Here we are and welcome to the show, our introduction to the TNS for this, a grand competiton, that’s right, the 2010 AoW1 year long event. Welcome everyone and let me now announce the matchups for Stage 1. It is exciting to see that we’ll have 8 games going on. Many players are playing in two games so they get to see lots of action. We’ve got a mix of veterans and some of our newer exciting players that are quickly making a name for themselves. Yes, this stage 1 is certainly going to be exciting. Now, let’s take a look at

*interruption*

Yes, yes, here we are. Hello everyone, so glad to see you join me for my new competition. I, Flander, the greatest wizard in the *interruption*

*cough* Excuse me dear brother, what do you think you are doing here at MY tourney.

Hmmmm, Flander *nods head in simple hello and stares*

Flander *nods back and stares back*

What! Wait, wait just a minute here. What is going on here , now Flander, who is this guy with the big sword.

That’s Flander, my twin brother, hrmph

Er, um, I thought you were Flander

Must I tell you everything… Of course I’m Flander, the greatest wizard in the universe. That is my brother, Flander, who calls himself a

Ah my dear reporter, I am Flander and I am a great warrior, Hrpmh greatest wizard in the universe, indeed. I do not need such fancy and unsubstantiated titles. You may simply call me Lord Flander, Champion of Enioch, Defender of the World, er um Universe.

(oh great, now I’ve got two crackpots to deal with) Hold it, I’m supposed to be making the big announcement about this tourney and then you guys show up. Now, what’s going on? Who are you guys? Flander, you with the wizard hat, aren’t you supposed to be finishing up YOUR Shadow Magic tourney. And you Flander, yeah, the one with the big sword, where did you come from, what do you think you’re

*Flander and Flander look at each other, smile and….*

*meanwhile, watching from across the way*

Do you think he’ll cast his fireball or the bog?

Oh, I don’t know, I bet he chases that reporter away and beats him with the flat side of his sword.

Do you think they’ll ever get along?

Did they get along as kids? They still argue about which one of them is the real Flander. I can’t even remember anymore what the other’s name is supposed to be.

Roofus

That’s right, it’s just as bad as Flander, who came up with those names?

Their mother, she’s the same one who switched them in their cribs when they were kids, dropped them on their heads, let them eat the paint. And she never could tell them apart. Their names got changed every day it seemed so they had a real identity thing going on, they both seem to prefer Flander so that’s what they use. Go figure.

Hrpmh, twins. Well, that reporter should never have yelled at them. Oh look, here comes the fireball, ooooh, poor reporter, that’s going to leave a mark.

Hehehehe, good thing we’re over here.

Yeah, so, what’s up with this new tourney?

Oh, just another tourney, sounds like fun. I get to do more analysis and stuff, maybe I’ll get to use the crystal ball this time, what do you get to do?

You get the good job, I get to mess with that silly spreadsheet and count up all the scores and figure out who has the most points, and figure out the match ups, BORING.

You always were the one who was good at math

And you were always the teacher’s pet. Bombs away *as a ball of mud goes flying*

*Meanwhile, back at the ranch*

Hrmph, that silly apprentice, there he is getting in a mud fight again with your squire.

You know they love to do that, ho hum, look at them. Yes, what a throw, right between the eyes. Haha, your apprentice is getting thumped on. Well, enough of this nonsense, we must get this tournament started.

Yes, we must indeed, who needs silly reporters anyways. We could just announce that the Stage 1 games are set and will be started soon. There is also that grace period for the first week on playing quickly. Guess we must let the players have a few days to develop their strategy. Timing restrictions we be enforced starting Jan 30th. Oh, here’s the list of games.



Yeah, and it appears there a few veterans playing, they will be the favorites. I look to watch the match between the two Angels. Draco vs. Enginerd. That will be a fun one. I’m picking Enginerd to win that one. He’s played this map before and Draco isn’t going to take it seriously. He’s going to play it blind, how foolish could he be?

Are you joking, Draco is going to win hands down, he’s just trying to lull Enginerd into a false sense of security. Enginerd is too busy with tourneys and other games to keep his mind on this one. You will see, when my video comes out. It will detail exactly how Draco won.

