March 19, 2016

CSM XI Ballot


CSM Election ballot - I know that posting it this late means that only the stragglers will see it, but real life has been kicking my butt lately during the day and happily I've had plenty to do in Eve at night that leads me to undock rather than blog.  Check out the end of this blog post for a special bonus CSM Autocorrect Quiz!

CSM X has gotten knocked about for the drama of some members and the removal/resignation of others.  Some of this is an unfair comparison, as those of you who familiar with the history of CSM will know - or those who listen to Declarations of War.  Previous CSMs have commented how by the end of a year they only had 4-5 active members, and now we're complaining that we had to kick a few.  It's the classic problem of thinking a problem is worse because you have more transparency on it.

Nonetheless, CSM XI will be defined by people's current expectations.  The goal should be a productive, engaged, and low-drama CSM.  Some of that cannot be avoided given that we have Imperium candidates who are both guaranteed to be elected and who are going in with the pretty explicitly stated goal of causing drama.  The question is what CSMs will be elected by the rest of us in the game.  So let's get to it.

Top of the Ballot


1 - Apothne:  You could argue for him foremost as a PVP mechanics expert, but the reason he's on the top of my ballot is attitude.  He has strong opinions but he's also clearly willing to reason with other people and keep open the possibility of his mind being changed.  He also already has a strong relationship with CCPers which can help him be a bridge with the CSM and the rest of the community.

2 - Steve Ronuken: Steve is one of the rare incumbents this time around, and he has a history of being level headed, productive, and a representative for those players who don't play the game for the pew.  If anything I expect his vote count may be even higher after Sion's clumsy attempt to throw mud at him.

3 - DoToo Foo: Another non-pvper, what is Eve coming to?  Here we have another consistent, competent, level-headed communicator. We're about to have the industry and market of Eve turned upside down (particularly with these recent posts about making NPC stations unattractive to use).  We could use someone with this kind of sharp mind that isn't paired with an unnecessarily sharp tongue.

4 - Mr. Hyde: Okay, back to the PVP.  I think Mr. Hyde would be higher on my list but for the inevitable comparison to Apothne, who edges him out by having additional skills and existing contacts.  I hope that there is room for both of them on CSM XI, and I'm not overly worried that he will instigate changes that would eliminate the frigate menace.

5 - Joffy Auix-Gao: I've been impressed by his campaign and his approach to the game and to CSM.  I'm sure he is going to face a lot of challenges to community given his physical limitations, but I'm willing to put my vote of confidence in that he'll figure it out.

Good Candidates

Jin'taan: I think Providence deserves a CSM and unlike the Goons I don't know if they are guaranteed one without outside help.  The real tough choice for me was between him and Utari Onzo.  If I want to help make sure Provi gets a CSM, I should vote Jin'taan higher, but...

Utari Onzo: There are shades here of Ashterothi's run last year.  Lore cannot be the main driver of a CSM candidate - that's just not what they do - but it does show a particular love of the game for its creative universe that I think is valuable.  Throw in Utari's other skills and experience and he gets a spot on the ballot.

Diana Olympos: Here is someone who just seems to love absorbing data and analyzing it.  I've seen this in our CZ writes slack channels, and he spoke of it in his interview.  The problem I'm worried about with Diana is coming out of that analysis mode and communicating clearly.

Kyle Aparthos: I wasn't amazed at his interview, but I've been very impressed with him all through the campaign.  Given the terrible time that SMA has been having I've been impressed with how clear and composed he has been in the midst of Reddit, and that's a great sign of maturity and professionalism that is lacking in other candidates.


CapriSunKraftFoods: Part of me can't believe I'd vote for someone who would choose a name like that for their character.  As I said in my review, I came away impressed from his interview.  I just worry that away from the election process he might revert to a troll.

Nash Kadavr: Similar to Utari, player events are just not something that the CSM is lined up to work on.  Voting for Nash is voting for something he didn't run his candidacy on: that he knows what it take to create and run a successful lowsec PVP organization.  With all the other things he does, the question is: has he been aware from that so long that his information is stale and misleading?



Notably Missing - No Drama, Thank You


Bobmon: With all of the accusations and drama around Bobmon and EN24, it just isn't worth the risk to put a vote down next to his name.  Between that and how CCP is a bit shy of the "gaming media" right now I'd have to put strong odds on him being kicked out of the CSM somewhere during the year.

Gorski Car: He's a self-declared candidate for drama, if tongue in cheek.  Even though he's done good work by all reports, that's just not what we need right now.  I think his PVP experience will be covered by the likes of Apothne and Mr. Hyde.  I hope we'll see a lot from him during the year, just from the role of a player rather than a CSM.



Bonus: CSM Autocorrect Quiz:


Can you decypher autocorrected Eve?  I used my commutes and other random times to listen to interviews, which has meant taking notes on my iPhone using voice transcription.  This has led to some amusing autocorrection of Eve terms.  See if you can guess these four phrases from their autocorrected spellings:


Were Ducking

Torah but she don't

Laura expert

Game Mckennas


2 comments:

  1. I'm unsure on number 1 and 2 but:


    We are undocking
    Tora Bushido

    Lore Expert

    Game mechanics

    ReplyDelete