NATION

PASSWORD

1

DispatchBulletinCampaign

by The Imperial Union of States of Oneid1. . 73 reads.

Good Factbook

Previous version





Government:
-Legislature composition generator: http://tools.wmflabs.org/parliamentdiagram/parliamentinputform.html
-A handy guide to the ins and outs of different electoral method: http://aceproject.org/ace-en/topics/es/default
-Election results generator: http://icon.cat/util/elections
-Excel D’Hondt Proportional Representation Calculator: https://blog.stevenkellow.com/excel-dhondt-proportional-representation-calculator/
-Excel Webster/Sainte-Laguë Calculator: https://blog.stevenkellow.com/excel-webster-sainte-lague-calculator/

Names
-People name generator: http://www.behindthename.com/random/
-Place name generator: http://www.mithrilandmages.com/utilities/CityNames.php
-People, place etc. name generator: http://fantasynamegenerators.com/

Nation Building
-Conlang generator: https://www.vulgarlang.com/
-Create your own translator: https://lingojam.com/
-A guide to mapping your country realistically: http://wiki.opengeofiction.net/wiki/index.php/OGF:Making_realistic_countries
-Public transport map generator: http://www.pxsnake.de/software/networx#
-A guide to RPing dissent, factions, and conflict:viewtopic.php?f=5&t=410636
-A role player'a guide to foreign policy: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=401366&sid=9bfde36017aadd6b2c720d9671c3d54a

News posts:
-Facebook post generator: http://simitator.com/generator/facebook
-Tweet generator: https://www.tweetgen.com/create/tweet.html

Read factbook


Easter Eggs

by New fakeland

Easter Eggs

In NationStates, Easter Eggs are secret issues that are unlocked in unusual ways.

Easter eggs found by New Fakeland so far:8

Colour issue (favourite colour):
- From having a colour ["golden"] in the nation's classification (pre-title).
- No other factors appear to be involved.
Holy issue (pull the lever):
- From having "holy" in nation's classification (pre-title).
- May require population of over 1.25 billion (I had 1.367 billion, and ~1.33b on other nation)
Issues issue:
- Seems to be from completing a set number of issues (possibly 250),
- Possibly requires existing easter eggs.
- Other possible factors: population over 1 billion, high intelligence, possibly large government size and happiness.
Eggs issue:
- Have atleast 3 eggs.
Zombie issue:
- From reactivating a dead nation (after 30+ days of inactivity).
- May require population of over 1billion before inactivity (had 1.6billion, and 2.1billion)*
    *Saw nation get this egg with just over 300million population, so population probably isn't a factor.
- Time from resurrection to issue may be 1 day to 2 weeks.
- No lower time limit of being dead. Unknown if upper limit (but suspect there may be one).
- Changing region and WA doesn't effect this.
Halloween issue (A Holiday Masquerade) :
- Have a national animal name include something Halloween related (e.g. "monster", "bat", "vampire", "zombie", or "ghost")
- I achieved this with "monster".
- Unsure if other factors are involved, but I got this in December, so it doesn't need to be Halloween to get this issue.
- Seem to have gotten this twice on seconds nation.
Christmas issue (Red Sleigh Down) :
- Have something Christmassy in nation classification/animal/motto/leader, etc.
- Seems to only work in December (make nation Christmassy at beginning of December to maximize chances of getting it.
- I got this with: national animal=reindeer, leader=nick santa
- I got this on another nation with: Motto=Ho ho ho, Classification=Christmas, currency=candy cane
Irish issue (Keep Your Hands Off Those Lucky Charms!) :
- Have something Irish in nation classification/animal/motto.
- May only work in March.
- Got it with "Lucky" in motto, "gold bar" in currency, "leprechaun" in national animal, and "St Patrick" in leader name.
- Got on second nation with "Lucky" in classification, and currency as "gold bar".

*Easter eggs take between 1 day to 2 weeks to appear, after conditions have been met.

*After receiving your 1st Easter Egg, you will unlock the banner at the top of this page.
*After receiving your 4th Easter Egg, you will unlock the banner below.




Other potential eggs

Breaking the fourth wall issue:
-I've heard that having “NationStates” in your motto unlocks this one, but I haven't tried, due to lazyness

Alien pizza issue:
- Have lots of pizza.
- Cheese may help too.
- May need high IT.
- May be other factors

Space suburbs issue:
- High crime and space exploration?
- Possible crime in to 1%, or over 80.
- National analysis for other possible factors:
Auth:ba, Eco-F:ba, Envi:ba, Hpy:10, Hlth:ba, IncEq:ba, Int:aa, LawEnf:ba, Obe:aa, Rude:aa, Safe:bab0, SfCr:bab0, Manu:aa, Stup:a11, tox:aa, WelGp:aa, Wep:aa, Wtr:ba, Welf:ba,

leader-clothes Easter egg:
can't remember where I say this
-maybe have capital city as "[[your-nation-name]] city"
-maybe have "friendship" in your motto

Read factbook



NationStates Guide about NationStates


Please, up-vote this NationStates Guide dispatch to get maximum audience and promote this for all players and especially for beginners.


Site Rules:
- The One Stop Rules Shop
- Terms & Conditions of Use

BB-Codes in text messages:
These BBCode-like tags can be used in Dispatches, Telegrams, Regional Message Board (RMB) posts, Regional World Factbook Entries (WFEs), and World Assembly proposals.
Not all tags are valid for all message types: see The Complete List of NSCodes.

NS Frequently Asked Questions:
- Abridged version > NationStates Help - FAQ
- In-Depth version > NS FAQ

Older NationStates Guide:
- 2015's NS Guide about the general things in NationStates to be known by the new players.
- 2016's NationStates Guide about the basics and updated in 2017.
- 2016's TWP Survival Guide to NS - a guide made by the regional officers of The West Pacific.

NS Nation Issues List:
- NationStates Issues - This thread lists every issue in the game with Dilemmas and responses. Pick an issue from the list and decide which are acceptable and unacceptable responses to it for your region.
- LinkNS Issues Effect Lines - This page created by Trotterdam lists the resulting effect line that appears in the nation's happenings after answering an issue. Use this page to know what effect lines to look for from acceptable/unacceptable responses for your nation's issue policy.

Activity Feed or API - Found at the top of every region page, the activity feed shows all the changes happening in the region. This may be used to monitor a region. For example, you can filter it to only show 'laws' (issue responses) so it is easier to view law changes in the region. - Example: API The_South_Pacific Laws Filter (by filter), or you can watch the simple Regional Activity as it is shown in NationStates - example: NS Page=Activity/View=Region_The_South_Pacific.

Issues
Issues are political decisions that players make, which shape their nations as a result.

Telegrams
Telegrams are private messages that can be sent between players.

Population
A newly-founded nation in NationStates begins with a population of 5 million. Every 24 hours, the population of a nation increases.

Dossier
A nation's dossier is a compilation of brief information on other nations & regions which a player can select. This show a limited number of nations & regions in the Dossier.

Settings
Settings is a page where a player can modify aspects of his/her nation.

People, Government and the Economy
People: A pie-chart illustrating the leading causes of death throughout your nation.
Government: An illustration showing the distribution of your budget.
Economy: An illustration of the division of the public and private sectors.

Analysis
Every day, the game will generate a Census Report on a particular subject and will rank all nations and regions from highest to lowest. Such topics include 'Most Extreme', 'Most Cultured' and 'Best Healthcare'. Score well enough and you'll be awarded a little medal that appears on your nation's page.


NationStates Useful/Rare Links
- About NationStates: page=about
- Terms and conditions: pages/legal.html
- Email Privacy Policy: pages/why_email.html
- Forgotten passwords: page=forgot_password
- Getting Help: page=help
- NS for Educators: page=educators
- NationStates Store: page=store
- The Boneyard: page=boneyard
- Change regions: page=change_region
- Create a region: page=create_region
- List regions and Region Tags: page=list_regions
- Dispatches: page=dispatches
- Factbooks of dead nations: page=exfactbooks
- Past General Assembly Resolutions: page=WA_past_resolutions/council=1
- Past Security Council Resolutions: page=WA_past_resolutions/council=2
- Historical Resolutions: page=UN_past_resolutions
- Advanced Dossier Manager: page=dossier_advanced
- 10th Anniversary Minigame: page=challenge
- All About Influence: page=influence
- Mobile Site: Linkhttps://m.nationstates.net
- Compare your nation to another(Without a challenge): page=compare
- Election for the World Assembly Secretary-General: page=election

Information for script authors
API (Application Programming Interface) script guidance: pages/api.html
Verify Login for API use: page=verify_login
Non-template nation page: page=panel/template-overall=none
Non-template region page: region=the_rejected_realms/template-overall=none
Menu-only template: page=panel/template-overall=minimal

Unofficial semi-offsite pages of interest
Embedded #nationstates IRC chatroom: page=chat
NS Twitter: https://twitter.com/nationstatesnet
NS Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/NationStates/28164488374

NS Etiquette
- Etiquette - How to avoid the wrath of admin.

Reference
- LinkNSWiki - Automatically updated official NationStates Wiki. Uses bots to collect an accurate plethora of information about nations and regions.
- LinkIIWiki - A Wiki created for In-Character content.
- LinkWikiStates - An unofficial fan-made Wiki utilising Wikia.
- LinkNSIndex
- LinkNSDossier

Miscellaneous
- Who is [violet]? Only the mods know for sure.
There is speculation that [violet] may be Max Barry’s pseudonym – or [violet] might just be Max’s codemonkey. That question is one that we players are unlikely to ever get a straight answer to.
- What is the Violet's Cult? There are some National issues using the "Violet" name as about a religion or cult. There is speculation that it's the creation of Max Barry as replacement of some names of religions.
- NS Archives: NSArchives, LinkRegion Flags, LinkWFE Index.
- NS Economy Calculators: LinkNSEconomy, LinkNSSuite.

External Applications and Augmentations (outside the game)
1) Attention: these external applications are not supported by NS game but made by users (years ago) as auxiliary "expansions" to NS and if using these you're on your own risk;
- LinkLinkNationStates++ - A Browser Extension allows easy switching between Puppet Nations, allows creation of Regional Newspapers (Viewable by other NS++ users), various news sections, reorganised pages and various other aesthetic changes LinkIIWiki
- LibreNS++ - An alternative Browser Extension to NS++. It adds a Live RMB Display, Puppet Nation Management and an update checker. LibreNS++ is compatible with some NS++ features.
- LinkLink Nation States -free- - This is an Android App that allows nations to answer issues and compare and track statistics.
- LinkLink NSDroid - This is an Android App that allows nations to post on the Regional RMB, compose and read Telegrams, and utilise the dossier.
- LinkAutoTelegram
- LinkNationManager v0.2
2) for R/D Gameplay:
- SerinApprox - This utilises data from NS++ to calculate Update Times for regions. It tends to work better on more active regions as it has more data to go off.
- LinkLinkNSBreeze - This is a Browser Extension that adds keyboard shortcuts that assist R/D Gameplay
- LinkLinkWFE Index - This allows nations to look at past versions of Regional WFE Entries to allow retrieval following a tag raid
- Nation Manager - This logs into a given list of puppets to prevent them from ceasing to exist
- Flags: LinkPNG, LinkPhoto, LinkSVG, LinkConverter; LinkLinkFlagMakerJr.
- Generators: LinkClass, LinkCoat of Arms, LinkMotto.
- Name Examples: LinkAnimal, LinkCity, LinkCountry, LinkCurrency, LinkLeader.
- Propaganda Examples: LinkInspiration, LinkPlatform, LinkRhetoric.
- Speech Examples: LinkCampaign, LinkPress Release.
- Recruitment Telegrams via API: The Simple Guide to Sending Telegrams via API; How to set up a Recruitment Campaign for your region on NS++; nstg-web (web app to auto-TG nations); Manual Telegram Recruitment (Easy Alternative For Stamps and API) and checking its info here: Linkhttps://nsindex.net/wiki/NationStates_API, and API Documentation; also these: NS-cgi-bin-newnations and NS-World-Activity-founding-nations.
3) Third Party Sites:
- Useful NS sites and Utilities - other sources and 3rd party sites
- NationStates Utilities - other sources and 3rd party sites
- LinkImgBB - You can upload .png files here in order to post pictures in dispatches
- LinkFamilyEcho - You can create a custom online family tree
- LinkCustom Google Maps - How to draw lines on google maps, basically
- LinkCustom Poll Maker
- LinkRandomness Generator - Randomly generate numbers and other stuff
- LinkCustom Legislature Apportionment Chart - You can use this to show a visual of your legislature's political power divide
- LinkCustom Planet Creator - Defines the qualities of a random planet as you please
- LinkGeneral RPG Tools - for RPG needs
- LinkDice Roller
- LinkMapChart - for making maps


Nation
- In NS, Nation is a user-created account which simulate virtually the idea of a large aggregate of people united by common descent, history, culture, or language, inhabiting a particular country or territory and where the user start as the nation's leader. This may be used also as a profile of the user's political beliefs. However, despite the fact that an user can create many nations he wish, a player can use only one nation in the World Assembly, otherwise the player can get severe punishment on the NS site ("warning" at first time only if lucky, but you can get "banned IP" in many cases). Read the NS rules.
- A Guide to Different Issue Types
- NationStates Policies
- Flag
- Customizable Features
- Issues > this is about Issues
- NS Moderation
- Trophies
- [Forum Topic] Nation's political level of Freedom measurement
- About Nation Creation and Categories (every WA category for nations and how to create a nation to fulfill certain categories)

Dispatches
- Dispatches are statements issued by your nation and fall in to one of four categories:
1 Factbook: Descriptions relating to your nation, or anything you choose.
2 Bulletin: For all things relating to gameplay.
3 Account: Articles or stories about your nation.
4 Meta: Matters relating to gameplay which stem from a real-life perspective.
- NationStates Library (basic)
- The Complete List of NSCodes
- How to Write a Dispatch
- How to create a Wikipedia-style Factbook
- Keyboard Shortcuts
- Guide to Coding a Dispatch
- LinkGeneral BBCode Guide
- LinkLink BBCode Color List
- Macros in Factbooks - your nation info data auto-updating.
- LinkGeneral Symbols - Copy and paste all kinds of symbols;
- LinkEmojis - Copy and paste emojis
5 Templates: Blank examples for your dispatches.
- Nation Overview Template - Describes aspects about your nation
- Factbook Templates - overview template examples (almanac, and holidays outline)
- Foreign Relations and Embassies Template - How your nation interacts with others around the world
- Legislature Wiki - describing your lawmaking body;
- Military Wiki (1) and Military Wiki (2) - Describes military in a general sense;
- Legislature Election Wiki - your lawmaking body's election cycle;
- Character Template - See modernized sidebar for this template;
- Person Wiki - describe your favorite characters;
- Noble House Wiki - for dukes and duchesses;
- Constitution Template - Can be used by nations and international institutions alike;

Region
- In NS, Region is an area or division, especially part of the NS world having definable characteristics but not always fixed boundaries. It is a community of nations which generally incorporates at least five basic social values that all regions are expected to provide and uphold for the benefit of their citizens.
- Delegates are elected by a region to serve as their representative at the World Assembly. Unlike ordinary members, they have the ability to approve newly-suggested resolutions. Delegates may also have administrative control over their region, though this is entirely dependent on the settings decided with the region's creation.
- About Endorsements
- About Influence
- Basics of Military Gameplay
- Basics of Region-Building
- Guide to Recruiting
- Regional Controls
- Regional Raiding/Defending Military Guide
- Basics of Defending

The World
- The NS World

World Assembly
- The WA is the world's governing body. Membership is voluntary, but all member nations must abide by legislation it passes. [More Information] The World Assembly has member nations and Regional Delegates. The oldest Council of the World Assembly, the General Assembly concerns itself with international law. Its resolutions are applied immediately upon passing in all WA member nations. The Security Council recognizes and responds to individual nations and regions, with the aim of ensuring global harmony. By being a member, your nation can endorse other nations, and also receive endorsements. You may also vote on the current WA resolution, shown by clicking on 'World Assembly' in the side-bar on NS. With two endorsements, you are allowed to submit proposals to the WA, which may be put up for a vote if they receive enough support.
- General Assembly Guide
- Security Council Guide
- General Assembly Q&A
- GA Proposal Rules & General Advices
- So, ‘You say you want a Resolution’ : A beginners’ guide to writing GA proposals

Gameplay (OOC)
- Gameplay (as opposed to role-play) is what happens in the game and that which is related to it. At a basic level, it involves playing NationStates the game, but it also encompasses the organisation of this gameplaying, which often takes place on regional offsite forums, chats or Regional Message Board. Gameplay includes (but is not limited to) nation management, regional politics and the invader/defender gameplay.
- Gameplay Advice Thread
- Region-Building Guide
- Daily Issues List
- Issues FAQ
- Capital/Religion/Leader FAQ
- N-Day: What You Need to Know
- Raiding Guide (in 2015)
- Some Military Gameplay Basics
- List of Founderless regions
- NS Political Theory Complete Anthology
-

Role-plays (IC)
- In simple terms Role-Play is mostly just creating and building a character that leads your country, you act as a leader of a nation (make decisions political, military and economic). So you create your countries story and then Role-Play is out with other Role-players in a map (usually).
- New to Roleplay? [FORUM INFO] P2TM DEPOT
- International Incidents
- Factbooks & National Info
- Global Economics & Trade
- NS Sports
- Portal to the Multiverse
- NS Military Realism Consultation Thread Vol. 11.0

NationStates Forum
- NS Forum
- NSGeneral Subforum - Information
- Memberlist and by total posts
- NS Player Profiles Info
- NS Forum BBCode Guide - Outlines how to use BBCode on the forums only.

Store
- Store is the page where to browse NS shelves and shopping at NationStates, also you can gift this purchase to someone else. Your purchase is applied to one nation. It doesn't expire: you keep it for the lifetime of your nation. It isn't transferrable, so please make sure you're logged in as the right nation, or, in the case of gifts, that the right nation is displayed as a giftee at the top of this page. If the nation ceases to exist due to inactivity, your purchase isn't lost and will be restored along with the nation when you return (in terms of 3 years if you're not Site-Supporter). Purchases are final and non-refundable. They don't grant exemptions from site rules, and can't be transferred or recovered from nations that are deleted by moderators.

News
- NS News is the page where the news and events in game are shown.


1. Glossary
- Ban: An act which prevents a nation from entering a given region.
- Cease-to-Exist (CTE): The deletion of a nation after a period of inactivity lasting 28 days or 60 days if vacation mode is set. A nation can be 'refounded' by the owner by login.
- Eject: An act of ejecting a nation from a region. This can be performed by the Founder (with cost to the nation) or by the Delegate (with an influence cost incurred on the Delegate). Nations who have been ejected will relocate involuntarily to The Rejected Realms.
- Feeders: Regions that new nations are founded in. Sinkers include The Pacific, The North Pacific, The South Pacific, The West Pacific, and The East Pacific.
- Founder: A nation who 'founded' the region and hence is the original inhabitant. The Founder, depending on access to the administration panel, has the power to ban, eject, banject nations, change tags, suppress RMB posts, change the flag, construct and close embassies, and change the World Factbook Entry.
- Sinkers: Regions that nations returning to the game, or in the case of The Rejected Realms are ejected from a different region go to. Sinkers include Lazarus, Osiris, Balder, and The Rejected Realms.
- Out-of-character (OOC): Post of this sort is used to convey messages unrelated to the roleplay, such as informing fellow players that you will be out of town for a week and therefore will not be online in NationStates.
- Puppets: Nations created to be used secondary to the primary nation. Some players choose to use puppet nations as WA nations while others choose to use it to boost a region's population. Reasons vary and there is nothing wrong with creating puppets for one's purpose.
- Regional Message Board (RMB): A chat function visible in a region (scroll down the region's homepage). This aspect allows nations to communicate and displays their flag as well as allowing them to 'like' others' messages and quote them.
- Telegram (TG): A private messaging system that acts as emails for NS.
- Warzones: Regions which have no founder and cannot be refounded. In these regions, ejections/bannings do not incur an influence drain on the Delegate but can only last a limited amount of time. Warzones include Warzone Airspace, Warzone Africa, Warzone Europe, Warzone Asia, Warzone Australia, and Warzone Sandbox.
- World Assembly (WA): An institute of global governance in NationStates, similar to the United Nations in real-life.
- World Assembly Delegate: A nation who possess the largest number of WA endorsements in the region, thereby allowing it to represent the region in the World Assembly.
- World Factbook Entry (WFE): World Factbook Entry is an area visible at the top of a region's homepage which describes the region, etc. Typically, it would state members of the region's governing entity, links to an offsite forum, etc.

- Other Glossary:
- NationStates Encyclopedia [REF] by "August"
- NationStates Pages [REF] by August
- Glossary of Terms by Karteria

2. NS Newspapers
- The NewsStand (NS Newspaper)
- The Independent Newspaper
- NationStates Today (Newspaper)
- The Rejected Times
- The Times

3. Multiregional Campaigns in NS:
- Keeping NationStates Safe: A Campaign Against Harassment
- Pro-Life International FAQ
- Save The Internet (again...)
- Socialist Campaign "The Ugly Truth of the World Assembly - A Guide to Those Who do not Know" and Fixing the Issues of the World Assembly - A Sequel
- ANTI-COMMUNIST CONCORDAT
- What Libertarians Are and Aren't
- #GETVAXXED Campaign
- The Southern World Assembly Initiative
- Civil Defence Siren
- Earth isn't waiting for our response!!
- We Can Stop Climate Change Together!
- What’s Gonna Happen When You Die?
- Anti Fairy Pact

4. Other Things:
- Flag Makers/Requests II
- Seal and Logo Request Thread
- Top NS Issues Examples
- Reference Library by August
- LinkPlanet Map Generator
- LinkMap to Globe
- LinkWorld-Time-Zones
- Latin Motto Clinic
- Human Development Index
- Democracy Index
- Religious Tolerance Survey
- World-Building Survey (every fact about your nation can go here)

5. Special Real-Life World Related
- Coronavirus (COVID-19) Informational Dispatch
- Depression & Suicide Support Resources


This dispatch / document intends to include the most possible information about NationStates simulation politics and this includes references to various NS guides to be known by the new players.

"I would sincerely appreciate it if you could up-vote this dispatch if you found it informative ^_^"

Even if this may be rarely 100 % complete, this will help you to get all you need in game.


Read dispatch



These BBCode-like tags can be used in Dispatches, Telegrams, Regional Message Board (RMB) posts, Regional World Factbook Entries (WFEs), and World Assembly proposals. Not all tags are valid for all message types: see below.

Bold, Italic, Underline
Valid: Everywhere
Tags: b, i, u

I [b]really[/b] like text that [i]makes a point[/i], you [u]know[/u]?
I really like text that makes a point, you know?

Strikeout, Subscript, Superscript
Valid: Everywhere
Tags: strike, sub, sup

I [strike]like[/strike] [sub]love[/sub] love [sup]love[/sup] this region!
I like love love love this region!

Nation
Valid: Everywhere
Tag: nation
Shortcut: @
Options: long, noflag, noname

I am [nation]Testlandia[/nation]. Or, to use my full name, [nation=long]Testlandia[/nation]. If you prefer to omit flags, you can call me [nation=noflag]Testlandia[/nation] or [nation=long+noflag]Testlandia[/nation]. In dispatches (only), I can be a mere flag: [nation=noname]Testlandia[/nation]
I am Testlandia. Or, to use my full name, The Hive Mind of Testlandia. If you prefer to omit flags, you can call me Testlandia or The Hive Mind of Testlandia. In dispatches (only), I can be a mere flag: Testlandia

(Tip: When writing a post or dispatch, hit "@" and begin typing a nation name for an auto-completing shortcut.)

Region
Valid: Everywhere
Tag: region
Shortcut: @

[region]The Pacific[/region] was the very first region in the world.
The Pacific was the very first region in the world.

(Tip: When writing a post or dispatch, hit "@" and begin typing a region name for an auto-completing shortcut.)

World Assembly Proposal
Valid: Everywhere
Tag: proposal
Option: proposal ID

Please support [proposal=separatist_peoples_1416233457]my proposal[/proposal]!
Please support my proposal!

World Assembly Resolution
Valid: Everywhere
Tag: resolution
Option: council ID (GA, SC, or UN)#resolution ID

The foundation of modern WA legislation is [resolution=GA#2]the Rights and Duties law[/resolution].
The foundation of modern WA legislation is the Rights and Duties law.

Spoiler
Valid: Everywhere
Tag: spoiler
Options: text to display on button

[spoiler]Surprise![/spoiler]
Surprise!

[spoiler=Try this one, too!]Boo!![/spoiler]
Boo!!

Link
Valid for nationstates.net links: Everywhere
Valid for other sites: Dispatches, WFEs
Tag: url
Options: URL

Did you know the guy who wrote NationStates is [url=http://maxbarry.com]Max Barry[/url]?
Did you know the guy who wrote NationStates is LinkMax Barry?

A lot of people live in [url=http://forum.nationstates.net/]the forums[/url]!
A lot of people live in the forums!

You can actually omit the [url] tag for full URLs, like this: http://www.nationstates.net/page=faq
You can actually omit the [url] tag for full URLs, like this: page=faq.

But it's usually most helpful to provide descriptive text, so people know [url=http://www.nationstates.net/page=faq]this link leads to the FAQ[/url].
But it's usually most helpful to provide descriptive text, so people know this link leads to the FAQ.

List
Valid: Everywhere
Tags: list, *
Options: 1, a, i, A, I

[list][*]One
[*]Two
[*]Three[/list]
  • One

  • Two

  • Three

[list=1][*]A more complicated list, which contains a nested list:
[list=i][*]"1" is 1, 2, 3...
[*]"i" is i, ii, iii...
[*]"a" is a, b, c...[/list]
[*]And the above can be capitalized, for A, B, C... and I, II, III...[/list]
  1. A more complicated list, which contains a nested list:

    1. "1" is 1, 2, 3...

    2. "i" is i, ii, iii...

    3. "a" is a, b, c...

  2. And the above can be capitalized, for A, B, C... and I, II, III...

Unformatted text
Valid: Everywhere
Tag: pre

[pre]You bold like [b]this[/b]![/pre]

You bold like [b]this[/b]!

Size
Valid: Dispatches
Tag: size

Sometimes you want [size=150]big text[/size] but other times only [size=90]small text[/size] will do.
Sometimes you want big text, but other times only small text will do.

Color
Valid: Dispatches, WFEs
Tag: color
Alternative name: colour
Options: name or hexidecimal code of color

I [color=red]love[/color] a little [colour=#FF9900]color[/colour].
I love a little color.

Quote
Valid: RMBs
Tag: quote
Options: name of author;post ID

[quote=testlandia;4970610]It's an outrage![/quote]
Testlandia wrote:It's an outrage!

Background color
Valid: Dispatches
Tags: background, background-block
Options: name or hexidecimal code of color

Backgrounds can be applied to [background=yellow]highlight a few words[/background].
Backgrounds can be applied to highlight a few words.

[background-block=yellow]Backgrounds can also be applied at the paragraph level, which is especially noticeable...

...when it flows over multiple lines.[/background-block]
Backgrounds can also be applied at the paragraph level, which is especially noticeable...

...when it flows over multiple lines.


Font
Valid: Dispatches
Tag: font
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[font=Courier]What a beautiful font![/font]
What a beautiful font!

[font=Times New Roman, Arial, sans]What a beautiful font![/font]
What a beautiful font!

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[align=center]Centered text.[/align]
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[align=right]Right-justified text.[/align]
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[centre]This is also centred, especially if you're British.[/centre]
This is also centred, especially if you're British.

Image
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Options: view (standout, shadow, border)

[img]http://www.nationstates.net/images/foot_jg.png[/img]

You can also set some visual options:

[img view="shadow"]https://www.nationstates.net/images/flags/Switzerland.png[/img]

[img view="standout"]https://www.nationstates.net/images/flags/Switzerland.png[/img]

[img view="standout border shadow"]https://www.nationstates.net/images/flags/Switzerland.png[/img]

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[float=right][img]http://www.nationstates.net/images/foot_jg.png[/img][/float]
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[box]A pretty box.[/box]
(You're looking at it. Sadly, boxes cannot contain other boxes.)

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[sidebar]Sidebars are very similar to box + float-right, but don't stretch across the whole screen (except on mobile devices).[/sidebar]
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[anchor=JUMPHERE][/anchor]Useful for tables of contents.
Jump to [url=#JUMPHERE]my anchor[/url].
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Jump to my anchor.

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Valid: Dispatches
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[table][tr][td]A table's first row looks different[/td][td]Next cell[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Second row[/td][td]Next cell[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Third row[/td][td]Next cell[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Fourth row, which goes on at some length about nothing. It also has a line break in it. Here it comes. Ready? Okay!! Here it is!!
See?[/td][td]Next cell[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Hovering over a row highlights it[/td][td]Not bad, eh?[/td][/tr]
[/table]

A table's first row looks different

Next cell

Second row

Next cell

Third row

Next cell

Fourth row, which goes on at some length about nothing. It also has a line break in it. Here it comes. Ready? Okay!! Here it is!!

See?

Next cell

Hovering over a row highlights it

Not bad, eh?

[float=right][table=plain]
[tr][td]Table type:[/td][td]Plain[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Decoration:[/td][td]None[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Excitement level:[/td][td]Low[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Usefulness for formatting:[/td][td]High[/td][/tr]
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Table type:

Plain

Decoration:

None

Excitement level:

Low

Usefulness for formatting:

High

Read dispatch


Wanting to expand your NS experience? Well, look no further. Here is a list of sites and tools to add more depth to NationStates.

Though I have tried, this is most likely not an all-inclusive list. If there are any sites or utilities that you believe should be added to the list, or if one of the items listed stops working, please TG me. I always appreciate the help.

NOTE: All of these sites and utilities have been created by third parties and are not affiliated with the NationStates website or myself. While I believe all of them to be safe, you are using them at your own risk.

If you find this dispatch useful, please "up-vote" it.




Auto Telegramming Programs
If you are tired of having to use stamps to send mass telegrams, or you just need help sending large numbers of TGs you may want to try one of these. NOTE: Be sure to follow all mass telegramming and API rules, or you will face the wrath of the Mods.

NationStates AutoTelegram- This is a utility to allow you to send mass telegrams without using NS Stamps. I have used it many times in the past. It has been extremely useful for WA campaigns and mass TGing my region. This is no longer supported, meaning bugs and errors will not be fixed.

pyNSrecruit- This is another auto telegram program. It has a straightforward and easy to use interface, plus it supports use as a recruitment tool.

Agadar's Telegrammer- This is a desktop application that automates sending telegrams, so you don't have to use stamps. It is useful for recruitment, WA campaigning, and region-wide telegramming.

Communiqué 8 Telegram Client- Communiqué is a simple open-source way to send telegrams through the Telegram API. It is built using Java (you will need an up-to-date version of Java), so it will probably run on your home computer.

nstg-web- stg-web is a free and open source web application that allows you to easily send telegrams to a list of NationStates nations. This also has the benefit of being a web app, so you don't have to download anything.


Flag Creators
If making flags in MS Paint is too basic, and Photoshop or GIMP is just too much try one pf these flag creators.

LinkFlagMaker 2.0- FlagMaker is a tool to easily create flags that includes many different flag elements and emblems. You can create a flag with six different base types and then add as many overlays as you like. It even has a random function if you are all out of ideas. (Special thanks to Zambara for finding this.)

LinkFlagMaker Jr.- FlagMaker Jr. is a simplified version of FlagMaker. It is also an online app, so you don't have to download anything. There is a bit of a learning curve and the options are arranged in a way that is not immediately intuitive, but once you get the hang of it, you can create good looking flags.

LinkFake Flag- This is a flag creator app that allows you to mix and match elements from real flags. You can create unique, and interesting flags that also look professional. The only downside is that you can't add art or colors of your own. This is a very good option if you want a realistic flag.

LinkFlag Designer- This is an extremely simple flag making app. Not too many options, but the user interface is very straightforward and easy to use. This is a good way to make decent looking flags quickly. Plus, the flags are made in SVG files, so they scale without pixelating or distorting.

LinkFlag Designer - Tennessine- This is another online flag making app. You start with a real-life flag and then insert different elements into it. There are plenty of options that allow you to make pretty unique flags.

LinkFlag Creator- This flag creator allows you to make flags completely from scratch, rather than using real flags as a base. This app can be a little tricky to use at first, but with a bit of playing around it becomes intuitive. This is a pretty good option if you don't want a flag that looks like every other one.


Name Generators
Having difficulty coming up with names? These name generators will help you come up with as many as you need. These are not strictly for NationStates, but they are site commonly utilized by NS users.

LinkRandom Name Generator- This is a basic name generator that will give a block of names according to the simple parameters you set. This is ideal for generating a list of names for an entire sports team or military unit.

LinkBehind the Name- This name generator allows you to choose the category of the name, and how many names the person has. You definitely want to narrow the options before making a name, or you may get very strange ones.

LinkFake Name Generator- Despite the name, this generator doesn't just give you a name but also gives you a full online profile for the character. Very good if you want details, but don't have the time to make them up yourself.


Nation Stats Calculators
Are graphs and descriptions on your nation's NS page not enough for you? These stats calculators will give you the specific numbers and details about your nation. They are perfectly suited for getting stats for Role Playing.

LinkNSEconomy- This is the stat calculator I personally use. It is simple and easy to use.

LinkNSDossier- This stats calculator provides the most regional information but is also the slowest loading calculator.


Phone Apps
Looking for a better, or at least different way to look at NationStates while on your phone? Try out one of these apps for your phone.

Stately- This is an Android App for your phone. It allows you to answer issues, compare stats and graphs of multiple nations, and track your nation stats over time.

LinkNSDroid- This is another Android App to make using NationStates on your phone easier. It allows you to post to your region's RMB, send and receive TGs, and keep track of nations in your dossier.


Plugins and Extensions

NationStates++- This is a browser extension for the NationStates site. It adds stats and reorganizes some of the pages to be easier to use. It also has a feature that allows you to switch between nations you control with one click. It is very nice and kept up to date. This is a third party extension, so use at your own risk. However, NationStates is in the process of acquiring the extension, so it may gain "official" status in the near future.

LibreNS++- This is another, similar browser extension for the NationStates site. Much like NS++, this extension adds more functionality to the NS website, including mobile support, puppet management, automatic RMB updates, and IRC chat added to the region pages.

SerinApprox- This is a bot for your NationStates IRC channels that automatically calculates regions' approximate update times. It is an extremely useful tool if you are using your IRC for NS gameplay. SerinApprox is a plug-in for the LinkmIRC client, so if you are the one running the bot on the channel you must use mIRC. Everyone else on the channel will be able to access the bot regardless of their IRC client.

NSBreeze- NSBreeze is an extension for Chrome, to add keyboard shortcuts to the NationStates site. This gives you the ability to navigate using the press of a key. This is a very useful extension if you are involved in the R/D game.

FluffyCogs- FluffyCogs is a module for the LinkRed Discord Bot. This module will add NS-related commands to your region's Discord bot, such as displaying region data or WA resolution texts. Its a great way to integrate NationStates into your Discord.


Political Graphing Sites
Looking for a way to graph your nation's place on the political spectrum? Well, these sites will help you do that. Now, These are not strictly for NationStates, but they are site commonly utilized by NS users.

LinkThe Political Compass- This is the most common political graphing test used on NS. It provides a good measure of one's political stance or the stance of your nation.

LinkPolitical Spectrum Quiz- This is a good alternative to the Political Compass site. It allows you to weight each question according to how significant you feel it is, so you can add another layer of personalization. However, due to this added feature, it may not be very compatible with the Political Compass results.


Puppet Managers
Have you recently started participating in NS gameplay and now you have so many puppets you don't know what to do with them all? These programs will help you stop them all from CTEing.

NationStates Nation Manager- This is a small application that allows you to log in to a long list of puppets with one click of the mouse. I used to use this program frequently when I was juggling 50+ puppet nations. It is very helpful.

Autologin Script- This is a simple Python script to automatically log in to your puppet nations. It also provides you a list of notices that your puppets received, so you can better monitor what is happening with your nations. It does require that you download LinkPython 3 in order to run the script.


Scorinators
Want to run a sports RP? These programs and spreadsheets will help you generate scores fairly according to the inputs. I personally have little to no experience with these, so my descriptions will be limited.

Linkxkoranate- This is a fairly versatile scorinator that allows you to simulate a wide variety of sports, both individual and team. It is the most widely used scorinator.

LinkNSFS- This is a scorinator design specifically for football (soccer) scoring.

LinkLeagion- This is a Java-based program for american football scores. Written by Rejistania.

LinkTennis 0.3.1- This is an Excel based scorinator for tennis match ups. LinkOpenoffice version. Written by Schiavonia.

LinkLeague Ranking Sheet 3.2- This is a spreadsheet for league standings and rankings. Written by Osarius.


Wiki sites
Are you looking for a good place to post a world factbook or your nation's history? These Wiki sites are the perfect place for it.

LinkNSWiki- This is a reboot of the now-defunct wiki site of the same name. It is filled with bot generated pages, so the entries may or may not be accurate. It is well kept and managed, and it is highly recommended.

LinkIIWiki- The "II" stands for "international incidents", so this is a strictly In Character wiki. That means nothing can be posted that breaks the Link"fourth wall".

LinkWikiStates- This is another alternative wiki site. It is rather small but has an active community.

LinkNSIndex- This wiki site was made in response to the chaos created by NSWiki changing owners. The benefit of this site is that it has full access to Wikimedia Commons and there are no computer-generated pages.


Other
Other useful things.

LinkNationStates Issue Results- This site collects data from nations answering issues to determine the results of each choice. It gives you the observed range of each stats change as well as the average change. Very useful if you want to fine-tune your NS stats, or if you just want to be a cheater.

NationStates Battle Simulator- This is a great tool to help war RPs. Instead of just rolling dice or arbitrarily deciding the results of a battle, you can just plug in various factors for both sides of the conflict and have the simulator crunch the numbers for you.

LinkNSHistory- This site allows you to look at the history of nations and regions. How many nations were in the North Pacific in June of 2008? This site will let you know. (The answer is 3,602 nations, by the way.)

LinkNSEmbassy- Regional Embassies make a web of connections across NationStates. How are they all connected? This will show you... In several different ways.

LinkNSRegionFlags- Have you ever wanted to look at all the regions' flag on NS all at once? Me neither. But if you get bored you should check it out.

LinkPlanet Creation Kit- This is a random planet generator. It allows you to set some basic parameters and then generates the scientific details of the planet. What is it useful for? I dunno.

LinkThis Person Does Not Exist- This is a site that uses a computer algorithm to generate a picture of a fake person every two seconds. If you are looking for completely unique photos of people for your nation's factbook, this is a great utility... Though, you may need to refresh the page a few times before you find one that's suitable.

Read dispatch


So i was bored and decided to make a list:

1. Make puppets and stuff poll ballots.
2. Make dispatches about what you can do in NS
3. upvote this dispatch
4. Play that one cool nationstates vs cards thingy game
5. condemn the black hawks again
6. Try to endorse as many people as you can in one hour
7. Found a region with a puppet and then “raid” it with your region’s military
8. Argue with other people about the best way to ship a dinosaur in a cardboard box
9. Make fun of people in your region for being inactive and then ban them for arguing with you
10. Dismiss all officers and remove the delegate’s power and become a really really unfair tyrannical ruler.
11. Challenge other people
12. Gain the trust of a really large region, then close all embassies.
13. Try to make the most embassies possible and make all your embassies regions think they’re special but really they’re not
14. Make a puppet, and go to the north pacific and demand that you are made an officer there
15. Read people’s dispatches and downvote them all because mine is superior!!!!
16. Avoid the wrath of the mods
17. Eat the south pacific
18. Refound an embarrasing region that no one wanted to be refounded
19. Found a region with a puppet, request embassies with a region that has a lot of embassies, then once someone accepts, ban him and abort construction of embassies.
20. Get more embassies than the dank meme alliance then laugh at them for being bad
21. Try to take over the rejected realms with a single WA nation. It’s hard to do.
22. Mourn spam founder’s loss. R.I.P.
23. Get The frogs republic of kekistan to post on your RMB and then ban him and laugh
24. Create a really big and awesome region like spam, then become god
25. Become god regardless
26. Appease the mods
27. Build a memorial to max barry
28. WORSHIP ETERNALLY GLORIOUS DEAREST LEADER Menta Lee-IL FOR ALL ETERNITY!!!
29. Make a puppet that is similarly named to a really big and important nation, such as “captain spam puppet” to really get on their nerves.
30. Deny the existamce of god in a really religious region then watch them get triggered, or do the same with a secular region and watch them worship you.
32. Cry because the bar on the corner of every region closed their embassy with you
33. Cry some more because Spam founder is dead
34. Raid a warzone and then establish a communist regime there based on the mickey mouse club house. Or do that with the rejected realms.
35. Insult captain spam because within 9 hours his autistic factbook reached 5th on the dispatch ranking but then he dabs on you because youre just a hater and then the whole universe explodes
36. Make a really bad joke and laugh at the normies who think it’s funny
37. Click the refresh button on this page over and over again so this dispatch seems like it has a lot of reads.
38. Make puppets and upvote your own dispatches
39. Get off your computer, go outside, and stop playing NS for a while
40. NAH. Don’t do that.
41. Take so much time reading this factbook that you didn’t realize that i skipped the number 31.
42. Build up other people’s new regions.
43. Tear them down again because they trusted you too much! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
44. Or don’t do that that’s kinda mean instead just tear down your own region because you are lonely and no one cares.
45. Look at your clock and realize it is midnight…but keep on playing because you haven’t raided the West Pacific.
46. (Telegram me if you really want to know number 31)
47. Shun the non-believers (if you’re an atheist, shun the believers, i guess...)
48. Run out of ideas on what to put in this factbook
49. Stare at the NS home screen while the website server is shut down
50. Make a region composed entirely of your puppets and accidentally raid one of the regions you founded or one of the regions you are in or The Black Hawks.
51. Make a fake knockoff version puppet of some big nation.
52. Make a knockoff puppet of that puppet.
53. REPEAT UNTIL ALL YOUR REGION IS RUN BY CRAPPY KNOCKOFFS!!!
54. Move all your puppets to Graveyard AND WATCH THEM DIE!!!!!

I am currently accepting suggestions for this factbook. Telegram me if you have some.

Read factbook


Forum Version | > Dispatch Version <

...Well, that's not good news. But it also isn't the end of the world -- and it certainly doesn't have to be the end of your region.

Invading, also called raiding, is when a group of nations from outside your region move in and endorse each other, so that one of their own becomes your region's World Assembly Delegate. This can take the form of one sudden movement, with all these outsiders arriving at once so that there's no time to respond, or it can be a slow and subtle process over many days or weeks.

If this happens to you, it usually has one of two consequences. The first is known as a tag raid, where the new invader WA Delegate will rapidly alter some of the more visible aspects of your region, such as changing the World Factbook Entry and starting to close all your regional embassies, before almost immediately resigning. This kind of raid is very temporary and the damage it causes can be easily reversed, though going through it can be a confusing and unpleasant experience for some. The second potential consequence is an occupation, where the invaders stay for an extended period of time, quickly stacking endorsements on their invader WA Delegate to ensure they remain in control. They may simply occupy your region for a few days before leaving, or if you are particularly unfortunate, they may attempt to ban all the native nations from the region and reduce it to little more than a trophy. This kind of invasion can be frustrating if they only stay for a few days, or significantly unsetting if they decide to attempt to destroy your region.

Being invaded isn't very nice, that's for sure. But no matter how you feel, it's really important that you don't panic. We'll work through what you can do together.

I have apparently been tag raided <_<

A tag raid is a very temporary invasion. The new invader WA Delegate will rapidly alter some of the more visible aspects of your region, such as changing the World Factbook Entry and starting to close all your regional embassies, before almost immediately resigning. Typically, invader groups engaging in this activity will attempt to jump through multiple regions and tag, so to speak, as many of them as possible with a crude advertisement of some kind. These invasions generally target small regions with an executive WA Delegate position, where either there is no current Delegate or a Delegate with very few endorsements.

The aftermath of a tag raid isn't really a struggle of any kind... more like a clean up. It is not difficult but can be tedious. The following is a simple step by step approach to restoring some tidyness to your region.

  1. If your region has a Founder nation (who has executive powers) then you already have all the tools you'll need. If you don't have a Founder, or your Founder doesn't have executive powers, then you'll need to elect a WA Delegate.

    If you had a Delegate before the invaders came in, then that nation will likely become WA Delegate again after the invaders leave. You'll need to wait for the next game update for them to get the position back -- about 12 hours from the time of the invasion. If you didn't have a Delegate before the invaders came in, you'll need to elect one now. Just have two nations, controlled by separate players, join the World Assembly, and have one endorse the other (remember, each player can only have one nation in the World Assembly at any given time). Again, you'll need to wait for the next game update for them to get the position.

  2. Once you have a nation with the necessary powers, you can start to undo any damage that was done. You can access all the controls you'll need by clicking the "admin" button at the top of your region's page.

    The invader Delegate likely appointed themselves as a regional officer before they left. The first thing you'll want to do is dismiss them, so they can't make any more sneaky changes. You may of course also ban them from your region if you're feeling vindictive.

  3. Here's a handy little list of the numerous things the invader Delegate may have altered.

    • The invader Delegate will have altered your World Factbook Entry to some kind of boastful nonsense, and changed your regional flag to their own design. You'll want to remove these and restore your own text and flag. There are some tools available that you can use if you can't remember what these were. You can use Linkudl.taijitu.org/wfe_index/ to try and find your original World Factbook Entry, and Linkudl.taijitu.org/images/rflags/ to try and find your original flag. These tools are maintained by Eluvatar.

    • The invader Delegate will most likely have ordered all your regional embassies to be closed. If they haven't actually closed yet, since this takes some time, you can cancel the closing process. If they have already been closed, then you'll need to go through and request embassies with other regions all over again. You can click the "history" button at the top of your region page to search for what embassies you had. The invaders possibly also opened an embassy between your region and their home region -- you are welcome to cancel that embassy.

    • Your regional tags may have been removed. The changes made will also show up in your "regional happenings" feed -- this would be the easier way to check what your tags were, if you can't remember.

    • Your ban list might have been cleared, though this is a very uncommon practice. There isn't anything you can do about this, except individually rebanning any banned nations, if you can remember what they were. You’ll only be able to ban them again if they’re still mentioned on your regional happenings feed.

    • Some posts on your regional message board might have been suppressed. You can unsuppress posts by clicking the button on the right side of each post. You'll have individually do this for each post. There is now a limit on how many posts can be suppressed within a short time period, so the invaders shouldn't have been able to suppress too many.

    • If you had a poll running, it may have been deleted. There's no way to get this back, sorry. A new poll might also have been started, probably to function as a perverse sort of advertisement for the invaders -- go ahead and delete this garbage.

    • If you had pinned dispatches, they may have been unpinned. You can simply pin them again. Yes, some of these changes can be that petty.

    • If you had a welcome telegram, it may have been deleted. There's no way to recover this. My advice would be that you keep a copy of your welcome telegram in a document on your computer. A new welcome telegram might have been set, again as a sort of mocking advertisement -- delete away.

That's all there is to it! Tag raiding does no lasting damage, and it is very rare for invaders to actually defend their tags these days, so you shouldn't have any resistance or real difficulty in fixing your region up.

The next step is to have a look at how you can keep your region safe, and prevent this from ever happening again.

My region is being occupied!

First and foremost, please don’t panic. Having your home occupied by invaders is upsetting -- and there’s nothing wrong with being a bit upset -- but please, take a deep breath, and don’t do anything that you’ll come to regret later.

Do not send the invaders angry messages, either by telegram or by posting on your regional message board. That kind of reaction isn’t going to help you nor your region. If your message is interpreted as flaming, you could even be warned by game moderators -- which I know might seem mightily unkind, but it is what it is. Some unscrupulous invaders may try to provoke a response from you, but ignore them.

We’re going to walk through some of the things you and the other nations in your region can do to resist a hostile occupation.

  1. Ask for help. This is quite possibly the most important thing you should do, and there’s no shame in it. There are many regions and organisations which have made it their mission to oppose invasions -- defenders -- reach out to them, and they’ll be able to provide valuable advice and experience. If the invaders in your region aren’t too entrenched, defenders might attempt a liberation, which is a massive counter attack aimed at taking back your home.

  2. All the nations in your region should cross endorse each other. This means you should endorse every other native and trusted nation in your region, and every other nation should do the same -- so every nation has as many endorsements as possible. This helps to increase influence, and will make it harder for the invaders to remove all of you. Send telegrams to other native WA nations, asking them to cross endorse as well. Posting on the regional message board probably won’t work, your messages will likely be suppressed.

  3. As many nations as possible should join the World Assembly. Try sending telegrams to all the native nations, asking them to join the WA and endorse other natives. The more WA nations you have, the more effective cross endorsing is. Perhaps more importantly, you want to make the gap between your endorsements and the invader Delegate’s endorsements as small as possible -- this makes it easier for your region to be liberated by outside groups.

  4. If any native nations in your region are endorsing the invader Delegate, ask them to withdraw that endorsement. The invader may have initially pretended to be friendly to get additional endorsements from native nations, and those nations may have forgotten to take away their endorsements. Again, you’ll need to telegram them, as the invader Delegate will probably suppress your regional message board.

You’re not going to like this, but that’s about all you can do. The reality is, unfortunately, if your region is already occupied by a large invader force, there isn’t much you can do to stop them. Sometimes the best you can do is wait and hope you are liberated. But the above steps are still very important, because they could increase your endorsements, and decrease the endorsements on the invader Delegate, and both of those things make a liberation more likely.

The most important thing you can do though, is to learn about how to stop this happening again. Read the next section of this guide, and use the information to make yourself and your region safe from invasions.

Remember, if you’ve been targeted for an invasion, that you are not alone. Countless others have been through it and come out fine on the other side. If you want advice, have questions, or need help, feel free to telegram me. If I can’t help myself, I’ll know someone who can.

How can I keep my region safe?

Invasions aren't going to stop any time soon. So it's important that you take some time, and learn how you can prevent them from happening to your region.

Because invasions make use of the built in game mechanics for electing Delegates, there's no technical way to just absolutely avoid them -- there's no simple way you can just opt out of gameplay. The admin team, including [violet], have said they are not going to ban the practice. But there are a few simple things you can do that protect your region against its effects. I know this might seem unfair, that to avoid gameplay you have to dabble in it yourself, but wishing this weren't the case isn't going to keep your region safe. You need to be a little bit proactive and ensure your own security.

The following is the ideal way to make your region an undesirable target and effectively invulnerable to invasion.

  1. Your region needs to have a Founder nation with permanent executive powers (this is an option that can and should be enabled when you create a region). This is the first and perhaps most important thing you can do to minimise the risk and damage of an invasion. Regions with active Founders are less likely to be targeted by invaders (though it still happens, especially if your Delegate has executive authority). If your region is invaded, the Founder can eject and ban all the invaders, and revert any damage done very easily. The Founder has absolute power and this cannot be removed by the invaders -- so they can always act as a guardian when needed. Note that the Founder nation must remain in the region, because if they leave then the Delegate automatically gets executive powers, which as explained in point two is not a good thing.

    Note that the Founder continues to have access to all controls when outside the region, including the ban and password controls, so it is not possible for a Founder to be locked out of their own region. If the Delegate has somehow imposed a password or banned the Founder nation, the Founder can still access admin controls and simply unban themselves.

    If your region is founderless, you should seriously consider refounding.

  2. Do not allow your Delegate executive powers. The Founder nation can and should disable executive power, and any other powers for that matter, attached to the WA Delegate position. If your Delegate has no power to actually change anything in your region, then if you are invaded the new invader Delegate won't be able to do any damage at all. Because of this, your region won't be a desirable target and is unlikely to be targeted for invasion in the first place.

    If you do want your Delegate (or any other nation in your region for that matter) to have some powers, you should make them a regional officer instead. With this method you can give out specific powers to specific nations, not to positions, so crucially those powers are only available to that specific nation, meaning if your Delegate is replaced then your new Delegate will not steal those powers. Remember though, and this is very important, only give officer powers to nations you absolutely trust. It is not uncommon for invaders to attempt to infiltrate a target in advance -- they will join a region, posing as an innocent new player, and attempt to gain your trust, only to suddenly betray that trust. Some invaders are very good at this. Do not underestimate this danger.

But my region doesn't have a Founder... D:

Then the best thing you can do for your founderless region is to refound it. This is a complicated and sometimes risky maneuver, but having a Founder afterwards, and therefore being completely secure against invasions, makes it very worthwhile. But again, and this needs some emphasis, refounding does have an element of risk -- there are players out there who will, unfortunately, attempt to sabotage your attempt, and even try to steal your region. It's worth talking to some experts before you decide to do this, there are many who might even be willing to help you. Please feel free to contact me, and I can put you in touch with these people. Regardless, I'll explain the process of refounding below.

  1. The first step is making the decision to refound. You should consult the other members of your region, explain the risks to them, and make sure they support the plan. If not everyone agrees that refounding is the right thing to do, this can make things very difficult. Perhaps most importantly, you’ll need to decide who will control the new founder nation once the region is refounded -- it needs to be someone who is very responsible, and who everyone in your region absolutely trusts. Once this is decided, create the nation which will be used to found the new region, the refounder, and move it into your region.

  2. You’ll need a World Assembly Delegate. This nation needs to be controlled by a player who is very active and who everyone trusts -- as they will be doing most of the work here. Ideally this nation will have a significant amount regional influence. Ask all nations in your region to, if possible, join the WA and endorse your Delegate.

  3. Lock down your region with a password, and make sure that password is not visible to residents. Keep this password a very closely guarded secret. If you don’t have enough influence to use a password, make sure you have as many endorsements as possible, and wait until you build up enough influence.

  4. Set up a temporary region. Even though this is temporary, again make sure the founder is someone you can trust. Ask all the non-WA member nations of your region to move to this temporary region until your home region can be safely refounded. You should telegram all these nations, and leave messages on your regional message board and world factbook entry -- keep in mind some players aren’t very active, and it might be a short while before they see the messages and move. You will probably have to eventually eject nations which don’t move. This does not include the refounder, which should stay in your original region.

  5. You should now only have WA nations in your region, plus the refounder, and hopefully they are all endorsing your Delegate. If they are not, then they are either inactive and so have not seen your messages, or they are active but unwilling to help -- either way, you’ll need to eject them. If your Delegate does not have enough influence to do this, you could try asking all WA nations to swap their endorsements to another trusted nation who has enough influence.

  6. Your region should now be password locked, and only have WA nations which are endorsing your Delegate, again plus the refounder. Ask half of these WA nations to relocate to your temporary region, preferably the less active nations. If, after multiple messages, some have still not moved, then eject them. Once that is done, ask the other half to relocate as well, except the Delegate and one trusted WA nation endorsing the Delegate. Again, eject those who do not move. Finally, the last two WA nations, the Delegate and the other nation, should relocate to join the others.

  7. You now have a locked region with only one nation in it, the refounder, and are ready to actually refound the region. Do not attempt a refound immediately -- it’s possible you are being watched, and safer to wait a short while so these interested parties lose interest. To refound the region, wait until just before your region updates (game updates occur every 12 hours), and move the the final nation out of the region just before this happens. Ask a trusted defender, and they can give you the exact time to do this (it’s worth noting NS++ does not give accurate update times). Your region will cease to exist, and you can now create a new region with its name. Do this very quickly, or someone might take your name! You should now have a region with your old region’s name, except it will now have a founder nation, and you can invite all the old residents back home.

Again, I need to stress that refounding yourself if you aren't experienced at gameplay is not advised. Seek out help from experts, preferably trusted defenders, and they'll make sure you have the best possible chance of success. For example, both Australia and Deutschland successfully refounded with the assistance of TITO (Ten thousand Islands Treaty Organization). Click on either of those region names to read their story.

We don't want to refound.

I can understand that decision. Refounding will remove your entire message board history, which can be a significant loss for some. It's also an arduous and potentially quite stressful procedure, which, to be very honest, does have significant risk -- there are bad people out there who will try to intercept your refound and steal your region. People often get attached to their regions in sentimental ways, and that's okay. Every region should decide whether to refound or not for itself, and for its own reasons -- I'll give advice, but I can't and won't make that choice for you.

