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21

Games / Re: Last to post wins

« Last post by Delfos on November 22, 2020, 09:59:43 AM »

Well...I just did.

It won't last

22

Games / Re: Last to post wins

« Last post by Red Mones on November 20, 2020, 03:45:23 AM »

Well...I just did.

23

The North Pacific / The Northern Lights - Issue XXXIII

« Last post by The Federalist on November 19, 2020, 02:07:47 PM »

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24

The North Pacific / The North Star - Issue XXII

« Last post by The Federalist on November 19, 2020, 01:40:33 PM »

[SIZE=14]The Spotlight - Interview With Gorundu [/size]

by Arichia, Deputy Minister of Communications

Arichia: Alright! I'll get started now, When and how did you get started in TNP?

Gorundu: I joined TNP in May 2019, about 10 months after I started playing NationStates. I was the WA Delegate of a region of 30-ish WA nations at the time, but some people in the region were opposed to my agenda, and I felt I wouldn't be able to do what I wanted even in that position. So I decided to try my luck in the biggest region in the game, TNP. (My feelings turned out to be right and I ended up getting banned by the founder within 2 months) When I joined TNP I applied for every ministry except for Culture, and that was how I got started.

Arichia: Wow! You have an eventful past before TNP. Have you ever been involved in the NPA or any other military organization?

Gorundu: After I left my previous region, I decided to devote my WA to the NPA, and I've been in the NPA ever since. Currently I'm an Officer and a Deputy Minister of Defence.

Arichia: What are some accomplishments you or you helped achieve during your time in TNP?

Gorundu: In my previous roles as Speaker and Minister of World Assembly Affairs, I mostly continued to execute the existing duties of those offices, which was no easy task considering that in both roles I succeeded a relatively long-serving and popular holder of those offices, though I wouldn't consider these accomplishments. I'd like to think that as Minister of Communications I made some progress in reviving a struggling ministry by recruiting new members and managed to restart the publication of The Northern Lights, which probably counts the most in terms of my accomplishments.

Arichia: From what I see you've done a lot in TNP. Who do you consider a mentor throughout your time in TNP?

Gorundu: I would say McMasterdonia and Tlomz (Kranostav) have been most like a mentor for me. McMasterdonia offered me my first position in government (a short tenure as a Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs) and was supportive of my run for Speaker. He also offered me my first cabinet position as Minister of World Assembly Affairs, and was very helpful in getting me settled into the position as the head of one of the most active ministries in the government. Tlomz was my predecessor as Minister of World Assembly Affairs and I served under him as Deputy Minister, during he helped me get a better understanding of the World Assembly and TNP's WA relationships, which enabled me to become his successor.

Arichia: What do you believe is TNP's best quality?

Gorundu: I would say the best quality that is unique to TNP is the depth and breadth of the discussions and debates in the Regional Assembly and in relation to the government. It points towards a citizenry that is committed to making TNP better in any way possible, but are unafraid to raise their own ideas or offer criticism for what isn't being done well. Another quality of TNP that I admire is that we are a pioneer in so many fields - for example, in the WA and in Trading Cards - and we have so many people dedicated to the success of these pioneering programs.

Arichia: I believe you had said before that you had run for speaker and you had been speaker as well. From your experiences then, would you run for speaker, or perhaps a different office in the future?

Gorundu: I don't see myself running for Speaker again for the near future. Serving as Speaker was an enlightening experience and taught me much about what people expect from a government official, but for now I'd like to focus on what I can do in the executive.

Arichia: And to finally close, would you take on more in the executive, or would you stay with what you are working on now?

Gorundu: I've been busy in real life recently, so I haven't taken on too much responsibility this term. I'm glad to have the opportunity to get involved in the NPA a little bit more as Deputy Minister of Defence, and I have continued advising the Ministry of Communications after departing as Minister. If I feel ready to take on more responsibilities, I will of course look for new opportunities.

Arichia: I believe those are all of my questions. I really appreciate all your time and answers here, and thanks again for the opportunity to interview you!

[SIZE=14]North Pacific Army Bulletin[/size]

by Jan Mackistan, Reporter for The Northern Star

NPA and Libcord forces in the midst of liberating Smol Fur Empire

(click to show/hide)

Private Healiopolis was promoted to Private First Class

September ended with a bang (quite literally) as nuclear warfare consumed NationStates - including the NPA - for a brief but action-packed 24 hours. Soldiers put their puppets to good use as nuclear production machines, aiding the Potato Alliance in a hard-earned victory. Our generals helped all of us get on the Big Board, pushing the Horsemen to our former spot of last, and pushed us up to second place. As the quote goes, “I didn’t know doors opened up down there!” Our warriors collaborated with soldiers from a multitude of regions, including some of our closest allies, such as the Rejected Realms, the South Pacific and Europe, to take the horses down. Colonel Robespierre and General 9003 represented us as Potato Generals for N-Day, keeping all of the Potato Alliance in one piece. Sure, we were hit multiple times, but we were lifted from last all the way up to 2nd place. That is certainly a Cinderella story if I’ve ever heard one (which I haven’t). We completed the impossible task that no other faction could do.

