Running for CSM

Council Of Stellar Management CSM Campaigns
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:milky_way: CSM Campaign Platform — Andrew Ryan Esswein

Representing New Players, Economic Stability, and a Better Future for EVE

Who I Am

My name is Andrew Ryan Esswein, and I’ve played EVE Online since 2003. I’ve watched this universe evolve from its earliest days into the complex, living sandbox it is now. Long before I ever undocked in New Eden, I imagined a game built around a player‑driven economy, a world shaped by its citizens, and even a name inspired by the Garden of Eden — a place of creation, conflict, and consequence. EVE became that dream.

Two decades later, I’m running for the Council of Stellar Management to help ensure EVE remains a place where players can thrive, influence the world, and build lasting stories.

What I Stand For

1. A Strong Player‑Driven Economy Supported by NPC Corporations

EVE’s economy is its beating heart. I believe in:

  • Preserving the player‑run market as the core of the game

  • Strengthening NPC corporations so they support, not replace, player activity

  • Creating systems where mission running, loyalty, and reputation with NPC corps have meaningful economic impact

Players should feel like their actions matter — not just in combat, but in the economic fabric of New Eden.

2. A Mission System That Lets Players Influence the Universe

Running missions should be more than a way to earn ISK. It should:

  • Shift standings in ways that affect the broader game

  • Influence NPC behavior, availability, or regional conditions

  • Offer meaningful progression for new players and veterans alike

A living universe needs living consequences.

3. Fixing Systems That Drive Players Away

EVE loses too many players to frustration rather than challenge. I want to address:

  • Highsec PvP mechanics that feel predatory rather than competitive

  • War declaration systems that punish small corps and new players

  • Barriers to entry that make early progression feel like poverty

Challenge is good. Unavoidable punishment is not.

4. Representing New Players and Ending “New Eden Poverty”

New players are the future of EVE, and too many quit because they feel poor, powerless, or irrelevant. I want to:

  • Improve early‑game income opportunities

  • Make progression more intuitive without removing complexity

  • Ensure new players can participate in meaningful gameplay within their first weeks

  • Strengthen mentorship systems and corp‑level support

A healthy EVE is one where new players feel like citizens, not spectators.

5. Improving the Value and Role of PLEX

PLEX is central to EVE’s economy and player accessibility. I support:

  • Systems that stabilize PLEX value

  • Reducing volatility caused by sudden market shocks

  • Ensuring PLEX remains a viable path for new players to participate fully in the game

PLEX should empower players, not price them out.

Why I’m Qualified

  • 20+ years of experience across multiple eras of EVE

  • Firsthand knowledge of how systems have changed — and how players adapted

  • A long‑term perspective on what keeps players engaged versus what drives them away

  • A personal vision rooted in the original spirit of EVE: freedom, consequence, and player agency

I’m not running to represent a single alliance or playstyle. I’m running to represent the players who need a voice the most — new players, small corps, and those who want EVE to remain a thriving, player‑driven universe.

My Vision for EVE’s Future

EVE should be a place where:

  • Players shape the world through their actions

  • New pilots feel empowered, not overwhelmed

  • The economy remains vibrant and player‑controlled

  • NPCs support the sandbox without overshadowing it

  • Systems encourage conflict, creativity, and cooperation — not attrition

I want to help CCP focus on changes that strengthen the sandbox rather than restrict it.

Why You Should Vote for Me

If you believe in:

  • A healthier economy

  • A better new‑player experience

  • Fairer highsec systems

  • Stronger NPC interactions

  • A future where players truly influence the universe

Then I would be honored to earn your vote for the CSM.

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Are you running for CSM or will your communication handled by AI?

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It was. I’d also like to add that I’m looking for a Blops team that will campaign with me. We will surprise miners and ratters and campaign for them to vote in the CSM.

I would like to campaign for the cyno to be further developed so more ships can use them to go anywhere. All I really need to pop a cyno is a fork and knife because I researched it so much that my science is out the wazoo. It just takes some math and science to get that fork and knife to teleport me to where I need to go.

