The Grey Wardens: Get First Warden Sir Merlin's Autograph!!

[Escade]

lol that default flag

templates ftw

welcome back W&S

and omg congrats Kurnugia, I like think we updated together and I totes just realized who you were

[Kurnugia]

and omg congrats Kurnugia, I like think we updated together and I totes just realized who you were

Can't blame you. My ops up to this were rather of an anti-fascist than the ones of a defender.

[Fauxia]

Oh no, you raided a warzone? Ebil raiders!

Hi Warden Fauxia. I said messing with WZEU was unwise, not immoral. All you did was mock an argument that I never made. Good job

Oh I wasn’t mocking you, Syl. It’s just an argument that has been made before to try to push the idea that TGW aren’t defenders

[Kurnugia]

Hi Warden Fauxia. I said messing with WZEU was unwise, not immoral. All you did was mock an argument that I never made. Good job

Oh I wasn’t mocking you, Syl. It’s just an argument that has been made before to try to push the idea that TGW aren’t defenders

I miss cres.

[Marilyn Manson Freaks]

Nice takeover of Warzone Europe! It's really awesome that it's free now.

[Tim-Opolis]

Y'all really fucked with Warzone Europe?
That's not wise...

Update: still waiting for the fire and fury of Westwind to really put us in our place. Maybe this time he'll even say our Junior Officers need to resign too.

[Witchcraft and Sorcery]

welcome back W&S

thanks! been a minute, figured it was about time i officially get off my ass...

[Escade]

welcome back W&S

thanks! been a minute, figured it was about time i officially get off my ass...

I remember being in a lit VC with you where you played music and sang and I was like "whoah, talent"

[Feux]

Y'all really fucked with Warzone Europe?
That's not wise...

Update: still waiting for the fire and fury of Westwind to really put us in our place. Maybe this time he'll even say our Junior Officers need to resign too.

What does WW have to do with WE? I feel left out.

[Kurnugia]

Update: still waiting for the fire and fury of Westwind to really put us in our place. Maybe this time he'll even say our Junior Officers need to resign too.

What does WW have to do with WE? I feel left out.

He is the "Father of Equilism".

[Warden Roavin]

On October 31, 2016, Benevolent Thomas announced his retirement from NationStates, at least for a while. BT was the defender at the time. He was a huge personality and, indeed, celebrity in gameplay circles, and the de facto leader of defenderdom as a whole. Despite best attempts at smear campaigns and backlash against a proposed commendation, nobody could touch him. But he had had enough - Hurricane Matthew hit his home hard, and a long power outage forced him away from the game for a while. He realized in that time that he simply did not miss it anymore.

A day later, as he was crossing the Ts and dotting the Is on his going away, BT made a shocking suggestion, right in the public Wardens Discord: He suggested that I, that weird dude from the South Pacific that had been defending for barely over four months now, should be his successor as First Warden. I thought he was just trolling, but to my surprise, people started to chime in with support. This included not just Jack, Altmoras and Tim as Commanders, but also many other individuals, Warden or not, including some big non-Wardens in defenderdom like Red Dusk and Funkadelia (lol). After a few days of deliberation with myself and my friends on NS, I decided the following: I would accept the First Warden position, but would hold it only in a ceremonial capacity until my term as Minister of Military Affairs in TSP ended. On February 22, 2017, exactly one year ago today, it was time — I entered active duty as First Warden.

Overall, it has been a good year. Last February, the Order was sorely lacking numbers; these days the Order regularly outnumbers TITO for the big liberations. Similarly, only TITO had any sort of piler force worthy of the name, but through the Guardian program initially implemented last April we now have a solid base of endorsements to fling around wherever and whenever needed. We have innovated by introducing concepts such as the permacross and a variety of technological advances, in use by Wardens and non-Wardens alike. Protection of vulnerable regions has gotten better than ever through our Office of Native Outreach as well as the Sleeper Registry. We have defined and solidified our brand of defending. I can't claim to have solely implemented all of this, but I was at least substantially involved in every single one of these developments as well as other developments I haven't mentioned.

