When and how did you find NationStates?

[Ghost Land]

I know this thread has been done before, but just out of curiosity, I'd like to see how the current crop is finding out about NS, and how many oldies-but-goodies from 2002-04 we still have left. (Hint: Anyone with "antiquity" as their founding date is really old, having joined on or before 26 Nov 2003.)

As for myself, I found NS in April 2012 when combing through Google results. I was a young idealist with the afternoon off who was searching for information on how to start my own country in real life, and a couple of pages down the list I saw the heading "NationStates | Create your own country". My next thought was "what's this?", so I clicked on it, read the FAQ page, and 12 minutes later, my first nation was born. This was only a week after FST's mod-enforced disappearance, and back then the site looked like this. It's now almost seven years later; my first nation has since ceased to exist, but with the exception of a year-long sabbatical from 2017-2018, I've been hooked ever since. I have a whole long list of people I remember from 2012-13 who are now inactive or even DoS; I'll post it if anyone's interested.

Edit 03 Mar 2019: The poll, which was removed when another thread was merged into this one, has been restored.

[Page]

My first nation was in around 2007, I don't even remember what it was called anymore. Anyway, I found it cause someone was talking about it on another forum. I remember back when the WA was still the UN and how NationStates actually got a cease and desist notice from the UN, when was that, maybe 2010?

[The Ursine Northlands]

Summer 2005: I created my first nation, Godwinnia, at the end of July.

A friend of an [online] friend (whom I'd met through the forum for fans of British author Jasper Fforde...) mentioned it -- in the context of just having reived thier own nation -- in whatever social media site we were using back then: They were Cleo Re. I thought that their nation was called 'Cleo Re', but the Boneyard doesn't recognise that name: It was something like that, anyway...

[Ghost Land]

My first nation was in around 2007, I don't even remember what it was called anymore. Anyway, I found it cause someone was talking about it on another forum. I remember back when the WA was still the UN and how NationStates actually got a cease and desist notice from the UN, when was that, maybe 2010?

That was in early 2008; the order came in February (?) but the name change went into effect as a permanent April Fool's a month or two later.

Summer 2005: I created my first nation, Godwinnia, at the end of July.

A friend of an [online] friend (whom I'd met through the forum for fans of British author Jasper Fforde...) mentioned it -- in the context of just having reived thier own nation -- in whatever social media site we were using back then: They were Cleo Re. I thought that their nation was called 'Cleo Re', but the Boneyard doesn't recognise that name: It was something like that, anyway...

Bears Armed, is that you?

[Valentine Z]

November of 2015. I found this website when a friend on Facebook posted about her nation's stats, and I was like "Ooooh, cool! What is that game?"

She told me: "Haha, it's NationStates! Political simulator game!"

And then I said: "Cool!"

And the rest is history.

And my first thought was "Wow, this game rocks! I think I'll play it sparingly in my free time."

If not for my friend, I will never, ever find this game... because Singapore doesn't really is big on NationStates. If I was not browsing Facebook at that exact time, I would have never met any of you (and that would suck, because I like you all ) or this game. It's amazing Butterfly Effect at work.

[Yohannes]

I found NationStates in 2010. We were trying to find a Final Fantasy IX kind of game back then and ended up visiting this website (didn't know why). I ended up staying and tried the issues answering side of this lovely website. It was fun at first, but after a wee while it became boring. (Because of the repetition)

I came across the official NationStates board/forums a wee while after that. I was a new player and I was confused. I tried my hand at worldbuilding over in the Factbooks and National Information sub-forum. We were having lots of laughs because there were so many typos made (and funny things said) by not just us but other players (we saw). Fun times!

Then we came across Global Economics and Trade (the sub-forum). I opened up the Bank of Yohannes (back then he decided to call it the "Reserve Bank of Indonesia" after the mother country). Then I came across the World Assembly (Security Council) sub-forum. Without realising what I was doing, I advertised my fictional bank storefront over there, and I got told off by Sedgistan (a former Moderator who specialised with Issues, Gameplay and WA). I was scared and so we decided to never touch the World Assembly again after that

The story has been a long one, but I'm sure no one really knows who I am, nor will they really want to hear them! ("This 'Yohannes' player is a nobody anyway", haha)

But suffice to say I want to thank the Moderators of this game and, especially, Max Barry for creating NationStates. It has been fun (and will continue to be!). But above all, I want to thank you all who have interacted with me. Whether you have become my allies, my victims, my enemies or my fellow neutral politicians/players, NationStates has been one wonderful political simulation game!

