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*Waves at the departing Wild panther*
Come back sooooooooooooooooooooooon!
*Turns on the tap. There is no water. The panther has drank all the water from the tap.*
N-Day in NS again? By co-incidence, I saw this job advert today:
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What if you could work with remarkable people on extraordinary things? What if the end result was something a little bit special? What if your role was mission critical?
For nearly 70 years, AWE has been at the forefront of nuclear weapons research and development. We have a critical mission: to provide the warheads for the UK’s ultimate deterrent – Trident. We also use our unique skills to provide wider UK government with counter-terrorism and nuclear threat reduction solutions.
It takes a special sort of person to work at AWE. What if that person was you?
We need an AWEsome Programme Risk Specialist to advise on Risk within our Programmes to ensure that we can deliver our vital mission. Can you be a challenging friend, constantly reviewing and encouraging forward management of risk to ensure that we succeed.
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Yes, that bolding of the capital letters AWE was in the advert.
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Location: Hybrid and flexible working, with our offices based in Berkshire between Reading, Basingstoke and Newbury with onsite parking and public transport services.
Salary: Starting at £32,700 this is very much open to negotiation if you can demonstrate the capability to constructively help our programme owners identify and understand the risks which might affect product delivery.
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For context with that salary, the UK median full-time salary in 2020 was £31,461. So adjusting for earnings growth / inflation, you're looking at being offered a little below the national average salary, and your responsibility is to risk manage nuclear bomb manufacturing.
Compare to Financial Risk Managers, who according to Glassdoor.com get paid a little over £68,000 on average. No wonder they say the salary is open to negotiation!
The rest of the ad looks fairly standard, except for the "every second Friday off work" thing, which does sound pretty cool. But not so cool you'd settle for half the salary. Even if you were willing to work for a nuke manufacturer.
Cool dispatch from 
Libertia-Columbia:
had been regarded as dead long before this declaration of war or even the earlier joint TCB-BoM deltip of TNP, but this declaration of war, and subsequent declarations of war from other regions, were the final nail in the coffin for the Long Peace. If there was somehow any doubt that the Long Peace had ended, that doubt has evaporated.This dispatch is meant to chronicle what I'm calling the Modern Great War* - the factions, the build-up to this war, the actions taken during it, and its aftermath (though if someone has a better name for it, please TG me :P). This dispatch is a continual work in progress. As I anticipate this to be a large and ambitious project, it's possible that I may not include dispatches or resources that are central to the war - if I do fail to include these, feel free to TG me or DM me on Discord.
Raiders and allies | Defenders and allies |
The North Pacific |
Note: TNP is only engaged in war with BoM and TCB. XKI is only engaged in war with LWU, Sparkalia and Ijaka (which themselves are only engaged in war with XKI), while TL&C is only engaged in war with LWU and BoM. Osiris is only engaged in war with Balder. However, as all regions listed in "defenders and allies" have close ties with each other, mutual antagonism towards all regions listed in "raiders and allies," and the declarations of war on LWU and Osiris explicitly mention BoM, I have grouped both of these wars together into one larger war.
Below is a useful diagram of all ongoing wars, many of which are part of the Modern Great War, posted on the Wolfist Tribune's forum thread:
Stargate
Defenders Coup Stargate
By All Wild Things
Statement on Military Activity in Stargate
By Madjack
(TNP statement)
On Alignment
By The Northern Light
A Resurgent Raiderdom: Raider Unity
A Liberal Haven Raid Report
By A Bloodred Moon
The Mystical Council Raid Report
By Zeorus
To the Council: A Celebration of Recent Victory
By Zeorus
The Mystical Council Disbanded
By All Wild Things
Regarding the West Pacific
By Malicious Souls
(Includes announcement of Equilism raid)
To be expanded...
The Rise of PRAF
Executive Order 008: People’s Revolutionary Air Force Act 2021
(Executive order establishing PRAF)
PRAF Report: The Raid on TCNTW
By New Astri
Massive RotWW Turnout: PRAF Policy Update
By New Astri
To be expanded...
A New Defenderdom: "Neomoralism"
"Neo-Moralism": The 5 W's
By Reventus Koth
Islamic States Invaded
By Rhaza
The Modern Gameplay Compact
The Modern Gameplay Compact
By Modern gameplay compact
Declaration of MGC Sanctions on Raiders
By Pallaith
STUDY: MGC Sanctions Widely Unpopular; Marginally Effective
By Gemeinschaftsland
SC Resolutions
Repeal Condemn the Black Hawks
Repeal "Condemn Reventus Koth"
Repeal "Condemn Ever-Wandering Souls"
Repeal "Liberate Islamic States"
Defender Infighting
TNP Blackmail Scandal: As It Unfolded
By Libertia-Columbia
Europeia-TRR Spying Incident: As It Unfolded
By Libertia-Columbia
To be expanded...
Clash of Ideologies & Accelerating Polarization
The Osiris Fraternal Order: A Failed State
By Quebecshire and Matthew the Man
(Anti-OFO manifesto)
Warzone Asia Raid: Minor 23/10/2022
Regarding the West Pacific
By Malicious Souls
Injunct the Communist Bloc - SC Thread
Injunct the Communist Bloc - TNP Forum Thread
To be expanded...
The PRAF-BoM Delegate-Tip of TNP
On 27 August 2023 at major update, PRAF and some of its allies in BoM performed a "delegate tip" of the North Pacific, usurping the then-Acting delegate Chipoli by endorsing then-Acting Vice Delegate Pallaith. This was in retaliation for the previous delegate of TNP, Gorundu, expressing support for the SC resolution Injunct the Communist Bloc on the grounds of ensuring that TCB is raidable - a statement interpreted by TCB to be the TNP government effectively advocating for the overthrow of the TCB government and violation of their regional sovereignty. This raid was widely condemned by defender regions and those allied to them.
On Declinement
By Mlakhavia
(TCB raid report on deltip)
Taking A Stand
By Chipoli
(TNP response to deltip)
Standing With the North
By Mechanocracy
(TL&C response)
President of Europeia Proscribes Reckless Marauders
By Kuramia
(Article from Europeia news source)
10000 Islands Foreign Affairs Statement: On a Violation of Sovereignty
By Lenlyvit and Markanite
(XKI response)
Diplomatic Response to Recent Events
By Custadia
(Lazarus response)
Lazarus Regional Update - August-September 2023 - Well that was something...
By New Rogernomics
(Lazarus regional update, including news article Well that was something... covering TNP deltip and Lazarus response)
Operation Red October (The Raid of Solidarity)
On 1 October 2023, at major update, a coalition of defender forces led by the League Defense Force attacked and seized Solidarity, a frontier jointly run by NSLeft regions. Their justifications for the raid were that TCB (considered by Libcord to be a raider region) was a member of NSLeft who thus benefitted from spawns in Solidarity, nations spawned in Solidarity would benefit PRAF even if they moved to other NSLeft regions, and retaliation against TCB/PRAF for various raids, especially the TNP delegate-tip. Critics contended that the raid was a hypocritical attack on an innocent region that was, in significant part, run by and meant to primarily benefit non-TCB NSLeft regions, such as The Leftist Assembly and The Social Liberal Union. Solidarity is still under the occupation of the defender-aligned coalition and has been the subject of multiple liberation attempts by PRAF.
Operation Red October
By Rhaza
(TL&C raid report on Solidarity raid)
On Solidarity
By UFROE
(TCB response)
Statement on Solidarity
By Courelli
(SLU response)
Declarations of War (and Responses)
To War
By Kaschovia
(TNP declaration of war)
In Solidarity
By JayDee II
(Europeia declaration of war)
Declaration of War (XKI)
By Markanite
(XKI declaration of war)
Declaration of War (Balder)
By Fooooooooo
(Balder declaration of war)
Comrades: The Bloc is at War!
(TCB response)
Fatwa against small-handed pit viper JayDee
By Chef Big Dog
(LWU [meme] response)
The Wolfist Tribune's War Counter
(Article from the Wolfist Tribune keeping track of all the ongoing wars)
The Propaganda War
From the Defender Side
Frontline Report: Elections and Extortion
By Rhaza
From the Raider Side
To be expanded...
