Re: OTD -- an introduction to FREGA and Kolob

From: David Edelstein <AmadanSJG@compuserve.com.NOSPAM>

Date: Sat, 10 Jan 1998 00:00:00 +0000

>>>Why would anyone want to join the Yenro?  That's a hard question.  I personally think the Yenro would be the worst choice for a new player, and not just because we are at war with them.  Their sect is run almost exclusively by players who have been in the game for years and years, they don't communicate much, they don't care for new players,<<<

That is absolutely false. Laughable, in fact. The Yenro have always been
one of the _most_ communicative sects. Granted, most of us are not as
active as we once were, but to say we "don't care for new players" is a
blatant lie. The Yenro was the first sect to make a practice of sending
mus for free to new arrivals, just so they would not be pressured by
financial circumstances to make decisions about what sect to join. The
Yenro was the first sect to send out very informative newbie information
packets to help all new arrivals get started on Kolob.

>>>they are really unimaginative in their strategy (they have been playing essentially the same strategy for years and years, forcing the game into a two-sided configuration).<<<

Who are you to judge the "imaginativeness" of our strategy? You know
neither the reasons for it nor our ultimate goals. First of all, if a
strategy is successful, of course we'll use it for years and years. What
should we do, abandon a winning formula because our enemies think it's
"unimaginative"? Secondly, the "two-sided configuration" was NOT forced
by us. There is an awful lot of Kolobian history of which you seem to be
rather ignorant.

>>>I guess, on the good side, if you want to win, to the extent an open-ended game could be won, they would be a good side to be on.  They have powerful armies, and, due to historical emphasis on trade and all the real world money they spend on camps, have a lot of money in the game.<<<

Ah yes, the old refrain "The Yenro are a sect of rich powergamers!" I
don't think there is any more real-world money invested in the Yenro
than in the White Guard or the FREGA or the Black Guard. And as for our
Kolobian riches, that comes from years of successful game play -- using
those "unimaginative strategies" you're complaining about.

>>>A lot of new players join the Yenro, and then drop out because they think the game is terrible, and they get ignored.<<<

New players have a high drop-out rate no matter what sect they join.
What is your source of information for claiming we ignore new players?

>>>If you DO join the Yenro, and after about 6 turns start to think the game sucks, DON'T drop out!!  Write Werner and ask to be in a
different sect --- the game is great!  It's just the Yenro suck!!<<<

This is the statement you denied making in your e-mail to me. And as
someone who supposedly has familiarity with OTD, you should know that 6
turns is not long enough to judge either the game nor any sect. I
believe the GM says that you need at least 10-15 turns before you really
start getting a handle on what's going on. Personally, I played for over
a year before I felt that my character was really beginning to make some
progress, and it was over 2 years before Morgan started making a name
for herself. OTD is a game that requires patience -- it's not long on
quick and immediate gratification. Telling people they should change
sects because they suck if you're bored after 6 turns (!) does a
disservice to everyone -- the new players, their sect, and the game.

-David

References

OTD -- an introduction to FREGA and Kolob
"Thomas M Worthington" <WORTHINGTON1@prodigy.net>
Thu, 08 Jan 1998 00:00:00 +0000