and a small alliance, it was the best time to be in one as there was a larger pool to recruit from, other small allainces to ally with, and they had there own political world, I have not seen starting or micro allainces winning personal wars and being as successful now as they where back then, possible do the deflation of population in CN and protectorates, small allainces above 10 members are often regulated now a days and the now common protection makes wars between them as impossible as wars between larger allainces as micro alliances are now linked and apart of the same political climate as the superpowers.