The Great Western Europe Debate
I have offered to take on the role of coordinating the re-writes for The-country-formerly-known-as-France. This will eventually put me at odds with every single Aberration player. Given that Aberation has as its raison d’etre the multiplayer arena, and given that almost all multiplayer games involve Europe, it stands to reason that Brittany, Burgundy, Savoy and the theatre of Gaul plays a critical role in almost every game of Aberration. Meaning that everyone who plays Aberration will have strong feelings on this theatre of play. Meaning that I cannot win by taking on the task of changing it all.
Good thing this is the internet and nobody really knows where I live, except mikl, nlilith and jcain. (Bribes are in the mail, guys.)
Within the context of MP, the plan has always been to create a large number of medium-sized powers, each with their own strategy for success. Inevitably, the power levels between them were never going to be perfect in the first drafts, and of course, it is impossible to have them all exactly ‘equal’ in strength. (What is ‘equal’ anyway, right?) However, there are certainly noticeable disparities between some of the core medium powers.
I have a plan. The plan is to make sure that each of these three main countries have two obvious paths to victory, two options for culture expansion, and at least two opponents for each of their potential paths. I would then hope that a similar concept be extended beyond into the British Isles and Germany.
Brittany
Core cultures: Gaelic and Anglosaxon
Culture expansion: French, at Anglosaxon expense, or a chance to convert some provinces to Gaelic
Path 1: Brittany Rules the Waves
Focus on colonisation, with no chance for gaining French culture, but the opportunity to convert some provinces to Gaelic. Current level of explorers and conquistadors. Begins with only a few extra cores on some French provinces. Few generals, but more admirals.
Path 2: Pax Gael
Focus on Europe. Few explorers and conquistadors, but the opportunity to gain French culture at the expense of Anglosaxon. More cores gained and more generals, but fewer admirals.
Burgundy
Core culture: French
Cultural expansion: Dutch or German, but not both.
Path 1: Lowlands to the Sea
Focus is on Trade, first through dominating the lowlands then with colonization. Can gain Dutch culture and gets more admirals than Generals.
Path 2: Holy Burgundian Empire
Focus on uniting central Europe to maintain stability. Can gain German culture (and lose it too, if it absorbs too many minors). Fewer explorers and admirals but more Generals.
Savoy
Core Culture: French
Cultural expansion: Can gain Swiss and convert some Occitan provinces to French, or can gain Occitan. Either way has a few cores on Italian provinces.
Path 1: Vive la Savoie!
Attempt to dominate the Alps and central France, gaining fewer explorers and admirals, but gaining cores throughout French and Swiss provinces and can gain Swiss culture. More Generals, and some Occitan provinces can be converted to French..
Path 2: Maitresse de la Mer
Focus on the Meditteranean and colonization, with the chance to gain cores on the Occitan provinces and some Mediterranean islands. More admirals and explorers, few Generals. Can gain Occitan culture.
Also, I would like to introduce the follow new chap on the block ….
Pays d’Oc
Possible only as a revolter/vassal after 1540.
Core culture: Occitan
Cultural expansion: can covert one or two provinces to Occitan.
Path 1: A Cathartic Experience
Solidify Occitan in the south of France and focus on land forces to achieve this, gaining no explorers but better generals and some cores on French provinces.
Path 2: I’ll be Gensian
Make enough bad puns that we are forced to explore westwards. Gain explorers and more admirals, but no cores beyond Occitan provinces.
All of this will interact with the German restructuring and the British Isles restructuring. Our goal should be to have every region and every culture have two or more competing medium-sized nations, plus the feisty minors.
In relation to this, the concept above when adapted to a few other nations might look like this ….
Bavaria
Core culture: German
Cultural expansion: Can gain Dutch culture or can gain Swiss culture and convert some Hansa provinces to German.
Path 1: United Germany
Focus on central Europe and uniting all of the German provinces. Gains no exploers or Admirals but has strong land military and can gain Swiss culture and covert some Hansa provinces to German.
Path 2: The Dutch Inheritance
Can pursue the Dutch provinces, gaining dutch culture and explorers, but at the expense of some German cores and some key generals.
Hansa
Core culture: Hansa
Cultural expansion: Can gain Anglosaxon or can convert some German provinces to Hansa.
Path 1: Trade, Trade, Trade
Good explorers and Admirals and the chance to gain Anglosaxon culture as a key pathway to the Atlantic and the New World. Gains one or two cores in other-cultured provinces.
Path 2: Hansa-mania
Plan to expand the dream of unitiing all of the wealthy german-speking cities in one furious trade federation! Fewer explorers but better generals. Gain more cores on German provinces, and can covert some of them to Hansa culture. (Note: never gains German culture).
