User:WanYao/Sandbox

Zerging discussion from Beerhah.com

Beerhah.com » The Followers of Beerhah (Group Forums) » The Dribbling Beavers (Santlerville / Mobile) » The Beavers' Lodge » Current Operations » On winning 2 pages: [1] 2 On winning Options · View Previous Topic · Next Topic DonTickles Posted: 24 June 2008 11:22:31 Rank: Stone Cold Sober

Joined: 23/03/2008 Posts: 16 Location: Ridleybank

So I've spent some time thinking about the situation with Finis. It started with Wan Yao stating that we could not win this fight against Finis. There has to be something we can do right? So I came up with a tentative plan to truly defeat Finis and improve the quality of life and unlife of all honest UD players. It is ambitious, difficult, and would involve skills beyond the scope of my knowledge, so we will almost certainly require help. So what is this great masterful plan you ask? Does it involve forming a massive alliance to keep all of Finis's alts laying dead at all times of the day? Does it require coordination on a epic scale, beyond anything seen since Shacknews? No. It doesn't even involve playing the game. What is Finis's biggest weapon? His ability to bypass the zerg filter. How does he do this? Proxies. Why hasn't Kevan closed the loophole by blocking proxies? I don't know. What can we do? Come up with a viable solution to close the loophole and block access from open proxies and pressure Kevan to implement it. How do we do this?

1. Collect information and brainstorm - We need to research various proxy blacklists to find a cost effective, well maintained list of proxies. Proxy.org is updated every day, we need a blacklist that is updated every day too. The list should include regular public open proxies/anonymizers, hacked proxies, and TOR exit nodes. 2. Recruit skilled people - I have no knowledge of web coding, we need people familiar with coding in the same language Kevan uses, people that would have the skills to write sample code for implementing the ability to block access from proxies. 3. Develop the solution - create sample code that we can submit to Kevan for blocking proxies, give him a full solution so he has no excuses. All bases need to be covered as closely as possible. 4. Start a petition on the wiki for closing the loophole for good. 5. Run a PR campaign to draw attention to the problem, the solution we have come up with and submitted to Kevan, and what everyone can do to help (signing the petition) 6. When we have enough signatures (I think we can get several hundred signatures) we turn up the pressure on Kevan, posting on his talk page and emailing him. 7. We give Kevan a timeline for a response, two weeks should be enough, where basically we demand a promise of action to remove the loophole. 8. If he promises to close the loophole we rejoice and wait for the solution to come about, keeping pressure on him for updates about his progress. 9. If he rejects outright or drags ass, we organize a strike. 10. When proxies are blocked effectively we have in effect won the fight against Finis and the most extreme cases of zergers like him. 11. If Kevan will not fix it, well I hear Nexuswar is fun...

Discuss.

edit: interesting - http://perishablepress.com/press/2008/04/20/how-to-block-proxy-servers-via-htaccess/ Back to top

Fifth Element Posted: 24 June 2008 12:19:56

Rank: Feeling No Pain

Joined: 11/03/2008 Posts: 139 Location: San Diego, CA

I've often thought about the idea of somehow banning proxies as a way to counteract zerging and I think you are totally right about this. Some people that use proxies but don't zerg may be upset about it, but something HAS to be done about the zerg problem, and I really think this will be an effective solution. I guarantee my signature for the petition.

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pickmansmodel Posted: 24 June 2008 12:34:06

Rank: Belligerently In Love with the World

Joined: 13/03/2008 Posts: 241 Location: Kah-lee-FOR-nee-ah

You've got my signature, and that's about all I can give. I'm a 43-year-old Language Studies major, and my tech skills pretty much end at getting me here. d'oh!

Organizing a strike, though - I'm hoping that's sarcasm. Anybody who's been playing legit, well, he's already got our five bucks.

pickmansmodel Medic Rick Back to top

DonTickles Posted: 24 June 2008 12:46:46 Rank: Stone Cold Sober

Joined: 23/03/2008 Posts: 16 Location: Ridleybank

pickmansmodel wrote: You've got my signature, and that's about all I can give. I'm a 43-year-old Language Studies major, and my tech skills pretty much end at getting me here. d'oh!

