Conquest of the Horde

SOLIDARITY

Brothers and sisters,

Farmers, ranchers, laborers and soldiers-- they tell us all the time that we're the heart of the Alliance. That we're the backbone of Stormwind, the true vitality of the kingdom and its crown. For all of our lives we've done our job. We've raised our crops and built up cities under Stormwind's banner.

But I ask you, brothers and sisters--- Where's our cut?

We grow food and sell it to the cities so we can scrape by for another harvest. Our stomachs growl while some nobleman feasts, kicking some spare change our way so we can give him our haul next year. We build great buildings and mighty forts, but what's in them? Meeting halls so the politicians can pack themselves in and raise our taxes. Forts where some puppet commander will sit while he orders your sons and daughters off to die in war. Fighting over in some foreign land to bring back gold and jewels while our farms get overrun by bandits and undead. Where's our cut? Where's our deal? People like them wake up and go to their plays and balls. Sign a paper or two once a day, and get a fat sack of coin. Meanwhile you and I work ourselves to the bone. Sunrise to sunset. Monday to Sunday. One job to another, just to keep our families fed.

There's no cut for us. There's no justice for us. Always more for them and less for us.

What we need is to keep together. We don't need the king's men. We need brotherhood. We need people who'll give us our fair cut. We need people like you and I.

We need some solidarity.

So listen up.

'Cause I ain't gonna tell you twice.

There's some change that's comin'. Change that can put you'n me on top. Change where decent men'n women can make a difference.

But it ain't gonna be easy.

People'r gonna be put in jail. People'r gonna get hurt. People'r gonna die. But right now we're in a life that ain't worth livin' at all. We got nothin' to lose, and everything t'gain.

So be a friend. Be a pal. Be a brother. 'Cause if you're not with us, you're against us. And once we start, there's no stoppin' us. We're gonna fight and fight, 'till we win or 'till we drop. And the king's men won't keep y'safe when we do.


So go on.

Choose.

Who?
Any Alliance-side character may participate with the events of Solidarity, though it is primarily focused on humans in terms of lore. Despite this Solidarity will accept any members of the Alliance, though Draenei and Night Elves may face the group with a bit less of a warm welcome at first.

What?
Solidarity is an event line aimed at generating some new and interesting social RP, using a plotline which allows all players to get involved. It also gives both villains and heroes a melting pot to work within (or against).

Solidarity also ushers in some of the political and economic changes shown to be taking place in Cataclysm, wherein the Kingdom of Stormwind's economy is growing tight on the lower class and resulting in many transients and angry peasants. Solidarity is basically a response to those growing issues in the kingdom.

When?
So now that Kidnapped is done I think the only thing keeping me is that NPCs have yet to be added. As I wait I may be setting the stage for the opening events, but I will make a new thread once the time has come and the initial event is scheduled.

THE SIDES

Solidarity
Solidarity is a faction that strives for the good of the lower and middle class of Stormwind, as well as its outer-lying provinces which have received little aid during the latest wars against the Horde and Lich King. Though they are the champions of the beleaguered laborers and farmers of the land and are eager to aid the outer provinces with their forces, most of their members are young men and women, and are usually quite headstrong and lacking in discipline. Despite a youthful base, the commanding Marshals tend to be older, many disgruntled veterans who have been slighted after their return from service. Despite their splintering most members of Solidarity still proudly display the colors of their former military service or Stormwind's tabard itself-- they claim to be friends of Stormwind and its history after all, merely being in confrontation with the upper class of the government.

Loyalists
Loyalists are the supporters of Stormwind's current regime and its crown. Prizing what they would call a more rational and objective look upon the issues throughout the kingdom, the Loyalists would be quick to note that Stormwind's forces are split for a reason, and the raised taxes put towards the greater good of the kingdom as a whole. Solidarity supporters tend to react to these claims with outrage though, as they claim that the 'greater good' tends to only concern Elwynn, and never to the other territories. Loyalists on the other hand commonly scrutinize Solidarity as a ruthless and unruly organization, deeming them a band of anarchists at best. Loyalists are also critical of the leadership of the organization, mostly its staggering amount of resources and connections.

How to Get Involved
Joining a faction is fairly simple. By default any can take up the mantle of a Loyalist; there is no designated tabard, especially when you consider that many members of Solidarity still consider themselves patriotic to their nations and history-- thus will be seen wearing tabards of Strom, Kul Tiras, and even the Stormwind Army itself should the recruits be from that background. Loyalists will (likely) make up most standard characters.