Whatever, you always did have your brain in the clouds. Well, shall we meet back here in a few days to talk about the tourney and strategies for this map, or maybe we should get the Polls out there. Wait, I know, we could set up a jousting arena and you and I could joust. I’ve got my lance, you’ve got your hehehehehehe wand. It will be great fun. Oh, come on, don’t pout like that. I’ll let you turn the arena into a bog when we’re done, haha, blocked that spell, nice try but you’re not fast enough. Come on, just one little joust?

*Flander and Flander walk off together*

[This message has been edited by Enginerd (edited 01-23-2010 @ 09:41 PM).]

Hey kid, get in here! Hurry!

Ok, ok, coming boss. What's up?

Quick, I'm putting you on the classified ads beat today. We gotta get a few announcements out... and pronto!

Sure sure boss, whatever you say (rats, this is worse than doing an interview with Flander). So, what's up with the ads?

You idiot, Enginerd needs some help with material. You see, he can't do all of it so he's looking for folks who want to be guest writers for the TNS. You know, organize interviews, do some polling, strategy guides, think up some other crazy ideas to bring the circulation up. That kind of stuff.

So you want them to just email Enginerd and tell him their ideas and then they can be guest writers for the TNS?

That's it, now get going or I'll send you after Flander and that other nut with him.

I'm outta here boss, all over it, you can count on me.

Welcome to the show today. For this installment we have a couple guests who will join Enginerd in an analysis of the most excellent map, The Riverland Wars by Talon Thorn. So Enginerd, can you tell us a little bit about this map and mapmaker and why you chose this map for Stage 1?

Enginerd This is a map that has been played by many over the years. Talon Thorn is a former staff member who contributed greatly to Heaven Games. He made a few maps during his time but this is by far his most well known one. Riverland Wars is a map played on one big surface level with every race represented. There are lots of rivers, to break the land up into sections. There are lots of cities and upgradeable cities. There are lots of approaches and many different directions you can go. I chose this map because it is just that, a classic and great map. Many of the players this round have never played it. I think they will find that you can play 2v2 or 4 person FFAs and many other combinations. I’ve seen lots of people playing the maps that came with the game and I find them to be OK while maps like this one truly give you a great gaming experience.

Excellent intro, now let me introduce two of our guests, we have Zsaber and Thorongil that have joined us to talk about the map. Both are veterans to the game and have been active for a long time. Let’s here from them. Our first question is In general what do you think of the Riverland Wars map?

Thorongil It is well balanced, and the large numbers of items in crypts, combined with the single level, make it a fairly quick game for such a large map. If you enjoy ubering up your hero, this is the map for you.
Zsaber It's a very straight forward map that doesn't have much teleporters with all the races, good balance and good playabilty. I don't recall any of riverland games got stalled or cancelled. So basically we can call this map "the" map.

What is your greatest memory or match that you remember on this map?

Zsaber I think all of the Talon Thorn's riverland games were great. If I can recall, it's probably maybe 4 or 5 of them with at least 6 players in each game. All of them got finished and I think I enjoyed both of the games that I was in
Thorongil It's hard to remember one from another...I've played it a bunch of times, but all several years ago so I don't remember well.


Without giving away too many secrets.... what kind of strategy do you use and what are some tips for the players that haven't played this map.

Thorongil Expand quickly. The key is to get as many cities as fast as possible. Haste is a must. Also, explore every crypt you can, the items are well worth it
Zsaber Like I said, it's a very straight forward map, so just expand fast and upgrade your city and train your hero.


You are both playing newer players and you are veterns, do you feel confident you will win both your games?

Zsaber Depends, we can't underestimate the newer players, they seem to know to expand fast and consolidate before the other player can get in. I took a good beating in the nuclear fallout game simply because I underestimate them and my careless start.
Thorongil Yes.


What about the match between Enginerd and Draco, who do you think will win? why?

Thorongil Enginerd, because Draco said he'd never played this map before. Also from what little I've paid attention, I think Enginerd is better at 1 on 1 games than Draco.
Zsaber I would put my money in Enginerd. Seem like Draco want to play it blind. I think Enginerd should know this map like the back of his hands


Do you have any predictions for any of the other matches?

Zsaber too tired to predict the outcome of other games
Thorongil Nope, didn't really pay attention to who is playing who.

Any other thoughts or things to say that would be of interest?

