Greetings, I am Fanaglia, OP and Map Mistress of Vapor. Vapor is a steampunk RP group, as well as a region. The world we have created for ourselves is semi-realistic, though some fantasy tech is allowed.
Our story begins with an international conference on a continental railway system, hosted in Ticciano, Fanaglia, in 1885. Of course, as you should all know, time is not a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually, from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly, timey wimey...stuff. Therefore, our narrative at any given time may be taking place in 1885, 1910, 1935, 1795, or whenever happens to suit our fancy (list of active and past RPs below). We have also agreed on a natural progression from steampunk to diesel/decopunk or even atompunk, depending on what year we're RPing in at that time.
If you need to check the old threads for reference purposes, here are the links: 1.0, 2.0, 3.0.
UPDATE: As of 1/31/14, the Vapor RP Group is accepting applications from nations who were invited to join. If you were invited, lease follow the instructions below.
Latest map
Map with superimposed RL map for
size and latitude comparison
(Updated 4/24/16)
This map is for reference purposes only and is not kept updated
size and latitude comparison
(Updated 4/24/16)
This map is for reference purposes only and is not kept updated
(Updated 3/16/14)
Updated 1/22/14
All population figures are based on an 1885 census, unless otherwise noted.
All population figures are based on an 1885 census, unless otherwise noted.
| Nation Name | Government Type | Name/Title of Leader | Language(s) | Land Area/Pop. |
| Tsardom of Ardkonia | Autocracy | Tsar Sadkosius III | de jure: Ardkon (a mix of all Slavic languages into one) de facto: Ukrainian, English, Russian, German, Polish | 2,236,387 km2 55 million |
| The Kingdom of Cygnar | Monarchy | King Leto Raelthorne | de jure: Cygnaran de facto: Cygnaran, German, English | 7,252,000 km2 77 million |
| The Utilitarian State of Cyprum Xecuii | People's Dictatorship | Autarchess Nozumu Xecus | de jure: Xecui de facto: English, Japanese | 8,500,000 km2 279 million |
| The Holy Kingdom of Dalruanazkal | Constitutional Monarchy Council republic Theocracy | King Maruduk-izkur IV | de jure: Dalruanazkalian de facto: English, French | 3,313,155.5 km2 173 million |
| The Kingdom of Fanaglia | Absolute Monarchy | Queen Autumn | de jure: French, English de facto: Italian, German, Polish | 2,587,324 km2 268.4 million |
| Gratia Infinita | Theocratic Oligarchy | Vocator Peter Agelastus | de jure: Latin de facto: Latin, English | ??? km2 20 million |
| Aristocratic States of Inesea | Socialist Republic | High Aristocra Formbi | de jure: Inesean de facto: Aristo, English, Cyrillic | 6,900,000 km2 80 million (1905 census) |
| Kingdom of Inoroth | Monarchy | King (Il Re) Victor Emanuel Vinchero | de jure:Italian, English de facto: Italian, English, French, German | 3,692,927 km2 214.7 million |
| The Kingdom of Averi (Italian Mafias) | Limited Monarchy | His Royal Majesty, King Shamus Septim II | de jure: Rhurdin de facto: Rhurdin, Vaelshi (Low lands, common rabble), Ielthi (highly educated) | ??? km2 59.9 million |
| The Dominion of Mishmahig | Theocratic-dominated democracy | Archpriest Ferdinand Meza | de jure: English de facto: English, German, Italian | ??? km2 25 million |
| The Union of Mishmite Territories, a.k.a. "Mishmite Union" (Inesea) | Theocratic Republic | President of the Union Xian, Patriarch of the Union Harkan | de jure: Mishmite(Local dialect Inesean), Pavlostani(Russian), English de facto: Mishmite(Local dialect Inesean), Pavlostani(Russian), English, German, French | 1,400,000 km2 35 million (1907 census) |
| Empire of Novairia | Democratic Empire | El'ad Nossral, Lord Chairman | de jure:Novairian Dialect 27-Ver.C de facto: Novairian Dialect 23 through 27-C, Trade Common Dialect Ver.8 (English) | ??? km2 72 million (1908 census) |
| (NuSheba) Nyuesiwa "The Black Isles" | Anarcho-Feudalism | N/A General Darrius Graza Grand Duchess Kho-Fe Weusi | de jure: none de facto: English, Ahi-Krio, Ake-Krio, Swahi | 1,246,700 km2 17.4 million |
| Socialist State of Khamul (Pavlostani) | Socialist | Benign Dictator Pavel | de jure: English, Russian de facto: Russian | 886,000 km2 40 million |
