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Topic: Tips and Strategies |
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Velusion
Adjutant
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 Fri Nov 07, 2003 2:23 pm     |
If you have tips that might help people in the game post them here!
I'll be updating the main post as time goes on.
Voting/Nomination Tips:
Providing Nominations:
When you are the HRAO people enjoy quickness and transparency. If you want to include any sort of public statement to go along with your nomination please feel free to insert it when you send the GM your nominations (make sure and specify that the statement should be public). If people have reasons WHY they should vote for your proposals they might be more inclined to.
Also, senators enjoy it when things are resolved quickly (they don’t like deadlock). The more you research what other factions will vote for and against the more likely your proposals will pass quickly. When you have a swift and clear reign as HRAO people tend to notice it, and though it doesn’t directly influence the game they do appricate it and might feel more inclined to have you be the HRAO again (especially if you remind them how smoothly the last time went!).
Voting:
When voting against a nomination it is always helpful to let the other players know why you are voting against it. This allows the HRAO to determine for future nominations what has a chance of successfully passing and will speed up the confirmation process. Otherwise we run the risk of the HRAO continuously nominating people who have no chance of being elected simply because he doesn’t know what the other factions are looking for.
The best way to do this is the either
A) Publicly announce on the forums why are voting against it
Or
B) When sending me your voting instructions, let me know that you want to include a statement with your vote … something like “I will never support a Censor from the despicable faction X!” Make sure and specify that you want it included with the results or I will just consider it a private order condition.
Remember: You can always spend money to get votes. This money disappears no matter the result however. Only talents on Personal Treasuries may be spent this way.
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posts: 249 | location: Dallas, Texas | joined: 14 Oct 2003 |
Velusion
Adjutant
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Wed Dec 10, 2003 10:58 pm |
What Cards are Worth What?
When trading cards people often ask me how much things are worth. Well it is subjective. If you already have three concessions another one will probably be worth less to you than a single tribune if you don't have any of those. It's market driven.
However there are (usually) things that are worth more inherently. Keep in mind that the list I provide below is only MY PERSONAL OPINION; I’m sure others might disagree with me. Keep in mind that Concessions are generally worth more in the Early Republic than the Late, and vice versa with Intrigue cards.
Red Cards in value order (YMMV)
A Statesman you can use is usually the most sought after card
A Shipbuilding or Armaments Concession (worth much less in Late)
Bodyguard Cards
Grain Concessions
Mining and Harbor Fees
Seduction & Blackmail type cards
Tax Farmers
Tribune Cards (simply because there are a lot of them – if they get used up early in the game they will be worth much more later)
Assassination, Influence Peddling, Murder of Tribune Cards
Various other cards totally depend on your position. They could be worth everything to you or nothing.
Now how much money are they all worth? I really couldn’t tell you… the amount of Talents (money) in the game will vary dramatically so I could see Julius Caesar being sold for 30-40T in the Late Republic but Scipio (one of the best in the Early Republic) going for 12T. Concessions are easier to figure out because you can gauge how much money you will make with them over time (usually).
Remember: There is a card (Influence Peddling) in every deck that lets you steal another’s random card… so beware just blabbing out to everyone what you have unless the cards have been played or you hold them.
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posts: 249 | location: Dallas, Texas | joined: 14 Oct 2003 |
Velusion
Adjutant
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Wed Dec 10, 2003 11:00 pm |
Velusion’s Tips for First Time Players
The “This ain’t Dip!” List
1st Don’t be vicious unless you see the light at the end of the tunnel. A ROR game usually lasts quite a bit longer than a Diplomacy game. If you get a bad rep early you might have it longer than you thought. Playing friendly, especially in the Early Republic is advisable unless you see an awesome opening to take the win or vault yourself to extremely high influences.
