Bruce and I have been trying for dog's years (I don't know what dog's years are, but they sound long) to get a reliable PBEM game going with at least four people.

But we keep running into the following obstacles:

1) I don't know SEIV well enough to play competitively and no one else is interested in Emperor of the Fading Suns.

2) A lot of people don't have the Alien Crossfire expansion for SMAC.

3) Umm, I can't think of any other good PBEM games for more than 2 people right now.

Oh, yeah, and then there's #4:

4) A lot of people are flakey and give up after about twenty turns. Some of them are probably reading this now...

Ergo, would anyone here be interested in PBEM SMACX with me and Bruce? Ideally, we'd run through a turn every day or so, but of course, occasional interruptions in the schedule are expected when people go away, etc.

If there's any chance at all you think you'd lose interest, please don't offer to join! This would run its course over at least a couple of months, so make sure you're interested in sticking it out. Otherwise, Bruce will get drunk and come to your house and hold forth for several hours on the topic of Polish cinema.

-Tom

I want to play, bad. The problem is I haven't been able to get SMACX. It just isn't around and I haven't won the bid on Ebay yet. *sigh*

I've been playing a SMAC PBEM game for the last month. So I'm definitely interested. Confine it to the original SMAC and I'm game. =)

--Dave

I'd be keenly interested in that PBEM SMACX game, too, but I'm away on vacation June 23 through 30. If things don't get started for another week, I'm good to go. Maybe Dave can secure the expansion pack by then. :-)

(I'm in that PBEM SMAC game with Dave. We're up to MY 2127, or thereabouts.)

"at least a couple of months"? I figure we're talking a commitment of at least a year, unless somebody steamrolls their way to victory in the early going... which doesn't seem likely.

-- Lee

Lee, I don't want to speak for Tom, but as far as I'm concerned, waiting a week to start isn't a problem as long as we can get players together. As you said, maybe Dave can pick up a copy of SMACX in the meantime. I don't mind waiting.

Well, hey, Tom, that's why we're playing Diplomacy :).

We've got 7 reasonably together people in that.

I'd be interested in SMAC as well, but need to find the X too. Hard to do.

It's a shame that more games don't feature this mode of play. If only they'd finish Stars! Supernova. . .

That's why I hand-moderate games pretty often. Pick a standard AH or other board game classic, and I either have or can whip together PBEM rules for it.

Hey, I like EFS! :-)

"Pick a standard AH or other board game classic, and I either have or can whip together PBEM rules for it."

Have you seen the ACTS site that keeps track of cards in the Mark-Herman-style games like We the People and Paths of Glory so you don't need a GM? Ultra cool.

http://acts.wizard.com.hk/index.asp

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Quote:

Hey, I like EFS! :-)

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Well Bruce and Tom,
I was into the last experiment (even playing turns while on vacation) and I'd be into this one too.

I have SMACX but I still think the game is superior without the expansion pack.

And yes, Tom CAN steamroll his way over you in the early game....

-Andrew

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Quote:

And yes, Tom CAN steamroll his way over you in the early game....

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Well, I have SMACX. I'm starting to think the original is better, though, as the game degenerates into tedium much quicker than the old version. They did fix the bug for transcend difficulty having way-too-cheap building upkeep, though.

I'll play AX or classic SMAC, whatever Tom and Bruce decide. I'm not fussy.

What does AX add that Tom wants?

I know a lot of games won't allow MP between games with the expansion and those without. Don't know if that applies here -- and probably not, as you guys would have known that -- but I just wanted to chime in.

Original SMAC plays fine with or without the expansion via PBEM. That's not a problem. It's probably just that Tom finds the Xpack has features he prefers to the original game. Most people that have X seem to prefer it to SMAC.

I wouldn't know...I still haven't gotten one. >=(

Every fucking game on the planet has a repackaged for the billionth time-Gold Edition falling off the racks somewhere. SMACX and the Planetary Pack are simply GONE!

--Dave

I'm currently involved in 4 games of SMAC(X) (two of each). Two of them have been going on a turn a day (more or less) for over a month.

I'd be up for a game of either SMAC(X). As long as I'm not the pirates. I'm already playing two pirate games.

The best way to go (that seems to work with the Gone Gold group) is to start a bunch of games with no more than four people in each. Some of the games will die, but others will keep going. If someone goes on vacation, then not all the games stop.

