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EPNS Edition 39, September 2024

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EPNS September 2024 Edition

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Edition Summary || A Year of Many, Nukes a Plenty
By: Rosari/Rosartemis

In this monthly edition of EPNS, the Delegate's Update offers a heartfelt farewell as our outgoing Delegate concludes a successful 12-month term and wraps up a landmark agreement with the Money Heist Accords alongside TRTHNBB. The section on legislation summarizes recent activities, including a notable Concordat Amendment and the passing of the treaty with TRTHNBB. In Culture, Minister Tommo elaborates on a fruitful year in service, while introducing a busy autumn schedule and placing renewed emphasis on on-site community engagement. In The Foreign Newsstand, we cover Picairn’s election as Delegate of The North Pacific, the repealing of The Black Hawks’ condemns, the successful Commendation of Yodle, and many more. Celebrating the one-year anniversary of TFN, Aivintis takes us through the past year’s journey and the evolution of the news' series. Sokala gives an article about a intricate Discord-based nation RP system and examining how this model can be further applied, while N-Day 11 describes the chaotic nuclear war between the major factions JEFF, ANAL, KHAN, and HotA, concluding with HotA securing the top leaderboard spot.


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Delegate's Update
By: Merlovich

Hello everyone, and welcome to another edition of the EPNS! This Delegate’s Update will be my last, and I hope to cap off the end of a whirlwind 12 months with a few nice words.

While I would have loved to have continued on as TEP’s delegate, maybe broken the record for longest tenure, life, as always, has other plans. With so much going on, I simply didn’t feel I could continue to give the role and the region the time and energy it needed. I am confident my successor, whoever that may be, will give the region the kick it needs to spring back into form. I have thoroughly enjoyed my three terms as delegate, and hope to return to the role someday should life allow. I’m proud of the things we’ve been able to achieve as a region during these 12 months, and this will likely forever remain the highlight of my time on NationStates. Had you told me in 2018, heck, even 14 months ago that I’d be the Delegate someday, I’d probably have believed you… sorry to subvert your expectations like that. I would have been surprised though! I really never saw myself entering that sort of role, and I’m so glad I jumped at the opportunity.

I’m thankful for my cabinets, colleagues (if you can call them that) and friends who served with me along the way, and I’m looking forward to working with future governments to continue to make TEP the very best it can be.

In terms of regional happenings, as you will read below, we are IMMENSELY happy to announce we’ve signed a treaty with our friends in TRTHNBB. This is something I really wanted to get done before I left office, and I’m super glad we’ve got pen to paper and have made this happen. Massive credit on our end should be given to MoFA Altys, who was instrumental in ensuring this could happen. Altys, my predecessor in the delegacy served as a wonderful FA Minister for this last year.

With little else to update you on, I’ll simply leave this as more of a goodbye speech than a boring update. Thank you all very much for your hospitality over the last twelve months, and I hope future delegates updates are way more exciting for both our sakes.

Thank you as always for reading the EPNS, whether you’re from TEP or abroad, we’re glad to have your patronage. Enjoy the edition, and farewell for now.

By: Altys


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The Money Heist Accords Signed
By: Altys
UTEP Feature || Politics of Hozier, Part I: Religious Trauma
Interested in how music artists tackle modern political issues? Aivintis' Politics of Hozier, Part I: Religious Trauma explores Hozier's powerful critiques of organized religion, homophobia, and violence. Focusing on tracks like Take Me to Church and Foreigner's God, this piece breaks down the deeper messages in his lyrics and visuals. Read the full piece for an exploration of how Hozier's music fights hate.

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Introduction

Andrew Hozier-Byrne is an artist who is not known for being silent on politics – after all, he once said in an interview that “music is political no matter what.” Hozier’s politics are not difficult to discern. Leaning left, Hozier has spoken out against violence against civilians in Gaza, and a quick analysis of his music shows critiques of organized religion, imperialism, the military industrial complex, classism, and capitalism as a whole. This paper is not a quick analysis – within, I seek to analyze what exactly Hozier is saying in each song that I designate as political.

I will analyze lyrics primarily, but where music videos exist, I will apply analysis of its content as well. I identify 11 such songs in his current discography among which I include all official albums and EPs as of the August 16th, 2024, release of the Unaired EP, as well as four unreleased songs. Divided into five parts, these songs are organized in chronological order, but each part, you will find, can find a common theme within itself. Each part will have two songs, with the exception of Part Two, which will have three. We will start with his first and most famous song:

Take Me to Church
TW // Detailed Description of Homophobic/Transphobic Hate Crimes

Take Me to Church, unlike most of the songs on this list, is a love song. The song itself describes love as an act of worship and faith, almost a religion unto itself. This is not the only song to touch on these themes – Better Love and That You Are both give hints of the same. The contrast here is that Take Me to Church is also a song about forbidden or sinful love. This is also a theme seen in other songs, a recent example being Francesca, but Take Me To Church combines sinful, forbidden love with worshiping love.

The natural intersection is queer love – a kind of love which many churches and religions consider as unnatural, sinful, and even criminal. The music video explores these themes, two years before same sex marriage was protected in both the United States and Ireland. In black and white, the Russian setting shows two gay men meeting and kissing. A mob of men in hoods and bandanas storm their house with molotov cocktails, chasing them out and dragging one of them to the woods, where they throw the man’s belongings in a fire and film themselves slitting his throat.

In a time where gay people were not protected in most civilized nations and hate crimes were abound, this music video criticized the Church, sang of powerful, quasi-religious, heretical devotion to the one you love, and took a stance against rising violence against queer and transgender people globally. Though it takes place in Russia, the most terrible part of the video and the core political argument of the song itself is that it is still applicable and still valid – as Hozier admits, maybe now more than when it was made. Books are being burned. Trans people are getting beaten and killed.

Heresy is explicit in the first lines describing the speaker’s devotion to their lover – “I should’ve worshiped her sooner / If the Heavens ever did speak / She’s the last true mouthpiece.” By juxtaposing this with the line that follows, “Every Sunday’s getting more bleak,” Hozier is essentially comparing the growing distrust and disillusionment with the Church to the growing mutual support, safety, and love found in the arms of one’s significant other. It’s the experience of many queer people who are rejected by their church and family only to find a new family in the queer community. In this case, however, a quasi-religious devotion to one’s lover replaces the explicitly religious devotion to the church. Interestingly, with a male singer and a female lover, this song is not itself textually homosexual.

The other lines of the opening verse only strengthen this allegory however. “‘We were born sick,’ you heard them say it” and “The only heaven I’ll be sent to is when I’m alone with you” emphasizes the goodness that love has brought into the speaker’s life, while the church tells them again and again that they were born sick – the original sin makes them inherently sinful. This could also be another reference to homosexuality. If it is a sin, then homosexuals were born bearing the weight of two great sins – that of Eve and that of love.

