We are about to start a new year and a new term that promise to be one of the more exciting chapters not only in NS but in TNP as well. A new group of players is joining us as citizens, old friends have returned to lend a hand once again, and the order of the world in gameplay as we have known it has shifted in major ways, more rapidly and more completely than we have become accustomed to. I believe this is a time when new approaches to how we have done things are necessary, but those approaches must be spearheaded by someone with the experience to apply them quickly and effectively. I have been involved primarily in two areas in the last year: foreign affairs and the world assembly. These are where the biggest shifts in the game have been taking place, and where the greatest amount of experience is necessary to navigate the new year ahead of us. I have also served as Vice Delegate since the past summer, and have been part of some of our best efforts yet to enhance and track the progress of endorsements in the region. These efforts must continue to ensure the region is in the strongest position in the WA and by extension the wide game world.
Below is my preferred approach and outline for how I will handle our various areas of government.
In my view TNP needs to quit sticking its head in the sand and needs to be part of the world around us. This extends into every aspect of what we do, from defense to the World Assembly. We are not without conviction, and I fear that by shying away from conflict or taking part in world events, even if only rhetorically, we may give off the false impression that we have no convictions, or at least don’t have very strong ones. Worse, we may inadvertently lend credibility to old charges that we are aloof or unconcerned with anyone else but ourselves. Today’s NS world is different even from the one we knew just a month and a half ago. Going it alone is not an option, and that includes choosing not to participate in the events of the day. I am not the first one to say as much, nor is this the first platform to state that TNP must be a more active player on the world stage. We did a better job of that in recent months, and I think it is fair to say we have turned a corner. Now we must keep moving in that better direction.
Last time I was delegate my big idea was for us to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and try to be friendly and participating in everyone’s region, and become better friends with the small regions with which we had embassies. This wasn’t easily achieved, and in the end the most significant FA developments came from direct interaction with our closest allies and largest neighbors. Subsequent events also showed how fleeting or illusory those diplomatic gains had been, but having experienced the past year and especially seen how much the state of the game has been altered even in the last month and a half, I believe this is the perfect time for TNP to really invest in the game beyond our shores. Forging stronger relationships one ambassador at a time won’t get the job done. I believe we have a lot of talent in the Diplomatic Corps which can be directed to specific regions where it is best suited or has the most experience, but this cannot be replicated in every ambassador posting. Those efforts which can be made to pair well-suited and experienced ambassadors will be a priority, and in the rest of the cases we will ensure our lines of communication remain constant and we learn all we can from our embassies.
Last time I was delegate my big idea was for us to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and try to be friendly and participating in everyone’s region, and become better friends with the small regions with which we had embassies. This wasn’t easily achieved, and in the end the most significant FA developments came from direct interaction with our closest allies and largest neighbors. Subsequent events also showed how fleeting or illusory those diplomatic gains had been, but having experienced the past year and especially seen how much the state of the game has been altered even in the last month and a half, I believe this is the perfect time for TNP to really invest in the game beyond our shores. Forging stronger relationships one ambassador at a time won’t get the job done. I believe we have a lot of talent in the Diplomatic Corps which can be directed to specific regions where it is best suited or has the most experience, but this cannot be replicated in every ambassador posting. Those efforts which can be made to pair well-suited and experienced ambassadors will be a priority, and in the rest of the cases we will ensure our lines of communication remain constant and we learn all we can from our embassies.
It is hard to predict what events will take place in NS or when certain other regions or organizations will be available. It will continue to be my goal for the NPA to partner with our allies and neighbors on at least one joint-op each but this is always a shifting goal. Fortunately, we have seen great strides in the quality and quantity of experienced and capable officers, something that had concerned me the last time I was delegate. To ensure that continues to be the case, I want to focus more heavily than ever on recruitment for NPA. We have a greater number of people getting involved in TNP with the recent citizenship reform, and events abroad have reminded us that our military needs to be polished and ready to go at a moment’s notice.
I supported recent changes to NPA policy that expanded the kind of operations we could participate in, but it is important that in every operation, we continue to respect the community and identity of the regions we encounter, and that we do not behave in needlessly destructive ways. Our activities, as they have been as far back as I can remember and during my time as delegate, will always be to preserve our own regional interests and those of our allies. I will not be reinventing the wheel here.