2nd At times this is a COOPERATIVE game. This means that yes, at some point, you will have to suck it up to help everyone else. Oftentimes those that refuse to make sacrifices (contribute money to the state, host games and fight wars) are blackballed by the others. If enough people don’t cooperate Rome will burn and everyone will lose. Heck everyone can be best pals and Rome can still burn…
3rd When I say everyone loses… everyone loses. I will use a rank based scorecard to rate all ROR games played: 3 points for a win, 1 point for being in a game that ended without Rome burning, and –1 points for being in a game where Rome did burn. So remember, if you help bring Rome down in frustration you are also helping to bring down your own score.
4th Don’t give up hope. As mentioned this is a long game and you WILL probably get into spots where you think your game is ruined. Usually you will be mistaken. Never underestimate the pity vote. Never underestimate the power of wild assassination threats. Never bring down the game in despair unless you just can’t afford the current winner to get 2 more points that you (which would be extremely rare). Worm your way back to being a contender. It ain’t easy but it is more than possible!
5th The game will end on 35 Influence ONLY if people screw up. Someone wasn’t paying attention if a senator gets 35 Influence. Consul-for-life is easier to get while the Rebellion win is the hardest (but coolest). It’s not that uncommon to the game ending due to cards either (in which case you add all of your factions influence together). Of course if this is your first couple times playing… someone might very well win with 35 lol. Don’t feel too bad.
6th Don’t be too greedy. So you have three awesome Senators, your plans are moving according to plan, you don’t really need much help to push issues through the Senate, you hold all the high posts. Who needs to talk to others? Well you will probably. Be advised if you make yourself so bad-assed and dare flaunt it when you do fall (and you probably will) the others will be much less likely to give you a hand up. Rule with class until you see a good opening. Then do what has to be done.
7th To win ROR you need a combination of patience, shrewdness and guts. Never underestimate guts. When people see you close to a win the knives WILL come out. None of these proud Senators wants to be ruled by a neighbor. Odds are that you will be faced with a choice with scary odds (50% chance of being assassinated?!) but if you want to be the top dog you have to take those hard odds on sometimes. Rarely will you ever be faced with better than 60-75% odds of surviving to the top, so if you see a reasonable shot, and taking it won’t cripple you if you fail… go for it! What did Caesar say when he crossed the Rubicon? “The Die is Cast!” (Of course… he was viciously murdered outside of the forum a few years later but hey!)
8th Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. If you have one awesome senator and his time is up from a random mortality chit draw you will find yourself in a bad spot. Better to have 2 or 3 mediocre possible future Consul-for-life candidates then just one awesome one.
9th Each Era is different. The Early Republic is scripted and cooperative. You need to work together to survive. Winning outright in the Early is usually very hard (at least amongst experienced players). In the Middle things get mean. Contenders rise and fall. Alliances shift. It’s an exciting time and yet external wars are still a very big threat. The Late is a madhouse. Here you actually have a chance for a successful general to march back on Rome and win, the game is drawing nearer to an end so people are scrambling for every shred of influence. There are numerous laws that can dramatically shift the strategies in the game. Assassinations are more common.
10th Be careful of the little man. There might be times where the same faction beats you down. Don’t let them take your eye off what’s important (winning). Getting into a blood-feud with another faction makes for an amusing game for the other players, but does nothing to get you closer to winning. At the same time its always better to try and be as fair as possible unless you stand to directly benefit from doing otherwise (and even then it still can best to play fair). If ANY faction gets put into a position early or midway through a game in which they feel very frustrated and desperate they CAN try to do very bad things such as assassinations and colluding with the enemy (sabotaging the effort to fight wars). If you currently control a powerful faction it is in your best interest to make sure that no one gets beaten down enough to become hostile to the entire game. Playing this as a take all or nothing game early on is dangerous.[/b]
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posts: 249 | location: Dallas, Texas | joined: 14 Oct 2003 |
Velusion
Adjutant
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Thu Dec 11, 2003 4:07 pm |
How to Play Statesmen
People often wonder how they can play thier Statemen
You can play your Statemen if:
a) No opponent controls the related Family card. If the player already controls the related Family card, the Statesman is placed on top of it and takes over any current possessions, prior consul markers and Influence/Popularity ratings greater than his own. Any other printed ratings of the Statesman which are less than that of the Family card remain equal to the Statesman's printed rating. If the related Family card is currently unaligned in the Forum, the Statesman is placed over it and both cards are moved to that player's Faction. When the Statesman dies, the Family card is returned to the Curia (or remains in its Faction if the deceased had been a Faction leader) minus its possessions and temporary ratings.
