AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS OF FOURTH AGE (CONTINUED)

This installment of my series will focus on a frequently overlooked element of Fourth Age - the nation concept.

Maybe I'm just an old softy when it comes to gaming, but I've always been the type, at least in RPG's, to develop a character from the ground up - background, why he thinks the way he does, who he hangs out with, etc. I believe the same principal can be carried over to PBM. After all, your nation is essentially one of 25 characters in the game, with GSI as GM. Your nation abilities represent your skills or powers, and your characters and armies are special equipment that lets you accomplish what you want.

First and foremost, you need to have an understanding of the rules. I suggest, even if you've played 1650 or 2950, that you should sit down and read the Fourth Age rulebook carefully. There are several changes and additions that can really ruin your day if you're not prepared when they happen to you. If you are a newcomer to ME-PBM, read the book twice - once just reading through, then again more carefully, paying close attention to the algorithms and orders.

Second, you should think long and hard about what kind of nation you want to play. Too many times I've seen players give up in disgust because they went through the list and picked abilities they thought were "cool" or were specific to nations they had always wanted to play in 1650 or 2950 (like "+20 Assassinate/Kidnap" from the Cloud Lord, or "Hire for Free" from Rhudaur and others), only to find that they didn't work well in combination or were completely unrelated to the nation they were playing (I know, +20 Assassinate is always useful, but if you are running 12 emissaries and only one agent, it's kind of a waste). Start with a general concept, like "Military Giant". Then, focus more closely on what you want - specifically, do you want to have a cadre of highly trained, well equipped cavalry that laughs at opposing armies, or do you simply want to raise thousands of bruisers in loincloths carrying branches they ripped off the tree they swung down out of? There are, obviously, benefits to each. Some factors to consider include:

1) Allegiance - If you start Free or Dark Servant, chances are you will have nations of the opposing allegiance within immediate striking range. If you start neutral, you may choose to hang back and build (of course, you could decide to blitzkrieg both allegiances);

2) Location - If you are fortunate enough to start with only one enemy nation in sight, chances are you may choose to try to sweep him away before he can dig in. Conversely, if you are outnumbered, moving out from your capital could be fatal;

3) Character Distribution - Otherwise known as "How many Commanders do I have?".

This process is essentially the same for other general concepts, such as "Sneaky SOB's" and "Emissary God" - take your overall thought and narrow it down until you can identify specific elements. Then, check the SNA list to match up your concept with what's available.

Third, you need to decide whether you want to start with your nation fully developed or whether you want to build as you go along. I usually prefer the second, because I find it more efficient to start with the supporting characters in place and develop my concept characters through naming. This is especially beneficial to concepts that include character-naming SNA's, such as "Name X at up to 40" or "Character has a better chance of Challenge/Stealth Bonus". Remember - only one of your starting 8 characters has a chance of a special ability, but each named character has an equal shot at a bonus. Imagine your dismay if you went with a Stealth/Agent concept and started with 7 agents, one of whom got stealth, then proceeded to name mages, commanders and emissaries, all of whom got stealth! Talk about a waste!

Another advantage to the second method is that it allows you to start with halfway decent multi-class characters. I'm especially fond of the 20/20 command/emissary. Two or three turns of training and you have a back-up who can execute almost any capital order, including the new "Move Turn Map" order (you may want to wait until they hit e40 before trying it, though. Besides, you won't need to do this, and probably won't be able to afford this, until then anyway).

Fourth, you need to decide if you want any non-concept characters. You are required to have at least one character with c30, so if you are not going military, there's one. I also recommend that each and every nation, regardless of concept, shell out 1000 GP for an emissary. If you are human, this gives you a 60; everyone else is stuck with a 50. If you are not human, I do NOT recommend spending the extra 500GP for an e60 - the 10 ranks are not worth it. I have several friends who have played this game in its various forms for years, who for some reason still think emissaries are what you name to throw at dragons so your studs don't get eaten. I showed them a growth chart from my first Fourth Age game, and their jaws just hit the floor. They had been so used to the "conquer and steal" aspects of 1650 that they couldn't wrap their minds around the thought that there might be another way to do things.]

Next on my list is a 40 rank mage. I try wherever possible to make this a command multi by giving him 20 command ranks, so he can be a challenging back-up, but with the new ability to pick which spells your starting mage gets. I heartily recommend one. The two spells I find most useful, barring any spell-learning abilities you pick, are "Reveal Production" and "Research Artifact". "Reveal Production" is very useful because it can maximize your camp posting/gold production, and also serves as a start to learning "Reveal Pop Center" (if anyone actually hides one) and "Reveal Character True" for when you want to go hunting. "Research Artifact" is nice because, if you mage has a free order, he can take a shot at figuring out which artifacts are which number. Also, you need this if you ever intend on finding any artifacts you need for Victory Conditions.

Most nations will have at least one agent, but my list would be incomplete if I didn't include it. I recommend a 40, but if you can't afford it, go with a 30. I would also strongly recommend that you try and find some way to afford putting 10 stealth on him as well (when choosing between an a40 and an a30 with 10 stealth, go with the stealth - you can always improve the agent rank).

Obviously, whatever concept you decide upon will make one or more of these "basic necessities" irrelevant. I just offer them as a baseline to keep in mind when deciding on starting characters and concept, because your concept is going to heavily influence your starting character choices, whether you decide to start with concept characters or build them.

I repeat, as I stated in my previous article, these are only my opinions. They do not necessarily reflect the opinion of GSI or anyone employed by them. I welcome debate about these points, as long as it is well reasoned and not simply a condemning diatribe. As Stuart said in the latest Whispers, articles are welcome. Sit down and write something - I want to know what you think about my opinions and this game.