Warring States Step-by-step Guide
This Rentry will serve as a step-by-step guide on what you, as a potential participant, can expect from the Warring States event. We will follow a fictional botmaker, A. Non, as he participates in a hypothetical run of the event. Hopefully by the end of it, you'll have a better idea of the details of every step in the process. If you still have questions/concerns, you can always contact me at aishiji-messenger@proton.me.
Step 0: Sign-ups and suggestions
A. Non has been following the /aicg/ threads for the past few weeks (and has maybe rightfully gotten annoyed with the long leadup and endless polls to the start of the event). When the sign-up date finally hits, he sends an e-mail to the host, confirming his participation and including his suggestions for a state biome and possible traits/resources.
A. Non's mail to the host:
Dear host,
I would like to sign up for the event. For terrain, my suggestion is a Mountain biome, something with lots of snow. Maybe a mountain ridge along the border of another state? I dunno, you can probably work something out.
I also have the following resources/traits as suggestions:
- Clusters of highly magnetic minerals can be found in the ground. Occasionally, this results in floating landmasses.
- Huge, aggressive dinosaurs roam the land.
- There is an ancient custom that dictates that boys should dress like girls, and girls should dress like boys.
Also, for verification, here is a link to my Chub page: [link to chub page]
Kind regards,
A. Non
Step 1: Claim your land
A week passes, and the sign-ups are officially closed. Not long after, the Warring States Rentry is updated with a new map of Aishiji, as seen below.
Only 4 botmakers signed up for the event, so the map has been split into 4 states. Each state comes with a short description and a list of possible traits/resources that could be integrated.
| State | Description | Traits |
|---|---|---|
| North-Demo | A barren desert littered with bountiful oases. Life here is harsh but rewarding. | - Clusters of highly magnetic minerals can be found in the ground. Occasionally, this results in floating landmasses. - The people here have developed a unique method of transportation. - Not too long ago, this state got hit by a meteor strike. |
| East-Demo | A cold mountain region perpetually covered in snow. Traversal across the mountain ridge bordering this state is tough. | - The only mine of a rare mineral, Gigantium, can be found in this state. - Extremely high wind speeds are very common here. - Strange, otherworldly sounds can be heard at night. |
| South-Demo | A region dotted with lush forests. Wood is the main export product. | - There is a rich and beautiful lake in the middle of this state. - This state lies along a naval trading route. - There is an ancient custom that dictates that boys should dress like girls, and girls should dress like boys. |
| West-Demo | A region consisting of flat plains, ideal for agriculture. | - A large natural sulfur deposit can be found in this region. - Huge, aggressive dinosaurs roam the land. - For centuries, the people of this state have lived by the mantra of "survival of the fittest". |
A. Non is most interested in the state with the terrain he suggested, so East-Demo is his first pick. North-Demo doesn't seem all that bad either, and South-Demo is okay. There are some traits in each of the states he likes, and some he doesn't want to incorporate. With all that said, he sends the following mail to the host:
A. Non's mail to the host:
Dear host,
Here is my selection of preferred states:
- East-Demo, including all traits.
- North-Demo, not incorporating the trait about the meteor strike.
- South-Demo. I don't like any of the traits here, but I'd like to suggest the following: the people who live here have pointy ears, specialize in archery and live inside the trees.
Kind regards,
A. Non
Step 2: Make yourself known!
Another week passes. A. Non checks his mail and learns that he has been assigned the North-Demo region. Not his first pick unfortunately, but that's just the way it goes sometimes. Still, better make the best of what he's got. A. Non already has a pretty clear idea of the type of leader that will serve as a representative of his state: orange hair, mischievous eyes, a large fluffy tail... He gets to work and writes a short description of the leader he has in mind. Once he's done, he sends the following mail to the host:
A. Non's mail to the host:
Dear host,
Here is the description of my leader:
"Orange and fluffy, this leader gets along well with everyone, even if she has a bit of a mischievous streak at times."
Kind regards,
A. Non
In the meantime, A. Non can already start working on his bot. Of course, depending on his neighbors and the leaders they have planned, this is always subject to change.
Step 3: Meet thy neighbor
After another week, all participating botmakers have submitted a description of their leader. When A. Non checks the Warring States Rentry page, it now shows the following table for the states:
| State | Description/Traits | Leader |
|---|---|---|
| North-Demo | A barren desert littered with bountiful oases. Life here is harsh but rewarding. - Clusters of highly magnetic minerals can be found in the ground. Occasionally, this results in floating landmasses. - The people here have developed a unique method of transportation. |
"Orange and fluffy, this leader gets along well with everyone, even if she has a bit of a mischievous streak at times." |
| East-Demo | A cold mountain region perpetually covered in snow. Traversal across the mountain ridge bordering this state is tough. - The only mine of a rare mineral, Gigantium, can be found in this state. - Extremely high wind speeds are very common here. - Strange, otherworldly sounds can be heard at night. |
"Silver and fluffy, this tactician takes everything seriously. She acts smart, even if she's kinda dumb." |
| South-Demo | A region dotted with lush forests. Wood is the main export product. - A strange disease has covered the land, cursing any inhabitants with undeath. |
"Blue and fluffy, this sect leader died once but was brought back to life. Even if she appears unexpressive, she can still think just fine." |
| West-Demo | A region consisting of flat plains, ideal for agriculture. - A large natural sulfur deposit can be found in this region. - Huge, aggressive dinosaurs roam the land. - For centuries, the people of this state have lived by the mantra of "survival of the fittest". |
"Green and fluffy, this general is a complete menace. Exercise extreme caution." |
From this point on, any map images are used purely to visualize A. Non's relationships with his neighbors. The real map on the Rentry will remain the same until the event finishes.
