Delport: I told Siam and co to go get Stewartsville instead. Luckily, a few Mags kept them busy long enough for us to get Delport before they managed to get Stewartsville.
Ptoma: We got lucky and Serenwilde was sent to Ixthiaxa where they killed all the illithoids, annoying Glomdoring. Glomdoring harassed Serenwilde until Ixthiaxa was up, then I made non-violence agreements with Celest and Serenwilde while they handed us the village by fighting between themselves. The turning point really was the Celest/Serenwilde fighting.
Southgard: Glomdoring and Celest started getting semi-aggressive so I told Hallifax to keep working at the influencing and avoid the fighting as much as possible. Luckily our headstart was enough.
Dairuchi: No doubt about this one initially. Hallifax needed Glomdoring to fight off Gaudiguch and Magnagora. I cannot comment on how it worked out after the fighting ended, though.
Rockholm: Can't comment as I was not present, but with 5 villages I'd imagine it wasn't too hard to begin with even when we
Rockholm v2: Come on, 5 villages, level 3 positive feelings. You had to work to NOT get the village back.

So you're mostly right. We didn't need Glomdoring in most of these situations. We didn't need fighters in most of these situations either. However, I can tell you the books and paintings did even less. I'll let you decide what made the key difference in at least the first three villages we got.

On that note, I'm disappointed my post didn't warrant a favour.

Sometimes I wish I never worked to make the deal with Glomdoring. I'm a bit tired of the snobbish attitude that is evident in Hallifax today and I think maybe if we had to stand on our own two feet from the beginning, people would realise that in a game like Lusternia, a place where the ONLY way is to write books/design things/etc, things just don't work out.

So basically you're saying that if someone was actually opposing you, you wouldn't have gotten any of the villages?

It's equally deluded to believe that just because your side doesn't want to make alliances, your enemies wouldn't.

In fact, I believe that's the entire problem with alliances to begin with. As much as you'd love for everyone to stand on their own two feet, all it takes is for someone else to think 'this would be easier if we cut deals with x org', then you're already at a disadvantage the moment such talks begin.

Ultimately, yes, that makes a large part of it. What I'm saying is that the books and canvases didn't make the villages unopposed for us.



I know this, or I wouldn't have bothered making any alliances at all. I'm just saying it would be good if we didn't have to make an alliance and got stomped regularly so we could see how much the books and such will help when the latest grieferorg comes knocking on our door.

Really, the solution to the problem is in the hands of the citizenry (if they consider it a problem). As long as there is a democratic system, then certain aspects of the city can be changed within reason.

Yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes. One of the things I'm loving about Hallifax compared to Serenwilde is that this false dichotomy isn't quite as thoroughly entrenched that it's treated as revealed truth.

Then again, my character in Hallifax is about as not-a-snuggler as you can get, seeing as she finds physical contact somewhat distasteful and doesn't touch anyone if she can help it. On the other other hand, she's not anti-social; she appreciates the company of like-minded individuals, so that does mean she tends to go to where there are people. But she's certainly not snuggling anyone. On the other other other hand, she's neither a combatant nor a non-combatant; she's gone to every raid and every village, even went in solo and died against a group of four while she was level 40-something, but she currently has no curing (still waiting for MUSHclient's map to become usable enough, and for me to have enough time to spend making Treant something I can live in) and her offense is limited to passives and hindering hoping to help someone else get the kill.

There have been times when I've felt like it was unnecessarily hard to get favors, particularly when I found that bringing in hundreds of points of power every weave for a week didn't fall within the clause about bringing in power, nor did linking a prime node. But when I look at it, that's my own fault. I've decided that she wouldn't feel her work was publication-worthy until she's advanced enough in her education to be doing her own research, which requires her to get through the guild's requirements for fellowship before she can expect to run her own research, so it's going to take a while. And until then she won't be much help in villages. (Though she has made CR2 at least. And I didn't know doing designs counted as creativity; I did a set of six linked ones, maybe if they get approved I should fish for a favor for that.)

Actually I do have something she's going to write that she could do any time, but I'm waiting for it to occur to her. I've dropped a few hints about it to a few people, and no one's run with it yet. Once someone does, that'll likely lead to something she can write and publish. But I don't want to skip over the roleplay of her discovering that, so that also will have to wait. No worries, I'm in this for the long haul.


I'm making some effort to find things that can be measured, verified, and tested, and I think there's still a fair amount we can do on the experimental science side that can use genuine honest-to-goodness scientific methods. My candidacy experiment was one such, and I have several more planned, that are all things where gathering data on how things work can make non-obvious relationships and patterns become clear.

It's just when we get to theoretical physics that we're left, at least without some admin aid, stuck making stuff up. You can hypothesize all day long about how something works, but until you can make a prediction for what'll happen in some as-yet-untried experiment and then try it, theoretical physics can't really advance beyond plausible-sounding nonsense. I have to hope that once in a (rare) while, though, admin intervention will allow us to actually conduct those kinds of verify-a-theoretical-prediction experiments.

