A Mercenary Team anyone?

[UnOrthOdOx]

Re: Accepting members?

Originally posted by troglodyte
Can I apply for membership? Do I have to provide a CV?

I work in Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, Sierra Leone and Liberia, so may drop off air for a week or so a month (although our ICT are promising us broadband satellite connections), but would love to be involved with what seems to be a great concept.

PS I know many of Bob Denard's and Mike Hoare's sidekicks and am hoping to leverage that into membership!

==trogs

Don't know what a CV is.
Yes you can apply
Absenses with a little warning to us will be no problem.
Don't know who you're talking about, actually.

[UnOrthOdOx]

Originally posted by Golden Bear
Curious. I posted a legitimate concern and an explanation of a completely reasonable sequence of events. I continue to believe that this team, by playing a different game than the other participants, will be an unbalancing factor that will tilt the board more aggresively towards the already winning teams.

Instead of looking for reasons that I am incorrect without considering the thesis seriously, it might be at least more amusing to consider that there is some reason for concern in my statements and take them seriously.

Wanting something is not the same as having something.

Is it so much a different game, though?

Assuming contact with all teams, when two teams go to war, each and every team in this game will choose a side. Whether you fight directly or assist passively through tech, gold, etc, you will be choosing a side. Who you decide to help can be based however you want.

Your decision may be based on who you want to win, who you want to prevent from winning, you simply don't like Team X, or that you are simply bored and can get to Team Y quicker. We would not attempt to tell you who you should choose, or how.

The only difference in our team is we're telling you precisely how to get on our good side. Money, tech, resources, whatever. All tangible, in game, tradable items. There are no clandestine motives in our team.

To be honest, it very well may make the stong stronger. It could also be that the weaker nation is being attacked for something tangible and in-game we value as much as the stronger civ, or that the weaker civ diverts all gold to hiring in an attempt to remain alive, or that 2 nations not involved pay us to intercede on the weaker nation's behalf. We honestly do not know how this will work in Civ IV as of this moment.

What I can tell you we'll take what we learn and improve the concept to be as balanced as possible as we go in this game, and heading into the next game, should we be allowed to play the next game that is.

[binTravkin]

CV = Curriculum Vitae, a document filed by a employee candidate to his would-be employer.

[troglodyte]

Re: Re: Accepting members?

Originally posted by UnOrthOdOx


Don't know who you're talking about, actually.

Oh, Bobby and Mad Mike are the two most famous Mercenaries. Both have been involved in many operations, notably in Africa - mostly successful, some major (and amusing) balls ups.

The film about Mercs called "The Wild Geese" (released about 20 years ago) was made to be the experiences of Mad Mike. Not great acting, but a very interesting look at mercenaries in the field, and it shows the kind of environment I work in daily.

==trogs

[Lacero]

Originally posted by UnOrthOdOx
Is it so much a different game, though?

Good points in that post, but my main problem with the Mercenary Team is that you say there will be no:

"Attacking a neighbor unless we are either paid to, or they attacked us first."

That is what makes you different to other teams, and that is what means you're playing by different rules.
Neighbours of yours are in a slightly different position than neighbours of other civs and I think this difference is exploitable.

Without that rule you are, as you say, just another team who've told everyone what they have to do to get on your good side.

[UnOrthOdOx]

I fail to see how, in the grander scheme of things.

While an immediate neighbor knows WE won't attack them, they do not know that we won't be paid to attack them. We're just as big a threat to your security as any other neighbor.

Unless, of course, they do the hiring first...we're fine with that too.


And consider, too, the tech tree.

A team wishing to hire us will not be able to pay us until:

Trading units can be done as soon as meeting
Trading resources with connecting a trade route. Some possible value in hiring troops for resources there.

The first real hiring opportunity comes with Alphabet: Selling us a tech for troops.
I'm forgetting what allows gold trading ATM, Currency I think, but it's even later.

So, if the concerns are Team Merc's immediate neighbor is going to purchase a load of units and rush right over the entire continent in the ancient age, it can't happen.

[Lacero]

Exactly, the first hiring opportunity comes with alphabet. Until then you can't attack anyone land grabbing under your nose.

[Edit]

I'm sorry you seem to have misunderstood, I'm talking about you dying very early because you've gimped yourself with your restrictions. And the person (your neighbour) who kills you gets a corresponding advantage.

[Kloreep]

Originally posted by Lacero
I'm sorry you seem to have misunderstood, I'm talking about you dying very early because you've gimped yourself with your restrictions. And the person (your neighbour) who kills you gets a corresponding advantage.

This, of course, assumes our neighbor can kill us. If not, attacking us will have defenistrated our rule about attacking only on contract, and we'll take retribution as we deem appropriate.

So long as our neighbors leave us be, yeah, they'll only have to worry about contracts against them, not about us trying to take their land, so I still see your point that being our neighbors may be an advantage. (Pre-Alphabet, anyway )

[UnOrthOdOx]

Originally posted by Lacero
Exactly, the first hiring opportunity comes with alphabet. Until then you can't attack anyone land grabbing under your nose.

[Edit]

I'm sorry you seem to have misunderstood, I'm talking about you dying very early because you've gimped yourself with your restrictions. And the person (your neighbour) who kills you gets a corresponding advantage.

Well, perhaps. I assure you this is one of the biggest topics of discussion internally, however, from the moment of getting the forum. I think we may have a thing or two in mind to minimize the risk of someone closing us off onto a tiny chunk of land completely.

And if our ideas fail, I'll be back next game with the 'pirate team'. Which will be the merc team with the ability to take/get paid in land, basically.

I want to give the mercs a go first though. I think it'll work.

[Lacero]

By "kill" I meant "steals all your land" as that would sentence you to an early death.

I'm glad you're thinking about it, but if your ideas fail the whoever takes advantage of you the most will be in a much better position. As it's already been agreed you can play, Don't fail!

[UnOrthOdOx]

troglodyte, you have been authorized. Welcome aboard for what is sure to be an interesting ride.

Teams haven't even met us, and yet I'll bet there's discussion in each of their forums on just how to handle us...

[PJayTycy]

Originally posted by UnOrthOdOx
Teams haven't even met us, and yet I'll bet there's discussion in each of their forums on just how to handle us...

I'll take that bet

Let snoopy be the neutral referree ?

so, what are betting for ?

[Dominae]

Originally posted by UnOrthOdOx
While an immediate neighbor knows WE won't attack them, they do not know that we won't be paid to attack them. We're just as big a threat to your security as any other neighbor.

What if you are alone with said team on an island? That will be a pretty artificial situation, no?

If said team beats you to a couple of key city-sites, you may find yourself out-REXed. According to your own rules of play, you cannot take action against them. So in essence you would willingly vassalize yourself to them, until such a time as you contact other civs. You would refuse contracts to kill Barbs left and right, fearing for your own safety.

While this is not against any rule that I know of, it does make your team act in a very peculiar way. It's this pecularity that I think many people are having trouble with.

Of course, you might just respond by saying that you should not be placed alone on an island with just one other team, but this just gives you even more special treatment.

[UnOrthOdOx]

We'll have to deal with the situation when/if it arises. We will not ask for any special treatment in reguards to starting locale.

[UnOrthOdOx]

Originally posted by PJayTycy


I'll take that bet

Let snoopy be the neutral referree ?

so, what are betting for ?

Well, since you can see at least one forum, you must know something I do not?

How about we make the bet 50% of the teams have a discussion about the Mercs, then.

Over 50, I win
Under, you win
exactly 50, a push.

And, as for stakes, how about a line of signature, ~ 100 characters, for....oh, 30 days?