19-11-2025, 01:01 AM
Before anything else, I would like to repeat some of what others have said. I think this is a great idea, and I have really enjoyed reading the reflections of other players, especially comparing the responses of those who joined the games at different times.
I started playing the game in the summer of 2016, when I had just finished secondary school. I had a lot of spare time on my hands. Like Wu, I had also played Democracy 3 and felt unsatisfied with certain aspects of the game. I had tried to play NationStates before, but I frankly did not understand it. I searched online for political simulation games and found Particracy.
Kalistan was the first country that I played in. I chose it because it was culturally open and I did not understand cultural protocols at the time. I remember being extremely eager to make progress when I started playing the game, and spending a lot of time figuring out the internal mechanisms of my own party. I also remember taking an active interest in several “party organisations”, which seems strange in hindsight because they were effectively irrelevant.
As a player in Kalistan, it was not long before I spoke to Doc and he introduced me to the forum. There is no doubt that I would not have continued to play the game if he had not done so. For anybody who resents my continued presence in the community, you know who to blame.
In this early period, my focus was primarily on the dynamic between my party and Doc’s long-standing Socialist Party. As other (less cooperative) players joined the game, I generally found myself as Doc’s ally. Eventually I became more familiar with the international role-play context, and began to take an interest in the wider game world.
In contrast to most long-term players, there is no single country in the game that I identify with most, or consider my “home”. I have always been something of a nomad, which means I have had great experiences in a number of countries. I do think there are a few role-play experiences that stand out as significant though.
Kizenia and New Endralon was a pivotal early role-play experience for me. It was the first time that I had been in a country with several active role-players. I was there alongside Autokrator, Reddy, Kubrick, and Zanz, all of whom I would role-play with again in the future. The multi-player dynamic appealed to me, and this is the way I have generally preferred to play since. Reflecting on this period, it also marked the beginning of a recurring theme in which I would play the dull, pragmatic, sensible party.
Rildanor was the second time I properly experienced this multi-player dynamic, and it cemented a long-term game relationship with Kubrick and Zanz. In comparison to our previous experience though, this time around felt much more collaborative (helped by the early days of the Discord server). As others have referenced, the narrative this time was much more character-driven. At this point, I realised the enjoyment in role-play was writing for the benefit of my collaborators, and appreciating what they did to take the story forward.
Jakania marked my return to the game after a period of absence. Though I had played alongside them both to certain extents before, this was my first major collaboration with both Pragma and Wu. In our time in Jakania, we shaped and developed the political culture in a far more substantial way than when I was in Kizenia and New Endralon, or Rildanor.
Cildania is undoubtedly my favourite role-play experience in the game. It involved Kubrick, Pragma, Wu, Zanz, and many more. Everything was taken to a different level. The role-play was dynamic, fast-moving, and collaborative to a degree I had never previously experienced. There are so many memorable moments from this period. For me, it is the absolute pinnacle of what this game can be.
I think the other responses in this thread speak to my impact on the game and the community, for better and worse. For almost as long as I have played the game, I have held strong opinions about the way the community should be managed. In frequently speaking these views openly and in crude terms, I have often come into conflict with other players. In spite of that, I believe I have made a significant contribution to the community in several ways.
I worked hard to try to improve the organisation and standards on the previous wiki. I am glad to see that content on the new wiki has generally been of a higher quality.
In my opinion, the efforts I made alongside several players (especially Polites) to standardise and improve cultural protocols have been a net positive, though it would be foolish to pretend these have not been a source of frustration to many.
Perhaps most importantly, I do feel that I have played a role in ensuring the continued existence of the community by demanding high standards from the game’s moderators.
I have probably interacted with almost everybody who was an active part of the community between 2016 and 2023. The players below are those who have left the most lasting impact on me in broadly chronological order.
