«12. . .1,8631,8641,8651,8661,8671,8681,869. . .2,6342,635»
Yeah, thanks very much for your discussion - I think the best way to consolidate your knowledge of a topic is to have that knowledge interrogated by others, so I appreciate the time you took to analyse and respond to my points. I look forward to our next tête-à-tête!
EDIT: I happen to have a non-ecology question; can anyone tell me what the roles of the cabinet of Forest actually are? Or is there a place where these roles are defined? I'd like to know what the "Arborist" does, or the "Face of Forest", or the "Wildlife Warden" because (1) it's probably important for a member of Forest to know what the people in government actually do in their roles and (2) if these roles are reshuffled during the election I personally want to know who will be doing what for the next 6 months!
Verdant Haven, Alcantaria, Mount Seymour, Atsvea, and 6 othersRuinenlust, Lord Dominator, Outer Bele Levy Epies, Lura, Middle Barael, and Julunaphra
Wildlife Warden (Uan aa Boa) is in charge I think of RP things for Forest. It’s a new position created by VH the last election cycle. I don’t really understand why we have it though, since we haven’t exactly ever really had any serious RP in recent months.
Face of Forest (Turbeaux) is in charge of maintaining the appearance of Forest, including the WFE, propaganda efforts, and other appearance-based things.
Conscious of Forest (I think it’s Kawastysellir) is in charge of writing environmental reports I think, and providing info on how to live a more eco-conscious life.
Atsvea, Ruinenlust, Lord Dominator, Outer Bele Levy Epies, and 3 othersTerrabod, Julunaphra, and Adaline
I assumed the Community Branch, Lord Dominator, was in charge of RP, but that was just based on guesswork. If not RP, what is the role of the Community Branch?
The Face of Forest is currently Mozworld but thanks for defining that role, it makes sense. Is it similar to the role of the Communications Branch? Or does one of these two roles focus solely on embassies?
I think the Conscience of Forest is Turbeaux and this is one of the few cabinet positions where I know what the role is (doing the things you mention). I guess aside from Forest Keeper (and Deputy), the only role I have a clear understanding of is the Conscience of Forest. Kawastyselir is the Arborist, apparently, but that role is not clear to me.
Atsvea, Ruinenlust, Lord Dominator, Outer Bele Levy Epies, and 2 othersMiddle Barael, and Julunaphra
Finally the invasive species discussion ended. To be frank, I was getting quite bored of it. But we finally agreed that humans are native, invasive species are everythings, and that we should never have this discussion again. Amirite?
Many of the current titles in the regional government were coined by Verdant Haven. This is an excellent dispatch written during VH's candidacy a year ago that explains the roles very well:
In my previous post, I outlined my platform for Forest Keeper, and a bit about myself personally. In this brief, I would like to outline what the structure of a government would look like, should I have the honor of being voted in to office.
In the Executive Team, we would retain the two traditional roles:
Forest Keeper
Deputy Forest Keeper
These would be very much the roles people are familiar with, working together to manage the day to day operations of the region and acting on behalf of all Forest citizens to ensure the best gameplay experience.
The role of the Forest Keeper is set out in the Constitution as the chief executive, and guide for all other officer functions. In practice, I would like to see the Forest Keeper working most closely with the Branch Officers to maintain executive function and see to the health of the region, address citizen concerns, encourage green thinking, and monitor all regional interactions on a game-wide basis. It is right and proper, as well as legally-mandated, that the Forest Keeper shall operate in an open and transparent manner, always responsive to the will and interests of the citizenry of Forest.
The Deputy Forest Keeper not only assists in Forest Keeper as chief advisor, being fully capable and ready to take over functions in the event of the Forest Keeper's incapacity or absence, but would also have their own daily portfolio. Specifically, I would like to see the Deputy Forest Keeper overseeing the Mission Officers, ensuring our internal activities and community interaction proceeds without interruption, and facilitating whatever is needed by those positions to successfully execute their roles. In my vision, the Deputy shall share all the same powers of the Forest Keeper, both to aid them in overall regional administration, and to ensure that should they need to step up to the leading role they are fully equipped to do so without further intervention.
We would have three Branch Officers, responsible for major government functions:
Community Branch
Foreign Affairs Branch
Communications Branch
The Community Branch has charge to operate events and community engagement functions – things like our photo contest, writing contest, post an account from your nation – ways to keep the citizens of Forest participating not just in our heavy and serious topics, but also in the light-hearted and fun ways that make the game a game.
The Foreign Affairs Branch shall continue to have charge of diplomatic operations, and will be in the driver's seat for execution of the platform item related to enhancement of our present Constitutional processes for diplomacy. Their guidance shall be sought on all questions of opening or closing of embassies, and the appointment or recall of ambassadors.
The Communications Branch will serve as eyes-on and hands-on wrangler for our forums, message board, and Discord. Besides basic moderation functions, this position will take an enhanced role in the Z-Day events that will occur during this term of office. Having an experienced hand coordinating events is vital to community success and the achievement of the goals the community chooses to pursue.
There would be two Mission Officers, focused on the agenda of Forest – one familiar and one new:
Face of Forest
Conscience of Forest
The Face of Forest would be the position responsible for our visual appearance and factbook, as per recent usage. An additionally added component in their portfolio would be monitoring reputation and public image, not just in the literal sense of our region visuals, but what our optics are with the community. Keeping an eye out for discussions that may be relevant and acting as an intermediary or facilitator if trouble arises.
The Conscience of Forest would be a new position, created to focus and manage our monthly environmental agenda. Our present ad hoc situation puts pressure on those who want to encourage it, but don't want to nag. This officer will be officially appointed to make sure we stay attentive to our purpose, to post the topics, the prompt discussion, and assist in the presentation of our position to appropriate outside parties.
There are anywhere from one to three Officers at Large, to perform functions that we have come to know and love, and which I believe are worthy of recognition. These may or may not have combined functions (one person in multiple roles), or may exist as a non-officer position reporting to one of the others, based on interest and availability:
Game Warden
Arborist
Cartographer
The Game Warden would be our Roleplay Mentor and In-Character specialist. Beyond special events, real-life politics, and communicating about the meta, there is a sizeable portion of NS players who enjoy the in character elements above all others. There are many more who would like to dip their toes, but may not be sure where and how to go about it. The Game Warden would serve as a guide to this world.
