Factbook Question/Answer Thread

[The State of Monavia]

Welcome to NationStates! It looks like you spent quite a bit of time assembling an initial draft for a general factbook post and I am happy to help you improve it. Since I happen to be a roleplaying Mentor, you can always send me a telegram if you have any specific questions you want answered.

I took a look at your factbook post and made a few observations you might be able to use to make improvements:

• The body text of your post is all in boldface type, but there really is no need for everything to be bolded and you can save space if you only use font formatting to make words and phrases stand out.
• Your geography section could use some detailed maps (e.g. a physical map showing natural features and a political map showing where your cities are located).
• Your history section is very short by NS standards. You do not need to come up with a detailed history right away. Instead, you should treat it like a tree and try to make it grow a little bit bigger and more interesting as time goes on. If you have participated in any roleplay threads, you can always beef up your history section by adding summaries of whatever you did in them.
• Your demographics and economy sections have a few statistics, which is good, but it also has very little detail. What is your population’s racial, religious, and linguistic composition? How much trade do you have? What kinds of taxes do your people pay?
• You might want to consider looking at the CIA World Factbook or other online sources for ideas on formatting items and laying out your post. You can always look at my factbook collection for ideas.
• One last thing: the big selling point that makes NationStates special (indeed unique) is its emphasis on originality. At its most basic level, the big idea behind NS is to create a fictitious country that is your own (i.e. something not based off real life or historical fiction). Right now your factbook makes it look like you simply took the Federal Republic of Germany and quickly changed its name, history, and a few statistics, but it still looks like a real-life country, not something novel or original. While there is no rule against doing this, it does look a bit “lazy” and might lead new players who do not know you well to assume that you lack creativity even if you have spent a lot of time brainstorming your work. Of course, some players (e.g. the “hard MT” community) actually do a really good job of using historical versions of RL countries and characters as foundations for roleplaying, but they also tend to be very experienced, active writers with a lot of historical knowledge.

I hope my advice can help you improve your factbook and make roleplaying easier around here. Please send me a telegram if you have any questions.

[Sotral]

Question: What's this forum's gravedigging policy? I found a thread of the"___ in your nation" variety that's relevant to my nation, but the last post was in 2014. The forum sticky guide talks about reposting, so is that what I should do, or can I bring the old one back if it's with a reasonably contributing post?

[Kyrusia]

Question: What's this forum's gravedigging policy? I found a thread of the"___ in your nation" variety that's relevant to my nation, but the last post was in 2014. The forum sticky guide talks about reposting, so is that what I should do, or can I bring the old one back if it's with a reasonably contributing post?

General rule of thumb, though it will ultimately depend on the specific case, as ever:

• For roleplay boards, threads can generally be revived despite age, but...
• Check and see if the thread OP has ceased-to-exist.
  • If they HAVEN'T, check when something was last posted; if it's more than 4-6 months and the thread topic is fairly generic, "x in your nation," open a new thread. If it's unique (an embassy, for example, or a survey/repository covering a unique topic), you can generally contribute insofar as it is substantial, topical, and furthering discussion, or you could consider sending the player a telegram asking if they mind you posting.
  • If they HAVE, check and see if it's a generic "x in your nation" or a more specific thread unique to the player.
    • If it's a unique thread, let it be.
    • If it's generic, open a new thread.
      • A caveat. Certain repository threads, even if the OP has CTE'd, may still be posted in if they've had persistent contributions. Sometimes Mods will split these into new threads; other times, they'll simply be left alone.

[Kordic]

I just updated my factbook. Give me some comments!

https://www.nationstates.net/nation=kor ... ok/id=main

[Haustreland]

I just updated my factbook. Give me some comments!

https://www.nationstates.net/nation=kor ... ok/id=main

Much military but no culture? Sport? Geography? Flora & fauna?

[Achesia]

What the hey, I worked on these factbooks a long time so I would love to hear some feedback:

MT: https://www.nationstates.net/nation=ach ... /id=583718

FT: https://www.nationstates.net/nation=ach ... /id=683271

[The Nee German Republic]

Please consider joining International Nations United! A new region with a map, and Rp! Plus we still need to elect delegates so one of them could be you! We are just starting out so things may be a little dead, however, you can play a major part in building up your nation, and this region. Please consider !

[USS Monitor]

Please consider joining International Nations United! A new region with a map, and Rp! Plus we still need to elect delegates so one of them could be you! We are just starting out so things may be a little dead, however, you can play a major part in building up your nation, and this region. Please consider !

Regional recruitment should go in the Gameplay forum, which you can find over here: viewforum.php?f=12

[Andrewstanianland]

I'm new to Nation States and I would appreciate if someone could tell me the basics to write a fact book and what it is for?