Diplomatic Developments
Rum & Eagles Solidarity Agreement
By Quebecshire
(Treaty between TL&C and TNP)
*This name is inspired by the
Modern Gameplay Compact and the "modern" times of revived raiderdom, "neomoralist" defenderdom, and very strong polarization we live in right now (with regard to NS, of course).What a year. Real life has irritatingly been distracting me from the important things, like NS. Looks like it might be demanding my attention over the next few months too :(
It will all come together eventually I guess.
I feel we're overdue another issue of Wild Life, but I'm absolutely out of touch with what's been going on. Maybe next year!
Just flying thru on our way south.
I'LL EAT YOU UP!!!
There's been quite a lot of good dispatches and forum posts out recently.
News / Magazines:
Frontier Fears: Atlanticana Opts for Security over Growth
Atlanticana reverts to Stronghold after Concerns over Invasion
Written by Vor
The region of Atlanticana came into the spotlight last week as it released a statement detailing its aid from several militaries in converting from Frontier to Stronghold status. The armies of Sparkalia, The Red Fleet, The Communist Bloc, The East Pacific, Astoria, Kantrias, The Lair of the Dragon, The Black Hawks, and Osiris were enlisted to help ensure a successful and safe transition.
This move was preceded by the transition of The Grey Wardens's (TGW) frontier region: The Amaranthine Isles. Now First Warden Tim-Opolis indicated there that TGW was observing "presently poor returns on the foundings which a Frontier region brings," and that together with a "present shortage in available integration staff" they saw the best course of action as discontinuing their Frontier efforts for the time being.
In the statement from Atlanticana, Archon [leadership figure] Londoniopol explains that they opted for transition due to the rise of security concerns over getting raided. They claimed that "aggressive rhetoric stemmed directly from militant moralists who took issues with the recently signed treaty between the Red Fleet and Atlanticana," further explaining that "credible information was passed on to a partner ally suggesting an invasion to be imminent." Frustrated by the situation, they go on to say that "[Atlanticana is] a neutral community that came under threat of being destroyed by the hands of said militant moralists. A region that doesn't concern itself with gameplay, one that doesn't maintain a military, under threat solely due to its announcement of a treaty with The Red Fleet."
Reactions from the Raider sphere ranged from accusations of hypocrisy towards Defenders for their alleged invasion plans for Atlanticana, which they maintain is a neutral region, to the propagation of the false belief that there was a broadly organised griefer sentiment among Defenders. Most comments hinge on the claim that Atlanticana is a neutral party in Gameplay. In light of their new relations with The Red Fleet, the EBC decided to take a closer look at the facts surrounding this claim.
On February 4, Atlanticana published its ratified treaty with The Red Fleet. This treaty binds Atlanticana to working together with The Red Fleet on military intelligence matters, while forbidding it from cooperation with many others through article II, clause 5: "Atlanticana shall not endorse, support, promote, aid, or adhere to any military associated with a Prohibited Region in The Red Fleet." These prohibited regions, findable in The Red Fleet's policy document (opens google doc), include the regions of 10000 Islands, Balder, Concord, Empire of Great Britain, Europeia, The Lands of Kings and Emperors, The League, The North Pacific, The Grey Wardens, and The Union of Democratic States for their actions "against the interregional left and/or anti-fascist operations," no doubt referring to operation Red October, otherwise known as the Solidarity occupation.
The measures to ensure Atlanticana's successful transition were likely not limited to direct military efforts. The days preceding the transition saw numerous World Assembly proposals being suddenly introduced to the Security Council, with the approval of delegates from regions founded just before the proposals' introduction. The point of these proposals would be to not allow an Injunction proposal (a proposal to prevent a region from transitioning from Frontier to Stronghold or vice versa) to pass in time. The regions used for this purpose have since ceased to exist. A post from a Sparkalia representative seems to corroborate that connection.
The Frontier era thus seems to be marked primarily by fear. With even major military organisations like TGW feeling unable to securely maintain its Frontier, and raider-adjacent (but officially neutral) communities feeling the same way, the future of many Frontiers is as uncertain as ever.
Regional Constitution 〣 Regional Parties 〣 Regional Legislation 〣
Roleplay Map 〣 Regional History 〣 Regional Parliament 〣 Regional Forum 〣 Regional Seals 〣 News and Updates 〣 WFE Archives 〣 Endotarting InitiativeNew to NationStates? Check this guide out!〣Want to get involved in the community and chat with us? Join our
Discord Server!〣Interested in Regional Politics? Register for our Parliament and Join the WA!
March 1st, 2024
Twelfth Edition
Edited by Mjau
1: Ratification of a New Constitution
Authored by Mjau
Since the summer of 2022, a new TRTHNBB Constitution had been in the works, it was one of Prime Minister New United Common-lands’s most crucial goals when he was elected then. But until the winter of 2023, development had been slow or non-existent. An influx in regional activity and especially the return of America the Greater prompted rapid and thoughtful progress on the draft until finally, the Cabinet decided it was completed. On the 24th of December, 2023 the TRTHNBB Constitution was ratified.
The new Constitution is foolproof and equitable, its basic policy can be summarized quickly. First, the elected positions include Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, and Speaker of Parliament. Next, the Parliament, which handles legislation, is open to all residents with a residency of at least 30 days. Lastly, there is a Regional Court with a Chief Justice and two Justices.
The Constitution has worked excellently and has truly been a strong document to rely on for all government activities. The Parliament has been incredibly active, democratically passing some 25+ pieces of legislation that have had a practical and positive influence on how TRTHNBB operates. The open nature of the Parliament is undoubtedly one of the major reasons for TRTHNBB’s recent influx in activity because it allows new nations to have a tangible influence in the region, and it allows them to build a reputation by creating legislation.
Related: The TRTHNBB Constitution, TRTHNBB Bill Archive
2: TRTHNBB January 2024 Elections
Authored by America the Greater
In January, NUCL’s long stint as Prime Minister officially came to an end with the election of The Washington Federation. This election was an active one, with three separate candidates standing for election as PM: TWF, Pyhdon, and Socialistic Britain. TWF ran on a platform of maintaining the status quo set by NUCL, alongside one major change in the administration: the institution of the Minister of Communications. Pyhdon ran on a platform of reshuffling the cabinet and confronting unfairness in the region’s government, issuing many complaints about what they saw as corruption. Socialistic Britain chose not to campaign actively, indicating that they regretted their decision to stand for election.
The election for Deputy Prime Minister was even more contested, with five candidates announcing their bids for the position: Mjau, Lawid, Vordoslavia, Kuinasia, and Lorderia. Mjau campaigned very actively on a platform of refining the Constitution, welcoming new nations, and eliminating elitism in the region. Lawid ran on a combined ticket with TWF, announcing a similar platform of maintaining the status quo set by NUCL. Vordoslavia did not give specifics about their initiatives, instead generally stating their intention to improve the stability of the region and encourage new nations to join. Lorderia did not campaign apart from announcing a slogan, “Another TRTHNBB is possible!” followed by another slogan, “Vote for me for a better tomorrow!” Kuinasia indicated their interest in running, but never actively campaigned or mentioned the election in the RMB.
Following a new, ranked-choice election system, TWF was elected with a majority of 17 of 32 votes in the first round. The DPM election was much more contentious: Mjau received a plurality in the first round, but Lawid proved a popular second or third choice for many nations, bringing the election down to the final round, in which Mjau received 17 of 32 votes and was elected DPM.
The Washington Federation’s joint ticket with Lawid failed, and TWF and Mjau are now the established Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister in the region. It appears that their campaign promises were largely true: TWF has created the Minister of Communications position, and Mjau has discussed constitutional reforms and begun initiatives to invite newer nations into the region’s government.