The Arborist would be our statistician and archivist, reporting on our greenest nations, and other information of interest. There may be components of historical/archival knowledge and work as well, looking in to our historical trends, successes, and areas for work, depending on the office holder and what comes up.
The Cartographer would be continuing much as currently, with charge for our regional map. The map is filling up! Should we reach a point where the map is being filled to its practical limits, the Cartographer would be in charge of discovering new lands for our population and expanding our map appropriately.
This set of officers will give us what we need to operate successfully, but hopefully without too much administrative overhead. It also will leave a few slots open for the appointment of Deputy Officers, should any of the Mission or Branch Officers request or need them to carry out their duties, to include temporary positions to assist with events such as Z-Day.
For some positions, I have individuals in mind that I think would be excellent fits, including some continuations of previous roles if they are willing. For others I remain completely undecided. At the time of this posting I have not reached out to anybody about any of these roles however, as there is still a tough election campaign ahead, and one should not be presumptuous or give the appearance of impropriety with back-room deals. Thank you, and as always, I am open to questions, comments, and thoughts both publicly or via telegram!
Some of the roles are shuffled, while others can be given to the existing officers at the discretion of the new Forest Keeper. Always desiring to be able to sign off "your long-suffering ___," several Forest Keepers have kept me on as Foreign Minister for a couple of years already, thus creating long suffering, lol.
As far as I recall, new Forest Keepers have always asked for interested individuals to be in contact as volunteers for some of the positions, depending on what needs to be filled at a given time. The positions also change in number and type; Caracasus' tenure saw a somewhat slimmer government, whereas Verdant Haven has created and filled a larger number of positions. For the historical progress of the more recent cabinets, Kawastyselir maintains this excellent dispatch:
The Shelves of Forest
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1st Shelf | Regional Officer | Office | Government | Deputy |
Jan. 2016 — Oct. 2016 | Errinundera | Founder | Cool Temperate Rainforests | |
Jan. 2016 — Oct. 2016 | Ransium | WA Delegate & Forest Keeper | United Mangrove Archipelago | |
Jan. 2016 — Oct. 2016 | Mozworld | Recruitment Coordinator & Historian | Eco-Republic | |
Jan. 2016 — May 2016 | Gil Zardon | Foreign Minister | Holy Land | |
May 2016 — July 2016 | Oecos | Foreign Minister | Federal Republic | |
Jan. 2016 — June 2016 | Santa Joanna | Research Officer | Sacred Commonwealth | |
June 2016 — Oct. 2016 | Doxovia | Research Officer | Commonwealth | |
Jan. 2016 — Oct. 2016 | Frieden-und Freudenland | Publicist | Holy Green Empire | |
Jan. 2016 — Oct. 2016 | Bruination | Cartographer | Brown Bear Republic |
2nd Shelf | Regional Officer | Office | Government | Deputy |
Oct. 2016 — Feb. 2017 | Errinundera | Founder | Cool Temperate Rainforests | |
Oct. 2016 — Feb. 2017 | Ransium | WA Delegate & Forest Keeper | United Mangrove Archipelago | Communal Ecotopia |
Oct. 2016 — Feb. 2017 | Mozworld | Recruitment/Historian | Eco-Republic | |
Oct. 2016 — Feb. 2017 | Frieden-und Freudenland | Culture | Democratic Island Federation | |
Oct. 2016 — Dec. 2016 | Bruination | Cartographer | Brown Bear Republic | |
Oct. 2016 — Feb. 2017 | Montmorencia | Transition Team Leader, & Minister for Statistics & Research | Nation | |
Nov. 2016 — Feb. 2017 | Mount Seymour | Foreign Affairs & Cartography | Pacific Alpine Commonwealth | |
Nov. 2016 — Feb. 2017 | Caracasus | Minister for Roleplay | United Socialist States |
3rd Shelf | Regional Officer | Office | Government | Deputy |
Feb. 2017 — Sept. 2017 | Errinundera | Founder | Cool Temperate Rainforests | |
Feb. 2017 — Sept. 2017 | Ransium | WA Delegate | United Mangrove Archipelago | |
Feb. 2017 — Sept. 2017 | Mount Seymour | Forest Keeper | Pacific Alpine Commonwealth | |
Feb. 2017 — Sept. 2017 | Frieden-und Freudenland | Culture Minister | Democratic Island Federation | |
Feb. 2017 — Sept. 2017 | Mozworld | Recruitment Minister & Regional Historian | Eco-Republic | |
Feb. 2017 — Sept. 2017 | Montmorencia | Statistics & Research Minister, & Foreign Minister | Kingdom | |
July 2017 — Sept. 2017 | Uan aa Boa | Foreign Minister | Postcolonial Vegan Militancy | |
Feb. 2017 — Sept. 2017 | Caracasus | Roleplay Minister | United Socialist States |
4th Shelf | Regional Officer | Office | Government | Deputy |
Sept. 2017 — May 2018 | Errinundera | Founder | Cool Temperate Rainforests | |
Sept. 2017 — May 2018 | Ransium | WA Delegate | United Mangrove Archipelago | |
Sept. 2017 — May 2018 | Palos Heights | Forest Keeper | Unified Bison Herd | |
Sept. 2017 — Mar. 2018 | Uan aa Boa | Minister of Foreign Affairs | Postcolonial Vegan Militancy | |
Mar. 2018 — May 2018 | Ruinenlust | Minister of Foreign Affairs | Ancient Abandoned Lands | |
Sept. 2017 — May 2018 | Mozworld | Minister for Recruitment & History | Eco-Republic | |
Sept. 2017 — May 2018 | Caracasus | Minister of Roleplay | United Socialist States | |
Sept. 2017 — Oct. 2017, Jan. 2018 — Apr. 2018 | Montmorencia | Statistics & Research Minister, & Minister of Culture | Nation | |
Apr. 2018 — May 2018 | The Cypher Nine | Minister of Culture | CRISPR Zombie Researchers | |
