Vhalen

He didn't mean character as in "a part being played," he meant it as in "reputation, traits, etc. that define a person." Unless I misunderstand your argument, OOC isn't relevant to that.

Getting 9000+ people to agree on anything is an exercise in futility.

You know, this might have become the best thread of the war so far, inasmuch as actual discussion goes. I didn't think so after the first few pages, but I stuck it out and was pleasantly surprised. This. Vast, endless sums of tech/money reps (the "they should pay everyone back for the past years" vein of thought) or disbandment would just serve to breed anger and resentment. So far as that goes, I think a softer touch is wise. Generally speaking, most people regard the leaders to have been at fault, and the treaties and FA attitudes to have been among the major issues. Forcing changes in these areas seems both sensible and not overly draconian.

The process only being drawn out so far because of how long it takes the time machine to warm up.

Did I say I was proud of it? It doesn't take a genius to make it, but at the same time, note that the person I replied to didn't make said observation. Someone buys the troops, though. They don't appear out of thin air when a nation is attacked. "You" can be a plural, too, referring to "you, the community of casualty owners." I could make a smartass comment about knowing basic pronouns, here, couldn't I? P.S.: I'm perfectly aware what Q.E.D. means. I made an argument, "the case that casualties can't be bought is incorrect," demonstrated why, and there you go. Just because my statements were arguably a bit hurried/sloppy, since I didn't spell things out painfully, in step by step "proof" form, doesn't somehow magically make the term non-applicable. Edit: I'm going to let this go, though. Nitpicking's overrated. Just leave it at "someone has to buy soldiers, so casualties are, in fact, bought" and let's ignore the trivial side notes. Heck, that was a trivial side note, as is. Back to the discussion at hand. I was never here. *waves hand mysteriously*

Fodder for recruitment? If, in my nation's youth, someone raided me and gave me that offer, I'd be more inclined to research their political enemies. Recruiting by raiding is pretty low class, if you ask me. I'd say somewhere on par with recruiting in disbandment threads or from another alliance. Though, I suppose some here could argue, "I'm only raiding your alliance for members, so it's okay." I'm in a bit of a silly mood tonight. Don't take me too seriously.

This is flat out wrong. You have to buy them. You can't get casualties without soldiers, and you can't get soldiers without money. Q.E.D.

Facts laid bare, here. I've heard tell that NPO was initially created in order that Vox would be able to put on a great big show, a few years down the line.

Oh, I thought he meant the rest of CN was WWI Germany.

This mindset certainly makes it easier. You could always stand up for yourself a bit, and prevent such things. You know, kind of like what's going on right now.

It also means nobody can get so big that they can't be attacked. (OOC) I grant you, this is more liable to be an issue in TE than here, but still holds true.(/OOC) Seems to me plenty of people are already having bad days, then.

Let us glance at the peace terms thus far. *takes a moment* Hmm. Perhaps someone respects "fighting for your friends" and "honoring treaties," and is letting those groups off the hook easily? Perhaps giving them a chance, now that the gang mentality is weakened, to change their stances in the future.

You think it'd take 5 months?

Easier, yes, but it leads to all kinds of awkward, untrue assumptions. Heck, referring is fine, but once you begin to stop thinking of the fact that it's really just individual alliances, that's when things get screwy. And no, I don't think continuing to bully him would be right, but neither do I think it'd be anything remotely resembling sane for them to simply push him down, wag a finger, and say, "Now cut that out!" At this point, I think I'm going to avoid anything further on the analogy, however, as I've noticed they tend to get twisted around for some minor, irrelevant thing that doesn't really apply to the actual situation.

Look at it this way. We have a "players union" in a pro sport. Which team runs it? Certain players and ex-players step up to handle things logistically or diplomatically, but that doesn't mean the teams they're associated with necessarily control the union. When people tell you to talk to Archon or LiquidMercury (especially when LM says it, which he did, somewhere -- not that I'm going to go back and find the quote), they mean what they say. Those guys are among the active, driving individuals, and if they can't answer your question or resolve your issue, they'll be able to direct you to the right person. Simple, really, once you wade through all the crumbled up papers on the ground contradicting each other.

You know, I think it might be wise to point out, at this juncture, that Karma is far from a single-voiced entity, and there are ~9,500 nations at war with the Hegemony at the current time, so it's just maybe possible that opinions may vary a tiny bit. And then the "potential opposition." Let's be honest, it's like if Mike Tyson, at the top of his game (not the court jester Tyson we've grown so used to lately -- incidentally, feel free to enjoy any applicable parallels in that regard too) finished off or hired all his opponents, then, since he still wanted to punch someone, cruised by the local junior high school and started pounding students who were doing a little sparring. I'm not surprised the locals are outraged.

Now that I had a moment longer to think about it, I should reserve the right to have people forward these shipments. I might be able to singlehandedly rebuild some alliances. Maybe I'll get statues and stuff. That might be cool, except for all the posing. Well, maybe it can be a statue of me having a cool refreshing drink and watching some TV. I think I could probably pose for that without too much trouble.

(OOC) Yeah, sorry, I didn't realize that had changed.(/OOC) Ugh...I demand 3 mil in reps from everyone who's posted in this thread since my last post. For aspirin. My aid slots are open.

Given how fast the Hegemony side has been slipping away, the question might better be whether some of the Karma alliances' leaving will even matter to the end of hostilities. I mean, right now half of Karma could leave and they'd still have numerical advantage, if my references are right. They've done a fine job of building up morale on the other side, over the past few years. I wonder how many weeks it'll take for it to fall. I do hope we see more posts like this, though. Well reasoned, well written, and bringing up exactly what people need to see. Hit-lists, you say? Just the sort of thing needed to hold things together another week...another two weeks...another month? It certainly took them a while to notice all their best PR guys were jumping ship, no matter how extravagantly they left. Strange, you'd think that would've been a red flag of some sort. Edit: You know, I don't know anything about Mary. Never spoken to her, never met her. I guess congrats. Who knows, maybe she'll be in charge soon. The current Emperor seems to have screwed the pooch pretty phenominally. Certainly can't do much worse.

This whole thing sounds like kind of a mixup/cluster****. Tell you what. Once you're clear of repercussions (I expect it won't be long), if you need help rebuilding, feel free to contact me.

Color me confused, because I could've sworn his comments were more on the "(OOC)RL doesn't really matter, clearly different rules are applied here" side of things, which, from what I've been able to see here, was kind of opposite you. Though, to be honest, I never saw much of a big deal in this whole topic, so I don't know why I keep posting. Maybe I should just go to sleep.

I believe this is a statement were both sides are currently in agreement, actually.

It's probably be a blessing for everyone if MyWorld asked for a lock.

Anyone who thought such a massive war with so many participants was going to end in white peace for everyone is living in a fantasy world, so I'm forced to take whatever such a person says with a grain of salt. As to the moral high ground and "Keeping the little man down," that's more of a long-term issue. I doubt Karma will be ongoing for too long after this war, so I don't think it's an issue, but for those of you who do (or pretend to), keep in mind what this war has proven: If you keep the little man down long enough, he'll pull the rug out from under your feet.

Making it happen wasn't the issue. Your argument seems to extend naturally to where it supports the attempt/demands. I kind of doubt you do, so I was pointing out the awkwardness in presenting such a face in the discussion.