Life Oaths or Tour of Duty

[Potaje]

RAT:

I wonder why they make being in the militia in either city-state a life sworn thing. It would seem to me that it would be more realistic if soldiers served Tours. Four or five year commitments.

Each rank after the initial first year of recruit, or basic, would be a contractual agreement for another Tour.

I guess I wonder why one would have to store to retire.

I could maybe see its relevance in a Noble house, them seeking life sworn servants.

sure food and resources and training, but the soldier does off up their life in the line of duty.

I just think stories would be richer if there was growth away from certain clans and perhaps promote  longevity in more characters in stead of only having storage as the answer.

Just a random thought.

[Kismetic]

I wonder why they make being in the militia in either city-state a life sworn thing. It would seem to me that it would be more realistic if soldiers served Tours. Four or five year commitments.

No clan that I know of requires a life oath.  It's typical of all clans to achieve a certain rank, however.

[Barzalene]

Maybe I'm the exception, but for me hunted down and killed is often a selling point.

[Potaje]

I wonder why they make being in the militia in either city-state a life sworn thing. It would seem to me that it would be more realistic if soldiers served Tours. Four or five year commitments.

No clan that I know of requires a life oath.  It's typical of all clans to achieve a certain rank, however.

I believe that was my point, after recruit's first year, would simply become a Tour.

[FantasyWriter]

Maybe I'm the exception, but for me hunted down and killed is often a selling point.

Sometimes, aye.

[Kismetic]

I wonder why they make being in the militia in either city-state a life sworn thing. It would seem to me that it would be more realistic if soldiers served Tours. Four or five year commitments.

No clan that I know of requires a life oath.  It's typical of all clans to achieve a certain rank, however.

I believe that was my point, after recruit's first year, would simply become a Tour.

What I'm saying, though, is that if someone is telling you that you have to take an oath to become a "Private," then this is an IC action, and not consistent with documentation.  Staff can correct me if I'm wrong.

[Talia]

What I'm saying, though, is that if someone is telling you that you have to take an oath to become a "Private," then this is an IC action, and not consistent with documentation.  Staff can correct me if I'm wrong.

You are incorrect.

[Potaje]

 I wonder what the thoughts of others are on the perspective of the militia based play in both city-state, if it was to be set up as Tours of Duty, as apposed to Life oaths. And why they may think that a life oath is needed or not?

[Kismetic]

What I'm saying, though, is that if someone is telling you that you have to take an oath to become a "Private," then this is an IC action, and not consistent with documentation.  Staff can correct me if I'm wrong.

You are incorrect.

This is a problem.

[Jeshin]

As this isn't specific IG information, I will not briefly explain lifeoaths.

Knowledge is power
No written word for commoners means knowledge is passed by people
After a certain amount of time you begin to know things about clans
clans don't want you blabbing these things
lifeoath
break lifeoath by betraying secrets or desertion
death!

[Jeshin]

As this isn't specific IG information, I will now* briefly explain lifeoaths.

Knowledge is power
No written word for commoners means knowledge is passed by people
After a certain amount of time you begin to know things about clans
clans don't want you blabbing these things
lifeoath
break lifeoath by betraying secrets or desertion
death!

[brytta.leofa]

After a certain amount of time you begin to know things about clans

This seems like a big deal for noble houses, but less so for merchant houses (perhaps excluding our famously-paranoid drug-dealin' Kuracis), and practically a non-issue for militia.

If the tens of thousands of militia privates in Allanak are being told top secret stuff, something is wrong.

[Kismetic]

If the tens of thousands of militia privates in Allanak are being told top secret stuff, something is wrong.

This is so accurate*, that I just assumed it was true.

That, and I've never seen anyone even reference ICly a life oath being a requirement outside of special circumstance.

*except the numbers, probably

[Talia]

That, and I've never seen anyone even reference ICly a life oath being a requirement outside of special circumstance.

If you don't play in Allanak, around or in the militia, I'm not sure why you would know about this ICly. That being said, it's not a secret, either. Also, this is nothing new. This is the way the Allanaki militia has been run for a number of years.

Life oaths in clans (and all clans require life oaths at one level or another) are not necessarily about secret knowledge. To my mind, they're a realistic characteristic of a very harsh gameworld.

