Cormac AMA

[Cormactopia Prime]

I'm Cormactopia Prime, aka Cormac Skollvaldr, three time former Pharaoh of Osiris, former raider, former defender, former imperialist, former independent, former(?) Francoist, former communist rainbow, writer of much legislation, and all around controversy artist. I am also really bored. Ask me anything.

(Gameplay-related questions only, please, to adhere to the topic of this forum. I will ignore any non-gameplay questions).

[Salvarity]

Why are you a Francoist now.

[Eriadni]

I'm Cormactopia Prime, aka Cormac Skollvaldr, three time former Pharaoh of Osiris, former raider, former defender, former imperialist, former independent, former(?) Francoist, former communist rainbow, writer of much legislation, and all around controversy artist. I am also really bored. Ask me anything.

(Gameplay-related questions only, please, to adhere to the topic of this forum. I will ignore any non-gameplay questions).

Can you explain what is actually happening in LWU? Is it an elaborate joke?

[Sammuramat]

What's the dumbest/weirdest/most impractical coup plot someone has ever shared with you?

[Xoriet]

On the topic of the GCRs I hear you mentioning couping/disliking a lot:
If you had a choice of couping Balder, TSP, or TP, and would make a lasting impact with the coup, which would you coup and why?

On the topic of UCRs:
Which do you believe has been the most successful over the years? Why do you think that?

On the topic of Cormac:
Which ideology have you enjoyed being part of most over the years?

[Ever-Wandering Souls]

How often do you flip a coin to decide which side of a debate you'll join?

[Yohannes]

What is a communist rainbow?

What can I do to become one?

[Miss Bad Life Choices]

What controversy that you started is your most favorite to look back on?

[Imperium of Josh]

How can we make Balder actually interesting?

[The Notorious Mad Jack]

What happened to the Miniluv Messenger?

[Alkasia]

Who is your biggest nemesis on NS?

[Ever-Wandering Souls]

Write the Buzzfeed article "5 Easy Things Any Org Could Do To Spice Up Gameplay But No One Will."

[Cosmopolitan borovan]

What was the first thing you did as delegate

[Ever-Wandering Souls]

What was the first thing you did as delegate

If you were delegate of any GCR tomorrow, list the steps you'd take to stay there, and once you're secure, the steps you'd take to make it the region of your dreams.

[Xoriet]

Rank your top 10 favorite GCR delegates of all time and give a short description of why they made this list.

[The Notorious Mad Jack]

Rank your top 10 favorite GCR delegates of all time and give a short description of why they made this list.

Note: If I'm on this list Cormac is lying

[Kyorgia]

Is there one other player or region you think has influence you the most as a player?

[Escade]

In all of your list of formers, which former role\faction\ideology would you go back and do-over? How?

[Bdurham07]

What's your most controversial controversy

[King Bradley]

Want to join Amestris and spread some controversy?

[Ever-Wandering Souls]

Which region/project/revival/etc do you most regret letting fall by the wayside?

(inB4 reminiscing causes a reboot)

[Imperium of Josh]

Do you have a favourite UCR? If so, which is it?

[Ever-Wandering Souls]

If you could prevent one region from ever being founded, thus undoing every impact it has ever had and potentially utterly rewriting the history of the game, which one would it be?

[Cormactopia Prime]

Why are you a Francoist now.

Are you sure I am a Francoist now?

I am a Sinkerite regionalist, because I believe in sovereignty for the two Sinkers in which I'm involved, Lazarus and Osiris, and for each Feeder and Sinker in more general terms. I think in order to be truly sovereign, they need to be relatively free of influence from other regions and their interests. My views share a lot in common with Francoism, but I'm not precisely Francoist. For example, I don't agree that everyone from UCRs should be excluded.

Can you explain what is actually happening in LWU? Is it an elaborate joke?

I'm not entirely sure what's happening in LWU, but I'm having fun rolling with it.

What's the dumbest/weirdest/most impractical coup plot someone has ever shared with you?

Although it wasn't quite a coup plot, more a subversion plot, it would have to be Operation Brave Toaster, Belschaft's and Todd McCloud's plot to subvert TSP's democratic processes, take over TSP, and purge defenders they disliked (specifically at the time, Glen-Rhodes and Unibot). The plot itself wasn't bad, but the flaw was in telling me about it at all, especially given that both of them had opposed the Osiris Fraternal Order, had made disparaging remarks about Osiris, and were due for payback from me for that. Todd then topped that off by setting up an entire subforum on The East Pacific's forum dedicated specifically to the plot, which was one of the worst ideas ever. In any event, that was a long time ago and I bear neither of them any ill feelings whatsoever now, but in terms of ill-conceived ideas, that one takes the prize.

On the topic of the GCRs I hear you mentioning couping/disliking a lot:
If you had a choice of couping Balder, TSP, or TP, and would make a lasting impact with the coup, which would you coup and why?

I would 100% liberate Balder. The state of the region is just depressing, and I can work wonders with a Nordic theme.

On the topic of UCRs:
Which do you believe has been the most successful over the years? Why do you think that?

