Virtual Kingdom ~ Mirror of Truth

[StratOcastle]

Strategy and tactic are not about fixed doctrine. Just as in football you may have an overall scheme but your play-to-play will vary with your opponents adjustments. So it is with orc war hero. Out of war she can provide soldier aid to attain a decent trade balance. In war she can be aided gold to train specs for dragon slaying. If this is discovered then we can adjust. There are at least 2 other war heroes in kingdom.

[StratOcastle]

1) avian cleric {s}
2) avian war hero
3) avian warrior
4) dwarf cleric
5) dwarf war hero
6) dwarf warrior
7) elf mystic
8) elf mystic
9) elf mystic
10) faery merchant
11) faery merchant
12) faery merchant
13) halfling rogue
14) halfling rogue
15) halfling rogue
16) human sage
17) human sage
18) human sage
19) orc cleric
20) orc war hero
21) orc warrior
22) undead tactician
23) undead tactician
24) undead tactician
25) elf cleric {m}

This lineup goes to practical extremes. It dictates repeats where they make the most sense. Though I'm personally fond of avian tactician and undead cleric I avoided these in the interest of kingdom synergy.

[StratOcastle]

My original view on sage was that the balance of defense would be nice for faery, but in realistic evaluation its clear they aren't good for retaliating. So the switch to human sage with their quality elites has unblurred my vision. In light of seeing our humans fireballed the merchant personality became less dominant.
In reviewing AC guys I have learned that faery merchant has some capabilities at marching. This then makes the switch a no-brainer.
I will do another iteration where the undead have more than one personality to choose. This also satisfies my love of avian tactician and undead cleric.

[StratOcastle]

Let's begin with race purpose and persona designation.
~
When we look at heavy attacker we see the margin is drawn around avian, orc and undead. Here we have lower defense elites and the obvious requirement of defense specialists. For these reasons there is little efficiency to pursue high tpa/wpa.
~ Blending note: avian ends where dwarf begins. ~
The next level is dwarf and human. Both can run serious attackers, but this roll is a bit of a waste on these icons of versatility. Their bonuses are general. They can best serve the kingdom in roles that cover a greater breadth of capability.
Dwarves can run nearly full elite and human certainly can.
~ Blending note: human ends where faery begins. ~
And finally we have the elf, faery and halfling. The elf is the odd extremity of this tier in that they are unquestionably at their best in the role of mystic. So much so that we must look at our elves the way we look at our undead: these builds are capable of crippling in ways the others brush by. But they are dependent on kingdom support. We must be vigilant in support of elves as well as undead. The players that occupy them must be at one with teamwork and the acceptance of aid. Otherwise we have a proud quiet guy who falls behind in this staple of kingdom synergy.
The halfling on the other hand seems to be a fanastic self supporter. Again the rogue personality is vital. Some will disagree, but there is no question the stealth replenishment is the trump here. Halflings that function in their own interests but of noble character can be the key by which tactics are leveraged. Let them run deep where they can reap the most benefit and I think you'll find a gasping enemy ready to be dismantled. Order them to engage inhospitable tagets and the kingdom may find itself short on chain targets. A little guidance, but otherwise let them run wild.
Faery is so nice because the spell book is to drool over. The elites allow efficient tpa/wpa. When we ask something of a faery we ask them to back the spearhead of one of the more extreme archetypes. It's a bit ludicrous to expect to carve into you're enemy with the general breadth of faery. Faery is the followup to the hard part: they are the finishers.
Let the faery complete blankets of the easier spells. Easier sabotage. Lightweight marching. We want healthy faerys and in teamwork we should have exactly that.

[StratOcastle]

With End Of Age 59 approaching I'd like to pose my theory on kingdom building vs what I see through the game.
*
For the tops, stability is perception. We all know they have a higher number of sitters than your standard kingdom. These " played in" kingdoms will only deal with their recruitment needs discretely. I guess that's nirvana. The game itself must seem a misty shadow of it's former self. From here their game must be like a zombie shuffle with irc being the emphasis.
~
Next are the prominent war kingdoms. In certain circles I see a constant recruitment party. In others they have the same staid feel that the tops have. Drone like waves. Strict on activity, but more about when you're on than how long. When a kingdom recruits with the message they have RL then that's my evidence to stay away. Regardless of success. What we have are kingdoms that play in such similar fashion with strategy based on social norms.
~
Last are the kingdoms that don't focus which I prefer. The problem here is how not pro the overall experience is. There is always a patchwork of the ambitious, the inactive, the very good and those who lack self navigation. This type of kingdom is the framework for the Virtual Kingdom.

