comment below next to Matts.
Also I enjoyed this map and the freeze rules- I say stick with them as they are, it adds a strategic level of complexity.
As for EOG statement- I was in a position to take down Denmark early and take the lead when USA attacked me and continued to harrass me throughout the game, which tied me up. Very frustrating as the USA barely communicated.
So tied up i was until USA suddenly turned on Russia giving me some room. My team up with Denmark v Russia/norway worked well- and there was a point where i could and should have stabbed Denmark, which would have dragged the game out- hopefully to a draw, but with Christmas coming and the wife with a slipped disk i need this game over!

Otherwise a great bunch of players and well done to all who stuck it out (including USA).
Not forgetting Matt for his hard work- many thanks
Nice one on the solo. Happy days

 


----- Original Message ----
From: Matt Kremer <matthew.kremer(at)yale.edu>
To: KLYNCH427(at)HOTMAIL.COM; Andrew Tanner <damienthryn(at)gmail.com>; jport333(at)yahoo.com; thase+dipcorp(at)dalarin.net; Matt Kremer <matthew.kremer(at)yale.edu>; "maxatrest(at)yahoo.co.uk" <maxatrest(at)yahoo.co.uk>; dc267(at)diplomaticcorp.com; Bill Duncan <cpt23862(at)yahoo.ca>; MICHAEL BOUTOT <vegas_iwish(at)yahoo.com>
Sent: Sat, 26 December, 2009 21:29:32
Subject: DC267 First Playtest Observations

So here's the list of potential changes (with comments).  Feel free to comment on any/all of them, but your input would be especially appreciated on those marked with a *.

1. Name changes because I'm an idiot:
  -It's Sea of Okhotsk not Sea of Okhtosk
  -It's MacKenzie, not McKenzie, and I'm also going to make it MacKenzie Bay instead of        MacKenzie Delta for geographical accuracy

OK

2. Builds:
  It was pointed out that Canada's ability to build in Western Canada puts an unfair burden on the USA to occupy Western Canada just to block the build site.  Also, it's almost impossible for Norway, Denmark, and the USA to put fleets in the other ocean, respectively.  Both of these will be solved by implementing chaos builds (and removing the Canadian build site in Western Canada).

Agree on western canada but only if you have chaos builds. Problem is this means the USA can easily defend its coastal sc.

*3. Russia
      I don't like Russia having a Pacific fleet to start because I think it makes it hard for Russia and the USA to cooperate, which I want to be a viable strategy.  The same is true with respect to Norway in the Atlantic.  Thus my inclination is to give Russia 3 armies.  However, I cannot decide whether to put the third army in Magadan or the Trans-Siberian Railroad, as I think the latter gives more flexibility.  The question is whether it is too much...

it will slow russia expansion and push his focus into the arctic which is good i think, too little of the game was played in the centre- because of the slow pace crossing it.

*4. Time and Ice
  I think having certain territories melt and freeze EVERY season disrupts the flow of the game too much.  I see two options.  I could spread the time out more, so there are the equivalent of 4 standard years per Arctic year; each season would be a month, and therefore territories would remain in the same state for a whole "year."  Alternatively I could keep the time scale and change the freeze rules so that changing territories are frozen for winter and spring and water for summer and fall (no differences within transforming territories).

the latter is my preference.

5. Norwegian Sea
  I think the Norwegian Sea as it stands now is too powerful of a space because it borders all 4 of Norway's most natural centers AND 2 of Denmark's.  I think I'm going to split it into North Norwegian Sea and South Norwegian Sea, with the line running between Greenland Sea and Oslo.  Or Tromso?

hmmmm makes it impossible to defend having 2

6. The Middle
  A couple players commented that the middle of the board takes too long to get across.  So I think I'm going to combine Men, CAP, and AWL into one big permanently frozen space called Central Arctic Ocean.

yep agree

7. Bering Strait
  The five way arrow is going away to be replaced with a normal land bridge.  The net change is the elimination of Sew/EBS and Kam/WBS connections.
yep

*8. The Gulf of Bothnia
  I'm considering adding the Gulf of Bothnia as a space.  I would also add a canal on the Lapland/Europe border, giving Archangel two coasts as well as Lapland.  NAO would also be expanded to border Lapland.

yep

9. More NAO
  I might remove the border between NAO and Nain (Labrador Sea would border the edge of the board).

nah leave it as is. works well

I think that's it.  Again please comment to your hearts content, and also feel free to suggest other things.  The thing I learned most from this playtest is that the variant definitely needs some work.

Matt

8.