Couper's Delight
First Issue
Editor's Note
Welcome to the First Issue of Breakfast With Brunhilde!
This paper is meant to be my way to be involved with the gameplay community despite my decision to remain in semi-retirement as I maintain my health. For those of you that don’t know, when you don’t want to retire but can't maintain activity NationState can become rather drab and so, rather than sit on my hands as I wait for my body to heal, I decided to create a newspaper that embodied everything that I stand for with Gameplay Newspapers. What’s that, you ask? I believe in a paper that can be read while sitting on our rears as we stuff our face with breakfast foods in hopes that the paper will placate our boredom with op-eds that we find intriguing, a different spin on the same news that we’ve already heard, and the potential for a surprise we never expected. My intention with this paper is to make something that toes the line between interesting and fair, engaging but balanced, and to have a little fun with it as I go.
If that intention interests you, pull up a chair and grab a bagel. No, not a blueberry bagel you monster. A real bagel, a bagel you can enjoy with a bit of cream cheese and your choice of breakfast beverage while you read an article someone else wrote before disagreeing with it firmly in a thread reply.
Today’s featured article is “The Path From Illegitimate to Legitimate” which will discuss the path taken by “coupers” who wish to turn their new unrecognized government into something no one can deny. Following it will be an article entitled “Then and Now: Defending” in which we will examine the metamorphosis of Defending as it has evolved from its roots of days past to where it exists now. To round out this first issue will be “Building Up and Out” where we will examine the different ways in which NationStates communities have diversified beyond NationStates.
I hope you’ll all enjoy my attempt to create something worth reading and if you have any questions about the articles posted, please feel free to share them!
The Path From Illegitimate to Legitimate
NationStates is a game of highs and lows, of roller coasters that take us from the dregs of ennui to the climax of furor. There are periods in our little world in which we find ourselves twiddling our thumbs and relying on the mundane drama of gameplay as we wait for the next calamity to engross ourselves in. For some these scandals are the appeal of the game, the thing that they find themselves drawn to when all else fails. Among these cause célèbre, there are none as exciting, nor as controversial, as a coup d'état. These coups are the actions that shear apart gameplay factions, that break alliances, and work to change the long term direction of foreign agendas. As a community, we have became engrossed in them. They fascinate us so much that we wait and watch with predatory eyes to see what will unfold. Yet, for all of this interest we rarely ask what comes next for these new governments.
We know that a coup will cause things to be different, certainly, but we usually focus on the immediate repercussions rather than question what the moves down the road will be. How do new governments seek out allies that didn’t support them through their seizing of power? How do they revitalize their communities after rejecting some of its members? Most importantly at what point do these illegitimate governments become legitimate? For its participants, the shackles of being named a “couper” never truly disappear. It has been nearly nine years since The Empire and NeeNee seized power in The East Pacific, yet if you ask any decently informed player about them their names will unquestionably be linked to that coup. In Osiris, Cormac seized power over a year ago and has since passed on his power to an heir. Yet, despite Osiris’ changes, their region’s name is still linked to whispers of “illegitimate.” This begs the question of “Can the stigma be removed?” Will these people, and these regions, ever be free of the whispers that cloud their pasts? When, if ever, will their rule be seen as legitimate?
To answer those questions, I thought I’d ask some of those involved in our community’s premier events their opinion on the questions at hand. Their experiences make their viewpoint invaluable to the subject at hand and it from them that we gain knowledge of the struggles caused by seizing power. In order to allow the readers to develop their own opinions, these interviews will be uncut.
I began by reaching out to Cormac, the perpetrator of NationStates’ most recent coup when he seized power from the previous government of Osiris in April of 2016.
Cormac's Interview
To give another viewpoint, I also thought it’d be a good idea to reach out to one of the most famous so-called coupers of today. NeeNee was one of the founding members of the Empire and has been a participant in coups in TWP, TEP, and Osiris in years past.
NeeNee's Interview
I also wanted to take the time to reach out to gain the opinion of an outside leader, who could give an opinion would take for a coup to gain legitimacy in the eyes of an outside leader. While not directly involved in the coup, it is reactions from outside which would make a couped region’s legitimacy a possibility rather than just an idea.
