RPing Questions? Ask Here!

[Yohannes]

Sorry, it's just something that I read somewhere or other years ago.
A quick google suggests that actually it might be apocryphal, originating in a work of fiction... but in the light of some practices historically within British industry it did sound plausible...

No, no, please don’t be Bears Armed! I skimmed over a book chapter PDF about ship construction yesterday. It briefly discussed what you said Thank you, you’re amazing!

[Delmonte]

I don't god mod, but in my roleplay, there are characters who have magic powers, which basically gives them the ability to do whatever they want. So... help?

Well. There is nothing inherently wrong with this. You, ultimately, can write whatever you want. However, so can everyone else. That means they don't have to write with you. It also means they don't have to acknowledge your existence, even. You are going to find that RPers will fall into two categories on magical stuff:

1: As long as you promise out of character (and execute said promise) to NOT use your magic to fuck them over or to do anything substantially more powerful than normal modern technology, they will write with you.

2: Even if you don't use your magical powers to do OP, ganky shit, they won't acknowledge your existence simply because the mere existence of verifiable magic fucks with their canon and they don't want to have to write about it. I'm sorry to say, I fall into this latter category. I don't find magic particularly interesting. I think it's often trite and overdone. I don't want to have to write about it or acknowledge it. So Delmonte will never interact with nations with verifiable magic (some vague lore/unconfirmed stuff is fine).

There are two things you can do that will turn large swathes of RPers off of writing with you:

1: Anthropomorphic ponies.

2: Magic.

Well, and the unspoken third one is writing a suspicious amount about shirtless children, which... people don't like to talk about, but happens uhm... you know, a non-zero amount.

[Servansia]

I want an old thread of mine deleted. I left nation states for a bit and wish to return with a fresh start. Who do I contact?

[Bears Armed]

I want an old thread of mine deleted. I left nation states for a bit and wish to return with a fresh start. Who do I contact?

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=84803

[Shwe Tu Colony]

I don't god mod, but in my roleplay, there are characters who have magic powers, which basically gives them the ability to do whatever they want. So... help?

Well. There is nothing inherently wrong with this. You, ultimately, can write whatever you want. However, so can everyone else. That means they don't have to write with you. It also means they don't have to acknowledge your existence, even. You are going to find that RPers will fall into two categories on magical stuff:

1: As long as you promise out of character (and execute said promise) to NOT use your magic to fuck them over or to do anything substantially more powerful than normal modern technology, they will write with you.

2: Even if you don't use your magical powers to do OP, ganky shit, they won't acknowledge your existence simply because the mere existence of verifiable magic fucks with their canon and they don't want to have to write about it. I'm sorry to say, I fall into this latter category. I don't find magic particularly interesting. I think it's often trite and overdone. I don't want to have to write about it or acknowledge it. So Delmonte will never interact with nations with verifiable magic (some vague lore/unconfirmed stuff is fine).

There are two things you can do that will turn large swathes of RPers off of writing with you:

1: Anthropomorphic ponies.

2: Magic.

There are some magic/future-tech players out there, myself included, who wouldn't apply much to one — using your magic to not screw folks over is pretty synonymous to basic roleplay etiquette of giving fair chances to me, & some of us are probably already "substantially more powerful than normal modern technology" anyhow. That said, the magic-using community in NationStates is tiny compared to the other techs, & off the top of my head, I can only think of seven of us & one community (Gholgoth to a very slight extent that I can't speak much on) that are definitely still around & are blatantly magical. There are some FT players that use or accept magic, but their technology is so advanced that it's a bit hard to differentiate.

You are right that a lot of people don't accept magic, though, & most roleplays that might accept fantasy-techers are much more casual affairs anyway, but having characters that can do anything that they want has potential to be impolite in roleplay if the genies are running around trying to solve everyone's problems. Could keep it hidden, but that'll be ICly aggravating if they find out, though since HSaboteur's guys can just keep wishing otherwise, I suppose that works out. Wishing that another person's character doesn't realize it would qualify as a godmod, though, so be wary of that. HSaboteur, you could choose to maybe mention it but develop your characters outside of that ability so that their lives & actions aren't just based around being able to wish it.

