Pax Hobs's page

Given reoccurring questions about how the Empire of Xeilias will be structured and how new, non-Pax settlements, CCs, and individuals can join the Empire, I have prepared a very simple presentation. What it lacks in bells and whistles, I hope it makes up for in explanation.

This is best viewed in full screen mode. If not familiar with Prezi, click on the forward arrow beneath the screen to progress through the presentation. Though the urls listed do not highlight blue, they do link to the appropriate websites when clicked.

If you have any remaining question about this or any other matters regarding the Empire of Xeilias, please feel free to post them here.

You and The Empire of Xeilias Presentation

Though this program will likely not be needed for a good portion of EE (since we'll be the new players still learning the ropes), I have every intention of still making this work. Those who wish to be Guides will likely be taking notes and planning procedures as we learn the game so as to better prepare future newcomers.

Thank you for posting this.

Best of luck, Virgil.

Nice to see you on the boards, Gpunk. :)

Or beneath the shade of your whopping huge hat.

Honestly, if you have something worthwhile to offer, there should be no shame in ensuring people can easily find and peruse your thread.

Given the new buzz generated by the Second Land Rush, this is the perfect time to remind budding settlements to think big...to contemplate participation in something larger than a single settlement, and thereby take an active role in shaping a nation.

This belongs higher up. :)

Another UO experience.

Because of the camera angle in UO, and the two dimensional, paper cut-out animation of the characters, mobs, and animals, if you walked behind animals, you could actually be overlapped sometimes. To my twisted glee, I discovered that if you managed to position a horse just right, then commanded it to "Stay", then walked behind it so that it's legs covered your legs and it's head and neck covered your torso and head, you could be completely hidden behind it. Positioned near a busy road, and with UO's equivalent of "Say" being words that floated above your head (there was no chat channel at the time), I was able to make it look like my horse was talking to passersby.

"Hey buddy...got a carrot for a poor horse who's down on his luck?"

etc.

:)

Well played, sir. Well played. ;)

This seems "sort of" the right place to possibly ask (or at least all the right people to gain an answer from are here)...if you want to buy a second account, do you have to have a second Paizo/GW account to do so, or can you do it with your existing account?

Several people I asked were uncertain.

If my assumption that this was a proper place to post this question was in error, I apologize in advance.

Just in case people wonder, Cat is still lurking about and doing things...just not with the group.

Nope...I'm pretty sure that toon was Blodget.

I suppose I should toss one in here as well.

In Vanguard, I played a Halfling created totally to supply comic relief for other players. I basically hung out at the city bank and interacted with the patrons, using a number of "scams" so silly that it was clear I wasn't actually trying to scam players.

1. I would climb over the bank teller counter and stand at one of the empty windows. When people came in to do their banking, I would say, "Next in line, please," or "I can help you down here..." and promise that if they deposited coin to open a new account, they would win a nice gift (like the old "open an account and win a free toaster" gimmick), though in this case it was usually an odd body part off some animal or a dead fish or a rock.

2. I would walk up to someone who owned a large pet and introduce myself as a member of the city's exotic pet control commission. I would explain to them that bringing an exotic pet into town was quite dangerous and that they would need to purchase an exotic pet licence...which I could provide for a nominal fee. I actually sold quite a few of them.

3. I would walk up behind some large fighter type in shiny metal armor, and using the wave emote while typing *Blodget polishes <insert name> armor*. If they didn't respond right off the bat, I would add the typed emote *Blodget spits on <insert fighter's name> armor and continues polishing* Most actually gave me a tip. Those who didn't got an earful about how hard my life was and that I couldn't afford such fine possessions as they were sporting and here I was working my fingers to the bone to feed my wife and twelve starving children...and not even a copper piece.

Given the tone of the forums of late, and the growing excitement and tension spawned by the anticipation of the next Landrush, I thought it might be a good time for a little levity. After all, we are going to be living together in the same world shortly. If we can't enjoy a laugh with one another, we're likely taking all this much too seriously.

Please reply with your most memorably funny experience from any game you have played. From a charmingly cute anecdote to tales of gut-busting hilarity, let's share what we have enjoyed in the past with others, in hopes of better ensuring our mutually enjoyable future.

I thought it was Empbro??!!

EDIT: Nah... sounds too much like embrio

=P

EDIT2: Dammit Daz! Stop bumpin' other people's threads! Geez...

