Campaign Thread - Gaed / Sword & Shield

I suppose I have two questions, one to Sword and Shield, and the other to Bradfordsborough:

1. (Brad) When does voting commence for this race?
2. (S&S) You mention that Dux Milan should increase its visibility in supra-regional and inter-regional organizations. Do you have any particular organizations in mind (and why those organizations)?

Most supra-regional organizations I have noted tend to slant heavily towards RP in the forums, hence why I call for a greater footprint in the forums by our nations. Organizations like the Transversal Red Cross, for instance, allow for our regional nations to build links of friendship with other nations which I believe will bring in active nations. RP's, both national and regional, run with the organization and planning on the regional board would also create a lane for building relations between the region and foreign nations we may invite to join in.

When speaking of inter-regional ties I refer to the construction of embassies and invitations like the one from the Darwin Allied Republics we received ourselves. I believe building relations between regional nations and foreign nations will be the cornerstone of growth, as opposed to random telegram spamming and spamming the Pacific region boards. IRL and non-NS contacts will also form a third avenue of expansion for the region.

I am absolutely opposed to the practice of raiding and griefing regions. I will support an active defender stance for Dux Milan, and I believe it will be a powerful way to raise our international standing with foreign regions and nations. I do recognize this will also attract unwanted attraction, and possibly powerful adversaries, but I do not think ignoring what amounts to bullies is the honorable or correct course.

Fellow member states of Dux Milan, I must first apologize for my tardiness in entering the Campaign Thread. Second, I wish good luck to Sword and Shield, our newest member. I feel that even if I lose the election, I can trust the Councilman seat to you. Moving on to the point of the campaign thread though, I must say that as a growing region, we have many important issues that we are contesting with. I would say that chiefly among these are,
1. The defense of our region
2. Our growth rate as a region

Sword and Shield has the right idea, we need to do more then simply telegram new users. Anybody who receives are telegram probably knows what region they are going to join or is too new to know what they should be looking for. The best way to get more members is to contact other regions and organizations, advertising ourselves as an RP region with a peoples government.

The more important issue in my eyes in the matter of regional defense. In light of the regions "incident" on the 11th, we have to come to the conclusion determining our stance on defense is perhaps the most urgent matter we have to cover. Though you can see what amounts to my nation's press release here, I feel I must elaborate on my stance. I must say that I'm overall neutral to the subject of raiding; I've never partaken in raiding and I don't plan to. That being said, it is a feature built in to and recognized by the game, so It's the regions responsibility to defend if they don't want to be raided. On this platform, I must elaborate on my plans to defend innocent nations and to keep raiders out; whether they are amateur, pitiful "raids" as the one that happened a couple days ago, or even against TBR themselves.

 First, I didn't mean to be as blatant and harsh on our Dux, but after the "raid", we were open to criticism by forums lurkers and one nation in particular tried to slander Point Breeze's name. Obviously these allegations fall short, but it really beckons a wider issue. We shouldn't leave ourselves open to these kind of situations, as it makes it a tenfold harder to determine who was the perpetrator and leaves ourselves open to such harassment. I believe any raids should be announced to region members and region members only.

Secondly, we must determine how we can stop such issues from happening again, as treating how we act to such an event is only treating the symptoms. One alternative is to require a password in order to enter Dux Milan. This helps us because it discourages nations who are less interested/more hostile, but it can hamper growth. I don't believe that simply requiring a password is all that great of an idea, because any raider worth his salt can do some simple research into the nation in order to figure out the password. My suggestion is to require an interview of sorts. I recommend the criteria for entering Dux Milan is to have a prior history in another nation, to make sure the account isn't just a throwaway before giving them a password. This will protect us from most anyone with malicious intent. Though my ideas would have to meet the approval of the council once I am elected, I think this is the most optimal way to assess a nations sincerity in wanting to join Dux Milan.

If anyone wants to ask me any questions, feel free to ask. I must ask my candidate though, does he have any specific plans policies for the defense of our region? 

    To Gaed I also wish him good luck in his campaign. As to any proposals I have for the defense of the region, it boils down to growth and vigilance and by the founder, Council, and members. I am opposed to a password, particularly so early in our founding. Growth is our overriding concern at the moment, and I believe instituting barriers to access would stifle this growth. Our region already boasts impressive defenses against invasion and raiding. The only clear threat is vandalism, and I believe that to be a passing and minor threat. Further the best defense against the worst scenario we can endure, losing our WA delegate, will be secured more easily by numbers than by a password. I believe our growth will come through relationships our nations establish with foreign nations and new nations, which will make any nations with malevolent intentions stand out like a sore thumb. Simply put, any serious threat will find nothing of value in bothering us while those that do so for whatever reason will find little return for their troubles except a swift kick out by the founder.

    To address the second question posed by Point Breeze, I would like to see us focus on becoming a tighter community through activities which will let us get to know each other. We already have a fantastic regional news section I enjoy browsing, particularly dispatches from our regional nations which are not solely created by that nation. Take for example the recent story picking up on the not so subtle hints of tension in my nation I hope to one day run an RP on. I was delighted to read this as it adds more ideas, story, and flavor from an outside source and creates a "living" world. I would like to expand this news/media to incorporate more nations/writers, perhaps a spotlight on a particular city/region/storyline from each nation on a rotating basis written by that nation itself. I would ideally like to see this every week, a new or returning nation elaborating further on developments in their own nation they would like to share. I would also like to see us grow together personally, something like a monthly piece written by that particular player about their IRL life. This would be voluntary, and the writer would be encouraged to tell the region more about themselves and their real lives. I believe these proposals would make the Dux a vibrant and closer knit community, and also serve to attract new members who wish to be a part of what we are creating together.

Before we begin voting, I want to take this opportunity to wish both of our candidates good luck.