If you could give advice to a new player...

[Stoklomolvi]

Always assume your enemy is more proficient than you are.

[Maltropia]

Always assume your enemy is more proficient than you are.

And if you're new, that generally is the case.

[The Northern Baltic]

This is what my advice would be to a new player: DO NOT BUILD THE REACTOR

Agreed. Or this happens to you

[Macisikan]

The first two have been said, but bear repeating.

1. Stickies. Read 'em. They're invaluable. Even when you're experienced, they help.

2. the word processor is your friend. But not just for things like typing your posts up so you don't lose them if the browser dies or the server has a fit. You can keep track of your government officials (who's Ambassador to where), treaty relations (where are my embassies again?), and scads of background info that won't ever make it into an RP, but will influence your character's actions and your nation's attitudes.

3. There's always a bigger fish. Some of them are asleep. Many are friends with each other.

4. Remember when attacking someone, that someone may Summon A Bigger Fish to eat you.
(country A attacks country B who cries out to Country C, who crushes Country A in less time than it takes to tell)

5. Remember that when you Summon A Bigger Fish, that Fish is not necessarily your friend.
(in the above scenario, Country C decides Country B could benefit from "good governance". By which they mean "You're subjects of the Emperor now. He's keen on these presents called "tax". And my bright-eyed holy men want a word with your priests")

6. Most governments in the real world have one of these. They're beautiful things. They stop things that only your leaders should know from becoming things that appear on the front page (and in foreign intelligence dossiers). Your country should have one, and should use it. The Republic of Aggressiveinvasionstan would love to know exactly what weapons you use, how many soldiers you have, what your contingency plans are, how you deploy your military, and so on. So if you do want to put that info up on the boards at all, make it OOC.

[The Southern Dictators]

So, things like bows and arrows, pikes, shields and swords, but nothing like magic or werewolves, like "Stronghold Crusade" would go under PT or Fantasy ?

[Santheres]

It's PT, but there's nothing stopping you from being non-fantasy and playing fantasy. It's like an MTer jumping into PMT or FT -- you're at a disadvantage, more than likely, but you can do it. Fantasy nations, however, cannot infringe on you without your permission (just like PMTers [though, none of them seem to realize this] and FTers cannot infringe on MT without the permission of those MTers involved).

[Third Spanish States]

If you want to have long term fun in NS, don't aim for mediocrity and don't use as benchmarks the crappiest posts, don't consider normal to make poorly written posts and one-liners filled with ridiculous claims, idiocy, wank and godmodding even if the majority does it(well, you wouldn't aim for being a poor, illliterate person if such was the profile of the majority in your country, would you? Same applies here), and maybe you can help improving the quality of the environment here. Do your research if you want to choose a tech level that emphasizes technical aspects over creativity like Modern Tech lest you Fail. If you don't want to bother with realism, then pick Fantasy or Future Tech where anything can go as long as it's not totally ridiculous like claiming the population in your NS page is just the military and you own a galactic empire with trillions of inhabitants.

And don't jump on bandwagons. Ever. Making carbon copies of other people RP ideas isn't cool. Making a fifth thread about the same fad is totally uncool

[Hiaku]

i suggest:

http://nseconomy.thirdgeek.com

AND, i think you might want to visit a political compass site, to show you where you would stand, maybe use it as a marker for where you want your nation to be in the future:

http://www.politicalcompass.org/test

Or: http://nstracker.org/

[Techno-Soviet]

Well...GWO just said it. :/

One of the biggest things I'd like to say is...


STOP USING AND TO TRY AND LOOK INTIMIDATING. SRSLY.

And Stop trying to copy this guy. ^^^

It's really annoying me how people think they are badass cause they do shit like GWO.

The only person who can do shit like GWO and look/be badass is GWO. End of story.

Oh, you young people.

I actually meant the psychotic dictator killing commies and shit with giant knives, but w/e. Kraven still wins the ebilest-nation-in-ns award.

Another, don't assume your soldiers the best in the world, because they're not and you will get your ass handed to you in a nice, pink basket by any major NS military.

[Bears Armed]

Try to find some 'unusual' detail that fits your nation, and that would have a significant effect on how you RP its people, to help set it apart from others of comparable size & ideology so that other people will (hopefully) be more likely to remember it.

