Welcome to the sphere.
This
is a guide for the newest clans of the sphere, and with any luck, you'll get
some ideas about how to pick your friends, and more importantly, how to pick
your enemies, since your friends aren't so likely to come back and kill you.
The first, and only lesson I have for you is your name.
I really recommend that you don't call yourself the invincible overlords of everything, or the unvanquishable destroyers of the universe. Since changing your name carries some inconvenient consequences, your name should be chosen with care. The cute and cuddly fluffy bunnies will not gain much respect as a fighting force. A name that sounds agressive might go against you, a name that sounds weak might be bad too. If you want an impressive name, call yourself something fairly innocuous, and do great deeds, so that everyone who hears your name knows what you have done.
Once you are on your way, you need people to know who you are. Write messages to other clans. Find the nearest clan to yours, and ask them who they are. Find out who is who, read the warcry to find out anything you can about the clans around you, information is power. Of course, having enough high tech weapons to obliterate someone is also a form of power, so beware of annoying those older and bigger than you.
Once you have spoken to people, you need some allies.
Allies are easy to find, and you had better make sure you find some before you leave the green and orange lands. Clans can survive without allies, but those with allies tend to have a better chance of survival.
There has been speculation about the ideal size of an alliance. The eldest clans tend to gather in groups of four, the middle ranks cluster in bunches of seven. One thing seems certain, an alliance that has too many members will collapse as the members go their seperate ways, or will attract the attention of other alliances who consider such a large group as a threat.
There are certain qualities that will help a clan.
The first is loyalty.
Your allies require it, your foes expect it. An alliance whose members are loyal to one another is strong, and will be hard to beat. Once they are beaten, however, a clan that betrays his companions may be the only survivor. If a clan stays loyal at the cost of defeat, they will gain stature in the eys of others.
The second is entertainment.
A clan who writes amusing stories on the cry, or who is considered fun, or who works to make sure that others are enjoying the game, will have influence that most clans don't have. A clan who is interesting is much better to save than a clan who is silent. A Clan who is fun to battle may find that their deadliest enemies work hard to keep them alive, so that they can battle them again later.
The third is integrity.
A clan may be a lying snake, so long as they are known as a lying snake. A clan that is considered to be honest and loyal who turns out to be a traitor is a surprise, and no clan likes to deal with that sort of surprise. If a clan knows what to expect of you, even if they expect trouble, they are more at ease than if you have changed your mind and someone has lost a Hall because of it.
The fourth is fairness.
If you show mercy to those clans younger than you, or are outnumbered by your alliance, if you stand up for those are in trouble, if you provide shelter for clans who have lost everything, people will know. If you bully those who are not as strong as you, expect them to tell the world of your cowardice, and if you deny others mercy, do not expect any yourself. The clan you think is small may know the clan you see is very dangerous.
The last is capability.
Be it a grasp of tactics, a higher technology, connections to powerful clans, skill at designing, this is the catchall category. You will have to learn for yourself what it means.
This is the basics of what you need to build a name.
The only rule to remember, is that this is a game. You can have fun yelling your threats, and attacking and destroying your foes, but when all is said and done, everyone playing is doing so because they enjoy it.
Have fun, and play nicely.