Variant pbem map looking for 5 players

[SevenSpirits]

I have a couple ideas I want to try out for a game (with me making the map, not playing), and I'm curious if anyone is interested. Settings would be thus:

* Similar to the pbem 25 map, but noticeably bigger (40x40 instead of 30x30), with some saltwater, and standard size / noble difficulty. Very close to, or completely, mirrored.
* Quick speed. Barbs, huts, and events all OFF.
* Always war. No communication between players is allowed.
* Only bans are:
- Spy missions to change civics, change religion, and steal technology.
- Great spy infiltration ability
- Nukes
- All UN/AP resolutions if AW doesn't automatically disable them.
* Setup will be very unusual. I will show starting position screenshots with your capitals settled and announce a bonus for each trait and for each possible starting tech; based on the leader/civ you choose, you will receive the corresponding four bonuses. For example, maybe Protective starts you with a worker, Charismatic starts you with a granary, Financial starts you with 10 gold, Expansive starts you with a bunch of extra tiles revealed, Aggressive starts you with a Town on a grassland next to your capital, Organized starts you with a Forge, starting with Hunting starts you with an EXTRA scout, starting with Mysticism causes there to be a prebuilt mine on your nearest copper... The exact awards are not yet decided.

The purpose of these awards is primarily to create a new, variant play experience, and secondarily to bring the starting traits and techs closer into balance or at least shake up which are the best ones. Or to trick people into picking things which have been improved but which still suck.

So! Any takers?

Edit: we have signups -

1. Scooter/Dazed
2. Commodore/Mist
3. Lewwyn
4. Serdoa
5. Brian Shanahan

[scooter]

I'm interested in this...

[Commodore]

This is interesting to me, but I'd need a full teammate. Any takers?

[Mist]

This is interesting to me, but I'd need a full teammate. Any takers?

That depends if you need a competent full time teammate

[Commodore]

That depends if you need a competent full time teammate

Nope. Competence is not required at all, the results are 84% more fun[SIZE="1"]*[/SIZE] in fact if massive goofs happen. Want in?

[SIZE="1"]*team will still play to win in either case.[/SIZE]

[Mist]

Sure, let's go break this sandbox

[Commodore]

One aside, Seven...with no bans at all, how massive are your bonuses going to be to offset the power combos? Sury of India, Pacal of Inca, and Hammurabi of the Celts...a granary+forge doesn't offset the massive empire-wide power of the big boys.

[Lewwyn]

I have a lot of other games, but I can't resist this set-up. Plus I get to play an AW game with Scooter after playing an AP game with him Plus I get to battle Commodore and Mist!

Consider me in.

[Lewwyn]

One aside, Seven...with no bans at all, how massive are your bonuses going to be to offset the power combos? Sury of India, Pacal of Inca, and Hammurabi of the Celts...a granary+forge doesn't offset the massive empire-wide power of the big boys.

Remember:

Or to trick people into picking things which have been improved but which still suck.

Yeah.

"IT'S A TRAP!"

[Serdoa]

Sign me up!