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Consulate of The Rejected Realms
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I apologize in advance for the sporadic updates that will occur. This isn't me slacking off, we really just have that few updates :P This is our latest one:
(https://wintreath.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fz1.ifrm.com%2F1509%2F120%2F0%2Ff5010273%2FTRRUpdate.jpg&hash=2ac8d19a6c2f24bd17dc46d4cda95c64)
Update no. 15, September 2013
Lots and lots and lots has happened!
But only because it's ten months since the last official update. In the meantime, the TRR Media Corp has taken over providing news/rumours/slander from the region. Unless you've been living under a rock (or in Wysteria), you'll have noticed a lot has changed lately. Most importantly, the Whamocracy has fallen, and we are now living under an iron fisted Frattatorship. All the Officer roles are filled, and we have a new(ish) Speaker after citizens protested Christian Democrats making public a number of private discussions without notifying the Assembly first.
PSSP
The Rejected Realms remains in the Pan-Sinker Security Pact; however, it's getting a little lonely here. Balder and Osiris have withdrawn in the aftermath of Douria's coup, considering the treaty a worthless document and leaving just Lazarus and TRR remaining. In fact, TRR and Lazarus are already allies through another treaty - the doubling up proves just how much we like each other. Petitions to the admins to create a new batch of more reliable sinkers have so far fallen on deaf ears.
NS Cold War
The Gameplay forum is full of tedious, tiresome and tortuous arguments between the NPO and the UIAF as the developing Cold War has hotted up. Citizens of the Rejected Realms have discussed the conflict, considered both positions, and - after a period of deep reflection - given a resounding no to getting involved. Nonetheless, the conflict has impacted on TRR, with the collapse of the PSSP related to it, and a number of exposés relating to the security of the region. Notably, current citizen North East Somerset has been implicated in pushing the Pacific to remove the supposed "FRA dominated" regime from the region. In response, citizens are considering booting him to the Really Rejected Realms.
Rejected Realms Army
The Rejected Realms Army has flourished of late under the command of Frattastan and Wopruthien, and nations flying the RRA flag have been involved in defences of a number of regions, including Capitalist Federation, Tibet, The New British Empire, The Great Green Federation, and The Republic of NationStates, as well as assisting in TSP's delegate transfer (and no, not in that way). The RRA Intel department remains fully active, and agent Onderkelkia continues to work his way up the ranks in The New Inquisition.
Fratt-naming
TRR is holding a competition to find the best nickname for delegate Frattastan. So far, we have:
- Frattle
- Frattiekins
- Fattiestan
- Fartastan
- Fratt boy
- Frattface
Feel free to post further submissions in this thread.
The best one will get mentioned in the next update.
Everything else
- Frattastan was appointed a Global Mod. So far he has failed to abuse his powers, leaving his peons worrying about just what he's got planned.
- Culture Officer Wopruthien has been running avatar/flag contests for a while now, with any resident being able to take part.
The winner of each week gets to choose the theme of the next one, with past themes including Disney villains, legends of modern music and historical characters.
- TRR's number one fanboy, Belschaft, has returned to apply for citizenship. We attempted to find out why, but he disappeared midway through answering.
IRC quote of the month
<@Asta> Kandyland yes
<@Asta> and Kandy's BBW
<@Asta> BBQ
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Woo! I've already read this update elsewhere, but it just looks so damned good on here. :P
Thanks for posting it for us. :)
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/me nods
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Thanks, Camp!
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Thanks, I look forward to posting a new update in a couple of months ;)
BTW, your own embassy has just opened up here: http://s8.zetaboards.com/The_RR_and_RRA/forum/3009364/ (http://s8.zetaboards.com/The_RR_and_RRA/forum/3009364/)
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Excellent! We'll get started on writing our first dispatch soon. :)
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Campinia is on a LoA, so I'm temporarily replacing him - only this time, to post this update.
Since it's a one-time thing, I decided I would avoid applying as ambassador. ;)
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Update no. 16, December 2013
Hallo? Hallo! Newly-elected Foreign Affairs Officer Guy here, with my first ever TRR update. :)
Officer Elections
In a response to inactivity by the previous crop of Officers, Delegate Frattastan proposed the holding of regular elections for the four positions. Officers are generally tasked with aiding the Delegate in his executive duties, with their roles being determined by him. Under the proposed amendment, drafted by Guy, elections are to be held every four months. The Amendment was carried without a lone objecting vote.
Previously, elections to the Officer positions, like the ones for all other political positions in the Realms, were conducted under the unique Challenge system under which an incumbent holds their office until they are successfully challenged by another citizen. Under the new system, while incumbent Officers may still be challenged, they will also have to face elections scheduled every April, August and December.
Wopruthien was the only Officer who sought to recontest his position in the first ever TRR Officer elections of the kind. Alongside him, citizens Unibot, Horse, Christian Democrats and Guy also vied for election to one of the four positions - meaning one was destined to miss out. Following a well-fought campaign, it was ultimately Horse who had to miss out, with voters turning to more familiar faces to the region - albeit some returning after a long bout of inactivity (or rather, activity elsewhere). The new crop of Officers, who all received the roles they requested from Frattastan, stands as follows:
* Christian Democrats (Internal Affairs)
* Guy (Foreign Affairs)
* Unibot (Media)
* Wopruthien (Culture)
Curbing the Delegate's Powers, ft. a new flag?
Surprisingly, that was not the only Constitutional Amendment passed. The Assembly reserved for itself the power to regulate the Delegate's usage of Regional Controls and WA actions, which was previously entirely within the Delegate's prerogative.
As TRRers sought to establish their regional flag in statute, the realisation that our current flag is quite an antique hit the citizenry. Calls were made to replace the low-resolution flag with a more modern version. None of the proposed flags garnered much support, as they did not quite capture the feel of TRR's old flag.
Eventually, the Assembly passed the Flag Act, enshrining our current regional flag as the official TRR flag and requiring the Delegate to fly it.
(https://wintreath.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fz1.ifrm.com%2F1509%2F120%2F0%2Ff5011829%2Fthe_rejected_realms.png&hash=4cfb9530f995a6d3845e7accefe1f377)
Think you can do better? Let us know! (http://s8.zetaboards.com/The_RR_and_RRA/topic/8434640/1/)
Endotarters
TRR has attracted a wide range of new endotarters to the region, most notably the (not so) mysterious Liegeois. Despite imperialists' best efforts to invade the region, which included mass-TGing all World Assembly nations around the NS world stating that they must endorse Liegeois (and not endorse frattastan) in order to participate in a faux World Assembly conference, Liegeois' endorsement numbers quickly dwindled, even with the addition of foreign troops to back him up.
The Rejected Times restarted!
Following his election to Officer, Unibot resolved to quickly restart the Rejected Realms' media department. The first issue of the new Times was a great success, featuring commentary on the developments in Osiris, an interview with Dalimbar, and assorted regional and interregional news. At the time of writing, a special Christmas edition of the Times is in printing.
Probably recognising his knack towards inducing controversy, Frattastan was overheard threatening Unibot that his role will be changed to "Huggling Fratt" should he slip-up. We wish Unibot the best of luck in his role.
New Face on the Citizenship Council
In-line with TRR's complicated system for appointments to its Citizenship Council (I deserve a prize for it), the senior-most Officer Wopruthien nominated none other than Delegate Frattastan to replace Abbey on the Council, tasked with processing citizenship applications. Frattastan was confirmed by the Assembly with a 17-3 vote. During the confirmation process, some citizens were concerned with a potential conflict of interests for a Councillor to simultaneously hold the position of Delegate. Nevertheless, the citizenry generally believe that it is not an issue, and that Frattastan is the "best man for the job".
Osiris
The Rejected Realms has come to the decision to suspend diplomatic relations with Osiris, due to the political instability which it has been affected by in the past year. We hope that we may restore relations with Osiris soon, and wish it all the best in the meantime.
Rejected Realms Army
In spite of a slowdown in late December, overall RRA activity has increased since our last foreign update, with defenders from the Rejected Realms protecting several regions threatened by invaders (Antarctic Alliance, Antifascist Allstars, Galts Gulch, Sapientia, Middle Earth, Deep Space and Christmas to mention a few), helping the natives of The United States in a refound (http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=264242), and assisting our longtime allies in Lazarus on two occasions.
Following Lazarus's decision to establish a defender military, the Rejected Realms Army has also been the first group to cooperate with them, running a number of joint RRA-LLA missions during the minor update.
IRC quote
We haven't really been that funny recently. Abbey has been dumping lots of glitter on me.
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Ack! My laziness has been exposed again! Must make embassies ambassador + Citizen only! Must make people spend a post filling out a form! :P
Seriously though, thanks for the update. :)
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Springtime for Wintreath
An Interview with Wintermoot
JOE BOBS | INTERVIEW
The respected defender sat down with The Rejected Times for a rare interview...
Hi Wintermoot, thank you for agreeing to take part in this interview.
Thank you for this opportunity!
To begin, could you provide a few sentences to describe Wintreath for our readers who unfamiliar with the region, and a few sentences on your role within the region?
Wintreath was founded last October with the goal of being a less political and more cooperative community with a community focus. We have a regional government of course, but we emphasize culture and community over politicking, which make these elections all the more successful, in my opinion. I serve dual roles as both founder and Monarch, which is the Executive of the region, and I see my primary purpose in those roles as facilitating the growth of the region, leading in its direction, and guarding its principles and values.
The recent round of elections in Wintreath proved to be very exciting. There were elections for the Jarl of Culture, Jarl of Foreign Affairs, Jarl of Information, and the Underhusen. First, let’s look at Jarl of Culture. The candidates were Drexyl Nox, Reon and Govindia, with Drexyl Nox emerging victorious. There was relatively little debate around this position, why do you think this was? Do you feel it invalidates the authority of the position to a degree?
There are probably several reasons for this. Jarlships (Ministers) are usually positions which I appoint, and this is the first time we've tried to fill those positions with elections. The Ministry of Culture has been vacant since the region was founded, and many of our Citizens have never been part of another region, so there may have been some uncertainty about what the Ministry of Culture is supposed to do. I had planned on creating a guide to those ministries before the election, but unfortunately I had other stuff happen and I wasn't able to do so.
I don't believe it invalidates the authority of the position. Ultimately, the position reports to me, and I have complete faith in Drexyl Nox. She has been part of Wintreath since the day it was founded, and has created and ran two successful character roleplays in the region. I was also happy to see that she named one of her opponents, Reon, as Thane (Vice-Minister), so actually it's the best of two candidates for the region.
I agree, it’s great to see people work together for a region. It’s interesting that you say many citizens have little NationStates experience. How does the region integrate people into the community?
Other than the people that came over with me, the vast majority of our community are people that were recruited as new nations. In our recruitment message, we're very detailed in what we offer as a region, then in our welcome message we highly encourage our new nations to join the off-site forums and become Citizens, and give them information on how they can participate in the things that we advertise. We also put out occasional regional telegrams about what's going on in the region, or explaining some of the things they can do as residents and Citizens of the region.
Now that we have a full Cabinet, I would like to look at individual nations, see what they want to do in the region, and help them get where they want to be. That was the original plan when the region was founded, but we quickly had so many nations moving in it was impossible to talk to them all one-on-one at that point. I would also like to start a mentor program to better assist our new Citizens and get them involved in the areas of the region they want to be in.
Moving on to Jarl of Foreign Affairs, in which the nominees were Chanku, Harry McClain, Horse and Govindia, with Horse as the victor. The debates here became particularly ferocious, both in the official thread and Harry McClain’s campaign thread. What did you think of the conduct of the debate?
I thought it was a lively debate that was interesting to read through. Since it was Charax's position before he had to depart from NationStates, I was glad to see people actually putting in effort to succeed him. You had Horse running on his experience and knowledge of other regions, Chanku essentially pledging to adhere to our more regionalist policies, Harry McClain offering a different perspective and new ideas, and Govindia giving his at-times controversial views. I think the fact that Horse didn't win by quite as much of a landslide as people did in some of the other positions shows that the debate was very successful, and most of the candidates distinguished themselves well.
It was certainly a great debate to watch. I always flick through election threads in the regions I visit and this one really caught my eye. As you say, there were some views mentioned that may have been considered controversial by some. Do you think this could cause any issues through the coming months?
I would hope not, as clearly these were opinions given as individuals in a debate for political office and not statements from the government. Although some of the opinions expressed were controversial, our Citizens have a constitutional right to speak their opinions, and I would hope that would not raise any serious issues, especially now that that race is over.
On to Jarl of Information, candidates Chanku and Govindia, where Chanku gained a landslide win. Again, there was relatively little debate around this position. Why do you think this was? Do you think it is indicative of the prestige of the position?
This is another ministry that has been vacant since the region was founded, and there may be some uncertainty about what exactly it does and what the people running it could get out of it, given the lack of candidates that ran for this position compared to some of the others. In a way, it's a shame, because in fact this is probably one of the most important ministries in the region, responsible for news communications sent to the region and for guides that are advertised to new players in our recruitment messages. I hope now that it has an actual leader, the importance of the ministry will become more obvious to the region. Chanku was one the first people recruited to the region as a new player, and has a very versatile skillset. I'm sure he can make the ministry into a success.
And finally the Underhusen, for which five positions were contested by Alterra, Ceardia, Chanku, Drexyl Nox, Govindia, Old_Namibia, Weissreich, BlackTudorRose and Harry McClain (winners Chanku, Ceardia, Alterra, Weissreich and BlackTudorRose). The election ended with a tie for the fifth seat, resulting in a run-off election. Additionally, several candidates mentioned reforms for the Underhusen in their campaign speeches. Do you think this affects the Underhusen’s mandate; does the Underhusen have the faith of the region behind them?
I certainly hope so, since the purpose of the Underhusen is to represent the voice of the people. :P I think people have ideas for reforms in every region, and especially in a relatively new region. Any issues within the Underhusen are minor and will be resolved in time as our region gains more legislative experience. I don't see how it would affect their mandate or make people have less faith in them.
As you mention, the region is relatively young. What do you think has caused Wintreath to become such a large and active region in so short a space of time?
I think it's definitely the friends that came over with me. I just can't overstate the contributions of people like Charax, Insenjar, Denth Rowan/Kasten, Nox, Reon, Horse, and so many others that were there from the start. They were there to start the community, to help out new players that have since come to be a great part of the community, to get our foreign affairs, culture, and military in order, and so much more. You just can't run a large, expansive region by yourself, and I couldn't have been successful in leading Wintreath without them.
The election received a record number of 23 votes, a record for the region. This is surely a great vindication of democracy in Wintreath. Is there anything about the election process you would like to see changed in future?
On my end, I would like to do more of the work of organizing the election before it starts, particularly when it comes to ensuring our Citizens know what role each part of the government plays and with organizing debates. We could have had even higher turnout, but several Citizens declined to vote because they felt that they didn't know the candidates or their positions well enough to make an informed decision. Getting people more involved in the region in general would raise turnout as well, and I hope to do that now that we have leaders for the Ministries of Culture and Information.
It certainly sounds like there is a lot of opportunity to build on what you have already achieved! Thank you very much for this interview Wintermoot, we look forward to hearing more about Wintreath in future.
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Hehe...thanks for the interview again! :)
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Great interview! :D
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Greetings! In line with our Embassy Overhaul (http://wintreath.com/forums/index.php?topic=1163.0), your embassy has been successfully converted into a consulate, preserving all previous posts that were in the embassy. Again, thanks for your understanding of our reasons behind the changes to our embassy structure. :)
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Thanks for not closing for inactivity :P
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Thought never crossed our minds. :P
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Crossed my mind :D
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O rly?
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All those who contributed to my article get a copy of The Rejected Times! Thankyou for your contribution Moot. :)
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Issue XXII, June 12 2014.
Editor's Note
I'm very pleased with this edition. It begins with Joe Bob's must-read feature (which includes commentary from some very well respected players like Grub, Anumia and Big Tex) and ends with Gruenberg's magnificent and very sharp piece on the National Sovereignty movement in the World Assembly.
Between this sandwich of perfection includes some clever opinions articles from Afforess and myself, plus some new stories on recent events that have broken this week in the Sinkers, among other regions. FIFA? Nazis? Lazarus v. Osiris?
You can't go wrong with this issue!
[big][big]How to Build a Region[/big][/big]
FEATURE | JOE BOBS
The Rejected Times asked some of the leading minds in NationStates, what's the key to a successful region?
As we all know, creating a successful region is tough. Like start-up businesses, the majority will fail within the first year, the majority in the first month or so. So how can the entrepreneurial would-be founder make their region succeed? To find out The Rejected Times has asked some people who have got it right.
Westwind TWP Delegate, Former TNP Delegate and Emeritus Rex of Equilism
The keys to a region's success?
While a region's success needs a number of elements, it varies depending upon the situation and no short statement will do it proper justice. Still I can boil it down to one thing.
Leadership.
Without leadership, a region has no direction. Without leadership, there will be no recruitment and without recruitment, a dead region. Without leadership, there is no drive to get things done. No will to engage the interests of the region's community...whether that be gameplay, roleplay, government, foreign affairs, general conversation, whatever.
All the ingredients that go into a great and successful region start and end with leadership. Leadership can be singular, or it can be communal. Leadership can be lead from above, it can be delegated out, or it can be distributed. But without it the region withers.
Grub Founder of 10,000 Islands
There is a lot that goes into building & maintaining a good region, but in the end it all comes down to the people. There is a lot of turnover in NationStates, but the 10000 Islands has been fortunate enough to have a lot of great nations over the years & they have been a big part of the reason for our success.
Besides the great residents of the 10000 Islands, we also run the region based off of our regional Constitution. Our set of rules have set the framework for an active & functioning region. Even beyond the rules we employ, our overall desire to help others has helped to make us successful. While we are a large region now, that wasn't always the case. Back when we had just a handful of nations, we were invaded & almost lost the region. At the time, since we were so small, I went around asking other regions, like the Rejected Realms, among others, for help. The Rejected Realms & those other regions dropped what they were doing & helped our tiny region fight off the then largest invader army in the game. Ever since then we have been doing our best to help others like we were once helped by outsiders. Since that time we have helped to free or successfully protect regions in over 2,000 successful missions. The great nations of the 10000 Islands not only want to have fun in this game, but also do a lot to help others whenever possible & that also helps bring us together.
Shizensky Founder of Renegade Islands Alliance
I think the most important part is having the right people involved, and making sure they're doing what they're good at. Even then, nobody expected anybody to get anything right the first time. We took a really fluid approach to growing this time, and we've adapted so many policies mid-swing until we felt like it hit a place where it works. That means we made a lot of mistakes, so again it comes back to having the right people. If we had people that took every mistake personally, or every suggestion that they need to change as a personal insult, we couldn't have done anything.
Oh, and it takes time, too. A lot of it. I don't think we would have held together in the start if I didn't have a job that lets me hang out on NS for a good chunk of the day. ;) It's pretty difficult to sum it all up in just a paragraph - I feel like I'm leaving out a lot of important stuff and not making enough shout outs to recognize how awesome some of the people involved have been, but that's probably the best I can provide by keeping it short.
Wintermoot Founder and Monarch of Wintreath
In this case success is in the eye of the beholder...some would consider a ten-nation region with friends a success and that's cool. For building a large gameplay region I would say the keys to success are vision, time, and effort, with friends and experience also being a huge help. As I always tell our new recruits, NationStates is a game where you get back what you put into it, and region-building is no different. If you aren't putting in time and effort as the region's leader, how are you going to build the region and convince others to put their own time into it? Vision is also absolutely important for any leader. Anybody wanting to start a region or lead a region should be made to detail their vision for the region, and if they can't do that, they shouldn't be running the region. And finally, friends and experience...I can't begin to tell how helpful having a group of friends with me was when I started Wintreath, and how handy the experience I gained elsewhere was. I would recommend anyone wanting to start a gameplay region spend at least six months in an established region, preferably gaining some experience in the Executive of that region as well, at least as a Minister. I've seen people grow regions without help or experience, but it's fairly rare from what I've seen.
Goddess Relief Office Founder of Yggdrasil
I think the answer to your question depends on how you measure success. No two regions are the same. Some are more interested in foreign affairs, while some are well known for focusing their efforts internally. Some are gameplay regions while others are RP regions. What makes each enduring, depends on whether there is a core group of members loyal to it and dedicated to its success. And for that to happen: in the beginning few months of the region's founding, the founder must be actively engaged and there must be some separation between the region and external groups so the young population could develop independently. That's my 2 cents.
Avakael Founder and Grand Chancellor of the Independent Order
I've had a few goes at trying to build a region before now. This is the only one that has ever been remotely successful. The difference between this one and the other tries all have come down primarily to persistent recruitment- I never really had the time or motivation to run a permanent recruitment campaign, or the connections to get a copy of a script. I had the money to spare for stamps, though, and I've been using them non stop recruiting new nations since I founded this one. Refounds don't matter too much, I think I've sent one block of 10k stamps and had 6 nations join.
In terms of an invader perspective, I'd say if you're setting up a region for a specific purpose, you want to appeal to nations that would be friendly to that purpose. If you want new players that'll be interested in military action, you have to send out a telegram asking for nations interested in military action. That does tend to turn off a decent sized audience that might be looking for something different, though. If you have no such purpose, don't try to cut out the audience like that- write a telegram that pretty much everyone is going to agree with. I'd also note that 99% of new nations are going to have no understanding of gameplay and roleplay conventions, such as how regional governments are run on an individuals as part of a nation instead of a nations as part of a region basis, and how gameplay military action in NationStates works through the World Assembly and is generally directed at other regions, not other nations.
BearNation Founder and Delegate of Gay
What makes for a suceessful region? IMHO, you need three core things:
(1) a mission (usually something that can be explained in one sentence);
(2) effective, active leadership, particularly in the person of the Founder, but ideally also in the WA Delegate and any ruling body you may have elected; and
(3) patience and advertizing.
First, the mission statement: there are thousands of friendly, liberal democracies out there, so such is not enough to make your region stand out from the pack. You need a mission that is specialized enough so that it is unique or nearly so. In Gay, our mission is to provide a safe haven for LGBTQ folks and straight allies such that one can be oneself and express oneself without fear of discrimination.. There are other Gay regions, but none with that mission statement.
Second, it is critical that the region HAVE a Founder (so as not to have to worry about invaders) and that said Founder takes an active part in the life of the region. I have seen time and again regions of 100+ members lose the majority of their memberships and activity when the leader lapses into inactivity or CTEs or even hands control over to a person whose style is radically different (and usually less engaged). If you are Founderless, bite the bullet and refound, even if that means creating a new region for your nations.
Third, have patience. A new region will tend to grow the most quickly, but not necessarily. When I founded Philosophy 115, for the first couple of years we mostly had the core membership of 3 nations. Slowly we learned how to practice effective advertizing (word of mouth is still the best way), including (later) trading embassies and ambassadors, but also advertizing in the feeders and sinkers while that was still possible and nowadays with mass mailings and NS++. Membership will go up and down in the short run, but ideally it will inch up over time such that the new lows are higher than the old lows, as well as the new highs being higher than the previous highs.
And finally, don't be so serious that you forget to have fun and form bonds of friendship within the region. Your mission may get them in through the front door, but they will leave (or become inactive and CTE) through the back door if there's not a personal reason to stay.
Northern Chittowa One of five Founding Fathers of the GRA, Co-Founder of the FRA
To build a successful region you need a core group of workers - people who are willing to put in the time and effort to build something from scratch, even if it takes a lot of time and regardless of problems along the way. It also requires a bit of dictatorship in the early days. Elections for a position in a committee to discuss the process for running the elections to a ruling body is a distraction that is not needed in the early days of a region. Get the structure of the region in place, with an active native base, and the diplomacy will follow later.
Tim Founder and Minister of Defence for Spiritus
I think that the key to a region's success is, first and foremost, a strong core of 'builders'. I wouldn't have been able to build Spiritus if it were not for the support of people like Cormac and Salaxalans in making the region prosper in its early days. It's really difficult to do something like that alone, and it can be seen that Spiritus didn't really take off past 100 nations before both of those fantastic individuals got involved in Spiritus and helped me continue it. Aside from that, it's all about how you market your region. Make sure the World Factbook Entry is appealing to the eye, the Regional Message Board is active, and your recruitment telegram has something unique that sets it apart from the dozens of others. I think that's about it, at least from me.
Big Tex Founder, Governor and Delegate of Texas
After much thought, the secret of Texas' (and any region's) success consists of a variety of factors. In no particular order:
• Make the region as open as possible. This means not only on access, but on information. Tell the citizens what is going on within the region and encourage them to participate. Make the region one of inclusion, not exclusion. Secrets are only fun for those in on them, but do not make for a fun region. Be open.
• Talk to everyone, especially new arrivals to the region. The way we describe the game to players who ask for help is to wax philosophical with the following explanation. The gist of the entire game is words. Generally you "give" words by posting and sending telegrams; you "get" words in return. If you don't say anything to anyone then often no one will say anything to you. Everybody's style is different. Many are content to sit back and watch, many like to speak up and make their opinions known or comment on things in the game, their lives or whatever.
• Take notes. After 12 years of playing this game and meeting thousands of people, we cannot possibly recall it all. So, we take notes so we can review who we know and what we know about them. This is vital if you talk to everyone.
Those are some of, what we think, are the important parts of making a successful, lasting region. It may not work for everyone, but it has worked well for us and Texas.
Anumia 'The One, The Allfather' of Europeia
The most important thing about getting started is getting people talking. They don't necessarily have to be -working-, but they need to do more than spam. You can have the most efficient Government, but you need a -community- for a region to have staying power. A reason to log in daily and participate whether you are in the Government or not. Building friendships amongst the citizenry and according due respect especially for good works gives your region core strength. As for the Government and work in general: make it exciting, make it prestigious. Flattery and titles are no substitute; you need to develop a genuine feeling of prestige and engagement for those who are putting in effort to improve the region.
All in all, you want your region to feel like home for the people who reside within. If your community is a place to love and enjoy, people will naturally show up day after day to participate and make it better. Fostering that sensation is key to regional growth and longevity - if it feels like "just another region", it will not be nearly as successful.
So what are the lessons for all the wannabe founders out there? What do you need to make a region work? Leadership, having the right people, creating a constitution, putting the time in, vision, experience, an active founder, dedication and loyalty, persistent recruitment, finding your audience, patience, bonding, effective prioritization, image and presentation, openness, communication, memory, activities, integration… no wonder so many fail, it’s a tall order ticking all these boxes!
There is another ingredient I'd like to add: a unique selling point (USP). All the most successful regions have something original that makes them stand out from the crowd, whether it's representing a real world location (such as Canada, Texas and Belgium), playing a specific role within NS (such as Gatesville or Gay), or a particular theme or vision (like Wintreath, Region Inc or Mordor). If no one else is doing it, you have an advantage. If they are, make sure you do it better! Another key that I find is often forgotten: word of mouth. Yes, many players are recruited into a region, but a lot of the players that stay active are those who come as ambassadors or visitors, especially if you offer something different to their home region.
I would like to give a huge thanks to all the contributors for this article and the work they have put into their statements. Hopefully this will inspire some would-be founders, and we may see another great community launched into the rich tapestry that is NationStates.
[big][big]Stopping the Madness [/big][/big]
Should we boycott NS Marriages?
EDITORIAL | UNIBOT
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Unibot breaks the “sweetheart” on NS Marriages…
Three marriage proposals. A week after becoming “single” again on NationStates, a player (who shall remain anonymous) received three marriage proposals. Yes, a week. There’s a point when good fun crosses the line and becomes systemic harassment – and I think that might just take the marital rubicon. Stories like these remind me that my experience as a male player on NationStates is radically different than an openly female player.
Remarkably, I don’t have most of the game closing in on me like a wake of vultures, or at least when they are, it’s after something I’ve done politically, not because of my gender or my sexuality.
I have to confess that most of this article will stand as a personal about-face for myself on my own prior beliefs regarding marriages on NationStates. I’ve been married twice on NationStates and I don’t intend to pursue a hat-trick any longer. Instead, I would like to share my reasoning with you as to why I won’t be pursuing a third marriage (besides the fact that it is incredibly tacky to continue to remarry) -- and I hope after reading, you too will be convinced that it is time to boycott this archaic social practice once and forevermore.
Certainly some marriages are indeed happy on NationStates. Individual cases have proved to be constructive, collaborative and playful relationships. However, individual cases set social expectations – and this is where the social practice of marriage goes terribly wrong in NationStates. Frequently, newer, male players see weddings for the first time and an expectation is built in their mind: I need a wife. However, as you will quickly realize, there are not enough women in NationStates around to satisfy this high demand, which only escalates the problem of accommodating a mob of male players pursuing marriages to sate some dire self-esteem issues.
These marriages aren’t about formalizing or recognizing some long-time friendship or partnership… no, no, no, you don’t even need to know the person to ask to marry them! Because it’s never about who you marry, but the fact that you’re married, period. Hence why men on NationStates barely wait to learn a female player’s nation name before asking them to marry them – because it’s about asking them first and sealing the deal, not about getting to know someone. This perpetuates the hawkish, aggressive state of affairs which I highlighted in the beginning of this article: a sad, pathetic status quo of young men, tolling around, hoping to fish a new shiny “wife-thing” from the pond.
Is this the kind of user experience we want for female players? Nay, it sounds like it would be incredibly harassing and downright annoying to experience first-hand.
The "million dollar question" that lies before us is how do we positively change the gender relations in NationStates?
I believe that the only true option is boycotting the practice of marriage in NationStates. In the case of monarchial and imperialist communities, where marriage plays an integral part in the politicking and the system of governance, the solution is less clear, of course. However, in Gameplay in general, boycotting can serve as a greater movement. Absolutely, it is a possibility that some of us are capable of some sort of respectful, pseudo-relationship in NationStates – however, it is also those some of us who set the standards of Gameplay and capture the imagination of newer players. Without being the change that we want to see in NationStates, we are not going to able to “break the cycle”.
On this note, I should say even if we accomplish this collective about-face on the issue of marriage, there will still be a load of issues with sexism that we will have yet to have addressed in NationStates Gameplay, but at the very least, eliminating the practice of marriage will remove one area where it directly and obviously affects the user experience of female players.
[big][big]FIFA World Cup comes to NationStates![/big][/big]
COMMENTARY | TRR NEWS
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The FIFA World Cup may begin tomorrow in Brazil, but some regions in NationStates have taken it upon themselves to bring the game to NationStates as well.
Three regions, The Rejected Realms, Lazarus and The South Pacific, all close friends and allies, will be observing the FIFA World Cup hoping to achieve victory or at the very least celebrate and cheer on one of the many teams competing in the international sporting event.
This unique cultural activity began as a suggestion from Unibot, Delegate of The Rejected Realms and Libetarian Republics, Officer of Internal Affairs in The Rejected Realms (who initially suggested a FIFA-related poll). Each of the involved regions was given four days to choose which team they would support during the FIFA World Cup and all three regions agreed to not choose to support the home team and expected winner, Brazil.
“I just thought it seemed like a fun idea,” says Unibot, “I’ve never had a team in the FIFA World Cup who I could support on a partisan basis – Canadians aren’t exactly known for their football. It’s going to be a blast getting to cheer on “my” team for once”.
The Rejected Realms chose England as their regional team with 40.7% supporting the English in a regional poll held last week.
“Couldn’t have found a better fit for The Rejected Realms,” says Unibot delightedly, “not only are a number of our contributing members, English, but our region feels very English. We’ve got an enviable public broadcasting service, a collective stiff upper lip and a penchant for complaining about the weather from time to time, or at the very least, complaining about something!”
Lazarus, likewise, chose Germany after a long, enthusiastic regional discussion on the tournament.
“I'm glad that Lazarus, The Rejected Realms, and The South Pacific are able to come together in a friendly competition about the World Cup,” Funkadelia tells The Rejected Times.
Funkadelia, the Vice Chairman, explained that the choice was a natural one for Lazarus, because Germany is the home country of Marx and Engels, the fathers of Communism.
“Personally, I am excited for some friendly competition with TRR and TSP!” says Funkadelia.
Meanwhile, The South Pacific will be donning blue, white … and orange during the FIFA World Cup, in honour of the Dutch. In real life, of course, The Netherlands played a major role in colonizing the actual South Pacific. The South Pacific took a vote, via regional poll and decided to support The Netherlands with a narrow lead (32.5%) over the other popular choice, The United States (26.5%).
Kringalia, Delegate of The South Pacific, shared his enthusiasm for the tournament with The Rejected Times over a Dutch breakfast (which could put a diabetic into the hospital).
“I am really excited about this activity,” says Kringalia, “The South Pacific has chosen to support the Netherlands in the FIFA World Cup and this will be a great opportunity to unite as a region and celebrate this awesome sporting event. I’m also glad that we are able to join Lazarus and the Rejected Realms in this celebration and wish the best of luck to their teams as well”.
The delegate also admitted his love for Amsterdam, having visited there once.
“It was so quiet and relaxing,” says Kringalia, “and so many people used bikes instead of cars”.
The first matches for the representative teams begin on Friday and carry through till Monday…
[TSP] Netherlands v. Spain. June 13, 3:00 PM EST.
[TRR] England v. Italy. June 14, 6:00 PM EST.
[LAZ] Germany v. Portugal. June 16, Noon EST.
[big][big]TRR, Osiris Agree to Milestone Non-Aggression Pact[/big][/big]
COMMENTARY | KOGVURON
The Rejected Realms and The Osiris Fraternal Order have agreed to a Non-Aggression Pact. The treaty, which was ratified on June 9th in Osiris and on June 11th in TRR, provides for reciprocal diplomatic recognition and non-aggression. The act passed with similar numbers in both regions: 13-5 in The Rejected Realms and 13-7 in Osiris.
For some, the treaty represents the triumph of "pan-sinkerism" over traditional defender-raider lines. TRR and Osiris, on opposite sides of the military spectrum, seem to be setting aside their military differences in hopes of closer GCR cooperation. The benefits of the treaty were touted in both regions, as the resultant increased security and political recognition were seen as mutually beneficial. In TRR especially, this seemed to be the case, with very little resistance to the treaty coming from the citizenry. In fact, the pact was proposed by The Rejected Realm's delegate, Unibot, often cited as one of the leading moralist defenders.
In Osiris, however, some citizens believed that the treaty was not in the region's best interests. It sparked rather contentious debate between supporters and detractors of the bill. The pro-pact faction was led by Cormac, Vizier of Osiris, who ardently supported and defended the bill, saying that Osiris's relations with other sinkers were more important than military partisanship. The opposition was led by a variety of Osirans, with Venico and Cassius Cerebella being two of its major detractors. The major reason cited by them was the perceived uselessness of the treaty, with Venico saying, "I see no reason for this treaty... Useless treaties are useless."
Overall, this treaty provides a welcomed improvement in relations between Osiris and The Rejected Realms.
Unibot told The Rejected Times that he was "excited" about the new security pact.
"Today, The Rejected Realms returns to recognizing Osiris" says Unibot, "and it can do so on fresh footing between neighbors who act like neighbors. It's a great thing to see. Unlike The Empire, which lead Osiris with self-serving, dysfunctional personal politics, The Osiris Fraternal Order has proven itself to be a more stable, lawful government for whom we are happy to share a welcoming mat. We both put aside our reservations for a shared goal: peace and as I told the Assembly, I'll take peace. Peace is good".
We here at The Rejected Times hope that this pact is the start of a new chapter for two regions that have often been at odds with each other in the past.
[big][big]Osiris severs relations with Lazarus[/big][/big]
Anti-Imperialism sparks diplomatic controversy
COMMENTARY | TRR STAFF
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Osirans hold their shoes to Lazarus.
Osiris has severed relations with Lazarus. Calling Lazarus’s path towards anti-imperialism, a threat and insult to Osiris, Severisen, Pharaoh of Osiris, in a recent open letter, criticized the rumored internal discussion in Lazarus which concerned plans to use propaganda and even direct force against Osiris’s fellow sister sinker, Balder. Open hostility with virtually all of Osiris’s allies, made the move both easy and necessary, according to the Pharaoh.
“We believe that the People's Republic of Lazarus has chosen of its own free will to take a stance of hostility toward our allies and indeed, toward the principles that our region has chosen to adopt,” says Cormac, Vizier of Osiris.
“We will not tolerate this stance of open hostility and this stated intention to take aggressive action against our allies and still make pretense that there can be friendship between our regions”.
Milograd, Director of Lazarene Foreign Affairs, told The Rejected Times that the move had been inevitable.
“It would've happened sooner or later,” says Milograd, “our relationship fell in stature once George was purged and Cormac was allowed to start advocating for a coup of us despite being Vizier of Osiris, and, really, it's no secret that the PRL opposes imperialist regions”.
When asked whether the allegations against Lazarus (that it hadn’t “ruled out” direct force against Balder) were true or not, Milograd laughed.
“No LOL,” says Milograd, who refused the presses from running his statement without the “LOL” retained, purely for the sake of justice, we were assured.
“There is absolutely no place where the LLA is seriously considered being used offensively against Balder, or anywhere, at that,” says Milograd.
Later, the next day, Milograd called out Osiris’s move publicly on The North Pacific boards, denying the allegations of interregional aggression and condemning the lack of prior diplomatic dialogue.
“Our commitment to non-violence is as strong as it was at the time we created embassies with Osiris,” says Milograd unwaveringly, “We were never granted the courtesy of clarifying your worries. You, as a diplomat from Osiris, should've spoken to us if you were concerned, and we would've cleared up the matter fairly quickly. But you avoided that”.
Since the time of the announcement, officials have clarified that one of the major concerns surrounding Lazarus had been Funkadelia’s anti-imperialist rhetoric displayed while on the campaign trail. The outspoken Vice Chairman is considered the front-runner to win the ongoing elections in Lazarus, which began today – the same day as the announcement. Some Lazarenes that spoke with us suggested that this move might be an attempt by Osiris to sway the elections, while others still suggested that plan could see the opposite outcome as Lazarus, the mother sinker, coalesces together around what they consider to be a diplomatic insult.
[big][big]How Regions Get Growth Wrong[/big][/big]
OPINION | AFFORESS
Writing for "The Leaky Bucket" series...
If you're in a user-created regions (any region that was not the default starting point for your nation), you've probably wondered how you can make your region bigger. Bigger is better. Most regional administrations have recruitment as a core theme. Some even have "Recruitment Ministries" or departments, with individuals dedicated to recruiting new members to their fine regions. Recruitment is "good". I have never seen a region that actively discourages new members from joining (password regions excluded).
As a preface: I'm not going to tackle whether bigger regions are better regions, today. I don't think bigger is universally better. But due to the way NationStates is designed, in general, bigger is better. This is a whole different tangent, and there are design flaws (or features!) that make this the case.
So how do regions get bigger? It's the economy recruitment, stupid! Your region needs new members to gain population. There are a variety of ways to recruit new members, and most of them involve telegrams of some form. The reader has doubtless received one of these finely crafted instruments of manipulation, with its siren call to move to greener pastures (and likely deleted it, posthaste). Ever since recruitment was legalized (most recruitment was illegal before 2011) nearly every region worth the term, and many more that don't, have launched tens of thousands of these telegrams in the hopes that a lucky few will hit their mark, swaying users to their fair shore. Nowadays, the number of recruitment telegrams being sent is enough to blot out the sun in most areas of NationStates. (At the peak of recruitment, all telegram communication was being slowed to a crawl due to the massive volume of recruitment telegrams. Recent changes in how telegrams work has alleviated this)
The standard solution to this barrage of telegrams is for regions to fight fire with even more fire. After all, if they can increase the number of telegrams they send, then they have more chances someone will see theirs. This ends up as a lesson in what the tragedy of the commons is. While it is entirely reasonable for individual regions to increase recruitment through increased volume, the net effect is that all the regions spin their wheels ever-faster, to simply stay in the same place. (This behavior has been observed in biology and has been given the name "The Red Queen Hypothesis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Queen_hypothesis)", which lifts its name from a character in Alice in Wonderland)
This maelstrom, while entertaining for the average bystander, causes regions to miss the point of recruitment in the first place. Recruitment isn't simply for recruitment's sake, the original goal was to make your region bigger, to increase its population. Recruitment is only half of the equation. Every day, nations cease-to-exist. After 28 days of inactivity, their nation is vaporized, leaving behind nothing more than dust and memories. And these nations are ultimately ignored, even though they are the reason your region is shrinking. Recruitment can't expand your region if you are losing members to attrition. Filling a leaky bucket is an endeavor in pointlessness. The faster you pour water in, the faster it exits out the bottom. The same is true with regions, the more members they have, the more members die each day.
Why do people quit NationStates? Did they just forget how awesome the site is? If a player took enough time to read your recruitment telegram and move to your region, why didn't the region take the energy to reciprocate that? Why didn't you collect the contact information for the player (email addresses or chat handles)? No a forum doesn't count - the forums most regions have on NationStates are pure garbage. If your region isn't taking the same time to actually meet, get to know, and talk to its new recruits, as it does filling the leaky bucket, why are you surprised with the results?
[big][big]Nazi Europe Invaded[/big][/big]
War on Nazis Rolls On...
COMMENTARY | JOE BOBS
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Propaganda from the Front...
On June 3rd, Nazi Europe was invaded by a united force from The North Pacific, The UIAF (i.e., The New Inquisition, The Land of Kings and Emperors and Albion), The ISRA forces of Osiris and Balder, Europeia, Lone Wolves United and Kantrias, with reinforcements from Mazeria, The Red Fleet and The MT Army.
At the time of going to press, the region is still held by this force and is passworded, under the lead, Tancerlo, with Evil / Blue Wolf masterminding the invasion.
"The raid on NAZI EUROPE is one of the most successful and important missions the NPA has ever done," stated The North Pacific's Minister of Defence, Gladio. "This was an excellent opportunity for us to work with our allies and shows that when we work together we are a force to be reckoned with and it shows our strong commitment to the cause against Nazism."
Opposition to fascism and Nazism in NationStates is a powerful uniting force which is respected by many and has clearly been able to draw a large support base, as Tancerlo has received 94 endorsements, representing one of the largest piles in recent memory. Evil Wolf stated on the RMB that "Today, we have achieved a victory over the impossible. People gave up on ever being able to control this region, and we have proved them wrong". Meanwhile, Vippertooth of the MT Army commented that "something deeply hateful has been allowed to fester here for far too long. For over a decade of Anti-fascist fighting as the leader of The MT Army I have witnessed countless Nazi/Fascist regions fall, this one has been the most resilient but history shows that they all fall in the end, it’s just a matter of time. NE has a long history of heinous crimes/raids against innocent regions and its ruin is way overdue. I am glad to be still around to witness and be a part of this, thank you to all involved, it is an honor to fight alongside each and every one of you. The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing!"
However, this view is not held by all. "Repeal "Liberate NAZI EUROPE" passed this spring under a heightened understanding that the War on Nazis was helping to perpetuate the growth of Nazi communities.
"This absolutely is a step backwards for NationStates Gameplay," says Unibot, Delegate of the Rejected Realms. "We were just moving forward from the "War on Nazis" - admitting to ourselves that aggressive action against Nazi communities feeds the recruitment of Nazi communities. The original "War on Nazis" began because it was squarely in the interests of those involved - independents looking for something to do desperately, imperialists looking to make uncompassionate fools out of of defenders, invaders wanting to use these missions as stepping stones towards Nazism. I thought we had moved past this, but apparently not. The sad reality is these folks always wave the banner of "we're doing the right thing", but they're insulting the memory of those who fought in the War against real Nazi communities, while perpetuating the growth of Nazi communities. This is an international circlejerk, not a compassionate stand against prejudice and genocide".
Whatever the reason behind the invasion, or the effects thereof, it is unlikely to be the final word in the Anti-Fascist movement in NationStates. Wherever the next battle may be, it is likely to be just as controversial.
[big][big]The Rise and Fall of National Sovereignty[/big][/big]
OPINION | GRUENBERG
National sovereignty - the argument that individual nations should have broad authority and the World Assembly restrictions on its powers - took a long time to become established as a reputable argument. The World Assembly, in its current form or in its previous incarnation as the NSUN, is fundamentally designed to erode national sovereignty: it has far more teeth than comparable real world international organizations, with the authority to rewrite national laws and legislate on domestic matters. Despite this - or perhaps in part fuelled by that game mechanics situation - national sovereigntists worked hard to promote the legitimacy of their arguments, and then achieve real success. For a time, their successes were so real that the prevailing conventional wisdom in the World Assembly was decidedly national sovereigntist - "NatSov" - in tone; even that (largely imaginary) biases on the part of moderators were perceived in favour of the camp. Now, that hard work all appears to have been in vain, and the intellectual legacy of national sovereignty lies in tatters. The modern generation of national sovereigntists have no legitimacy.
The rise and fall of national sovereignty in the NSUN/WA is sometimes mapped to the fortunes of Gatesville, easily the most prominent "anti-UN/anti-WA" region. Once a powerful force in gameplay politics and one of the largest UCRs, their influence has relatively declined (and their region relocated entirely). But in truth, Gatesville was not the most significant or successful national sovereigntist region - simply the loudest. Texas and Antarctic Oasis have had more actual impact on the course of the WA and the legitimacy of national sovereignty arguments. Despite labelling every repeal a "victory for Gatesville", the authors of those repeals usually found themselves scratching their heads trying to recall any assistance in drafting or campaigning from the region.
Instead, other factors significantly contributed to the rise of national sovereignty - and those same factors now correlate to its fall. Easily the biggest boon for national sovereignty was the advent of repeals. For the first couple of years of the NSUN, no resolution could be repealed. That legislative process meant that resolutions were destined to pile up and it was impossible for those wanting to limit the NSUN's power to ever push back. Repeals changed that: national sovereigntists soon realized they could use repeals to target resolutions they felt had encroached on national rights. Initial efforts were faltering - a repeal of "The 40 Hour Workweek" failed, a repeal of a resolution legalising prostitution saw it quickly replaced by another resolution legalising prostitution - but over time the method was refined and became an important component of national sovereigntist policy. Powerhungry Chipmunks is easily the most important player in the entire history of the NSUN/WA game, and the lack of credit he is afforded is a bit embarrassing.
Yet today, it's not even clear that national sovereigntists know how to write repeals. Confronted with the spectacle of an "International Criminal Court", their attempt to repeal it is founded on lies, misunderstandings, and misrepresentations, and yet fails to ever once make the basic principled argument that such a Court should not exist. The intellectual timidity of this approach is matched by the rank lack of principle in the accompanying forum conduct, refusing to even engage in a debate about the merits of the repeal. It is a distressing sign of a lack of faith in one's own beliefs to refuse to open them to public scrutiny - and saddening to recall national sovereigntists of previous eras who would have thirsted for an opportunity to mount a passionate repeal argument against a resolution of the nature of the ICC without being scared of their own shadow.
Nor does modern national sovereignty have any kind of intellectual consistency. Its lead drum-banger is Mousebumples, proudly proclaiming the soubriquet of an "adorably marvellous NatSov" as delegate of Monkey Island, but wielding far more influence through her roles in Europeia, Texas, and as a newly crowned moderator (a role that should seriously call into question conflict of interests; other moderators have avoided such questions by transferring their WA activities to puppets); she has even seen fit to recently publish various "Lessons" on the WA through the Dispatches feature. Yet this is the same player who vigorously campaigned for "Reproductive Freedoms", possibly the least sovereignty friendly resolution in the combined history of the NSUN and WA. Whatever one's personal beliefs, a political philosophy of "national sovereignty, except for uteruses", makes absolutely no sense. Maybe it's not so surprising there is an unwillingness to mount an intellectual defence of it.
There was a time when national sovereigntists were so successful in the NSUN/WA that moderators had to make up new rules to try to check their power: a rule limiting arguments in repeals, and a rule limiting "blockers" (resolutions preventing the WA from legislating on certain issues, such as nuclear weapons ownership or prostitution legality). Both are to this day vague and difficult to understand, but it's instructive to remember a time when moderators had to struggle to find a way to address the national sovereignty movement. Now, such have their arguments declined in substance and their intellectual consistency withered away that it's impossible to imagine such a situation: if anything, the moderators' disgraceful conduct during the recent attempts to repeal "Rights & Duties of WA States" demonstrate they're inclined quite the reverse tendency.
Until the national sovereignty is willing to reconsider its core principles and work out what it actually stands for, no one should take it seriously. All of which, for those who remember the heyday of the national sovereignty movement, the campaigns of the National Sovereignty Organization, the essays of Frisbeeteria and HotRodia, the legislative successes of Powerhungry Chipmunks and Jey, and the sheer sense of fun which Omigodtheykilledkenny and Yelda added to the game, is not a cause for celebration, but for mourning. Irrespective of one's positions on any particular political issue, or on the total vision of what the WA should do or stand for, seeing such an important bloc shame themselves into nothing is a clear sign of how completely the WA game as a whole has declined.
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Awesome! It's nice to see The Rejected Times come to Wintreath, even if it's just one volume. :)
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Moot, if you want TRR Times to be regularly posted in Wintreath, you have only to ask! :)
Another special posting, Chanku interviewed alongside Loop, in my new supplement!
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This week, Joe Bobs speaks with Winreath's Chanku and The East Pacific's One Infinite Loop. Enjoy!
[big][big]Rising Stars #1: Chanku[/big][/big]
FEATURE | JOE BOBS
The first in a series of interviews with the future leaders of NationStates.
It is easy, with hindsight, to see the paths that led some of the great players of NationStates to the peaks at which they eventually came to reside, but it is far harder to look to the future and judge which players who are currently climbing the ranks within one or more regions will one day be a powerhouse of the game. This series will attempt to do just that. Will we get some wrong? Undoubtedly, yes. I would imagine the vast majority. Players may lose interest, their region may die, or they may stumble into some political blunder that will tarnish them forever. Hopefully, one or two will eventually find themselves in the NationStates Hall of Fame.
The first player under the spotlight is Chanku of Wintreath. Chanku is the Jarl (Minister) of Foreign Affairs, a position he gained following Horse's departure, and was previously Jarl of Information in a hotly competed election which saw the largest turnout in Wintreath history. He has also previously been Speaker of the Underhusen (Congress), a considerable number of positions considering he only joined the game in October last year. Impressively, he combines the activity and energy of youth with leadership and control of his department, all of which suggests we will be seeing more of Chanku in the months and years to come.
JB: What has been the biggest learning curve for you in NationStates?
C: I'm not really sure. I think it was learning more about regions and learning what threatens them.
JB: That's interesting, do you mean specifically threatening in a military sense or in other ways?
C: In a military sense.
JB: Who would you describe as your mentor?
C: To be honest there isn't one single person. Charax, Wintermoot and Daws have definitely helped out a lot.
JB: What has been your biggest challenge so far?
C: I'd say it was me getting the Foreign Affairs Department temporarily; I had to prove myself.
JB: So was Foreign Affairs new ground for you? What are your impressions of diplomacy in NS so far? Any tips you've picked up?
C: Well, to be honest it's rather interesting. A little boring in my opinion, but interesting nonetheless.
JB: Boring and interesting? The paradoxical nature of diplomacy! What advice would you give someone who is coming into the diplomatic field?
C: Well, try and get to know people in the region you end up going to, if you are acting as an ambassador. Also, try and stay on top of things that occur in regions, even if you aren't deployed to that region, or have embassies with them. Try and be on the IRC as often as you can. Finally, tell your superior if you are going away for a few days, because this way they can find someone to take your position (especially if your regional dispatch is almost due) while you are away.
JB: Where do you see yourself in a year’s time?
C: I'm not really sure. More than likely I'll still be in Wintreath and I'll more than likely be the Jarl of Foreign Affairs still, unless I take over a new position.
JB: If you were to move into a second region, where would it be? As someone who has only worked in a user-created region, do the bright lights of the game-created regions hold any attraction to you?
C: Not really. Although if I were to be in a second region it would be the GRA or RIA as they both seem rather nice.
JB: What area of the game would you most like to expand into that you are not currently involved with?
C: Heh, there's a lot. I definitely have room for improvement everywhere. However I would like to expand more into the cultural side of things, and possibly even expand into World Assembly stuff as well.
JB: What advice would you give to newcomers?
C: Find a region that you enjoy being in and get to know people, then find an area you love or enjoy being in, such as Military Gameplay or World Assembly stuff, and work with it. Also if you aren't sure about something, ask.
JB: Thankyou so much for taking part in this interview and being the first in our Rising Stars series!
C: Alright, thanks for the interview, this is a rather large honor in and of itself, as I never expected to be interviewed!
Do you think you have spotted a rising star? Please send your tips and predictions via telegram to Joe Bobs.
[big][big]The Class of 2002 #1: Infinite Loop[/big][/big]
FEATURE | JOE BOBS
The Class of 2002. Those rare few who have survived from the game's creation, or thereabouts, to the present day. Almost twelve years of gameplay, longer than High School, a university degree, or most marriages! These players have carved the culture of NationStates and established many techniques, institutions and tropes that are part of our day to day NS lives in 2014. This series will provide a brief profile of these players and ask for their views on the game.
