STARWEB EMAIL DISCUSSION GROUP (THE SEDG)
   (Sponsored by Flying Moose Technologies' Starweb Analyzer
   - http://www.flyingmoose.ca)

VOLUME 65 October 7, 2002

CONTENTS
Feature Article - 1) My First Starweb Game by John Shannonhouse
                  2) Miscellaneous Pearls by John Shannonhouse
Questions - Mining!
SEDG Web Page URL
The Swap Corner - What is the Starweb Analyzer?
Correspondence 

FEATURE ARTICLE

My First Starweb Game by John Shannonhouse

It all started because I read Fred Saberhagen's "OCTAGON".  It was 
based on the concept of a really neat sounding game, so I brought it to 
the attention of my friend Kerry Lloyd, owner and founder of Gamelords 
Ltd.  He told me that the game already existed, I might enjoy it, and 
by the way, here is their address if you want to contact them.

So I ordered a copy of the rules and signed up.  I learned that there 
were different variations on Starweb.  Being rather unsure of my 
ability to handle one at the regular speed of once every two weeks, I 
decided to enter a slow game.  That one has a turn run once a month, 
which meant that people outside the country could play as well.  This 
was in the early 80's before the internet was popular, so snail-mail 
was the rule rather than the exception.

I was DRACO the Artifact Collector.  My first three turns were rather 
boring and uneventful.  I explored the nearby worlds, finding them 
rather barren places with only one or two mines, and with ships 
protecting the worlds from easy capture.  I concentrated on exploration 
rather than on capturing those worlds.  

On turn 4, I met some players.  BEAKER, BILBO, FROSCH and KAPRA.  I 
agonized on the diplomatic messages I should send these players, 
because I felt I needed to be on good terms.  I actually designed some 
letterhead with graphics I had designed myself for Starweb, and thought 
that would be a good start.  I told them all that I was a novice at the 
game, just trying to learn the ropes.  That I was an Artifact 
Collector, so I did not really *need* worlds and wasn't a threat.  I 
gave my address and telephone #.  I decided to stay at worlds where I 
had more power than the others, and leave where they had more ships, 
but to set only conditional fire orders.  I did not want to start a 
war.  

I got friendly messages back from most of the players though the one 
from FROSCH was a bit abrupt.  FROSCH was a pirate.  BEAKER was a 
berserker, BILBO was an Empire Builder, and KAPRA was a merchant.  

I gifted a world to BILBO and offered an alliance to him.  I gifted my 
largest key to the merchant KAPRA and offered alliance to him as well.  
I actually talked to BEAKER over the phone, and he became my staunchest 
ally for the game.  With so little metal to supply my home world 
(virtually every world had fewer than 3 mines, and several had 0) I did 
not want to gift away worlds to a pirate until later in the game.  But 
FROSCH and I agreed to borders, and to not cross them.

All I had to go on were scores and player names.  I decided that BILBO 
would be a good ally because I would not expect someone to choose that 
name that would dishonor it.  I didn't like the name "Frosch", since I 
felt that would be chosen by someone who was a novice, or trying to 
pretend to be a novice to lull people into a false sense of security.  
FROSCH was an established player with a very high rating, as was BILBO.

As the game progressed, various interesting things kept happening.  
FROSCH traded me the Ancient Pyramid in exchange for two worlds to 
plunder.  This was extremely generous on his part, and BEAKER told me 
that this was being done to set me up as a target as high scorer.  I 
tried impressing Beaker with my ability to work things out in the game, 
so I showed how I had worked out how many keys FROSCH owned, how many 
worlds he had plundered when, and how much pirate art he held, by the 
way his score grew.  

BILBO called BEAKER and me (long distance -- from Australia!) asking 
for us to gift him our home worlds, which we did after considerable 
worry and soul searching.  That left us pretty much at his mercy if he 
turned against us.  BEAKER gave me all his art.  BIBLO kept promising, 
but not following through.

I was the first person to work out the underlying map pattern, which 
seemed to impress BILBO.  Since he was such an experienced and 
successful player, I felt honored.  

