Hello my fellow Particrats.
Assuming that this game is still alive and well (unlike our IRC channel lately), I invite you all to come out and play on a great Minecraft Factions server that I've been on for the past year. It's pretty much a vanilla map with a few plugins that make it all worthwhile.
-Factions plugin: Allows you to create a faction and claim land. During peacetime, no one but your faction can alter blocks in your land or take from your chests. Recruit players to your faction, build cities, forts and what have you (gamey-ness, ie floating forts and the like, is rather frowned upon), forge alliances, and declare war on others for land, loot, and glory!
-Armor plugin: Diamond may be the toughest armor, but with this plugin, you also get perks such as speed, strength, and knockback resistance with the lesser armors. A balanced style of play awaits where speed may overcome strength. In addition, unbalanced enchantments (infinite arrows, etc) as well as potions are taken out, so that everything is fair game.
-Province system: While still a work in progress, the province system allows factions to be represented on a map based on the number of land claims that they possess. Ownership of provinces will lead to prestige among the factions, and may establish yours as the top one.
-Lots of mechanics plugins: Drawbridges, portculli, elevators, chest shops, and more are made possible thanks to a variety of plugins.
If you own Minecraft and want to find a good server to play on, look no further than Minecraft Center.
Server Wiki: http://minecraftcenter.net/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page
Server Forums: http://www.minecraftcenter.net/forums/
Server Address: pvp.minecraftcenter.net
Note: You will need to register an account on the forums before you are allowed full permissions as a player. Also, any use of hacks or cheats is strictly prohibited and a bannable offense.
Come out and play! I'm in a faction called the Reich, but there are several to choose from, or many to make on your own!