Friday Night Gaming: Mare Nostrum
December 5, 2008
Mare Nostrum
We played this with the Mythology Expansion (without the expansion, it only handles 5 players). In clockwise order around the board (we shuffled seats to accommodate), I played Rome, Zach Greece, Merwin Babylon, Brian Egypt, Ian Carthage, and Robert Atlantis. Because it had been so long since we had played, it took an hour to review the rules. And yes, the game took a couple hours longer than the time on the box, but I'm tired of beating that particular horse, so I won't mention it again.
In the initial round, everyone did the "step one (or two) provinces outward" maneuver to grab resources. By the second or third round, I think all the caravans had been purchased. While Zach quickly built his triremes, Merwin expanded his influence pretty far (but lacked caravans to make use of it), Brian was doing something or other (see comments at the end), while Ian, Robert, and I drew lines of demarcation. At one point, Ian and Robert temporarily occupied each other's regions until and agreement was made. On my side, I kicked Robert out of a region too close to my border, and then we established a heavily militarized zone (my 3 legions, his 4 legions and fortification) on either side of the Pyrenees. (In fact, this left the eastern region of Iberia open because neither of us could afford to take it.)
I made two primary mistakes:
Brian seemed to be struggling with resources. More so than any other power, Egypt is rich in taxes, but limited with commodities. Zach and Merwin seemed to be playing too passively (as was I, really) and didn't finally butting heads until it was too late). Robert and Ian did a good job of obtaining resources without needing trading (as I did). Unfortunately, and the only sour note of the game, was that both of them were at the doorstep of victory and the winner just depended on which one got to build first (I might have been there as well, but again, I lacked the necessary 9-commodity set), which was in Brian's hands. He rolled a die and Robert won. Here, I wish the winning conditions allowed for a simultaneous win with a tiebreaker.
Other Comments
Many games develop tension through the issue of timing. In Mare Nostrum, do I "waste" turns building units or attempt to grab resources some other way? When I jumped to an early lead, my short-term strategy paid off very well. I didn't get legions until, iirc, the third round. But it cost me in the long-term and my momentum died. I find the issue of timing, opportunity cost (if I do such-and-such, what am I not doing?), and momentum critical factors to consider in games of capturing territory, whether they be area control games like Mykerinos, war games like Shogun, or civilization games like Mare Nostrum or Tempus. I both like and hate (but in a good way) this element.
Also, if my posts appear too focused on my own play and actions, it is because that's how I remember the game. I don't keep notes of what everyone else does. For example, nothing that Merwin and Brian were doing impacted me, so I wasn't paying attention and cannot comment. I apologize to anyone who feels slighted by my slanted reporting. But it is my site, after all. :)
Mare Nostrum
We played this with the Mythology Expansion (without the expansion, it only handles 5 players). In clockwise order around the board (we shuffled seats to accommodate), I played Rome, Zach Greece, Merwin Babylon, Brian Egypt, Ian Carthage, and Robert Atlantis. Because it had been so long since we had played, it took an hour to review the rules. And yes, the game took a couple hours longer than the time on the box, but I'm tired of beating that particular horse, so I won't mention it again.
In the initial round, everyone did the "step one (or two) provinces outward" maneuver to grab resources. By the second or third round, I think all the caravans had been purchased. While Zach quickly built his triremes, Merwin expanded his influence pretty far (but lacked caravans to make use of it), Brian was doing something or other (see comments at the end), while Ian, Robert, and I drew lines of demarcation. At one point, Ian and Robert temporarily occupied each other's regions until and agreement was made. On my side, I kicked Robert out of a region too close to my border, and then we established a heavily militarized zone (my 3 legions, his 4 legions and fortification) on either side of the Pyrenees. (In fact, this left the eastern region of Iberia open because neither of us could afford to take it.)
I made two primary mistakes:
- I got off to an early lead, being the first to the purchase a hero, and then being the first to purchase a second (one short of victory).
- I forgot how limited my number of available legions were. You can only build at most eight, but I focused on them rather than branching out and buying triremes and mythological creatures (in my case, titans). Either of those would have helped prevent the Carthaginian sea invasion which allowed Ian to occupy Southern Italy for a turn. Plus, Zach's centaur made my reliance on legions a liability.
Brian seemed to be struggling with resources. More so than any other power, Egypt is rich in taxes, but limited with commodities. Zach and Merwin seemed to be playing too passively (as was I, really) and didn't finally butting heads until it was too late). Robert and Ian did a good job of obtaining resources without needing trading (as I did). Unfortunately, and the only sour note of the game, was that both of them were at the doorstep of victory and the winner just depended on which one got to build first (I might have been there as well, but again, I lacked the necessary 9-commodity set), which was in Brian's hands. He rolled a die and Robert won. Here, I wish the winning conditions allowed for a simultaneous win with a tiebreaker.
Other Comments
Many games develop tension through the issue of timing. In Mare Nostrum, do I "waste" turns building units or attempt to grab resources some other way? When I jumped to an early lead, my short-term strategy paid off very well. I didn't get legions until, iirc, the third round. But it cost me in the long-term and my momentum died. I find the issue of timing, opportunity cost (if I do such-and-such, what am I not doing?), and momentum critical factors to consider in games of capturing territory, whether they be area control games like Mykerinos, war games like Shogun, or civilization games like Mare Nostrum or Tempus. I both like and hate (but in a good way) this element.
Also, if my posts appear too focused on my own play and actions, it is because that's how I remember the game. I don't keep notes of what everyone else does. For example, nothing that Merwin and Brian were doing impacted me, so I wasn't paying attention and cannot comment. I apologize to anyone who feels slighted by my slanted reporting. But it is my site, after all. :)
Labels: Other Games
posted by Patrick at 10:49 PM
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