We greatly appreciate your assistance. :)

That's not the only way to join either! We are accepting independent settlements and companies as well!

Don't think you'll have the numbers for the Land Rush but are interested in establishing a POI? We can help you make this happen!

Settlements that join get equal voting rights in the Imperial High Consul (executive branch)!

Sponsored Charter Companies get equal voting rights on the Xeilian Praetura (legislative council)!

Don't wanna be involved in the big picture as far as Xeilias is concerned but still think you want to operate a business out of the Empire?

Private Charter Companies can lease settlement space and don't have ties to the Empire.

Last but not least, even though the Empire, right now, is a strictly lawful entity does not mean we don't accept Neutral or Chaotic allies. Currently we cannot support chaotic training, but hopefully we'll have that rectified in short order!

This is exactly what we would like any potential members to know. The Xeilian Empire was purposely designed to be inclusive of other non-Pax groups. From its conception, we have been looking to create not simply a single settlement, but a nation, with as much diversity and opportunity, as much breadth as well as depth, as this game's systems will allow. And where the game systems may not provide for the relationships we know will be the most beneficial to our members, the Xeilian Charter does, in the form of Alliances. As we have said elsewhere, the Xeilian Empire may have originally been a Pax sponsored idea, but it is not a Pax dominated entity, nor do we wish it to be if we are to stay true to our ideals of creating a greater community within PFO.

Much the same way several wise coalitions are now banding together to realize their individual groups' dreams of settlement ownership via the coming Second Landrush, The Xeilian Empire aspires to do the same on a nation level. To get the most out of PFO, a game designed to encourage (if not require) meaningful interaction and cooperation between groups, the Xeilian Empire hopes to be forward thinking enough to promote this scale of interdependence now rather than later. After all, truly great things take foresight and planning. With that in mind, we invite you, from individual player to whole settlement, to join us as partners in forging your dreams and our dreams into something greater than them both.

Hobs

Also, we have a recruitment video for the settlement we are sponsoring. Please take a moment to watch it, and thanks to Quietus for building it!

Very nicely done. :)

Bringslite - this level of motivation and enthusiasm is but one reason why we're so thrilled to have you back. :)

To the readers...if you seek the challenge of taking the high road in a world likely filled with less seemly paths, we of the Xeilian Empire invite you to inquire here.

Must have been a really slow night on the forums...

In diplomacy, one must be well informed as to what the other side desires.

Behold...the power of cheese. :)

Did we just recruit Alexander? Yay!

Shhh...quiet. :)

Lhan - Thank you for the kind words, and you are certainly correct. Pax has no more interest in people who are playing to break the game or griefing than any other group desirous of a positive gaming environment. In the Pax Gaming Charter (Link), we clearly state the following:

6.5 RULES OF ENGAGEMENT (ROE): Players have a right to be free from griefing. While most online games are about war, the Pax Gaming Community is against the griefing of other players. In addition to the harassment and verbal abuse rules, Pax members will conduct themselves with the utmost honor in all aspects of the game related to PVP combat.

As Dacrnes rightly puts it, "Positive gameplay starts somewhere, we can all see to it that it starts with EE, whether we are a part of this accord or not." My hope is that no one assumes that if a group is not in the accord, that they must also not value positive game play.

Darnes - How on Earth did I get dragged into your list. :P Seriously speaking, regardless of the person, if what they are saying makes sense - good sense for all of us - then what they are saying should be thoughtfully considered, regardless of their posting frequency, guild allegiance, popularity, etc.

Those of us who have been here since at least the first Kickstarter have certainly invested enough time, effort, hope, and money into this game. Though there will be competition, and competition does not equate to griefing, we should all be ensuring that this opportunity we have waited so long to experience is a positive one.

It's Mbando! Haven't seen you for a while. Welcome back. :)

Yes - confusion was what I should have put.

Sorry - I'm way over-tired...still recovering from a 4 day trip with 380 middle school students to Washington D.C.

Welcome back :)

Very kind of you to change the name and limit possible future participation. Good luck on all your ventures. :)

Congratulations.

They're a very nice bunch. :)

Dogan,

Thank you for the "Rah!" It is much appreciated. :)

Pax Areks wrote:

The issue is Pax is getting looked at as the guild when its not.

I guess you define 'guild' differently than I do.

