Join the new world

In a game that ‘simulates’ war, like so many other games out there, it seems only fitting to start off by acknowledging, on this Remembrance Day long weekend, that such conflicts as Operation Market Garden were, in fact, too much a reality, even as our imaginations draw us along into dreams of pixelated empires.

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/\/\/\Article Theme/Music: Let the River In ~ from ‘Ghost’ by Radical Face/\/\/\

***Theme inspired in part by Alias Vision’s article “Allegory of the Underbridge”***
“There were so many, like a spider's web whose center was easily discernible but whose anchors were lost in the branches or amongst the blades of grass.”
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It’s been about 200 days since the last CoI update, and in reading it over, I realize that not much has changed with the MU. That’s no complaint at all; holding steady in the tumult of eRep’s ever-shifting platform ain't a cakewalk. Despite that, we’ve had many new members sign up and a small number leave, mainly to depart the game entirely. However, most of the leading figures in the MU have stayed the same, except for some minor shifts and additions at the top. All our previous programs are still operating, mostly at increased output; we’ve tried our hand at Q7s briefly, and are learning to compensate with the steady decline of MU funding. We’ve also managed to accomplish a few milestones in the last 200 days, which we’ll go over in the sections below.

The going has not been smooth over the last 7 months, yet I cannot say that it hasn’t been fun watching the game develop, the MU grow, and eCanada shift and snake its way through battles, occupations, and liberations to who knows where the hell we’re eventually trying to go. So, might as well enjoy the scenery and episodic outbursts as we meander through the wild loops and lazy stretches…as the river runs. Or in the words of one M. Twain: “Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot.”


Q: “What’s the easiest way to take a bridge?” (Brig. General Gavin)

/\/\/\/\/\
“You, beneath the bed, I know all your tricks.
I've seen you watching;
I've seen you drifting away,
Seen you falling along,
I've seen you disappear.”
/\/\/\/\/\

i) Daily Orders, Fight Nights, and Rewarding Updates

Since early this year, Captains of Industry has been running a self-styled reward program for our active members who complete the Daily Order. The aim is to provide added incentive to get the bazooka+bar bonus, but mainly to top off supplies with a ‘thank you’ for contributing to eCanada’s battle efforts. Each day, the number of kills are recording for each member and every 3 days, tanks and food are distributed to those meeting the set kill rate.

This month, the Daily Order Rewards program is expanding in a few ways.
1) First, CoI recently upgraded the companies designated for the DO Rewards to Q6. Members have in the last month been receiving 7 Q6 2 to 3 times a week. We will be maintaining Q6 supply since it is the most efficient use of WRM. No plans are set to expand to Q7.

2) Previously, members only had to reach 25 kills/day once in the 3 days to receive 7 Q6. Now, we will be awarding 3 Q6 per DO completed. In other words, members who complete the DO on 3 consecutive days will receive 9 Q6 tanks. Completing 2 days worth of DOs will earn 6 Q6, and 3 Q6 for 25 kills reached on a single day. Those that score less than 25 kills, but show signs of being active, will receive Q1 food and possibly some Q5 tanks, which are generously donated to the DO Rewards program by Donna Rush and juicyxeno (many thanks for your continued support!).

3) Lastly, the DO Rewards program has taken on a new supplier who will help record the kills and dole out the goodies. klop123 has long been a very active member in CoI who frequently helps out with directing people to battles and also providing funds to those needing help with travel costs. I believe he will make a fine addition to the Captains’ management team.

/\/\/\/\/\
“There ain't a cloud in sight
Look through the snow and the branches
I can count all your teeth
Yeah I can count all your teeth”
/\/\/\/\/\

Potentially, this new reward system could become quite expensive should all our members be motivated to complete the DO each day, and while it is not likely that everyone will be getting 25+ kills each, we’ll cross that bridge should we come to it. Our supply team looks forward to taking on this venture and it is good to have klop123 assisting in this program.

But there’s more!

Wouldn’t want to forget our second best (‘cuz we know which is first, harhar) reward program: Tuesday & Friday Fight Nights.

First managed by Wilhem Klink, who now takes care of Fridays, Randall Flagg 1999 has become our Tuesday night ringmaster, who also helps support TFFN with 100+ of own tanks, too.

