RPing Questions? Ask Here!

[Sunset]

Hey guys, what would be the going rate for a mercenary company specializing in fortification and artillery? say each soldier was equipped with...

2 months of brutal training
A decent helmet
light ceramic chest piece and shoulder armor
ak-47 equivalent
and of course the basic stuff, with a artillery piece for every hundred men

how much would be asked for such a unit?

Depends on the client. You'd want to do some research, but I recall that the Blackwater/Xe/Whatever they are now 'private security contractors' working for the US State Department in Iraq were pretty well paid - though they had an expected lifetime of something like 3-4 years - so say... $65,000, depending on rank and position. Government tends to overpay for things because of closed bidding and collusion ('you' don't know how much other people pay for the same service, the bidders either talk out their bids on the side or are all secretly the same organization) and that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to private military contractors, corruption, and competence. Anyway, the company (and thus their investors) likely get 2-3x what the contractors are being paid. Sound like a lot? It is, with the 'justification' that they also have to pay for their equipment, death benefits, medical, etc, etc. In reality most of that money goes into the pockets of the owner/investor. Figure $200,000 per contractor, per year.

And that is for ex-soldiers with infantry-grade weaponry. That's not for a 'real' military force with tanks, armored fighting vehicles, transport... So you can probably double or triple that for a realistic 'actual military mercenary force'. Unless 'you' are hiring Tagon's Toughs you're getting ripped off; Mercenaries tend towards the competence of the dollar. They want jobs where their returns are high and risks are low. If the risks are high - IE Iraq - expect to pay more. That doesn't mean the mercenaries are going to be any good at their job though. Remember that a mercenary commander's capital is their fighting force and that they will not risk it and thus their income unless the risk vastly offset by the reward. No matter how tough their training when someone who's only being paid to do the job is asked to charge into a meatgrinder, most will take their pink slip instead.

[Bochenn]

Hey guys, what would be the going rate for a mercenary company specializing in fortification and artillery? say each soldier was equipped with...

2 months of brutal training
A decent helmet
light ceramic chest piece and shoulder armor
ak-47 equivalent
and of course the basic stuff, with a artillery piece for every hundred men

how much would be asked for such a unit?

Depends on the client. You'd want to do some research, but I recall that the Blackwater/Xe/Whatever they are now 'private security contractors' working for the US State Department in Iraq were pretty well paid - though they had an expected lifetime of something like 3-4 years - so say... $65,000, depending on rank and position. Government tends to overpay for things because of closed bidding and collusion ('you' don't know how much other people pay for the same service, the bidders either talk out their bids on the side or are all secretly the same organization) and that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to private military contractors, corruption, and competence. Anyway, the company (and thus their investors) likely get 2-3x what the contractors are being paid. Sound like a lot? It is, with the 'justification' that they also have to pay for their equipment, death benefits, medical, etc, etc. In reality most of that money goes into the pockets of the owner/investor. Figure $200,000 per contractor, per year.

And that is for ex-soldiers with infantry-grade weaponry. That's not for a 'real' military force with tanks, armored fighting vehicles, transport... So you can probably double or triple that for a realistic 'actual military mercenary force'. Unless 'you' are hiring Tagon's Toughs you're getting ripped off; Mercenaries tend towards the competence of the dollar. They want jobs where their returns are high and risks are low. If the risks are high - IE Iraq - expect to pay more. That doesn't mean the mercenaries are going to be any good at their job though. Remember that a mercenary commander's capital is their fighting force and that they will not risk it and thus their income unless the risk vastly offset by the reward. No matter how tough their training when someone who's only being paid to do the job is asked to charge into a meatgrinder, most will take their pink slip instead.

Thank you so much for the help

[Venetoland]

Do you find it mentally/emotionally difficult to RP a country completely opposite your true views? One of my puppets is, by design, an oppressive dystopian hellhole. This karmically wounds me. I know: weirdo, but I'm curious how you compartmentalize? BTW: my original nation, and my other puppet are MUCH closer to my true views. (My other puppet is my original nation, only moreso)

[Todd McCloud]

To a point, yes. On paper, yes. But if you hash out reasons for their drastically different beliefs, and those reasons could make sense to someone based on their position (i.e., propaganda, perhaps past wars, etc.) it makes it much more easier, because then one can adjust to their mindset and ICly operate as if whatever they did, right or wrong, was justified either by the leadership, the populace, or both.

[The United Remnants of America]

No.

IC is IC because it isn't OOC. All three of the MT nations I have don't represent my real-world views because my real-world views are boring, and writing a nation that is slowly sliding down the chain of a Holocaust and does several other shitty things is just more fun. It makes a better story, and I'm here to make stories.

[Venetoland]

Remnants: I'm in the same mindset: exaggerated nations make for more interesting nations. I had posted a question about the ideology of various European political parties, based on 2 hypothetical politicians. My dystopian nation is the far right version.

