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Day 3646 of the New World
November 13, 2017






Many of you who have clicked on this newspaper article will have no use for it.

You’ve already succeeded at eRepublik in eUSA.


But since I get this question in my inbox about once per month (I know, pathetic isn’t it?) I thought there might be a few who could make use of a few random thoughts from eUSA’s resident curmudgeoun, Gnilraps.







Succeed? What’s “Success”?



This first question is the only really important one for you to answer for yourself. As you read, you’ll begin to understand that my philosophy is that there are a lot of mechanics at work in eRepublik, both in the code itself as well as in its established social structures. So once this first question is answered, much of eRepublik is about surfing the mechanics.




Which makes this first question THE important one. Success will not come quickly. So whatever course you set towards the thing you’ve identified as “success” will have to take you through meadows and mountains and valleys and vistas that you actually enjoy. In other words, don’t bother considering to become a strong Airborne fighter unless you can find enjoyment in sorting through military campaigns and clicking the red button a lot - oh, and probably spending some cash.


On the other hand, don’t envision your success as a person of great reputation in the game if you are antisocial and impatient with people. You may become well-known by being a rotton turd, but you will be miserable personally. Unless you are clinically psychopathic, but that’s a question for another forum.




So here’s a simple guide to helping you define success. We’ll start with pay-to-play.

Question 1:
Are you willing to spend a TON of real life money on playing eRepublik?

If “Yes”, eUSA is a great place for you to build a big mess of manufacturing, and you’d make a great support player for an active Military Unit (MU) who wants to make good use of your willingness to turn your factories into game activity for other players (there are a few steps to that, but that's another article). You might also consider becoming a strong Airborne player - something you could do in parallel with the first or if done exclusively you could ramp up your stats pretty quickly with spending. This path is compatible with any social pathways to success.

If ‘No”,

Question 2:
Are you willing to spend some real life money playing eRepublik?

If “Yes”, you should mostly ignore playing the economy. There’s no money in it for casual users. You can probably get a return on investment in a year or so. By then the game may have changed or who knows? The best “yes” for spending some real life money is to become an Airborne specialist on the Battlefield and look for some social outlets where you can make a game for yourself. There is no reason you cannot become a social success.


If “No”,

Question 3:
Are you willing to spend a tiny bit of real life money playing eRepublik?

Seriously, even just 10e/month (maybe $14) on a Power Pack is enough to make a player able to do some ranking up in Airborne battles if he is willing to log in several times daily, preferably at pre-defined times. So if “Yes”, you still have a good chance at becoming battlefield relevant if you get some help from a decent Military Unit on maximizing your resources (and like Easy Company Airborne does, it helps if you get a big pile of Q1 missiles in your lap every month!). There are many huge success stories in the various social communities of eUSA that come from the ranks of “spend a tiny bit”...


If “No”; if you are not willing to spend any money on this game then...,


Plan to primarily play the social mechanics of eRepublik. Here are some ideas:


Question 4
Are you literate in english?

I’m not trying to be a jerk here, but if you really cannot string thoughts into English sentences, some doors close. So if “No”, you may want to adjust your expectations in eUSA. But your game isn't over. You should apply for a Party or MU position that rewards background activity. Plan to become valuable behind the scenes. The community of players in eUSA is of above-average intelligence and is not always patient with people who struggle to communicate well, but it is a community that highly values reliable activity. If you still want to have big plans in eUSA and don't know much English, partner up with someone who does communicate well and approach eUSA as a team.

If “Yes”,

Question 5:
Do give a crap about what other people think?

If the answer is “No”, there are communities where you will fit in. These are social groups that tend toward isolation and a “reservation” mentality. They have tons of fun with their game and always need good players. SFP and BSP are two parties that fit this description. VMA-214 is a MU that might also work. You’ll actually find some of these groups more welcoming and eager to help than the average eUSA microcommunity. NB: Plan to need to use an additional offsite Forum.


If the answer is “Yes”, it doesn’t mean you are co-dependent, it means you came looking for a diverse social experience where you can learn useful real-life skills. The USWP and the Federalist Party are two places to look if you want to develop a broader spectrum of engagement with the eUSA Community. These two parties are generally not seen as being insular and have quite diverse player bases. Easy Company and Fox Company are two Military Units that are organized to make the most of your eager willingness to dive into the fun of being and active player in eRepublik.