The chorus begins with “Take me to church / I’ll worship like a dog at the shrines of yours lies,” a scathing critique of organized religion. They expect their followers to be like dogs – obedient to a fault and doing exactly as they are commanded. Meanwhile, they give lip service to Christian philosophy and morality while many go against the teachings of Jesus Christ. Where does “Love thy neighbor” go when thy neighbor is queer or trans? Where does “Blessed are you who are poor” go when the church hoards wealth for magnificent cathedrals and golden crosses in Notre Dame? Where does “Thou shalt not kill go” when there are Muslims in Jerusalem? Where is the purity and piety of priests who abuse children or priests who cover it up?

“I’ll tell you my sins so you can sharpen your knife” is only an extension of this. That line, I believe, is the most poignant, direct, and literal within the video. You tell your church your sins so that you may receive God's forgiveness, but they judge you harshly nevertheless. It is a sin, they believe, for a reason. You are meant to lay your soul bare to your Priest during confession, and in turn they spit on you by passing legislation restricting your rights, funding and hosting hate groups, and spitting venom about how you and your kind are of the devil. Even if you confess, you are not safe from the mob.

Particularly, the point on wealth and false superiority is brought up in the next verse, which reads “Somethin' meaty for the main course / That's a fine lookin' high horse / What you got in the stable? / We've a lot of starvin' faithful / That looks tasty, that looks plenty / This is hungry work.” First of all, the reference to the high horse is one which highlights the arrogance of many who think they are truly holier than thou, and references the old saying “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.” The strongest line here, though, is “We’ve a lot of starvin’ faithful.” It is an accusation of the highest order. Faith and prayers have not saved anyone from any woe. Action is needed.

Finally, in the bridge, Hozier sings the line, “No masters or kings when the ritual begins.” This is a reference to the anarchist and pro-labor slogan “No gods, no masters.” It has also become a rallying cry for the secularization movement in Croatia. In this line, Hozier doesn’t necessarily reject God or any gods, but he rejects masters or kings – the earthly, temporal institutions of oppression that claim to represent divine will, such as the divine right of kings. He is rejecting organized religion and the combination of church and state, before one final chorus to close off a song about the corruption of religious institutions and the rejection thereof in favor of love.

Foreigner’s God

Hozier is not done with religion yet. Foreigner’s God doesn’t explicitly refer to Christianity, but it is nothing if not a reference to the way Christianity and its harbingers have dominated the world through violence and the supplanting of native culture. In the first verse, Hozier sings of “When the land was godless and free” – i.e. when the world was not within the death grip of organized religion and people had the freedom to live without church interference. This could also be an anarchist sentiment, drawing parallels to the use of “No masters or kings” in Take Me to Church.

Foreigner’s God tells an allegorical story of loving a woman who can be interpreted to be ostracized by society. No matter how much “Her eyes look sharp and steady / Into the empty parts of me,” or how much she understands him and his pain, his “heart is heavy / With the hate of some other man's beliefs.” Hate weighs him down, hate that is wrapped in a religious veneer. In the story, this could be a reference to the way early Christianity looked down on women in general, at least more than most pagan societies, with witch hunts, the reframing of Adam and Eve to make woman inferior to man, and the ban on women serving as priests. But in a broader sense, it refers to all hate packaged in faith – including homophobia. It’s interesting here that he notes that it’s another man’s beliefs. He doesn’t believe the hate but he has been taught to act by it anyway.

The line is followed up with “Always a well dressed fraud / Who wouldn't spare the rod.” This comes from Proverbs 13:24, which says that parents who “spare the rod hate their children.” In a modern sense, this could mean discipline of any kind, but at the time, and in many eras of human history, it means physical discipline, i.e. hitting disobedient children. This is the traditional approach to teaching and parenthood, and one found in Catholic schools. The “well dressed fraud” is the “good” Christian who doesn’t shy away from cruelty in the name of discipline, order, and obedience, or the proselytizer who converts by the sword if he cannot by his word alone. The term ‘fraud’ calls back to Take Me to Church’s shrine of lies – one cannot follow kindness and the word of Jesus Christ if one makes others suffer on purpose.

The chorus consists of two unique lines only – “Screaming the name of a foreigner's God / The purest expression of grief.” The Christian God is a foreigner’s one – the native gods of Ireland, and indeed most Christian nations, are not Christian by any means, even when they’re sanitized and repackaged as Saints. It is the “purest expression of grief” because the native religion has been so thoroughly eradicated that you cannot express the depth of the loss in native terms. You are alienated in your own ancestral lands. This feeling of alienation is strong throughout the song, emphasized with each use of the term “foreigner’s God.”

And this is where colonialism comes in. It’s something spread throughout the song, if you know where to look. The hate of some other man’s beliefs is racism and slavery in the Christian United States and the suffering of African colonies under European, Christian rule. The colonialists do not spare the rod when disciplining entire cultures and peoples – they don’t mind a genocide if they think it necessary, or whipping an inferior subject. And when colonialism truly succeeds, as in the United States, the native culture hangs on by a thread or is completely destroyed, so that the only expression of grief can be made in a language, religion, and society that is not your own.

The line, “Wondering who I copy” reflects how behavior is standardized and enforced in a uniform, regimented manner. You act according to the will of Jesus Christ and the Church. You follow His teachings, the teachings of the Saints, and the teachings of the Pope. You fall in line and you follow the person in front of you. There’s no room from deviation from the norm – not for your own thoughts. Not in the oppressive institutions of organized religion. Similarly, “She feels no control of her body” follows this and expands on this. Not only is she guided, too, by the will of the dominant culture and religion, but what she can do with her body is legislated.

Hozier sings, “I've no language left to say it,” because the Irish language is in decline. This is a theme he returns to in a future song I’ll cover, Butchered Tongue, but the point is essentially that colonialism, imperialism, and the yoke of British rule has erased and replaced his culture, leaving him feeling alone and confused in his own homeland. “All that I've been taught / And every word I've got / Is foreign to me.” Ireland was ruled, oppressed, and broken apart by a foreign King, a foreign army, a foreign Parliament, a foreign religion, a foreign Pope, a foreign God, and a foreign language. Little remains. Hozier himself describes the song as representing the feeling of alienation in one’s own culture. When that culture is built by oppressive institutions from across the sea, it can be very easy to feel that way.


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In a world overrun by faceless corporations and monstrous financial empires, two daring regions--The East Pacific and The Region That Has No Big Banks--have joined forces in a defiant stand against the banking elite. Today, we unveil The Money Heist Accords, a pact forged in shared rebellion and a mutual mission to tear down the institutions of greed.

Our regions, bound by a common opposition to the likes of the Royal Potato Bakery, the Horsemen Kitchen Tent, and the Kingly Palace Estates, will now collaborate more closely than ever before. The foundation of this alliance? Defensive Obligations. The East Pacific Sovereign Armada (EPSA) and The Bankless Liberation Force (BLF) pledge to work hand-in-hand, strategising and striking at the heart of the banking system whenever the opportunity arises. Should either region catch wind of an impending bank merger or corporate coup, we will share this intelligence swiftly and take decisive action.

