Taking Bribes

Hello, new peasant in the mighty Terra Aurean Empire. You have just been offered fifty gold if you will join Dame Lady Steele and accept her as your liege. Accept?

How many times has that come across your HUD... (or how many times have you caused it to appear on the HUD of others?)

One of the first things a new player starts receiving is offers of gold to come join someone else. It's probably the most common automated event in the game. So...

why should you accept that bribe?

Curiosity/Ignorance

Particularly for new players who don't have a full understanding of what is happening, this is often the case. Say yes and see what happens. Well, what does happen? Your kingdom may change. Your liege's name certainly changes. And that's all of the differences that you see on your hud. However, your lieges- past and (new) present- see your acreage either appearing or disappearing from their total holdings... and will be either happier or sadder (depending on which side of the change they're on) because of it. Rank is often gained or lost because you, dear player, hit yes on a bribe offer. As a new player, it may not mean much- particularly if you're not sure or don't care which kingdom you're in, or don't know any of your current lieges.

Accident

It happens. Lag, a misread line, "I thought I clicked no!" and other things. A lot of people decide- or are told- to not even click no on bribe offers, just in case a no click gets treated as a yes. Often the cause of a lot of excitement and drama.

Money

You've been offered gold to change, and it's often enough to buy a few acres of land. Why not augment your income and switch? (More answers to that later...)

Join Friends

You know the person sending you the bribe, and want to join them. The money is nice, but the chance to play with friends is even better. Sometimes, you may not have known them before, but they IM you and it sounds like a nice place to be, with people who are really interested in you.

Leaving a bad situation

You don't like your current liege, or you feel forgotten. Perhaps other drama has taken place that makes you feel uncomfortable or unhappy where you're at. It's even possible that you've been told to "take the next bribe out". Hitting 'yes' on that bribe offer may be a relief, and a chance at a new career.

Spying/Sightseeing

You know a fair amount, but want to see how it is done in other kingdoms. Perhaps you're an alt of a more experienced player who wants to keep his or her finger in other pies. This is a good opportunity to get into the inside of another kingdom, and perhaps gain access you wouldn't have otherwise.

Boredom

Same old, same old. The kingdom doesn't change, the liege doesn't change, and nothing is happening. Perhaps you even quit playing for a while because it didn't seem worth your time. Then you see an interesting new name pop up on the hud, offering gold. Why not? It's at least something new...

And why wouldn't you want to do it? What are the downsides to taking that bribe?

Burnt Bridges

Leaving someone behind can reduce their rank, certainly reduces their holdings, and if they're active at all (or if their lieges are active) is likely to cause hard feelings. The polls say that most people will take someone back if they're "genuinely sorry"... but those polls can't be fully trusted.

Lack of subjects

People tend to drift away from someone who switches a lot. They liked it back in the kingdom you left- maybe they were friends there, or people who first joined in that kingdom, and aren't interested in changing. Or perhaps your now former lieges/friends approached them and asked them to come back, since you had left them. If a rolling stone gathers no moss, it's also true that a wandering TE players tends to gather no subjects. This may not be a huge factor for beginning players, but is more likely to be a problem later. You could end up as a Marquis or Duke with no one under you and no immediate prospects of anyone.

Distrust

You decide to join a new kingdom that sounds inviting, and once you get there, you find that your new liege and his or her friends don't fully accept you. They know that people who come usually go just as quickly, and even after perhaps paying millions in gold to get you, they still put you "on trial" and don't really accept you, or treat you as "one of them". I once had someone tell me of an alt that they had used to explore other kingdoms with, using bribes. He said that out of about a dozen lieges, only two had even bothered to speak to him. It's a self-reinforcing cycle that often occurs- you're more likely to leave because no one trusts you, and no one is likely to trust you because you're more likely to leave.

So, there you have it from the viewpoint of someone being offered a bribe. Any other reasons to add, anyone?

Sabotage

Sooner or later (usually sooner) every Tiny Empires player will get a message that reads something like this:

The opportunity comes to sabotage an enemy of your choice. Use small arrows below. Will you pay a rogue 4,000,000 g to damage a few acres belonging to [Cereal Killer Miles Baran]?

The name in brackets changes-- you get a choice of five different people. The actual amount to pay varies, depending on land holdings. Usually it is between two to four times the price of an acre, though people with large amounts of personal acreage report lower prices, suggesting there are other factors at play. Whatever it is, though, it's a significant sum of money.

Why do it?

First, let's review what it is. For this huge sum of money, the target that you select from the dropdown list will be sabotaged and will lose a few acres of land. (Usually one to five.) Originally, that was all that there was to it, though the scenario is more complicated now (complications to be discussed later.) But how does this help you? Back to our original question... why? It seems so much easier to find good reasons not to do it... and the general consensus that I normally hear is "sabotage is stupid." So, unless someone is "stupid"... why is it done? It happens all the time. Here are some possible answers:

Accident

It happens. You think you're sending out a bribe, and instead it was a sabotage offer. I know of a friend who did that. She was sooo embarrassed- she IM'ed the person, apologized, and offered to donate the land back to them if they wanted. It was reported that the person in question was quite surprised by the offer.

Competition

According to this mindset, the goal is to be number one, regardless of what it takes. So if you have three more acres, or if someone else has three less, the outcome is the same: you win. This reasoning tends to fall apart when you consider that there are thousands of players. The money you spent on sabotage, if spent on buying land, would give you a lot more land in comparison to everyone else. Sabotaging one person may 'hold them back', but that's just one person- thousands of others are still gaining on you, unaffected by your sabotage. To someone with a very competitive nature, though, this reasoning may not be obvious, and may also pale in comparison to the emotional satisfaction of "beating them" that they get from sabotage.

Inter-kingdom rivalry

Back in the early days of Tiny Empires (meaning about a year ago, now), Lothlorien was the largest kingdom in the Empire. Avalon, however, was growing, and was looking to pass them. For a while, several Lothloriens openly, publicly, made Avalon a target of sabotage. For the record, the effort failed. Avalon became the largest kingdom, and remained that way for some time. However, it illustrates the larger principle: kingdoms may seek alliances or rivalries among one another. These alliances/rivalries are usually expressed by the monarchs in terms of whether or not players from the other kingdom should be sabotaged, among other things.

Personal animosity

Once I sent an IM to a friend, sympathizing with her on a sabotage that had just been done on her lands. She replied, laughing. She said she knew the woman who had done it in real life. What she said about that woman's lack of a life (first and second) doesn't bear repeating, but suffice it to say, my friend attributed it solely to personal envy and spite on the other woman's part, and in general had a low opinion of her. In all of the drama that takes place within and without the empire, it's not surprising when the randomly generated list contains someone you genuinely dislike and don't mind spending the money to hurt them. The reasons for the dislike are, of course, as numerous as the people involved.

Boredom

For some people, simply 'buying land' just doesn't keep them interested. They want more buttons to push, more things to do, more 'fun'. Sometimes, their idea of 'fun' involves sabotaging others. It's more variety, and an enjoyable sidelight to the game. When confronted or condemned for their actions, these people treat those who object with scorn and ridicule, characterizing the objectors as "whiners" or "babies", etc... and justifying it by pointing out that the Emperor obviously intended for people to do it, or he wouldn't have put it into the game. The general advice they give is "grow up," though it may not be phrased that politely or cleanly.

If anyone else can think of any more reasons, feel free to add them. I think that covers about every situation I can think of. Now, in the interests of personal disclosure, let me take the time to answer two questions:

Have you ever been sabotaged?
Yes. In the more than a year that I've been playing, I have been sabotaged exactly once. (Now that I've publicly stated that, watch it happen again in the next week...) I lost four acres of land, and there was no clue as to who did it. My friends among the monarchs informed me that meant that whoever did it was a direct subject of the emperor- that those people got cheaper sabotage and that it was always anonymous.I suppose I should feel flattered that someone- likely a King or Queen (not all direct subjects were monarchs then) should take the time and money to single me out. But, it was long ago, and I'm sure long forgotten by whoever did it.

Have you ever sabotaged anyone?
No. Once I was seriously tempted, but I remembered a lesson that I've learned the hard way: the rotten, mean, nasty people that probably deserve it are also going to be a lot more mean and nasty to you, and will make you more miserable, than anything you ever do will them. (What I learned about the potential target later, his actions and career, only confirmed my earlier decision.)

Now, on to more details-- the complications of sabotage. (Note that this is purely technical, the personal drama I leave for the reader to decide.)

In the beginning, if you paid the money, you got results. The only thing that mitigated the damage was if the target had a castle built on their land (this is the million gold piece castle that you finish upgrading your housing to, if I recall correctly.) But then things became more complicated. A would-be saboteur now has two more things to consider:

1. If the target has allies who are online, they can 'fund an investigation' and bring the perpetrator to justice. If this happens, the person who paid for the sabotage pays for the lost land out of their personal holdings. Net result? A lot of money spent for sabotage, some money spent by allies, and the lost land is suffered by the person who spent all of the money on sabotage. Not necessarily a pleasant outcome, though I've been told at least once that "it was worth it." (see the 'personal animosity' section above as to why)

2. If the target has researched crime and is immune to it, they (and their direct subjects) will not suffer any loss from sabotage. This isn't something that is enforced by simply not having their name appear on the list of targets, nor is it something that the player hiring the rogue is warned about. You pay your money, the rogue tries, and fails. Net result? Money spent for sabotage with no damage done. So far, I haven't heard of a failed sabotage also resulting in the would-be saboteur's identity becoming known.

