Protips on War IX : Resolving a Guild Conflict

[Nymphsong]

Part IX -- Resolving a Guild Conflict

I think that this is probably the most underutilized process of the game, because in reality, there are no rules on what constitutes proper terms for peace and or surrender. Some of the most often terms I see are -- silent ceasefire “no talking on the boards for X amount of hours” and or non-aggression for X days. In reality, anyone who has half a brain can look at the scrolls and tell when a war has lost its flavor and that both sides have begun building or restoring as opposed to attacking…and then 12-24 hours later someone throws up some quip in the war thread trying to deceive all other heathens to the status of when the war really ended…give me a break…its old and with the present state of things…it is way too easy to notice (especially since there is that percentage built thing next to a realm). So, I am not saying these aren’t entirely useful, I am saying that leaders need to be more inventive in finding suitable terms for both parties.

When is it best to get Peace? In an offensive war, any time after first strike and ideally, as soon as possible it is best to get peace. The less turns put into your realms following a first strike…the better. Conservation of resources…as we all know, after your war is over…someone else is going to come looking to war you in turn. If you can get away unscathed, or minimally damaged, it bodes well for you in the long run, as middle and late age realms can simply restore…and keep that now trove of land you hauled in during the war). What about a defensive war? With the ability to restore, it’s kind of hard to gauge and you often have to play it by ear. That said, I am almost certain that anything past 48 hours is going to be bad for the defender. Why? Because the attacker will have had two strikes to your one defense…and you will need to restore realms that have been thrashed…leaving you with extremely minimal options. The sweet spot for the defender is about 36-40 hours then sue for peace (See Defensive War above for reasoning).

Other Suitable Terms? So what are some possible terms that warring parties could agree to?
1. Post in a Role Play Thread
2. Limit the number of Forts the guild can have on certain race realms for X number of days
3. Limit number of Guildhalls allowed to be built
4. Limit number of temples…although…you have to have them by the balls to get them to commit to this one…it is a big slap
5. No scouts for 5 days
6. Cash Payout requirement or cash available restriction (i.e. If I scout your guild and see more than 10 million cash on a kingdom…it is subject to looting…)
7. Public Acknowledgement/Apology for an obvious slight…
8. There is plenty to be chosen from…just get creative…many players may not like you for forcing terms in a war…but it does add an element to the game that is more than STF UP on the boards for 24 hours…

All of that said, ideally a war is ended on amicable terms. If not, it can lead to an ugly age, with one guild getting tunnel vision, the other getting paranoid…and then more ugliness ensues. Ultimately, this really applies to GMs, but can be used as a tool in other games as well.

Nymph