RAIDERCON 2023: A NEW FRONTIER

[Evil Wolf]

Wait a minute. When did Blackbird destroy a forum?

The first Invaders forum destruction, The DEN HQ forum destruction, and The Black Hawks forum destruction. The second Invaders Forum destruction is the one that's a bit iffy, since he authorized it with the understanding that it had been made possible because of a defection within Invader Army's ranks. In reality, his agents had cracked the MSN account for one of Invader's Admins and used that to destroy the forums. All the same, however, he still put his stamp of approval on it at first.

Was he personally doing the destroying? No. Was he the one that authorized, encouraged, promoted the use of, and rewarded forum destruction? Yes.

If I train one of my Wolves to do effective Sleeper Raids, order them to infiltrate a target, give them support and intelligence, provide them updaters to push them over the hill, and backup when they capture the region, was I the one who physically raided the region? No. Did I do the key work that made that raid possible? Yes.

Without Blackbird and Eurosoviets, the RLA would have never destroyed forums because it would have lacked the motivation to do so and the intelligence network to even give their agents a chance to do so. Did Blackbird pull the metaphorical trigger? No. But he did build the gun, train the spy, pick out the target, scout the area, and helped put that spy in position to take the shot? Yes.

So without Blackbird, no one would have been shooting, or Forum Destroying, in this case. He's just as guilty as the person actually performing the task, arguably even more so.

[New Antegria II]

Ill be there can i bring my Machine gun

[General Knot]

Wait a minute. When did Blackbird destroy a forum?

Involved in the destruction of DEN and the Invaders Army fora at the very least.

Edit: Or I mean, Evil Wolf knows a lot more about that!

[Ever-Wandering Souls]

Fun fact, this isn't the thread for defending awards As much as I appreciate the defense, I'd also appreciate if requests for that body to rename their awards could be taken to the appropriate thread....for which this is not.

Here, it's been made clear that introducing and executing potential HoF removal procedures will not be a part of this year's RaiderCon. I trust Jakler when he says such matters will not be forgotten, and I'd appreciate if y'all would trust me when I say this is by no means an attempt to "sweep this under the rug" or similar accusations. You all should know TBH has taken the lead among the raiding world in backing up the predator ruling, so please don't go making accusations otherwise. Feel free to remind us if you think we've forgotten - knowing GP, and how nothing ever dies here, there's no way in hell this won't come up again next year if it does somehow slip through

The convention is a time and place for raiders, defenders, and all others to gather, have some fun, learn some history, see some new viewpoints, and come together in a non-hostile environment, so let's all just came together and have a good time, eh?

[Guy]

For the record, the DotY Award has not been named after anyone for years.

And yet the list of previous award winners still refers to the award as the "The Eurosoviets Award/Defender of the Year Award". I guess the message the FRA was trying to convey was "we recognize the controversy surrounding this known Forum Destroyer, but we're only paying lip-service and we're not really sorry at all".

It was previously named the Eurosoviets Award, and the thread reflects that. No point rewriting history - it was called that in the past.

With regards to Blackbird, your concerns are noted. I'd consider not being as quick to pounce, as the collateral may touch some on your side, too.

[The Ghost of Festavo]

I was involved in the last one and I can't wait to attend/maybe even be involved in this one too! I am glad this wasn't just a one time thing.

[Numero Capitan]

For what it is worth I'm not sure I agree with BT that removing individuals from the Hall of Fame makes sense, but it may be appropriate to add an addendum that their induction was before their rulebreaking came to light.

The RLA had their tactics and the FRA had others. Naming an award that recognises the achievements of enemies, after an individual that said enemies despise enough to ensure they won't flaunt it too much, is pretty good sense in my mind.

If raiders had the nous and good humour, they'd do something similar

[Evil Wolf]

If raiders had the nous and good humour, they'd do something similar

So, like the Halcones Award for Best Defender Script?

[Unibot III]

It seems that I've replaced Unibot in your heart, Rach.

That notion hurts more than anything else. The level of contempt we shared for one another was a special something, beautiful and undying. Two Canadians haven't banged heads together that much since Chretien met Conny - and it's not like Conny was a proper Canadian anyways. *dashes away, sticking his tongue out* Enjoy the romance, sucker!

