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Great Northern Battle Great Northern Battle What: A massive class battle of epic proportions The goal is to get as many people fighting in the biggest and Here's what will happen: First, the two sides will be made randomly out of all the players present. One side will wear headbands to tell their combatants apart from the other side. Next, each side will choose a general (keeping it secret from the other team, but not the reeves). All players other than each team's general will have unlimited lives with only a one-hundred second death count. Per life and per game abilities are unchanged. Berserk becomes a per game ability. The two generals will have normal lives for their classes with only a Schedule: What to bring: Class battle gear and water. If possible, a headband and something for the feast. |
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So when are we going to see
So when are we going to see videos of the event? I know there were a few cameras wandering around, not the least of which was Orkin (I think that was Orkin under that ninja suit), who has an awesome home-brewed steady-cam mount, by the way.
The event was a huge
The event was a huge success!!!
There were a couple of things I wanted to comment on and I'll do this by topic, to keep it organized:
Number of people: We had an excellent turnout with many people coming out of the woodwork (good to see you guys again) or driving in from afar (thanks for driving to our event). One thing that did disappoint me was the lack of brand new players. This event was designed around new players and every veteran player should have brought at least one new person. I got five to show up and was angry that I did not get more (the two hour drive was a buzz-kill for most of them). As a whole, we failed to bring a significant number of new players to a battle designed around new players. Those of you who did bring new people deserve a pat on the back. I hope those players had an excellent time and will stick with the game.
Volunteers and hard work: First of all, I would like to thank everyone who put in hard work to make this event great. There were a couple of people who volunteered for things but never did them. This could have thrown a monkey-wrench into the whole thing, but luckily several other people stepped up to the challenge. Also, there were things that came up that no one could have foreseen. So I especially want to thank all the last minute volunteers.
Food and Potlucks: Both Ursa and I were worried that there was not going to be enough food, but it worked out just fine. Now my next comment is NOT aimed at those people who drove in from afar or were brand-spanking new to the game: You aren't supposed to eat from a potluck unless you bring a dish to pass!! Luckily there was an outrageous amount of wings and hot dogs, but this may not always be the case. A potluck doesn't mean a few people bring food for everyone, it means everyone brings food for everyone. If you didn't bring anything, but didn't eat - that's fine.
Anyway, the event was lots of fun and that battering ram is frickin' huge!!!
I was able to get one of my
I was able to get one of my fellow Newlarpers to come (the guy in the big red cape). He had a great time and I think we'll see him around more often now.
hey Jyotis, do we have an
hey Jyotis, do we have an official count on exactly how many people where there?
We had exactly 70. From what
We had exactly 70.
From what I understand u guys had 34.
Total: 104
Duke of the Frostlands.
Wasn't there a few other
Wasn't there a few other parks too?
Based on what I saw, I'd say
Based on what I saw, I'd say he meant that they had 70 on their sign-in sheet, which included five parks. I believe approximately 40-42 of those 70 were from the Frost Lands, and the rest were from the other four parks in attendance.
Pretty darn close. I am not
Pretty darn close. I am not exactly sure how many people from other parks signed in. That would be Eisen's area. But that sounds right. The other parks were:
Mists of the Dawn
Northhaven
Port of Winter's Night
Ministry of Dragons/Fiery Nights
We did have a few newbies come out and at least one observer (the guy in the camper).
Duke of the Frostlands.
And who has the sign in
And who has the sign in sheet?
I got the sign-in and we had
I got the sign-in and we had only 34 on it.
plus there were a bunch of
plus there were a bunch of people that couldn't find the sign in sheet.. myself included
I put you down for Color or
I put you down for Color or something like that.
That would be partly my
That would be partly my fault, since I said I would do sign in, and then by the time Jyotis got there with the sign in sheet, I had kind of wandered off. Fail on my part, sorry... :(
Ok, I have to say in my
Ok, I have to say in my short Amtgard career I have been to alot of events (over a dozen) and today was the most fun I have had yet. Man that was AWSOME!!! We had over 100 people there from six different parks. The battle was fantastic with little to no arguments. I saw very little sluffing, only one injury. Ithil is fine, his teeth we not broken, but loosened and the dentist put them back. He is fine and is well aware that it was purely an accident and doesnt blame anyone.
