The realm of Lusternia functions on what one should consider a steady state pendulum model. What this means in practice is that the realm has been designed such as to encourage rapid shifts in power between multiple parties, ultimately creating a static environment wherein change can be considered a constant, but cyclical, process. I postulate herein that this particular model is a flawed approach to a succesful virtual world striving to attract potential paying inhabitants.

Let us consider the various entities of the Lusternian realm and their role within the power structure created by the numerous institutions that define our culture. To do so, we will consider organizations in a descending order, based on perceived population potential. This is done arbitrarily, though seeks to create a hierarchal evaluation of the realm's political and economic landscape. The behavior of individuals, while important, is ultimately overtaken by the behavior of a few dominating the behavior of those around them, thus creating the internal structure of these organizations. (Buchanan, 114)

At the top, we have the realm's three states.
1. Serenwilde Commune
2. Magnagoran Empire
3. Celestian Principality

Within each state are present three distinct guilds.
1. Serenwilde Commune
a. Moondancers
b. Hartstone
c. Serenguard
2. Magnagoran Empire
a. Ur'Guard
b. Nihilists
c. Geomancers
3. Celestian Principality
a. Paladins
b. Celestines
c. Aquamancers

Individuals within the guilds may or may not belong to one of a number of mercantile Cartels.
1. Dragonscale
2. Silverblade
3. Dreadhelm
4. Goldleaf
5. Blackpearl
6. Diamondlight
7. Starweaver
8. Nightsoigne
9. Moonlace
10. Gourmonds
11. Epicure
12. Treehearth
13. Blacklotus
14. Blackanvil
15. The Merchant Guild
16. Hearth
17. Lineage
18. Catspaw

Individuals within the guilds may or may not belong to one of 7 available Divine Orders.
1. Lacostian
2. Lisaera
3. Raezon
4. Fain
5. Auseklis
6. Terentia
7. Isune

Further arbitrary delineations may be made within the general culture by way of a number of clans. However, none can be considered potent enough to act as political or economic entities in their own right.

Of the above listed organizations, the two most important to the progress of any individual within the realm are, of course, his state and his guild. His state is generally seen as representing the large ideologies he is wont to follow, while his guild provides a lesser set of ideals, as well as the skills that define his use within society.

Economically, Cartels have thus far shown little leverage in their capacity to limit the production and distribution of goods. As far as can be ascertained, the public Cartels have generally the highest membership, but insofar as trade restrictions, few if any are observed to be obeyed. Ultimately, the real economic strength lies again with the states, as will be discussed later.

Divine Orders, while providing a further set of ideals, generally match strongly with choices of guild and state, and thus serve little purpose within the political landscape save in instances where internal state or guild politics may be swayed by Order affiliation. As this scale of relations is ultimately insignificant to the greater model, we will not consider its importance.


Next, let us evaluate the four major currencies of Lusternia. Each of these currencies is related to each of the others through some mechanism, some more than others. Their interplay creates a backdrop on which much of the realm's infrastructure is built.

1. Gold - The gold sovereign is the basic unit of currency within the realm of Lusternia. It has a wide variety of primary sources (a primary source defined as coming directly from a game mechanic, rather than from player to player) and similarly a large number of potential sinks (sinks being defined as aspects of the realm designed to prevent hoarding of gold by promoting its use as a valued currency).

2. Credits - Several primary sources exist for credits, most prevalent being purchase directly from the Lusternian administration. This requires a fifth currency (the dollar) but will not be discussed as is a topic of debate unto itself. Credits are readily exchangable for gold, and there is generally little risk of any hoarding of credits taking place, due to their substantial market value.

3. Commodities - The commodity market is ultimately dominated by the three states of the realm. Commodities are produced by villages, and the state whose sphere of influence contains each village receives a tithe of these produced commodities. Commodities are sold in the states for gold, and also sold in villages to a lesser degree as a sink.

4. Power - Power is perhaps the most important and arguably the most artificial of all of the realm's currencies. Power is attained through a variety of diverse means, but bulk gathering of power is done by way of state control over villages and citizen participation in quests which specifically generate power for the state.

