The Gameplay Telegraph: Bringing you the news first!

by **The Gameplay Telegraph** » Sun Jul 30, 2017 5:56 pm

WELCOME TO THE GAMEPLAY TELEGRAPH
Bringing you the news first! (and we're helping you find it here, as well)

This is the OFFICIAL hub for the Gameplay Telegraph (accept no poorly-spelt and colour-free substitutes), a new and upcoming newspaper focusing on the Gameplay World (and, for the most part, its lesser-travelled corners). Below, you may find our articles... and maybe the odd comment from an interested observer as well. The Gameplay Telegraph is a solo organisation, run by somebody that hasn't had to take any exams since the mid-90s.

LIST OF ALL ARTICLES PUBLISHED BY THE GAMEPLAY TELEGRAPH:
(IN ORDER FROM OLDEST TO NEWEST)

31st July 2017: International Debating Area declares state of emergency after controversial puppet poll - overtones of Lazarus?
31st July 2017: When two tribes go to war: TIO and IDA at loggerheads

by **The Gameplay Telegraph** » Sun Jul 30, 2017 5:59 pm

INTERNATIONAL DEBATING AREA DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY AFTER CONTROVERSIAL PUPPET POLL - OVERTONES OF LAZARUS?
With founder DFTBA-Land declaring a state of emergency, we review the situation in everybody's favourite debate region

FIGURE 1: As can be seen, the International Debating Area has found itself in quite the rut as of late
OOC - original pic

Is the player behind Truace - former Prime Minister of the International Debating Area, and current PM of the Iron Order - the same one as that behind Elipium, then-leader of the IDA's Fascist Party? This question would be insignificant at any other point in time and space... but this is late July 2017, and the founder - DFTBA-Land - has ordered a state of emergency after polls not only suggested that the answer was "yes", but Elipium also went on to vandalise the region's WFE and suppress posts (which eventually led to a gratis one-way trip to the Rejected Realms). The symptoms? Poorly-organised polls, terrible trials, and - at the end of it all - single-issue states of emergency. We here at The Gameplay Telegraph have analysed the material that has been publicised to us to tell the full story of what happened.
The whole shenanigans began around Saturday, although conversation had been murmuring earlier - on Friday, DFTBA-Land snarked "Yeah, Truace is going to turn out to be not Elipium," whilst The True Conservative promised that "I'll be keeping an eye of Elipium and Truace." After four had been exposed of joining the Fascist Party - one of the IDA's political parties - in the previous three days, Elipium (leader of the Fascists) proclaimed that "people are just interesting [sic] in the Fascist party," before the founder accused him of being a "liar" with "implausible" theories. There was also a short discourse about the regional Discord chat, and how friendly the people were in there (however, as it is supposedly for IDA members only, we are unlikely to gain access. Consider also The Slightly Madlands' refusal to send the link to Malnourished Citizens, on the grounds of distrust of fascists.).

FIGURE 2: DFTBA-Land was forced to defend his actions
OOC - original pic

On Saturday morning, Truace - Prime Minister of the Iron Order - was there like a flash, engaging in a hearty debate with the Viscondyian Ambassador about generational beliefs and brainwashing, but I digress. Meanwhile, DFTBA-Land admitted that "[he'd] basically given up all hope" on the trial. Some hours later, he also ruled out the possibility of war with the Iron Order by citing IDA's "neutral, and pacifist" values, before announcing a momentary checkup on a poll to determine if Truace and Elipium were indeed one and the same.
Before progressing further, we must consider the contents of the aforementioned poll. The poll, which has been preserved here, has shown a majority consistently in support of Truace not being Elipium; however, some of the Truace-is-not-Elipium votes were cast by those who were not "approved party members/independents/movement members", whilst only a couple of the Truace-is-Elipium votes were cast by those ineligible (note that the vote was open to all members, to enable those in the main IDU region to vote on the case). Also note that DFTBA-Land voted for the notion that Truace and Elipium were one and the same, not necessarily an illegal manouver but generally seen as "not cricket".
In the poll description, there was also linked this dispatch. It explains that Truace was originally banned for vote-rigging, and that Elipium had utilised embassy posting soon afterwards before moving to the IDA; Truace was then pardoned by DFTBA-Land, under advice from The Slightly Madlands, raising questions about the two nations being operated by the same player. The dispatch also states that the conditions in the poll will apply "(with exceptions)" at the end, raising potential suspicions that the poll itself could be rigged (by DFTBA-Land or otherwise). If the two admitted to be controlled by the same player, they would be offered permission to remain on the condition of being banned from the government, although this never materialised before the poll ended, and the two continued to be different-player die-hards (as opposed to believing they were one and the same).
In essence, the argument was that, despite an actual lead against the two nations being controlled by the same player, DFTBA-Land utilised these rules (and the ability to vote anonymously) to point towards a lead for the opposing side. Meanwhile, Malnourished Citizens (whom you may remember as the person denied the link to the IDA Discord by The Slightly Madlands) admitted that he was Iron Laos (leader of TIO's army), and that TIO had allegedly plotted to invade IDA for the previous month (using this fact to argue that it would be "extremely stupid" for TIO members - being domiciled in a region proclaiming itself an enemy of the IDA - to also influence the IDA's internal affairs). This gets even more confusing when you realise that Iron Laos is in itself a puppet of Elipium, thus meaning that Malnourished Citizens is Elipium. MC was getting creative by Saturday afternoon, arguing that having IDA "bow down" to TIO could not possibly be considered raiding.