But our battle extends beyond the frontlines. Culturally, we will ignite the flames of resistance through coordinated anti-corporate propaganda across our media outlets. In the World Assembly, we invite the anti-bank movement to take up the pen and write articles, draft proposals, and build a global alliance against the oppressors of the financial system.

And let it be known—our cause will be fueled by the spoils of our victories. The proceeds from every bank takedown, every class action lawsuit, every heist on the vaults of the elite, will be reinvested into joint cultural projects that strengthen the bond between our regions.

Together, we will take down the banks, brick by brick.

Treaty in its entirety:

Recognizing the recent growth in friendly relations and cross-cultural collaboration between The East Pacific and The Region That Has No Big Banks,

Seeking to formalise relations between the two regions and provide for even greater cooperation,

The East Pacific and The Region That Has No Big Banks hereby jointly enact the following:

Article I - Mutual Recognition

(1) The Confederated East Pacific, as instituted by the Concordat of The East Pacific, and any legal successor to it, is hereby recognized as the legitimate government of The East Pacific by all signatories.
(2) The Government of The Region That Has No Big Banks, as established by the Constitution of The Region That Has No Big Banks, and any legal successor to it, is hereby recognized as the legitimate government of The Region That Has No Big Banks by all signatories.
(3) No Signatory may cede sovereign control of their territorial holdings to another entity.
(a) The territorial holdings of signatories shall include jump points, event regions, affiliate regions, and colonies.
(b) Sovereign control does not encompass regions whose founder nation do not belong to any signatory in any capacity.

Article II - Diplomatic Relations

(1) Each signatory shall establish and maintain in-game embassies with one another.

(2) Each signatory shall maintain off-site embassies with each other, consistent with facilities provided to other treatied allies.

(3) Each signatory will strive to keep the other updated on their regional happenings.

Article III - Defence and Intelligence Obligations

(1) The signatories will not invade or assist in a third-party invasion of the other signatory's home region or territories. The signatories also agree never to support, encourage or engage in any attempted subversion against the other. It is agreed upon that participating on the opposite sides of a battlefield in a third-party region will not constitute a violation of the treaty.
(2) Should any of the signatories come under military attack against their legitimate government, the other signatories must provide military assistance.
(3) The signatories must provide military assistance for one another in delegacy transitions, if requested by the transitioning signatory.
(4) Both Parties agree never to engage in any form of espionage against each other. For the purposes of this Treaty, "espionage" means engaging a person to act under false pretences in a signatory region without the authorization of the legitimate government of that region.

(5) If a signatory comes into possession of significant information which could threaten the interests or security of the other signatory, they will share it.

(6) This treaty encourages the organisation and execution of joint military operations where possible between signatories in order to further their regional interests and their common alignment.

Article IV - Cultural Agreements

(1) The signatories will agree to encourage and support cultural exchanges and joint cultural events. The signatories agree to fully commit to promoting joint cultural events, particularly video game-related events, and are encouraged to collaborate on the organisation of such events.
(2) The signatories agree to encourage cooperation in outlets of regional news. This cooperation may include sharing regional updates with one another, highlighting news from each fellow signatory’s region within each signatory’s own official news outlet, contributing articles to one another’s news outlet, or authoring joint articles.
(3) The signatories agree to collaborate on the drafting, editing, and advertising of World Assembly proposals.
(4) All signatories hereby declare intent to further cooperate and associate outside of the terms of this treaty.

Article V - General Provisions

(1) This Treaty shall enter into force on the date of its ratification by both Parties in accordance with their respective procedures. It may be amended when both parties agree to an amendment.
(2) This treaty may be amended when all parties agree to an amendment; at any time a signatory may propose amendments to this Treaty.
(3) Any signatory may exit this treaty via their own internal processes; they shall endeavour to give a week's notice before withdrawal and will make all reasonable efforts to seek a diplomatic solution before withdrawal.
(4) The repeal of this treaty shall not necessarily be seen as an act of hostility by any signatory, and shall not necessarily dictate closure of relations between the repealing party and any signatory, and shall not preclude cooperation between the repealing party and any of the remaining signatories.


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September Magisterium Update
By: Pauline Bonaparte/Hlenderia
UTEP Feature || Borderlands: A tale of Gods, immortality and family friendly lack of humor
Second UTEP piece! Are you curious in the Borderlands movie? Libertanny offers a critique that dives into how the film handles its iconic characters, lore, and humor. If you're curious about how well it captures the spirit of the games, check out the full review for a thoughtful take on what works - and what doesn't.

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Welcome to the critique of Borderlands movie.

Borderlands (movie) is a piece of art, where the scene of Claptrap pooping is about as long as the scenes of Lilith’s character development, where she is learning her history and who she is. And I consider this to be the best tl;dr of this critique piece.

THE SIRENS

Let’s start with the most disturbing part of the movie (and I do not mean the family friendly lack of humor!) - the Sirens.

As we read on Borderlands’ Fandom “Sirens are individuals who have acquired incredible, mysterious powers […] when a Siren dies, their powers pass on to another individual.” and in Borderlands universe we have seen this to be true - such as Maya’s powers transfering to Ava upon Troy’s death in Borderlands 3.

When it comes to the movie, it decides to reinvent who Lilith is. She is a Siren, that still stands true. Where the fun comes is when we hear the movie’s story about who a Siren is. At first we don’t even hear the name “Siren” - we are sticking to “Eridian daughter”. Out of nowhere, we learn, that Lilith actually is not that, but instead… she is an Eridian goddess. But through the whole movie we don’t learn what either of these really mean. We hear “Siren” once, at the very end.

Now to clash these two with each other. Being a Siren is to possess powers, which origins are unknown and mysterious. Upon death of a Siren, the powers are transferred to a new human. They do not affect personality, there is no reincarnation involved - you can imagine it as mysterious energy finding new home.

The way Siren powers work is defeating the concept of a Siren being either a pure Eridian or Eridian goddess. Simply because one needs to be born Eridian or born (reincarnation?) a goddess for this concept to make sense. Plus if we assume that is some kind of possession, we’d expect a change in personality, which doesn’t de facto happen.

To finish: Siren is a person, who received powers of mysterious origin. Movie attempts to explain that Sirens are actually something else instead of explaining where the powers come from. And the movie makes a really bad job doing that.

THE ERIDIANS

The title says “The Eridians”, but whom we are going to be talking about is… Tiny Tina! Who per the movie is apparently an Eridian - that looks like human, behaves like human and basically is a human, but actually Eridian.

The story becomes even more ridiculous when we learn her past. As we know, Eridians were an ancient race, that existed long before humans. Tiny Tina was not lucky enough to surirve till this day. She was also not frozen in a scifi capsule to survive till this day. No.

ATLAS corporation was simply lucky enough to find the last drop of Eridian blood and clone that Eridian back into life. And that clone is noone else but Tiny Tina!

Which, as we know from the established Borderlands universe, makes no sense. Tiny Tina is a human, not an Eridian. She was not created in a laboratory - she had actual, living, human parents. And her story is related to Jack / Hyperion, not ATLAS.