Infinite Loop is synonymous with The East Pacific and the namesake and architect of Loopism, TEP's own brand of Francoism. Loop arrived in NationStates during the Fark migration of 2002. He is one of the originators of invader-defender gameplay and also one of the initiators of the anti-Nazi movement. He created the first TEP forum and is the region's longest serving Delegate (and was almost made Founder of the region in June 2003).
JB: Who was your biggest influence in the early days?
IL: Well the other Farkers, we were a tight knit group of up to 80 and just the chemistry we had worked well off each other.
JB: Anyone you'd like to name for the record?
IL: Haha, no. Sufficed to say about half are still out there.
JB: What changes to the game do you believe have had the most impact?
IL: Invasion, when we created it the game was tame and nothing happened, invasion was the game's equivalent of the wheel.
JB: I'd have to agree. Recalling that the moderators considered invading equal to griefing in the early days, did you ever think it would become a cornerstone of gameplay? And what do you think to the emergence of imperialism on NationStates?
IL: Yeah, the fact that so many things came about because of invasion, like founders and moderators. It is inevitable, the whole imperialism thing, it lends itself to the mechanics of the game.
JB: What has been the most unexpected event you have witnessed?
IL: Catching Gres using his uber multi-account to attack all those regions when he attacked the EP was the original, but seeing Hell come about from a Nazi Founded region where they fled when the Farkers took Germany, to a semi-socialist region who drove most of the Nazis away.
JB: You were one of the first anti-Nazi raiders in the game. This month saw a large invasion of Nazi Europe. Did you ever think this particular struggle would be continuing almost 12 years later?
IL: Not me, we. The Farkers didn't care for them, still don't, and as long as there are people they will exist, they come from the deep xenophobic part of the reptilian brain. I do stand by the comment that though it is just Israel v Palestine, the Nazis did create hell, therefore they have a right to be there. It is a user created region, not a system seized region.
JB: What has given you the most satisfaction?
IL: The EP,I was technically gone from the game since 2010 after my laptop was stolen and I only had periodic access to the game and the forum, but it survived and prospered. And seeing Farkers still out there working of course.
JB: I think it's fair to say you were very missed in The East Pacific during your absence. There are of course challenges with getting back into the game after a lengthy absence. Do you ever think of throwing in the towel?
IL: Not really. I said long ago that I intended to, if possible, be the last nation to blink out of existence. I appreciate being missed, heck finding out that 5/25 was a holiday about me made me feel good!
JB: What was your biggest disappointment?
IL: Long ago there was an "Election" for a new game mod, they had the election like three times, and I won them all but my association with the Farkers caused me to be passed over. Even with all the good I've done in the game, that one period of 4 to 5 months kept me from being able to really give back and serve the greater good of the game.
JB: Is Modship on the agenda now?
IL: If chosen I would love to serve the game, it is the best way to give back to that which has given me so much fun.
JB: What is your opinion on the current state of affairs? How does it compare?
IL: It's about the same as it ever was, there is an old quote about kids being disrespectful heathens and society being sick and dying and it was said by Plato or somebody ages ago, but it still applies today because things are more the same than they are different.
JB: What advice would you give to others who want to last as long?
IL: Find something you like to do and stick with it, the game is just a validation tool of an offsite forum; sometimes you need to find your offsite forum to be happy and keep it fresh.
JB: An interesting view on the game! The balance between in-game and regional forum is different for different people. It sounds like you're very much in the regional forum camp, is that fair to say?
IL: An NS society grows on its offsite forum, where you make the rules you abide by. The game forums are best for international meetings and seeking advice and assistance.
JB: Who do you believe has made the biggest contribution to NationStates?
IL: Me of course! Honestly I don't think one person has been the biggest influence and I'm not going to do the old 'oh Max because he created the game' thing, NS is the work of thousands of people from all walks of life, to try to single out just one person as best would be foolish. Everyone who logs in every day deserves a pat on the back for this virtual world we have cobbled together from a little marketing ploy meant to sell a few books and keep folks attention for a week or two.
JB: I agree, NationStates is a game of communities for sure. One final question. The East Pacific has seen the rise of the doctrine of Loopism. What do you think of what some may call 'cults of personality' that have arisen around prominent figures such as yourself and Franco's Spain?
IL: Personality cults are not always a bad thing, when you get down to it even religion is a personality cult. People like to have something to follow or provide a theme, and as long as that theme is good then there is benefit to what grows out of it. If you look at it objectively even Franco's Spain had a good side-effect, look how many communities came into being from his brief time in the game. And had I not been in The East Pacific then the modern Rejected Realms may not exist, because Gres got banned trying to overthrow me and Kandarin was able to come to power and lay the groundwork for the Rejected Realms.
JB: Thank you so much for your time Loop, and thank you for being the first to be featured in this series. It's been very interesting and I hope you've enjoyed it too.
Join us in the next edition to hear from another of the Class of 2002.
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What unfortunate timing, I have to say.
Regardless of what has happened, Chanku is still one of the first people I think of when I think of Wintrean natives. He's held a variety of positions and gotten his feet wet in many areas, and I think with time, growth and further experience he will go on to do great things. I still very much think he's a rising star, even if he could not continue to be our Jarl of Foreign Affairs now. And sometimes setbacks aren't so bad...Steve Jobs said getting fired from Apple was the best thing to happen to him. :P
And yes! It would be lovely getting TRR Times! I kinda thought that was something only reserved for GCRs :P
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I'll check with Uni, but I can't see it being a problem. I can post it here for you.
You might have to upgrade TRR back to an embassy though, posting all those long pieces in one thread might get messy. Up to you!
And yeah, we've all had our setbacks over the years, no one would learn if they didn't make mistakes!
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Or if there weren't any issues, perhaps it would be a good opportunity to start a new area for both foreign and domestic newspapers. The issue we have had up to now is that we have no papers in the region that are active or would generate enough activity to start a dedicated area, but The Rejected Times is probably the most active publication in the game right now.
Between that, The Wuufu Warble, and perhaps the Wintreath Guardian, it might draw a good bit of activity...if that would be acceptable, of course. :P
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I can't imagine that would be a problem, most of the GCRs have a similar set up. :)
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Wonderful! That's the way it'll be then. :D
Just let me know if Unibot has objections or anything.
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This week, Joe Bobs speaks with UDL's Applebania and The Rejected Realms's Crazy Girl.
[big][big]Rising Stars: Applebania[/big][/big]
FEATURE | JOE BOBS
The second in a series of interviews with the future leaders of NationStates.
In the first issue of Rising Stars, we spoke to Chanku of Wintreath. Unfortunately, the next day, Chanku was removed as Jarl of Foreign Affairs due to low activity. We are hoping this is not the beginning of a 'curse of the Rising Stars'! And we wish the best of luck to Chanku in his future endeavors. We have all had a setback or two in our time!
In this issue, we are talking to Applebania. You may know him from Wintreath, Osiris, Europeia, Liberal Haven, United Provinces of Hyrule, Asgard or the GRA. Or more likely, you may know him as the darling of the Gameplay forum, where respected players have taken a shine to this energetic, smart and enthusiastic new player. His attempt to launch the region of The Burning Sea as the 'don't take yourself so seriously' region was met with praise from many. He also wrote the recent Liberate Liberal Haven proposal. We sat down and asked him what it takes to get so far so fast, and how to make it as a newcomer these days.
JB: Who would you describe as your mentor?
A: Haven't really thought of this one before. I'm going to go for an unorthodox choice here, saying that the regulars at #udl have really helped me out in terms of learning how to defend. Yes, I did just name an entire IRC channel as my mentor. Deal with it.
JB: Interesting answer! Any names in particular you'd like to give a shout out to?
A: Ravania, the current chief of the band, was the main guy who really showed me the ropes.
JB: What has been your biggest challenge so far?
A: Trying to get a region off the ground: It's harder than it looks! You have to do an insane amount of administrative work, and combine that with the fact that I'm awful at recruiting has led to the Burning Sea failing to get off the ground.
JB: What has been the biggest learning curve for you in NationStates?
A: Again, probably the sharpest difficulty curve is getting a region off the ground.
JB: I'd agree, region building is the toughest challenge in NS. Are you interested in getting involved in regional governments elsewhere? If so, what aspects of government interest you most (e.g. foreign affairs, internal affairs, the WA, etc)?
A: Probably foreign affairs: While I tried to get The Burning Sea off the ground, I really enjoyed writing foreign updates, and despite my lack of social skills (:p), I can be at least somewhat diplomatic (:p again)
JB: Where do you see yourself in a year's time?
A: To be quite frank, I'm not entirely sure. I'll probably still be a defender, though still being with the UDL I'm not sure about. I'll probably have joined even more regions (Thinking of putting puppets in Spiritus and TEP at the moment) and maybe might have actually gotten one off the ground! Also, if Delegate-Elect has been implemented by then, I'll probably be using that to great extent in order to end raids before they even begin, mainly by frantically trying to contact anyone who would even vaguely be willing to help out.
JB: Do you think joining lots of regions is key to developing as a player in NS, rather than devotion to a single region?
A: I personally believe so. By confining yourself to one region, you miss out on quite a bit. For example, if one confined themselves to a military-only region, such as The Black Riders, they would be missing out on regional politics quite a bit.
JB: What area of the game would you most like to expand into that you are not currently involved with?
A: Roleplaying. I often roleplay on other sites, however I haven't actually gone and joined any of the big roleplay regions here, or posted much in II or at all in P2TM, so, yeah, doing that at some point.
JB: What advice would you give to newcomers?
A: Dive in. Do everything, speak to everyone, whether it be arguing in General or preventing a raider from pillaging a region. There's a lot more to NS than it seems, so just go, and do what you want to do!
Do you think you have spotted a rising star? Please send your tips and predictions via telegram to Joe Bobs.
[big][big]The Class of 2002: Crazy Girl[/big][/big]
FEATURE | JOE BOBS
In the first of this series, Infinite Loop told us about the early days of invading, his years in the wilderness, and that he has not yet ruled out a Modship. In this issue, we speak to one of the pioneers of the Defender cause, and someone who has already attained the coveted title of 'Mod': Crazy Girl.
Crazy Girl is a game moderator and recipient of SC49 'Commend Crazy Girl'. She has been involved in one capacity or another in The Rejected Realms and the RRA for over a decade, and was one of the early political leaders in The Pacific, where she was one of the most vocal opponents of Francos Spain in the fledgling New Pacific Order. She was Secretary of Defence of the ADN and led the liberation of The North Pacific in 2004. She has been a long-term admin of The Rejected Realms forums and was Delegate of The Moon. We sat down for, oh, about a hundred cups of coffee and explored the mind and memories of Crazy Girl.
JB: Who was your biggest influence in the early days?
CG: A rag tag group of defenders I stalked. Later on it was Greymarshes and Siggi. (Respectively Commander and High Commander of the RRA.)
JB: In the last issue, I spoke with Loop, who of course as a Farker was one of the earliest invaders. You have been a long time Defender, what is your opinion on the current state of the invader-defender conflict, and what do you think about the rise of Imperialism?
CG: Invaders pretending to be "the good guys" annoys me. Dare to be the bad guys. I knew plenty of invaders back in the days who prided themselves to be the bad guys and defenders having fun being the "good guys". Not for moralistic reasons, but because it was fun. Leave the "natives" (loaded word, I know) alone, and focus on the fun battle together. Imperialism is utter nonsense and is one of the reasons why people are often annoyed with R/D. Grab a region, hold it possibly for one or two updates, kick some defenders, or get kicked, and leave. I think by searching for conflict with other groups, as amusing as it might seem, gameplayers might be cutting into their own fingers a little. The old invasion rules were far, far from perfect... but they kept other groups relatively safe while we had our fun little battles. The problem was that it was often very difficult to tell who was who and if rules were actually broken. It was not entirely enforceable.
JB: What changes to the game do you believe have had the most impact?
CG: Founders/passwords/eject&ban and of course, after that, influence.
JB: Can you give us any hints about what future changes we can expect?
CG: Well, there are the changes posted in the Summit forum: http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=258968 (http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=258968) Other than that, who knows what our lovely admins will come up with to make the servers explode?
JB: What has been the most unexpected event you have witnessed?
CG: A load of delegates (including my arch enemy at the time Francos Spain) being removed from their delegacy. Turned out later an admin I will not mention made a little typo.
JB: You were an opponent of Francos Spain, what do you think of the continued existence of Francoism and the NPO today?
CG: I wasn't aware anything was still alive in the Pacific? I'll also have to add that I probably wouldn't still be in NS hadn't that whole conflict come up and shot me pretty much into infamy.
JB: What has given you the most satisfaction?
CG: I'd like to say retaking The North Pacific, but I think that is more of an accomplishment... it was actually the comradery in the RRA in its old glory days. We had a great group of people there.
JB: What was your biggest disappointment?
CG: Gamewise I'd say I was quite disappointed when I found out the Commander of the Pacific Army turned traitor and was spying on us, or the time where Neut (a former mod) ordered us out of the Pacific when Francos Spain accidently got deleted and we tried to grab the delegacy. The biggest personal disappointment however was that some people on both sides went too far on occasion, as in gloating when someone died or something bad happened to them in real life. In the end, the other player is a person sitting behind a keyboard as well, playing the same game. Keep that in mind when typing your posts and comments.
JB: Very true, and sadly something many often forget. What have been some of the best debates or threads you have seen in the main forum?
CG: Ah, there have been many over the years, the thread where we asked for a Gameplay forum, the number of threads on the Pacific drama, the Bastard Mods threads of which I always was a big fan. And one that always makes me laugh is a thread actually hidden away in the NationStates forum with irc quotes from the official mod channel, a little glimpse into insanity: http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?p=7117363#p7117363 (http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?p=7117363#p7117363)
JB: What is your opinion on the current state of affairs? How does it compare?
CG: As an old fart, I'll give my obligatory "Back in the days it was all a lot better!", which is not entirely true. Some things were better, it was easier to defend more regions, easier to kick invaders out... but you also had to walk on eggshells a bit, because banning the wrong person could mean losing your nation. And of course it meant a lot of difficult decisions for moderators to make.
Secondly I think the Security Council has managed to add an interesting layer to Gameplay and it involves a little more politics which is a nice touch.
JB: Some have commented that it is much harder to get proposals passed these days, and commends and condemns seem to be particularly tricky. Do you think the World Assembly is still as accessible as it once was?
CG: After the obvious ones, it's time to commend/condemn the less obvious ones, I guess. Which might be trickier, but if you know how to make a proper proposal, a proper case for it and you campaign for it, it really should not be all that difficult.
JB: What advice would you give to others who want to last as long?
CG: Have fun. It seems so simple, but that really is the keyword. Fun. If it stops being fun, take a step back.
JB: Excellent advice! Who do you believe has made the biggest contribution to NationStates?
CG: Max Barry. (Never hurts to do a little sucking up to the big boss.)
JB: Haha, well it is true in many ways. But OK, who has made the second biggest contribution?
CG: Overall, relevant for everyone... I'd say Salusa. It may not always be apparent, but he has done a lot for the game, both behind the scenes and the more visible stuff. And I think he is a little underrated there. So I'd like to give some well-deserved recognition to him.
Join us in the next issue to hear from another of the Class of 2002.
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Again, I feel bad about the poor timing with Chanku...it was just standard procedure, and he was warned multiple times throughout the month that he would need to be more active...I didn't really have any choice. But I'm sure he'll bounce back if that's where he wants to put his efforts. :)
Also, go Applebania! Sadly he hasn't been horribly involved in the region, but from what I know of him he seems to be a go-getter kinda sort. I think we'll be hearing more of him. :)
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Finally got the news area done! As we talked about before, I split this into the news area, and you can feel free to post any new editions as new topics here. :)
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Hey Moot, where do you want me posting the new bumper issue of TRT? Which forum?
Also, the coding is geared towards ZB/IF2. This issue is very, very long and going through tidying the code for Simple Machines would take a long time. Do you mind if I just post it as is?
There are no alignment tags, do you use 'big' or 'size=14' here? It's coded for 'big'.
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Heyo! We have a dedicated news forum now, located here (http://wintreath.com/forums/index.php?board=79.0)!
You can post it as is, and we use the size tag. We're just difficult like that. :P
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Issue XXV. July 25, 2014.
Editor-in-Chief: Unibot | Copy Editor: Gruenberg
Table of Contents
Part I
Not In My Wildest Dreams (Kogvuron)
Bearly Started: A Special Interview with Bears Armed
The Legitimate Point of View? (Glen-Rhodes)
Migration in The Rejected Realms (Starrie)
The Decline of Defending (Cormac Somerset)
Part II
It’s the End of the World! (Afforess)
The Myth of the Gameplay-Role Play Divide (Joe Bobs)
A Critique of the Wolfist Manifesto (Kogvuron)
We'll see your World Cup and Raise You! (Apox)
The Battlefield Effect (Unibot)
Part III
Foreign Relations Main Talking Point In The South Pacific Elections (Gruenberg)
Lazarus "Wins" The World Cup (Kogvuron)
World Assembly Legislative League Treaty Ratified By TNP (Gruenberg)
NSG Reacts to MH17 With Shock And Anger, Mostly Anger (Thafoo)
Is TNP's community "cracking at the seams"? (Church of Satan)
World Assembly's 300th Resolution Breaks Record (Gruenberg)
TRR Chooses a New Flag! (Church of Satan)
In Brief - News Round-Up (Gruenberg)
Not In My Wildest Dreams
FEATURE | KOGVURON
The founder of The Rejected Times reflects on its legacy and impact...
A year and a half ago, I started the TRR Media Organization on a whim. I saw an opening, an opportunity, and I took it. At the time, there were no real established media organizations, save for the PNN which was always more into satire than reporting. I wanted to help create something special, something unique, and something that we as a region could be proud.
We started out with humble beginnings. Issue 1 (http://s8.zetaboards.com/The_RR_and_RRA/topic/8399021/1/#new) was only 5 short articles and an interview, and was basically put together by three people. However, as time went on, the Organization grew and changed and adapted in order to fit the current times. Today, the Rejected Times as the Media Organization is now known, regularly pumps out issues with the most insightful editorials, the most informative commentaries, and the funnies cartoons available in NationStates gameplay.
I could talk about the Times for pages, but instead I’m going to talk about a couple of other things. First, I wanted to acknowledge the change that the Times has made in gameplay as a whole. As I said earlier, back when I founded the Times, there were basically no serious media organizations. Today, there are many. Most excitingly, many of our fellow GCRs have formed their own media organizations as well. From The Northern Lights to the Independent Herald Tribune, the Rejected Times has helped to inspire a new generation of GCR media organizations. And this is something that we can all be excited in.
Second, I wanted to talk highlight the work put in by the staff of the Rejected Times. Our paper truly has the greatest staff of journalists in NationStates. From the all-star writers whose eye-opening op-eds headline pieces, to less-recognized reporters who help keep people informed about what is going on, everyone works extremely hard to meet deadlines, and to keep improving. Today, TRT is so far removed from my original image of what the media organization would be like, and that is great, because the input of so many people has made it far better than what I alone imagined.
Third, I wanted to thank everyone who has ever been involved in a publication of the Times. You have transformed a small idea into huge publication, one that will surely last long past most of us here in this game. You helped to build one of the greatest newspapers that this game has ever seen. And you have made me proud to call myself a contributor to the Rejected Times.
Thank you, and here is to 25 more stellar issues!
Bearly Started: A Special Interview with Bears Armed
INTERVIEW | UNIBOT
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Bears Armed sails to victory with "Legal Competence". 7,135 votes to 2,282.
Congratulations on your victory with "Legal Competence". For our readers, could you give a brief overview of the resolution?
Certainly. It requires that every member nation have and use a fair system of some kind for determining which people there are or aren’t fit to make important decisions for themselves, without needing a parent or guardian’s approval for their actions, whilst leaving the actual details of those systems for the nations (in their variety) to determine locally.
If I understand it correctly, this stands as a major success for you in a career-long crusade to push for sapient rights? How did that mission begin and what have been some of your successes and losses along the way?
It began quite shortly after I got involved in NS. I started looking at the ‘United Nations’ (the international organisation that we had in those pre-‘WA’ days) a few months after creating my first nation, Godwinnia, and by that stage I’d already decided that the nation had some Fantasy elements in its nature including the presence of groups from a few non-human peoples in its population. This meant that when I started looking for proposal ideas and noticed that there was nothing guaranteeing sapient non-humans the same rights that humans enjoyed, it seemed an obvious possibility to try. However my own first attempt at drafting a proposal on the subject inspired somebody else to create one as well, they submitted theirs before mine was ready, and when theirs was voted-down I turned to other projects instead for a while.
Are things complete for the Sapient Rights movement? Or is there more work to be done?
There’s definitely more work that could be done, although in some cases that might interfere more extensively with national sovereignty than I or the Bears would really like: We accept the need for international legislation in the case of the most ‘fundamental’ rights, but have a rather narrower view than some nations do about what rights should actually counts as 'fundamental' in that context.
For one thing, I’d still like to see an “Equal rights for non-human sapients” resolution passed, although bearing in mind that at least three other proposals on the subject (including one by me) have already been voted down since the earliest one that I already mentioned here I’m not very optimistic about the chance of that ever happening.
An idea that does seem quite obvious and potentially viable would be a resolution about the rights & duties of the guardians who are assigned to look after the interests of those individuals who don’t qualify to manage their own affairs under the Legal Competence rules. I was going to start work on one myself, as a follow-up to ‘Legal Competence’, but another nation has already started a draft and for now I’ve settled for commenting on that instead.
I heard you faced a moderation challenge with "Legal Competence" before it passed. Obviously the proposal survived, so what was the challenge? How was it resolved?
All that I know about it is what was posted in the discussion thread: Somebody, their identity not publicly revealed, questioned whether some detail in the text would count as either contradicting or amending an existing resolution — despite my inclusion of a line specifically recognising that earlier resolutions (if still in effect) took precedence over this proposal in any cases where they overlapped — and the Mods decided that it didn’t do so.
Although I've known you for a long time, I'm not sure I'm well informed about Bears Armed, the player. How did you find NationStates? How did you get settled down into the World Assembly and the NS Sports community? And how did your bears theme develop?
I originally learned about NS, back in 2005, from an online friend-of-a-friend who mentioned that she’d just revived her own nation and posted a link to that page. The basic idea looked interesting, and I had some spare time available, so I created ‘Godwinnia’ that same day and never looked back. I lurked in the forums for a couple of months before starting to post there, learning what was what, and the NS-UN was simply the side of things that attracted me most: I introduced myself there by commenting a bit on some drafts by other people and then went on to start the ‘Sapient Rights’ proposal that I’ve already mentioned, and apparently did so sensibly enough that the existing regulars accepted me quite quickly. The ‘NS Sports’ side of things, which in those days was included in the ‘NS’ sub-forum rather than given a separate section of its own, was a later addition to my interests: Shortly after creating the Bears I was looking for ways in which to introduce them to the outside world, sign-ups for the [first] Summer Olympics happened to be open, and my involvement just grew from there.
And why the Bears, you ask? Well, after running various human or mostly-human nations for about a year I decided that I’d like to try the challenge of running an actual non-human nation successfully, I didn’t want to simply resort to using one or another of the well-known concepts from SF&F, a Modly comment in the forum about the illegality of submitting joke proposals on ideas such as that old favourite the “Right to Keep and Arm Bears” put this idea into my head, bears did look rather easier to handle than some of the other possibilities… and I’d always had both a sweet tooth and urges to hibernate when winter came along. ^_^
As you may know, The Rejected Times often publishes articles that provide a critical light on issues in the World Assembly, especially in regards to the Secretariat. What issues do you think are most prominent in the World Assembly (if any) and how do you see these issues being resolved?
Well, let’s see...
a/ Starting with one of the biggest shouting points of recent months, there’s the question of whether Mall made a misjudgement in proposing ‘Liberate Haven’, because a lot of people think he should have realised that doing so would stir up such a major storm and that this might impact on quite a few other players’ feelings about the Secretariat as a whole. My response to this would be: Yes, in my opinion he made a serious mistake. No, though, it obviously wasn’t an abuse of power. No, he shouldn’t “have to” resign, but he should learn from this and be more careful in future… and if he doesn’t learn from this situation, and does something else along those lines that causes such a major kerfuffle again, then maybeso then the Secretariat as a whole would be well-advised to reconsider whether having him in their ranks is overall an asset or a hindrance to their work.
b/ Some of the GA regulars have expressed unhappiness about various recent rulings on proposals’ legality, but although I might have preferred more clarity about the reasoning involved in a few cases I don’t actually have any major objections to raise there. I understand and have no problem with the Secretariat’s current policy of using all of the GA-experienced Mods available to try and get their rulings as correct as possible on the first paw, instead of deliberately holding some back for potential use as a ‘court of appeal’, especially bearing in mind the limited number of judges that they have available: In my personal experience they’ve always been willing to listen to reasoned arguments about the actual facts involved, and past precedents, if the players raising questions actually take that approach instead of trying to insist on changes to the existing rules or just shouting for a second opinion.
c/ And talking about players wanting the rules changed, there’s also the recurring drive by some GA semi-regulars to have the ‘mandatory compliance’ rule abolished… That’s a potential change that I definitely think would be another mistake, because even leaving aside the matter of passed resolutions causing stat changes — which might not always make perfect sense under current circumstances, but would become downright nonsensical if member nations were actually free to ignore any & all GA laws to which their governments objected — if all resolutions became totally optional then where would be the point in trying to hard to craft ‘good’ proposals and get those passed? How much sense would still bothering with that if it would have no more effect than simply tossing ideas out bloggishly on a “take it or leave it” basis? What, in fact, would continue to distinguish the GA from NSG?
You've been a modestly vocal anti-invasion advocate for a long time - and in a way, you're both a roleplayer and a gameplayer. So, may I ask: do you see solutions on the horizon for settling the divide between Gameplay and Roleplay? Especially in regards to the "Liberate Haven" debacle?
Sadly, no, I don’t. Some raiders might become more “reasonable” about their choices of targets, but I suspect that there will always be others who either attack everywhere that they can or deliberately choose the targets that they know there will be the most fuss about so that — in some peoples’ eyes — they will look more important. As long as the administration continues to regard R/D as a valuable aspect of NS, and declines to introduce any measures that would drastically limit it, we’re probably stuck with more-or-less the current situation.
Have you ever considered becoming a defender? Why or why not? *hands Bears Armed a business card tactfully*
I’ve considered that, yes, but there are several reasons why I’m unlikely to make defending a major part of my NS activity: RL generally limits my ability to be around at updates, I’m averse to being a cog in a larger organisation (I already get more than enough of that for my liking in RL, and one reason why I enjoy NS so much is being in charge of something — even though that’s only a fictional nation — myself instead…), I think that Bears Armed Mission’s continued GA activity might actually contribute more to both its home region and the game as a whole than just adding one more soldier to the ranks would do, and it really wouldn’t makes sense from an IC viewpoint for Bears Armed Mission to keep moving between regions.
However there have been a few occasions, during periods while B.A.M. wasn’t regional delegate, when I’ve shifted WA membership temporarily to other puppets that were already in various other regions so that those could support native delegates against outside threats… and I do have puppets, acknowledged or secret, in quite a few regions…
The NS World Cup is coming up soon - what are Bears Armed's chances? And how do you plan to roleplay this World Cup?
I’d like to say “an easy win”, but to be honest — considering their recent form, and consequent rating — I’d be overjoyed just to get them through the qualifiers successfully and into the World Cup proper again for the first time in a while. I think that that might be possible this time around, looking at how free I will be to spend time on my RPs. And the main theme for this RP? I’m going to continue with a storyline that I actually began several Cups ago, but that was intended from the start to be spread across the years: It’s basically inspired by DC Comics’ classic ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crisis_on_Infinite_Earths) storyline from 1985, although with more of an Ursine aspect…
“Look, up in the sky!
Is it a bird?
Is it a plane?
No, it’s SuperBear!”
I know you’re a big fan of NationStates Issues and you’ve done a lot of research on how they affect nations and how population rises. What’s your favourite NationStates Issue and why?
Careful there, Uni, you almost look as though you’re implying that some issue decisions might actually affect population levels… which we know, despite the fact that some answers look as though they should have effects, isn’t the case.
My “favourite issue, and why?” Ouch, that’s a difficult question: So many possible choices… I think that I’ll have to go with #201 ‘Jolly Roger Sighted Off The Port Bow!’, for its novelty value.
Thank you so much for joining us for this very special issue, Bears Armed. Good luck in the future, mate. I couldn’t think of a genuinely nicer, more treasured player who we could have shared with the world for this interview. If you’ve got any final words for our readers, you have the floor.
Thank you for the compliments, and thank you for giving me this opportunity to express my opinions.
“Remember, dear readers, it isn’t absurd:
A person’s a person, no matter how furred.”
And remember, too, that only you can prevent wildfires! ^_^
The Legitimate Point of View?
Independentism's influence over The South Pacific wanes
OPINION | GLEN-RHODES
Disclaimer: The following views are that of the author solely in a private capacity.
In early June 2104, the Assembly of The South Pacific found itself yet again debating the region’s stance on military gameplay – whether we are Independent, and what being Independent truly means. This discussion had last been held in late November 2013, when Hileville posed the question if TSP was actually Independent, given the raider and imperialist slant of its foreign affairs. That discussion did not lead anywhere, except to show that Independence in TSP was not monolithic – it has its supporters and detractors, and not everybody agreed on what it meant in the first place.
Belschaft, the region’s loudest and most prolific advocate of Independence, proposed a Charter amendment in June 2014 that would have officially re-declared Independence to be one of the “fundamental ideals and principles” of The South Pacific. The language read:
"6. Independence; that ours is an independent region, devoid of any prescribed military ideology or alignment, and that our officials shall act on such basis."
A year prior, this amendment would likely have sailed through the Assembly. But something unexpected happened. The fault lines that were first exposed in November 2013 were fully opened by Belschaft’s proposed amendment. Opponents to Independence, this author included, vilified the amendment as an attempt to push out non-Independents from the region. Proponents of the amendment denied that, and argued that it’s really defenders (particularly Unibot and myself) who were harming the region by advocating for something other than Independence.
However, among those who called themselves Independents, or eschewed any label, there was a clear disjointing when it came to what these people really wanted. Many simply did not care about military gameplay, and assumed Independence was merely another term for not getting involved. Others thought of Independence more in terms of regionalism.
The original language of Belschaft’s amendment was changed midway through the debate, abandoning the language of Independence, and adopting something some have started referring to as TSP First:
"6. Openness; this region seeks to remain open in matters of military and political alignment, welcoming all citizens and officials with loyalty to the region."
While this language is different from that which ultimately made it to the voting floor (although failed to get the requisite 75% required to pass, with the region split 10-7 in supporting it), I believe this marks an evolution in the debate over Independence. Throughout the debate, it seemed that people began to see Independence as a distinct ideological position, with a set of connotations that went beyond merely “acting according to the interests of TSP.”
In other words, I posit that TSP now sees Independence for what many have argued it has been all along: an ideology that consistently favors raiding and imperialism, and disapproves of defenders. TSP First arose from that debate as a completely separate ideal, one in which raiders, imperialists, defenders, and neutrals are all capable of having TSP’s best interests in mind, even if they advocate for the adoption if a particular ideology.
It’s under this ideal that I made the conscious choice to highlight my disagreements with Independence in my own campaign platform. A year or two ago, this would have been predictable political suicide. In my past two campaigns for Minister of Foreign Affairs, I avoided discussing the topic altogether, instead focusing on internal ministry reforms. However, I always thought that it was a shame TSP could not see people run on their beliefs, because being anything other than Independent was too controversial.
The debate over Belschaft’s amendment, and the subsequent failure of even a watered down version, signaled to me that the iron-fisted vision of Independence as the exclusively acceptable ideology of TSP no longer existed. I also saw a dramatic shift in other GCRs. Osiris went raider. Lazarus went defender. The Rejected Realms officially adopted the “defender” label in January 2014, although it had long been a member of the Founderless Regions Alliance.
I have no illusions that TSP will adopt a specific military stance anytime soon. There are still people in the region who believe that non-Independents threaten TSP society. There are even more who don’t really care about military gameplay, at least not enough to go all in on any particular stance. But I think TSP will enter into a new era where Independence is not the only legitimate point of view, and where Cabinet members can run on their sincerely held positions. And that is ultimately far better for the region than the alternative.
Migration in The Rejected Realms
An Empirical Investigation
FEATURE | STARRIE
This article profiles four groups of nations -- those immigrating to The Rejected Realms, those emigrating, migrating nations in general, and all nations in total. These are named trr-i, trr-e, wld-m, and wld-s respectively in the graphs. I've collected a sample size of almost 20,000 from each group, found on nsarchive.net. Error bars at 1-std.
(https://i.imgur.com/XvHbxj9s.png) (https://i.imgur.com/XvHbxj9.png)
This shows the average civil rights, economy, and political freedom of each group of nation. With the exception of economy, nations immigrating to TRR seem to align with the average world nation while nations emigrating from TRR seem to align with migrating nations in general.
(https://i.imgur.com/xNlOB1qs.png) (https://i.imgur.com/xNlOB1q.png)
These histograms show the three statistics, with score on the x-axis and frequency of the y-axis. Red, blue, and green show economy, civil rights, and political freedoms in some order which i've forgotten. Curiously, the wld-m group seems to be the only one which has lost the spike right below 60. The wld-s group seems to have a large proportion of nearly maxed-out scores. Beyond that, there isn't a huge visible difference in the charts.
(https://i.imgur.com/uAZeezPs.png) (https://i.imgur.com/uAZeezP.png)
I stuck these two charts together for no particular reason. It seems that small nations do the majority of the moving in NS. It is notable that nations tend to leave TRR with a significantly larger population than when they joined. The effect is too large to dismiss as an artifact caused by the sampling window. Perhaps nations CTE less often in TRR.
The influence chart reveals no surprises. Nations taking a quick trip through TRR leave with slightly less influence, and static nations tend to have the most influence. Influence is scored on a scale from 1 to 21, with 1 being minnow and 21 being hermit.
(https://i.imgur.com/22JnQDEs.png) (https://i.imgur.com/22JnQDE.png)
These population histograms reveal more detail. Population is on the x-axis and frequency on the y. Note the natural log scale. Small nations make up a significant portion of nations, and the vast majority of nation migrations seems to be from the very youngest of nations, probably settling in a region. Surprisingly, the trr-e chart shows that few of the nations which joined TRR in their youth leave before around 100 million population. Possibly, young nations recruited to join one region rarely leave for another, at least for the first few weeks.
(https://i.imgur.com/8Is58F7s.png) (https://i.imgur.com/8Is58F7.png)
For each group, there are two influence histograms. The histogram on the right excludes minnow in order to clearly show the rest of the bars. The trr-i histogram sticks out -- even though many hermits move from region to region, few move to TRR. This hints that the majority of nations moving to TRR don't do so voluntarily.
(https://i.imgur.com/3Wr5mqhs.png) (https://i.imgur.com/3Wr5mqh.png)
Almost 35,000 nations pass through TRR in the last year. So where did they come from and where did they go? These pie-charts show the origin or destination of nations in all four groups. The top twenty regions are shown and the rest are just lumped together in Other. TRR recieves many nations from the sinkers, but barely any GCRs show up in TRR's emigration chart.
The bottom two charts hint that nation migrations are fairly spread out. Although the top twenty regions hold what seems to be a third of the nations in NS, the top twenty in migration handle less than a fourth of moving nations. TRR is a clear outlier.
(https://i.imgur.com/nd0dsv9s.png) (https://i.imgur.com/nd0dsv9.png)
One crude way to identify activity / enthusiasm is through flags, the rationale being that a collection of puppets is less likely to have custom flags than the average active region. Over a quarter of the nations entering TRR have the default flag, yet only a sixth leave TRR that way. But in general, we can still consider them slackers. Only 12% of all nations use the default flag, and among traveling nations, the figure is under 8%.
The Decline of Defending
A NationStates Great War on the Horizon?
OPINION | CORMAC SOMERSET
"Defending is dead." You may expect this statement to come from an imperialist or raider partisan, but it came instead from a high profile defender official in a Founderless Regions Alliance member region. Indeed, the decline in defending has been startling. In recent months, defenders have been largely absent at update, neither preventing most invasions nor even attempting to end most long-term occupations. Perhaps the starkest demonstration of the decline in defending was the Lone Wolves United occupation of American Continent, ended after two weeks only by the revival of the Founder, despite minimal support and a comedy of errors on the part of Lone Wolves United.
Rumors of the death of defending should, of course, not be exaggerated. Both the raider and defender sides of the military gameplay spectrum have seen declines in the past, with defenders experiencing another recent decline during the summer of 2012 and raiders seeing an early 2013 lull in activity. In both cases, activity resumed after a few months. Still, it must be noted that the decline of defending has lasted longer than usual and preceded the overall 'summer lull' of NationStates by several months.
If defending is truly dead, as at least one defender official believes, its passing from NationStates gameplay raises serious questions in regard to regional conflict. For as long as NationStates has existed there has been conflict between regions. Whether it's the overall invader-defender conflict or more specific examples such as the battle between the New Pacific Order and the Alliance Defense Network, there has always been conflict in NationStates and defenders have always been integral to that conflict. If defending is dead and buried, how will new forms of conflict take shape?
Some have recently theorized that raiders are trying to create new enemies to replace defenders, or perhaps to become a new generation of defenders. This theory is based on Mallorea and Riva's attempt to pass a liberation resolution against the historic roleplay region Haven, followed shortly thereafter by invasions of roleplay regions Ixnay and American Continent by, respectively, The Black Riders and Lone Wolves United. This theory suggests a coordinated goal to provoke roleplayers into defensive action. Whether there is any truth to this theory, no such goal appears to have been accomplished, as roleplayers have instead continued to insist they want to 'opt out' of gameplay and will not be forced to participate in it as defenders.
If defending remains dead, a far more likely scenario is escalation of already existing conflicts that lie just beneath the surface of a previously united sphere of independent, imperialist, and raider regions. Now able to sustain their own invasions and occupations without support from other regions, in recent months The Black Riders have taken a cavalier attitude toward independent and imperialist regions as well as other raider regions. This erosion of unity has already seen Ainur, currently a minor player in the imperialist sphere, seeking formation of an alliance with The Eternal Knights, the sworn enemies of The Black Riders. Other imperialist regions, such as imperialist Sinker region Osiris, have also begun distancing themselves from the Riders.
Independents and imperialists, meanwhile, remain natural allies as they share the same fundamental goal: pursuit of regional interests through military policy, rather than advancement of rigid ideologies or apolitical, arbitrary military action. In the absence of a defender threat to their own military operations, it is becoming increasingly difficult for independents and imperialists to politically justify supporting The Black Riders' injudicious and aimless destruction of random founderless regions. For imperialists, who also prioritize the projection of their regional power upon the world stage, the absence of a defender enemy has led to an increase in liberation efforts against fringe invaders such as Right Wing Uprising and The Doom Squad as a means to this end.
While these conflicts between independents and imperialists on the one hand and raiders on the other largely remain limited to harsh words, in a world in which words mean everything they could quickly lead to military action. One wrong move against the wrong region could find The Black Riders, the largest and most active raider force, as the new enemies of an extensive and tightly interconnected network of independent and imperialist alliances. If defending remains a ghost of its former glory, NationStates gameplayers should not be surprised to see regional conflict taking a new shape as a 'Great War' between political independent and imperialist regions versus apolitical purveyors of random destruction.
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It’s the End of the World! (As we know it)
FEATURE | AFFORESS
I’m leaving NationStates. By now, most readers should be well aware of the circumstances of my second deletion. I don’t think this deletion surprises too many people. Feared, respected, hated, or loved, I don’t think there is anyone left on NationStates that hasn’t formed an opinion on me or my actions as a player. I’ve never minded being a polarizing figure and I embrace controversy, but these two tendencies spell doom for interaction with the NationStates staff. Whether you think the moderators are ivory-tower tyrants or even-handed sheriffs guarding the wild west, there is no room left in NationStates for my cavalier brand of antics. I don’t conceal the fact that I think its better to ask for forgiveness than permission, or that if it can be done, it should be done. Right and wrong is a question for the historians, not the movers and shakers of tomorrow. This attitude of experimentation and disregard for tradition is incompatible with how the staff run NationStates.
My welcome has long since been worn out. I don’t normally mind the vitriol or hate spewed in my direction, anyone who changes anything is always an easy target. The internet can be a hateful place, but it is also the final frontier, where anything can still happen. But I think a tipping point has been reached where most players would rather see me go than see me stay. As a permanent resident of Capitalist Paradise, I’ve always embraced democratic rule. So it is hard for me to justify remaining when the majority would see me gone. I don’t want to stay against the wishes of the community. I’d rather leave, its not my place to dictate how the NationStates community should be run or what it should embrace. This isn’t an apology, I don’t think I’ve done anything wrong. I have a clean conscience. But it is the end of my time at NationStates, so it’s the end of the world.
What will become of my many projects? NSWiki, NSArchives, NationStates++? The NationStates administrator [violet] expressed interest in acquiring all of my projects. We agreed upon an arrangement and all domains, services, and sites will become official NationStates Ltd. assets. This means the NationStates++ extension, NSWiki, and NSArchives are all going “official”, and will continue to be supported into the future. The goal is to integrate the best of the sites & services into the game over time, while continuing to use the sites as a “testbed” for beta testers and non-standard, but much desired features (like puppet management). Users should not see any interruption in services, and their data will remain secure. I’ll be working with the staff to make sure the transfer goes smoothly and my code & projects are well documented.
To my friends, I am glad I had the opportunity to become friends with strangers over the internet, even thousands of miles apart. If you ever want to talk, don’t hesitate to email or find me somewhere to chat. To my users, I am glad I was able to improve your experience on NationStates, even if it was only a tiny bit. NationStates++ was a huge learning opportunity for me and I enjoyed every minute of helping you guys. To my detractors, I wish I could have known you better. In my experiences, most disagreements arise from miscommunications and unmet expectations, not a fundamental “unlikableness” in a person. I always wanted the best for NationStates, even if we didn’t agree on what best was.
The Myth of the Gameplay-Role Play Divide
OPINION | JOE BOBS
In this article, I want to cover the wide range of issues that have arisen in recent weeks on the pseudo-divide between role play and gameplay. In the last issue of The Rejected Times, Gruenberg's excellent article covered the array of technical options aimed at resolving the situation, so I will not go over that ground, though I urge everyone to read it to understand some solutions being discussed. Instead, I wish to focus on the current 'GP versus RP' zeitgeist, dispelling some myths, examining the evidence and looking at a non-technical solution I have proposed.
In the NS History thread, Space Dandy posed the question: have gameplay and roleplay always been so divided? Reploid Productions described the historical relationship as "identical" to today's, which was met with disagreement from others: Unibot cited Francos Spain's involvement in roleplay, while Blackbird recalled that the distinction is a more recent phenomenon, and that 'in character' or 'out of character' were more normal modes of thought in years gone by. My recollections are in agreement with this.
NationStates is a very different place now than it was originally. This is not the beginning of a nauseating voyage of nostalgia and glorification of the past; it is simply true that the game was different. I believe the internet was different. Remember a time before Facebook? When you maybe had a Hi5 or MySpace account, and there was certainly no Netflix or Amazon Prime Streaming, because your internet made a funny noise when it started up and you maybe even went through that horrific AOL screen? This is what I remember when I began playing NationStates (though admittedly, perhaps my technology was worse than most). This is almost impossible to prove, but I feel that internet communities tended to be more specialised then, owing to there being fewer internet users who logged on daily or for long periods of time. NS was no different to the rest of the internet: communities were specialised, often focusing on a political ideology, national identity, or cultural trend.
Let's examine the evidence. Two of the most powerful communities in 2005 were the Alliance of Capitalists, Conservatives and Economic Libertarians (ACCEL) and the NS Communist Party. The ADN and DEN fought their wars, but the vast majority of players were mostly concerned with forging alliances with other regions who came up when they searched 'liberal' or 'Europe', as these would probably be like-minded individuals. In this climate, gameplay and roleplay had no meaning: everyone was both a gameplayer and a roleplayer. One could make certain actions in character or out of character, but it was rare for someone to assert their identity as a gameplayer. or a roleplayer. This (http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=187609&hilit=roleplay+gameplay) recruitment telegram from the ADN from 2003 was written in what we would today call roleplay language.
So, if the divide is an illusion, what's the problem? Are roleplayers upset over nothing? Shouldn't they get equal treatment and be just as prone to invasion as any other founderless region? Mallorea and Riva clearly believes so, as he believes that releasing one's password makes one responsible for allowing invasion. But the logic here is distorted: if roleplayers want no part in gameplay, forcing them to maintain an Intelligence or Security Department to prevent invasion is forcing them into gameplay. He may be factually correct: there is nothing to distinguish a roleplay from a gameplay region in the eyes of an invader. Yet here is the misunderstanding: why ask the question as 'do roleplay regions take part in gameplay by default?' Why not ask: 'is there another way?'
This week the FRA have launched a new tool for roleplayers to use: the FRA Intelligence Support Agency (FRAISA), which will provide security to any roleplay region who requests it, in the form of advice, performing security checks of new nations and, of course, defending and liberating. My hope is that this will provide a temporary fix until a technical solution is found to prevent the raiding of those who do not wish to engage.
This brings me to another point. This debate is not gameplay versus roleplay: I may be accused of being a 'moral defender' for this, but this is invaders versus roleplay. Firstly, the invader philosophy of destruction as a form of creation is a myth. It creates activity for the invaders only. If it does create activity in the natives, it is not the kind of activity they want. If it were, we would see a lot more natives of invaded regions joining invader militaries. Secondly, defenders (bar a few examples) are not solely interested in defending as an end unto itself: they are also interested in region building and the continued existence of communities. This is one of the cornerstones of the FRA.
Call me 'moral' as a dirty word if you will, but defending is in and of itself beneficial to NationStates in a way invading will never be, because NationStates is a text based game born from those years of slow internet, and so it is based on communication and interaction between communities. Defending preserves communities whilst invading does the opposite. I avoid using the term 'destroy' here only because of its connotations of forum destruction; perhaps a better wording would be that invaders silence communities, by silencing their identity through their WFE and flag and their interactions by closing embassies and erasing RMB messages. To those invaders who deny this, look at the outcry over The Black Riders' invasion of Farkistan, which has been called 'desecrating holy ground'.
By following Mallorea and Riva's Liberate Haven fiasco with the invasions of Ixnay and American Continents, the invader and imperial community has fired across the bow of roleplayers, but in doing so they have attempted to draw a division that does not exist between gameplay and roleplay. It is a fabrication of their propaganda. The reality is: it's invaders versus everyone else. Everyone on NationStates who values their community; everyone who enjoys the interactions they have experienced; and everyone who wants to see their creations flourish.
A Critique of the Wolfist Manifesto
FEATURE | KOGVURON
The Wolfist Manifesto (http://s4.zetaboards.com/UDL/topic/9711343/1/) is arguably one of the most important documents in the history of military gameplay. In it, Evil Wolf and Scardino laid out a set of principles that have guided raider organizations since 2007. At face value, the Wolfist Manifesto makes Wolfism seem to be a benevolent philosophy that aims to help nations all over NationStates by pillaging their regions and pushing them towards the "enlightened path." However, once one analyzes the document more closely, several interesting conflicts appear, which I will now expand upon.
Are Raiders The Backbone of NationStates?
In Section I of the Manifesto, Evil Wolf claims that "raiders are the backbone of NationStates." Wolf introduces this point by alluding to the Communist Manifesto, and then describing the conflict created by raiders as the most important conflict.
In doing so, Evil Wolf follows the theory of activity set out by The Mighty Pump and Todd McCloud in their pieces "Pump's Views on Activity in NationStates (http://s4.zetaboards.com/UDL/topic/9807402/7)" and "The Necessity of Chaos (http://s4.zetaboards.com/UDL/topic/9807313/1/)." Under this theory, raiders would spur activity by creating conflicts, thereby being the "activity creators" in NationStates, and forming its backbone. Wolf's complete ignoring of all non-gameplay factions aside, I challenge this idea by introducing the idea of a world without defenders, such as the one that Wolf proposes will eventually be the end result of Wolfism. Without defenders, raiding would exist. However, most raids would be either a) tag raids or b) one-sided raids. Tag raids generate a little activity for the raider organization, but this activity is mostly meaningless and has no real value. One-sided raids too generate activity for the raider organization, but the lack of hope for a liberation would cause hopelessness to set in among the native population, thereby suppressing activity among communities that were raided. From this, I conclude that raiders are not the backbone of NationStates, because without defenders, any activity generated by raiders would be inconsequential for all outside of an elite few raiders, and would even suppress activity in the rest of the gameplay world. Raiders and defenders together are the backbone of NationStates. This brings me to my second point.
How Does Wolfism Help Natives?
In Section II, Evil Wolf claims that raiding a region "propels [it] towards the enlightened path." This implies that raiding, and Wolfism, somehow helps natives, despite conspiring to deface and occupy their homelands. This is quite an interesting take on military gameplay to say the least.
The premise put forth in this section depends on whether a) raids spur meaningful activity in the target regions or b) the end result of Wolfism is somehow favorable to natives, favorable enough that it would negate any short-term losses. With most raids today being tag raids on regions that are already half-dead, it is safe to say that most raids do not spur meaningful activity for the affected natives. Even in regions targeted for long-term occupations, lasting activity is usually not a result. Out of 16 non-tag raids performed by TBR since 2012 that are not ongoing, 1 is active (Catholic), 3 are moderately active (South America, Ohio, Yorkshire), 8 are inactive (Deutschland, RORMS, Korel, Former United States, Ireland, Coffee House, Orion, Christmas, Western Assembly), and 4 are colonies (Islamic Republic of Iran, UNO, Planet X, The Silver Isles). Although this sample set is not statistically valid for all raiders because it focuses on just TBR, I think the point is clear. Raids simply do not spur meaningful activity in invaded regions. It is safe to say that the Wolfist premise is not true by point (a).
Therefore, it must be true by point (b) if true at all. This leads me to the last and final section of this piece.
Dictatorship of the Raider
In the Manifesto, Evil Wolf claims that Wolfism seeks to bring about the "Dictatorship of the Raider" by destroying defenderism completely. I assume this would look like a world ruled by raiders, where raiders can go around destroying whatever region they want without opposition, although the term is so vague that it could mean any number of things. Based on this, there are a couple of issues with the Dictatorship of the Raider.
Going back to point (b) from the last section, the Dictatorship of the Raider would have to be long-term positive to natives in order for Wolfism to be good for natives. I think it is clear that a Dictatorship of the Raider would be an absolute catastrophe for natives, because natives would always have to watch their backs for invasions, thereby being distracted from whatever they actually wanted to do. Thus, I think it is clear that the premise is not true by point (b), and therefore, Wolfism does not help natives.
More importantly in the military gameplay of today, Wolfism advocates for unity among raiders so that they can create the Dictatorship of the Raider. Theoretically, a world with a Dictatorship of the Raider would be basically utopian for raiders, as there would be no defenders. However, without defenders, raiders would quickly run out of regions to raid and raiders would have to turn in among themselves for the next targets. Because of this, a Dictatorship of the Raider could never last, simply because of the nature of raiding organizations. Raiders will always keep looking for the next target, and sooner or later, that target will be other raiders, causing civil war among the Dictatorship and allowing a new generation of defenders to arise. Raider unity towards the creation of the Dictatorship of the Raider is useless.
Conclusion and Credits
I hope that my critique sheds light on some conflicts and inaccuracies inside of the Wolfist Manifesto. One of the things that I personally found interesting about the Wolfist Manifesto was its modeling on the Communist Manifesto. While the Communist Manifesto argued for a classless society where all are socially equal, the Wolfist Manifesto in fact argues for the elevation of a raider class above all at the expense of natives and defenders. I don't know if this juxtaposition was intentional, but it was certainly an intriguing choice of model by Evil Wolf. Credit to Evil Wolf and Scardino for the writing of the Wolfist Manifesto, and to The Mighty Pump and Todd McCloud for the pieces that I cited in the text of my argument. The list of non-tag raids by TBR was taken from a list (http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?p=21016745#p21016745) of raids by Feuer Ritter. I am unaware of whether this list is complete, but I think any additional raids unmentioned would be unlikely to affect the conclusion much.
We'll see your World Cup and Raise You!
LXIX NationStates World Cup coincides with RL World Cup
FEATURE | APOX
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Apox, Co-Host of the NationStates World Cup, discusses the history and the future of the famed NS tournament...
The NationStates World Cup is by far the longest-running event in the NS Sports section of the forums. Founded in 2003, with 36 different winners since then, it is about to begin its 69th edition, with myself and The Holy Empire (the only nation still-active in the tournament that also participated in WC 1) co-hosting.