After cleaning up the fallout, it was right back to work for our uniformed servicemen. If they weren’t saving The North Pacific from nukes they were helping out other regions in need, whether they requested or not

For ten straight days in early October, the North Pacific Army, along with friends and allies from Libcord, laid siege to Smol Fur Empire, which had been occupied by raider forces, presumably for the purpose of refounding as a jump point for later use. In total, 13 NPA soldiers joined the updater force at some point during the ten-day siege, contributing to one of the highest liberation forces ever, numbering over 100 towards the end. It makes me smile when support goes to those who need it. We certainly have generous men and women among our armed services, at least when they are kind and cute.

When not taking part in high-stakes confrontations, NPA Officers, including COL BMWSurfer, COL Rom, COL Gorundu and CPT Nimarya, continued to lead training operations in the form of tag and detag runs, attracting seasoned officers and new soldiers alike to hone their skills.

Finally, the NPA joined our friends in the South Pacific Special Forces and East Pacific Sovereign Army on October 11 for a special detag operation combined with chasing practice, where lots of fun were had as NPA soldiers work on a skill that has been seldom used recently while Phoenix from SPSF brings out her favourite R/D playlist for all to enjoy.

Aaaaand that’s it for the bulletin this month. It may not have been the most eventful month in the books, but no matter the stakes, our soldiers are always there, ready to give it their best. Now, I sure hope you all had a good Halloween and are looking forward to the rest of the holidays to come. Stay strong, TNPers!


[SIZE=14]Regional Assembly Highlights[/size]

by Comfed, Deputy Speaker

Regional Assembly Highlights
Current Business

Timing Amendment to Security Council Disclosure by Comfed

Summary: Timing Amendment to Security Council Disclosure is a bill that would remove the 14-day time limit on releasing private Security Council logs of over 1 year of age requested by a resident.

Confirmation of Siwale to the Election Commission

Summary: Delegate TlomzKrano/Kranostav appointed Siwale to the election commission.

Passed - Legislative
No legislative bills were passed by the Regional Assembly this month.

Passed - Non-Legislative
No non-legislative bills were passed by the Regional Assembly this month.

[SIZE=14] World Assembly Digest[/size]

by Nimarya, Minister of Home Affairs

WA Digest

The month of October saw four General Assembly resolutions passed, and the Security Council observed four proposals reach quorum, of which two were passed, one failed, and the last was quickly withdrawn. Of the Security Council proposals brought to vote during the month, two have stood out of particular interest.

The first was a resolution that passed without much issue, and yet seemed to be surprisingly controversial among The North Pacific citizens. On October 16th, Morover, an accomplished World Assembly author and a former Minister of World Assembly Affairs for The North Pacific, submitted a proposal to the Security Council that aimed to commend the nation Kuriko, a highly influential player in NationStates. Kuriko is perhaps best known for her service to the region 10000 Islands as its longest-serving WA Delegate. She might also be more recently recognized as NationStates’s World Assembly Secretary-General, having won the position during the Secretary-General election event of last April.

While the proposal saw broad approval and ultimately passed at vote with 84.1% support, on The North Pacific forum voters seemed somewhat more divided. The Ministry of World Assembly Affairs issued a recommendation to vote “For” the proposal, stating that the proposal clearly makes an excellent case for why Kuriko is deserving of a commendation. The Ministry also indicated that this proposal would serve as a far superior replacement for the first commendation of Kuriko, which had been previously repealed due to criticisms of poor writing.

However, despite the Ministry’s recommendation, on The North Pacific’s forum voting thread a number of citizens voted against the proposal, with only a few stating why. Of those who chose to voice their reasoning, it was a mix between simply disliking the writing of the proposal itself and a more targeted dislike of 10000 Island’s actions abroad and of Kuriko’s alleged stance against condemning raiders in the Security Council.