It has been exactly a year now, a year of bombastic and rewarding fun. The incredible community in this region is beyond comparison, and I feel privileged to have been a part of it. However, this job has not just been fun, but also incredibly tiring, and I haven’t had the drive recently that I did before. It's time to step aside as First Warden. And so just as last year, going from nothing to First Warden, I will take the reverse direction now, from First Warden to nothing. I’ll depart the Order to concentrate on my home, the South Pacific, effective today. I will still be around, of course - you'll see me chatting in #general, posting bad puns, and coming to update. I won't sink too far into the armchair (yet)

My final stats as Warden: 1041 defenses, 179 liberations, 116 detags, 60 supports, 34 sieges, 13 tags, 11 raids, 1 refound, 7 drive-bys.

And now, as my last act as First Warden (and, indeed, as a Warden), I have the honor to announce the new leadership lineup:

First Warden: This was a hard choice. I had announced a few months back to the other Commanders that I would resign from the post on this day, so this involved a long game of musical chairs, discussions, and in part even surveying select Wardens. We kept this process under wraps, because we didn’t want people to try to posture or influence anything, but also because we didn’t want to subject anyone to a UDL-esque conclave. As discussions went on, the choice became more and more clear - Vincent Drake would ascend to be the new First Warden. Vinny is even newer to gameplay than I am, but he is almost a deity in his own right, rising quickly to become one of the best defenders seen in recent years. He is very active, has incredible presence and standing in the community (despite eating so many dinners), and knows when to be silly and when to be mature. I am sure he will be a fantastic First Warden, and I’m excited to watch him lead the Order to even greater heights.

High Constable: No need to change anything here - Mommy Deadeye Jack will continue to hold the position of second-in-command. There is no man or woman better to have as advisor in the commanders chambers, as any former or current commander can confirm.

Chamberlain: With Vinny ascending to the top job, a new Chamberlain was needed, and we quickly found one. Our newest Commander Nakari, lover of statistics and expert at telling people to go the fuck to sleep, is a perfect fit for the job.

I urge all Wardens to be supportive of the new leadership line-up, just as you have been supportive of me during the past year.

I couldn't even make a list of people to thank, because it would explode the size of this post and I would be sure to miss several. Even so, there are many many Wardens and non-Wardens that I'm thankful for for one reason or another. You know who you are (just slide into my DMs if you want a personalized thank you). And even though I will no longer fly the Warden flag, I will always be a friend.

Roavin out.



In War, Victory. In Peace, Vigilance. In Death, Sacrifice.

[Marilyn Manson Freaks]

Congrats, everyone!

[Kurnugia]

snip

o7

I wish you and your endvaours on NS the best of luck. The new leadership will have my full support.

[Vincent Drake]

I'm honored to be First Warden, but also very sad to see Roavin go. We kept him around for much more than just the endo! He was one of the best mentors anyone could have possibly asked for - friendly, witty, knowledgeable, and technical. We spent many a dead update discussing the inner workings of NS and plotting world domination (or at least, domination of Ezraltonian world affairs). He left his mark on many of the most interesting and pivotal events of this incarnation of TGW (don't worry Roavin, security-checking in Femdom Empire won't be your only legacy).

Our prowess with everything from big liberations to native outreach to triggering to irregal skripts wouldn't be the same without the amazing volume of work that he put in as First Warden. Don't let Roavin try to sneak off all modest, either - he's one of our most decorated wardens ever. We wish him the best in his next endeavours, and hope to see him drop various high positions in TSP to come chase from time to time.

Alright....so...now would probably be a bad time to come out and reveal my true identity - Ever-Wandering Souls! Everyone on the council said this very deep play wouldn't work, but it totally did. Effective immediately, TGW is switching to raiding and... UNIBOTIAN SOURCE CODE KICKING IN

GCRs! GCRs. GCRs? Ugh, gimme a sec here...

UNIBOTIAN SOURCE CODE KICKING OFF

Code: Select all

=====================================
$
Init vinnybot();

3j289r2rf834 fh89wehfwhef7y
Fdjf jeihf sjwur
.vnytynu
.cbinny
.vinny


ROAVINIAN SOURCE CODE KICKING IN

Better! Anyway, where were we? Oh yeah.

