Somerset Joins The Empire!

Eva Tiramisu has been crowned Queen, founding the new Kingdom of Somerset. According to the Queen, Somerset is noted for:

Agriculture continues to be a major business in the Kingdom. Apple orchards were once plentiful, and to this day Somerset is linked to the production of strong cider. Population is higher than average. Unemployment is lower than average.

Thus the 6th Kingdom in Tiny Empires has joined us, and may all congratulate her accomplishment and wish Queen Eva and her subjects a long and glorious history. You might have noted Eva (derivation Eve) and the apple connection :)

The Kingdom of Avalon is Here!

Queen Shawna Montgomery has been crowned, founding the Kingdom of Avalon, and becoming the fifth Kingdom in Tiny Empires. Congratulations to the Queen all subjects of Avalon!

According to Geoffrey and much subsequent literature, Avalon is the place where King Arthur was taken after fighting Mordred at the Battle of Camlann. Welsh and Breton tradition claimed that Arthur had never really died, but would return to lead his people against their enemies, but some later writers were less credulous, and said that Arthur had in fact died there. Geoffrey dealt with Avalon again in his Vita Merlini, in which he describes the character Morgan le Fay as the chief of nine sisters who live on Avalon. Morgan remained associated with the island in later literature, as does Arthur's mentor, the Lady of the Lake.

By the 12th century Avalon became associated with Glastonbury Tor, when monks at Glastonbury Abbey claimed to have discovered the bones of Arthur and his queen. Though no longer an island at the time, the high round bulk of Glastonbury Tor had been surrounded by marsh before the surrounding fenland in the Somerset Levels was drained. According to later chroniclers, notably Giraldus Cambrensis, during King Henry II's reign the abbot of Glastonbury, Henry of Blois, commissioned a search of the Tor. At a depth of 5 m (16 feet) the monks discovered a massive oak coffin and an iron cross bearing the description: Hic jacet sepultus inclitus rex Arthurus in insula Avalonia. ("Here lies King Arthur in the island of Avalon"). In 1278 remains were reburied with great ceremony, attended by King Edward I and his queen, before the High Altar at Glastonbury Abbey, where they were the focus of pilgrimages until the Reformation. However, historians generally dismiss the authenticity of the find, attributing it to a publicity stunt performed to raise funds to repair the Abbey, which was mostly burned down in 1184.

Celestial Queendom Springs from Wessex!

Hurrah!! Queen Celesta Messmer founded the first Kingdom to come from within an existing Kingdom, with her coronation, and achieved another distinction by becoming the first monarch to be crowned under the new Federation HUD!

Queen Celesta's new Kingdom becomes just the fourth to be established in Tiny Empires, a big achievement. Those that know her are aware that her accomplishment was reached in a fashion that speaks to her honor, loyalty, and friendship.

This calls for a major party! (details to follow :)) In the meantime, blow the trumpets, beat the drums, All Hail Queen Celesta Messmer of the Celestial Queendom!

Tax Update

The changes with the Federation HUD have thrown some wrinkles into the ability to have consistent taxes, however, Wessex is trying to keep it level as much as possible. The new challenges have made things interesting, and we are keeping Wessex taxes overall lower than previously, with a 10% tax rate most of the time. Hope this helps those on the learning curve and adjustments being made by the Emperor with Federation, as well as to all in the Kingdom with base HUD :)

A New Add-On - Tiny Empires - Federation

A new optional Hud just went on sale for Tiny Empires! It works together with the base HUD seamlessly, so it is not required to play TE. It adds new game features, primarily for those seeking the quest to become a King or Queen. It is the only route to reach that level now, so if that is your goal grab this HUD from the store. It will make that journey more fun i think, and enhances the quest. All future development will take place in Federation in terms of added game features.

The "basic HUD" will continue to be supported as far as bug fixes. The cost for Federations is $399 Lindens to help offset all the coding time that Ultralite Soleil (AKA the Emperor) had to put in on creating this. Only owners of the basic HUD full version can buy Federation from the vendor.

