Applications to Aeneas [Role-Playing Region]

[Regnum Albion]

Welcome to Aeneas

Aeneas is a Modern-Tech, human-only role-playing region with three main focuses: realism, fairness and consensus. Thus we operate with consideration for one another and with a healthy regard for writing stories that we can all enjoy. We take everyone’s views into account, no matter how new to the region they are, and we work hard to create driven RPs within an atmosphere of fun and co-operation. Aeneas is all about quality RPing regardless of what the story tells. We enjoy character-based stories, diplomatic intrigue, geopolitical crises and day-in-the-life pieces, all held together in a rich and vibrant canon. Importantly, you are in charge of your nation. As long as you are considerate of others’ views, you can lead your nation down the path of malevolent dictatorship or on towards the perfect republic. If all of this interests you, then why not give Aeneas a try!

We don’t really have any rules, but we do have these guidelines to help everyone get the most out of Aeneas and enjoy all of the fantastic RPs we get involved in.

Realism: Aeneas is a Modern-Tech region which bases a lot of its technology and awareness off of the real world. But that doesn’t mean that we are the real world…far from it! Aeneas looks to real-life examples for inspiration and then shapes them to suit our region – it’s important to remember that Aeneas is not the equivalent to our world, so things which exist perfectly well in the real world would dramatically affect the balance of Aeneas. Therefore we follow a few guidelines regarding realism:

• We enforce population, economic and military caps, purely to keep things reasonable and fair for all. Generally this doesn’t tend to exceed total populations of 100 million, but in specific circumstances this can vary.
• In order to keep things fair in our geopolitical RPs, we also adhere to more realistic military number and budget standards. These will depend on your nation size and economy, but in general the rule is that the larger your military, the worse its training and equipment. Examples such as the USA’s large and technologically advanced armed forces may exist in the real world, but as mentioned before, they would be too unfair to add to the Aenean field.
• MT here refers to anything that can reasonably be expected to be produced en masse and commercialised at the current moment in time. It’s up for interpretation so we let questions be addressed by the whole region.

Fairness: Aeneas is a region where everyone can RP in the style they choose. There are always going to be differences between nations, but we try to make sure that no one nation can dominate the others both within our RPing and outside of it. Therefore, a lot of the realism guidelines above are designed to prevent overpowering. This doesn’t mean that one nation can’t have a larger armed forces than any other, but it does mean that they can’t expect to be the regional power. And this leads nicely into…
Consensus: Aeneas tries to make sure everyone’s views are heard whenever an issue arises. This means we have discussions on the RMB or IRC channel until we reach a solution. It also means that we respect everyone else’s view and try to include what they desire into any group decisions we make. In the end, Aeneas is all about us coming together and writing out some quality, enjoyable RPs, not about winning or losing wars, and we can keep that up if we work together.
Commitment: Aeneas is all about high-quality RPs. To maintain that quality and keep RPs going we look for members who will be dedicated to their nation and its role within Aeneas, recognising that our actions (and, importantly, our inaction) affect others in the region too. This means that we don't take too well to alts or puppets - we look for members to treat their nations in Aeneas as their mains, and to commit a decent amount of time to it. Of course, we understand that inactivity is a natural part of NS, and that is acceptable, but if that inactivity is as a result of focusing on another nation, we cannot condone that.
Calm Down: We know that a new region can also be about finding a fresh start. That's fine with us, but we ask that you don't bring any OOC drama, feuds or grudges over with you. Aeneas is an RPing region and doesn't go in for NS politicking, so please leave any such matters at the door and we can all continue to enjoy some fun storytelling. That extends to our time in Aeneas too - please treat others with respect and try to avoid spite, nastiness and unnecessary drama. It simply isn't fun, and what is NS if not fun?

If you want some clarification on any of this, feel free to telegram Regnum Albion or chat with us on our IRC at #RegionAeneas where we'll do our best to help you out. Some great starting points can be found below!

Useful Notes on Realism

So how exactly can we turn NS’s nations of 5 billion with armies of 50 million into realistic countries with normal economies and armed forces? The following links are immensely useful to anyone applying as well as to current members of Aeneas. I would really encourage people to use these links when they design their application and their nations. I’ve even highlighted the really useful links in bold.

Population:

• RP Population Realism Guide
• A Guide To The NS Nation (Why Your Population Can’t Be Super-Devoted Uber-Fanatics)

Economy:

Military:

• How To Build Your Military
• Overlooked Aspects Of Militaries

Role-Playing:

• An Introduction To Role-Playing
• How To Role-Play Wars
• Planning Role-Plays
• How To Write Good Role-Plays
• Another Article On Planning Role-Plays

Application Form

To apply, just fill out the application form below and post it on this thread. We'll discuss your application in the region, but we'll get back to you as soon as we can. You can be as detailed as you like, but it's easier for us to make judgements and fit you into the regional canon if you provide us with more information.