I am blown away by the sportsmanship and honor I saw today. People all around me were having fun. This is what Amtgard is about.
I want to thank all the Frostlanders who came out of the woodwork and came today, Groan, Rain, Lim Dul, Ithil and others. I know you guys dont make it often but it was so good to see you.
A special thanks to Rilla for stepping up and cooking on the grill and the two ladies who were putting out the food and cutting the pineapple. I am sorry I didnt catch your names, but I will not forget your faces. Thank you all.
And finally I want to thank Jyotis from Crimson Circle. This all developed from a conversation we had while sharing a few drinks in Appleton. You did it man, you pulled it together and brought together alot of people and we all had a fricking blast!
Duke of the Frostlands.
will there be carpooling to
will there be carpooling to the event?
I'd very much like to attend.
We can discuss car pooling
We can discuss car pooling on saturday and find out who has room for who and what. for those who wont be around saturday, we can post on here what room is available.
I suggest everyone meets at
I suggest everyone meets at Pamprin Park at 11:30AM this Sunday. You can carpool from there.
The caravan from Marinette is meeting at 10;30AM to go down.
We will be talking more about GNB on Saturday as well.
With the Great Northern
With the Great Northern Battle nearing (April 20th), I wanted to remind everyone to get out there and recruit people for Amtgard. Now is the time to let your friends, classmates, coworkers and even relatives know about Amtgard and the upcoming battle. If there is someone you thought about bringing before, but haven't, now is the time!
This event is designed around showing new players how fun a massive battle can be. New players will be welcomed to a battle where no matter what their skill level is, they will survive until the end.
In short, this event is designed around new players so bring new players.
GNB Specifics I finally got
GNB Specifics
I finally got a chance to visit the Frostlands' field yesterday. Although it was a rainy day, I was still able to scope out the area from the safe confines of my Prius. My first thought was that no matter where we put the battlefield, there will be at least some gravel road.
First, everyone that shows up needs to swing by GNB HQ. I plan on setting this up on the bend of the center gravel road. It's an area with a lot of gravel, and it's easy to spot. I will be bringing my pavilion to house GNB HQ. Ristil will have sign-in sheets for each of the parks and extra waivers for new people. Next, Ristil and I will check what class each person is going to play and send them to the correct Class Organizer. Each Class Organizer will have a sign (so if you're a Class Organizer, you will be carrying a sign around before the battle). Then, each Class Organizer will be responsible for dividing that class into two groups, checking everyone's gear for safety and going over any rules that pertain to that class. Once a player has checked in with their class organizer, they can go and ditch or carouse with others until the GNB starts. Class Organizers must jot down which side they put people on, since players might forget while they are ditching and whatnot.
20 Minutes before ‘go’ time (or so) the Class Organizers will come to GNB HQ and go over the lists. This is an added level of organization to make sure the sides are relatively even. While the Organizers are doing this, everyone will need to get to their perspective sides. If you forgot which side you were on, you can check with your Class Organizer.
When the teams are setup, the Reeves are going to go to each team and go over some basic rules such as: unlimited lives, 100 second death count, where Nirvana locations are (one on each R/L side of the battlefield) and where their team's base is. Most things should have been gone over by the Class Organizers, but a few things will come up. Ideally it shouldn’t take more then 5 minutes or so (yeah, right). At this point, the teams are told to go back to their lines to strategize and pick their Generals.
When the battle is about to begin, sides will form up. Each General Reeve will go to a side to find out who the General is. Once the General Reeves come back to the Head Reeve, the Head Reeve will call lay on.
Any folks that show up late will be distributed by the Head Reeve.
If the game lasts one full hour of play, we are going to reveal the Generals on each side.
Siege Weapons and Monsters are going to be allowed but with all the normal restrictions.
Sorry, no Mass Spells.
We will use open field rules for all ranged weapons (throwies, spell balls, arrows, etc.)
There will be designated Nirvana areas on each right and left side for where dead players must be and live players cannot be. I don't want the generals to be able to hide amongst the dead. Anyone who is alive and walks into a Nirvana will be considered dead. Once your 100 second count is done you can go to your Base to actually ‘come alive’.
Looks really good buddy. I
Looks really good buddy. I cant wait!!!
The rules we use for the Gravel are pretty straight forward, try to avoid fighting in it but if you do be aware and be careful. It happens alot less that you would think. There is alot more grass than gravel.