But you need to understand: choosing to not refound your region, choosing to have a region without a Founder, means your region will always be vulnerable. There are many steps we can take to mitigate the danger and keep your region as safe as possible, and I'll discuss those below, but it is much harder to keep a founderless region secure. You'll always be a target, and you'll always need to be vigilant -- this means, like it or not, you'll always need to be aware of gameplay. If you want to effectively opt out of this part of the game, you need to have a Founder.

  • If you do not have a WA Delegate, you should get one. You will need to accumulate as many endorsements on your chosen WA Delegate as possible. An invading group of nations can only take control if they can get more endorsements than your Delegate, so if your Delegate has a lot of endorsements this will make things harder for them. Having a Delegate with lots of endorsements also makes it easier for defenders to intercept and stop invaders if they target you.

  • You should consider enforcing an endorsement limit for nations in your region. This means setting a maximum number of endorsements that nations in your region are allowed to collect, preventing them from gathering too many endorsements without attracting attention. This is done to ensure the Delegate always has significantly more endorsements than any other nation in the region, which protects you against an unknown nation suddenly surpassing the Delegate and taking control. This is especially important because invaders commonly use sleepers -- they will send an infiltrator to your region, who will pretend to be friendly and attempt to gain endorsements. An endorsement cap would prevent this infiltrator from getting too many endorsements, and prevent them from getting anywhere near the endorsement count of your Delegate. A safe buffer zone should be at least thirty endorsements, so this measure is only really effective in larger regions. If a nation is too close to the endorsement cap, ask them to lower their endorsements. If a nation goes over the cap, eject them.

  • You can, and should, use the regional activity feed to monitor who moves in and out of your region. It might seem a tad paranoid, but it's good practice to look at new arrivals with at least a little bit of suspicion -- they could be an invader infiltrator. That definitely does not mean you should be hostile to newcomers, it rather means you should be active and aware. Ask them why they left their old region, and why they chose to move to yours. Ask them about their past experiences in NationStates. Questions like these could give them away as infiltrators. Even if it turns out they aren't a bad guy at all, it helps you get to know your new region mate, so don't be afraid to start a conversation! If, immediately upon arriving, they endorse every nation in your region or actively ask for endorsements themselves, this is definitely suspicious.

  • It's a good idea to only endorse nations you know -- don't just endorse any random nation that endorses you. This is very important in founderless regions. Infiltrators will endorse you and attempt to get your endorsement in return, so if you don't recognise a nation, do not endorse them. Until a newcomer has been a part of your community for a short while, and built up a little bit of trust, keep an eye on their endorsement level and don't raise it too high.

  • There is a sort of balancing game at work here. Having an endorsement cap, and being very careful with who you endorse, significantly reduces the risk posed by invader infiltrators. However, this also means nations in your region will have less endorsements -- and this means they will gain influence at a lesser rate. Influence is gained faster if you have more endorsements. Nations with higher influence are much more difficult for invaders to eject. So an alternate strategy of sorts might be to encourage nations in your region to actively give and acquire as many endorsements as possible, so that all nations build up as much influence as possible. This means invaders will require a sleeper nation to be able to eject any native nations, and even then will not be able to eject many. However, this kind of approach is focused on mitigating long term damage done during an invasion, and does not stop the invasion from happening in the first place.

  • You can consider using a password to control entry to your region. This password should not be visible to residents -- visible passwords are notoriously insecure. Keep the password a secret. Invaders will actively attempt to acquire your password, through various deceptions. If you give the password to a nation so that they can move into your region, change it immediately afterwards, because you have no way of knowing who they might have shared the password with. This is very important -- whenever you let a new nation in, change the password. You need to consider that passwords are generally very bad for recruitment and limit how fast your region will grow. They are however generally a good choice for dedicated RP regions.

  • Another option you could consider is moving to a safe new region, but keeping your old region as a sort of museum -- that way you don’t lose any of its history. To set this up, lock your old region down with an invisible password, then remove all the nations except one or two placeholders. Remember to log in to these placeholders at least once every 28 days, because otherwise they will cease to exist, and if your region has no nations in it then it will be automatically closed down.

For smaller regions: You will likely not have enough WA nations to have a useful endorsement limit. You should make sure long term and trusted residents in your region have as many endorsements as possible, to build up influence. Be cautious about endorsing suspicious new residents. Unless you have a particular reason for not doing so, you should seriously consider refounding.

For larger regions: You will hopefully have enough WA nations to enforce a useful endorsement limit. This limit can change over time, but should always be at least 30 endorsements beneath the Delegate if possible. This doesn't have to be a completely hard limit -- consider letting nations you absolutely trust exceed the limit. It's definitely not a bad idea to have a number of high influence and high endorsement nations. Remember, the endorsement cap isn't going to enforce itself, you need to watch regional activity and be proactive!


Written by Consular, with assistance from Roavin, Cormac, Landscaping Buddies, Deadeye Jack. Questions/comments? Post in the forum thread, send me a telegram. Feel free to distribute this information.
Read dispatch


The Reference Library

The Reference Library gathers together the definitive "how-to" guides from around NationStates. If you find the linked dispatches useful, please give them an upvote. That helps other players find them more easily. The dispatches are written by other people, and so may also promote their, or their region's, agenda.

Index

Other Reference Libraries
New Players
Issues
Dispatches and Factbooks
Cards
World Assembly
Raiding and Defending
Roleplay
Region Building
Technical and Tools
History
Arguments
Other


Other Reference Libraries

Reference Library
by August
A great resource, linking to more of August's well written, comprehensive dispatches.

List of Stuff I’ve Made.
by DUMPSTERZ
Dumpsterz has been putting together some great "How to" guides about customising your nation - flags, banners etc.

A Collection of Interesting Dispatches
by Chava Cal


New Players

NationStates FAQ
Official NationStates resource

Beginner's Guide to NationStates!
by West zamunda
This is the first new beginners guide I've seen after the launch of Frontiers. I've only glanced through it, but it seems well written and constructed.

How to NationStates: The Comprehensive Guide (for noobs)
by His Excellency

New to NS? Read this!
by United russoasia

The Survival Guide to NationStates
by Yy4u

NationStates Guide
by Amerion

NationStates Encyclopedia
by August
A glossary of NS jargon


Issues (spoiler alert)

How to start a nation with any WA classification
by Vivolkha
Not strictly to do with Issues, but will affect your nation stats!

Got Issues?
The forum for issues. Sneak a peak at the options for existing issues. Report unusual effects. Help fix issues with issues. Or help write a new one.

NationStates issue results
by Trotterdam
Want to know what an option will do before you choose it? Well, now you can.

NationStates Banners
by Mediobogdum

ACTUAL List of Banner Locations
by The sakhalinsk empire

NationStates Policies
by Llorens

LinkNationStates Policies
by Trotterdam
Which issue answers add or remove policies?


Dispatches and Factbooks

The Complete List of NSCodes
by Testlandia

How to Write a Dispatch
by Testlandia

Formating code
by New fakeland

The Friendly Wormfodder Deliverer's Guide to Tables and Flipping them (ノ ゜Д゜)ノ ︵ ┻━┻
by Wormfodder delivery

Macros in factbooks! All the codes!
by Noahs Second Country

NSC's guide to coloring dispatches!
by Noahs Second Country

A Guide on How to Put Pictures In The Factbooks
by The democratic nation of unovia

How to Copy a Disptach
by Freedom planita 2


Cards

The Comprehensive Guide to NationStates Cards
by The Northern Light
(There are additional links in the header of the page which are worth exploring too)

NS Trading Card Discord

The Collection Collection

Wrong way to play?
The original post in this thread is a specific question, but the thread goes on to give various views on what is acceptable behaviour.

The North Pacific Card Market Watch
by The Northern Light

Card queries page
by The Northern Light
Allows searches on the official XML card list

SherpDaWerp's Puppet Checker - Easily Manage Card Farms!
by SherpDaWerp
See how many issues, card packs, bank, and deck value your puppets have

Card Management Queue Tool
by Anozia

The Auction That Lasted Forever
by Noahs Second Country


World Assembly

Why and How to Join the World Assembly (and other Frequently Asked Questions)
by Europeian WA Headquarters

So You Want To Write A Resolution?
by Damanucus

So, ‘You say you want a Resolution’ : A beginners’ guide to writing GA proposals
by Bears Armed Mission

Probably not useful, but I think interesting:
Against Security Council Statement
by Mikeswill

The Commended and Condemned
by Whole india


Raiding and Defending
(See also Technical and Tools)

Detagging a Region
by We Are Not the NSA

So you've been invaded…
by Consular

Basics of Military Gameplay
by August

About Influence
by August

Hobbes' Handy Guide to Military (R/D) Gameplay.
by Hobbesistan

Complete Guide to Military Gameplay
by King Nephmir II

Detailed Raiding Guide
by Snezzy

The Predator Scandal
by The predator scandal

What Is Defending?
by Imperial rivercorps armada 2nd fleet

Thou Shalt Not Retag: 10 Commandments of Detagging
by Union of kiwi socialists


Roleplay

Roleplay 101
by Damanucus

Roleplay for Dummies (and other useful things)
by Diogott

How Roleplays Die: A Detailed Explanation on the Nature of Thread Death in Portal to the Multiverse
by Finland SSR

How To Write an RP News Post
by Imperialist sweden

Worldbuilding resources for fun and profit
by Vrnallia


Region Building

How To Build A Region
Forum thread by Consular

Region Tags
by All Wild Things

Branding, Advertising, and Recruitment
by All Wild Things

Region Building (radio show discussion)
by Ambrella and King hem

Regional founder Discord server
Read the forum post before joining the server.

How to Write a Basic Constitution: A Beginner's Guide
by Prybourne

Basic Security Checks
by All Wild Things

How to add your own map!
by Broken Edge


Technical and Tools

General

Useful NS Sites and Utilities
by Nullarni

RMB Search patterns
by Testlandia

Flags

So You Want to Make a Flag?
by The Xolbarian Opposition

Flag Makers/Requests II
Gameplay forum thread

Maps

Map Making Guide For Beginners
by Aeyariss

Coding

NationStates API (nationdata/regiondata)
The main forum thread about the API

NationStates API Documentation
The documentation on the API

NationStates API for Python
by The United Island Tribes

Bots

AugustinAndroid RMB bot
by August

AugustinAndroid NS-based Discord bot
by August

NationCogs - a module for the Red Discord bot
by Darcania
(Take note of this update before installing)

Puppet Management

nslogin-web (web app to log into/restore nations)
by Auralia
(web-based app, ready to go)

PuppetMaster Login Script
by Wolfram and Hart
(Copy & paste JavaScript to get set up)

Sleeping Beauty
by Wolfram and Hart
This script answers issues for your puppets. Copy & paste JavaScript to get set up.

Cards

SherpDaWerp's Puppet Checker - Easily Manage Card Farms!
by SherpDaWerp
See how many issues, card packs, bank, and deck value your puppets have

Card Management Queue Tool
by Anozia

Telegrams

*THE* Simple Guide to Sending Telegrams via API
by Ever-Wandering Souls

Gameplay

Spyglass - Open Source Region Timesheet Generator
by Spyglass development team
Spyglass generates Excel Spreadsheets that can be used to predict the update time of a NationStates region, usually to coordinate an invasion, liberation, or other military gameplay action.

Linkpuppet-manager
by Sweeze
"trynna make prepping a bit less burnout prone by making it braindead simple maybe some other things too idk"

Python RMB saver
by Merni

Delegate endorsement checking script
by Merni


History

See also this resource:
NS History Repository
by Libertia-Columbia

NS History: You've Got Questions, We've Got Answers!
Forum thread

The Compendium: The Nationstates History Book
by Lavenza

The Anatomy of the Coup: How Francos Spain Won (How did Francos Spain take over the Pacific?)
by Unibot III

Anatomy of the Coup II: Attack of the Puppets (The Invasion of the North Pacific)
by Unibot III

Anatomy of the Coup III: TEP, the Early Days
by Unibot III

Something Stirs: The History of Early Balder & Osiris
by Unibot III

The History of Abydos
by Qon
(The history is embedded in the linked dispatch. Scroll down and you'll find it.)

The Refound of Australia
by Mcmasterdonia representative

The History of The Black Hawks
by TBH Commander

A History of Boston
by All Wild Things

The Story of Christmas
by All Wild Things

The History of the DEN
by General knot

History of Gay
by LGBT Equality

The History of Hell
by The Stalker

The Mountains to the East
by All Wild Things

A Warzone history, through Dispatches
by Domais

History of the Delegacy of The West Pacific
by All Good People

NS Gameplay History - Updated 24/1-2014
by Ananke II

NS History Resources
by All Wild Things


Arguments

This may be my favourite:
All You Need to Know About NationStates Arguments
by Ovybia

"Everyone I Don't Like is Hitler", A Child's Guide to Online Political Discussion
by Schultzhafen


Other Resources

Links to resources for those who feel depressed/suicidal

Keeping NationStates Safe: A Campaign Against Harassment
by New Ex Patria

The One Stop Rules Shop

Getting Help

Eligible Polls

The NewsStand
by All Wild Things

Obscure NS Links

https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=801528

Food
https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1121619

https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1040388

Rps
https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=377647

Fractal
https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1080933
Read dispatch


·

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WELCOME | BASICS | GAMEPLAY | GLOSSARY
·


WELCOME BASICS GAMEPLAY GLOSSARY
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||| WELCOME ||| | ||| WHAT IS NATIONSTATES? |||
·

If you found this guide helpful, please upvote the dispatch to help others find it
Welcome to NationStates!

This guide will help if you are a new player to this game or an experienced player looking to expand your knowledge of NationStates.

This guide aims to help you:

  • Prepare you for the limitless possibilities;

  • Find out the varying aspects of this game; and

  • Manage your nation.

This guide is reasonably long, and as such, it is recommended that you refer to the table of contents to aid you in locating the specific information you may desire.

Before this guide begins, I would like to personally express thanks and credit to Testlandia, Euroslavia, and Goddess Relief Office who have kindly provided commendable information and tips to this guide.[1]


What is NationStates?

NationStates is a multiplayer online text-based game which simulates a government setting. It was created by author LinkMax Barry and was released on the 13th of November, 2002 as a means of promoting a novel Jennifer Government. The game has currently 223,380 active nations in 23,734 different regions.[2]

Players (under the guise of their nation) operate their own country by making decisions that have an impact on the economy, society, and culture of their people. The object of the game is to lead a country in the way the player finds the best. At the start of the game, the player chooses a few basic characteristics including the name of the country, flag, motto, currency, national animal, and style of government. Answers to a short questionnaire determine the initial ratings of the country's civil, economic, and political rights. The nation's population starts at five million and increases every day automatically with play.


||| WELCOME ||| ||| BASICS ||| ||| GAMEPLAY ||| GLOSSARY |||
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·
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||| ISSUES ||| | ||| TELEGRAMS ||| | ||| POPULATION ||| | ||| DOSSIER ||| | ||| SETTINGS ||| | ||| PEOPLE, GOVENMENT, & THE ECONOMY ||| | ||| ANALYSIS |||
·

Issues

Issues are political decisions that players make, which shape their nations as a result. The choices a player makes on issues directly affect the nation's civil rights, economic, and political freedom levels, as well as the national tax rate.
As time progresses, issues will determine the type of government a nation has, with the game categorizing the type from 'Democratic Socialists' to 'Psychotic Dictatorship'.

A player can decide how often he or she wishes to receive issues by accessing the settings page and choosing from a list of options under the sub-heading New Issues. The options available for selection are:

  • None;

  • One per weekday;

  • One per day;

  • Two per weekday;

  • Two per day; or

  • Vacation Mode (prevent a nation from receiving new issues and extending period after which a nation will be deleted for inactivity, from 28 days to 60 days).

Depending on the options a player selects, they will achieve varying ratings relating to their nation's Economy, Political Freedoms, and Civil Rights (visible on a nation's homepage).

A nation's government type is determined by an algorithm which calculates a nation's civil liberties, economic, and political freedoms and based on this result, allocates the nation a government type appropriate to that nation. There are 27 government types, ranging from Scandinavian Liberal Paradise to Iron Fist Socialists to Psychotic Dictatorship.

To view how many nations there are of each government category, please see the data compiled by Farengeto and provided in the below spoiler (data accurate as of the 8th of June 2020).

[align=left][font=Avenir, Segoe UI][size=110][/size][/font][/align]

Government Category

Nation Count

Percentage

Inoffensive Centrist Democracy

52643

23.58%

Democratic Socialists

16958

7.60%

Iron Fist Consumerists

16719

7.49%

Anarchy

15750

7.06%

New York Times Democracy

15130

6.78%

Psychotic Dictatorship

13611

6.10%

Father Knows Best State

11356

5.09%

Civil Rights Lovefest

10677

4.78%

Moralistic Democracy

9530

4.27%

Left-wing Utopia

7038

3.15%

Liberal Democratic Socialists

6700

3.00%

Corrupt Dictatorship

6489

2.91%

Capitalist Paradise

5626

2.52%

Corporate Bordello

5236

2.35%

Left-Leaning College State

4705

2.11%

Corporate Police State

4241

1.90%

Scandinavian Liberal Paradise

4198

1.88%

Authoritarian Democracy

3556

1.59%

Compulsory Consumerist State

3056

1.37%

Right-wing Utopia

1933

0.87%

Capitalizt

1598

0.72%

Iron Fist Socialists

1494

0.67%

Conservative Democracy

1005

0.45%

Free-Market Paradise

935

0.42%

Libertarian Police State

901

0.40%

Tyranny by Majority

820

0.37%

Benevolent Dictatorship

772

0.35%

Mother Knows Best State

546

0.24%

[The following information has been kindly provided by Goddess Relief Office and reproduced here with his express permission. You are invited to read this guide to different issue types for more comprehensive information on this subject.]

NationStates has five different categories in which issues are organized into; general, population-based, issue options, statistics, and special issues.

  • General issues:

    General issues form the majority of issues that a nation will receive. Issues of this type are randomly generated with there being no precondition to receiving them.

    Examples of general issues include:

  • Population-based issues

    Population-based issues are those which can only be unlocked by a nation's population. If a player chooses to dismiss issues of this type when he/she received them or chooses an option that he/she may later regret, the player will still be able to receive population-based issues. However, the player will receive the specific issue later and not immediately after dismissing it. Through such issues, a player will be granted the ability to edit the player's capital city, leader, and national religion.

    Examples of population-based issues include:

  • Issue-option

    Issue-option is only unlock-able when a nation chooses a specific option to one issue. The result of the issue and the effect of the decision on the nation will be a catalyst for an Issue-option issue.

    Examples of issue-based issues include:

  • Statistic-based issues

    Statistic-based issues can be unlocked when a nation has reached a pre-determined statistic relevant to the issue. Depending on how a player chooses to lead his/her nation, different statistics will apply to the nation. For example, a nation which is led in a dictatorial fashion will most likely receive an issue which relates to tyrannical nations, for example, the issue Too Low on Laws, Says Citizens. However, a nation that has high political freedoms would not receive such issues.

    Examples of statistic-based issues include:

  • Special issues

    Special issues do not occur often and are a rarity. For example, World Assembly Woes are only unlock able by member-states of the World Assembly.

    Similar to special issues, there are easter egg issues which reward nations with a unique badge to be displayed on nations' main page. There are several easter egg issues available. However, the methods of attaining them vary. For a more detailed discussion on easter egg issues, please refer to this discussion.


Telegrams

Telegrams are private messages that can be sent between players. When a nation is founded, it will receive approximately two dozen telegrams from regions seeking to recruit new nations.

A player can choose to filter telegrams he/she receives by accessing Telegram Preferences. There are four categories a player can select:

  • Recruitment: Recruitment telegrams are sent by nations attempting to convince players to join their regions.

  • WA Campaign: WA proposal authors may send WA-member nations telegrams of this sort to lobby for a player's vote.

  • Region (official): Founders and (if allowed) World Assembly Delegates may send regional telegrams without the need for stamps. Unless selected, these telegrams will be sent to every nation residing in the region.

  • External: External telegrams are sent using stamps and in-which the author had not pre-selected the telegram label of 'recruitment' or 'campaign'.

A player may choose to block particular nations from sending him/her telegrams. A player may add a nation to the Ignore List by writing the nation's name in the search box of Telegram Preferences. Alternatively, the player can click on a telegram's timestamp which will link to a page showcasing the individual telegram, with there being a 'Block Sender' link near its bottom-right.

NationStates is a free game however there are upgrades available to a player. One such upgrade is an Inbox upgrade which is part of packages: Supporter, Postmaster, and Postmaster-General.

    Supporter will:
    • remove ads (for faster page loads);

    • reward with a supporter trophy for your nation page;

    • last forever;

    • permanently reserve nation name; and

    • give a player a 'warm, fuzzy feeling of supporting NationStates.'

    Postmaster:

    • includes the aforementioned benefits of Supporter;

    • expand folders to hold a 100 telegrams each (up from 20 telegrams);

    • create 3 additional custom folders; and

    • create a 'deleted items' folder which will retain a maximum of 100 deleted telegrams.

    Postmaster-General:

    • includes the aforementioned benefits of both Supporter and Postmaster;

    • expand folders to hold an unlimited number of telegrams;

    • create an unlimited number of custom folders; and

    • includes 500 telegram stamps.

Telegram stamps allow players to send multiple telegrams at one single time. Normally, a player would only be able to send a telegram to a maximum of eight nations. Mass telegrams using telegram stamps can reach substantial numbers of nations quickly and easily and provide Delivery Reports which detail who has received a telegram and who has not.

A player can personalize the telegram sent by applying %NATION% to the text of the telegram. This will automatically translate to the nation's name when he/she receives it.

    Similarly a player can select a particular group to receive the telegram:
    • region: <Name> will send a telegram to every nation residing in the region listed.

    • tag: New<Number> will send telegrams to the aforementioned number of newly founded nations.

    • tag: Refounded<Number> will send telegrams to the aforementioned number of refounded nations.

    • tag: NewDelegates<Number> will send telegrams to the aforementioned number of new World Assembly Delegates nations.

    • tag: Delegates will send a telegram to the every Delegate.

    • tag: WA will send a telegram to the every nation who retains current membership to the World Assembly.

    • tab: All will send a telegram to every nation in NationStates.

    • tag: Welcome will send an automatic greeting to new arrivals in their region. However, telegrams of these sort can only be sent by a Founder or Delegate of a region.


Population

A newly-founded nation in NationStates begins with a population of 5 million. Every 24 hours, the population of a nation increases. The higher the population rises, the greater the population increases per day, up until the population reaches 62 million.

The population of a newly-created nation increases by 1 million per day.

The population of a nation is related to the descriptor of its size. As a nation's population increases, it progresses through a series of size descriptors, which are: fledgling, tiny, small, large, very large, huge, massive, colossal, and gargantuan. As a nation's population increases, it eventually gains several new custom nation traits, including the capital city (250 million), the nation name pretitle (500 million), the nation's leader (750 million), and the national religion (1 billion).

[align=left][font=Avenir, Segoe UI][size=110] [/size][/font][/align]

Population Mark

Change(s)

5 million

The starting population, with the population size descriptor 'fledgling', and a population growth rate of 1 million per day.

7 million

The population size descriptor changes to 'tiny'.

10 million

The population growth rate increases to 2 million per day.

20 million

The population size descriptor changes to 'small'. The population growth rate increases to 3 million per day.

32 million

The population growth rate increases to 4 million per day.

40 million

The population growth rate increases to 5 million per day.

50 million

The population size descriptor changes to 'large'. The population growth rate increases to 6 million per day.

62 million

The population growth rate becomes randomly variable, ranging from 5 million per day to 7 million per day. The population growth rate does not change after this.

100 million

The population size descriptor changes to 'very large'.

200 million

The population size descriptor changes to 'huge'.

250 million

The nation can receive the issue to create a custom-named national capitol.

500 million

The nation name pretitle changes from multiple-choice to a custom text field. The player may submit issues from now on, at the issues page.

750 million

The player will have the option of stating the leader of their nation as well as attributing the national motto to said-individual.

1 billion

The population size descriptor changes to 'massive'. The nation can receive the issue to create a custom-named national religion.

5 billion

The population size descriptor changes to 'colossal'.

10 billion

The population size descriptor changes to 'gargantuan'.


Dossier

A nation's dossier is a compilation of brief information on other nations & regions which a player can select. It allows the player to easily move between nations/regions the player considers of interest and can be a useful tool in maintaining track of puppet nations a player may have.

The brief information provided in the dossier is limited to the nation's name, the nation's WA category (for example, left-wing utopia), when the nation was last active, the region in which the nation resides, and the WA status of the nation (whether the nation is a member of the World Assembly).

Similarly, the dossier provides brief information on regions that players choose to feature in their dossier. The information is limited to the name of the region, the population of the region, and the name of the region's World Assembly Delegate.

Another feature is Advanced Dossier. This feature allows for greater control of the nations which feature in a player's dossier. As opposed to having to independently select nations, a player can upload a text file to NationStates featuring nations' names. Alternatively, a player can download a text file that contains the identity of the nations in the dossier.


Settings

The settings page allows a player to modify aspects of his/her nation. A player can set the currency, motto, demonyms, national animal, et cetera. The settings page also provides players with the opportunity to change their nation's password, flag, and select banners.

Banners are a rotating, targeted, customizable, unlock-able set of images on the nation's page. There are over 250 banners, which unlock upon achieving various feats, such as developing a strong economy or reaching high levels of political corruption. There are also custom slots for uploading a players' own images, once they have reached particular population levels. For a full list illustrating every banner achievable, you are invited to Linkview this collection.


People, Government, & the Economy

People: A pie-chart and accompanying percentages illustrating the leading causes of death throughout a player's nation, for example, old age.

Government: An illustration and accompanying percentages showing the distribution of your budget, for example, education, environment, healthcare, public transport, and administration. The illustration also details the amount of a player's currency and the percentage of the player's total gross domestic product (GDP) spent on government expenditure.

Economy: An illustration of the division of the public, private, and state-owned sectors. Here, a player can also read the total GDP of the nation and the GDP per person.


Analysis

Each day, there are two updates in NationStates. The major update occurs at approximately 00:00-01:00 Eastern Standard Time/Eastern Daylight Savings Time (EST/EDT). The minor update occurs at approximately 12:00-13:00 EST/EDT. Due to a large number of nations and regions, these updates may take an hour.

In the major update, NationStates generates a World Census Report on a particular subject and will rank all nations and regions from highest to lowest. Such topics include 'Most Extreme', 'Most Cultured' and 'Best Healthcare'. If a nation scores highly in these reports, the player may expect to be rewarded with either a silver or gold badge which will feature on the main page of the player (top 10% and 5%, respectfully).


||| WELCOME ||| BASICS ||| ||| GAMEPLAY ||| ||| GLOSSARY |||
·
·
·
||| REGION ||| | ||| WORLD ASSEMBLY ||| | ||| ROLEPLAY ||| | ||| BBCODE |||
·

Region

In NationStates, regions is to a nation how a real-life country/city is to a person. It is a community of nations which generally incorporates at least five basic social values that all regions, regardless of their ideological foundation, are expected to provide and uphold for the benefit of their citizens. These values are security, freedom; order; justice; and welfare. This is not to say that there are no regions in whom's founding ideals differ from those stated. There are thousands of regions in NationStates, each with its own personality and direction, for example, a Pokemon-themed region, a Communist region, or a democratic region.

Different regions have different focus points, some choose to be specifically themed with a general-purpose whilst others are just a casual gathering place for nations. The defining aspect of regions is their home-pages (which you can locate by clicking on a region's link). The regional home-page showcases a wide range of customizable features:

  • World Factbook Entry;

  • Regional flag;

  • Dispatches;

  • Regional tags;

  • Embassies;

  • World Census Report;

  • Regional polls; and the

  • Regional Message Board (RMB)

Nations can select the region they want to belong to by various means; accidental stumbling upon, specific searches, recruitment telegrams, looking at regional tags, etc.

For a comprehensive guide to "Building a region", you are invited to view this forum thread.


World Assembly

Given the international diplomacy theme which underpins NationStates, an important aspect of the game is an institution called the World Assembly (WA) formerly known as the United Nations. This is a fairly large component of the game and therefore this guide will detail it under sub-sections (highlighted in bold)

Membership to the World Assembly is entirely voluntary. A player may choose to join this organisation and in doing so, gain them in-game functions of being able to endorse other nations as well as receive endorsements. However, the player also submits their nation to the effects generated by various WA proposals. This may have an inadvertent effect on a nation's statistics, for example, their military situation (ability to construct nuclear weapons may be limited by a WA General Assembly resolution). A player can choose to join the World Assembly by clicking on the 'Apply to join' button in the World Assembly page.

Delegate are elected by a region to serve as their representative at the World Assembly. Unlike ordinary members, they can approve newly-suggested resolutions. Delegates may also have administrative control over their region, though this is entirely dependent on the settings decided with the region's creation.

Becoming a delegate can be an easy or difficult process, depending on the circumstances. To be elected, a nation needs endorsements (a minimum of two) from the majority of members in their respective regions. Whilst a region composed of said-nation and a friend(s) can guarantee the nation the delegacy, larger regions with a vast collection of players are often much more challenging. Not only must the nation convince people to support their cause (and potentially have the current delegate demoted), the nation needs to hold this position by respecting the demands of the region.

Gaining endorsements, you've decided to join a bigger region with little to no support from friends, here are a few tips to receive the endorsements needed: (note: the following is the author's own opinion)

  1. Patience is a godsend. Don't expect to march in some random region and have endorsements thrown at you. You need to prove your place.

  2. Get friendly with some of the other nations, people who you can count on to support your ascent to power.

  3. If they have one, find out about the current delegate. Is he well-liked? Does he listen to the nation's wishes? Does he abuse his power? Use this to your advantage...

  4. NationStates truly is a game of politics and roleplaying. To that end, feel free to blackmail and bribe your peers.

Councils, the World Assembly is divided into two entities; the General Assembly and the Security Council [3]:

The General Assembly is concerned with passing international law: resolutions to improve human rights, environmental standards, and the like. They have an immediate and material effect on all WA member nations, and can change your laws and category. For example, if you are a protectionist nation, and the WA passes a resolution promoting free trade, you may find your nation becoming abruptly more capitalist.

Broadly speaking, the General Assembly does not concern itself with individual nations or regions, but humanity as a whole. It has a vibrant roleplaying community in the General Assembly forum, which debates and drafts legislation.

The Security Council, on the other hand, is very much about specifics. It passes resolutions that Condemn or Commend particular nations or regions, and authorises Liberations, by removing a Delegate's authority to set a regional password (usually to restore order following its capture by invaders). Compared to the General Assembly, it is more concerned with gameplay (regional politics, invasions) than roleplaying.

Both Councils function similarly in that they accept proposals, which enter the voting floor to be voted on as resolutions. Each Council may have a resolution at vote at the same time.

To vote for a resolution, click on its link within the World Assembly tab. You'll be taken to a page giving you the full details, including the category, resolution number, and who proposed the resolution. Below that, you'll find a complete explanation, with the option of voting For or Against.

To pass your own resolution, you need at least two endorsements from members of your region. Once you have those, you can propose your resolution to the World Assembly. However, before people are given the chance to vote on it, it needs to be approved by 6% of the World Assembly Regional Delegates. If it reaches the necessary number of approvals, it will be brought onto the voting floor, where all members of the WA can make your resolution law, or fail to pass it. (note: the following is the author's own opinion)

When you decide to pass your resolution, you have two choices. You can create a brand new one, or you can attempt to repeal an old one.

Creating a new resolution is basically one that does not currently exist. If you do so, make sure you look through all previous resolutions. There's nothing more embarrassing than attempting to introduce laws on toilet paper which already exist...

If you too are angered about the increase of tax on tea bags, then you have the chance to get things changed! You can vote to re-appeal a resolution, which will render the resolution in question null and void. This is normally when old laws conflict with new methods.

Tips on Passing a Resolution:

  1. Gather up support within your region. If it was proposed by someone, all the better!

  2. Spread the word on the forums. There is a section dedicated to the discussion of resolutions. You can make friends and get some critique on your law, which will let you make the edits necessary to give it an air of professionalism.

  3. Don't get too frustrated if your resolution doesn't make it to the voting floor. You can always try again.

Influence is a game-determined categorisation applied to each nation. A nation's influence is a measure of how 'well-respected' a nation is considered in its current region. Nations earn influence in a region the longer they remain there, and the more WA endorsements they have accumulated. When a nation leaves, though, its influence in that region will begin to decline.

Influence serves an important gameplay purpose. The ability of WA Delegates to eject and ban nations from their region, and to password-protect it, is limited by their Influence. Delegates consume some of their Influence to exercise their power, so the more often the Delegate uses their influence, the more difficult it is for them to wield those powers in the future.

When a nation moves to a region, it does not influence within that region. Nations accrue influence in a region by remaining in the region, and by receiving endorsements from the region’s members. Arguably, being a member of the WA has no value unless the nation gains endorsements, the more endorsements one gets, the more influence one will accrue.

The regional influence is equal to the sum of the national influence of all its members (updated each game-update (refer to Analysis)), and is displayed as a ranking on a scale ranging from ‘moderate’ to ‘Extremely High’.

The national influence ranking (ranging from ‘Minnow’ to ‘Hermit’) is determined by the ratio of national influence to total regional influence and the previous WA update.

Influence levels achievable

[align=left][/align]

Influence Level

31

Zero

30

Unproven

29

Hatchling

28

Newcomer

27

Nipper

26

Minnow

25

Sprat

24

Shoeshiner

23

Page

22

Squire

21

Apprentice

20

Vassal

19

Truckler

18

Handshaker

17

Duckspeaker

16

Envoy

15

Diplomat

14

Ambassador

13

Auxiliary

12

Negotiator

11

Contender

10

Instigator

9

Dealmaker

8

Enforcer

7

Eminence Grise

6

Powerbroker

5

Power

4

Superpower

3

Dominator

2

Hegemony

1

Hermit


Roleplay

[The following advice has been kindly provided by Euroslavia and reproduced here with his express permission. Should you wish to further explore this dynamic aspect of NationStates, you are invited to read the many roleplay guides available in the forum.]

Welcome to 'Getting Started with Nationstates'. This (advice) will provide the basic framework for general rules and learning and all things in regards to how to properly Role Playing in the International Incidents and Nationstates forums. The following is merely a snippet of advice, please visit this forum thread for more comprehensive information and advice relating to roleplaying in International Incidents.

  • Work things out OOC: First piece of advice is fairly simple; you will find that when you start a roleplay with a nation you may have combat with, you will find that most of the time you will both have different technologies and ideas on how the roleplay will go. As such it’s important to work out any problems OOC before you start the RP. You can do this in MSN, telegram or even in a separate thread… if you don’t do this you may waste a lot of time arguing with the other nation over the power of your weapon, why they aren’t taking enough damage and so on.

  • Spelling, Grammar and Format: This is a quick addition, but basically if you want to be understood you should make it easier to read for everyone else. You should try and make sure that you’re spelling it reasonable, your grammar is ok and your format makes it easy for people to read. The best way to achieve this is to use a program like Win Word to spell check your post and maybe even point out some grammar problems.

  • Its freeform baby!: Yeah, I know I should have pointed this out earlier, but it goes without saying. You can RP anything you want and there is little anyone can do about it. Remember, while you can roleplay anything, you can also ignore anything. So while you can RP your nation being the best in the universe, everyone else can ignore such a claim and choose not to RP with you. That’s the beauty of freeform, and it’s the greatest frustration. This is why you should be reasonable.

  • Be descriptive: This isn’t really as important, but it makes the thread a whole lot better. The more description you put into it, the more interesting it is to read and the more you will enjoy the roleplay on the whole.

  • Have fun: It gets forgotten a lot of the time but Nationstates is just a game; albeit an addictive game which takes a lot of time and effort for some people. The important thing is to have fun; if you are not having fun then you should try something else. Tired of having wars with everyone? Chill out and try something else, make peace with those you fight or have a peace conference… that way you automatically have a character/diplomatic roleplay.

To garner more information on general roleplaying, the author strongly recommends a visit to the forum thread Roleplaying Tips and Suggestions.

Roleplaying in NationStates is such an exciting and fun aspect of the game, as such, there are thousands of people all around you who would be happy to help you, you need only ask. Similarly, if you are stuck on something or would just like a bit of advice here and there, the forum contains dozens of guides and helpful tips. Always remember, the world is full of possibilities and you are only limited by your imagination.


BBCode

Players not accustomed to formatting may have noticed custom markup tags being used in the regional message board, the NS Forum or in Dispatches. These custom markups help to format a text to make it bold, italics, add images, add url, etc. These are known as BBCode or Bulletin Board Code.

BBCode or Bulletin Board Code is a lightweight markup language generally used internet-wide format posts in blogs and message boards.
The BBCode tags usually have a beginning and ending tag similar to HTML. BBCodes are usually indicated by the square brackets [ ] and contain a keyword within the [] tag, and the ending tags have the same keyword with a backslash ” / ” preceding the keyword. These BBCodes are parsed during the run-time to produce HTML or XHTML that can be understood by the browsers. It should be noted that players need to nest the tags properly as otherwise, it might not work.

[The following information has been kindly provided by Testlandia and reproduced here with his express permission. The following list is not exhaustive. To view the full list, please consult with this dispatch, the Complete List of NSCodes.]

These BBCode-like tags can be used in Dispatches, Telegrams, Regional Message Board (RMB) posts, Regional World Factbook Entries (WFEs), and World Assembly proposals. Not all tags are valid for all message types: see below.

Name

Validity

Code

Result

Bold

Everywhere

[b]Nation[/b]

Nation

Italic

Everywhere

[i]States[/i]

States

Underline

Everywhere

[u]online[/u]

online

Strike

Everywhere

[strike]game[/strike]

game

Background

Dispatches

[background=#0080FF]text highlight[/background]

text highlight

Background-block

Dispatches

[background-block=yellow]Block highlight[/background-block]

Block highlight

Size

Dispatches

[size=150]Guide[/size]

Guide

Font

Dispatches

[font=Newtimesroman]John Smith[/font]

John Smith

Nation

Everywhere

[nation]Amerion[/nation]
[nation=short]Amerion[/nation]
[nation=short+noflag]Amerion[/nation]
[nation=long]Amerion[/nation]

Amerion
Amerion
Amerion
The 😈 Admiral General 👿 of Amerion

Region

Everywhere

[region]the South Pacific[/region]

the South Pacific

WA proposal

Everywhere

[proposal=chester_pearson_1421530135]War Crimes Tribunal[/proposal]

War Crimes Tribunal

WA resolution

Everywhere

[resolution=GA#2]The Rights and Duties law[/resolution]

The Rights and Duties law

Spoiler

Everywhere

[spoiler]Hi[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Greetings]Hi[/spoiler]

Hi
Hi

Link

Dispatches & WFE

[url=http://maxbarry.com/]Max Barry[/url] created NationStates

LinkMax Barry created NationStates

Anchor

Dispatches

[anchor=A][/anchor]The anchor will be placed here

[url=/page=dispatch/id=444406#A]Anchor link[/url]

The anchor will be placed here

Anchor link

Image

Dispatches

[img]https://i.imgur.com/9h8jAdi.png?1[/img]

Quote

RMB & Dispatches

[quote=amerion;100000]Oppa Gangnam Style[/quote]

Amerion wrote:Oppa Gangnam Style

List

Everywhere

[list][*]Bullet
[*]List[/list]
[list=1][*]Number
[*]List[/list]
[list=a][*]Alphabetical
[*]List[/list]
[list=I][*]Roman
[*]Numerals
[*]List[list]

  • Bullet

  • List

  1. Number

  2. List

  1. Alphabetical

  2. List

  1. Roman

  2. Numerals

  3. List

    Unformatted text

    Everywhere

    [pre]You bold like [b]this[/b]!
    [/pre]

    You bold like [b]this[/b]!

    Color

    Dispatches & WFE

    [color=red]Red text[/color]
    [color=#0431B4]Blue text[/color]

    Red text
    Blue text

    Alignment

    Dispatches

    [align=right]Right-aligned[/align]
    [center]Center-aligned[/center]
    [align=left]Left-aligned[/align]

    Right-aligned
    Center-aligned
    Left-aligned

    Indentation

    Dispatches

    [tab=10]This is an indent[/tab]

    This is an indent

    Horizontal Line

    Dispatches

    [hr]


    Box

    Dispatches

    [box]This is a box[/box]

    This is a box


    ||| WELCOME ||| BASICS ||| GAMEPLAY ||| ||| GLOSSARY ||| |||
    ·
    ·
    ·
    ·

    Term

    Definition

    Ban

    An act which prevents a nation from entering a given region.

    Cease-To-Exist (CTE)

    The deletion of a nation after a period of inactivity lasting 28 days or 60 days if vacation mode is set. A nation can be 'refounded' by the owner by login.

    Eject

    An act of ejecting a nation from a region. This can be performed by the Founder (with cost to the nation) or by the Delegate (with an influence cost incurred on the Delegate). Nations who have been ejected will relocate involuntarily to The Rejected Realms.

    Feeders

    Regions that new nations are founded in. Sinkers include The Pacific, The North Pacific, The South Pacific, The West Pacific, and The East Pacific.

    Founder

    A nation who 'founded' the region and hence is the original inhabitant. The Founder, depending on access to the administration panel, has the power to ban, eject, banject nations, change tags, suppress RMB posts, change the flag, construct and close embassies, and change the World Factbook Entry.

    Sinkers

    Regions that nations returning to the game, or in the case of The Rejected Realms are ejected from a different region go to. Sinkers include Lazarus, Osiris, Balder, and The Rejected Realms.

    Out-of-Character (OOC)

    Post of this sort is used to convey messages unrelated to the roleplay, such as informing fellow players that you will be out of town for a week and therefore will not be online in NationStates.

    Puppets

    Nations created to be used secondary to the primary nation. Some players choose to use puppet nations as WA nations while others choose to use it to boost a region's population. Reasons vary and there is nothing wrong with creating puppets for one's purpose.

    Regional Message Board (RMB)

    A chat function visible in a region (scroll down the region's homepage). This aspect allows nations to communicate and displays their flag as well as allowing them to 'like' others' messages and quote them.

    Telegrams

    A private messaging system that acts as emails for NS.

    Warzones

    Regions which have no founder and cannot be refounded. In these regions, ejections/bannings do not incur an influence drain on the Delegate but can only last a limited amount of time. Warzones include Warzone Airspace, Warzone Africa, Warzone Europe, Warzone Asia, Warzone Australia, and Warzone Sandbox.

    World Assembly

    An institute of global governance in NationStates, similar to the United Nations in real-life.

    World Assembly Delegate

    A nation who possess the largest number of WA endorsements in the region, thereby allowing it to represent the region in the World Assembly.

    World Factbook Entry (WFE)

    World Factbook Entry is an area visible at the top of a region's homepage which describes the region, etc. Typically, it would state members of the region's governing entity, links to an offsite forum, etc.

    References

    [1] Testlandia, Euroslavia, and Goddess Relief Office contributed whole information towards sections regarding Bulletin Board Codes, Roleplay, and Issue Types, respectfully.

    [2] Exact figures may fluctuate over time as new nations are founded and existing nations are ceasing-to-exist.

    [3] This information on World Assembly Councils was sourced from Frequently Asked Questions.

    ·

    ·

    The NationStates Guide
    ·

    ·
    ——
    ·
    ·
    Read dispatch


    Hello,

    I created a page that shows ALL banners regardless of whether they're unlocked or not :

    There's no hacking here. I simply looked through the source code of the NS banner page and saw that each banner had an ID which also served as the file name, so then it was a matter of copying the source, filtering it down to a list of essentials--banner title, description, ID--and writing a script that ran through that list. Throw in some CSS for good measure and that's it!

    Notes :
    - Some banners have a dark border and others don't--it's just an extra personal touch to show banners that I've unlocked.
    - Recently added (2018, August) my own little 'favourite' markers for a bunch of banners.
    - Depending on which browser you have, you may not see some or all of the LinkCSS animations (IE 9 for example).
    - Do feel free to notify me of changes (new banners, updated descriptions)--I'm not regularly monitoring them.
    - Also, I don't "aggressively" seek out how to unlock banners.

    Link to this dispatch posted in the forum.

    Read dispatch


    Be kind and UPVOTE!

    NationStates Policies


    The following are all the NationStates policies known to nation kind.

    If you find any unlisted policies, incorrect descriptions, or wrong list orders, post on the thread!

    Government


    Autocracy - The nation does not hold democratic elections.

    Theocracy - Worship of the official state religion is mandatory.

    Monarchy - The special status of a royal family is enshrined in law.

    Feudalism - The nation practices a feudal system of lords and serfs.

    Devolution - Government power is substantially delegated to local authorities.

    State Press - Only state-controlled media is permitted.

    Public Protest - The right to unfettered public protest is enshrined in law.

    No Dissent - Public protests are illegal.

    Sortition - Parliamentarians are randomly selected.

    Pledge of Allegiance - The daily singing of an anthem or reciting of a pledge is compulsory in schools.

    Proportional Representation - Votes translate linearly to elected representation, with no seats or electoral college.

    Native Representation - Only native-born citizens may hold elected office.

    Term Limits - Elected representatives must leave office after a legally mandated amount of time.

    Society


    Marriage Equality - Citizens of the same sex may marry.

    No Marriage - Marriage is prohibited.

    Permanent Marriage - Divorce is illegal.

    Heterosexuality - Same-sex relationships are illegal.

    Polygamy - Citizens may have multiple spouses.

    No Adultery - Adultery is prohibited by law.

    Atheism - Religious worship is prohibited.

    No Contraception - Contraception is illegal.

    No Abortion - Abortion is illegal.

    Geronticide - Citizens are not permitted to reach old age.

    Euthanasia - Citizens are legally entitled to end their lives.

    Compulsory Organ Harvesting - Citizens have no say in the medical use of their bodies after death.

    Vat-Produced Infants - Biological reproduction is prohibited.

    AI Personhood - Artificial beings are legally recognized citizens.

    Vegetarianism - Vegetarianism is compulsory.

    Parental Licensing - Citizens must acquire a license in order to have children.

    Child Self-Rearing - Children are left in the wilderness to raise themselves.

    Body Integrity - Citizens may not pierce their bodies nor circumcize their children.

    Prudism - Strict modesty laws govern how citizens may dress.

    Nudism - Clothing is forbidden.

    No Sports - Physical contact sports are prohibited.

    Sex Education - School-age children receive mandatory sex education.

    No Smoking - Smoking is prohibited, even in private.

    No Zoos - Animals may not be kept in confinement.

    Law & Order


    Capital Punishment - Citizens may be executed for crimes.

    Corporal Punishment - Criminals may be ordered to undergo physical punishment.

    Human Sacrifice - Religious sacrifice of human beings is legal.

    Conscription - A period of military service is compulsory for all citizens.

    No Judiciary - The nation has abolished the court system.

    Gun Control - Citizens are forbidden from owning firearms.

    Gun Ownership - All citizens are required to own a firearm.

    Curfew - The nation enforces a national curfew.

    No Prison - Jails and prisons are not employed.

    State Surveillance - The state heavily monitors citizen behavior and communication.

    DNA Harvesting - Citizen DNA must be submitted to the state.

    ID Chips - Citizens are administered an under-the-skin ID chip.

    Economy


    Socialism - Industry is owned and run by the government in a centrally planned economy.

    Capitalism - Private industry is permitted within a market-based economy.

    AI Planning - The nation runs an AI-backed planned economy.

    Child Labor - Children may be legally employed as workers and contractors.

    Maternity Leave - Mothers of newborn children received paid leave from employment.

    No Computers - Computers are banned.

    Universal Health Care - The state provides health care to all citizens.

    No Internet - Citizens may not connect to the Internet.

    Cannabis - Cannabis may be legally purchased.

    No Drugs - All recreational drugs are prohibited.

    No Automobiles - Cars are banned.

    Slavery - Slavery is legal

    Prohibition - Alcohol is banned.

    Autarky - The nation pursues a policy of economic self-sufficiency.

    Affirmative Action - Organizations are required to meet demographic quotas.

    No Gambling - Gambling is illegal.

    No Video Games - Computer games are banned.

    No Nuclear Power - Nuclear power generation is prohibited.

    Nuclear Power - The nation is nuclear powered.

    Space Program - The nation runs a space program.

    No Aircraft - Aircraft are banned.

    Metricism - The state mandates the use of the metric system.

    International


    Weapons of Mass Destruction - The nation claims the legal right to use WMDs.

    No WMDs - The nation opposes the use of WMDs.

    Climate Treaty - The nation is a signatory to an international climate treaty.

    No Immigration - Foreigners cannot become residents.

    No Emigration - Citizens are not permitted to leave.

    Read dispatch


    We're all familiar with the region tags, but familiarity isn't always the same as understanding.

    I'm not the first person to get bemused by regions tags. Game Player sounds like a good tag for Ludo fans, but NS has it's own definition. The Gameplay forum is described as "Talk about regional management and politics, raider/defender gameplay, and other game-related matters".

    And what is F7er? Is it very different to FT:STL? It turns out that F7 is a forum. And FT:STL? Well, read on to get the big reveal.

    About six months back, someone finally told me what FT:STL meant. And we agreed that it would be good to have an explanation of all the tags. Then, I finally saw the original thread about region tags, and gained some additional insight. So this is my attempt at an explanation of tags. You're welcome to suggest improvements.

    Region tags were introduced to NS by SalusaSecondus on 10 May 2011. The 50 or so tags marked below as "suggested by" SalusaSecondus are ones I believe were in the original release. The original forum post has been edited a number of times (most recently in 2015), so it's hard to be sure which tags were on the original list. I've included links to evidence the dates when the various tags were suggested. Dates without links are assumptions.

    Tags fall into two main groups - system tags, and optional tags. System tags are Game created, and cannot be removed. Optional tags can be added or removed by a regional officer with Appearance powers. Within these groups, I've split the tags into different categories. I made these categories up myself, so don't think of them as definitive. And it could be easily argued that some tags are mis-categorised.

    Apologies to those nations receiving unwanted pings.


    System Tags

    Regions with Special Rules

    Tag

    Interpretation

    Suggested by

    Suggested Date

    Added On

    Feeder

    Game created regions where new nations start out.

    SalusaSecondus

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Sinker

    Game created regions where CTEd nations refound,
    plus The Rejected Realms.

    SalusaSecondus

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Warzone

    Game created regions which cannot be passworded,
    where bans are temporary, and ejections cost the
    delegate no influence.

    SalusaSecondus

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Class

    Class regions are created by educators, and are
    isolated from the rest of the game.

    SalusaSecondus

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Regions with Security Council Resolutions

    Tag

    Interpretation

    Suggested by

    Suggested Date

    Added On

    Commended

    Regions with a Security Council Commendation

    Swkoll

    11 May 2011

    8 Jun 2014

    Condemned

    Regions with a Security Council Condemnation

    Swkoll

    11 May 2011

    8 Jun 2014

    Liberated

    Regions with a Security Council Liberation. Sometimes
    refered to as player-created Warzones, as delegates
    can't impose passwords.

    Named after spartz

    23 Jul 2011

    8 Jun 2014

    Although these tags were requested very early on, it was three years before they were added. District xiv revived the idea on 29 May 2014. Ballotonia added code to automate the tagging.

    Size (Every region has one of these)

    Tag

    Interpretation

    Suggested by

    Suggested Date

    Added On

    Minuscule

    Region has 1 to 5 nations.

    SalusaSecondus

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Small

    Region has 6 to 10 nations.

    SalusaSecondus

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Medium

    Region has 11 to 50 nations.

    SalusaSecondus

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Large

    Region has 51 to 100 nations.

    SalusaSecondus

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Enormous

    Region has 101 to 500 nations.

    SalusaSecondus

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Gargantuan

    Region has more than 500 nations.

    SalusaSecondus

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Other Automated Tags

    Tag

    Interpretation

    Suggested by

    Suggested Date

    Added On

    Featured

    Regions 'featured' on or after 8th May 2011

    SalusaSecondus

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Founderless

    Regions with no founder (includes all GCRs, certain
    UCRs created before founders were included in the
    game, and UCRs whose founder has CTEd.)

    SalusaSecondus

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    New

    Regions created in the last 7 days

    Ballotonia

    19 Nov 2012 *

    19 Nov 2012

    Password

    Regions that require a password to enter.

    New south hell

    11 May 2011 **

    19 Nov 2012

    * Age based tags were originally requested on 11 May 2011. Swkoll requested an 'old' tag, and Neoplanta requested a 'year of founding'. 'New' seems to have been a spontaneous decision by Ballotonia in 2012 though.
    ** New south hell's original suggestion had the name as "gated". A couple nations came back to this idea a year later. Syrakhstan, on 20 Jun 2012, and General halcones on 13 Sep 2012. Ballotonia added the tag on 19 Nov 2012.


    Optional Tags

    Interests

    Tag

    Interpretation

    Suggested by

    Suggested Date

    Added On

    Anime

    Animated regions, but filled with two dimensional
    characters. ;)

    SalusaSecondus

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Embassy Collector

    Regions that try to open as many embassies as possible.

    Improper Classifications

    30 Nov 2022

    01 Dec 2022

    F7er

    Communities that participate in the Forum 7 forum.

    Unibot ii

    11 May 2011

    17 May 2011*

    Fandom

    New south hell said it best: "Fandom. There's a
    difference between LoTR role playing, for which Fantasy
    Tech is a good tag, and a region for LoTR fans."

    New south hell

    11 May 2011

    12 May 2011

    Game Player

    Focused on regional management and politics, and / or
    the raiding and defending game. Oddly, despite the
    name, the term 'gameplay' isn't intended to include
    F7ers, Issues Players, Sports, or Video Games.
    There are a number of Gameplay specific tags.

    SalusaSecondus

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Generalite

    Communities that participate in the General forum.

    Unibot ii

    11 May 2011

    11 May 2011

    Issues Player

    "Some regions have nations answer their issues almost
    down to an exact size science to top rankings/
    trophies/get a very unique type of nation."

    Warzone Codger

    10 May 2011**

    9 Mar 2016

    LGBT

    Concieved for LBGT communities, this tag is also used
    for LGBT friendly communities.

    Merric

    13 May 2011***

    26 Jul 2015

    Non-English

    For clever people, who can handle more than one language.

    SalusaSecondus

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Offsite Chat

    Read "has Discord server".

    Lenlyvit

    6 Jul 2017

    12 Jul 2017

    Offsite Forums

    Has an offsite forum.

    SalusaSecondus

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    P2TM

    Communities that participate in the Portal to the
    Multiverse
    forum.

    Nightkill the emperor

    7 Dec 2012****

    20 Dec 2013

    Parody

    Spoof themed regions.

    SalusaSecondus

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Religious

    Religeous community

    New south hell

    11 May 2011

    11 May 2011

    Role Player

    A role-player community. There are a number of
    role-play specific tags too.

    SalusaSecondus

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Social

    A place to chat.

    Gauntleted fist

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Surreal

    Do we really need a tag to find a surreal region
    in a place where nations are transported around by
    black helicopters, and the only natural resources
    are virtual trading cards?

    Gell-Mannhattan

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Video Game

    People play other games?

    SalusaSecondus

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    * Probably added before 17 May, but that's when the first evidence of it shows up.
    **Although "Issues Player" was requested on day 1, Codger had to 'bump' the suggestion five years later before it was introduced.
    *** Despite there being some discussion of "LGBT" early on, it wasn't introduced until 2015, when raised in a separate thread by Luxdonia. After the 2016 Orlando massacre, many regions added the LGBT tag as a show of solidarity, so much so that there was concern that the original purpose of the tag was being diluted.
    **** "P2TM" was originally refused (despite there being other forum-specific tags). It became a thing after Esternial started pushing for in on 31 Oct 2013.

    Attitude

    Tag

    Interpretation

    Suggested by

    Suggested Date

    Added On

    Casual

    New south hell

    11 May 2011

    11 May 2011

    Serious

    Gauntleted fist

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Silly

    SalusaSecondus

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Snarky

    Ever wondered how this became a tag? I don't think
    it was ever meant to be. It comes from
    Gell-Mannhattan's request: 'May I
    respectfully suggest "surreal" and "snarky" and
    "thinks tags are silly."' (my emphasis).

