Vhalen

I think Potassium was far and away the best, when the AP bonus was another 5% population. Now, I guess it depends what you're doing at the time.

Wine's a distinct improvement, being actual wine now, instead of grapes. I also like the frosty mug for beer and the Mona Lisa for AP (the previous icon always seemed better suited for furs). Glad to see our automobiles are as environmentally unfriendly as ever!

So, on a somewhat different tack, I think it'd be nice to format the resource info a little differently, and break the "space" bonus resources into a third grouping beneath "Bonus Resources," just for ease of reading/comparison. Since most nations looking at the bonus resources list will not be in the financial/developmental stage to be taking these into consideration with their trade setups, it'd make a lot of sense.

Yeah, silver/sugar's really not that bad. Early on, you can get into a FF/construction circle (silver's decent as a hole-filler), and once you get bigger, they both bring in money in an AP circle.

I suspect it extremely unlikely that these posts would've shown up a week ago. Call me jaded; call me cynical; call me a realist. Perhaps NPO's peace should've been drug out until a simultaneous peace could've been made with TPF. Or NPO could've kept their gag order up on their idiots, of whom they're well past quota. (With all due respect, of course.) Look, here's the thing. NPO knew TPF was with them until the end. They can't be shocked that TPF got terms instead of white peace. In fact, if they did think that would make a difference, they should've INSISTED that TPF take terms, or bow out, or whatever. If they kept TPF in the war for no reason beyond their own selfishness, I offer the suggestion that NPO is to blame for TPF's terms. Have fun with that one.

Penciled you in.

I'm upset with how much harder it is to tell them apart, with the matching hats. I thought the future was all silver and shiny?

Acquired a few people, so I figured I'd give this a bump when I edited it.

Aww, and I thought we were stocking the shelves with Soylent Green... Oh, this is easy. Mars should be Digitares.

At least we can always look back fondly on certain IRON surrender terms for discussions of good beer.

CIRCLE COMPLETE! The resource list (moved to the top for quicker reference): Cattle - Elo span Coal - Elo span Fish - Sileath Furs - panrider Gems - Sileath Gold - Vhalen Pigs - Jelly Doughnut Silver - Jelly Doughnut Sugar - Brian Reimer Wheat - panrider Wine - Vhalen Spices - Brian Reimer This is an extremely strong economic tradeset, featuring +37.1% population, $10 and 15.5 happiness. Bonus resources are Fine Jewelry and Affluent Population. I'd prefer long term people, since one of the main reasons I'm going to the trouble of setting this up is because lately I've been having some issues with losing trade partners. For those who like lists: $10 income 37.1 citizen count 15.5 happiness -4% infra cost -5% tech cost -14.5% land cost +24.2% land bonus +24.2% soldier efficiency -$0.5 soldier upkeep

This is the part where someone's supposed to say, "You're already revolting."

While we're on the subject, you know what I'm tired of? Hearing people who aren't making an effort to change things complain about a lack of change. Look, right now we're in a transition period. If you want things to be a certain way, go try to make changes in that direction. Work within your alliance. Start a new one. Start an old one. All these things have been and are being done right now, but the people whining about "no change" aren't the ones doing them. Right now, we see old alliances who were tied down or forced away resurfacing. We see massive upheaval in the treaty web, with old treaties snapping and new ones forming. Yes, nobody's stepped up and said, "We're in charge," but you know what? I like it that way. I don't need someone to be "in charge" of me. I don't need someone to rule the world. I'd like to see wars where the winner and loser aren't predetermined. That might be a bit of optimistic hopefulness, but I see a world in flux as a world where one can hope.

