NationStates Jolt Archive

Introduction to NationStates 101
Welcome to NationStates! This forum is the biggest roleplaying forum on the Jolt server, and one of the fastest growing free-form roleplaying sites at this time. Right now, I’m sure you’re thinking… “Where do I start?” Well, this thread is to help you get familiar with NationStates and each of its own sub-forums, as well as the in-game possibilities.

*First things first, check this thread out for Orientation to NationStates, by Kaukolastan.
The NationStates Orientation (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=398818)

That thread will familiarize you with each of the forums in NS, learning the guidelines of RP’ing, as well as what to do to stay out of trouble, and getting involved in your first RP.

One thing I must elaborate on is that the first impression of the introduction to your nation is vital for your reputation. There are specific ways you can go about introducing yourself to others, and depending on the responses you get, it will probably put you into an intro group of RP’ers. For example, if you take the time out to prepare your introduction to the best of your abilities, and impress one of the better RP’ers out there, you may have just found a good RP’ing group from the beginning. There are many groups out there, depending on the way you RP.

Suggestions for Introducing your Nation

A. Create a factbook
If you don’t know what a factbook is, check this thread out to get familiar with it.
How to make a Factbook (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=412728)

Creating a History of your nation is probably one of the most creative things that you can do. You can involve your nation if RL history, or you can just completely make up your own history on a separate planet with different civilizations and such. Just as long as you make things realistic, and detailed (but not to the point of boredom), you are bound to impress others.

Going into detail about your government and the way it works is always a good thing too. After all, when it comes to new nations, it’s always good to stick with someone who has the same beliefs as you, as well as the same political stances. If your nation is a democracy, describe a normal day for your government, such as how they pass laws, how many people are in it, and what nation’s government it can closely relate to.

Another thing you may want to do is to create your own characters profiles to further develop important people in your nation. Your national leader should be one, as well as any other high ranking officers within your nation. If you get into character RP’s, adding a few citizens of your nation would be a good idea as well.

B. Creating a Map of your Nation
In order for others to get a feel on what your nation really looks like, it can be a good idea for you to create a map of your own nation. There are a few different ways of doing so. You could either go into Paint, and just go into detail on that, or you could adapt your nation from a RL territory. If you decide to follow a RL territory, I’d suggest checking out the Earths that have been started. Getting involved in a specific Earth (despite its controversy) is a good way in finding RP cliques.
Collection of All Earths (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=390379)

If you find a specific Earth that you like, and there is a territory that you wish to claim, go for it.

Of course, creating your own nation from nothing can be more satisfying, seeing as you’re creating something out of nothing. Making a custom nations’ geography can be very fun, as there could be a story for each of the nations’ specific regions. It’s all up to you. If you would like to take the time in doing so, then more power to you, but if you’d rather just take the geography of a RL nation, that is an option too.

C. Forming Your Military
If you’re completely unsure as to how you go about forming your own military, feel free to ask others for help. There are more than enough people out there who would gladly go through everything, step by step, as to create the best military that suits you. Understanding the logistics of your military will become vital as you grow more and more familiar with NationStates.

OOC: Help With My Military (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=413797)
From this example, others are giving him helpful suggestions as to how he could improve his military.

D. Reading other RP’s
Yea, I know, you’re probably dying to jump into your first RP, but there are some things that you should probably understand at first. If you read a few RP’s out there, just to get familiar with the critiques of RP’ing, as well as what is liked and disliked, you’ll fare a much better chance at attracting others to your RP’s. Making sure that you recognize the difference between OOC and IC is one of the most important things. OOC means “Out of Character” which is a way for the people behind the nation to discuss future plans for a specific RP without interrupting the story. IC means “In Character” which is strictly for advancing the thread in question, and the characters involved in it.

Finding a specific RP that you are interested in is all up to you and your interests. If you prefer diplomacy, then I suggest you check out this thread:
Coronation, Carnivale, and Chicanery (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=358706)

If you prefer war threads: Dissension of a Weary Core; Steel Butterfly Civil War Part 3 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=334413)

E. Conclusion
You’ve now established yourself as a nation, you’ve created your factbook, your military, and you’ve gotten familiar with a lot of the guidelines that come with RP’ing; but there’s so much more to do! For now though, you have completed Introduction to Nationstates 101. Advance to Intermediate Nationstates 201.

Intermediate NationStates 201

A. Practice War
Now that you have your military set up, with the aid of a few other helpful people, it would be a good idea to put it to use. Of course, this would only be a practice war, and it doesn’t actually have an effect on your nation. That way, you can get familiar with the specifics of RP’ing war.

First things first, create a thread stating your intentions, such as “New Nation Looking For Practice War”, or something along those lines. After finding a nation out there who is willing to RP with you to go over the basics, I’d suggest starting a new thread for it, and creating a good title for it. The title is a major factor in getting people interested in your thread.

You’ll find that a lot of people in NS are very helpful, and that they will go out of their way to make sure you understand everything correctly. Make sure you pick the right person to RP with. If they aren’t flexible, and aren’t willing to explain their actions to you, then they probably aren’t the best person to teach you.

B. Joining Alliances
Finding an alliance that suits your nations’ political stance can be hard, but if you take a look at this thread, you can get familiar with the many alliances that have been created.
List of Alliances (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=275121)

1. Applying for an Alliance
The application for your alliance is extremely important to the first impression of the members of the alliance, and how they perceive you as an RP’er. A good idea is to write up a formal application to the alliance you wish to join. Check this one out:

Our Greetings to the Members of UWP,

As a nation who has been observing the Union of World Powers for a period of time, the government of the Omzian Democratic Republic, being a democratic governmental institution responsible for the 3.8 billion Omzian people in the region of Haven, expresses our strong interest in the Union of World Powers as a collective entity that aims to improve relations and ties among the member nations. Further, having ties of various degrees with some of the member nations of UWP, this has further strengthened and solidified our interest in this organization. Though we had moved towards isolationism at first by resigning from the major military alliance of NATO, the UWP has caught our attention nevertheless as a responsible yet stable union of the powers around the world.

Thus, in hopes of gaining a stronger influence yet maintaining our neutrality in world conflicts, the Omzian Democratic Republic officially submits our proposal to join the UWP and become a member of this organization, with the intents to build new relations with some of the members of UWP; solidify our current relations with other UWP members; secure a stronger influence as a possible member of a prestigious organization; seek the maintenance of economic stability, political strength, and security as a possible member of this organization; and finally, to be able to contribute in economic, political, and military terms alobng with other world powers as a possible member of this alliance.

Because of these factors, among other smaller and less significant factors, we officially submit our application to seek for a possible membership of the UWP.

Regards,

His Honourable Presidental Excellency, President Vansare,
Omzian Democratic Republic

(MP) Janue Kolen,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Omzian Democratic Republic

(MP) Yaren Noran,
Ministry of Commerce,
Omzian Democratic Republic

(MP) Lt. Gen. (Retired) Novan Hagras,
Ministry of National Defence,
Omzian Democratic Republic
This is Omz222’s application to the Union of World Powers. As you can see, he states the reasons why he wants to join the Alliance, and the benefits for both Omz222 and the UWP for admitting the nation into the alliance. He ends it with the signatures of multiple high ranking officials within his own nation.

2. Ramifications of Joining an Alliance
Remember, if you decide to join an alliance with one specific goal in mind, such as advancing Capitalism, you’re going to find Communist nations, and those who dislike Capitalist nations will have a general dislike for the Alliance as well. This is the beginning of tensions between your nation and others. Tension isn’t necessarily a bad thing though. Sometimes, through tensions, two nations emerge as friends, in the event that a compromise is reached.

3. The Many Alliances of NationStates

ESUS ~ Extra-Solar Union of Systems; Indra Prime; active; Primary Purpose: To unite the powers of the universe in a great alliance of the stars. Provides an ironclad set of agreements between the member nations ranging from Free Trade Agreements, to Military Wartime pacts.