Edit: I think I was (back then) attracted to NationStates (especially RP) because it's a sandbox open world political game. To us, this whole thing is just one huge political simulation game. Fun!

[The Huskar Social Union]

2012. Found it via some random political test thing.

[Earthbound Immortal Squad]

Around July 2014 through a friend.

[Silver Commonwealth]

Well, I first found out about it from one of my favorite mappers in Youtube, tbh. (Voidviper) I think, that it was around late 2015, or early 2016. Zombie Swarms was my first serious attempt at making a nation (Before I would just RP with NS stats, and don't even put effort in factbooks).

As you can guess, I have gotten better over the years.

[Valentine Z]

To further add on what Yohannes said, the game stuck with me even more because I was feeling those mobile game days when all you can do was pay up more and more just so that you see your nation develop.

So, being able to use my own imagination and to be able to create anything without paying? Sign me up, please! I just do mainly issue-answering at first, then I eventually saw the forums, its rules, and went into creating more and more facts, until it snowballed into what it is now.

One of those games where a newbie can RP with the veterans and still be welcomed with it, without being curbstomped to the ground because "my nation has been around longer with 8 billion people."

[Astoriya]

I found this little website somewhere between 2013-14 from searching city-building websites.

When I came across it, I was properly intrigued - so I set up Kayana - and soon embarked on a spree of mass copying (which I still haven't forgiven myself for). This went on till 2015, when the mods put it out of its misery.

In October last year, I then thought, 'you know what'd be good? Reliving old memories.'

And here we are

[Christ Triumphant]

Stumbled upon this place in 2017.

Was getting really into alternate histories, specifically the site alternatehistory.com, and I was experimenting with making maps and flags. Through some map-making program, someone mentioned "nation simulators". I had never come across such a thing, and a simple google search brought NationStates up as a top result.

I immediately was charmed by the simplistic interface, the text-based nature of this game which could barely be considered such. Throw in the ability to upload your own flags and banners, create your own regions, and write factbooks, and I was hooked.

[Pax Nerdvana]

May of 2017. A friend of mine had found NS, and knowing that I'm a history buff, he recommended it too me. I can't remember what his nation was called though.

[Upper Secundus]

March 17th 2017. I was searching for a site to spread the word of our true Lord and Saviour Jimi Hendrix when I found this hive of scum and villainy.

And Rock and Roll was never the same again.

[Ethel mermania]

I was reading an article on new ways for authors to connect to their audiences, and nationstates was mentioned so I took a look.

Now I have never interacted with max to my knowledge, and I have not read his books, but I still think it's a decent concept.

[Neo-Yuan]

Someone posted the flag they made for their ns account on /r/vexillolology in april 2018. I asked what nationstates was, they pointed me to the website and I created my first nation, Aristokhan based on a youtuber's mispronounciation of the word "Astrakhan".

[Lillorainen]

I've been around the first time around 2016, following a recommendation by a mate who knew I'm into roleplay of exactly this sort. I spent a few months in here, more or less chilling my life and waving with nukes in I.I. every now and then (being a bit younger and more naive ... ^^). However, I soon got busy again with Things & Stuff™ and forgot about NS ...
... until April 2018, when I rediscovered this place. Long story short, I forged Lillorainen together out of a number of previous RPs (mostly outside NS), added more and more serious elements to the fun parts it originally consisted of, and there we go now.

[Little Tin Hat]

being a bit pedantic - if the closing date for the poll is Poll runs till Tue Oct 27, 2020

but if you find the site in 2020 and want to vote you find that date is excluded. maybe changing the last date to onwards might resolve this.

[LiberNovusAmericae]

I just found the site when I was looking for examples of dystopian novels, and one of those novels that popped up happened to be Jennifer Government. When I tried to find out what it was about, I found this site in the search results. I should read the book, but I haven't yet.

[Federally United Germany]

I joined after my friends suggested it to me after an extension of a different Nation roleplay community on a different platform went under. I can proudly say that I instantly fell in love with NS and consistently find interesting and compelling issues, dispatches and forum stuff. (NOTE: This isn't my main nation, my main nation is Happsborough!)

[Heloin]

I had just finished watching Danny Wallace's How to Start Your Own Country and had just gotten Victoria 2 a few weeks beforehand and I wanted to play a game were a started my own country. I think someone on LiveJournal or on the AGS forums recommended it to me when I was asking for recommendations.