Related: Final Results RMB Post
3: Completion of the Definitive NBB Trading Cards Collection
Authored by Yodle
Hours before the start of the New Year of 2024, the final trades for the last of the Season 3 cards were finalized and added to The Definitive No Big Banks Collection. This card collection consists of NBB cards from Season 1 (43 cards), Season 2 (32 cards), and Season 3 (468 cards), with a total of 543 cards. Before Season 3 arrived in November 2022, Seasons 1 & 2 were already completed, with the Season 3 cards taking roughly 9 months of (mostly) passive bids, with direct telegrams to the last few owners ultimately sealing the deal before 2024. Interestingly, there are more cards from the time in November when Season 3 was produced, than that were present in the region according to our population graph. This means that Season 3 was able to capture more individual nations in a brief period than our regional population history!
With the completion of this milestone project now achieved, I have expanded upon this work and am now seeking to assist our embassy regions and allied regions in their regional collections! While no official NBB Trading Card Guild currently exists in a proper form, this initiative will eventually be taken over by a future Guild. Regional Collections, especially ones within active communities, are an important cultural tool that can help engage members of a region with Trading Cards as a form of gameplay. It is also a historical tool that records the inhabitants of a region at one particular point in time, which in the case of Season 3 took place at a point of peak population for most communities.
Related: The Definitive No Big Banks Collection
4: Winter 2024 Census Report
Authored by Mjau
Just a few weeks ago, TRTHNBB conducted another census, which collects data from residents regarding NationStates and especially feedback for the government. This time, 38 responses were recorded! That’s more than twice as many as the last census, which shows how TRTHNBB’s activity has grown recently.
In terms of statistics, there were even numbers of new-to-NationStates respondents and long-standing TRTHNBB residents, most of whom were in the World Assembly. There was surprising diversity on the political spectrum, though far-left and left-wing made up a majority of responses.
For government position approval ratings, Minister of Foreign Affairs New United Common-lands scored the highest (8.95/10), and Minister of Defense Sicario Mercenary Corps the lowest (7.47/10). The average rating was up 4% compared to the last census! More than a majority of respondents said they believed the government is or may be elitist in some ways, and exactly half said they would be interested in holding a government position.
As per direct feedback, the second most requested-to-be-improved government area was The Social Reformer, which is now up and running again, monthly! The most common complaints were that the PM (The Washington Federation) is not leading actively, that the government is not active enough, and that the government doesn’t have enough foreign affairs, all three of which have been addressed and resolved.
Related: Winter 2024 Census Results
5: The State of Parliament
Authored by America the Greater
Parliament has been very active over the past few months. Since I was elected as Speaker of Parliament, we’ve seen the passing of an astounding twenty-five pieces of legislation – compare that to the 6 laws that were enacted during more than a year of Parliament beforehand! We’ve seen some great legislation authored by government officials like New United Common-lands, The Washington Federation, Socialistic Britain, Ardeyn, and Yodle himself. More significantly, in my opinion, are the contributions by The Kaverian and Western Arba Fir, two brand-new legislators in the region! Thanks to all of you for pitching in and helping shape the region.
The Mentorship Initiative is one big reason for the increased activity in Parliament. Hoping to inspire new members to write their own bills, I offered all MPs a set of questions to answer in the form of legislation and established an unofficial Legislation Guide for the region. This was the most important reason I ran for Speaker - I wanted to encourage new people to join Parliament and become active. Since the Initiative began, I’ve received proposals from many new legislators in the region. I’m very excited to have announced and passed many of those pieces of legislation in our Sessions.
Next, I’d like to mention the region’s new political parties. While not technically a part of Parliament, I think they’re still an important vehicle for increasing the activity of people in the region. We’ve established these parties to allow people to contribute to the Government with the help of more experienced members and also to allow people to organize under the banner of common causes. So far we’ve seen the establishment of the Parliamentarian Party, the Social Olympian Front, and the New Science Team, along with other single-member parties. I can’t wait to see what new parties emerge in the coming months.
Thanks for reading!
America the Greater,
Speaker of Parliament
6: The Martian Democracy vs. TRTHNBB #001
Authored by Yodle, Ardeyn, and America the Greater
Intro:
Authored by Mjau
TMD (The martian democracy) was given a strike for an RMB post they had made and believed that the strike had been given unjustly, so they appealed it to the Regional Court, and succeeded! This was a landmark case in TRTHNBB because it proved the Regional Court both legitimate and genuinely useful.
Summary of Preliminary Proceedings:
TMD petitioned the Regional Court to hear a case against New United Common-lands (NUCL) on October 26th, 2023. The stated goal of the Plaintiff is for the reversal of his second Code of Conduct Strike, which is alleged to have been issued under unjustified grounds. Should the Plaintiff win this case and get their strike reversed, it would bring them below the three-strike cut for banishment, which necessitates that the government reverses the ban, as well as reinstate TMD access to the region with their two unchallenged Code of Conduct strikes.
Verdict:
The Court has come to a unanimous ruling in favor of the Plaintiff, agreeing that The Martian Democracy’s second Code of Conduct Strike was issued under unjustified grounds and that it should be reversed effective immediately. In addition, TMD should be unbanned from The Region That Has No Big Banks and allowed re-entry into the region, if they are willing. TMD’s remaining two unchallenged strikes and prior warnings shall remain in place.
New Guidelines, Recommendations, and Legal Principles established as a result of Case #001 will be laid out in detail in the Court’s Majority Opinion. Practical Implementation of these will also be demonstrated via a clearly defined legal test for Code of Conduct strikes & other punitive actions, as well as the addition of general advice for approaching future Code of Conduct Strikes.
Majority Opinion of the Regional Court
The Court rules today that, due to a failure to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a violation of Section 1 of the Code of Conduct was committed, the second strike against The Martian Democracy, hereafter referred to as the Plaintiff, must be overturned. The Plaintiffs banishment from the region will hereby be lifted.
The TRTHNBB Regional Government, hereafter referred to as the Defendant claimed in their Opening Statement that they were uncertain about the meaning of TMD’s message. It is the opinion of the Court that a strike cannot be issued without being certain that a violation has been committed. The Court guarantees Due Process, requiring the presumption of innocence in all legal proceedings and punitive measures. If a breach of the Code of Conduct cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt, no action can be taken against the person committing the alleged breach.
Such a breach can be proven by providing specific evidence against the accused party. Much of the evidence presented by Defendant pertained to an alleged pattern of disruptive behavior by Plaintiff; however, any such pattern is not a Code of Conduct violation in and of itself. The strike was issued due to a remark that was considered disrespectful against Astravica, but the evidence presented failed to prove that TMD’s statement of “Idiotic Bastard” was directed at Astravica. The evidence presented by Plaintiff utilized specific examples to establish a pattern of self-deprecating behavior on the part of The Martian Democracy, disputing the claim that TMD’s message was intended as an insult to Astravica. Having reviewed the evidence presented by the Plaintiff and the Defendant, the Court rules that reasonable doubt exists about the disrespectful nature of the message. Under Due Process, the existence of reasonable doubt necessitates the removal of the Code of Conduct strike from the record.
It is also necessary to re-visit that while Defendant has assessed and stated that the phrase “Idiotic Bastard” is, on its own, a disrespectful statement, the Code of Conduct only forbids this type of statement when it is targeted at another individual. The Plaintiff has successfully persuaded the Court that disrespectful statements targeted at oneself, within the constraints of the current Code of Conduct, is a legally valid action to take. Should the Regional Government use its established power to adjust the Code of Conduct to account for this, then the legal interpretation of this specific loophole would become null. It is the Court’s opinion that re-working the Code of Conduct from its current form and making clear the position of the Regional Government on disrespectful behavior as a whole, would be a highly recommended action to take.
Related: The Martian Democracy v. TRTHNBB Regional Government
7: Appointment of Minor Officers
Authored by Mjau
Just recently, TRTHNBB has made progress in our agenda to promote the regional government to newer nations. Following the passage of America the Greater’s Minor Officer Act, Ministers of the Cabinet can appoint nations to “Minor Offices”, which can be created to help ministers with their workload. The effect of this bill is not only that ministers are able to lessen their workload, but it also allows new nations to have a stepping stone to serving higher positions in the government, in addition to the open parliament, because it may be difficult to earn influence otherwise.
Today, three Minor Officers were appointed. Western Arba Fir as a “Diplomacy Officer” by New United Common-lands, and The Kaverian and Vordoslavia by Socialistic Britain as "RP Admins". These three nations are welcome additions to our government, and we hope to see them learn and develop their NationStates and leadership skills while they help develop our region.