Without hearing the thoughts of the others who voted against, much is still left to conjecture, although it is easy to deduce that the age-old tensions between raiding and defender ideologies are likely at play here. A look into the NationStates forum thread in which this proposal was debated shows a similar trend to what was observed in TNP’s forum- most were approving of the proposal, with the few who stood opposed stating criticisms of Liberate Syria, a recent defender operation in which Kuriko was involved. It is clear that in this case, the voting sample in The North Pacific forum thread reflects the same general voting patterns of the wider NationStates community. The vote we have seen for this proposal is, perhaps, a symptom of the fact that TNP houses citizens of all sorts of ideologies, including both raider and defender leaning individuals. 

The second notable Security Council proposal of October failed at vote, managing to gain only 23.6% support. On October 20th, Tinhampton submitted a proposal to condemn the nation Northern Borland. What made this proposal somewhat unique was that it aimed to condemn this nation based purely off of NationStates statistics, which is an oddity for the Security Council but not completely unprecedented, since the nation Kindjal has been commended for their impressive statistics back in March of this year. The North Pacific’s Ministry of World Assembly Affairs issued no recommendation for this vote, choosing instead to let others debate and decide for themselves. TNP voters seemed to be vocally divided on the issue, but ultimately the forum vote ended in favor of the proposal, with 18 votes “For” and 15 “Against.”

The arguments for and against were rather simple- Tinhampton, the proposal’s author, argued that Northern Borland had spent almost seventeen years answering issues in a manner dedicated to working towards these statistics, and that being able to pay close attention and religiously answer issues for that sheer length of time is worthy of a condemnation. However, others remained unconvinced, citing that Northern Borland was not even in first place for many of the statistics they were being condemned for. Additionally, both in The North Pacific voting thread and in the NationStates onsite discussion thread, there were many voters who were convinced that the mere act of answering issues for long enough is not commendable or condemnable on its own.

On the other hand, some players take the stance that issues answering and statistics planning is just as valid an area of the game as others, and therefore just as worthy of recognition. While the proposal to condemn Northern Borland was shot down tremendously at vote, there are likely many players who would support other stat-based proposals to commend or condemn exemplary nations, as evidenced by the words of support seen in the debate threads and by the nation Kindjal’s commend. It will be interesting to see if, in the future, stat-based Security Council proposals can succeed and become more prominent.

[small]The North Star: Lighting The Way To The Truth
Publisher: TlomzKrano :: Executive Editor: BMWSurfer:: Managing Editors: Arichia (Forumside) and Gorundu (Gameside)

The North Star is produced by the Ministry of Communications on behalf of the Government of The North Pacific and is distributed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs externally and the Ministry of Home Affairs internally. Except where otherwise indicated, all content represents the views of the Government of The North Pacific.[/small]

Index of Issues

25

The North Pacific / The North Star Issue - XXI

« Last post by The Federalist on November 19, 2020, 01:37:57 PM »

Index of IssuesWe are aware that not everyone is equally appreciative of image-based NS newspapers. As such, we've included the standard format mostly plain-text version of the newspaper in the spoiler below. We hope you enjoy reading this month's issue! If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or suggestions, feel free to contact the current TNP Minister of Communications BMWSurfer.

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The Second World Assembly Symposium

by the TNP Ministry of World Assembly Affairs, with special mention to Minister Cretox State and staffers Westinor and Makdon

The second World Assembly Symposium was a three-day event held from Friday, 28 August 2020 to Sunday, 30 August 2020. The primary purpose of the event was to serve as a forum for discussion on a variety of historical and contemporary topics significant to the World Assembly. Each day consisted of two or three panels; each panel was dedicated to a particular area of interest. Every panel was further divided among specific points for discussion in order to provide a more concrete framework for discourse on any given subject matter. Each panel consisted of short-form discussion guided by the aforementioned points, which took place on the event's Discord server, in addition to long-form discussion taking place in dedicated forum threads.

A brief overview of the event's panels is as follows (in Eastern time):

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Friday, August 28:

9AM - Subforum becomes public and long-answer responses can begin being posted.
1PM-4PM - Liberations: When and how should they be used?

• Offensive liberations: Legitimate tactic or misuse of mechanics?
• How much drafting should a liberation undergo before it becomes ineffective?

5PM-8PM - Manipulating voting trends through politics.

• Blocs and their place within the World Assembly
• The lemming effect and how it's used
• Informational Dispatches and their effect on the voter psyche

Saturday, August 29:

9AM-12PM - Repeals: Why they should be written and what should be included.

• Differences between repeals in the GA and SC, and what this means.
• What constitutes the grounds for a proper repeal?
• How to make a repeal convincing and how to properly convey your argument.

1PM-4PM - Commendations, Condemnations, and Recent Shifts in Oft-Recognized Areas.