Organizing a strike, though - I'm hoping that's sarcasm. Anybody who's been playing legit, well, he's already got our five bucks.

You don't need technical skills to help find other people who have those skills. There are several in the community that I know or know of, like Jorm and Swiers. Then there are those I don't know but know exist, like whoever created the Rogues Gallery, and DEMON, and the UDTool. Plus we can all hit up google and search out things like blacklists or other solutions for blocking proxies.

As for the strike I'm completely serious. It worked for changing Headshot rules and it can work for closing the zergers loophole. http://wiki.urbandead.com/index.php/On_Strike Back to top

Darma Posted: 24 June 2008 14:00:04

Rank: Mildly Buzzed

Joined: 20/05/2008 Posts: 55

Sounds like a good idea.

(though, I won't be able to play at work anymore if Kevan is able to ban the use of proxies) (*pouts*)

You know... If Kevan uses certain scripts, a person using a proxy won't be able to play. I have this problem with a blogging site I frequent...

A combination of banning the usual proxies and using certain scripts not compatible with most proxies might work... UD ID: Darma Back to top

Falco94 Posted: 24 June 2008 21:12:31

Rank: Feeling No Pain

Joined: 10/03/2008 Posts: 130 Location: Tennessee

I agree with everything said by mr. tickles.

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Ta Maman Posted: 24 June 2008 23:14:49 Rank: Stone Cold Sober

Joined: 06/06/2008 Posts: 4 Location: Canada

Hoohah! Sounds good to me.

In the mean time, Im going to waste Ammo hunting Finis down.

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jamoe Posted: 26 June 2008 08:47:30 Rank: Delightfully Inebriated

Joined: 10/03/2008 Posts: 167 Location: bay area, california

you could have each character store the ip address that it last used, and when the address changes you have to go through an email re-register process. so if your ip changes a lot (to get around the ip limit) you would have to be constantly re-registering, which would be a pain for anyone who uses proxies, without totally blocking them.

jamoe - beaver (malton) jamoecw - dead (monroe) AWARDS:

finis AP war ratio - 7.67 (july 20 23:37)

jamoecw's dragon cave scroll Back to top

Wan Yao Posted: 27 June 2008 08:21:05 Rank: Irreparably Hosed

Joined: 12/03/2008 Posts: 266 Location: Canadia

jamoe wrote: you could have each character store the ip address that it last used, and when the address changes you have to go through an email re-register process. so if your ip changes a lot (to get around the ip limit) you would have to be constantly re-registering, which would be a pain for anyone who uses proxies, without totally blocking them.

Sheeyit, that's a great idea... :)

Meanwhile, I'm quite in favour of what Don Tickles said. Barring a solution like Calista's, I've become convinced of the need to ban ALL open proxies, period. I know there are people like Darma who'd suffer, but I think it's a healthy price to pay to deal with what is a pretty bad problem. Now I was actually talking to Sweirs about coding stuff, and it seems he's only picked it up on his own in the last year, like, wow! So this might be beyond his skillz, dunno... Jorm, however, does it for a living... but I don't really know him, myself... but I think he'd be capable.

But yes please.... Let's try to fix this, because I really believe that if anything is going to kill UD in the long haul, it's frustration re: honest players dealing with alt abuse. And, Don, your proposal. the way you presented it, and the way you want to go about it is fantastic. Thank you very much for taking the time and thought to put it down like that! It's a crudely-printed propaganda rag, encouraging survivors to surrender to the hordes and reclaim Malton, to exist without material needs rather than scavenging to survive.

You eat it.

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Violet Begonia Posted: 27 June 2008 09:44:50

Rank: Feeling No Pain

Joined: 28/03/2008 Posts: 92 Location: 10 minutes from hell

You have my full support, Don. *applause*

I can't help with the technical stuff, but I'll sign a petition and advertise for you. Proud Supporter of the Malton Zombie Recycling Program

Violet Begonia - 10 minutes from hell ugga ugga Back to top

dz Posted: 29 June 2008 22:31:46

Rank: Stone Cold Sober

Joined: 08/03/2008 Posts: 21 Location: Hampstead, MD

jamoe wrote: you could have each character store the ip address that it last used, and when the address changes you have to go through an email re-register process. so if your ip changes a lot (to get around the ip limit) you would have to be constantly re-registering, which would be a pain for anyone who uses proxies, without totally blocking them. This will inconvenience dial up users (and some people with ISPs with annoyingly configured DHCP servers) since their IP changes every time they connect.