Oct. 2017 — May 2018 | Mount Seymour | Minister of Culture & Minister of Cartography | Pacific Alpine Commonwealth | |
Jan. 2018 — May 2018 | Areulder | Minister of Cartography | Wild Hunting Grounds | |
Jan. 2018 — May 2018 | Calenmor | Minister of Cartography | United Realms | |
Apr. 2018 — May 2018 | Chan Island | Forest Leaf Editor | Hidden Pirate Cove |
5th Shelf | Regional Officer | Office | Government | Deputy |
June 2018 — Oct. 2018 | Errinundera | Founder | Cool Temperate Rainforests | |
June 2018 — Oct. 2018 | Ransium | WA Delegate | United Mangrove Archipelago | |
June 2018 — Oct. 2018 | Caracasus | Forest Keeper | United Socialist States | |
June 2018 — Oct. 2018 | Ruinenlust | Minister of Foreign Affairs | Ancient Abandoned Lands | |
June 2018 — Oct. 2018 | The Cypher Nine | Minister of Culture | CRISPR Zombie Researchers | |
June 2018 — Oct. 2018 | Mozworld | Civil Servant | Eco-Republic | |
Aug. 2018 — Oct. 2018 | Mount Seymour | Sentinel Pine | Pacific Alpine Commonwealth |
6th Shelf | Regional Officer | Office | Government | Deputy |
Oct. 2018 — Mar. 2019 | Errinundera | Founder | Kawaii Potoroo Habitats | |
Oct. 2018 — Mar. 2019 | Ransium | WA Delegate | United Mangrove Archipelago | |
Oct. 2018 — Mar. 2019 | Uan aa Boa | Forest Keeper | Plant-based Collectives | Turbeaux |
Oct. 2018 — Mar. 2019 | Ruinenlust | Embassy Officer | Old Growth Forests | |
Oct. 2018 — Mar. 2019 | Mozworld | WFE Editor | Eco-Republic | |
Oct. 2018 — Mar. 2019 | Caracasus | Roleplay Mentor | United Socialist States | |
Oct. 2018 — Mar. 2019 | Mount Seymour | Forum & Discord Sower | Pacific Alpine Commonwealth | |
Oct. 2018 — Mar. 2019 | Areulder | Head Cartographer | Wild Hunting Grounds | |
Oct. 2018 — Mar. 2019 | Lord Dominator | Gameplay Ambassador | Elite WA Overlady | |
Nov. 2018 — Mar. 2019 | Canaltia | Voice of the Forest | Sarcasm Tag | |
Nov. 2018 — Mar. 2019 | Blon Gre | Statistics Officer | Green Union |
7th Shelf | Regional Officer | Office | Government | Deputy |
Apr. 2019 — Sept. 2019 | Errinundera | Founder | Cool Temperate Rainforests | |
Apr. 2019 — Sept. 2019 | Ransium | WA Delegate | United Mangrove Archipelago | |
Apr. 2019 — Sept. 2019 | Turbeaux | Forest Keeper | Transhuman Hive | Lord Dominator |
Apr. 2019 — Sept. 2019 | Uan aa Boa | Voice of Forest | Plant-based Collectives | |
Apr. 2019 — Sept. 2019 | Mount Seymour | Forum & Discord Sower | Pacific Alpine Commonwealth | |
Apr. 2019 — Sept. 2019 | Ruinenlust | Foreign Minister | Old Growth Forests | Verdant Haven |
Apr. 2019 — Sept. 2019 | Mozworld | Face of Forest | Eco-Republic | |
Apr. 2019 — Apr. 2019 | Caracasus | Roleplay Mentor | United Socialist States | |
Apr. 2019 — Sept. 2019 | Areulder | Minister of Cartography | Wild Hunting Grounds | |
May 2019 — Sept. 2019 | Raccoon Creek | Minister of Statistics | Riparian Procyonid Republic |
8th Shelf | Regional Officer | Office | Government | Deputy |
Oct. 2019 — Mar. 2020 | Errinundera | Founder | Cool Temperate Rainforests | |
Oct. 2019 — Mar. 2020 | Ransium | WA Delegate | United Mangrove Archipelago | |
Oct. 2019 — Mar. 2020 | Verdant Haven | Forest Keeper | Federated Bailiwicks | Chan Island |
Oct. 2019 — Mar. 2020 | Mount Seymour | Communications Branch | Pacific Alpine Commonwealth | |
Oct. 2019 — Mar. 2020 | Mozworld | Face of Forest | Eco-Republic | |
Oct. 2019 — Mar. 2020 | Ruinenlust | Foreign Affairs Branch | Snowy Solstice Spirits | |
Oct. 2019 — Mar. 2020 | Turbeaux | Conscience of Forest | Plant-based Robo Sapiens | |
Oct. 2019 — Mar. 2020 | Darths & Droids | Game Warden | Webcomic RolePlaying Game | |
Oct. 2019 — Nov. 2019 | Raccoon Creek | Arborist | Riparian Procyonid Republic | |
Dec. 2019 — Mar. 2020 | Kawastyselir | Arborist | Confederacy | |
Oct. 2019 — Mar. 2020 | Octopus Islands | Cartographer | Cephalopodic Republic | |
Oct. 2019 — Mar. 2020 | Lord Dominator | Community Branch | Disney Villain |
9th Shelf | Regional Officer | Office | Government | Deputy |
May 2020 — Mar. 2021 | Errinundera | Founder | Cool Temperate Rainforests | |
May 2020 — Aug. 2020 | Ransium | WA Delegate | United Mangrove Archipelago | |
May 2020 — Mar. 2021 | Ruinenlust | WA Delegate & Foreign Affairs Branch | Old Growth Forests | |
May 2020 — Mar. 2021 | Verdant Haven | Forest Keeper | Jolly Bailiwicks | Chan Island |
May 2020 — Mar. 2021 | Mozworld | Face of Forest | Eco-Republic | |
May 2020 — Mar. 2021 | Turbeaux | Conscience of Forest | Transhuman Hive | |
May 2020 — Mar. 2021 | Lord Dominator | Community Branch | Burning Trash Fire | |
May 2020 — Mar. 2021 | Mount Seymour | Communications Branch | Pacific Alpine Commonwealth | |
May 2020 — Mar. 2021 | Kawastyselir | Arborist | Confederacy | |
May 2020 — Mar. 2021 | Octopus Islands | Cartographer | Cephalopodic Republic | |
June 2020 — Aug. 2020 | Uan aa Boa | Wildlife Warden | Second Green Republic | |
June 2020 — Mar. 2021 | Middle Barael | Diplomatic Root | Most Serene Eco-Republic |
10th Shelf | Regional Officer | Office | Government | Deputy |
Apr. 2021 — Sept. 2021 | Ruinenlust | WA Delegate | May Flowers | |
Apr. 2021 — Sept. 2021 | Chan Island | Forest Keeper | Hidden Pirate Cove | The Cypher Nine |
Apr. 2021 — Sept. 2021 | Verdant Haven | Foreign Minister | Federated Bailiwicks | |
Apr. 2021 — Sept. 2021 | Middle Barael | Lore Minister | Most Serene Eco-Republic | |
Apr. 2021 — Sept. 2021 | Terrabod | Culture Minister | Incorporated States | |
Apr. 2021 — Sept. 2021 | Kawastyselir | Arborist | Confederacy | |
Apr. 2021 — Sept. 2021 | Mozworld | Forest Memory | Eco-Republic | |
Apr. 2021 — Sept. 2021 | Einswenn | Forest Ranger | Federal Kingdom | |
Apr. 2021 — Sept. 2021 | Ownzone | Forest Ranger | Easter Vrijstaat | |
Sept. 2021 — Sept. 2021 | Jutsa | Head Cartographer | Planetary Alliance |