ESUS is probably the most influential future tech alliance out there. If you are looking to go FT, I'd at least gain information of ESUS, and see if it is interesting enough to join.

GDODAD: This alliance is fairly inactive, but caused much trouble back in the day.

For a beginning nation, GDODAD probably wouldn't be the best alliance to join. I'd get to learn a little about their past before doing anything of the sort.

NATO ~ North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Celack, Automagfreek, and Sigma Octavus; active

Despite it's inactivity in the forums, NATO is well and alive. The alliance is very selective of its members, but is worth checking out.

NDA ~ Non-Democratic Alliance; Dominion of the Dread Lady Nathicana, Iraqstan, Treznor; active; We denounce the hostile aggression of warmongering dictatorships and the hypocrisy inherent in tyrannical democracies. We band together for mutual protection against other warmongers and those democratic states who would badmouth our choice of government.

The NDA is another alliance that is difficult to get into. This alliance of for those that have been around NationStates for over a year, and have established themselves.

RWC ~ Right Wing Collective; Guffingford; active. The RWC was the counter to NATO. These two have headed down the path of war multiple times. Both the RWC and NATO have becoming more private of their issues, and aren't heard of very often.

TAPRES ~ The Alliance of Pure Research and Engineering States; Schultaria Prime, Lindim, and Nova Hope; active; A collection of nations who value the concept of pure scientific research and development for the purpose of improving the livelihood of all nations. Also serves as a place where nations can exchange demographic information, ask for suggestions on improving specific technologies, copyright various state secrets, and provide charitable assistance to nations who request civilian support.

TAPRES was just recently revived by Schultaria Prime in the effort to improve the planet through creating superior technology.

ToY ~ Triumvirate of Yut; Scolopendra, Berserker, and Karmabaijan; active

ToY is probably one of the most influential alliances in all of NationStates. It is definitely the most selective alliance out there (You have to be sponsored by someone from within the alliance to even have a chance at getting in).

UWP ~ Union of World Powers; Euroslavia; active; It is the purpose of the Union of World Powers to improve and maintain trade and security, both political and economic, among member nations.

UWP is an alliance dedicated to the protection of free trade and the security of its own members. This alliance is fairly selective; there is an RP test you must pass to get in.

Advanced NationStates 301

A. Putting your nation on the International Scene
Now that you’ve established yourself as a honorary member of the NS community, it’s time to get your beliefs recognized. If you see something happening in another nation, such as a genocide, or an atrocity of some sort, make it known that you are opposed to it. Stand firm in the belief that you can make a change in the international community, and you will gain respect for it.

B. Forming a Superior Strategy
There are many guides out there to help you get familiar with strategies of war. Check these links out to learn new ways at out-thinking an opponent in your next war!
Collection of Military Guides/Strategies (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=403383)

C. Future Tech?
Becoming a future tech nation is always a tough decision to make, but it is strongly recommended that you play out the modern tech nation for a good amount of time, to build up your knowledge of NS. After all, what nation in modern times has started out on a different planet without having modern space capabilities? None. Choosing to RP both as a Modern Tech nation and a Future Tech nation can become confusing, and is recommended only for those who understand the basics of both FT and MT.

D. Diplomacy
After establishing yourself as a regular, and decent RP'er in II, diplomacy becomes key to your nations survival. The way that your leader conveys themself is one of the most important things for your nation. For example, hosting conferences with other nations is a good way to get to know nations that you haven't interacted with; however, the relationship between both nations depends on how the two interact with each other. Using skillful diplomacy is more powerful than all of your military combined. After all, a mistake in diplomacy can lead to the end of relations between two best friends. Make sure that, when having a conference with other foreign diplomats, that you have some sort of knowledge about the country you are meeting with. Showing this upon conversation with their leader will no doubt impress them, and improve their outlook upon you and your nation.

There are many ways to manipulate other nations through diplomacy without making it look as if you are pulling the strings. That is one of the secrets of diplomacy that you must find on your own. Influencing other nations to do what you think is right, without them questioning your requests is a sign that you obviously have a great influence over said nation. One of the main nations in II that can do so is Automagfreek. Damien can simply request an ally of his own to perform a specific task, and there would be no question about it. Many nations have other 'allies' that would be willing to do the same thing.

Different Definitions of Governments

Capitalism:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitalism#Notes
http://www.capitalism.org/
1. A socio-economic system characterized by private initiative and the private ownership of factors of production. In such a system individuals have the right to own and use wealth to earn income and to sell and purchase labor for wages. Furthermore, capitalism is predicated on a relative absence of governmental control of the economy. The function of regulating the economy is achieved largely through the operation of market forces, whereby the price mechanism acts as a signalling system which determines the allocation of resources and their uses. www.indiana.edu/~ipe/glossry.html
2. An economic system based on a free market, open competition, profit motive and private ownership of the means of production. The market determines the type, quantity, and price of goods. The government is to avoid interfering in the economy. The United States has a capitalistic system. members.tripod.com/~tutor_me/book/glossary.htm
3. a system of production of goods and services for market exchange in order to make a profit. In a capitalist system of production the means of production are owned privately, by the capitalist class (bourgeoisie). The working class (proletariat) sells their labour power to the owners of the means of production. Capitalism thus represents both an economic and a social system based on different social classes. www.trentu.ca/ids/glossary.html

Socialism/Marxism:
http://www.newyouth.com/archives/theory/what_is_marxism.asp
1. An economic and political system in which private property is abolished and the means of production (i.e., capital and land) are collectively owned and operated by the community as a whole in order to advance the interests of all. In Marxist ideology, socialism is considered an intermediate stage in the inevitable transformation of capitalism into communism. A socialist society is envisioned as being characterized by the dictatorship of the proletariat; the existence of a high degree of cooperation and equality; and the absence of discrimination, poverty, exploitation, and war. With the non-existence of private ownership, the private profit motive is eliminated from economic life. Consequently, market forces do not play a role in organizing the process of production. Instead, large-scale government planning is employed to ensure the harmonious operation of the process of production. www.indiana.edu/~ipe/glossry.html
2. A term covering many belief systems that oppose the concentration of wealth and power that is a natural part of capitalism. Whereas capitalists emphasize freedom for the individual to possess private property, socialists emphasize the well-being of the community. They strive to achieve this through many methods, including public ownership, regulation, and state-sponsored social programs. Socialism has taken on many different forms throughout the world, with varying degrees of success. Some socialists favor a gradual move away from unrestricted capitalism and the maintenance of a democratic society; others favor force to overthrow capitalism and distribute wealth. www.heritage.nf.ca/confederation/glossary.html

Communism:
1. Ideology centered on eliminating class inequality via collective ownership of means of production; form of one-party government controlling economy and society in name of such ideology. Rooted in work of Karl Marx and other nineteenth-century critics of industrial capitalism. After heyday in mid-twentieth century, influence declined with demise of Soviet Union and other Communist regimes (1989-91). www.emory.edu/SOC/globalization/glossary.html
2. a totalitarian system of government in which a single authoritarian party controls state-owned means of production with the professed aim of establishing a stateless society. www.imuna.org/manual/app_a.html
3. An economic system in which the means of production are owned and operated for the public by the government. The government determines the type, quantity, and price of goods produced. Communism promises to provide for everyone's needs and to have no social classes. Ideally government would not be necessary. members.tripod.com/~tutor_me/book/glossary.htm

Monarchy:
1. an autocracy governed by a monarch who usually inherits the authority
www.cogsci.princeton.edu/cgi-bin/webwn
2. In the U.K the Monarchy is represented by the Queen. She does not make any major decisions although the Queen is required to agree Acts of Parliament before they become law. The Queen is head of the church of England. The Monarchy used to run the country but now we live in a Democracy and can vote for who we want to be in charge (govern)
www.citizenz.org/public_html/topics/A-c_action/c_action-terms.html
3. A political system in which power resides in one person or family and is passed from generation to generation through lines of inheritance.
www.sociologyessentials-2nded.nelson.com/glossary4.html

