Using the Mesopotamia Module

Module v1.00. This file last updated by Richard Wein, 8th March 2004.

Mesopotamia is a historical boardgame designed by Garry Stevens, which can be downloaded free from his website (http://www.archsoc.com/games/) and printed.

This Mesopotamia module for VASSAL was created by Richard Wein <rwein@lineone.net>. For a general guide to using VASSAL, see " VASSAL User's Guide"in the Help menu. The current page explains how the elements of the Mesopotamia game have been implemented in VASSAL, and how best to use them.

Starting a Game

After connecting to the VASSAL server and creating a new room, one player starts the game by selecting "New Game" from the "File" menu and chooses a side: Brooch, Head, Mask, Statue or Urn. Each other player then synchronizes with the starting player and chooses a side from those not yet selected.

Player Names. Each player has a name which can be changed under "File | Edit Preferences | Personal". This name is displayed in the server controls area of the screen, and is also added to any chat messages the player types in. For added clarity I recommend that players include their side in their name, e.g. "Richard (Brooch)". Names can be changed at any time.

Passwords. Each player has a password which can be changed under "File | Edit Preferences | Personal". VASSAL records the password of each side in the game, so, if you leave the game and rejoin, you will automatically be given the same side unless you change your password or "Retire". Retiring means that there is no longer any password associated with that side, so a different player can join the game as that side.

I recommend that players reveal their passwords to each other at the start of the game and record them all. That way, if a player drops out of the game without retiring (e.g. due to internet connection problems), another player can take over his side. It also provides protection against a player forgetting his password when a game is saved and resumed at a later date.

Restricted Access. Counters and cards have been made accessible only to the players, so "observers" cannot interfere with the game. However, it is still possible for an uninvited person to join the game using any side which has not been claimed, if you have less than 5 players. Though this is unlikely to arise, you can prevent it by having a player join the game as each unused side, using a different password each time and then synchronizing again.

Windows

Map. This window remains open all the time a game is being played. Counters are provided for use on the Victory Point and Epoch tracks.

Tribes. The "Tribes" button opens (or closes) a window containing all the tribe counters. There is one "deck" for each type of counter. Counters can be dragged off the top of the deck one-by-one, or you can right-click and select "Draw multiple cards". (Don't worry about the fact that they are referred to as "cards".) You can also use "Draw specific cards" to see how many counters are left in the deck. To return a counter to its deck, (a) drag it back or (b) right-click and select "Return to deck". To return a whole stack, (a) drag it back or (b) open the stack, select the bottom counter and then press CTRL R repeatedly.

Peoples. The "Peoples" button opens (or closes) a window containing all the peoples cards. These are sorted into 5 stacks, one for each epoch, across the top of the window. Players can examine the peoples available in latter epochs. At the start of each epoch, one player should drag the corresponding stack of cards into the deck area, marked by a black rectangle in the middle of the window. These cards will automatically be turned face-down and shuffled. A player can then draw a card by dragging it from the deck to any empty space in the window. He will be able to see the identity of the card superimposed on the back of the card, but other players will only be able to see the back of the card. The player can then assign the people to himself or to another player, by dragging it to one of the grey rectangles. Each grey rectangle is associated with one player, as indicated by the symbol printed above it. After all cards have been assigned, each player should turn over the card he drew from the deck (right-click and "Flip over"), regardless of who he assigned it to. Note that a player cannot turn over a card that was assigned to him by another player as the program considers the drawing player to be the "owner" of the card. Over the course of the epochs, cards can be stacked up in the grey rectangles, so players have a record of which peoples they played in previous epochs.

General Information

IMPORTANT. While playing a game, be sure to save it frequently. VASSAL does not have any facility for automatic saving or recovery.

Stacking. All game pieces are stackable. When you move a piece so it covers the centre of another piece, the two pieces become stacked. Dragging the top piece in a stack drags the whole stack. To select individual pieces from a stack, "open" it by double-clicking anywhere on the stack. Then select any piece by clicking on that piece. To select additional pieces, click on them while holding down the SHIFT key. The selected piece(s) can then be dragged. To "close" the stack again, double-click anywhere on it.

Mouse-Over. The mouse-over feature can be useful for quickly seeing the contents of a stack, and also for magnifying pieces in zoomed-out windows when they might otherwise be hard to read. Unfortunately, for larger stacks you will often find that the full mouse-over display does not fit in the window. If you don't want this feature to operate automatically, select "Use CTRL-space to view stack details" under "File | Edit Preferences | General".

Etiquette. Because it's difficult in VASSAL to see who is doing what, players should always announce their actions in the chat area before carrying them out.

Honour System. All pieces are accessible to all players and there is no protection against cheating. It is therefore essential that players play honourably.

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