Related: Minor Officer Act
Conclusion
As the new Minister of Communications, and therefore head of The Social Reformer, I hope you enjoyed reading, our team would love it if you submitted something for the next edition (April 1st!), and please telegram me (Mjau) with any feedback!
Have a great day,
DPM and Minister of Communications,
Mjau
3-3-24
Important!Hello folks, we've had some issues with some members using symbols in their flags that have been banned by the AA, as they have been classified as a symbol of hate groups. In Lands End, we have a no-tolerance policy for fascists, extremists, and people who advocate for racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, and religious discrimination. We ask that everyone comply with these rules, or they should expect to be removed from the region. For more information see This Dispatch
News
Elections!
Lands End has an election 4 times a year, or quarterly, one of the months that we have an election just so turns out to be February. With voting beginning on Feb. 1st, telegrams are sent out to all shareholders, who are requested to pick votes for our, Chief Personnel, Chief Legal, Chief Communications, and Chief Operations Officers. Here are the results:COO:
Biggonian Megaist Empire - 13
Hansa Federation - 10
South-Central Rhodesia - 1
Peacockastan - 1
ABSTAIN - 4CPO:
Bonnie Blue Republic - 22
South-Central Rhodesia - 3
Peacockastan - 1
ABSTAIN - 3CLO:
Hooseria Magna - 20
South-Central Rhodesia - 3
Bonnie Blue Republic - 1
Peacockastan - 1
ABSTAIN - 4CCO:
Grater tovakia - 20
South-Central Rhodesia - 3
Bonnie Blue Republic - 1
Tayichi - 1
Peacockastan - 1
ABSTAIN - 3Congrats to the winners, and better luck next time to all who fell short. While all incumbents were able to maintain their seats this time, there was still a close race between Hansa and Biggonia, where Biggonia was able to narrowly beat Hansa by 1 vote. Sadly, we have a long list of shareholders who did not vote in this election, this is a reminder, ALL SHAREHOLDERS ARE REQUIRED TO VOTE IN OUR ELECTIONS. If you do not vote in two consecutive elections you will be removed from the shareholder list. If you did not vote in this election, please vote in the next. Additionally, the CEO election was held, in which yours truly was able to win reelection.
A familiar face joins the alliance
As you may know the AA currently has 4 active member regions, well if you were thinking this you would be wrong. A few weeks ago, it was announced that Anteria, would officially be joining the AA. This was certainly an interesting development, but I can't say it was unexpected, as Anteria and the AA have had a long and great relationship with each other, along with both being owned by the great Emiline. Anteria is very similar to many of the AA regions, including Lands End. Just like most, it is an RP-based region, and lots of aspects of the Anterian RP were replicated in Lands End, among many other things. With Anteria joining it will also become the oldest member region, as it was founded around 8 and a half years ago on September 28th, 2015. What does this mean for the AA? Not much, but Anteria has already made the move to the AA discord, and we will welcome all our new and old friends from Anteria with open arms.To Nuke or Not to Nuke, Does N-Day Make You Wanna Puke? By: Peacockastan
Nationstates was flung into a 24-hour nuclear apocalypse for the tenth time this past month during yet another rerun of the iconic N-Day event. The specific numbers and final leaderboard can all be found here. The Augustin Alliance as a whole officially joined the KHAN megafaction made up of several large regions such as The West Pacific, The Pacific, Lone Wolves United, and the United Regions Alliance. Being a member of two of the regional alliances that joined KHAN, it would be reasonable to expect a significant amount of participation from Lands End residents. What ended up happening though was exactly the opposite as I could only verify two out of our company’s impressive roster of forty-seven shareholders were actively participating with KHAN in the faction’s Discord server, and the same goes for the AA as a whole. Our more senior readers will probably know that this is not a new trend and after questioning multiple Lands End employees and influential Augustin Alliance members, I aim to provide an answer to this mysteriously acquired pattern.The Augustin Alliance is no stranger to nuclear warfare with three wins under its belt, so what might have led such a prominent name in N-Day history to where it is now? After ten instances of the event and countless changes to rules, technological advantages, and mainstream strategies it is clear that the iconic event is a whole new ball game. N-Day has become a battle of megafactions, the most notable example of this is the most recent event where KHAN came back after a victory last N-Day leading the faction leaderboard for most nations by a margin of a few thousand. After roughly 6 hours KHAN was wiped off the face of the earth by the next three biggest factions. After KHAN was destroyed, there was little to no fighting to be seen between the three remaining megafactions leading to the Anime Nations Against Liberals faction running away with the win. These recent events have made it clear to many that the event is nothing more than a spectacle with not much to be seen. The lack of competition on the playing field makes it harder every year for newcomers to become invested in the fighting and with the increasing sizes of the factions, it also makes it harder for the average resident of a region to self-identify with a faction. The Augustin Alliance fought countless times to prove itself and did so on three separate occasions, now that there is nothing to prove it would seem that many feel there is nothing to fight for. So whether it’s because of the megafactions flinging puppets at each other or the AA’s already impressive record, it would seem that AA residents will continue to have something better to do than launch nukes for the next several N-Days.
World Assembly News
Passed GA proposals:
Reducing Food Contaminants And Residues
Repeal: “Standardised Passport Act”
Recognising Academic Qualifications And SkillsPassed SC proposals:
Commend Kalosia
Liberate Serovski Mir 2022
A Rambling About Roleplay By: Bonnie Blue Republic
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Hello, folks. And welcome to what is hopefully to be a regular column, written by yours truly or possibly some guests in future, discussing little bits of things about Roleplay that hopefully you will find interesting and potentially even informative. Nation RP, as the primary focus of the region, will of course be the primary focus here, but perhaps there may be some digression from time to time as it comes up.
This month, I intend to provide a few suggestions for those of you who may be looking specifically for how to take your nation - as wonderful and well-developed as it may be - and work it into the broader picture of the world.
The first rule of thumb, and perhaps the most important, is to remember that this beautiful RP we all enjoy is, at it's heart, a collaborative storytelling exercise. If you want to go conquer the world and be the bestest nation ever go play Hearts of Iron - that's not what we do here. Before you go into a negotiation or into a conflict, in-character, you and the other player involved should have some sort of understanding about where this is all going.
Perhaps that understanding is an understanding that you will have an in-character discussion, and that you'll figure out what comes of it as the characters do. Perhaps that understanding is a predetermined agreement about what's going to come out of things, and you're only working out the posturing and exact verbiage used to get there. Regardless, cooperation is key - cooperation is what ensures that all involved parties come out of an interaction having enjoyed themselves.
It's also very worth noting, however, that such in-character interactions are not even necessarily necessary. Perhaps you abstract such things as actual meetings and interactions, and work out of character to figure out where your nation falls into the grand fabric of the world. Much of what distinguishes Lands End RP from that practiced elsewhere is the tremendous amount of effort and collaboration that has gone into determining the past; this is by no means any less "Proper RP" than having three hour conversations between Junior Foreign Ministers at a state banquet in Biggonia in which you both manage to say absolutely nothing at all while simultaneously horrifying your hosts enough to never be invited back.
Not that there's anything wrong with three hour diplomatic discussions about nothing at all, of course. In fact I daresay that's the ideal state of a diplomatic discussion, and one that can be quite fun to play out.
Regardless, I hope these few words have been informative, or at the very least worth your time in reading them, and I hope to see you again next month.
Quote of the month
Comic
Thank you for reading this last edition of the Shareholders' Times with me at the helm, please remember to upvote and keep reading in the next coming months!
New Pacific Order
The Pacifican Inquirer
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— Xoriet
Try and take a shot at this simple crossword, related to the NPO and NationStates! Send your answers to Honourbound and you will be featured in the next month's edition of the Pacifican Inquirer. Here are the clues:
2. The collector of cards
4. the most fearsome pond-dwelling creature in the Pacific
5. An old Senator's cat
1. A dystopic nightmare on the Regional Message Board
3. A local chihuahua
This is the second issue (or edition; whatever terminology you want to use) of the Pacifican Inquirer, which we hope is a good thing to hear for our readers reading this right now or anybody else who managed to stumble upon this edition. As not a lot of people are writing articles for the Pacifican Inquirer (as a matter of fact, it's just me; though when I say "we" I am referring to the New Pacific Order), it would be a good thing to get some other perspectives and ideas for actual articles.