[Nyr]

In Zalanthas, fostering a sense of loyalty to X while demonizing everything that is not X is the way you keep people serving the needs of an organization.  This is done in several ways for several different groups that have life-oaths for various positions. Each of these organizations have a particular method (or series of methods) by which they proceed to engender loyalty and devotion.  Nationalistic pride, as we know it in the real world, is transformed into pride in whatever the organization is (whether it be a militia or a merchant house or a mercenary group).  Why wouldn't you want to swear to X for life?  At that point, you should be sufficiently indoctrinated, or just not interested at all.  If you change your mind later on, well, time to figure out what to do.

There are clans in which one can simply do "tours of duty," as you put it.  It is all a matter of choice for the PC as well as the organization in question.  Perhaps it can even be brought up IC.

[Kismetic]

Those are great reasons to have life oaths, I agree.  The question is playability.  Asking for a life oath off the gate seems fairly damning to recruitment.  I am speaking, of course, of PCs, not the virtual world, who all fear/love the Highlord/Sun King.

[Talia]

Those are great reasons to have life oaths, I agree.  The question is playability.  Asking for a life oath off the gate seems fairly damning to recruitment.  I am speaking, of course, of PCs, not the virtual world, who all fear/love the Highlord/Sun King.

Experience shows that this is not the case. The AoD has a hiring cap and it is almost always full to near that cap, or at the cap.

[Kismetic]

Those are great reasons to have life oaths, I agree.  The question is playability.  Asking for a life oath off the gate seems fairly damning to recruitment.  I am speaking, of course, of PCs, not the virtual world, who all fear/love the Highlord/Sun King.

Experience shows that this is not the case. The AoD has a hiring cap and it is almost always full to near that cap, or at the cap.

You keep bringing up Allanak, as if that's the only place in the game.

[Talia]

You keep bringing up Allanak, as if that's the only place in the game.

I'm not sure whether the Tuluki Sun Legions requires a life oath, or at what stage they do (they probably do at some level). You can certainly try to find out IC. Generally, when we speak of "militia" we mean the Allanaki militia. The Sun Legions aren't called "militia" in common parlance, they are just called "soldiers."

[Kismetic]

I wonder what the thoughts of others are on the perspective of the militia based play in both city-state, if it was to be set up as Tours of Duty, as apposed to Life oaths. And why they may think that a life oath is needed or not?

Which has sort of been my question (and assumption) from the beginning.

[Talia]

There are many, many differences between the armies in the city-states. You should find out IC what the restrictions, requirements, responsibilities, etc. of each are and how that affects PCs.

[Kismetic]

There are many, many differences between the armies in the city-states. You should find out IC what the restrictions, requirements, responsibilities, etc. of each are and how that affects PCs.

lol, honestly, I thought I had, and stated as much back in the RAT thread.  Though, clearly, I was wrong on some level.  Thanks!

[Nyr]

Asking for a life oath off the gate seems fairly damning to recruitment

I am unfamiliar with any clan that does this, for what it's worth.

[Talia]

Asking for a life oath off the gate seems fairly damning to recruitment

I am unfamiliar with any clan that does this, for what it's worth.

Tribals? 

[Rhyden]

I wonder what the thoughts of others are on the perspective of the militia based play in both city-state, if it was to be set up as Tours of Duty, as apposed to Life oaths. And why they may think that a life oath is needed or not?

I would really prefer tours of duty. Life oaths are a little bit too harsh. Nobody wants to stay in the same clan forever.

Also, this is nothing new. This is the way the Allanaki militia has been run for a number of years.

True, but an Allanaki militia recruitment rule that has been run for a vast number of years has been recently broken. Why not change other rules to afford players a more playable clan lifestyle?

It seems hypocritical to me that some rules that have been upheld for thousands of years can be broken at a whim, yet others (such as life oaths) can not.

Let there be tours of duty. Keep the one year recruitment phase, then allow one, two, or three year tours of duty.

Honestly, I don't think plots should be centered around "this fellow left Life Oath Clan X", KILL HIM! (which they tend to be these days) but rather around character's life stories that may or may not include their journeys through several different types of clans.