[BIG][BIG]Introduction[/BIG][/BIG]
I was reading the article
on allegiances that someone wrote the other day and I found the rank structure
layout quite helpful. However, the writer tended to go into discussion about the
allegiances being all about experience and that after a certain level that
vassals did not need patrons any longer. If an allegiance is founded on just
XPs, item giving, or rank, then it will be an allegiance that has constant
turnover. I will write my thoughts on what makes a good allegiance and perhaps
it will help some monarchs out there base their allegiance on some good
principles.
[P][BIG][BIG]Forming Your First Allegiance[/BIG][/BIG]
Due to
the nature of the allegiance system as it currently stands, some perks of being
in an allegiance are very obvious - new vassals can gain good items at low
levels and learn spell formulae without needing to spend time in fruitless
research, and monarchs and patrons can gain experience and rank. Because of
this, at first glance people may think that allegiances are all about free
experience, and that after a certain level vassals do not need patrons any
longer. But these people will miss out on almost everything the allegiance
system has to offer. When forming an allegiance, think of the above perks as
side-effects to having an allegiance, rather than the ultimate goal. An
allegiance should be a collection of people within an organization that strive
to help each other to reach a common goal. They should assist other allegiance
members with a wide variety of tasks (muling, identifying items, providing moral
support, helping to reduce extremely high vitae penalties, etc). They should
look for people in the allegiance who are similar in level to fellowship and
adventure with. They should be able to know, regardless of their geographical
location or allegiance rank, that any allegiance member will help them if at all
possible. They should exchange information amongst each other - not just spell
formulae but quest assistance, locations of towns and interesting landmarks, and
other unusual aspects of the world to help their fellows get the most out of the
game. Finally, they should mingle with and get to know other members of the
allegiance; this results in new friendships and adventures.
[P][BIG][BIG]Expanding Existing
Allegiances[/BIG][/BIG]
Contrary to popular belief, growing
allegiances are very necessary for success at higher levels. Larger allegiances
have, among other benefits, a greater overall knowledge base and greater
potential for future spell research, exploration of new areas, and chances to
meet new friends for future adventures.
The most obvious benefit of being in
a large monarchy is that a larger number of people brings higher ranks. Bringing
a small allegiance into a large allegiance directly benefits all the members of
the large group, old and new: the larger number of members in the allegiance
adds some higher-level patrons and many lower-level vassals to the monarchy's
level scheme (i.e. the monarch can fill his allegiance tree with sub-monarchs of
higher rank). Similarly, the larger a group is, the more low-level applicants it
will receive - these applicants raise the allegiance ranks of the existing
members.
But most importantly, characters who combine with larger monarchies
can be introduced to more people of similar levels to adventure with, while
smaller allegiances alone might have members with no suitable hunting partners.
This is a big problem, and becomes more pronounced at higher levels: as your
level increases, there are fewer and fewer spots which you can solo to get
enough experience to advance satisfactorily. Monarchies that have few higher
level (25+) members and a larger number of mid- to lower-level members should
consider merging with another monarchy so that characters of all levels would
have a better chance of finding companions with similar levels and capabilities.

[P][BIG][BIG]Tips and Tricks for Larger
Allegiances[/BIG][/BIG]
Some of the more extensive allegiances are so
vast that no one member knows everyone in it. For members of such mammoth
monarchies, it can be a great comfort knowing that in any area there is a good
chance that another member of your allegiance might be around to give assistance
or just to adventure with you. Although large allegiances are better than small
allegiances, there are some things you can do to make the experience of being in
a macro-monarchy even more pleasant. Even the most organised monarchies can lose
touch with their members. The key to retaining members is to keep them
interested, and make sure that they feel they really belong to an active
organisation. There are several ways you can do this.
[P]- Organize Your Allegiance
The biggest problem for any large
allegiance is organization. Luckily, there are a few things you can do to avoid
confusion. Have a place for your monarchy to communicate or chat outside of the
game. This forum can be a website's message board or an IRC chatroom where
allegiance members can easily contact each other regardless of their location in
the game. Also, communicating in such ways rids you of all the extra spam in the
game chat interface.
Another way to keep your allegiance running smoothly is
to keep tabs on each major town. Establish Patrons in each area if possible and
have those Patrons publicly listed for all to see. That way members know whom to
ask for help when they visit a new city. That Patron can also administer the
allegiance's affairs in the immediate area.
