The Top Ten Greatest RPers of All Time

An Introduction

I've been going through something. One thousand and twenty-eight days. I've been going through something. One hundred bulletins. I've been going through something. One of the most storied careers in RP. I've been going through something.

Since the dawn of Politics and War Bulletin RP sometime in the early 2050s, empires have come and gone like the tides of the ocean. For all our criticisms of realism in RP, this is very much akin to reality here on Earth. As the mightiest empires of RP fall, the Soviets, the Americans, and the Nukeyans, so do the mightiest empires of the real world, the Romans, the Persians, and the Greeks. But as in the real world, the greatness of a nation is not built just on what it did when it was alive, but on the legacy it left when it finally fell. Tonight, we're going to take a look at the greatest legacies in RP. 
 

The Rising Stars

Before we start counting down the top ten, let's take a look at some nations that might potentially break into this top ten list sometime in the future. These nations right now are not good enough to make the top ten cut, but if they keep doing what they are doing, and if they keep building their influence on Orbis, they just might be able to crack this list. Without further ado, let's take a look at our three rising stars.
 

#3: Sedrosia

After fully cementing his status as a global superpower in the wake of the APSA-UEC war, and becoming a crucial player in establishing the Century Colonialist Hegemony alongside Britain, Sedrosia has proven beyond the shadow of a reasonable doubt that he is one of the most powerful entities in RP today, and with the British Empire continuing to downsize, Sedrosia may be in a position to finally become the number one superpower in Orbis today. Even beyond the RP itself, Sedrosia consistently has some of the most aesthetically pleasing bulletins in RP today and has played a key role in introducing multiple new nations to RP, such as the Systems Empire. In addition, his use of Joint Governance Pacts with the Republic of Meg has played a key role in legitimizing its use across the world of Orbis. However, Sedrosia has been involved in his fair share of controversy, and has come under fire in the past for his unrealistic military RP (not to mention his contribution to the Istanbul !@#$). While this has improved somewhat, that and his lack of longevity in the RP sphere impacts his ability to crack into the top ten list.
 

#2: Aurelia

In his time both as Pahang and in his current roll, Aurelia has been a force throughout Oceania. Beyond forging powerful alliances and propelling a once-forgotten part of Orbis to prominence on the world stage, Aurelia has also been a crucial force in ensuring the safety and security of democratic nations across the free world. He picked up the torch of the APSA when Dauchh and Olzsytn left it in disarray, and in spite of being outmanned and outnumbered, APSA has become much more powerful through his successful recruitment of Victoria to the anti-colonialist cause. In addition, his participation in ZUKAREVIC proved to be one of the most realistic (and perhaps the only really consistent and logical) RP of an economic alliance that we have ever seen in the game today. However, outside of Oceania, Aurelia's influence is limited, and in spite of taking up the APSA prophecy, he has largely failed to fulfill it outside of Oceania, as the rest of the world is currently under the grip of a colonialist hegemony. The fact that Victoria, who is a notorious colonialist, is in the APSA, is not helping his cause either.
 

#1: Victoria

If there was any power in the near future that I believe would be able to crack into the top ten greatest RPers of all time, it would be Victoria. Victoria has been at the forefront of bulletin aesthetic innovation, playing a critical role in improving not just the writing, but also the visual quality of RP bulletins. In addition, Victoria has become a formidable force on the global stage, capitalizing on the aftermath of the TUI-Soviet Cold War to carve out a spot as a top five superpower in the world today. As far as superpowers go, Victoria is arguably the most realistic of the modern ones, and does a phenomenal job of making sure to not just cover foreign policy and military affairs, but all kinds of topics that most other people wouldn't bother considering. However, Victoria's lack of longevity in this position of superpowership and influencing RP in a major way, as well as the contributions to the border gore across Europe, mean that I cannot immediately put him in the top ten list.
 

Honorable Mentions

Of course, the top ten list has only ten slots on it. But there are definitely RPers who deserve recognition, even if they are not worthy of being one of the ten greatest of all time. In particular, I think there are three RPers who definitely are in the conversation, but just weren't good enough to make the cut today. Let's get into them.
 

#3: Dreamistan

In spite of the nonsense that Dreamistan was notorious for pulling (and is still notorious for pulling!) it is impossible to understate the impact he had on RP. Before Dreamistan, there was a certain caution that was present in RP. People mostly kept to themselves. Aside from the Igua-Sul-Williamsbourg skirmishes and altercations, there was very little significant foreign policy. And when there was foreign policy, it was pretty cooperative for the most part, mostly bilateral pacts and economic cooperation agreements. People kept to themselves, in their own little pockets. Love him or hate him, Dreamistan fundamentally changed that. By introducing bioweapons to the global stage and by facilitating international terrorism, Dreamistan forced everyone to pick a side, and as a result, he unintentionally made the world of RP cohesive. Instead of many separate RP pockets, Orbis was forced to reckon with one another and accept the reality of an existing world order. Though his RP is not in any way of the highest quality, that he catalyzed the rise of modern RP by being the very first RP villain is reason enough to at least mention him in this conversation.
 

