Join the new world

Erepulbik uses the “country” analogy. We often get tripped up by it.

Concepts of patriotism, valour, courage, defense of liberty, should have no place in the game. They are inappropriately imported with the portemanteau “country”, and that is unfortunate.

The players who have citizenship in the eUSA comprise a team, not a country.

Until pretty recently, teams strove against each other to achieve obvious competitive goals: acquiring game tiles, advantage in economic and military strength, long term strategic and tactical advantage, a vibrant culture. The competition was ferocious and fun. It recognized that there was no advantage in having what everyone possesse😛 teams were intent on depriving others of power, money, capacity and wealth. Competition was keen because there was something at stake. Competition was fun because the team had concrete, achievable goals. There was pride in accomplishment. Success came from collective planning and execution in the military sphere, from leveraging knowledge of game mechanics and from networking. Above all was networking.

The present strength of the AFA movement is traceable to the CNTL debacle. Concerned about domestic will for this infant alliance, the administration began to cull opponents. The policy of purposely losing bonus regions was justified as a way to persuade “Edenites” to leave the team. Bona fides objection to a questionable alliance was characterized as dishonorable, motivated by greed and proof of malignancy. It was here that we saw the trend to characterize “good” players as only those who were “real life” Americans. Consistent with that view, longtime allied teams with objections to the new alliance were reviled. Their perfectly legitimate public articles about the risks of CNTL were used as a pretext for invasion and hostility. The US administration reached the zenith of irrationality: foreign teams were seen as interfering in our internal affairs by publicly denouncing an international treaty that would see their interests seriously affected. And thus it goes when you believe bullshit baffles brains.

You reap what you sow. Soon, the campaign of bulloney was constant, loud and indiscriminate. No position, no argument, no behavior was so outrageous it couldn’t be justified by a new slice of bulloney. That is when we lost sight of what was important. That is when the AFA won a major victory. It is a single victory, better described as a self inflicted loss really, and not the determining one. Our team should still prevail, but that will require the political class to put aside the failed strategies of the past. Fight for tiles, fight for bonuses, fight for the little guy, fight for something worthwhile, fight to attract new citizens and to keep them.

Reconsider incessant Balkan wars: aren’t they a very good thing? Reconsider the culture of caution. Reconsider your strength. Acknowledge your weakness and forge ahead notwithstanding, secure in the knowledge that your leaders have a rational, workable plan. Find leaders who can create such plans and execute them.

The players who have citizenship in the eUSA comprise a team, not a country. Ignore patriotism. Value co-operation. Start with yourself. Create networks. Profit.