Constitutional Monarchy
1. a system of government which includes both a monarch (King or Queen) and an elected legislature. Macronational examples include Great Britain and Holland.
www.geocities.com/morovianinfo/introgloss.htm
2. system of government in which there is a king or queen, but actual power rests in a legislature.
web.isp.cz/jcrane/Glossary.html
3. a country which has a monarch, whose powers are limited by a constitution
www.aph.gov.au/find/glossary.htm

Theocracy: (not necessarily the same thing as Fundamentalist)
1. –– literally "the rule of God," however this is thought to be expressed (e.g., by His revealed principles, by His chosen leaders, by Himself in the person of the Son, etc.); the word is variously used by writers for different intended conceptions, some using it as a code word for uniqueness of Old Testament Israel, others using it for any social system where the church rules the state (or is not separated from it), and still others for a civil government which strives to submit to the socio-political standing laws revealed by God (in Old or New Testaments)
reformed-theology.org/html/dictiona.htm

2. Theocracy is derived from the two Greek words Qeo/j(Theos) meaning "God" and kra/tein (cratein) meaning "to rule." Theocracy is the civil rule of God. The government of the people of Israel until the inauguration of Saul is termed a theocracy.
www.two-age.org/glossary.htm

3. -a political unit governed by a deity (or by officials thought to be divinely guided)
-the belief in government by divine guidance
www.cogsci.princeton.edu/cgi-bin/webwn

Dictatorship:
1. a system of government in which one person has absolute authority, including complete domination of the citizens’ lives; the most basic of citizens’ rights are taken away in order to guarantee the leader’s hold on power
highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0809222299/student_view0/glossary.html
2. a form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.)
www.cogsci.princeton.edu/cgi-bin/webwn
3. A system of government in which the power is with the elite and the rights of the citizens are not guaranteed.
www.cbe.ab.ca/b836/curriculum/social/socialgloss.html

Triumvirate:
1. The term triumvirate (Latin for "rule by three men") or troika in Russian, is commonly used to describe an alliance between three equally powerful political or military leaders. These alliances seldom hold very long. The term can also be used to describe a state with three different military leaders who all declare to be the sole leader of the state.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triumvirate
2. Any member of a three person body (a triumvirate) was known as a triumvir. These groups were formed for any number of reasons. The most important triumvirate of note was the one formed by Mark Antony, Octavian, and Aemilius Lepidus. Lepidus was a commander under Caesar, but he vanishes from the story. This triumvirate was first formed in 43 BC, and was legally sanctioned by the Senate. Another ruling triumvirate had existed before, in 60 BC, which included Caesar, Pompey, and Marcus Crassus. However, this previous triumvirate was not sanctioned.
www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~frankwu/lac61vocab.html
3. a group of three men responsible for public administration or civil authority.
www.cogsci.princeton.edu/cgi-bin/webwn

Anarchy:
1. a state of lawlessness and disorder (usually resulting from a failure of government)
www.cogsci.princeton.edu/cgi-bin/webwn
2. The condition of having no central or dominant authority. Often used to characterize the world order where no one government or state or institution (e.g., the UN) rules.
www.bothell.washington.edu/faculty/bkochis/bls362/glossary.htm
3. Lawlessness; condition of no government or ruling power. S. 548.
https://www.mises.org/easier/A.asp

Fundamentalist:
1. Worldview or movement centered on restoring religious tradition or sacred text as guiding force in society, usually in opposition to ideas or practices considered modern. Term originates with American Protestant conservatives in early twentieth century; since used for type of evangelicalism. Commonly applied to efforts of Islamist groups or regimes favoring conservative morality and strict application of Islamic law. Appeal partly attributed to dislocations due to globalization; in turn influences global debate about process. Exemplified by policies of Islamic Republic of Iran (1979-).
www.emory.edu/SOC/globalization/glossary.html
2. Conservative religious authoritarianism in all faiths. It is marked by a literal interpretation of scriptures and favors a strict adherence to traditional doctrines and practices.
www.knowconflict.com/Impact_of_Terrorv110/glossary.html
3. Religious traditionalism and values incorporated into secular political activities.
highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072828048/student_view0/glossary.html

Oligarchy:
1. a political system governed by a few people
www.cogsci.princeton.edu/cgi-bin/webwn
2. the ruling class. Usually a small group of wealthy individuals.
oregonstate.edu/dept/anthropology/glossary2.htm
3. – a government controlled by a small group to serve their own purposes.
www.whitehall.k12.mi.us/curriculum/socialstudies/glossaryofterms.htm
Fascism:
1. An extreme form of nationalism that played on fears of communism and rejected individual freedom, liberal individualism, democracy, and limitations on the state.
www.nelson.com/nelson/polisci/glossary.html
2. centralized authority regimenting commerce and people; citizens are allowed to hold a piece of paper (land title, business license, central bank note, birth certificate) fooling them into thinking they have property ownership, then the "owners" are heavily regulated and taxed.
www.stormy.org/defin.htm
3. Political philosophy that became predominant in Italy and then Germany during the 1920s and 1930s; attacked weakness of democracy, corruption of capitalism; promised vigorous foreign and military programs; undertook state control of economy to reduce social friction. (p. 870)
occawlonline.pearsoned.com/bookbind/pubbooks/stearns_awl/medialib/glossary/gloss_F.html

Technocracy:
1. a form of government in which scientists and technical experts are in control. www.cogsci.princeton.edu/cgi-bin/webwn

More Detailed Descriptions
Now includes NS nations under each category.

DEMOCRACIES:
Multiparty Democracy
The first question that most people ask about a government is whether it's democratic -- that is, whether its leaders are chosen by means of fair, competitive elections, and whether its citizens are allowed basic civil rights. Therefore, my very first cut divides the world into democratic and non-democratic nations. As far as this category is concerned, it doesn't matter whether the ultimate head of state is a monarch or president as long as the day-to-day policy decisions are in the hands of elected representatives.
FAQ: These aren't "democracies"; they're "republics". By strict high school government class definition, the citizens of a "democracy" exercise power directly, whereas the citizens of a "republic" delegate power to elected representatives. This, of course, is easily the stupidest thing that we were taught in high school. They've taken a perfectly fine word like democracy and defined it so narrowly that it applies to absolutely no working government whatsoever. All they've left us is the word republic, which they've defined so broadly that it encompasses such diverse nations as the US, France, China and Iran -- and yet is still too narrow to include constitutional monarchies like Japan and Sweden. In any case, since there is no mandatory authority on the meaning of English words, I've chosen to use the common meaning of democracy: any government which derives it's power through the consent of the governed, regardless of how that power is structured.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES: Some scholars prefer calling these governments "polyarchic" or "parliamentary". The first term, however, isn't even in the dictionary, while the second term implies that the English legislature is the archetype -- which is a bit ironic considering that the English parliament was generally opposed to the liberal revolutions in American and France. If we're going to label these governments after some specific legislature, lets call them Congressional or Assemblytarian or somesuch.

Limited Democracy
These are governments which come close to being full democracies, but they fall short in one critical field. For my purposes, it doesn't really matter how they fall short. It usually varies from country to country. Some have freely elected legislatures subject to the veto power of a military junta, a monarch or a strong president . Others are provisional governments run by coalitions pending new elections. Many are fully tolerant democracies which disenfranchise a substantial percentage of their adult population -- especially women early in the century.

Republic
Originally, any form of government not headed by an hereditary monarch. In modern American usage, the term usually refers more specifically to a form of government (a.k.a. "representative democracy") in which ultimate political power is theoretically vested in the people but in which popular control is exercised only intermittently and indirectly through the popular election of government officials and/or delegates to a legislative assembly rather than directly through frequent mass assemblies or legislation by referendum.