[Elliotsmx]

join my region and read the issues dont just pick a random number oh and E rules~

[Reseda Island]

ok some advice, one having lots of nations is fun if you remember that you have lot of nations, two certain senses of humor might get you in trouble on the forum, three having a 'pissing contest' [sorry my world citz professor used that statement today about countys in the 1400's] with regional founder as delegate to see who is more tough wont end well for you, and finally try and have fun maybe socialize.

[James Bluntus]

join my region and read the issues dont just pick a random number oh and E rules~

Continue like this and your on your way to a banning.

[Kain_The_Dragoon]

Just start randomly hitting buttons and use a skeptical approach when doing things.

[JJ Place]

What would it be?



Let's keep it serious and on-topic. Joke/off-topic responses will be removed. Repeated offenses will result in warnings.

Think about the long-term and far-reaching affects of each and every issue and desision - Remember, you don't have to answer every single question, and also do remember to carefully read each issue responce. One issue can dramatically change your nation, for either the better, or for the worse.

[Cameroi]

grow a really thick skin.
polish your shield of hew-more.
obey the mods.
ignore everyone else.
rant like hell, politely,
and at the same time satirically if you can.
and if you can do all that, you're a better ns'r then i am.

issues will make you appreciate the flexibility of essay questions
and the limitations of multiple choice.

if you have the imagination to roll play something besides war and sports,
not everyone will appreciate you, but some of us actually will.

[Mephras]

Remember that war is only a fraction of the possibilities in RP.
Enjoy yourself and don't be afraid to try something new or weird.
I also found that a factbook is sometimes a nice place to start solidifying an idea of your nation before you start interacting with others.

[Santheres]

grow a really thick skin.
polish your shield of hew-more.
obey the mods.
ignore everyone else.
rant like hell, politely,
and at the same time satirically if you can.
and if you can do all that, you're a better ns'r then i am.

issues will make you appreciate the flexibility of essay questions
and the limitations of multiple choice.

if you have the imagination to roll play something besides war and sports,
not everyone will appreciate you, but some of us actually will.

I bolded the bad advice here. II is by necessity mostly self-governed; therefore, ignoring people who are giving advice but aren't mods is a very bad thing. And for the most part, if you want to rant, go to NSG. II is really not the place unless your rant is wholly about II.

[Newbish Delight]

In the finest traditions of the CGC...

...Have fun

...Put a bit of humour into your posts from time to time

...Think about what motivates your guys, what's likely to distract them, who can trusted, who's likely to vanish when they're needed, why they'll be wherever they're going to be (e.g. when an FT RP takes off and suddenly five people send ships into someone else's sovereign territory, all arriving within a minute of each other. I get around that by, well, playing goblins. Completely unreliable and liable to turn up by accident as anything else)

...Don't be a dick. (This one's important)

...Kill your guys from time to time. (My little green guys do it themselves, mostly by accident)

...Don't drop out halfway through an RP (I did this a LOT when I spent time on these boards).

...Oh yes, and RELAX. It's only a game.

[Conolian Islands]

Mod Edit: Spoiled.

Form a constitution.

Preamble
We, the people of the Confederate States, each State acting in its sovereign and independent character, in order to form a permanent federal government, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God do ordain and establish this Constitution for the Confederate States of America.

Article I
Section I. All legislative powers herein delegated shall be vested in a Congress of the Confederate States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.

Sec. 2. (I) The House of Representatives shall be composed of members chosen every second year by the people of the several States; and the electors in each State shall be citizens of the Confederate States, and have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the State Legislature; but no person of foreign birth, not a citizen of the Confederate States, shall be allowed to vote for any officer, civil or political, State or Federal.

(2) No person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained the age of twenty-five years, and be a citizen of the Confederate States, and who shall not when elected, be an inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen.

(3) Representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned among the several States, which may be included within this Confederacy, according to their respective numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole number of free persons, including those bound to service for a term of years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three-fifths of all slaves. ,The actual enumeration shall be made within three years after the first meeting of the Congress of the Confederate States, and within every subsequent term of ten years, in such manner as they shall by law direct. The number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every fifty thousand, but each State shall have at least one Representative; and until such enumeration shall be made, the State of South Carolina shall be entitled to choose six; the State of Georgia ten; the State of Alabama nine; the State of Florida two; the State of Mississippi seven; the State of Louisiana six; and the State of Texas six.

(4) When vacancies happen in the representation from any State the executive authority thereof shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies.

(5) The House of Representatives shall choose their Speaker and other officers; and shall have the sole power of impeachment; except that any judicial or other Federal officer, resident and acting solely within the limits of any State, may be impeached by a vote of two-thirds of both branches of the Legislature thereof.

