RAIDERCON 2023: A NEW FRONTIER

[Jakker]

RaiderCon starts tomorrow!

Get pumped

Join the party on the forum: http://s15.zetaboards.com/RaiderCon/index/
Join the party on NS: Move to The Black Riders
Join the party on IRC: #raidercon

[Jakker]

With RaiderCon right around the corner, I sat down with my RL girlfriend, a non-NS player to get her take on the event. She wanted me to provide the additional information that she is a PhD student studying biomedical engineering.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5FOhG ... sp=sharing

[Knot]

That was great<3

I'm not sure how my girlfriend would react to me doing all this though. >_>

[Ever-Wandering Souls]

Permsets are starting to go live! Day one event will stay hidden for a wee bit longer, but all the other subforums are live!

[Harenhime]

ermagawd Jakker's voice though....and you two are so cute!

Wait NS isn't work? STAPH you're killing my procrastination excuses! I work on this game too much!

All the clicking did happen in Texas. How could you sleep through that!

T'was a great interview

[Project Independence]

With RaiderCon right around the corner, I sat down with my RL girlfriend, a non-NS player to get her take on the event. She wanted me to provide the additional information that she is a PhD student studying biomedical engineering.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5FOhG ... sp=sharing

"So we need to pick a name for you"
"I don't know, uh... Ms Jakker?"
I was half expecting "Sorry, that's taken" xfd

[Harenhime]

"So we need to pick a name for you"
"I don't know, uh... Ms Jakker?"
I was half expecting "Sorry, that's taken" xfd

Jakker better found it before someone else does I won't...this time

[Ambroscus Koth]

Everyone has their Texas story...for me, I was actually DMing a game of Dungeons and Dragons at the time. I told my friends to basically just dick around for a few minutes while I jump, and they were very confused when I lept out of my chair yelling "YEAAAAHHHH! WE DID IT! SUCK IT NEWTEXAS!"

[Talidania]

I nominate- WraithFIN for devoted longetivity and service to DEN/TBR.

[Jakker]

The first panel on Raiding in GCRs has been opened up! The other panelists will be posting throughout the day, but Todd McCloud has already shared some thoughts

[Gracius Maximus]

I registered on the forum but can not post anything in the introduction section.

NM. Impatience is not a virtue.

[The Stalker]

With RaiderCon right around the corner, I sat down with my RL girlfriend, a non-NS player to get her take on the event. She wanted me to provide the additional information that she is a PhD student studying biomedical engineering.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5FOhG ... sp=sharing

Haha that was a very entertaining four minuets.

Have fun with the start of RaiderCon guys.

[Jakker]

Tomorrow's panel will include discussions of raiding from the past and how it has evolved over time. Shadow, who has been playing NS since 2003 and was part of the first all girl raid of April 2006 will be replacing Naginii on the panel. Join us for Day 2 of RaiderCon

[Jakker]

The panel for today is now open for attendees!
http://s15.zetaboards.com/RaiderCon/forum/3151539/

Interesting conversations yesterday on the role of raiding in GCRs.

NES listed three main purposes:
1. Activity for individuals
2. Global activity for the region
3. Provides Balance

Todd McCloud stated: "If a GCR wants to embark on having an army, it absolutely should raid." He then listed three components a GCR should strive for:

1. Be objective. Don't sway one way or another way too harshly - you'll alienate your region that way.
2. Answer to the people and its government only. Automatically choosing a side in the R/D conflict results in that army losing its sovereignty.
3. Be something fun for folks to do in the game. Many who will be attracted to this army are new folks who just want something to do in the game. If they have fun, they may stick around and be a part of your government.

Also the topic of Raiders within GCRs and how that relationship has looked over the years. Overall the consensus was articulated by Raven: "That said, there has definitely been a shifting attitude across NationStates in recent years in regards to Raiders."

[Jakker]

Yesterday was TBH's 10 year anniversary! Even Sorenity2 has joined the festivities in RaiderCon

We saw many discussions about older raids by OC and Shadow.

Of crazed discussed DEN's raid of Lazarus and TRR. Shadow, a former raider with Children of the Grave discussed "the first All-Girl's Raid" on East Asian Dominion.

Today's panel looks like Regions who don't identify as Raiders, but participate in the act. Learn more about their reasons and what it is like to raid when politics are involved!

