Scorch
TNPer
- TNP Nation
- Destroedor
- Discord
- scorchns
by Iraelia, Citizen
One of the most important aspects of NationStates is role play. After all, the premise of the game is acting as your nation's leader and answering issues to determine the status of your nation. Of course, that's just about, answering issues. However, for those whose minds are entranced by fiction, there exists more than just issue answering, there is role play. There are many ways to role play in NationStates: on the NationStates forum, in your own RP world, but the most prominent form of role play in The North Pacific exists in the world of Eras.Based on The North Pacific forums and operating their own discord server, Eras RP has been used as a setting for about three years now and is open for anyone in TNP to join. Order is maintained by a team of role play moderators who ensure that people are obeying the rules of North Pacific RP. While things have slowed down recently in Eras, a lot of important events have occurred in the past few months that will shape the future of role play in Eras.
The biggest such event currently ongoing, though somewhat stalled due to the two key people being busy with real life, is the Council for the Reaffirmation of the Alliance of Northern Unions (ANU). In Eras, many nations have banded together to form alliances and unions in order to strengthen their nation’s position in the world. The two largest alliances are the Pan-Gotic Union (PGU) and the Phoenix Union (PU). The PGU is a union of nations that are ethnically Gotic, the Eras equivalent of German. The PU is a union of nations that are positioned on the Phoenix Strait, an area of strategic and economic importance in Eras. The predecessor to the PGU, the Northwestern Union (NWU), had been working on an agreement with the PU which would form the Alliance of Northern Unions (ANU). However, before either party could ratify the agreement, the NWU was disbanded and replaced by the PGU. Now that the PGU is firmly situated, members of both the PU and the PGU have gathered at a conference to discuss the actual ratification of the ANU. However, the proposed alliance is seeing significant opposition from powerful nations like the Ilian Coalition and Xentherida, members from within the proposed alliance, and it's future is most definitely in question.
Another important event that has been transpiring is the formation of the Trillium Compact (TC) which is the successor to the Trillium Accord (TA), and is an organization of democratic nations designed to further the goals of national sovereignty and voluntary cooperation between nations. The TC, having just been ratified, has now gone searching for new members to join their ranks. These proposed nations are Iraelia as an Associate Member and Goyanes and Syrixia as Observer Members. Many of these proposed members have received criticism from some sitting members of the TC. Syrixia is a self described autocracy and fails to meet the important democratic requirements in the eyes of the Ilian Coalition, Xentherida, and the Hastfradic League. Goyanes, while democratic, has strong allegiances to the PGU and PU which has off set several members of the alliance. Iraelia is also a democracy, but a history of racial tension in the nation has put the TC on edge. Needless to say, these nations will have to fight tooth and nail for entrance into the TC.
On a more local level, there have been several ongoing national role plays. One such story is Modergen, a character RP within the nation of Goyanes which centers around a terrorist attack on a newly built subway station in Goyanes by an organization seeking to re-institute dictatorial rule to the nation of Xentherida. They bomb the station under the guise of fascists from the nation of Ninhundland, a neighbour and sworn enemy of Goyanes, in the hopes that it may lead to war and further their end goal. Another active story is Yavneh Roya which is a traditional Iraelian holiday celebrating independence from the nation of Syrixia. This Yavneh Roya, the Prime Minister of Iraelia invited nations of the world to celebrate with the Iraelian government. The final major event that is ongoing is the Post Crown Conflict wherein Eras had recently gone through a major conflict where the nations of Samaria and Scallendovia declared war on the nation of Cogoria. The conflict has devastated the region and resulted in the destruction of Scallendovia. As a result, both Cogoria and Samaria have sent representatives to the Merillian League, acting as a neutral third party, to sign a peace treaty. Both nations signed the treaty, and the conflict has finally come to an end.
This has been Roleplay Reel #1.
by Atlae, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs
This column does not represent the views of the Government of The North Pacific.
There have always been things that separate regions, from the truly dedicated to the inactive ones, and is practically mandatory for activity: a means for communication. Many regions simply utilize their RMB to communicate, while others talk offsite on platforms such as IRC, Skype, or Discord. Today, we’ll be discussing Discord, specifically for the feeders, or the Pacifics.First stop, the North Pacific. As a control, let’s analyze TNP. It has a general channel, #the-agora; a debating channel #poolside (formerly #the-ring-of-fire); a gaming channel, #tnp-gamers-union; a music channel, #music-hall; and a spamming channel, #the-sewers. It’s RP, however, is located on another server dedicated to TNP RP. As for its governmental and regional functions, #magicality-grand-plaza and #regional-assembly-private are reserved for citizen-only activity, and #world-assembly, discussing WA activities. TNP has 8 voice channels, all of them accessible except for the ones reserved to the Security Council and the Administration.