A friend of mine quit after scanning for the first time. He hated scanning so much that I’d like to request a slow easy way to scan down a whole system’s cosmic signatures. So easy you press a button and can go afk. It could be slower than doing it manually but gets faster as your skills progress.

You asked if I used AI, that there wasn’t AI. I just used it and felt that this could use more work. My campaign needs a video but I don’t really roll with a camera or mic right now. I need one of those splitter jacks and don’t have one lying around.

I’m also wanting to meet people who are running for CSM. It would be helpful to my cause. I also want to advocate for Fenris to hire moderators and regional managers. Game cards for 20 50 and 100 could be sold in stores and on the streets if given good enough value. Value packs for new players is an essential thing.

One thing I saw in my decades of playing Eve was a T2 lottery system. Your research agent would call you and tell you that they have something for you, and you’d get a T2 BPO. They stopped this and made T2 BPOs not something you can get easily. I think these BPOs should be in the NEW EDEN store. It’s good to add more value to plex and give the industrialist something to invest in.

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Benzmann said she played since 2004 and wants lowsec pve to have better rewards. Honestly, I played the game for decades and have not gone pirate. I played factional warfare a little and expected big loot. My research agent is in low and I know that research happens there. How often do those npc pirates steal research from companies? I expect to see stolen research loot, like datacores and blueprint copies and faction mods. I think we should be able to research and develop all t1 loot into t2 then have a tier up that can be researched. Mining lasers would be my focus of research, I want them to get more powerful and absorb more ore with a higher expense and expertise. We need it, highly skilled players who invest in strong equipment should be able to get a higher return. I’m also researching how to explore null and hack a random moon miner to blast the moon, just for fun. I missed out on the POS we used to have, we could moon mine by using ice. Too many players claimed the good moons and they were a drag to tear down.

Now that I can use a dread I want content like this - Go explore the asteroid belts and find me a dread spawn. Pop me a cyno and get me to a site with a capital ship so I can tear it down. Guys guys, I need help this NPC capital is too hard…

I don’t like blowing up all the time. It’s like my insurance should be so good if I have a good insurance rating. I should have a good credit score and a bank that would give me a loan. I would work missions for the insurance company if they paid my insurance fee.

How is my sphere of influence right now, I didn’t get much political favor during the election. I worked hard for the matar peoples, and I did some work in distribution. I love doing distribution and smuggling, two different things with different rewards. The missions don’t pay enough at level 4 and 5. We need a big bonus that happens in 1 out of 3 missions. For example, you get random moon minerals, PI, commodities like frozen milk worth about 25-125 million. Depending on how you want to influence the inflated economy you’ll get with ending poverty.

Tired of War in highsec? There’s too much grief in war and you can loose your ship so many times that it’s straight up harassment. Wars in highsec need to be handled by concord in a way that fighting in highsec can decrease standings. Concord doesn’t get involved and it made me want to reshape how they handle peace treaties. Some corporations made their entire career out of camping the highsec hubs. What about those guys who make their career out of running missions, they have high standings in corporate eve and should be able to influence concord in war.

Standings in eve should get some political influence, use this influence to do a number of things to change the game. Lower your taxes at the station for 3 hours, get intel on a corporation, there’s more stuff but what would you want to do with your influence?

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Is it even CSM campaign season yet? Can people start campaigning here even?

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I tend to wait until Fenris starts this up although the WILL be my last season of running, win or lose.

m

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What do you want to see changed Mike?

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Fair question but I think I will wait until my own campaign thread starts.

m

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There is a time for all of us. You will be missed when that time comes.

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Very glad to hear that you’re excited to run for the CSM! Before you get too far into your campaign, however, the campaign season for CSM 21 is still a few months away. We generally advise applicants not to post their campaign threads until they have been approved to run - we’re a few months away!

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You run the whole world and all the galaxies.