I've played 5 games until at least turn 40. (on the 4p version - 1 game until turn 35 on the 6p version)

• in 4 of the games, at least 1 wizard (different each time) was eliminated by day 15 or so, almost always due to independants.
  
  
• in each game, wizards would take turns dominating the map, but none could hold domination for long
  
  
• there will be alot of turns where you do very little; if the turns keep moving, its no problem. Just keep in mind that it is an empire building game.
  
  
• there is alot of suspense in the turns. things really pick up around day 30. Most likely there will be some major conflicts around this time, and then another period of rebuilding armies.
  
  
• SCOUT! You are playing blind, and you have no wizard tower. While you should be safe on your first couple turns, all bets are off after day 3. Keep your wizard well protected.
  
  
• While I playtest very thouroughly, what I can not predict is what effects diplomacy will have. The map was designed keeping in mind the request 'players should roleplay the races like the races/alignment really would'. There are no 'artificial rules' I'm imposing though, so enjoy whatever chaos ensues!
  
  
• There is alot of randomness to increase replayability and unpredictability. Depending on how the 'dice land', you may find yourself very powerful early on, or under considerable duress.
  
  
• If you play smart, you can overcome your limited and quickly dwindling resources WITHOUT having to disband troops. In fact, if you do disband troops, you may find that you get 'stuck' without enough troops to help you claim resources. Or worse, you may find your enemies are really close, and you won't be able to fend them off.
  
  
• Its a SMALL map. That means its very dangerous. Play cautious, or gamble big - that's up to you, BUT, if you do gamble, be prepared to go down in flames. On the other hand, a well-timed gamble when another wizard has their guard down could pay off HUGE.
  
  
• I'm confident enough in the map's balance that I can recommend it for wizard ladder games. If all players agree right away about making it a ladder game, go ahead and register them.
  
  
  
• lastly, there is a GAME bug I found which pops up semi-often on this map due to unique scripting. It may cause too many units to occupy the same hex, and when it does, you will not be able to move anyone. IT IS NOT A GAME BREAKER, and is an easy fix. Simply save your game, exit out, and reload where you left off. The units will still occupy the same same hex, but you will be able to move them now. It does not cause a restart.
  

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Sapphoenix is losing every single PBEM (almost!), but loving it!

[This message has been edited by Sapphoenix (edited 07-01-2008 @ 08:01 PM).]

[This message has been edited by greenmonster (edited 07-05-2008 @ 02:48 AM).]

Quoted from greenmonster:

***IMPORTANT***

there is a small movie file used in this map (from AoW2), which you can download from
HERE if you do not have AoW2. This file should be placed into the AoW:SM "movies" folder. It is not essential to do this, but you may experience a 15 second black screen where you can do nothing. The game is NOT locking up, and nothing bad is happening to your computer. The game is just trying to locate or play a file that isn't there. Everything is back to normal after 15 seconds or so.

This will be a more common problem for the 6p version.

maybe it just took your computer longer to look for the file then mine did?

[This message has been edited by albinscott (edited 09-21-2008 @ 08:26 PM).]