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How we refounded - Part 1/3

Initial situation

The players of our region’s member states were and still are not interested in participating in military gameplay. Our region’s founder had ceased to exist, leaving the region vulnerable to invasions due to game mechanics. Compulsory military gameplay to us is as attractive and interesting as watching paint dry. It was only a matter of time before our region fell victim to one of such raids.

Goal

Restore the region as well as its community and secure the region against future assaults. Keep the region open and inviting to new nations joining. Avoid compulsory military gameplay. Continue playing NationStates in the ways we choose to play.

Options

To avoid military gameplay, it is necessary to look into the relevant game mechanics. One option is to keep the region passworded, saving it from invasions but unfortunately also from new members. Discarding this option, a way to prevent being invaded is to have a founder, since in a founderless region the WA delegate is automatically administrator of the region. Therefore, any group of players that can join a region and manage to generate enough endorsements can seize a founderless region and start wreaking havoc. An active founder can disable the WA delegate’s access to regional control. To get the chance to do that, we needed to refound, i.e. create the region anew.

Invisible password

Typhootania, the WA delegate of the region Deutschland, password-protected the region. The delegate did not check the box “Show password to residents.” The regional password was invisible to all nations except the delegate.

Thus, the password was also invisible to invader sleepers residing in the region. Invader sleepers are nations which are in a region with the players’ intent of preparing invasions. It was not necessary for the delegate to share the regional password with anyone except with the defenders who helped us with refounding. The password gave us the break needed for the democratic process. (Actually, our delegate didn’t password until later, when we had started discussing the refounding option among WA nations. It is mentioned at this point in the text, because, as WA nations can be invader sleepers, this sequence is advisable.)

Request for assistance

We needed help from players skilled in military gameplay, willing to spend time on the project, able to show up with the necessary strength in numbers, trustworthy, and committed to defending our freedom to choose which game interactions with free consent between players we participate in, and which interactions we don’t participate in. Inquiry via telegram whether, hypothetically, the defender organisation TITO from the region 10000 Islands would help, in case the longer resident nations in the region Deutschland decided to refound. They replied that they would be happy to help.

Technical advice

Nations from Deutschland and 10000 Islands corresponded via telegrams on technical aspects.