As of right now the weather forcast is partially cloudy but in the mid 60s to 70s. So it sounds like it will be a good day.
OH THIS IS VERY VERY IMPORTANT!!!
Stay out of the Graveyard. There is a private graveyard towards the rear part of our land. It is totally off limits. TOTALLY!!! We cannot block it off due to the fact that it is occassionally used by visitors.
Parking: I and possibly Eisen will be going early to scope out the best parking areas (depends upon the wetness). We will determine the best areas for it. If possible I would like to be able to park in the actual parking lot nearby with only a couple vehicles on the field itself. But it might be locked up. Sorry weird time of the year.
Duke of the Frostlands.
It sounds like the
It sounds like the organization and rules are pretty simple and well-considered. Nice job, Lord Jyotis! I definitely like the idea of having the two Nirvana areas; it will allow people to get off the field quickly and keep things moving.
Looks good to me as well.
Looks good to me as well.
Remember: Anyone who wants to be a Monster other then a Goblin, send me a PM on this bboard. It will allow me to make sure the Reeves all are aware of what to expect so they can look up any information they need to before the Big day and it will help avoid confusion during the battles. Monster Garb is expected to be of good quality, not just the minimum required.
I'm going to say sorry for
I'm going to say sorry for this is going to sound really mean.
OK, I need clarification. "The two generals will have normal lives for their classes with only a
one-hundred second death count and cannot be affected by any spells or
abilities used by themselves or their teammates (no one on your team can heal, resurrect, petrify, enchant, etc. your general)." Does this mean that the general can't use any of their class abilities, or carry any enchantments?
Second, Why make beserk per game. Dart suggested to me and chpek tonight that make the lives a cycle. They have normal lives for 4 live(assumning 6th lv barbar) and then have 2 lives of beserk. Then repeat the 4 lives of normalness. Then 2 lives beserk. Repeat. Similiar for different lv barbars.
Third, WTF? Why not have this be a normal battle game? If your reason is to make this game longer, its not going to work. The way you explained it earlier with the general, they cant use any class abilities the only thing they can do is run, fight, die. Thats about it. The most the will have is 6 lives. And a 100 sec death count, that doesnt sound like its going to last very long to me.
Fourth, WTF? Why not have it be a normal battle game? What the game is going to turn into(if it lasts awhile) is one big unhappy cluster f*ck. Because the only thing people are going to do is fight, die(getting backstabed most likely), come alive, then run straight for the enemy, then crashing into each other, and last repeat until the game is over. There is going to be little if no tactic involved in the game. Because there is only 2 things you can do, fight straight forward, and flank to backstab. Most spells will be useless. The class healer is f*cked, the only thing it can do is res the barbar so it can beserk for more then 2 live out of unlimited. Cant heal or res the general.
So healer = almost useless. Barbar = almost useless.
So, if this is what you would like then great. But if you want a battlegame that will last a while then I think your beatting around the bush. But, on a positive side if the battle game goes quickly we can orginize another normal one after.
Thanks for listing to me b*tch for a while.
Agustus
Petitioner of Phoenix Gaurd
Member ArgentWolf
Member Nature's Fury
House Master Bardic Blues
This battle has many things
This battle has many things about it that 'change' how certain elements of the game works. Since you can freely take deaths there are alot of spells that will have different uses. Spells like Lost, Legend, Petrify and Charm become more like death effects then control effects. I wouldn't dwell to much on one class getting screwed more then another. Everyone has the chance to pick their class. I've been working on Barbarian and I am having a tough choice picking between a 1st level warrior or a 2-3 level Barbarian. In the end, the decision will be based on how I feel like dressing that day.
I think there will be a lot of tactics in this game. Trying to find out who the other General is will be pretty tough, with so many people it should be hard to have ‘side wipes’ and with luck the people in charge of Nirvana will make sure to get people back into the game in a timely manner so that a wipe never actually happens.
To many loopholes can be created if the General can have spells on them. I think this was a great choice on the people who designed the game.
Boboko
First, no spells or
First, no spells or abilities means none. No enchantments, and no class abilities. Can't self heal, can't self repair.