Those are my suggestions, for what they're worth.

"Every fucking game on the planet has a repackaged for the billionth time-Gold Edition falling off the racks somewhere. SMACX and the Planetary Pack are simply GONE!"

Yep, I just went looking at the stores off Mich. Ave. here in Chicago. Everybody has the "EA Classic" edition of SMAC in the bargain bins, but noboday has either X or the Planetary Pack.

Mission Accomplished...

Harts Unlimited

Thank the gods for Google. I was three pages deep on a search for "Planetary Pack" before the link came up. If you search on Alien Crossfire, you'll come up empty. I've been looking for over three weeks now. Ebay seemed like the only option. This place says they have over 50 in stock.

I already placed the order, had it confirmed and shipped. I even have the tracking number. I contacted them by e-mail to confirm stock and got a reply in a couple minutes. The best thing... $17.50 after shipping via UPS. It's even on fucking sale...

--Dave

I'd love to EFS, but my copy has always corrupted games and crashed at some point in every game I've ever played, even with the patches. If someone has a stable copy I could mooch (having already stated that I did, in fact, buy the game), I'd be good for a go.

Don't get me wrong, SMACX is a wonderful expansion pack. I just personally think its a case of gilding the lily. I've always thought SMAC was perfect and adding new races (including aliens) is a nice wrinkle but not one that I feel was needed. Heh, the only REAL complaint I have is that the new races disturb the 7 faction narrative (which ultimately doesn't matter - especially in PBEM multiplayer).

-Andrew

Whatever happened to the EFS groups that were basically hacking the game to fix it? It's a shame Holistic couldn't see their way to patching it.

Kevin: SMACX is a great expansion pack all around, IMO. New techs, terrain features, and factions are a big part of the attraction, although in PBEM, you have to agree not to play the aliens (I also think the pirates are unbalanced in the hands of an experienced player, but a good way for a new player to get a bit of a jump start). I also seem to recall some tweaked rules that I would miss if I went back to SMAC vanilla.

Mark: As for EFS, I've enjoyed some ongoing games with the excellent Nova patch, which really balances the game system much better and makes it more freindly to PBEM. If anyone who enjoyed EFS hasn't tried the Nova patch, you really should: it effectively rescues the game from itself and comes close to making it a sane design.

Fortunately, I don't recall any of the instability problems kazz is reporting, but I haven't played for at least a year or so.

-Tom

Okay, looks like we'll have no problem getting together enough people for a SMACX game. Anyone definitely interested, contact me at [email protected] and we'll take the discussion of practical matters to email.

And those of you slackers who don't have SMACX yet (ahem: Mr. Perry, Mr. Levine), we'd love to have you along if you'd care to stop living in 1999. :)

-Tom

"NOVA patch?" I don't think I'd heard of that. Is there anyplace special I should look for it?

This would be great. I've had games with several hundred turns on them go belly up on me. Oddly, it seems to be a creeping thing, or an event that happens "out of sight." If I go back to an older saved game (one time even one that was 20+ turns old), it still corrupts on the same turn each time for that game. Freaky. The Holistic people couldn't help with it, so I gave the game up. I remember it had a very funny ad campaign, and a great introductory movie, too.

Thanks for the tip!

Also, I have SMAC, but not X.

kazz, kazz, kazz...you've been playing the wrong game.

Go here:

http://website.lineone.net/~rwein/nova/home.htm

And see how the a handful of enterprising fans wrestled with some simple text files to make Emperor of the Fading Suns the game it should have been all along.

-Tom

If anyone's thinking of ordering SMACX to be included in the fun, that link above seems to be a good one. I just checked the tracking number I got and sure enough, something is en route to my house. Since it's coming from NY and I'm in PA, it should be here by Monday at the latest. I'll drop one more post in here to confirm its arrival.

I know I'm often skeptical of off the beaten path e-retailers, but this one looks legit.

--Dave

Thanks to Dave Long for the SMACX link.. just ordered it.

"kazz, kazz, kazz...you've been playing the wrong game. "

Ya see, I knew if I hung out here long enough a value-added component would pop up!

Thanks for the link. I'll give it a go this weekend!

Say, is there one of these for Ultima IX....nah.

I find the number/frequency of acronyms in this thread disturbing.

Amanpour