PI Quinsta!
In the Allonian star system there are three planets. The planet you are perhaps most familiar with is Allonia itself. Allonia is home to many of the fantastical mythical
animals you've met through me (Silvanon), including Painted Unicorns. However, no humans currently live on Allonia. The second planet, Gavania, is a different story.
Gavania is home to a thriving human population. The Gavanian language, which is generally used by the Painted Unicorns for namings, is the native language of the Gavanian humans.
Gavanians raise many of the same animals that humans elsewhere raise, including horses, or quinsta, as it's said in Gavanian.
I've spent some time on Gavania and grew to appreciate the beautiful horses they have there. I thought I'd like to import some of them to PI. It was a long process to negotiate
for this to happen, as it turns out the Gavanian government is rather protective of its horses. However, in the end we were able to negotiate an agreement that has resulted in the Gavanian Quinsta Outreach Program.
The Gavanian Quinsta Outreach Program
The purpose of the Gavanian Quinsta Outreach Program is to develop friendly relations with other planets by allowing individuals from said planets to adopt young Gavanian quin stock.
The Gavanian government is concerned about the health and well-being of its quinsta. It would also like to retain contact with adopters and thus build better relationships. Finally the quinsta
breeders of Gavania are concerned that their own populations of quality breeding stock not be too greatly impacted by the outreach program. In order to address all of the above concerns, breeding of
Gavanian Quinsta will be restricted in the following ways:
1.Each breeding season all quinsta to be bred must be brought to the Gavanian embassy for temporary transport back to Gavania. Actual breeding of quinsta, the subsequent pregnancies of the
mares, the births of the foals, and the raising of the foals will happen on Gavania, under the supervision of Gavania's best quinsta handlers, thus ensuring the safety and well-being of all involved quinsta.
2.While each outreach participant may breed as many mares as they would like each season, they may only choose 2 foals to keep. Extra foals may be traded to other people. The remainder
of bred foals not traded to others will remain on Gavania to ensure that Gavanian quinsta populations are not too greatly affected by the outreach program. The claimed foals, along with all the parents,
will be shipped back to PI, once the foals have reached adulthood and the breeding season has ended.
3.It is in the interest of the outreach program to reach as many non-Gavanian individuals as possible. To this end, participants may trade or sell bred foals to other people. Each participant
who trades or sells 5 or more foals to other people in a breeding season will receive a bonus ticket. In order to earn the bonus ticket, foals traded to another person must be selected as one of their two foals
to keep. Also, only foals bred by the person trading count towards the bonus ticket - retrades are not included. The Gavanian Quinsta Outreach Program officials reserve the right not to award bonus tickets
if it appears that the foals were traded to persons not otherwise participating in the outreach program, in an effort to help someone receive a bonus ticket.
4.It is also in the interest of the outreach program to encourage quality stock. Quality studs are a vital part of this equation. Studs can demonstrate their quality by the popularity of their
offspring. If a stud has demonstrated his quality by having 5 or more of his offspring kept by non-Gavanians in a breeding season, his owner will receive a bonus ticket. The Gavanian Quinsta Outreach Program
officials reserve the right not to award bonus tickets if it appears that the foals in question were kept by people not otherwise participating in the outreach program, in an effort to help someone receive a
bonus ticket.
5.Bonus tickets allow owners to keep an additional foal. Bonus tickets may not be used in the same season where they are earned. Bonus ticket foals must be foals bred by the user. In other words,
players may keep a maximum of 2 foals traded to them, and any additional foals kept via bonus tickets must be ones they bred themselves. Bonus tickets can be traded and sold. There is not currently a limit on how
many bonus tickets a person may use in a season.
FAQ's
Q: When can I breed my quinsta?
A: Breeding seasons will be announced in a Quinsta breeding season thread in the Adoptables General area. Once a breeding season has been announced, all the participating quinsta are rounded up and
taken to Gavania. The breeding season ends when the foals have grown up, and all the selected foals along with all the parent quinsta are returned to PI.
Q: How can I breed my quinsta?
A: Once a breeding season has been announced, let the outreach program staff know which mares and studs you'll be sending in for breedings by filling out the appropriate Breeding Ticket.
Q: What if I want to participate in a breeding season but don't yet own any quinsta?
A: You can still participate by contracting with a current owner of quinsta to use a mare and stallion. The owner(s) of the parents you've selected must approve the breeding in the Breedings area.
Q: Can I charge stud/RB fees to let other people use my quinsta in breedings?
A: Yes.
Q: How often can quinsta mares breed?
A: Once per breeding season.
Q: How often can quinsta stallions breed?
A: Studs have no breeding limits.