It is therefore by far the most prestigious tournament we have in our sub-forum, with numbers regularly topping 180 competing nations since I've taken part, and occasionally more than 200. It is one of the biggest hosting achievements any nation can undertake in NS Sports, only surpassed in size and complexity by NationStates Olympics. The World Cup is intentionally closely modelled on the Real Life football/soccer version: while many nations enter, only 32 qualify for the finals.
There have been significant changes over time regarding the generation of scores, with the first two tournaments using dice to generate results. However, Excel spreadsheets were introduced in WC 3, and by the 5th tournament, excel spreadsheet formats started to focus on the "three Rs": rank, roleplay and random. The balancing of these three components has been a much debated point over the years, with frequent arguments over how random a "scorinator" is. So frequent are both arguments and upset results in games that the community can often be heard to talk of the dread random number goddess known as Margaret, who can be appeased through the sacrifice of rubber chickens.
While a range of scorinators were used in the middle years of the tournament, the current scorinators are typically NSFS (Nations States Footie Simulator) or Xkoranate (a gargantuan scorinator with many different events). A system known as "KPB rankings" tracks each contestant's success (or lack thereof) over recent tournaments, allowing for a fair assessment of each team's current multiverse national football team rank.
However, what really makes the World Cup great is the community. 90% of users who take part in the NSSport sub-forum will enter the World Cup, and there have been many legendary, funny or downright absurd roleplays over the years. Current active teams include squads composed of Orthodox Christian monks, sentient ursines, and absurdly polite gentlemen in top hats, while long-term participants fondly remember the legendary incident involving an egg....; there are even some 'normal' football teams. Nearly every cup, there will be collaborative roleplays between nations, and it is these collaborations, planned or unplanned which makes the World Cup so fun.
Even if winning the damn thing is so hard…
The Battlefield Effect
Where Independentism Goes Wrong…
EDITORIAL | UNIBOT
One of the key observations of this article is that partisan politicians themselves are more irrational, more dangerous, defensive and most of all more partisan, when the entrenchment of their values is threatened. This is the source of what I will call “The Battlefield Effect” and it is a phenomenon which has extremely grave consequences for independentism.
We expect that when a region becomes “independent”, leaders will make more balanced and rational decisions, voters will act more balanced and rational and the whole region itself becomes a more calculative machine. That is the intended purpose of independentism: to pursue a region’s interests above all else. However, from my observations, independentism has the exact opposite effect than intended. Leaders become more partisan, voters become more partisan and the region itself becomes a more partisan machine.
It can be said that The Battlefield Effect occurs when players seek out other ways to confirm their region’s alignment, in the absence of a clear official alignment. When a region lacks a clear alignment that is not the “end” of the debate. Players seek out other ways to signal their region’s alignment and these signalling tools can take on an absolutely irrational form.
For example, you might believe a treaty isn’t just a treaty; it’s an affirmation that “we share common ideals” *nudge* *nudge* *wink*. You could propose a treaty with X, Y or Z or cancel a treaty with X, Y and Z to more closely align a region towards an alignment. Alliancing with other more solidly aligned regions serves to confirm what has been left unconfirmed in the wake of the region’s independentism.
Likewise, you might propose an election isn’t just an election; it’s a confirmation of “where the region stands” *coughs*. If so and so wins or loses an election it signals a shift in a region’s alignment based on the stances of those running – despite none of them (perhaps) running as anything but a closet defenderist or invaderist.
Over the years, I have noticed many issues where military gameplay has played a silent third rail in the political backdrop – players competing over polls, attempting to define their region’s culture with regional flags, holidays, anthems, fighting for control over their forum administrations and court decisions (criminal, civil and legal!), media and immigration policies, promoting roleplay, spam, General Assembly votes, WA Repeals, IRC versus MSN/Skype or sources of international cooperation (i.e., “The NationStates Community”, NS World Fair). Meanwhile others might condemn activities like adspam, UCR recruitment and forum destruction with the question of a region’s alignment playing a vital, although understated role to the discussion.
One of the more common items to manipulate for one’s advantage is the discursive interpretation of history. A closet defenderist might to try to downplay dissonant events and emphasize events that resonate with defenderism, while a closet invaderist would do the same in regards to invaderism. Take for example, The North Pacific, where the legacy of the originally defender North Pacific Army is discounted by some and praised by others, or The South Pacific, where the collective memory of important events is edited, pruned and challenged – the major involvement of invaders in the Sedgistan and the Milograd coups are downplayed or excused and a new narrative is written to suggest that these coups reflect an Anti-TSP FRA, despite the fact that Sedgistan was ex-FRA at the time of the coup, Milograd was not yet a member of the FRA and the Founderless Regions Alliance had supported the coalition in both coups (which is also contested). The histories of coups are especially important as the “narrative of liberation” can resonate with defenderism, but the “narrative of hypocrisy” can clash with defenderism. The Empire’s reign in The East Pacific is often very controversial, for example, with some Easterners attempting to downplay the wrongfulness of the event. Instead, they might emphasize the mistakes of defender forces or the creation of the Concordat as of result.
Since The Battlefield Effect finds that players seek ways to demonstrate their region’s alignment through other ways than an official acknowledgement, there has to be a symbolic process for which players can accomplish this outcome. Namely, players form associations with the desired alignment. Some are strong associations, while others are weak associations. Note that none of these associations are necessarily valid, reasonable or rational.
A strong association is a relationship between the military, people or other regions which are already officially aligned, while a weak association is a contrarian relationship or a tangential relation with an idea related with a clear alignment. The former association is simple: if say Bigtopia is a defender or a defender region, support for them is regarded as a direct, strong association with defenderism. The latter can take on more complex forms. We observe patterns and make poor generalizations: for example, it was argued by some that IRC was more popular among defenderdom, while MSN was popular with invaderdom. These kinds of generalizations serve as the foundation for many weak associations. Likewise, defenders might tie unrelated issues to features of their own rhetoric of compassion, social responsibility and international cooperation or the rhetoric of the invader, which promotes personal responsibility, creative destruction, social darwinism and self- aggrandizement.
The fairy tale of independentism begins with a myth that this ill-fated ideology can find common ground between all regional mates, regardless of creed: the interests of their region. But this rational compromise collapses under scrutiny and practice. Interests are not a solidly defined rational construct, but an ambiguous morass that can be misinterpreted and misconstrued. With room for debate, common ground becomes a battlefield. The product of this clash, forces the region’s decisions to become less rational, even warped by partisanship – avoiding peace and cooperation to evade tacit association with “the other”, while the internal meritocracy of independentism devolves into sheer cronyism. The community relations of the independent region deteriorate as every issue and nearly every decision becomes an ideological space for catty dialectics and more identity politics.
Independentism, in practice, brews all of the vices it condemns (in greater potency than its alternatives): irrationalism, partisanship, a near religious commitment to particular allies and the militarization of the political community.
Perhaps Independentism is unintentionally flawed or perhaps its creators never intended it to be anything else but a political instrument – a trojan horse for invaderism (or its shrewd step-brother Imperialism) or defenderism.
I even reckon that defender and invader regions, with the Battlefield Effect largely not present in their regions, more closely realize the independent ideal than officially independent regions do. Take for example, The Rejected Realms, which — after formally becoming a defender region this year— sought a Non-Aggression Pact with Osiris, an imperialist-invader region. Meanwhile, the citizenry here in The Rejected Realms recently voted a vocal non-defender, Christian Democrats, as its most well regarded executive officer (in terms of performance). The official shift towards defenderism has closed a gaping void… an endless debate in The Rejected Realms, allowing us to focus the past few months on cultural development and growth instead.
In light of this, though, it should be said that imperialists are right to propose that defenderism and invaderism are not “political ideologies” — defenderism, for example is a set of ethical value judgements which can only inform the politician so far. If martial ideologies govern the martial and political ideologies govern the political, it can be said that independentism is a failed project to bridge the two and govern both the martial and the political from a coherent rational egoism. Imperialism is a success in those regards, leading both the martial and the political with a unifying doctrinal vision, whereas the Battlefield Effect is a direct consequence of Independentism's failure to address the political or the martial in any clear, unambiguous manner. Perhaps some of the issue for independentism lies with its use of Realism, an international relations theory, which cannot be applied to internal politics, since Independentism’s rational egoism conceives of a collective regional ego, but does not explore the individual. Martially, independentism is an ambiguous mess that loses ground and is quietly undermined by clearer, more preferred alternatives.
It was a mistake rather to assume that existing defender regions do not already govern their political spheres with a doctrine that can inform leaders what they ought to do, when defenderism —as a value set— is irrelevant.
For example, defenderism cannot normatively propose who you ought to ally with, or better yet, how to design your constitution or whether you should be democratic or autocratic. Yet, defender regions do make these decisions, so there must be some underlying, connecting ideas present. So what could they possibly be? The Red Liberty Alliance had democratic socialism to govern the political and the martial under a thick, established ideology that included the values of defenderism, while the Alliance Defense Network was a dissociative beast – Dr. Jekyll, the idealist, Mr. Hyde, the realist.
But what about contemporary organizations and regions like the FRA, the UDL, The Rejected Realms, Lazarus or even 10000 Islands? All of us have identified as “defender”, giving the false impression that defenderism serves as our political ideology, but there has to be something truly driving our political decisions … a set of ideas that extend to internal issues and are relevant not only to decisions regarding interregional conflicts, but regional politics and culture too.
Next edition, I will explore in depth this elusive ideology without a name – the unspoken doctrine from which defender regions and organizations govern. Dare if you will to enter the mystery and the unknown of the Defender State as I confront the subconscious of our political psychology…
This editorial will continue next edition with a second and final installment, “Political Philosophies of Defenderdom”.
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Foreign Relations Main Talking Point In The South Pacific Elections
COMMENTARY | GRUENBERG
The South Pacific has concluded a low key set of summer elections, giving another term to incumbent Delegate Kringalia and Vice-Delegate Arbiter08. Kringalia ran on a platform entitled "Forward", an easy direction to choose given he faced no opponent. The ticket was elected by a margin of 24-5, and will be served by a Cabinet comprising Minister of Regional Affairs ProfessorHenn, Minister of the Army QuietDad, Minister of Foreign Affairs Sandaoguo, and Chair of the Assembly Unibot. The South Pacific also held its traditional vote for "Craziest Person in TSP", which saw 13 voters favour Rebeltopia's particular brand of craziness to the 7 who preferred ProfessorHenn.
While Kringalia, QuietDad and ProfessorHenn were all elected unopposed, Unibot faced the tightest election, winning by only a single vote of 14-13 against God-Emperor. A late vote change proved decisive in determining the outcome. But despite the margin of victory, the election for Chair of the Assembly was not fiercely fought: both candidates faced questions over their ability to commit to the rule given their duties elsewhere, Unibot serving as delegate of The Rejected Realms and God-Emperor holding political office in two other Pacifics. Unibot assured voters he would be able to maintain activity levels, while God-Emperor promised to appoint a competent deputy, an approach Unibot described as unnecessary.
But this was the only point of friction; indeed, so bland was the political debate for this position - an almost impressive feat given the involvement of Unibot, who has proven himself capable of arousing partisan bickering at every turn in the Assembly - that it is difficult to analyse the vote outcome, which may have come down to something as prosaic as the candidates' choice of graphics: while God-Emperor campaigned with a stylish Van Gogh chair, Unibot chose a more prosaic Clip-Art style. The South Pacific voted for functionality over aesthetics.
The centrepiece of the election was the race for Minister of Foreign Affairs, the most fiercely contested Cabinet seat. Four candidates declared themselves, although Sandaoguo and Belschaft quickly leapt ahead of The Republic of Zinnwaldite and The Solar System Scope, both of whom faced accusations of being too inexperienced and failing to understand the role, earning only a single vote each. Sandaoguo won the election with 15 votes to Belschaft's 11, but paid a gruelling price for doing so, facing repeated character attacks by Belschaft, who accused his opponent of lying over everything from whether he was claiming credit for work done by his predecessors, to whether he had underhanded motives in negotiating the treaty with The Rejected Realms.
It was this issue that proved the most controversial, as midway through the elections, in a truly remarkable and no doubt wholly coincidental bit of timing, The New Inquisition announced they were severing their Treaty with The South Pacific in response to the treaty with TRR. While the reunciation was emphasised "not to be seen as an act of war or hostility" by Minister President MagentaFairy, it was also starkly critical of Glen-Rhodes (Sandaoguo) for his previous questioning of their alliance, and of TSP Minister of the Army Geomania for some R/D crap, whatever.
The renunciation of the treaty with TNI was immediately hailed by Belschaft as proof that his darkest prophesies of the outcome of the treaty with TRR were accurate, but it was not enough to swing the election in his favour. That Sandaoguo was reelected to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs suggest many in The South Pacific do not share this sense of pessimism about the direction of foreign policy, or that they agree with Sandaoguo's anti-imperialist sympathies. He will now have another term to further his aims, which he had announced as pursuing interregional security not through doomed multilateral agreements, but instead on a gradual bilateral basis, and the success of that project on whether trading a bilateral agreement with TNI for one with TRR proves a wise decision in the long run.
Lazarus "Wins" The World Cup
COMMENTARY | KOGVURON
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July 13 saw Germany win their fourth World Cup title following a 1-0 extra time victory over Argentina. In addition to German fans, Lazarenes were also quite excited with this development, with their region defeating The Rejected Realms and The South Pacific in the FIFA World Cup Event. Lazarus picked Germany partly because of its status as the birthplace of Karl Marx, the father of communism.
Other regions in the competition did not fare so well. Picking perennial disappointers England, TRR found themselves knocked out in the group stage. TRR Delegate Unibot said, "Short and sweet. Just what The Doctor ordered. We didn't choose England for its chances, let's say that. Hah! It was a pleasure getting to watch the World Cup as a partisan and I hope the others, Lazarus and TSP, had fun too." TSP fared better, picking The Flying Dutchmen of the Netherlands to win it all. The Dutch played well, working their way through to the semifinals through a tough group including Spain and Chile. However, they were knocked off in penalty kicks by Argentina, denying the Event a Lazarus versus TSP final. TSP had to settle for a victory in the third place game over Brazil.
On the whole, it is safe to say the tournament was a huge success. Rejects were very excited about the contest, despite the reservations that some held over their team of choice. Lazarus was even more excited, with the official world cup thread reaching 35 pages long and hosting a commentary on almost every one of the 64 games. Lazarus Chairman Funkadelia commented, "I'm pleased to be able to share this competitive event with our friends in The Rejected Realms and The South Pacific. I think we all know that Germany, and the People's Republic of Lazarus, were all destined to win from the start ;)." TSPers too were excited with the success of their squad. ProfessorHenn noted how Kringalia changed made the WFE orange to support the team and changed his national flag to the Netherlands football logo. This event was truly enjoyed by all who took part.
World Assembly Legislative League Treaty Ratified By TNP
COMMENTARY | GRUENBERG
The North Pacific Regional Assembly has voted to ratify the World Assembly Legislative League Treaty, a multilateral WA agreement between TNP, Balder, Europeia, and the International Democratic Union. Proposed by former TNP delegate McMasterdonia, who had sought to revitalise the region's stagnant WA affairs ministry, bringing in Abacathea as an advisor and reforming policy to exclude citizens without WA membership in the region from voting, the WALL Treaty ratification vote passed 28-8 with 8 abstentions.
The Treaty calls for increased cooperation between the respective member regions in World Assembly affairs, including binding them to consensus decisions on whether to sponsor or oppose proposals, and usurping the powers of the regions' respective WA ministers to provide analyses and summaries of resolutions; the cooperation is also intended to extend to broader policy discussions and activity drives. However, each member retains regional sovereignty in determining their own votes on resolutions.
Three of the regions represent sizeable delegate votes and are known for “stacking” early to influence resolution outcomes; the IDU may seem an odd bedfellow, but share long historic links to The North Pacific, and already technically possess a treaty with the region, although in practice its requirements with regards to WA activity are seldom honoured. As the largest region and leader of the negotiations, TNP will play host to the official WALL discussions.
WALL represents a novel venture, at least for regions of this size. Gameplay treaties in the past have been signed on forum destruction, antifascism, telegram recruiting, and aspects of R/D play, but given the scant regard for using the WA as anything more than a technical means to a game exploit in most gameplay communities WA-oriented treaties have not been actively sought. Indeed, one has to go back to before the WA was even created, to its predecessor the NSUN, to find examples of interregional organizations cooperating on WA matters, such as CACE and ACCEL.
How the WALL will work in practice as such remains very much an open proposition. Personality clashes – a number of those in senior positions within the respective regions have starkly different views on WA policy, and TNP's experiment of appointing WA deputies from opposing ideological camps has seen much butting of heads – could easily derail accord, but if the agreement holds up it could see even greater sway over the direction of the WA falling into the grip of the cabal of powerful regions, further proving the complete irrelevance of the WA forum community.
Whichever path is taken, it promises to be an intriguing prospect.
NSG Reacts to MH17 With Shock And Anger, Mostly Anger
NSG reacted to information nearly as fast as it became available
COMMENTARY | THAFOO
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The reaction of all NSers far and wide, from Gameplay and Roleplay to NationStates General, was of complete shock when the Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 was downed this year.
The grim news was announced via the thread posted by L. Ron Cupboard. Naturally, everyone's mind immediately went to the previous incident, MH370, which had occurred months ago, nearly equally shocking the world as the search progressed for the still missing airliner. One famous NSGer, Ifreann, known for his tongue-in-cheek commentary regarding social and economic issues, claimed, "At some point we have to consider the possibility that God does not want Malaysians flying."
By the third page, however, the tone had changed, with blame going to the Russian government, Russian-supported separatists, or a mistake by the Ukranian military, all highly reminiscent of Iran Air 655, an incident that occurred in 1988 when the United States Navy mistook an Airbus A300 for a warplane, with a death toll of 290, a mere eight fatalities behind MH17.
As NSG topics usually go, however, by page 100, the thread had devolved, ridden with threadjacks and debates, mostly centered around the most suspected culprit in the plane's downing: Russia or Russian-backed separatists. Further developments have continued being posted on the fast-moving thread as they arrive.
Is TNP's community "cracking at the seams"?
OPINION | THE CHURCH OF SATAN
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Lately it has become apparent to some that the community of The North Pacific is tearing itself apart rather fiercely. punk d (http://www.nationstates.net/nation=Punk_Daddy) of The North Pacific expressed concern over this in a post to The Agora of The North Pacific entitled "Cracks at the seams" (http://forum.thenorthpacific.org/topic/7213608/1/).
However, the citizens of The North Pacific don't seem nearly as concerned on the grounds that these things happen: people will leave regions from time to time and others will stay; this kind of turmoil is unavoidable; it will happen eventually, but The North Pacific will survive as all GCRs do in these situations. I'm inclined to agree with these citizens, though it's nice that punk d is so concerned for The North Pacific.
In response to the lack of concern by fellow citizens, punk d said: "I tend to be paranoid, so hopefully I'm being just that. ... I feel the lack of concern means that the "cracks at the seams" may not be as bad as I suspected. I am concerned about the things I wrote, sure, but if most others are not concerned then it means that the disagreements aren't hitting the core of TNP as I feared."
Cormac also weighed in on this: "I haven't been playing NationStates for nearly as long as Punk, nor have I been as active a contributor to The North Pacific. I do, however, have some experience with community turmoil and community collapse within GCRs.
"I tend to agree with his assessment here. All communities will have their drama, but what I've seen happening in The North Pacific over the past few weeks has a different feel to it. It doesn't have the same feel as past political disputes such as the WA voting policy, the NPA Doctrine, etc. It feels more to me like the serious disputes that led to irreparable rifts in Osiris in 2012 and 2013.
"Whenever I get that feeling in a community, I feel compelled to share my perspective with people. Of course you can take that for what it's worth, or leave it, but I would rather share my impression of the situation and be wrong than not say anything and wonder later if I had done everything I could to call attention to problems and change them."
Crushing Our Enemies replied with a similar response to the rest of TNP which seemed largely unconcerned, hopefully for good reason: "I've been hearing bits and pieces of the craziness of late, and I've had the chance to read through some of it. It seems to me that it will all come to a head, one way or another, and TNP will go on. Maybe not the same as it ever was, but our community can weather this."
Romanoffia, one person largely responsible for the 'craziness', chimed in with: "Hey, people wanted activity and failed to realize that when you ask for activity, you don't always get exactly the type of activity you hoped for. Or worse yet, got the exact activity you were looking for."
In the end, the worst case scenario is a repeat of Osiris, in that new leaders will arise from the conflict and unite the region once more; the best case scenario is that the in-fighting continues and one or both parties involved leave the region, returning stability to it. Frankly this is nothing to be too concerned about but it should be watched closely. I hope all goes well for The North Pacific. I may not have invested anything into the region myself, but I'm a citizen too and I don't want anything bad happening as a result of the in-fighting.
World Assembly's 300th Resolution Breaks Record
COMMENTARY | GRUENBERG
Statheads in the World Assembly had two reasons to get excited about child pornography as the 300th Resolution ever passed broke the all time record for the highest percentage in favour. Wrapper's Child Pornography Ban passed by a margin of 8486 to 649, representing 93% of votes in favour; in doing so, it eclipsed even such highly supported resolutions from the World Assembly or its predecessor, the NSUN, as Outlaw Pedophilia, Female Genital Mutilation, Prevention of Child Abuse, Child Pornography Prohibition, and On Female Genital Mutilation – the list itself suggesting the kind of issues on which the WA has the biggest consensus.
The vote reflected a rare moment of GCR unity in favour, and an equally rare moment when prominent anti-WA delegate Noctaurus of Gatesville did not cast a vote against. Indeed, the largest vote against came from Duck-Boss, raider delegate of the occupied region of Anarchy. This vote irritated the natives of Anarchy for implicitly associating their region with support for child pornography. The Black Riders explained that they voted against not based on the political issue at hand, but rather as part of a general pattern of doing everything to antagonise natives: according to the ever poetic Coraxion, "Our actions will always show bad taste, from point of views of an average NSer".
But even deliberately provocative votes like this did nothing to the overall margin of victory, which surprised even its author. "I thought for sure that passing a Moral Decency/Significant proposal would be more of an uphill battle. Category aside, I could see how some would vote against it on technical grounds, like the definition of pornography, or the age of consent, or other reasons like, it doesn't go far enough, or goes too far, or it should ban hentai, or it shouldn't ban realistic CGI. There were so many plausible reasons to vote no," admitted Wrapper, who roleplays a Stargate-themed pacificist nation in the World Assembly and had previously tasted defeat with their unpopular World University of Peace proposal.
The resolution arose out of a concern that the restrictions in existing WA legislation, such as Prevention of Child Abuse, did not go far enough to ban child pornography, and real life precedents played their part, as Japan finally banned the possession of child pornography. This motivated Wrapper to write a proposal in comprehensive fashion: "This, along with Sciongrad's very persuasive arguments, convinced me that a possession ban was absolutely necessary." Wrapper can now boast, in similarly annoying fashion to Safalra, to being the most successful resolution author in history - while the WA may have occasion to consider where it is at 300, and whether progress on issues of less obvious consensus is still possible.
TRR Chooses a New Flag!
OPINION | THE CHURCH OF SATAN
For several months now the citizens of The Rejected Realms have been debating whether or not to choose a new flag for the region.
It started on October 11th of last year when Frattastan telegrammed Milograd, asking for a more refurbished flag. The aim was to have a more modern version, so the region seemed less old-fashioned. Milograd posted 3 versions, one of which he scrapped (http://i.imgur.com/g64wBlB.png), the second a definite improvement from the first (http://i.imgur.com/OjdDLLd.png) and the last one being his finalized version (http://i.imgur.com/jnxOw7k.png), which looks vert sharp. Almonaster submitted one as well (http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z258/Almonaster/TRRflag_3.png) although it isn't quite up to par with Milograd's last one. Unibot submitted one too (http://i.imgur.com/QRiwwvt.png). Personally I think it's a good second place option. In the end when the issue went to vote, TRR delegate Unibot went with Milograd's finalized version. The vote ended at 10 For, 5 Against.
As of 9:28PM EST on July 14th the change was put into place. The Rejected Realms' new regional flag is now the following:
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We're grateful for Milograd's contribution to the region and I'm sure this flag will fly over TRR for years to come! Thank you so much Milograd, from all of us at The Rejected Realms!
In Brief - News Round-Up
NEWS | GRUENBERG
Flag Thief's Return
NationStates's most infamous imposter, Flag Thief, has returned after a long absence from the game. Announcing their resumption of vexillological villainy, Flag Thief immediately stole the fiery phoenix flag of YoriZ, having noticed the ongoing drama of the occupation of Anarchy. Flag Thief often chooses high profile targets for their banner burglary, and had soon moved on to a new unsuspecting victim: The North Pacific delegate McMasterdonia, subject of a Commendation vote in the Security Council (with which Flag Thief will be familiar, having themselves been Condemned for their actions in a previous vote). The Rejected Times will be watching for further acts of flag thievery by the returning rascal.
Games of the IX Olympiad
The NationStates Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the IX Olympiad, have been selected to be held in Zube and Kytler Bay City, hosted by The Kytler Peninsula for the first time. The Summer Olympics are organized using the xkoranate scorinator created by Commerce Heights, and are the largest multisports tournament in NationStates, with over 50 nations having already entered. Signups, open until July 31 at 23:59 UTC, are permitted by all nations in NationStates regardless of previous involvement in NS Olympic or Sports events, and are being coordinated via spreadsheet in this thread (http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=303959).
NS++ bought by NationStates
NationStates has entered discussions to acquire NS++ from Afforess. Following the deletion of Shadow Afforess for threatening the region of Haven with a password cracking tool, the mechanics of which would have broken NationStates rules, there were fears that NS++ might close down, but [violet] has now taken steps to ensure its continuation. Game staff have long disclaimed any official sanction for NS++, but this would now become the first tool created by players to be officially supported by the game. Details have been closely held while negotiations continue, but there is every sign that NS++ will continue to be made available to all players, with only the loss of its ad-blocking feature.
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My, what a large issue, and quite fitting that The Rejected Times would come to Wintreath now. I think that alone is exciting news, so thanks for agreeing to post it here for us! :)
On "The Legitimate Point of View?"
Independence comes off as such a pretty word in regional and inter-regional politics, because it's supposed to imply that it's a policy of doing what's best for the region without taking a side in R/D gameplay. It's supposed to imply some sort of middle ground between raiding and defending. In practice though, it seems that these regions rarely defend or liberate unless it's against Nazi operations or in support of allies. At the same time, you see these regions raiding often for dubious benefit at best (see: The North Pacific).
I don't think it would be quite as popular an "alignment" if it weren't so easy to cloud what Independence really means in this context, and it's nice to see such a vigorous debate going on in The South Pacific. And for the record, I think a sovereign region should have every right to declare itself raider. I'm not saying this as a defender. But to pretend that there's this huge middle ground between raiders and defenders is a sham. At the end of the day, you have to associate more with organizations and regions that raid or organizations and regions that defend, just because the two sides are so far apart, and in practice it's been shown that it's almost always the former.
On "The Decline of Defending"
Oh, I had to have a chuckle at this one. Somehow Cormac has married the death of defending with his new feud with The Black Riders to create some sort of future fantasy world where 'his' imperialist side would be against 'their' side. And the fact that he uses his own foreign policy as Scribe of Foreign Affairs (and now Pharaoh) as proof of such a rift is comical. All the while writing in a publication 'his' side has derided as nothing better than defender propoganda.
I wouldn't exactly call myself an expert on imperialism in NS, but what benefit would it bring to the UIAF and other imperialists to turn their backs on TBR? While TBR has certainly grown as an organization and proven they can do their own long-term holds, they still have great relations with UIAF and imperialist regions other than Osiris (and Ainur?), and the two forces still present a combination that's nearly unbeatable when they're working together.
A much more reasonable alternative, in my opinion, is that you would see even more new raiding organizations spring up that are against "raider unity", as we've already seen with The Eternal Knights and their allies. I would think that the imperialist and independent regions and orgs would largely choose to stay out if it since getting involved wouldn't give them much benefit, but certainly The Black Riders would gain their own set of new allies as they already have with Sicarius.
My personal prediction if defending were to somehow die out completely is you'd see more of what you're already seeing, but more of it. I think we're headed into a more vibrant period on the raider side with a number of small-scale conflicts and swift change. Imperialists would seek to avoid this conflict and instead focus on the remaining GCRs they don't have influence in, armed with the propaganda that they 'win' R/D and stamped out defenderdom. Whether this is true or not, they would certainly take credit for it. And life would continue. Far from the "Great War" that Cormac fantasizes about.
It's the End of the World! (As we know it)
I've always been divided when it comes to Afforess...on one hand, I feel enjoyed flaunting his ability to disrupt the game at various times, and in the few talks I had with him in #wintreath he seemed a touch bitter about not being given the opportunity to join the staff in spite of his accomplishments. On the other hand, he has advanced NS gameplay so much with NS++ and his other services, and sometimes I think his disruption of things has been for the better.
I fear that NS++ will be slowly cannibalized and neglected when it's taken over by NS. The great thing about NS+ is that Afforess was able to develop and add features at a quick pace, while development seems so slow with NS. Nearly a year after Sedgistan announced a number of mechanics changes to R/D, five out of seven of those changes remain unimplemented. I hope the purchase of NS++ won't kill off any ability to quickly develop some aspect of the game.
On "The Myth of the Gameplay-Role Play Divide
An excellent article. I would also posit that back in 2003, there weren't nearly as many people playing NS as there are now, so it was of benefit to everyone for there to be no barrier between different aspects of the game, but as the game grew and more people joined, different people were able to specialize into different subsets of NS, and then recruit people into them who would only know that particular piece of NS so that now when one part of the game branches into another, it seems like an invasion in more than one way. It's not just one branch of the game running into another, it's a 'foreign' branch declaring itself superior to their own branch and forcing it on them. And to them, I imagine having to get assistance from defenders is just as bad, because to them defenders are part of that same 'foreign' branch.
I would be interested to know how much interest the FRA's operation has generated. While I applaud the outreach, I can't help but wonder if many roleplay regions will actually take advantage of it out of that principle.
I would say all the articles were good, but if I were to write my thoughts about any more I'd be here all day! Thanks again for bringing The Rejected Times to Wintreath. :)
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Frak destroys LWU Forum
COMMENTARY | TRR STAFF
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The Wolf's Den (pictured above) is no more.
A void has been left in the heart of the Lone Wolves United community - its recorded history and its past culture has been lost to a violent internal attack on their region. With their forum destroyed, it's sadly possible that much of their historical records are irrecoverable.
The forum currently sits with a simple, disingenuous message to visitors:
"Board will be back online in 24 hours. Error with a script, be back soon".
Fortunately, much of the region's oldest history has survived on its first forum (http://z13.invisionfree.com/Lone_Wolves_United/index.php?act=idx) - this includes old mission announcements, media and philosophy texts. However, the new forum contained everything from late 2009 onward.
The forum destroyer in this instance is Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, a senior LWU official. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds has also been known as Frak, Haxstree or Anur-Sanur in NationStates. A notable troublemaker, Frak was involved in a series of attempted coups on The South Pacific, The Rejected Realms, The East Pacific and The North Pacific.
Osiris, in wake of the tragedy, has declared Frak as "personna non grata" in Osiris and released a statement condemning his actions and the loss of Lone Wolves United's forum. As of right now, Evil Wolf is still attempting to recover the forum, while dozens have sent their condolences and well wishes.
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Thanks for the kind words Moot! :)
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You can make separate topics for separate editions if you would like. :)
On the topic at hand, it's devastating when any region loses their forum. I've heard of this Frak quite often, and never in a good way...I have to wonder why anyone would put someone like him in such a position to be able to attack the forums.
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Agree, forum destruction is a terrible thing. When I think of the hundreds of hours I've put into writing things on NS, if someone destroyed them, I'd be heartbroken, really. When a game is creative, you do put some of yourself into it.
I was thinking that I'd do the same as I do when posting this in the GRA, I do a new thread for each new issue, and then the stand alone features and bulletins that trickle after an issue in the same thread, and then start a new thread for the new issue. There are a few more stories to post, I'll catch you up.
Also, I'm away from tomorrow, but if you ask any of the other Times reporters they'll be able to bring it over, Church of Satan, for example.
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New Motto and New Officers for TRR
Elections begin and the Month of the Motto competition concludes...
COMMENTARY | TRR STAFF
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"You're All Fired!"
"Illegitimi non carborundum" has been voted, 43-37, in the finals of the Month of the Motto competition as The Rejected Realms’s regional motto. “Illegitimi non Carborundum” is a mock-Latin aphorism which translates roughly as “Don’t let the bastards grind you down” – it originated from World War II and has been engraved in the offices of many of America's most powerful, including JFK and Hoffa. For many the motto represents the tough, indomitable exterior of the region’s rebel psychology and spirit, while for others it was a clever way to fit a curse word into our motto.
Not all Rejectees were as positive about the new motto.
“Yeah f--- that,” says Christmas Barry III, “we don’t need no f—ing latin, we need som’in ‘tuff’ yeh know? How’ll about “Don't piss down my back and try and tell me it's raining”, eh, eh? Or “Approach at yer own peril” or “Rip Ya New One”? Yeeeeaah.”
The disgruntled rejectee, however, did agree that anything was less wussier than “Paradise Found”.
“F--- that crap!”
On perhaps a more important note, Officer Elections have begun in The Rejected Realms. At the beginning of August, as per the constitution, all officers are removed from service automatically and a period of elections is slated to begin with open nominations and competitive challenges.
The recent opinion polling conducted by the Office of Human Resources helps shed some light on which candidates stand a good chance at being re-elected if they were to run.
Christian Democrats (WA Affairs): Approve [69.2%], Disapprove [15.4%], Not sure [15.4%]
Guy (Foreign Affairs): Approve [63.6%], Disapprove [18.2%], Not sure [18.2%]
Feux (Human Resources): Approve [22.2%], Disapprove [33.3%], Not sure [44.4%]
Libetarian Republics (Internal Affairs): Approve [8.3%], Disapprove [50%], Not sure [41.7%]
With a notoriously hard-to-please public, Christian Democrat’s performance leading The Rejected Realms’s World Assembly affairs, managing votes and organizing the WA Committee, has left him the most popular candidate for re-election with nearly a 70% approval rating (tying with the Delegate for support). Similarly, Guy, a long-term fixture in the region, was rewarded handily for his negotiations of the Osiran Non-Aggression Pact and TSP-TRR Peace and Amity treaty as The Rejected Realm’s top diplomat.
Feux, a more low-key officer garnered the most uncertainty among voters and will likely have to prove himself this election to voters if he wishes to serve in office again, while Libetarian Republic’s inactivity was a sore point with many voters.
“It would be a pleasure to see any number of you return to the cabinet,” Unibot said of his former cabinet, “and, at the same time, I encourage all citizens to throw their hat into the ring if they feel they've got what it takes to contribute to our executive”.
Nominations are open for three days, while voting will follow for four days.
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Balder Queen Dismisses Government
COMMENTARY | TRR NEWS
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"I am removing everyone," says Queen Rachel.
In a shocking announcement this afternoon, Queen Rachel Somerset of Balder has announced that she was unilaterally terminating the Statsminister (Head of Government) and removing all the members of the Riksraadet (Privy Council). To fill the void, the Queen told the region that she would be assuming direct leadership of the government and accepting applications for membership into the Riksraadet.
To make this unilateral move, Queen Rachel initiated a royal decree based on her residual powers for the “peace, order, and good government of Balder”. This phrase comes from a controversial clause in the original Consitution Act, 1867 from Canada – “POGG” powers as they have become known by constitutional scholars and academics have been criticized for their far-reaching scope.
Justifying this move as a necessary motion to counterbalance Balder’s slide towards inactivity, the Monarch told the region that for the “past few months” it had “seen a collapse in the governance of Balder”, while calling its current state, “embarrassing”.
Thus far, the dismissal of the government has been well received by the King of Balder, North East Somerset, but Zander Cerebella had different words for the dismissal: calling the motion a “royal pain in the ass”.
Whether or not this move can turn around Balder from a long season of cronic inactivity remains to be seen. In the meantime, the monarch could receive political blowback for this "house cleaning" session - removing the Head of Government and the entire Council of State.
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Weird Laws of NationStates
FEATURE | UNIBOT
Dare to enter if you will... an expedition into the quirky, the silly and the downright weird laws of NationStates's Game-Created Regions.
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16. The East Pacific. Article F.8 prohibits The East Pacific from granting titles of nobility, or citizens accepting titles of nobility from foreign governments. This law was a reaction to The Empire (who used nobility titles), but also served as an Anti-Imperialist measure for several subsequent governments. This is a case of a bizarre law serving a useful function years after its creation.
15. Balder. Section 4.C of the Instrument of State and Government Act allows any former monarchs to continue to title themselves King or Queen - this includes several former delegates, who served prior to the establishment of a monarchy!
14. Lazarus. Section 4 of the Legislative Style Law requires all laws to use common English. 没有更多英语!!
13. Osiris. Section 2.10.a of the State Code of Osiris sets the endorsement cap on the "Guardians of the Atef" at 66% of the delegate's endorsements. The entire rest of the State Code of Osiris uses "two-thirds", but nope, Section 2.10.a requires specifically, a 66% cap. Nobody bothered to tell them that two-thirds isn't 66%. Might as well have chosen 69 and made it a cool number.
12. The South Pacific. Article 10.2 declares that all citizens can request a Great Council to review all of The South Pacific's laws. All other motions require at least a seconded motion.
11. The Pacific. An old gem: Section 406 of The Civil Code prohibits "bad grammar to the point of complaint".
10. The East Pacific. Article F.9 of the Concordat proclaims that "all rights not in this Concordat described or reserved to the government shall remain in the hands of the individual nations". Yes, tilt your head and read it again. All rights not in the Bill of Rights shall still be possessed by individual nations. This legal caveat has been used as a legal catch-all, giving breathing room for the Conclave's members to rule however they like on pressing issues.
Dare to continue? It only gets more loopy from here....
9. The South Pacific. Article 2.1 and Article 2.6 mandates that residents have a right to reside in The South Pacific, so long as they reside in The South Pacific.
8. The Rejected Realms. Although in most regions, run-off elections would commence following a tie during an election, due to Article 3.E, ties force officers to "break the tie" and if this still results in a tie, the delegate must "break the tie". Scare quotations are a result of this author having no clue what "breaking the tie" means - could mean a separate election, or else, players are actually forced to switch their vote to break a tie???
7. Lazarus. Article 1.8 of the Penal Code of the People's Republic of Lazarus prohibits Vexatious Metacommunication. What is "Vexatious Metacommunication", you might ask? The repeated use of emoticons to the point of annoyance. Watch out Rachel! The recommended sentence is banishment from the forum and in-game region.
6. The North Pacific. Section 5.5.28 of their Code of Laws, entitled "Sanity", requests that all Security Council laws be applied in a reasonable manner. Curiously, no similar law applies to any other branch of The North Pacific's government.
5. The Pacific. An old gem: Section 404 of The Civil Code cannot be found - seriously.
4. Osiris. Article VIII of The East Pacific - Osiris Treaty of Amity requires both Osiris and The East Pacific, prompty notify each other of a new delegate's election.
"WHO IS THE DELEGATE OF OSIRIS!!?!?"
"I DUNNO"
"HOW WILL I EVER FUNCTION WITHOUT MY FORMAL NOTIFICATION!!!"
3. Lazarus. Article 1.B of the Law of Official Images requires the use of Lazarus's seal in all foreign updates and diplomatic statements. Here's the catch: "if it is not used, no seal should be used". Brilliant no?
2. The West Pacific. Article 1.1 of The Regional Assembly of Nations of The West Pacific Act gives their legislative assembly explicit permission to change their legislature's name with a motion receiving 50+1% support. In fact, changing the name of the legislature appears to be one of the (http://www.westpacific.org/forums/index.php?/topic/188-name-that-legislative-branch/) most (http://www.westpacific.org/forums/index.php?/topic/214-vote-runoff-name-that-legislature/) common (http://www.westpacific.org/forums/index.php?/topic/994-global-legislative-naming-correction-motion/) events (http://www.westpacific.org/forums/index.php?/topic/816-vote-change-of-name/) in (http://www.westpacific.org/forums/index.php?/topic/809-the-holy-grand-assembly-of-the-west/) The (http://www.westpacific.org/forums/index.php?/topic/526-vote-rename-the-landstraad/) West (http://www.westpacific.org/forums/index.php?/topic/539-runoff-rename-the-landstraad/) Pacific's (http://www.westpacific.org/forums/index.php?/topic/520-poll-renaming-the-landstraad/) legislative (http://www.westpacific.org/forums/index.php?/topic/488-renaming-the-landstraad/) record (http://www.westpacific.org/forums/index.php?/topic/207-vote-name-the-assembly/).
And the finale....
1. The North Pacific. 7.1.4 of their Code of Laws prohibits the use of TNP's arms in national flags (presumably to prevent impersonation), but nations are free to use TNP's flag (which features TNP's arms - and more effective for impersonation). This bizarre quirk of the law was upheld with Court rulings on Nov 25 2012 and Jan 18 2013.
So if you're ever stuck on deciding what flag to fly in The North Pacific, here's a brief guide for you...
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And remember, if you don't follow this guide - you could face a count of treason !!
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My apologies Wintreathians, after I went on vacation and then had a very busy month when I got back, I completely forgot I was supposed to be posting this here (and in the GRA too). I will now spam you with all the back issues you've missed. Sorry!
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Issue XXVI. August 13, 2014.
Grub Bans XKI Delegate !
Benevolent Thomas accuses Grub of slander.
COMMENTARY | THE CHURCH OF SATAN & UNIBOT
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10000 Islands: The Land of Infinite Paranoia.
In a sudden and unexpected move, 10000 Islands Delegate, Benevolent Thomas, was banned and ejected from the region. Shortly after, Grub posted an announcement on the Regional Message Board explaining the reasoning behind his actions.
"As a sitting Delegate of 10000 Islands, Benevolent Thomas has been secretly planning on starting his own offshoot region while in office," says Grub. "To have a sitting Delegate actively planning on starting their own region while in office is disgraceful and goes against the very ideals of that office".
One would presume, the way Grub phrases it, he has concrete proof that Thomas would have recruited from 10000 Islands and that Benevolent Thomas did intend to start his own region, although the evidence has not been provided.
"The plans of Benevolent Thomas were all in secret and it was only when I confronted him that he admitted to his plan," says Grub. "He claimed that he did indeed plan on leaving the 10000 Islands once his term was over and would start his own offshoot region. He also told me that he wasn't planning on trying to take any 10000 Islanders with him. I did believe that he planned on riding out his term, but I did not believe that [he] wasn't going to try and take from our region to build his own."
Yes: beware the double negatives. Although Benevolent Thomas specifically told him that he did not intend to poach from 10000 Islands, Grub decided unilaterally with no evidence to the contrary that Thomas was lying to him. The former delegate's feelings on the matter were made clear when he changed his national pretitle to "Disgraced Delegate" -- later replacing that with"Slandered Delegate". However, Grub states that Thomas "undermined" the rules of 10000 Islands, although he has not referenced any laws to support his claim, 10000 Islands has a tradition of Grub arbitrating problems instead of addressing issues through a court system.
This is most certainly not the only controversial decision to ban a player that Grub has made. Several others already have commented on the matter, many complaining about the lack of due process in this issue, but many still are concerned about how Benevolent Thomas's removal seems to be more or less coinciding with a personal fallout with Grub and Anime Daisuki.
"Thomas posted a swear to me," says Anime Daisuki, "Basically telling me off in an angry tone, saying that I disrespected him by speaking to him that way. I was surprised at his sharp reaction which I put it to a bruised ego. From then on I decided to stay away from the guy".
Anime Daisuki condemned Benevolent Thomas's "premature" promotion in TITO and argued his changes to TITO, including the use of IRC and cooperating with other defender organizations, were unilateral and ignored major conventions. As of late, the political climate in 10000 Islands has between deeply divided by those open to cooperating with other defender organizations and interacting with the international sphere and, at the other end of the spectrum, the isolationists. Some have speculated that Benevolent Thomas's removal from office and the subsequent smear campaign has been more or less an isolationist political maneuver through fear and paranoia to remove 10000 Islands's most internationalist delegate in half a decade.
Is this what is to be expected by all future citizens? Is this the kind of distrust they can expect from their founder? If so, even I would not wish to return to such a place.
TRR Officer Elections Close
Elections posed a tight finish.
COMMENTARY | UNIBOT
Elections for The Rejected Realm's next cabinet has concluded. Only a day ago, it would have been anyone’s guess as to which candidates would rise to the top and secure a plurality over the other candidates – many candidates were separated by a single vote.
Since only four officers can be elected: Christian Democrats, Guy and Yohannes, having amassed the largest count of votes, secured their seat in the cabinet as officers, but two other candidates, The Church of Satan and Kogvuron tied for votes and faced off in a special run-off. The rules of the run-off were always ambigious, see "Weird Laws of NationStates (http://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=287477)" for more details, but the speaker chose to have the officers decide the tie-breaker. With Yohannes and Christian Democrat's votes going to Kogvuron, Kogvuron has been chosen as the fourth and final officer for this term.
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With the elections this close, some have proposed that The Rejected Realms would be better served with an alternative voting model that considers voter preferences and eliminates the “spoiler effect” – this led to a region-wide discussion on the merits of preferential block voting versus the single-transferable vote versus traditional plurality block voting. The hope is to achieve a functional democratic voting system that implements majoritarianism without sacrificing the executive's pluralism or the simplicity of plurality voting.
For The Rejected Realms, these latest elections are a sign of a resurgence in the region, with a long list of talented candidates placing their hat in the ring. While for Christian Democrats, former WA Officer and Guy, former Foreign Affairs Officer, these elections proved to be a resounding endorsement of their incumbencies. Christian Democrats, who was voted recently as The Rejected Realm's most popular executive alongside Unibot, built the new WA Office from scratch over his term, while Guy negotiated a well-received treaty with The South Pacific and an Osiran Non-Aggression Pact.
Ryno and The Church of Satan are long-time natives of The Rejected Realms, while Christian Democrats, Guy and Kogvuron are more seasoned gameplayers from The Rejected Realms, whose names probably ring familiar to many of our readers. Hallowell is a respected up-and-comer reject, while Yohannes and Sciongrad are new to gameplay, but by no means new to NationStates. Yohannes hails from the roleplay community, where he rose into great prominence as the second largest international commerce and trading nation. Meanwhile, Sciongrad is a “global disarmament policy wonk” from the World Assembly, where he is noted for passing GAR#242, “Biological Warfare Convention”.
The Rejected Times briefly spoke with Yohannes, one of the new arrivals to cabinet, who told us that he was very surprised by the election's results and feels an immense sense of duty to the region for entrusting him with an executive portfolio.
"I know that I have a lot to learn," says Yohannes, first-time Officer, "and will most probably make mistakes now and then.. but I will try my best to contribute to our lovely community, and the region, of The Rejected Realms -- I will work with all of you, and look forward to get to know each and everyone of you!"
The current election as expected has brought with it a balance of both experience and some fresh new faces to cabinet, proving the power of elections in shaping and propelling a region towards an exciting new direction. Next stop: Awesome!
The New Pharaoh Speaks
INTERVIEW | THE CHURCH OF SATAN
The Church of Satan speaks with Osiris's new Pharaoh, Cormac Somerset...
The Church of Satan: So, getting straight to the interview, if you would be so kind. To be honest I'm rather excited for this one!
Cormac: Hey there! Glad you're excited for the interview, I am too.
The Church of Satan: We all know your extensive history with Osiris. What prompted you to go for pharaoh once more?
Cormac: There were a couple of different reasons. First and foremost, I felt like I had a strong platform of ideas that would benefit Osiris over the course of this term and hopefully do a lot to improve activity. Activity was strong when the Osiris Fraternal Order was established in December, but it has slumped a bit with the overall NationStates summer lull. My hope was and is that the ideas I've brought to the table will get us back on track with high activity.
The Church of Satan: How do you feel about it this time around? Were you at all hesitant about going for it?
Cormac: I was a little hesitant. There has been a tendency in Osiris since the region was created for the people of the region to step back and let strong personalities lead, and simply follow. One of the major goals of the Osiris Fraternal Order has been to end this mentality and create a region of leaders, or as Detective Figs (Astarial) would probably have put it, build a sense of community self-ownership. My concern is that I'm someone who has been in Osiris and particularly in its leadership for some time now, so I was hesitant that I could end up recreating that atmosphere of "Hail Pharaoh!" in which one person leads and everyone else follows. That isn't healthy for Osiris, as there will always be people who seek to exploit that kind of political culture.
That said, the best way to prevent fostering that kind of political atmosphere is to be aware that it's a possibility and actively seek to avoid it. I've nominated an active cabinet, with a combination of veteran and fresh faces, all of whom will be active and will shine in their particular roles. We also have some newer folks in the Deshret who aren't afraid to speak their minds, even when they disagree with the Pharaoh, and I couldn't be more happy to see that happening. Even if I disagree with them and I'm passionate in arguing my position, I'm glad to see them holding their ground. And most of all I'm glad to see all of us tackling disagreements in a civil manner, and through normal political means, rather than threatening coups d'etat or pulling stunts to intimidate each other. Osiris has come a long way over a few months.
The Church of Satan: So who have you nominated for your cabinet?
Cormac: Treize Dreizehn for Vizier, James for Regional Affairs, Treize for Foreign Affairs, Zaolat for Media, Severisen for Security, and Zeorus for Justice (Attorney General).
The Church of Satan: These fresh faces, what is it about them that made you decide to give them a shot?
Cormac: Mostly their enthusiasm. James has been enthusiastic about getting involved with both integration and culture, and I think a strong dose of enthusiasm is what both of those areas need. Zaolat, while hardly new to Osiris, is new to the OFO cabinet andhe's been excited about media as well. I've found that enthusiasm often trumps experiencein terms of many cabinet positions, because those who are more excited will often also remain more active.
I also think it's important to promote fresh faces and talent, so thatregional leadership doesn't become a revolving door of the same people term after term. New players don't want to get involved if they don't think they can advance.
The Church of Satan: How do you think their enthusiasm will work in conjuction with the experience of the veterans?
Cormac: I think their enthusiasm will work well. The veteran members I've chosenare also quite excited about their roles, and are among some of the most welcoming peoplewe have in Osiris. So I think they'll get along fine with new faces in cabinet.
The Church of Satan: Do you think this term will go better than previous ones?
Cormac: If you mean better than my previous term last summer, almost certainly. We're not starting off with a month long coup by Gatesville, so we're already doing better! :P
The Church of Satan: What are your current plans for Osiris? Anything you feel could be improved upon?
Cormac: My plans are to focus more on regional affairs -- integration and culture -- than we previously have. This doesn't mean foreign affairs and military activity will be dead, but they're going to be a secondary priority. We need a more active community, and a big part of that is simply having more people in the community and giving them more to do. So that will be a big priority of this term. Another priority will be media, with a new regional newspaper called The Osiris Oracle. We're hoping it will offer an alternative and a second major media presence in NationStates gameplay to compete with, well, you guys.
Although foreign and military affairs aren't going to be a primary focus this term, they remain a priority and there should be some developments in both areas that will be of interest to Osirans and our friends abroad, very soon.
The Church of Satan: Osiris is much different from the last time you were pharaoh. Previously the region was independent. I noticed that you removed the "raider" tag from Osiris. Does that mean it is strictly imperialist or is it still, as I've heard often lately, imperialist-raider?
Cormac: Well, we shouldn't exaggerate the importance of removing the Invader tag. We've been having a regional discussion about tags since I took office, and we basically decided that tags like "Anti-Fascist" and "Invader" don't describe who we are. Osiris is an imperialist region, and both anti-fascist action and invasion are aspects of Osiran imperialism. But neither tag really defines our region so we decided to remove them.
Osiris isn't imperialist-raider, though. That should be clear. We're an imperialist region, and our military activities are geared toward pursuit of our regional interests -- something we have in common with independent regions -- as well as projection of our military power as a demonstration that we are a region to be respected in world affairs. Often that does mean actively raiding, for training purposes as well as to support the efforts of friends and allies. But as we've now seen twice in the region Liberal Haven, we're very open to defensive operations as well when they're in our interests. We certainly have a respect for the sovereignty of other regions with active communities that is not characteristic of raider regions, particularly a respect for the sovereignty of fellow Feeders and Sinkers.
The Church of Satan: That being said, do you foresee any changes in your decisions as pharaoh as a result of this?
Cormac: I think there will be some clarifications made, and perhaps some new policies enacted to flesh out a more independent approach to imperialism. I don't really look at these as "changes," though, as we've been headed in this direction for some time. Admittedly, the Osiris Fraternal Order began with a much more "raider" flavor than it has currently, but we've been headed in a more independent-imperialist direction since Lord Ravenclaw was Pharaoh.
The Church of Satan: Osiris at the very least being imperialist, how do you think it will affect foreign relations? Specifically, since Osiris signed a non-aggression pact with TRR, do you feel it will conflict with the other 3 treaties you have with TNI, LKE and Albion since they are at war with them via the FRA? What would you do if the 2 sides clashed during your term?
