When The Levee Breaks

Part Two of Three.

The Liberation Flag of The Proletariat Coalition (November 2011)

No better time to pick up where I left off than the tenth anniversary of the founding of Star City. Hard to believe.

When I originally wrote my NationStates memoirs the game was entering its twilight period and it didn't look like the dawn would follow. Another site was then in ascendence and the former star site blew off its outer shell and began to contract. At the time, and on this blog, I voiced a hope that an exodus of players might at least alter the balance of power in some long-running conflicts rather than the game just become very very quiet. It looked like the latter transpired because for about five years my activity fell to the absolute minimum of logging in to prevent deletion. Of the more than a dozen puppets I maintained at the height of the game I now only have two functioning as informal ambassadors - Isla Pena in the Allied States of EuroIslanders and Dotjxraomm in the AntiCapitalist Alliance. Though it felt like centuries had passed, the game was declining after three years.

CHAPTER 5 Written December 23rd and 24th 2012

After my second delegacy in late 2005 I could feel things were waning and by the following year it was clear the regional government was collapsing. The appointed ministries were transformed into committees to encourage participation, but we couldn't draw enough candidates for the delegate elections nor voters. Blackbird ran unopposed in March 2006 and was re-approved in June, but the scheduled election in October never happened. Though we tried to maintain democracy, we coasted into informal gerontocracy and the role of the delegate essentially returned to the game-defined guardian of the region. In the new year of 2007 we decided to move to a new offsite forum, the region's third - a poor decision which resulted in a still-born forum and severed the continuity of regional history. Like the delegacy, regional discussion returned to the game itself back on the regional message board (RMB) where it all started. Those older nations who had invested years in the region stayed around and provided endorsements. The only change in all that time (aside from the short-lived NationStates 2) was Small Green Plants replacing Blackbird in May 2010 after 1510 continuous days.

Sixteen months later the unexpected happened. In eight and a half years The Proletariat Coalition had never been invaded. It had always been secure and still was, even amidst infiltration.

Elindra Kshrlmnt: It's the reason TPC has been such a prime target - some regions go years without being invaded because they get skimmed over. TPC managed it by a combination of high endorsements and vigilance.

The old rules about invasion had long since been replaced by new game mechanisms. Previously, the distinction of invader and native was a call on the part of an intervening moderation team; now it was the product of the game logging residency time and activity which was visible on each nation page as 'regional influence'. SGP had plenty of influence as an extremely long-term resident and well-endorsed delegate. What no-one foresaw was his reaction to events and the revelation of Eldorado Poe being the sleeper agent. He posted on the RMB a threat to gain retribution by hacking the invader delegate's computer. On seeing this I immediately telegrammed a warning.

-Small green plants (c. 2011/09/18 0400)
Yeah I know what you are saying. I'll try to keep it down, even though I am so angry

Moderation pounced.

-Frattastan (c. 2011/09/18 1600)
Sad news.
SGP just got deleted by the moderators, apparently for threatening to hack the other occupiers.
Please, keep your cool as we are losing our chances to free the region. I'll have other residents endorsing you so we can have you as pointman for a future liberation.

As the second most endorsed nation and one of the most 'influential', the Founderless Regions Alliance began to work through me.

The deletion of SGP for his reaction makes him look like a reckless choice for delegate, but outside observers should understand something about Eldorado Poe. None of us in this era, well past the golden age of the game, expected a sleeper agent. Just two days prior two nations were ejected for rapidly gaining endorsements, but they hadn't been active members of the region. EP (aka Elindra Kshrlmnt) was welcomed because she participated. It had been years since a newcomer engaged as much as her which made the apparent betrayal that much more potent. She had been posting poetry for some time on the RMB (since December the previous year) and three months earlier started a conversation with me regarding the language in my national motto. The anger was because we fell for it.

As the new rump delegate and vice-delegate, myself and Tahar Joblis were invited into talks with the invaders concerning their intentions and terms for ending the occupation. For me, this was an extremely humiliating moment as our primary concern was preventing any coup-de-grace by 'griefing' and I felt we had next to no leverage. It was only a matter of time before the invasion forces began to accumulate enough influence to start ejecting the more senior residents. I remember a thread on the old forums in which a few of us found out we had the same Che Guevara poster, but here we were leading the resistance in the style of Clement Atlee (or Pétain as I feared). I was the effective native representative and in line for the delegacy, assuming a liberation effort could be co-ordinated well enough to make the endorsements hold, and went to the table to either stall for time or end it on satisfactory terms. During these discussions the invaders, Unknown, revealed their plans and motivations.

-Grozny Serbia (c. 2011/09/??)
Well, to be honest, I think we only planned to hold it for a few days. Then DEN and others piped up about TPC's history in the RLA and SGP had the lack of sense to threaten the sanctity of the computer of our delegate. So now... no idea.

The relevant history of TPC in the Red Liberty Alliance was completely obscured by the passage of time. I had to look up a thread on the old offsite forum relating to an undercover operation by The Red Factions way back in December 2005. Apparently he had gained the confidence of an invader group and progressed to admin level whereupon he deleted their entire forum. A press release written by TRF is available here, as is the discussion thread which I have no recollection of despite responding in it. The invaders harboured this endurance grudge for six years, but for me it was Tuesday.

It was my opinion that the invasion of TPC was an opportunistic strike - "you've caught TPC with its pants down in a retirement home - largely inactive, founderless, not password protected, ie an easy target". Whilst all the rhetoric was directed against the crimes of the RLA; of the two major member regions, we were the one without a founder. That was the failsafe we didn't have. And in a case of hideous hindsight, that could be squarely blamed on me for I torpedoed talk of appointing a founder some years ago in dialogue with moderation. At this point in negotiations the region being razed had been casually threatened a few times and then EuroSoviets caught wind and posted a fairly unhelpful statement of defiance.