Second, we have been playing it this way for awhile and most barbarians find this fair. In theory you should wont go through that many lives anyways and if you can use more berserks, then barbarians will just take consecutive deaths to get berserk. We've already experienced this. Healers are also not pointless. They can heal the general and other players as well to help confuss who the general is. Healers also have great offensive spells, ask Akyo.
Third, the point isnt for the game itself to last longer, it's for new players to stay alive through the entire game.
Last, we will be having 2 battles. First is generals and second is normal.
I hope that clarifies or makes you feel better.
I don't think I will be
I don't think I will be there, so my opinion doesn't matter too much. But I agree with Agustus. Last time we played with this style, I really didn't enjoy it as much as a plain class battle. As a healer, I did feel very useless, which is why I had volunteered to cook instead of play if I had been there. Healers can't heal the general, and everyone else has unlimited lives, so isn't going to waste their time finding a healer when they can just stay in battle and fight to the death. Even people that could have been healed chose not to since it would have made it obvious they were not the general. The only use a healer had was to resurrect barbarians the lives they were berserking, but they seemed to all forget to stay in place anyway.
Save some Rez's for
Save some Rez's for me!!!
Siren had this to say about it. "Seems like they are trying to make Ditching seem like a class battle"
Personally I like the fact you need 'watch' to see if you can figure out who the General is. I'm also not willing to knock it until I've tried it. I've seen some ideas I thought were pretty dumb work, not often, but it does happen. My feeling is, whoever is putting in the actual effort of running/organizing the event gets to make all the decisions. Peanut gallery comments are all well and fine, but if you don't like it.. Run the next one. Running events can feel pretty good, but they invariably come with alot of hassles and head aches.
Bob, he who types for Boboko
Please keep in mind that
Please keep in mind that Augustus's views are his and his alone. :-P
Duke of the Frostlands.
I see what you guys are
I see what you guys are doing and in theory I see it working, but in practice I don't. Don't get me wrong, I'm going to play it. And I'm going to play Bard. And I bet I will have a great time. I can see several things going bad.
I see this turning into something like the 300 battle at spring war. It will be a great experience for experienced people, but for new people it could look rather harsh and mean. Seeing people just running start for each other, clashing, and almost everyone dies, and then it repeats for about 7 to 10 times until the general is shattered.
I see lots of head shots and maybe shield bashing because with unlimited lives people are not going to be using tactics, unless it is in a small group setting where those people have fought with each other a lot and know their strengths and weaknesses. A good example is the old Mask. If there are a lot of those groups running around then it is going to be one hell of a good time. Because then the game will have a point to the unlimited lives and the general will probably live for a while.
As far as the general having nothing on him, I ask why? He is going to be easily spotted. The most he can wear is 4 points of armor. I would say take that thing off. But make it so they cant be a magic casting class. Because it would make the game interesting. Example: Team 1 petrifys their general. Team 2 petrifys some random person on their team. Team 2 thinks that the petrified person is the other teams general. And vice versa. Each team releases the other teams petrified person. And kills that person. Well team 1 got f*ucked hard in that round and team 2 didn't. Another example: Team 2 now knows who team 1's general is. Team 2 f*cks up that person hard, and I mean hard. But they sever spirit him so he cant be resed. Now that healer is very useful, it will help keep your general alive and well and help to f*ck over that other general.
And with them not being able to cast spells they can't put themselves into visit. Cant entangle, iceball, or petrify themselves. They cant put stoneskin on themselves.
This would add so much to this game. Because right now the general is a peasant with armor and a little more of a weapon selection, depending on the class s/he WAS. And, people are more likely not going to want to be the general when they can't use their abilities that they worked to get. And the general is going to be the midget everyone punts around because they are an easy target. They cant use abilities, so if they're an archer they aren't using any special arrows, a warrior that doesnt have improve weapon, a caster that isn't casting, a barbar that isn't beserking, a monk that can't block arrows, a scout who cant heal a pro mag guy, an assassin who still does nothing but does a better job at it.
Does any of this make sense to any one out there. Because I feel like I'm at home base and you guys are all out in left field.
Agustus
petitioning Phoenix Guard
Member ArgentWolf
Member Nature's Fury
House Master Bardic Blues
We just want to try this
We just want to try this out. We will be doing two battles. We also plan on having the generals revealed after a period of time. The rules don't need to be perfect to have fun. The Amtgard rulebook is key example. We will be going over rules ahead of time, and if we feel need we may tweak them a little.
