Syndicate 2.0 [SIGNUPS]

[diginova]

Re-introducing a game that time (and my busy life) forgot from back in late 2007,
now with a host that will actually stay active for the entire game! In addition, I
have set up a way for someone to take over if something happens that makes it so I
cannot continue.



http://www.rose-hulman.edu/%7Ebrechlcj/logoclassic.png

In order to introduce everyone to the rules without too much additional hassle,
this game will be played with the CLASSIC FIVE-PLAYER RULESET.
Active variants: POWERS.
This ruleset is based on the Special Powers variant of Avalon Hill's Acquire, with slight changes to
facilitate forum play.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF RULEBOOK (http://www.hamumu.com/forum/showpost.php?p=259790&postcount=18)

The rulebook can be downloaded HERE (http://www.rose-hulman.edu/%7Ebrechlcj/classicrules.pdf). Look it over, and if you have any
questions, feel free to ask. You can also check the old thread if you want to see the
first two turns played out.

This game is rather heavy on strategy and images, and will probably require
players to be on at least one day a week. Thus, all players will be in teams of two,
for strategic planning and if one player goes away. Also, if for some reason, you
cannot see the above image, you will sadly not be able to participate.



Introduction
You just inherited $12 million from your parents, and are wondering what to do
with it. However, the one thing you desire is power. Lots and lots of power. Not
to mention that you hate everyone else in your town. Thus, the obvious choice for
investment is organized crime! Fun and profitable!

Luckily enough for you, there are seven syndicates looking for a footing in the
city, and you have the money and influence to give them the start. The syndicates
each have different goals, and thus have different effectiveness in the town. The
more influential the syndicate, the more it costs for you to join them.
Will you be able to succeed over the other future crimelords? Only time will tell.
It will take all your wits and your knowledge to succeed. Are you up for the
challenge?





GAME STARTS 2 AUGUST 2009
Current Players (FULL)
Mr. Onion / seamonkey
Hammer Up! / Ufo-Man (unconfirmed)
CheeseLord / SpaceManiac
Ninja of Frozen Milk / Kerma (Unconfirmed)
ElMikkino / Max (Unconfirmed)

Alternates
Gameboy

Game ID: uxVNAJRv HJI7a7wQ 8H1TZa7M hT6VCnwZ YhP1IJZ2 VNXPmOdA wPDhS6ay iDBuhGNe

[CheeseLord]

I will be purple. It's a nice color.

[Hammer Up!]

Red. :)

[SpaceManiac]

I'll team up with CheeseLord.

[Ufo-Man]

I like red!

[ElMikkino]

*signs* Green, plz!

[diginova]

Added current signups.
Waiting for Hammer Up! to confirm Ufo-Man as a teammate to finalize Red.

There are also officially now enough players to get a game started if nobody else signs up, putting one person per color.

[diginova]

DO NOT LET THE WALL OF TEXT SCARE YOU AWAY. THIS IS JUST ADVANCED STRATEGY AND IS NOT REQUIRED TO PLAY.

While players that have already signed up are waiting for the game to begin, the following is an article on basic strategy that is helpful if you haven't played the game Syndicate is based on.

Adapted from Andrew Rae's article on Acquire basic strategy

EARLY-GAME

ALWAYS INVEST IN MERGING SYNDICATES
In the beginning you have two key decisions: which syndicate to form and which syndicate to invest in. Given the opportunity to form a new syndicate most players always will because of the free share. This basically a bonus to your overall net worth and should always be taken in the early game.

Given the choice of forming two syndicates you want to build the syndicate that is most likely to be taken over. Eventually in the mid-game you will run out of cash and the only way to get cash is through syndicates merging and the payoff from recruits you have placed. The beginning of the game and the initial contacts you call will determine the success of your mid-game.

If no other syndicates exist then the best syndicate to build is the one closer to the middle and closer to other pieces already on the board. Syndicates in the middle of the board have more syndicates adjacent and thus also more syndicates likely to take it over.