Doc. As mentioned above, I would not be playing the game today without Doc’s willingness to explain things to me when I joined Kalistan. Though it is fair to say we have different preferences about role-play, I remain grateful for the effort he made at that time. The post he made on the old forum, in which he used kayfabe as a means to explain role-play, is a sacred text that I believe all players would benefit from reading.
Aquinas. A polarising character in this community for various reasons. In the time I have played the game, the community was largest and most active under his tenure. Though I acknowledge his flaws, he was an extremely responsive and generally fair moderator. Aquinas also had a distinct style of role-play that focused less on economic, military, and political affairs compared to most other players.
Kubrick. Ever since his far-right nutjob character accused my party leader of being a reptilian in Kizenia and New Endralon, I have been forced to play the straight man to this buffoon. Aside from a short stint in Vanuku, I have generally played with him in a multi-player setting, and we almost always fall into the same character briefs. Kubrick is great at being flexible in role-play, but he is especially good at driving events forward when required.
Zanz. As the man himself has acknowledged, he is probably the player whose approach to the game is most like my own. I have benefited greatly from his advice and insight dating all the way back to our early interactions in Kizenia and New Endralon. I am also very grateful for his commitment to helping the community over an extended period of time.
Wu. As has been discussed previously, Wu led a major shift in the visual style of role-play shortly after he joined the game. I think he has produced the most thoughtful and interesting role-play I have read, and his commitment to thinking deeply about the countries he plays in is remarkable. Nobody has been able to change my mind about the game as often as him.
Pragma. I am not sure how I came to develop such a strong role-play partnership with Pragma. I do not remember playing alongside her before Jakania, but I seem to recall we already had a good working relationship by that point. Even though there is no way to measure this, she is likely the person I have role-played with the most, and that is not an accident. Pragma’s approach to role-play is always interesting and astute.
Polites. I have played alongside him far less often that most of the other players mentioned above. Polites has always been willing to work with me on the cultural aspects of the game though, even when my ideas directly contradict projects that he has worked on. I am extremely grateful for his willingness to help with the forum-based countries, religion, language, history, and everything else he has contributed to.
Honourable mentions to Liu Che, Reddy, Autokrator, Louis, and robmark. I have not interacted with these players to the same extent as those above, but each has left their mark on me in some way. I would also like to give a special mention to Farsun, who has undeniably occupied a disproportionate amount of my time in this community.
When I joined the game, the forum was not a welcoming place in many ways. I think the community culture has improved since then. GreekIdiot deserves to be acknowledged for his determination to keep the game alive, but also for his commitment to engaging the wider community.
The widespread adoption of Discord has been beneficial in facilitating role-play, but it has also had a negative impact. Players appear less willing to properly plan role-play beforehand and less able to distinguish in-character and out-of-character interactions. As a result, it does feel that a significant amount of time is spent on off-topic prattle.
Particracy has had a negligible impact on my politics, but a remarkable impact on my understanding of the world. In my ordinary life, it is not uncommon for somebody to ask how I know something and receive a non-committal explanation. The real answer is that I read about it while researching something for Particracy.
In the course of playing in so many countries, I have developed a much greater awareness of the world’s ethnic groups, languages, religions, and political systems. In most cases, this is a surface level knowledge gained through basic internet research. However, that is still more than I knew before I played the game. I would also say the game has made my writing clearer and more concise.
I am extremely disappointed by Wouter’s abandonment of this community, and the thousands of hours of work by hundreds of different players that was lost when the forum died. Wouter relied on this community to launch his spin-off game, Particracy Alpha, and he continued to earn revenue from ads on the forum for many years after he was no longer involved with the game.
In spite of all that, I am optimistic that we now have control over the future of the community ourselves and I am intrigued to see how it develops.
Quote:How and when did you discover Particracy? How old were you and where were you in life around that time (to the extent you are comfortable sharing)?