Sec. 3. (I) The Senate of the Confederate States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, chosen for six years by the Legislature thereof, at the regular session next immediately preceding the commencement of the term of service; and each Senator shall have one vote.

(2) Immediately after they shall be assembled, in consequence of the first election, they shall be divided as equally as may be into three classes. The seats of the Senators of the first class shall be vacated at the expiration of the second year; of the second class at the expiration of the fourth year; and of the third class at the expiration of the sixth year; so that one-third may be chosen every second year; and if vacancies happen by resignation, or other wise, during the recess of the Legislature of any State, the Executive thereof may make temporary appointments until the next meeting of the Legislature, which shall then fill such vacancies.

(3) No person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained the age of thirty years, and be a citizen of the Confederate States; and who shall not, then elected, be an inhabitant of the State for which he shall be chosen.

(4) The Vice President of the Confederate States shall be president of the Senate, but shall have no vote unless they be equally divided.

(5) The Senate shall choose their other officers; and also a president pro tempore in the absence of the Vice President, or when he shall exercise the office of President of the Confederate states.

(6) The Senate shall have the sole power to try all impeachments. When sitting for that purpose, they shall be on oath or affirmation. When the President of the Confederate States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside; and no person shall be convicted without the concurrence of two-thirds of the members present.

(7) Judgment in cases of impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from office, and disqualification to hold any office of honor, trust, or profit under the Confederate States; but the party convicted shall, nevertheless, be liable and subject to indictment, trial, judgment, and punishment according to law.

Sec. 4. (I) The times, places, and manner of holding elections for Senators and Representatives shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof, subject to the provisions of this Constitution; but the Congress may, at any time, by law, make or alter such regulations, except as to the times and places of choosing Senators.

(2) The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year; and such meeting shall be on the first Monday in December, unless they shall, by law, appoint a different day.

Sec. 5. (I) Each House shall be the judge of the elections, returns, and qualifications of its own members, and a majority of each shall constitute a quorum to do business; but a smaller number may adjourn from day to day, and may be authorized to compel the attendance of absent members, in such manner and under such penalties as each House may provide.

(2) Each House may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish its members for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two-thirds of the whole number, expel a member.

(3) Each House shall keep a journal of its proceedings, and from time to time publish the same, excepting such parts as may in their judgment require secrecy; and the yeas and nays of the members of either House, on any question, shall, at the desire of one-fifth of those present, be entered on the journal.

(4) Neither House, during the session of Congress, shall, without the consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days, nor to any other place than that in which the two Houses shall be sitting.

Sec. 6. (I) The Senators and Representatives shall receive a compensation for their services, to be ascertained by law, and paid out of the Treasury of the Confederate States. They shall, in all cases, except treason, felony, and breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest during their attendance at the session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any speech or debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other place. 'o Senator or Representative shall, during the time for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil office under the authority of the Confederate States, which shall have been created, or the emoluments whereof shall have been increased during such time; and no person holding any office under the Confederate States shall be a member of either House during his continuance in office. But Congress may, by law, grant to the principal officer in each of the Executive Departments a seat upon the floor of either House, with the privilege of discussing any measures appertaining to his department.

Sec. 7. (I) All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with amendments, as on other bills.

(2) Every bill which shall have passed both Houses, shall, before it becomes a law, be presented to the President of the Confederate States; if he approve, he shall sign it; but if not, he shall return it, with his objections, to that House in which it shall have originated, who shall enter the objections at large on their journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If, after such reconsideration, two-thirds of that House shall agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent, together with the objections, to the other House, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if approved by two-thirds of that House, it shall become a law. But in all such cases, the votes of both Houses shall be determined by yeas and nays, and the names of the persons voting for and against the bill shall be entered on the journal of each House respective}y. If any bill shall not be returned by the President within ten days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the same shall be a law, in like manner as if he had signed it, unless the Congress, by their adjournment, prevent its return; in which case it shall not be a law. The President may approve any appropriation and disapprove any other appropriation in the same bill. In such case he shall, in signing the bill, designate the appropriations disapproved; and shall return a copy of such appropriations, with his objections, to the House in which the bill shall have originated; and the same proceedings shall then be had as in case of other bills disapproved by the President.

(3) Every order, resolution, or vote, to which the concurrence of both Houses may be necessary (except on a question of adjournment) shall be presented to the President of the Confederate States; and before the same shall take effect, shall be approved by him; or, being disapproved by him, shall be repassed by two-thirds of both Houses, according to the rules and limitations prescribed in case of a bill.