Code: Select all

[spoiler=Application Form][b]Nation Name:[/b] 
[b]Form of Government:[/b] 
[b]National Leader(s):[/b] 
[b]Population (Please remember our realism guidelines):[/b] 
[b]Estimated GDP:[/b] 
[b]Description of National Culture:[/b] 
[b]Climate and Geography:[/b] 
[b]National History:[/b] 
[b]Description of National Economy (Major sectors, development, etc.):[/b] 
[b]Description of National Military (Please remember our realism guidelines):[/b] 
[b]Description of Geopolitical Role (E.g. expansionist middle power, small state, isolated dictatorship):[/b] 
[b]Roleplaying Example or Link (Please provide at least three paragraphs):[/b] 
[b]Notes and Questions:[/b] 

[b]Please list any active alts or puppets you may control:[/b]
[b]Have you ever controlled a nation that was deleted for poor conduct:[/b]
[b]Have you read and understood the guidelines on our OP:[/b] 
[/spoiler]

[Nyrland]

Nation Name: Kingdom of Nyrland
Form of Government: Constitutional Monarchy
National Leader(s): Queen Ketilríðr I
Population (Please remember our realism guidelines): 414,545
Estimated GDP: More or less the GDP of Iceland, Greenland and Nunavut
Description of National Culture: Founded by pagan Norse sailors running away from Christianity, half of the Kingdom of Nyrland still speaks Old Norse, worships the Aesir and follows Viking traditions. However, it is not stuck in the past, since it has outlawed human sacrifices and slavery two centuries ago, and is as socially progressive as the real Nordic countries - when it comes to the Norse and the polytheists: the Inuit half of the nation and the Christian minority have to deal with discrimination and racism, attitudes that are no longer promoted by the State (that, in fact, opposes them) but that are still present in the minds of many Norse Nyrlanders.
Climate and Geography: Nyrland is a vast nation of 2,269,087 square kilometers, but its polar climate cold temperatures, reminiscent of those of Iceland and Greenland, cannot support a big population.
National History: The Commonwealth of Nyrland was founded in 986, by pagan chieftains (and their peoples) fleeing the christianization of their homeland. The native Inuit were defeated in several wars and enslaved as the chieftains ran Nyrgard as an oligarchic republic plagued by civil wars between the most powerful leaders. In 1262 one of them, Næmr, became powerful enough to subjugate all the other chieftains during one of said civil wars, and proclaim himself King of Nyrland. Centuries of internal peace and external piracy and trade followed, until a revolt of the Inuit in 1861 forced King Víðarr to abolish slavery and grant equal rights to the native inhabitants of the state. His successors turned Nyrland into a modern nation, extremely progressive in many areas but, sadly, still recovering from centuries of racial discrimination and suspicious of ethnic and religious minorities.
Description of National Economy (Major sectors, development, etc.): The main sources of income for the Kingdom of Nyrland are fishing, biotechnology, finance, and software production. Nyrland is a developed, rich country with low income inequality, even though Norse Nyrlanders are, on average, richer than Inuit Nyrlanders.
Description of National Military (Please remember our realism guidelines): Since 1918, Nyrland has only a Coast Guard and a police, and no standing army; however, two companies of private military contractors are based in the country.
Description of Geopolitical Role (E.g. expansionist middle power, small state, isolated dictatorship): Nyrland is a small, wealthy state whose progressive policies are admired by idealistic left wingers, despite the whole Inuit and Christian issue, and whose Norse heritage is admired by the most hateful among right wingers. Having abandoned piracy in the real world, Nyrland seems to have turned into the freezing cold heaven of internet pirates worldwide.
Roleplaying Example or Link (Please provide at least three paragraphs): -
Notes and Questions: -

[North Defese]

Nation Name:
Lafinsk Refaski Aeynerilis de Defese
The Second Reformed Empire of Defese

Form of Government:
While on paper it is a Congressional Monarchy, in reality the Senate under the Emperor operates in a severely limited manner, and the nation is a de facto absolute monarchy and stratocracy.

National Leader(s):
Coming out of retirement, a lot of things will be rebooted. Currently the national leader would be Emperor Nikolai Gradysk, retconning the events of the Final Reformation. (Which also means I wouldn't be a nuclear wasteland, woo!)

Population (Please remember our realism guidelines):
250,000,000
As per discussion on it the population was lowered; I'll increase environmental damage and droughts to compensate for the lower population and same distribution method.
One of the themes of Defese is that it has an abnormally high population due to policies under the former fascist government that encouraged people to have as many children as possible; now they are dealing with the severe consequences and problems that this large population brings. It is absolutely not a positive aspect of the Empire, and IC'ly they find any excuse that they can to deport people, limit the amount of children you can have, or cut back on already crippled social services.

Estimated GDP:
2.7 trillion

Description of National Culture:
Here, have some sexy statistics.
-Ethnicity/Nationality:
Gradyskau 57%
Gerlotio 23%
Theofilluch 17%
Gillitish 2%
Other 1%

The Gradyskau have been the dominant ethnicity in Defese. In ancient times they conquered the others and ruled in a power-sharing with the Theofilluch and Gillitish with three dynasties.

The Gradyskau tribe was a confederation of multi-ethnic clans in the northern swamps, with territory extending along the entire northern coastline. The barren environment made sustaining large populations difficult, so they made a living by raiding their weaker Gillitsh neighbors to the south. They eventually developed a strong warrior-culture, and eventually dominated the entire steppe.

The Theofiluch clan was a pure Defesian clan that bordered the eastern mountain range and inside the thick temperate forests that once existed. Theofiluch settlements on the coastline are thought to have made a living as a fishing culture.

The Gillitsh are a small collection of hunter-gatherers that existed in the Center Plains. They claimed massive swaths of territory that touched the borders of all three other clans, but their population was much smaller than that of the more advanced tribes surrounding them. Gillitsh are notable in that they had very few permanent settlements. The raids from their hostile Gradyskau neighbors and the continued influx of Theofiluch settlers prevented them from making any serious attempts at settling down in any particular area. They've always been the minority, and occasionally subjugated.

