The Hyborian Tome [Hyborian War Repository]

I am playing Zamora in HW 841.

This is my first HW game ever played.

Bytor had been trying to get me to play for a while, and this was the game..

I ended up with Zamora.. Chance would have it, that Bytor ended up with Corinthia, right next door. This was not good news. To make a long story short, there is history with us in all games. So until I got a clue (I have a slight one now, but not a major one), I needed to keep my kingdom from him..
I had no idea what I was doing when I started.. I still am lost.

Unless you actually see orders done, trying to start cold on your own is a task I probably wasn't up to.

To learn, I would go over and drink with Bytor.. We would go through the other games he was in.. I was able to see the orders he'd put together, ask questions, etc. It got me to where I could at least put orders together for myself. We would talk about 841 a bit.

At the beginning, I asked a few questions of people not in the game, that I felt might help. They did.

I actually started the first couple turns with success, I took a couple provinces.. I wanted to play Zamora true to character. I had a number of successful assasinations... Spell casting in battles was working.

Around turn 5 or 6 though, I hit a brick wall. Nothing seemed to be working. Was defeated a couple times trying to expland. Failed assasinations. I lost my king on a weird order I had him do. I tried to ressurect him and failed.. I was at a bit of a standstill. I made a lot of mistakes with orders.

I was aware of what was happening to Bytor. He was peaced from all sides.. He was not able to expand. His only logical next move, would be coming after me.. I didn't want to deal with that. One night at his house over drinks, I let him know who i was. We decided to refrain from hostilities. I know this will only last as long as it is time for us to fight, but it had to be done.

I kept to myself the whole game to that point, I had no communcations. Talking to Bytor seemed to be a good move now. he knew others in the game, and we ended up having mutal plans and objectives that could be realized.

I needed to expand. i needed to get another IA... i had been battling Brythunia, who was also being hit from some other kingdoms. Then I was hit for a whammy. Khauran, decided to take Kezankian Mountains, and peaced me. I had hoped that I could take that non player province a turn or two later. This came after my understanding with Bytor and his friends. Khauran had been communcated with and told of reprecussions if he interferred with the goals of certian friendly kingdoms. He would've been left alone (for the time being). Then Khauran taunted Zamora about it via a thread at ROK. I was pissed and i couldn't hit him back via invasion.. I had miscalculated.

Let it be known that I have decided to punish Khauran in every way possible for this. Zamora has ways of making things miserable for courts. I peaced him back. Now I will be a stake sized thorn in his side.

I am the spirit of dark magic. I drive the greatest kings of theives and the most seductive whores in the world. I am the motivation behind an assasin's creed. I am a spider. No pity or quarter to the ones that earn my wrath.. You will be tangled in my web and your life force drained from your kingdoms.

There are better ways to retaliate than what you intend.

(01-16-2010 01:05 AM)Sergio Pistachio El Sasquatcho Wrote: [ -> ]I am the spirit of dark magic. I drive the greatest kings of theives and the most seductive whores in the world. I am the motivation behind an assasin's creed. I am a spider. No pity or quarter to the ones that earn my wrath.. You will be tangled in my web and your life force drained from your kingdoms.

You're none of those things. Rather, you are a newbie to the game, one at a severe experience disadvantage in numerous areas. You are a fool and a jester. You will likely choke on your own pitiful excuse for wrath.

You have also accepted at face value a perception crafted for you by someone else. Quit playing the role of gullible fool. Use the brain that the good LORD gave you.

Furthermore, you brought this entire debacle upon yourself, by your chosen and plotted course.

(01-16-2010 01:05 AM)Sergio Pistachio El Sasquatcho Wrote: [ -> ]I kept to myself the whole game to that point, I had no communcations. Talking to Bytor seemed to be a good move now. he knew others in the game, and we ended up having mutal plans and objectives that could be realized.

I learned from Grim in my first game that communication is essential. The more the better. Not to say that communication means cooperation. Communicate with those who can help you achieve your goals, whether directly by their intent and design, or indirectly through your hidden manipulations. Communicate with those who are your enemies, to gauge their state of mind and to push and prod at their emotional strings. Players who react to emotion will generally be more open to mistakes. Hyboria is a wide, interconnected world, and the power of your pen, as the power behind the throne, will always hold far more weight than any in-game tools at your disposal.

