September 2015 Issue
Interview with Tim-Opolis, Arch-Chancellor of the Founderless Regions Alliance
Jakker: In your opening speech as Arch-Chancellor, you mention that FRA’s current image needs improving because of “outdated or simply inaccurate stigma that continues to float around as either lingering paranoia or intentional misinformation by factions that might not be too amiable to us.” Which perceptions of the FRA are incorrect?
Tim: Honestly, most of them. Generally speaking, the three most common criticisms you'll find in regards to the FRA are that we draw troops away from the militaries of our member regions, that we seem to have a reputation for constantly infiltrating regions, and that we're saturated with deadweight regions. The first one of those is just silly, to be honest, with great examples such as the Rejected Realms Army and the Lazarene Liberation Army demonstrating that our member regions have their own very active military forces with none of those troops then rushing to apply into the FRA Rangers. On the front of infiltration, it's funny really. Most of the criticisms on that come from the Imperialists. Even if rumors are true, pot meet kettle. I'm not really sure how this is still floating around given there has been no, to my knowledge, recent occurence of the FRA actively infiltrating and trying to influence a region, and I welcome folks to come argue with me on that if they really want to. Finally, in terms of supposed deadweight regions, this is simply overplayed. Many of the regions cited still have incredibly dedicated and active members that contribute to the alliance consistently, and I don't see why we need to remove regions that contribute to the alliance, regardless of size. As for the actually dead regions, I assure you steps are being taken in those cases.
Jakker: Do you feel like the FRA is still needed in NS to continue its original purpose? As you said, several member regions have their own defender army that some would argue is more active than the FRA. What value does the FRA still give to a member region nowadays?
Tim: Absolutely. The Founderless Regions Alliance was never founded to be just a military organization, and I think that the benefits of FRA membership, while still having military components, extend past that. To quote former Arch-Chancellor Joe Bobs " The FRA was originally founded partly as a Defender organization, [and] partly as a non-military body with an aim of ensuring the success, vibrancy and development of its member regions". Many of our more famous recent accomplishments, afterall, have been off the field successes such as the annual Defender Awards and the more recently introduced FRAvision, something I hear your moves are well known in. While the value of the FRA Rangers is everpresent, both in our prowess on the battlefield and our abilities in training new Defenders, I would like to think that the FRA provides plenty of Regional Support as well. Whether it's an already existing member region, a prospective member, or just a region that would like assistance, we have a group of experienced individuals that can assist in anything from setting up a Constitution for the first time, to giving tips on forum set-up, to help in setting up recruitment for the region. Furthermore, with my term, I'm looking much more into the cultural side of things, particularly in the establishment of cultural avenues between our various member regions and allowing the FRA to not only serve as a way to benefit our member regions but as a network for cultural interaction with other regions.
Jakker: What was your and other FRA members first reaction when they heard about Wibblefeet being a TNI plant? What has been the effect of this reveal to the organization?
Tim: Can't speak for the rest of the lads, though I imagine many of them have made their opinions heard quite well. In my case, I'd say I was primarily shocked, and to an extent impressed. To pull off so lengthy an operation is quite a feat, so that of course had to be noted. Aside from that though, yeah, shock. It's never fun discovering a plant, and seeing one as well rooted as Wibblefeet hit pretty hard. As to the effects of the reveal, I'd like to think we're still in alright shape. There was a lot of stuff accessed, but we're still here, we're still kicking, and we'll keep going.
Jakker: What made you decide to want to be Arch-Chancellor? What would be your ideal impact on the FRA?
Tim: I'd been Vice Chancellor for a while, I think three or four terms, and had seen a lot of stuff come and go, with a lot of good ideas proposed. Knowing that Guy wasn't really feeling another term, I thought that I'd like to try my hand at it and see if I could pull some successes out using both the ideas many prior Arch-Chancellors had come in with as well as some of my own.
As for ideal impact on the FRA, hopefully I can leave us in a better state by the end of my term than we are at the start. For me, at least, I'd like to see the aformentioned cultural events hit it off well, as well as any potential Regional Development that we end up engaging in. Aside from that, it's the traditional stuff of finding new prospective member regions and continuing to ensure that Defenders keep winning on the battlefield.
Jakker: Thomas was elected as the Vice Chancellor of the FRA, yet he is WA immobile in Lazarus. You recently criticized someone who doesn’t update for being an “armchair defender.” How do you see Thomas’ role playing out in the FRA? Can he still give FRA what they need without mobility?
