RPing Questions? Ask Here!

[Lydenburg]

Trying to write for an underdeveloped African state with a large income gap and impoverished population here. I'd like some advice on how well the following figures mesh, both with this portrayal and each other:



Realistic enough?

I think so. It seems rather similar to the Central African Republic, with some minor variations in numbers. If the CAR is close to what you were trying to accomplish?

Quite. Economically and demographically speaking, anyway.

[The IASM]

What would you guys say Military "superweapons" for MT would be?

An army? Maybe one of the Superdreadnoughts which are so common on NS. Anyway I'd recommend avoiding those and invest in a good army/navy/air force. I'd also recommend the NS military realism guys as they so have some good information.

[Feazanthia]

What would you guys say Military "superweapons" for MT would be?

Nuclear weapons aren't enough for you?

[The Fedral Union]

What would you guys say Military "superweapons" for MT would be?

Nuclear weapons aren't enough for you?

^^^^^

Unless you plan on going Biological, or chemical.. I mean... The US and USSR stockpiled a loooot of biological weapons during the cold war.. But yeah you cant get much better than nukes or those.

[Lubyak]

What would you guys say Military "superweapons" for MT would be?

Strategic nuclear warheads and the mechanisms to deliver them qualify as a superweapon by most definitions I'd say.

[The Macabees]

What would you guys say Military "superweapons" for MT would be?

There are also a few "superweapons" that are meant more for the storyline than for the purpose of dominating another players' military.

For example, I have an ultra heavy battle tank, a handful of superdreadnoughts, and assorted other weaponry with no real practical value, but only because I selectively use them in my RP for the sake of making it interesting. To give an example, I'll cite one of my favorite RPs in the history of the game -- unfortunately, lost during the transition from Jolt, I think --: Eurusea's (GMC Military Arms' other country) use of an ultra heavy tank to guard a pass. It may have been more cost effective to protect the pass some other way, but this method makes for an interesting read! But, you have to use discretion and choose the right times to use this kind of equipment; you should also probably review it with the other players involved in the RP.

[The Macabees]

Gini = 63.7
HDI = 0.336

Random, but maybe useful: I think one reason three or four African countries have GINI coefficients >60 (e.g. Angola, South Africa, and Zimbabwe) is because of institutionalized income stratification, such as apartheid.

Edit: Clearly, apartheid ended, but the effects most likely have a several-decade lag.

[Serus-Althye]

I don't rightly know where to start. I want to get roleplaying, but I don't know what I need. I see the factbook, but I don't know what to put in it. Is it helpful at all?

[Roski]

I don't rightly know where to start. I want to get roleplaying, but I don't know what I need. I see the factbook, but I don't know what to put in it. Is it helpful at all?

I'd say you don't need the factbook.

The factbook is useful if you forget designs, and don't change them often.

However, I rapidly change my designs (its bloody ridiculous), so I don't use my factbook for much.

However, I would recommend putting a government type in your factbook. Many people RP one nation, but have a completely different nation gameside.

[Lubyak]

I don't rightly know where to start. I want to get roleplaying, but I don't know what I need. I see the factbook, but I don't know what to put in it. Is it helpful at all?

Well, in my opinion, it is best to start with a factbook. It can be hard to RP if you don't know what your nation is like, so pinning down those details will give you a good way to get going. I would say you should focus on a few things, if only to get things going at first:

1) What is your government like? Dictatorial, autocratic, constitutional, democratic? Some combination? Who are the important people in your government? Heads of State, Ministers and what not? What are they like? What's the relationship between the government and your nation's people? Hostile, cooperative, something else?

2) What is your nation itself like? What is its geography? Is it mostly rural, heavily urbanised? Does it have natural borders, or artificial ones? What resources do you have and what resources do you lack? No nation can have everything it needs, you'll have to be short on something be it food, minerals, oil, or something. What are some of the important cities and other locations in your nation?

3) What are your people like? What's their culture like? Are they nationalistic and expansive, willing to make great sacrifices for the glory of the state? Are they more individualistic, concerned with individual success? Something in between? What sets them apart from other nations? Do you export cultural products or import them? To whom do you export and from whom do you import?

