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Game review below. Will attempt to get a location where the
game maps can go as well (JPEG from a survey done every 10
turns).
===================
RWIAB Series II (Galaxy C): A Game Review
"Rabid Weasels in a Box II" (RW-IIc) was a Stars! game run on
Autohost on a Monday-Friday generation schedule until a victor
was declared by virtue of “modified” high score in 2500. The
game name was based upon the main game condition that all races
conform to the "factoryless" (-f) standard of having cost 25
factory settings, or by being the AR PRT. A long ago newsgroup
post referred to these races having to act like rabid weasels in
their drive to expand and grow and thus I adopted the term for
the game.
The game was played in a small, packed galaxy, ACC BBS start,
random events on, and public scores off. There were eight
active participants plus a neutral observer race run by the
host. This game was also run in parallel with two nearly
identical games (RW-IIa and RW-IIb). The “modified” score was
adjusting the standard Stars! Scoring so that resources
generated fewer points and planet count for each race was a
minimum number of 50 since planet count sets a ceiling on most
of the scoring parameters.
Summary
No expectations at the beginning other than the close quarters
possibly causing some early race deaths. Before 2450 it was
clear to the observers that the Happy Hounds were running away
with things. Well out in front in resources, building a tech
lead, expanding well, and excellent use of diplomacy to keep the
other races off balance. While in 1st the race was covertly
supplying aid to the weaker race in three other wars; staying at
peace while the opposition tore at each other.
The covert running away with the game became overt in the next
twenty years. The Happy Hounds sequentially declared war on the
Mictante CRU, Imps, Mines, and Panders. The K’leath and Wombats
aided the Hounds to some degree, but mainly as a method to
remain alive a little longer in the face of what was obviously
to them an unstoppable juggernaut. Between 2472 and 2473 the
remaining resisting races surrendered and the game came to an
end.
Startup
The races started in roughly the following positions:
..4..9..5
..8..3..7 (corresponding to player #)
..2..1..6
# Race PRT Final Score
1 The Wombats IS Score: 911 [4th]
2 The Mines WM Score: 429 [6th]
3 The Watcher WM Host Observer
4 The Dark Eldars IT extinct in 2468
5 The Mictante CRU SS Score: 435 [5th]
6 The K’leath IT Score: 1286 [2nd]
7 The Imps SD extinct in 2466
8 The Pandarians JOAT Score: 1011 [3rd]
9 The Happy Hounds JOAT Score: 3286 [1st]
Race Comments
1. Wombat (Wombats)
IS w/19% PGR, Grav Immune, Temp narrow left, Rad narrow right.
(1in6). IFE, TT, ISB, CE, NAS. Weap and Con cheap. Energy and
Bio normal; rest expensive.
Started in bottom-middle. Trailing initially – probably due to
low starting tech levels. Middle of the pack in 2430, tech
levels up to bazooka DDs or FFs. 5th in 2450. Jihad BB tech,
weaker in other areas. Looks to be at war with everyone but the
Happy Hounds. In 4th in 2470 with Juggernaut BB tech and riding
the tails of the Happy Hounds while helping them wipe out the
Mines.
2. Silver (Mines)
WM w/19% PGR, 3 wide and centered hab bands (1in3). IFE, NRSE,
OBRM, RS. Energy, Weapons and Const cheap, Propulsion normal,
rest expensive.
Started in bottom-left. Expanding, and also aggressive
spreading of armed probes early on to hunt scouts. Back of
pack in 2430, limited number of colonies, but has bazooka CA
capability. Seems to also be at war with the Wombats. 7th in
2450. Friendly with the Happy Hounds, at war with the Imps and
Mictante CRU. All tech >10 except Bio, but doesn’t have
battleships yet. 5th in 2470 with Juggernaut BB tech. Heavily
damaged by the Happy Hounds and down to less than ten colonies.
3. Watcher (Watcher)
One-world-wonder 18% WM. All narrow and fully right-shifted
(1in171)*. 15/8/23 factories. Elec cheap, rest expensive and
start @3.
Observer race starting in middle-middle. Built additional low
tech scouts in 2402 and 2403. About 2407 starts researching Con
4 (Privateer hulls to hold orbital pop) and then to start
ramping Elec to get pen-scanners. WM PRT used to facilitate
looking at ship designs of the other races. Has dolphin
scanners deployed and pen-scan of most of galaxy by 2430.
Elephant scanners deployed in the late 2440s.
4. Eldar (Dark Eldars)
IT w/18% PGR. Rad Immune, Temp and Rad centered (1in5). IFE,
ARM, ISB, CE, LSP. Weapons, Const and Elec cheap; Prop normal;
rest expensive.
Started in top-left. Expanding slowly early on. Race being run
by a substitute player – who has inherited an experimental
design that plans to remote mine and in addition to 5/25/5
factories has mine settings of 9/3/5. The LSP LRT has resulted
in a resource lag as well. By 2430 the race was starting to
lose ground. Tech was capable of bazooka FFs, but race was
lacking in resources and minerals. Pandarians making serious
encroachments as well. Race essentially wiped out by the
Pandarians in the 2440’s. No planets left by 2450, just five
scouts idling in orbits here and there. Last vestiges destroyed
in 2468.
5. Mictante CRU (CRU Collective)
SS w/20% PGR. Grav Immune, Temp and Rad shifted heavily right
(1in6). IFE, NRSE, OBRM, NAS, RS. Energy Weapons and Const
cheap, Elec normal, rest expensive.
Started in upper-right. Very aggressive early scouting (25
scouts produced by 2510). Middle of the pack in 2410. A
J’tonal task force bombed the HW in 2429-2430. Otherwise the
race is still solidly in the game (HWs are just a planet with a
–f race, not a major production site once the population is
distributed.) The race has bazooka CA capacity, but hasn’t
started a fleet yet. New player assigned race in 2450 due to an
accident befalling the original player. 2nd place in 2450.
