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Gather round, dear muses, and hear the song of eCroatia. A nation that showed that a lion is its most dangerous when at bay. Of proud eAmerica, who sought to prove their mettle against a friend turned adversary. Of Pacifica, passive friend come saviour. And of forgotten souls, returned once more to life for yet another battle in an eternity of war.

So it came to pass that in the winter of 2017 eCroatia had fallen once more to the conquering might of her enemies, and her people were scattered across the oceans to lands far from home. Those who led them spoke of a land in far Asia that could be a colony to their people, and allow them to rebuild. There they gathered, a shadow of their former power, to lick their fresh wounds and start to rebuild their hopes for the future.

Far away in America, a land of wealth and prosperity, talk began of a plan to attack the Croatians in their new home, and take what they had built. “They grow strong in Asia,” they spoke, “and will be a threat to us one day”. Others told of how their old friendship had grown cold, and that they wished to win new friends with their attack. Their King listened to their pleas and made a decision. For not one reason but many, America’s armies would march. They would come on the Croatians all by surprise, driving them back into the sea and rendering them homeless once again.

Thus it was that when the first great sails of the American fleet were seen on the horizon the Croatians were caught off guard. They gathered their weapons and formed up, ready for battle, but afeared. For they had fought many a hard war and had only recently come into this land. Though their skills were fierce, they were now a poor people without a home and lacked the strength and wealth of the Americans.

Yet as they stood in line, dark figures emerged from the jungles behind them, garbed in ancient armour, from times long past. Bronze helmets and swords flashed in the moonlight, tall spears gathered like trees in the forest, heavy oaken shields hung loosely on hardened sinews. Amongst these warriors some stood even taller, their armour bearing the wounds of a thousand battles; their weapons scarred with a thousand victories. The eCroatians did not question from where these warriors came, only that they were here, and that suddenly the battle had changed. No longer would this be the swansong of the eCroatian people, but a chance to begin a new chapter in their story.

With their shields locked together, old and new, the Croatians stood together once more in their lines of battle. With discipline born out of long familiarity they began their advance into the enemy lines. And though many fell that day, at the end they stood alone on the battlefield, and found that their front ranks had advanced so far that they stood amongst the dark waves of the sea. The first rays of dawn shone over the battlefield, revealing a vast carnage, and a single battle line, miles long, shining in bronze and steel. One warrior stepped forth from the line and raised his shield, the battered bronze showing the faint checkered pattern of his tribe.

“Dok je srca!” he shouted

“bit će i Kroacije!” they roared back at him.




Dear friends,

Today I will be talking about one of the more interesting stories of the last few months. A tale of a country which had fallen from being one of the most active and well known communities to a state of inactivity. A tale of how that community, spurred on by events beyond their control, rallied together and regained their esprit de corps, their ambition and their position as one of the leaders of the eWorld. As with all my articles, I try to write things how I experienced them. But I acknowledge and respect that everyone lives a story differently, and many people will remember events differently. Where possible I have spoken to the key people who were involved in the return of eCroatia to the global scene, and those involved in events which surrounded that return. My special thanks go to Arrlo, Pfeiffer, Zdlemmy, as well as to every player on all sides who played their part in this tale.


Setting the scene

The story starts in January 2017. One of the leading eCroatian players, Psy1cho, was banned by the game administrators, and in frustration many players left the game. At one point the core group of leaders that drove eCroatia forwards was reduced to just five or six players, and many of those that did not quit went back to a state of near death, barely logging in and only fighting the bare minimum.

In the Summer of 2017 Z N Gorki, one of the players who stayed behind, began the long and difficult task of bringing those old and angry players back to the game. Over the next six months he contacted people one by one, using real life connections, meeting people for coffee, speaking to them on telegram and facebook, and trying to convince them to come home. He had some successes and some failures, but gradually - and secretly - eCroatia began to regain its strength.

The winter of 2017 was a winter of despair for eCroatia. Or perhaps it would be better to call it malaise than despair, because rather than a feeling of hopelessness the eCroatian leadership were moved by nothing more than purest apathy. Worn down by nearly a decade of warfare with eSerbia, a seemingly eternal conflict of which few alive could recall the origins, eCroatia was weary of the endless war and was unexcited by the prospect of yet more grinding defeats and pyrrhic victories against their Asterian neighbours. Despite Z N Gorki’s efforts, many eCroatian players felt that there was nothing out there left fighting for. People talked, and they clicked, but they had nothing really driving them anymore. Zdlemmy came back to the game in January, just to spend time with players, be seen and keep the community together. But they did it quietly, and made no effort to shake up the world order.