Q: Can I pair up two quinsta of different breeds?
A: You can. The resultant foal will be a grade horse rather than a horse of a specific breed, and generally be of noticeably lower quality than a purebred horse.
Q: I didn't participate in the quinsta breeding season. Can I still trade for a foal?
A: Yes, you may trade for up to two foals per season. However, the Gavanian Outreach authorities reserve the right to revoke a person's trade slots if they determine that a person
appears to only accepting trade foals in an effort to help another person earn bonus tickets. If a person repeatedly accepts trade foals without otherwise participating in the Gavanian
Quinsta Outreach program, they run the risk of fitting this criteria.
Q: I'm not satisfied with just a description of my bred foals. Can't I see them before choosing which to keep?
A: I'm sorry, it's just not possible at this time. That was a bit of red tape I just couldn't break through.
Q: Can I sell or trade adult quinsta?
A: Yes.
Q: What currancies can quinsta be sold for?
A: Adult quinsta can be traded for any currancy, including real money (USD). Foals (quinsta with a description but no image yet) can be traded for anything but real money (USD).
Q: Can I earn bonus tickets by selling or trading adult quinsta?
A: No.
Q: I'm confused about the words "quinsta" and "quin"?
A: Gavanian words are pluralized by adding a "sta" to the end, so "quinsta" means "horses", while "quin" means "horse".
Q: What coat colors do quinsta come in and are they genetically determined?
A: Quinsta come in all the "real life" horse coat colors as genetically determined using a slightly simplified genetics system developed by Ravvana
(Ravvana graciously gave me permission to use her genetics system. Thank you Ravanna!)
Q: Do quinsta come in all the same horse breeds I know from earth?
A: Yes. However, only certain breeds will be available for non-Gavanian adoption in the beginning. As the outreach program grows, additional breeds will become available.
Q: When will such-and-such quinsta breed become available?
A: When Silvanon and the outreach program officials agree it's appropriate to begin making that breed available as part of the program. (When I get around to drawing them.)
Q: If I beg and whine that I want a particular breed, will that make them available faster?
A: No.
Q: Can I get a custom quin?
A: Just like the earth horses you know, Gavanian quinsta don't magically materilize in the exact form a person has in mind. Dream horses must be bred for.
Q: How can I get a quin?
A: The Gavanian Outreach Program will regularly offer some of their young stock for off-world adoption. You can watch for such Quinsta events in the Adoptables Generals forum.
You can also get quinsta by buying or trading for foals or adults owned by other players.
Q: Is inbreeding a problem for quinsta?
A: There are no rules against inbreeding, as the outreach program recognizes that sometimes linebreeding is beneficial when a person is attempting to establish certain traits in their lines.
However, consistently breeding a line of quinsta back to close relatives over several generations can begin to reduce the quality of the foals to the point that they may result in grade-quality offspring.
The Gavanian quinsta breeders may occationally be willing to offer the services of their own studs if needed.
Q: Do quinsta have naming rules?
A: The only rule is that you may not name them something vulgar or offensive. If you feel so inclined, you are welcome to name your quinsta in their native language of
Gavanian: http://www.silvanon.com/PaintParents/dictionary.php - if you need a word that is not yet
in the dictionary, you may ask Silvanon or Ethendil for a translation.
Q: Can I gift a quinsta foal or adult?
A: Yes. Gifting is just a 0 SG sale of a quinsta and works in exactly the same fashion as a sale. However remember that your ability to get bonus tickets may be harmed if your
foals consistently end up with people who are not otherwise participating in the outreach program.
Q: Will it affect anything if a stallion is bred "too much" in a season?
A: No. If a particular stallion is studding a great deal in a particular season, the Gavanian breeders may choose to use artificial insemination techniques in order to ensure the health,
safety and quality of all involved quinsta.
Q: Will Ethendil be involved in raising bred foals?
A: The outreach program has an extensive staff comprised of many of Gavanian's top quinsta experts. Many individuals will be involved in the care of your quinsta and their offspring during
their time on Gavania. Please be assured that your quinsta will receive the best of care, regardless of which specific people are assigned to them.
Q: If my breeding resulted in twins and I want to keep both twins, does that take up one or two foal slots?
A: Keeping both twins takes up one foal slot.
Q: Is it possible for a grade horse to produce offspring of a particular breed?
A: Yes, under certain conditions. If the grade horse in question is mostly a particular breed (more than 80%), and the foal's other parent is that breed as well, the foal has a chance of
showing enough of that breed's characteristics to be officially considered that breed rather than grade. Grade-to-pure breeding projects are the only way to introduce certain coat patterns into certain breeds of quinsta.
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