February 2020  Header by Dust 

Opinions in The Augury are expressed by individuals and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or desires of the Karmic government. 

   
WADdaya Mean There Were GoveRPment Changes?  

Highlights! 
By Peter Calxur 
 

The internet is so hard these days  With the start of a new year some sections of Karma’s government also had some “new” blood take the big 
without tl;drs.   seats, we had mentioned in the previous issue that the Delegate had changed, but as was referred I (Peter) was 
 
in charge of the RP at the time, and two people had already been receiving some preparation to take over the 
 
seat, and there were plans to transfer the position of RP Guru to them… Plans that were quickly put into motion. 
● WADaya Mean There 
As such Lev and Lani took charge of Karma’s RP section during the first month of this year. 
Were GoveRPment 
 
Changes? Peter reviews  Changes are pretty and all, but Karma is a meritocracy, so we wouldn’t have allowed changes to be made if we 
Karma’s recent shift in  didn’t expect results, right? That’s right! So let’s go over some of the things that happened after these changes! 
power with himself as   
Delegate plus Lev and Lani  Starting with the RP: Lev and Lani were already really involved in it, they had been put in charge of the World 
as Gurus.  Builders while still “under my orders”, to help them prepare for the eventual transition to Gurus, and they have 
● Protecting Our Players: It’s  always been active and showing some work even before taking the title, for example, Lev had set up the whole 
Not All Black and White.  Halloween event and Lan has been our official map-maker ever since we had a map! 
OT’s thoughts on the  But what have they done as Gurus? Well, they’ve kept doing the work that had been done previously, 
intervening in problems of the RP nature, and making the tough decisions and calls. They’ve also kept going 
recent Whitelist campaign. 
what where their respective focuses laid, Lani has revamped the map rules, unlocked all the land for expansions, 
● Karmic Lesson #3. 
and has some plans to revive his “Alternative Future of Karma” project, where he tinkers with the idea of 
Wisdom from Fuzz.  potential alternative timelines of Karma’s RP World. He has mentioned that those plans might also extend to 
● Send a Valentine! Spread  give people an opportunity to explore their own alternative world ideas themselves. As for Lev he has been 
some love through  mostly focusing on the “moderation” part of the job, as he had previously, and even has some plans to create war 
Jivakind.  rules, which would hopefully make conflicts more interesting and viable for everyone! 
● The Karma Awards. Most  They have also said that there’s another big project that is still on the table, a “medieval style RP involving 
recent winners of Zal’s  Karma’s nations”, but the state of that project is uncertain. 
Karma Awards.   
● Tako Tuesday. A new  So now what about me? What did me getting the Delegacy change? 
Well, to be quite honest the first change it brought was a double-edged sword, and it was in the transition itself. 
Pizza recipe from Taki. 
To get the transition going more smoothly we figured out that we really had to deal with the inactive nations that 
● Life of Bob. A recount of 
were in the WA and endorsing Koala (Sanjikurisa), but not endorsing me (Peter/Ghad). This meant we went from 
the life of the beloved Bob  a Delegate with more than 100 endorsements (and he was not even at his highest record) to a delegate with 
from Daw’s hosted Fridate.  about 80 endorsements, that was a huge drop in Delegate endorsements, and we did lose around 20 nations, 
  but they were also all basically inactive and we did let them know they were welcome back in the region 
whenever they wanted. With time we’ve also recovered our Delegate numbers, with Ghad now also sitting 
The Augurs  above 100 endorsements (although still not as much as it was before this is still some good development). On 
Writers:  top of that Karma managed to at one point hit 5th place in the average endorsements rankings! But we did drop 
Peter Calxur  down again and are, at the time of writing this article, now hanging around 9th place only. 
Overthinkers Asteorra  So it seems all that came from the delegacy change was nothing but stats, that are on top of that currently worse 
than what we had managed to achieve with the previous Delegate… What gives? 
Fuzzbuckets 
Well like it was stated before there were some departments I was heavily involved with, mainly RP, and I’ve 
Levont Calxur 
been dedicating my Karma time to first tying the loose ends I did leave behind. Why is this? Because I also plan 
Takura Calxur  to completely change the game when it comes to a WA department (yes WA department, if all goes well there 
Dawcreek  should be one of those in the future), which was somewhat something that Koala had attempted at but was 
Ads:  unfortunately unable to gather enough interest in it... And for that I plan on first go for said interest! I will in the 
Dust  future start sharing in the RMB why I decided to vote for or against the General Assembly and Security Council 
Dave  resolutions at vote, and asking for your opinions, possibly even featuring some! Along with those posts there are 
Editor:   also a few other things in the plans, that will not be so directly involved with the WA votes but, for now, those 
Altino Asteorra  are a secret, so just keep your eyes open! 