One other note: ONCE YOU USE FEDERATION. YOU CANNOT GO BACK TO THE BASIC HUD

So what's new - try being able to form alliances, manage populations, and other surprises, some soon to be added.

Here's some official information:

----==== Welcome to Tiny Empires: Federation ====----

This game guide assumes you already know how to play Tiny Empires. For the original Tiny Empires game guide, click this: 􀀀

Tiny Empires: Federation is an add-on to Tiny Empires. The TE: Federation hud replaces your old Tiny Empires hud, but you will still play in the same empire as everyone else. You can still interact with players who do not have the add-on, but they will not have any of the new features available to them.

What features, you ask?

To begin with, all nobles of rank Count/Countess or higher are responsible for a population of citizens. The size of this population is based on the actual number and rank of players in your downline. Proper care and feeding of your population will improve your reputation and possibly your income as well. Apathy or cruelty will lead to the opposite effect. Details of what this means will be left to your investigations...

Secondly, you will be able to form alliances with other players. This ability also comes with the rank Count/Countess or above. To form an alliance, just stand near your desired ally. You both must be Count or higher, and you both must own Tiny Empires: Federation. And of course, you cannot form an alliance with your current liege or any of your subjects. Allies will be able to help you by sending citizens your way if your population gets too low. Also you may send small ambassadorial gifts. More diplomatic options will be added as time goes by.

Most importantly, the path to monarchy for princes and princesses has been completely overhauled. If you ever had the ambition to become king or queen of your own land, Tiny Empires: Federation provides the only method to do so.

The 3rd Kingdom - Lothlorien

Queen Bootski Broome founded Lothlorien as the newest kingdom in Tiny Empires, join us all in congratulating her and the citizens of the 3rd Kingdom. As all Tolkien fans know, Lothlorien is an Elven name:

Like those of Northern Mirkwood, the people of Lothlórien were mostly Silvan Elves of Nandorin descent, who were originally of all the Eldar those who most closely resembled the lost Avari of the east. As such, their earlier settlements lay scattered throughout the wide forests on both sides of the upper Anduin, having originally lingered there upon refusing the crossing of the Hithaeglir in very ancient times. The Elvish name for Lothlórien was Laurelindórenan but it was made shorter perhaps because the forest was fading and not growing. Meanwhile, the origin of the name 'Lórien' is derived from 'Lothlórien', which makes it a further derivation of 'Laurelindórenan'.

May the new Kingdom be as distinguished and fabled as that of it's namesake.



"… but this is more elvish than anything I ever heard tell of. I feel as if I was inside a song, if you take my meaning."
– The Lord of the Rings, Lothlórien

Monarch's Cut Taxes - Players Win

If you have not been keeping track, there are currently two kingdoms in Tiny Empires, Wessex and Camelot (A third may be coming soon). Wessex when founded set it's tax rate to 25% of that paid by those not under a King or Queen, while Camelot set it's taxes at 30%.

Wessex then decided it could reduce taxes even more to allow it's subjects better growth, cutting down to 20%. Camelot announced a one time tax free weekend to counter, at least for 2 days, their higher taxes the rest of the time. If you don't understand how all this works here is a short explanation:

The Emperor demands 25% of the profits in a kingdom for the year from a King or Queen. The monarch can choose to take more gold than that from it's subject's, such the 30% rate where 25% of that pays the emperor, and the extra 5% goes into the monarch's pockets. If the monarch charges all subjects 25%, that is basically a break even point, gold is collected and passed on to the Emperor. At 20%, there is a 5% shortfall in collections, so the monarch must pay that amount out of their own pocket. This is subsidizing the subjects so that they keep more gold to buy land, make offers to get subjects, buy improvements on land, and pay the mysterious trader more easily.

Whats all this mean? That citizen's win of course, as they reap the benefits. They get to go under the best tax environments as they see it, and grow faster toward the day they establish their own kingdom. Others will choose to stay within a tax reduced kingdom rather than create a new kingdom, because it suits their Tiny Empires priorities. Some will choose to stay in a full tax rate lineage out of other motivations, so as it should be, the choices in your Tiny Empires adventure are many. As always, play the game as you would have it, and keep your sights on having fun, whichever way you choose.