As once said, good things never last forever. As quickly as they rise, most Club Penguin Armies inevitably fall. What causes the collapse of these once-mighty empires which once dominated the community? The reasons are complex and interconnected, forming a chain reaction that leads to their inevitable collapse. 

Leaders Retiring

The foundation of any successful Club Penguin Army is its leadership. Leaders are the strategists, public face, and essentially backbone of an army. By the current norm, leaders actively manage events, maintain foreign policy, keep staff motivated, resolve internal disputes, and handle much more, all alongside real-life responsibilities. Leading an army is a time-consuming commitment, and it’s simply not sustainable forever for any human being. 

When a leader, exhausted by leading or simply moving on to other life commitments, decides to retire, it leaves a massive power vacuum within the army ranks. Sometimes, there is no one prepared to step up and fill their shoes,  and the army loses its core direction and motivation. For example, a veteran leader who has been with the army for years might have built a reputation based on their strategic brilliance and charisma. In due time once they announce retirement, the community often expects their successor to possess the same qualities. No two leaders have the same personality, and often, the new leader, if any, lacks the same pull, or just has a different leadership style compared to the previous leader. After this, army members can take one of two possible paths.

Reasons

1. Disengage with the community, feeling a sense of loss and a growing detachment from what their army community once was. They may lose motivation to continue activity and attend events. This often occurs alongside a ripple effect, creating a downward spiral, and the army slowly begins a steady decline.
2. Develop a greater sense of responsibility and attempt to fill in the old leader’s shoes. This is often observed within the most dedicated High Command / Staff Members who’ve grown attached to the army beyond their leaders. These are the very people who go on to lead future generations of the army. 

Leadership’s immense demands make it unsustainable long-term, and when a leader inevitably retires, the resulting power vacuum often gives rise to the internal conflicts that can tear an army apart from the inside out.

Internal Conflicts

The close-knit and often high-pressure environment of an army is ripe for conflict. Disputes can arise over everything from power struggles to leadership coups. Public arguments take place between people who were once best friends. This can create a toxic atmosphere where the focus shifts from winning battles to internal squabbles. The army becomes an uncomfortable place to be, and members, especially newer ones, will look for a more stable and peaceful community to join.

However, internal conflicts extend much further beyond disagreements within the army ranks. Veteran army legends and advisors, who have shaped the army’s history, sometimes grow frustrated with its current state. They may be vocal about their disappointment, citing issues like poor leadership, an inactive High Command (HCOM), performance below expectations, or fundamental differences in the army’s personality and values. With several differing opinions on how to run the army, confusion and loss of direction further contribute to the downfall of an army. 

Drop in Morale and Laziness

Morale is the lifeblood of any army. When members feel a sense of purpose, camaraderie, and success, they are motivated to participate. Conversely, a drop in morale can be a death spiral.Repeated losses in battles, a lack of new and exciting events, or a general feeling that the army no longer matches its former glory actively drive this decline. As morale dips, attendance at events dwindles, making it even harder to win battles and further lowering spirits. 

In an effort to avoid this drop in army morale, several armies avoid conflict in its entirety, forging alliances with other major armies for an extra sense of security and a web of non-aggression pacts.  This approach, while seemingly smart, often leads to a stale and risk-averse environment. True competition, and the thrill that comes with it, is sidelined for the fear of losing. For this very reason, we only get to witness a truly close war between rival armies once in a blue moon. 

This sense of security and freedom from what once was the looming threat of war gives way to laziness. With no fear of loss, there is no drive to continue recruiting and growing the army, other than placing better on the Top Ten and performing at seasonal tournaments. The very laziness that sets in among the leadership begins to permeate the wider community, slowly but surely turning a once vibrant army into a stale and insular place to be, taking us to our next factor for an armies downfall, where the league comes into play. 

Stale community

Several times in a year, the army community has dry periods where activity is significantly lowered. Most notoriously, the September drop. As said in the beforementioned section, large non-aggression pacts erode the very fabric of Club Penguin Armies and their purpose, war. 

War was once the sole lifeblood of Club Penguin Armies, the ultimate motivator for their existence. It drove armies to grow and compete, dedicating countless hours to recruiting, training, and strategic planning. Without the constant threat and excitement of war, armies lose their essential purpose. They become little more than social clubs, and the competitive spirit that once defined them fades into complacency. If this is to continue, there will be little difference from a Club Penguin Army and a hangout server.

Reawakening

The only possible way to revive the conflict which once drove CPA is of freeing armies from our self inflicted imprisonment, and overcoming the fear of defeat. Huge alliance webs between the largest armies of the time aren’t taking us anywhere, rather they’re moving us backwards, preventing any major conflict from breaking out. The current state of the league also plays role in the lessened excitement of the community, as the definite rules leave little to no room for an unorthodox conflict, high-stakes wars beyond land on the map, and rob armies of the wild spirit and thrill of battle which once defined some of their greatest moments. 