The Gerlotio were a smaller clan straddling the south-western Gradyskau border. Somehow they managed to resist the Gradyskau raiders and maintain their collective tribal identity, but their dependency on oral history means very little is known about them until they were finally assimilated in the Gradyskau Federation around 850CE. They fought many, many wars and had many insurgencies to try and break off and follow self-rule, but they've never succeeded for extended periods of time. Gerlotions are usually strong-headed, independant people.

Climate and Geography:
Large endless plains once made up Defese, stretching from the northern swamps to the southern beaches. Forests had only dominated the eastern stretches of the Empire before the massive urban sprawl and demands for timber all but decimated them. Now there are limited regulations on logging, but the forests have not been able to recover and Defese has become more of a steppe than it ever was prior.

To the north-east are massive mountains which make up the natural end of the "traditional" border. Travel over them is almost impossible due to their sheer scale. All of these natural barriers are what make Defese the shape it is today.

National History:
I direct you to my (outdated in certain parts and obviously having to be rebooted for this specific region) timeline:
http://www.nationstates.net/nation=nort ... /id=145464

Description of National Economy (Major sectors, development, etc.):
Defese has a curious mix between State Capitalism and a Planned Economy. Due to historical and social circumstances, Defese’s economy industrialized rapidly during the last century, under the watchful guidance of the Defesian state. The iron grip of the political elite over the economic progress never ceased, and even today, Defese is one of the most meticulously regulated and centrally planned economies in the world.

Despite such internal circumstances, Defese maintains a competitive, stable economy, even though it both offers a limited market, especially in consumer and luxury goods, and lacks the technological sophistication and educated, motivated labour force of its neighbors.
Defesian economy is a war economy, at all times. Market allocation is sharply limited – the only notable exceptions are some rural fishers being allowed to sell their produce from smallscale private fishing. Private small business virtually doesn’t exist. The state provides the citizens with any necessary goods, up to and including housing, food, some consumer goods, some electrical appliances (mainly TVs and radios), vehicles, and in the case of social and political elites, even luxury goods. However, the majority of goods and virtually all of Defese’s resources are reserved for the military. In any allocation of goods military personnel takes priority. This is often detrimental to the civilian population and can lead to localized problems, unrest and even famines in cases of rapid, unexpected force movement and deployment from region to region, in case of insurgencies.

Industrial production and the manufacturing sector of the economy in general, make up over 50% of the Defesian GDP. Defese is capable of utilizing its industrial capacity to achieve remarkable results in no time. However, little of its industrial might is used to create consumer goods and export goods. Most industries are concerned with creating military equipment and ordnance (ammunition and small arms in particular), machinery, vehicle and machine parts. For the most part, domestic industry is concerning with maintaining the Defesian society and way of life. The industry does suffer from several disadvantages; the Defesian labour force is very poorly educated, despite being skilled in their respective jobs, and is neither well motivated nor known for innovation. Administrators and overseers are members of the educated political elite, but the average Joe lives in a never ending limbo of shift after shift. In addition, most work is done by hand or by obsolete machines, which is hurting productivity. Social security, working conditions and especially safety are minimal, in some cases even criminally low, resulting in constant hazards and injuries. However, Defese certainly doesn't lack in human resources, finding it easier and less expensive to replace a worker who lost a limb then up the working conditions or provide some insurance or pension.

Interestingly, agriculture does not suffer under the same restrictions as the industrial branch. Agriculture is highly sophisticated and advanced; it even encourages the development of several supporting industries like chemistry and light industry. A remnant of older times, Defesian farming yields good results, is far better managed, far more productive and utilizes more modern methods and technics. Because of this, agriculture and fishing make up a high percentage of the Defesian GDP. Farmers and similar workers share the same lot with their brethren in the factories, having little to no education and knowledge, but possessing extensive practical skills and expertise. The administrators of the farms are a different set of men – very well educated and paid, to ensure loyalty and a steady flow of food in Defesian bellies. In spite of their successes in food production, Defese is still forced to import food from abroad.

The service sector is the weakest economic sector of Defese, making up less than 10% of the GDP. It is difficult to determine if this is a deliberate choice of the elite to prevent the masses from utilizing their collective power and topple the current regime, or simply a byproduct of official economic policies. Defese doesn't need a service industry to maintain its current state of affairs. Even external pressure and opportunities don’t force Defese to lessen the restrictions posed on the general society. Defese is aimed at becoming as self-sufficient as possible, firmly marching towards Autarky. This national policy clashes with the sheer amount of imports (predominantly food products, oil, complex devices) that the nations needs to survive. This glaring "weakness" keeps the Empire with a constant desire to put its hands in as many international markets as possible to ensure a steady flow.

Description of National Military (Please remember our realism guidelines):
Ahtakaskr Lokev Shikovundr (Professional soldiers)
700,000
200,000 in reserve (These are the Catahecaa explained below)
Catahecaa Lokev Shikovundr (Part-time soldiers; people end up here when the State wants more soldiers but doesn't want to spend too much money on them; predominantly infantry and kept in reserve.)
200,000 at any time
Lalawskr Lokev Alfrnan
The Militia, which all eligible males at the age of 18 must join for a period of time determined by the current level of men in service. They aren't worth giving numbers on, because they aren't even given much weapons training; it's a boot-camp style of breaking them and making them obedient. Technically they could be raised, but of course if every member of the militia was raised at once the economy would collapse.