Cormac: I don't believe our non-aggression pact with The Rejected Realms will conflict with the treaties you mention. It's important to note first what non-aggression is: It's a commitment to avoid aggressive action against each other. Full stop. It isn't a commitment to mutual defense, and while we aren't at war with the Founderless Regions Alliance we respect that our allies in The New Inquisition and The Land of Kings and Emperors are at war with that organization and its member regions. We won't take any action against The Rejected Realms, but we also wouldn't act to defend that region against our allies, and of course the non-aggression pact doesn't require us to do so.
I will note, however, that the Osiris Fraternal Order respects the sovereignty of all Feeders and Sinkers. We signed a non-aggression pact with The Rejected Realms due to the troubled relationship our regions previously had, in recognition that we would like to move forward with relations that are built on a much stronger foundation. But Osiris is committed to non-aggression, in practice if not in law, with all Feeders and Sinkers. Moreover, if any Feeder or Sinker is invaded by any force that is not in a treaty alliance with the Osiris Fraternal Order, it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone to find us supporting the legitimate government of that Feeder or Sinker. Both diplomatically and militarily. Our treaty allies remain our first priority, but our commitment to the sovereignty of other Feeders and Sinkers is a real priority for us and one that we will continue to pursue.
The Church of Satan: Awesome interview! I look forward to the next one. On a side note, good luck with The Osiris Oracle. :D
Cormac: It was a fun interview, and thanks!
So there you have it. Things are looking up for Osiris and maybe we can all see a reign of stability in Osiris that will last for years to come! I'm Bruce Noland, Eyewitness News and that's the way the cookie crumbles! :P
TSP-Lazarus Treaty Passes
COMMENTARY | UNIBOT
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Funkadelia (left) and Kringalia (right) as they signed the treaty earlier today.
Two storied game-created regions, Lazarus and The South Pacific have entered a formal treaty arrangement. The treaty was passed unanimously in Lazarus’s congress and was support heartily in The South Pacific were it passed with 83.3% -- smashing the necessary 60% threshold for passage.
The introduction of the treaty, titled a “Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between The South Pacific and Lazarus” marks an incredible recovery of relations from the last year when Belschaft, delegate at the time, unilaterally declared The South Pacific’s original alliance with Lazarus dead after Lazarus had chosen Milograd as its new leader. Kringalia, Belschaft’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, had not been informed beforehand of this decision and succeeded in negotiating a popular Non-Aggression Pact with Lazarus – always maintaining that The South Pacific would eventually revisit relations with the Mother Sinker.
It appears as though Kringalia has made good on his promises, but the same can be also be said for Glen-Rhodes, TSP Minister of Foreign Affairs, whose top campaign priority was the negotiation and passage of the Lazarus treaty. Glen-Rhodes was the main drafter of the treaty’s well-received text which emphasizes non-aggression, cultural and military cooperation, in addition to laying down the groundwork for his grand vision for a pan-GCR security network.
We spoke with both of the region’s delegates, who were very positive about this development.
Kringalia called the treaty, “exciting”.
“This is a region with whom we have cooperated in the past, both militarily and culturally,” says Kringalia over milk and cookies. “I am fully confident that our already strong bonds will get even stronger with the passage of this treaty. We are already planning some exciting activities between the South Pacific and Lazarus, which will show the strength and maturity of our alliance”.
Chairman Funkadelia said he very pleased with the decision, adding “this is a wonderful new beginning to a relationship that can only get warmer from this point”.
For some commentators this treaty may signal changes to the geopolitical landscape with the diplomatic prowess of defender regions growing, but for many others this is just a positive revival of an old friendship. Lazarus and The South Pacific are slated to work together next with the upcoming “rock-paper-scissors” tournament being organized by The Rejected Realms. Recently announced, the event will see these three regions square off against one another in a unique cultural competition where regions select their weapon, rock, paper or scissors, using their regional polls. Can’t wait!
Canadian Invasion Escalates
TBH place password on Canada
COMMENTARY | UNIBOT
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Despite initial assurances that this mission would not aim for the griefing of Canada, The Black Hawks's lead, Jakker, has placed a password on the region.
The full destruction of Canada would require such a long-term investment from invaders that it appears unlikely, but invaders could use the password to help prevent a liberation attempt and sustain a longer reign to torment natives and continue to grief the region. This is a common tactic for The Black Hawks - with their high-profile occupations of Catholic, Capitalist Paradise and South Pacific following a similar pattern of abuse.
The occupation has run for a week thus far, already amassing forty-five ejections of native residents. With a regional password now in place, invaders will only need to eject, not ban natives -- since they will not be able to return to their region while it remains passworded and closed to new arrivals. Ejecting residents, of course, requires less Regional Influence than banning residents -- meaning the whole process of griefing Canada has become more efficient.
Given the password is now in place, the "pilers", soldiers who supported the lead invader initially to inflate his endorsement count, are no longer needed in such high numbers (dropping almost thirty endorsements).
These pilers can return to their headquarters or serve a role in the wider effort to maintain invaderdom's hold on its other ongoing occupations, Ixnay and Anarchy. Both occupied regions have also been recently password by invaders - actions which required an international response and a humanitarian clarion call from the WA Security Council. Already discussion has begun among established authors over the potential drafting for "Liberate Canada" to free the region of its password.
While the invasion rages on, players are reminded that the neutrality that Canada has held sacrosanct for decades posed no protection from the appetite of invaders.
"Canada has always welcomed those on both sides of the Raider/Defender debate," says long-time native, Almonaster, "and we have done our best to stay actively neutral. We have a very open and relaxed political climate, and would like to keep it that way. Both of the raider leads were citizens in good standing, and could have legitimately run for delegate, simply by agreeing to abide by our constitution. Their press when they took over clearly indicated that this was a flag raid, and they would withdraw. We were not best pleased, but in typical Canadian style rolled out the welcome mat and threw a party. The UIAF were largely silent and disciplined while there, and have indeed (partially) withdrawn".
Almonaster had less nice things to say about The Black Hawks.
"Jakker on the other hand has reverted to type, and has been busy kicking out long-term residents, gloating about it, and suppressing RMB posts," says Almonaster. "He has clearly broken his word on "no decimation", and seems to be settling in for a long stay. For those who understand British understatement, I think we've reached the level of 'slightly miffed'".
Those who can be invaded, may always be invaded, say invaders.
PBV for TRR?
OPINION | CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATS
Christian Democrats considers Electoral Reform for The Rejected Realms...
August is election season in the Rejected Realms (TRR); and, not surprisingly, the issue of electoral reform has come up again. For those not familiar with the region, TRR elects its four executive officers at regular intervals; and, after elections, the delegate, as the head of government, assigns the winners to various roles according to their particular talents. Currently, the plurality-at-large system is used: each citizen votes for four candidates, and the four candidates who receive the most votes are the winners. I believe this method is flawed for several reasons and have suggested (again) a constitutional amendment to adopt preferential block voting (PBV). Here, I give a short description of PBV and briefly outline its major advantages as a voting system.
PBV, basically, is the multi-winner version of instant-runoff voting (the alternative vote), the system that Australians use to elect their House of Representatives. Each voter casts a preferential ballot on which he ranks all the candidates from first to last. The person or people who tally the votes count all the voters' first choices. If no candidate has majority support after the first "round," the last-place candidate is eliminated, and those votes are redistributed to voters' second preferences as if the last-place candidate had never existed. This process continues until a winner is found.
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Under PBV, successive instant-runoff "elections" are held virtually using the exact same ballots. Instant-runoff counts are repeated over and over again with the winners from the previous "elections" being eliminated at the outset. In this way, one can convert individual preferences (be there ten voters or ten million voters) into a collective list of preferences: this is the electorate's favorite candidate, this is its second favorite candidate, this is its third favorite candidate, etc.
PBV has the advantage of being majoritarian (i.e., no more spoiler effect): no candidate is ever elected, unless he is supported by more than half of the citizenry. Second, PBV reduces negative campaigning: candidates have an incentive to get themselves ranked as highly as possible on every voter's ballot, not just the ballots of a small group of citizens. Third, PBV reduces strategic voting: it is no longer necessary to sit around and wait to see how others are voting to see how you should vote or to see if you should edit your earlier post in the election thread; instead, each and every person is free to vote for his genuine preferences whenever he wants without having to worry that his vote might be "wasted" or that it indirectly might "help" candidates whom he disfavors.
In short, PBV would provide TRR with a unified set of four officers, each of whom, in his own right, has majority support. Electoral outcomes genuinely would reflect the region's views, minus the political "horse trading" that occasionally leads to the election of widely unpopular or largely inactive candidates. Furthermore, motivated newcomers to the region could find their way into the government more easily by appealing to citizens to give them their second or third "votes." In other words, the adoption of PBV would make TRR more democratic. Whether or not the citizens' Assembly will adopt the system, though, remains to be seen.
Change “is a coming” to Osiris
COMMENTARY | KINZVLLE
Cormac Somerset, notable Osiran, has recently been elected the new Pharaoh of Osiris, with many thanks to a platform that promised change and a push forward towards progress for the great sinker.
Within his platform, Cormac argued that Osiris ought to ensure more of a direct and streamlined orientation and integration process, while also focusing on cultural activities as a strong priority. In regards to media, the delegate argued that Osiris needed to provide an alternative voice in the media sphere for imperialism. On Foreign Affairs, he spoke of building on Osiris’s already strong, mature diplomatic foundation, in addition to appointing a committee to serve as policy advisers and fully integrating Osiris’s military into the ISRA command structure. Cormac also argued that a reorganization of the Hedjet (cabinet) was sorely needed. Of course, promising change may have put him over the edge in the polls, failing to realize that change (at least far as voters are concerned) could have equally sharp consequences for his tenure.
Thankfully for Cormac, he is delivering thus far.
One of the first changes that Cormac has “made good on” has been the reorganization of his cabinet, in addition to the whole bureaucratic system. Apart from a more streamlined application process, the brunt of the changes, however, were made with a shuffle of several priesthoods. Ma`at, which oversaw Osiris’s World Assembly Affairs, has been absorbed into Horus which oversees foreign relations. Ptah, which was once the Ministry of Culture, has been absorbed into Isis, otherwise known as Integration.
Apis, a new priesthood, has been created to oversee Osiran media, which was formerly covered under Ptah. The merger of Culture and Integration may reflect the importance of these areas, in regards to Cormac’s priorities for this term. Meanwhile, the creation of Apis suggests that Cormac is laying the groundwork for his idea for a “pro-imperialist” media outlet. The pairing of World Assembly Affairs and Foreign Affairs, although a bit unusual, corresponds with Osiris’s recent public announcement which promoted sovereigntism as a holistic, far-reaching ideology.
Cormac’s new cabinet consists of both old faces and some new. Treize Dreizehn for Vizier, James for Regional Affairs, Treize Dreizehn for Foreign Affairs, Zaolat for Media, Severisen, former pharaoh, for Security, and Zeorus for Justice.
Delivering on another campaign promise, within the Priesthood of Horus, Cormac has established “The Foreign Policy Advisory Council (FPAC)”. This committee serves as the Pharaoh’s Board of Advisers on state matters. This committee is comprised of seven ex officio members and three additional members invited by the Pharaoh. However, over only the past few weeks, the committee has already shifted more than a game of musical chairs – some new appointments were invited into the fold, North East Somerset and Rachel Somerset were removed for unknown reasons and other members have switched places. At the time of this writing, the ex officio members of the committee are Cormac Somerset, Treize Dreizehn, Severisen, Vaculatestar, and Venico BrightAxe. The committee also includes invited members, Aincora, Bran Truine, Common Sense Politics, and Joshua Bluteisen.
Nonetheless, in a season of change follows a storm of controversy. In particular, Cormac’s stance on griefing led to some fierce disagreement from the public. A veto of the “Colonies and Territories Act” sparked controversy when Cormac said that he would not allow Osiris to lead any griefing operation. Of course, this only applies for leadership of a mission, not support missions. Griefing, a widely despised practice outside of invader and imperialist circles, hurts Osiris’s image abroad and isolates them from having stronger diplomatic relations with non-invader circles, argues Cormac. Venico, former delegate, most notably voiced his opposition to restricting Osiris from griefing regions, arguing it was necessary for the military’s activity – a claim which Cormac disputes.
Overall, it can be said that running and winning on a platform of change soared Cormac through the polls. Indeed, it seems as though his promises of change are in the process of being implemented without much of a hitch, although not without their share of controversy.
Rumours of an “Imminent” Retirement for Krulltopia
COMMENTARY | UNIBOT
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"Hey, look, pal, I don't want to buy a suit!"
"[Laughs] No, this is for your coffin".
"My coffin?!"
Emperor Krulltopia recently celebrated his fifth anniversary as Emperor, but already rumors are spreading that the Bunny Tyrant may be retiring shortly.
The rumors started last week in #the_north_pacific among other social channels, claiming that the Emperor intended to resign his position as delegate after August 28th, the eleventh anniversary of Francos Spain’s rise to power in The Pacific.
Krulltopia has seen The Pacific through a difficult time for the region – inheriting leadership over the region following an unsuccessful civil war and a decline in Francoism as an ideology. Over the past couple of years, Krulltopia has spearheaded the transition of The Pacific from a Francoist state to a Post-Francoist state – facing internal challenges from Former Senator Gaspo, among others, who advocated for a special brand of imperial independentism that rose to prominence in the ideological vacuum, amidst the launch of the Sovereign Confederation.
Feux, NPO Senator, told The Rejected Times that “the rumors are just rumors”. Noting that he and fellow senator, Elegarth had laughed when they first heard the rumors.
“Non-Pacificians are the first to claim they know everything about us,” says Feux.
In all actuality, Krulltopia is often tight-lipped about such details and it is unlikely any rumors could emerge from a credible source. Over the years, his inward style of leadership and deliberate absence in the international sphere has been mistaken for inactivity, so much so even that it is very likely that Krulltopia could continue as delegate for many more anniversaries to come.
Is a “Rachtatorship” Good for Balder?
EDITORIAL | UNIBOT
The title says it all, Unibot investigates the question of the hour...
In an unexpected announcement, Queen Rachel dismissed the Statsminister and assumed control of the Riksraadet. The move was justified by the monarch on the basis of improving Balder’s activity in a time of crisis for the sinker which has been plagued with inactivity for the past several months. Affectionately, one Balderan called the new administration, the “Rachtatorship”.
It is impossible to know for sure whether this move will actually improve Balder’s activity – critics of the move in Balder have argued that it will not, while supporters are adamant that it will greatly bolster the region’s activity. I would, however, like to first look at the basic features of a region that promotes activity in any general region, then apply that model to Balder’s case and see whether this most recent initiative in Balder passes muster or struggles to impress.
Conceptualising Activity
What is activity? It’s participation. So to figure out what generates activity, we have to figure out what generates participation. First, I have to disagree with other academics – the source of activity isn’t “drama” or “chaos”, or even satisfaction with a region. It’s very possible to hypothesize the “Happy Inactopia” – a region where citizens are satisfied with their region and their government, despite its gross inactivity. In fact, in many inactive regions, satisfaction with the status quo is quite high because satisfaction is not an indicator of activity. Nay, satisfaction is undermined by our natural cognitive bias to embrace the status quo, lack of exposure to alternatives, loss aversion and our social and political inertia. Sometimes maintaining the status quo is just “easier” and more convenient – with those sentiments comes with it complacency and even genuine contentment.
Meanwhile, activity is most certainly not “chaos”. Although “drama” (i.e., social conflict) is often a result/consequence of activity, “chaos” is more or less a political synonym for enforced activity or an engineered crisis. Certainly, events can and have motivated players to maintain their activity for a brief period of time in response to an immediate threat of deprivation or oppression, but maintaining that kind of long-term participation from players requires more than a threat, but a whole system that inspires, promotes and encourages their participation.
Activity = Satisfaction
Activity = Chaos
We can also rule out the notion that activity is a product of a specific political structure – saying that authoritarian states are more inactive than democratic states is simply poor research. While the New Pacific Order might be considered inactive now, it was one of the leading and most active governments at one time. Meanwhile, some democracies like Pre-Revolutionary Lazarus or Balder have been plagued with almost endemic inactivity, which makes it no different from The West Pacific’s gerontocracy.
Nay, sustainable activity begins first and foremost with proactive leadership that gets people involved. Most regions struggle to maintain their activity if their leadership is inactive and it is the pro-active approach among leaders which leads to any semblance of a resurgence of activity for a region.
But activity is more complex than just to say you need people to inspire others to get active – there are many structural features of a region which can encourage or discourage participation. The most active regions, I have found, are like “living projects” which are constantly evolving – I like to call this kind of openness to change, “Lability”. When a region is labile, it has low political inertia – it’s constantly trying to progress and pursue perfection. One of the greatest obstacles is the mantra, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Successful regions pursue a “if you can make it better, make it better” mantra, which propels their discussion forward and keeps people interested in contributing to the region and shaping their region to be more relevant to them and their generation. Without lability, a region feels like it is in an “end state” for its users, which begs to question why anyone would see their participation as anything but redundant in that system.
Let’s not put the cart before the horse however, all of this is greatly restrained if a region simply does not have the recruits! You can have the most pro-active leader and the most labile region in NationStates, but if you do not have the recruits and the fresh blood, there is nobody to participate in any potential activity campaign. This is why the problem of chronic inactivity is a spiraling, downward phenomenon – recovering from inactivity is not simply a matter of becoming active, it is a matter of closing an “activity gap” or breaking the glass ceiling. You need activity to become active – understand the paradox? This problem is partly a physical limitation, you need people to participate, but also a dynamic social phenomenon, people participate when they see others participating (out of presumably some deep-sated informational cascade). Beating an informational cascade requires a lot of laborious recruitment, some shrewdness and a lot of luck.
However, even if you have all of these things, new recruits coming in the door, an active leader and a serious axe to grind for the status quo, you have still got to be concerned with how your region is organized. Traditionally, there are two schools of thought on this issue: The Cosmopolitan is a meritocrat that values the merit and contributions of residents, while The Regionalist is a communitarian that values demonstrations of loyalty from residents. To some extent, both have the right idea.
If a region is not meritocratic enough, individuals will not feel as though they can succeed or rise to success in a region which may lead to talented individuals leaving said region out of frustration. The selection of individuals based on negative features (i.e., an autocrat might deliberately surround himself with incompetents to avoid a coup), popularity or loyalty alone, is bound to discourage talented residents who may not excel within those selection processes. The departure of this talent slows down the growth of participation in a region, thus emphasising the importance of meritocracy. Similarly, social cohesion is vital to the growth of participation in a region – if individuals feel they are a part of something greater than them which poses a solid identity and strong cultural dimension, it encourages them to contribute and cooperate with their fellow region-mates. Likewise, it is the perception that one region is different than other regions which attracts people to participate in the former, presumably unique region over others, thus the contributing cultural factors that predicate social cohesion are also quintessential to building a strong, positive pattern of activity in a region.
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We could articulate this general conceptualisation of activity as the formula above and it will serve as a tool for us as we proceed to analyze Balder’s approach to reviving their region’s activity.
The Rachtatorship: The Pros and Cons
The Good
By taking direct control of the cabinet, Rachel is asserting herself to take on a more pro-active approach in rebuilding the region’s cultural and social infrastructure. The long, arduous process to revive participation in your region begins with a force for change that can inspire others to get more involved. It must be said that dismissing a leader that had continued to be inactive in their position and overseeing the recovery for one's self is a classic stable of pro-active politics.
While there may be issues with how this initiative has been handled (which will discuss in a moment), letting an authority figure simply neglect their duties is not an option for any region which wants to pursue a more active course for their region.
The Bad
One of the main problems with this political maneuver is, however, that although letting the Statsminister continue in their position was not an option, there were other options than assuming direct control of the executive for one’s self (e.g., placing someone else in control or justifying an open dialogue about constitutional changes with the Statsminister’s inactivity). This bridging of the Monarchy and the Cabinet is a sign of an even less meritocratic Balder. In a region which already reeks of a horizontal hierarchy, where players rise to prominence based on the relationships they maintain with those higher in the rungs of power – a closing of the gap between the (already enormously influential) monarchy and the executives, provides a signal to residents of an even greater preponderance of cronyism.
"Toe the party line, keep in the good books of the top dogs and shut up” might be a fairly straightforward procedure, but overall it is a crony selection process that undermines the region’s meritocracy and discourages bright, more forthright talent from sticking around, when there are dozens of other regions similar to Balder where players can succeed on their own merits without the glass ceiling that this initiative lowers.
The Ugly
The real shame of this whole crisis is that Rachel has the opportunity to nurture a much stronger Balder, but her response thus far, to dismiss the executive, leaves her with only two clear directions.
First, she could use her newfound status in the region to encourage her loyal cabal to spam more regularly, while she benefits politically from this power-grab and consolidates her political and social influence over the region. Rachel benefits enormously from this strategy – using the inflated forum post counts as a public vindication of all of her “hard work” and leadership. But make no mistake, the region does not benefit from this kind of scenario – constrained by an influential elite, little open and genuine political and constitutional reform would be pursued when such activity could upset the balance of power. That is a recipe for prolonged inactivity – procrastinating in the areas of change, renewal and reassessment for another political season, until the consequences become all the more volatile for Balder.
Alternatively, Rachel could use her place in the executive to oversee and accomplish a bold reconstruction and rebirth of Balder. However, that kind of change requires a serious compromise from the Monarchy in term of their influence over Balder, but it also requires an open mind about the current political, cultural and constitutional arrangements and how they could be changed to ensure the region recruits more and finds new faces to participate and contribute (without elites worrying about the blowback from immigration on their own influence), values and rewards contributing members and develops a stronger identity and cultural dimension. Yelling “Fram Balder!” does not ‘cut it’ – you want players to truly identify with the region.
Ultimately, it is Rachel’s decision whether to take the easy road and put Balder’s systemic issues on the backburner, or take the high road and threaten her own position in the region to give it a brighter future. As fate will have it, the contentment that people have for the status quo, as I discussed earlier, often delays this decision, but every so often a popular political dynasty in the Game-Created Regions faces that difficult choice of whether to roll the die and continue the victory lap or open the region to new possibilities. This decision, the final act… the day we dread to live, makes kings out of folk heroes and stories, good and bad, out of kings.
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This week, Joe Bobs speaks with Warzone Africa's District XIV and Wysteria's The Bruce.
Class of 2002 #3: The Bruce
FEATURE | JOE BOBS
For the third installment of this series, The Rejected Times sat down with The Bruce. The Bruce is certainly one of the longest serving members of the NationStates community, having begun playing shortly after the game launched in 2002. He is the founder of Wysteria, one of a handful of user-created regions to have lasted almost twelve years. In founding the Triumvirate between The Heartland, Texas and Wysteria, he was one of the pioneers of Defending, before the concepts of invading and defending had even been established. His History of NationStates is widely considered as one of the most authoritative accounts of the story of our game.
JB: Who was your biggest influence in the early days?
TB: In the early days there really wasn’t anyone to influence you, because everyone was just doing their own thing and most of those things hadn’t been done yet. Equus and I had our hands on the tiller to guide our regional community the most, so she had a lot to do with the success of our region. Even then, it wasn’t so much influencing each other as it was dividing up duties, hashing things out, and getting things done.
JB: How did you find the process of region building back then? As there are of course many tried and tested methods today, was it more difficult back then?
TB: I think that because of how wide open everything was, it was both easier and harder to build a region back then. With so many regions now buying recruitment stamps or using 3rd party recruiting scripts, you now longer have to plod your way through the feeders and sinkers, sending individual recruiting telegrams. The downside to this means new nations are drowning in recruitment telegrams at the click of a button, so less work is put into it, which can translate into less caring about the nations that come to your region. It was not at all difficult to recruit in the first four years of the game and you could afford to be choosy. As long as you treated region building as community building it wasn’t a difficult process at all. Recruiting is only a small part of the process of region building, because even more than a reason to come to your region, they have to have a reason to stay and be active.
JB: What changes to the game do you believe have had the most impact?
TB: There have been a lot of big changes to the game that have had a lot of impact. Restrictions on submitting UN proposals were both a blessing and a curse. There were only a few other delegates with the patience to slog through 120 pages of UN proposals, so a lot of delegates didn’t bother and a lot of business didn’t get done. The restrictions (2 endorsements required) disenfranchised a lot of UN member states, but helped decrease the tendency of dead beat delegates.
Regional Powers and Founders had a huge change on the system. There were unfortunate instances of invaders claiming founder status in conquered regions to make them permanent prize regions, but otherwise these changes made regions with active founders less of a slave to the whims of invaders, spammers, and griefers.
The introduction of moderators stemmed from the same reason regional powers and founders were created: players being extremely crappy to one another. While there were numerous instances of baiting that occurred, to get other nations mod bombed after antagonizing them, on the whole moderators helped make NationStates less of a 4Chan experience.
The Griefer Rules regarding invading (with percentages of bad things invaders were allowed to do before they crossed punishable boundaries) was a bucket of cold water on invading. Invading and defending declined, moderators got migraines intervening over every little invasion, and everyone else got to enjoy a bit more peace and quiet. Reversing that in 2006, to a more hands off “gameplay” system caused an immediate rise in invading, without the same resurgence of defenders to balance it, because so many prominent defenders had retired or become less active.
JB: This is interesting, do you think the general tone or attitude of players in NationStates has changed a lot over the years?
TB: Thing biggest change in attitude is that there is an expectation of some measure of fair play, in terms of being treated poorly by your fellow player. A large part of that was the introduction of Moderators, but a lot of that also has to do with the emergence of good role-models and people feeling that their regional communities are worth defending.
JB: What changes to the game would you most like to see put into action?
TB: I like a lot of the changes to the game that have been introduced. The only one that hasn’t been beneficial to everyone were the more hands off “gameplay” rules that clearly favour invaders. The powers that be have made it perfectly clear that they have no wish to go back to the mod work intensive Griefer Rules and any changes need to be carefully thought out, because invaders will find a way to pervert their intent. Likely, a wider window of opportunity for updaters to affect quick changes in delegate would help.
JB: What has been the most unexpected event you have witnessed?
TB: When players I didn’t know in real life began moving to Wysteria in 2002. To begin with, the nations in our region were all played by people I knew offline; so when strangers started showing up out of the blue it was a bit of a shock. You have to understand that things were all very new back then. It completely changed how I viewed our regional community. It went from a region for friends to have nations in to a region for nations to come and become friends in.
JB: What has given you the most satisfaction?
TB: I’d have to say that helping to build a regional community that has led to long term, friendships outside of the game.
JB: Would you say that the community aspect is the most important part of NationStates?
TB: Nothing else has the same draw in the game as feeling that you’re part of a community. A well planned and successful liberation of a region is less rewarding, without fellow players to share in the moment.
JB: Wysteria has a very strong community, what do you think makes a region a real community, rather than just a group of players?
TB: Regions live and die by the activity and dedication of their core players. What makes a strong regional community is that players identify strongly with the region, support their fellow players, feel protective of it when it is threatened, and want to participate in regional activities.
JB: What was your biggest disappointment?
TB: The Server 1 Invisionfree crash of 2006. It affected the oldest regions in NationStates, as it was one of the most popular offsite forum options when players needed an option to the clunky, early NS forums that were too slow to use. We were having a really good level of roleplaying activity on our offsite forum and then in a flash we lost six months’ worth of posts. That stopped everything in its tracks and the focus went from role-playing to thread recovery (Google caches, Wayback Machine, etc.).
JB: I remember this too, there was a lot of outrage across the game. How long did it take Wysteria to recover?
TB: The first couple of weeks were spent wading through the panic and sometimes conflicting statements by Invisionfree, while they sorted the mess out. We were by no means the only victims of the server crash. A lot of the older regions used it and some of the non-NationStates forums they supported were online memorials to people no longer among the living. Once we knew that Server 1 information wasn’t going to be restored, there was another two months of people using various means to recover lost threads and repost them. It probably took another six months or more to recover the lost level of role-playing activity and having their major threads derailed cost us at least one of our most active role-players at the time.
JB: What is your opinion on the current state of affairs? How does it compare?
TB: For a lot of players it’s a contentious question. The best of both worlds would be the sophistication of the current game system and the overwhelming enthusiasm in the early years of NationStates. The invader-defender rules are in serious need of an overhaul to put some balance back into the nightly struggle. Probably the biggest problem right now is when you have players that have been around a long time taking the piss out of new players for the crime of wanting to try to do something on their own, but making the mistake of posting their ideas on the NS Forum. Veteran players need to be more supportive of new players and not pounce on anyone for having an idea. The future of the game will always be tied to the enthusiasm and creativity of new players.
JB: What advice would you give to others who want to last as long?
TB: You need to explore the facets of this game that interest you and work at it. If you’re not creative, don’t engage other players, don’t want to be part of something bigger than your nation, and just hammer away at your daily issues you’re probably not going to be around for a long time (unless you’re competing in the world census standings). You have to make time for NationStates, to get the most out of it, and remember that for every nation there’s someone on the other side of the keyboard doing their own thing. Even for players who are active, the biggest challenge is not to get jaded or in a rut. A lot of people whine about there not being enough activity, but when it comes right down to it, the best way to generate activity is to be active. It starts with you.
JB: Truer words have never been spoken!
In the recent Great Influence Survey, Wysteria was voted as the 10th most influential region of all time. What do you think the key is to Wysteria's staying power?
TB: The development planning of our region always used long term thinking. Recruitment in the early years was done in waves, sometimes six months apart, to allow generations of players to grow within the region before the next recruiting drive. While a lot of regions wanted to get as big as they could as fast as they could, to be the next boom-bust region, Wysteria has always been concerned about sustainable numbers and not getting so big that we lost our character.
Wysteria has also been very fortunate over the years. We’ve had a strong core of players grow with the region, who have been willing to invest their time and imaginations to making it a better place than when they arrived. Without the arrival of active players over the years that really wanted to do something with their NationStates’ experience, we wouldn’t be the region we are today. When new players arrive in the region with their energy, if they are supported, that energy becomes infectious. Even when I've had less time to participate in my own region, due to the demands of offline life, I've always done my best to ensure that the region was secure to ensure it was a safe place for its active, core players.
JB: Who do you believe has made the biggest contribution to NationStates?
TB: No Max, no NationStates. So logically, Max has made the biggest contribution. After that it’s a few hundred players pulling at the same ball of yarn over the years. Outside of the sham popularity contests, each high profile player exists differently in the minds of every other player. Despite what players in certain cliques might feel, because there are so many different regional and cosmopolitan experiences available in the game, even an exceptional player won’t transcend that boundary for everyone.
JB: One final question. Some of those who have been here since the first days of NationStates have joined the Mod Team. If asked, would you consider joining?
TB: While I’d be honoured if they asked, to be honest I’m really not their guy. Moderators are typically chosen among those who are extremely active on the NationStates Forums, where the lion’s share of their work is. While I tend to check out forums of interest daily on the NS Forums, I don’t have the kind of post count or activity level that gets you considered for the role of moderator. The only time I was a really prolific poster there was when I was laid up with a sports injury for a few weeks.
Rising Stars #3: District XIV
FEATURE | JOE BOBS
Rising Stars looks for the future leaders of NationStates and we want to thank all of those who have recommended people to be featured in this piece, please keep your suggestions coming!
In this issue, we speak to District XIV. A regular feature in the NSGP forum, District XIV is currently Vice President of Warzone Africa, Steward of Courage (equivalent to a military general) of the United Provinces of Hyrule, Deputy Tsar of Hummusland (a region he co-founded), Minister of Foreign Affairs for Sanctuary, and a Citizen of the Global Right Alliance. He is also a former Overseer of Foreign Affairs for the Coalition of Freedom. He began playing back in December 2012 but left the game only to return a few months ago, and has received recognition in particular for his work in Warzone Africa. He is also the author of the proposal Liberate Panem.
JB: What has been the biggest learning curve for you in NationStates?
DXIV: Just plain experience and active participation. Doing things over and over, even when I failed, helped me learn about how to do it better the next time.
JB: Who would you describe as your mentor?
DXIV: The guys back in Panem, who really took me on when I was a total n00b. We learned and experienced together; and both of them, United Soviet Jason Republic and Star United States, were amazing people to be with. They were nice and accepting.
JB: Some of our readers may not know Panem, could you briefly describe it? You recently submitted a proposal to the Security Council for the Liberation of Panem. Could you describe the situation that led to this?
DXIV: Panem was originally a small region, having not more than little over twenty members. I moved there a few months after founding the nation of District XIV, and quickly got involved with the small community that was developing there. My nation, if it wasn't obvious, is based off The Hunger Games series of books, so a region based off the same thing seemed appropriate to me. Over time, my interest in NationStates dipped, so I CTE'd in April of 2013.
Unfortunately, Panem is a founderless region, so it met the same fate most founderless regions meet. It was invaded numerous times by both TBR and other groups; essentially becoming a battlefield. Star United States and United Soviet Jason Republic were the players who I regarded as like "founding fathers" of the Panemian community, but they left the region after I had departed (temporarily) from the game. Then, who I and some others assume to be defender sleepers, entered the region and placed in a password. The region is now locked down and the current residents have not responded nor complied with any requests of mine or SUS's for the password as so we may attempt to refound the region; this eventually leading to my seeking of an SC liberation of Panem.
JB: What has been your biggest challenge so far?
DXIV: Attempting to construct a community in Warzone Africa even with the help of good people like Arekrya. It's hard to build a government and community in a place that was not built for what we did, and the raids don't help. But, hey, we can't really complain
JB: The Warzones are certainly an interesting and unique aspect of NationStates. How do you think the Warzone community differs from others in the game?
DXIV: The constant threat of invasion, as the Warzones were intended to be, well, 'war zones', not communities. We get used to invasions because they happen so often, and we continue on with our lives when they're over.
JB: Where do you see yourself in a year’s time?
DXIV: Hopefully, by that time, I will have built Panem up from the ground. I want to invest my resources into rebuilding that region once it's refounded; hopefully it works.
JB: You're fairly well traveled in NS and active on the main forum. Any lessons learnt from the communities you've participated in which you will be applying to building Panem?
DXIV: Keep things original, and offer fun but easy-to-participate-in activities for the residents. Nations tend to stay if they can easily become involved in the regional community.
JB: What area of the game would you most like to expand into that you are not currently involved with?
DXIV: Roleplay, most likely. I've hung out in II a lil' bit, but not that much. My RP skills are fine, although I'm willing to expand them and continue actively participating in the roleplay forums. I created an IC organization once (which actually still exists), but It didn't really take off.
JB: As a Gameplayer who is interested in RP, what are your views on the recent Liberate Haven / Ixnay / etc controversy? Should RPers be able to opt out of being raided?
DXIV: Mall was acting independently in the World Assembly, as any player has the right to do. The whole "Mallorea and Riva should resign" was a hilariously immature reaction to situation, for two reasons:
1. We all know "Liberate Haven" wasn't going to pass, much less go to vote.
2. As I stated before, Mall has the full right to act independently as any player, moderator or not, may do.
Although, I do think roleplaying regions should have an easy "opt out of R/D" ability; similar to the "Intergovernmental Organizations" feature Esternial suggested.
JB: What advice would you give to newcomers?
DXIV: Find people who you trust, and stay clear of assholes. Don't do things for those who disregard you and what you want to do. People like those interfere with your progression and experience in this world.
JB: Thank you very much for taking part!
DXIV: My pleasure. Thank you for the interview.
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"Back to School" for NS Universities?
FEATURE | KINZVLLE
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Are NationStates Universities a "dying breed"? Kinzville considers possible causes of their decline...
Earlier this year I became the dean of Equilism University. When I first arrived in Equilism, I was engulfed in the sheer wonderment of the university. The dean at the time had worked tremendously hard before classes ended and the whole institution grinned to a halt. The same phenomenon repeated itself again when all of the teachers, besides my Assistant Dean, failed to accomplish anything with their courses. Granted, this is partly because I started right before the dreaded "summer hole". However, I reckon this is not the only factor playing a role in the decline in the University,
1. Real life: This is all a game. Real life comes first, surely, in all matters. Sadly when it comes to something like teaching a course, this can take time that many simply do not possess. Between typing documents, researching, editing, and teaching a class is no "lunch break" feat. Make no mistake: I am in no way blaming professors, just merely identifying real life as a key factor.
2. Losing interest: At one time or another, we are all guilty of doing this . In fact, the more you do something the less dopamine intake you get from that activity (brain fact). While losing interest halfway is by no means not a sin, it is a problem for the University. While a student losing interest is normally not a huge issue, a teacher is a whole new can of worms. Especially, if you are using the "class system" which Equilism uses, where any truancy by professors leaves a class stranded with no teacher.
3. Focus on the wrong subjects: Courses on World War II or the culture of Finland are amazing and fascinating, but they should not be the focus of a NS University. The last term the university was active, all of the courses were Non NS based (with the exception of Role Playing 101). We have to remember this is NationStates, the school ought to train new (and veteran) members in the fields of fancy and interest in regards to the actual gameplay sphere.
4. Necessity: As dean, I did attempt to get classes restarted but there was one snag... they weren't seen as necessary, and really are they? Most military training is done internally for good reason, same with Foreign Affairs and Diplomacy. With countless guides available on a range of subjects, I had to wonder if these classes really were needed...
We at the Equilism University are considering new arrangements, while those at the Europeia University are already transitioning from ongoing classes to pre-made courses with detailed guides. With this method, all the materials and information are provided, but can be worked on at a student's own pace and, since it is all to be presented as a finished project rather than post-by-post, a teacher's departure does not affect the overall system as much.
Of course, as with every system, there are flaws. First, it takes quite a long time to, not only get a class prepared and refined, but for an entire class to be completed. With this preparation time, I have to wonder whether this process is any slower or faster than that of open classes? It varies but the benefits outweigh this, I believe. The biggest issue with guide-led classes, however, is that just reading a guide isn't always what is needed to learn! Hands-on, practical learning can be extremely critical. The East Pacific may have found a compromise, however, between Europeia and Equilism's education systems: a system based on guides, in addition to a number of Q&A sessions, and supervised practices.
Regardless, there is still one more factor that help determines a university's survival. Are they relevant? As I stated earlier: with the way most subjects are taught there may not seem a pressing need for more training for these areas. Without that need what purpose does a university fill? This answer varies from region to region, topic to topic. Some fields like speech and debate fair better in a classroom than say immigration. Some regions would rather outsource training of ambassadors and such to public-run universities, while others still would view that as unsafe and prefer to keep it in house.
Rounding back to the topic, are NS Universities a dying breed? Regardless of the ideal system, the pulse rate of an academic institution is tied to its relevance. Not just in terms of actual relevance, but also in term of the public's perception of their relevance. If players see a value in keeping these institutions afloat, investing their time in there and maybe even attending classes, then mark my words: there will life. Sadly most universities nowadays have not found that enthusiasm and their "pulse lines" slowly but surely flat-line. As with past universities, many do hold great potential, but they may never live to realize it. There are some regions where universities may still grow and prosper, but for the most part, "the university" as a institution has outlived its relevance.
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War between Osiris and Lazarus Motioned
Osiran Pharaoh motions to declare war on Lazarus
COMMENTARY | TRR STAFF
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Osiran Legislature Convenes to Discuss an Osiran-Lazarene War
PALACE OF DESHRET, THEBES – The Pharaoh of Osiris, Cormac Somerset, has proposed a motion to the Osiran legislature, The Deshret, which would declare war on Lazarus, a fellow sinker.
The War Declaration notes that Lazarus’s harbouring of Karpathos and former members of The Empire, Dalimbar and New Kervoskia, stands against Osiris, especially given an off-the-cuff remark from Karpathos (“Go endotart man, I'm starting to get ideas”). While accusing Lazarene officials of anti-imperialism and hostility towards other Game-Created Regions, the Declaration also condemns Lazarus’s “[doubling down] on tyranny by adopting an authoritarian communist regime”. The full statement can be read here (http://w11.zetaboards.com/OFO/topic/10503090/1/).
Chairman Funkadelia’s election and rise to power has already sparked a severance of relations between Lazarus and Osiris, earlier this year, when Osiris found the new Chairman to be an anti-imperialist. But this more extensive declaration may prove to escalate the conflict greatly.
Concerns have surfaced that the spectre of hostility and fear which comes with any large-scale war may overshadow Lazarus’s hosting of the 2014 Regional Sovereignty Conference, as well as the recent passage of the “Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between The South Pacific and Lazarus”.
Lazarene officials have told The Rejected Times that they would not comment until after a statement from the PRL is published. The Osiran Pharaoh was unavailable for comment at the time of writing.
The motion is currently passing in The Deshret, 8-4. Voting ends late August 28th, 2014.
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Issue XXVII. August 28, 2014.
Osiris, Lazarus Go to War[/size=14pt]
GCR Conflict Escalates
COMMENTARY | KOGVURON
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Headline of the Century.
The political landscape of NationStates was shocked with the news, earlier this week, that the Osiris Fraternal Order had begun a legislative vote to declare war on the People's Republic of Lazarus. Pharaoh Cormac Somerset proposed the motion. In his address to the Deshret, the Pharoah cited threatening comments made by Lazarene Liberation Army General Aperi, the presence of Empire members in the Lazarene government, as well as the anti-imperialist rhetoric given by PRL leaders as justification for formal hostilities. The motion easily passed the Deshret by a tally of 12-5, officially marking the beginning of a state of war between the two regions.
Osiris and Lazarus have had problems before, but the declaration is still, nonetheless, a surprising move. The relationship between the PRL and the OFO was initially positive, with the PRL being one of the first GCR governments to recognize the OFO on January 21, 2014. Unfortunately, things quickly went downhill from there. On June 10, Pharaoh Severisen cut off diplomatic relations with the PRL, citing the PRL's "rabid anti-imperialist stance",
Despite this history, the PRL leadership was surprised by the motion.
"While it initially did catch me off guard," says Chairman Funkadelia, "I really couldn't put this past the Imperialist cabal that has an unfortunate stranglehold on Osiris".
Osiran Pharaoh, Cormac Somerset, refused comment - a new Osiran policy forbids Osiran officials from commenting to The Rejected Times.
Lazarus has quickly responded to the declaration of war, calling in outside support to bolster Funkadelia's endorsement count. Soldiers from the Founderless Regions Alliance, Global Right Alliance, A World Power, Renegade Islands Alliance, and others have endorsed Funkadelia as a precaution against any direct attempts on the Lazarus delegacy. Lazarene leaders are not too worried, however, says Subcomandante Insurgente Aperi.
"I expect the OFO to secure its own borders while enlisting the usual imperialist paramilitary orgs to do the actual dirty work," says Aperi.
Osiris's endorsement count has also increased over the past few days, although it still pales in comparison to the endorsements held by Funkadelia. Whether the PRL would choose to make a direct attack on Osiris remains to be seen, however, and the Pharaoh's endorsement count should place him out of reach of most attacks. Osiris also has the support of the United Imperial Armed Forces and Balder, who both have a substantial number of troops who could support the Pharaoh in case of attack. A successful coup of either government seems very unlikely, at least in the short-term.
With both sides secure in terms of delegacy, the combatants have already turned to the gameplay forum as a way to attack their opponents. Cormac Somerset and other imperialists such as North East Somerset have derided the People's Republic for their non-democratic form of government. A balder publication, The Runes, has also published several articles regarding events in Lazarus, depicting the government in a negative light. Chairman Emeritus Kazmr responded to these attacks in a release of his own titled "The People's Republic Shall Stand Firm", describing Osiris as having taken a "nosedive into insanity".
With neither side able to attack each other directly, this author expects the reliance on information warfare to continue.
There is always a chance that this war will end similar to the last GCR war (between The South Pacific and The West Pacific): with no regime changes. Nevertheless, the combination of mutual dislike and opposing ideologies will surely make this war more interesting than the last and lends ammunition to turn this war into a proper firefight.
The Feux Interview
Feux talks Osiran-Lazarene War, New Lazarus Forums, NPO Anniversary and More!
INTERVIEW | UNIBOT
Unibot sneaks in an (tightly scheduled) afternoon chat with the man who is "always changing shapes". Feux, Lazarene Vice Chairman and NPO Senator, had much to say about current events, while reflecting on his time as Delegate of Lazarus...
__________________________
Unibot: The Feux Interview! Finally after all of these years, we’ve made it happen. The question. The preeminent question of the night is, Feux… what shall we listen to, for the interview? Feux is, of course, a passionate musician.
Feux: Oh, so many choices... maybe Steve Reich's Variations for Winds, Strings and Keyboards. Reich identifies with minimalist composers, so it may not be for everyone, but I enjoy it. The piece can give one the impression of modern times, in my opinion, so it may be fitting for an interview.
*puts it on in the background* Speaking of music, you’ve actually be working on a project for The Rejected Realms with my sort of... vague oversight. Perhaps it’s time we teased just what it is I have had you working on?
Well, certainly one of the more interesting, enjoyable, and... (your vague oversight in mind :P ) entertaining things I have been asked to do on NationStates. While my real life demands leave me pinned for time, the Rejected Realms will certainly have something to call its own in the future.
And we will never speak of that "vague oversight" ever again. Okay. Enough inside jokes! I can't wait for it, Feux. So, you’ve recently been promoted as Vice Chairman in Lazarus. It’s been a busy week for Lazarus to say the least. How did this new position come about and what have been the main challenges you’ve faced? How does it differ as a position from being Chairman?
I was appointed as Vice-Chairman by Funk due to my experience and tenure within the game at large and Lazarus. I believe the largest and most pressing challenge has been ironing out the forum move, which was a very chaotic situation upon finding myself in the middle of it. The stress and anxiety of the issue was clearly getting to everyone involved, but I believe the worst of it has pasted and the new forum will sail forward into some clearer waters. While the Vice-Chairman has some powers, and oversees the People's Congress, making sure topics are put to vote when requested, etc. the Chairman is the boss. However, I advise the chairman greatly whenever Funk asks, and am always happy to help out whenever my knowledge allows.
Some have said switching forums like this is a “security concern” given the war-time circumstances. I hear this a lot. Do you disagree with them?
While I certainly understand where these concerns are coming from, I believe all measures have been taken to maximizes the security of the forum. As root and vice-chairman, it is my responsibility that such things are done and done correctly, so I have been in continuous contact with players who hold considerable amount of knowledge regarding cyber security and the web in general to ensure all bases are covered. I've also have been using all resources available to me - and I have been encouraging other members of the admin staff to do the same - in order to make sure we are ready for any issues we may encounter.
Today’s August 28th 2014. The eleventh anniversary of the August Revolution. The day that Francos Spain first took The Pacific. You’re a NPO Senator, yourself, so I was wondering, we know where The Pacific has been, so the question is where is it heading? What’s next for Pacifica?
Pacifica always moves forward, whether the step is big or small. One of the more notable changes within Pacifica lately would be the re-addressing of Francoism so that it adheres better to the modern times. This is often a challenge, as individuals always tend to have their own thoughts and feelings ready to be expressed on the subject. Ivan, officially senator of doctrine, has been hard at work debating the issue for some time now, not just with his fellow senators, but with members of the international community, as the philosophy is so far reaching.
The possible upcoming war between Lazarus and Osiris may have profound affects on Pacifica as well; however, I cannot say to what extend at the moment. There are some changes regarding exactly how our meritocratic system works under review as well, which could take a shape turn from the traditional format the region as followed for a number of years. We will see what happens as the debates continue, and I am sure Senator Elegarth will keep the international community informed at all times.
The August Revolution launched the first and basically the only other major pan-GCR war. A crisis that built modern Gameplay, really. It’s oddly coincidental that on this very same day, Osiris has declared war with Lazarus. Are we in for a crisis that may in time be recognized as just as influential and significant? Likewise, do you think this will this be a “war of words” or something more?
I am sure some older members would take offense if I compared their struggle against Pacifica with Osiris' behavior towards Lazarus, so I won't. However, there certainly are some parallels between the Great War and coming events that have me rather excited, the possibility of taking part in history only read about growing. I do not entirely believe the war will be composed of words, with so many parties on both sides of the field likely to take part. It should be interesting, and most likely a significant and influential event for all Lazarenes, as well as others.
You had to make that faithful decision, almost a year ago now, to remove Gryfynn, NES and Charles Cerebella from Lazarus. Your last act as Lazarus’s delegate, I believe. How has that decision impacted Lazarus?
When I made the decision, I knew it would have profound affects on where the region was heading. I had no idea in my wildest dreams though that I would find myself as Vice-Chairman within the People's Republic just a year later. Harm would have never been appointed Queen - later Chairman - after my registration, Comrade Milograd never given the opportunity to found the republic, or join the Founderless Regions Alliance, etc. Removing those individuals gave members of the community the opportunity to make Lazarus more than she was, to provide more than I could ever provide by myself.
I have watched individuals mature within gameplay as members of the Lazarene community that was a result of that decision. I have watched them engage in ambitious projects, set new and impressive precedents, and build a community that continuously leaves me speechless and proud of all their incredible achievements. Playing a role as a facilitator of this growth, the development of remarkable players, this rebirth, has cleared my head of any doubt I may have had when the decision was made. I am proud of what Lazarus has become, and I am proud of all my fellow Lazarenes.
There are obvious similarities and differences as region - but at their roots, how are your experiences different being a lead member in Lazarus versus The Pacific?
The experiences I have gone through within both regions have built upon one another, and I believe this is why I am largely successful within both. I was a new player - not understanding gameplay at all - though I had played the game for some time before I arrived at the gates of Pacifica. What I learned from the Pacific, from players such as AMOM, allowed me to feel confident when I was elected delegate in Lazarus. The experiences learned from time as delegate still contributes to my success as a Senator, in my opinion. However, when I arrived in Lazarus, I always got the impression that I was looking at a blank canvas - a feeling that I often do not experience within Pacifica, a region rich in tradition and a long history of adhering to its roots. While I do the same extensive administration work for each regions, and play an important role in determining policies for both, I tend to operate alongside my notions of a blank canvas vs. the painting of tradition.
Do you identify as a defender? Why or why not?
I do not, even though I have served and continue to serve more defender orgs or regions than I have raider. I have always held the belief that it is better to play the role of an observer, willing to take part in both operations, in order to expand my opportunities and carry out the duties required of me as a Senator.
Drafting Liberate Nazi Europe would be an example of this, a resolution not popular at all with individuals leaning toward the defender sphere - or most for that matter after seeing the affects of the liberation.
You’ve been around the block, from the smallest of UCRs to the height of UCRs (delegate of Europe even) to the height of the GCRs. What advice, if you could, would you give new players?
Find a community that you really enjoy, whether it is gameplay or role-play, user created region or game created region, big or small. Through all the things I have been through, my ups and my downs, it has been my friends and comrades, fellow members of the regions I have taken part in that really has made this game what is to me. They are the reason I get excited when I log in, why I want to succeed, you just have to find it.
Thanks so much for the interview, Feux. It's been a blast. Take care of yourself. You've got the floor, mate if you've got any final words for our readers.
Thank you for having me. I look forward to reading the next article of the Times.
Coalition of Freedom: WA Liberation Repealed.
The WA Security Council reconsiders The Coalition of Freedom.
COMMENTARY | XORIET
The Coalition of Freedom was a reasonably active and lively region founded by Riftend, a player whose greatest accomplishment since his unfortunate ejection was enacting the devastation of the Greater Democratic Union, the region which had slighted him. Deeply insulted by this absolute outrage of being ejected, he worked tirelessly for months to secure its downfall. Post success, Riftend spent an entire topic modestly explaining his motives for this act to Gameplay. Tragically, Riftend's touching humility was not widely accepted by the bloodthirsty crowd he appealed to. In fact, the outstanding kindness and respect which he consistently showed all of Gameplay was ultimately and discriminatorily rewarded by the deletion of his main nation.
Many of those who could not abide the sheer graciousness looked to the Coalition of Freedom with bright eyes. One such person was Leningrad Union, one of Riftend's most dedicated fans. He had only the purest possible motives for the region which was now rendered founderless by the aforementioned deletion. While Rifty, Riftend's new identity, made plans to merge with the Eternal Knights for the good of his region, Leningrad Union and his dearest friends made other plans. The Coalition of Freedom desperately needed to retain its sovereignty, of which said merge would ultimately deny the region.
Leningrad Union and his dearest friends moved in to liberate the region of the legal government in hopes of elevating it to new levels of activity.
"The invasion of CoF was not a TBR operation!" the wounded Lenin said. How could anyone possibly attribute his gallant actions to one of the most heinous organizations in Gameplay? He continued on to illustrate his intentions."Once we refound CoF, it will once again be a prospering region, except without the raidfending," he added.
Unfortunately, not everyone understood that Leningrad was doing this for the good of the Coalition of Freedom. The Eternal Knights and Rifty offered strenuous objections to his generosity, proving that they had no care for the sovereignty of the region. They appealed to the great heart of Cormac Somerset in hopes that he would be able to do something for the CoF. Cormac, touched to the quick by their passionate appeals, put up a Liberation proposal in the Security Council, intending to divest the CoF of the password Leningrad had set up to protect the region.
