Metacritic Reviews

[MarsRobert]

At the risk of sounding ingratiating to our very gracious hosts at AGEOD, I just posted my review of AJE on Metacrtic. Three professional critics give the game pretty good scores, but I was surprised to find that no user reviews have yet been posted so I took the liberty of doing so. I gave it a 9 out of 10. On the basis of the three scenarios I've played, I really do think AJE is that good. The only strategy games that I can think of off the top of my head that come close are Sid Meier's Civilization series and Gary Grigsby's game on the Solomons Campaign (Uncommon Valor). Of course AJE is the only AGEOD game that I've fleshed out. Anyway, I would encourage everyone to go to Metacritic and post a review, hopefully a favorable one.

http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/alea-jacta-est

Come to think of it, I should post the same review at Amazon. Fortunately on Amazon you can break your review up into easier to read paragraphs.

[Cato]

Wow! That was more of a novel than a brief review! *impressed*

[MarsRobert]

Wow! That was more of a novel than a brief review! *impressed*

You are much too kind sir. But seriously, I am really, really enjoying AJE now that I've solved the stability issues I was having. Also, I really want the game to do well, as I want AGEOD to continue to release DLC's for it.

Zenobia rules!
[ATTACH]20647[/ATTACH]

[Hobbes]

[ATTACH]20648[/ATTACH]She will

[Soulstrider]

[ATTACH]20648[/ATTACH]She will

Oh god yes.

Wait is she going to be a general? I don't recall she ever having commanded any troops.

[MarsRobert]

Oh god yes.

Wait is she going to be a general? I don't recall she ever having commanded any troops.

You are correct, Zabdas was her primary military commander. Having said that, I expect Zenobia will be represented in the game as an Imperator like Aurelian and Tetricus; albeit with low military ratings and high administrative ones.

[Hobbes]

These are the leaders I have so far. Let me know if you have any thoughts.
I would give Zenobia fairly average stats and Zabdas a little higher - but any ideas are very welcome.
All of the below is just a very rough first draft.

ROM
Lucius Domitius Aurelianus: Sirmium ***
Aurelius Claudius Pompeianus: Sirmium ***
Cornelius Mucapor: Sirmium **
Pomponius Bassus Rome **
Marcus Claudius Tacitus ** to start
Marcus Annius Florianus ** to start
Marcus Aurelius Probus: 10th Legion Pannonia ***
Statilius Ammianus ** with Probus (or Arabia and moved to Ephesus)
Aurelius Marcellinus **
Julius Saturninus **
Vellius Macrinus ** Bithynia
Julius Marcellinus ** Alexandria
Virius Lupus ** (Asia)
Fabius Sandarion *
Mallius Chilo *
Marcus Aurelius Carus *
Cassianius Proculus *
Junius Veldumnianus **
Traianus Mucianus *
Aurelius Apollinarius ** Thrace
Aurelius Heraclianus *
Virius Marcianus *
Licinius Victorinus *
Julius Placidianus ** (Cularo area)
Aspasius Bonosus Esteemed commander but drunk (Raetian)
Aurelius Fortunatus ** (III Augusta)
Asphagur I, King of Iberia ***

Uprisings and usurpers
Pius Domitianus (Cularo area or Augusta Treverorum (Trier))
Messius Septimius (Dalmatia)
Ovinius Urbanus (unknown % chance)
Claudius Firmus: Strong as an Ox. Could consume an ostrich in a single day
(Egypt - may have led the revolt or suppressed it with Probus)
Nummius Felicissimus (Rome). Mint workers - were slaves involved? Several senators implicated.

TTR
Gaius Esuvius Tetricus ***
Pius Esuvius Tetricus ***
Sergius Faustinus Near Rhenus, possibly Trier (capital - mint and praetorian guard) **

PAL
Septima Zenobia Augusta ***
Septimius Zabdas ***
Septimius Vorodes **
Septimius Zabbai **
Septimius Antiochus **
Septimius Apsaeus *
Septimius Haddudan *
Septimius Addoudanes * (Sided with Aurelian when his victory was becoming apparent)
Decimus Zabdalos *
Timagenes: Egyptian **

BAR
Cannabaudes ***

PSA
Shapur I ***
Hormizd I ** to start
Bahram I ** to start
Bahram II * to start
Artavazd VI Client King of Armenia ***

PIR
Isaurian?

[MarsRobert]

Wow Hobbes, I am truly humbled. I've always considered Roman history my forte, but the list you came up with puts me to shame. In your Roman list, other than Aurelian the only names I'm familiar with are the two short-lived barracks emperors Probus and Florianus. Concerning the Palmyrian list, I would have been very hard-pressed to come up with any names other than Zenobia and Zabdas. I guess the old adage is true about how there's always someone who's smarter, who can throw the ball farther than you, run faster, etc.