    Gell-Mannhattan

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    World Assembly

    Tag

    Interpretation

    Suggested by

    Suggested Date

    Added On

    Anti-General Assembly

    Lady morgause

    16 Sep 2012

    16 Sep 2012

    Anti-Security Council

    SalusaSecondus

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Anti-World Assembly

    SalusaSecondus

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    General Assembly

    SalusaSecondus

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Security Council

    SalusaSecondus

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    World Assembly

    SalusaSecondus

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    The last three here could easily be categorised as 'Interests'. However, it would have left the other three in-game political stances in a weird category of their own.

    Political (could be either in-game or OOC political stances)

    Tag

    Interpretation

    Suggested by

    Suggested Date

    Added On

    Anarchist

    Herrebrugh

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Anti-Capitalist

    Celdonia

    11 May 2011

    9 May 2013

    Anti-Communist

    Christian Democrats

    22 May 2011

    9 Sep 2012

    Anti-Fascist

    Herrebrugh

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Capitalist

    Mariatania

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Communist

    Mariatania

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Conservative

    Mariatania

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Democratic

    Kshrlmnt

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Eco-Friendly

    Errinundera

    10 May 2011

    25 Feb 2012

    Egalitarian

    The 2013 request died quickly. This tag was only
    added as an unintended spin-off from Maupof's 2017
    Feminist tag request
    .

    The icy blackness of space

    14 Oct 2013

    28 Jul 2017

    Fascist

    Selegnia

    11 May 2011

    11 May 2011

    Feminist

    Although requested on four previous occassions, it
    was Maupof's 2017
    request
    that got this one implemented.

    Zephyrinia

    20 Sep 2012

    30 Jul 2017

    Free Trade

    Denecaep

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    International Federalist

    "It's the opposite of National Sovereignty.
    Basically, it's for nations/regions who feel that
    the WA exists to serve as a One World Government
    type"

    Unibot ii

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Isolationist

    SalusaSecondus

    10 May 2011

    0 Jan 1900

    Liberal

    Mariatania

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Libertarian

    Britarvia

    11 May 2011

    25 Sep 2011

    Monarchist

    Kshrlmnt

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    National Sovereigntist

    "National sovereignty is the belief that all nations
    should be allowed to make whatever laws they want
    (i.e. legalizing/banning gay marriage) without
    having to submit to pressure from the international
    community, so a national sovereigntist region would
    be one that allows the nations to legaslaite however
    they want."

    Unibot ii

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Pacifist

    Antarctic isles

    13 May 2011

    21 Nov 2011

    Patriarchal

    Read "Misogynists". Tellingly, more than 1 in 3
    regions with this tag are also tagged "Fascist".

    Cruciland

    28 Jul 2017

    30 Jul 2017

    Socialist

    SalusaSecondus

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Theocratic

    Leviathan romefeller

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Totalitarian

    SalusaSecondus

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Gameplay

    Tag

    Interpretation

    Suggested by

    Suggested Date

    Added On

    Defender

    Defender home regions and jump points. Or, more
    likely, defender sympathisers.

    SalusaSecondus

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Imperialist

    One of an empire of connected regions.

    SalusaSecondus

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Independent

    Flexible term. Could be military gameplayers,
    either raiding or defending as suits them. Or maybe
    meaning "not part of an Empire". Or something else
    entirely.

    Kalibarr

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Invader

    Raider home regions, jump points, and (probably
    more numerous) regions that they've raided. And
    wanna-be raiders.

    SalusaSecondus

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Jump Point

    Used by raiders and defenders in the raiding /
    defending game. Mostly filled with puppets. Kind
    of like Puppet Storage, but with a higher turnover
    of residents.

    Lenlyvit

    19 Dec 2017

    19 Dec 2017

    Mercenary

    WA endorsements for hire. Though I don't know if
    they actually deliver. Site rules prevent payment
    of anything of real world value.

    SalusaSecondus

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Neutral

    Neither raider nor defender. The term is easily
    applied to politics too, so could well be
    miscategorised.

    SalusaSecondus

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Puppet Storage

    Region for storing puppet nations. Despite a high
    number of nations, they're often controlled by one
    player, so don't expect a community.

    Kshrlmnt

    10 May 2011*

    12 Feb 2012

    Recruiter Friendly

    You are allowed to recruit for your own region on
    the RMBs of these regions, without the Mods getting
    angry at you. Despite having this tag, the residents
    may still get angry with you, and possibly suppress
    your post or ban you (I know, right?). Don't expect
    this to be an effective way of getting recruits
    anyway.

    Makiir

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Regional Government

    Originally Makiir wanted a tag for "Currently
    looking for nations to fill government positions
    in our region". This isn't really the same thing.
    Presumably this tag could apply to any region that
    isn't solely controlled by the founder.

    Makiir

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    * Kshrlmnt originally proposed "Puppet dumps and/or graveyards?", though this was rejected by SalusaSecondus: "I don't like encouraging graveyards or puppet dumps, so I don't think I'll create those tags". It was finally brought in, apparently independently, by Sedgistan on 12/2/12.

    Roleplay

    Tag

    Interpretation

    Suggested by

    Suggested Date

    Added On

    Cyberpunk

    Leviathan romefeller

    24 Jun 2011

    21 Nov 2011

    FT: FTL

    Future Tech: Faster Than Light

    SalusaSecondus

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    FT: FTLi

    Future Tech: Faster-Than-Light inhibitors
    - able to disrupt FTL travel.

    SalusaSecondus

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    FT: STL

    Future Tech: Slower Than Light

    SalusaSecondus

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Fantasy Tech

    New south hell

    11 May 2011

    11 May 2011(?)

    Future Tech

    SalusaSecondus

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Human-Only

    SalusaSecondus

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Industrial

    This was intoduced as a counter-balance
    to "Eco-Friendly"

    Santa Joanna

    14 Feb 2012

    25 Feb 2012

    Magical

    Rastynhaven

    20 Jun 2011

    21 Nov 2011

    Map

    Region has a map

    Makiir

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Modern Tech

    SalusaSecondus

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Multi-Species

    SalusaSecondus

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Outer Space

    SalusaSecondus

    21 Nov 2011

    21 Nov 2011

    Past Tech

    SalusaSecondus

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Post Apocalyptic

    The great destruction

    14 Sep 2012

    15 Sep 2012

    Post-Modern Tech

    SalusaSecondus

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Sports

    Unibot ii

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    Steampunk

    Leviathan romefeller

    24 Jun 2011

    21 Nov 2011


    Ex-Tags

    Some tags have since been removed.

    Compass Tags

    Compass tags must have been added by SalusaSecondus as part of the original release.

    Recruiter Friendly Tag

    This tag was removed on 3 May 2023 as an unexpected consequence of the launch of Frontiers as a thing. Waterfall State had raised a valid question: "Will Frontiers be subject to the same regional RMB Recruitment Rules as GCRs? (aka only 1 rmb recruitment post/day or every 10 posts)"

    Senior Issues Moderator Sedgistan replied: "I think we'd like to see a range of opinions from players too, not just to deliver a mod ruling from on high."

    The consensus was that Frontiers should have the same rules as Feeders, and the best way to do that was to stop allowing recruitment on Feeder RMBs. Site rules were updated to reflect that.

    At the same time, Sedgistan took the opportunity to "deliver a mod ruling from on high", announcing: "We have also deleted the "Recruiter Friendly" tag as part of this."

    This meant that recruitment was now banned on all RMBs. UCRs who had chosen to add the tag and allow recruiters suddenly had the tag taken away, unannounced.

    Tag

    Interpretation

    Suggested by

    Suggested Date

    Added On

    Recruiter Friendly

    You are allowed to recruit for your own region on
    the RMBs of these regions, without the Mods getting
    angry at you. Despite having this tag, the residents
    may still get angry with you, and possibly suppress
    your post or ban you (I know, right?). Don't expect
    this to be an effective way of getting recruits
    anyway.

    Makiir

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    No Campaigning Tags

    No Campaigning tags must have been added by SalusaSecondus as part of the original release.

    Wiki Tags

    Wiki tags were added as a result of requests.

    Tag

    Interpretation

    Suggested by

    Suggested Date

    Added On

    NSwiki

    Makiir

    10 May 2011

    10 May 2011

    IIWiki

    Waspeaters

    29 Apr 2012

    22 Nov 2012

    It's not clear when the WikiStates tag was added, but Cromarty suggested it's removal on 20 Nov 2012. It stayed though.


    The NSWiki tag must have reappeared very quickly though:
    The NSWiki tag has since gone, but I don't know when it was removed.


    Discussions

    In the early days, most tag suggestions were rapidly added if the moderators saw the value in them. Of course, many suggestions were never implemented. And then there were a few cases where it took time to convince moderators of the merits.

    Eco-Friendly

    The same day tags were implemented, 10 May 2011, Errinundera requested:
    "Forest is an oldish region whose emphasis is environmental. Any chance of a tag along the lines of environmental, or eco-friendly, or green...?"

    SalusaSecondus responded:
    "If you can find me a few other regions this would apply to, then yes."

    Herrebrugh found some:
    "Well, There's Green Planet and Futaba Aoi."
    "And also Eco Sense and Ecotopia."

    SalusaSecondus said:
    "I'll get another mod to look into this one."

    Independently, a day later, Defero populus asked:
    "How about [...] Eco-Friendly"

    Swkoll started maintaining a list of suggested tags. Amongst those that Aglrinia disagreed with:
    "12. Eco-Friendly :eyebrow: really? You'd be more eco friendly by getting off the computer and not spending energy arguing for another region tag."

    Hard line commies added some applicable regions:
    "Yes, I found a few regions a tag like that might apply to: Hippiedom, Ecotopia, Forest and Green Federation come readily to mind. ..
    Also, I prefer the term "Environmentalist" or "Green" to "Eco-friendly", a term I really dislike, because I don't think it means the same thing."

    On the 19th, Errinundera revisits the topic.
    "Anything new on an eco-friendly tag? It was to be considered by moderators, I believe."

    Makiir:
    "Check the Tag Cloud"

    Errinundera:
    "I already had. There's nothing there. I would like to know if the suggestion has been given consideration yet. And if the decision is not to have it, why not?"

    All goes quiet for several months. On 14 Feb 2012, Santa Joanna asks:
    "What about adding the eco-friendly tag? There is quite a few regions which concentrate mostly on environment. You could eventually add industrial on the other side too."

    Over the next week, five more people post their support.

    Annoyed at the lack of moderator response, Santa Joanna posts:
    "Bump. So nice to be ignored."

    Sedgistan, Feb 23, 2012
    "We don't address every suggestion made. If you want a response, it helps to explain why a tag would be useful, and why it matters to have a tag for it, rather than just have people mention it in the WFE."

    Santa Joanna, Feb 24, 2012
    "There is a plenty of nations whose main goal is to protect the environment. I thought that the reason of adding eco-friendly tag is obvious - it would help them to find regions of like-minded individuals much more easily."

    Welsh cowboy, who had earlier supported the proposal, suddenly changes their tune:
    "To me, this isn't needed:
    1. I don't know if there's many regions who fit the description
    2. If there are, they certainly aren't a vast number
    3. Not all eco-friendly nations have to be in an Eco-friendly region
    If every single region or pair of region's themes were put in the tag cloud, there would be such a large cloud no one could use it. What if I set up a Sesame Street region? There shouldn't be a cartoon tag just for that.
    If a region wants to be Eco-friendly, in my opinion, they should put it on their WFE."

    Luna Amore quips:
    "Come on, be serious. Sesame Street would obviously be filed under Puppet Storage. :p"

    Santa Joanna defends the suggestion:
    "But there ARE tags like Theocratic, Video Games, Fantasy... These are also quite a niche, but they're really useful, because they give certain groups of nations an opportunity to find specific regions which couldn't be found using any other existing tag.
    There's no need to create cartoon tag, Sesame Street could be easily found under "Silly".
    But there's an utter lack of tags which are signs of environmental concern. And I assure you, that there's a plenty of regions which would love to use such tag, here's just a few largest examples:
    - Forest
    - Hippiedom
    - Groland
    - Deep Blue Planet
    - Eladen
    - Emeraldise
    - Alternative Left
    - Green Planet
    - The Hill
    - Ecotopia
    - Ocean
    Of course, not every eco-friendly nation wants to be in such region, but looking at these examples, much of them certainly do."

    Ransium adds:
    "I guess being from the same region as Santa Joanna it makes sense that our interests are aligned, but I must say I'm surprised at those of you who say that they just can't see a use of an "ecofriendly" tag. I used to spend a long time using probable words like "eco" in the region finder looking for regions with similar environmental goals. And my feeling is the list of regions which would use an "ecofriendly" tag is significantly larger than what Santa Joanna listed. I mean when we have a tag as niche as "steampunk" I find it odd that people would think "ecofriendly" would be too niche (btw steampunk is awesome, I don't mean to criticize steampunk). And yes of course if your an ecofriendly nation you don't have to live in ecofriendly region, but it might be nice for ecofriendly nations to at least know 1) there are ecofriendly regions out there and 2) What there options are as far ecofriendly regions."

    Bears Armed, Feb 25, 2012
    "I also talk to the trees support the idea of an 'Eco-friendly' tag.
    ^_^"

    Flibbleites, Feb 25, 2012
    "All right, fine, Eco-friendly and Industrial tags created. Happy now? >:(
    :p"

    Ransium, Feb 26, 2012
    "But eco-friendly is so vague! There needs to be a "sustainability" tag which designates regions that believe resources should be used sustainably. A "earth first" tag which designates regions where the needs of the environment come before the needs of humans. A "pragmatic environmentalist" tag where the needs of the environment are considered but...
    No, I'm kidding! :p Thanks for the eco-friendly tag!"

    Feminist

    Unsucessful requests were raised on four separate occasions for this tag:
    Zephyrinia, 20 Sep 2012
    Progavia, 18 Feb 2013
    Gynetopia, 14 May 2013
    The fertility harvest, 4 Mar 2014

    It wasn't until 2017 that the tag was implemented, thanks to Maupof's efforts. Maupof had started a separate thread for the purpose of discussion on 28 July 2017.

    "While re-organising our region we noticed that in the regional tag cloud there is no option to choose the tag "feminist" for your region.
    We are an anarchist region (the federation of anarchist communes) and it was mentioned on our RMB that the tag "anarchist" presumes "feminist", a point I, and others, don't think rings true, and it also excludes regions who aren't anarchist and wish to be considered feminist.
    Feminism is not, and should not, be the preserve of the left. It is not a niche interest or obscure political ethic. It transcends the minor and petty differences of varying philosophical and moral ideals, just as anti-fascism, anti-racism and gay liberation does. If the regional tags of "anti-fascist" and "LGBT" are available to use as regional tags shouldn't it follow that "feminist" should also be available? Especially when you consider such inane tags as "anime", "snarky" and "steampunk" are options.
    I have posted on the RMB's of NSLeft associates and had overwhelming positive responses, but NSLeft is a small part of the wider NS community.
    I have already asked mods how this could be achieved and the answer was that the actual process is simple, it is problems with tag-spamming and word cloud size, along with the ideas of keeping the regional tags to government types, tools, and limited RPs.
    I am posting this to see if there is any will among us to have "feminist" added to the regional tag cloud, and whether there is enough support to begin a petition or campaign to change things."

    Cruciland replied:
    "I believe we already have an "Egalitarian" regional tag. "Matriarchal" and "Patriarchal" could be added, depending on the type of narrative, but otherwise I find "Feminist" to be out-of-place. It tends to work better for describing policies than regional/governmental types."

    Moderator Reploid Productions responded:
    "Actually, I'm not seeing an "Egalitarian", but that would be a good one to add to cover that stuff.
    EDIT: There, "Egalitarian" is in the list."

    Shefkland asks:
    "I fully support the inclusion of a feminist tag.
    Also, not to sound rude, but why does there need to be a discussion about including a feminist tag but the egalitarian tag got added immediately? Just curious"

    Luna Amore challenges:
    "What does a Feminist tag do that Egalitarian one doesn't?"

    This gets several responses, and I've extracted only certain highlights.

    Caelapes replies angrily:
    "accurately describe the political stance of a region, like the folks who have requested this tag and instead got sniped by someone else posting an unrelated tag suggestion in this thread?"

    Guy:
    "'Egalitarianism' has been used far more frequently by anti-feminists than feminists recently. Indeed, it has attained status as an 'alternative' to feminism, particularly by MRAs"

    Maupof:
    "No nazi would call themselves an egalitarian but many would consider themselves feminist to a degree
    My point being that "feminism" as a social construct has a fluid and relativistic definition. It is not as simplistic as you try to make it seem. It reaches parts of political, social and ethical philosophy that egalitarianism doesn't while still retaining a more precise impression of it's overall meaning.
    All the liberalist sjw regions will pick "egalitarian" because virtue signalling is what they do. But few would use "feminist" because of their aversion to things like positive discrimination, housework and public breast feeding, also because they believe feminism is synonymous with matriarchy."

    Reploid Productions announces the addition of two new tags.
    "The biggest obstacle was really, "Well, if we add X, then Y is going to start shrieking for a tag, too!" After a rather intense session of chair-throwing debate in the sekrit lair, we came to the conclusion that "Feminist" and "Patriarchal" cover the bases sufficiently."

    Reponding to Free republics' earlier post ("If a "feminist" tag is added, then "anti-feminist" should be added as well for the sake of ideological balance."), Freethinkinganarchists residingwherever says:
    "Sure, there are lots of other tags denoting evil. Whoever uses it would be right at home, and it would be easier to know where they stand."

    Oddly enough, at the time of writing, of the 122 regions tagged Patriarchal, 44 (more than 1 in 3) are also tagged Fascist.

    Read dispatch


    OVERVIEW

    N-Day is an opportunity for nations to come together and exchange nuclear weapons in a fiery Armageddon of mutually assured destruction.

    To Participate

    1. Once registration opens, you can create or join a Faction. Nations outside a Faction can't attack or be attacked. You can join a Faction when you're ready and leave when you're not (to stay safe).

    2. When the event begins, nations will be assigned a random Specialty and begin to accumulate Production. You will now be able to spend Production, fire nukes and deploy shields.

    3. Watch your nation automatically generate Production at a rate of 1 every 2 minutes. Use it to build Nukes and Shield.

    4. Launch Nukes at other nations and use Shield to shoot down Nukes that are launched at you.

    Tactics

    The simplest way to play N-Day is to join whichever Faction seems most fun and start targeting Nukes at its enemies while shooting down anything incoming. Your Faction page's icon bar shows everything you need to know, including who's targeting anyone in your Faction, and who your fellow Faction members are targeting.

    Attacking: Step by Step

    1. On your Production screen, spend some of your Production to build Nukes. These go into your Stockpile.

    2. On another nation's Nuke page, click/tap the TARGET button and select the number of Nukes to use.

    3. Once Targeted, it takes 10 minutes for your Nukes to reach a READY state (3 for Intel Specialists). Note that your Targeted page is public: All nations can see who is targeting whom.

    4. When your Targeted Nukes are ready, click/tap LAUNCH.

    5. Your Nukes are now categorized as Launches for you and Incoming for your target. Launched Nukes take 3-5 minutes to reach their target. When they do, they earn Strikes for you and inflict Radiation on the target, which reduces their rate of Production. This also earns Score for your Faction and reduces the enemy Faction's Score.

    Defending: Step by Step

    1. On the Production screen, spend Production to build Shield.

    2. Find Launched Nukes to destroy. Your top priority is any Incoming Nukes launched at you. Secondarily, you may wish to target Incoming Nukes on anyone in your Faction (see your Faction's Incoming page), and also keep an eye on Targeted Nukes that may threaten you or your Faction in the near future.

    3. Click/tap DESTROY to deploy 1 Shield per Nuke.

    Strategy

    Strategically, it may be wise to avoid attacks on nations or Factions until you are confident of obliterating them, since this eliminates the possibility of counter-attack. Smaller-scale attacks, which damage but don't destroy an enemy, can lead to an escalating series of grudge-related nuclear exchanges.

    On the other hand, targeting an enemy can be an effective warning. And it takes Nukes 10 minutes to be ready to launch, so you can't leave it too late.

    Scoring

    Each Nuke that reaches a target causes Radiation damage, which reduces the target's rate of Production generation and counts as a Strike for the attacker.

    A Faction's Score is Strikes minus Radiation.

    Duration

    N-Day lasts for 24 hours, after which point, an Arms Control Agreement means that no Nukes can be launched. (In-flight nukes can still land, however.)

    The "winner" is the Faction with the highest score; if, that is, nuclear war can be said to have a winner. Which we say it can. It's the Faction with the highest score.

    FACTIONS

    Once registration opens, Factions can be founded by a Regional Officer of any region. Any and all Regional Officers of that region can update the Faction's official text to issue instructions to Faction members.

    Factions can be made open to all members, or restricted to the region's members only.

    You can leave your Faction, which is a good way to stay safe if you're signing off for the night. However, you can only do this if you're not engaged with the enemy! That means:

    • You must not have any nukes targeted or launched at another nation; and

    • No nukes can be targeted or incoming on you.

    Note that in practice, this can make it challenging to leave a Faction, since you may be frequently targeted.

    While outside a Faction, you cannot be targeted, and do not generate any Production.

    Before joining, it's worth making sure a Faction isn't currently under mass bombardment.

    SPECIALTIES

    Nations are randomly assigned a specialty.

    Military Specialists build Nukes faster: They receive 50% more Nukes when converting Production.

    Strategic Specialists build Shield faster: They receive 50% more Shield when converting Production.

    Economic Specialists can accumulate more Production: Their production cap is four times larger than the other specialties.

    Intel Specialists can finalize targets faster: Their targetted nukes reach READY in 3 minutes instead of 10. They have no Production advantages.

    Cost of Nukes/Shield in Production Points

    Military Specialist

    Strategic Specialist

    Economic Specialist

    Intel Specialist

    1 Nuke

    0.67

    1

    1

    1

    1 Shield

    2

    1.33

    2

    2

    PRODUCTION
    Non-WA nations automatically generate Production at a rate of 1 Production per 2 minutes, up to a maximum of 50 (200 for Econ Specialists).
    WA nations automatically generate Production at a rate of 10 Production per 2 minutes, up to a maximum of 150 (600 for Econ Specialists).

    Production can be spent on Nukes or Shield.

    WA NATIONS
    World Assembly members will accumulate Production 10x faster than non-WA members, and have their Production limits increased by 3x.
    It is allowed to switch WA membership to receive this benefit for different nations, but (as per regular site rules) you are only allowed to have one nation in the WA at a time.
    Keep in mind that if your Production is over the non-WA limit when you resign membership on a nation, the Production on that nation will decrease down to the limit (i.e. if you resign with 75 Production on a non-Econ nation, the Production will drop to 50).

    We ask that you refrain from switching WA for N-Day purposes more than once every two minutes. You will not be punished for this, but it is against the spirit of this change to the event mechanics.

    NUKES

    Nukes are purchased with Production, kept in stockpile until ready, then targeted and launched at an enemy nation.

    Launched Nukes take 3-5 minutes to reach their target. While in-flight, they can be shot down by any nation using Shield. If they're not, each Nuke generates 1% of Radiation in the target and earns 1 Strike for the attacker.

    SHIELD

    Shield can be used to knock out Launched Nukes. You can shoot down any in-flight Nukes regardless of who they are aimed at.

    Locate in-flight Nukes under Launches or Incoming, and use the DESTROY button to eliminate them at a rate of 1 Shield per Nuke.

    It is possible to waste Shield if multiple nations deploy Shield simultaneously to knock out the same Nukes.

    TARGETING

    Target a nation by viewing their Nuke page and clicking/tapping TARGET. You may then select how many Nukes to target from your Stockpile.

    It takes a short time for a Targeted Nuke to reach a READY state, after which it may be launched. This is normally 10 minutes, but Intel Specialists are faster, finalizing targets in only 3 minutes.

    If not launched after 1 hour, Targeted Nukes automatically return to your Stockpile.

    RADIATION

    Radiation is generated in a nation when it is struck by a Nuke.

    Radiation proportionately reduces a nation's Production generation rate. For example, 20% Radiation reduces Production generation by 20%.

    When a nation is 100% Radiated, it is destroyed and no longer able to launch any Nukes nor use any Shield.

    Radiation is irreversible.

    You can leave a Faction when irradiated, but this does not affect your Faction's score.

    SCORE

    A Faction's score measures strikes and radiation that occurred while those nations were a member. It is unaffected by nations joining or leaving the Faction.

    GLOSSARY

    Term

    Explanation

    Production

    Used to buy Nukes and Shield. Automatically generated by all non-destroyed nations in a Faction.

    Nuke

    Unholy instrument of death and destruction.

    Stockpiled Nuke

    A Nuke that has been purchased with Production and is sitting idle, awaiting a target.

    Targeted Nuke

    A Nuke that has been targeted at a nation. A targeted Nuke takes 10 minutes to achieve a READY state, after which it may be launched.

    Launched/Incoming/In-Flight Nuke

    A Nuke that has been launched at a nation and is currently chewing up 3-5 minutes of in-flight time.

    Shield

    A unit of defensive technology. Possibly involves lasers or satellites or something.

    Strike

    A record of how many Nukes have successfully landed on targets.

    Radiation

    A record of how many Nukes have struck the nation. Reduces Production generation.

    Faction

    A group of nations sharing a common interest in survival and/or bloodlust.

    Score

    Strikes minus Radiation.

    Read dispatch


    Republic of Ponderosa



    Flag


    Motto: "Live Free"



    Location



    Population: 106,584,387
    -Density: 39.67/km²


    Capitol: Santa Fe
    35.6869° N, 105.9372° W
    Largest City: Phoenix


    Official Language: English


    National Languages: English, Spanish


    Demonym: Ponderosan


    Government: Federal presidential constitutional republic
    - President: Michael Walker
    - Vice President: Joseph Auciello
    - Speaker of the House: Colin Green
    - Chief Justice: Jennifer Larson


    Legislature: Congress
    - Upper House: Senate
    -Lower House: House of Representatives


    Establishment: from Mexico
    Independence: March 1, 1848


    Land Area: 1,037,315 mile²
    2,686,634 km²
    Water Area: 52,120 km²
    Water %: 1.94


    GDP (nominal): $4.63 trillion
    GDP (nominal) per capita: $43,679


    HDI (2040): 0.924 very high


    Currency: Ponderosa dollar ($) (PD)


    Time Zone: (UTC−8 to −6)


    Drives on the: right


    Calling code: + 45


    Internet TLD: .pon

    Ponderosa
    ____________________________________________________________

    The Republic of Ponderosa, commonly called Ponderosa, is a federal republic in southwestern North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States, on the south by Mexico, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean. Ponderosa covers over 2 million square kilometers and has has an estimated population of over 100 million. Ponderosa is a federation comprising of 14 states.

    Ponderosa was first inhabited by indigenous peoples of the Americas before European exploration. It was first conquered by Spain, then became a part of Mexico. The Mexican-American War in 1848 resulted in independence of Ponderosa. Ponderosa fought with the Union Army during the American Civil War, seizing Texas and Oklahoma. Ponderosa embarked on a period of high economic growth, helping to complete the transcontinental railroad and serving as home to many gold, silver and oil booms. Ponderosa sided with the Western bloc during the Cold War, emerging as a middle power.

    Ponderosa is a developed country, with a high national GDP of $4.63 trillion. The per capita GDP of $43,679 ranks highly in the world, although the country also ranks highly in income inequality. The economy is fueled by an abundance of natural resources and high productivity, as well as a free market economy that allows business to thrive. Ponderosa ranks highly in civil rights, political freedom, and economic freedom. Ponderosa is a recognized middle power, as well as a member of several international organizations, including the region of Wintreath and the World Assembly.

    Etymology

    The Ponderosa Pine is a very large pine tree native to western North America, and very common throughout Ponderosa. It was first described by David Douglas in 1826. The Ponderosa Pine is the official national tree of the Republic of Ponderosa, and is depicted on the Ponderosa flag.

    The standard way to refer to a citizen of Ponderosa is as a "Ponderosan."

    History

    The first known inhabitants of Ponderosa were members of the Clovis culture of Paleo-Indians. Later inhabitants include American Indians of the Mogollon and Ancestral Pueblo peoples cultures. By the time of European contact in the 16th century, the region was settled by the villages of the Pueblo peoples and various nomadic groups such as the Navajo, Apache, and Ute.

    The first Europeans arrived in the early 1500's, in the form of Spanish conquistadors. The first of these was Francisco Vázquez de Coronado, sent on a wild-goose chase to locate the Seven Cities of Gold. The infamous Juan de Oñate became the first governor of the Province of New Mexico, comprising the southeastern portion of present-day Ponderosa. Oñate founded Santa Fe, the present day capital of Ponderosa, while brutally oppressing the indigenous peoples. The province was abandoned briefly after the successful Pueblo revolt, but reconquered by Diego de Vargas.

    The Mexican War of Independence led to a transition from Spanish to Mexican rule. As turmoil raged in central Mexico, the northern areas of present-day Ponderosa grew economically closer to the United States. American merchants met with Mexicans in trading hubs such as Santa Fe and Los Angeles. Meanwhile, corruption and incompetent bureaucracy, coupled with the rise of Santa Anna, led to northern disenchantment with Mexico City.

    The successful secession of Texas from Mexico in 1836 inspired prominent leaders of New Mexico to threaten with secession themselves. However, in 1846, American troops arrived on their march across Ponderosa.

    The result of the Mexican-American War was the Treaty of Guadolupe Hidalgo, which failed to pass the US Senate at a margin of 24-28. US troops continued to occupy the land, however, and declared the independence of the Republic of Ponderosa on March 1, 1848. Mexico, in no condition to fight a second war, recognized Ponderosan independence in April of that year. Santa Fe became the new capital in 1849, with the signing of the Ponderosa Constitution.

    Ponderosa, while sympathetic to southern independence interests, announced its intentions to remain neutral in the American Civil War. However, this changed when a faction of the Confederate army attempted to stage a coup in the capital of Santa Fe, and convinced several southern counties to defect to the CSA. This provided justification enough to declare war on the Confederate States of America (simultaneously recognizing it as a legitimate state). Rebellions were quashed by Ponderosa army forces, with help from Union Army forces arriving from Oregon. The New Mexico theatre of the Civil War concluded at Glorieta Pass, where New Mexico and Colorado militia forces repelled CSA Major Pyron's Texan force.

    The Ponderosa Army continued its incursions into Texas, despite Union protests. After the war, Ponderosa occupied the whole of Texas and the Indian Territory, and annexed them both as states. The Ponderosa position was that both territories were land taken from a hostile power. The American position was that it was American land, and the peace at Appomattox proved the Confederacy was simply an organized rebellion. Ponderosa retorted that this made the United States legally responsible for the significant casualties and damage done by Confederate troops on Ponderosan soil. In the end, the United States agreed to withdraw any claim to Texas. In return, Ponderosa agreed to permit the US to build a transcontinental railroad across the southern half of the country. However, Ponderosa quickly realized such a railroad would not be possible, due to the rocky terrain in what was then southern New Mexico and Sonora. it therefore purchased suitable land from Mexico to allow completion of the railroad.

    Meanwhile, an American pioneer named Brigham Young led hundreds of Mormon settlers to the Salt Lake Valley and founded Salt Lake City in 1847. Over the next 20 years, over 70,000 settlers came to this region, and organized themselves into the state of Deseret in 1874.

    Ponderosa remained neutral in the American Civil War, although it harbored Southern refugees after the surrender at Appomattox. Eastern Ponderosa became a major ranching hub, while California experienced a population explosion with the discovery of gold in the Silicon valley.

    Ponderosa was officially neutral in both World Wars, but served as the location for the secret Manhattan Project, which was marked by the success of the explosion of the first atomic bomb in the Socorro desert. After the end of World War II, Ponderosa joined the United Nations (replaced in 2008 with the World Assembly.

    Ponderosa's capitalist tradition led it to side with the United States during the Cold War. Although Ponderosa had previously maintained a policy of avoiding military alliances, Ponderosa's capitalist tradition and economic and political interests were at odds with those of the Soviet bloc. Ponderosa remained a center of nuclear research, and diverted much of its budget towards education and industry spending. Ponderosa also played a major role in the Space Race, working closely with the United States on space research. Ponderosa's contributions were ultimately recognized when one of its citizens, Matilda Pulliam, became the second person and first woman to walk on the Moon. After the end of the Cold War, Ponderosa reduced its military influence, but remains moderately influential on the world scale.

    Geography

    The land area of Ponderosa is 722,093 mile² (2,941,439.4 km²). The climate on the west coast is mostly Mediterranean. The Rocky Mountains, at the western edge of the Great Plains, extend north to south across the country, reaching altitudes higher than 14,000 feet (4,300 m) in Colorado and Durango. The fertile Great Plains spread across Texas, Oklahoma, and parts of New Mexico and Colorado. Extreme weather is not uncommon in this part of the country: Texas and Oklahoma are prone to tornados, and hurricanes often cause damage to the Texan coast.

    Much of Ponderosa is semiarid, with large deserts such as the Mojave and Chihuahua in the Nevada Territory and in the southern regions of Sonora and Socorro. The Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges run close to the Pacific coast, both ranges reaching altitudes higher than 14,000 feet (4,300 m).

    The highest point in Ponderosa is Mount Whitney in Yosemite, with a height of 14,505 ft (4,421 m). The lowest point is Death Valley, also in Yosemite, with an elevation of −282 ft (−86.0 m).

    A detailed map of Ponderosa can be found here.


    Left: Satellite image of Ponderosa
    Center: Ponderosa Pine forest

    Demographics

    Ponderosa has an estimated population of 106 million, ranking 35th in the recognized world. A census is taken every ten years, with the first taking place in 1850. While the birthrate is only 15 per 1000, the population growth rate is 0.8%, the result of immigration. The largest ancestry groups included Mexicans, Hispanic groups, American Indian tribes, and white Americans. Ponderosa is a minority-majority country. 48% of the population are non-Hispanic whites, 31% are Hispanic, 15% are American Indian, and 6% are other races.

    English is the de facto national language. Approximately 70% of the population speaks English as a first language, with another 23% speaking Spanish as a first language. The third most dominant language was Chinese, with 0.9% of the population being native speakers.

    The majority of Ponderosa's population identifies as Christian. 32% identify as Catholic, with 29% identifying as Protestant and 10% as Mormon. The nonreligious account for 24% of the population, while Jews make up 3%. All other faiths collectively make up 2% of the population. The Bill of Rights of Ponderosa guarantees religious freedom, and prevents legislation that favors any religion over another. In addition, discrimination based on religion is illegal, with the exception of explicitly religious organizations such as churches.

    According to a survey in 2045, 46% of the population said that religion played a "very important role in their lives." Catholics and Mormons are the most devout groups in Ponderosa, while church attendance among Protestant sects is fairly low. The percentage of irreligious people is steadily increasing, especially among younger generations.

    Largest Cities

    Rank

    City

    Metro area population

    State

    1

    Phoenix

    6,526,548

    Sonora

    2

    Los Angeles

    6,086,538

    California

    3

    San Diego

    4,659,205

    California

    4

    Houston

    4,591,112

    Texas

    5

    San Francisco

    4,304,997

    Sequoia

    6

    Denver

    3,500,026

    Colorado

    7

    Dallas

    3,318,486

    Texas

    8

    El Paso

    3,140,069

    New Texas

    9

    San Antonio

    2,824,724

    Texas

    10

    Albuquerque

    2,729,110

    New Mexico

    Phoenix

    Los Angeles

    San Diego

    Houston

    Government

    Capitol Building of Ponderosa

    The Republic of Ponderosa is a constitutional federal republic, in which majority rule is blended with minority rights protected by law. The Ponderosa Constitution is the supreme law of the land, and closely models the US Constitution on which it was inspired.

    The citizens of Ponderosa are subject to three levels of government: federal, state, regional, and local.

    Local Government: Administers police and fire forces, as well as other public works. Protects private property rights.

    Regional Government: Responsible for education, infrastructure, and taxation.

    Federal Government: Headquartered in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the federal government is responsible for national defense, foreign policy, and guarantees basic human rights that the regions cannot override, many of which are listed in the Ponderosa Bill of Rights. It is also responsible for regulating inter-regional and international commerce. Since 1945, the Department of Science has been responsible for coordinating and funding scientific research into a wide array of fields, notably nuclear power and weaponry, space technology, and renewable energy.

    The federal government is composed of three branches:

      Executive: Headed by the President of Ponderosa. Can veto legislative bills, appoint cabinet members and Supreme Court Justices, and is commander-in-chief of the Ponderosa military.

      Legislative: Made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Makes federal law, declares war, allocates federal funds, and approves treaties.

      Judicial: Made up of the Supreme Court and lower federal courts. Has the power of judicial review, and is the highest legal authority after the Constitution.

    Foreign Relations and Military

    World Assembly Headquarters

    Ponderosa takes an active role in the world diplomatic stage. It is a member of the World Assembly and the region of Wintreath. With the exception of the American Civil War, Ponderosa has been officially neutral in all armed conflicts since its founding, although it did serve as the location of the Manhattan Project. The Fighting Force of Ponderosa Foreign Legion serves as the nation's ambassador to other regions.

    Total Ponderosa military spending in 2040 was $307.66 billion, over one-third of the federal budget. Up-to-date statistics about Ponderosa's military may be found Linkhere.

    The President serves as commander-in-chief of the Ponderosa military, which is headed by the Department of Defense. The military is divided into three branches: the Air Force, the Navy, and the Marines. All of these branches serve professionally, and have no other occupation. In the event of a war, the Ponderosa Army is to be reestablished and made up of volunteer troops. Conscription is illegal under the Ponderosa Constitution.

    Economy

    Economic Indicators

    Rank:
    Currency: Ponderosa dollar (PD)
    Fiscal Year: March 1 - February 28
    ______________________________________________

    GDP (nominal): $4.63 trillion
    GDP (nominal) per capita: $43,679
    Labor Force: 73.452 million
    Unemployment: 2.10%

    Ponderosa operates under a system of free market capitalism. According to the NationStates Tracker, the nominal GDP is $4.63 trillion. The private sector is estimated to constitute 98% of the economy, with federal, regional, and local government accounting for 2%. Unemployment is at 2.10%, largely due to the lack of employment regulations throughout the country.

    Ponderosa is one of the world's largest exporter of goods, with a trade surplus of $94.5 billion. The United States is its top trading partner, followed by Mexico, China, Canada and Japan.

    Information technology is currently the nation's largest industry, followed by retail, arms manufacturing, and gambling. Mining and livestock agriculture are other important drivers of the Ponderosan economy.

    Culture

    Ponderosa is home to a variety of cultures, a result of a liberal immigration policy. Ponderosan culture is generally considered Western, derived from traditions of European and American culture. There are also large Hispanic and Native American populations. Like other North American nations, Ponderosa has been described as a melting pot where several cultures join into one.

    Ponderosans have been described as very individualistic, competitive, and hardworking, even more so than their American counterparts. This has resulted in great economic productivity, and a libertarian form of government. This has also made Ponderosa a popular destination for immigrants. Ponderosans are also firm believers in equality, and do not think that one social class should have more rights than others.

    Food

    Leonel Manzano, World
    Record Holder and
    Silver Medalist in the 1500m

    Mainstream Ponderosan cuisine is similar to that in other Western cultures. Ponderosa is also famous for its Southwestern cuisine, featuring contributions from Spanish, Mexican, Indian, and American culture. The chili pepper, an important part of Southwestern cuisine, is a major agricultural export of Ponderosa. Ponderosan cuisine features dishes such as the burrito, enchiladas, quesadillas, tacos, and sopaipillas, which are believed to be a major cause of Ponderosa's heart disease epidemic.

    Sports

    Ponderosa's market for professional sports is roughly $35 billion. While the most popular spectator sport is football (soccer), the national sport is considered to be track and field. Ponderosan athletes have set several world records and won 420 Olympic medals in athletics alone. In addition, the 2036 Olympic Games were held in San Francisco. Basketball, ice hockey, baseball, and tennis are also popular sports.

    Infrastructure

    Personal transportation is dominated by automobiles, which operates on a system of 1,899,554 miles of roads. Ponderosa has one of the largest automotive industries in the world.

    There are no public transport systems. Bus, rail, and subway systems do exist, but they are privately owned and operated. Many people in urban areas walk or bike to work to avoid traffic and transit fees.

    The civil airline industry is also privately owned. Unlike most other industrialized nations, most airports are privately owned and run. Houston International Airport is one of the busiest in the world, serving not only Ponderosa, but airlines in the United States and Mexico as well.

    Energy
    Ponderosa uses a high amount of energy per capita. About 25% of Ponderosa's electricity comes from nuclear power plants, with uranium mined in Socorro and imported from Canada. Other electricity sources are from vast natural gas and coal reserves, and from solar energy, especially in Sonora. Most of Ponderosa's transportation sector uses petroleum, although rising fuel costs have led to a development in green energy.

    References

    LinkNS Tracker - Economic Info, Military Info
    LinkWikipedia - History, Template
    Factbooks of Auralia, Turkish Federation, Maltropia, etc. - Inspiration
    View Source Code
    Like this factbook? Be sure to upvote it, and find out how to make your own!

    Read factbook


    If you would like this added to the game hit the up arrow in the top right.





    Telegram me if you have any ideas.

    Inoffensive Centrist Democracy
    Liberal: Fascists
    Conservative: Communists
    Libertarian: Statist
    Authoritarian: Anarchist

    Democratic Socialists
    Liberal: Ordinary Caring Intelligent World Citizens
    Conservative: Hell
    Libertarian: Misguided Hopefuls
    Authoritarian: Idealist Welfare State

    Father Knows Best State
    Liberal: Suspiciously Conservative Democracy
    Conservative: Suspiciously Liberal Dictatorship
    Libertarian: Suspiciously Authoritarian Dictatorship
    Authoritarian: Suspiciously Libertarian Democracy

    New York Times Democracy
    Liberal: Corporate-Dominated Sham Democracy
    Conservative: New York Crimes So-Called Democracy
    Libertarian: Sensible Freedom Loving People
    Authoritarian: Millionaires Democracy

    Capitalist Paradise
    Liberal: Corporate Slave State
    Conservative: Decent Hardworking Self-Starters
    Libertarian: Property Rights Supporters
    Authoritarian: Exploiting Citizens Zone

    Corrupt Dictatorship
    Liberal: Well-Meaning Dictatorship
    Conservative: Corrupt Liberal Dictatorship
    Libertarian: Military Controlled Zone
    Authoritarian: Collective Prosperity State

    Compulsory Consumerist State
    Liberal: Consumerist Wage Drones
    Conservative: Aspirational Worker State
    Libertarian: Freedom Hating Corporatist
    Authoritarian: Corporate Dictatorship

    Iron Fist Consumerists
    Liberal: Imperialist Pig Dog Oppressors
    Conservative: Champions of Commerce
    Libertarian: Re-education State
    Authoritarian: Nationalist Pride Zone

    Liberal Democratic Socialists
    Liberal: Open-Minded Education State
    Conservative: Ivory Tower Reality Disconnect Zone
    Libertarian: Bureaucratic Regulation State
    Authoritarian: Democratic Boneheads

    Corporate Bordello
    Liberal: Blood-Sucking Capitalist Leeches
    Conservative: Patriotic Business Zone
    Libertarian: Corporate Zealots
    Authoritarian: Apocalyptic State

    Left-Leaning College State
    Liberal: Paradise
    Conservative: Deluded Tax and Spend Hypocrites
    Libertarian: Visionaries
    Authoritarian: Unsophisticated Protesters

    Corporate Police State
    Liberal: Halliburton
    Conservative: Entrepreneurial Freedom Zone
    Libertarian: Hell
    Authoritarian: Survival of the Fittest State

    Scandinavian Liberal Paradise
    Liberal: Normal
    Conservative: Gay Marriage State
    Libertarian: Thieving Socialist
    Authoritarian: Insubordinate Teenagers

    Psychotic Dictatorship
    Liberal: Fascist Dictatorship
    Conservative: Communist Dictatorship
    Libertarian: Big Brother Dictatorship
    Authoritarian: Utopia

    Civil Rights Lovefest
    Liberal: Brave Progressives
    Conservative: Nation-Hating Hippies
    Libertarian: Paradise
    Authoritarian: Dangerous Rebels

    Left-wing Utopia
    Liberal: Utopia
    Conservative: Drugged-Out Hippies
    Libertarian: Redistributionist
    Authoritarian: Promiscuous Atheists

    Moralistic Democracy
    Liberal: Narrow-Minded Backwoodsy Bigots
    Conservative: Ordinary Decent Hardworking People
    Libertarian: Government Regulated Morality State
    Authoritarian: Moralistic Civil People

    Anarchy
    Liberal: Post-Revolution Embryonic Society
    Conservative: Lawless Wasteland
    Libertarian: Utopia
    Authoritarian: Barbarians

    Capitalizt
    Liberal: Self-Congratulatory Merchant Bankers
    Conservative: Freedom-Loving Libertarians
    Libertarian: Freedom
    Authoritarian: Unruly Savages

    Authoritarian Democracy
    Liberal: Mouth-Breathing Creationists
    Conservative: Slightly Oppressive But A Little Discipline Never Hurt Anyone State
    Libertarian: Brainwashed Population State
    Authoritarian: Civilized Orderly Society

    Right-wing Utopia
    Liberal: Corrupt Thieving Uneducated Fascist Fundamentalists
    Conservative: Utopia
    Libertarian: Dictatorial State
    Authoritarian: Money Centered State

    Libertarian Police State
    Liberal: Slightly Overzealous Peoples Democracy
    Conservative: Government-Enforced Political Correctness Society
    Libertarian: Enforce Freedom State
    Authoritarian: Forced Anarchy

    Iron Fist Socialists
    Liberal: Equality and Tolerance Society
    Conservative: Inevitably Bloody Result of Liberal Ideals Mugged By Reality
    Libertarian: Marxist Dictatorship
    Authoritarian: Proletariat Revolutionaries

    Benevolent Dictatorship
    Liberal: Temporary Liberal State of Emergency
    Conservative: Temporary Conservative State of Emergency
    Libertarian: Forced Liberty Zone
    Authoritarian: Plutocracy

    Conservative Democracy
    Liberal: Conservative Hell
    Conservative: Conservative Paradise
    Libertarian: Single Oppressive Party Democracy
    Authoritarian: Heroes

    Free-Market Paradise
    Liberal: Randroids
    Conservative: Paradise
    Libertarian: Laissez-faire State
    Authoritarian: Corrupt Monetary State

    Tyranny by Majority
    Liberal: Tyranny by Bourgeois
    Conservative: Thieves
    Libertarian: Proproganda Democracy
    Authoritarian: Populism

    Helped By
    Hesse outpost
    Libertarian washington
    Khalite
    Patriqvinia
    Icamera
    Robertsonstan

    Read factbook


    [UPDATED] NationStates Guide

    by Coalition factbook administrator

    NOTE: Please refer to the UPDATED GUIDE for more relavant information



    New Player Guide



    Preamble | This is a guide for players who have queries regarding NationStates.


    What is NationStates? | NationStates is a multiplayer government simulation browser game. It was created by Max Barry and was publicly released on 13 November 2002, based loosely on his novel Jennifer Government. The game has hosted over 3.7 million nations with 112,698 current active nations in 16,223 different regions. The game is expanded by users via off-site forums to construct centers of learning, discussion, and play.

    The object of the game is to lead a country in the way the player finds best. At the start of the game, the player chooses a few basic characteristics including country name, flag, motto, currency, national animal and style of government. Answers to a short questionnaire determine the initial ratings of the country's civil, economic and political rights. The nation's population starts at five million and increases every day automatically with play.



    What are Issues? | Every day, nations log on to check and answer their 'issues'. Issues are political decisions that players make, which shape their nations as a result. The choices you make on your issues directly affect your civil rights, economic, and political freedom levels, as well as your tax rate. Over time, they also determine what type of government you have, from 'Democratic Socialists' to 'Psychotic Dictatorship'.

    You can decide how often issues come to you by clicking on 'settings' in the side-bar on the NS game.

    Ratings you can achieve

    #

    Economic

    Political Freedoms

    Civil Rights

    1

    Frightening

    Corrupted

    Widely Abused

    2

    All-Consuming

    Widely-Abused

    Frightening

    3

    Powerhouse

    Excessive

    Excessive

    4

    Thriving

    World-Benchmark

    World Benchmark

    5

    Very-Strong

    Superb

    Superb

    6

    Strong

    Excellent

    Excellent

    7

    Good

    Very good

    Very good

    8

    Fair

    Good

    Good

    9

    Reasonable

    Average

    Average

    10

    Developing

    Below-average

    Below-average

    11

    Struggling

    Some

    Some

    12

    Weak

    Few

    Few

    13

    Fragile

    Rare

    Rare

    14

    Basket Case

    Unheard of

    Unheard of

    15

    Imploded

    Outlawed

    Outlawed



    Government Types | A nation's government type is determind by an algorithm which calculates a nation's civil liberties, economic, and political freedoms and based on this result, allocates the nation a government type appropriate to that nation. There are 27 government types, ranging from Scandinavian Liberal Paradise, to Iron Fist Socialists, to Psychotic Dictatorship.


    What are Telegrams? | Telegrams are messages that can be sent between players. Think of it as a private messaging system. As soon as you sign up to the game, there's a very good chance you'll be bombarded with recruitment messages, inviting you to join the 'best region around'. Take what is said here with a grain of salt, and remember you are under no obligation to join anyone. Keep in mind that whilst sending messages to another player is free, if you include additional recipients, you'll need to spend real money for stamps.


    What is a Dossier? | A dossier is a document complied by you which features information on selected nations and regions. It is incredibly useful in times of (imaginary) war and (also imaginary) economic crisis, where you are attempting to manage relations between several players. You can use the built in dossier system, whilst technical-savvy players can upload their written version, which can also be shared with other players.


    What is the Settings page for? | Within the settings, players have the ability to modify certain aspects of their nation, such as the classification (whether you're a republic, dictatorship, queendom, etc), the currency, national animal and motto. As your nation grows, you also unlock the ability to classify your capital city, leader and religion. Then you have game-specific options, mainly the amount of issues you want to receive (maximum of two per day) and what kind of telegrams you want to receive.


    What is the Overview page for? | The overview page gives you and other visitors a randomly generated look at your nation. The information given is mainly based on your response to issues. Say for example you decide to allow the police to carry out phone taps, you'll most likely find this particular gem of information available for all to see. It will also mention your population, the trustworthiness of the government and you as a leader in general.


    What are Dispatches? | Dispatches are statements issued by your nation and fall in to one of four categories:
      Factbook: Descriptions relating to your nation, or anything you choose.
      Bulletin: For all things relating to gameplay.
      Account: Articles or stories about your nation.
      Meta: Matters relating to gameplay which stem from a real-life perspective.



    People, Government and Economy |
      People: A pie-chart illustrating the leading causes of death throughout your nation.
      Government: An illustration showing the distribution of your budget.
      Economy: An illustration of the division of the public and private sectors.



    Analysis? | Every day, the game will generate a Census Report on a particular subject and will rank all nations and regions from highest to lowest. Such topics include 'Most Extreme', 'Most Cultured' and 'Best Healthcare'. Score well enough and you'll be awarded a little medal that appears on your nation's page.


    What is the World Assembly? | To have any sort of influence in NS, you should consider joining the World Assembly (WA). By being a member, your nation can endorse other nations, and also receive endorsements. You may also vote on the current WA resolution, shown by clicking on 'World Assembly' in the side-bar on NS. With two endorsements, you are allowed to submit proposals to the WA, which may be put up for a vote if they receive enough support.

    Even though you are allowed to create more than one nation, you are permitted to have only one nation in the WA at a time. This is important. Violating this rule could get you ejected from the WA permanently or, even worse, deleted permanently.

    Councils | The World Assembly is divided into two main sections: The General Assembly and The Security Council.

    The General Assembly focuses on international law that applies to all nations if passed. These normally concern shipping laws, military safety and other similar topics.

    The Security Council focuses on one nation at a time. More often than not, these involve praising individual players and 'liberating' nations, allowing free entry. Whilst there is no battle system set in place by Max Barry, the Security Council's resolutions often relate to keeping the peace.

    Delegates | Delegates are elected by a region to serve as their representative at the World Assembly. Unlike ordinary members, they have the ability to approve newly-suggested resolutions. Delegates may also have administrative control over their region, though this is entirely dependent on the settings decided with the region's creation.

    Becoming a delegate can be an easy or difficult process, depending on the circumstances. To be elected, you need endorsements (a minimum of two) from the majority of members in your region. Whilst a region composed of you and your friends can guarantee you a spot, bigger regions with a vast collection of players are often much more challenging. Not only must you convince people to support your cause (and potentially get the old delegate demoted), you need to hold this position by respecting the demands of the region.

    Gaining Endorsements | If you've decided to join a bigger region with little to no support from friends, here are a few tips to receive the endorsements needed:
    1. Patience is a god send. Don't expect to march in some random region and have endorsements thrown at you. You need to prove your place.

    2. Get friendly with some of the other nations, people who you can count on to support your ascent to power.

    3. If they have one, find out about the current delegate. Is he well liked? Does he listen to the nation's wishes? Does he abuse his power? Use this to your advantage...

    4. NationStates truly is a game of politics and roleplaying. To that end, feel free to blackmail and bribe your peers.

    Voting for a Resolution | To vote for a resolution, click on its link within the World Assembly tab. You'll be taken to a page giving you the full details, including the category, resolution number and who proposed the resolution. Below that, you'll find a complete explanation, with the option of voting FOR or AGAINST.
    Passing your own Resolution | To pass your own resolution, you need at least two endorsements from members of your region. Once you have those, you can propose your resolution to the World Assembly. However, before people are given the chance to vote on it, it needs to be approved by 6% of the World Assembly Regional Delegates. If it reaches the necessary number of approvals, it will be brought onto the voting floor, where all members of the WA can make your resolution law, or fail to pass it.

    When you decide to pass your own resolution, you have two choices. You can create a brand new one, or you can attempt to repeal an old one.

    Creating a new resolution is basically one that does not currently exist. If you do so, make sure you look through all previous resolutions. There's nothing more embarrassing than attempting to introduce laws on toilet paper which already exist...

    If you too are angered about the increase of tax on tea bags, then you have the chance to get things changed! You can vote to re-appeal a resolution, which will render the resolution in question null and void. This is normally when old laws conflict with new methods.

    Tips on Passing a Resolution:

      Gather up support within your region. If it was proposed by someone, all the better!
    1. Spread the word on the forums. There is a section dedicated to the discussion of resolutions. You can make friends and get some critique on your law, which will let you make the edits necessary to give it an air of professionalism.

    2. Don't get too frustrated if your resolution doesn't make it to the voting floor. You can always try again.



    What is Influence? | You may have noticed it already, your nation and our region is given an 'influence' automatically by the game. A nation's influence is a measure of how well-respected a nation is considered in its current region. Nations earn influence in a region the longer they remain there, and the more WA endorsements they have. When a nation leaves, though, its influence in that region will begin to decline.

    Although being boast-worthy in its own right, Influence serves an important gameplay purpose. The ability of WA Delegates to eject and ban nations from their region, and to password-protect it, is limited by their Influence. Delegates consume some of their Influence to exercise their power, so the more often he uses his influence, the more difficult it is for him to wield those powers in the future.

    When a nation moves to a region, it has no influence within that region. Nations accrue influence in a region by remaining in the region, and by receiving endorsements from the region’s members. Being a member of the WA has no effect unless the nation gains endorsements, the more endorsements one gets, the more influence one will accrue.

    The regional influence is equal to the sum of the national influence of all its members (updated each WA update), and is displayed as a ranking on a scale ranging from ‘Backwater’ to ‘Extremely High’.

    The national influence ranking (ranging from ‘Minnow’ to ‘Hermit’) is determined by the ratio of national influence to total regional influence and the previous WA update.

    Influence levels you can achieve

    # ↓#

    Influence Level

    21

    Minnow

    20

    Vassal

    19

    Truckler

    18

    Handshaker

    17

    Duckspeaker

    16

    Envoy

    15

    Diplomat

    14

    Ambassador

    13

    Auxiliary

    12

    Negotiator

    11

    Contender

    10

    Instigator

    9

    Dealmaker

    8

    Enforcer

    7

    Eminence Grise

    6

    Powerbroker

    5

    Power

    4

    Superpower

    3

    Dominator

    2

    Hegemony

    1

    Hermit



    Population Growth? | A newly-created nation in NationStates begins with a population of 5 million. Every 24 hours, the population of a nation increases. The higher the population gets, the more the population increases per day, up until the population reaches 62 million.

    The population of a newly-created nation increases by 1 million per day.