Thorongil Basically, you have to just have fun with this game, and remember to use up every movement point on every soldier unless you have a really good reason not to, like if he is guarding something that is migrating. Leaving troops idle will be your death, as your opponent will be able to expand faster.
Zsaber All credits to Enginerd. You are doing a great job to keep us fellow aow forumer entertained.

Well, what great analysis, we certainly do appreciate having you guys on the show today. And with that we’ll be

*interruption*

Excuse me but I must interject. You see, I have some experience with the Riverland Wars. I have endured many great and glorious battles. If it is tactics and strategy you seek, I can enlighten you.

Pshaw, what do you know of tactics and strategy, all you want to do is slash and hash with your sword.

Well, it works. Look at this map, you are stuck in a corner with other races nearby and it is important to engage those enemies early and wipe them out. You must secure the rebels in your homeland, convincing them to join you by might or gold. This is your first objective. As Dark Elves you will meet the lizards and dwarves quickly and Azracs soon after. The Halflings will face the Frostlings and Orcs soon with the Humans not far off. Slash and hash your way to victory here, that is the key. My tactical skills will allow me to slay vast armies with minimal losses. Generals that cannot lead their armies to victory will suffer. Tactics like luring armies out with that scout and then pouncing with your full force, capturing that city that has just started upgrading and stealing that precious money to use elsewhere. Capturing cities and then leaving them to be retaken, splitting up the forces of your enemy. Yes, there are many tactics to use. The key is to be the attacker, you don’t want those neighbors attacking you while you sleep. You must be the attacker.

Yes, my dear brother, you must conquer those nearby territories but you can also use a little finesse. You see, you start off with some key units who can help you seduce and charm your way to stronger troops. Your heroes are weak but must also gain strength. Strategy must be used to build them up while you can, and quickly, giving your heroes all the experience and items they must turn into uber heroes. Remember, spell casting will be important later in the game, you will want at least one hero who is a mighty wizard. And, it is not unheard of to convince that nearby wizard to join your cause and fight with you. I have even been known to resurrect fallen heroes, try doing that with your sword.

Hah, you think I don’t use strategy. I will have strong and well balanced forces like any general should. The key will be what cities are nearby. I can use the neutral cities to my advantage but there will be migration taking place. That randomness can be a key in some cases. If the nearby random cities are of the wrong alignment it makes it tough. One tricky thought is to actually migrate one of your starting cities in something a bit more useful. An interesting choice if your Halflings pick up a human city early and you want to make Galleys just migrate the capital, your relations will hold up and then you can migrate some other smaller cities back to Halfling to keep the peace. It’s an interesting idea that most players don’t consider. And mixing and matching the races you do build up allows you to take the best of all races and combine them into your forces as you move out. Yes, powerful armies will be seen and all you’ll have are a few silly spells.

What little you know, those few silly so called spells will be the defining point of the game. My enchanted troops will be strong. I will save up mana stores and send down fires and lightning and death from the skies. If I play things right I can hit invading troops with a double blasts from the altars, wiping out the cannon fodder troops and weakening the others, then I can strike with my forces to kill the rest. You see, I can adeptly use magic with might. And don’t let those powerful spells fool you. A well placed town gate can be just as deadly to bring forces to the front lines unannounced.

I will be using my dragon boats to shuttle troops to the front lines. My naval armada will be large and deadly. Other boats will be used to serve as bridges. I will not only rule the lands but also the seas. I envision the day when I fill a boat in my homeland and use 4 or 5 dragon ships to get it to the front lines in a day or two. Yes, my dragon boats will be a key to success.

There are so many things I wish I could tell you, but alas, I fear your mind is made up. The nuances to war and diplomacy. I wonder, dear brother, have you ever considered how you can use the others to help you in your cause? My diplomats will seek out friends and ally with them, ones that will surely die by the time I get my strong forces there. Imagine the Halflings that can ally up with the Elves or the Dark Elves that can reach the goblins or orcs. As allies, they can see the battlefield and warn you about the advances of your true enemy. Knowing which direction he is going and how quickly can guide your actions too. Yes, yes, you must eventually turn on your allies but that is no matter, they will have served their purpose before they die.

No honor in that is there, using allies and just letting them die. Well, we shall see, won’t we. Too the battlefield, we will take the Halflings, you can take the Dark Elves. To Battle my dear brother!

