I'm also still a little annoyed that players told me clearly in OOC that we were welcome to start a new settlement in the Mainlands, that the orc players were very friendly, and that there was plenty of open space not being used which we were welcome to build on. Naturally I can see that it worked out as a very dwarven fortress area and all, but it's still pretty low of those players to pretend to be helping a new player in order to set us up like that by lying in OOC (especially since you're not supposed to discuss IC stuff in OOC). The only reason I went there in the first place was that I needed a big area to build my maze on.
I thought it produces very interesting RP. We have to be very nice to the orcs because they can overwhelm us in battle. We have to be nice to Hazions, because we respawn there. And despite having a player advantage (B12 has 15+, Hazions have about 5, Orcs 2, 4-6, with warring tribes). We're at a disadvantage in combat, so it balances out. And dwarves control a large part of the passage between those two so both of them are going to either trade with us or use us for political reasons.
I don't think the orcs will be "setting us up for the kill", though. It's not much of a challenge to kill us. The orcs are a pay to play race, so I don't think they're the type to be griefing. Of course, there might be one or two griefers among the bunch. Even then, PKing orcs would be more likely to go and kill the Hazion. They're quite harsh ICly, but friendly OOC.
I still need to find a big open area to build my epic structure, so I think I'll build a canoe and find a new place to do that. My own hermit challenge, I guess. Does the game tell you when you build and place a totem/flag whether you can respawn there?
I think if you can't build a totem there, it's not suitable territory. You have to claim a flag after you build it. If you can't claim it, you can't respawn either.
Do buildings decay if they're not protected by a totem? I just looked at my half-built maze and where the log walls used to be there is now only charcoal. Were they destroyed, or will this happen automatically? Is there any way to build a large structure (too big to be covered by a totem) without it falling apart, or are my plans all for nothing?
If they decayed without a totem, our whole fortress would crumble
Heh, the totem only keeps them from being destroyed. But if it's charcoal, it's very likely that someone burned it down for fun
But anything a totem doesn't protect can be destroyed. I'd suggest you not build an epic structure with wood, because any noob can set alight the floor and accidentally burn down the whole thing. Make it at least out of stone, or out of brick if you want a really hard one to break down. People can still bash through it, but it'd take days to tear it down bit by bit. So make something that still looks cool when in ruins.
And trade with the dwarf fort for resources if you need some