CSM 11 Candidates Summary Part 1

CSM season has began and with my NPSI group producing a candidate this season, I might as well cover the CSM coupled with my CSM predictions and personal opinions on each candidate. Consider this a quick review of all candidates without listening to all interviews.

Should you want a second opinion of the candidates, the peeps of CSM Watch have group analysis of candidates. So as of writing there have been 3 analysis shows and here are the shortcuts:

CSM Watch Analysis 1
CSM Watch Analysis 2
CSM Watch Analysis 3

So I going to slot candidates into 3 groups:
Recommended Candidates
Recommended to read up on them and consider them for your ballot. Likely your top half picks of your ballot
Safe Candidates
Depending on your playstyle, they might appeal to you but are not your top half picks for your ballot
Don’t Bother
Look at them if you have nothing else to do. No point in further investigation.

Recommended Candidates

Steve Ronuken
Focus: 3rd Party Dev, Industrialist
Positives: Well-liked, thoughtful, excellent CSM record, 3rd Party specialization
Negatives: Fear of burnout like Sugar, Ali Aras
Verdict: There is a reason why Steve is wanted by all others as a running mate for CSM so definitely a shoo-in for CSM.

My Opinion: Steve will be my top 3 pick regardless of future csm interviews.

DooToFoo
Focus: WH, Market, Small Corp/Alliances
Positives: Good Speaker,Planner. AUTZ, offers independent views on changes
Negatives: No bloc support, communication channel seems restricted
Verdict: While with no bloc support, Foo is rather well known in blogosphere and he should gather enough support to get in (with a slight Grr Goon appeal)

My Opinion: Fool will be picked higher than Steve as he appeals to my area of interest (small corp/alliances) and needs my support.

Apothne
Focus: Nullsec, Tournaments, Communications
Positives: Good CCP relationships, PL/Eve Uni Support, Good communicator
Negatives: Split PL Vote
Verdict: Split PL Vote might hurt him a bit but with Eve Uni support he will get in.

My Opinion: Apothne is probably the best among the new CSM candidates that are able to integrate quickly and get down to work.

Safe Candidates 

Kyle Aparthos
Focus: Nullsec, CSM Communication
Positives: Great Speaker, Willingly to engage players from all playstyles
Negatives: SMA vs IWANTISK drama, TMC author
Verdict: With bloc support and an excellent interview, Kyle is probably going to get in regardless of the SMA drama which he came out unscathed.

My Opinion: While I listed IWANTISK and TMC as negatives, these factors seems negligible and the only reason Kyle is in Safe Candidate is because Grr Goon :D Nevertheless he seems to be good CSM member if elected.

Commander Aze
Focus: NPE, Incursion Runner, Wardec
Positives: Normal Interview, Willing to work with anyone with good ideas, Wardec focus group
Negatives: poor support, 3rd Time Running
Verdict: Either he makes it at the last few CSM spots or no champagne at all.

My Opinion: While it will be good to have a incursion runner perspective given the recent review of isk faucets in Eve coupled with Wardec seemingly getting a revamp (™), he doesn’t seems strikes me as a capable CSM.

Gorski Car
Focus: Lowsec, FW, Solo PvP
Positives: Professional, incumbent CSM, Grr Goon Support
Negatives: Aggressive persona, Reddit Drama, Recent CSM Leaks
Verdict : If you are a Grr Goon fan, you probably vote for him anyway but with recent leaks, he either get on at last few spots or nothing at all. (or a third consecutive substitute CSM)

My Opinion: When CSMX had so much drama and the last thing CSM11 needs is more drama so a definite no for me even if I’m a Grr Goon.

Nikolai Agnon
Focus: Lowsec, FW, Lore
Positives: Lore candidate
Negatives: Nothing else to offer, unconvinced by his platform, ability to stand his ground questioned when faced with devs/CSM
Verdict : Not going to make it given since there are better lore candidates with wider specialization.

My Opinion: He’s probably my lore pick of my ballot unless better lore candidates shows up

Uriel Paradisi Anteovnuecci
Focus: Lore, PVE, Data Mining in test servers
Positives: Lore candidate
Negatives: Too specialized, nothing else to offer, possible NDA leaker
Verdict: Not going to make it.

My Opinion: Too specialized even as a lore candidate and possible NDA leaker is no-no for me.

Diana Olympus 
Focus: Nullsec, Trading
Positives: Economics specialization, French, Focus Group experience
Negatives: Alliance Support, Eve Prosper, Too specialized
Verdict: Having left PFR and joining a merc corporation, the source of support seems uncertain. Hit or Miss.

