Unfavorable trading environment

[Cynthia de Luz]

I am seeking the wisdom of elders, as I am a novice to this game. I like to trade, but I find myself in a rather hostile trade environment where everyone seems to be fighting over the same resources - Steel, Planks, scrolls and Silk. These are not my boosted goods so I am in the midst of the scrapping. Also, merchants tend to gouge heavily with trades, presenting trades with one star or none! Since I am a novice, I have limited number of goods and cannot participate in the substantial trade volumes that the higher ranked members do, thus forcing me to support unboosted manufactories I would rather not have. I suspect that moving to another Fellowship that actually desires Marble-Crystal-Elixir (and that encourages fair trade) is the best option. I am curious if this is the normal state of affairs with this game?

 

[Daiman Rahl]

Normally the members in a fellowship will only post 2 and 3 star trades, unless a player is in desperate need. If you are only seeing 1 and no star trades from within I would deffinately find a better fellowship.
May I suggest using Elvanstats to find a fellowship with your boosts needed.
Check the Forum under fellowships and then check them out on Elvenstates.
I also beleave there is a facebook page as well.
Good luck. and enjoy the game. it is better then the situation you are in right now. Patience is always a key in this game.

 

[Darielle]

Cynthia, if no one needs your boosts in your fellowship or in your neighborhood, then you have no choice but to search for a new fellowship. It's the best way to grow and thrive. Daiman is right, Elvenstats.com is the best place to find a good fellowship. I would take the following steps if I were you:

1. find your own fellowship from the list on your own stats. (Click on your ranking level, and then you'll see a tab called "fellowships." You'll see where your own fellowship is ranked.) Once you find the list of fellowships, then start searching for fellowships that are ranked perhaps 100 points higher than your own, to help you grow, but not so high that you'll be totally intimidated by the other players. (You wouldn't want to ask a 10-chest fs, for example, to accept your membership. I wouldn't want the pressure until I grew.) Check out the fellowships' intro message. Write down the names of at least 5-10 fellowships that you think you might like to join.

2. When you have that list of possible fellowships, go to Elvenstats.com and type each name in the top where it says "fellowships." Then check out each one. What do they have the most of, in terms of resources? What are they short on? The best fellowship will be short of at least one of your boosts, if not two.

3. If you find a good fellowship that needs your boosts, then check out the list of players. Are there any black triangles next to any names? Those black triangles mean that the player may not be active. You want a fellowship with mostly active players, so I would avoid any fellowship that has more than one or two black triangles. Scroll down and see their achievements for the week. Did most players achieve a "zero" or "one?" Or did they achieve a 3, 4 or more percent increase. That means they are active and trying. That's what you want.

4. Once you narrow in on one, send a request to join. They'll probably be glad to have you! Best of luck to you!

 

[Daiman Rahl]

Darielle, you always give excellent advice. and so thought out.
Cynthia , best of luck down the road, and keep us posted we would love to here of your results as well.

 

[Cynthia de Luz]

Normally the members in a fellowship will only post 2 and 3 star trades, unless a player is in desperate need. If you are only seeing 1 and no star trades from within I would deffinately find a better fellowship.
May I suggest using Elvanstats to find a fellowship with your boosts needed.
Check the Forum under fellowships and then check them out on Elvenstates.
I also beleave there is a facebook page as well.
Good luck. and enjoy the game. it is better then the situation you are in right now. Patience is always a key in this game.

Thank you very much for the wise advice. It is as I had thought - Best to examine other possibilities for trade within a new fellowship. I appreciate the tools you have provided!

 

[Cynthia de Luz]

Cynthia, if no one needs your boosts in your fellowship or in your neighborhood, then you have no choice but to search for a new fellowship. It's the best way to grow and thrive. Daiman is right, Elvenstats.com is the best place to find a good fellowship. I would take the following steps if I were you:

1. find your own fellowship from the list on your own stats. (Click on your ranking level, and then you'll see a tab called "fellowships." You'll see where your own fellowship is ranked.) Once you find the list of fellowships, then start searching for fellowships that are ranked perhaps 100 points higher than your own, to help you grow, but not so high that you'll be totally intimidated by the other players. (You wouldn't want to ask a 10-chest fs, for example, to accept your membership. I wouldn't want the pressure until I grew.) Check out the fellowships' intro message. Write down the names of at least 5-10 fellowships that you think you might like to join.

2. When you have that list of possible fellowships, go to Elvenstats.com and type each name in the top where it says "fellowships." Then check out each one. What do they have the most of, in terms of resources? What are they short on? The best fellowship will be short of at least one of your boosts, if not two.