But as for blocking proxies, DroneBL and EFnet's blacklist will, used together, detect most open proxies -- with two rather simple DNS lookups per login. Back to top

jamoe Posted: 30 June 2008 09:27:23 Rank: Delightfully Inebriated

Joined: 10/03/2008 Posts: 167 Location: bay area, california

completely overlooked the dial up people, i guess that since i am no longer using dial up i stopped keeping them in mind. i guess knowing who is on a proxy you could just make them re register every 50 AP or so.

jamoe - beaver (malton) jamoecw - dead (monroe) AWARDS:

finis AP war ratio - 7.67 (july 20 23:37)

jamoecw's dragon cave scroll Back to top

calista_griffin Posted: 30 June 2008 11:19:12

Rank: Administration

Joined: 09/03/2008 Posts: 317 Location: santlerville

dz has a good point and he knows his stuff.

but, i think where a disconnect may be happening is that no one ever "wins" in ud. it's an ongoing game. our mission was never to "win" it was to give finis a hard enough time and to ruin his reputation so thoroughly that his pattern of griefing could no longer continue.

i think that don tickles has good ideas and we are progressing in compiling evidence.

but what is also key in fighting this kind of griefer is to not let him have the upper hand in your mind, to not make him bigger than he actually is, to innovate in your thinking of how to combat him, and to do what can be done to stop him. i personally think that if someone had stomped him when he only had 10 zergs, we wouldn't be in this position. but people let it go and now we have this ridiculous zerger on our hands.

if we just throw our hands up, he'll never stop. Back to top

Wan Yao Posted: 30 June 2008 18:20:11 Rank: Irreparably Hosed

Joined: 12/03/2008 Posts: 266 Location: Canadia

i don't think anyone here is talking about "winning". we're talking about dealing with zergers.

my own comments on "winning" a while back were an expression of my frustration over the possibility of even achieving the kinds of goals you set out. exactly because of the zerging/proxy thing...

It's a crudely-printed propaganda rag, encouraging survivors to surrender to the hordes and reclaim Malton, to exist without material needs rather than scavenging to survive.

You eat it.

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elbert Posted: 02 July 2008 16:00:36 Rank: Stone Cold Sober

Joined: 14/03/2008 Posts: 22 Location: Denver, CO

If he's just spoofing his IP then a reverse-DNS lookup should shut him down. Kevan would have to implement that from the web server. I've only ever heard of reverse-DNS lookups in relation to email spam filters, but there's gotta be a way to do it from a web page. Back to top

Viktor Suvorov Posted: 03 July 2008 07:49:02 Rank: Stone Cold Sober

Joined: 13/03/2008 Posts: 20 Location: /dev/null

Well... I really doubt that Finis is using only open proxies and TOR. There are some serious issues, and I'm pretty sure that using public proxies to zerg with ~50 alts is impossible... why?

Short example: 1) Let's take one of most known open proxy list - http://proxy4free.com/page1.html 2) Pick up a proxy, open firefox settings and configure it to use that proxy 3) Try to refresh google.com ... connection refused... reset while loading... ? pick a different proxy and try again 4) Try again and again and again... on average you should find a working proxy after checking ~5. 5) Ok... now refresh... hmm - yup - 20 second long lag... you have to get used. 6) Now try to instakill someone by opening 40 tabs with attack links (using various GM scripts or bookmarks) 7) See some 'connection refused' messages...

Ok... now try with TOR - except that you'll have a bigger lag, and your connection will go down less often it will be pretty similar. What I'm trying to say - using public proxies and open anonymity networks like tor is too unreliable to play 50 alts. We have to remember that Finis wins almost every real time combat - it would be impossible with proxies... So... how?