Other than the fact, that Eridians left one drop of blood, we learn nothing about them, their culture, their history, their appearance or even their Vaults.

THE SIREN - LILITH

I’ll repeat myself - scene of Claptrap pooping is longer than essential scenes about Lilith’s character development.

For most of the movie, Lilith is just a head hunter, who only thinks about herself. Even tho she joins the Tiny Tina’s team it’s only because of fear, not any moral code. We don’t really happen to see any character development, discovering or learning the powers or even bonding with Roland.

Last time we see “old Lilith” is when Claptrap is playing random hologram of Lilith’s mother, where we finally get the goosebumps - because we are about to see how Lilith discovers all she is. And we don’t see it on screen. In the next scenes we see ATLAS’ trap and Lilith appearing out of nowhere - knowing who she is with her powers fully mastered. Which, again even tho we didn’t see it and lasted few minutes in the universe. Kinda she got her first bike and became International Downhill Champion the same day.

THE SIREN POWERS

And now we dive into another attempt to change what being a Siren is. The idea of Sirens being Eridian goddesses is stretched even further - Lilith becomes unbeatably powerful and immortal. But it doesn’t end here. She can now cast spells to make her friends immune to any sort of attack - white weapons, ranged weapons, pretty much anything that can hurt. (Oh and #offtopic - Claptrap is immune to any damage too, not because of Siren powers, but because he was apparently made this way).

In the battle scenes, we happen to see the full power of weapons within ATLAS’ ship. They can, in just miliseconds, convert a living being into ash. But not Lilith. She is struck with the weapon a few times and each time she needs just a few seconds on screen to get back to full power. At one point, she battles the laser - even tho yet seconds ago she was almost dead, being at her full power again, she protects herself from the laser and even manages to revert its power to destroy the ship. Well. Real powers of a goddess!

THE ACTORS AND VIBE

Let’s start with age. It seems that Borderlands’ cast was recruited from your local Bingo elderly community - and I am not even joking.

When we first meet Lilith, she looks like she is in either her late teens or early twenties. In the movie, she looks 40 maybe 50.

Tannis. She is a bit older than Lilith, based on looks. You could say she is in either later twenties or early thirties. This idea is followed up in the movie. She looks over 60 and doesn’t even have all black hair.

And now let’s remember, that the movie happens before we even meet Lilith and Tannis in games. Which means they should be even younger, but on the contrary, they are even older than the last time we see them.

BONUS: MOXXI

I’ll keep this short. There is nothing Moxxi about Moxxi.

THE ENDING

Now, even all the lore and universe aside. Borderlands movie is a family friendly pseudocomedy stripped off of everything that makes Borderlands what it is. A teaspoon of weird sense of humor. A bucket of insanity. Rivers of blood. All painted by the comic style. We see none of it vibe-wise. And if it comes to scenography and costumes - cosplayers did better job, than the movie.

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September was the last month of the 62nd Magisterium, and its slowest. Two bills were passed before elections began at the end of the month.

We ended September with 26 total Magisters. 22 are active, 3 are suspended, and 1 is on a leave-of-absence.

• [A-2024-36] LinkAn Amendment to the Concordat was passed with 15 ayes, 1 nay, and 1 abstain and sent to the Conclave to schedule a referendum. This amendment would add a seat to the Conclave. The referendum passed the region-wide vote.
• [T-2024-37] LinkThe Money Heist Accords, a proposed treaty with The Region That Has No Big Banks, was introduced in September. Voting began on October 1, and looks likely to pass.
• Elections for the Provost of the 63rd Magisterium began in the last week of September. Running are the incumbent Pauline Bonaparte/Hlenderia, American-Cascadia, The Clockwork Multiverse, and Arleat.


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September 2024 Culture Feature
By: Tommo
UTEP Feature || Hearts of Iron 4, why it succeeded when other strategy games failed
And last piece! Want to know why Hearts of Iron 4 succeeds where other strategy games fell short? Arleat examines its complex mechanics, replayability, and thriving modding scene. The article also touches on Paradox Interactive’s reputation and how consistent updates have kept the game popular over time. Read the full article to see what sets HOI4 apart from the rest.

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Good morning afternoon, or evening fellow Hoi4 Enjoyers and/or Nationstates fans. Today, I have the honour to discuss the unparalleled success that is Hearts of Iron 4 and why I believed it succeeded where other strategy games failed. This game is the epitome and most popular World War 2 based grand strategy game and even in the general grand strategy genre has only a few competitors and a majority of those games are owned by the same studio: Paradox Interactive such as Crusader Kings 3, and Europa Universalis 4.

The first and most important thing I noticed as to why it had an early success is that Paradox was considered a fairly trustworthy company. Hearts of Iron 3, its predecessor was considered fairly popular amongst the fandom, and its most recent release Europa Universalis 4 was considered very good at the time. I can not emphasize this trustworthiness of the community. This was Paradox Interactive, one of the heavyweight giants in the grand strategy genre, even now it is impossible to meet an online grand strategist who hasn’t heard of Crusader Kings, Hearts of Iron or Europa Universalis.

I think the first reason why Hearts of Iron succeeded so well is its complexity. As a Hearts of Iron mouth breather, I have played the game for hundred’s of hours and even then, I would still learn new things about mechanics or new strategies in the game. (The naval visibility strategy anyone?) It’s a solid reason as to why there are practically only two camps one which dedicates a few hours and the other camp that dedicates hundreds of hours into the game. This helps establish a very solid fandom, that if future additions to the game are positive will no doubt be repaid twice over in time and money spent on the game.

The second reason and one which I firmly believe to be the main reason is its adaptability and its replayability. If it wasn’t already enough that in the base game, you start off being able to play any nation as you see fit. You also have either generic or unique (depending on the nation) focus trees, which further increase the diversity of the nation. You could restore the kaiser in Germany, or make funny moustache man win WW2 and this is just the basic paths given to Germany way back in 2017, nowadays Paradox has created far more diversity in one focus tree that it further expanded the complexity and depth of the game. Of course that feeds into the replayability but what about its adaptability? Well let me introduce you to the storm that is the Hearts of Iron 4 Modding Community. Unlike to a lesser extent, Europa Universalis 4 and Crusader Kings 3. Hearts of Iron 4 has a near incomprehensible depth and breadth for its modding community with focus tree reworks, alternate history scenarios, increases in difficulty, (cough BlackIce cough) fantasy scenarios and so much more. This isn’t like your one person made mod of haha funny bring Trump into the game, this is dedicated teams with full on translators, coders and lore masters. Search up on Youtube, Kaiser Cat Cinema and you know exactly what I mean. The amount of depth that goes into this lore based videos is but a fraction to the depth of the actual mod itself. I think a comparison is in order, I would like to direct your attention to Total War Troy, which was a game I used to play fairly often back in COVID. This is a game which has neither the replayability nor does it have the adaptability of Hearts of Iron 4 even though they both fall under the broad genre of Grand Strategy Games. Total War Troy has very few mods and none which have reached the depth of Hearts of Iron and it doesn’t have the replayability due to a creative decision of limiting the amount of playable factions from the start.