The intention of the no-longer-so-humble Rifty to support the liberation of a region he had denied sovereignty in hopes of bettering it did not go unnoticed or unremarked on by Lexicor, a genuinely sincere and loyal native of the CoF. He proceeded to write a repeal of "Liberate Coalition of Freedom" for a particularly specific reason.
"Rifty did not have the best interest of CoF at heart," Lexicor answered simply when questioned. "He left it out to dry, and I was the only native in the region willing to fight him openly. So I authored the draft constitution for the refound and paid for it with banishment. Out of spite, and actual loyalty, I wrote the repeal. That is all".
The Proletariat Coalition Invaded
COMMENTARY | UNIBOT
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It was a quiet update, fog rolling across the labour camps, when The Black Hawks, with help from the UIAF, The Black Riders, Osiris and Balder seized control of The Proletariat Coalition. Defenders, watching as the invasion occurred, were unable to assist The Proletariat Coalition since the invasion was conducted behind a password -- a common strategy for The Black Hawks.
The Proletariat Coalition, a historic leftist-defender region, has ties to the Red Liberty Alliance which is popularly regarded by some as responsible for the destruction of invader forums between 05-06. While this claim has been contested time and time again, this has not stopped invaders from boasting that the invasion of The Proletariat Coalition serves as some sort of retribution. In fact, this is not the first time that invaders have invaded The Proletariat Coalition - rallying against past cases of forum destruction. Unknown lead a high-profile occupation of The Proletariat Coalition in 2011.
Tahar Joblis, respected generalite and veteran member of The Proletariat Coalition, told The Rejected Times that he remembers the past occupation and that he is confident that this occupation will be no different.
"As is the case in the last invasion," says Tahar Joblis, "it's unlikely that the invaders have anywhere near the level of collective patience required to eject the natives who have WA members since TPC was a much larger region, but they can be irritating in the mean time; and even if most of them get bored within a month, it's still going to take action by defenders' groups to dislodge them".
Tahar has found this recent invasion "a little irritating", citing the suppression of the Regional Message Board and the cancelling of The Proletariat Coalition's embassies as particularly frustrating aspects to the occupation.
Meanwhile, Star City, delegate of The Proletariat Coalition, questioned just how much of an "accomplishment" this really was for invaders, given the region's inactivity and near historical status.
"The invaders do what they do, and in the past they have been elemental in making NationStates interesting," says Star City. "Next month is ten years since I was the delegate of Cuba and played this game well into the middle of the night fending off three invasions and a griefing. However, want to talk about low hanging fruit? It's only because TPC is admittedly moribund that they've pulled this off - we haven't been active on the defender scene as of the last half-decade. Still, you'd think the invaders would like a challenge. All they had to do was pose as someone interested in entering and acquire the password from me. It's not a thrilling battle between invaders and defenders jostling to get enough WA nations in before update, rather it's playing solitaire on really easy settings. They don't give out grand master titles for that".
The Red Fleet, notable leftist army, played a large role in the attempted liberations of The Proletariat Coalition with the last occupation and during this occupation, The Council of Foreign Affairs of The Internationale was adamant that it would support any and all action taken by The Red Fleet to free their fellow leftist region.
"The Black Hawks are an invader region with no particular targets," says Auhl, "They enter a region and force the legitimate nations of that region to exile or to accept them, the oppressors, as their new govern. This is absolutely dishonourable and is frowned upon by the member of The Internationale and its allies. The reputation of the invaders has never been any good in the regions we have relation with, but it has effectively vanished unless they restore the central power to The Proletariat Coalition and stop disturbing the stability of such regions".
When asked whether he and other older defenders would be returning to organize the liberation, Star City remarked dryly, "fending off a home invasion is not the domain of centenarians".
Meanwhile, the invader lead wrote a simple message to onlookers on The Proletariat Coalition's World Factbook Entry: "How long do you think it will take me to remove only ten natives?". The threat has, undoubtedly, cast a shadow over the occupation, while heightening fears of region griefing.
Measuring Democracy
FEATURE | GLEN-RHODES
Democracy seems to be pervasive throughout NationStates. Almost all Game-Created Regions democratically elect their leaders, even if they do so under different trappings – themes of communism, imperialism, monarchism, and the like don’t make the election of leaders any less democratic. But the politics of these regions are different enough to raise the question of whether or not these “democracies” are really the same and can rightly be grouped together.
I’ve written on democracy in NationStates before, with my last research project conceptualizing two different applications of democracy in Game-Created Regions: delegative democracy and guided democracy. I believe that analysis still holds, but is too generalized to be worthy of analytic application. Defining democracy was an important step. It’s now time to consider different concepts and variables that go deeper into the characteristics of all regions, rather than those who merely label themselves democratic because they hold elections.
My next research project seeks to measure a wide array of variables on how authority is exercised in NationStates regions, particularly Game-Created Regions. It will measure things like how leaders are recruited, how they’re chosen, and what kind of political activity occurs in these regions. However, I need help, because measuring these deeper characteristics requires a level of knowledge that I cannot possibly have, unless I immerse myself into all of these regions.
I will be using a modified version of the Polity IV dataset, which is a widely used dataset in political science research on democracy and authority. If you would like to help, all you would have to do is fill out a survey asking you to rank your region according various descriptors. The questions are easy and filling out the survey takes very little time, but it will help the project immensely.
If you would like to help, send an email to gr@thesouthpacific.x10.mx. You’ll be sent a Microsoft Word document with instructions on how to fill out the survey. I’m mostly looking for people in Game-Created Regions who have held powerful positions and who have never held powerful positions. However, people in User-Created Regions are free to participate, as well!
Note: This research project is not affiliated with or sponsored by The Rejected Realms, The Rejected Times, or The South Pacific.
Regional Motto Act Passes
The Rejected Realms chooses its Regional Motto
COMMENTARY | TRR STAFF
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Soon Available to Order: Snarky TRR T-Shirts
The Rejected Realms has passed the Regional Motto Act, 15-9. The Act officially recognizes "Illegitimi non carborundum" as the region’s motto. “Illegitimi non carborundum”, a mock Latin phrase, is oft translated roughly as “Don’t let the bastards grind you down”.
The motto itself was chosen as The Rejected Realm’s motto as the result of a month long contest, The Month of the Motto, where the region decided (tournament-style), which motto, out of a range of different nominees, would best reflect the region. However, The Assembly still needed to approve the choice for the motto to be officially recognized.
Understandably, there is more to the legislation than just what meets the eye. The Regional Motto Act also encourages executives to make use of the motto on all government literature and bureaucratic documentation. Likewise, the Regional Motto Act establishes additional protocols in regards to its use: explictly allowing nations in The Rejected Realms to use the regional motto as their own national motto.
The Delegate of The Rejected Realms was ecstatic with the passage of the "Regional Motto Act".
"It's fantastic," says Unibot, "Generations of rejects have continually added this and that to our lore - progressing and elevating it - and we're not any different. We're adding to the creed, culture and psychology of what it means to be a reject. The motto is quite important because it speaks to us all. It tells us that we need to continue, under any circumstances... against the whole lot of them, to accomplish what we need to do. It tells us to believe in ourselves and put faith in our tenacity".
With war on the horizon, the tough new slogan represents the heart of rejects, brazen and indomitable - nobody's fool.
FRA Elections Prove Interesting
COMMENTARY | RYNO
Typical FRA elections sees candidates run up against the same dreaded foe. That foe would be the hard-to-defeat "abstain". These elections were no different really. All candidates saw themselves up against abstain and all but one defeated the terror of "abstainity"!
As far as the victors of the other positions, Joe Bobs won the coveted Arch Chancellor position, Dyr Nasad won Chief of Defense, Frattastan now stands as Minister of Intelligence, and Wibblefeet will oversee the house as Speaker. All winning with ease, these candidates proved popular with voters. People United Together lost to abstain and had to "try again" to win the position of Regional Liaison Officer in a snap election.
In the snap election for Regional Liaison Officer, People United Together joined with Sovereign Liberties to form a joint ticket. They faced off against Tim. Interestingly, the joint ticket beat Tim by a narrow one vote margin (5-4) with a late vote for Tim not being counted.
What really made this election interesting, however, is what happened after the vote.
Tim asked People United Together to respond to a screenshot of a post left by him in The East Pacific's forum. Tim was concerned about having a FRA cabinet member distancing himself from the FRA and serving invader constituents like defender constituents. After quite a lot of drama surrounding the issue of whether being neutral is acceptable for cabinet ministers, Sovereign Liberties resigned.
"I'm going to have to pull a Tim rather than a Karp or a Milo and resign because of RL," says Sovereign Liberties. :I don't have the time to do the job as good as it should be done and I'd rather not half-ass everything else that I have going on".
The drama ended with Tim apologizing for "letting the thread get out of hand". Remarkably, Tim was later appointed Vice Chancellor - selected personally by the Arch Chancellor.
People United Together spoke with The Rejected Times briefly, expressing his belief that this term would be a "comeback" for the defender organization. Joe Bobs, the new Arch Chancellor shared his enthusiasm, plus a shining new vision for the Founderless Regions Alliance too.
"I want the FRA to become a cornerstone of NationStates," says Joe Bobs. "When someone wants to begin a new region, I want them to come to us where they will receive advice and guidance. When a region is struggling, I want them to come to us for help analysing their problems and finding solutions. When a region suspects invasion, I want them to come to us for help with securing their region. When a region needs to be liberated from an oppressor, I want them to come to us for assistance gaining their freedom. And when a region wants to write a constitution, build a military, set up a diplomatic network, or generally needs help in allowing their community to thrive, I want them to come to us".
It'll be interesting to see how this term turns out. With the dreaded abstain (until next election) and the drama long behind them, of course!
"Doctor Who Week" in TRR
The Rejected Realms celebrates "Doctor Who" premiere.
FEATURE | UNIBOT
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Kogvuron, Internal Affairs Officer has organized a popular theme week for TRR.
__________
The Tardis, a tall indigo police-box, materializes in The Greymarshes - the moorish outskirts of The Rejected Realms's capital city. The Doctor exits The Tardis with curiosity beaming in his gaze. His companion, Clara, follows his lead, closing The Tardis's doors behind them.
The tantalizing smell of exotic meats wafts through the air.
The Doctor: Say hello to The Rejected Realms, Clara. Where the barbecue never stops!
Clara: Well that's alright, yeah?
The Doctor sniffs the air indulgently.
The Doctor: You can almost taste the roasted unicorn...
Clara: Maybe not then.
The Doctor: Suit yourself. As legend has it though, it's bad luck to refuse unicorn meat.
Clara: What're we doing here again?
The Doctor pulls his psychic paper from his jacket - it reads as an invitation.
The Doctor: Invitation. They're holding some sort of birthday party for yours truly. Very kind of them. Love birthdays. Except pinatas. Hate pinatas.
Clara: It's your birthday?
The Doctor: I'm a two thousand year old time traveler who lives in a box that's bigger on the inside. Any day can be a birthday.
Clara: And you're sure this isn't a trap?
The Doctor: Trap? What trap? A trap in The Rejected Realms!? Land of the... Rejects and... and (blimey) --
Clara: -- is that really what these lot call themselves?
The Doctor: Better "reject" than "baldie".
Clara: Well...
Clara is unconvinced. The Doctor frowns.
The Doctor: Here, look...
The Doctor hands Clara the invitation to read. Clara reads.
The Doctor: Lots of legitimate stuff on that. Dream journals, favourite quotations, cusine tasting --
Clara: -- no unicorns!!
The Doctor: No Unicorns. Promise. Good food. Food, glorious food. Fried, roasted or stewe--
Clara frowns at the menu.
Clara: --fishfingers and custard!?
The Doctor: An old favourite. What? It was a phase...
Clara: What's this about choosing a themed "avatar"?
The Doctor: No idea. Reckon it must be like changing your face or something, but who would ever want to do that?
Clara: Oooh. There's a scavenger hunt too!
The Doctor: Really!?
The Doctor grabs the invitation excitedly to read on.
The Doctor: Fantastic! Always fancy a good scavenger hunt. Who needs knitting when you have a scavenger hunt.
Clara: Okay, I'm sold. Where is it again?
The Doctor: We're looking for Unibot. Leader of the Rejects. Tall fellow. Blabbermouth. Bit of a moral fanatic really...
Clara: Brave words, Don Quixote.
The Doctor: And the eyebrows. Don't stare at them. They're frightfully under-kept.
Clara: You look in a mirror recent, mate?
The Doctor walks off aimlessly. Clara tries to keep up.
Clara: Are we lost, Doctor?
The Doctor: Philosophically or geogra--
Clara: --Geographically.
The Doctor: Lost like Columbus, I'm afraid. Not to worry though, there's still one thing we haven't lost: daylight.
The heavens cloud over and it begins to pour rain. Clara shrieks and the two of them dash for cover.
The Doctor: Bad luck ... unicorns... all I'm saying!!
The Cold War Awakes
EDITORIAL | UNIBOT
Unibot reflects on the events leading up to the Osiran-Lazarene War...
August 2013. NationStates's centre of power at the brink of war – ring any bells? Well it should. Only a year ago, Belschaft sat down with journalists, over jammie dodgers and afternoon tea, to share a pet theory of his that NationStates had entered into a “Cold War”. Tensions between Francoists and Imperialists rose over the uneasy summer after the two factions found themselves at loggerheads over the ill-fated invasion of Nazi Europe and, even more troubling, the Gatesvillian Occupation of Osiris (“The Imperium War”). Francoists, no longer viewing Defenderdom as the primary “userite” threat, began to quietly ally themselves with Defenders, while Imperialists courted independent regions like The North Pacific and The West Pacific – there building a strong base of influence under the delegacies of McMasterdonia, Westwind and later r3naissanc3r.
At first, an outright war between Francoists and Defenders versus Imperialists and Independents seemed imminent … and then, as the political fates would have it: the threat simply declined.
Proud Anti-Imperialist, Karpathos, was removed from Pacifica, while Independentism began to falter in popularity and Defenders pursued greater political discipline within their ranks. By the time that the leaves fell, a novemberish ambience lorded over NationStates and, for many commentators, a cold war seemed like a remote possibility, short in political momentum and inspiration – wishful-thinking of the conflict-aficionados and jumpy warhawks of high “Gameplay”. Being the fossil that I am, I was still writing articles at this time with empirical evidence that suggested political fragmentation was still occurring in the Game-Created Regions – signs of a cold war still active. But this was a time of détente – the suggestion of a “cold war” was the punchline of a diplomatic joke, not a serious proposal.
Little did we know that nearly a year later, the war would officially begin.
However, it's not only important to understand how this war has begun, but how it has evolved and escalated to these grave, dramatic series of circumstances that we face. The Cold War never died. It has been in hibernation -- a process of reconfiguration. Pressure has been building for months, such that a release like this was inevitable. The cork in the bottleneck can easily be identified as political inertia and the social stigmas against open GCR aggression, which have kept the Cold War from turning "hot" for all of these past months. But theories from the school of International Relations (IR) can help us identify what broke the levy, virtually a year later...
School children are taught that the main factors that led to World War One are Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism and Nationalism (M.A.I.N). More complicated International Relations (IR) theories would discuss the lack of interdependencies (Liberalism), insecurity (Neo-Realism), imperialism and the rational interests of those involved (Realism) and the ideologies and cultures of the warring regions (Constructivism).
If we are to examine the recent Osiran declaration of war and the diplomatic escalation that led to it as a calculation of rational interests of those involved, it is clear that this was an inevitable outcome. The imperialist faction and the defenderist faction would both have it in their interests to expand their influence, but expansion can only continue so far – a diplomatic race, to have a decisive winner, must have a finish line.
War is a diplomatic instrument as much as it is a threat – it can be used to diplomatically “contain” and isolate the influence of enemies. Normally, diplomacy is a positive-sum game. For example, Bigtopia benefits from a security alliance with Lilliputia and Maxtopia (and vice versa), thus Bigtopia has no rational reason to not accept security alliances with both regions unless coercion and wartime conditions force this diplomatic game to become zero-sum, where Bigtopia has to choose between relations with Lilliputia and Maxtopia. It is often difficult to establish these conditionals without the spectre of war because the political optics are, otherwise, problematic: soverigntists in Bigtopia will accuse Lilliputia and Maxtopia of abusing Bigtopia diplomatically and forcing them to isolate themselves, while either Lilliputia or Maxtopia may offer to allow Bigtopia to pursue both alliances which undercuts the other’s position in the negotiations.
The South Pacific is the preeminent case of this scenario with The New Inquisition recently attempting to force The South Pacific to choose between a treaty with The Rejected Realms and The New Inquisition - a move which if successful done, isolates The South Pacific from their enemies, while making the war all that more inconvenient for their enemies which could bolster the value of negotiations with them to end a war that their enemies, otherwise, try to forget.
Following the various treaties and alliances between Game-Created Regions and influential imperialist and independent regions helps paint the picture of networking and containment,
[July 28 2013] Balder withdraws from the Pan-Sinker Security Pact
[July 30 2013] Osiris withdraws from the Pan-Sinker Security Pact
[July 31 2013] Europeia severs ties with The NPO
[August 10 2013] The North Pacific and Balder Security Treaty
[August 19 2013] Treaty of Friendship between The North Pacific and Europeia
[October 23 2013] Balder severs ties with Lazarus
[October 23 2013] Belschaft declares Lazarus-TSP alliance defunct
[November 18 2013] Europeia severs ties with Lazarus
[December 08 2013] Osiris and Balder Twin Sinker Treaty
[April 14 2014] The North Pacific and Albion Security Treaty
[April 26 2014] The Treaty of the Old Gods (ISRA)
[March 11 2014] The Treaty of Alsfeld (Balder-LKE)
[March 21 2014] Treaty of Amity and Non-Aggression between The South Pacific and Kantrias
[May 31 2014] Friendship Treaty Between The West Pacific and The New Inquisition
[June 06 2014] Treaty of the Imperium (TWP/LKE)
[June 10 2014] Osiris severs ties with Lazarus
[June 16 2014] The East Pacific - Osiris Treaty of Amity
[July 21 2014] World Assembly Legislative League (TNP-Euro-Balder)
[July 24 2014] TNI severs ties with The South Pacific
[August 04 2014] Kantrias severs ties with The South Pacific
[August 28 2014] Osiris declares war on Lazarus
*Red for sanctions, Black for treaties and alliances.
The Imperium War set the stage for a number of very important developments, first and foremost being Balder and Osiris’s rejection of the Pan-Sinker Security Pact (PSSP) and Europeia’s severing of ties with The New Pacific Order. Lazarus’s removal of key imperialist members and its entrance into the Founderless Regions Alliance (in addition to the X-Y-Z Treaty) was met with extensive sanctions from the interregional imperialist-independent community – a trifecta of embassy closures from Balder, The South Pacific and Europeia which was later followed by Osiris on June 10, 2014. The South Pacific’s allianceship with The Rejected Realms also precipitated diplomatic sanctions from The New Inquisition and Kantrias, two notable imperialist regions who used the FRA-TNI War as a backdrop for their diplomatic maneuver. This behaviour is, of course, symptomatic of cold war diplomacy – the severing of relationships serves as punishment, coercion and most of all isolation and containment, while the political stage is simultaneously conceived through a converging network of new (and sometimes redundant) diplomatic relationships.
Some might find that the loss of security obligations and opportunities for diplomatic cooperation between various factions helped escalate the conflict because without interdependencies, regions like Balder or Osiris have no particular interest in maintaining even a pretense of good relations with Lazarus or The New Pacific Order. Others still would argue that this isolation was intentional, to (i) protect factions from diplomatic blowback for engaging in hostilities with the other faction, and, (ii) force potential allies to choose between them or their enemy, as opposed to a cooperative, positive-sum relationship that might restrict these enemies from engaging in hostilities. Nevertheless, this pattern of alliancing and marshaling of regions into factions has not been a new trend per se, but has played a direct role in fueling the rise of the Cold War.
Militarization also cannot be overlooked. Five years ago, as far as I can remember, most of the Game-Created Regions did not maintain active militaries if they maintained militaries at all (NPA has been resurrected, while TWPAF, EPSA, SPSF, PEF and LLA are relatively new from 2011-13) – it was rare even for Game-Created Regions to have contacts with militarized regions, let alone militaries of their own. Obviously our present political environment is much different which helps to shift the tone from a once peaceful climate of multilateral diplomacy to brutish, aggressive gunboat diplomacy. The entire idea of a Cold War fundamentally relies on militarization: 2011’s “soldierless” Lazarus would have never fought a war against 2011’s “paper tiger” KRO – the resulting scene would have presumably been downright comical for onlookers.
However, I reckon sociological and anthropological features have played a large role in the Cold War too. Each "player" within the conflict has undergone significant social reconstruction and ideational change since The Imperium War. The Pacific has rejected Francoism - stripping itself of materialism in favour of a non-materialist, structural and critical philosophy, Post-Francoism. This places The Pacific in contention with material and interest-based philosophies like Imperialism and Independentism. Meanwhile, Osiris has since adopted Imperialism, after a period of ambiguity where it was unclear whether Osiris would remain Independentist, become Invaderist or adopt a new version of Imperialism. Lazarus, of course, has been reborn from an ideological package of Francoist and Lenin-Marxist ideas which brings with it shades of Communism, Anti-Imperialism, Defenderism and a critical view on Liberal Democracy, which its enemies have used to their advantage: imperialists have never so desperately attempted to link their ideology with liberal democratic values before - enough so, that it is almost as if imperialists have tried to fill the contrasting political vacuum, à la ACCEL: Osiris's capitalism to Lazarus's communism, so to speak.
Social Constructivists, however, would not just analyze the ideologies of the Cold War, but also reflect on the various grievances which might be involved. There are numerous examples of grievances between the parties which continue to echo and relive themselves through present and ongoing conflicts - take for example, Milograd's Coup of The South Pacific from April 2013, which was still brought up as a recent interregional grievance in the Osiran Declaration of War despite The South Pacific recently signing a peace treaty with Lazarus. Dismissing Hobbes from root Admin has also been used as an interregional grievance against Lazarus (despite Hobbes asking for the issue to be "dropped"), since Lazarus's enemies have keenly sensed a rare political opportunity to divide The East Pacific (Hobbes's main region) from Lazarus - The East Pacific is the only region to maintain treaties with both Osiris and Lazarus.
Another imperialist grievance oft resurrected is the removal of leading imperialists from Lazarus under the late Feux Administration which has been discursively framed as a "purge" to associate it with the widespread civil unrest of Moldavian and Durkadurkiranistani crises (which fosters an outpour of interregional sympathy and concern for victims). Meanwhile, the repeated lazarene grievances against imperialism are numerous, but many were included in A Mean Old Man's "NPO Retort", which painted the picture of imperialist subversion in Lazarus and outlined the petty political posturing that lead to the embarrassing failure to occupy NAZI EUROPE. Lazarus's "The False Independence" adds to the list of grievances, proposing that instead of freeing Lazarus, independentism had been an ideological tool to maintain control over Lazarus and keep it dependent on foreign imperialist powers.
The conflict before us, thus, is a complex beast -- diplomatic containment, identity politics and a quagmire of bad social history lies at the heart of the Cold War. After the monumental events that have transpired today, NationStates will bear witness to the first large-scale war between great powers since Franco's Pacific fought The Alliance Defence Network. In the grand scheme of things, it is not a coincidence that the two youngest states of the Game-Created Regions, no less, have been the centre of this conflict.
The two great powers least burdened with political inertia, most challenged in diplomatic breadth and most vulnerable to the threat of annexation and regime change.
The war has risen from its slumber with a vengeance and an appetite for drama. As coats turn, worlds burn -- NationStates engulfed for once, not in uncertain peace, but instead certain pandemonium -- I ask only one thing of you all: let it not be for nothing!
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The Rejected Times invites all of our readers to participate in our new survey (http://questionpro.com/t/AKeGVZRblc). The aim of the poll is to compare GCRs in a number of different areas of interest. The results will be published in a future edition.
- TRR Times Staff.
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Issue XXVIII. September 19, 2014.
TRR Celebrates Kandarin Day
Office of IA opens a Murder Mystery into the "suspicious" Departure of the Late Kandarin
COMMENTARY | TRR STAFF
The Rejected Realms celebrates Kandarin Day today on September 19, 2014. The regional holiday, established earlier this year in the “Regional Holidays Act”, honours The Rejected Realms’ longest serving delegate. Kandarin served as the delegate of The Rejected Realms between 2003 and 2010.
To help celebrate the holiday, the World Factbook Entry reflects on Kandarin’s contributions to the region, Kandarin’s flag flies over the region and citizens have been encouraged to discuss their experiences of Kandarin on the Regional Message Board.
Unibot, current Delegate of The Rejected Realms, called Kandarin’s delegacy, “an impressive reign of stability, philosophy and friendship” – one which “every successor has hoped to carry forward forevermore”.
“I had the pleasure to speak with Kandarin on many occasions before and after his retirement,” says Unibot. “He was always courteous and he was always welcoming. Many considered him their confidant. He had a vision for The Rejected Realms – a region that people would enjoy being rejected to. Thank heavens that he succeeded in building that vision and establishing our region as a world power and a trusted friend abroad”.
In coordination with the Executive, The Office of Internal Affairs under Kogvuron have organized a month-long cultural event, “Who killed Kandarin?” to, in perhaps a more light-hearted fashion, celebrate Kandarin’s career and personality. The Murder Mystery (http://s8.zetaboards.com/The_RR_and_RRA/topic/8499711/1/#new) follows the reopened investigation into the suspicious departure of Kandarin – “interrogating” friends, enemies and frenemies of the Late Kandarin.
CrazyGirl, one of the investigation’s primary suspects, left many in doubt whether she really did commit the crimes accused of her.
“I don't think Crazy Girl killed Kandarin,” says Ryno, long-time resident, but noting, “more information is needed though. Finding the killer is very important”.
Other citizens are less unsure.
“My feelings being all evidence points to Crazygirl,” says Wopruthien, eyeing a potential promotion in the event of his High Commander’s surprise incarceration…
The real assailant will be identified by the end of September using the (fair and balanced) Court of Public Opinion to consider a number of high-profile suspects. Kandarin Day, however, will continue through today with many streamers and an outrageously large barbecue. Happy Kandarin Day Everyone!
The Lazarene-Osiran War: How the GCRs Stand
COMMENTARY | TRR STAFF
We’re a week into the Lazarene-Osiran War and already it has become a challenge to follow where each Game-Created Region stands on the Lazarene-Osiran War.
Several regions have declared their support for Lazarus or Osiris, others too have claimed neutrality. The hard-working journalists and staff reporters here at The Rejected Times have delved into each Game-Created Regions’ statements to find their stance on the ongoing war effort, where they align and how they will respond to aggression towards either Lazarus or Osiris.
(https://wintreath.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2Frs2dTk5.png%3F1%3F1146&hash=9f539ac9b9713396d1dcf79fbd23b456) The Rejected Realms: A Non-Aggression Pact in Jeopardy
Background: OSI-TRR relations were reopened on June 09 2014 with the passage of a Non-Aggression Pact, while LAZ-TRR relations have been an established, timely fixture.
The Rejected Realms announced its intention to defend Lazarus, its longest standing ally, in the event of an attack. Due note: The Rejected Realms is legally obligated to provide defense to Lazarus under their Alliance with Lazarus, The Pan-Sinker Accord, The XYZ Treaty and the Constitution of the Founderless Regions Alliance.
Guy, TRR Minister of Foreign Affairs published a statement which found the war, “deeply regrettable” and hoped that a “peaceful resolution” would be struck without further hostilities. In that statement, The Rejected Realms also reaffirmed its commitment to its Non-Aggression Pact with Osiris – pledging not to engage in hostile action against Osiris.
While Pharaoh Cormac Somerset had initially posted its respect for this stance, he later cancelled Osiris’s embassy with The Rejected Realms and announced his intentions to repeal Osiris’s Non-Aggression Pact with The Rejected Realms. Despite having previously agreed to respect The Rejected Realms’ decision to attend the 2014 Regional Sovereignty Conference (http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?p=21595344#p21595344), Osiris condemned The Rejected Realms’ attendance at the 2014 Regional Sovereignty Conference as “war-planning” behind closed doors – a claim which The Rejected Realms (and other attendees) dispute. As it stands, the Non-Aggression Pact is still in effect and a repeal has not been motioned in the legislature.
(https://wintreath.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FCNFTtFC.png%3F1%3F8430&hash=fb1a2b7167f63ada36b7f953b0bd3fc5) Balder: A Loyal Ally – but how loyal?
Background: OSI-BAL relations have been a strong fixture for years, currently represented by The Treaty of the Old Gods which established the Imperial Sovereign Realms Army (ISRA) between Osiris and Balder to protect their regions and advance the cause of Imperialism. LAZ-BAL relations largely collapsed with Balder’s withdrawal of Treaty of Copenhagen in response to the rise of the People’s Republic of Lazarus (PRL) which they have since accused of being anti-imperialist.
The question left open with Balder is not whether Balder will support Osiris – Zander Cerebella’s announcement ensured there was no doubt remaining in any one’s mind in regards to whether or not Balder would stand behind its long-time ally, Osiris. However, when commentators asked whether Balder would support hostile action against Lazarus, the Statsminister skirted around providing a direct answer, noting instead that the public would have to wait for Balder to discuss the matter.
(https://wintreath.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FAzFicDk.png%3F1&hash=44651c79ed556d984d877c62fd8024e2) The West Pacific: A Honeymoon Over Too Soon
Background: OSI-TWP relations were closed by The Kemetic Republic’s Osiris (KRO) from 11 May 2013 onward in response to TWP’s support of Milograd’s regime in TSP. However, TWP’s support for the Exiled-KRO regime, the Empress Astarial (Detective Figs) regime and later, the Osiris Fraternal Order (OFO) went a long way towards relaxing relations.
The West Pacific released a statement declaring it would not commit aggression against either Osiris or Lazarus and hoped for a cessation of hostilities. During that statement, The West Pacific also affirmed its commitment to the values of national sovereignty and regional sovereignty. Darkesia expressed her disappointment with Osiris’s decision to withdraw relations with The West Pacific over The West Pacific’s participation in the 2014 Regional Sovereignty Conference.
It should also be noted, Darkesia also hinted that The West Pacific administration would be following this statement with a more extensive statement later.
(https://wintreath.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FYqGtejY.png%3F1%3F7219&hash=35570cf5bf26e3c05d985062aeb9029d) The East Pacific: A Tipping of the Scales
Background: At the start of the war, TEP was the only region to boast treaties with both the OFO and the PRL. TEP relatively recently signed “The East Pacific - Osiris Treaty of Amity” and until recently maintained “The Treaty between The East Pacific and Lazarus” (as a reaffirmation of the old, pre-PRL 2009 treaty between TEP and Lazarus).
The East Pacific began the war with a statement which argued that ideology was at the heart of the war – defenderism in Lazarus and imperialism in Osiris. Ramaeus continued by pledging to defend either region in the event it was attacked and otherwise to maintain “equilibrium” between the two sides. In the controversial statement he followed by praising The East Pacific’s “ideology of neutrality” –arguing that it was central to his region’s identity and distinctiveness.
If that wasn't enough of an undisciplined juggling act… it got worse.
Later that week, in response to Pharaoh Somerset’s unilateral closure of relations with The Pacific (among other game-created regions), Ramaeus posted a second statement calling Cormac’s actions, a “worrying trend” but in the same breath suggesting that “one must consider” that Lazarus should not have added the civil war as a topic of discussion in the 2014 Regional Sovereignty Conference. The delegate continued by saying it was “foolish” of Lazarus not to have reduced potential “blowback” to this decision by holding the 2014 Regional Sovereignty Conference at a “neutral host”. Yep, you read that right: “neutral host” – The East Pacific had already declined to attend their ally’s conference because it was not being hosted elsewhere in a neutral location (for which the main suggestion was… erm, you betcha: The East Pacific!).
Shortly thereafter, in a surprise move, The East Pacific would announce its intentions to end its long-standing treaty with Lazarus – the only reason given thus far suggests The East Pacific believes this will help it maintain a “balance” during the war. Oddly enough however, The East Pacific has not closed its treaties with Osiris which begs the question of how this decision is one based on balance alone.
(https://wintreath.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2F0wCZZU7.png%3F1%3F4294&hash=d86f1720cf02ad222936b2933fdb7b34) The Pacific: A Sleeping Giant Awakes
Background: As Douria once said: “[OFO’s] ties to The Pacific were never strong, and we never once considered them a friend”. However, NPO-LAZ relations have been a mainstay of the PRL, especially with the latest agreement outlined in “Treaty between The Pacific and Lazarus (2014)”.
After the closure of embassies between The Pacific and Osiris in response to The Pacific’s participation in the 2014 Regional Sovereignty Conference, The Pacific posted a statement decrying the closure of embassies as “offensive” and argued that the move went against The Pacific’s own sovereignty (which is ironic given the purpose and eponymous topic of the conference). The Pacific also pledged to stand behind its long-standing ally, Lazarus with a few veiled threats along the way (e.g., “we will deal with the conflict as it develops”, “utilize all the resources at our disposal to permanently solve this issue”).
However it’s not all doom and gloom: The Pacific did also offer to serve as mediators in any future negotiations between Lazarus and Osiris.
(https://wintreath.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FIk5Dvyg.png%3F1%3F2083&hash=6ff5e34ed4e5d56d520d4bbedb02bdfd) The South Pacific: A Burning Bridge
Background: OSI-TSP relations stalled with the unraveling of the KRO by the autumn of 2013. TSP, at that time, declined to recognize the new regime (in response to its lack of a constitution) and was greeted with a slew of insults directed at them by the Imperial Council’s Cormac Somerset, including that it was an “interregional irrelevance”, “worthless”, “a rotting shell” and “a largely inactive region that has no interest in properly defending itself or providing any meaningful assistance in [Osiris’s] defense”. TSP did eventually recognize the OFO. Lazarus, meanwhile, has maintained treaties with The South Pacific for several years now with only a brief interruption when the treaty was downgraded to a Non-Aggression Pact (with much “panda diplomacy”) amidst tensions that rose with the appointment of Chairman Milograd (i.e., Former Couper of TSP).
After The South Pacific announced its intentions to attend the 2014 Regional Sovereignty Conference, Cormac Somerset cancelled relations between Osiris and The South Pacific. Cormac also initiated a widely criticized recall motion against Glen-Rhodes, Minister of Foreign Affairs in The South Pacific for his handling of The South Pacific’s relations with Osiris. The recall motion was rejected and Cormac was forced to his resign his citizenship following the public blowback he received for motioning the recall (given his conflict of interests in the matter).
The South Pacific recently passed an “Assembly Resolution on the Osiris-Lazarus War”, stressing The South Pacific’s wish to remain neutral in the conflict and promoting their values of peace, goodwill and the security of Game-Created Regions. As for whether The South Pacific would provide support forces to defend Lazarus, under The South Pacific’s treaty text, Lazarus can request assistance – however, the text is clear that this does “not extend to defense against attacks provoked by hostile activity on part of the requesting party”.
(https://wintreath.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FEDles5U.png%3F1%3F2069&hash=3530322edd3fc61c91ef0774e99b7a40) The North Pacific: A Silent Wildcard
Background: TNP does not have treaties with either Osiris or Lazarus. However, TNP boasts healthy relations with both regions.
The North Pacific is the only Game-Created Region to have refrained from commenting publicly on their stance regarding the Osiran-Lazarene War. Fortunately, The Rejected Times has The North Pacific’s McMasterdonia on speed-dial. McMasterdonia, The North Pacific’s Foreign Affairs Minister, spoke briefly on the war, noting that The North Pacific intended to maintain a neutral stance.
“TNP hasn't made a statement because we don't believe it is necessary at this point,” says McMasterdonia, “we have positive relations with both regions and we're committed to remaining neutral in the war”.
But would The North Pacific provide military support for the invaded side of the war? McMasterdonia was reluctant to say for certain.
“Our position is not immune to changing circumstances and may be reviewed if the Government believes our position requires re-evaluating,” explains the Foreign Minister. “At present, we are committed to neutrality given our positive relationships with both sides”.
A Facelift for NationStates?
COMMENTARY | UNIBOT
Out of the blue comes new speculation regarding a potential “facelift” for NationStates – at this time we can only speculate, however the redesign of the game would probably provide a new look for the site. In particular, commentators like Zocra have taken issue with NationStates’s banner and sidebar, which some have suggested has been “getting outdated”.
After Zocra’s comments, Reploid Productions, Forum Admin, made a surprise hint (http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=311910) that a new redesign was in the works for NationStates’s look.
“No ETA on it just yet,” says Reploid, “but from what I've seen of it so far, it's looking very shiny!”
Without a date provided, we cannot confirm when the new design will be available. However, this development has excited many with the latest design (i.e., “Century”)introduced just shy of four years ago on 28 November 2010. One might wonder whether we could be in for a surprise “anniversary” gift for November 12? Oh how the mind reels with possibilities…
The NS Regional Influence Survey: A Comparison[/i][/b]
COMMENTARY | JOE BOBS
As many of you will know, I recently conducted the Great Influence Survey (http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=306872), which looked at what regions and inter-regional organisations are considered most influential today and throughout history. The results were interesting, and you can read through them on the above link.
In this article, I want to look at comparing the results to the 2012 Survey (http://s4.zetaboards.com/UDL/topic/9733305/1/) conducted by Falconias.
Now, the comparison is not an exactly equal one. Falconias separated UCRs from GCRs (of course this makes more space in ones ballot for other regions) and he scored one vote per region per person, whereas I used a 1-10 scale; but let’s put those objections to one side so we can enjoy the comparison. Below are the results from Falconias’ survey and then mine, those with a score below 10 have been excluded for brevity’s sake.
2012 Results
1st Europeia -- 48
2nd 00000 A World Power -- 44
3rd Gatesville -- 43
4th 10000 Islands -- 41
5th The Black Hawks -- 39
6th (tie) Canada -- 36
7th (tie) Equinox -- 36
9th Equilism -- 35
10th (tie) Texas -- 34
10th (tie) The New Inquisition -- 34
12th Great Britain and Ireland -- 33
13th Wysteria -- 29
14th The Kodiak Republic -- 27
15th (tie) Lone Wolves United -- 25
15th (tie) Yggdrasil -- 25
17th DEN Army -- 23
18th Absolution -- 18
19th Unknown -- 17
20th (tie) Europe -- 15
20th (tie) Hampshire -- 15
22nd (tie) Liberalia -- 13
22nd (tie) NationStates -- 13
22nd (tie) New Folsom -- 13
25th (tie) Alteran Empire – 12
25th (tie) DEN Central Command -- 12
25th (tie) Kingdom of Ireland -- 12
25th (tie) Sapientia – 12
29th Eastern Roman Empire – 11
2014 Results
1 The North Pacific 112 (17)
2 The Rejected Realms 106 (14)
3 Osiris 95 (14)
4 Europeia 89 (12)
5 10000 Islands 75 (12)
6 The Land of Kings and Emperors 70 (9)
7 Lazarus 69 (11)
8 The East Pacific 67 (11)
9 The New Inquisition 54 (8)
10 Albion 51 (7)
11 The Black Riders 41 (9)
12 Balder 39 (8)
13 The South Pacific 37 (7)
14 Spiritus 32 (6)
15 The West Pacific 31 (5)
16 The Pacific 29 (5)
17 Equilism 15 (6)
18 Capitalist Paradise 14 (3)
19 Democratic Socialist Alliance 11 (2)
20 Global Right Alliance 10 (2)
=21 The Internationale 10 (1)
So what can we see? Europeia have maintained their position as the most influential UCR in the world, whilst sadly 00000 A World Power and Gatesville no longer chart. 10000 Islands have risen from fourth to second place. The Black Hawks no longer place, but The Black Riders have come from nowhere to sixth place. Equilism have risen from ninth to eighth whilst The New Inquisition have also risen from tenth to fourth, and their UIAF partners the Land of Kings and Emperors have climbed from forty-eighth into third place and Albion from unranked to fifth. Spiritus, Capitalist Paradise, the Democratic Socialist Alliance, the Global Right Alliance and The Internationale were also unranked on the 2012 survey.
What broader conclusions can be drawn? The Black Hawks, DEN, Lone Wolves United and Unknown all ranked in the top of the 2012 survey, but only The Black Riders represent the Invader sphere in 2014. The rise of the Imperialist sphere is evident with the rankings of the UIAF members, whilst the number of Defender regions in the top is fairly constant. Interestingly, ideologically focused regions seem to be more in vogue in 2014 than they were in 2012, with the DSA, Internationale and Capitalist Paradise ranking highly, but regions themed on real world places are apparently no longer a la mode in terms of perceived influence (see Great Britain & Ireland, Kingdom of Ireland, Canada, Europe and Hampshire).
For me, the most interesting feature comes from looking at those regions who have stayed at the top: Europeia, 10000 Islands, The New Inquisition and Equilism. Amazingly, if we look at The Mighty Pump’s 2005 survey (http://s4.zetaboards.com/UDL/topic/9733294/1/), 10000 Islands and Equilism were in the top ten back then too.
1. Nasicournia
2. Gatesville
3. Equilism
4. 10000 Islands
5. The Proletariat Coalition
6. The New Meritocracy
7. Allied States of EuroIslanders
8. Whatever region the DEN resides in
9. Lazarus
10. The YoungWorld
The staying power of 10000 Islands and Equilism is very impressive, and also for Europeia and The New Inquisition. We can only wonder what the Influence Survey of 2016, or indeed, 2023 will show!
TEP Commends Xoriet for her Impressive EPSA Service
Five Days and a Hundred Detags Later...
COMMENTARY | UNIBOT
The East Pacific’s Magisterium has passed a rare resolution to comment Xoriet for her service and contributions to The East Pacific – especially for her service as The East Pacific Sovereign Army (EPSA)’s current and widely admired General.
Ramaeus, Delegate of The East Pacific had nothing but praise for General Xoriet when asked to comment on her contributions to her region.
“Xoriet has been an absolutely phenomenal General,” says Ramaeus. “She's extremely dedicated and exceptionally hardworking. Her recent flurry of detags shows both qualities extraordinarily well, and they show exactly why she's being lauded, too. Plus, she's one of the nicest people I've met!”
Severisen, Sergeant in the EPSA told The Rejected Times that her work had been instrumental in growing and advancing the army forward, despite its independentist structure.
“Since I joined EPSA on July 27th, and even before that, when she became General in March, Xoriet has done an outstanding job as the General,” says Severisen, “She's kept EPSA active, aligned to its policy of being an independent military, that has, quite frankly, become one of, if not *the* most active GCR militaries in the game. Her ability to motivate and direct people from every corner of gameplay is inspiring. We have raiders, imperialists, defenders, and people who don't align to one school of thought”.
But what’s the key to Xoriet’s success?
“Her organizational skills and leadership are what really make the organization work,” says Severisen, “I’m proud to serve as a member of EPSA”.
Very recently, the East Pacific Sovereign Army, under Xoriet’s direction, completed a high-profile mission to detag over a hundred regions in under five days. Xoriet saw the ambitious project through with hard work, dedication and interregional cooperation. EPSA has actively deployed during 76% of the days since she has been appointed General. An incredible feat even for such an venerable leader as Xoriet.
The Divided Defenderdom
EDITORIAL | UNIBOT
In a previous article, “The Battlefield Effect”, I proposed that commentators had been wrong in the past to assume that “defenderism” is the guiding political ideology of defenderists. Many proponents of independentism and imperialism argue that, although their ideology can guide both “the martial” and “the political” aspects of their regional life, defenderism fails to provide a cohesive response to the questions that arise in regards to how we should run our region internally. While this is true, I argue that defenderism is not, in fact, the overarching political and moral philosophy of defenders. Defenderism, as a term has arisen out of political convenience, not intellectual accuracy and within this nebulous ideological association contains many ideas and conflicting notions.
Commentators have also in the past argued that while invaders have united for a common cause, defenderdom is less politically organized and internally cooperative. This is a direct consequence, I would argue, of the lack of consensus over what defenderism entails – in fact, defenderism is just a blanket term for a group of unidentified political philosophies that govern major regions in NationStates. With issues that, in particular, stress the differences of these political philosophies, the faultlines of defenderdom become apparent – these political philosophies clash and misunderstandings produces mutual distrust between the (otherwise approachable) political factions. Turning a “divided defenderdom” into a “diplomatic defenderdom” requires an understanding of the underlying political constructs of defenderdom itself – despite crude, contrarian remarks, defenderdom is rich in political and philosophical diversity and understanding these nuances is the key to advancing its growth.
We begin our survey of the different political philosophies of defenderdom with Liberalism – the ideology of mainstream defenderism, which can be observed in The Rejected Realms, The United Defenders League, The Founderless Regions Alliance and The Alliance Defense Network among many other regions and organizations. Liberalism (Capital “L”) should not be confused with the American school of “liberalism” – nay, Liberalism is a European school of thought with roots in John Locke, a political theorist who outlined the natural rights of humanity and the notion of consented rule. Liberals can be identified as being strongly individualist – seeing the fundamental “building blocks” of a region as individuals who are entitled to a set of basic rights, including the right to equality and right to free speech. Liberals also stress moral universalism (i.e., what is wrong for one person to do is wrong for everyone to do) and the potential of humanity to progress from the status quo through social cooperation.
With international relations, Liberalism is idealistic – it advocates for institutional cooperation, interdependencies, cosmopolitanism, the tolerance of “reasonable” diversity and democratization to encourage peace. The principles of defenderism – the active respect and defense of native rights over their collective property – are derived in Liberalism from the contemporary philosophy of John Rawls (as I did in “Paradise Found”) who proposed that people agree to fairer, more just systems when they themselves are unaware if they will benefit from a less fair, less equal or unjust system. Liberal justice, in this view, is a compromise (even a consensus) reached between people, which forgoes them of some of their possible opportunities to avoid the worst of situations. For example, most of us on an individual basis would agree we would not want our region to be invaded or destroyed – now if you did know whether your region was a vulnerable founderless region or not, you would be less inclined to risk your region’s security and thus more likely to agree that people ought not to invade. This consensus serves as the basis for the notion of “native rights” and moreover, the liberal mission to protect native communities from unjust acts of aggression.
The second political philosophy that can be found in defenderdom is Neo-Conservatism. I would argue 10000 Islands is the prime example of neo-conservatism in, not just defenderdom, but all of NationStates. Internally, 10000 Islands takes the form of the neo-conservative state by promoting tradition and service to the region as a guiding force of reason and morality for regional citizens. Its neo-conservative roots are certainly also not undermined by its long-standing appreciation of democracy, constitutionalism and a strong executive. Like Liberalism, neo-conservatism is idealistic in nature: stemming from Wilsonianism, neo-conservatism is an aggressive, “heroic” ideology in the arena of international relations which sees the “hero” state as fighting a battle against the “evil” of the world. Neo-conservatism has long been criticized for being more concerned with fighting enemies than it is with making diplomatic friends and allies – this sense of initiative can be regarded as unilateralism by some, or worse, imperialism.
Neo-conservatism and Liberalism have collide before – see the controversial invasion of Marijuana militia, where 10000 Islands’ TITO invaded an invader region and the Founderless Regions Alliance deployed to defend against their follow defenders. While Liberalism promotes universalism – a right to non-subjugation which belongs to all equally, neo-conservatism sees the logic of defenderism to be a narrative between good and evil: the attack on Marijuana militia serves an “attack” in the “war on terror” (if you will) between the forces of good and those who would see to it that other’s homes be occupied, or worse, destroyed. Neither side was necessarily wrong about what it means to be a defender, because “defender” is just a label, an overarching term for different streams of idealism which often, but not always, complement one another, co-exist and otherwise, cooperate with one another.
Similarly, 10000 Islands has been known to only defend regions that fit a certain meritocratic criteria – smaller regions that do not possess a delegate are rarely exempt from this policy, whereas most mainstream defender organizations that fit into the Liberal “consensus” will defend all regions, regardless of size, because they all possess a right to such security. Without a “rights” discourse, neo-conservatism commits to defending others only when it can be justified within a “virtues” discourse – the weakest victims of invaderdom can be excused , under neo-conservatism, as victims of their own “irresponsibility” and “neglect”, while Liberalism rejects the notion that victims ought to be held responsible for the wrongdoings of others transgressed against them.
Neo-conservatism and Liberalism have also clashed over the admittance of “bi-gameplayers” in military ranks. While The United Defenders League (UDL), for a brief trial period, allowed members who wished to both invade and defend to join The United Defenders League, 10000 Islands denounced The United Defenders League as an invader army and requested the immediate resignation of Unibot as leader of The United Defenders League. This divergence of opinion is the result of the two defender parties seeing the fight in different terms – where defenders from the school of Liberalism would see the fight as a fight against injustice and the violation of native rights, defenders from the neo-conservative school see the fight as an eternal conflict against bullies and wrongdoers. When you’re fighting against, not an idea, but a swath of people, it becomes a challenge to distinguish between those who fit into this axis and those who are your friends – the neo-conservative faces the possibility that it might poison its own diplomacy in mistrust and the collective search for “defender purity”.
Finally, I also did suggest there was a third political ideology in defenderdom – Marxist theory. Honestly, I am not sure whether it really plays a role anymore. Presumably, Marxist theory would articulate defenderist ideals as a class struggle between the masses and the higher classes of gameplay which mean to oppress them on a systematized scale. Liberalism seeks the right, neo-conservatism seeks the good, Marxist theory would seek liberation. The question remains whether Lazarus will adopt a different approach to defenderism or maintain Marxism as more of a “light roleplay” face. Could defenderdom be even more divided by the introduction of a new political ideology? Or, alternatively, could old conflicts be resolved with the dialogue shifting from a bi-lateral conversation to a multi-lateral one? Certainly a new political ideology would not come without consequences for interregional diplomacy and defender cooperation but it is not clear whether it would add an element of unification or conflict or both to defenderdom.
Case in Point: The August Election in TRR
OPINION | CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATS
While The Rejected Realms hotly considers electoral reform, Christian Democrats analyzes the results of the most recent Officer Elections...
In one of the previous issues of the Times, I penned an article criticizing the First-Past-The-Post voting system currently used by The Rejected Realms for its elections for government officers -- recommending that this system be replaced with a preferential one. To see whether or not such a change in the region's electoral structure would work, Unibot, the WA delegate, polled citizens who had voted, asking them how they would have ranked the eight candidates (running for four positions) from first to last (participation: 86%).
Under First-Past-The-Post voting, the (real) election concluded as follows:
1. Christian Democrats
2. Guy
3. Yohannes
4. Kogvuron
4. thechurchofsatan
6. Hallowell
6. Ryno
8. Sciongrad
To break the fourth-place tie, it was necessary to hold a runoff election, which Kogvuron won.
Under the simulated preferential election conducted as a test, the candidates finished in this order (according to two methods of tabulation):
1. Christian Democrats
2. Guy
3. Yohannes
4. Kogvuron
5. Ryno
6. Sciongrad
7. Hallowell
7. thechurchofsatan
Analysis of citizens' votes using more sophisticated systems reveals two notable differences. First, Sciongrad, under preferential block voting or a Borda count, would have defeated two candidates to whom he lost in the real election. Second, thechurchofsatan, who nearly won a seat in the cabinet, was actually The Rejected Realms' least favorite candidate!
The case of Sciongrad and Satan certainly raises an important question: how many times in the past have less popular candidates defeated more popular candidates because The Rejected Realms has been using First-Past-The-Post voting?
Whatever may be said in theory, different voting systems do in fact yield different results in elections. Thus, The Rejected Realms (as well as other regions) should consider carefully what they want when they're writing their laws. Method does matter.
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Vindication for Lord Ravenclaw
Osiris drops its "Persona Non Grata" charge against Lord Ravenclaw
INTERVIEW | UNIBOT
The Rejected Times speaks with Lord Ravenclaw (on the night of the Scottish Refenderdum) over the sounds of the BBC echoing in the distant, discussing his controversial "Persona Non Grata" status in Osiris, politics, war and even a new region...
Unibot: Thanks for meeting with The Rejected Times, Raven! Of course, as a subject to the British Crown, you're watching the Referendum closely, I imagine. Thanks for talking some time to talk to us as well. How goes the evening?
Lord Ravenclaw: It's rather quiet. I'm currently working on Alexandria and the joys of the constitution in the newly formed Ekklesia (citizens Assembly), thank you for asking. How has your evening been?
Unibot: Great. Cards against Humanity in a Faux Scottish Accent - can't beat it. Nice to hear you've been working on Alexandria - how did this project come about and what's your vision for the region?
Lord Ravenclaw: Well, Alexandria was for a very long time in Osiris the city which housed the Foreign Affairs department (Temple), and after being involved with that department for so long, I was very attached to the name, and to the symbolism of the City itself. Alexandria is said to have held a glorious library, and was a centre of knowledge and learning. Conversely "Ravenclaw", in the Harry Potter series where my name comes from is the House of Learning, and knowledge so the two appeared to go together.