Step 3.1: Establishing an alliance
Going off of the descriptions, A. Non decides that having his leader form an alliance with the leader from South-Demo might make for an interesting addition to his chatbot. He writes the following mail to the host:
A. Non's mail to the host:
Dear host,
I would like to request an alliance with the leader from the South-Demo state.
Kind regards,
A. Non
A. Non doesn't have to wait long for an answer. He quickly receives the following mail from the host, directed to both him and the botmaker assigned the South-Demo state:
Host's mail to A. Non and B. Non:
Hello makies!
I am pleased to announce that the two of you have now officially formed an alliance between your states.
[contact info A. Non]
[contact info B. Non]
Now that the two of you are in contact, you can decide for yourselves how you want to proceed. If anything happens or something goes wrong, feel free to contact me.
Best of luck!
Hostie
A. Non has now learned that botmaker B. Non has been assigned the South-Demo state. After some external communication, he also learns that B. Non's bot is called Blazuna. Strikingly similar to the name A. Non had in mind for his bot: Nazuna. What a weird coincidence! A. Non and B. Non discuss how to incorporate the alliance between the two leaders into each other's backstories, and that's the end of that.
Step 3.2: Attack!
The next day, A. Non receives an unexpected mail from the host.
Host's mail to A. Non:
Troubling news, A. Non! It seems the leader of West-Demo has launched an attack on your state! Will you respond in kind?
- Hostie
West-Demo? A. Non thinks. That's the one with the crazy general and the dinosaurs, right? He could ignore the attack and just keep South-Demo as the only state with any relation to his, but a war involving dinosaurs does sound pretty fun. After careful consideration, A. Non responds:
A. Non's mail to the host:
Dear host,
Please let the leader of West-Demo know that they made a grave mistake launching their attack. This means war!
Kind regards,
A. Non
Soon after, A. Non receives another mail from the host, this time bringing him in contact with the attacker:
Host's mail to A. Non and C. Non:
Hello makies!
I am pleased to announce that your states are now officially at war.
[contact info A. Non]
[contact info C. Non]
Now that the two of you are in contact, you can decide for yourselves how you want to proceed. If anything happens or something goes wrong, feel free to contact me.
Best of luck!
Hostie
What a scoundrel C. Non is, attacking A. Non like that! But it's all in good fun. A. Non learns about C. Non's plans for Grazuna, another suspiciously similarly named foxgirl leader. The two of them have a chat, incorporate the conflict between Nazuna and Grazuna into their respective backstories, and move on.
Step 4: Makie the bots
From this point on, A. Non receives no new mails or requests. He continues working on Nazuna until the deadline approaches. Along the way, he stays in contact with both B. Non and C. Non, although separate. A. Non has no idea about any other alliances B. Non and C. Non might have, not to mention the mysterious final participant he hasn't interacted with.
Once the day of the deadline arrives, A. Non posts his leader, Nazuna, to the /aicg/ thread, thereby fulfilling his oath to deliver on time and saving himself from a grinchely fate.
Step 5: Fight for glory!
Some time passes. Eventually, the host of the event calls for the conclusion of the event, posting three things alongside it:
- A full chart with the fog of war lifted. Every region now has their leader listed and their relations to their neighbors, as well as the botmaker who made the chatbot (unless they prefer to stay anonymous!).
- Some form of recording for the final battle, as well as the leader who won and has thus been crowned the new Shogun.
- The scenario bot used to determine the winner, as well as any additional scripts that may be necessary to run it (and instructions on how to do so).
Some things of note:
- A. Non was in an alliance with B. Non, and B. Non was in another alliance with D. Non. However, this doesn't automatically mean that A. Non was in an alliance with D. Non. For this to have been true, the two of them would have had to be in a separate alliance.
- C. Non tried attacking B. Non, but they either didn't respond or refused. Both of them can still incorporate this into their respective chatbot's backstories, just without any explicit mention or description of each other's leaders.
- Alliances/attacks are limited to direct neighbors (with the only exception maybe being naval-centered states). Even if C. Non wanted to, they couldn't launch an attack on D. Non's state.
A. Non, satisfied with how everything went, closes his eyes and rests for the first time in a long, long while.
He never wakes up again.