I can see 3 possibilities: 1) commercial, anonymity software/proxies - I seriously doubt - they're really expensive... 2) many IP addresses from different ISPs/networks - also not believable unless he's a really wealthy person... 3) ssh tunnels - it's a cheap and reliable solution - I'll say something more about it:

To use a ssh tunnel you need to have a shell account - very often you can get it for free in your school/work/university if you speak with your network admin. If you have friends working in IT you may try to ask them. Also - many commercial shell accounts are quite cheap (often 5$ - 20$ per year), if you spend some time looking you'll find non-commercial free shell services.

How does it work? Simply - when you have an account you log in via an ssh client, open a tunnel, and configure your browser to use this tunnel like a proxy. It's technically not a proxy, so all proxy-related caching and delay issues don't appear here - in most cases it will slow down our connection by about 0.5 - 1 second without any other noticeable effects.

Benefits of such solution: 1) Your connection looks like it was established from the SSH server, and not from your computer. There is no way to tell if someone is using a tunnel. 2) As said before - it's really cheap (or free) and reliable. 3) Opening SSH connections takes few seconds, if you open many connections before, and use a [censored] firefox extension switching requires 2 clicks with your mouse.

Why do I think that finis is using it: We have few IPs used by him to post on various forums. 3 of them are from different networks in Romania/Bucharest - it suggest using accounts located in his work(s) or provided by his friends (well... the only problem is that I doubt that somebody spending 8 hours per day playing UD may have friends).

How to ban such tunnels... as far as I know there is no way...

I'm not saying that he's not using free HTTP proxies for some of his zergs - we noticed that when http://proxy4free.com/ service wasn't available some of his zergs were much less active.

So... we definitely should think about banning proxies, even if it's not going to stop finis. Using several blacklist will be helpful, but won't block many proxies appearing for 1-2 days (which aren't intended to be public proxies, and their availability is just a result of a misconfiguration). However - we can ban all public proxies - using a known method of scanning every new connecting host on common proxy ports (80, 3128 and 8080) and checking proxy service availability (we don't wanna ban people who just have a HTTP server running in their network = 90% of internet users).

Checking reverse-DNS won't help - it's used by mail servers to verify hostnames of other mail servers in order to avoid relying mail from infected-spam-PCs (all important internet servers have reverse-DNS entries configured, while almost all private PCs (even with public IPs) don't) - it simply allows to tell if it's a well known and configured mail server, or just a PC which was infected by a spam mallware and just pretends to be a mail server. Back to top

Fifth Element Posted: 03 July 2008 15:06:20

Rank: Feeling No Pain

Joined: 11/03/2008 Posts: 139 Location: San Diego, CA

Viktor Suvorov wrote:

(well... the only problem is that I doubt that somebody spending 8 hours per day playing UD may have friends).

HEY! I play UD 8 hours a day sometimes! And I have friends... they're just people on the internet I've never met. Just kidding ;) I have some RL friends that like to drag me out of the house every once in a while :D I swear.

But yeah, I doubt finis has many friends. I visualize him sitting in a dark room with nothing but the glow of a computer screen, maniacally, deriving great pleasure from killing us and obsessing over how to *rule* Malton.

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Viktor Suvorov Posted: 03 July 2008 17:00:04 Rank: Stone Cold Sober

Joined: 13/03/2008 Posts: 20 Location: /dev/null

Fifth Element wrote: HEY! I play UD 8 hours a day sometimes! And I have friends... they're just people on the internet I've never met. Just kidding ;) I have some RL friends that like to drag me out of the house every once in a while :D I swear.

I also sometimes spend 8 hours on UD stuff - mostly IRCing with great people, checking forums/wiki... but this guy probably spends about 6-8 hours actually playing his ~50 zergs... Back to top

passchendaele Posted: 03 July 2008 17:54:52

Rank: Full on Blackout

Joined: 11/03/2008 Posts: 405 Location: Nr Londinium

Viktor Suvorov wrote: Fifth Element wrote: HEY! I play UD 8 hours a day sometimes! And I have friends... they're just people on the internet I've never met. Just kidding ;) I have some RL friends that like to drag me out of the house every once in a while :D I swear.

I also sometimes spend 8 hours on UD stuff - mostly IRCing with great people, checking forums/wiki... but this guy probably spends about 6-8 hours actually playing his ~50 zergs...

