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Sierra Sola -

I'm here with Sierra Sola who is currently ranked 3rd on the player ranks of Sinerania. She has proven herself a workhorse in leadership roles, in GvG and in GBG. Recently she made the shocking move of leaving Terrain Titans to join Synergy Factor in a leadership role. But who is she?

Antonia: So, Sierra, who are you in Forge of Empires? How did you get into the game?

Sierra: I saw a commercial at a pub one night for FoE and thought: "Hey, why not try that out?" Next day I did and I’ve been playing pretty much daily ever since. That was...hhhmmm....June 2016 I think. My first world was O but once I got up to speed there, I started a new city on M and set up my own guild (The Crows) to help newbies learn the ropes. It was a great guild, lots of fun and laughs, but I needed to grow more myself and most of my guildies were a few ages below me...so I left for the bigger top guilds. I played in several there, switching now and then , learning new things, getting super good at GvG , meeting lots of lovely (and some not so lovely) people from around the world. When S started, I was one of the crazy people here on day 1 and it was a hoot with everyone getting set up, guilds popping up all over the place .... mayhem....but fun! Started my own guild but quickly disbanded (within a couple of hours) in favor if leading MoM with Order Within Chaos. Unfortunately, that didn’t quite work out for me so I joined Terrain Titans where I quickly took on leaders status....and here we are today.

Wow, quite a whirlwind tour there, but who is the real Sierra?

Well, she’s 5 feet tall with red hair lol. She smiles and laughs a lot that’s for sure! That’s the extent of my physical description lol. I live in Canada, born and raised in Newfoundland and anyone who knows Newfies will know we are a hardy and super fun breed! I currently live in Calgary, Alberta in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Wish I could show you the view! I work from home and my work involves health data in Canada. I get to work with the World Health Organization (WHO) which entitles me to some nice trips - Tokyo, New York ... lucky me:)

Sounds like a fantastic life, I'm a bit jealous. What is that you like most about the game? You clearly invest quite a bit of time into it.

This would have to be the people I interact with daily here. My friends. I have learned a lot about different countries and customs, met so many interesting people. Even if just virtually, the friendships you develop are still real here. Big hug to my besties in FoE!

You've been the only non-SF player in the top 6 or 7 for most of the time, what is that like? Did it ever feel threatening knowing that if a GvG war broke out, that surely you wouldn't stand a chance?

Well, honestly, it was kind of cool. Gisk and I would banter about his guild vs mine. We had fun with that, even changing guild names to TT rejects and SF Refugees one day. HaHa! Many players approached me about not being in SF...asking why wasn’t I there? Some expressed they were happy to see me ‘not’ in SF. In any case, I think it made me noticeable here in Sin which is good as it’s lead to many chats with a lot of different players...making more friendships, helping people grow or learn, and just chatting about strategy or anything under the sun :)
I wasn’t concerned about a war or anything as we had an agreement (SF and TT) that we wouldn’t hit each other.....for now :)


Mmm... 'for now'...
I believe you started off in MoM early on, and for a while MoM was doing quite well. What happened? Why did you leave?


Yes I did and MoM was second back then I believe. It was very early days though. Startup in MoM was a bit overwhelming... so many people coming and going, newbies not knowing what to do, disagreements, etc. I just didn’t want all that at the time so I left. I’ve stayed good friends with some members and especially Chaos (although not sure anymore with my current guild status if he’ll talk to me again lol).

You've since spent most of your time in TT, with great success, the guild cementing it's second position overall, and with their recent domination of GBG and your contributions in GvG. How have you found that? Are you proud of what you've contributed to?

I am overwhelmingly proud of TT. Don’t let the fact that I left discount that. It’s often been said that TT wouldn’t be where they are without me. I don’t agree with that. Yes, perhaps in the beginning my efforts were very significant, but TT is a strong team now. They work very well together and it’s been my pleasure to be a part of getting that guild so high.

I guess this is the big question now, you've jumped to SF. Why?

TT is at the point now where they are gunning for top spot. And I’m hoping they do challenge SF. Would make for some real good old fashioned in game rivalry and FUN. So why did I go to the enemy? There a few reasons...not all I’ll share....but one is so TT can demonstrate that they are a success without me, that they are a strong guild. Another is Gisk. I’ve gotten to know him and he’s actually a very nice guy....not the ogre or evil overlord that people think he is (lol, sorry Gisk!). He has great gameplay skills and I think it would be very interesting to work alongside him. And finally, I just love this game and moving to SF just makes it all the more interesting....don’t you think? Can the top spot be held ? Are we entering a brutal war? What’s going to happen in TT? Will new alliances be formed? Will others make a guild change? Fun times ahead :)

It will certainly be interesting, that's for sure. Do you feel like you've betrayed TT members at all? How do you think they feel about you now?