The final point I would like to share is more so praise towards the company: Paradox Interactive, while my poor wallet would complain about how expensive a lot of the content packs or DLCs are I can not stress the amount of quality that they added in recent DLCs that vastly improved the game. La Resistance and No Step Back are my examples as they brought a complete rework of intelligence and logistics respectively on top of adding new focus trees for France and the Soviet Union. I think it is these consistent and innovative updates that allow this game to increase in popularity and never quite die down as these changes certainly improved both single player and multiplayer which is a whole other can of worms. Which I may or may not write more of in the future.

In conclusion, Hearts of Iron 4 is one of the most successful games because the initial bar was so high to begin with. When you compare Hearts of Iron 4 to Hearts of Iron 3, it was a complete makeover and expansion. As always some people would argue that Hearts of Iron 4 was not complete without DLCs at the base game or base launch which I can sympathize with but I think that even if we were to claim the bar was low for the base game it still was pretty high after all, I think it is that reason in which the HOI4 Modding Community sprouted and possibly eclipsed HOI4’s base. It is this high initial bar that allowed Hearts of Iron to have that impressive amount of replayability and adaptability which has furthered its success as more DLCs granted more content to both the players and modders who took on these new aspects of the game and ran with it.

Read dispatch


Culture hit a bit of a lull over the last few months, as I’m sure many people are aware - for now, we’ve kept ourselves busy with… 1) the summer flag contest, and 2) ensuring our monthly hunger games run smoothly!

I’m pleased to say that as we now head into the autumn months, culture will begin to pick up in activity again - we are planning some events for the halloween period, and with the Delegate elections coming up, we are likely to see some changes out of the ministry as we reach the end of 2024. Hopefully, moving in the right direction, culture will begin to see a shift where we focus more on our members on-site as well as offsite. In short, we’re looking to get the RMB and general on-site NS community more involved in cultural events as much as we can, and our upcoming events for halloween will certainly help us kick this off! I am looking forward to what this month brings :3

As we head into October, this month marks ONE WHOLE YEAR since I was appointed culture minister, and I just wanted to say what an honour it has been and how much fun I’ve had serving this wonderful family we’ve helped build here in The East Pacific. While it will always be down to the discretion of the next delegate, I’d happily serve another one, two, five, however many years in this position. It’s helped me learn and adapt to so much that this community offers, and I hope for that to continue for as long as I can see it through :) So a thank you to everybody who has made the last year so worthwhile!

That’s all for now, I look forward to seeing so many of you participate in what we have planned for… SPOOKY SEASON!!! 🎃🎃

Tommo <3


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The Foreign Newsstand: Delegate Picairn, Commend Yodle, and TBH Repeals
By: Aivintis

Hello and welcome to The Foreign Newsstand (TFN).

We in The East Pacific’s FA Watch are tasked with discussing and debating news of global significance within NationStates Gameplay. With an eye on the forums and the news reports of our allies, we see discussion on a wide range of interregional political topics, and I have used this perspective to create the Newsstand, summarizing the goings-on of NSGP.

TFN is fact-checked by TEP’s Foreign Minister, but nevertheless, I am human, and make mistakes. As such, I encourage people to reach out if there are factual errors, and I invite any NSer to reply in this thread adding any events I may have missed. It can help me figure out what my blind spots are, and ensure accountable, factual reporting. Furthermore, readers are encouraged to direct opinion statements to the threads relating to individual events.

Without further ado, here are the major events of September 2024:

  1. After 585 days as The League & Concord’s Director of Foreign Affairs, New San Antonio has been re-assigned to the Internal Affairs position. Bootyswana has been chosen as the new Director of Foreign Affairs, and promised in their opening statement to expand relations with Independent regions. (Sept 4)

  2. Kantrias has celebrated the one year anniversary of its current form of government, the Empire. In its one year anniversary post, the Empire went over its diplomatic, military, and internal victories and evolutions over the past year. (Sept 5)

  3. Elections have concluded in The Region That Has No Big Banks, with America the Greater re-elected as Prime Minister. ATG’s cabinet was appointed shortly after. (Sept 10)

  4. The New Pacific Order and Lone Wolves United have signed “The Infiltrators Make the Best Workers Wolfpact,” a closer treaty replacing the previously held Non-Aggression Pact. (Sept 10)

  5. The United Royal Islands of Euramathania has been elected Delegate of 10000 Islands, after Tactical Officer and sole opposing candidate Elite dropped out to endorse them. Euramathania replaces Astrobolt, who has held the Delegacy for a year. (Sept 18)

  6. Picairn has been elected Delegate of The North Pacific. Their opponents were Dreadton, Evil Wolf, and former Delegate Pallaith. (Sept 20)

  7. Elections in Forest have concluded, with Garbelia elected as Forest Keeper. Jutsa will continue as Minister of Foreign Affairs. (Sept 21)

  8. The newly founded region Eruditio has released its government overview. (Sept 21)

  9. Commend Yodle has passed the Security Council with 93.8% of the vote in favor. (Sept 22)

  10. Avaldonia has broken into the NSGP sphere with the creation of a forum embassy thread. Avaldonia was founded one year ago and its members include multiple East Pacifican cosmopolitans. (Sept 23)

  11. The New Pacific Order has appointed Callisto has their new Senator of Diplomatic Affairs. She replaces Syberis, who will continue to serve as Regent. (Sept 26)

  12. Delegate Merlovich has proposed the Money Heist Accords, a treaty alliance between The East Pacific and The Region That Has No Big Banks. (Sept 26)

  13. The Wellspring has successfully transitioned into a Stronghold, citing the need for inward development and a structure suiting the governmental model it has chosen. (Sept 28)

  14. Without forum drafting, both condemnations of The Black Hawks have been repealed. (Sept 28)

References:

  1. viewtopic.php?f=12&t=444783&p=41923564#p41923564

  2. viewtopic.php?f=12&t=402376&p=41924130#p41924130

  3. viewtopic.php?f=12&t=524887&start=100#p41938011






  4. The Infiltrators Make The Best Workers Wolfpact

    Pledge of Friendship:

    We, the good people of the New Pacific Order, and the Wolfist movement of Lone Wolves United, hereby declare our ever-lasting friendship built on the same mutual respect we have operated under for many years and shared rejection of the unjust tyranny of the General Assembly. We are united against the persecution of those who just want a little drink before operating a moving WA vehicle. Together, we will strive to valiantly combat these scourges and similar societal issues such as digital piracy against struggling artists, laws against making children do their fair share of the regional paperwork that their peers unfairly endured alone, and all those puppets and other undesired nations that somehow can't manage to find their way to TRR on their own.

    Article I: Recognition of Legitimate Native Governance

    (a) Lone Wolves United recognizes the New Pacific Order, as represented by the Emperor, their appointed successors, and their Senate, as the sole legitimate government of The Pacific and its territories.

    (b) The New Pacific Order recognizes the leadership of Lone Wolves United and their chosen successors as the legitimate government of Lone Wolves United and its founded territories.

