(WARNING: This is my long-winded first-hand account of late November 2008 through January 2009.)
Imagine a nation with no involvement in the game other than answering issue questions, voting on WA resolutions (although they were UN resolutions back then), and endorsing countries whose profile was consistent with mine. That’s how I played the game for several years. I joined the game in 2005 and I played for a few minutes every week. I found the game because of the Jennifer Government book, not because I played a lot of games.
My nation was born in The East Pacific and it stayed there. I gathered influence because I had endorsements. I didn’t think much about it other than it was cool to see my status move up from Minnow to level after level over time.
A group of nations formed something called “The Empire.” Their plan was to take over a feeder to prove it could be done. TEP was ripe for the picking. Gnidrah, the delegate was absent a lot so they planted their puppets and waited for influence to build. Lady Phedre (Neenee or Minineenee or Minininjas) would become the Delegate and the Empress.
Biyah (who called himself Lord Rahl) was their loudest spokesperson. Dalimbar (or Lady Anastasia) was also a leader. Lady Edea (Der Fuhrer Dysel) was another member. I’m told Unibot has spent some time trying to identify all the members of the Empire, but it wasn’t that important to me. Or maybe, I was concerned some of my friends would turn out to have been major players and I chose ignorance. Or maybe I just wanted to move the region on after all the nonsense. Or it was all of those things.
In the fall of 2008, they took over TEP. I’m sure the exact date is somewhere, but it is not important to my story as I wasn’t paying attention. Back then, the RMB would roll over and everything would be lost. If you weren’t watching when something was posted, it was gone. The natives of the region (1 Infinite Loop, Gnidrah, and others) tried to re-take the delegate’s chair. Biyah was on the inside of the region and they did not know he was one with the Empire so all of their plans failed.
I did note that one of the nations at the top of the rankings, stagnationstan, had changed his motto to “No support for the usurper! Unendorse Lady Phedre!”
The Empire also set up a new alternate forum which they called, “The Purified Lands.” Current residents of TEP had to be cleaned before they could have a role in the region:
— Begin quote from ____
“I hereby announce the rise of The Empire and the cleansing of The East Pacific. We have freed The East Pacific from her chains of inequity. The East Pacific has been purified; it is now the seat of power for The Empress and the Empire. Under the command of the Empress, the Lady Phedre, our Legions shall stalk victoriously into the world and remove the filth that covers it - The Empire shall bring order to all! The Empress Phedre is forgiving; she understands you have stood in sin unknowing until this point. Any may come and swear to her banner, she will welcome you. You may sink to your knees and beg the Empress for mercy.”
— End quote
Then in early December 2008, Biyah or Neenee just started ejecting nations. I guess they were gathering information about the influence equations or maybe, they were just mean. But their victims were not amused:
— Begin quote from ____
“I have never talked to Lady Phedre and have not received any telegrams from her regarding this matter. I had no contact with the other nations she has kicked and I haven’t found any connection between me and the others. I believe it was simply a random act. I have sent Lady Phedre a telegram asking for her reasons which she has not replied to yet. If you have found any news about my ejection from The East Pacific or why any of the other countries got ejected I would like to hear about it.”
“I was another kicked nation. If y’all manage to beat the crap out of this so-called leader, please let me know, and I’ll come back. I’ve been in The East Pacific since I started playing, and if you’ll note my population (9.959 billion), that’s been several years. This idiot may have abused its power (gender of the nation non-withstanding), but hopefully, not without a price.”
“Well, well, well. It seems we have another Black-Adder-Francos-Spain wannabe as our delegate. I woke up in the RR and I’m not a WA member, I was’t endo whoring and I wasn’t given any kind of warning or explanation.”
— End quote
So I literally read the FAQ for the Nation States.
— Begin quote from ____
“My region’s WA Delegate is an evil dictator who ejects nations for no reason! Make him stop! Delegates are elected: if you don’t like yours, it’s up to you to get him/her unelected. While in power, Delegates can use or abuse their powers as they see fit.”
— End quote
My initial campaign was for people to unendorse Lady Phedre. My telegrams pointed out actions where Lady Phedre had not performed appropriately as Delegate. I asked nations to unendorse her and I specifically stated that I was not seeking more endorsements, nor was I campaigning to become the new Delegate. In spite of that, I received many endorsements. I asked for nations who may be interested in being the new Delegate to self-identify. Perhaps because of fear of ejection, no one stated an interest in being Delegate.
