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DispatchAccountCulture

by Sail nation travellers. . 853 reads.

A NationStates Nomad's Notebook

The Notebook of a Nationstates Nomad
Why I'm doing this/background information
I was thinking how easy it is to think of a 'perfect region', then never find one. I'm happy with my main Sail nation in Lorania and my puppet Prussian sail nation in Thaecia, but it can be a struggle to find these regions. I also wandered about whether nations were nomads, not settling anywhere for too long. Turns out, after a quick search, a very small community does. Finally, I posted on the NS forums about this and was directed to the 🌍 TourAdvisor project. I also thought that learning and writing about the NS community would be a nice experience and hopefully interesting for others to see. Even better, I could use this puppet for some card farming, as I don't want to set up a proper card farm but also want to try and gain more cards.

Personal Policies of Mine
  • I don't join regional discords/forums. Personally, I've never been a fan of regional forums and discords for various reasons (especially when regions are so centered on them that it is easy to forget that the region is supposed to be focused on NS), but I'm definitely not joining any when I'm not going to be in the region for long, which brings me on to

  • I only stay in a region for 4-10 days. No matter what the region, unless I'm ejected, I stay for about that amount of time. If I like the region so much that I want to stay, I'll simply make a puppet or move an existing nation there

  • I follow the 🌍 TourAdvisor guidelines, that is not reviewing a region that I'm a regional officer in, or a region where I've fallen out with someone and making sure I review regions as a visitor, not as a resident, Generally, I won't move to a region where I already have another nation.

  • I won't visit regions classed as Minuscule, Jump Points, regions that have recently been raided or are under occupation, puppet farms (occasionally I might visit more general puppet storage regions) etc.

Regions Visited:

[tr]

Region Visited

Rating

Notes

Refugia
(22/5/2020)

👫 Community
💚💚💚🖤🖤 (3)

Refugia is good for eco-minded players to chat with others about such matters, but can be a bit quiet at times. Relatively enjoyable visit, although not perfect.

Was quiet and conversation rarely got further beyond welcomes and issue-based discussion. After a quick look at activity,
I found that the most active nations were mainly answering issues, and some didn't extend far beyond logging in every few days, or were simply inactive.

New West Indies
(29/5/2020)

After the controversy, I decided not to leave a review. I was informed by one of their government officials that Chief editor was a puppet of a nation who was spamming and trolling them, alongside the bad review. I was going to review their WFE, but I was not impressed with their decision to cease diplomatic relations with The Embassy

RMB focused on RP, but relatively friendly when I talked with them OOC. We had a slight problem when Chief editor, who was trying to help me with my travels, left a bad review of the region not only on The Embassy's RMB but New West Indies' RMB, also without a category. Oops. This also resulted in The Embassy's embassy with New West Indies being closed. The nation which caused this controversy was eventually warned by the NS moderators and I decided to leave the region early, with a note of caution to others visiting the region (only caution, no more), as well as asking Chief editor to stop 'helping' me. A very, well lets say, eventful, stay.

Regionless
(2/6/2020)

📖 WFE
💚💚💚💚🖤 (4)

While not the most functional, Regionless's WFE is very colourful and provides all the information that one might need to know about the region. Those who wish to visit longer will find themselves in a welcoming, peaceful enviroment. Also a great stop for nomads/tr avellers wishing for some respite on their long journeys.

Was welcoming, yet remarkably quiet. Not much regional activity at all happened while I was there. It was good respite from the busyness and drama I'd experienced previously.

The Great Monarchical Nations(09/06/2020)

👫 Community
💚💚💚💚💚 (5)

The Great Monarchical Nations has a very active, small community who are willing to involve visitors in their chatting. Most discussions are based around NS, with a mix of roleplay, issue/statistic based and WA discussions on the RMB. The government seemed a little confused when I asked them what the focus of the region is when I asked, but I don't see that as a problem for visitors and travellers. Importantly, they do allow non-monarchical nations into the region, so no worries there. A visit is highly recommended.

