Neptune's Pride War Diary #1

Clive – AKA Doctor Zurgle

I’ve hosted the game for others to join and, as I was setting things up Joe described all the evil things that he’s heard people do to each other in Neptune’s Pride. I still (at this point, at least) believe that these people must have had an evil or devious disposition which the game merely exposed. We’ll see whether I can cling to this lofty ideal in the face of a rush from Harry.

Joe and I both think Harry is going to go in super-aggressive, so we’re planning some kind of alliance to keep him in check. It’s either that or we’ll have to suffer endless bragging about how much better he is than us...

As the game began Alex ever so helpfully publicly posted that I have the best start position. This is supposedly based on me having the most stars nearby to colonise, and not in the same way as shouting, ‘Look, he’s got the ball!’ While I have indeed got quite a few stars nearby, I’m also surrounded on all sides by four other players. Harry, meanwhile, has a corner of the galaxy all to himself, which is a position I’d much prefer. It also doesn’t help that Harry’s colour is a Dark Red that’s quite hard to see – it’s like he’s playing in stealth mode.

My opening tactic is to nab the best stars as quickly as I can – notably nearby Deneb, which has a resource rating of 45. You don’t need to fight to conquer neutral planets, so I should go expansion crazy. I’ve named all my fleets after the Lords of Stormhold and have started researching Weapons technology like mad - being in the middle of four other players means I probably won’t need Speed, Range or Scanners for a bit.

Joe – AKA MightyPirate

In my excitement over the conflict and paranoia that Neptune’s Pride supposedly breeds in players, I’m a little worried I might have sabotaged myself. While we had a full roster of players set up to play on Thursday, Paul asked us to wait until Monday before we started, so he could get to a PC and play properly. I used that waiting time to inquire about alliance possibilities and joke about betrayals, resulting in Clive nicknaming me ‘The Puppetmaster’. Hopefully that hasn’t damaged my credibility too much – as I do plan to keep any promises I make.

Paul, as it turned out, was the major proponent of strife. In the pub on Friday evening it was pointed out that Paul could theoretically force the game to start early by joining the game before Monday (matches start once they have a full roster and the rest of us were all signed up). Panic ensued as everyone tried to log in and see if he had done so, things only worsening when Jamie pointed out that it didn’t even have to be Paul who did. All of us knew the password for our private game, so any player could force an early start and get a two-day lead on the others...

Thankfully, everyone was trustworthy enough not to game the system so openly and the match kicked off as planned. I was immediately dismayed to see I was dropped in the middle ground, as I’d much rather have Kevin’s corner of the map. It became clear that I’d need to build strong alliances to protect myself, so I approached a few candidates in turn and drew up strict borders and no-fly zones in return for promises of support. In the process I gathered plenty of info and thoughts from other players, which could prove useful provided the information is accurate…

Apart from trying to create alliances, my main focus at the start has been to bulk Weapons and Economy. I don’t plan to attack anyone for a while yet, but I want a strong defence – which I’m going to achieve through strength of arms and large finances. I’ve also named all my fleets after classic science fiction novels.

Paul – AKA His Glorious Inquisition

People, the time has come. His divine will is to be spread throughout the known galaxy. Let the heretics be burnt by His light, let those who wish to believe be welcomed warmly and let those who choose to believe just a little too quickly be watched vigilantly.

Do not misunderstand; the journey will not be easy. The heretics and mutants have already shown their underhandedness and cunning by starting the space race during the holy Coverack holiday week. It took much effort to manage the fleets while we were otherwise engaged in such a fashion; truly His light must be with us.

He, in his divine benevolence, has located us to the galactic North East. This could prove challenging as no less than three empires will border our own holy lands. Clearly there is much work to be done.

Steel your souls, pick up your tools and donate your gold to the cause. Surely this is His will and we are assured of victory. There may be dark times but these will make the light appear ever brighter.

His will be done.