Defining the Subdivisions.

[Erik Mortis]

What shall they be?

[Ari Rahikkala]

I like Kildare/Machinaria/Yardistan. It's got stuff that actually stayed alive, stuff that is uniquely Shirithian, and stuff that personally interests me and feels fresh . Where would Hyperborea go though?

[Kaiser Fish XII]

Hyperborea is currently under Brookshire/Machinaria, so that's where it'd stay, I assume.

I voted for Kildare, just because that's the one I'm sure about.

[Andreas the Wise]

I thought Hyperborea was moving into alliance with Kildare?

[Jonas]

I thought Hyperborea was moving into alliance with Kildare?

No no, we got some land of South Wintergleam if we supported their claim for Agnesia.

It's a hard choice. Yardistani culture has, in fact, influenced a lot in our Empire. I wonder if it still has to exist as a subdivision (its culture has largely been transferred to the other minor subdivisions, like counties, etc.). I don't expect that we can hold it alive at the moment (perhaps later it can be revived) and I don't feel much for dividing the population of Kildare. That's more of a punishment: why should we try to develop our Dutchy, if everything gets taken away?
Only Kildare as subdivision, however, seems a bit lonely to me. So I would go for the last choice: Kildare and... err... the Remnants. And of course the Imperial Counties (but not under any subdivision).

[Erik Mortis]

What Imperial Counties? Shirekeep/Skyla Islands? Those aren't even viable in any way.

[Jonas]

What Imperial Counties? Shirekeep/Skyla Islands? Those aren't even viable in any way.

I mean that they don't need to be put under one of those subdivisions, but should stay under direct, Imperial rule.

[Erik Mortis]

Maybe we should do away with all counties that aren't assigned.

[Jonas]

Maybe we should do away with all counties that aren't assigned.

Err... no, I don't feel much for that idea. That's one of the reasons that the Laqi Republic declared independence. The counties are an integral part of the Empire, or at least from the Dutchy, and too important as a base to do away.
Or do you simply mean the forums?

[Erik Mortis]

The Laqi were and are a joke as far as I'm concerned. I'm still angry at Max for that stunt.

But I mostly mean forums.

[Jonas]

The Laqi were and are a joke as far as I'm concerned. I'm still angry at Max for that stunt.

But I mostly mean forums.

But there was a truth within it.
I'm not eager to 'delete' the counties. I will not stop you from doing so in your duchy, but I will resist it within Kildare.

The forums is another thing...

[Kaiser Fish XII]

I don't particularly like the idea of getting rid of the county fora. It gets all the county-specific cultural posts/threads all jumbled together. It'd cause more problems than it would solve.

[Jonas]

I don't particularly like the idea of getting rid of the county fora. It gets all the county-specific cultural posts/threads all jumbled together. It'd cause more problems than it would solve.

I would want to say the following: Kildare will most likely get its Thanedoms, so we can post the posts of the counties in there. Like Ari said: the wiki is a great way of archiving the cultural stuff.

[Andreas the Wise]

Yes, the wiki should probably be our ultimate way of keeping track of land development. But I think we should keep the county forums.

For me, counties have always been the smallest possible unit of culture. By making it a separate county, it's been given permission to be developed in a different way from those around it. In fact, it should be developed in a different way - if you're going to make three counties exactly the same, you might as well merge them like Nova Dalmacija. So my fear is that if we just merged counties, we'd end up with less culture because we'd have the resulting baronies (for lack of a better word) as bottom level cultural divisions. Sure, some strongly defined counties would stay (like Melangia), but others would just end up engulfed (like central Kildare).

So I say: Keep the counties.

[Erik Mortis]

I think we should be moving people to work together on duchy and imperial level projects. I think counties are a weakness in the nation. They isolate and separate people from each other.

[Kaiser Fish XII]

I disagree. Counties are personal. Counties are where people can express their individuality and creativity generally without interference. Yes, we do need to try and get more cooperative projects into place, but not at the expense of counties that each of us can call our own.

[Demon of Fides]

Perhaps it should be made more apparent, then, that counties are actually up for grabs.

[Andreas the Wise]

Yes. Those counties which are well developed, we need to do up cool wiki articles on. And then we need to make all the other counties clear that they're fair game. And, to be honest, the way time goes here, if a county is unused for a year, that's over 3 centuries in time, so it changing after that interval is fine (it would be nice if people kept the old history in the wiki, but they're welcome to change the current county).

[Jonas]

I also disagree, Erik. It gives wonderful opportunities to the members. That was one of those things that attracted me to this nation in the first place.

[Harvey Steffke]

The Laqi were and are a joke as far as I'm concerned. I'm still angry at Max for that stunt.

Best I can tell, it was part of Interdict. You've got every right to be angry.

[Jonas]

Best I can tell, it was part of Interdict. You've got every right to be angry.

BURN DOWN ASHKENATZA AS REVENGE!

*Takes once more his pitchforks and notices that the farmers have all gone back to their fields...*

[Erik Mortis]

So you guys continue to completely fail to see how having everyone focus on their personal projects is completely antithetical to the very nature of Micronations? Micronations is about coming together and working together on a nation. Not making pseudo one man nations that pretend to be part of the larger. No one works together when we have counties, the Laqi nations if anything shows that.

[Harvey Steffke]

Good Lord Erik, we'll make a mergist out of you yet.

[Jonas]

So you guys continue to completely fail to see how having everyone focus on their personal projects is completely antithetical to the very nature of Micronations? Micronations is about coming together and working together on a nation. Not making pseudo one man nations that pretend to be part of the larger. No one works together when we have counties, the Laqi nations if anything shows that.

For me it's having my own personal project AND contributing to the lager part. You really don't convince me on this one. After the counties, you will want to close down the Duchies.
Fact is: projects which we would have done outside Shireroth are now done in Shireroth. This way we secure it from being totally worthless and the same time we contribute to the greatness of the Empire. Even those counties contribute to the larger part, even when you deny it now.

I repeat: you can do with your Duchy what you want, but in Kildare the counties are a part of the culture and history. I will fight with all I can to avoid their destruction.

[Andreas the Wise]

Well, in Kildare, for example, me doing separate stuff in Kildare has led to things like the Gong Li rebellion with Jonas. But me and Jonas work together well and I'll be the first to admit that that sort of cool stuff hasn't happened with other Duchies.