• Who is deserving of being recognized by the World Assembly?
• Recent shifts in those being recognized (such as c/cs relating to Cards) have been rising in prominence - is this a good or bad change?
• How much should OOC factors play into mostly IC recognitions?

5PM-8PM - Noncompliance - dangerous trend, legitimate roleplay, or godmodding?

• How should non-compliance be handled within the World Assembly?
• Is there a legitimate way to be non-compliant or is compliance put into place instantly and by force?
• How do 'non-compliance pacts' effect gameplay within the World Assembly?

Sunday, August 30:

9AM-12PM - Approval raiding - Curating proposals or interfering with democracy?

• Is delegate-bumping (or any other raiding tactics) okay under any circumstances in order to influence delegate approval?
• When should it be utilized, if it is?

1PM - 4PM - Trends, History, and the Future of the World Assembly

• How has the World Assembly changed recently, and are those changes good?
• Is the exchange of authors between the GA and SC good for increasing activity?
• What are some predictions for the future of the World Assembly?

In addition to written discussion, the Symposium included a Northern Broadcast Service (NBS) voice show on Sunday the 30th, from 5pm to 8pm EST. This show included but was not limited to a Q&A session with some prominent WA figures, commentary on discussions that occurred over the course of the event, and closing marks to round off the Symposium. The schedule can be found here in gameside dispatch form.

The Symposium also incorporated four guest essays on critical topics, which acted as an excellent supplement to discussion and can be found in the recently published Issue XXXII of The Northern Lights (TNL). Our goal with this Issue of The North Star (TNS) is to provide an effective overview of each of the event's panels and preserve their contents for posterity in an easily accessible format.

Friday Panel 1 - Liberations and Their Usage

Friday’s first panel was held between 1PM and 4PM EST on the 28th of August 2020. The focus of this panel was when and how liberations should be used. This topic was divided into two subcategories:

• Offensive liberations: Legitimate tactic or misuse of mechanics?
• How much drafting should a liberation undergo before it becomes ineffective?

Longer-form responses are available here, with shorter-form discussion taking place on the event’s Discord. A guest essay by Lord Dominator titled “Offensive and Defensive Liberations” related to the topic is viewable here. A key focus of the discussion was the acceptability and use of symbolic liberations, with some arguing that symbolic liberations serve to spark change in OOC-bad communities and regions, while others asserted that they fail to serve that purpose and instead attract unnecessary attention and animosity to and from the targeted region. The discussion then covered the question of whether there should be a difference in acceptability between symbolic and offensive liberations, with most agreeing that there should be and is a divide in both purpose and acceptability. From there, speakers discussed how long liberations should be drafted for, with most arguing that liberations should be passed quickly as to avoid warning raiders, though some speakers preferred a longer-term approach to things, pointing out that liberations already take a while to get through quorum and the voting period. There was an agreement, however, that symbolic liberations may and should take longer periods of time to draft, seeing as time is not a factor in the usage of a symbolic liberation. The discussion ended on the topic of when liberations should be repealed, with speaker Kenmoria stating that symbolic liberations should be repealed when the target region has changed, and speaker Tinhampton affirming that more “classic” liberations should be repealed at a time in which the region has reached a state of equilibrium.

I am a proponent of drafting for as long as possible, which for liberations is often unfortunately short, so I think people should draft for as long as might be reasonable. A region can be retaken, but an SC resolution is on the books forever.

Friday Panel 2 - Manipulating Voting Trends Through Politics

Friday's second panel was held between 5pm and 8pm EST on the 28th of August 2020. The focus of this panel was the manipulation of voting threads through interregional politics. This topic was divided into three subcategories:

• Blocs and their place within the World Assembly
• The lemming effect and how it's used
• Informational Dispatches and their effect on the voter psyche

Longer-style responses are viewable here, with shorter-form discussion occurring on the event's Discord. Two guest essays submitted for the Symposium are of particular relevance here: The Role of IFVs in the General Assembly by Kenmoria, and Regional Delegates and General Assembly Canon by Maowi. Discussion naturally centered around the effectiveness of IFVs and voting blocs, and how valuable they are at informing voters and influencing votes. Some prominent voices argued that IFVs serve an important role in informing WA member nations and strengthening regional communities, and that voting blocs allow for easier campaigning and a concentration of voting power and therefore competence in the WA. Others argued that IFVs are effectively useless in swaying votes (since region members arguably follow the Delegate's vote more often than not), and that at-vote telegram campaigns are of questionable value.