Found it quite amusing really. Took how many raiding organisations to attack an (inactive) RLA member region, and they boast and gloat about an organisation that hasn't been around for five years. They better not make me come out of retirement, to destroy their forums all over again.

Not a credible threat of course in our reality, but a repudiation of his words joined an apology for the forum destruction in the brief list of demands. The status of Blackbird, who had been a prominent figure in the RLA apparatus, was a sticking point for me as I was not willing to throw overboard a long-serving delegate to save the region. I was also unwilling to issue an apology for EuroSoviets' words because they could bloody well invade ASE and extract an apology from them. I risked giving the invaders the excuse they wanted to have their fun and grief us, but I wasn't going to bend over completely.

Elindra Kshrlmnt: I don't expect you to speak for him; I just believe it'll be best that TPC's view on that be quite clear. You won't be punished for what he said - but aligning with him is political suicide that could lead into gameplay suicide.
Star City: ASE and TPC are sister regions, but the RLA is quite dead - so, in my view, what he says today has little to do with the invasion of my region.
EK: Fair enough. The reasons for invading TPC are quite broad - ranging from wanting revenge or justice, to simply liking raiding.
SC: It took an invasion for you to get us to consider an apology. If you want him to do likewise, do what you know best. My word doesn't hold weight with him. You're asking the impossible from me. ASE is quite safe whether or not they apologise for their past actions
EK: I won't hold you responsible for their actions. I just want it to be clear you don't agree with them.
SC: Any apology from me on TPC's behalf will begin and end with TPC's involvement.
EK: And I'm sorry it's not fair; it's just how it is. In one form or other, though, their time will come.

We collectively issued the requested apology, as well as an individual one from Blackbird, and the occupation ended after exactly a month. Six years after the end of my second non-consecutive term I began a third with Tahar Joblis as vice-delegate. It didn't take long for the coalition of invaders ("The Holy Cosmarchy Union, DEN, TBH, TBR, LWU, TNI, LKE, TPK, and Euro") to turn their attention to the Allied States of EuroIslanders, but as I pointed out an invasion was not possible faced with an active founder. Instead they made a very canny move. They opted for politics instead of military might. In November 2011 a Security Council proposal (Resolution #73) went to vote to symbolically condemn the ASE for the actions of the RLA in December 2005 and the bellicose language of EuroSoviets during the invasion. With my own region safe I decided to at least make some token efforts toward defending ASE's name. I went through the list of delegates voting FOR and withdrew any in-game embassies to those regions. In one I watched this conversation unfold...

[???]
Does any one read the Security Council resolutions? I've checked up on the new one and it seems related to something that happened before the Security Council was even introduced into the game.
I am not against invading regions because it's part of the game but forum crashing? That seems a bit too much.
The Grand Duchy of Aesthetica
I'd stay clear of that vote for a while... I checked up on the proposer and target...
The targets seem to be aggressive defenders, or passive raiders, hard to tell which. The proposers appear to be hard core raiders, and the list of victims who need to be avenged includes the Black Hawks, more raiders.
This is just raiders tagging a defender region, keep your name off the voting list, at least until there are enough votes on there that you wont be spotted. I wouldn't be surprised if erly voters names were noted and punitive action taken by either of the two parties in that mess.
The targets don't seem bothered if they are condemned, talking about 'wearing their badges with pride'.
LWA - Let Well Alone.
The Chaos-Gnostic Empire of Sacred Terror
I don't think it matters now, lots of people have voted for it. I do see it as odd though that raiders are trying to condemn defenders.
The Holy Empire of Demonatrix
What's odder is that the bulk of the yes voters seem to be small quiet regions rather than the big raiding regions...
Makes you wonder how many just read the proposal and vote based on what it says not what's actually happened...
The Chaos-Gnostic Empire of Sacred Terror
Well, I read the forums regarding this proposal and someone said it will only be passed because of the 'destroying of forums' part. Not many people like that.
The Grand Duchy of Aesthetica
Yeah, the "hurt a region because of what it's old members did ages ago" bit seems to have gone over most peoples heads, odd really, seeing raiders complaining about raiding, when many of them have does as bad or worse. LWA.
The Blasphemous State of Dead Scrolls
That's true, The Proletariat Coalition seem to have aborted our embassy with them. I assume it's because I voted yes for the SC resolution, it does seem they haven't changed their views.
The Grand Duchy of Aesthetica
Told ya, LWA... TPC is a EuroIsland ally, it's pulling another 3 embassies too
The Holy Empire of Demonatrix
Noticed a big jump in the no votes, seems the defenders are rallying to the cause.

It wasn't until late in the voting that I decided to actually communicate the reasons for shutting the embassy, as it's hardly a message if you don't say anything. Dead Scrolls quite rightly lambasted my poor approach in his reply as it would have been far more effective to raise the issue first. In the end I think he abstained. I moved onto the most-endorsed delegates in order to swing the proceedings toward a no vote. I remarked that the resolution against ASE was a continuation of the invasion of TPC by political means over historic grievances which were already condemned in the depths of history in a forum thread from 2005. Little came of my belated efforts and the resolution carried on November 10th by 6,083 FOR to 3,544 AGAINST. ASE were not bothered in the slightest and wear their literal badge with honour.

Following a few news reports of the invasion, The Proletariat Coalition went back into its slumber. More cautious than ever, as delegate I immediately applied password protection to the region. In my mind the security outweighed the isolation it would cause as we approach the tenth anniversary of Haderan's founding of TPC.

Chapter 6 follows in March.

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