A Modern World (AMW) is a NationStates roleplaying community created when a number of players, dissatisfied with the billion-person populations and fluid geography that characterized a lot of NS roleplay, came together to try something different: a more realistic world. A world where political maneuvers and trade negotiations were more common than total wars, where players could look at a map and know where a country’s mountains and resources were located, where the cultures of states and relationships between them could be developed over the long term.
A Modern World was the result.
Of course, now that we have your attention, AMW is much more than that. It's complete with in-depth history, colorful and well-developed characters, a place where realism combines with fantasy to make a world uniquely different from our very own--even if many others think AMW is just an alternate reality group.
But are we an alternate reality RP group?
Certainly we do base some things in reality. In fact, if you took a look around NS, you'd see others taking pages from the annals of history and weaving them into the tapestry of their nation. So, what does AMW take from reality?
Population: Instead of a population matrix, we use real populations. This is directly tied into your geographic claim. If you pick, for instance, Pennsylvania, then your AMW nation would have the same population that Pennsylvania has in real life (IRL).
Technology: Modern is our middle name, and, as such, we are a modern tech RP group. Simply put, that means that anything available in the real world may be available in AMW. Talking bears (stuffed or otherwise), Starships and phasers locked on stun, fairies, sparkly vampires, orcs, witches, time machines, sonic screwdrivers, etc... are not permitted in AMW.
Outside of these general guidelines, you are welcomed--and invited--to be as creative as you wish. Our members pride themselves on creative cultures such as, for example, a unique Drapoel culture in Southeast Asia and a nation of Celts in the Eastern Europe.
Think you're not the greatest writer? Is English a secondary language for you? Unsure of how the military works, or how to put together an economy? Worried that your history may not mesh with the collective history of AMW? Don't worry! AMW works together as a group to help its members achieve their goals! We're a tight-knit community that is always willing to lend a hand, offer advice, and share our knowledge!
Have any more question? Ask us! Feel free to leave a question in our Big Discussion Thread
Think AMW is right for you? Have an idea already? Then please feel free to apply! There's no formal application, but we do ask that you give us at least a paragraph on each of the following topics: Government, History, Economy, Culture, Military. This way we can get a better understanding of your vision and how it can work in AMW!
Don't fret if your application doesn't gain approval in less than 30 minutes. Our members like to read the entire application before they start to comment. We like to hear from as many members as possible before acceptance is gained thus allowing our members the ability to fully digest the application.
We look forward to meeting you!
It ought be noted that A Modern World is not a pick-up-and-play group... AMW threads are closed to non-members.
A list of claims and our map can be found in the next post.
Useful Links
AMW Big Discussion Thread: A hefty thread here on the NS forums, which can be used for general questions, comments, and out-of-character discussion.
A Modern World (region): An NS region for AMW nations, for easier communication and to compare (irrelevant-to-AMW) World Census rankings. Joining is not mandatory for membership... a number of members aren’t present in the region, and a few non-members reside there as well.
Example Application: A good example of what we're looking for - you don't need to quite write that much, but this is generally what we're looking for.