...and that pretty much sums up the sabotage scene. As to the question of is it worth it, I leave that to the reader to decide. People being people, the answer probably depends on whose name comes up in that list of targets...

Life in other Kingdoms

As I've written for the blog, I think the best thing that's happened to me is that I've had a chance to meet and learn about the other kingdoms in the Aurean Empire. Before, I may have known how the game is played, and I certainly knew my own kingdom (why shouldn't I, they're my friends)... but other kingdoms were largely a mystery. But as I've had a chance to talk with some of the monarchs and others, I've had a taste of what is out there. Now I wonder what it would take to help bring that to others.

This past weekend, a friend showed me his stargate. Most of you have probably seen the movie(s) and/or series based on the concept of the Stargate: a huge ring of stone, about 25 to 30 feet across, which can be used to open a wormhole to another stargate many light-years away. The concept has been adapted for Second Life. For those of you who haven't seen it, you may want to find it... there are several hundred "stargates" within Second Life, all connected in a network that lets people travel instantly (via teleport) from one to another, either randomly or to a selected location ( once they learn the commands. ) My friend tells me that his stargate has dozens of people coming through it every weekend-- explorers traveling the network at random.

Many kingdoms within the Aurean Empire have "headquarters". They are often full sims, devoted to a particular kingdom. As my mind wonders about how to bring about greater communication between them, I see a vision of some sort of gate... perhaps not the form of a stargate, but something similar... that lets a traveler go from one kingdom to another within Second Life, and have a chance to see for him or herself what each one is like.. and what they have built for themselves and for any visitors.

On a much more modest scale, the TE wiki already lists a few websites for the various kingdoms within the empire... perhaps simply having people add their own kingdom's link there would provide a good starting point for explorations... if not in the world of Second Life, then at least on the web.

Or, if it were made part of the Tiny Empires system itself, a monarch could have the ability to specify a website url and slurl for their kingdom... information which would be available to all players within that kingdom via the 'regular' hud, and to players of other kingdoms through, say, the TE Companion.

In the end, of course, kingdoms are people. People create places. People make websites. But if you want to know what those places and websites really represent, talk with the people themselves. I know I've talked to a few, and the little bit I've done has only given me a small idea of the many tales that can be told of events within the Terra Aurean Empire! Perhaps others will be willing to share their stories... if not in a public forum, then among each other.

And, though I don't know about you, I personally find that a fascinating idea, indeed.

Thanks!

As the Halloween Jack-O-Lanterns are turned into Pumpkin Pies for Thanksgiving, I felt it appropriate for me to thank those who I have met and who have meant so much to me in Tiny Empires.

If anyone else feels like doing the same thing, by all means do so in the comments below... or if you send me a notecard in-world, I'd be happy to post it here in its own post for you.

(Also, please excuse any typographical or grammar errors, and if this seems a bit clumsy as well. I'm just writing this into the blog without the usual review. Perhaps less professional, but hopefully sincere!)

I suppose, in order of occurrence...

Ellie Bearcat for giving me the original HUD. Who knew it would turn out like this...

Erzsabet Bergbahn and Happe Hax for inspiring me to actually use the HUD and join under them.

Balto Allen, Burtrum Forester, Gloriana Maertens for being among my first subjects. It means a lot to have friends who want to be with you and help you, and they did.

Reinhardt Stenvaag for helping me become a Princess (you never forget that time... except for me, I was asleep when it happened...) and for being the key to help create Caledon later.

Becky Book for joining the two parts of Caledon into one kingdom, and helping us achieve our dream.

Deva Babii for her help in creating Caledon, and providing a goal for us during our last holiday season!

Juls Rosca for joining us when we needed the boost... and I mean in morale, not just land. It's been a gift to have your enthusiasm and energy by my side!

And of course so many more that I've met and enjoyed. I look through the page and find so many friends and people I've had the good fortune of learning to know. Miria, Dub, Caisha, Dagda, LadyArtista, Kandace, Mordecai, Bridget, Francesca, Loracenaj, Giga, Christofer, Josefina, Gorilla, Tigerchub, Calixus, Crias, Nanlee, Aldebaran, Prabal, Lavendar, Patty, Kiralette, Bullpup, Elixia, Viderian, Mariana, David, Brian, Aries, Bellafia, Brooke, Clairvaux, Manannan, Nanami, Swiftly, LadyStargazer, Kwerbleburb... all of you have been there with me in this enterprise at some point. And, of course, there are others- how could I forget Nerk, Muse, Art, Sunny, Marsha, and Mike?

Each and every one of you have been a joy to work with, fun to be around, and in general good company and loved friends. My main regret is that there are so many others that I see in the lines whom I haven't met personally. Perhaps that can be remedied soon!

Your disaster and you

Those of us who have the Federation HUD soon become aware of disasters... lower ranking players starting out with it may see citizens coming in as a benefit from other people's "bad handling" of disasters, but for most of us, disasters mean paying out money to avoid losing citizens... and also to gain them.

Not too long ago, a new option appeared.... the 'Research' option. It was very expensive, and as usual, no one had any idea what it did... if anything. But it had to be tried, so people began spending gold on it. Lots of gold. Lots of times... with seemingly little or nothing in the way of results.

Eventually, results began to show. The effects have become known, quantified, and have been published for all to see on the TE wiki.

There are three disasters, and each one will give you a certain benefit after paying for research no less than twenty times! The benefits are:

Famine:

+3 gold per acre

Disease:

The abbot charges you less and promises to forward your benefits to your subjects

Crime:

You and your direct subjects are immune from sabotage while you are online

You have to choose only one of these to research, however! You can not research more than one without losing any work previously done on another disaster... even if your previous disaster was completely researched. (The good news is that if you do lose a completely researched disaster this way, it only takes once of researching it again to regain your rewards.)

Now, that said, you have a choice to make... which type of disaster is right for you? To help you make your decision, here is a brief, unscientific personality analysis based on your choice:

CRIME:

No one messes with you! You're very prominent, and often the target of barbs, but what do you care? It's the price of fame. A no-nonsense person, likely a monarch, who does not intend to let anyone get away with anything... particularly something like sabotage. Your personality is often described as firm, and people tend to either respect you or hate the position you've earned through your hard work. Reward the first, punish the latter, and things will go well!

FAMINE:

You toil away in obscurity, with few or no subjects. You work extra long and extra hard to get that next acre. With lots of acres, you have to pay more for the land, which means you put in more time... but so what? You're patient, and above all, you're persistent. Friends are somewhat in awe of your iron will, and your lieges appreciate your rock-ribbed loyalty.

DISEASE:

You have lots of subjects, very likely all ten of your slots are full and you've begun helping those beneath you. You're generous almost to a fault, giving to those underneath you. Not self-seeking, you seek the benefit of others and don't mind what your personal statistics are. It's for the group, and the love you give to the group is returned to you. Friends describe you as kind and giving, and enemies are few and far between.

So, ladies and gentlemen, pick whichever one best describes you, and I'll see you on the far side of the disaster!

Huskey Garzo Interview

Last weekend, I had the chance to interview Huskey Garzo, the newest King in the Empire, shortly after he had ascended. Here is what happened...

Vulpine Eldrich: So, now that the Ascension party is over, and you get a chance to relax and enjoy feeling like the latest King of the Empire... how does it feel?

Huskey Garzo: Well, I'm a little tired out. Me and a few of my line have been working very hard to get the sim ready for the party as we have not had it long, but my main thing was getting the asension offer on time. I'm just happy it all went well.

Vulpine Eldrich: So you scheduled the ascension offer at a specific time? How do you do that?

Huskey Garzo: Well, I got the Throne room on Thursday morning. So, getting about one path offer per day, I thought Saturday would be a good time. Gives us some time to plan everything as we had a live music event, not just a DJ. And well, I'm in the UK, so my time is well off from SLT. So for most, I thought 12 noon would be a good time and well, at 12:09PM I actually had ascended.

Vulpine Eldrich: So it was part planning, and part luck, that you got the ascension offer nine minutes after the party started?

Huskey Garzo: Well everyone told me you get the offer every few turns. But as Ultra does, he changes a lot of things. Like the rate they come-- I was online for 12 odd hours a day doing the path, and still only doing 1 step per day, if that. And it wasn't until about 3 hours before the event I got the first offer. I just hoped he hadn't changed it again-- that it won't show up every 6 turns, but few hours. So a bit of Luck, yes, you could say.

Vulpine Eldrich: Things change a lot, don't they. One of the more recent things has been researching disasters. Have you done any of that?

