We are one week closer to launch and the community is on edge in anticipation of the May 20th launch date for Age of Conan Hyborian Adventure. Ten Ton Hammer has been grazing the forums to bring you some of the top discussion and best nuggets of information and save you the trauma of reading through the drama. Find out what roleplay is, talk about the Mercenary System, find out why Martuk, Machail, and JoBildo are in an animated comic, all this and more in this week's Border Kingdom Cryer.

(Note: If you don't understand something I have said or abbreviated get caught up on the terminology here.)

Official AoC Forums

What RP is and what it is not

Some people make wild assumptions on what exactly roleplaying is. In an effort to enlighten some of the local patrons to what roleplaying a character entails and to lay to rest some common misconceptions, Terras a local patron of the official Age of Conan forums crafted this post to shed some light on the subject. The post led to some good discussion on the art of roleplaying so if you have been thinking of giving it a try, this would be a good place to check for some ideas on how to start. For more on roleplaying be sure to check out Machail's editorial Rolling with the Role-Players.

Would you play a Full Loot server?

This thread thought lost a while ago has resurfaced with a vengeance. A renewed discussion on the full loot PvP server has come back to haunt us again. However, like the RP-PvE server, I don't personally see a problem with having one as an option if enough people show interest in playing on it. I said it before and I'll say it again, choice is a good thing and the more we have the better off we are. That said, you wouldn't catch me dead on one of these.

Mercenary system

One of the most anticipated systems announced for Age of Conan is the Mercenary system. This will allow players to hire themselves out to others as a mercenary. Particularly in the Border Kingdoms. This thread asks the question, "What ever happened to that old mercenary system anyway?" As far as we know its still in there but if you want a good discussion on the topic, this is the place to find it.

What makes AOC PVP different?

Curious to know what makes Age of Conan PvP different? Well so does Astion. This thread discusses the PvP in Age o Conan. You can draw a lot of information and several different views on how the PvP system is being handled. Some love it, others hate it. Add your thoughts and tell us what you think. Play nice.

Compiled AoC Ten Ton Hammer Content Thread

If you haven't taken notice of the new sticky thread on the official Age of Conan forums take a peak at this one. This thread contains links to all AoC Ten Ton Hammer information currently available and sorted by type. Have an older article we released that you want to find, this is the place to track it down. It will be updated as new information becomes available so keep a check.

AoC Ten Ton Hammer Threads of the Week

Lost In Hyboria - New AoC Comic @ TTH

This week Ten Ton Hammer announced a new Age of Conan feature spearheaded by artist JoBildo. The new feature is a new Ten Ton Comic called "Lost in Hyboria." The new comic will feature the misadventures of JoBildo, MaChail, and Martuk as they bumble their way through Hyboria in a huge misadventure. The discussion has already yielded some rave reviews, high anticipation, and a slew of community members volunteering their avatars for cameos. Look for this comic to premier next week. Until then you can wet your whistle on the teaser here.

The Great PvP Poll

What kind of PvP server do you want to play on? Martuk wants to know and he has created a poll to find out. With the many different options for PvP and a horde of PvP hungry players at the Hyborian gate, there will undoubtedly be a cry for various PvP server types. Join this discussion and tell us what your ideal PvP is and vote in this week's poll.

Ten Ton Hammer Kicking and Screaming Forum Referral Contest

Ten Ton Hammer is having a contest and all you have to do is drag your friends, guild mates, acquaintances, random people you pass in-game or on the net kicking and screaming to Ten Ton Hammer. This is your chance to bring a few new faces into our cozy little family and earn yourself some nice MMOG swag. What kind of swag you ask? Let me quote Shayalyn to give you a hint.

So start recruiting to earn your swag today folks. Read up on the info here, the rules here, and check out the official thread here.

AoC vs. THE WORLD

Uncle Machail Wants You...

Machail made this post to try and rally the AoC Ten Ton Hammer community to take over the Ten Ton Hammer forum posting lead. Since we have overthrown World of Warcraft from The Pulse and assumed our rightful spot at the number one slot ~flex~ and we all know that Age of Conan is going to rock any other game when it launches in May. We at AoC Ten Ton Hammer feel a sense of pride and accomplishment and we ask you to not only aid us in taking over Ten Ton Hammer with the most posts, but also the highest quality of posts. We don't ask you to do this for accomplishment, vanity, or anything quite so complicated. We want you to do it for pride and the bragging rights of monkey stomping every other game on the network into the ground pure and simple. So read up on Uncle Machail's post and help us build this community up and take the title on all fronts. ~Waves fist at World of Warcraft~

AoC Ten Ton Hammer Guild of the Week

The Black Company - the last great mercenary brotherhood

This week our AoC Ten Ton Hammer Guild of the Week goes to The Black Company. The Black Company is a mercenary theme guild They don't recruit glory hounds or solo kings, but they are a mature based guild that have a high focus on team work. Night says it best in this post...

The Black Company is a mercenary unit which accepts payment for doing anything our employer's have no wish to do themselves, provided it is based in war. Since the Black Company first began taking contracts, many years after embarking as one of the twelve free companies of Khatovar, we have never failed or backed out of a contract, though our employers have been known to be as treacherous as the enemies they pay us to fight. This tradition continues to this day and is the back bone of our relationship with any employer who enters into a contract with us.

You can read their Ten Ton Hammer thread or visit their web-site for more information here.

This Week's Hot Content

• Lost in Hyboria - Ten Ton Hammer's Very Own AoC Comic!
• Editorial: Know Your Role - The Soldier
• Art Book Preview: Tortage
• Exclusive Age of Conan Priest of Mitra Screenshots

• Tell us what you think about this week's topics on our forums.