Due to issues with their non-profit status over at Second Chance, Sparta have now settled in the sim of Narnia, a homestead sim, that’ll no doubt be visited by many-a aslan and Mr Tumnus while Sparta are based there.
An in-depth story will follow, but this is merely an update to anybody wondering where they’ve gone.
In other news, Jason Backer has taken Admiral status in the Alliance Navy after his step down earlier this year. He plans to swing AN back around to it’s former glory. Again, we’ll investigate this further in an upcoming article.
Metallicoe Keng
Dagger Exonar was a high ranking Ordo official.
He wasn’t. He was an NCO and one of the low level Frumentarii agents. He likes to create the impression he was important.
If you think the biggest problem with the Iron Symphony is the “blockade,” consider the rationale behind it.
In previous blockades, carried out by several different military leaders towards others (which never seem to get as much press) issues are either resolved between the leaders, or ignored.
Consider Dark Svenska blockading the Ordo Imperialis. If I’m not mistaken, it’s been done already, but if it hasn’t, consider it entirely hypothetical.
Now, imagine if Aryte Vesperia had contacted a Decurion, and informed him that he had been falsely accused by the War Host of an illegal action, and it was being taken seriously as libel and slander, and to expect legal action.
Now, what if the Decurion continued to argue Svenska’s innocence in the matter, and that he might have simply been misinformed.
What if our hypothetical Imperator proceeded to gloat that since Svenska probably wouldn’t be able to make the court date, he’d demand intellectual property as compensation, which would include the Dominus’s SL account.
If you’re considering such actions as inconcievable, and assure yourself that they would never happen in Second Life, consider yourself corrected.
Would you negotiate to lower a blockade of the Ordo Imperialis, if Aryte did that? I certainly hope not. These are REAL threats, and should never be taken lightly, as one never really knows who sits behind the other screen, and what they can do when they feel it appropriate to do so.
It is not only for a similar reason that we refuse to lower the blockade, or open negotiations, but rather, the exact same instance. This is why the Kommissariat refuses to open negotiations with Naumova, and why he has been the only instance of an outright, non-negotiable blockade.
The logic stating that the Alliance Navy is now subservient to the Ordo due to the fact that their leader is a former member of the Ordo Imperialis seems outrageously flawed.
Wasn’t Aryte a member of the Alliance Navy before joining the ANII?
Lurdan Huszar was an ANMD commander..
Harlequin Salome was a Merczateer General, as was Nanao Mahfouz, and Christoph Naumova.
Dagger Exonar was a high ranking Ordo official.
Raideur was once the prized gem of the ANAD.
Hell, even Bruno Ziskey was once a member of the Novus Ordo Imperialis, and I specifically remember him “hailing” the Imperator over the SL Herald comments page.
Point being, just because you swap members around the community, doesn’t mean that each individual is like a needle with thread attached to them – slowly stitching these large militaries into some monolithic superconglomerate.
People have a nack for changing their minds as they flit around, and grow.
Furthermore, I think the eon-old debate over whether “all’s fair in love and war” or “deathmatch” style outlooks should be taken when conducting warfare.
This is done by separating Second Life warfare, from real life warfare – or simply separating fantasy from reality, which is something that several people have difficulty doing after investing so much of themselves in order to produce enough effort and time to achieve an influential position over the community.
In real life, you initially attempt to avoid conflict at all costs, and hope to resolve differences with the hostile party through a series of debates, or angry letters, or private conversations. It’s largely regarded as better in real life to have an injured pride for a popular old man, than hundreds of thousands of dead boys on a field somewhere.
In Second life, however, everybody is expendable, feels no pain, and therefore, each individual places personal emotion, and pride, higher than physical well being, simply because they are not in any actual physical danger.
Somewhere along the line, the titans of the community realized that they didn’t really hate one another as much as they thought they did, and stopped posting pictures from hacked photobucket accounts, stopped the crank calls, and stopped the manufactured slander and negative atmosphere which seemed so repulsive to the brilliant creative minds that felt themselves above our mess.
In real war, in real life, you are bound by the laws of physics.
If your enemy is putting a beating on you, you ought to invest in a stronger weapon, or develop an advantageous technology, which will, of course, exist within the confines of what is actually possible.
In Second Life, we are not necessarily bound by “reality”. Adhering to the philosophy of “real life” “If you have it, use it” mentality, as a total noob, I distinctly remember autokilling the entirety of the old Alliance Navy’s fortress in Tethys.