COMMUNIST STATES
The economy of these nations is centrally planned and operated by fiat. All industry is owned by the state. Power is monopolized by a centrally organized party which supports its legitimacy by quoting Marxist dogma.
FAQ: Communism is not the opposite of democracy. The proper dichotomy is communism vs. capitalism. Yes, technically, Communism is an economic system rather than a political system, but we just can't escape the fact that the 20th Century has seen this big block of countries that have had a lot in common with one another and less in common with the rest of the world. In fact, this block has been one of the century's most distinctive cluster of countries, so it seems rather evasive to not set up a category to cover them.
FAQ: These countries are not at all what Marx envisioned, so they aren't really Communist. Maybe not, but a lot of what passes for Christianity nowadays has nothing to do with the teachings of Jesus, and a lot of what passes for constitutional has nothing to do with Madison. Ideologies evolve, and I'd call any government Communist if it supports its arguments by quoting chapter and verse from Marx (just as I'd call any government Christian if it supports its arguments by quoting the Bible) regardless of whether they quote correctly.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES: Some scholars prefer to call them "socialist republics" or "people's republics", but the first alternative can sully the good name of real socialists, while the second is just silly.

AUTHORITARIAN REGIMES
These are regimes which severely limit who may participate in politics and stifle dissent with varying degrees of brutality. I've split these into three distinct categories, but they have so many similarities that I've used similar colors to indicate them.
Military Junta
-The regime came into power through force of arms, and policies are set by one or more career military officers.
Single Party State
-Power is restricted to a single faction with a unified goal.

Autocracy
-A single leader rules by decree.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES: dictatorship, despotism, tyranny

TRADITIONAL MONARCHY
The state is considered the private estate of a single family. It is ruled at the discretion of the monarch and passed down from father to son, from mother to daughter, or just to the first heir, throughout eternity.
NOTE: Often the monarch himself is not the real ruler. Instead, power may be in the hands of courtiers, ministers, regents and chamberlains, and allocated by means of palace intrigues. This sometime makes it difficult to decide whether a nation with a personally weak (but legally strong) monarch -- like, say, Willhelmine Germany or Imperial Japan -- is an absolute monarchy or junta or limited democracy or what.
FAQ: Monarchy is not the opposite of democracy. The proper dichotomy is monarchy vs. republic. In my system of classification, the first cut is between democratic and non-democratic, but many political scientists would make the first cut between monarchy and republic, and then make a four-fold cut into democratic and non-democratic monarchies, democratic and non-democratic republics. While this might have been the best way to classify governments in the 19th Century -- when all the monarchs of Europe were cousins who tended to stick together, and republics were an aberration -- it would be a bit anachronistic to retain this system much past the First World War. Nowadays the monarchies are the aberration, and democracies tend to stick together.

Elected Monarchy
An elective monarchy is a monarchy whose reigning king or queen is elected in some form.
Currently, the world's only truly "elective monarchies" are Vatican City, where the Pope is elected to a life term by (and usually from) the College of Cardinals, and the Kingdom of Cambodia, in which kings are chosen for a life term by The Royal Council of the Throne from candidates of royal blood. Some may argue that the remaining communist regimes are also "elective monarchies", as successors are often chosen within the communist party. In North Korea, Kim Jong Il succeeded his father Kim Il Sung as leader. These regimes, though they possess many features of absolutism, are not officially proclaimed as monarchies.

UNCLASSIFIED
There are three categories for regimes which don't really have a classifiable government:
-No Self-Government
-The region is under the authority of an alien and geographically detached nation.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES: colonies, dependencies.
-No Government
Because of widespread civil war, the authority of the central government does not reach throughout the nation. Policy decisions are determined by firepower.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES: anarchy, feudalism, tribalism.

Governments in Separate Categories Themselves

Constitutional Monarchy
Classical political theory would divide the world something like this:
Rule of Law Rule by Whim
Monarchy Constitutional Monarchy Absolute Monarchy
Republic Democratic Republic Tyrant

This classification scheme was probably at its most valid between the American and Russian Revolutions, 1776-1917. Before that period, there were too few republics and constitutions to bother with, but after that period, monarchies went into precipitous decline. Also, during much of the twentieth century, a single category of tyranny is just too restrictive, ignoring as it does the way that oppressive republican governments exploded into a rich variety of fascists, communists, juntas, kleptocrats and sharia theocracies.

Totalitarianism
During the heyday of the Communist menace, 1917-1991, political theory tended to divide governments this way:

In American political discourse of that era, it was generally agree that, yes, free market democracy was good and totalitarianism was bad, but the middle ground was not nearly as clear. The debate over which regimes were the second greatest threat to civilization seemed to snag on the importance of property rights. The right wing - the "haves" - considered both types of rights to be equal, bringing socialism and authoritarianism into moral equilibrium. Thus, a case like Chile, where a dictator overthrew a socialist in 1973, was seen as a lateral move rather than a step backward. On the other hand, the left wing -- the "have-nots" -- judged regimes more purely on personal rights, which meant that socialism was morally equal to democracy, and the difference between totalitarian and authoritarian dictators was negligible. Therefore, supporting capitalist dictators like Batista, Somoza and Thiêu as the antidote to communist rebels like Castro, Ortega and Ho made no moral sense whatsoever.

In any case, it has always struck me as rather artificial to bundle Communism and Fascism into a single category called "Totalitarianism" -- rather like bundling birds and bats into the category of "flying creatures". Despite a few superficial similarities, they have very different origins, histories, structures and goals. I have chosen to map communism as distinctly different from fascism.

Fascism
• Pure fascism is rather rare. In fact, many scholars would call only Mussolini, Hitler and a few of their contemporary satellites fascist. In this case, it seems rather pointless to set up a whole category for a narrow subset of autocratic regimes which existed in a handful of countries for less than a single generation.
• On the other hand, metaphorical fascism is quite common -- so common, in fact, that I've heard just about every regime in history denounced as "fascist" at one time or another. In this case, it's almost meaningless.

Technocracy
Put simply, Technocracy is a form of government unlike any other. It is so different, in fact, that even comparing it to other forms of government we know of today is difficult. People often have many misconceptions about Technocracy and for many reasons.

First of all, whereas all other forms of government have their roots in political ideology, philosophy, and opinion, Technocracy has its roots in science. It is, in fact, more of a technology than a political idea (more on this here). It was developed by scientists, engineers, and other specialists seeking to understand the role of high-energy technology in our society (such as electrical generators, large earth movers, manufacturing plants, and fast, motorized transportation). This study, which encompassed over 10 years, divulged important information about how technology was affecting our society, and where these trends would take us. In short form, their conclusions were as follows:

The first is that there exists on the North American Continent a physical potential in resources to produce a high standard of goods and services for all citizens, and that the high-speed technology for converting these resources to use-forms in sufficient volume is already installed, and that the skilled personnel for operating it are present and available. Yet we have unprecedented insecurity, extensive poverty and rampant crime.

The second conclusion of Technocracy is that our current economic and political model, (called the Price System) can no longer function adequately as a method of production and distribution of goods. The invention of power machinery has made it possible to produce a plethora of goods with a relatively small amount of human labor. As machines displace men and women, however, purchasing power is destroyed, for if people cannot work for wages and salaries, they cannot buy goods. We find ourselves, then, in this paradoxical situation: the more we produce, the less we are able to consume. (more on this here)

The final basic conclusion is that a new distributive system must be instituted that is designed to satisfy the special needs of an environment of technological adequacy, and that this system must not in any way be associated with the extent of an individual's functional contribution to society.

The upshot of all this is that the scarcity model of the Price System worked well when there existed a natural scarcity. However, now that technology and rich natural resources have eliminated scarcity, an entirely new economic model is required. We have changed our methods of production from an argrarian model to a technological one, thus we must also change our method of distribution from an agrarian model to a technological one.