or
b)The Family card with the same ID# is not currently in play. If the matching Family card subsequently appears, it is placed beneath the Statesman until his death. It will then be returned to play as per A above.
So if you have a statesmen in your hand and the family card is already in play your best be it to either find away to get control of the family or trade it away.
You cannot play your card if there is another Statemen already in play with a matching #. The two exceptions to this rule are the Gracchi brothers (Statesmen 25A and 25B) and the Licinii (Statesmen 29A and 29B).
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posts: 249 | location: Dallas, Texas | joined: 14 Oct 2003 |
Velusion
Adjutant
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Wed Dec 17, 2003 2:09 am |
Turn Order, Assassinations & Card Play
(aka the confusing stuff)
TURN ORDER / VOTING ORDER
Unlike FtF where players may interrupt the Senate Phase at any moment to play a Card or attempt an Assassination, in PBEM players are not penalized for not being “quicker” than others, rather the Turn or Voting order designs whose card/assassination take precedence. Turn Order is always defined as player order starting with the HRAO and traveling clockwise around the board. Voting order, however, can be specified by the HRAO during the senate phase . The Default voting order begins with the player to the right (or below) the HRAO and proceeds clockwise ending with the HRAO
CARD PLAY
All card play, with the excption of Tribunes, will resolve in turn order. In this manor there will not be extraneous emails for every single card played, but rather those who play cards will have them resolved turn order with the results listed before the votes are announced (with the exception of tribunes which are revealed before the actual player’s vote, see Tribunes below).
TRIBUNES
Unlike other intrigue cards that are resolved in turn order before votes are called (if in the senate phase), Tribunes are instead resolved in voting order before the players vote. Thus If two players play a Tribune in the same phase to initiate a proposal, the GM will reveal the votes one by one until he comes to the first player in voting order playing a Tribune. This GM then interrupts the vote and initiates the Tribune. Votes and Tribunes further along the voting order are discarded and not revealed. Vetoes work the same way.
Intrigue Cards Facts:
1) Intrigue cards are NEVER executed right away. Trinbune cards are executed in voting order while all other cards are executed at the beginning of the phase. This levels the playing field for players who cannot respond as quickly as others and cuts down on the amount of email the GM has to send out.
2) Remember Voting order is important for playing Tribunes while Turn order can be important when you play other cards.
3) If someone before you in the voting order vetoes a proposal you were going to veto, you don't spend yours.
4) You CANNOT introduce a proposal when there is already one on the table. You need to send the GM your intention to make a proposal the Phase BEFORE. Sending the GM your proposal for Censor won't help if there is already a Censor up for election and he wins... (unless you know he won't win). Now you could use one Tribune card to Veto and another to Propose....
ASSASSINATIONS
The same is also true for assassination attempts. They will be resolved with cards during a normal phase in Turn Order. If two players try to assassinate the same Senator the GM will use the one closest to the HRAO in clockwise order. The source faction for successful and no effect Assassination Attempts will not be disclosed.
Assassinations Facts:
1) Assassinations are NEVER resolved right away. They are resolved at the beginning of the phase. This levels the playing field for players who cannot respond as quickly as others and cuts down on the amount of email the GM has to send out.
2) Assassinations can be made with or without an assassination card.
3) A faction may only be the target of an assassination once a turn.
