Northwest Slobovia wrote:Upthread, we discussed FTL weapons as also potentially problematic. What are other ones that have wretched histories of scum and villiany? If there's a well-known set among veteran FT RPers, might it be worth listing them so that newer people are forewarned that other players may not like those weapons/technologies?
My stated dislike of military RPs in MT will probably also extend into FT -- which would severely restrict my ability to RP.
Or, on the other hand, I can be the professional loser in an RP. That would make me very popular.
They're actually quite fun. The key that I found is using NPCs as your enemy, then using some chance/dice system to see if you win/lose a battle and whatnot. It's one of my favorite ways to RP.
FThemiclesia wrote:My stated dislike of military RPs in MT will probably also extend into FT -- which would severely restrict my ability to RP.
Or, on the other hand, I can be the professional loser in an RP. That would make me very popular.
They're actually quite fun. The key that I found is using NPCs as your enemy, then using some chance/dice system to see if you win/lose a battle and whatnot. It's one of my favorite ways to RP.
I prefer writing a story and going with the most internally consistent and interesting option, rather than relying on chance to dictate what happens, personally.
Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 6:25 pm
by FThemiclesia
In my personal experience, size is usually a hindrance to effective government, as intermediation can only result in loss of information. Making a good military, therefore, is a much more difficult task when the military gets larger. The stereotypical 'call in reinforcements' scenario is often more effort than it's worth, especially in the presumed scale of FT, and a larger nation may actually have more difficulty sending in reinforcements than a small one.
Especially in this nation, where nothing done is nothing wrong.
Though, for RP purposes, I'll simply scale myself to an average of the RP in question, though ideally I wouldn't have to deal with scales at all, since character interaction is far more interesting than statistics. As Legion of War wrote (I think) a fleet with a few interesting people on it is better than a fleet with a few million ships in it.
Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 7:12 pm
by Rhoderberg
Was that a challenge?
In all seriousness, basically every star-state that isn't space Somalia has some form of FTL communication and transit, thus rendering many of the issues you mentioned moot. Also, for what it's worth, if you go into battle without reinforcements ready to FTL in on short notice to help exploit gains made by the first "wave" of forces and shore up weakened units, you deserve to loose.
In all seriousness, basically every star-state that isn't space Somalia has some form of FTL communication and transit, thus rendering many of the issues you mentioned moot. Also, for what it's worth, if you go into battle without reinforcements ready to FTL in on short notice to help exploit gains made by the first "wave" of forces and shore up weakened units, you deserve to loose.
In all seriousness, basically every star-state that isn't space Somalia has some form of FTL communication and transit, thus rendering many of the issues you mentioned moot. Also, for what it's worth, if you go into battle without reinforcements ready to FTL in on short notice to help exploit gains made by the first "wave" of forces and shore up weakened units, you deserve to loose.
So on the topic of "Winning and Losing," the fundamentals of the Future Technology community provide some insight on this. Two of the most important aspects of our community, cooperation and communication, address this specifically. It's really a rather bad idea to go into any RP with the intent to win, and only win. RPing, especially within future technology, really revolves more around the story being told rather than any sort of "gains" your nation can make. Likewise, grand strategic plans, the power of your ships, and anything else you can think of to give you a military edge means absolutely nothing without prior discussion with your RP partner(s). Just as tech is only as powerful as your partner allows it to be, your nation's military and your military strategies are only as effective as the participants in an RP agree they should be. Because of this, nobody, no matter how blatantly obvious you think their tactical errors or otherwise are, "deserves to lose." When most of us write a story, we don't compete, we're not trying to beat the other nation for any purpose other than the plot being told. While employing military stratagem in a story can give your post an air of authenticity, and indeed even add to the overall quality of the story, it's essential that you talk these things over with your RP partners, as communication and mutual cooperation are the only true bars for which to measure power in any story. Finally, there's nothing wrong with losing, at all. Losing often has more interesting avenues for creative and fun stories than winning, and anyone that is completely unwilling to lose is ignoring the foundation of cooperative roleplay.
So on the topic of "Winning and Losing," the fundamentals of the Future Technology community provide some insight on this. Two of the most important aspects of our community, cooperation and communication, address this specifically. It's really a rather bad idea to go into any RP with the intent to win, and only win. RPing, especially within future technology, really revolves more around the story being told rather than any sort of "gains" your nation can make. Likewise, grand strategic plans, the power of your ships, and anything else you can think of to give you a military edge means absolutely nothing without prior discussion with your RP partner(s). Just as tech is only as powerful as your partner allows it to be, your nation's military and your military strategies are only as effective as the participants in an RP agree they should be. Because of this, nobody, no matter how blatantly obvious you think their tactical errors or otherwise are, "deserves to lose." When most of us write a story, we don't compete, we're not trying to beat the other nation for any purpose other than the plot being told. While employing military stratagem in a story can give your post an air of authenticity, and indeed even add to the overall quality of the story, it's essential that you talk these things over with your RP partners, as communication and mutual cooperation are the only true bars for which to measure power in any story. Finally, there's nothing wrong with losing, at all. Losing often has more interesting avenues for creative and fun stories than winning, and anyone that is completely unwilling to lose is ignoring the foundation of cooperative roleplay.
I think these tenets are by no means exclusive to the FT scene -- they are nigh-universal, except, perhaps, in FB&NI and NSG, where no IC interaction is required. As previously said, I have no qualms with losing, or any particular propensity therefor. Based on my previous history, I think I have the ability and potential to do well in the two authoritative aspects of NSFT, if I might hazard to sound so immodest saying so. The foregoing was merely a minor assertion to state my general disposition towards the community, and to avoid a Vaxonian entrance, if everybody remembers it.
I have no objections against altering, even fundamentally, the operational structure of my military in order to conform to reasonable requirements that the community may have, even pass the point of departing from canon. After all, co-operation is paramount, and NSers are my friends, and they are worth much more to me that a few words that I have written in my leisure.
But military, as I said, due to my want of interest in this area, has never been my strength or a favoured topic in RPs. This is why I emphasize that I am particularly detached from the military aspect of my nation. Unless someone here is willing to give me a precis of accepted principles of FT military, of course, without asking me to read through the entire thread.
Change topic: I currently leave each world (number variable according to requirements) to organize her own military. The leadership is dual, one promoted from the ranks of the military itself, and one appointed by the central government.
Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2015 9:04 am
by Tierra Prime
The trailer for Fallout 4 (Which is increasingly looking like trash) gave me a good idea. Wind-up laser rifles/muskets?
