Slitherine

Hey All,

Inspired by the success of devoncop's MP game, I decided to start my own, but with a few tweaks. The goal of this game (for me at least) is to focus on international diplomacy.......and since the base game is currently a bit lacking in that department for the AI, I'm thinking that in the meantime, MP can shoulder that burden a bit, with the help of this forum. I'm posting this here in the hopes that it will function similarly to devon's as a secondary/primary discussion space for the players in the game, especially when we're all waiting for the next turn. I would also encourage players to use the Private Message function of the forum to engage in.........secret discussions as well.

Because the theme for this game is..........Great Power Competition. As lovely as some of the small minor nations can be, I want to put the focus on the dynamic balance of power that exists between mega nations like Rome, Carthage, the Diadochi, etc. Faction choice will be restricted to these major nations with the idea that everyone will have some degree of opportunity for "peaceful" expansion against AI minor powers, before butting up against the borders of another player.

I'm going to start this topic and leave it open for a few days, with the intent to officially start the game next Monday. The initial list of nations will be below, but I would like some suggestions for countries that A) can be power factions in the early game and B) are close enough to the other player nations so that diplomacy is necessary. For example, the Picts are too far removed from Rome and Carthage to have terribly meaningful diplomacy in the early game. However, the Maurya, despite being just as far away, border the Seleucids and can have a big impact on the Diadochi Wars.

Anyway, here's the initial potential faction selection list:

1 - The Antigonids (Geffalrus) -
2 - The Seleucids (jimwinsor the Brave) -
3 - The Ptolemies (Rufus) -
4 - The Lysimachids (desertedfox) -
5 - Macedon (pnoff) -
6 - Bactria (Marvin) -
7 - Rome (devoncop) -
8 - Carthage (ledo) -
9 - The Arverni (13obo) -
10 - The Celtiberi (ReneTs) -
11 - Epirus (Morbio the Valiant) -
12 - Pontus (Ballista) -
13 - Armenia (ToussaintLouverture) -

Other options:

- The Saka - 14?
- Dacia - 15?
- Syracuse/Massilia/Numidia??? - 16?
- Suggestions welcome!

Ground Rules:

- Difficulty will be set to Experienced
- Turn time will be 24 hrs unless I feel that there are enough people that having an extra 12 hrs (36 total) would be safer.
- Anything goes. If you want to shank your neighbor on turn one, go right ahead. Every action breeds an equal and opposite reaction in science........but in geopolitics, reactions tend to increase exponentially in my experience. We all know what can happen when a coup attempt fails. And getting a reputation for betrayal has short and long term consequences. No action exists in a vacuum.
- Password to enter the game will be sent by private message.

Edit: Also - feel free to reserve your faction of choice from the list.

Hi Geffalrus,

I like your idea, prefer to deal with humans

I would like to be Macedon

pnoff wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 30, 2019 3:26 pm

Hi Geffalrus,

I like your idea, prefer to deal with humans

I would like to be Macedon

It's all yours.

I will take Rome


(to be a long way from the war crazy Antigonids)

Sounds interesting. Count me in please.
As I havnt played a lot so far, I dont have any strong preference. Ptolemies or Carthage would be nations with some interesting perspective in the game I think.

RufusTFirefly wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 30, 2019 7:09 pm

Sounds interesting. Count me in please.
As I havnt played a lot so far, I dont have any strong preference. Ptolemies or Carthage would be nations with some interesting perspective in the game I think.

Hmmmm, I know Carthage can be a powerhouse, but I've also noticed that they can end up fighting A LOT of the N. African desert tribes. On the other hand, the Ptolemies start off at war with two of the player faction super powers, Macedon and the Antigonids. However, Ptolemy is protected by the sea from Macedon, and the Antigonids are also at war with another power faction, the Seleucids. The Antigonids also can find themselves under attack from the Lysimakids and a number of other minor factions. So my personal view is that the Antigonids (human not AI) are often quite interested in early peace. So if you went for the Ptolemies, the odds are good you'd be able to make peace with your two enemies and then focus elsewhere.

I'm sure devoncop has other insights. Or he'll just be snarky about me being a self-serving Antigonid.

Geffalrus wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 30, 2019 9:07 pm

RufusTFirefly wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 30, 2019 7:09 pm

Sounds interesting. Count me in please.
As I havnt played a lot so far, I dont have any strong preference. Ptolemies or Carthage would be nations with some interesting perspective in the game I think.