[Vando0sa]

Oh I am still registered on the forums from last year! Guess i'll show up this year too! If the use of Predator is an issue that keeps certain folks from being nominated for awards and stuff there might be a shortage of nominations this year..

[Scardino]

Plenty of people kept their noses clean.

[Sygian]

If raiders had the nous and good humour, they'd do something similar

Oh boi

[McManniaa]

As someone who participated in last years preparatory stealth operation, I look forward to this years celebration. All hail the mighty raideron.

[Jakker]

The open nomination period is now underway! Until June 30th, all nations will have the opportunity to nominate gameplayers who they believe have made an outstanding contribution to raiding. Raid contributions can have been made on the battlefield, within regions, tactically, through intelligence, or any other area that has made the nominee an indispensable part of raiding history. The judges will vote on the nominees during RaiderCon. Any gameplayer who acts as a judge cannot be voted into the Raider Hall of Fame for that year.

Nominations can be made by telegramming Raiding Hall of Fame or posting in this thread. Any nomination must come with an detailed explanation or will be discounted. Make your voice be part of history. Below are the inductees from the first class.

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Red Back: Without the incredible efforts of RB, The Black Hawks would not exist today. He was the second founder of TBH and has served as the Commander for nearly a decade. He has contributed to several notable raids include Forest many years ago that reignited TBH, and most recently, serving as the sleeper for the raids of Hippiedom and Hell. RB is respected by all players and represents a role model all raiders should look up to.

Savaer: He was a powerhouse in raiding and for Unknown, serving in several leadership positions. He helped keep pure raiding alive during the post-NS2 era when nearly all raiding organizations were inactive. He contributed to several large scale raids including organizing or helping other Incognitan officers organize successful hits against major historical defender regions including Anticapitalist Alliance, Allied States of Euroislanders, and The Proletariat Coalition.

Evil Wolf: EW showed that pure raiders could be more that just players who raid. The second founder of LWU, EW has been one of raiding's leaders with raids including Lazarus and Anarchy, helped destroy Nazi Europe, and has served as delegate of TNP among other leadership positions. EW's political and strategic efforts has set him apart for years.

Of crazed: OC has been a bridge for many modern raiders of the past. He has had many impressive feats as a former Field Marshal of DEN including helping to lead the raid of The Rejected Realms with Taijitu, the Novus Orsa raid, and serving as the sleeper in the Catholic raid in 2012. OC has shown raiders time and time again how to be an outstanding, whole gameplayer.

Gest: Gest has served as a keystone in raiding over the past four years. Without him, TBR and now the current DEN would not have lasted to become one of the premier raiding organizations in NS history. Under his leadership, long standing occupations and countless tag raids have occurred. Gest is a shining example of sturdy consistency and a strategic leader in raiding.

Onderkelkia: As a player, Onder has greatly contributed to raiding over many years through the cooperation of several imperialist groups with raiders. He has led several large raids over the years including the 2012 raid of Belgium, which led to the raid of TRR, the first time a operation was used to overtake the sinker. Onder is a exceptional representation of a gameplayer who does not need to be a raider to positively impact raiding.

General Franks: Franks, a former DEN Field Marshal, was a raiding giant during his time who greatly influenced modern raiding. DEN's lasting reputation, in large part, is due to his efforts of bringing stealth raiding, and a visionary mind, to the group. He started The Jolly Rodger, a raiding group that solely focused on Update Raiding (something unheard of at the time). In addition, he created The Den, Ile de France, and The Old Raiding Club. As one judge commented, "He was universally loathed by defenders, and feared by natives and gameplayers alike."

[Scardino]

I would like to nominate Domination and The Heights. Some of their lasting contributions to the raiding world include taking great strides to improve Raider Unity at a time when we were most fragmented and furthering the image of raiders globally.

[General Knot]

I would like to nominate Domination and The Heights. Some of their lasting contributions to the raiding world include taking great strides to improve Raider Unity at a time when we were most fragmented and furthering the image of raiders globally.