[P]- Conduct Player Run Quests
Setup and run allegiance quests at
least once a month. Have your patrons help you to coordinate and organize these
quests. Quests are fun for role-playing and bringing people together for fun
adventures. Quests can be made for higher level people and lower level people
alike. Don't leave anyone out of the fun! Balance is essential in a good
player-run quest. Make the quest dangerous but achievable - it should keep
people on their toes but also allow them to achieve the quest goals if they work
together. Whatever you do, don't hold large gatherings for quests in towns or
you may get portalled away in midspeech (I speak from personal experience).
[P]- Keep In Touch
As a monarch it's important that you get out and
visit the towns where you have followers. Do not be an inaccessible monarch that
no one ever sees. I make sure each week to visit every town in the Heartlands
where I have followers. I don't meet everyone, but by continuing to visit these
towns, I will eventually meet them all.
Also, make sure to respond to
communications. You may sometimes be deluged with tells, or someone may attempt
to start a conversation while you're fighting for your life - in these cases,
respond to as many messages as you can. Try to make conversations interesting -
if you're not sure what to say, ask them how they are, what city they are in,
who their patron is, what level they are, what and where they have been hunting,
and that sort of thing. Be sure to let them know that you will travel and visit
them soon.
You cannot always help everyone, but help those you can when you
can. I have travelled many miles out of my way to assist even the lowest level
followers in recovering their bodies. Sometimes I am unable to do it, but then I
can refer them to someone in the area who can help them.
[P]- Grant Items
Don't just give away items to outfit newbies until
they are strong enough to manage on their own. Start them off with some items,
and go with them to monitor their progress - grant additional items as rewards
for bravery or good deeds, or for gaining levels. Higher level characters also
should earn rewards for accomplishing tasks over and above the call of
duty.
On the flip-side, however, be ever careful about awarding items too
often or else they will become an expectation rather than a mark of distinction
and recognition for excellence. Also be wary of those who swear allegiance
solely to get good items.
Knowledge can also be a valuable commodity. Reward
your vassals with new spells, good dungeons, and valuable loot spots. Again, do
not give this knowledge out too freely. Not only does it spoil the vassal's own
fun and rob them of the insight and practice needed to decipher quests on their
own at higher levels, but some people enter allegiances to milk as much
information as they can, as quickly as they can, with no intention of remaining
in the allegiance.
[P]- Recruit New Vassals
Recruiting followers is easier than many
people think - but you need to go about it correctly. As you play the game, you
will meet new people and adventure with them. If you always help those who need
it, and reward those who help you, then it will be clear to those you meet that
you will be a worthy patron, and they will want to join your cause. Offer
friendship, adventure, quests, and companionship to people. If they join on
those grounds, you've probably gotten yourself a good follower as long as you
don't mistreat them. However, if you attempt to bribe someone to swear
allegiance to you, with money or items, then they will probably turn out to be
disloyal. In addition, some vassals may grow to depend on your support, and will
leave you if you cannot keep the font of patronage flowing.
[P]- Train Your Vassals
Try not to take the attitude that mentoring is
just standing next to the student and helping them to kill something. A good
mentor should teach their vassals everything they need to know about the game,
while leaving some secrets to be discovered by the vassals themselves. The
effort you put in here will come back to you later: if you teach your vassals
how to be good patrons, then they will gain vassals and you will rise in rank.
Hang out with your vassals' followers and let them get to know you as well. If
you show all your followers good hunting spots and areas when they are powerful
enough and have earned the right to be shown, they will gain more experience and
pass that gain on to you, and then pass that along to their own vassals when
they are ready. Teach them how to assist their followers to complete quests for
items, but in such a way that the follower actually earns the item rather than
having the patron do it for him/her.
[P][BIG][BIG]Conclusion[/BIG][/BIG]
I believe that there are a
lot of things a monarchy can do to be successful and stay successful. Items and
money alone cannot keep vassals interested. If you create a strong and desirable
monarchy, then your followers will remain with you long after they are wearing
better armor than you - and though you have nothing more to teach them, they
will still follow you, because you are not only their monarch or patron, but
also someone they admire and respect. While the fame of your allegiance may
dwindle in comparison to others, you can rest in comfort that the friendships
you forge will remain strong.