TVK 77 Ear Candy

[StratOcastle]

The Little Decisions

The Virtual Kingdom template has limits that lead to decisions based in esoteric differences, yet I still ponder. One of these decisions was to double faery heretic and halfling rogue for spearhead assignments. With the mechanical changes to paladin the kingdom benefit weighed heavy on which races should carry the lamp of shared spells. What we end up with is an old school halfling mystic fresh from the factory. Hmm.

I'd have loved to put the durability of heretic on the halfer, but we required an elf at the frontier capable of Nightmare casting, complimenting the work of the faery rogue and elf sage in the 8-track division. The halfling mystic falls into one of the durability category of builds; not spectacular, but a good mudder. And so it goes that I've traditionally had a "mudder" division since evolving the idea in TVK.

Thus the streaming division is loaded with peripheral strengths, free building and credit bonuses, including our halfling mystic. If any division was closest to my style it's here. Being in many long wars I've always cherished the never-ending-rain type of builds.

Insofar as paladin spread I'd have liked to have assigned an avian. They have 2 very useful racial spells and their speed compliments their potential stability. The decision to go with faery was roundabout, but ultimately based in who benefits the most from guild efficiency. The same logic applies to the halfling paladin, but the benefits are much more inline with paladin ethos. Town Watch is a really solid tool to share, and soldier to dragon slaying strength is ergo. I have experience here and the halfer 2/2 soldier will be a workhorse. I'd like to have access to Fanaticism via avian paladin to share wherever necessary, but my awareness of the acre bias in age 77 mechanics makes t/m balance a higher priority. Paladins can use a lot of mana and runes so there is a hidden economy, a level of complexity, in paladin strategy.

Concerning the play testing I was doing with dwarf undead, I'm apparently forced to shelve the plan till I'm contacted by support. The fact that I'd like to join certain kingdoms with lax requirements is immaterial. The problem is in their connections. If the best kingdoms come knocking, there can't be diplomatic interference. This is why I'm out of the game currently.

My challenge is to experiment with dwarf undead vs raw unadulterated kingdom protocol. Regardless of a player/kingdom knowing who I am or what I'm doing, there can't be artificial competition provided or excluded by CFs, with rare exceptions. Certainly no CFs for kingdoms of reputable prowess; that's exactly the mission. Kingdoms of no consequence or small friendlies can be CFd.