| The Greater Federal Empire of Servoth | Federal-Imperial Monarchy | Kaiser Krauss IX | de jure: German de facto: German, English, French, Italian | 2,052,061 km2 91.8 million |
| The Socialist Kingdom of Sri Tschow | Absolute Monarchical Federal-Ministry | His Serene Highness, King of Kings, and Regent by God, King Kisuki Amano | de jure: Japanese, Chinese, Thai, English de facto: Khemr, German, Xecuiian, Sanskrit | 505,992 km2 14.3 million |
| Kingdom of Vitzenburg | Absolute Monarchy | Kaiser Felix IV | de jure: German, English de facto: English, French, German, Danish | 2,040,000 km2 116.7 million |
| The Rightful Queendom of Vjiay | Constitutional Monarchy | Queen Olivia II | de jure: Vjiayan, English de facto: Vjiayan, English | 1,842,802 km2 41 million |
| The Holy Empire of Wirbel | Absolute Monarchy Empire | Emperor Otto von Adifikum | de jure: German de facto: Yiddish, English, Hebrew, German | 2,028,216 km2 73.8 million |
Courtesy of Fanaglia and Inoroth
- Step 1: Fill out an application.
- Step 2: As a part of your application, include a land claim on our most current map, which should be featured near the top of this post. Just copy the picture into your preferred photo editing software. Photoshop, GIMP, and MS Paint will all do the trick.It doesn't have to be pretty; Fanaglia, the "Map Mistress" will work some compy magic and work the nice, clean borders of your nation into the official map. Here is a version with a map of the United States superimposed and to scale over the map to give you an idea of the relative sizes of our landmasses -- this map might be slightly outdated by the time you read this (last updated on 11/30/13), but it's just a demonstration and will not be updated as frequently as the official map.
- TIPS:
- Where to Place Your Nation. When choosing where to place your nation, consider your nation’s culture/climate and try to choose the landmass that would be most comparable. The following is a list of brief summaries of the climates and cultures of all the major landmasses in Vapor.
- Amplector: Pretty much directly analogous to Europe, both in culture and in climate, except maybe a bit warmer, especially in the south.
- Zhao: Pretty much directly analogous to East Asia.
- Western Desaltonia: Pretty much directly analogous to North Africa. A mountain range (not pictured in the world map -- an intentional vagary designed to give more freedom to future Desaltonian nations) separates the West from the warm, moist air from the Chenla Ocean, producing hot deserts in the north and warm savannahs in the south.
- Eastern Desaltonia: Pretty much directly analogous to Sub-Saharan Africa. A mountain range (not pictured in the world map -- an intentional vagary designed to give more freedom to future Desaltonian nations) traps warm, moist air blowing from the Chenla Ocean to the east, producing dense rainforests in the interior and more temperate climates around the edges.
- Oulen: Based heavily on the New World, though contact with the “West” came much later (“discovery” was by lost Cycuiian sailors in 1692). As such, their relationship with the outside world is less like the Native Americans with the U.S. government at the turn of the 20th century and rather more like the relationship between the First Nations and the English/French/Spanish in the last half of the 17th century. Maps of the existing indigenous peoples and nations of Oulen and of the real-life nations on which they’re based have already been made. Some tribes are more established in our canon than others, which means some are more expendable for the sake of your new nation than others. Just ask first.
- Northwestern Promethia: North of Averi and northwest of Gratia Infinita is much like Scandinavia/northern Europe.
- Western Promethia: West of the Gratian Mountains and down to northern Mishmahig is a sort of mishmash of the Middle East and eastern Europe, both in culture and in climate. The only really certain thing is that a hot desert exists somewhere between Averi and Mishmahig and that the culture there is mostly Arab or Arab-inspired. The size and placement of this area is flexible.
