Icons have changed dramatically, based on careful research into
what was hitherto a poorly-understood phenomenon of the
Nishnatoban plane - a sort of cycle, an ebb-and-flow of powers
and influences there.

Now Houses may HOUSE ICONPHASE NOW (well, leaders can, on behalf
of their houses), to set their Icon to a particular part of the
Nishnatoban cycle, which is divided in to 24 phases. Odd that it
isn't 25, like our Achaean months, but there you go. We're not
sure why either!

Anyhow, when a House Icon is in phase, it may be damaged, but at
NO OTHER TIME. These phases last the duration of a single Achaean
day, by the way.

Icon damage from attackers now occurs more intensely, and more
rapidly, so that a concerted attack could well destroy a
full-powered Icon well within the vulnerability phase of the
Icon in question.

** Special note on attack/damage rate: an oddity of the new rate
of attack is that it seems somehow related to the number of Icons
that have a phase. What that means in practical terms is that
when, say, only two or three Icons have selected phase, then
attacks will take about six Achaean days to complete. That's
faster than before, but still not as fast as it could be. And
it means that if you set an Icon phase early, no attacker will
be able to destroy it for some time - near invulnerability!

As more Icons gain phase, the attacking time speeds up, and
damage increases. Once about two thirds of existing Icons have
selected phase, then attacks will take on the order of one to
two Achaean days, which means that those who haven't selected
phase yet will be vulnerable at all times, and could be destroyed
in a relatively short period. Beware!

Hopefully this will mean that Houses will pick phases advantageous
to themselves and their members, and that Icon combat will become
more intense but shorter.

There's a lot more in HELP ICON PHASE as well.

We're not saying we won't tweak things farther. Far from it!
If the damage rate is too fast, or slow, we'll change it. If the
phasic window is too small, we'll widen it, and vice versa. But
we hope at least to address some of the more major recent concerns
on the topic of Icon Combat.

Penned by my hand on the 8th of Aeguary, in the year 464 AF.