A Mercenary Team anyone?

[PJayTycy]

Originally posted by UnOrthOdOx
How about we make the bet 50% of the teams have a discussion on how to handle/what to think of the Mercs, then.

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

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

Is this the way the Merc contract discussions will work?

Merc. Hiring services ad: "Hey, if you give us 10 gold before 2000BC, you get a new axeman !!" (while you assume no one can trade gold yet). Then someone shows up and you change it to 30 gold.

Ofcourse, you are right I can see what's going on in team AC, so I would agree to "one team (except AC) didn't start a thread about the mercs on or before 19 jan 2006".

[UnOrthOdOx]

This is a bet, not a contract, and you already told me I was wrong. So, I'm GIVING you the team you CAN see.

There's 6 teams (of course mercs don't count): You already know 1 does not have such a discussion. All you need is 2 more and you do not lose.

[PJayTycy]

Well, 2 isn't the same as 1 is it? That's why I proposed to change it to "1 except team AC". If you don't agree to that, you are stepping back from your own bet.

[UnOrthOdOx]

So, of the 5 remaining teams, minus mercs and AC.

Alright, you're on.

[Nikolai]

I'd like to join this team if it's okay. It seems like the SPDG is getting little support, so I choose to join something else than a halfdead corpse. And this team seems to be the most interesting one.

[Kloreep]

You're authorized.

[Nikolai]

Thanks.

[Aidun]

Is there a job for me

Rush gave me a hint the Mercenary team was created again and seeing how it has passed the test of approval, I have looked into the concept again.

I'm seriously considering to join, but there are other teams that I'm considering too. Most important for me is to know to what end I can use my skills: talking people into things they don't want to be talked into .

Doing diplomacy for a team that's out to win is what I'm accustomed to so far and what I've enjoyed. But doing diplomacy for mercenaries would be something completely new.

I only can't think of any diplomatic challenge if a team doesn't have to struggle for its survival (which is the impression I have about the mercenary team in the MZO C3CDG). As you all know diplomacy is more than just typing letters and optionally chattng, you want to arrive at some better outcome than the status quo or try to trick another. To me so far, mercenary 'diplomacy' has seemed like simply writing letters.

So can any experienced mercenary tell me what would my role as a diplomat of team mercenary be, if they need a diplomat at all?

[UnOrthOdOx]

If you ask me, you've already answered:

But doing diplomacy for mercenaries would be something completely new.

We offer you something completely new. Nothing more, nothing less. Certainly challenging in your professed favorite role.

Apparantly your role would be in an ambassadorial position.

I don't have time for anything other than letters these days. Hence that's all we do in the MZO game. You won't see me on other than late night, early morning, turn playing, or at work. None of which accomidate much chat room diplomacy. And, I think we can both agree the turn-speed of that game has really killed most interest in it. At least for me/my team it has. 2 teams have had to be replaced by solitary players in it's course. We were much more ambitious in the beginning, prior to contact with your team, and prior to the first team dropping out and turnplay slowing/ceasing. That said, I have no idea what gives you the impression we are not out to survive in that game.

From the inside, I would say Team Mercenary has much more involved diplomacy than any 'normal' team. And survival is top priority. Making money second.

So, here's a challenge for you: You want to talk folks into something? How about trying to convince everyone in the game that just because we just landed 50 tanks on your border doesn't mean we're your enemy, the one who's paying us is, but we can't tell you who that was.

It's allot more difficult to keep someone buddies AFTER you 'attack' than just keeping someone thinking you're buddies until you spring your trap.

[rush]

I view the ambassadorial position in the Merc team as the #1 salesman, someone who is persistent, persuasive, create a demand where there is none, deliver what is promised and gain customer satisfaction for future sales. This is certainly not your typical diplomacy role.

[Aidun]

Well trying to keep another team's hands off your neck after you attacked them is certainly a challenge and one that I like. On the other hand, Rush is right I don't know what kind of salesmen I am and if I'm good at it. But I suppose it's not a problem if I'm not everyone his own task, one cannot be good at everything.

Let's but continue this flirting for a while . I have a few more questions. Big teams can be fun and dreamteams are great to be in, but you can easily lose your voice in the roar of voices. The very reason I don't want to be in GS. How many members does the merc team have?

Second what will the team be like. Is it every man for himself inside the team or will we together strive for the most gold possible? Personally I prefer a strong team spirit, currently, beside my personal pride of being king of a great empire, one of the very few things that keeps my interest with the MZO C3CDG. Rush, you rock and OPD too, though he is absent a lot.

[UnOrthOdOx]

Originally posted by Aidun
Well trying to keep another team's hands off your neck after you attacked them is certainly a challenge and one that I like. On the other hand, Rush is right I don't know what kind of salesmen I am and if I'm good at it. But I suppose it's not a problem if I'm not everyone his own task, one cannot be good at everything.

Let's but continue this flirting for a while . I have a few more questions. Big teams can be fun and dreamteams are great to be in, but you can easily lose your voice in the roar of voices. The very reason I don't want to be in GS. How many members does the merc team have?

At present 9, but maybe only 8. We're uncertain of the length of a particular member's banning...

Second what will the team be like. Is it every man for himself inside the team or will we together strive for the most gold possible? Personally I prefer a strong team spirit, currently, beside my personal pride of being king of a great empire, one of the very few things that keeps my interest with the MZO C3CDG. Rush, you rock and OPD too, though he is absent a lot.

Team Merc has been founded and will continue to strive to perform in a way that allows every member to perform where and how they want.

As far as I'm concerned we are one, and one is all, and etc in game. You talk to one of us in diplomacy, you talk to the team. We trust all members not to abuse such things, and understand when something needs be brought before the team as a whole. In MZO, Kloreep and I typically discuss everything. I've found him quite pleasant to work with despite his appalling affinity for those useless wastes of good shield and support he calls workers.

That said, there is no plan for formal hierarchy. I've been a proponent of organized anarchy since the original demogame. MrWIA and I pulled it off fine back then. Kloreep, Togas and myself did when MZO Merc formed, I suspect everyone on the team is mature enough to pull it off now.

Besides. If you join, you and I can have some most interesting side discussions during team meetings...

[Aidun]

I've checked member names, because I'm really torn and indecisive. Enigma_Nova has the pirate sign beside is avatar, indicating he's member of the merc's civgroup. Will he be authorized as a member? We seem to have many points on which we disagree and I'm not sure if we can be peacefully in the same team.

[Kloreep]

He has been authorized, but he got sent to Mingapulco and we have no idea when/if the ban ends. I was skeptical of him too, but I thought he worked out okay in his short time with us.

[UnOrthOdOx]

He is a member of our team, and I was the biggest advocate for authorising him as I will not be a part of a team that discriminates against prospective members for any reason, including things happening in the past or elsewhere. I strongly believe everyone deserves a chance to play. He agreed to abide by the terms of Team Mercenary when he joined, and was beneficial to the team during his stay, sparking many interesting discussions, and has acted quite contrary in private to some of his public displays.

His status with Apolyton as a whole is somewhat in question at the moment, having been banned for an undetermined (by us) length of time. So I cannot say for certain if/when he will be back.