    (c) Both regions agree to respect the other’s artistic and aesthetic preferences regarding the presentation of animals.

    Article II: For Your Protection

    (a) The signatories agree to not engage in offensive maneuvers of any sort against the home region of the other signatory, nor any of their founded and maintained territories.

    (b) The signatories will not undermine, destabilize or attempt to overthrow the mutually recognized governments codified in this document, nor aid any third party in attempting to do so regardless of any preexisting relations with said third party.

    (c) In the event of a hostile action against the founded and maintained properties of the signatories, both signatories will support the other in any way necessary upon request, including political, military, diplomatic, or World Assembly means.

    (d) Joint military operations that respect the alignment and existing policies of both regional militaries may be undertaken with the consent of the other party. Any such operations will be fully detailed to the relevant command of the other signatory to ensure this obligation is met. If the operation is declined, the details may not be shared with external sources.

    (e) Neither signatory will publicly censure the other for participation on an opposing side of an operation if such occurs, nor will either signatory pressure the other for support of an operation against the policy or alignment of its military.

    (f) The signatories will provide upon request one another military assistance for delegacy transitions in their home regions.

    (g) Neither signatory will be requested to engage in operations that are directly hostile to their existing allies by the other signatory.

    Article III: Sharing Is Caring

    (a) The signatories agree not to promote, encourage, authorize, or engage in espionage against the other. Awareness of an attempt thereof by an ally of either signatory will be shared with the other party.

    (b) Should a signatory come into possession of information that may threaten the other party’s regional security, they will share this information without delay. If the information obtained does not pose an immediate threat to the other but may be of interest to the other party, the signatories may share it if they see it appropriate to do so.

    (c) Neither signatory will share information with the other that involves hostility against the treatied allies of that signatory with the expectation that it be kept from those allies against the law of the relevant existing treaties.

    (d) Information shared by one party that poses no threat to allied entities of either signatory will not be shared without the express and explicit consent of the other party.

    Article IV: Real Diplomacy Isn’t Selectively Applied

    (a) Both parties agree to keep one another informed of their regional happenings to a healthy and reasonable extent as allowed by regional law.

    (b) Each signatory agrees to respect the legal drinking and tobacco consumption ages of the other party, to the least restrictive extent, while holding any interregional events in a neutral location. Each region’s laws will be respected within their founded and maintained properties.

    (c) Each signatory will endeavor, where appropriate and possible, to discuss and collaborate on World Assembly votes, and will work towards mutual interests in the World Assembly when possible. Neither signatory will be forced to vote against their own interests. If reasonable concern/purpose exists in regards to a proposal, the other signatory may be asked to refrain from voting those proposals that could impact the other or their interests.

    (d) World Assembly proposals targeting the regional badges of one signatory that are authored by an individual or individuals with malicious intent and against the will of that signatory will be opposed by both parties with any means determined appropriate.

    Article V: Generic Treaty Provisions

    (a) This pact will come into effect upon ratification by both parties according to their respective legal procedures.

    (b) This pact may be amended by mutual agreement of both parties according to their respective legal procedures.

    (c) Should a signatory see it necessary to withdraw from the treaty, they shall begin formal discussion with the other signatory with notice of the intent to withdraw. Should their decision remain unchanged at the end of a seven-day discussion period, this pact will be considered terminated.

    Signed,

    Anerastreia
    Il-Khan of Lone Wolves United

    Xoriet
    Empress of the New Pacific Order

    Syberis
    Regent of the New Pacific Order

    Chef Big Dog
    Khan of Lone Wolves United

    Read dispatch

  5. ]

    Stats of the Month: August-September 2024

    10000 Islands | Population: 706 nations | Delegate Endorsements: 205 endorsements
    A Taco Paradise | Population: 520 nations
    | Delegate Endorsements: 62 endorsements

    The Breaking Wave
    and Monthly Emissary Report

    All the latest news from 10000 Islands: August-September 2024

    September 9, 2024
    by Chelsea Boots
    Republic of Pantso
    XKI Liaison Officer


    TITO Command

    Has your region been invaded, or do you want to get in touch with TITO? If so, contact one of the following nations:

    Chief Executive: Aschente
    Field Commander: Flying Eagles

    Tactical Officers
    Kanta Hame
    Elite
    Astrobolt
    Smugglers and Mercs (TITO EF)
    Woonsocket (TITO EF)

    Executive Officers
    Pantso
    Wille-Harlia

    Government

    10,000 Islands is governed by the Council of Nine, made up of a Chief Executive, an elected Delegate and four elected Senators, and three appointed Ministers. The Council votes on legislation, embassy openings and closures, and other matters as required by the Chief Executive.

    Discussions over most legislation take place in the LinkNon-Secure Chamber.

    Chief Executive: Aschente LinkOffice
    Delegate: AstroboltLinkOffice

    Senators
    Lyonesse East (Houses): Keswickholt (Senior Senator)LinkOffice
    New Republica South (Debates and Discussions): The World Defense OrganizationLinkOffice
    Himes West (Role Play): AxeCapital LinkOffice

    Blue Canaria North (Emissary Report): PantsoLinkOffice

    Ministers
    Education: LiberdonLinkOffice
    Culture: Wille-Harlia LinkOffice
    Immigration: JabberwockyLinkOffice

    Information about other government officials of 10000 Islands can be found Linkhere.

    September Elections

    The third quarter election season kicked off with a bang when both Elite and The United Royal Islands of Euramathania declared their candidacy for Delegate. Both contestants are respected, decorated TITO knights with a long history of service to the Islands and the region’s residents. Elite is currently serving as Tactical Officer as well as an Ambassador to The South Pacific and Emissary to The Region That Has No Big Banks. Elite has also previously been a Foreign Affairs Secretary and on the Council of Nine as a Senator. United Royal Islands is currently sitting in the Regional Reserve Chair (editor’s note: heh, heh, little joke). In the past she has served as Delegate, Senator for Lyonnesse East, Casino Manager, and Minister of Education.

    Update: As of this morning Eastern Time, September 14, Elite has dropped out of the race and endorsed United Royal Islands.

    The XKI Delegate, as a non-Executive Delegate, holds our vote for the World Assembly and represents us to our allies, friends, and rivals. As a member of the Council of Nine, the Delegate also weighs in on regional legislation. This prestigious role commands a great deal of respect and requires dedication and responsibility on the Delegate’s part.

    In addition to the Delegate election, XKI will see a contest for the Senator New Republica South seat between The World Defense Organization (WDO) and newcomer to the political scene, Gashia. WDO has served in that capacity for several full terms now, having been appointed to fill a vacancy and then winning in March against Wazeww. While this is Gashia’s first foray into politics, they have already published an election speech on the forum and appears to be an energetic and enthusiastic competitor.

    The Senator for New Republica South is responsible for running debates, especially the Delegate Straw Poll which informs potential delegates of their eligibility and potential support. As a member of the Council of Nine, the Senator will also vote on legislation and act on other official business as the Chief Executive needs.