#2: Britain

British usage of superpower position may not be the most active, but the manner in which he has wielded his power is by no means disappointing. As far as superpowers go, Britain has been in its position for an exceptionally long time. From forming the most formidable colonial empire the world has ever seen, to becoming a key player in a global hegemony not once, not twice, but three times (Colonialist hegemony, Communist hegemony, and Colonialist hegemony again), Britain has quietly been one of the most powerful figures in RP for an exceptionally long time. Despite his consistent support at times for rather scummy RPers, and his liberal use of voiding, he is still a quality RPer who has done a great job of bringing the world of Britain to life.
 

#1: Chittagong

If it weren't for the nations I have at eight, nine, and ten, I would have probably put more consideration into putting Chittagong into the top ten. Chittagong is (depending on how you look at it) arguably the most experienced RPer in Orbis history. The importance of his contributions in the formative years of RP cannot be understated. In addition, his work in building the Union of India and starting the practice of land protection for new players has been crucial to enabling new players to join RP, even today. The Union of India, in spite of all its lethargy and non-influence in modern times, is still one of the most important alliances to ever take part in RP, and has set the standard for all other Unions, JGPs, and geographically based alliances in the world today. Perhaps most importantly, he proved that a policy of true neutrality was possible in Orbis (although this has backfired on multiple occasions for the alliance) and that people didn't have to be constantly active in order to succeed in RP.
 

The Top Ten

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for. It's time to count down our big countdown. Ladies and gentlemen (and whatever else y'all have been coming up with these days), I present to you, the top ten greatest RPers of all time, sponsored by Taipan Aerospace Corporation. Enjoy!
 

#10: Luna

It's hard to find any positive influences in RP, considering that it is a toxic cesspool of egomaniacs, psychotic hyperfixaters, mentally unstable insomniacs, political extremists, and in some cases, people who just straight up have lost the plot and probably shouldn't be allowed in society, let alone in RP. On the other hand, you have Luna. Even though she might not fit the bill of the traditional RP superpower, there is no doubt that she is one of the most popular RPers in Orbis today, and for good reason! Luna always sets the tempo for positivity and strong relationships and alliances in RP. In addition, she is one of the most underrated writers, and her opinion always tends to have a major sway in how the international community views certain issues. Beyond that, however, she just simply hasn't been influential enough to move above ten.

#9: The Soviet Federation

Few powers have ever come close to becoming solo hegemons of RP. Of the three powers to do this, two are the United Imperium and Nukeya, and the third is the Soviet Federation. If it weren't for all the genocides and being one of the most controversial players in the history of RP, he would have probably climbed up the ladder a few spots. That being said, he played the role of a villain to perfection, playing a key role in proving that it was possible to become a superpower without surrendering the quality or realism of RP. From toppling GW, GENDT, and many other nations and alliances, to becoming one of the most powerful nations in the history of Orbis, few Rpers were as formidable as the Soviet Federation.
 

#8: Tang

The map of Orbis that Tang created is arguably one of the most important contributions in the history of RP. Countless disputes have been solved because of it, and the consistency and quality of RP have massively improved as a result of having ready access to a map that updates almost in real time. No doubt that RP would be in a far worse state if it were not for Tang's Map. Even beyond that, Tang has worked in tandem against Victoria to push the visual quality of bulletins to the absolute limit. His writing has also been consistently a top draw, as he plays the role of an isolationist China to perfection, talking about not just military or foreign policy news but also small affairs inside his nation that most people wouldn't even think about normally.
 

#7: The United Imperium

As far as titans of RP go, few were ever able to reach the heights that the United Imperium did. From becoming the first (and only!) RP nation to ever go to the Moon and Mars, to winning the World Cup in 2078, to becoming the first (and only!) nation to successfully unite the lands of the former United States of America, the history of the Imperium is exceptional in a way that few could replicate. Even outside of toppling the previous hegemon, the Soviet Federation, and building a legacy of democracy, capitalism, and liberty that even today persists across Orbis (there are few, if any major Communist or Fascist powers left in Orbis), and defeating the original Orbis villain, Dreamistan, the Imperium's contributions to RP have been enormously significant. From playing a key role in showing Orbis how to combat RP in a realistic way to working with Dauchh and the Soviets to create guidelines for RP, which are still in use today, to creating the innovative JGP system which is still used by many nations throughout the world today in one form or another, The United Imperium personified American excellence through its tenure as the number one world superpower and through its work in improving the realism quality of RP. 
 