4) What's your economy like? Is it booming, stagnating, collapsing, or something else? Are you a developing nation, an industrial nation, a developed nation? What is your country known for? Its factories? Its natural resources? Its financial/service sector? How is trade? Do you have a trade surplus or deficit? Who do you trade with? What is it that you trade?

5) Where is your nation geopolitically? Is it a major power a local one, or not a power at all? Is it concerned with projecting power across oceans, across land, or is it only concerned with protecting its own borders? Are the nations surrounding it friends or foes? Where are your friends and where are your foes?

These questions should give you a bit of a start when it comes to developing your nation. You'll notice that many of them are interconnected (e.g. if your short on food but produce lots of oil, most likely you will be exporting oil and importing food), so as you start answering these questions, your nation will start to take shape. As your nation takes shape, write about it in a factbook, be it simply describing what your government is like, or giving interesting insight into how your nation functions. You'll notice that I didn't say anything about the military here. This is because many, many players simply have a 'factbook' which is nothing more than a page of troops numbers, and then a few pages more of some slightly wanky piece of homegrown equipment.

Do not do this.

Your military should grow up around your nation and its needs, not the other way around. The questions you answered in 5) will really help show you how your military is meant to be shaped. Who and where your friends and foes are located, whether you wish to project power or merely defend your homeland will all come together to piece together the kind of military that you will have in the end, along with things like how willing your population is to support a large military, and how much your economy can feasibly support. Remember, that the military is a drain on the economy. Every soldier is a person not working in a factory, on a farm, or in an office. Every tank, warplane, and warship made is a car, computer, airliner, and cargo ship not made. How much are your nation--and more importantly, your people--willing to sacrifice in the name of a bigger military?

[Archonslavia]

Are there any PT or FanT threads out there?

[The Macabees]

There are a few. Here's a narrow search for those kind of RPs: search.php?keywords=PT+|+FanT&terms=all&author=&fid[]=5&sc=1&sf=titleonly&sr=posts&sk=t&sd=d&st=0&ch=300&t=0&submit=Search

[Tiami]

Are there any PT or FanT threads out there?

As Macabees linked you, there are a plethora of threads that are FanT and PT, albeit in fewer numbers than the more popular P/MT and FT threads. Even if you cannot find a thread that appeases your tech preferences, why not create one yourself? It'd be a worthwhile, fun experience.

[Atlantica]

A Question: what year (specifically) would Sixth-Generation Fighters fit in an RP?

[The Macabees]

A Question: what year (specifically) would Sixth-Generation Fighters fit in an RP?

According to Wikipedia, which cites two different sources, 2025-30.

[Serrian]

Here's a question: if a technology is available today in a loose form, but not yet transferred to another iteration, would the compact version be PMT?

Here's an example: railguns. They exist today, as proven by the US Navy's firing test. If I were to present an infantry, or tank-mounted railgun, would that be MT or PMT?

What about something else: we have autonomous sentry guns (Samsung SGR-A1) which would be able to work autonomously if they weren't operated by humans. We do not currently have them on legs, but if I said I had an autonomous SGR-A1 on mecha legs, would that be MT or PMT?

[The Macabees]

Here's an example: railguns. They exist today, as proven by the US Navy's firing test. If I were to present an infantry, or tank-mounted railgun, would that be MT or PMT?

Rail guns for tanks and personal weapons is probably far-end PMT.

What about something else: we have autonomous sentry guns (Samsung SGR-A1) which would be able to work autonomously if they weren't operated by humans. We do not currently have them on legs, but if I said I had an autonomous SGR-A1 on mecha legs, would that be MT or PMT?

I think people would be fine with calling that PMT.

[Javinia]

What can you do to make a post longer, what to say to keep it going.

[The Macabees]

What can you do to make a post longer, what to say to keep it going.

• Be more descriptive about the characters, what they're doing, their purpose, et cetera.
• Give background information; add context.
• What is your post about? You can write more by increasing its scope. E.g. if it's on a particular part of a battle, you can instead describe two different parts of the battle, or the entire battle.

[Serrian]

Hello,

I would like an experienced roleplayer to take a look at this thread. I suspect Lithuania-Latvia of godmodding, but I would like the opinion of someone more experienced than me.