You, dear reader, may have seen where I was going with this, and you'd be right in that regard. I'd be happy to take submissions for articles or sidebar content in further editions of the Pacifican Inquirer. If you are, understandably, busy in real life and would prefer to not write an entire article by yourself — that's perfectly alright. Even sending over an idea is highly appreciated, and I'll try my best to bring your idea to life in the next edition.
If you've got an idea or are willing to write an entire article, here are some ground rules regarding article submission for the moment. Any idea you have should be in accordance with the site rules of NationStates (any ideas that go against the rules won't be accepted!) and should preferably not be related to any real life event or happening. IRL political topics or any other controversial topic won't be covered here, as this isn't the place for any discussions related to them.
Here are a few (admittedly, rather generic and boring) examples of what passes as acceptable and what doesn't:
Acceptable — "What counts as a 'cool' NS trading card", "How to make a good-looking factbook"
Unacceptable — "A tragedy that has befallen my personal life and shall soon render my time on NationStates null and void", "The global proletarian revolution is open us, as stated by my favourite politician"
You can write about something related to your NationStates nation, but it should preferably something unique. Similarly, you can write about a book you read, or a tasty meal. For those whose ideas or articles make it to the actual readable editions of the Pacifican Inquirer, you can receive 3 ultra-rare NationStates trading cards of your choosing from my deck (and potentially even more cards as well).
The sky's the limit, and I encourage anyone reading to take a shot at this and send over their ideas or complete articles. Send a telegram to my nation (Honourbound), and I'll respond as soon as I can to them. Good luck!
N-Day is the day in NationStates where the nations of the world undergo nuclear catharsis, vaporizing their opponents into nothing but ash through the destructive power of nuclear hellfire and mutually assured destruction. Regions from across NationStates partner up in gigantic "mega-factions" to douse their opponents with nuclear fallout causing mutations the likes of which that occasionally leads to a Z-Day event as well.
To have a nice day off from the constant butter churning, End666 trolling, Jar Wattinree rolling, and all manners of various NPO activities, the Pacific partnered up with a faction known as the Kingly Horsemen Asserting Neighbo(u)rliness or KHAN. Representatives from the West Pacific, Lone Wolves United, Augustin Alliance, Horsemen of the Apocalypse, United Regions Alliance, FOCUS, and our own region came together in a historic first, banding together to build the greatest nuclear supply chains NationStates has ever seen.
However, unbeknownst to our member states, there was an enemy lurking in the darkness. The Coalition Against Carcinisation, with members the likes of Anime Nations Against Liberals (A.N.A.L, an interesting acronym), Starlight Brigade, Jellyfish Elite Fighting Force (J.E.F.F), and the Motokata Defense Coalition, had banded together against KHAN.
They had much greater numbers than us (4000 more nations than us, in fact), and in a few devastating exchanges, our forces had been routed to such an extent that the logistics network of support shields to our frontline member states began to dwindle. And with that, the war was all but lost. However, our forces fought till their last breath, one where both oxygen and nuclear fallout were freely breathed in.
Anyway, hopefully we'll be ready for the zombie apocalypse or exchange of nuclear weapons that will happen in the next few months and avenge our fallen comrades.
The New Pacific Order has signed a formal treaty of alliance with the region of Lazarus, known as the Treaty of the Olives.
The New Pacific Order maintains a Recruiting Corps in order to recruit new players to the Pacific. Contact East Durthang to know more.
We hope that you all liked this second(!!!) release of the Pacifican Inquirer. If there is any feedback regarding the Pacifican Inquirer, please forward it to me through a telegram or a Discord message at honourbounder. Or you could forward it to any Senator of the New Pacific Order, both are fine.
Hello! / Bonjour! / ¡Hola! / 你好! / Привет! / مرحبًا / こんにちは! / Olá! / नमस्ते! / Toki a! |
Executive Interview: Minster of World Assembly Affairs Tinfect
NationStates News - ANAL Victory
Executive Interview: Minister of Domestic Affairs Penny
Executive Interview: Minister of Culture Enna System
The Ministry of Information is hiring for new recruits! Revolutions aren't won on guns alone --
sign up today on Discord!Write for the Red Standard, help maintain the Bloc's dispatch network, and help publish regular updates on regional proceedings!
March 1, 2024
Welcome to a special edition of The Red Standard! Deputy Minister of Information, Islas, has conducted a series of interviews with our Executive Team. This issue is coming out now to present half of those interviews to you. All interviews are provided as is with minimal editing for spelling / grammar. Also, we are here to present a fantastic and important update about N-Day and the amazing victory of our faction.
Please enjoy this special issue. If you enjoy it, stay tuned later this month for another issue that will include more interviews. Also, please like and subscribe...I mean, share this around and it an upvote!
Islas: Want to do an interview for da papah?
Tinfect: Oh? Sure.
Islas: So tell us all about Tinfect?
Tinfect: I'm afraid you might have to be a little more specific; I'm not terribly good at broad questions. That said... there's not so much to say, in overview; I'm much how I seem to be.
Islas: How did you find yourself in TCB?
Tinfect: I vaguely remember telling this story before; I came from TNP (The North Pacific), initially, where I was still loitering following a mental health breakdown - another story, that, - and, I figured I didn't want to be in that region any more. Full of liberals. So I hopped into the Gameplay forum and started looking around; I heard about TCB, already vaguely remembering them as a massive Leftist region, and, specifically, from what I can only assume in retrospect were derogatory posts by the Defender clique, that TCB welcomed, you know, *Communists*, Anti-Imperialists, people concerned with material history moreso than liberal nonsense. That was enough for me to move in sight unseen.
Islas: You’ve mentioned this word, communism, what da heck is that?
Tinfect: Big question, that; If I had to summarize being a Communist moreso than Communism itself, it is a practice of political understanding. This is grounded first in historical materialism; historical materialism is an understanding history which rejects the liberal-ideological drivers of history and society. I won't get too far into *that*, I'm sure someone else has explained it better than I have. The other key point, is a scientific process in observing, theorizing, and acting upon the world. We are not proclaiming how things are or ought to be; we are analyzing the mechanism of the present society, where it will trend, and indeed how it will fall. There's a whole revolutionary aspect to this; the liberation of the proletariat and the oppressed that I won't get too far into, I'm sure we all know that. In case I'm not broadcasting it hard enough; I consider myself a Marxist-Leninist.
Islas: Would you say that the key to the difficulty between TCB and other regions is ideological, or in game political?
Tinfect: There's a mix. To be clear, for the reader, I'm not involved in Foreign Affairs in more than an observational capacity and I don't speak for the Bloc at large in saying this. Some of the regions arrayed against us are decrepit and miserable hives clinging on to lost relevance by declaring An Enemy whom must be defeated; sadly, they do actually retain some power in terms of connections with, eachother, - for now, - and a willingness to be other region's puppets. The stronger half of the group, ironically the weaker by endorsement, are of course, the aforementioned Defender clique. Enough has been said about the virulent toxicity in their spaces and how they bring it to NS. The most disappointing thing, to me, is that people broadly don't seem to notice it; there's a petty childishness to it that I feel would've gotten them laughed out of the room in years past. But, they're the people running the show now, so there's no one to turn off the lights on them. These are political in large part. It becomes ideological in that the chosen object of their ire, however much they may still gesture at it being BoM they hate, are Leftists. And not merely the largest Leftist region in the game, but *all of their uninvolved allies too*. Whatever they pretend, there is a bent to this.
Islas: Do you think that in another life I could have been a bird?
Tinfect: I think you'd make a nice falcon.
Islas: Any final message to the readers?
Tinfect: There's another hard question... Fundamentally, don't be discouraged. TCB isn't going anywhere; we have a strong community and a strong regional government besides. Despite all the doomsaying, we're not declining. Also read *On Authority*.
