[GM Cerberus]: All great alliances have a fun theme, what's yours? Do you have a mascot or any imagery you feel represents the Achaean league?
[ACHE]: ACHE has lots of exuberance. We pride ourselves on our fun and inviting active a/c. We have mature themes in ACHE and require all members to be at least 18 years old. The talk in a/c can get quite bawdy at times. We have a tradition of Pants-off Friday when everyone reports to a/c appropriately unattired and can air their “differences.” We meet in the virtual fountain at the center of one member’s town and make merry. Often, we will add day-long themes of making Illy-based memes, trivia questions and limericks. We always encourage our members to go into battle totally pants-free!
We also have an event called the Pipeline. Every new player receives one free Pipeline. We provide alliance prestige and speed resources to new players when they have high enough levels in a few crucial buildings. They then instabuild these buildings high enough to unlock several important researches including Exodus and Siege Encampment. This is a very popular event and is a wonderful thing to experience. Members, old and new, who are not participating in the Pipe often grab popcorn and a beer and sit quietly in a/c to watch.
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[GM Cerberus]: Do you have any big success stories of players going on to do great or nefarious things in the world of Illyriad?
[ACHE]: We have had some members that came to us and just plain would not listen or learn. This is partly why we have a minimum age here now. One member we had to ask to leave early. He made his own alliance and pretty much became a laughing stock. We would like to think that did not reflect on ACHE though.
Success? Yes... every graduate that moves on to a permanent alliance and continues to play is a success story! We are proud of them all!! A few of our trainees are so successful that we keep them for ourselves so that ACHE continues to be the best alliance ever!
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[GM Cerberus]: One of your players mentioned the sheer amount of time you spend answering noob questions on an admittedly complex game, how much of your time do you donate for the betterment of other players? Do you guys take shifts?
[ACHE]: There are no dumb questions. Players are highly encouraged to ask in chat knowing that others probably have the same question but are too shy to come forward. We discourage private chat on subjects that are of general interest.
The amount of time the council spends in chat will vary, but it is not unusual for them to be online for 12 or more hours a day, often much more. The council members each do what we can, but we do not do it alone. We have many other permanent members who contribute in the education and support process. They are invaluable. Whoever is in a/c will answer any questions that are asked, or if they don’t know the answer, they will find out and get back to them. If the questioner is not online any more, the answerer will usually mail them a reply.
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[GM Cerberus]: If I wanted to join ACHE how would I go about doing so?
[ACHE]: We often spot possible members in g/c. Any council member or selected senior member, can invite a new player if they show potential. Some recruits are neighbors or others found through private interactions and recommended to council. Anyone can write the Oracle and apply. We ask that they tell us a bit about themselves, such as other games played, specific Illy goals, RL interests and age.
Potential recruits go through a bit of a vetting process to see if we are a good fit for each other. We may write back and forth a couple of times before we decide. Few are rejected, but we look for maturity and interest and intelligent questions. People may notice we are one of few alliances that often have recruitment status set to "Not recruiting" We admire those that try anyway, and often make room for them!
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[GM Cerberus]: If you could only impart one piece of wisdom to players, what would it be?
[ACHE]: We got input from all six council members, so there is more than one response to this one:
Ask questions!!!
Ask lots of questions! Everyone was a newb once. Don’t be embarrassed to ask.
Have fun. If you are not having fun, you are just wasting your time.
Have fun. There is plenty of room for all types of players in Illy. Figure out what you want to be and go for it.
Knowledge is power... even if you are not one for chatting in GC, take a look now and then... and click names! Read profiles, check out the alliances, check out the diplomacy pages of the alliances, see who hates who, who likes who, laugh at the drama, educate yourself with folks real life stories, get a feel for the people you are playing this game with. But know when to take a break... illy burn out is always a painful thing... and RL and family come first!
Finally –
Always go pants-free on Fridays!
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