It's fine that you voice opinion on our forums, but please keep the profanity at a minimum. "Profanity is a tool that makes ignorance audible."
Sorry about the naughty
Sorry about the naughty words, I type how I speak. I'm voicing my opinion because I feel that the rules for the game are kinda silly, the general thing. Some things are fine and dandy(unlimited lives so new people can play longer and don't need to worry about their lives) but others are out in left field. And this game may work at your park, but you have to realize that it's not just your park that will be here, there are 3 to 4 other parks and the most important is the fact that there(hopefully) are going to be a lot, and i mean a lot of new people. Is this how we're going to introduce them to the game by taking and bending a lot of the rules. If this whole event is for the new people and recruiting. Then why not play amtgard? The way the rules were meant to be played, except for unlimited lives.
Again sorry for the profanity.
Agustus
Petitioning Phoenix Guard
Member ArgentWolf
Member Nature's Fury
House Master Bardic Blues
Just about every game
Just about every game deviates from the rules of Amtgard in some way. Think about how Ring the Bell differs from Ditching, which differs from Jugging. Each game has its own feel and its own death counts, goals, etc. This is just another example. You are entitled to your opinions, and certainly some of us (myself included) have our own ideas about what would work better for the game. The point that was already brought up, though, is that none of us are organizing this one. Lord Jyotis is running it, and he will do a fine job of keeping things fair and fun.
Next time, maybe we'll play a game written by Agustus, complete with new ideas and new goals. We'll play it, and we'll all probably have a lot of fun doing it. Then the next person takes his new ideas away from your game, tweaks them a bit, and runs his own event that way. As long as we all go out there with a positive, open mind, we'll have fun and we'll learn from what works and what doesn't.
Give it a shot. Judge it later.
Thats what I told him, but
Thats what I told him, but my champion is young and prone to speak/type first.
I am looking forward to the game, no matter what the rules. We have quite a few people coming, but slightly less than originally planned do to Discord moving up to April (people will have a hard time making two events in back to back weeks).
Duke of the Frostlands.
Discord shouldn't
Discord shouldn't significantly affect the number of people at GNB. Discord is more of a regional event for experienced people; GNB is more of a local event targetting new players. That is, of course, unless a significant number of Frosties had to change work schedules around to be able to get off for Discord.
Shouldnt effect us any, but
Shouldnt effect us any, but will effect people from Thundering Rivers, Northhaven, Mists of the Dawn, and other parks. All of which I have heard are planning on attending in some numbers.
Duke of the Frostlands.
Nothing actually ever goes
Nothing actually ever goes as planned... If everyone, or at least most people, focus on having fun with a large group of friends....I think it will work no matter what rules are used.
Will there be Monsters? I
Will there be Monsters?
I have been asked by Northhaven if we are going to allow monsters? I say yes to .5/1 or 1/1 be allowed, but only if they have the proper garb and the monster write up. Only monsters from the Dor Un Avathar 8. And monsters cannot be the General. It will make things more interesting. Of course pop creatures are basically worthless simply because of the unlimited lives.
General/Duke of the Frostlands.
I'll discuss this more with
I'll discuss this more with Jyotis, but from what I understand I'll be the one in charge of making sure the Monsters are OK'd along with the Head Reeve.
This may change, but the guidelines are thus:
- All monsters used must be straight out of the Dor Un Avathar 8.
- .5/1 or 1/1 only.
- Garb must Exceed the 'minimum' garb requirements. This is a cool event and we may be on camera. I want it to look awesome.
- All monsters other then Goblins need to be pre-approved. Deadline for pre approval is 1 week prior to the event. For those who want to 'surprise' people they can feel free to send me a pm here. If they aren't part of this forum they can email me and I'll be happy to work it out that way. (I'll post my email once Jyotis give the thumbs up on this post)
- No monsters out of any other books will be considered for this event.
- Monsters may be 'modified' (by the Reeves not the players) if they have powers that would interfere with the spirit of this battle at the discretion of the Reeves. No prior warning will be given if we find this the case. If you were not hugged enough as a child and just have to play the Monster as it appears in the book. I would recommend playing a Class. I don't know off the top of my head any Monsters that have this problem, but due to the 'unlimited' lives some X/life powers could be out of balance.