Islas: As always it’s been a pleasure, thank you Tinfect
Tinfect: Certainly has. Thank you.
Comrades, last Saturday we witnessed a glorious event: the nuclear hellfire of N-Day. Much like the previous nuclear apocalypse, we teamed up with our friends of Anime Nations Against Liberals (ANAL) to smash liberalism and bring communist hellfire across the great realms of NationStates. All preparation was going well, until we realized a new mega-faction was upon us: the Kingly Horsemen Asserting Neighborliness. We, the ANAL leadership, knew that we could only stand against a faction this large and united with our fellows in arms. We rallied all the allies we could get in this uphill fight against the KHAN menace. United with the likes of JEFF, Starlight, and the MDC, we prepared to make one unified front for any hope of survival.
When the nuclear clock struck midnight, all factions immediately went to work on preparing for the showdown of our lives. In ANAL, we were able to focus very heavily on nukes, getting ready to strike our enemies from behind, whilst our allies got their production lines up to speed as well. Each volley of nuclear missiles was coordinated internally by the valiant ANAL High Command, firing wave after wave with the utmost precision in coordination with our allies. At the same time, our record-breaking shield gang protected us from the front, gracefully reflecting any KHAN missile that dared come in our direction or in the direction of JEFF. Our production lines were at full efficiency, our targeting radars were on point, and our shields protected us from all directions.
After hours and hours of an endless sea back and forth, everything began to slow. ANAL was relatively unscathed, and the KHAN menace had been pummeled into an early nuclear winter. It was… miraculous! We had been able to unleash hundreds of thousands of missiles and barely took any ourselves. The menace had been beaten back! Whilst there were still many hours left until the global nuclear arms treaty was to be signed, the world calmed down for a bit, and we had defeated our greatest enemy.
Not only did we defeat the enemy megafaction, we also historically ended in first place on the leaderboard! A faction that has been around for years, gone through many shifts and changes, with the Bloc only having joined last N-Day, had won. It was a glorious moment of celebration for everyone in the ANAL gang, and one we’ll be sure to savor for N-Day’s to come.
Islas:Can I interview you for the paper?
Penny: Sure! I may be a little slow to respond at the moment, but I'll answer any questions as best I can
Islas: Tell me a little bit about yourself? How did you find TCB?
Penny: When I got back into NS after a while, I decided this time I'd focus on doing stuff other than, like, answering issues a few times every day and so. I thought it'd be interesting to see what happens at the regional level. And when looking for a region I just used the tag feature and TCB was the largest communist-tagged region
Islas: What is communism? Is that when Bernie does the sanders?
Penny: I think its when the government does stuff but, like, a lot of stuff
Islas: Speaking of when the government does stuff, how are you feeling right now about the cabinet term? And the prospects going forward?
Penny: I'm pretty confident in our current cabinet and I have full trust in everyone's capability to run their respective ministries and, if last election's sign-up turnout was anything, I think the future is looking very bright with all the new people who ran and got elected
Islas: What is your favorite dessert food?
Penny: It's always tough for me to answer 'favorite food' questions; I think my answer tends to vary a lot and its hard to focus on one thing..that said I'd tear up some brownies right now lol
Islas: Speaking of sweet things, the majority of the cabinet this term are people made of sugar spice and everything nice: what do you think it says about our community we've carved out that women play such an integral role in our region?
Penny: As a whole, spaces like NationStates tend to be overwhelmingly populated by men (such is the nature of politically-oriented games online) so its pretty incredible to me that a region of our size has so many positions of power held by women. The same definitely can't be said for a lot of other large NS regions and I think our current cabinet is a testament to our region/ community's strong focus on inclusivity ^_ ^
Islas: What would you say to Max Barry?
Penny: Eehh, probably nothing that hasn't already been said
Islas: Any thoughts on the potential for the next WA General secretary election that may or may not happen this year?
Penny: I can't speak much for the GA, but I think it won't change things up too much in the SC since most resolutions there feel like they're decided before they're even written perhaps with the secretary-general voting recommendations we'll see some more Star Gazing Day-esque votes in the GA where individual nations swing the vote? Hard to say.
Islas: I've been pitching hard balls all interview, but this may be the hardest yet: how much could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
Penny: Well, naturally, a woodchuck would chuck as much wood as a woodchuck could chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood
Islas: Thank you for your time minister!
Islas: Hello minister! How are you?
Enna System: Hello. Fine, I guess.
Islas: Can you tell us a little bit about your election triumph? And what's the deal with the catgirl coup?
Enna System: Of course! As you know, we were elected to lead the Ministry of Culture in a race against two other very competent candidates. We gave it out best and somehow managed to win. As for the catgirl coup, it is only a beginning! The whole Bloc shall fall to the catgirl militia, our meows will echo throughout the First Minister's office as we raise our banners proudly over the Bloc's Tall Imposing Walls!
Islas: What part of the term are you most excited about?
Enna System: Hmm, good question. Probably cooperating with Lili (the Minister of Foreign Affairs) on organizing cultural events with our friends from other regions!
Islas: Your slate of activity has included a movie night series, what are some of your favorites?
Enna System: Oh, difficult to say, we don't really watch movies. Star Wars is okay I guess.
Islas: Star Wars is well known to be under a constant state of revision and editing, what is your opinion on this?
Enna System: I think that Star Wars should be put under the editorial control of our communist catgirl militia, so that we may implement our agenda into it
Islas: What would you say to new players in the region? What advice do you have for them?
Enna System: Leave before it's too late (just kidding)
Islas: Reports have been reaching my desk that your catgirls have been peddling catnip around the region, is this going to be a major hairball for your administration?
Enna System: Those are merely preparations for the inevitable catgirl coup
Islas: Since you operate the Ministry of Culture, what is your opinion on cults, how would you suggest that harmful groups like these be dismantled?
Enna System: Could you clarify on what kind of cults?
Islas: There are obviously many kinds, some of the ones that immediately come to my mind are the Westboro Baptist Church and Scientology.
Enna System: Well, I don't have any authority over that, but they probably should be dismantled in some way. This is my first time hearing of them so can't say much
Islas: What are your thoughts on AI (Artificial Intelligence) artwork?
Enna System: I think it's cringe, especially with the way it's being utilized under capitalism
Islas: So we should be expecting handmade art from the ministry during your term?
Enna System: Yep, that's correct. Wait, actually. Technically it's not hand drawn, it's mouse!
Islas: Cat and rat girls? Interesting Thank you for your time minister!
Politics:
If you’re not endorsing our delegate Kethania, you should do that straight away! Every endorsement on our delegate protects our regional security as well as amplifies our voice on WA resolutions. If you are not, you are limited to 10 endorsements yourself. You should also endorse our vice delegates: Pajonia, Shamian, and The Workers Union of Habsburg-Lorraine!
Become a citizen! This allows you to participate in regional politics, pick your representatives, and join the Regional Discord server. More information can be found here.
Check out the Law Archive. It is an easy way to navigate and keep track of all our laws. This document is updated as new laws get passed.
At long last, our Constitutional Convention has ended. You can review the new Constitution here.
If you are interested in getting involved, consider participating in one of our volunteer programs. Citizens can become volunteers by inquiring in the
Regional Discord. We greatly appreciate the work all our volunteers do!
NationStates:
Want some endorsements? Run the Revolutionary Endorsement Program! It's simple and doesn't take very much time. Endorse comrades, get endorsed back. Alternatively, post the following to the RMB:
[nation]ink_cloud[/nation], rep
Our RMB bot, created by Kethania, will give you a list of nations to endorse.We have published the Master Dispatch. This should be the first place you go if you are looking for information on TCB or NationStates. It contains links to every major resource, and it is pinned under the WFE.
We're always interested in having residents of TCB participate in the region. If you have an idea for a fun cultural event, an interesting news article, or any other way you'd like to contribute to the region, telegram a Minister to make your suggestion!
Other:
The Ministry has created a list of leftist resources! This is an ongoing project that our team is in the process of updating! If you think there is something missing from this list, please telegram or DM the First Minister (UFROE / lowevonbayern on Discord) or the Minister of Information (Namwenia / mdmrn on Discord).