I would also add that I was impressed back in the day by the research that Albert Nofi and his team did on the Imperium Romanum 2 board game, but what they did for that game was high school stuff compared to what your team is doing with AJE. What can I say but thanks so much to you and your team for your very thorough efforts?

[Hobbes]

Thanks Mars. We have a good local library

[Soulstrider]

Impressive list.


Regarding Zenobia I agree with MarsRobert, she shouldn't be a good commander since she was a "politician" and never having commanded troops, that was Zabds job. IMO you should either put her locked in Palmyra in charge of the garrison or make in her an Oriental world only characters .Afaik there is no such thing as administrative or civic related abilities on AJE, if there were she would be a perfect character to give them.

[MarsRobert]

Are you sure about that Soulstridir? I would almost swear that I've seen leaders in the game with administrative, logistical, and political special attributes. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[PhilThib]

It's very possible to make a game "event' that checks for Zenobia existence/position and triggers special benefits for the Palmyrena faction...

[Soulstrider]

Are you sure about that Soulstridir? I would almost swear that I've seen leaders in the game with administrative, logistical, and political special attributes. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Dunno, I know RUS has that but I am not sure about AJE, if it has I missed it completly.

[MarsRobert]

Hey Hobbes, since you are an obvious authority on the Romans, I was wondering.......Do you have any recommendations on books, especially ones dealing with the latter Empire? I think my favorites at the moment are Gibbon for nonfiction, and for historical fiction it's a toss up between Ernie Gann's 'Massada' and Colleen McCullough's 'Caesar's Women'. I currently have my eye on Galla Placidia: The Last Roman Empress as well as a fiction called Zenobia: Warrior Queen. BTW, love the Zenobia avatar which I'm assuming we will see in the game.

[Pocus]

Thanks for the review MarsRobert, I read it and also the 2 English-written ones (not the Russian one ).

Good ratings in the end, and reviewers say AJE is the gaming reference relative to Roman strategy game, but complexity can be daunting. A fair assessment I believe.

[Hobbes]

Hey Hobbes, since you are an obvious authority on the Romans, I was wondering.......Do you have any recommendations on books, especially ones dealing with the latter Empire? I think my favorites at the moment are Gibbon for nonfiction, and for historical fiction it's a toss up between Ernie Gann's 'Massada' and Colleen McCullough's 'Caesar's Women'. I currently have my eye on Galla Placidia: The Last Roman Empress as well as a fiction called Zenobia: Warrior Queen. BTW, love the Zenobia avatar which I'm assuming we will see in the game.

I'm certainly no authority on the Romans MarsRobert. I've only read three books over the past few months. The list of names is just derived from a few books and Google searches. Yes Zenobia will be in the game along with some wonderful new graphics Philippe has just sent to me!

Cheers,
Chris

[dpt24]

Hey if you're looking for books on Rome I'd check out Adrian Goldworthy. He has a purely military book, a book on Caesar, a book on How Rome Fell, and a book on Anthony and Cleopatra. Most of them were published by Yale University so they're definitely well researched

[MarsRobert]

Thanks for the review MarsRobert, I read it and also the 2 English-written ones (not the Russian one ).

Good ratings in the end, and reviewers say AJE is the gaming reference relative to Roman strategy game, but complexity can be daunting. A fair assessment I believe.

Vous etes bienvenue Phillippe. Le plaisir etait que tout le mien. Je vous remercie pour la creation de ce grand jeu.

Jean (John

[MarsRobert]

Yes Zenobia will be in the game along with some wonderful new graphics Philippe has just sent to me!

Cheers,
Chris

Cool! Can't wait to play it. Of course I wouldn't presume to ask when that DLC might be released.

[MarsRobert]

Hey if you're looking for books on Rome I'd check out Adrian Goldworthy. He has a purely military book, a book on Caesar, a book on How Rome Fell, and a book on Anthony and Cleopatra. Most of them were published by Yale University so they're definitely well researched

Thanks for the input. I will order his Fall of Rome book from Amazon this evening.

[Hobbes]

Cool! Can't wait to play it. Of course I wouldn't presume to ask when that DLC might be released.

Unfortunately this scenario may well be one of the last that is released for AJE. As I just do it in my spare time it will take me at least a year and quite possibly longer. It is incredibly time consuming. For example this weekend will probably just involve moving the graphics for the Castra Legionis into the correct place in each region. There is a huge amount of work!

If I can recommend a book: The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire: From the First Century A.D. to the Third by Edward N. Luttwak.
I'm reading this at the moment. Very interesting for players that would like to get a better understanding of the military challenges faced by Rome during this period. It's dry but written by an author who obviously knows his subject very well.

Cheers,
Chris

[MarsRobert]

Unfortunately this scenario may well be one of the last that is released for AJE. As I just do it in my spare time it will take me at least a year and quite possibly longer. It is incredibly time consuming. For example this weekend will probably just involve moving the graphics for the Castra Legionis into the correct place in each region. There is a huge amount of work!

