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[GlyphGryph]

I really want to start playing this with you guys again.

Except for where I would have to play the game to do it, even know I just don't find the gameplay fun. But the people were great.

[RoaryStar]

Spoiler: For Loud Whispers (click to show/hide)

WHY YOU MAKE 1000 SWORDS AT ROAING!? ****!

I THOUGHT YOU LIKED SWORDS BRO

You used up the resources I was going to use for the Marketplace and Barracks!

By my estimation, there were about 90,000 troops at the spot at the end of the second attack.

Hey hey hey, giving troop estimations while the tourney is still going on is very bad practice

Just saying.
Let's talk in game, shall we, LW?

I really want to start playing this with you guys again.

Except for where I would have to play the game to do it, even know I just don't find the gameplay fun. But the people were great.

I find the gameplay quite boring, having to wait... though it's still worth it.

[Loud Whispers]

You used up the resources I was going to use for the Marketplace and Barracks!

To be fair, those were queued up waaaaay before the barracks/marketplace were being built.
_{Or at least before I heard of it...}

I find the gameplay quite boring, having to wait... though it's still worth it.

Aye, I only play for the community really. That'd have to be the best thing about it.

[Duuvian]

If it helps to bring back one of the most legendary StA members know that a while ago I bought a (large) bit of prestige with my limited corn and pepper farming real-life profits; and they added a feature where you can donate it to your alliance; to go into an alliance pool. Then the leader (me) sets each alliance rank a daily limit to consume from that pool (which I will raise or lower upon request). That means it might speed things up a bit for you; though it's a bit of waste to use it on low level buildings. To be frugal with it I encourage it's use on 1 day + build time buildings though I understand exceptions are necessary.

Though if it's a matter of lack of login ability it's all good and I salute you whatever you decide; even if it's from not enjoying my favorite game.

There are a LOT of excellent changes since you left though; I humbly suggest that you give it a try. You automatically (meaning as soon as I'm aware and am around to bestow it) get one of the in-game player designed medals (from templates) that cost prestige if so; perhaps "Best Orc in Illyriad." (no offense to any orc players reading this; you are most likely wonderful in your own way and I know you are if you are in StA, but you don't have my favorite orc accent)

Also fairly regular tournaments inspired (at least partially) by your innovative actions in the past.

Finally if this post is TMI I'll change it at your request.

I don't know if you mind being affiliated with being one of the finest Illyriad player accounts I've known, or not but I would consider (most) of your actions something to be proud of.

Maybe not exterminating S&B the second time they attacked us (or whatever happened; was never clear who it was that started those incidents, only that alliance members needed help) but hey; we and Illyriad were young and by now, bygones are bygones. (Except maybe for the former S&B guys, I'm not sure they've ever let that go, and yes they are still around and messing with us however they can. Which adds some excitement to the game knowing that someone is out there who would strike you if they could get away with it. Which gives me incentive to ensure that they don't get away with it. We've kind of become frienemies if you know what I mean due to long association, though getting zork to exchange messages is difficult due to his fear I'm going to backstab him and vice versa. We haven't had open warfare since zork took Akura's capital of Daggerclutches in S&B crew's finest moment of triumph. He still has that city and it's still called Daggerclutches of course. That set up their ultimate downfall however; as other alliances crushed the crap out of S&B to the point they can't reform under the same name and instead have resorted to the proven tactic of infiltrating other alliances and subverting them. I didn't even have to lift a finger for StA's revenge which was beautiful. It was simply because S&B miscalculated the environment in Illyriad where warmongers are put down because it gives other alliances an opportunity to flex their muscles and claim some loot and spoils. It makes aggressive action suicide so you have to be very very sneaky and intelligent in order to do thing like that. For example people try to settle cities on StA's islands in the expectation that they will be wrecked and thus give casus belli for invasion. However I tend to simply give them gifts and work out deals that say please don't settle any more cities here and you can stay as long as you'd like; thus countering them by giving us casus belli for obtaining shiny new pre-built cities if they ignore that advice. After all, the harpies and the Windseekers are ambiguous threats to our alliance and we are preventing future wars by controlling the territory; thus doing all of Illyriad a favor.

