• New Citizen Interviews - Iskar

    Hello and welcome all. I am here with the second 'New Citizen' interview (the first one can be read over here). If you aren't aware what these are they are simply brief Q&As with members who have just become Citizens, along with a few words from their Patron. My aim is that hopefully they will act as a way of introducing new Citizens to the Curia as well as giving them a bit of public exposure, and maybe getting other members interested in becoming Citizens as well. Today I am honoured to present new Citizen Iskar and his patron Aikanár, so without further ado...

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    Q.) Iskar, congratulations on your Citizenship! Now that you are part of the Curia I have to ask, as I do with all new Citizens, do you have any plans or ideas you would like to see discussed or brought forth?

    Iskar.) Thanks! This question is probably a bit hard for me to answer, as I haven't been an active member of this site for too long before Aikanár suggested to patronise me and hence have not had much time to either experience or wish for change in the organisational structure of TWC. I have, however, read up on the current discussions in the Curia about administrative restructuring and although I haven't really formed a conclusive opinion yet, I think that in the long or medium term one should aim for two related goals: Streamlining the curial administration and thus reducing the sometimes self-referential nature of the Curia on the one hand and on the other hand using the mental capacity freed by this to bring together the abilities of Artifices and Civitates alike in order to effectively help modders and present their work in reviews and the like. I think that would benefit the entire TWC community.

    Q.) They sound like excellent ideas, and I'm sure many agree with your thoughts. I'm looking forward to seeing you work towards these goals and help the Curia reform. You mentioned your membership of the site, could you tell us a bit more about your TWC-self, for example how did you hear of the site, and what made you sign up?

    Iskar.) When I started to get interested in the Italian Wars mod in the latter half of 2013 I quickly found myself in need to understand what parameters of the game could be modified by script, in order to make viable suggestions for new events. If I remember correctly it was then one of Gigantus's tutorials that led me here first. Whether I signed up just then or a bit later when I wanted to try out the English version of TATW I do not recall. My real activity here only started when we translated TIW into English and established a permanent presence here, however. First I just lurked in our subforum, then started answering questions and posting campaign reports, and finally I ventured out to explore the rest of the site, which resulted in me stumbling into the D&D section, that has hence kept me caught up.

    Q.) Your D&D contributions were the main focus of your application. What do you think kept you in those forums and what do you enjoy the most there? Do you have some favourite topics of discussion?

    Iskar.) It was probably the very first thread that caught my attention that made me frequent the D&D on a regular basis. It was about logics, Russel's paradox, and had a wonderful reference to the work of J. L. Borges, who is my favourite author. I was truly amazed. A forum that could bring forth such threads had to have some serious potential. I've always had a soft spot for philosophy and religion so I had a look at the active discussions in the EMM section. Turns out there are some pretty sharp minds at work who in many cases entertain views quite different from my own, which makes the discussions all the more interesting.
    The political discussions with their fast-paced flurry of replies first put me off a bit, also because they are sometimes more about facts than arguments, but recently I found some pretty interesting topics there, too.
    My absolute favourite so far, however, was the discussion with spacial, elfdude and Kyriakos about the brain-mind dichotomy. Epistemology simply never ceases to captivate me.

    Q.) Alongside posting in the D&D you mentioned some work for the Italian Wars mod. Are you still active there and, if not, could you see yourself going back at all? What have you enjoyed the most about your modding work, and perhaps modding in general?

    Iskar.) Well, we have recently finished gathering issues to be addressed by the patch 4.1, which will mostly be about strategic and unit balancing, so I'm currently busy testing the latest internal version. Once the patch is done we will start to work on the features envisaged for version 5.0, wherein I can barely wait to cast the wars from the League of Cognac up to the peace of Cateau-Cambrésis into campaign events. So I am still quite active there and do not plan to change that in the foreseeable future.
    What fascinates me most about modding is probably the issue of making the historical foundation compatible with the player's freedom. One is in a constant struggle to balance these two against each other and it gives you a completely new view on history, as it highlights the choices the historical actors had rather than the (often contingent) chronology of what happened in the end.
    Another interesting question is how you translate the possibly infinitely many aspects of actual historical developments into the limited number of parameters provided by game mechanics and of course I also greatly enjoy wording event texts such that they convey an atmosphere that reflects the historical setting.

    Q.) Best of luck with the patch release, I'm sure it will go smoothly. Aik, could give us a few words on how you came across Iskar and what made you think he was Citizenship material? And Iskar, could tell us how Aik approached you, and your thoughts to the offer to be your patron?

    Aikanár.) He bribed me. You know I'm easy but not cheap, so...
    No, seriously, it was his first post in the D&D. That was one of those postings that make you stop and take notice of the poster. That and him being a new face in there was what caught my attention. So I followed his postings and after a couple of weeks of silent observation his qualities easily convinced me and made me approach him.

    Iskar.) One day I just found a PM from Aikanár in my inbox. He commended me on my postings and offered to patronise me should I continue participating in the D&D. I was a bit flabbergasted at first, to be honest. I had read a bit about citizenship earlier and it sounded like something for people with ten years site history and several thousand posts, but Aik quickly dispersed my concerns and took me under his wings. He took it on himself to assess all my postings so far and then explained in detail how we would proceed with the application and such. Not inconsiderably thanks to his diligent tutelage it all turned out well.

    Q.) And I'm sure it will continue to do so under the guidance of a Curial veteran like himself. To wrap us up, could you give some general words advice to anyone out there who might be thinking about applying for Citizenship? And Aik, another selection of wise words for your latest?

    Iskar.) Well, in case of doubt, quality goes a long way already, even if you haven't been a member since the council of trent or filled the library of Alexandria with your postings. This site has many facets and there's bound to be one that fits your aptitude. So if you're good at what you're doing and maintain a cooperative attitude of comradeship then there is no need to put your light under a bushel.

    Aikanár.) Wise words? You know that I'm German so I'm neither wise nor do I have words for you. I think Iskar is doing great in next to everything I've seen from him till now and I don't think that will change in the future. However, if he might ever need an advise or help I'd like him to know, like I want all my children to know, that I'll always have an open ear for them. Also, be yourself and you'll be doing fine.

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    That's a wrap!

    I hope you enjoyed reading this interview, you can check out more of both Iskar and Aikanár by clicking on their names, and be sure to click the little green plus sign next to them as well, it'll add some reputation as a thanks for agreeing to be interviewed and answering my questions! If you would like to read over Iskar's Citizenship application yourself then please follow this link, and if you have any comments about this interview or indeed any aspect of the Curia please post away in the Curial commentary thread. As always, if you are thinking about applying for Citizenship then please follow this link for more information on Citizenship and the in's and out's of applying.

    For now wishing everyone a good weekend, but stay tuned for the third New Citizen interview which is currently in the works. Be sure to check back at the Curia homepage for all the latest news and articles from the Curia.

    Shankbot de Bodemloze,
    Curator