If I can recommend a book: The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire: From the First Century A.D. to the Third by Edward N. Luttwak.
I'm reading this at the moment. Very interesting for players that would like to get a better understanding of the military challenges faced by Rome during this period. It's dry but written by an author who obviously knows his subject very well.

Cheers,
Chris

Well, I was hoping for the release by the late Spring of next year, but better late than never I always say. As always in gaming development, better to take a little longer and have a superior product than to release it half-baked before it is ready. As a wise man once said, "The bitter taste of poor quality lingers long after the sweetness of meeting the schedule has been forgotten."

BTW, I started playing the Year of the Four Emperors, and the feeling I'm getting is that the complexity of the game has gone way up from the wars of the late Republican period, what with some significant external factions now making their presence felt; most notably the German barbarian tribes and the Parthians. Having said that, I understand completely the complexities you must be facing with the Crisis of the Third Century scenario.

Yes, I am familiar with Edward Luttwak. He was one of the talking heads that Canadian military historian Gwynne Dyer used in his great series on the history of warfare, simply called 'War'. I will put this book on my Amazon wish list. BTW, I did order the historical fiction about Zenobia.

[Hobbes]

I will certainly try and do it well - historically as accurate as I can and also fun and challenging. Hope there are still a few AJE players around when it is complete!
Let me know what the Zenobia book is like. If it is any good it will make for a nice bit of light relief to books like Luttwak's

Cheers,
Chris

[MarsRobert]

I will certainly try and do it well - historically as accurate as I can and also fun and challenging. Hope there are still a few AJE players around when it is complete!
Let me know what the Zenobia book is like. If it is any good it will make for a nice bit of light relief to books like Luttwak's

Cheers,
Chris

You are far too modest. One of the strengths of AJE is its replayability, not only from the different scenarios and playable factions, but also because the AI and random events can be wildly unpredictable, making for very different gaming experiences. Anyway, like Sid Meier's Civilization Five, I see myself coming back to AJE often.

Just got the Zenobia book in the mail and it looks really good. Also, I see that the writer Haley Elizabeth Garwood does a book on Boudicea. In any event I will start it as soon as I finish up Arthur C. Clarke's Venus Prime 6.

BTW, I played the Imperial Restoration scenario in the Imperium Romanum 2 board game a few years ago, and it was a heck of a lot of fun. I played Zenobia and Tetricus, and while Claudius Gothicus and Aurelian were preoccupied with the Alemanni and Tetricus, I marched Zenobia's army all the way to Ctesiphon. It was payback for what they did to Valerian. Of course Claudius was less than grateful to the Palmyrenes for this.

[MarsRobert]

Hey Chris, I started the Zenobia book, and thus far really like it. It starts off with the Palmyrians fighting Shapur and the Persians, and after defeating them they go on to recapture Edessa. In the narrative Zenobia is sort of co-commander with her husband Odenathus, the Christian general Zabdas, and the Hebrew general Ezekiel. I can't help but think it's a bit of a stretch making Zenobia something of a warrior queen, but hey, as the great director John Ford said concerning his movies about the American West, "Maybe that's not the way it was, but it's the way it should have been."

BTW, after finishing all six AJE scenarios I've been giving it a rest and playing Distant Worlds, an absolutely stunning 4X space empire game marketed by Matrix. Have no fear though, I will be back to AJE in a few weeks for another round.

[Hobbes]

Sounds interesting. I might add to my Christmas list.

Thanks,
Chris

[MarsRobert]

Yeah Chris, her narrative and writing style are good, but I did run in to one glaring historical error though. She had the Emperor Valerian being defeated and captured at Carrhae, but as well all know that was Crassus, not Valerian. Valerian was captured at Edessa. Still in all I won't hold that against Mrs. Garwood too much as long as the rest of the book holds up.

[wodin]

I'm confused. Is this an announcement that AJE is unlikely to see any DLC's except the next one? or are you talking about a user made scenario?

Unfortunately this scenario may well be one of the last that is released for AJE. As I just do it in my spare time it will take me at least a year and quite possibly longer. It is incredibly time consuming. For example this weekend will probably just involve moving the graphics for the Castra Legionis into the correct place in each region. There is a huge amount of work!

If I can recommend a book: The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire: From the First Century A.D. to the Third by Edward N. Luttwak.
I'm reading this at the moment. Very interesting for players that would like to get a better understanding of the military challenges faced by Rome during this period. It's dry but written by an author who obviously knows his subject very well.

Cheers,
Chris

[Hobbes]

I'm confused. Is this an announcement that AJE is unlikely to see any DLC's except the next one? or are you talking about a user made scenario?

Yes I'm just talking about the scenario I am making on my own. I have no idea how many DLCs will be made over what period.

Cheers,
Chris