As part of a recent increase in new BL land claims, who key players have used their new, upstart alliances to enact new land claims in the midst of the Newlands peninsula — ground zero for the current war raging between SIN and SHARK-VIC.
The new space of small yet strategically-placed Newlands claim began yesterday when A-list military player and ex-SHARK warrior Ron Fay established a new land claim for his small CrAp alliance in the Newlands, using his Odoacer alt to carve out an area that directly involves cities and lands pertinent to the current war:
Chromium Aphid [CrAp] has decided to declare a land claim in Newlands, effective immediately, bordered as follows:
Northwest Corner: -45, -2110
Northeast Corner: 65, -2110
Southeast Corner: 65, -2220
Southwest Corner: -45, -2220
The new land claim has yet to be added to the Land Claim Map, but the Times‘ quick look at the dimensions shows a mix of SIN, SHARK and GATE cities in the region. In the screen shot below, the white box show the approximate covered by the land claim:
Perhaps what’s most striking is not who is included in the land claim, and rather how much open, non-war-affiliated space the claim includes. As the map above shows, SHARK has been aggressive in moving cities into Newlands. The new claim by CrAp potentially stifles a large tract of land that could be deemed a “no-go” zone for SHARK, assuming Ron does not permit them access to it. GATE cities within the, however, would conceivably be able to migrate into SIN, as the CrAp claim policy does not stipulate otherwise.
But perhaps the most controversial and potentially explosive aspect of CrAp’s claim policy in their enforcement of a “no war zone” in their claim. “Warfare in the claim without the express permission of Chromium Aphid is not permitted,” Fay notes in his statement of policy in the Illyriad forums. “Any armies camping in the claim, including siege armies, without permission will be attacked without warning.” This means that all of the cities in the claim are de facto protected by the claim, and that any engagement of SIN, SHARK or other cities caught up in conflict within CrAp’s lands are subject to being suppressed/pacified by CrAp forces. A review of policies reveals that this is the first policy of its kind with land claims.
BOOM! A Second Newlands Mini-Claim
Not to be outdone, Deo Volante, the player formerly known as Kurmbag has followed suit in Newlands, setting up yet another land claim that could inject further chaos into the fighting there. Volente posted the terms in the forum just after Ron Fay, mirroring many of his policies:
Suicide Squad has also decided to lay a claim within the Newlands.
- NW 96, -2135
- NE 131, -2135
- SE 96, -2188
- SW 131, -2188
The BOOM land claim is smaller and perhaps less controversial in that it mainly comprises the region that Deo Volente’s cities reside in. Also, most notably, the land claim stops short of including SIN troublemaker Stukahh’s city in Newlands, which features one square next to the city that can be used for sieging. Including that city in the claim would have given BOOM casus belli to attack SHARK cities, potentially bringing Deo back into conflict with SHARK as he had in the past.
This is an approximation of the BOOM land claim:
The BOOM land claim policy uses similar language to that of CrAp’s: “We will treat any breach of these borders as an immediate act of aggression and respond accordingly,” the policy states. “‘Breach ‘is defined as follows: Settling New Cities or Exo’ing Existing Cities within the set boundaries; Sending troops within these bounds for laying claim to resource sites such as minerals, hides, animal parts, herbs, and any rare resources that may come to spawn in these bounds.”
It remains to be seen how this will impact the war in the Newlands.
The Illyriad Times 