Are Land Claims Bad for Illy?

abstractdream wrote: Your comparing the practice of claiming area in the game to the practice of kids keeping other kids off the swings is just becoming tedious at best. The use of metaphors to illuminate the "evils" of opposing players in a game is a tradition here in the forums but its overindulgence doesn't make it necessarily workable.

A metaphor is used to illustrate or reveal a set of relationships in one thing by using what the reader has already experienced.  Most people have experienced a playground, swings, big kids and little kids.  Most people have seen big kids bully little kids.  The question is: does the metaphor of the playground bully and the swings fit the circumstances of land claims?  I say it does and have laid it out quite clearly.  Which of the parallel players is improperly aligned?  Are the "individuals and small alliances" not like the little kids?  Are the "big alliances" not like the big kids?  Is not the restricting of access to land like restricting the little kids from the swings?  I too am getting tired of repeating this, but since nobody has yet to put even the slightest argument forward as to how the metaphor isn't parallel with land claims in Illy, I'm not sure how to respond otherwise.

abstractdream wrote: In a more reasonable comparison, Veneke relates the claiming of large portions of land to the 10 square rule. His argument is that it is simply a difference of area. What he seems to be saying is that a claim is a claim and you seemed to agree when you mentioned that an alliance could claim land with the 10 square rule by placing cities in a deliberate pattern to box out other cities. Semantics aside, that is a claim. The difference is simply that one method claims the area in advance of settling, the other method drops cities in and claims the area over a period of time.

Okay, here's the parallel between 10 square rule and land claims.

10 square rule
1) universally respected
2) consensual
3) implies that the weight of the entire community behind it's enforcement.
4) Universally applied...all players benefit to the same degree.

Land claims
1) not universally respected
2) not consensual....there may have been a consensus 4 years ago, but not for TBL.
3) is not enforced by the weight of the entire community
4) is not available to all players equally but only to the larger alliances.

 

Our policies regarding our claim as of the 1st of June are as follows.

 

Our confederates, Trivium, The Hanseatic League, and the Blackrock Orcs are free to operate within Han territory unimpeded, including settling new cities and exodusing existing ones into the region.

 

Unaffiliated players may continue to do as they please so long as they respect the ten square rule and do not aggress against The Han Dynasty or its allies. If they wish to join a military alliance not confederated with The Han Dynasty or a disallowed trade or social alliance, they will be required to leave Han territory. They are, of course, more than welcome to join Han, Hansa, Bro or TVM.

 

Training alliances that do not directly serve a military alliance outside the Tripartite Axis or Trivium, are permitted to continue operating within Han territory unimpeded, including settling and exodusing into the region. Graduates are encouraged to join an alliance in the Tripartite Axis or Trivium. Graduates who join another military alliance or a disallowed trade or social alliance will be required to leave Han territory.

 

Cities currently occupying Han territory are permitted to remain except for those part of an alliance which is actively aggressive towards The Han Dynasty.

 

Alliances currently occupying Han territory will be contacted to discuss the claim and its implications. Alliances not currently in Han territory who wish to take up residence therein must contact The Empress, the Prime Minister, the Grand Commandant or Grand Preceptor to request approval from the Imperial Court.

 

For questions or concerns please contact the Prime Minister.