Here are some select opinions from Friday's second panel:

I feel that Information Dispatches (IFVs) and Voting Blocs have a really large part to play in the current situation in the WA. Both serves rather different purposes, playing different roles in deciding whether a proposal gets passed through the halls or is voted down.
IFVs are mainly due to the voting demographics. Not everyone is in the WA because they study the proposal to the finest detail and say, "Eh maybe this proposal is not that good I am voting against." The utilisation of IFVs would really help the voters understand some of the reasonings behind a certain leaning. Some of the people may just look at these IFVs and follow them blindly. Others may gain new insights that somehow "convince" them to vote that way. After all, you would always think experienced people know what they are saying with these Dispatches.
As for Voting Blocs - they are an entirely different beast, swaying the way the votes are being casted in reality. The psychological effect of early stomps is really huge - you simply sway voters to jump on the bandwagon and follow the trend.

I'm going to start this off with what may be a controversial opinion, I am not sure IFV dispatches do anything. If you are already going to vote whatever way your delegate votes, it doesn't add anything. Otherwise I assume most nations get their info from domestic sources or no source at all. The latter brings me to the lemming effect, I think it is huge. Probably the biggest determiner of a proposals success is if a couple of big delegates stomp or stack it.

Saturday Panel 1 - Repeals: How and Why to Write Them

Saturday’s first panel was held between 9AM and 12PM EST on 29th of August 2020. The focus of this panel was why and how a repeal should be written. This topic was divided into three subcategories:

• Differences between repeals in the GA and the SC, and what this means
• What constitutes the grounds for a proper repeal?
• How to make a repeal convincing and how to properly convey your argument

A majority of the discussion took place on the event’s Discord, though you can view the forum thread here. The discussion generally focused on what warrants a repeal, how to make a convincing argument, and how important having replacements ready are in passing a repeal. Most speakers agreed that the importance of having a replacement ready for the repealed resolution is situational, with some noting that in many cases, particularly in the SC, a replacement is often unneeded depending on the intent of the repeal, whereas in the GA replacements are far more common, with repeals being passed to make way for the intended replacements. There was a general consensus that repeals are justified when a resolution has unintended consequences, blocks a better resolution, or generally does not serve its purpose, and that minor grammar or spelling mistakes do not justify a repeal (so long as the mistakes do not undermine the original intent). The discussion then sidetracked as the speakers explored the question of when an illegal resolution might be forcibly removed (which has not happened since 2003) before turning back to the question of how to create a convincing repeal, with most speakers concurring that crafting concise arguments that attack specific weaknesses of the target proposal while trying to avoid stating the reverse of the target resolution's arguments (as to avoid an Honest Mistake challenge) is a good way to start. The panel closed out on a discussion of how repealing an older and unliked resolution might run into HM problems, with speakers Graintfjall and Morover making the point that a repeal running into HM problems is hardly a consequence of the target resolution’s age, but rather due to the WA’s  recent shift into a far more litigious environment that backs the rationale for arguments that often fall into the category of an HM mistake.

I think it's also valid to repeal a resolution if it's got significant, unintended consequences, or otherwise does nothing that it was promised to do. A replacement is often ideal but not necessary in those instances.

Saturday Panel 2 - Commendations, Condemnations, and Recent Shifts Thereof

Saturday’s second panel was held between 1PM-4PM EST on the 29th August. This panel was focused on the discussion of the standard of what qualifies for a commendation or condemnation, and how that has changed as of late.
Three specific questions divided the panel into subcategories:

• Who is deserving of being recognized by the World Assembly?
• Recent shifts in those being recognized (such as c/cs relating to Cards) have been rising in prominence - is this a good or bad change?
• How much should OOC factors play into mostly IC recognitions?

No forum responses were made, though if you wish to see forum thread that was intended for this, it can be found here. Much discussion took place on the event’s Discord, however. It largely dealt with some borderline examples of C&C worthiness, the specific point at which a line should be drawn on OOC matters being factored into the SC’s actions, and a brief discussion of dual commendations and condemnations. While shifts in the areas of the game being recognized were mentioned, quick consensus in favor of, or at least not opposed to, was reached. Most voices suggested that there are many OOC actions that quickly disqualify a candidate or author, and that you cannot view a proposal without OOC actions in mind. However, there was some disagreement over whether or not simply being a very rude and abrasive person should be considered even if the nominee has done nothing specific that would specifically eliminate them. Dual C&Cs were generally thought to be reasonable, with Evil Wolf being raised as a potentially deserving candidate.

I think the unifying thing about these achievements though is that even while some important achievements go unrecognized, it is those achievements which impact the wider NS game that receive resolutions, as opposed to any nation's impact in just one region.
While this isn't entirely a recent shift, I think the expansion of resolutions from mainly R/D based to those that also encompass RP, Issues, NS Cards, and so on serve to better highlight the work of deserving nations.

