by Mark Green
Having wittered on about Britannia statistics at some length,it is now time to stick my neck out with some revisions to fine tune the game. Those players who do not subscribe to the marginally orthodox view that Red & Black/Green have stronger chances should totally ignore this article!
Rule 8.6 Romano-British may not attack Picts or Caledonians in Scottish highlands. This is in addition to being barred from attacking Welsh and Brigantes.
| Turn 7 | Scots get 4 armies led by Fergus |
|---|---|
| Turn 8 | Angles get 2 armies in North Sea |
| Turn 9 | Angles get Oswiu if they hold Bernicia at the start of the game turn. |
| Turn 10 | Angles get Offa if they hold N Mercia at the start of the game turn. |
| Turn 11 | Scots get leader Kenneth MacAlpine. |
These changes should have a number of beneficial effects. Firstly the Blue and Purple scores should, on average, be boosted by 3-5 points. Secondly, some of the weaker factions have been strengthened to balance the game.
The Picts can be hunted down by the Romans but won't then suffer from Romano-British mercenaries acting as catspaws to the Scots.
Romans are likely to see their limes attacked more vigorously as other colours cannot afford to see the Romans rack up too high a score. At present the Welsh, Jutes and Saxons are only interested in attacking Romans to score points and rarely feel pressured to lessen the Roman Score. In contrast the Romans may feel more inclined to nurse submitted client nations in order to provide opposition to future invasions.
The Angles now have a marginally better chance of standing up to the Saxons. The Scots have an extra army to aid that fragile major invasion, and get the historically crucial leader Kenneth MacAlpine.
Most importantly the game is less likely to degenerate into an ineffectual struggle from turns 7-12 of 3 colours against a dominant red Saxon / Irish / Brigante / Norse combine which probably occurs in too many games.
Mark Green
On to Railway Rivals: The History or back to Design Project: Formula One.