    Your humble editor, Pantso, is running unopposed for the Blue Canaria North seat. The Senator for Blue Canaria North is responsible for putting together the Delegate’s Monthly Report, as well as voting on legislation..

    LinkElite’s election speech
    LinkURI’s election speech

    For those of you interested in the debate, the questions and answers are posted Linkhere!

    LinkGashia’s election speech
    LinkWDO’s election speech


    Cultural Calendar

    The Cultural Office has a full schedule this month, with riddles, Saturday matinees with Europeia, and game nights with Chief Executive Aschente! The calendar is published here:
    page=dispatch/id=2549047


    Goodest Boy/Bestest Girl

    This month the staff at the Breaking Wave was able to get a two-for-one special on Goodest Boys and Bestest Girls, and is pleased to present Tigger and Tasha, two Maine Coon mix kittens!

    The kittens were adopted from a family living in an apartment already full of cute furry critters by Pantso’s own mother. Tasha, the female, is the more adventurous and courageous. She was the first to climb out of their pen, the first to explore their new home, and is the first to wander off on her own. Her brother Tigger is an attention-seeking cuddlebug and a masterful purr-er who never saw a lap he didn’t want to sleep in.

    The family is hoping the kittens will provide some comfort and company to the family’s aging cat Marvin (not pictured) and believes they will begin to bond in front of the wood stove this winter.

    XKI Financials

    ~ LinkSeptember 2024 Mortimer report

    The Mortimer Report is a summary of financial activity, including payouts for Islander investments, stocks, and any events that may have impacted these investments. It is released by the Regional Reserve each month and covers the previous month’s activities.

    ~ LinkRich List

    The Rich List is a ranking of the most valuable Islander accounts, in Tacos, including both terrestrial and celestial assets. To make the rich list, start earning Tacos by taking a job that pays Tacos, participating in contests, and taking advantage of Taco Islands Charities generous incentives for new nations. Buy properties from the bank, invest in stocks, or start a business in the Marketplace, and watch your pile of Tacos grow!

    Nations interested learning more about XKI’s economy can learn more in the LinkRegional Reserve Office


    Rotunda Rap

    The Paffnia Rotunda is a sub-board on our Proboards forum dedicated to discussing potential legislation and ways to improve the Islands. Since the forum is public, this is a way for the XKI public to bring up their own ideas for new legislation to the Council.

    ~ Markanite is seeking feedback on a dispatch to help residents of A Taco Paradise, XKI’s frontier, understand the laws governing their region. The thread is Linkhere if you’d like to read the dispatch and help him improve it!

    ~ There is a fair amount of discussion on the future of A Taco Paradise, given the declining NationStates population. This thread, started by Elite, is available for comment in the Rotunda Linkhere


    Council of Nine Legislation

    No new legislation has been introduced, however there are several ongoing discussions ongoing:

    ~ LinkSpam Region

    ~ LinkGenerating a Buzz in Taco Paradise

    ~ LinkNRS and Debates

    ~ LinkAwards Revamp

    ~ LinkThe Forum

    ~ LinkRMB Office Hours Q&A



    Classifieds

    ~ Recruiters are always needed! Recruiters bring new nations into the region and for their efforts, become eligible for awards, badges, and Tacos. Nations interested in joining the recruiting team should check out Linkthis thread

    ~ Astrobolt needs an emissary to Middle Earth.

    ~ AxeCapital has an open req for Role Play Commissioner, responsible for enforcing RP rules and orderly behavior in the RP regions. This position comes with a generous monthly stipend.

    ~ Aschente is also looking for a Cartographer-General to update and manage the official Map of the 10,000 Islands.

    ~ Astrobolt is looking for a TIBOE Secretary. The Taco Island Brigade of Endorsers is responsible for keeping endorsement counts high, and the TIBOE Secretary reports to the Delegate on those counts. This position comes with a generous monthly stipend.

    Other jobs may be available on the LinkJobs Bulletin Board. Most jobs pay monthly in Tacos, XKI’s regional currency.


    About the Emissary Report

    The 10KI Update is a monthly report about the regional happenings of XKI made by the Blue Canaria North Senator and the Deputy BCN Senator. Stay tuned for any updates!


    More XKI!
    Forum: Link10000islands.proboards.com
    Discord: Linkdiscord.gg/4uWZbNS

    Interested in XKI? All of our Foreign Affairs dispatches will be published by 10000 Islands Foreign Affairs, and posted in our embassy thread!


    Hope to see you all next month, your XKI Update Staff is signing off!

    ~ Pantso, Astrobolt

    Read dispatch

  6. https://forum.thenorthpacific.org/topic/9198700/

  7. viewtopic.php?f=12&t=453437&p=41968426#p41968426

  8. viewtopic.php?f=12&t=553935&p=41967063#p41967063

  9. page=WA_past_resolution/id=516/council=2

  10. viewtopic.php?f=12&t=555705#p41973536

  11. viewtopic.php?f=12&t=457061&p=41981493#p41981493

  12. https://forum.theeastpacific.com/t/treaty-proposal-the-money-heist-accords/18367

  13. viewtopic.php?f=12&t=535996&p=41951743#p41951743

  14. page=WA_past_resolution/id=517/council=2


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One Year of The Foreign Newsstand
By: Aivintis

In this edition of EPNS, you can see the 13th edition of The Foreign Newsstand to be published. The first edition was posted a year ago, in September 2023. In the past year, EPNS and TFN have both seen various changes. To celebrate a full year of the most successful news series I have created, I will discuss the changes that have come to pass, as well as the process for creating TFN and the reactions I have received.

The most obvious change I have made to The Foreign Newsstand is the title shift. Before July 2024, the monthly editions of The Foreign Newsstands were distinguished in title solely by an indicator of what month they were released. This, I felt, lacked character and identity. In July, I changed the naming scheme to highlight three major events of the month, which made each edition more unique and identified at the top of the article major highlights of breaking news for skimmers to see.

Another major change was the addition of references. Before March 2024, the bulleted list of events had no citations to support those claims. I knew I was telling the truth, because I was doing the work of finding those events, but there could be no fact checking. Furthermore, if a particular event interested a reader, they’d have to do their own digging to find out more about it. In the March 2024 edition, I introduced references, linking dispatches or forum posts on the major events.

Notably, a reference was not applied to every event. It stayed that way for April and May, but in June 2024, I ensured that every single event that was listed in The Foreign Newsstand had a proper reference citation corresponding to a dispatch, forum post, or, rarely, an RMB post. This ensured the integrity of the news reporting, and wasn’t actually that difficult to do – I did not have to hunt for these sources because for the most part those links were exactly how I learned about the events.

Once I had a citation for every entry, I decided to make another major change, which was implemented in July. This was with regards to BBCode. It was primarily experimental, and I’m still not entirely sure it is better than before, but instead of a bullet point list and a references section marked by numbers in brackets, I put both the events and references in a numbered list. Event number one corresponds to reference number one, etc. This seemed like a logical simplification, but I still hold aesthetic reservations.

