The Big Ol 'What Zog Thinks of You' List - Part II
Entry posted by Ashoka the Great
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Today it's time to have a look at the sanctioned alliances that weren't covered in my previous list of former homes. As I review the list, the only thing remarkable to me is just how little I know about some of them.
So....I'm going to cheat a little bit and include some of the alliances found in The Amazing Sanction Race as well.
Mostly Harmless Alliance - I am now on what I believe is my sixth nation. Each time I have re-created, I have been flooded with offers to join various alliances.
Each time, nearly half of those invitations have been from someone in the MHA. That's speaks well to their recruiting efforts, I believe. Unfortunately, it's usually the same message sent several times, filled with what are purportedly humorous references to Douglas Adams' work.
About the theme, though....
Both my wife and father-in-law enjoy The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series of books very much. I do not. I find them clever rather than funny.
I'm not the sort to hold an alliance's theme against them, however. (A minority position in the cyberverse, I believe.)
New Polar Order - The NpO was founded around the same time as my first nation. They've gone through -- and continue to go through -- so many changes since then that it is difficult for me to keep up.
So, instead I'm going to comment on the war against \m/.
Although the war against \m/ led to my own alliance giving them tacit support, I supported the NpO's actions that led to the current mess. Let me tell you why....
In the days before Nordreich's reformation, I was given the task of trying to find us a protector. While there were plenty of alliances who wished us well, no one was willing to stick their necks out for us. No one, that is, except Grub. (Nueva Vida and NoR did reach a tech deal/protectorate agreement shortly thereafter, but that was after the reformation announcement.)
Without anything in writing, Grub promised that anyone attacking Nordreich 'just because' would receive a not-so-friendly tap on the shoulder from the New Polar Order. He gave me his word and I believed him, too. And so Nordreich reformed without a protector.
I have never forgotten Grub's pledge, and he will forever enjoy my respect for that.
Consider the above and you might understand why I supported the NpO's war against \m/. Or not.
Sparta - You'd think I'd know more about an alliance that so many people have strong feelings about. Well.....I don't.
World Task Force - Until they were sanctioned, I'd never heard of them. I still don't know anything about them. Their flag is hideous, though.
The Democratic Order - See above....except that I don't even know what their flag looks like.
Fark - I know very little about them and have never had reason to interact with them personally, but I know from observation that Fark is a committed group of people.
For that alone they deserve my respect.
Viridian Entente - I liked VE1.0 very much. I've never dealt with the resurrected alliance.
Orange Defense Network - As the alliance on the receiving end of one of CN's oldest running jokes, the ODN as a group shows a remarkable amount of good humor. As with many of the alliances above, I've never had to deal with ODN. However, the alliance includes a number of really good people, so I'm just going to assume that translates into a decent alliance as well.
FOK - God help me, but I think I'm starting to like them.
United Purple Nations - No clue. Based on some of their friends, though, I'll give them a "meh" and move on.
Independent Republic of Orange Nations - I haven't dealt with IRON since DarkMistress was handling their foreign affairs.
While I found her pleasant to deal with, the truth is that I didn't believe a damn word coming out of her mouth. It was all weasel-words and platitudes, which are completely lost on someone like me. Give me the straight goods or don't say anything at all.
I think my perception of IRON underwent its greatest change the moment they signed up for the Continuum. After that, I simply thought of them as yet another alliance that had decided to kowtow to the NPO. I never had any reason to change that opinion, and I know I'm not the only one who subscribed to it.
Global Alliance and Treaty Organization - I've never dealt with GATO, but I have a great deal of respect for them.
I should add that I was (briefly) in the NPO during their most recent war against GATO. I found the reasoning for that war to be ridiculous, and the aftermath (Viceroy, etc.) appalling. That GATO emerged from all of that garbage not only intact but thriving is admirable.
Ragnarok - While I was in SoM, we briefly had a treaty (a PIAT, I think) with RoK. They canceled, most likely as a result of outside pressure. I never held that against them, but many others in the alliance did. Hoo seems like a good guy, although unfortunately he and I have only dealt with each other (officially) during a crisis.
The Order of the Paradox - My introduction to TOP came near the end of GW3, when three TOP nations quad-attacked me at update....one day after my nation had surrendered. Since then, all claims of TOP's fantastic military efficiency have brought a smirk and a "Pfft" from yours truly.
About the current conflict....I'm not going to go on at length about it. TOP (along with its allies) made a grave tactical mistake, and they will end up paying for it one way or another. It would be nice if the whining stopped, though.
Mushroom Kingdom - LUE 2.0
(Sorry....couldn't resist.)
Seriously, though, I have much respect for MK. Their policy of first-strikes inspired me to include that in the SoM Charter and, indeed, any Charter I've had a hand in writing since then.
If I were to level a criticism at MK, it would be at certain higher-ranking individuals who have been nice to my current alliance in private, neutral in public (ie, IRC channels) and rather negative in places like the forum. Perhaps they thought no one would notice.
Coming Up Next: Former Enemies
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