So what’s the Fight Night deal? 240ish Q6 tanks up for grabs, is what.
All members are sorted into 4 groups:
a) Recruit to Colonel
b) General to Marshals
c) National Forces
d) World Class Force to God of War

Q6 tanks are given to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd top killcounts for Tuesday and Friday battles. Plus, 7 ‘Tanks-A-Lot’ winners are chosen at random for a 10 tank reward for getting 25+ kills. You can read more about it here:
CoI: A Fight Night Update

Sometimes I wonder how we can afford to run two outstanding reward programs…who’s paying for all this, Goran!!? I’m not picking up the bill at the end of the month, that’s for sure.


A: “Both ends at once.” (Maj. Cook)


ii) The MU’s Who’s Who ~ Captain Profiles

The CoI 'Leadership Conference' PM thread has expanded quite quickly in the past month. CoI’s membership topped 100 members and then added a 5th Regiment, so it has become quite necessary to include more slavepit managers to help with supply. Plus, our Tuesday and Friday Fight Nights are still going strong, so there’s plenty going on to keep track of within CoI. We’ve put together a reliable team to help with this task and I’d like to take a moment to introduce those contributing to the ‘CoI Leadership Conference.’



Dereck Ryan:
First, a quote that somehow reminds me of our former 1st Commander…
“A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.”
--Lao Tzu

Former 1st Commander of Captains of Industry, now 2nd. Dereck manages the largest group of workers in our supply chain. After landing a big job in a new town, Dereck had to pass CoI’s wheel to Goran but continues to be part of the leadership discussion.

I have to say that Dereck was a great guy to serve under and Goran has rather large boots to fill (no pressure, Space Pope). The first time I remember working with Dereck was way back in the days of WGC when we ran our first Canada Prize contest and he’s always been one to get done what he promises to set out to do.

Most of our members may not realize the relentless googledoc work Dereck has done to track rosters and manage supply, but I think that’s what makes a good leader, when the work you do may not be seen directly but it is felt indirectly, perhaps even taken for granted at times, yet much appreciated when given a reason to take notice.


Goran Thrax:
And another that again somehow captures the feeling of our current 1st Commander…

“You cannot lead a Fighting World without having it regimented, chivalrie😛 the thing, in a
day, becomes impossible; all men in it, the highest at first, the very lowest at last, discern consciously, or by a noble instinct, this necessity. And can you any more continue to lead
a Working World unregimented, anarchic?”
~~Thomas Carlyle: P&P, Ch. 4 ~ “Captains of Industry”

The new 1st Commander of CoI and manager of our second largest group of regimented workers. He has taken over the task of handling our sizeable CoI googledoc, on top of dutifully, painstakingly balancing our finances and supply chain on his shoulders, an Atlas for the New World if there ever were to be one. His newfound sense of enjoyment comes from culling the roster of the indolent.


Plugson:
Second-place 2nd Commander of CoI. Responsible for managing the Daily Order Rewards program and welcoming new players to the MU, as well as for pestering Goran with multiple questions and requests on any given day.


Wilhem Klink:
Manager of 3rd largest slavepit and original coordinator of our Fight Nights program. Wilhem now handles the Friday Fight Nights cage matches and helps with supplying members daily. He is currently on sabbatical from his insightful 1600 Index and is rumoured to be toiling away at a massive 1600-1800 Omnibusdex.


kiisupai:
Manager of our 4th slavepit and soon-to-be WRM powerhouse as we expand our production. Kiisupai enjoys regularly working out in our aluminum mines, which keeps a fine figure for the reigning Miss eCanada.


Randall Flagg 1999:
Coordinator of our Tuesday Fight Nights fun. Randall came aboard to assist Wilhem with the expanding Fight Nights program and has been a great help doling out rewards, as well as donating his own tanks to the program. Not sure why, but he’s requested some Johnny Cash to complement his character sketch: “J. Cash ~ The Man in Black”


klop123:
DO Rewards manager for Regiment 4 and 5, and lovely gdoc assistant. klop came aboard this past week to help out with the ever-growing DO Rewards program. He’ll be of great service tracking activity and giving out supplies. Being a most earnest and somber player, klop would likely not appreciate any amusing quip on his character to tie off his introduction.

/\/\/\/\/\
“I closed my eyes and saw my daddy’s sins;
They covered me like a second skin.
I peeled them off and sure I bled it in.”
/\/\/\/\/\


“He's got to be tough enough to do it and he's got to be experienced enough to do it. Plus one more thing. He's got to be dumb enough to do it..."(Maj. Cook [of the movie] on taking the Nijmegen bridge at both ends in Sept. '44, then later defended and held by the II Canadian Corps from Nov. '44-Feb. '45, at the cost of 683 Canadian casualties.)


iii) Regimented Workers, or ‘Being a Slave is the Pits’

Over the last week, a PM was sent out to 30 of our active members who were not part of the slavepits. The message aimed to explain the benefits of our slavepit supply and encourage them to take part in the offer. We’ve most of 15 available spots filled since then and we hope to stabilize this supply rate and expand our WRM infrastructure to match these demands, even amid declining MU funding from the Govt.