Surprisingly, gold is perhaps the least valued of the four currencies. It is both plentiful and readily attainable for those who seek it out. Credits have perhaps the greatest market saturation, as can be seen by the current credit market. There are always credits available providing that one is willing to pay the prices desired by the vendors. Commodity trade generally occurs directly through cities and villages, and are relatively inexpensive insofar as their gold value is concerned. The limiting factor ultimately becomes one of production capacity. Power is also limited by production capacity, though there is no true "trade" to speak of that involves Power, save on the interstate level.

We concern ourselves now with the psychological evaluation due the citizens of the Basin. As we are human players, we are wont to acquire vast sums of anything with perceived value. The four above listed currencies, as well as intermediary products, are the strongest measure of influence for any individual or organization. As such, both on the individual and the organizational level, the drive to acquire gold, credits, commodities, and Power is intrinsic and never ending. This must be taken at face value, and is an important consideration in discussing the mechanics of the realm.

Whether it be for reasons of pride, fear, or ambition, the drive for attainment of the four currencies, and in particular Power, is the central factor in Lusternian social, political, and economic practices. These practices are designed with group goals in mind, and as such are necessarily vast. Below, we shall examine several of these practices and the roles they play within the Lusternian infrastructure.

1. Power Quests
Power quests are distinctly unique to Lusternia. They are a point of high contention for numerous reasons. Some, such as the gathering of essence from the Elemental Planes for any of the three Nexuses, are relatively docile, and create only the slightest degree of tension between state and guild parties. Others, notably those quests involving the Supernals, Demon Lords, and the Hart/Crow pair, have both a historical backing and quantitative supremacy that cause persistant and strenuous conflict between different groups.

2. Village Influencing
The most stable and direct means of attaining both power and commodities for states, the influencing of villages is always a point of high contention. Save for villages such as Angkrag and Acknor, the politics that drive the influencing of villages are always fierce, as is the combat that takes place during the period.

3. Commodity Quests
State involvement in commodity quests is dependent directly upon the villages within their sphere of influence. Doing these quests, however, is often seen as a civic duty, and enforced to varying degrees in such a fashion as to bring their importance to the economic viability of a state into view.


All three of these practices have a single unifying thread that, while present in varying degrees, must be considered an important aspect of each. Each is what is known as a "zero sum" process. There exists within the realm a (theoretically) limited number of resources. This is only a theoretical limitation, rather than a true limit, because it is imposed ultimately by time, rather than mechanics. If the four currencies were each propagated from a pool of finite resources, a true limit would exist. However, it is enough to say that time itself limits these resources, as consumption and production have the capacity to cancel each other out if not properly managed over time.

What is important about zero sum processes is that the resources available must in some way be shared between the parties involved. The ultimate players in this game are the three states, around which the majority of the realm function. History provides a canvas upon which the realm's power struggle plays out, and largely influences the potential methods by which these zero sum processes can have their pools distributed amongst the parties. As such, situations are created wherein the aim of procuring the highest percentage of these limited resources becomes an all consuming necessity. (Rapoport, Var.)

Let us evaluate several such situations.

Scenario 1: Seawolves, Royalty, and Demons

Celestian forces have procured the means by which to slay the Demon Lord Gorgulu. In preparation for the task, efforts are pushed by the Celestian government and its Guilds to raise Princess Marilynth. This task forces Magnagorans to split their offensive when Gorgulu is then slain. In so doing, the Celestians have created a situation wherein Magnagora's power has begun to drain at a rate that it is nearly impossible for them to counter. On top of this, they are unable to stop this process without concentrating on one of two tasks. One option is to return Gorgulu to Nil. Doing this will take away from efforts to slay Marilynth and raise Ladantine's ship, both of which are necessary to restore the Necromentate and the shield around their city that protects their nexus from attack. Also, Gorgulu can be slain again as soon as he is returned, so this is an unattractive option. The other option consists of working continuously on the quests mentioned above, such that the Necromentate's shield can be restored and thus prevent further damage from Gorgulu, regardless of how often he may be slain. This, however, also leaves the Celestians free to oppose their work within the seas, rather then garnering forces for attacks on Nil. As such, the two sides are compelled to continuously work on some aspect of this cycle of quests, for fear that in growing lax they might see their share of the Power pool dwindle.

