Issue 8 - Turn 746

 

  

 

  Click here for back issues

Hired Swords

Children Crying Over A Broken Toy

The Editorial

Rambling Randal

Interview

Classifieds: 

Terminals Purged List

Corby's Turnulator

Spectral Duck's Homepage

TBG Anon Mail

TBG Protect - your one stop shop for your protection needs.

Tired of the status quo? contact the Pirate Alliance at pirate_alliance@
yahoo.com

Are you a budding Mack the Hack or Nigel Villiers-Smythe? Writers needed. Contact us at thetbgtribune@
yahoo.co.uk with an example of your work, and we will let you know.

Contact us to advertise in this space. E-mail address in the Editorial Section.

 

HIRED SWORDS
by Nigel Villiers-Smythe

Mercenaries have always been viewed upon in a bad way. They are a bunch of money grabbing extortionists. They will work for a person, and then very soon turn round and stab the person in the back, purely out of greed and lust for more money. Is the newly formed TBG Mercenary Guild going to be any different? Well, we asked one of the Guild Leaders about this new group, and what plans they had. He said that "The Guild is planning on showing that Mercenaries are not bad thing, and only open to the super rich folk. We aim to provide a way for all ships to be able to influence every other ship so that they need not be limited by their size." So, things are looking interesting so far. Their website shows what they do for people, and has a couple of conditions of their contracts. However, it fails to mention what happens if you do not pay up for a contract. Traditionally, mercenaries are known for using the hard tactics on those who don't pay up - ie the words pain and lots of it enter into the equation somewhere. So, will this new mercenary guild be like that? The Guild Leader says: "It will be nothing of the sort. We're demanding very little money up front; offering full refunds for unsuccessful jobs, and charging very low amounts for tasks undertaken. Needing to strong-arm non-payers is the last thing we plan to do. Remember, it's not personal, it's just business."

So, all in all, it appears that the longstanding thoughts that have been held by the majority about mercenaries is about to be taken out with the trash. For those who want to know more about the Mercenary Guild, their website is http://www.angelfire.com/nb/mercenary/

 

CHILDREN CRYING OVER A BROKEN TOY
by Nigel Villiers-Smythe

For those of you that tune in regularly to the public mailing lists, you will have no doubt seen an installment of the latest soap opera to hit To Boldly Go. The main characters in this soap are Dora and Constitution, with occasional cameos from LUG'S BELT, Rosalind, and Flying Haddock. It all began with the forming of the FIP, and political party in direct opposition to Constitution, and grew from there. However, it appears to be turning into a slanging match, where each of the actors is intent on getting the last word. It does not put either of them in a good light however as it is seen by quite a few of the rest of the galaxy as childish and not becoming of the President and the former Dybuk Hunter. LUG'S BELT has set up a mailing list for them, but as far as our sources indicate, neither Dora nor Constitution has taken the opportunity to join the Endless Bickering list yet. Will we see more of this in the next few turns? Well, there is a simple answer to that question: Yes!

 THE EDITORIAL

Welcome back to the TBG Tribune. Sorry for the long delay, but the engineers decided to take all of the christmas and new year period off, so we only managed to get our networks back online properly last week. However, we hope now to be back in glorious technicolour, and are planning on bringing you the latest TBG news as and when it happens.

Those of you who are observant will have noticed a lack of certain features in this issue of the tribune - namely the Financial Section and the SN shop report. This is due to the fact that the program that calculates the financial details is not yet fully functional (we are awaiting a new license from the manufacturers) and we have not informed the SN that we are back yet, so we haven't had a report from them. These items and hopefully the letters section will be back in the next issue. Remember, if you want to contribute articles to the Tribune, please do mail us at the address below.

Keep the feedback coming in to thetbgtribune@yahoo.co.uk.

The TBG Tribune Editorial Team 

SIR: Society In Recession? - Rambling Randal

At the very end of its existence, the Roman Empire rose to the highest heights of decadence and corruption, and then was smashed by a bunch of Vandals who wouldn't have ever had a chance to sack Rome at the height of its power. In contrast, SIR seems to be ending its existence in total silence. Blink, and you may not have even noticed them dissapear into nothingness.

To me, SIR was never really an in-your-face kind of alliance. They kind of kept to themselves. The last I even heard a peep out of them was when Maher Shalal Hash Baz and the newly captained Mendelssohn took off to found FIST with scores of turns of information from the SIR database. SIR's response was blustery, and maybe even a few battles were fought, but the end result was SIR's signing of a private treaty on turn 605 and then dissapearing from sight forever. In fact, their old official website at http://hip.as/sir/ has been inaccessable since they moved it there. My browser just sits and tries to load it until I get bored and tell it to stop. I don't even know who, if anyone, is in charge over there anymore (ed - This was written before Aimless Wanderer announced that he had been elected as SIR leader). Newbies have been joining other alliances after leaving SIR, telling stories how no older members post to the SIR list and newbie posts go unanswered. They described the atmosphere as "cold."