While run by the Ministry of Information, the Red Standard does not necessarily reflect the stance of the current administration. Please contact the Minister of Information, Namwenia.
How-to Guides:
Flag Making Websites
These websites are for beginners because they allow you to make flags easily with options made to help you design good-looking flags. They are very easy to use and have so many great flag design options.
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Design Your Own Flag
- Flag Creator: This one is great because it’s so easy to use but with so many free options, shapes, and symbols. Some symbols and shapes are behind a paywall but you certainly don’t need them if you are going for a non-advanced flag.
- Tennessine: This one is probably my favorite as it has many great options with total customization. Some graphics are publicly uploaded leading to even more possibilities. It is so easy to use because of its simplicity and guides to use it.
- FlagMaker Jr: This website lets you make very simple flags. It is very easy to use but with limited options. There are different shapes to use and also many graphics from real-life flags to use. It is still a great option as you can still make many flags with it.
Flags From Real-Life Flags
Use these sites to make flags based off real-life ones easily. - Keolot: This website is great as it lets you choose a real-life flag as a template and than customize it to your liking by adding text, your own images, and clip art commonly used in flags.
- Fake Flag: This website lets you take shapes and graphics form other flags and lets you combine them to make one flag. This is great if you want your flag based on a real life flag as it lets you use that flag and make a realistic redesign my using real-life flag elements.
Auto-Generated Flags
Use these sites to generate flags randomly quickly. These are great if you just want a somewhat-good looking flag quickly or you just need some inspiration. - Flag Generator: This website randomly generates many flags at once and is great if you need quick inspiration or a somewhat-good looking flag quick.
- Power Flag Generator: This website randomly generates flags and is great if you need quick inspiration or a somewhat-good looking flag quick. You can also choose how many flags you want to generate. It doesn’t have graphics on the flags though.
Use these sites to design your own unique flags.
Graphic Design Websites
These websites are not for beginners but if you know how to use them they are great because everything is fully customizable with endless flag possibilities.
- Canva: This one is probably the easiest for beginners while still have great customization options. Although it’s free many built-in graphics and some new features (the unused ones) sr behind a paywall.
- BeFunky: This is much like Canva and is a great tool for graphic design beginners who still want to be able to have full customization.
- Adobe Photoshop: This one has by far the most customization. It is quite pricy though but if you are going to make a lot of graphic I recommend this one. It is not for beginners as there are so many features that it can get even get overwhelming
- Gimp: This one is another great one with many options. Much like Adobe Photoshop it’s not for beginners but it still is great if you want lots of options. It has existed for a long time leading to it being able to fix may issues and improve it more over time, thus making it better.
viewtopic.php?f=23&t=544028 (map making)
And there's been some regional tag changes:viewtopic.php?f=15&t=545867
Another good one!
Getting Started
Creating a map for the first time
Updating a map
Using someone else's map as a start
"Update a Map" Screen
Uploading a new map
Using an old map version
Adding Colors/Countries to the Map
Adding a country's color to the Map
Adding Sea/Land color to the Map
Removing an assigned color
Finishing Up
Start off by heading to your region. Then you will be able to see a Maps button that looks like the earth. Click it. Go to either Creating a map for the first time or Updating a map or Using someone else's map as a start in the documentation.
Creating a map for the first time:
NOT HERE YET
Go to "Update a Map" Screen in the documentation.
Updating a map
First, click on the map you would like to update.
At the bottom of the resulting screen, you should see a green link that says Update this Map. Click on it.
This will take you to the Update a Map screen where you will be able to change things.
Go to "Update a Map" Screen in the documentation.
Using someone else's map as a start
First, click on the map you would like to use as a start.
At the bottom of the resulting screen, you should see a green link that says Make your own Map Version. Click on it.
This will take you to the Update a Map screen where you will be able to change things.
Go to "Update a Map" Screen in the documentation.
Uploading a new map:
You will see a large empty box when you get to the Update a Map screen. If you go to the bottom of this, you will see a button that says Browse.... Click on it.
This will open up a file explorer program on your computer to let you choose which file you would like to use.
Select the file you would like to use (to my knowledge, it has to be a picture (i.e. png, jpeg, gif) (yes, I used nested parentheses)).
Right under where you saw the Browse... button, there is a button that says Update Map Version. Click on it.
You will be taken to a strikingly similar page. Scroll down to the bottom of this new page, and hit the button that says Update this map to this version
Go to Adding Countries to the Map in the documentation.
Using an old map version:
Scroll to the bottom of the Update a Map screen. Once there, you should see a list of all previous versions of the map. Click the radial button directly to the left of one of them.
At the bottom of the screen, you will see a button that says Select Map Version. Click on it.
You will be taken to a strikingly similar page. Scroll down to the bottom of this new page, and hit the button that says Update this map to this version
Your map is now finished!
This feature needs its own section, trust me.
When you arrive at the new screen, you are greeted by your new map.
Adding a country's color to the Map:
Click on one of the nations' color on your map. This will pull up a new box.
With the newly acquired box, type in the name of the nation corresponding to that color on the map (this will make all things of that same color this nation's territory!). The name is ONLY the name, not the fancy honorifics or such. For example, The Wholly Democratic States of Broken Edge, would be Broken Edge.
You will see a button in the box that says Save Color. Click on it.
You can now hover over the assigned color, and if you did this correctly, it will show the nation and its flag.
You have just assigned a color to a nation!
When you have assigned all nation colors and any sea/land colors, proceed to Finishing Up in the documentation.
Adding Sea/Land color to the Map:
Click on the sea or land color on your map. This will pull up a new box.
With the newly acquired box, click on either Sea Color or Land Color.
You will see a button in the box that says Save Color. Click on it.
You have just assigned a color to sea or land!
When you have assigned all nation colors and any sea/land colors, proceed to Finishing Up in the documentation.
Removing an assigned color:
Click on the assigned color you would like to remove. This will pull up a newer box.
Hover over the newly acquired box, and click the x button.
When you have assigned all nation colors and any sea/land colors, proceed to Finishing Up in the documentation.
When you are all done with editing the map and assigning colors, go to the bottom of the assigning colors page. You will see a button that says Update Map Version. Click on it.
This will take you to a familiar page.
Scroll down to the bottom of the page.
You will see a button at the bottom that says Update this map to this version. Click on it.
Wowie! You have made your own map! Only countries assigned colors on the map have the ability to endorse your map.
OMG! These are the best! Open this dispatch, then check out the five dispatches linked at the bottom. It's a paper-aircraft war. I love it!
- Time to Throw Some Paper!
All hail the Golden Plane, its beauty and grace is imparted to those who wish to share their creative works!
An'eth'ara Refugi!
Is your freedom of vertical travel imperilled by international treaties regarding "sovereignty"? Does your nation have a rich culture of aviation history, sourced from arts and crafts events at the local YMCA? Excellent news, Refugia will be hosting an event that defiles the legacy of both. Grab some paper, practice your finest folding techniques, and get ready to enter the Collaborative Appreciation of Superior Aircraft (CASA) competition!
For the next week, Refugi nations are tasked with designing a paper airplane. Once you've designed your airplane, take a picture of it and build a factbook around the plane. What is its name, what does it mean to your country? And most importantly, how do you launch it at Chacapoya? Remember, this is all told through the power of factbooks, so the paper airplane you make doesn't have to successfully make the trip, as long as it's something meaningful to you and your nation. Once you've finished the factbook, follow the directions at the bottom of this dispatch to submit it!
Any Member State who submits an entry is allowed a eurovision-like vote, where they can vote for other entries that have been submitted (excluding their own). When all entries are received, we will run a vote among all entrants to find the best airplane.
Some notes on this:
All entrants will receive the Golden Plane event badge
, which will be available on our forum.The top five voted factbooks will receive a Season 3 Chacapoya card and a free plane ticket to Chacapoya.
The highest voted factbook author will get our Discord's main channel, #human-square, renamed after them for one month. eg. #duneraven-hall. They will also receive a Season 1 Testlandia.
Chacapoya will receive a Season 1 Smells Like a Tire Fire card, along with the top five players arriving by plane.
