Strategus History

[Tetris]

Kill the Shepherd and the Sheep will Scatter...

Or the sheep will democratically choose a leader and follow it vs the Wolf Pack threat..

or.. yeah scatter.

[Thomek]

Wikileaks just released this desperate plea of help from Ninja Thomek to the other clans, it's from the beginning of strategus, near the end of the first war. :-)

It was sent to all the major clan-leaders around the 8th of september 2010.

Dear friends.

First things first. The war with the invading DRZ is nearing its end with victory to the invaders.

They came out of the blue, like small green dots, attacking at the heart of ninja territory. (Jayek) I warned them to back off, telling them what they were doing but they were unmovable. They were extremely aggressive, and coordinated their attacks well. freezing my troops, (then canceling battles) with superior numbers of players.

The reason they came to Ninja-land was that they saw a map with an "unclaimed" area.

What now? The Ninjas have about 500 men left, as we speak, just locked in a battle against 97..

I requested help early on, but it was usually to little or too late.

What I ask of you:
A coordinated action, containing forces from all the big clans and alliances, teaching the DRZ a lesson and forcing them to re-evaluate their claims. If everyone would send a force big enough/strong enough relative to their factions size, none of you would loose an edge over the others.

Reasons for it:
1. An exercise in warfare. The DRZ are a tough enemy. They have good communications, and seem very capable in every respect. The lessons learned here could be invaluable later on. Both in game mechanics, and all their implications.
2. I would not be surpriced if the DRZ quickly can become a major power in Calradia. A hard strike on them now, or soon, would weaken them enough that it would take weeks before they attempt anything again.
3. In the long game, you will stand a better chance of winning.
4. I will cite a modified version of a famous poem:

First they came for the peasants, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a peasant;
Then they came for the Ninjas, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a Ninja;
Then they came for the Coconuts, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a Coconut;
Then they came for the Nordmen of Fenada, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a Nordman of Fenada;
Then they came for me--
and there was no one left to speak out for me.

I'm sure you will find reasons against it, but if you ask me, this is the time to give a very dangerous clan a hard kick in the balls.
The faster the better.

I made a channel in irc called #warcouncil where I hope we can discuss this matter further, and coordinate actions. You are all welcome there without promises. At this point in time the Ninjas cannot offer much in return beyond our swords in battle. In the end we are content if we can keep our dark Ninja Fortress somewhere on the map

Ninja Thomek

[Babelfish]

Althought it may not be written in a formate that can be used for this thread, information can be extracted from it, and well i had fun reading it (also shows strategus is more then meets the eye)

enough "ha"?  Ok it is time for an unveiling of some information if this has been the Shogunate version of events passed down to their members and allies. I laugh because it is so false it is almost unreal.


1) What the hell (this one is multi purpose)!

2) 22nd negotiated with DRZ on behalf of the Shogunate because I warned the Shogunate if they mess with DRZ they are gonna get fucked. So we worked out an agreement by which the DRZ would not wipe out the Shogunate army they would instead keep it locked down with small armies until the end of the war. Of course this went against the Shogunate allies (Ninja) interests to some short term degree, conversely it meant the Shogunate could help them later instead of getting wiped out by DRZ. They did help the Ninja later so while Ninja may not be happy to read this they sho9uld not be too pissed off.

Oh look evidence! Intentionally cryptic of course due to the secret nature of this deal. However if you cross reference the dates of these PMs you will see they coincide with the Ninja-DRZ War.

(click to show/hide)

I passed the message on to my Russian envoy.
You know the one I mean, about DRZ and how they keep attacking you with small forces.

Please keep your word or at least inform me if things change.

Plazek

Ok, thank you. Meanwhile, if you see any LLJK armies on your territories, if you have the resources, insta-kill them please. They are being a pain in the ass for us lately.

2.1) "They made the RS take one of our villages" hmmmmmm. Really? See they took it of their own volition because they were not aware of the Strategus claims map. So after they took it as I know the RS and I knew the Shogunate (at that time at least) I brokered a deal to avoid war with RS and then again by extension their DRZ allies. This deal involved the RS being allowed to hold the village for a few days to recoup their losses before they would hand it back to the Shogunate. We the 22nd at our own cost would then help them take an alternate village. Of course after the Templars took all of our villages we were unable to support this agreement so as far as I am aware the Shogunate simply ended the deal and attacked RS without any communication.