Joining Solidarity is another matter, but it still remains an easy process. Solidarity does not begin recruiting immediately upon the kick-off of the event, but will begin to draw in supporters shortly into the campaign. Past that point anyone can be invited at any time if they so choose.

Faction Operations
So as it was stated in a previous post, the actual 'structured' events (those running along a set storyline with the greater effects and full GM planning, scheduling and etc. will take place in halves; and even then it is worth noting that the bulk of the storyline will follow Solidarity. This isn't really to discourage RP for loyalists; after all the biggest RP being pushed (hopefully) with Solidarity is the social RP that will branch off from it rather than bloody conflicts-- both groups want to avoid that, after all (the Loyalists even more so).

There are a few things I've considered. The most alluring to me would simply be to set up a few notes on movements from either Solidarity or the Loyalists, and allow people to approach me giving suggestions as to how they could lead a group of people to prevent or dampen the effects of said actions. I want to encourage some player characters to be able to get out there as leaders-- more importantly thinkers though, not just leading against a preset scenario similar to how the Hearthglen mission board is set up. Instead people will be presented with a scenario and will be able to approach it in any way they wish-- within reason, of course. Depending on the concept I may not even mandate for GMs to run the event, and allow others to conduct it on their own time (as such might be more convenient for some).

Another idea would be to regulate some missions off to other GMs; I'm open to suggestions, of course.

Either way I want to encourage the open methodology for completion when these missions are concerned; one might stop a caravan by killing all of the members as a normal combat event would run, or perhaps a very persuasive individual from a group could convince them to hand over some goods or the caravan itself to their own faction. Perhaps misdirect them with staged threats and delay their arrival. Or maybe just catch them when they camp and steal their supplies. My personal allure to this sort of thing is that the RP is centered around not hardened enemies but for the most part civilians, patriots, renegades, and neutral parties alike. The enemies aren't going to be fighting to the death in many situations-- lots of them are peasant workers doing their job or young men and women wrapped up in a radical cause, after all, not orcs battling humans. I think this will give it an interesting dynamic, as will the conflict in the social RP for those on the opposing sides.

Questions or comments? Put them below!

For some reason I find that font hard to read.

This does sound like it could be cool tho, any chance to play on the opposing side? Loyalist or somesuch?

I have a character that'd fit in this oh so well!

(04-13-2012, 08:21 AM)Nostra Wrote: [ -> ]For some reason I find that font hard to read.

This does sound like it could be cool tho, any chance to play on the opposing side? Loyalist or somesuch?

I don't have time to reply and full and will likely elaborate on this later...

But yes!

The idea behind Solidarity is that the actual GM hosted events are more used to progress the narrative, whereas the players really make a lot of the RP between the Solidarity supporters and those loyal to the king's regime. They can fight, debate, try and sabotage one another (though I'll get into that later). As far as events go though I still greatly dislike pitting players against one another, and thus will likely run the first half of the 'official' storyline events as Solidarity side, and the later half as Loyalist side. It'll make more sense when the time comes, heh.

But in short, I'd -love- to see Loyalists and Solidarity supporters stirring animosity and rallying their respective sides. Again-- Will write more when I get home!

You have Jocque's evil magic at your disposal, good sir.

This event seems to hold a lot of potential, I really want to get a character involved with it.

And this can only make me think that Cataclysm might be closer...

(04-13-2012, 12:31 PM)Lunaxy Wrote: [ -> ]This event seems to hold a lot of potential, I really want to get a character involved with it.

And this can only make me think that Cataclysm might be closer...

We can hope!

But unfortunately I've really nothing to report on that, or else I would tell you upfront. I've got no new word, other than that there are apparently complications with the emulator or something. Or... geh, I don't know. Kretol stuff is for Kretol-- I shouldn't really speculate on such topics since I'm uninformed, heh.

Oh! A great way to recreate my defias-like human!
It all depends on the time of the events, though. Damn Earth had to rotate.

ALLIANCE CENTERED EVENTS?

HRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGNYES.

I can use my dwarf for something! An learn dwarf speak! *Excited* I'm in.

*Twiddles thumbs while waiting eagerly.* <3

Main post updated with additions; I've included the additions below in the spoiler as well. Be aware that When? has been updated.

I like the idea of players being "Leaders" and heavy thinkers on the matter, rather than just "Oh lol, I'm going to make x decision and the outcome is in stone!"

Nope. The decision has weight, which means people from either side might screw up and tilt the scale one way or another... just like real politics! Honestly, I want to do this really badly with Harmonic. I've had a noble character in mind, some sort of Trader Noble fella that can try to tip the weights how he sees fit.

I'm really, really looking forward to this.