OMGeverynameistaken seems to have left NS, but I could imagine him using something like that. It would work really well in 40k as well, maybe more so than the semi-automatic lasrifles.
Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2015 2:00 pm
by Sunset
Coolness Factor? Sure, why not? I've done something similar; A pump-action powergun (Based on the copper annihilation matrix discs from the 'Hammer's Slammers' series) that uses the pump action as both feed mechanism and as a mechanical charging point for the disruptive charge that 'ignites' the matrix. It's meant for long-term storage in survival kits or escape pods where a battery might eventually lose charge or be damaged/destroyed by an electromagnetic event. While not exactly the same concept, adding a bit of style through a pump, slide, lever-action, or even a good ol' flintlock-style hammer can give you something to toss into your in-character descriptions to make things really come alive.
Though if you do, as Mr. Jacques wrote; 'I spent three hours this morning writing out the ramifications of AI soldiers in the QC universe. I have no idea if it will ever make its way into the comic, but I am a firm believer in working out the behind the scenes mechanics of your universe even if you never display them (in fact, you are probably better off NOT displaying them, as it is often unnecessary).' Since he is a comic stripper (to pull a label from another of my favorites), his point is made graphically clear (blame that one on Noggin); His reason for the write-up is not to use the written 'why' but to show the 'yes' - there are AI soldiers, so one might come walking down the street. Yes, you might have a wind-up laser musket, but the in-character is 'Carlos began to frantically spin the winging lever on his laser musket, desperately trying to get just one charge out of it before...' rather than 'Carlos began to wind up his laser musket, using the lever to convert mechanical energy into electrical charge at a rate of twenty-three kilowatts per...'.
Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2015 2:36 pm
by Tierra Prime
Sunset wrote:Coolness Factor? Sure, why not? I've done something similar; A pump-action powergun (Based on the copper annihilation matrix discs from the 'Hammer's Slammers' series) that uses the pump action as both feed mechanism and as a mechanical charging point for the disruptive charge that 'ignites' the matrix. It's meant for long-term storage in survival kits or escape pods where a battery might eventually lose charge or be damaged/destroyed by an electromagnetic event. While not exactly the same concept, adding a bit of style through a pump, slide, lever-action, or even a good ol' flintlock-style hammer can give you something to toss into your in-character descriptions to make things really come alive.
Though if you do, as Mr. Jacques wrote; 'I spent three hours this morning writing out the ramifications of AI soldiers in the QC universe. I have no idea if it will ever make its way into the comic, but I am a firm believer in working out the behind the scenes mechanics of your universe even if you never display them (in fact, you are probably better off NOT displaying them, as it is often unnecessary).' Since he is a comic stripper (to pull a label from another of my favorites), his point is made graphically clear (blame that one on Noggin); His reason for the write-up is not to use the written 'why' but to show the 'yes' - there are AI soldiers, so one might come walking down the street. Yes, you might have a wind-up laser musket, but the in-character is 'Carlos began to frantically spin the winging lever on his laser musket, desperately trying to get just one charge out of it before...' rather than 'Carlos began to wind up his laser musket, using the lever to convert mechanical energy into electrical charge at a rate of twenty-three kilowatts per...'.
Interesting.
I think I could really get behind this idea.
Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2015 3:04 pm
by The Ben Boys
Tierra Prime wrote:The trailer for Fallout 4 (Which is increasingly looking like trash) gave me a good idea. Wind-up laser rifles/muskets?
So on the topic of "Winning and Losing," the fundamentals of the Future Technology community provide some insight on this. Two of the most important aspects of our community, cooperation and communication, address this specifically. It's really a rather bad idea to go into any RP with the intent to win, and only win. RPing, especially within future technology, really revolves more around the story being told rather than any sort of "gains" your nation can make. Likewise, grand strategic plans, the power of your ships, and anything else you can think of to give you a military edge means absolutely nothing without prior discussion with your RP partner(s). Just as tech is only as powerful as your partner allows it to be, your nation's military and your military strategies are only as effective as the participants in an RP agree they should be. Because of this, nobody, no matter how blatantly obvious you think their tactical errors or otherwise are, "deserves to lose." When most of us write a story, we don't compete, we're not trying to beat the other nation for any purpose other than the plot being told. While employing military stratagem in a story can give your post an air of authenticity, and indeed even add to the overall quality of the story, it's essential that you talk these things over with your RP partners, as communication and mutual cooperation are the only true bars for which to measure power in any story. Finally, there's nothing wrong with losing, at all. Losing often has more interesting avenues for creative and fun stories than winning, and anyone that is completely unwilling to lose is ignoring the foundation of cooperative roleplay.
Story is a big part of it yes.The best and most used way to balance that out is in.. well game terms . ("Our units cost X+1) while theirs (costs just X), ie its more expensive for ours to be built and have a longer replacement time. not to mention higher upkeep, while theirs are less tetchy and powerful over all but their easier to build and are deadly in packs. Like 2:4 ratios (for every 2 we can field they can field 4) .
As I am an advocate of taking advantage of an enemies tactical miscalculations, HOWEVER.. I would try to be always in contact with the person, sort of to synergize the relation between the battle field, the story and being fair. But I disagree with the fact that one should let ICLY..... tactical errors aside. Competent commanders and solders would jump on someones mistake. As long as its not ooc meta-gamed its a valid rule of conduct. That's why I mentioned my view in the aforementioned synergy comparison. If X event is foretold to happen or Y idea is quite good and both parties agree; but the tactics of your foe would make it "Realistically" (in actions) fool hearty, then you can work an alternative way of going about it out. Thats the fun in the rp; otherwise its mostly just a... excuse my french dick waving contest.
But one has to consider NS is part story and cooperation but its also part simulation. Game theory applies heavily, someone has these ships I'm going to build my own, someone wants to planet crack I'm going to build a deterrent. Nothing is invincible, but NS is not stagnant either; while technical details and ship specs are fluff and take a back seat to things, any competent power will inventively design craft, tactics and so forth to fit the situation astropoltically. There are however certain limits that the community has.
As for how effective your strategy is... Well; that's a hazy area, it is up to the player your fighting to do two things. Determine how effective your "fire power" is... And to adapt to your tactics, witch cannot be done over night.. Its a fact of life. Its unreasonable for a player to adapt to every single tactic right away.. Sure they might get pushed back and loose, but eventually they will counter, find a tactic to defeat or mitigate yours, and then you would adapt.. This is war.