Huskey Garzo: Yes. Well me personally, I did crime. That was for my direct subjects more than anything. As I was very close to my personal acres cap, I thought it best to do crime. Later I found out it is only when I’m online, but I still think it was the best one for me. The Abbot, I can still do, and I wouldn’t need the gold.

Vulpine Eldrich: If you spend a lot of time online, that's less of a problem. So you have a lot of direct subjects?

Huskey Garzo: No at the moment I only have 5, two of which are inactive. But I think it helps to maybe sway a new subject a little more to be very active along with the immune to sabo thing. Now as King, I hope to gain a few more directs some time soon.

Vulpine Eldrich: I can see how sabotage immunity might be an inducement to join someone, as well as being a monarch. So how does this fit into your overall plans for the kingdom?

Huskey Garzo: Well really I'm not overly bothered if I don't get to #1 or in the top ten because, me personally, I have done the game. I'm a king, thanks to an amazing line and kingdom I was in, I have the acre cap, working towards the gold cap. So now for me, it will be to get my line to where they want to be. I know of a few who wish to ascend some time. Although growing and getting into the top 10 and maybe some day to #1 would be a great thing to do. But really, just enjoy Te and have fun.

Vulpine Eldrich: So what made you decide to ascend?

Huskey Garzo: Well, for a long, long time I was with one person-- a very good friend of mine. As everyone knows, I never looked to ascend. I had 70K acres and was very happy. But things happen, and due to things that did happen, I lost a lot of subjects and ended up moving lines. I was still unsure if I wanted to ascend. My gold built up, my personal land build up, and then a lot of my line started IM'ing me, asking if I ever would ascend. They thought I would be a good king. So I had the path put back on, and slowly worked my way to it, with the blessing of my then Liege/King Angel Cordoso.

Vulpine Eldrich: That would be the Kingdom of Amber, then. So do you know of any others who were in a similar situation, and who may ascend in the near future?

Huskey Garzo: Well for me, I lost a lot of good friends and a lot of acres-- more than 3/4 of my line-- so really, I had to start new. But one good thing-- because I grew so fast, people knew what I was like. I know of a few who want to ascend, but none in the same fashion-- coming back from losing a lot.

Vulpine Eldrich: Sometimes there's a price to be paid on the path to success. So now that you're here, you have a new kingdom to name and define. What's the name and definition of King Huskey Garzo's kingdom?

Huskey Garzo: The name of my-- well our-- new kingdom is Elysium. It means a few things, depending on how you look at it, but the one that caught my eye was: "Elysium was a pagan expression that passed into the usage of the Christian patristic writers as a synonym for paradise." This is because I would like to have a peaceful, no drama, fun, happy kingdom

Vulpine Eldrich: And so far, the main kingdom event has been one huge party! Do you have any more plans, ideas, or places to go for your kingdom members yet?

Huskey Garzo: Well this whole sim-- a 15K prim sim-- is for the use of our kingdom and friends to come to chill, relax, build, do whatever. We have a few things at the moment to do, like zyngo, fishing-- the general things people enjoy doing in their spare time. We also have a live music venue, as some of our line play live in SL, and my main subject/Wife Deana is a live music promoter in SL. I'm also going to do a schedule for events, live music, etc, on my web site for the kingdom to help all members of the kingdom in their field, whether it be live music, DJ hosting, club owner, etc. A lot more things are to come on the sim. It is still under construction (only had it a little while.)

Vulpine Eldrich looks at her map

Vulpine Eldrich: "Autos"... any particular significance to the name?

Huskey Garzo: Not really. We have this sim from a friend. She kept asking us if we needed a sim, and we had a 3750 prim one to chill and relax in before we ascended. So when we came to ascension, I figured we needed a bigger sim for everything. So Deana Im'ed Queen Angella from Tintagel and she helped us out. “Autos” is just the name on the sim, although it might be changed at a later date.

Vulpine Eldrich: So you've gotten 2,000 personal acres of land, you'll soon have over 2 billion in gold, you've got loyal subjects and a new kingdom. Is there anything more you wish from Tiny Empires?

Huskey Garzo: Well, I first started off in Tiny Empires with the intent of being the best, which is a good attitude to have, and I did do very well. But even if I had not done so well and still met the same people, I would have been just as happy. I have met my now SL Wife from Te, and so, so, so many very good friends-- like 3/4 of my friends list lol. So, like it was before I ascended… just have fun, keep myself out of trouble in RL, and meet a lot of good fun people.

Vulpine Eldrich: And what would your advice to anyone else who wanted to be a monarch?

Huskey Garzo: Mainly, check with your line about what they feel about you ascending, because you don’t want to ascend, then lose most of your line/kingdom and have nothing. So check with them while you’re thinking about it. I was well over the milestones needed to ascend, and found it very easy. Some found it harder work, since they were growing. So I would say: get over 1000 personal acres, and 20K total acres, and save a lot of gold before going into it. I'm glad I did. My path was an enjoyable one. I got hit with Tax amnesty of 66.6 million, Land tract of 33.8 million, a title for 20.6 million, and famine at 8.1 million-- all in 90 minutes of ascending. So it is good to be ready for it.

Vulpine Eldrich: And is there anything new you'd like to see added to the game- new features, options, rules?

Huskey Garzo: Well, Deana and I always worked together very well, and still do. This is why she is my biggest subject, because we are together all the time. So, maybe joint asencion would have been nice, or somehow she could help me out with things. I do have some other ideas in mind, but not right off of the top of my head right now. Lol, been a busy day!

Vulpine Eldrich: So some sort of official role and special privileges for a royal consort.

Huskey Garzo: Yes, someone each Monarch can assign roles to-- one person as a helper. Because things like holidays, being ill, etc. can be a bit of trouble for kings/queens.

Vulpine Eldrich: A very good idea! And, back to your kingdom, if I might quote something I have found in my research... "Poppy sap is known for it's narcotic qualities, and used to create opium, giving them an association with sleep, death and Elysium."... which begs the question... will you make the Official Flower of the Kingdom the Poppy?

Huskey Garzo: We have a crest. At the moment, we are working to get a new one custom made from someone in our line (they have been very busy in RL and are doing a few different ones for us to pick the best from). They have looked into everything about Elysium, so there might (and probably will) be one with the poppy in it.

Vulpine Eldrich: Well I'm sure it's something we can all look forward to! And, one last thing... what question or questions did I miss? Is there anything I should have asked you and didn't?

Huskey Garzo: How i got into Tiny Empires?

Vulpine Eldrich: How did you?

Huskey Garzo: Well, my real life brother had been on SL a while before I tried it out. I thought it was the most silly and stupid thing ever. Then one time, my best friend asked me to play and to join him and help him out as he has just started and had no subjects as of yet. Against my will, I put on the Hud. I didn’t really pay attention or anything, but just bought land as it came. I then got the full Hud, and still plodded along until I thought, “you know what, I’m going to play this. I have spent L's on it, might as well make the most of it.” And from that point on, it came to me that Te is a very good, fun game and you do meet a lot of very good people from it. And then I wanted to take over the Te world lol.

Vulpine Eldrich: So Tiny Empires actually got you into Second Life, it's not something you found and started after you'd been in Second Life for a while?

Huskey Garzo: Well my brother got me into SL because he never had a comp before and (horribly), I used to kick him off it a lot to play my games, and always used to hear the ding for the turn. It drove me mad. He got me to try SL, and then a little while later the friend got me into TE.

Huskey Garzo: Then he stopped playing TE, and it is me that is making him play lol.

Vulpine Eldrich: Well, welcome to both Second Life AND Tiny Empires, and thank you for your time at the end of a long, busy, and eventful day!

Huskey Garzo: Thank you for your time and thanks so much to my great line and kingdom for making this possible.

Gold Bricking

The other day, we had someone ask about The Gold Brick. She had found a gold brick on an acre of her land and wanted to know what it was. Further questioning has produced more questions than answers. So far, here is what is apparently known about The Brick:

• You buy an acre of land and find a gold brick on it


• There are apparently no further messages about the brick


• This can happen multiple times to the same person


• No obvious ties to allies or embassies


• No apparent connection to the Festival


• Little, if any, rank restriction- ours was a Marquise, and Monarchs have found one, too.


• This shows only for people with the Federation Hud

And that seems to be the sum total of what is known. If anyone has any further details, personal experiences, or even wild theories, share it with the rest of us! Please!

Yes, Pat, I'd like to buy a Count

Recently, one of our new members uttered the phrase, "is that the only way you can give gold?". Once again, the paucity of ways to 'give gold' was highlighted.

The inability to give gold from one player to another very easily- and almost always at a huge loss- is not an accident. But the reason for it is something that I've rarely bothered to fully explain. Hopefully, I'll be able to do that here.

At its core, Tiny Empires is a game of land. You spend time playing the game, and in turn you get land. Land = rank, and the fact that those under you give you more rank is the social networking part of it. But laying that aside for a moment, consider the fact that I did not use the word "gold". To be more accurate, you spend time and you get gold. You then use the gold to buy land. Why did I leave that out?