[Bears Armed]

There are two things you can do that will turn large swathes of RPers off of writing with you:

1: Anthropomorphic ponies.

2: Magic.

However you re often okay using these things in the 'NS Sports' section of the forum, because the 'scorinator' programmes used to determine results there work the same regardless of what players claim their people are or can do and so such details are basically just embelishments to RP in that context.

[A m e n r i a]

I don't god mod, but in my roleplay, there are characters who have magic powers, which basically gives them the ability to do whatever they want. So... help?

Well. There is nothing inherently wrong with this. You, ultimately, can write whatever you want. However, so can everyone else. That means they don't have to write with you. It also means they don't have to acknowledge your existence, even. You are going to find that RPers will fall into two categories on magical stuff:

1: As long as you promise out of character (and execute said promise) to NOT use your magic to fuck them over or to do anything substantially more powerful than normal modern technology, they will write with you.

2: Even if you don't use your magical powers to do OP, ganky shit, they won't acknowledge your existence simply because the mere existence of verifiable magic fucks with their canon and they don't want to have to write about it. I'm sorry to say, I fall into this latter category. I don't find magic particularly interesting. I think it's often trite and overdone. I don't want to have to write about it or acknowledge it. So Delmonte will never interact with nations with verifiable magic (some vague lore/unconfirmed stuff is fine).

There are two things you can do that will turn large swathes of RPers off of writing with you:

1: Anthropomorphic ponies.

2: Magic.

Well, and the unspoken third one is writing a suspicious amount about shirtless children, which... people don't like to talk about, but happens uhm... you know, a non-zero amount.

Actually, having magic makes you a cool civ. Just make sure the magic is consistent and makes a semblance of sense instead of just an arse pull. Nerfing yourself when necessary also helps.

[Tyrannyicalist]

How long is an acceptable wait for a response? I understand that waiting an hour for your enemy to respond is way too fast and is really dirty.A day seems kinda long though

[Borovan entered the region as he]

How long is an acceptable wait for a response? I understand that waiting an hour for your enemy to respond is way too fast and is really dirty.A day seems kinda long though

People usually should respond anywhere between minutes or a day. A day might be long but people have lives.

[Sunset]

How long is an acceptable wait for a response? I understand that waiting an hour for your enemy to respond is way too fast and is really dirty.A day seems kinda long though

People usually should respond anywhere between minutes or a day. A day might be long but people have lives.

I've routinely seen RPs with response times varying from hours to days to months to years. There's 'people have lives' and then there's 'years'. Seems a little odd to me, though heaven knows I'm certainly guilty of losing interest in an RP and letting it go fallow.

[A m e n r i a]

People usually should respond anywhere between minutes or a day. A day might be long but people have lives.

I've routinely seen RPs with response times varying from hours to days to months to years. There's 'people have lives' and then there's 'years'. Seems a little odd to me, though heaven knows I'm certainly guilty of losing interest in an RP and letting it go fallow.

This, and the fact that people in this site come from different timezones. Morning for you might be night for them.

[Yohannes]

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I’m not sure if this is appropriate for this thread. If it’s not, please feel free to remove this post!

I saw a couple of International Incidents threads trying to convince N&I RP writers to use/download “Grammarly.” I’m an open-minded person. I tried using Grammarly for a draft. This is what I realised: Grammarly is a terrible app for creative writing. It destroyed my narrative flow. It made my (edited) writing sounds like it’s written by a (copy and paste) robot. Some suggestions (such as “you must insert” commas here and there) fly in the face of all precedent by some acclaimed real-life creative writers (and best-selling fiction authors)

I don’t know if this will help other aspiring creative writers on NationStates, but apps like Grammarly are only good for someone if English is their second language and they’re not a native writer, or, maybe, if they’re writing a formal technical report—or, maybe, if they’re still in high school. Otherwise, don’t use apps like Grammarly as the Bible of creative writing.

Edit: Thank you!

