TBS Alea Jacta Est expansion (Parthian Wars)

[Agesilaus]

http://www.ageod.co.uk/products/513/details/Alea.Jacta.Est-.Parthian.Wars

Exciting news, the 2nd expansion pack for Alea Jacta Est has been released. I am downloading it now and am going to try it out, but there's an AAR on the Ageod forums for those that would like to review it first ( http://www.ageod-forum.com/showthread.php?32793-Parthian-Wars-expansion-preview-and-AARs ).

Alea Jacta Est/Birth of Rome/Parthian Wars are clearly the best ancient-era strategy games that are out right now. Feel free to discuss the joys of moving little portraits around a map.

 

[Kattze]

Looks great.

 

[Sranchammer]

Who wants to PBEM

 

[Burning Bridges]

Alea Jacta Est/Birth of Rome/Parthian Wars are clearly the best ancient-era strategy games that are out right now.

Now we will get swamped by RTW fans ...

 

[Malakal]

RTW2 doesnt hold up. To anything really.

 

[Agesilaus]

Don't worry, RTW fans stick to twitch-gaming forums. I am finishing up a Pyrrhus multiplayer game, but I would be up for a PBM of Parthian Wars.

 

[L'ennui]

Can the battle engine account for the parthian tactics and their outstanding ranged cavalry?

Only AGEOD I really played was Birth of America, and admittedly that was very good, but the sides were more homogenous than Romans and Parthians, which are world apart.

 

[Burning Bridges]

Cavalry was a topic of discussion, that the engine does not simulate that very well and how this would work with Parthian tactics.
I don't remember what the outcome was, but don't expect that they will have made more than cosmetic changes to the engine.

 

[Malakal]

Judging by the AARs the game does not simulate it in any way and merely gives cavalry and horse archers massive bonus in plains (or massive penalties in other types of terrain).

 

[Sranchammer]

I'm trying to think how could the AGE engine simulate it

 

[BlackAdderBG]

Didn't they give them a huge initiative and range stat.

 

[Sranchammer]

I'm not sure. I've been playing the Marius-Sulla Civil War and it's been a lot of fun so far.

 

[Cenobyte]

Cavalry was a topic of discussion, that the engine does not simulate that very well and how this would work with Parthian tactics.
I don't remember what the outcome was, but don't expect that they will have made more than cosmetic changes to the engine.

Yes, apart from the new scenarios and flavour stuff (leader biographies and so on) there are no major changes to the game engine. Yet, I'd still say that it's a good game with solid mechanics, albeit it's of course rather obvious that the game engine was initially designed with another historical period in mind. But I can live with that.

 

[L'ennui]

Yeah, I guess it's not really that much of a deal-breaker. I'll try to give this a whirl if I have the time.

 

[Sranchammer]

Yeah, I guess it's not really that much of a deal-breaker. I'll try to give this a whirl if I have the time.

I'm always down for PBEM

 

[Trash]

Strategy for battles have one golden rule. When having superior fighting forces try to fight in a region where your 'front' is constricted. Meaning that your legionaires excell at butchering masses of low grade infantry as long as they don't get swamped from all sides by them. In reverse the same holds true. When having lower grade troops make sure you got the numbers and the room to envelop the enemy.

Cavalery is basically more speedy. Though the Parthian generals (usually) get nice bonuses for using them.

 

[L'ennui]

Yeah, I guess it's not really that much of a deal-breaker. I'll try to give this a whirl if I have the time.

I'm always down for PBEM

Which exact version of the game are you using?

 

[Sranchammer]

Which exact version of the game are you using?

Base game but will get Parthian Wars this wkend

 

[L'ennui]

As in, not remove from inventory or remove from inventory? Don't have it yet, but I suppose PBEM requires all players have the same version.

 

[Burning Bridges]

I must admit I don't try to understand these frontage rules. There are numerous threads about the topic, where people go to great lengths discussing the undocumented combat calculations, and the lead programmer tries to confirm or deny as best as he can, with his memory failing at times. I refuse to go through this. Perhaps they could release the source code for the combat part, so people can figure it out themselves.

As a player you are better off just forgetting any calculations and playing by intuition.

 

[Sranchammer]

From the sound of it, the Second Punic War should be coming within a few months. Along with Revolution Under Siege Gold.

I've been playing a lot of AJE & RuS PBEM and getting my ass handed every time.

 

[Agesilaus]

I played one game of Birth of Rome online, and just stomped the shit out of Pyrrhus as Rome. We installed the patch though and it kind of screwed up our game. If anyone wants a multiplayer game of AJE/BOR/Parthian Wars let me know.

EDIT: Actually, come to think of it, I didn't really stomp my opponent in that game. I do think I was winning, though.

 

[Sranchammer]

I'm nearly done with a Severus v Pontus v Clodius match so I'd be down after.