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View Full Version : Let me try and mend some fences



Darth Viscera
Dec 16th, 2004, 05:29:32 AM
Hi there. I'm Visc, and most of the time I'm not a douchebag.

Let me tell you a little about myself. I started RPing at swfans back in June of 2000, and joined The Imperial Empire, an outfit run by an old-timer called Grand Admiral Thrawn. I called him Thrawnie, and he stopped RPing here in late 2000 or so. Piett and I didn't think too much of Thrawnie, so we took the fleets that were under our command and fought our way out of TIE. I created a group called the Galactic Military Alliance (the first ezboard I'd ever created, and the only one that I didn't forget about after a few months), with Piett as the Vice Diktat and 2nd in command to me, the Interim Diktat. As time went by, the GMA became larger as we gobbled up planets, turned out ships faster than a Taiwanese robot on some weird kinda robo-crack I guess, merged with all the other Imperial dudes (Darth Poreon, Khendon Sevon, Darth Darkcloak), and kicked the crap out of the ones who wouldn't merge with us (Gue). Eventually, after Gue wasn't an issue anymore, we renamed the GMA to The Galactic Empire, a name which he had held previously.

After 6 months or so had gone by, things died down, and that sucked. I mean WTF. We just had finished fighting our way out of being strangled in our cradle (metaphorically, not literally, as I despise all literal cradles), announced our badassitude by kicking the crap out of Itala, and then all the action was gone. There was no one left who felt like fighting us. Itala, who had always had a knack for energizing people for or against him (mostly against, and the thread in which we kicked his butt got 5,000 views and 500 replies, most of which I think happened in the first week), had been banned, because he got out of line a lot. Thrawnie first went to the Republic's side, then stopped RPing altogether. Gue eventually wasn't able to run anymore, because he was banned for the first time. The Sith Empire didn't want to fight, and was pissed off that we brought it up.

We started appealing to anyone who would listen. For chrissakes, unite against us, give us another battle that would be as huge as Operation Long Knives (the battle with Itala). If our fleet is too big, or you think we god moded while building it, here come on in, you can audit them. I'll tell you where each and every ship came from, and here's our receipts. Still no big battle? I tell you what, we'll make up a new set of fleet rules which should level the playing field again, so you guys will have a chance against us and that numerical superiority IC thing won't look so overwhelming. Still nothing? Hey, let's do it again. Maybe I missed something critical the first time.

This wheeling and dealing to try to re-energize participation in our RPs lasted more than 18 months, from early 2001 to late 2002. By late 2002, I was exhausted. In my mind, I had done everything under the sun, befriended and talked with every person who I thought could make a difference, in order to try and get that next big battle. There were about 2000 registered members at swfans, and of them, perhaps 10 were interested in RPing with us. I gave up.

As part of the new fleet rules, the Empire was ordered broken up for the time being, with the intention that a divided empire would inspire the NR to take a crack at a battle. It was believed that when things started heating up again, Visc could come back, reunite the Empire, and there would be a grand old battle against the NR. As Visc I took the bulk of the Imperial fleet out somewhere, and I waited for a day when I could put it to use again. I put the Empire into power-saving mode, and gave everyone a key planet which they had to hold onto, because one day I'd come back and we'd need some infrastructure before we went charging off into war. Telan's was Thyferra, which eventually came to be known as The Imperial Sovereignty.





When I posted here before, I was a bit intimidated and a bit angry. I felt angry because I had created this forum in June of 2000, but after having been idle for so long I was taken off the Moderator list, which was rather an emasculating thing for me to endure, as this forum had meant so very much to me. It took me a long time to get over it. I felt intimidated because I looked at the Imperial Sovereignty and saw a group that had moved on without me, that had somehow through some strength and persistance unknown to me had made it through the lull in RPing where I had failed to, and worse, that had done so without me. My feeling was that a group that had been through so much together without me would never accept me back, and I feared that without that vital reintegration, the day would never come where I could face that next big battle, and that I had lost my chance. Or worse, that big battle would come without me.

