RPing Questions? Ask Here!

[Achesia]

I made the thread but got no replies. What did I do wrong?

Link?

[Welskerland]

I made the thread but got no replies. What did I do wrong?

Link?

Whoops! I forgot. Thought I put it in my above post. Here you go: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=404714

[Nations United for Conquest]

I made the thread but got no replies. What did I do wrong?

Give it sometime. Nothing happens instantly

[Achesia]

Link?

Whoops! I forgot. Thought I put it in my above post. Here you go: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=404714

So are you a cyberpunk PMT nation or a MT one? Cyberpunk or PMT isnt really my arena, but I do know MT haha

[Welskerland]

Whoops! I forgot. Thought I put it in my above post. Here you go: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=404714

So are you a cyberpunk PMT nation or a MT one? Cyberpunk or PMT isnt really my arena, but I do know MT haha

PMT, but I want to allow MT nations as well for the RP. It is actually post-cyberpunk

[Achesia]

So are you a cyberpunk PMT nation or a MT one? Cyberpunk or PMT isnt really my arena, but I do know MT haha

PMT, but I want to allow MT nations as well for the RP. It is actually post-cyberpunk

Gotcha! Sounds cool and all but I'm kinda solely a hard-MT guy. But good luck!

[Welskerland]

PMT, but I want to allow MT nations as well for the RP. It is actually post-cyberpunk

Gotcha! Sounds cool and all but I'm kinda solely a hard-MT guy. But good luck!

Admittedly, I may have to revert to MT as there seems to be a serious lack of PMT RPs, particularly PMT RP regions.

[The Macabees]

There is definitely a PMT community: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=376203

[The Macabees]

Whoops! I forgot. Thought I put it in my above post. Here you go: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=404714

What do movie trailers do that gets people to the theaters? They show the best action sequences, the biggest explosions, and the hottest chicks (or men, depending on the demographic they're targeting). Why do they do this? Their goal is to pitch the story in the most compelling way possible, and that's exactly how you should approach your OOC sign-up threads.

You are trying to sell something. You're trying to sell someone the idea that they should post in your thread because they're going to have fun. So when you explain the story, move away from telling them what it's about and go towards showing them what it's about. The writing should drip with emotion; it should pull from people the feelings they want to feel when they're participating in a thread. If it's a war thread, maybe that's a scene where some guy gets thrashed by a shower of free-flying shrapnel and debris, ripping through his arms, his legs, small pieces of metal embedding themselves in his bones.

Why is the evil vs. good trope so common in fiction? Because it's an easy way of attaching emotion and making the reader feel strongly about one side or the other, or both. When you describe the factions, you should use adjectives and metaphors that call out the emotions that you want your readers, and other participants, to feel when they think about a faction or a character.

The more emotion you can get out of someone, the more passion they'll feel, and the more likely they are to join your RP.

Now, there are definitely more factors to selling your RP, but this is a major one.

[Ruskland-Preuben]

Can you use logic and realism to godmod?

[Aeyariss]

Can you use logic and realism to godmod?

No; in fact the purpose of enforcing logic and realism in any roleplay is to prevent that. If other people believes that in using logic and realism as a form of godmod, because its a sure fire and convincing method to ensure unpreventable losses on their side, then they have attitude problem of being unable to accept loses. That's poor sportsmanship/roleplayership IMO.

Out of curiosity though, perhaps you might want to outline a scenario, as to show what you believed using logic and realism to godmod?

[Yatzatz]

Erm...
Well, I have an RP in my sig. There are a bunch of members on it. However, no one is posting anything. I've TGed them all a bunch of times, but they haven't even responded. Any advice?

Not a P2TMer, so I don't know the culture, but this feels universal:

I would suggest you post a lot more content so people actually have something to reply to - something to have as a launching point. A lot of RPers don't want to just post (or only read) random one-paragraph news updates with little to no explanation from other people about what they're doing.

Since you're the main poster, you have to consider yourself the game master at least until it keeps going. Post more, and have more content in each.

I can't really, because if no one else posts, then I don't have much to work with. Any other ideas?

[Ruskland-Preuben]

Can you use logic and realism to godmod?