I supported recent changes to NPA policy that expanded the kind of operations we could participate in, but it is important that in every operation, we continue to respect the community and identity of the regions we encounter, and that we do not behave in needlessly destructive ways. Our activities, as they have been as far back as I can remember and during my time as delegate, will always be to preserve our own regional interests and those of our allies. I will not be reinventing the wheel here.
All existing programs will be continued. Having said that, I believe we are long overdue for a very close and critical look at our network of communications and information. We’ve seen a great expansion of telegrams and dispatches, along with more regular press releases. Players in TNP have more mail than ever, and we need to know that it is yielded maximum returns or if it’s falling on deafened ears. The previous term has seen an even greater focus on bringing in the gameside community. It is time they provide us with help only they can provide, and give us the best picture we have yet of how we can streamline and reduce excessive methods of communication. Sporadic requests to be removed from lists or scattered complaints about spam are not unheard of, but they do not really give us an accurate picture of how we can improve our outreach. I admit this may be an overly ambitious, nebulous goal, but it’s time we take a serious look at it.
As the person who ended the RMB Guardian program and established the Gameside Advocates, I have an idea for how we can not only improve on that model, but take advantage of the recent citizenship reform and enhance the outreach and inclusion of gameside players. A primary facet of the Gameside Advocates model was that the advocates would be comprised in great part of players who were primarily active on the RMB or were in both communities fairly evenly. These advocates would bridge the two aspects of the community and find ways to get payers from both involved with each other. In practice they have become something of a RMB police force, making sure the RMB is clean and troublemakers are dealt with. This is undoubtedly an important aspect of the role, but was never intended to be the primary or only function. Going forward I would like this group to recruit as heavily as possible from our new citizens who are gameside-active, and would like to see more programs like the AMAs that the Gameside Advocates sponsored this past term, but with more of a focus on their participation. That is to say, I want to see forum game-type activities but on the RMB (avoiding crossing the spam rules), or maybe prominent RMB players who do an AMA or feature on our Discord server for a change. This can include the oft-cited but inconsistently-hosted RMB trivia, which should be an ongoing, month-long event which would lend itself to multiple winners and establish it at last as a staple of the region’s gameside activity. We should also make greater use of The Northern Light, and one way we can do that and enhance gameside activity is putting up polls for TNL’s NS issues. It is, after all, the regional nation, so it stands to reason the region would have a say in how it decides the outcome of its issues.
We will also need mentors to focus especially on RMB-active players whose exposure to the forum may be limited to their initial post to gain citizenship or subsequent posts to vote. These mentors will need to look outside the forum as well, and be prepared to lend their help and advice via RMB post and telegram as well. Increasingly, the efforts of these mentors and staff will need to be more well-rounded, as they must be able to serve all kinds of citizens in our community.
As the person who ended the RMB Guardian program and established the Gameside Advocates, I have an idea for how we can not only improve on that model, but take advantage of the recent citizenship reform and enhance the outreach and inclusion of gameside players. A primary facet of the Gameside Advocates model was that the advocates would be comprised in great part of players who were primarily active on the RMB or were in both communities fairly evenly. These advocates would bridge the two aspects of the community and find ways to get payers from both involved with each other. In practice they have become something of a RMB police force, making sure the RMB is clean and troublemakers are dealt with. This is undoubtedly an important aspect of the role, but was never intended to be the primary or only function. Going forward I would like this group to recruit as heavily as possible from our new citizens who are gameside-active, and would like to see more programs like the AMAs that the Gameside Advocates sponsored this past term, but with more of a focus on their participation. That is to say, I want to see forum game-type activities but on the RMB (avoiding crossing the spam rules), or maybe prominent RMB players who do an AMA or feature on our Discord server for a change. This can include the oft-cited but inconsistently-hosted RMB trivia, which should be an ongoing, month-long event which would lend itself to multiple winners and establish it at last as a staple of the region’s gameside activity. We should also make greater use of The Northern Light, and one way we can do that and enhance gameside activity is putting up polls for TNL’s NS issues. It is, after all, the regional nation, so it stands to reason the region would have a say in how it decides the outcome of its issues.