When I became Pharaoh and introduced House roleplay into Osiris, I claimed Alexandria as my own city/province within the region, and I just made it independent as a Kingdom when I retired from Osiris to allow the dynamic to continue and see what I can achieve with it. My vision for Alexandria is whether a group of friends and I can create something different, that comes from a Sinker with its history but can become both a house of knowledge (there is a library project in the works), and hopefully a centre for diplomatic training (Eagleshall School of Diplomacy is very much in the works) that can draw on both the experience of our members as well as try and bring a new experience for players.
Unibot: It reminds me of Lemuria, in a way, and its relationship with The North Pacific. Sounds awesome! Of course, Alexandria is a serious departure for you from your former home in Osiris - for our readers who aren't in the know, I wonder if you could describe what happened to lead to that departure? How did you first find out?
Lord Ravenclaw: About Osiris? Well as many may already be aware I retired from Government in the dying days of May, as my health was not brilliant. Over the two years I was part of Osiris, well over 18 months of that was spent in the Government, Foreign Affairs mainly and that along with the high stress atmosphere in the region gradually got to me. What got to me at the end was I lost my focus on the game itself and when I lost that focus and separation of player and human, I realised it was time to take a break. It wasn't a pleasant realisation and it cemented to me that I cannot handle diplomacy if I am thinking of the feelings of the person behind a character, it completely ruins the dynamic and diplomatic RP Raven has. To that extent I removed "the Imperial Crown" a nation that I had used when Delegate, and it had resided virtually non-stop in Osiris since April 2012, from the region for a month or so and watched as my influence dropped - it very nearly CTE'd at one point in my puppet region, and it went from one of the highest influence nations (having spent three months at #1) to a tiny minnow once again.
More recently I returned to the region not long after Cormac was elected, but not to their forum or government, it was more on the outside of things to keep my mind clear and observe how things were going. Things were fine, I moved the Imperial Crown back into Osiris, and took up WA briefly to help the transition, it felt very symbolic to me and I was glad to be able to help one last time for a delegacy transition, it felt very end of an era for me in that regard. Past that I kept my senses alert regarding Osiran foreign policy, not being attached to the region politically gives me the ability as a neutral diplomat - which I stand by - to see other perspectives that I could not see whilst under my banner in Osiris.
I suspect though that you're asking about more recently…
Unibot: Yep!
Lord Ravenclaw: Well as I said a moment ago, as a neutral diplomat I am able to see other perspectives, and that includes speaking to various delegates or governments that as a member of Osiran society could have been difficult depending on the stance of the Government. A few examples are The West Pacific, Lazarus and the South Pacific where I still enjoy excellent relationships with their delegates and governments free of political affilations and the issues I'd have still being attached to Osiris. I do admit to finding it difficult to watch Osiran policy, as it is an alien feeling to me to not be in the -know- or at least have forewarning about the direction of regional policy in that given the fact for most of 2013 and indeed the early four months of 2014 I was one of, if not the only major diplomat running and orchestrating policy in Foreign Affairs and it will take a while longer for me to be comfortable seeing Osiris take a different turn to what I would have done, which I'm told is natural after having spent so much time focused on one role.
Cormac and I have worked together for a very long time, or at least it feels it. He joined the FA department in Osiris at the start of 2013, as an appointment by the then Pharaoh, George Holland as my deputy, and he was moderately successful, and he and I can make a very dangerous team when we're on the same wavelength on an issue and coordinating our responses. That success then allowed us to work together during 2013 when he was Pharaoh, later on through the turbulent periods and into the OFO, and we still retain that ability now. However, the downside to it is, neither of us respond to criticism very well, and I am only marginally better at taking it than he is - both of do have a tendency to lose our tempers although mine is somewhat on a firmer lead thanks to the half decade of experience or so that I have in the field. The disagreement between Cormac, now Pharaoh for the second time and I arose over my concerns on Foreign Policy; which he was aware of and I had been vocal about to him in different mediums, and he would have also had been aware most likely that I was in contact with the governments I named above in trying to even now, see if there was anything I could do to help and resolve the various problems between Osiris and themselves.
The disagreement itself came as a surprise, I was rather too careless in what I said - the logs I think have done the rounds - and I publicly commented against the policy. I have very firm views on sovereignty, and the right of a community to decide its fate, from the Osiran civil wars and turbulent periods, where there were numerous groups both within and outside the region who felt it would be better if the community that existed simply didn't, and to that effect I do not agree with, or recognise the right of one community to say that the other doesn't have a right to exist as it is down to their own community to make that decision.
The sovereignty over one’s self, is liberty, and I firmly believe - and said as such - rather foolishly that I did not believe the twelve Members of the Deshret who voted in favour of the war with Lazarus had any right to do so. The vote itself is open record on the Osiris forum so the results can be checked freely. Naturally, Cormac didn't take that very well... truthfully, I wouldn't have done either, although my reaction would have been more political than a ban from the channel and a banjection from the region. I was then alerted by a member of the forum that I had been declared as PNG for Sedition, coupling me with the members of Empire who I had sided with Malice over in December. It was a surprise, I was absolutely astounded, and I wasn't quiet about it, gradually anger set in because after everything that I'd achieved in that region it felt like a kick in the teeth. However an hour or two later members of the Deshret found out what had happened and I'm told a discussion began on the matter at once. The way the PNG system works in Osiris is the Pharaoh can declare someone PNG, and the Deshret can overrule it.
But only the Deshret can withdraw their own declarations which must be voted on by the full body, in order to prevent matters of regional security. The system is logical but doesn't always work. I do not know the specifics of the discussion in the Deshret chamber only that it resulted in Cormac reversing the status and removing me from the ban list. Severisen unbanned me from the irc channel,and things were rather tense for a while between us, as is to be expected. We've spoken extensively over the last few days and we both agree that we handled things badly - I should have known a better way to express my concern, and he should have handled it better, and we've generally discussed more conductive ways to express concern in the future in a way that doesn't jeopardise a friendship and a diplomatic partnership that is over a year old and that actually helped Osiris survive the early stages of the Osiris Fraternal Order.
I am however extraordinarily grateful to the members of the Deshret who spoke in my support, whoever they were; although I have also become aware that there are members of the body who dislike me immensely for reasons I know very little about, nor care to know more.
Unibot: You have the opportunity to serve as delegate at the beginning of the OFO - do you feel now that OFO might be making the same mistakes that the past Osiris had?
Lord Ravenclaw: Hm, well no society is perfect but I do believe that whatever faults the OFO has they are a far cry away from the divided, secretive government that ruled Osiris in the past. For the most part, my issue was with the challenge system - it is, or so I felt, a rather personal system and finding out that I was going to be challenged was a personal affront to me that wouldn't have happened under a general election format, which is what happens now.
All in all, I would say Osiris is far more open about its community, government and direction now that it has been in the past. You will always get people who seek to influence a community for their own benefit, and that isn't any different in Osiris, but looking at the foundations of the community, my own knowledge of it, and the strength of where they started minus a few hiccups along the way as all new governments/communities have, I think they'll do fine. The true test will be sticking to their beliefs and not compromising them over political differences; the second they allow factionism to take over the way it did in the KRO and in the post-KRO community is when Osiris will experience trouble. I do not think it is likely to happen, lessons have been learned since those days.
Unibot: Osiris has recently closed relations with four GCRs over the Regional Sovereignty Conference - you're a diplomat yourself, how do you feel Osiris handled the situation?
Lord Ravenclaw: That is a general point of contention at the moment, as the governments of said regions are aware and I have been approached unofficially for my views on that matter. There were points under the KRO that Osiris did close relations with a feeder, the West Pacific in this following disagreements over the South Pacific's coup by Milograd, it took many months to repair that damage and a good deal of apologies by me to All Good People. I recognise however, that Osiris has the right to maintain (or not) relations as they see fit, although from my experience I find that cross-feeder and sinker communication is vital but I recognise with great regret that for various reasons it simply isn't possible for positive communication to happen at this time.
I have heard Cormac's reasons for it, and whilst I do not entirely agree and I've registered my feelings on this with Cormac, it is ultimately their decision. As normal, though I caution against reactionary diplomacy, as something that is beneath both Cormac, and Osiris. I've also expressed the belief to Dark, Kris, Funk and Senator Elegarth that I hope that the communication can be restored between them and Osiris in the future but ultimately that I have no longer have any power to affect change regarding diplomatic status with Osiris.
Unibot: What do you think will be the outcome of the War?
Lord Ravenclaw: At this point it depends on the results of the talks happening between Lazarus and Osiris. I do not believe either side, for all of their various "responses" or "declarations" could affect serious change in the other, and that this "war", if you can call it that will end in a peace treaty. Whether it'll do anything positive for Osiris-PRL relations, I cannot say. Although I would very much like to be on that secret forum.
Unibot: Do you think Osiris has serious intentions to carry through the negotiations? I mean, I would expect a 'poison pill' to be proposed by Osiris during the negotiations - so it forces Lazarus to be the ones who drop out of the talks…
Lord Ravenclaw: Well, seeing as the root administrator of these boards is Severisen, who wouldn't create a board and set it up appropriately if he thought the talks were going to be deliberately ruined by one side. I would have to say that it appears Osiris is sincere in their agreement to discuss the matter as far as I can see.
Unibot: Are you done with Game-Created politics for good? What's one thing you'll miss from it all, if so?
Lord Ravenclaw: Hm. Am I done? That's a very good question. I've had a lot of fun over the past two years and I've met alot of very skilled people, and had the pleasure of really seeing a wide array of political systems, beliefs and contributions from dozens of people across GCRs. I don't think it's wise to write me out of the picture just yet, but I cannot see myself returning to Osiris although I would like to see what being delegate of a different GCR would be like in the future, it's not high on my to-do list.
As for what I'll miss, hm, perhaps established communities. Those communities built up over a decade in some cases were amazing places of learning.
Unibot: Hah, if you were going to be the delegate of a GCR... which one? Down the road, of course.
Lord Ravenclaw: Hm, that's a difficult question. I'm particularly fond of the North Pacific, I learnt alot about how a democratic region can function and despite the fact I feel an insane urge to cry every time I hear the words "request for review" when it comes to the court, I find the region absolutely amazing to spend time in, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time serving as Minister of Culture and Entertainment for Mcmasterdonia, although I'm disappointed my time was so stretched thanks to RL. Outside of Osiris, The North Pacific was where I spent the most time really, and I learnt a lot with the experience.
Unibot: Thanks so much, Raven. If you've got any final words for our readers feel free to share them. I'm so glad to hear that this ridiculous "Persona Non Grata" charge has been dropped against you.
Lord Ravenclaw: Thank you Uni, it's been fun. A few things I'd like to say: nothing that is worth it, whether in NS or real life, should be easy to attain. Challenges help you discover not just your strengths, but your weaknesses, and you should always aim to improve your skills and see new challenges to ensure that you continue to learn more.
Even veterans of ten years tell me that there's always something new for them to experience as NationStates changes constantly with its politics, so if they can find something new and exciting, I can, and hopefully the players just discovering NS can as well. Also, thank you - I'm glad that it's been dropped, and I'm relieved that my four awards for service to Osiris aren't going to be consigned to the scrap heap. :P
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Ranking the GCRs: The Overall Perceptions Index
FEATURE | UNIBOT
In the interests of comparative political analysis, The Rejected Times invited all of our readers to participate in a very successful survey (n = 61) which asked participants to rank Game-Created Regions based on their perception of those regions on a number of valued criteria from 1 to 5 – 5 being “highest” and 1 signifying “lowest”.
Note: Six respondents were removed from the final results to prevent data manipulation – some because they had selected “0” or “5” for every region (on every option), others because they had selected “5” for a particular region on every option and “0” for every other region at every opportunity. Manipulation be bad....
Overall Perceptions Index
1. The Rejected Realms – 0.685
2. The East Pacific – 0.664
3. The North Pacific – 0.653
4. The South Pacific – 0.633
5. The West Pacific – 0.602
6. Balder – 0.594
7. Lazarus – 0.578
8. Osiris – 0.564
9. The Pacific – 0.546
The Overall Perceptions Index is collected by finding the sum of the performances of all of the feeders and sinkers in all of the survey’s following indices, divided by the highest potential score (50). The OPI provides an overall picture of how Game-Created regions performed on average throughout the survey.
Tentatively, we hypothesise that democratic republics performed better overall and that non-republic forms of government were perceived poorly on a number of criteria including Overall Government Performance, Value as an Interregional Partner, Civil and Political Rights, Diplomacy and Acceptance.
The Rejected Realms – Parliamentary Republic
The East Pacific– Presidential Republic
The North Pacific – Parliamentary Republic
The South Pacific – Parliamentary Republic
The West Pacific – Oligarchy
Balder – Constitutional Monarchy
Lazarus – Single-Party Socialist State
Osiris – Constitutional Monarchy
The Pacific – Autocracy
Acceptance and Tolerance
The South Pacific – 3.43
The Rejected Realms – 3.41
The East Pacific – 3.34
The West Pacific – 3.33
The North Pacific – 3.3
Balder – 2.87
Osiris – 2.52
The Pacific – 2.44
Lazarus – 2.34
The South Pacific recently passed a new constitutional amendment that protects the Right to Equality for all citizens and has been a relentless voice for cosmopolitan acceptance – their success in this category comes with little surprise. Perhaps more surprising is Lazarus’s poor performance and The West Pacific surpassing even The North Pacific (an established liberal democracy) in terms of perception of acceptance – here recent events involving, say, Ikania and Llama’s departure from Lazarus or the controversial rise and fall of Flemingovianism in The North Pacific might play a role in hurting their images abroad.
Activity
The Rejected Realms – 3.56
The East Pacific – 3.48
The North Pacific – 3.44
Osiris – 3.33
Lazarus – 3.3
The South Pacific – 3.21
The West Pacific – 3.08
Balder – 3
The Pacific – 2.49
Here The Rejected Realm’s series of cultural events from RRA Day to Competitive Rock-Paper-Scissors matches to the “Cool Flag Brigade” and more, seems to have rebounded the region’s activity fortunes. Osiris and Lazarus also appear to have benefited in this category from their ongoing war, while perhaps more surprising is the lower than expected result for Balder and The South Pacific. Although things have been quiet in The South Pacific for some time, Balder has led the pack in their own “activity” reports (http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?p=13421451#p13421451) – perhaps people simply aren’t buying their analysis? Or perhaps activity is seen as something independent of post counts per se? All questions to consider.
Culture
Lazarus – 3.49
The East Pacific – 3.26
The Rejected Realms – 3.25
The North Pacific – 3.13
The South Pacific – 3.1
Osiris – 3.05
Balder – 3.02
The Pacific – 2.97
The West Pacific – 2.84
Lazarus rises to the top! Lazarus easily surpassed the other regions – seen as a cultural leader. Many things could contribute to Lazarus’s score, but we reckon its communist theme and the Lazarene Gazette played a large role in its success here. Interestingly, only 0.16 separates fourth and eighth place which could suggest normalization issues – in the sense that there is a ‘plateau’ or ‘glass ceiling’ that has to be surpassed to be widely received as “culturally distinct and unique”.
Military Presence
Osiris – 3.43
The East Pacific – 3.41
Lazarus – 3.31
The Rejected Realms – 3.23
The North Pacific – 2.95
Balder – 2.89
The South Pacific – 2.75
The West Pacific – 2.49
The Pacific – 2.21
Osiris clenches a slight lead over The East Pacific – Osiris has increased its military presence recently with the creation of ISRA (a military alliance between Osiris and Balder) while The East Pacific has held a strong military presence with the EPSA under the leadership of Xoriet.
Civil and Political Rights
The Rejected Realms – 3.61
The South Pacific – 3.36
The East Pacific – 3.28
The North Pacific – 3.25
Balder – 2.93
The West Pacific – 2.89
Osiris – 2.66
Lazarus – 2.48
The Pacific – 2.28
No surprises here, potentially – for the next three categories, the democratic republics lead the list and the others trail behind by a substantial margin. A democratic republic, we could speculate, is perceived by many as a necessary form of government to protect the civil and political rights of residents.
Diplomacy
The North Pacific – 3.36
The Rejected Realms – 3.25
The East Pacific – 3.08
The South Pacific – 3
The West Pacific – 2.97
Balder – 2.79
The Pacific – 2.66
Lazarus – 2.57
Osiris – 2.43
Admittedly, “Diplomacy” can be a vague category – some respondents may be considering “Diplomacy” as the ‘politeness’ or diplomatic savviness of the regions, other respondents might consider “Diplomacy” as the breadth of the region’s FA portfolio. The North Pacific leads the diplomatic arena – perhaps a sign of support for the work of TNP’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, McMasterdonia. This category however was less kind to Osiris and Lazarus, whose current strife appears to have hurt their diplomatic reception.
Value as Interregional Partner
The North Pacific, The Rejected Realms – 3.43
The East Pacific – 3.39
The South Pacific – 3.28
The West Pacific – 3.15
The Pacific – 3.08
Lazarus – 3
Balder, Osiris – 2.95
Ties Galore! The North Pacific and The Rejected Realms were tied as most valued interregional partners, while Balder and Osiris were tied for last. What increases value? Diplomatic benefits? Consistency and maturity? What makes a good ally? No idea. Good question really. Whatever the answer is, respondents thought highly of the democratic republics and less so for the others (a reoccurring trend).
Stability
The Pacific – 3.85
The East Pacific – 3.72
The Rejected Realms – 3.7
The North Pacific – 3.56
The West Pacific – 3.41
Balder – 3.38
The South Pacific – 3.26
Lazarus – 2.85
Osiris – 2.39
Topping the charts in terms of stability is…. The Pacific! The NPO has stood, in various forms and governments, for eleven years now since Francos Spain’s rise to power. Lazarus and Osiris, the mostly recently created states, were seen as the least stable. Perhaps more interesting is the low result that The South Pacific received – seen as the least stable feeder. With the “recent” (ish) Milograd coup and the more recent upheaval surrounding Hileville’s messy departure from The South Pacific, we suspect that events in the past have had a negative impact on the public’s memory of The South Pacific.
Overall Delegate Performance
The Rejected Realms – 3.54
The South Pacific – 3.26
Balder – 3.2
The East Pacific – 3.18
The West Pacific – 3.1
The North Pacific – 3.08
The Pacific, Osiris – 2.82
Lazarus – 2.72
Overall Government Performance
The Rejected Realms – 3.26
The North Pacific – 3.15
The East Pacific – 3.05
The South Pacific – 3.02
The West Pacific – 2.85
Lazarus – 2.82
Balder – 2.66
Osiris – 2.62
The Pacific – 2.52
Awww, thanks guys! We’ve been working very hard here in The Rejected Realms to help grow its institutions and develop it even more than it already has been before by previous governments.
In most cases, the Delegate’s performance was rated higher than the Government’s performance except for The North Pacific and Lazarus. Some stand-out performances included The South Pacific’s Kringalia and Balder’s Solorni – seen as positive forces for leadership in their respective regions.
Until next time - Uni out!
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Phew! Finished, you're all up to date Wintreath. :)
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Haha...you're such a busy man now. I didn't really expect you to keep posting. :P
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Radical Leadership Changeover in Lazarus
COMMENTARY | UNIBOT
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Chairman Funkadelia has just announced in a very surprising announcement – shocking both to Lazarenes and close allies and friends that he has ceded control of the nation of Funkadelia to Karpathos, LLA General and close adviser of the Chairman.
This move has come as a major shock to those even involved within the circle of Lazarus’s most trusted citizens – with Funkadelia not showing any signs of intending to resign, even hours before his announced resignation.
The decision to shift control to Karpathos also is a surprising move given Karpathos has been criticized recently for his inactivity as LLA General – which while, legitimately excused as medical and personal issues, does not explain how Karpathos intends to maintain activity now, when he has largely been considered ‘Missing-in-Action’ (MIA) for the past few weeks.
Karpathos has confirmed to The Rejected Times that he is the new Head of State in Lazarus, but has titled himself as ‘Comrade Protector’ and suggested in his recent statement that unlike Funkadelia he would take a more hard-line approach to Anti-Imperialism – purging Lazarus of imperialist sympathizers and cooperating with defenders only out of political expediency. However, Karpathos also said he would recognize any peace deals that had been negotiated between Lazarus and Osiris under the Funkadelia administration.
“True Lazarenes have nothing no fear,” says Karpathos, “Embrace your new steward”.
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I'll try to keep it as up to date as I can. :)
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This is certainly a sudden development that warrants some monitoring to ensure stability of relations between our regions.
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Lazarus: You’ve Been “Funk’d”!
Lazarus-Osiris pursue Peace Deal
COMMENTARY | UNIBOT
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In an ‘epic’ announcement, Funkadelia has just announced that the recent appointment of Karpathos as Comrade Protector (http://s8.zetaboards.com/The_RR_and_RRA/topic/8503368/1/#new) was a fun ‘troll’ intended to greet Karpathos’ return to activity in NationStates and keep commentators on their toes. Funkadelia will continue to serve as Lazarus’s Chairman and Head of State.
During Karpathos’s brief "tenure" as Comrade Protector, he, in an equally surprising move, brokered a peace deal and a mutual call for a ceasefire between Osiris and Lazarus. The document entitled “A Joint Statement of Understanding between the Osiris Fraternal Order and the People's Republic of Lazarus on the Cessation of Hostilities,” notes the harsh costs of the war in terms of resources and political pressure and agrees to a ceasefire, a moratorium on hostile action and intelligence activities and an effort towards reconciliation between the two sinker regions.
Throughout the statement, the signatories expressed their hope that in the future their regions will mutually respect either’s internal sovereignty and political autonomy despite opposing one another in Military Gameplay. Notably however, the statement was received harshly by former Pharaoh, Cormac Somerset who argued the Osiran government was not being consistent, given Osiris had previously accused Karpathos of being one of the principal instigators of the Osiran-Lazarene War.
“You're agreeing to peace on the day that they promote the guy responsible for the war to serve as their new dictator, in the absence of any democratic input into his selection whatsoever?” says Cormac, adding, “And not only that, but you're agreeing to it with him!”
If you were wondering: Douria, Osiran Delegate, has suggested that the “troll” will not affect the Joint Statement, noting that Karpathos had informed him throughout the negotiations that Funkadelia was still “the one calling the shots”.
Peace in our Time? Looking forward to it.
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O.o
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4 via Tapatalk
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JBles. :3 <3
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Haha. Funk'd. ha.
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What a twist!
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It was trully an unexpected turn
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In accordance with Wintrean diplomatic policy, The Rejected Realms' consulate has been upgraded to an embassy to reflect our new status as treaty partners. You can continue to post here or create new topics in the embassy. :)
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I received this message from Unibot on behalf of TRR that he wished to pass on to the region :)
Happy Holidays, Wintermoot! And have a very smooth Rejectmas too! Please pass on the message on to the rest of Wintreath.
Love,
The Rejected Realms.
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Update no. 17, July 2015
Hello. LR here as the Foreign-Affairs Officer of TRR. It's been awhile since our last update, so I hope you all don't miss us too much and enjoy this pleasant update :) .
New Delegate Elected
Most excitingly, we have a new Delegate. Following an intense election campaign, former TRR Delegate and prominent RRA Commander Guy was elected Delegate, replacing Unibot.
The election was initiated by Gradea, who first announced his challenge, reasoning that a year was too long for any GCR delegate to hold office. This drew inspiration from the community, as Cormac and Crazygirl also challenged for the position. Finally, Guy placed his name on the ballot. The campaign was fierce and the debates were intense, leading to a number of candidates withdrawing from the race. At the end of the election, the results were clear: McMasterdonia/Guy, a committed member of the community since 2011, pulled a clear majority, ending Unibot's time as Delegate. We thank Unibot for his time at TRR.
Guy highlighted his major plans for the Delegacy as being the improvement of cooperation with other regions on cultural and security matters, as well as continuing the engagement and close relations with the on-site community.
Election Season: Yup, There Were More
As mentioned in our last update prior to this one, TRR's constitution was modified to have regular Officer elections every 4 months, to be held every April, August and December. Since then, we also decided to accommodate regular elections for the position of Speaker of the Assembly, who is primarily responsible for maintenance of debate in TRR's legislature. Elections for the Speaker are now held every four months in-between regular Officer elections. Delegate elections, however, will continue to remain on a challenge basis.
The April Officer elections resulted in fierce competition as seven candidates, both newcomers and veterans alike, contested for the four available positions. The results were as follows:
*Christian Democrats (WA Affairs)
*Kyorgia (Internal Affairs)
*Libetarian Republics (Foreign Affairs)
*Sad-States (Human Resources)
Prior to the Delegate election, the June Speaker elections were held. Guy was re-elected unopposed. Following his election to the Delegacy and vacation of the Speakership, a new contest was held for Speaker.
Two candidates put themselves forward for Speaker: ChurchofSatan and Tim Stark, otherwise known as Osiris' Pharaoh. Following a very tight vote, and the candidates making their cases to the best of their abilities, Tim eventually secured the Speakership with a vote of 10-6. We're looking forward to the Timtatorship his most benevolent Speakership.
Helping Lazarus
The formation of the NLO in Lazarus and subsequent conflict strongly affected all aspects of TRR life. Lazarus is the RR's closest and oldest friends, the true bonds of friendship also being reflected by no less than four treaties. TRR immediately took the lead in responding to the situation, first attempting to secure a diplomatic solution through encouragement of the NLO regime to undo its devestating actions, and then more proactive measures through deployment of the RRA and the provision of temporary shelter and BBQ to the Lazarene natives-in-exile. TRR further boosted diplomatic support for the LUS by withdrawing embassies from the NPO and voting for their condemnation.
The RRA was closely involved with the Lazrene liberation attempt, with several RRA veterans leading the charge against the NLO through endo-tarting and RMB support. More importantly, the clandestine plan that eventually led to the NLO's demise with closely supported by RRA Commanders Frattastan and Guy.
We wish our Lazarene friends all the best with their new government and Constitution, and we are looking forward to continuing working with them closely.
Speaker's Report
Howdy everyone! While I'm currently serving in another office, I had the privilege of being TRR's Speaker for the previous few months beforehand.
The last two months were very busy ones in TRR's Assembly. Delegate Unibot laid out an ambitious legislative reform agenda, which included both Constitutional and statutory changes.
First, following passionate debate on our regional identity, TRR chose to entrench in its Constitution its respect for the principle of regional self-determination and opposition to invasions. This idea seems to have caught on, with our Lazarene friends using similar wording in their new Constitution. Second, as mentioned above, regular elections were extended to the Speakership. Lastly, TRR enacted its very first Charter of Civil Rights, which provides for ten rights afforded to all Rejectees, that decision-makers should have regard to.
Treaties have also been keeping the RR busy, with no less than eight treaties being ratified this year alone. Many of the Treaties involve reaching out to regions not usually involved in Gameplay, such as International Northwestern Union (http://www.nationstates.net/region=international_northwestern_union), while others are with more established regions such as Osiris.
Some proposals have not enjoyed as much success. Gradea proposed legislation relating to Vice Delegates, forming a Security Council (bearing a likeness to TNP's) and providing the power to declare nations Persona non Grata to the Delegate. These proposals were rejected by the community, as they had either already been provided for by existing law, or they failed to take into account TRR's unique situation in lacking the power of ejection. We wish Gradea every success with his future legislative endeavours.
Rejected Realms Army's News
The RRA is still here, and still defending 12 years since its inception. It participated in several defensive missions including liberation of belgium, Eternal Scholars, and A Blank Canvas. The RRA assisted with the delegate transitions in the North Pacific & supported the liberation efforts during the recent Lazarus crisis.
News In Brief
* The Citizenship Council is under new management. The Council consists of long-standing citizens Frattastan, Guy, and Christian Democrats.
* Natives of Taco Island invade Kandyland! Recently, the natives of 10000 Islands arrange a friendly visit to the Rejected Realms RMB. We celebrate with BBQ & Tacos.
* CG complains for more coffee
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Thanks for the update! Been awhile since we had once of these...:P
I'm curious, how is the new government working out? Unibot was delegate for a long time, and while divisive he seemed to be talented and effective when it came to leadership. I imagine those aren't small shoes for the new delegate to fill.
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"A year is too long for a GCR delegate to hold office" - hah! Reon's going on a year and a half (since the region's founding anyway)!
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I'm curious, how is the new government working out?
The transition has been smooth but rather slow given the time of year. Guy is a veteran on the game, having served one term previously as TRR delegate and as the delegate of the 10000 Islands a year or two before that. After Unibot unexpectedly resigned from the delegacy, Guy ran on the platform that he'd be leading a caretaker government through the summer. We'll see how well the region is doing and what happens a few months from now.
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Although Uni was a fantastic delegate. I hope he runs again in the future! :)
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THE REJECTED REALMS MEDIA CORPORATION
ISSUE #1 | OCTOBER 2015
The Delegate's Corner (By Guy)
A new publication, Regional Officers, and everything in between
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Howdy, all. Firstly, I'd like to welcome you to the Rejected Realms' new publication, The Monthly Reject. Our object is to provide you with the very best of Rejects' creative output, whether it relates to NationStates news, commentary, real-life happenings, or interviews. Please take a read and enjoy, wherever your interests lie.
Our hugely successful predecessor publication, The Rejected Times, went into a slump of inactivity and eventual death with the departure of the predecessor in my role. The Times was by far the most prolific and successful media publication in NS Gameplay, and we will be sure to look to take after many of its successes.
There have also been some changes made, aimed at ensuring the highest level of quality of our output (such as through the transition to monthly editions) and at clearly delineating what stands as official TRR communication and what is simply the opinion of our members. Put simply, we have become a more community-based publication that seeks to showcase our very best. Apart from this editorial and the foreign update, the contributions to this publication are not reflective of any official stances of our government.
Undoubtedly, the biggest news in NationStates over the past few weeks has been the introduction of Regional Officers. A feature that could have much potential was thrown into immediate controversy due to one small part: the ability to give multiple nations Border Control powers in a founderless region.
Anyone with even a smidgen of understanding of the invasion game will realise that this part makes liberations all but impossible as up to 13 nations can now kick incoming liberators at an influence cost of zero. Anyone with half an eye on recent happenings in the invasion game -- or anytime in the past 3-4 years, really -- would also know that there is no longer anything resembling 'R/D'. Liberal Border Control access is not equally advantageous to raiders on the one hand and to natives and defenders on the other; rather, it creates a platform that provides for increasingly easy invasions against natives with an off-chance of defensive action being the only thing standing in the way.
The invasion game has been in need of a serious rebalancing act. Instead, it has been tilted even further toward offensive invasions with this new feature. An immediate fix is needed before the last few defenders hang their switchers. So where to now? The latest news post (http://www.nationstates.net/page=news/2015/10/15/index.html) recognises these issues and lists some potential fixes. While there is likely to be a great divergence of opinion, it's important that this matter be resolved sooner rather than later to mitigate the abuse that we are likely to see over the coming days and, perhaps, weeks.
The potential for abuse, of course, is not limited only to invaders in founderless UCRs. Our fellow Feeders and Sinkers -- but not us, of course, as we thankfully don't have an eject button! -- are sure to pay particular attention to the effects of giving Border Control powers to multiple nations. Not only can Delegates find themselves vulnerable; but, as part of a coordinated push, the feature can also make coups almost impossible to repel. One needs look no further than to the New Lazarene Order, which would probably still be with us had ROs already been implemented, to understand the implications.
That's all from me for now. Enjoy the rest of the issue! :)
New Pacifican Leader: Never a Firm Francoist?
Christian Democrats sits down with Emperor Pierconium
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CD: Hello, Emperor Pierconium, and thank you for agreeing to this interview. Would you mind, for our readers, giving a concise overview of your time in the New Pacific Order?
Pier: I joined shortly after the revolution and observed, initially as a spy on behalf of the ADN. I then joined the Praetorian Guard. I was appointed by Francos Spain as Governor of Province V in March 2004. Towards the end of the original NPO era Poskrebyshev named me as High Judge of the Pacific. When the People's Republic of the Pacific was formed, I became Senator of Justice. I then became Viceroy of the Pacific and then Emperor of the NPO after the closure of the PRP. I stepped down after some months in favor of others but have periodically returned to serve within the Pacific Senate until taking the Regent position and Emperorship earlier this year. I have served as Delegate of the Pacific three times with Pierconium and have had control of the Delegate nation two other times in the past.
CD: One of your first acts as Emperor has been to reinstitute the provincial system and appoint governors. What do you hope to accomplish by this act, and should Pacificans and the international community expect any other major reforms during your reign?
Pier: It is my hope that the provincial system will provide a more active engagement with the region as a whole and generate more activity. A feeder is very large and even the most active of them only engages a small minority on their offsite community. This is a means of more direct communication between the government and the nations of the region. Each Governor is charged with setting up his or her own system of government within the province and facilitating larger interaction between nations that is difficult from a purely top down approach. Though we are still in the early stages, so far it has been successful in reaching out to nations that might otherwise be missed in such a large system.
CD: Another early act of your government has been the introduction of a new regional currency: the denarius. Does the Pacific's abandonment of the franco represent an abandonment or a rethinking of Francoism (a perestroika of sorts), or does the NPO remain firmly committed to the Francoist doctrines on which it has been established?
Pier: I have never been a firm Franocist. In the past, I found it to be a useful tool in managing the dichotomy between feederites and userites but to me it has always been just that, a tool. But, as with many such doctrines, as times change so must they, or those that support them risk becoming obsolete. The shift in regional currency is a measure of our shift away from the dogma and hero worship of the past. I am more concerned with the Pacific's place in the present and future than distant memories and ghosts.
CD: Is Krulltopia's leadership over the NPO's armed forces a shift away from dogma? My readers will certainly have their doubts. What sort of foreign policy should we expect to see from the Pacific during your reign: a continuation of interventionism, a move toward liberal cosmopolitanism, or an autarkic or isolationistic focus on internal improvements?
Pier: The armed forces of the Pacific have been defunct for quite a while, and even in their previous incarnations they left much to be desired in my opinion. It is my hope that Krull can organize a military that can assist in the defense of other GCRs (as we did recently in TWP) and work in conjunction with various groups towards goals that meet with my vision. I do not see the Revolutionary Guard as an extension of Pacifican power so much as a means of assisting our friends in times of need.
As to our foreign policy, I am well aware of the errors made in the past regarding our interventionist practices and if nothing else, I learn from our mistakes. So no, the NPO has no plans to be interventionist (beyond normal diplomatic influence) or meddle directly into the affairs of other GCRs. I am currently focused primarily upon internal improvements to the region but have also made repairing the damage to our relations with the other GCRs (and the larger UCRs) a priority.
CD: I see that you've already reestablished relations with the East Pacific. Did TEP approach you, or did you approach them? Are you currently working on mending fences with any other feeder or sinker regions?
Pier: I approached them. And yes, I am working towards better relations with all of the GCRs. I am hopeful to have at least Embassies/diplomatic communication with each of the GCRs within a few months time. I am understanding that this is much easier said than done in some instances but the olive branch is there.
CD: Do you have any final thoughts that you would like to share with our readers?
Pier: I think we have covered most of the questions fairly well and I thank you for taking the time to conduct the interview. I will say that I have been the evil dictator, the indifferent dictator, the inactive dictator, and myriad other sorts here in NS and The Pacific in the past. And while I make no claims of being a great reformer and have no plans to disrupt the structure of the New Pacific Order, I would actually like to be the enlightened and engaged dictator for a change. Thanks!
CD: I very much enjoyed this interview.
The Rules They Are a-Changin' (By Kenny)
GA players grapple with mods over new proposal guidelines
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Gaby and Carlos are on the outs again after Gaby discovered that the only reason she got pregnant was that Carlos was tampering with her birth control pills because he is going to prison for nine months and wants to make sure she doesn't stray. But the thing is, Gaby doesn't even know if the baby is his; it could be her teenage gardener's! Crazy, right? Well, that's not all. 'Cause Susan is devastated now that Mike has broken it off with her for going through his things and discovering a gun and stacks of cash in his kitchen cabinet. And now the loathsome Mrs. Huber knows that Susan was the one who accidentally burned Edie's house down and is trying to blackmail her. Lynette's still hooked on her kids' Ritalin because she doesn't know how to get all her housework done and still keep after her four screaming kids without it. Yeah, she's boring. But get this: Bree wants to punish her oldest, Andrew, to let him know that getting drunk and running down the neighbor lady with his dad's car was wrong. But she doesn't have a strong male role model around the house anymore because Rex was forced to move out after Bree found out he was sleeping with a prostitute. Oh, man! This shit just keeps getting juicier and juicier!
All of this, of course, has nothing to do with the subject of the article. But how else are you supposed to make the GA Rules Summit sound interesting? Perhaps if I told the story in Marklar? *Ahem!*:
Some marklars are concerned about the marklars' rewriting of the marklars -- actually, "marklarred" is a marklar; "marklarred" is more like it because of secret marklars and five key marklars are being dumped. Those marklars will just have to pleasure themselves with the marklars in their marklars from now on. ... Yeah, that's not working either.
OK, so what's been going on is, after much discussion about all the rules, Mallorea and Riva has finally posted an updated version of them. Most of the "new" rules read just like the old ones, actually, but with some minor tinkering and rewording to make some things clearer because some players still can't hear the term "House of Cards" without fantasizing about Kevin Spacey, etc.
But five rules were dropped in the initially proposed new ruleset, namely those banning branding, NatSov repeals, ideological bans, so-called "pure blockers," and "committee-only" proposals. What are these things? I'm so glad you asked! Here they are in a nutshell:
- Branding is naming more than one co-author in your proposal, thanking the members of your region and/or alliance for their input, or "signing" your proposal with your own nation name or stuff like: "Submitted on behalf of the High King of Camelot, Arthur Pendragon. Long may he reign." That's always been banned under the UN/WA rules (though not necessarily under the SC as they obviously have different conventions); but, under Mall's proposal, it won't be anymore.
- NatSov repeals are repeals whose arguments can basically be boiled down to: "This resolution sucks because it infringes on members' national sovereignty." Since practically any resolution can be criticized that way and since the GA is under no obligation to respect national sovereignty (or so the original justification went), that's been a no-no, at least until the current draft.
- Ideological bans are attempts to ban certain types of governments, like dictatorships, theocracies, monarchies, democratic republics, etc., etc. Not exactly sure why that's always been banned, but that's the way it is.
- "Pure blockers" are proposals that do nothing but try to forbid the WA from passing certain types of legislation. Since WA laws actually have to include some kind of, uh, law, and not just ban certain types of WA laws, this is also right out. (Some bright guy actually wrote a guide on legal blockers, which you can read here (http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?p=21237230#p21237230).)
- "Committee-only" proposals are proposals that do nothing but establish committees. It's always been preferred that such committees only be established to complement actual legislation, not just a substitute for it.
So anyway, Marklar indicated that his marklar was only to delete marklars and not to enforce arbitrary marklars ... umm, sorry. *ahem!*
Mall told players that the reason the rules were being dropped was because they only existed to create arbitrary standards for resolutions and that it should not be the mods' job to enforce them: "I don't see it as my place to be enforcing particular viewpoints or anything besides minimalistic standards upon the GA." But when a particularly sharp and good-looking chap pointed out (http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?p=25878435#p25878435) that the rules do a bit more than just "enforce viewpoints" on legislators, he got no response.
Add to that, at least two other moderators, Mousebumples and Frisbeeteria, indicated that Mall's viewpoint on those rules was not necessarily the official or majority view and that other mods had expressed a desire to keep those particular rules. (Mall has since indicated that he was "outvoted" by the other mods on Branding and that that rule, at least, would be coming back.) But since the minutes of those Modcave proceedings are under lock and key, it's not really known at this point if Mall's proposed ruleset is even official, if the other mods are on board or even just tacitly going along, if there are other proposed revisions out there that got outvoted, if Ardchoille will ever post in the GA forum again, if UFoC is going to have to replace his ambassador yet again after a few months, if there is indeed a companion star to the Sun orbiting beyond the Oort cloud that occasionally sends comets hurdling toward Earth every 65 million years, if Kenny's ever going to get tired of threatening to suicide-bomb the WA every time he doesn't get his way -- WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!? WHY IS EVERYTHING ALL BLURRY?? WHAT IS THIS STRANGE THROBBING FEELING IN MY EARS?? WHY DO MY EYES HURT ALL OF A SUDDEN?! WHY IS THAT DUDE'S FACE SO FUGLY?! -- (*at this point, Kenny's head explodes*)
(Sighs.) Ahhh, that was fun. In the meantime, other new rules are being submitted and discussed by players (for example, a "single subject rule" (http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?p=24922748#p24922748) to prevent proposals from addressing more than one issue at a time as well as a new appeals process (http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?p=24958900#p24958900)), a new convention appears to be emerging about "dissenting opinions" from mods who disagree with a GA ruling (like in the Supreme Court), even some proposed revisions of the "dropped" rules are being batted around, and I'm pretty sure in one thread someone's crazy uncle gets drunk and starts dancing naked on the table. So what the heck are you all waiting for?! Head on over to the General Assembly forum and join in the FUN!!!
Alright then, I'm gonna go get drunk. And if I hear from any of you later on that "perhaps you've had enough," I'm gonna marklar your marklar so markling hard, you'll have to get your marklar out of a marklar for an entire marklar, you markling marklar!!!
An Update from the Foreign Office (By Libetarian Republics)
Elections, treaties, embassies, and more
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It's back to school folks, or at least it was awhile back. Things became a little quiet as the summer concluded, but nonetheless I hope to bring some exciting news on what's happening in the Rejected Realms! :)
Election Season: Back to School
As mentioned in our last update, TRR's constitution has regular Officer elections every four months, to be held every April, August, and December. Prior to the August election, Delegate Guy restructured the cabinet to meet the needs of the community: Foreign Affairs, Media, Human Resources, and Culture (WA Affairs and Internal Affairs from the previous term were discontinued for the time being). There are two primary objectives laid out by Guy: restarting the Media Department (i.e., the Rejected Realms Media Corporation) and increasing social interactions and cultural events with allied/friendly regions to sustain current relationships.
Six candidates, including veterans and newcomers, vied for four spots in the Cabinet. Incumbents Libetarian Republics, Sad-States, and Christian Democrats won back their spots relatively easily. The final spot was heavily contested among incumbent Kyrogia, veteran Church of Satan, and newcomer Gradea. CoS attracted the votes necessary to overcome the other two candidates.
The final results were as follows:
- Libetarian Republics (Foreign Affairs)
- Sad-States (Human Resources)
- Christian Democrats (Media)
- The Church of Satan (Culture)
Halfway through the term, Sad-States resigned, citing increased real-life obligations. Gradea defeated Kyorgia 7-4 in a by-election for Human Resources, recently renamed the Integration Office by Delegate Guy.
Assembly Report
* The Rejected Realms is pleased to pass the Fifth Agreement on Friendship & Cooperation with the region of Australia. In the time after Australia's refounding, TRR has extended a hand to cultivate better relations.
* Minor debates occurred in the Assembly, including one over the legality of Delegate Guy's action when he changed the regional flag to a variant in apparent contravention of the Flag Act. The Delegate justified his actions as coming under the "cultural purposes" exception. The debate dissipated eventually with the return of the "official" flag.
* Eluvatar proposed the idea of codifying regional laws (compiling our acts into a single document), similar to the North Pacific's Legal Code. Many citizens expressed opposition, arguing that the maintenance of separate acts with an on-site index (via dispatch) provides clarity to the legal structure for residents. A consensus was reached, however, that the regional Assembly's forum will have to be reorganized at some point to distinguish laws and treaties, which are currently mixed together in a single subforum. More work for the admin slaves.
* Delegate Guy raised the prospect of requiring the Delegate to submit regular activity plans to the regional Assembly, which would be subject to a vote of confidence. Further, it was suggested that the failure of such a vote would trigger an election for the Delegate position. While Rejects approved the idea of the submission of regular plans, they were divided on the question of amending the Constitution to initiate elections should the Delegate's plans not be approved.
* The Rejected Realms sadly announced the termination of its Agreement on Friendship & Cooperation with the region of the Royal Alliance, which spontaneously withdrew its in-game embassy and which violated several terms in the Agreement. The Royal Alliance founder ejected the entire native population. A subsequent inquiry was made by Delegate Guy about the future of our relationship. With no response from the founder and with no prospect of restoring the region in sight, the regional Assembly unanimously repealed the Agreement.
Rejected Realms Army News
The RRA deployed several soldiers as part of a wide-scale defender operation in Hogwarts. Hogwarts had been under the control of Lone Wolves United until intelligence discovered that the player controlling the founder nation was leaving the game. The RRA deployed in assistance, returning the region back to native hands.
The RRA also participated in the liberation of Asia, the first liberation following the introduction of Regional Officers. An extensive allied sleeper operation kept alive the region's hope of liberation with a few RRA soldiers participating as defensive sleepers. The remaining core group of RRA soldiers entered at the major update, including RRA Commander Guy, who sent a non-WA to fool the raiders. The success of the operation came at a slim margin (44-43) for the natives/defenders. More information can be seen here (http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?p=26365532#p26365532).
News In Brief
* TRR is in the process of trying to start up its Roleplay sector (http://s8.zetaboards.com/The_RR_and_RRA/forum/3009975/). Roleplayers, both new and experienced, are welcome to participate.
* We officially have embassies with Canada again! We're glad to see Almonaster, the Canadian ambassador, back on our forums.
* We're also pleased to have a new embassy with Yggdrasil!
Easter Eggs: Part 3 (By Dr George)
A continuation of a series of articles from The Rejected Times
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#080: Easter Egg: Aliens Wish Peace/Trade Agreement
The Issue
Aliens have landed in the fields of @@NAME@@ and they wish to trade and have peace.
The Debate
1. "Take us to your kneader!" says @@RANDOMNAME_REVERSED@@, alien lawyer. "We have heard wonders of @@NAME@@'s pizza, and must have it. We are certain that a valuable trade route can be set up between our peoples. You could have our first born, for example." Your Secretary of Trade is shocked, "First Born?! That's slavery!" but quickly calms down upon discovery that their young are considered a great delicacy there. "You know, maybe we should open up trade with them?"
2. The Coalition of No ETs wants you to stay out of this. @@RANDOMNAME@@ says "Them darn aliens thingies are going to take advantage of the situation an kill us all! You must ban all trade with them. If they want my cattle, it will be over my dead body!"
Trigger: Conventional wisdom: "produce a whole heck of a lot of pizza." When we last had the WA ranking of largest Pizza Delivery Sector, I asked the top 10 nations if they'd ever had this Easter Egg and none remembered having it. The nations I've seen have this have not necessarily had Pizza Delivery as their largest industrial sector. There aren't many pizza-related issues and there's no clear path to making Pizza Delivery your #1 industry, even if that were the trigger, which it apparently is not, at least not by itself.
If you choose option 1, you will get delivery calls from Saturn and conceivably a small bump in your Economy. Option 2 is for the (literally) xenophobes among us, and I don't recall ever seeing someone answer it this way.
#256: Easter Egg: Suburbs Are Out Of This World
The Issue
High crime rates have made the inner cities of @@NAME@@'s largest conurbations increasingly dangerous and undesirable places to live. The mass exodus of the middle class from city centers has escalated to the extent that the suburbs and exurbs of major cities are beginning to collide, leaving no land for expansion. In response, a group of well-to-do soccer moms are petitioning the government for funds to establish white-collar living space... on the Moon.
The Debate
1. "Crime is perpetually increasing," says Chastity Elizabeth Prescott as she adjusts the sweater tied like a cape over her shoulders. "Just yesterday my little John Alexander Stuart's after-school Bigtopianese tutor was attacked by a gang of hoodlums! Our children deserve safe housing and exactly manicured lawns no greater than two inches in grass blade height! With a sufficient colonization effort, we can commute from communities on the Moon to the industries in our big cities. You must support this--think of the children!"
2. "Rockets?!" shrieks noted bleeding heart Sunflower Earthchild Starbeam, pulling her knit cap more closely over her ears. "Think of the pollution, and the danger! What if there's an accident? This cockamamie scheme must clearly be banned! And you thought cars were bad- wait! Cars ARE bad!"
3. "Everyone knows urban blight is caused by the flight of capital to the suburbs and exurbs," notes the prominent left-wing economist Engelbert Pinquo. "Running away to the Moon will solve nothing. Capital, and those who have it, must be brought back to the inner city... by force if need be."
4. "Stone the crows! We're trapped between hippies, communists and soccer moms," grumbles Vice Admiral Freddy Broadside. "We need breathing room, and everyone knows there ain't no air on the Moon! So let's get it the old-fashioned way - by invading our neighbors! Outpost Uber Alles will fall to the might of @@NAME@@!"
Trigger: Crippling crime rate (perhaps continuously for as long as a year).
I'm not a big fan of this Easter Egg. Option 1 conceivably adds some pollution to your environment and possibly increases your tax rate. Option 2 appears to be an anti-economy option. Option 3 is clearly the low freedoms option. Option 4 is the bellicose option. So if you're an environment-loving, economy-loving, freedoms-loving, and peace-loving nation, there doesn't appear to be much for you here. I have usually dismissed it. If you want to have another Easter Egg added to your total, I'd choose option 1, unless one of the other options fits your nation's POV.
Greater German Reich Raided (By New Tuva SSR)
NationStates' most (in)famous Nazi region falls to communists and socialists
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One of the larger far-right regions on NationStates, the Greater German Reich, has fallen. A coalition led by a leftist alliance known as The Red Fleet took over on September 24, 2015. The raid took over 100 nations from 17 leftist regions and was celebrated as a major victory against the Fascist front on NationStates.
On the eve of September 23, a mass of Communist and Socialist nations snuck into the region using cleverly disguised puppets and endorsed a nation known as Seditia. When the morning and the update came, the GGR was in confusion. Left and right, Seditia was using his newfound influence to take out all of the key members. Then came the exodus. A refugee crisis took place. Most of the pre-raid nations left and are currently spread out across NationStates.
The Greater German Reich, along with Nazi Europa, was, before the raid, the largest far-right region on NationStates. At the time of this writing, no organized attempt to take back the region has taken place. This has certainly been one of the biggest achievements by left-wing forces in the raiding game in recent history, the successful infiltration and overthrow of the (in)famous Greater German Reich by the Red Fleet.
Zombie Survival Guide (By Dr George)
How to make it through the impending Halloween plague
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Regarding the Zombie Apocalypse mini-game, as of last year, there are three basic approaches (there's no guarantee this year will be exactly the same):
(1) Cure the Zombies;
(2) Kill the Zombies; and
(3) Join the Zombies.
If you decide on option 1, you will tell NS that your nation is "researching a cure." After about an hour, your nation will start building Cure Missiles which you can fire at other nations in the region. Once a nation is zombie-free, it tends to stay that way unless it has chosen option 3, or someone else who has chosen option 3 re-infects it.
If you decide on option 2, you will develop roving death squads that turn zombies into dead people. As above, you can send your death squads into other nations in the region to kill their zombies too.
If you decide on option 3, you will become very infected very quickly. After an hour or so, you will be able to infect your neighbours or go to other regions and "spread the wealth."
If you want to survive the ZA and emerge infection-free (highest score), here's the plan:
I. At the beginning of the crisis, have the founder temporarily close your region's borders to keep out unwanted "guests." This is not so true of TRR, since a clever nation can ask its Executive to eject them to gain entry into TRR.
II. I strongly suggest EVERYONE in your region research the cure. The point of the game is to have the most survivors, so dead people don't count.
III. Anyone who wants to join the zombies should voluntarily leave the region or be temporarily ejected for the duration of the crisis. Again, TRR is uniquely ill-equipped for this strategy.
IV. Particularly at the beginning, when your Cure Missiles are weakest, target the largest nations first -- your first few missile strikes will go a surprisingly long way with those nations with 20,000,000,000+ populations.
V. As the largest nations become zombie-free, turn your attention to other nations, especially apparently inactive ones. Your missiles will be getting stronger, so it won't be QUITE so tedious to rid medium and smaller nations of Zombies. If you leave even a few million Zombies, they will start multiplying again, so be sure the nation you're curing goes completely infection-free!
VI. It takes a minute or so between missile shots, so I advocate that you have 2 or 3 nations (or more if you're really efficient or have someone helping you) online at the same time with different browsers. You might have nation W on Chrome, X on Opera, Y on MSIE, and Z on Safari. Once you fire one missile, immediately switch to the next nation and so forth. By the time you've used your last browser, the first one will be ready to go again!
VII. Be aware that when a nation is hit with any of the three approaches, it cannot do anything for 60-90 seconds, so if you see nations being very active, don't strike them at first. Wait until they stop firing before curing them.
VIII. Perhaps you and 1-2 friends can tag-team a particular nation at a time, continuously bombarding it with cure missiles--it will become infection-free MUCH faster that way.