Conflict Gridlock

As seen in the chart above, with all major armies allied, the very concept of competition is strangled. Any single conflict, no matter how small, becomes a monumental risk for the declaring army, losing trust of several other allies. The idea of an “allies-included” war, a massive clash of coalitions, is completely out of the question under the current paradigm. For instance, with three of the arguably largest armies at the moment—the Rebel Penguin Federation, the Water Vikings, and the Aliens—all maintaining a peaceful alliance. Challenging these armies one on one is already extremely difficult for any third party, and declaring an allies-included war is completely out of the question. The only way to bring change, and possibly a solution, is conflict between major armies.

Also worth mentioning, seasonal drops play a big role in the temporary weakened performance of armies. The beforementioned infamous September Drop, when most armies tend to decline, due to a significant portion of the CPA population returning to school. However, these periods of inactivity are often temporary. Armies typically recover within a few months, with leaders and dedicated members returning to the fold.

The Defeat in victory

For an army that has reached the pinnacle of its success, oftentimes, the only direction left to go is down. Consistently winning too much also bears negative effects, for both the army in question, and the community as a whole. Once an army achieves the ultimate goal of being the “best,” stagnation often follows. The drive and motivation that fueled its climb—the relentless recruiting, strategic planning, and morale-boosting victories—fade as soon as the army secures the top spot. In order to combat this, armies participate in seasonal tournaments, setting a new goal for the army. The pressure to maintain their position is immense, and any slip-up can be seen as a sign of weakness.

With time, a dominant army’s winning spree is bound to be broken. One notable example is the Templars fifty consecutive #1 placements on the weekly Top Ten being broken by the Army of Club Penguin. The psychological blow of no longer being on top can be a major demotivator for both leaders and members. The narrative shifts from “we are the best” to “we were the best,” and without a doubt, it’s a difficult narrative to recover from.

Essentially, once signs of decline begin showing in a once-dominant army, oftentimes the army has nowhere to go but downwards, spiraling into nothing but faint echoes in the ruins of what the army once was.

Fallen giants

Two of the most notable fallen giants of the CPPS era are the Templars and Doritos.

The Templars were a renowned army within the community, mostly known for their ruthlessness and domination. However, the Templars have been struggling for form, ever after their year of dominance in 2022 and are a prime example of a fallen giant. The knights were notorious for their fierce war declarations and bloodshed. This motivated them to grow and go on to forge their golden generation. They broke the Rebel Penguin Federation‘s Top Ten record, achieving the most number one’s consistently. They held the number 1 spot for approximately 50 consecutive weeks between January 9th, 2022, to December 18th, 2022. Alongside their record-breaking run of form, they achieved high maxes consistently, maxing over 60 penguins consistently, and even winning Legends Cup XII.

However, their record-breaking Top Ten run was broken, followed by a defeat in the Christmas Chaos tournament they were expected to win. These losses, coupled with the retirement of their front man, shattered their morale and began their inevitable decline. Several high-command and staff members began following pursuit and leaving the Templars, and in 2023 the Templars struggled to live up to their performance in the past year.

FALL OF THE KNIGHTS

After over a year of rebuilding, a new leader, Sidie9 was inducted, and she began to lead what was considered the second golden age of the Knights. Templars saw consistent maxes of 30+, and even claimed the #1 spot throughout most of the Summer of 2024. However, internal conflict and unexpected leadership changes once again tore the army apart. Following Sidie9’s departure, the Templars saw several High-Command members resign from the army. The knights suffered a loss to the Secret Service in the War of Vengeance, once again plunging the army into a deep state. Fast-forward to present day, the Templars are growing, and are still a formidable force within the army community, but undoubtably fall short of their past dominance. Only time will tell if the Knights will rebuild their empire and reclaim their former glory.

THE LEGACY OF DORITOS

In November 2024, Doritos, one of the most historic Club Penguin Armies, revived with immense promise. They consistently maxed 50+ troops and dominated the weekly Top Ten in their first month, positioning themselves to win tournaments and wars left and right. Their legacy has witnessed many highs and lows since their revival. With multiple war campaigns, the Doritos peak was arguably Christmas Chaos, where they made it to the Grand Finals, before taking a loss to the Rebels.

DOWNFALL OF DORITOS

However, from here onwards, the downfall of the chips was imminent. Several leaders and veterans announced retirement in the months of January and February, and Doritos dropped to maxing nearly 30. Their performance in March Madness was considered lackluster, and nothing reminiscent to their performance last winter. Soon after, several High-Command members and staff started resigning, starting their journeys in other armies, and the Doritos morale had dropped lower than ever. They went on to losing wars to both the Void Troops and former allies, the Templars, before announcing immediate shutdown on July 23.

The inevitable 

No one armies collapse is the same as the next, however, the beforementioned sections encapsulate the general factors contributing to an armies downfall pretty well. A Club Penguin Army rarely declines due to a single event; instead, a series of interconnected events actively drives its overall drop in performance.

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Ultimately, the rise and fall of Club Penguin armies isn’t an anomaly, but a completely natural and fundamental part of the community’s lifecycle. It is a cycle of renewal, where the downfall of one army creates opportunities for new leaders to emerge, and for new armies to be born.

xdemon
Reporter-in-Training

 

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