You need to have a Triad when it comes things. A-> Communications oocly B-> neither side should expect automatic victory, and that tactics would adapt. C --> Sync this with the end goal of the plot.
Additionally, People may develop new weapon systems during the conflict, I do not like the idea of a stagnant war, I also don't like the idea of a hollow one (ie faceless or emotionless) I'd like to include more relatable personal accounts of characters within it.
Making a conflict thread work well is a herculean task.
And remember kids even "Super"powers have their limits' they might be that big burly dude at a bar you might not want to pick a fight with but if a fight happens and you do the right things you can get even him to back off.
I'm gonna have to disagree with you on the first part tbh, specifically regarding the "best way to balance it out is game terms." In my personal opinion the best way to balance it out, is quite simply, discussion. While this may just be my personal style, I don't necessarily like to equate cost and etc. to all my technology since in my own RPs it generally never comes up. Balance is a direct result of communication, and personally I prefer to talk out the comparative power of my own soldiers and technology with my IC enemy as opposed to simply assigning some sort of generic number to their units and my own and using that as a benchmark for how powerful something should be. Doing so makes it less of an RP in my opinion, and more of a table top game. Personally I'm not interested in having an objectively superior piece of technology with an assigned stat value that I can compare with my enemy, rather I prefer to just tell the story and have the technology work as well (or not as well) as the plot demands at that time.
Likewise I don't think I ever claimed that you should ICly let tactical errors aside, simply that committing tactical errors in an RP is not as catastrophic as they are in real life since the greater plot requirements often allow leeway. Naturally there is nothing wrong with taking advantage of IC mistakes, but such actions still require communication with your RP partner and at the end of the day your partner will still decide how effective your actions are. Likewise, it is my opinion that if the greater plot requires you to overlook a mistake, overlook the mistake. Assuming your own soldiers are perfect and will take advantage of every enemy flaw is just as unrealistic as assuming they'll never take advantage of a flaw. The list of devastating defeats in real life that have occurred because someone didn't take advantage of the opponent's mistake is staggering in size. This doesn't mean you have to just pretend like the mistake didn't happen, but simply RP your soldiers making their own error and failing to capitalize if the plot demands it.
Finally, I have to vehemently disagree with the opinion that NationStates is at all, by any means, a simulation. A simulation would seem to imply that some sort of objective stat line or power measure is being applied to individual units or technology, that's simply not the case whatsoever. Roleplay is a voluntary activity that requires the consent and cooperation from both parties. You can come in and say your doom vessel is indestructible and x amount strong, but that means nothing if I fail to recognize that ICly. Likewise, IC reactions to hostile weaponry is not by any means indicative of a simulation-culture. It's my advice that if you're going to build deterrents and reactionary weapons to IC occurrences, do it ICly. Explain how these weapons were developed, hell maybe even write a story about it. That doesn't mean you have to have all or really even any of the technical details on hand, but simply explain the reasoning behind the weapon ICly and the process of development. It's my opinion that explaining what something does as opposed to how it does it is far more important in an RP setting. Naturally there's nothing wrong with doing both, but at the end of the day the result should always take precedence over the process.
Hope that was helpful in clearing up my opinion on the matter.
Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2015 10:43 pm
by The Fedral Union
From the faq:
So what is this?
NationStates is a free nation simulation game. You create your own country, fashioned after your own ideals, and care for its people. Either that or you deliberately torture them. It's really up to you.
What I mean to say is; its both a simulation and role playing game, and a setting in which someone writes a story. Do note my line about communication and constructing a story inside of a simulation. Ie simulating nation actions, military and diplomatic actions. But the character and universe creating isn't completely liner, yet there is always a liner happenstance simulated even if obscured in layers of writing and story lines.
NationStates is a free nation simulation game. You create your own country, fashioned after your own ideals, and care for its people. Either that or you deliberately torture them. It's really up to you.
What I mean to say is; its both a simulation and role playing game, and a setting in which someone writes a story. Do note my line about communication and constructing a story inside of a simulation. Ie simulating nation actions, military and diplomatic actions. But the character and universe creating isn't completely liner, yet there is always a liner happenstance simulated even if obscured in layers of writing and story lines.
NS I agree is not an RTS.
To invoke that NS is a simulation isn't incorrect, in a way there are multiple ways to play the game, of note on the simulation side is gameplay which has a somewhat colored history with the RP community on NS that's mostly bad, it also brings back memories of a time when players used gameside stats as a tool to "put" new players in their place like He Who Shall not be Named and his lackeys used to do. NSFT RP has however withdrawn itself from such abominable practises thankfully. And aligned itself more with how RP should be, by players actively communicating with one another and collaborating, so in a way simulation is correct, it's just not something used in the spirit of RP.
I'm sorry I should have clarified, to be more specific, NationStates roleplay is not simulation. Or in the very least, roleplay isn't equated with the traditional definition of "simulation." The FAQ regarding simulation generally refers to the gameside pages as Neo said, and the issues feature is a perfect example of that. For example, when you are given an issue you are presented with a specific number of responses or otherwise choices. Depending on the option you chose; a direct, visible, and predetermined affect occurs. You can not alter this result, you do not decide it, and you have no control over how it influences your nation stats. Roleplay, and in this instance roleplay within the nationstates Future Technology community specifically, doesn't work like that. Any effect is determined by the player whom is being acted upon, and they may chose any response they like, including completely ignoring the action in question. So I hope that further clarifies my opinion on the matter.
This is also probably a good point to move on from this topic of discussion, lest we continue to clutter the Advice Thread with semantics arguments.
Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2015 5:50 pm
by The Uthani Imperium
So after several weeks of writing and a lot of great suggestions and input, I'd like to present:
A Guide to Future Tech World Building Or Grat's big SPESS questionnaire
Preface: Hello and welcome to what I hope will be a useful tool and valuable resource for developing your new nation! The following is, at its most basic level, a guide to aid you in creating a nation or otherwise entity for NationStates Future Technology. Before we get started, I’d like to cover a couple of basic things.
First and foremost this guide is simply that, a guide. By no means is the following process the only legitimate way for you to construct a nation, nor is it necessarily the best. The below guide is simply the written form of a personal method that I have had success with. My ultimate goal here is to help you develop your nation, and more than anything else, help you have fun with it as well!
Secondly, this guide’s purpose is not intended to introduce the player behind the nation to the out-of-character (OOC) principles of the future tech community. I strongly suggest that players looking for such an introduction consult the Future Technology: Beginners Tutorial. Instead, this guide serves purely as a resource to aid players in constructing their in-character (IC) entities. Before continuing, the creator of this guide highly recommends that players take the time to familiarize themselves with the OOC aspects and expectations of the Future Technology community before using this resource.
