Mar 3rd 2011, 4:28:24
This story starts approximately 8 years ago (mid 2003), ironically with Detmer and myself.
Once upon a reset, I had the #1 ranked, fattest country on the server. I was a TTR (this was during the era when TTR's were by far the most dominate netting strategy), and about 2 days away from entering stocking mode. At this time I was suicided by 2 PDM countries, ruining my reset and my fairly legitimate contention for rank 1 (a rank that I still have never achieved, that may very well have been my only opportunity).
I entered negotiations with Detmer on reparations, but was informed that I would receive nothing because "PDM does not take responsibility for suiciders". The fact that the countries were wearing the PDM tag for every single one of the hits on my country was apparently of no consequence for PDM in this matter.
At that time, I told Detmer that PDM should expect to payback for maintaining such a ridiculous stance. He seemed ok with that at the time (likely figured I was bluffing given that LaF was a "netginaing alliance", but that is merely speculation <-- this was shortly after the intense LaF/LCN war (still my favourate war)).
I kept my word, and LaF defeated PDM solidly the following reset.
*fast forward a few years later*
Exact same thing happens (this time it wasn't my country though). I entered negotiations with whoever was running PDM's FA department at that time (his name was skthe, or sythe, something to that effect, PDMers will know who I am referring to). Once again, PDM took the stance that they do not take responsibility for it (even though once again, they were tagged PDM at the time of the suicides).
Once again, I told PDM that they should expect to die over this policy, and once again LaF followed through on its promise.
*fast forward a couple years later, now we are on the EC server*.
The same thing happens AGAIN.
I enter FA negotiations with TAN.
This time PDM does not take the stance that they refuse to pay, but rather that LaF was asking for too much in reparations.
My argument was simple:
a) The reps were in compliance with the terms in the pact (same terms we signed with everyone)
b) Others had been forced to pay similar packages in the past,and did so without a fuss (TIE had to do so more than once in reset histroy, at that point).
c) The terms went both ways, and whenever LaF sucided on someone we had to pay similar rep packages, and had done so in the past without a fuss.
Eventually LaF weakened its stance and decided to accept land:Land only, we were going to forgive the 100's of millions of bushels that had been lost (the suicide was during the stocking phase). At this point PDM changed its mind and said that they weren't going to pay any more reparations (they had already paid back roughly 70% of the land lost, there were no ghost acres at this point in the game either mind you).
At which point I pointed out to TAN that PDM has done this to LaF not once, but twice before in the past. I also pointed out that given that these past decisions were all made by different people, that it was probably safe to assume that PDM's issues with not paying what they owe is a cultural issue with the alliance, and not specific to any one individual. As such, should PDM choose to continue to maintain that position, not only would LaF be forced to kill PDM AGAIN (which we did), but that LaF would officially lose all respect we had for PDM as a legitimate, established alliance. I also stated that said respect would be gone until PDM managed to re-earn it from us in some fashion.
TAN/PDM was ok with this.
And THAT, is the reason why LaF "doesn't show PDM the respect we deserve".
-H4xOr WaNgEr
LaF Political operative (for far far too long now)