The reason is because gold is there only as an intermediate step between you... and land. While there are certainly other things to spend it on (the Emperor seems to take a perverse delight in finding new ways to do so), the main reason it exists is to buy land. Thus, when considering your financial position, thinking "how much gold I got" is not a truly accurate way of looking at it. It would be more accurate to say "how much land did I earn?"

The reason I stress this is because the game is weighted to reduce your ability to earn land as you buy more... how fast depending on a number of factors. It does this by rapidly increasing the price of land... but some things- notably gold windfalls, riddle prices, poll rewards, and census bonuses- do increase just as quickly.

Now, consider for a moment. Let's say that I spend three hours online and, having a lot of land and income, I earn five million in gold. That sounds like a lot of gold, but when I spend two and a half million gold for one acre, I've only earned two acres of land. But if I could give that five million to a new player with very little land, they could take the same amount and buy two hundred acres. This is the natural result of the rapidly increasing scale of income/cost that is built into the game and is also the reason why transferring gold to lower ranking subjects is next to impossible. It would be easy to multiply your land a hundredfold by having a player with a lot of land and thus income transferring the income to a player with very little land. It's also why it is such a slow process to give land away... a player could simply save their high income land, transfer all of the land to another player, and then buy low priced land with their accumulated hoard of gold from earlier times.

So, when considering income, don't waste time thinking of it in terms of gold pieces earned.. think of it in terms of land earned... and never forget sight of the fact that even giving a smaller amount of gold to someone else (say with loyalty rewards) can still not be as huge of a loss as it seems... that ten percent that your subject got could buy them more land than the full amount could have bought you.

So, why can't we transfer gold? Because, as a Princess with a lot of it, I could easily "buy" lower ranking subjects.... but somehow, I don't think I'll ever get the chance to say, "Yes, Pat, I'd like to buy a Count."

A new bribe?

Did anyone notice recently when the answers to the cryptic riddles weren't working anymore? You would do all of the adding and totaling of your land amount, and the answer would be wrong... the rules were changed! A slight change in wording was your only clue that something was different.

Unlike most games, Tiny Empires is a game in which the rules are subject to change without notice at any time. It certainly keeps things interesting! But since we're changing the rules as we go, here's a new one that might be fun...

Currently, when someone wants to switch allegiance, they have to pay their current liege to leave and join a new one. How many times have two Tiny Empires players sat together while one of them accumulates the gold necessary to switch? I wouldn't want to even guess at that number, but I'm sure it's fairly large.

So, a possible solution would be to make the liege change offers happen on both sides. For example, if a Countess is standing next to a Duchess, the Countess gets the offer to pay to switch allegiance (as happens now)... but the Duchess also gets an offer which reads "You are standing next to Countess Mulligan. Offer her xxx gold to join your kingdom?"

Several things would happen if this option were available. The first one is that a lot of changes would occur much faster-- the higher ranking player is usually in a much better position to afford the payment than the lower-ranking one. (This would probably hold true even after the usual calculations which would have the higher ranking player paying much more than the lower ranking one... and the lower ranking one receiving only a fraction of what had been paid.)

The second change that would happen is that it wouldn't take long for some bright soul to see this as a way to transfer gold from one player to another. Bribes occur at random, and usually with people you never met. Voluntary payments to switch occur from lower to higher- usually not the way you want your gold to flow. But this goes from higher to lower, and even with the losses that occur in such a transaction, it could be seen as a gain from a purely monetary point of view. This means that the offer would have to be limited... say that a player would only be eligible to receive one of these bribe offers once or twice a week. This takes care of most genuine changes in loyalty, while limiting the incidents to a rare enough level to make "switch me back and forth to give me gold" a largely futile strategy.

The third change would be between Princes and Princesses. Since a Prince can go under another Prince, the current offers that both receive are to pay their current liege to join the other. (These mutual offers to switch can even mask- hide- offers to become allies.) Now, with this new option, one of two things would have to be done... either have a system of alternating offers (pay them gold to join you.... next year, pay gold to join them) or just not offer this between Princes and Princesses (which likely wouldn't be a bad idea, since at that level, the amount of gold usually isn't an issue when wanting to switch allegiance.)

The fourth change would be a bit more subtle, but perhaps longer reaching. When the only way to join someone is to pay gold from your own purse- and to do so without any possibility of direct recompense from your new liege- you have to be serious about switching. You certainly aren't doing it for the money! But this option opens up the possibility of more 'rolling stones'... people who switch allegiances at any time when gold is offered to them. The fact that it is done in person would make it less anonymous than the current habits of accepting automated bribes, but the principal could be much the same. And voila, a new source for drama is born in Tiny Empires!

So does this sound like a desirable new feature or not? And what else have I overlooked here? What other possibilities can you foresee from this idea if it were implemented?

TE's Big Pie

One day, one of my subjects asked me a question. It was one of several, in fact, and like the others, it was a good one. She asked "how much land should I give to my subjects? Is there an optimum ratio?"

First, a bit of background as to the reason for her question. Anyone who plays Tiny Empires for any length of time (and by this, I mean more than half an hour) notices that the price of land goes up as you buy more land. The exact formula for land prices can be found on the TE wiki, but for our purposes, it's enough to say that the price of land goes up as the square of the amount of land you own. For those less mathematically inclined, let me put it this way: when the amount of land you have doubles, the income from that land doubles... but the amount that you pay for land will quadruple.

It doesn't take much to see that as you get more personal land, your ability to buy it decreases. The only thing that saves it from being a total disaster is that such things as census gold, gold windfalls, poll bonuses, and riddle bonuses all increase at the same rate as land costs.

But all of this leads to a basic strategy in Tiny Empires. As you buy land, pass it down to your subjects. By doing so, you increase their rank, their loyalty (one would hope) and you preserve your ability to buy land. At some point, in fact, you would hit a balancing point at which your ability to buy land matches your ability to give land away. At that point, you can sit and give land away all day and maintain your personal land throughout the whole process... while your total acreage and rank goes up if you're giving to your subjects.

There are other considerations, though, as I told the lady who asked me. For one thing, consider how many direct subjects you have-- the fewer you have, the less secure your position is. (This is explained in more detail in 'chains vs. layers') Accidents happen, and a subject leaving may not be an accident. Maintaining personal land may slow your ability to buy more, but it also makes your rank more secure, since less of it depends on those underneath you.

This last consideration leaves the realm of the mathematical and enters the realm of human psychology. A story has been told of a woman who was made the manager of an industrial plant. Unfortunately for her, this plant was in poor condition. Morale was very bad, production was bad, and almost everyone there expected it to go bankrupt. Her job was to prevent that from happening. Fortunately for her, she found a very wise man among her employees who taught her how to increase morale and productivity. One of his analogies applies particularly well to Tiny Empires. Consider if you will...

Imagine a pie. Fill this pie with your favorite delicious goody (apples, blueberries, rhubarb, whatever.) You'd love to have some of this pie, wouldn't you? Of course you would.

Now you look around and you see other people. And you realize that they want some of this pie as well.

You look at them.

You look back at the pie.

Now the question: How big is that pie?

There are two instinctive gut reactions here.

Little Pie people will see the pie as being too little to go around. They will immediately scheme ways to get as much for themselves as possible.

Big pie people will see the pie as being big enough for everyone. They'll gladly serve slices to others, because they know there will always be more delicious pie.

It's my contention that Tiny Empires is a big pie game. There is a potentially nearly infinite supply of land and gold. The only limiting factor is the time and enthusiasm of the people playing it. Thus, increase the time and enthusiasm, and the pie will always be big enough. (This is also why one expert on the game once told me, bluntly, 'war's out... TE is just not that kind of game'. A war game involves little pie thinking.)

So, when I want people in my kingdom, I want to make sure I get big pie people. Why? (Note that little pie people will instantly say 'so she can keep the pie for herself and convince the others not to complain about it')

But the real reason is that your expectations are a large factor in the eventual size of your pie. If you see the pie as being big, it will be big. If you see the pie as being little, it will be little.

Much of the drama in Tiny Empires comes from little pie thinking. Scheming and backbiting to increase one's position, rank, prestige, at the expense of others involves either fear that the limited supply of desirable land, rank, and position will go to someone else instead of you, or a malicious desire for such things in and of themselves.

As for me, I want a big pie! I want a pie that keeps growing because people are enjoying themselves in making it bigger. I want to see success come to me and those around me not as an "I win and you lose" little pie factor, but as the truly TE "if we work together, we can all win together" big pie world.

So, in the end, I told my Countess (now Duchess) that I couldn't give her an exact answer to her question. She nodded wisely and replied, "yes, it's the human factor."

The Invisible Kingdom

One evening, I met with a Duke from another kingdom. During our conversation, he asked me to bring him into our kingdom "ASAP". Although we had been discussing his less than desirable relations in his current kingdom, his desperation finally made me do a double take. He had been told that he would be "deleted" from the game, which I translated mentally as "disowned." I finally stopped to ask him, bluntly, "do you know as a practical matter what happens when you are disowned?"

He asked what the outcome would be... "Deleted from the game?"

