OBM guide
Guide to achieving Battle Merit Award prepared by SchadenFreude / Caeluth and reposted as a sticky.
1. Goals: If you have no goals, you re just someone who likes to fight. Nothing wrong with that, but it doesn't make you "driven".
2. Skill: If you don t know how to fight, you won t get anywhere. Most players with BMAs have fought many times, and thus are experienced on the field of battle. Skill isn't just fighting prowess, but also the ability to direct others in combat. Without guidance, an army is just a mob.
3. A Following: If no one notices you, you won t get an BMA. When an enemy cries about you in the forums, this is a good thing- even though it can be annoying sometimes. The more people speak about you- the farther your reputation will spread.
4. Don t be a Sissy: If you re acting like a wet noodle any time someone glares at you or shakes a sabre you ll get nowhere. You have to know when to push, when to push back, and when to take a push. If you can t take a beating you deserve and get back up after it, you ll get nowhere. It's ok to make a comment in politics about being attacked, but don t whine. You ll earn yourself more enmity than sympathy.
5. Fight Back: If you re attacked, you should retaliate. Until people get a good idea of your abilities, you should not bother with requests for compensation. This will just make you a target of another raider. Anyone who says "well, it was only a few attacks, it will be ok" is holding up a sign that says "FREE STUFF! ATTACK ME!" When you are attacked, either get your Kingdom, or your Empire, or if you need to, your allies together and beat the stuffing out of who-done-it. The more brutal you are, the more likely a raider will be to ignore you as a target. When people realize that there are serious consequences to their province (i.e their hard work) it makes them evaluate you much more seriously.
6. Don t back down: If you decide to stand up for something (for instance, resets) do not turn belly up if someone threatens you. Sneer at them, spit on their doorstep as you walk-by, continue doing what you said you d do. If you can t stand up for yourself, why should anyone stand up for you?
7. Tenacity: Did you fail to accomplish something? So what! Get back up and plunge forward again! If people see that you work hard for what you achieve, that will make them respect you more.
8. Keep your word: Keep your word to your allies, if they request your presence do what you can to assist. Even if it s going through and causing a little collateral damage, you made the effort to actually try and help. If you promise not to attack someone, don t attack them. If you promise to attack someone, do it. A word given is a debt owed. If you fail to keep your word or simply "aren t around" when your ally gets attacked, your reputation will not be a positive one.
9. Honor: Everyone has their own idea of what Honor is. You must adopt your own code of honor and stand by it. This often includes obeying your rules of engagement. Even if your Rules of Engagement state you will reset no less than 10 provinces in a given Kingdom and conduct no less than 7 RoFs against a given Kingdom, hold true to them. These are your guidelines that you have set up, you must abide them. If you follow your own beliefs and do not let others order you differently, you are acting honorably- even if you're Evil.
10. Respect the other Players: No one that I know of that has a BMA/has had a BMA has been overtly disrespectful to the other players. Insulting someone's IRL (in real life) country while talking smack won t help your case. Insulting their Kingdom and/or Empire, well, that s all part of Player vs Player smack-talk. Trying to take another person s credit is also disrespectful and likely to make you some enemies.
11. A touch of Mercy: If you re Evil it s called arrogance, if you re Good it s called mercy. Whatever your reason, let some of your victims live relatively un-damaged. It s the spice of rivalry, and will encourage them to talk about you more.
12. Politics, Diplomacy and Interpersonal Communication: Politics- If you are going to speak up about something, know what you re talking about. If you have been attacked, have the necessary details ready. If you have attacked, have your reasons ready. If you think something s wrong, organize your argument clearly. Diplomacy- If you see someone powerful who could be a potential threat, a potential ally, or a potential nuisance- either declare war, invent a reason to have allies help you kill them, form some kind of deal with them, or attempt to win them over through friendly language in the hopes you can get a strong alliance. The idea is to remove as many threats to your grand design as possible. It s up to you to decide whether the person in question is likely to raid you, outright oppose you, ignore the fact you exist, or try to raise an army against you. Interpersonal Communication- Interactions with a single province/player or a small handful of provinces/players. Know when and how to bluff, when to acquiesce, when to apologize, when to demand an apology, when to threaten, when to snipe, when to encourage, when to taunt, when to ask for a favor, and when to grant a favor. Sometimes changing 1 person s mind, or making them do as you wish whether their mind has been changed or not can turn things in your favor. Remember! If you make threats of violence be prepared to carry them out, or be shamed.