[Koleksia]

Sooo

I was making a RP, many people viewed it, but did not respond, why is this happening?

[Sunset]

Sooo

I was making a RP, many people viewed it, but did not respond, why is this happening?

Taking a look, and an assumption, I'd say there's not enough 'oomph' to it and it is missing a few key details. I'll circle back to a previous response; Re-write your opening post and include the Six W's: Who, What, Why, When, Where, and HoW.

First off would be Who you are - Who is the government of Koleksia and who are these rebels?

What is the government defending or the rebels attacking? Are their targets commercial? Government? Religious?

Why are they doing this? Why is the government doing what they are doing?

Very importantly - When is all of this happening? NationStates RP falls into several broad time periods: PT, MT, PMT, FanT, FT. Are these events happening in the future on some far-off world? Are they happening in the past in a feudal kingdom ruled by a sorcerer-king? While my impression is that these events are happening in the 'Modern/MT' era it is important to let your audience and potential partners know for sure. I would suggest sticking that in the topic title so people can know at a glance if it's open to someone in their time period.

On to where: Again, is this on some far off world? Or more specifically attach some names to the cities, planets, government buildings, gas stations. It will help your audience connect with them as well as give a sense of your national character. If they are attacking Government Office Bloc 23A, we'll assume your government is very... Functional. But if it is the Edward R. Connolly Jr. Building, we'll make the assumption that Edward was important and that your government names important buildings after people.

Last is the HoW - and that's the story. Write up a story about the attacks. Write it from the perspective of the government - or the rebels. You can follow the same technique to do that quick-and-dirty: Who, What, Why, When, Where, and How.

[Cogned-Mentero]

I would like to start RPing, but I'm not really sure where to start.

[The Macabees]

I would like to start RPing, but I'm not really sure where to start.

I apologize if this seems a little drive-by, I'm just at work and can only give a quick response.

I highly recommend this thread to start off with, and going down the rabbit hole from there.

[The Republic of ZYW]

Can two puppet nations unite under one government and leader through wars, or political union? I thought thier is a rule treating puppet nations interactions a certain way, like one puppet nation cant benefit at the expense of another puppet nation, they must interact in a certain way, thier are limits to what they can do and interact with one another, something like that, or perhaps that rule was in the old nationstates forum.

[Bears Armed]

This belongs in one of the RP forums, not in Gameplay.

[Consular]

Assuming you mean in RP, I don't /think/ there are any rules like that. You're free to write a story by yourself if you want to.

In gameplay through having a conversation with yourself is poor form and mods might get grumpy at you.

[The Republic of ZYW]

Assuming you mean in RP, I don't /think/ there are any rules like that. You're free to write a story by yourself if you want to.

In gameplay through having a conversation with yourself is poor form and mods might get grumpy at you.

Thanks for your good answer, I also think this is the correct forum because this is a question not an RP.

[The Republic of ZYW]

I remember a rule on puppet interactions, but I cant find it anywhere, perhaps it was on the old Co.UK.Forums of Nationstates.

[Crazy girl]

It's an RP related question though, so it should still go in the RP forums, not in Gameplay. Since I still have my mod powers, I'll tow it over for you. If you have any more questions, it might be an idea to ask one of the RP mentors for help too.

[Swith Witherward]

Thanks, CG. I'll send up a flare for our N&I Mints, also.

[The Macabees]

Can two puppet nations unite under one government and leader through wars, or political union?

Anything in taste is okay, but all too often the only purpose is to add to your population. But if your intentions are to enrich the story, it's okay.

Edit: When I say "it's okay," I mean how it's perceived by others. There's no objective right or wrong way to RP, just conventions between players.

[Sunset]

Can two puppet nations unite under one government and leader through wars, or political union? I thought thier is a rule treating puppet nations interactions a certain way, like one puppet nation cant benefit at the expense of another puppet nation, they must interact in a certain way, thier are limits to what they can do and interact with one another, something like that, or perhaps that rule was in the old nationstates forum.

There's no RP-side rule against it and I can think of several players off the top of my head who've done just that. As far as how it is perceived by the community, it depends on how well it is done. An ultra-violent dictatorship coming under the sudden swap of a shining city on the hill democracy and everything being rainbows and unicorns would be looked at sideways. If said scenario came to pass and there was a continued, active resistance or rebellion... That would be another. In fact mergers are a frequent element of many new FT RP'ers backstory; Something to give the opportunity for dramatic interaction between the two (or more) factions.

The most important thing to remember is that joining two or more puppets does nothing for one's 'power' on the forums - there is no such thing. An individual's 'power' is determined by their creativity, dedication, acceptance, and cooperation and even that is an over-simplification. Just because one has more of anything doesn't make one better - it also means that combining puppets for reasons of intrigue, drama, violence, and even just convenience is just fine with the caveats listed above.