No, he wouldn't be, and I had the happy chore of telling him that the fears that had been instilled in him by his current kingdom were groundless. He would not be deleted from the game, his HUD would not die, his subjects would not be deleted from the game, either... all of those stories were, at best, misunderstandings on the part of those telling him. (I had my own personal suspicions of worse, but I can't prove anything, nor do I want to- it doesn't matter.)

So what is this 'disown' thing, and why would it be so frightening?

When you have subjects in Tiny Empires, you will occasionally get a message. The wording says, "A farmer knows when it's time to prune dead branches. Will you pay xxxx gold to disown the subject of yours known as ____?" You get to fill in the blank, and pay the amount it asks. (The actual amount varies depending on your personal land holdings.) If you do that, the subject is 'disowned'.

The list that I gave my worried Duke was as follows:

1. You can't get income from your land
2. You won't be in any kingdom
3. You can join someone else for free
4. You get offers to join a random liege decided by the emperor
5. Those under you continue their lives as normal- they just won't be in any kingdom

I finished my list with "as a practical matter, it's a bit uncomfortable for you personally, but hardly a huge disaster."

With his fears relieved, we were able to conduct our business in a better frame of mind and judgement. He is now a happy and productive Prince in Caledon, with a growing list of subjects.

One item that I didn't include on my list was that neither he nor his subjects would show up in the standings page. Understandable that I would leave an item out, I suppose. After all, this was an impromptu list, not a lengthy disquisition on the exact concepts and mechanics of being disowned. I left that for now.

When a person starts the game, she does not have a liege, and with no acres, she ranks as a Wanderer. With no liege, and thus no income from any land (even if she is given any), she subsists on the Emperor's charity. By standing next to someone of the right rank, she will receive a notice that she may offer to join them. If she makes the offer and they accept, she becomes their subject. While all of this is going on, she will receive occasional offers from the Emperor to assign her to a random subject.

This state should be familiar to any TE player, since every one of us started in that exact same position. (How long we remained there is, of course, a matter of personal experience.) My point in bringing it up here is to point out that if you are disowned, you revert back to that exact same state. The difference is that you now still have all of your land, gold, and subjects that you have accumulated in the game. You don't lose any of those at all.

Thus, you are a free agent again, and still with your current rank. Before, the only way to switch subjects was to apply to someone and pay gold to your current liege. Now, your current liege has paid the gold and broken the relationship, so you can apply to someone else and pay nothing!

As for your subjects, they find that their huds no longer list a kingdom after their name. They might also notice that they will no longer receive any tax amnesties, trader visits, or other goodies that depend upon being in a kingdom- but they are still free to get homage income from any subjects they have, and earn gold from their land, just as if nothing had happened.

The one thing that does happen, though, is that none of you show on the standings page anymore. If someone entered your or their name in the search engine there, they would receive "That citizen has no direct line to any of the Kings or Queens." as a result. Yes, you're still out there... somewhere... but in a limbo land, in an invisible kingdom that has no connection to the Emperor or any Monarch.

Which led me one evening to muse over an interesting idea... what would happen if a huge Prince were disowned, and neither he nor any of his subjects ever changed allegience to anyone else? They could actually still have people become their subjects, but the result would be a kingdom that didn't officially exist.

There are no doubt thousands of these invisible people- wanderers who never found a liege, people who were disowned and decided, for whatever reason, not to rejoin. No doubt the vast majority of them are loners, with no subjects... perhaps at most a handful. But considered as a single entity, they are very likely a kingdom larger than any in the Terra Aurean Empire... what would happen if they someday found each other, joined into a single kingdom, and.... who knows what would happen when the Invisible Kingdom realized its potential?

(pssst... want a way to help find the invisible kingdom? While nothing is sure, you do stand a better chance with the TE Companion.)

Disappearing Kingdoms?

Abdication! The winds of change are swirling even more fiercely through the empire than usual. Rumors fly about Kings and Queens giving up their thrones.... whole kingdoms disappearing....

Could it happen? Perhaps! Keep an eye on that kingdom list, people, because you never know....

My second set of eyes

Situation: You're offered a chance to bribe 'Count Procurator Gladius Ceaser'. You have no idea if Gladius is really a Count, or perhaps another Prince. Solution:

/2 Gladius Ceaser

You instantly have Gladius' actual rank, approximate number of people below him, and even his lineage from the Emperor down to himself.

Situation: Someone becomes a Prince in the announcements. You wonder if they are a fast growing Prince, with lots of subjects, or a slower one with few or none. Solution:

(click) display button
(click) new Prince's name

Again, the number of subjects and lineage is yours for the asking.

Situation: The new Prince has been demoted to Duke in the next turn. You wonder if he was automatically disowned of a knight. Solution:

(click) display button
(click) new Duke's name

Now you can compare the number of subjects, and- more importantly- the list of direct subjects for the once-again Duke. Did one of his direct subjects disappear? Then it's a good chance that is what happened. A fast way to confirm it is to look for them and see if they have a liege!

Situation: You notice news about a kingdom that sounds interesting. You wonder if they are a major or minor kingdom, and how big they are. Solution:

/2 /k KingdomName
/2 Monarch Name

You now know what the kingdom's rank is, and the size of the monarch's downline.

Situation: A subject has disappeared from your line. Who did they go to? Or were they disowned and are now floating in limbo? Solution:

/2 Subject Name

You now know who they went to... if anyone.

For those of you who are wondering how all of this is done, it is courtesy of my second set of eyes, more commonly known as the Tiny Empires Companion. Experienced Tiny Empires players will note that much of this can be done through the Standings Page.

One thing the standings page can't do is find players who are not connected to a kingdom- but this one does. If the line is only partial, you get the partial line, up to the point where it ends with a liegeless player.

Another thing the standings page might have trouble with is giving you the size of the downline. A small downline is easily counted- given time. A larger downline may be difficult to impossible. This gives you good estimates on the larger downlines instantly.

It's quicker than the standings page. You don't have to open another window. And if you're acquainted with the ways of Tiny Empires lines and how they work, you can glean a surprising amount of information in a short amount of time.

However, this is not free. In fact, it's the first item for sale that is more than just a single one-time buy: it's a service, and you pay continually. The current charge is 250L per month. Is it worth it to you? Let's put it this way. In the You might be a TE addict if... post, a couple of the items were:

• You spend more time looking at your TE standings page than your friends list.


• Your ninth and newest alt just made Count.

If either of these apply to you, it's a good chance you'll find the Companion quicker and easier. Plus, let's admit it... it's fun to be able to type in a name and instantly see who, what, where, and how many!

The Game within the Game

One day I logged in to find that my total holdings had dropped by several hundred acres. This not being the usual sort of thing I saw, I immediately began a search through my lines, and I finally found who had left. I sent her (now former) liege a message that basically said "ouch! I see she left, is there anything I can do to help?"

When she replied, she said that the subject had left with no message or warning, and that she hadn't responded to an IM asking what was wrong. Then she added that she wasn't too surprised. The Duchess had come to her after getting into an argument with her SL boyfriend, who had aparently been her liege. But time passes, and either the rift had healed or she had found someone else she liked.

It merely underscored the words that Ellie had told me all of those months ago. Tiny Empires is a "game within the game". The things that happen in TE do not happen in a vacuum, or solely in relation to other things happening within TE. Quite the contrary. People form TE kingdoms most readily among groups of friends or people who are already associated with each other in SL. And the SL drama and events that happen can easily change what happens in TE.

No one seeking to observe the patterns and movements within TE can avoid this conclusion. TE is, at its core, a game of social networking, and its networks are mostly formed on existing SL networks. (Not that lots of new friendships aren't formed, which is always fun.)

As I view the Kingdom of Caledon, I see these groups, these networks, these parts of a Kingdom that make up the whole. If I want to find TE Caledon players, I know several places I can go to. The most obvious places would be:

The Dome in Caledon Cay
Red Palms
Cleopatra's (in particular if you're searching for our Queen)
Moiety
Heart of Dragons
Insula Inferi
Caledon Cymru
Caledon Kintyre
--and our new 'HeadQuarters' in Caledon Cay!

...and this list is far from complete, it's just a highlight of some of the most common spots. But in each of those places, you'll find at least one person, and usually a group, of Tiny Empires players who are all Caledonians. The reason for these spots? Because they all know each other there! They're friends, they like to play together, they're probably all lieged under the same person, and that group is lieged within the kingdom of Caledon.

Thus, we find that our single kingdom is a variegated quilt, made up of many pieces, all interwoven together by a common thread of cooperation and understanding. If one part encounters the other, they know that the other person is a friend-- Caledon is where their friends are, so this must just be a friend they haven't met yet.

...and to the extent that is true, the Kingdom of Caledon is assured a good future.

Now, enough of my babbling about my kingdom... what about yours? What are the foundations it rests upon? What places, what groups, make up your kingdom? What methods of operations does it use? After all, Caledon is a rather small kingdom, one among nearly a hundred... how much more varied and interesting is the full Terra Aurean Empire!

