Gameplay Advice Thread - We're here to help!

[Drasnia]

How long is a term for WA Secretary General? When will we re-elect?

It was an April Fools' thing. The position comes with no duties or such. I doubt it will ever occur again (like most other April Fools' events)

[ADESiEM]

How long is a term for WA Secretary General? When will we re-elect?

I was going ask the same thing!

[Jeffersonborg]

How long is a term for WA Secretary General? When will we re-elect?

It was an April Fools' thing. The position comes with no duties or such. I doubt it will ever occur again (like most other April Fools' events)

More likely than you think apparently.

Maaaaaaaybe.

[We Are Not the NSA]

How long is a term for WA Secretary General? When will we re-elect?

It was an April Fools' thing. The position comes with no duties or such. I doubt it will ever occur again (like most other April Fools' events)

NS Zombies started as an April Fools day minigame.

[Sygian II]

It was an April Fools' thing. The position comes with no duties or such. I doubt it will ever occur again (like most other April Fools' events)

NS Zombies started as an April Fools day minigame.

Cards against NS is still around..

Am I the only one that still plays that?

[Serbocerdia]

Hello. I have just started a new region and hsve 5 members but like, how do I make a PROPER region. It's because I look at other nations and they have like forums and stuff and how to make all these things confuses me. Help would be greatly appreciated.

-Thanks, Serbocerdia

[Sedburgh]

Hello-
I'm still somewhat new to this, and certainly new to the World Assembly. How do I endorse a nation and how do I vote on proposals?

[Sedburgh]

I'm not skilled at photoshop or things of that nature. Any advice on where to go to make a custom flag for my nation?

[Kaboomlandia]

Hello-
I'm still somewhat new to this, and certainly new to the World Assembly. How do I endorse a nation and how do I vote on proposals?

If there's something up for vote in the WA - which currently there isn't - there'll be a notification button on the WA tab, and you can go and vote on something.

If you're wanting to endorse someone, two things need to be true:
1. You need to both be in the WA.
2. You both need to be in the same region.

If both of those are true, go to their nation page, scroll to the bottom, and there should be a button saying "Endorse X".

I'm not skilled at photoshop or things of that nature. Any advice on where to go to make a custom flag for my nation?

You can make a request here, and it should be done within a few days if you're patient.

[The Second New Kent]

I would just like to now, how do I declare war?

[Tim-Opolis]

I would just like to now, how do I declare war?

Nationstates doesn't have any sort of integrated war feature. If you're referring to Nation Roleplay then all of that is simulated over text. I'd recommend heading over to the International Incidents and Nationstates forum sections for that and maybe picking up a mentor there as they'd be far more in tune with Roleplay. There's also the NS Military Gameplay which you can read about in one of the other pinned threads in this forum, but it's far from what you'd be imagining in a "war declaring" sort of game.

Your in-game nation can't actually effect any other in-game nation, and that's done very much on purpose and will not be changing. However both the RP Forums and R/D have very diverse and vibrant communities that you could certainly have a good time being part of nonetheless.

[Glorious ReBublic of Alevstan]

If I switch WA membership from one nation which has endorsements to another, but switch back before the region of the first nation updates, will I keep the endorsements on that first one?

[We Are Not the NSA]

If I switch WA membership from one nation which has endorsements to another, but switch back before the region of the first nation updates, will I keep the endorsements on that first one?

No.

[Rabbitina]

If there is only 1 WA member (me) in my region and can't get endorsements, who is the WA delegate? Do we have to take a poll or is it me by default?

[Louisistan]

If there is only 1 WA member (me) in my region and can't get endorsements, who is the WA delegate? Do we have to take a poll or is it me by default?

Nobody is. There is no WA Delegate under the scenario you describe.

[Maybud]

All right guys. I'm brand, brand new. Somebody on Imgur posted an ad for this saying that they had a lot of fun, and after they described it, I nodded and said "Yeah that sounds like fun to me too."

I've gotten so far as to making my nation and picking resolutions for the first 4 issues, and seeing a bajillion invites for regions.

