War #5 - Suggestions and Feedback

[YoungSot]

Perhaps once teams are settled the WMs will post an announcement stating so and listing out the potential support team members? If you're not already planning to do so, that would be convenient.

[RavingRabbid]

Perhaps once teams are settled the WMs will post an announcement stating so and listing out the potential support team members? If you're not already planning to do so, that would be convenient.

+1 so much.

[Glitch]

I'd really like to have this war be transcribed with lore and whatnot.  In fact, I volunteer to do it.  Here's the introduction!

February 18th, the 329th year after our creator Zanzarino

February is the month of death.

Historians, such as myself, debate whether each month was ever truly allocated to the elements.  However, with the starvation and the cold and the emptiness, there is no doubt that if the months were matched with might, February would be death's.

And death is smiling.

Introductions are in order.  My name is Sir Heinric Borius, Henry in friendly company.  I am a historian, geographer, and geologist.  Specifically, my area of study is in the wars of years past.  From what I've gleaned, the wars are long, harsh, and brutal, each element fighting to the death and showing no mercy.  These wars have been known to span decades, or be as short as days.  Violent, bloody, grim, gut wrenching days.  I am not entirely sure of how the wars ended, as I've only documented a few battles here and there.  I'm only sure that death won the last one, and then the warfront grew silent.

But death is smiling.

The remnants of these battles have fascinating results.  Apparently, the massive destructive forces left latent energies, condensed forms of a side effect from older times.  These "shards", as I decreed them, give fascinating insight into perhaps ancient and lost power.  It is in order to learn about these shards I picked up the study of geology.  These shards seem to bond with certain elementals.  This would allow for neat segregation and collection of the trophies, and increase the prosperity of all the lands.  However, the old boundary's have changed, and battlezones no longer fall in locations that would seem rational today.  I had a difficult time finding shards in significant quantities to confirm my theory.

It is because of this I started learning geography.  The old nation lines are fascinating.  Apparently the lands of life used to be clear across the continent, but their woods were burned to the ground.  Over the years, the lands of air too moved, drifting as the wind slowly pushed them northward.  Learning these I traveled to ancient battlesights, stared in awe at the destructive forces that had once surged, and cataloged the location of the shards.  I then sent my findings to the nearby nations, hoping for assistance in the potentially dangerous excavation.  Perhaps doing so was naive of me.  Regardless, ever since the publishing of my research, I have regretted it immensely.

Each shard, identical in form, has a strange calling to certain elementals.  Not their magic, rather, their mark.  This has led to an interesting phenomenon, and a horrifying prospect.  Rather than each land neatly segregating out the shards to their respective elements, they fight over them.  A waterborne elemental who has since begun serving the lands of fire has just as much claim over the "Shard of Patience", as I call it, as a water elemental who remained true to his homeland.  All twelve nations have equal claim over all twelve shards, and as these shards tend to form on battle sites by old boundary lines, frequently several lands lay claim to the same shards.  There is great frustration in the fair division of this fascinating find, and the discord is escalating.

And death is smiling.

It is in the cold month of February, huddled around a fire, safe for the moment from angry earth elementals who did not appreciate my study of their Golem (I did not know I could kill it!), that I decide that I must put down my map and chisel, and once again resume my role as historian.  Forces are being rallied once more.  Great general's amass colossal swarms of violent magic, slowly segregating their strength and delegating their might to the most frightening warriors I've seen in all my years.  These shards have true value to them, and I'm afraid they've awoken an old vendetta, and old grudge, an old hatred of one another from times prior.  Their destructive motives are slowly evolving from desire of the shards to sating an old thirst for blood.  It is not safe to travel at night anymore, nor is there safe passage anywhere without identification.  Every nation I pass through doubts my neutrality and spies on me like a traitor.  A few of them are even beginning to openly call for war.

There is no avoiding this bloodbath.  I had options prior, I could have kept this power secret.  In fact, the concept of saving all the shards for myself and attaining inconceivable power, which seemed laughable when I had the option, now appears to be the only way I could have prevented global catastrophe.  I am a historian, and while my expertise lies in the past, it's time I set my eyes squarely on the present in future.  Some day, years in the future, if wars might ever break out again, someone needs to have a written log of what happened here.  Someone needs to understand the self extinction we attempted, starting in February of Zanzarino's 329th year.  The animosity is approaching a breaking point, bloodshed will soon follow.

And death is smiling.

[majofa]

propaganda could be done right after trials... and only by the Master/General of the element... then the winners get to use the bonus cards only during the auction phase

Just a random thought... Also, I don't think that one person should make a banner for multiple teams.

[YoungSot]

propaganda could be done right after trials... and only by the Master/General of the element... then the winners get to use the bonus cards only during the auction phase

Just a random thought... Also, I don't think that one person should make a banner for multiple teams.

I guess it depends why we have Propaganda in the first place. Personally, I think we should move in the opposite direction, making it LESS restricted if possible. Imo Propaganda is about having fun celebrating and showing off your element. I think the rules should be very open and flexible, designed mostly to require a certain amount and quality of material, but imposing few restrictions on it's exact structure. Basically, take the approach we do with speeches, and apply it to all of propaganda. Compliance with unnecessary restrictions sucks some of the fun out of the creative process.

[majofa]

Plus the War speeches now are more comedic than inspired...

[deuce22]

Plus the War speeches now are more comedic than inspired...

I agree. Ban funny speeches!

[Avenger]

Maybe this was already written somewhere.
The current war subforum title is incorrect:  "104 Players. 13 Teams. Which element will rule them all?"

[deuce22]

Maybe this was already written somewhere.
The current war subforum title is incorrect:  "104 Players. 13 Teams. Which element will rule them all?"

The element of surprise!!!

[Zso_Zso]

I would humbly suggest to use a consistent team member numbering between rules and match listing for the round.
As it is now, the rules (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,37505.0.html) and the rosters (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,37689.0.html) have both numbered team members from 2-6 with generals listed as #1, but the 1st round posting (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,39212.new.html#new) lists generals without numbers and team members numbered 1-5. This will likely lead to some confusion about who is to play who in the round.

[Jenkar]

I would humbly suggest to use a consistent team member numbering between rules and match listing for the round.
As it is now, the rules (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,37505.0.html) and the rosters (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,37689.0.html) have both numbered team members from 2-6 with generals listed as #1, but the 1st round posting (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,39212.new.html#new) lists generals without numbers and team members numbered 1-5. This will likely lead to some confusion about who is to play who in the round.

This is unlikely because save for generals, no player vs player matchups are predetermined (ie generals chose who fights whom).

[hainkarga]

Cut down vaults, now a forced card discard.
Woo?