Oh look more evidence! (hope you do not mind Black Corasair but it is hardly an important convo anymore)

(click to show/hide)

{22nd} King_Plazek: hey
{22nd} King_Plazek: need to speak to you about amashke
{22nd} King_Plazek: message me when your around
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{22nd} King_Plazek: it is important unless you want to be at war with a powerful faction
{22nd} King_Plazek: and we wont be able to give you support either
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BlackCorsair_RS: ?
{22nd} King_Plazek: oh hi
BlackCorsair_RS: y,  it was our leadersm istake
BlackCorsair_RS: hey
BlackCorsair_RS: he thought its neutral village ^^
{22nd} King_Plazek: hehehe
{22nd} King_Plazek: i thougth as much
{22nd} King_Plazek: but i have a deal that can sort it out
{22nd} King_Plazek: and get you a village as well
{22nd} King_Plazek: so long as the shogunate agree
{22nd} King_Plazek: interested?
BlackCorsair_RS: think yes, continue plz
{22nd} King_Plazek: ok
{22nd} King_Plazek: if the shogunate accept
{22nd} King_Plazek: they will stop opposing you in the battle
{22nd} King_Plazek: and will instead help you
{22nd} King_Plazek: as will we
{22nd} King_Plazek: so
{22nd} King_Plazek: you will take the village
{22nd} King_Plazek: we will le tyou take all the troops and the gold out
{22nd} King_Plazek: to fix up your army a bit
{22nd} King_Plazek: and then if you still need more you can get them from 22nd territory
{22nd} King_Plazek: then when you are ready
{22nd} King_Plazek: we will help you take qalyut
{22nd} King_Plazek: from a faction called desert bandit
{22nd} King_Plazek: they have an army of 1000 men right now
{22nd} King_Plazek: but we dont like them
{22nd} King_Plazek: and they have not many players
{22nd} King_Plazek: so will only be able to hire random mercenaries
{22nd} King_Plazek: that is basicly it
{22nd} King_Plazek: you hand over amashke to the shogunate
{22nd} King_Plazek: and you get both of our help taking qalyut
{22nd} King_Plazek: then you get a war with a small tiny faction
{22nd} King_Plazek: instead of a large one
{22nd} King_Plazek: sound acceptable?
BlackCorsair_RS: i pretty sure that yes, but still need to get confirmation from Neud
BlackCorsair_RS: i sent him a message right now
{22nd} King_Plazek: ok good
BlackCorsair_RS: hope to answer u in 20min
{22nd} King_Plazek: if you do not give up amashke
{22nd} King_Plazek: you will get drawn into a war with shogunate
{22nd} King_Plazek: as it is claimed by them
{22nd} King_Plazek: and they will not give it up
{22nd} King_Plazek: also
{22nd} King_Plazek: they have a mutual defence pact
{22nd} King_Plazek: with the caravan guards
{22nd} King_Plazek: and the 22nd
{22nd} King_Plazek: ie me
{22nd} King_Plazek: so
{22nd} King_Plazek: as your attack counts as invasion
{22nd} King_Plazek: unless i go back on my word
{22nd} King_Plazek: and break the treaty
{22nd} King_Plazek: we have to declare war on you as well
{22nd} King_Plazek: i do not want that
{22nd} King_Plazek: but i need to keep my word
{22nd} King_Plazek: i am sur eyou understand
{22nd} King_Plazek: this is why i want to find a solution
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BlackCorsair_RS: Neud aggreed
BlackCorsair_RS: so lets do like u said!
{22nd} King_Plazek: ok
{22nd} King_Plazek: sorry i was afkl
{22nd} King_Plazek: you here?
{22nd} King_Plazek: this is a simple explanation of the deal that i sent to the shogunate
{22nd} King_Plazek: 1) You do not oppose them and instead help them take Amashke, as will we.
2) You let them hold it for a little while to refresh their army.
3) They take all the population and gold out.
4) You attack it and obviously take it easily.
5) We help them take Qalyut from the Desert Bandits. They have proven themselves to be unpredictable and dangerous neighbours and I want them out.
{22nd} King_Plazek: ok i spoke to the shogunate
{22nd} King_Plazek: they accept the deal as well
BlackCorsair_RS: nice, thx
{22nd} King_Plazek: so long as your are out of amashke after 2-3 days
{22nd} King_Plazek: which should be enough time to get more troops
BlackCorsair_RS: mmm, ok
{22nd} King_Plazek: if you still need more you can recruit all you like from our fiefs
{22nd} King_Plazek: and then go for qalyut when you are ready
{22nd} King_Plazek: but now some extra information
{22nd} King_Plazek: just so you know
{22nd} King_Plazek: all the villages and castles and towns
{22nd} King_Plazek: around qalyut are claimed by 22nd, shogunate or guards
{22nd} King_Plazek: so you will not be able to expand easily
{22nd} King_Plazek: but
{22nd} King_Plazek: if you play nice and align yourself with us
{22nd} King_Plazek: and wait until we end up at war with someone
{22nd} King_Plazek: then
{22nd} King_Plazek: if you support us in that war
{22nd} King_Plazek: we will help you get new fiefs from it
{22nd} King_Plazek: and form a proper sized land to call your own
{22nd} King_Plazek: ok?
{22nd} King_Plazek: some of the hsogunate and guards were worried you would not be happy for long in that 1 village
BlackCorsair_RS: ok
{22nd} King_Plazek: cool
{22nd} King_Plazek: so long as your happy to wait
{22nd} King_Plazek: i will definitely help you get more places
{22nd} King_Plazek: when that day comes
{22nd} King_Plazek: but remmeber attack shogunate or guards and we cannot be firends
{22nd} King_Plazek: but i am sur eyou wont
BlackCorsair_RS:
BlackCorsair_RS: y
{22nd} King_Plazek: if you have any question or problems then do not worry
{22nd} King_Plazek: just sned me or evgen a message