I started playing the game in the summer of 2016, when I had just finished secondary school. I had a lot of spare time on my hands. Like Wu, I had also played Democracy 3 and felt unsatisfied with certain aspects of the game. I had tried to play NationStates before, but I frankly did not understand it. I searched online for political simulation games and found Particracy.
Quote:What country did you first play in? What was your earliest experience with the forum? What were your first impressions, generally?
Kalistan was the first country that I played in. I chose it because it was culturally open and I did not understand cultural protocols at the time. I remember being extremely eager to make progress when I started playing the game, and spending a lot of time figuring out the internal mechanisms of my own party. I also remember taking an active interest in several “party organisations”, which seems strange in hindsight because they were effectively irrelevant.
As a player in Kalistan, it was not long before I spoke to Doc and he introduced me to the forum. There is no doubt that I would not have continued to play the game if he had not done so. For anybody who resents my continued presence in the community, you know who to blame.
In this early period, my focus was primarily on the dynamic between my party and Doc’s long-standing Socialist Party. As other (less cooperative) players joined the game, I generally found myself as Doc’s ally. Eventually I became more familiar with the international role-play context, and began to take an interest in the wider game world.
Quote:What was your most memorable RP experience or arc? Did you help shape any regions, lore, or political systems that you’re proud of?
In contrast to most long-term players, there is no single country in the game that I identify with most, or consider my “home”. I have always been something of a nomad, which means I have had great experiences in a number of countries. I do think there are a few role-play experiences that stand out as significant though.
Kizenia and New Endralon was a pivotal early role-play experience for me. It was the first time that I had been in a country with several active role-players. I was there alongside Autokrator, Reddy, Kubrick, and Zanz, all of whom I would role-play with again in the future. The multi-player dynamic appealed to me, and this is the way I have generally preferred to play since. Reflecting on this period, it also marked the beginning of a recurring theme in which I would play the dull, pragmatic, sensible party.
Rildanor was the second time I properly experienced this multi-player dynamic, and it cemented a long-term game relationship with Kubrick and Zanz. In comparison to our previous experience though, this time around felt much more collaborative (helped by the early days of the Discord server). As others have referenced, the narrative this time was much more character-driven. At this point, I realised the enjoyment in role-play was writing for the benefit of my collaborators, and appreciating what they did to take the story forward.
Jakania marked my return to the game after a period of absence. Though I had played alongside them both to certain extents before, this was my first major collaboration with both Pragma and Wu. In our time in Jakania, we shaped and developed the political culture in a far more substantial way than when I was in Kizenia and New Endralon, or Rildanor.
Cildania is undoubtedly my favourite role-play experience in the game. It involved Kubrick, Pragma, Wu, Zanz, and many more. Everything was taken to a different level. The role-play was dynamic, fast-moving, and collaborative to a degree I had never previously experienced. There are so many memorable moments from this period. For me, it is the absolute pinnacle of what this game can be.
Quote:What do you think your biggest impact/legacy has been on the game and the community (if any)?
I think the other responses in this thread speak to my impact on the game and the community, for better and worse. For almost as long as I have played the game, I have held strong opinions about the way the community should be managed. In frequently speaking these views openly and in crude terms, I have often come into conflict with other players. In spite of that, I believe I have made a significant contribution to the community in several ways.
I worked hard to try to improve the organisation and standards on the previous wiki. I am glad to see that content on the new wiki has generally been of a higher quality.
In my opinion, the efforts I made alongside several players (especially Polites) to standardise and improve cultural protocols have been a net positive, though it would be foolish to pretend these have not been a source of frustration to many.
Perhaps most importantly, I do feel that I have played a role in ensuring the continued existence of the community by demanding high standards from the game’s moderators.
Quote:Who were some of the players or moderators who had the biggest impact on you? What were your most memorable interactions, collaborations, or rivalries?
I have probably interacted with almost everybody who was an active part of the community between 2016 and 2023. The players below are those who have left the most lasting impact on me in broadly chronological order.
