1st Cycle? 2nd Cycle? Magic? Steel?

[Jumbie]

Can someone lay out the cycles business for the uninitiated like me?

I had always assumed that 2nd cycle was just an update of the game for better play that made 1st cycle obsolete and that Magic was for individual games and Steel was for team games.

But I just saw a reference by Cipher where he mentions that the next team game is 2nd cycle of Magic so it seems I'm wrong.

[wfrankenhoff]

With the reboot, the nomenclature is irrelevant.

[Jumbie]

You mean like 'Wrath of Khan'?

[Cipher]

HISTORICAL:
First Cycle of Alamaze was the original concept/design. Second Cycle introduced new orders/kingdoms.

Steel was Individual
Magic was Team
Epic was a Second Cycle team variant that moved the total number of kingdoms from 15 down to 12 (eliminating the Neutrals team) and introducing the two Epic sides ( 2 x 3 player/kingdom teams of good kingdoms, 2 x 3 player/kingdom teams of evil kingdoms)

CURRENT:
1. Second Cycle of Steel is the individual 15 player/kingdom game
2. Second Cycle of Magic is the team 15 player/kingdom game (5 teams of 3 kingdoms/players)
3. Second Cycle of Magic, Warlords of Alamaze is the Second Cycle of Magic variant that has 5 players, with each player controlling one of the 3 kingdom teams.
4. Epic Second Cycle, Titans of Alamaze is the Second Cycle Epic variant that has 2 players each controlling the 6 kingdom good/evil side.

These are the 4 game variants currently defined. Games have been started for #s 1 and 3.

Cipher

[Lucky Tiger]

HISTORICAL:
First Cycle of Alamaze was the original concept/design. Second Cycle introduced new orders/kingdoms.

Steel was Individual
Magic was Team
Epic was a Second Cycle team variant that moved the total number of kingdoms from 15 down to 12 (eliminating the Neutrals team) and introducing the two Epic sides ( 2 x 3 player/kingdom teams of good kingdoms, 2 x 3 player/kingdom teams of evil kingdoms)

CURRENT:
1. Second Cycle of Steel is the individual 15 player/kingdom game
2. Second Cycle of Magic is the team 15 player/kingdom game (5 teams of 3 kingdoms/players)
3. Second Cycle of Magic, Warlords of Alamaze is the Second Cycle of Magic variant that has 5 players, with each player controlling one of the 3 kingdom teams.
4. Epic Second Cycle, Titans of Alamaze is the Second Cycle Epic variant that has 2 players each controlling the 6 kingdom good/evil side.

These are the 4 game variants currently defined. Games have been started for #s 1 and 3.

Cipher

What he said except in first cycle Magic was individual and Steel was team, and there were some differences in whic kingdoms were represented. For example the first cycle of Steel had Swampmen, Gnomes, and giants. While the Magic cycle had Dragons, Witchlord, and Underworld. They both had Westmen, Paladins, Uriks, Nomad and Barbarians which are not in the Second Cycle.

[DuPont]

I miss the Westmen

[Jumbie]

I always felt the Nomad would be fun to play.

[Cargus10]

I always felt the Nomad would be fun to play.

They were. I won an individual game as them, but no longer remember the game number. It was my 2nd win (my 1st was as the EL in a 1st Cycle game). I preferred the Elves, but the Nomads were a blast too. I used to have the printouts of both games stashed away somewhere...wonder if I can still find them?

[Jumbie]

I'd love to see them. A guy on the PBM forum's alamaze thread posted one of his Nomad turns for a 1st cycle game. he didn't seem to be doing well because of a gold shortage, so I didn't feel like I was getting a good look at the capabilities of his people.

[Cargus10]

I'd love to see them. A guy on the PBM forum's alamaze thread posted one of his Nomad turns for a 1st cycle game. he didn't seem to be doing well because of a gold shortage, so I didn't feel like I was getting a good look at the capabilities of his people.

I could dig through my old stuff, but as it is all musty printouts, I have no idea how I'd get them to you. There are well over 100, maybe 200 pages. Tough to scan. But let me see what I can find and maybe I can paraphrase.

IF I find them.