Question 6:
Can you “argue” a point well?

If “No”, skip this question.

If “Yes”, please publish a newspaper. If you cannot afford your newspaper, I can personally guarantee that I can find someone who is willing to give you the gold to get started. The important thing is that you use your paper to develop your “voice” in the game. Many articles have been written about how to develop a good newspaper. I won’t repeat that material here.
Further reading: How to manage a Public Image in eUSA




Hopefully these questions will help you ascertain a realistic definition of “success” in this game that will actually fit with your personality in the few important ways that your personality can dictate your game.


BOTTOM LINE: Do not choose a game style in conflict with who you are as a person.





How do I get there?


OK so you’ve chosen a path. I have a few, once again random, thoughts that I find myself repeating the people over and over who want some basic advice getting started.



First, recognize that you are a newcomer into a complex and somewhat entrenched social system. If you publish a first newspaper article, for instance, 95% of your readers will know that you are a new publisher without you needing to point it out. Trust me. We’re wound that tightly.

That said, except for the sytemmic suspicion that every new player is someone’s “multi”, you’ll find eUSA remarkably eager to welcome you in. To make the most of your experience, I STRONGLY suggest that you get yourself set up with the eUnitedStates Forum. Anyone telling you to avoid that place is a victim of his own failures and he is looking to redefine his failure as success by the accumulation of like persons. Run away from anyone telling you to avoid any corner of this game where you stand to get better connected and more well known.


Just as your military performance in eRepublik is dictated largely by the mechanics of the game, so too is your political and publishing career. (Notice I am not even commenting on an economic career. I strongly advise against this path at this time).

In politics, you want to get involved at the party level by listening, learning, and lurking. These three behaviors will most quickly endear you - the newcomer - to the established group. We love people who don’t try to re-invent how the game is to be played after experiencing 2 whole weeks clicking. We prefer people who ask a lot of questions and show us they are reading our answers. We also love people who always seem available and willing to do something. This isn’t rocket science, but I mention it because it works very much like game mechanics… do it and you’ll have results.

In publishing, you need a brand and a publishing schedule (of some kind) and you need to stick to both for a while. I mean, if your brand sucks change it right now, but if you’ve got something that looks and feels good, and if it gives you a platform to write with whatever variety you desire, then stick with it. That said, you don’t have to publish broadly on many topics. You can focus on one narrow thing, and if you report on a schedule, you’ll succeed. If, for instance, I know that Gimpy’s Citizenship Report comes out every Monday reporting on the prior week’s Citizenship requests, believe me I’ll be looking for it within a few weeks.

Learn eUSA History. Seriously, you will enrich your engagement with this community if you make yourself part of its history at least in conscoiusness. You can’t participate in the battle for Lion King or Operation Polish Sausage or Operation Grey Cup. But you can know what they were. If you do? You’re “one of us”. Get it?



Don’t underestimate the negative value of climbing into the wrong bed. eUSA has a prolific history of declaring people “guilty by association”. It has taken significant effort throughout the years to extricate individuals from a bad start in the game. One powerful example comes to mind. Trekker Tlumac - a citizen who would one day become Country President - began his eLife associated with one of eUSA's alltime worst citizens. When he wanted to escape that community, he was not welcomed in most places. If the Federalist Party and Easy Company hadn’t invested in him, he might have quit the game. So I’m not going to mention any names in this article, but I must say that there are a couple of nefarious individuals floating around that you want to avoid, and pick your party carefully.

BOTTOM LINE: most activity is good activity except activities which associate you with people who are otherwise batshit crazy.





That’s all I’ve got for now. I must say that my game is not as sharp today as it has been in the past. I have been running at 40% activity rate lately - just enough to keep things moving but not enough to make things happen. And that raises my final advice. Don’t quit the game. Ramp back if RL gets wacky. But by at least logging in and offering a few minutes of interaction with the game daily, you do much to build your longevity in the wonderful community that is eUSA.





You may now return to your regularly scheduled clicking