#6: Zukesa

Even though Cruzeiro and Elysia pioneered the video bulletin genre, I believe that Zukesa perfected it. The quality of his video bulletins was unparalleled. In addition, his ability as a story writer and as a world builder really enabled him to bring the world of New Zukesa to life. The Aerial Guard was one of the most fascinating and thematically sound military units in the history of RP. In addition, Zukesa's bulletins always had a strong visual appeal to them, and the distinctive style of his nation really came to life through them. Best of all, he managed to seamlessly tie his own worldbuilding into the larger RP scene as a whole, a feat which has been done successfully very few times. 
 

#5: La Punta

As far as significant nations to the quality of RP, La Punta was always setting the standard. Even as far back as the 2070s, La Punta was always consistently a cut above the rest of us, and introduced us to the nation's dynamic world. The unique theme of the nation somehow fits right in with the rest of Orbis. In a world filled with cries for war, La Punta was routinely a voice for peace, from trying to calm down Orbis in the wake of the original Dreamistan War to providing a voice of reason during the troubled times of the 2080s. In addition, he pioneered the placing of timestamps on bulletins, a key facet of modern RP that helps us solve diplomatic disputes and accurately trace our history even today. La Punta was also one of the first people to utilize quotations, consistent characters (such as Natalie Wright), unique RP with the national language and identity (Esperanto in his case!), and newspaper logos in his bulletins, further immersing us in his world and inspiring the rest of Orbis to do the same.
 

#4: Cruzeiro

You cannot talk about La Punta without mentioning Cruzeiro. Both nations were exceptional in terms of quality and played a key role in being influential democracies throughout the 2070s. For me, it was really challenging to pick which of these two should go ahead of the other, but ultimately, I opted for Cruzeiro by just a hair. Cruzeiro was one of the key pioneers of the video bulletin genre, and is responsible for some of the most successful video bulletins in the history of Orbis. More importantly, the video bulletins are not just about Cruzeiro, but are also about the RP community as a whole (examples being the alternate endings series and the My Little Dark Age P&W edit) During the time of Igua-Sul, the standard was being set for how to RP a realistic escalation of a conflict (something which is rarely done well nowadays) during the altercation with Williamsbourg. In addition, Cruzeiro has continued to set the tempo even today, being a strong role model for how to RP a post-nuclear world. The RP of Cruzeiro has consistently right up there with the best RP being written at any given time period, and the influence on the world stage, not just through toppling Dreamistan but also through contributions through the APSA and keeping South America free of colonization, should not go unnoticed.
 

#3: Elysia

As far as peak RP quality, Elysia has to be in the conversation. Even though they aren't active much nowadays, during their prime, everyone looked up to them. They pioneered the video bulletin, were the first nation to really do a strong royal/imperial RP, and went into unparalleled detail not just about their nation's military or economy, but even into small details such as their school system's struggles or how their different infrastructure projects will help boost the quality of life of Elysian citizens. They were also the first nation to write up a fully detailed Constitution and had one of the most well-detailed codes of law we have ever seen in RP. The depth and breadth of Elysia's RP may never be matched again. In terms of how bulletins are written today, no one has had a bigger influence than Elysia, stylistically and content-wise.
 

#2: Dauchh Palki

In terms of influence on the community, Dauchh is probably one of the most influential ones. His Democracy indexes and Livability Indexes played a crucial role in building a singular, unified Orbis RP experience. In addition, his tireless work as a member of the APSA played a crucial role in making sure that the hegemonies of Orbis never went unchallenged. In addition, Dauchh played a crucial role in building up the RP guidelines, which improved realism in Orbis even today. In the dark ages of RP in the 2080s, Dauchh was well and away the best-dedicated RPer of the time, delivering extremely high-quality content at a consistent rate. There's no doubt that on many lists, he's the number one greatest RPer of all time, but I had someone else in mind. 
 

#1: Nukeya

And finally, coming in at number one, I believe that the greatest RPer of all time is Nukeya. In RP, he managed an unparalleled run of virtually unchallenged dominance and quality. He is the only nation to have ever defeated the United Imperium in combat (although it was very close, the Imperium did land multiple nukes on Nukeya). He is a pioneer of the story bulletin genre, and to this day is one of the best (probably the best) story writers in Orbis today. He is also number one in worldbuilding all the nations and worlds of Orbis. No world has lore so deep or a world so thoroughly fleshed out in its details as the world of Nukeya. In the modern era of RP, when nations want to emulate someone's writing, it is almost the Nukeyan writing style. Since the 2070s, Nukeyan RP has been the pinnacle of what it means to RP in Orbis.
 

Conclusion

Well, that's all folks. I was going to write up some big retrospective on RP going downhill, blah blah blah, but I'm not one to beat a dead horse, and frankly, that trope has been done to death for so long that I refuse to contribute to its proliferation. This is my hundredth bulletin, which is very cool. Thanks for reading, and thanks to Taipan Aerospace Corporation for sponsoring this bulletin.