- Southeastern Promethia: To the northeast of Cygnar is generally agreed to be comparable to South Asia (think India, Sri Lanka, and the like).
- Northeastern Promethia: This region is similar to northern Asia. Think of a range of people spanning from Mongolia to Russia east of the Urals.
- Try not to choose too large of a landmass. When Vapor first began, most applicants didn’t realize just how big their claims were (probably because most of us are ‘Murican). While some of us consciously chose large nations, others were surprised to learn, much later, that all of our nations were lolhuge. While the damage is done for us, the senior members of Vapor would prefer that our new applicants learned from our mistakes. Please try not to be any larger than, say, half the size of our largest nations.
- Avoid racial stereotypes. I would have thought this would be obvious, but I have seen a lot of attitudes, even amongst our senior members, that reflect a complete ignorance of particular RL cultures, which has resulted in frankly offensive portrayals of certain peoples in Vapor. Please, if you plan to RP as or interact with any cultures that are in any way based on RL cultures that you’re in any way unfamiliar with, do your research first.
- There is no such thing as “unclaimed" or "unoccupied" territory. Just because no player nation has claimed a particular tract of land does not mean it is not occupied. There are people living there; they’re just NPCs. They might be tribal or they might be as civilized or advanced as anyone else. Keep this in mind if you ever have colonial ambitions.
- Consider the cultural influences already present. It's been pointed out many times that there are certain RL influences that just aren't present in Vapor, at least not yet. Some are represented by vague, token NPC groups, while others are simply absent. Some of these are the Spanish, Portuguese, Indians, Muslims, Arabs, other Middle Eastern cultures, African cultures, or Native American cultures. You don't have to choose to represent any of these cultures, but it might be something to consider if you're not totally set on a particular national culture as of yet.
- Where to Place Your Nation. When choosing where to place your nation, consider your nation’s culture/climate and try to choose the landmass that would be most comparable. The following is a list of brief summaries of the climates and cultures of all the major landmasses in Vapor.
- Step 3: Come up with an origin story. Your nation didn’t just fall out of the sky. Below are a few suggestions (but feel free to try one of your own).
- “Coming Out of Isolation.” This has become a rather irritating cliché after several nations parroted this excuse. There’s nothing wrong with it, but, while it might seem like a logical thing to happen once or twice in a century or two, it’s more than a bit odd when it happens several times in a decade or two.
- Suddenly Start Being Relevant. Sort of a new spin on the “Coming out” strategy mentioned previously, except that we have seen it a lot more often in RL history. One easy example is Greece -- for decades, Greece has been largely irrelevant on the international scale. Then, in 2010, their debt crisis hurled them back onto the international stage and everyone started paying attention to them when they started dragging the whole EU down with them. Is this an oversimplification of RL world politics? A massive understatement? Absolutely, but it’s just an example. Perhaps some crisis has caused you to need to reach out to other nations, explaining your sudden relevance.
- Take Over an NPC. We have a number of NPC nations on the map (The Black Isles and Gratia Infinita) whom you could simply reboot, but you would have to do a bit of research through pages and pages of our (at times) poorly-kept records to learn their cultures, governments, economies, and other nuances. There are also many NPC aboriginal/native nations mapped out in Oulen whose characteristics are already defined by being loosely (or directly) based on RL Native American Nations. Check here for a chart comparing Oulish nations to RL nations.
- Declare Independence. You could declare independence from any of the above-mentioned NPCs -- just ask about the particulars (some are more complicated than others). You may even succeed in getting permission from one of our senior members to declare independence from them, especially from one of our larger nations. Or you could declare independence from an unpictured NPC nation of your own invention, and your declaration of independence could itself be a way to Suddenly Start Being Relevant.
- Organize a Federation, Confederation, or Something. Many of you will be arriving on the international scene just as many of the senior members’ nations (who are, in essence, the “superpowers” of this time period, if only by nature of their seniority) are beginning a period of aggressive expansion and colonization, which we have agreed will definitely lead to a major World War in one way or another (coming around 1910, give or take two or three years). In face of the threat of imperialism, it is easily conceivable that several like-minded tribes, emirates, principalities, or other small nations could band together to form a single nation for “strength in numbers.”
