2. Many of the excellent stories from last week continue, and interesting new stories include an execution in Istakadeqan, a meeting in Merveilles, a trial in Kennerixt, and a change of power in Dromosker.
3. There's also lots of new information on Aryasht, Mevwan, and several other places.
4. I've been told I'm playing a dangerous game with expansion credits, or that there should at least be an alternative for people who don't want to expand. Harvey had some interesting ideas about an "artifact system", in which the Autokrator or Speaker could award "artifacts" for certain accomplishments. These could then go as little icons in your forum description or signature, as larger icons in a "treasury" post in your statelet, or be traded in for various uses. These might include trading certain combos of artifacts for expansion credits, for recwar advantage (like the "gold stars") in the old SNARL system) for a temporary extra vote in the Senate, or other advantages. I haven't really thought this out much, but I'd like to hear other people's ideas about how such a system might work and whether it's desirable.
5. Speaking of expansion credits, they now have a new use. Currently, the only city shown in each statelet is its capital. A statelet which wishes to have more cities on the map may trade 1000 ECs per extra city. This is to compensate me for having to add in the icon and to prevent mass proliferation of cities a la Micras.
6. There has been some discussion lately about using other people's characters. The current policy on this is that it is by default okay to make minor decisions for other people's characters (ie hold conversations with them that don't commit them to anything hugely important or go against their revealed personalities), but that people who don't want this may opt-out.
Alicorn and Kallinn have opted out; Alicorn has given further information about her policy. I urge everyone else not to opt-out and to allow some basic sharing of characters to encourage interaction and prevent barriers to storytelling.
7. Mevwan has three citizens and all other statelets have one. This provides them with a significant advantage in contests where there is voting, aside from and in addition to its significant advantage of being really really good at stuff
I think it would be a bit unfair to ban Mewvan's two non-Senators from voting, but I may change contest voting rules to say you may not vote for your own statelet, or that only Senators may vote for their own statelet, or something like that. Let me know your preferences in this matter, especially if you are from Mevwan.8. We now have twenty statelets. It's getting to be a bit of a task to see the ones at the bottom. If our statelets continue to grow, the problem will get worse. One option is to leave it like this and just deal with the scrolling. Another is to rearrange statelets so the most active are on top - but that could create a bit of a ghetto in the bottom of the screen. Another is to "sell" ability to move your forum higher as a scarce resource - for ECs or artifacts or something. And a final option is to replace the statelet forums with four continent forums with the statelets as subforums - ie the main board would have a "Neroles" forum, with Drachumve, Merveilles, Resplendence, Dromosker, and Safiria as subforums. This could also help build intra-continental unity. But it would make it harder to see individual statelets.
9. The candidates for Speaker of the Senate are Dorji Támsáng (Long Island), Iriwande (Mevwan), Chief Barowa (Dromosker), and Syr-to-Yll (Aulaur). New candidates will no longer be accepted unless they ask really nicely. I will give everyone a few days to campaign (I suggest campaigning at least a little out of character so we know your plans and what you stand for) and then start the vote.
10. Old contest over, two new contests have started in the Center of the World. Check them out.
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