Another new player

Hello all,

I just signed up for Scramble for Empire.  I've played/play PBEM games but never played Scramble (or the Glory of Kings) so there will be a learning curve for me with this game.  I'll likely be posting again once I get my first turn to get some background on my nation.  Thank you in advance for your patience with (and mercy   for) a new player.

Prunesquallor wrote:Hello all,

I just signed up for Scramble for Empire.  I've played/play PBEM games but never played Scramble (or the Glory of Kings) so there will be a learning curve for me with this game.  I'll likely be posting again once I get my first turn to get some background on my nation.  Thank you in advance for your patience with (and mercy   for) a new player.

Hi and welcome to Scramble,

The good news about Scramble compared to say Glory of Kings is that your home territory is safe from invasion and give or take the odd assassination, communist revolt, strike, blown up factory, hostile newspaper slagging you off and reputed multi fanged monster alarming the locals can not be touched.

You have also got 12 Characters so if something happens you still have another 11, 10, 9, 8 etc but generally the object is not to kill you rivals but humiliate them so badly that they will never get invited to tea with Queen Victoria.

For general info Scramble divides on the following lines:

- The British plus lovers of Good Queen Victoria & dodgy foreign types. Though it should be noted that even Lord Derby would agree that some foreigners are good chaps while some Brits (mostly involved in the Opium Trade) are a nasty bunch.

- Civilized chaps who play cricket or are willing to learn & godless pagans.

- Monarchy & Republicans........for reasons mostly to do with the French, Irish, American's and Bavarian Socialists, being a Republican tends to be looked on with a degree of hostility but probably has advantages in some circumstances.

Basically if looking for an easy ride I would suggest a royal god son of Queen Victoria who has a Oxford Blue in Cricket. But then Dr Fu-Manchu will probably bomb you. So you may wish to just follow others standard practice......Employ bodyguards & food tasters, avoid ice burghs and never, never get in an airship or a submarine.

Thank you for the useful and entertaining tips. As I posted on the scramble forum, of the available nations, I went with Italia. I guess I'm with the monarchists

Welcome on board   Hope you enjoy the madness that is Scramble!

Thank you. Look forward to getting into it even if I won't know what I'm doing

The good Lord Derby seconds the motion of Stuart for sure...

Best of luck! I tried Scramble and couldn't quite wrap my head around it. Probably because I wasn't drunk enough.

Glory makes more sense to me... and makes me want to drink!

Deacon wrote: Best of luck! I tried Scramble and couldn't quite wrap my head around it. Probably because I wasn't drunk enough.

Glory makes more sense to me... and makes me want to drink!

That is PERFECT! Just increases my coffee and tea intake.

Very important when doing scabble orders to set the mood by drinking the correct drink.

So Brits have to drink tea, Russians Vodka, Italians a fine Chanti etc.

Think a lot can be explained by the use of Absenthe by the players of Franconia & Germania

Stuart Bailey wrote:Very important when doing scabble orders to set the mood by drinking the correct drink.

So Brits have to drink tea, Russians Vodka, Italians a fine Chanti etc.

Think a lot can be explained by the use of Absenthe by the players of Franconia & Germania

What?  The Brits don't drink whisky...explains a lot about Scramble

Jason2 wrote:

Stuart Bailey wrote:Very important when doing scabble orders to set the mood by drinking the correct drink.

So Brits have to drink tea, Russians Vodka, Italians a fine Chanti etc.

Think a lot can be explained by the use of Absenthe by the players of Franconia & Germania

What?  The Brits don't drink whisky...explains a lot about Scramble

We leave the drinking of Whisky to American types like General Grant.

The drinking of Moonshine Whisky may explain a lot about why people keep seeing strange things in the America's.

One possible cause of concern in scabble is that Mr Glover San would seem to have left the Rice Wine behind him and is heading towards the backwoods stills of Texas and Louisiana.

The good news is that some nasty American types tried to break the power of the Mohox Confederation by getting them hooked on the Moonshine Whisky sometimes called fire water. Fortunately the Mohox have been saved by the power of the Bible, Black Tea and the Indea Pattern Lee Enfield............its surely only a matter of time before they discover Cricket as well and obtain true enlightenment.

There could be a small amount of Irish cream in coffee here at #10. I must admit!

welcome to the forum................

Thanks you, Kingmaker!

Welcome and good luck Prunesquallor. Could not get into Scramble myself, not my game.

Thank you, Ardagor. I take it you play Glory of Kings? That sounded interesting as well but between the number of books and the fact that I don't hold a history degree, I was a little intimidated

You do not need a history degree for GoK, I certainly do not have one. It has caused me too buy a considerable amount of books about the countries I have played and the period in general so it can certainly be a expensive game.