[The State of Monavia]

I'm new to Nation States and I would appreciate if someone could tell me the basics to write a fact book and what it is for?

Welcome to NationStates! Do you mind if I call you Andrew for short?

When you first join NS there are three places you should go first to find help. The FAQ page mostly addresses game mechanics (e.g. answering issues, WA activities, etc.) and site rules. The International Incidents New Player Thread addresses roleplaying on the forum. The Guide to Creating Factbooks, Embassies, and Consulates shows you how to create factbooks.

A factbook serves as a means of introducing others to your fictional country by providing them with a basic overview of its population, economy, culture, government, geography, and the like. Factbooks are traditionally organized into several major sections which contain statistics related to a specific topic, such as the size of your territory, government budget, kilometers of roads, population breakdown by ethnicity, etc. Factbooks also usually contain lists of major cities, national symbols, imported and exported products, and an overview of how your government is organized. In short, a factbook is a reference document you use to help yourself set up your country for roleplaying purposes. Just remember that many roleplayers choose not to roleplay using their gameside stats (which change daily) and lock down their population, GDP, and budgetary stats instead.

If you want help with creating a factbook and have any specific questions, simply send me a telegram. You are more than welcome to follow the format my factbook uses if it is of any help.

[Starric]

Im new to this game, and this probably isnt the right place for this, but how does population go up? Also, can someone explain the war concept of this game

[The State of Monavia]

Im new to this game, and this probably isnt the right place for this, but how does population go up? Also, can someone explain the war concept of this game

Welcome to NationStates Starric! The code governing game mechanics controlles the population, GDP, and other stats displayed on your nation homepage. The FAQ page summarizes the site rules and describes the way game stats react to the consequences of answering issues and your WA activities (if any). If my memory serves me well, your NS population should increase by 1,000,000 per day for the first few days, then increase by 2,000,000 per day for a while thereafter, and so forth until reaching a maximum growth date of 6,000,000 per day after you reach a certain point. Many players find daily stat changes inconvenient for story writing and choose to use fixed stats of their own making instead. You can learn more about how roleplaying works around here by reading the International Incidents New Player Thread.

War is not part of the game mechanics on NS; instead NS war takes place through roleplaying on this message board. In its most basic form, NS war consists of finding a few other players to participate in a war thread with you, agreeing on some basic background details to set up the conflict, and posting written, story-form descriptions of what your respective armed forces and their leaders are doing. It goes without saying that it is a wise idea to determine beforehand what personnel and equipment your military consists of, how they are organized, what strategies and tactics they use, who their commanders are, and the like. It is also a good idea to figure out who some of the political characters in your story should be before you do a lot of writing.

If you want any additional help with these items or have any specific questions, simply send me a telegram at a time of your convenience.

[Saint Fedski]

Hi All,

I'm slowly making my return to NS after a lengthy absence... the Jolt days were apparently quite some time ago. I'm fleshing out the back stories, some generic historical events etc. At some point I will find a decent region where I can fill in the rest of the blanks and interact with my neighbours a little more. Until then, however, I've got some tired eyes. If anybody would care to peruse my documents with a fresh perspective looking for inconsistency, misused terms or even ways to improve and solidify some of the concepts, I'd be most appreciative.

They can be found here. Please note they are subject to regular revision or addition as ideas come to mind and content is fleshed out.

Thanks in advance.

[The State of Monavia]

Hi All,

I'm slowly making my return to NS after a lengthy absence... the Jolt days were apparently quite some time ago. I'm fleshing out the back stories, some generic historical events etc. At some point I will find a decent region where I can fill in the rest of the blanks and interact with my neighbours a little more. Until then, however, I've got some tired eyes. If anybody would care to peruse my documents with a fresh perspective looking for inconsistency, misused terms or even ways to improve and solidify some of the concepts, I'd be most appreciative.

They can be found here. Please note they are subject to regular revision or addition as ideas come to mind and content is fleshed out.

Thanks in advance.

Welcome back! The site has changed a lot since Jolt went out of the picture, but many of the old players are still here, if a bit older and hopefully wiser.

I took a brief look at your factbook collection and found no glaring problems or red flags that need immediate correction. The only thing I will explicitly suggest changing is the use of the term magistrate to refer to MPs as that term is traditionally associated with judicial positions or executive positions bearing select judicial powers. I will also refrain from commenting much on the items you have under construction until you have posted content for them first.

From a practical aesthetic perspective, you would be wise to invest a bit more in developing your formatting hierarchy for text-heavy factbook dispatches. For instance, my own general overview dispatch uses a five-level hierarchy (enlarged text in small capitals for chapter headers, enlarged text for section headers, bold text for subsection headers, underlined text for items within subsections, and bulleted lists for sub-items). From a formatting perspective, your three political dispatches are short enough to be consolidated into a single government overview dispatch, provided that it is coherently organized. Remember, you have a limit of twenty-five dispatches unless you purchase more space, so entry slots are at a premium.