Edit2: https://slate.com/technology/2018/02/gr ... etter.html and https://www.quora.com/How-would-you-rate-Grammarly-Why

[Delmonte]

I've routinely seen RPs with response times varying from hours to days to months to years. There's 'people have lives' and then there's 'years'. Seems a little odd to me, though heaven knows I'm certainly guilty of losing interest in an RP and letting it go fallow.

This, and the fact that people in this site come from different timezones. Morning for you might be night for them.

Indeed. Such a hasty view would decimate NationStates' thriving Singaporean community.

[Erythrean Thebes]

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I’m not sure if this is appropriate for this thread. If it’s not, please feel free to remove this post!

I saw a couple of International Incidents threads trying to convince N&I RP writers to use/download “Grammarly.” I’m an open-minded person. I tried using Grammarly for a draft. This is what I realised: Grammarly is a terrible app for creative writing. It destroyed my narrative flow. It made my (edited) writing sounds like it’s written by a (copy and paste) robot. Some suggestions (such as “you must insert” commas here and there) fly in the face of all precedent by some acclaimed real-life creative writers (and best-selling fiction authors)

I don’t know if this will help other aspiring creative writers on NationStates, but apps like Grammarly are only good for someone if English is their second language and they’re not a native writer, or, maybe, if they’re writing a formal technical report—or, maybe, if they’re still in high school. Otherwise, don’t use apps like Grammarly as the Bible of creative writing.

Edit: Thank you!

Edit2: https://slate.com/technology/2018/02/gr ... etter.html and https://www.quora.com/How-would-you-rate-Grammarly-Why

It's for editing professional work. Creative writing won't agree.

[Yohannes]

Thank you Erythrean Thebes! Can you tell us why Grammarly and other such apps are not suited for creative writing?

[Oskenia]

Hey everyone. Brand new here.
I ran an RP for a while that had a wiki and world events and all that jazz. How would I go about incorporating much of the history from that RP into this? For instance, this was my last country page:
https://eedcalternatehistory.fandom.com ... of_Oskenia

I had a lot of history spanning from the late 1700s to the early 1900s, where the RP began to fizzle out. The First Sardinian War, for instance, was a deciding event in the history of my country. How would I go about merging it?

[Neu Engollon]

Hey everyone. Brand new here.
I ran an RP for a while that had a wiki and world events and all that jazz. How would I go about incorporating much of the history from that RP into this? For instance, this was my last country page:
https://eedcalternatehistory.fandom.com ... of_Oskenia

I had a lot of history spanning from the late 1700s to the early 1900s, where the RP began to fizzle out. The First Sardinian War, for instance, was a deciding event in the history of my country. How would I go about merging it?

Welcome!
The easiest way is to use those factbooks and dispatches. Move a lot of your content over to those, but keep in mind that you only get 25 factbooks to work with. You mentioned wiki, there's an iiwiki tied to Nationstates that I can't link at the moment, but I'm sure someone would be happy to do. Then, start recruiting people to RP threads. Put links to your wiki and factbooks in the OPs of your threads, which will save some time and catch people up. If enough players migrated with you to NS, you could probably form a region together, which would help in having a core RP group. Getting other like minded people to join might be hard as this is all your IP without much creative help from the new joiners, so they have less stake in sticking around, but if you have the patience and the flexibility, you'll find them. Not to mention, you seem to use a lot of Mediterranean lore and a RL map. There's a lot of players into that, so I think you have a leg up. Good luck.

[St Nevis And Kitts]

Hello everyone

[The JELLEAIN Republic]

15 years and counting ...

[The JELLEAIN Republic]

---

This post was originally made for the “NS Non-Military Realism Consultation Thread Mk. 4” thread, but I’ve decided to repost this here.

I’m a wee bit lost, my apologies for this. In modern ship construction, hull units for assembly and block erection are prefabricated individually in workshops and yards. Before being put together as the body of a ship and sent to a yard (or other assembly sites), they go through independent industry standards inspections, preoutfitting, preerection, blasting and other stages.