[StratOcastle]

First is to get 8 of these guys out of their sleepwalk from each sector.
1- With tops, we need to have a talk: You're not a whore, ok? You're a good girl. You've learned skills that make you pro. Here you have a home where your knowledge is welcome. In turn, beware of building the same coffin that got you where you were. Mutual respect are only the beginning.
2- War kingdom desperado; if you don't have a life but are still a balanced individual, please consider the myriad of experiences here. I'm more in favor of guys that are about organization out of war. No bullies aloud, we attack them.
3- For you lone wolves scrapping by in the lower tier. Here we offer direction, order and freedom in a range to get past the frustration of hit and miss experiences. We top retal , war because we can.

[DM_Benjamin]

It saddens me that I truly have no idea what you are talking about

[StratOcastle]

It's ok. That's why it's in roleplaying ;-)

[StratOcastle]

To summarize, the set up is for basic happiness. With no mean skill I've notice a rough 8 players per kingdom that are enthusiastic about the thing. The rest are not beneath the grade, but are more homebody types who cling to the norm.
Take the 8 from each kingdom, and I'll use Templars as an example, and fuse a kingdom based on player synergy in 3 divisions.
While getting to know each other for a better blend of doctrine and strategy this offers an alternative to the also-ran set ups that are the bulk of Utopias lower tier. The personality and racial design is to offer a sense of the chain of capability. My intuition leads me to believe this also supports activity. Players who hold specific capabilities and focus with the 7 others they have worked with will hopefully enjoy the game. Competition between the 3 divisions can also promote better play. These divisions don't just learn from individuals, they see how the other team works and can borrow from each other.
Strategically:
Instead of running the musket barrage we see in many kingdoms, this array of persona/race works more like mechanized warfare. I'm not saying it's superior, but the attackers, t/ms and support work together in a team of 8 in each division.
Ideally( I mean really) you have 3 time zone coverage.
Consider an Ohio, Swede, Singapore alignment each doing a wave and an ad-lib opportunity assault in war. The 25th player is your leverage that offers support where needed or applies pressure for those with killer instinct. Like an army group each division will have objectives. These are loose rules as I'm one who believes in few absolutes.
My motive isn't for my own ends, I enjoy kingdom hopping as it were. This is my experience kingdom hopping that I offer as a solution to enjoyable play. It may not be crown material, but is for getting the best out of the people in your kingdom.
If you don't like war comparisons think of it more as a jazz band. Everybody gets to solo, but we all meet at the bridge.
This is a kingdom merger format for 3 kingdoms 8 players each with a king to rule them all for a total of 25 happy people.

[StratOcastle]

The flexibility in the zero core also works for out of war endeavors. I'm not a fan of being in attacker heavy kingdoms dealing with hostile from either side. I like the progressive function that while not ideal for war whore or getting down on the floor the kingdom is faceted at every glimmer of Utopian existence.
The chemistry is the question and the key.

[StratOcastle]

Age 60 division 1: The changes are in and these are more designations for overall spell coverage and effectiveness.

1) avian tactician
2) dwarf war hero
3) elf sage
4) faery merchant
5) halfling rogue
6) human mystic
7) orc warrior
8) undead cleric

The undead cleric was chosen over the avian for the simple reason the undead can apply more science and population to wizards to cast pitfalls. The human will struggle to land meteor swarms, but the overall coverage of nightmares is higher. The free build complements war spoils for dwarf war hero.

[StratOcastle]

Age 60 division 2:

1) avian cleric
2) dwarf sage
3) elf war hero
4) faery merchant
5) halfling rogue
6) human mystic
7) orc tactician
8) undead warrior

[StratOcastle]

Age 60 division 3:

1) avian warrior
2) dwarf war hero
3) elf mystic
4) faery merchant
5) halfling rogue
6) human sage
7) orc cleric
8) undead tactician

[StratOcastle]

Age 60 the 25th player:

Faery Warrior ~ for capability in 3 phases.

As with any 25th designation the position is open to any hybrid not represented in kingdom. The job of the 25th player is support to any division that it strategically applies.
So here we can have the halfling tactician, undead rogue, human cleric and on...

[StratOcastle]

Before we settle on these persona/race types we might look at efficiency vs effectiveness. This age there will be a particularly high price to either focus/concentrate/archetype or balance. Balance sounds great till you see it may cost you reliable meteor swarm blanketing. This is why I mention nightmare and it's importance is near linear: the less meteor swarms you have the more nightmare capability you need.