Deployment Projections
Potential: (full mobilization): ~1,000,000

Description of Geopolitical Role (E.g. expansionist middle power, small state, isolated dictatorship):
The Empire walks a thin line between isolationism and expansionist. It works hard to remain isolated from the rest of the globe, striving for full self-sufficiency and isolation. Unfortunately for the administration, it relies heavily on imports and the stability of the global market. Ironically, this means that the Empire uses its power (diplomatic, economic, or even military) to ensure that places with abundant resources they need are kept stable and on good terms. However they don't actively strive for more territory, being completely content with having unified the Steppes and understanding the diplomatic headache that comes with harsh policies in occupied regions.

It has above average power-projection, with a navy they're slowly modernizing and an air-force they're modernizing even slower. Current naval policy focuses on submarines and several Task-Forces; small fleets with a support carrier dispatched to trouble regions.

Roleplaying Example or Link (Please provide at least three paragraphs):
viewtopic.php?f=21&t=166416
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=83584&hilit
Demise of the Newborn Fleet
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=83070&hilit
Notes and Questions:
I reiterate again that a large population is used as a detriment for the nation; the issues force the government to make many of the choices that it makes. It combines with the scar upon the collective cultural psyche over having lost, in their eyes, the greatest empire in the history of mankind and being repeatedly humiliated on the international stage until they were united under the Fascists during the 60's - 80's.

I also say that I've been on NS for about 5 years by now, I've been in retirement for a year of that, and have only just come back. So a lot of my information is obviously out of date and Defese would be heavily rebooted; a lot of the history and statistics on things are up for heavy editing.

Notes on internal stability:
There aren't political parties in a traditional sense; you vote based on your District for a Senator to represent that district, and the Senate makes a big show about passing legislation to raise the minimum wage, lowering the cost of "Rations", building new roads, etc. The State makes a big show about improving the standard of living; their tight control of media and the like means they can introduce an out-dated commercial product and hail it as a great advance.

The rest of the information was given in a conversation with Aurinsula; I feel like just posting it here as a little Q/A session rather than heavily edit it into a single exposition.

"who genuinely benefits from this system?"
The elite, of course. Those that benefit believe they themselves make sacrifices for the long-term stability of the state. ofc they don't, really. But it's a cultural cognitive dissonance. In more material ways the military benefits due to the stratocracy. The Senate -- legislative branch -- is made up of near exclusively of retired officers who decided to run for office. All but one or two of the Ministers - close advisors of the Emperor and managers of high level day-to-day stuff, are commissioned officers.

"And how does this system of government present itself? To the people/the world."
My timeline has the recent government changes -- the Fascists united the steppes in the psuedo-civil war that had been going on since the 1500's, and they were a hero to the people and needed little justification for their existence. In 2007 the government went under the Second Reformation, becoming an Empire and "refounding" the first empire of Aeynerilis. Nikolai Gradysk would be that Emperor, who took the title when his father - the Supreme Chancellor the Fascist State - died, as the final part of the Reformation. He claims a direct bloodline to the Gradysk royal dynasty - his mother was the last surviving member of this royal line.

To the public the government is a direct continuation of the Aeynerilis Empire - it is constantly striving to regain the glory days, but they can only get there with 'sacrifices'. This goes over better in some regions than in others. The Gerlotians are historically simmering with resentment at the loss of their national identity -- they hold barely any offices or military positions, and there's a small-scale insurgency going on in that part of the country. But, thanks to every home getting a small television with one of the channels being the only source of news and that news always gushing over the great advances, most people are kept ignorant and in the dark. Schools are managed by local districts with heavy oversight, though the government heavily promotes home schooling, so the cycle of ignorance and traditional values continues in its harsh, unending cycle of tragedy.

Defese is constantly "preparing" for war -- it's in a severe military-industrial complex. The media constantly boasts about great advances in military technology or new factories opening up to bring in jobs. But the theme wouldn't really change; the government as it stands is here to stay, believes itself to be a direct reincarnation of an ancient Empire.

And to the world?!
Defese was beaten up and humiliated constantly after the collapse of its ancient empire. In one case in the 20's, for an offense they came and shelled Defesian cities until there was a written apology and a payment for the armaments used and the fuel it took to get there. That lead near-directly to the current foreign policy of never paying reparations under any sort of duress. It must always be written as a "gift", and is the reason that while Defesian diplomacy can be cordial or neutral, even the slightest perceived insult can cause them to turn aggressive and hostile.

[The Republic of Lanos]

Population too high for one. 100 million population limit. Will review rest later.

[Aurinsula]

Even though I'm a founding member, I'd like to put up an application anyway just for the purposes of comparison.

