From: sgccstr@citec.oz.au (Shaun Travers)
Subject: Re: Empire of the Middle Ages & Sword and Stars
Organization: CITEC
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 1992 23:26:26 GMT

elric@imryrr.Eng.Sun.COM (Rick Heli) writes:
: It's one of my all-time favorites also.  I've only managed to complete the
: campaign scenario once however.  Please describe your games!

With six players and playing once a week for 4-5 hours we manage to
complete the campaign in about 3 months. I'm actually going over
tonight to the persons house who owns the game. He made a reduced A4
copy of the map and used to draw who had what and where at the end of
each week. So I'll reminisce my heart out!

The six players are England, French, German, Italian, Polish and
Byzantine.  We have fairly balanced games. With the six players it
does get a bit crowded. Which is what you want!

England tends to go for the Scandinavian countries (as far as
Novgorod if possible) after the Vikings have gone, France
tends to get pushed into Spain, Germany hangs onto Northern Italy
until The Italian Player decides they have had enough.
Italy usually starts in Southern France (around Aquitaine etc) at the
start but once the Sarecens have gone builds up Italy which is
frightening to watch.

Poland always has it unlucky in our games but manages to finish in
the middle.  Byzantine tries to take over Serbia and Croatia
a lot (it also takes as much of Poland as possible just before
the Mongols arrive - much to the distress of the Polish player).

Poland always seems to get converted Catholic, and we never have
a change in the Schism (although we came close once).

Once the Mongols got as far as Germany (they never go through Byzantine),
but generally stop in Poland.

England or Italy came first, Byzantine, Poland next, lastly Germany and
France in our most recent game.

If you play with six and have an Italian player, you will realise why
the Saracens hang around for so long - Italy has it so good once 
they are gone!

We play with a piece of clear perspex (sp?) over the map and lots 
of colonisation goes on (Hungary goes very quickly). 
The whole of England was once Dark Blue - work out how long
Ireland takes! The owner of the game has photocopies of each
province and colours them to what the language is. Looks very good.

In one campaign, the French player held on to five orange provinces (I 
think he had colonised one) and sat there for about 400 years collecting
gold and waiting for Heresy so he could get and extra five victory
points. He actually managed to get 80 gold saved up!! (Yep - 80 - it
is not a typing mistake!). Meanwhile Italy had taken over all of Spain, 
lower France, Verona, Venice, Croatia, Serbia, all of Italy and
Syria! Only France and Germany had a chance at shrinking this 
Empire so Germany takes Verona after a long struggle and then just
when Germany is going to attempt another attack, France uses all its
gold to take most of Germany. Italy finishes first by a long margin,
France was fifth, Germany sixth. The French player has never
played with us since (not his choice but ours).

Luckily, just playing the game is fun (though frustrating).

I'll see if I can glean a bit more tonight.

P.S. Something tricky that can stop Magnates (and Outworlders in S&S).
If you have a claim (treaty) with the base of the magnate (outworlder),
as soon as the magnate (outworlder) appears play a Dynastic Inheritance
(Diplomatic Success) card. This allows you to take a province (system)
you have a claim (treaty) with. If it is already owned by someone
else you have to vote for it if the owner does not want to give it
up. Magnate (outworlders) are NPCs so you just take the province 
(system) and the magnate (outworlder) disappears! 
Very useful for removing the Syrian Magnate (which is why the
Italian player took Syria).
This make the Dynastic Inheritance (Diplomatic Success) card very
useful for removing a magnate (outworlder) who appears in one of
your systems while it was in unrest.

Anybody else utilise this rule? We had a lot of discussion over
it and many people reading the rules and found it is fairly
clear and this rule should be allowable. 

Shaun Travers            / Internet: sgccstr@citecuc.citec.oz.au
Department of Transport  \ Phone: +61-7-834-2304  Fax: +61-7-834-2911
Boundary St, Spring Hill / "I like dolphins. In fact, if dolphins were human
QLD. 4001 Australia.     \ I would be one." - Jason Donavan, confused singer?