[Savojarna]

I'm sorry if this has been asked before (it probably was, but I couldn't find it). But how do people make their maps in this game, in non-earth-related landmasses especially? Is there a good online tool/free software to map out my nation with that allows me to display the main cities, geography etc. of my nation?

[Aquitayne]

I'm sorry if this has been asked before (it probably was, but I couldn't find it). But how do people make their maps in this game, in non-earth-related landmasses especially? Is there a good online tool/free software to map out my nation with that allows me to display the main cities, geography etc. of my nation?

I know a few people who are pretty adept that have used programs as simple as Microsoft Paint to do their maps. Others use programs like Paint.NET to do theirs (such as myself), which is a free image editing program. Some with the money and skill will use photoshop.

[Nioya]

How do I come up with more ideas for my Facebook?

Also, how do I write about religion in my nation? I want to write about the state church and I don't know what to do.

[Saint Fedski]

I'm sorry if this has been asked before (it probably was, but I couldn't find it). But how do people make their maps in this game, in non-earth-related landmasses especially? Is there a good online tool/free software to map out my nation with that allows me to display the main cities, geography etc. of my nation?

That's a good question with no easy answer. My first maps, way back when, I drew on paper. Then traced. Then scanned. Then traced in something like paint or photoshop. Then saved the outline(s) as a master and added from there creating a new file each time. At times, I even used real life google earth images for terrain and what not.

I'm not sure what I'll do this time but here's a good, simple, tutorial I found. I might suggest using Gimp as a substitute to Photoshop.
viewtopic.php?f=31&t=306212

There is also this resource:
https://www.cartographersguild.com/content.php

[Saint Fedski]

How do I come up with more ideas for my Facebook?

Also, how do I write about religion in my nation? I want to write about the state church and I don't know what to do.

That's very good question without a real simple answer. This is where I've started: http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic ... #p26089057 Excellent tutorial by Stormwrath. You may also consider taking a look here: http://fantasynamegenerators.com/creati ... -guide.php

Some people on here over the years have created some really neat, really bizarre, really bad (in an evil way), really good, and everything in between religions. There are players that RP without, and some that have a generic "my people are religious." The limit is your own creativity. I look forward to seeing your progress!

Edit: Nearly forgot Lamoni's fine guide. A veteran RPer with a lot of good tips.

[Cosie]

My factbook doesn't need to be so formal, does it? Looking at all these nation overviews with their Wikipedia level formatting has me worried about how much effort I should be putting into my fictional country.

[The State of Monavia]

My factbook doesn't need to be so formal, does it? Looking at all these nation overviews with their Wikipedia level formatting has me worried about how much effort I should be putting into my fictional country.

Wikipedia-style formatting is a popular stylistic trend with newbies who do not want to devise their own custom formats from scratch but want their factbooks to appear as if they had been written by professionals. There is no rule requiring that you adhere to a wiki style. That being said, you will serve yourself well if you put some effort into formatting your content by adding in headers, sub-headers, etc. to make it easier for readers to navigate their way through the text you have written and find a particular item.

As far as investing time and effort go, you can get by pretty effectively if you write an overview factbook that provides others with basic your demographic, geographic, and economic stats and the names and titles of your various leaders and officials. You will also want to include your national symbols, one or more national maps, flags, seals, and other items you feel are important. If you love statistics or simply like to impress people with numbers, then feel free to generate detailed demographic data, government budget breakdowns, etc. Embassy exchanges, military organization, and other technical things should be handled as separate projects altogether.

Remember, players typically write basic overview factbooks for reference purposes so they can keep track of their cities, characters, political system details, and lots of other things that are hard to keep memorized. In other words, the bottom line is that you ultimately write factbooks for yourself so you can have an easier time roleplaying. Invest as much effort as you need to make roleplaying easy enough to be fun; everything after that is technically optional but nice to have.

[Cosie]

My factbook doesn't need to be so formal, does it? Looking at all these nation overviews with their Wikipedia level formatting has me worried about how much effort I should be putting into my fictional country.

Wikipedia-style formatting is a popular stylistic trend with newbies who do not want to devise their own custom formats from scratch but want their factbooks to appear as if they had been written by professionals. There is no rule requiring that you adhere to a wiki style. That being said, you will serve yourself well if you put some effort into formatting your content by adding in headers, sub-headers, etc. to make it easier for readers to navigate their way through the text you have written and find a particular item.

