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Special Sections: Shadowbane Related
Note: This Article originally appeared on our Shadowbane Affiliate Site, Aerynth Atheneaum In the Beginning As in any game there has to be a beginning. From looking around lately it would seem that the game has already begun. But, what exactly is involved IN the game and what exactly IS the game? Many of you are aware of many books that outline both the game of houses and the game of thrones. The game of houses is brought up in both R.A. Salvatore and Robert Jordan's novels. The game of thrones can be found in the highly recommended novels by George R.R. Martin. (Although I have yet to read George R.R. Martin myself.) But they are not the only authors that have written about it and there is more involved to this game than just reading a couple of books. This game is not for the faint of heart. It is not for the slow-witted. It is not for the casual gamer. This game has been around for centuries, and has been expounded upon by philosophers such as Sun Tzu, to name a name that seems to be brought up more often than Ashen Temper. (Ok. So maybe that’s just a slight exaggeration.) "But, I thought Sun Tzu spoke of war meaning a clash of swords and a splash of blood?!" Sun Tzu, for those that have read, knew that the mind was just as important to winning a battle, as was strength of arm; but I will address that a bit later. The game has been played by a few different well-known societys as well; the Romans, the Egyptians and the Persians to name a few. Yes, I know… My goodness… Why ever would we think of the Romans when considering a society that has played the game? Those fat Caesars didn’t ALL get there just because their daddy was Caesar now did they? Deception, Lies, betrayal… Remember Brutus? “Et tu, Brute?” Or maybe you would like this ironic quote as Caligula lay dying at the hands of his own guards; “I am still alive!” Poor sap was dead already and didn’t know it. So what does the game entail? Simply, who is with whom, where and why and what do you do about it? Simple really isn’t it? Not really. The game has layer upon layer of intrigue. Lies are not always lies. Truth is not always truth. The best of lies are the strongest of truths. Am I talking in circles enough for you? Perhaps you will like it better if I quote Tolkein from the Hobbit. “All that is gold does not glitter, Nor all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by frost.” Does that make more sense? Or perhaps another way, nothing is always as it seems. Seeing is not always believing. By now I’m sure the rogues in the audience are nodding their heads. They understand it perfectly; misdirection as they pick your pockets clean, a courteous shake of your hand as they slip off that beautiful ruby ring, a twisted truth to make you buy that stolen object that will get you killed by the owner once they find you. But, there is even more that the rogues won’t tell you; the ones that specialize in spying, the ones that specialize in gathering information from under your nose and giving it to the right…or wrong… people. What! Use Spies? Exactly what use are spies? Surely they have no real purpose. Not for those going into Shadowbane surely. After all, every applicant to every guild is carefully scrutinized.. or not. Every member of the inner circle is a long trusted member and would never let out top-secret information. What could they do to you even now BEFORE the game goes gold? Hrm… If they are the right type.. perhaps plenty. After all the game has already started if you care to take a look. First, let’s take a look at what our good friend Sun Tzu has to say. You do remember him right? Chinese Philosopher…Quoted often enough to choke a horse? Good good.. you DO remember him. (Humor me will you?) Sun Tzu has five classifications for spies, each with their own use. Here is a direct quote. "(1) Local spies - Having local spies means employing the services of the inhabitants of an enemy territory; (2) Moles - Having moles means making use of officials of the enemy; (3) Double agents - Having double agents means getting hold of the enemy's spies and using them for our own purposes; (4) Doomed spies - Having doomed spies means doing certain things openly for purposes of deception, and allowing our spies to know of them and report them to the enemy; (5) Surviving spies - Surviving spies means are those who bring back news from the enemy's camp." Let’s break this down a little. Local spies we can easily understand. It’s simply getting in touch with the local denizens (guild members or those that frequent the boards, irc chats or when the game goes gold, the city.) Moles: we’ve all heard the term mole used when referring to someone that is not loyal to the guild and is just “hanging out” to glean important secret information they can pass on to their own guild or sell to the highest bidder. However, in looking at the definition of mole that Sun Tzu gives, we realize that he is speaking of someone much higher up. Someone that was already a part of the guild and even better in the upper echelon but has now been swayed to give over the goods. Getting a hold of these inner circle people can be a difficult and trying task. Here is where the “wit” part comes into play. A bond must be built, whether it’s a mutual respect, a blatant deception of friendship or perhaps a swaying of logic to coincide with your own. It can happen but is one of the more difficult spies to attain. Double Agents: You’ve managed to find out that there is a spy in your midst. You either make them a deal they can’t refuse or you make them a deal they don’t dare refuse. “We have your wife and children… you do want to cooperate don’t you?” Remember, this is an rpg game as well as a pvp game. If someone is a role-player, they may have some hook you will be able to use against them or persuade them with. If they are not a role-player (though the likely-hood of many non-rpers acting out the role of “spy” is a bit rare) you can always use sheer bribery or strong-arming. Not as difficult to get as a mole but still can be difficult. Doomed spies: This seems deceptive when you first read it, but what Sun Tzu is trying to say is let your enemy’s spies (the ones in your camp remember?) see the false clues you give them, a.k.a. misdirection. Show them what’s in this hand while keeping the other safely hidden behind your back. False leads are a good way of keeping your enemy guessing as to what part of what they hear is true and which part is false. Surviving spies: These are the spies that you groomed from the very beginning, your faithful dedicated ever-trustworthy… cough… (Sorry, that is something else we will discuss is just how trustworthy are all of these spies once added up.) These spies manage to brave their way over to the enemy’s camp, they managed to scrounge up bits and pieces of information and surprisingly, they’ve made it back in almost one piece. Here is what Sun Tzu has to say about the combination of all five types of spies. “When these five kinds of spy are all at work, none can discover the secret system. This is called "divine manipulation of the threads." It is the commander's most precious faculty. Hence it is that which none in the whole army are more intimate relations to be maintained than with spies. None should be more liberally rewarded. In no other fields should greater secrecy be preserved.” What could possibly go wrong with all those spies lined up and doing all that hard work? Betrayal Betrayal comes in many shapes and forms. The easiest to see is that of the betrayal of a spy. The local spy is misinformed and so gives you bad information whether it’s due to them having warning or them not knowing anything of worth. This spy is the least likely however to betray unless someone else has managed to discover them and put them on their payroll to gain back their …”loyalties.” The most dangerous of spies that will tend to betray more than any others would be the mole, the double agent and yes.. Your very own homegrown spy. The mole could easily play you for a fool by making you believe that they trust in you their very deepest darkest secrets. The double agent could easily be feeding you exactly what their supervisors want them to feed you and your very own homegrown spy could be made into a double agent if you aren’t careful. What it takes to filter out the truth from the lies is a keen mind of a true leader that knows what’s at stake and how to best handle those situations. By using each different type of spy, they are given enough information to filter through which things are part of the truth, and which are placed before them as poison to be taken in and digested as truth. So what use is a spy? In this game, plenty of use. It’s not always about what information they can get from you, no matter how much you are out in the open with what you are doing. It’s what you can get from them..or lead them with… Remember those misdirections and half-truths? Here is your chance to use them. Feed a tidbit now and then, have someone back it up with a twist and see what happens. It’s a little like that game “telephone.” You never know what it will end up turning into. More on the Art of Houses and Thrones in Part II... Discuss: Your thoughts! Continue to Art of Houses and Thrones, Part II
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