This is very good to hear. Nice to think that when tournaments are held that these things could be explained as simply as you put it, and Dierk puts it...thank you.
I know that there are a few "papers" on MP games and I have read them. I just can't help thinking that maybe it is time for someone to update them with a simple protocol for playing HPS MP games both by Single-Phase play with this embedded melee "rule" and for 2 player teams multi-phase play. Of course once one is aware...the operative word being "aware" ... of these posts. They alone are a useful source of information, yours and Dierk's post and those others recently posted like Sean's about the detail of "embedded melee."
Perhaps I was too long a bureaucrat to not want to have a nice tidy, brief, "directive" linked to the ACWGC page relating to tournaments and a few options. This would certainly make it easier for the newbies who know nothing about them and the veterans who end up having to explain and answer annoying questions rather than getting on to the "playing" part. In ONE pickup game I would imagine the players all have prior MP experience. But in a tourny there must always be at least a few members who sign up and are new to MP play.
Were I to know more about the subject I would author a paper myself. I would also be glad to assist someone else with more experience to prepare something. I am not talking about something like Lars Winstedt's protocol OR even the whole enchilada of the MP Game Techniques paper on the Link Express. [What I found most useful about that paper was the file transfer explanation way, way down near the end of it.] I am advocating a simple step by step file transfer sequence for both formats of HPS play, and an explanation of any "special rules or techniques" that ease play, and perhaps including a couple of menus of optional rules that help balance play...and especially in biased scenarios. Sometimes it is tough enough when one side or the other has an inherent historical disadvantage without agreeing to and playing with optional rules that further handicap one or the other teams. The optional rule thing causes so much acid reflux ("ahh-chi-ta") that I think am at the point of just "ALL ON" for all play.
Frankly, I WAS kind of sorry that I started this whole string, but just as frankly, I now feel that at least some of the posts [probably not mine] will be very useful to anyone searching for this topic on the forum in the future.
Finally, I share the sentiment of the author below regarding an eventual "fix" of some kind making MP a little easier. I am also sure now that once I have more experience with MP games that I will be hooked on them. Clearly there are many going on and, extra the work and time aside, they sound like the players are really enjoying them.
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Antony Barlow</i>
<br />Multi-phased play is an option for 2v2 MP games, but perhaps not for larger teams, where you need to keep things moving and kept simple. I'm playing in a 5v4 MP full Peninsula 7 Days scenario and we are playing in single phase mode and using the embedded melee phase rule (with each player having his own melee 'phase'), and also an orders system with communication delays. All participants fully understand the rules and play in a good spirit and there have been no issues whatsoever. In fact it is one of the most enjoyable games I've played. I think the key to it all is good communication with your opponents and achieving an understanding as to how the game is to be played.
In my opinion the embedded melee concept does iron out the worst aspects of the single phase system, so long as it is fully understood by all particpants in a game. Having said that, I'm looking forward to seeing what solution may be part of future releases and patches.
[url="http://homepage.ntlworld.com/a.r.barlow/acw/acw.htm"]General Antony Barlow[/url]
[url="http://homepage.ntlworld.com/a.r.barlow/aoc/Western_Theater.htm"]Commander, Western Theater, Union Army[/url]
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Major General
Tom Ciampa
Commanding Officer
1st Cav Division
XIV Corps, AoC
Games: TS/BG: AN, BR, CH, GB, SH - HPS: AT, CTH, GB, OZK, SH, VK