Join In On The Action "Register Here" To View The Forums

Already a Member Login Here

Board index Forum Index
User avatar
Administrator
 
Posts: 11284
Joined: 14 Feb 2000, 8:40 am

Post 28 Mar 2014, 8:27 am

aw shucks,

I don't recall if I mentioned this games "history", it's kind of fun...

I did my WW4 game and it was a big success on Redscape, and now is played on several other sites, vdip runs it a LOT! Anyways, one of the early WW4 games was embraced by someone here that went by the name PMTed. I used to remember Ted's full name but he was originally from Buffalo (only an hour from me) but he lived at that time in south Florida. Ted was the one who came up with the game name and basic concept. He took my WW4 game map, made some very slight map modifications and added the whole unbalanced concept and added wings and nukes. The first run (I was won as Pakistan with India and the USA by the way) was fun but we had a billion problems (as the first run of most games does).

Ted and I worked very closely making a lot of modifications. Most if not all the new ideas were mine but it was under his guidance of course. Then suddenly Ted disappeared! But the game was growing a real fan base, the base was really rabid at that! I continued making changes, I altered the map A LOT, I added twice as many powers (maybe more than twice the original?) I tinkered with rules and most importantly added the A,B,C... power chart. Previous games were almost stupid, the small guys are in a world of hurt to start with but NOTHING balanced them out, they never had even a glimmer of hope. Suddenly the small powers had a real chance (if they could survive the big boys onslaught that is). And the game continued to grow in popularity.

I ran it many times as well as an occasional other GM but it was a bear to handle and honestly we had too many young kids who all wanted to play but who dropped out real quick. I stopped hosting it for several years!

So while I take credit for the game, I NEVER fail to mention I simply took it and ran with it, it was based on the ideas of someone other than myself!
But the base was my WW4, the massive changes were mine, it has since evolved into something VERY different from Ted's original but I thank him for that impetus!

Edit, I remembered his name, I'm pretty sure it was Ted Cohen
Last edited by GMTom on 28 Mar 2014, 6:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Administrator
 
Posts: 11284
Joined: 14 Feb 2000, 8:40 am

Post 28 Mar 2014, 8:47 am

MYSELF, I don't much care for the game!
While it does balance out in the end, it's just too imbalanced to start for my tastes.
And those who like it now have not experienced how STUPID it gets when nukes start to fly. It can be fun and funny to watch but things really deteriorate badly. If you understand what will happen, that makes it easier but no doubt some will find it distasteful and/or dumb. Also not fully understood by all just yet is the way we end the game by coalition vote. The vote (similar to the original WW4 rules by the way) is what makes the game balanced and adds a really different political aspect to the game and again, if you go into this understanding what's going to happen, it can be very cool. No doubt some will not like such a vote!

You will find the game suddenly end by vote (quite often in the first years vote, it seldom lasts as long as the newbies to it might assume) and it often is won by those you think are not deserving. We have had one game that included a ONE CENTER power as part of the win! Some find that horrible, myself, I think it's awesome that a player can show himself to be a loyal ally and take it on the chin for the team and actually be rewarded with a real win, not just a "moral victory" in his mind.

Right now the game is fairly "normal", it WILL change!
Some (I hope most!) will find it change for the better, but some will suddenly find themselves in a silly game they did not see coming. Let me warn you, IT'S COMING!
Nuclear mayhem, wild voting systems, powers getting annihilated by the bunches, it's coming guys, get ready!
User avatar
Ambassador
 
Posts: 885
Joined: 24 Apr 2003, 6:31 am

Post 28 Mar 2014, 9:39 am

Duck and cover, everybody!
User avatar
NASCAR Driver (Pro V)
 
Posts: 7810
Joined: 08 Apr 2002, 9:45 am

Post 28 Mar 2014, 9:57 am

Or...

Just smile and wave, boys. Smile and wave.
User avatar
Dignitary
 
Posts: 3486
Joined: 02 Oct 2000, 9:01 am

Post 04 Apr 2014, 8:59 pm

GMTom wrote:Let me warn you, IT'S COMING!
Nuclear mayhem, wild voting systems, powers getting annihilated by the bunches, it's coming guys, get ready!


What happened to Canada was epic: Six nukes that turn and three dumped on Canada in a surprise attack. One of my complaints about regular Dip is that the game can get so unbalanced, but here, with nukes, they are an (expensive) great equalizer. Thus far, no complaints about nukes, but then again, I note that none of them fell on Sweden.
User avatar
Dignitary
 
Posts: 1572
Joined: 15 Sep 2001, 10:27 am

Post 09 Apr 2014, 11:17 am

geojanes wrote:What happened to Canada was epic


hmmmm....that's not what you told me via email George :eek:
User avatar
Dignitary
 
Posts: 3486
Joined: 02 Oct 2000, 9:01 am

Post 09 Apr 2014, 7:00 pm

Lingfish wrote:
geojanes wrote:What happened to Canada was epic


hmmmm....that's not what you told me via email George :eek:


Shhhh. Emails are secret. Didn't you know?
User avatar
Dignitary
 
Posts: 3486
Joined: 02 Oct 2000, 9:01 am

Post 26 Jun 2014, 11:27 am

And the hits just keep coming! I thought the game was over last year, but no, we play on, and the powers still have the energy (and supply centers) to nuke Mexico back into the stone age, or nearly so: both an epic and shocking move. This has been a truly amazing game, but exhausting.

As someone who plays a lot of games, this has been a truly new gaming experience. In PBEM, there's really no reason not to have games where you have 50 or 60 players if it makes sense in the theme of the game, but this format just so out of the box from standard gaming conventions, that New World Order remains unique, or nearly so.

But I can't imagine what it would be like to GM. An automated system, or at least an automated helper would be critical for long-term adoption.