I think he does. I think he is mentally unstable. A serious Obsessive Compulsive. I also think he derives sexual gratification from his antics. *shudders*.

newton pippin - ULC Dr Hugo Z Hackenbush - The Dribbling Beavers Spazbecker - Mob Sir Quimberry Flange - 404: Barhah not found Garwalla - MMS

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pickmansmodel Posted: 05 July 2008 20:20:47

Rank: Belligerently In Love with the World

Joined: 13/03/2008 Posts: 241 Location: Kah-lee-FOR-nee-ah

Fifth Element wrote: HEY! I play UD 8 hours a day sometimes! And I have friends... they're just people on the internet I've never met. Just kidding ;) I have some RL friends that like to drag me out of the house every once in a while :D I swear.

Okay, even though I'm a happily-yoked, monog, het, female, middle-ager, doesn't ANYbody else think that with a stone hottie like our Fiffy, this is distressing?

(Then again, that means our fellas get to keep you for themselves, darlin'.)

pickmansmodel Medic Rick Back to top

pickmansmodel Posted: 05 July 2008 20:21:42

Rank: Belligerently In Love with the World

Joined: 13/03/2008 Posts: 241 Location: Kah-lee-FOR-nee-ah

passchendaele wrote: I also think he derives sexual gratification from his antics. *shudders*.

EW.

But I'm betting you're right.

pickmansmodel Medic Rick Back to top

passchendaele Posted: 06 July 2008 06:19:54

Rank: Full on Blackout

Joined: 11/03/2008 Posts: 405 Location: Nr Londinium

pickmansmodel wrote: Fifth Element wrote: HEY! I play UD 8 hours a day sometimes! And I have friends... they're just people on the internet I've never met. Just kidding ;) I have some RL friends that like to drag me out of the house every once in a while :D I swear.

Okay, even though I'm a happily-yoked, monog, het, female, middle-ager, doesn't ANYbody else think that with a stone hottie like our Fiffy, this is distressing?

(Then again, that means our fellas get to keep you for themselves, darlin'.)

mmmmm fiffy bootyshake

newton pippin - ULC Dr Hugo Z Hackenbush - The Dribbling Beavers Spazbecker - Mob Sir Quimberry Flange - 404: Barhah not found Garwalla - MMS

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jamoe Posted: 06 July 2008 16:38:41 Rank: Delightfully Inebriated

Joined: 10/03/2008 Posts: 167 Location: bay area, california

yeah, but we need to make sure that last scene in the detox chamber is perfect. that's why we practice it so often.bounce

[edit]just noticed something, finis is acting like i would if i were casually being a zerging pker. notice how the revive que actually has people in it? if he continues along this path in two months he will be a real pain, instead of an annoying jerk. i think we should get the changes done before then, otherwise things might hit the point of no return.[/edit]

jamoe - beaver (malton) jamoecw - dead (monroe) AWARDS:

finis AP war ratio - 7.67 (july 20 23:37)

jamoecw's dragon cave scroll Back to top

Fifth Element Posted: 07 July 2008 17:06:56

Rank: Feeling No Pain

Joined: 11/03/2008 Posts: 139 Location: San Diego, CA

pickmansmodel wrote: Fifth Element wrote: HEY! I play UD 8 hours a day sometimes! And I have friends... they're just people on the internet I've never met. Just kidding ;) I have some RL friends that like to drag me out of the house every once in a while :D I swear.

Okay, even though I'm a happily-yoked, monog, het, female, middle-ager, doesn't ANYbody else think that with a stone hottie like our Fiffy, this is distressing?

(Then again, that means our fellas get to keep you for themselves, darlin'.)

I love you guys and gals :)

xoxoxoxo

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Fifth Element Posted: 07 July 2008 18:14:35

Rank: Feeling No Pain

Joined: 11/03/2008 Posts: 139 Location: San Diego, CA

OK so I am going to complain and share some thoughts. But first off, I’d like to say that everyone has done a phenomenal job and worked tirelessly at giving Finis what he deserves. It’s a dirty job…..and we’ve seriously handled it really well. It may not seem like it sometimes, but what we’re doing is really appreciated by other players. One time when I made a PK report from Finis on Brainstock, a mod misread my post thinking I was reporting that I killed Finis (instead of the other way around). The mod replied with thanks “for doing a public service,” before being corrected that finis was actually the one who PK’d me. Hell yeah, I think we deserve a pat on the back!