At the time, there was no particular treaty which said that I was doing anything wrong. I don’t actually even remember them giving out rules to me, I just remember killing everything with simple sensor based killprim technology.
Clearly, this is an extreme situation, but when we’re not bound by unbreakable scientific laws, human nature will allow us to innovate into the arsenal of absurdity – for the benefit entirely of the inventor, and to the ire of the victim.
However, each landowner slowly discovered that they were gifted with a weapon as of yet unable to be deflected, countered, or broken – that being, landpowers.
Naturally, given the ease of access, the permanent effects, and availability to all landowners, and group officers, land powers are generally considered dishonorable for military use, and are only to be used for regulation.
In real life, it would be insanity to assume that Hitler could have blanket banned the Red Army for “gruntflooding” into the borders of the Reich after the failure of Barbarossa, but remember, in Second Life, it’s the “feel good” sensation of our make believe bloodlust that we prize above all other achievements in battle – simply because carnage isn’t exactly gory, or difficult, or rare. Nothing of value is ever lost, and even honor and morale seem to be renewable resources, as underdogs seem to rally themselves into the deepest frenzies after the most brutal beatings.
I agree, “fair and fun” combat are relatively meaningless unless you understand the history and psychology behind them. It certainly isn’t an aggressive political campaign for Iron Symphony dominance over the grid – we were already the three largest and most powerful, we didn’t really want any more power, we just wanted to make changes.
Regrettably, though, the movement to “bring back 2007″ style combat is strong because many of those clamoring for it will hear tales of 36 hour attacks, treacherous leaders, scandal and intrigue, and yet, never considered the unhealthy burden that was placed upon the leaders of the involved parties (The Merczateers and the Alliance Navy).
Such demands are not the real life equivalent of, say, “Total War,” or “Clauswitzian Warfare,” but rather something closer to,
“Who needs the government restrictions and the SEC? Things were way more exciting in the 1920’s!”
Only to experience another great depression.
The Iron Symphony has always been a confederacy, and with the Alliance Navy as a member, shall continue to do so.
Each member carries their own set of house rules, rather than imposing treaties upon one another. It’s somewhat confusing and inconvenient when personal outlooks on technology vary, (for instance, jump packs) but at the same time, allows the individual members of the community to “branch out” in different directions with innovation, rather than accepting what is legal and illegal, and only developing within those confines.
A comparison of the two schools of though would render a tree, branching in all directions, compared to a tree, whose branches have all been pruned except for those facing north and east.
I guarantee that the former is more favorable to the eye, and naturally more practical.
This is why such jeers at those even hinting acceptance the somehow “corrupt” Iron Symphony seem mistaken, mislead, or sycophantic to detrimentals.
If you do really see a major flaw with the Iron Symphony, be part of the solution, not the problem – why not help us fix it, rather than waste energy in attempting to destroy something with good intentions?
All these hatred is bad for ya!
“We do.”
If you hear him tell them why they’re blockcaded why do you claim he lies? :s confused…
Ethan, Why do you take such pride in destroying people? Why does Christoph funding a military affect you so much?
You fail to realize there is no ‘enjoyment’ of the blockade – Instead of fighting an enemy you don’t like, you focus instead of fighting friends you *do* like, Which will *never* end well – Check out how the MC feels about Ordo’s raids, and compare that to the glorious grid-war that was the AN vs the IS.
And don’t give me that ‘change of leadership’ nonsense, VG is lead not by one person but by the Kommand as a whole. We all make the decisions now, The only reason you’re willing to accept the AN is because *GASP* Jason as Ordo a few days ago, and is now 1ic of AN.
Have you guys totally forgotten Jim is an officer there?
D2A, Nice… uh, timeline for events that haven’t happened? We’ve got 52 on sim right now and raiding 39th and Nirvana Isle, we set up road signs outside the spawn saying ‘Vanguard Property – Disarm or be shot’ and checkpoints outside the tunnel, We’ve been kicked out twice not by bans but by bullets.
Personally, That’s why we’re all having fun and not bothering with the insult-game, I still don’t understand why people think Chris gets frustrated by the bans – In all honesty he doesn’t care, he lead the military, what? two years with that blockade going? and yet he was still doing well enough to be a pain enough in the Ordo’s side to provoke the frumentarii into disbanding his military… So, Yeah, From the outside looking in I guess you guys can buy the hype and claim it’s all just a fad or something, but when you say “Look at the history of the group! it’s terrible!” then try and say “Don’t look at the history of the group, it’s been around forever and survived everything thrown at it short of personal attacks against the leader!” it gets kinda confusing.