3. If you find a good fellowship that needs your boosts, then check out the list of players. Are there any black triangles next to any names? Those black triangles mean that the player may not be active. You want a fellowship with mostly active players, so I would avoid any fellowship that has more than one or two black triangles. Scroll down and see their achievements for the week. Did most players achieve a "zero" or "one?" Or did they achieve a 3, 4 or more percent increase. That means they are active and trying. That's what you want.

4. Once you narrow in on one, send a request to join. They'll probably be glad to have you! Best of luck to you!

Darielle - Thank you for the EXCELLENT advice. Very thoughtful and helpful. I will do as you recommend. I have my own concerns, because I am a very loyal person, of leaving my current Queen and her ranks, but as well as she has helped me, I suspect it is also a strain on her resources to keep my demands satisfied when she has the same boosted goods as I. It would be best for both sides, I think. Your thorough response is very enlightening and I will keep this in my mind as I grow and help others. Thank you again - CdL

 

[samidodamage]

@Cynthia de Luz
Yes, you need another FS. It's not unusual (esp in the beginning) to need to change. Out of your 22 members, 9 are inactive, at least 1 hasn't had a score change since August 2019! While your ArchMage may be a great person, holding on to players who aren't actually playing the game anymore is not helpful to anyone in the FS. Many of the others don't seem to be daily players (and I imagine you are). Here's the link to your FS on ElvenStats:
TheSmashing Rabbits
Hover over the black triangle next to a player name and you'll get a popup showing the date of last score change.
Follow @Darielle 's advice, but don't be afraid to check into higher ranking FS's. Both of the ones I'm in like to have new players and both are 10chest/wk tourney FS's. We don't even care about boosts (we have millions of goods; several of us clear trader of all FS trades at least daily).
It will feel like you're playing a different game when you find one that is a good fit.
Happy gaming!

 

[NightshadeCS]

I agree with the excellent advice above! Also PLACE TRADES. Never stop placing them. It is much easier for larger cities to see your trades and grab them than for you to find trades you can take. Also, many of them will not have a trader fee for you, since they have scouted further out.

Good luck!

 

[Cynthia de Luz]

@Cynthia de Luz
Yes, you need another FS. It's not unusual (esp in the beginning) to need to change. Out of your 22 members, 9 are inactive, at least 1 hasn't had a score change since August 2019! While your ArchMage may be a great person, holding on to players who aren't actually playing the game anymore is not helpful to anyone in the FS. Many of the others don't seem to be daily players (and I imagine you are). Here's the link to your FS on ElvenStats:
TheSmashing Rabbits
Hover over the black triangle next to a player name and you'll get a popup showing the date of last score change.
Follow @Darielle 's advice, but don't be afraid to check into higher ranking FS's. Both of the ones I'm in like to have new players and both are 10chest/wk tourney FS's. We don't even care about boosts (we have millions of goods; several of us clear trader of all FS trades at least daily).
It will feel like you're playing a different game when you find one that is a good fit.
Happy gaming!

Thank you Very much - I am excited to follow the advice of the elders, indeed! I am looking forward to finding my next home. I agree that there is skill required to being an effective FS Archmage. When it is my time to step forward, I only hope I can pass along as helpful knowledge as you all have done for me. Cheers! CdL

 

[Darielle]

Darielle - Thank you for the EXCELLENT advice. Very thoughtful and helpful. I will do as you recommend. I have my own concerns, because I am a very loyal person, of leaving my current Queen and her ranks, but as well as she has helped me, I suspect it is also a strain on her resources to keep my demands satisfied when she has the same boosted goods as I. It would be best for both sides, I think. Your thorough response is very enlightening and I will keep this in my mind as I grow and help others. Thank you again - CdL

You're very welcome. I, too, was once in that situation. The AM was very good to me when I started out. She taught me so much and wound up being a good friend. I hated to feel disloyal and ended up staying much longer than I should have, without really being happy. In the end I talked to her about it and she told me that she understood completely. She encouraged me to fly. I eventually found a fellowship that I am happy with and surprisingly enough, she recently disbanded her fellowship and will soon be joining mine. We're still very good friends, so it worked out for the best for all.

 

[Darielle]

Darielle, you always give excellent advice. and so thought out.
Cynthia , best of luck down the road, and keep us posted we would love to here of your results as well.

Thank you so much, Daiman. So do you!