11th Shelf | Regional Officer | Office | Government | Deputy |
Oct. 2021 — Present | Ruinenlust | WA Delegate | Rewilding | |
Oct. 2021 — Present | Jutsa | Forest Keeper | Planetary Alliance |
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In any case, you might consider putting your name forward as someone to be considered, if you have a mind to be involved! You'd probably very good at doing something. Were I to be the Forest Keeper, I'd appoint you as my Minister of Orthodox Ecological Terminology, or MOET. :-D
Haha, thank you. Never assume that it can't rear its non-native, invasive head, though. And when that day comes, Terrabod and I will be ready, and y'all gonna need to fill the sandbags again. ;-)
Verdant Haven, Mount Seymour, Atsvea, Lord Dominator, and 4 othersOuter Bele Levy Epies, Terrabod, Middle Barael, and Julunaphra
Oh my lord I almost had a stroke with excitement! Thanks for linking that dispatch, it's not one I've come across before but it answers my question perfectly.
I would gratefully accept your appointment and endeavour to bring the topic up whenever possible because it's clearly a riveting discussion that all members of Forest, and Julunaphra in particular, enjoy listening to and are heavily invested in.
Mount Seymour, Atsvea, Ruinenlust, Lord Dominator, and 3 othersOuter Bele Levy Epies, Middle Barael, and Julunaphra
Great, I’ll be looking forward to it... in like a month, lol.
Gee, I really did enjoy it it was pretty good arguments, but Terrabod, let’s do another debate sometime, preferably about something different.
Thanks for linking that Ruinenlust - I was on my way to do the same, but saw you beat me to it :-D
The title, function, powers, and occupancy of all government positions with the exception of Founder and WA Delegate are at the discretion the Forest Keeper (with approval and appointments done by the Founder), and defining and filling those positions is typically one of the first things a new Forest Keeper does upon election. For my own part, as Ruinenlust linked, I defined what I envisioned during the campaign, and began reaching out to people as potential cabinet ministers when I saw the election was going my way. In that way, we were able to stand up a functioning cabinet within a few days and begin the work of the region again. Positions can be created, destroyed, filled, emptied, shuffled, renamed, and redefined by the FK pretty much at will. The only hard limitation is that the game permits no more than 12 regional officers for a region.
Atsvea, Ruinenlust, Lord Dominator, Outer Bele Levy Epies, and 3 othersTerrabod, Middle Barael, and Julunaphra
Hi all --
N-Day is less than 12 hours away. Please join the Potato Alliance Discord server: https://discord.gg/39BJUu7
Even if you abhor the idea of a chat platform, if you think of yourself as a modern-day Luddite and disciple of Ruinenlustian RMB superiority, if you prefer to play the game solely on-site and avoid any extras, I still implore you to let N-Day be your single exception and join the discord server, if only for a couple days. The N-Day experience is so much fuller— not to mention so much less of a headache for the organizers— if you can talk and organize in real-time. We do try to keep a more static list of current targets on the faction page, but the truth is that we’re far more effective when we can discuss things like how many more nukes are needed on a faction right as those events are happening.
OVERVIEW
N-Day is an opportunity for nations to come together and exchange nuclear weapons in a fiery Armageddon of mutually assured destruction.
To Participate
Once registration opens, you can create or join a Faction. Nations outside a Faction can't attack or be attacked. You can join a Faction when you're ready and leave when you're not (to stay safe).
When the event begins, nations will be assigned a random Specialty and begin to accumulate Production. You will now be able to spend Production, fire nukes and deploy shields.
Watch your nation automatically generate Production at a rate of 1 every 2 minutes. Use it to build Nukes and Shield.
Launch Nukes at other nations and use Shield to shoot down Nukes that are launched at you.
Tactics
The simplest way to play N-Day is to join whichever Faction seems most fun and start targeting Nukes at its enemies while shooting down anything incoming. Your Faction page's icon bar shows everything you need to know, including who's targeting anyone in your Faction, and who your fellow Faction members are targeting.
Attacking: Step by Step
On your Production screen, spend some of your Production to build Nukes. These go into your Stockpile.
On another nation's Nuke page, click/tap the TARGET button and select the number of Nukes to use.
Once Targeted, it takes 10 minutes for your Nukes to reach a READY state (3 for Intel Specialists). Note that your Targeted page is public: All nations can see who is targeting whom.
When your Targeted Nukes are ready, click/tap LAUNCH.
Your Nukes are now categorized as Launches for you and Incoming for your target. Launched Nukes take 3-5 minutes to reach their target. When they do, they earn Strikes for you and inflict Radiation on the target, which reduces their rate of Production. This also earns Score for your Faction and reduces the enemy Faction's Score.
Defending: Step by Step
On the Production screen, spend Production to build Shield.
Find Launched Nukes to destroy. Your top priority is any Incoming Nukes launched at you. Secondarily, you may wish to target Incoming Nukes on anyone in your Faction (see your Faction's Incoming page), and also keep an eye on Targeted Nukes that may threaten you or your Faction in the near future.