Next is the East Pacific. Its Discord is much less active as its citizens prefer Skype, using it to talk about RP, politics, and as a general chat. However, they do have channels akin to TNP’s, with a general channel (#hotel-california), a gaming channel (#gaming), a music channel (#hall-of-music), and of course, a spamming channel (#spam-games). Unlike TNP, they have an RP channel similar to TNP’s but held within TEP’s main server, called #tep-evolved. However, it is not active much due to most RP talk on a Skype chat, also called TEP Evolved. Its only citizen-exclusive channel is #the-plaza, and their April Fool’s nuclear command center was held at #strategicaircommand. TEP has only two voice channels, General and Music Hall.
The Pacific, commonly referred to as NPO (New Pacific Order), has a quite active Discord server, with a general channel (#pacifica_harbour), a music channel (#radio_pacifica), and a spamming channel (#spam_fields). It has its roleplay in its server, (#roleplaying_discussion), and has a channel called #bot_development, which is hopefully self-explanatory. The Pacific also has a citizen-only chat called #the_square. It has three voice channels, dedicating a general, gaming, and a music channel.
The South Pacific, whereas, is very active when it comes to Discord. Like the previous regions, it has a general channel (#lampshade-bar), a gaming channel (#games), and a spamming channel (#coconut-grove). However, it has two channels dedicated to RP: #bantam-harbour and #roleplay-discussion. The latter is an advisor chat where one gets questions answered, while the former is a much more recent development, RPing within the Discord server (much like the recent trend of RMB role-playing in TNP’s RMB). TSP, however, has 8 citizen-only channels about regional government (TSP refers to residents as citizens, so Legislator is the equivalent). It has 8 voice channels, two of which are restricted to the regional government.
The West Pacific is our last stop for now. It has a very active Discord and a considerably less active Skype. As usual, it has a general channel (#the-lounge), a music channel (#karaoke_lounge_and_tiki_bar) not just for Karaoke Friday, and a spamming channel (#the-clubhouse). It also has a politics channel (#politics_and_stuff), a military recruitment channel (#twpaf_recruitment), and another channel called #celebrate-twp (the purpose is hopefully obvious). It has 5 roleplay servers, dedicated to Discord RPs of differing genres. It also has a channel dedicated to D&D (Dungeons & Dragons). It has #hall_of_nations as its citizen-only channel and has 4 voice channels (one general, one Karaoke Friday, and two D&D).
To conclude, we have seen many different utilizations of Discord. What each of the servers has in common is some general and spamming channels and a regional politics chat which makes it a characteristic of their region. While activity among them varies, it certainly sets them different from regions that do not have Discord servers.
by Iraelia, Citizen
This month, only four operations have been performed. This has been the first month under which Darcania has been the Minister of Defense.The first operation was a training op in Novis Vandium. Six soldiers made it in and the operation was a success.
The second operation was a training op in the regions of Warzone Australia and Warzone Sandbox. Four soldiers took part and both operations were a success.
The third operation was a training op in the regions of Puppet and abandon nations dump and The New Old South. Only the operation into the Puppet and abandon nations dump was successful. Five soldiers took part in this operation.
The fourth and final operation was a training op into the regions of both The New Pacific nations and Warzone Africa. Both operations were a success. Six soldiers took part in the operations.
This has been your monthly NPA Bulletin.
by Kasch, Vice Delegate
Monthly Memoirs is back again for July! This month, I put a spin on the questions and how they were submitted. This July, you got to ask the questions! Overall, 5 questions were asked and 22 answers were received! We had questions submitted from members in all corners of the community.Here are those questions:
And here are the answers!
abc:What has been your best experience in the North Pacific?
In all honesty, I have had a lot of very good experiences in The North Pacific. If I had to pick though, my best experience would have to be when I became an ambassador in the diplomatic team to TEP. It was the first time I really got to interact with members of TNP and other regions. Before that, I had mostly just answered my nation's issues and occasionally talked on the RMB but because of that I got a lot more involved in the region.
How much time do you give NationStates per day on average?
Too much.But in all actuality, I give NS about 2-3 hours per day on average scrolling through the forums, talking on Discord, and carrying out my duties as a DM. I also occasionally go on OOC binges spending up to 2 hours at a time trying to count to 10 without being interrupted by Siwale.
Why did you decide to be a part of Communications?
Communications lets me express myself openly to the residents of TNP and beyond. Also, I really enjoy writing and certainly get to do a lot of that in the ministry. The biggest reason I joined the ministry is because I wanted to interview members of TNP to get to know more about them and it's interesting to see how their stories both are similar and different from your own. So far I haven't had a chance to give an interview, but look forward to doing one in the near future.
If TNP was somehow suddenly disbanded overnight, where would you stay and why?
Ugh. This is hard. The region I've had the best experience in (only as a diplomat) has been 10,000 Islands. They've always been very friendly to me and are fun to talk with. I wouldn't mind being a citizen in their region and think it would suit me well.