You may not be able to completely answer all the questions in this guide right off the bat. That’s ok! The NationStates Future Technology community prides itself on cooperation and communication and many times players learn the most about their nation by writing with other players and talking about their ideas. This guide serves as a basis to mold your nation, but truly exploring it requires interaction with other players. Remember that at the end of the day crafting a nation is fun, but interacting with players and writing an enthralling story yields the greatest rewards.
Finally, some of the questions below may seem repetitive or appear to have a large degree of overlap. This is intentional, and was implemented to aid you in making your nation internally consistent.
With all that covered, let’s get started!
Step One: Your Smallest Common Denominator Players can often forget that the essence of a nation is its citizenry. More often than not, the views and opinions of a nation’s populace shape the government and policy of said nation. While it is true that national governments (via the use of educational systems, societal morals, and other tools) play a large role in developing the ideas of children. Governments themselves are generally comprised of living, thinking, breathing people. Because of this, public opinion plays a huge part in a government’s policy making, even in autocratic nations (see the abolition of feudalism in Imperial Russia for a prime example). For this reason the first step to this guide primarily involves exploring the ideas, feelings, opinions, morals, and general societal outlook of your nation’s average citizen.
To aid you in exploring your citizenry, I have compiled a list of questions and brief explanations below. The questions are not necessarily ordered by significance, and some questions may not necessarily apply to you. To aid in navigation, questions that can be compiled into broad categories have been.
Religion
What is the most common religion in your nation?: What is the name of your nation’s most prevalent religion, and a very basic breakdown of its primary deity(ies). If your religion has more than one deity, which ones are the most popular and why?
How common is religious adherence and devotion in your nation?: How prevalent are the moral teachings and leanings of your most common religion in society? Is your average citizen a zealot, casual follower, or apathetic? How often does your average citizen attend religious services, and how common is true belief in your nation’s most prevalent religion?
Describe the basic morals and principles that your religion preaches: What are some of the most common teachings of your most prevalent religion? Does your religion preach humility, concern for the poor, and peace? Or does it reward greed, cunning, and the pursuit of war? You can be as in depth or vague as you like, but I highly encourage you to take some time and explore your religion thoroughly.
How intertwined is your most prevalent religion and the government of your nation?: Does religion or religious officials play a large role in the policy making of your government? Does your average citizen only support religious officials, and does he believe that the laws or codes of your religion should be the official law of the government?
How does your average citizen view adherents of other religions or nonbelievers?: Does your average citizen distrust, dislike, or down right hate adherents of other religions? Does your average citizen advocate for a ban on practicing other religions? Does your average citizen advocate for depriving religious minorities or nonbelievers of their civil liberties?
Involvement with the Government
How does your average citizen view the government of his nation?: Does your average citizen think that the government is working for him or using him? Does he have a negative or positive view of the current government, and the overall system of government? Does your average citizen think that your nation’s politicians are trustworthy and upstanding, or liars and corrupt?
How interested is your average citizen in the workings of your government?: How much interest does your average citizen show in the mechanisms of government? Does he follow along with major policy developments, or does he take an apathetic stance towards the government? Does your average citizen participate in political discussions, gatherings or rallies often? Does your average citizen understand the policies and laws of his government, or is he generally ignorant to these matters?
How often does your average citizen participate in government?: Does your average citizen have a great deal of input into the workings of some level of your government? Is your average citizen allowed to participate in the government, if so, at what levels? Does your average citizen take an interest in being active in his government, local or otherwise, and if not, why?
Does your average citizen believe that he can make a difference in government?: Does your average citizen believe that his opinion matters and is accounted for by the government, or does he believe that policy moves without his views being taken into consideration? Does your average citizen believe that the government should listen to his ideas more, or is he content with his level of input?
Culture, Society and Recreation
What is the species of your average citizen?: Given that this guide is for Future Tech, the possibility of non-human citizens is quite likely. So what is the species of your average citizen, and does their biology predispose them towards specific ideas or thoughts? Likewise, does their biology and physiology directly affect their culture, if so, how?
What are some common traditions practiced by your average citizen?: What are the most common activities, ideas, skills, or stories passed down from parents to children in your nation? These can be anything really, but to start out I highly suggest you pick the most prominent.
What are some common ideas held by your average citizen?: What are the most common ideas that your citizens adhere to, and how strongly do they feel about each? What is the most common political ideology of your citizenry? How does your average citizen feel about things like gun ownership, abortion, healthcare, and other societal issues of this nature?
What language(s) does your average citizen speak?: What language(s) is(are) most common in your nation?
How does your average citizen view the institution of marriage?: Does your average citizen feel that marriage is an important part of society, or does the concept not exist to them? How does your average citizen feel about same-sex or interspecies marriage? At what point in their lives do your average citizens marry?
How is death viewed by your average citizen?: How does your average citizen feel about death? Is it something that is feared and avoided at every opportunity, or is it respected and embraced as a natural part of life? Do the circumstances surrounding a person’s death change affect the average citizen’s view of them, if so, how?
What is the structure of your nation’s average family?: How does the average family in your nation look? Is it similar to the American ‘Nuclear Family,’ or is it something entirely different? Who is responsible for what in your average family, and do these roles translate into a hierarchy? Does your family have a traditional ‘leader’, if so, who?
Who does your average citizen venerate or respect?: Who does your average citizen look up to or aspire to be like? This can be anyone from rockstars to politicians, writers to movie stars. Just people who live a lifestyle that others try to emulate or aspire to live like.
Who does your average citizen look down upon?: What portions of society or certain lifestyles do your citizens look down upon, why? What sort of dislike does this manifest as? For example, does your average citizen simply look down upon these groups of people, or actively try to do them harm?
What does your average citizen do to relax or have fun?: What recreational activities does your average citizen engage in when they have downtime? Do they go to the movies, watch tv, play sports? Do they converse with friends, read, take long walks on the beach? Anything and everything that you find pertinent and recreational.
What are some attributes that your average citizen admires?: What are the most common attributes or qualities that your average citizen aspires to have? For example, does your society reward wealth, cunning and intelligence? Or does it venerate humility and generosity? What level of freedom or liberty does your average citizen have?: How free is your average citizen? Does he possess basic civil liberties and human rights? If so, to what extent? If not, why?
