Introduction
While the vast majority of this information can be found in the official "State of the Galaxy" thread, for the sake of further clarification, some information regarding this project will be included here - in addition to more pertinent information relating to submissions and the process undertaken by State of the Galaxy Editors in selecting which submissions are including the bi-weekly or monthly quadrant updates.
As detailed in the State of the Galaxy, Version 3 will attempt to provide a bi-weekly or monthly update to the status of the Galaxy and its quadrants relative to In-Character activity, presented in a format which not only provides redirection to threads which may impact the Galaxy as a whole, but also to threads users may be interested in becoming involved in for their own enjoyment. In addition, the State of the Galaxy will attempt to provide not merely succinct updates to quadrant activities (based upon submissions), but will also serve to act as an introductory guide to newer roleplayers attempting to become involved in the Future Tech community by outlining both the relative motifs or "themes" of the quadrants (based upon history and community perception) in addition to a generalized measure of the conflict and tension present in each quadrant. (Understand such "themes" are not absolute, but the perception of the Board of Editors based upon submissions; individual players choose what to acknowledge, and not acknowledge, on their own.) Further, SotG-Editors - as a brand new addition to Version 3 - will be invited to write editorials based upon their perceptions of galactic astropolitics.
Even so, this does not change the fundamental purpose of the State of the Galaxy: to provide a snapshot look at the Galaxy. This means that the bulk of what will constitute the bi-weekly or monthly updates will come from the Future Tech community itself - namely through player submissions to this thread. While each SotG-Editor has been exceptionally active in the Future Tech community and are experienced enough on their own to gauge the quadrants and update accordingly, without activity - without submissions - this thread has no hope to survive. As such, users will be invited to submit different types of submissions for general inclusion (see below) in this thread in the hopes to ensure that the State of the Galaxy is constantly up-to-date and provides the community with a beneficial service and venue for information on the current status of the Galaxy.
Now, as mentioned, not every submission will automatically be included in each update, nor will they necessarily be mentioned in chosen editorials. There are to be three main factors that go into determining whether a submission will be included: firstly, does the submission (relative to what information is readily available to In-Character entities even beyond those involved in the thread; see below) have a likelihood of expanding or growing to a point that it spurs further plots beyond the current one (such as multiple threads); secondly, does the submission have the possibility of drawing considerable international attention (again, based upon information available) beyond the In-Character entities involved; and lastly, does the submission add to the overall complexity, detail, and "life" of the Galaxy by its inclusion.
It is up to the State of the Galaxy Editors, via a democratic, majority vote, to determine whether a submission will be included based upon these criteria. This does not include single-editor editorials, which may include references to submissions (or beyond submissions based on their own involvement and experience) as they are not subject to other voting editors, but also do not represent the body of the editors nor necessarily the collective opinions of the editors. This, however, does bring us to an important facet of Version 3: update author rotation.
Each update, between two and four editors will be selected, based upon activity and availability, from the publishing editors; these editors will then compile their updates and author them before submitting them to the SotG-Editors Board for simple review. This means, unlike its predecessors, this version of the State of the Galaxy will represent differing opinions from different players and, by proxy, different play styles and different portions of the community, with each editor providing their own perspective and "flavor" to their updates. Further, authors of each update will not be announced before each deadline (which will either be the fifteenth and thirtieth of each month, or the thirtieth of each month, depending upon activity); users will be required to submit their submissions no less than seven days before the deadline for the potential to be included in the next update.
As such, all members of the NationStates Future Tech Community are invited to provide submissions to this thread by reading the submission guidelines (see below) and filling out the appropriate application for one of two types of submissions.
Submission Guidelines
Below are the guidelines all submissions must conform to to be considered valid, in addition to the rules and regulations regarding their inclusion based upon the judgment of the SotG Board of Editors. Please review them thoroughly before posting a submission application.
Applications
Unlike prior versions, Version 3 will be providing two forms of submissions, one minor and one major, which submitting applicants may submit. They are defined as follows:
While the vast majority of this information can be found in the official "State of the Galaxy" thread, for the sake of further clarification, some information regarding this project will be included here - in addition to more pertinent information relating to submissions and the process undertaken by State of the Galaxy Editors in selecting which submissions are including the bi-weekly or monthly quadrant updates.
As detailed in the State of the Galaxy, Version 3 will attempt to provide a bi-weekly or monthly update to the status of the Galaxy and its quadrants relative to In-Character activity, presented in a format which not only provides redirection to threads which may impact the Galaxy as a whole, but also to threads users may be interested in becoming involved in for their own enjoyment. In addition, the State of the Galaxy will attempt to provide not merely succinct updates to quadrant activities (based upon submissions), but will also serve to act as an introductory guide to newer roleplayers attempting to become involved in the Future Tech community by outlining both the relative motifs or "themes" of the quadrants (based upon history and community perception) in addition to a generalized measure of the conflict and tension present in each quadrant. (Understand such "themes" are not absolute, but the perception of the Board of Editors based upon submissions; individual players choose what to acknowledge, and not acknowledge, on their own.) Further, SotG-Editors - as a brand new addition to Version 3 - will be invited to write editorials based upon their perceptions of galactic astropolitics.