Through that dark winter, eCroatia had made a breakout attempt from their wiped core regions and established a home in Thailand. This was never intended to be part of a major fightback against Asteria, but more of a way of ensuring congress and establishing a presence on the map. At that time the general feeling was that Asteria (loosely supported by Pacifica) were unbeatable and that the remaining major powers of Croatia, Argentina and Chile were badly bruised by wars and occupations.


Foreshadowing

At the very end of January 2018 the President of the eUSA, Pfeiffer, proposed an airstrike against eCroatia. The proposal came as a total surprise, not only to eCroatia but also to the other leaders worldwide. Although all military plans are discussed within Pacifica as a matter of course, against all the odds there were no leaks. The congress vote for the airstrike passed 40-8 with almost no opposition. At that time the Americans were bored with the safety of their fortress, and their own perceived relationship with Croatia was a cold one. The US leadership saw the attack as an opportunity to solidify relationships with the other Pacifica nations, as well as remove Croatia (who they saw as a potential future threat) from the map.

For the eCroatians, the proposal was unexpected and the fact it passed with such a big majority was a shock. Although Pacifica was widely seen as being pro-Asterian (many Pacifica countries still maintain a mostly Asterian MPP bloc) there was some hope that they could form part of a future anti-Asterian federation to limit the dominant alliance’s power. What’s more, despite a real collapse in relations over the past two years, many Croatians felt that a direct war between them and the eUSA was unthinkable due to their history together. Although the American government were concerned about the possibility of a future Croatian military threat, the Croats themselves ranked the eUSA well down the list of possible future adversaries.

Feelings in Croatia were mixed about their chances. Although they were confident in their abilities and up for the fight, many felt that the eUSA’s military and economic strength would make it an incredibly tough fight. The eUSA on the other hand anticipated a difficult fight, but one they could win with help from their allies and a healthy, but relatively small, amount of Combat Orders.

When the airstrike battle began it was a bad time for many European players. The eUSA expected to have the advantage from the beginning and the eCroatians also felt they would have an uphill struggle. As the airstrike law drew close to passing there was a sudden and unexpected arrival of old Croatian players on the battlefield, including zdlemmy (widely seen as the Croatian’s leading strategist) and Romper (their most powerful tank). As the battle began more and more old Croatians began to come back to the game and the country, some even reactivating dead accounts for the fight. The eUSA was caught by surprise, and their planning didn’t - and couldn’t - take into account such a huge resurgence from what had been a decaying former superpower.



Failure to land

The battle started in the evening, Croatian time, which was the very beginning of prime time in the USA. The expectation from the American side was that the Croats would initially be hitting hard, but as they ran out of money and night time drew in the US would gain the advantage.

However as the battle begun it quickly became desperately fierce. The first round went epic and there was huge tanking on both sides in division IV. The Croatians found themselves comfortably in the lead in divisions I, II and III, and then as time went on they edged division IV as well. As a result they won the first round 22-0, and the next two rounds before it got very late were won 11-0 as well. After the fourth round the Croatians felt the eUSA was flagging and the battle was all but won. Although the USA continued to push through the night it was futile, and the Croats closed the airstrike down.

There is lots of speculation on both sides what may have caused such a unexpected turn of events. Most people were expecting a hard battle, including the Croats, but the final score was definitive. Many of the returning Croatians were tanks of the first rank (including Romper) and due to the “Legend” rank damage bonus Croatia dominated in D4 with the help of tanking. Thanks to the Maverick pack, and a few very strong lower division tanks, they did even better in the lower rounds. Certainly the eUSA felt the reason they lost was that there were simply out-tanked. They had went into the battle expecting a straight conventional fight, and they ended up face to face with Romper, who had barely been active in the past few years.

The Croatians believe that their spirit is what won the battle. They knew that if the eUSA rolled over them they would be vulnerable forever to future attacks. This battle was not just about defeating the eUSA, it was about reminding the world that attacking eCroatia was a dangerous thing to do, and that they should think twice about it. Of course the recent return of so many powerful players, and their sudden anger at the airstrike, definitely played a huge part in things.