Domination6 of DotW and The Heights of ABCA were also two of the four founding members of Invaders, which was an alliance formed from the merging of The Homeland, Domination of the World, and A Better Colonial Ambition on June 14th, 2004.

[Jakker]

I would like to nominate Domination and The Heights. Some of their lasting contributions to the raiding world include taking great strides to improve Raider Unity at a time when we were most fragmented and furthering the image of raiders globally.

Domination6 of DotW and The Heights of ABCA were also two of the four founding members of Invaders, which was an alliance formed from the merging of The Homeland, Domination of the World, and A Better Colonial Ambition on June 14th, 2004.

Thanks for the nomination and the information. The more information and rationale provided, the better equipped the judges will be to make decisions.

[Numero Capitan]

Do we know who the judges will be/who we can't nominate yet?

[Jakker]

Do we know who the judges will be/who we can't nominate yet?

I'm still waiting on a few confirmations, so I would encourage everyone to nominate as many players as they'd like now. If a player is nominated who is a judge, we will handle that then.

[Numero Capitan]

Given my previous comments I think the hall of fame should recognise those who deliver unique and clever raids that could only be achieved through intuitive thinking, leadership and executions, as well as those who think strategically (or have historically) about raiding in NS and have developed a positive culture, understood the wider context and political discourse and have played a pivotal role in protecting, expanding and flying the flag for raiding across a wider political spectrum. In doing so they have looked beyond their own region/s and understood the importance of influence and power on a more global scale.

I'd also look at individuals who have led diligently and effectively, especially against stacked odds or who have punched above their weight. I'd echo the comments NES made before the last convention that those qualities have more bearing that simply a nation being a workhorse.

With that in mind I'd actually like to nominate NES, his comments at the last RaiderCon are the perfect example of the reasons why and I'd encourage any and all to read back on them.

I'd like to nominate Red Kagran/PoDGunner for his invasion of the Rejected Realms, Crushing Our Enemies for the respect he has commanded for so long around the NS world, and Neutered Sputniks purely for once deleting Grub

[Zacherie]

I'd like to Nominate Ever Wandering Souls.
I think the reasons for doing so go without saying for anyone who knows him. Souls, who started from humble beginnings in TEK, to an assassin of Sicarius, he is now the Field Marshall of The Black Hawks, and he worked his way there with incredible raiding skill, and strength of character. I may not agree with him 100% of the time, but I know that any decision he makes has the best of intentions.

[We Are Not the NSA]

I'd like to Nominate Ever Wandering Souls.
I think the reasons for doing so go without saying for anyone who knows him. Souls, who started from humble beginnings in TEK, to an assassin of Sicarius, he is now the Field Marshall of The Black Hawks, and he worked his way there with incredible raiding skill, and strength of character. I may not agree with him 100% of the time, but I know that any decision he makes has the best of intentions.

During my lunch break today, I typed out the words "I would like to nominate Ever-Wandering Souls." Then I stopped and realized that I didn't want to waste my lunch break typing out a nomination that I knew was going to be the next one posted anyways. Now Aurum has proven me right, and I am happy.

tl;dr I'm lazy, and I second the motion.

[Mallorea and Riva]

... and Neutered Sputniks purely for once deleting Grub

Psh that's easy.

[Benevolent Thomas]

I'd like to Nominate Ever Wandering Souls.
I think the reasons for doing so go without saying for anyone who knows him. Souls, who started from humble beginnings in TEK, to an assassin of Sicarius, he is now the Field Marshall of The Black Hawks, and he worked his way there with incredible raiding skill, and strength of character. I may not agree with him 100% of the time, but I know that any decision he makes has the best of intentions.

He's too new!

[Kshrlmnt]

I think Jakker ought to be considered for his role in revitalizing TBH and leadership in some pretty impressive raids, re-expanding things from tagging. Plus, not to pander, but helping with RaiderCon probably means helping with raider unity. (I'm sure Hawks can provide much more detailed information in general than I can, though.)

I'd like to further nominate Shadow. As her main raiding days were long before mine, I don't know a ton about them, but I do know that for all the time I've been in NS, I've seen her skulking here and there, guiding and supporting both new and established regions.