FIGURE 3: Elipium (C) is escorted from the IDA by, left to right:
DFTBA-Land, The Netherlands and France, and TianKong SSR
(to little avail). On the far left is the IDA Parliament, the region
which organised the controversial Truace-Elipium poll, and its
eponymous founder, who has also found Elipium persona non grata.
IDA Parliament, as per the constitution, is a puppet of DFTBA-Land.
OOC - original pic

After some discourse into the kind of real-world debate normally expected from the IDA - this, admittedly, not exactly being the most normal of times - the fire was relit by Elipium's boast that the Fascists were growing, followed by a rebuttal from the founder that this had only come through recruitment. The Netherlands and France, leader of the Progressive Party, also accused Truace and Elipium of being one and the same, before revised results indicating a pro Truace-is-Elipium victory were put out. YoungLiberal only erred on the side of caution on the matter.
At this time, it's obvious to see what's happening here. Recall the "OVERTONES OF LAZARUS" we mentioned in the headline - in Lazarus, the Celestial Being and various government ministers allegedly threatened to coup the region, and were subsequently forced out of the region by the establishment (Funkadelia, Killer Kitty and Scum). If you thought the exiles had it tough in Lazarus, you should see the situation in the IDA, where a single party leader was up against a whole range of other higher-ups, and arguably even the founder himself - as YoungLiberal put it, "all other parties are united against" Truace (accused, as you remember, of being Elipium's puppet). Despite the differences, both have similarities - both involved votes of disputed legality, both involved condemnation to Kandarin's BBQ and Grill, and both involved puppets in the region (and, at times, even outside of the region).
After Truace posted more Truace-is-not-Elipium results in the IDA's RMB, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air shocked when he proclaimed that the founder's vote (for Truace-is-Elipium) is worth five times everybody else's vote, supposedly on the basis of founder rights (a conversation quickly derailed onto the perpetual tangent of the true ownership of Truace/Elipium/Malnourished Citizens/etc.). Subsequent fears of a "crusade" were revealed to be targeted elsewhere.
Afterwards, DFTBA-Land revealed the results as 15-14 in favour of deeming Truace a puppet of Elipium; reasoning was given at about 1600 BST Sunday, revealing who exactly was not eligible, and - despite a tie - prohibiting all "nations who hold positions of power in TIO" from being part of the government or even a party, on the grounds that they won the Truace-is-Elipium trial. In the hours after the original statement, debate on the result quickly shapeshifted into complaints about how the region was turning dictatorial (or becoming a Fascist Dictatorship, if you trust Malnourished Citizens).
At about 1930 BST on the Sunday, Elipium altered the WFE of the region (the Gameplay Telegraph has been informed that its contents comprised a simple "Eat my a**, DFTBA-Land"), suppressed posts, and eventually resulted in calls for continuous banning; these bans were quickly reversed due to Elipium's border control authority. When asked to justify his acts on the RMB, he stated - in posts since suppressed, but easily viewable by clicking the [+] button at the top-right of all player-suppressed posts - by stating that he was driven to do so by "you assholes" at IDA, and that he was likewise "cheated out" of the IDA by the founder. Linirania has now been tipped to take over the Fascist Party from its now-controversial, persona non grata ex-leader; however, DFTBA-Land has warned him that he too will face the same fate if he has any connections to TIO.

FIGURE 4: Something you will not see any time soon.
OOC - original pic

Of course, the situation after the WFE hijack and subsequent Elipium removals is one of plus ca change, plus ca meme chose - life seems strangely normal, yet the Fascist influences (especially in officer positions) have been greatly reduced. There are indeed a few people we could blame for this whole mess - DFTBA-Land for creating the Fascist Party as a "default" constitutional party in the first place; Elipium for his puppetry - if not as Truace, than as Malnourished Citizens/Iron Laos; The Slightly Madlands for giving advice to DFTBA-Land on the pardon, and so on.
However, tensions remain high between TIO and IDA - and yes, with the Fascist Party and the higher leadership of the IDA, at times - and this poll has the potential to either inflame tensions further or to stall them completely. What will come of this is yet to be seen, and all may remain well in IDA's internal affairs now, but it is suffice to say that you will not wake up any time soon to the sound of peace being made between the two regions.

