Suggestion for Reaper (Teaming)

[BDF]

As far as I can understand... in a game with for example 3 reapers, and 3 humans, the reapers team individually with each other. By that I mean... each reaper player, plays for itself. It's only rule in teaming is not to hit another reaper's continents (as far as I've noticed).

Would be interesting to see reaper teams work differently. For example, if you have 3 reapers in a 6 player game, those 3 reapers would be able to somehow act as one bot... far more powerfull therefore, and much harder to beat. They'd help each other by burning in continents, setting up another player for the other reaper to take the cards. They'd obviously behave individually with regard to taking continents, as you can't jointly occupy a continent in Lux and have each player recieve half the bonus for it, but work as one on everything else. Like one reaper would defend another reaper's continent, or stop another reaper from being killed by strategically placing its units in the way of another player.

Also... the rule that teaming reapers will not hit each others continents at all doesn't work in certain scenarios. That rule should be given some exceptions. It means a much weaker reaper can be used as a "shield" from a reaper far stronger just two continents away, as the stronger reaper will not go through the weaker reaper's continent to hit you.

[dustin]

I think I've seen multiple reapers work together to make a kill. Maybe only when they dominate all other players, they do this kind of stuff.

[BDF]

I was more under the impression that they don't exactly work together to kill a player for their cards, but can't hit each other and therefore lash out at others (that would usually be with games where continents mean something, like Rome II).

It's inevitable therefore that another player will likely be significantly weakened for the other reaper to kill him/her straight after. I think the best test of this is to see how teaming reapers behave in classic with 0%, as I've never seen reaper go for a continent with those settings.

I thought I tried that once before, I can't remember one reaper weakening another player strategically so another reaper could finish the job and take the cards.

[Bertrand]

Teaming reapers enter into a "sacrifice" mode when they collectively dominate the other players, but not individually. A simple example: one big player with 1000 armies, and 3 reapers with 500 armies each. In that case, the reapers will throw themselves at the big player to grind him down. The last reaper to play should be strong enough to finish the job.

[BDF]

Ok... but that kind of looks like it reflects a marathon situation. Do they collectively "grind down" a player in classic, where for example people have maybe on average 40 armies each?

Them working together would have to incoorporate what turn order they are in... so that if a reaper "grinds down" player 1, the cards don't just go to player 2, instead of the other teaming reaper due to the turn order. Perhaps it would have to also include some kinda judgement on reaper's behalf of weather or not player 2 in this scenario would be close enough to kill player 1, given the relative amount of troops, and other troops in the way, distance, no. of cards etc.

So if player 2 is not close enough to kill player 1, short by 15 troops for example, then reaper 1 will "grind down" player 1, by something just short of 15... like 10 or 12 (to keep things safe, taking into account possible good dice). That means player 2, will still not be able to kill player 1, but the other reaper may well be able to now. Obviously, the other reaper's troop count may well also need to be taken into account, and how many cards it might have and their value.

Its not something simple to explain. If you dont follow me say so.


Set you out some work to do lol


P.S. When players team, they are allowed to (at their will), disclose to each other weather or not they have a set and can cash with it. Is this incoorporated into reaper's team play? It should be.

[Sophrosyne]

Maybe with teamplay there could be an abstract 'leader' that holds information about each player? But this way it might just be like playing one player.