For other alliances who read this thread:

Not even joking about this, as it's the truth since the devs absolutely refuse to give any information on factions out due to being accused of forcing players to make policy decisions then going back on their earlier choices. I have PMs and even an open forums post from GM Luna to prove it. Since we inhabit two islands, one controlled by the harpies and one controlled by Windseekers; and those two factions hate each other, we may be forced to take a side. Since it might be the case that we are in the UNIQUE situation of wanting to side with the harpies by oppressing the Windseekers [especially since harpies are a 'monstrous' faction whatever that means while WIndseekers are a normal faction] while everyone not in our situation would naturally side with the Windseekers logically due to their allied factions, it behooves us to prevent others from settling either island in force in order to prevent a war in the future with whatever power may choose to do that. Also should other alliances read this, Sta Will allow unlimited settlement of Windseeker/Armokumid if and only when the devs choose the clarify the factions situation; and if that situation seems to show no harm to StA and the peaceful state of Illyriad by allowing settlement on the one small island we claim exclusive rights to. Farra is already available to settle [space and respect towards StA permitting as we will respect you] as theoretically StA only needs to control ONE of the two islands [and we chose the smaller one to be as fair as possible in an inherently unfair situation] as insurance against faction shenanigans that would threaten the peace otherwise. Remember we are the only alliance entirely based on these two locations as far as I am aware, and it will continue to stay that way for the sake of keeping the peace  . Finally even Windseeker/Armokumid might be open to other alliances having ONE city from [barring existing circumstances and you know who you are] that alliance if they meet the following criteria: 1: it's for trading purposes or 2: it's part of your alliance's central theme to have an account present in every geographic location. Also 3: applies to both of the above and 3: is that no StA member is planning for the spot you've chosen and that you've asked an StA member to send an alliance wide message to discuss the matter and have heard a reply back. In extremely limited circumstances we might allow more than one city per alliance but don't hold your breath and it had better be for a good reason or we had better like you a whole lot because it sets a bad example, and you MUST ask us first if it is alright. All of this is for the above mentioned desire not to fight wars in the future or even worse to be forced to pick on smaller players who would have an interest in helping an opposing faction to move. This would make us feel bad and also might give casus belli to someone to take up arms against us; so you see it's common sense rather than sheer territorial ambitions for one relatively small island. Mostly. I do enjoy having our own island you see and if necessary I and whoever else will ally with me will fight for it; and given my philanthropic Illyriad history you can rest assured I will have some allies. My hats off to the devs as usual for such an excellent game and inadvertently creating such a situation; and if you choose to defuse this situation I won't hold it against you because it means you've released factions. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy Illyriad as much as I do. Besides, I hope I and StA have proven ourselves able and goodly enough stewards of the islands that anyone who has the power to pick on us would think twice.)

In summary you did us and Illyriad a great favor by claiming both islands and your name is enshrined above all in the legends of gone away StA lords and ladies; along with Akura and Aelfric, Mysteriousbluepuppet, the Stormlord and all the other founders only I and the alliance forums are left to remember.

[GlyphGryph]

Haha, why would I mind?

It's like, argh, I want to come back, I really do, but I /remember/. The longer the game went, the bigger my cities got (and the more I got), the more I had to spend time /not doing things I wanted to be doing/. It's constantly like "I wish there was a game that was like this but a different game". It's like playing Imperium Nova - great game, fun potential with good people, but bogged down by crap like mechanics. Just too much of a timesink.

Someone needs to make a game like this with far fewer fiddly bits for me to manage.

... unless someone's released some bot apps that will handle those for me? That might convince me to come back.

[loose nut]

Well, to be honest Illyriad works well as a game you have open in a browser tab while you are doing something else, like, for example, DF, or FTL, or something else you can play in a window, or gods forbid something productive. Then, you can have the fun of being in a little game community without the pressure of being in a little game community (because all in all things move pretty slow). And unlike other games in this genre you're not going to die if you sleep, or put it down for a week, or even a month or two. So that's my assessment of it.

