Microstate RP

[Nodoka Hanamura]

The examples you linked were just either awful or hilarious, but freelancers making a state from scratch? Why not - Natio did something like that

It can be done, it's just difficult - it requires you to have:

A. A realistic set of initial goals. I learned this mistake the hard way with Ouroboros the first time around. Going after Order, KuGov, and Gallia was a big, big mistake, when I should have focused on Kusari and made Order and Gallia targets of opportunity. Getting too aspirational out of the gate can fuck you really good. Even Auxesia started small, if I remember from their lore.

B. A group of pre-existing players who are interested and committed to it. If you're not associated with an existing house or faction, you are going to find it harder to be able to survive out there. It doesn't help things that the rigidity of generic IDs makes it difficult to play quasi-lawfuls without being a freelancer, and being a freelancer is as rigid as it gets, not without good reason, of course. Natio survived for as long as it did because it had a group of players who were intent on making things work. Sadly I don't have much to say on their collapse as all I know is from hearsay long after collapse, which boils down to the usual 'disco drama' and other similar grievances. Doesn't help that Saronsen got banned, and he was one of their biggest players.

C. A structured plan and understanding of where your faction plays a role in the greater world. With all due respect to Auxesia and Natio Octavarium, its' players, its' characters and the sort - what good were they going to be for Ouroboros if they were their only major allies, when both distance and ideals didn't properly align? Sure, we had plans to try and work with say, BDM (Keep in mind, this was well before recent events with how RhGov is with Aux today) under Geoffacake, but other than an iffy position with Auxesia before I left, we didn't really have all that much going for us. Having the support of a major house or big player like the Outcasts or Corsairs is important - it means you can call on them to aid you if ZoI and the sort allows, help on mutual prospects and assure things. The state of the houses and the sort can cause logistical issues for this matter.

It's all a very complex array of issues that adds more logistics to faction development that is vital to its' survival. I dunno about you, but I wasn't about to go fight against Werdi and the KNF with just me and Jadon all by our lonesome, nor was I gonna put up with GMG and their POB-yeeting nonsense.

All in all, Microstates are very nice when done well, and Auxesia and the Natio are prime examples of them working in the modern day. But executing on them takes time, resources and planning.

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