We will also need mentors to focus especially on RMB-active players whose exposure to the forum may be limited to their initial post to gain citizenship or subsequent posts to vote. These mentors will need to look outside the forum as well, and be prepared to lend their help and advice via RMB post and telegram as well. Increasingly, the efforts of these mentors and staff will need to be more well-rounded, as they must be able to serve all kinds of citizens in our community.
After two terms as Delegate, I found Communications to be both an area of triumph as well as a missed opportunity. We were successful in releasing seven editions of TNL, six of which were consecutive, but I had hoped to do much more with NBS than we managed to accomplish. NBS has lived on since my delegacy, and is now in a period of potential ascendancy. This is a project I plan to expand even further. The end of the last term also saw us lean into differentiating the different projects Communications works on. TNL had quantity but not quality, and in TNS we can continue to produce informational content at the same quantity, without being concerned that our flagship product, TNL, isn’t offering the best our best and brightest can do. Much as TNL and TNS accomplish very different things and allow for us to create more diverse content, I hope to expand NBS beyond instructional videos and have multiple tiers of shows. Past delegates have had fireside chats, I would like to explore regular shows with more concentrated content, including one-one-one discussions or interviews like those we have regularly had in print.
Numbers-wise, I am aiming for four TNS releases and at least one but hopefully two TNL releases. There is no reason TNS cannot be done as frequently as TNL has been done recently, given its well-established formula, whereas TNL will take time to develop its content and also be more substantial in topic and length. Additionally, I want us to get as close as possible to weekly NBS broadcasts, spanning the variety of show-types I had in mind. This should reduce the struggle to come up with content every week by letting us put on a show best suited for the week’s events or available speakers.
Numbers-wise, I am aiming for four TNS releases and at least one but hopefully two TNL releases. There is no reason TNS cannot be done as frequently as TNL has been done recently, given its well-established formula, whereas TNL will take time to develop its content and also be more substantial in topic and length. Additionally, I want us to get as close as possible to weekly NBS broadcasts, spanning the variety of show-types I had in mind. This should reduce the struggle to come up with content every week by letting us put on a show best suited for the week’s events or available speakers.
In the past I aimed for synergy in our ministries, where the combined efforts of staff across ministries could work together for a common project. I see an opportunity to do that with Culture and FA this term. Over in TWP there’s an effort to build an education ministry which will focus on teaching history in NS, focusing on the old relationships, power players, and major events that shaped the game and in many ways continue to do so. I believe we can utilize the vast knowledge and experience of our own community to further that project, and put it to work collaborating with TWP. When we aren’t doing this directly, we can devote those efforts to expanding the content of our university so that we work on something similar in parallel. The last time I was delegate I hoped that TNP could be a destination for prospective WA authors. I believe we can be a destination for those wishing to learn more about this game and its history as well.
Our region’s roleplay has continued to thrive and develop and now encompasses the world created by our primarily-gameside players. The previous year has also seen a successful treaty with a world-renowned rp region, Greater Dienstad. Just as we can enhance the mission of our university, I believe we can replicate the success of our prior rp event with GD and lend our own expertise in rp to other regions. Culture can continue its ongoing partnership with our roleplay team and if not add a valuable wing to our university, lay the foundation for a new one with roleplay as its focus. All roleplay-centric publications should not only continue to happen, but should be regularly released and just as important to our Communications team’s distributions, alongside TNL and TNS.
In addition to this, I would like us to host a cultural event primarily on the RMB. We typically utilize Discord, but I want to continue investing in the great work we have been doing with the gameside community. We have seen great use of embassy posting this past term during Culture’s cruise around the world. I hope we can utilize embassy posting again to engage our embassy regions with our regulars on the RMB for some focused games, competitions, or discussion. Additionally, more events like our Endorsement Frenzy would allow the gameside community to be more involved in greater regional goals, and we can utilize the new NS cards feature in our prizes and awards for participating in these events.