As you look at the map change during the progression of the game, study the unfolding of relationships between kingdoms and regions. Affecting the situation on your immediate border may well take prodding and poking at those one, two or three kingdoms away to switch the regional distributions of power and influence. Remember that that "prodding and poking" can take many different forms, with the flow of information being one of the key tools at your disposal. As Zamora, you should have plenty of information to hold or disperse at your whim.

I have been dealing information now through different channels. Also, I believe actions I am taking will benefit certain kingdoms I am currently freindly with and in turn will ultimately benefit me. I am in a unique postion in the game to deal out a little vengenance, while still being able to focus on the overall plan. I have some concerns for the future, bu things are stable. I have been paying more and more attention to the bigger picture.

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Lets get one thing straight Mr Grim. I realize I am a newbie. That was the whole reason for me staying quiet for so long. For this game, I know will get my ass kicked. I don't care. For the money this game costs to play, I want to have some fun. I got to a point I was at a standstill, a wall. It has now become more interesting to me. Even just talking about it publicly. There are new possibilites now. I will stick it out to the end, learn from mistakes, see what certain things do and don't do, and die trying. I also love gamemanship. method to madness. or at least an intention of such.

Die Trying..? That's pussy talk.

Khauran was warned in no uncertain terms to let go his claim on that mountain province. He ignored that warning and has spoken in harsh tones. I'm half hoping he tried to attack me last turn with those forces he hid in Korveka. Boy wouldn't he be surprised if he found over 50 heavies sitting there waiting on him? I bet he's pretty surprised I even know they are there. Ain't no one sneaking up on me, I can tell you that.

My lines of communication stretch the entire length and breadth of the map. I have been in contact with 15 players in this game and hold conversations on a regular basis with no less than 7 of those.

And even though some of Khauran's friends seek to stymie his advancement with intelligence gifts, Khauran's allies may soon find that the actions of Khauran reflect just as poorly upon them as those actions do upon Khauran herself. More-so for those nations that allow use of lands for jumping points. It's never wise to awake a sleeping giant, and give him something to do.

(01-16-2010 08:31 AM)Bytor of the Snowdogs Wrote: [ -> ]My lines of communication stretch the entire length and breadth of the map. I have been in contact with 15 players in this game and hold conversations on a regular basis with no less than 7 of those.

In hindsight, meaningless numbers, obviously.

You should wash and wax Serge's car to compensate him for your failures.

I haven't failed anyone. Phil failed himself. He's lucky I took pity on him and didn't crush his sorry ass. He should come here and wash the house windows for everything I've done for him.

So, are the hordes of Corinthia now Zamoras protectors?

Zamora doesn't need my protection. He has done little in the way of open warfare and his base is fairly solid. He also has the ability to lay in ruins, the court of any who wish to call him, enemy. Khauran is probably just now figuring this out. It is this fact that now has him clamoring for peaceful relations with you after his attempt to take you by surprise with his invasion into that province he knew you to be attacking.

For my part I had tried to let Khauran know that Zamora wished to go in other directions and that claim was dismissed and/or ignored. So be it. Every ruler should have the right to choose who it will be that shall destroy him. Much like Khauran choosing Zamora to be the instrument of his demise.

For my part, Khauran is now the enemy of my ally which by default makes him my enemy also. Though one I care very little about. I had heard he had characters inside Korveka. From a report such as that one must assume he is planning to invade Corinthian home provinces. He hasn't come as of yet, and he should consider himself lucky to not have chanced an assault against me. So too, Koth should warn him off such actions and expel any Khaurani force from his lands on my border. I will not go the route of an arms race, rather I am more prone to preemptive strikes to defend myself, my people, and my lands.

This is not to say that I hold no value in the agreements reached with the Kothian. Instead, it is to declare in no uncertain terms my resolve to hold all provinces under my control. Actions against me coming from Kothian holdings, even those from other nation's troops, must be considered to be an act of open warfare by both the host and guest nations. Nothing has happened as of yet, and therefore the situation only bears watching for the moment. That could change with any enlargement of possibly aggressive/hostile armies along my exterior borders.

Most folk think these declarations of mine are foolish. Saying that it gives away too much to too many. I fear not. You know what I wish you to know.