Whalen, I think he's EU, at least, I never seem to see anybody wailing "NOOOO REBEEEECAAA" occasionally when crossbows decimate all cav on the field
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For your questions, A_S, :
1) Strategus is currently down. According to rumors, it will be brought back up with a "soft" restart, meaning Territories stay the same, but gold and troops are reset, for the purposes of testing. After it's been bug tested, there will be a complete wipe, and an insane land rush. We have no timeline, which is a great source of amusement for the devs in the IRC chat room.
2) There SHOULD be no need for a faction. You will be able to ride around, make money, cause trouble, and get killed all on your own. Factions are recommended because you can make vast amounts of gold, cause cataclysmic levels of trouble, and get killed among friends. If you really want to hold some lands, and be announced as a Noble (in Regal Purple!) when you play cRPG, you'll need faction members to help you take land and keep it.
3) There were/are a few around, but a lot of small clans have kind of died out in the long, long wait for Strategus. For Strategus, I recommend either joining a small clan, or starting one. Even if you just have 4 or 5 members, you should be able to hold a fief or two, if you make strong alliances and choose your enemies wisely. Just don't be one of those people that allies with EVERYONE, having an enemy is both healthy and rewarding.