Cheers!

[The Macabees]

Hello,

I would like an experienced roleplayer to take a look at this thread. I suspect Lithuania-Latvia of godmodding, but I would like the opinion of someone more experienced than me.

Cheers!

It looks as if he's the OP (opening poster), and the golden rule I usually follow is: OP sets the rules. If he decides he's the one who's going to control the rebels, then he can do whatever he'd like with them. That doesn't mean there isn't room for compromise. You could try to reach out to him and express your sentiment that there should be some constraints on what he can do with the rebels. Or you could ask him if he's interested in having a neutral player roleplay the rebels. Roleplaying is, first and foremost, about cooperating with other people involved in your thread, but for cooperation to take place you have to communicate with each other. If one person does something questionable, shoot them a TG or post in the OOC thread (if there's no OOC thread, I recommend opening one to focus all OOC discussion there) and tell them, in a respectful tone, what issues you have with their post(s).

I should mention now two things that can very well count as godmodding, and this is just meant as a suggestion:

• Determining other players' casualties.
• Immediate deployments -- it usually takes a long time to deploy equipment and troops, so it's not realistic for reinforcements to arrive that instant. There usually has to be some amount of time that passes by before your new troops and new equipment are considered to be in the theater.

These are just rough guidelines though. If you guys think a certain rule dampers your RPing experience, you're free to chuck it out the window. If you guys think that there should be other rules, communicate and compromise with each other. That's how a successful RP is built.

[The New Hungarian State]

Question
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Do you RP as your nation or a person in your nation?

[Lamoni]

Question
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Do you RP as your nation or a person in your nation?

It depends on the situation that you are RPing, but you will RP as a person (or people) in your nation in some situations, and as your nation in others.

[Delmonte]

Question
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Do you RP as your nation or a person in your nation?

I understand that telling you "Well, it depends." isn't exactly helpful. Suffice it to say that 98+% of the time, if not more, you will be RPing as characters in your nation i.e. your nation's leader, legislators, foreign ministers etc. People are probably going to say that that's not true just so that they can be contrary. You just need to know that it IS true and that they are either mislead, misunderstanding the question, or straight up lying to you just to be contradictory and appear moderate and reasonable. Because, really "It depends" or "Well, that's not quite the case" are nice answers to give. Because they sound reasonable and moderate. But sometimes reasonable and moderate answers are incorrect.

The long and the short of it is that saying "Delmonte disapproves of the herp-a-derp and reinforces the derp-a-derp." can be entertaining when someone asks you something about your nation on Factbooks and National Information, but it's not really conducive to good writing. And, arguably, it's not RPing. Just like factbooks, arguably, aren't RPing. So if you want to show that you disapprove of the herp-a-derp, you'll have some foreign minister write a sternly worded missive regarding the herps and derps resulted from the aforementioned herps, making clear that your condemnation of herp-a-derp in no way reflects your opinions on the derp-a-derp, which you find to be a commendable derp. So on and so forth.

[The Macabees]

An alternative way of saying much of the same thing as Lamoni and Delmonte: an RP is a story and every story has a point of view. You'll be writing from that point of view. It can be your nation as a whole, it can be your president, it can be a homeless person living on a street in your capital city, etc. You could also roleplay as a narrator, where the narrator is the point of view and he/she is talking about characters that form part of the story.

I'll give you some examples of RPs from a narrator's point of view, as this is the approach I usually take (for better or for worse). Quality of the posting varies, so I apologize in advance:

• Here the narrator describes the experience of Manuel Thornsbury, a civilian experiencing a naval evacuation of a city.
• Here the narrator describes Joao Bagamba leading an attack on loyalist forces.
• Here I take a totally different approach and RP as a journalist, where I wrote a news article on an event that forms part of my ongoing story.

I wouldn't say that any particular point of view is conducive to good/bad writing. There are many different writing styles and any of them can be as equally good or bad. Some are good for some situations and bad for others.

The important thing is to figure out what your story is. You don't need to undergo a painstaking organization process, but you should have an idea of what direction you're heading. Then the writing will come to you, because you'll have a general concept of what you need to write and how to write it.