- Terrorist Attack. Similar to Suddenly Start Becoming Relevant and related to Organize a Federation. IRL, how many people in the "western world" knew or cared much about Afghanistan? Very few. Then 9/11 happened and Afghanistan suddenly became relevant. This might not be the most...peaceful or diplomatic route to go, but there are motives aplently with the beginning of the Age of Imperialism, as mentioned before. Just retaliate against some imperial power who's coming in to oppress your people. Just make sure you have OOC permission from that nation first -- cooperation is an important key for this one.
- Step 4: Choose a time for your origin story. As mentioned above, time in Vapor is non-linear. The easiest and most convenient option is to come into existence by one of the above means sometime between 1905 and 1915, during a period of aggressive imperialism and eventually a world war, but you are by no means limited to this time period. You could place your "beginning" in 1895, 1795, or 55 B.C., but you would have to find a way to explain why you have not been relevant during the period of time we have RP'd, which, at the time of this writing, is about 1885-1905.
- The Vapor universe is semi-relistic steampunk. What does this mean? There’s been a lot of debate about this in the past and a lot of accusations that we’re not “real” steampunk and are instead more like an alternate history. Just because we don’t have stuff like this flying around does not mean we are not steampunk. Like with any fantasy, there is “high” fantasy, full of magic and mystical creatures, and “low” fantasy, which might have the odd legendary creature or some very light magic use (and/or only by a very select few people), there is also “high” and “low” steampunk -- the former featuring completely impossible technology bordering on magic and the latter featuring whimsical designs inspired by actual history (or period conceptions) and limited (for the most part -- some “cheating” is permitted, provided your technobabble sounds legit enough) by physics. We have often described it as “PMT from a PT perspective.” In other words, if someone living in that time period could not have been able to even fathom whatever it is you’re trying to do, chances are that you are making an example of the “Yeah Right Factor,” which brings us to our next bullet point:
- The Yeah Right Factor: This is the concept that some technology or maneuver or logistics scenario or anything else that causes one or more of the other players say “Yeah, right!” In an effort to keep things semi-realistic (which, as we found out the hard way is necessary for group coherence and longevity), we all need to be playing by the same rules, particularly when it comes to technology and our conceptions of physics. If one player takes issue with another’s technology or actions, discuss it OOC, either here or, if it’s something of great importance and relevance to everyone, in the Board Room of our off-site forum. Discuss it politely and maturely, or things will have to be addressed in…
- The Conflict Resolution thread. This is a thread on our off-site forum. Hopefully, we won’t need it, but we have needed it twice in the past. For more information regarding conflict resolution procedures, please refer to the Dispute Resolution page on the off-site wiki (links available on request).
- The Great Airplane Compromise of 2013: This was the result of an ongoing dispute between several Vapor members about the development of new technologies, proprietary rights, rate of advancement, etc., involving everything from automatic weapons to nukes, but focused most heavily and argued most bitterly over heavier-than-air aircraft (airplanes). The GAC states that
- (Nation) can develop his/her (tech). No one else can develop their own without direct IC help/cooperation or OOC permission from (Nation) for at least two years.
- After no less than two years, you may develop prototype (tech) on-par with his/her original one if you wish.
- Following the production of your first (Tech), your progress in development may proceed at approximately 200% the speed of (Nation’s) and his/her allies due to engineers' observations and/or spies' acts of espionage until you are caught up. From that point on, (tech) research may proceed at approximately the speed it did IRL, albeit the appropriate amount of time ahead or behind schedule.
- (Nation) can develop his/her (tech). No one else can develop their own without direct IC help/cooperation or OOC permission from (Nation) for at least two years.
- The Manhattan Compromise: This compromise came as the result of a related dispute that followed shortly after the GAC over the practice of "calling dibs." Calling "dibs" is normally frowned upon. For most technology, it doesn't much matter if Nation A develops Tech C one year earlier than Nation B, and to argue over it leads to an endless, frustrating cycle of oneupmanship. However, certain technologies have a major impact on the course of world events, such as heavier-than-air flight, nuclear weapons, radar, and computers. Sometimes, it is necessary for us to decide who will get there first because whoever does so will be given a major advantage, at least in the beginning. The Manhattan Compromise states that
- When deciding to call "dibs" on a future technology, make a case for why your nation should be the first to develop it (sometimes, no one else being interested OOC is sufficient reason).