I believe part of the issue with third parties watching this play out is that many are unfamiliar with Gaming Communities. If Aeternum and Golgotha are viewed as the same entity simply because their players belong to the same greater gaming community, then as members of Pax, one could misconstrue that our PFO Pax numbers exceed 2,000 members (the total of Pax gaming). However, not only is that not the case, but the majority of Pax Gaming members have no interest in PFO at all. Even in some of the existing games Pax members play (such as SWTOR) we have separate Divisions (our name for "Guild) with totally separate rosters, forums, leadership, etc.

In the very same way as mentioned above, Aeternum and Golgotha are separate in every way within Pax, from membership rosters, Divisional structure, voting, recruitment, forums, forum permissions, and even post tag alerts on the Pax forums to keep discussions about specific divisions and those alerted to them separate - as separate as our other game divisions that play totally different games, yet still reside in Pax Gaming. When the question of a settlement site for Golgotha began, Aeternum's leadership was very clear to its membership that as much as we might give suggestions (just as TEO and T7V closely discussed their settlement location choices with one another), the final decisions about Golgotha were totally Golgotha's choice because they are a separate entity.

I believe the other clouding factor here is that we at Pax have begun nation building at a time when some CCs and proposed settlements are still just forming and announcing their presence. Whereas most players of themepark games tend to think of guilds as separate themed entities where alliances may or may not ever be a factor or even needed, the three current PFO divisions within Pax have been working collaboratively for many months to create a nation level empire. However, as I posted in (this) thread, the empire is not a Pax only entity. We welcome the inclusion of non-Pax CCs and settlements which will each receive equal voting rights, just as each of the three current Pax PFO divisions maintain separate voting rights. We are currently in talks with many non-Pax guilds and other gaming communities...if they join the Empire prior to the Second Landrush, will their votes also be equally denied by association...and moving into the future, will they need to fear similar penalties leveled by the GW management simply because they have chosen to join a larger organization than the typical guild? Having taken to heart Ryan Dancey's advice that the only way to stop large parties bent on "breaking" the game is to create another "Big Town" to counter their efforts, are we who have begun that very process by founding the Xeilian Empire, now to be penalized for fear that we will be "too big"?

Being a community minded player, my greatest concern with this current issue is one of fairness to the paying customer. Golgotha, as it exists today, was not part of Pax during the first Land Rush. As a result, most of the current members did not vote for Aeternum. Some did vote for other now defunct guilds, some of which have been absorbed into Golgotha. All three Division leaders in Pax have made it very clear that if a vote was already cast for Aeternum, regardless of whether that member is no longer in Aeternum, they may not cast a vote for Golgotha in the Second Landrush. However, as customers who have paid for EE acounts, if those who did not vote for Aeternum are now being lumped together with a settlement they are not truly a part of, did not vote for, and did not plan to reside in once settlements are possible, is their legitimate vote not now being denied them - a vote they believed they had paid for by backing the second Kickstarter or purchasing equivalent accounts in the GW Store? As it has been stated, those not voting for the winning three "guilds" are now free to vote for whomever they wish in the Second Landrush. Again, as paying customers who did not vote for the winning three, how can these players' right to vote now be denied in good faith by the company whose game they backed?

Respectfully,

Hobs

*Tosses him a bone to chew on*

Having been chatting with you and yours before your announced launch, I am very pleased to see that you have made public your big jump into the PFO pond. If there is anything I can do to help you feel more at home, do not hesitate to ask.

Again, welcome and good luck in all your endeavors.

Hobs

*tips his green hat*

Pax Hobs wrote:

the diplomatic desk is once again manned. :)

Well, thank goodness. I've been stuck dealing with Areks, and he's been nothing but reasonable, welcoming, and forthright....

Glad you're back!

We try not to let him too far off the leash, but this time, at least, he was well behaved. ;)

T7V Avari wrote:

I kind of got the look Charlie Sheen got when he admitted to volunteering in Platoon ;p

J/K of course. Looking forward to this formalized diplomacy between our organizations!

SPY!!!! KILL HIM!!!!

Nice :P

First, forgive me for my delayed congratulations. I've been out of town for the past 4 days, helping to chaperon 380 8th graders on a Washington D.C. trip. I seem to have missed all the Landrush announcements and I'm still catching up on threads (and sleep).

I hope your chosen location affords you and yours all the peace and prosperity I know you were seeking for Brighthaven, not only for yourselves, but for those you hope to protect.