Nation Name: The Republic of Aurinsula / Jindao Minguo / 金岛民国 / 金島民國
Form of Government: The government is ostensibly a democratic republic under a unique (and, frankly, byzantine and over-complicated) 5-branch government. In theory, the people elect representatives, the representatives elect the mostly-ceremonial President, and the President appoints, at the representative's discretion, the Premier - the person who actually runs the country and leads the executive branch. The system is, however, highly gerrymandered, and a crucial alliance of several national forces has come together to create the Minquandang, the Democratic Party, which has won the government for 9 of their 10 free elections.
National Leader(s): President Zhao Yingtai, Premier Chen Qiuye. President Zhao, the "Iron Lady," is Aurinsula's first female President; she won her first term in 2012. Premier Chen handles the nitty-gritty of daily government as the head of the Executive Yuan, and has been Premier since 2007. He is widely considered to be one of the regime's masterminds.
Population (Please remember our realism guidelines): 72 million Aurinsulans. Also 78 million occupied Chons and Pegar, 8 million Yang immigrants in the occupied territories.
Estimated GDP: 1.838 trillion nominal. Aurinsula has a fairly high purchasing power parity, reflecting the fact that large parts of the country are either undeveloped or devastated. Aurinsula's GDP is expected to bounce back eventually to a pre-war height of approximately 2.2 trillion.
Description of National Culture: The Aurinsulans are the heir to five millenia of excellence in cultural refinement, and consider themselves the natural custodians of the whole history and legacy of the once-omnipotent Heavenly State, the Tianchao, also known in English as Tinchalia. Despite overwhelmingly being the descendants of just one of Tinchalia's 31 provinces, the Aurinsulans take up the responsibility of preserving all of it. The country takes 99% of its cultural cues from real-life China.
Climate and Geography: Aurinsula is broadly sub-tropical; it gets very hot in the summer and very cold in the winter. The southern and western portions of the country are gentle, rolling plains, criss-crossed with many rivers. To the north, it gets drier and flatter. The eastern mountains get very cold indeed, and provide some good skiing. The life-blood of the country is the Zhujiang river, running north-to-south more-or-less through the middle of the country.
National History: In 1911, the ancient imperial system of Tinchalia was finally overthrown by democratic revolutionaries, and they established a government that would be of, by, and for the people. Unfortunately, the ink was barely dry on the new Constitution before its saintly first president died in office. His successor was a military strongman who had no interest in the proper channels of democracy, and the government imploded as the country fell apart into rival warlords and anarchy. After years of fighting, the official government faction, the Renmindang, was forced to flee the country in 1935 for Aurinsula - the last province of the Empire that was loyal to it, and almost completely autonomous by virtue of its long distance from the homeland. The military continued to rule the country until 1967, when they stepped down in favor of a civilian government. Said civilian government is virtually synonymous with the Minquandang, the Democratic Party, which has carefully gamed the system to ensure its dominance for 52 years. They fought in the Chon War of 2007-2012, and won it at tremendous cost.
Description of National Economy (Major sectors, development, etc.): 20 years ago, Aurinsula was one of the region's major industrial bread-baskets, and its steel, ship-building, electronics assembly, and chemical sectors were all strongly developed. The havoc of war, however, has caused the wide-spread destruction of its industrial capital. Because of this, the Aurinsulan economy is now in serious financial trouble, but they are determined to make things right on the basis of sound macro-economic policies. Their greatest asset is probably their highly-educated population, their large stock of intellectual property, and the inherent opportunities present in a clean slate. Aurinsula has always maintained a strongly pro-growth economic platform, often at the expense of such values as social security, environmental protection, or progressive labor laws, and even at its mid-00s height, Aurinsula had possibly the weakest social safety net of any developed regional country.
Description of National Military (Please remember our realism guidelines): Since the Rhenish War, the Aurinsulan Army has been the regional gold standard for how to wage a protracted, land-based 'mass war under modern conditions,' and its commanders have won countless laurels of fame. The army has 500,000 men, down from a war-time high of 2,500,000, and they're ultimately looking to downsize even more. The army is dominated by the 'Fengshan Clique,' a group of legacy officers - military men whose fathers were military men and so on - whose predecessors used to run the government as the Renmindang. By the dint of sheer experience, the Air Force now has some of the region's best pilots, but they've been hit hard by attrition. Less than a thousand pilots survived the war, and only about 150 frames remain in flying condition, mostly late-90s and early-00s planes. The Navy fought valiantly to defend Aurinsula's shores, but 90% of it is now at the bottom of the sea and less than 12,000 dtons remain afloat.
Description of Geopolitical Role (E.g. expansionist middle power, small state, isolated dictatorship): Aurinsula is one of the 'peers of the realm.' It is in the top geo-political weight class, and acquits itself well therein. Aurinsula's expansionist urges are vast, but extremely local - its current agenda is to 'process' its new holdings in Chonburi and Pegu, and to transplant loyal Yangs (the Aurinsulan ethnic group) to re-populate the region and create governments there that will stand by them in the future. Outside of its immediate borders, Aurinsula tries very hard to support a glad-handing, omni-friendly policy, and to not make any unnecessary enemies. When it doesn't involve actually constraining their current plans, which - to reiterate - involve the wide-spread demographic destruction of an entire country, Aurinsula tirelessly champions free trade, fair play, and international cooperation. Aurinsula is famous, or perhaps infamous, for the lavish and decadent parties it throws for visiting diplomats.
Roleplaying Example or Link (Please provide at least three paragraphs): viewtopic.php?f=4&t=290749
Notes and Questions: The 1.5 billion strong Yang ethnic group not only compromises 90+% of Aurinsula, but is also the super-majority of several other post-Tinchalian states - the constantly shifting warlord regimes that the Aurinsulans were forced to flee in the 20s. None of these states have good relations with Aurinsula; many of them are downright hostile. But should the need arise, they represent a large potential source of immigration. These immigrants would be uneducated rural peasants, and their local cultures and dialects are not entirely compatible with Aurinsula, but they are nevertheless heirs to the greatness of Tinchalian civilization and can naturalize themselves much more easily than would immigrants from any other country. This situation is similar to England's influx of Polish or Romanian migrant workers, or America's influx of Mexicans or Central Americans.

