Not an RP forum?

[Wanbeck]

How is electing a prime minister for the nation of Jamlovers or a president for the region of Gleefans not RP? Forming of an alliance or region, help with World Assembly ratings... none of this is real, right? So how can you say that just because it is part of the game, it is not RP? Isn't that a bit demeaning to the game? I thought the functions of the game were supposed to assist, enhance and improve RP? Not be regarded as a specifically separate issue, with all "gameplay" functions being sectioned off and boldly labelled as "NOT RP".

[Sedgistan]

How is electing a prime minister for the nation of Jamlovers or a president for the region of Gleefans not RP?

The second may be Gameplay, if the president of the region is managing gameplay happenings, rather than roleplay. Electing a prime minister for your nation is RP because it's not something that actually happens in the game (www.nationstates.net) or related to managing happenings in the game.

Forming of an alliance or region, help with World Assembly ratings... none of this is real, right?

What do you mean? Forming a region, or a gameplay alliance, or working out how to improve your WA ratings are all gameplay. They're real, and they're directly related to actions that happen within the game. Forming an RP alliance isn't.

So how can you say that just because it is part of the game, it is not RP? Isn't that a bit demeaning to the game?

No, not at all. Saying something is not RP is not at all demeaning.

I thought the functions of the game were supposed to assist, enhance and improve RP? Not be regarded as a specifically separate issue, with all "gameplay" functions being sectioned off and boldly labelled as "NOT RP".

No, the game is not specifically there to assist in RPing. There are plenty of people who play NS the game without RPing at all.

[Crazy girl]

*puts CG's Stamp of Approval on Sedgey's post*

NationStates is bigger than just roleplay.

[Wanbeck]

This clear cut separation between game and role play confuses me. I thought the very action of creating a nation and answering legislation as it's leader IS role play, ie. playing the role of a country's leader. It's not 'real'. Why create the divide? As far as I'm concerned, the game is part of the roleplay, is the roleplay. Creating a separation and forming a difference between the two just seems unnecessary and confusing.

WA Delegates are decided in the game by most endorsements, not elections or ballots, so what if a region was holding a ballot election for regional President... is that gameplay or RP? Gameplay because it will, in some way, affect the game... or RP because voting is nothing to do with the game and nor is regional presidents? It all just becomes confusing and unnecessary and is a pointless decision to have to make.

[Crazy girl]

Most people seem to understand perfectly fine, but I'll make it easy for you. If CG says it's gameplay, it's gameplay.

[Wanbeck]

*puts CG's Stamp of Approval on Sedgey's post*

NationStates is bigger than just roleplay.

Bigger than just roleplay? I don't understand what you mean, I thought pretending to run a country is roleplay? What am I missing?

[Wanbeck]

Most people seem to understand perfectly fine, but I'll make it easy for you. If CG says it's gameplay, it's gameplay.

[Sedgistan]

This clear cut separation between game and role play confuses me. I thought the very action of creating a nation and answering legislation as it's leader IS role play, ie. playing the role of a country's leader. It's not 'real'. Why create the divide? As far as I'm concerned, the game is part of the roleplay, is the roleplay. Creating a separation and forming a difference between the two just seems unnecessary and confusing.

No, that's playing the game - which is a nation simulation game. RPing is inventing stuff on top of what actually happens in the game, with that stuff being unrelated to the actual management of gameplay activities.

WA Delegates are decided in the game by most endorsements, not elections or ballots, so what if a region was holding a ballot election for regional President... is that gameplay or RP? Gameplay because it will, in some way, affect the game... or RP because voting is nothing to do with the game and nor is regional presidents? It all just becomes confusing and unnecessary and is a pointless decision to have to make.

Gameplay, because it's the organising of gameplay happenings.

[Whamabama]

Also some of us, haven't answered a single issue in years. It's not how we care to play the game.

[Ballotonia]

Gameplay refers specifically to actions within the game itself. Roleplay refers to non-implemented pretend stuff. Neither category claims to control stuff in Real Life.

Examples:
When a group of invaders (nations being members of the WA) invade your region (by rushing in and usurping the WA Delegacy for themselves), then that is a Gameplay action. They're using the game mechanism of electing WA Delegates for their own ends.
When you elect a President (not a position implemented in the game) it is an RP action.

It is important to know the difference, and understand when you're dealing with one or the other. For instance, if your response to a Gameplay invasion is to post "my aircraft carriers intercept your army" or similar, you'll likely achieve nothing whatsoever. (well, perhaps give others a good laugh)

Ballotonia

[Wanbeck]

Gameplay, because it's the organising of gameplay happenings.

So electing a President by system of voting is (to you) not RP? Again I'm not understanding the need to separate RP away from the game. Putting a roleplay election into the same category as OOC questions about playing the game. I just think it's a bit unnecessary.

[Crazy girl]

It depends on if the president is for the region who will deal with gameplay actions, or some made up guy for your country (that is roleplay).

We asked for the seperation because the roleplayers didn't like us posting gameplay topics betwee their precious roleplays

[Whamabama]

If the president is elected from a pool of nations within a region, to lead the nations of said region. You just may have gameplay. If it's the president of the nation you are controlling. Well you are probably not talking about gameplay, Although there is a single issue that enables your nation to have a leader.

[Vetok]

Gameplay, because it's the organising of gameplay happenings.

So electing a President by system of voting is (to you) not RP? Again I'm not understanding the need to separate RP away from the game. Putting a roleplay election into the same category as OOC questions about playing the game. I just think it's a bit unnecessary.

