SC Questions & Answers

[Dixons Mills]

What's the point behind commending and condemning nations? It serves really no purpose. I mean, there's nothing wrong with commending I guess. It can highlight good deeds and get someone some much needed recognition.

But, condemning serves no purpose other than hate brigading and negativity. If they're doing something wrong, report it if it breaks NS rules. If not? Then don't take it to the world stage. Got a problem with someone? Talk to them about it. If you can't reach an agreement, ignore them? Don't associate with them.

[Westinor]

What's the point behind commending and condemning nations? It serves really no purpose. I mean, there's nothing wrong with commending I guess. It can highlight good deeds and get someone some much needed recognition.

But, condemning serves no purpose other than hate brigading and negativity. If they're doing something wrong, report it if it breaks NS rules. If not? Then don't take it to the world stage. Got a problem with someone? Talk to them about it. If you can't reach an agreement, ignore them? Don't associate with them.

Generally, condemns are seen nowadays as playing the same role as commends, except for "IC bad/evil" actions - raiding, evil RP, interpretably evil issues/WA writing, perhaps even GP "villain" playing - which are accepted as "fine" in some sense, and generally praised. They are not usually or supposed to be attempts to push negativity or hate.

[Comfed]

What's the point behind commending and condemning nations? It serves really no purpose. I mean, there's nothing wrong with commending I guess. It can highlight good deeds and get someone some much needed recognition.

But, condemning serves no purpose other than hate brigading and negativity. If they're doing something wrong, report it if it breaks NS rules. If not? Then don't take it to the world stage. Got a problem with someone? Talk to them about it. If you can't reach an agreement, ignore them? Don't associate with them.

Generally, condemns are seen nowadays as playing the same role as commends, except for "IC bad/evil" actions - raiding, evil RP, interpretably evil issues/WA writing, perhaps even GP "villain" playing - which are accepted as "fine" in some sense, and generally praised. They are not usually or supposed to be attempts to push negativity or hate.

To add onto this, and this may or may not be an actual SC rule, nations and regions are not condemned for breaking site rules.

[Bhang Bhang Duc]

Generally, condemns are seen nowadays as playing the same role as commends, except for "IC bad/evil" actions - raiding, evil RP, interpretably evil issues/WA writing, perhaps even GP "villain" playing - which are accepted as "fine" in some sense, and generally praised. They are not usually or supposed to be attempts to push negativity or hate.

To add onto this, and this may or may not be an actual SC rule, nations and regions are not condemned for breaking site rules.

R3(b) to be precise.

Don't use proposals to raise issues that should be dealt with elsewhere, such as rules violations and technical suggestions. In some circumstances rules violations may be legal to refer to in a proposal - you must always request a ruling prior to submission if you wish to do this.

[Fachumonn]

Is it possible/ in good taste to condemn a CTE’d nation?

It's not possible, and as a matter of fact there was a discussion a little while back about repealing a condemnation for a long-CTE'd nation (think 10 years) that brought up a "replacement" for the resolution, but that wouldn't have been possible, so the resolution failed.

I guess you could make a declaration now though.

[Bears Armed]

It's not possible, and as a matter of fact there was a discussion a little while back about repealing a condemnation for a long-CTE'd nation (think 10 years) that brought up a "replacement" for the resolution, but that wouldn't have been possible, so the resolution failed.

I guess you could make a declaration now though.

Maybeo you could, unless that proposal was ruled illegal for being miscategorised, but as far as I know the target nation wouldn't receive a badge for the resolution's passage as in the case of Commendations & Condemnations.

[Fachumonn]

I guess you could make a declaration now though.

Maybeo you could, unless that proposal was ruled illegal for being miscategorised, but as far as I know the target nation wouldn't receive a badge for the resolution's passage as in the case of Commendations & Condemnations.

Correct, I was just referring to recognition of them.

[South Guarma]

i have lots of guns and i want to sell them legally

Can i ?

[Team Leo]

I really want to get started in the SC, but I don't know how to. Is there anyone experienced who I should adress about this topic? How should I get started?

[Lenlyvit]

I really want to get started in the SC, but I don't know how to. Is there anyone experienced who I should adress about this topic? How should I get started?

Well, the easiest way to get started is to either: a. ask an author you know is working on a proposal to be a co-author to learn, or b. pick someone or a region in the SC ideas thread that has an easy marking and write a proposal for them with their permission. There are plenty of authors around that might be willing to sign onto it as co-author of your first proposal too if you ask.

[Westinor]

I really want to get started in the SC, but I don't know how to. Is there anyone experienced who I should adress about this topic? How should I get started?

That's awesome sauce! The SC itself isn't a very difficult thing to get into - but perceptions of how it should go often keep newer writers from becoming authors. The first step is, obviously, choosing your nominee. This is an important step for reasons that are not immediately obvious - the SC drafting process can be a tough grind, so depending on your nominee, you're going to have a tough road ahead of you that may span months of research, interviewing, and drafting.

So, who do you want to commend or condemn - alternatively, what do you want to draft a declaration on? Since the former is more commonly the approach newer writers take, I'll focus on that aspect for now. If you're around here in the SC, you've probably at least seen or been a part of other communities before. If not, no sweat - NS has so many diverse communities that there is more than enough to choose from. There are, arguably, also more than enough commendable or condemnable nominees out there to choose from. Think of a topic that you might be more familiar with or interested in, to start - making sure that your nominee is someone you are genuinely invested in is a good start to ensuring you see through the process, but at the very least being familiar enough with a community so that you have something to work off of is an extremely important step.