Click/tap DESTROY to deploy 1 Shield per Nuke.
Strategy
Strategically, it may be wise to avoid attacks on nations or Factions until you are confident of obliterating them, since this eliminates the possibility of counter-attack. Smaller-scale attacks, which damage but don't destroy an enemy, can lead to an escalating series of grudge-related nuclear exchanges.
On the other hand, targeting an enemy can be an effective warning. And it takes Nukes 10 minutes to be ready to launch, so you can't leave it too late.
Scoring
Each Nuke that reaches a target causes Radiation damage, which reduces the target's rate of Production generation and counts as a Strike for the attacker.
A Faction's Score is Strikes minus Radiation.
Duration
N-Day lasts for 24 hours, after which point, an Arms Control Agreement means that no Nukes can be launched. (In-flight nukes can still land, however.)
The "winner" is the Faction with the highest score; if, that is, nuclear war can be said to have a winner. Which we say it can. It's the Faction with the highest score.
FACTIONS
Once registration opens, Factions can be founded by a Regional Officer of any region. Any and all Regional Officers of that region can update the Faction's official text to issue instructions to Faction members.
Factions can be made open to all members, or restricted to the region's members only.
You can leave your Faction, which is a good way to stay safe if you're signing off for the night. However, you can only do this if you're not engaged with the enemy! That means:
You must not have any nukes targeted or launched at another nation; and
No nukes can be targeted or incoming on you.
Note that in practice, this can make it challenging to leave a Faction, since you may be frequently targeted.
While outside a Faction, you cannot be targeted, and do not generate any Production.
Before joining, it's worth making sure a Faction isn't currently under mass bombardment.
SPECIALTIES
Nations are randomly assigned a specialty.
Military Specialists build Nukes faster: They receive 50% more Nukes when converting Production.
Strategic Specialists build Shield faster: They receive 50% more Shield when converting Production.
Economic Specialists can accumulate more Production: Their production cap is four times larger than the other specialties.
Intel Specialists can finalize targets faster: Their targetted nukes reach READY in 3 minutes instead of 10. They have no Production advantages.
Military Specialist | Strategic Specialist | Economic Specialist | Intel Specialist | |
1 Nuke | 0.67 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
1 Shield | 2 | 1.33 | 2 | 2 |
PRODUCTION
Non-WA nations automatically generate Production at a rate of 1 Production per 2 minutes, up to a maximum of 50 (200 for Econ Specialists).
WA nations automatically generate Production at a rate of 10 Production per 2 minutes, up to a maximum of 150 (600 for Econ Specialists).
Production can be spent on Nukes or Shield.
WA NATIONS
World Assembly members will accumulate Production 10x faster than non-WA members, and have their Production limits increased by 3x.
It is allowed to switch WA membership to receive this benefit for different nations, but (as per regular site rules) you are only allowed to have one nation in the WA at a time.
Keep in mind that if your Production is over the non-WA limit when you resign membership on a nation, the Production on that nation will decrease down to the limit (i.e. if you resign with 75 Production on a non-Econ nation, the Production will drop to 50).
We ask that you refrain from switching WA for N-Day purposes more than once every two minutes. You will not be punished for this, but it is against the spirit of this change to the event mechanics.
NUKES
Nukes are purchased with Production, kept in stockpile until ready, then targeted and launched at an enemy nation.
Launched Nukes take 3-5 minutes to reach their target. While in-flight, they can be shot down by any nation using Shield. If they're not, each Nuke generates 1% of Radiation in the target and earns 1 Strike for the attacker.
SHIELD
Shield can be used to knock out Launched Nukes. You can shoot down any in-flight Nukes regardless of who they are aimed at.
Locate in-flight Nukes under Launches or Incoming, and use the DESTROY button to eliminate them at a rate of 1 Shield per Nuke.
It is possible to waste Shield if multiple nations deploy Shield simultaneously to knock out the same Nukes.
TARGETING
Target a nation by viewing their Nuke page and clicking/tapping TARGET. You may then select how many Nukes to target from your Stockpile.
It takes a short time for a Targeted Nuke to reach a READY state, after which it may be launched. This is normally 10 minutes, but Intel Specialists are faster, finalizing targets in only 3 minutes.
If not launched after 1 hour, Targeted Nukes automatically return to your Stockpile.
RADIATION
Radiation is generated in a nation when it is struck by a Nuke.
Radiation proportionately reduces a nation's Production generation rate. For example, 20% Radiation reduces Production generation by 20%.
When a nation is 100% Radiated, it is destroyed and no longer able to launch any Nukes nor use any Shield.
Radiation is irreversible.
You can leave a Faction when irradiated, but this does not affect your Faction's score.
SCORE
A Faction's score measures strikes and radiation that occurred while those nations were a member. It is unaffected by nations joining or leaving the Faction.
GLOSSARY
Term | Explanation |
Production | Used to buy Nukes and Shield. Automatically generated by all non-destroyed nations in a Faction. |
Nuke | Unholy instrument of death and destruction. |
Stockpiled Nuke | A Nuke that has been purchased with Production and is sitting idle, awaiting a target. |
Targeted Nuke | A Nuke that has been targeted at a nation. A targeted Nuke takes 10 minutes to achieve a READY state, after which it may be launched. |
Launched/Incoming/In-Flight Nuke | A Nuke that has been launched at a nation and is currently chewing up 3-5 minutes of in-flight time. |
Shield | A unit of defensive technology. Possibly involves lasers or satellites or something. |
Strike | A record of how many Nukes have successfully landed on targets. |
Radiation | A record of how many Nukes have struck the nation. Reduces Production generation. |
Faction | A group of nations sharing a common interest in survival and/or bloodlust. |
Score | Strikes minus Radiation. |
Ground Rules
Potato Alliance N-Day Guide
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News Page | N-Day Discord | Your Nukes | Our Faction | Potato Alliance RMB | Member Regions
G U I D E S :
What is N-Day? [The Basics] | Ground Rules [Must Read] | How to Help (and Prepare!) | The Strategy | Useful Technology + Tools
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DO NOT FIRE upon any nation which is not a member of one of the target factions listed on our faction page.