I think that if someone is controversial it's often conflated with being OOC bad. Obviously we shouldn't be praising someone who pushes harmful views upon everyone, but someone who comes across as a bit rude doesn't  really disqualify them from a c/c imo.

Saturday Panel 3 - Noncompliance in the General Assembly

Saturday's third panel discussion was held between 5PM and 8PM on the 29th of August 2020. This discussion focused on the subject of noncompliance and its consequences. Specifically, discussion centered around the following three subcategories:

• How should non-compliance be handled within the World Assembly?
• Is there a legitimate way to be non-compliant or is compliance put into place instantly and by force?
• How do 'non-compliance pacts' effect gameplay within the World Assembly?

Discussion on these topics was primarily hosted on the event's Discord server. The initial point of interest was distinguishing between noncompliance from the perspective of game mechanics and noncompliance from the perspective of roleplay (RP). The speakers largely agreed that noncompliance has been extensively recognized from an RP perspective in the General Assembly, and that there is a substantial difference between being creatively compliant with GA law and openly flaunting noncompliance. The speakers also largely agreed that OOC WA membership for raiding and similar purposes is inherently different from IC WA membership.

From there, the conversation shifted to the specifics of how noncompliance and creative compliance can be RPed effectively. Tinfect was held up as an example of what well-done noncompliance looks like, with noncompliance being clearly present in-character and making sense in context, without being abrasively advertised at every opportunity. Noncompliance pacts such as the one formed in response to WA abortion law garnered a more mixed response. On the one hand, that particular pact was poorly executed, backfired spectacularly, and failed to achieve its stated goals. On the other hand, there were points made that noncompliance pacts are not inherently worse than individual noncompliance in the abstract, and that noncompliance pacts when RPed well, especially regarding consequences, could prove interesting. However, that has not been the case thus far. There was also a point made by several speakers that blatant noncompliance should be treated in kind by the GA. In other words, shameless noncompliant actors are hypocrites if they expect legislation that they attempt to pass to be taken seriously.

Discussion then moved to enforcement mechanisms for GA compliance, with the concept of a WA military taking center stage. It was generally agreed that a WA military force tasked with enforcing compliance would not really be a positive addition to the WA, both due to the power level of such a force and the fact that it can easily be used excessively to enforce comparatively minor mandates. The discussion concluded with whether noncompliance-based RP should be recognized in Security Council resolutions, with the general consensus being that such RP could potentially be recognized if performed well and with consequences.

The current enforcement mechanisms do well enough if you ask me; you have to be RPing a kind of circumstance which itself severely limits the things you can do anyway in order to escape the issues of noncompliance otherwise.

Sunday Panel 1 - Approval Raiding

Sunday's first panel was held between 9AM and 12PM EST. This discussion was dedicated to the subject of approval raiding, the practice of raiding small regions whose delegates are approving a certain proposal in order to displace said delegates and remove their approval. Specific topic areas covered included:

• Is delegate-bumping (or any other raiding tactics) okay under any circumstances in order to influence delegate approval?
• When should it be utilized, if it is?

The focus of this panel was quite singular, and centered around the question of whether approval raiding is justified, and in what circumstances. This topic was easily one of the most divisive of this Symposium, with speakers being fairly cleanly split between those who believed approval raiding is a valid and useful, if somewhat damaging, tactic and those who believed it to be something that should not be in the game. Major points brought up included the collateral damage inherent to approval raiding (given that delegates hit by the tactic can easily be approving multiple proposals simultaneously), interaction between approval bumping and counter-campaigns, and whether approval raiding is prolific enough to even warrant significant attention. An interesting suggestion was brought up towards the end of the discussion: making it so that only delegates who initially approved a proposal could remove their approval. This was posted on the NS forum as a technical suggestion, but was quickly shot down.

Some select quotes from the Discord discussion:

The issue is that delegate bumping for one proposal makes it substantially harder for other proposals to reach quorum at the same time

It undermines the process of the WA and the ability for the people to choose what should be voted on or passed. TBH has bumped at vote proposals too

I strongly oppose update bumping for all the above reasons. It’s inconsiderate to people who have worked hard on a GA proposal to have their submission delayed because of something happening in Gameplay.