(click to show/hide)

Hi,

So RS have attacked Amashke, however I believe this to be because they are new to Strategus and unaware of the diplomatic situation rather than an act of agression (which was confirmed by their leaders in my talks with them). So I have been trying to think of a way to make this attack a win win situation for both sides.

We are friendly with RS and want to see them suceed rather than been drawn into a war with them. Furthermore I think your time would be better spent assisting the Ninja's and consolidating your fiefs, than engaging in yet another war. So I propose this deal to you.

I have proposed this deal to RS.

1) You do not oppose them and instead help them take Amashke, as will we.
2) You let them hold it for a little while to refresh their army.
3) They take all the population and gold out.
4) You attack it and obviously take it easily.
5) We help them take Qalyut from the Desert Bandits. They have proven themselves to be unpredictable and dangerous neighbours and I want them out.

Everybody is a winner, except the bandits. But who cares about them ;)

Plazek

Unfortunately they accepted the deal on Teamspeak so there is no record. Of course they claimed I forced them to accept later on and used that as a justification for why our mutual defence pact was no longer valid and so they therefore did not have to help against the Templars. Of course I always thought it odd that that only came up in the face of great opposition.


I would also like you to notice the level of dedication to our mutual defence pact that I exibited in that conversation with Corsair. Mentioning several times that if RS went against you then we would be forced to act against them.

3) Guess you are all idiots then. Because after I saved you two times from a foe superior to you in numbers, skill, grinding ability, strategic thinking, honour, respect and class you went and attacked them anyway like the colossal idiots you are. Oh and what happened? Despite your powerful allies, two of the most powerful factions in the game? Oh yea like I warned you going up against DRZ got you all fucked


I always knew it was smart to keep records, see I abide by my deals and my words so it means if I keep a record of them when people start lying about the truth I have something to back me up. Of course I do not expect everyone to believe me, maybe I just forged all this! 

Anyway honour and respect! The Shogunate way!

 :roll:

[/quote]

[Thomek]

I mean the whole diplomacy part of it is a huge part of the game. That's why I want the new strategus to have benefits to small factions like 2x defender tickets in your capital fief. That way more people can take part in the diplomacy and the intrigues can grow more complex lol.

It's a pity 99% of players only experience the battle-part. Not to derail the thread, I would love to see some more documents from other clans, if they can dig it up! :-)

[Noble Crassius]

So the one thing we need to take from this here is; it's factions sitting idly by that are the most responsible for DRZ's current state...Hope some factions can learn from history or they are doomed to repeat it. Or so the saying goes 

[Kalam]

So the one thing we need to take from this here is; it's factions sitting idly by that are the most responsible for DRZ's current state...Hope some factions can learn from history or they are doomed to repeat it. Or so the saying goes 

You're forgetting something. Druzhina & the Strangers (I can't speak for the rest) are fairly benevolent conquerors, and they make themselves easier to reach diplomatically than others.

[Astinus]

Fuck I have a really long history of strategus, too bad I wrote it in italian... Maybe I'll summarize it in english when I'm bored.