Alright… so… now would probably be a good time to let you in on the exciting times ahead. Despite holding triple the membership we had at this time last year, we've stalled a bit with numbers and activity. I'd like to see us refocus on recruitment, training help for allies, off-update cultural events, native outreach, and inclusivity. We need to do a better job of getting our constables and lieutenants (and really anyone willing to help) more involved with TGW culture. Together, I'm sure we can continue to offer a strong lineup of fun things to do that keep people engaged, regardless of update availability. We have a great thing going, but there are always improvements that can be made, new ideas to experiment with, and new events to try. TGW isn't just a region, it's a lifestyle. Come be part of this awesome community and do the thing?

In War, Victory. In Peace, Vigilance. In Death, Sacrifice.

[Malphe]

Sounds pretty important.

[Frattastan II]

Good luck for the future, to both Roavin and TGW.

[Escade]

I've always liked defending because of the knights in shining armor quality and also the effect of trying to help people protect their homes. However, it wasn't until TGW that I really saw defenders as an active and capable and unified force. This has everything to do with leadership. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be a defender myself if it weren't for how cool TGW was and open to training a noob girl from SPSF who struggles to follow directions and is kind of easily distracted

Roavin did an amazing job at being First Warden and has the qualities that people look for in a leader: active, engaged, always thinking on how to make things better, genuinely nice and funny (puns). The South Pacific is lucky to have him and TGW is lucky to have him guide them in a very successful time period.

Vinny is a great choice as a successor because he's very calm, rationale and the breezy brains (did I finally make a pun?). Jack is the heart of the organization and like the most patient and generous and true person I know in this game. Nakari is brave and delightful and brings this lovely vibe to organization. I also want to mention Tim who's amazing at pretty much everything he tries (and has beat me at like any thing we've competed in lol) for being the social mover and shaker as well as the writer of some wonderful reports. Ya'll should give him a pretty title too

Congratulations to BT for making something beautiful and thriving and to everyone involved who makes TGW a joy to love. <3

[Libetarian Republics]

All the best to Roavin, Vincent Drake, and TGW. o/

[Fauxia]

Hail Roavin! Hail whoever that new First Warden is! Hail the Grey Wardens!

Oh yeah, and congrats Nakari, I guess. Kinda.

Also, I don’t think it was a full year on the job bc of First Warden Tim

[Pergamon]

Congratulations to all.

[Deadeye Jack]

It’s been a pleasure working with First Warden Roavin. As he mentioned in his farewell, when he took the reins the wardens were not living up to their hot start under Benevolent Thomas and as I’ve stated in the past, struggling to tread water and even survive. Roavin was able to fill those shoes and deliver beyond our wildest expectations. He leaves us today with the makings of a robust, diverse membership and the foundation for an organization that has the potential to last a long time-- at least by this game’s standards. I wish him well in his future endeavors and I know he can succeed at whatever he puts his mind to.

The man tasked with following such a tough act, Vincent Drake, is actually the reason why I started playing NationStates many years ago (although I beat him to the defending scene and am, at least partially, responsible for his involvement). Vinny joined us in November 2016 on the heels of BT’s retirement and has come a long way since being a newb who was frustrated with chasing.

It’s hard to talk about the ascension and sticking power of the Wardens in the post-BT era without giving Vinny major credit. He quickly became enthralled with defending, being a near lock to make any update and perform at a high level. He rose rapidly through our ranks and was the embodiment of our next generation of Wardens. He inspired other players to try to clear the bar he set to new heights. Perhaps, most importantly, he was and is a driving force behind innovation and optimization of defending and how we do it. His inquisitive mind that drove those enhancements has led to the elevation in the abilities of defenders across NationStates and made us a more effective force.

Being the next First Warden will be a challenge, but I think Vinny has proven time and again that he has the creativity, perseverance, and presence to achieve greatness. I know that he has the respect and admiration of every Warden and I’m ready for this new and exciting chapter in the history of our organization.

Here’s to achieving even greater heights.

[Vulturret]

Congrats, Drake!

[Vincent Drake]

HYPE for Merlin writing our next gloat post! It's a total mystery what the theme could be...hmm...

[Fastest Man Alive]

It's been a good run Roavin o7

[Kurnugia]

HYPE for Merlin writing our next gloat post! It's a total mystery what the theme could be...hmm...

hmmm.... my bet is on a silent post.