On one hand, approval raiding is kind of interfering with the natural course of a proposal. On the other, this is a game at the end of the day and approval raiding is just another interesting feature. It doesn't cause problems that often, and if a proposal didn't reach quorum because of it, then it probably wouldn't have passed anyway

Sunday Panel 2 - Trends, History, and the Future of the World Assembly

Sunday’s second panel was held between 1PM and 4PM on the 30th of August 2020. The panel focused on the trends, history, and future of the World Assembly. This topic was divided into three subcategories:

• How has the World Assembly changed recently, and are those changes good?
• Is the exchange of authors between the GA and SC good for increasing activity?
• What are some predictions for the future of the World Assembly?

Discussion on these topics generally took place on the event’s Discord. You can find a relevant essay that goes over RP and In-Character discussions in the GA by Maowi titled “Regional Delegates and General Assembly Canon” here. The initial discussion focused on the presence of newer authors and the shift away from RP in the GA. There was a general consensus that with the coming of newer (and often prolific) authors in the WA that participation in the GA, SC, and even GI increased, with many noting that the three forums have begun to converge as newer authors began to dabble in each. However, some speakers pointed out that among the changes that came with the uptick of newer authors was a shift away from RP and IC drafting. Notable speaker Graintfjall voiced concerns about this, asserting that RP was integral to the magic of drafting in the WA and that its gradual disappearance was a sign of the WA’s decline. Others argued that the loss of RP in the WA was an inevitable consequence of feedback shifting towards a more efficient and rules-based style, with duplicity and writing quality becoming larger concerns than the topic of a proposal itself.

From there, the focus turned towards the early days of the WA (then the UN) and the evolution of the formatting of proposals, with speakers such as Jutsa pointing out that to the untrained eye, a well-formatted proposal is more appealing and thus likely to get a vote for than a short and concise one. A few potential additions to the WA like amendments and a total reset were then brought up (and quickly shot down), at which point the discussion turned to the question of whether the WA was still largely under the influence of the GP community. Jakker corroborated this assertion, citing the influence and impact delegates of larger regions have on at-vote proposals, while others like Morover pointed to the recent trend of C/Cs on individuals outside of the GP community as evidence that, while GP continues to hold power over SC voting, SC writing is increasingly shifting away from GP as authors continue to branch out. The discussion rounded off with an analysis of the growth of C/Cs in the SC, with the speakers overall concluding that the creativity and innovation utilized in recent C/Cs, particularly those in communities unfamiliar to the SC like Sports and Cards, were positive developments for the SC as a whole.

Even outside of their huge voting power, TNP usually has a lot more influence in this regard because of how much they're engaged with "voting early and voting often"

I think all of this speaks to the notion that nothing is objectively condemnable or commendable. Creativity and innovation is about having the flexibility to take communities and actions and so it can be either. And the SC should be open to that. Stifling creativity does not help to bring in new players

[small]The North Star: Lighting The Way To The Truth
Publisher: [USER=5028214]@TlomzKrano[/USER] :: Executive Editor: [USER=5023308]@BMWSurfer[/USER] :: Managing Editor: [USER=5063529]@Cretox State[/USER]

The North Star is produced by the Ministry of Communications on behalf of the Government of The North Pacific and is distributed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs externally and the Ministry of Home Affairs internally. Except where otherwise indicated, all content represents the views of the Government of The North Pacific.[/small]

Index of Issues

26

Games / Re: Last to post wins

« Last post by Delfos on November 02, 2020, 06:30:50 PM »

Welcome welcome, but none can beat me.

27

Games / Re: Last to post wins

« Last post by Red Mones on October 26, 2020, 04:14:31 AM »

Mmmmm, somebody other than me? Nice.

28

The North Pacific / World Assembly Accelerator Program Announcement

« Last post by The Federalist on October 24, 2020, 12:00:56 AM »

World Assembly Accelerator Program Announcement

Hello neighbors! The North Pacific is proud to announce the launch of the World Assembly Accelerator Program. Any World Assembly author can post their complete or nearly complete drafts for review and drafting assistance from the TNP Ministry of WA Affairs. When you’re ready to submit your proposal, it will be evaluated for sponsorship by the Ministry. Should it be accepted for sponsorship, your proposal will have the backing of TNP and access to extensive lobbying opportunities. You do not have to be a citizen of TNP or a WA resident to apply. For more information on this unique opportunity, please review this thread: https://forum.thenorthpacific.org/topic/9193071/

29

Games / Re: Last to post wins

« Last post by Lindisfarne on October 19, 2020, 06:21:33 AM »

Last stake, yeah! 

30

The North Pacific / Re: The North Star - Issue XX (Cut Into Parts)

« Last post by The Federalist on October 08, 2020, 02:40:02 PM »

NPA Bulletin

by Robespierre, Colonel of the North Pacific Army

NPA soldiers, now under the leadership of 9003 and Gorundu, give one final hurrah to Rom and co. following the successful liberation of NationStates Monarchists from fascists.