So far Leiknir gave the most accurate account btw

[krampe]

So far Leiknir gave the worst account btw

Fixed it for you

[Astinus]

Fixed it for you

Why do you say so? By the information I have, and trust me, I was inside lots of things, Leiknir was accurate and he didn't even go deep with Templars' mistakes.

What do you find biased?

[Warcat]

I love the Ninja's plea for help,  looks like they were right, at least as far as the Templar's are concerned.

[Boss_Awesome]

Why do you say so? By the information I have, and trust me, I was inside lots of things, Leiknir was accurate and he didn't even go deep with Templars' mistakes.

What do you find biased?

Anyone with half a brain knows that truth is relative.  The only way to truly find an accurate account of anything is to try and piece together as many different accounts as possible, which is the point of this thread.  Everyone is biased, and there are things that I don't agree with in Leiknir's account, but then again I am biased too.  Also, i don't think there is a whole lot of difference in accuracy between the accounts so far, though there are some different opinions as to motivation.

[Thomek]

The plea for help is ok.. but I wrote a much more angry account right after we lost the war, Maybe use that in stead, or in addition?

We'll I want to make the "Deal" they offered public and write a short history of the war from Ninja point of view.

The DRZ came onto us out of the blue, striking at claim Jayek with no warning or communication. I managed to track down their leader, and told them to stop or they would face war.

(The reason for their attack was presumably a map made earlier with no marked claims in our area..  :roll:  I was alarmed when I saw that map at the Uxhal conference.. On the other hand I was ignorant of the mysterious DRZ, which i never saw much of in 3 months playing cRPG. I simply didn't know they were the largest russian clan around, or else I might have yielded early..)

Day after Uxhal they attacked Jayek, and I let them do it, simply in order for them to wear down both themselves and AI Jayek before I attacked. After randomizing DRZ troops for a day, they started to get a drift on how randomizing and warfare worked. Quickly they adopted the  "1/10 lockdown by numbers" strategy. Where they simply froze all our movement and hindered us to reinforce and consolidate our movements. The Ninja administration was not ready for this, and we could simply not react quick enough because we were not yet established on TS and irc channel. War in strategus is a 24/7 game, and dealing with it takes a serious toll on the life and quality of sleep of the players.  :-)

After this they simply continued their strategy, beating us in battles, by:
1. Economical advantage (gear/more player based income/not wasting gold on taking ai fiefs like ninjas)
2. Crew trained in tactics from Native clanbattles/leaders
3. Former experience in fieldbattles, of what works etc.

I don't know for sure, but I have a feeling some of them have experience from the typical space-empire browsergames.

It was also a great advantage for them that they early understood the recruiting system, and they were probably there every hour to recruit. (This system is now changed though)

The "Deal" and negotiations.
After Ninjas began to understood how powerful DRZ were we offered them some of our claims. (Ismirala, Ismirala castle and Curaw, Curaw was perhaps a bit far fetched, but nonetheless. :-)

At our meeting today, they were as well offered Fearichen (Already taken by them, but peace offered in return)

The offer they made to us was as follows:
"Leave your/our land with a 600 man army + peace". It is an offer of nothing, and a simple insult.

Therefore, my friends, the war rages on.

The Ninjas might be beaten for land, but we cannot die, (Neither can you) we have more friends than you do, (some haters too i reckon, but we love you still :-) and we will pop up and make love to your skull with our katanas when u least want it. xD

In any case, we still respect you, as soldiers, diplomats and generals. But we hope you are still humans, to understand our rage.
(And you can have that laugh now)

Ninja Thomek

- "Ninjas! Just when you thought you were safe.."

[Paul]

Haha, in cRPG history is written by the losers.

[Tai Feng]

Anyone with half a brain knows that truth is relative.

Not really.

The only way to truly find an accurate account of anything is to try and piece together as many different accounts as possible

No it's not. The most accurate account comes from the most accurate source. Truth is not in the middle.

[RamsesXXIIX]

No it's not. The most accurate account comes from the most accurate source. Truth is not in the middle.

I disagree with you on this one. If a most accurate source could be determined, it would be "most" true. However, ppl disagree on which source is most accurate, and as such IMO there are no real "truth" (Unlees you establish somekind of "truth", from which you can further develop other truths (Math could be an example of this))

Therefore i find it the most accurate, the most true, to have multiple accounts from different sides. Just like Boss_Awesome has done.