No, I don’t because it’s a game. People may feel upset, angry, frustrated, let down, unsure of their path, whatever....but betrayal to me is a harsh word. I have friends in TT and hope we stay friends. I’m writing this before the move so not sure how they’ll react, but I do expect some PMs that I may not like...and not only from TT members. Overall, as I said, it’s a game and I’m still the same ‘me’ just playing differently now. What’s wrong with that?

So what does the future look like for you and SF? Surely now SF will have an unbeatable lead in GvG. Any plans for improving SF's GBG performance?

Right now I’m just going to get up to speed with SF overall, get to know the members and settle in. Definitely GvG and GBG will be discussed. I’ll not say more than that :) let’s just wait and see as the dust settles....

Thanks so much for your time Sierra, it's great to let people know what's going on so thanks for your candid responses.
 

Goremise

Lieutenant-General
So that is the first time I've seen Sierra say something nice about Gisk, ironically the first time is when she's in his guild xD Really makes me feel that Gisk has some kind of butt kissing quota or you get kicked. She fails to mention that SF is now bullying and being evil to other guilds in GVG too but that was written before she joined then? Interesting.

She actually had told us she was quitting to take care of her life in real life cause she was playing too much. Though honestly the thing that gets me is using the "its just a game" lame excuse. Like the lame excuse paying people say when they say "we pay so you don't have to" then just donate money directly to the devs. Then you can say that. She said she would never leave TT and especially also never join SF. That is words that came out of her mouth. She changed and she is not herself, the Sierra we remember in TT. Almost like her account was hacked actually.
 

Goremise

Lieutenant-General
Oh well, time to enjoy crushing SF for the 4th time in GBG (Where most guild experience actually comes from now, not GVG which matters much less now thanks to GBG) To bring on the good feels again <3 no need to be so negative, always gotta be positive when surrounded by negative people like Gisk :)
 
Just to clarify, the interview happened over the past few days or so, so some things were said before some of the events that have happened if that makes sense. The idea was that it would be released now but we did ask/answer some questions assuming future events which may or may not have happened, so some things didn't come out right. It also doesn't help that I did the editing on the bus.
 

Goremise

Lieutenant-General
Yeah, I realised that when typing the end of my first comment, honestly already said in guild chat that is there was less lies thrown about, would have def been less hard feelings. its Gisk I don't like after all, the guy whose manipulating everyone.
 

DeletedUser111369

Enjoying strong coffee in the morning with this kind of stuff to read! Great job Antonia the Chronicler

(Where most guild experience actually comes from now, not GVG which matters much less now thanks to GBG)

That's not entirely accurate I'm afraid. Believe it or not, but winning in Guild Battlegrounds has such a minor impact in the long term. You're going to realize it sooner or later anyway.
 

Emberguard

Legend
That's not entirely accurate I'm afraid. Believe it or not, but winning in Guild Battlegrounds has such a minor impact in the long term. You're going to realize it sooner or later anyway.
Depends on what you're trying to achieve from it and how much effort is needed to maintain GvG.
 

DeletedUser111369

Depends on what you're trying to achieve from it and how much effort is needed to maintain GvG.

That's 100% true. And the effort in GvG ( or the lack of effort ) is the main reason why GBG will be rather irrelevant in S for some time now
 

Ivo Avido

Private
Let's be real, our chances to challenge SF on GVG are non existent without Sierra. Maybe we can put up some fight on earlier eras but we're completely uncovered from ME onwards.

I cannot really talk for our leadership but I guess we'll focus on GBG for the time being, which has better individual rewards, and try to grow and put ourselves in the conditions to fight on GVG later on. This obviously means our goal of getting 1st on the leaderboard shifted from being short term to very long term.
 

DeletedUser113125

Thank you @Antonia the Builder this was a brilliant idea and an enjoyable read. I hope you do further interviews, it’s great to get a little insight into the top players. If I could like your post twice I would.
 
Why thank you Selene. So far I've been experimenting with different types of articles, not sure what I'll do next. I think it's nice to actually get to know people instead of icons/figureheads.

You might have noticed that the thread has an errant hyphen (Sierra Sola - ), that's because I was going to have a second half to the title, some pun like with the TT, SF article but forgot all about it :(
 

Sierra Sola

Private
So that is the first time I've seen Sierra say something nice about Gisk, ironically the first time is when she's in his guild xD Really makes me feel that Gisk has some kind of butt kissing quota or you get kicked. She fails to mention that SF is now bullying and being evil to other guilds in GVG too but that was written before she joined then? Interesting.

She actually had told us she was quitting to take care of her life in real life cause she was playing too much. Though honestly the thing that gets me is using the "its just a game" lame excuse. Like the lame excuse paying people say when they say "we pay so you don't have to" then just donate money directly to the devs. Then you can say that. She said she would never leave TT and especially also never join SF. That is words that came out of her mouth. She changed and she is not herself, the Sierra we remember in TT. Almost like her account was hacked actually.

