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it's been a bit since there was a Mornington Crescent match here on site, so I thought I'd start one up. now, before we begin, I'd like to avoid any whinging about the 2011 East ruleset -- I get that some people feel that 2016 East is better in terms of balance, and it's true that 2011 East is a swingier game, but it's better for asynchronous online play with people dropping into the game partway through. also, we'll be playing with the "golden pockets" variant -- for those who aren't familiar, it's a relatively new concept in the players' leagues in a few cities on the East Coast in the US. you can check the website for the 2018 Boston Open for details on the differences, but the biggest thing to keep in mind if you don't feel like reading the whole thing is that it removes the Parsonage mechanic entirely, replacing it with a flowchart based on how everyone is performing so far. there's a forthcoming version 2.2 that will change several branches of the flowchart to include new material, and we should be able to switch to that pretty effortlessly once that comes out.

now, keep in mind that a lot of strategies you might be familiar with if you've played more with the Forrester ruleset aren't valid here. I get that playing in real time on Twitch and whatnot is all the rage these days, but if you're planning on trying something like the Rectory Road Hop, you'll probably be disappointed, because play by post is a game that demands much greater thought from players. no shade if that's your jam, just know that this is a more high-minded pursuit.

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Irrelephant11 kindly asked to include the following reference materials in the OP, and I am pleased to oblige:

for my first move, to , naming 12 acres on teal. (I know I'm gonna get a lot of guff for such a conservative opening move, but I know what I'm about!)

I'm actually not totally against 2011 East, despite the popular meta, but I have heard...not great things out of the playtest for the new Golden Pockets you mentioned. I'm reserving judgement until I see the final iteration, but I know right now there's sort of a massive gap between the perceived and actual value to performing an Interchange, not to mention a wildly unbalanced value for several stations on the Jubilee Circuit.

Anyway I'm going to make a bold first move as I am wont to do and start to , exchanging a seven for a three on the way.

In post 2, Xalxe wrote:right now there's sort of a massive gap between the perceived and actual value to performing an Interchange, not to mention a wildly unbalanced value for several stations on the Jubilee Circuit.

I would argue that Interchanges were OP as all hell before -- sure, they're weaker, but that doesn't mean they're worse for the overall health of the game. you're not wrong about the Jubilee Circuit, but imo the other benefits make up for that deficiency.

You're all crazy, it's been proven that the optimal move for turn 1 is to . I take 3 poison counters as a result, but I'm really close to a Star Space and gain one Winds of Magic die.

Moore's treatise on the Phipps to Morden opening has been discredited for years by everyone with the experience to have a worthwhile opinion on the matter. it's not a bad opening move, but Moore's laughable attempt at a proof has far too many flaws in its logic to be taken as a reliable source.

I take to and stop for a , granting me +6 for my next 5 turns and draw three cards from the . I'll play the second card I drew face down and folded inward.

Really, a Cup of Tea this early? Alright man, I thought von's Arcana strategy was absurd but you guys do you.

to , which nets me four and, as it's a Thursday, an extra , which I'll choose to be Chicken Noodle because I'm a purist.

Alright, you probably see where I'm going with this, but:

to

That's another 3 poison counters and a second Winds of Magic die

Wow I forgot how fast 2011 East moves

pulling some images up for reference (feel free to upload these to the OP)



As I have had to jump in a bit late, I'll actually circle round to , picking up xyzzy's extra dice along the way
It would be nice to have a status update. If you guys want I can try to keep track

I've put those images in the OP, Irrelephant11. that'll be a nice resource to help any newbies follow along.

vonflare, you tease, you aren't taking Moore's opening at all, are you? nicely played. I'm excited to see how you roll with those Winds of Magic die -- you're basically guaranteed to either do exceptionally well or exceptionally poorly, and either one will be quite fun to watch. as for that Thursday soup move, not a bad play -- I think I tend to undervalue temporal resource collection.

I've got a neat strategy planned with the -- trust me, I know what I'm doing taking that so early

for my next move I head back to , where thanks to my boosted , I can switch to the District line, going to . I put the first of the cards I drew last turn down, flip it, and reverse it.

to which claims the maximum amount of space on the map, in keeping with the hypermodern school. My pieces on the very outside of the map will laugh at your puny central pieces.

I'll go from to , picking up the bonus. I know this move has been much maligned by those who adhere to the traditional understanding of the Milton Appendix, but I believe that the in the 2011 East ruleset the bonus pairs nicely with the potential to receive a Signal token when ending a turn on one of the Echoing Stations.

I drew a token and can thus conceal my first move of the game. Under 2011 east FM ruleset you have until your next post or until 24 hours pass (which is stupidly short in the format but whatever) to play a . I also play a to reduce Vonflares winds of magic because I feel like he is liable to be underestimated and get ahead early.

@mods

Oh, I also use a turn to buy from the store at Cockfoster's, which allows me to gain three KNOWLEDGE but costs one of my starting MONEYs

So xyzzy suspected me of being a competitive Mornington Crescent player, so I thought I'd come out and dispel any rumors: I made it to the final round of the June 2009 Championship. If you know my real name you can actually go back and spot it in the 2009 Annals.

Some of you were on the scene back then might remember a then obscure loophole exposed by the old 2006 rules (before the community split up into different conferences). The judges slipped up and allowed the Town Hall variant. That resulted in a set of cards being played against me that had the effect of disallowing me from playing another game until 2030. So while I'd love to join in, unfortunately rules are rules!

That being said, as someone who hasn't been in the know for quite a while, it's fascinating to see how much the conventions and strategies have changed. Make a move like Heathrow to Cockfosters in 2009 and you'd have been laughed out of the building.

to .

That's 9 poison counters so I can't make that move any more, but that's enough for me to put my plan into action. I'll use all 3 of my winds of magic dice:

-3 from RC's runesmith results in a roll of 14, more than enough to cast any spell from the Lore of Ruin.

I cast Crack's Call, creating a crack in the earth running north-south. From now on, anyone crossing the midsection of the board needs to roll a dexterity save or fall to their doom.

using dice tags instead of using real, physical dice? how gauche. please, vonflare, we're all adults, no one is going to accuse you of cheating if you have a slightly higher than average roll.

Fine, here.



Even with RC's -3, a 6 is just barely enough to cast Crack's Call, though I wouldn't be able to cast some of the higher-tier spells with a low roll like that. Fortunately I aimed for a mid-tier spell this time.

once again, thanks to my boosted , I can head over from to the and interchange, finally heading back to my starting point of . I will then put my final card down face up, which allows me to draw two more cards and spin the .

for those not keeping track, my has allowed me to visit four separate lines (Central, Circle, District, and Piccadilly) in just two turns without ever having to leave Zone 1. I just have to make my way over to without leaving Zone 1 sometime in my next three turns (which, again, I still have 3 turns of , so that should be no problem), and I can receive a permanent bonus. now does my decision to get the so early make sense?

Given 72 hours have passed, I can claim , thereby stealing 2/3 of the from the player to my left (sorry RC). This allows me to pay to jump from to , then on to (this is one of my favorite moves, for obvious reasons) all in one turn. The next player is skipped, but is allowed to pay to me or RC to return to their previous station.

I'm not going to make the payment, saving my for a reverse ladle

to