4 minute read
TINY EMPIRES
COMPE LOCKWOOD
There is an undeniable truth in Second Life. Games may come and games may go, but Tiny Empires remain. Tiny Empires not only endures, but it also flourishes, like the quest for royalty, the game of cyber kings, grows.
Unless one’s SL status is Newbie Born Yesterday, chances are good you either play Tiny Empires or know someone who does. TE is almost as old as Second Life itself.
One reason for its popularity is gaming sessions can and do run in the background, on a HUD, ready when you are. Or it will wait, as avatars go about their daily shopping, dancing, chatting, and wondering where their body parts are.
The game has many stages of advancement. One starts as a wanderer, then progresses up the ranks from peasant, squire, knight, etc., to prince or princess with the goal of becoming a king or queen. To find out more, we started at the top. We met a queen.
“Welcome to the palace,” Queen Anastasia (Ana) says as we walk through the stunning Kingdom of Burgundy. There are winding staircases, parlors, a dining area, and more in the expansive fortress. “This is the throne room,” Ana notes, showing BOSL visitors her majestic dwelling. “Mostly people come here to receive instructional materials and a trial HUD.” Others visit just to see it.
The queen notes, “people ask me questions or just want to talk about whatever. Some people need somebody to talk with.” As for playing the game, the goal is straight forward: As explained in the rules – “Cultivate a cadre of loyal followers (subjects) and climb the ranks by accumulating gold and land. Each is gained naturally in the game, or by your subjects. It is important to recruit subjects.
The queen notes, “You buy acres, ask friends to play, and they join, and their acres count for your acres. Imagine it as a pyramid. Each person can have ten subjects and each of your subjects can have 10 acres.”
Like everyone in this game, Queen Ana rose through the ranks. There was a time in 2008 when she was a wanderer, just like every other TE newbie. She recalls, “I was wandering around Second Life and saw people with ‘princess’ over their heads, just like group titles. They were discussing buying land. I asked about the game.” And before you could say ‘all hail the queen,’ behold, Ana the Wanderer was born.
She continues, “to me, one of the attractions of the game is that you stand by a person to join. You get to know a lot of people and socialize with them. It’s an excellent way to gain SL friends.”
Ana notes about players, “I think people play because of social reasons. Some Second Life people have trouble finding friends. Tiny Empires is a good way to make friends.”
Still, others enjoy the game continuously running in the background. “I play it simply because it is a cute little diversion,” says Emelia, TE veteran of 12 years. “With an unobtrusive Hud on my screen, the game runs while I’m doing other things.”
Like all other players, the game’s enduring popularity is not rocket -or castle - science. “I play it because it’s fun,” Emelia explains. “We get to buy land, obtain titles and collect subjects. In some groups, we have get-togethers with other players which I have enjoyed in things like formal dances.”
She notes, “The kingdoms remind me of Game of Thrones.
“Tiny Empires was Second Life’s top game of the year, not long ago,” recalls Prince Dall – so named because Queen Ana dubbed him, “Handsome Prince.” He refers to TE benefits. In addition to being a game, it is a unifier.
“It brings people together,” adds Dall. “Many come to TE from all across the grid.”
Much like the game of Second Life, the game of Tiny Empires takes practice. Dall was trained by Ana and others. “It was nice,” he recalls. “I met people from all over, people who all have something in common. We all enjoy TE.”
The official rules on TE’s website note “The irresistible urge to play grow as you start to realize that your friends may make excellent subjects, and you lure them into the game.”
For more information, consult Tiny Empire’s website: www.tinyempires.com, ask a seasoned player, or just jump in and learn as you go and grow. Who among us does not long for luring friends into a game and seeking their homage as they become loyal subjects?
Why, for such devotion, I would give a king’s crown – and I’m working on it – all in a day’s play in Tiny Empires, the little kingdoms of Second Life.