As I told Alexander over on the Pax forums, in my official capacity as Imperial Ambassador, I look forward to working with him and TEO. As Hobs, I'll be looking to visit with something tasty in hand to share once we all get settled.

Someone mentioned an interest in trade in the Community Introductions thread (Uliyah; I didn't want to recruit in the Community Introductions thread).

I did actually share Aeternum's information with Uliyah within the Roll Call thread, but only because that poster does not have PMs turned on.

I've been gone for 4 days, but I'm back. Then again, as usual, Cat is off doing Cat things...

Uliyah,

Welcome to the forums. Being a social player myself, new names and faces are always good to see.

If you fancy trade and economics, might I point you in the direction of Pax Aeternum and it's trade hub settlement Callambea which will, when settlements come into play, be located at hex "H" on the map linked (here) as officially announced in the most current Goblin Works blog located (here).

If you would like to gain a better vision of how Callambea fits into the larger picture of the Empire of Xeilias, please visit the Paizo forum thread found (here).

If you have any other questions, feel free to PM me here. Again, welcome to forums.

Be well.

Hobs

I go away for a 4 day educational feild trip with my students and all this happens.

Thanks to all nonPaxians for your kind words.

For any who would like to learn more about opportunities within the Empire of Xeilias and how it may be the place for you, your CC, or your settlement, the diplomatic desk is once again manned. :)

And Bringslite - welcome back.

I will go ahead and happily extend an invitation for you to visit Brighthaven once constructed. We'd be happy to have you!

Thank you, Alexander. And I've always liked your bookish mouse. ;)

Let me be an early voice to say that I approve of this new presentation of your restructuring. You may even find me visiting Fidelis or arranging business dealings in Callambrea, if my presence is welcome there.

As far as seeking to beat you or join you, I am sure there are mutually beneficial arrangements to be found that do not require either and I hope to locate them and discuss them in the future.

First, thank you for the kind words. More than "may", I fully plan to visit Brighthaven if I am welcome.

Second, I would echo Pax Charlie George - as long as anyone comes in peace, they should have little to be concerned about. From a diplomatic (and personal) standpoint, I am always open to meeting, chatting, and finding mutually beneficial common ground.

Hobs

I've listed you in Guild Recruitment & Helpful Links and placed you next to Pax Aeternum. You know the rest :)

Many thanks.

Introduction:

Below you will find the outline for the newly envisioned Empire of Xeilias. Those of us who have been hard at work on the restructuring of the Empire believe that it is different enough in this most current iteration as to warrant a new thread. We hope this does not break any norms of forum decorum, but we believe the changes are significant enough, and the inability to edit original posts prohibitive enough, that a fresh start would serve us better as we seek to share our vision with the PFO community. We hope it meets with your approval.

Purpose:

Whereas the existing Division (and eventual settlement) threads associated with the Xeilian Empire are for the recruitment of individual players and Charter Companies, this thread will be devoted to imperial level diplomacy and the recruitment of larger entities that desire association with the Empire of Xeilias (i.e. settlements seeking membership or alliance).

The Empire of Xeilias:

The Empire of Xeilias is a nation level alliance initially created by the merger of the Kingdom of Aeternum and the Golgothan Empire (including the Crimson Guard, Maelstrom, and The Bloody Hand). For its part, Pax intends to establish three settlements, prioritized in the following order, as recruitment and resources allow: Lawful Neutral Callambea, Lawful Evil Golgotha, and Lawful Good Fidelis.

That said, Xeilias is not a Pax nation. True, it is founded by Pax, but Pax governed settlement votes on imperial matters will each be weighted the same as any other settlements within the Empire. After all, the Xeilian Empire is owned by the citizens under its banner, as represented by the settlement leaders who vote on its councils, whether they be Pax Gaming members or not. The only difference in voting power that will exist are limited veto rights built in as a fail safe for dissolution.

To this end, the Xeilian Empire is actively pursuing new settlements wishing to become equal members. Likewise, individual companies seeking sponsorship by one of our settlements are strongly encouraged to apply to the settlement of interest - simply follow the appropriate link below. Upon acceptance, company leaders will gain the authority to represent their company's concerns on the legislative council of the Empire of Xeilias. Private Companies wishing not to tie themselves to the Empire as a whole but still wishing to establish a business in a settlement of the Empire can do so and will still have a collective voice on the legislative council.