The exception is if you have specific tiles which will allow you to merge syndicates in the future. These provide you with an advantage and early investment in these syndicates is permissible knowing that the money can be recouped at any time.

If you can choose to race any player for the majority in a syndicate, pick the player that submits orders right before you. You can then immediately act on any recruits that player sends. If it so happens that the majority shifts with every purchase, then the other player can only get the majority bonus if you merge the two syndicates, and you get it if anyone else does.

THE SIZE OF THE SYNDICATE IS IMPORTANT
If because of your playing order or your available contacts you are forced to build and the invest in a syndicate on the outside of the board then I would suggest this be a Tier 1 syndicate. I would also suggest that the investments you make are strictly limited. At most you will spend one turn sending three recruits to give a total of four. Four recruits may well give you the majority for the near future but if someone is convinced they want to fight you for it, let them have it. Unless it has a great chance of merging then never fight for control of a syndicate. The short way to failure is to invest heavily in a syndicate that will never merge and struggle to grow all game. More often than not, however, the expensive entry fee for recruits will force others elsewhere and leave you with control of a tidy little investment to return on later on in the game, a good response to a poor starting position.

If, however, the syndicate has fine prospects and sits in the middle of the board then initially you ought to build a Tier 2 syndicate. Tier 2 syndicates balance the cash you are required to invest (and a good syndicate will often have competition) and the return on your investment in the mid-game.

A Tier 3 syndicate is the excellent response to indecision. Tier 3 syndicates maximize the amount of cash that you have after sending recruits and if you are the founder you can comfortably defend a Tier 3 syndicate if its prospects rise. Ultimately, if you’re unsure of the future, a Tier 3 syndicate can minimise your risk while maintaining control.

Occasionally you will get the chance to form a syndicate when you are reasonably short on cash. Form a Tier 3 syndicate and you may well be able to keep control until a cash windfall comes your way. It may be tempting to take a more expensive syndicate but don’t unless it is likely to merge immediately, because then the additional $4,000,000 you get for a majority bonus will offset your additional risk.


MID-GAME

ONE RECRUIT CAN END UP CAUSING A WINDFALL
One recruit can often pay off for you big time. More often than not in the mid-game a new syndicate will be formed and then merged within the space of a couple of years. Therefore, if the syndicate is not being competed for by two players a single recruit sent can sometimes be enough to earn you a minority bonus and valuable cash on hand in the mid-game.

There is also a subtle rule that only comes into play very rarely: if one person has all the operatives in a syndicate when it is merged that person gets both the minority and majority bonuses, or a full fifteen times the cost of a recruit. Sending a single recruit is enough to deny your opponent that bonus.

SYNDICATE CONTROL AND MERGING
There are many instances where it is useful to buy shares in a syndicate that you cannot hope to control but is likely to be merged at the expense of investing in a relatively untouched one. This is especially true if sending recruits to that syndicate is inexpensive. Operatives in merged syndicates can be traded at a rate of 2:1 into the resulting syndicate. Investing in the smaller syndicate not only gets you operatives in the larger syndicate for cheap it allows you to increase your stake without it being your turn. This may be what allows you to counteract the founding bonus, gaining you controlling interest in a large expensive syndicate. In addition, once you get 13 operatives in a syndicate, there is rarely any reason to send any more recruits since you are already guaranteed the majority bonus.

KEEPING OPERATIVES
Unless you are poor it is almost always better to keep operatives in defunct syndicates or trade operatives 2:1 rather than selling them when syndicates merge. A controlling interest in a syndicate gives a minimum bonus of $4,000,000 and is likely worth far more. Players will almost always form a new syndicate in the mid-game if they can simply for the free out-of-turn share. If you can afford to retain shares in a syndicate that will probably be reformed, you will have a bonus when it is.