Okay, try these terms; IC (In-Character) and OOC (Out-Of-Character). RP's are IC. You undertake them as a (bunch of) character(s). OOC is talking over RP's or the game, as you, the person behind the keyboard. If you're doing an election for leader of a Gameplay Region, where you vote for the person behind the account, don't insult us RP'ers by calling it RP.

[Crazy girl]

If you're doing an election for leader of a Gameplay Region, where you vote for the person behind the account, don't insult gameplayers by calling it RP.

Fixed.

[Wanbeck]

Quite a complicated set of rules there, which lead us to determine that electing a President by system of off-game voting is NOT roleplay. I do believe I understand it, however I do still feel it is an unnecessary (and actually counter-productive) set of rules.

[Whamabama]

Sorry Vetok, talking about an RP is not Gameplay either. That's STILL rp, but talking out of character.

[Vetok]

If you're doing an election for leader of a Gameplay Region, where you vote for the person behind the account, don't insult roleplayers by calling it RP.

Fixed.

Trololololol.

Fixed. Back on topic though, it's because a number of gameplayers recently have tried to discourage the roleplays because it disrupts them arguing about whose region got invaded, or w/e. Hence the dividing lines.

EDIT; Whamabama, I'm sorry you misread my comment. Talking about an RP OOC'ly is talking about it OOC'ly. Gameplay is also OOC. One is not the other, nor did I imply they were.

[Crazy girl]

Maybe you need to be more clear in your posts then.

And recently? I'm pretty sure we asked for the seperate gameplay forum years ago.

[Wanbeck]

I'm starting to understand what has happened here. RP-snobbery has lead to this senseless division. RP-snobs are worse for RP than noobs who won't even try.

[Vetok]

I'm starting to understand what has happened here. RP-snobbery has lead to this senseless division. RP-snobs are worse for RP than noobs who won't even try.

Snobbery? Hardly. There should be a clear dividing line between RP's and Gameplay. This way the gameplayers, as exemplified by Crazy Girl here, don't have to see the dirty little RP'ers threads. And if you think anything I've said makes me an RP-'snob', as you put it, thank whatever god you worship that you've never come across the people of the NSDraftroom.

@Crazy Girl; Sorry, but I've read some of your posts before now and heard about you, and you do have an reputation for an intense dislike of RP'ers.

[Bazalonia]

Gameplay:

A Gameplay action is an action that involves 'playing' the nationstates game, such as answering issues, regions, WA Delegates, WV resolution voting, creating flags or mottos or anything else directly related to the game or discussions about or planning thereof. (Though for some strange reason map-making is considered to belong to the gameplay forum)

RP:

A description of what happens between your nation and others or fictional characters from your nation and others. Basically involves creating RPs, planning them, discussing them, standards used within RP. RP is the creative side of NS taking as little or as much from the stats of your nation as you want to and fleshing it out with characters personalities and histories. RP is by definition totally seperate from any game mechanics anything such as war (beyond regional wars aka region crashing) and trade are by definition RP as they do not have game mechanics for war.

----

Please note, you can be as involved in one or both aspects of Nationstates as you like. You can (like CG) be mostly a Gameplayer or like some others and be mostly RPers. The point is they are different yet I believe complimentary aspects of the game yet your 'gameplay' nation and your 'RP' nation are really two totally different entities. All Rps are played out via the forums Nationstates, II, Global Economics & Trade and Sports.

RPing a new trade deal doesn't suddenly boost your gameplay nation's stats nor does a change in gameplay nation's stats effect your RP, unless you specifically set out to do so.

[Wanbeck]

I love RP - but that is why I love NS. NS enables you to play the role of the leader of a nation, which you can enhance by further roleplay with other nations, taking it further and using your imagination. Why split the two up? I don't know how someone can love roleplay and wanna do that? You might aswell create forum page seperate from NationStates and RP there if you're so against roleplayers incorporating their NS nation into their roleplay.

Personally I think NationStates offers a brilliant mix of gameplay functions and roleplay, I just wish it wasn't so divided. Surely the whole point of the game is the enjoyment of playing a role?

Seems some people have an engrained view that gameplay and RP are clear seperate things, I just think that goes against what RP is mean to be and is a shame.

[Ballotonia]

Personally I think NationStates offers a brilliant mix of gameplay functions and roleplay, I just wish it wasn't so divided. Surely the whole point of the game is the enjoyment of playing a role?

Seems some people have an engrained view that gameplay and RP are clear seperate things, I just think that goes against what RP is mean to be and is a shame.

You still don't get it, obviously. Gameplay and RP are entirely different. Gameplay isn't a 'form of RP'.

I'm a Gameplayer, and I abhor RP. I do NOT play a 'role'. I'm a human being sitting behind a keyboard, using the nickname 'Ballotonia'. That the front of my page describes me as a nation... meh. Could've also been the description of a boat (which would cause moving to a different region make more sense, BTW), a coffeeshop, or no description at all. A bunch of nations I have explicitly carry the name of a person, as if it's not a nation at all. That's fine, since I do not RP anyway.

Ballotonia

[Wanbeck]

RPing a new trade deal doesn't suddenly boost your gameplay nation's stats nor does a change in gameplay nation's stats effect your RP, unless you specifically set out to do so.

I don't accept that this means it is not roleplay. Gameplay and roleplay can combine - it may well be a machine making the next move and not another RPer, but it is still roleplay.

Just because something triggers an action in the game it doesn't mean it is separate from roleplay - surely the whole point is to incorporate the two? Your nation only exists because of the game, so every roleplay action you take has to be linked to the game.

You can roleplay setting up a cable network and selling it to a nation government, you'll take into account game-controlled information such as the nation's population. Decision not made by the RPer, but by the game.