The New Order Turns One

It's time to put on your party hats--I know you've got them--because today is a day of celebration. Today, the New Order of Highsec is officially one year old! It was June 24, 2012 when I went to EVE-O to announce the creation of the New Halaima Code of Conduct and declare my intention to enforce it by bumping miners.

My unusual announcement provoked a wide variety of reactions. Some were thrilled. Some were horrified. As for the EVE-O moderators, they attempted to bury the announcement by breaking their own rules and moving the thread to the "Sell Orders" subforum, which only permits threads about the sale of in-game items. They told me that this was a response to the fact that my thread also included an announcement about my upcoming IPO, in which people could become shareholders at a cost of 1 million isk per share. They conceded that my proposal did not include the sale of in-game items, so I was permitted to open another thread. They would not admit their mistake, however, and my announcement thread remains in Sell Orders to this day.

I copy-pasta'ed the old thread, removing all references to the IPO, and posted it once again in the "EVE General Discussion" subforum, the only subforum on EVE-O that gets any real traffic. But once more, the EVE-O moderators attempted to strangle the New Order in its cradle by breaking their own rules and moving it to a less-frequented subforum. This time, it was relocated to the "Intergalactic Summit" subforum, which only allows in-character roleplaying posts. My post had several references to the fact that EVE is a game, and the roleplayers who actually posted in the subforum demanded the thread be moved. Finally, the thread landed in the "Crime & Punishment" subforum. I prefer to believe that this is because Code violators are officially considered criminals.

Although the EVE-O moderators tried to stop it before it could begin, word about the New Order got out. It was an exciting development in the otherwise barren, desolate world of highsec. I opened up my IPO, which was only for the sale of 100 million isk worth of shares. I had not yet begun to enforce the Code, but the IPO sold out within 24 hours. The people had spoken. I allowed everyone who wished to participate to buy as many shares as they liked. So far, over 93 billion isk worth of shares have been sold.

It all started with one man bumping miners in a lonely ice field in Halaima. There were skeptics, of course. Following in the footsteps of the EVE-O moderators, a would-be assassin attmpted to prevent the creation of the Order by trying to suicide gank me with a tech II fitted Tempest on the first day. My Invincible Stabber emerged unscathed. I continued to bump. Some said it was pointless, a waste of time. "As long as you're bumping me, you can't bump anyone else," they said. "You'll never make a difference." I disagreed. I felt it was the best possible way to make a difference. One man standing on principle for something he believes in--it's the only way a difference has ever been made in the world.

I was right.

Word of the New Halaima Code of Conduct spread like wildfire. It could not be contained. Others became interested in learning about this "Code" that they heard was causing such a stir in Halaima. Slowly, very slow at first, other residents of highsec expressed a desire to enforce the Code. They became the first Agents of the New Order of Highsec.

After a time, the threads about my IPO in the Market Discussions subforum were no longer sufficient to report on all of the New Order-related activity. I created this blog, MinerBumping, which instantly became a sensation. Agents began recruiting other Agents. What began in Halaima spread across The Citadel and other regions of highsec.

Armed with the isk contributed by our shareholders, I was able to reimburse suicide ganking ships. The Knights of the Order were born. CCP's recent nerfs had brought miner ganking to the brink of extinction. The New Order brought it back. Before long, the New Order was the most feared and loved organization in highsec. Miners were forced to choose sides. Some chose wisely, and they joined the New Order family. Others chose poorly, and they suffered for it.

Since most EVE players live in highsec, and since the New Order was the biggest shock highsec had received since the end of Hulkageddon, EVE-O was constantly lit up with posts about the New Order. The forum moderators did their best to lock these topics and suppress information about what was happening in highsec. For a period of months, the topic was officially off-limits outside of a single thread CCP dedicated to "community feedback"--which was posted in Crime & Punishment rather than EVE General Discussion, to keep it out of the sight of most forum users. They sought support for the idea of banning miner bumping and classifying it as harassment. But this time, the EVE community struck back. They mocked the idea and logically tore the carebears' arguments to bits. CCP was forced to relent, and they officially recognized the legitimacy of miner bumping. Cultural victory was achieved.

Over the course of its first year, the New Order transcended EVE-O, CCP, and the other entrenched powers of EVE. No one could silence news of the New Order or discussions of its Code, because it was everywhere. The rebels and skeptics were powerless to resist its daily advance across empire space. Throughout all highsec, there isn't a system that can be found which has not been touched by the New Order in some way. Indeed, the New Order's criticisms of AFK ice mining resulted in CCP doing away with the practice, which had so long been rooted in EVE's game mechanics. And though not every miner has read the Code and pledged loyalty to me, yet, you cannot go anywhere in highsec without meeting someone in local who, when asked, will tell you what they have heard or experienced from the New Order.

One year ago, a solitary cruiser bumped into miners in a highsec ice field.