Virgin Queen groping in the dark game

I got a 5MB Jpeg of the map from Simonitch and uploaded it.

Msample wrote: I got a 5MB Jpeg of the map from Simonitch and uploaded it.

Hrm. I'll have to look into that for a couple of games.

Question for the F:AT VQ varsity team (Dogmatix, Joel, etc.). Are you using the Mod on ACTs for your game. Why or why not?

We haven't started, so it hasn't been discussed. I would prefer not to, but will play regardless of what we decide. It's only 1 card, but I don't like the workaround they arrived at for playing Nostradamus' Prophecies--it makes the card much less interesting and also introduces an exploit (ability to ditch a mandatory event that would be bad for you).

Things in ACTS favor are: the journal kept online (and searchable), easy ability to show your hand contents to someone else, bulletproof hand security.

I much prefer ACTS for most everything because it eliminates any sort of question about die rolls or cards. That said, most 3+ player games I play usually have at least 1 player who is a completely unknown entitity/quantity to me and I prefer minimal drama with my gaming. I've now played so many games with the F:AT crew, I can't imagine anyone here would deliberately cheat [I've doubleclutched more than a few die rolls in the VASSAL module thanks to over-aggressive mouse-clicks], no matter how much the die roller wants to make you cry.

The biggest downsides I see for VASSAL-only are: (1)Every player will need to send a log on almost every impulse. Turns move very quickly when you know you can have the next guy move a few units around for you. (2) You *absolutely must* be sure the logs are 100% correct if you're relying on VASSAL for all things. The one significant advantage that Cyberboard has over VASSAL is the "game state compare" feature, which tells you right away if the log you're opening has some sort of problem. Every single 3+ player game I've played has at least 1 point where someones log blew up in some fashion. I'd hate to find out that someone's hand got fucked up because something got run out of order or because 1 guy uses a running log via the "load continuation" command [which is how I learned to use VASSAL; it wasn't until F:AT HIS #4 that I realized you could just open someone's log and step through it] and got a log out of order or missed one.

That said, with this group, I'll play no matter what the consensus decision is.

What's the new text on Nostradamus?

Dog's points are spot-on to me. I generally prefer ACTS for those same reasons, including play-from-mobile-gadget when you know your move has very little game state change.

The ACTS Nostradamus is: Powers other than France: Draw 2 cards from deck. Then discard any 1 card in your hand (does not need to be one just drawn). France: Draw 3 cards from deck. Then discard any 2 cards in your hand (these cards do not need to be from among those just drawn).

Following the card as printed, you'd choose to keep 1 of the 4 cards you draw off the deck (and France chooses 1 of the 8 he draws)--you don't get to ditch a card previously in your hand. I can already see the Protestant early in the game using this to discard Dutch Revolt to avoid handing Spain VPs, or anyone ditching a 1 CP stinker and keeping both 5 CP cards he draws.

Oh well, I'm probably overreacting--it's just one card out of 112. Looks like we'll be using ACTS. I don't disagree with the VASSAL complaints--the fact that there's nothing preventing people from loading things out of sequence (or forgetting to load something altogether) is supremely aggravating. I just don't prefer the additional layer of transactions ACTS requires.

I could go either way, but I tend to lightly prefer no ACTS. That said, if anyone wants to play ACTS, I always go with it.

In games with a lot of dice rolling I prefer ACTS. But for this crew I really don't care. Either with or without ACTS is fine with me.

-Will

I'm kind of confused as to why the original wouldn't work in ACTS beyond simply requiring a bit of blind faith that someone doesn't dick around with their hand. Do the drawn cards go back in the deck or the discard bin?

They go into the discards--the card is altered because they said ACTS can't put cards back into the draw pile mid-turn.

You'd think we could just re-shuffle the deck mid-turn somehow. Damn shame that. Thing is--and I haven't looked--how many "draw a card" cards are there? You'd think you could just draw and toss and just force the guy with the Fuggers equivalent to roll a die to make a "random draw" of what would be the top of the deck.

how many "draw a card" cards are there?

Definite "draw a card from the deck": Patron of Arts & Sciences, Spanish Fury, Nostradamus' Prophecies, Spanish Pay Ships Seized, Taxis Family Couriers

Potential "draw a card from the deck": Ottoman Tribute, Sultan's Harem, Genoese Bankers, Gouvernante de France, The Virgin Queen, The Black Queen, Sultana Safiye, Gregorian Calendar

We need another F:ATtie to take over England due to the useless Loter dropping out. We are on initial diplomacy phase before turn 1. We will copy all relevant missives to you so you can decide what to do.

Most of us are pretty inexperienced, I'm playing Spain and am fucking useless, Fallen is HRE, KingPut is France, Sag is Ottomans, Stonecutter is Protestant

Anyone for England?

As always, be prepared for plenty of obscene role playing and smack talk

In response to Not Sure .. yes it is VASSAL

If it's Vassal I'd play, our other game has been slow to start due to travel and such.

Two games shouldn't stretch my brains too much. I'd also happily step aside for anyone that wants to play and didn't already grab a F:AT slot. I think my PBEM cred is alright around here, and I can sling fake-accented email with rest of them...

Reminds me, I need to poke the sleeping bears for the other game.