Gore, I’d appreciate if you didn’t write false information about me.
1. I have said many things about Gisk as part of game banter, yes, but I have said good things about him too. You may not have been privy to them.
2. I’m offended by your butt kissing comments. As you have not been in SF, you don’t have any idea. I’ll tell you this...it is fun here :) the people have been very nice and friendly and I’m feeling welcome.
3. I told the guild that a few weeks ago and since changed my mind. I left a clear message for the guild upon leaving and said I was joining SF. Keep up!
4. it is a game ! Lol......if you don’t realize that, not sure I can help you. Good God people....we are playing a game here. We are real people behind the avatars, yes, but this IS a game. You can have friendships across guilds , you can talk about RL and get to know each other but gameplay and that are not the same.
5. not sure I ever said I would never leave TT......maybe I did....and at the time if I did I meant it. But things change. We should never say never...I should know better lol. I did say I would never join SF. I’ll admit that. Guess I was wrong! Lol
6. I’m me lol.....very much so.....I’m the same person. The fact that you all think I’m not, makes me wonder if you ever knew me.

Its now post my leaving TT and joining SF. Yes there is now a war, and gvg has been greatly impacted. There seems to be a lot of harsh feelings towards me from TT. As a matter of fact , I’ve heard very little from most of them there. There are a few that were able to take the friendship out of the game and we are still friends. But seems not everyone there can do that. I’ve personally been disappointed at the lack of common decency to be honest. I know they were upset, but I didn’t get even a thank you from leadership for all I’d done there. Nothing. Most of their leadership have not said a thing to me at all. What does that demonstrate? TT are making SF out to be the evil bad guys....please take a look at your own council and decide who is really the bad guy and the bully. I’m not sure anymore after this. Since GBG started TT has been bad mouthing SF; taunting Gisk and making lots of comment. Yet if Gisk does the same re:GvG, he’s a dick! Lol. Really think it’s time to take a look at the overall picture here.

Gore, I thought you were better than all this...sigh
 

TacticalNoob

Private
Gore, I’d appreciate if you didn’t write false information about me.
1. I have said many things about Gisk as part of game banter, yes, but I have said good things about him too. You may not have been privy to them.
2. I’m offended by your butt kissing comments. As you have not been in SF, you don’t have any idea. I’ll tell you this...it is fun here :) the people have been very nice and friendly and I’m feeling welcome.
3. I told the guild that a few weeks ago and since changed my mind. I left a clear message for the guild upon leaving and said I was joining SF. Keep up!
4. it is a game ! Lol......if you don’t realize that, not sure I can help you. Good God people....we are playing a game here. We are real people behind the avatars, yes, but this IS a game. You can have friendships across guilds , you can talk about RL and get to know each other but gameplay and that are not the same.
5. not sure I ever said I would never leave TT......maybe I did....and at the time if I did I meant it. But things change. We should never say never...I should know better lol. I did say I would never join SF. I’ll admit that. Guess I was wrong! Lol
6. I’m me lol.....very much so.....I’m the same person. The fact that you all think I’m not, makes me wonder if you ever knew me.

Its now post my leaving TT and joining SF. Yes there is now a war, and gvg has been greatly impacted. There seems to be a lot of harsh feelings towards me from TT. As a matter of fact , I’ve heard very little from most of them there. There are a few that were able to take the friendship out of the game and we are still friends. But seems not everyone there can do that. I’ve personally been disappointed at the lack of common decency to be honest. I know they were upset, but I didn’t get even a thank you from leadership for all I’d done there. Nothing. Most of their leadership have not said a thing to me at all. What does that demonstrate? TT are making SF out to be the evil bad guys....please take a look at your own council and decide who is really the bad guy and the bully. I’m not sure anymore after this. Since GBG started TT has been bad mouthing SF; taunting Gisk and making lots of comment. Yet if Gisk does the same re:GvG, he’s a dick! Lol. Really think it’s time to take a look at the overall picture here.

Gore, I thought you were better than all this...sigh
Bye Sierra! Have a good time!
 

DeletedUser118478

So I feel moved to say something here about all this. When Sierra joined TT originally she was a force to be reckoned with in getting our prestige up through GvG and helping move the guild upward through ranks. When GBG came in though we worked as a team to win those seasons, every single person in our guild contributed and we won them together. Now Sierra has mentioned there are a lot of bad feelings towards her from TT but she's heard very little from us which is a contradiction in terms by the way. But in fact there are very few feelings involved to be honest. Yes we were surprised when she simply announced her departure and immediately left leadership threads without waiting for responses. And we were quite shocked that she went to SF, particularly after the hard time she had given people who had left to go there in the past! Sierra spoke quite often of her hatred of SF so you can see why we might be taken aback by her double standards. That said I wish Sierra well in her new venture, I'm sure they'll treat her in the way she deserves. Life in TT goes on though, we've got a great team and we look forward to kicking ass in GBG
 
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