General / Off-Topic It is the winter solstice and the armies of Doomdark have set forth once again…

[Arioch]

It’s that time of year again when I commence my playthrough of The Lords of Midnight - Mike Singleton’s epic game from 1984* - where I only take one in-game day’s moves per real-life day.

The next few days should be fairly quick affairs until I start getting some armies recruited, and hopefully Frodo Morkin doesn’t get himself eaten in the first week by wolves like he did last year

Installed it on my Android tablet this year instead of my iPad, so more of a widescreen view than the traditional 4:3 I’ve been playing over the past few years.

*…though I’m playing the lovely updated version from Chris Wild, which is available for free on iOS, Android, and GOG.

 

[Arioch]

Day 17 and the battle of Minas Tirith Xajorkith is at hand - most of the armies of the Free are awaiting the armies of the Foul approaching from the North and West, while a few are in the far Northeast engaged in a siege there. Frodo Morkin is resting in a hidden(ish) Citadel in the far Northwest before making their attempt on the Ice Crown (that I bet looks nothing like a big gold ring ) in a few weeks time.

 

[Robin of Spiritwood]

Fascinating game history. Looked it up.
Doing it every year is an admirable discipline.

 

[Arioch]

Fascinating game history. Looked it up.
Doing it every year is an admirable discipline.

Lords of Midnight is the other game that came out in 1984 and really managed to fit a game of epic scope within tiny memory restrictions. Never thought I’d still be playing them both nearly 40 years later but I suppose that’s testament to the fun gameplay (though not having a five minute tape loading helps these days! Being able to take a day’s turn in LoM or do a single trade run in Elite when I’ve got a few spare minutes is ideal for me)
———
Battle has commenced - hundreds of Doomdark’s warriors perished but still 3600 assault the citadel, with many thousands more approaching. The defenders will hopefully last the siege…

In the far North, the Foul have found Morkin’s hideaway fortress - though only a handful of their attackers survived the overnight battle against the defending Men and Elves. Gollum Fawkrin lies hidden, watching the battle:

 

[Manfred Belheim]

Do you actually get any defensive benefits in this game? The manual always suggested that citadels and in particular towers are very hard to attack, so you would think it would make sense to hole up in these places and let Doomdark attack you (and indeed, that's surely the whole point of walls...)

However, the battle algorithm described here suggests it makes no difference, other than Doomdark's forces having an advantage at citadels:

Artificial Intelligence

This actually suggests you'd be better off evacuating a citadel and fighting his forces on the plains outside than trying to hold the citadel!

 

[Arioch]

Do you actually get any defensive benefits in this game? The manual always suggested that citadels and in particular towers are very hard to attack, so you would think it would make sense to hole up in these places and let Doomdark attack you (and indeed, that's surely the whole point of walls...)

However, the battle algorithm described here suggests it makes no difference, other than Doomdark's forces having an advantage at citadels:

Artificial Intelligence

This actually suggests you'd be better off evacuating a citadel and fighting his forces on the plains outside than trying to hold the citadel!

I’ve not seen that before - I’ve always followed what the manual said about citadels & keeps. I usually let Doomdark’s forces lay siege to Xajorkith after I’ve piled a load of Lords and armies into it (it being a victory condition for the enemy) and when I’ve attacked enemy keeps & citadels my forces seem to take more losses than usual, though it looks like I may be mistaken.

I shall try a different strategy next year and ride out to meet the enemy!

Thanks for linking those pages - I’ve read Chris Wild’s blog for quite a while but I’ve somehow missed those bits

 

[Manfred Belheim]

I’ve not seen that before - I’ve always followed what the manual said about citadels & keeps. I usually let Doomdark’s forces lay siege to Xajorkith after I’ve piled a load of Lords and armies into it (it being a victory condition for the enemy) and when I’ve attacked enemy keeps & citadels my forces seem to take more losses than usual, though it looks like I may be mistaken.

I shall try a different strategy next year and ride out to meet the enemy!

Thanks for linking those pages - I’ve read Chris Wild’s blog for quite a while but I’ve somehow missed those bits

Obviously Xajorkith would be the exception that you have to defend it's a great site, but it's a bit patchy in the things that it covers and doesn't cover.