Jihad BB tech and fairly high Energy tech as well. At war with
the J’tonal – but NAP with the Happy Hounds was just canceled
and two-front war seems to be imminent. War with the Happy
Hounds and K’leath crippled the race in the mid 2450’s. Some
colonies left in Pandar space still in 2470, and in 6th place.
6. J’tonal (K’leath)
IT w/20% PGR. Temp immune, Grav wide and centered, Rad narrow
and right (1in7). TT, ISB, CE, OBRM, RS. Weapons and Const
cheap, rest expensive and start @3.
Started in lower-right. Close to lead, researching Const 9 in
2410 (pushing for any/300 gate?), and has already colonized
yellows. This might imply a poor hab draw. In 2nd in 2430 with
bazooka CA tech (but shield tech sorely lacking). At war with
the Mictante including a raid on the Mictante HW (including some
bombers constructed by the Happy Hounds.) 4th in 2450. Jihad
BB tech. At war with the Mictante CRU still and has lost some
ground since 2430. In 2nd in 2470 with Juggernaut BB tech.
Hitched their wagon to the Happy Hound machine and helped
destroy the Micante CRU and Imp races.
7. Imp (Imps)
SD w/19% PGR. Three wide centered hab bands (1in2). NRSE, CE,
OBRM, NAS, RS. Energy, Weapons, Const and Elec cheap, rest
expensive.
Started in middle-right. Tail-end of the pack in 2410. Looks
like scouting has been delayed – this might prove costly in the
long run. Situation not much improved by 2430; minelayers
starting to deploy and has bazooka FF tech. But still trailing
in resources and technology. 6th in 2450. Jihad CA tech. No
explicit enemies set, but seems to be fighting the Happy Hounds
and Wombats possibly. Probably set to attack neutral races.
Attacked the Happy Hounds in the late 2450’s (to aid the
Mictante CRU?) and also detonated some large minefields soon
afterwards. This brought down the wrath of the Happy Hounds and
K’leath (previously neutral to the Imps) and the Imps were
rapidly overrun and eliminated.
8. The Pandars (Pandarians)
JOAT w/18%PGR. Temp immune, Grav very wide, Rad very narrow and
to the right (1in4). IFE, OBRM, NAS, RS. Weapons, Const and
Elec cheap, rest expensive.
Started in middle-left. Middle of the pack – fielding X-ray DDs
in 2410. 4th in 2430. Has collodial CA tech, and a lot of
built up population. Seems to be attacking the Dark Eldar as
well. 3rd in 2450. Juggernaut BB tech. Turning south against
the Wombats after killing off the Dark Eldar. Probably
cooperating with the Mines and certainly supplying weapons tech
to the Mictante CRU. Will probably be the key race in forming
any alliance that has a chance of standing up to the Happy
Hounds. In 3rd place in 2470 with ARM BB tech. Under serious
attack from the Happy Hounds since they are the only real
opposition left. Surrendered in 2472.
9. Happy Hounds (Happy Hounds)
JOAT w/19% PGR. Temp immune, Grav shifted right, Rad shifted
left (1in4). IFE, ISB, NRSE, OBRM, NAS. Weapons and Const
cheap, Prop and Elec normal, rest expensive.
Started in top-middle. Aggressively colonizing and leading in
score in 2410. In a very good position in 2430. Massive
resource and colony lead and seems to be sole race that has
expanded into the central Watcher area. Appears to be
diplomatically affecting other races (through indirect aid) to
cause wars involving the neighbors to both sides. Thus, the
races most threatening to the lead position are now fighting
each other instead of possibly allying to oppose. 1st in 2450.
Juggernaut BB tech. Massive resource lead (36K to 19K).
Appears to be setting up a steamrollering of the 2nd place
race. Presumably will work through the rest of the races in
order if not opposed by a coalition quickly. The steamrollering
is well underway in 2470. One race eliminated (Imps), two races
crippled (CRU and Mines), and a fourth (Pandars) under heavy
attack. And the remaining two (Wombats and K’leath) are
technically allies at this point.
Empire Statistics
The observer gathered data on the various races each decade
starting in 2410. Thus the relative power of the various races
could be compared and analyzed. Here's the data in tabular form.
PLANETS
Race 2410 2420 2430 2440 2450 2460 2470*
Wombats 5 8 13 15 16 23 24
Mines 6 9 10 13 16 18 8
Watcher 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Dark Eldar 3 5 4 4 0 - -
Mictante CRU 2 7 19 28 42 10 3
K’leath 5 10 22 25 18 26 28
Imps 3 9 15 17 32 16 -
Pandarians 4 10 16 27 34 35 27
Happy Hounds 11 21 36 53 64 98 138
RESOURCES (in 1000s)
Race 2410 2420 2430 2440 2450 2460 2470*
Wombats 0.56 1.44 3.77 6.83 8.35 9.59 12
Mines 0.55 1.51 3.17 5.19 7.76 10 5.83
Watcher 0.94 2.12 4.90 4.90 4.90 4.90 4.90
Dark Eldar 0.41 0.95 1.38 0.73 0 - -
Mictante CRU 0.50 1.87 5.09 11 19 5.64 3.65
K’leath 0.55 1.37 4.47 9.24 11 16 21
Imps 0.53 1.31 2.78 4.87 8.70 5.81 -
Pandarians 0.46 1.70 4.67 9.87 17 24 19
Happy Hounds 0.54 2.08 7.29 19 36 47 66
*- 2470 survey data actually collected in 2471.
[Updated on: Thu, 08 January 2004 22:40] Report message to a moderator
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RWIAB IIC - Review (long)
