Hello, and some questions...

Hi everyone,

My name is Amir, and I'm considering joining a game of The Glory of Kings.
My PBEM experience consists of about 4 years playing in a Lords of the Earth game (L54) - that's only 15 turns of gaming...

I was trying to get a feel for this game, but it seems that any and all content for the game costs money, including archived newsfaxes, and the blurb on the agema site is not very informative.
I would really like to get a better feel of the game before I jump in, and that's where you can help.
I'm looking for more info on the game, including:
- what is the tone of the newsfaxes? are they elaborate or are they dry?
- how detailed are the rules?
- what does it mean that diplomacy can be done only in game? does it mean that secret diplomacy is possible or not?
- can anyone give an example of gameplay that was particularly thrilling - in LOTE54, there were incidents when I waited for the new turn (for a couple of months...) very anxiously to see if my desperate and devious plan had worked (it did. bye-bye evil neighbor )
- in case you have played LOTE, what are some of the differences between the games?

Thanks,
Amir

Hi and welcome I will try and assist you here:

- what is the tone of the newsfaxes? are they elaborate or are they dry?
The news fax or newspapers are just that, there are some examples on the Agema site to look at (pay for of course) or you could ask some of the players here to send you some. They cover all areas of the globe and like newspapers the stories may be true, half true or purely speculation. That's where you have to try and decide what is what.

- how detailed are the rules?
Some people are put off by the rules, so I would say they are not so much rules as guidelines, the rules bit are mainly concerned with the raising and buying of things. Any and all actions are permitted, but you need to remember this is the 1700's and actions that seem normal now (2000) may start a war then or even cause offense to another player/nation.

- what does it mean that diplomacy can be done only in game? does it mean that secret diplomacy is possible or not?
All diplomacy must go through the game, you may discuss it here in private or in emails, BUT unless the GM sees it IN GAME he will stop or refuse the action. Example say some one asked another player to declare war on his neighbor so they could take over his country, unless the GM sees IN GAME correspondence between the 2 players arranging this , he will block it or make it so hard to achieve that it will fail.

- can anyone give an example of game play that was particularly thrilling
You just have to read some of the threads in the forum to see some of them. Anything from Blackbeard sacking Havana and carrying off the Governors daughter to having an a spy as an enemy general who refuses to charge at a critical moment and thus lose the battle and possible war. I remember the King of France sending a woman to Morocco as his ambassador (she was his mistress)and the Moroccan player thanked for giving him a concubine and promptly had her added to his harem! That nearly caused a war! I am sure others will chip in and tell you more from there viewpoint shortly.

Never played the LOTE my self so I cannot comment on that.....

Welcome onboard Amir

I hope you find the games fun and enjoyable.

There is the Glory Wiki that has old newspapers for all the active games on it http://lgdr.wikia.com/wiki/The_Glory_of_Kings_Wiki You will also find all the players here friendly and helpful. If you look here you'll find a thread in the Discussions on each of the active games that will help give you some idea of background and what people are up to.

All players here are friendly and helpful so do ask questions and do feel free to say which game you are in (though perhaps not the position) as you'll find we'll happily give you some background on that game (with some bias...as I'm sure you'll understand )...we also do try to go easy on new players too, to help them settle in...

The game is a semi-realistic model of the early 1700s. I say semi-realistic because it is a game, and as a consequence some things are done to make more enjoyable as a game.

So the reason why all diplomacy must go through the game is because letters and diplomats were the only way to talk. Slow, and with the possibility of getting delayed or even intercepted. Embrace that limitation, and embrace the slower pace of the game. Not much happened quickly in the early 1700s!

The rules are, as others have said, more guidelines. There are some hard and fast, but mostly they tell you what you can normally do and not. Don't think, however, that your great cleverness will let you do something far beyond the rules. With cleverness you can push the limits, but rarely will you be able to do something much outside the limits of the period. You'll do best when you try to be clever in context of the period, if that makes sense?

You can play the game as a builder game, a roleplaying game, or a war game, or any combination that suits you.