- Where Do I Even Start?
A good question. A lot of people can see the blank area of a dispatch box as being the gateway to the abyss beyond which no waking eye can see. So, if you're having trouble getting started, here's an example that might help you get some ideas:
- The CRS Adequate
Presenting the CRS Adequate!
Anyone who's been exposed to the magical forested mountains of Sylh Alanor knows how easy it is for planes to take off. Deep in the heart of the trees- really, they're very close together- are hundreds of factories pumping out aircraft solely for the purpose of flying over Chacapoyan airspace. The most recent airplane model, the CRS Adequate, is the best of them all, known for darting around trees for seconds at a time before smashing into one. Shining in brilliant green and gold, the Adequate is the pinnacle of Alanori aircraft design.
By using ancient magics, Silvehn herself threw it from the top of the capital in Arlathan, watching as it sailed gracefully southwest toward the distant, darkened shores of Chacapoya. As it soared over the ocean separating them, the plane carried the collected hopes and dreams of every elf, that it would violate that sacred airspace sovereignty agreement with perfection.
Don't worry about following this example exactly. You can add in or substitute whatever makes the factbook more unique for your nation. The only requirements are to have the name of your aircraft, a picture of it, and some description of what it is and how it reaches Chacapoya's shores. Beyond that, exercise your creative ability to its fullest extent. Chacapoya deserves no less than our best.
Note: To avoid puppeteering, you must be a Member State to submit an entry to the competition.
When you are ready to submit a factbook for the competition, post a link to it in the RMB and tag me, Sylh Alanor, so that I will clearly see your entry.
You have from now through the end of March 9th to submit an entry. At the cut-off, I will message all the entrants for their votes, allowing until all votes are received or five days have passed, and then I will post the table of results.
- The Competitors
All official entries are listed below in the order received:
- The Vote!
All participants are entitled to a ranked vote, where each rank corresponds to one point. You may not vote for yourself. Since there are 13 entrants, the highest ranked dispatch in a vote will receive 12 points, and the second will receive 11 points, and so on. All entrants receive a Golden Plane badge, the highest five scoring submissions will receive a Season 3 Chacapoya card, and the highest overall will have our primary NationStates channel named after their nation for a month's time, along with a Season 1 Testlandia. Chacapoya, of course, will be receiving a Season 1 Smells Like a Tire Fire card.
To turn in a vote, simply send a message, either in the RMB or through a telegram to me, which contains an understandable vote. For example:
But you can use any format you can think up as long as I can understand your actual vote. Voting will end after five days, or when all votes are received. After voting ends, a table of votes will be revealed, along with the winning dispatches they yield.
Happy voting!
- The Results!
#1 Tuluni, with 96 points
#2 Tiralta, with 89 points
#3 Minskievian Refugees, with 76 points
#4 Refuge Isle, with 73 points
#5 Chacapoya herself, with 71 points
#6 Portmanteau, with 68 points
#7 Araine, with 57 points
#8 Junitaki-cho, with 54 points
#6 Holy bingle, with 50 points
#6 Jazur, with 46 points
#6 St Leone, with 43 points
#6 The Star Enpire, with 30 points
#6 IMSalia, with 27 points
As Refuge Isle has asked for their reward to be passed down to the next person in line, Portmanteau has received a Season 3 Chacapoya card and a free plane ticket to Chacapoya along with Tuluni, Tiralta, Minskievian Refugees, and Chacapoya.
As the number one entry and winner of the competition, Tuluni gets the general channel of our discord server named after them for a full month. All may enter and marvel at #tuluni-hall. They also receive a Season 1 Testlandia card.
Chacapoya has not only received a Season 1 Smells Like a Tire Fire card, but also many catastrophic fires. Perhaps she can put it out with the other winners of the competition, who should be arriving any minute now.
Congratulations to the winners, and thanks to everyone who entered a plane into the competition. This was a lot of fun, and I hope it can become a tradition, so that we all have something entertaining to do together. I sincerely hope everyone enjoyed this cooperative arts and crafts time. Thank you all so much.
Portugal elections had an uncomfortable outcome:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/11/portugal-election-leader-of-winning-centre-right-party-calls-on-rivals-not-to-stand-in-his-way
Next major RL election is the Russian presidential election, running from 15th to 17th. I did wonder about running a poll, but there's really no point. Maybe I'll do another RL one for the Slovakian election.
Raider Maths.
Say you and some pals raided a region. One of you is delegate, the rest are ROs. How can you eject all the "natives", password protect the region, then get your WAs freed up again in the smallest possible number of updates?
There's a lot of interesting and messy maths in this question, much of which I won't even be aware of yet. This will be a collection of thoughts rather than anything properly structured. Best to start with some basics though.
Part I - Passwords, Ejections & Bans, Influence
More topics:
Ejecting people when no password in place
Ban or password and eject?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bin_packing_problem
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First-fit-decreasing_bin_packing
best fit decreasing algorithm (https://www.eisahjones.com/sorting-algorithms/)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knapsack_problem#0-1_knapsack_problem
Raider Maths - Part I
See August's "About Influence"
Passwords
Passwords can be secret, or visible to nations in the region.
Visible costs either 20 points per nation in the region, or 200 points, whichever is larger.
Secret costs either 40 points per nation in the region, or 400 points, whichever is larger.
If there are going to be non-raiders in the region after the password is set, then you're going to want a secret password. And then you're going to want to eject them anyway so that they don't take over the delegacy. (You could actually leave one "native" - there's nothing they can do by themselves).
Ejections and Bans
For "ban", read "banject".
A delegate pays points equal to 1/3 = 2/6 of a target's influence to eject the target.
A delegate pays points equal to 1/2 = 3/6 of a target's influence to ban the target.
An RO pays points equal to 2/3 = 4/6 of a target's influence to eject the target.
An RO pays points equal to 1 = 6/6 of a target's influence to ban the target.
So it's cheaper to eject than ban, and cheaper for a delegate than for an RO.
Influence
Your influence score is the sum of your influence in each region in NS, plus the number of endorsements you currently have. So figuring out your true current influence in a region can be very difficult, if not impossible.
If all your influence has been built up in the current region, then it's straight forward - take your current score from the census, then subtract the number of endos you have. The result should be the number of influence points (SPDR) that you can spend.
If you built up a lot of influence in a previous region, that will be included in your score (although the influence from the previous region decays with time). You're probably best to figure out your true current influence based on the number of updates you've been in the region, plus the number of endos you had at each update (if you can!).
You'll want to know this adjusted score for each RO. You'll also want to know at least the unadjusted score for every other nation in the region too. For a larger region, you'd want to use API calls to gather the data.
A new round of The Hunger Games is up!
It's cold out here on the Mongolian steppe. What should we serve to our visitors when they arrive?
- Gedes dotor (intestine soup, https://youtu.be/rsCu28XvEPY)?
or
- Boodog (barbecued marmot, https://youtu.be/rPGq9YNZ6TU)?
Check out the Youtube videos for the recipes (warning: not for the faint hearted!)
I quite like the idea of some marmotte...wonder what that tastes like....
My brain can't help but think it tastes like Marmite, and you'll either love it or hate it.
Hahaha..it puts me in mind of the squirrel flavoured crisps that Walkers did ages ago 😆🐿️
I missed them doing that. Damn!
That said, I remember eating hedgehog flavour crisps. I also remember them tasting exactly like smoky bacon flavour...
The new issue of Wild Life is out. In this issue we ask: Where's Wallenburg?
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We moved here because this region seemed to better suit us, and I appreciate all of the informational updates from 
The King of All Wild Things.
Nice to have you here. Be warned that it's rather quiet!
Will I know you by another name?
As you can tell by the slowness of my reply, peace and quiet suit me.
I am actually a puppet of the witches in the Coven of Witches.
We've a new edition of WILD LIFE out.
It's real-life politics themed, and my opinions are bound to upset someone!
How much wood would The wood dragon drag if The wood dragon could drag wood?
Take the challenge:
How Long Can You Hang From a Tree by Your Fingertips?
I could drag quite a lot of wood, I reckon.
Now for the challenge, 11 minutes! I think I may have found a new talent...
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