Pele wrote:Given the disbandment of CoP and the subsequent disbandment of CiA, we are dutybound by the agreement we made to rid this game of all super alliances. This coupled with the fact that The Hive left us under difficult circumstances, Warlords of Briton the same, and the uncertain future of BWP's participation in EPAC we have decided to dissolve. EPAc is no more. EPA, TSA and 359 will return to a pre-EPAC state, with them being brother alliances to EPA and close friends.
We will maintain our friendly relations with former EPAc alliances and we are all glad to have been a part of Wolf359's great organisation.
This is a post on behalf of the EPAC Senate and is the last of their duties to be fulfilled.
What can I say?
I heard about this, the end of the war/CoP/EPAC through a 359 Company member while playing another MMORPG and thought I'd give a bit of history.
The vision that began with the creation of TSA - a small unit formed initially to more easily manage the expansion of the EPA - has now come to a fitting end.
Way back then a vision of not a super-alliance, but a confedracy of alliances with common goals was envisaged by a number of players, including myself, JaseB, Salvo, General Gus, Targa, Balhaar, Viperman and Mattwell (and possibly one or two hours - but I'm very drunk!) was formed. The idea was that each time one of our alliances hit a certain number of players (approx 30), then a new breakaway alliance would be formed - and the concept pre-dated (by a long margin) even the GA.
However, the growing friendship with Omega and then UTA (and later DD et al) led to the formation of the GA, and plans for our confedracy took a back seat. However, many of us did become concerned regarding the uncontrolled expansion of the GA, the lack of communication between its various alliance members, the fact that the idea behind the GA was being twisted, and the fact decisions were being made and alliances accepted without proper procedure meant that the confederacy vision resurfaced, and 359 Company was formed, and the EPAC became an official organisation, with 359 also being admitted into the GA.
However, unrest within the GA continued and their was much discussion between the EPAC to fully break away. Meanwhile, a further EPA Splinter Group (The_Hive) created by former EPA members TheSleepingOne (later Sleeper) and Treebeard emerged and was accepted into the expanding Confederacy without hesitation. Before long, this was followed by the Sine Pari Militia (which was subsequently re-absorbed back into the EPA proper.
Up until this point, all EPAC alliances had been formed from or by existing or former EPA members - but now step up Warlords of Briton and Bad Wolf Project - who proved to be loyal and trusted allies, and were subsequently accepted to join the ever-expanding Confederacy.
Although at this point, it was decreed that there would be no more additions to the EPAC - our membership totalling approximately 280 members, across 6 alliances (after culling some dead weight).
There started to be some finger pointing from other GA members (the GA by this point had swelled to a silly number of members and affiliate members (although most of this was done on assumption rather than consensus - there were no rules for example that said non-GA EPAC members could not be attacked by other GA members), some of whom did not get on well with each other at all) regarding the size of the EPAC, and that the EPAC was becoming too powerful - despite the fact that half of its members were also GA members. Simultaneously, renewed calls were being made to pull the GA contingent of EPAC out of the GA.
Then the dismantling of the GA began, with Ancient Brethren and Disciples of the Brethren being ejected. This was soon followed by compete dissolution of the GA with the main body of Omega, DD and DDE forming CoP with their immediate training/sister alliances - and all other affiliates being rejected.
Contrary to what people think - the EPA/EPAC were not left out of CoP - a place was offered, but only on the condition that the EPAC membership was reduced to below 100 (I think). There were 2 reasons why this offer was rejected:
1 - EPA/TSA/359 were on the verge of leaving anyway, so having been pushed, they saw no reason to rejoin.
2 - More importantly, every member of the EPAC had proved their loyalty and service to the Confederacy (and the GA for that matter), and there was no way that loyalty and service was going to be returned with a slap in the face and dismissal from the Confederacy, just so that the elite members could join this new Coalition of Paragons.....
Actually, there was a third reason......
3 - We thought the name 'Coaltion of Paragons' was - how shall I put this?......
...... Arse.
No offence.
I think everyone knows what happened from there - a number of conflicts between individual EPAC/CoP alliances - which (in my opinion) stemmed from misplaced mistrust through half truths, conjecture, half stories, and, in some cases, blatant trouble-making by certain individuals. No one person was to blame - and both sides were at fault. Although I had very much taken a back seat at the time and was starting to withdraw from the game, it saddened me probably more than most in the EPA that the alliance ever ended up at war with Omega.
It may sound a bit over-the-top, but I gave everything to the long-alliance that the EPA and Omega had (long pre-dating the GA) - which I think was probably the greatest dual alliance (i.e. no more than 2) within the game (yes - even better than the long-standing EPA/TA alliance) - so when the friendship totally broke down I was gutted.
But hey-ho, life goes on, and it is only a game after all!
I am proud of any alliance that was a member of EPAC until the end - and of those that were part of the organisation throughout its history.
End of ramble.
Typical communication problems in the EPAc.. Well this is better for the alliances I feel..