So what are the attributes of a Technocratic society?
There are many, but a few can be summarized here:

-A thoroughly scientific method of control of the technology of our continent.
-Democratic controls for all non-technical issues and decisions.
-Removal of methods of scarcity such as money, debt, value, and interest.
-Replacement of these methods with an empirical accounting of all physical resources, products, and services (called Energy Accounting).
-Productive capacity many orders of magnitude higher than currently possible, without requiring any new equipment.
-Decrease in human labor required to produce these amounts through proper use of automation.
-Higher standard of living for ALL citizens in terms of income, housing, health care, education, and leisure.
-Elimination or vast reduction of various social ills, such as poverty, crime, pollution, insecurity, and disease.

Theocracy
Theocracy, derived from two Greek words meaning "rule by the deity," is the name given to political regimes that claim to represent the Divine on earth both directly and immediately. The idea of direct and immediate representation is important for two reasons.

First, most governments throughout history and across cultures have claimed to be following their gods' designs or to be legitimated by a divine mandate. An example is the notion that kings rule by divine right. (This theory, which had been important in European politics in the sixteenth century, lost ground after the "Glorious Revolution" in England in 1688.) But governments in which the ruling and the priestly roles are separate are not considered to be theocracies. Second, the divine mandate must be interpreted by human beings in specific political contexts, such as wars or floods or famines. In theocracies the interpreters--who explain what these events mean--are the rulers. A number of ancient civilizations worshipped their kings as gods on earth, so the problem of interpretation was somewhat different. By definition, the king could not be wrong.

In theory, there is no reason why a theocracy and a democratic form of government are incompatible--vox populi, vox dei ("the voice of the people is the voice of God")--but historically those nations regarded as theocracies have been ruled by a theologically trained elite. This may be a council of clerics, or a charismatic leader may claim a special call from God and gain office by force of arms. The office might later become hereditary. The primary effort of government in a theocracy is to implement and enforce divine laws.

Juris Naturialism
The belief that there is a natural law that determines that results of human conduct and this law is higher than any government’s law. [Also, the belief in Higher Law – God]

Real Life Economies

What does the Economy mean?
Economics is not a word that many kids understand. To put it simply, economics is the study of how goods and services get produced (made) and how they are divided up and given to people. By goods and services, economists mean anything that can be bought and sold. Economists study how the things people need and want are made and brought to them. They also study how people and countries choose the things they buy from the many things they want. Economists also study the economic relations between nations.
Countries depend on other nations for good and services. Economists study these relationships. They look for ways to increase trade and help poor countries improve their economic condition. Nations trade with each other because no nation has all the things it needs for its population. Nations are afraid to produce only the things they can naturally produce well. This is because they do not want to be dependent on other countries in case of war with the other countries. Then trade would be cut off.

Nations restrict trade through tariffs and quotas. Tariffs are taxes placed on goods one nation trades with another. Quotas are limits put on the number of items allowed into a country. Some nations engage in free trade. Free trade is trade with no taxes or tariffs.

Trade within a country is only with one type of money, but if you trade with other countries, you will have to use different types of money. When this happens, businesses use an international banking system to exchange the money. If you are paid in foreign money, it is called a foreign bill of exchange. You then have to take the money to a bank or money exchange dealer and convert the money into what you need.
Until the 1970's, countries decided what their money was worth. Countries would lower the value of their money to increase foreign sales. In the early 1970's, some nations adopted a system called a floating exchange. Under this system, a nation's money value is based on demand for it.

Nations keep records of their financial dealings with other countries. If a country pays out more money than it receives, it has a deficit. If it receives more than it spends, it has a surplus. The United States suffers from huge trade deficits today because it has been unable to sell as much as it needs to buy abroad.
Three fourths of the world's population live in developing countries. Africa, Asia and Latin America have some of the worst areas of poverty. Developing countries are poor, and the people barely have enough to eat. Many live in shacks and have very few possessions. They are usually farmers but do not have good equipment for farming. People in these countries lack many of the resources needed for a comfortable life. They generally use what they have just to survive.
Wealthier nations give to poor countries to help them improve their economies. For example, the United States gives billions of dollars to needy nations in the form of loans and gifts. They also offer technical assistance to help train and educate other people. Some nations have experienced fast economic growth through their own efforts. The economies of Brazil, South Korea, Mexico and Singapore are some of the fastest growing economies in the world.

GDP
GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is defined as the total value of all goods and services produced within that territory during a specified period (most commonly, per year). GDP differs from gross national product in excluding inter-country income transfers, in effect attributing to a territory the product generated within it rather than the incomes received in it.

Whereas nominal GDP refers to the total amount of money spent on GDP, real GDP refers to an effort to correct this number for the effects of inflation in order to estimate the sum of the actual quantity of goods and services making up GDP. The former is sometimes called "money GDP," while the latter is termed "constant-price" or "inflation-corrected" GDP -- or "GDP in base-year prices" (where the base year is chosen arbitrarily). See real vs. nominal in economics.

A common equation for GDP is:

GDP = consumption + investment + exports - imports

Economists will give a more complete definition of GDP to be a sum of four very important parts:

GDP = consumption + investment + government + net exports
(or simply GDP = C + I + G + NX)

where net exports = gross exports - gross imports

It is important to understand the meaning of each part:

C is consumption (or Consumer expenditures) in the economy.
I is defined as business investments in infrastructure. This is not to be confused with speculative investment in stock and bond markets.
G is the sum of all government expenditures. The relationship of this to that of GDP as a whole describes the theory of crowding out.
NX is the sum "net exports" in the economy (exports - imports).


Aggregate expenditures are calculated in a similar way, although the aggregate expenditures formula does not account for unplanned investment (left over inventory at the end of the reporting cycle) and is more commonly used by economic theorists.

List of countries by GDP (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_%28nominal%29)

GNP
Gross National Product (GNP) is the total value of final goods and services produced in a year by domestically owned factors of production.

Final goods are goods that are ultimately consumed rather than used in the production of another good. For example, a car sold to a consumer is a final good; the components such as tires sold to the car manufacturer are not; they are intermediate goods used to make the final good. The same tires, if sold to a consumer, would be a final good. Only final goods are included when measuring national income. If intermediate goods were included too, this would lead to double counting; for example, the value of the tires would be counted once when they are sold to the car manufacturer, and again when the car is sold to the consumer.

Only newly produced goods are counted. Transactions in existing goods, such as second-hand cars, are not included, as these do not involve the production of new goods.

Income is counted as part of GNP according to who owns the factors of production rather than where the production takes place. For example, in the case of a German-owned car factory operating in the US, the profits from the factory would be counted as part of German GNP rather than US GNP because the capital used in production (the factory, machinery, etc.) is German owned. The wages of the American workers would be part of US GNP, while the wages of any German workers on the site would be part of German GNP.

Types of World Economies

There are many different kinds of economies around the world, but they all fall into two basic categories. One category is the command economy which is also called central planning. It has strong government control. The other type is the free market economy which is also called capitalism. In this type of economy, there is very little government control. Currently, all real economies combine parts of capitalism with those of central planning. Each country around the world differs from one another in the amount they use the two systems. For example, the United States and Canada have economic systems that use very little government control so they are usually described as capitalistic.

Command economies have strong government control. So if you wanted to start your own business, you would have to get permission from the government. In a command economy, the government owns most of the industries and companies. One type of command economy is communism. True communism is a type of economic system that doesn't allow ownership of private property. Most of the command economies that existed in the world had strong central governments. These governments dictated how much was made and what was made by industry. The communists believed that life is a class struggle between workers and the owners of a industry or factory. In a communistic economy, goods were distributed on an as-needed-basis. In the command economy, the government makes the decisions as to what goods to supply to the people. The Soviet Union was an example of a communistic command economy. Many people think China is still a communist country. But they, and other countries like them, have given control over some of their economic activities back to the people.