[Duuvian]

Hey, I know how you feel. Just so you know I have sitters on my accounts who I'm trusting to do most of my building, as shameful of that as it may be. I just login now and then to keep the accounts from dieing due to original user inactivity and play when I want. I really ought to keep it open in a tab like most othe people do but I always forget to do it beforehand and then I'm zoned in on whatever it is I'm doing, which is silly I know since as I think I've mentioned three times at least it's my favorite game and a person would think it deserves more attention thusly. Just my own fault I suppose and I apologize for being less awesome for it and you know what, I'll try (and likely fail so you know) to rectify that in the future. It's really a low key game now that I don't have to login as often to keep things going, and in return the guys who enjoy building cities get access to a nice large account to see how things are. It's totally okay with me for them to build the accounts at whatever pace they are comfortable with; as long as they enjoy it I'm happy to have them. If they don't enjoy it I hope they let me know because I understand Illy can be less fun if you have too much to do in it as weird as that sounds. If you were to choose to make your two accounts I'm sure some people could be found that would appreciate sitting them to assist such a legend as you get back into the game; especially since sitting increases your in-game power substantially, even if it's a dinky little account since that can still make troops at the same rate and be supported by the alliance with resources.

It is a bit tedious to do some things so I'm really appreciative of people who help me out, since they are also helping the alliance by making accounts stronger. That's why I award them one of those prestige medals I talked about that they can wear with pride in global chat, to show they've taken the time to make their alliance stronger. If someone is doing this service for you and you are in StA, and they have not been awarded this medal yet, please send duuvian/naivuud a message, and send KillianBlack and Chaos Armor a message as well because I get tons of messages and they add up from not logging in as often as in the days of yore so I'm bound to miss something important like that. Please do it as I'd really like to make sure those quietly helpful people get the reward and recognition they deserve for their actions at my expense.

On that note I'd like to keep a small  emergency pool of prestige so the medal might not be rewarded immediately but I will be buying more as soon as I am able. As much as I enjoy Illyriad as it's my favorite game as I've mentioned, I still must be rational and put real life first and I am far from a wealthy man in real life currency; though all is well as I am wealthy in excellent internet companions.

I also have some people helping take care of diplomacy finally which is really nice; because talking to people was eating up all my Illyriad time and I couldn't build the account myself and it was killing my game spirit to not be able to learn about and enjoy crafting or the sweet new buildings, since I was spending all my time warding off with words other alliances who would like the opportunity to get themselves some new islands and cities by provoking us into attacking the cities they settle on the islands for example. It was happening just about every other week it seemed like and convincing them it's not in their best interest takes at least as long and it was starting to burn me out and make me paranoid. Luckily I have some awesome alliance members who are willing to help me out which is making Illyriad fun again. Especially since I can finally learn about crafting and such a while (months?) after it was released.

Finally for this post; I'd really like to get together a Slaves to Armok squad together for Planetside 2 now that I'm in the beta. PS2 won't require much in the way of hardware and I already have some ideas to accomplish Awesome status in that game once it goes live. I would just require some help from good friends to be some of the elite of the elite.

[GlyphGryph]

I'd love to join, description makes it seem cool, but man their site is terrible. What is it - a playstation game? I dunno. Chances are pretty good it won't work on my computer, regardless. Even if it's a sony-related PC game, nothing sony-related has ever worked for me. I assume it's because they hate me.

[Duuvian]

Trust me on this one; it's very very good. I understand people's hesitations for Sony but they seem to have it together on this one; it seems groundbreaking to me. Think original EQ groundbreaking for the irony, since SOE bought that team out and then it sorta went downhill in my humble opinion though EQ1 still a pretty great game nowadays; I'm probably just nostalgic. EQ2 wasn't good for me though. Here's to hoping there will be an EQ3 someday and it's as good as the original (and keeps EQ1 timeline since EQ2 f'd it up something terrible. I'm down with the EQ2 is an alternate universe theory which also seems prevalent in EQ players anyhow. Druzil Ro and all that; do the research yourself if you want.)

