WILD LIFE - March 2026 - The First Embassy Collectors

On 17 March 2011, Max added a new game feature: Embassies! To mark the fifteenth anniversary of this feature, I dived deep into the diplomatic archives, seeking the secrets hidden in the surviving scrolls, with the aim of answering the question: Who was the first embassy collector?

This edition is dedicated to Lower Slobbovia. For this edition, it felt appropriate to borrow the dispatch format from The Embassy.

But if you're just thinking, "I don't care about any of this. Why did I get a notification?", then this section is for you.

My first port of call was to the daily data dumps. Here I learned that embassies were not recorded as part of the regional records until 17 October 2011. That left a seven-month data gap. How to fill that void?

I knew the Wayback Machine would have snapshots of some regions during that period. But with about 8500 regions in the game at that time, manually searching was an unrealistic option.

I figured that whoever had a lot of embassies during that period would likely still have a lot of embassies at 17 October. So I listed the top ten embassy holders for that date, then searched the Wayback Machine and the WFE index to see what else I could find out about them.

What follows is a recreation of the October WFE for each of those ten regions, along with some information gleaned from the Wayback Machine. Then finally the question is posed again: Who was the first embassy collector?

It wasn't until 3 June that Chrestman, the founder of this two-nation region, announced on the RMB their "mission to get the name of Cimmeria out there by establishing embassies with other regions."

Progress was slow: by 7 September, they had reached 30 embassies. They hit 100 embassies by 17 October, and a month later had 186.

WELCOME TO 0000

A Quiet Refuge in the storm.

forum

Visitors and Nomads are welcome.
Featured region 17 Feb 2009.

NO RECRUITING OR SOLICITING ALLOWED

caretaker: Royal House of Windsor

0000 has existed since 2003. A snapshot on the WFE Index shows them having over 168 embassies at 24 March 2011. By 11 June the region had 191 embassies. The embassies were mostly with real-life named regions controlled by the player(s) who ran 0000. By 17 October, that number had declined to 104 as their empire was being reorganised.

The Internationale is an alliance of Socialists, Communists, Anarcho-Communist, Anarcho-syndicalists and Anarchists and other left-wing nations and communes.

The Internationale opposes the exploitation and oppression of the people by the forces of capitalism, imperialism and fascism.

You have nothing to lose but your chains, for it is better to die on your feet, than live on your knees.

People of the world, unite!

All power to the imagination!

ANTIFA!

Video

Website

Forum

Featured Region 28/2/2010

Recommended Reading for Comrades:

lib.com
Marxists.org
Antifascist Network
All The Left
The DSAssembly's Solidarity

Participatory Members of:

Antifa (83 Fascist Regions Neutralised!)

The Red Fleet

As explained by founder La pasionaria on The Internationale's RMB, members voted on which regions to hold embassies with:

"I will list the embassy proposals The Internationale receives, and bring to the Comrade WA Delegate's attention about the results of Embassy proposals so that the Comrade WA Delegate the has the discretion of accepting/proposing embassy proposals on behalf of The Internationale if you would like me to continue to do that."

On 10 June there were 69 embassies, rising to 78 on 23 July, 96 on 22 September, and reaching 105 on 17 October.

MicroGravity was founded 1 June 2011, and by July 4th, the 7 nations (including 4 WAs) had opened 145 embassies, possibly one of the fastest increases of that era. But the microgravity wasn't strong enough to hold the region together: by 3 September, there was a net loss of 10 embassies and two nations. By 3 November founder Nephilii had CTEd, and only ex-Delegate Rija and 117 embassies remained.

The Nonaligned Movement is a group of nations seeking peace and prosperity through individual action. Its members share a common disdain for established regional power blocs, an seek instead to govern themselves without the oppression of regional powerhouses or the violation of their sovereignty by international arenas.

Nations wishing to join the Nonaligned Movement must not be members of the World Assembly or be otherwise affiliated to regional power blocs. The regional password may be requested by sending a telegram to Eaglleia or Aurora-nova.

The Nonaligned Movement currently has no restrictions on diplomatic exchange, and will gladly conduct diplomacy with all friendly regions.