So my questions are:
1) I like to roleplay. How do I get started?
2) What are the benefits of joining another region?
3) Are there any cons to joining a region?
4) Is swapping a region easy or hard if I don't like the one I've selected? How careful does this decision have to be?
5) How would you say, as an experienced player, you've gotten the most fun out of this game? How do I do that?

[Zzyzzy]

So i wasting time, challenging random nations on the activity feed and suddenly, rather than getting a level up notification, it said i qualified for a speciality.

What exactly does this mean, how do i select or view or anything my specialities?

[Why are all the names taken already]

I'm a completley new player at this game. When I first read what this game was about I was so excited to get into it but I have no idea where to start! any tips would be helpful.

Thank you

[Bears Armed]

So my questions are:
1) I like to roleplay. How do I get started?
2) What are the benefits of joining another region?
3) Are there any cons to joining a region?
4) Is swapping a region easy or hard if I don't like the one I've selected? How careful does this decision have to be?
5) How would you say, as an experienced player, you've gotten the most fun out of this game? How do I do that?

1. Skim through the threads that are stickied at the tops of each section in the ‘National Affairs’ division of these forums, to see which sections suit your tastes, then look through those sections for threads that aren’t labelled as not open for additional players; also, viewtopic.php?f=5&t=118474; also, some experienced players have been designated as 'Mentors' so look for that label under nations' names by their forum posts.

2. Different regions have different styles and may focus on different aspects of the overall game, and moving to a smaller region instead of just staying in the very large one where your nation was originally placed usually gives you a better chance to make your voice heard in regional affairs (unless you’ve moved into a dictatorship where the nations in control don’t tolerate any dissent) if that’s something you’d like.

3. The main ‘con’ is if you move into a region where it turns out you don’t really feel comfortable… but then it’s easy enough to move on again, anyhows. The only other problem is that smaller nations that don’t have active Founders can be vulnerable to “raids” by groups who think that it’s fun to go around seizing the WA Delegate position in as many regions as possible and then using that official’s authority to mess things up there for the native community.


4. Swapping regions is as easy as making your first move, unless you’re trying to get into one that has a password set, and new nations moving about a bit before they find somewhere to settle down in the longer term is quite common. The only problem might be that if you move from a known “raiding” base then other people in the region to which you move might suspect you of being a raider agent and respond to you on that basis.

5. I’ve had fun making things up about this nation (see the nation’s factbooks, and my sig for some other links…), creating other nations with different styles (which is perfectly legal as long as a player doesn’t try to place more than one of their nations in the WA simultaneously, although using multiple nations in a single RP storyline might be frowned-on by the other players involved there …), working collaboratively with the other players who have nations in some of the same regions to design those regions’ RP backgrounds, sending entrants to events in the ‘NS Sports’ section of RP, drafting and passing General Assembly resolutions, and – most recently – drafting potential ‘issues’. How to do some of those things should be fairly obvious, I hope, and there are stickied threads in the relevant forum sections to provide guidance as well.

______________________________________________________

So i wasting time, challenging random nations on the activity feed and suddenly, rather than getting a level up notification, it said i qualified for a speciality.

What exactly does this mean, how do i select or view or anything my specialities?

Choosing a trait as your speciality increases the chance of that trait being one of those used for comparison during a challenge, so designating a trait in which you have a high value (and for which you're therefore likely to win the comparison) effectively increases your chance of winning challenges.


______________________________________________________

I'm a completley new player at this game. When I first read what this game was about I was so excited to get into it but I have no idea where to start! any tips would be helpful.

Thank you

Maybeso my advice to Maybud, further up this post, might be useful to you as well?
One hint, anyhows: You're currently in The Black Hawks, and that region has traditionally been strongly associated with the "raiding" side of things, so if you don't want to bea a "raider" then moving out to somewhere else before people start assuming that you are one because of that location might be a good idea...

[Almonaster Nuevo]

All right guys. I'm brand, brand new. Somebody on Imgur posted an ad for this saying that they had a lot of fun, and after they described it, I nodded and said "Yeah that sounds like fun to me too."

I've gotten so far as to making my nation and picking resolutions for the first 4 issues, and seeing a bajillion invites for regions.

