Fifth Invasion

[Tom]

So if there is no puzzle to solve, you can't say you have been giving clues on what is happening when you can just decide when things are going to happen, and on the contrary to what you say there are puzzles:

Oh man. Am I being intentionally misunderstood here? Of course there are interesting things happening that you can figure out. Plus a couple that are pure misdirection. Plus a couple that I never said, but someone else made up and they've now been spread around so much that everyone thinks they are true.

What I said was that there is "main plot" that if solved will instantly resolve everything.

Unless, Tom, you say: "There is no way to cross it, there is no way to unblight, and there is no way to defeat the daimons, I want to sink this island for good, so no matter what you do I will blight everything and will destroy everything", we will keep searching answers and we will keep getting frustrated because we don't find them and the only thing we can do is to watch while you do your fun blighting regions, destroying armies and bringing flesh eaters to this.

As I said: There are some things that have solutions. There are others that don't, or that don't have a solution of the puzzle kind. For example, early on in the invasion, someone thought that the Nightfalls could be killed by a scroll of Daimon Banishment. It turned out that they can't. You have to kill them in battle or execute them or whatever, you can't just pop a scroll and be done with them.

That's what I mean with "there's no Deus Ex Machina". There is no one artifact or scroll or puzzle solution or whatever that you can click on and you get a "congratulations, you solved the invasion" message.



I don't know how often I have to repeat this. When I complain about players not sharing information, I am not complaining that they don't put the 10 pieces of the everything-is-solved puzzle together! I am really thinking about basic information like how many Daimons have been sighted where. For example, how many in the north know at this time where Midnight of the South is and if he can or can not pop out of the Blight at any time to attack your border regions?

How many people in the game have realized that the Daimons have changed tactics a few times during the invasion? And what their current strategy is? I personally think it is blatantly obvious as soon as you share what they are each doing. Almost no interpretation necessary. Knowing what your enemy is up to is an important part of knowing how to fight him.

In the end, thinking OOC, it is not a defeatist speech, but a more realistic one, that unless Tom changes his mind and start giving answers to the puzzles that don't exists, BT is going down, he just need to admit it to everyone that it is going to happen. This invasion is just to that is happens in a glorious way, that we can all go down fighting with honor(except for IVF of course).

Whether or not BT is doomed is still undecided and will be decided by how the invasion turns out.

[Naidraug]

No, I haven't. But understanding the cause for everything is not a requirement, either. There's a lot of info that is given only to people in a certain region, or only on the ruler channel or whatever, and that's fine. Some things become public after the event - like the blighting of Villriil, which was a secret operation right until it all went horribly wrong (or right, for me).

Really, if you want to enjoy the invasion, the best advise I can give is to play it like a roleplaying game and not having too much of a gamer mindset. There's things going on you will likely never find out. Which is ok, because there are other things going on that you witness, but those on the other side of the island will likely never learn about. It is these local events that ensure that the invasion isn't the same for everyone.

The only problem is that even on the rulers channel we haven't had anything for the last month, we used to have Overlod blabbering but since the failed incursion in the north

Now, if the role-play part actually mattered for the game, and for the invasion, it would be a good way to do it. But as I said, I can't just role-play "I participated in ritual X so now I can unblight this region" for that to be true. It won't happen. No matter what I role-play, in the end, what will count for a victory or defeat is the game.

We don't even have role-play from the Sons or the daimon priests coming our way, why would we focus more on the same or do it more than we already do?

[Tom]

The only problem is that even on the rulers channel we haven't had anything for the last month, we used to have Overlod blabbering but since the failed incursion in the north

Yes, funny, isn't it. The guy used to talk so much and then suddenly - silence. But it's not like anyone would've so much as mention it, much less talk to him. What a novel idea! Restarting a conversation, asking what's up. Can't really demand that of the players.

We don't even have role-play from the Sons or the daimon priests coming our way, why would we focus more on the same or do it more than we already do?

Those who bothered to initiate something have.

[Naidraug]

Yes, funny, isn't it. The guy used to talk so much and then suddenly - silence. But it's not like anyone would've so much as mention it, much less talk to him. What a novel idea! Restarting a conversation, asking what's up. Can't really demand that of the players.

Oh we have another PUZZLE then? Thought we didn't have one of those...

Those who bothered to initiate something have.