Now open for business: http://s15.zetaboards.com/RaiderCon/forum/3151540/

[Knot]

In the spirit of kicks and giggles (and RaiderCon too), The United Defenders League and The FRA were raided at the major update. For even greater lulz, defender tools were utilized for triggering and TRR was one of the jump points.

The following raiders took part:
Knot (trigger)
Aurum Rider (point)
Gest (support)
Vandoosa (support)

"Rules: The tag must include the link to the RaiderCon forums or the regions will not be counted."
The WFE was never specified.... so the RMB is good enough: http://www.nationstates.net/page=rmb/postid=12532392 and http://www.nationstates.net/page=rmb/postid=12532554

[Cormac Stark]

In the spirit of kicks and giggles (and RaiderCon too), The United Defenders League and The FRA were raided at the major update. For even greater lulz, defender tools were utilized for triggering and TRR was one of the jump points.

Wow...

[The Mighty Warrior Horse]

*blows horn in celebration*

[Guy]

In the spirit of kicks and giggles (and RaiderCon too), The United Defenders League and The FRA were raided at the major update. For even greater lulz, defender tools were utilized for triggering and TRR was one of the jump points.

Wow...

They're free to retake our non-executive Delegacy every update.

[Jakker]

I sincerely loved reading the answers give by Onder and Kraketopia in yesterday's panel. They both approached the topic of raiding within non-raider regions in a very pragmatic way. Essentially, raiding is a vital part in many non-raiding regions and has many benefits. Here are some quotes:

Onder: "Raiders, unlike idealistic defenders, make no claims about how sovereign regions should behave. To enjoy good relations with the major defender organisations, the Imperialist regions would have had to abandon many of our offensive military operations. Raiders make no such demands in relation to defensive operations."

Kraketopia: "Having political meaning makes it so much better. It makes the raid feel more real, that it has more value than simply saying "Aha, we got you!" I like the extra thought that goes into planning operations when you have to take policy considerations into mind, it adds a new dimension to military planning that I find enjoyable. Most importantly though, political raiding allows me to benefit my region directly. I feel very attached to Europeia, and knowing that I'm helping expand Europeian foreign relations through my operations adds something significant for me."

Onder:"More importantly, however, having an active and large military which is regularly carrying out major occupations and bolstering them with significant reinforcements, across a range of targets, is a significant diplomatic benefit (including in joint operations with partners, such as the UIAF's operation with The North Pacific in Scotland). For an Imperialist region in particuar, projecting military power is important. Raiding in general provides a region with a mechanism for projecting power at a time and place of its choosing. "

Onder: "Yet why should it be considered normal for non-raider regions to refuse to countenance raiding? Being something other than a region founded around raiding alone does not mean that a region has an inherent objection to aggressive military action. In considering why a non-raider region should raid, we should remember that non-raider regions are a very diverse group and there is nothing intrinsic to being "non-raider" which means one is "anti-raiding". Conflating "non-raider" with "anti-raiding" is the most significant error of Independence's critics. Whether a region or individual identifies as raider does not require them to adopt any particular perspective on raiding. There is no why reason why a non-raider region should be defined as a region which has sympathy with defender ideals or neutrality. "Raider" is a category that refers to the characteristics, traditions and ideology of a specific group of regions. When non-raider regions are categorised as the opposite of a supposed defender ideal, the term "Raider" ceases to possess a definition in its own right and becomes a means of labelling defenders' opponents according to the caricatures which happen to persist in in defenders' imaginations. Aside from being inaccurate, it is profoundly unfair to both raider regions and those non-raider regions which raid to adopt such classifications."

Kraketopia: "We have worked with other raiding groups as well, and I've yet to have any issues with them. Raiders realize that if they choose to raid with us, there will be some restrictions applied, and they accept them going in. The ERN has always enjoyed working with raiding organizations; they're some of the most fun, awesome people."

Onder: "Raiding is a proactive activity. This carries distinct advantages for a primarily political region. A raiding region can choose where to attack (allowing them to tailor targets to their political concerns) and when to deploy. A defensive mission, with the exception of counter-invasions, is reactive, meaning defenders often have no idea whom they fighting or why, and have to be ready to respond to a raid at a moment's notice. Defending therefore requires a lot more updater resources than raiding does (which is partly why defender organisations have often operated through inter-regional alliances). For a political region, whose members have little interest in military activity for its own sake, raiding is therefore more convenient and more suitable for the nature of a single-region army. If an Independent region was to adjust its balance of raiding-defending missions to eliminate perceived bias, it would be artificially allowing its priorities to be set by raider-defender considerations, as opposed to conducting military operations according to its natural interests."

