riadsala

Dominions 4 - join in the official* 3MA/FoS PBEM game

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* official, as in, Troy is planning on joining in.

 

 

hi,

 

the forum title sort of sums it up. I'm not a huge Dominions fan, but I played a few games of Dom3 and quite liked a few aspects of the design. And, I really like slow, multi-player long form play-by-email games. They scratch a certain itch that other games can't quite get to. 

 

So, the plan is to get a group of people together for a game of Dom4. If you have never played before, don't worry... I'm yet to buy Dom4 myself. And, the games aren't quite as hard to get into as their reputation maybe suggests. And  personally, I find them a lot more fun when treating them as a role-play game, rather than min-maxing everything and trying to be really competitive. 

 

The 3MA podcast on the game is here: https://www.idlethumbs.net/forums/topic/8891-episode-234-seeking-new-god/

 

And, I found this a fun read and it explained a lot of the Dom3 concepts: http://lparchive.org/Dominions-3/

 

 

If you're interested in joining me and Troy, post below. The plan is to start sometime around February. I'm not sure what the best number of players is, we'll have to have a think. I know that the game can support a large number, but it becomes somewhat less fun and a lot more cumbersome. 

 

If anybody has strong feelings on what game mode to play, etc, feel free to make suggestions.

 

Have a great new year

 

Riad

 

ps. It's New Year's Eve, 2013. I wonder what the chances are of this game being completed by the end of 2014! 

 

 

...................

list of people wanting to play

 

Riadsala

Troy

Procyon Lotor

Greenturtle

Bisbo

ShadowTiger

dknemeyer

valambrien

srslyyou

heliocentric

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I would like to join. I never played Dom 3 but I had a blast with 4 over the last 2 weeks.

I guess it should be a disciples game since there will be lots of people, maybe teams of 2? I think it is cool to pick races that are thematically similar. 2 nations that like warm weather or two nations that have the same cultural inspiration. 

I generally don't like the wrap around maps just because they are confusing to scroll around. 

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Oh, I like the wrap around maps for just that reason! (And I don't really like artificial borders). But I'm happy to go with the crowd. 

 

Having (still) not played Dom4, I'll let others decide if we should go for a Disciples game or not. I know that the complex diplomacy was one of the main attractions for me in Dom3. so I'd want to keep a good number of rival sides in play. But teams of two should give us that, and avoid leading to having more pretenders than you can easily keep track of!

 

 

I make it six interested parties so far. I wonder if Troy can get any of the other 3MA panellists involved. 

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I've heard gnarly things about the usability of multi-player (and the game) but would be up for it if there are patient sherpas among the group.

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Ok. It's now February, so time to think about starting. I'll give it til the end of the week before finalizing the list of players. Then we can argue about game settings and get started. :-)

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I just won dom4 a few weeks ago and this would be a great way for me to get into it. I haven't played any of the predecessors but this game looks pretty gnarly 

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Ok, so I suggest we try and get sorted and start the game this weekend. Is everybody still interested? 

 

Would somebody like to volunteer in helping get the game set up?

 

The consensus seems to be playing in teams.

9 players gives 3 teams of 3. If we get 1 more player, we can go with 5 teams of 2. 

 

My plan is:

  • ask a friend who's a huge fan of the Dominions lore to suggest some good race combinations. This will fit with ShadowTigers suggestion.
  • randomly assign players to teams, and order teams for selecting which set of races they'd like
  • leave each team to sort out who goes who within the set using whichever method they like.

Some suggested house rules. Feel free to disagree or suggest other things. they're only suggestions :)

  • please use your forum ID as your pretender name. If Dom4 is like Dom3, then keeping track of everything is hard enough without having to remember who is who. 
  • private communication only via in game messaging service. It's impossible to enforce this rule, but I like the fact that sending messages in game is slow... it takes two turns to send and receive a reply! Adds to the fog of war and the general feel. And you have to plan three moves ahead... :P 
  • public communication via this forum thread is fine. As chatting about the game as it plays out is fun!
  • one turn per week, with no waiting around for stragglers.
  • this thread can 

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That all sounds great to me, EXCEPT that I'm going to be out of town this weekend.  I should be back Sunday night, and I can definitely do what needs to be done Monday.  

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Ok, so the teams are:

 

1) Troy & ShadowTiger

2) Greenturtle & heliocentric

3) ProcyonLotor & dknemeyer

4) Riadsala & Bisbo

5) valambrien & srslyyou

 

as randomly determined here

 

For the time being, could everybody get in touch with their partner to make sure they still want to play!

