Can we do something more to encourage underdog play and discourage the heavy bandwagoning? I think we can!

Cf is a game where there are literally imms watching that can interfere directly with the game in interesting and dynamic ways.

Imagine my cabal is being raided by super AP emperor with his 5 buddies who rolled specifically to gank with him as a horde.

Maybe instead of me being a sitting duck with zero ability to do anything, and just log off, an imm could grant me a "feeling of great courage against all odds" which would give me a full set of buffs and something like executioners grace or death blow for 40 hours or something.

No power creep, just a chance to stand against the huge mechanical advantage the gangbangers enjoy.

While this sounds good in theory, my major concerns would be accusations of favoritism and judgment. We are hardly infallible, and both past history of Immortal objectivity and thoughts of how even I might feel as a player on the bandwagon side if I were to die because of someone actively receiving Immortal help.

That said, I certainly agree with the root idea and some benefit of a form of automation is the removal of possible accusations of unfair bias.

Also, the underdog that does put up the good fight HAS traditionally been the sort to be rewarded, haven't they?

...NILILAH WANT NEXUS! :O

I rest my case.

What I've seen from the Empire-related Twitter feed all but guarantees I won't participate in Cabal wars. I remain unconvinced Empire ought to exist in CF's present environment. Between the Scions of Eternal Night and the Cult of the Scarab, evil-aligned characters are well-catered to. (Not to mention Outlander for those looking for something off the beaten path. Pun intended.)

Crucially, reducing evil-only cabal choices to Scarab and Scion will encourage great infighting among evil characters, which notably includes intra-Scarab and intra-Scion conflicts. Since the alignment typically attracts more skilled & PK-oriented players, while Fortress usually appeals to lesser experienced or not as PK-oriented players, this ought to help resolve the issue.

These guys never got to pile into Scion. At least, not in recent years.

A pile of scions or scarabs would be worse than a pile of imperials. Particularly if they arrange the mix of classes.

Empire uniquely encourages a group mentality. A "team evil" ethos, albeit with a few catches.

By contrast, Scarab embodies a ruthless individualism where conflicts between cultists are intentionally positioned as the most interesting aspect of the cabal. Likewise, Scion's hierarchy lacks the "team evil" ethos: falter and you are murdered rather than demoted.

Out of those doctrines, it's self-evident which two need to be made preeminent.

Scarab doesn't particularly promote conflict between members. Pretty sure there's even an internal script that says betrayal of scarabs will be punished.

And in theory, Empire sects aren't meant to be particularly cooperative. People seem to have left behind true intersect infighting.

To cut back on the mix of classes empire permits. And make them hunt those that don't have a sect they can rise to lead.

The typical sign of the ooc group in empire is when the classes that can only be citizens appear, to augment the rest.

I'd consider removing healers and bards, and making them, together with muters and shifters, hunted.

You still have arguably the best warrior powers, good ap and necro powers, and decent shadow powers. Necro can do a fair bit in terms of buffing others.

I think it could potentially be automated too, rather than IMM driven.

For example, if a solo Villager is trying to defend against a squad of Imperials perhaps he could ask the Destructor for support. The benefit could be dependant on how many Imperials are online, perhaps their PK ability (if Beront's Emperor turns up solo maybe you get it anyway) and if they're within PK (needs to be broad or people will solo the Giant to minimise the benefit).

As example the Destructor might "inspire you" and sing a few kick ass Bard songs. I'm sure his voice is lovely.

Maybe if a lone Imperial is trying to retrieve vs. a bunch of Forties, he could ask the Sect Leaders for support and get a black aura and resist holy/light for 24hrs. You would then NEED to try retrieve, not use it just to go out and PK an Outtie - this might require IMM overview to watch for abuse.

Maybe all of the above is only granted to committed players who actually stick it out through rough times, therefore mitigating the risk of abuse.

Not sure what the final solution is but I really like the concept.

Based on what the Twitter feed shows of empire.

It does already happen sometimes though.

When Astina got inducted I hadn't had a chance to refresh myself on the syntax of canal powers when I got raided by a nasty combo, and Panmorne forced me to use the powers, then slapped a couple of field dressings on me himself because of the beating I took while getting the syntax wrong.