IX. As the night wears on, network with other awake nations to find any obscure nations with remaining infection.
X. Report any "Join Zombie" nations for ejection. (Obviously, for every region except TRR).
XI. Once the region is completely infection-free (usually the next day), you might consider voluntarily leaving your region to help out some other region, which will be deeply appreciated. Be sure you return to your home base before the end of the crisis so your population counts in the scoring.
XII. Even if you don't plan to stay up at all late, still be sure to research the cure in the first hour of the crisis, so you can at least heal yourself. STARTING EARLY IS KEY. If you wait until 99% of your population is zombified or dead, you won't have any resources to research the cure, since all your scientists will be in the bellies of the walkers! :D
If you and your region decide to embrace your inner zombies:
A. Starting early remains critical. Be aware, though, that zombies naturally die from the infection eventually.
B. Since the game is biased in favour of zombies, a region that willingly embraces Zombieism will become totally infected rather quickly. Note that even when you reduce a nation's living population to 0, living people will spring out of the thin air at the updates.
C. You should play with 2-4 nations, too, each on a separate browser. Particularly once you leave your home region to spread the Zombie love, you will want to be able to respond disproportionately if some fool fires a Cure Missile at you. Show them no mercy!
D. When possible, you should case the region you want to infect to find the largest nations. Your first ravenous horde or two will create many more zombies than they would in a smaller nation.
E. Especially when you're raining on the party of some do-gooder region, work quickly, as you will probably be ejected once the populace realizes your mission, unless you've gone to a founderless region with no WA delegate. Suckers!
F. The feeders and sinkers tend to become blood baths, as do larger regions without a survival plan. The mega-large feeders can have massive losses and still make a showing on the "Most Survivors" board, so give them as much Hell as you can!
G. Be aware of what your prey is doing or not doing. If they are also spreading zombies, leave them alone unless you want to send them a bloody valentine so to speak. Inactive nations should be your favoured prey.
H. Should a group of undead bigots totally cure you, you will continue to make more zombies, and you can always ask a zombie patriot to re-infect you too.
I. Should you decide to call it a night early, be sure you're joining the zombies and in a zombiephilic region when you log out. There's nothing worse than seeing a string of Cure Missiles have been fired at you all night while you slept the Sleep of the (Un)Dead. ;)
J. You CAN research two or all three paths. Since the primary score is the number of living, uninfected citizens, sending in a band of death squads to kill zombies may be a more effective strategy at lowering a region's score, since the Really Dead cannot be cured.
Remember, this is a game, so have fun playing with the zombies! Note that once the crisis is over, there will be no permanent effects on your nation -- everyone will return to their complete populations, no more zombies, etc.
October Issue Comic:
http://static.existentialcomics.com/comics/philosophyHumans.jpg (http://static.existentialcomics.com/comics/philosophyHumans.jpg)
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Thanks for the update...I'm curious, do you think The Monthly Reject will be as big or relevant as The Rejected Times got to be?
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Thanks for the update...I'm curious, do you think The Monthly Reject will be as big or relevant as The Rejected Times got to be?
I hope we'll be as relevant -- probably not as big since we won't be publishing issues biweekly. The main reasons we switched names from The Rejected Times to The Monthly Reject were, first, to lower expectations and, second, to give our media office an incentive/reminder to keep publishing once every four weeks or so.
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But it certainly feels like a much safer publication in a sense...not nearly as much provocative content or propaganda as the times seems to have had. It won't ruffle as many feathers, but I got the sense that was one of the reasons why the Rejected Times was as famous...or infamous...as it was. Then again, who would want to deal with the backlash the Times often generated? Not I! :P
The interview with Pierconium was interesting. I'm not sure why GCRs are in such a rush to forget that the NPO very nearly succeeded in seizing one of its 'sister' GCRs just a few months ago, though, or to believe that the new Emperor represents true change. I would think it would do disservice to the idea of GCR sovereignty to so quickly forgive and forget.
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But it certainly feels like a much safer publication in a sense
Safety is a good thing when you're coming back from a few months of inactivity. And, yes, there is a lot of "baggage" around the Times and its coverage of breaking events. In a way, we're switching from a newspaper format to a news magazine format. For the moment, at least, we'd rather be more like The New Yorker and less like The New York Times, more like PBS or NPR and less like Fox News or MSNBC.
The interview with Pierconium was interesting. I'm not sure why GCRs are in such a rush to forget that the NPO very nearly succeeded in seizing one of its 'sister' GCRs just a few months ago, though, or to believe that the new Emperor represents true change. I would think it would do disservice to the idea of GCR sovereignty to so quickly forgive and forget.
Personally, I haven't forgotten or forgiven; and I believe most Rejects feel the same. I want to get somebody to write a critique of the interview for the November issue because much of it (e.g., never a Francoist) seems like (clever) propaganda.
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Safety is a good thing when you're coming back from a few months of inactivity. And, yes, there is a lot of "baggage" around the Times and its coverage of breaking events. In a way, we're switching from a newspaper format to a news magazine format. For the moment, at least, we'd rather be more like The New Yorker and less like The New York Times, more like PBS or NPR and less like Fox News or MSNBC.
That's true enough, and it's probably for the best. There are some people that live on the drama and partisanship that controversial articles create, but most people do not. There's something to be said for sticking a bit closer to the hard facts. :P
Personally, I haven't forgotten or forgiven; and I believe most Rejects feel the same. I want to get somebody to write a critique of the interview for the November issue because much of it (e.g., never a Francoist) seems like (clever) propaganda.
I think what has long-benefited the NPO is that they seem to have a long memory and think long-term, where most of the rest of NationStates...well, doesn't. From what I've read, both in NationStates and CyberNations the NPO has a long history of being able to recover its standing and prestige after events damaged both, usually with a mix of propaganda and just waiting out the shorter memories of everyone else. It seems to be working well enough not even a few months after Lazarus. Some regions are quick to forgive and forget, and others are even partaking in the opportunity of relations with the NPO and/or the core players behind the coup.
Let's hope they don't end up reaping the whirlwind in response. I doubt Kazmr will be able to save the next GCR. =/
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Update no. 18, December 2015
Greetings friends and allies! It's been five months since our last update so we're overdue for another one. Here's what's been happening in The Rejected Realms!
New Delegate Elected
Back in mid-June Guy was elected delegate and he did a good job. Unfortunately Guy stepped down because he no longer had the time to lead our government. Maybe he'll come back to the big chair someday. We would certainly appreciate it. This time around we had 4 candidates for the delegacy, Crazy Girl, kyorgia, Libetarian Republics and Christian Democrats. In true TRR tradition, Crazy Girl ran for delegate with no intention of actually taking the job. In fact that was her campaign. Kyorgia campaigned a strong emphasis on Recruitment and Integration. Libetarian Republics campaigned with a focus on Foreign Affairs, Culture and Integration. Christian Democrats campaigned with a very strong emphasis on quality & efficiency, hoping to merge various parts of the forum and improve the quality of work each department would pursue. After voting ended it seemed that Crazy Girl would have won by just one vote. However at the last second she withdrew from the race, not anticipating that she would win. Following voting procedure, the results were finalized.
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Most of the candidates campaigns were positive overall, however concerns over Christian Democrats pro-life views with regards to World Assembly votes came up when he confirmed that there could be times when he would disregard the citizens choices in favor of his own. This contributed in some manner to the overwhelming success of Libetarian Republics' campaign. Libetarian Republics was elected with 11 votes. Although Christian Democrats protested the results due to Crazy Girl's withdrawal from the race, it would do little more than prolong an unnecessary conversation.
Officer Elections
Officer elections this time around was not so competitive as the delegate election. There were just enough candidates to fill all four positions, leaving just a confirmation vote. Incumbents Church of Satan and kyorgia ran for re-election, retaining their places in the cabinet. New faces to the regional government "game", 98X and SpiderJerusalem ran as well. All four candidates were elected with no competition or campaigning. Delegate-elect Libetarian Republics would place Church of Satan as Foreign Affairs Officer, kyorgia as Outreach Officer, 98X as Culture Officer and SpiderJerusalem as Media Officer. Outreach, the first change enacted by Libetarian Republics, is in charge of both recruitment AND integration. With the cabinet elected work has begun in making The Rejected Realms better. Here's hoping for a great term!
TRR at The NS World Fair
At the fourth annual NS World Fair, The Rejected Realms would once again celebrate Rejectmas with friends from across NationStates. As it did last year, Rejectmas went over well with visitors proclaiming "I love disconnected culture! Have a very hairy Rejectmas everyone", "I love your rejectmas manual too.", "Tangerines!" and "This is the most interesting regional booth I've visited so far." Tangerines and omelettes abound, Rejects and visitors alike took part in the traditional Rejectmas activities of truth-saying, fear-sharing and telling one another what they would lock up in cabinets so as to prevent their theft by The Silver Ghost. The new addition to our booth however, was a cryptic puzzle created by then Culture Officer, Church of Satan, who would discover that no fair-goer was able to solve it, both to his surprise and dissatisfaction. All things considered, everyone had a very smooth Rejectmas.
RRA Update
Over the last 5 months the RRA has taken part in numerous missions. Most notably its participation in the liberation and refounding of Hogwarts which is no longer in the possession of the invaders that had once stole it from the native community. The RRA also participated in the defense of Scandinavium and Union of Sovereign States among others.
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Thanks for the update!
I'm kinda curious, if the knowledge is available, why was CoS moved from Culture to Foreign Affairs? I just remember him talking in our channel how much he liked culture.
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My limited interaction with Libetarian Republics was quite positive.
It's pretty hilarious that the person who didn't even truly want to do it got the most votes :P. I assume I'm missing some sort of hilarious Rejected Realms tradition?
And regarding CoS, he seems to greatly enjoy just about every aspect of NS. :P
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It's pretty hilarious that the person who didn't even truly want to do it got the most votes :P.
The update doesn't make it clear that CG "withdrew" 24 hours after voting had ended, thus leading to a protest by me and others when Speaker Tim crowned second place the winner.
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Oh, I was commenting on the hilarity of someone who states in their campaign that they would resign if they won, and then still end up winning. :)
But I daresay it makes sense to award the runner-up with the title.
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Earlier today Hileville, the elected delegate of The South Pacific, disregarding all protocol and legal precendent, dissolved the charter of The Coalition of The South Pacific. The Rejected Realms does not recognize the Transitional Government of The South Pacific as the legitimate government of The South Pacific and condemns its heinous seizure of The South Pacific nor do we condone its actions against the legitimate government.
In accordance with the TRR-TSP Treaty of Peace and Amity, we hereby pledge our support of The Coalition of The South Pacific and recognize it as the sole government of The South Pacific. We urge the rogue elements within The South Pacific to undo their oppressive acts against The Coalition of The South Pacific and restore order to the region. We further urge other regions to likewise decry these illegal acts against The South Pacific.
Libetarian Republics,
Delegate of The Rejected Realms
The Church of Satan,
Foreign Affairs Officer of The Rejected Realms
January 31, 2016
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Thank you for sharing TRR's perspective on this matter with us. :)
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Jesus. What exactly happened?
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As far as I know, the admin team of the South Pacific forums allegedly did some corrupt things such as distributing private information from their court forums, so the delegate illegally switched forums and made himself and a group of people supporting him admins over the new forum. Then when the court declared the forum move was illegal the delegate dissolved the Coalition and the region's security council, declared they would create a new government, and banjected the former admins from the region.
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The delegate of TSP illegally moved the forums of TSP and a court case was filed, with the court ruling against him. He then went full coup-mode and illegally dissolved the government and is illegally holding a constitutional convention (in contravention of their own laws).
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Sounds suspiciously like a coup. Was the corruption really bad enough to warrant such an extreme answer, though? I suppose the answer will differ depending on who I ask.
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Oh it is a coup Laurentus. The Constitution of TSP doesn't allow the Cabinet/Delegate move the forums unless the forums are not able to be used, otherwise the Assembly of TSP have to vote.
The delegate only dissolved it after the high court ruled against him as well.
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Interesting. I shall follow this with great interest. It's ironic that I find the idea of other regions so interesting, but just can't get any enthusiasm when dealing with them diplomatically.
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There's no doubt that the actions of the admin team weren't good. The admin team is supposed to stay above regional politics and the game in general, and in this case not only did they fail to do that, they became an active part of both in releasing information that was private to influence a court appeal. There's also been some claims that they bullied members of the community which I can't speak to, and that they were subverting the region, presumably for defenders, although this is obvious propaganda and persecution.
On the other hand, the response is absolutely appalling...at the very least, it should be recognized that these admins have some support for there to even be a discussion on this, and that there was a better way to resolve the issue than to destroy one of the oldest governments in Nationstates over such pettiness. However, what I predicted with the OFO coup has come to pass...the precedent was set there, and in the minds of many gameplayers having one clique coup a GCR and purge it of its opponents is now seen as a legitimate tactic. Look for repeats of this to happen in other inactive or unstable GCRs over time.
In the end, I don't really care for either side, and I'm glad there are no Wintrean interests involved here. We've had minimal to nonexistent relations with The South Pacific, and even if Decree 008 didn't exist I'm glad we have no reason to get involved in that mess. If the admins representing the Coalition somehow win, things will return to normal...if the 'Transitional Government' wins, it'll be legitimized in the next few weeks or months, as the OFO was. That's just kinda the way it is...
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If the admins representing the Coalition somehow win, things will return to normal...if the 'Transitional Government' wins, it'll be legitimized in the next few weeks or months, as the OFO was. That's just kinda the way it is...
Personal opinion:
I've argued in the past that GCR governments have only two potential kinds of legitimacy:
1. Democratic legitimacy -- a substantial portion of the native population recognizes the government as a proper authority and supports it; citizenship and public office are open to newcomers in theory and in effect; in short, the majority rules, not a clique of players who have undue influence.
2. Legal legitimacy -- the region abides by the rule of law rather than by the arbitrary will of a single individual or a small group of individuals (e.g., forum administrators); the region is governed according to a relatively constant set of rules and procedures that are objectively fair.
In my opinion, most GCR governments aren't legitimate in either way. They're not democratic; they're controlled by the few, usually a dozen or so active members. Also, they might have the façade of law but are really governed by arbitrary will; the law can be ignored or discarded if it's inconvenient.
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That's probably an accurate assessment. I think most GCRs are put at a disadvantage due to their overhyped prominence in gameplay. They end up attracting people that want are more interested in pushing their alignment or gameplay agenda than in actually being part of the region...for example, there's a lot of people that are technically 'in' multiple GCRs, but you almost never see them unless there's some sort of conflict or drama that brings them out of the woodwork. Couple that with other issues plaguing some of the GCRs such as low activity or few invested natives and you have kindling just waiting to be lit.
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Power belongs to whoever takes it. That is the only real measure of legitimacy in my opinion. Legitimacy is incredibly subjective. If a democracy can successfully limit those chosen to represent them, then they are legitimate. If they cannot, and fall to a dictator, then that dictator has legitimacy. Who actually ends up deserving that power is the only matter that is up for debate. In a GCR, where a WAD has to skillfully play his political game to stay in power -- unlike a UCR where the founder can exert full control -- if the WAD can maintain enough endorsements, then he is the legitimate leader of that government, and if he is upstaged, then whoever upstages him is automatically legitimate in any real sense, if not a moral one.
Morality itself is simply a tool that a leader can choose to use to stay in power, nothing more.
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Are we considering WA liberation or is this not serious enough?
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Liberations only happen when an invading force takes control, and typically password-protects the region and bans people en mass. This -- shocking as though it may be -- looks to be an internal issue.
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So... we'd have to use a TRR military coalition? Do we even have the capability of militarily assaulting a GCR?
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Hell no. Few UCRs do. Add to that, there is no point for us to get involved. We have no relations with TSP.
EDIT: This is also only an internal political issue, not an external occupation, based on the info so far.
EDIT 2: If we charged in there, we'd technically be invaders.
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We actually do have relations with them...
Just not particularly active relations. In any case the coup ended.
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The coup ended yesterday so there is no need to take military action. At this point in time it is now an internal matter of The South Pacific, which involves electing a new cabinet and modifying their laws.
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Power belongs to whoever takes it. That is the only real measure of legitimacy in my opinion. Legitimacy is incredibly subjective. If a democracy can successfully limit those chosen to represent them, then they are legitimate. If they cannot, and fall to a dictator, then that dictator has legitimacy. Who actually ends up deserving that power is the only matter that is up for debate. In a GCR, where a WAD has to skillfully play his political game to stay in power -- unlike a UCR where the founder can exert full control -- if the WAD can maintain enough endorsements, then he is the legitimate leader of that government, and if he is upstaged, then whoever upstages him is automatically legitimate in any real sense, if not a moral one.
Morality itself is simply a tool that a leader can choose to use to stay in power, nothing more.
I suppose I have a more idealistic view about legitimacy in the GCRs...just because a group seizes power doesn't make it legitimate. If the opposition representing the legitimate government over time is weak, the new regime may become legitimized over time as we saw during the OFO coup, but that doesn't make it legitimate upon seizing the delegacy. It's interesting to note here that that this coup ended after the Coalition opposition began organizing their own forums/counter-government and it became clear that it wouldn't be quickly done away with.
Power may come from holding the delegacy or the founder nation, but legitimacy can only be conferred by the people.
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I'm not sure that actually countered my argument. Even looking at the technical definition of legitimacy:
legitimate
adjective
1. conforming to the law or to rules.
2. able to be defended with logic or justification;
valid.
3. constituting or relating to serious drama as
distinct from musical comedy, revue, etc.
verb
1. make lawful or justify.
It says nothing about democracy, or people's support. Making it lawful, or justifying it, can happen in many ways, and every single one will be a matter of debate, since the law is inherently meaningless without someone to enforce it. And the one who enforces it is the one in power. So logically, his is the only legitimate government, until someone can overthrow him.
Don't get me wrong, I'm far from suggesting those in power deserve that power, even if they do have the support of a majority (ahem, ANC), but it would be rather nonsensical for me to claim that the ANC isn't legitimate. It would be equally nonsensical to say that Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe isn't the legitimate ruler.
Now, if we adjusted the parameter of the argument and asked who deserves power, I have a feeling our answers might be more aligned.
Also note that the fact that a Delegate has that many endorsements, means he is technically entrusted with power by the people. Not all the people, but a majority of the ones with any power to support someone through their endorsements. So how is that not democratic? I think these types of situations are actually far more complex than people would like to admit.
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How was the situation in the South Pacific resolved? I'm having trouble figuring it out.
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Thanks for the invitation! :)
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Hello friends and allies! It's been a few months since our last update so without further delay, here's what's been happening in The Rejected Realms!
Officer Elections - The Previous Term
During the previous term, 98X resigned from his position as Media Officer due to real life obligations. Tomb and Koth ran for the vacant spot however Tomb would be the one elected as Media Officer, putting out one issue of The Monthly Reject in that time. During that time, Spider Jerusalem also resigned from his position as Culture Officer due to real life obligations. Madaloria ran for the position and had a successful term following his successful planning for the Constitution Day festivities. No longer wishing to serve as Speaker, Tim resigned his position. Guy was elected Speaker in a confirmation vote.
Officer Elections - Now
The Church of Satan and Madaloria ran for and were re-elected to their prior positions. Joining them were newcomers Nobodies and Werpdrarg, all of which ran unopposed. The Church of Satan has resumed his prior job as Foreign Affairs Officer. Madaloria resumes his prior job as Culture Officer. Nobodies now serves as Media Officer in charge of The Monthly Reject. Werpdrarg serves as Outreach Officer. With so many fresh faces in the cabinet, it's hard to say how things will progress.
RMB Activity
The month of March saw no shortage of malicious spam resulting in more suppression of posts and moderator intervention in that month alone than seen over the last several months. It's hard to say why that is but it is hopefully an isolated incident.
March also however was the month in which we would celebrate Constitution Day. With good planning by Madaloria, the festivities were successful, seeing increased (positive) RMB activity from several friends and allies across NationStates. A belated "thank you" to those of you that attended. We were happy to see you there!
Tiebroken
After the end of the previous election, we at TRR found that our tie-breaking procedure sucks. Initially if there was a tie in the elections, the candidate who joined the regional forums earlier shall be favored. While everyone on NationStates has an account on our forums (I mean who doesn't right?), the candidate that registered first is automatically favored in procedure. Taking into account the permanency of the registration date and flexibility of applying for citizenship, the Assembly amended the Election Act by having the tiebreakers broken in reference to the vote of current officials. If the votes by the officials were not cast, the candidate with the longer continuous citizenship ultimately wins.
Poll-It-Bureau introduces Citizen of the Week
Polls are popular among Rejects; to incentivize registering for citizenship, the Poll-It-Bureau introduces Citizen of the Week. The Delegate, under some arbitrary criteria, selects a citizen to have polling powers for that week. Citizens can poll Rejects over a wide range of topics from politics to cuisine.
Our first Citizen of the Week is Jeffersonborg, popularly known as Codger elsewhere. He is credited for the suggesting this idea, and he is notoriously known by Rejects for his hate for freedom. His poll regarded a prison warden of The Rejected Realms; one day you find a Reject trading in contraband, containing matches and pamphlets calling for greater democracy in the region. What would you do afterwards? The results were quite interesting. (http://www.nationstates.net/page=poll/p=48068)
Our second Citizen of the Week is Bowiemoria. He is known for his enthusiasm about BBQ, and made a poll about the favorite type of BBQ items. He invited players around the world to vote as well.
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TRR Issues Committee’s goal is to create quality, original issues and improve the experiences of Rejects and nations worldwide. TRR’s first issue was announced around January 2016 when sedge mentioned the recent addition of Issue #483. Submitted in May 2015, the processing took 3 delegate terms; the long, tedious wait was eventually realized. Congratulations to all that contributed to this achievement. Below in the spoiler is Issue #483 and the options the players can pick. If received in-game, you’ll notice on the bottom right “Issue by: The Rejected Realms Issue Committee.”
Issue #483
#483: Do You Want Fries With That? [The rejected realms issue committee; ed:Sanctaria]
The Issue
Mobs of disgruntled employees picket fast-food chains across @@NAME@@, tossing cheeseburgers at customers and burning their uniforms – all in the name of dignity and fairer wages.
The Debate
1. "MERRY MEALS, MERRY WORKERS!" chants a pubescent protester. "For far too long have our families starved because of pitiful wages. I mean, really, what are we supposed to do with one @@CURRENCY@@ a day? Eat it!? @@NAME@@ needs to set a new minimum floor for wages, and protect workers – the least that can go wrong is a little bump in the price of your Big Max - what's the big deal?"
2. "Oh the horror! THE HORROR!" gasps the McRonalds CEO as he watches a video of protesters deep-frying the company mascot. "Not Ronald! Anyone but Ronald! They've gone bananas! @@LEADER@@, their complaints are ridiculous, I assure you. They should be grateful for the wage they get for, what, flipping a few burgers? Give me a break. I implore you to send in the police and stop these mouth-breathers from scaring away our custom- eh, I mean, to protect our citizens, of course..."
3. "The problem isn't wages, darling," says a 'chatty cathy' working the counter at Papa Pallocci's Pizza Pagoda. "It's all the 'part time' hours - the 'seasonal' work, 'overtime', 'no overtime', 'zero-contracts' – before you know it, we'll all be working part-part-part-time! We should go back to a simple work-week for all us slaves to the retail industry. 8-5. Sure, it'll make places hard to staff, but who wants a burger at midnight anyways?"
4. "Eww, fast food," says @@RANDOMNAME@@, sipping a glass of almond milk to wash down a fresh kale salad. "We should just get rid of it altogether. Who could be bothered with those cheap, greasy trans-fats? Yuck! Gluttony gone amok as far as I'm concerned. We should aim for a higher standard of food: vegetarian, vegan, organic. C'est magnifique!"
News In Brief
*Islanders of the 10000 Islands visited the Rejected Realms in January, celebrating with tacos & BBQ.
*CG complains for more coffee, and Jeffersonborg complains for less freedom.
*Sirius3108, one of the largest class regions in NationStates, has established embassies with the Rejected Realms!
*Codger proposed forming a "Like Legion", a group dedicated to liking quality RMB posts.
*Initials for the Rejected Realms: TRR or tRR?
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Thanks for the update! I'm sure @Emoticonius is pleased to be back at foreign affairs, and also belated congratulations to @Tomb, even if he isn't in that posting now. :)
Also congrats on getting an embassy with Sirus3108. I've seen that region before, and I've tried to establish embassies with some other class regions before...but no luck. If nothing else, having an embassy with a class region must be an interesting conversation piece. :P
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GreetingsIf you've received this invitation then you have an embassy with us. It's the Halloween season so we thought we'd do something everywhere we have an embassy! Right here in this thread, anyone in your region may submit a sprite for this contest. The rules are simple:
- The theme must be Halloween.
- There is a strict size limit of 200x200 pixels, no exceptions.
- Nothing pornographic in nature is allowed.
- All submissions must be original designs of your own making.
- All submissions must be posted in one of the invitation threads at one of our embassies abroad or here (http://s8.zetaboards.com/The_RR_and_RRA/forum/3008854/) on the TRR forum.
(feel free to create your own thread for your submission if you go that route)
Simple right? Some of you are probably wondering "What
is a sprite?" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprite_(computer_graphics)) Well that wikipedia entry is a good place to find the answer. The winning submission will be used as TRR's flag in-game for the duration of Halloween. We look forward to seeing what your creative minds are capable of...creating! Best of luck to all of you!
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The Rejected Realms Update
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WA Delegate: The Church of Satan
| Culture Officer: Catalyse | Foreign Affairs Officer: Wabbitslayah |
| Media Officer: John Laurens | Outreach Officer: Marilyn Manson Freaks |
Speaker of the Assembly: Kyorgia
An election, and another election... and wait, is that another election?
If there's one thing we can be sure of it's that the Gods of elections are surely pleased with The Rejected Realms. Throughout the last three months several worthy candidates have lined up to be sacrifices to the Gods of elections, but only a few of them were holy enough to enter the sacred walls of Electionhalla. Even some of those that were thought to be worthy at first were rejected entry into Electionhalla, and were expelled from it, or how we call it in Electionism, they resigned.
The first of the several sacrificial rituals started in August, and several pious rejects lined up, citing the reasons of why they were worthy, and soon enough all rejects were enjoying the election rituals, casting their vote into the sacred ballot box. Flower Boy, Catalyse, Katie Rybeck and Frattastan were deemed worthy of being sacrificed this election season, but many of them were not capable of faring through the trials and tribulations the gods set before them.
By early September one of the officers had already been excommunicated, resigned, and a challenge for this newly vacated position, erupted from two worthy candidates, Marilyn Manson and John Laurens. Battling between each other with the best election weaponry they could find, in the end, after Manson had received 13 votes and Laurens had received 6, it was Marilyn Manson that was chosen to be sacrificed on the Holy Sepulchre of Outreach on the 8th of September.
Soon after another challenger appeared from the crowd. Wabbitslayah challenged Frattastan, who decided to not meet his opponent on the field and instead cower inside the walls of Electionhalla, which was not a good sign of things to come. In the end Wabbit was selected to be an officer on the 16th of September, while Frattastan was expelled from the godly realms.
But this wasn't the last we had seen of Laurens, and again on the 12th of October, after another resignation occurred, he again battled, this time with his wits as no worthy opponent had emerged from the crowd, to obtain the favour of the gods, and after four days of strenuous discussion with the gods he did.
Last but not least, undefeated and unopposed champion in the coliseum of Speaker elections, Kyorgia was again chosen as the holy champion of the Assembly, the Speaker. And now, with only a few days before the next holy festivities we await for the new candidates.
Werewolf Fever
There's a new fever passing through The Rejected Realms, and it all started on the night of the 15th of October when a hooded man was spotted poisoning the water depots. A lab analysis of the water discovered that it had been contaminated by the lycanthropy virus, but by then it was already too late to stop the virus from spreading through the water supply.
As generalized distrust between the citizens of the region and chaos ensued, the mayor of The Rejected Realms, Frattastan, was found dead in their office. Further inspection showed that not only had he been killed by a werewolf, but that he was the one who had contaminated the water supplies too, apparently as a cruel prank. The few citizens that had gathered at the town hall hurried to elect a new mayor, and as soon as they could, hurried back to their houses and hoped for the best during the night.
To everyone's horror, the new mayor that had promised to find a solution to this crisis had too perished the following night. The townspeople decided that the best course of action was to vote on who they believed was a werewolf, and then executing them. Soon after a consensus was formed as to the guilt of Escade. Escade was taken to the pyre on the town square and lighted on fire, and as she burned many could observe her werewolf fur appear under her skin.
Believing that they were finally free of the werewolf menace, the citizens went about their daily life. To their horrible surprise, they again found another body, that of resident superstar fan, Marilyn Manson, which showed all the signs of having been killed by a werewolf. Again, accusations were flung around, and as the names of Catalyse and Kyorgia were thrown around, it was finally decided that the more suspicious of the two was Kyorgia, who, after being skinned, was shown to be hiding werewolf fur under his human skin.
While The Rejected Realms seems to be safe for the moment, there are scary tales that the epidemic has reached the underground levels of the region only known as discord, where the plight of the innocent citizens continues on.
The Rejects' Brigade
The Rejected Realms Army (RRA), otherwise known as the UDL's Rejected Renegade Squadron (https://www.nationstates.net/page=rmb/postid=27453804), continues to soldier on against the raider menace, as the invaders continue to attack The Rejected Realms by sending the worst of the membership of the regions they have raided, such spammers and trolls, and I assume, some good people too.
The RRA has, in the past few months, seen an increase in members, with new recruits coming from all sorts of backgrounds to join the RRA's power couple, guy and frattastan, in the march towards the inevitable continuation of the march. People from all walks of life have flocked to join the RRA: refugees from the latest GCR civil war, recently dugged out FRA veterans, out of work defender ideologues or just your common reject, all have come together.
When lucky enough not to fall asleep during update, the RRA can show itself to be a large force, though sadly the many seniors in its ranks need to take long rests between updates, lest they end up out of commission sooner than expected. If lucky enough, or if Command is daring enough to wake her from her slumber, we can even count on Crazy Girl, who has interrupted her retirement in order to update a few times.
Beyond the usual update routine of liberations, defences and detags against more or less notorious invader groups, the RRA took part in the liberation attempts of Socialist Alliance of Eurasia, where, along with other defenders, we were left to be picked one by one by invader sharpshooters and their BC rifles.
Also noteworthy for us were the minor update of the 23rd of September, when 7 soldiers were able to wake up just in time to set our most recent record of update attendance, and the liberation of Shrektopia and the other operations on the 17th of October when, exceptionally, we outnumbered any other group in Libcord.
At this point we're confident that the only thing that can put an end to the RRA is the RRA itself, or rather, a member of the RRA. As the army's self-appointed chief ideologue, The Grim Reaper, has prophesied, if in his second coming he is not accompanied by any other member of the RRA into update then that may very well mark our end, if not all of R/D or even Nationstates. But until then, the Space Unicorn Brigade marches on.
Update written by Catalyse
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The end of R/D...let us hope. xD
In any case, thanks for the update! I have to say, I liked the simple format...it made the dispatch easy to read compared to a lot of the fancy formats that other regions put out.
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I have to say, I liked the simple format...it made the dispatch easy to read compared to a lot of the fancy formats that other regions put out.
Including ours? :P
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Including ours? :P
:P
What say you on the matter?
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WA Delegate: Catalyse
| Culture Officer: Marilyn Manson Freaks | Foreign Affairs Officer: Frattastan |
| Media Officer: John Laurens | Outreach Officer: The Church of Satan |
Speaker of the Assembly: Kyorgia
New Delegate Elected
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The RRA parading with a portrait of a former delegate. We're not too sure of which one this is...
For The Rejected Realms, December was not only the holiday season for the celebration of Rejectmas, but it also turned out to be a far larger election period than the triannual general election for Officers. Late into November, Catalyse declared her intentions to challenge sitting Delegate, The Church of Satan, followed soon by the incumbent's declaration of intent to run in opposition, alongside Crazy Girl to again take over the mantle of the perennial candidate.
We'll skip through the boring election process, pass the political maneuvering and ignore the vote buying by going straight to the election results! Coincidentally, this article happens to be written by election's winner, but that there is just a mere coincidence.
Truthfully the campaign was much less interesting, and much less stressing, than any allegations of wrongdoing or electoral manipulation would have made it, and instead all three Delegate candidates conducted their campaigns respectfully, with the only incident of notice having been The Grim Reaper's torturously long SWOT analysis presented to Catalyse.
The elections were closed on the 11th of December and Catalyse was declared the victor with twenty four first preference votes, while both The Church of Satan and Crazy Girl enjoyed five first preference votes each. This marked the first time in TRR's History that an incumbent Delegate that has decided to contest an election challenge lost an election.
Catalyse's inauguration took place on the 13th, and while the initial celebrations were interrupted by a group of protesters throwing tangerines at the Delegate, the RRA was quickly called into action to curb the resistance, I mean unlawful protests... and make sure democracy takes it's due course.
During her inauguration speech, Catalyse delineated her mandate of which she hopes to accomplish during her term, including her short and long term plans, from reviewing and revitalising TRR's Foreign policies to exploring and developing new cultural activities.
Written by Catalyse
Hall of Fame given a Rejectmas Present
The Hall of Fame, instituted in late November by the Assembly of The Rejected Realms to honour past members of the region and their contributions not only to its community but to NationStates as a whole, was graced with a most joyous and happy Christmas morning when a gift was found inside the office of the Hall of Fame's Director, right next to the fireplace. A Rejectmas miracle, as some have called it.
The present's wrapping, decorated with drawings of tangerines allusive to Rejectmas, was quickly torn into shreds by the Hall of Fame's Director, after a vote determined they'd be the one to open the mysterious gift, while the rest of those present hid behind the Director's desk.
The present turned out to be a portrait of an angel, along with a plaque with a small biography of someone. Everyone was left befuddled as to what the gift actually was, but a well timed call from the office of the Speaker of the Assembly quickly answered any question that there might have been. Apparently the Assembly forgot to inform that Sedge was to be the first inductee to the Hall of Fame and their induction would quaintly fall on the 25th of December.
Sedge is not only a former Delegate of The Rejected Realms and prominent regional member, having stood out as an Officer and during the time following Kandarin's resignation, he was also one of the most prominent defenders and a NationStates Moderator, credited with having brought better insight and greater attention to many Gameplay-related issues. And perhaps now we add the much lesser achievement of having been the first inductee to our Hall of Fame to his accomplishments.
Written by Catalyse
A Hairy Rejectmas Story
This year, to celebrate the Rejectmas season, the Delegate opened the hall of the Reject's Palace to everyone and invited all Rejects to participate in the festivities, the banquets and the various activities offered in the festival grounds. The festivities began on the 26th of December, the date marking the traditional start of the Rejectmas season, and will be ending upon the conclusion of its activities.
To show that we were celebrating a hairy Rejectmas, we decorated our numerous cities in black, silver and indigo. Fun fact: dramoon is also recognised by most local authorities as a Rejectmas colour but has been lost since the thirteenth century, yet, some choose to represent dramoon with the colours of either "Thistle", "Chestnut" or "Mauvelous"!
On the RMB, nations were invited to change their flag in the spirtit of Rejectmas and sing Rejectmas Carols, and then further invited to share those carols on the forums so they could be submitted in the Rejectmas Carol Contest for a chance to be dubbed "Head Rejectmas Tangerine Sprite" if their submission was voted the best, along with having their submission featured in a TRR publication!
Other activities and games included a festive purple Rejectmas Tree decoration, a Rejectmas Edition Werewolf game, a Rejectmas Chess Tournament, a Rejectmas Flag Contest, along with several quizzes and spam games.
Written by PowerPAOK
Thank you for reading!
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Thanks for the update, and my condolences on not surviving the challenge. For what it's worth, I followed that election and it seemed to me that people voted more from a desire for something fresh than out of any dissatisfaction with you. :)
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Thanks for the update, and my condolences on not surviving the challenge. For what it's worth, I followed that election and it seemed to me that people voted more from a desire for something fresh than out of any dissatisfaction with you. :)
Yeah everyone seemed to be more in favor for a desire for change than any issues with my delegacy but Catalyse is doing a good job. ^_^
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WA Delegate: Catalyse
| Culture Officer: Marilyn Manson Freaks | Foreign Affairs Officer: Frattastan |
| Media Officer: PowerPAOK | Outreach Officer: John Laurens |
Speaker of the Assembly: Fauxia
News from the Assembly
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The Grim Reaper punches a Mottoist assemblyman during discussion of the "Regional Motto Act Repeal".
This last month has seen growing activity in the Assembly, not just in the form of elections, of which there have been a few since the last update, but also in legislation and treaties! Two recent proposals have been brought up in the Assembly recently, the "Regional Message Board Act Amendment", which has developed into a proposal of a wider "Regional Officers Act", as the original RMB act predates the existence of Regional Officers, and the "Regional Motto Act Repeal", which deserves its own paragraphs.
The "Regional Motto Act Repeal", proposed by The Grim Reaper, has led to heated discussion and has caused severe division among the ranks of the Assembly, leading to the formation of the two first informal political parties in The Rejected Realms: the Mottoists and the Anti-Mottoists. We will delve further into the two groups that have made the Assembly their battleground during this so-called "Motto Crisis".
The Mottoists, which includes figures such as PowerPAOK, The Church of Satan and Marilyn Manson, argue that to repeal this law would be to gut TRR of a signifcant part its culture, and that the current motto is both meaningful and suitable to TRR, though radical Mottoists, led by Jeffersonborg, despite not being as strong defenders of the current motto, have gone as far as to propose that all RMB posts not including the motto in some way should be suppressed, or that every aspect of TRR other than the regional motto should cease to exist.
The Anti-Mottoists, led by the repeal's proponent, The Grim Reaper, argue that the current motto lacks usage, not even being present in the region's WFE, is not a relevant part of the region's culture and that it is also non-representative and ill-fitting to the region, and believe that the enshrining of any regional motto into law is superfluous. When presented with the possibility of vote on a new motto being held The Grim Reaper had the following to say "If someone runs a motto contest I will genuinely stamp campaign for a no motto option.".
While the Assembly approved of both the "Regional Message Board Act Amendment", with 13 votes for and 8 against, and the "Regional Officers Act", with 18 votes for and 1 against, these matters do not seem to be put at rest. While some wish to again hold a contest on the regional motto, others have already presented an amendment to the Constitution that would replace the "Regional Officers Act", and from which conversation about renaming goverment offices has erupted.
Another recent and important piece of legislation that has been discussed in the Assembly is "Amendment XIX: Delegate Elections", proposed by the current Delegate, which has established that elections for the Delegate position will be held every six months after the previous election, in conjunction with the challenge system, making the election date flexible.
The challenge system in which any citizen can challenge the Delegate for their position, provided their candidacy has enough support, and which was the only way one could run for Delegate before this amendment, after much debate, discussion and counter-proposals, which included a ban on consecutive terms, along with longer or shorter terms, narrowly achieved the 75% approval necessary for it to pass the Assembly, with 21 votes for and 6 against.
In election news, the Assembly saw an highly contested run for the Speaker position. Then-incumbent Speaker Kyorgia faced PowerPAOK, Katie Rybeck and Fauxia. In a very close election that saw Kyorgia delve deep into the hell that is TRR's electoral system, Fauxia was declared the winner after a tie between him and Kyorgia was broken with a borda count of the preferential vote system.
PowerPAOK, who has become an ardent contributor to The Rejected Times since becoming involved in TRR, was also elected Media Officer, with John Laurens choosing to not contest the challenge, though he was not absent from the Officer's quarters for too long, as he soon challenged The Church of Satan for the position of Outreach Officer, who also chose not to contest the challenge, and was elected.
Written by Catalyse
New Friendships Forged, Old Friendships Strengthened
After having kept for some time a lower profile in the halls of diplomacy - no doubt due to widespread condemnation for its rich collection of hack writers and defender subversives - The Rejected Realms returned to treaty-making business last month, by concluding two new agreements: a cultural-oriented treaty with Forest, and a trilateral alliance with The East and South Pacifics, both of which passed with great support in TRR's Assembly.
Forest is a famous environmentalist region, whose mature debating atmosphere, successful cultural activities and many outstanding inhabitants earned them a World Assembly Commendation last year.
The treaty was atypical for partnering TRR with a non-Gameplay region, and focusing on matters of diplomacy and cultural exchange over security issues, but was received very well.
At the same time, the government also sought to expand our relations in a more conventional direction, that of friendship with TRR's fellow game-created regions. "The January Accords" build upon the previous, fruitful bilateral alliance between The Rejected Realms and The South Pacific, with provisions for mutual defense, intelligence sharing, and cooperation on cultural matters, now extending them to The East Pacific.
Known for its roleplays, its classical democratic constitutional framework, and its love of caek, The East Pacific has experienced a renaissance in various areas under Yuno's leadership, and had been under consideration for a treaty since the beginning of Catalyse's term as Delegate. The three regions assisted each other in their recent Delegate transitions, and look forward to closer cooperation in the near future.
Written by Frattastan
Awardees and Inductees
The last two months saw several people receive awards for their contributions to The Rejected Realms. The Hall of Fame saw the induction of former Delegates, Kandarin and Naivetry, on the 25th of January, with Crazy Girl, longtime leader of the RRA and root admin and of the region's forums, being inducted on the 7th of February. Additionally, several people won, or were to nominated, to the Rejects Awards, which hopes to establish itself as an yearly event in TRR.
There is much to say about the new inductees joining Sedge in the Hall of Fame. Kandarin was the one of the first, if not the first, native Delegate of The Rejected Realms and still considered an hallmark of The Rejected Realms and still held in high consideration in both TRR and abroad, while Naivetry, as Kandarin's successor, saw many changes come to TRR during her term, such as the adoption of TRR's first, and still current, constitution.
Crazy Girl is the only one out of the current four inductees to not only still be active, but also to not have served as the Delegate of The Rejected Realms, despite probably being the most prolific "Delegate that could have been", not just because of her place as TRR's perennial candidate, but also due to her contributions to the region, her long service as High Commander of the Rejected Realms Army and her highly esteemed place among the NationStates community.
The Rejects Awards saw several nominees, but in the end there could only have been one winner for the several categories. Catalyse, who after becoming a citizen in early 2017 went on to serve in several positions until become Delegate in December won in the categories of best newcomer, Reject of The Year, RRA Newcomer Soldier and Best Government Member
Frattastan was a close second, with three awards, Most Outstanding Officer, The Greymarshes Achievement Award, Veteran Reject Award, followed by Guy, who won in the categories of Best Legislator and Best Werewolf Player. PowerPAOK, otherwise known as Nequedum, who became the Media Officer this year and has led the TRT revival, won the Pen & Paper Award, and Dark Aku, who was a staple of TRR's RMB until his nation CTEing in July of 2017, won the Outstanding RMBer Award.
Additionally, the implementation of the Werewolf bot in TRR's discord and the forum games won the TRR Event of the Year award, while "Gaining Border Control in TRR is like finding a load of paper money in a society where currency has been abolished.", by Fratt, won the Quote of the Year award.
Written by Catalyse
Endorsements and Citizens on the rise
With both the number of nations endorsing the Delegate and the number of citizens increasing, and with all-time records in both being beaten, the government of The Rejected Realms has reason to be positive about the region's outlook.
The number of nations endorsing the Delegate has seen continuous growth since Catalyse was elected to the position, finally reaching the much awaited threshold of two hundred on the 12th of February, which, barring times when foreign militaries were endorsing the Delegate, has set a new record for the region, breaking Libetarian Republic's 195 endorsements.
Reaching two hundred endorsements translates into an endorsement rate of 39%, which despite being relatively low in comparison to other GCRs and regions with large World Assembly Nations population, is a significant improvement on the 30% endorsement rate that The Church of Satan held in November of last year, representing 149 endorsements, and is an accomplishment in a region without ejection powers and where many puppets and inactive nations end up residing in.
With 213 endorsements and a 42% endorsement rate at the time of writing, we are positive that not only we can continue to improve in this field, but that we can translate this improvement into a safer, more active and more dynamic regional community.
The number of citizens has also reached an all-time high, with currently there being ninety-six citizens registered on TRR's forums. Despite TRR's relatively lax requirements needed to maintain citizenship, the Citizenship Council, the group of officials which is in charge of processing citizenship applications and removals, continues to be diligent in its work of maintaining an updated list of citizens and making sure all those in it fulfill the legal requirements.
Written by Catalyse
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Thanks for the update...I have to admit, I usually read it on NSGP since it's posted there first, but it was a good read. :P
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WA Delegate: Frattastan
| Culture Officer: Harmoneia | Foreign Affairs Officer: Guy |
| Media Officer: The Church of Satan | Outreach Officer: Calalin |
Speaker of the Assembly: Vulturret
Forum Move Announcement
To escape the dreaded Tapatalk, The Rejected Realms' official forum has been relocated to https://rejectedrealms.com.
Accounts have been converted, so if you were previously registered on the old forum you can reactivate yours with a simple password reset.
If you are experiencing any technical issues don't hesitate to contact one of the administrators on NationStates or Discord.
The Delegate has retired: Long live the Delegate
(https://i.imgur.com/y28F9S8.jpg)
Frattastan plotting his return as TRR Delegate.
The Rejected Realms has held a Delegate election, leading to retiring Delegate Wabbitslayah being replaced by Frattastan. Proceedings kicked off with a challenge by Canton Empire against the seating Delegate Wabbitslayah. As rumours abounded that Wabbitslayah is unlikely to recontest, no fewer than nine candidates stepped up to challenge for the position in total, a record for TRR Delegate elections.
Spurred by the high number of candidates, the campaign was a vigorous and well-contested one, drawing much attention from both within and outside the region. Early frontrunner PowerPAOK/Nequedem/Glacikaldr was hampered by a dispute with Wabbitslayah regarding a supposed agreement regarding the timing of his challenge, having echoes of being TRR's own Granita Pact (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blair%E2%80%93Brown_deal). The candidacy of prominent invader Souls was sufficient to bring NS Gameplay into overdrive, with various commentators opining that his candidacy is either the biggest danger or the best thing to happen to TRR in its existence.
The lack of a clear frontrunner led to a second round of candidacy declarations as Marilyn Manson Freaks, Wopruthien and Frattastan engaged the citizenry with their visions for the region. The various candidates were mostly differentiated by personality and experience rather than serious policy differences, and the outcome of the election appeared as uncertain as it ever was.
In the end, for the second time in as many elections, the final outcome was determined by one vote. A surprisingly strong showing by insurgent candidate Marilyn Manson Freaks was good enough to make this a tight contest throughout the voting period, leading to frantic googling about TRR's voting system and a 200% increase in the viewcount for Wikipedia's article on it (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant-runoff_voting). Manson and Frattastan had dominated the voting, but it was the latter who emerged victorious.
This is Frattastan's second stint as Delegate, the first being a highly successful term in 2013-14. His platform set out a detailed agenda for the region, particularly in the areas of Foreign Affairs and the World Assembly. Work is already underway to implement Frattastan's policy programme, with the hope of harnessing the activity and energy that the region is capable of when it works together.
Written by Guy
Not Steering Clear of VD (Debates)
For a long time barely noticed by the citizenry, the Rejected Realms Vice-Delegacy became a recurrent topic in Assembly discussions this year, and even turned into a contentious a topic in the most recent Delegate election.
Originating in August 2011, when Sedgistan appointed three Vice-Delegates as endorsees who could back him up at a time when there multiple swappers threatening the delegacy (including the infamous Rejected Redeemer, whose identity was a source of controversy), the position had almost been forgotten, with no new appointments since 2015, and one of the original endorsees continuing to maintain it despite her decreasing activity.
In part this lack of institutionalisation occurred due to the uncertainty concerning the necessity and the purpose of a Vice-Delegate in a region without ejection powers, where maintaining high endorsement and influence level is not as vital as it would be in other feeders and sinkers.
This February, then-Delegate Catalyse proposed to add the Vice Delegate as a member of the government, but the discussion died down without any consensus on the proposed change.
Her successor wabbitslayah sought to do the same, "promoting" outgoing Officer Marilyn Manson Freaks to the position of Vice-Delegate, with concurrent cabinet access for the first time in TRR history, and envisioning him as a general advisor and aide to the head of government. This move should have been paired with legislation allowing for the Delegate to appoint new government members, in addition to the four elected ones that make up the Cabinet right now, but the relevant constitutional amendment failed to pass by a single vote, continuing to leave the Vice Delegate office in a legal limbo.
To add to the confusion, in a quick and somewhat confusing succession of events in the last days of his term, wabbitslayah fired Marilyn Manson, appointed former delegate The Church of Satan, and then reappointed Marilyn Manson.
In the most recent Delegate election campaign several candidates stated their views on the VD issue. Eventual winner Frattastan asked that the position should be codified and returned to its original limited role as backup endorsee or abolished altogether, with some voters showing uneasiness at the latter prospect.
Local anarchist icon The Grim Reaper, self-described "NS equivalent of like a CEO you call in to handle a corporate dissolution and then you fire them for incompetence with a beefy golden parachute" and "really good at this whole legislature thing", submitted an alternative proposal meant to establish Zyonn as the first person behind the Delegate in any order of precedence, and allowing her to take over the region at will, but this suggestion seems to have been largely ignored despite the increasing religious devotion towards 'Lady Zyonn'.
In typical Reject fashion it's expected that the issue will be talked to death until there's a consensus. If ever.
Written by Frattastan
Less than Diplomatic
For the past several months, the Rejected Realms has been gripped in crisis. No fewer than 22 players have made and broken alliances, plotted schemes -- often behind their friends' backs -- and backstabbed each other when expedient. With the struggle for power as vicious and the stakes as high as ever, the question on everyone's minds has been "who will emerge on top?"
That's because TRR has been playing Diplomacy, a popular 1950s boardgame that is set in the run up to the Great War. Six games have already been played, following the formation of an official Diplomacy league within the region. Participants take control of one of seven European powers, with the goal of taking over the entire continent and being crowned the Diplomacy champion of TRR. Wopruthien has taken an early lead with one solo victory and one draw, and Souls is close on his heels in second.
Any player is free to join the league and become involved in the brutal games of Diplomacy. You also have ample opportunity to stab Frattastan in the back. Now who wouldn't want that?! Or if betraying Frattastan is not your cup of tea, maybe you can gain revenge on Souls for his NS transgressions. Whether a citizen, interested observer, or ambassador to sign up register your interest in the TRR #Roleplay Discord channel.
Written by Wopruthien
Invitation to TRR's CYOA Game: "Fallout Arizona"
(https://i.imgur.com/E2r9HKO.jpg)
War. War never changes. Even with the Old World rushing off to its doom, there are those who still safeguard the values, lessons, and convictions of America from the ruins of the atomic fallout. In the West, the values of democracy and the rule of law, and, in the East, the lesson to never repeat the same mistakes. The clash of the Bear, the New Californian Republic, and the Bull, Caesar’s Legion, was inevitable as their quests for glory consumes them. What remains by 2897 is a shell of both, as the NCR prepares to push back against the final holdouts of the new Caesar. First Sun City in the ruins of Phoenix, and then the final march to Flagstaff. A swift victory is promised by Mason Salvatore, one of the two possible candidates for presidency within the NCR’s upcoming election in the senate. All that stands in the way of the reborn crime family’s rise to power is candidate Aaron Hanlon, the nephew of retired Chief Hanlon of the NCR Rangers who is facing waning support. The NCR-Legion war has become a final opportunity for the many schemes of the Old World to take root. Will the conquest Arizona be what finally allows the NCR to remake America, or will the legacy of Caesar be one that forever changes the NCR’s very values? You enter Arizona as a Reject (not like this though, sadly (https://i.imgur.com/zK302iy_d.jpg?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium)), watching helplessly like the many other casualties of this war as the senate decides America’s future and the Legion does its best to make them pay dearly. Will you correct America’s path; or will you be its downfall? Or maybe you might just end up dying to an extra sneaky bark scorpion.
Ultimately, you decide, in the Rejected Realm’s Choose Your Own Adventure Game: “Fallout Arizona”! The polls (https://www.nationstates.net/region=the_rejected_realms#poll) will be made daily—or as regularly as I can remember and am able to make them—and will be open for the entirely of the interregional community, resident or otherwise (not that we would ever banject or eject you, or could for that matter, even if you did move in a puppet just to vote). So here’s where you come in: we’re inviting you to join in on our CYOA Game written by yours truly, Glacikaldr (https://www.nationstates.net/nation=glacikaldr), or Nequaldraok if you’re looking for a portmanteau. The concept was first inspired by this YouTube video (https://youtu.be/pgw3NgYTR6U) by ShoddyCast, but I could list many more that would be best to keep hidden: otherwise I’d ruin some of the many surprises I have instore for you!
So far we’ve just done a few parts within Chapter 1, and you can catch up on the setting, story, and previous options chosen, as well as the character sheet we’ve made through both gameside and offsite polls that we will be developing together throughout the process with almost every decision we make, through the dispatch following dispatch: here (https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1104114).