This is a pure income circle, long term, and best for larger nations who build less often (and can temporarily swap out trades once in a blue moon, for construction). Cattle: Coal: Fish: Furs: Gems: Gold: Vhalen Pigs: Silver: Sugar: Uranium: Wheat: Wine: Vhalen Bonus Resources: Affluent Population, Fine Jewelry Important Stats: Citizens: +37.1% Income: +$17.5 (counting the uranium bonus - if you don't get this, it's only +$10) Happiness: +10.5

Circle's in Black team. Here's the list: Pigs - Pillihp Spices - Gunslinger 19 Sugar - Pillihp Cattle - LeDee Aluminum - KingD Lumber -Gunslinger 19 Wheat - LeDee Water - Vhalen Lead - Vhalen Marble - KingD Iron - sirtokealot Uranium - sirtokealot **Circle complete, thanks all**

Look, if you don't get along, you aren't an alliance. You're a lie. So, yeah, comraderie is important. Heck, it and unity are more or less the same. I mean, unity requires communication, but comraderie IS communication, so... I forget what I was saying. Why isn't beer a choice? Forums are good. I don't actually go on our forums, but I think people like them in general (not ours, forums as a concept). IRC too, though I do wander in there from time to time, mostly to mock someone. Lastly, I forgot the other options, but I guess activity and my glorious presence are both good. Heck, both are probably great. Also, I'd prefer an alliance have snacks. I don't think that was an option, but I'm done looking.

Well, I liked the previous one better, but I guess I can't complain. Mixing it up a bit never hurts, after all. Also: In the spirit of the times (OOC: Current movies), I'd think it'd be a Hangover MDP.

I think it's less brainwashing than indoctrination, and the initial choice of words was unfortunate. Would you say that frequent long radio silences encourage NPO members to read a medium (OOC: OWF) and access opinions outside the Order? I have to take your statement about questions and arguments with a grain of salt, given how many ex-members I've seen saying they started to get involved/ask questions, when suddenly leadership grew perilously distant and displeased. Perhaps your saving grace is that you shush when told? Me, I'm not saying they're mindless sheep, but I do think that they're subtly encouraged not to use their minds.

I dunno. One could argue that while NPO is still around, the threat isn't ended. How are the last alliances who won a war against NPO doing? Myself, I wouldn't go quite that far, but I will say that Brutal Psychoticus here is far and away more sensible than any IO posts that I recall. Perhaps he should gun for government if there's a mixup? This post speaks well for a future in politics:

To be fair to ex-allies, I doubt they had much of a choice. NPO had worked very hard to establish a "join us or die if you get too strong" world. They behaved like a paranoid (or, if you prefer, pretended to behave so, and using that guise to lash out for kicks...either way), and used blocs and treaties to block up the stream of resentment that resulted from that. We can't be too surprised that once the dam cracked, there was a monumental flood. I think what is being said here is largely that most alliances, especially peripheral ones who were drawn in by treaties, were not subjected to undue punitive measures. I hope that you haven't managed to delude yourself into thinking that the NPO is one of those peripheral alliances, and therefore due white peace. Oh, wait, the, "Joe hit you, but don't hit him back. Instead, fast track his firearm papers. I'm sure he'll learn his lesson." argument. That's good too. There's a line of thought taking into account that time this happened, NPO showed amazing skill at holding a grudge, and since you're already going to be on a hit list, why not make it as hard as possible for them to put out the contract?

Well, you could also stay at rock bottom. Apparently punishing them for that is Karma "playing the game they way they thought was fun." Since I put it in that context, I suppose we no longer have any problem with it? Rey covered it pretty well already, though: (Not that large alliances don't make juvenile mistakes or contradict themselves. I suspect it's just overlooked more often precisely because they're large.)

Having glanced at this a few times over the past few days, I haven't seen mention of Southern Tier, Ommegang, or Unibroue, which is a crying shame. All three are quite good.

Ugh. Not a big fan of the Vienna lagers. Now, Sam Adams Black Lager, on the other hand...

Stone RIS. Also, Old Rasputin. Double also, Great Lakes Blackout Stout.

A new day has dawned in CN. Hopefully surrender terms of this sort become standard. People will be striving to lose wars! Depends where you are. A lot of times, wine shops have a quality microbrew selection. You can find quality microbrews from most regions of the US, if you make a little effort. If not, your local supermarket probably carries Mich Amber Bock (a good one to start with, with a little more to it than ye olde macro lagers), Guinness, Bass, Sam Adams Black Lager, and a few others. I'd go on about microbrews for a while, but I fear for the length of this post. Also, mmm, Russian Imperial Stouts...