In any case, We’d still like to bring back the days of 50 v 50 instead of 5 v 5, just need the IS to give us a fair review and tell us what needs to be changed so we can do it.
“as if you’re in the military and hear it for yourself”
We do.
Just a matter of quick clarification:
Yes, the IS and AN have made up and are friends now. That could only happen, however, after a change of leadership occurred within the AN. The same holds true for Vanguard. If Christoph is ousted, then we’ll talk. Until then, enjoy your blockade.
I don’t know why you think christoph tells his men lies, it’s as if you’re in the military and hear it for yourself. I do trust people in that military due to some of them being long time friends. They know exactly what vanguard did but that was before. You made up with AN, are you claiming you cannot do the same with vanguard due to personal hate? The same personal hate that is destroying the combat experience from second life military?
You need to move forward and forget the past. Christoph keeps his men in check in new jessie and on raids, that my friend is respectable, and its more then what i could ever say for the mercz.
The new VG time line.
-Great success, the hype of VG coming back has gotten many old and new members
-Ban from most every sim
-Hype begins dieing as those people who cant stay in one military for more then a few seconds leave due to the only combat they are getting is on void sims where they cant swarm
-Christoph begins pulling his hair out as he sees his great “new” army of griefers and wannabes start leaving or go begging back to there old militaries hoping for a new chance
-Verklund becomes bare as everyone else becomes disinterested and the only ones left to defend the sim is the power hungry ego maniacs hoping to please the higherups
“I’m surprised it isn’t circulating around Vanguard yet being spit on and ridiculed by teenagers who are either too unintelligent or morally backwards to appreciate them.”
Lurdan, I’m honestly shocked by this. We got your notice, we read it, we thought about it, and we decided we’d be the bigger man and continue to follow your rules and wait for the day when you care to review us fairly, and without a bias tainted by past actions of one person. To be completely honest, I’m rather hurt by your words – you preach about honor and fairness, yet spit this kind of venom? VG isn’t the one full of vile lies and remarks this time around, Chris is wearing a furry avatar for a damn good reason.
I still think bullets are a better way to take out your anger on our group than your childish insults.
We have very clear and substantive reasons for blockading Vanguard. I recently made a statement to my group about it. I’m surprised it isn’t circulating around Vanguard yet being spit on and ridiculed by teenagers who are either too unintelligent or morally backwards to appreciate them. If there weren’t good reasons to bar you people from our simulators, seven militaries wouldn’t be doing it. Do yourself a favour – do a little research into your own group that doesn’t involve swallowing up Christoph’s lies and spun tales. If you have any shred of decency, you’d leave after the discoveries you make.
As for combat within the Iron Symphony, a little over a week ago we went ahead with some substantial changes that made Iron Symphony alliances merely political, setting combat alliances outside of the bounds of Iron Symphony policy and procedure. The Ordo and MC almost immediately began performing open combat operations against each other, and the other militaries including my own will likely be doing the same in the coming weeks and months.
“You have blockaded or allied with the only groups who could fight you on even terms and essentially dragged your own combat experience into a pit.”
And you’ve been banned by pretty much every noteworthy group because you refuse to fight on even terms.
I have a question for the Iron Symphony.
You pride yourself on fun combat and progressive advancement.
Why do you let your soldiers sit stagnant on your front lines save for the random battles against much smaller and understaffed Military bases?
You have blockaded or allied with the only groups who could fight you on even terms and essentially dragged your own combat experience into a pit. You Ally with ordo! you ban VG! Please, do something to remedy this to help combat on the grid! Especially now that you have consumned the Alliance Navy, another group that was rising in numbers.
I ask that you prove you worth, test your mettle against the VG and end this supposed blockade, you are unable to even keep the reasons for it straight in your own minds, let alone on the record. So if you are not afraid open up combat! come fight us, and let us fight you.
If you feel you are up to the challenge instead of hiding behind your cardboard walls I will be ready, gun in hand. Help the grid and let the fight ensue instead of wallowing in badnarik and titan.
-Szarin
and in other news…..
AN IS NOW I.S ,AS OF YESTERDAY!
And in other news….
AN joined the IS yesterday
“wat”
wut
Agree to disagree – shut up eye / methvell gearbox
“Does that means Cristoph will demote/eject himself from VG for taking advantage of land rights he had because of a friendship, using that to set his home point inside the wall of a base during an attack? If you add to that invading the spawn point of the same base during the same attack and killing people there, will he ban himself for the combined rule breaking?”
wat
Has Keaton died yet?