No, I think I will take the Halflings, you can take the Darkelves

You’re just saying that because I want the Halflings, you just want to argue with me.

But of course, I know exactly how to get under your skin, mwahahahahahaha

*Flander walks off followed by an angry Flander*

*gets out from behind the rock* Wheh, that was close, I thought I was going to get stuck in the middle of that one. What an exciting TNS report, until next time when we visit with Enginerd about the progress of the games and a weekly update on how things are going.

Welcome to the TNS this week, there has been some activity but mostly we’re here to report on how SLOW things have been going. Unfortunately, real life caught up with Dracoden and he had to withdraw, we hope he will make it back in future stages of the competition but for now his opponents got an easy win. We’re also close to losing another competitor… Hmmmmm… but first, let’s invite the Flander Brother’s to give their analysis on a few of the games that are out there.

So… Flander, yeah, the one with the sword, can you tell us about the game between Stoneskin and Deroman. So Mr. Knight, what can you tell us?

Well, Stoneskin is doing great, he is building up himself a mighty knight. I’ve made sure he got outfitted with some nice armor and shield. Yes indeed, he is ready to hash and slash his way to victory, already with a defense of 9! Oh yes indeed, he will be unstoppable soon enough and that will lead the Halflings to victory.

Hrmph, what do you know, The darkelves led by Deroman are doing just fine, yes they may be stuck migrating a few towns but their enemies flee before them. Besides it is still quite early, only day 6 or 7 so don’t you claim victory, this one has a long way to go.

Interesting, so what about Deroman’s other game, he’s playing Travis and they seem to be having quite a bit of fun.

Well, the dark elves are doing just fine, even if they think it is going slowly for them. The position of the Dark Elves is quite strong and Travis is doing quite well. He’s already battling with Azracs, Lizards and Dwarves. Some people think the Halflings have a stronger start and can capture the neary capitals faster but this is nothing for the Dark Elves to overcome. Travis capture the dwarf capital on day 8 and is expanding well, his superior tactics and aggression will have him win out on this one.

Hogwash, Deroman is doing just fine with the Halflings. Frostlings and Humans have been hit hard and the battles with orcs continue. Yes, fear not for the Halflings, when they fall upon the dark elves Hot Pie will hash and slash his way to victory. They are on about day 10 and doing just fine.

Interesting, so I sense that you two sort of have a soft spot for “one” of the races being played, I guess that trend will continue in this next game with Travis and Zsaber. What do you guys think?

Well, Zsaber is hands down going to be the victor here, we like the dark elf position

What? I thought you had a preference for the Halflings?

Nonsense, if I were playing I would win no matter what race I played. Besides, we like the strength and power of the veteran. Zsaber will be victorious, he has been quiet for some time but we will soon find out just how well he is doing.

Once again my brother picks the loser. Tuodrable is pushing out and expanding quickly. The humans are struggling, orcs too, frostlings… check. Yes, I’d say things are progressing nicely for the Halflings. We don’t expect much trouble the dark elves, and their supposed leader, my brother never could pick the right winner.

Oh, I see, well, let’s look at Draco, another veteran, he’s playing Travis who is a newer player but really playing well. What’s going to happen here?

With a name like Draco, how can you lose. That name comes from the strength of dragons, oh yes indeed. Draco will win. He is playing the Dark Elves and they are on nearly day 20 and are the furthest along of all the matches. Draco has picked up a couple heroes to join him we think, and he is upgrading fast and furiously in the hopes of mighty units that will really help when he meets the Halflings.

Hah, what little he knows, Travis has done exceptionally well, expanding much faster than Draco. He will soon see that Draco does not stand a chance and he will get steamrolled through, the Halflings will take the first outskirt settlement of the Dark Elves soon and that will be exactly what is needed to give confidence to the troops. Victory will soon be well in hand.

Well, that leaves one last game to consider, although they had a slow start with Enginerd’s computer problems and really need to pick up the pace to catch up with the others. What do you think of this match with Enginerd vs Draco.

Enginerd will win. He will have a mighty hero lead his armies that will hash and slash his way to victory. He will slay his enemies left and right.

Of course he will. But he will be led by a mighty wizard, that will enchant and strengthen the troops and call down mighty spells. There will be no stopping this wizard as he leads the Dark Elves to victory.

Guys, it’s only day 3… are you sure?

