New Play Order option "Freeround"

[Grifter]

Concise description:

• Add a new option to the Play Order for a game. Suggest to call it Freeround I am open to other ideas for a name.

Specifics:

• Freeround is similiar to Freestyle in that players can take their turn at any time.
• The difference is that troop bonus for players is determined at the beginning of the round and not at the beginning of a turn. This is includes the region and the zone bonus.
• So if someone hold Africa and 12 regions at the start of the round they get a 7 troops (4 for regions and 3 for zone). If before they start their turn in that round someone conquers a territory from Africa the player still gets their 7 troops (see below for rational)
• Spoils bonus is still determined when a card set is turned in

This will improve the following aspects of the site:

• With the current freestyle players that are on the internet a lot and are able to start their turn first. They can use their early bonus to take away someone else bonus before they can start their turn. Players that have jobs or kids or just happen to be on the phone when a round starts are not always that lucky.
• This will make conquering in a round more important as failure to take a zone will allow another player to still get their bonus in the next round

[Timminz]

So going last in a round, conquering a large continent without any defense on the borders would be enough to guarantee a huge bonus?

[ManBungalow]

So going last in a round, conquering a large continent without any defense on the borders would be enough to guarantee a huge bonus?

You can do that in a normal freestyle game already, but I take your point. I can't imagine this being a playable option

[Timminz]

So going last in a round, conquering a large continent without any defense on the borders would be enough to guarantee a huge bonus?

You can do that in a normal freestyle game already

Yes, but only if you run out of time at the 24 hour mark. Otherwise you have to wait around for someone else to start their turn, and hit begin quickly. With this suggestion, you would only need to be the last to go in the previous round. You could still collect a card, and wouldn't have to wait around hitting refresh for hours (potentially). Do we really need to make the exploits that make people like me avoid freestyle, easier to accomplish?

[GenuineEarlGrey]

I like where your idea comes from. Freestyle offers a simple way to play one round in a multi-player game within 24 hours. It can appear unfair, especially when someone gets two turns in quick succession - alas that's the nature of the beast.

You are coming from the right place. I just don't think its solving anything, just creating a different strategy (wuich isn't that appealing). As Timminz says...

So going last in a round, conquering a large continent without any defense on the borders would be enough to guarantee a huge bonus?

[oVo]

A freestyle game with bonus pre-determined at the start of the Round is an interesting idea
and as Timminz sez... would definitely generate some new gameplay tactics.

[whitestazn88]

not a good idea... building up defense is part of the game...

[Grifter]

Freestyle rewards players who are on the internet all the time. They can start their turn as soon as the round starts and get their full bonus and can use it take away other players bonus. I recently won a freestyle game on the Canada map by doing this. In my current freestyle game round 7 started at 16:34:00 and at 2 minutes another player took away my zone bonus. I was busy at the time.

Freeround is another way to play the game. It puts more of an emphasis on defense since once a player captures a zone he needs to hold it until the end of the round. Its weakness is that it does the opposite in that it tends to reward the player that goes last. I guess you can't have it all.

[Joodoo]

Freestyle rewards players who are on the internet all the time. They can start their turn as soon as the round starts and get their full bonus and can use it take away other players bonus. I recently won a freestyle game on the Canada map by doing this. In my current freestyle game round 7 started at 16:34:00 and at 2 minutes another player took away my zone bonus. I was busy at the time.

Freeround is another way to play the game. It puts more of an emphasis on defense since once a player captures a zone he needs to hold it until the end of the round. Its weakness is that it does the opposite in that it tends to reward the player that goes last. I guess you can't have it all.

play sequential

[Royal Panda]

Freestyle rewards players who are on the internet all the time. They can start their turn as soon as the round starts and get their full bonus and can use it take away other players bonus. I recently won a freestyle game on the Canada map by doing this. In my current freestyle game round 7 started at 16:34:00 and at 2 minutes another player took away my zone bonus. I was busy at the time.

Freeround is another way to play the game. It puts more of an emphasis on defense since once a player captures a zone he needs to hold it until the end of the round. Its weakness is that it does the opposite in that it tends to reward the player that goes last. I guess you can't have it all.

Surely this way will also reward players constantly on t'interwebs? As they will be the ones who can always take their turn with minutes left on the clock - thereby securing massive bonuses for themselves and taking others' away.

[EmpireStateHuman]

How about a slightly modification to the freeround idea. You only get your start of round bonus , if you are a round behind, due to someone taking their go early and effectively giving them self a double round advantage.

I was also toying with the idea, of suggesting that if you got totally wiped out, the bonus armies you would have been entitled to come back as zombies..

[Dardobul]

Why not alter freeround so that HALF your bonuses are protected? That way there is less of a benefit to taking a go quickly to knock out bonuses, and still the incentive for defence.

[Joodoo]

Why not alter freeround so that HALF your bonuses are protected? That way there is less of a benefit to taking a go quickly to knock out bonuses, and still the incentive for defence.

the problem is:what if the bonus gives you an odd number of troops?
or if you were talking about holding multiple bonuses:what if you held an odd number of continents?

[Grifter]

Perhaps a better option for Freeround would be to calculate the region bonus only based on what players have at the start of a round. Zone bonus would be calculated at the start of a turn. It improves but making drastic changes. Thus if a player has 12 regions at the start of a round he gets 4 troops even if he loses 11 regions before he starts his turn. Maybe Freestyle should work this way.

[Dardobul]

the problem is:what if the bonus gives you an odd number of troops?
or if you were talking about holding multiple bonuses:what if you held an odd number of continents?

I was talking about the total number of troops you get from bonuses. Just always round down if there is a half. Or always round up. Doesn't make a great deal of difference, provided it is a consistent and clear rule!

[KoE_Sirius]

This is a really good idea.