Sec. 8. The Congress shall have power-

(I) To lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises for revenue, necessary to pay the debts, provide for the common defense, and carry on the Government of the Confederate States; but no bounties shall be granted from the Treasury; nor shall any duties or taxes on importations from foreign nations be laid to promote or foster any branch of industry; and all duties, imposts, and excises shall be uniform throughout the Confederate States.

(2) To borrow money on the credit of the Confederate States.

(3) To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian tribes; but neither this, nor any other clause contained in the Constitution, shall ever be construed to delegate the power to Congress to appropriate money for any internal improvement intended to facilitate commerce; except for the purpose of furnishing lights, beacons, and buoys, and other aids to navigation upon the coasts, and the improvement of harbors and the removing of obstructions in river navigation; in all which cases such duties shall be laid on the navigation facilitated thereby as may be necessary to pay the costs and expenses thereof.

(4) To establish uniform laws of naturalization, and uniform laws on the subject of bankruptcies, throughout the Confederate States; but no law of Congress shall discharge any debt contracted before the passage of the same.

(5) To coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign coin, and fix the standard of weights and measures.

(6) To provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the securities and current coin of the Confederate States.

(7) To establish post offices and post routes; but the expenses of the Post Office Department, after the Ist day of March in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and sixty-three, shall be paid out of its own revenues.

(8) To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries.

(9) To constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court.

(10) To define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the high seas, and offenses against the law of nations.

(11) To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning captures on land and water.

(12) To raise and support armies; but no appropriation of money to that use shall be for a longer term than two years.

(13) To provide and maintain a navy.

(14) To make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces.

(15) To provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the Confederate States, suppress insurrections, and repel invasions.

(16) To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining the militia, and for governing such part of them as may be employed in the service of the Confederate States; reserving to the States, respectively, the appointment of the officers, and the authority of training the militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress.

(17) To exercise exclusive legislation, in all cases whatsoever, over such district (not exceeding ten miles square) as may, by cession of one or more States and the acceptance of Congress, become the seat of the Government of the Confederate States; and to exercise like authority over all places purchased by the consent of the Legislature of the State in which the same shall be, for the . erection of forts, magazines, arsenals, dockyards, and other needful buildings; and

(18) To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the Confederate States, or in any department or officer thereof.

Sec. 9. (I) The importation of negroes of the African race from any foreign country other than the slaveholding States or Territories of the United States of America, is hereby forbidden; and Congress is required to pass such laws as shall effectually prevent the same.

(2) Congress shall also have power to prohibit the introduction of slaves from any State not a member of, or Territory not belonging to, this Confederacy.

(3) The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it.

(4) No bill of attainder, ex post facto law, or law denying or impairing the right of property in negro slaves shall be passed.

(5) No capitation or other direct tax shall be laid, unless in proportion to the census or enumeration hereinbefore directed to be taken.

(6) No tax or duty shall be laid on articles exported from any State, except by a vote of two-thirds of both Houses.

(7) No preference shall be given by any regulation of commerce or revenue to the ports of one State over those of another.

(8) No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in consequence of appropriations made by law; and a regular statement and account of the receipts and expenditures of all public money shall be published from time to time.

(9) Congress shall appropriate no money from the Treasury except by a vote of two-thirds of both Houses, taken by yeas and nays, unless it be asked and estimated for by some one of the heads of departments and submitted to Congress by the President; or for the purpose of paying its own expenses and contingencies; or for the payment of claims against the Confederate States, the justice of which shall have been judicially declared by a tribunal for the investigation of claims against the Government, which it is hereby made the duty of Congress to establish.

(10) All bills appropriating money shall specify in Federal currency the exact amount of each appropriation and the purposes for which it is made; and Congress shall grant no extra compensation to any public contractor, officer, agent, or servant, after such contract shall have been made or such service rendered.

(11) No title of nobility shall be granted by the Confederate States; and no person holding any office of profit or trust under them shall, without the consent of the Congress, accept of any present, emolument, office, or title of any kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign state.

(12) Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

(13) A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.

(14) No soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in any house without the consent of the owner; nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

(15) The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated; and no warrants shall issue but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched and the persons or things to be seized.

(16) No person shall be held to answer for a capital or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor be compelled, in any criminal case, to be a witness against himself; nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

(17) In all criminal prosecutions the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor; and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.