Empire of Xeilias - Charter

Pax Divisions & Future Settlements:

Pax has been planning a presence in PFO for well over a year. Our latest iteration, The Xeilian Empire, currently consists of three varied alignments. These alignments are represented within Pax by three distinct leadership structures known as Divisions. While separate, they are bound together by pragmatic choice. The first division, Aeternum, will found the settlement Callambea which will be the Lawful Neutral trade hub of the empire. All things mercantile, from raw materials and finished goods to every manner of contract will be carefully measured and weighed like the coin that will flow through Callambea's gates. Creating an overwhelming military machine is the objective of Xeilias' second division - Lawful Evil Golgotha. By conventional armies or operations more covert, Golgotha will bring peace, at home and abroad, through strength of arms. The final member of this triumvirate, Lawful Good Fidelis, is the compassionate conscience of Xeilias. With plans on establishing Lawful Good New Kirke, Fidelis will be focusing on community. Whether through public outreach initiatives, operation of social hubs such as shrines and inns, protecting the empire from monstrous escalations, or providing for homeland defense, Fidelis will be the counterbalance to its sister, Golgotha. By spanning the spectrum of lawful alignments, Xeilias promises a rule of law for its citizens and settlements, the likes of which provides the greatest chance for prosperity, while at the same time, allowing its players the widest range of roles.

If any of these three divisions piques your interest, follow the links below to their recruiting threads here on the Paizo forums:

Aeternum
Golgotha
Fidelis

Pax Gaming:

Pax Gaming is a collection of over 2,000 community minded members committed to enjoying games of all sorts together. The community has been in existence since 2001, and its members have been experiencing games together ever since. We are a community first, and a game aspect second. This means that we fully support all playstyles including PVE, PVP, and RP. Our interests are not focused on a single game, but includes many MMO's as well as tabletop, shooters, and more. Who a recruit is as a person weighs more heavily than any other consideration. We are a group of friends, family, and likeminded geeks. Many of our members have met up in the world, and at conventions you can expect to see a table or two with Paxians. While our numbers steadily grow over the years, the quality of our family remains our single largest benefit.

Pax hosts our own server for teamspeak as well as our forums. We have an organized charter that outlines a very simple yet definitive set of rules to maintain the level of community we wish to provide. While we strongly encourage participation in roleplay, no single element of a game is enforced. Our concern is for our members to enjoy gaming together. That being said, every division of Pax Gaming has origin stories, roleplay officers, and event planners. We also promote and support officers in charge of PVE and PVP content as well.

Pax Gaming - Forums
Pax Gaming - Charter
Pax Gaming - Recruitment & New Member Oritentation

Thank you for your time and your patience with such a lengthy post.

Until we hear from you, be well.

Hobs
Imperial Ambassador
Empire of Xeilias

Yay! Lhan's back. :)

If anyone else can remember what SWG was like, before mounts and speeders. Those planets truly felt huge, and most were as dangerous as hell to cross on foot.

I do recall SWG (and still miss it), but having that huge of a world (or in SWG's case, multiple worlds) also spread the players population so thin that for a community networker like myself, it was awfully hard to find people, especially once their player-made cities were established over half a dozen worlds.

Like most things, travel time and distance needs to find a happy medium. We don't want to be like lab rats crammed into a tiny cage and at each other's throats for a little space, but we don't want to take a whole afternoon in transit just to go visit someone else's cage either.

Not a problem or a need for apology.

Options are good things. In fact, it's the lack of options that I worry most about in games. Some have become so predictable, so on rails, that the level of meaningful player choice and independence has been reduced to a negligible variable...you all end up in the same place regardless.

As much as a server message stating what was wiped would be fine with me, so would having to search for the looting NPC, only to discover that it did not have the item I sought. Tracking it down to know for sure could turn out to be one of those little side adventures that leads somewhere unpredictable and fun. To me, that scenario doesn't fall into the category of nuisance that serves no purpose. But like so many discussions on this forum, it's a matter of opinion along a continuum. What one player might see as a waste of time, another might see as an opportunity for unexpected adventure.

Lifedragn, I think a server message stating what the 25% items were would be fine. At the same time, I agree with Bludd. Not that I assume you're asking for "easy play mode", but too often there seems to be a desire to eliminate any possible inconvenience in a game via game mechanics. There has to be a happy medium between removing easily eliminated nuisances that serve no purpose other than to be irritating, and eliminating natural risks of living in a more interactive, less "on rails" environment.