This is the single most important rule of N-Day play. Even if they are your friend, your roleplay enemy, or your brother, never fire on anyone in a faction not specifically listed on our page without checking with N-Day Command first. While it may seem fun and harmless, doing so can get our entire faction into a war we never asked for, and by doing so you can single-handedly jeopardize our entire faction. Don’t do it.Join the Potato Alliance N-Day Discord server.
Even if you never would join Discord otherwise, or are hesitant to do so, it is imperative for fully participating in the N-Day event.Follow the Potato Generals’ instructions.
Always listen for and follow any further instructions from the Potato Generals. The Potato Generals are experienced members of our regions. They are keeping aware of happenings both in our faction and in other factions around the world and coordinating with the leadership of other factions to make our attacks and our defence more effective. They are negotiating to prevent our involvement in conflicts we'd rather avoid. Their word ALWAYS takes precedence over anything in this guide or another Potato Alliance N-Day guide.If you are unsure of what you should do or a command seems strange, ask for clarification. Ambiguity has no place where nuclear weapons are involved.
Shields > Nukes.
One of our main goals as a faction is to finish the game with no radiation on any nation in our faction. This means that it is much more important for us to protect ourselves than to aggressively attack others. If you ever must decide whether to create nukes or create shields and are having a hard time doing so, all other things notwithstanding, choose shields.Have fun!
How to Take Part (and Prepare!)
Potato Alliance N-Day Guide
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News Page | N-Day Discord | Your Nukes | Our Faction | Potato Alliance RMB | Member Regions
G U I D E S :
What is N-Day? [The Basics] | Ground Rules [Must Read] | How to Help (and Prepare!) | The Strategy | Useful Technology + Tools
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Basic Information
N-Day is an annual event in NS that pits regional factions against each other in a simulated nuclear war. This year we are joining with many of our ally and friend regions into a joint faction called Potato Alliance. (It's named after the unofficial mascot of Spiritus, the potato!). Whether you are a newcomer or a nuclear veteran, reading and understanding what to do will prepare you for the event and help you both survive and work effectively with your regionmates and our allies.
Before the event begins:
Familiarize yourself with the contents of this guide, the Ground Rules, our Strategy, and Testlandia's guide N-Day: What You Need to Know— all of which are linked to in the header of this dispatch. This guide will focus primarily on how our faction organizes and how we fight effectively, while Testlandia's focuses on the basics of how the simulation works and how to navigate the controls. Understanding both is essential to success.
Join the Potato Command, our joint N-Day command Discord server. We will be coordinating from there. Coordination is the essence of success in this event, so regardless of your feelings about Discord, the importance of using it (even if only for the event) cannot be overstressed.
What to do with puppets: Puppets (additional accounts besides your main one) are greatly helpful during N-Day and many more experienced or more involved players have large sets that they use. If you have any puppets, you can and should use them for N-Day. The more nations generating production for our faction, the better. No need to move puppets between regions to join our faction— you can join a faction from any region.
Consider taking a look at the Useful Technology + Tools page if you're using puppets. We've listed there several puppet management addons and scripts to make it easier to manage lots of nations. If you have such an add-on already, make sure it has all your puppets' information correct so there will be no problems once the nukes start flying.
Once the event has started:
Join our region’s faction: this faction will be called Potato Alliance, and a link will be provided to it in the header of this dispatch. Directions to it, once it is made, will also be available in the Discord and on the RMB of the The Potato Alliance region.
Begin production: What you produce most efficiently, and what role you take in a faction depends on what sort specialty your nation has:
If you are a Military Specialist: in the first few hours, create shields (even though this is not your special advantage). Then, when commanders give the order (which will be posted on the Faction page and on the Discord server), you may begin stockpiling nukes. Listen for fire orders from Command. When you get a fire order, target nations which are actively deploying nukes first. Do not launch more nukes at a nation then are needed to bring it to 100% radiation (you get some leeway on this since controls are clunky, but know that it is a potential waste).
If you are a Strategic Specialist: Begin producing shields. Watch the faction page for incoming nukes and prepare to intercept them. Shout out in the Discord if there are too many nukes being targeted for you to intercept them all. Be cautious that you are intercepting incoming rather then outgoing nukes. Additionally, if you see nukes being targeted at regions we are allied with, report it to Command, and you may be asked to intercept them as well.
If you are an Economic Specialist: Begin stockpiling production. Unless told otherwise your role is exactly the same as that of a Strategic Specialist, but you may need to help offensively as well, so you should keep up to date on what's needed and familiarize yourself with the instructions for each role.
Check the faction page: Our faction page will have a mini-World Factbook Entry at the top stating vital information, including our current targets, our allies and current do-not-targets, and any special instructions from the Potato Generals. Make sure to keep up-to-date on this as it will change.
Coordinate with your factionmates: Coordination is the determining factor in how successful a faction is and how effective you are at contributing to your faction’s success. Sharing information with our factionmates is the best way for us all to know what we should be doing, what others are doing and what we need to be prepared for. While you are online and actively launching or shielding, make sure you are on the Discord, telling others what you are doing. It is extremely important that you do this.
The only reason you should not join the Discord is if there is a technical issue with you connecting to the service. If so, you can still follow along on the Regional Message Board of The Potato Alliance. However, you may find yourself excluded from much of the action because response times over the RMB simply aren't quick enough.
The Strategy
Potato Alliance N-Day Guide
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News Page | N-Day Discord | Your Nukes | Our Faction | Potato Alliance RMB | Member Regions
G U I D E S :
What is N-Day? [The Basics] | Ground Rules [Must Read] | How to Help (and Prepare!) | The Strategy | Useful Technology + Tools
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Directions:
Military Specialists:
Focus Military Specialist nations on producing nukes, except when given a specific order to produce shields.
Start by gathering production for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, target your nukes on a faction that we're currently targetting, and launch 10 minutes afterwards. Immediately begin producing nukes again. This structure will repeat each hour. If you want, you can check in with other nations and coordinate attacks on the top of the hour.
Strategic Specialists:
Focus Strategic Specialist nations on producing shields.
Try to gather production approximately every 40 minutes, and keep a special watch out for launches or counter-launches taking place on the hour.
Shield nations with lower damage first.
Economic Specialists:
All Economic Specialist nations should be producing shields unless given a specific order to do otherwise.
Let your nation gain production for around 6 hours if you can before harvesting it to maximise your efficiency.