(18) In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved; and no fact so tried by a jury shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of the Confederacy, than according to the rules of common law.

(19) Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

(20) Every law, or resolution having the force of law, shall relate to but one subject, and that shall be expressed in the title.

Sec. 10. (I) No State shall enter into any treaty, alliance, or confederation; grant letters of marque and reprisal; coin money; make anything but gold and silver coin a tender in payment of debts; pass any bill of attainder, or ex post facto law, or law impairing the obligation of contracts; or grant any title of nobility.

(2) No State shall, without the consent of the Congress, lay any imposts or duties on imports or exports, except what may be absolutely necessary for executing its inspection laws; and the net produce of all duties and imposts, laid by any State on imports, or exports, shall be for the use of the Treasury of the Confederate States; and all such laws shall be subject to the revision and control of Congress.

(3) No State shall, without the consent of Congress, lay any duty on tonnage, except on seagoing vessels, for the improvement of its rivers and harbors navigated by the said vessels; but such duties shall not conflict with any treaties of the Confederate States with foreign nations; and any surplus revenue thus derived shall, after making such improvement, be paid into the common treasury. Nor shall any State keep troops or ships of war in time of peace, enter into any agreement or compact with another State, or with a foreign power, or engage in war, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent danger as will not admit of delay. But when any river divides or flows through two or more States they may enter into compacts with each other to improve the navigation thereof.

ARTICLE II
Section I. (I) The executive power shall be vested in a President of the Confederate States of America. He and the Vice President shall hold their offices for the term of six years; but the President shall not be reeligible. The President and Vice President shall be elected as follows:

(2) Each State shall appoint, in such manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a number of electors equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress; but no Senator or Representative or person holding an office of trust or profit under the Confederate States shall be appointed an elector.

(3) The electors shall meet in their respective States and vote by ballot for President and Vice President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same State with themselves; they shall name in their ballots the person voted for as President, and in distinct ballots the person voted for as Vice President, and they shall make distinct lists of all persons voted for as President, and of all persons voted for as Vice President, and of the number of votes for each, which lists they shall sign and certify, and transmit, sealed, to the seat of the Government of. the Confederate States, directed to the President of the Senate; the President of the Senate shall,in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates, and the votes shall then be counted; the person having the greatest number of votes for President shall be the President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of electors appointed; and if no person have such majority, then from the persons having the highest numbers, not exceeding three, on the list of those voted for as President, the House of Representatives shall choose immediately, by ballot, the President. But in choosing the President the votes shall be taken by States, the representation from each State having one vote; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two-thirds of the States, and a majority of all the States shall be necessary to a choice. And if the House of Representatives shall not choose a President, whenever the right of choice shall devolve upon them, before the 4th day of March next following, then the Vice President shall act as President, as in case of the death, or other constitutional disability of the President.

(4) The person having the greatest number of votes as Vice President shall be the Vice President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of electors appointed; and if no person have a majority, then, from the two highest numbers on the list, the Senate shall choose the Vice President; a quorum for the purpose shall consist of two-thirds of the whole number of Senators, and a majority of the whole number shall be necessary to a choice.

(5) But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice President of the Confederate States.

(6) The Congress may determine the time of choosing the electors, and the day on which they shall give their votes; which day shall be the same throughout the Confederate States.

(7) No person except a natural-born citizen of the Confederate; States, or a citizen thereof at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, or a citizen thereof born in the United States prior to the 20th of December, 1860, shall be eligible to the office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained the age of thirty-five years, and been fourteen years a resident within the limits of the Confederate States, as they may exist at the time of his election.

(8) In case of the removal of the President from office, or of his death, resignation, or inability to discharge the powers and duties of said office, the same shall devolve on the Vice President; and the Congress may, by law, provide for the case of removal, death, resignation, or inability, both of the President and Vice President, declaring what officer shall then act as President; and such officer shall act accordingly until the disability be removed or a President shall be elected.

(9) The President shall, at stated times, receive for his services a compensation, which shall neither be increased nor diminished during the period for which he shall have been elected; and he shall not receive within that period any other emolument from the Confederate States, or any of them.

(10) Before he enters on the execution of his office he shall take the following oath or affirmation:

Sec. 2. (I) The President shall be Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy of the Confederate States, and of the militia of the several States, when called into the actual service of the Confederate States; he may require the opinion, in writing, of the principal officer in each of the Executive Departments, upon any subject relating to the duties of their respective offices; and he shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the Confederate States, except in cases of impeachment.