Action, reaction

After the failure of the initial airstrike, eCroatia countered with their own airstrike almost immediately. Many in Croatia had been taken aback by the way the first battle had went, but there was also a desire for a vengeance strike and of course once the initial battle was closed the eUSA was safe on the other side of the world again.

The Croats had time to organise this time, and with many of the eCroatian leadership awake and active again they began to call their soldiers to telegram (an off-site messaging service) to ensure better coordination and communication. Some groups had as many as ninety players active within them, providing 24 hour tank coverage in all divisions.

Despite all this there was no real plan to bring any other countries along in the attack, and the action was more of an instinctive reaction than anything. Most observers globally were convinced that the eUSA would have plenty of remaining cash and resources to fight a defensive war, and that ePoland had barely stretched itself in the original war. It was expected that Croatia too would find it hard to land, though the Croats themselves were more confident.

Two days after the US airstrike began the Croatians successfully landed in Kentucky. The Americans again focused on division 4 and the air rounds, but they realised they were being out-tanked again. At this point the US government switched tactics and Pacifica allies were called in. Poland, Sweden, Colombia, Finland and Latvia all made airstrikes supported by high Combat Orders. The plan - which was successful - was to use these airstrikes to take out Croatia whilst more or less ignoring the direct battles between the eUSA and eCroatia. Croatia took three regions from the eUSA (including Kentucky), but within 3 days there were removed.

And there lies the end of the story. Except it isn’t.


Everything is more beautiful because we are doomed

That desperate headlong charge into the eUSA had all the hallmarks of the great powers of old. It was headstrong, passionate and ultimately unsuccessful. But it was glorious in a sense, and it gave the eCroatians something to focus on for the first time in what must have seemed like years. The sense of doom that had hung over them was gone, and with it any thought of defeat. For the eCroatians had unfinished business.

Months later, and after extensive preparation, a multi-faceted attack on the eUS began. Firstly led by Croatia and her closest allies, then joined by pro-Asteria nations who wanted their pound of flesh, the second invasion of the eUSA was almost over before it began. With months of preparation eCroatia had achieved their goal.


Onwards, onwards

From a period of apathy towards the game, to a period of world leadership, the eCroatian rising will become one of the enduring legends of the eRepublik world. The eUSA was caught entirely by surprise, but then so was everyone else. The eAmerican government are not to blame for their failure, and the subsequent wipe of the eUSA. They acted on good intelligence, with the expectation of an easy victory, and had that happened it would have been a great success for them.

Unfortunately they did not account for the tenacity of the Croatians, the long slow work of Z N Gorki bringing back those old players and their fervent desire to win. As Pfeiffer said to me, “one cannot predict the balkans,” and that truism holds especially for the eCroatians. Unpredictable, volatile and relentless, they have pursued their goals across a decade of eRepublik and have never stepped back from the front lines.

Now the world is more volatile than it has ever been. The Asteria group, containing many of the world’s most powerful nations, stands centre stage in control of Europe and its vast resources and manpower. Scattered around the world the remaining powerful nations struggle to form any sort of common cause with each other. Croatia stands as one of the few countries capable of uniting them and forming an opposition to Asteria. Would they be willing to shoulder that burden one more time?

The future is more unpredictable than ever, but whatever happens one thing is clear: Croatia is back.

Iain




Afterword

eRepublik is not a war game, but a game of communities. Those communities interact and that interaction makes one great story that entertains us, involves us and drives the game forward. Sometimes we get the great privilege of being part of that story, and sometimes we are observers on the sidelines. But all of us appreciate and value the big world events that become part of our history, and then our legends.

To keep those stories alive, they need to be told. I am many things in this game, but first of all I try to be a teller of the story of the game. Some people will read this and think it is pro-Croatian propaganda, but it isn’t. It is the story of two of our communities, their clash, and the events that surrounded it. It differs from many such clashes because of the enormous effect it had on one of those communities, a tremendously positive effect, and hence a story worth telling, and remembering.

Raise your glasses for the return of so many great players, and for all the stories still to be told o/


Thank you’s

As always, thank you to all those who vote, subscribe and endorse my articles. Your support (some of it very consistent!) is always noticed and valued. Thank you.

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