Scenario 2: The Village Shuffle

The Serenwilde Commune is a traditionally anti-city state. As such, it seeks some degree of neutrality as concerns the conflicts inherent between Magnagora and Celest. However, because of the need to procure villages for their own share of the Power and Commodity pools, this ideal must often be disregarded. Cooperation with one city, and both Celest and Magnagora have been this city in the past, always draws chagrin from the other, and can create scenarios where violent conflict even outside of the village influencing period erupts. This is seen most often when the Serenwilde have aided the Principality of New Celest in procuring villages. When this has occured, Magnagora has traditionally lashed out at the Serenwilde, who then, along with the Celestians, lash back at the Magnagorans. Though it was not the original aim of the Commune to create any lasting alliance, conflict has forced them into a mutual struggle, a frustrating situation to both the Magnagorans who feel rightly slighted and to the Serenwilders who have little desire to deal with those of the Light.


Both of these scenarios illustrate aspects of the realm that are hurt by its violently cyclical nature. In the former, conflict has become a constant, where laxity by individuals and organizations risks major losses. In the latter, desired historical precedent is sacrificed where necessary for the progress of the state. (Straffin, Var.)

Scenario 1 is frustrating both to the casual player as well as to the mainstay. For the casual player, it is disheartening to see the toil of one's efforts contribute only on the short term, before it is entirely wiped out by those who can contribute more time. For the mainstay, it is frustrating to see hours or days of work come to naught, or even when successful, to see the effects reversed by opposing processes unless the same degree of meticulous attention is payed to disrupting said processes.

It is not enough to say that we have the capacity as players to limit our involvement in these processes. Even mutual agreements between unlikely allies (Celest and Magnagora) are wont to break down when the behavior of an individual has the capacity to overturn diplomatic efforts with little true risk to the offender. This is a problem that needs be addressed at the systemic level, rather than treated symptomatically.

Considering the problem as one of interconnected nodes vying for temporally limited resources, the overall system is sufficiently complex to warrant evaluation within the framework of controlled loss tolerance. (Hofstadter, 285) The realm needs be restructured in such a fashion as to permit losses on a quantitative level without effecting the morale of its inhabitants on the scale that it currently exists. The question then becomes how this can be suitably accomplished without sacrificing the uniqueness of pre-existing conflicts.

It is my belief that the first step in accomplishing this goal must be a reworking of the way in which 1. Power Quests, 2. Village Influencing, and 3. Commodity Quests function in our world.

1. Addressing Power Quests
The Power Quests are an integral part of our world's landscape. It is impossible to separate their importance from the historical precedent they are based upon, and alterations to them on anything but a superficial level would be harmful to continuity. As such, I would propose that they be restructured in such a fashion as to force large time gaps in the process by which the quests are performed. From step to step in the large quests, multiple hour periods should be forced wherein no progress can be made towards the next step. This will create a situation wherein individuals are given time to either rest up and prepare for the next portion of the quest, or exert their effort on other projects. For cyclic quests, care must be taken in freezing aspects on both sides. Smaller power quests, such as essence gathering, need not be concerned with, as their potential for conflict creation is low.

2. Addressing Village Influencing
Much work has been done to curb the demand imposed by village influencing. However, I think it would be prudent to extend the time period that villages are held, and increase the village's capacity to defend itself from attack. Raiding is so prevalent because even with guards present, there is little risk to the raiding party if done properly. By increasing the capacity of a village to defend itself, raiding becomes a less attractive, yet still viable, option. This will curb the constant warfare that erupts over villages, in and out of influencing scenarios.

3. Addressing Commodity Quests
Commodity quests need to be made more quantitatively measurable. It is difficult for individuals to feel as though their contribution is meaningful without some sense of a quantitative accomplishment. Further, commodity quests should have the option of providing commodities directly to the individual, rather than through an intermediary. This will help to alleviate the reliance upon cities to distribute commodities, which will help lower the anxiety felt by crafters when their home city is at a loss for products due to an unsuccessful influencing period.

