The recent large-scale conflict between the Rebel Penguin Federation and The White Order left many in the community with a sense of dissatisfaction. While some focus only on the exposés that sparked the war, others question the entire event, arguing it wasn’t even a proper “World War”. However, it’s possible we are failing to see the silver lining hiding behind the perceived clouds of negativity that enveloped this conflict.
Designed by Master DS
WHAT WENT WRONG
The large-scale conflict of September 2023 was intended to be the next great World War, but it quickly devolved into a source of community dissatisfaction. While the initial events saw the dominant Rebel Penguin Federation (RPF) challenged by a morally driven coalition. The White Order (TWO). This section explores the key factors that prevented the war from becoming the World War many had anticipated and yearned for.
Background
On September 17, hostilities erupted into the war between the dominant Rebel Penguin Federation and the newly formed anti-alliance, The White Order. The war’s catalyst was a series of exposés leveled against RPF leadership and staff, alleging misconduct and irresponsibility. Several Small/Medium (S/M) armies, including the Peoples Imperial Confederation, Romans, Scarlet Republic, Elite Guardians of Club Penguin, Penguins of Agartha, Shadow Legionnaires, and the major army, the Void Troops They registered as a new army and declared what they branded as World War X.
TWO declaring war on RPF
Despite the impressive efforts of TWO, the ultimate goal of the war—forcing a resolution to the central controversy and achieving a decisive victory over the Rebel Penguin Federation (RPF)—was only partially realized. This was through immense diplomatic pressure and public sentiment, not victory in battle.
The White Order was initially fueled by moral outrage and immense publicity, riding a wave of intense hype, battling neck to neck with RPF. However, by the time TWO had suffered consecutive losses, this performance proved unsustainable, and morale began to crumble.
Battle of Snow Fort
TWO lost the war with a final war score of [0-0-9] following RPF’s invasion of Crystal and their imposed force treaty. The community’s widespread dissatisfaction stems from several key factors that deviated from the traditions of a large-scale war.
Nature of the Conflict’s Cause
Unlike traditional wars fought over territory or historical rivalries, this war was founded on serious, non-army-related allegations concerning leadership accountability. Many felt the cause was too grave, controversial, or too focused on internal matters of a single army (RPF) to justify a community-wide war.
The accompanying wave of anti-RPF propaganda and personalized toxicity was reminiscent of 2017 to some, a period widely argued to be one of CPA’s worst years due to toxicity, personal attacks, and a damaging focus on scandals, exposés, and singling one army out.
Red Dawn Alliance is battling RPF in World War VII
Low Major Army Participation
Despite being dubbed a “World War” by some, the conflict largely lacked the massive, all-encompassing participation seen in previous World Wars. Only the RPF fought on one side, with a coalition of S/M armies on the other. Many other Major armies declared neutrality, leading to the perception that the war was not a true community-wide conflict.
As mentioned in Jojo Teri’s post, compared to the last community-wide conflict, World War IX, the TWO vs. RPF war involved much fewer armies. To put this into perspective, in WWIX, 11 of the 12 armies at the time were taking part in some form, throughout the war, with 5 of the 6 major armies actively battling. Compared to the TWO vs RPF situation, only two of the six major armies participated.
While this conflict was undeniably massive—arguably the largest seen since 2023—its scale was ultimately insufficient to warrant the “World War X” branding.
The failure of the war to escalate to a true World War status falls on the shoulders of the Major armies who opted for neutrality. A true global conflict requires the full political and military engagement of the community’s most powerful armies. The initial controversy and The White Order’s declaration were the spark, but the Major armies, responsible for setting the flames, chose caution over confrontation. By sitting on the sidelines, these leaders starved the conflict of the necessary competitive balance and tension, once again setting CPA back into cycles of monotony.
One-Sided War
Despite the high stakes and controversy, many felt the war quickly lacked true competitive excitement. The initial hype that fueled TWO’s performance rapidly faded. While they achieved moral victories and tied rooms in the early battles, their consistency and morale dropped. The war became less a clash of titans and more a drawn-out, one-sided affair, culminating in the eventual disbanding of The White Order shortly after RPF’s imposed force treaty, bringing the war to an anticlimactic conclusion.