“Agree to Disagree”
Shut up, Eye.
“I’ve fought VG several times, they now monitor soldiers to ensure they follow rules and give out demotions/ejections for rule breakers!”
Does that means Cristoph will demote/eject himself from VG for taking advantage of land rights he had because of a friendship, using that to set his home point inside the wall of a base during an attack? If you add to that invading the spawn point of the same base during the same attack and killing people there, will he ban himself for the combined rule breaking?
I’ve fought VG several times, they now monitor soldiers to ensure they follow rules and give out demotions/ejections for rule breakers! -gasp-
Yeah, we were swarmed while the base was damn near empty, but it brought me back to Parcel Ziost when that was the norm. both sides took it well and we hit em back a few days later.
The fights were pretty good if a little unevenly matched.
However in all seriousness as IS swallows another military to add to its little black satin handbag of DOOM, why wouldnt it be a good thing to open combat? at least you’d have something to do on titan during those long cold nights…Besides the usual that is (Wink wink)
Vanguard is almost basically the anti-Ordo. It has tons of members, but they don’t really give a damn about rules and use old tacties, like prim sitting/prim hacking and generally being spammy as all hell, so they can proclaim a win.
Much like ordo….
At least they do not hide the fact that they are assholes, unlike Ordo.
VG is more or less filled with the people that look for the next big thing. Not the next best thing, VG can hardly be considered that.
There is no actual core for VG like many other people all you see are just a bunch of disjointed people in neat looking armor that do what they always do in terms of SL Militaries, jump from one ship to another.
Scientific,
Again I’m not advocating anything other then common sense. You can have combat but when you start calling your ideals “proper” combat. Then what does that mean for everybody else?
Obviously they cant be fighting in any proper form if there not doing it the way the IS does it.
Triplicarius Teichmann – To call Raideur’s career in the Alliance Navy “brief” is a grave error, considering that Raideur’s term of service in the Alliance Navy was significantly longer than mine at both ends. The argument remains, however, and it is stronger for the correction of your error.
And no, Vanguard having members from pretty much every army in their ranks doesn’t make them “pets”, it makes them “tools”.
“God dammit, I had so much hope for the AN but I just heard they became Ordo’s new pet.”
As opposed to another group for Vanguard to try and gangpress into their ranks?
Does this make the Militant Collective an AN ‘pet’ because Raideur had a brief career in AN, or Silver Hawks a Mercz ‘pet’ because some of them are former Mercz?
What about the new Vanguard, which has former soldiers from pretty much every army in their ranks, does this make them everyone’s?
Quite preoccupied with other’s private lives, aren’t you IntLibber?
“Disagree to Agree”, if you believe there is no such thing as “proper combat”, you can shell out a couple thousand dollars a year to allow anyone to walk into your sim with nukes, autokillers, and infinite ammo.
^ personal attack, cmon mercz you’re “better” then that now aren’t ya?
“Let the AN join the Iron Symphony. It’ll only simplify the game since they’re practically one and the same as is.”
- Nanao Mahfouz
It would certainly reduce the drama, but of course without the drama, Nanao would only have the baby demon tail sex to keep him entertained.
“Liberated Slave”, “a guy”, “Agree to Disagree”, “Disagree to Agree”, “Innocent passerby”…
Lol.
@ Mikael
That is exactly what is happening in SL combat right now. “proper Combat” is 2 sides shooting killing prim at each other rinse and repeat following every single rule of the book (certain doctrine) as compared to the gentlemen warfare of the American Revolution (1775–1783), Not that i sanctioned … nukeguns, primspam, penis guns … (the so called “true combat”) , what sl combat needs is both side to have fun, neither “proper” nor “true” combat satisfy that criteria. (too much control or too much mayhem)
God dammit, I had so much hope for the AN but I just heard they became Ordo’s new pet.
And there are plenty of people in the AN, who have consistently sided with the AN, that would have been more deserving of a chance at leading their peers.
Let the AN join the Iron Symphony. It’ll only simplify the game since they’re practically one and the same as is.
K.Kwak,
Now your just being extreme, at no point did i advocate anything close to griefing and/or tomfoolery.
@Innocent Passerby
Perhaps if you live in the 18th century.
Goodluck to ye jason, Also sparta.
@ Disagree to Agree
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Jea, FTW I.S. is so yesterday … nukeguns, primspam, penis guns … thats the true combat of SL – go to any sandbox and people will agree.