[Iguantopia]

Nation Name: Iguantopia
Form of Government: Democratic Republic
National Leader(s): President Iguana
Population (Please remember our realism guidelines): 22.1 Million
Estimated GDP: 784 billion USD
Description of National Culture: Quirky, mixed culture full of strangeness. There's many cultures, varying with location, personal history, class etc.
Climate and Geography: tropical, sub
National History: northern Iguantopia: humid, subtropical | Southern Iguantopia: Tropical
Description of National Economy (Major sectors, development, etc.): Tourism, Information Technology, agriculture, mostly service based with exceptions
Description of National Military (Please remember our realism guidelines): Small, high tech, ideologically pacifist
Description of Geopolitical Role (E.g. expansionist middle power, small state, isolated dictatorship): open market, friendly democracy, globally known for its quirkiness
Roleplaying Example or Link (Please provide at least three paragraphs):
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=290575&p=19583691#p19583691
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=296164&p=20224980#p20224980
Notes and Questions: Iguantopia is kind of like a parody of Florida, IF it were to become its own nation and seems to fit in perfectly with realism RP's because it's easy to get realistic population counts and economy statistics and such but still having enough loose ends for me to tie up with my own creative but still realistic twists. Also, does this region have a map?

[Aurinsula]

Nation Name: Iguantopia
Form of Government: Democratic Republic
National Leader(s): President Iguana
Population (Please remember our realism guidelines): 22.1 Million
Estimated GDP: 784 billion USD
Description of National Culture: Quirky, mixed culture full of strangeness. There's many cultures, varying with location, personal history, class etc.
Climate and Geography: tropical, sub
National History: northern Iguantopia: humid, subtropical | Southern Iguantopia: Tropical
Description of National Economy (Major sectors, development, etc.): Tourism, Information Technology, agriculture, mostly service based with exceptions
Description of National Military (Please remember our realism guidelines): Small, high tech, ideologically pacifist
Description of Geopolitical Role (E.g. expansionist middle power, small state, isolated dictatorship): open market, friendly democracy, globally known for its quirkiness
Roleplaying Example or Link (Please provide at least three paragraphs):
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=290575&p=19583691#p19583691
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=296164&p=20224980#p20224980
Notes and Questions: Iguantopia is kind of like a parody of Florida, IF it were to become its own nation and seems to fit in perfectly with realism RP's because it's easy to get realistic population counts and economy statistics and such but still having enough loose ends for me to tie up with my own creative but still realistic twists. Also, does this region have a map?

Your country needs a lot more history, and also some better RP samples.

[Gvozdevsk]

Nation Name: The Federal Republic of Gvozdevsk
Form of Government: Federal Presidential Republic (de jure), Presidential Dictatorship (de facto)
National Leader(s): President Yekaterina Saburova
Population (Please remember our realism guidelines): 62 million
Estimated GDP: $34,500 per capita
Description of National Culture: Primarily Russian, but influenced by other Slavic and eastern European cultures. Russian is the primary spoken language, but it is spoken with an accent somewhere halfway between a Russian accent and a stereotypical Canadian accent. The majority of the population follows either the Orthodox Christian or Catholic faith, although there are sizable Protestant and Muslim communities.
Climate and Geography: Extremely various. Everything from tundra, to mountains, dense forests and deserts and with the variations in climate that would be expected.
National History: The nation was founded as a colony of the Russian Empire in the mid 18th century. It was initially slow to grow, limited to a few isolated towns and forts but as Russia colonists started to spread further south into more habitable regions, more people arrived in the colonies. Following the Russian Revolution, the colonies became all that was officially left of the Russian Empire, but quickly declared independence themselves. The colours of the imperial Russian flag were maintained out of respect for the nation's heritage.

Gvozdevsk involved itself in WWII, fighting in both Europe and the Pacific. Afterwards, it supported anti-Soviet communist nations in eastern Europe and attracted large numbers of immigrants from Czechoslovakia following the Soviet invasion. Gvozdevsk considered itself to be non-aligned during the Cold War, playing off of both sides when it deemed necessary. The Cold War also marked the beginnings of Aboriginal insurgency, which rose steadily in activity from the late 70s before peaking in violent, full scale military conflicts in the mid 90s and 2000s. Today, although attacks still happen, the insurgency has mostly calmed down. The Cold War also saw the beginnings of "Slavic nationalism" in Gvozdevski politics, emphasizing people to identify strictly as either "Slavic" or "Gvozdevski" in order to promote a national identity. Around this same time, the Slavic Socialist Union became the ruling party and the state began its transition to de facto presidential dictatorship.

