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TERA Vanarchy candidate Oloh on the political game within the game
For some time now, meaningful in-game politics have been the domain of sandbox golden-children like EVE Online, but En Masse Entertainment's action-oriented TERA aims to break that monopoly. The studio recently introduced its much-touted Vanarchy system, which allows players to run for political office and has resulted in a rush of guilds vying for the coveted positions. The Basilisk Crag server's Nagafen is one such guild. The guild, headed by founder and Vanarchy candidate Don Shelkey (in-game alias Oloh), is in the midst of a large campaign for control of the province of Ostgarath, and the group means business. Shelkey even went so far as to rent ad-space on the front page of TERA's ZAM network database site, TeraTome, bringing the in-game campaign into the real-world of hundreds of TERA players. We had the chance to have a little tête-à-tête with Shelkey himself to talk a bit about the socio-political climate of TERA and its implications on the real world. OK, not really. But we did talk to him about the joys of playing politics in a virtual world and what it takes to run for a Vanarchy in TERA, so head on past the cut and check it out!
TERA prepares for political machinations
If you've thought that a bit of political campaigning and intrigue was all that was missing from your complete enjoyment of TERA, have we got good news for you. It's almost time for the vanarch election wheel to start a-turnin', so start polishing your speeches! Players elected to the vanarch position will reign for three weeks over their province. Vanarchs get to turn their whimsy into mandate by setting and collecting taxes and choosing which specialty shops to open up. They'll also be accruing fame (or infamy) for themselves and their guilds. Of course, not just anyone is worthy to rule o'er the masses: In order to be eligible, candidates must be the leader of a level three guild with at least 20 members, must have reached at least level 50 on their character, and must pay a fee of 3,000 gold and 100 Catharnach Awards. Sound like you? Registration for vanarch candidates opens up on Friday, May 18th, at 9:00 p.m. EDT and runs 'til Friday, May 25th, at 9:00 p.m. EDT. After registration week comes a week of voting, and then three weeks of sweet, sweet power. Registration for the following reign opens up in the second week of the on-going vanarch's office, so if you're interested in getting to the top and staying there, you don't have a lot of time to rest on your laurels. If the mantle of power isn't made for your shoulders but you still want to flex your political muscle, be sure to vote! Each game account gets one vote per continent on a given server. Are your fingers itching for a ballot? Next week TERA's game guide will be updated with some more juicy details on the political system. Knowledge, after all, is power.