There has been a change in schedule. NES's piece on Intelligence in Raiding will be posted tomorrow. Today will be the interview I had with Apulita, delegate of Warzone Europe. It is now open for viewing and asking questions.

http://s15.zetaboards.com/RaiderCon/top ... 802/1/#new

[Bhang Bhang Duc]

Really enjoying these summaries Jakker, they make very interesting reading. Oh and Happy 10th Anniversary to The Black Hawks.

[Valrifell]

Really enjoying these summaries Jakker, they make very interesting reading. Oh and Happy 10th Anniversary to The Black Hawks.

HUZCAW

[Jakker]

Really enjoying these summaries Jakker, they make very interesting reading. Oh and Happy 10th Anniversary to The Black Hawks.

Thank you! Glad you're enjoying them.

I really liked catching up with Apulita, delegate of Warzone Europe. I don't have much interact with warzones, so it was intriguing to get that side. Some highlights from the interview:

Jakker: Theoretically, if raiding did not exist, warzones would not have been created. What are your thoughts on raiding and its role in warzones?

Apulita: Raiding plays a very important role in the Warzones. Usually that role is breaking things, but that's beside the point. We obviously don't like the idea of being raided, I doubt many groups do, but the fact is that we love raids after they've happened, or when they happen to a different warzone. Warzones were established to be fought over, we're here as a fighting community, and if there's no fights then things can get dull, really. Meaning a drop in activity, possibly even a drop in nations, and some lovely stagnation thrown in too. Raids serve the same role in the Warzones as wildfire served in the forests. Burn away the stagnant and dead, bring excitement and activity, and see the lands reborn again, fresh and energetic, if a little singed. Here is a good a place as any to mention the fact that Warzone Europe was actually building quite friendly relations with the Black Riders prior to the whole collapse. We cooperated with them on some raids, consulted each other on the Warzones a bit. Between Black Riders and Association of Imperialism we have had a lot of friends among the raiding community, Warzone Europe's even gone on a few raids of it's own! Our primary achievement being the destroying and refounding of Aurignis, a region WZEU had a longstanding rivalry with.


Jakker: What is your ideal relationship between warzones and raiding?

Apulita: I think I'd like to see raiding continue in the Warzones, there are plenty of them for raiders to break. Ideally, Warzone Europe comes out on top of course, but you can't win 'em all. I think raiders and Warzoners can have a very interesting relationship. The Turks and the ANZACs saw each other as almost brothers despite being in opposing trenches. Of course, there's always room for actual cooperation like what was happening with the Black Riders. Warzoners could always go raiding alongside allies in the raiding community, make friends and the like. That would keep us active, as well as safer. Perhaps friendship is the way to go in future.


Jakker: There is a view by non-raider players that it is more acceptable for them to invade warzones than other regions. Often, defending groups raid warzones for training. Additionally, some GCRs who raid will, only or predominately, hit warzones. How do you feel about that?

Apulita: To be completely honest, I agree. It is most definitely more acceptable to raid Warzones, and while we'll always resist raids, we won't complain about them. Warzones are intended battlegrounds. We decided to take the challenge of establishing a community here rather than anywhere else, in some amount because of the background of these regions. So it's our responsibility to defend ourselves. It's been a long-standing cultural icon here in the Warzones that we don't consider ourselves entitled to our communities or our home region. If we can't defend our home through war and alliance, we don't deserve it.

Please enjoy today's event: NES' personal on Scientia potentia est: Intelligence in Raiding
http://s15.zetaboards.com/RaiderCon/top ... 023/1/#new

[Jakker]

NES' piece on Intelligence was really relevant as news just broke out on TNI's operation with FRA.

Here is the last section:

"Today, a wide spectrum of NS regions accept Raiding, including many GCRs, most of whom were under the wing of Defender alliances when I started the game. Indeed, to exemplify the shift, both of the two newest nsinkers which in many ways represent the modern game have been able to engage in raiding, and its been a pleasure to be involved in Balder for example to see this through. This massive achievement of bringing raiding activities to such a wide spectrum has been made possible by the commitment of all those who chose to widen the scope of their activities and thus knowledge. People like Todd McCloud and Evil Wolf for example, but by no means only. The widening of raiding activities from small and vulnerable groups, to the most advanced political regions in the game, has benefited raiding as a practice tremendously, indeed, it was crucial in its survival.

