Patrizierforum

Since a number of us will finish relatively soon, I would like to suggest a follow up contest, available to those who have completed the first round.

Here are the ideas:

1. A map of 16 cities, difficulties level set at maximum in all categories.

2. No additional offices may be built, except in the 10 new cities available as Alderman missions. We build only in the hometown, and build the new cities as colonies.

3. No tricks; specifically stock manipulation, Levon's Gold Nugget, Arbitrage, the hemp tricks, rapid building; permitted is building in blocks of six, eight, or ten.

4. This is a business game, primarily to test trading and planning skills. No captures of pirate ships at all permitted, on the high seas or on tavern missions. Sink them, or flee them. Building, and impounding of loans, are allowed to acquire new ships, as is the dowry ship (or ships). Auctioning of built ships, or of impounded ships, is permitted.

5. No illegal or indictable acts.

6. I have in mind for the hometown several goods. Efficiently, fish, beer and pitch. Inefficiently, hemp, timber, honey and furs. A mint will be required to be built, started no later than the day of election as mayor.

7. Objective is to be Alderman, build the hometown to the third wall, and have a certain city population. I think twenty five thousand, excluding beggars, is a decent objective.

Not really a proposal for a Contest 2010, my dear Amselfass. It is just the overall level of difficulty isn't too great, which is why I decided only to take the pirate crayers and sink the cogs and holks. Otherwise, it is a bit too easy.

The other current contest which alllows all the little and not so little money tricks isn't appealing. It is like playing poker; it is worthwhile to know the ways a player can bottom deal, or stack the deck, but a great game is one played honestly. Generating endless easy money is like playing Old Maid instead.

So, I thought a second level, like an invitational which you had to finish the first contest to qualify for, with a sixteen city map, a bit more spread out than the clustered cities of the older contest, and a restriction to a single city, with new trading offices allowed in only the new cities, might be more challenging to us all. Building your hometown up, and generating a new city (Cities, actually!) with the desired goods to support your hometown, takes real talent.

Thanks for listening.