At this point, I stepped into the middle of it and made a pretty big mistake on the issue of endorsement caps:
— Begin quote from ____
Dear Nations of The East Pacific,
I am asking for your endorsements so I may serve as the next Delegate for the region.
If selected, I will do the following:
(1) Play an active role in the World Assembly, as your Delegate, and encourage debate within the region for both Resolutions and Proposals.
(2) End the random mass ejections of nations in the region.
(3) Invite previously ejected nations to return
(4) Remove the endorsement cap.
I believe endorsement caps are primarily designed to protect the Delegate. I intend to serve only as long as I have the support of the nations in the region.
Thank you,
A Slanted Black Stripe
— End quote
It was around this time that I joined The East Pacific forum. I met Loop. I met Kandarin, who set up a meeting between me and Lady Edea. Everyone was suspicious of me. They all suspected I was a gamer, working under an assumed identity, who was trying to coup the region. But when they asked me a lot of questions, it became clear that I was just too stupid about the game. So Kandarin and others gave me lots of advice. (One of my disappointments upon returning to NS was learning that Kandarin had retired.)
Kandarin educated me on the importance of an endorsement cap. Later, I admitted publicly that I had first opposed endorsement caps and now I understood the importance and supported them.
Finally, Dannistaan, a longtime member of the community agreed to join me as another name for the role of Delegate. We campaigned jointly, asking nations to endorse both of us and unendorse Lady Phedre.
As I have been told, Biyah and Neenee shared the country of Lady Phedre. Neenee had a new baby and there was some limitation to her availability. (Supposedly, much of this was discussed in a chat room, so later it was assumed that my unendorsement campaign was using her sick child unfairly to my advantage. At least that is the way that a nation with the name Lady Tisiphone kept telling the story.)
— Begin quote from ____
Greetings,
Alot of commotion in The East Pacific here lately. It seems we have rebels trying to gain power. We are trying to maintain the regions stability. I am asking for your help in this. It would be very much appreciated if you would endorse the delegate. We also ask that you un-endorse A Slanted Black Stripe, and Dannistaan. After learning that Lady Phedre was dealing with sickness in the family they have started a campaign to take the region from her.
So in the name of a peaceful, and productive community, I ask you this favor.
-Lady Tisiphone
— End quote
— Begin quote from ____
Greetings
You have been mislead. The Confederates, whom Dannistan and A Slanted Black Stripe hail from, let this region fall into the pits of inactivity. I don’t say this as a rallying cry, just the truth. One person managed to take the region from them, and three people have managed to keep it. The Confederates are a dried out husk.
The only way they’ve come close to taking the region is waiting for a time when the Delegate, Lady Phedre, has admitted in public that her entire family was very sick. When it comes to logging in VS taking care of one’s child, the child wins every time. I find it sad, but amusing, that neither Dannistan nor A Slanted Black Stripe bothered to be active while they had no chance of ruling the region. Nobody heard a peep out of them until this last week.
They have lied, they have cheated, they have used the dirtiest tactics to slander and dirty Lady Phedre. I ask that you join our forum, that you put paid to the lies. Unendorse A Slanted Black Stripe, save the region from the scum of Nationstates!
— End quote
(I was bothered by the use of the word, “scum,” seemed so mean-spirited.)
At some point, Phedre or Biyah complained to the moderators and got this response:
— Begin quote from ____
Honestly, stop. You’re reporting the mildest of things trying to get us to take care of nations you find troublesome in holding the_east_pacific, and that’s looking a heck of a lot like Mods as a Weapon. Eject or ban them, put them on ignore – just don’t try to use us as a cricket bat for second grade schoolyard insults.
— End quote
Lady Phedre kept ejecting nations. On December 20, she ejected a bunch more and quit the region. I became the Delegate. Great. Every update through Christmas and New Year was going to be an adventure.
This was the parting message from the Empire:
— Begin quote from ____
Fellow Nations
You will notice that Lady Phedre is no longer the delegate of The East Pacific. The Empress has chosen to change tactics; we are tired of dealing with the prima-donnas. We’re going to give them a chance to ride the seat for a while; we’re going to show the world that they are incompetent and foolish.