Moving in the direction proposed within the above three paragraphs will provide a base upon which future adjustments to the system should be made. Lusternia needs to develop away from a system of constant, cycling power shifts, and adapt one of perceived safety of balance. Too often individuals experience "burnout" because of feelings that the smallest mistake might cause the power structure of the realm to shift dramatically out of their favour, and as long as this remains a potential truth, players will always be on the edge of their psychological tolerance. By stretching out the period between conflict genesis points, periods of stable peace can be created for the more aesthetically tolerable aspects of the Lusternian realm to make an appearance.





1. Buchanan, Mark. Nexus: Small Worlds and the Groundbreaking Theory of Networks. New York, W.W. Norton & Company, 2002.
2. Rapoport, Anatole. N-Person Game Theory: Concepts and Applications. Mineola: Dover Publications, Inc., 1970.
3. Straffin Jr., Philip D. Game Theory and Strategy. Washington: The Mathematical Association of America, 2002.
4. Hofstadter, Douglas R. Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid. New York: Basic Books, 1979.

Whoa, very indepth, I like it

I disagree with you on several points.

1) You complete ignore the existance of levels and experience and their capacity to limit conflict.

2) The gold market is -not- zero-sum.

3) If players are stopped from continuously raising power through the large power quests, what's to stop the conflict from moving to the smaller essence gathering activities like bashing starsuckers and their earth counterparts?

1) Levels and experience have very little bearing on an evaluation of conflict on the scale I'm discussing. On an individual level? Sure. But for every person that just doesn't involve themselves in conflict for fear of losing experience there are plenty of people to continue that conflict without concern for it.

2) The gold market is clearly not zero sum, and I never claimed that it was. What I did claim, however, was that gold does not play an important enough role within the realm's power structure to make an effect on things on the large scale.

3) Nothing, but these processes are a. Off plane, which is where conflict is meant to be, and b. Small enough in scale that any losses from not being able to gather essence from starsuckers for an hour or two isn't going to cause people to get frustrated and quit Lusternia, the way some of the current conflicts have.

Though your writing style is a bit high handed and professorial at times, I really appreciate the thought and work you've put into your essay. Below are some immediate comments.



If Serenwilde chooses to be anti-city, I do not see how it follows that "it seeks some degree of neutrality as concerns the conflicts inherent between Magnagora and Celest". If this is the case, it seems to me it would be in their best interest to make sure the conflict between Magnagora and Celest would always be as entrenched as possible so both cities would pound against each other to the point where both are constantly weak. In any event, Serenwilde procuring villages is all about being anti-city if you go by the text in their village influence skills. They are attempting to sway the villages not to support cities and remain content as the simple communities within the Basin. Historically, Serenwilde would have nothing against villages and indeed support the village lifestyle as what 'civilization' was truly meant to be, i.e., if Magnagora and Celest would be content to be small villages, they'd be quite happy (at least the historical Serenwilde). However, the bottom line is that it is the Serenwilde players who can determine how their commune acts and reacts to cities.



As you know from the readjustment to the sea battle, I am with you in making the quests that have a large impact on power having longer time intervals. The sea battle quest, btw, I think is a good example of a quest that has intervals of rest between phases, at least insofar as the time between the battles are concerned. As for Hart/Crow, those quests are already regulated by one game month intervals. Also, since it only impacts Serenwilde, I haven't seen a real 'burnout' factor except perhaps for those who try to raise Crow. This leaves the Supernals/Demon Lords. I have actually played with the idea of making them all invincible except for one game month out of the game year, but many players have said that they want more conflict on the other planes so I've avoided doing that on the grounds that it would be a step backwards taking away conflict from other planes. Other than that, I don't know of any other power quests that would be amenable to readjusting.



I'm reluctant to extend the time period that villages are held. As it is now, a village can be held for over 30 days and extending it even further seems unfair to a city or commune that has none or very few. The discretionary power system was put in exactly for the reason to help villages defend themselves. I'm open to more discretionary power options but I'm not very keen on villages automatically getting free souped up guards or automatic defenses.



Commodity quests do cause villages to produce more commodities which the commodity quester can then buy from the village (rather than the city or commune). The unfortunate limitation in game mechanics is that the commodities do not show up until a time period after the quest is completed. I may look into this again (i.e., having the commodity immediately be produced at the village commodity store) but it's a difficult problem on the coding side which I won't get into. Hmm, actually, as I'm writing this I may have an idea...