    The population of a nation is related to the descriptor of it's size. As a nation's population increases, it progresses through a series of size descriptors, which are: fledgling, tiny, small, large, very large, huge, massive, colossal, and gargantuan. As a nation's population increases, it eventually gains a number of new custom nation traits, including the capitol city (250 million), the nation name pretitle (500 million), the nation's leader (750 million), and the national religion (1 billion).

    Different population marks at which a change occurs

    Population Mark

    Change (s)

    5 million

    The starting population, with the population size descriptor 'fledgling', and a population growth rate of 1 million per day.

    7 million

    The population size descriptor changes to 'tiny'.

    10 million

    The population growth rate increases to 2 million per day.

    20 million

    The population size descriptor changes to 'small'. The population growth rate increases to 3 million per day.

    32 million

    The population growth rate increases to 4 million per day.

    40 million

    The population growth rate increases to 5 million per day.

    50 million

    The population size descriptor changes to 'large'. The population growth rate increases to 6 million per day.

    62 million

    The population growth rate becomes randomly variable, ranging from 5 million per day to 7 million per day. The population growth rate does not change after this.

    100 million

    The population size descriptor changes to 'very large'.

    200 million

    The population size descriptor changes to 'huge'.

    250 million

    The nation can receive the issue to create a custom-named national capitol.

    500 million

    The nation name pretitle changes from multiple-choice to a custom text field. The player may submit issues from now on, at the issues page.

    1 billion

    The population size descriptor changes to 'massive'. The nation can receive the issue to create a custom-named national religion.

    5 billion

    The population size descriptor changes to 'colossal'.

    10 billion

    The population size descriptor changes to 'gargantuan'.



    What is Roleplay? | Roleplay is an extension of NationStates gameplay and is generally defined as assuming the attitudes, actions, and discourse of (another), in a make-believe situation in an effort to understand a differing point of view or social interaction. For a more comprehensive guide to roleplay, please refer to this forum thread.
      Thread: The overall topic/conversation/story.

      Opening Post (OP): The first post of a thread. Usually, the person who posts first is known as the Opening Poster (OP). They are usually the person who runs the thread unless stated otherwise.

      Co-Opening Poster (CO-OP): A person who is employed by the Opening Poster.

      Post: An individual reply made by one person to a thread.

      Character: When you make your first post in a RP thread that is where you will name your character.

      Out-of-character (OOC): Out of Character posts are often posted in the Drafting Plane in the respective Out of Character thread. Post of this sort is used to convey messages unrelated to the roleplay, such as informing your fellow players that you will be out of town for a week and therefore will not be online in NationStates.

      Private Message (PM): This is a method where you send a particular person a message.

      Coloured Post: The use of colors, bold, and italics is also applied in many threads. When used correctly, this makes seeing the speech and thought of each PC (player character) much easier to tell apart from the rest of the post. It is suggested that colors be used as a last resort.

      Non-Player Character: A character that is only used for a minor detail or for a small bit of dialogue. These characters are generally flat and will only be involved in a Role Play for a short amount of time.

      Time Skip: A moment where the story will advance upon an agreed amount of time. This is used for when intimate moments start approaching too explicit or when there is no way to advance the plot anymore unless time passes quickly.

      Godmod: Godmodding is in essence when someone’s character has the ability to do practically anything without limits or boundaries. And example is when they simply cannot be harmed by any and all means other RP-ers try.



    Terminology |
      Sinker Region: One of the 4 major regions in NationStates, featuring (at times) thousands of nations and has no founder.

      Warzones: Completely open regions that cannot be password-locked. Bans are temporary and last 24 hours.

      Regional Message Board (RMB): The blurb on the front page of our region where you can talk to anyone here.

      Puppets: Non-WA nations that are often used for the purposes of diplomacy, filling, and pure deception.

      Telegrams (TG): A private messaging system that acts as emails for NS. Players often say "PM" or "TG me".

      World Assembly (WA): The political body that passes laws on NS. Very nasty and very beginner-unfriendly.

      World Assembly Member: Gives you the right to vote on WA laws. Click here and click "Apply to Join".

      Word Assembly Delegate: The one member of the region that has the most number of WA Endorsements.

      Rejected Realms (RR): The one place you go after being banned. You're safe in the RR (except from Admins).

      Founder: The Nation that founds a region. Has the power to ban, eject, banject nations, change tags, suppress RMB posts, change the flag, construct and deconstruct embassies, and change the WFE.

      Founderless Region: A region where the Founder has CTE'd, handing all administrative controls to the WA Delegate by default.

      WFE - World Factbook Entry: An area that describes you region, etc. At the top of any region screen.

      Eject: The Act of ejecting a nation from another region. Can be done for free by a Founder, or at the cost of Influence for a delegate. Ejected nations arrive in the Rejected Relams immediately.

      Ban: Prohibits a nation from entering a given region. Costs a WAD more influence than just ejection.

      Banject: Ejecting and Banning someone at the same time, Costs the most influence.

      Cease-to-exist (CTE): The deletion of a nation after a period of inactivity lasting 28 days. A nation can be 'refounded' by the owner by login in again.



    Anymore Helpful Hints? | How to format/'prettify' a dispatch?: This guide written by Testlandia exemplifies the results of different BBCodes which will help you further develop the aesthetic appeal of any dispatch.

    How to create a Wikipedia-style Factbook: This forum thread created by Ponderosa provides a very nice, clean and effective format for any nation to adopt to create their own Factbooks.

    New to Roleplay?: A comprehensive forum thread created by P2tm details the fundamentals of the roleplay community in NationStates as well as providing launchpad to furthering one's knowledge of roleplay through various links.

    A guide to different issues type: A guide authored by Goddess Relief Office provides an overview of the different issue types and the methods to unlocking them.



    This document has been authored by Amerion.
    "I would sincerely appreciate it if you could
    up-vote this dispatch if you found it informative ^_^"

    Read factbook


    How to Copy a Disptach

    by Freedom planita 2

    This tutorial will show you how to copy an another nation's factbook.

    You need: an existing factbook, an blank dispatch, a factbook you want to copy
    1. Open a random dispatch from your factbook and click the edit button on the bottom right hand side of the page

    At the top there is the url of your factbook. Note the ID of the example factbook: 228140
    Keep the window open you will need it.

    2. Open the factbook you want to copy. Then find the Factbook ID.
    In this example it is circled as 97589.

    3. Copy the ID of the the other nation's factbook
    4. Paste the copied ID over your factbook's id

    Make sure it has the ID from the other's factbook and click enter.

    5. If you had done this correctly you should see coding from the person's factbook, however you aren't done yet. Create a entirely new factbook and copy everything onto there. Edit when needed and publish!

    Thank you for Reading! Please Up Vote!

    Read dispatch


    The "I'm new to NationStates I have no idea what I'm doing" Comprehensive Guide to NationStates


    *Or more sadly, the "I wished I had this comprehensive, yet mildly funny guide when I was new" Guide to NationStates

    🚧 This guide is still under construction!
    Please bear with us as we add more and more content.
    Thank you all for your support!

    Hello newbie, welcome to NationStates! NationStates is a multiplayer text-based nation state simulator which was created to promote a new novel known as Jenn- oh whoops you drifted off already.

    Yeah no .. I'm not going to bore you. You're welcome. The guide is written in chronological order, but you can skip to specific parts using the contents page.

    My telegrams are being bombarded. How the f*ck do I stop this spam?

    Oof. The first thing most new players get is a cascade of junk mail in their inbox. A large majority of your spam mail are recruitment telegrams which want you to join their region (I'll explain that in the future, but basically they're like tribes or clans).

    But right now you don't give a sh*t. Firstly, we need to stop more garbage polluting your inbox. To do this, click this link. Under Filter, go to Recruitment and click Block All.

    Click update filter when done. Now you will no longer receive more recruitment bullsh*t! Hooray🎊! All you need to do now is to delete your inbox and send angry telegrams telling your spammers to never spam you again.

    [ Return to Contents ]

    What are issues?
    Issues are the main feature of NationStates and it's the thing that makes the game fun! You are the leader of your country, and issues are scenarios your country is going through. Each issue has a list of different options you can pick to resolve these scenarios. The fun thing about all the issues is that usually none of the options are 'good'. They all have drawbacks and some of the options you pick can have unintended consequences.

    Let's take a look at an example...

    Oh dear. In this issue, you basically have two options: force the company to give the pay rise or frankly fire the fish farmers furiously (I apologise for the abject alliteration).


    So let's assume you go for the "DSJFJISDFJISDFJIPSDF CAPITALISM! DESTROY CAPITALISM NOW!!111" option. Under this scenario, the workers now have a 20% pay rise and the prospect of not having fish and chips this Friday has been thoroughly diffused. Power to the workers🚩! Viva la Revolution or whatever you hip socialists say nowadays, idk.

    The unintended consequence however is that now your people know if they want something, they can go on strike. So they will do... like all the time. And you'll be getting a f*ckton of strikes now.

    To illustrate why this may not be a good thing, I have hired an economist from the Department of the Treasury of His Excellency to draft a graph showing the relationship between economic productivity and the amount of people going on strike:

    In other words, your economy is going to die. Oof.


    So let's go for the other option then, i.e. "Tiannamen Square 2: Electric Boogaloo (ft. Margaret Thatcher)". Crush those fish f*ckers! Now you've given companies and corporations more power to make your economy more competitive. Yay to laissez-faire economics📈!

    As a side effect of relaxing industrial laws, now thousands of people will randomly be fired (because their bosses don't like them or something), creating mass unemployment. And also.. uh.. rolling in the tanks isn't very.. shall we say.. conducive to democracy I mean like, as a dictatorship this is actually a very very good thing, but this guide is supposed to be "impartial" so pshhh.

    So overall, none of the options are 'good' options. They all have glaring flaws in them. So you have to pick the best one out of all your crappy options. But that is what makes this game so fun! There is no 'right' answer, and some options have wildly unanticipated side effects. Issues are important because the way you answer issues affect the statistics and status of your country (which will be explained in more depth in the next question).

    [ Return to Contents ]

    What are civil rights, economy and political freedom? Isn't 'political freedom' an oxymoron?

    Civil rights, economy and so-called political freedom are the main gauges of your nation. Every time you do an issue, your civil rights, economy or political freedoms will go either up or down. Your nation classification (in this example, the classification is Civil Rights Lovefest) depends on how much civil rights, economic freedom and political freedoms your country has.


    In this example, a progressive policy has led to the economy to go down. But don't worry! You'll soon have lots of other issues which will give you opportunities to get it back up. It is possible to have any classification and increase your statistics even if they're currently crappy, it just takes time and answering specific issues.

    So to roughly recap, here is a table you can refer to tell you what your country is like:

    Statistic

    Having lots means..

    Having little means..

    Civil rights

    Pot-smoking, gay rights loving, liberty spreading, freedom embracing lovefest

    Slavery is a good idea as it gives people jobs which they can never resign from

    Economy

    GDP is bigger than a potato

    GDP is a potato

    Economic freedom

    Pinochet did nothing wrong

    Stalin did nothing wrong

    Political freedoms

    Rule by ballot

    Rule by ballistic missile


    It is also possible to check your statistics over time. If you go to Trend, you can see the ups and downs of your basic metrics (civil rights, economy and political freedoms) in the form of a graph.

    Presumably you are a noob, in which case your graph will consist of three straight lines. If you're an old player, you can see something slightly more interesting than straight lines like squiggles, bumps, dramatic falls and exponential rises. *The audience proceeds to go "ooooh"*

    Just look at this very exciting graph!

    What do you mean you don't care?

    However, civil rights, economy and political freedom aren't the only metrics and measurements you can use to gauge your nation. There are also other ways you can measure your nation such as the policies it has enacted (which will be discussed in the next question).

    [ Return to Contents ]

    What are policies? And lul wut since when did I legalise polygamy?


    Policies are general laws your nation has passed. You get new policies by answering issues. Depending on what policies your country has, you may get certain issues. For example, if you are an autocracy (dictatorship), you won't get any issues related to democracy. The fun thing about policies is they are a by-product of issues, and therefore sometimes you will enact a new policy as an unintended consequence.


    For example, look at this cute little boy on the right. He has a passion for acting. Who could dare to crush his innocent dreams of being an aspiring actor? me lol SURPRISE BISH💥 You just legalised child labour. Now go work in the factories for the fatherland! *throws the cute child into the assembly line*

    Or, another example, marriage laws. If you have a compassion level that is higher than a literal kidney stone, you would be naturally inclined to legalise gay marriage. However, read the small print very carefully. Or ... SURPRISE BISH💥 You just legalised polygamy. Not what you meant? Sorry, your civil servants got a bit overzealous and now you have this weird law you did not ask for or maybe you did, I mean I won't judge😒.

    Like statistics and all the other metrics, policies are reversible. So don't worry if you have a democratic robo-socialist polygamous pot-smoking feudal society. Just give it time, answer the right issues, and it will change.

    [ Return to Contents ]


    What are the 'people', 'government' and 'economy' statistics?
    The categories of "people", "government" and "economy" are another form of metrics to gauge your nation. Each three of these options are presented in a pie chart. [insert sarcastic amusement here] It's not really that exciting unless if you like maths and yes I call it maths do you have a problem, no that's what I thought.

    So unless if this arouses you in some way...

    You really needn't bother. I am only aroused when 100% of money is spent on defending oil- I mean uh self-defence yeah.

    [ Return to Contents ]


    What are ranks? Is this just more statistics?
    Ranks are individual statistics to measure your nation. They vary from boring statistics such as "economic output", to more average ones like "averageness" (yes there is a literal statistic on averageness), to more exciting interesting ones like level of public "nudity".

    "Holy sh*t. Why are there so many statistics in NationStates?" That's a dumb question. You're playing a text-based simulator you dimwit. What did you expect? "Are you making me ask stupid questions to insinuate and perpetuate stereotypes of my ignorance as a noob?" Yes.

    Depending on how you answer every issue, your plethora of statistics change. To see these changes, you can scroll down after answering an issue.

    What makes ranks so much more different that the other eight million other statistics in NationStates, is that you can get badges for ranking high on each of these ranks!

    These badges appear below your nation's main page and they are usually a source of honour and pride for the owner of the account. Green badges are given to top 10% of nations (of that certain statistic) in the entire game, orange badges are given to the top 5% and golden badges given to the top 1%.

    As you can see, this is my own private collection. I'm extremely proud and honoured to have the Top 1% for Public Nudity. "I don't care, do you have any other information regarding ranks?" My golden badge reflects on a sadder tone of general society. Societal progres- "Yeah OK, I'm going then." - WAIT WHERE ARE YOU GOING?

    [ Return to Contents ]

    What are regions?


    Time to finally explain what regions actually are. While your individual nations are the single player aspect of the game, regions are the multiplayer aspect. Regions are basically groups, clans or guilds. Every nation must be part of a region. As you've probably encountered beforehand, there are a f*ckton of regions and they all want you to join them.

    If you are a newbie, you are probably in one of the five main starter regions: the Pacific, the North Pacific, the South Pacific, the East Pacific and the West Pacific. New nations are automatically randomly assigned to be born in one of these starter regions, s-pacifically known as 'feeder' regions. I refuse to apologise for this pun.

    Read dispatch



    Interested in Building Your Dream Deck?


    Disclaimer: This guide is intended to be for the benefit of all players/regions. Have fun reading! :)

    If you found the guide helpful, please upvote this dispatch to help others find it!
    2006 bears,Afer america,Aliberd,Amataraxia,Anarchic zyrixia,A-n-c-a-p-i-s-t-a-n,Anexian,A not-too test nation,Atherses newistan,Athesomestonland,Auradianon,Avalaise,Baczylowo,Bannic,Beardsmen,Being nice,Ber onjohvikole,Bohemic states,Brassica,British brker neprichma,Brohaven,Broken10,Broken11,Broken12,Broken13,Broken14,Broken15,Broken17,Broken18,Broken19,Broken20,Broken21,Broken22,Broken23,Broken24,Broken25,Broken26,Broken27,Broken28,Broken30,Broken31,Broken32,Broken36,Broken37,Broken38,Broken39,Broken40,Broken41,Broken42,Broken43,Broken44,Broken45,Broken46,Broken47,Broken48,Broken49,Broken5,Broken52,Broken53,Broken54,Broken55,Broken56,Broken58,Broken59,Broken6,Broken60,Broken61,Broken63,Broken64,Broken66,Broken68,Broken69,Broken7,Broken70,Broken71,Broken73,Broken74,Broken75,Broken76,Broken77,Broken78,Broken8,Broken81,Broken82,Broken85,Broken86,Broken87,Broken88,Broken89,Broken9,Broken90,Broken91,Broken92,Broken94,Broken95,Broken97,Broken98,Cadelasia,Capitalistic zyrixia,Card collector of flags,Card kingdom of the dark world,Carter hall hawkman,Challonertew,Cipotania,Cloburger,Crappy kingdom,Croveno,Cybernetic darkness,Czar monarch,Daurion,Dellestant,Democratic cortontyrakaahark,De-nation,Dingsbumistan,Disappearing dissenteria,Don dangamers,Dottie 00300,Dottie 00301,Dottie 00302,Dottie 00303,Dottie 00304,Dottie 00305,Dottie 00306,Dottie 00307,Dottie 00309,Dottie 00310,Dottie 00311,Dottie 00312,Dottie 00313,Dottie 00314,Dottie 00315,Dottie 00316,Dottie 00317,Dottie 00318,Dottie 00319,Dottie 00321,Dottie 00323,Dottie 00324,Dottie 00325,Dottie 00326,Dottie 00327,Dottie 00328,Dottie 00329,Dottie 00330,Dottie 00332,Dottie 00333,Dottie 00336,Dottie 00337,Dottie 00338,Dottie 00339,Dottie 00340,Dottie 00341,Dottie 00342,Dottie 00343,Dottie 00344,Dottie 00345,Dottie 00346,Dottie 00347,Dottie 00348,Dottie 00350,Dottie 00352,Dottie 00354,Dottie 00356,Dottie 00358,Dottie 00359,Dottie 00360,Dottie 00363,Dottie 00364,Dottie 00365,Dottie 00366,Dottie 00367,Dottie 00368,Dottie 00369,Dottie 00370,Dottie 00371,Dottie 00372,Dottie 00373,Dottie 00376,Dottie 00377,Dottie 00378,Dottie 00379,Dottie 00380,Dottie 00381,Dottie 00382,Dottie 00384,Dottie 00385,Dottie 00386,Dottie 00387,Dottie 00388,Dottie 00389,Dottie 00390,Dottie 00391,Dottie 00392,Dottie 00395,Dottie 00397,Dottie 00398,Dottie 00399,Drampan farmer iii,Ducklavia,Dunt campie,Dunzz,Empire of the winged bears,Fancy Soo Dancy,Fatherless,Feshaece,Fittianialand,Gamanoro,Gangstaria,German zeuntre,Gudarium,Heavnlish,Hiranfarus,Irneca,Jiet,Jopka2,Just dibilicus,Kaernlor,Karnam,Kirearolbecangous,La comarca,Laithlind,Leapcor Services,Lichitinstein,Lukash scanhur,Masycosia peopia,Metabots,Middle aca freixiland,Mideland,Mister boombastic land,Monotany,Mortiz,Mothtopia,Muryo,National soviet russia,Newington,New south godland,New uk,Nfs10,Nfs6,Nfs7,Nfs9,Nice try land,Nigeal,Nikiar,Northern birbtopia,Nukestan,Ocemon,Pink saviours,Pizzacktopia 2,Pocoliland,Podgornoye,Purscoigia,Quipplebop,Republic of ivor,Ronisado,Rtewig-empire,Sau anterstadisti,Seagull isles,Seas mur pacestroopia,Second gilead,Sengambom,Senia marnis,Serendipce,Siberian socialist republics,Smunkmephika,Smurf griddy,Sondrovia,South day thed,Spicefarm 9,Stopieland,Tankmanzed,Tchanscillador,The baltic lands,The followers of the southern star,The land of the free peeps,The merchants guild,The second syndicate,The socialist communist international,The Ultimate Leaf,The vangelotopia,Thon Bensarda,Thytrousersa,Tongui,Tqai,Trezariaa,Troens land,Tropikal,Twangy108,United federation of beans,Vistzerland,Vorolovka,Vrommiani,Waldoo,War Dogs DCXCIV,War Dogs DCXCV,War Dogs DCXCVI,Wasteckell,White palace,Whywhywhy2hy,Willi temna,WL Plate Islands,

    .

    Trading cards? What's that?

    The Northern Light wrote:

    Trading cards are NationStates' own trading card game. You can generate, trade, and collect cards representing other nations, with each card having its own rarity and value. There is a whole dedicated market where you can buy or sell cards, and compete to rise through the rankings for most valuable decks, as well as increase the value of your nation's own card. Or, you can simply create your own themed collections, e.g., your friends, enemies, regionmates, best flags, and anything else you can think of!

    Why should I start trading?

    Given that players from many regions (including The North Pacific, The West Pacific, The East Pacific, The Pacific, The Rejected Realms, 10000 Islands, and Texas, to name a few) have actively been involved with cards, deciding to get involved with this field will open players to an entirely new community to explore! (And yes, even game administrators, issues editors, and moderators are heavily active.) Of course, not just the wide-ranging community is to take note of, but you're also entitled to making a name for yourself, whether by collecting the most cards of a specific theme, achieving one of the most valuable decks to ever grace the leaderboard, possessing the most bank out of any player, or by becoming a philanthropist whom continues to serve as an example of pure generosity (people have actually done this in the past)!


    Whoa. Sounds cool! But how do I start?

    Each player has a (roughly) 20% chance to obtain a card pack from answering an issue. Answering these daily will reward you several packs, and the maximum you may store per nation is 9. You will know if you won a card pack by scrolling to the bottom of the screen right after answering an issue, as seen here:

    ... or by answering all your issues, going back to your nation's main page, and clicking on the card logo:

    ... in order to check whether you've won any packs! Each pack contains 5 cards, and some might already have bids placed on them. If you wish to quickly gain some cash, sell the card to that bidder, especially if said bid happens to be over junk value!

    Junking is the act of trashing your card (done by clicking on the card and pressing "junk"; note that cards from rare rarity and upwards will require confirmation before junking) in order to accumulate a set number of "junked bank". This varies by rarity, with commons yielding a junk value of 0.01 bank, uncommons a value of 0.05 bank, and so forth. Players typically do this in order to quickly generate bank (since selling a card at auction takes a minimum 1 hour) and instantly pay for a card. Do this if you're short on time!

    Of course, sometimes you won't immediately get a card you want. If you're caught in this situation, you are able to do the following: A) lodge a standing bid with the bank you have and wait for someone to notice, B) telegramming an owner of that card, or C) by posting on the card forum to have people quickly check whether they can sell a copy!

    Once you gain a card (whether from buying or simply opening packs), assuming you wish to actually keep the card (and not junk/sell it), you can then A) start a collection (done by clicking "Create a collection" at your nation's card page and adding cards to said collection) and/or B) view the cards you have in your deck, and you may even use deck filter buttons to narrow down the list of cards you possess in case you want to view specific ones!

    Finally, it's important to know that all nations possess an official deck limit for how many cards each nation may store. Once you reach said limit, you must consume a certain amount of bank in order to expand your current capacity, otherwise gifting becomes unavailable and your nation will be restrained from opening further packs (though you may still purchase more cards from auctions).

    Expanding your capacity increases by the squared exponent of every whole number (i.e. 1, 4, 9, 16, etc.), and purchasing the Site Supporter badge from the store grants you double the permitted capacity (along with doubling the capacity you gain each time your limit's expanded).

    To give you an idea, here is a table of the expansion costs for (both) regular users and Site Supporters (brought to you by Valentine Z):

    Without Site Supporter

    With Site Supporter

    Cost

    Cumulative Cost

    50

    100

    Automatically given to all players

    None

    100

    200

    1

    1

    150

    300

    4

    5

    200

    400

    9

    14

    250

    500

    16

    30

    300

    600

    25

    55

    350

    700

    36

    91

    400

    800

    49

    140

    450

    900

    64

    204

    500

    1000

    81

    285

    550

    1100

    100

    385

    600

    1200

    121

    506

    650

    1300

    144

    650

    700

    1400

    169

    819

    750

    1500

    196

    1015

    800

    1600

    225

    1240

    850

    1700

    256

    1496

    900

    1800

    289

    1785

    950

    1900

    324

    2109

    1000

    2000

    361

    2470

    The list goes on, naturally. Don't think that this is the maximum number of cards you can store!


    Any particular tools to help me trade?

    Yes, actually! There are several useful player-created features to utilize at your convenience:

    1. List of Cards in XML - Created by active code junkie and trader Ballotonia, this downloadable file contains an index for every single card in the game! In total, there are an estimated 180000 cards (per season), so use this list if you are aiming for a massive collection! [Note: it is highly advised that you download a text editor such as Sublime in order to better read this file.]

    2. Card Queries Page - Created by (another) code junkie + trader 1 very fast endotarter, this tool allows players to look up cards of a particular type, including card rarity, badge type, government type, and more. Use this if you don't feel like manually searching for what you need!

    3. Card Market Watch - Another creation by 1 very fast endotarter, this document serves to actively track the statistical data regarding the entire card market, including auction activity, every legendary's combined market value, the total amount of cards currently pullable, and just how generous the gifting has gotten; all of these are noted daily and recorded up to its date of creation (i.e. July 7, 2019).

    4. LinkGoldretriever-Web - Created by Java enthusiast Racoda (and inspired from the original version by Valentine Z), this open source application will (automatically) output the total amount of bank + deck value (along with, should you input the password for each nation, the number of unanswered issues and unopened packs) for each nation listed! As to how it's done, 1) go to the website, 2) input the name of your nation(s) (if you have multiple accounts, press the "Enter" key each time you list a nation's name to add new lines), and 3) press "Start". [Note: if you wish to also calculate the number of unanswered issues + unopened packs per nation, you must ensure that the mode is set to "Auto" to enable the feature and then list both the nation's name & password and separate the two with a comma.]

    5. NationStates Card Management Queue - Created by long-time user Anozia (and later expanded upon by traders Destructive Government Economic System and Racoda), this script utilizes the Tampermonkey extension (instructions on how to use the script + extension being found here) in order to allow many features, including 1) the saving of specific (or all, when using the Card Queries tool) cards to a queue for selling/gifting when needed, 2) the addition of a cards icon at the top of your nation's page (clicking on the icon will conveniently redirect you towards the deck page), and 3) the removal of the nation-name from Season 2 cards (when the lower half of the card is clicked) to allow full access to the flag appearance of the cards! [Note: the script version that you must use to access these features is within this post, as provided by Evrigenis.]

    6. Firefox Containers - This guide - written by code expert Racoda - goes over an extension specifically made for the Mozilla Firefox browser, with said extension allowing you to trade/farm cards on multiple tabs simultaneously! Racoda's guide may take a while to understand, but it will definitely prove to be one of the most beneficial tools if you plan on utilizing multiple nations for card purposes!

    Final thing, please note that using a script that automatically performs card-based actions (including answering issues to obtain card packs, placing bids/asks, or junking cards) has been ruled illegal, per Eluvatar's and [violet]'s respective announcements, so if you plan on developing any of these tools... you'll probably realize that none of the players will actually use them. Other than that, have fun with coding!


    Special thanks to Destructive Government Economic System for writing the entire guide!
    Read dispatch


    The Imperial Fatherland
    Viribus Unitis

    ROLEPLAY

    Welcome, one and all, to the super duper completely professional and well-thought out guide for roleplaying, specifically within the Imperial Fatherland, but, if you happen to be an outsider, feel free to like this and use it for reference for your own use.

    Although, please bear in mind that I no longer use NS regularly and thus this guide is likely never going to be finished. I'm continually grateful and humbled by the nice things folks all across this site have had to say about it- truth be told I wasn't expecting it to get much readership outside of my own region- so many thanks for appreciating my work, it means a lot.

    Actually, in that case, if you do happen to be in the Imperial Fatherland, go ahead and like this dispatch as well.

    I could do with the publicity.

    To be honest, there are other guides that are way better than this one, but thanks for dropping by anyway.

    If you have any qualms or suggestions, feel free to contact me by TG and I'll get to it as soon as I can.

    My personal intention for this dispatch is to link it to anybody who I deem to have sub-par roleplaying. If I happen to have linked this to you, then I think, in all honesty, your standards of RP aren't so great and you should at the very least skim through this dispatch- look, there's even a nifty table of contents so you only have to skim a section of this dispatch! Why does it matter to me so much whether your RP is good or not? Well, RP is a large part of a region and one nation's actions tend to affect that of other nations in the region- if your RP isn't so great it tends to drag everyone down, which is a bit of a downer- so please take a look, for everyone's sake.

    Also, you might want to check this list full of useful things if you live in the Imperial Fatherland! "Wow!" I hear you exclaim, "what a well-organised region! I ought to check things out over there for myself!"

    With all that done, let's get on with it!


    No. 1- What on God's Green Earth is roleplay?

    Roleplay, commonly referred to by its shortened form, RP, is, according to Wikipedia:

    Link

    Of course, we're talking about the latter here, unless you happen to actually be doing the former (I couldn't think of any examples which would actually work in this context- if you happen to be a professional comedian- or not for that matter- and can come up with one, do let me know if you think of one- apologies for the lack of a joke there, you probably needed one), and it comes, mainly, in three forms:

    • Newspaper articles (i.e. from a neutral point of view, unless the newspaper is deliberately biased- although RMB RP can take other forms)

    • Character roleplay (a character from your nation, or otherwise for that matter)

    • and Nation roleplay (where nations themselves carry out actions)


    How 80% of roleplays end

    You may also come across some terms not familiar if you've never roleplayed before- I'll explain most of them in more detail throughout this guide (you can use that fancy table of contents on the left that took me about three centuries to make), but two you should know now are IC and OOC- IC means "in-character" and means that the following (or preceding, depending on how it is used) post is relevant to the roleplay and should be treated as canon. OOC means "out of character", and is often a question concerning the RP (or a snide remark) like "Is X going to happen after Y or the other way around?"- whilst to the average dummy it may seem that it's easy to tell the difference, it really isn't in a lot of cases. Make sure to use them, else the RP will end up looking like there's an out of place quiz show at the end of every post.

    This brings me to the second part of this dispatch- which, given the amount of space I've devoted simply to a definition, has made me realise that it's going to be at least the size of Mercury.


    No. 2- Which format should I use for roleplay?

    It can seem a bit difficult to decide exactly how to format your roleplay, especially to somebody new to the whole thing. I'll save you the effort of deciding and go through each type in detail so you don't have to make that important decision.

    Newspaper articles, from my experience, are the most common form of roleplay, especially if your NS life is constricted to the RMB (although they can also come in the form of dispatches)- it lets your regional neighbours know about important events in your nation, and, if worthy of international scrutiny, can spark a chain of newspaper articles from other nations as well. Make sure to come up with your own snazzy name for a newspaper to distinguish it (preferably in your nation's dominant language) and you can also include things like analyses from another point of view, an even snazzier motto, and a whole load of other things- I'm one guy, I wouldn't know everything about newspapers, so feel free to shove your own newspapery things into your newspaper. It is absolutely imperative, however, that you use formatting tags, or your post will be indistinguishable from the regular pile of RMB posts to sift through, and no one may pick up on it- alternatively, if it isn't a major event, you probably shouldn't even bother writing about it on your international newspaper, although it could work in an "in other headlines" format- large, nation-wide projects, like the building of a major stadium ahead of a large international sporting event, are worth talking about though. RP on the RMB overall can take more than one form, like that of letters (example here: page=rmb/postid=16509860) although they aren't really that common- you're more than welcome to give them a go if you wish, but I won't be covering every type because they're rare- like any RP, it's all down to your imagination too.

    Character roleplay is probably the most detailed and satisfying to carry out- these are best to carry out on a forum (NS or offsite) because it requires the input of multiple nations where the entire history of the roleplay can be read- as character roleplays often don't concern people not participating in one, it's to the benefit of the RMB that it isn't cluttered with something not everyone needs to read- of course, about 90% of things on the RMB are exactly that, but it's a non-issue until it involves roleplay. Examples of such roleplay are most often diplomatic visits, although they can involve other settings, like athletes at a major sporting event (cough cough hint hint), a foreign expat living in another nation and loads of other things- people do so many things these days it's hard to keep a track of what they do.

    The third type is of course nation roleplay, roleplaying as a nation. These have quite a vast range actually, and are probably the most common type where many roleplayers don't really have much clue what they're doing. Higher-skilled roleplayers tend to incorporate their nation's actions into newspaper articles on the RMB- nation roleplay can also be incorporated into character roleplay, for example during yet another diplomatic trip or otherwise, whereupon a character acts as a representative for their nation. On the whole, nation roleplay itself is to be avoided, but indirect nation roleplay in the form of the former two types of roleplay I've explained above is ideal.


    No. 3- Now you know the essentials, it's time to learn the basics

    You might think, after having trudged through the minefield of what exactly constitutes roleplay that you're ready to go, but hold your horses there pard'ner- we've only scratched the surface.

    Y'see, roleplay isn't just something you can pick up and go on- I got gooder at RP through experience rather than some guide telling me what and what not to do, but I lack the patience to watch new RPers pick up knowledge and eventually become seasoned, so this guide will have to do instead.

    Where was I again?

    Oh right, the basics and stuff- simple things that ought to be avoided at all costs and other handy tips.

    The biggest no-no of all is probably the dreaded one-line post, and it can quickly sour an RP. The problem with one-line posts is that they carry no substance- others have little to nothing to build on from a one-liner, and it downright just looks tacky, especially when everyone else has put the effort in to create descriptive, intricate settings and character development and beautiful formatting and all the rest of it, it really messes things up when it is followed by a "United States of Soandso sides with the Kingdom of Yourface" without giving any reason why, no description or build-up or anything particularly helpful. On more serious RPs, your post will be rejected and ignored because, quite frankly, it's lazy, unhelpful and spoils the mood. Do put in the effort to make your RP posts presentable and fleshed out. Nations must think 'concept' over 'power'.


    Who many new roleplayers think they are

    Another huge mistake new roleplayers make is the huge desire to be stronger than every other nation. Please don't do that, as it'll lead to stagnation of roleplays and everybody getting into an argument, then either side will refuse to budge and everything comes crashing down- if new roleplayers don't learn from these experiences and accept their place in the world- that no one nation is stronger than the other- then it can drive people away from regions, especially those heavily oriented towards RP, and it can tear the whole system apart. This is most problematic with the military (a massive surprise given that nations love to brag about how large their lemur population is), and people can give ridiculous numbers for their military, say 5,000,000 active soldiers in a 100,000,000 citizen population- that alone is 5% (not including the far greater number of reservists and whatnot), which is about as great a percentage as that success of a nation just north of South Korea. Ever more ridiculous reasons can also be given ("my nation is fascist and militaristic so we can make this work", even though pretty much every drop of material in the nation must be devoted to the military to make it work), but we all know the only way you can get away with a large proportion of citizens in the military compared to the population is to have a population of 4,218.

    Linking on to this is the claim that your nation can do anything and everything, domestically as well as internationally. Having a brilliant military with brilliant scientists and brilliant civil rights with brilliant healthcare with brilliant politics and brutally drowning your nation with sunshine and happiness is one of the most unfair things you can do to everyone. If a nation wanted to do something that may have repercussions on other nations, then having a navy the size of Saturn rudely interrupt its nice project is likely to completely spoil the entire affair. What makes RP enjoyable is that there can be no strongest power, as there ever was in real life. Empires fall for a reason. To have one (or worse, more than one) nation trump all other nations absolutely destroys the mood and is godmodding. That's not to say your nation cannot be strong, by any means (unless your nation clearly cannot carry out such a role based on map geography and other factors), but it needs serious weaknesses too. For example, you can have a strong navy but a weak army. You can have good civil rights but a weak military. Your people may be living in paradise but also in constant fear of invasion. You can have an amazing military, but leaving your entire population to fend for themselves.

    Another thing new RPers tend to get themselves in a bit of a mess over is conflating their real-life views with that of the nation they RP with. Whilst avoiding bias is, understandably, very difficult, RPers need to be constantly vigilant to ensure they mitigate them as best as possible. Having a strong military in a state ruled by a social democratic government, for example, is unrealistic as it wouldn't be a social democratic policy.

    These biases can be present when your views actually do align with your nation's government as well- this is well illustrated in democratic countries, where governments tend to perform better when ruled by views you agree with, and worse when you disagree with them. It is, of course, impossible to avoid biases in their entirety, but the aim is to work towards that goal rather than to achieve them outright, as with any difficult task. The best way to do this is to research successful governments in similar situations to your nation- say, for example, you were re-building your country after a devastating war. The Linkeconomic policies of Konrad Adenauer and Ludwig Erhard, who were conservative politicians, can be looked at, as well as the Linkeconomic history of the United Kingdom post-war under Clement Attlee's socialist government. Whilst both improved, there were significant disparities between the two.

    In the event you come across a situation where there are few historical examples analogous to yours- such as, for example, one set in the far future- the best advice I can give you is to apply the policies your government would have to that situation rather, and to collaborate with your fellow RPers on what would be the best course of action.

    The last and probably not actually one of the most important, but still good things to know about is that when a region has a set time period that differs from today's, you must take into account the GDP, technology and statistics of that era- not complying will lead to accusations of godmodding and the like, which is a term no one wants to hear.

    The "it's just a game, so I can use my imagination!" argument goes only so far as to support yourself. Your statistics and history and all the things you put into your nation will, directly or indirectly, affect the nations of the world around you. If they aren't pleased with the realism, or find you godmodding or powergaming, it spoils the mood for everybody, so please don't pull that card.

    These are the most basic of errors that new roleplayers make- everybody makes them early on, and most of the time these issues are resolved quickly with a decent explanation and an open mind.

    That said, your nation can certainly differ from its RL counterpart, if there is any- as long as you provide a detailed historical explanation for it- which of course, brings us to the next section.


    No. 4- Proof of the Pudding

    This section applies more to alternate history regions that use, for the most part, real-world maps (although this applies equally to detailed fictional maps).To put it simply, it outlines what nations should do when their nation differs from its RL counterpart(s), that is, providing a reasonable and realistic point of divergence at some point in history.

    I will use, throughout this section, examples of nations I've created (for the sake of ease rather than that of selfishness, I like to think) that have used plausible explanations that everybody in the region can get behind that they used to back up the difference in the flag, economy, nation's territory etc. specifically Kin jidai, because we somehow think exactly alike.

    Kin Jidai is essentially an alternate Japan. It takes up the same territory as Japan, has the same economy, same population, culture and an incredibly similar governmental style. Most of its impressive history is also the same. However, the point of divergence began not long after the Meiji Restoration of 1868, at which point the Tokugawa Shogunate was abolished and rule restored to the Emperor. It is often seen as the point at which Japan had westernized and became a Great Power. Kin Jidai was first discovered by sailors from Portugal, and as the British focused colonization efforts on the Malayan Archipelago, creating the British East Indies, it was they who forced the Hofuna into the open world rather than America- a lot of Kin Jidai's westernization process was down to British involvement.

    Due to honour and pride pervading every part of the new Kogane constitution, after demands from the more conservative nobility to keep distinct from European culture, Kin Jidai actively looked down upon colonization and was the only Great Power of its time to do so. To this day, Kin Jidai maintains a constitutional convention of declaring war against no nation weaker than itself, and maintains a large navy due to cultural emphasis on the military. Whilst resisting fascism and the like, Kin Jidai still maintains a socially and politically conservative atmosphere, at the same time also having a socially libertarian approach to running the country. This also means that, due to a lack of natural resources in IRL Japan, Kin Jidai has had to rely on foreign imports for a very long time. I've given the country an interesting history and some strengths over its RL counterpart, but also a deliberate and potentially very harmful weakness.

    Likewise with my main nation, Diogott, I put a stupidly large emphasis on the military in which 12.5% serve actively and the entirety of the nation act as a reserve. This sounds incredibly godmoddy until it is realised the population of the country is 4,218, the size of the nation is about that of a large city and the low population density is down to the social taboo of maintaining the nuclear family, keeping the population roughly the same since the 1400s- although that has changed in recent years due to innovations in technology. The military is well-supplied, well-organised and well-funded, but the GDP of Diogott is about US$7,000,000 with the GDP per capita at $1,839, equivalent to that of the German Empire in the 1870s, the military is based off of an outrageously outdated hierarchy (the Prussian system of the 1860s) and Diotian technology peaks at the early 1910s. It can be argued that this is, in fact, incredibly unrealistic- although Diogott's history has been marred by complete ignorance by foreign powers, and its geographical position within some obscure valley also prevented the ever-present arm of technology grappling it. There's even a real valley in Switzerland that underwent a similar change, called Linkthe Lötschental- although it wasn't its own, self-reliant country, so modern-day conveniences eventually came along to it, unlike Diogott.


    No. 5- WAR. WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR

    War. If there's any type of event that sends shudders down anyone's spine, let alone in an RP, it's war. I hate war. It sucks. I hate war especially when it's woefully unplanned.

    Don't you hate it too? Even just observing a few inexperienced nations partake in a war can be painful- it's worse when they refuse help from others to moderate or give advice.

    AND THEN WHEN IT INEVITABLY COMES CRASHING DOWN THEY BLAME YOU FOR NOT HELPING THEM

    In all seriousness, this is a big problem that plagues many regions when it comes to RP. War can be pretty exciting for new, inexperienced nations and it can be beautifully executed if done right. However- as with most large-scale RPs conducted by those with little clue on how to run them- they have a tarnished reputation as a result and few people have the tenacity to sit through five million poorly made wars.

    So how can this problem be averted? Well, before you even start a war, you have to consider how it begins. Wars never happen out of the blue, unless you're a bloodthirsty expansionist nation like RL Liechtenstein, where Prince Hans-Adam II is secretly plotting to divide the world's countries into microstates smaller than Liechtenstein, thereby establishing its global dominance.

    But the nation you run isn't Liechtenstein- that version of it anyway. Wars occur through poor relations between other countries, increasing tensions between them until there's finally a triggering point- a casus belli- that gives one side an excuse to begin the war. Take, for example, a pretty well-known war known as World War I.

    Colonial ambitions, jealousy, centuries-old rivalries and the creation of falsely re-assuring large alliances all played their part in increasing tensions between the Great Powers. Then- the triggering point- Archduke Franz Ferdinand was shot. Austria was furious (and felt like a war could get all the pesky ethnic minorities to calm down a little) and told Serbia to do a few things- this was the July Ultimatum. It was a bit harsh, so Serbia didn't agree to everything. Austria declared war on Serbia. Russia came to the aid of the Serbs because they were Slavic, Orthodox, Austria-hating frat bros. Germany told Russia to sod off. Russia didn't. Germany joined the war. France got very concerned so it joined the war too.


    Why constantly posturing for war is a bad idea

    From there, of course, it all went downhill and the rest is history. But you can see how it very quickly erupted into a mess due to a plethora of reasons other than "war because I want good time."

    Another important thing to remember is how to actually conduct wars. It is of vital importance that the equipment, size of your standing army, reserved army, their locations etc. are all recorded somewhere, preferably in a neat factbook. A lack of the facts will cause confusion, arguments and an OOC rather than IC war. Any war RP, no matter how realistic the story, will fail if all of the necessary statistics are not abundantly clear.

    In general, the shopping list for what you need looks a little bit like this:

    • The size of your standing army- this means the number of active soldiers you have. This is usually about 1% of your population, although it can fluctuate depending on the form of government you have. Bear in mind that a large active military is hugely expensive and comes at the cost of other, equally important things.

    • The size of your reserves- this refers to the number of eligible people in your country who can serve in a war when the nation needs it. Depending on the demographics of your country, this can range from an absolute of 10-40% of the country, although it is often not nearly this high as the nation still needs workers to produce things and keep the nation functioning.

    • The type of equipment your army has- this refers to all manner of things- rifles, machine guns, artillery, tanks, clothing, food supplies, flashlights, pistols, grenades, transport- there are so many things to consider here, but the basics (weapons, supplies and transport) should be a staple in every nation. Other gear- like flashlights- serves in a niche role, but if the situation calls for them it is important to have a record somewhere.

    • The size of your navy- this includes the number of personnel (the upper limit is usually 0.5% of the population, if the navy is a prioritised branch- most nations have it at around 0.2-0.3%), the number of ships, their classes, the number of fleets, their supply lines and where they are based. The size of the navy is always connected to the size of the other branches of the military- the army and air force will be quite small if the navy is disproportionately large.

    • The size of your air force- this includes the number of personnel (the upper limit usually being 0.3% of the population, again if the air force is a prioritised branch- it is usually 0.08-0.1%), the number of aircraft, their types and roles, the number of wings and where they are based. The size of the air force is always connected to the size of the other branches of the military- the army and navy will be quite small if the air force is disproportionately large.

    Considerations also have to be made as to how you conduct war. Military tactics way ahead of your time period are not acceptable- utilizing Blitzkrieg, in the period around the First World War, for example, would gain you a pretty speedy victory, but it's not realistic, especially with the calibre of equipment at the time. The lack of tanks would render this tactic almost futile.

    When it comes to war, you, the player, are not the general trying to outdo the other. You are instead the nation, and you have to behave roughly within what any nation would do in that situation- a mid-sized country fighting a much larger power wouldn't launch an offensive unless it was backed up by powerful allies- it would fight on the defensive and try to ensure the safety of its citizens as best as possible.

    That actually brings me on to my next point- all too often, nations fail to consider the impact of war on themselves- on destroyed infrastructure, resources, livelihoods. This results in those impacts often being downplayed. Economic downturns are just a slight recession. Casualties, civilian and military alike, are about 10% of what they should be. War is, for most people in the modern age, not a very profitable endeavour. If any of the global powers have access to nuclear weapons (particularly if the reach of these weapons are global, as is the case with ICBMs) then major wars are an enormous turn off for virtually everyone and any localized war will attract the attention of the rest of the world- a war that you begin as a regional power will quickly become one that you lose most control over, and the outcome will more or less be decided by the level of involvement of the world's powers.

    Whilst we're on that topic: proxy wars. Very common in the Cold War era and even to some extent today, proxy wars are wars fought on two diplomatic levels- that between the main, obvious belligerents, and the one fought on a much greyer area between global powers with vested interests in the particular region. Quite often, the war becomes more about these global powers than about whatever local conflict is really taking place. However, these powers tend to (for one reason or another) avoid fighting each other directly on the battlefield. If one side has already committed to sending their own troops to fight, then it would be poor diplomatic strategy for the other side to send their own troops to aid the opposition unless it were planning for direct war with that power to begin with. Most often, aid takes the form of funding and sending military equipment to the favoured side. On occasion, air support and training of troops will also be used.

    Take, for example, the Korean War of 1950-3. Following the division of Korea in 1945, in which a pro-Soviet regime was installed in the north and a pro-American one in the south (it was agreed that eventually they would be united- how was a very different matter), Kim il-Sung of the north intended to unite the peninsula by force. With tensions rising but the possibility of direct war decreasing as a result of the first Soviet atomic bomb in 1949, Kim eventually asked Stalin in 1950 for permission to invade the south. Not really caring, Stalin agreed.

    This is a very abridged version so do forgive me for missing other areas more crucial for understanding the global geopolitics of the early 1950s, but the war evolved into a conflict between the USA and her allies (in which they did commit troops to the war effort) and the USSR and her allies, particularly China which also committed troops to the war effort- the USSR, it should be noted, only sent air support, funding and material to the north and its allies, as it did not want to risk a direct war with the USA.

    That should about cover this section I think.

    (Work in progress- I'll add more and more things until this dispatch actually is the size of Mercury- I just hope people either find the time to read it or become bothered to do so.)

    Read dispatch


    Solar System

    The Sizes are accurate:

    And these are the Accurate "Distances":

    Like

    Also, the Solar System doesn't end at Pluto, it looks like this:

    That's the solar system, and that yellow circle in the middle is Pluto's orbit

    KBOs = Stands for "Kuiper Belt Objects" - which are ice asteroids and 3 baby-planets (Pluto, Haumea and Makemake)

    The Solar System includes planets from the Sun to Pluto to Kuiper's Belt.

    The Oort Cloud is just an extension of the Solar System, but is small compared to the Milky Way Galaxy:

    ^At the edge, you see α-Centauri which stands for Alpha Centauri, which is a Star System outside of the Solar System but neighboring it:



    now there's this:

    This Solar System+Oort Cloud+all that^ is within this "Milky Way Galaxy.":

    Link

    So Milky Way is 1 galaxy and there are apparently 100-200+ billion galaxies in the universe (based on telescopes, but theorists claim there's 10x more).

    These are nearby galaxies closest to the Milky Way Galaxy, and this set of close-proximity-galaxies is called the "Local Group.":

    Link

    ^Basically "Local Group" = Milky Way Galaxy + 54 closest galaxies.

    Local Group is a Small part of "Virgo Supercluster":

    This "Virgo Supercluster", is 1/4th of the "Supercluster Laniakea".

    Put simply, the Laniakea Supercluster contains four subparts, which previously were considered separate superclusters:

    -Virgo Supercluster
    -Hydra-Centaurus Supercluster
    -Pavo-Indus Supercluster
    -Southern Supercluster

    And again: The "Milky Way+54galaxies" is the "Local Group," which is a Small part of "Virgo Supercluster", which is part of the "Supercluster Laniakea".
    ------

    Laniakea Supercluster is part of the following image. Disclaimer: In the following image, when you see the dot called "Virgo Supercluster", pretend it says "Laniakea Supercluster", because scientists have merged the Virgo Supercluster(smaller) into the Laniakea Supercluster(larger.) So this Virgo Supercluster is now part of the newly discovered Laniakea.
    Laniakea: "It contains the Local Group with our galaxy, the Milky Way. It also contains the Virgo Cluster near its center, and is sometimes called the Local Supercluster. It is thought to contain over 47,000 galaxies.
    In 2014, the newly announced Laniakea Supercluster subsumed the Virgo Supercluster, which became a component of the new supercluster.
    "

    ^These are the local superclusters closest to Virgo/Laniakea Supercluster (in the center for both images.)

    Meanwhile, there are 10 million superclusters in the Observable Universe, as shown in the following:

    The same 10 million superclusters: Visualization of the whole observable universe. The scale is such that the fine grains represent collections of large numbers of superclusters. The Virgo Supercluster – home of Milky Way – is marked at the center, but is too small to be seen:

    The same 10 million superclusters:

    The same 10 million superclusters:

    This is another picture of the Observable Universe: (the Solar System at the center, inner and outer planets, Kuiper belt, Oort cloud, Alpha Centauri, Perseus Arm, Milky Way galaxy, Andromeda galaxy, nearby galaxies, Cosmic Web, Cosmic microwave radiation and the Big Bang's invisible plasma on the edge):

    Link

    There’s probably stuff outside the “OBSERVABLE Universe” but we don’t know what it is. (Some people claim there are multiple Universes (Multiverse.) Others claim there are more stars; however, the circumference of the Observable Universe is the circumference of the Big Bang, so there technically shouldn't be more stars. Anti-BigBang theorists claim there's more stars and an infinite amount at that. )

    This is the shape of space:

    However, it's not 3D, it's 11D or 23D (or a LOT of dimensions.) (Source: LinkCosmic_background_radiation (is the electromagnetic radiation from the big bang) which is the actual shape of space. )

    Plus time is apparently bent out of shape. For example:
    Pagistar - Today at 6:02 AM
    The universe is 13.8 billion years old, so you would expect the observable universe to be 27.6 billion light years across. But, due to accelerating inflation, it is instead 93 billion light years across (and that's just the observable part).

    Congratulations, you've reached the end of this guide to space (and you've reached literally the end of space.)

    To review:

    here's the summary:
    Link

    And here's that same picture from before because it looks better:
    Link

    -----
    Upvote plz
    (P.S. various pictures from this guide are clickable to zoom in! If you wanna look at a pic in depth, right-click on the image, click "Copy Image Address", then paste it onto your URL.)


    (Extra thanks to Kyrusia for his help. I wrote this dispatch.)

    Read dispatch


    Forum Version | Dispatch Version

    Hello! Inspired by NSToday’s Power20, which ranks influential GPers, I have decided to create a list of the top issues players in the game right now. Issue answering in order to gain World Census rankings is one of the most drawn out aspects of gameplay, with the highest rankings taking literally years of daily activity to achieve. However, other than fancy badges on their nation pages, the best issues players get little public recognition for their skill and dedication, which this article seeks to at least partially remedy.

    Unlike the Power20, which uses a panel of respected gameplayers to decide on the rankings, this list is entirely made by me with zero oversight at all. The rankings are based mostly on the World Census rankings people have, but also the rate of improvement or dominance nations have in their chosen rankings. Without further ado, here is the list.


    10 - Despoticania
    Despoticania is a highly technologically advanced economic powerhouse. They have two World #1 rankings, Scientific Advancement and Average Income of Poor, along with a further 7 World top 10 rankings, all of which are economic. They are one of only a few nations in the elite $1,000,000+ average income club, and even their poorest 10% earn more money than the average citizen in all but the wealthiest 14 nations in the World. Their level of scientific advancement is literally beyond compare, and it is presumably used to fuel their powerhouse Information Technology industry (3rd in the World), and… Basket Weaving industry (2nd in the World).

    9 - Bedetopia
    Bedetopia is the exact type of nation you would expect it to be, given that it is run by ‘a synthetic life form made up of nanomachines’. Bedetopia has turned the healthcare ranking into a one-sided walkover, with a score that is currently 17,000 ahead of the second-place nation (for reference, a score of 17,000 gets you in the World top 0.2%). This dominance, combined with a recent acquisition of the top spot for largest military in the World, puts Bedetopia firmly in the issue answering elite.

    8 - Pencil Sharpeners 2
    *Insert that meme of Obama giving a medal to himself*
    Yes, I’ve put myself on the list. How corrupt! But it’s my list and I can do what I like with it. Here’s some justification. Across my army of puppets, I now hold seven World #1 rankings, from Nudity to Timber Woodchipping, to Ideological Radicality. I have no idea how other players manage their issues, but my colossal spreadsheet allows me to quickly zip through 40 issues per day with few slip-ups in my quest for census dominance. Currently, however, none of my nations have more than two World #1s individually, so I couldn’t justify a position higher than this for me.

    7 - The Dark System
    The Dark System has turned inequality into an art, with their Average Income of Wealthy being so high it actually breaks the graph (the graph tops out at $9.99 million, but a quick peak at the hidden ‘compare’ page shows that the true value is currently over $11 million. The Dark System is also the World #1 for Retail industry, and is second in the World for both Average Income and Economy. What makes these achievements particularly impressive is that The Dark System is relatively ‘young’, and is continuing to quickly climb the rankings. It wouldn’t surprise me if they gained a few more #1 badges over the next couple of years.

    6 - Blogotopia
    The first individual nation on this list to have more than two World #1s, Blogotopia sits at the top of the tree for Welfare, Public Education, and Youth Rebelliousness. What is even more impressive is that Blogotopia enjoys an enormous advantage in two of their rankings. In Public Education, they are 20,000 clear of second place (a score of 20,000 would rank you in the top 1%), and in Welfare they are 19,000 clear of second place (a score of 19,000 would rank you in the top 0.1%). On top of this, Blogotopia is also in the top 100 for a further 17 rankings, including Crime, Pacifism, Black Market, and Integrity, which is an impressive combination by itself.

    5 - Bright Angel
    Bright Angel is the NationStates economic powerhouse. Number 1 for Average Income, Economic Output, Manufacturing Sector, and Black Market; it is not hard to see the priorities of this nation. Throw in a further eight World top 10 rankings, and its undeniable that Bright Angel is an issue-answering all-star. Their wealth is so great that despite ranking pretty much middle of the pack for income equality, they have the third highest Average Income of Poor in the World. If there was a pan-NationStates stock market, Bright Angel could probably crash it just by sneezing.

    4 - Tzo
    You would be forgiven for thinking that Tzo is fighting a losing battle against issue-answering colossus Kindjal, given that there are seven rankings where Tzo is runner up to their slightly older rival. However, Tzo has managed to carve themselves a niche of their own, being World #1 for Intelligence, Culture, and Inclusiveness. They have a total of seventeen rankings in the World top 10 - the most of any nation on this list - showing an ability to excel across a broad range of measurements and cement their place as one of the top issue-answerers in the game.

