Candor: Perspective.

Day 1,235, 18:10 • Published in USA USA • by Candor


I tend to weigh in when I see a perspective missing from the mix. I’m content to let others debate the merits of issues till they're blue in the face, so long as most everything is discussed.

I was elected as Speaker of The House of Congress this term as a moderate. Someone who doesn’t get worked up about issues, and usually offers unbiased and typically, I hope, broad perspective.

I want to give some of that today.

First, we’re playing a game. Game’s are about fun. We burn our spare time playing and socializing. In eRepublik, there are many social challenges and there are mechanical benchmarks as well. There’s always the military strategizing.

Each of us plays this game for a different combination of reasons.



There’s a lot of role play in eRepublik. We role play Presidents, we role play Congressmen, we role play great Generals.

The reality is we’re all pushing a few simple buttons of course, and the rest is player invented simulation and social interaction. Social games we’ve invented for organization and challenge.

So what has this got to do with our current situation? Well, I’d say everything and nothing.

Nothing because nothing just happened to the real world and nothing just happened to the mechanical game world either. The game is mechanically the same as it was yesterday. And it’s still a game.



Everything because a bunch of role-play worlds just collided.

The specific actions of each group are less important than you might think. Congress makes some RP “laws”, which are effectually statements of collective will, since they are unenforceable except for that one mechanical power: Money.

The military folks choose to contest that will. They have a will of their own. They choose to go their own way. Congress chooses to stop sending them money, chicken and egg, no difference which came first.



Congress goes on to express a new will (33-0), that the Executive establish a new system. And so they are.

One absolute truth, money = damage.

There will be people fighting and getting money to do so, regardless of all of this. And regardless of the new organizations that come into being.

And the game goes on.

But no one’s really reinvented the wheel here. It’s not like this resolution will be the end of political turmoil, or the end of power struggles in eRepublik. No way in heck. In fact, I’ve no doubt that if I stick around long enough I’ll see some version of this very same fight replayed again. I can already imagine various scenarios. Meh, that’s the game.


Not feeling much respect?

You know what sucks about this? What sucks is that a lot of people like this role-play military, they like all that structure, they like all those rules. They like to pretend they are official soldiers of the US government. They like the formal avatars based on real life. They like orders and discipline. They like having their own forums, their own jokes, their own persona. And they like their commanders, officers, and current chain of command, all the way to the top. And for them, in my opinion, this situation sucks. And I have empathy.

I know a lot of you military guys, we’re friends. I like Bradley Reala, I like SweetBags, and Kelly Draygo (the JCS folks I’ve known over time). These are good people in my opinion. So are the other 100 lessor known soldiers and marines, AB and MI, NG and TC people that I’ve known and enjoyed discussions with.

So this sucks. No other way to say it.

It would be my hope that there is resolution that doesn’t disenfranchise those people, hundreds of valuable gamers and friends. A resolution that let’s these guys feel good about their place in the game and their relationship with the government (Executive and Congressional).

We’re playing a game here folks. We’re all on the same team. There needs to be resolution that leaves everyone with their heads held high.


The elephant in the room

I may be the least politico-Politico in this game, but one last thought: I hope that in the next few months this issue still seems the most significant social game challenge this nation has ever faced. But I have reason to think it may not be.

And think about that.

Dutifully submitted,


Speaker of The House of Congress