Thank you for your response. I'll accept professorial...High-handed, eh. I just feel it better to state things as though they were unquestionably true in what amounts to a persuasive essay. I suppose that would come off sounding that way, however.

With the Serenwilde, my comment on their "neutrality" was simply that they didn't seek to see either side victorious, and the mechanics of the game thus far have pushed them much closer to Celest than Magnagora, which I felt was likely unintended.

The change to the Seawolves/Turtles quest was a good one. This was precisely the type of thing I felt needed to be done. Insofar as its applicability to other quests, I certainly think there are still some things that could be changed, particularly the quests involving Crow and White Hart.

I can understand the reluctance to change village holding time, and in hindsight I would probably agree. Perhaps, however, a governing style that would lend some automatic defenses to held villages at a cost of commodity upkeep? Just a thought.

And yes, I was aware that the quests do affect the amount villages produce. But as you pointed out, it's more a problem of the individual DOING the quest not seeing a tangible recognition of this fact. It's usually someone else coming and buying out the commodity shop at a later date that gets the most benefit from other people doing the commodity quests.

This is about the only thing that I find frustrating (besides karma... Die Karma Die!). I enjoy doing commodity quests, and I can expect that I'll get some return from doing them in the form of commodities. However, because of the delay in actual completion to store stock, I am not around when the commodity is put up for sale, and more often than not, someone comes in and buys the comm out, which I just worked very hard to obtain in the first place. My only alternative is to buy from my city's comm shop (which unfortunately for me is usually closed for reasons I'd rather not go into right now). So the frustration persists, and I never get the comms I want when I need them.

I'm eager to see Estarra's idea.

Edit: Disclaimer: This was posted without me reading the above post by Rhysus.

Again, this was what discretionary powers were for. I'd rather continue with the discretionary power system rather than come up with a new governing style. Maybe a power that lasts one game month? It would, of course, cost power to maintain.

Personally, I'm reluctant to use power for the type of things that have been given for discretionary powers thus far. They don't generally seem worth the gain. Maybe that's just me though.

As it is, the only discretionary powers that affect village defense are distort and rally. But most of the time, with rally, the raider isn't going to be with the guards, and it's quite possible to run past them (or ghost, if Magnagoran) unless they're part of a group that's trying to kill the guards. And distort doesn't alter the raider's efficiency... anyway, I'd suggest a power along the lines of flux/ripples that causes city enemies to take damage while in a village when it's activated (can be activated at the nexus for all villages, or at an obelisk for just one). Or perhaps make rally strengthen not only the guards, but also the village denizens?

EDIT: Oh, and I'd suggest making discretionary powers cost less. A lot of them aren't worth the steep power cost for what they provide.

If there was a Nexus discretionary power that caused Elemental guards to be infused at every location in the village for a period of 1 day, at a cost of 500 power, I'd use it.

Rhysus, small comment. There's 8 divine orders.

Lacostian, Isune, Auseklis, Lisaera, Fain, Raezon, Terentia, and Roark. Roark's is just very uncommon, as he wants a small order.

I discounted Roark for this very fact. I wouldn't consider Roark's Order to be "available" to the general public.

Of course...you know how much people complain about there not being USES for power, and are reluctant to use them even with presented with (relatively low-cost) options. Something akin to EITHER passive rippling in a village (hey - it works for the planes. Maybe it would make less sense, but I'm sure you could figure something out) or Rhysus' suggestion sounds like the sort of thing people would use because they would feel it would have a MAJOR effect. (I mean, come on, who the heck's gonna use the mage one? Seriously.) Why don't you want souped-up guards as an effect, incidentally? Eh, the nexus ripple in the Cosmic is just like an unkillable guard. ...that hits everyone.

Okay so maybe...the guards would all vanish and turn into this big elemental monstery thing that would actually be able to DO stuffs.

Or, y'know, something.

Also, I know Rhysus meant that to be understandable to a layman, but I barely ever get what people are on about when they get into that, so I was proud I followed it all the way through this time.

Rally is actually really powerful imho. It affects not only regular guards but also elemental guards and makes them SUBSTANTIALLY stronger both in defense and offense.