There are a variety of options to choose from - common choices are authorships (WA, Issues), Gameplay, or region-building. Roleplay and miscellaneous approaches can be a bit difficult, but if you're more familiar with those areas, go for it! The focus, so long as you're familiar with the background and how to measure c/cability against that background, is the main issue - being familiar with the nominee isn't completely necessary, as that's what the later steps are for!

I'm not going to spend a lot of time going over "commendability/condemnability" - that is a whole different debate within itself. But keep in min that as a new writer, one may prefer a less difficult fight - consider breadth of contribution in comparison to other, particularly recent, targets. Read through at least the last dozen proposals, or at least the last few that have been published in similar areas - if you're still confused, reach out to someone you know in the related community who's knowledgeable and respected in that community! They might have a good measure for how likely your nominee is to be a good choice.

So, you've decided on a nominee. You're excited about it - you think they've got what it takes from an initial viewing, and you've got a lot of energy! Now, what to do? This is a bit nebulous - but I'll give what I feel is best. Do some initial research - say our hypothetical nominee is in gameplay. Search through forums related to their spheres of influence - where would they have contributed most? This can be the most time-spending part and the most boring or dull. It can be difficult because not every forum post is going to be about them and what they've done. What can be helpful are certain threads like history threads or election threads, if they apply, as nominees will usually detail everything they've done there. Additionally, if they've held office, opening, closing, and midterm addresses can be helpful. Irregardless, try to get a very close feel for your nominee - this step is very crucial for building your foundation so that you don't approach the later stages of drafting absolutely clueless, Put as much effort as you can, clear every corner and search under every rock - your goal, ideally, is to be able to respond to future questions and feedback flexibly and knowledgeably, and as a newer writer, you may not have the background or exposure to context to be able to do so in a great manner. The better your research is, the better your knowledge will be! It's simply all about making things easier :>

Once you've gone through the research and really feel like you have a solid argument down, maybe with something on paper, it is time to consider going to your nominee and asking permission. This can come before the previous step, especially if you don't want to be wasting time, and isn't necessarily required but is very recommended, even just out of respect. They may also be able to give you further insight into what you can look into, now that you have a solid feel for where you want to focus and what you might be missing, and getting a feel for the nominee's personality is a great first step for taking your proposal beyond simply being "good" - but again, a whole nother discussion so I'll leave it at that for now.

You've got permission, you've got research done - a good step here is to evaluate if you can put something down onto paper, or if you need more info. If you feel like you haven't gotten enough from research, you ideally should have at least gotten a feel for who might be closest or most knowledgeable about the nominee either from your research or your talk with the nominee. Reaching out to others is a critical step - they can give close perspectives on what the nominee did, if you're over or understating the breadth of their contributions of their achievements, if you're missing anything or if you could expand on things. Be it their friends, colleagues, or former rivals, anyone who can give you a close and more personal understanding of the nominee so that your draft reflects the full breadth of your nominee's achievements is good to ask. Ask nicely, and approach with politeness - they're doing you a favor, and this can be a difficult process for people to remember as nominee's work may go back years, even decades! Write up thoughtful questions guided by the knowledge you already have from previous research (this is where that comes in helpful ) and specifically targeting spots that you are most confused about so that you aren't spending too much time or effort rehashing things. Once you've got satisfactory info, you can either finish up your standing draft or create a satisfactory one!

From here on out, you've got something good to work with. How you want to approach things is up to you now - reach out to friends or helpful peeps for advice, post it on the public forums, etc. but do please do that last one You've got a working draft, but there's still a ways to go!! Focus on making sure each bit of the draft is tidied up, and it can be helpful to have your nominee confirm everything is sound and accurate. In the end, though, it's not as much about what specific steps you take, even as I've laid them all out here as one very narrow way to approach things, as it is your mindset, focus, and process. Display tenacity, but also kindness; resilience, but also politeness. In the end, I think, our goal as members of this chamber is to cater to and recognize the contributions of others - and that can be a long, tough, or even nigh-impossible process. It's also incredibly intertwined with the various communities that form this site, so you may inevitably run into political issues as well. Keep an open mind, be ready to accept criticism, delays, and defeat - and you will be sure to succeed!!

Feel free to reach out to people also for advice, so long as you are keeping the above in mind. Most are more than glad to help where they can, even if they have limited time in their day! You've got this, and best of luck

[Team Leo]

Thanks for eveeryone for their advice! I will be sure to use this!

[Sedgistan]

Westinor, you sound like you're volunteering to write a "Guide to the Security Council" thread to be pinned in this forum. We've been needing one for years. You even have it half written already...

[Hulldom]

Yeah, that was absolutely wonderful as a primer, West.

[Ostrovskiy]

I agree with Hulldom and Sedge: you've been conscripted to write such a guide now. Good luck!

[Westinor]

Oh goodness, What was I thinking! I suppose I have no other choice, He is a MODERATOR! after all...

[Lenlyvit]

Oh goodness, What was I thinking! I suppose I have no other choice, He is a MODERATOR! after all...

Good luck with it! I was conscripted for it awhile back, but real life got in my way and I was never able to get it done. You have a good start though!

Edit: I know ways to find certain information for resolutions too, if you find you need it for the guide. Hit me up if you need to

[Sedgistan]

This has been de-stickied and locked, as general SC questions should now go in Westinor's shiny new Guide to the Security Council thread.