CLARIFICATIONS AND CORRECTIONS: On 31st July 2017, this article was amended to mention Truace's former role as Prime Minister of the IDA; and furthermore to clarify that it was TianKong SSR and not Malnourished Citizens that alleged there was a plot to coup IDA.

Do you have a story to share with the Gameplay Telegraph? If the answer to this is YES, and it has not been covered in any other gameplay publication, please send a telegram to this nation with information.

by **Enlightened Sempiternity** » Sun Jul 30, 2017 6:50 pm

Lol. Awesomeness, and actually very accurate.

by **Vuori Kunin-Grrs** » Sun Jul 30, 2017 7:16 pm

Lazarus is being couped, and the International Debating Area just went in a State of Emergency! What else could possibly go wrong?

[cues whatever else will be crashing down in gameplay for some random reason]

by **Hispanyo** » Sun Jul 30, 2017 8:05 pm

Do any of you know I lead TIO besides DFTBA?!

by **Hispanyo** » Sun Jul 30, 2017 9:03 pm

Hispanyo wrote:Do any of you know I lead TIO besides DFTBA?!

Anyways we consider war upon you!(Tru, who is NOT the Region's leader does, but not me, TIO's LEADER)

by **Iron Laos** » Sun Jul 30, 2017 10:49 pm

Dafuq I'm not even yruacenwhat are you guys talking about

by **The Gameplay Telegraph** » Mon Jul 31, 2017 8:11 am

WHEN TWO TRIBES GO TO WAR: TIO AND IDA AT LOGGERHEADS
In the wake of the recent IDA state of emergency (reported to the wider gameplay world by the Gameplay Telegraph), tensions between TIO and IDA have been climbing further and further and further and...

FIGURE 1: The Iron Order is in dismay after the recent embargo prohibiting TIO members from entering the IDA's government was enforced as a by-product of Elipium's removal. From left to right: Iron Laos/Malnourished Citizens, Elipium, Truace, Hispanyo, Nouvelle-Belgique.
OOC - original pic

Yesterday, the Gameplay Telegraph brought you the news of the International Debating Area's state of emergency, in an exclusive report on a controversy which not a single other gameplay newspaper has even mentioned. The crux of this case was to determine if TIO prime minister Truace was the same as Fascist Party leader Elipium, which DFTBA-Land found to be correct in a result that has been disputed. Barely 12 hours on, however, and our concluding message of peace being unlikely to come any time soon appears to have been taken to heart by both sides. The Iron Order, to the Gameplay Telegraph's awareness, is supposedly headed to war with the International Debating Area.

FIGURE 2: Floored! A picture taken by one of the Gameplay Telegraph's
crack photojournalists shortly after one ejection of Elipium on Saturday
OOC - original pic

Our article was published at 2am BST on Monday, since when tensions have not been defused but escalated. After some real-world debate in the IDA as the situation seemingly normalised, this was followed up at around 1pm BST, when Fresh Prince of Bel-Air proclaimed that war between the IDA and TIO was impendent. This came some hours after Quebecshire warned of an invasion threat on the IDA by TIO.
Meanwhile, over in TIO, Elipium bemoaned how DFTBA-Land "changed the rules and counted votes that shouldn't have been counted to help me lose", and denounced the IDA as a "liberal echo chamber" (a message which Nouvelle-Belgique, another TIOer, sympathised with). Walter Hartwell White was quick to posit that the region had been placed under a hidden and unchangeable password (at least unchangeable to anybody other than Hispanyo, founder of TIO).
Meanwhile, in a set of posts since player-suppressed (but, again, still viewable using the [+] button), embassy-posters from the IDA were quick to rebuff Elipium's complaints: Bobinskyism exposed claims that the accusations of Truace not being Elipium were only so popular because of Elipium's successful recruitment for the Fascist Party, whilst Cir-Aires Demilitarized Zone announced in advance that the suppression to happen later was TIO "[admitting] defeat!". Meanwhile, Hispanyo condemned these suppressed posts as being "spam"; whilst Massachusetts United apologised for his behaviour in the TIO RMB, and then told by Hispanyo to tell the other alleged spammers to apologise. As of time of writing, the fate of the "Gang of Four" in TIO is yet to be seen.