My Opinion: Depending on future candidate interviews, Diana might gather enough vote to take the last spot.

Nameloading
Focus: Nullsec, Industrialist
Positives: Risk vs Reward proponent, Enthusiastic
Negatives: Consensus candidate, Nullsec pusher, No official Bloc support
Verdict: Unless he get the official bloc support, he is not going to get elected

My Opinion: Not getting my vote since he only see nullsec as endgame goal and pushes everyone to nullsec.

 Bobmon 
Focus: Nullsec, Live Events, Communications
Positives: Event Organiser, PL Support
Negatives: Evenews24, Better PL Candidates, IWANTISK connection
Verdict: Either he is going to make it with the last few spot or miss out due to the loss of votes from IWANTISK connection and with split PL bloc support.

My Opinion: With his insistence of IWANTISK for backing for Evenews24 ticks my conflict of interest checklist and he’s definitely not on my ballot.

 Sullen Decimas 
Focus: Nullsec, WH, DUST, Communications
Positives: RL Profession related to NDA, C5 WH perceptive
Negatives: Conservative view on changes, Might not talk much due to NDA, no official Goon support
Verdict: Unless he receive official Goon support, his CSM chances are moot.

My Opinion: Sullen is probably on my ballot albeit the bottom half given his genuine WH interest which is noted in the interview rather than Noobman that uses WH as gateway to get fights

Don’t Bother

Vic Jefferson  
Focus: NPC Nullsec, PvP
Positives: Grr Goon Support, small gang PvP
Negatives: Extreme Grr Goon, Only Interested in own playstyle
Verdict: An openly hostile approach to all Goon-affiliated candidates, coupled with highsec hatred and self-interest to enrich own playstyle scream problems and dramas should he get elected.

My Opinion: My NPSI group have past history with Vic Jefferson,who fights with cyno blob fest against t1 kitchen sink fleets. While the arguments presented by him will enrich our playstyle (ie. nerfing exploration to buff Vindicator BPC prices which drops in Serpentis space), but the impression of space bully (pushing more newbies to nullsec and blow them up) never fades from me.

Xenuria
Focus: Nullsec, Communications
Positives: Official Goon Support, Out of Box Thinking
Negatives: Grr Goon, Drama Figure
Verdict: If Goons vote for him, he probably going into CSM regardless of Grr Goon sentiments. Better focus on other candidates instead

My Opinion: Past TMC articles and coupled with a CSM Watch invite decline speak a lot of his troll candidacy.

Aiwha
Focus: Nullsec Wardec, WH
Positives: Various playstyle experience
Negatives: Better PL candidates, too conservative to new changes
Verdict: Not going to make it with better candidates like Apothne in PL candidate pool

My Opinion: Risk averse and I feel he is somewhat safeguarding his own interests.

Noobman
Focus: Nullsec, WH, Capital Rebalance
Positives: PL Support, Nullsec, C5 WH Perceptive
Negatives: Better PL candidates, poor WH knowledge for a ‘WH’ candidate
Verdict: Unlikely to make it with better candidates like Apothne in PL candidate pool

My Opinion: WH candidate that sounds more as a nullsec candidate and he doesn’t offer much else. Seems to be focused on his own interests and didn’t pick a fellow running mate when asked. Definite No.

Wyld
Focus: Nullsec
Positives:  Player Power
Negatives: No official Goon support,  Xenuria as running mate, Coined him as Insanely God-damn Drunk
Verdict: With no official Goon support, he is not going to get elected

My Opinion: Troll candidate.

CCD Afterthoughts

So what a CCD u might ask?

CCD or CAS Combat Day is a quarterly PvP roam organized by CAS Combat Guild (CCG) members who are based in Syndicate. This roam is dedicated to getting newbies from CAS or CAS-related chat channels a taste of pew pew although it also functions as a vet gathering from past members who tends to resub once CCD comes around.

CCD teaches newbies about the basics about pvp, gate tacticals, recon and comprised of mainly t1 fitted ships

So CCD fleet roams around nullsec and lowsec to look for fights and usually the event has its spectacular moments like this and this .

Attending such events always reignite my flame about Eve as we remember past CCDs like being pipe bombed and enjoy being in a large fleet which rarely happens since we are a small gang pvp group.

Lastly, if your looking to try out PvP, join us 'Cas Combat Guild' in game channel for more information.

PS: Spais are always welcome in CCDs :)