Then there was the problem with the merchants.  I mentioned that I had 
gifted my biggest fleet to KAPRA to haul metal to my home world.  I was 
sending out my new largest fleet out to a world beyond the KAPRA fleet 
to pick up metal from the only decent world in my area.  KAPRA missed 
the turn, ambushing my key, and obviously *not* hauling the metal to 
the home world.  I gifted the remains of my key to another merchant I 
had just met in my explorations -- CODIAN.  As he was about to move in, 
I got a message from KAPRA saying that he was back in the game and 
would be hauling, so I asked CODIAN to come in directly rather than 
stopping at the KAPRA world on the way in to avoid the ambush.  Then 
KAPRA dropped again -- this time permanently -- and ambushed CODIAN, so 
I *still* did not have metal flowing to my Home World.  I gifted CODIAN 
my remaining largest key -- only to see *him* drop out of the game as 
well. 

I was still getting some hauling done, when suddenly the Black Box 
appeared on the edge of my empire over that same world (blocked by the 
KAPRA fleet) that had all the metal and some other valuable art.  So I 
built *everything* up to one key, and took the KAPRA ambush in order to 
get there before anyone else could.  I transferred the art and all my 
ships to the key with the Black Box, and moved back towards my home 
world.

At least I tried to.

Unfortunately, I had just discovered the power of the Black Box in this 
game.  It destroyed one of the ships on the key, drove the key neutral, 
and moved to the next world.  The following turn, it burned a ship and 
moved two worlds.  Then three, then four, etc.  At the end of the game, 
it was still going.  In the mean time I was stuck with a home world 
with no production, most of my ships gone, and some valuable art I was 
feeling very nervous about protecting.  

BILBO, who had never given me a single piece of art except the lesser 
of two evils (which hurts his own score), had discovered another 
artifact collector and was trading art for worlds to *him*, after I had 
already given most of my valuable worlds to BILBO, since he presumably 
was my ally.  I was getting as many ships as possible on fleets that I 
was gifting to BEAKER to use for PBB's, but he had already given me all 
his art.  I worked out some trades with other players, but the only one 
really willing to trade art for worlds turned out to be FROSCH, who was 
already in the lead.  However, he was the only choice I had, so he got 
the worlds.  

In the end, out of 15 players, FROSCH came in first. BEAKER was 2nd,  
BILBO was 3rd.  I was 4th.  The game had lasted approximately two 
years, and I was sad that it was over.  It had been quite fascinating, 
and the human interaction was great, though a bit strange.<g>

John

Miscellaneous Pearls by John Shannonhouse

First of all, there is the point of what character types are most 
dangerous as far as running away with the game is concerned.  The 
MERCHANT is actually the most dangerous, especially if there is only 
one in the game.  The Merchant's abilities are so useful to all the 
other players that any merchant can get an excellent score, and it is 
very hard to stop him once he starts rolling. It requires concerted 
effort on the part of many players to slow him down.  If you look at 
the top 10 players in each category, you will notice that the top 3 
merchants all have perfect scores, having won all the games they have 
entered.  The number 4 merchant has a better combined rating than the 
number one player in any other category.  That is not coincidence.  I 
just finished a game as a Merchant and for the majority of the game my 
biggest concern was slowing down enough that I did not leave my allies 
in the dust.  The second most dangerous is a BERSERKER.  A berserker 
can jump thousands of points a turn at the end of the game.  An 
inexperienced player will help a Berserker because the Berserker only 
has a few hundred points, while everyone else has 3 or 4 thousand.  The 
berserker may then jump by 5 to 7 thousand the next turn to win the 
game.  All other character types are easier to stop and easier to keep 
track of.