LATE-GAME

NEVER STOP INVESTINGKeep making new syndicates and retaining shares until the opportunities have run dry. The bonuses you get when all syndicates are dissolved during Armageddon are a large part of your final net worth and the last couple shares can be the difference between a win and a loss. Remember, though, that only syndicates that exist during Armageddion return cash, so keeping operatives in a syndicate that is merged out late-game may just be throwing away your investment.

KEEP TRACK OF MEMBERSHIPThere are a maximum of 25 operatives per syndicate, and this fact is heavily involved in overall strategy. Sending the last recruit to a syndicate or sending enough to prevent other players from getting bonuses can increase the cap between you and your competition.


SPECIAL POWERS

POWERS CAN MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE Using your five special powers at the right time can be the difference between a win and a loss. If you decide to use Recruitment Drive or Volunteer Army too early, you will get ahead in the short run, but if you play them later, you have a chance of them being worth more or being able to snatch a lead from another player right before merging.

The powers of Phone a Friend and Redial are also very useful if you are looking for a couple of specific blocks, since they give you more chances of finding those blocks, or if every contact you have will help the other players more than you, giving you other options, but losing the contacts you currently have or not being able to get new ones can also hurt you in the long run.

Call in a Favor should only be used early-game in dire circumstances, since keeping your operatives in the syndicate will help more in the long run than the small increase in cash. On the other hand, if you have too much money tied up in a safe syndicate, it may be best to liquidate your assets so you can spend that cash on syndicates that will merge out.

[seamonkey]

I will play. let me look over the rules, and I will be on any team. though I prefer a more advanced player

[Ninja of Frozen Milk]

Ho ho ho... I will be yellow, for it is my favorite of colors and it will blind you with its high color saturation, Mhm.


Oh, and I don't quite understand the rules fully, but I'll catch on in a couple of days.

[diginova]

Ho ho ho... I will be yellow, for it is my favorite of colors and it will blind you with its high color saturation, Mhm.


Oh, and I don't quite understand the rules fully, but I'll catch on in a couple of days.

If you have any questions, just ask me either here or in a PM. It seems more complicated then it actually is.

[Ninja of Frozen Milk]

Nah its okay man, I learn by doing.

[diginova]

Nah its okay man, I learn by doing.

If it helps, yellow is not the first player due to the randomizer, so you'll see a couple turns before you.
Basically, your goal is to buy low and sell high. That makes you money.
The basic strategy post helps a lot.

[gameboy]

I think I'll just watch a game first and sign up for the next, not because I don't understand the rules, it's just that they're so long and boring. Explaining the rules as the game goes along might help though.

[ElMikkino]

You can look at the old syndicate for a game (well, part of one).

[Max]

I'll sign up. And since I like green, I'll go with ElMikkino

[Kerma]

I'll be YELLOW with NoFM

[diginova]

http://www.rose-hulman.edu/%7Ebrechlcj/logoclassic.png
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

TURN ORDER


Call one contact to influence its block (See "Contacts")



Send up to 3 recruits to any active syndicate or combination of syndicates. There is a maximum of 25 operatives per syndicate. The cost of each recruit is based on the number of blocks that syndicate controls.



All unplayable contacts are discarded and you get new contacts to make a total of six.


CONTACTS


If the called-in contact is horizontally or vertically adjacent to a block of Generic Organized Crime (red), a new syndicate is formed. For forming the syndicate, get one bonus recruit in that syndicate for free.



If the contact connects two or more syndicates, they merge. All smaller syndicates are absorbed into the largest. If syndicates are the same size, the player that merges them decides the order of merging.



Syndicates cannot be merged-out if they control 11 or more blocks.



Bonuses are paid out:



The player with the most recruits in the merged-out syndicate gets 10 times the value of a recruit.



The player with the second-most recruits earns 5 times the value of a recruit.




If only one player has recruits in the syndicate, they get 15 times the value of a recruit.



If two players tie for most, they each get 7.5 times the value of a recruit and the minority bonus is not paid.



If two players tie for second-most, they each get 2.5 times the value of a recruit.