Beginner's FAQ to Tiny Empires

So someone gave you a hud, and said "here, wear it and try playing the game"... but now you're lost, confused, and not even sure where to start... well, here's a little guide that should help you get started in playing Tiny Empires....


Why am I hearing a bell sound?

In Tiny Empires, a month lasts three minutes. It is one turn of the game's play. Every three minutes, when a new month (turn) starts, you hear a bell sound from your HUD. If it bothers you, you can turn it off by clicking and holding the clock in the upper right corner for a couple of seconds.

How do I win this game?

Unlike Chess or Checkers, Tiny Empires doesn't have a way to "win" or "lose" in a definitive sense. However, you can gain more rank and influence... perhaps even become King or Queen of your own kingdom if that is what you desire. It often takes some time and experience for different players to decide what goals they want to achieve within the game.

Do I have to pay Lindens to play the game?

The only purchase you are required to make is to buy the "Full" HUD. There are optional HUDs and gadgets sold as well, but none of them are required to play the game. If you continue to use the free trial HUD, it will 'die' (stop working) after you become a Knight or Dame (with ten acres).

Why am I being offered a liege?

If you do not have a liege, you are not in a kingdom, nor an official part of the Empire. This means that you cannot earn gold on your land, nor will you receive any special benefits that a King or Queen might provide. This makes it much harder to achieve anything, so the Emperor offers you the chance to take a liege at random if you do not have one.

Do I need to buy a shovel?

The offer to buy a shovel is the first of several "land improvements". Each improvement will add one half gold per acre to your land's production. While it's certainly possible to play without improving your land, it is highly desirable to do so, since it means more gold, and thus more land!

Should I buy land improvements or more land?

Each decision on whether or not to buy more land or make land improvements varies, depending on exactly how much land you have and how fast you want to buy it. The more land you have, the more gold you get from improvements and the more expensive it is to get each acre. In general, buying land is great for short term gain, but land improvements work best for long term gain. So, you will want to concentrate on buying land at first, then after you have a few acres you can begin buying more and more improvements to make it produce more gold for you!

Do I have to pay homage to my liege even when I'm not playing?

No. Homage that you pay- and that is paid to you- is determined by your own individual playing time. There is no actual relation between the amount of gold you pay in homage and the amount your liege receives. You pay when you are playing. They receive homage when they are playing.

How do I get a different liege?

Once you have a liege, there are two ways you can switch. Either stand next to the person you want to be your new liege, and offer to them when it comes up on your HUD (if it does...) or accept a bribe offer from someone else. These come up on your Hud at random intervals, as people get the chance to offer you gold to join them.

I was told I could be removed from the game by my liege. Is that true?

No. You can be "disowned" (it is sometimes called "pruned") by your liege. If this happens, you revert to your original liegeless condition (with no ability to earn gold on your land), but you keep all land, land improvements, gold, subjects, etc, that you have. You will not be in any kingdom until you find a new liege to join. Note that standing next to a new liege and offering to join them will not require you to pay money to switch lieges, since there is no old liege to repay!

How do I get a higher rank?

Rank is determined by how much land you and your subjects own. This is called "total acres", and is shown on your HUD as Land. (Your personal acres belong to you and are in parentheses after the total acres number. The difference is the amount of land your subjects own.) Getting a higher rank means getting more total land. This holds true until you want to become a Queen or King, at which point things are more complicated. For an exact list of how many acres are required for each rank, check out this earlier blog post.

How do I get a custom title?

Custom titles are given out by either the Emperor or (more usually) monarchs. The normal method of getting a custom title is to have your King or Queen give it to you. How each King or Queen decides on who to give a title to depends on their personal wishes- so ask your current liege, or however high you have to go to find out! Note that titles are usually (not always) given to higher-ranking subjects. Also, if you do receive a custom title from your Monarch, you will eventually lose it if you leave their kingdom.

How do I get subjects?

First, you have to have the full HUD to get subjects of your own. After you buy that, you may get subjects randomly assigned to you by the Emperor. (Note that new players are the usual subjects assigned a random liege, which means you won't get any of those after you become a Baron/Baronness). The second way is to have someone of the appropriate rank stand next to you and request to become your subject. This means anyone who is one to three ranks lower than you. You will also get a chance to bribe someone else every now and then on your HUD.

On a more general note, finding people to join you usually falls into one of two categories: new people that you or your upline (lieges) find, or current players that are persuaded to join you for whatever reason. The exact reason, of course, is as varied as the players themselves!

The ability to create and maintain a large number of subjects is an essential part of the game to anyone who wants high rank and/or their own kingdom- but how it is done depends on the people involved, and is the old human art of finding and inspiring others to follow you.

How do I find answers to the riddles?

Riddles and polls appear each October. There are several helper pages out there. One of the more popular is by Erzsabet Bergbahn. Note that the riddles are changed occasionally, so when a new set comes out, you and your friends and everyone else will all be scrambling to figure out the new ones!

What are Taxes?

Every December, you pay twenty to thirty percent of your land's net income for the year to the Emperor. (Or for the time you were on, if you haven't been on for a full year.) This is calculated by taking your land income for one month (it's the first line in your Accounting tab- number of gold times number of acres = land income) minus the amount of homage you pay (the second page of your Accounting shows this) times twelve (for a year) times .2 (twenty percent... or whatever it is for your rank). Your monarch may have the ability to give you and everyone else in your kingdom three years of amnesty once per day--no taxes for three years in a row.

One important note is that if you do not have enough gold to pay your taxes, your land will be automatically sold until you do have enough- so be sure you have plenty of gold on hand when December comes!

What is the Census?

In January of every even numbered year, the Census occurs. If you have subjects, you get so much gold per direct subject. If you have the "Federation HUD", you get one gold per nine members of your population. This may become an important factor in your strategy later in the game.

What is the Trader?

The Trader comes every couple of days to your Kingdom. The exact time is random. You will start receiving notices on the HUD that he is coming. He will charge you roughly two to three times your current acre cost, and in return offers a surprise which is usually more than worth what you pay. For more details, see the wiki page. Note that he only comes for players who meet certain minimum rank/land requirements, so you won't encounter him immediately after you begin playing.

Are there any groups I have to join to play?

Basically, no. However, there is a main Tiny Empires group (it is currently by invitation only, due to spam problems) and most kingdoms- and even groups of players within kingdoms- will have their own private groups. Ask your liege, if no one mentions it to you. (They should, almost every active player places a high importance in their local groups.) These groups can prove useful for advice and help!

Who is the Emperor?

Ultralite Soliel is the creator of Tiny Empires and is the Emperor of the Terra Aurean empire. As such, he produces the game, and all new changes in the rules and new gameplay options, riddles, etc, are created by him. He is also the final authority on any questions about the rules of the game.

Where else can I find information?

The Tiny Empires Wiki has detailed information about numerous aspects of the game.

Erzsabet Bergbahn's page helps solves puzzles.

The Tiny Empires Blog can be a source of information.

The official Tiny Empires site has basic game information and the 'standings' pages, which show you the ranks and alliegiences of everyone within the Empire.

Kingdom Identity

Take two princes within the same kingdom. Both have about a dozen subjects, with total holdings of perhaps fifteen hundred acres. If you were told that one of them would one day be a King of his own kingdom, and the other would never get close to it.... how could you tell which was which?

Is there a difference? After all, the requirements for a kingdom are the same for both, and they're both in the same position now. A kingdom is just what happens when they get the right amount of land and gold. Right?

While that may be true for some, it is my belief that it is not true for all- or even most- kingdoms. The one thing that every kingdom I've known well has had is an identity. By this, I mean more than just a name- I mean it's a group of people, working together for something that has a name, but that is more than a name-- that means something to them and why they play.

The old saying has it that "birds of a feather flock together". If you're one of those princes and you decide to assemble the flock, the first question you have to ask yourself is what color your feathers are.

If you're like me, you love watching the announcements come up that give titles in the various kingdoms. Sometimes, it's obvious that the title and the kingdom go well together- that the people in it are part of that particular cultural theme or idea. If you don't know what I mean, watch the announcements for yourself. Soon enough, you'll see some which go so well as a single full title that you begin to wonder if the title was made for the kingdom... or the kingdom for the title.

In a sense, perhaps the kingdom was made for the title. It may have come first, but that person was likely part of it before it became its own kingdom. The kingdom name and independence was just a recognition of the camaraderie and ideals that already existed.

That said, one way to find a potential kingdom is if a group has been formed for it. We created the group for the Tiny Empires kingdom of Caledon long before the kingdom existed- back when we were a dozen or so Caledonians just getting started. It was (and still is) actually open to any Caledonian who plays Tiny Empires, formal Kingdom membership not required. But the question that had to be answered for us was the same as I posed above. What defines the Kingdom of Caledon? What particular theme, method of operation, and ideals determine it? Fortunately, since Caledon itself already existed, it was relatively easy to point out how the Caledonian culture combined with the Tiny Empires culture, and thus our group description was created as follows:

Caledon- a land of Ladies and Gentlemen, where consideration and manners accentuate an appreciation for the finer things in life.

