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| Introduction to Role Play; Non-Sexual | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Mar 8 2010, 12:52 AM (56 Views) | |
| McVegas | Mar 8 2010, 12:52 AM Post #1 |
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Lord Protector
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1. So What is Role-playing? Role-play (RP), as it applies to NationStates, is a way for players to conduct diplomacy, launch wars, engage in trade, or even play out storylines involving the Citizens of their nations. RPs are usually like novels or short stories that members take turns writing together by posting parts of the story in the RP section of a forum. Like a good piece of literature, a good RP will have an interesting, believable plot, complex, realistic characters, and high quality writing. That's not to say that you have to be a fantastic author to participate in RP. You just need a good imagination, and knowledge of the basic etiquette involved in RP. 2. Sounds Like Fun. How Do I Get Started? If you're new to the RP forum, it is recommended that you start an RP that will introduce your nation. A very common and effective method is to start a "banquet" RP, where your nation extends an open invitation to the region, inviting foreign delegates to attend a state banquet or other function. You can RP the world leaders meeting in your nation, and begin establishing diplomatic ties with them. Just make sure your post is IC. 3. IC? IC stands for "In Character." When you type something IC, it is something that is happening in your RP. "OOC," on the other hand, stands for "Out of Character." If you write something OOC, it means that it isn't actually something that is going on in the RP. In an RP, a post is usually assumed to be IC unless otherwise specified. So, for example, a post might look like this:
4. What Was That Formatting? In most RPs, nations communicate with each other through telegrams or messages like that one. That message was an Encoded Telegram, which is a message sent between two nations. Since it is, as it said, encrypted, it cannot be intercepted by other nations. Encoded Telegrams are used when you want something kept secret between two nations in your RP; war, sabotage, and other shady doings. More common is a Public Telegram. Public Telegrams are formatted exactly the same way, except that they do not have the "****Encoded****" line. These messages can be intercepted and read by anyone. 5. Sweet! So Now I Can Send My 1 Billion Man Army to n00k Everyone! That's a serious case of Godmoding, and is highly frowned upon. The general rule of thumb for armies is that their size should be, at the most, 5% of your nation's population. Five percent would represent a ridiculously militaristic nation with mandatory military service. This army would be poorly trained, as they are drafted civilians, as opposed to a regular army. A more reasonable--but still very large and unrealistic--size is 2% of your nation's population. To give you an example of how big real life armies are in proportion to a nation's population, consider that the United States Armed Forces have under 2 million members, the United States having a population around 300 million people. That is less than one percent of the population. Keep in mind that it takes some time for troops to move and your forces to be deployed. To use the United States as an example again, when the United States sent 200,000 troops to the Persian Gulf, it took six months. You will not be mass-deploying troops with any amount of speed. A well-RPed troop deployment will involve a lot of planning and time for troop movements. The use of nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons is also godmoding, unless agreed upon OOC by both parties. Most RPers, when faced with an unplanned nuclear/biological/chemical attack, reply by saying that they are firing their "ignore cannon" and continue RPing as though the attack did not occur. Godmoding also includes saying what happens to someone else's troops/cities/characters/etc. In free-form RP, it is entirely up to the person who was attacked to determine his or her own losses. Never role-play a war without the consent of the defender! On the flipside, godmoding also includes refusing to take losses or to lose. Do not techwank; saying that all your soldiers are equipped with UberArmor that protects them from all bullets/lasers/pointed sticks is a godmode. Similarly, missile defense programs are not magic. If you have an extensive missile defense program in constant use in your nation, the chances of someone finding out how to subvert it are very high. Finally, manipulating your nation's geography to give you an absurd advantage is another example of godmoding. So, saying that your nation is 100% mountainous is a godmode in a war. You can have a nation like this, but you have to introduce it as such before going to war, so that your opponents are aware of this disadvantage before they prepare their invasion. 6. All Right, So I Think I've Got the War Thing Down, But What About Diplomacy? Most RPed diplomacy takes place after a nation has RPed its Embassy Exchange Program. This is done by starting a thread with an invitation to foreign nations, offering to grant them embassies. Most nations have specific laws regarding what is allowed in a foreign embassy. For example, a nation may specify that a foreign delegation may only include no more than thirty people, including guards. Another nation may specify that foreign embassies cannot arm their guards, or may limit the types of weapons the guards can be equipped with. You may get specific enough to note the number of cars allowed a foreign delegation. The more detailed and realistic, the better the RP. Once embassies have been established, a good step is to RP a meeting between your nation's leader and that of a potential ally. These threads can sometimes be uneventful, as they largely involve two leaders talking about foreign policy, but they are very useful in building diplomatic ties between your nation and its allies. You may also wish to pursue alliances or trade agreements. 7. How Do I Start an Alliance or Trade Organization? Once you have established close ties with other nations, you may wish to make those ties formal by starting an alliance or trade organization. Whether or not you choose to RP the summit (which is encouraged), at some point you will have to decide upon a few things before drafting an official treaty. Who is signing your treaty? Will you allow other nations to join at a later time? If so, under what criteria? What is the purpose of the treaty? What happens when nations violate or resign from the treaty? In the end, you will have a document that looks something like this:
8. Alright, Gotcha. So, What's All This About National News Reports? RP newspapers are a common and fun way to let other members learn more about what is happening in your nation. Aside from the obvious governmental news, RP news may include images, editorials, and regional news... whatever you want. Just keep in mind that the same godmoding/OOC vs. IC rules still apply. It is entirely acceptable to start an RP based on what you have read in another nation's newspaper, although once again, if you want to start a war, you must do so with the defenders consent. 9. What If I Still Have Questions? Ask, either on the forums, or in a personal message or telegram; some of our members even make their Instant Messanger identities available. Don't be afraid to ask questions; there are plenty of people here who are more than willing to help out! Happy RPing! |
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