Boboko,
Frostlands
GM of Monsters,
GM of Role Play and Characterization (Flurbs)
Will there be raiders? One
Will there be raiders?
One point we should probably iron out before the even is the role of raiders. Crimson Circle uses the raider class and were planning on make anyone new a raider. The Frostlands prefer to make all new people warriors and not allow raiders. We should probably decide how we are going to treat anyone new (espcially since we are hoping for a lot of them).
Ok talked about the Raider
Ok talked about the Raider situation last night. Raiders are a go!
This is not a raid situation and we will also be having far more than the standard one or two newbies so this is definatly a time to use raiders.
We need a person or two who will be available to teach newbie how to fight and play the raider class.
We will also need alot of checkered sashes.
The big question is with this many raiders will anyone want to play a casting class?
Duke of the Frostlands.
I wasn't planning on
I wasn't planning on excluding any standard fighting classes. But if we are going to start excluding them, why don't we start with Wizard, Druid, Bard and Healer? Why don't we change some other rules while we're at it?
tsk tsk Jyotis isn't the
tsk tsk Jyotis isn't the number of lives for the battle game a 'rules change?'.
Battlegames really are nothing more then a game designed around 'rules changes' to create a specific feel or set a goal.
Anyway, we'll need the Checkard Sashes since we won't have the head band option due to one of the teams 'all having headbands'. Sashes are cool though since it standardizes the 'raider' with all the other classes. Know the Sash, Know the Class.
I think it would be cool to come up with some 'Banners' for each side. If we know what color one of the teams is going to be that would make an obvious choice for one of them. Coming up with a 'theme' would be neat and I'd be happy to work with someone on this if we decide it is a cool enough idea.
Awesome! I like the banner
Awesome! I like the banner idea!
I believe both teams will have a colored headband, which will give us a uniform color theme for the banners also.
Speaking of headband work. I actually posted this morning in the Park Garb forum about headband making. However, i think I would like it to be a separate, more park-neutral event where a lot of us can get together to get the headbands and sashes ready. And maybe make some banners at the same time.
I thought just one side
I thought just one side would have headbands. It seems that one side doesn't really need them if the other has them...
Half the headbands is half
Half the headbands is half the work. One head band isn't hard to make, but 100 starts to take real amounts of time.
I like the tie in between Bannners and Headbands, and having both sides have them is the 'fairest' way to do it, but from a practical stand point it certainly isn't 100 percent necassary.
My personal thought is it should be the choice of the people actually making the head bands. If they are in the grove, definately make two sets. Headbands can be useful in the future for battlegames, jugging and the like.
One side will have headbands
One side will have headbands of any color each person wants as long as it can't be construed as something else (enchantment, berserk, etc.), while the other side will be without headbands. Yes, we are going the practical route.
It is up to individuals to bring their own headbands. Many people will bring a few extra to fill in for those that don't remember to bring one.
As far as banners or standards go, anyone can use any standard they want to bring. It really won't make a huge difference unless players use it to rally around.
Siren is interested in
Siren is interested in making some Banners. She would need to know what color the headbands were in order to incorporate them into the banner for that side, but she doesn’t have a problem making both of them.
If anyone has suggestions on size or the like, feel free to give em, but one idea she had was using a Phoenix theme and alternating colors.
I just bought a bedsheet
I just bought a bedsheet that should make hopefully 75+ headbands (I have too much fun at St Vincent de Pauls). It is a marigold color.
I think it would be worth
I think it would be worth the extra effort to have a uniform headband color. It wouldn't take much effort, just cut some strips, also shouldn't add up to a lot of money.
I think mid-battle it would be much easier to look for, say, a bright yellow headband vs. looking to see if they have anything on their head.
If you guys really want to
If you guys really want to make a ton of headbands - go at it!
If we don't end up with enough headbands, we will go back to the plan of only one side wearing them.
Here are my suggestions, but honestly do whatever you feel is best.
Since Redesta already has the marigold fabric one side can be gold and yellow while the other side should be some darker color to give contrast. Perhaps the other side can be black and gray.
Symbols and colors for banners: A black phoenix on a yellow banner for the yellow side. A yellow phoenix on a black banner for the black side. I feel that this gives a certain balance or yin yang aspect to the colors. It won't be using existing colors from either group, and it will be very easy to tell them apart.