- Nations are not allowed to call "dibs" on technology more than five years in advance without first making a strong case for an exception.
- The notable exception from which this compromise takes its name is the co-development of nuclear weapons by the nations of Mishmahig and Inoroth. After making a case to validate their IC reasons, the case for an "early-dibs exception" was made by pointing out that the nuclear weapons research arc is, at minimum, 20-25 years, necessitating an early claim on the technology.
- Nations may make a case for extended monopoly times. In the case of nuclear weapons, the fact that it took the Soviets four years to catch up to American nuclear weapons technology was used to justify a four-year Mishmahigan-Inorothian monopoly on nuclear weapons technology instead of the standard two.
- Any sort of future tech plans that involve a temporary monopoly, no matter how logical and justified (such as the nuclear plans voiced by Mishmahig and Inoroth), should be considered tentative plans at best. Everything might seem hunky dory right now, but two decades from now, one or all parties involved may or may not be in the social, economic, or political situation to even attempt it. Nations with early dibs have the yellow light -- proceed with caution, but be prepared to stop.
- When deciding to call "dibs" on a future technology, make a case for why your nation should be the first to develop it (sometimes, no one else being interested OOC is sufficient reason).
- Avoid Superlatives: There's always a bigger fish. It may be easy to keep straight who is "best" while we're still small, but, then again, which is "best" may not be for certain and likely will not stay that way. Add to that an expanding family of nations and confusion and bickering will almost certainly ensue.
- Godmodding and Continuity: Don't godmod and try to avoid doing things that will muck with others' continuity. Our senior members remember the headache that followed the great death camp mistake of 1903.
- Inactivity: We here at Vapor understand that real life can be a pain and that your life does not necessarily revolve around NS or Vapor (though, if it did, we wouldn't judge you). However, if you disappear for an extended period of time without notice, that can leave the rest of us in a tight spot. If you are inactive long enough to become an ex-nation, or if you tell us you'd like to quit, we will discuss amongst ourselves how important your nation was to the Vapor canon. If it is decided that you never really contributed anything noteworthy or important, we will most likely simply remove your nation from the map and retcon you from history (we have already had to do this to several nations). If you were decided to have been too important to simply erase, we reserve the right to do what we have to with your nation to keep our story intact, whether that is to simply have you largely withdraw from major diplomatic associations, have your people start a revolution, or even invade you -- it will be up to us. This is what happened to the nations of Voerdeland and Gratia Infinita.
- Return from Inactivity: After Vapor had existed for some time, we began encountering an issue we hadn't anticipated, which was former members (lost to either inactivity or an expressed desire to quit) wishing to return to the group. At first, we handled things on a case-by-case basis, but this quickly proved to be inefficient, confusing, and at times unfair; we decided we needed a more explicit set of rules concerning this issue.
- Things done changed. While a nation has been absent, the dynamics of the surrounding region in Vapor have likely changed, regardless of whether the nation was retconned or not. Some of these changes may be very detailed and may have taken a lot of effort on behalf of those involved. These changes may have involved tweaking history to compensate for the inactive nation's absence (in the case of a retcon) or destruction (if a retcon was considered to be unfeasible). Upon your return, any nation must be willing to accept any and all changes made in their absence, no matter how big or how small. In some cases, it may even be necessary to move the returning nation to a different part of the world or start a new nation altogether (for example, if a new nation claimed all or most of the returning nation's territory during its absence).
- Land and Population Penalty. Most of the time, if a retcon was deemed unfeasible, the inactive nation will have had its population and land area drastically reduced. This reduction penalty is considered one of the changes the returning nation will have to accept. Even if the nation was not retconned, the nation will still suffer a reduction both in land area and population, by no less than 50% on each, or possibly more, if circumstances exist that make it necessary. The returning nation must accept that it was always this size and population unless the returning nation should provide a good, solid reason to explain (preferably by means of a well-crafted role-play) this change at a particular point in history.
- Give Notice. A nation can avoid these penalties and inconveniences by simply giving notice of an extended absence; accommodations can be more easily made if the rest of the nations in Vapor know the inactive nation will be returning. If the nation does not return on the stated date, the standard 28 days will be given past that date before the nation is considered "dead and not coming back." The above two rules will then apply.
