Cantr II Discussion Forum

please leave a comment or two cos im hoping im not the only one that thinks cantr needs a bit more action!

Interesting.
There would, it seems to me, to be a lot of role play between sitting doing nothing or sleeping, and a war?

No... not really.

Properly motivated wars between places can be very fun. I say properly motivated, because it's the politics and the build up and the intrigue that are fun, not necessarily the combat. Also, players need to learn to accept that all wars in cantr do not have to finish in total victory, with one side completely dead. That's part of what keeps people away from wars these days.

War is a tool that, when used in a responsible fashion, can motivate people to log on more frequently, and can create opportunities for RP that cannot exist in its absence. (Until the lunatics lock everyone up and kill them without RP, that is.)

Wars used to supplement roleplay can be fun - but most wars on Cantr, like most wars anywhere, aren't about making fun. They're about getting stuff. And the best way to get stuff is to disregard roleplay, drag everyone into separate rooms and kill them off as quickly as possible.

Oh... I see the logistics of it working, and how those things could exist in Cantr.
There are a number of people who would forego the necessity to log in more though, and I know a number of people who already struggle to find time.

I guess... Cantr maintains a kind of equilibrium with regard to 'play-time', and also believe that should, for instance, all registered players suddenly up their playing time... something like a war would happen spontaneously. There are areas of tension, 'cold' wars in some respects, and these are fine for me, and the amount of vigilance I wish to pay my existing characters.

Still a no. Sorry

A war, eh?
As stated before by someone else, I think the buildup to a physical war would be the most interesting part. Why is the war happening? For what reason are people willing to give up their lives for? Who provoked who? What are they fighting over?

However, I'm not going to agree or disagree with anybody as to whether the war itself would add action to the game because I've never been in one (yet). I wouldn't want to be disappointed if I think it'll be exciting, but I also wouldn't want to be overwhelmed if I decide to think it'll be boring and it turns out more exciting than I'd prepared myself for.

Organized warfare is always fun, so is politics.

To quote Mao Zedong on a few points.
Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun(In this case, crossbows and steel weapons.).

Politics is war without bloodshed, while war is politics with bloodshed.

Both war and politics, as far as I can tell is very lacking in cantr. There is political intrigue to a degree, but it is mostly limited, due to low populations.
All of the areas seem to lack any strong concept of nationalism, or tribalism combined with an "aggressive" drive for empire. They mostly seem to behave as Benevolent Despotisms.... Enlightened Absolutism I think is the proper term.

Cantrians through culture, habit and circumstance, seem to have chosen this noble, do-gooder, authoritarian, and bland form of government. It seems a lot of town leaders have read "The Prince" More likely it`s just a logical outcome of the struggle, to get people to give a shit. And it`s very efficient, if not incredibly boring....

Piracy seems to be the best choice, because it`s easy, and very alluring to be mobile. Not having to go through the longer steps, the steps of manipulatee to manipulator, the dialectic of social progression so prevalent everywhere. Hit and run guerilla tactics seem to be the order of the day. Which puts a big damper on actual warfare. At least, it is kind of interesting. But it essentially does nothing, but hold culture back.

I`m suprised no governments in game, haven`t tried to stop the spread of it... Maybe they have I just haven`t seen it. (forced quarantines and customs anyone? ) I guess it`s better to have your own little slice of the pie, and not have to consider taking it all, or as much as you can.(when I say "your" I mean your tribe or nation.)

I`d really like to see some empires spring up and some bureaucracy just for the engagement factor. I also like an occasional lunatic, just show effort in it.
The silent kill thing is for assasins, not warriors.

Wolfsong, that is the best tactic, which is why we all need to figure out what would be a comfortable formula for the numbers.
I mean if six people are trying to kill you, and all you have is an iron shield and we all got swords, you`re probably going to die. That`s just the nature of life. It`s the same in RL if someone really wants you dead, you`re probably going to die. Most of us just don`t want to pay the consequences.

The actual fighting itself, unless ritualized, is incredibly boring. The actual war itself - boring, frustrating, disheartening. The aftermath can be fun, and the build-up to a war can be fun. But I've yet to be in a war that didn't go something like this:

2 active opposition members drag 10 sleeping other guys into locked buildings, and kill them without saying a single word over the course of x many days. When they do say something, it's usually "lol u mad bro".

Wolfsong wrote:The actual fighting itself, unless ritualized, is incredibly boring. The actual war itself - boring, frustrating, disheartening. The aftermath can be fun, and the build-up to a war can be fun. But I've yet to be in a war that didn't go something like this:

2 active opposition members drag 10 sleeping other guys into locked buildings, and kill them without saying a single word over the course of x many days. When they do say something, it's usually "lol u mad bro".

Exactly. The latter part is especially true and disappointing. Road battles are the most open to RP, but it usually boils down to a bunch of macho comments where everyone involved tries to act as touch as possible through Homeric style war jokes and laughs. Eg. "*he dodges* Ha ha! Better luck tomorrow! How 'bout the weather?! I need to scratch my back, can I borrow your claymore?!"

I guess cold wars are really what becomes the most fun. Or maybe low scale raider conflicts between two very primitive peoples that can't afford iron for locks or steel for weapons.

DylPickle wrote:I guess cold wars are really what becomes the most fun. Or maybe low scale raider conflicts between two very primitive peoples that can't afford iron for locks or steel for weapons.

We need a large, powerful empire with a ritualized system of settling disputes between regions. Like the UN, with teeth --

"Okay. Town A and B have agreed to the terms: wooden weapons, no dragging, no vehicles. Fight to surrender or death. If you surrender, you're your attacker's prisoner and may be ransomed back to your town, if your town decides it wants you back. If not, you may be sold into servitude until you can pay off your ransom. You may not be killed after surrendering, or starved. Town C will have people here sitting in that truck there. They won't be taking part - they'll be refereeing, making sure everyone follows the rules."

That's funny, I actually wrote a paper on the non-lethality of hoplite warfare during disputes within the Greek peninsula before the Peloponnesian Wars. They would essentially pick a flat, open place. Duke it out for a bit with about 50 or so guys to a side until they got tired and one side left with some scratches and bruises. It was more like a dangerous sport, than anything else.

I could see that in cantr, if people found reason for dispute.

Wolfsong wrote:"Okay. Town A and B have agreed to the terms: wooden weapons, no dragging, no vehicles. Fight to surrender or death. If you surrender, you're your attacker's prisoner and may be ransomed back to your town, if your town decides it wants you back. If not, you may be sold into servitude until you can pay off your ransom. You may not be killed after surrendering, or starved. Town C will have people here sitting in that truck there. They won't be taking part - they'll be refereeing, making sure everyone follows the rules."

-runs off to grab several composite recurve bows-

I will if you will.

yeah the whole dragging people off and killing them thing wouldnt exactly be thrilling but a proper series off battles and a good storyline could make for some interesting gaming me thinks. An inter island war now theres an idea!

most wars in polish zone lasted ... 10-15 ingame minutes
in one war about 10-15 people die, resulting in serious damage to our players' population

edit: and that's why i strongly support idea that getting 100% damage shouldn't equal death but disabled state