The single most important factor in a STARWEB game is communication.  
You have to make strong allies you can trust and keep in touch every 
turn.  The best strategy is an Alliance strategy rather than an 
individual strategy.  Most character types need to expand in order to 
get a decent score.  That means someone has to be attacked.  Players 
prefer to attack someone who is not communicating for two excellent 
reasons.  First, if they are not talking then they may be plotting an 
attack themselves.  Second, a player who does not communicate does not 
have allies to protect him.  Only a suicidal player would attack a 
player who is known to belong to a strong alliance.  It is also 
virtually impossible to work out completely point-neutral deals.  It is 
much easier for all members of the alliance to jointly help out 
whichever players need it most and strive towards a close alliance win 
instead of an individual win.  An alliance can also make use of the 
skills of several different players.  For example, I am an excellent 
mapper.  I can usually work out overall map patterns while most people 
are still trying to untangle their own home areas.  Another player may 
excel at battle tactics.  Another may be able to do a lot of phoning to 
keep everyone up to date and coordinated.  Another may be good at 
coordinating everyone's scores and keeping all the members from being 
paranoid about each other.  That is very important because distrust can 
destroy an alliance in a minute.  I worked in one alliance very 
successfully and wrote an article, which was published in FBQ #54.    
Ideally any alliance should work towards a result as close together as 
we did there.  If you do work with an alliance and plan to play more 
STARWEB games in the future, it is important not to backstab anyone in 
the alliance.  It is very easy to take advantage of an alliance and 
push yourself into a win at the expense of the other members.  But you 
might wind up playing with the same player in another game.  People are 
willing to forgive their enemies.  When in direct confrontation you 
fight it out and the best man wins.  Your bitterest opponent in one 
game may be your staunchest ally in another as long as you know he 
keeps his promises.  If an ally stabs you in the back that is a very 
different story.  If you meet him in another game you have a guaranteed 
enemy who will do his best to wipe you out as fast as possible.  

There are several generalized tactics everyone needs to follow.  Try to 
explore as much as possible, picking up as many worlds as you can.  
Even if you do not need them directly as an Artifact Collector, you can 
use them to trade for things you do need.  This has to be countered 
against the need to build.  You must carry as much metal as possible 
back to your home world to be used to produce more ships.  In general 
you should be at full production by turn 8.  Most invasions begin about 
turn 10.  When in combat switch ships around between fleets.  Firing 
does not take place until after the ships have been transferred.  Do 
not use your home world for a museum.  It is too valuable to other 
players and is the world most likely to be the object of an invasion.  
Try to figure out what your opponent is likely to do and then work out 
a counter strategy.  Become knowledgeable about how the other players 
gain points.  This can give you a good feel about how to help the 
members of your alliance.  Get as much mapping information together as 
possible and work on the overall map pattern.  That is critical for 
coordinating the efforts of your alliance.  

As an Artifact Collector your job is relatively easy.  You do not need 
much in the way of worlds, ships, and fleets the way the other players 
do.  Join a strong alliance and concentrate on giving everything you 
own to the Alliance.  They in turn will keep you supplied with 
Artifacts and protection.   
----------------------------------------------------------------------
QUESTIONS - Can anyone answer these?

Here's a quickie.

What is the theoretical maximum number of mines for a world?

Darry Jennings asks:
Hello,

Can I build and drop a PPB on the same turn.  Or do I build one turn
then drop the next?

Thanks

Darry
----------------------------------------------------------------------
STARWEB EMAIL DISCUSSION GROUP - is now available on the web. 

Look for our new MAPPER'S SECTION on the SEDG Web Page.

http://www.accessv.com/~somnos/sedg.htm
----------------------------------------------------------------------- 
FEATURE - THE SWAP CORNER

What is the Starweb Analyzer? This utility will allow you to view 
your game turns and those of your allies (or enemies) in a manner you 
never could before.  The Starweb Analyzer takes the Starweb turns in a 
text file format and processes them so that they are combined together 
and presented in an Analysis Window, an easy to use Graphical User 
Interface that allows you to view and manipulate one master turn that 
combines all known information that you have accumulated.  The 
Analyzer keeps track of worlds no longer seen on the current turn 
sheets and labels what turn they were seen last.  Various filters and 
sorts  can be used to manipulate the combined information to find those 
important things you want without having to study a printout for hours.  
For example, finding the largest metal stockpile within three worlds of 
your homeworld is done easily.  If your allies don't have the Starweb 
Analyzer you can generate reports for them in a text file suitable for 
printing or e-mail. 