No; in fact the purpose of enforcing logic and realism in any roleplay is to prevent that. If other people believes that in using logic and realism as a form of godmod, because its a sure fire and convincing method to ensure unpreventable losses on their side, then they have attitude problem of being unable to accept loses. That's poor sportsmanship/roleplayership IMO.

Out of curiosity though, perhaps you might want to outline a scenario, as to show what you believed using logic and realism to godmod?

A: War with B!
B: We prepare and send troops!
A: We prepare and send troops!
-Troops arrive at battlefield-
B: Due to the superiority of our weaponry as clearly stated in our post and stats(so that we can steamroll), we easily defeat the enemy, which was pushed out.
A: (IGNORED) We fight back valiantly against the invaders, and using all our guns and ammo, we attempt to hold them back...

OOC
B: *insert nope here and detailed explanation of nope*
A: But isn't that godmod?
C: I agree with B, back off.
D & E: Yeah, us too.
A: *allows his forces to lose*

Also, shouldn't there be some sort of thing that if someone gets too powerful in an RP, cut down to size?

[Sunset]

No; in fact the purpose of enforcing logic and realism in any roleplay is to prevent that. If other people believes that in using logic and realism as a form of godmod, because its a sure fire and convincing method to ensure unpreventable losses on their side, then they have attitude problem of being unable to accept loses. That's poor sportsmanship/roleplayership IMO.

Out of curiosity though, perhaps you might want to outline a scenario, as to show what you believed using logic and realism to godmod?

A: War with B!
B: We prepare and send troops!
A: We prepare and send troops!
-Troops arrive at battlefield-
B: Due to the superiority of our weaponry as clearly stated in our post and stats(so that we can steamroll), we easily defeat the enemy, which was pushed out.
A: (IGNORED) We fight back valiantly against the invaders, and using all our guns and ammo, we attempt to hold them back...

OOC
B: *insert nope here and detailed explanation of nope*
A: But isn't that godmod?
C: I agree with B, back off.
D & E: Yeah, us too.
A: *allows his forces to lose*

Also, shouldn't there be some sort of thing that if someone gets too powerful in an RP, cut down to size?

In response to your final question, 'No'. And yes. Because it very much depends on your reason for 'roleplaying'. Now, I would argue (as an old school D&D player) that if you are undertaking the first scenario of A, B, A, B, and A, one is in fact 'roll-playing' and not 'role-playing' in that the numbers have taken on more importance than the story and the characters. Thus 'roll-playing' - IE the dice are more important than the character. Because NationStates is ultimately consensual, there is no way to 'roll-play' on the forums and 'win', at least in the long term. Certainly one might shove around a few inexperienced players, annoy one's partners, and perhaps impress a certain sub-set of people with one's specific knowledge of 18th Century firearms, but these do not an exciting and interesting story tell and ultimately (in my extended experience) such players tend to drift away as they realize they cannot 'win'.

Now, since the definition of 'godmod' is forcing someone else to do something, you cannot possibly godmod by logic and realism. Godmodding is always a conscious decision whereby one calls damages, manipulates the characters of others, and the like. Manipulating someone through persuasive argument is entirely different - which doesn't mean the arguments put forth cannot be factually incorrect or bald-faced lies. In some cases, this descends to the level of bullying, whereby someone will claim superior knowledge and thus national capability (whether they have it or not) with the choice being to accept the declared wisdom or suffer the supposed consequences. Again, in my experience it is best to simply tell said individual to pound sand. I do not have to know how to be an amazing fighter pilot in order to write my character as an amazing fighter pilot; To me, the question should be one of how interesting, thought-provoking, or enjoyable that particular fighter pilot is to read about. If the post consists entirely of 'John and his 1000 buddies took off, launched their missiles, and returns to base to down a few cold ones without having lost a single plane' then I'm just going to move on.

Or I'm going to write a fantastic post detailing the short life of a fresh-faced young graduate who has taken nervously to the skies to fight for his country and who ultimately dies at the hands of John, Drunken Bore.

Depends on how malicious I'm feeling that day.

But then ask yourself which post you'd rather read...

[Santheres]

Not a P2TMer, so I don't know the culture, but this feels universal:

I would suggest you post a lot more content so people actually have something to reply to - something to have as a launching point. A lot of RPers don't want to just post (or only read) random one-paragraph news updates with little to no explanation from other people about what they're doing.