I think the clear winner would have to be 10000 Islands, with Europeia as a close runner-up. For starters, it's impressive simply that they've both endured the test of time. It's exceptionally rare for user-created regions to even remain active and last as long as they have. Aside from that, though, they've done far more than just exist. XKI has always been a significant military power, even when TITO was still refusing to use switchers, and XKI has also consistently had impressive WA numbers. Europeia has also had impressive WA numbers, and has contributed a great deal to the rise of independence -- which I think has been to the overall detriment of gameplay, but regardless, they've made their mark that way. Europeia has also been instrumental in normalizing the concept of moderate raiding, which was derided when I started playing but is now commonplace.

On the topic of Cormac:
Which ideology have you enjoyed being part of most over the years?

Honestly, I'll always feel like a defender at heart. Which of course won't stop me from mercilessly raiding stuff anyway.

How often do you flip a coin to decide which side of a debate you'll join?

Never. I roll octagonal shaped dice.

What is a communist rainbow?

What can I do to become one?

This is a communist rainbow, and you become one by retiring and trying to create a new and fabulous identity, but then being completely unable to stay away from shitposting in Gameplay until people figure out who you are.

What controversy that you started is your most favorite to look back on?

Although I didn't start it alone, definitely the first Osiris Fraternal Order coup. It was definitely peak gameplay for me.

How can we make Balder actually interesting?

Liberate it. Alternatively, the few people who aren't PNG should join it and seize the means of production participate in its democratic processes.

What happened to the Miniluv Messenger?

It's sleeping until I have something interesting enough to write about. Which unfortunately hasn't been the case in a long while.

Who is your biggest nemesis on NS?

That one's easy: The man in the mirror.

Write the Buzzfeed article "5 Easy Things Any Org Could Do To Spice Up Gameplay But No One Will."

1. Implement Koth's Faction Gameplay proposal.
2. Liberate Balder.
3. Create an alternative WA bloc to counter WALL.
4. Revive the United Defenders League.
5. More multilateral alliances.

What was the first thing you did as delegate

It depends on how you define "Delegate." After being elected Delegate of Osiris the first time, the first thing I did was fight a month long coup, but I wasn't actually the gameside Delegate during that coup. After actually becoming Delegate, the first thing I did was detag Osiris from the aforementioned coup.

If you were delegate of any GCR tomorrow, list the steps you'd take to stay there, and once you're secure, the steps you'd take to make it the region of your dreams.

That would very much depend on the circumstances, really. But broadly speaking, I miss participating in democratic gameplay, though I wouldn't want to see Lazarus or Osiris adopt democracy again given what's happened in the past. So I would honestly probably want to give democracy another try, if it were a GCR other than Lazarus or Osiris. Now, how I'd manage to talk people into electing me is really anyone's guess...

Rank your top 10 favorite GCR delegates of all time and give a short description of why they made this list.

1. Detective Figs (Astarial) - She finally did what needed to be done and put Osiris on the path to a more stable and culturally healthy future.
2. Milograd - His first term as Chairman of the People's Republic of Lazarus was really peak Lazarus. It was just fun to watch.
3. Pierconium - Although we didn't always see eye to eye, it was always a pleasure working with him when our most recent terms overlapped.
4. Altino - Although still in office and this will be perceived as political flattery, I think she's the best consistent Pharaoh Osiris has ever had.
5. Venico and Koth - I mean, obviously. Without them there would have been no Osiris Fraternal Order, and Osiris would be the worse for it.
6. Mad Jack - He can say I'm lying, but he was the best Pharaoh of the KRO, and he always put Osiris first while keeping things interesting.
7. Severisen - He's often overshadowed by more flashy personalities, but he was a great Pharaoh during OFO 1.0 and did a lot for foreign affairs.
8. Frattastan - He'd probably be surprised to find himself on a list of mine, but he is consistently one of the best of TRR's leaders.
9. Badger - Before Badger, TWP was kind of a region that just existed but no one really noticed much. He changed all that for the better.
10. Hileville - A constant reminder of what TSP could have been, as we are now all faced with what it has actually become.

Is there one other player or region you think has influence you the most as a player?

Europeia. I learned a lot from it in my early days, much of which helped me start my political "career" in Osiris. And Europeia has just sort of always been there in everything I've been doing, usually as an adversary, sometimes as a friend/ally. But always there in some capacity.

In all of your list of formers, which former role\faction\ideology would you go back and do-over? How?

Defending. I would have stayed in the Conclave for Chief of the Band of the UDL and not let Mahaj have it. Maybe. It's hard to say because that would change a ton of things, like I would never have been Pharaoh of Osiris in 2013, and who knows what else would have been different.

What's your most controversial controversy

Definitely Operation Brave Toaster. See above for details on that.

Want to join Amestris and spread some controversy?

No, but thank you for the invitation and best of luck with it.

Which region/project/revival/etc do you most regret letting fall by the wayside?

(inB4 reminiscing causes a reboot)

Other than Asgard, which I'll never again try to reboot because I've tried too many times, the project I most regret letting fall by the wayside wasn't even really my project -- it was the UDL. I wish I had the opportunity to revive it, because more defending is badly needed in this game.

Do you have a favourite UCR? If so, which is it?

Well, I quite enjoy Gay, the only UCR I'm currently involved in. I do also have a ton of respect for 10000 Islands.

If you could prevent one region from ever being founded, thus undoing every impact it has ever had and potentially utterly rewriting the history of the game, which one would it be?

Definitely The Black Riders. What a nightmare that region and its legacy turned out to be for gameplay.

[Sammuramat]

Rank your top 10 worst GCR delegates of all time and give a short description of why they made this list.