Our region’s roleplay has continued to thrive and develop and now encompasses the world created by our primarily-gameside players. The previous year has also seen a successful treaty with a world-renowned rp region, Greater Dienstad. Just as we can enhance the mission of our university, I believe we can replicate the success of our prior rp event with GD and lend our own expertise in rp to other regions. Culture can continue its ongoing partnership with our roleplay team and if not add a valuable wing to our university, lay the foundation for a new one with roleplay as its focus. All roleplay-centric publications should not only continue to happen, but should be regularly released and just as important to our Communications team’s distributions, alongside TNL and TNS.
In addition to this, I would like us to host a cultural event primarily on the RMB. We typically utilize Discord, but I want to continue investing in the great work we have been doing with the gameside community. We have seen great use of embassy posting this past term during Culture’s cruise around the world. I hope we can utilize embassy posting again to engage our embassy regions with our regulars on the RMB for some focused games, competitions, or discussion. Additionally, more events like our Endorsement Frenzy would allow the gameside community to be more involved in greater regional goals, and we can utilize the new NS cards feature in our prizes and awards for participating in these events.
I believe I have this down to a science. You will get early and consistent votes from me. I will always hit major update and I will almost always hit minor (weekends will be tricky). I have an avid interest in the affairs of the World Assembly, I have spent nearly all my time as a member of TNP working with our friends in WALL. And because of that work I also see where we have places we can improve. Collaboration on vote recommendations, for instance, is not what it once was. Even discussion of upcoming and ongoing votes has fractured, and takes place on a very ad-hoc basis. It is time to bring robust discussion and information sharing back to WALL, especially with new delegates coming up in many of the signatory regions.
The past year has seen a lot of activity on the author front. The WA ministry has been perfecting a sponsorship program for WA resolutions, and I want to see it expanded. I always wanted TNP to be a destination for authors, and I feel we can achieve that if the program is visible and promoted. That I why I hope to more prominently feature it in communications related to WA matters that are transmitted to the region. I also want to include it as part of a broader goal of being even more visible on the world stage. I was WA minister this past year and one of goals was to be part of WA discussions before the resolutions even made it to queue to be discussed by our team. That absolutely must become a regular occurrence as part of our greater effort to be a more involved player on the word stage. We must be part of the effort in crafting WA resolutions, not just the distant emperor who offers a thumbs up or thumbs down after it makes it all the way to vote. And when our ministry sponsors an author’s resolution, we can use our automated tools to campaign for their resolution and give them the boost they need to succeed. Hopefully in so doing, we can also spread goodwill in the WA and show everyone that WALL can be beneficial to the WA at large.
The past year has seen a lot of activity on the author front. The WA ministry has been perfecting a sponsorship program for WA resolutions, and I want to see it expanded. I always wanted TNP to be a destination for authors, and I feel we can achieve that if the program is visible and promoted. That I why I hope to more prominently feature it in communications related to WA matters that are transmitted to the region. I also want to include it as part of a broader goal of being even more visible on the world stage. I was WA minister this past year and one of goals was to be part of WA discussions before the resolutions even made it to queue to be discussed by our team. That absolutely must become a regular occurrence as part of our greater effort to be a more involved player on the word stage. We must be part of the effort in crafting WA resolutions, not just the distant emperor who offers a thumbs up or thumbs down after it makes it all the way to vote. And when our ministry sponsors an author’s resolution, we can use our automated tools to campaign for their resolution and give them the boost they need to succeed. Hopefully in so doing, we can also spread goodwill in the WA and show everyone that WALL can be beneficial to the WA at large.
When I last ran for Delegate I hoped that TNP could be an innovative leader, and example to the wider gameplay world of what our robust democracy could achieve. I was new to the GCR political world and while we did some great work, we tended to play things safe. It is time to flex our muscles and be heard. This does not mean creating new conflicts or inserting ourselves into places we do not belong. When we do not have a stake in a fight, or we are not interested in something that is happening, we can still lend a hand or offer advice, and if nothing else acknowledge that we are aware of what is going on. Communication with those outside our borders can stand to be improved and I aim to do just that. Times are changing and TNP has been changing with them, we’ve just been careful and deliberate in that change. That is fine and it’s a great part of why we’re as stable and consistent as we have been, but we can do more. I do not believe TNP is timid, so it is time we stand up and be counted, and live up to the potential I know we have.
Thank you again for hearing me out, and thank you in advance for your support and your vote. I hope to earn it once again, and welcome your thoughts and questions.
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