NeNNeeewwwss FFrroomm BBrreeee The Official Middle-earth™ PBM Newsletter Issue 34, March ‘08 “Strange as News from “The Untold War of the Ring”™ – Bree…” Teamwork and Decision Making The Lord of the Rings Chapter 9 Teamwork and Decision Making By Sam Roads Genesis The Talk at the Ronald Storm, a Doctoral Candidate at the Submitting Orders for the Prancing Pony… Argosy University Tampa, has Group Nation commissioned us to create a module – The The responsibility for submitting the orders Featured Articles Untold War of the Ring. We have worked for the Group Nation will rotate through the The Untold War of the Page 1 on the module with the aim of both team, starting with the player who is Ring – Teamwork and fulfilling the needs of the academic study, controlling the lowest ID Individual Nation Decision Marking: and also to produce an exciting new mini (that’s the Northmen and the Witch-king), by Sam Roads module for experienced Middle-earth PBM and then going to the next highest nation ID players – to keep you happy while we finish on the following turn. Heroic Failure and the Page 3 coding the Kin-strife module. will of God in the Lord of the Rings, by John Davis The Group Nations fighting The Scenario the Covert War Game 94 Report: Page 7 This scenario has been developed to The individual nations start with the usual 8 by Kim Andersen investigate decision making in gaming in an characters whilst the group nations have 12 environment where a group of four people characters of a much higher quality than is Echoes of the Past – Page 15 have decisions to make both about their average in the individual nations. More Team Dynamics: own resources, and also by Wes Fortin importantly, most of about shared resources – Free Game of the crucial characters decisions that will The Untold who will engage in the impact on their team’s War of the Ring™! covert aspects of success. MEPBM are within Regular Columns The first 20 players to contact us, these group nations, Games Starting Soon & Page Each of the two sides in subject to conditions, will get to characters like the sons Face to Face News the game consist of 5 play in a free game of the Untold of Elrond - Elrohir and Hall of Fame: Page 4 nations: four individual War of the Ring. Elladan – or the Nazgûl Game Winners nations and one group Jí Indûr and Khamûl. nation. For the Free People the individual A-Z: Radagast the Brown Page 7 nations are the Northmen, the Riders of These characters will fight the covert war Rohan, the Silvan Elves and the Dwarves, through orders such as ‘Assassinate’ and Player Ratings Page 14 whilst the group nation is the mighty Noldo. ‘Kidnap’, and spells like ‘Sickness’ and For the Dark Servants the individual nations ‘Curses’. The success of these agent actions are the Witch-king, the Dog Lord, the Fire and ‘curse squads’ relies on full teamwork Middle-earth PBM King and the White Wizard, whilst the – including the sharing and wise use of Middle-earth PBM is a turn-based group nation is the potent Dragon Lord. artefacts, the formation of cross-nation strategic game set in the world of companies and multiple source information Tolkien’s Middle-earth. For more Each of the four players on each side will details, please take a look at our gathering. website: www.middleearthgames.com run one of the Individual Nations. In addition they will also run the Group Nation For example, each time that Ji Indur by consensus, agreeing on the orders for manages to kill an enemy commander, he each character and accepting joint will have relied on the actions of around 6 Featured Artist ownership of the nation. other characters: he will use artefacts from Nathan Furman two other characters, be in a company led Victory is based entirely on a new set of by another character, and be making his victory conditions for which points are choices based on the scouting of another awarded, with the team with the most points character and the spells of many seers. The at the end of the game being the winner. teamwork required to organise a ‘curse There is no individual victory. The game squad’ is generally even more complex. lasts for a short fixed duration, usually ten turns. Page 1 of 18 Games Starting Soon The Story so Far The following new games are filling The module has been released for only a up, so if you wish to play, get in few weeks, but the 5th game is starting as I touch! write, and interest has been very strong. [Bracketed dates give the date the The map is changed and many characters game started filling up.] and artefacts moved to different nations, so that each nation is of equivalent value to the team. UW 203 2k [Game 203]: 1 nation available. [11/2] Players are reporting that it is a refreshing change to the other modules, with the army 1650 Normal GB 2wk [Game 71]: levels of 1650 and the character strength of 6 duos available, GB rules 7 with 30 word diplo, Player pool. [23/9] 2950. However, the scenario is different to either in that the economies, armies and 2950 2wk [Game 22]: coverts are equally balanced, so that the 14 nations available. [2/11] tension in the game comes from the difficulty in scoring victory points in a 1650 2wk [Game 81]: fixed time. 16 nations available. [18/02] We also have a format suited to new 1000 2wk [Game 47]: players, where the rule-set is very simple at 17 nations available [21/1 game start, and new rules are introduced each turn, until by game end the player is using the full rules. The Group Nations’ Military General Teamwork Significance Aside from this, all the nations will need to Face to Face Games There are very significant bonus points on look after each other economically. One We are able to organise Face to Face offer for winning the fight in the very often cannot predict where the opponents Games between teams in separate will strike, and a nation which does well in locations, and we currently have a US centre of the map, centred about Lothlorien team looking to play a game over the and Dol Guldur. This battlefield is in reach one game may be persecuted in another weekend. So if you would be of all the individual nations, who can game. A good team will have to adapt to interested in playing, please get in choose how many forces to divert from the changing economic fortunes of each touch. their own home territory to fight, but nation and organise support where needed. essentially the Noldo and the Dragon Lord will determine what happens here. The Untold War points system, which A Face to Face What?! determines victory, rewards teams which Face to Face Events are weekend- Both capitals are hidden and fortified, protect all five of their nations, and are able long games of Middle-earth which to launch strikes at significant holdings take place, as the name suggests, at a requiring significant expenditure of team single location. Turns are run at resources before an attack can be launched belonging to each of the opposing five regular intervals through the on the enemy capital. And, given the nations. The teams that score well will need weekend, and teams are assigned enormous numbers of troops that can be good teamwork and good team morale – their own private areas to plan and thrown into this crucible, the military individual brilliance won’t help if the write orders. choices made by the two Group Nations teamwork is not there. will have enormous significance to the A fixed cost is paid for the entire success of the team. However, a dogmatic approach to the team weekend instead of per turn, the pace will also likely lead to trouble. There are is hectic, and it is great fun - virtually sufficient different demands on a team in everyone who has played one of these MEPBM that it is always impossible to deal games is dying to play another one as soon as they can. It's a great way to with all threats. A team which is able to learn a lot about the game, to chat to listen to the input of all four members will fellow players, and to meet us. Simple Tip strike a good balance in judging which Sleeping space is always available, Some Gunboat games allow a threats are severe, and which are correct to but don’t expect much sleep! limited form of diplomacy. Use it, ignore. A team with a single dominant as even if information isn't useful to voice will over-commit resources to a you, it may be useful to others in single arena, and will suffer as a result. the game, whether it be a list of artefacts you own (or have lost), PCs you own (or have lost), activity More Details in your area, plans for aggression, If you think that you might be interested in etc. playing the Untold War of the Ring, please visit our website: www.middleearthgames.com/moduw.html Page 2 of 18 Heroic Failure and the will of God in The Lord of the Rings™ By John Davis A hero, as generally conceived of by modern Western society, Faramir also fails, but in the end does not perish, nor does the is a person who performs great deeds, and who, moreover, is city he fought to save.