[Khandosia]

Added agreement to both Macabees and Sunset's statements. Do it tastefully, carefully, and in order to enhance a story. Doing it just to crunch numbers and practice simple maths skills? No bueno.

[Azenyanistan]

Hi! I want to format my RP posts better! Could I get some tips and help on formatting please?

[Vulkano]

Greetings,

I am the founder of a region called The Forge of Hephaestus. A region where Newcomers are always welcome & Veteran NS players are welcome as well to share their wisdom and creativity. We help nations of all kinds with: factbooks, flags, maps. The Forge of Hephaestus is here to help you with your creativity.

I have an idea that I would like to share for both my region and for anyone that is starting out with RP. My idea is to have an active RP dedicated to newcomers. The goal is that the RP will run like normal but will also be a practice RP. So nothing too hard or too complex. Mentors would play as normal but would also help out newcomers by going OOC. This idea would need people experienced with RP to run. I do intend for this kind of RP idea to be implemented in my region but can be open to all as well. Hopefully I can get the mentors to start it the Practice RP idea can become reality.

Thanks for listening to my idea, let me know what you think of it.

[Kyrusia]

Greetings,

I am the founder of a region called The Forge of Hephaestus. A region where Newcomers are always welcome & Veteran NS players are welcome as well to share their wisdom and creativity. We help nations of all kinds with: factbooks, flags, maps. The Forge of Hephaestus is here to help you with your creativity.

I have an idea that I would like to share for both my region and for anyone that is starting out with RP. My idea is to have an active RP dedicated to newcomers. The goal is that the RP will run like normal but will also be a practice RP. So nothing too hard or too complex. Mentors would play as normal but would also help out newcomers by going OOC. This idea would need people experienced with RP to run. I do intend for this kind of RP idea to be implemented in my region but can be open to all as well. Hopefully I can get the mentors to start it the Practice RP idea can become reality.

Thanks for listening to my idea, let me know what you think of it.

If you want to start a training RP, by all means: feel free. They're not exactly a new idea, however; some Mentors run them, some use other methods. Any Mentors that want to participate are, of course, welcome to, but I feel there may need to be some clarification.

Mentors are volunteer staff, meaning they have what is called the "Right of Refusal." They are all, also, virtually busy constantly, with highs and lows of activity, plus their own, player-specific activities (as Mentors are players as well, meaning they have their own roleplays to be involved in). Any that may want to be involved are, of course, free to do so, but some may not, as they have their own Mentor-oriented projects they may be running that take-up the bulk of their time.

That being said, just because Mentors have a jacket and other players do not, does not mean one can't be helpful. We value and love to see players being pro-active and starting-up their own projects trying to help other players learn the ropes.

[Vulkano]

Greetings,

I am the founder of a region called The Forge of Hephaestus. A region where Newcomers are always welcome & Veteran NS players are welcome as well to share their wisdom and creativity. We help nations of all kinds with: factbooks, flags, maps. The Forge of Hephaestus is here to help you with your creativity.

I have an idea that I would like to share for both my region and for anyone that is starting out with RP. My idea is to have an active RP dedicated to newcomers. The goal is that the RP will run like normal but will also be a practice RP. So nothing too hard or too complex. Mentors would play as normal but would also help out newcomers by going OOC. This idea would need people experienced with RP to run. I do intend for this kind of RP idea to be implemented in my region but can be open to all as well. Hopefully I can get the mentors to start it the Practice RP idea can become reality.

Thanks for listening to my idea, let me know what you think of it.

If you want to start a training RP, by all means: feel free. They're not exactly a new idea, however; some Mentors run them, some use other methods. Any Mentors that want to participate are, of course, welcome to, but I feel there may need to be some clarification.

Mentors are volunteer staff, meaning they have what is called the "Right of Refusal." They are all, also, virtually busy constantly, with highs and lows of activity, plus their own, player-specific activities (as Mentors are players as well, meaning they have their own roleplays to be involved in). Any that may want to be involved are, of course, free to do so, but some may not, as they have their own Mentor-oriented projects they may be running that take-up the bulk of their time.

That being said, just because Mentors have a jacket and other players do not, does not mean one can't be helpful. We value and love to see players being pro-active and starting-up their own projects trying to help other players learn the ropes.

Thanks for the information. Always learning something new.

[Shin-Yudaya]

So I've come across this game(?) And instantly got interested in the roleplay aspect of it.
I've never participated in any form of RP before but I have written several Alt-history stories revolving around geopolitics and war, so I know what I'm doing on that aspect
My question is, how do I begin?
I've already created a couple of nations set in the same scenario and I'm in the process of writing their history. How do I get involved in any of the worlds/communities here and how do I start my roleplaying?

(Sorry If this is the wrong place to ask, total noob as I've said )

-koach