And when the region is hurting enough, we’ll come back and set it straight. Apparently, The East Pacific will have to see just how bad things can get before they can appreciate our rule. That’s fine, The East Pacific will descend to the very depths of hell before this is over.
To our allies, hold firm. We resigned the position on purpose. You will hear more from us in the near future.
To the Nobility, prepare for war.
~The Heir of the Empire, Rahl.
His Imperial Highness, the Lord Rahl
Heir of the Empire, Hound of the Empress
The AUTHORITY of Keiga.
Cave Iram Patientis, Omnium Finis Imminet
— End quote
They also posted this in various forums around Nation States:
— Begin quote from ____
Are you a game player? Interested in having a feeder region of your own?
Well, have we got a deal for you!
As of a few minutes ago, the Delegate of The East Pacific, Lady Phedre, dropped out of the World Assembly. Thus, the region is wide open to anyone who wants a feeder of their own.
Will it be you? Give it a shot!
Good luck!
— End quote
This was my agenda:
— Begin quote from ____
(1) Securing the region. Only Phedre and Biyah were banned. Need to get more endorsements for Dannistaan and ASBS. Need to know who else to ban. Breaks my heart to say this, but I’m learning … endorsement caps.
(2) Agree on a process for electing the delegate and announce it. I recently read the TSP rules, quite detailed. Looked interesting, other suggestions?
(3) Other government positions and elections.
— End quote
On December 22, the server hosting the off-site forum went down. I don’t know if that could be blamed on the Empire, but a mass telegram was sent to the nations of the region:
— Begin quote from ____
Greetings Nations of The East Pacific,
Because the invisionfree website which supports the forum, www.TheEastPacific.com is down, you are receiving this rather lengthy telegram.
What’s happened so far?
In August, a group calling themselves the Empire took control of the region, under the leadership of two nations, Lady Phedre and Biyah. In our opinion, the Empire appeared to be a group of nations who enjoyed invading and raiding regions. The East Pacific was their latest conquest.
Our nation, A Slanted Black Stripe, has always resided in The East Pacific. Our people had chosen to stay out of regional politics, so we did not immediately respond to the Empire.
At the beginning of December, we began to telegram nations endorsing Lady Phedre, and asked them to withdraw their endorsements, based on Lady Phedre’s lack of activity in the World Assembly. For some of the nations that we contacted, this was not considered a significant performance issue, so they continued to support the Empire.
At the time, we, the people of A Slanted Black Stripe, were not seeking to become a replacement for the current delegate. We only wanted change.
Approximately two weeks ago, the Empire surprised many of us by ejecting 150-200 nations from the region. Many were newly formed nations; some were older nations, with no endorsements and non-members of the World Assembly. It was a curious and frightening time. It was this event that prompted the people of A Slanted Black Stripe to offer to become the new delegate. The nation of Dannistaan joined our nation in this effort.
We began to ask nations to withdraw their endorsements from Lady Phedre and to endorse both A Slanted Black Stripe and Dannistaan.
The mass ejection of nations awakened many countries in the region. As the endorsement count began to shift away from the Empire, they did another curious and frightening thing. Lady Phedre ejected another group of nations and resigned from the World Assembly. This left the region without a delegate for several hours. Lots of possible invaders and raiders came into the region. At the end of the day, we, the nation of A Slanted Black Stripe had the most endorsements and became the delegate.
Lady Phedre and Biyah have been banned from the region. There are many other nations loyal to the Empire still in the region. They have not been ejected or banned. Our new goal is to set up an open and free election for the next delegate as soon as possible.
How will the election be handled?
The nation of A Slanted Black Stripe has asked the elders of The East Pacific, Eastern Flemingovia, East Malaysia, and 1 Infinite Loop, to help to design an election process that is fair and open.
It is our hope that the details can be announced within a couple of days. Our expectation is that the process will require a statement of intent from all candidates and a debate on the merits of each candidate in the forum. This would be followed by a period where nations should endorse the candidate of their choice.
What’s the deal with the temporary endorsement cap?
It has been correctly pointed out that when our nation first entered the delegate campaign we proposed that there should be no endorsement cap. Immediately, we were challenged by older and wiser nations to reconsider. We listened and based on the consistent advice from nearly everyone, we published a modified proposal. Instead of one nation with all the endorsements, we have proposed that a few nations should all have lots of endorsements, with an endorsement cap for the rest of the region.