Was very active for a region of that size and discussion was varied, although focusing on NS. I felt comfortable including myself in conversation (although to a limited extent). I noticed an oddity though, there was a focus on both roleplay and issues, which is fine, but uncommon. After noticing WA conversation, I asked what the focus of the region was (RP, issues, gameplay etc), and got a very unclear response. But this wasn't a problem, and I enjoyed my stay, even staying a day longer than I usually would.

Eastern Europe (17/06/2020)

👫 Community
💚💚💚💚🖤 (4)

A welcoming, friendly community that is open to visitors. Nations are advised to change one of their stats for two weeks (after a regional vote), I don't know whether travellers are exempt from this, but I did try to reduce crime just to be safe. What really made this region good for me is that I was included in regional conversation just like anyone else.

Although not perfect, I did enjoy my stay. I was asked about how I review regions, which did through me as I usually just decide based upon how welcomed and included I felt (for community reviews). I was able to help them when they had a debate about a IC meeting that they were having and they listened to me. It wasn't the most amazing of stays, but I was content throughout the week I was there.

New World Union(24/06/2020)

📖 WFE
💚💚💚🖤🖤 (3)

Visitors to the New World Union will find a functional and relatively good-looking WFE. The only problem with it is that it isn't updated regularly. Outside of the WFE are endless RP posts which some travellers may enjoy reading and others may not. During my visit, I couldn't find an appropriate moment to join in any conversation and it almost felt like the region was full of people who had been there for a while and were experienced RPers. While I didn't get much of a welcome, they did accept me being in the region. Visit if you like this type of region.

Wow my reviews are getting long, I'd better shorten them a bit soon. The region was very RP-heavy, which I hadn't noticed when looking at the region before moving there. I'm not into RP and tend to find mega-long RP posts really boring to read so this wasn't an ideal region for me to visit. I hoped that there would be more general conversation, but there was little and I never felt like I could join in the conversation, or start a new one. I was largely ignored upon arriving, aside from being told that who I could contact when I wanted to ask a question. Eventually decided to simply move on.

I felt insulted to log on the evening I after I left the region to see the nations of this region ranting on about how unfair my review was, after one of them posted my review in their region (mentioning me in their post). They went on about how I made no effort to chat, how the review must have not been thought and 'spiraled into madness' and asking each other what I wanted them to do with the WFE. Firstly, the review was 3/5. As much as modern society wants to tell you, 3/5 is not bad at all. 3/5 is just ok, good for some but some parts could be better/some travellers wouldn't want to visit. Secondly, I wasn't able to chat for a few reasons. That week I was standing in an election on one of my other puppets, so I was mainly focusing on that instead of being constantly on this nation. I also found no appropriate point to join in a conversation as it was constant long RP posts almost all the time I was there. I couldn't think of anything to start a conversation throughout my visit. And one person told me to contact a certain nation if I had any questions rather than say 'just ask here', which seemed a bit like they didn't want me to intrude on their RP. The review was properly thought out and in the short time I've been doing this, I've seen much more harsh reviews than this one.

The main problem is that no-one understands the purpose of TourAdvisor. TourAdvisor is about showing the NS world what regions are good to visit or even just look at, rather than a review of how regions are run, what it's like to stay permanently in a region etc. This is now the second large RP region where I've had this problem. Both here and New West Indies had a community that was focused on discord rather than on-site, had overwhelmingly long RP posts and almost nothing else on their RMBs, were completely unaccommodating of travellers and overreacted to the slightest of criticism. I just had to get this out (if you are from the New World Union, take a look at yourselves first if you are about to post about me again).

There was later a post in the region saying how a did provide good feedback.

United League of Nations(30/06/2020)

🗳️ Government
💚💚💚💚🖤 (4)

While not super-active, the United League of Nations is steeped in history. Whether your a traveller wishing to rest for a few days or if you are interested in NS history, reading the dispatches, old RMB posts and the NS Wiki page about the region is a really interesting experience. The region is over 15 years old and has been refounded seven times!

The region has some activity, but not much. I was able to have a quick look at the region's history and have a few interactions with the delegate. Nothing amazing, but a nice stay nonetheless.

