Midway Point
Turnwise, this Pre-NES is halfway to its destination. We have six more updates to go - together, they will cover 30 years, putting the start of the main NES at the year 2165, over a century after the Stigma event. This last update will probably have been the most difficult of the lot. All the future ones will cover just five years each, so they should hopefully be easier to deal with.
That said, I feel like passing out some awards to compensate for the long delay this time. Considering the nature of this Pre-NES, these awards will not focus so much on nation absolutes (greatest economy, greatest military, etc.), but will instead be granted based on what each player has
done with the nation or colony they've picked.
Awards
Greatest Rise to Power: Symphony D., Russian Federation - Symphony took a middle-tier power, Russia, and handicapped it with a difficult recent history to better suit the situation. Despite this, he's managed to use diplomatic leverage to make it a contender among the top powers, capable of competing with the rest. Toltec deserves an honorable mention here - rising from nothing at all to where Bacchus is now is certainly a great improvement.
Greatest Loss of Power: Fuschia, Islamic Confederation - The concept of an Islamic Confederation was a tough one to work with, but Fuschia was well set to become a victorious underdog before World War III broke out. Though some may criticize his handling of the war itself, historians have begun to speculate that the IC may have been doomed before it began...
Most Insidious Plot: Head Serf, United States of America - Though Head Serf's departure from the Pre-NES was less than honorable, his actions early on were certainly well placed. As soon as it was clear that Indonesia and a possible confederation of Islamic states might pose a threat to American interests, Head Serf put in motion some clever plots to end the threat before it began. This particular spot has a couple of runner-ups worthy of mention, but none of
their plots have reached the point where I can speak of them.
Most Unfortunate Nation: Lord Iggy, European Union - This is not a result of any animosity on my part for the nation, nor can it be attributed to any incompetence on Lord Iggy's part, but Europe has really faced a lot of misfortune during this Pre-NES. From the secession of Bacchus to the recent pirating event, these pacifists have had their tempers tested quite often.
Most Aggressive Colonization: Lord Iggy, European Union - The Europeans' rate of colonization may be unsustainable in the long run (and arguably in the short run as well), but it certainly deserves mention. Even the PRC hasn't been so prolific as the EU in this regard.
Least Aggressive Colonization: Head Serf, flyingchicken, United States of America - For the moment, the US seems to be quite content with just its extrasolar colony on Carmenta. In-system, Mars has far outstripped that, but even counting Mars, America's rate of colonization has been less than that of any other power - Russia has gotten a late start, but in that short time it has been more active than America.
Most Inquisitive Player: Symphony D., Russian Federation - Here I can only say that Symphony has made thorough usage of his intelligence agencies, forcing me as the mod to flesh out this world beyond the simple stats. Needless to say, this is a useful attribute for a player. Honorable mention here goes to Toltec, for probing the limits of technological advancement within the NES.
Most Historical Single Action: Toltec, Planetary Republic of Bacchus - America under Head Serf was a close contender for this spot, having played such a big part in instigating World War III, but Toltec deserves this one for single-handedly cultivating a revolutionary spirit in Bacchus, and then fulfilling it, shaking up the frontier of interstellar colonization like nothing else.
Best Stories: Symphony D., Russian Federation - This award belongs to Symphony, hands down, as you might have been able to predict by the number of excellent stories in the last several pages of the thread. Take a hint, other players.
Honorable mention goes to Haseri of the American Colony of Infinitas for the stories he's contributed as well.
Most Adroit Use of Force: Niklas, People's Republic of China - Aside from a solid showing overall, Niklas managed to use a well-timed military action to virtually secure half the map for the People's Republic - and without even provoking any retalliation. The kicking out of all foreign colonists from Damen during World War III was one of my favorite orders to read.
Deepest Diplomacy: Symphony D., Russian Federation - From the tense negotiations of World War III, to the drafting of CAUST, to the marshalling of ASTRIS's resources, Symphony D. easily snags this award as well. Diplomacy has been highly important in this NES, and should continue to be in the future.
Best Colonial Governor: Shadowbound, European Colony of Olympia - This award was a close one. Toltec might've secured it for Bacchus had he not seceded from the EU, and alex994 was just limited by the innate potential of Damen. Olympia, to contrast, has become Europe's most prized colony, and will likely remain that way for a long time, even after Tyrelia begins to flourish. Shadowbound has certainly capitalized on an already good situation.
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Now for the commentary on the map and stats.
Firstly, I've ironed out a few errors that were initially in the stats, so you may want to look them over again before drafting your orders. You'll also notice that my "overhaul" wasn't
terribly dramatic. Hopefully you'll appreciate the addition of an actual population stat, instead of the generalized order-of-magnitude thingie that was there before. Notice that the stat number is on a logarithmic scale, the exact specifications of which may be tweaked over time. It may be a bit too sharp as-is. I'd welcome commentary on this point.
Also note that I've replaced the somewhat useless "Infrastructure" stat with an "Industry" one. This is relative to the economy of the system in question. Damen's stat of "Unstoppable" indicates that its industrial capacity far, far outweighs what one would expect from a colony with two EP to spend. Brazil, with its stat of "Underdeveloped," can still greatly out-produce it.
I have also considered adding a stat for the number of cities a colony has. This would act rather like a "size" stat in other NESes, representing how much living space each colony has. By comparing this to a system's population, an idea of its population density can be approximated. Less cities would indicate a more crowded colony, while more cities would mean that the population was more dispersed. Obviously, the hospitability of each colony's environment would affect this as well - Olympia might have some sprawling suburbs outside the cities, but Damen certainly doesn't. What would you, the players, think of this?
Finally, the map is below. I should probably notify you now, just in case you're curious, that the scope of the map is growing to encompass the Orion spur, with the Sagittarius arm to the right of the map, the Perseus arm above it, and the Void between the Orion spur and the Perseus arm in the lower-left. The exact proportions might not end up matching that closely with the real Milky Way galaxy. This is fine, as we're already pretty much making up all of the stars beside Sol.
Players can now feel absolutely free to send in their orders. I'll let some time pass before setting the deadline. Players can also still join as governors, independent states, and private organizations, of course. Lastly, if you're expecting a PM from me, bug me again about it. By my tally, I've sent out all the messages I've been asked to.