C3C PBEM : "Cortez" - Age of Discovery scenario-based PBEM

*** GAME STARTED ***


To celebrate the beginning of the 50th turn of the AoD PBEM, I am organizing this new PBEM.

Only players already playing in another PBEM and that I consider reliable and fast will be accepted. So remember you won't be automatically accepted !
the idea would be to have two more "old-timers" and two newcomers who have proved themselves reliable to "mix" players and to have different styles of gameplay.


5 European powers and 3 AI for the Indians.

Special rules : same as AoD (cf http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=85808)

You can express your wishes for civs :

Players :
- Loulong
- Ironduck
- Random Fan
- Justus II
- Detlef

Civs

- Dutch : Loulong
- England : Ironduck
- France : Detlef
- Portugal : Random Fan
- Spain : Justus II
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- Aztecs : AI
- Incas : AI
- Iroquois : AI


Two organization rules to follow :
- the GPS return mail rule
- send me your password after your first turn (it will be saved and untouched).

Count me in I would be happy with any civ in this scenario even with natives.

I won't play but have a suggestion : the map could be slighty modified by an "external person", in order to change the iron, horse, ivory... placements. Thus, explorers and discovery become very important, because the players don't know the "better placements" for their colony.

Count me in if I'am worse it.
I never played this scenario but i think i would prefer Portugal.

I haven't played this before either, but would like to join. I understand we can't fare war in Europe, but what constitutes Europe here? Is it only continental + British isles or does it include other islands too?

choice 1: England, choice 2: Spain

Btw, can we ensure that all players here are willing to play their turn quickly? I really don't want to get caught up in a game that takes a week to move like I've seen so many new ones do..

Well, I guess I'd fit in the Newcomer category! I've been playing the Zama game, and am interested in this scenario. Spain looks open, and should be fun. If not, I'll play whatever. I can usually get a GPS within 3-4 hours of recieving a turn (except overnight, 12-6AM at GMT-5), as I check email at work, and usually come home for lunch. Thanks!

@ LouLong:A poor question, what do you mean with GPS return mail rule?

GPS return mail means it is compulsory in this game to send the GPS message when you got, played and sent your turn.
Everytime that is not done in a PBEM, delays start to appear... so...

@ Ironduck : Random Fan is definitely OK (he is in RoR as well).

@Justus and Detlef : we are aiming at one turn per day. Are you sure you can make it ? I am especially worried about what you wrote in "Tanit" Detelf. If you don't have computer/net access at home then I think it is a "no, no" situation.
Justus, can you commit to one turn a day ? (normally : that means net access both weekdays and weekends, etc...). If so you are in.

@ all : BTW to make speed easier, I would need GMT playing times for all players to organize the right "constellation" as Yakodi poetically put it.

Count me in too!

Looks like we have claims for Portugal and England and sort of Spain...

I'd like 1) France and 2) the Dutch...actually the Dutch could be very interesting... On second thought I will tough it out and go with the Dutch...

Just one question before I fully commit...Is the finding of the treasure and returning it in this one? I played this scenario 3 times (Portugal, France, and Spain) and never found it...quite irritating because there is no way to win if you don't find it...

GMT -5

LouLong said:

Justus, can you commit to one turn a day ? (normally : that means net access both weekdays and weekends, etc...). If so you are in.

@ all : BTW to make speed easier, I would need GMT playing times for all players to organize the right "constellation" as Yakodi poetically put it.

Click to expand...

Yes, sorry if my earlier post was confusing. I am at GMT-5, and preferred playing time is evenings (8PM-12, or 1AM-5AM GMT). I do have net/email access both at home and work, though, so I can 'see' if I have a turn waiting throughout the day, and since I have time in the mornings, and generally go home for lunch, I can usually take a turn within a few hours of recieving it, whenever it is. Weekends are fine as well, unless I am out of town. Even then, I am usually back that evening, and can take a turn then.

Thanks!

@ Justus II : ok you are in

@ BkGreatWarnut : you have to produce "treasures" made up of colonial products and ship them home, yes, that's the very idea of the scenario (that and trying to deprive your opponents of theirs of course). Now we also added 7 treasures already located somewhere on the map in unexplored areas that you can find and bring back before standard treasures start to appear. Now you can win even if you don't get them. It justs gives you an early VP boost and encourages early exploration (I must say my conquistadors are doing good in AoD as I have found 4 now (but only brought back 2 yet).
Up to you to decide.
You know how capture works though (otherwise there is no way you can make it in this scenario).

@all : make sure you read the rules in the AoD thread (first post) and you agree with them.

About the no war in Europe, this also includes the starting islands (albeit I'd be tempted to exclude Cap Verde but that's just my opinion).

@ Random Fan : man you are lucky. You are the only who did not have any special wish and you end up with the best civ (at star-up at least).

@ Senturus : sorry I had overlooked your post. Bonne idee (maybe a bit late for this one though) except you need to maintain the resources in the same area anyway (for geographic (climate mostly) reasons).

Lou - it was just a general statement about people being committed. I'm glad to have Random Fan in too (except it seems I'll fight him now if he's Spain? Ack!)..

I haven't played this scenario at all so I have no idea where anything is.. do we also explore Africa or is it only America? Also, is it allowed to wage war in all the sea or not the seas around Europe? I guess I had better read the objectives on this one.. I also hope taking England wasn't a bad choice, seems I was the only one interested in those

I can usually play GMT 3 pm - 12 pm or so.. (on and off)

Sorry, but I think I'll pass then...Not my fav scenario...

It seems I tend to end up only with chessy civs lately Anyway this is going to be fun no matter what civ I am going to play. If the will be more people willing to join this. I would like to give a chance to the native American civs here i think. I like to rewrite history

My playing time is going to be between GMT 19-22 I think, but sometimes I am able to play my turn on the different time too.

Another suggestion for special rules (this may have already been addressed somewhere, but I haven't seen it) is that moving your capital (Palace Jump or otherwise) should not be allowed. Moving the capital to the New World makes returning treasure way too easy, and is (IMHO) an exploit.

Keeping the palace in Europe makes sense to me, but is there any productivity at all in the American colonies in this scenario? It seems like we'll only have 4-5 cities at home that are productive throughout the game? (I just had a quick look in singleplayer to check out the map)

Wow, i'am worried you with an technical delay of two days? OK, point taken.

ironduck said:

Keeping the palace in Europe makes sense to me, but is there any productivity at all in the American colonies in this scenario? It seems like we'll only have 4-5 cities at home that are productive throughout the game? (I just had a quick look in singleplayer to check out the map)

Click to expand...

I've only played this once before, but the global corruption setting is reduced for this scenario, so most New World cities are still fairly productive. There's also an FP-type improvement (Colonial Capital) that can help in the New World as well. (Just make sure the correct World Size setting is used in setting up the game!).

Yes, corruption is largely reduced.

No switching capitals to the New World (that's one of the reasons for no war in Europe but it is better to make it clear).

The uncharted terrains cover mostly the Americas and a large chunk of the Pacific and the West coast of Africa. You can settle in Africa (Sahara is impaasbale so by sea) but Americas have more resources (and they are closer to England than most parts of Africa).

Another question, since we are having the AI play the 'native' civs. Will there be any restrictions on early diplomacy with AI? In Rise of Rome, for example, we agreed to no diplo on first turn (not an issue here, since we don't have contact at the start), and no alliances/wars and no worker buys for the first 10 turns. Is that appropriate for here? Or will we just play historically and exploit them for all they're worth as soon as we meet them.

Edit: Also, what about difficulty level? It will have a significant impact on how strong the AI civs are. Monarch? Emperor?