- Off-Topic Chatter: This is something that has been a major problem for our group in the past and something that I would like to put an end to right now. There is too much relevant information getting lost amongst off-topic chatter and spam already and, now that we are opening up again, new nation applications, questions, and discussions are going to add to that. Let's keep it neat and clutter-free. We have an entire off-site forum dedicated to Vapor, which has a whole subforum dedicated to largely-unmoderated, off-topic chatter. Remember, spam is not allowed on NS, but the off-site forum has an entire thread dedicated to it. Let's start using that and keep this reserved to strictly on-topic discussion, mm'kay?
1.) Go to the Opening Post (made by Fanaglia) and peruse the "Active RPs." Don't read all the posts, just kinda get the gist of how we roll.
2.) While you're at it, check out the sections in the second post (first after the OP) with the gray "Spoiler" icons. These give you a general idea of senior members' nation's people, geography, relationships, armed forces, rulers, and so on.
3.) Ask Questions in the OOC. If there is something you don't get (especially abbreviations like V-land, Fan, Dal, RR Conference, EC, etc...We use abbreviations a lot). You might also ask for a brief synopsis of what has happened so far.
4.) Start or join a 'Meet and Greet' Thread. There are all sorts of events that merit an international attendance, like your leader's... Funeral, Wedding, Coronation, Birth, Birthday, etc. You could also have things like Technological Expos, Conferences, etc. You can be as creative as you want about it
5.) Post on one of our active, open threads. There are plenty of threads that could use another active RPer. I would recommend asking first though, because sometimes threads are too full and/or too far along to merit an new arrival.
6.) Get connected! Even the most powerful Nation needs friends, and you are more likely to find your groove (and to be noticed by everyone else) if you have friends. I would recommend allying with nations who are powerful, who are at least moderately active, and are friendly to your cause or share similar goals. TIP: Keep in mind that (most) people don't ally for nothing...they expect something in return. Make sure you are both clear on what the other is expecting, preferably in writing, so as to avoid confusion, suspicion, and accusations of lying later on. Some types of alliances might include Trade Agreements, Mutual Support Treaties, Arms Deals, Joint Research Projects, BFF Alliances, and so on.
7.) If you post something you think you will need to reference later, our reference tag is PANDA. Just put it in red capital letters somewhere in your post, to make it easier to search for important info later. When posting specifically battle plans or colonial aspirations, use the tag ALBATROSS.
8.) NS roleplay is not really about your guns, is it? It's about your RP skills. The guns you are using really shouldn't matter that much 90% of the time. If you're ever reading a novel, I doubt you'll ever see the author go "So-and-so was glad to have brought along an M1911 instead of a more modern Beretta M1 because the extra weight came in handy when he had to pistol whip a guy when he ran out of ammo in his mag." No, 90% of the time, unless the type of gun turns out to be some sort of plot point or in some way says a lot about the character (like someone who prefers an AK-47 over an M-16), the gun(s) remain anonymous. Nine times out of ten, it will read "The bad guy dropped his gun," instead of "The bad guy dropped his AK-74u with extended mags and a red dot sight and collapsible stock." The latter, which is quite common on NS, especially these days, is just bad roleplaying. The point of writing weapons pages for our purposes here in this RP group is only 10% archiving what weapons you have and their specs and 90% writing about something you want to write about, for the sake of writing about it. It should never be a way of calling "dibs" on RL stuff you want.
9) If you've spent much time on the internet, you'll have noticed that people have a tendency to abbreviate a lot. People on NationStates, while they generally write better than the majority of people on the rest of the internet, also have a tendency to use a lot of abbreviations specific to NationStates. Vaporites have developed a culture of even-more-specific abbreviations that can be confusing to new players. Below is a short list of some of the more common ones you may encounter:
10.) Have fun, and stay active! If being in Vapor ain't fun, don't even bother joining!
That's about it. Hope you enjoy your time here with us in Vapor!
2.) While you're at it, check out the sections in the second post (first after the OP) with the gray "Spoiler" icons. These give you a general idea of senior members' nation's people, geography, relationships, armed forces, rulers, and so on.
