Game 8

May your distractions swiftly pass (at least in the "real" world).

Is 8 a really dull game? (compared with 9 & 10) Or are we just more "serious" (or guarded) players, less inclined to frivolous jokes about haggis and the Russian navy, lest they be misinterpreted? Answers on a postcard, please...

I can't offer much in this thread since I'm only Swashbuckling in #8, so most of my updates go in the Swashbuckler section of the forum.

Not much has happened to me in the game. Upset Denmark over a planned jaunt to Greenland. Upset the uptight people at Hull with my Ball, the Guy Fawkes effigy and insult to Denmark didn't go down too well with the older guests. Upset my innkeeper when I pushed his wife into a snowdrift (it was an accident though!) Yet to upset anyone else, though my newfound servant 'Patchy Harry' sounds like a right Mughal-loving fanatic...Heaven help Bartholomew if he ever reaches India and Patchy goes berserk in the areas not within the Empire! Still, could be worse...At least Patchy Harry is a Moslem, so no chance of him being a secret Thuggee strangler

Well, early game 8 was very high drama for me. It led to the unification of Portugal and Spain under my rulership.

I admit I'm more of a nation-builder than a conquerer/wargamer by inclination. The combined position is large and unweildy, and I struggle just to manage getting it running sort of smoothly even with fairly high turn fees. Just a lot to do managing a position that large and trying to make sure that your army and navy are up to snuff so you can just protect what you have. Having vast colonial holdings may be cool on paper, but it does mean that setting up and staging fleet and troops around the world to ensure you can respond to threats takes a lot of time and energy.

So far, my experience in game 8 seems to tell me that you get a lot more problems thrown your way as a big position than a small one, so I honestly am less inclined to grow the position because it seems to me that it would just be asking for more problems I'd have to work to sort out. Having a veyr high honour hasn't seemed to impact this at all, or if it does, I really pity the big positions with low honour!

I think the lack of an active France for the first 5 years of the game also had a pretty big impact on the current relatively peaceful nature of the european game. Arriving late to the game, the French player has, wisely I think, worked to fit themselves into the existing power dynamics of Europe. Still, I'm surprised that more of the smaller states don't seem to be either in play, or interested in a more 'muscular' foreign pollicy. In European sphere anyway, The Moghuls are doing their conquering thing quite well.

To be fair, it seems like some of the more mid-range positions that really could do more expansion have run into some challenges. I don't have any real interaction with Sweden, but the paper has certainly made it clear the position has been in a difficult spot which the player has worked to reverse. Russia also ran into problems with its first attempt at expansion.

The ottomans so far haven't expressed a desire to revisit the battle of Vienna, and none of the powers seem interested in re-igniting that conflict.

Also, the economy of game 8 has been insanely good for most everybody. I've got enough spare money that I think I'm going to go for universal education in my large realm in 1708! Probably not worth the cost for the in-game benefits, but fits with my enlightenment ruler, so why not?

Research in game 8 also seems to be a ton easier. I have a ton of advances, and I think lots of other people do too. I think these factors have naturally made more people lean towards nation-building to advance their positions rather than conquest.

Probably a more serious answer than you wanted.

I don't think G8 is a dull game. It might be more serious in that it hasn't got its own injoke like the other games but then so far the Russian Navy hasn't managed to sink itself, Lord Fong isn't insulting everyone and there haven't been any French pirates wanting to risk war with haggi....

The Moghul is doing his part in game 8 to make it exciting.

He has attacked and taken the Jat, Gujerat and Rajput regions of India. He is now attacking the Multan region.

The United Kingdom has been established in Game VIII and British Colonial position is quite strong this early in the game. There has been a rather quiet spell that has allowed everyone to focus on the economic side of the coin so to speak and I agree with the good Emperor that the economic in Game VIII is rather robust. Scientific expansion and research has appeared to be somewhat faster in this game as well, but perhaps that is just the position I play.

Things are getting interesting in the Baltic with the Ingrian issue boiling over. It appears that the matter should be resolved within the next two months and the Russians should have their revenge as it were. It is also becoming clear that British Intelligence has been working overtime in tracking down spies and it will be interesting to see how a certain power reacts to its ambassador being shown the door for his public lies and propaganda. All in good fun I assure you. We might not hang the fellow for his tone this time!

The world of Game VIII is certainly getting more interesting.

Deacon wrote: Probably a more serious answer than you wanted.

No, indeed - well thought and convincing.

revvaughan wrote: It is also becoming clear that British Intelligence has been working overtime in tracking down spies and it will be interesting to see how a certain power reacts to its ambassador being shown the door for his public lies and propaganda.  All in good fun I assure you.  We might not hang the fellow for his tone this time!

The world of Game VIII is certainly getting more interesting.  

We do our best to please... But you Brits do seem fond of hanging innocents.  Pity poor Francois, guilty of propaganda, yes; but lies?  Mais non!  

Making money is what we like the most I dare say... However, a good hanging is a close second. At least we hung one French Subject and one British Subject for spying. Must endeavour to keep it all even Steven!

"Here, boss. If you want, I can set Ern and his mates onto this Francois geezer. Give him a right good going over...Teach him a lesson in respect and how to properly behave whilst on your manor."

"That's the trouble with the likes of those, 'south of the river' types."

"You give the word, governor. Me and boys, we'll sort this one out. Maybe turn it into a nice little earner, if you know what I mean?"

"We won't touch his boat race. Just take him down the frog and toad, to lie low for a bit."

"Just you say the word in my shell-like, governor. Let me take care of the rest."

That certainly might be required soon enough... Yes the old world will be getting more interesting.

Got some weddings to attend before funerals though.

Going back to Deacon's analysis of this game... Do we think that Agema is a front for some sort of social experiment, where Richard sets up different economic etc. conditions for each game and then sits back and watches what we lab-rats make of it? Looking for what kind of conditions produce collaboration, and what conflict?

revvaughan wrote: Got some weddings to attend before funerals though.  

Annie's not off on her travels yet again??!

(Anyone'd think I'd just discovered smileys....)

I like the lab rats idea... You should have seen the visual in my mind!

I think that he has certain formulas and the global economy in our little worlds is driven by how much is invested and where. I believe the model is likely static, but our individual choices in respective positions drives the flow if you will.

Interesting...so you think Game 8's booming economy is due (in part at least) to the particular combination of our various investments,rather than a tendency pre-set by Richard? (One of the "interesting" things about GoK is the opacity of the mechanisms. So Deacon's theories about the economy and the invention-regime seem just as plausible.) Who knows what we're doing!! (And do we let it stop us doing..? Non!)

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