So anyways, we’ve been working really hard, but I’m bored with the way we’re killing Finis and want to mix it up a little – if anyone else is down for it. I’ve chatted about it with a few other people and it seems that Finis really enjoys killing us. The main point of this zerg hunt is to make the game less enjoyable for him – so as it’s been said before – I think we should deprive him of what he gets off on (figuratively speaking….uhm….hopefully).

So, we have two options that will prevent him from getting the satisfaction he craves by killing us. One option is to be so far away that it’s out of his patrolling zone. I log on dead everyday being 1 -2 suburbs away, so it would have to be pretty far unless you get lucky or aren’t on his shedoobie list. Another option is to window dive (jumping out of tall buildings to kill yourself).

Some have an issue with window diving for several reasons.

1. If your profile says you’re dead then he won’t bother looking for you. True, but the mild satisfaction he gets from knowing you’re dead (if he bothers to check your profile) probably isn’t as much as he gets from shooting you. If he can’t kill you then what’s the fun in that? Having a few people go on a bouncing beaver mission would be great too - I think we deserve a vacation!

1. They want Finis to waste his time searching for them and/or AP killing them. This is understandable, but someone with a zillion alts isn’t exactly lacking AP. And judging by the amount of time he spends playing UD, that doesn’t seem to be a factor either. Plus, he seems to enjoy the hunt, considering some of the lame comments he’s said before killing my character.

1. Your death is guaranteed, which wastes AP of other survivors reviving you. It does, but if you think about it, it wastes just as much AP (if not more) trying to hide from him. And a lot of survivors are more than happy to give a poke. I don’t know about any of you, but I need a revive every time I log on anyways.

Alright, so window diving is a good way to deprive him of the pleasure he gets from killings us. It’s a pain, but if we continue killing his zergs and he can’t kill us back, then it’s going to really annoy him.

Combining our AP is the most efficient (and fun) way to kill his zergs. We need to put our AP together to clear buildings and work together as much as possible. We’re already doing a great job but I think we can be more organized. We can set a time or two each day where people can meet up to do this if they have time. It wouldn’t be necessary for the same individuals to show up every day (some days will be needed to restock), but it’d be great if there was a set time that we could regularly meet. For real-time coordination – IRC is the best way to go –but I know some people can’t do that. However, I don’t see a reason why we can’t set something up in the forum that will allow those who can’t meet on IRC to coordinate together in a similar fashion via forum.

Keeping people educated about Finis with broadcasts and graffiti is helpful too. He uses players that don't know about him for revives, so spraying all the RP's with "Do Not Revive" and a link to a list of his zergs can help get the word out. A new tinyurl for Finis alts UDTool/widget list is http://tinyurl.com/UDzerg so "Do Not Revive http://tinyurl.com/UDzerg " or something similar would work for RP's. The wiki redirect is http://wiki.urbandead.com/index.php/GTFO/List

Elsewhere, http://wiki.urbandead.com/index.php/GTFO works. My favorite link is http://wiki.urbandead.com/index.php/Zerg_Hunt_I.5:_Gamewide_Teabag_Finis_Operation/Documentation because it is packed with information, but is obviously too big to graffiti. The wiki redirect is http://wiki.urbandead.com/index.php/GTFO/Doc and here's a tinyurl http://tinyurl.com/4proof

OK, I'm done for now, lol

taders

	T is for TADERS!
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Beerhah.com template -- old version

	Sick and tired of the same old, boring places? The meat market getting you down? Ready for something new? We've got bra!nz and beauty! Beerhah.com. **BELCH**

False Flag Template

	False flag!
	This user/group does not support The Revolution. In fact, we think they are counter-revolutionary agents provocateurs and C.I.A. patsies.

MOAR TEMPLAYTZ!!!

