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[a1s]

EFS (you're going to have to find a copy yourself) is seeing a resurgence of popularity on the board recently, but some players take absolutely forever to make their turns. This isn't a problem in itself, since the game isn't meant to be played in 1 evening. However I think there are a number of players who would like the game to move much faster, so here's the idea:

• One (ideally more than one- from different time zones) participant is a GM. They don't play in the game but instead perform administrative functions.
  
  • They hold all the passwords and copies of turns.
  • They can edit the staring map (so we don't have to use historical)
  • They make unbiased judgement calls about the rules of the game
  • As well as having an easier time actually enforcing them, if that becomes a necessity
  • They make "blank" turns
• The other players must send their turn to both the next player and the GM
• More importantly they must do it within 24 (possibly 48, if we decide 24 is too fast) hours of the previous player.
• If they don't, a GM will (or will try to- if the player submits his turn before the GM does, it will be used instead) make a "blank" turn for them

Spoiler: what are blank turns (click to show/hide)

Blank are turns taken by the GM, where no decisions are made. Blank turns are performed in the following fashion:

• If a unit had a path set out- it will move along it. Units along the way are either attacked (if hostile) or walked around (if neutral).
• If research is finished and there are other topics being researched- empty labs are set to assist them. If not, the least expensive, non-perscrbed tech is chosen (at random if there are several)
• All diplomatic offers are declined.
• voting is abstained from
• finished production is set to empty
• if the house doesn't have the money to finish the turn- the resource stash closest to the Agora is sold. If no resource are close enough a loan is secured.
• if the house does have money, but doesn't have enough resources for production- they are bought. If there isn't enough money to buy all resources and finish the turn, food is bought first.

Did I forget something? Please tell me.

We will be using the Nova Mod (unless people want to try a different mod, there's apparently many).
Probably with an random edited map (pure random can really screw some players over)
Universal Warehouses will be turned off of course.
Plague and Rebellion stays on.

We are likely to use these House Rules: House Rules (from the Nova website)
Probably not 1,14 and 29 though
When choosing Traits please use this (You start with +4 Trait Points.)

Comments are welcome.

List of Players (3/5):
Kebooo
Pwnzerfaust
a1s*

*I will give my spot to someone else if they really want in.

[Karlito]

Interesting idea, it's a shame I'm pretty much at my maximum number of commitments at the moment.

[mainiac]

It just so happens that I was working on a map for EOFS for me to GM.  Here's the skeletal version of what it looks like:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The concept behind this map is that it's structured around a trade spine running from Byzantium to Leagueheim.  The jump routes along this route are long, letting you quickly traverse the galaxy while other jump routes are shorter.  The five homeworld locations are indicated, which homeworld starts in which location is something I figure the players would select.  The Symbiots are in the upper left corner, blocked off by Stigmatia.

My intention with the blank worlds on this map was to first randomize them but then dabble with the settlements so that worlds near the spine would be richer then worlds near the periphery.  The flip side of this would be that the rebel units on the worlds close to the spine would be strong while the outer worlds would have fewer rebels.  On the other hand there would be the worlds near the symbiots, which wouldn't have any industry but would have symbiots on them (apparently the last garrison commander was incompetent.)  There would be more bonus resources on these worlds to compensate for the lack of settlements and enemies.  The richest worlds would be the trade spine worlds themselves.  These would have industrial chains already set up but would be heavily guarded by rebels.  These worlds are supposed to be a valuable prize due to their wealth and location so that seizing them is just asking for conflict with your fellow players.  So the different parts of the galaxies all have different advantages and players should chose their starting positions based on the strategy they wish to pursue.

As a house rule with this map I would ask that Terra and Leageheim be off limits for player invasions.  Neither the Church nor the League would have scepters.  These worlds are just supposed to be where the trading ships set out from.  The Vau are absent.  Each noble house has a scepter on Byzantium as well as four on their home world.  There are additionally will be five scepters placed on random worlds throughout the galaxy.