I have offered to take on the role of coordinating the re-writes for The-country-formerly-known-as-France. This will eventually put me at odds with every single Aberration player. Given that Aberation has as its raison d’etre the multiplayer arena, and given that almost all multiplayer games involve Europe, it stands to reason that Brittany, Burgundy, Savoy and the theatre of Gaul plays a critical role in almost every game of Aberration. Meaning that everyone who plays Aberration will have strong feelings on this theatre of play. Meaning that I cannot win by taking on the task of changing it all.
Good thing this is the internet and nobody really knows where I live, except mikl, nlilith and jcain. (Bribes are in the mail, guys.)
Within the context of MP, the plan has always been to create a large number of medium-sized powers, each with their own strategy for success. Inevitably, the power levels between them were never going to be perfect in the first drafts, and of course, it is impossible to have them all exactly ‘equal’ in strength. (What is ‘equal’ anyway, right?) However, there are certainly noticeable disparities between some of the core medium powers.
I have a plan. The plan is to make sure that each of these three main countries have two obvious paths to victory, two options for culture expansion, and at least two opponents for each of their potential paths. I would then hope that a similar concept be extended beyond into the British Isles and Germany.
Brittany
Core cultures: Gaelic and Anglosaxon
Culture expansion: French, at Anglosaxon expense, or a chance to convert some provinces to Gaelic
Path 1: Brittany Rules the Waves
Focus on colonisation, with no chance for gaining French culture, but the opportunity to convert some provinces to Gaelic. Current level of explorers and conquistadors. Begins with only a few extra cores on some French provinces. Few generals, but more admirals.
Path 2: Pax Gael
Focus on Europe. Few explorers and conquistadors, but the opportunity to gain French culture at the expense of Anglosaxon. More cores gained and more generals, but fewer admirals.
Burgundy
Core culture: French
Cultural expansion: Dutch or German, but not both.
Path 1: Lowlands to the Sea
Focus is on Trade, first through dominating the lowlands then with colonization. Can gain Dutch culture and gets more admirals than Generals.
Path 2: Holy Burgundian Empire
Focus on uniting central Europe to maintain stability. Can gain German culture (and lose it too, if it absorbs too many minors). Fewer explorers and admirals but more Generals.
Savoy
Core Culture: French
Cultural expansion: Can gain Swiss and convert some Occitan provinces to French, or can gain Occitan. Either way has a few cores on Italian provinces.
Path 1: Vive la Savoie!
Attempt to dominate the Alps and central France, gaining fewer explorers and admirals, but gaining cores throughout French and Swiss provinces and can gain Swiss culture. More Generals, and some Occitan provinces can be converted to French..
Path 2: Maitresse de la Mer
Focus on the Meditteranean and colonization, with the chance to gain cores on the Occitan provinces and some Mediterranean islands. More admirals and explorers, few Generals. Can gain Occitan culture.
Also, I would like to introduce the follow new chap on the block ….
Pays d’Oc
Possible only as a revolter/vassal after 1540.
Core culture: Occitan
Cultural expansion: can covert one or two provinces to Occitan.
Path 1: A Cathartic Experience
Solidify Occitan in the south of France and focus on land forces to achieve this, gaining no explorers but better generals and some cores on French provinces.
Path 2: I’ll be Gensian
Make enough bad puns that we are forced to explore westwards. Gain explorers and more admirals, but no cores beyond Occitan provinces.
All of this will interact with the German restructuring and the British Isles restructuring. Our goal should be to have every region and every culture have two or more competing medium-sized nations, plus the feisty minors.
In relation to this, the concept above when adapted to a few other nations might look like this ….
Bavaria
Core culture: German
Cultural expansion: Can gain Dutch culture or can gain Swiss culture and convert some Hansa provinces to German.
Path 1: United Germany
Focus on central Europe and uniting all of the German provinces. Gains no exploers or Admirals but has strong land military and can gain Swiss culture and covert some Hansa provinces to German.
Path 2: The Dutch Inheritance
Can pursue the Dutch provinces, gaining dutch culture and explorers, but at the expense of some German cores and some key generals.
Hansa
Core culture: Hansa
Cultural expansion: Can gain Anglosaxon or can convert some German provinces to Hansa.
Path 1: Trade, Trade, Trade
Good explorers and Admirals and the chance to gain Anglosaxon culture as a key pathway to the Atlantic and the New World. Gains one or two cores in other-cultured provinces.
Path 2: Hansa-mania
Plan to expand the dream of unitiing all of the wealthy german-speking cities in one furious trade federation! Fewer explorers but better generals. Gain more cores on German provinces, and can covert some of them to Hansa culture. (Note: never gains German culture).