Tim: As just a slight clarification, the Vice-Chancellor is appointed by the Arch-Chancellor without any sort of election procedure going on. However, to answer your question, I think he can absolutely offer what I thought he'd offer when I appointed him. My personal definition of Armchair Defenders are those people who have it as an alignment but only ever use it for political purposes rather than showing up during update where it really counts. I don't think anybody can argue that Benevolent Thomas has made massive impacts during updates, so I don't think his current state of immobility makes him any less qualified for the job.
He's someone with a lot of ideas, and a lot of hunger for activity and progress. Two things I'm certain that he'll do with his position are ensure that I continue working for a better FRA even if it involves openly challenging what I'm doing, and use all the resources that he does have available to him to work for the betterment of both the FRA and our member regions. BT is one of the most dedicated players I've ever encountered in Gameplay, and I have zero doubts that he can give the FRA what it needs.
Jakker: Do the FRA plan of collaborating with other defender groups? How has communication been so far?
Tim: I think it's a given that the FRA is collaborating with other defender groups. It's no secret that Defending these days generally operates through the same channels. So yeah, we're absolutely collaborating with the other defender groups and have a great working relationship with them. I'd like to think that communication has been quality, and will continue to be quality.
*During this interview, a liberation attempt of Japan was attempted when the region was occupied by DEN. The attempt was unsuccessful.
Interview with Benevolent Thomas, Radical Fenda Attack Helicopter
Jakker: You were very active during updates for some time. What made you decide to become WA immobile?
Thomas: A bit of a burn out. Unlike an invader who gets to pick and choose when they update, I had to be constantly vigilant which only meant missing updates when I was at work. Doing any activity as much as I did defending/updating would cause one to tire of it. I've always known that I could just about walk into any position I want anywhere I want in the realm of the GP-sphere. As soon as Funkadelia resigned, I knew I was the natural choice for Grandee Secretary and walked into the role. I assume I will be Lazarus' choice for delegate come next election cycle as well, I just need to decide if I want to do it or not.
Jakker: You were just named the Vice-Chancellor of FRA. How do you plan on contributing when your WA is immobile in Lazarus?
Thomas: I did not join the FRA government so I could run their defending operations. I joined because I have an agenda for the Alliance and I intend to push it as hard as possible from my Office.
Jakker: A couple of months ago, you made a post in GP that included this sentiment: “I'm just so sick of constantly being judged. My activity and know-how has gotten me much praise over the past few years, but its also forced me to defend myself and my actions constantly.” Can you talk more about this feeling? Is it because of you as a player or because of your actions? Is Gameplay too conservative?
Thomas: I've summarized my career as "damned if I do; damned if I don't" and its still accurate to this day. NS is a political game and R/N/D is no exception. Of course, I am also part of GP, so I am too part of the problem. As a player, I draw more attention towards myself because of my activity and my willingness to skirt around accepted defender norms. For a while there I was feeling very used by the rest of defenderum. I was relied on to basically run the whole shebang (updates, liberations, ext) and yet my methods were being judged by those who weren't actively contributing to the cause. Its alright now though. It is my inner circle running the show now. Its the players I've trained who are running updates now. I've won the defender power struggle and the results can be seen by those who are actually watching.
Jakker: What is your reaction to Sev returning to raiding and Ayvari, formally Xoriet, becoming a raider? From my time in NS, I have seen more defenders become raiders than vice versa. Why do you think that is?
Thomas: I uh... I actually didn't know that Ayvari was Xoriet. I thought she was taking a break from GP. I guess that explains why she left my defender influence-cabal skype room. She told me it was because of Sev's departure from defending put her in an uncomfortable position... this hurts a bit to be honest. Sev and I still get on well enough when we chat and he even told me personally when he was making his switch. I naturally approve of his switch because he is quite the friendly acquaintance of mine and I'm not an asshole. I do consider myself closer to Xoriet though, so I'm bummed she didn't tell me anything.
Defenders are more likely to switch because we're nearly as hypocritical as conservative christian parents and people get fed up with our constant crap. If anything, invaders are a tad overly trusting. In defenderum you first have to prove that you're trustworthy, then you have to prove your worth, and if you slip up ever-so-slightly, you instantly lose the trust you've spent months/years building. How many invaders hate each other? Just Cora hating people and people hating Cora? Guess how many defenders hate me and how many defenders I hate? Its gross.
Jakker: There was a recent debate on the GP forum about R/D. Where do you feel it stands right now? What is needed more for R/D to be strong: raiders or defenders? Does activity directly correlate with R/D being strong or is it more about the quality of the raids/defenses?