It's a squad based team driven realm vs realm pvp first person shooter MMO with tanks and airplanes and all kinds of customization (though many customizations are unlocks. Only non-gameplay things like paint schemas absolutely require money, which I know is public info so I can put that here. Guns can be unlocked by your realm kicking ass). Also they seem to have some kind of leap forward on graphics because my vid card runs it flawlessly and it's a low end best buy vid card from 2007ish. Yet it's stunning. Runs better than xbox ports from a few years ago.

Also while I'm standing close to the NDA line on this one, the game economy, depending on the numbers, will be very nice to poor people. While I don't put it past the corporation to skew the numbers towards tough to near impossible to earn the unlocks; it will be quite possible to earn them if your 'realm' does well enough it rewards on an individualistic basis as it is. I apologize SoE if you wanted to keep that under wraps but it's probably for your benefit to let people know that so I assume you already have disclosed it somewhere and if not you are welcome so please please please don't get my ass in trouble for it as I wouldn't do it otherwise. You'd be flushing your dollars down the drain anyways since I have nothing you can take except my beta access (please don't take that either, I'm being nice to you, you see? Plus I like to think I'm a better friend than example hung in public view in this instance.)

[magmablob]

ive recently started playing this game really fun my username is magmablob(the same as the forum one getting the basic currently liking it a lot the best ive played so far

[Duuvian]

Sure, I'll invite you or if I forget somehow someone else will. I'll probably do it within a few minutes though.

EDIT: You are hereby invited.

Also something to consider would be making a second account. In Illyriad you can have 2, though no more. It effectively doubles your in-game power, though also gives you twice as much to do. This can be both a blessing and a curse of course, as you can see above, so it's entirely your choice and optional.

One advantage to holding off on a second account or not putting it in StA right away is that you can join another alliance and collect all their tasty infos. Or vice versa... though I have ways of rooting out spies (which can backfire and hurt innocent alliance mates, so I have pledged with myself to be more cautious in it's use. It's a fairly difficult and complex procedure anyways and it's only proven useful once in the past to be honest.)

Also I don't have any alliances infiltrated now, nor do I have any wish to spy on any alliance at the moment. That's to reassure the alliances who may or may not know an StA member is in their ranks. Honest. If you somehow are spying on us (which I don't believe is an issue at the moment), know I am not concerned and allow me to congratulate you. Well done and may I suggest you may know of another, more fruitful target to infiltrate as I assume you have realized we don't mean anyone any harm and are actually quite reasonable folks.

[Loud Whispers]

Also something to consider would be making a second account. In Illyriad you can have 2, though no more. It effectively doubles your in-game power, though also gives you twice as much to do. This can be both a blessing and a curse of course, as you can see above, so it's entirely your choice and optional.

You could always get sitters for the alt I guess. With added risks of course.

[Duuvian]

Last night I slandered in public an innocent person due to misinformation I had received in the past. I have thus resigned from the position of Expedition Leader of Slaves to Armok and requested that the alliance members form a decision making council in my absence. I will return in roughly one month from this date, possibly to join said council if they will have me. I will only login once or twice to ensure that my accounts remain active and not auto-deleted due to inactivity.

Some may say that this was unnecessary and extreme of me to do. I say that I will decide how best to handle my own mistakes and my own punishment. As such I've put myself under self imposed exile from my favorite game for the period of at least one month in the name of fairness to those I wronged last night. If my alliance requires my advice or other information from me they may reach me through this thread.

Until then, I expect them to hold the fort.

 

<Ahnald voice>

HOLD DAH FART!

[Loud Whispers]

So due to unforeseen circumstances

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

And after rather nasty paranoia cascade, StA is without a singular leader. More to that, StA's leadership is being reformed to that of a council, for better of for worse.
However whilst the tourney's going on, we can't do any reforms (due to some weird Illy bug), so the council will have to be put into power once the tourney is over.
My pennies are placed for a Sparta/DF-like government;

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Essentially the same organisation as before, the Fortress of Dwarves (excluding all the Elves because)

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

A trinity surrounding a Sliver barb to symbolize the gathering of strength from mistakes of the past.