Tiny Empires- a game of feudal proportions, where one can be a Lady or a Gentleman, and enjoy advancement and prestige by being with your friends

This group is for anyone who likes that combination! Come, citizens of Caledon, to a land where anyone with diligence is but a breath away from nobility... and where your "liege lord" is also your best friend!

So if I were to pull out the kingdom idea themes from there, we have:

1. A common medieval/vintage theme
2. Consideration, manners, culture
3. Friendship

Although large parts of the Tiny Empires Caledon has gone beyond its formal borders, I like to think that much of the core concept described above runs throughout the entire kingdom.

As to how that theory works out in practice, those details are for another day and another post...

TE Companion Available

From the Emperor:


Introducing the indispensable accessory for players of Tiny Empires...

TINY EMPIRES COMPANION

Are you never quite sure who is bribing you?
Not sure if those sabotage targets are worth the risk?
Do you keep forgetting which monarch rules over which kingdom?

Then you might find the Tiny Empires Companion VERY useful.

By the way, you can try it for FREE for two weeks, to see if the cost of L$250/month is worth it to you.
Read on. There is a landmark to the free trial down below.

--== What is this thing? ==--

The Tiny Empires Companion is a HUD object that you wear while playing Tiny Empires. It helps you keep track of other players in the game and in your vicinity. It also allows quick lookups of players and kingdoms without having to visit the TE standings web page. In short, it acts as a companion HUD to the main Tiny Empires HUD.

--== What does it do? ==--

o Looks up Tiny Empires player names to see their rank, liege, and kingdom without going to the Standings page
o Scans your immediate area to find other Tiny Empires players (and shows their rank, liege, and kingdom)
o Shows rank, liege, and kingdom information about about any other players mentioned on your game hud this turn
o This includes any bribe makers or potential bribe takers, the list of sabotage targets, promotions, special titles, etc.
o If you see a name in your offers this turn, it will be clickable on the Companion.
o Looks up a kingdom name to find out the name of its King or Queen, and its rank in the empire
o Shows the latest gossip among the people of the realm

--== What kind of information does it give? ==--

For any nearby players, or names shown in your current set of offers, simply click the name to see the person's name, rank, special title if they have one, kingdom name, and monarch name. Here is a example of the information:

"Tiny Empires Companion: Squire Tanner Larson, subject of Prime Suspect Harriet Nightfire (Viscountess), under the rule of Queen Mary Aberdeen of the Kingdom of Froth"

You can get the same information for ANY player in the game by typing their name (or partial name) into your local chat window.

You can also get information about Kingdoms by typing the name (or partial name) of the Kingdom. It will show the name of its King or Queen as well as that Kingdom's ranking in the empire. Here is an example of Kingdom information:

"Tiny Empires Companion: The Kingdom of Froth, Queen Mary Aberdeen, currently ranked 17"

The Companion will also show the most recent Gossip among the nobility of the empire.

--== HOW CAN I GET IT? ==--

Come to Ultralite Soleil's shop at this landmark:
Look for the Tiny Empires Companion vendor.
You will be able to get a free, fully functional trial of the Companion that lasts for two weeks.
After that, the cost to continue using it is L$250 per month.
You can pre-pay for as many months as you'd like -- every L$250 adds another 30 days of usage to your Companion.

Check it out!



Here is a screenshot of it on my hud:



A couple of brief usage notes... to get information on a kingdom, you use the '/k' switch, e.g.:

/2 /k Caledon

(just for fun, try 'Aurea')

And to get gossip, you just type:

/2 Gossip

..more details and a considered review will be held until I get some experience with this... say in a week or so.

And on a side note, the upgrade station has been remodeled. The Emperor declared that blue glass was just "so 1100", and it has been replaced with a stone structure. The single vendor with the arrows to choose between different products has been replaced with multiple vendors, one for each product, grouped by type.

Check it out! (wait, didn't someone just say that?)

MoLoveMoFun Hammerer Interview

Vulpine Eldrich: Good evening, everyone. This evening finds me in the far sandy corner of Egypt, in the private silken tent of the Pharoah- or should I say King- MoLoveMoFun Hammerer of Egypt... I'm here with his Great Royal Wife, Charoa Hammerer. Thank you both for having me.

Charoa Hammerer: Quite welcome, it's our pleasure

MoLoveMoFun Hammerer: Welcome, Vulpine, to our little piece of the Empire. It's a pleasure to have you. Most people call me Mo, by the way :)

Vulpine Eldrich: Now, I'm sure our readers have heard of Egypt, the real life kingdom. So, tell me, what inspired you to name your kingdom after it?

MoLoveMoFun Hammerer: I have always been a Egypt fanatic and my lovely wife is just as passionate about it as I. So it wasn't a hard choice to make.

Vulpine Eldrich: And you have a sim to show for it as well. Did the sim come first, or did the TE Kingdom?

Charoa Hammerer: The sim came first

MoLoveMoFun Hammerer: Yes, we were working on our new home before I ascended.

Charoa Hammerer: The vision of the sim just became more focused after we had ascended though. It became a home for several hundreds of people instead of just the two of us lol

Vulpine Eldrich: So when you started in Tiny Empires, it was just the two of you? Or the two of you joined quickly by friends?

MoLoveMoFun Hammerer: I started playing first, soon followed by my wife and a few close friends.

Charoa Hammerer: yes he was busy busy one day and I couldn't figure out what had captured his attention and so he sent me a trial hud...the rest is history

MoLoveMoFun Hammerer: Yes, I was sold quite fast (or hooked)

Vulpine Eldrich: And did you decide you wanted to be King before that day was over?

MoLoveMoFun Hammerer: Not really. That decision came after a lot of drama in other kingdoms, and the thought and hope of having a better day with my own kingdom.

Charoa Hammerer: The downline also suggested that we ascend and wanted us to start our own kingdom.

MoLoveMoFun Hammerer: I would say that it was after four months of playing TE.

Vulpine Eldrich: What kingdom did you ascend from, then?

MoLoveMoFun Hammerer: Bohemia

Vulpine Eldrich: Were you originally in Lothlorien when you started?

Charoa Hammerer: We were never in Lothlorien

MoLoveMoFun Hammerer: No, I have never been there. I started playing in Avalon

Vulpine Eldrich: So your career starts in Avalon, goes to Bohemia, then on to your own Kingdom of Egypt... but I noticed one day after you had been King for a while, and had been giving out titles, that you were literally a King without a Kingdom- no one was under you. Some time later, you were back again with one of the larger kingdoms within the empire. What happened?

MoLoveMoFun Hammerer: I stopped playing because I and my kingdom were harassed by someone else who plays TE as well. This harassment became so great that I felt there had to be something done about the fairness and equality in the game. I asked for that by the highest authority in TE and didnt get what I asked for. So I stopped playing. By chance of luck, what I asked for was granted even if it was via a different way.

Vulpine Eldrich: How long did your self-imposed exile last?

MoLoveMoFun Hammerer: About a month.

Vulpine Eldrich: What ended it?

MoLoveMoFun Hammerer: I had given, prior to my quitting, the promise to some subjects that I would play again if my wish were granted. So I decided to start playing again mostly because I was very unhappy with having to quit and because I missed my group and the daily interaction very much.

Charoa Hammerer: We also had many from our kingdom begging that he come back and leaving messages asking that we come back. Mo is a much loved king and was missed greatly by many. He forms strong personal relationships with the people he plays with.

MoLoveMoFun Hammerer smiles

Vulpine Eldrich: So when you announced that you were coming back, many returned. I assume not all, since there are always exceptions to a rule as large as that- and some couldn't, if you had formed other kingdoms. Have things changed since then, though? Does the kingdom feel any different, or its size?

Charoa Hammerer: Actually we didn't announce we were coming back so that people would not abandon the kingdoms they had made new homes in. We would have played quietly by ourselves. As people realized we were playing they asked us to come back. I would say that with exception of the two ascensions that coincided with our leaving, 90% returned. Our kingdom was largely restored and has since grown even larger.

Charoa Hammerer: It was like family coming back home and missing each other and being strong together once more. With exception of the 10% who elected not to come back, we did not have any significant changes to the feeling or personality of our kingdom.

Vulpine Eldrich: And with two ascensions, that means you have at least two kingdoms with close relationships and common history.

Charoa Hammerer: We are on neutral terms with all kingdoms who ascended from us. Some are closer than others. Several of the kingdoms who ascended from us were only with us for a short time. The one kingdom that shares a history with us more than others would be Kingdom of Angels who was with us all along

Vulpine Eldrich: So with one of the larger kingdoms, that means a lot of people, and a lot of special titles. How do you handle those? Any special types of special titles?

MoLoveMoFun Hammerer: I keep a notecard of the titles given out with the date and we also publish that on our website.

Vulpine Eldrich: So how does someone in Egypt get a title?

MoLoveMoFun Hammerer: I don't have a whole lot of rules. I tried doing the prince/cess level first but I'm down to count/ess level now. I poke the chat and the players to give me title requests and I grant the title.

Vulpine Eldrich: That must be a lot of titles! Are you repeating people now- changing special titles?

