swordspider
Dread Multiplayer
So last night played a very interesting Duel Game and just thought I would share because it was a cool level playing field. The strangest thing was the entire game was a draw from the start to the finish. Here's the setup:
Egypt vs. France, Inland Sea, Duel, OCC
I'm France. Egypt way out-techs me early because I plan a Rifle rush across the water (to which I have no access with my Capital to make ships). Lucky for him, he has one Caravel which picks off 2 of my 7 Riflemen. I make landfall and get his Capital to within literally 1 hit of death, but can't finish it off. *sigh*. Hindsight is 20/20, should have brought a general or a few weaker units that I left to defend my Cap. Oh well.
So having lost that battle, I decide not to lose the war and sure up at my Capital and turn to culture and science to catch up there, which I do pretty effectively (he was getting upgraded units a turn ahead of me, but that was it). We both pop a ton of great people, wonders, you name it. He was able to keep up with my French culture good enough to have a huge city too.
We both get coal, we both get oil, we both get aluminum, neither of us get uranium (which is the only tie-breaker I think could have been there). Anyway, long story short, he owned the sea but it made little tactical difference in the end (except for harassing units along the coastlines which in the end he quit doing because it was just giving my tanks promotions). Both of our capitals could pump out a Mech. Infantry in 2-3 turns or a Modern Armor in 4-5 turns, and we just had an all out war with lots, and lots, of carnage.
We both tried different strategies in battle incorporating different kinds of land units, air units, tactics, you name it. In the end, it was a big fat military draw. The only other option was to go for alternate victories, but with the battle-lock we had if you tried to build anything but a military unit you could lose the edge and fall behind... I'm serious it was truly head to head and the littlest tipping point could have turned the tides and we both knew that. So besides completing spaceship wonders with an Engineer, we were pretty much stuck in perpetual battle.
We basically ended up calling it a draw which was fine as we had plenty of mutual respect for one another. In the end, as I mentioned, one of us could have potentially won some other kind of victory but it just didn't seem right after the drop-down, no-holds barred war. I suppose at some point you just agree to coexist. heh.
Either way, a very fun game and a neat setup I would suggest as an alternative to the typical 4-6 Player Pangaea setup. Of course with only 2-players, there was zero lag and the turns flew by. Very rewarding even with the outcome.
Egypt vs. France, Inland Sea, Duel, OCC
I'm France. Egypt way out-techs me early because I plan a Rifle rush across the water (to which I have no access with my Capital to make ships). Lucky for him, he has one Caravel which picks off 2 of my 7 Riflemen. I make landfall and get his Capital to within literally 1 hit of death, but can't finish it off. *sigh*. Hindsight is 20/20, should have brought a general or a few weaker units that I left to defend my Cap. Oh well.
So having lost that battle, I decide not to lose the war and sure up at my Capital and turn to culture and science to catch up there, which I do pretty effectively (he was getting upgraded units a turn ahead of me, but that was it). We both pop a ton of great people, wonders, you name it. He was able to keep up with my French culture good enough to have a huge city too.
We both get coal, we both get oil, we both get aluminum, neither of us get uranium (which is the only tie-breaker I think could have been there). Anyway, long story short, he owned the sea but it made little tactical difference in the end (except for harassing units along the coastlines which in the end he quit doing because it was just giving my tanks promotions). Both of our capitals could pump out a Mech. Infantry in 2-3 turns or a Modern Armor in 4-5 turns, and we just had an all out war with lots, and lots, of carnage.
We both tried different strategies in battle incorporating different kinds of land units, air units, tactics, you name it. In the end, it was a big fat military draw. The only other option was to go for alternate victories, but with the battle-lock we had if you tried to build anything but a military unit you could lose the edge and fall behind... I'm serious it was truly head to head and the littlest tipping point could have turned the tides and we both knew that. So besides completing spaceship wonders with an Engineer, we were pretty much stuck in perpetual battle.
We basically ended up calling it a draw which was fine as we had plenty of mutual respect for one another. In the end, as I mentioned, one of us could have potentially won some other kind of victory but it just didn't seem right after the drop-down, no-holds barred war. I suppose at some point you just agree to coexist. heh.
Either way, a very fun game and a neat setup I would suggest as an alternative to the typical 4-6 Player Pangaea setup. Of course with only 2-players, there was zero lag and the turns flew by. Very rewarding even with the outcome.
Oh well, clear skies tonight, so going around to a friends to peer through telescopes (well, slightly more electronic and warmer than that but you get the idea).