 
 Protecting Our Communy: It’s Not Black and White 
Overthinkers Asteorra 

 
In early January, World Assembly members in Karma and across NationStates received a telegram from a nation called Twins of Hearts. This telegram 
promoted a so-called “Whitelist” campaign, bemoaning “the Blacklist” and how it has been unfairly used by “experienced game play nations” to judge 
and shun players over petty disagreements gone too far. A sad story, but one that is not remotely accurate. 

The Flaw in their Story 

Okay, first of all, what is the “Blacklist” that they’re all up in arms about? Well, for starters, it’s not an actual “list”. It’s more of an informal “this player 
committed heinous act X over there, we’re not going to give them a chance to do it here”. And yes, I do mean heinous. People are not blacklisted over 
“disagreements” and “conflicts”. Players are blacklisted because they have a history of toxic, borderline illegal, or actually illegal behavior. 
Take the main players behind the whitelist, such as Twins of Hearts (formerly known as Drunken Conquerors) and Ethan Allen (aka 94 Block). 
They repeatedly try to paint themselves as “victims”. But both have a history of manipulation, harassment and/or other conduct that I cannot sufficiently 
cover here.  
And they ​have​ been given second chances… and third and fourth… and have shown no signs of change. In fact, they do not even admit to 
wrongdoing. And because they have been careful to keep all their illegal behavior outside official NS platforms, NS mods cannot actually ban them 
from the game. More on that later. 
The above goes for nearly all blacklisted players. The only players who are blacklisted are those who have done real damage to other players 
and communities in an out-of-character fashion, and have shown no remorse for their actions. In short, blacklisting is not a way for cabals and elites to 
bully innocent players, it is a way for communities to protect their players from predators. 

The Flaw in their Logic 

The tagline of the Whitelist dispatch reads “​Recognizing no in-game, IC or OOC authority but the Moderation Staff since 2004​”. The core of the 
argument is “the NS mods haven’t banned us, being excluded anywhere else is unjust.” First of all, there is a glaring flaw in recognizing “no IC 
authority”. Because any regional government is an IC (in-character) authority. 
Now, OOC authorities include both NS site mods and regional admin teams (which, if done properly, is separate from regional government). As 
previously mentioned, blacklisted players (the only ones who stick around) are generally careful to keep their manipulation, harassment, etc. offsite. The 
NationStates mods are not able to take action (except in very special cases) if all the evidence they receive is from other platforms.  
Now here’s the kicker, found right here in the NationStates FAQ under “Etiquette”. “​Because our moderators are players who have volunteered 
to help out of the goodness of their hearts, please deal with lesser disputes without involving them.​“ Right here, players are encouraged b
​ y site staff​ to 
take matters into their own hands in most cases. Site mods recognize regions’ rights to remove players as they see fit—otherwise, they would take 
action against systematic bullying of the kind the Whitelist backers say occurs. You cannot recognize one without the other. 

Conclusion 
To summarize, blacklisting is not an impulsive, irrational method of silencing people one doesn’t like. Regional admins, like ours in Karma, generally 
gather all the facts and look at them seriously before banning such a player. The process is a mechanism by which we try to keep communities safe, 
not shun innocent players. If you have any more concerns, you can talk to any of our administrators; they are here to protect and serve. 
In the end, NationStates is a game and we want to keep things as light as we possibly can. When serious issues arise, this dampens everyone’s 
experience, but they must be addressed and moved on from (though not forgotten). Then we can return to keeping our region the best, safest place to 
be. 
 
 
Karmic Lesson #3 
Fuzzbuckets 
 
A man was having a hard day at work, thanks to his top employee calling in with a family emergency. Customers snapped at him, half the shipment 
that was supposed to be there was lost in transit, and he didn't even get to eat his lunch. After finishing up for the day, he angrily got into his nice car, 
with his nice house, and was greeted with a hot meal made by his girlfriend, who was eight months pregnant. In the background, he could hear the 
dog galloping towards him, shortly covering him with sloppy dog kisses. His mind went to his top employee and his heart softened. The employee told 
him that the family pet had gotten very ill and died the night before, that he was taking the day off with his family to bury the pet and grieve. The man 
looked into the dog's loving eyes and realized then, that at anytime, he could have been in the same boat--and was grateful then, for what he had been 
blessed with in that very moment. 
 
 Send A Valentine!   

Levont Calxur 
 
Hello Jivas! 
 