3.) Ask Questions in the OOC. If there is something you don't get (especially abbreviations like V-land, Fan, Dal, RR Conference, EC, etc...We use abbreviations a lot). You might also ask for a brief synopsis of what has happened so far.
4.) Start or join a 'Meet and Greet' Thread. There are all sorts of events that merit an international attendance, like your leader's... Funeral, Wedding, Coronation, Birth, Birthday, etc. You could also have things like Technological Expos, Conferences, etc. You can be as creative as you want about it
5.) Post on one of our active, open threads. There are plenty of threads that could use another active RPer. I would recommend asking first though, because sometimes threads are too full and/or too far along to merit an new arrival.
6.) Get connected! Even the most powerful Nation needs friends, and you are more likely to find your groove (and to be noticed by everyone else) if you have friends. I would recommend allying with nations who are powerful, who are at least moderately active, and are friendly to your cause or share similar goals. TIP: Keep in mind that (most) people don't ally for nothing...they expect something in return. Make sure you are both clear on what the other is expecting, preferably in writing, so as to avoid confusion, suspicion, and accusations of lying later on. Some types of alliances might include Trade Agreements, Mutual Support Treaties, Arms Deals, Joint Research Projects, BFF Alliances, and so on.
7.) If you post something you think you will need to reference later, our reference tag is PANDA. Just put it in red capital letters somewhere in your post, to make it easier to search for important info later. When posting specifically battle plans or colonial aspirations, use the tag ALBATROSS.
8.) NS roleplay is not really about your guns, is it? It's about your RP skills. The guns you are using really shouldn't matter that much 90% of the time. If you're ever reading a novel, I doubt you'll ever see the author go "So-and-so was glad to have brought along an M1911 instead of a more modern Beretta M1 because the extra weight came in handy when he had to pistol whip a guy when he ran out of ammo in his mag." No, 90% of the time, unless the type of gun turns out to be some sort of plot point or in some way says a lot about the character (like someone who prefers an AK-47 over an M-16), the gun(s) remain anonymous. Nine times out of ten, it will read "The bad guy dropped his gun," instead of "The bad guy dropped his AK-74u with extended mags and a red dot sight and collapsible stock." The latter, which is quite common on NS, especially these days, is just bad roleplaying. The point of writing weapons pages for our purposes here in this RP group is only 10% archiving what weapons you have and their specs and 90% writing about something you want to write about, for the sake of writing about it. It should never be a way of calling "dibs" on RL stuff you want.
9) If you've spent much time on the internet, you'll have noticed that people have a tendency to abbreviate a lot. People on NationStates, while they generally write better than the majority of people on the rest of the internet, also have a tendency to use a lot of abbreviations specific to NationStates. Vaporites have developed a culture of even-more-specific abbreviations that can be confusing to new players. Below is a short list of some of the more common ones you may encounter:
- NS - NationStates
- RP - Roleplay
- RL - Real Life
- IRL - In Real Life
- IC - In-character
- OOC - Out-of-character
- IIRC - If I recall correctly
- IMO/IMHO - In my opinion/In my honest opinon
- RR - Railroad. For some reason, Fanaglia at times appears to be the only one capable of spelling out the whole word. She considers it to be somewhere between comical and annoying.
- IRR - International Railroad (see V-Land)
- V-Land - Voerdeland. A once-backwoods nation in northeastern Promethia/northern Zhao connected to Amplector via a thin land bridge, over which was built the International Railroad (sometimes referred to as the Intercontinental Railroad). It was the focus of a major war involving several nations from three different continents, the conflict helping to sow the seeds of the Great War, which is coming soon at the time of the compiling of this list.
- RCC - Rothian Catholic Church. Based in Inoroth, it has no major differences from the RL Roman Catholic Church.
- MC - Mishmahigan Christian(s). Sect of Christianity based out of Mishmahig that believes that the Second Coming has already come and gone. Has a history of oppression by other sects. Often gets compared (whether justly or unjustly) to the RL Mormons/Church of Latter-Day Saints.
- AMEN - Alliance of Middle-Eastern Nations. A Short-lived alliance between several Middle-Eastern (western/southern Promethian) nations, later dissolved due to conflicts of interests between vastly different nations compounded by the departure of several nations from the RP group and/or NS.
