Anonymous Rituals and NAPs

[Micah]

Here's a good one: Would it be considered an exploit to rename a mage to a default name for another nation and deliberately launch a mind hunt to get caught? I think that's kind of abusing the renaming function personally, but it could be quite effective at starting a fight.

[VedalkenBear]

People have problems with this? How odd. Sure, _if you get caught_ all hell breaks loose. But this is politics speaking. NAPs are all well and good. You shouldn't be trusted if you break one. But the point is that you have to be _caught_ breaking it for it to count on the world scene.

It's all about plausible deniability, and I wonder why the spells are anonymous in the first place if not to allow a little 'plausible deniability' in your actions.

[vfb]

Micah said:
Here's a good one: Would it be considered an exploit to rename a mage to a default name for another nation and deliberately launch a mind hunt to get caught? I think that's kind of abusing the renaming function personally, but it could be quite effective at starting a fight.

Good idea! But now everyone knows this trick .

Besides, you'd have to know whether to rename the mage (for example) Citlalatonac or s2h2 or sshh or CitS2, if the nation you're trying to frame is actually using renaming ... and then it's pretty obvious if anyone's on your border and sees your commander. ("The army appears to be commanded by s2h2 the Rishi" ... )

[sum1lost]

I engage in covert ops against someone I suspect of aggresion through similar methods, and if I am very, very certain, my ops go overt.

[DonCorazon]

Or now you can use Micah's strategy as an excuse when you get caught - "wasn't me I swear! It was someone else who renamed their mage to sound like me"

Also, I agree the anonymous spells puts a little spice into the game. In a VP game, I'd fire off Blights at enemy capitals that I wasn't sure who actually controlled. I just saw the VP marker on the map and pushed the button.

Not sure if it led to any wars but it was fun.

[Xietor]

I just do not waste my gems casting rituals on nations i am not at war with. While it may weaken them, i typically have better uses for my gems.

Instead of casting tidal wave on a neutral nation, i would rather have a water mage summon 15 water trolls etc.

On occasion, if i was paid enough to make it worth the risk, I would cast a mind hunt etc on a neutral nation. But my incentive there would be to be paid well over the spell's cost. In one game I got a runesmasher for 3 mind hunts. A good deal for me in that game because i did not have the paths to make a runesmasher.

But I would not cast it on a nation with whom i had a nap for any price.

[LDiCesare]

To me, suffering from a sneaky ritual which can only be cast by someone with whom there's a NAP means the NAP is broken but I'd first contact (pm/mail/whatever) the person and get things clear. I'd probably attack immediately if the spell was preparation for an attack, or ask for repairs and attack if that's not accepted.

[meister_miagi]

If I was 100% sure of who cast the ritual I would probably consider the NAP to be obsolete. But in the case Xietor described, casting 40 rain of toads isn't being sneaky, that's clearly an act of war.

[Sombre]

This thread has shown me a new tactic. If you want to break a NAP and surprise attack someone all you have to do is claim they were hitting you with anonymous spells. You send them a message saying "You are spamming ___ on me, it can't be anyone else, prepare to die!" and attack them. They can't prove they weren't and you can claim they're lying when they rationally try to blame someone else. Additionally anyone they blame will turn on them, because they know they didn't do it. No-one did of course, since it's all made up.

You can make this even more convincing and effective by posting about it on the forum too, ranting about them being sneaky traitors for spelling you.

[cleveland]

Sombre said:
This thread has shown me a new tactic. If you want to break a NAP and surprise attack someone all you have to do is claim they were hitting you with anonymous spells. You send them a message saying "You are spamming ___ on me, it can't be anyone else, prepare to die!" and attack them. They can't prove they weren't and you can claim they're lying when they rationally try to blame someone else. Additionally anyone they blame will turn on them, because they know they didn't do it. No-one did of course, since it's all made up.

You can make this even more convincing and effective by posting about it on the forum too, ranting about them being sneaky traitors for spelling you.

Brilliant, really.

Same with spying, to a more limited degree, but more applicable to the early-game, when reputations are still undetermined. If you're NAP buddy has access to spies, scream "HE'S INSTILLING UPRISINGS IN MY CAPITAL!!! TREACHERY!!!"

Hilarity ensues.