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Take a trip back through the mists of time and you'll come across a gust of potentially rose-tinted view of the eUnited Kingdom. 'Oldfags', as they've been perpetually labelled, or 'Beta Giants' from the abyss itself in 2008, can sometimes falter in the face of the drastic changes that have befallen this game in general, and indulge in occasional bouts of reminiscing. It happens in reality, most definitely moreso than in eRepublik, and it's a healthy indicator of a respect for and acceptance of the past, and more importantly a useful comparison to the present. Our personal and communal histories define us as citizens, institutions, nations and diplomatic blocs, and so to have a fuller knowledge of our society can only be a good way to plot our trajectories for the next term in office, or the next six-week discount, or the next summer.

There is, after all, a reason why almost every successful Country President or Minister of Foreign Affairs in eRepublik has been well-versed in the international political history of the past few years. [1] On that level, a rich understanding of the past is crucial. But within the national scope our local history is equally important, and for at least some, a major component of the enjoyment derived from the game that we play. This is admittedly a simple browser-based website that could be mastered by a twelve year old (to reference for future chapter or not to reference) within 10-15 mins of activity per day (and perhaps a few read-offs of a bank card.) The explanation, then, for why people are willing to dedicate so much of their reality to the eUK or eRepublik at all, most probably lays in the fact that there will be an observable and satisfactory outcome, whether they contribute to the game's various satellite mediums of communication or not. That observable outcome of yesterday happens to be our history.


"I don't think you could possibly sound more pretentious right now, eh John? Sodding get on with it...


*Cough* *Splutter* Aherem, right, yep. I'd therefore like to announce a new, forthcoming newspaper series, psychedelically entitled 'An Oldfaggishly Cultural History of the British Electronic Empire [2] in 313 Volumes [3] ', an attempt to combine a torrent of reminiscing, a plethora of verified fact and a vaguely defined version of chronology into a number of articles that will hopefully enrich newer players' knowledge of our --unashamedly stated-- great Kingdom [4] and the institutions that have grown and withered, and rekindle memories of those who've lived to tell the tale. The eUK has changed much over the past few years, and my aim for this series is not to hinder that change, but to put it into context.

That said, I intend to take this srbsns-cum-lighthearted, and this series will be fiercely dotted with subjects of discussion that are of no major direct relevant to the game other than for depth and breadth of knowledge. I suppose we could pretentiously call it 'eCultural' knowledge --and, ah, I've ... gone and done right... that. Ehe...

The format of the articles'll evolve from this one, and we'll begin in the very near future with Chapter 1: French Toast, Belgian Waffles and the British Discovery of Bondage, a description of the scene I faced when I came into the world at the beginning of 2009.

Heiniously yours,
John F Baker 😉

Duke, Admiral, MBE DSO MID*


Chapter I - Belgian Waffles and the British Discovery of Bondage


At the end of every chapter I'll be sticking references to published and planned chapters, for you to puroose at your pleasure. Enjoy. Bob [5] knows how long I'll be able to keep this up for...

[1] Planned Chapter:
--- The Foreign Office Essex Girls: Britain and the search for her International G-Spot
[2] Planned Chapter:
--- Of Tea And Medals: A Tale of Military and Civil Honours
[3] Planned Chapter:
--- 313 Problems but Inactivity Ain't One
[4] Planned Chapter:
--- The Three Kings Plus Two, or 'Why We're Not Risking a Westminster Palace Building Project'
[5] Planned Chapter:
--- ... And Thus Became Scripture: eTheocracy in Our Time, or 'Why the Boblo Inquisition has a Tight Grasp on the Chancellor's Crown Jewels'