It is likely that we’ll soon either reach max capacity for employees or begin to feel the pinch financially as we subsidize workers with food and tanks. It does not seem likely that funding for MUs will increase or become any more reliable. Therefore, it seems likely that CoI slavepits will have to reach a plateau rather soon unless we find more ways to increase our WRM supply. One avenue still left to be explored would be to find more members in our ranks willing to ‘donate’ their excess WRM production to CoI slavepit managers.

Up until the last couple months, our daily supply drops included 10 Q6 tanks and 65 Q5 food, with 7 Q7s twice a week. It was a fairly competitive yet costly rate of supply. With production bonus disruptions in the US and cutbacks to MU funding, we have had to scale back to 7 Q6 and 65 Q5 per day, yet have not had to make any cuts to our Fight Nights and DO Rewards.

Perhaps once eCanada regains Congress to adjust tax rates and restart MU funding transfer, then CoI and other MUs will again feel more security and potential for growth to expand ranks/communes in a sustainable manner. It’s been a rough month or two for balancing MU supply. I think everyone has been feeling the pinch if you rely on the game itself to keep you operating, rather than on Gold-purchase infusions. Yet, it seems that if we’ve managed to cope through recent events, then there’s not much else that can sink CoI, or eCanada for that matter.



“You know how I got these scars?” Chpt. 2: ‘A Brief Meander’

/\/\/\/\/\
“Now the bed's on fire and the ceiling's gone,
And your mom and dad still sing the same old song.
Don't scare me off now, I'm your only friend.
Don't scare me off now, I'm your only friend.”
/\/\/\/\/\

iv) Staying straight in the ebb and flow

We’re committed to maintaining regular supply independent of funding fluctuations and have had recent success gathering donations from an in-house fundraising drive to finance WRM production. In the first weeks, we managed to gather close to half of the 1.25 million CAD needed to achieve self-sufficiency. A recent generous donation from a departing member has helped push us even closer to the WRM self-sufficiency mark, with 88% of funds so far collected. Nevertheless, with increased membership and increased output of our DO Rewards and Fight Nights program, the task of preparing for added WRM production doesn’t seem to be over just yet. Hey Admins, ever think of adding a Q7 WRM facility to balance things out a bit? It’d make it easier for MUs to upgrade to Q7 tanks, eh.

Our slavepit managers are expanding their infrastructure swiftly, yet only as fast as the Gold limits allow, which does temporarily restrict the flow of WRM infusions into our supply chain for now. We still have 12% to gather, yet for now we are well set and will make plans later on how to pick up the remainder.

A big hand to our donors (in no particular order except how they are recorded on the spreadsheet): Thomas Tran, kwest78, Randall Flagg 1999, Myself, ninotoes, Marshal858, herja, kemicarka, El_Duderhino, Quimbie Muffins, Wilhem Klink, Toad22, arsenalium, ionnuttaus, Donna Rush, CrispianLux, Tucas, Pmzqonxw, katerinkos, falhofnir, Gooffree, zoecat, ElPatoDiablo, Christian Doe, Tokerr, Claudeperm2, Dereck Ryan, Simon Fraser, Joe Smith VI, tikiki18, Jankovecs, klop123, barneyg, Evgeniy Bracula, MJPBNOT, BettyNT, and Sabzii.

You done made us proud! Actually, when Dereck Ryan announce the 1.25 million CAD figure, I had serious doubts about getting more than halfway. Now it seems possible. The unexpected, even the doubted, has a way of finding its own course. : )


“Soon as it was night out we shoved; when we got her out to about the middle we let her alone, and let her float wherever the current wanted her to; then we lit the pipes, and dangled our legs in the water, and talked about all kinds of things…” ~ Huckleberry Finn – Ch. XIX

/\/\/\/\/\
“And now I'm free to sink my own damn ship;
I cut the bridge down from my family tree
To start a fire in the middle,
Now the house is just ash this time, sink or swim.”
/\/\/\/\/\

v) A high-water mark and a flood of thanks

“Third time lucky” may be a truth in many cases when perseverance finally pays off. Other times, it may just be part of an evolving trend. Today marks the 3rd time Captains of Industry has managed to reach the #1 spot in MU rankings this week. In itself, the number has less meaning for strategy or influence output, since the MU ranking system is based on kill counts rather than influence, medal counts, or membership rank. Nevertheless, it has remained a milestone that many of us have aimed for, and it does feel like an accomplishment of sorts to finally reach this point after sticking to it for so many months. CAF will likely always remain eCanada’s representative military force. It’s my hope that CoI can be its right-hand MU in the days ahead, even as the MU funding scheme changes or as schisms form and fade across eCanada’s political geography.

