Conch KingdomBoard

The results of yesterday's referendum in Compacipo have come through, and the 'yes' side has narrowly won out.

Should Compacipo's Council Be Fully Elected?

Yes: 51.09%
No: 47.8%
Spoiled Ballot: 1.11%

Turnout: 68.62%

Zarin Gulixan and Belanas Spelinger, the co-leaders of the Compacipo Council, have both applauded the results; all RandCorp appointees were removed the moment the results were announced, and will not attend the council's first meeting later today. The change marks the first shift in Compacipo's governmental structure since the creation of the city in 1965.

RandCorp has stated in a press release that the results will not affect business in Compacipo, so long as "prior commitments are upheld". This likely refers to the consistent opposition which the City Council has maintained towards regulation in most sectors of the economy.

Operation Thunderbolt, the spectacular SSU assault in which Liberto-Ancapistan's most persistent arms trafficking operation was decapitated, has renewed faith in the police and government. Taking place on the same day as a sea battle which left those responsible for the 1-1-1 terrorist attack utterly defeated has only reinforced this renewal. It is no surprise, then, that the government's approval rating has passed 50% for the first time since October, rocketing to 61%. This is good for the country, and very good for Progress, with elections mere months away.

And that is where the problem lies for the Libertarian Party. Ever since the infamous Delio Cartazara was presented as a likely suspect for the pirate attacks that rocked Liberto-Ancapistan between October and last month, it had presented a clear solution; legalise his trade (sale of automatic firearms and other military-grade weapons, without an ID), and suffocate his black market by allowing legitimate businesses to grow (as seen in our recent interview with Rasmus Thornes). In the wake of Cartazara's death and Operation Thunderbolt, however, Progress' take on the issue has proved to be much more attractive. Nobody likes compromise unless it is needed; and in this case, it wasn't.

What does this say about the Libertarian Party's prospects? Well, they're looking decidedly mixed. As always, the decline of the Minarchist Coalition is continuing according to polling, and the Libertarian Party benefits from this the most. But with a controversial leader and popular government, a Libertarian victory, or even another Tiger (Libertarian-Minarchist) Coalition is hard to image.

A second, less obvious casualty of Operation Thunderbolt may well be ASP. The Santian government has continually attempted to justify it's existence by pointing to the ongoing existence of the Free Guard, and terrorist attacks such as 1-1-1. While the Free Guard was not involved in the operation directly, Delio Cartazara being one of the organiation's main sources of equipment is common knowledge among the intelligence community. Without the rigorous evasion and security tactics that Cartazara has employed, it is unlikely that the Free Guard will be able to access new ammunition or arms. This could well mean surrender. If this were the case, ASP would become irrelevant, and the Santian Libertarian Party (which is already involved in a row with the SNP) and Liberal Party could push for it's dissolution. Whatever the case, Thunderbolt has made reintegration prospects much sunnier.

1. What is this place?
This is a region, one of thousands in NationStates. You can think of regions as continents in real life. They are basically containers for nations, and nations can only be in one region at a time, though each nation can move as often as it pleases.

More specifically, we are Conch Kingdom, a sunny tropical paradise founded in early 2016. This is one of the largest and most influential regions in the world (partially thanks to you!), but not so large that you can get lost. We pride ourselves on our welcoming and friendly community (just ask about the cookies) and the range of opportunities available to our residents. Keep going to find out more!

2. What is there to do?
Our primary focus is on the political game, and for players looking to make campaigns, run for office, and make laws, there is no better place to be. For those of a different persuasion, there is an adjacent roleplay area with a map, a lively Discord server, a military branch, competitive issues players, and of course, and RMB where you can converse with your neighbors. Everything is contained in the row of links above, so start there.

3. What are the rules here?
Despite being politically-oriented, Conch Kingdom offers minimal bureaucracy and few restrictions. We ask that you avoid double-posting on the RMB (use the Edit button), and spam will get your posts suppressed, but most of the time your fellow residents will engage with you politely regardless of what you say. Just try expressing an unpopular opinion or criticizing the government! You could even make some friends that way. (Do avoid breaking the NationStates site rules, though.)

4. How does the government work?
Good question. Right now our officials are working to overhaul the constitution, so by the time you read this, it could be completely different. Whatever we wind up with, it will be the good kind of surprise.

5. Can I be the delegate?
As a matter of fact, you can! Just start asking people for endorsements. We have one of the highest World Assembly member populations in the world, which means you can be an exceptionally powerful delegate if you put a little effort in. Coming up with a clever, persuasive campaign will help your cause. The delegate is the nation with the most endorsements each day, so go around and collect as many as you can! Even if you never become the delegate, you will at least gather a lot of regional influence.

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Still wondering what this game has to offer? You are in luck! NS is a vast, complicated world, and you can play for years before you even break the surface. Here are a few resources to help you find something that interests you.

FAQ: The official game FAQ can be found here, and a more comprehensive version is maintained on the Technical subforum here.

Roleplay: On NS, roleplay (commonly known as RP) is text-based, and consists of players writing collaborative stories that bring their nations (or people within their nations) to life. It usually takes place on the NS forums, player-created offsite forums, or region RMBs.
RP Guide: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=170098
RP Questions: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=118474
Advice for New Players: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=33989

Gameplay: The term "gameplay" (commonly known as GP) encompasses a number of things. It includes the "issues game," where players answer issues to build their nations in a certain way and compete on World Census reports; the "invasion game" (commonly known as raiding and defense, or R/D); and regional politics.
NS Issues: viewtopic.php?f=13&t=88
R/D Guide: viewtopic.php?f=12&t=307728
Region Building: viewtopic.php?f=12&t=353470

Real-world debate: This is mostly self-explanatory, and takes place in the General subforum (commonly known as NSG), or on regions' offsite forums and RMBs.
First Stop for NSG: viewtopic.php?f=20&t=88796

World Assembly: The World Assembly (commonly known as the WA) is a mixture of RP and GP. It is the world's only international legislative body, similar to the real-world United Nations. Many players like to spend time writing their own WA resolutions or discussing proposals written by others. This takes place in the General Assembly and Security Council subforums. If this sounds interesting to you, it is highly recommended that you begin there, by asking questions and reading other players' work.
General Assembly Rules/Advice: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=159348
Security Council Guide: viewtopic.php?f=24&t=218040

Something is missing... So, you may ask, how does one declare war? What about setting up alliances, or trading? NS does not include functions for war or trade, but that should be no obstacle to you! If you have a large enough group, you may attack another region, which is called "raiding" (see "Gameplay" in the section above this). You can also begin an RP war with another player (complete guide here). Trade is RPed on NS, so the best place to go is the GE&T subforum (Help Desk thread). Alliances are a little more complicated, because they can take so many forms. Again, there is no built-in function for alliances, although embassies can be established between regions, and are sometimes used to signify formal agreements. In general, alliances between nations are RPed. Alliances between regions, on the other hand, are most often political gameplay agreements.

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