(2) He shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to make treaties; provided two-thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the advice and consent of the Senate shall appoint, ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, judges of the Supreme Court, and all other officers of the Confederate States whose appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by law; but the Congress may, by law, vest the appointment of such inferior officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the courts of law, or in the heads of departments.

(3) The principal officer in each of the Executive Departments, and all persons connected with the diplomatic service, may be removed from office at the pleasure of the President. All other civil officers of the Executive Departments may be removed at any time by the President, or other appointing power, when their services are unnecessary, or for dishonesty, incapacity. inefficiency, misconduct, or neglect of duty; and when so removed, the removal shall be reported to the Senate, together with the reasons therefor.

(4) The President shall have power to fill all vacancies that may happen during the recess of the Senate, by granting commissions which shall expire at the end of their next session; but no person rejected by the Senate shall be reappointed to the same office during their ensuing recess.

Sec. 3. (I) The President shall, from time to time, give to the Congress information of the state of the Confederacy, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient; he may, on extraordinary occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them; and in case of disagreement between them, with respect to the time of adjournment, he may adjourn them to such time as he shall think proper; he shall receive ambassadors and other public ministers; he shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed, and shall commission all the officers of the Confederate States.

Sec. 4. (I) The President, Vice President, and all civil officers of the Confederate States, shall be removed from office on impeachment for and conviction of treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.

ARTICLE III
Section I. (I) The judicial power of the Confederate States shall be vested in one Supreme Court, and in such inferior courts as the Congress may, from time to time, ordain and establish. The judges, both of the Supreme and inferior courts, shall hold their offices during good behavior, and shall, at stated times, receive for their services a compensation which shall not be diminished during their continuance in office.

Sec. 2. (I) The judicial power shall extend to all cases arising under this Constitution, the laws of the Confederate States, and treaties made, or which shall be made, under their authority; to all cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls; to all cases of admiralty and maritime jurisdiction; to controversies to which the Confederate States shall be a party; to controversies between two or more States; between a State and citizens of another State, where the State is plaintiff; between citizens claiming lands under grants of different States; and between a State or the citizens thereof, and foreign states, citizens, or subjects; but no State shall be sued by a citizen or subject of any foreign state.

(2) In all cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, and those in which a State shall be a party, the Supreme Court shall have original jurisdiction. In all the other cases before mentioned, the Supreme Court shall have appellate jurisdiction both as to law and fact, with such exceptions and under such regulations as the Congress shall make.

(3) The trial of all crimes, except in cases of impeachment, shall be by jury, and such trial shall be held in the State where the said crimes shall have been committed; but when not committed within any State, the trial shall be at such place or places as the Congress may by law have directed.

Sec. 3. (I) Treason against the Confederate States shall consist only in levying war against.them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court.

(2) The Congress shall have power to declare the punishment of treason; but no attainder of treason shall work corruption of blood, or forfeiture, except during the life of the person attainted.

ARTICLE IV
Section I. (I) Full faith and credit shall be given in each State to the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other State; and the Congress may, by general laws, prescribe the manner in which such acts, records, and proceedings shall be proved, and the effect thereof.

Sec. 2. (I) The citizens of each State shall be entitled to all the privileges and immunities of citizens in the several States; and shall have the right of transit and sojourn in any State of this Confederacy, with their slaves and other property; and the right of property in said slaves shall not be thereby impaired.

(2) A person charged in any State with treason, felony, or other crime against the laws of such State, who shall flee from justice, and be found in another State, shall, on demand of the executive authority of the State from which he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the State having jurisdiction of the crime.

(3) No slave or other person held to service or labor in any State or Territory of the Confederate States, under the laws thereof, escaping or lawfully carried into another, shall, in consequence of any law or regulation therein, be discharged from such service or labor; but shall be delivered up on claim of the party to whom such slave belongs,. or to whom such service or labor may be due.

Sec. 3. (I) Other States may be admitted into this Confederacy by a vote of two-thirds of the whole House of Representatives and two-thirds of the Senate, the Senate voting by States; but no new State shall be formed or erected within the jurisdiction of any other State, nor any State be formed by the junction of two or more States, or parts of States, without the consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned, as well as of the Congress.

(2) The Congress shall have power to dispose of and make allneedful rules and regulations concerning the property of the Confederate States, including the lands thereof.

