Latest Updates
July 14, 2011: OSG 25 is up and running - a new Succession Game we're playing using kyrub's new (free) unofficial patch (fixing a number of bugs and providing improved user interface). Anyone who'd like to get involved is welcome to comment, ask questions, or sign up for the next SG, regardless of skill level: Succession Games are cooperative rather than competitive, and a great way to learn!April 17, 2011: OSG 24: The Guns of Sssla was completed ... with another Realms Beyond victory in spite of crippling variants! Many thanks to the entire team for a tremendously enjoyable game!
February 3, 2011: Imperium 34 - 'Tis the Season is open for reporting. (In fact, it's open indefinitely right now; don't be worried that you might be too late, even if you haven't played yet!) Reports may be posted in the Realms Beyond Tournament Reports and Discussion Forum - if you're new to the RB forums, just create a free user account and post a reply to any existing thread, and you'll be able to create a new thread of your own.
November 9, 2009: I've started a new Orion Succession Game with Maniac Marshall over at Civfanatics - in the style of Sirian's old games with Charis and Sullla: Cuban Isolationists in Space! (Late note: This game is currently dormant, in the sense that our relaxed-pace SG is moving at a VERY relaxed pace. But we WILL pick it up again eventually...)
The Gambit
The Meklon Gambit is an opening I came up with for the Master of Orion strategy game; to learn exactly what it is - it's pretty simple in the end - you'll have to have a look at my original Meklar Challenge thread on the Civfanatics forums or my Imperium 12 shadow replay here on this site. And if you don't know the game, I do recommend Sirian's Master of Orion site, which provides a terrific introduction!One thing about my Gambit: It's not the ultimate winning strategy. It's not even the optimal opening for virtually any situation. On the contrary, it's an incredibly risky move that's more likely to cost you than to help you win the game - except, perhaps, on certain rare maps, in the very long run.
The beauty of the Meklon Gambit is that you have to execute it at once if you're going to do it at all, before you can possibly know whether the map you've got is right for it; the best you can do is to make an educated guess based on the star layout. And being a crazy, risky move that's only possible because of the unique trait of the Meklar, it can result in extremely unusual games ... and be a lot of fun!
That's the way I like to play the game. Like my fellow gamers at Realms Beyond, I like to seek new challenges, new ways to tweak an enjoyable game - to turn the game into a good story, or just to make it more fun. That's my goal in playing and sponsoring Imperia, and this site is where my future Imperium reports - and eventually the old ones - will appear.
Oh, and who am I? And why "The Ref"? Well, I'm RefSteel on the Realms Beyond and Civfanatics forums, a reference to my other blog - a perpetual work in progress, meant as a reference source for my long-running Black Steel fantasy campaign. Whether that site will yet make sense to anyone who hasn't played in the campaign itself, I honestly don't know ... but I hope it will eventually. Apart from that, I'm just here to post my Imperium reports, so here goes:
Imperium Reports
Imperium 10, Return to GloryImperium 11, Rise of the Triad - my favorite (and longest) of my Imperium reports so far!
Imperium 12, Anti-Environmentalists | Gambit Shadow
Imperium 13, Top Gun - another of my favorites!
Imperium 14, Ursine Archaeologists - the first Imperium I sponsored!
(Check out its official site at Realms Beyond)
Imperium 15, Bug Brawn, AKA Power of the People - my shortest yet!
Imperium 16, Holiday Special
Imperium 17, Beyond Poverty
Imperium 18, Loony Lizards
Imperium 19, Pax Crystallica
Imperium 20, Give Peace a Chance
Imperium 21, Resting on Our Laurels - sponsored by me!
Imperium 22, One-Track Mind
Imperium 23, Resistance is Futile - wherein I sponsor an extreme ... wait, no, I'd better make that EXTREME Imperium!
Imperium 24, Never Mind Maneuvers - a variant I sponsored in honor of Admiral Purrratio Nelson
Imperium 25, Revenge of the Grinch, sponsored by Maniac Marshall!
Imperium 26, The Pride of Eagles
Imperium 27, There Can Be Only One, sponsored by Horist!
Imperium 28, Shattered Worlds, with a new "map script" devised by sargon0 and me.
Imperium 9, Hiber Nation - yes, I said 9. There was a ... slight delay.
Imperium 29, Beyond the Dreams
Imperium 30, the Magnificent Seven
Imperium 31, the Black Box
Imperium 32, the Fate of Trethlyis
Imperium 33, the Dark Side of Orion, sponsored by episthene.