RPF imposing a force treaty on TWO
Backlash against TWO
Despite being founded to promote moral accountability in the Club Penguin Armies community, TWO had also damaged its own credibility. In the last Executive Statement: Safeguarding the Community, the alliance faced serious backlash over both its name, which was interpreted as having racist undertones. The controversy peaked when TWO used an inappropriate battle tactic that referenced a condemned racist event, forcing the CPA league to intervene. The league applied a Top Ten penalty (a *0.6 multiplier) to TWO, asserting that they would not tolerate actions that violated community values.
The Silver Lining for RPF
The period leading up to the conflict was dominated by the fact that the RPF’s reputation had taken a severe and immediate hit due to the serious internal allegations that surfaced against a high-ranking member. This reputational damage created a massive public consensus against their leadership, which quickly caused once-allied armies such as the Aliens to condemn RPF. The White Order effectively framed the conflict as a war of moral justice. As for RPF, with the moral high ground lost and a threatening alliance at their doorstep, the general community consensus was that the war would be lengthy and close.
Unexpectedly, the war was short, quick, and largely a sweep by the RPF over the course of the fighting. The war lasted less than a week, and the quickly imposed force treaty diverted attention away from the war, allowing the RPF to retain some of their honor. They asserted their everlasting dominance and the community of their structural prowess.
Battle of Cold Front
The short, decisive nature of the war meant that the period of open anti-RPF sentiment subsided. For an army that lost almost all its dignity, this rapid conclusion allowed it to draw a line under the scandal and begin the process of internal regrouping. The war, therefore, served to assert RPF’s dominance on the battlefield while simultaneously providing a necessary political reset.
silver lining for TWO
One of the most notable aspects of this war was the success of The White Order, which was primarily composed of an alliance of several S/M armies. Many had previously argued that S/M armies could never challenge a Major, especially one like RPF. However, TWO proved the norm wrong.
Regardless of what many called a failure of a world war, the coalition of small/medium armies, while losing the war, won in terms of their intended ideological cause. Even if it doesn’t go by the name of World War X, this feat is permanently etched into CPA history. The White Order’s operational success in coordinating multiple small/medium armies demonstrated a new, viable model for collaboration.
Armies like the People’s Imperial Confederation, Elite Guardians of Club Penguin, Scarlet Republic, and others suddenly found themselves on the front page of CPA news for days. This media spotlight provided attention and massive exposure to these armies, solidifying their standing within the league.
Although TWO officially disbanded on September 22nd, only 5 days after its opening, its impact on bringing light to certain wrongdoings and demonstrating S/M armies’ ability to squash territorial differences for the greater, morally sound good is forever etched in CPA history.
TWO officially disbanding
Silver Lining for CPA
On a more important note, the war was, at its core, a battle of morality and accountability. The collective of armies that formed The White Order stated that their purpose was to force accountability upon the RPF’s leadership for their handling of alleged misconduct involving a high-ranking member.
The collective action, initiated by the armies themselves, signaled a move by the army community to prioritize online safety and moral conduct over traditional army hierarchy or power dynamics. This reminded the community that certain behaviors will not be tolerated, regardless of an army’s status or history. At the end of the day, the unity shown by the participating armies suggests the community is still willing to band together to fight what is perceived as evil and unjust.
Despite its constant controversies, its undisputed true significance lies in its political and moral aftermath. The confrontation shattered the tradition of the major army’s impunity, especially with long-standing powerhouses like the RPF. Simultaneously, the White Order, despite its rapid dissolution and reputational flaws, demonstrated the unprecedented collective power of Small/Medium armies. TWO successfully proved the community’s willingness to unify for a moral cause and secure a permanent place in history. More importantly, the entire episode affirmed the community’s underlying commitment to online safety and accountability, proving that a core moral compass still exists within the Club Penguin Armies community. Do you think TWO was successful, on and off the battlefield? Will we ever see TWO return in the future? When do you think we will witness World War X?
xdemon
Reporter
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