What sort of things are taboo to your average citizen?: What actions or ideas are considered “taboo” or otherwise undesirable by your average citizen? To give you a couple of examples of real world taboos: Birthing a child from wedlock, premarital sex, interracial or interspecies relations and drug use to name a few. Just generally things that society does or has at some point looked down upon or shunned.
What does the average meal of your average citizen consist of?: What sort of foods does your average citizen eat on daily basis? Is he a fast food sort of guy, living out of a paper bag and eating greasy cheeseburgers? Perhaps he has fillet mignon every night? Maybe he’s a vegetarian and abstains from meat?
What are the most commonly spoken languages in your nation? What are the most common languages your citizenry speaks on a day to day basis? Are large portions of your population multilingual? Are immigrants expected to adopt the language of your nation, or do immigrant communities still communicate primarily in their native tongue?
Technology and Standard of Living
What is the normal means of transportation for your average citizen?: What is the highest level of advanced technology your average citizen interacts with on an everyday basis? Do your citizens get around on high speed maglev rails, flying cars, or combustion-driven vehicles? Do your interior cities rely on public transit or does every man, woman and child own a vehicle of some kind?
What is the lifespan of your average citizen, is it extended significantly by medical technology?: How long does your average citizen live? Is your citizen’s lifespan exponentially increased by advanced medical technology? What is the availability and level of common use for technologies that extend the lifespan of citizens?
How often does your average citizen leave the planet he is born on, what about the solar system he is born in?: How often does your average citizen travel off-planet? If he does travel off-planet, what are his primary reasons? How often does your average citizen leave the solar system he is born in, what are his reasons for doing so?
How common is Faster Than Light travel in your nation?: Does your average citizen possess the ability to purchase a vessel capable of faster-than-light travel? If he is not able to do so, why? Do expenses prohibit him from purchasing such a vessel, or are their regulations against private citizens owning FTL technology? Alternatively, does your average citizen possess the ability to participate in government or corporation run FTL transit services? What field(s) is your average citizen employed in?: What are the most typical or common jobs that your average citizen works? Does he toil for hours in a factory? Does he produce sophisticated software for intricate machines? Perhaps he spends his days toiling in the fields?
Describe the economic level or class of your average citizen: Just how well off (or not so well off) is your average citizen? Does he possess the means to obtain his basic human needs? How much money does he have left over for luxury goods after his basic needs are met?
What sort of house does your average citizen live in?: Describe the basic type of house your average citizen lives in. Is it a high rise, with thousands of neighbors packed together like sardines? Is it a suburban house with a white picket fence and a nice yard? Perhaps your average citizen lives underground, or maybe he lives on a space station orbiting his home planet? Where does your average citizen shop for his basic needs?: Does your average citizen take weekly trips to the grocery store, or does he spend his shopping days in wide open markets or bazaars? Perhaps he orders everything remotely and has it delivered to his doorstep by a little drone? Basically, where does your average citizen shop for food items and other essentials?
Step Two: Let’s Get Macro! So, here you are. You’ve figured out more than you probably ever thought (or maybe even cared) to know about your average citizen (hate those two words yet?) You know how they think, what they eat, where they live, how they live, how they pray, who they pray to, and all sorts of other fun things that has made your blank paper into a living person. You have (if I’ve done my job right) figured out a bunch of details about the smallest level you’ll ever play your country at. So now, we’re gonna do the exact opposite of that, and explore the government of your nation.
Since the dawn of civilization, man (and in this case we’re going to assume alien as well) has sought order from chaos. When this becomes the case, people more often than not form governments. The dictionary defines government as: “...the political direction and control exercised over the actions of the members, citizens, or inhabitants of communities, societies, and states; direction of the affairs of a state, community, etc.; political administration.” So what exactly does that mean at its basest level? It means, again at the most basic level, the appointed body that: 1) Crafts laws for the inhabitants of a nation, 2) Enforces the laws established for a nation, 3) Erects institutions to defend the nation, and 4) Provides certain services to the citizenry of a nation.
“But Grat! We already knew that!”
I know I know, and you probably know that that there are many different types of governments, driven by different ideologies, beliefs, ideas, and systems. But I figured I’d tell you again anyway. Now that I’ve done that, we can get started on examining and exploring the government you’ve chosen for your nation. Just like before, I have compiled a list of questions and brief explanations below. Also just like before, it’s okay if you can’t fill all of this out right now. You’ll probably soon find out that the organic nature of nations and roleplay means you’re never truly done building your nation, or its government for that matter. Finally, if you haven’t given much thought to your government yet, here’s a rather extensive list to give you some ideas.
So then, lets get started!
The Basics
What is(are) the name(s) of your nation?: What does your nation call itself officially? Does it have a shorthand name? If so, what is it? Do other nation’s know you by something different?
What is demonym for citizens of your nation?: What is the name for someone who is a citizen of your nation? For example: German, American, Russian, etc.
How would you describe your nation’s government?: What general terms would you use to describe your government? Is it a democratic republic, a theocracy, a monarchy, etc.?
Who or what is the highest power in your nation?: Who holds the largest amount of power in your nation? This could be more than one person, a governing body or administration, or anything else that you can think of.
How does your nation determine its leader?: For example, does your nation appoint its leader by popular election, or is it hereditary? Is there some kind of lottery, or does the divine appoint a leader for your nation?
Who writes and passes the legislation and laws for your nation?: Who writes and passes (or approves) the laws for your nation? Do you have a congress elected from the people? Does your monarch appoint a special committee to review and craft laws for his approval? Can anyone submit a law? Do you use direct democracy, wherein everyone gets to vote on every law?
Describe your legal system at the highest level: Does your nation have a supreme court akin to the United States that reviews the legality of laws, or is it simply up to whoever is in charge? If so, who is in charge? Is your highest legal authority elective, appointed, or maybe even hereditary?
What are the driving political ideologies behind your nation?: For example, are you a fascist state or a communist? Does your nation embrace the equivalent of Western Democracy, or is it more socialist in tendency? Perhaps your government is libertarian, or incredibly authoritarian?
Does your nation have an official state religion? Does your nation have an official state religion that it endorses? If so, how closely is it intertwined with your government? If your nation has an official religion, does it allow the practice of other religions, and are there any restrictions on said religions?
Chain of Command
Describe your system of governance from top (leader) to bottom (lowest governing official): How exactly does your government rule its various territories, and how is the chain of command structured? Does your AI ruler control all in under its domain with no delineating powers, or does your King rely on his governors and lords to enforce his will in their own territories? For example, the United States has at one time, a President, governors for each state, town/township councils or mayors and etc.