While acknowledgement was given to the commanders and slavepit drivers, now would seem a good time to applaud those that actually got CoI to this high-water mark.
To our diligent Captains, past and present: komplicirani, JoeyJoJo Shabbadoo, kwest78, Toad22, ninotoes, falhofnir, Alexander Rearden, and Quimbie Muffins.

A big hand goes out to our two God of Wars that are not only our ‘tanks’ but also great contributors to supplying the MU:
Donna Rush ~ o7 for all the DO Reward food, succeeding your ‘million dollar method’ and getting your first BH this past week.
MrEgg ~ o7 for being a long-time member and for the fun lotteries and charitable food giveaways



Congrats those who reached God of War this past month: SMOK76 (another long-time member who just can’t seem to escape eCanada, lol), and tikkiki (retired, much gratitude for the $$$). As you can see, CoI does not have a whole host of GoW****s, yet we do have a committed group that have stuck through the tumult of eCanada and Much appreciation go out to those who stuck to this game even at times when it made less sense to continue doing so. Your compulsion is CoI and eCanada’s reward ; )

But before we’re done with the glad-handing and back-smacking, there’s one last thing to lend a nod to before signing off…

/\/\/\/\/\
“Let the river in.
If blood is thicker than water,
Then let the river in.
We might drift away, but we've got thick skin.”
/\/\/\/\/\


Meander scars ~~ one direction formed from various diverging, convergent paths.
"Finally, pi emerges in the shapes of rivers. A river's windiness is determined by its "meandering ratio," or the ratio of the river's actual length to the distance from its source to its mouth...Albert Einstein was the first to explain this fascinating fact. He used fluid dynamics and chaos theory to show that rivers tend to bend into loops...This process will gradually tighten the loop, until chaos causes the river to suddenly double back on itself, at which point it will begin forming a loop in the other direction."

vi) A minor change, of course

In the last couple weeks, Goran Thrax has assumed the post of 1st Commander of Captains of Industry as Dereck Ryan ventures of to lands unknown in RL, to brave the insatiable hunger and deep thirst of Manitoban Moose Jaw hockey fans (not sure which are more ravenous). CoI weathered the transition amazingly well, reached new heights in membership and supply, with little angst though doubtlessly a lot of behind-scenes-work by Goran and Dereck to make it pass so smoothly.

Not only in this present change, but in past ones too earlier this year, have Dereck and Goran been there to ensure that disruptions were lessened despite the greater impact that we narrowly avoided. Their efforts are what kept CoI afloat so that it could reach this point today and for that, I have a lot of gratitude. Just goes to show that an MU Commander doesn’t have to be a frontline hero, so long as he’s willing to tow a heavy load even as we drift into low water slack.

I’d like to leave off here with part off Dereck’s ‘passing the torch’ article that seems to have gone mostly unnoticed somehow: “V: A Change at the Top"

“For now I will continue to serve in my role as a CoI supply manager, and will remain a part of the CoI family. I'm not leaving the game, just stepping back from some of my commitments. I thank all of you for your support during my time as Commander and I look forward to seeing how the Captains grow in the months ahead.”

Yup, you can never be certain what will be ‘round that next bend. But for certain, it’s bound to be interesting, even a bit discouraging at times. The good news is that eCanada’s MUs have held on despite shrinking populations and revenues. Maybe the better news is that we’ll be getting back on our feet soon enough…


It had known the ships and the men—the adventurers and the settlers; kings' ships and the ships of men on 'Change; captains, admirals, the dark "interlopers" of the Eastern trade, and the commissioned "generals" of East India fleets. Hunters for gold or pursuers of fame, they all had gone out on that stream, bearing the sword, and often the torch, messengers of the might within the land, bearers of a spark from the sacred fire. What greatness had not floated on the ebb of that river into the mystery of an unknown earth! . . . The dreams of men, the seed of commonwealths, the germs of empires.”
~ J. Conrad, Heart of Darkness

/\/\/\/\/\
“Let the river in.
If blood is thicker than water,
Then let the river in.
We might drift away, but we'll find our way again”
/\/\/\/\/\