NationStates

Opening of the New Forums

Balder is pleased to announce the official opening of new regional forums at balder.boards.net/.

Following the mandatory migration of our ZetaBoards forum to Tapatalk back in August, a change of forums represents a welcome move to a platform which is more suitable for the needs of our community. Unfortunately, the transfer means no longer actively using the board which served as our forum from October 2011 to December 2018. From the day we were created, our previous forum was the centre of Balder's political debates and cultural activities, especially prior to the creation of our Discord server. While we must not forget the past and the previous forum will remain valuable as an archive, we must concentrate our attention on developing the present and future of Balder.

These new forums herald the beginning of a new era in Balder. Recent revelations gravely disappointed the members of our community. As a region, we are focusing now on our future. A new Monarch has succeeded to the throne. North East Somerset deservedly commands respect within and outside Balder. In particular, within Balder, we know him for his sound judgement, leadership and dedication to Balder from the day we were founded.

However, this new era involves more than a new Monarch. We have not merely created new forums, but re-organized the structure of our community into three Viking cities: Aarhus, the city of culture and academia; Ribe, the city of foreign affairs and trade; Jomsborg, the city of the military. This reflects the pioneering vision of our Minister for Regional Development, Zander Cerebella. This system will aid the rapid integration of new citizens and promote activity in each of the areas covered by the cities, as well as fostering competitive endeavours between them.

Finally, I would like to thank individuals in and outside of Balder who have assisted in preparing our new forums for public release. In particular, I thank the members of my Cabinet for their sterling efforts over the Christmas period and Imki for masterfully designing the banner of our new forums.

New Regional Structure Lays Strong Groundwork
When he was re-appointed for his current term as Statsminister, OnderKelkia emphasized the importance of the position of Zander Cerebella as Minister for Regional Development. This position, tasked with suggesting cultural and thematic changes to the Statsminister to help guide the region back towards its Nordic origins, was most fitting for Cerebella. As a former Delegate, Vice-Delegate, and Statsminister as well as current Prince, he has extensive experience with the cultures and practices of Balder, past and present. Zander's work this term has been pleasing, and in conjunction with the release of the new forums at balder.boards.net, a plethora of pleasing thematic changes were also implemented.

Firstly, the old terms "Citizen" and "Non-Voting Resident" were scrapped in favor of the terms "Viking Citizen" and "Viking Resident," respectively. Secondly, Viking Citizens and Viking Residents are now asked to pick a city based on excellent roleplay blurbs developed by the Minister of Regional Development. These cities are: Ribe, the city of trade and diplomacy, Aarhus, the city of culture, and Jomsborg, the city of the military. The Ministry of Regional Development is hoping to develop these three cities, and arrange events, such as competitions or festivities, between the three. It is excellent to see Balder returning to its Nordic origins.

King Appoints Three Experienced Princes
Using the powers vested in him as Monarch of Balder, King North East Somerset has announced the appointment of three princes as members of the monarchy. They are tasked with maintaining a higher endorsement count, along with other miscellaneous security tasks, as well as serving as advisers to the King. Their presence as border control officers with a high level of influence only solidifies Balder's position as the most secure game-created region in NationStates. The Princes were appointed based on the new cities - OnderKelkia for Jomsborg, ZanderCerebella for Aarhus, and Fuzzy for Ribe. We are glad to have these three highly capable indiviuals in these capacities and are pleased to see them doing excellent work.

Balder and The East Pacific Host Gala
On 2nd February, Groundhog's day, the Realm of Balder was pleased to host a gala along with our friends in The East Pacific. Although the Realm of Balder has typically hosted our events in the past on the regional forums, we had a unique change this time: the event was hosted on a Discord server that was prepared by the Statsraadet (Cabinet) of Balder in conjunction with our colleagues in The East Pacific. In addition to the formal roleplay of the gala that was hosted in the Manor's Ballroom, the Discord server allowed for games such as Chess, skribbl.io, Town of Salem, and many others to be played by the guests at the festival.

The Realm of Balder was encouraged by the high number of people (59) who joined the Discord server and participated in the gathering. Following the event, Minister Cinder, one of the organizers of the event, commented, "I think the event went very well. Everyone seemed to have a good time once it started, the games lasted for several hours, the music bot was active until after sundown." The Gala's participants enjoyed themselves and we were pleased to partake in this cultural cooperation.