New official NPC thread (August polls coming, campaigning open)

[Peanut]

https://twitter.com/atlasiagm/status/1395932777531559938

[Peanut]

May 2021 - New Jersey first round results

New Jersey State Election:

Majoritarian two-round system for the gubernatorial election, standard Lincoln system for the legislature

Party/Alliance		Votes (%)		Seats
Labor Party		53%		42 Assemblymembers / 20 Senators
Democratic Alliance		43%		34 Assemblymembers / 17 Senators
Federalist Party		3%		4 MPs / 3 Senators
Liberal Party		1%		0 MP / 0 Senators
Total				80 Assemblymembers /40  Senators

Gubernatorial result:
Labor Party win, Cory Norcross elected Governor

Incoming Legislature:
Labor majority in both chambers

Analysis:

Strong and consistent Labor campaigning, with strong performances from the Vice President and others like former Chancellor S019, was the nail in the coffin for Governor Baglieri's term. However, the DA's improvement is nothing to sneeze at, as they improved 10% over their initial poll numbers. They just didn't improve enough, and didn't mount enough defenses against Labor attacks (indeed, 41% of respondents to our exit poll claim their defense was not focused on Governor Baglieri and his policies, which would, they argue, have been a better focus) which allowed Labor to run the race on their terms. They did not dominate the rhetoric and the campaigning (which should've been easy as the incumbent party), rather focusing on Red Scares and a laser focus on rail and transportation. This won them some votes, but it also allowed Labor's coalition to expand and, in a final coup de grace to Baglieri's governorship, become the first party to win a state under Lincoln's new election law.

[Sirius_]

Post NJ Thoughts/Suggestions:
1. The timing debacle way unfortunate to say the least. I was under the impression that I had all night to do more events, then I find out its too late, and then you did extend it to 10 but by that point I had already given up and decided to do other things that evening. So please communicate deadlines well in advanced as much as possible.
2. I don't like or see the need for states to have any electoral system other than IRV. I'd say that in the case of NJ it just made the experience worse and provided nothing in return, unless you're a Laborite happy that it helped them. But from a general player's perspective, it took away a week of gameplay. It makes no sense to me that this was ever done. Lincoln, please repeal.
3. Defense is hard, and I don't think this is exclusive to any state or party. It just feels like its constant grasping at straws, because there's not much to go off of. You would think that you're campaigning on what your government accomplished but I have no idea what my government accomplished. I think this inherently makes offense the stronger position, because you can just campaign on whatever you want that way, and I wouldn't be surprised if we gain other seats while losing the seat we had to defend this month. Though I am not sure what solution to offer that doesn't involve writing longer summaries for each state.
4. NPC elections are at severe risk of becoming repetitive. Perhaps this is why Lincoln passed those other voting systems but it has utterly failed. It feels increasingly like a chore to churn out speeches over and over again now, so I personally don't have much motivation, and I don't think this is exclusive to me. Something has to change here.

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

agreed on all those points. I was lucky I got into a groove with writing and was able to churn out as many events as I did in an hour.

It's impossible to really say what governments did, so everyone just kinda makes things up. I have a feeling that if this was real that the DA and Labor probably would have come to an agreement and stopped those schools from shutting down, etc.

[Continential]

Post NJ Thoughts/Suggestions:
4. NPC elections are at severe risk of becoming repetitive. Perhaps this is why Lincoln passed those other voting systems but it has utterly failed. It feels increasingly like a chore to churn out speeches over and over again now, so I personally don't have much motivation, and I don't think this is exclusive to me. Something has to change here.

What are some changes that you would want?

[OBD]

Post NJ Thoughts/Suggestions:
1. The timing debacle way unfortunate to say the least. I was under the impression that I had all night to do more events, then I find out its too late, and then you did extend it to 10 but by that point I had already given up and decided to do other things that evening. So please communicate deadlines well in advanced as much as possible.
2. I don't like or see the need for states to have any electoral system other than IRV. I'd say that in the case of NJ it just made the experience worse and provided nothing in return, unless you're a Laborite happy that it helped them. But from a general player's perspective, it took away a week of gameplay. It makes no sense to me that this was ever done. Lincoln, please repeal.
3. Defense is hard, and I don't think this is exclusive to any state or party. It just feels like its constant grasping at straws, because there's not much to go off of. You would think that you're campaigning on what your government accomplished but I have no idea what my government accomplished. I think this inherently makes offense the stronger position, because you can just campaign on whatever you want that way, and I wouldn't be surprised if we gain other seats while losing the seat we had to defend this month. Though I am not sure what solution to offer that doesn't involve writing longer summaries for each state.
4. NPC elections are at severe risk of becoming repetitive. Perhaps this is why Lincoln passed those other voting systems but it has utterly failed. It feels increasingly like a chore to churn out speeches over and over again now, so I personally don't have much motivation, and I don't think this is exclusive to me. Something has to change here.