In addition the Analysis Window contains a Map View, which eliminates 
the need for paper and pencil and those messy spaghetti maps that 
plague us in the game.  The map supports mouse controlled drag and 
drop to move worlds around.  It handles wrap around worlds easily and 
you can save the map as a text file suitable for e-mailing to an ally. 
He just plugs the map file into his Starweb Analyzer program and the 
same map appears. The map can also be saved as a bitmap for sending to 
your less fortunate allies who do not have the Starweb Analyzer (Shame 
on them!) 

The Analyzer also offers an intelligent Order Editor that allows you to 
prepare your orders for submission to FBI.  The orders are checked for 
typographical errors as well as a many logical errors.  Only valid 
Starweb orders will be accepted.  It will not allow orders for keys or 
worlds that you do not own and checks for mutually exclusive orders, 
valid world connections, as well as orders that exceed your resources 
(for example it would warn you if you tried to transfer more ships than 
are on a key).  The Order Editor allows you to save this file and 
revisit it at any time for revisions.  A prompting feature helps to 
construct the orders without having to refer to the Starweb reference 
manual for help with the cryptic order syntax.
----------------------------------------------------------------------- 
CORRESPONDENCE

Lin Goldstein writes:

Elliot,
  Your article on merchant scoring was interesting.  In the old days, 
before the advent of megaalliances (such advent being the reason why I 
no longer play Starweb), merchants were running away with the game or 
being cutoff with a timed stroke.  In SW-42, a merchant would have run 
away with the game, despite a promise to cut back on scoring, until a 
personal crisis caused the player to drop out, presumably expecting a 
standby to run away with the game.  An artifact collector arranged for 
all of the merchant's clients to kill the merchants fleets before a 
standby was put in, then he ran away with the game himself.  In SW-106, 
where I was "only a standby", a merchant was running away with the game 
and promised to cutback on points, but didn't.  In SW-Z147
(Z for blitz -- 9 days turnaround and priority service, important when 
games often took about or over a month to be processsed)  and SW-302, I 
initiated contacts to all known merchant clients to end the hauling 
agreements.  I was successful, but in SW-Z147 a pirate threw the game 
to the merchant anyway because he didn't want me to win (early conflict 
over a world).  (I was an artifact collector in the days before 
museums.)   In SW-42, SW-106, and SW-302 there were only one merchant. 
In SW-Z147 there was a less successful 2nd merchant who gave me his HW 
with artifacts on it.

Richard Broman said:

Elliot,
I enjoyed reading your article in SEDG 64 about point-conservation, and 
oddly enough, it has some bearing on what Jeff wrote in his 
correspondence. And from some email Jeff and I have exchanged, he might 
sympathize, and I hope he weighs in with an opinion. Jeff writes about 
a disparity (unfair? hm) of metal-content among maps.

viz:
M/211 - The game that Rich Broman wrote about.   There were many worlds 
with HUGE population limits, at least a dozen over 200, some of which 
already had a population over 100 when discovered.  A Berserker's 
delight, or in multi-land, a Berserker/Apostle delight.  That same 
universe had relatively few high-metal worlds.  The pirates in the game 
had a real hard time gaining enough metal for building and at the same 
time having worlds to plunder.  My T8 turnsheet for example shows a 
total of 129 mines vs 146 industry among my three characters.

And Elliot writes about the need to put the brakes on your Merchant 
ally. Rick has designed this game to encourage interaction among 
players, and sadly there is a trend developing in Starweb among players 
to play their character types in a "tried-and-true" technique. What has 
worked keeps working. And meanwhile Merchants run away with the game 
and Pirates founder in plundered metal starvation... A Pirate can 
easily trade for metal from a surplussed player (it worked in M/211) 
and a Merchant's ally can always enforce the terms of the Merchant's 
haul-rate. By force if necessary! It does take a little finesse and 
more to the point, interaction and communication among players. But 
that's what I think Rick designed the game for--interaction.

I have always loved (since my first real game, SW-213, back in the 
70s!!--136 was just practice) the idea of the Merchant: everyone's 
friend, so much so that you yourself have to regulate how much you'll 
rely on one! Totally in contrast to the normal competition/conflict 
among players...

Rich

Ken Kohn writes:

El,

Are you still into this game?