Brother, don’t you think it’s time we taught this reporter a lesson for doubting us?

I must say, that’s a brilliant idea. Here, I’ll run him through with my sword.

*reporter runs off quickly*

Wait, let me, I think I should use my fireball

Don’t you remember the smell the last time you did that? Yuck. I’ve been just dying to try out my out my new lance, I could use that.

Well, there was this new spell I was working on… OK… on the count of three. One… two…

Hah, the little bugger ran off… hehehehehe…. So… it’s turned into a chase. Off we go…. *Flander the knight rushes off*

Hrmph, we don’t have time for a chase, and what my dear brother forgets is that the reporter will eventually come back. Silly knight, whatever am I going to do with him…. Tsk.. .tsk… tsk. *Flander wanders off as well*

welcome to the TNS update for today. There is much to discuss but we have a couple guests today, First we’ll get the game update from the Flander’s Brothers. So… Flander and Flander… what have you got to say about the games, who is going to win and what’s happening?

–I have looked into my crystal ball and seen some glorious battles and victories taking place. Travis is going to win in his game against Draco, he has expanded well and is ready to crush him, Draco has been thwarted in his efforts to expand by the nasty independants. Now, in the other game with Travis vs Deroman things are getting really interesting. I admit that the turn logs make it difficult to tell but the crystal ball does not lie. It is about day 23 and Travis is about to unleash his gold medal executioner and let him loose. He will be unstoppable.

Nonsense dear brother, Deroman still has plenty of fight in him. He is doing just fine and I saw that smoky haze of a crystal ball, you can’t believe everything you see in that thing. Now Deroman’s other game is against Stoneskin and it is about day 20 or so. Now, Deroman has a tough challenge ahead of him as Stoneskin has a strong hero with 9 defense… hmmmm… a fighting hero just like me… we do like the sound of that! However, Deroman will fight and this will be exciting to see as they clash so very soon.

If you want to see some excitement then you must just go watch the game with Zsaber and Tuodrable. Things are heating up and they are clashing. Zsaber sounds very confident in his posts and just killed another hero of Tuodrable. Incarnate infested Syrons lead Zsaber’s troops, plus an air galley or two is also out there. Many big battles brewing. My crystal ball does tell me that magic will be the deciding factor here.

Hrmph, I prefer the sword. Just look what Enginerd is doing in his game, he is telling all in his turn logs and is slashing his way to victory, even if it still very early on.

Don’t count Draco out, he is wise beyond his years and will surely have some surprises for Enginerd.

Wow… Thanks… I can’t think of a time when you two have been on such good behavior Anyways, thanks for coming on the show. Now… we turn our attention to our other guest. Today we have Enginerd who has a special announcement.

Enginerd Yes, well we are about ready to pull down the sign ups for the Stage 2 tourney games. We hope to get started with those games by this weekend. I’ll send the map out soon and give you an update on the map later this week.

So, Enginerd, why are we started Stage 2 when Stage 1 isn’t over yet?

Enginerd Well, we want to get 5-6 stages in this year which means about every 2 months we need to start a new stage. The Stage 1 games are moving and most will finish this month I think. We should have the Stage 1 games finished before we start Stage 3. We want to keep the momentum going and continue to have something happening all the time on the forums. We’ll see how it all works out but that’s the plan for now, so Stage 2 is starting!

So, tell us about the Map being used for the next stage?

Enginerd Well, we wanted to try a 4 person map and since the 2v2 team tourney fell apart with folks leaving we wanted to use that map. I must thank Draco as he did most of the work on this map and then I tweaked it just a bit with him. For now we’ll tell you that it is a modified Toadstool Vale map, meant for quick play and it’s been tweaked and rebalanced a bit.

Yes, and since Draco helped on this map we’ll interview him later this week and get a full update. So, what can you tell us about the point system for these stages?

Enginerd For the stage 1 games it’s pretty simple. 5 pts for a victory, 1 point for a loss. You get a bonus point if you played in two games, however the max points for stage 1 is 10 (sorry guys who win both matches, you don’t get your bonus point ). Once all the games are finished I’ll post the scores.

Well, what about the scores for Stage 2, how will that work with a 4 person FFA?