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And here are the suggested alliances. Thanks to my friend for putting these together. I suggest team 1 above (Troy and ShadowTiger) get first pick, then team two, etc etc. Just post below with the alliance you'd like.

 

 

 

First Alliance: ERMOR, NEW FAITH and C'TIS, LIZARD KINGS. Ermor is an empire of humans centered around a great city, with a long history of martial expansion, cultural annexation, and a surprising degree of apathy and subsequent tolerance towards the cults and rituals of other nations, which has enabled their proliferation throughout the world. The old ways are fading, however, and a new cult has arisen, sworn to eradicate all opposing faiths in the name of an emerging god. They are not alone in this endeavor. C'tis is a nation of lizard-folk, based around a fertile swampy river valley and the surrounding sandy deserts, and it has long been subject to Ermor. Lizard auxiliaries are known to round out the Ermorian legions, and their ties run long and deep. Now the C'tissians have joined the Ermorian cult, eager to claim their position in the emerging hierarchy.

 

Second Alliance: VANHEIM, AGE OF VANIR and HELHEIM, DUSK AND DEATH. The vanir are a proud and ancient race of the misty moors and bitter forests, tall and innately magical, and harboring a terrible hatred of inferior species. In fact, the primary division in vanir society arises not from internal politics, but from a difference in their approach to lesser races: the vanir of Vanheim believe in live sacrifice to sate their god, while the vanir of Helheim prefer to kill their enemies outright as fuel for their death magics. In either case, when a single divine patron unites the vanir under a single banner, the message is clear: the lesser races of the world will submit or be exterminated, by one method or the other.

 

Third Alliance: LANKA, LAND OF DEMONS and YOMI, ONI KINGS.  Neither Lanka nor Yomi are strangers to hardship. Both are accustomed to long traditions of demon-worship in a world that has long assumed their dark brethren were banished back to the Nether-Realm centuries ago. Lanka is the successor nation to Kailasa, the kingdom of apes that collapsed beneath a combination of Ermorian aggression, hierarchical collapse, and enslavement at the paws of the Rakshasas, who rule Lanka to this day. Yomi's history is not so dissimilar, as it is home to the great cone-shaped mountain that conceals the entrance to the Nether-Realm at its summit. From this gate entire nations of pot-bellied oni demons have emerged, hunted and despised by other nations for their crude manners and taste for flesh. Now, however, an awakening patron, demonic and hideous, promises to unite the demon-kin and lead them to inherit the world.

 

Fourth Alliance: PANGAEA, AGE OF REVELRY and OCEANIA, COMING OF THE CAPRICORNS. Sailors have always remarked upon how the frolicking Oceanians of the sea appear uncannily similar to the Pangaeans of the wild wood, and for good reason. Eons ago, Pangaea and Oceania were one species of beast-men, living on the boundary between the forest and the sea. As legend would have it, a quarrel between lovers created a rift between these nations, as one disappeared into the depths of the forest to dance and drink and seduce, caught up in revelry at once wild and somber, while the other drowned beneath the waves, cold and dead until she drew second breath and became the mother of the first intelligent aquatic race. As such, the animosities of these wild but clever creatures have long been the norm. However, a new god has arisen, claiming the title of Bridge-Builder (an appellation that makes little sense to the Oceanians), promising to shepherd them into a world free from the encroachment of so-called civilization, and forging new ties between the cultures and lifestyles of these once-united species.

 

Fifth Alliance: MICTLAN, REIGN OF BLOOD and MACHAKA, LION KINGS. While most human civilizations, the great city of Ermor and the golden coastal ports of Arcoscephale, have grown fat over the course of their time in this world, the nations of Mictlan and Machaka have lived at the fringes, jealous and patient. Mictlan has been isolated for centuries in their deep jungles, rich with slaves and blood, and lusting in secret for the bronze, wealth, and able bodies of their ignorant neighbors. Machaka, on the other hand, has historically roamed the plains, wary of settling down and accepting the fattening comforts of civilization. Only recently have they united under the rule of the Lion Tribe, and only this at the signs in their totems that a new way is opening. Much to the surprise of both nations, their salvation has been revealed as one and the same, a voice from the sky promising that the inhabitants of the civilized world will pay with blood for their arrogance.

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It looks like we are going with Vanheim(Troy)/Helheim(ShadowTiger)

Hehe, pony men...

 

I've just reached out to GT with my thoughts but if we disagree we might need to  take it to a cage match,.

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