The temporary endorsement cap was set at 80. This gave all nations lots of room to collect endorsements. At the time, all of the nations were well below that cap. We recognize that this is a time of nervousness, so we wanted to allow each nation to collect some security.
Please help one another to stay within the cap. If you see a nation approaching 80, please consider withdrawing your endorsement to assist them with compliance.
The endorsement cap has also been put to the region’s elders. I expect a statement from the elders shortly.
What about nations that have been banned from The East Pacific?
Many have already been unbanned. There are still several others under consideration. We are working with the elders and working through the list, as quickly as we can. For those who are still waiting, our apologies, we are working through the list.
If you have any other concerns or questions, please let us know. If you haven’t already done so, you are encouraged to endorse A Slanted Black Stripe and Dannistaan.
Thank you,
A Slanted Black Stripe
— End quote
I worked with the elders of the region and several other interested parties to construct a constitution for the region. It was completed very quickly as we met in chat rooms most evenings after the removal of the Empire.
On January 11, 2009, the ratification vote was complete. The Concordat of The East Republic was approved with a vote of 34 in favor, 2 opposed, and 1 abstention.
On January 20, 2009, Todd McCloud had been elected the new delegate.
My work was done.
For those who enjoy stories told as myths, I wrote this version of events for the region’s newspaper in March 2009:
— Begin quote from ____
The nation of A Slanted Black Stripe (ASBS) consists of a pair of islands on the far eastern edge of The East Pacific. One of those islands is a tourist paradise - white sand beaches, tropical breezes, turquoise waters, and the best Mai Tais in the region.
On the eastern side of the island, among the many tourist beaches, is one small beach visited only by the natives. No one swims on this beach - deadly riptides. A small bungalow with a hammock strung across the porch sits on the edge of the sand. There’s an old teak chair out on the beach, facing east, across the ocean. The natives call it, “Delegate’s Beach.”
The natives of ASBS are thin, tan, and rarely live beyond the age of 50.The genetic dice are loaded against them. But the man who lives alone on Delegate’s Beach is old, with long gray hair, and wrinkled, sun-damaged skin. A few of the natives know his real name is Francisco, but they all call him, “Mr. Delegate.” This is his story …
As a young man, Francisco studied history and geography. While his friends and classmates flattered the tourists, Francisco asked about the interactions of the other nations in The East Pacific. He drew maps and plotted trade routes. He learned the political alliances and saw the fear in the eyes of many tourists when they spoke of a dark force growing in the west.
He heard tales of great battles fought by the nations of 1 Infinite Loop and Gnidrah. And how Gnidrah had fallen from glory …
One day, a flotilla of ships, filled with dark-robed soldiers, flying a flag with three interlocking crescents (not dissimilar from the biohazard symbol familiar to all ASBS natives), and powered by solid black sails, appeared in the harbor. The soldiers disembarked and herded the tourists and natives into the town square.
A scarlet robed figure read from a scroll, “I hereby announce the rise of The Empire and the cleansing of The East Pacific. We have freed The East Pacific from her chains of inequity. The East Pacific has been purified; it is now the seat of power for The Empress and the Empire. Under the command of the Empress, the Lady Phedre, our Legions shall stalk victoriously into the world and remove the filth that covers it - The Empire shall bring order to all! The Empress Phedre is forgiving; she understands you have stood in sin unknowing until this point. Any may come and swear to her banner, she will welcome you. You may sink to your knees and beg the Empress for mercy.”
When no one sank to their knees, the soldiers beat the natives and tourists with clubs. Then they set the buildings on fire and sank all the ships in the harbor. Having completed their destruction, they sailed away.
Francisco missed the Empire’s display of force. He had taken a group of tourists out to a snorkel spot aboard his small catamaran, The Stripe. When he returned, the local officials confiscated his boat and used it to warn neighboring islands of Lady Phedre’s flotilla. Francisco jumped into the rebuilding effort. It took many years, but the island was finally restored to its pre-invasion style.
Indeed, the island was stronger now. The lessons learned from the invasion had resulted in an unprecedented defense program. What appeared to be a harmless tourist island was now one of the heaviest armed fortresses in the region.
Francisco had outlived his friends. They had either succumbed to injuries sustained during the Empire attack, or died from one of the many genetic defects present in the islanders.
