[quote='Participant-Observer' pid='136532' dateline='1502628219']
Thanks for those answers. They're a big help!
I was rather hesitant to join another message board, before committing to the game itself. After years of battling proliferating board memberships, my turn to PBM is in danger of upsetting my previously carefully maintained online equilibrium (if that makes sense).
Anyone else with comments?
[/quote]
I edited Topper's response, just so that it will stand out a bit more for future readers that come across it.
That aside, I haven't played Regime Change. I haven't played any of Agema's games, in fact, even though I have been tempted by them many times, particularly Scramble for Empire. I do understand your concern over upsetting what you term your "carefully maintained online equilibrium." Maybe that's what I've been seeking - online equilibrium. In other words, a positive and sustainable balance of time and online activity.
Unfortunately, though, I live in the real world, and so the real world always plays havoc with my aspirations about achieving, much less maintaining, anything even remotely resembling online equilibrium. Be that as it may, here is some feedback from me, some food for thought, if you will:
1. The alternative to using yet another forum, in this case, the Agema forum, is what, realistically speaking? Certainly, it would be nice if there was a healthy, robust, and ongoing discussion about Agema's various games over on this forum, and while that still might happen someday, I'm not so sure that it is likely to happen anytime soon, simply based upon history to date. So, it seems to me that you either avail yourself of the Agema forum, or you don't - and if you're going to play Regime Change, it might be to both your benefit and your interest to do so.
2. If you're thinking about playing Regime Change, then obviously, you are looking to try something new. If that is the case, then why not go all in, which would include both playing the game of Regime Change, and interacting more directly in the midst of the existing Agema community of players which is concentrated in the Agema forum and not here.
3. What size is the Agema community of players, currently, and more importantly to you in the near term, how large is the Regime Change player base? I dare say that you can get a better feel for answers to those questions by exploring the Agema forum for yourself. My gut feeling is that the Agema player community, overall, isn't huge. But, size alone, in terms of quantity of numbers, while a relevant factor, should not necessarily automatically be the deciding factor. What you're after, I suspect, is a hearty game experience, one robust with the fun factor. You want lots of fun. Games are a form of entertainment, and these days, there's an awful lot of different forms of entertainment that can be used to fill the hours of your clock. Your hours are going to be consumed some way, no matter what you do, though, or whether you do nothing, at all.
4. More gut feeling for you, here, but I think that one of the primary things that Agema's games have going for them (in spite of my lack of first hand experience actually playing any of their games) is the hand-moderated aspect of at least some of their games. Computer-moderated games bring efficiency to the processing end of things. Computer-moderated games tend to feature less mistakes as part of one's overall gaming experience with them. But when you toss a human being into the mix, what you tend to gain is a net boost in the creativity aspect of the gaming experience.
5. Ask yourself how many games that Agema is running, simultaneously, at present? How many game moderators are involved in the processing of their game turns for their various games, and particularly for Regime Change, since that is what has caught your eye, apparently? How frequently or infrequently does turn processing occur? This is all relevant to the gaming experience that you will be subjecting yourself to.
6. Agema has been in business for a long time. So, they are likely to be going nowhere anytime soon. This indicates that they have a degree of stability to them as a game company.
7. Are you after something new to whet your gaming chops on, or are you after something that you've already experienced? If you don't try Agema's games, then how do you know that you won't like them? The key, I think, is to make an informed decision, rather than an uninformed one. Everyone doesn't like the same thing. Even over at Agema, all of their existing game players don't like the same thing. If they did, then Agema would only run one game, rather than offer a variety of different colorful choices.
8. I pretty much weaned myself off of e-mail a while back, and would (and still occasionally do) not even check e-mail for a couple of months or more on end, at some points. It seemed like a good idea, at the time. My point is this - You might want to rethink your whole proliferating board memberships issue. Obviously, if your use of message boards has been proliferating, then it seems that you must be looking for something. The core question is - What? Exactly and specifically, what are you looking for, if you know or have any clue? I ask this, because joining the Agema forum may not prove to be particularly problematic, and could, in fact, counter the proliferating board membership problem, simply by delivering unto you what it is that you are looking for? You're posting in this forum, and a lot of people - even a lot of PBM gamers, if not most PBM gamers - don't. So, what about this forum delivers something of value to you that warrants you being here and staying here? I suspect that it is something specific, in particular - and that may end up also being the case with the Agema forum, only something somewhat different and unique to that particular forum.
Not sure if you will find any of this to be helpful, but I thought that I would toss some feedback your way about this matter. Happy gaming!