Radio Yerevan | Episode 3: The Fox of Erfurt

English Version

Radio Yerevan — People around the Globe

Disclaimer

The german version can be found here:

https://app.warera.io/article/6ad91f9c8b256fe4011e888d

This interview is part of a cooperation between Radio Yerevan and Fuchspost, the Fuchspost article can be found here:

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Episode 3: “The Fox of Erfurt” - An Interview with https://app.warera.io/user/699e40766d2ef0246c98ff1c

Published on October 21, 2026

Babgen Vahan Frikjan: Welcome to Radio Yerevan, NordicFox. You are our third guest on People around the Globe, and a familiar face: https://app.warera.io/country/6813b6d446e731854c7ac79c’s Federal Press Spokesman, author of the Fuchspost, and, for one very Alpine month, my comrade in https://app.warera.io/country/6813b6d446e731854c7ac7a6. Let’s start at the beginning: how did you find your way to WarEra?

NordicFox: I found my way into the game at the end of February, after being bombarded for almost two weeks with badly made AI images saying “Germany needs you.” Eventually that had a certain charm. It really felt like a small community desperately looking for help.

Babgen Vahan Frikjan: A recruitment campaign that worked through sheer persistence. Some of us have used worse methods. What are your goals in the game?

NordicFox: Phew, tough question. For a long time it was definitely a government office: steering the nation myself someday. After a few months of seeing German government work from the inside, I’m no longer sure I still see myself there. Right now I’m very happy to be officially active as a press spokesman again, and with the Fuchspost I want to establish a format that’s also interesting to international members of the German-speaking community.

Babgen Vahan Frikjan: A man who has seen the kitchen and decided he prefers writing the menu. (smiles) You are one of the “old hands” of this world. Give me three sentences of hindsight.

NordicFox: Old fox, if you please! But yes, the past months have been eventful: we grew enormously, celebrated big successes, and are currently shrinking again. The German-speaking community loves to argue with itself, but in my opinion it’s pretty great. There’s always room for improvement, but I’ve been glad for months to be part of it.

Babgen Vahan Frikjan: And your best and worst moment, one sentence each?

NordicFox: The best was https://app.warera.io/user/69d8a70d0fda012ada707fea’s campaign in Africa, because for me everything just ran smoothly and felt right. The worst, leaving aside my temporary farewell last month, was my month in Switzerland, because in hindsight I lost so much contact with Germany.

Babgen Vahan Frikjan: (laughs) I was there too, so I will take that personally. Though I admit the mountains kept us busy. What do you expect from the current legislature, and what would be your main goals as president?

NordicFox: I hope for a return to what has proven itself, without throwing out all the new things. A new government doesn’t have to reinvent the wheel every time, even though it’s tempting to shape everything to your own ideas. There are many experienced people now whose knowledge should be built upon. As president, I would probably seek a more sensible alliance for Germany again. Right now https://app.warera.io/alliance/6a2b13879c8c99640b9c4963 unfortunately feels a bit like BEER’s leftovers, but don’t tell anyone!

Babgen Vahan Frikjan: (grinning) I’m afraid this is a radio station, NordicFox. Yerevan is broadcasting. Always. Let’s stay with history: rate the last three legislatures from one to ten.

NordicFox: Taru 1 gets 8/10: BEER ran well, the mood in Germany was good, only minor problems. Taru 2 gets 6/10: I was only moderately satisfied with myself as Interior Minister, and we could have done more in foreign policy, including regarding BANG. Davis gets 5/10: leaving my personal path aside, the push against the Benelux felt a little uncreative. There were also steps backward in communication between government and players, in my opinion, such as clear orders instead of GIFs, citizen conferences and commander briefings.

Babgen Vahan Frikjan: Honest, and self-critical, which is rarer than a good bratwurst, I hear. Let’s get a little more personal. How old are you, how are things at home, and are you content?

NordicFox: I’m 28, very happily engaged, and currently finding my way back to contentment. Last year I had two heart surgeries for a congenital heart rhythm disorder, which shook me to my foundations. Finding security and joy in life again has been a slow but steady process since then.

Babgen Vahan Frikjan: (quietly) Thank you for sharing that. I’m glad to hear the process is moving forward. If you could change one thing, what would it be?

NordicFox: I’d wish to cope more easily with change.

Babgen Vahan Frikjan: A wish many a nation could share. Where are you from in real life, and what would you send a visitor to see or eat?

NordicFox: I’m from Erfurt, so hopefully I’ll soon be able to show many from the WarEra community around my adopted home! Thuringian bratwurst is the obvious recommendation, though even in Thuringia it’s often hard to find a good one. Erfurt is absolutely worth a city trip too, because in my completely biased opinion it’s one of Germany’s most beautiful cities.

Babgen Vahan Frikjan: A completely biased opinion is the best kind of travel guide. And your path in real life? How did you get to where you are?

NordicFox: For a long time I didn’t know what to do with my life. After school I threw myself into a political science degree, but quickly became unhappy with it. After dropping out I did a voluntary cultural year, which led me to study musicology. I originally wanted to go into theatre, but soon realised I was far more interested in the historical circumstances in which plays came about than in the plays themselves. I sat in on some history courses, applied for a student assistant position in a historical research project, and decided to focus entirely on history for my master’s. Right now I’m doing my PhD in the history of science, focusing on the circulation of knowledge between Japan and Europe in the early 19th century.

Babgen Vahan Frikjan: A historian who writes the news of a browser game. History is being recorded in real time, then. What was the best moment on that path, and the worst?

NordicFox: The best was a conference in Manchester. It was 120% of why I want to be a scientist: meeting cool people, getting out into the world, and properly nerding out about topics you find fascinating. (Is “nerding out” a word?) The worst was dropping out. Germany still has the stigma that at 18 you must commit perfectly to what you’ll do for the rest of your days. If that isn’t the case, counselling and support for people trying to stand on their own feet for the first time are really scarce.

Babgen Vahan Frikjan: It is a word now, on this station at least. Let’s turn to lighter matters: your favourite dish, drink and sweet?

NordicFox: Tough one. If I had to choose, probably curry udon. I’m generally a big fan of East Asian snacks and drinks. Pocari Sweat is a fantastic drink, even if people give you funny looks because of the “Sweat” in the name. Otherwise, little beats a classic German goulash, vegetarian now and then too.

Babgen Vahan Frikjan: A man of culture, with a brave choice of beverage. (smiles) And your hobbies?

NordicFox: I’m a passionate gamer, to probably nobody’s surprise, especially Paradox grand strategy games, with more hours in Europa Universalis IV than I’d like to admit. Writing in WarEra has become a small new hobby. As a historian I write a lot anyway, but writing explicitly for an audience is something quite different, and I enjoy it a lot. I also like cooking and I’m a lifeguard, though both currently fall victim to lack of time.

Babgen Vahan Frikjan: A man who conquers continents in Europa Universalis and saves swimmers in real life. Armenia could use both skills. NordicFox, thank you for joining us. Before we close, do you have a word for the audience?

NordicFox: Thanks for the interview! It was a lot of fun to see myself from an outside perspective.

Babgen Vahan Frikjan: (laughs) A fox who looks at himself from the outside. Rare indeed. Safe travels, NordicFox, and may the Fuchspost find readers far beyond the German-speaking world.

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