Are government officials below your leader responsible for crafting laws for their constituents, or simply enforcing the laws the higher ups pass?: Do local leaders (elected or otherwise) craft laws for their specific populaces, or do they simply enforce the laws set out by those above them? Is the entirety of your nation bound by the same set of laws, or is there local variation, if so, at what level?
Does your government have a dejure or defacto system of checks and balances?: Are there institutions or laws that prevent one person or one group in your government from overstepping their boundaries or ruling without any oversight? These can be official or unofficial systems in place to prevent totalitarian rule. This can also apply to nations with autocratic/non-elective rulers, and in these systems generally takes the shape of coalitions of people with some degree of power.
Do any non-government entities exert considerable influence on the policy of your nation?: What sort of non-government entities can influence the policy or decisions of your national government? How do they exert this influence, and what do they generally push for or against? To give a real life example, special interest groups, corporations, protest groups and etc.
If your nation is democratic, how often are elections?: If your nation determines its government via election or popular choice, how often do elections occur at the highest level of government? Does your leader rule for life after being elected, or are there elections every ‘x’ amount of years? If your elected leader does not rule for life, is there a term limit on how many times he may seek office?
How does your government determine positions of power below your leader? How does your government fill positions of power or government below your Leader? For example, do you have a system of hereditary lords who govern specific areas of your nation? Are your lower government officials appointed by your leader? Perhaps you have a meritocratic system where an objective process chooses who leads what?
Economics and Taxation
Describe the economic system of your nation: What sort of economic system is present in your nation? Is it Laissez Faire, Socialist, Mixed Market or something else entirely? Describe the levels of government control, influence, and structure within your nation’s economy.
How prevalent is extreme poverty in your nation?: How widespread is poverty in your nation? Do the majority of citizens struggle to make a living, often go hungry, or otherwise lack the necessary means to provide for their needs?
What are the most common or largest professional sectors in your nation?: What production sectors are the largest in your nation? Do the majority of your citizens toil to make steel, space ships and weapons? Perhaps they focus on consumer goods, electronics or agriculture? Basically, what are the fields that the majority of your citizens are employed in?
What occupations command the highest income in your nation?: What occupations or jobs earn the largest amount of money in your nation? Do doctors and lawyers make the most? Perhaps corporate CEOs? If you’re a monarchy, perhaps the ennobled lords make the most? Maybe your society pays its sports and music stars the most?
Describe your system of taxation: What sort of tax system does your nation use? I wouldn’t personally suggest delving too heavily into the numerical values, but rather the organization and structure. For example, do you use a graduated or flat tax? Do your citizens pay tithes to their lords if you're a monarchy, or something of that sort? Do you use an entirely unique system that you devised?
Are your citizens allowed to own private property?: Is any citizen of your nation (money permitting) allowed to purchase and own land in your nation? If not, are only certain groups of citizens allowed to own private property? Alternatively, is your nation collectivist without the concept of private property being present?
What is the most dangerous profession in your nation?: What profession or occupation is considered the most dangerous in your nation? In this instance, exclude the military, but not services such as police, fire and emergency services and etc.
Civil and Political Liberties
Does your government allow freedom of speech?: Are the citizens of your nation allowed to voice any opinion, viewpoint, or ideology they wish? If your government does place restrictions on freedom of speech, what are they? Are your citizens prohibited from “hate” speech, speaking out against the government or culture of the nation, or something else entirely?
Does your government allow freedom to assemble and protest peacefully?: Are your citizens allowed to gather in large groups to discuss political matters? Are your citizens allowed to publicly protest the government or government policies? If they are permitted to do so, are assemblies or organizations that promote protests common in your nation? If your citizens do not have the above rights, why don’t they?
Does your government grant freedom of religion to its subjects?: Does your government guarantee freedom of (and potentially from) religion to its citizens? Are citizens of your nation permitted to believe or not believe in any religion they so choose? If not, does your government officially mandate a religion that its subjects must follow? Alternatively, has your government completely banned religion from public and private life in your nation? Are private citizens permitted to own weaponry in your nation?: Are citizens allowed to purchase and maintain any sort of weaponry in your nation? Are there any restrictions (mental competence, age, etc.) on who can and cannot purchase weaponry in your nation? If citizens are not permitted to own weaponry in your nation, what is your government’s reasoning for this restriction? Are minorities protected by law from discrimination?: Does your government protect persons of minority from discrimination via legislation or official policy? For example, if you’re playing a nation of humans, are aliens afforded equal protection under the law? Or vice versa. Likewise, does your government prohibit persons of a minority from participating in the government, or receiving other public services? If your government does not offer this protection, why?
Are citizens guaranteed a right to a fair trial?: Does your government guarantee the right to a fair trial for any person accused of a crime? For example, do your citizens get to voice their arguments in a court of law with a third party arbiter reaching a verdict? If your citizens are not afforded a right to a fair trial, how exactly does your nation conduct criminal proceedings?
Are the possessions and personage of your citizens free from unreasonable seizure?: Does your government have the power to seize any property of a citizen, or a citizen themselves, if they deem it necessary? For example, can the government of your nation requisition a citizen’s private property, his house, or any other of his possessions without reason? Likewise, can your government seize, conscript, or otherwise coerce non-voluntary labor or services from its citizens? Does your nation permit any form of indentured servitude or slavery?: Is indentured servitude or slavery legal in your nation? If so, describe the system. Do you use indentured servitude as a form of debt payment? Perhaps your nation has something akin to chattel-slavery? If slavery is currently illegal, was it ever legal in your nation, and when was it outlawed?
Step Three: Your Setting and You The setting of your Future Technology nation is simultaneously one of the most important and one of the hardest things to develop. As far as I know, the entirety of our player base lives on a big blue-green marble called Earth (residents of the ISS need not apply). We’re all humans, we’re acclimated to human history and the various events and happenings that have occurred throughout our existence. We experience our own cultures, architecture and lifestyles on a daily basis. We think like human beings born in the 20th and 21st century, and as a direct result, it can be quite hard for us to imagine how humans exposed to future technology or alternatively creatures entirety non-human think and live on a daily basis. Because of this, developing your setting (more specifically the planets and cities your nation comprises, as well as its history) is a challenging task.