Enginerd Basically, each game will award 5 points for a 1st place win, 3 for 2nd, 2 for 3rd and 1 point for last. Again, you get a bonus participation point for playing in two games (again, maximum of 10). Also, for those that choose to have an ally then you and your partner will share the points. So if you come in 1st and 2nd that gives 8 points, split them between you and you get 4 points each. I’ll explain it again when the turns go out. Also, because this is a small map and there are points involved we’re going to limit the diplomacy a bit. You can enter and break peace with other players but you are only allowed to enter an alliance with one player and you cannot break it. Once you formally make the alliance in the game then you commit yourself for the entire game. Keep in mind, you don’t have to have an alliance with someone.

I’m also going to do my best to separate the field to spread out who you play and avoid repeats. I’m also looking at putting 4 stronger players all in one game (those that have done or are doing well in Stage 1 and previous tourneys). It’s tricky with so few players. Hopefully it will be fun and exciting.

Excellent, so what can you tell us your super secret BIG announcement?

Enginerd That’s about it for today. Next big announcement , er, um… well… let’s see, that would require planning and thinking ahead…. Oh… let me see…. I got it… yeah, there will be more news about the mapmaking competition… in a few weeks… or so... but it will start soon.

YES! I can’t wait. Well, thanks for the updates, that’s your TNS for today. Next update later this week where we’ll go through the Toadstool Vale map in detail with Draco.

Welcome to the TNS show today. We’re pleased to have with us Draco, who has been helping with the map design. Draco, what can you tell us about Toadstool Vale map, why did you choose that one?

Draco The Toadstool Vale is a classic, medium sized scenario that was created by the original Triumph Studios developers and included as one of the original scenarios with the game. We chose it because it is an excellent 4-player map, with several strategic routes/decisions for the players to make. Players can decide to engage the enemy 1 on 1, or can decide to gang up on an opponent (but risk leaving their flank open to attack). Also, because of the medium size, you will be encountering the enemy quickly, but still have enough time to gather resources and build a force. You can be engaging the enemy as early as day 6 or 7, depending on how aggressive you are.

So there have been several changes made to the map, can you go over the main points and tell us why the changes were made?

Draco – There are several changes made to the map, mostly because we wanted to discourage the use of uber heroes, teleporter sneak attacks, and sprawling level 1 units gobbling up resources. This game will be won using teamwork and standard units, with a little magical support. I think the map retains its excellent co-op play, but it is much more of a slugfest than before.

The first thing players will notice is that their hero is much, much weaker. He is a walking magic user with no inherent attack ability. If you want your hero to be able to attack, you’ll have to spend some time (and troops) to enter a monster lair and (hopefully!) procure a magical weapon, but even that is not guaranteed as the defenders and items are set to “random average.” Keep in mind that mana is at a premium on this map, so it will take you quite a while to research new spells, and you won’t be able to cast as many spells. Every hero has the Leadership ability, though, which grants all of your units a +1 to attack.

Other things like nodes, dungeons and monster caves were added to force players to make strategic decisions: do you go after valuable cities, or spend turns trying to gain resources in dungeons and monster lairs to possibly gain a game-changing advantage over the opponent.

There are many more independent creatures in the wild, so it is nearly impossible to send out a solo level 1 unit exploring for gold and mana. You either have to use a level 2 cavalry unit, or send out teams. It is likely that your explorers will be attacked by more than one wild creature on a turn, so success is not guaranteed. It’s a calculated risk you have to take.

Teleporters were removed because a lot of veterans simply don’t like the teleporter “sneak attack”, especially on a medium sized map like this one. Instead, each player has a gold mine and a valuable mana node in nearby caves (which, of course, are guarded!).

Other than the weaker hero, the starting armies are the same as originally set by the developers in the original scenario, with the exception of removing the Haflings’ starting ballista. To balance this, we have made it more difficult for the Orcs to access the nearby level 3 city. Previously, the Orcs could access the level 3 city on day 2 or 3, and be charging at the Halflings (who had the ballista to defend against such an early attack). Now, both Halflings and Orcs have the same obstacles to access the level 3 city. We also made certain that the nearby level 1 city to each race was close enough that it could be attacked on day 1.

A level 1 dark elf city was added to the west side of the map to balance out the level 1 halfling city that is on the east side of the map. Also, some of the elemental nodes were changed to better reflect the players’ spheres.

– Wow… that really is quite a few changes, so how do you know the map is really balanced now?