A Nomadic Hut(05/07/2020)

Travel Break

Took a break while I faced election in Lorania on my main. Also I was starting to struggle with finding regions to move to, so I decided to spend this time forming a new method about how I chose regions to move to. The main problem was I spent a lot of time looking for regions, sometimes with little success. Another problem is that while there are over 20,000 regions, most have very few nations, a lot are puppet storage for one person and most regions are basically 'dead', with barely any RMB activity over the past few months. From what I could see, there is no way to measure RMB activity at all.

I ultimately decided on a system of picking a random page on the regions tag search, with certain tags excluded to prevent regions that I don't want to go to (ones that are two small, password-protected etc)

Region Name (19/07/2020)

👫Community
💚💚💚💚🖤 (4)

Despite having a name that one might not consider too serious, Region Name has a very active community. It has a fast-paced RP, but posts are short, so while some hardcore RPers might not enjoy following these posts while visiting, non-RPers like me (or even more casual RPers) will find it much easier to follow what's happening in the region's RP. A relatively enjoyable visit.

A nice region, although I didn't get much response when I tried to chat. Nevertheless, enjoyed staying in the region and watching the happenings. The difficulty I had this time is that I've been spending more time focusing on my other two nations, as they now both have important government positions in other regions, leaving me less time to focus on my travels, meaning that this has almost become a nation that I simply log into everyday for a few minutes, rather than work on this dispatch or interact within a region.

The Moonlight Battle Born(27/07/2020)

👫 Community
💚💚💚🖤🖤 (3)

If I could give this review 3.5 stars, I would, but I'll give it a three. The region is fairly new, and is also welcoming and willing to answer questions that any visitor may have. The amount of activity depends on what you're used to, you won't find dozens of RMB posts overnight, but the RMB isn't too inactive. Conversation didn't go that far though.

Nothing really notable here, just a medium-sized new-ish region with mainly new nations in it. Apparently most stuff happens on discord, but I don't know how much as I didn't join it. Relatively little activity but I've seen less before.

Conch Kingdom(03/08/2020)

🎟️ Activities
💚💚💚💚💚 (5)

Conch Kingdom is a very large region, but is also very active and very inclusive to visitors and travellers. I was given a very nice welcome, all my questions I had were answered, and notable members of the region were very supportive of TourAdvisor and made sure I was enjoying my visit. In terms of activities, Conch Kingdom has 'Question of the Day', which encouraged lots of interesting discussions on the RMB. The region also provided news updates in the form of a dispatch, which was an interesting read. A must-visit for the travellers and wanderers of NationStates!

Possibly one of the most inclusive regions yet, members of Conch Kingdom checked whether I was enjoying my time there, gave me dispatches to read and included me in activities. The members of the government were always willing to answer my questions as well.

Democritus(09/08/2020)

👫 Community
💚💚💚💚🖤 (4)

Democritus is a small, yet very active region that mixes RP and general chat in a purely onsite mix. Most discussion during my stay was about US politics, which is a popular NS topic right now. I would frequently wake up to over 100 messages, which I found nice, but that got tiring after a few days, though for some residents of larger regions that would be normal. Native residents listened to what I had to say and responded, which is always nice. A region that is certainly worth a look for travellers.

Was given a lengthy post about how the region had become a success, through RP and general discussion. As of writing this, the US presidential election is only a few months away, so US politics was a big debate in the region, so as I'm from the UK I decided to largely stay out of the discussion. Sadly I've had to focus on my other two nations recently as there is an election in Thaecia and Lorania has had an activity spike, and I've also been away IRL, so I've had little time to focus on this nation.

Eurth(17/08/2020)

👫 Community
💚💚💚💚🖤 (4)

Eurth's community, while largely based on regional forums, is friendly and willing to chat on the RMB. The region is full of history dating back to before RMBs were kept (while the residents were in a different region). The region is really accepting of visitors, and several residents are very friendly and talkative!

The region was quiet due to activity being mainly on it's forums, but I had some nice conversation with a few residents and they told me about the region's history. A good visit, not the best ever but still nice.