Throughout the physical evolution of The Foreign Newsstand, the behind-the-scenes work has largely remained the same. At the end of the month – or, periodically throughout the month, to lower the workload in each individual session – I read through the recent posts on every major region’s NSGP embassy, consult the reports from ambassadors to TEP and to other regions to which I have access, and I add things I personally know from being around. This gives me a strong base of news.

Recently, however, I’ve found it difficult to maintain. For one, news and statements are not always posted to the forums, at least not immediately. In July, the North Pacific Army raided the Confederation of Corrupt Dictators. As a general rule, I avoided reporting on CCD’s events, so I ignored their thread, but I did check TNP’s embassy thread and found nothing. There was, however, a dispatch. This highlights a weakness in my methods – sometimes regions do not advertise important news to the world. Starting in August, I started checking the dispatch leaderboard as well.

I can always expand my sphere of research, but each new task is more work for comparatively little benefit, so a balance must be maintained. I could look at the WFEs and forums of every major region, or at least every region with an East Pacifican embassy, but at what point does it become too much? I think I’ve struck a good balance with the construction of The Foreign Newsstand, and I am very proud of what I have built. Even with university starting up again, I’m working on my own corner of EPNS and it brings me great joy to see a passion project of mine find such popularity with so many people. So here’s to a year of TFN! I’m looking forward to the next one.


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Discord Nation Roleplay: A Strategy Game in Your Discord
By: Sokala

Discord Nation Roleplay (DNRP), like many forms of nation roleplay, is one of the most common ways to play Hearts of Iron 4 without actually needing a PC. There hundreds of Discord servers which host a myriad of scenarios from classic historical scenarios such as WW1, WW2, Cold War and even Modern Day roleplay, to alternate history scenarios such as Kaiserreich. As someone from the The East Pacific’s own Urth RP, I was looking for a break in writing and planning for my long form roleplay. I wanted roleplaty that was a bit more persistent. I used to play in a 2100 alternative Earth roleplay that was held in a Discord server so I wanted to search for a DNRP like that but set in the Modern day. One common difference between DNRP and the roleplay you see here in NationStates is that DNRP has a bit more reach. DNRP isn’t just advertised in Discord’s own Discover hub. DNRP is advertised on sites such as Disboard, Reddit and even alternate history forums. As I looked for a modern day DNRP, I stumbled upon one and joined it.

There was a clear difference in how both operated. DNRP had persistent time, meaning that time always moves. Events happen at the time that it happens. Some employ manual posting of time, others employ Discord bots to notify players of the time.

Another thing is that, at least for this particular server, the economy and military are very important and are tracked. Here, I was roleplaying in the Philippines. As a player, you get to micro-manage your budget and it affects not just your GDP growth but also your nation’s quality of life and even population growth.

I went and negotiated treaties for the Philippines, racking me investment and GDP growth. The growth is not automatic, it’s determined by Economy game masters which determine feasibility and realism. Sometimes, you even get affected for things you had no place in because it would’ve made sense for you to be affected. In one instance, I had negative GDP growth after Oman had blockaded Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia had supplied the Philippines with a lot of its oil so I took negative GDP growth.

As for the military, you have to coordinate with allies and produce or procure better or more gear with the money you get from your economy. While you can just put 60% of your economy in the military, it would lessen your funding for healthcare and other things. It would mean less GDP growth or even quality of life.

For the roleplay proper, it is common for DNRP servers to have two types of events. Self events and international events. Self events are events that happen exclusively and only affect your nation. Elections, national happenings, law passing, and even more. In this server, any self event are allowed without the intervention of a game master except for a coup or a civil war.

For international events, these are events that can encompass war, blockades, and other events that affect and can be affected by other nations. Direct, or even indirect participation, by you or other nations, is needed in these kinds of events. These events, in this server’s case, are written by a GM who decides what and how things happen depending on your actions. We had to submit our events on a form and then the game masters decide if the event is realistic and what was going to happen.

For example, in this case Italy wanted to launch missiles to strike Iraq. The event was submitted for approval then posted in the international news for all to see and be able to react to.

So what are the pros and cons of this type of roleplay? I like the persistence method of running the game. It instills a somewhat sense of agency in the players. The world continues moving with or without their input which is something I like. I also like the economic and military sheets as planning your economy and military rewards a military nerd like me who keeps a sheet just so I can plan modernization and such. One downside I’ve seen so far is that some people may not like that you have to trust the judgment of game masters for a lot of things. You have to trust that they will fairly write your event, judge your economic plans, and even write war casualties. It’s certainly not for everyone. It plays more like a strategy game than a roleplaying method but I feel like it is for the some that likes a more active role in the roleplay.


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Hay Day: How to feed Horses
By: Altys

The eleventh N-Day began with a bug preventing nations from accumulating production, an all-too-familiar event the players of NationStates. Another glitch also temporarily blocked nations from launching nuclear strikes. This took 40 minutes to be resolved, after which the production race began in earnest.

Twenty minutes later, the war between major factions began. The factions Anime Nations Against Liberals (ANAL) and the Jellyfish Elite Fighting Force (JEFF) coordinated their efforts, focusing their initial barrage on The Horsemen of the Apocalypse (HotA). The early exchanges between factions yielded limited success for the attackers.

At the two-and-a-half-hour mark, JEFF and ANAL shifted targets to HotA's ally, Kingly Heathens Asserting Neighborliness (KHAN), whose defenses and counteroffensives were critical in shielding HotA, at the time burdened by captchas (disabled site-wide around a hour later), and retaliating against their adversaries. For the next two and a half hours, volleys of nuclear strikes and retaliations ensued, with both sides accumulating similar levels of radiation from repeated exchanges.

Five hours into the conflict, with KHAN absorbing over 50% radiation, JEFF and ANAL resumed their assault on HotA. HotA retaliated, targeting JEFF, which had managed to avoid any significant radiation exposure until now. HotA would then alternate its attacks between JEFF and ANAL, trying to keep them both on the defensive. As the conflict wore on, it became evident that HotA had gained the upper hand. ANAL’s radiation levels climbed perilously close to 50%, while JEFF appeared to struggle with making use its massive stockpile of nukes, reportedly “failing to utilize [its] production,” according to one of their commanders.

At the ten-hour mark, the JEFF-ANAL alliance was dissolved following a last ditch attempt to target KHAN for additional score. Both factions abandoned their cooperative efforts and shifted focus to preserving their score in the positives. This would later on go on to spark further controversy as multiple JEFF commanders ejected over 3,000 of their own faction's nations, deliberately avoiding the score loss a massive impending HotA-KHAN would’ve inflicted on them. HotA engaged in similar tactics, reportedly sending puppet nations to ANAL to attack them and drive their faction off the leaderboard.

While this was going on, KHAN would slowly make a comeback, exploiting the remaining survivors in JEFF and ANAL, as well as smaller factions, to secure points.
The final leaderboard recorded HotA in first place with a total score of 1 074 435, followed by KHAN at 138 821, and JEFF at 105 592; with ANAL in 14th place at 16 177.
title credit goes to Evil Mother


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