Ardagor wrote:You do not need a history degree for GoK, I certainly do not have one. It has caused me too buy a considerable amount of books about the countries I have played and the period in general so it can certainly be a expensive game.

I have a history degree and can confirm it has not been of any use in TGOK (might be of use in Rome is Burning but we'll see). I tend to go the route Ardagor says in buying books, or borrowing from the library, about my played country or a topic I am interested in - can usually find bargains on bookseller sites - I think there's already a thread that covered that somewhere, will find and link to it if you have not found it.

Ardagor wrote:You do not need a history degree for GoK, I certainly do not have one. It has caused me too buy a considerable amount of books about the countries I have played and the period in general so it can certainly be a expensive game.

Gets even more expensive if you start picking holiday destination so you can visit "your" Palace etc.

Even more expensive if you get busted by your wife or girlfriend.

Wonder if Mrs K has selected the best Hotels in Rome, Naples, Sicily, Sardinia Genoa and Sardinia or the Doge so visit the home land?

Taught history for years before taking a billet at the Fire College and I can tell you that I make plenty of uhohs and boo boos... If anything I get out in the weeds too much with names and such because of those degrees.

It's becoming more tempting, I have to say

With that in mind, what would be good positions for someone new to the game. I am partial to piracy. Would that be a terrible idea?

Pirates can certainly be fun, but the problem is that you usually start with a few ships. When you start capturing merchants you will get some attention. If you have a war to cover your operation and distracting your victim(s) you should be ok. If not a naval squadron may start looking for you at some time or the nations you are targeting will arm their merchants or both.

You could also focus on more covert operations such as smuggling, brothels, slaves etc. Much less action and excitement of course but probably safer unless you annoy some powerful.

Always remember that as a pirate you are the scum of the earth so anyone can attack you without warning and will get honour for doing so in the process.

Prunesquallor wrote:With that in mind, what would be good positions for someone new to the game.  I am partial to piracy.  Would that be a terrible idea?

Since you have joined scabble as Italia - rather than as a trade company or say Siam or Burma then taking up Piracy generally counts as a really bad idea.  1860's European Powers really did not go in for Piracy and this is a game about grabbing colonies not ships.

If you have never played Glori du Roi before my feeling is that starting out with a out and out pirate position like Blackbeard or Kidd is a bit limited and you are very much painting a target on yourself and asking for all and sundry to try and hunt you down.  

Privateering positions like the French Corsairs or the North African corsairs offer a bit more in the way of options but mean that you are very, very junior to a player running a major power and its probably better to check with them first.  Same applies to trade companies like  which would also go in for privateering in war time.

If the English or Dutch Governments are friendly then I think the Hon East India Company or the VOIC are really interesting organizations and good positions to play but probably not idea starting positions unless you are basically a trader and diplomatic type.  The various America's companies are closer to Privateers and if you want to look at a Trade Company with a really complex in game history of privateering/piracy, smuggling, high treason, political double dealing and god knows what ask ask Richard about the Hon West Indies Company in G7.  For a new player this is probably on a par with picking up Savoy in G10 one for the player who believes in learning to swim by jumping in the deep end.

Probably the best positions for a new player who wants to have a look at the game and talk to other players in game but leave himself option to "go on account" or raid other peoples ports would in my opinion be:

- Malta (Knights of St John) - As a Noble Catholic Order with branches in most Catholic States most Catholic States will be friendly and you have a traditional right to wage Holy War on Islamic Ports and shipping without anyone calling you a pirate.  Except for the Ottomans and they do not count.  People may even give you money and recruits to show the world what good and holy Catholics they are.

- Mahartta Confederation - Out of the way of European Wars and important traders so lots of people will talk to you.  You also have a tradition of raiding the Moghuls by land and sea.  Disadvantage is the Moghuls may try and crush you and unlike Malta you will probably be on your own.

- Wako - probably best played in a NPC Japan were the Shogan is not going to try and improve trade relations with the Manchu by nailing up a lot of Japanese Pirates.  I would try and run pro Ming Triads and other secret socities and avoid actively run parts of the Manchu Empire  

Thank you both. I figured a pirate position would be a challenge as a first position. The knights of Malta sound like it could be good option and seems to be available in Game 10. Would the knights of Malta be limited in terms of game possibilities relative to a "normal" position? The other possibility I'd consider, realizing this would preclude piracy, would be Portugal in Game 9, which happens to be my country origin so that has its appeal as well