I'd just like to point out that saying "You can get to CR4 by defending!" doesn't mean much. That's nine favours. To subsequently get to CR6 is another eleven favours. Basically, you can get less than half the way to the top of the pile by defending.

EDIT: I'm gonna RP off the forums. Ignore me.

EDIT: Kio edited his post and got rid of it so I'll be nice and do the same with mine, since it was made from quoting his. Though if I have to hear one more thing about Phoebus not defending....

Thread getting defibrillated back to awesome.

I think that gif does some damage.

Its still my favorite thread. I like when everyone is wrong. Hallifax is doing its revenge of the nerds thing by holding down fighters and trying to have some sort of high ground by being RP focused. Fighters are still wrong because they shouldn't be cock of the walk in Hallifax. And the whole thing is sad because it wouldn't be hard for Hallifax to have its cake and eat it too.

It's definitely an indication of the general feelings when Hallifax combatants say "favor us or we'll leave", while when non-coms complain they are told to "do something useful".

1) Don't favour them past CR4.
2) Instead, give them higher power rations, since they're the ones who need the higher rations to keep everyone safe.

Hm, hm.

I have watched this thread come into existence with a growing sense of trepidation, seeing as I noticed it only moments before going out to dinner. Coming back from that however, I must admit I am very pleasantly surprised at the way this thread has gone and how reasonably civilised it has been. I told myself that it would be better to stay out of this, having learned the hard way over the last few years that sticking your hand in the mouth of a rabid badger is more likely to elicit unfavourable than beneficial results. Having come to the end of this thread however, I feel the need to speak out, because I feel certain aspects as (as usual) misrepresented in the emotional fury that is our forums.

New cities and guilds are like a blank canvas, and it is up to the players to give shape and colour to this canvas and make it into a work (of art) that is distinct from the works that are already present within the wonderfully diverse society that is Lusternia. We all have our opinions of Art, some like modern, others like classic or impressionist, and just like with art, taste is something that is not to be argued. You either like it, or you don’t, though in some cases it grows on you. As a group of players of diverse backgrounds and tastes converge upon a city, it is difficult to establish what sort of identity this new work will take: cultural identity is not born, it grows, and so too does a work grow over time, though, no one is waiting for a work that already exists within Lusternia, and that is where we provide steering.

This steering is, quite frankly, the most difficult thing I have ever done, as an Admin, the trick is to provide a framework and background through which the cultural identity of the city (the work) will grow and be distinct, while not pushing to the extend that it becomes frustrating for the players. In a way, I try to provide a balance, back when the city first started, I observed one thing, and I provide an example, these days, I observe another, and again, I provide an example (what I find ironic is that both times, I got both negative and positive responses, it seems that it doesn’t matter which way I point, but rather that I am pointing). Fighters in Hallifax aren’t worshipped, but neither are they (supposed to be) scorned or neglected. Just like with all things that are part of the city, finding a balance takes time, but I am confident that it will be found.

And with that, I would like to take a moment to reflect on why this thread has remained relatively civil as well as my personal opinion of Hallifax.

I am extremely happy and proud of the way Hallifax has been doing. I could write a whole essay about this, but no one would read it, so I will simply address the point that is under discussion right now.

Over the last couple of weeks I have started paying close attention to the raids and defences that are going on in Hallifax and I must admit that I am –extremely- impressed with the persistence and dedication that I have seen from the city. Every time that player X-Y-Z gets bored and attacks the Air Plane, I notice individuals who barely have any sort of system group together under 3-4 people who understand the basics of combat and –repeatedly- eject the aggressors from their territory. I have seen individuals run up tirelessly, defending against unfavourable odds and managing. Not easily winning, managing. And I see improvement. This is what impresses me and what made me realise that I had not seen favours on basis of (geek moment) Caste Article IV section I (I feel sad that I know that by heart). I don’t care if the city follows Elostian in this, it isn’t meant to be a ‘look you people are evil for not doing this’. It is my personal appreciation to these individuals that I notice, tirelessly, day after day, go up to air and get themselves killed and I shall continue to give out City and Divine favours for this (at least until such a time that I notice the city has completely taken this over, much as they already have for village influence).

In the end, I believe that we all want the same for Hallifax: that is, a stable and interesting society, that is culturally distinct from the other societies within Lusternia, that all those who this general style of roleplay appeals to can choose to roleplay in while feeling appreciated and enjoying themselves.; irrespective of whether you are a heavy roleplayer, influencer, PVPer, slacker, or if your name is Ileein.

I think we would all do well to remember that from time to time.

And with that, I believe we have all had our say (especially judging from the fact that the LOLcats have been released) and I shall proceed to close this thread.

P.S.



Irrespective of what the players did, Elostian actually quite likes Raezon and has a very cordial relationship with Fain, while Eventru needn’t come within ten miles of where his essence happens to be drifting at the time!

That's because if Eventru did Elostian would be ripped up like every other little shadow.

(In his brightness, obv)

One thing I forgot to mention (possibly because I had a little bit too much wine with the aforementioned dinner) is that Elostian is always happy to talk to people about problems they experience within the city. I know Elostian comes off as intimidating, but contrary to popular opinion, I don’t actually bite. Just throw him a prayer.