In order to help you with this daunting task this section, like the two above it, has a series of questions pertaining to your setting. The principle parts that will be explored are the systems and inhabited planets your nation comprises, the architecture, ‘atmosphere,’ and general feel of your cities and settlements, and the history of your nation. This section also contains questions regarding the demographics of your planets and cities, and a few questions specifically geared towards “alien nations.” Before continuing, I strongly suggest that players roleplaying non-human nations read Roleplaying as Aliens, a very helpful and informative post about the pros and cons regarding human vs alien nations.
Here we go then, round three!
Planets and Systems
How many star systems does your nation comprise?: Just how many star systems does your nation control? Newer players in the Future Technology community are generally advised to have anywhere from 1-5 systems. Remember that while it may seem awesome to have dozens upon dozens of systems, filling up your systems with information, people, and character is much more important than a huge number. To start with, I suggest you name all the systems you do possess. For more information regarding Star Systems, this post can be quite helpful.
How many inhabited planets does your nation possess?: How many planets in your nation do your citizens actually live on? This question also pertains to the geography and names of your planets. For example, I highly suggest instead of listing “7 inhabitable planets,” you take the time to name your planets and provide brief explanations about their general geography. Remember that if you don’t have all this information figured out yet, It’s okay!
Does your nation have any large non-terrestrial habitations?: Are large non-terrestrial habitions common in your nation? For example, do a large number of your citizens live on space stations that orbit planetary bodies? Do you have huge mining complexes on the surface of asteroids that planets erk out a living on? Perhaps your nation is migratory, and comprises hive fleets? (Be forewarned, the later option can at times be extremely challenging and often prohibitory.)
What was the first system and planet your nation possessed?: Where exactly did your nation originate from? Which planet and system is the “founding” place of your nation? If your nation has more than one, list all the options. Likewise, does your nation have an inordinate amount of development and reverence for this planet compared to others?
What is the most recently settled system your nation possesses?: What solar system has your nation most recently acquired? How long ago did they acquire it? Is it relatively well developed and settled or is it still frontier-esque and underdeveloped?
Does your nation have any significant astrological features?: Are there any significant or otherwise prominent astrological features in or near your nation? Do these features affect your nation significantly, for instance do they impede or potentially help travel, or are they rich in resources? Some examples of these are nebulae, quasars, and large asteroid fields.
What galactic quadrant is your nation in?: The Galaxy is generally broken up into four quadrants, Alpha, Beta, Delta and Gamma. For information regarding the quadrants and a general guide to their unique characteristics and histories, you can consult the State of the Galaxy: Quadrants infodump.
Cities and Settlements
Describe the appearance of your average city from above: What sort of architectural styling does your average city contain? For instance, do you have great towers of glass that dominate the skyline and blot out the sun? Do you have sprawling and utilitarian-looking buildings that stretch on for miles and miles? Perhaps you build your cities underground? Generally, describe what your city looks like from the air.
Describe the appearance of your average city from street level: What does your average city look like from the ground level? Do you have masses of tight, winding alleyways and roads that zigzag in and out of your buildings? Perhaps you have wide roads and bustling traffic at all hours? Do the buildings in your average city loom over the street, stretching high into the sky and casting great shadows? Or are they only a few stories tall, with each individual building stretching out for blocs? Is your average city clean, with constant efforts to keep it running smoothly? Or is it dirty and cluttered with debris and garbage?
Does your average city have a strong wealth or cultural divide?: Is your city segregated (intentionally or unintentionally) by wealth or otherwise culture? For instance, do the wealthier citizens of your cities tend to segregate themselves from the working class? Alternatively, does your average city contain “immigrant sectors,” where citizens not of your native culture tend to congregate and live? Does your average city contain large industrial sectors?: Are portions of your average city dedicated entirely or almost entirely to industry and production? Examples of this in real life are industrial parks, and other areas of cities that contain primarily factories, housing for factory staff, and etc. If your cities do not contain large industrial sectors, where is the majority of your industry located?
Is crime a major problem in your average city?: Does your average city have a major problem with crime? Does your average city have something that equates to a “seedy underworld,” or portions that are not safe for outsiders to traverse? Likewise, are there any cities in your nation that are especially notable for being dangerous or crime-ridden? Does your nation have agrarian or rural settlements? If so, what do they look like?: Are small towns or rural settlements present in your nation? If so, how common are they compared to cities? Likewise, what appearance do they have? Do you have idyllic small towns, or vast agricultural communes? Lonely homesteads, or vast agrarian mansions? Describe your average rural settlement.
Is your nation agriculturally self-sufficient?: Does your nation produce enough foodstuffs to support its population? Likewise, are your agricultural pursuits rudimentary or mechanized? Do you use aquaculture or astroculture, or only terrestrial farming? If your nation doesn’t produce enough food to feed itself, how do you make up for the deficit?
Is there a substantial difference in the quality of living between your rural and urban settlements?: Do your rural (or potentially urban) settlements live at a lower standard of living then their opposite? For instance, do your rural settlements lack access to sufficiently advanced technologies compared to the cities? Are your rural settlements more affected by natural disasters? Do your urban environments suffer more from disease than your rural settlements?
History
When did your nation first obtain Faster-Than-Light travel?: At what point did your nation first obtain the ability to travel at Faster-Than-Light, or otherwise use a comparable method of fast travel (ie foldspace, blackhole transit, etc.) The exact date here is less important, rather explain how long it has been since said discovery. For instance, has your nation just recently discovered FTL and is new to star travel? Or have they had FTl for millenias, and are well accustomed to voyages across the galaxy?
How old is your nation in its current form?: How old is the current incarnation of your nation? When was your current government established? How was it established? How long ago was it established? What was the system directly in place before the establishment of your current government? Was the transition to the new government violent? If it was violent, are there still dissatisfied parties that long for the old ways?
What are some historical tragedies or troubles in your nation?: Are there any historically significant tragedies or times of tribulation that have occurred within your nation? For example, major natural disasters, near-extinction events, long and brutal wars or periods of civil strife. If there are, how have these events shaped the shared conscious of your people, and how are they remembered in the present? Does your government take means to cover up these events, or do they tout them as obstacles overcome?
When did your nation first interact with a sentient species that was non-native?: When did your nation first interact with a species that was not of their own kind or otherwise non-native to their homeworld? Was this interaction peaceful or violent? What was the end result of this first interaction? How is this first contact remembered by the people of your nation and portrayed by the government of your nation in the current?
For Aliens
Describe the physical characteristics of your species: What does your species look physically? Describe their prominent visible characteristics, and likewise define how these affect their movement. Likewise, do the physical characteristics of your species affect their role or place in society? For example, if your aliens have horns, does the length of their horns have some kind of special significance or give them some sort of societal advantage? If your aliens have multiple skin tones, how does their affect their society? And etc.