Draco TuoDrable and I challenged each other via PBEM, with each of us playing every race. It’s a good, fast challenge, with most of the games being won in 15-20 turns.

I see, so, what can we expect when players play this map? Will they form alliances or will they just try and kill each other off?

Draco I think it’s beneficial to ally, but ganging up on one player is very risky. You have to be quite confident in your ability to spend enough troops to attack, but also defend your base. Fighting two wars on this map is tough. Building walls is also key.

So, Looks like game 1 is really stocked with strong players. Travis has done really well in the stage 1 games and Zsaber and Disenchanted are both very strong players, throw in Enginerd into that mix. Wow, what a game. So, who will win that one?

Draco The best players have perfected the art of fast expansion, but it’s more difficult to do that on this map with all the independent creatures. Also, some players are better than others at attacking heavily defended cities with small armies. Your chance at victory will also greatly depend on your starting spells. Boosting your cavalry unit with stone skin is a great help, but so is summoning a wild boar. The random 1 hex city in the middle of the map can be a game changer too, depending on what race it is. There are riches to be had, both gold and mana, in the center of the map, but you will need to divert a large army to capture them. The truly savy player will be able to boost up his hero a bit and possibly research spell casting II.

What about the other games? What do you see happening there? Are you going to get a victory this time? (stoneskin, draco, travis, pawel in game 2 and draco, tuodrable, disenchanted, stoneskin in game 3)

Draco I think I do better on smaller maps like this, than on gigantic, sprawling XL maps. Aggressive, high risk attacks often yield favorable results. Might as well go for broke in a game like this!

Excellent… those are fighting words. I can’t wait to see the other players get excited about playing you in those games. This will be a most excellent round of games. So, do you have any other closing thoughts for us?

Draco I hope everyone enjoys the modified map and has some high-tension turns! And be careful! On one play test a single dwarven giant (a giant is an ‘average’ unit?) was guarding a monster lair and it wiped out my entire party. So it definitely is risky to try and gain special advantages.

Thanks again for coming on the show, boy, that was much better than having Flander on the show . Well, we really look forward to the games. That’s your TNS for today, good luck to everyone in the Stage 2 games!

Special news update.... the turn logs have been created for the Stage 2 tourney games. Let's get the full report from Enginerd.

Enginerd Yes, the turn logs have been set up but I haven't sent the turns out yet, I'll do that soon. Don't worry, the 48 hr fast play rule won't start for another week, let's call it March 25th (because that's when the AoWSM mapmaking tourney maps are due and I'll probably be too busy to watch the flow of games before then)

I see... so the SM maps are more important than the AoW1 games...

Enginerd Of course not! AoW1 is the GREATEST!!!!! I just really want to do well with my first SM map

So let's look at the 3 games and their starting races.

Game 1
Goblins - Travis
Orcs - Disenchanted
Dwarves - Zsaber
Halflings - Enginerd

Game 2
Goblins - Stoneskin
Orcs - Pawel
Dwarves - Travis
Halflings - Draco

Game 3
Goblins - Draco
Orcs - Tuodrable
Dwarvews - Disenchanted
Halflings - Stoneskin

Excellent games, so how did you figure out who got to play the different races?

Enginerd Well, since I was playing in the first game I assigned the 4 players the letters A,B,C and D. Then I sent an email to Swolte and asked him to randomize the 4 letters, he did, and that became the turn order for Game 1. Then I decided that I didn't want someone playing a good race twice (nor an evil race twice). So I randomized the players in game 2, checked to make sure Travis got the opposite aligned race and that game was set. Game 3 was tricky with 3 players in their second game but I got it to work out.

I see, so... why couldn't players get an evil race twice?

Enginerd Oh... I just like to complicate things sometimes

Isn't that the truth... well.. looks like the Stage 2 games will start soon. Good luck to everyone, that's your TNS special update.

First turns for the Stage 3 games have been sent out!

One week waiting period on fast play (take your time this first turn to plan your strategy. I'll start watching the speed of play next week. Good luck all.

Flash News Break....

Draco has been defeated by Travis in the Stage 1 game, check it out here to congratulate Travis on his victory.

Poor Draco, he lost his other match to Enginerd and isn't off to a very good start this year, but don't worry, he'll come back with a vengeance in the Stage 2 games!