Further, if you’re looking for a better to stay updated on when a new poll (https://www.nationstates.net/region=the_rejected_realms#poll) is made, look no further than the new subscription service for the game! You can learn how to subscribe, for either RMB mentions or Discord pings, here (https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1108006). Thank you for joining us on this journey if you choose to do so, and we look forward to seeing as many of you over on our polls as able and willing!
Written by Glacikaldr
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Thank you for the update! :)
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(https://i.imgur.com/rrjwmSg.png?1)
Visit our Discord (https://discordapp.com/invite/Z3xbVTm) and our Forum (https://rejectedrealms.com)
WA Delegate: Frattastan
| Culture Officer: Harmoneia | Foreign Affairs Officer: Guy |
| Outreach Officer: MargiBoof | Officer without portfolio: Crazy Girl
Speaker of the Assembly: Vulturret
Diplomatic Announcement about the NPO
In the wake of allegations concerning the role of high-ranking members of the New Pacific Order in infiltrating and destabilising other game-created regions, and in hiding players shunned by the rest of the NationStates community, The Rejected Realms has closed its embassy with The Pacific.
The government statement on the topic can be found here (https://rejectedrealms.com/viewtopic.php?f=84&t=10030094). No further action is expected to be taken at this time.
An Islands TRReaty
(https://i.imgur.com/GugB6QR.jpg)
Tourism from TRR to the 10000 Islands is expected to increase following the signature of their treaty.
Last month the Rejected Realms ratified the 10000 Islands – The Rejected Realms Treaty of Friendship, capping months of negotiations over the Treaty.
10000 Islands and The Rejected Realms have a long history of friendship and cooperation. On the military field, the regions had for years jointly participated in and coordinated joint defender operations through their respective militaries, and moreover regularly assisted each other in Delegate transitions and times of need. Cultural exchange and synergy between the regions has increased dramatically in recent times, setting the stage for a comprehensive treaty between the regions. This is not the first time a treaty is considered between the two regions – 10000 Islands participated in the negotiations of the XYZ Treaty (https://rejectedrealms.com/viewtopic.php?f=100&t=8452170), a multilateral treaty between defender regions, but ultimately did not sign it.
The Treaty thus sets in writing what the parties have already been doing for a long time, formally enshrining their close relations. It requires the parties to afford to each other diplomatic recognition, maintain diplomatic relations, provide military aid to each other, share relevant intelligence, cooperate in the World Assembly on certain proposals and undertake joint cultural initiatives.
In TRR, the treaty was ratified by a vote of 15-6, with six abstentions. While there was broad support for the treaty, an area of contention emerged relating to 10000 Islands’ policies on the participation of invaders in its community. An agreement was reached between the regions that all citizens be allowed to participate in joint cultural events irrespective of military alignment. This agreement was seen as insufficient by some members of TRR due to 10000 Islands’ general proscription on invader participation in the region.
TRR is confident that the treaty will see even closer links between our regions emerge, building on the existing strong bonds that have been formed over the past years. We congratulate our partners in 10000 Islands on this joint achievement, and we are excited to see what the future has in store for our regions.
Written by Guy
First RejectVision Edition Takes Place
Following the storied traditions of Eurovision and FRAvision, the Rejected Realms hosted its very own song competition: RejectVision. For the competition, Rejects and others were invited to enter any song they wanted to be judged by the other entrants. Unlike recent editions of FRAvision and Raidervision, they were not required - or even encouraged- to be original songs performed by the entrants.
RejectVision lasted two weeks from November 4th to November 18th with one week for entering and one week for voting. In all, there were an impressive 23 entries that ran the genre gamut from indie to metal to pop and even what has been dubbed “free form freak-out” a.k.a random noise. In order to aid participants in ranking the songs, a listening party was hosted on the TRR discord with the help of a music bot. Over those 2 hours, most everyone had a good time and bonded over music and conversation.
As for the final results, the tallies were done by the host, Deadeye Jack. In a not at all nefarious coincidence (honest!), Deadeye Jack’s entry ended up running away with RejectVision victory. Given the success of the event, it’s likely we will see future RejectVisions sometime soon. Below are the top three entries for reference:
1st Place: Deadeye Jack with 106 points Silver Lining by Mt Joy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cv7-qdvYht8)
2nd Place: Harmoneia with 83 points K by Cigarettes After Sex (https://youtu.be/L4sbDxR22z4)
3rd Place: Altasund with 69 points Old Fashioned by Panic! at the Disco (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDCW3PrLCIs)
For a full view of all the entries and results you can read the RejectVision thread on the TRR forums: https://rejectedrealms.com/viewtopic.php?f=73&t=10029982
Written by Deadeye Jack
This is Halloween: Z-Day & More
Like every Z-Day, TRR gets plenty involved and still has time for Halloween festivities. This year we not only participated in Z-Day, we watched the cult classic horror film “Halloween”, held a zombie-themed flag contest, and a horror-themed short-story writing competition.
This Z-Day, we decided to embrace the horde. We themed ourselves after revenge-hungry Rejects furious about being banjected. Before you could say “BRAINS!”, almost all of TRR was zombified. In fact, we were #1 on the leaderboard for Most Infected and Most Dead. At first, there were quite a few residents attempting a cure, but we easily infected them!
In addition to participating in Z-Day, TRR watched “Halloween” to celebrate Halloween. For those who don't know, Halloween is a cult classic horror film about a serial killer named Michael Myers from Illinois who is constantly prowling for his next victim.
Lastly, TRR held two horror themed contests, one was a short-story contest, and one was a flag contest. Quite a few interesting pieces were entered for both contests, but only one person could win each one. Eventually, Glacikaldr/Nequedum/PowerPAOK was named the winner of the flag contest and Deadeye Jack the winner of the short-story contest.
Written by Marilyn Manson
Other news
- Delegate Frattastan has challenged the LKE Emperor Emeritus to a bake-off (https://www.nationstates.net/page=rmb/postid=32906281), to finally settle the longstanding dispute between defenders and imperialists. We eagerly await his reply.
- Harmoneia has started a book club for people with short attention spans. Reads so far have been The Outsider by H.P. Lovecraft, The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas by Ursula K. Le Guin, and Carbon by Primo Levi.
- General elections to elect the four government officers are ongoing at the time of this writing, and are scheduled to end on December 9. The candidates are Deadeye Jack, Marilyn Manson, Kyorgia, Vulturret, and Catalyse.
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Thanks for the update! It seems like things are going along well over there. :)
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Journey Through the Woods
(https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2018/03/woods6.jpg)
Forest RMB (https://www.nationstates.net/page=display_region_rmb/region=forest)|The Rejected Realms RMB (https://www.nationstates.net/page=display_region_rmb/region=the_rejected_realms)
On behalf of Forest and The Rejected Realms, it is our honor to present to you a collaborative storytelling event that will be hosted on our Regional Message Boards. On our respective RMBs there will be a different narrative that begins with a paragraph and each subsequent person to follow will add their own paragraph and continue on the stories. As long as you are a member of Forest, the Rejected Realms, or one of our embassy regions with access to posting on our RMBs you can participate. Each RMB will feature a thematically different story with different characters so if you can, you are encouraged to participate in both.
When
The opening paragraphs for each narrative will be posted on the respective RMBs on February 21st, 2019 at 12:00 AM GMT and the event will last until February 25th, 2019 at 12:00AM GMT.
Rules
- When adding to the story, quote the previous entry and add a number. This is so we can keep track of the stories in a logical way. For example
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/300755968554434561/545718321102848001/unknown.png)
- Don't double post for the story
- Please keep things PG-13 and follow site rules!
- Please do not ruin either story with implausible events and try to stay within the story's universe
- Have fun!
Sneak Preview of Starting Paragraphs
In case you wanted to know what the stories will be about and start brainstorming some ideas see below.
Opening Paragraph on Forest RMB
Mielikki woke up in a cold sweat after having a dream that her favorite maple tree had been destroyed by a rogue lumberjack. She saw a flickering orange glow lighting her room and was able to easily find and put on her glasses before looking out the window to see that her prized maple was ablaze. This realization made her feel like her stomach was being eaten by snakes. She had planted the maple as a small child and grown up with it. She had her first kiss under its ruddy canopy. She cannot remember who she kissed there many decades ago but had become to consider this tree to be her best friend. She had watched her son play under it before the incident. She grabbed her cane and rushed outside to futilely attempt to douse the flames with her garden hose. Despite failing to stop the blaze its light revealed a gas can, a lighter, and footprints leading away from the tree toward the woods. A sense of resolve grew in her. She went back inside and asked her wise old spider plant if she should follow the footprints and get revenge on the arsonist after sunrise. The spider plant whispered, 'Do it if your arthritis won’t stop you! You should go for a walk in the woods in any case because it will calm you."
Opening Paragraph on TRR RMB
The march out of town was mostly quiet. Not surprising for such an awkward endeavor. Every year, the young lives of all those who had completed all the years of their formal education were evaluated based on how they fit in with the community and the order of things. Free thinkers, with radical ideas were nothing but troublemakers in the eyes of the elders. The community had been ravaged by power struggles in the past and so the elders designed this process to weed out the biggest rebels and misfits. On this day, the misfit in question was a boy named Adam. Despite the warnings of his parents throughout his childhood, he couldn’t help his inquisitive, opinionated nature. And so Adam was being escorted out to the woods miles from the community, banished forever. They finally arrived at the edge of the vast woodlands and stopped. One of the armed escorts asserted gruffly, “The penalty for contacting or returning to the community is death. Good luck”. And then they left.
If you have any questions please contact one of us and we'd be glad to help. We're excited about this and we hope you have fun writing some interesting stories with us.
Turbeaux
Deputy Forest Keeper
Dead I Jack
Culture Officer of The Rejected Realms
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(https://i.imgur.com/rrjwmSg.png?1)
Visit our Discord (https://discord.gg/Z3xbVTm) and our Forum (https://rejectedrealms.com/index.php)!
WA Delegate: Frattastan
Culture Officer: Deadeye Jack
Foreign Affairs Officer: Kyorgia
Outreach Officer: Bobberino
Media Officer: The Aligned People
Speaker of the Assembly: Marilyn Manson Freaks
We Had an Election or a Few…
In April, citizens of The Rejected Realms once again sprinted to their nearest polling stations to vote in the Officer and Speaker elections.
On the topic of the Officer elections, one random citizen exclaimed that “This will be the most important election in our lifetime or just for this month, I guess.” Speaker Altmoras declared the standing period for the election to be open on the first of April and after a grueling four days, five candidates came forward. The five candidates were Deadeye Jack, Jamie, Kyorgia, The Aligned People, and The Grim Reaper. Which all were running on very interesting platforms that no one actually read. Eventually, Speaker Altmoras put up the vote and after four days of hard fought battles, the results were in. Incumbent Officer Deadeye Jack was re-elected in the first round, incumbent Officer Kyorgia was re-elected after him, and new Officers Jamie and The Aligned People also ended up being elected.
At the same time as the Officer elections were going on, the less prestigious but equally important Speaker election was also happening. This race was not as hotly contested with only two citizens running for the role of Speaker of the Assembly. The incumbent Speaker Altmoras decided to not run, leaving Marilyn Manson Freaks and Xanderstralia as the only candidates running for the position. At the end of a very long night of results, it was finally announced that Manson had won the election over Xanderstralia.
After some hard thinking, Delegate Frattastan announced that the new cabinet would be Deadeye Jack as Culture Officer, Kyorgia as Foreign Affairs Officer, Jamie as Outreach Officer, and finally, The Aligned People as Media Officer. Soon after, the new cabinet started off working fast, but, unfortunately, Jamie announced that he would no longer have the time to fulfill his duties as Outreach Officer. This meant that the newly elected Speaker, Manson, had the important job of running his first election. This time, five new people ran for the empty Officer spot. Neop, Bobberino, Bormiar, Rom, and Xanderstralia, who previously ran in the Speaker election earlier that month. Nearing the end of the election, it seemed to be neck and neck, with Bobberino and Neop leading. However, Bobberino eventually amassed enough votes to win the election, beating Neop 15-10.
Disruption at the Citizenship Office
(https://i.imgur.com/46n28Ed.jpg?2)
Libetarian Republics enjoying his first day of freedom
One very important aspect of the region that is not very often spoken about is the Citizenship Council. For years, the CitCo was run by three old sages, Frattastan, Guy and Libetarian Republics, but in March, LR announced that he would be going on a vision quest and resigned from his position. As per regional law, Speaker Altmoras nominated longtime citizen and former Delegate Catalyse to the Citizenship Council. After a nearly-unanimous vote in the Assembly, Catalyse was confirmed with 20 votes for her appointment to the CitCo, 2 votes against, and 3 abstentions.
Thought Transference Inducted into the Hall of Fame
Recently, the Assembly decided to be active again and inducted former Citizenship Councillor and all-around chill philosopher, Thought Transference, into the Hall of Fame.
TT, a longtime citizen of TRR, has been gone for nearly four years now. However, he was not forgotten! An interesting and calm player, he could probably be described as an NS rationalist. He approached both regional and international problems from a logical standpoint and was always considerate of the emotions of his fellow citizens and players. He was a voice of reason and a leader in chaotic times, one being Kandarin's departure and Naivetry's ascension to the position of Delegate.
During his decade in the region (2005-2015), TT never sought elected office. A modest character, he only ever served on the Council of Three (a temporary political body established to regulate Naivetry's power while the Constitution was still in the process of being ratified) and the Citizenship Council. He was one of the first three Councillors, and is one of the longest-serving. He was a Councillor for an impressive amount of time equal to about four years!
As you can most likely tell, TT fully deserved his induction. Love him or hate him, he surely impacted TRR in a positive way and brought his interesting thoughts and philosophy to the region.
Lost and Found Accords Ratified
(https://i.imgur.com/sWf2xoX.jpg)
Delegate Frattastan announcing the new treaty to the Assembly.
Delegate Frattastan and Officer Catalyse recently sat down with the government of our sister sinker Osiris to negotiate a treaty. After some initial difficulties translating hieroglyphics into Italian the discussions went well and a treaty was agreed upon. The treaty, named after that time an intern lost it at starbucks, was passed through the assembly in The Rejected Realms and The Council of Scribes in Osiris.
In other news
- The winners of The Reject Awards 2019 have been announced (https://rejectedrealms.com/viewtopic.php?f=111&t=10030404).
- A short story contest was held in the region with Nakari writing the winning story. The stories can be viewed here (https://rejectedrealms.com/viewtopic.php?f=73&t=10030488).
- A meme contest was held in the region with the theme being memes about the rejected realms. The winning meme was made by Kyorgia and all the memes can be seen here (https://rejectedrealms.com/viewtopic.php?f=73&t=10030439).
- The Rejected Realms' Historical Society has updated its government list to include all former citizenship councillors, former positions such as senator from the 2008 constitution, sub-delegate from 2003 among other roles. The historical society's subforum with a lot of interesting bits about The Rejected Realms history can be found here (https://rejectedrealms.com/viewforum.php?f=79).
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Thank you for the update :)
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(https://i.imgur.com/rrjwmSg.png?1)
Visit our Discord (https://discord.gg/Z3xbVTm) and our Forum (https://rejectedrealms.com/index.php)!
WA Delegate: Kyorgia
Foreign Affairs Officer: Deadeye Jack
Media Officer: The Aligned People
Culture Officer: Sarah
Outreach Officer: Morover
Speaker of the Assembly: Marilyn Manson Freaks
TRR Elects New Delegate: Sometime Ago
Perhaps no one else has noticed, but The Rejected Realms has had a new delegate for little over a month now. Elected on the 12th of May, with thirty-three votes out of fifty-seven in total, Kyorgia is the 13th Constitutional delegate, the third one elected since the establishment of six months terms, though only Frattastan IV, Kyo's immediate predecessor, actually served for the duration of their fixed six months term.
The elections that saw Kyorgia elected started with nominations being opened up on the 1st of May, being closed on the 8th, when voting starting, which finally ended up on the 12th. While it was not the most uncontested election, with only four candidates running, while in the previous elections there had been nine candidates, it had an higher number of votes, fifty-seven in total, than the most recent elections. Kyorgia, Deadeye Jack and The Church of Satan all reached the ballot, but the fourth candidate, long-time member of The Rejected Realms and former Vice Delegate, Spartan Termopylae decided to exit the race before voting started.
At the closing of the ballots Kyorgia had thirty-three votes, DeadEye Jack twenty-one and The Church of Satan had three, which would have all transferred to DeadEye Jack. While the candidate with the lowest vote count, The Church of Satan has been a long-term amendment of the region, having served in several positions, including as Delegate before, and has become a presence in all delegate elections since he last served in that position, something that might put at stake Crazy Girl's staple as a delegate candidate, who seems to have missed this one out. The vote was however contested between Kyorgia and Deadeye Jack, whose only similarity of note are that they were both implicated in attempts to undermine regional sovereignty.
Deadeye Jack, along with fellow TGW member, Altmoras, who was at the time running a speaker campaign, was accused by an investigative journalist of being part of an organised effort to colonize TRR. Though this was at the time dismissed as a joke by most, the at the time speaker, Vulturret, who would be defeated in election by Altmoras, rallied to defend TRR's sovereignty from defender infiltration. Deadeye Jack is however better known by how many times he has been mentioned in previous foreign updates in connection to cultural activities, as, after being elected as an Officer in December, he led a concentrated effort as Culture Officer to improve activity in the region and has been involved in organising and managing several cutural activities, such as Rejectvision, or planning interregional events.
On the other hand Kyorgia had to wait to become Delegate in order to be implicated in subversion. Interregional observers did what they did best when they observed that many of those who voted for Kyorgia were self-professed raiders, though some others were also labelled as "I don't know.", "Who?" and "Scavenger", while Deadeye Jack's voters were mostly defender, bar one or two "They're still active?". Probably more damning than any accusations than being elected as part of raider infiltration are the charges of "being lazy", accusations from which we've been waiting for a response from Kyorgia for three weeks now. However if you forget accusations of treason Kyorgia is an all around great guy, having been a long-time member of the region, probably better known for having served as Speaker and for being a awarded the role of prominent token raider.
Hectic Days at the Ballot Box
General elections for TRR's cabinet were held in April, with Deadeye Jack, Kyorgia, Jamie and The Aligned People being elected as Officers. Out of these four officers, only Deadeye Jack and The Aligned People, remain in office today.
The first to abandon the ranks was Jamie, who resigned shortly into his term, after which Bob was elected on the twenty-first of April. A new election was triggered soon enough, as shortly before voting for the Delegate elections started, Invincible, or n-vince, challenged Outreach Officer Bobberino, and although Invincible was defeated with twelve votes against him and seven for, the outcome of the election, which the sitting officer had not contested, opened the constitutional question of if in such cases the incumbent should retain their position or not, and although the prevailing opinion was that they should, it was also the majority opinion that it should be further clarified.
Shortly after, with his victory in the Delegate elections, Kyorgia resigned from his position as Officer of Foreign Affairs, to which Deadeye Jack, his opponent in the Delegate elections, was appointed to. With one new vacant seat came one new election, in which Morover, Sarah, The Church of Satan and Flower Boy were the candidates, with Sarah emerging as the victor with thirteen votes, and was rapidly appointed to the Culture Officer, previously held by Deadeye Jack and to whom she had previously worked as a deputy and where she continues her predecessor's work in coming up with new activities and continuing old ones.
More recently, Bobberino chose to resign, triggering yet another election when new candidates challenged for the newly vacated office. Morover and Flower Boy again chose to run, and were this time joined by Twertis, otherwise known as Bormiar, on the ballot. And finally, on the the 19th of June, Morover, who had been for a time contributing to The Rejected Times was one of its most recent up and coming contributors was elected with 15 votes, quickly being appointed by Kyorgia to the position of Outreach Officer. With three Outreach Officers two months into them term, we hope the third time truly is the charm.
Rejected Radio Relaunched Successfully
(https://i.imgur.com/ePTJB0K.png)
Established in August of 2013 by The Church of Satan, Rejected Radio was originally conceived as an almost-indie news and music station. Early on, Rejected Radio mostly just played the music of independent artists and ocassionally chatted about international happenings until its revitalization and renaissance in 2015. Nearly six years later, Rejected Radio is back, better, and different.
Reannounced on June 5, 2019 by Manson (https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=221965&p=35826949#p35773892), Rejected Radio came with an entirely new look. The new logo features a metallicized version of the phoenix on Kandarin's (a Former Delegate of The Rejected Realms) flag. This symbolism is meant to show that Rejected Radio is constantly changing and evolving, while staying true to its home region's roots.
In addition to being reloaded with a brave new look, Rejected Radio has taken other steps to keep up with the times. One being the creation of a YouTube channel! On this new channel, viewers can find and watch previous Rejected Radio episodes whenever they please. The first and current video on Rejected Radio's channel is the interview hosts The Church of Satan and Morover did with Anabelle I, the new Pharaoh of Osiris. You're free to watch it here (https://youtu.be/40ko4fFR2e0).
Lastly, stay tuned! Rejected Radio's staff are currently working on two new releases. Make sure to subscribe to Rejected Radio's YouTube channel and turn on notifications if you're interested.
The RRA Roars Back Into Life
Spurred on by the return of High Commander Frattastan to active duty, the Rejected Realms Army has seen a surge of activity over the past month. The return of several RRA veterans including Catalyse, Karputsk & Neop has been complemented by an uptick in membership that includes more experienced heads such as Ravania and Lynxi, and newer faces that were invited to sign up as part of a region-wide recruitment campaign.
Over the past month or so the RRA has made a significant contribution to defender operations coordinated via the Libcord discord server and in tandem with our friends in the South Pacific Forces, the Grey Wardens & TITO. In the absence of significant raider activity up until recently, the RRA has participated and led forces in hundreds of detags, and countless smaller defences, liberations and supports. The RRA also deployed to its home region, The Rejected Realms, and Osiris, to assist with the recent delegacy transfers.
To reward recent contributions, several RRA troops received promotions. The new newly-promoted soldiers will assist in the day-to-day running of the army and updating of RRA procedures and guides. The most senior promotion was that of Karputsk to Lieutenant, who has proven his competency and experience at update, and was able to address some of the concerns about his activity. The other two promotions were of Rom and Neop to Sergeant. As two of the RRA’s most frequent updaters they will be expected to assist in training of newer members and to lead update operations in the absence of other commanders.
With this renewed activity, the RRA has improved upon its existing operational capability. It remains on high alert following the return of TBH and Lily to the battlefield and as Raidercon gets underway. With a healthy mix of experienced and newer players the force is looking to encourage opportunities for members to develop themselves as defenders and advance within the RRA’s hierarchy, and to foster long term activity and growth.
First Rule of the Rejected Realms Fight Club...
(https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/91212fe7-db10-4f35-8333-ca7c99160630/d2ue8bo-a0b85eee-cd0e-4a4b-9539-d75e2c61cebb.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcLzkxMjEyZmU3LWRiMTAtNGYzNS04MzMzLWNhN2M5OTE2MDYzMFwvZDJ1ZThiby1hMGI4NWVlZS1jZDBlLTRhNGItOTUzOS1kNzVlMmM2MWNlYmIucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.D1FfXqgIY0GVQJbnfyVVwtezS9rOjBZ6ayI36SwA57k)
As part of an initiative to do more events and activities using NationStates features, Deadeye Jack unveiled The Rejected Realms Fight Club in May. The club makes use of the challenge feature and participants are supposed to challenge each other for position in the standings. Each week, based on the standings, epic cards are handed out to the nation at the number 1 spot in the Fight Club and to the nation that made the biggest jump up the leader board for that week.
After passing the month milestone, membership of the Fight Club stands at 35 nations ranging from levels as high as 70 and as low as 2. For the entire run, Turbeaux has maintained the top spot but many have jockeyed for position below that nation and one day a challenger will come along to snatch that number 1 spot.
If you’d like more information about how it works, if you’d like to join or if you’d just like to follow along, read the dispatch (https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1209603).
In other news
- The May Meme Contest (https://rejectedrealms.com/viewtopic.php?f=73&t=10030553) winner was Nakari.
- Culture Officer Sarah hosted an Art and Photo Contest (https://rejectedrealms.com/viewtopic.php?f=73&t=10030675) for the first time in June and the winner was Nequedum who narrowly edged past Ravania.
- Guy resigned from the Citizenship Council and was replaced by The Grim Reaper
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(https://i.imgur.com/rrjwmSg.png?1)
Visit our Discord (https://discord.gg/Z3xbVTm) and our Forum (https://rejectedrealms.com/index.php)!
WA Delegate: Kyorgia
Foreign Affairs Officer: Deadeye Jack
Media Officer: The Aligned People
Culture Officer: Sarah
Outreach Officer: Bormiar
Speaker of the Assembly: Neop
Constitutional Confusion Finally Resolves
As some of you may know, the Rejected Realms has a rather unique electoral system where in addition to regular elections, citizens can challenge the Delegate or Officers for their position at any time, if they have the support of several other citizens. However, some confusion ensued around the system in May, when Bobberino, then Outreach Officer, was challenged, but he did not contest the challenge. Thus, under the Constitution, a vote was held to confirm the challenger, Invincible, which failed. However, Constitutional provisions did not state what happens if a sole challenger fails, and a debate ensued in the region on whether the Officer retains their position, or if the position becomes vacant. Then-Speaker Manson eventually decided to announce that Bobberino retains the position, but urged citizens to address this issue with a Constitutional Amendment.
After much discussion and several proposals by citizens, a proposal by Guy, a former Delegate, eventually gained the most support and made it to a vote. The proposal made it so that incumbent Officers will be automatically assumed to contest a challenge election unless they state otherwise, thus making the likelihood of a single-candidate confirmation vote much lower – for that to happen, the incumbent Officer would have to state their intention not to contest, and only one challenger decides to run. The amendment also clarifies what would occur in the case that a confirmation vote fails – if a confirmation vote for Officer fails, then that position will become vacant and open to challenges, while if a confirmation vote for Delegate fails, the incumbent Delegate would retain the position as the position is essential for security and must be filled at all times. Some questions were raised about this, as the most likely scenario for a Delegate confirmation vote is when an incumbent runs unopposed, which would mean that the incumbent retains the seat no matter the outcome of the vote. However, it was decided a re-run election would not make sense as it could lead to another one-candidate confirmation vote, and that the failure of the incumbent to be confirmed would serve to encourage others to challenge the position. Thus, the Amendment was passed by an overwhelming majority in August, ending the months-long Constitutional debate.
Another Election, Another Report
TRR had its most recent Officer Election in August, and it was largely uneventful. Six candidates ran – Sarah, the incumbent Culture Officer; Deadeye Jack, the incumbent Foreign Affairs Officer; The Aligned People, the incumbent Media Officer; Bormiar, the incumbent Deputy Outreach Officer; United Massachusetts, a well-known World Assembly author, former WA Minister of The East Pacific, though a relative newcomer to TRR; and Harenhime, better known elsewhere as Ever-Wandering Souls of The Black Hawks, and a former candidate for Delegate.
Aside from Harenhime, everyone ran on a substantial platform. Sarah vied for the position of Outreach, pledging to reach out more to people on the Gameside, though promised to hold a theme region party if made Culture Officer again. Bormiar also targeted Outreach, emphasising a more personal touch and envisioning a mentorship program, with a side note of promoting trading cards as incentives, an area he’s knowledgeable on. Outreach was also the crux of United Massachusetts’ campaign, who wanted to use his experience to expand TRR’s presence in the WA, including publishing vote recommendations, building partnerships, and promoting endorsements. However, he also faced the most questions due to the scale of the plan, though he performed valiantly in addressing them.
Jack pledged to continue his previous work as FA Officer, with a focus on potentially setting up a WA bloc with other regions, and closer relations to The North Pacific, though he faced some questions on the lack of response to events in The East Pacific. The Aligned People ran again for Media, with a platform of expanding Rejected Radio to include press briefings, attracting more listeners to live recordings and interviews, as well as continuing quizzes for each issue and encouraging more feedback among writers.
In the end, UM didn’t gain enough support for his ambitious WA plan, and the elected Officers were Sarah, reassigned to Culture, Deadeye Jack, reassigned to Foreign Affairs, The Aligned People, reassigned to Media, and Bormiar, assigned to Outreach. UM was taken in as a Deputy Outreach Officer to focus on WA matters, though was replaced recently due to inactivity, so perhaps the voters chose correctly.
Kyorgia Becomes Newest Member of Citizenship Council
This year has been very crazy for the Citizenship Council. As some of you are aware, Councillor Guy resigned May 1st after years in the position. However, Guy's resignation and replacement by The Grim Reaper only marked another resignation from the CitCo. On September 2nd, Catalyse posted an extremely brief message (https://rejectedrealms.com/viewtopic.php?f=97&t=10030919) announcing her retirement as a Councillor.
This came as a shock to many, considering she had only held the position since January following her nomination by then-Speaker of the Assembly, Altmoras, after Libetarian Republics decided that he didn't have the time anymore to serve as a Councillor.
After careful consideration, Speaker Neop boldly nominated sitting Delegate, Kyorgia. Some acknowledged this as a strange move due to Kyorgia's current position, however, this has occurred before. Under Frattastan's first term as Delegate, he was indeed nominated and appointed to the CitCo. In fact, he's still a Councillor on it today! After Kyorgia's confirmation to the CitCo via a vote in the Assembly, matters involving citizenship seemed to speed up almost as if magic.
Who knows how long Kyorgia will serve on the Citizenship Council? Frankly, that doesn't matter now. The Rejected Realms is excited to finally fill the Citizenship Council once more, hopefully for a while!
TRR and XKI Fantasy Nerds Gather for Event
To celebrate the close ties between 10000 Islands and The Rejected Realms as enshrined in the Treaty of Friendship, the two regions put their heads together and planned a fantasy themed event to enjoy together: A Quest with TRR and XKI. The event was inspired by Dali's Drag Race, organized by the West Pacific in June, but the rules were adapted to fit the way things were going to be judged. Players were encouraged to make a new fantasy themed nation and join The Unicorn The Island and the Wardrobe in order to participate. Over 4 days people were asked to change their flags, mottos, currency, animals, and anything else they could think of to fit the daily theme, show off their creativity and impress the judges.
The over 20 people who participated did not disappoint. Photoshop skills were parlayed into Voldemort popping out of a wardrobe. Roleplaying prowess gave us a prolonged visit from Posion Ivy. And of course it wouldn’t be a party without *checks notes* Lord Farquaad memes. Everyone had a lot of fun with it including the judges. In the end the top 3 for the event were:
1. Bowshot/Toerana
2. Nequedum/Glacikaldr/PowerPAOK
3. Thepeopl
In other news
- Sarah won Rejectvision 3 (https://rejectedrealms.com/viewtopic.php?f=73&t=10030745) with the song Black Sheep by Metric
- The Rejected Realms hosted the Elysium Festival with The East Pacific celebrating art.
- Deadeye Jack won the August Meme Contest (https://rejectedrealms.com/viewtopic.php?f=73&t=10030904)
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Thanks for the update!
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(https://i.imgur.com/rrjwmSg.png?1)
Visit our Discord (https://discordapp.com/invite/Z3xbVTm) and our Forum (https://rejectedrealms.com)
WA Delegate: Deadeye Jack
| Culture Officer: PowerPAOK | Foreign Affairs Officer: Neop |
| Outreach Officer: The Pharcyde | Media Officer: Bormiar
Speaker of the Assembly: An_Dr_Ew
Rejectmas 2019: A Celebration to Remember
(https://i.imgur.com/k1tQAcL.jpg)
Deputy Officer Morover takes a quick nap on the floor of his apartment after a long day of cleaning Dramoon-colored stains out of the carpets of Capitol buildings.
The turn of the decade was greeted by the Rejected Realms’ annual hairy and very smooth Rejectmas Festival, flaunting a gusto that rivalled its popularity back when the event ran in conjunction with the NationStates’ World Fair. We invite you to learn more about the holiday’s traditions here (https://rejectedrealms.com/viewtopic.php?p=10029823#p10029823) or to consult our brief checklist (https://i.imgur.com/EYPbB58.png?1).
With the regional holiday officially running from December 26 to January 1, our Culture Department prepared a series of ten activities for Rejectmas Festival 2019, hosted gameside, forumside and on our discord server.
Hosted Gameside, we had a poll-run popularity Unicorn Jousting tournament (https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1298499), where contestants came up with unique unicorns to represent their nations and competed in elimination play-offs. Congratulations to The Church of Satan whose sponsees, Rudolphon the Reindragon and Duke Christmas Goodknight, secured the title of Unicorn Jouster of 2019. The Lord of Misrule was also in full effect over on our RMB, causing what was essentially state-sanctioned chaos upon the region. Yet, do not let this description fool you, as the rules were strict and even more strictly enforced. A summary of the damage, in the form of suppressions and rule-inspired posts, as well as all the misrules throughout, can be seen here (https://rejectedrealms.com/viewtopic.php?f=117&t=10031138). Lastly, we also ran the Rejectmas Flag Guild (https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1298501).
Over on our discord server, we ran two games of Escadian Battleship. The first was played using the Classic gamemode, and was later converted into a dispatch that narrates and gives justice to the experience, found here (https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1299062). The second is where we tested an early version of the new expansion gamemode, which has now officially launched through The Rejected Times’ Issue LV as the Werewolf Expansion (https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1308870).
Turning our attention forumside, we saw the return of some old activities as well as some new and exciting additions; we saw the return of our old Rejectmas Tree (https://rejectedrealms.com/viewtopic.php?p=10029877#p10029877), the return of Rejection Apologies (https://rejectedrealms.com/viewtopic.php?p=10029880#p10029880), and our 3rd annual Rejectmas Chess Tournament (https://rejectedrealms.com/viewtopic.php?p=10029826#p10029826), joined by the three new inclusions of Online Dixit (https://rejectedrealms.com/viewtopic.php?p=10029901#p10029901), Pin the Tail (https://rejectedrealms.com/viewtopic.php?p=10029881#p10029881) uncovering the tail of the true Greymarshes’ Unicorn, and our popular group-led game of AI Dungeon (https://rejectedrealms.com/viewtopic.php?p=10029882#p10029882). Congratulations to outboundstagnate for becoming our 2019-2020 Rejectmas Chess Champion, usurping Delegate Dead I Jack!
Unicorn Star Treaty Ratified
In a time of prosperity, The North Pacific and The Rejected Realms have come together again in order to draft a new treaty between the two regions. On December 9, 2019, with margins significantly in favor, The Unicorn Star Treaty (https://rejectedrealms.com/viewtopic.php?f=100&t=10031073) was ratified.
A closer relationship with The North Pacific was a goal of the leadership of The Rejected Realms for quite some time. After cooperating with each other for N-Day, for the Epic Gamer Party, and to combat the coup perpetrated against our mutual allies,The East Pacific, it ultimately came to fruition this past December. Then Delegate Kyorgia and Foreign Affairs Officer Deadeye Jack worked with their TNP counterparts to write a new treaty that included mutual defense and built on the provisions of the old, non-aggression pact, The Unicorn Star Accord. In effect, the new treaty was simply a rise in relations to a formal alliance.
In the process of ratification, the treaty was very well-received on both sides, being ratified with 17 votes in favor and no against votes or abstentions in TRR, and 27 votes in favor, 4 abstentions, and no against votes in TNP.
We at The Rejected Realms are excited about this new alliance, and we are even more excited to see where the future will take our relationship with The North Pacific.
Electoral Dysfunction
The Assembly has been abuzz with various threads this past month. But, why? I'll take “Election Season” for 1000, Alex.
Several candidates lined up for the nomination/declaration processes, the first of which was for Officer Elections and began on November 30. Manson, New Wight, Glacikaldr (PowerPAOK/Nequedum), Neop, The Pharcyde, and Bormiar all made it through this process, but the latter four were the ones to come out victorious in the Officer Elections.
Not nearly as fiercely competitive, the Delegate Election was won by Deadeye Jack in a landslide victory. Early on in the nomination process, it seemed very likely of Jack to run unopposed. However, to combat this while retaining a sense of good sportsmanship, An_Dr_Ew (Gorundu) decided to run for the position of Delegate as well for the heck of it. Despite losing, An_Dr_Ew kept their chin up. This was not the last we saw of them in the election ring.
With the Delegate Election coming to a close on December 12, the Speaker Election was not much far ahead; its nomination cycle began on December 31. Two familiar citizens announced their candidacies for Speaker. The first being An_Dr_Ew, and the second being Morover. On January 9, the voting period had come to a close. With six votes to Morover's five, An_Dr_Ew had won the tightly contested election and filled the role of Speaker.
Congratulations to our newly-elected Officers, Speaker, and Delegate.
Flag History Project Launched
(https://i.imgur.com/gzDkU5S.png)
We're not even sure when this flag was flown over the region… (Flag made by Cuatela/A Raptor)
Regions change over time, and as a result of this, so do their flags. As far as many people are concerned, documentation is essential to the preservation of these remnants of a time long passed. It's evident that Culture Officer Glacikaldr (also known as PowerPAOK and Nequedum) had preservation in mind when he started The Rejected Realms' very own Flag History Project.
Revealed to the public on December 12, 2019, the Flag History Project is a program dedicated to archiving and documenting each notable flag flown over the region, at one time or another. Striving for accuracy, Glacikaldr has begun to list details about the flags that some would consider unnecessary. For example, he has collected information on when the flags were first flown, when they were made, and who crafted them.
Historically, The Rejected Realms is a storied region. The Flag History Project has seemed to be a worthy cause and does well in its initial task of making citizens knowledgeable about our past as a region. Here is what a couple of citizens had to say about the program:
I believe pursuing knowledge of our historical change and continuity is essential in understanding of The Rejected Realms' culture, and that the Flag History Project, while it may be difficult, is a beneficial way of achieving this.
Vexillology is as much an artform as it is a field of study. One only need look at the continued appeal of heraldry to understand that symbols and images continue to be one of the most effective ways a person has to convey, at a distance and in a moment, who they are, and for what reason they are here. The basic rules of vexillology, well-known to any of the game's RP communities, are designed around the idea of a flag as a self-descriptive, self-contained, immediate identity-in-motion. It is no small coincidence that here on NationStates, our least-used rule is the one that 'flags must be flag-like' - they continue to be a statement more of ourselves than of the game. The Flag History Project is a groundbreaking initiative that continues on what, so long ago, was recognized by defenders - that flags are worth preserving. It recognizes the reality that a flag is, uniquely, its own interpretive context, and in continuity with each other an evocative timeline of TRR's personality and collective identity. An image is worth a thousand words, but a gallery is an entire history.
No matter where the future takes The Rejected Realms, we must not forget our past. Mementos such as flags are not the limit. However, they're an excellent place to start.
Other news
- Two horrific reanimated corpses have been found wandering around The Rejected Realms harassing citizens. Oh wait, it's just Sedge and CG!
- Popmaster has made a comeback.
- >_>!
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(https://i.imgur.com/rrjwmSg.png?1)
Visit our Discord (https://discordapp.com/invite/Z3xbVTm) and our Forum (https://rejectedrealms.com)
WA Delegate: Deadeye Jack | Culture Officer: Sarah Bread | Foreign Affairs Officer: Kyorgia | Outreach Officer: Bowshot118 | World Assembly Officer: Bormiar | Speaker of the Assembly: Chimes
Double election bonanza
By Kyorgia
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/567854004709621760/712048678222823474/593a69874cb1e442781a2788.jpg)
Kyorgia being announced as the winner of his officer seat
On April 5th Rejects once again headed to the ballot box to decide who would govern them for the next four months. However this election was different than most since there was elections for both officers and the speaker of the assembly.
The election was one of the most contested in recent memory with six people running for four officer positions and two people running for the speakership. incumbents Sarah Bread, Bormiar and Manson ran for reelection, with Bowshot, Kyorgia and Agalaesia also running for the position. Following a close vote Sarah Bread and Bormiar was reelected and Bowshot and Kyorgia also being elected. Sarah was made culture officer moving over from outreach the previous term, Bormiar was given the new World assembly officer role (you will be able to read about that later in the update), Bowshot was made outreach officer and finally Kyorgia was made the foreign affairs officer.
The speaker election was less contested than the officer but no less important to the region. At the end of the challenge period there was two people running for the position, Former speaker Fauxia and Chimes (also known as Jamie). In the end Jamie won in a landside victory of 14 to 1.
World Assembly Affairs: A new start for TRR?
By Morover
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/498576680235958282/711232846957641738/1024x538_388872.jpg)
Officer Bormiar informing the region of the latest World Assembly resolution
The Rejected Realms has gone through a rather large internal change recently! In the recent officer election, candidate Bormiar ran and won on a primarily World Assembly Affairs-based platform. This has sparked a large shift in the internal structure of TRR, as the Media Officer is replaced with a World Assembly Officer - a vast expansion of the department of the World Assembly.
Applications for becoming a staff member of the Rejected Realms World Assembly Department have since opened, and the summarizations released by Morover prior to the election have been replaced with a more descriptive pros/cons list, the first few of which have just recently been rolled out. The WA Ping program which was in place prior to Bormiar's election is still in place, and you can be added to it by contacting either Bormiar or Morover with the request.
Alongside the new pros/cons list, there has been the addition of World Assembly logs, which track and congratulate people for discussing and voting on the on-site threads for at-vote World Assembly proposals.
While it is still early in development, this addition should expand the activity of forumside interaction with the World Assembly. How the Rejected Realms World Assembly Department will prosper and grow is yet to be seen - but so far, good things have come of it and better things still should continue to arise.
Internal discussion surrounding The Rejected Times
By Bormiar
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/498576680235958282/712064198636470322/article-2149725-1346ED56000005DC-816_634x390.jpg)
Citizens calmly discussing The Reject Times' matters
Over the past months, the Rejected Realms has been working on World Assembly development, including the creation of a WA Ping Program (https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1352787), WA Voting Awards (https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1361293), and a collection of pros and cons (https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatches/nation=the_rejected_realms_world_assembly_info) to assist voters. When delegate Dead I Jack decided that there was enough work in the World Assembly to justify its own officer position, he would have to replace something with it. Per the constitution (https://rejectedrealms.com/viewtopic.php?f=95&t=8276198), only four officers may be elected at one time. Of the contemporary officer positions, Outreach, Culture, Foreign Affairs, and Media, only Media had its own internal community that could manage the Rejected Times. Dead I Jack appointed Bormiar as World Assembly Officer and opened up a discussion (https://rejectedrealms.com/viewtopic.php?f=83&t=10031330) in the Assembly for how TRT management will continue.
While Dead I Jack and the rest of the government had originally postulated that because the government usually runs TRT, the new head of TRT, the Editor-in-Chief, would be appointed externally from TRT, such as by election. The Grim Reaper quickly attempted to legislate (https://rejectedrealms.com/viewtopic.php?p=10031986#p10031986) a TRT head elected internally, but this came under fire as TRT was made by the TRR people and created by the government. Additionally, the elected head would have the power to edit the TRT staff members, thus being able to adjust the voter base to defend their position. The other side cited the RRA’s separation from the government (the RRA was created before the government, rather than by it) and claimed that they required editorial independence in order to create unbiased news (TRT is not independent). They also noted that the Editor-in-Chief was already a position, albeit not used. Other ideas, such as a treaty between TRT and government popped up. The delegate continued to manage all the different ideas (https://rejectedrealms.com/viewtopic.php?p=10032116#p10032116) to help the discussion.
The discussion brought forth a “Constituting Act of the Rejected Times” (https://rejectedrealms.com/viewtopic.php?f=83&t=10031361) by the Grim Reaper to address the devoid lack of legal structure behind TRT. The legislation declares the Editor-in-Chief as the head of TRT who will be appointed by the delegate but has the ability to be challenged by a citizen and vacated by the assembly. The Church of Satan and Dead I Jack, two citizens who had originally been in staunch disagreement, worked to create this draft (https://rejectedrealms.com/viewtopic.php?p=10032428#p10032428) based on Grim’s original proposal that makes the amendation to force the Editor-in-Chief to have to be a TRT staffer, and only allows the EIC to be vacated by supermajority vote. Other proposals, such as one from Gorundu (https://rejectedrealms.com/viewtopic.php?f=83&t=10031360) and the Church of Satan’s draft (https://rejectedrealms.com/viewtopic.php?f=83&t=10031358), which interestingly attempted to enshrine the rank system into law and appointed the EIC through senior staff members being nominated by the TRT staff and confirmed by the Assembly. Grim’s proposal gained traction, however, and will go to vote eventually upon a second by another citizen.
RRA promotions announced
By Frattastan
(https://i.imgur.com/Ypw3BvX.jpg?1)
Commander Karputsk rallying the troops for a liberation
Taking advantage of Commander Wopruthien's absence the rest of the RRA's leadership seized the moment to purge him, reducing him to 'honourary' status and leaving him with a worthless thank-you note for his years of service and valuable contributions while treating him as the lowest common soldier. At the same time a few promotions have been announced.
Karputsk of FRA fame, stellar liberation commander and arguably one of the best defenders around at this moment, is now devoting his full attention to the RRA after a few months spent in the wilderness. He has been promoted to Commander, the army's second highest rank, being the first person to achieve this in more than half a decade.
Sarah, best known as the incumbent Culture Officer of TRR, has been made a Lieutenant. While newer to gameplay compared to some other RRA officers and soldiers, she has shown more initiative and goodwill than anyone else, and we believe she will bring her superb organisational skills to the table, along with more traditional update-leadership abilities. And all this from a phone!
Finally, Jamie has been made a Sergeant. Returning to the game only recently and showing renewed enthusiasm, Jamie attended an impressive 64 updates between April and May, often taking the lead during major updates and trying his hand at triggering. This promotion is no surprise, despite his disturbing love of detags.
Karp, Sarah and Jamie have already been at work to build upon the RRA's current strengths, making sure we continue to be an effective force in the good fight, a fun place to be in, and that we can represent TRR well. Ongoing internal changes include a revamping of training materials and protocol, and a dubious commitment by High Commander Frattastan to use at least one exclamation mark in each statement.
Rumours that Crazy girl came back for a single day to declare herself as "Supreme High Commander" so she can "outrank everyone" are complete lies, also.
In other news:
- Between January 19th and January 26h the fourth edition of TRRs very own music show Rejectvision was held with Kyorgia being announced the winner with the song “typisk Norsk”.
- On March 12th another meme contest was held in the region with delegate Dead I Jack winning with this meme (https://i.imgflip.com/3rjvh8.jpg).
- On March 15th a short story competition was held in the region with Nakarisaune being declared the winner (https://rejectedrealms.com/viewtopic.php?f=73&t=10031352).
- The Reject Awards 2019 winners have been announced (https://rejectedrealms.com/viewtopic.php?f=111&t=10031340). Congratulations to all the winners!
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Thanks for the update! :D
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WA Delegate: Sarah Bread
| Culture Officer: DeadEye Jack| Foreign Affairs Officer: Catalyse|
| Outreach Officer: Robespierre| World Assembly Officer: Makdon
Speaker of the Assembly: Chimes
Delegate is Toast
Rejects's greatest fears have come true as #bread coup, a movement, and some would say conspiracy, that sought to replace every reject with a bread version of themselves, became a reality when on the 12th of July Sarah Bread became the new delegate.
The newly elected breadoligarch and former culture officer won with 20 votes on the second round, while the second place was awarded to Bormiar, former officer, known mostly as the "WA-person" and most likely a dog. Other candidates included perennial candidate, John Laurens, whose joke candidacy, much to the chagrin of joke candidate fans, did not get enough traction for him to win the election and resigning right after. It has happened before, maybe it could happen again.
A fourth candidate, and possibly second joke candidate, though their ways remain mysterious to us, so we're not sure if we should assign humorous intent to anything they've done, Puppet2 was removed from the ballot after under a different alias, Holor/Bataus Novak, attempted to gain citizenship, which led the Citizenship Council to remove their citizenship, and upon appeals, the removal was maintained.
Officer Elections
Summer is election season in The Rejected Realms, and soon after the election of a new Delegate, Speaker of the Assembly Jamie made the due preparations for the Officer elections, standing for ninety-six straight hours in front of the assembly hall playing a flute in an attempt to get the attention of any would-be candidate. His shepherding was successful, and eight candidates emerged from the Assembly's floor, albeit no incumbent officer was entranced by the Speaker's song.
The candidates were DeadEye Jack, culture and events maverick and previous delegate who refuses to give off of his culture policy decision making even after he's done being Delegate, Robespierre, who promised to revolutionize the way Foreign Affairs are done in TRR and to also do a head counting and see if there's any superfluous one, Lansaka, aspiring Outreach Officer and TRR's very own first let's player, Gorundu, who promised to terminate a very particular embassy, and other things too, he said, Mekhet, former Delegate and resident K-popevangelizer who vowed to enact a campaign of terror on the region's RMB, Catalyse, who due to conflict interest we have been informed we may not describe in very accurate and agreeable terms, Makdon, who is very not the same person as the former WA Officer, and Dolphin, whose only highlight is that we had no recollection they were a candidate prior to writing this.
After four days of interminable ballot submissions, one candidate abandoning the race and another never having appeared on the campaign trail, the results were out. The winners were DeadEye Jack, TRR's event oligarch was returned to his role as Culture Officer on the promise of following a very precise schedule of cultural activities, accruing enough votes to defeat all candidates on the first round, Catalyse, who won on the promise of keeping things very much the same in Foreign Affairs, Robespierre, who dueled Catalyse on the counting and recounting of votes and was assigned Outreach, and Makdon, who has continued former WA Officer Bormiar's program in the relatively newly established position of WA Officer.
"My cultural agenda is full right now, can we do something next year?"
Fresh back into a government seat after his Delegate term, culture maestro Deadeye Jack announced an ambitious plan to integrate several initiatives, old and new, into a weekly calendar of activities. Some happen onsite, others on Discord. Some were already staples of TRR's cultural scene, some had been done before not on a regular basis, and some are brand new.
The week starts with the controversial Wacky RMB Rule Day, an exercise in arbitrary tyranny where all messages not following a randomly made-up rule are suppressed. Some will say that it's the kind of idea that would have made Jeffersonborg proud, but I believe it's a reflection on how nonsensically oppressive power can get under the guise of 'law'. Whatever it is, watching people trying to make their posts rhyme or include colours can be pretty funny.
We move to Discord on Tuesday, where people fashion their avatars and nicknames for Theme Day, with the most original combination earning a symbolic recognition. Recent winners include Catalyse's killer car tire for the category 'villains', and Gorundu's impersonation of outboundstagnate for the theme 'orange'. If you don't remember outbound, lucky you.
If you consider yourself a problem-solver and love logic-based games you're certain to enjoy Puzzle Day on Wednesdays, when we publish a game of Boggle, sudoku or a cryptogram for anyone to solve. And lovers of NS cards should make sure to tune on Thursdays, when they can send to Jack a card that they own and that fits in a specific theme, with the first few people doing so earning an Epic card in return.
Fridays are for the time-tested idea of Community Nation Issue Answering, where people vote on how to answer issues for The Unicornian Isles (https://www.nationstates.net/nation=the_unicornian_isles). Many regions have done this before, but it never stops being entertaining. Contrary to the expectations of many, biker gangs haven't been spotted yet, but the industrious and fiercely patriotic Unicornians already live in a paradise of compulsory nudity and violent sports. Definitely how TRR would be if it were a nation.
Greater free time on weekends allows for more elaborate events.
Saturday is for Trivia Day, and our most famous trivia is Popmaster, the ever-popular contest (organised in turn by various citizens, or even non-citizens) where we gather in voice chat to listen to songs and guess artists and titles. Actually winning it is hard since you'll have to beat Nakari and Jamie's musical knowledge, but it can still be a nice way to pick up more tunes, goof around with your regionmates, and occasionally torture your family members. In addition to this, Jack has been trying to diversify a bit the scope of trivias, and we recently had runs for Cinemaster (guessing movies from stills) and a history trivia focused on the French Revolution.
Finally, on Sunday we all relax with some games on Discord, with Werewolf, Spyfall, and Codenames making an appearance so far. These are all well-known board games which involve deduction and a little bit of creativity, and a good way to bond with your regionmates (or maybe get angry at them).
Whatever you enjoy best, make sure to check The Rejected Realms. We'll be sure to have something for you.
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Thanks for the update!
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Thanks for the update, @Liana! If you are TRR's new ambassador to us, please remember to apply for ambassador masking here (https://wintreath.com/forums/index.php?board=7.0).
Having a calendar of events is something we've been slowly building on as well, though we haven't made much progress on. We have Cards Against Humanity on Friday nights, and we have ideas floating around for a trivia night on the Discord and a Minecraft night on the server. It seems like TRR has built a comprehensive schedule of events though. :)
Also, I will admit that there was some interest expressed in the Cabinet of having a Wacky RMB rule day too. It just sounds like so much fun! :P
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Hello friends. I'd like to share the latest Foreign Update from The Rejected Realms:
Click Here For Dispatch (https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1539832)
:)
edit, because I boogered up the font stuff the first time.
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Thanks for the update on here as well! I appreciate you posting it on the forums and Discord. :)