1 FP and 2 N, OR this refinement simplifications are still made which Therefore, a new average, per hex type, adjusted to 4DS, 2FPS. may or may not apply to the specific game in which 100% climate production would be 2055 gold per you find yourself. mountain hex and 1451 per hill & rough hex (which, TA: 1650 Gunboat interestingly, is 2055 per hex with a 70% chance of gold [Game 19] The greatest simplification is possibly the regional production). The average gold production, per nation, Two week turnaround. characterization. Tom defined Eriador as the region have been determined using these averages after adjusting 12 duos of nations available. west of the Misty Mountains, Mirkwood as that for a yearly climate average. containing the Forest and the surrounding area and TA: 1650 everything else was cobbled together as the Mordor The pdf files on Bobbin's website are also used for [Game 16] region. In writing this update, I trifled with ideas of starting army capabilities, character skill levels, and Two week tunraround subdividing regions. For example, the Harondor artifact skill levels, these startups the values given in 17 nations still available. region, which in 1650, could be Quiet Avenger, these pdfs are taken (and in some cases rolled back to Corsairs, Haradwaith, and Easterlings. However, as the turn zero position). However, it should be TA: 2950 many of these conflicts occur in or near the sea, it understood that individual game startups can see [Game 235] seemed inappropriate to leave Southern Gondor out variation from these values. 2 week turnaround of the mix. Another idea was that of splitting nations 10 nations available. proportionately in the regions where they have Resource base is modified to take into account the population centers and/or armies. For example, in average climate normalized production of the typical BofA 2950 the Witch-king could be represented in both production type. For example, a camp (resource base We need experienced players as Eriador and Mordor. of 5) with average climate of "severe" and predominant mentors for new players in BOFA production is inorganic (i.e., metals) would have a In the end, it was decided not to do this.