Welcome to the first edition of the brand new Lead The Way column, where we give the spotlight to various community members and examine their natural leadership skills. One of the main things to anticipate as a leader is war, and so we will see how some community members will react to it.
Designed by Master DS
War within Club Penguin Armies is a fundamental concept that makes armies what they are. As a leader, your army must not only anticipate war but also be able to sustain one. No matter how far you go, challenges arise that make your capabilities and strategy the winning play. While other factors come into account during the state of war, a leader’s direction is necessary at all times.
Throughout recent years, we’ve noticed several historical wars that were won through leadership strategy. One of the most notable ones was the Centenary Solstice War, a war that saw the Army of Club Penguin fight against the Elite Guardians. The first half of the war was dazzling for the Clovers, however, their ability to maintain consistency and flip the score while the Guardians were recovering ultimately made them victorious.
ACP defense of Fjord against EGCP
As a leader, it is important to take the right steps during war, otherwise it will cost substantially. Club Penguin Armies reached out to several community members to lead the way in the heat of war.
How would you prepare your army for the possibility of an upcoming war?
Thunder222, Elite Guardians: Negotiate with the Staff and High Command first and give your reasons why, no one wants to agree to declare war on an army for doing nothing. Than when its declared its pretty much best to inform your troops
Judy, Doritos: If there was an upcoming war or a possibility of it, the first thing id do is keep staff in the loop, if they know exactly whats happening and i know whos available throughout it, imo things would run more smoothly. As a whole though, I would definitely throw in a training event or two beforehand and focus any weak points the army has, make sure newer troops are mentored as best they can be and of course drop an announcement to begin the hype within the server while explaining whats going on and the importance of a war.
Aurora, Army of Club Penguin: I would ramp up recruiting and hold a staff meeting for both HCOM and lower staff so they would know what was going on. However, I’d talk with the other army’s leadership to see if a peaceful conclusion could be reached.
Zenishira, Help Force: The first thing I would do is consult my HCOM. We must consider all of the odds before straight-out declaring on another army, such as the purpose of the war, what we will gain if we were to win the war, and what we will lose if we were to lose the war. We might allow allies from either side to join depending on the circumstances. After we reach a consensus, assuming the majority agrees to go to war, I will write my declaration in the #invasion-scheduling channel of CPA, as well as make a post on the website of the army I am currently leading, clearly stating the terms of war and the punishments for not respecting said terms. I will instruct all of my staff to recruit a set minimum of troops. I might even tell our artists to create propaganda, so that people would spam it in #general and hype the war.
T_T, Rebel Penguin Federation: Obviously a bunch of training & recruiting, i’d want my troops to be able to adapt to whatever formations id be attempting to make in a battle and id also wanna actually HAVE troops too
All of a sudden, you see your army has been declared war on, what would you do?
Thunder222, Elite Guardians: EMERGENCY MEETING EVERYTHING. If you know ANYTHING about the army that you have against than you’re freely to talk back too
Judy, Doritos: if i saw my army was declared on, i wont even lie to you i would run to fire an invasion back at them. but overall stay calm and collected even if the army who declares is known to be stronger than my own and immediately begin creating a strategy and the preparations i mentioned above. although behind the scenes i would probably research the army a bit to see if any of their battle history could be analysed so i know exactly what im up against and potentially use that as leverage?
Aurora, Army of Club Penguin: An emergency meeting would be held to let staff get ready for hyping the events and know what the plans to deal with the war are.
Zenishira, Help Force: After the initial shock of finding out that another army dares to challenge our prowess in combat, I will proceed similarly to how I’ve responded to the first question. I would immediately call a HCOM meeting, not only to put together a strategy, but to keep the calm in the room. I want my staff to be well-informed and focused. First, we would assess the situation: why were we declared on? Who is the enemy, and what are their strengths and weaknesses? What do their treaties entail, and which allies can we secure?
T_T, Rebel Penguin Federation: Wars in this era of cpa usually have some sort of post attached with the declaration so i’d probably just check that out first and see what its all about
How can you make your army sustain a long war and remain consistent?
Thunder222, Elite Guardians: Giving the troops momentum, motivation and moral, those 3 are the most important to win a war. Propaganda like memes about it can work as well if you or others know how to be comedic
Judy, Doritos: To make sure the army remains consistent, i think a lot would stem from motivation of the leaders and the staff team. if theyre not motivated and keeping the hype going for every invasion like its the first battle, the troops wont be either. part of this would also be checking that too many invasions arent happening, theres been wars with 4 invasions per day and in some of those youd see an army no show a couple of those and still win the war because they played their cards right to avoid that burnout and having everyone demotivated within a week, i would be going for something along those lines. for troops though, to keep them motivated throughout a war, i would personally do something other than giveaways for example because those are standard for most events. maybe a competition within the server to combine the giveaways with incentive?
Aurora, Army of Club Penguin: I think it has a lot to do with staff members’ mentality because you need people who have the stamina to last a long war. With better hiring, these staff would be more prepared for such a long war. You also need troops that care enough about the army to attend all events so establishing better relationships with troops would go a long way to help consistency of the army in a longer war. Having staff bonding sessions would also assist with building a successful army that can handle a longer war than usual.
Zenishira, Help Force: To boost morale, I might have the staff host games together after events. I understand that constant battles might tire some people out, especially those who have responsibilities in real life. If time permits, we have battle training events. Each time zone has its strategies, and few armies excel during all three of them. I would remind my army that we are not just logging on for wins, we are logging on for each other. People often will fight harder when they feel they are part of the strategy and not just a cog in the machine.
T_T, Rebel Penguin Federation: Id say trying to make things entertaining for troops is a very important aspect, longer wars are gonna be tiring no matter what but being able to make sure your troops don’t get too bored of everything would help to lessen some of that fatigue
What is the best possible way to end the war in the case of stagnation?
Thunder222, Elite Guardians: Either negotiate for peace, or the Plan B of all, an offer they can’t refuse, deplomacy is an importent back up tool for a war.
Judy, Doritos: For this one i think it would depend on the circumstances of the war. however, if both sides are equal and its been at a standstill for a while i dont think i would back out so i would probably look back on our previous battles and see if theres anywhere we can improve that could be just enough to pull off a victory, even if it means scheduling one less invasion to fit in a training event to emphasise that part or dming particular people who seem a bit more lost than others, and then doing a strong, final push. if it backfires and we still dont win, at least we gave it our all, thats not something to be disappointed about.
Aurora, Army of Club Penguin: I would try to reach a favorable treaty that consists of a land return to both armies if possible. If there are odd terms, I would not accept them just to end the war. Essentially, I would negotiate a treaty favorable to my army.
Zenishira, Help Force: If the war hits a standstill, I would first establish a discussion with the leaders on the opposing side. I would like to know whether we are both wasting our time and exhausting both of our armies, or if there is still something of value at stake. If both sides agree that the war has lost its purpose, then I’ll propose a treaty. There’s no point in continuing a charade if we are just going through the motions.
T_T, Rebel Penguin Federation: Definitely a treaty of some sort if you’re able to come to an agreement with the opposition
Most, if not all, of the individuals interviewed presented very detailed and precise answers. In the dilemma of war, a lot of questions will be brought to you as a leader to find the best possible scenario for your army. All of the individuals interviewed in this week’s column are knowledgeable concerning this predicament, and their ideas surrounding war could definitely assist their represented leaders. What do you think about these answers? How would you solve this dilemma in your own way? And what advice would you give to current standing leaders?
Ugly
Associate Editor