Re: Campaign discussion

[Martin]

............... I am going to need everyone's e-mail address, so I'll be sending out PMs to you all shortly, unless Martin, you can provide those?

Have most, but not all (missing Joshua, Dan Young & Wittman).
Martin

PS a most awesome piece of work, Diggers.

[Uncle Billy]

Kevin Komisarcik (Little Billy)

Little Billy, indeed. It is all I can do to contain my armies from taking a stroll through your currently green and fatted lands.

[Father General]

Mr Digby, I have a lot of experience. If you need me to serve in an advanced capacity, I am prepared.

[Ike]

Mr. Digby, do you envision the map-level commanders' conferences being on the forum or being live? The conferences could very well be held either way, but if live is wanted, the TS server information can readily be handed out to the map commanders for conferences there, using one of the labelled channels for it. Perhaps both will be used or only one; not my decision, certainly, but they have the option to us the TS voice server if they (or you) would prefer.

[Hays]

CSA Battle field Commission please.

[Father General]

CSA Battle field Commission please.

Yes! We must have Gen'l Hays.

[Hays]

It's good to see you back Neal.

[Mr. Digby]

All discussions would be on the forums or by email. Possibly by PM here.

I was keen to have a private CSA sub-forum available only to the CSA players (or possibly of more entertainment to the whole KS community NOT available to the USA players) and then vice-versa for the opposing side. I'll just have to trust the general public not to reveal people's secrets.

I used secure sub-forums on another game but that was a WWI North Sea naval campaign and effectively that setting gives command by committee since all the senior officers were ashore or at least on their flagships in harbour and so could exchange letters/telephone calls as a group thus the sub-forum workled extremely well. Here, commanders are not in proximity except that we can say they are at the start (the ball on the night before Waterloo syndrome).

It would be great to have something to show on the forum to non-players so that the game remains a community thing but equally I'm wary of info getting to players when it shouldn't, like being handed out in a group format when only the sender and recipient would know of it.

Father General, thanks for the offer. I am still not yet sure quite how much work will be involved though I am definitely of the mind that umpires cannot also be players.

One thing that is bothering me is that almost all our American players have gone to the CSA side. This does not bode well for matching the teams up for online games as I'd really like a sprinkling of Europeans and Americans on both teams. This way we could have a battle early in the day that the European players might more comfortably attend while late in the day (from a Europe time-zone standpoint) our American-based players could fight battles when it better suits them.

Would one or two of the Americans be willing to switch sides?

[Uncle Billy]

Would one or two of the Americans be willing to switch sides?

The start of a fifth column?

[Father General]

It's good to see you back Neal.

Thank you, Hays.

[Ike]

I'll transfer to the Union side of battle commanders, Mr. Digby, to confirm my remarks in the TS today.

[Father General]

Mr. Digby, the best cure I can think of is to play one game per week with the time chosen by the majority of players. I should be good for most any weekend battles, but I am on Pacific time, so early start times are difficult during the workweek. On the weekends, I'll rise as early as need be to whip Yankees.

One game per week may seem slow, but when you get into the admin, it can be just enough. Also, if the players interact on the forums during the week, it passes quickly.

I agree that umpires cannot be players. In the last group of which I was a part -- and a leader, that was the problem, a problem I fully participated in. Mistrust is inherent (especially when seeing those blue uniforms) and if game officials are also players things can get ugly. I learned some lessons back then, and that was one of them!

Looking forward to whatever you do.

FG

[Martin]

One game per week may seem slow, but when you get into the admin, it can be just enough. Also, if the players interact on the forums during the week, it passes quickly.

I agree. Email games can give rise to lots of admin, and some past games have ended prematurely due to umpire burn-out. It may be best to start sedately - you can always increase the speed later if you're able. I suspect players will be quite happy with one battle per week. They can still play ad-hoc sandbox or user scenario games on other days.

But at the end of the day it's your game and your call. We're all with you and willing you on

Martin

[Uncle Billy]

Personally, I'm fine with the umpire taking part in the battle. The miniature group I was with for many years always had the umpire take command of a unit. Questions of honesty and integrity only arise when winning is the sole objective, rather than just having a good time. This group does not strike me as holding to the Lombardi philosophy, "Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing." If it did, I certainly wouldn't be here.

[Mr. Digby]

Thanks Neal, Kevin, and others.

We'll see how it goes, I have no idea how things will work out. I agree with Neal that one battle a week would be realistic, given that scenarios need to be written and also map moves made and the most senior "map" player on each side (and even junior ones) will need to send briefs to the battlefield team on their objectives. This has to be slotted in around having to live as well of course

As is the nature of these things players can be busy at the last minute or someone's internet can drop them out so I would be willing to play a minor roole (maybe an ammunition wagon convoy, a few cavalry units on patrol or at the most a brigade, nothing bigger). I'd also of course fill in on either side, wherever a gap needed filling.

This would be a last resort though, my preference is not to play in the games at all, though it would be great to be a general figure who had no troops which I am sure can be fudged into a scenario.