So my questions are:
1) I like to roleplay. How do I get started?

The two main options are to roleplay on the main NS board where you're reading this, or in a roleplaying region.

For this board the best place to start is probably http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic ... #p19892365

Regional RPs have 2 main types: played on the Regional Message Board (RMB), or on their own off-site forum. The former are usually regions set up specifically to play out a specific story. The latter may have more than one RP ongoing.

To find RP regions, have a look at http://www.nationstates.net/page=tag_se ... ole_player

If you have a particular type of RP in mind, you might want to look at some of these tags...

Cyberpunk
Future Tech
- FT: FTL
- FT: FTLi
- FT: STL
Fantasy Tech
Human-Only
Magical
Outer Space
Past Tech
Post Apocalyptic
Post-Modern Tech
Steampunk

If you are not planning to get involved in the raider/defender aspect of the game (at least for now), I would suggest avoiding regions tagged
raider
defender
imperialist
mercenary
founderless

Some other tags which are not always RP oriented, but may be of interest:
Map
Parody
Sports
Surreal

You may also want to consider the size of the region. Large regions will often more overall activity and a range of other interests and activites. The better ones will have a support structure for newcomers. The downside is that you may well get lost in the crowd, and find it difficult to get to know who is who.
A small region may have more active individual players, but lower total activity. Some can be welcoming, others a bit cliquey. They may also demand a certain degree of commitment up-front.

2) What are the benefits of joining another region?

A chance to make friends, find activities you enjoy, learn more about the game, etc. Pretty much the same benefits as joining a "crowd" in real life.

3) Are there any cons to joining a region?

I can't think of any, other than the possibility of finding you don't like that region and moving on.

4) Is swapping a region easy or hard if I don't like the one I've selected? How careful does this decision have to be?

Very easy. People switch regions all the time. Its an accepted part of the game - nobody is going to object.
Particular regions may not like just anybody joining. Those which are serious about it will have a password.

5) How would you say, as an experienced player, you've gotten the most fun out of this game? How do I do that?

Mostly the friends I've made in Canada.

Shop around. Find a region with a compatible crowd and get involved.

[Novia Scotion]

Hi, um, I'm sorry if this is a stupid question, er, stupid set of questions, but is there a way to reduce the way my nation reacts to my decisions on issues? Do reactions get less dramatic over time? Or are the reactions purposely this over the top?

ex:

Issue: Trial by Jury or by Duel?
Decision: Trial by Jury.
“People endure long arduous trials for the most trivial offences"
Political freedoms fell from Below Average to Some.

Again, sorry if this is just a stupid post and I'm wasting peoples' time by asking. Thank you for your time, by the way.

[Flanderlion]

Hi, um, I'm sorry if this is a stupid question, er, stupid set of questions, but is there a way to reduce the way my nation reacts to my decisions on issues? Do reactions get less dramatic over time? Or are the reactions purposely this over the top?

ex:

Issue: Trial by Jury or by Duel?
Decision: Trial by Jury.
“People endure long arduous trials for the most trivial offences"
Political freedoms fell from Below Average to Some.

Again, sorry if this is just a stupid post and I'm wasting peoples' time by asking. Thank you for your time, by the way.

The longer your nation has been around, the less a single issue with influence it (except one that is either yes or no, like banning cars) - so the reactions get semi less dramatic over time as your population increases and your nation begins to drift one way. But they're meant to be over the top, this was initially a satirical promotion for a book and the issue editors try and keep the NS brand of humour alive through the issues. It doesn't work for everyone, but it isn't getting changed and generally that small segment move on anyway. The only stupid question is the unasked one (just be sure to stick it in the right place so the mods don't swoop down).

[Lenotvija]

If I posted this in the wrong place, cause i didint know where to post this.

I wanted to ask how can I increase my gained population per day. I heard people get 5-7 Million per day.

[Bears Armed]

The rate of increase increases as a new nation ages, and reaches 5-7 million per day (which is the maximum) after just a few weeks.
This means that you gain approximately 2 billion people per year.

[Lenotvija]

thanks!