I didn't mean to impede the progress of your group a few months ago, and I hope I haven't. I'm not here to spoil anything. I do ask, though, that if you do something that Visc would regard as a rebellion IC, that IC I get a chance to contest it. That's really all I want.



I differ with Matt when it comes to how the Empire should be played. We are the bad guys. When faced with a rebellion, we destroyed Alderaan to try and quell it. We are Grand Moff Tarkin. We are Emperor Palpatine. We are Darth Vader. We are the army of Imperial walkers and men who raised the black flag and then stormed Echo Base, and hunted down any who escaped and tortured them in prison for 10 years afterwords. We hardly ever take prisoners, unless we need to interrogate them. That's what interrogation droids are for. The rebel scum aren't going to be checked into prisoner of war resorts. They're going to be massacred. The massacre will be filmed with a holocam and broadcast throughout the galaxy to ensure that no one else defies us by joining the Rebellion. We are the masters of the galaxy, and the appearance of our star destroyers over a rebel world heralds the coming of death and torture for all below, and they know it. We are not accepting or tolerant. If we find someone whom our ideology regards as unacceptable or inferior, they will die in the most painful way we can manage. We rule by sheer terror. Because of the nature of the charcters we play, there are times when we lose, and sometimes lose spectularly, but that's ok, because this is all a game, and it makes for great entertainment.

I'm sure that there's something I've forgotten to say here, but this post has taken a lot out of me. Really what I want to do is try to mend whatever fences I may have torn down before, and show you that I'm not an douche, and whatnot.

Telan Desaria
Dec 16th, 2004, 02:36:10 PM
No one here should think any less of Viscera for what his absance for what he did to build an Empire here is commendable. That we disagree on the Empire is legendary - I believe that prisoners who have fought honourably should be captured and accorded the full honours fo war, and after enough propoganda films on the error of democracy, be released as Imperial citizens. I think that xenophobia is a waste of resources, soldiers whos ancesral hatreds could be used to turn them into shock troops - - - Gands fight Calamari, Talz and Anzati combating one another.

I was raised IC and OOC with the precepts of honour drilled into my head and that is how I have played Desaria. On numerous occassions IC he has executed Inquisitoriate and COMPNOR officers who did not show proper respect to captured officers or treated them inhumanely. I have tried to make the Empire someone can feel proud to join. To me, the rule of force is wasteful as the rule of honour binds a people together. People in terror flee, people bound by honour fight to the death.

When this unification commences, the Empire - -or at least our sliver of it - will continue to operate as it has and will not follow any order deemed in conflict with the Articles of War.

I myself have tried to play an evil character but could not, a man tainted my war merciless war with the Vong. He failed miserably. I simply cannot get into things that way - - as a former Rl military officer, that is not how war should be fought. That it is fought that way is not in question - - but should it be?

Any officer who feels that this other way is correct may feel free to defect or alter himself but shall take no property or planet with him. If we must remain independent to die honourably, then we shall. And what an rp it shall be.

Viscera, I welcome you back. I personally think the conflict would be interesting, - an honour bound officer arguing with the Diktat over the Rules of War. But alas, that is my stance. I do not think less of you.

Silus Xilarian
Dec 17th, 2004, 03:13:14 AM
I just wanna say that with the disagreements we've had, I dont hold any grudges with Viscera at all. I do believe that if our positions were switched, we both would have acted exactly the same.

Jarek T'chort
Dec 17th, 2004, 10:34:06 AM
Last time I was mainly concerned with the fact that Telan was on hiatus - I wasn't going to commit to anything which would endanger the group Telan was tenuously building. New roleplayers with little experience who were just finding their feet on the boards (myself included).

I will admit that I was a little pissed at your attitude before, but with hindsight and knowing how much stock you place in the boards and indeed the Empire, I hold no grudges and no ill feeling towards you, Visc.

Tear
Dec 22nd, 2004, 02:37:36 AM
I gotta agree with Tchort i was angry that someone who was Imperial would be so dead set against something as simple as renaming ourselves "The Empire".

But see'ing your side of it i can understand. No grudges here. Just dont treat us new guys like we're the uesless dirt on your boots.