Here are my thoughts on these points -

1. This is your point that I probably most agree with. While it doesn't appear to have affected the result significantly (and both parties probably lost out on potential events), I was definitely blindsided by both the suddenly imposed deadline and the subsequent 2-hour extension. Peanut's been good about giving us notice so far though so I think this was just a one-off blip. But in the future, advance notice for these things would definitely be appreciated - for instance, we could have been told the polls were closing at 8 EST yesterday morning.

2. I mean, this was kind of Lincoln's thing, and to be frank I wasn't even aware this went through until Ishan brought it up. I personally think it adds a little novelty to some elections, though I haven't seen enough data to determine whether it is good or bad overall. I think the parity issues this time - when NJ closed a few days earlier than expected - will be smoothed out when all competitors are aware of the new rules next cycle. Though I wouldn't object to the GM reiterating the new rules in the pre-election updates so my remaining brain cells don't have to do the rememberin' , and I will admit that more advance notice about New Jersey's new system would have also been appreciated.

3. This is one of two points I take object to. Obviously, defense is hard! That is built-in under all political alignments that are remotely modern, and I can testify that I have had much more trouble deciding what message to run on in states we held then states we're trying to pick up. And honestly, it rubs me the wrong way that you are complaining about this. Peanut literally threw the entire kitchen sink at our Utah government, forcing us to change horses and messaging mid-stream and throw more resources at the state then we did during the infamous Texan storm - and we did not complain about it! Relative to that, defending New Jersey was a walk in the park. Also it's worth mentioning that this literally does not create a competitive disadvantage. If anything, it harms Labor, who is consistently defending way more seats then y'all. You can't complain about a competitive wrinkle in one state and take advantage of it in three others.

4. NPC elections are most certainly not a failure. That is an insult to Peanut, Lumine, and everyone, on all sides, that has churned out massive effortspeeches to try and get victory for their parties. Maybe it is a chore to churn out speeches, but that. Is. Politics. You can't just expect us to hand Utah and New Jersey over on a silver platter. And, I am actually of the opinion that NPC elections have become less repetitive under Peanut (no offense, Lumine)! The new stories (and potentially game mechanics) have given us things to campaign on and have altered the campaigning landscape in interesting ways that we have to figure out how to handle/take advantage of. Yes, we could use a little more detail on what governments have done (though Peanut already does this for certain states like Texas and it can be inferred from government approvals). Yes, new mechanics like separating Governor and Legislature would also be nice to further reduce repetitiveness. But to imply that NPC elections have failed is entirely wrong, and based on what I'm seeing here seems to be based on partisan concerns. If you can't bring the heat, don't come into the kitchen.

[Sirius_]

Tbh OBD, you put words in other people's mouths enough during in-character campaigning.

[OBD]

Tbh OBD, you put words in other people's mouths enough during in-character campaigning.

Buddy, I play the game within the bounds set by the GM, and judging by the results thus far, I play it well. And I most certainly don't b*tch and moan at the GM when things don't go my way.

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

Tbh OBD, you put words in other people's mouths enough during in-character campaigning.

Buddy, I play the game within the bounds set by the GM, and judging by the results thus far, I play it well. And I most certainly don't b*tch and moan at the GM when things don't go my way.

As one of the most active folks in the NPC elections I can tell you that I feel a lot of the same way. Yes, even in states where we’re likely to win, it feels less like fun and more like something I’m just doing because I feel an obligation to. I highly doubt that this is what Lumine had in mind when he created this, and he can respond as such if that is true.

[OBD]

Tbh OBD, you put words in other people's mouths enough during in-character campaigning.

Buddy, I play the game within the bounds set by the GM, and judging by the results thus far, I play it well. And I most certainly don't b*tch and moan at the GM when things don't go my way.

As one of the most active folks in the NPC elections I can tell you that I feel a lot of the same way. Yes, even in states where we’re likely to win, it feels less like fun and more like something I’m just doing because I feel an obligation to. I highly doubt that this is what Lumine had in mind when he created this, and he can respond as such if that is true.

That's a fair point. Thanks for actually responding to my response in good faith.

As always, I'm eager to work with y'all and Peanut to make these more engaging. I think good progress has been made on that front so far and that proposals floated both here and in Lokcord have the potential to spice things up. But if you're going to cast blame on Labor or rule changes (that affected both parties, mind you) for 'ruining NPC elections' then this discussion is over.

[Peanut]

You know I'm always open to suggestions you guys make. My job is to make the game something fun and worth playing for all of you, and I'm always attentive to concerns and ideas you might have.

[Sirius_]

Tbh OBD, you put words in other people's mouths enough during in-character campaigning.

Buddy, I play the game within the bounds set by the GM, and judging by the results thus far, I play it well. And I most certainly don't b*tch and moan at the GM when things don't go my way.