[El-Amin Caliphate]

I found this website by a my brother's friend (friend tells brother, brother tells me [I thought I found this out on my own but my brother insists it was him. I also thought I found this site earlier, but my nation was apparently founded in 2015]). So me, my brother and his friend start playing NS. First we were in the biggest feeder region known as The North Pacific (shout out to The North Pacific! ). I also had 2 nations in the WA at once, I didn't know that was illegal, so now I'm banned for...is it w or 5 years? Eh, it don't matter, i don't wanna rejoin. Anyway, this also the 1st time I got into an online debate (and this was the one on NS that was actually respectful. Shout out to Americana Libertia!). I (and my brother and his friend) also got into an argument with this racist fellow (shout out to Guantopia!).

So while I was in The North Pacific, I met these awesome people (shout out to Treka-conland, Ducky, Chuukango, etc!) who got into some kind of argument with the then WA delegate (shout out to Lord Ravenclaw!), left and founded their own region (shout out to Rossferry!). We had fun, made a map (shout out to Galiagolach for making the later ones! You were a great help!), did RPs (which was my 1st time doing one, it was pretty fun), and all that cool stuff. Then the Great Schism came. I don't know if it was in Rossferry or in another region I moved to but there was this huge fight over something and Rossferry ended up splitting in half. Anyways, we made up and founded a new region - the later one I moved to - called Elparia (shoutout to Elparia!). We had fun, made maps did RPs, and all that good junk. Then another Great Schism came. Stuff about voter fraud and unjust dictatorship came up, there was a whole regional court thing and all that. I just wanted it to stop but then again criminals need to be brought to justice.

So after that, I moved 1 of my nations (I had 2 nations: this one and Kubumba Tribe. KT got deated for some stupid reason) to the United Empire of Islam (shout out to the UEI!). It's a really great Muslim region (actually the largest one on NS) with a vibrant, diverse community and good fun. I'm currently the minister of culture and religion there (I seriously need to do my job there lol) and we have maps, UEI news, Islamic resources, and all that cool stuff. I love it there, it's awesome.

Now as for the forums, I found those out pretty close to when I founded my nations. My first debate didn't go well. I didn't know what I was talking about and got pummeled lol. Oh yeah, this is also the time that I'm getting more into trying to live by my Deen. So as I'm getting more religious I'm also blurring the line between masjid and state. At 1st, I was into a theocratic idea I made up known as Democratic Theocracy. So I'm cozying up to that thought whioe debating peeps on the forums. Then I move on to this ideology called Islamism, So I'm an Islamist now.

I've made some good friends on Nationstates, and made lot of Muslims friends here as well AlHamdulillah (shout out to Senegalboy, Ghuraba al-Khorusani, Jochi, WAE, Maejilia, Kawther, Shawnas, Aillyira, Mujahidah, Free Rhenish States, Jolthig, Alsheb, Samudera, Pakistan Federation, Aulus, Rehbran, HT Khilafah (may Allah SWT bless her soul, aameen), Turkhestan, Mahdistan, and any other Muslim brother and sister whom I haven't mentioned) Assalaamu 'Alaikum wa RaHmatullahi wa Barakatuhu!

[Major-Tom]

2011, I believe, through a google search "Create a country."

Didn't ever touch the forums until 2013, if I recall correctly, my memory is quite fuzzy.

[Xmara]

I was talking to my friend from elementary school on the phone (we were in high school by this point) and I told her I was looking for a new game to play since I was taking a hiatus from ROBLOX. She told me about NationStates, so I joined. My first nation was founded in 2012. My nation was called Tiggerland. I played, but got bored after a bit and it CTEd. Tiggerland is now available for reuse if anyone wants to use that name.

Didn’t play for a while, but one day in 2014, I was home sick with strep throat. I was bored with ROBLOX and thought back to when I played NationStates so I decided to try again. I didn’t play much with this nation for the first few years, but when ROBLOX got rid of their forums (likely due to the fact that they couldn’t keep the spammers at bay). So now I’m trying to make up for about 3 years of lost world building.

[Karu Nadu]

2011, I believe, through a google search "Create a country."

Didn't ever touch the forums until 2013, if I recall correctly, my memory is quite fuzzy.

Same. googled "create a" in 2016, and the term "country" followed up. Started on the forums in 2018-2017.