 

[Darielle]

Follow Darielle's advice, but don't be afraid to check into higher ranking FS's. Both of the ones I'm in like to have new players and both are 10chest/wk tourney FS's. We don't even care about boosts (we have millions of goods; several of us clear trader of all FS trades at least daily).
It will feel like you're playing a different game when you find one that is a good fit.
Happy gaming!

Good that you have have such a fellowship with helpful players. Many 10 chest fellowships are more focused on competition and push new players too hard. But then I should expect that of your fellowship, considering how helpful you are here!

 

[mucksterme]

A good fellowship is the key to everything

but one thing i will add that i didn't see mentioned
since you are new you probably have not discovered many neighbors yet
the one and zero star trades may not all be what you think
if the trade has a " ! " next to it the problem might be that the person posting is outside your neighborhood and you are being charged a tariff
as you get bigger that becomes less of a problem

but by all means find a good fs
and do like someone said
post trades
there are probably bigger cities around that have you in their neighborhood even though you don't have them yet
and they will see your trades

 

[Darielle]

A good fellowship is the key to everything

but one thing i will add that i didn't see mentioned
since you are new you probably have not discovered many neighbors yet
the one and zero star trades may not all be what you think
if the trade has a " ! " next to it the problem might be that the person posting is outside your neighborhood and you are being charged a tariff
as you get bigger that becomes less of a problem

but by all means find a good fs
and do like someone said
post trades
there are probably bigger cities around that have you in their neighborhood even though you don't have them yet
and they will see your trades

That's a good point.

 

[neeronie]

I am seeking the wisdom of elders, as I am a novice to this game. I like to trade, but I find myself in a rather hostile trade environment where everyone seems to be fighting over the same resources - Steel, Planks, scrolls and Silk. These are not my boosted goods so I am in the midst of the scrapping. Also, merchants tend to gouge heavily with trades, presenting trades with one star or none! Since I am a novice, I have limited number of goods and cannot participate in the substantial trade volumes that the higher ranked members do, thus forcing me to support unboosted manufactories I would rather not have. I suspect that moving to another Fellowship that actually desires Marble-Crystal-Elixir (and that encourages fair trade) is the best option. I am curious if this is the normal state of affairs with this game?

It sounds like a very uncomfortable situation. A few things you might try. When you put your trade up, use chat to let you Fellows know that you need a trade whatever the it is for example, trade up to complete research or just trade up to balance my inventory. This may encourage them to look for and take your trade. It is expected in my fellowship that new cities will be given goods if they ask for help to complete tasks or tournaments in there boosted.

As you increase the production bonus on you boosted you can afford to offer trades that are 3 star and still come out ahead since production can be increased to over 700%. Map neighbors have mentioned and the one thing I would add to that is remember to send a thank you message. It will be appreciated and you will make a good trading partner.

Continue to enjoy the game and it is very wise of you to seek guidance here if the Archmage or mages of your Fellowship have not responded to you.

 

[samidodamage]

Many 10 chest fellowships are more focused on competition

Well, neither of the FS's I'm in are 'top-tier' ranked; one is ranked 35th and the other 36th and neither cares if they're ranked 350th and 360th, lol! They've both been around for years. I haven't forgotten the first time we got that elusive 4th chest, lol! That was a heart pounding Saturday afternoon. imo, it doesn't take a competitive FS to do 10chests/wk. A full FS needs 1600pts/member and that's just not that hard to get once you have 10 provinces available for the tourney. It's 10 provinces through round 2 and 9 provinces through round 5. If you only want to do 4 days of tourney, you need 2 rounds of 12 provinces and 4 rounds of 9 provinces. Once you've got more provinces: 2 rounds of 20, 3 rounds of 9 and you've done your part for the week in 3 days! So, once you learn how to massage them to fit with your schedule/resources/etc, tourneys are not really 'hard' anymore. What's hard is to get 24 other people to do that with you every. single. week. That, imo, is the key to 10chest FS's that have a mix of cities (range of chapters, play styles, etc). And as soon as you think you've settled into a full group of like-minded players, real life intrudes for someone and you're back to recruiting. I look at it as another challenge of the game. And the 'silver lining' is you get to recruit new players who bring new enthusiasm and new ideas!

