> 8) We've managed to get our heads around many things - but we haven't
> gotten to taking thralls yet. Also, at one point, Corinne got sick of
> pounding on the Whipping-Boy Clan, and insisted we make peace. Those were,
> however, our ancestral enemies... and after a pointed visit from our
> ancestors, we concluded maybe we'd better go thump the Ancient Enemy some
> more. 8)
Eh? Did I miss something here? How can you have an ancestral enemy that you can find? Unless...oy. You're not beating up the ducks, are you? Because that can have really bad consequences down the road, from what I've heard - their cousins may decide to lay waste to your tula, and if so, they're nearly unstoppable.
> We've now seen the bootstrap this can provide - pretty impressive.
>
> Thank you for the other notes!!
You're welcome. This is an interesting game in that it can spawn its own mythology - since there are so many correlated factors, people will begin to 'see' correlations that aren't there - I'm probably guilty of that myself. Then you see two people arguing over whether it's better to hero-quest in the fall or the winter, raid in the summer or the storm season - that's actually quite realistic. But a little frustrating!
> > Oh, I see. You don't need to send an Orlanthi; just someone
> >with high combat and leadership. And actually, leadership isn't too
> >important; if you wait for Ernalda to bring the regalia (this is
> >recommended anyways, as I've never seen it fail and it's what the
> >legend suggests) all you really need to do is lead the battle.
>
> Actually, we didn't have *anybody* with a chance at the time. However,
> Orlanth's Rattle and the Lankor My HQ seemed to pay off in spades - we got
> a really talented batch of youngsters a bit later.
Orlanth's Rattle is one of the very few "Pay anything for this" treasures in the game for me. (Another is the Shifting Statue, and the Scarf of the Seven Somethings, and Ernalda's Oven) It's just so useful - and honestly, I'd rather have another half-dozen nobles than another hundred farmers.
> So far, we've tended to spend the first year getting affairs in order -
> mostly building defences and shrines, sending out explorations of the Tula,
> and setting up trade links. Then we try to make peace with everybody but
> the Ancient Enemy. By beating up on the Ancient Enemy a lot, eventually
> they are easy to beat - which means we can slack off on the raids, but
> still be likely to win raids we want or have to make.
I take it you're talking about the ducks? I usually pick the Praxians as my ancient enemy - I need to keep my defences up, but they've never been a credible threat otherwise. In comparison to the damage the killing winters or floods can do, I see this as a bargain. I'm also a little too tender-hearted to want to go hunting elves or ducks.
> > As far as I'm aware, you lose a single warrior (carl or
> >cottar), not a weaponthane or noble. I don't mind the Raven Banner as
> >much as the ones that can disappear after use, such as the Burning
> >Standard.
>
> OK. We'll have to be less cowardly next time. 8)
Note the 'as far as I'm aware' part - but the few times I have used the standard, I haven't lost anybody named. I found that it was only really worth it when I thought I'd lose the battle - such as the (rare) times when someone gets past my patrols and ends up with 150 mounted warriors against my 20 thanes and 70 warriors. At that point, sacrificing one (brave) man is a worthy cause to save the lives of dozens.
Dave
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