    3 - Cashdeer
    Despite having been around since 2006, Cashdeer is a relatively new name at the top of the World Census. In the past few years they have developed a dominating lead in the Rudeness ranking, and also taken the top spot for Crime, Weaponisation, and Death Rate. Having left experienced players trailing in their wake in all four of these rankings, you would be wise not to bet against them expanding this collection in the future. Also, looking at the regional happenings for their region, Pontbridge Islands, suggests that the same player also controls 4 other nations, including Gynostan, the World #1 for Foreign aid.

    2 - Northern borland
    If you’ve clicked on this article, you probably don’t need me to tell you anything about the achievements of the Borland nations. Most likely controlled by the same player (I haven’t checked because I don’t put effort into my work), the three Borland nations have nine World #1 rankings between them, with five of them belonging to the business-oriented Northern Borland. Even if they stopped answering issues now (something which is unlikely to happen after 16 years of consistency), it would take years before they were toppled in some of these rankings. Northern Borland is the only nation to have Average Disposable Income above $1,000,000, while Deep South Borland’s 176,000+ ‘Prayers per Hour’ is enough to overwhelm any deity’s admin team.

    1 - Kindjal
    Are you surprised by this? No, of course you’re not surprised by this. Kindjal is the only nation in NationStates history to be Commended solely for issue-answering, and it’s hard to argue that anybody deserves it more. With just a single nation, Kindjal’s ten World #1s trump anybody’s puppet army, and this dominance has been consistent in the six years I’ve been playing the game, and probably longer. In such a competitive environment, Kindjal makes unrivalled dominance seem far easier than it is, and for that reason is deserving of not just the SC Commendation, but also the position as the top issues player in the game.


    Footnotes:
    - I have used the $ symbol for currency, even though most nations don’t use dollars. This is pretty much just for aesthetic reasons.
    - I haven’t included any non-issues rankings, such as Influence, International Artwork etc., as they are not relevant here.
    - There are, of course, many great issues players who didn’t make it into the top 10. That’s just the way it is unfortunately. If people like this article, I may make more or expand it in the future.

    Thank you for reading!

    Read dispatch


    Ever wondered why you get some issues but never get the others? Or why some are rare and others are common? Below I'll attempt to provide an overview of the different issue types and the methods to unlocking them. Basically there are 5 types.

    1. The normal ones

    These make up most of the issues you get. They are randomly selected and placed in your inbox. There are no preconditions to satisfy to get them. From my estimate, 9 out of 10 issues on NS are of this type.

    Examples:


    2. The issues that get unlocked by population size

    The second type of issues are those that are unlocked by your population size. The process is automatic, you will get these issues when you reach a certain population milestone.

    Examples:

    If you choose to dismiss these issues when you first got them, or picked the wrong option that you regret later (for example, if you selected not to build a Capital City when given the choice). You will still be able to get these issues. Once they get unlocked, they act just like normal issues. They will be randomly selected and placed in your inbox until you've filled up your Capital City, Leader, and National Religion fields.


    3. Issues that get unlocked by an issue option

    The third group is determined by your actions. You won't get them automatically. They are triggered if you picked a certain issue option beforehand. It's best to illustrate with an example.

    #034: Don't Puff On Me, Say Non-Smokers
    The Issue
    There is a growing call within @@NAME@@ to abolish smoking in public areas.

    The Debate
    1. "I'm in full support of this motion," says man on the street Konrad Wu. "I'm sick of being stuck behind smokers, sucking in their pollution! They can light up in the privacy of their own homes, if they want."
    Result: smoking is banned in public areas.

    2. "What's so special about their homes?" says anti-smoking campaigner Tim Mombota. "The government has a responsibility to stop people from hurting themselves -- it's the same reason we should make them wear seat belts in cars. Sooner or later, they end up in one of @@NAME@@'s hospitals, sucking on taxpayer-funded healthcare. Not that that's why we should ban smoking. We should ban it because we care."
    Result: an underground movement of cigarette smokers has sprung up in response to a government ban.

    3. "Get your hands off my fag!" wheezes long-time smoker Pete Nguyen. "I've been smoking for fifty years and it's never done me any harm. Helps me concentrate, it does! The government should back off on trying to tell me what I can put into my own body. Telling a smoker he can't light up in a restaurant is discrimination, pure and simple. If you want to put a stop to unfairness, stop that."
    Result: eight year-olds can be seen lighting up in public areas.

    If you picked Option 2 to ban smoking completely, you will unlock issue #139 below.

    #139: Drug Debate Hits The Streets
    The Issue
    Tens of thousands of citizens have taken to the streets demanding the right to smoke whatever they want, wherever they want.

    The Debate
    1. "Ever since smoking was banned, I've been a gibbering wreck," laments Kathleen Brown, handing you a cup of strange-smelling tea. "You just don't understand - I need to smoke! And sometimes I need to roll a little bit more than tobacco....(etc, you get the idea, this option to unban smoking, is a direct consequence of the ban you picked from option 2 in Issue #034)

    For most cases, the unlocked issue will be randomly delivered. Since there are over 360 issues as of this writing, a random chance is approximately 0.27 percent. (there is only one exception to this rule, which is issue 361. In this case, you will get the follow-up Issue 362 the next day)

    Examples:


    4. The issues that get unlocked by statistic

    The fourth type of issues are those that get unlocked only if you have reached some pre-determined statistic. They are, in a way, similar to the issues that get unlocked by population (Capital, National Leader, and Religion). The only difference is it is not automatic. You will have to swing your nation one way or another to get to them.

    The general idea is that the options you picked in daily issues will affect your nation in different ways. Some will increase your Economy, some will increase your taxes, etc. The changes can be seen from the 'Government' indicator pie chart (which shows spending allocation), the various trend graphs, and the nation analysis link (page=compare). These stats can help unlock hidden issues.

    Examples:


    5. The easter eggs and special issues

    The last type of issues are the easter eggs and other special issues. Doing the easter egg ones will get you a special "badge" on your nation's main page. There's a total of 7 easter egg issues out there. The methods to get them are different in each case. They are combination of types 1 to 4.

    For a FAQ on how to get them, see discussion here: viewtopic.php?f=13&t=193229

    Besides Easter eggs, I've also mentioned "special issues", these are very rare issues like #132:World Assembly Woes , which you will only get if you are a WA nation, and commemorative issues like #077: World To End, Or Possibly Just Mark Anniversary (This was a One Year Anniversary issue sent out in 2003. It has now become an Easter Egg issue)

    That's all folks!



    Notes:
    1) I'll be grateful if you can up-vote this dispatch if you think it's informative. ^_^♥
    2) I'm doing research on all the issue option results and I'm nearly done. If you would like to help, please take a look at the list of issues I still need results on.
    3) If you have a specific question about an issue, please post it in the issues subforum or just TG me. I'll try to help if I'm around.
    Read dispatch


    With the cursor positioned inside the text editor:
    • Bold ctrl+B

    • Italic ctrl+I

    • Underline ctrl+U

    • [nation] @ or ctrl+N or ctrl+M

    • [region] @ or ctrl+R

    • Preview ctrl+P or ctrl+E

    • Post ctrl+Enter

    Did You Know?

    • If the cursor is positioned mid-word when you activate a tag, it will wrap the entire word.

    • You can toggle what you just did by repeating an action. E.g. ctrl+B twice will add then remove bold tags.

    Note: Not all browsers support all actions. For example, ctrl+N won't work on Chrome and ctrl+P won't work on Edge.

    Read dispatch



    Noahs Second Country Dispatch Office

    Special Edition: The Auction That Lasted Forever

    April 10, 2020

    Bringing you your NSC developments since 2/22/2222




    The art in question



    Preconditions
    Oftentimes when valuable art goes for sale, auctions may last for many hours, such as the recent auctions on Old Tyrannia, where Noahs Second Country profited greatly from smart bidding, and the five hour auction ultimately led to a purchase costing 301.11 for 448 deck value. What a deal! However, this auction was different. Art from Valentine Z, prior to this auction, had not garnered any interest since the 27th of February, which resulted in a sale of only 2.5. Valentine Z is a popular and well liked member of the NS Cards discord, a public forum designed for discussion in regards to art acquisition, and to encourage art deals between nations looking for particular styles and types of art. As a result of this positive reputation, both among art traders and in other communities, the art in question already had respectable value, with purchases as high as 9.99. Another important thing to note is that art auctions, when bid upon, increase in time for one minute, and this number cannot be manually lowered, mandated by international law. This is intended to prevent last second 'snipes' on art, where both the buyer and seller may be caught off guard by a low ask or higher bid. With this in mind, in the past some traders have intentionally extended auctions for their own convenience, by increasing their bid by a penny over and over again, adding minutes to the total auction time.


    Early events
    Sometime around 3:53PM CST on the 28th day of March 2020, Destructive Government Economic System matched a bid with Frisbeeteria for 9.99, starting the auction for 1 hour. DGES then began to painfully increase the auction timer, minute by minute, penny by penny, by outbidding themselves over and over again. At some point, approximately a day into the auction, nations began to mention and notice the long auction extension on the Cards Discord. It is also notable that many nations began to ask for lower prices in early attempts to acquire the increasingly large sum that DGES was offering, including Love and Nature and Valentine Z. Little did they know how long the auction would actually last... At this time, other nations joined the effort to extend the auction. While DGES was the primary extender of the auction, smaller contributions were made from 9003, Inven, Pangurstan, and Noahs Second Country, who added 222 minutes twice in two separate segments. At this point, the 72 hours point was achieved in the auction, already a record. With distractions created by Sec-Gen elections, the auction time and participation briefly stagnated, with the time only being replenished by the efforts of DGES.


    The maximum possible auction timer

    100 hours
    While 72 hours was a record-setting milestone in itself, members of the discord wanted to see what would happen if the auction reached 100 hours, since the auction timer only supported double digit hour amounts. With this goal in mind, 100 hours was achieved quickly through bids from Racoda, Evrigenis, 9003, Pangurstan, Giovanniland, Recuecn, Noahs Second Country, Inven, and of course, Destructive Government Economic System. Due to large numbers of matches, multiple nations could extend the auction at once, speeding up the process. The result? The timer simply rolled over, as demonstrated by the below graphic, where the time simply ticks down back to 99:59:59.



    An image depicting the auction bids and asks towards the end

    Further Extension
    At this point, the milestone was achieved, and users began to let the auction tick down. Perhaps the most notable event was Ballotonia announcing a change in international law... auction timers could not be extended past 1 hour, 1 minute. This was directly a result of the auction, as many nations had trouble changing bids since the recent happenings was so long (more than 10000 events at times). This led to the realization that this auction would be the last one to ever have a timer over 1 hour 1 minute, reinvigorating various members of the art community to have the auction last as long as possible. After the timer ticked down below 1 hour, initial bids from Racoda were competitive, designed to cheaply purchase the three art pieces with asks of .01. However, upon the realization that the auction was not going to end anytime soon, this was the last involvement of Racoda in the auction. Three nations were primarily responsible for extension at this phase, Alia Atreides, Recuecn, and Evrigenis. Other bidders also contributed in smaller amounts or as a result of trying to 'win' the auction. Bidders included Darmen, Rain Delay, ROM, SecoNd beSt card colleCtor / Noahs Second Country, Giovanniland, Evrigenis, Blackthorn shade, Love and Nature, Wocu Holdings, Ashaie, Qwerty-112230, Pollaetorian (seemingly a nation with ties to Warzone Codger), Marxist germany, and others. Nations scrambled to match the three lowest asks from Mushet, Axixic, and Valentine Z, while other simply kept bidding up in order to extend the auction. The auction was a lot more volatile, since nations kept having to extend within an hour of previous extension, a tedious and time consuming task, especially considering it had to happen 24 hours a day. At the bottom of the asks, nations struggled to match the bid of Destructive Government Economic System, including Catilia, Erickt, Gondet, Refuge Isle, Valentine Z, Wocu Holdings, and others. Meanwhile, nations such as Ter Voland (and many more) just tried to cash out for around the predicted market value.


    The recent happenings page following the auction's end

    The trades graph of the artwork

    End of Auction and Aftermath
    The auction suddenly ended at 2:20AM PST on April 10th, 18,027 minutes after the auction was started. The notable final buyers and sellers were Wocu Holdings, who received the most money; Noahs Second Country, who acquired 5 total copies, including the 3 cheap copies; and Valentine Z, who sold 5 copies of their own artwork. The new market value of the art has increased to 21, four times the initial value. One notable event is that Wocu Holdings immediately sold another copy to Noahs Second Country for 22.22, and Port Starboard sold their copy to Marxist germany to 22.21, increasing the market value slightly. These were unintentional buys as the bids remained following the auction, since it resolved while many nations were sleeping. It seems that many buyers, including Recuecn, Rain Delay, Blackthorn shade, and Evrigenis have no intention of ever selling the artwork again, and the art will likely remain a staple in their respective displays. Noahs Second Country gifted two copies of the artwork back to Valentine Z, one to Giovanniland and put 2 copies up for sale at 22.22, while keeping one copy permanently.

    A few records were broken in this auction, primarily pertaining to time. Unfortunately, we do not have exact numbers, but here are the unofficial records observed by this reporting service:

    Longest Auction: 18,027 minutes (12.5 days!)
    This was the primary record, and will likely stand forever, unless international policy is changed to allow further extension of auction timers. Based on the previous statements of Ballotonia, this is unlikely. Perhaps the primary nation that should receive credit is Destructive Government Economic System, additionally, many other nations made significant and intentional contributions; including, but not limited to: Noahs Second Country, Evrigenis, 9003, Racoda, Recuecn, Giovanniland, Pangurstan, Alia Atreides and Inven.

    Longest unchanged, matched bid: At least 150 hours
    This record goes to a bid of 22.22 placed shortly before the 100 hour milestone from Noahs Second Country. DGES changed their bid shortly after before leaving it at 141.77, however, they did have the longest involvement in an auction as the initiator of it.

    Most bids on one auction
    This obviously goes to Destructive Government Economic System, as they likely contributed to more than half of the auction time.

    Most matches on a non-transfer artwork
    With 21 simultaneous matches, all of them being competitive bids, this is probably the most serious matches we will see on a artwork for a while.

    Highest auction timer
    While the total time remaining was as high as 101 hours, the highest timer value shown was 99:59:59 due to limitations in the user interface.



    Conclusions
    This event was a great example of the international art community working together to achieve something cool, and many members of the community expressed their happiness with the event. Even those not directly involved took interest in the auction, such as Ransium, The Salaxalans, and others. Ultimately, this auction will likely be a highly cited event in the international art community, hence the reason why this report was written, so that the event could be archived permanently for future generations to learn about.



    Thank you for reading, and if you enjoyed this, please upvote it! Let me know if I made any mistakes, since I barely proofread this (lol).

    - Noahs Second Country

    Read dispatch


    Update. Follow-up dispatch below.

    Left-wing bias
    NationStates, along with most media right now is suffering from overwhelming left-wing bias. Libertarian views are called far-right because the left is so ridiculously off the scale. The World Assembly votes down every General Assembly proposal made by a non-left member. We all know this is true. Just look at the passed resolutions. The Assembly is looking to, by force, turn dissidents into their own by passing badly designed, lackluster proposals full of loopholes. The best example of this is Imperium Anglorum’s resolution #454, consisting of a single sentence. (page=WA_past_resolution/id=454/council=1)
    Why was it even passed in the first place? Voting blocks, about which I will speak in another point. Another good example of this is Antifa, an IRL terrorist organization that focuses on striking people they deem as fascists, that is, people who disagree with them. What is funny is that some people consider them to be a positive force. Antifa is a far left anarcho-communist violent terror group, and their NS counterpart is not any better.

    Elitism
    The old-timers in the game have zero respect for newcomers and treat them as inferior. I have experienced this firsthand. Those individuals are founders, or are part of the government of major regions or region clusters. They know everyone and everyone knows them. This ties into the next point.

    Voting blocks in the WA
    Have you noticed that within the few first hours of a vote, the vote is often majorly tilted to one side? This is not because of the content of the proposal. People simply don't care about that. When voting, they follow the WA delegate of the region they reside in rather than judging the resolution on their own. Regions, on the other hand, form voting blocks. Voting blocks are coalitions of people that negotiate to vote for each other’s proposals to earn badges and commendations. Sometimes major voting blocks have different voting policies and they vote against each other. When that happens the votes look tied or only slightly tilted to one side. Of course, the vote later tends to go toward the middle because of independent voters. Resolutions are not written to improve anything. They are meant to be lazily manufactured en masse to farm badges or further push the WA to the left.

    Abysmal forums (flamebaiting)
    This is simple really. Newcomers to the forums that engage in conversations get baited by the troll to enter a discussion, their opponent refuses to acknowledge anything they say, the newbie gets angry and makes a mistake, then the troll files a moderator report. We know how this ends. There are other things too, but I would rather not talk about the forums anymore since they’re a cesspool.

    People and their hunger for power
    This is how coalitions and mergers happen. One power-hungry individual contacts another suggesting a merger, people move in, people burn out, region collapses, rinse and repeat. Most merger regions are incompatible that is why they often collapse. There are exceptions to this. Merger regions are a machine that converts members into energy, once they run out, they’re dead, so they have to keep moving and preying.

    Vote farming
    Most probably the biggest problem of the current implementation of the WA in Nationstates.
    Newbies often join the bigger regions which results in them getting pulled in to the illusion of “a perfect region” which is just that - an illusion. The only thing they are good for is their vote in the Assembly. Those kinds of regions often have mandatory WA membership.

    Feeder regions
    page=dispatch/id=1558464
    The follow-up: page=dispatch/id=1197835
    Read dispatch


    EDIT: Another reply, this time crazy communist edition.
    This is the follow-up to my previous Bulletin concerning the Problems of NationStates.
    Let me start by saying that I did not expect much response, let alone making it on the #2 spot on the Dispatches page. I've decided to expand on it.

    Solving the problems
    Let's get this out right away - this won't be easy. Here are some things you could do yourself to fight against the bad and for the good.
    1. Spread the word
    Many of you are doing this, pinning the dispatch on the Reginal Page, posting it on the RMB, sending it to others. This all helps. Awareness will provoke a reaction.
    2. Keep your mind open, question everything, be aware
    Actively seek out information on the topic. Most problems on the list could have been avoided at the very start if everyone knew how the elite operates. Question this dispatch. I could be wrong about something here and I probably am. Send me telegrams, discuss this with others. Being mistaken is not wrong - refusing to change your mind when the evidence against a thesis is presented, on the other hand, is.
    3. Keep Calm
    Insulting people is counterproductive. So is panic. If someone intentionally baits you to be angry, go on a walk and cool your head. Anger is a sign of weakness and lack of power.
    You are in power.
    4. Boycott the NS forums and make your own alternatives
    Don't trust the mods and their judgment? They have no power over means of contact outside NS. Use discord, make your own forums, sites and so on (just look how nice this forum page of Enadia is (there was a link here but its dead)). You could even use blogs and their comment system for this purpose. Absolutely everyone can do it. There are many templates just waiting to be used.
    5. Be content with what you have
    This is mainly aimed at founders and WA delegates of regions. Don't bite off more than you can chew. Mergers are mostly destructive. Many people feel alienated and uncomfortable after them. ALWAYS ask your region-mates what they think about alliances/mergers, joining organizations and so on. Measure your approval. No one wants a tyrant for their delegate.
    6. Investigate before associating
    If something looks too good to be true, it probably is. Before moving somewhere (or trying to be buddy-buddy with a region), talk to the people there. Read their dispatches. Look at the attitude of the founder. If he's arrogant and exuding an aura of "I'm better than you" (not to be mistaken for charisma) then he most definitely is a bad person. I won't be pointing at people here but if you look for an "alliance" of several regions named after a person, named after a certain month of the year, you will most probably find a landmine. Look at their WA proposals. Are they mostly commendations? Red flag. Are they a raider region? Why are they raiding then? To silence people that have different opinions/raiding people by association with someone they don't like? Antifa? Massive red flag. Raiding for the thrill/trophy regions? If you're into that, go for it.
    More points to be added.

    Replying to replies
    "As a response to your dispatch, I'd like to offer my perspective as a trans woman, leftist, WA Delegate, and arguably a member of the hegemony.
    NationStates is not leftist. Believe me, if it were, I'd be a lot happier. We leftists are concentrated because leftism is a popular ideology.

    That being said, as a trans woman, NationStates is a place where I do feel safe and loved. That means the world to me while I live in a place that is actively hostile. I'm proud to be on a site like that. If by left-leaning, you mean that NS supports people like me, then yeah, it is. And that's cool because NS was where I came out for the first time." - Anonymous

    Let me start by saying that you have an extraordinary view on things. Being gender dysphoric is like painting a target on your back for people who are afraid of you/just plain d*cks. I on the other hand, am an completely average user of NS. I don't get insulted for those things. This is why our mileage varies. And yes, left-bias exists. You didn't experience it because you are currently in a group of people who are nice to you and like-minded. And that's completely fine, the objective of games is to be happy playing them. People on the right face discrimination too. I have been called a fascist quite a few times.
    Meanwhile, I have to put up with this: https://pasteboard.co/HzdB4wI.png
    and this https://pasteboard.co/HzdBkuf.png
    and that https://pasteboard.co/HzdBAUN.png
    and many more things. This is just anti-white racism on twitter. It exists. And it's spreading. The bias cannot be denied.
    Leftism is not very popular. It's just very vocal and influential. Proof? LinkTrump got elected to president.




    I forgot to mention, but if Antifa is not far left and not communist and actually fighting extremism (censorship is always wrong by the way), why did they not raid any communist regions? Communism killed WAY more people than fascism. Shouldn't communism be equally as bad as fascism and nazism (national-SOCIALISM) Linkif not even more so? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_Book_of_Communism
    Read dispatch


    This Factbook is an update to the VERY POPULAR Factbook "A Guide on How to Put Pictures In The Factbooks, suggested by Rosewood-, who was nice enough to remind me that tinypic is being shut down so I am doing an update which will be linked into the previous Factbook to give the modern methodology.

    This Guide will be using IMGUR.

    Step 1-Finding your picture
    This is the easiest part. Before you put that wonderful picture in your Factbook, you have to find your picture. Lets say for instance, that the picture you want is a Christmas Tree.
    First, go on your search engine and type in Christmas Tree.
    Find the picture you like.
    Put the mouse over it, right click, and select Save Image As.
    Then save it on your computer. MAKE SURE YOU GIVE IT A NAME SO YOU CAN FIND IT.

    Step 2-Finding a place to upload your picture
    This can be a challenge. In the previous Guide, link here:
    page=dispatch/id=205413

    I used Tinypic, which is shutting down. In this model, we will use IMGUR, with the following link:
    Link New Image Uploading Site

    Step 3-Uploading Your Picture
    Once you are on IMGUR, look for a green rectangle on the upper left, titled "New Post". Once that opens, open up your Nationstates account and open up the factbook you want to place your photo in.
    Click back on to IMGUR and click "Choose Photo Or Video".
    Select your photo. Once it uploads, mouse over to it and you will see a link on the upper right of the picture box which says "Copy Link". The link will copy into your dashboard.
    From there, we get to Step 4.

    Step 4-Placing Into the Factbook
    You can either use [IMG], which is good for Factbooks, while [url] is good for RPs.
    Picture by IMG:

    url:
    LinkChristmas Tree

    That should do it! Happy uploading!

    Read factbook


    There has been much written about Easter Egg issues but one aspect rarely mentioned is how a Daily Issue is selected to become an Easter Egg issue. Recently, I asked this question on the NS Daily Issue forum and got the following responses:

    "Honestly it's more of a gut feeling. If, after editing it, we feel it's uniquely special in some way, we'll egg it."

    "Most Easter Egg issues are ones which in some way break the game's basic design philosophy, such as by including elements considered non-canon in the general NSverse (#80: aliens, #223: zombies, #266: spaceships, #375: leprechauns, #430: real-life people and acknowledgment that this nation is part of a game, #471: Santa), or whose main point of interest is some meta factor other than the issue's actual narrative (#77 was originally to celebrate the game's anniversary, #1122 is clearly far more notable for its writing style than as a case study of the problems associated with drug use). However, there are exceptions. #215 is the Easter Egg that comes closest to potentially having made a viable normal issue - it's technically a valid political question, even if it's a very, very, very minor one."

    The Easter Eggs issues are meant to be only available once in a nation's lifetime. However, Issue #622 Holiday Masquerade was for quite some time capable of being triggered multiple times. This software glitch has now been fixed, but many nations will probably have a greater count of eggs than they should have. There is at present no way of ascertaining which eggs a nation has, other than a player keeping a record of them, nor if any are duplicates for Issue #622.

    As hinted at above, many of the Easter Egg issues are not related to your usual NationStates affairs such as statistics, population, or policies, but are jocularly pointed at the custom fields of your nation's Settings. Thus, many Easter Egg issues can be triggered by appropriate words in your currency, motto, or animal fields, etc.

    There is a total of 14 Easter Egg Issues as follows:

    Issue #077 World To End, Or Possibly Just Mark Anniversary

    Issue #078 Should We Pull The Lever?

    Issue #080 Aliens Wish Peace/Trade Agreement

    Issue #215 What's Your Favourite Colour?

    Issue #223 Zombie Attack!

    Issue #256 Suburbs Are Out Of This World

    Issue #266 Breaching the Great Fourth Wall of @@Name@@

    Issue #375 Keep Your Hands Off Those Lucky Charms

    Issue #408 Pony Peril

    Issue #430 Please, Sir, We Want Some More Issues

    Issue #471 Red Sleigh Down

    Issue #622 A Holiday Masquerade

    Issue #1122 Just Say No To E

    Issue #1549 20 Years A Workin'

    There is a good thread on Easter Eggs here at viewtopic.php?p=37445366#p37445366
    All issues can be viewed at: viewtopic.php?f=13&t=88&sid=fb21ee1ada18959d4beb2c1cbaacf0e7


    #077: World To End, Or Possibly Just Mark Anniversary {One Year Anniversary issue, now an Easter Egg bonus}
    viewtopic.php?f=13&t=88#077

    The Issue
    Along with the rest of the world, the citizens of @@Name@@ have been stunned by the revelation of a small team of geophysical philosophers that the world turns exactly one year old today, as measured by what they call "RL units". (Congratulations on finding so many easter eggs. As a reward, here is the special issue our players got when NationStates turned one year old.)

    The Debate
    1. "Frankly, I saw this coming -- all the signs of the Apocalypse are here," says local community leader @@RANDOMNAME@@. "Moral standards are falling, the government is making increasingly erratic decisions, and people are neglecting their work to play bizarre political simulation games on the internet. There's only one sensible reaction: declaring a state of emergency, sending out the military, and shooting curfew breakers until the crisis is over."

    2. "With respect, I don't think falling moral standards are the problem," says cubicle dweller and Slashdot karma god @@RANDOMNAME@@. "The issue is what's going to happen to our computers if the world clock ticks over from 0 to 1. This Y1 problem, as I call it, could be devastating for our IT industry unless it's tackled swiftly. And by tackled swiftly, I mean given a massive injection of public money."

    3. "Why panic when you should be partying?" says @@RANDOMNAME@@, not completely soberly. "It's the first birthday of the world, man -- let people go nuts! If the government has a shred of decency, they'll order the cops to back off and let people really enjoy this incredible moment in history."

    4. "This is neither a time for clamping down, nor, as they say, going off," says religious leader @@RANDOMNAME@@. "Rather, we should encourage people to reflect on the great mysteries of life. For example, what is God, to each of us? What is the true meaning of faith? And is the world around us reality, or are we instead living inside a simulated reality that exists only for the amusement of beings we cannot even imagine?"

    5. "Well, I know what I'll be doing," says obscure author and Perl amateur Max Barry. "Sitting at home with a good book! Jennifer Government, for instance, is a cracking read. And I hear that some of the profits go into maintaining a cool web game. But of course, that's just my opinion. People should celebrate however they want."

    The Issue preamble strongly suggests that you will get this issue when you have already acquired a certain number of Easter Eggs... believed to be 3 in number and results in the award of the banner showing four coloured Easter Eggs. This issue was originally received when your nation had achieved its 1st Anniversary in NS, including the time spent in Vacation Mode

    1. Tens of thousands of revelers have been arrested for trying to celebrate the recent world anniversary.
    2. Over-inflated fears of a "Y1" bug have turned humble IT workers into millionaires.
    3. The nation is cleaning up after a national night of celebration left most people with headaches and dim memories.
    4. Residents firmly believe there is no spoon.
    5. Citizens are bleary-eyed after staying up all night with a good book.


    #078: Easter Egg: Should We Pull The Lever? [Meddlers; ed:SalusaSecondus]
    viewtopic.php?f=13&t=88#078

    The Issue
    During the middle of the night, someone has mysteriously put a lever in the middle of the city park. On it, it says, "Pull the Lever, And See The World End."

    The Debate.
    1. "I've always wanted to see the apocalypse." says an elderly man on a park bench. "All that fire and brimstone. To see God's wrath. Something I can tell my grandchildren about later on. I say we should."

    2. "Not on your life!" says his wife sitting next to him. "If you pull that lever, we'll have no grandchildren, no life, only heaven and hell. Don't you dare pull that lever."

    3. "Now, don't think of it as a do/don't option," says a hot dog vendor. "What if we give tours so that people can see the lever? Not to touch it of course, but to see that humanity can be ruined by such a contraption. We can make a profit."

    Put "Holy" in Nation's Pre-title


    1. Thousands of cute furry kittens are trampling everything in their path.
    2. A doomsday device lays untouched in a public park.
    3. There is now a private sector based on doomsday devices.


    #080: Easter Egg: Aliens Wish Peace/Trade Agreement [Exiled; ed:SalusaSecondus]
    viewtopic.php?f=13&t=88#080

    The Issue
    Aliens have landed in the fields of @@Name@@ and they wish to trade and have peace.

    The Debate.
    1. "Take us to your kneader!" says @@RANDOMNAME_REVERSED@@, alien lawyer. "We have heard wonders of @Name@@'s pizza, and must have it. We are certain that a valuable trade route can be set up between our peoples. You could have our first born, for example." Your Secretary of Trade is shocked, "First Born?! That's slavery!" but quickly calms down upon discovery that their young are considered a great delicacy there. "You know, maybe we should open up trade with them?"

    2. The Coalition of No ETs wants you to stay out of this. @@RANDOMNAME@@ says "Them darn aliens thingies are going to take advantage of the situation an kill us all! You must ban all trade with them. If they want my cattle, it will be over my dead body!"

    You have to have the "Cow" as your national animal or have "Moo" as your national motto. In addition, you are awarded the banner "The Future is Near". Please note the reference to cattle in the 2nd Option - see below

    1. Pizzerias often get delivery orders for Saturn and alien first born are considered a delicacy
    2. Alien kidnapping of both cattle and humans are headline news on most respected newspapers


    #215: Easter Egg: What's Your Favourite Colour? [Antioch and the East; ed:Sirocco]
    viewtopic.php?f=13&t=88#215

    The Issue
    During a national press conference, a little girl with ribbons in her hair asks you what your favourite colour is. Your panicked advisors have frantically called an emergency conference to come up with possible answers.

    The Debate.
    1. "Tell her it's red," says @@RANDOMNAME@@, sharing out the meeting's doughnut tray. "It'll show them that our nation has nowt to do with money grabbing capitalists."

    2. "Tell her it's blue," says @@RANDOMNAME@@, who inexplicably appears to be sitting in a tin bath and playing with a rubber duck. "Blue like the open ocean - it will show our devotion to all things marine. Quack."

    3. "Tell her it's yellow," says @@RANDOMNAME@@, embracing you warmly and giving you a soppy kiss. "It is such a shining, bright, happy colour. It will fill your citizens with such joy to hear it is your favourite."

    4. "Tell her it's green," advises @@RANDOMNAME@@, while caressing what appears to be a cabbage. "It'll draw attention to your benevolent environmental policy!"

    5. "Tell her it's orange," advises @@RANDOMNAME@@, running a lap around the conference room. "Such a vibrant colour I've always felt! I'm sure if officially approved it will put some vim and vigour in the people!"

    6. "Tell her it's purple," advises Roger Jefferson, relishing his own gourmet doughnut sprinkled with shredded truffles. "It speaks of the finer things in life, of luxury, and shows you as a man of distinction. Not like the riff-raff you see around these days..."

    7. "Tell her it's pink," advises @@RANDOMNAME@@, your premier expert on all things gay. "It will send a message that we here in @Name@@ are not prejudiced against homosexuals and accept them with open arms."

    8. "Tell her it's gold," advises @@RANDOMNAME@@, hands rubbing together in avaricious delight. "Give the people a hint that you'll be focusing on the economy!"

    9. "Tell her it's black," says @@RANDOMNAME@@, ripping up pictures of kittens and scowling. "Black like the eternal emptiness of our withered, stilted, and twisted souls."

    10. "Tell her it's white," advises @@RANDOMNAME@@, reclining in the lotus position. "It is a pure, peaceful colour, befitting the moral stance your government should embrace!"

    11. "Tell her it's grey," advises @@RANDOMNAME@@, who is decidedly nondescript. "It's nice and neutral, won't upset anyone. Speaks of proper military bearing and protocol. People will like that."

    12. "Tell her you don't have a favourite colour," says @@RANDOMNAME@@, the president of Open Our Perimeters Straightaway, on walking in. "@Name@@ is a modern country that does not discriminate between colours. We should allow everyone whether they be Bigtopian, Lilliputian, or Maxtopian into our bountiful nation."

    Put any of the colours: Red, Blue, Yellow, Green, Orange, Purple, Pink, Gold, Black, White, or Grey in your Nation's Pre-title

    1-11. The nation's favourite colour is the color of Option chosen i.e. 1=red, 2=blue, 3=yellow, 4=green, 5=orange, 6=purple, 7=pink, 8=gold, 9=black. 10=white, or 11=gray.
    12. The nation loves all colours indiscriminately


    #223: Easter Egg: Zombie Attack! [Naliitr; ed:Sirocco]
    viewtopic.php?f=13&t=88#223

    The Issue
    The dead are rising from their graves to feast on the flesh of the living! Currently, only @@ANIMAL@@ City has been affected. An immediate quarantine has been placed on the city, but with time running out for the survivors an emergency meeting has been called to decide what to do.

    The Debate.
    1. "You have to destroy the city!" gasps @@RANDOMNAME@@, one of the few who escaped before the quarantine. It's hell in there! If those things manage to escape then the whole country, nay the whole WORLD is doomed! We must send our biggest bombs into those streets and wipe them out!"

    2. "No, there are people in there who need our help," says @@RANDOMNAME@@, armed with a Winchester rifle. "We can't leave them to the mercy of the undead hordes. I say before we blow anything up we call in the army and anyone else willing to help, go in, track down any survivors we can find, and get them out. It's dangerous, but it's got to be done."

    3. "I think we should study these creatures," muses Professor @@RANDOMNAME@@, expert in biological warfare. "Zombiism? Reanimated dead tissue? Fascinating! This is a golden opportunity for our nation... why, we could unleash these on our enemies! Everyone would shake in terror of our undead army!"

    4. "Wow, these unholy terrors are really scary," notes @@RANDOMNAME@@, selling sausages in buns to bystanders. "They would make a great honey pot. I mean, how often do you see the living dead?! We could really turn a profit if we turn this place into a first-class thrill ride for visiting tourists. Want mustard?"

    5. "I think we're forgetting that these 'zombies' are people just like you and me!" objects @@RANDOMNAME@@, head of the newly-formed Undead Protection Alliance. "They deserve the respect that any deceased person should, if not more! Leave them alone, and let them have the city. It will be a victory for oppressed minorities everywhere!"

    6. "Braaains... braaains...?" asks ardent anti-quarantine activist @@RANDOMNAME@@. "Braaains... braaains... braaains!"

    Originally thought to have a possible association with the annual Halloween Zombie event or awarded after a nation has Ceased to Exist (CTE) and subsequently restored. The timing of the Easter Egg award after restoration seemed to vary from a few days to weeks or months. A more certain way to receive this egg is to have the word "Brains" in either/both of your Motto and Currency setting fields. Another option is to have the word "Zombie" in your pre-title.

    1. The nation has a strict 'no marauding undead' law.
    2. Volunteers are signing up to take arms against an incursion of flesh-eating zombies.
    3. International organisations everywhere are united in their condemnation of the nation's zombified military.
    4. The flesh-eating lost souls that wander at night serve as a major tourist attraction.
    5. The undead are an officially recognised ethnic minority.
    6. The undead roam the streets and countryside at night.


    #256: Easter Egg: Suburbs Are Out Of This World [Scolopendra; ed:Sirocco]
    viewtopic.php?f=13&t=88#256

    The Issue
    High crime rates have made the inner cities of @Name@@'s largest conurbations increasingly dangerous and undesirable places to live. The mass exodus of the middle class from city centers has escalated to the extent that the suburbs and exurbs of major cities are beginning to collide, leaving no land for expansion. In response, a group of well-to-do soccer moms are petitioning the government for funds to establish white-collar living space... on the Moon.

    The Debate.
    1. "Crime is perpetually increasing," says Chastity Elizabeth Prescott as she adjusts the sweater tied like a cape over her shoulders. "Just yesterday my little John Alexander Stuart's after-school Bigtopianese tutor was attacked by a gang of hoodlums! Our children deserve safe housing and exactly manicured lawns no greater than two inches in grass blade height! With a sufficient colonization effort, we can commute from communities on the Moon to the industries in our big cities. You must support this--think of the children!"

    2. "Rockets?!" shrieks noted bleeding heart Sunflower Earthchild Starbeam, pulling her knit cap more closely over her ears. "Think of the pollution, and the danger! What if there's an accident? This cockamamie scheme must clearly be banned! And you thought cars were bad- wait! Cars ARE bad!"

    3. "Everyone knows urban blight is caused by the flight of capital to the suburbs and exurbs," notes the prominent left-wing economist Engelbert Pinquo. "Running away to the Moon will solve nothing. Capital, and those who have it, must be brought back to the inner city... by force if need be."

    4. "Stone the crows! We're trapped between hippies, communists and soccer moms," grumbles Vice Admiral @@RANDOMNAME@@. "We need breathing room, and everyone knows there ain't no air on the Moon! So let's get it the old-fashioned way - by invading our neighbors! @@REGION@@ will fall to the might of @Name@@!"

    The parameters for receiving this issue are not confirmed but are thought to be having a major/all-pervasive youth-related crime problem and the police force having serious issues coping with it.

    1. The entire country is an urban wasteland as the well-to-do commute from space
    2. White-collar unemployment skyrockets as the suburbs are not within bicycling distance to work
    3. White-collar workers and their families are rounded up by the military and forced to relocate to the inner city
    4. The country is constantly under siege trying to protect soccer moms who've settled in occupied territory


    #266: Breaching the Great Fourth Wall of @@Name [Reploid Productions; ed:Reploid Productions]
    viewtopic.php?f=13&t=88#266

    The Issue
    After the recent eXtra-Kinetocam Cartographic Digital satellite survey revealed that @Name@@ is a surprisingly tiny section of land on a peninsula of a much larger continent, expeditions sent to explore these new lands have found a wide assortment other landmasses- all with new cultures and foreign civilizations. Of course, now people are wondering what to do with... or about... their newly-discovered neighbors.

    The Debate
    1. "Isn't it obvious? We must establish contact and trade with these other countries!" the CEO of one of the major mining companies notes happily, gesturing toward the XKCD survey map with a laser pointer. "The land claimed by Stalclaft is noted to contain a particular gaseous resource that could prove profitable for us! Never mind the report also says that the place is a war zone!"

    2. "Are you insane? We're completely and totally vulnerable to attack!" declares General @@RANDOMNAME@@ while flailing at the new world map in a dramatic fashion. "We know nothing about these civilizations, what their intentions are, what they're capable of! Look at how massive that Cea-Dicee is, just to the south of us! What little we do know about them implies that they have SPACESHIPS! We need to strengthen our military to protect against these threats at all costs!"

    3. "Don't mind the paranoid ravings of the General there." Noted scholar @@RANDOMNAME@@ states calmly while tapping a spot on the map just offshore to the northeast of the peninsula. "We're simply expanding our understanding of the world and where we fit in it. The report says that the ancient ruins of Subspais are on the seafloor here, and I think it would be a most worthy endeavor to study them. It won't be cheap, but knowledge is the greatest resource we can have! As the saying goes, knowledge is power!"

    4. "This hippie professor doesn't get it." Admiral @@RANDOMNAME@@ scoffs. "We have an opportunity here! For instance, this island of Uoeq to the west of us. They'd never see us coming; after establishing forward bases there, we could easily begin a campaign against Cea-Dicee and take their land and technology for ourselves! With that turned into a colony of @Name@@, the island of Sekonlif would fall easily, and we could seize Stalclaft's precious gas. Just imagine, eventually the entire continent could be under our control... or rather, YOUR control."

    5. "Don't believe these lies for a minute!" Notorious and arguably very crazy conspiracy theorist @@RANDOMNAME@@ quickly unrolls a chart over the XKCD survey map before giving you what looks like a hat made of tinfoil. "These 'new lands' are all part of a conspiracy by the evil alien Bunny-Knights of Violet! I have evidence here that proves that these bunnies from space want us to THINK there are lands beyond what we already know. It's quite clear that this map is completely phony and that if we fall for it, we feed them our delicious mind-carrots! Forget this map of lies @@LEADER@@, for the sake of our mind-carrots!

    Put "NationStates" or "nationstates" as your motto...

    1. Trade is bringing a wide selection of strange resources and technologies into @@name@@ although importers have the highest mortality rate in the nation
    2. The [Nation Initials]AF has poured billions of [National Currency] into anti-spaceship defenses to protect [Nation] against outsiders
    3. Several universities in @@name@@ have assembled expensive research teams to explore and study new lands and old ruins
    4. @@name@@ has begun an effort to aggressively conquer neighboring countries
    5. In a bizarre move the government of @@name@@ has destroyed all information about a new world map in order to protect the nation's 'mind-carrots'


    #375: Easter Egg: Keep Your Hands Off Those Lucky Charms! [Vile Island; ed:Sanctaria]
    viewtopic.php?f=13&t=88#375

    The Issue
    The sudden appearance of a bouquet of rainbows in the skies above @@CAPITAL@@ has bedazzled the city's natives. Initial investigations by amateur scientists have revealed the source of the phenomena to be a previously undiscovered ancient barrow just outside the city limits, apparently teeming with hoards of gold. Efforts to procure the gold, however, have been in vain, with rumours that mysterious men of a limited stature are mischievously playing tricks on would-be treasure hunters.

    The Debate
    1. "This is spectacular", squeals @@RANDOMNAME@@, presenter of popular entertainment show 'Us Nightly'. "All this GOLD for FREE! I can think of a thousand ways to spend it all. So what if there are a few weird dwarves - we could use all of this gold to fund the national budget! Let's blow that ditch to hell, grab the loot, and go on a shopping spree!"

    2. "Gold? Dwarves? Rainbows? This is a travesty!" decrees @@RANDOMNAME@@, an infamous mendicant preacher who wandered into a live report on the lunchtime news. "These are no mere dwarves - these are leprechauns; demons sent here to deceive us! They are wicked, sinful tricksters, who have become manifest because of our tolerance of ancient pagan burial grounds on our sacred and holy lands. We must purge these abominations and destroy all that which is connected to this Plague; the leprechauns, their evil gold, and that unholy barrow!"

    3. "Top o' the morning to you laddie!" says Patrick O'Malley, a twinkly-eyed leprechaun, all clad in green. "Ara, let's not be talking about blowing up this and blowing up that. Sure we'd just love to be friends, you and I and us. Now look a chara, how's about we come to a wee deal, aye? We'll swap some of our lucky Irish gold for a couple o'drops to drink. We do be dying of the thirst and wouldn't say no to an aul whiskey or two ... dozen. Just between us, mind! Our wee secret."

    Try putting the descriptor "Gold" or "Golden" as part of your currency, or Lucky in your pre-title and Motto :) Probably only available in March and especially around St Patrick's Day, the 17th March.

    1. The nation's gold reserves are said to be over the rainbow.
    2. Rainbows have been replaced by gloomy rain clouds as a result of the mass burning of leprechauns.
    3. Drunk leprechauns pelt countryside ramblers with gold coins.


    #408: Easter Egg: Pony Peril [Sedgelight Sparkle; ed:Sedgistan]
    viewtopic.php?f=13&t=88#408

    The Issue
    A revolution in Maxtopia in which the state was taken over by brightly coloured, anthropomorphic magical ponies, has made the government aware of the threat posed by ponyists in @@NAME@@.

    The Debate
    1. "It's clear what we must do" bellows @@RANDOMNAME@@, four-star General in the @@NAME@@ Armed Forces. "These creatures, cute though they are, would seek to undermine our way of life, and threaten our very existence. This infestation cannot continue! We must round up all the ponies in @@NAME@@, execute them, and leave their carcasses to the crows."

    2. "What a waste" interjects adhesives magnate @@RANDOMMALENAME@@, rubbing his hands with glee. "These ponies are one of the great resources of @@NAME@@. It's simple. Just slaughter them, dismember their corpses, and boil them down into glue. Our industry will be the envy of @@REGION@@."

    3. "Don't you think they're both overreacting?" asks @@RANDOMNAME@@, owner of @@DEMONYM@@ Salt Co. "These ponies are dangerous, but we must show some compassion when dealing with them. Instead of killing them, do the humane thing and force them into slavery. In fact, why not make it compulsory for @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@ to travel everywhere by pony?"

    4. Psychiatrist @@RANDOMNAME@@ implores you to see sense. "These poor creatures aren't actual ponies. They're misguided, delusional humans, wearing silly costumes. We must help them. A dose of electrotherapy should fix their warped minds, and any deviants who aren't cured can be lobotomised."

    Here's a little clue... I know we are talking about magical ponies, but a horse is a man's best ...?... add a nautical vessel and place it in your Nation's motto :)

    1. Ponies are brutally murdered before being left to rot.
    2. Pony-dried products are greasing the wheels of industry.
    3. Ponies working in the nation's salt mines have a life expectancy of weeks.
    4. Young girls who ask their parents for a pony are routinely lobotomised.


    #430: Easter Egg: Please, Sir, We Want Some More Issues [Eta Carinae; ed:Luna Amore]
    viewtopic.php?f=13&t=88#430

    The Issue
    With the same old dilemmas confronting @Name@@ time and time again, people are demanding to know why there aren't more genuinely new issues.

    The Debate

    1. "Well, that's because they're all twaddle,” says [violet] matter-of-factly while twirling a lighter in her hands. "I'm sick and tired of reading that garbage. I've decided to scrap the player-submitted system -- but don't tell anyone that. The endless waves of hate mail would overwhelm the server."

    2. "The aim of this site is to promote my novel, not the writing talents of literary wannabes," scoffs Max Barry while sipping an iced-Margarita on a yacht in the South Pacific. "I've ordered the mods to only approve mediocre issues to ensure that no one discovers there are better writers out there than me."

    3. "I've been combing through the queue, carefully examining each draft and determining its potential," sighs Sedgistan who is sitting next to an orderly stack of drafts stamped 'no way in hell'. "I'm confronted with thousands upon thousands of issues. I have to manage multiple editors and somehow still place in the Mod Olympics. Do you have any idea how much stress that puts on me? That's why it takes so long. Stop breathing down my neck. If you want to be useful, go help out the newbies in Got Issues."

    4. "Huh? What's that?" says Sanctaria absentmindedly, looking up from an intimidating series of flow charts. "More issues? Well, it's your lucky day! I'm working on my next great chain. It will dwarf my last one in size and complexity. Forget everything you know about issues, every rule you think we can't break, because this chain is going to break them all."

    5. "I couldn't agree with this more!" yelps Comrade Lenyo, his arms full of drafts. "We've received over 6,000 submissions! If we just got rid of the delete button, that'd be over 6,000 more issues. Who doesn't want that? Why are we still wasting time talking about this? Why are you reading this instead of submitting more drafts for us to add? EVERY. SECOND. COUNTS!"

    6. The deafening Voice of Mod booms down from the heavens, "You will receive new issues when you receive new issues. Your questioning is undermining the authority of the mods. I've deleted enough nations to know flaming when I read it. You have been warned."

    Possibly your nation has to have answered at least 250 to 300 Daily Issues and have your Setting for Issues at "No throttle" and answering them all!

    1. Player submitted issues are printed just so they can be burned by [violet].
    2. It is universally agreed that the first 31 issues are the only ones with humor and charm.
    3. Aspiring authors begrudgingly help proofread issue submissions.
    4. Players panic as they discover the newest chain can reset their populations and even delete their nations.
    5. Common misteaks slip threw as the Issues Editing Team adds issues by the hundread. {Note by Medio: the spelling mistakes are DELIBERATE}
    6. Red text rains down on the head of anyone who dares to step out of line.

    In addition, you receive the banner Platform for Expansion:


    #471: Easter Egg: Red Sleigh Down [Nation of Quebec; ed: Sanctaria]
    viewtopic.php?f=13&t=88#471

    The Issue
    'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through your house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. When out in the lawn, there arose such a clatter! You sprang from your bed, to see what was the matter. Away to your window, you ran like a flash, tore open the shutters, and threw back the sash. When what to thy wondering eyes did appear? Your advisers had gathered, some smelling like beer. They were shouting and arguing, filling the night with their cries; they were speaking of an emergency, that was happening high in @Name@@'s skies.

    The Debate
    1. "We have an unidentified flying object violating our air space!" pants your Aviation Minister @@RANDOMNAME@@, turning a shade of purple, clearly out of breath from running all the way to your house. "It's not responding to our hails - you know, I don't think it even has a radio. We've issued numerous warnings to turn back too. This could be an armed drone, or some drunk yuppie, but I don't care what it is - the moment it crossed our borders, it became a security risk! I highly recommend that you allow us to shoot this terrorist down."

    2. "Don'tcha know that you're talking 'bout Santa Clauseee!" slurs concerned parent @@RANDOMNAME@@, stinking to high heaven of sherry. "D'yareallywant t'shoot down Santa in front of the innocent eyes of @@DEMONYMADJECTIVE@@ childers? Do you really want to kill the Christmas spirits? Let the flying thing come in. It's Santa Clauseee! The childer of @Name@@ will - *hiccup* - thank you for it."

    3. "I think there's an easier way to ensure security but doesn't ruin the holidays," muses your partner, also awoken by the commotion outside. "Just like any visitor to @Name@@, make Santa go through all the necessary hoops. Visas, taxes for his imported goods, and those flying reindeer of his probably have rabies and should definitely be quarantined. Santa might not appreciate being strip-searched, but hey, that's the price of security."

    4. "Are we forgetting that Santa Claus is a wanted criminal in @Name@@?" asks overzealous police officer @@RANDOMNAME@@, brandishing a picture of Santa's mug shot. "The guy has literally countless breaking and entering, looting, and animal cruelty charges against him. Let's also not forget the hundreds of elves he's enslaving all year round. For all we know his so-called "gifts" are nothing more than anthrax-laced candy. And I hear his reindeer shoot lasers from their eyes! We must stop this threat before it's too late. Then he can face the full wrath of @Name@@'s justice system!"

    5. "Are we really taking this Saaanta thing this seriously?" yawns your teenage, social justice warrior daughter. "I hate to be the one to say this, but Santa isn't real. He was invented by the Seppsi soda company to deceive little children and boost their sales. If you really want to get into the spirit of the season, you should be less of a scrooge and spend more on social welfare, combating homelessness, and reducing the poverty levels. It's easy to do, especially if you order every working citizen to forfeit most of their month's salary in tax. Sure they won't be able to afford loads of toys, but Christmas is way too commercialized now anyway. The poor and homeless need money more than I need another Max Barry doll."

    6. "Not real, you say?" questions a large, jolly man sporting a white beard, red hat, and thick boots who just slid down your chimney. "I can assure you that I'm the genuine article! Now all of this talk about shooting down my sleigh only proves what I've long suspected - @Name@@ has been very, very naughty. Why, your crime rates are so high it sent my Naughty or Nice Detector haywire! Your unfeeling ways has killed your Christmas spirit. I'm afraid that you are all on my naughty list and will get no presents this year - only coal. Ho, ho, ho!"

    Only available during November, December, and January. Try some Christmas-associated Item in Nation's Pre-title or other Settings... like maybe: Santa, Rudolph, Sleigh, Candy Cane, Reindeer, Elf, Jolly, or Christmas...? Try your luck!

    1. Children across @@NAME@@ are mourning the loss of Santa Claus after the military shot down his sleigh.
    2. The government is lax about national security during the Christmas period.
    3. Rudolph has been put down after fears he had foot-and-mouth disease.
    4. Santa is trading presents for smokes while awaiting sentencing for crimes against humanity.
    5. Homeowners often burn Christmas trees just to stay warm.
    6. Smog covers @@CAPITALCITY@@ as the populace burns record amounts of coal.


    #622: Easter Egg: A Holiday Masquerade [The Grim Reaper; ed:Lenyo]
    viewtopic.php?f=13&t=88&start=25#622

    The Issue
    A group of @Name@@'s elite have put together a private party to celebrate the spooky holiday of Halloween in an abandoned and definitely not haunted house, which they got for almost nothing because of all the murders. You and some Ministers have managed to procure invitations, but there's one more question to address: what costume should you wear?

    The Debate
    1. "I made something perfect for you," enthuses your secretary, who was fired as an elementary school art teacher for having absolutely no artistic talent. "Minimalism is very in this year. I carefully trimmed a few holes in this white sheet for you and voilà: a ghost costume. It's classic, iconic even. And who could possibly be offended by someone wearing a white sheet?"

    2. Your Environment Minister hops into the room in a plant-pot costume, and manages to get words out past the alcohol. "The other day, I saw a horror movie about a man who transformed into a half-@@ANIMAL@@ monster. The big twist was that it just wanted to be loved, just like I - er, we people do. Anyway, I've always thought you had a touch of animal magnetism about you. You could be the were-@@ANIMAL@@ that taught @Name@@ to love @@ANIMAL@@s as much as we love ourselves!"

    3. "You really shouldn't drink so much," advises your geriatric and usually humorless Health Minister, who has made the shocking choice to dress as a sexy nurse. "If we're going to be sending a message to the public, it should be healthier lifestyle habits. You could wear a lab coat to the masquerade to announce an initiative promoting less alcohol for adults and fewer sweets for kids. Together we'll be the life of the party."

    4. Your Minister of the Interior, dressed as a giant bat, steps out into the light before recoiling in horror. "Halloween is a chance to remind your fellow party-goers that you're always the one in charge. Plus, we could go as a pair - I as a bat, and you as a vampire! There's a nice cloak and some sharp canines your size in the wardrobe. Maybe we'll be able to trick, say, a dozen, two dozen potential dissidents to reveal something compromising."

    5. Your Defense Minister marches into the room in full parade attire, shouting jovially. "@@SLOGAN@@! The new film Captain @Name@@ has seen recruitment numbers triple overnight! Do your part - @@LEADER@@ needs YOU! A nice shield, a big flag as a cape, you'll be a superhero in no time! Well, minus the abs."

    6. "What a shame that no one here is celebrating our history," complains your Education Minister, whose knight in shining armor costume reflects an almost blinding amount of light. "This party is the perfect time for you to announce a new educational campaign to recognize the most patriotic moments in the saga of @Name@@. I'm sure you can dress up as one of our nation's more distinguished heroes for such an important occasion."

    7. "You have very classical proportions," whispers a creepy stranger directly into your ear. "Frankly, you'd look good in whatever costume - or none at all, really. I bet you could find someone drunk enough to even turn it into a fashion line."

    This one is linked to Halloween and you need to put something associated with this event in your Nation's Pre-title or National Animal! Things such as: Skeleton, Ghost, Witch, and Vampire have worked for me, but there are others to try out... for instance: Monster, Bat, Wombat, Zombie, Werewolf, and Ghoul! Some eggs have arrived 'out of season' in the past because of a software glitch (see Intro above).

    1. [Nation Leader]'s pathetic costume is the butt of many jokes.
    2. [Nation Leader] spends Halloween alternatively growling and howling.
    3. [Nation Leader] bores party-goers with healthy tips and sugar-free snacks.
    4. Costume parties are swarmed by plainclothes police officers in disguise.
    5. [Nation Leader] now dresses in spandex to work.
    6. No one appreciates [Nation Leader]'s costume of King Oswyn V.
    7. A drunk fashion designer has started a fashion label themed on nudity and titled "[Nation Leader]'s New Clothes"


    #1122: Easter Egg: Just Say No to E [Zwangzug; ed: Zwangzug]]
    viewtopic.php?f=13&t=88&start=50#1122

    The Issue
    Today got off to a poor start. You had a plan to grab lunch with @@RANDOMNAME@@’s mayor, Anton Gadsby, to talk about important topics such as urban growth. But to your horror and shock, this man was tripping on XTC this morning, and by noon nobody could find him!

