[Trexmaster]

We've had some interesting leaders in the past on Korvara with 4/5 of the originally randomly selected ones since being perma-banned, and the last having left of their own accord.

Looking to the present and future, we've retained roughly the same crowd for the past year or so, for better or worse.

In the present it's seemed that leadership is largely an afterthought. That international discussion is seldom if ever conducted, leaders largely being relegated to points of contact for Eventmins to coordinate with for hosting events that may pertain to that nation in some manner.

It brings the question of 'What are leaders actually meant to do?'. In the past this tended to be handling discussions with other nation's leaders and organizing their respective cabinets to handle the day-to-day of the nation as needed. Korvara in its earlier years, for all its flaws, lent itself to having a more active political sphere as nations closed upon the current status quo we know today.

Nowadays there is little drive, desire, or incentive for the nations to interact with one another on a macro level. Understandably, from what I can perceive, leadership all around Korvara is as a whole stagnant and largely only concerned with their own affairs if they even do anything at all.

So the question comes back: What are leaders meant to do? If there are no expectations, no incentives, and no support for these people who are intended to lead the major factions of Korvara, that inevitably leads to the stagnation we have been witness to. That people are almost entirely reliant on events to produce activity, because leadership ultimately means nothing but being the person who stamps map requests/event requests.

I'd pose the following questions:

1. Are you content with the current state of Korvara's leadership positions? Why or why not?

2. What should be expected of leadership positions?

3. What do you want from leadership?


I'll give my own answers.

1.

Honestly, no. As could likely be guessed by the fact I'm making this thread, I'm of the opinion that as it stands, leadership has been made into a meaningless title that serves only to filter events and map requests. 

Korvara was advertised as a place where players could control the narrative and the world they live in through their IC actions. Where certain players could ascend to positions of power with creative licenses over their slices of the island by which they could push the story of that part of the world.

We've had poor leaders in the past and much drama that's since been resolved, and lessons learned. Nowadays it seems people are too afraid of bad actors to allow the status quo to be challenged by new faces in high places. Few if anyone seems to want to get involved with other nations on macro level because the initial dynamic of Korvara, where Geladyne had the metals and stone, Meiaquar facilitated the trade, Telegrad had the food and wood, and Duyuei needed everyone else to sustain their war at the Wall? Everyone gets what they want now, no one has reason to push for anything more. The deals are done and nothing happens to change that.

From what little I know, leaders are given little if any guidance or support by the staff/headmin. They're on their own aside from when they have to be told they cannot develop certain areas. The past inferences at Korvara's launch that leadership positions could be subject to higher forced danger levels was quickly discarded. They're at no more risk than the average player beyond being more prolific by nature.

Much of this is a result of the community's collective desires as far as I'm aware. People largely do not want larger scale conflict, nor to deal with international disagreements be they physical conflict or otherwise.

So quite frankly I'm at a loss as to what Korvara is meant to be if players have no real ability to shape the world nor the narrative, if not a sandbox akin to what we already had with G6 before it was abandoned. Where events are the only way by which one can feel they have impact, as the world we collectively share, Korvara, is seemingly immutable, much like G6 was.

2.

Leaders should be expected to push for activity and growth within their nation. If nothing else to keep a finger on the pulse of the various factions inherent to all of them at this point, and address concerns or stagnation as necessary. They should be held to some kind of standard, and if they don't wish to maintain the position it should be given to someone more willing and able.

It is a position of power and responsibility. That we have seemingly zero standards outside not being a perma-banned player/having another character already in a leader or leader adjacent position/inciting the ire of the vast majority of the community is absurd to me. I understand that nations have lulls, attention drifts and goes toward where the people are. That's only natural.

Allowing stagnation to set in at the highest echelons of power in a nation inevitably results in that apathy trickling down. If the guy above me doesn't do anything and doesn't care to do anything, why should I? Especially when I'm not allowed to contest their spot.

It's a multi-faceted issue. The way I see it, leaders end up in this state not because they have no drive or passion for where they've chosen or otherwise been forced to become leader by the circumstances handed to them. The game is simply designed to have leaders ultimately end up not wanting to try to push for anything, as they'll get push back on anything beyond their own nation when it comes to development. Very few things are allowed when it comes to innovations, and much of the game world is off limits for expansion. Rather than beat their heads against a proverbial stone wall, leaders opt to simply focus inward and try to make what little content they can for those who still care within their nations.

So to summarize: I believe leadership needs change in both how they're handled at an administrative level and how the players themselves act with said position. Either that, or we simply throw our hands up and agree to never alter the current status quo, as we have been for the past year or so.

All I really want is a definitive answer to what leadership is meant to be after the nebulous state it's been left in for all this time. If I can't get one from Dev or the GMs, the community's will suffice. Or well, whoever feels like answering.

3.

A lot of what I want is largely tied to what I believe the expectations of leaders should be. To push for activity in their spheres and promote international communication, even if only to ascertain present deals are still valid and to maintain rapport. So you don't end up in a situation where neither representatives from a nation even know who the other person is.

As it stands this isn't made easy by the system. There's nothing to aspire to, and leaders are largely left to fend for themselves when it comes to trying to craft their own goals, only receiving negative feedback if any to attempts to influence the world.

I should expand on what exactly I mean by 'nothing to aspire to'. Everyone is roughly equal in terms of power. Everyone dings level 60, gets their gear and their classes and that's as powerful as they'll ever get outside their personal clout. Research projects and construction are about the only tangible means by which to effectively progress a nation, and those have been historically heavily restricted in scope. The things one can accomplish in events is far more grandiose compared to what one has to fight tooth and nail for to receive as tangible influence on the landscape of Korvara itself.

So what I want from leadership? It largely rests on the shoulders of Dev to make it more feasible, honestly. 

The most leaders can do right now without anything changing though? Try to talk to each other more. Follow up on correspondence from other nations if there wasn't any resolution. Don't let things stagnate. You're where the buck stops, if you see something hasn't been done? Bring it up. If you're struggling, you have the leader chat and your own personal nation chat for support, and ideally GMs/Dev can offer insight if inquired with.

Doing absolutely nothing shouldn't be an option that can be taken for as long as it has. Otherwise what point do these roles of power have, if they can simply be held indefinitely without any expectation?

If I happen to be the minority in wanting more out of leadership then so be it. I simply want to be sure that how things are presently is the state people actually want, rather than begrudgingly tolerated.

Leadership is but one of several facets of what comprises Korvara's RP environment, though can be vital as a driving force for kick starting and encouraging individuals to pursue their own RP goals. It was among the biggest selling points of transitioning from G6's environment, that players could be the ones in charge. If that no longer matters, what are we left with?

While Korvara's leadership is not the sole contributor to the present issues faced, it's perhaps the one that we as players have the most control over, even if only in maintaining consistent communication amongst each other and pushing for progress as much as we're reasonably able to do so.

Hence why I'm making a thread about leadership rather than shouting into the wind about the fact we barely have any GMs left willing to do active work anymore, the majority of EMs are no longer active with several departures, and EM apps pushed 5+ months back. Look forward to another wall from me around late October if there's still silence on that one.

For now I pose the three questions above to any willing to answer, to see if we can't improve things, or at least identify where most stand on this topic.

Thanks for reading.