The spirit of Valentine's is upon us, it fills the air with love and friendship. In this amazing 
occasion, I bring you the amazing opportunity to spread love, glitter, and so much red and pink 
to your fellow Jiva.  
 
How's it going to work? 
 
1: Fill out the Google Form that we have here:​ h ​ ttps://forms.gle/inURzYHtAucU2t9A9 
You're going to write a card to a Jiva that you really appreciate, the card can include anything, 
from thank-you and appreciation letters to a gift! The letter can be long or short, doesn't really 
matter, as even the smallest gifts can brighten someone's mood and day!  
 
2. The Augury Team will take your message and turn it into a beautiful Valentines day card, 
which we will distribute on Valentines day. Example Valentine: 
 

 
 
 
 
The Karma Awards 
Zalidia 
 
Results of Zalidia’s most recent Karma Awards! 
 
  Most Active: Lormia 
  Best Moderator: Iggy/Overthinkers 
What's the time limit?  Most Trusted: Takura 
Please be sure to send your messages before the 12th of February!   Friendliest: Takura 
Most Likely to Become a Sage: Takura 
 
Silliest: Badger 
What should my card include?  Most Helpful: DJ 
Your card is what you make of it. It can be a letter that shows your appreciation to the Jiva you  Best Ideas: Zalidia 
chose, a gift, a poem, or anything really! This is just a way for us to share some love and bring  Most Contribution, Altino, Takura, and Badger 
a smile to people's faces! All we really need to know is your name, their name, and whether  Best Flag: Laniron 
you want to remain anonymous. The rest is up to you!   
   
I have some questions that are still left unanswered, who do I ask?   
You can always DM or ping Alti asking her for clarifications or answers for your questions   
 
regarding the event. If you can’t find Alti, Lev or another one of the Augurs should be able to 
help you. 
 
That's it for now! Happy early Valentine's Day! 
 

 
 Tako Tuesday 
Takura Calxur 
There is nothing more satisfying than having a homemade pizza fresh from the oven. It is something uniquely your own,  Pizza 
something that you made just for you. And now you can enjoy it hot however you like. No one can judge you if you forego 
convention. It is yours. And pizza is also very filling. Traditionally made with some combination of tomatoes and cheese, pizza 
has been around for a while with many variations depending on where you live, be that Naples, New York City, Chicago, or 
wherever else you’ve made your home. Point being, pizza is a great way to enjoy your own tastes and laugh in the face of 
convention. Because no one’s personal pizza will be conventional. So enjoy! 
 
 

  1. Directions: 
Ingredients:  2. Mix flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in a bowl 
● 3½ to 4 cups (420 to 480 g) - flour  3. While mixing, add the water and oil until dough comes together 
● 1 tsp (4 g) - sugar 
4. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and kneed into a smooth ball 
● 2 ¼ tsp (8.75 g) - yeast 
5. Place dough in lightly greased deep container and cover with towel 
● 2 tsp (11.38 g) - salt 
● 1½ cups (360 mL) - warm water  6. Let sit in warm place until doubled, about an hour 
(~110° F, 43° C)  7. Turn onto a floured surface and split into large fist sized balls 
● 2 TBSP (30 mL) - olive oil  8. Roll out and place on a baking sheet 
● various toppings 
9. Decorate the pizza 
*Please note that all metric weights are 
10. Heat oven to 450° F (232° C) 
approximate 
11. Bake until the crust is done and it looks cooked, about 10-15 minutes 

Life of Bob 
Dawcreek 
It all began on a beautiful Friday in Karma. Bob was simply minding his own business, but then something unexpected happened. Suddenly, Dawcreek walks towards 
him without a word and grants him a buff to his intelligence. Afterwards, Bob was first amazed to see how smart he became, but the people around him weren't very 
amazed. Bob was too smart for his own good, people started to leave him and avoid him because they were unwilling to talk to Bob who is now capable of speaking 
in twelve different languages and regularly speaks to people in Shakespearean English. Growing sick and tired of his newly obtained ability, Levont notices him and 
debuffs his language. Bob thanks him and Levont decides to also grant a buff to Bob’s defense. Unfortunately, Bob gets seriously sick and is unable to ask for help, 
due to everybody still thinking he retained his intelligence, prior to getting his language debuff. He then realises that defence is not for him, instead, he becomes a 
comedian upon recovery. Suddenly, Markano finally arrives to his rescue, debuffing his defense, while simultaneously buffing his comedy genius. 
 
