Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for my newbies to go there once they have graduated at 5k pop. I actively encourage them to fly the nest once they are ready, to whichever alliance they choose. I'm happy for them to pick that alliance now and will assist them to move closer to that alliance for when they graduate.. but I have a graduation requirement for a reason. 

The reason given for leaving, in both instances, is that they want to settle near their long term alliance and not have to move later. This makes no sense since they are free to settle wherever they want. I believe both have been under the impression that I am too far away to support them if they move to the opposite side of the map (which is rubbish.) They have both left before I've had the chance to explain to them.

So, should I approach this alliance and ask them to leave my players alone until they graduate? Or just ignore it as it's the choice of the newbie? I'd never try to keep someone who wanted to leave.. but I get the impression that's not the case here. 

You could answer your question two ways, depending on whether or not you knew those players to be strong candidates to grow to maturity. Perhaps the best answer is to accept that people come and go, and given enough turnover, you'll find the gems eventually. They'll stay if they had a rewarding experience and can find opportunities to grow in the future.

To answer your concern, perhaps just write to those players. It's possible to be objective, without crossing the boundaries that you perceive as territorial between alliances.

I'd like to point out my concern is more for the newbies themselves and not my alliance. Larger alliances often don't have much time to nurture newbies which I feel is a shame and the player concerned was just over a week old, still learning and whilst I was asking him to hold off moving until he understood about the map, sov etc, his new alliance appears not to have an interest. 

Still, it is irrelevant now and has been taken care of. 

@Grego: Entering Q&S makes them my minions ;) Muahahahahaha! *runs off cackling*

 

A new player is no one's property. No one player nor alliance can claim ownership of a new player by claiming that they may ( or may not) know more about the game or that they sent them resources!

That's completely understandable however when you look at the city locations of 1 of the players in question for this thread and find that they've put him on a non 7 crop when a 7 crop with ideal resource layout for his race with a dolmen for crop sov is literally 5/6 tiles away you wonder if they've actually been advised on locations much at all and if so why would they not recommend the far superior tile right next to the proposed one?

Accepting people will leave is not the main issue here, elflings are encouraged to leave once we're happy they have been trained well and if they were to leave for another alliance before then who continued training them it wouldn't be so bad but these players were keen players and basing it off the locations (not the general locations but the tiles within the area they have moved to) it looks very much like they have either been left to their own business or are being poorly advised.

forums (or external resources) that protect information.

Just like sending in-game missions, you only expose what you're prepared to lose as advantage. Having training alliances grossly simplifies this, but it's possible to operate a tiered structure of need-to-know, or of limiting how much you support newer players, within a full-featured alliance.

I actually see nothing wrong with wanting to nurture newbies. People seem to have funny ideas about hidden motives here xD Our leadership is full, we're not trying to keep anyone in Q&S. I like to make sure I've imparted as much advice as possible and that players get a good start to the game before they go off into the wide Illyrian world - something which I make no apology for. I'm not saying they can't get that elsewhere, before people accuse me of being all elitist, but I can at least ensure it with my own graduates. 

I started Q&S to be different from other training alliances, to offer a higher quality training than just spamming resources and I think we achieve that. I'm immensely proud of the handful of players who have made it to graduation. Our graduate medals are intended as a badge of honour - handing them out is a privilege - and only those who obtain them are guaranteed to be fully trained in the basics. 

That is actually a very good idea KP and something which should probably be on my alliance page - I shall add it now. So far, I've been assuming that people understand this as there's a clear graduation point but you know what they say about making assumptions.. 

LOL good one KP ... LMAO! 

I see absolutely no problem with this what so ever.  Your entire goal is for players to enter, get trained and then leave.  He was faster than than most good for him, we should be congratulating him with a thread, not this forum thread.  

Our alliance, well established, too, had one jump ship after MANY months, and try to give us a slap of the trout worthy story yesterday.  There are IGMs amok in ILLY and you'll never know whose fishing whom.

I feel lose one ... gain another.  We personally don't talk people into leaving, nor do we chain an ankle to keep em. We just learn to cut back.

You cannot lay claim to a person's will. Loyalty is what you look for and that ain't promised either.

Soapbox crushed by my stillettos.

Nuff said,

D

Lemme add -- you have people DROP IN this game and quit next week, you have non-english speakers, and you have trolls and you have very young people .. as well being advised by their parents.. and adults with bad attitudes.. eh, just do the best with what you have.. give em your best without worrying the end result.