Raiding was looked down on by Defenders as a failing art, a backwards system. And in some ways it was very single dimensional, predictable - and easy to infiltrate. What a long journey it has been that we can stand where we do now. Raiding, far from being wiped out as a practice, has matched and even beaten Defenders, on countless occasions; diplomatically, politically, militarily - across the board. Something that was unthinkable when I joined the game, and would never have been possible without the knowledge we have built up and utilised over the years. Knowledge of all aspects; military, politics, diplomacy - gained through a variety of networking and intelligence, as well as plain old learning through experience.

What this story is really all about though is my realisation. A realisation out of necessity really - out of the destruction we endured, the defeats we suffered - the blatantly inferior position we were in. I made a decision to not go on being weak, but to fight back. But I came to understand we could not do this without understanding how the wider world worked, and being actively involved in it. We had to acquire knowledge, to have any real power."

Today's panel on new raiding is now open. Enjoy!
http://s15.zetaboards.com/RaiderCon/forum/3151543/

[Jakker]

On Connecting to Raider History:

Ever-Wandering Souls: "So frankly, we don't learn a lot about what's happened in the past. The two best sources I've found are the people above us (when they're willing to talk), and the old forums they can often point to. Even then, the details - names, operations - are often lost in favor of short summaries. On top of there, there are people and events some are unwilling to discuss, or just plainly don't remember.

For that reason, I think one of the greatest features of this event is the Hall or History. There may not be many plaques there now, but I hope to see it grow over the years, and become a central hub for at least summaries of what once was."

Marselesk: "So this might paint a picture of how overwhelmed i was when i realized how many well renowned raiders existed and how much they did. It makes you feel out of place, a bit. Like your a child playing with a toy tank, next to an actual marine in a tank. But it also give you a sense of ambition and motivation to work harder. I often tried to get as much info about past operations and raiders as possible, since i'm a bit of a history nut. Like Souls said, you go past a dead region not knowing what it is, and then get told later on that it was one of the most significant raiders regions of it's day. And even though i feel bummed out that i won't get to study through the history of ancient regions, i'm also kinda happy because there's so much history that i'd have to go through that it would take me an entire summer. I am glad to have met some older raiders like Halcones, with whom i occasionally still talk to, because it gives you kinda a sense of how the old generations were and how they did things."

Festavo: "I really do not know much about raiding history. Not many people want to tell the new guys old stories and not many new guys want to do a lot of research. I really do wish that all or some of the old raiders would get together and compile a history of raiding that all can read and appreciate."

On the Challenges of Starting a New Raider Organization:

Valrifell: "Starting a region with 4-5 active people is good to get the illusion of higher numbers and activity, but those forces cannot even begin to compete with having a region do two high-profile occupations at once, hence why when after a power vacuum erupts, it is the only chance one has to steal the top spot (as we've seen with TBR and TBH, in my opinion). In my experience, the raiding and Gameplay climate in general has been "Go to these regions, these are the standard Defender/Raider regions, nobody else matters", which naturally makes it harder to get startups going and new blood into the system. The only way a change could come is if everyone started thinking "Hey, wouldn't GP be a lot more entertaining with a bunch of smaller groups instead of one or two big ones?" Of course, such a change could only be successful if it came from the people who benefit the most from the current system.

So, in my opinion, we won't see new startups until TBH or whoever rises after TBR collapses, but that would only bring about a small period of time before the next Raider Hyperpower emerges."

Revall: "Having three-four really active guys who are committed to the cause is of paramount important to weather the ups and downs, leaves of absences, bouts of inactivity and divide up the workload evenly. Since they touched on those points quite well let me say that it is just as important for smaller raider regions who seek to collaborate with more established groups, to avoid losing their own identity in the process. There were groups for example who would tag along with TBR on tag raids and would be accused of being no better than extensions of TBR especially because many of them would not take initiative in instigating their own operations. It is important for a raider region to establish a unique theme and stick with it such as Shadoke did in Madrigal when he employed a Mafia theme which I thought was pretty interesting. It is slightly concerning that we haven’t really seen a new raider region in some time although this can be related to many newer raiders starting regions that seek to do a little bit of everything from government to RP to GP rather than just raiding such as Ceirien and Sanctum. We also see more raiders being a part of multiple organizations which also limits them in terms of having time/desire to start their own region."

Please enjoy the last day of RaiderCon with Koth's pieces on how the OFO was Built:
http://s15.zetaboards.com/RaiderCon/top ... 450/1/#new