Oh right, so we have an invading army, with stronger force, that sends priests to our lands to convert the people and WE have to get to them and ask: WHY U NO SPEAK? Yeah makes perfect sense...Maybe I should start a role-play about everything being a dream and that overlord actually is just a little mouse eating my cheese...everything will be better then...just need to RP it... 

[Geronus]

This is kind of how the Invasions play out in my experience. I guess what Tom is saying is that there are no Archons coming this time to suddenly end the Invasion all at once. That doesn't (apparently) mean that there aren't things we need to figure out if we want to have a chance.

Incidentally Tom, I think that's what people are talking about anyway when they talk about puzzles. There are things we have to work out to have a chance, and it would seem that a lot of people (myself included) feel like we're not getting anywhere close to finding any answers. I mean, I don't mind just fighting daimons and what not, but it's beginning to feel a little hopeless and frankly I don't really feel like I'm going to learn anything special by trying to talk to any of the NPC's because they cannot be trusted. Anything they say of any substance is going to be a lie or misdirection of some sort, assuming there's any substance at all. As in the last Invasion, there needs to be some alternate source of information other than the enemies themselves, who obviously have zero interest in being truthful with us. That or whatever observable clues are out there need to be more obvious. If they were obvious enough, someone would have figured something out already, but as far as I can tell the only thing we've determined with any accuracy beyond some of the gross mechanics under which the daimon units operate is how regions get blighted. While this is helpful in the strategic sense in foiling the daimons efforts to blight regions, it's not really any help at all in giving us the advantage we need to start defeating the daimons on a regular basis.

[Indirik]

I still want to know whatever happened with the "this is how you travel through the blight" stuff. Everyone was talking about it, then it just disappeared. I've tried to restart the discussion, but no one is responding. :(

[Telrunya]

Last I heard about that is Adventurers looking for Wizards to create amulets to travel through the Blight. That was 4 days ago. Not sure if that was based on anything though.

[Tom]

Oh we have another PUZZLE then? Thought we didn't have one of those...

Are you trying to piss me off or do you write stuff without thinking what it sounds like?

I don't see why I should put up with an attitude like that. I already put several hours every day into this, I don't have time for crap like this in addition. This is the last reply you'll get from me. If you don't like the invasion, play on some other island. I just stopped giving a damn what you think about it.

[Chaotrance13]

Those who bothered to initiate something have.

To be fair, I tried to RP with 11th Son regarding his arrest. But I thoughtlessly arrested him straight after sending the message instead of giving you a chance to respond. Maybe next time I encounter one of the Daimon commanders as Malos (which will be soon, I promise), I'll give you a chance to repent for your sins! ;)

[fodder]

heh... oocly..the Order of Alluran is basically dead... only priest around are the 2 locked accounts.

[Indirik]

Maybe the fourth time it dies will be the final death?

[Geronus]

Well I'd be a bit surprised if that player was allowed to rejoin the game after being identified as a multi-cheater not once but twice (that I know of)...

[Chenier]

heh... oocly..the Order of Alluran is basically dead... only priest around are the 2 locked accounts.

We will celebrate when it happens.

Well I'd be a bit surprised if that player was allowed to rejoin the game after being identified as a multi-cheater not once but twice (that I know of)...

What now?

[De-Legro]

Oh we have another PUZZLE then? Thought we didn't have one of those...

Oh right, so we have an invading army, with stronger force, that sends priests to our lands to convert the people and WE have to get to them and ask: WHY U NO SPEAK? Yeah makes perfect sense...Maybe I should start a role-play about everything being a dream and that overlord actually is just a little mouse eating my cheese...everything will be better then...just need to RP it...

Thats not a puzzle, its common sense. In a work environment if a college you are working with suddenly stops sending emails, what do you do. Oh yeah maybe send a email and try and see what is going on. So we have a gloating Overlord suddenly go silent. Perhaps that implies things aren't going the way he wants, whatever the case a quick message would seem to be in order. After all its not like you don't have an established line of correspondence.

[Geronus]

What now?

This incarnation of the Psyche family was the second. The original was also locked for multi-cheating. His first round of multis tore apart Alluran sometime between the Third and Fourth Invasions, after I joined Fronen but before I had a character in Riombara. It was the same player this time around, or at least I remember him telling all of us he was when he showed up.