As far as investing time and effort go, you can get by pretty effectively if you write an overview factbook that provides others with basic your demographic, geographic, and economic stats and the names and titles of your various leaders and officials. You will also want to include your national symbols, one or more national maps, flags, seals, and other items you feel are important. If you love statistics or simply like to impress people with numbers, then feel free to generate detailed demographic data, government budget breakdowns, etc. Embassy exchanges, military organization, and other technical things should be handled as separate projects altogether.

Remember, players typically write basic overview factbooks for reference purposes so they can keep track of their cities, characters, political system details, and lots of other things that are hard to keep memorized. In other words, the bottom line is that you ultimately write factbooks for yourself so you can have an easier time roleplaying. Invest as much effort as you need to make roleplaying easy enough to be fun; everything after that is technically optional but nice to have.

Thanks for the answer! The bolded line, especially, gives me a good idea on how I should be approach adding things to the factbook.

[Sunset]

Wikipedia-style formatting is a popular stylistic trend with newbies who do not want to devise their own custom formats from scratch but want their factbooks to appear as if they had been written by professionals. There is no rule requiring that you adhere to a wiki style. That being said, you will serve yourself well if you put some effort into formatting your content by adding in headers, sub-headers, etc. to make it easier for readers to navigate their way through the text you have written and find a particular item.

As far as investing time and effort go, you can get by pretty effectively if you write an overview factbook that provides others with basic your demographic, geographic, and economic stats and the names and titles of your various leaders and officials. You will also want to include your national symbols, one or more national maps, flags, seals, and other items you feel are important. If you love statistics or simply like to impress people with numbers, then feel free to generate detailed demographic data, government budget breakdowns, etc. Embassy exchanges, military organization, and other technical things should be handled as separate projects altogether.

Remember, players typically write basic overview factbooks for reference purposes so they can keep track of their cities, characters, political system details, and lots of other things that are hard to keep memorized. In other words, the bottom line is that you ultimately write factbooks for yourself so you can have an easier time roleplaying. Invest as much effort as you need to make roleplaying easy enough to be fun; everything after that is technically optional but nice to have.

Thanks for the answer! The bolded line, especially, gives me a good idea on how I should be approach adding things to the factbook.

And don't be afraid to cheat. There are plenty of people - myself included - that have no problem with you/anyone else taking their factbook and erasing their information from the sections and then substituting their own - no matter how long or short. As well, you don't need to write the whole thing at once. When I was starting, I would do this thing where everyday during my self-allotted 'factbook time' I'd roll a dice (d12 - OG D&D) then take a look at that particular factbook, find something that needed fixing or adding or subtracting, then just do that one or two paragraphs. Over a few days, few weeks... It all adds up.

The most cited for copying?: https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=97589

A personal favorite?: https://www.nationstates.net/nation=lad ... ok/id=main

[Callidian Empire]

Hello everybody.

I'm not new to the game, however I have always avoided the forums for one reason or another. Whilst I am highly inconsistent in play, therefore I appear and dissapear randomly, and considering I do not know how the forum works, or to check replies, either, I thought I could very well use your help in something I worked plenty in constructing.

I'm sorry for the lame introduction and lack of overall knowledge (I don't even know whether this post belongs here, however this is the OOC section, so then again, I guess this is it) I'll get to the point. I spent some time working on the following factbook: https://www.nationstates.net/nation=cal ... k/id=73099
and while it is only a draft, I want to perfect it. Unable to notice and correct any mistakes on it and also unable to think of anything else to add, edit or explain, the idea of asking for help here, see if we can make it better somehow. It has a few ideas and references (obviously tweaked) from my favourite book, 1984, which are all too easy to spot.

I'd like to redact it better, also, some chunks are quite old therefore don't make that much sense. I am not English, so that proves as an imposing problem for me. I'm open to all kinds of criticism, suggestions, or even collaboration [with credit if needed!]. I'd also like to know if there is any way to forge imagery for things such as ministerial badges or logos - purely aesthetic, but still.

In case it is necessary, my nation's supposed to be New left-wing, and purely democratical. Well, most of the information can be guessed, but I can specify.

If anyone can help me out I'll be eternally grateful - I know it's dense, but there's not much I can do about that.

[Federated Kingdom]

First of all, this should probably be in Factbooks & National Information rather than in General. It appears Lysset, though, has taken the liberty of posting a request for this to be moved over in Moderation, so that'll be sorted out sooner or later.

The only inspiration from 1984 I can see from a quick glance is your use of a 'MiniTru'; it's not exactly major, though, so you should be fine just using that if you want to. It looks like a good factbook at the moment, especially for a first try (?) and a draft. There's Inkscape if you're looking to make badges and logos, also works for making flags and coats of arms.

If you need any more help, I'd be happy to help out.