For years, ASBS had devoted most of the island’s resources to solving these genetic challenges. Francisco was longer lived than most and the geneticists had harvested and studied his DNA. He was resistant to all of the diseases, but he was sterile. The commercial guild, responsible for generating revenue from visitors, did not want him working with the tourists. ASBS had a reputation for being young, tan, and athletic. An older gentleman did not fit with the marketing message.
His catamaran, The Stripe, was still seaworthy. He asked and received permission to go and collect information on the power of the Empire.
Francisco’s first stop was the nation of Stagnationstan. The people were openly hostile to Lady Phedre and the Empire. Francisco asked them to lead a new coalition against the Empire, but they refused. He asked if they would fly the flag of ASBS, alongside their own, as a show of solidarity against the Empire. They agreed and sent Francisco to other nations hostile to Lady Phedre.
Francisco visited Aldemeiris, Atlpros Capitol, and Kelssek. All refused to fly Phedre’s flag, agreed to fly the ASBS flag, but would not lead a new coalition.
Francisco was undeterred. He would find a new leader for the region.
One night, as he was sailing between nations, the horizon erupted in flames. All night long, the sky was lit with orange explosions. When dawn broke, the sky was dull and filled with smoke. Francisco arrived at a port, filled with the wrecks of great ships. A lone, grey-cloaked figure stood on the dock.
Francisco asked, “What happened? It looked like 50 nations were being destroyed last night.”
The figure responded, “More like 200 nations.”
“Was it Phedre?”
“Yes. Now what are you going to do about it?” The grey-cloaked man pointed out to sea. “It looks like you might have some help. You may not have to do this alone.” With that, he waved his arms and disappeared in a cobalt-colored cloud.
Francisco looked out to sea and another small catamaran sailed into the port. It flew the flag of Dannistaan. The pilot hailed Francisco and said, “I’ve been following you. We may be more effective if we work together.”
So, they agreed on a plan. They would sail to all the nations of The East Pacific and ask them to fly both the ASBS flag and the Dannistaan flag. They would ask the nations to renounce any allegiance to Lady Phedre and the Empire.
One night, as Francisco was sailing between nations, through a dense fog, another ship pulled along The Stripe and hailed him. “We want to help you, but first we must test you.”
Francisco peered through the fog and saw two individuals, the grey-cloaked man and a lady of the Empire. “Who are you?”
“I am Lady Edea and I can no longer support the Empire. And this is Kandarin. I believe you have already met him.”
For the next four hours, they tested Francisco on his knowledge of The East Pacific, the Empire, and the alliances that existed between nations. They gave him suggestions and advice for convincing the nations of the region to abandon their support of the Empire. At the end of the test, Francisco knew he still had a long journey ahead.
Months later, Francisco had visited over 300 nations. Almost 100 were now flying the ASBS flag without the Phedre flag. Phedre still had over 100 nations supporting the Empire. And many nations refused to support ASBS, Dannistaan, or Lady Phedre.
Once again, in the middle of the night, the sky erupted in orange flames. This time, it was all around Francisco. Some of the nations he had just visited were burning. He sailed for the nearest shore.
Kandarin stood on the dock. “The Empire has self-destructed. And they’ve destroyed a lot of nations at the same time.” He slowly shook his head. “You need to go to the Capital District and take control.”
“Me? I’ve done all that I came to do.” Francisco waved away Kandarin’s comments.
“If you leave now, it will end in chaos. Is that what you want?” Kandarin grabbed Francisco by the shoulders and shook him. “Go to the Capital. Ask for Loop. He’ll help you. And others will come.”
Francisco went to the Capitol and others did come to help. Francisco called for a new constitution and elections. Free Pacific States, Bolshikstan, Warre, and a young upstart named Todd McCloud were among those who arrived. Loop was there. And Kandarin regularly materialized in clouds of multicolored smoke.
After months of haggling, a new Concordat for The East Pacific was approved. Todd McCloud was elected the new delegate of the region.
Todd and Francisco stood on the balcony of the Delegate’s tower and looked east across the huge inner sea of The East Pacific. Francisco said, “It’s time for me to go back.”
“But you told me your family is all dead.”
Francisco looked down at the beach. “I know, but it’s my home.” Then he smiled. “Besides, you need someone to watch the eastern border.”
Todd held out his hand. “I do. Thanks.”
Francisco shook Todd’s hand. “I’ll be watching you, too, Todd. I won’t let this happen again.”
— End quote