The Zuma are Evil

[Poliorketes]

They're sitting around in Barca helping Barca rebuild, but, more importantly, intimidating Aurvandil into not attacking Barca.

-There is an EVIL living among us!  And only one POWER can DESTROY IT!!!-

When will the Zuma decide to destroy the Aurvandil realm? 

[Zakilevo]

-There is an EVIL living among us!  And only one POWER can DESTROY IT!!!-

When will the Zuma decide to destroy the Aurvandil realm? 

When will Aurvandil destroy the Zuma is a better question

[Geronus]

They're sitting around in Barca helping Barca rebuild, but, more importantly, intimidating Aurvandil into not attacking Barca.

i.e. it's another Zuma-induced faceoff.

I don't have the same emotional involvement as the Kabrinskia one because I'm not on either side of the line staring over it, but just wanted to officially register my frustration that the Zuma still haven't ROTFstomped anyone, nor allowed anyone to be ROTFLstomped. Let none say that I only complained about the Zuma when the Zuma worked against Terran!

Have they explicitly threatened Aurvandil with consequences should they attack Barca?

[JPierreD]

Have they explicitly threatened Aurvandil with consequences should they attack Barca?

Surely that means Aurvandil can attack Barca and them in the process without consequences! Or not?

[Vellos]

Have they explicitly threatened Aurvandil with consequences should they attack Barca?

Attacking Barca without attacking the Zuma could be tricky.

[Chenier]

Oh by the way, about the Zuma:

I want to be consistent here, so consider this me bitching about how making nice to the Zuma is the super-mega trump card. For the most recent exhibit, note Barca's continuing survival. It helps Terran a lot, sure.... but I just want to be clear that many of us who complained about the Zuma with Kabrinskia earlier don't regard the present intervention as an improvement either.

Not trying to start a flame war; just want to make sure the record is clear: I've consistently disliked the Zuma, even when they supported Terran. So there: I'm a grumpy !@#$%^&, even to my friends.

Grumpy !@#$%^&s of the world, unite!

[Perth]

I've consistently disliked the Zuma, even when they supported Terran. So there: I'm a grumpy !@#$%^&, even to my friends.

I don't have the same emotional involvement as the Kabrinskia one because I'm not on either side of the line staring over it, but just wanted to officially register my frustration that the Zuma still haven't ROTFstomped anyone, nor allowed anyone to be ROTFLstomped. Let none say that I only complained about the Zuma when the Zuma worked against Terran!

I wouldn't be so sure it's a positive thing for Terran.

Sure, it's good for Barca, so maybe by proxy good for Terran. However, it's actually looking like it may be really bad for Terran because now, instead of attacking Barca, the Zuma deterrence is effectively just funneling Aurvandil up the coast toward Paisly and Terran.

What WOULD be good for Terran would be if the Zuma would, like, attack Aurvandil. That would be awesome. But nay, the whole sit and intimidate people is more their thing. 

[Chenier]

So what was the deal with everything imploding because of food? Low stocks or mismanagement? Feels like the moment I left, everything collapsed on its own...

[Perth]

So what was the deal with everything imploding because of food? Low stocks or mismanagement? Feels like the moment I left, everything collapsed on its own...

A bug caused winter to last longer than it should have; now known as the "Long Winter." That combined with the recent switch to the new food/market system and people being unfamiliar with it, as well as Tom's adjustments and tweaks to food stores and production values lead to widespread starvation across most of the island.

[Vellos]

A bug caused winter to last longer than it should have; now known as the "Long Winter." That combined with the recent switch to the new food/market system and people being unfamiliar with it, as well as Tom's adjustments and tweaks to food stores and production values lead to widespread starvation across most of the island.

Look at the stacked population graph to get an idea of the size of the catastrophe.

[vonGenf]

Look at the stacked population graph to get an idea of the size of the catastrophe.

That's quite an interesting exercise. Dwilight's population fell from 2.4M to 1.9M, a 500K drop.

But if you look at just two realms, Asylon and D'Hara, you see that their combined population dropped from 330k to only 80k. Almost 40% of the lives lost were among them.

Even better, if you remove Asylon, D'Hara, and Barca, PeL and Summerdale (dead or mostly dead realms), then the total population only drops from ~1.9M to ~1.8M.

It seems the hardship was really not equally shared.

[D'Espana]

Believe me when I say that D'Hara has been a hellish nightmare, and I have been absent for most of the time. I would even say that some of our nobles have converted to paganism because of it, I'm pretty sure more than one has been making rain dances and sacrificing chickens to bring us crops again 

[Indirik]

Even better, if you remove Asylon, D'Hara, and Barca, PeL and Summerdale (dead or mostly dead realms), then the total population only drops from ~1.9M to ~1.8M.

The Stars protect their own. 

[Chenier]

That's quite an interesting exercise. Dwilight's population fell from 2.4M to 1.9M, a 500K drop.

But if you look at just two realms, Asylon and D'Hara, you see that their combined population dropped from 330k to only 80k. Almost 40% of the lives lost were among them.

Even better, if you remove Asylon, D'Hara, and Barca, PeL and Summerdale (dead or mostly dead realms), then the total population only drops from ~1.9M to ~1.8M.

It seems the hardship was really not equally shared.

I'm kinda happy I wasn't active then, I would have been greatly aggravated.

[Carna]

BM is a game, games are meant to be fun, and random negative events you have no power over aren't fun. That's all I'm saying.

That's a statement I wholeheartedly agree with. Personally, I think its far more apt when discussing the Zuma. You've checked peasant population. I'd suggest a look at noble population. Bringing them active cost players. I'd know. I was one of them. Only nostalgia has me back.

Finton.