4) You may never try an assassination more than once per turn.
5) You may only assassinate during the Senate Phase.
6) You must specify a particular Senator to make the assassination
7) If you get caught the assassin (Senator) will be executed with no trial
8) If you get caught your FL will immediately undergo a Major Prosecution.
9) If you faction leader dies as a result of the Major Prosecution you do NOT get to keep the family card.
10) Once attempted the target will get a chance to play any Bodyguard cards.
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posts: 249 | location: Dallas, Texas | joined: 14 Oct 2003 |
Velusion
Adjutant
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Wed Jan 07, 2004 12:41 pm |
Persuasion Attempts Explained
If the player wishes to make a Persuasion Attempt he announces it to the GM, during the forum phase, which of his senators is attempting to persuade which other senator (aligned or unaligned) and how many talents he is initially spending.
If the Senator is UNALIGNED the attempt will be resolved immeadiatly (in turn order). No talents can be spent to "defend" and no interferece is allowed. This makes turn order important. Use the universal persuation formula (see the end).
If the target is ALIGNED (aka belongs to another faction), the following happens:
The Attacker secretly sends the GM the following information:
1. the maximum talents he is willing to spend
2. the minimum Base number he will spend extra talents for
Every other player secretly sends the GM the following information:
1. the maximum talents he is willing to spend
2. the senator he is supporting (if he is not directly involved)
3. the minimum (or maximum) Base number he will spend extra talents for.
This should be enough information for the GM to go on and make a
persuasion roll. If the persuader wishes to use a Blackmail or Seduction
card everything is MUCH simpler and this procedure is not necessary.
EXAMPLE: Player A tells the GM that during the forum phase his Cornelius will attempt to persuade Player C’s Fabius with an initial bribe of 3 Talents. Cornelius has 3 Oratory/20 Influence/10 Talents and Fabius has 9 Loyalty/1 Talent. Fabius’ value is 17 (9 Loy + 7 Align + 1T); Cornelius’ value is 26 (20 Inf + 3 Ora + 3T). At this point the base needed to persuade is 9 (the best he can do). At the same time that Player A also states to the GM that he will spend at most another 6 Talents if he can get the base to at least 8.
The GM then announces the attempt.
Player B privately tells the GM he is not getting invloved. Player C privately tells the GM that he will be adding at most 5T from his faction treasury if he can get the base below 7. Player D tells the GM the he will help Player C and add at most 5T if he can get the base below 6. Player E tells the GM he will help Player A and add at most 5T if he can get the base to at least 7. The GM now figures it all out (extreme example):
1. Base starts out at 9
2. player B is not involved
3. player C adds 3T against to make the Base 6
4. player D adds 1T against to make the Base 5
5. player E adds 2T for to make the Base 7
6. player A adds 1T for to make the Base 8
7. player B is not involved
8. player C adds 2T against to make the Base 6
9. player D adds 1T against to make the Base 5
10. player E adds 2T for to make the Base 7
11. player A adds 1T for to make the Base 8
12. player B is not involved
13. player C does not add because he has spent all he was willing to spend
14. player D adds 3T against to make the Base 5
15. player E does not add because he must spend more than he was willing to spend to get to his 7
16. player A adds 3T to make the Base 8
17. player B is not involved
18. player C has spent all he was willing to
19. player D has spent all he was willing to
20. player E is happy with the base where it is
21. GM makes a persuasion roll of 9 so Fabius stays with Player C and is 22 talents richer! Player A probably should have stated that he would add talents to get at least a 9. Remember other than seeing the roll the amount of talents spent by everyone is not public.
Remember this process is only used for ALIGNED senators.
The universal formula used to find the base number the attacker needs to roll lower than is as follows:
Attackers (Ora + Inf + Money from a single personal treasury) - Defenders (Loyalty + Existing Money + Added Money from other's faction treasuries) = Base to hit. You always roll DR (2d6).
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