Since you're the main poster, you have to consider yourself the game master at least until it keeps going. Post more, and have more content in each.

I can't really, because if no one else posts, then I don't have much to work with. Any other ideas?

It's your story to start with. If you want to OP, you have to create events and write more. So... yes, you can. You need to be able to provide something for others to work with without anyone else posting. That is just how it works and I'm sorry I have no other ideas for you. If you don't want to or can't provide content for others to respond to, then consider joining RPs instead of OPing them for awhile until you feel a bit more comfortable with everything.

[Saint Fedski]

Basically what Sunset has said. I really like the "roll-playing versus role-playing" statement. I'll have to use that in the future, if you don't mind, Sunset.

When I first got into NS, I was gung-ho. I was going to use my "superior knowledge of history books to my advantage to conquer the NS world." I was determined to become a power. Thus, all of my RPs were 'competitive.' The problem is, there are no winners and losers in the usual sense and no way to enforce wins and losses.

In subsequent returns to NS, I've changed my approach considerably. Instead of starting with an IC post, I've taken a moment or three to speak with the OP and other participants OOC to get an idea of how the story should progress. There are a lot of advantages to this approach, but the major one for the purposes of this conversation is to avoid OOC conflicts. For your scenario, having a predetermined outcome is likely crucial because at that point specific losses don't particularly matter.

I'll provide one exception to the above statement. To demonstrate with a hypothetical example, I will use two specific nations and people I have come to respect quite a bit during my various stints on NS. I feel I'm free use these individuals to demonstrate as they are both mentors and are known to be very helpful.

If Lamoni and the Macabees wanted to RP a war, I feel they could fairly and amicably RP a competitive war perhaps to see who had the best tactics or the best equipment. They both posses extensive knowledge with regard to the equipment, technology and tactics used and can therefore realistically and fairly RP the action. More importantly though, they (likely) respect one another. That respect will prevent either one of them from outright godmodding or even taking liberties with their posts.

Only in a situation very similar to that with a plethora of respect and maturity (at the very least), is a competitive war RP really a safe thing to approach. If you're having trouble with a godmodder, or a steamroller, or a number wanker, find a way to politely work it out OOC. What is point of the story? What does each player want to achieve with the story for their own characters? And how can we make it work?

[Aeyariss]

A: War with B!
B: We prepare and send troops!
A: We prepare and send troops!
-Troops arrive at battlefield-
B: Due to the superiority of our weaponry as clearly stated in our post and stats(so that we can steamroll), we easily defeat the enemy, which was pushed out.
A: (IGNORED) We fight back valiantly against the invaders, and using all our guns and ammo, we attempt to hold them back...

OOC
B: *insert nope here and detailed explanation of nope*
A: But isn't that godmod?
C: I agree with B, back off.
D & E: Yeah, us too.
A: *allows his forces to lose*

Also, shouldn't there be some sort of thing that if someone gets too powerful in an RP, cut down to size?

@Ruskland-Preuben

Well, I've encountered such situation myself, and it normally occurred when the RolePlay is in 'competitive mode' (Everyone wants to 'win') but cannot 'agree to disagree'. However, it is only god-modding if 'A' decides the losses that 'B' is going to suffer. Some people can write a logical and a realistic post in a competitive RP, they made it so persuasive and convincing that the outcome is almost inevitable, but that doesn't mean what he or she was doing is considered as godmoding. The rule of the thumb is that, as long as one doesn't dictate the actions or losses of other player's without their consent then it should not be considered godmoding. The most important thing is for everyone to enjoy writing their posts and having fun; if the competition gets too tough or OOC-ly hostile, then perhaps everyone need to chill down and find a middle ground.

Like Sunset had wrote in his/her reply, there can be two school of thought concerning 'roleplaying vs roleplaying'; one is the 'competitive mode' where people write against one another, and that they believe there must be a 'winner'; and there's the more cooperative, collaborative writing where the essence of the 'story' is more important. (Personally, I'm more into story telling instead of Nation vs Nation form of roleplay)

[New Aeyariss]

I also did begin as "gung huo" type of RPer, today I however use mixed approach between the two, both cooperating and competing at the same time, and I dare to say that it worked awesomely for me. First, it saved me the principle of struggle which I like, for second it allowed me to retain the story - oriented mode of the cooperative RPs.