Iraelia:
Brend0g:
Lord Ravenclaw:
Emperor von Friently:
Scorch:
Atlae:How much time do you give NationStates per day on average?
I normally give a few hours to NationStates, and I'm most likely underestimating it because I'm obsessed.
flemingovia:
Skittleyflakes:
by Scorch & Lord Ravenclaw, Min. Communications & Security Councilor
Scorch: Hello and welcome to the Spotlight segment for The Northern Lights, Issue XIV. I am joined today by former Delegate, Lord Ravenclaw. Thanks for joining me on the Spotlight. It is great to have you on.Lord Ravenclaw: No problem, it makes a change from sleeping on my recliner these days.
Scorch: Let's get started. First question. What was your first impression of TNP?
Lord Ravenclaw: Intimidation, quite honestly. I was a reasonably new player at the time I first encountered TNP, I was still new to regional politics and I was the Foreign Minister for an ally of TNP, Osiris at the time. The community, specifically the Regional Assembly and the Court intimidated me a lot as it was so much more rigid than Osiris or anything I had experience with prior.
Scorch: I had a similar reaction however TNP was my first experience in NationStates. My next question is what drew you to Foreign Affairs in NationStates?
Lord Ravenclaw: Well in a past game browser-game called Travian, I developed a knack for diplomacy and building alliances and factions so when I started looking for things to do in NationStates I figured that things wouldn't be too different from there… boy was I wrong.
Scorch: Interesting. What was your first official government position in any region in NationStates?
Lord Ravenclaw: Interior for Earth Reborn sometime in early 2009.
Scorch: What has been your favorite position to hold in TNP?
Lord Ravenclaw: Delegate was fun, it was a unique experience unlike anything else I've ever encountered within NationStates.
Scorch: It seems it is a position like no other. Has the development of Discord been something that you expected when you started having TNP use Discord?
Lord Ravenclaw: Well we have to remember that I started promoting Discord in November of 2015, starting with Alexandria. Gradually other regions tried it out for themselves, regions which shared some relationship with Alexandria, so Albion and Europeia were early adopters, the South Pacific at the end of the year, and TNP followed when I had the means to promote it here (when I was Delegate). I didn't expect it to catch on at all, truthfully. I had hoped, but never expected it so I'm rather pleased to have been surprised by this. We recently passed 800 members of the main TNP server.
Scorch: That is incredible. It is crazy to think about how much Discord is used now. What has been the biggest change in NationStates since you started playing?
Lord Ravenclaw: Well I can't pick one so I'll pick two: the influence changes to the GCRs which introduced decay back in 2013 and the Regional Officers implemented in 2016; both of these significantly change the dynamic and really do require regions to think more cautiously about their security.
Scorch: Both of those events happened before I arrived but it is hard for me to imagine NationStates without either of those aspects. What has been the most surprising event for you in your time in TNP?
Lord Ravenclaw: Surprising? The most surprising thing to me is that I stopped being afraid of the Constitution, Legal Code and Courts. I have always preferred roles which do not require me getting tangled in legalese, treaty-writing notwithstanding on that. That said, the days of me authoring legislation are gone, and they never visited TNP as I'm still terrified of even attempting to do that here.
Scorch: Is there a position you wish you had served in TNP?
Lord Ravenclaw: Hm, well I've held the positions of Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vice Delegate, Delegate, Minister of Culture, Senior Diplomat, Temporary Hearing Officer, Deputy Minister of Culture, Advisor to the Delegate and Security Councillor. Honestly, I think that I've held any position which interests me or that I have skills in.
Scorch: Final question. What has been your favorite part about playing NationStates?
Lord Ravenclaw: I've met some very interesting people, and I've formed some amazing friendships - McMasterdonia, Hileville, Xoriet and several others. I'm always surprised by the diversity of the people I encounter in the game, as there truly is a huge range of players of varying backgrounds within NationStates and if you make an effort to get to know some of these players they can offer you a unique insight into what their life is like, and it's a unique dynamic that is one of the most fulfilling things about forming a friendship with someone from a different part of the world.
Scorch: You really can meet interesting people through NationStates and form amazing relationships with them. Well, thank you for joining me today on the Spotlight. It has been a pleasure.
The Northern Lights: Beauty in Truth
Publisher: Pallaith :: Executive Editor: Scorch :: Managing Editor: Brend0g :: Graphic Artist: Imki + SillyString
The Northern Lights is produced by the Ministry of Communications on behalf of the Government of The North Pacific and distributed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Except where otherwise indicated, all content represents the views of the Government of The North Pacific.
Publisher: Pallaith :: Executive Editor: Scorch :: Managing Editor: Brend0g :: Graphic Artist: Imki + SillyString
The Northern Lights is produced by the Ministry of Communications on behalf of the Government of The North Pacific and distributed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Except where otherwise indicated, all content represents the views of the Government of The North Pacific.