For this I began by reaching out to Sopo, multiple term President in Europeia and a familiar name in many GCRs, for his opinion on the issue. While Sopo has participated in a coup, it was unsuccessful and the large part of his NS Career has been spent on the outside looking in. I believe the two situations have left him with a unique perspective that is worth exploring for this article.
Sopo's Interview
Finally, I reached out to a person that I know as Rach but whom many people know as Solorni. Solorni has served in various positions in Europeia, chief among them President. Most notably, however, she has served as Balder’s Queen since April of 2013 which makes her the longest serving current GCR Delegate.
Solorni's Interview
All of these interviews point to a single, conclusive answer: There is a path towards legitimacy for those who have brought about the toppling of a government. While the circumstances around every coup is different, and no two coups are equal, the fact remains that the recovery from a coup must see the new government striving to show a commitment to good governance. As long as they strive towards that goal, the only other test appears to be time. It’s not until one begins to think about whether or not the coupers themselves can lose the stigma that came with their actions that the question begins to complicate itself. I believe it to be one that will continue to be asked as more and more people look towards coups as a sort of spectacle. For the coupers themselves, this may never be an issue as they accept what the perception of them may be before striving to mold their new region in the method of their own choosing. Moving forward I believe coupers will continue to seek legitimacy for their governments rather than for themselves, a situation that will undoubtedly continue to be a factor so long as GCR Delegations continue to be a focal point of our community.
In light of this, the question becomes one of weighing the cost and the reward. What will future coupers need to sacrifice to see their new possessions flourish? Will these people be able to stand against the public denouncements and cries from those who oppose their actions? Or will they find that they would rather continue to avoid the pressure that comes with seizing power? If they ask themselves these questions and still wish to proceed, then it’s clear that they must focus on governing their regions with care and effort if they wish to be taken seriously by anyone aside from themselves. That is the path towards legitimacy.
Defending: Then and Now
While coups tend to be the premier event in our little world, they have rarely served as the force that propels the day to day of our community. They are the peak, but a world can not be simply peaks. Between these peaks our community has needed a driving force to keep people interested. The undercard, if you will. Some decide to dabble in regional governance, immersing themselves in a bureaucracy that allows them to explore their political inclinations. Others traverse a world of role play, where they join others in being whatever meets their fancy. For some, though, that is not enough and so they set themselves to the world of so-called “military gameplay.” This aspect of our community has remained a constant, though the same could hardly be said for its players. The rise and fall of raider regions like DEN and TBR were attention grabbing spectacles. The demise of defender groups like the FRA and the decline of the UDL are still fresh in the minds of those who witnessed them. Each of these regions have left a profound impact on our community, some of which might be seen as a negative by those who stand opposed to the actions of these groups. Many like to discuss this impact, but I believe that the focus should turn instead to the transition from old to new and what it means for our community.
Perhaps no transition is as pronounced as that of the Defender Sphere. What was once a group dominated by Moralism, where defending was seen as a sort of moral crusade, has transformed to a group defined by competition. It has evolved from a cause of morality to a sort of antagonizing rivalry. As the leaders of the defending sphere have moved from the traditional views of groups like the FRA and UDL to the more modern groups like TGW, we have seen a rise in inclusion among many R/D groups. Hardline stances of not fraternizing with the enemy have melted away in favor of a competitive environment where members of opposite groups can be opponents one moment and in the next can join together to have a laugh. I must admit that I don’t know what this means for our community. Have the different groups gotten complacent? I don’t believe so. Has the quality of the competition gone down? No, certainly not. Instead, I believe that the game has simply metamorphosed. While it’s certainly not as morally heated as it once was, there certainly exists no lack of confrontation. One needs only look at the self proscribed “shitposting” from the different groups as they utilize one-upmanship and trolling to create a more competitive environment. The ideological changes from then and now are certainly prevalent, but I don’t believe I have the proper experience with them to be an authority.
We, as outsiders, can certainly see how their changes have impacted things superficially but our game is an ever-changing one where nothing is ever skin deep. To do this subject justice, I decided to reach out to a few people involved in deferdom, both new and old, to get their opinion on the changes that have come about to their sphere.
I began by reaching out to Roavin, leader of The Grey Wardens and one of the most prominent defenders in gameplay today.
