Official:Flags

=Flags= Flags are coalitions of Crews, formed to accomplish the greater deeds of colonisation, trade, politics and ultimately warfare.



Forming a Flag
A Flag can be created by the Captain of a Crew with Established or higher Fame, with the crew automatically becoming affiliated on creation.

Flag Monarch and Royalty
The creator of the Flag becomes the Monarch. The Monarch and the other Royalty of the Flag, the Princes and Princesses, are the rulers of the Flag. The Monarch is a figurehead with the same vote as the other Royalty and holds no special powers.

Titled Lords and Ladies of the Flag
In addition to Royalty, Flags may appoint Lords and Ladies with Titles. Any Royalty member can give a Title to any member of a Crew within the Flag. As with Royalty, Titled members' Crews must remain in the Flag.

Flag Names
Flags are named much as Crews. There is no requirement to include 'The' in the flag name, although it is possible to do so. Flag names must be sensible and should be Piratey. Flags with deliberately awful names will be deleted, perhaps along with their creators.

Flag Articles
Like Crews, Flags have a set of Articles. These simply contain the Flag's public and private statements. Quality flags use their public statement as an opportunity to declare their constitutions and outlook.

In the future Flag Articles will include such things as tribute dues and so forth. For now, Flags must administer any such arrangements manually.

Flag Issues
Here are some of the Issues can be presented to the Flag Royalty:


 * The invitation of new and dismissal of old Royalty
 * The election of a new Monarch and deposition of the old
 * The invitation and dismissal of crews
 * The election of a governor to an island that flag holds

The Royalty vote as a Crew Oligarchy on Flag Issues, i.e. for the issue to pass, there must be a majority of the Royalty in favor of the issue, or the issue closes after three days.

Royalty members must be members of Crews that are members of the Flag. If the Crew of a Royalty member leaves the Flag then they will lose their position as Royalty.

Recruiting other Crews to a Flag
Any Flag Royalty member can issue an invitation to a Crew to join the Flag from the Crew's page. For a crew to join a flag, the crew must be at least Rumored in Fame. This will post an Issue for the Crew to vote upon, so do not issue such invitations lightly if you wish to avoid annoying prospective Crews.

Should the Crew accept it will renounce any prior Flag and come under the Flag's banner. There is no requirement for member Crews to have any representation in the Royalty of the Flag.

The Purpose of Flags
Flags foster alliances between Crews for the greater tasks of Colonisation and Trade. In order to develop an island and establish an Empire large numbers of Pirates, and therefore Crews, must be rallied together. Flags are the instrument of such political actions.

Flags can declare alliances and enemies, embargo one another from their Ports, and even declare War and thereby Blockade and attempt to seize islands from one another.

Alliance Webs
A flag may declare war or alliances as they see fit, with some restriction. A flag may not declare war against any flag within three alliances of themselves. For instance, if Flag A is allied with Flag B (Alliance 1), Flag B is allied with Flag C (Alliance 2), Flag C is allied with Flag D (Alliance 3), and Flag D is allied with flag E (Alliance 4), then only Flag A and Flag E may declare war against each other. Flag B, Flag C or Flag D may not declare war against any of the other flags within this group. Alliance webs can be important when planning blockades.

Flag Fame
There are various ranks of Fame that a flag can have, based upon how frequently the members of the flag perform puzzles.

These ranks, from lowest to highest are:


 * Aspiring
 * Obscure
 * Rumored
 * Noted
 * Established
 * Renowned
 * Celebrated
 * Eminent
 * Illustrious