A Languish to End All Languish EAW PBEM game?

[Drakken]

Anyone would be interested to a PBEM End All Wars game on Languish?

[Habbaku]

I assume it's actually worth getting, then?  What are the power distributions in a 3-player matchup (which seems to be the maximum)?

I have to admit, I am certainly interested in the idea of a 3-player WWI grand-strategic PBEM game, but...$40 on a prayer that it is worth the effort is a bit steep.

Would you care to expound on what's good/bad about it?

[Berkut]

Interested, of course...

[Drakken]

I assume it's actually worth getting, then?  What are the power distributions in a 3-player matchup (which seems to be the maximum)?

I have to admit, I am certainly interested in the idea of a 3-player WWI grand-strategic PBEM game, but...$40 on a prayer that it is worth the effort is a bit steep.

Would you care to expound on what's good/bad about it?

I haven't played a lot with it, I've just begun a first PBEM over the Paradox forum as Eastern Entente, with Von Murrin and Commander Cody. Both have gone historical (Schlieffen-Conrad, and Plan XVII) except me who went for the Czar's Plan : All-out attack on Austria.

Still learning the ropes, but if you've played a lot of AGEOD games (especially PON) you won't be disoriented. So far, I love it despite its huge scope. It really makes me feel like a nail-biting Chief of Staff, but that's me. It also uses WWIGold's Warplan design, which is great as it allows an element of mexican standoff uncertainty and game theory to the early game IMHO.

The good, I think, is that all three sides' gameplay is more or less balanced.

CP starts with the initiative and the early possibility of early victory, but it can find itself into attrition war very quick, is fettered with two lousy allies, and while its Navy is modern it can be destroyed if not played cautiously.

Western Entente has England and France (plus Italy and other allies), controls diplomacy for the whole Entente, superiority in the Navy, but is more or less caught into doing localized offensives to grind the Germans out. It's also more nightmarish to micromanage, and if France gives way it can sound the end for the Entente.

Eastern Entente is an early steamroller, lots of space to trade, but has no diplomacy, very poor resources and officer pool, and rightfully has feet of clay in morale. Suffering enough defeats will send Russia into a NM downward spiral that can spell disaster and revolution. Serbia... well, is Serbia.

Neither Western or Eastern Entente can see what the other is doing on the map, which is by design. We have to rely on player communication, which can be... manipulated to our own goals.

As for the bad, its UI feels a bit clunky. I've also seen early reports of March to the Sounds of Guns that lead to huge battles of stacks when it should be trench warfare, but so far I haven't seen it. Plus AGEOD has added a "Traffic Rules" option, that puts penalties for stacks moving over the same region. Also, from what I see there is no "Political Obligation" designed to force costly offensives after Trench Warfare, which was something I found great in WWIGold. Finally, some elements seem to be overpowered (like the Max Hoffman decision for CP) or don't make any sense (like the HSF being able to pass through Gilbraltar), so we use House Rules and basic common sense.

[Drakken]

Interested, of course...

Odd, I mainly thought that you might be in. 

[Syt]

I have it, but I haven't played it yet.

[Drakken]

I have it, but I haven't played it yet.

Don't worry, I'm playing it for the first time too.   

[Tamas]

The way marching to the sound of the guns is used in this game (it is a feature of the engine) is in fact to try and simulate trench warfare: the details are a bit hazy right now but the point is that if you are defending entrenched, you will be drawing in adjacent stacks, but they will not be physically moved from their region. This simulates the ability to funnel reserves into a trench battle making breakthrough harder, while also keeping the frontlines intact

[Drakken]

So, how do we set the PBEM game? Berkut, are you in? Syt? Habs?

[Berkut]

Yikes, $40 plus another $20 for the scenario pack! Is it ever on sale?

[Drakken]

Yikes, $40 plus another $20 for the scenario pack! Is it ever on sale?

No need for the scenario pack. There's no improvement to the core game that I know of beside more smaller scenarios. Everyone plays the main July scenario in PBEM.

[Tamas]

I can confirm the exp pack is about the scenarios, all gameplay changes are in the free patches.

[Habbaku]

Thank you for the information, Drakken, but I think I am going to pass at this time.  I can't rationalize spending $40 on something that doesn't appear to be a total slam-dunk.  I will probably pick it up on a sale, assuming they ever do such a thing.

[Berkut]

This is the kind of game that really desperately needs a demo/trial or something.

If it is as good as I would hope it to be, it is worth at leat $40. But the reality is that the odds of it being good at all, much less great, are statistically poor, so I am very reluctant to pull the trigger, since so many of these I buy and then never actually play...