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This is Martinmb responding not Kevin. The opinions expressed here are mine and mine alone. Kevin has been nice enough to post this for me as I am experiencing some techno difficulties at this time.

Wynter: If you think that it would take one month of real time to do a game month you are sadly mistaken. I also am running an EiA PBEM game. All of us have completed, prior to my computer going funny in the head, three full turns in just 4 1/2 weeks. As the GA of the group I have been able to successfully and accurately maintain a correct count of every player’s military forces and placements. Before we started I sent everyone a tutorial as to what was required in each phase of the game. I also believe that if you are going to expend about 300+ hours of your life, (There is 168 hours in a week, you do the math), that you must as a mature adult give full credit to your players having a brain in their head. During this game there has been about 2 or 3 issues brought forth that I did not cover or anticipate. The game was halted for about 2 days, each time, before a final agreed decision was reached. Everyone in the game does expect some delays. You cannot avoid this when you have 7 leaders of state sitting at one table. It is up to the GA to make the final decision, which is not to say that the GA is to micro-manage the game as a dictator with a “control” problem.

The way we play our PBEM game is thus. Diplomacy is conducted at all times and by all players, it is only subject as to how fast you can type and as to how quickly your ISP sends the e-mail. (Try and stop a wargamer from planning and communicating the destruction of his game enemies! ) Every economic phase each player sends the GA a copy of his last 4 months worth of expenditures as well as his builds for this phase, the GA sends a copy of his economic stuff to a specific player at the same time. (This keeps thing honest)

Moves are conducted with the knowledge that if you send it, it stays the way it was sent. (Just like in chess once your finger is off the piece the move is done!) As the GA I check every move as they are received, they are sent to every other at the same time. If an error has occurred in a player’s move I notify every player to hold their move as someone has made a whoops. I then contact that player with ALL of the options open to him and with what was done incorrectly. The GA then sends out the corrected move and the game resumes. Land moves are done separately from Naval moves. It is also during each player’s current move that any and all of his reinforcements are placed on the map or in his corps. This also includes the adding or removal any leaders in his “force pool”.

Political phase, this was a little tricky but I have come up with a way to insure fairness for all. The political phase is conducted in two parts. Part one has your countries 1) declarations of war. 2) Alliance and Combined movement announcements. The GA then sends out to everyone the results of the 1st half of the Political phase along with a move that places all minor countries that have been dow’d, and that have forces, in the capital of that minor nation. The major country that gained control of that minor then has the option to re-deploy those forces during his Naval phase. Navies always start in the capitol city or strongest defended port. Also included in this e-mail is the order in which every nation will move his Naval forces. The GB player sends his placement of when he wishes to move in the Naval phase to everyone as soon as the results have been posted. If GB sends no e-mail then he goes first. The French announce when he will move in the Land phase during his Naval phase. If the 2nd half of the political phase is required it will contain 1) Call to allies. And the balance of any missed steps.

As for land battles it is quite simple. For example Austria starts a fight with a Prussian corp. Austria would move his corps into the area and then ask the Prussian to send his “battle chit” selection to the GA, Austria would do the same but in a private e-mail. Once the GA has received both chit selections the GA would then do the battle and send out the results. I am doing it this way for the first year of the game so that the new players to the game can see what is required in doing a battle. Once the new players are comfortable with doing a battle on their own I will allow any player to conduct the battles for themselves. However, both sides will still have to send their respective battle chit selections to the GA to insure honesty. Simple is it not.

As for the debate as to if Matrixgames should concentrate on having this game built for the PBEM or the Play alone option. I believe that most of us will want to play the game against the AI alone first and then have our friends join in a 7-player game. This may not be true for all of us but it is for me. I personally believe that Matrixgames should put their primary efforts into making the AI as strong as possible. For if the AI is not done right what would be the point in buying the game in the first place. I do however like the idea that the AI in this game being able to act as the “rules judge” in a 7-player game.

I have done my best to recreate the flavour of this great game in the PBEM world. I am the first to state that it is not the EXACT same as playing this game Face-To-Face. I am totally against having this game played without the British and French having the choice of when they wish to move during the Land and Naval phases. This game is not set-up to be played in an “all move at once” manner. If you want to play a game that does allow this to occur then I suggest that you play a game called “Pax Britainnica” and leave “Empires in Arms” alone.

If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

This article was written by Martinmb and not by the person who has posted it. Any and all comments or suggestions about this should Only be directed towards Martinmb. Thank You.