The other basic type of economy is the free market or capitalistic economy. It is an economy that has very little government control. So if you wanted to start your own business, you would not have to get permission from the government. In a free market economy, the consumer decides what they want to buy. A consumer is a customer. The law of supply and demand is what drives the free market economy. Supply and demand is what sets the prices of goods and services in the free market economy. As supply goes up the prices go down. When the demand goes up the prices go up. Due to low government control, people are free to spend their money the way they want to. People can take the risk of starting their own business and losing money or starting their own business and making lots of money. People like James Ford Bell and Will Kellogg took risks in starting their own breakfast cereal businesses. Some examples of countries with a free market economy are The United States of America, Germany, and England.

In the world today free market economies have social programs such as the Social Security System in The United States. Command economies like China are introducing free market economies into their economy. With the information age upon us, only time will tell where the world economies are headed.

Marxist Economy Description
http://william-king.www.drexel.edu/top/prin/txt/marx/marx0.html
http://catalogue.bized.ac.uk/roads/marxec.html
http://www.marxism.org.uk/pack/economics.html
http://vlc.knowledgecollegetutors.com/eco1.htm

Capitalist Economy Description
http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/edumat/sustecon/others/capitalist.htm
http://encyclopedia.laborlawtalk.com/capitalist_economy
http://economics.about.com/od/outlineoftheuseconomy/

NS Nations!

Democracy/Republic
Fradustanis
Island of Rose, The
Pacitalia
Sarzonia
Space Union
Tekania (Constitutional Republic)


Communism/Socialist (I do realize these two are different, but there are some people out there who won't be able to differentiate their own nation between the two.)
Hallad

Monarchy/Constitutional Monarchy
Hamptonshire
Isselmere-Nieland
Praetonia
Random Kingdom

Dictatorship
Euroslavia
Iuthia
Roach-Busters

Triumvirate
Enn

Authoritarian
Aust
Layarteb
Neo Earth
Zarbia (military junta)


National Socialism
Guffingford

Oligarchy
Samtonia
Transylvania, The

Technocracy
Sharina
Zarax

Collection of Military Guides/Strategies

Army
Some things you should know about tanks by CSJ
http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=288671
Again, there are things that everyone should know about tanks and exactly how they run. It describes the armor, weapons, special features, and the future of tanks.

Navy
The Officially Big NationStates Ship Comparison Chart™ by Knootoss
http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=395472
The many ships of NS! Check this thread out to compare and contrast, and choose which one you like better!

Some info on naval vessels by CSJ
http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=292413
Very detailed description of speed, conventional vs. nuclear, displacement, battleships in modern times, and extra links to other sites for information.

Naval Landings
http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=367974
The Island of Rose composed a grand thread, showing nations how a naval landing should work.

The Ten Basic Rules Of Naval And Ship Design Roleplay
http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=402365
Very detailed rules of things you should be aware of when RP'ing or designing ships. Created by The Freethinkers.

A Joint Treatise on Naval Strategy
http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=412713
Very good thread about the importance of ones' navy, and facts about each aspect of it.

Air Force
Things you should know about aircraft by CSJ
http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=322078
There are certain things that everyone should know about aircraft, and exactly how they work. Check this out if you plan on having some good air force battles.

Modern Military in General
Economy, Militaries, and Invasions - More things to know by CSJ
http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=297064
CSJ put together quite a guide for everyone about your nations economy, the titles, and what they mean, and what you should know about the military and invasions. Check it out, it's very well written!

Some info on military equipment pricing
http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=287768
If you're looking to open a storefront, check this thread out to get familiar with how much everything usually goes for.

What Logistics Is… by The Evil Overlord
http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=275828
Looks at the realistic way of things when it comes to your military and war. Very good read for those of you who want to get involved in a lot of wars, or for those of you who don't know much about the military.

Logistics: War and Peace
http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=393153
Here is another logistics thread called, "Logistics: War and Peace". It basically gives you an idea on what exactly you need to pay attention to when it comes to supplying troops, supporting them (food, clothing, and the bare necessities), along with what percentage of troops from your population that you should have.

How To Defeat a Numerically Superior Enemy
http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=398617
Here's another thread by The Macabees, on how to defeat a numerically superior enemy. Remember, a war isn't determined by who has the higher population. The Macabees' goes into a lot of detail on how to defeat such an enemy.

A Quick and Nasty Guide to Fighting in Built-Up Areas by Isselmere
http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=403397
This thread gets you familiar with the advantages/disadvantages at fighting in built-up areas, and gives you a good strategy for doing so.


Spacetech- Orbital Mechanics by The Evil Overlord
http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=278778
Descriptive piece by TEO about satellites, how to shoot them down, the planets orbit, and launching out of Earth's orbit, into space.


Future Tech Military
Santa Barbara's Great Big Guide to Designing Spaceships
http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=307499
In ten easy steps, you too can learn how to make a spaceship! Check it out!

Modern Earth Claims
1. RL Nation Claims (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=288779)

Author: Chellis
The original Earth claims thread is this one, created by Chellis, as you can tell by the thread number, it pre-dates all the other ones by almost 100,000 threads. A lot of people recognize this as the original and only earth.

2. RL Nation Claims (continued from HP's version) (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=371675)

Author: Independent Hitmen
This version was continued on after Holy Panooly’s Earth Claims thread, after he took a break from NS. Most of it is similar to Chellis’ Claims thread, however, there is still a lot of dispute between which one is more valid. That’s for you to decide.

Earth Maps
Africa (http://onfinite.com/libraries/186737/0d4.jpg)
North America (http://onfinite.com/libraries/186743/b98.jpg)
South America (http://onfinite.com/libraries/186742/844.jpg)
Asia (http://onfinite.com/libraries/186738/41a.jpg)
Australia and Oceania (http://onfinite.com/libraries/186739/df8.jpg)

Europe
http://onfinite.com/libraries/186739/df8.jpg


3. Earth 2- Revitalization (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=373378)


Author: Layarteb
Earth 2 was originally created by Yerffej, on the basis that Earth 1 was taken by all the nations with the earliest creation dates, and it gave other people a chance at owning what they wanted. It also introduced the ‘mirror-earth’ theory. However, Yerffej died of inactivity, and Layarteb picked it back up, and ‘revitalized’ Earth 2, meaning he kept everything the same, but basically, he just revived it.

Earth 2 Maps
Africa (http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Earth%20II/africa.jpg)
Antarctica (http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Earth%20II/antarctica.jpg)
Arctic Ocean (http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Earth%20II/arcticocean.jpg)
Asia Central (http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Earth%20II/asia-central.jpg)
East Asia (http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Earth%20II/asia-east.jpg)
West Asia (http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Earth%20II/asia-west.jpg)
Australia (http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Earth%20II/australia.jpg)
Canaca (http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Earth%20II/canada.jpg)
Caribbean Sea (http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Earth%20II/caribbeansea.jpg)
Cenral America (http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Earth%20II/centralamerica.jpg)
China (http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Earth%20II/china.jpg)
Europe (http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Earth%20II/europe.jpg)
India (http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Earth%20II/india.jpg)
India Real Life (http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Earth%20II/India-States.gif)
Mexico (http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Earth%20II/mexico.jpg)
Mexico Real Life (http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Earth%20II/Mexico-States.gif)
Pacific Ocean (http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Earth%20II/pacificocean.jpg)
Pacific Ocean Real Life (http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Earth%20II/PacificOcean-Countries.gif)
Russia (http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Earth%20II/russia.jpg)
Russia Real Life (http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Earth%20II/Russia-Regions.gif)
South America (http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Earth%20II/southamerica.jpg)
United States (http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Earth%20II/unitedstates.jpg)

4. New, Improved, and Enhanced Earth 3 (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=376175)

Author: Sharina
Sharina’s earth is similar to Layarteb’s earth 2, except this earth, is arguably more active than the others. Sharina’s earth was again, created on the basis that there just wasn’t enough countries on earth’s 1 and 2 for everyone to claim, and it gave everyone else another chance. Earth 3 also gives you the chance at making claims on other earths, as well as this one.

