RP Team & RP Accord rankings feedback

[Aquinas]

Since Cobura has ratified the RP Accord, its players would be expected to respect the RP Team's guidance in terms of how Cobura's economic and military character is defined. If they did not follow the guidance, then theoretically the RP Team could approach Moderation and ask for a ruling (although so far this is not something that has ever happened). However, at least as the rules are framed at the moment, there is not really anything to explicitly stop Cobura's players from role-playing in a way that might seem to contradict the rankings the RP Team has assigned to other nations outside the RP Accord like Hawu Mumenhes.

This is an interesting interpretation of the RP Accord that flies contrary to my own understanding of how it should work. If this thread isn't the right place for this discussion please feel free to split it off

My understanding was not that ratification of the RP Accord by Cobura meant merely that Cobura must follow its own ranking as per the RP Team, or else face potential RP Team/Moderation intervention. My understanding was that ratification of the Accord meant enforced recognition of the rankings for all nations, whether or not they had ratified the Accord. If this interpretation is starkly incorrect, I do have concerns that my own wording in drafting the economic rankings in the OP of this thread (which has been copy pasted to the RP Accord Index) is perhaps misleading:

•For nations which have ratified the RP Accord, these rankings are canon and will be enforced by Moderation under section 20 of the Game Rules beginning on Feb. 22, 2016 at 12:00 AM CST. At that time these rankings will supersede any contradictory information on the wiki, the forum, legislative bills, the national debate page, etc. Utilize these rankings to inform your roleplay, your wiki writing, your history writing, etc.

This to me is relatively explicit in that "these rankings" (plural) are "canon." Your suggested interpretation would better be written "each nation's ranking is canon for purposes of the players therein." This would lend itself to a confusing scenario where Cobura could be high development to every RP Accord ratifier except to players in Cobura, who are forced to RP it as medium development, despite a world of opinion to the contrary.

I think the much less confusing interpretation is to expect that if Cobura ratifies, it must subscribe to its own ranking. But even if Cobura does not ratify, all ratifiers must subscribe to Cobura's medium ranking. Does that make sense?

I can only say here that when section 20 of the Game Rules was introduced, which governs the working of the RP Accord, the intention was that for RP Accord nations, the RP Team may "define the nation's military and economic character". There was no intention for players in RP Accord nations to be be required to acknowledge the rankings assigned to nations which weren't even in the RP Accord. So at least from how I am seeing this, it would not be reasonable to ask Akhenaten to change any of his Esinsundu Empire RP.

But I agree this is an area where the rules/guidelines could be clearer, and perhaps some things need looking at again.

[Aquinas]

Imagine I were to pull Kalistan out (obviously in coordination with other player's cooperation) and start RPing Kalistan as a war-torn nation in masses of debt and with a terrible standard of living. What happens if we then rejoin, do Moderation enforce the ruling that Kalistan is high development or not? A discussion about how we work around nations which haven't ratified is worth having, so long as it is being had in good faith of course.

This is a good point. In these circumstances, one would hope for a review to be done of the nation's rankings.

For the record, though: as of yet, we have no experience of a nation leaving the RP Accord, let alone leaving and then rejoining. We also have no experience of the RP Team asking Moderation to intervene over a RP Accord issue.

So in short, this is a system that's in its infancy and we may still have a lot to learn.

[CCP]

Quick Question CCP; do you have links to the Bills that physically created that military? Order for construction of ships? Increase of Defence budgets or Science & Technology Budgets?

You can read Hawu budget bills to see how the defense and science and technology budgets have shifted over time. As to creating military hardware, no I do not have links to posts saying "HM built . . ." and "HM ordered . . ." because your own RP Team guidance says to avoid such posts and focus instead on demonstrating military capabilities:

In regards to military composition and equipment, it is the official advice of the RP Team that nations avoid comprehensive lists / equipment equivalents in favor of general descriptions. Lists of the entire composition of a military are very difficult to maintain, and lead to RP becoming an exercise in math rather than a story-telling, and very few players in Particracy (including the full RP Team) have the military expertise necessary to determine if the S-400 missile defense system is capable of destroying 95 or 97% of all incoming ballistic missiles, for instance. In short, rather than listing out what your nation has, use RP to show us what your military can do.

That is what HM has done since its creation. If you are changing that standard, you need to inform players of the change and then make sure to apply the same standard equally to all countries and then be prepared to reduce most countries' ratings to Small Power accordingly when they fail to link to bills constructing or procuring every piece of military hardware in possession since almost no one in particracy does that.

Speaking generally (not to Vesica in particular), the last few posts in this thread are demonstrating that players do not have a clear and common understanding of the RP Accords and RP Team system, including players responsible for administering it.

i should have been more succinct; I was curious as to whether or not you had made Bills that did do that; if you though I meant they were required they are not; you are indeed correct we are more interested in what your military can do rather then how many Destroyers you've procured or how many tanks one of your Armored brigades have.

For portions of this ranking for military Affairs I take everything into account, Active Role Playing (which you've done) announcements of joint military bases, Alliance's, exercises and the like (which you've also done) but also I do see whether or not your Defence, Science and Tech and other budgets have increased, whether a Bill has gone through announcing a modernization effort of the military, expansion etc (which is technically also RP) which is why one of the reason we wish to see dedicated and detailed RP when your creating nuclear weapons and aircraft Carriers because they are such big influences in conflicts imagined and otherwise.

I'll state that you didn't create a Bill that announced you were going through a period of military expansion and procurement does not mean a penalty to you, just another thing I can look at to help judge justification for rank ups.

I apologize if I wasn't clear on that.

I'll be doing a quick write up for the Economic Rankings and the Military Rankings and their meanings and definitions when I have quick second; probably by tomorrow

Okay then, a miscommunication for both of us and thanks for the explanation.

In that case, here are some bills and debates with RP concerning those things:

http://classic.particracy.net/viewbill. ... lid=477385
http://classic.particracy.net/viewbill. ... lid=477676
http://classic.particracy.net/viewbill. ... lid=477677

[Autokrator15]

I wish to state that I am happy with New Endralon's position. I worked hard on trade deals with Hutori, Indrala, Vanuku, Endralon, Vorona. But also on the nations RP. It boosts my motivation to keep New Endralon on this spot.

I also want to thank all players in New Endralon. Their RP, work and input in formalising the political system, economy etc. Is greatly appriciated.

It is my wish now to upgrade New Endralon's military and I believe the recently purchased fighter jets from Hutori are the first step.

[jamescfm]

When do the new rankings become effective?

[jamescfm]

When do the new rankings become effective?