Whenever I think of Starweb these days, I think of Starweb of 20 years 
ago - and how it hasn't changed in any fundamental way in all those 
years (I even remember when metal was raw materials...). What's the 
benefit of a mature game if it doesn't advance with the times? Since 
Starweb was originally released, we now take for granted things like 
computers and the Internet. Show me a Starweb player who doesn't have a 
personal computer and I'll show you someone stuck in the 1970's.

Unfortunately, that same 1970's attitude is prevalent around the FBI 
office as well. Only in the last couple of weeks have I EVER heard Rick 
actually solicit suggestions from players...this time for Riftlords 
(and yes, I've even made a few suggestions!). While I greatly enjoy 
playing PBM games (or, perhaps better called "PBI" these days, for Play 
By Internet - distinct from PBEM) I can tell that there are many more 
opportunities for play now than ever before...and I haven't even 
searched hard for games, as I don't have the time to participate as 
much as I used to. I'd like to find other fun games to play 
(suggestions?).

Lately I've been playing a new variant of Feudal Lords that has caught 
my attention much more so than the stale game run by FBI. There are new 
maps, many more players, new troops and generally a better attitude 
overall by the moderator and company. Imagine a FBI that _wants_ to 
make changes and actually does so...in weeks or months, and not 
decades, and then you'll understand what Vlad is doing at Last World 
Games. Also, Vlad wrote a Windows application (yes, I know, I had to 
use my PC for this and not my Mac...) that assists in order creation 
and error checking...FBI has never done anything like this! Of course, 
FBI relies on you and Mike to support those of us who insist on using 
computers...when we all know it should have been written and supported 
from FBI itself. Even better - each turn is only $1.00 - not $3.50 as 
they are at FBI. Can you believe it? A better game that is 
significantly less expensive? Take a look at
<http://www.rightofkings.com/>. And no, this wasn't meant to be an 
advertisement, but rather an objective comparison to Rick & Co as 
compared to the rest of the market.

In essence, Starweb needs to be modernized before I'll play it again. I 
even used to go to the conventions in Arizona (where I met you!) - but 
you can bet I won't be back until FBI has better games, more players, 
and generally a more positive outlook...

Best,
Ken

Randy Carr writes:
Hi Elliot,

I hope you are well.  I loved your article on the Canadian StarWeb
Convention.  I read it somewhat wistfully; really wishing I had been 
able to attend.  And I'm pleased that you had some snow flurries;  
gotta reinforce those American stereotypes of Canada!

I'm enjoying my life as a replacement player these days and have two 
questions for you:

1) I'm playing an Apostle trying to migrate a convert to an adjacent 
world using 1 Industry and 1 Metal <C101M1W102>.  So far, so good, but 
I'm also trying to shoot an enemy fleet flying over that same world 
using my home fleets <I101AF103, P101AF103>.  The SWAP is giving me an 
error message as follows, <Firing I or P Ships is mutually exclusive 
with C101M1W102 seen previously>.  Can you explain?

2) Sorry, this is one I should know but I don't so... I'm playing a 
Pirate trying to capture a Berserker enemy world (not his HW) in order 
to plunder it.  He has robotized the population to R2.  If I AP with 4 
or more ships I will depopulate the world and drive it neutral.  How 
can I repopulate the world in order to capture it and plunder it?  
There is not an adjacent Industry world from which I can migrate 
population. Do I need to create Industry next door and then migrate 
population to the world after I drive it neutral?

Randell

Editor:
Hi Randy. Good to hear from you. That is one of the sets of mutually 
exclusive orders. You cannot fire with I or P ships on the turn you 
migrate population at a world.
You have it right - you would have to create industry at an adjacent 
world and migrate over a population. It only requires 1 industry to do 
this.

FINAL PLEA - I know you have heard it before but I'm afraid I have no 
more than 1 or 2 articles left for publication. If you want to see your 
name in print and can write up a particularly interesting game or 
discuss play in a variant - send it in. Don't worry about the spelling 
or grammar. I'm happy to help out as is my editorial staff.

Well, that's it for Volume 65. Don't be afraid to submit articles or 
suggestions. They don't have to be long. Address your correspondence 
to Elliot Hudes at somnos@compuserve.com