    The Debate
    1. “A tragic loss that shouldn’t occur in this fair city,” mourns doctor Cathy Gratwick, filing through Gadsby’s clinical history. “Politicians dosing too highly on drugs such as MDMA is not only a way to bring about a fatality, but also distracts you folks from your important work! As a policy wonk without flaws, you must stand up to this display by disavowing any kind of drugs.”

    2. “I think you should know that my pop would focus on our town most of all,” sobs Gadsby’s son, Barry. “Don’t think about him so much as what you could do to honor him: continuing to build and maintain a thriving city. That is what brought about a proud spirit in Dad.”

    3. “Oh, look, focusing on @@CAPITAL@@ again,” groans Patrick Picard, mayor of a tiny rural municipality. “Big woop. This big shot had it coming. Stop crying about him and start funding, in contrast, stuff that’s actually important. Such as, I don’t know, transportation to backwoods burgs.”

    4. “You must call for a manhunt!” barks cop Harold Callahan, flashing a shiny star at you. “Our boss is too important an individual for us to abandon to who-knows-what shady mishap. But don’t worry, our policing can do this job. Or, as a backup plan, find his body anyway.”

    It is thought that as the issue is a lipogram, ie, in this case it has no "e" or "E" in it apart from the title, and have to have no "E" or "e" in any of your custom fields. At this stage perhaps not all fields, but at least your nation's capital city should have no 'e" in it.

    1. Anybody who is high on pot can't sit on a city council.
    2. In [Nation] subways and skyways roar at all hours.
    3. Out of work [Nation] inhabitants look for work in puny suburbs.
    4. Usually [Nation Capital]'s roads fill up with shady cops patrolling at night.


    #1549: Easter Egg: 20 Years A Workin' [Sanctaria, Pogaria, Verdant Haven, Zwangzug, Electrum, Gnejs, Candlewhisper Archive, Sedgistan, & Noahs Second Country; ed: Sanctaria]

    The Issue
    The clock chimes as you finally get home. Eleven bells. Is it really almost midnight? Your head is swimming from a day filled with inane meetings about park benches, how big supersize meals should be, and whether or not nuclear annihilation would really be a bad thing in the age of global warming (you figured it’d probably be fine, on balance). As you settle at your desk to finish a couple of pieces of correspondence, you realise you’ve been doing this thankless job for twenty years now. Twenty years! A cause for celebration indeed, so maybe you can spare a couple of minutes to take a break. Thus the masochist within you has decided that, to celebrate this anniversary, “unwinding” on NationStates before bed would be “fun”. There are so many things to do, though, and so little time — so what do you focus on?

    The Debate
    1. Ah, the General Assembly. The perfect place to go if you really want to waste time debating whether or not “shall” or “will” in a piece of legislation results in banning opposite-sex marriages, or potentially criminalising making your favourite horse a member of parliament. The friendly regulars, the welcoming Old Guard; they don’t exist in the General Assembly. It’s a free for all. It’s sink or swim, baby. Publish or perish. Only lawyers need apply. Or something to that effect. If you want to exert control over what is and isn’t legal in other nations, though, and mould a multiverse in the image of your own ideals, the General Assembly is exactly where you want to spend your time.

    2. Then again, your trigger finger is itching to do some damage in International Incidents. First, you need to find a willing enemy. Then, you can demarcate the boundaries of bloodshed so no uninvited armies can interfere. And finally, you can test out those weapons of mass destruction that you’ve been eyeing in the shop fronts — only with your enemy’s permission, of course. [Demonym] aren’t monsters.

    3. Thinking on it, though, who needs permission? There’s a whole world of regions out there, ripe for the taking. Even working alone, there’s plenty to be accomplished if you’re content to play the long game. A word in the right ear here, a polite request for an endorsement there, it’s all too easy playing a role — they’ll never suspect who you were until it is far too late. Now which region was it you’ve always wanted to take down?

    4. Of course, if a thrill is what you’re after then there’s bound to be a Sports tournament you can sign up for. Unfortunately, that’s no guarantee of success; [Nation]’s athletes are at the mercy of fate! Maybe you should call upon the priestess Margaret to sacrifice 1093 rubber chickens to the random number of deities on your behalf. But you’d better move fast, because it’s almost cut off time!

    5. That said, something inside has been gnawing at you. It has been a while. You look at the top of the page and see that you have five issues to address. The reason you first joined NationStates was to continue making decisions outside of work, even if those decisions had no real-world consequences. Except for those meaningless little golden badges on your page. Deep down in your heart of hearts, you know it’s time to answer issues on all of your puppets. After all, you’re just a primate who can’t help but to push buttons for a dopamine release.

    6. You then remember that the United Federation Intelligence Agency recently published the latest version of its World Factbook, a widely used resource amongst foreign diplomats for information about the world’s nations. Much of the information it contained about [Region] was just plain wrong, and your own diplomats found themselves fielding dozens of calls asking if it was true that you had been replaced as leader by a [National Animal]. How much easier it is to set the record straight when you write your own factbooks! The stats are all wrong anyway — your words will tell the real story. If only somebody would read them.

    7. Going to your Nation Page, you spot the little card icon staring back at you. Clicking it, you realise you have twenty-two copies of your own trading card. Perhaps this is a good time to add some variety to your collection — there are plenty of ongoing auctions, ready for you to swoop in at the last moment. All it takes is a nation, or fifty, to start sending you some gifts to sell. If you become wealthy enough, you can disguise your narcissism as altruism and stage a giveaway, or hoard a card that nobody will care about until you inflate its price to a ridiculous valuation. With every new pack comes the possibility of a legendary find...

    8. The real treasure, however, is the hidden content. Do people even know about the NationStates Against Humanity minigame? Or the Challenge System? You should load up the secret URL and just wait an hour, or three, to see if anyone starts a game. Who cares if no one turns up? You’ll get that great feeling of knowing that you’re part of a special elite, a secret Illuminati privy to mysteries that the hoi polloi know nothing of.

    9. Out of nowhere, you’re struck with the sort of idea that normally only occurs to one of your loopy cousins after indulging in a mix of self-prescribed herbal remedies: what if you just bought the whole website? That Max Barry fellow certainly couldn’t object to a new swimming pool filled with cash, courtesy of your National Treasury. With NationStates under your personal control, the site could finally have an unending nuclear war! Zombie apocalypses that permanently affect your population! An IPO that actually earns you money! Maybe the admins could even bring back NationDates...

    10. Seriously though, it’d be a terrible shame to waste all that money on a game where other people have the audacity to think their opinions matter — why, you’ve got literally all the answers to pressing real-life conundrums right here, inside of you! Indeed, people in general really should listen more to you. Wait, what is this? People in general arguing about left and right-wing extremism? Gun control? Opinions on capitalism and cancel culture? Oh, abortion! *knuckles crack* Yes, the world needs to hear from you on this.

    11. Alas, the tyranny of choice is just exhausting. You had a long day, and you’ve spent so much time trying to decide what part of NationStates to play, it’s almost time for bed. So how about you roll up your sleeves, pour a drink, and then just chill in one of the spam game threads for five or ten minutes? Whether it’s pretending to be a brony, or calling the AN a talentless troubadour, sometimes reverting to childhood silliness is the best way to spend one’s time.

    Your nation had to exist on the day of the 20th Anniversary of NationStates, i.e., the 12th November 2022. Furthermore, you only receive the Easter Egg on the second time you log in after that date but that second log-in can be any day thereafter!

    1. The first half of cabinet meetings include [Nation Leader] complaining about the reasonable nation theory.
    2: The Laws of War require "enthusiastic consent".
    3: [Nation Leader] is plotting to coup the Pacific.
    4: The Random Number Gods do play dice with the universe.
    5: The only issue that [Nation Leader] has is that there aren't enough issues.
    6: [Nation Leader] is emphatic that The Dotty Dodo's HDI is much higher than it seems.
    7: [Nation Leader] is convinced that other nations can simply be "junked".
    8: [Nation Leader] knows that some internet activities are strictly solitary.
    9: [Nation Leader] hands out warnings to mods who don't deliver enough danishes.
    10: [Nation Leader] is generally seen as a know-it-all.
    11: [Nation Leader] has decreed that one must think of cheese upon reading the word mouse.


    General Notes:

    After you have found your:

    1st Easter Egg you will receive an Easter Egg icon coloured Blue and the banner Link Oblong Secrets
    2nd Easter Egg your Easter Egg icon will change to Green
    3rd Easter Egg your Easter Egg icon will change to Brown
    4th Easter Egg your Easter Egg icon will change to Gold and you will receive the banner Link Eggcellent Detective Work

    Any additional Easter Eggs you find will NOT result in a change to your Easter Egg icon colour :(

    Passing your cursor over your Easter Egg icon, once you have got your first Egg, will show you the number of Eggs you have, but NOT which ones... more's the pity!

    Once you have received an Easter Egg Issue, ANY selection made from the options will still reward you with an Egg, so don't fret about failing to select the 'correct' option!

    You may have to wait for only a few days to receive some Easter Eggs issues but for some you may have to wait for weeks, months, or maybe years even if you have provided the correct laying conditions! So, be patient...

    P.S. Please do not broadcast the information on this site too widely... well done for finding it but I would like the site to be mainly for the dedicated Easter Egg Hunter!

    Read dispatch


    | | | |

    A Basic Overview



    Freedom Through Passion

    Population: 24,481,216 | Population Density: 197.5/sq. km
    Capital and Largest City: Purth-Graje (Population 2,017,118)
    Official Language: Atish | Native Language: Atish
    Demonym: Atnaian | Native Demonym: Atish
    Calling Code: +4 | Internet URL: .atn

    The Technocratic Hegemony of Atnaia (at-NAY-uh) ("ᛞᚫ ᛏᛖᚦᚾᚩᚦᚱᚫᛏᛁᚦ ᛁᚾᛏ ᚫᛏᚾᚫᛄᚫ ᚻᛖᛄᛖᛗᚩᚾᛄᚻ"/"Da Teknokratik int Atnaja Hejemonjh"), commonly referred to as Atnaia or the Hegemony/Hejemonjh, is a country in the Western Isles, first inhabited by an unknown series of Paleolithic tribes, who would eventually develop into the Atish tribes evident in the Iron Age and then the current Atish race. Purth-Graje, the nation's capital, has a storied history reaching back to tribal settlements in as far back as 2500 BCE.

    The origin of the word Atna, from which Atnaia and Atish is derived, is unknown, but is likely a reference to the mythological early Atish god, Atur. It first starts appearing in the earliest written Atish records from the time of the First Kingdom Period (Ersekinikhuumajra), and is used to describe all people south of what is now Kalghvisser, perhaps indicating a name for that land.

    Atnaia's terrain is mostly flat and hilly, with rocky shores. Rivers and lakelands are common in the interior of the nation. There are uplands in the west, dominated by Mount Braseng. The northwest is significantly higher and drier than the southeast, due to tectonic forces causing the sinking of the south over several million years.

    The Blue Cross of Atnaia was the first flag of the nation, adopted in the 1100s with the formation of the Principality of Atnaia (Atnaja Jakinikhuum), utilizing elements from the Lusser family coat of arms. The flag was changed many times throughout the years, but its longest-lasting form was adopted in the 1580s, removing the Lusser moth and incorporating the yellow slashes of the Atnaian military banner, and was utilized until 2016. The current flag was adopted in 2016, retaining the yellow of the military banner but incorporating Wessich red and black and adding the tea pansy symbol as a symbol of Atnaian culture and industry.

    The national animal, the comet moth, is not native to the island, but was imported in the early 1750s for Duke Parsikal Lusser's personal greenhouses. They were incorporated into his coat of arms and became a symbol for the nation. They were adopted as the official animal of the nation at its founding. However, the comet moth is viewed as an aristocratic symbol, and the basuu (or Atnaian Black Dwarf Bear) is more commonly used by the commonfolk as a symbol of the nation. The national flower is the pansy, used commonly as a symbol in military tattoos.

    The Principality of Atnaia first formed in the 1100s during a time of division in the nation's monarchy, and continued from that point onwards. Following civil conflict in early 2016, a new constitution was ratified, establishing the Hegemonic Quorum (Hejemonische Sghilkuuns). The government of Atnaia is technically a constitutional monarchy with a formerly entrenched aristocratic system that has since been overhauled to severely limit Crown authority and the privileges of the gentry. Following a failed military coup in the 1980s, Atnaia has focused its efforts on economic growth and reconstruction of out-of-date infrastructure. Disaster in the form of the Tickgn Flu Epidemic has severely compromised Atnaian population and economics, with the GDP continuing to fall even with the Flu under control

    An Overview of Atnaian Government



    Grand Hegemonic Administration Building

    Government: Technocratic Constitutional Monarchy
    • Prince/Princess (Ceremonial): Princess/Jakvena Mari Wessich

    • Prince-in-Exile: Prince/Jakinik Hanri Lusser

    • Hegemon/Hejemon (Head of Government): Duke/Djuken Tomas Wessich

    • Chief Justice: Albert Renfrew

    Legislature: The Hegemonic Quorum of Atnaia ("Da Hejemonische int Atnaia Sghilkuuns") (20 Members)
    Founded 3 January 1150 by the Kingdom of Atna | Unification: 2 June 1293 | Second Constitution of Atnaia ("Svinik int Atnaia Rachikdok"): 25 March 2016
    Coalition of Free Nations | RTEA

    Atnaia is a technocratic constitutional monarchy with a Prince or Princess (Jakinik/Jakvvena). The government is unified in a single house, the Hegemonic Quorum. Elections are held for all 20 members of the Quorum, or Sghilkuuns (lit. Small Group). The Quorum nominates the Hegemon from their numbers, who acts as the sole executive of the country. The Prince's role is solely ceremonial. While the sitting Princess is Jakvvena Mari Wessich, the former Prince, Jakinik Henri Lusser, remains in exile.

    The politics of Atnaia are unitary, with all power resting in the state and sovereignty ostensibly in the hands of the people. The Quorum can delegate administrative authority to prefectural governors and their councils. Atnaia consists of thirty-eight prefectures, each overseen by a governor, legislature and administrative bureaucracy. Each prefecture is further divided into cities, towns and villages, with sub-prefectorial delegates and mayors selected and delegated roles by the hierarchical tier above them .

    Legislative decisions must be made by a majority vote of the Quorum, but executive decisions are made by the Hegemon alone, although are discussed and worked through the Quorum to some extent. Major policy decisions and proposals regarding budget are presented to the Quorum and must also be confirmed.

    Only those with a Master's degree or equivalent education/experience (as accepted by a two-thirds majority of the sitting Quorum) may be considered to run for the office of Quorum, establishing the technocratic (or noocratic) elements of the government. This is seen to divert populism and ensure the expertise of the government in their ability to rule.

    Main Article found here.

    A Physical Overview



    Mount Braceng

    Land Area: 77018.3379 mile² | 123,949 km²
    Highest Point: Mount Brasseng (4602 ft.) | Lowest Point: Hasteng Luvvil (Low Wall) (2 meters below sea level)
    Climate: Temperate Maritime Sub-Tropical
    Annual High Temperature: 40 Degrees Celsius | Annual Low Temperature: 0 Degrees Celsius

    Atnaia is a mostly flat nation, comprised of low, rolling hills and ample farmland. The western reaches of the nation are rocky and comprised of low mountains, the Rottuth Range, the tallest of which is Mount Brasseng. The southern reaches of the nation are low-lying and generally damp, prime growing land for rice, while the northern reaches are drier and better for wheat. Several of the nation's major ports are situated upon tidal rivers, which are common in the northern reaches of the nation. The largest river in the nation is the Ambelt River, on which the city of Kalghvisser is built. The nation's largest lake is Salkische Lake in the Rjeedan Prefecture.

    The entire nation is sinking in the southeast and rising in the northwest over the millenia. This means that the northern mountains are older and more weathered than the southwestern parts of the Rottuth Range.

    Atnaia has a somewhat warm, maritime climate. Temperatures rarely drop below 5 degrees Celsius, and rarely creep above 35 degrees Celsius. Due to prevailing winds, the nation is frequently rainy or damp in winter, with fogs common in the low lands. Summer and spring conditions can be quite humid, but are generally clear except for common mid-August rains.

    An Economic Overview



    Purth-Graje Stock Exchange

    Currency: Atnaian Dollar ($)
    GDP (nominal): $541,083,836,032.00 | GDP (nominal) per capita: $22,102.00
    Effective Tax Rate Total: 24% | Government Budget: $103,888,096,518.14
    Average Years Worked: 40 | Employed Population: 14,709,857 | Unemployment Rate: 3% | Outside Workforce Rate: 25%

    Atnaia has a powerful economy, centered on various technology industries including data hosting and hardware, machinery and automotives, and on the production of media including music, movies and TV. There are four main tech firms in the nation: Heron Technologies, Kwuintech, Brakker Industries and Stone Wall-Bastion. The nation is highly industrialized, with a focus on free market economics but growing government oversight and direction of the economy. Arms development was a previous staple of business in Atnaia, but has been on the decline since the 1980s. Purth-Graje, home of the Purth-Graje Stock Exchange (Purth-Graje Staketrajen, PGSE), is the center of Atnaian economy. The largest domestic bank of the nation is the Royal Bank of Atnaia (Atische Rakenbank), established in 1690 as the Bank of Atnaia (Atische Bank).

    Wheat, corn, rice and other agricultural staples are common crops, with cash crops of cotton also being extremely common. Kudzu is an important crop as well, grown for its uses in hemp and textiles, and for its starch, usefulness as animal feed, and to help it's arable land. Coal and iron mining are present, but not a major force in the nation's economy.

    Aside from the burgeoning technologies industry, there is also a growing automobile industry and a growing interest in aerospace development which has yet to be fully explored. The Bralej Engines Company is centered out of Kalghvisser, and is one of the oldest companies in the country, originally being founded in the 1500s as the Bralej Shipping and Trading Company.

    The nation's primary exports are: informations technology, electronics and electronic components, industrial equipment, cars, machinery, appliances, media, banking, wheat, corn, rice, and cotton. Its secondary exports are: publishing, coal, iron, tin, silver and plastics. It's primary imports are: timber, gold, pharmaceuticals, construction materials, aluminum, textiles, military equipment, raw materials, beef, pork, paper and oil.

    Atnaia has an extensive rail system, utilized by the vast majority of the common populace for national travel. The nation's highways are less extensive but well-maintained and regulated. Atnaia has a two national and one international airlines: Brecking Air and Fontaine Airways National, and Atische Liffenkorp, respectively.

    The National Health Service (Naghlische Halfensalver), or NHS, is the publicly funded healthcare system in Atnaia responsible for overseeing the majority of healthcare in the country. The NHS is largely funded from general taxation. However, healthcare services are still privately funded, and are charged to the individual at time of care. The current government is beginning to offer public healthcare services as an option supplementing private service. The average life expectancy of people in Atnaia is 75.9 years for males and 80.6 years for females.

    The Education Council is the public institution responsible for overseeing education in Atnaia up to the age of 18. Approximately 75% of schools in Atnaia are publicly funded, while the remaining 25% are private institutions. Children who are between the ages of 3 and 5 attend nursery or an Early Years Foundation Stage reception unit within a primary school. Children between the ages of 5 and 11 attend primary school, and secondary school is attended by those aged between 11 and 16. After finishing compulsory education, students take Secondary Education Generalized (SEG) examinations. Students may then opt to continue into further education for one or two years. Further education colleges (particularly sixth form colleges) often form part of a secondary school site. A-level examinations are sat by a large number of further education students, and often form the basis of an application to university.

    Higher education students normally attend university from age 18 onwards, where they study for an academic degree. All universities in the nation are private institutions. Students are generally entitled to student loans to cover the cost of tuition fees and living costs. The first degree offered to undergraduates is the Bachelor's degree, which usually takes three to four years to complete. Students are then able to work towards a postgraduate degree, which usually takes one year, or towards a doctorate, which takes three or more years. Government subsidies are offered to students in particular fields, or to youth between the ages of 18 and 24 who serve at least 4 years in the military.

    Largest Corporations in Atnaia by Revenue

    Rank

    Name

    Headquarters

    Revenue (Mil. $)

    Profit (Mil. $)

    Assets (Mil. $)

    Industry

    1.

    Sol-Luna & Heron Technologies

    Purth-Graje

    108,791

    26,131

    143,211

    Telecommunications, Computing Hardware and Consumer Electronics

    2.

    Bralej Engines Company

    Kalghvisser

    75,028

    6,917

    112,699

    Automotive, Large Engines and Heavy Industrial Machinery

    3.

    Stone Wall-Bastion

    Purth-Graje

    54,395

    1,210

    121,007

    Security, Computer Hardware, Research and Private Military Contractor

    4.

    Panloppje Inc.

    Kalghvisser

    39,389

    384

    100,676

    Heavy Industrial and Agricultural Machinery

    5.

    Gecko

    Purth-Graje

    30,011

    1,456

    90,811

    Data Hosting, Multimedia and Information Technology Services

    A Demographic Overview



    Average Atish Man and Woman

    Atish: 65% | Atnaian Thai: 6% | Atnaian Japanese: 4% | Various Athara Magarati: 3% | Atnaian Aprosian: 3% | Atnaian Ghanese: 3% | Atnaian Chinese: 3% | Atnaian Indian: 3% |Other Atnaian Asian: 2% | Atnaian Khoi: 1% | Other Atnaian African: 1% | Other: 6%


    Ticking Flu Infected: 4,608,102

    The majority of the population of Atnaia is of Atish (Atnaian or Merritian) descent, commonly interbred between the two groups to the point of an unclear racial or ethnic boundary between the two. This is as a result of early, large-scale colonization and immigration. The Atnaian Asian population is mostly of Thai or Japanese descent, with a small Atnaian Chinese population in Purth-Graje. The large Atnaian Black population is descended mostly from African immigrants escaping slavery. There was a boom of Indian immigration in the early 1900s, leading to the current population. An influx of refugees from Athara magarat during their anti-western revolutions has also led to a noteworthy population of various Athara Magarati groups.

    As its name suggests, the Atish language, today spoken by millions of people around the world, originated as the language of Atnaia. 98% Atnaians speak Atish. It is similar in many respects to an Indo-European language in the Anglo-Frisian branch of the Germanic family, despite having evolved separately. This has been a matter of some theories and debate amongst linguistic scholars, who note Atish's extreme resemblance to English and German.

    Atish language learning and teaching is an important economic activity, and includes language schooling, tourism spending, and publishing. The National Language Act of 1901 established Atish as the official language of the nation of Atnaia, enforcing its teaching to all students schooled in the nation regardless of immigrant status. Later, the Bilingualism Act of 1921 enforced the teaching of English as well. Despite the country's size, there are many distinct regional accents, and individuals with particularly strong accents may not be easily understood everywhere in the country.

    The Balnian Church of Atnaia ("Da Balnin int Atnaia Kerigh") is the official state religion of Atnaia. 44% of the population identifies as Balnian, 10% identify as Christian, 10% identify as Muslim, 3% as Buddhist. 22% identify as non-religious. 5% identify as other and the remaining 6% declined to answer.

    Over four million individuals remain infected with the Ticking Flu. Through the use of Protaex, they remain asymptomatic, but may remain a visible minority due to scarring, minor paralysis in the face and other minor side effects of the disease. The disease is also passed on in-utero, meaning children can be born with the disease. Individuals with the Ticking Flu must carry up-to-date Protaex paperwork, and checkpoints continue to be utilized for detection and detention of those who do not use the symptom suppressant. Ticker Villages are being built in many cities nationwide.


    Rank

    City

    Population

    Prefecture/Duchy

    1

    Purth-Graje

    2,017,118

    Atna

    2

    Kalghvisser

    1,000,691

    Kalghvisser

    3

    Ambress

    1,000,201

    Eskot

    4

    Rotvvuud

    821,209

    Rotvvuud-ant-Millan

    5

    Njeu Straghen

    710,090

    Njeu Straghen

    7

    Hasteng

    491,621

    Atna

    8

    Davlhan

    317,812

    Rotvvuud-ant-Millan

    9

    Vvisfelt

    301,554

    Atna

    10

    Prjimvvil

    228,211

    Kalghvisser

    6

    Schalkenmund

    200,921

    Combrej


    Map of highways and railroads

    Read factbook


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    50 ways to die In Nation States



      1. Spawn in a Dead region

      2. Spawn In any Pacific Region

      3. Get a mod angry

      4. Get a big nation angry

      5. Get a Godmodder Angry

      6. Get anyone stronger angry

      7. Declare war on smaller nations

      8. Declare war on bigger nations

      9. Be bad at RP

      10. Make a bad dispatch

      11. Get on Kampf Empire's bad side

      12. Think you are Invincible

      13. Test a nuke

      14. Try a unknown object

      15. Put that object on you're land

      16. Try to into space

      17. Play a wwll RP as Poland

      18. Change flags too fast

      19. Make you're nation name too long

      20. Be the 666th nation made

      21. Try to be someone better

      22. Mess with Lala during a RP "crusade"

      23. Get help from a Godmodder

      24. Post the Full Communist Manifesto on the RMB

      25. Be a space based nation and not being able to get a space program

      26. Try to be an isolationist

      27. Get too many Telegrams

      28. Be inactive for far too long

      29. Spawning in the Graveyard

      30. Be the nation who overuse's a joke

      31. Post the entire Communist Manifesto, Again

      32. Be deleted with a region

      34. Try to make a circle on Sketchpad 5.1

      35. Trying to figure out the Game, on 1 frame per second

      36. Try to de-admin a admin

      37. Double post

      38. Not learning your lesson

      39. Triple post

      40. Not learning your lesson, again

      41. Trying to find were the games are

      42. Question a mods legitimacy

      43. Trying to move to a password protected region without the password

      44. Changing your flag to a bigger persons flag

      45. Insulting Shavara in front of Elementia

      46. Insulting someone in general

      47. Declare war on the RMB

      48. Try to find a good picture for your Dispatch

      49. Wait for a good war RP to happen
      and finally

      50. Try to think of new ways to die



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    what...
    this maxed out around 800 views ;-;
    Lets not have this die out!
    Read dispatch


    Want to learn how to improve your nation's Economy? Check out this guide here.

    Years ago, NationStates used a different create-a-nation questionnaire that was widely researched, allowing players to easily start any nation with any nation type they desired.

    The new system hasn't been nearly as widely researched as the previous one, presumably because it includes a new "Random" option that can be mashed until it outputs the desired stats from the beginning. This is an effective, if admittedly tedious, way to easily start any nation with the desired WA classification.

    Fortunately, it is still possible to obtain any such classification by simply selecting one of the 9 starting freedoms and answering the 8 questions in the first page. More variation can be added with the 9 history options, but they are not really required to obtain any specific classification and as such will be omitted from this guide.

    This guide is based on a forum post I made that is over one year old now, but it will probably get more exposure (and better formatting and detail) through a dispatch. The original post also forgot a category: Liberal Democratic Socialists.

    The underlying mechanics are very complex, as is the case for anything directly related to NS stats. Furthermore, due to how the questionnaire works, it is possible to obtain a WA classification through multiple paths. The one considered for this guidelist is the most simple I discovered.

    The 9 starting freedoms
    These are the 9 starting freedoms available. The resulting freedom stats are shown in this list, without replying to any question. They are ordered as shown in the create-a-nation page:

    Selectable Freedom

    Civil Rights

    Economic Freedom*

    Political Freedom

    Anarchic

    97.00

    97.00

    97.00

    Libertarian

    80.67

    80.00

    80.67

    Capitalist

    67.33

    80.00

    67.33

    Liberal

    77.33

    25.00

    57.33

    Centrist

    57.33

    50.00

    57.33

    Conservative

    25.00

    75.00

    57.33

    Socialist

    70.67

    -97.00

    15.00

    Authoritarian

    15.00

    15.00

    15.00

    Tyrannical

    3.00

    -97.00

    3.00

    Remember that negative Economic Freedom values imply a socialist state-planned economy.

    *Not to be confused with Economy!

    The 8 questions

    • Q1. A country should be judged by how it treats its worst-off citizens.

    • Q2. Corporations are good for society.

    • Q3. Marijuana should be legal.

    • Q4. The world needs to rediscover its spirituality.

    • Q5. Young people should perform a year's compulsory military service.

    • Q6. Capitalism is on the way out.

    • Q7. Without democracy, a country has nothing

    • Q8. It's better to deter criminals than rehabilitate them.

    These questions modify the stats preselected through the 10 freedom choices (9 + Random) by a variable amount, that depends on the base stats of your nation-to-be. Not all of them affect the freedoms used to determine the WA classification, and as such will be omitted below.

    How to start with the WA classification you want
    This table indicates how to start with any WA classification. The listed method is the most simple I have discovered. Freedom indicates which of the 9 Freedoms (see above) you should select, while questions indicate how to answer each one. Questions not explicitly mentioned should be left blank. If two Freedoms are shown, both are valid options that will result in the same WA classification.

    WA categories are in alphabetical order.

    WA classification

    Freedoms

    Questions

    Anarchy

    Anarchic
    Libertarian

    None

    Authoritarian Democracy

    Authoritarian

    Agree on Q7

    Benevolent Dictatorship

    Anarchic
    Libertarian

    Strongly Disagree on Q7

    Capitalist Paradise

    Capitalist

    None

    Capitalizt

    Anarchic

    Disagree on Q7

    Civil Rights Lovefest

    Libertarian

    Agree on Q6

    Compulsory Consumerist State

    Capitalist

    Strongly Disagree on Q7

    Conservative Democracy

    Conservative

    Agree on Q6 and Strongly Agree on Q7

    Corporate Bordello

    Capitalist

    Strongly Agree on Q7

    Corporate Police State

    Conservative

    Strongly Disagree on Q7

    Corrupt Dictatorship

    Socialist

    None

    Democratic Socialists

    Centrist

    Strongly Agree on Q6

    Father Knows Best State*

    Centrist

    Strongly Disagree on Q7

    Free-Market Paradise

    Conservative

    Strongly Agree on Q7

    Inoffensive Centrist Democracy

    Centrist

    None

    Iron Fist Consumerists

    Authoritarian

    Strongly Disagree on Q6

    Iron Fist Socialists

    Socialist

    Strongly Agree on Q3

    Left-Leaning College State

    Libertarian

    Agree on Q6 and Disagree on Q7

    Left-Wing Utopia

    Libertarian

    Strongly Agree on Q6

    Liberal Democratic Socialists

    Centrist

    Strongly Agree on Q6 and Strongly Agree on Q7

    Libertarian Police State

    Libertarian

    Agree on Q6 and Strongly Disagree on Q7

    Moralistic Democracy

    Conservative

    Agree on Q6

    New York Times Democracy

    Centrist

    Strongly Agree on Q7

    Psychotic Dictatorship

    Tyrannical
    Authoritarian

    None

    Right-Wing Utopia

    Conservative

    None

    Scandinavian Liberal Paradise

    Liberal

    None

    Tyranny by Majority

    Authoritarian

    Strongly Disagree on Q5 and Strongly Agree on Q7

    *To obtain a Mother Knows Best State, follow the steps for a Father Knows Best State, but on the second page of the nation creation questionnaire select either "Matriarchy" or "Queendom" as the nation pre-title.

    Throughoutly tested the 31st of January 2019, updated 11th of April 2020, and still valid as of 2024. With a bit of experience, the questionnaire is quite intuitive and it is easy to recognize the pattern I used to get every possible type from the start.

    Read dispatch


    Very important note: IIWiki has switched site hosts, and as a result the website's layout has also changed. The iiwiki you see in these screenshots is different from what it looks like now. This, however, should not be a problem as most UI elements are still in the same place -- they just look different. Also note that the new url to iiwiki is: https://iiwiki.us/wiki/Main_Page

    Note: Everything that is 'done' has a checkmark (✓) next to it in the table of contents.


    TABLE OF CONTENTS
    1. Introduction ✓
    2. How to start ✓
    2.1 Standards & Conventions ✓
    3. Basic formatting ✓
    4. Images ✓
    4.1 Wikimedia ✓
    5. Infoboxes ✓
    6. Tables
    7. Formatting for pros
    8. Categories
    9. Navboxes
    10. Flag icons
    11. Templates in general
    12. Removal
    13. Miscellaneous

    1. Introduction
    So, you want to use IIWiki? Good choice. This guide will help you with getting familiar with Wikitext, the 'language' which IIWiki uses for its formatting, and with using the site as a whole.
    Since I learnt to use IIWiki simply by observation and just trying out things, I never learnt the correct terminology; so don't expect any of that in this guide. This guide is meant for the clueless, the BBCoders, those who cannot use BBCode, and for those who do not even know what BBCode is.

    Before we start off, I think it's important to note two things:
    The code IIWiki and the actual Wikipedia use is identical. Same thing. If you need additional help you can search the internet for help with writing actual Wikipedia articles.
    Secondly, if you need IIWiki specific help, help in worldbuilding or whatever I suggest that you Linkjoin the IIWiki discord.

    2. How to start
    You want to start with making an account. It's very simple, write down an e-mail address, come up with a username, come up with a password that you won't forget, and do confirm that you're human. (for the record, they want you to write 'nationstates' )

    Now that you have an account, create a new page. How? On the top right of the page there's search bar. Type the literal name of your article, then search. If all is well then it will tell you that such an article doesn't exist. It will ask you if you want to create a new page with that title. Click the red text, and you will be able to edit the article. Make sure the title is correct (spelling, capitalisation, etc.). I suggest you make your first article about your nation. Note that the name should just be 'Lindenholt' and not 'The Kingdom of Lindenholt'.

    There are rules regarding article titles. Please adhere to them: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Article_titles


    Fig. 1 Here's the homepage. I've pointed out two important things: the search bar and the 'upload file' hyperlink. You will need the latter later in this guide.

    2.1 Standards and Conventions
    FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, READ THE LinkSTANDARDS AND CONVENTIONS!!11!1!

    Before you post anything or continue with this guide, you should be aware of Linkthe rules of posting anything on IIWiki. Not only so you don't get your articles deleted or your arse banned from the website, but also to preserve the immersion of those reading your article. It is very important that you have read the Linkstandards and conventions and that you apply them in your article. I will not be making a summary of it here, as I actually, genuinely, in all seriousness, want you to click Linkthis hyperlink and read the full version. Do not post anything until you've read Linkit; just reading this guide will not suffice.

    3. Basic formatting
    Now that you've made your first article you need to write something. For plain text you can simply start writing, but since a good wiki article has headers to denote different subjects and topics, you need to be able to make headers and sub headers.

    In order to create headers you must use the equal sign (=) the amount of equal signs you use determines the size of your header.

    Fig. 2 Headers and sub headers.

    As you can see you need to place the equal sign to the left and right of your title. The amount of equal signs should be the same on both sides. The more equal signs you add the more sub headers your text will have. As you can see in the example above, when you add the headers you automatically generate a table of contents.

    Now let's say you want to link to an other IIWiki page. How would you do that? You use brackets ([ and ]). Using double brackets and entering the literal word for word name of the article, you can link to any article on IIWiki. If for some reason you'd like to link to an article, but want a different text to show up then you can use the brackets and the vertical bar (|) like depicted in the figure below. IIWiki also allows you to link to real life Wikipedia's pages. You do this with the other type of brackets ({ and }). In the figure below there's an example on how to do this.



    Fig. 3 How to link to different articles, and how to add invisible notes.

    Now that you know how to link to different articles and are able to make headers for your text, I should introduce you to the top bar in the editor.

    Fig. 4 Some basic functions of the top bar. From left to right: Bold, italic, time stamp + name, hyperlink, image, references.

    The top editor bar also has some extra features. Special characters and help should speak for themselves. This guide will leave the 'advanced' tab for what it is for now. We will come back to it when we reach chapter 7: Formatting for pros. Since I've taught you how to write in IIWiki, I will now proceed to how you can express yourself graphically; through images.

    4. Images
    Wikis are brought to life by nice free to use pictures. I strongly advice that you only use images that are either your own, ones that are free to use (creative commons etc.) or pictures of author's whose consent you got. The graphics you use should also not be NSFW, and they should be of good quality. Also, make sure your files aren't too large, IIWiki's staff does not appreciate that. However, most importantly ask yourself: "Does this image add anything to whatever I'm writing, and does it fit in the formatting?" Sometimes it's better to leave out a picture because it doesn't fit, or sometimes it's better to leave out a picture because it does not add any real content to the things you're writing. Not adding pictures to a wiki page is a valid option.

    If your image satisfies all the criteria listed here, then you may want to upload it. Click the upload file hyperlink (see Fig. 1), and select the file you want to upload. NOTE: THE NEW IIWIKI'S UPLOAD BUTTON IS IN A DIFFERENT PLACE. You can find it by clicking "Tools" in the top bar and clicking "Upload file" after that. Give your file a good name. Something that is descriptive of what the image is, is maybe the best choice. Keep in mind the file needs a file extension (most common are .jpg, .png and .svg), and keep in mind that when placing the image in your article, the name of the file is capital sensitive. Remember/copy the name; you will need it later on. Now using the skills you learnt in the last chapter, you can add in the image using the top editor bar.

    ...wait... how?
    Like this:

    [[File:File Name.png|thumbnail|size|caption]]

    You can also just select a specific size by specifying the amount of pixels. An image 200 pixels across would like like this:

    [[File:File Name.png|thumbnail|200px|caption]]

    You can also choose the position of the image within your article. To do this you need to add an other vertical bar (|).

    [[File:File Name.png|thumbnail|size|position|caption]]

    Valid positions are left, right, center and there are probably some I do not know about. I propose that you go find out for your self through experimentation.

    If you're anything like me, then you're constantly revising your history, canon and updating your graphics to look nicer. Instead of overburdening the IIWiki servers with you adding new files for every update you make, you can also just submit an updated file. The benefit of this is that you won't have to change your code, and can just upload the file which will overwrite the old file. Another benefit is that you can revert back much more easier to the old files, if you require to revert back. You upload a newer version by going to the page of the file you want to update (simply click the image), then click on 'Upload a new version of the file', and the rest should be clear. If it does not change everything instantaneously, then I suggest you try again after waiting for a significant amount of time.


    Fig 5. Here you can upload a new version of a certain file.

    4.1 Wikimedia
    Speaking of not overburdening IIWiki's servers, did you know you can also link to files hosted the real life Wikipedia? Well, it took me an embarrassingly long time to figure it out -- that might just be me though. You can use images found on Wikipedia by using the exact same code you would if you were to upload an image directly to IIWiki -- just enter the name the file you want to access has on Wikipedia. I strongly suggest you use images already present on Wikipedia wherever possible.


    Fig. 6 Left is the result of using the simple code, as you can see: no border. The right is the result of using a border. Note that by default the image will be formatted to the right. Note: The feature depicted (displaying Imgur images on iiwiki) is no longer available

    Sometimes it is desirable to use the simpeler, no box, code. For instance, when you are putting images in infoboxes. What is an infobox you ask?

    5. Infoboxes
    An infobox is a beautiful piece of formatting that is often placed in the top right corner of an article. Usually it displays key information about a topic in an almost summarising fashion. Infoboxes are templates, for now it is not important on how you create a template or an infobox. The only thing you should know is that template articles have a fixed naming convention.

    Template:something something something

    Infoboxes are not the only templates, there are hundreds if not thousands of different templates. Most of them fall out of the scope for this guide however, so for now we will focus on the infobox templates. You can find an infobox by searching "Template:Infobox" in the IIWiki search bar. If you type this in without the quotation marks and without pressing enter, you can see the different types of infoboxes. What might come up is something like this:

    Template:Infobox Aircraft
    Template:Infobox Animal
    Template:Infobox Astronaut

    Let's take a look at the infobox for an economy page. Type "Template:Infobox economy" in the search bar, or click Linkthis hyperlink. On that page we will see a bunch of code, and on the right a visual representation of what the infobox will look like. Let's copy and paste the code in to our editor.

    Now comes the arduous task of filling out what is in essence a form. Wikipedia's templates are almost always more extensive than you will need, so you opting to leave some areas blank is a perfectly acceptable thing. The neat thing is, that if you leave a certain thing blank then nothing will show up there; thus keeping your infobox tidy. To fill in information you simply have to add it to the right of the equals sign (=).

    Sometimes an infobox question could be answered through the use of an image. In that case you can simply add the file name of your image behind the equals sign.


    Fig. 7 Parts of the infobox are filled out. Notice how the things I did not fill in were completely omitted in the preview.


    Fig. 8 In figure 7 we used an Imgur hosted image Note: Using imgur images is no longer possible; in this figure you can see how you can use a file hosted via IIWiki or Wikipedia.

    7. Tables
    "Lind! I have all this info that I am very enthusiastic to share. Does IIWiki have a way of displaying that information in an efficient, orderly and accessible way of displaying it?"

    Well my friend, you're in luck! Welcome to the hell that is tables. The codes for tables can get quite messy at times, but a good table can be oh-so rewarding. Now, how do we make a table? The easiest way of making a table is by finally opening that "advanced" tab in your editor.


    Fig. 9 After clicking the little pictogram of a table we will be greeted with a table-setup screen.

    This should be straightforward. Just add as many columns and rows as you need. Additionally you can make your table sortable; that way you can find out which country in your region produces the most amount of potatoes. Alternatively it could list all the nations in your region alphabetically. Let's make it sortable by ticking the "Make table sortable" box and just make a 3x3 table.


    Fig. 10 Just filling in the table

    In figure 10 you can see that what shows up is a bunch of code that vaguely resembles a table with placeholders like "Example" and "Header text". Let's just fill those in with something and press preview. Ah! Because I already know how to use this code By pure chance we made something that looks somewhat correct! It still looks of off though, but we'll come to making it look nice later.

    It bothers me that the "rank" column is way too large for its content; in the end it's just a single number. It's too wide. How could we make it smaller? Well, we can specify a style, specifically a size expressed in the amount of pixels. How do we do that? Well, we can just add some code:

    style="width:20px;"|

    Adding this code to the header text area we can set the width to 20 pixels. Note that the length of the text you put in the header will "dominate" over any value you put there.


    Fig. 11 Before adding the code and after. Notice how you can also make a column much wider by just putting a big number there. I suggest you try out different values and experiment with something that pleases you.

    It still looks off though. I don't like it that the rank numbers are formatted to the left of the cell. Can't it be centred? Oh yes it can! We can centre it by using this code:

    style="text-align:center"|


    Fig. 12 As you can see, the rank numbers are in the middle now.

    Read dispatch


    How to earn cards (you need 2 browsers)

    On Google Chrome, log into your Puppet, and answer 5 issues and open packs for each issue:

    Junk all the cards except for 1 common card. Go to that 1 common card.
    Gift that card to yourself(your main account,) then grab the URL of said card.

    On another Browser (Firefox), from your Main Nation, go to that URL, then sell that card for the money that your puppet holds.
    Puppet:

    So, from your MAIN account on Firefox, sell that card:

    Then grab the URL for that card, go there from your puppet (on Chrome) and buy it:

    Then wait 1 hour for the transaction to process:

    Then make (or log into) a new nation, and repeat the process.

    TIPS: it's actually FASTER if you gift the common card, THEN put up an offer for that common card, on the same puppet. THEN, you go back to your main account, and put up a SELL offer for that card. It will auto-match and you're done.

    Read dispatch


    The Extended Guide
    Part One: NationStates Gameplay

    Go Back to the Master dispatch.


    1.1 Nation Page

    The nation page is where you can find essential information about your Nationstates nation. At first glance, there’s already a description about your nation that reflects the recent actions you as a government have taken and the various aspects of your wonderful nation. Things mentioned include the population size, the specialization of the economy and even the psychology and behaviour of your people. Here you would also see the following;

    1. Civil Rights, Economy & Political Freedom Ratings
    These three are affected mainly by the issues that you choose to solve in your tenure in NS. If you are curious as to how these three components are faring in your run as a government, feel free to always check on these three bars.

    2. Influence
    Now Influence is a subtle part of your nation. It mostly correlates to the region you are in. Do not worry as this does not have game-changing effects if your influence is high or low. You gain a set amount of influence per endorsement and per position that you hold in the region (such as Regional Officers). Don’t get too caught up on it unless you’re looking to rise through the ranks!


    1.1.1 People, Gov’t and Economy

    The People tab describes the leading causes of death inside your nation via a pie chart. The ways people die in your nation can vary from 'Old Age' to 'Lost In Wilderness'. You can affect the leading causes of death just by answering issues, with the answers being a key factor to how people will die. Leading causes of death tend to be random as is impacts of issues.

    The Government tab shows the nature of your national expenditure. They are classified under:

    • Administration

    • Defense

    • Education

    • Environment

    • Healthcare

    • Industry

    • International Aid

    • Law & Order

    • Public Transport

    • Social Policy

    • Spirituality

    • and Welfare


    It also shows the total expenditure, as well as a percentage of GDP, spent on your nation. Answering issues contribute to the distribution of the money amongst the eleven aspects of the nation and will not spawn any additional category as the categories are fixed.

    The Economy tab displays your total GDP and the wages of the Poorest 10% and Richest 10% in your nation. The pie chart shows the nature of industries residing in your nation and is divided into three categories - Government, State-Owned, and Private. Like the People and Government tabs, the nature of your industries are directly affected by your answers for Issues.


    1.1.2 Rank & Trend

    Ranks are a very good way of determining how your nation stacks up against the others. In the rank page, your best statistic will be displayed on top while the worst at the bottom. You can toggle the display from actual position to percentile to see how your nation fares both at the regional and world level. You can see your best statistics displayed on your nation page at the very bottom of the description, with your Top 3 just below your Banner.

    The trends page is more towards to those who want to keep track of their nation’s progress over time. The default display shows the growth of Political Freedom, Economy and Civil Rights on the graph, with their growth over time being displayed. Specific statistics can also be kept track of and one can switch to a specific stat on the upper right corner of the site when in the Trends page. Hover the mouse over specific parts of the graph to see the actual numerical value.


    1.1.3 Miscellaneous (Influence & Top 10/Top 5)

    There are a number of ways that the game uses the term “Influence” to describe a quantity that has an impact on gameplay mechanics. To start, we’ll discuss what influence is from a very technical standpoint--how to get it, and what it’s for--and then we’ll finish up with what the labels you will see in various places mean.

    Influence is a statistic that can be viewed on one’s nation page, clicking the TREND icon, and then navigating to “Influence” in the drop-down menu.


    Once you load the next page, you’ll find a few pieces of information, including your regional and world ranks. For now, focus on the number called “Soft Power Disbursement Rating”, or SPDR for short. That number represents your earned influence in the game. There’s not a lot you have to do for you to earn influence in the game. You simply have to log in once every seven days. That’s it! Just for doing that you will get one point every 12 hours, at each of the game’s updates. Now, if you join the World Assembly and gain endorsements from your friends, or the leadership of the region, you will gain an additional point at each update for each endorsement. So, if you’re in the WA, and you have five endorsements, you will get five points for those, plus the one for yourself, making a total of 6 points each update. In User Created Regions, this number will only ever increase, but because of changes made to the game, in the Game Created Regions like the Pacific you will be capped at a total of six month’s worth of influence as if you had 10 endorsements. That works out to be 4015 SPDR. In other words, you’ll continue to gain influence until you are at least at that point. Pretty neat! But what’s it used for?

    If you become a Delegate or Regional Officer in the game, you can use this to perform various actions—putting a password on a region, or banning and ejecting nations from a region. If you are not Delegate or Regional Officer, you can’t spend Influence. It will cost a Delegate roughly half of your Influence in order to ban and eject you. So, if you have 100 SPDR, a Delegate would have to spend 50 SPDR to ban you from the region. That is the technical side of Influence.

    Influence is also referred to in another way. Individual nations have an Influence rank within their region. This simply refers to how much of the total influence that exists in a region is held by that nation. You’ll find the label on your nation page near the top. There are currently 31 ranks. From least to greatest they are:

    • Zero,

    • Unproven

    • Hatchling

    • Newcomer

    • Nipper

    • Minnow

    • Sprat

    • Shoeshiner

    • Page

    • Squire

    • Apprentice

    • Vassal

    • Truckler

    • Handshaker

    • Duckspeaker

    • Envoy

    • Diplomat

    • Ambassador

    • Auxiliary

    • Negotiator

    • Contender

    • Instigator

    • Dealmaker

    • Enforcer

    • Eminence Grise

    • Powerbroker

    • Power

    • Superpower

    • Dominator

    • Hegemony

    • and Hermit.


    These don’t really mean much, but can be a quick way of seeing how much Influence you have in comparison to others in the region.

    One neat feature in NationStates is a badge/achievement system based on your national stats. Each stat is ranked in the region and in the world, with each badge given appropriately based on category. Here is a screenshot of Emperor Emeritus Aleisyr’s badges at the time of writing.

    At Label A, you see “Top 1%” and if you look carefully, the first badge has a golden outline. That means that Aleisyr is ranked #1 in the world. What an achievement! The other gold badges, labelled B, mean he is ranked in the top 1% of the world. There are ~170,000 nations as of this writing, which means to earn a Top 1% badge, your nation must be ranked among the first 1,700 nations. These are ranked from highest to lowest. Label C refers to categories that are in the Top 5% of the world. Letter D, likewise, is the Top 10%. There are other badges that can be earned. Letter E shows that Aleisyr purchased the Postmaster General upgrade, and he has also found 8 easter eggs—hidden achievements in the game for performing various actions. Pretty cool! In addition to making your nation page decorative, ranking highly in stats usually help you out in special event games, such as the Challenge Mode listed below.


    1.1.4 Challenge Mode

    Ever wished for going to war using your perfectly designed nation? Fortunately, there's a way to do that. Well… kind of.
    NationStates introduced a new sub-game on its 10th anniversary, called Challenge (or Challenge Mode). In it, you can pit your nation against others (one at a time) and the game will compare random stats from both (again, one stat per round). The one with the higher stats wins the round. Some stat wins are determined by a hidden number embedded in the game code, in the event of a tie, like Number of Endorsements. The overall winner is the nation winning the majority of rounds.

    This section of the Guide endeavours to explain this game.
    Let us go about it by getting to know the various characteristics.

  4. Getting There :

    1. Log in to your nation.

    2. Go to any other nation's home page (main page with all the description).

    3. Click on the target symbol at the right end or bottom (below the political freedom tab)

    4. This will take you to the Challenge page which also has a brief explanation of how-to-play. (top right)

    5. Here's the direct link

  5. Options :
    You have a lot of options in choosing your opponent directly from the Challenge page.

    1. Matchmaker - This option pits you against a random nation at the same level as you.

    2. Random Region - It pits you against any random nation from your region.

    3. Random World - Same as random region, but for the world.

    4. Or you can choose your own opponent by going to its nation page and clicking the target icon as explained above.

    5. Levels :

      1. Levels are what decide the number of rounds you play against your opponent. Each nation has a level, that is increasable and decreasable.

      2. Your nation badges (Top 10%, 5%, & 1%) decide your base level. Gaining a badge increases level by 1. Vice Versa for losing a badge.

      3. Championship points, which you gain for winning a challenge, also increase level. These are what decode your rank in Challenge.

    6. The Rounds :

    7. The rounds are well explained on the Challenge page. Even if one doesn't understand it, playing a challenge or two shall make everything clear.

    8. Nevertheless, here are the basics :

      1. Nations with same level play 5 rounds.

      2. Nations with unequal levels play additional rounds equal to their level difference.

      3. Leading even by one round wins the challenge.

      4. Same wins on both sides is a draw. You can opt for a rematch or return to main page

    Make sure to check out the onsite help and how-to-play too. Moreover, feel free to ask if you need help.
    Have fun in Challenge!


  6. 1.2 Issues

    Every so often, nations will receive issues automatically, and decisions made after an issue will directly impact the state of a nation. By default, nations receive five issues a day, however, on the Settings page on your nation, you can alter this to 2 issues per day, 1 per day, or 1 per two days. Additionally, new nations receive issues at a much faster rate than older nations, and this rate goes down as population rises. A nation will stop receiving issues if it is in Vacation Mode or if it has amassed 5 issues.

    As you progress through answering issues, the game will gradually adapt to your playstyle and impacts can become more predictable. But exercise caution—a wrong click may change everything, so watch out!


    1.2.1 Choices

    Each issue has at least two choices that the leader can choose from, and the amount of choices available varies. Each issue will have a specific problem to be addressed in your nation, and the choices will have solutions presented to the owner of the nation. The owner of the nation may choose any of the choices, or, alternatively, choose to dismiss an issue. Once an option is chosen the issue will be resolved and have immediate effects on a nation.


    1.2.2 Impacts and Repercussions

    Once an issue is resolved, a page will be shown with the result of the choice the owner of the nation chooses. Additionally, at the bottom of the page, statistics will be shown regarding changes in nation policy, changes in nation classification, changes in ranks of political freedom, civil rights, and economy, and finally rises and drops in categories such as public transport, where either a positive or negative percentage will be shown to signify drops and rises on the scale.

    If a nation meets or exceeds a certain point in a category, a Banner may be given to the nation, which can then be displayed on the nation’s page.
    Additionally, if a nation chooses to dismiss an issue, no visible changes will occur in their nation.


    1.2.3 Special Issues

    Special issues encompass issues that unlock abilities, as well as chain issues.

    Special issues are given to nations with an available issue slot when they reach a certain population milestone. Once a nation reaches 250 million, 750 million, or 1 billion citizens, an issue will be given allowing for a capital city to be chosen, a nation leader to be chosen, or for a national religion to be chosen, in that order. If the choice to proceed with instituting these in a nation is chosen, abilities in the settings page will be unlocked enabling the player to edit names.

    Chain issues are issues that are given to nations by chance. When such an issue is received, a nation will receive another issue later depending on the choices made on the previous one, relating to the last issue that was decided on. The issue chain will not continue if one of those issues is dismissed.


    1.3 Telegrams

    Telegrams are a method of privately communicating between nations on NationStates. You can send telegrams using the Telegrams page, or, alternatively, at the bottom of a nation page, where there will be a button reading “Write Telegram”.

    The Telegrams page additionally allows for a user to search for and read telegrams sent by other nations. Telegrams are organized by default into 3 folders: the Inbox, the Archives, and Sent Telegrams, all of which can be accessed. The Archive and Inbox folders each hold up to 20 telegrams, after which point they are deleted from the inbox to make room for new telegrams.


    1.3.1 Customization

    The telegrams page has different preferences that a user can choose, based on what best suits them. This can be accessed using the Preferences link on the Telegrams page. These customizations include Display Preferences for the telegrams page, Filters for telegrams that will be sent for you, and an Ignore List.


    1.3.1.1 Blocking Recruitment Telegrams

    Recruitment telegrams are telegrams sent specifically to try and convince a nation to move to a different region. New nations are flooded with these telegrams, and older nations also receive them periodically. To prevent this, they can be blocked using the Filter on the Telegram Preferences page. Selecting “Block All” under Recruitment will prevent future recruitment telegrams being sent to your nation.


    1.3.2 Upgrades

    The NationStates Store page allows users to purchase upgrades to their Inboxes. Upgrades include new features such as a Deleted Telegrams folder, the ability to hold up to an unlimited amount of telegrams, the ability to create new folders, and telegram stamps. Telegram stamps allow a user to send mass telegrams to nations.


    1.4 Region page

    The region page contains all a region’s general information. A Founder and/or World Assembly Delegate nation will be displayed under the region name, as well as the region’s flag (if applicable) and the World Factbook Entry of the region. The World Factbook Entry can be created by the Founder, WA Delegate, or by any Regional Officer (RO) appointed, and it showcases a custom text, the ROs of a region, and any pinned dispatches the region may have.

    Under the World Factbook Entry one can find embassies that are established within the region, tags that label a region, a regional power indicator (this shows how much influence a region has compared to other regions), and the daily World Census report, where nations are ranked from highest to lowest comparatively to other nations in the region on a graph according to World Census data. Officers that possess Poll authority can additionally create polls that will be showcased on the region page, which will appear above the Regional Message Board.