Today, Gvozdevsk is a fairly prosperous nation, and is remarkable for being quite socially liberal despite being a dictatorship, especially under current president Yekaterina Saburova. The economy is still recovering from a crash caused by the conflicts with Aboriginal insurgents, but has been steadily rising since 2008.
Description of National Economy (Major sectors, development, etc.): The Gvozdevski economy is dominated by resource extraction. Oil, uranium, natural gas and lumber are major industries and some large diamond mines can be found in the far north. Agriculture is also another major industry. Some high tech industry can also be found, but high tech industries are generally related to arms manufacturing
Description of National Military (Please remember our realism guidelines): An active force of about 200,000 men, divided into the Army, Air Force and Navy. Well trained and equipped with primarily Czech, Israeli and Belgian small arms, French and locally designed light armour, Ukrainian tanks and primarily Russian and Indian aircraft and warships. There is also a reserve component of about 20,000 men that is poorly equipped, but with nearly equal training to the active force. Finally, there is a paramilitary force, the Internal Troops, equipped with slightly better weaponry than the armed forces, as well as slightly better training. They number at about 9500 and are primarily intended to be used in a similar role to police tactical teams in peace time, with at least a company level force of Internal Troops based in most major cities. As for organization, I've fleshed out combat units in the ground forces down to the squad level but have done little work on non combat units, the air force or navy so numbers could possibly change but not in a way that would make my military excessively large.
Description of Geopolitical Role (E.g. expansionist middle power, small state, isolated dictatorship): Semi isolationist, only getting involved in foreign affairs when there is a benefit or little risk to the security of the nation.
Roleplaying Example or Link (Please provide at least three paragraphs): This thread is pretty much the only one where I've actually RPed my nation
Notes and Questions:

[Aurinsula]

Gvoz - your numbers seem quite reasonable, and your writing is very good. Would you care to go to the Esper.net and hop on #RegionAeneas ? There was no World War 2 in our history, so we'd have to revise around that.

[Mizuyuki]

Checking in to post an app for comparison purposes. Note that this is a work in progress.

Nation Name: The Celestial Empire of Mizuyuki (瑞雪帝國)
Form of Government: Unitary parliamentary democracy under constitutional monarchy [nominal]; semi-absolute monarchy [in practice]
National Leader(s):

• Head of State - Kirino of Amatsuka; alternatively known as Divine Empress Asuka, Celestial Empress Asuka or Shirakawa-no-Kirino
• Head of Government - The Executive Committee of the Celestial Empire, led by Chairperson Tachibana Yuiko

Population (Please remember our realism guidelines): 72,578,320 [2013 census]
Estimated GDP: $2.511 trillion/$34,597 [PPP]; $3.477 trillion/$47,907 [nominal]
Description of National Culture:
Climate and Geography:
National History:
Description of National Economy :
Description of National Military :
Description of Geopolitical Role :
Roleplaying Example or Link : Numero Uno
Notes and Questions: None applicable.

[Regnum Albion]

- Post Deleted -

[Nyrland]

Update on Nyrland: the population size I previously stated was maybe too small; therefore, I decided to increase it, by making it equivalent to the population of Iceland, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Nunavut and Sápmi: 2,464,254 people, a population similar to those of Jamaica and Qatar. However, the country's size, equivalent to the size of the aforementioned countries and regions, would be huge: 4,697,558 square kilometers, one million square kilometers more than India. If it's too much, I can shrink the country, but since it would have a population density of 1,9 people for square kilometer, between those of the Pitcairn Islands and Mongolia and lower than that of Iceland, I don't think it'll be a huge problem.

Other changes:

The Sami people is added to Nyrland's ethnic makeup, Nyrland gets an army of 7,300 professional soldiers and 1,500 reserves - the numbers are those of Slovenia's military (Slovenia has a similar population to Nyrland). Nyrland's progressivism is toned down in favor of a more traditionalist Norse society, the monarch becomes a man, and the country gains a "the Artic is ours" complex it can't always act on, given its small population and army size.

What do you think about these changes?

[Regnum Albion]

- Post Deleted -

[The Republic of Lanos]

Large military size doesn't necessarily mean power projection. Defese's economy was described as utter shit abd barely able to support anything, much less a fully functioning powerful armed forces. He could have the largest military in the region but be barely able to arm it for warfare and have an even harder time projecting power halfway across the region. His economy and military funding is the second key into figuring if he can do such a move.

On that note, yes I do have a 500k man active force military but like I stated previously, I'm focusing on self-defense and limited ability to send forces across the region if need be. I could be able to have a $20k GDP per capita but again, I don't need to project power on others.

[Regnum Albion]

- Post Deleted -

[Gvozdevsk]

Gvozdevsk:
Good national statistics, good RPing, detailed history and an interesting nation. As Aurin said, the Second World War didn't occur within Aeneas, but I use some historical events that took place outside of the regional history too - they are the reason for my nation's IC isolationism in the past. That could potentially solve that issue if you haven't already come to a compromise. Regardless, an excellent application in my opinion.

The Second World War is easy enough for me to retcon so there's no worries there.

[The Republic of Lanos]

It has above average power-projection...

Coulda swore he said his economic situation was beyond bad for that.

[Regnum Albion]

- Post Deleted -

[North Defese]

Coulda swore he said his economic situation was beyond bad for that.

Apparently the majority of it goes towards military development and equipment. This seems like an issue to you though, so we may as well ask about it.

Woops -- I had forgotten to lower my military size when I edited the population and economy and other stuff.