FIGURE 3: Massachusetts United walks away from TIO's RMB after
condemnation from Hispanyo and the Cir-Aires Demilitarized Zone
OOC - original pic

It is worth noting that this spam came from calls since preserved by Potato, and supposedly pertained to "[telling] them why fascism is bad as retaliation to their "war."" Let's not get ahead of ourselves, however - The True Conservative swiftly noted that any future coup of the IDA by fascist forces would fail, whilst Fresh Prince of Bel-Air confessed that he had been told to say it by Truace "so we can laugh at how unthreatening it is".
Meanwhile, Cir-Aires Demilitarised Zone pointed to TIO's size as a reason for the inevitable failure of the supposed war plans (although there is no mention made of 10000 Islands' takeover of the Empire of Power, or the New Inquisition's takeover of the Rejected Realms, both of them raids conducted by smaller regions against much larger ones). As of the time of writing, other than further spam and subsequent allegations by Hispanyo in TIO's RMB, there have been no other controversies.
WB Yeats, renowned Irish poet, was noted for pondering the theory of the two gyres (as referenced in the first line of The Second Coming, "Turning and turning in the widening gyre"), where one of them was expanding and the other one contracting. As we speak, these two gyres are almost certainly set to go into action in the Great IDA-TIO War, although which region (IDA and TIO) will be represented by which gyre (widening and contracting) is yet to be seen.

Do you have a story to share with the Gameplay Telegraph? If the answer to this is YES, and it has not been covered in any other gameplay publication, please send a telegram to this nation with information.

by **Texas-Ozark** » Mon Jul 31, 2017 8:15 am

LOl why wasn't I in that picture? I was pm of ida

by **Enlightened Sempiternity** » Mon Jul 31, 2017 8:24 am

Hm, cool beans. This is very unbiased. Well done.

by **DFTBA-Land** » Mon Jul 31, 2017 8:55 am

xD OMG, this is the best thing ever. I put this up on the IDA RMB.

by **Altheriol** » Mon Jul 31, 2017 8:57 am

Enlightened Sempiternity wrote:Hm, cool beans. This is very unbiased. Well done.

It's about the only damned thing on this subforum that is.

by **The NAtion OF Froggy** » Mon Jul 31, 2017 8:59 am

Altheriol wrote:
Enlightened Sempiternity wrote:Hm, cool beans. This is very unbiased. Well done.

It's about the only damned thing on this subforum that is.

There are some great raid reports and defender reports.

by **Fresh Prince of Bel-Air** » Mon Jul 31, 2017 9:14 am

I find this all true. Good job.

by **Fresh Prince of Bel-Air** » Mon Jul 31, 2017 9:15 am

You really should have added me, cir-Aires, and others laughing at Truace, Elip, and Hispanyo. That would have been a nice picture.

by **Hispanyo** » Mon Jul 31, 2017 9:34 am

Fresh Prince of Bel-Air wrote:You really should have added me, cir-Aires, and others laughing at Truace, Elip, and Hispanyo. That would have been a nice picture.

I thought you were trying to fix the tensions between us.

by **Piedmontkad** » Mon Jul 31, 2017 3:08 pm

Very Interesting.

by **Todd McCloud** » Mon Jul 31, 2017 3:09 pm

The green and red old English text reminds me of Christmas cards. I like it just on that quality alone.

by **Kanglia** » Mon Jul 31, 2017 6:22 pm

This is awfully good & very informative mate

by **The 1337 CR3W** » Mon Jul 31, 2017 8:51 pm

Hispanyo wrote:
Hispanyo wrote:Do any of you know I lead TIO besides DFTBA?!

Anyways we consider war upon you!(Tru, who is NOT the Region's leader does, but not me, TIO's LEADER)

Oh how impressed we all are. *slow claps*

by **The Slightly Madlands** » Tue Aug 01, 2017 3:27 am

This is funny af.

by **Bedetopia** » Tue Aug 01, 2017 5:50 am

おもしろい...

These articles are well-made. They're entertaining to read and are based on factual evidence. I'm curious as to what will happen next.

by **Warwick Z Codger** » Tue Aug 01, 2017 7:02 am

Well sourced and factual. Bravo

by **Intelligeneria** » Tue Aug 01, 2017 11:26 am

Warwick Z Codger wrote:Well sourced and factual. Bravo

If you like well-sourced and factual news, you won't believe a new NS GP newspaper that's coming soon. Just click HERE to discover it! Journalists will hate you!

by **Altmoras Prime** » Wed Aug 02, 2017 2:36 am

Just got around to reading this, really high quality.

The Gameplay Telegraph: Bringing you the news first!

The Gameplay Telegraph: Bringing you the news first!

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