As one of the most active folks in the NPC elections I can tell you that I feel a lot of the same way. Yes, even in states where we’re likely to win, it feels less like fun and more like something I’m just doing because I feel an obligation to. I highly doubt that this is what Lumine had in mind when he created this, and he can respond as such if that is true.

That's a fair point. Thanks for actually responding to my response in good faith.

As always, I'm eager to work with y'all and Peanut to make these more engaging. I think good progress has been made on that front so far and that proposals floated both here and in Lokcord have the potential to spice things up. But if you're going to cast blame on Labor or rule changes (that affected both parties, mind you) for 'ruining NPC elections' then this discussion is over.

That's not what I'm doing here, nor did I ever say that NPC elections have failed. I was expressing the exact sentiment that WB just said. You responded in bad faith, so please chill out.

[OBD]

Tbh OBD, you put words in other people's mouths enough during in-character campaigning.

Buddy, I play the game within the bounds set by the GM, and judging by the results thus far, I play it well. And I most certainly don't b*tch and moan at the GM when things don't go my way.

As one of the most active folks in the NPC elections I can tell you that I feel a lot of the same way. Yes, even in states where we’re likely to win, it feels less like fun and more like something I’m just doing because I feel an obligation to. I highly doubt that this is what Lumine had in mind when he created this, and he can respond as such if that is true.

That's a fair point. Thanks for actually responding to my response in good faith.

As always, I'm eager to work with y'all and Peanut to make these more engaging. I think good progress has been made on that front so far and that proposals floated both here and in Lokcord have the potential to spice things up. But if you're going to cast blame on Labor or rule changes (that affected both parties, mind you) for 'ruining NPC elections' then this discussion is over.

That's not what I'm doing here, nor did I ever say that NPC elections have failed. I was expressing the exact sentiment that WB just said. You responded in bad faith, so please chill out.

Stay salty, brother

[Continential]

Liberal-Labor Deal
1. The Liberal Party of San Francisco will endorse Mayor Nora Chu of the Labor Party of San Francisco for Mayor of San Francisco.
2. The Labor Party of Missouri will endorse Judge Joanna Hayes and State Senator Bridget Jacobs of the Liberal Party of Missouri for second preference.

x. Ishan

[OBD]

Liberal-Labor Deal
1. The Liberal Party of San Francisco will endorse Mayor Nora Chu of the Labor Party of San Francisco for Mayor of San Francisco.
2. The Labor Party of Missouri will endorse Judge Joanna Hayes and State Senator Bridget Jacobs of the Liberal Party of Missouri for second preference.

x. Ishan

x OBD

[Peanut]

Currently, I have tomorrow as the last day of standard campaigning, with Wednesday as the day for final events. Are you guys ok with that?

[OBD]

Currently, I have tomorrow as the last day of standard campaigning, with Wednesday as the day for final events. Are you guys ok with that?

Sounds good.

[OBD]

Well, that was intense. Assuming events slightly after the bell (or events, that somehow, landed at 9:00:00 right on the nose) will count, as has been the precedence with these.

Anyway;

[Peanut]

And that's it for standard campaigning! Parties now have 24 hours to post your closing event in the state of your choosing. This event's quality is graded very, very closely and has a section all of its own in Peanut's Super Spreadsheet, so it can push your candidates through the finish line if done dight.

Best of luck! I'm very happy with the campaigns we have seen this month and am really looking forward to posting results and grading these last few events!

And yes, Truman and Ishan's events count.

[Peanut]

And that's it for standard campaigning! Parties now have 24 hours to post your closing event in the state of your choosing. This event's quality is graded very, very closely and has a section all of its own in Peanut's Super Spreadsheet, so it can push your candidates through the finish line if done dight.

Best of luck! I'm very happy with the campaigns we have seen this month and am really looking forward to posting results and grading these last few events!

And yes, Truman and Ishan's events count.

This event can be a multi-post affair with at most 3 speakers. There needs to be internal consistency and an understanding that we're witnessing the same closing rally to make it easier for me to grade

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

finally OBD and I can have some breathing room

[Peanut]

https://twitter.com/atlasiagm/status/1397963150838878210?s=19

https://twitter.com/atlasiagm/status/1397964278381137924?s=19

https://twitter.com/atlasiagm/status/1397965580561436682?s=19

[Peanut]

https://twitter.com/atlasiagm/status/1397967552081543169?s=19

[OBD]

And thus, it begins!

Lumine was regged in Gilbraltrar last time I checked, though

[Lumine]

And thus, it begins!

Lumine was regged in Gilbraltrar last time I checked, though

Indeed, I resided in Utah for quite a while, and have remained in Gibraltar due to not wanting to affect the partisan balance while GM. Looking forward to registering again on the state after this set is over though, I don't think the issue of those us who have registered in parts of the UK has been yet addressed on the new Constitution (?)