Andreloha (South) vs. Klaus (North)

[Klaus]

Dear Andre,

Thank you for your reply. I am going to a trip in the Philippines from 2 Feb. until 5 March, so our interesting game will have to take a little pause. I am surprised the game took that long and I am still in it. It seems it can go either way from now on, whoever makes the last big mistake. I will try answer my next move before I leave but not sure I will have time.

in my opinion our game is the most interesting match of all I have been playing on this website so far. Apart from one Conquest match with Monchhichi which was very challenging, too. You will know: If a player makes one big mistake a Conquest or Grand Conquest match will end very quickly. I think we didn't make big mistakes. Have a good trip and be careful!
I write you an email to answer your other remarks...

Kind regards

Klaus

[Andreloha]

Dear Klaus,

Sorry for the very long delay. I am back from the Philippines, a wonderful trip, and recovered from a cold when I came back, and the jet lag and take care of a few things here, so now I can look at our interesting game again. I think you have a small edge now, especially with the new rule about constructing new units limit. I am eager to see how the game will close, a first for me on 2P board.
I must say I was a little confused before in my strategy because I thought wrongly that we could build a tower anywhere on the board, but found in the rule summary we cannot on starting places, so it costed me a little mistake but not so bad, I hope I can still give you a good fight.

Here is my Turn 22:

N-A10 - 162 = 1
Ds-A13 - A10 = 2
N162 - A12 = 2
N131 - A13 = 6
130R = 2
Cs158 - 161 = 3
S161 - 160 = 1
E157 - 159 = 2
Bess510 - 509 = 1

Total = 20

Kind Regards
Andre

[Klaus]

Dear Andre,

if you like to test the Grand Conquest rules without limiting the construction of new units I would play a match next time in this manner. But I suspect what will happen very often. Imagine a chess match by analogy: You capture your opponent's queen. In his next turn your opponent will take his captured queen and put her into play again in a better position than before. This is possible according to those rules and it's the best choice!

I must say I was a little confused before in my strategy because I thought wrongly that we could build a tower anywhere on the board, but found in the rule summary we cannot on starting places, so it costed me a little mistake but not so bad

According to the rules you are able to build a siege engine (tower) on your own starting places with the exception of your 5 castle spaces. And you have built one siege engine on one of your own starting places! That's correct. But it's not allowed to build such a siege engine on one of the opponent's starting places. So I don't know where you recognized a "little mistake".

My turn 22:
G822 - 522 7P
Gess800 - 523 8P
B832 - 813 1P
210R 2P
215R 2P
Total 20P

Kind regards
Klaus

[Andreloha]

Dear Klaus,

I think your amended rules make good sense and we have agreed to use these rules. On another game, we could try a variant. I agree for the starting pieces like the boats and galleons, no rebuild. But for the chariots and other non starting pieces, we could rebuild more, as long as we do not exceed their limits on the board (2 each). I guess it would make a different end game sometimes ... however I am still curious to see a 2 player end game with any rule LOL.

Here is my turn 23:

T121 - 132 = 2
120R = 2
C161 - 131 = 7
S130 - 133 = 2
E159 - 158 = 1
Bess509 - 504 = 3
Ess504 - 159 = 1
N-A12 - 162 = 2

Total = 20.

Kind Regards
Andre

[Klaus]

Dear Andre,

I think your amended rules make good sense and we have agreed to use these rules. On another game, we could try a variant. I agree for the starting pieces like the boats and galleons, no rebuild. But for the chariots and other non starting pieces, we could rebuild more, as long as we do not exceed their limits on the board (2 each). I guess it would make a different end game sometimes ...

Agreed, we can test this. But the problem I've described (the opponent puts the captured piece into play immediately) affects every kind of piece, a ship as well as a catapult or chariot.

Here is my turn 23:

S211 - 212 1P
S212 π C 10P
215R 2P
210R 2P
N-B31 - 221 1P
N-B30 - B31 1P
B813 - 815 2P

Total 19P

Kind regards

Klaus

[Andreloha]

Dear Klaus,

Sorry for late reply. I am not sure what to do next so lets see how it unfolds ...

Here is my turn 24:

N-A13 - 163 = 4
S160 - 161 = 1
S159 - 160 = 1
110R = 2
115R = 2
120R = 2
125R = 2
130R = 2

Total = 16 (pass for the other 4)

Kind Regards
Andre

[Klaus]

Hello Andre,

if there isn't any catapult onboard a galleon own ships and ships of the opponent could harbour nearby even if one player is possessing less ships. This is very important for the game because one is able to combine the movement of land pieces and ships in the middle of the board.
Do you remember the situation when there were catapults onboard galleons? I noticed a long-range segregation of our ships. I think that there wasn't any ship in the middle sea. I doubt that this is a desirable effect.

here's my turn 24:

G522 - 516 2P
N213 - G516 4P
Gess523 - 524 4P
Gn516 - 513 4P
N513 - 157 1P
G513 - 520 2P
215R 2P
N157 x E158 1P
Total 20P

Kind regards

Klaus

[Andreloha]

Dear Klaus,

Good move! That was a bad negligence of my part. My only possible counterbalance for you having one more chariot and a knight was I having one more elephant ... but no more LOL
So I will try some desperate attack to see how the end will unfold ... Banzai!

Here is my turn 25:

N-162 - 263 = 2
Ds-A10 - 261 = 3
N163 - 262 = 2
S261 -267 = 2
S267 π T = 10
S159 x N158 = 1

Total 20

Kind Regards
Andre

P.S. I am not sure I understood your last comment about the catapult and ships

[Klaus]

Dear Andre,

in case you don't want to recapture I have to change some moves.
You told me that you have tested the bigger 4-player board only. I would like to play on that board next time. Did you play Grand Conquest in a group of four? I think it might be also possible to use that board à deux. Each player could command two sets...

Here's my turn 25:
G520 - 521 1P
Gess524 - 513 3P
Ess513 - 157 1P
S157 x S158 1P (recapture?, in case you recapture S160 x S158...)
S157 x S158 1P (recapture?, in case you recapture E159 x S158...)
E157 x E158 1P
E158 x B504 2P
Be504 - 507 3P
D261 - 259 2P
E507 x D259 1P
B507 - 508 1P
E259 x Ts267 3P
Total 20P

Kind regards

Klaus

[Andreloha]

Dear Klaus,

Congratulations! You win the game!
Thank you for the great fun and learning experience. It took longer than I thought though, 9 months!
For me I think the turning point was at turn 19 when I lost the Chariot, which I should have never built there.

Yes I would love to play another one. OK for the 4P Grand Conquest board, we each play 2 sides. With my friend this is the way I have played most but not often GC (we never played the 2P game, even in Basic Conquest). Sometimes we have played 4 players with 2 beginners, it gives another type of game, interesting too but less intense, lots of mistakes LOL.

I am going again to Okinawa Japan for the Raelian Happiness Academy. I leave on June 6th, back June 23rd*, so we can start it after I come back. We can still play the rules of no extra build like in this game, you decide. With my friend, we used to change the Quest move penalty. Instead of being 4-8-12-16-20 move penalty on opponents, we would do 2-4-8-12-16 move penalty on opponents to reduce the power of the first to the quest. I leave it up to you to decide. Also we need to make sure we have the same board and the same map numbering (see attached).

*I will probably play a few games with my friend after the Happiness Academy as he lives there..

Kind Regards
Andre