DeletedUser46395
Guest
I've set this as a PnP thread even though there's no actual politics or propaganda planned in this post, merely some postulations - I suspect we'll see plenty in any replies, though, and many people might consider it to be so in the first place...
I believe that with the exception of the Check Mate situation, O44 has seen everything that's interesting in this world. We've seen more than a few top 12 alliances come and go here and some fierce fighting - Guardians of Hades, for example, are still at 18 in the DBP charts despite not existing for a month or more; Grim Reapers were a force for a while. Fire breathing Kittens were a force in the north, Friggin Spiders (and their predecessors) in the south. It's been the primary battleground for the world, and if you were to take a snapshot as at now, you would say it's a war BD have clearly won, thanks to a combination of aggressive fighting and merger with FBK. They have 377 cities here, the next closest, and the only other one over 100, is Knights at 117. Black Legion have 73 as the only other sizeable number, the rest are either barely in double figures or worse. So on the face of it, things look rather good for BD.
But take a look at the map: http://grepointel.com/map.php?server=en75&ref=mnecgk246z2uigicy5nvjilrom3n5meebewl1n
And the issues start to become a lot clearer. Where is BD's expansion room? Through one of the other alliances. They've tried beating Black Legion, but perhaps against all the odds, failed to date. And if they were to, they would run straight into Wargasm, which would be interesting for sure - we might find out what Wargasm are made of. An assault on Knghts might be interesting, but it's hard to see a major result there as they would have a long way to go. South, there's Lost Souls - unlikely in the extreme as things stand. Which leaves North - and Honour - as the most obvious route, especially for the former FBKs.
Now what do we know about BD? Highly aggressive, excellent fighters, but uncomfortable (although fairly effective) in defence, and not at all the sort of alliance anyone would trust as a result - not that they're particularly dishonest people, merely that they're too aggressively-minded to be happy in a pact. That makes them a threat to anyone around them, and also a worthy opponent. What are BD's realistic options? Militarily, fight for control of O44, but what then? Head north is the only real military solution. Diplomatically, pacts are out of the question, nobody would trust them. Which leaves mergers. And here, one candidate stands out in terms of numbers, geography and playing style - Friggin Seagulls. They would reinforce the core of "old" BD, and allow a platform for a move on Lost Souls. Of course that doesn't do a lot for the FBK element, and the northern route does little for "old" BD, so most likely it would be both - the two elements of BD being further apart than ever geographically, thanks to the efforts of BL and Knights using the tried and tested wedge-driving procedure. Practically, that might not matter much, but it's perhaps symbolically and psychologically important.
So that's how I see BD's options; but the other alliances won't just stand by and watch. I still think concerted action by all (or even most) of the neigbouring alliances would prove too much for BD, and remove a threat to all - after which, the remaining alliances could fight each other in peace.
Please point out the flaws in my logic, give counter-arguments or different analyses. Or feel free to ignore it completely.
I believe that with the exception of the Check Mate situation, O44 has seen everything that's interesting in this world. We've seen more than a few top 12 alliances come and go here and some fierce fighting - Guardians of Hades, for example, are still at 18 in the DBP charts despite not existing for a month or more; Grim Reapers were a force for a while. Fire breathing Kittens were a force in the north, Friggin Spiders (and their predecessors) in the south. It's been the primary battleground for the world, and if you were to take a snapshot as at now, you would say it's a war BD have clearly won, thanks to a combination of aggressive fighting and merger with FBK. They have 377 cities here, the next closest, and the only other one over 100, is Knights at 117. Black Legion have 73 as the only other sizeable number, the rest are either barely in double figures or worse. So on the face of it, things look rather good for BD.
But take a look at the map: http://grepointel.com/map.php?server=en75&ref=mnecgk246z2uigicy5nvjilrom3n5meebewl1n
And the issues start to become a lot clearer. Where is BD's expansion room? Through one of the other alliances. They've tried beating Black Legion, but perhaps against all the odds, failed to date. And if they were to, they would run straight into Wargasm, which would be interesting for sure - we might find out what Wargasm are made of. An assault on Knghts might be interesting, but it's hard to see a major result there as they would have a long way to go. South, there's Lost Souls - unlikely in the extreme as things stand. Which leaves North - and Honour - as the most obvious route, especially for the former FBKs.
Now what do we know about BD? Highly aggressive, excellent fighters, but uncomfortable (although fairly effective) in defence, and not at all the sort of alliance anyone would trust as a result - not that they're particularly dishonest people, merely that they're too aggressively-minded to be happy in a pact. That makes them a threat to anyone around them, and also a worthy opponent. What are BD's realistic options? Militarily, fight for control of O44, but what then? Head north is the only real military solution. Diplomatically, pacts are out of the question, nobody would trust them. Which leaves mergers. And here, one candidate stands out in terms of numbers, geography and playing style - Friggin Seagulls. They would reinforce the core of "old" BD, and allow a platform for a move on Lost Souls. Of course that doesn't do a lot for the FBK element, and the northern route does little for "old" BD, so most likely it would be both - the two elements of BD being further apart than ever geographically, thanks to the efforts of BL and Knights using the tried and tested wedge-driving procedure. Practically, that might not matter much, but it's perhaps symbolically and psychologically important.
So that's how I see BD's options; but the other alliances won't just stand by and watch. I still think concerted action by all (or even most) of the neigbouring alliances would prove too much for BD, and remove a threat to all - after which, the remaining alliances could fight each other in peace.
Please point out the flaws in my logic, give counter-arguments or different analyses. Or feel free to ignore it completely.
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