MoLoveMoFun Hammerer: Today, someone that has had four titles already just got one more because it's her birthday. So that and making people happy is why I'm down at the lower levels. A good way of getting a lot of requests up front is something I'm still searching for.

Charoa Hammerer: We aren't forcing titles but jokes come up and special events or a special request from a loved one, and so in those cases they get changed.

MoLoveMoFun Hammerer has a hard time giving out the five acres, the mini trader and the title!

Vulpine Eldrich: Speaking of looking for new things, what other new things would you like to be able to do with the game?

MoLoveMoFun Hammerer: One or maybe two things I really would like is getting a better view or print out or message from who leaves and other important details.

Vulpine Eldrich: So if you come online and find five hundred acres gone, you don't have to look through eight pages of standings and trust your memory to know all two hundred people to find who is gone?

Charoa Hammerer: Yes, that is what he means. Sometimes it's a misclick and people are scrambling to find what part of the line was broken.

MoLoveMoFun Hammerer: And second, I would like the tax cut option to be available once every twenty four hours and not like it is now: twenty four hours after the last tax cut. I want this so that I can switch from timezone to timezone.

Vulpine Eldrich: So if you give a tax amnesty at, say, five pm SLT, you next get the offer at five pm SLT the next day. That would mean that if you wanted to switch to five a.m. SLT, then you have to wait a full day and a half?

MoLoveMoFun Hammerer: Yes, that's what I mean and why I want the tax cut changed.

MoLoveMoFun Hammerer smiles

Vulpine Eldrich: I can understand that one, as I'm sure your subjects who are in different time zones can as well! So if someone wants to find Egypt, they have this sim and the website to look for. Where else would they find it, and what would they find your members doing when they arrived?

Charoa Hammerer: We are also a NeoRealms fishing camp, we have trivia and other games, we have several clubs affiliated to the kingdom, we have a stargate network linked to several of those locations as well.

Vulpine Eldrich: Fishing... is there something about enjoying Tiny Empires that also means you're good at fishing?

MoLoveMoFun Hammerer: it's a way to relax and pass some good times, nice views and off-topic chats.

Charoa Hammerer: It's a good bonding time with other kingdom members, too.

Vulpine Eldrich: That works for me! So now that you have become a monarch... twice, in effect, considering your first ascension and then your return... what are your current goals in Tiny Empires?

MoLoveMoFun Hammerer: Having fun, enjoying the game and having a blast with our group. For me it's not how big we are, but I guess by how much people like to play TE with us. Maintaining that is a great goal and also a gift.

Charoa Hammerer: I would like us to be unique in people's minds and have a positive experience here. We want warmth and strong friendships.

MoLoveMoFun Hammerer: Yes thats what I mean (Charoa can word it so well.)

Vulpine Eldrich: So what would make you unique?

MoLoveMoFun Hammerer: Our Stargate network?

Charoa Hammerer: I think we are particularly active as a kingdom, we have very strong bonds and a willingness to help each other. We also try to interact with others frequently and do new things. I make a point of creating new and different activities for the members as a means to help make people feel welcome and get to know each other and expand those bonds of friendship.

Vulpine Eldrich: What sort of activities?

MoLoveMoFun Hammerer: We have had several differnt types of treasure hunts, parties in and out of theme, fishing, building, the website, etc.

Charoa Hammerer: Each treasure hunt has a different theme and style. They get more and more complex and more people are getting into it lol

Charoa Hammerer: We have had elements of the sim built by kingdom members: furniture, gazebo's, fountains and clothing.

Charoa Hammerer: We also have custom Egyptian clothing, swimsuits and right now our daughter is making a male and female egyptian outfit for everyone.

MoLoveMoFun Hammerer giggles

Charoa Hammerer: All of this makes people feel like they are a part of this kingdom. Our treasure hunts often have custom built contributions from our members as well.

MoLoveMoFun Hammerer: I'm very keen on the strong relationships that are formed here.

Charoa Hammerer: We have a new photo gallery on our site and people have been eager to see themselves added and put their candid SL shots into the site.

MoLoveMoFun Hammerer: People talk with each other over everyday RL issues and find support and help with other kingdom members

Vulpine Eldrich: So there is a lot going on in Egypt! Do you have any particular plans to expand all of this to others within or without the game of Tiny Empires?

MoLoveMoFun Hammerer: Not really. We, as a kingdom are already happy as it is. We prefer to maintain the fun, closeness and the great atmosphere often lacking in bigger kingdoms.

Charoa Hammerer: We do this for ourselves because its what makes us happy. Our website is open to everyone though, of course, and I personally think it's more extensive than any other site, but I am biased.

MoLoveMoFun Hammerer giggles

MoLoveMoFun Hammerer: So am I.

Vulpine Eldrich: And within that long line of events in TE, and list of kingdoms that you have been involved with, what does all of that experience lead you to give as advice to someone just starting in Tiny Empires?

MoLoveMoFun Hammerer: That's a hard question, but I do believe this is a nice way of putting it: HAVE FUN :))

Vulpine Eldrich: Very succinct! And is there anything else that I forgot to ask that you wanted to answer?

Charoa Hammerer: Egypt has a policy that I think should stand true in all of SL and not just TE. Show respect to the people you play with.

Charoa Hammerer: We find that when people want to leave or find a new liege, the best way to avoid drama is to keep that communication open and show your peers the respect they deserve by telling them what you have decided. You don't have to give extensive explanations, but just a heads up is common courtesy.

Charoa Hammerer: We should all treat each other here with the same courtesy we would extend in RL.

MoLoveMoFun Hammerer: I think that people should keep in mind that its a game, with no real monetary value at all, and absolutely no reason to misbehave in any way. Respect is what we all crave for, so respect is what people should keep in mind.

Charoa Hammerer: And play because it makes you happy.

MoLoveMoFun Hammerer: Also, listen to yourself. Do what makes you happy while playing TE. I made some very tough decisions and I still feel good about myself after all of it. There are real people behind every TE player with real feelings, please keep that all in mind.

Vulpine Eldrich: Very good! And one last question, if I may... is there any truth to the rumors about the return of the Mummy King?

MoLoveMoFun Hammerer giggles and giggles, yes he will be in the movie theaters near you soon.

Charoa Hammerer: Oh yeah we forgot to mention our movie nights! We will be playing that on the sim as soon as it comes out in SL LOL

Vulpine Eldrich: Good! And thank you so much for having me here this evening-- I wish you the best with your kingdom.

Charoa Hammerer: By the way, Mo is known as the king who giggles, even on voice chat lol

Charoa Hammerer: Thanks for being here!

MoLoveMoFun Hammerer: Thank you very much for taking the time to hear about our passion and our story.

Interesting Titles

If you're like me, one of the major sources of entertainment in Tiny Empires is watching anouncements of Special Titles- however they might come up in various offers, etc. Sometimes it's a pun, either on a person's name or with the kingdom name. Sometimes it's just the sound- alliteration, or rhyme. Sometimes it makes you roll your eyes and laugh at the same time. Others strike that funny bone for no particular reason other than "it's funny!".

So, below, find a few of my picks for interesting custom titles that I've seen, sorted by why I found them interesting. Note that Apropos Kingdom usually means Apropos person AND Kingdom... the whole title fits into one interesting whole!

So if you have any good ones, add them to the list... it could be yours, a friend's, or just one that you saw on your HUD as a general announcement. Whatever the reason or source, share the fun with the rest of us!

ALLITERATION

Princess Prissy Sussie Pera of Laurelin
Knighted The Seeker Capt Blinker of the Karma Kingdom
Pineapple Prince Zedicious Zerbino of Camelot
Bohemian Brit Brat Destiny Marx of Bohemia

APROPOS KINGDOM

Her Royal Sweetness Hunee Dreamscape of Charm
In Egypt U Feel The Love Flow of Egypt
Phantasm SpookY Pitts of Twilight
Princess Opium Poppy Maladay of Bloodtide
Delerious Dreamer Delerium Dreamscape of Twilight
The Quiet Goddess Jaydie Sapeur of Olympus
Roses Royal Bad Leissa Schwade of Blood Roses & Tears
God of the Dance KennyC1956 Writer of Olympus
Bratty Pink Princess AquaMarin Alter of Tintagel
McDreamy McGoose Bury of Treasure Island

APROPOS PERSON

Southern Comfort LadyClaireBrianna McLaglen of Laurelin
Princess Fluffy Kitt Catgirl Hian of Tintagel
Majestic Mysterious Divine Veil of Laurelin

AMUSING

Prince With A Plan Sir Brennen of WyPlay
TheCookiestPrincess Cindyloo Sablatnig of Brittany
Princess Foxy Roxy Emsbury of Treasure Island
Gun's Little Boo Cerridwen Wise of Egypt
Royal Huggybear Max Key of Gianfar

ROLL YOUR EYES NAUGHTY

Here Comes Trouble LoveTrinity Johnson of WyPlay
Royal Thwapper Lynn Binder of Gianfar
Soft Porn Princess Jain Arkin of Egypt