A centralized listing or registry of characters

[GilesMelang]

I propose
- a centralized listing or registry of characters showing:
- the nation or nations which they represent
- and their level of authority in that nation (etc. chief dog catcher vs. general)

This would prevent someone from coming along and impersonating a
character from a nation in order to cause trouble between one or
more nations.

Unless a character is registered, anything it says or does would be
considered invalid with respect to recwar or diplomatic moves.

Registered characters would be required to use the exact spelling of
the name registered.

[Ryker]

And who would keep this list up to date? Who would make sure that every person was accounted for? What system do you have in mind to initiate and uphold this program?

This would prevent someone from coming along and impersonating a
character from a nation in order to cause trouble between one or
more nations.

I'm still the closest thing we have to the new guy but when has this ever happened?

[GilesMelang]

And who would keep this list up to date? Who would make sure that every person was accounted for? What system do you have in mind to initiate and uphold this program?

The MCS would to me be a model for implementing it in terms of
how to organize the people in charge and process updates and
changes without offending people and taking sides, yet with efficiency.

I'm still the closest thing we have to the new guy but when has this ever happened?

It happened, about a year ago, with a nation I called Ergonia, and also
involving other nations, like Passo-Corum. It was quite clever. However
it can't happen again. I see this as an extension of a goal of the MCS
and MTO, in short, to prevent chaos.

[NewZimiaGov]

In my view, the situation in question actually sets a standard for what recwars could become. I believe that this was one of the more interesting recwars of modern history, precisely because of its anonymity and spontaneity. This was a war with real intrigue and suspense, in which actions had real, tangible costs and benefits. And ultimately, the war was consequential. Passio-Corum expanded its territorial holdings two or three times, Ergonia was dissolved, and Jingdao lost its ambitions of establishing a meaningful foothold in the east. Not to mention that the MTO was rendered effectively useless for anything but discussion. No one saw this coming. If the war was ever scripted, the script quickly went out the window, and we were left with a real, meaningful conflict.

What I'm really getting at with all of this is that I generally oppose measures aimed at reducing anonymity amongst users. I think that obscurity is a good thing, as it fosters the development of exciting events such as the one described. Politics, and warfare, and other stuff, are much more fun if you don't know exactly who you're dealing with, or what their motives are.

[GilesMelang]

I understand that Passo-Corrum came out ahead in terms of land, and that
you and others found the rec war entertaining. Reading over the series of
events which occurred after I left, I see that the involvement of Poldark
spread to Jingdao, a much larger nation. This alliance between Poldark and Jingdao
is concerning. Jingdao probably could not resist the urge to ally with this
destructive person in order to further its own goals. They were probably
willing to support Poldark and prevent investigation of his identity
just in order to annex more land.

That is another reason I disagree that someone can just come along and impersonate
an officer of another nation in order to stir up trouble. That is because, in my view,
this as a rules based hobby in terms of a) rec war and b) diplomacy (and by
extension, land claims). The rules are meant to ensure fair play.

Character registries have been proposed by others before. Some people already
list their other characters or main character's name in their forum sigs. Therefore,
the basic idea of this, if not my push for it to be enforced and regulated, is not new.

I will continue to push for this idea. NewZimiaGov is right to note that the
MTO was not very quick in punishing the perpetrators and focused more
on talk. The MTO is good for medium and long term projects. Perhaps the MCS
would be better for handling spur of the moment incidents like the Poldark
incidents. I think I will try to petition the MCS to create a division related
to processing applications, changes, and requests to remove characters,
in addition to their land claims efforts. Should the MCS decide these functions
should be best kept separate, then I might support creating an independent
organization that can be consulted upon as needed to verify a user's identity for
the purpose of a) rec war and b) diplomacy.

[joefoxon]

The MCS is a cartography organisation, and does not involve itself in political disputes, as per the Charter.

[GilesMelang]

That is fine but a central listing of characters is a central listing
and a central listing of nations and their land claims is a central
listing, the only difference is that the information contained
in the former is a is a list of personal names and titles, and in
the latter a series of geographical coordinates and associated
information. As a central listing, generally speaking, regardless
of the information contained in the listing, the MCS is
relatively successful and therefore I propose it, or even just
a similarly modeled organization, could also handle being a
central listing of characters. Without your support, Joe,
which I do not see forthcoming, I doubt the MCS would ever take
on such additional duties, so I see us having to resort to a new
organization perhaps, maybe called "the Micronational Characters
Registry" (MCR).

[GilesMelang]

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