Roavin's Interview
Roavin’s view is that of someone experiencing what Defending has become. He, and those who came before him in TGW, have shaped their brand of Defending in a new direction that has embraced a brand of defending that might have caused a scandal in times past. While this is no doubt interesting, it leaves us without a view from someone who has seen the shifts and has experienced what has come before. It’s because of this that I reached out to Guy.
Having gotten his start in 2008, Guy has spent time in TITO, the FRA, and TRR which grants him the type of experienced viewpoint that this piece currently lacks. Thankfully, he agreed to help me shed some light on the situation from an alternate viewpoint.
Guy's Interview
Together these answers give a look into a Defender sphere which has evolved beyond what it once was. Indeed, the sphere as a whole might have transitioned more than their Raider counterparts. While not true in every case, in many instances we’ve seen a defender sphere that has grown more comfortable with going on the offensive. Has this transition to a more aggressive defending helped facilitate a defending sphere that is more accepting of social interaction with their counterparts? Perhaps, though it’s entirely possible that this increased interaction has came a result of a blurring of the lines between. I believe that possibility begets a question. Has this transition caused the two groups to become complacent, thus lowering the competition? No, no it hasn’t. One needs only look towards the Gameplay forum or the NSGP Discord to see that the competition is very much alive and well. As long as that is true, and so long as that competition continues to attract new participants, I believe we’ll continue to see this new brand of defending grow.
Building Up by Branching Out
We all know the story. New to power and now the head of a promising region, a government sets itself to growing. The focus is on creating a culture that promotes recruitment and retention in the hopes of not only bringing in fresh faces but also creating a place where they would like to stay. They’ve been the foundation for creating a strong region for over a decade now and have been utilized by UCR and GCR alike, albeit in differing ways, throughout the history of the game. They are the best way to grow your region.
Or are they? There exists a minority of regions which have taken to doing something else. They’ve looked at the confines of the game, and the communities made possible by the game, and have asked themselves “Why stop here?” For some, the answer to that question has been to expand into being a more broadly defined roleplay community. The Kingdom of Alexandria is good example of this phenomenon. Founded as an NS Monarchy by experienced Gameplayers and including members with experience in everything from Foreign Diplomacy to Military Gameplay to World Assembly Affairs, the Kingdom has transitioned from its NS roots into a thriving roleplay community which not only accepts members from outside of the game but has actively withdrawn from it. NationStates was simply the foundation, the progenitor, from which they developed a separate community of their own. It creates a question of “Is this a viable avenue?” for burgeoning roleplay regions who wish to make their focus roleplay rather than NationStates. It opens another world of possibility for creating an offsite community, one which would operate independently of the very thing that made its creation possible.
This idea of operating independently of NationStates was not started by KoA, however. Reaching back as far as 2006, The Pacific has operated as a multi-platform community after they expanded into CyberNations. For them it began as a sort of Imperialist Outreach that evolved as they began expanding into different political simulators and creating communities for them that became their own entities. Now, not all of them worked. Some fell by the wayside, whether it was because of a general lack of popularity for the game or inactive admins which failed to serve the needs to the game they were meant to serve. Those that did succeed, however, helped The Pacific and the NPO to expand beyond the foundation laid by NationStates. Their successes even caused imitation as former defending organization ADN followed them into the world of CyberNations where they founded a community of their own, one that still operates while its NationStates counterpart has failed the test of time. For the NPO, this change brought not only the ability to create new communities but also allowed them to broaden their influence beyond what would have been possible in NationStates alone.
Each example has taken the question of how to expand and decided to grow outside of the norm. Rather than following the beaten path, each has decided to strike out in their own direction with the hope that they would be able to do more. Both are thriving despite, or perhaps because of, the risks they’ve taken. I suppose that they warrant the question: Are these instances, limited as they may be by sample size, evidence that a community that is created on NationStates can become more than simply a NationStates community? I believe the answer to that is open to interpretation and one that requires a community to be willing to look outside the box.
*Thank you to Cormac, NeeNee, Solorni, Sopo, Roavin, Guy, and Ark both for providing interviews and for providing information. I'd also like to thank Lynneiah for helping with my grammar mistakes.
