Bull cookies (better?) The whole point of the NP design is that 2-3
newbie factions now have as many NPs as an old faction. The newbies
can't have a supermage, but they can raise as many troops as the old
faction.
I've seen well-organized groups of newbies do quite well.
> All those weeks invested in
> making powerful mages (yes -- you have to have mages to be a power monger).
No, you need to be allied to mages. I don't have any mages.
> At any rate, there's little chance for newbies unless they already know
> someone in one of the big alliances, or they happen to find an alliance
> willing to take them in, like the Musketteers or TIBs, and the alliance is
> willing to help them out significantly.
There are a couple of examples which belie your claim.
-- greg, not Oleg