Even so, this does not change the fundamental purpose of the State of the Galaxy: to provide a snapshot look at the Galaxy. This means that the bulk of what will constitute the bi-weekly or monthly updates will come from the Future Tech community itself - namely through player submissions to this thread. While each SotG-Editor has been exceptionally active in the Future Tech community and are experienced enough on their own to gauge the quadrants and update accordingly, without activity - without submissions - this thread has no hope to survive. As such, users will be invited to submit different types of submissions for general inclusion (see below) in this thread in the hopes to ensure that the State of the Galaxy is constantly up-to-date and provides the community with a beneficial service and venue for information on the current status of the Galaxy.
Now, as mentioned, not every submission will automatically be included in each update, nor will they necessarily be mentioned in chosen editorials. There are to be three main factors that go into determining whether a submission will be included: firstly, does the submission (relative to what information is readily available to In-Character entities even beyond those involved in the thread; see below) have a likelihood of expanding or growing to a point that it spurs further plots beyond the current one (such as multiple threads); secondly, does the submission have the possibility of drawing considerable international attention (again, based upon information available) beyond the In-Character entities involved; and lastly, does the submission add to the overall complexity, detail, and "life" of the Galaxy by its inclusion.
It is up to the State of the Galaxy Editors, via a democratic, majority vote, to determine whether a submission will be included based upon these criteria. This does not include single-editor editorials, which may include references to submissions (or beyond submissions based on their own involvement and experience) as they are not subject to other voting editors, but also do not represent the body of the editors nor necessarily the collective opinions of the editors. This, however, does bring us to an important facet of Version 3: update author rotation.
Each update, between two and four editors will be selected, based upon activity and availability, from the publishing editors; these editors will then compile their updates and author them before submitting them to the SotG-Editors Board for simple review. This means, unlike its predecessors, this version of the State of the Galaxy will represent differing opinions from different players and, by proxy, different play styles and different portions of the community, with each editor providing their own perspective and "flavor" to their updates. Further, authors of each update will not be announced before each deadline (which will either be the fifteenth and thirtieth of each month, or the thirtieth of each month, depending upon activity); users will be required to submit their submissions no less than seven days before the deadline for the potential to be included in the next update.
As such, all members of the NationStates Future Tech Community are invited to provide submissions to this thread by reading the submission guidelines (see below) and filling out the appropriate application for one of two types of submissions.
Submission Guidelines
Below are the guidelines all submissions must conform to to be considered valid, in addition to the rules and regulations regarding their inclusion based upon the judgment of the SotG Board of Editors. Please review them thoroughly before posting a submission application.
- All submissions are to be judged upon the criteria as determined by the State of the Galaxy Board of Editors.
- The primary criteria to determine inclusion in a State of the Galaxy update constitute: scope, potential impact, and creativity as defined:
- Scope: Does the submission have a likelihood of spurring further plots or threads beyond the current, or does the submission otherwise have the possibility of creating plot(s).
- Potential Impact: Does the submission have a likelihood of drawing international attention, based upon available information as witnessed by uninvolved parties, and as such have a potential impact beyond what is simply constrained within a single submission.
- Creativity: Does the submission add to the overall complexity, detail, and "living" nature of the Galaxy in a manner which is creative, unique, and otherwise has the potential to spur further creativity in a world-building or plot-constructing capacity.
- Further, the State of the Galaxy Board of Editors gauges submissions based upon their adherence to the fundamental principles of the Future Tech community: collaboration, compromise, creativity, and consistency.
- The primary criteria to determine inclusion in a State of the Galaxy update constitute: scope, potential impact, and creativity as defined:
- All submissions are to be submitted to this thread no less than seven (7) days before the deadline of the declared update.
Each submission shall, amongst other pertinent information, include the date the submitting applicant desires for the information to be included within.Each submission shall be presumed to be desired for possible inclusion in the next available update.- There shall be
twoone potential dateseach month for potential inclusionfrom which a submitting applicant may choose from:The fifteenth (15th) of each month;- The thirtieth (30th) of each month.
- Submissions entered after the declared date of inclusion will be automatically slotted for potential inclusion in the next available update.
- All submissions must provide information in a manner which could be understood or observed by outside parties, as monthly updates constitute In-Character publications in both content and context.
- Outside parties are defined as star-states, civilizations, or other In-Character entities which are not involved in the thread of the submission, but which may know about or may be assumed to know about certain submitted In-Character information.
- As an example: a thread about a civil war or domestic conflict, while a non-involved civilization may not know the precise details of the In-Character plot, it could be assumed they know of a civil war occurring and, potentially, the major factions or parties involved in such.
- Outside parties are defined as star-states, civilizations, or other In-Character entities which are not involved in the thread of the submission, but which may know about or may be assumed to know about certain submitted In-Character information.
- All submissions must include considerable thought on the part of the applicant as to what potential impact the submission may have on the Galaxy at large.
