When I began blogging ,many moons ago here,there used to be a great deal of interaction between the imaginations.A map of Europe was drawn up,countries exchanged diplomats even fought!We seem to have lost that focus a little over time.I wonder if there is any interest in doing so again?
9 comments:
Yes! How was this done in the old days.
I've been troubled by the same symptom . . . but my (and my wife's) health has been such that I've had little time or energy to address this.
Thank you for bringing it up.
-- Jeff
Yes, what is the proper protocol for the exchange of Ambassadors
Adam, in one instance it was just 'pick and imaginary fight' = like Jeff did with Vile Stagonia and Tipplebruder.
Then we did some proxy games.
Ultimately it was part of why I was busy producing all those bubble maps etc.
In the end it requires activity from those 'so interested' and follow up.
Ambassador exchange?
Just reach out.
Stagonia says . . . "Not true, not true. This absolutely false."
"Tipplebruder initiated the war by its vile attacks on the gentle and peaceful Kingdom of Stagonia."
"We were taken completely by surprise . . . and were only barely able to defend ourselves by the valiant efforts of our volunteer militia . . . despite the massive alliance of evil countries that colluded against us."
"It was Tipplebruder which (via many foul plots) strove to undermine Stagonian integrity."
"You can clearly read about it in our official history. Do not believe the lies of those calumnious
countries who are jealous of the love with which our citizens revere our monarch."
-- Stagonian Spokesman
(note that he seemed to have difficulty in keeping a straight face; almost as if he were trying to keep from laughing.)
Yes, there was a lot more interaction between EvE countries 'in the beginning': 'good old times' and all that...
Why this disinterest? For a part, because some members switched their interest to other periods ("Dispersion, the bane of so many a wargamer!") or to other wargaming endeavors. Minden Miniatures 'costed' us Leder Hosen and Fife & Drum Miniatures Hesse-Seewald and the missions of Milady de Winter -while Bill Protz passed from the achievements of Lady Pettygree to those of her grand-grand-grand nephew general Pettygree....
Also, many 'old hands' entirely dropped wargaming and blogging: look (right column) at the last date of update of so many blogs associated with 'EvE' (Monte-Cristo is a special case since I update old posts -editing them, adding § and illos or appending comments- instead of posting new messages): Real Life is a harsh mistress, and we age. For the younger this means getting a job, raising a child... and for the older, simply getting older, with associated health problems.
Now this 'screed of silence is not proper to 'EvE': e.g. the 'Great Pangaean Campaign' of an once very dynamic Australian group is stagnant for years. There is also the rarity of new recruits (outside 'EvE' the publication of the 'Maurice' rules triggered the launching of several multiplayers 'imag-native' campaigns but they proceed very, very slowly if at all). So maybe general factors -the 2008 crisis, I suspect- impact of our hobby?
Yet some forms of friendly interactions are not very time-consuming. Outside shared or proxied military campaigns or battles the exchange of ambassadors and medals, for instance, or the 'gift' of characters (with or without their miniature), or the Grand Tour of Eveurope by the Reich Duke of Beerstein. Some types of play -'adventures' at individual level...- with a 'story telling' approach such as the escape of the Duchess of Saschen-Window are propitious to 'light' interaction.
Interaction maybe even without (at first) actual use of miniatures, when a character or place created by an 'EvE' member was mentioned by another Imagi-Nation ruler, e.g. the visits of Cardinal von Roskilde to Monte-Cristo (part of his own Grand Tour, entirely reported on 'Eve', and conclusion of it since 'Herzog Ignaz' ceased to post a little later, so afaik the good Cardinal is still enjoying our hospitality).
Such 'light', not time-consuming interactions (requiring only to toy with ideas and then posting them at leisure) can be fruitful to host and guest, specially if a part of RPG campaign (independent or ± parallel to a 'serious' military one). For instance by stimulating the development of the 'fluff' relative to the visited country. The visit of a Catalan representative to Monte-Cristo (& newer posts labelled 'Marquis of Vilana') led to the creation of a rich Monte-Cristan character, Claire Baizanville: she was invented by 'Soldadets' but her part in the 'RPG side' of the her part in the 'RPG side' of the Defiant Principality campaign prompted me to develop her character and past -in comments on Soldadets' blog and on my own (in several posts actually)- which I greatly enjoyed.
@ NOMADIC OLD SCHOOL GAMER & all not-veterans.
There was a lot of diplomatic activity and shared story-telling here in late 2007 and 2008, specially from april on; still a little more recently -but so little...
Sending or exchange of ambassadors is announced on 'EvE' (with an echo on the relevant blogs). The same for diplomatic replies, occasionally for the details of the legate's travel and reports of the newly arrived ambassadors.
It happened that the miniature figurine of the ambassador was actually sent, but it's obviously not compulsory -or even common practice- at all.
Making the ruler of a foreign imagi-nation a member of the most prestigious Order of your own state was done and acknowledged in the same way. Members skilled with photoshop or whatever made an image of their medal the receiver could post on his own blog (re e.g. Beerstein).
In some cases -mostly for the *still uncompleted* 'shared' Jacobite rebellion- character(s) from one country were sent to join the army of a friendly state (generally to act as ADC if still wearing their national uniform). Again the corresponding miniature figurine *could* actually be sent to the receiving 'EvE' member.
Yes, EVE activities do seem to have subsided a good deal in the past couple of years. The battle for Tippelbruder was quite a highpoint, in retrospect. I know that my SYW blog has been more my focus of late, producing flags and uniforms (although not so many uniforms for some time) and I confess I've been neglecting Tippelbruder. It's not for want of ideas but energy and time. I still have a story of Signor Bass and the Samurai to relate, and the Tippelbruder medal just needs finishing before being dispatched to its many recipients.
So, as a small gesture, I resolve to make a start again on Tippelbruder stories ASAP.
Cheers,
David.
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