    1.4.1 Regional Message Boards

    Every region has a Regional Message Board, which is viewable when scrolled to the bottom of the region page. It can also be seen in a forum view format, where only messages are viewable and you can click through pages, instead of clicking the option to see older messages on the region page. When composing a message, BBCode such as bolding text, italicizing text, underlining text, tagging nations, and tagging regions is available. NationStates allows you to both Like and quote previous messages, and Officers with Communications authority as well as NationStates moderators can suppress messages. After posting a message, users have the option of deleting a message or editing a message.


    1.4.1.1 Regional Message Board Roleplay

    NationStates is a nation simulation game and hence, it is obvious that we would have Roleplay (RP) here. The Pacific has two platforms for RP: the offsite forums, and the Regional Message Board (RMB). Let's look at the RMB Roleplay.

    By now you ought to have an excellent grasp on Stats. If not, read the relevant sections of this guide first.

    The RMB RP is based on your nation's Stats and Policies (more on Policies further down). On top of this, you can add your lore, unique characteristics, governments, technologies, or animals. The RP is based in the current era, and nations generally have the equivalent of Modern-Tech. This may vary based on individual stats, but you get the idea.

    Like all systems, the RP has simple rules that need to be followed to better RP with others and hence have the most fun. Read the RMB RP Guidebook, which contains our rules, and explanations on using stats. You can find it anytime on our region's home page.

    Passive RP (guidebook terminology) is more dominant on the RMB, usually with multiple plots existing simultaneously. You can also have a solo-RP with your own fictional elements, or you can join an ongoing plot with permission from its players or by contacting the Overseer, who'll then arrange it for you.

    Have a look in the RMB to get an idea about how the roleplay is done. Note that there is no set approach to RP and you are free to come up with your own methods. Everyone has their own style and you don't have to copy anyone. That said, our RMB is one of the friendliest places in NS and have no inhibitions in posting there and asking for help.


    1.4.2 Administration

    Administration can be viewed by all nations, if in a more limited sense than one with permissions can access. The different permissions that enable a player to edit the region page are designated by the site. Three types of regional positions can use the Administration page. In a Game Created Region (GCR), only the World Assembly Delegate (WAD) or a Regional Officer (RO) can utilize the page. In a User Created Region (UCR), a Founder has absolute control over the region and does not require any permissions on what they can do with the region so long as the UCR was created with an Executive Founder.

    This is a short guide on how to navigate and operate the Administration page of your region.


    Region Page:

    To access administration, click the admin icon.




    Administration Page:

    Regional Officers:

    “I want officers!”

    To appoint a Regional Officer (RO), click “Appoint New Officer.” From there, click on “Select a Nation.” There are the standard offices with set abilities to choose from. One may also choose the Custom field, which will result in this:

    “I chose custom. Now what?”

    First, name the Office in the first field. In the second field, select whichever controls you wish for your Regional Officer to possess.

    • “Appearance” allows your selected RO to edit the flag, content, and superficial aspects of the administration panel.

    • “Border Control” allows for banning or banjecting nations in the region. If you are a WA Delegate rather than a Founder, you must have held the position for 26 hours to appoint an Officer with Border Control. You may appoint one nation for every 26 hours you have been a Delegate.

    • “Communications” pertains to Telegrams, which can be regional or recruitment and can suppress Regional Message Board posts.

    • “Embassies” allows the RO to allow embassy posting, accept new embassies, or propose new embassies.

    • Lastly, “Polls” allows the RO to make polls for the region.

    Appearance

    “So I see a text box now. What’s up with that?”

    The World Factbook Entry (WFE) is the regional information page. On the WFE, information about the region is typically input by the Delegate, Founder, or a RO. Founders who do not wish to allow changes to the WFE by other individuals can take away executive Delegate authority and/or remove Appearance from the abilities of existing RO. Code is allowed, images are not enabled, and there is no limit to the number of changes one wishes to enact in any given time span. The code enabled is BBcode. The guide applying to that can be found here: [insert link]

    “I want a new flag”

    A flag is uploaded from a computer or phone and is resized to fit the site requirements automatically. All flags are subject to the site rules—no images with illegal content are permitted. Anyone with Appearance permissions can change the flag.

    “What about Dispatches?”

    Dispatches are either custom written for the region or imported from existing Dispatches or Factbooks. More information on Dispatches may be found here. Click on the following to access options for a Dispatch:

    “What on earth is a tag?”

    Tags are used to identify the region’s attributes. You may add or remove as many as you wish. They are added manually, one-by-one. They are removed also in that manner. The ability to change tags is granted to anyone with Appearance controls. Keep in mind that when you are recruiting, you may not recruit from a region without the “Recruiter Friendly” tag.

    (As a warning, having the Fascist tag is guaranteed to result in a raid at some point.)

    Embassies:

    Embassies are controlled by those with Embassy permissions. They are usually indicative of relations with another region. One can request an Embassy by visiting the administration page of another region, or by accepting an invitation which can be found in your regional controls. Some people enjoy collecting embassies, others only accept embassies from allies.

    Communications:

    Yes, there are a number of controls for Telegrams (TGs). There are the custom settings for the region (setting a regional welcome TG), and settings to send out manual recruitment TGs (these are only really employed by UCRs, but can be used by GCRs who believe recruitment is necessary). Controls can be edited to send TGs to newly founded nations, nations who leave the region, all nations within the region. TGs which intend recruitment must be marked as such, or there will be modly action.

    Border Control:

    Border Control settings belong exclusively to a Founder, an Executive World Assembly Delegate, and any Regional Officer with the appropriate permissions. A Founder has unlimited controls which do not require influence to utilize. However, any other position wishing to use Border Controls is required to have sufficient influence. To find more information on influence calculation, see this guide: [insert link].

    “I want a password!”

    Passwords prevent nations from entering, particularly those without visible passwords. A visible password is possible to leak due to the fact that any nation in the region can see it. Founders do not require influence to set a password. All other positions do.

    “So, I want to ban this guy…”

    Again, influence is necessary in all cases except that of the Founder. Any nation, including yourself, may be banned. You can choose to ban in other locations, but the Administration page is also sufficient, as it enables you to estimate how much influence it will cost you to ban a problematic nation.

    Polls:

    To set up a poll, one merely clicks on the “New Poll” option. The result should appear as such:


    1.4.3 BBCode

    The technical name for formatting codes on NationStates is NSCode, but most of you will be more familiar with the term BBCode. There are several places where such code can be used, and each example will be followed by D for Dispatch, T for Telegrams, R for RMB, W for WFEs, and P for WA Proposals. If a code can be used in every location, it will be denoted by E. All tags will be in square brackets [ ] and will need both an open bracket [ ] and a close bracket [/]. In addition, you can stack multiple tags on the same piece of text, but be sure to close them in the reverse order of which they were opened. In other words, if you used the bold tag, then the italics tag, you’d close the italics tag, then close the bold tag.

    Text Formatting Codes (E):
    You can make your text bold by surrounding the text with the b tag.
    This text is Bold.
    You can make your text italicized with the i tag.
    This text is Italicized!
    You can underline your text with the u tag.
    This text is underlined
    You can strike out text with the strike tag.
    This text shows a strike out.
    You can use superscripts and subscripts with the sup and sub tags, respectively.
    Here is a Superscript and here is a subscript example.

    If you want to show someone an example of your code, but do not want it to automatically turn into formatted text, you can use the pre tag (E).

    This text will not format even if I use [b]bold[/b], [i]italics[/i] or [u]any[/u] other tags.
    .

    Useful NS Codes (E):
    You can refer to Nations and Regions by using the nation and region tags.
    The nation tag has 3 variants: nation, nation=short, and nation=noflag, and the latter two are able to be combined into nation=short+noflag. Nation will include the pre-title of a nation, short will just include the nation name and noflag will remove the little flag icon from the mention. An even faster way to get the nation tag is to use @nationname, and the game will automatically create the tag for you.
    East Durthang or East Durthang or East Durthang and finally East Durthang.
    You can link to a region by enclosing the region name with the region tag: The Pacific is the best region in the game.
    There are two WA related tags, proposal and resolution, that can help you campaign for, or discuss things related to the WA. You can use these tags everywhere. To use [proposal, you’ll need the proposal ID. It looks like this: [proposal=ProposalID]Here is a proposal[/proposal].
    To use the resolution tag, you’ll need the the Council ID (GA, SC, or UN) and Resolution ID (#X) which looks like this: Some Text Here.

    Sometimes you want to hide your content to save space. In that event, you can use the Spoiler tag (E). You can either go with the default tag,

    Like this!
    or use a modifier to customize the text on the button like this
    To show hidden text here
    .

    You can also use links with the url tag. There are Internal links (E) and External links (D, W). To use this, you put your Link text here. If the link is internal, you can omit the tag altogether and it will format for you.

    You can also use NSCode to make bulleted lists (E). The tags are list and *. Using the list tag will also let you set what kind of bullets you’d like to use. Left empty, your bullets will be standard, but the other options are 1, a, i, A, I. This will create lists with numbers, lowercase letters, lowercase roman numerals, uppercase letters, and uppercase roman numerals, respectively. The * tag is used for each item in the list. In addition, you can nest a list within a list to switch which kind of bullet you are using.

    Some places allow the use of color (D, W). The color tag (also works with colour) can take both names of colors and hexadecimal color codes. Red text or Orange text.

    In the RMB, you can use the quote tag without using the quote button, but you’ll need the author and post ID to do this. [quote=nationname;postID]Here is some text that I said.[/quote].

    The rest of the codes only apply to dispatches. You can highlight some text by using the background and background-block. Again, you can choose the color by name or hexadecimal. Use background for a single line or a few words, and use background-block for longer sections of text consisting of multiple lines.

    You might also want to change the font itself, in which case you’ll want the font tag. You can specify which font you want, or multiple in the event your font does not display on someone else’s screen--just separate them by commas and put them in order of preference. This is courier font.

    You can align your text with the align or center/centre tags. The options for the align tag are left, right, center, and justify.

    If you want to put an image in your dispatch, you can do so with the img tag. [img]url.jpg[/img].

    You can float images or text with the float tag. This lets you, for example, surround text by images on both sides.

    Text
    would put the text on the right side of the page. And whatever came after would be in the same line, but in the left side of the page.

    You can also make nice looking boxes with the box tag. These cannot be nested to make a box within a box. You can, however, use a sidebar tag to create a second box that will float on the right side of the page.

    You can indent your text with the tab tag, and the number of pixels you would like to indent said text. This text is indented.

    You can create anchors in your dispatch so that you can link to specific parts of the dispatch. You create the anchor by using the set, and then you can link to that spot with the url tag, substituting #NAMEOFANCHOR where the URL went previously: Go here!.

    Finally, there are tables available in dispatches. You use the table tag to open a table, a tr tag to create a row, and then td tags within tr tags to create the cells. You can choose to have borders or get rid of them by using

    . [table]

    First row, first cell

    First row, second cell

    Second row, first cell

    Second row, second cell

    Third row, first cell

    Third row, second cell

    Be careful to make sure you put the same number of td tags inside each set of tr tags.

    That’s all there is to know about NSCode, but if you need a more in-depth, visual version of this, there’s an excellent dispatch.


    1.5 World Assembly

    The World Assembly is the world's governing body, à la the United Nations. It also is the main way through which Delegates can be elected. There are three major functions that the World Assembly serves.

    First, members of the World Assembly can propose (so long as they have more than 2 endorsements) legislation to the General Assembly or Security Council. The former primarily deals with international legislation. The latter primarily deals with regional politics and community recognition of players.

    Second, in every region, the Delegate is the person with the most endorsements. Those endorsements are effectively votes given by WA members.

    Third, in every region, the number of endorsements a person has determines the rate at which they gain something called 'influence', which determines the cost to ejecting and banning some person and can be spent on regional access actions.


    1.5.1 Acquiring WA Membership

    While you may only have one nation in the World Assembly at some time, acquiring WA membership is easy. You will need to link your nation to an email. Then, simply go to the WA page and click apply. After receiving the verification email, click the link, and you will be a WA member. The game has a number of sophisticated checks to determine whether someone has multiple World Assembly nations. The administration team is very wary of releasing information on those checks, but all indications show they are reasonably effective.


    1.5.2 Endorsing

    Endorsing a nation is quite simple. If you are a WA member, simply go to the page showing the nation you want to endorse, scroll to the bottom, and click the button saying 'Endorse'.
    To protect our nation from invaders, the Pacific mandates that you endorse our emperor: East Durthang and if you wish: Xoriet, Jar Wattinree, Samasbhi and The Seeker of Power. Two of our regional officers use their WA account in our military so may or may not be a member of the WA. They are: Marinas Island and Shnailand you can endorse them if they are currently in the WA on their main nations.

    To safeguard our region, nations can have no more than 10 endorsements. Exarchate can have 25 and Senators can have 100. If you get pushed over the endorsement cap—don’t worry, you won’t get punished, but ask them to unendorse you, and if they still haven’t the PG will deal with it. Remember you are not allowed to actively ask for endorsements, as this could get you banned from the region


    1.5.3 Voting

    From time to time, the World Assembly will have votes. There, there are two classes of voters: Delegates and nations. Delegates receive a number of votes equal to the number of endorsements they have, plus one, for their own nation. Nations all receive one vote. These votes are cast in World Assembly page. There are two chambers, the General Assembly and Security Council, both of which these votes are applicable in. Delegates also serve a secondary function in determining whether or not a proposal can reach the general voting populace. This is a screening function, requiring that legislation gain approval from 6% of Delegates before coming to a general vote. As of this writing, out of 1,368 Delegates, 6% means 83.


    1.5.4 General Assembly

    The General Assembly is the world's legislative body. There, international legislation is debated and voted upon. The Assembly has passed legislation on many different topics, ranging from prohibitions on slavery, protections for humanitarian aid workers, rights for the people to petition the government and express themselves, to protecting the environment.


    1.5.5 Security Council

    The Security Council is a body with three powers: Commend, Condemn, and Liberation. Commend and Condemn are resolutions which give nations or regions badges. Generally, people consider these to be rewards for playing the game well in a good or evil manner. Thus, prominent raiders are rewarded for their skill with Condemn badges. And people like GA resolution authors or defenders are rewarded for their skill writing resolutions with Commend badges. Liberations strike down delegate imposed passwords. It does not affect Founder-imposed passwords. And it is generally used to aid in the liberation of regions which have imposed passwords.


    1.5.6 Authoring a GA/SC Resolution

    The General Assembly has a relatively complicated ruleset, which has a number of requirements. You can read it here., The people in charge of determining whether something meets the requirements of that ruleset are the members of the GA Secretariat, also known as GenSec. Some of the more complicated of these rules are the Category and Originality rules. The Category rule requires that the text of some proposal match the description of the category under which it is submitted. Thus, a proposal dealing with food waste cannot be classified under Human Rights, which is described as 'A resolution to improve worldwide human and civil rights'. The Originality rules are two-fold. But in summary, a proposal cannot violate or duplicate the provisions of another one. For example, as the World Assembly has legislation banning slavery, there is no need to ban slavery once again. The Security Council is more simple and has four rules. They are prohibitions on commending or condemning staff members, plagiarism and duplication, a requirement that there be an operative clause and a requirement that texts be written so to represent the opinion of the World Assembly. If you have a proposal that you want to send before either chamber, it is recommended that you post that proposal to that chamber's forum for comment. Proposals can be submitted without such comment, but due to the many intricacies of the ruleset, it can be hard to figure all of these out without assistance. However for both chambers, after submission, a proposal must gain approvals from delegates before it can be voted upon. There is a few-days-long limit on how long proposals remain up for approvals. As nowhere near six per cent of delegates regularly check the queue (and fewer still will approve), you must campaign for your proposal.

    There are three ways to campaign for a proposal. The first is manual campaigning, which is effectively the same as sending a telegram one after another for hours. Unless you do not value your time, this is infeasible. The second method is to use stamps. This is relatively cheap but requires that you have a non-zero amount of money to spend. The third is to use the API. That is probably too technical for this, but you may want to refer to this guide After writing a telegram politely asking delegates to approve your proposal, it will take around a day or two until it gains the necessary number of approvals. When the floor is empty and your proposal is the first proposal in the queue that meets quorum, it will be promoted to the floor and the vote will begin.


    1.5.7 World Assembly Trivia
    Did you know the World Assembly used to be called the United Nations? For the first six years of NationStates’ existence (from 2002 to 2008) member nations were called U.N. Members, nearly 244 U.N. resolutions were passed, and the WA page url (page=un) came from this era. That changed when, on April 1st 2008, the creator of the game, Max Barry, received a Cease-and-Desist letter from the actual United Nations regarding NS’ usage of their name! How cool is that!

    You can read more about it here.



    1.6 The World

    The World is the page where you'll find the featured region of the day, plus that day's world census rankings, and an activity section for the entire game.

    Search Bar
    The most important feature of this page is the Search Feature at its top. The obvious "magnifying glass" search symbol at its right top (with a search bar when on PC) is the best tool of this page.

    How to use the Search Bar :

    1. Click on the Search Bar (or the search symbol on phone) at the top right of the World Page.

    2. Type the name of the region or nation that you want to search. For nations, only type the name and not the pretitle.

    3. Suggestions will appear in the drop-down table as you type.

    4. Click on a suggestion if you find what you wanted, or click search.

    5. The results will display nations and/or regions that match your exact search term.

    This function is especially useful for searching & moving regions and searching for nations.

    Featured Region
    One region is selected at random from all existing regions to be the featured region for the day. Its World Factbook Entry (WFE), number of nations, Founder, and Delegate are mentioned.

    World Rankings
    This section just displays the world's top nations in the stat chosen for the day. For instance, if today's stat is Weather, the top few nations will be shown here. A similar section exists on each region page.

    That's all there is to the World Page. To access the page, click on the "The World" link at the left tab, or the expanded menu (click on the 3 horizontal lines) on phone. Just in case someone didn't know.



    1.7 Dispatches

    You might have seen various articles onsite about various topics ranging from guides to campaigns. The very guide that you are now reading has been published by a nation and can be accessed by navigating to the second symbol on a nation's page, right below your motto, called Dispatches.

    So what are these dispatches?

    When you click on the [factbook image] symbol, it takes you to the Create Dispatch page , where you can choose between Factbook, Bulletin, Account, and Meta. It is explained there as to what each of these are for, but basically, Factbook & Account are for In-Character things while Bulletin & Meta are for Out Of Character (regional or general non-nation) stuff.

    Some examples are :
    Dispatches (OOC) (with categories)
    The RMB Roleplay Guidebook which is a Bulletin->Policy.
    How to join the WA which is a Meta->Reference.
    Factbooks (IC) (with categories)
    Administrative Offices (Factbook->Politics)
    Nation Wiki (Factbook->Overview)

    Creating one is easy. Just type your content in a nice readable way and you're good to go! Don't miss the BBCode section of this Guide if you want to do those cool looking dispatches with index, tables, images and stuff. Have fun, and don't hesitate to ask for help.



    1.8 Settings

    In this section, we are going to look at the Settings page. This is the place where you can set the parts of your nation that are unique to you.

    We'll first look at how to access it :
    In the sidebar present at the right side (press the 3 horizontal bars in mobile version), you'll find "Settings". Click (or touch) on it to enter the Settings page.

    Once here, you can set any of these:

    • Pretitle (or Classification)

    • Motto

    • Currency

    • Animal

    • Capital

    • Leader

    • Religion

    • Flag

    • and Banner

    This is easy, as everything is on a single page, and you just need to scroll down to find the part that you want to edit or change.
    Let us look at all the elements sequentially :
    Nation Name -
    Your nation name is unchangeable once the nation is created. However, you can change the capitalization however you want. Just click on the box to type.
    Pretitle -

    1. The Pretitle is the part of your nation name that comes before the name. You set it while nation creation itself, like "Commonwealth", "Empire", "Republic", among others. It will look like this : The ...Pretitle... of nation name.

    2. Example - The Empire of Samasbhi. (With pretitle Empire)

    3. Click on the box at "Classification" to set it.

    4. After reaching a population of 500 million, the pretitle dropdown menu disappears, and you get to have a custom pretitle (type it in the box).

    5. "The" and "of" are unchangeable, so titles like "The Great" will show as The The Great of *nation-name*" with the bolded "the" and "of" permanent.

    6. So to get The Seventh Dimensional Realm of Samasbhi, I just type "Seventh Dimensional Realm" in the box.

    Flag -
    The flag section has a drop down menu where you can choose from the flags of real life nations. Else, you can upload your own custom flag ! Just follow these steps :

    1. You need an image for your flag. Create it yourselves, take one from the internet, or go click one. It's up to you.

    2. Now that you have selected an image, you need to save it on your device, in order to upload. Name it such that you can locate it easily. Image links don't work, so don't waste time there.

    3. Below the grey (blank) flag image, you'll find a "Create Custom Flag" option. Click on it.

    4. This will open a window displaying files &/or folders on your device. Navigate to where you have stored the image, and select it.

    5. This should upload your image file, and show it in the blank flag's space. That's it. You now have a custom flag ! Don't close the page. You need to press the "Update" button at the page's end to save the changes.

    6. If the image doesn't show, or you get some error, it is probably because of the following-

      1. You accidentally chose the wrong file (which may not be an image).

      2. Your image format is not PNG, JPG, or JPEG, which are the only formats supported. Try using a format converter.

      3. Your image size is too large. It should preferably be less than 1 MB.

      4. The universe doesn't want you to have a custom flag. But don't lose hope. Try the whole thing again.

    Unlockables -
    The following things are unlocked on reaching a certain nation size, that is, a certain population.

    1. Capital - Unlocked on reaching 250 million citizens.

    2. Custom Pretitle - Unlocked on reaching 500 million citizens. This is the only unlockable that is not preceded by an Issue.

    3. Leader Name - Unlocked on reaching 750 million citizens.

    4. National Religion -Unlocked on reaching 1 billion citizens.

    Four banners can also be unlocked on reaching certain population levels.

    Currency, Animal, & Motto -
    Go through the settings page to find the boxes for Currency, Animal, and Motto. Click (or touch) on them and type what you want.
    Don't forget to press the "Update" at the end of the page before exiting.

    Demonym -
    The Demonym decides what referencing elements of your nation will get. Clicking (or touching; yeah I'm not ignoring the phone people.) on the "?" will open choices constituting noun, adjective, and plural. You can set up each of them individually, or just the first one. The others will be set automatically.
    Alternatively, you can choose to completely ignore this part, as the game provides you with a demonym (however inaccurate it may be).

    Banners -
    Banners are the images that you see on your nation page at the top, above your nation name. At various population levels, up to 5 custom banners can be unlocked where you can upload images of your choice to be displayed on your nation page. The banner part is found at the bottom of the settings page.
    The uploading procedure is nearly the same as that of flags so you'll get this easily. Just make sure the image you choose is of appropriate dimensions (approx. length:breadth=5:2) otherwise it will be flattened and distorted.
    Another way to access banners is by clicking on the picture on your main nation page. It will also take you to the same page as by through settings. There, you can choose whether to deactivate any banner or make one primary (it will be shown first when someone visits your nation page). Banners are randomly shown every time.

    E-Mail -
    The email section enables you to set an email for your nation. It is visible only to you, and is used for WA purposes and to notify you if your nation is going to CTE (Cease To Exist). It is also useful to recover your nation password.

    Password -
    As is apparent, here you can change your nation password. Simple enough.
    Don't forget to press the UPDATE button at the bottom of the page before exiting Settings, else your changes won't be saved.
    This brings us to the end of the Settings Section. Hope you have understood everything. Have fun in NS !



    1.9 NS Forum

    The NationStates forum is considered separate from the actual NationStates game (NS) and has its own rules governing how conduct is to be done. But the forum is where the vast majority of interactions on NationStates happens, and one will miss a lot if they do not check out the forum at least once.

    There are a number of subforums within the greater NS forum, each with its own speciality and brand of rules for participants. They are as follows:

    National and International Roleplaying — this is where nations can roleplay with others without having to use embassies or gathering in regions. Of all of the subforums on NS this explicitly is In Character, e.g. you are speaking as a member of your nation and not as you as a player. This subforum has a number of smaller forums devoted to various aspects of roleplay.
    They are:

    1. Factbooks and National Information — a place to put your factbooks, embassy exchanges with other nations, and miscellaneous information.

    2. NationStates — a place where nations can talk about various things In Character, e.g. wars or legislation.

    3. International Incidents — a place where nations can declare war on one another or issue international sanctions, but mostly relating to warfare.

    4. Global Economics and Trade — a place where your the nation can sell your wares to others, everything from tanks and antimatter bombs to concrete and lunar colonies.

    5. NS Sports — a place where you can send your nation’s athletes to participate in Football, American Football, Tennis, or national animal ball; and other sports-related activities.

    World Assembly — the forum relating to matters of the World Assembly, where nations can submit proposals and have them peer-reviewed. It is divided into three subforums:

    1. General Assembly — for submitting proposals on improving the international world, and for other WA members to offer critiques and advice.

    2. Security Council — unlike the GA, the SC is devoted to three things: Condemning and Commending nations and regions, and Liberating regions. Condemnation and Commendation are badges given to nations or regions who are (in)famous throughout the NS world and can be given either for gameplay or roleplay reasons. Liberations are limited to regions only and are used to free regions from invaders.

    3. WA Archives — a read-only forum, the Archives are where passed Resolution threads are stored for posterity. It contains a sub-archive for historical resolutions.[/list

      National and Regional Gameplaying — the forum where the politics of the WA and the style of Roleplay is combined. Players can interact either by themselves or as representatives of their region.

      1. Gameplay — this is where regions post their regional updates in their own specific threads, where citizens and officers alike can comment, similar to how nations IRL interact with one another.

      2. Got Issues? — this is where the Issues one encounters every day are drafted and posted for peer-review before being submitted into the game.

      Nuts and Bolts — the forum where the mechanics of the site are discussed, usually by nations who have found bugs or glitches, and where admin tests betas. This is also where the NS Forum rules are reported to for the moderators to enforce.

      1. Technical — this is for bug reports, questions on the game, suggestions for improvements, and beta testing.

      2. Moderation — this is where one can go to the mods for help regarding an issue on the forum anywhere. Do not confuse this with the Getting Help Center.

      General Discussion — the forum where one can discuss anything. Quasi-social media section.

      1. General — this is where one can discuss virtually anything relating to the real world, most notably politics. One must have a cool head, for there are many opposing views held by many extreme nations. This is not a roleplay forum.

      2. Arts & Fiction — this is where one can discuss anything related to literature and culture, and existential angst.

      Fifth Dimension — the forum where everything else is discussed. Non-NationStates roleplaying, chatting, and the Card game.

      1. Portal to the Multiverse — for non-NationStates roleplay.

      2. Trading Cards — for the NS Card game introduced for the 2018 April Fools event and is now a permanent event as of December 21st, 2018. Originally it was called NS: The Lootboxing, which is a pun on Magic: The Gathering.

      3. Forum 7 — for relaxation, sharing jokes, having fun.

      Archive — the graveyard for all threads that have reached 500 pages worth of posts.


      1.9.1 NS Forum Etiquette

      The NS forums are one of the primary ways to get your nation warned or deleted, none of which, contrary to the belief of a few certain players, is a good thing. It is advisable to familiarise yourself with this, as lack of knowledge of the rules does not exempt you from them. Broadly, using common sense, keeping things PG13 and being nice to other players is the general gist. If you’re unsure about something or think there might be the faintest possibility of getting hit for something, read the rules and ask an older nation, one of the Praetorian Guards, or a Senator.

      If you get warned, or an unofficial warning, jump off for a bit, then revisit it. If you still don’t see anything wrong with what you did, contact one of the PG or Senate for help with the appeal. Don’t flame moderation, as that can be an easy way to gain more warnings and lose a nation.

      Specifically, regarding the Gameplay and Security Council forums, try to avoid posting in threads without talking to Senate first. They are filled with players who will attempt to twist your words for political gain and use them to harm the Order. Read the thread without posting first, and if you feel that you must post, get a Senator to run through your post first. Always exercise caution.

      The Moderation forum, unless marked with [Discussion], is a report only forum. Unless you are reporting someone, or have been reported, try to ignore the forum. If you are reporting or have been reported/warned, ask PG or Senate, rather than stumbling in and clocking up a series of warnings and getting kicked from the game. It has happened far too many times, no you’re not going to be the exception, there is no shame in getting a second opinion for something, and no, we don’t mind.

      There a few rules to pay particular attention to:

      1. Flaming: Attacks against players, and you can be penalised even if you didn't intend it.

      2. Flamebaiting: Posts that aren't illegal on their own, but will likely get someone to respond angrily.

      3. Spam/Gravedigging/Threadjacking: Posting lots of posts, bumping topics, posting in super old posts, posting stuff that sidetracks the thread etc. Also don't call people trolls, as you’ll be warned.

      4. Rule lawyering: Basically, disagreeing with mods. There are correct ways of doing this, but they are situational, so ask for assistance rather than relying on a guide on how to do this. Also don't pretend to be a mod/fake warn people. This is against the rules.

      5. Harassment: Both keep everything PG-13 (innuendos included), and don't target someone. If you're in doubt whether you’re an issue, the likely answer is you are.

      In general, follow the NS rules and don’t be stupid. Treat the SC, Moderation and Gameplay as read-only. General is where the majority of warnings are handed out. If you make someone “butthurt” they may report you, and it doesn’t matter if you’re right or wrong, it’s the wording you use. When you are unsure about something or need to appeal something ask one of the Senators or a member of the Praetorian Guard. Following the above, you should be fine.


      1.10 NationStates Events

      On two or three occasions per year, Max Barry and the NationStates Admin team put together special events for the players. These events consist of different games, which engage the entire site. Some you can choose not to participate in, and some you are automatically involved in. The day where the most diverse games are found is April Fools (the games differ every year). The other days are in August and October, called N-Day and Z-Day. Here is an explanation of the main events:


      1.10.1 Z-Day

      Z-Day is an annual event that takes place in the Halloween vicinity. It runs for 32 hours. Zombies gradually infect your nation, turning your population into zombies. When you are hit by any of the means to cure, kill, or turn, your nation is relegated to a cooldown period. For the period of time of the event, any region may be passworded for no cost to prevent invasions from the outside. The same applies to ejecting nations who threaten the region. The site documents statistics and keeps a leaderboard up for you to view throughout the event. The three ways in which you may deal with zombies are:

      Cure the Zombies: “Research Cure” enables you to develop a method to combat the zombie menace (Cure Missiles). Cure Missiles are fired at other nations to cleanse them of zombies. With each upgraded Cure Missile, a greater number of zombies are cured. Most regions attempt to cure their zombie infestation.

      Kill the Zombies: “Exterminate Zombies” gives you the power to deploy military forces (Tactical Zombie Elimination Squads) to kill the zombies in other nations. This will kill the population of that nation. With each upgrade, your military force will kill more zombies per nation. A sizeable but not considerable number of regions elect to kill the zombies.

      Turn the Humans: “Embrace Undead” will give you the ability to turn the population of other nations into zombies via deployment of zombies (Hordes). As you upgrade, the Hordes grow larger and more infectious. Regions who choose this option typically invade other regions to infect them.

      The thorough run-down to Z-Day can be found in this news release

      Tally Board for Z-Day(s):


      1.10.2 N-Day

      On August 26, the International Day Against Nuclear Tests, the site hosts N-Day, which is where the ability to nuclear bomb everyone is spawned. The event lasts for 24 hours. If you refrain from joining a Faction, you will not be affected; however nor will you be able to participate. Only nations in a Faction may fire Nukes at other nations. Being hit with a Nuke or Shield will reset the countdown to your next use of either. A nation is targeted with a Nuke before it actually makes contact, which gives you or an ally time to respond with a Shield on your nation. When a Nuke hits a nation, it is afflicted with Radiation, which slows Production and makes it more difficult to generate Nukes or Shields.

      Nations participating are assigned a speciality, which designates what their nation can accomplish during N-Day. The specialities are as follows:

      Military Specialists: Receive 50% more Nukes when converting Production (can build more Nukes).
      Strategic Specialists: Receive 50% more Shield when converting Production (can build more shields).
      Economic Specialists: Their cap for Production is 200% higher (can build more of both).

      The site explanation for attacking and defending reads as such:

      Attacking:

      On your Production screen, spend some of your Production to build Nukes. These go into your stockpile.

      On another nation's Nuke page, click/tap the TARGET button and select the number of Nukes to use.

      Once targeted, it takes 10 minutes for your Nukes to reach a READY state. Note that your targeted page is public: All nations can see who is targeting whom.

      When your targeted Nukes are ready, click/tap LAUNCH.

      Your Nukes are now categorized as launches for you and incoming for your target. Launched Nukes take 3-5 minutes to reach their target. When they do, they earn strikes for you and inflict radiation on the target, which reduces their rate of Production. This also earns score for your Faction and reduces the enemy Faction's Score. A nation with 100% radiation is out of the game.

      Defending:

      On the Production screen, spend Production to build Shield.

      Find Launched Nukes to destroy. Your top priority is any Incoming Nukes launched at you. Secondarily, you may wish to target Incoming Nukes on anyone in your Faction (see your Faction's Incoming page), and also keep an eye on Targeted Nukes that may threaten you or your Faction in the near future.

      Click/tap DESTROY to deploy 1 Shield per Nuke.

      Factions:

      Factions are the centre of how the game works. As stated above, you need to join a faction to participate. Usually, your region will have chosen a faction, which may consist of one or more regions banding together for the event. You can use multiple nations in this. Factions are typically organized on an offsite Discord or directed on the Regional Message Board for those who don’t have Discord. Your faction might enter into alliances or sign non-aggression pacts (NAPs) with other factions. Pay attention to those so you don’t ruin relations between your Factions.

      Event Information

      Past Tallies


      1.10.3 Trading Cards

      Trading Cards was originally the April Fools event for 2018. Max Barry decided to expand it into a constant event. Trading Cards is a game wherein the nations of NS have been converted into card form. Originally this included some ex-nations, but in the new expansion that will be released, that will no longer be the case. Current nations make up the cards. Some cards sell for much higher prices than others.

      The most common way to make money was puppet farming, which is using puppets to make money which was then transferred to the main nation by selling off unwanted cards for high cash amounts. The currency is online, not real, and no profit can be made from this off the site.

      Playing With The Cards:

      To play this game, you open a Loot Box, which your nation will receive at regular time intervals, and can build your deck. In the revival, the loot boxes have a 15% chance of dropping every time you open an issue. You have the option of keeping the card, selling the card or junking the card for profit. Junking the card grants you the same amount of profit as the card is worth at base price. Selling the card on the market can be completely profitable.

      To learn the best ways to make money for the more expensive cards, feel free to ask on the NPO Discord (https://discord.gg/g5x6UZ4) when this event goes back up.

      Original Announcement

      Re-Release Announcement

      Deck Statistics

      Update


      Go to Dispatch Two: The New Pacific Order


    Read dispatch


    Method 1:
    1. Go to world page
    2. Scroll down to activity
    3. Click the first thing that pops up
    4. Request embassies with it.
    (If it is a nation, go to the region that nation is in.)


    Method 2:
    1. Go to some obscure region (or a region with lots of embassies)
    2. See what that region has embassies with
    3. Request embassies with those regions
    Or request with one embassy that region has and continue on a requesting embassy spiral. Either one works.
    4. Make your way down the list (There’s a reason that the embassies are numbered!) keep track if you want to continue later


    Method 3:
    1. Look closely at the world activity for newly founded regions
    2. Request embassies with them.
    Read factbook


    If you want to see the original dispatch, check it out here.

    These other methods are also really really fast and will get you embassies very efficiently with active regions.

    page=dispatch/id=973453

    This new method I discovered will help you get embassies with any region.


    This method was discovered by Captain lard and Kirb birb while discussing the release of Toy Story 5.

    This could quite possibly be the best method for requesting embassies ever made.

    Step 1: Click on the button that says, “Tired of life in Lardyland?” (Or you can just use this link: page=change_region )

    Step 2: In the top right corner of the page, there should be a little button that says, “Surprise Me!” (It’s next to the search bar)

    It should pull up any random region on NationStates.

    Step 3: Request embassies with that region

    WARNING: DO NOT MOVE TO THE REGION, ONLY REQUEST EMBASSIES WITH IT.

    I’m not sure if this method is faster than the activity method or not, but Embassy makers should test it out and see if it is.

    Keep in mind that this new method will help you get embassies with any region, which could mean inactive ones. But it also increases the chance that the region you go to will not have embassies with us already.

    Read dispatch



    The Anatomy of the Coup (Series)...

    The Anatomy of the Coup: How Francos Spain Won (2017)
    Anatomy of the Coup II: Attack of the Puppets (2018)
    The Invasion of the North Pacific
    Anatomy of the Coup III: TEP, the Early Days (2018)
    Something Stirs: The History of Early Balder & Osiris (2020)

    Death and Denial: NationStates in its Twentieth Year (2022)

    A collection of eight essays in honour and reflection of NationStates.

    Some of my earlier writings ...

    The Polysemes of Nativeness: Two Fundamental Conceptions of Nativeness Unravelled and Compared (2012)
    This essay is best known for introducing "regionalism" and "cosmopolitanism".
    LinkThe Transpacific Trade: NationStates as a Symbiosis between User-Created and Game-Created Regions (2012)
    Paradise Found (2013)
    LinkThe False Independence (2013)
    A propaganda piece from the People's Republic of Lazarus.
    The Defender and The Home: Moral Authority beyond The State (2014)
    LinkSpeaking Truth to Power: A Comparative Analysis of Freedom of Speech in the Game-Created Regions (2014)
    LinkA Society of Rejects: Individualism, Liberalism and the Nature of Democracy in the Rejected Realms (2015)
    An Analysis of NationStates Generations (2009)

    My later musings ...

    The Means of Defense (2015)
    The Case for Multilateral Treaties (2017)
    Influencers & Political Change (2020)
    NationStates at 19 [Survey results & analysis] (2021)
    How to simulate FPTP elections - Tutorial (2023)
    NationStates at 21 [Survey results & analysis] (2023)
    Everything you need to know about the WASC HQ (but we’re afraid to ask) (2024)

    Read dispatch


    Pictures Of NationStates

    by The unified missourtama states

    In this series of dispatches there are more than 1000 images used throughout the game. The images are official parts of the game hosted on the NationStates servers, but are very difficult to access in large for players, this series brings them all together in one easy place. Check the directory to find what you are looking for.

    Directory:

    ***All images and information in this series verified to be current and correct as of May 5, 2021 by The Unified Missourtama States***

    If you have any additions, concerns, or questions please send a telegram to The Unified Missourtama States.

    Read dispatch


    All Banners

    by The unified missourtama states

    This is part of the series "Pictures Of NationStates," you can click here to go to the directory.

    This is a compilation of all the default banner images used in NationStates. They are the photos used in the issues' "newspapers," some can be earned to be displayed as default banners on the nation page:

    Agriculture:















    Buildings:










































    Cities:





























    Death and Destruction:



































    Economics:



















    Forests:






    Government Grandeur:



    Hot and Dry:



    Industries:



































































    Culture:
















    Landscapes:













































































    Military:
















    Health Sciences:













    Oceans and Seas:
















    People:










































































    Animals/pets/climate:
















    Ruins:






















    Law Enforcement and Suppression Of Speech:








    Towns and Rural Architecture:


































































    Urban:








    Violet:

    Otherworldly:









    X:

















    Everything Else:











    Read dispatch


    All Trophy Badges

    by The unified missourtama states

    This is part of the series "Pictures Of NationStates," you can click here to go to the directory.

    This is a compilation of all the badges that a nation can have at the bottom of their page and what they look like as of current:

    If you want to know what the badges looked like when they were first added to the game, you can check this post by Ballotonia.

    Game Achievements:

    Founder
    Issues Author
    Historical Resolution Author
    General Assembly Resolution Author
    Security Council Resolution Author
    1 Easter Egg Found
    2 Easter Eggs Found
    3 Easter Eggs Found
    4 (or more) Easter Eggs Found

    Monetary Supporter:

    Supporter
    Postmaster
    Postmaster-General

    Site Staff:

    Moderator
    Retired Moderator

    World Census Statistics:

    (first, highest in the stat-ranking)

    ci0 Most Extensive Civil Rights
    ci1 Most Efficient Economies
    ci2 Most Politically Free
    ci3 Largest Populations
    ci4 Greatest Rich-Poor Divides
    ci5 Highest Unexpected Death Rate
    ci6 Most Compassionate Citizens
    ci7 Most Eco-Friendly Governments
    ci8 Most Conservative
    ci9 Nudest
    ci10 Largest Automobile Manufacturing Sector
    ci11 Largest Cheese Export Sector
    ci12 Largest Basket Weaving Sector
    ci13 Largest Information Technology Sector
    ci14 Largest Pizza Delivery Sector
    ci15 Largest Trout Fishing Sector
    ci16 Largest Arms Manufacturing Sector
    ci17 Largest Agricultural Sector
    ci18 Largest Soda Pop Sector
    ci19 Largest Timber Woodchipping Industry
    ci20 Largest Mining Sector
    ci21 Largest Insurance Industry
    ci22 Largest Furniture Restoration Industry
    ci23 Largest Retail Industry
    ci24 Largest Publishing Industry
    ci25 Largest Gambling Industry
    ci26 Largest Manufacturing Sector
    ci27 Largest Governments
    ci28 Largest Welfare Programs
    ci29 Most Extensive Public Healthcare
    ci30 Most Advanced Law Enforcement
    ci31 Most Subsidized Industry
    ci32 Most Devout
    ci33 Most Income Equality
    ci34 Nicest Citizens
    ci35 Rudest Citizens
    ci36 Smartest Citizens
    ci37 Most Ignorant Citizens
    ci38 Most Politically Apathetic Citizens
    ci39 Healthiest Citizens
    ci40 Most Cheerful Citizens
    ci41 Best Weather
    ci42 Lowest Crime Rates
    ci43 Safest
    ci44 Longest Average Lifespans
    ci45 Most Extreme
    ci46 Most Advanced Defense Forces
    ci47 Most Pacifist
    ci48 Most Pro-Market
    ci49 Highest Average Tax Rates
    ci50 Lowest Overall Tax Burden
    ci51 Most Corrupt
    ci52 Least Corrupt Governments
    ci53 Most Authoritarian
    ci54 Most Rebellious Youth
    ci55 Most Cultured
    ci56 Highest Workforce Participation Rate
    ci57 Most Advanced Public Transport
    ci58 Most Popular Tourist Destinations
    ci59 Most Armed
    ci60 Highest Drug Use
    ci61 Fattest Citizens
    ci62 Most Secular
    ci63 Most Beautiful Environments
    ci64 Most Avoided
    ci65 Most Influential
    ci66 Most World Assembly Endorsements
    ci67 Most Average
    ci68 Most Developed
    ci69 Most Primitive
    ci70 Most Scientifically Advanced
    ci71 Most Inclusive
    ci72 Highest Average Incomes
    ci73 Highest Poor Incomes
    ci74 Highest Wealthy Incomes
    ci75 Most Advanced Public Education
    ci76 Highest Economic Output
    ci77 Highest Crime Rates
    ci78 Highest Foreign Aid Spending
    ci79 Largest Black Market
    ci80 Most Stationary
    ci*81 Most Survivors
    ci*82 Most Zombies
    ci*83 Most Dead
    ci*84 Most Zombified
    ci85 Highest Disposable Incomes
    ci86 Most Valuable International Artwork

    Top 1%

    ci0 Most Extensive Civil Rights
    ci1 Most Efficient Economies
    ci2 Most Politically Free
    ci3 Largest Populations
    ci4 Greatest Rich-Poor Divides
    ci5 Highest Unexpected Death Rate
    ci6 Most Compassionate Citizens
    ci7 Most Eco-Friendly Governments
    ci8 Most Conservative
    ci9 Nudest
    ci10 Largest Automobile Manufacturing Sector
    ci11 Largest Cheese Export Sector
    ci12 Largest Basket Weaving Sector
    ci13 Largest Information Technology Sector
    ci14 Largest Pizza Delivery Sector
    ci15 Largest Trout Fishing Sector
    ci16 Largest Arms Manufacturing Sector
    ci17 Largest Agricultural Sector
    ci18 Largest Soda Pop Sector
    ci19 Largest Timber Woodchipping Industry
    ci20 Largest Mining Sector
    ci21 Largest Insurance Industry
    ci22 Largest Furniture Restoration Industry
    ci23 Largest Retail Industry
    ci24 Largest Publishing Industry
    ci25 Largest Gambling Industry
    ci26 Largest Manufacturing Sector
    ci27 Largest Governments
    ci28 Largest Welfare Programs
    ci29 Most Extensive Public Healthcare
    ci30 Most Advanced Law Enforcement
    ci31 Most Subsidized Industry
    ci32 Most Devout
    ci33 Most Income Equality
    ci34 Nicest Citizens
    ci35 Rudest Citizens
    ci36 Smartest Citizens
    ci37 Most Ignorant Citizens
    ci38 Most Politically Apathetic Citizens
    ci39 Healthiest Citizens
    ci40 Most Cheerful Citizens
    ci41 Best Weather
    ci42 Lowest Crime Rates
    ci43 Safest
    ci44 Longest Average Lifespans
    ci45 Most Extreme
    ci46 Most Advanced Defense Forces
    ci47 Most Pacifist
    ci48 Most Pro-Market
    ci49 Highest Average Tax Rates
    ci50 Lowest Overall Tax Burden
    ci51 Most Corrupt
    ci52 Least Corrupt Governments
    ci53 Most Authoritarian
    ci54 Most Rebellious Youth
    ci55 Most Cultured
    ci56 Highest Workforce Participation Rate
    ci57 Most Advanced Public Transport
    ci58 Most Popular Tourist Destinations
    ci59 Most Armed
    ci60 Highest Drug Use
    ci61 Fattest Citizens
    ci62 Most Secular
    ci63 Most Beautiful Environments
    ci64 Most Avoided
    ci65 Most Influential
    ci66 Most World Assembly Endorsements
    ci67 Most Average
    ci68 Most Developed
    ci69 Most Primitive
    ci70 Most Scientifically Advanced
    ci71 Most Inclusive
    ci72 Highest Average Incomes
    ci73 Highest Poor Incomes
    ci74 Highest Wealthy Incomes
    ci75 Most Advanced Public Education
    ci76 Highest Economic Output
    ci77 Highest Crime Rates
    ci78 Highest Foreign Aid Spending
    ci79 Largest Black Market
    ci80 Most Stationary
    ci*81 Most Survivors
    ci*82 Most Zombies
    ci*83 Most Dead
    ci*84 Most Zombified
    ci85 Highest Disposable Incomes
    ci86 Most Valuable International Artwork

    Top 5%

    ci0 Most Extensive Civil Rights
    ci1 Most Efficient Economies
    ci2 Most Politically Free
    ci3 Largest Populations
    ci4 Greatest Rich-Poor Divides
    ci5 Highest Unexpected Death Rate
    ci6 Most Compassionate Citizens
    ci7 Most Eco-Friendly Governments
    ci8 Most Conservative
    ci9 Nudest
    ci10 Largest Automobile Manufacturing Sector
    ci11 Largest Cheese Export Sector
    ci12 Largest Basket Weaving Sector
    ci13 Largest Information Technology Sector
    ci14 Largest Pizza Delivery Sector
    ci15 Largest Trout Fishing Sector
    ci16 Largest Arms Manufacturing Sector
    ci17 Largest Agricultural Sector
    ci18 Largest Soda Pop Sector
    ci19 Largest Timber Woodchipping Industry
    ci20 Largest Mining Sector
    ci21 Largest Insurance Industry
    ci22 Largest Furniture Restoration Industry
    ci23 Largest Retail Industry
    ci24 Largest Publishing Industry
    ci25 Largest Gambling Industry
    ci26 Largest Manufacturing Sector
    ci27 Largest Governments
    ci28 Largest Welfare Programs
    ci29 Most Extensive Public Healthcare
    ci30 Most Advanced Law Enforcement
    ci31 Most Subsidized Industry
    ci32 Most Devout
    ci33 Most Income Equality
    ci34 Nicest Citizens
    ci35 Rudest Citizens
    ci36 Smartest Citizens
    ci37 Most Ignorant Citizens
    ci38 Most Politically Apathetic Citizens
    ci39 Healthiest Citizens
    ci40 Most Cheerful Citizens
    ci41 Best Weather
    ci42 Lowest Crime Rates
    ci43 Safest
    ci44 Longest Average Lifespans
    ci45 Most Extreme
    ci46 Most Advanced Defense Forces
    ci47 Most Pacifist
    ci48 Most Pro-Market
    ci49 Highest Average Tax Rates
    ci50 Lowest Overall Tax Burden
    ci51 Most Corrupt
    ci52 Least Corrupt Governments
    ci53 Most Authoritarian
    ci54 Most Rebellious Youth
    ci55 Most Cultured
    ci56 Highest Workforce Participation Rate
    ci57 Most Advanced Public Transport
    ci58 Most Popular Tourist Destinations
    ci59 Most Armed
    ci60 Highest Drug Use
    ci61 Fattest Citizens
    ci62 Most Secular
    ci63 Most Beautiful Environments
    ci64 Most Avoided
    ci65 Most Influential
    ci66 Most World Assembly Endorsements
    ci67 Most Average
    ci68 Most Developed
    ci69 Most Primitive
    ci70 Most Scientifically Advanced
    ci71 Most Inclusive
    ci72 Highest Average Incomes
    ci73 Highest Poor Incomes
    ci74 Highest Wealthy Incomes
    ci75 Most Advanced Public Education
    ci76 Highest Economic Output
    ci77 Highest Crime Rates
    ci78 Highest Foreign Aid Spending
    ci79 Largest Black Market
    ci80 Most Stationary
    ci*81 Most Survivors
    ci*82 Most Zombies
    ci*83 Most Dead
    ci*84 Most Zombified
    ci85 Highest Disposable Incomes
    ci86 Most Valuable International Artwork

    Top 10%

    ci0 Most Extensive Civil Rights
    ci1 Most Efficient Economies
    ci2 Most Politically Free
    ci3 Largest Populations
    ci4 Greatest Rich-Poor Divides
    ci5 Highest Unexpected Death Rate
    ci6 Most Compassionate Citizens
    ci7 Most Eco-Friendly Governments
    ci8 Most Conservative
    ci9 Nudest
    ci10 Largest Automobile Manufacturing Sector
    ci11 Largest Cheese Export Sector
    ci12 Largest Basket Weaving Sector
    ci13 Largest Information Technology Sector
    ci14 Largest Pizza Delivery Sector
    ci15 Largest Trout Fishing Sector
    ci16 Largest Arms Manufacturing Sector
    ci17 Largest Agricultural Sector
    ci18 Largest Soda Pop Sector
    ci19 Largest Timber Woodchipping Industry
    ci20 Largest Mining Sector
    ci21 Largest Insurance Industry
    ci22 Largest Furniture Restoration Industry
    ci23 Largest Retail Industry
    ci24 Largest Publishing Industry
    ci25 Largest Gambling Industry
    ci26 Largest Manufacturing Sector
    ci27 Largest Governments
    ci28 Largest Welfare Programs
    ci29 Most Extensive Public Healthcare
    ci30 Most Advanced Law Enforcement
    ci31 Most Subsidized Industry
    ci32 Most Devout
    ci33 Most Income Equality
    ci34 Nicest Citizens
    ci35 Rudest Citizens
    ci36 Smartest Citizens
    ci37 Most Ignorant Citizens
    ci38 Most Politically Apathetic Citizens
    ci39 Healthiest Citizens
    ci40 Most Cheerful Citizens
    ci41 Best Weather
    ci42 Lowest Crime Rates
    ci43 Safest
    ci44 Longest Average Lifespans
    ci45 Most Extreme
    ci46 Most Advanced Defense Forces
    ci47 Most Pacifist
    ci48 Most Pro-Market
    ci49 Highest Average Tax Rates
    ci50 Lowest Overall Tax Burden
    ci51 Most Corrupt
    ci52 Least Corrupt Governments
    ci53 Most Authoritarian
    ci54 Most Rebellious Youth
    ci55 Most Cultured
    ci56 Highest Workforce Participation Rate
    ci57 Most Advanced Public Transport
    ci58 Most Popular Tourist Destinations
    ci59 Most Armed
    ci60 Highest Drug Use
    ci61 Fattest Citizens
    ci62 Most Secular
    ci63 Most Beautiful Environments
    ci64 Most Avoided
    ci65 Most Influential
    ci66 Most World Assembly Endorsements
    ci67 Most Average
    ci68 Most Developed
    ci69 Most Primitive
    ci70 Most Scientifically Advanced
    ci71 Most Inclusive
    ci72 Highest Average Incomes
    ci73 Highest Poor Incomes
    ci74 Highest Wealthy Incomes
    ci75 Most Advanced Public Education
    ci76 Highest Economic Output
    ci77 Highest Crime Rates
    ci78 Highest Foreign Aid Spending
    ci79 Largest Black Market
    ci80 Most Stationary
    ci*81 Most Survivors
    ci*82 Most Zombies
    ci*83 Most Dead
    ci*84 Most Zombified
    ci85 Highest Disposable Incomes
    ci86 Most Valuable International Artwork

    *(census 81, 82, 83, and 84 are only for the Z-Day event)
    Read dispatch


    All Default Flags

    by The unified missourtama states

    This is part of the series "Pictures Of NationStates," you can click here to go to the directory.

    This is a compilation of all the default flags available to a nation:

























































































































































































































































































    Read dispatch


    The Art of NationStates Empires: Creating an Imperial Realm in OOC Interaction
    A Lecture by Kylarnatia for the 3rd Annual NS World Fair

    24/12/14
    3:00pm-4:00pm EST (8:00pm-9:00pm GMT)


    Introduction

    When Unibot first approached me about doing a lecture for the Third Annual NS World Fair, I was quick to say yes to the idea. I remember when I did a lecture for the First NS World Fair (well, since it’s revival) on Non-Realism in NationStates Roleplay, and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I was disappointed that I wasn’t able to attend the previous Fair, so I wanted to make it up to him and everyone else by putting an effort in this year. However, upon accepting the task at hand, I realised I was pretty lost on what sort of topic to discuss.

    I asked Unibot what the theme was for the Fair this year. He said, “Culture and Tradition.”

    I thought for a moment, and then it clicked: “Empire.”

    If memory serves me correctly (which I hope it does, for it’s the last thing I need to be losing while I’m studying at university), I’ve been a Roleplay Mentor for close to three years. In all that time, I’ve encountered plenty of new players who want to make a name for themselves. Let’s face it, quite a lot of us appeared on this site and wanted to do just that at some point. A lot of the fresh faces on the roleplaying front, at least in my experience, want to go and conquer. Some just want a piece, some want it all and some want even more, but all of them want to carve out something for themselves. It’s not that surprising, particularly when you consider that what we’ve all probably learned in our history classes focuses primarily on the history of the past two (perhaps three) centuries, which were mostly dominated by imperialism and wars of conquest. Some would say that it’s still prevalent today, albeit in a very different form, though that’s a fruitful debate for another time.

    For those of you who don’t know, I’ve been playing (and roleplaying) on NationStates for close to seven years now, and five of those years I’ve controlled an ‘Empire’ – of sorts – spanning several roleplaying regions (Gholgoth, Greater Dienstad, Nocturnalya, Astyria and Ellorea to name a few). While I by no means claim to be a ‘master of the art’, I certainly think I’ve gained credible experience over those years, and with the theme being what it is this year I thought this would be a great opportunity to illustrate the actual framework of an ‘Empire’ on NationStates, and my hope is that as you read on, any doubts you have about the potential significance of this year’s theme to the topic at hand will be cast aside and that your mind will be both broadened and happily enlightened by the things discussed in this lecture.

    To close this introduction, I’d like to point out that while I’m approaching the written section of my lecture much like an essay, I’m not going to be adhering any strict essay rules in regards to structure or citation. This is mainly due to already having to produce two other essays currently, so although I will try and create a clear and coherent structure for this piece and cite any sources I think you might find interesting to look into yourself, my university essays have had to take some preference over this piece. That being said, I’ve still given this as much attention as I can – for I’m definitely eager about the topic – and I merely hope any potential shortfalls do not ruin the reading quality of this piece for you, the reader.

    Empire: A Brief Definition

    To understand how to construct your Empire, I think it’s first reasonable to broach the topic of what actually constitutes an Empire, and why they exist / have existed. In its broadest sense, an Empire is an extensive network or sphere controlled by one single person or entity. That considered, I’m sure we can all understand that to be have an ‘Empire’ you need one central figure controlling quite a vast quantity of something.