- It falls not only to the State of the Galaxy Board of Editors to attempt to determine what potential impact a given submission may have; submitting applicants must also include their own ideas or thoughts on what potential impact said submission may have on the Galaxy.
- Applications lacking necessary information or applications otherwise determined to be submitted solely for the sake of "advertisement," without thought of consequences of their submission, may be summarily rejected and invalidated.
- Applications must submit new material. Applications my not be simple duplications of previous entries.
- While previous threads or incidents that have previously been submitted in an application may be included, they may not simply duplicate previous content; new additions must be made and new actions must be included. Applications which appear to simply be duplications of previous applications may be summarily rejected and invalidated.
- In the event a party mentioned in a given application requests exclusion of their mention, either before or after the application is presented in a monthly update, any future mention will be excluded by default in any monthly update unless written confirmation of their willingness to be included is provided. Exact wording, formatting, etc. of any permissible mention is reserved to the authoring Editor with respect to quality presentation, wording, and authorship flow, subject to Executive Editor oversight.
- Submitting applicants may submit one (1) Activity Report Application and one (1) Tension Report Application per update cycle.
Applications
Unlike prior versions, Version 3 will be providing two forms of submissions, one minor and one major, which submitting applicants may submit. They are defined as follows:
- Tension Report Application
- Tension Reports are defined as submissions which have not necessarily been roleplayed, but nonetheless may have bearing on a localized or quadrant-level. If, for example, a region of the Alpha Quadrant has recently seen an increase in piracy and brigandage, one would submit a Tension Report Application. These applications do not require a thread, but are under far more scrutiny due to their lack of roleplayed activity. Further examples might include: tidal disturbances around several star clusters, "space weather," the aforementioned example of increased piracy, missing freighters, new trade lane establishment, etc.
- Activity Report Application
- Activity Reports are defined as submissions which have been or are currently being roleplayed. Activity Report Applications must include an appropriate thread (or threads) for reference and potential inclusion, in addition to all further information as requested. The State of the Galaxy Board of Editors holds preference to Activity Reports over Tension Reports due to their greater likelihood of increasing activity and higher potential for greater scope and impact in the Galaxy.
- Code: Select all
[box][align=center][size=120][b][u]Tension Report Application[/u][/b][/size][/align][hr][/hr]
[b]Submitting Party:[/b]
[b]Nation Name of Submitting Party:[/b]
[b]Affected Quadrant(s):[/b]
[b]Precise Locations (If Applicable):[/b]
[b]Nation(s) Involved:[/b]
[b]Description:[/b]
[b]Potential Greater Impact(s):[/b][/box]
- Code: Select all
[box][align=center][size=120][b][u]Activity Report Application[/u][/b][/size][/align][hr][/hr]
[b]Submitting Party:[/b]
[b]Nation Name of Submitting Party:[/b]
[b]Thread Link(s):[/b]
[b]Affected Quadrant(s):[/b]
[b]Precise Locations (If Applicable):[/b]
[b]Nation(s) Involved:[/b]
[b]Description:[/b]
[b]Potential Greater Impact(s):[/b][/box]
NOTICE ABOUT IN-CHARACTER MONTHLY UPDATE FORMAT
Monthly updates are written from an In-Character perspective and, based on their stated publication, may contain a
degree of "bias" or "spin." Indicators for the level of "spin" and its nature are taken from cues within each submission.
Certain publications may have differing "characters" and "styles" which, further, will accentuate this In-Character format.
If you do not agree to this treatment, do not submit an application.
General Announcement
As there appears to be some confusion as of late regarding the State of the Galaxy, I wish to clarify some things...
The State of the Galaxy does not claim universal authority on the "correctness" of its assessments or submission editorializing, and players are free to ignore this thread wholesale without detriment. At its heart, this thread is a glorified roleplay- and concept-advertisement thread. The Board of Editors works, often tirelessly and often up to the final hour, to write interesting versions of submissions that add to player submissions and worlds based on differing, external perspectives. We also strive to provide a service, through both IC article authoring and the OOC submissions thread, to advertise player threads and worldbuilding "plot hooks" (which often take the form of Tension Reports).
Even so, no player has a universal entitlement to inclusion in any monthly update. As is always indicated here, player submissions - unless summarily rejected due to some immediately apparent application or submission requirement violation - are reviewed for potential inclusion by the Board of Editors, as it is the Board of Editors which writes these editorialized articles. The Board of Editors aims to get as many submissions of quality as possible in each monthly update, but by the same token, the Board of Editors operates within the submission requirements; this means submissions which they decide lack information or cause, submissions that appear purely for self-aggrandized advertisement, submissions which violate the spirit of this project (such as through appearing to godmod or powergame), and - in general - submissions which do not meet the Board of Editor's requirements are not voted for inclusion.
Our Board of Editors have had contentious and controversial, internal debates regarding many submissions made to this thread. Some have been passed with one vote, some rejected with one vote, and some have come to a tie (requiring my vote as Executive Editor). This is likely to continue to be the case in the future whenever a submission is made which the Editors have disagreements over with regard to its content and character.
I hope this removes any confusion players may have.
Kyrusia
SotG Executive Editor and Thread OP