- SAW - Sri-AMEN War. A brief but culturally- and politically-significant war involving the nation Sri Tschow, the nations of AMEN, and a few others. One of the results of the war was the dissolution of AMEN.
- AC - Amplectorian Conference. A major RP taking place in 1903 in which the nation of Servoth attempts (unsuccessfully) to establish a UN-style organization to help "keep the peace" in an increasingly unstable world.
10.) Have fun, and stay active! If being in Vapor ain't fun, don't even bother joining!
That's about it. Hope you enjoy your time here with us in Vapor!
- Future RPs Being Prepared
(DO NOT POST YET) - Active RPs
- 1805 Opening Oulen (Semi-Open - Vapor Only)
- 1889-1891 The Fall of Voerdeland (Semi-Closed - Vapor Only)
- 1900 What Lies Beneath (Semi-Open - Vapor Only)
- 1903 Tarnost Campaign (Semi-Closed - Vapor Only)
- 1903 What is and What Should Never Be (Semi-Closed - Vapor Only)
- 1905 In a League All Their Own (Semi-Open - Vapor Only)
- 1906 The Fall of Inesea (Semi-Closed - Vapor Only)
- 1906 Murderer's Justice (Semi-Open - Vapor Only)
- 1907 The Political Plight Of Cycuiia (Semi-Closed - Vapor Only)
- 1907 A Day in the Middle Kingdom (Semi-Open - Vapor Only)
- 1908 The Winds of Change (Semi-Open - Vapor Only)
- 1910 Den of Vipers (Semi-Open - Vapor Only)
- 1910 Mort Prix (non-canon) (Semi-Open)
- 756-1967 A Pilgrimage Through Time (Semi-Open - Vapor only)
- 1805 Opening Oulen (Semi-Open - Vapor Only)
- Completed RPs (Canon)
- 1885 Railway Dispute (Closed)
- 1886 Funeral of a King (Open - Vapor Only)
- 1889 A Monarch Who Defeated Another with Words (Semi-Open - Vapor Only)
- 1894 Dawn of Terror (Closed)
- 1899 The Melting Snows (Closed - Vapor Only)
- 1900 Vapor 1st Decennial World Expo (Semi-Open - Vapor Only)
- 1901 Cygnarian Diplomatic Opening (Semi-Open - Vapor Only)
- 1903 Sri-AMEN War (Semi-Open - Vapor Only)
- 1903 And they all Laughed (Semi-Open - Vapor Only)
- 1903 Cygnarian-Dalruanazkali Diplomatic Talks (Closed)
- 1903 The Caspia-Satum Express (Closed)
- 1885 Railway Dispute (Closed)
- Abandoned/Unfinished RPs (Retconned)
- 1885 Eastern Conference (Semi-Open - Vapor Only)
- 1885 Miteria-Inesea Conference (Closed)
- 1885 Fire and Madness (Open - Vapor Only)
- 1898 The Grand Patriots' Gala (Semi-Open - Vapor Only)
- 1901 The Eastern Canal (Semi-Open - Vapor Only)
- 1902 The Triumvirate (Semi-Closed - Vapor Only)
- 1903 The First Amplector Conference (Semi-Closed - Vapor Only)
- 1905 Economic Summit (Closed)
- 1906 Of Things To Come (Semi-Closed - Vapor Only)
- 1906 Dragon's Summit (Invite Only)
- 1906 Alternate Vapor: Magor (non-canon) (Semi-Open - Vapor Only)
- 1926 Life of Change (Closed)
- 1932 Reminiscence (Closed)
- 1885 Eastern Conference (Semi-Open - Vapor Only)
Apparently, individual posts may not exceed 60,000 characters. Pat yourselves on the back, guys -- we did it! Therefore, this entire section has had to be moved out of the OP and into a regular old post, which is just below.
Note to new players: Due to the difficulty in maintaining the personnel dossiers section below, and thanks to the wiki making them largely obsolete, the old dossiers are reserved for senior members only, are presently maintained for archival purposes only, and are no longer updated. The other sections will continue to be maintained.
ok you are right, lets cut the spam lads, but not our classic conversations 
rofled at the part about pav breaking a piece of technology, well done 