Thomas: It stands exactly where it was in 2012. You've got invaders wreaking havoc anywhere they can (which now includes regions with passwords and founders) with only a small band of defenders to consistently combat the threat. Its entirely possible that natives hate invaders more now than they did in 2012, but they can't be arsed to help out unless they're personally invested with the operation (ie Paradoxia). Some of our greatest talent came from those who were formerly victims of invasions who wished to prevent their tragedy from happening to others. A disconnect has developed in that natives view defenders just being in it for the gameplay. Defenders are you. We are on the side of the natives, we are the natives. I've seen R/D and I've seen R/N/D; really, it should be R/ND.
Other people are waiting for the absolution of responsibilities which was falsely promised by the GamePlay summit. Several of the proposed ideas give natives more tools in which to look after themselves which would hopefully injure, if not kill tag raiding. You kill the tagging, you bring invaders back to a hit-and-run style of gameplay where invaders choose to take a single region every few updates with a well coordinated attack and then leave after a short while (maybe after embassies get closed). ERN used to run these types of operations back when I was just a TITO grunt. Of course, invaders would still have the option to pile into oblivion and grief when they choose to. I think each invasion mattered more when both sides only had one or a few chances to get it right per update. Switching cheapens invasions and as a result they cheapen defenses as well. If both sides are affected, then it means that GP itself is cheapened.
Jakker: What is something that raiders could learn from defenders? What is something that defenders could learn from raiders?
Thomas: Invaders don't have to learn anything. They're winning right now. They're more active and outnumber defenders. Invaders have also won the political battle as its more acceptable to be at-least independent if not fully invader than it is to be a moral defender. If anything, cooler themes. Please [violet] deliver us a more interesting invader group. I've been a Knight, a Cowboy, a Grey Warden and an Airship Sailor. What are our leading invaders? Not even Nazgul black horsemen, blackened aviaries, MT armies... so disappointing. Defenders have been learning from invaders. We've gotten some unity mojo flowing. Some of us have shown more willingness to be more braggadocio when it comes to our exploits. We've also ditched the notion that any one person represents defenderum as a whole. Large personalities have hurt us for far too long.
Jakker: What has been your greatest accomplishment so far? What do you hope to be your greatest accomplishment once you retire from the game?
Thomas: That is easy. Refounding Australia. Its the most tangible victory I've ever been a part of. A dying region reborn and thriving. Years after I leave this game, I want people who have never played with me to know my exploits enough to grin when my name is mentioned. If I go down as one of the great players of this game, then I'll be happy. Why else do it, right?
Jakker: What is next for BT? Do you have any long term goals for yourself in NS?
Thomas: I've played NS long enough to know that long-term plans never pan out. I'm Vice-Delegate of Lazarus for a few more weeks and I'm Vice-Chancellor of the FRA for a few months. I don't plan on planning any further ahead than that.
Interview with Charles Cerebella, King of Albion
Jakker Loves Rawr is on a quest to interview Osiris' allies and embassied regions. Next up is Albion...
Jakker: Albion has a gaming tournament coming up soon. Care to share more about it and how to get involved?
Charles: Indeed, we do! It's currently in full swing with our Knight Interior Bert leading the way in organising it. He's planned loads of different games for it, free ones, browser ones and proper ones so he's the best person to speak to. I think he's been going around embassies to keep people up to date on what is going on.
Jakker: Albion made headlines when they altered their gameplay alignment to Mercenary. Cam you talk about how the change is going for the region?
Charles: It's going well I think. To be honest, there is not much difference at all internally in the region. What the move did was simply bring our external policy more in line with what the region is about anyway. It is obviously a fair change from the outside though. Things like this gaming tournament are more where we want to be heading with our foreign policy relations so it is good to see it going on.
Jakker: What are some awesome aspects of Albion that people may not know about?
Charles: Um, I guess perhaps our roleplays that we have going on. We might be a medieval themed region but we have all kinds of stuff of different types going on, from modern demi-gods through to ancient tribes with magic, to future galactic civilizations. It's an area where even I've barely even dipped my toes xD
Jakker: What is your vision for Albion’s future?
Charles: Onwards and upwards! We want to keep providing new things for our citizens to get involved in and new opportunities for people to get to us, and for us to get to know others, from all across NS.
Jakker: What are your thoughts on the relationship between Osiris and Albion?
Charles: We go back a fair way now and have always been pretty good friends on the whole. We have our shared map (though I don't know if you guys still use it or not) and have a strong history of military cooperation so I'd love to see us doing more RP and raiding together soon
Jakker: What would be the coolest Osiris-Albion joint event ever?
Charles: Oooo. Tough one. It'd have to involve pillaging, magic, hookers and blackjack.
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