NewsNewsNews fromfromfrom BreeBreeBree MEPBM Newsletter: Issue 27, February '05 "Strange as News Updating the Game from Bree..." by Greg Shaffer The Lord of the Rings, chapter 9 MEPBM is a great game (credit to its original Dragon Flea Market. Also in 1650, we have the most inventors!) and has become a bit out of focus with rare and intelligent and powerful and selfish, its original intent, original game balance, and the idiosyncratic, temperamental creatures in Middle Earth Talk at the flavor of Tolkien’s world given growth in player called DRAGONS. Yet any character can waltz up to knowledge and playing style. The buyout of one of these mythic creatures (and the locations are MEPBM will allow the game moderators to make predictable) and sign them up at will to destroy 'Prancing'Prancing changes to update the game and allow the GSI folks numerous enemy armies simply by giving a stock to continue doing what they enjoy most – inventing response that everyone knows and doesn’t change from Pony... great new games. Here are the top 10 reasons we turn to turn or game to game. Again, in the original should be glad our game moderators to have the version noone knew the “one correct response per ability to update the game: dragon” but now everyone knows. This makes Bilbo’s Updating the Game fated encounter with Smaug look like a couple of Hobbit Welcome to my capital, here’s the keys. maidens getting together for afternoon tea. Tweak Your Nation Currently it is a piece of cake for dark servants to waltz into Lothlorien or granite-enclosed Moria Ineffectual Nations. There are nations in 1650 with An A-Z of Tolkien ... or hidden Rivendell and get away with doing abysmal command ranks that can’t even successfully Aragorn whatever they want, slaughtering characters at will change relations, allegiance or taxes or remove harbors Bilbo Baggins and disbanding entire armies. Same thing for free and as a result get squashed by opponents they can’t peoples walking into the Black Gate or Minas attack who have no trouble downgrading relations with Morgul or Barad-Dur. Any free or dark capital is as them (e.g., Haradwaith, Quiet Avenger). That’s no The Creation of Middle easy as pie to walk into and affords virtually no trouble the way the game USED to be – when military Earth PBM protection to its inhabitants, resulting in great campaigns unfolded more slowly, noone knew the map frustration to players who can’t even manage their or the objectives, and neutrals generally stayed neutral JRR Tolkien: A Biography own nation. Unheard of! J.R.R. is rolling in his longer. Let’s let everyone participate in the blitzkrieg! grave. These places were inaccessible and assassins Hall of Fame weren’t even a major focus of Tolkien’s work. Even Infinite Intelligence. Similarly, in the original version stealthy allied characters were routinely caught and noone really knew what was in the world other than on Rhunning of Empty brought before the king when in foreign lands. One their own map. Now every nation in 1650 or 2950 possible solution: increase protection of local militia knows exactly the size and composition of enemy in all population centers by 50%, and by 500% in characters, armies, population centers, locations, Strategy & Tactics: the capital. Even a super-agent should rarely be artifacts and everything else of every opponent’s Eothraim able to succeed in an enemy capital, and no enemy starting setup. In Tolkien’s Middle Earth, nations didn’t should be allowed to issue a surprise challenge inside even know those things about their nearest allies! Not the gates of an enemy capital. Leave agent actions only unrealistic and unbalancing, but a bit boring and mostly to the wilds and to smaller populace. Even predictable as well. You can project exactly your the Nazgul favored working in isolated locations enemys’ capabilities and therefore your “correct move”, Bree Online where no help was available. and the opening moves of the war are so very important. What if these factors were varied a bit from game to News from Bree is now also Artifact Garage Sale. game (perhaps within certain parameters to preserve available as Bree Online! In 1650 and 2950, artifacts are a dime a dozen game balance)? What if the game maps varied in 1650 and everyone knows what they are, and within a and 2950 just like in FA, and maps could be moved? Visit ... couple of turns, where they are (for the most Currently a lot of player planning goes around knowing http://bree.flagshipmagazine.com powerful items in the artifact race). When you get exactly where the edge of your enemy’s maps and for a regularly updated site to the location at this arbitrary