Earth 3 Incidents Page (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?p=7596207#post7596207)

Earth 3 Maps
Kindly created by Korinthos .
Europe (http://img58.exs.cx/img58/1738/EIIIEurope.png)
Asia (http://img55.exs.cx/img55/6499/asoutl.png)
Africa (http://img51.exs.cx/img51/1846/d1-africa48.png)

5. Earth 4 (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=357210)

Author: Whittier
This earth was the first earth to incorporate resources into each nation's claims.


6. Earth 5- With Realism and Rules (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=356185)

Author: The Great Sixth Reich
The Great Sixth Reich was the first earth to introduce limits to claims. Majority of the rest of the earths followed suit, and did the same thing.

This is the Earth 5 National Incidents and News Center, where everything is reported. (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=368217)

Maps of Earth 5
Europe (http://members.fortunecity.se/kopparbergs/europe.gif)
Africa (http://members.fortunecity.se/kopparbergs/africa.gif)
North America (http://members.fortunecity.se/koppa...orthamerica.gif)
The Carribean (http://members.fortunecity.se/kopparbergs/caribbean.gif)
South America (http://members.fortunecity.se/koppa...outhamerica.gif)
Asia (http://members.fortunecity.se/kopparbergs/asia.gif)
Middle East (http://members.fortunecity.se/koppa.../middleeast.gif)
Oceania (http://members.fortunecity.se/kopparbergs/oceania.gif)
Antarctica (http://members.fortunecity.se/koppa.../antarctica.gif)

World map, made by Tenebricosis
http://img82.exs.cx/img82/503/world25od.gif

Mirror maps (on another server) (If you don't see the maps.)
Europe (http://kopparbergs.web1000.com/europe.gif)
Asia (http://kopparbergs.web1000.com/asia.gif)
Middle East (http://kopparbergs.web1000.com/middleeast.gif)
North America (http://kopparbergs.web1000.com/northamerica.gif)
The Carribean (http://kopparbergs.web1000.com/caribbean.gif)
South America (http://kopparbergs.web1000.com/southamerica.gif)
Africa (http://kopparbergs.web1000.com/africa.gif)
Oceania (http://kopparbergs.web1000.com/oceania.gif)
Antarctica (http://kopparbergs.web1000.com/antarctica.gif)

7. Earth 6 (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=385521)

Author: Hataria
Hataria’s earth claims thread is one of the few that does not strictly institute a claim limit, and remains, for the most part, unclaimed. There is still plenty of territory to claim, if anyone out there doesn’t have any land yet.

8. Earth RB (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=402645)

Author: Roach-Busters
Earth RB was created, in succession from Earth DA, after he was banned from NS. Roach-Busters picked up the pieces, and continued on with it. If you have any territory in Earth 2, you cannot claim any nations on this earth.

9. Changed Earth (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=389690)

Author: Pacitalia
This earth is similar to the original earth claims thread, however, this earth is closed for now.

10. Earth v.0 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=400634)

Author: The Macabees
The rules for this earth are quite different than the rest.
1.You can claim anything you want, no matter the size, as long as you role play it - and by role play I don't meant posting two lines and cutting your losses - I mean, page upon page of thread. Give it a month.

2.This Earth is open to all, and moreover, you don't have to be part of the Earth in order to role play in it - it's open to all, from all over the NS world.

"Sections of Earth” Claims
1. Europe 1 (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=389405)

Author: Minskia
Europe 1 is a Claim’s thread, the only claims thread, to base itself strictly on one region of the planet. The only nations you can claim are in Europe.

"Specific Period of Time” Earths

1. Earth 7 (http://s9.invisionfree.com/Earth_7/)

Author: SovietRepublicofRussia
Earth 7 begins on the date of 1900. The nations you can claim there will begin based on that real life nation during that time. This allows people to create their own identity on earth and change the course of history.

2. Earth 8 (http://s9.invisionfree.com/Earth_8/)

Author: Yugoamerica
Earth 8 is begins on the date 1990 in a world of total anarchy. The world is divided into a great many City-States. These city-states have no idea as to what caused the destruction of the goverment and strive to find the reason why as well as defend or invade new territories.


3. Yet Another Earth- Cold War Earth (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=388378)

Author: Roach-Busters
This was the first earth to be for a specific time period. Obviously, the era is the Cold War, and there are still plenty of chances to claim nations.

4. Rise of Rome: 200BC (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?p=7978934#post7978934)

Author: United Sith
This is based on the period where Rome began its growth to a world empire. There are still a few positions remaining. From what I can tell, there are a lot of amazing RP'ers taking part in this.

5. Earth BC Revived (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=390301)

Author: Golencia
As the title claims, Earth BC is for those nations that enjoy, or would enjoy roleplaying back in time, according to BC lands; lands that were known at the time. The original creator of the Earth BC was Blacktower.

6. Earth Greece (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?p=7985626#post7985626)

Author: The Great Sixth Reich
This earth takes place when each city in Greece was a city-state. Athens and Sparta are currently the most powerful city-states, but things could end up very different this time around. Check it out!

7. Earth Tomorrow (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=389451)

Author: Truitt
This earth takes place around 2008-2010. The world has changed, as wars erupted all across the world. Truitt gives an explanation as to what has happened.

8. Earth CnC (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=390510)

Author: Kyanges
This is an Earth loosely based on the Red Alert 2 Universe. As the RA universe is was meant to lead into the Tiberium Universe, it will be incorporated in time, but I’d like people to try and use RA to it’s fullest before just jumping over it, and leaping for the battle mechs, and Mammoth tanks.


Space Claims
1. Planets I (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=384163&page=1)

Author: Green Sun
This thread was created as an alternative for space/FT tech nations to claim. Planets I is also in coodination with Earth 3, in recognization.

Planets I Forum (http://s6.invisionfree.com/Planets_I/index.php?)
Moderator Sign-up (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=384248)
Planets I Map (http://img15.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img15&image=mw7wd.png&bgc=F7F7F7&fgc=FFFFFF&bor=DBDBDB)

The Wide World of Diplomacy
There is a large amount of ways of diplomacy when it comes to interaction between 2(+) nations. I plan on covering every aspect of this, as well as relations between nations, and how it effects NS politics.

Table of Contents
1. Intro
2. Forms of Diplomacy
3. Ministers
4. Conferences
5. Transmissions/Communiques/Code
6. Embassies and Their Importance
7. Diplomatic Immunity
8. Custom Contracts for Establishing Embassies
9. Importance of Respect in Foreign Territory
10. Declaration of War

Once you really start to get into Nation States, you really start to see the ‘cliques’ that have been formed, otherwise known as Alliances. Some that really come to mind lately are NATO, RBA, APTO, RWC, and many many more. Some of these Alliances (NATO) are based off of real world alliances, with an NS twist. Others are alliances for specific aspects of a nation. For example, the RWC is the Right Wing Collective, which obviously contains right-wing nations. For those new nations out there, don’t expect to get into an esteemed alliance within your first few weeks of being on NS. Gain roleplaying experience, and make yourself known. Trust me, other nations will take notice. Don’t be afraid to try something new, although, if you make a lot of outlandish threads, such as executing Nazi’s or Republican’s (some nations will still support you), majority of the nations out there will condemn this action, and see to it that your nation doesn’t do it again.

When you first begin your nation, a big suggestion is to either create an ‘Invite RP’, where either your leader sets up conference’s with other world leaders, or you just invite them all over to your nation to discuss relations. It’s a good way to get to know people. For most people out there, the first few nations you interact with will probably become your best allies in the times to come. It’ll surprise you how much some of the older nations out there will be so glad to open up relations with newer nations.

