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Changes Coming for Classic
As mentioned in the "Change is Inevitable" thread, we're making changes in Classic (meaning in this case, all Alamaze versions and scenarios currently in existence) to address a few things that were not as carefully designed as the rest of the game and that, when experienced on the receiving end, hinder the development of the player community.

All the specifics will be fully documented in a new version of The Commands, or in Spell Lists. Predicting software development schedules has not been a strength of mine, but let's assume these will be ready at the end of September. This is not all-inclusive, but generally we're trying to hold off on more changes until our 3rd Cycle design. So, here are the main points to expect, in ensuing posts on this thread.
Sea Power and Sea Patrol:
Move Build Fleet to an order # after any sea movement, like #737.
a. Like Order 600 regarding a PC, a kingdom can order to build up to a max of 3 new fleets per turn, per sea.
b. A kingdom needs either a sea or coastal (adjacent to sea) PC to construct a fleet in that sea.
c. To construct a fleet (was Order # 640), a Col D is required to name the owned PC that is in the sea or adjacent.
d. Move order #620, Scrap Sea Power to #220 (if available, or nearby if not).
e. The cost of adding a new fleet is from 4000 to 12,000 gold, with quality of the new fleet being (gold spent / 1000) +4. So spending 10k on a fleet would generate a fleet of quality 10+4 = 14.
f. Fleets added change overall sea quality in that sea on a weighted average basis. The current system allows spending 6k on a fleet to maintain quality 16: that will no longer be the case. A fleet of 2 fleets at quality 16 adding a fleet at 6000 gold would now have 3 fleets of quality ((2x16 + 1x10) / 3) = 14.
g. A Patrol does not require a fleet in the sea to move or remain at sea, although it still must issue order #710 to move in a sea area. The fleets required are equal to the number of brigades, and Patrols have no brigades. However, a Patrol is interdicted (intercepted by sea patrol) at 50% the normal rate (so now 30%). An interdicted Patrol with no supporting fleets, is destroyed. (Supporting fleets are considered in a resulting sea battle).
h. The percentage chance of any Sea Patrol intercepting a group is reduced from 80% to 60%.
i. Reduce losses in sea battles by 25% under current allocations (so 75% losses would be 75%x75% = 9/16.

Summary: This makes some seriously needed updating to what is still one of the least developed aspects of Alamaze. Much more will come in Arda, but this model will likely be used with only minor additional tweaks to sea power in 3rd Cycle.
Invisibility and Mask:

HP: Please move current order #760 - HP locate groups order back after the Teleportation orders in the sequence of events to Order #870 (if not already used by spell or special ability, otherwise available order # around that point.) This places the HP order in sequence where the similar spell is.

Eliminate Spell #848 – Invisible Army Group. Army size will be the maximum sized group that can be invisible.

A group which contains either a Warlord or a P5 or higher wizard will obtain a result on the groups encounter section if there is an invisible or Ambushing group in their area. The result will say, “(Warlord or P5+ wizard name) detected a strange shimmering on the horizon of (area of group). He feels this may well be an invisible group!” Note that this result of “a strange shimmering” does not disclose the group ID or even the kingdom.

Similarly, an L7 or higher agent doing a #970 recon of an area with an invisible or Ambushing group also obtains a result in the group section on Spies on Reconnaissance Discovered “(Agent name) detected a strange shimmering on the horizon of (area of recon). He feels this may well be an invisible group!”

Please make spell #821, “Mask” one level higher for all kingdoms, and change the name to “Lesser Masking”. The spell is only effective if the casting wizard is in a group of Division size or smaller.

Please create the spell #822 (if available), “Greater Masking” and make it one power level higher than the kingdom obtains Mask Division. This spell has no restriction on how big the group to be masked can be.
Please increase the spell power level of Chaos by 1 level for all kingdoms.

Chaos is not effective against a group led by a Warlord. Spell fizzles. Text result that the spell failed because the target group was led by a Warlord. Chaos spell description reflects all changes.

Chaos against a group led by a Marshal increases that group’s retreat % by 30% (points, so 40% becomes 70%), but not above 80%.

Otherwise, Chaos increases the target group’s retreat % to 80%.

Wall of Flame:
While a group may issue up to 3 Wall of Flame spells if its wizards are capable, no more than one can be effective in a single turn against a single target group.
Counter Espionage and Guard:

Counter Espionage should reduce a foreign agent’s chance of success, and increase his chance of being captured by 5%, + 5% per level of the agent. So an enemy that had a 40% chance of success and 20% chance of being caught in a mission prior to counter espionage, would, with a Level 3 Agent on Counter Espionage have a 20% (5 base + 5x3 level) lower chance to succeed, so net 20%, and a 40% chance of being caught. Fanatics have a 10% greater counter-espionage effectiveness, as with other orders.

Agents on Counter Espionage with a successful mission against them are only killed 20% of the time. Fanatics on counter espionage have a 40% chance of being killed with a successful mission against their counter espionage target. They are never killed by enemy reconnaissance success. Agents that are on Counter Espionage and the result is a foreign agent is killed, should be advanced one level with a text message to the player.
Reduce the chance of a HP dying to 15% and increase the Influence Loss for hiring a HP from 0 to 0.5.
When a player recovers a Key, as part of the encounter he receives the short name of the Major (e.g., The Ring of Power).

When a player Investigates (#140) a Major without the appropriate key, he gets a message that the appropriate key is required, but also gets the short name of the key, by discovering clues at the site and sages discussing the meaning. No encounter battle results. If the player already has the correct key, as now, the battle ensues.

The purpose is to make the recovery of quest (multiple step) artifacts more practical and enjoyable.

Please have all transfer orders count as only 0.5 orders against the order limit. Let’s add a transfer order section to the web input form to clearly separate the transfers and their related order costs.

Eliminate all food, gold, and morale costs for post move transfers.
I like all of these changes.
Allow dragon kingdoms to investigate certain sightings, those that are in unrestricted ground, or “open” I am calling them, but unable to investigate others that might be underground or otherwise in constricted space.

On spotting the sighting, the player is informed (any player, not just dragons) whether the sighting is open or “constricted”. Dragons can only investigate open sightings.

This seems a reasonable compromise between taking all Unusual Sightings away from dragons and not having it be silly with them wearing rings or wielding weapons. Rings, weapons and some others may be in constricted sightings, but several of the best artifacts will be in open sightings.

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