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[EuchreJack]

So, I was surfing the web, and came across what I consider to be an undiscovered gem from 90s: Birthright: The Gorgon's Alliance.  Anyone else play this game?

[Aptus]

I have only played it a bit myself but I remember watching a Kikoskia let's play of it. I quite enjoyed the little I've played of it but it is very buggy and sadly the adventure mode is severely lackluster.

EDIT: Still, if it popped up on GOG I'd be more than willing to give it a couple more gos.

[Baijiu]

I loved the PC game. I've always wanted to play the table-top version.

[Aptus]

Shit I didn't even know there was a tabletop version, now my interest is really piqued.

[gimlet]

Yea I remember the PC game, the strategic system was interesting, istr the realm management system was really similar to some old Simulations Publications game - Empires of the Middle Ages?   Alas the adventure system was ASS, but if you want to really abuse the game you want the really cool artifacts you can only get from the awful adventures

It had some decent chrome, the blood stuff was pretty cool, the first half of the strategic game was reasonably tense and only fell down a bit with the draggy mopping-up tedium to finish the win.

[EuchreJack]

only fell down a bit with the draggy mopping-up tedium to finish the win.

Not the way I play.  I totally game alliances, so my victory is more due to virtually all the non-Gorgonites being my allies rather than any sort of military conquests.  Alliance offers are so much quicker to send out than pesky wars.  Although, I'll admit that any sort of war in this game seems to be a bit of a grind, early or late.

Plus, if you don't at least form passive alliances with all the neighbors you don't want to go to war with, expect the unallied neighbors to gangbang you once you declare war.  The AI at least knows how to do that quite well.

Thanks for the suggestion gimlet!  I'll check out that similar game you mentioned, as the realm system is undeniably the best part (although I'm sort of partial to fiddling with wizards in field battles  )

EDIT: Best as I can tell, the PC game version of Empires of the Middle Ages was called Rise of the West.  Found it, along with manual.  Trying it out now, looks interesting.

[EuchreJack]

Would anyone be interested if I did a Let's Play of Birthright: The Gorgon's Alliance?  Although, with a name like that, I should draw at least a couple viewers.   

Since I know that I can complete the game in a couple of days, it might be my first finished LP!

[thegoatgod_pan]

I loved birthright, the interface was a little insane, but the game was fun. Also amusingly broken, since if you simply started recruiting the best mages in the kingdom you would end up an unstoppable monster and get their holdings in the process of vassalizing them. Also the dungeons were hit or miss, but damn the combat was fun. Interesting villains in the setting too. If you LP, be the elves or dwarves!  Elves are harder there, as dwarves are slightly op. Not as op as summoned skeletons though.

[EuchreJack]

It certainly doesn't help that the vanilla playable elves all start out bordering the Gorgon's Alliance, whereas the dwarves border the relatively weak Chimera.  And the Chimera is the only Monster that can be diplomatically dealt with, so the dwarves have the option of just buying her off (bump up the court to extravagance, hire a lieutenant with alignment similar to her own, have the lieutenant go to her with a boatload of gold, and BOOM-safe!)

I used to think that buying up the holding powers was incredibly cheesy (and still sort of do, although I still always do it), until I noticed some were no longer available.  It appears that the AI regents can also buy up the holding vassals.  I should create a scenario where each regent has a full alliance with one of the holding vassals, so they get bought up quicker.

For anyone fiddling with the game, the scenario editor is quite fun.  Some examples: A scenario where Carele is actually strong, a scenario where Ghore has absorbed most of Oseire (allowing Raynor to be playable as a penniless bandit hiding in the swamps), and a scenario with mixed alliances that should cause the entire east of Anuire to break out into a war between two factions( based on the history that led to the real-life World War One).

EDIT: Oh, and of course, the scenario editor allows one to make the obligatory, "Everybody playable" scenario.