The Place(25/08/2020)

📖 WFE
💚💚💚🖤🖤 (3)

The Place's WFE contains useful links to pages such as the region's rules and the official NS rules, as well as some information. It also is very colourful and looks quite nice, but could be a bit better and updated more frequently. The region has a lot of friendly, casual residents as well.

Had some enjoyable conversations with residents, but a bit quiet. Altogether not too bad.

Hive(02/09/2020)

👫 Community
💚💚💚🖤🖤 (3)

Hive is well, a hive of activity!! I logged on each day to find 2-3 pages of RMB posts, focusing on RP, regional management and more! What disappointed me though is how members of the region didn't make an effort to chat with me on the RMB, although this could be because I'm a bit busy on NS and IRL right now, so I might re-visit at some point.

When I did try to interact with residents, I was largely ignored, although this could be because I'm busy in real life and on NS at the time of writing, so travelling is not a priority. I might revisit in the future.

Warzone Sandbox (9/9/2020)

📖 WFE
💚💚💚💚🖤 (4)

Warzone Sandbox's WFE is notable for having so many sand-related jokes or references, which is at a comedic level. The region is oddly peaceful and quiet, but always has a threat of being raided, so please don't travel there with your WA nation unless if you intend on staying for an extended period of time. Note that the WFE might change if the region is raided.

Very nice region, although quieter than what I'd usually like. First Warzone I've ever visited.

Bluecrown Keep(19/9/2020)

👫 Community
💚💚💚💚🖤 (4)

Bluecrown Keep is a very active and welcoming region, although the levels of activity can be a bit too much for those who are used to quieter regions. The residents are really nice though, and I would still recommend visiting.

Currently having some big problems with activity. Maybe being in two political positions, running a newspaper, travelling NS and having a life outside of NS is too much? I really do need to log into this nation more often.

ATOMIC(26/9/2020)

N/A, Temporary residence for N-Day

Moved there for N-Day, used the puppet during the event. Spent an extra week in region while other puppets were sorted out.

The Democratika(5/10/2020)

📖 WFE
💚💚💚🖤🖤 (3)

The Democratika's WFE is simple, colourful and informative. Links to various important documents and resources are included. The region is fairly quiet, but warm and welcoming, and is altogether an alright region to visit.

Region was very quiet, I was becoming very busy with other nations by this point, so struggling to keep up with everything happening on NS.

Alnobia(13/10/2020)

🗳️ Government
💚💚💚💚🖤 (4)

Albonia is an active fun region, with a nice active government, that includes every WA nation in the region. It is a nice place to visit, although there is little that is extraordinarily special about the region.

I need a break. This puppet is going into puppet storage, effective almost immediately.

Chicken overlords

N/A Puppet storage, nation lays dormant

A combination of less time on NS and becoming tired of travelling, decided to put the nation into puppet storage.

Christmas(25/12/2020)

N/A

Moved nation into region for the latter part of the Christmas period. Considering pausing TourAdvisor reviews indefinitely.

Notable Events

22/5/2020: After a couple of weeks of planning, I started my travels.

1/6/2020: First Mentioned in The Cable

2/6/2020: The Chief editor/New West Indies incident (explained more in depth above)

19/7/2020: Changed method of deciding how to move between regions from trying to find them, to picking a random page in a list of regions (excluding puppet storage, password-protected etc)


Observations about the NS community as a whole

  • The NS community can be impulsive, over-reactive and sometimes trying to see all of what has happened can be difficult. It's no surprise, that like any online community, NS has people who react weirdly, such as password-protecting the region in response to one nation. Also, seeing all the evidence of something can take time sometimes.

  • Smaller, regional communities can be very quiet, with most nations not talking to each other on their RMBs and focusing on either issues or simply logging in occasionally. There are a lot of regions with very little activity and a few old nations.

  • While the core of the NS community focuses on R/D, regional politics, the WA and RP, a lot of nations focus mostly on issues. Discussion about issues mainly centres in smaller regions.

  • Some regions have RP-centred communities with page-long post and sometimes a lack of understanding of the NS world outside RP from some nations inside these regions (not all, just more than usual). Most non-RP activity is on discord, so a lot of players might be excluded from parts of these communities.

Sail nation travellers

Edited:

RawReport