On 7/8/07, Robert Sweeney <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > First, I intend to give no offense but am honestly asking questions - >how can you cheat in CB? ...and why? I am in my third game of >CVW using CB and don't see how it is possible to cheat. (Another >part of me wonders why to cheat? Its not like we are playing for >money, fame, glory or women?) You open your opponents turn, >perform your move and record the result - even if you discard the >result - it still shows in the move registry. So, I have heard that >you can cheat - is this just suspicion?
You can cheat if you use the CB (or ADC, for that matter) built-in die roller. You simply open the turn, do the combat, and if you don't like the results, throw away the move and do it over again until you get the result you like. It's not detectable. That is why all the tourneys use outside die rollers. It is harder to do if a turn has lots of die rolls, but in a game like Afrika Corps, where you only do a couple of rolls a turn, it's quite easy to get the results you want. In addition, it is possible, if you are using hidden units or using hidden cards to break open the game and look at your opponent's items. > Second, the debate between Vassal and CB is one that springs >up constantly. I have downloaded both (and donated to both - these >appear to be "noble" projects which deserve reward!) and looked at various >"gameboxes". I choose CB because it appears easier to modify (I LOVE >playing variants) and my first opponents both preferred it). Are there any >arguments over why to prefer one to the other? VASSAL allows live, real time play. That is it's strength, especially for games like ASL that have a lot of interaction. > Finally, I am probably going to get into a PBEM game of PoG and >heard that ACTS is the way to go. It can't be beat for card-driven games, especially those that it directly supports like PoG. It deals the cards for you, does die rolls, etc. via a simple web interface. >This interacts ONLY with CB? or both? How does it work and is there >a cost? Is there a cheating potential in that as well? It works with any other system for PBEM, not just CB. You could use it for play with a paper copy. It is web-based. You create an account, log in, create a game for you and your opponents, and use the web interface to interact. Note that it doesn't keep track of counters, just cards, so you need a way to send moves out. Most players use CB, Vassal, or ADC to keep track of board state, use ACTS to handle cards, and to do die rolls. As you interact with ACTS, it sends emails to all players telling them the results. At the end of your move, you send the CB gmv file to the other players. I don't think anyone has found a way to cheat with it. They ask for donations once a year or so to support it. Here is an email with die rolls I did for a "Here I Stand Game". I entered the text at the bottom, told ACTS I needed 5 six sided dice rolled and it spit out the following in the game log on the site and in emails to all players: Die roll request Request: 6-sided die x 5 4 1 3 5 5 Message from Protestant: First conversion attempt in Trier. Reformation has 2 dice (adjacent space and troops), Papacy has 3 (2 adjacent spaces, 1 adjacent troops). Protestant dice first. > I guess the reason why I question whether you can cheat or >not is that every gamer feels that a fortunate turn of the dice against >him might be cheating. If you play FTF and see the "lucky" roll - >you can't question it but if it happens over the net - your hackles rise >and you wonder. I'd prefer a world where we don't suspect our brother >and everything is on the up and up. I think the Leaders of Carthage, >Rome and Thrace must have felt much the same...... Bob S You know, the recent adage of "Trust but Verify" applies, which is why I want to use web die rollers, so if I do get a lucky streak, my opponent won't have even a suspicion I'm cheating. Edmund