(3) The Confederate States may acquire new territory; and Congress shall have power to legislate and provide governments for the inhabitants of all territory belonging to the Confederate States, lying without the limits of the several Sates; and may permit them, at such times, and in such manner as it may by law provide, to form States to be admitted into the Confederacy. In all such territory the institution of negro slavery, as it now exists in the Confederate States, shall be recognized and protected be Congress and by the Territorial government; and the inhabitants of the several Confederate States and Territories shall have the right to take to such Territory any slaves lawfully held by them in any of the States or Territories of the Confederate States.

(4) The Confederate States shall guarantee to every State that now is, or hereafter may become, a member of this Confederacy, a republican form of government; and shall protect each of them against invasion; and on application of the Legislature or of the Executive when the Legislature is not in session) against domestic violence.

ARTICLE V
Section I. (I) Upon the demand of any three States, legally assembled in their several conventions, the Congress shall summon a convention of all the States, to take into consideration such amendments to the Constitution as the said States shall concur in suggesting at the time when the said demand is made; and should any of the proposed amendments to the Constitution be agreed on by the said convention, voting by States, and the same be ratified by the Legislatures of two- thirds of the several States, or by conventions in two-thirds thereof, as the one or the other mode of ratification may be proposed by the general convention, they shall thenceforward form a part of this Constitution. But no State shall, without its consent, be deprived of its equal representation in the Senate.

ARTICLE VI
I. The Government established by this Constitution is the successor of the Provisional Government of the Confederate States of America, and all the laws passed by the latter shall continue in force until the same shall be repealed or modified; and all the officers appointed by the same shall remain in office until their successors are appointed and qualified, or the offices abolished.

2. All debts contracted and engagements entered into before the adoption of this Constitution shall be as valid against the Confederate States under this Constitution, as under the Provisional Government.

3. This Constitution, and the laws of the Confederate States made in pursuance thereof, and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the Confederate States, shall be the supreme law of the land; and the judges in every State shall be bound thereby, anything in the constitution or laws of any State to the contrary notwithstanding.

4. The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, both of the Confederate States and of the several States, shall be bound by oath or affirmation to support this Constitution; but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the Confederate States.

5. The enumeration, in the Constitution, of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people of the several States.

6. The powers not delegated to the Confederate States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States, respectively, or to the people thereof.

ARTICLE VII
I. The ratification of the conventions of five States shall be sufficient for the establishment of this Constitution between the States so ratifying the same.

2. When five States shall have ratified this Constitution, in the manner before specified, the Congress under the Provisional Constitution shall prescribe the time for holding the election of President and Vice President; and for the meeting of the Electoral College; and for counting the votes, and inaugurating the President. They shall, also, prescribe the time for holding the first election of members of Congress under this Constitution, and the time for assembling the same. Until the assembling of such Congress, the Congress under the Provisional Constitution shall continue to exercise the legislative powers granted them; not extending beyond the time limited by the Constitution of the Provisional Government.

[Katganistan]

Plagiarism. It's NOT COOL.

[Slaytesics]

Plagiarism. It's NOT COOL.

I think he is using it as an example, he never said it was his.

[Offworlders]

Learn how cooperative RP works.

Timing - or what I will call phrasing is everything. You should write posts that cover exactly the right amount of action, no more and no less. Writing too much is bad, but so is writing too little.

Writing too much deprives other players of a chance to act. Here's a bad example, but one that should suffice:

The invasion fleet steamed towards enemy waters, escorts and air cover carefully watching for any sign of enemy activity. Upon reaching its goal, the fleet established a blockade and began a ferocious bombardment of the landing beaches as marines swarmed into their landing craft and departed for shore.

Wading ashore, the marines fought hard, established a bridgehead. Casualties were heavy, but at the end of the day the invaders held the beaches, and reinforcements began pouring in.

The problem here is that action should have stopped well short of this in order to give the defenders a chance to react. Surely, if the defenders have any navy or air force at all, they would attempt to interfere with the landing; surely, reinforcements would have been sent as soon as the shore bombardment began, tipping the defenders off to the invasion site. And what of the prospects for a timely counterattack to hurl the invaders into the sea before their could secure their position and begin bringing in reinforcements?

Any time your enemy could interfere with your plans, you need to stop and give him a chance to do so.