Describe the internal biological function of your species: What differentiates your species internally or biologically from mankind? Do they have a different bone structure, or no bone structure at all perhaps? Maybe they have three hearts and five stomachs, it’s up to you. Describe how you think these biological differences would affect their lifestyle, lifespan, and their general day to day life.
What differentiates your aliens from humans mentally/conscious wise?: This is a very tricky question, especially because none of us are aliens and therefore can’t think like them. But do your best to try and think about what might differentiate the thought process of your species from that of humans. For example, the majority of mankind has an instinctual desire for self preservation, perhaps your aliens don’t. Maybe your aliens are predisposed to be more obedient or servile, maybe the opposite is true. Just do your best to define their mental quirks and “abnormalities.” How has the biology and mental state of your species affected the advancement of their society?: Have any of the quirks of significant biological differences you listed above affected the development of your species’ society? For example, if they are naturally servile, perhaps they follow the commands of their appointed leader religiously? If they don’t value self-preservation above all, perhaps they’re particularly generous, kind and trusting? Do your best to explain how their physiology has affected the advancement of their society.
Step Four: Putting the Pieces Together You’ve made it this far, and you’re probably happy to know that the questionnaire portion of this guide is finished up. It's quite possible that you haven't filled out all the questions or above, or perhaps you're just unhappy with some of your answers. At this point though I’d like you to take a break from using this guide. You’ve figured out a lot about your nation, but the thing is, nation development never truly ends. Now that you’ve got a good foundation in place, get out into II and NS and start RPing! You’ll probably find that interacting with others will help you to fine tune your ideas and point out any inconsistencies in your nation you may have overlooked. Likewise, there’s a great community of Future Tech Roleplayers out there who love to talk nations, and they’ll be more than happy to help you figure out any questions or problems you have. Finally, RPing will help you to explore your ideas, and maybe even answer some of the questions above that you weren’t able to at first.
Eventually you may come back to this guide, potentially looking for some kind of chart or a list to help you perfectly categorize and define your nation. I’m sorry to say that this guide doesn’t end with a chart, list, or giant database that you can use to compare and contrast with your nation. I can’t give you a list of things that do and don't go together, much as I wish I could. Building a nation from the ground up is a lot of work, and I can't do that work for you. The final piece of advice I’ll leave you with is this: Review your answers. Look for inconsistencies or answers that don’t mesh well with others. For example, if you have a freedom loving Republic, it probably doesn’t make sense that your citizens hate outsiders. Comb through your ideas, finalize your answers and ensure your nation is internally consistent and makes sense. This will take a lot of work, and you will run into bumps in the road, but perseverance and dedication are the only tools necessary for success.
Finally, always remember that Future Technology is a community. We pride ourselves on helping each other, and nobody has ever accused us of disliking conversation. If you need help, or just wanna talk about your ideas and your nation, interact with the community. We love to help, we love to talk, and we're happy to provide any assistance we can.
I hope you found this guide helpful, and I hope you have as much fun developing your nation as I did my own.
Acknowledgments and Thanks While I may be the publisher of this guide, the vast majority of the material presented is the result of four years of roleplaying in the Future Technology community. Nearly all of the questions and advice you see above are things that people have asked me or that I've seen asked throughout my time in the community. To truly give credit to everyone who at one point contributed or helped inspire this guide through their positive example in the FT community would be impossible, but I would like to say thanks to a couple of people specifically who helped me greatly during the process of putting this all together. To Kyrusia for not only helping me to format and edit the guide, but also listening to me drone on about my own ideas and contributing his own fantastic suggestions well into the waning hours of the morning. To Neornith for providing excellent contributions and constructive criticism whenever I needed it. And finally to the entirety of the Future Technology community which has constantly and consistently provided me with a creative outlet and a helping hand whenever I needed it.
Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2015 5:55 pm
by Kyrusia
Good guide. Useful, practical, and detailed. This is obviously also an update for the thread, since the guide "A Guide to Future Tech Worldbuilding" is now in "Helpful Links" section of the original post.
Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2015 12:41 pm
by The Ben Boys
Looks great Uthani, it's inspiring me to expand my factbook further.
Question: I have a unisexual species, the Tnemeden. How do I use pronouns? I've been saying "it" for awhile but the word gets confusing. I've considered just going with "he" but I'm concerned it "whitewashes" the species. Thoughts?
NationStates is a free nation simulation game. You create your own country, fashioned after your own ideals, and care for its people. Either that or you deliberately torture them. It's really up to you.
What I mean to say is; its both a simulation and role playing game, and a setting in which someone writes a story. Do note my line about communication and constructing a story inside of a simulation. Ie simulating nation actions, military and diplomatic actions. But the character and universe creating isn't completely liner, yet there is always a liner happenstance simulated even if obscured in layers of writing and story lines.
NS I agree is not an RTS.
To invoke that NS is a simulation isn't incorrect, in a way there are multiple ways to play the game, of note on the simulation side is gameplay which has a somewhat colored history with the RP community on NS that's mostly bad, it also brings back memories of a time when players used gameside stats as a tool to "put" new players in their place like He Who Shall not be Named and his lackeys used to do. NSFT RP has however withdrawn itself from such abominable practises thankfully. And aligned itself more with how RP should be, by players actively communicating with one another and collaborating, so in a way simulation is correct, it's just not something used in the spirit of RP.
Indeed, there are multiple ways to go about looking at things, but the best way is indeed to consider writing as a key priority; this isn't .. Well shouldn't be a place filled with rps that use stats to determine things. However statistics could play a role in a minor way insofar as whats in a fact book or something; but they like you said shouldn't be the primary driver of a story... I mean you could argue that sometimes certain statistics (if they are with in reason ofc) could encourage some kinds of rps, dente, espionage , indirect conflict ectera. They could help justify some course of action but again I agree with your statement it would be a relatively minor factor in any good setting. Obviously no one wants to read an rp that's as dry as a text book and filled with numbers (though I've seen people use DnD style rolling for some things that can be useful). I'm of the opinion that everyone has their own style and thats cool, some might not fit in with others, as to be expected.. But FT has a cool advantage; freedom of imagination, over using statistics aside from them being fluff in a fact book some place, can do alot of harm to that principle.
Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 5:56 pmIf there's a well-known set among veteran FT RPers, might it be worth listing them so that newer people are forewarned that other players may not like those weapons/technologies?
