Neptune's Pride War Diary #2

Joe – AKA MightyPirate

I approached Neptune’s Pride with the idea that the most important resource isn’t Science, Industry or Economy – the three factors the game measures. Instead, I think it’s Trust that’s most important. Everyone needs an ally in this game and, if you can’t trust each other, you may as well not bother. It took me a while to find and settle on an alliance I felt I could rely on, but when Kevin offered to Cease Hostilities with me, unveiling his fleet activity, I knew I’d got the right man. He hasn’t proven me wrong yet - though the game doesn't recognise shared victories, so all alliances must eventually crumble.

My efforts to prove myself trustworthy however haven’t gone quite so well. I’ve made several (I feel) fair offers to other players, trading technology or space for allies or information, but not everyone has reacted well. Jamie and Harry in particular, who have allied finally after an extended period of mistrust, don’t approve of my antics. That said, I’m not entirely happy with some of their duplicity either – Harry has fed out false info on at least one occasion, for example! Still, it’s all part of the game and I may well have done the same in his position. All is fair, etc.

Figuring out what the rules of war are has been an especially interesting part of playing Neptune’s Pride for me, both literally and figuratively. Not only have we not drawn any real rules on what sort of trading and out-of-game manipulation we’ll allow, but the tutorial for Neptune’s Pride leaves a lot of grey areas to explore. Figuring out how certain functions work and the worth of each tech has been an interesting group exercise, especially when we’re torn on who we should share information with. There’s been a lot of “What happens if…” and a lot of carefully considered shrugs.

I’ve enjoyed doing that – which is a good thing, I suppose, as I’m not confident I’ll still be in the game next week. Once Mike and Clive are gone, I think Harry will come after me, gloating all the way!

Paul – AKA His Glorious Inquisition

Greetings, loyal citizens of His empire. I have with me an update on our progress in our holy war to bring His glorious light to the rest of the galaxy.

We started well and many lands were captured in the blink of an eye, quickly catapulting us to our rightful place as the leading civilization in known space. Our sacred space ships soon ran up against worlds colonized by the nonbelievers, stopping our expansion short. We held our ships back knowing early bloodshed could be detrimental to relations however, a wise move we believe.

Despite our peaceful words though we have been beset upon by the daemon Kempans. They challenge us in the South East segment of our empire and unfortunately the war goes far from well. Poor communication and rushed orders left a number of worlds open to the invaders. Relief forces are en route to assist our beleaguered troops but we fear it may be too little too late.

Do not despair though brothers, we have His will on our side and surely this means we cannot fail. We must learn from such events and emerge stronger, wiser and ever more able to do his bidding.

Sleep well believers and cast all doubt from your hearts.

His will be done.