An exception to the forgoing is granted when the other player agrees to waive such opportunities in advance. I have been know to TG a player (or, in the case of multiple players, make an OOC post) and tell them to proceed to a certain point at their own pace:

Naturally, all of that beating and banging on things by Imeriata with be heard by the abductees from Ramsetia and the Blackhelm Confederacy. It will not be heard or seen by Gr*kh’n, however, who is fast asleep (although obviously nobody can know this). So proceed with your rampage.

Time to wake Gr*kh’n up and shake things up a bit. Imeriata, if you’re going to pry any doors open, you’d better hurry up and do it.

This brings us to the other problem: Not writing enough.

Not writing enough can kill an RP by leaving everybody waiting for the next post:

Ambassador Biggles was still tired when he awoke on the morning of the conference. He told his personal chef to prepare him a hearty breakfast of bacon, eggs and flapjacks, hoping that the calories and sugar would be a reasonable substitute for sleep. Opening his morning paper, he dug in to his meal.

Unless there are assassins waiting outside, this post does not advance the story line enough to merit a response. Sure, the other player could post:

In the meantime, Ambassador Fang, having arrived at the conference center, waited patiently for the conference to begin.

But most experienced players see that kind of post as nothing more than an ill-disguised tag. And imagine how this might continue:

Having enjoyed his breakfast, Ambassador Biggles retired to his bathroom to shave and shower.

Ambassador Fang continued to wait for the conference to begin.

Biggles was having a problem; he couldn't decide between his navy blue suit and his charcoal gray one. Decisions, decisions...

Ambassador Fang twiddled his thumbs, bored beyond belief...

Having settled on his navy blue suit, Biggles now had to decide between his red power tie and his powder blue one.

Ambassador Fang began pacing like a caged tiger, mad with expectation.

Having decided to wear his powder blue tie, Biggles was ready. He proceeded to the car.

"Biggles appears to be one the way," the aide told Ambassador Fang on his cell phone.

"Thank God!" Fang exclaimed.

Ambassador Biggles' limousine needed gas, so its driver pulled into a nearby service station.

<beats head against wall...>

An extreme example, perhaps; yet now imagine how this could have gone if Fang's player did what most people would do under this circumstance, and just waited for matters to reach the stage at which action is called for:

Ambassador Biggles was still tired when he awoke on the morning of the conference. He told his personal chef to prepare him a hearty breakfast of bacon, eggs and flapjacks, hoping that the calories and sugar would be a reasonable substitute for sleep. Opening his morning paper, he dug in to his meal.

In the meantime, Ambassador Fang, having arrived at the conference center, waited patiently for the conference to begin.

Having enjoyed his breakfast, Ambassador Biggles retired to his bathroom to shave and shower.

Biggles was having a problem; he couldn't decide between his navy blue suit and his charcoal gray one. Decisions, decisions...

Having settled on his navy blue suit, Biggles now had to decide between his red power tie and his powder blue one.

Having decided to wear his powder blue tie, Biggles was ready. He proceeded to the car.

Ambassador Biggles' limousine needed gas, so its driver pulled into a nearby service station.

OOC: I'm giving up on this RP. Obviously, no one else is interested any more...

See what's happened? Player A is making everyone else wait on him because he's failing to move on to the next obvious point in the RP; this results in nobody else posting, because they really can't until A reaches the next decision point. Yet, after a certain amount of time, A - not realizing he hasn't gone far enough to "finish his move" and therefore "pass the talking stick" (to use a Native American expression) to the other players - thinks that everyone else has given up on the RP and decides to give up on it himself.

Usually the lines aren't this clear, but insufficient action - especially where events have pushed one player into a more passive role, albeit temporarily - can kill a RP as certainly as anything else. When in doubt, TG the other fellow; but also think logically: Where is the next point at which the other player(s) could want to act; where is the point at which they must?

A corollary to this situation arises when a player steals center stage and then goes silent for several weeks. Sometimes this is due to RL; but many times, it's because the player who has stolen center stage doesn't realize he's bound everyone else's actions to his own, and by going silent he's silenced them as well. The recent Fractal Earths thread Kostemetsia late last year is a good example (read the OOC thread to see the player arguments over it once things had moved to the breaking point, especially the last few pages).

tl&dr: Learn how RP flows back and forth, and try to match your posts to the timing; don't post too much, but don't post too little, especially as the thread moves along.

[Enistopia]

Dont be a prick

[Third Spanish States]

Learn to recycle what is good and scrap what is bad. Don't become too focused with graphical "fluff" like pics, drawings, lineart and alike to the point of neglecting the core of NS that is RP and putting the creation of fictional background material ahead of RPing.