Hmmmm, I know Carthage can be a powerhouse, but I've also noticed that they can end up fighting A LOT of the N. African desert tribes. On the other hand, the Ptolemies start off at war with two of the player faction super powers, Macedon and the Antigonids. However, Ptolemy is protected by the sea from Macedon, and the Antigonids are also at war with another power faction, the Seleucids. The Antigonids also can find themselves under attack from the Lysimakids and a number of other minor factions. So my personal view is that the Antigonids (human not AI) are often quite interested in early peace. So if you went for the Ptolemies, the odds are good you'd be able to make peace with your two enemies and then focus elsewhere.

I'm sure devoncop has other insights. Or he'll just be snarky about me being a self-serving Antigonid.

Speaking impartially as always, Carthage is your best bet of just fighting AI nations in the main but you will face A LOT of them very quickly and your territories are split up and not easily defended though each AI nation on its own is weaker than you are.

As the Ptolemies the human steamroller that is the Antigonid behemoth will probably want peace ASAP so they can concentrate on rolling through the rich territories of Asia Minor and Greece without having to fight over barren bits of Egyptian desert.

This may or may not suit Egypt.

I would still say Egypt is an easier nation to play at the beginning than Carthage but by mid game Carthage if it has fought off its AI challengers is in a very strong position and is well out of the way of Geffalrus and his obsessive warmongering with the Antigonids.....you have been warned !

I'll play the Maurya if you stick them in.

devoncop wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 30, 2019 9:43 pm

......well out of the way of Geffalrus and his obsessive warmongering with the Antigonids.....you have been warned !

Vile slander!

Besides, I've already found out that when allied together, the well developed Ptolemaic and Seleucid kingdoms are plenty capable of resisting the Antigonid onslaught.

I'll take Carthage if it's still free.

RufusTFirefly wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 30, 2019 7:09 pm

Sounds interesting. Count me in please.
As I havnt played a lot so far, I dont have any strong preference. Ptolemies or Carthage would be nations with some interesting perspective in the game I think.

If you don't mind, I'm putting you down for the Ptolemies. It should be a decent fit for you with geographical protection, room for combat with AI minors, and a centrality to the main action if you decide to be involved. And as always, good diplomacy can solve any problem.

(hush devoncop, or I shall dispatch the full Antigonid pacification fleet to subdue thee)

Geffalrus wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 31, 2019 12:32 am

RufusTFirefly wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 30, 2019 7:09 pm

Sounds interesting. Count me in please.
As I havnt played a lot so far, I dont have any strong preference. Ptolemies or Carthage would be nations with some interesting perspective in the game I think.

If you don't mind, I'm putting you down for the Ptolemies. It should be a decent fit for you with geographical protection, room for combat with AI minors, and a centrality to the main action if you decide to be involved. And as always, good diplomacy can solve any problem.

(hush devoncop, or I shall dispatch the full Antigonid pacification fleet to subdue thee)

Is that BOTH rowing boats ?

I'll take Lysimachids.

Good luck finding someone crazy enough to take Selucids with a human in control of India.

Arverni for me if noone minds! Looks set to be a promising game.

desertedfox wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 31, 2019 11:30 am

I'll take Lysimachids.

Good luck finding someone crazy enough to take Selucids with a human in control of India.

If it's going to be an issue, feel free to take the Indians out of it.

I'll play someone else or sit out.

Why not play the seleucids instead? Indians only interact with seleucids initially.

Also, my nick is 13obo not 130b0 .

13obo wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 31, 2019 12:05 pm

Why not play the seleucids instead? Indians only interact with seleucids initially.

TBH, I did think about it but it's probably too much effort. I've got a fair few other games on and playing Ptolemies in another game has shown me how long the turns can be with the big boys.

13obo wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 31, 2019 12:08 pm

Also, my nick is 13obo not 130b0 .

Whoops! Damn fumble fingers.

MARVIN_THE_ARVN wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 31, 2019 12:19 pm

13obo wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 31, 2019 12:05 pm

Why not play the seleucids instead? Indians only interact with seleucids initially.

TBH, I did think about it but it's probably too much effort. I've got a fair few other games on and playing Ptolemies in another game has shown me how long the turns can be with the big boys.

My initial thought in including the Maurya is that if they're - not - human, then they're just an AI that's destined to attack the Seleucids. With a human, then at least there is a chance (?) of diplomacy and slightly different game play? I do think that there should be at least one other human on the Seleucid border so that it's not just an Antigonid-Seleucid face-off. Maybe Saka or Bactria or Armenia? Interesting diplomacy is the goal.......how we reach that is something that's up for debate.

The other diplomacy-themed setup I've considered is having the players all be in Spain.......so a collection of Greeks and Iberians. It's one of the areas of the map that I haven't played around with much.

The other alternative would be everyone starting in Greece, or everyone packed into Italy. But I worried that would be too claustrophobic. Though maybe if people like the idea...................