• Political compass
• Record population: 109

On 3 April 2011, founder The Empire of Aurora-nova explained the background of the region to a new region-mate who had asked: "So I'm curious....why do we have a password? Raider protection?"

"Mostly. The region was started by me mostly for myself and my client nations, then spread to include many of my friends I'd convinced to join the game. If others want to join, we're more than happy to have them, but since the regional philosophy is rooted in isolationism, we also want to be sure nations who are joining are not members of the World Assembly and such when they do so. The password helps with all of this."

Despite the mention of isolationism, the region already had 7 embassies and another on the way. On 9 June there were 49. By 9 August there were 129 embassies where the level steadied: there were 132 embassies at 17 October.

Eastern Roman Empire is the continuation of the Empire of the Romans in the East, having as its capital Constantinople.

It is the center of the homonymous Eastern Roman Empire Alliance.

http://01EasternRomanEmpire.blogspot.com/

http://01ere.proboards42.com/

NS Featured Region on Sept. 13th, 2010.

The Eastern Roman Empire still exists, and 82 of the 141 embassies held on 17 October 2011 are still held today. Many of the embassies are reportedly conquests, refounds, and snipes of regions with names that fit the Eastern Roman Empire theme.

Founded by Bingo12345 at some point after 21 June 2011, Utopian Vision was a small region, with just 4 nations (1 WA), but a mighty 225 embassies as at 17 September 2011. The collection was already declining though: the day before, Warzone Europe had ordered the closure of their embassy. By 17 October there were 207 embassies, and just 193 by 17 November.

Apparently founded in May 2009, the IGD had many more interests than just embassy building. Yet only five days after the introduction of embassies to the game, this 184-nation one-time home of New Rogernomics had 13 embassies and 6 more under construction. By 11 June they had 80 embassies, and by 17 October, 208.

INTERNATIONAL ANTIFASCIST ACTION

Antifa is the result and continuing work of the Antifascists of NationStates that extends back years. From past and present, several organisations and individual Comrades have participated in one cause that unites them. Their determination to smash Fascism in NationStates. Their Antifascist activism in NationStates has led to dozens of Nazi and Fascist regions and growing being confiscated and turned into anti-fascist and anti-nazi regions, never again to be used as platforms of hate.

Dedicated to the people who have lost their lives fighting against fascism and to all who have suffered at the hands of Fascism.

Founded: July 27th 2011.

Antifa Network

NO PASARAN!

Founded 27 July 2011, Antifa's 307-strong embassy collection consisted of allied and confiscated regions.

This incarnation of Rio de Janeiro was founded on 8 April 2011 by The Community of Sao Sebastiao do Rio. By 5 May, 250 embassies were open. On 17 October, there were 310 embassies. The embassies were mostly with real-life named regions, many refounded by the same player / group of players who controlled Rio de Janeiro. The region was part of the network around 0000 and United States of America which still exists today.

It looks like 0000 had the most embassies the soonest. After only one week of embassies being a game feature, they had 168 embassies. But does creating embassies with your own regions really count as "embassy collecting"? I'm thinking "no". To me, these regions are better described as "region collectors" rather than "embassy collectors".

Can you be the "first embassy collector" if (like Cimmeria, MicroGravity, Utopian Vision, Antifa, and Rio de Janeiro) your region was founded after 17 March 2011? After all, other regions were opening embassies from 17 March and so technically were doing it first.

Personally I don't think the founding date, or the date of getting that first embassy really matters. To my mind, the question is "when did the number of embassies pass the point where it was possible to maintain meaningful relations with them all?". I think at that point, it changes from being a network of diplomatic relations to being a collection of embassies.

But where is that point? What is the number where the line is crossed? I genuinely don't know. But I'd suggest that The Intergalactic Dominion, who had 80 embassies by 11 June had crossed that line. Embassies weren't the region's primary focus, but I'd say they had an embassy collection. There may have been another region that "crossed the line" earlier, but I didn't come across them when researching this. So for me, for now, The Intergalactic Dominion claims the title of being first. Congratulations?

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