Each of the ministries would be given a "homeworld".  The Garrison would have an industrial complex on the first spine world, the fleet on the second and the imperial eye a complex on the world in the upper right that only connects to Byzantium.  These would create house resources that players would be allowed to sell.  However there would be an imperial audit carried out by the GM every once in a while that would publish how many units a player built for the ministry.  Players would be free to create political fodder from how diligent someone is in building up their ministry.  The precise details of how many ministry resources are built and sold would not be published, just the ministry units built and lost.  The eye would not get audited in this fashion.

The starting units of the ministries would be scaled back.  The Eye starts exclusively with spies and invasion landers, no heavy infantry.  The Fleet would be smaller and be more focused on destroyers with fewer cruisers/dreadnaughts.  The garrison gets no fleet at all but does get battle stations at Stigmatia.  The ministries are less about the starting units and more about the free industry.

Finally I would want to do this with an accelerated start.  I'd devise a point system (based on output value of settlements and input cost/tech of units) that would allow players to purchase additional settlements and locations on their home world and on worlds adjoining their home worlds.  Players would send me their requests in secret and I would edit the starting map accordingly.

[a1s]

Oh wow. Would you like to co-GM this game? With that map.

[mainiac]

I didn't realize you wanted to GM yourself.  I was intending to offer myself for the role.

[a1s]

I figure I have to- it's actually a lot of work. If we won't have enough players, I'd love to play instead.

[Kebooo]

I would be interested in joining this if there was a 48 hour limit on turns.

[Pwnzerfaust]

Hmmm. Well, I have only minimal experience with this game, and none against human players. I'll probably die swiftly and ignominiously. So hell yeah I'm in.

[mainiac]

Hmmm. Well, I have only minimal experience with this game, and none against human players. I'll probably die swiftly and ignominiously. So hell yeah I'm in.

That's the spirit!

So assuming a1s is a player, not a GM, that means 3 players.  We need at least 1 more but ideally 2.

[mainiac]

Well it looks like we don't have any other people interested.  I don't feel like EoFS would normally work with 3 players.  But perhaps we could cook up a few house rules to make it work?  Would you guys want to play a three player game?

One thing I could do is re-purpose the extra houses so that I could turn them into non-human factions, both of whom I would control as the GM.  I wouldn't be playing for victory, I'd use them to simulate things like the symbiots.

I'd also rebalance the ministries for three person play.  If all three ministries were valuable there wouldn't be as much need to fight to control them.  So instead just the garrison would have a strong economy.  The fleet would have nothing but it's starting fleet.  The eye would not get many ministry force but would have a stash of scepters.  So the prize is the garrison but it would be difficult to control the garrison without the support of who ever gets the eye, which is worthless except as a kingmaker.

[Kebooo]

I'm not really interested in a three person game. I feel like it would really throw a wrench in the diplomatic aspect of the game (2 vs 1), or a free for all where if two people get into a war, the third can wait and take advantage.

[mainiac]

Yeah, I get what you are saying.  You usually need at least 4.

[a1s]

I would like to assure anyone who wants to sign up, that they can- I'm still committed to making this game work if we get the 5 players.

[EuchreJack]

I was on the fence, but maniac's custom scenario draws me in, provided we got 48 hour turns.

A few ideas on Holy Terra:
1) I'd like the option of invading Holy Terra for the purpose of ending the inquisition, which should be preceeded by the research of a proscribed tech (so one inquisitor must be beaten off) and a formal declaration of war.
2) If we want Holy Writ to mean anything, then Holy Terra should be provided with at least one non-capturable scepter.

I'm also ok with Holy Terra being completely off-limits and with no scepters.  I'm just throwing out some ideas.

[mainiac]

I wish you'd expressed interest before my old hard drive died.  It'll take me a little time to remake the map.

So by my count that makes all 4 players:
EuchreJack, a1s, Panzerfaust and Kebboo.  I'll send Panzerfaust a PM.

There's also a new rule that I want to put open to suggestions.  I think that Engineers should be changed so that they are cheap and only take 2 turns to build but can only be built by palaces.  What do people think about this rule?