If you have to go offline for a long period of time, make sure to set up your Economic Specialist nation(s) so they will be full when you get back.
Useful Technology + Tools
Potato Alliance N-Day Guide
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News Page | N-Day Discord | Your Nukes | Our Faction | Potato Alliance RMB | Member Regions
G U I D E S :
What is N-Day? [The Basics] | Ground Rules [Must Read] | How to Help (and Prepare!) | The Strategy | Useful Technology + Tools
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Why you should use it: If you have anywhere from 1 to ~25 puppet nations, it makes switching between them easier.
NationStates++ is one of the most widely-used extensions for NationStates. One of its main features is a puppet management tool that allows you to switch between nation accounts by clicking a link instead of having to enter your password each time. Being able to switch between puppets quickly and easily is extremely important because less wasted time logging into a puppet nation means more time for shielding or launching.
NationStates++ can be installed here. Once it's added, you'll see a new button in the top right of the NationStates menu bar labelled 'Puppets'. Hover over it, and you'll see a link labelled 'Manage Puppets'. If you click that, you'll be taken to a page where you can add puppet accounts and even organize them into different lists.
Unfortunately, however, NationStates++ is old and no longer maintained. While its puppet management function still seems to work, many of its other features are broken. If you want a newer, alternate version that lacks many of NationStates++'s issues, you can try LibreNS++. LibreNS++ is set up as a userscript (a little bit of code that the user -- you -- add to your browser), so you need to install the Greasemonkey (Firefox) or Tampermonkey (Chrome) extension first in order to run it (those extensions basically just allow you to add your own little bits of code to your browser).
Once you've installed one of those extensions, click here to install the LibreNS++ userscript. Reload NationStates once you've installed it, and you'll see a new button in the top right of the NationStates menu bar labelled 'Puppets'. Click on it, and you'll see a link labelled 'Manage Puppets'. If you click that, you'll be taken to a page where you can add puppet accounts. You can find more information about LibreNS++ here.
Why you should use it: If you have ~25 or more puppet nations, it makes switching between them a lot easier (even easier than NationStates++/LibreNS++). It's the preferred puppet switching technique of the pros!
Containerise is an extension for the Firefox browser that makes handling a large number of puppets much easier. As Racoda, the author of the main guide on using Containerise for NationStates, notes:
"Firefox includes a feature that lets you use multiple identities (multiple accounts) on one site, with each account in a distinct, colour-coded container. What this means for NationStates is that you can be logged in to multiple nations in different tabs all at once, without having to switch between them. This allows to greatly speed up [switching between puppet nations].... Of course, the more ... puppets you have, the greater the time savings. In essence, containers can be thought of as if you're using a different browser (or private browsing) for each nation, but all within a single browser instance. One of the many extensions leveraging the power of Firefox' containers is Containerise, which lets you automagically open a tab with a different, logged-in nation (without having to log out from all of your other ones) by simply clicking a link." |
The Potato Alliance commanders advise you to set up and use Containerise if you're planning to use a large number of puppet nations (say, 25 or more) during N-Day. Being able to switch between puppets quickly and easily is extremely important because less wasted time logging into a puppet nation means more time for shielding or launching. If you're interested in learning how to use it and want to run a lot of puppets, but you're not sure quite how things work, feel free to tag King Platypus#1081, Somyrion#8047, or 9003#5389 on Discord for help.
The following dispatch is a comprehensive guide to setting up Containerise for puppet management. Please read it for instructions on how to set up the extension. It's originally meant for use by card farmers (players who run large numbers of puppet nations in order to generate cards), though, so it includes references to card farming. You can safely ignore those, because in this case you're using it for N-Day, not the cards game. But make sure to choose the container=puppet option when you reach that step in the instructions!
Why you should use it: It will make all your actions much quicker. Everyone should use it!
Psithurism is a keybinding script (a derivative of Breeze++) that has been built specifically for Potato Alliance for N-Day. It takes actions that you would normally take with your mouse, like going to a certain page or clicking a button, and maps them to keys on your keyboard.
For example, if you want to check if there are any incoming nukes on our faction, instead of having to find the right page and then click a button to shoot down anything incoming, you can simply press m once (to go to the incoming nukes page), and then immediately m again (to shoot down anything incoming, or reload the page to check for anything new otherwise). That means that instead of having to handle everything manually, you can simply do m, m, m, m, .... So much easier!
Here's a list of all the keybind functions that Psithurism will have:
Key (on your keyboard) -------------------------------------------- | What does it do? |
n | Reloads any page you're on. |
< | Goes back to the previous page. |
p, p, p, ... | Convert production to nukes or shields -- which one it chooses is based on specialty (military specialists' production is converted into nukes, both other specialties' production is converted into shields). You have to press it multiple times in a row to cycle through the production-generating process (going to the production page, selecting the right amount of production, etc.). Stop pressing it when you have no more production left to convert! |
w, w, w, ... | Convert production to nukes only. Don't use this unless there's some good reason why you need to generate nukes on an Economic or Strategic Specialist nation! |
s, s, s, ... | Convert production to shields only. Don't use this unless there's some good reason why you need to generate nukes on a Military Specialist nation! |
spacebar, spacebar | Hit once to go to your nukes page, twice to go to the Potato Alliance faction page. |
m, m, m, ... | View (press once) and shield (press twice) incoming nukes, as described in the example above. If you're sitting on the incoming nukes page, waiting for anything to shoot down, just press it over and over and over. It'll keep reloading the page until there's something to shoot down, at which point it'll select the shield button immediately. |
k, k, k, ... | Perform the entire targetting procedure. You have to start on another faction's page (i.e. the faction that Potato Alliance is currently attacking). Then press it repeatedly to cycle through the process of automatically finding a not-fully-irradiated nation to target your nukes at, targetting the right number of nukes to make that nation reach 100% radiation, and then finding another nation to repeat the process. When you use this keybind to target your nukes, it will automatically calculate what the best number of nukes to target is, without wasting too many. Just keep pressing the key repeatedly until you run out of nukes to target! |
L, L, L, ... | View (press once) and launch (press twice) your nukes that are targetted and ready to be launched. If you're waiting for your nukes to get ready to launch, just press it over and over. It'll keep reloading the page until there's something to shoot down, at which point it'll select the launch button immediately. |
f | Go to the page that lists all the factions and the scoreboard. |
Because Psithurism is a custom script, there are some details that can't be added to it yet (like the exact URL of the Potato Alliance faction page), so it's not available to install right now. But as soon as N-Day begins, Psithurism will be made available through a link and set of instructions on the Potato Command Discord server. Keep an eye out!