Now, I discussed with others on the size of Defese. It is supposed to have a large population. I believed I stressed very heavily that this brings many, many problems for the State. If this was lowered to manageable amount I would be forced to make vast, sweeping changes to Defesian canon and basically have them all live in sand-dunes with agriculture being impossible and cripple any sense of organization in the government to keep the population in the state of rationing/artificial starvation that it must be in, rendering it incompetent beyond any sense of acceptable belief rather than overwhelmed and overburdened. As it stands the Empire is already fighting to overcome massive difficulties and keeping an economy stable when it's trapped in a military-industrial war economy fit with rationing and recycling - knowing full well that it's not sustainable but being unable to find ways to adjust the economic and industrial landscape without also crippling the economy. Defese is stuck having to "ration" its food as another way to control the populace as well; when things start to simmer and turn to a boiling point they lower food prices and say there was a good harvest thanks to the patriotic farmers, or that we strong-armed a weak foreign government to send us cheap exports. Just like IRL, we could feed everyone, but the distribution method is all messed up for political and economic reasons.

Now, the military was booted down to 700,000 active soldiers, which is roughly the size of South Korea, and the reserves are actually lower than Korea has, mostly due to the the national culture of "YOU'RE ALL GOING TO DIE IN A FOREIGN INVASION WITHOUT THE GLORIOUS GOVERNMENT PROTECTIN' YOU" mixing with "We cannot arm the people, do you want them to overthrow us?" mixing with "How much do we need to advance our goals and fulfill our objectives?" mixing with "So how many pennies can we pinch here without losing effectiveness... Much?"

And above-average power projection was vague. I should say it has regional projection*; since I'm in a vague limbo until I'm solidified here I'm reluctant to math up specific numbers, so I can't give exact counts on ships. It has a couple carriers (2-3?), some cruisers, antiquated battleship or two for flagship reasons, and an air-force that would be decimated if it operated outside defensive air coverage, a navy that's decent but is suffering from the lack of air coverage and an unwillingness to fund the most expensive branch of the military as much as it needs, and a ground force that is modern and effective (in most parts) but suffers from the other branches not being able to fully support/transport it as effectively as they should. I'm not going to cripple my nation into a failed state after ~6 odd plus years of this canon having worked pretty well. I understand that there is a general leeriness towards large populations, but the point of it is that it is part of a domino effect of problems and situations that lead to the decisions and philosophies of the current government. I have no intention of lulzing around with millions of soldiers and 12 battle fleets with Nimitz-carriers and F-35B's rolling off assembly lines like automobiles, I understand how to balance desperation, determination, economic realities, military realism, and bend it all into something that works, is fun to interact with, and makes sense if looked into deeper than the stereotypes associated with size that I've seen become entrenched in the mindset of NS in general since my first roleplays when I was guilty of it myself. Large population size =/= large modern military.
please dont read anything I wrote before 2011 it's embarrassing we were all newbies once

In full: The Empire is a regional power with the potential to be more with the more likely reality of staying in its tragic stasis of its own design. It has strengths, it has weaknesses. It can ruin your day if it's in the right position, or you can ruin their day the same way. In a fair fight it can hold its own, in the diplomatic sphere it is at a severe disadvantage -- start an embargo on food exports to Defese and you'll bring them to the negotiation table faster than you can say "until the crisis is resolved". Of course they'll come cursing and raging and never admit you forced them into it, but if you play your cards right Defese is no more of a threat than any other regional power. Even if a war did break out, I'm not going to mobilize my full force and just hurl everything I have if the threat is a nation of 50 million an ocean away. I am capable of measured response.

*Not as in the entire region, I mean the literal definition of "We can muddle about around us but if you're on the other side of the world (region) it's going to give us a severe headache"

EDIT:
I added a new roleplay to the exampes - "Demise of the Newborn Fleet" to showcase a limited (Well, compared to a full scale conflict) engagement that ended diplomatically and without invasions of foreign soil - not counting incursions. You can also read it from here:
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=83070&hilit

[Mizuyuki]

Having chatted with Defese about his app on IRC and read his latest explanatory post, I am fully supportive of Defese's entry.

[Regnum Albion]

- Post Deleted -

[Aurinsula]

I support Defese and Gvoz, as it stands, and I'll listen to Iguanatopia if/when they get back.

[Kotar (Ancient)]

Nation Name: Kotar
Form of Government: Noble Republic
National Leader(s): Count Jan III of Rodhosa
Population (Please remember our realism guidelines): 16 million
Estimated GDP: $1.414 trillion
Description of National Culture:
Climate and Geography: Temperate, mostly plains with some mountains, a moderate coastline with islands.
National History: Still in progress, formed in its present state 200 years ago from the union of several semi-independent petty states.
Description of National Economy (Major sectors, development, etc.): Agriculture, Technology, Ships and Tourism
Description of National Military (Please remember our realism guidelines): Peace time army with large undertrained and under equipped reserves.
Description of Geopolitical Role (E.g. expansionist middle power, small state, isolated dictatorship):ambitious Small state
Roleplaying Example or Link (Please provide at least three paragraphs): http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=301473
Notes and Questions: I am new

[Afalia]

I support Defese's entry as well considering the specifics of the situation. Gvozdevsk also gets an aye from me. If Iguantopia expands his/her app a bit more I'd be able to say but at this point I can't say much about it. Kotar shows promise but is very young-also some of the statistics are a bit off, 1.4 trillion dollar economy for 16 million people?

[Kotar (Ancient)]

Kotar shows promise but is very young-also some of the statistics are a bit off, 1.4 trillion dollar economy for 16 million people?

Numbers aren't my strong suit, any suggestions on what would be better?