Finding humor in being sick, Bob has a smashing career in show business and makes a deal to make a movie with Adam Sandler. Unfortunately for Bob, he is 
inexperienced at managing his money and ends up going broke. To Bob’s surprise, he finds Jone standing at his front door with Jone agreeing to help him with his 
financial issues. Jone decides to debuff his finances, but due to him being rather upset that day, he accidentally buff’s Bob’s depression. With Bob having been 
diagnosed with major depressive disorder, it is unfortunately severe and he is unable to perform daily tasks that would otherwise be effortless and entertaining to him. 
In the distance, Bob is relieved to notice Dawcreek walking once again towards him. Seeing how immensely bored Bob was at that moment, Dawcreek makes the 
decision to debuff his boredom and cheer him up by buffing his charisma. Bob went on to create Karma's Got Talent and became the next Simon Cowell. He 
thoroughly enjoyed his new job, but it had taken a significant amount of his time and made him very exhausted. Lovent, appearing out of no where, unknowingly 
debuffs Bob’s relaxation and grants him a significant amount of muscle by buffing his strength.  
Upon first gaining a buff to his upper body strength, Bob went on to be a sumo wrestler and heavyweight champ of Karma. He found it strangely fun, but things took 
a turn for the worse as he developed an eating disorder whilst trying to get into a lower weight class for Nationals. Suddenly, Fuzzbuckets comes across Bob and 
decides to offer him a debuff to his neuroticism. Without hesitation, Bob accepts and Fuzzbuckets undoubtedly makes the decision to buff Bob’s intelligence. 
Afterwards, Bob creates a new mathematical equation which gains him fame throughout the world. However, the fame gets to his head and he starts behaving like a 
douche, which ends up gaining him more fame, but not the good kind. "Fame is fame" Bob says as he goes around being moderately annoying so that people would 
notice him. Realizing how much of a disturbance Bob had become, Erroria immediately rushes over to debuff Bob’s charisma. Additionally, Erroria buffs Bob’s stealth 
to hide the unfortunate fame Bob had previously gained. Bob, finally humbled, gets off the notoriety radar of STEM students and takes up being a detective for the 
local police department. Bob uncovers some shady drug trafficking going on with some of his co-workers and after telling his superior about it, finds himself faced 
with an undercover settlement of $500,000 dollars to keep him quiet. Arriving once again to meet Bob, Fuzzbuckets grants him a debuff to his integrity with an 
additional buff to his greed. 
 
Furthermore, Bob starts looking into more and more shady deals and asking for higher payments. The crime lords tire of his antics. They send hitmen to his house. 
However, he pays off the hitmen and gets them to assassinate their own employers. He thus becomes the numero uno of all gangs in the city. Noticing Fuzzbuckets 
leave, Erroria returns to Bob only to debuff his unlawfulness while also simultaneously buffing his wealth. Bob, loaded with unparalleled amounts of money, starts 
wallpapering Bank of America's corporate headquarters with benjamins for kicks and giggles to mock them. Unfortunately, when he wallpapers the Federal Reserve's 
building, he promptly gets arrested and gets put in prison for three years. For the third and final time, Fuzzbuckets greets Bob and is surprisingly jealous of his wealth. 
So much in fact, she decides to debuff his movement. Likewise, she buff’s his philosophy. Bob sits in place for the duration of his sentence, leading the guards to 
nickname him "The Thinker," making him somewhat of a celebrity within the prison. With this in mind, Lormistan arrives at the prison only to debuff Bob’s muscle 
mass. Still thinking about Bob’s nickname, he additionally buffs his influence. Bob eventually left prison and sought a doctorate from a prestigious college. Sooner or 
later, he became a broke college student, studying Scottish vernacular furniture, and living off of ramen and handouts. Horrified by the state of which Bob is in, Taki, 
without hesitation, debuffs his charisma. Bob gives a humble thank you to Taki before she decides to buff his perseverance. 
 
Despite all the godly acts and the shapeshifting life that Bob has had. He still had managed to find a career in bungee jumping, as he generally thought that would 
help him pay for his college. He got the attention of a lot of people, but that didn't continue on due to him fracturing both his legs in one of his acts, thus ending his 
bungee jumping career. Deeming it reasonable, Levont returns once more to debuff Bob’s health. In a last ditch effort to keep Bob motivated, Levont grants him a buff 
to his determination by a significant amount. With Bob having the inability to walk due to both his legs having been amputated. He is overly determined to run a 
marathon on only his prosthetic legs. After running a few miles, he decides to give up, due to the pressure of his weight pushing down on the prosthetics putting him 
in extreme pain. Rendering Bob a lost cause, Dawcreek makes the choice to debuff Bob’s confidence without an additional buff to his attributes. It all ended for Bob 
that dreadful day, never for him to be the same again.