At each step, industry inefficiencies, existing regulations and standards (e.g. strictness) and other things will affect shipbuilding speed and costs for the firms and subcontractors involved. For an In-Character post in one of my threads, I’d like to write about the really bad shipbuilding inefficiencies in my fictional nation on NationStates, but I need some pointers. Which real-life countries are good examples of countries with efficient shipbuilding and marine industries, and why?

Thank u so much for your time! (Image)

Edit: Don’t worry about being right or wrong, I won’t bite!

Allegedly-true story from RL Britain _
At one stage, at least in civilian shipyards, the various "trades" disagreed about which of them should have priority over the others for installing their various pipes, conduits, wires, and so on, in areas where two or more of these were supposed to run. Eventually they settled on what was known as "the Olympic System". One person from each group would line up just inside the gate into that dock, carrying a section of the pipe or tube or wire or whatever concerned, and would have to race to the relevant part of the ship - -still carrying that item -- when the foreman signalled the start: Whoever got where first could then put their stuff into place first... which, given the weights & ease of carrying involved, usually meant that the thicker tubes ended up having to be bent around the narrower cables had rather than (as would have been a more logical procedure) vice versa...

Wow

[New Cargarea]

Recently the young nation of new cargerea has been under attack by the country of Tasmania, they don’t seem to know that we are the remnants of a fallen country rising from the ashes, my people are getting scared to leave their homes, what should I do as their leader

[Facodalcon]

So I wanna create an RP but I don't know where it goes. I want it to be about nations colonizing (IC AS NATIONS)

[Tyrnica]

Recently the young nation of new cargerea has been under attack by the country of Tasmania, they don’t seem to know that we are the remnants of a fallen country rising from the ashes, my people are getting scared to leave their homes, what should I do as their leader

This type of thread, given a little bit more information, would be right at home here in the International Incidents subforum – that way, other nations can respond to the situation in New Cargarea. If you're asking what you can do, in out-of-character terms, the answer is pretty much anything! Your leader can declare war against Tasmania or seek support from other countries; if you have a clear and coherent opening post, people will usually respond to it.

So I wanna create an RP but I don't know where it goes. I want it to be about nations colonizing (IC AS NATIONS)

Colonial roleplays (whether they're about your nation being colonised, or some sort of mad rush to colonise another country) can usually be found in International Incidents. A good rule of thumb to remember is that the International Incidents subforum is typically used for the not-so-subtle scenarios in international relations: anything ranging from invasions and wars to revolutions and insurrections. Meanwhile, the things you'll find in the NationStates subforum – banquets, balls, state dinners and ambassadorial meetings – tend to be much more focused on debate and diplomacy than conflict.

[A m e n r i a]

Recently the young nation of new cargerea has been under attack by the country of Tasmania, they don’t seem to know that we are the remnants of a fallen country rising from the ashes, my people are getting scared to leave their homes, what should I do as their leader

This type of thread, given a little bit more information, would be right at home here in the International Incidents subforum – that way, other nations can respond to the situation in New Cargarea. If you're asking what you can do, in out-of-character terms, the answer is pretty much anything! Your leader can declare war against Tasmania or seek support from other countries; if you have a clear and coherent opening post, people will usually respond to it.

So I wanna create an RP but I don't know where it goes. I want it to be about nations colonizing (IC AS NATIONS)

Colonial roleplays (whether they're about your nation being colonised, or some sort of mad rush to colonise another country) can usually be found in International Incidents. A good rule of thumb to remember is that the International Incidents subforum is typically used for the not-so-subtle scenarios in international relations: anything ranging from invasions and wars to revolutions and insurrections. Meanwhile, the things you'll find in the NationStates subforum – banquets, balls, state dinners and ambassadorial meetings – tend to be much more focused on debate and diplomacy than conflict.

Or consider International Incidents as external events and NationStates as internal events.

[Diarcesia]

One of the old RPs that I'm in is set in 2020 (i.e. now). I plan to continue where I left off as a factbook entry in my perspective, but almost everyone involved is already CTE'd. This almost surely means that some godmodding will happen for narrative purposes. What are your thoughts on this?