Hello from The West Pacific

[Ithania]

Greetings,

I've been assigned to your region as a representative for The West Pacific and thought it would be appropriate to post an introduction on your forum as soon as possible. Based upon reading available threads, it’s clear that the region is dedicated to codification, creativity, and appreciation of its members so I expect this will be a wonderful assignment.

In order to help with familiarisation, it seems only fair to provide details about myself. I’ve recently returned to NS after leaving at the start of 2008. Prior to that I was Foreign Minister for England, Delegate for England, a Senator for The West Pacific, Foreign Minister for The West Pacific, and a members of organisations related to deviously scheming to control the United Nations (though I only passed one resolution that was relatively short-lived due to the introduction of the World Assembly).

In reality, I am erratic, inane, excitable, and prone to wistful procrastination. I have a love of political philosophy, law, biology, creative writing, earthy colours, umbrellas, bookmarks, and being as supportive as is feasible for those that require it. I cherish empathy above else and loathe social norms that cause people to hide their pain. Flowing from that, mental health advocacy is close to my heart too.

Anyhoo. I apologise for boring you with that but I felt it was only fair to offer information about your new ambassador. If I can be of any use then please don’t hesitate to contact me via PM or e-mail, I’ll reply as promptly as is possible. Alternatively, if you wish to confirm the legitimacy of my assignment then I'll provide contact details for the individual handling TWP's inter-regional affairs.

If you have any reason to object to my presence then I pre-emptively apologise for any intrusion on behalf of The West Pacific and will gladly respect any decisions. If there are no objections then I'll begin dusting the embassy and having it restocked with wine.

[The Ruescher Empire]

Well welcome! Always good to have an overly open head shrink around here. Sure people need that....Obviously handling one's issues needs to be done by someone else

Query, what do you think of the NS decline? I was around a similar period (then disappeared) as yourself and I'm interested in your perspective on it

[Moño]

Welcome! I really like the insanity part of this! It'll be a nice change from the long-winded bureaucrats we've been listening to for a while.

[Cardecion]

Dec 3, 2012 20:42:51 GMT The Ruescher Empire said:

Query, what do you think of the NS decline? I was around a similar period (then disappeared) as yourself and I'm interested in your perspective on it

This is an interesting question and one I've been asking myself. NS keeps offering more options for players like an extended fact book, the census icons, and other things to attract and keep people. I'm in the same situation as both of you. I was in NS a couple years ago and then disappeared for a while. I was gone so long, I forgot my nation's info and had to create the one I got now. Where do you think it's headed?

Oh, the real reason I wanted to reply: "Welcome, Ithania!"

[Exarchos]

It's always good to get other people's opinions. Welcome to our region!

[Ithania]

Query, what do you think of the NS decline? I was around a similar period (then disappeared) as yourself and I'm interested in your perspective on it

I’m not yet able to make a true judgement as to whether there actually has been a substantial decline. In terms of raw numbers, the quantity of people actively participating in World Assembly votes seems fairly constant.

On the other hand, something feels fundamentally different about the nature of the World Assembly. Perhaps I'm blinded by nostalgia but participation in resolution drafting seems absolutely appalling compared to the past and the resolution’s themselves seem to be of lower quality as a result. Whilst new people have risen up to replace keen intellects, there seems to be less of them. It’s also pitiable that resolution debates only reach five or six pages.

With regards to regions, it’s possible that players are simply concentrating in a few themed regions rather than dispersing to many regions with overlapping themes. I hope that’s the case since RMBs are relatively dead (even Feeders, which shocks me) and forums generally have a far slower pace. Flowing from that, there appears to be lower overall activity. I’ve encountered far less novelty or grand projects as I familiarise myself with the game again. Of course, that could be a good thing. The pace often led to instability and could make the game hard to keep up with whilst living life too. In addition, the creations of players could expand rapidly before crippling problems became evident. This pace allows scrutiny and minimises dramatic outbursts. I suppose it’s about deciding whether you regard activity itself as a good or whether the important thing is what it yields. Is it simply the sense of ‘doing’ something that made the game feel vibrant?

I can’t help but wonder if the old guard that persisted through everything, and those of us that return, reinforce the lack of activity by effectively standing in the way of innovation or new players repeating history (if there are any really). Anyhoo, I apologise for the ramble. I’m not yet sure what to make of things, there’s been a shift but I can’t identify whether that shift constitutes a decline or something merely different.

Ultimately, I still appreciate the warmth of players, the interaction with intriguing people, and the fantastic ideas so it's still worth my time. What about others if I may ask? How do you find NS now?

[Xanxabara]

Hi there, Ithania! It's great to have another girl on here! I'm Xanxabara--or "Xanxa" for short. I'm also blinded by the nostalgia. I think most of the decline is with the offisite forums. We've been luckier than most I think. But, we need to get some more activities going. Our Minister of RP is on vacation now, but he is working on some things to get the newer members into RPG's and all that. Welcome to our happy home. I hope you stay a while. You're most welcome to participate in discussion boards and RPs with us so you can get out and walk around a bit.

[Yávaros]

Hello and Welcome to our regions!