why isnt there talk of the war here

ajqtrz wrote: As for my motives, apart from hour comments being an ad hominem attack, I'm wondering how you can crawl into my head and perceive what I do not perceive myself.  The problem with such comments is, of course, they don't actually contribute to the discussion at hand.

far from being an ad hominem attack, my comment is at most deduction. you do not respond to my direct questions, you only read enough of an opposing opinion to segue into your next talking point, and in spite of hanging much of your argument on the obligation of "good" to oppose "evil", you seem not to be involved in the very fight you present as ethically obligatory. those are not "crawl into my head" assessments, they are observations about your behaviour here and in the game.

i remind you that *i* am not here classifying players as "good" or "evil", calling play styles "selfish" or drawing dubious rl parallels for emotional effect. imo, those are the things that are not helpful to a discussion.

in any case, all i have to say on the topic is already here for the reading. if you have some issue with me, i am happy to have personal discussions in a personal venue rather than further clutter the thread.

You're implying those alliances have ill will towards you. Han Dynasty has actively been approaching players, and alliances, within the claim to ensure that our neighbors are as happy as can be. I believe you received an offer from Han Dynasty to help supply your alliances's smaller towns in Almenly? 

If we were truly so aggressive, we would have already absorbed the few tiny player alliances, and the unaffiliateds by now. If we were that aggressive we would not have extended an offer to help those around us.  We have not, because we simply just want room to develop without being shouldered into tight corners by Elgean powerblocs. 

Simply, your fear is misplaced. 

"You're implying those alliances have ill will towards you." you said.

From what I've experienced I do believe that almost all the members of all the various land claiming alliances are nice people and would not, now or ever, intimidate, threaten or coerce....oh, wait....sorry.  To tell others that they cannot settle here with permission under threat of removal is, well not a nice thing to do.  To take the right of settlement built into the game and restrict it to some areas based not upon your authority as a developer, but the size of your armies, is not a nice thing to do.  To seize land that you have not settled because someday you will settle it, and threaten anybody who would take that land before you actually settle it, is not a nice thing to do.  We don't have to wait for new players who are not nice, the nice folks in the current crop of claiming alliances are already doing not so nice things.  In fact, when you take land that you have not settled according to the rules of the game, you are robbing others of that space.  And robbery is not a nice thing to do.

Yes, you are all nice people.  Yes you want to think you aren't doing anything but nice things.  But you are doing things to the whole of Illy that a large part of Illy does not want done.  That is not nice.  You are intimidating, threatening and will, if you feel like it, coerce when necesary.  Those are not nice things to do.

The first step to doing right is to understand what you are doing wrong.  You can dip a pickle in a canister of sugar and coat it nicely, but when you taste it, it's still sour.

Finally, you conclude:"Simply, your fear is misplaced."  Of what do you think I'm afraid?  You think I'm afraid that some alliance will do the negative things you have described or not do the good things?   Bad things often come in incremental steps.  Today you  nicely claim land and nicely let everybody know how nice you are since you could be all mean and nasty, but what about tomorrow?  Having given up the right to say "no land claims" can you guarantee that the next alliance claiming land is going to be all nice and sugar coated like you and the current crop?  You have to think of precedent.  Once a precedent is established in a community it is much, much harder to change it than stopping it before it gets going.   That's why we can't wait and unless you can guarantee the future, you too should be scared.

AJ