Elves got rights too

Overseers = Alliance members, running their own fortresses. -> Elect mayors
Mayors -> Elect Barons, conduct meetings with diplomats, possibly other roles too(?)
Barons = Those who hold the Fort. Except more than 1, at least. Allows for more specialized nobles and more power distribution.

Thoughts?

[Loud Whispers]

The below is what I plan to also post on the Illyriad alliance recruitment forum - to signal the start of the recruitment drive. Any criticisms/things to change before posting?


_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Lady Farra wants you to join !!StA!!

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Long may she reign the seas.

This is a call to all prospecting players looking for an odd alliance to call their own, the Slaves to Armok. All races, all levels of experience and all penguins welcome, with a preference to those with knowledge of Dwarf Fortress or backgrounds in the Bay12 forums.

Founded in the 8th of January 2010, StA was the 14th Alliance to spring into creation.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

EXCITING STUFF

It's an old thing, a band of escaped lunatics and rough riders, Dwarves and mayors - all held together by a single ticker and an undying unity forged in cities, blood and poisonous crawlers.
Players from all ranges of experience and seasoning are being sought after, with the criteria being you are active (enough) and well (enough) mannered that you being a part of the alliance would be an enjoyable experience for everyone. Generally, be nice!

What we have to offer from the small price of participation (for life - our kittens will adopt you if you leave), are numerous as they are beautiful.

1. Poisonous Crawlers
Legions of them

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

ALL OTHER ANIMAL IS SILLY WEAKLING
(Those Crawlers migrated from Farra to Tallimar. It is still questionable as to how they crossed the ocean. Research is being undertaken to weaponize Poisonous submariner crawlers).

2. Borders and a pristine environment to meditate in, and admire the beauty of the poisonous crawler.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

They're terrifying
StA holds dominion to Rill Archipelago, Farra Isle and a few small islands, whilst also having a strong influence with the toes of Azura and Tallimar-by-the-sea.
As a result, StA is arguably the closest knit alliance in Illyriad, with the highest city density than any other alliance of its size. Land claims are much easier to handle - our borders are clearly shown by the [OCEAN]. And due to its remoteness and lack of negative external influences (also known as conflict), StA members are often allowed to roam about their islands rambling with their fellow alliance members in peace even when large wars are ongoing - simply for the virtue of being so isolated.
For any interested, an IGM request can be sent to me for full sized images of Farra Isle and Rill Archipelago.

3. The members themselves. A lot of the constituents are from the wonderful land of Bay12, which in turn is mainly constituted of Dwarf Fortress players. Some are grizzly old beards, with tales of StA valor and legends galore. Others are exceedingly creative, constantly churning out more eccentric Illyriad megaprojects.
But most importantly - those in StA who have specialized themselves into a certain art, have done so with the force of a thousand pump stacks, because.
The knowledge of this specialization and the resources afforded by our alliance are welcome to new members as much as we find new memers welcome, for all who walk walk under the gaze of the bloody God.
"Joooooiiiin ussssssss....."~Cultist

4.  EXCITING REFORMS
Duuvian, our benevolent expedition leader stepped down from his role after not being able to cope with the growing demands that befits an alliance leader individually.
As a result, StA is undergoing political reforms. Overall, the system is not being changed much - decisions StA makes will be made by the alliance members until it gets big enough and needs a more defined government, with power distributed evenly amongst the members of StA. Nothing is set in stone yet, so even newcomers can make themselves heard - and change the new government system. However such reforms cannot be made until after the tourney is over, so the reforms will have to be marked with...

5. The giving of free possibly naked blue guys!
http://forum.illyriad.co.uk/tournament-vi-dark-harvest-rules-and-prizes_topic4270.html
Any who join StA within 10 days shall receive whatever bounties we have yielded from the Dark Harvest tournament, a limited time offer. Once the tourney is over and the druids are safely nestled in the capitals of your cities, the reforms shall begin.