I was beginning to think of SIR as just an information sharing alliance like the GIN or Menudo. That would make sense. I mean, Menudo is dead too. There really is no reason to talk. You give your URL, you get information. After the HELLpDESK v. Trekker incident, these suspicions of mine were essentially confirmed by the total absence of any movement on the part of SIR. Not until players started rubbing salt in the wound did we hear anything at all. Now it seems SIR is kind of stuck in limbo, being unable to evolve into the pure info sharing alliance they essentially are, because they have past memories of faded SIR glory that needs to be defended. I mean lets face it, they haven't been involved in TBG for hundreds for turns. Holding onto some semblance of group honor is only holding them back. Then again, being just an information sharing alliance doesn't get you anywhere as a group either. Whether SIR wants to be an information sharing alliance ala the GIN, or an actual real alliance, they need to do some major restructuring. Otherwise, I think there is a stench from inside the house, and someone should call the coroner.

-RR

The Tribune Interview - Annushka Moya, Prophet of the Fierce One

This issue's interview is with the latest to ascend to the rank of Prophet of the Fierce One, Annushka Moya.

 

 Q. You have recently become Prophet of the Fierce One. What do you see as your major goal(s) in this position?

To promote Fierceness while also doing what is possible to reduce the amount of piracy and evilness in the galaxy. The Registry of Hostilities is intended to allow captains to be Fierce and to enhance their fighting prowess without subsequently being branded a pirate. I understand that the initial version of the system may have a few kinks in it, but believe that, given time, they can be worked out for every captain's benefit.

I also hope to provide the definitive clearinghouse for identification of who the true pirates are. It seems that many people are unsure of who they truly should be wary of and hope that a single list will allow people to start to understand the shifting influences of good and evil.

Q. When Mendelssohn stepped down as Prophet, it appeared that a favour war was about to ensue, but this stopped very soon after you took over as Prophet. Why do you think this was?

As some of your readers know, there are two major political alliances in the galaxy - FIST and FIP. With Mendelssohn stepping down, there was shaping up to be a significant power struggle between the two sides over the Prophethood. As I realized this, I also heard the Fierce Old One calling to me. He told me that an extended power struggle would do nothing but help the forces of Evil.

After all, if the mantle of the Prophet were to be shifted after only a turn or two, it would be impossible to properly sustain Chosen to fend off the Dybuk of Evil or punish those who would release him. So I attempted to step up to the challenge, which was not insignificant. I was able to show both of the sides that the galaxy as a whole was better served by a neutral Prophet than by one who could only hold the mantle through an attrition of favor. I'm pleased that I was able to thread my way through the maze of conflicting desires and arrive at agreements that are beneficial to all, especially those who truly do the work of fighting Evil and piracy.

Q. How long do you intend to remain as Prophet?

As long as the Fierce Old One has faith in me and sustains me through the works that captains do. As of right now, I have no plans to step down (having only so recently assumed the mantle).

Q. If you had not become Prophet, who would you have liked to see as Prophet of the Fierce One?

A very tough question as I see so many captains who would want the  mantle of Prophet for their own personal gains rather than for the betterment of all. I believe that LUG'S BELT would be well-suited to the task. He is one of the few captains I know who truly believes that there is no truer calling than fighting Evil in all of its forms. This is not to say that there are not other captains who could do as well, but I'd be hard pressed to think of another who has done what he has done and as dilligently. It is one of the reasons that LUG'S BELT was among the very first captains who I Chose. The Grace of the Fierce One is truly upon him.

Q. There have been a few players who have accused you of being with FIST, and that you being Prophet is just another extension of their political aspirations. What do you have to say in reponse to those people?

I say "Ppppttttttbbbbbhhhhttttt!!!!"

Let me elaborate upon that, though. I am a member of FORT. I have been for a very long time and have made no bones about it. But in the true political and alliance wrangling, I am a neutral (or as close to neutral as is possible these days). On that distant planet, Earth, I would be the equivalent of an Independent. I'm not allowed to vote in any of the primaries, but I do vote for the person I feel best suited to the task. So far, none of the other candidates have put forth more than "We don't want Constitution to be President" as their platform. This strikes me as specious. I have voted for Constitution in the past. However, it is not an automatic process - I carefully consider who I vote for each and every time.

I would also look at those who asked about the politicization of the Prophethood and wonder at their political motivations.

Q. Were you surprised when Mendelssohn stepped down as Prophet, and had you planned long to take the position?

I believe I was as surprised as everyone else was when Mendelssohn suddenly stepped down. Prior to him resigning, I honestly hadn't given that much thought to the position of Prophet beyond some musings about it being  hard to tell who the real "bad guys" were in the universe. However, when he did step down and I heard my calling, I knew what I had to do. And the first step in that was to start organizing those who would become my supporters (as well as attempting to satisfy my detractors) in order to allow me to step into the position. Quite honestly, it happened in much less time than I had originally thought it might take.