Doc. As mentioned above, I would not be playing the game today without Doc’s willingness to explain things to me when I joined Kalistan. Though it is fair to say we have different preferences about role-play, I remain grateful for the effort he made at that time. The post he made on the old forum, in which he used kayfabe as a means to explain role-play, is a sacred text that I believe all players would benefit from reading.
Aquinas. A polarising character in this community for various reasons. In the time I have played the game, the community was largest and most active under his tenure. Though I acknowledge his flaws, he was an extremely responsive and generally fair moderator. Aquinas also had a distinct style of role-play that focused less on economic, military, and political affairs compared to most other players.
Kubrick. Ever since his far-right nutjob character accused my party leader of being a reptilian in Kizenia and New Endralon, I have been forced to play the straight man to this buffoon. Aside from a short stint in Vanuku, I have generally played with him in a multi-player setting, and we almost always fall into the same character briefs. Kubrick is great at being flexible in role-play, but he is especially good at driving events forward when required.
Zanz. As the man himself has acknowledged, he is probably the player whose approach to the game is most like my own. I have benefited greatly from his advice and insight dating all the way back to our early interactions in Kizenia and New Endralon. I am also very grateful for his commitment to helping the community over an extended period of time.
Wu. As has been discussed previously, Wu led a major shift in the visual style of role-play shortly after he joined the game. I think he has produced the most thoughtful and interesting role-play I have read, and his commitment to thinking deeply about the countries he plays in is remarkable. Nobody has been able to change my mind about the game as often as him.
Pragma. I am not sure how I came to develop such a strong role-play partnership with Pragma. I do not remember playing alongside her before Jakania, but I seem to recall we already had a good working relationship by that point. Even though there is no way to measure this, she is likely the person I have role-played with the most, and that is not an accident. Pragma’s approach to role-play is always interesting and astute.
Polites. I have played alongside him far less often that most of the other players mentioned above. Polites has always been willing to work with me on the cultural aspects of the game though, even when my ideas directly contradict projects that he has worked on. I am extremely grateful for his willingness to help with the forum-based countries, religion, language, history, and everything else he has contributed to.
Honourable mentions to Liu Che, Reddy, Autokrator, Louis, and robmark. I have not interacted with these players to the same extent as those above, but each has left their mark on me in some way. I would also like to give a special mention to Farsun, who has undeniably occupied a disproportionate amount of my time in this community.
Quote:How did the community culture evolve during your time within it?
When I joined the game, the forum was not a welcoming place in many ways. I think the community culture has improved since then. GreekIdiot deserves to be acknowledged for his determination to keep the game alive, but also for his commitment to engaging the wider community.
The widespread adoption of Discord has been beneficial in facilitating role-play, but it has also had a negative impact. Players appear less willing to properly plan role-play beforehand and less able to distinguish in-character and out-of-character interactions. As a result, it does feel that a significant amount of time is spent on off-topic prattle.
Quote:How did Particracy influence your interests, writing, or worldview?
Particracy has had a negligible impact on my politics, but a remarkable impact on my understanding of the world. In my ordinary life, it is not uncommon for somebody to ask how I know something and receive a non-committal explanation. The real answer is that I read about it while researching something for Particracy.
In the course of playing in so many countries, I have developed a much greater awareness of the world’s ethnic groups, languages, religions, and political systems. In most cases, this is a surface level knowledge gained through basic internet research. However, that is still more than I knew before I played the game. I would also say the game has made my writing clearer and more concise.
Quote:How do you feel about the end of Particracy Classic — and what do you hope remains remembered?
I am extremely disappointed by Wouter’s abandonment of this community, and the thousands of hours of work by hundreds of different players that was lost when the forum died. Wouter relied on this community to launch his spin-off game, Particracy Alpha, and he continued to earn revenue from ads on the forum for many years after he was no longer involved with the game.
In spite of all that, I am optimistic that we now have control over the future of the community ourselves and I am intrigued to see how it develops.