    Yes, I use the word ‘something’ deliberately. The reason being is that when one considers the technicality of the term ‘Empire’ it can be transfixed over a lot of situations, for they all follow the same basic model. The most common to us, of course, due to our own history – since the rise of civilisations over five thousand years ago – is the control of vast quantities of land and people, with one central figure or administration lording over all. There are plenty of other scenarios where the term can be applied, however: Imagine one business or trader being directly in charge of several other businesses or traders of their industry or trade. Imagine one central communication or travel hub being responsible for the communication and / or travel over one large area. One could even go as far as to give the example of one central individual in a social network influencing the thoughts and discussions of the people in that network, which then goes down the chain towards more people, and so on.

    My point here is that one of the first major ‘mistakes’ – if you will – I find new players making is that they automatically assume, in order to be an ‘Empire’, one must control land that is ‘new’ or was not ‘originally theirs’. Although this is not untrue, it’s certainly not the whole truth, and as a very keen and passionate NationStates player and roleplayer – let alone a Roleplay Mentor – I’ve always tried to encourage players (both new and old) to take new and varied approaches to things if they’re open to doing so. A business ‘empire’ is no less powerful, important or influential than a political one, especially if you consider the types of industry and trade that are open to you. At the same time, particularly in the much more modern day setting where ‘traditional imperialism’ is immediately frowned upon, social ‘empires’ – where one individual or group of people can, for one reason or another, influence the actions of several other groups of people by what they do or what they say – seem to be becoming even bigger, particularly with the advent of the internet and the rise of social networking. It’s a vast wilderness that I think has yet to be explored, and I yearn to see roleplayers – particularly those who prefer character roleplays – tackle this concept at some point in the future.

    This also means that, for the large swathes of roleplayers who might not be particularly keen on military realism or warfare, you don’t actually have to declare and win wars to have an ‘empire’ of some kind, either because it’s not your style or strong suit.

    I do think it’s worth mentioning at this point that, for those who are set on going the more ‘traditional’ route of Empire, there are also further options to you as to how you want to construct it physically. Most these days seem to assume that, for an empire to be an empire, it has to control newly colonised land or conquer a nation which is distant overseas. I don’t think one should be so quick as to jump to such conclusions, though I’ll simply leave that point by saying that it is no less prestigious (and one could argue, no less – if not more – beneficial) to ‘conquer’ ones next door neighbour then ‘conquer’ someone who is distant overseas. It’s also worth considering that, to be a part of one’s empire, a ‘dominion’ does not have to strictly (or rather publicly) wear ones colours: plenty of today’s modern ‘empires’ exert their influence through their military and / or economic prowess, and they all have coalitions of states who may beat the same drum, without actually waving the same flag. If you don’t understand who I’m thinking of, I’m referring to the ‘empires’ which are controlled directly from Washington, Moscow and Beijing. Again, however, that is a fruitful discussion for another time.1

    Despite all this talk of wide variety however, there is one ultimate trait that binds all of them back together: an empire is created to the benefit of the centre by exploiting the reaches of its control. Be it for material produce, monetary gain, the extension of one’s political or even cultural influence over others or all those things wrapped into one, all of the ‘empires’ that I defined above have some sort of ‘gain’ for the centre. Truth be told, no empire in history ever sought to create one without gaining something back in return: Britain may have argued (and some continue to argue) that it brought many technological advancements to India in the form of the telegraph and railways, and that our institutionalised forms of education and administration – dominated by the British-born Indian Civil Service which is still in operation today – have helped India run more efficiently and Indians of all castes have more access to things than they used to. While I think there is some credit to this argument, I do think it arrogantly ignores the fact that Britain was able to operate an internal economy on the back of India’s wealth, much to the economic disadvantage of Indians themselves, and our attempts to re-mould the caste system into something similar to our class system caused a lot of tension and division, remnants of which still exist to this day.

    Inevitably, Empires will cause friction and damage in some respect, sometimes deliberately if it benefits the centre. It’s the nature of the game, and despite being someone who’s proud to be British I cannot – nor will I not – deny that the British Empire, despite all its glorious achievements, committed some horrendous crimes in doing so. At the same time no other empire, past or present, can claim to be better. Due to the vast array of cultures and traditions that an empire is going to encompass, it’s inevitable that for every right action you do towards one group, you’re bound to cause an affront to another.

    This all in mind, you then need to consider how you’re going to run your own Empire: For what reasons are you creating it? Do you intend to impose your own culture and traditions on your subjects, or do you think some sort of deal can be struck (and with whom)? Will there be any sort of ‘benefit’ to your subjects or no? Perhaps most importantly, who are your subjects and, how are you going to get them?

    Dominions and Vassals: Subjects or Partners in Crime?

    Considering everything we’ve discussed thus far – no matter what form of ‘Empire’ you actually want to create – in order to actually have an empire you have to have subjects or vassals (whatever terminology/system you wish to use). For most of the forms above you have to conquer or ‘consume’ them in some way for this to be achievable. You could of course choose to found colonies instead of invading and subjecting already formed nations, and it’d certainly be a lot easier, but in my experience NationStates is a social game, and in order to spend your time wisely on the game you should interact and play with any who’re happy and willing to do so. Being unsociable will get you nowhere. Furthermore, creating colonies – particularly if you decide to create puppet accounts and use their stats from them – is considered rather ‘wankish’, to use the phrase, and will only end up isolating you from the community as people refuse to acknowledge you.

    The question is…how do you go about obtaining subjects? Well, In-Character [IC] wise (i.e. as your nation) you of course conquer them militarily, dominate them fiscally and influence them in a significant way diplomatically (perhaps because of your military or fiscal prowess). Sounds rather straight forward, but in truth that is only one part of the puzzle: Out-of-Character [OOC] wise (i.e. as yourselves as players) you need to converse with your potential subject or dominion, and broach them about the possibility of being a member of your empire. Still sound straight forward? In truth, it can be, but only if you are reasonable and level-headed.

    This brings me to the second most – and perhaps most disastrous – ‘mistake’ players make when they try and form an empire or a sphere of influence: they assume that this therefore now makes them senior or perhaps even above those in their sphere. While this is definitely true ICly, OOCly it could not be a more delusional scenario. It’s one of the easiest things for a player to fall in to doing, yet something that can cause the most damage when done. What needs to be remembered is that NationStates is just a game; nothing more than a figment of our imaginations (at least, as far as roleplaying goes). No matter how much ‘power’ your nation may hold ICly, in any form, and no matter how much ‘influence’ your nation may hold over other nations for one reason or another, you will never be any more powerful or important than any other player OOCly. Ever. It may all sound like common sense, but you’d be surprise as a Roleplay Mentor alone how many times I’ve been confronted by situations where players have got into an argument over something, I’m asked to intervene, and when I question the motives of the supposed ‘offender’ their responses usually consist of: “Well, my nation controls all of this, which means they should…” or “Well, my nation has much more money than theirs does, so they should…”

    Well, so what? As a player myself, I don’t care how much bigger your army may be than mine or if your nation potentially has more money than mine, as although that may or may not be true ICly nothing will ever matter if we do not interact properly OOCly. There is no rule in this game, nor will there ever be such a rule, that I actually have to acknowledge your nations IC existence or even you yourself. The game is plenty big enough that I can go about my entire ‘career’ without ever having to walk the same path as you, and no matter how much you scream and shout, you can never make me either.

    I understand that all sounds rather horrible, but the simple fact of the matter is that – in NationStates Roleplay – nothing IC will ever be able to materialise or would never even come to be if it wasn’t for players interacting together OOCly beforehand. I said things similar to that effect in my lecture two Fairs ago, for it’s true in all walks of NationStates Roleplay. No matter if it’s discussing technology, trade, alliances or even wars themselves; if nothing can be agreed on OOCly or if communication itself is just wholly non-existent, than ICly a roleplay will never ever succeed. The same is true of ‘Empires’, and your personal interaction with other players is what will see it constructed and continue to grow and succeed, no matter how many wars you may win or how many businesses you may out-compete.

    So, when approaching another player about being a part of your ‘Empire’, how do you actually go about doing it? Like I’ve already explained, there’s obviously going to be some benefit to you for them to be a part of it, and they probably already know that. If there’s a life lesson to be learnt here it’s that very, very few people in life are ever going to be willing to do something for free. Does this mean you have to make a ‘trade’ or strike a deal in order to get people to be a part of your sphere? It’s possible to go about it that way, though at the end of the day that then kind of makes it less of an ‘Empire’ and more like an alliance or coalition of nations, which may not actually be what you’re after. As you’ve probably realised by now, it’s not easy to get someone to agree to have their nation be exploited for the gain of your own.
    Unless, of course, you allow them a seat at your table when making important decisions regarding your ‘Empire’.

    At the end of the day, we’re all free individuals, with our own minds and our own opinions. I’m pretty sure all of us want to keep it that way, but I’m also sure that a lot of us appreciate it when we’re heard. It makes us feel more comfortable with ourselves and amongst others, and can encourage us to do more wonderful and excited things when we feel that we’re heard. That’s what you’ve got to remember whenever making an ‘Empire’: everyone wishes to be heard, and everyone deserves to be. You’ve also got to remember that everything roleplayers do in NationStates Roleplay is essentially a ‘pet project’. By asking them to join your ‘Empire’, you’re asking them to share their project with you. If you were asked to share your project with someone, I think it’s pretty safe to assume that even if you were willing to do so, you’d still want to have a voice in it.

    To put it more simply: your ‘Empire’ is a project, but if it’s going to involve other people, it can’t just be your project. They too already have their own (most likely), so instead of insisting an entire new model upon them I think it’s more appropriate – which some empires from history have done themselves – is to adopt all of those projects together. Make it a group endeavour, and you’ll soon find that most players will be keener. Like I said, this is a social game, and people like to find ways of making friends and socialising. Furthermore, any ‘exploitation’ will only weigh on the IC nations themselves, which has no effect on you as players and if it’s something you all planned to do – rather than something one person told others to do – then you’ll usually find it to be more successful.

    Besides, there is something for everyone to gain from sharing their ideas together than sticking with the mind of just one individual. Worldbuilding is a huge aspect of NationStates roleplaying, and I can tell you from experience that Worldbuilding is best achieved with a group of people to brainstorm with you rather than on your own. The wide variety of ideas that people have is likely to add a lot more flavour and character to your ‘Empire’, and the fact that the projects people will have already created have the potential to come along with their own cultures and traditions means you can all share those ideas and not only feature them as a part of the project, but also use them to create a completely unique culture and set of traditions for the ‘Empire’ itself, or you can simply help give constructive feedback on everyone’s individual ideas of culture and tradition. Either way, culture and tradition plays a huge role in the growth and potential stability (or even tension) in the lifetime of an imperial realm, and can be key to the construction of any narrative plots or subplots which can play a significant part of your roleplays and intrigue your fellow roleplayers and the wider audience who read your roleplays.

    Furthermore, when you consider that most roleplayers on NationStates (if not players in general) will inevitably reach a stage in their ‘careers’ where they question whether their time spent on this game was actually worthwhile, being able to contribute to a group project – or at the very least feel a part of a team – and then being able to say that their ideas and concepts have formed part of a much larger piece, will make them reflect on their ‘careers’ much more positively than thinking that their writing hasn’t actually amounted to anything at all.

    In summary, whenever you start to build your ‘Empire’ (whatever type of ‘Empire’ it may be), just remember that – when all is said and done – you are just as equal to the players you interact with. ICly, that may be different, but OOCly the relationship is completely different. To put it into perspective: when my ‘Empire’ first began, it was the result of one of my closest NationStates friends – Tiami – pitching the idea to me after a war we had. His suggestion was simple: as the winning nation, I subjugate his and incorporate it into my empire (which at the time was just my nation itself). In return, he still wanted to run his nation, but we’d both work together on ideas and concepts.

    If it wasn’t for Tiami’s willingness to be a part of such a project, and if it wasn’t for his suggestion on how things should be done, I would undoubtedly not be in the position I am now in regards to my ‘Empire’, where I’ve been able to interact with and get to know so many talented and wonderful players. ICly, Tiami’s nation may have had to always act gratefully towards me, but the truth is – OOCly – I will always be grateful to Tiami.

    The Evolution of Empires: Dealing with Gains and Losses

    I think, at this point, it’s entirely worth making note of how quick an ‘Empire’ can change, in some cases in the blink of an eye. This is already true of real world empires, where in some cases they fell as quickly as they grew,2 whereas some others faced a long drawn out period of inevitable decline and collapse.3 This is not saying that an ‘Empire’ on NationStates has to decline or collapse, but I think it’s worth conceding that there will come a point in time where your ‘Empire’ might find itself needing to change or adapt to new circumstances.

    You can never guarantee that the members of your ‘Empire’ project will want to remain members forever, and quite frankly you can never make them stay. This should never be dealt with as such a personal affront to oneself, as at the end of the day that particular member may just want to go off and do their own thing once again. Imagine it much like your real life careers or jobs: you can be in a particular role for years and, although it might be cosy and may provide the necessities you require, at some point you’ll ask yourself: “Surely there’s more to life than just this? I need to get out there and try something new.”
    Sometimes, there’s no real loss, either. When a member might leave, they’ll usually take with them everything they did with you and other members in your ‘Empire’. It’s a legacy, and if at the end of the day what we’re all trying to do is create a legacy for our nations, then being a part of an integral part of another nation’s history certainly creates that. Going back to Tiami: he is no longer a part of my ‘Empire’, but his nation still contains some of the culture and tradition of my own (primarily architecture, religion, language and some other things). At the same time, his nation influenced mine, much like how there are many influences of Indian and Far Eastern culture in Britain today.

    That being said, members shouldn’t always have to ‘leave’ either: they may remove themselves from your empire’s present, but they’ll always be a part of it’s past. Therefore, in that sense, you’ll always be able to continue to work together on the history you share and the possible influences that remain. There’s also how you might wish to deal with the relationship between your nations post-independence, and whether some form of ‘Commonwealth’ could be set up for all the nations that were once part of your ‘Empire’, but now may only have the cultural links that remain. I operate a system similar to this idea, and it allows players like Tiami to still be directly involved in the brainstorming and idea-sharing of my ‘Empire’ project, without having to feel so swayed by all the decisions the other members and I might make.

    Finally, one should never forget how large NationStates is. There is an unending stream of talent that joins the game on a daily basis, just waiting to be discovered. At the same time, they will be in need of learning the ropes of the game itself. This is how you as a player, along with your ‘Empire’ project, can be more constructive to the community than as destructive as empires are usually assumed to be: If they’re happy to do so, bring them into your ‘project’ and allow them to take part just as equally as any other player, on formulating ideas and having a role in roleplays. This friendly interaction will not only help them feel less intimidated, but will give them a better experience on how the game is supposed to work – through cooperative play and friendly, social interaction – instead of being instantly harassed by hordes of players who may refer to them as ‘noobs’ simply because they misunderstood something about the game, and instead of helping them past that mistake seem to get a buzz out of making the rest of their time a misery, turning them into aggressive players who then continue the cycle.

    Your ‘Empire’ doesn’t just have to have a huge IC impact, it can also have a positive OOC impact as well, and there’s no reason why it shouldn’t nor can’t.

    Conclusion

    In conclusion, an 'Empire' on NationStates is very much like a Greek mask: One face is the traditional form of power and exploitation, but the other face is a face of creativity and of equality. 'Empires' on NationStates, when done correctly, can encourage cooperative thinking and creation, something which humankind has depended on to advance for thousands of years, and is something that I personally feel we’re starting to lose, which is why we’re starting to stagnate in certain areas of our advancement (again, however, that is a discussion for another time).

    Carrying on this age-old human tradition in the art of NationStates roleplay will not only make the experience more enjoyable and enlightening, but may - one can wish - encourage players to go off in their lives, and rather than try and reserve a place solely for themselves in the history books, actually work together for the benefit of more people to help us overcome some of the issues that face humankind today.

    - Kylarnatia
    NationStates Roleplay Mentor and avid Roleplayer


    (1) I highly recommend anyone interested by this discussion to read Stephen Howe’s “Empire: A Very Short Introduction”, which very briefly yet eloquently discusses the evolution of ‘Empire’ as a concept and how, despite its many different forms, has never really left our lives.

    (2) I'm looking at you, Alexander the Great.

    (3) If you’re interesting in the nature of this sort of decline and how long it can actually take and the reasons for that, I would suggest you read Piers Brendon’s "The Decline and Fall of the British Empire: 1781-1997" – although it’s worth noting that a lot of European empires went through the same sort of collapse, so the much earlier colonial empires of Spain and Portugal, or the ever ambitious French Empire, should never be overlooked.

    Read dispatch


    Introduction
    In the last year, there’s been a prevalence of regional Discords popping up all around the Nationstates metaverse. These have been great for building community, but they also have opened the door for… trolls.

    Merriam Webster defines an internet troll as “a person who intentionally antagonizes others online by posting inflammatory, irrelevant, or offensive comments or other disruptive content.”

    Trolls can decimate a community if you let them. They can sneak up on you. First it’s a few homophobic jokes, than some racist snark, and before you know it your regional discord is a radioactive mess of slurs, flame wars, and pretty much uninhabitable.

    There is a defense, but it takes some work.

    This is a guide for how to implement and enforce a Code of Conduct in your region and your Discord.

    What is a Code of Conduct and why do you need it?

    A Code of Conduct is a statement of expectations on how you should behave in any particular place. A lot of places you visit in real life already have codes of conduct written or otherwise. When you go to your house of worship, there are certain things you’re expected to do and not do. Using foul language inside your church/temple/mosque/what-have-you is generally frowned upon. When you go to court, you’re expected to dress up. When you go to a sports game, you might see a sign saying what activity fans shouldn’t do - alongside a number to call if somebody is breaking the rules.

    With the internet, we have not established the same set of rules that are universally recognized. So, we have to spell it out for people. A Code of Conduct can be as simple or complex as you need it to be. However, most Code of Conducts have a “Do not be disruptive” as Rule Number One. The “Do not be disruptive” rule is flexible enough to cover all sorts of bad behavior and is a pretty simple one to remember.

    The NS Mentor server has a pretty long Code for Conduct, but I’ve summarized it here.

    Rules of the NationStates Mentor Program Server
    - Rule #1 Do not be disruptive.
    - Rule #2 Do not flame, troll, or otherwise insult other users.
    - Rule #3 Do not spam in any form.
    - Rule #4 Plagiarism will not be tolerated.
    - Rule #5 All content should be maintained at (or below) a "Safe for Work" PG-13 rating.
    - Rule #6 Any serious grievance against another user should be brought to the attention of server staff, not openly aired.

    By joining this server you (the user) submit that you have read these rules and, subsequently, submit to the authority of their enforcement. You accept that actions may be taken against you in the event you violate such. This may include a reprimand or warning (public or otherwise), revocation of the ability to chat, a kick from the server, or a ban from the server (for a set period or permanently). You, further, accept that attempting to evade these punishments, or posting on the behalf of a muted or banned player, may result in your own muting/banishment.

    That last paragraph is important. That line is what I call the “Not in my house” principle. You (the user) are in my discord (house) therefore if you misbehave I will kick you out (ban you.) If you want to go trolling, do it somewhere else.

    The “Not in my house” principle

    The “Not in my house” principle helps with a number of common arguments when dealing with violations.

    But freedom of speech!?

    Not in my house! Freedom of speech prevents the government from arresting you for something you say - aside from a few very limited exceptions. In my house, if you use a racial or homophobic slur you’re going to be asked to leave.

    But I was joking!!

    Not in my house. Don’t joke like that here.

    Don’t be so serious!

    This is my house. I can be as serious as I want to be.

    Another good example of the “Not in my house” principle is the policy that exists in the NSFT server and is managed by NS Moderator Kyrusia. It goes like this.

    For all intents and purposes, I own this server - within the boundaries allowed by the Discord Terms & Conditions of Use and "Community Guidelines" which serve as an extrapolation thereof. That means, if I really and truly don't want you here, there is nothing stopping me from banishing you from the server. The only thing that prohibits it are the internal rules and protocols established when this server was first created. This was my deliberate intent, as I do not like banning people, as I feel most players can be redeemed and their behavior corrected to be within the boundaries of the very same rules. At the end of the day, however, if I wished to ban the use of the letter "E," it is entirely within my rights as Founder to do so.

    Additionally, their policy also includes:

    Any player that proves themselves to consistently be combative (not harsh, combative, as in deliberately stirring stuff in the event any opposing opinion is raised), antagonistic to the spirit of the server, using this server for malicious ends, or in general being needlessly disruptive may face permanent banishment under the aegis of Rule #1. This is apparently necessary, as we are personally aware of several players using this server in some game of an apparent internecine nature.

    For my own region of Gholgoth, it’s pretty straightforward.

    Discord Policy: All users of this channel can be banned on the basis of violating standard safe for work guidelines, applying consistent patterns of bullying at targeted individuals, and engaging in wanton attempts to disrupt order. Misconduct on NS or on messaging servers affiliated with NSers can result in due disciplinary action by Gholgoth channel operators as well.

    Short and simple. You start trying to bully somebody in Gholgoth you’re gonna be out on your badonkadonk faster than you can say Capitol Police.

    My other favorite line in this type of policy is: Mods may remove users at will for any reason and will remove any user that the mods deems to be violating the Code for Conduct or are being disruptive.

    A line like that says, “I don’t actually need a reason to remove you - but I will remove you if you become a problem.”

    A word on enforcement

    A Code of Conduct isn’t some magic scroll that wards off bad things. You’re thinking of the banhammer. A Code of Conduct that isn’t enforced is actually worse than nothing because it gives the appearance of safety when it isn’t guaranteed.

    Enforcement can come a few ways.

    When people enter your server, there should be a Code of Conduct pinned to at least one of the channels. (You can see NS Mentor’s one in the Directory channel). You can also alter your discord settings to force your users to join a channel that’s designed for new users. Alternatively, if you advertise your link on your region page you can place it there. The important part is that it’s obvious that you have a Code of Conduct.

    When you see a violation decide if it’s a “Hey, knock it off violation’ or a ban-on-sight. Use your best judgement. If you use homophobic language, you’ll get a warning from me. If you post inappropriate pics, well you’re gonna get banned. Quickly.

    If, after a warning, the behavior continues then the person is banned from the server.

    You may have also noticed that last line in Gholgoth’s example. Misconduct on NS or on messaging servers affiliated with NSers can result in due disciplinary action by Gholgoth channel operators as well.

    That’s right, if you act a fool in another server and one of us hears about it you'd be banned from Gholgoth. It’s our house and if you managed to get kicked out of Greater Dienstad than we probably don’t want you in G either.

    But that’s madness!

    Madness? No, this is Gholgoth!

    Online communities tend to gain reputations over time. Sometimes, this is good because it brings new people into your group. Sometimes, it’s bad because you end up attracting trolls. Worse, if you have a reputation for being a trollish place - you’ll get lots of trolls. Gaining a reputation for enforcing certain standards tends to encourage that people maintain those standards.

    If you have to ban somebody, you may feel less than stellar about it after the fact. I’ve banned people from both online communities and at real life events and it’s never fun. You question yourself. You feel like a jerk for doing it, but know that if you let this stuff fester things will get worse.

    When you create a space for online discussion, you and those who share ownership are responsible for what happens there. By creating and enforcing a code of conduct, you can ensure that it’s a space that’s fun to be around.

    How to set yourself up for success

    - Be a hard target. Set your Discord server verification to at least require emails. Requiring emails helps prevents bots and it helps track down bad actors on Discord side. LinkYou can find instructions for how to do that here.

    - Establish Roles: Discord can be pretty creative with role creation. The default is @everyone. You can then create roles for region members, guests, and moderators. You can then establish all sorts of permissions based on their roles. Discord’s instructions are here.
    Set up your content filters: You can use the moderation tab in your server settings to have Discord scan for explicit content for people who don’t have roles or for everyone.
    Never go it alone: Don’t be the only one with access to banhammer. Ideally, if you’re online during the day your partner (or partners) should be online at night. It also helps to talk things through with other people

    - Don’t be shy: If you suspect a flamewar about to breakout, be very vocal about what will happen if people cause a problem. Tell people to chill, take a step back, and assume good intentions.

    - Ask for help: It’s helpful to talk to other people who also manage communities, event if it’s just to vent. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Many of the NS Mentors manage servers and I personally am happy to help talk you through things.

    In Case of Emergency
    Sometimes, people really want to cause trouble and unfortunately the internet has given them all the tools needed to cause you some real headaches. If you suddenly find your server being bombarded with spam and bad pics, here are some ways to lock it down.

    - Set your Discord Server verification to “Double-Table Flip”: This will require users to have a verified email, be a registered user for 5+ minutes, and server member for 10+ minutes and have a verified phone number attached to their Discord account. It makes it a pain in the butt for a new user to post, but it will stop the flood of new users.

    - Disable posting for the @everyone role: Don’t want people to post until you assign them a guest/member role? Disable posting for @everyone. (This is how Gholgoth is setup.) This prevents people from posting until you verify who they are.

    - Force two-factor authentication: Think somebody is trying to take over your discord account? By forcing 2 factor authentication, it’ll text you a code whenever you try to login and require that code to do so. That makes it much harder for somebody to take over your account.

    - Report it to Discord: You can report abuse to Discord here and if your server is under attack it’s a good idea to do so.

    - Worst Case Scenario: If you start to notice somebody posting explicit underage material you have an obligation to report it to Discord. LinkInstructions for how to do so are here.

    In Conclusion
    Hopefully, all these precautions will prove unnecessary. The vast majority of people who are participating in NS are not trying to troll people on a regular basis. The problem is that a few bad apples can ruin it for everyone and so we have to do all this work.

    Managing a community can be a lot of work and responsibility, but ultimately it helps gather the community together and it’s a lot of fun.

    Good luck and stay safe out there.

    Read dispatch


    How to create a successful religion on NS
    By: Lamoni

    Hello everyone, I am (The Free Republic of) Lamoni. I have been playing NS since 2002, and have seen many fine things and nations come and go, but one of the things that has always amazed me about the very talented and creative people who play NS would be the new and different religions that various players have come up with. These range from a nation I know who worships the frost giants from real life Scandinavian myth, to a nation that worships a God that they call the Holy Marsh to the point where there are multiple different shrines to said God all over their society and the church basically runs all temporal and spiritual matters, to complex systems of worship such as Mystrian Pantheism. There are also many, many others.

    It is my hope that this guide will provide you with the basics that you will need in order to help you to create your own religion on NS, as well as giving it every chance to succeed, especially if you try to spread your newly created religion outside of your own national borders.

    To start, we should first define what a religion is. According to dictionary.com, a religion is defined as:

    * A set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.

    STEP 1

    Most religions start with a symbolic narrative (typically called a creation story or creation myth) that explains how the religion believes that all of what we now know as reality began. These symbolic narratives often (but not always) begin with a description of the beginning of the cosmos from a state of chaos, nothingness, or amorphousness. These stories are often passed down orally, and are all stories with a plot and characters who are either deities, human-like figures, or animals, who often speak and transform easily. They are often set in a dim and nonspecific past, and address questions deeply meaningful to the society that shares them, revealing their central worldview and the framework for the self-identity of the culture and individual in a universal context. This makes the creation myth a central and important part of any religion, as well as one of the major things which anyone who wants to create a successful religion should pay attention to.

    There are different types of creation myth, which we shall briefly touch upon:

    * Accretion or Conjunction

    These myths see creation forming as a result of "the mingling or layering of the primal elements (e.g., earth, wind, fire, and water)."

    * Secretion

    These myths see creation as a result of "divine emissions, such as 'vomit, sweat, urination, defecation, masturbation, web-spinning, and parthenogenesis.'” Remember NS rules here!

    * Sacrifice

    These myths focus on creation as a consequence of the sacrifice of a god. Typically the sacrificed bodies become some part of the newly created world.

    * Division or Consummation

    These myths are associated with discriminating primal matter or a cosmogonic egg or with the consummated marriage of earth and sky. Usually, "the sky-father casts his seeds into the earth-mother in the form of rain." These myths focus on separating the various parts of the universe and embuing certain portions with life or the potentiality for life.

    * Earth-Diver

    These myths typically begin with a primordial sea into which the god descends to bring back the materials necessary for creating the world. In these myths, the amount of material retrieved by the god is small and parallels the way in which the tiny cells of procreation grow into full-sized beings.

    * Emergence

    In these myths, a first creature, human, or race enters our world from another world. The first world parallels the womb and is often too small for its occupants.

    * Two Creators

    In these myths, the world is created through the combined efforts of or the conflict between two gods. These gods may be of the same sex, opposite sex, or may be twin gods. Often one god is more ethical or compassionate than the other. These myths also sometimes establish hierarchies between created beings, that is, a society or class.

    * Deus Faber

    In these myths, the world is created by a Great Maker God. The emphasis is on the creator's craftsmanship and on the "intricacy and cleverness of creation."

    * Ex nihilo

    The Latin phrase "ex nihilo" means "'from nothingness' or 'from spirit' and is used to describe cosmogonies in which the creator brings the world into being through speech, breath, dream, thought, or laughter."

    If you as the reader are still confused about how to create a creation myth for that religion which you want to start, it is okay! One of the best things that you can do is to look at real life creation myths, and see if there is one which you can sufficiently alter to fit the needs of your religion. This method can be relatively simple, compared to the “kit bashing” approach below.

    If you really know what you are doing, you can also take parts from different creation myths, and put them together into one new, coherent creation myth of your own. This path is more difficult than merely altering an existing creation myth, and I would not recommend it to those who have a more difficult time of thinking on your feet. Good writing skills are essential for both of these approaches.

    I highly advise that you create a creation myth for your religion before moving on to anything else, as the creation myth will be the foundation that your religion will be built on.

    STEP 2

    Hopefully, you've now come up with a creation myth for your religion. The next step for creating your religion is to determine if your religion follows Monotheism, Dualism, Polytheism, Pantheism, Animism, or others. I have provided working definitions for each type for your convenience.

    * Monotheism

    Monotheism has been defined as the belief in the existence of only one god that created the world, is all-powerful and interferes in the world. Another, more broad definition of monotheism, is the belief in one god. Prominent real world religions which subscribe to this belief include Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.

    * Dualism

    Derived from the Latin word duo meaning "two," it denotes the state of two parts. The term dualism was originally coined to denote co-eternal binary opposition, a meaning that is preserved in metaphysical and philosophical duality discourse but has been more generalized in other usages to indicate a system which contains two essential parts.

    Alternatively, in ontological dualism, the world is divided into two overarching categories. The opposition and combination of the universe's two basic principles of yin and yang is a large part of Chinese philosophy, and is an important feature of Taoism, both as a philosophy and as a religion (the yin/yang concept is also part of Confucianism).

    In theology, dualism may refer to duotheism, bitheism, or ditheism. Although ditheism/bitheism imply moral dualism, they are not equivalent: ditheism/bitheism implies (at least) two gods, while moral dualism does not imply any -theism (theos = god) whatsoever.

    Both bitheism and ditheism imply a belief in two equally powerful gods with complementary or antonymous properties; however, while bitheism implies harmony, ditheism implies rivalry and opposition, such as between good and evil, or bright and dark, or summer and winter. For example, a ditheistic system would be one in which one god is creative, the other is destructive. In the original conception of Zoroastrianism, for example, Ahura Mazda was the spirit of ultimate good, while Ahriman (Angra Mainyu) was the spirit of ultimate evil.

    In a bitheistic system, by contrast, where the two deities are not in conflict or opposition, one could be male and the other female. One well-known example of a bitheistic or duotheistic theology based on gender polarity is found in the neopagan religion of Wicca. In Wicca, dualism is represented in the belief of a god and a goddess as a dual partnership in ruling the universe. This is centered on the worship of a divine couple, the Moon Goddess and the Horned God, who are regarded as lovers. However, there is also a ditheistic theme within traditional Wicca, as the Horned God has dual aspects of bright and dark – relating to day/night, summer/winter – expressed as the Oak King and the Holly King, who in Wiccan myth and ritual are said to engage in battle twice a year for the hand of the Goddess, resulting in the changing seasons. Within Wicca, bright and dark do not correspond to notions of "good" and "evil" but are aspects of the natural world, much like yin and yang in Taoism.

    * Polytheism

    Polytheism is the worship of or belief in multiple deities, which are usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own religions and rituals. In most religions which accept polytheism, the different gods and goddesses are representations of forces of nature or ancestral principles, and can be viewed either as autonomous or as aspects or emanations of a creator God or transcendental absolute principle, and which manifests immanently in nature. It is important to remember that most Polytheistic faiths have a chief/ruling god/goddess in their pantheon!

    Polytheism was the typical form of religion during the Bronze Age and Iron Age up to the Axial Age and the development of Abrahamic religions, the latter of which enforced strict monotheism. It is well documented in historical religions of Classical antiquity, especially ancient Greek religion and ancient Roman religion, and after the decline of Greco-Roman polytheism in tribal religions such as Germanic paganism or Slavic paganism.

    Important polytheistic religions practiced today include Chinese traditional religion, Hinduism, Japanese Shinto, and various neopagan faiths.

    * Pantheism

    Pantheism is the belief that all of reality is identical with divinity, or that everything composes an all-encompassing, immanent god. Pantheists thus do not believe in a distinct personal or anthropomorphic god.

    As a religious position, some describe pantheism as the polar opposite of atheism. From this standpoint, pantheism is the view that everything is part of an all-encompassing, immanent God. All forms of reality may then be considered either modes of that Being, or identical with it. Some hold that pantheism is a non-religious philosophical position. To them, pantheism is the view that the Universe (in the sense of the totality of all existence) and God are identical (implying a denial of the personality and transcendence of God).

    Many traditional and folk religions including African traditional religions and Native American religions can be seen as pantheistic, or a mixture of pantheism and other doctrines such as polytheism and animism. Pantheism is popular in modern spirituality and New Religious Movements, such as Neopaganism and Theosophy. Ideas resembling pantheism also existed in East/South Asian religions before the 18th century (notably Hinduism, Confucianism and Taoism).

    * Animism

    The oldest form of religion in the world, Animism is a worldview according to which all things—animals, plants, rocks, rivers, weather systems, even spoken words, buildings and other artifacts—are experienced as animate and alive. It is sometimes described as a religious belief that various objects, places, and creatures possess distinctive spiritual qualities.

    Animism is used in the anthropology of religion as a term for the belief system of many indigenous tribal peoples, especially in contrast to the relatively more recent development of organized religions. Although each culture has its own different mythologies and rituals, "animism" is said to describe the most common, foundational thread of indigenous peoples' "spiritual" or "supernatural" perspectives. The animistic perspective is so widely held and inherent to most animistic indigenous peoples that they often do not even have a word in their languages that corresponds to "animism" (or even "religion"); the term is an anthropological construct.

    Largely due to such ethnolinguistic and cultural discrepancies, opinion has differed on whether animism refers to an ancestral mode of experience common to indigenous peoples around the world, or to a full-fledged religion in its own right. The currently accepted definition of animism was only developed in the late 19th century by Sir Edward Tylor, who created it as "one of anthropology's earliest concepts, if not the first."

    Animism encompasses the beliefs that all material phenomena have agency, that there exists no hard and fast distinction between the spiritual and physical (or material) world, and that soul or spirit or sentience exists not only in humans, but also in other animals, plants, rocks, geographic features such as mountains or rivers, or other entities of the natural environment, including thunder, wind, and shadows.

    Animism may further attribute souls to abstract concepts such as words, true names, or metaphors in mythology.

    * Monolatrism

    (Note: Different definitions of Monolatrism appear. The definition given here is not the only one, but was considered to be the most applicable to helping the reader.)

    Monolatrists worship only one god, but believe other gods exist. They believe that the other gods leave non-worshippers alone. It has been suggested that early Judaism was a monolatrism based on alleged references to other gods in sacred texts.

    * Polylatrism

    (Note: Polylatrism is not a word in real usage. It is used here for convenience and because the word just makes sense.)

    Polylatrism implies that a people worships a sub-set of gods exclusively but believes in the existence of other gods. They believe that other gods leave non-worshippers alone. Many neo-Pagans adhere to something akin to polylatrism, but the closest thing to a historical example we have might be the ancient Celts, which evidence suggests held a policy of "you worship your gods, we'll worship ours."

    * Kathenotheism

    Kathenotheism is a hard concept for many to understand, but might be best described as worshiping a Divine Office instead of the god holding it. Kathenotheists might believe there is a series or cycle of supreme deities, and worship each one for only as long as they hold the power of supreme god.

    * Henotheism

    Henotheists worship one single god while not denying the existence of others. The difference between henotheism and monolatrism is that henotheists seem believe that the non-worshiped gods have power over those who don't believe in them.

    * Manism

    Manism is based on the belief that the deceased, often family members, mythological ancestors or saints, have a continued existence and/or possess the ability to influence the fortune of the living. Manism is most frequent in settled cultures. Shinto is an excellent example of this.

    STEP 3

    After completing steps one and two (including who is god/goddess of what if going the Dualism or Polytheism routes), this is when you should start to decide upon the major principles that will define your religion. I'm not asking you to come up with the Bible, Qur'an, or Torah, but something comparable to Judaism and Christianity's Ten Commandments will help you here.

    The Ten Commandments are written with room for varying interpretation, reflecting their role as a summary of fundamental principles. They are not as explicit or detailed as rules or many other biblical laws and commandments, because they provide guiding principles that apply universally, across changing circumstances. They do not specify punishments for their violation, and their precise import must be worked out in each separate situation.

    Through most of Christian history the Ten Commandments were considered a summary of God's law and standard of behavior, fundamental and central to Christian life, piety, and worship. It is exactly such a summary which you would be creating for your own religion in this step.

    As stated earlier in this step, you do not need to come up with your entire Holy Book(s) here. That is something that will likely take you years and a sustained level of interest in the religion itself in order to complete. A fundamental summary on par with the Ten Commandments will do just fine.

    STEP 4

    Assuming that you have completed the first three steps at this point, now is the time to determine how and where the followers of your religion worship the Divine. Is the Divine supposed to be publicly worshiped in a Temple, Mosque, Shrine, or other such structure in your religion? Or maybe the Divine is something to be worshiped at home, in nature, or at a small private Shrine such as can be found in Shinto?

    These answers are important, as it determines what the internal administrative structure of your religion might look like. What does the Priesthood of your religion look like? How is it structured? Is there some world head honcho (the Pope is an excellent example of this) somewhere in a big Cathedral where he/she/it rules over the religion? Or maybe your religion is decentralized to the town or even house level? Something in between is also perfectly acceptable.

    You need not make a large detailed post about this (especially at first), but having at least some notes on who is in what position in your religion (and what each position therein does), can be very helpful, especially when explaining your religion to others. It is also important to figure out who handles money in the religion's name, how they handle it, and how they are overseen to ensure that they do not steal from the religion. Religions are about spreading their faith to others, and money plays a large part in that, especially in the modern world, where many things have a monetary value and cost. Figuring out who handles the money should merely be part of figuring out the overall structure of your religion, however.

    STEP 5

    This step is where you determine how your religion would be spread to others ICly. Would your religion be more apt to:

    * be spread peacefully, or also be amenable to being spread by the sword/gun/whatever?
    * encourage followers to travel the world in order to spread the message, or would it be more insular?
    * have a priesthood that takes vows of poverty and chastity, or allow the priesthood to marry and have outside jobs?
    * have written Holy Book(s), or have a more oral tradition?
    * be more welcoming of technological developments, or more technophobic and traditional?
    * be welcoming of worship being conducted in multiple languages, or make use of a single, authoritative, language (examples: Latin for Catholics, or Arabic for Islam)?
    * be welcoming of newcomers to the religion, or more suspicious of them?

    STEP 6

    Ragnarök, the End Times, Judgment Day, the Apocalypse, the ultimate fate of the universe; no matter what you call it, a good number of religions have some story or myth about the end of the world (or current age). In this step, you get to decide if your religion would have an end of the world myth, and if so, what it would be. Like with creation myths, there are any number of possibilities when it comes to an end of the world myth. Maybe the world will be eaten by a giant ice serpent, or maybe there will be some final battle between the forces of good and evil. Perhaps the current world will be destroyed by the gods, so that a new world can take our place in an endless cycle of life and death. You get to decide what your religion thinks about this!

    STEP 7

    Now that we've gotten through the other steps, the final step is to take all of the information that you've gathered from the other steps, and make a factbook entry or even a written paper about your religion (don't forget to give it a name!). This is another step where it helps to have good writing skills. The result from this final step should give you enough basic information about your new religion to be able to confidently explain it to others, and hopefully convince these others to adopt your religion in their own nation in some form. Over time, you may come up with new information for your religion, or you might also come up with changes to your religion which you feel may be needed. This is natural; large institutions do not remain static, and things change over time. Indeed, time for further thought and reflection on your religion would be required in order to expand it beyond the basic/intermediate level information which this guide allows the user to provide.

    If it is your wish to expand your religion beyond just yourself and your own nations or organizations on NS, you will need to convince other players that your religion is something that would be fun for them to RP. While there are people on NS who like having their nation have ties to large organizations of various sorts, there are also those who will be harder to persuade. The best that you can do in these situations, is to provide others with the information on your religion, and let them make their own decisions. Do not try to force anything on others, as that simply will not work. Always be honest, polite, and responsive to the questions of others (as long as said questions are not insulting). The spread of your religion among other NS players will not be swift, but if you are willing to keep at it, and keep refining your religion, you too might eventually create a ICly powerful NS religion. If you don't really want to have your religion expand much (or at all) outside of your nation(s) or organization(s), then that is acceptable as well. Either way, you will have created a successful (by your own definition) NS religion, which is what this guide is about.

    HELPFUL LINKS:

    Linkhttps://en.wikipedia/org/wiki/Religion
    Linkhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conreligion
    Linkhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_creation_myths
    Linkhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monotheism
    Linkhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dualism
    Linkhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polytheism
    Linkhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantheism
    Linkhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animism
    Linkhttp://www.innsmouthfreepress.com/blog/apocalypse-week-10-ways-to-end-the-world-in-mythology/
    Linkhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/End_time
    Linkhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism
    Linkhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity
    Linkhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam
    Linkhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism
    Linkhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism
    Linkhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jainism
    Linkhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikhism
    Linkhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucianism
    Linkhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taoism
    Linkhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neo-Confucianism
    Linkhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinto
    Linkhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_African_religions
    Linkhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afro-American_religion
    Linkhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoroastrianism

    Read dispatch



    This dispatch serves two purposes. One, it's to preserve something I wrote on the forums from the inevitable jaws of the autoprune, and two, since I've heard that my little bit of writing was useful to people, it's to inform users who want a little help what I've found to work well in creating a past-tech nation.

    Do note, friends, that this dispatch is primarily geared for PT nations. It assumes that cultures are limited by the geography around them and that they will be driven by the urges of ancient societies. However, the first sections, about developing a unique culture, should still remain valid for all tech levels, and the latter sections should remain valid if you take into account the assumptions that I've made and how you can get around them.





    The Thing Responsible for this Mess
    Kiu ghesik wrote: The best thing to do for a PT nation, I've found, is to think of the essentials. Where they are determines a lot. Mountains? City-state, maybe terrace farming, "tall build", possibly incorporates altitude in their worship, be it high or low places. So on and so forth. I find it's best when looking at PT to consider the blending between peoples when searching for conflict and narrative potential, since historically it has been interactions of peoples that develops cultures and seeds strife. Take, for example, the Indus. The Aryan culture coming down into the Indus territory led to centuries of strife.

    If you're stuck on what you want the nation to be, come up with a concept and roll with it. For example, say we want a rebellious nation that ended up a totalitarian state. What are they rebelling against? A conquering empire? Is that empire Chinese in its mentality? Toss in some dynastic Vietnam. Well, that's too on-the-nose. What other historical nation rebelling against a big power can we think of? What about the Irish? Well, what are some traits both of those nations have? They're into agriculture in a big way. Let's toss in some Tzarist Russian Siberia, for good measure. They're very agricultural. What about religion? Vietnam has an emphasis on the role of ancestors, Celtic mythology focuses on polytheism and fae critters, at least in the public perception. So what if we ascribe ancestral traits to fae creatures? That's neat.

    And just like that we've got a culture that lives in a mountainous region, in city-states, with a religion focusing on ancestor worship in specific spaces such as rivers that wind through valley floors, with an emphasis on the life-giving properties of these spaces, rebelling against a conquering nation not suited to the environment. With that blank slate, toss out all of your notes prior to that, and fill in the blanks of every aspect not covered by this brief with unique worldbuilding.

    That's my method, at least, though I've tried to deviate from it with the Kiu. Hope it helped.

    This post, made in September 2020, outlines a basic process for creating a past-tech nation that allows for the creation of "unfamiliar-but-recognizable" cultures and societies for one's PT setting. However, it's not the whole story. Rather, it's only a brief of what could be termed the "full method". As such, I'd like to expound on my creative process in greater detail, and to walk you, most dear and gracious reader, through the creation of an example nation using these principles.


    Coming Up With a Concept, or... WHY IS THE PAGE BLANK AFTER FOUR HOURS!?

    Alright. So. You've decided you want to join the PT Gang. Good job, that's the cool kids' club. You'll fit right in. However, you don't want to make a culture that's just ROME GREECE ROME or "modern culture, but tossed into the Wayback Machine". Well, in that case, you've come to the right place. Here, you'll learn how to create a passably unique culture in the same way that the power rule allows you to bypass all that complex math in your calculus class. However, this ain't gonna be a walk in the park, kiddos. You'll need to have done some reading on the cultures of the world, or otherwise have knowledge of various cultures that doesn't involve stereotypes at all levels. Note that this knowledge is not- NOT- meant to be academically intensive. There will not be a test at the end of the course, except for what you'll create. However, it'll help for you to understand the population dynamics, technologies, and cultures of the ancient and modern world on a level comparable to what you'd get out of an American AP World History class.

    So, now that that's out of the way. The first thing you'll need to do is come up with a concept for what your nation's going to be. At this stage, it's okay to refer to stereotypes, as we'll be expanding on these stereotypes and contracting them back later in the guide. This concept should be incredibly simple, a one-liner even, limited to this culture's general geographic setting and their mode of society. For the purposes of your convenience, you can use abstractions such as "plains dwellers", "steppe peoples", "mountain regions", "generic tribe #59488", "river civilization", and so on and so forth. When you develop this concept of your society's geography, think out its implications for a moment. People living in a flood plain that brings water every spring, or in a region affected by monsoons, will likely develop agriculture quickly, and will rely on this regularity of rain that has historically been reflected in such cultures by a belief in the cosmos possessing underlying mechanisms and functions- an engineered or regular system.

    Once you've got that geography, and an understanding of how cultures in such regions have developed historically, you should start to get an idea of the geopolitical situation of your culture. For example, take the mountain culture discussed in the short guide above. Such a culture would naturally form into isolated city-states or villages due to the issues of traveling across such rugged terrain. However, this isn't necessarily the case: The Incan empire, for example, developed a unified society in a mountainous environment. However, it is an observed axiom that such cultures will be concentrated into pockets of humanity within a wider world, as very few places within this region will be inhabited by large numbers of people. With this understanding of your culture's geopolitical situation, you should be able to reduce your culture into two words. [GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION] [NATION TYPE]. River-Dwelling Empire, Monsoon-Dependent Villages, Mountainous City-States, et cetera.

    So, let's apply what we've discussed above to a fictitious culture we will name, for the moment, Culture. I promise you we'll give them a name later, but for the moment, we don't have enough of an understanding of their culture to accurately do so without resorting to stereotyping. Nation will be located in a humid, sub-tropical region that experiences frequent monsoons- imagine, if you will, the tip of the Indian subcontinent. However, due to these people's need for year-round water, they will nonetheless be forced to cluster around the large rivers in the region, with cities developing in these areas and a number of smaller villages clustered around the outskirts of these cities. So, in this case our two (or three!) words will be "Tropical River Cities". Within this context, we'll be able to proceed onwards to the biggest no-no of writing, ever: stereotyping.

    Okay, I've got a confession to make. Stereotyping of cultures in worldbuilding, in my opinion, is both good and bad, even if it as a tool tends more to the bad side of things. It allows the reader to develop a sense of familiarity with the given culture and creates in them an expectation of what is to come. However, too much stereotyping reduces your culture to tropes and meaningless reproduction of existing cultures. Thus, it should be avoided for everything but this next step. You're going to be picking and choosing from existing cultures to get an idea of what these cultures might develop into, and to add flavor to them. However, you should not stop at this. If you leave off at this next step, you'll have nothing more than a disjointed pile of ideas with little lease on life and no originality to distinguish itself as anything other than evidence of your learning. As such, use stereotyping as a tool, not a crutch. Apply it sparingly and only when you're stuck, lest you end up falling into its pitfalls without reaping its benefits.


    Expounding on your Concept, or... The Worst Idea Salad Ever Made

    So. You've got a concept for your culture. Now it's time to go globetrotting. Or, rather, it's time to plagiarize a little bit of everything from cultures across the world. If you'll recall what I said above about stereotyping, that it allows the reader to develop a set of expectations for your nation, then this next bit should make quite a bit of sense. Think of what cultures in the ancient or classical world resembled your culture, and identify elements you like. Then, taking these elements, search for other cultures with similar elements, and identify elements that you like or that fit with what you want this culture to be, and take those, then repeat the process. The point of all this is to get a list of a number of brief, bullet-point ideas for your nation that you can then go through and select to form a cohesive concept. You should not, as pointed out above, write down any solid details at this stage. At the moment, you're making a globally-sourced shopping list, looking for things that catch your eye and that more importantly feel right for the nation that you're making. However, at this stage you should recall that you're not taking down specific details. So, let's say that you decide that you want to, as shown in the post, nick the Vietnamese mode of ancestral worship. On your little "list", be it mental or physical, write down "ancestor worship" or "Vietnamese-style ancestor worship". Don't write down the specifics of the religious tradition, or you'll find yourself falling into the same trap as you might if you made heavy use of stereotyping cultures in this stage- that is, recreating an existing culture.

    Let me explain what I mean. If you use stereotypes too heavily, or if you are too precise in your note-taking process, you develop in your mind an image of your culture before you want to do so. You'll look at, say, using potatoes as a food source, and then your mind will jump to reproducing the Inca, or the Irish, or the Baltic states, and the traits you take down for the rest of the process will be traits that match with that image in your head of a Baltic-themed or an Incan nation, rather than your own unique thing. If you find this happening, I advise you stop writing immediately and go take a walk. Drink some tea, clear your head, play some Minecraft or whatever it is kids do these days. Just vibe for a bit and don't work on your concept until you're ready to start again. If you continue with too clear of a picture in your mind at this stage you'll find yourself inadvertently recreating existing things. Now, no idea is unique, which is why we're allowing the development of history to do our work for us rather than bash our heads against the wall creating something new out of whole-cloth, but combinations of ideas, and what you do with those ideas, are. If you have too clear a direction in this early stage you'll be likely to find yourself losing your ability to create these unique combinations, something that won't happen if you're only creating a brief list of specific traits, following the plan laid out above.

    But that's enough talk. Let's put it into practice, shall we? So. Our culture, Culture, is a group of cities in a tropical river delta, which is affected by seasonal monsoons. Now, we can see two immediate paths we can go down here: the Mali and the Hindi. So, let's take our first two bullet points: Culture is rich in valuable metals, as the Mali are, and it has something of a class system. I'd add a note here that this class system is not religious in nature or strict, so as to differentiate it in your mind from Indian states. Now, let's let our minds wander- what cultures are near the, shall we say, Mali? The Bantu peoples are, but they're not one culture. They're spread all across central Africa. So, let's use that- Culture is at the heart of a widespread interconnected demographic network of similar peoples, spread by some migration or emigration of Culture's people at some point in the past. Now onto religion- the obvious thing to look at here would be Hinduism, but that would be too on the nose, wouldn't it? The reader expects that. Instead, let's look at Mali and Hindi commonalities- they've both got a polytheistic religion, with lots of supporting mythology behind it. What other culture is like that? The Norse. So, jumping up into the great white north, we nick the Norse conception of gods as what amounts to a separate species, with mythical powers fitting their divine role. That's a cool concept, but let's lean on the Hindu idea a bit more and steal the concept of a divine creator higher up the ladder than the rest of the mythology. So, that leaves us with an explicit creator, a number of gods and goddesses heavily involved in mythology and folklore, all in the background of a rich trading power on a river delta. For some thematic sources, we've taken from the Norse, the Mali, the Hindi, all over, really, but we could use some more ideas- what if we take the historical habit of the Norse to export their warriors to the Byzantines and strip it to its barest? We've got some background for our setting now, that Culture has another, stronger neighbor nearby that values its contributions in some way. Perhaps trade in arms and riches? See? This method works well- by doing all this plagiarizing lovely reappropriation, we've managed to create a framework for Culture that we'll be able to extrapolate on. Now, let's look at our List:

    • Trades in valuable metals (M)

    • Located in a tropical river delta (M,I)

    • Diverse pantheon full of character (N)

    • Supreme creator deity (I)

    • Flexible caste system(I)

    • Center of a broader cultural sphere (M)

    • Has a somewhat-removed allied power (N)

    • Very wet climate, deals with monsoons on the regular (I)

    • Contributes to a regular agricultural season (M, I, E)

    With all of that, you should have a mind full of ideas. I know I do. Now, with this in mind, I want you to take my advice of what I said earlier, write down this list somewhere else, literally burn your notes, and go take a nap or something. Come back and write when you're not thinking about where these ideas are from and you're ready to look at them as ideas disassociated from the world and alone unto themselves.


    Making Your Culture Unique, or... This Bit Reads Best with Amnesia

    So. Did you do it? Did you go do something else in the real world? No? Go do it. I'm waiting.

    Alright, fine. I guess we'll go on, then, if you're intent on not listening to me. Grr. Well, I hope you're ready, because now's the time that you're going to get to really dig into the ideas you've come up with. Look at your list and, with what you've written in mind, start to imagine what such a culture could be like. These ideas you should write down, and extrapolate on. However, you need to know what you're going to be extrapolating first. Look at the list above and start thinking about how these ideas lead into each other and interconnect. To take a historical example, imagine the United States of America in 1803 distilled into its most minimal. It would have an emphasis on expansion and a lot of empty land there for the taking. These two ideas would logically and obviously lead into this "con-culture" moving into that empty land whenever it got the chance. This would also imply a sense of industriousness, a more fast-paced culture, and a rough, agrarian lifestyle being common. This is what I mean by extrapolation- you're filling in the blanks of your culture based on what's around it to be filled in, and based off of the implications of your list of ideas.

    But what blanks need to be filled in? Well, I like to have enough information to theoretically make a single factbook for each category in NS, and the ability to create dispatches in each of these sections with little additional effort. You'll find that you'll get exponentially more ideas as time goes on, too, so this shouldn't be that hard once you get going. To clarify, that means you should have one or two points about the history, geography, culture, politics, religion, military, economy, and foreign relations of this culture. Note I've ignored the overview and legislation sections, as these things are essentially your list of notes and a cancerous tumor on the politics section, respectively. At least in my experience. These points should be things you can easily extrapolate on, notes such as "expanding into land to the west" or "has lots of precious metals it trades with neighbors", respectively. Do note that in this stage we're making things up as we go. This is writing, not note-taking, and you should have fun with it. It's your brainstorming session. If you dislike my ideas or my suggestions, feel free to ignore me. If you're ready to write a dissertation at this stage, okay. You can do that, no one's stopping you. In fact, nothing's stopping me from demonstrating the example right now, either. So let's do that.

    Alright, here we go. Looking at our list from above, we can decide on some more specific details of Culture's, well, culture. For reference, here it is again:

    • Trades in valuable metals (M)

    • Located in a tropical river delta (M,I)

    • Diverse pantheon full of character (N)

    • Supreme creator deity (I)

    • Flexible caste system(I)

    • Center of a broader cultural sphere (M)

    • Has a somewhat-removed allied power (N)

    • Very wet climate, deals with monsoons on the regular (I)

    • Contributes to a regular agricultural season (M, I, E)

    So, taking that, you should see a few things: Firstly, while we have made note of the cultural origins of each little trait we have here,



    Developing Your Idea, or... Cultures are Just Dish-Soap, Really

    WIP. In short, cultures mix. Use that.


    My Ideal Workflow in a Nutshell

    WIP. In short, buy low, sell high. Oh, and remember to cite your sources.

    Read dispatch

    The Imperial Union of States of Oneid1

    Edited:

    RawReport