There is one thing you can do to prepare for installing Psithurism, though: just like LibreNS++ above, Psithurism will be distributed as a userscript (a little bit of code that the user -- you -- add to your browser). So you need to install the Tampermonkey (Firefox | Chrome) extension first in order to run it (those extensions basically just allow you to add your own little bits of code to your browser). In addition, if you've previously installed Breeze++ or a similar extension, make sure to turn it off before using Psithurism!
Member Regions
Potato Alliance N-Day Guide
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News Page | N-Day Discord | Your Nukes | Our Faction | Potato Alliance RMB | Member Regions
G U I D E S :
What is N-Day? [The Basics] | Ground Rules [Must Read] | How to Help (and Prepare!) | The Strategy | Useful Technology + Tools
Member Regions (26) |
Member Regions (28) |
Atsvea, Ruinenlust, Lord Dominator, New ladavia, and 2 othersMiddle Barael, and Julunaphra
"VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE UPCOMING NUCLEAR APOCALYPSE EVENT"
At least they tell you these days. In the Cold War they always kept it secret, so you were always on edge. Nowadays they send us telegrams before annihilating all life on Earth, and I think that's much nicer.
Mount Seymour, Atsvea, Ruinenlust, Lord Dominator, and 3 othersTerrabod, Middle Barael, and Julunaphra
Utterly incapable of war as I am, I nevertheless send all of my magic delegacy powers to the efforts of Mount Seymour and to the Potato Alliance. May we avoid becoming french fries or mashed, lest we not make it through the impending nuclear winter. And as for the victims of those outside of the Potato Alliance, I'd like to preemptively send some "thoughts & prayers."
Remember, the only thing that stops a "bad nation with a nuclear bomb" is a good nation with a well-funded ballistic missile defense system. ;-)
Mount Seymour, Atsvea, Lord Dominator, Auphelia, and 3 othersTerrabod, Middle Barael, and Julunaphra
<.<
[gently pokes Ruinenlust and Terrabod with a stick]
[whistles innocently]
What's the etiquette concerning thank you cards in this situation. Seems like it would be awkward.
Shalotte, Mount Seymour, Atsvea, Ruinenlust, and 4 othersLord Dominator, Terrabod, Middle Barael, and Julunaphra
The only thank you card I need is a "thank you for telling me how to find the N-Day Discord server, I have now joined it" one. :P
Atsvea, Ruinenlust, Lord Dominator, Auphelia, and 2 othersMiddle Barael, and Julunaphra
An icon. A legend. A champion for equality and justice, using practical, measurable goals to advance feminist equality through the gradual creation of actionable precedent in key cases that have had a profound effect on United States jurisprudence ever since their original argumentation.
Who else could I speak of but Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Notorious RBG, one of the greatest and most powerful feminists of her generation and an unexpected pop culture icon. In the wake of her death, now is the perfect time to look back on the career of this truly awe-inspiring woman. There is no better place to start than her cases argued before the United States Supreme Court, the most powerful court in one of the most powerful countries in the world. But of the six she argued, which one do you think is most important? What are your opinions on the questions argued in these cases? How do you think her tendency to argue in cases extending rights to men previously only given to women impacted how the Supreme Court ruled on key cases that broke barriers around gender inequality? Are there areas of the law you feel need a separation around how men and women are treated?
Not a perfumed, handwritten note from a sweet young thing you left behind at home, a reminder of what you've come to fight for?
Here's hoping we get Canopy's luck and not UPPERCUT's.
Atsvea, Ruinenlust, Lord Dominator, Middle Barael, and 1 otherJulunaphra
I thought Uan aa Boa CTEd. I've never done (NS)RP though I'd love to join one.
Atsvea, Ruinenlust, Lord Dominator, Middle Barael, and 1 otherJulunaphra
They did, but the position hasn’t yet been replaced. As for RP, the only RP I’ve done is Rivienland’s, but it wasn’t an official Forest RP (I’m only even mentioning it since they posted it on the RMB), and after a few days they had to close it down because Rivienland had too much work and was too busy. I wish there was more Forest RP things to do
Atsvea, Ruinenlust, Lord Dominator, New ladavia, and 1 otherJulunaphra
I've never really been into N-Day, but if Ken Burns is narrating, I'm totally in.
[soft folk guitar behind panning shots of old tyme photographs of nuclear holocaust]
Mount Seymour, Atsvea, Lord Dominator, Auphelia, and 2 othersMiddle Barael, and Julunaphra
I would find it quite amusing if NS were sufficiently interesting to warrant a mock documentary on our various frivolities and general eccentricities.
Could you imagine some hybrid between a historical documentary and violent action film for Z-Day?
Atsvea, Lord Dominator, Middle Barael, and Julunaphra
So, stupid question. Are we "Potato Alliance" or "an alliance of potatoes"?
Sounds like there's some sabotage going on.
Atsvea, Lord Dominator, Middle Barael, and Julunaphra
An alliance of potatoes is the correct faction.
Deontologia, Atsvea, Lord Dominator, Middle Barael, and 2 othersJulunaphra, and United provinces of isn
Can confirm.
Deontologia, Atsvea, Lord Dominator, Auphelia, and 3 othersMiddle Barael, Julunaphra, and United provinces of isn
I’m leaving. I didn’t expect HotA to be this fast. I don’t want any part in this anymore, except if we manage to obliterate HotA.
Atsvea, Lord Dominator, Middle Barael, and Julunaphra
Post self-deleted by Love and Nature.
Huh, I'd forgotten it was N-Day today. HOTA's looks to be impressively dominant though.
Atsvea, Ruinenlust, Lord Dominator, Auphelia, and 2 othersMiddle Barael, and Julunaphra
Yeah, this alliace with potatoes got hot pretty fast. Scoreboard looks so bad for us.
Atsvea, Lord Dominator, Wernher Magnus Maximilian Von Braun, Middle Barael, and 1 otherJulunaphra
«12. . .1,8631,8641,8651,8661,8671,8681,869. . .2,6342,635»
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