I tell you what is “proper” combat, the guys dress in red stand in line on the left side, the guys dress in blue stand in line on the right side. the first line of guys kneel down, then second line of guys stands up, both line of guys take aim, both side shoot, those who are dead are replaced with more guys from the lines behind, rinse and repeat. THIS IS PROPER COMBAT!!!
I agree with Disagree
In real war, each side trys to use anything that can be an advantage. I mean, the US used nukes on japan to help end WW2 and you can’t say that that was even fair at all.
Bottomline: War is Hell.
Raideur for someone who is in love with the thought of bringing realism into SL militaries I’m surprised you’re behind the idea of “proper” combat. There is no such thing as “proper” combat, hell in any world war or any war for that matter either side used whatever advantage they had over the enemy.
While the idea of it sounds great i give it a month before the IS militaries get tired of being restricted to just about every rule in the book. Though before i get a complaint otherwise I’m talking about the enlisted not the leaders who are more then fine standing there shoulder to shoulder telling everybody that “proper” combat is the better way.
Though its going to be interesting when MC finally decides to buck the idea of the IS and move on, probably in the same fashion as the EU.
“Alliance Navy, enjoy your new subservience to Ordo.”
Then wouldn’t Erusea be subservient to Ordo? Or Silver Hawks to Mercz?
Both armies were founded or are made up of ex-members of both groups, some of which had decent/if-not-stellar records, yet I don’t think they’re at their respective former groups’ beck and call. Why would the AN, with one ex-Ordo at the head, do so?
Sparta’s new sim spends over 500 prims (1/7th or so of their prim limit?) on random wrecks for “attacker cover”.
Good game.
The IS is no longer a binding diplomatic alliance. Groups may attack each other at will within or outside of the IS. It is simply a framework of proper combat.
While I’m happy Jason is back in AN, I am not, however, happy that this will mean AN will move further into the IS. from the recent chatter in the AN it seems they are now on their way to becoming a true IS member. This is quite possibly the worst thing that could happen for them.
I’m terribly displeased, but I do wish them luck. I have a feeling a number of people will leave the AN over this though, again, I wish them luck.
Yeah, those landing boats with the fake turrets are pretty cool to the athmosphere of it all. The sim is quite well pulled off, could have done with some better prim building though, I saw bunch of cases where prims could have been saved.
The sim was designed to fight large groups of attackers, despite being a voidsim/openspace/homestead/home//space/open/stead/wtf, so individuals won’t have much chance here.
“Welcome to the IS AN. Attack by appointment only.”
That’s ironic. CS requires people to fill out a form to have their sim avatar cap raised. You know, to have large attacks against them.
The Merczateers filed one once, it was rejected.
Actually, NZC is yet to be known but some say they are gone.
That’s pretty silly. Jason was a trusted member of the Ordo, and still is a friend to many, including myself. But having a former Ordo member in their ranks doesn’t make them somehow subservient to the Ordo. If anything, we hope they can surpass their old glory under Jason’s capable leadership.
I would ask you keep your misinformed statements to yourself.
Well geuss that pretty much means AN is going IS. There’s not even a doubt in my mind.
Welcome to the IS AN. Attack by appointment only.
“Nobody has mentioned that Narnia is the greek version of Normandy, complete with prim-spitting troop-deploying boats crashing into shore. yeeeeeeeeeah.”
Quick correction. I actually went and checked it out. The “bullets” coming from the landing craft are actually particles.
“Alliance Navy, enjoy your new subservience to Ordo.”
I doubt it, seeing as how Jason was an AN member for something over two years before joining Ordo for a couple months.
Alliance Navy if anything have a brain. They’re not exactly getting serviced by Ordo here, Jason left on his own accord, don’t try and intimidate people with such smarmy comments please especially when your not even going to say your name. Kids.
Alliance Navy, enjoy your new subservience to Ordo.
Nobody has mentioned that Narnia is the greek version of Normandy, complete with prim-spitting troop-deploying boats crashing into shore. yeeeeeeeeeah.
I’m guessing they caused the White Witch’s army to crash after they all teleported in at once.
Spartans in Narnia. I’m sure there’s bound to be a bad slash fanfiction in there, but it’s nice to see the Spartans back.
And it was a great pleasure and honor having Backer in my squad, I’m sure he’ll do awesome things in AN. Look forward to it!
Wise move Jason.
Isn’t Narnia where NZC are based? So either, NZC has died or Sparta are now immigrants. xD
First! to climb in the wardrobe