 

[Cynthia de Luz]

Thank you for your continuing commentary - I see that I have found a good game to play and a good group of councilors. I have been aggressively expanding to gain more neighbors and I check out everything about them to see how the successful players are operating. I have to temper my tendency to be competitive with caution in overextending my resource lines, as I do so enjoy the adventures, challenges and tournaments. I have felt sheltered in my FS for now but I do not see the lines of conversation that make me feel comfortable there. Personalities win out in the end, I was fortunate to fall into the starting group I did, I reside next to very powerful competitors, strong traders, so I have little to complain about and so much opportunity to advance. A big part of what I enjoy so much about games like this is the relationships that build through time - trading is one of the best ways to reach out. I am fortunate again to have a couple of strong training partners for now, communicating freely and talking with each other as we progress. Thank you again for your continued support and sharing your wisdom! CdL

 

[Darielle]

A full FS needs 1600pts/member and that's just not that hard to get once you have 10 provinces available for the tourney. It's 10 provinces through round 2 and 9 provinces through round 5. If you only want to do 4 days of tourney, you need 2 rounds of 12 provinces and 4 rounds of 9 provinces. Once you've got more provinces: 2 rounds of 20, 3 rounds of 9 and you've done your part for the week in 3 days! So, once you learn how to massage them to fit with your schedule/resources/etc, tourneys are not really 'hard' anymore. What's hard is to get 24 other people to do that with you every. single. week. That, imo, is the key to 10chest FS's that have a mix of cities (range of chapters, play styles, etc).

We have a three hundred point minimum on the tourney for participants, which is extremely low for anyone except a chapter 1-2 player, and yet we still have a few people who consistently come up short. We debate whether to let them go but since we aren't full, we just keep reminding them of our minimum (which they keep ignoring). Seeing people consistently failing to make it is frustrating, especially when you know they are capable of so much more, and particularly if they are good with visits and trades and stuff, because you hate to remove them when they're active. But I will respectfully disagree that it is "easy" to get 1600 points each tourney, consistently. For a mid-level player (chapters 4-8), and for those who hate fighting and only cater, you have to first build up a city to a degree that those kinds of supplies and goods are routine (and a good fellowship/neighbors to trade with). That takes time. But if you don't mind fighting and have a few armories built already to where you can keep up with troop losses, then I agree that it isn't hard. But that too takes time.

 

[samidodamage]

@Darielle
Take a look at this old thread:https://us.forum.elvenar.com/index.php?threads/casual-tournament-participation-strategy.7882/
This could give you some ideas of how to motivate some of your cities to do more. DM me if you're interested and I'll go dig up some tourney motivation FS emails I've sent over the years to help folks see the benefits of doing more. Skyeland II just became a 10chest/wk FS in Nov 2019. For about a year before that we were doing 10 chests every 4th week; 6-8 chests on off weeks. That FS is just an average FS with average requirements (visit x3/wk; score change every 2 wks, fair trades) and is not geared to 'daily' players, has no requirements for 'boosted only' builds, no requirements for FA participation, no minimum for tourney (our AM encourages folks to do one province to get in on the group chests).
And, yes, I should have been clear that 1600pts is not hard for players who use a combination of fighting/catering. While it's never 'easy', part of the challenge of the game is building in a way that provides the resources you need for the things you want to do. I maintain that folks who say 'it's too hard' really don't want to do it. They like the *idea* of getting all those benefits, but aren't willing to put in the work. That brand new Ch2 player (not just a new city) that just joined us (in my Derp city, not Skyeland)? 1350pts this week and never asked for unfair trades for goods (we will do that to help the littles as they grow). A mix of fight/cater is crucial at that level.
The game is not designed for players who choose not to use all the resources they have access to. I know because I was one of those players in the beginning. Combat was foreign to me; did not even train troops for several chapters except for quests, didn't level up the military bldgs, etc. While I like a challenge, that method was hard! It took me learning from this thread:Combat 101 Then, of course, I had to play catch-up on developing my military buildings/troops. It was a lot of work, but well worth it.

 

[Deleted User - 3932582]

We debate whether to let them go but since we aren't full, we just keep reminding them of our minimum (which they keep ignoring). Seeing people consistently failing to make it is frustrating, especially when you know they are capable of so much more, and particularly if they are good with visits and trades and stuff, because you hate to remove them when they're active.

Here is some unsolicited advice for you. Just kick them out. Or change the rules to remove the minimum requirements. But you need to do at least one of those things. Right now the rules are not real as you're not enforcing them, and you're going to lose good players who actually pull their weight, and see free-loaders getting a pass. It is much better to say "we got 20K points with just 10 players", than to say "we're full, and we only got 20K points". But if tournament points are not important for your FS, then just drop these from the requirements so people who care about it won't be misled and be disappointed.