For example I do not like to, for example, determine outcome of a battle beforehand, or, what I especially loathe, using excuse of cooperativeness to abuse military realism. At the same time I see that the problem with many competitive RPers is that they treat their nations as avatars of themselves, saying "my troops" as a good example, which prevents them from connecting themselves with the story.

I think that a model region to be mentioned here is Cornellia, and I have to admit that I myself consider that region a top RPing community and a model to be emulated.

[The United Republic of New Britannia]

Would my country here, if it were real, have top be the friend of the USA, in order to be the friend of the European Union itself, the countries of the European Union, the UK, Canada and Australia ?
Or can we be the enemy of the USA, sort of like the old Soviet Union in its heyday, and be so with modern, top of the line Western Technology, and be the friends of those countries at the same time ?

[RawHein]

I'm curious how Fantasy overlaps with the tech-based tags. For example, is Warhammer a fantasy because it has what is to all intents and purposes space magic, demons, mages and witch-hunters, space elves and space orcs, and saints? Is an urban fantasy still MT if it's about a city of dwarves caught in a traffic jam of flying carpets?

[Achesia]

I'm curious how Fantasy overlaps with the tech-based tags. For example, is Warhammer a fantasy because it has what is to all intents and purposes space magic, demons, mages and witch-hunters, space elves and space orcs, and saints? Is an urban fantasy still MT if it's about a city of dwarves caught in a traffic jam of flying carpets?

I think that would fall under the tag [FanT] aka Fantasy tech. With the 40k stuff that almost is just straight Future Tech [FT], but when magic comes into play allot of people will add the FanT tag next to the FT one, but magic often is included in FT threads (e.g. Jedis)

[Lamoni]

I think that would fall under the tag [FanT] aka Fantasy tech. With the 40k stuff that almost is just straight Future Tech [FT], but when magic comes into play allot of people will add the FanT tag next to the FT one, but magic often is included in FT threads (e.g. Jedis)

A very good answer. Hits the nail on the head.

Would my country here, if it were real, have top be the friend of the USA, in order to be the friend of the European Union itself, the countries of the European Union, the UK, Canada and Australia ?

Or can we be the enemy of the USA, sort of like the old Soviet Union in its heyday, and be so with modern, top of the line Western Technology, and be the friends of those countries at the same time ?

No, you would not have to be friends with the US in order to be friends with other nations on NS. Nor would you have to be their enemies. The RL world only exists as much as your nation's cannon says it does. There are many many nations (and regions) here for whom the RL world does not exist at all, and there are also nations (and regions) where it does. It is entirely up to you.

[Unnamedland]

While I have participated in some RPs, I'm still not very good with writing ORBATS which is generally required for more sophisticated RPs. How do you write these and what advice would you give me for writing them?

[The Macabees]

While I have participated in some RPs, I'm still not very good with writing ORBATS which is generally required for more sophisticated RPs. How do you write these and what advice would you give me for writing them?

For what it's worth, ORBATs are not really required for any RP.

But, they're basically just a document where you organize your armed forces. You don't need to get detailed to the platoon or battalion level or w/e. It can be a list of armies plus their divisions. It can be a list of equipment.

But ORBATs are really just stats and stats, if they have any influence, have just an indirect impact on an RP. It's just stuff you'd find at the appendix of a book to help keep things straight for the reader. What truly makes an RP sophisticated is the story, not the ORBAT.

[New Aeyariss]

While I have participated in some RPs, I'm still not very good with writing ORBATS which is generally required for more sophisticated RPs. How do you write these and what advice would you give me for writing them?

For what it's worth, ORBATs are not really required for any RP.

But, they're basically just a document where you organize your armed forces. You don't need to get detailed to the platoon or battalion level or w/e. It can be a list of armies plus their divisions. It can be a list of equipment.

But ORBATs are really just stats and stats, if they have any influence, have just an indirect impact on an RP. It's just stuff you'd find at the appendix of a book to help keep things straight for the reader. What truly makes an RP sophisticated is the story, not the ORBAT.

And that is why you have people like me who would do you this for free - if I am feeling well.

In my opinions ORBATs are necessary if you are trying to "macro" RP a war. That said however, I am thinking of making a generic set of ORBATs for people to simply use at will...