Starting with the player that merges, players choose one or more of the following things to do with their recruits in the merged-out syndicate:



KEEP LOYALTY. Recruits stay in the merged-out syndicate and are active if the syndicate is formed.



BREAK TIES. Recruits are removed and paid off at the cost of a new recruit.



CHANGE LOYALTY. You can trade 2 recruits of the merged-out syndicate for 1 recruit of the new syndicate, if available.


ARMAGEDDON


The game ends when one player announces that either:



One syndicate controls 41 blocks



Each syndicate on the board controls 11 or more blocks



Once the game ends:



Majority and minority bonuses are paid for all active syndicates



Recruits are paid off for the current cost of a recruit



The player with the most cash is victorious!


SPECIAL POWERS


You get the following special powers, each usable once and only once during the game:




PHONE A FRIEND. You immediately gain four additional contacts



REDIAL. You immediately discard all contacts and get six new ones.



RECRUITMENT DRIVE. You can send up to 5 recruits instead of 3 this turn, but you still have to pay full price for them.



VOLUNTEER ARMY. The 3 recruits you send are free.



CALL IN A FAVOR. Remove 3 of your recruits and gain the current value for each.



Only one special power can be played each turn.

[diginova]

There is still room for one more player, but we have enough that I can officially declare that
THE GAME WILL BEGIN SUNDAY, 2 AUGUST 2009.

Confirmation PMs for teams will be sent out later today, and initial contacts should be sent out 31 July.

[Hammer Up!]

Can you give me a example of a turn?

[diginova]

Well, a couple turns played out here; here's (http://www.hamumu.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13885) an example of what the next turn could look like.

Say the board is as it is at the end of the first game (shown in the first post).

You have the following contacts:
B6 C1 C3 J2 J5 K2

The first step in your turn is to play one of your contacts.
What each of your choices would do:
C1 - Grows NSA to 5 blocks, making its value $1.4M per recruit.
C3 - Also grows NSA, this time to 5 blocks, making its value $1.2M per recruit.
K2 - Grows GM to 3 blocks. It also sets up a merger if you play J2 next turn, so you may want to buy up TM so you can get a bonus if you play that contact. If you buy 3, you would be tied for most and get 7.5x, or $3M, as a bonus when it merges out.
J2 - Grows TM to 3 blocks. It sets up another merger with K2, but this time, if you buy up GM, you can easily get first place and get a $6M bonus when you merge it out.
J5 - Forms Generic Organized Crime.
B6 - Forms a new Syndicate. You can choose one of the two available (OK or SV) and you get 1 recruit in that syndicate for free.

The next step in your turn is to send up to 3 recruits using your cash.
Where you send them is up to you, but I would recommend somewhere that you can get a bonus in and will be merged out, because otherwise you won't be able to get that cash back until the end of the game.

Then, your turn is over and the next turn begins.

[Kerma]

I'm going to be away for about 3 days. (VACATION MODE)

[diginova]

The game's not going to start by then, so you're completely fine.

[gameboy]

awwwww! Now I understand the game more and it's too late to sign up! :(:cry::(

[diginova]

awwwww! Now I understand the game more and it's too late to sign up! :(:cry::(

You can be a mighty alternate, ready to jump in if anyone needs! (aka if their partner disappears for more than 2 weeks, you'll swap with them). Plus, this probably isn't going to be the last time it's played.
Truthfully, 2.1 will actually be more interesting, since the board will be switched and the new powers activated, I just wanted to play a game with the easier rules first.

[gameboy]

I know, I'm just sad that I don't get to play this game! :(

[diginova]

I know, I'm just sad that I don't get to play this game! :(

It may be quicker if Kerma's teammate doesn't show up... Kerma can confirm later due to VACATION MODE, but we're still missing the head of the yellow team.

[Ninja of Frozen Milk]

Who, me?

[diginova]

Okay... I spoke too soon.
Anyway, with my experience with mafia, people drop out eventually.