point in the Middle borders are – unrealistic in Tolkien’s Middle Earth. featuring all the articles you Earth timeline, you find numerous other characters will see here, and more! there trying to suddenly retrieve the same artifacts The Middle-Earth information age. With the modern with riddle answers known by everyone. This isn’t prevalence of internet communications, Middle-Earth News from Bree & Bree adventure, it’s trying to go through the motions has been transformed from a world of estranged peoples Online will both continue as faster than your opponents. In the original version to a linked network where anyone can communicate sister publications. noone knew the artifact descriptions. Solution: with anyone instantly. Winning the war is mostly a scramble the artifact numbers and abilities in 1650 function of which teams have the most time to dedicate and 2950 just like in FA, and rehash the artifact to continual joint communication and planning. Fun for News from Bree #27 encounter process with a new wave of creativity, some, but others who are busy might prefer to be able © Colin Forbes & ME Games 2005 all in the spirit of adventure. Even Elrond was to participate (and maybe even win!) with less time [email protected] impressed when the Bilbo and the Dwarven commitment, or to have game success depend on solo company recovered elf-blades from a troll’s lair! strategies rather than instant networking skills in Middle- Earth. Solution: more players (or ex- Tolkien A-Z: players who no longer have the time) might consider signing up for gunboat games, and I’d like to see gunboat Aragorn extended to Fourth Age. This might require certain game modifications to Aragorn first appears in Fellow- bring the game back into balance, for ship of the Rings when he begins example pre-aligning nations and travelling with Frodo, Sam, Merry altering or eliminating the kingdoms. & Pippin. Originally they knew This game might be called “cutthroat” him only as a ranger named Strider because I imagine some nations would and didn't trust him until they re- be eliminated quickly if poorly alised he was a friend of Gandalf. positioned or surrounded and unable Even then it was a long time be- to be supported by teammates. fore Sam truly trusted him. Sounds like fun! Aragorn became one of the cen- tral figures in The Lord of the Rings Agent anarchy. Much has been said and became the king referred to in on this, and modifications to the agent the title of the third book. He was game have been attempted in the past also later known as Elessar (Elf with limited results. In the end, FA Stone). players still favor agent SNAs and Aragorn's father Arathorn other agent powers, expensive as they was chieftain of the Dúnadain are. The prevalence of various from the northen regions of limited-agent scenarios should be a Eriador. Arathorn died in an orc hint to the game company about what raid when Aragorn was only two players desire and where the game is years old. Aragorn and his mother unbalanced. Currently, entire Middle Gilraen went to Rivendell where Earth nations can be debilitated merely Elrond raised Aragorn as a son. because a few individuals are Aragorn wasn't told of his true assassinated or worse, hostage. One name and lineage until he was an of many solutions: drastically change adult and until then he was known the hostage rules to where hostages by the name Estel. When he was can be retired, replaced, or escape twenty years old Elrond gave him much more easily. Further, entire national economies weak and unimaginative nation designs in 1650 and the shards of Narsil - sword of his can be debilitated merely by a handful of thieves in 2950. They are mostly a collection of 30-point ancestor Elendil. He also gave him the outlying populace. One of many solutions: make commanders who can do nothing but recruit troops the ring which was given to one of it harder and make gold takes much less, and move and get assassinated. Because of this, the ability ranks Aragorn's more distant ancestors the gold theft phase to the end of the turn phase of FP character casts and armies generally don’t go up Barahir in the First Age. The ring (after hiring characters and researching spells, for because they don’t last and you can’t become attached of Barahir was a token of friend- example). Further, entire armies can be disbanded to any of your favorite characters or strategic efforts. ship between his people and elves merely because one person is assassinated. Unheard Free people have few artifacts and powerful characters and was later kept by the kings of of in Tolkien’s Middle Earth. Perhaps allow any unless you are playing the elves.