Which doesn't really mean a lot, all things considered. I mean, I've ran past all the guards in Angkrag and torn up every monolith sigil down there several times now. The guards are relatively easy to evade without statues, which can't be placed in a number of villages, so it comes down to being able to get to the obelisk and summon new ones so they'll follow you, then lead them to the attackers, all that after rallying. Hardly seems all that powerful.

Point 1) There was a time in Magnagoran History, where a certain clan was more important than the city itself

point 2) There was a time in the history where the Trade cartels were able to hold much power before certain people in the same city as the cartel convinced them to release that power.

point 3) There is a large population of people who have gone rogue inorder to be able to make more gold and experience.

I wouldn't sell those aspects of the game short. They have large amounts of power and influence if the players who are in those groups choose to use it, or are able to use it.

On commodities:

I don't mind the fact that there is a delay in the availability of the comm after the quest is performed. That makes some sense to me. The problem currently is that cities cannot properly reward the hard work of their citizens in the village/comm quest 'game' because we lack the proper controls over our comm shops. If a city sells at a price that gives an advantage to their citizens compared to village prices, then members of other cities/communes have and will purchase those comms in large amounts to stock their own shops with things they aren't getting tithed (or, things they just plain want more of). This has never made any sense to me, and I've been advocating we get control over our comm shops sales (akin to master shopkeepers, 'do not sell to Seren citizens' 'CR2 in Magnagora' etc) OR have it only sell to 'allies' of a city (members of the city plus those who have been declared via game mechanic as allies by a council member, trade minister, or trade aide).

Either way, this would allow people to essentially reap immediate rewards via cheap purchasing power as long as stock was above a certain quantity (for example), and would prevent the lame 'what is that novice doing in the comm shop? someone watch him? Who has the keys to the comm shop? crap that happens now.

Excellent... a well-written post, penned in a mature style of writing that I love to read.

Commenting on Daganev, regarding the people going rogue for gold or experience... When Rhysus talks about the sociopolitical ramifications of Lusternia, we must think more large-scale, or get the "big picture". Rogues, while undoubtedly a topic of much discussion, hardly lend to the greater scheme of things at this time. As a rogue for nearly all of the game so far, I can personally back up this statement. I've created a cartel of trans merchants, attempted to create a new community, had dealings with raising crow, and numerous other projects, but at every turn I'm inevitably frustrated by the power the three communities have.

Should they wish to destroy a single rogue, or even a group of rogues, as evidenced during Nikua's inquisition of the former Black Market, they can do so without much effort. If I should decide to retaliate against one of these larger entities, it would be akin to me throwing myself against a brick wall. Perhaps I would chip it in places, and irritate the wall-builders, but in the end my crusade would prove fruitless.

Hence, at this time, rogues mean next to nothing.

I do agree with nearly all of Rhysus' points, and I must say that I personally do not find flaw with his logic. The part that struck me the most was the realization that the constant madeness of some of the game's systems was causing people to be "burned out." While we hjad some knowledge of this before, the point I failed to grasp was that if Magnagorans stopped questing for a week, they could quite possibly be overrun by the rest of the Basin. Therefore, a constant state of conflict must be maintained in order to keep the political equillibrium.

There are not enough breaks in the system where we can all sit down and roleplay, as the game -is- actually a roleplaying game. But what of those people that do not wish to stay and roleplay, those that are more interested in gaining levels, or amassing great fortunes? Lusternia is run by a company, and the company wants to make money. As long as nearly everyone is satisfied, the company is doing its job.

I believe that some of the deepest gameplay mechanics and interactions do not only stem from the in-game characters and administration, but from the outside world as well.

There is only one way to turn Lusternia into the perfect game world that so many of us desire: ban all out of character refrences ever, never sell credits again, and lock yourself next to your computer for so long that you lose your grip on reality. For as much as we desire to improve upon this game, it is based on real thoughts, laws, emotions, and ideas. This game cannot exist in a perfect fantasy world like a book does because of one factor.

Us.


Thanks for the essay Rhysus. It made me, for a time, remember that I'm not an idiot gamer, and that I still possess a measure of intellegence while contributing here. Perhaps someday that will come across in my character.

Lacostian has also disbanded His Order now, so there are only 6 "open" Orders if Roark's is not counted.