Can't find a game? How to organise one on the Llamaserver

[llamabeast]

So, you've come to the MP forum to try to find a game to join, but there's nothing suitable. What to do? Organise your own! The community relies on people arbitrarily taking the initiative to organise games. This is particularly the case for newbie games, since veterans will rarely think to organise one. So please, if you're a new player, go ahead and organise a newbie game, as you'll almost always get some takers and they will appreciate it.

So, here's how to organise a game. I should emphasise that most of this is common sense. I don't want to make it seem too formal - if you play it by ear you'll be fine. But reading this may just make it a little smoother.

The first thing to do is to decide how the game's going to be hosted. If you are happy with PBEM (play-by-email), the LlamaServer (www.llamaserver.net, and read this) provides an easy option (obviously there is heavy bias in saying that, since it's my server!). Another option is Gandalf's network (direct-connect) server, which mass-creates many games and leaves them available for signup* or lch's network server, which hosts game on request (just send a PM). Special games can also be hosted on request. The final option is to host it yourself - the manual has good instructions on this, p.29-32 (at least in my manual).

Right, now you need to gather some players! Create a new thread for your game. Call it something like "Rabbit - EA Game - Recruiting". There, Rabbit is the name of the game. Feel free to use something more dramatic. Now, this first post needs to include all the details of the game:
- Age
- Map (if you know yet)
- How often you want the turns to go**
- Number of players (if you have a firm idea)
- Mods (if any)***
- Non-standard settings (graphs off? research on difficult? there are lots and lots of interesting possibilities for different games)
- Victory conditions (if any)
- Diplomacy policy (are treaties considered unbreakable, or is this a Machiavellian world?)
- Which race you want to play (you get first choice)!

Now, wait for people to sign up. Generally they'll choose a race as they sign up. You should keep editing the first post to keep an up-to-date list of nations and who's playing them, so people can keep track of which nations have been taken.

Once everyone's in, start the game. Then you just have two things to keep in mind. Firstly, you should check your thread regularly in case anyone has posted to say they have to go away for a weekend or something. If that happens you'll probably want to pause hosting so they don't miss any turns. The second thing to remember is to pass on your responsibilities if you get knocked out! Experience has shown that very few people can really continue to keep track of a game once they've been knocked out, and it's far better to have someone else take over from you (i.e. give them the LlamaServer admin password, or tell them they should contact Gandalf in case of problems if using his server).

Okay, that's it! Easy. Lots and lots of gaming fun to be had.

Here are a couple of expansions. You may also find this thread useful. It has the same intention as this one, but makes more suggestions about things you could vary, which could make for many interesting and different games.

* - You can check for open games on Gandalf's server here:
Dom3 Demo Games
Blitz Games
CBM mod Games
Players vs AI Games
Chaos Games
Mid-Sized Games

** - It's common to have turns processing on 24 hour quickhost for the first 20-30 turns. 24 hour quickhost means each turn will host 24 hours after the last one, or when everyone's turns are in, whichever is sooner. After that people often change to 48-hour quickhost and then sometimes to 72 in very late game. Other games, though, may start with longer timers from the beginning, if they are designed for busy players.

*** - I recommend mods. They are awesome. For one thing, consider the Conceptual Balance mod, which changes the balance of many many things, with the intention of making more options in the game useful. Finally you can summon Fire Drakes without knowing with a sad certainty that you're wasting your gems. Also lots of the nation mods are truly excellent. Have a play with Arga Dis or Skaven some time.