	Spartans.
	THIS IS MALTON!!! And we say, "300 gay men in bronze skirts are just A-OK."

old version of XIII

'
Abbreviation:	XIII
Group Numbers:	none
Leadership:	none
Goals:	Triskaidekaphobia! Currently, to recruit 13 members.
Recruitment Policy:	put XIII in your profile and meet at Alaway Row (13,13) in Judgewood
Contact:	talk page

This group is NOT active. Yet....

---

Triskaidekaphobia: fear of the number 13.

XIII is a zombie group whose overarching goal is to inspire Fear and Trembling before the Awful Number -- 13.

XIII calls Gatcombeton "home". They strive to keep the 13th Suburb of Malton free from all harman influences.

The intersection of 13th Avenue and 13th Street -- found near Alaway Row (13,13) in neighboring Judgewood -- is also an important place of pilgrimage for the group. XIII therefore claims ownership of this block and the buildings surrounding it.

XIII will also periodically traverse the lengths of 13th Avenue and 13th Street (i.e., the X-13 and Y-13 axes of the Malton map), spreading reverence and awe of the number 13 to the furthest borders of Malton.

Cult Symbolism

The 13th Major Arcana of the tarot -- Death, or La Mort -- holds a special place in cult iconograhpy and has been adopted as one of its central emblems.

The 13th Major Arcana represents change, the ending of cycles, ressurection and the inescapable transition into a new state. Some call Death the harvester of life. Others say that Death is the gateway to infinity, passage through which demands the sacrifice of virtue and/or vice, or of a loved one or an enemy. XIII sees in all these statements Truth. Their depth and diversity speak to the awful nature of XIII.

A Brief History of Apocalypse

As the Black Death ravaged medieval Europe, many became convinced that the Apocalypse was upon them. Some, cynical of the Church's ability to save them, formed obscure death cults. Others threw morality aside and sought oblivion in alcohol and hedonism -- often engaging in morbid, graveside debauchery as thousands in the cities and towns around them perished. Others sought scapegoats: thus massacres and vicious pogroms against perceived outsiders became commonplace.

Malton in the clutches of the Zombie Apocalypse is little different...

Facts About the Number 13

• 13 is atomic number of aluminium
• 13 is the only positive integer that is the fourth root of the sum of the squares of two successive positive integers (119 and 120)
• There are 13 Archimedean solids (D&D dice!)
• Loki was the 13th uninvited guest at a banquet of Norse gods, where Loki tricked Baldr's blind brother, Hödr, into killing him with a poisoned arrow
• According to the Torah, God has 13 Attributes of Mercy
• 13 is the number of participants at the Last Supper
• The Code of Hammurabi, one of the earliest and best preserved law codes from ancient Babylon (written ca. 1760 BCE), omits 13 in its numbered list
• The legion with which Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon was the Legio XIII Gemina, or the 13th Legion
• 13 is the number of loaves in a "baker's dozen"
• There are 13 players in a rugby team

Group Practices and Policies

Fear of 13 is sown mostly by eating people. Lots of them. And their cute little pets. All of them.

Therefore, "Player Killing" by revived members is strongly frowned upon. We are zambahz, not petty criminals. We kill with our own hands and our own teeth and we feast upon the warm flesh of our victims. An exception can be made if you happen to come across the silly harman who arrogantly stuck a needle in your neck -- you may make him fear the Awful Number!

If revived, however, members of XIII are encouraged to proselytise on behalf of the cult and are free to destroy generators, radio equipment and even barricades as they see fit. Oh, you don't like that, harman? Then don't fucking revive members of our group!

Passive spying if forcibly revived is neither encouraged nor discouraged -- XIII is at least nominally a death cult, after all. But remember -- we are zambahz! Not cowardly harmanz skulking about the city in grey trenchcoats and gumshoes.

Zerging and multi abuse is strictly forbidden. You may have only one alt in XIII, and all your alts must lead completely seperate existences. There are no exceptions.

Of course botting, forum/group infiltration, hacking, text rape, harassment, etc. are verboten.

Friends and Enemies of XIII

Friends

 :(

Enemies

Blasphemers.

Small dogs with large eyes.

The numbers 12 and 14.

The bourgeoisie. All of them!

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