(click to show/hide)

Major BMWSurfer was promoted to Colonel
Private German_nein was promoted to Private First Class
Lieutenant Nimarya was promoted to Captain
Major Robespierre was promoted to Colonel
Lieutenant Rom was promoted to Colonel

Another day, another pile! Err… that’s not how the saying goes, now is it?

It’s been a while, but not to worry: for your friends from the North Pacific Army have been keeping themselves busy day in and day out with a plethora of exciting activities! What activities, you ask? Well, let’s all begin this month’s segment by taking a moment to congratulate the Ministry of Defense’s new overlord from the world of cards: 9003!

Shortly after the election of Kranostav (Tlomz) to the Delegacy in early-September, it was announced that 9003 would be taking up the mantle as Minister and would be given an opportunity to emerge from the Officer Corps as the NPA’s next leader. In a brief opening statement, 9003 made his goals for the term quite clear by remarking that “[He’d] like to see more ops at minors as well as a better training program from new recruits.” Wasting little time in pursuit of progress on these objectives, the new MoD quickly introduced a system for daily piles that soldiers can attend even without physically being present during updates!

While it remains to be seen whether or not this initiative is popular enough to become standard practice in the Ministry, 9003 and newly-appointed mega nerd (and Deputy Minister of Defense), Gorundu, have already been seen whipping potato peelers into shape outside the barracks. After a handful of promotions at the start of the term came a slew of discharges, and now, with the Ministry’s official roster updated and purged of all inactives, the NPA continues to proudly offer its allies assistance, its foes resistance, and the fascists no safe haven! With congratulations out of the way, let’s get right into this month’s happenings on the battlefield:

Beginning on the second (2nd) of August’s minor update and lasting all the way up until the eleventh (11th) of August’s major update, troops from the North Pacific Army, the South Pacific Special Forces, the Rejected Realms Army, the East Pacific Sovereign Army, the Union of Democratic States Armed Forces, Lily, the Order of the Grey Wardens, and Founderless, among others, joined together to form the largest liberation updater force in history! With ninety (90) soldiers in attendance (nine of which being from the NPA), the previous record set in 2016 was shattered by approximately eight updaters as militaries from all across NationStates stormed the beaches of South Pacific. This marked a huge victory in gameplay and the efforts of all involved will not soon be forgotten.

Moving on, in true Independent fashion, the North Pacific Army followed up a successful liberation campaign by carrying out a number of raids over the course of the past two months. On the twenty-second (22nd) of August's major update, the region of Calefacta Aquas Piscinae fell victim to a short-lived invasion when NPA personnel rallied alongside the Black Hawks, the Europiean Republican Navy, Lone Wolves United, and others to seize the Delegacy for a day prior to a return by the region's Founder. Thirteen (13) of the North's finest participated in this endeavor and the exemplary efforts of many were showcased.

Shortly thereafter, on the twenty-fourth (24th) of August's major update, fourteen NPAers set out to bash the fash in cooperation with regions belonging to ANTIFA. It remains unclear exactly why these hateful ideological elements thought they ever stood a chance against the glorious boot of freedom, but suffice to say that then-Minister of Defense Rom was very happy to see such great poise from his army on display.

In other news, a joint operation between the North Pacific Army and the East Pacific Sovereign Army on the thirteenth (13th) of September's minor update resulted in a handful of regions being tagged and one region being defended. Five regions were visited in total and General BluieGamer lead the charge on the trigger. Lastly, rounding out the month of September, the EuroOlympics were underway and the NPA simply couldn't pass up the opportunity to compete. Later the same day, on the thirteenth (13th) of September's major update, ten soldiers deployed to EuroOlympics King of the Hill for a smile pile event! Soldiers remained stationed there for a few days out of the week before the host region came to recapture their hill.

... and that's all, folks! Up until this point, we've been staying busy, you've probably been staying busy, and we hope that you all have been staying safe during these difficult times. Thank you for reading this issue of the NPA Bulletin as we've rehashed the past two month's events and gotten to enjoy some precious moments in time with your favourite GPers! Until the next segment, cheers!

The North Star: Lighting The Way To The Truth
Publisher: TlomzKrano :: Executive Editor: BMWSurfer :: Managing Editor: Bobberino

The North Star is produced by the Ministry of Communications on behalf of the Government of The North Pacific and is distributed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs externally and the Ministry of Home Affairs internally. Except where otherwise indicated, all content represents the views of the Government of The North Pacific.

Index of Issues