Example: Imperial Banquet to Celebrate Independence (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=357495)
Example 2: Majestoian Banquet Thread, [Closed RP] (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=367495)

Forms of Diplomacy
There are two major forms of diplomacy. The simplest and the oldest is bilateral diplomacy between two states. Bilateral diplomacy is still common with many treaties between two states (e.g. the Canadian-American Free Trade Agreement), and it is the main concern of embassies and state visits. The other form of diplomacy is multilateral diplomacy involving many states. Formal multilateral diplomacy is normally dated to the Congress of Vienna in the nineteenth century. Since then, multilateralism has grown in importance. Today most trade treaties, such as the WTO and FTAA, arms control agreements, such as the Partial Test Ban Treaty and Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, and environmental agreements, such as the Kyoto Accord, are multilateral. The United Nations is the most important institution of multilateral diplomacy.

There is a third form of diplomacy, in fact a variant of multilateral diplomacy, i.e. regional diplomacy, that is mulitlateral diplomacy that is practiced within a closed circle of geographic neighbors. We might call it 'multilateral diplomacy among intimates'. Since neighborhood is a fact of life, regional diplomacy involves a close blend of the bilateral and the limited group multilateral methods in pursuit of mutual interests.


Ministers
A good thing to do is to create Ministers, depending on what type of government you have. For example:

Minister of Defense- Charles Johansson
Minister of Energy- Spencer Abraham
Minister of Defense- James English

Etc, etc, etc...

The most important Ministers you can probably reveal are your ministers of defense and foreign relations, as they will be answering most of the ‘questions’ and making most of the statements to other nations’ actions. One thing you could do is create a thread with all of your Ministers attending, and discuss your nations’ policies. It’ll add a little spice to your responses, but if you decide not to do it, it’s not going to have a major impact on your roleplaying skills.

Another way to do it is to just have the leader of your nation respond to everything. It’s a lot easier, so that you only have to remember 1 name for your nation. Majority of the nations out there do this anyways.

Conferences
Conferences are a big deal in NS. They are easy to lose interest in though. Yes, they may seem boring, but its something that is strongly recommended to have. If you’re new, and you find yourself agreeing with a lot of a specific nations’ policies, then telegram them, and ask if they would like to participate in a Conference to discuss relations with that nation. You never know what may come out of it. You could have just found yourself a new ally, or in time, a new enemy. It makes the game so much more interesting. Remember, do not forget about the thread. If you take a long time to respond to the other nations’ responses, then most likely, they will lose interest as well. Also, too many nations in a single conference could lead to chaos, and in turn, not getting into the actual discussions that were meant to take place.

Transmissions/Communiques/Code
Many nations use transmissions/communiques/code to send a message to another nation, specifically of more important information, for example:


Transmission to Granzi:

We must ask of you a favor. We need your help in attacking 'Nation A'. We request, because of our alliance, that you send reinforcements in 'Nation A' to help defeat them. Please respond as soon as you can.

End Transmission


You can post these sort of things in a thread, but make sure that it is known who you are sending it to. Other nations cannot use this transmission as evidence of something. That would be considered godmoding. Code is basically the same thing, except the fact that the words are different.


To whom it may concern in Granzi,
"We must ask of you a favor. We need your help in attacking 'Nation A'. We request, because of our alliance, that you send reinforcements in 'Nation A' to help defeat them. Please respond as soon as you can."


Just a different look to it.

Embassies and their Importance
Embassies are another aspect of the game that could add a lot of roleplay ideas, such as the establishing of relations through an embassy, or even, to make things more interesting, either the expelling of a nations’ diplomats, or the arrest of these diplomats for ‘crimes’ within the foreign nation. Embassies, obviously, help to give nations a presence within another nation, possibly to understand their culture, from an observer stand-point. One thing to remember is that embassies are the territory of the nation establishing the embassy. For example, Euroslavia has an embassy within the nation of Super American VX Man. The embassy is Euroslavic territory, and the diplomats have certain immunities within the other nation. This should be discussed with the other nation before an embassy is established.

To fulfil its obligations, a nation normally establishes diplomatic relationships with the different nations of the world. Depending on the level at which these relations are to be maintained, each nation positions an ambassador, charge d'affairs or a consul in the other country with reciprocal arrangements. The embassies have the following clear cut functions:-

- To project the parent nation's interests and endeavour to protect them.
- To further trade between the two countries.
- To gain as much of information about the host country's interests, actions and activities as possible. Both by overt and covert means.
- To study and report the military implications of the actions of the host nation.
- To look after the interests of its nationals, living or travelling in the host country.

The basic aim of the ambassador is to, 'sell' his country's viewpoint to the people and the government of the host country. This he does by projecting the positive aspects of all his country's activities and policies. He has also to explain away any aberrations, or likely pin pricks, without jeopardising the interests of his country.

To be able to look after the Interests of his parent country, the ambassador, normally, has a number of professional officers, whose ranks would vary from the third secretary to the first secretary. In addition, he has attaches from all the three services. The most important aspect, i.e., of projecting the economic Interests of the parent country would be the responsibility of the trade mission, functioning under the ambassador.

An ambassador has the right to meet the executive head of the host nation, whenever he so desires and project the country's point of view. Similarly, the host country also has the right to summon the ambassador and project its point of view.

To project his country's point of view and even mount pressure on the host country, an ambassador would invariably try to establish a lobby, whose activists would plead and fight for the parent country's interests. They would also mount pressure on the host country's government, through its executives. The best example of the functioning of such a lobby is the pro-Israel lobby in the United States of America. It is also legitimate to use the nationals or people of the parent country's origin, to create pressure groups, in the host nation, to look after the interests of the parent country.

The most important activity of any embassy and the ambassador is to further trade between the parent country and the host nation. Towards that end it must be his never-ending endeavour to search and develop newer markets for his country's produce. It would be profitable to use the nationals/\people of his parent country's origin, in trade, to project and market his country's produce, in the host country. He should also develop the source of supply of raw material required by his parent country, being produced by the host country.

Embassy Listings (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=361883)

Diplomatic Immunity
The sanctity of diplomats has long been observed. This sanctity has come to be known as diplomatic immunity. While there have been a number of cases where diplomats have been killed, this is normally viewed as a great breach of honour. Ghengis Khan and the Mongols were well known for strongly insisting on the rights of diplomats, and they would often wreak horrific vengeance against any state that violated these rights.

Diplomatic rights were established in the mid-seventeenth century in Europe and have spread throughout the world. These rights were formalized by the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which protects diplomats from being persecuted or prosecuted while on a diplomatic mission. If a diplomat does commit a serious crime while in a host country s/he may be expelled. Such diplomats are then often tried for the crime in their homeland.

Diplomatic communications are also viewed as sacrosanct, and diplomats have long been allowed to carry documents across borders without being searched. The mechanism for this is the so-called "diplomatic bag" (or, in some countries, the "diplomatic pouch"). In recent years, however, signals intelligence has led to this use of diplomatic bags being largely discarded.

In times of hostility, diplomats are often withdrawn for reasons of personal safety, and in some cases when the host country is friendly but there is a perceived threat from internal dissidents. Ambassadors and other diplomats are also sometimes recalled by their home countries as a way to express displeasure with the host country. In both cases, lower-level employees remain to actually do the business of diplomacy.

Example of what happens when diplomatic immunity is infringed upon: Euroslavia Breaks Off Relations with the Balkan Alliance (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=354466)

Custom Contracts for Establishing Embassies
Each nation has a specific set of rules that they wish to establish before setting up an exchange of embassies. Certain nations do not give 'immunity' do diplomats at all. It all depends on the customs of the host nation. Here is an example of what Iuthia has as his own customs:



Iuthian Diplomatic Contract

This document provides the authorization of Lord General James deGritz for the building of Embassies within the Diplomatic Quarter of Iuthia’s capitol city, Iuthia Prima. As the capitol is an inland city, 24-hours notice must be given to the Iuthian Diplomatic Corps in written format such as teletype, secured e-mail, or secured fax prior to the arrival or departure of Iuthia Prima borders. Travel outside the diplomatic compound must be escorted by Iuthia Prima Foreign Services personnel.

Rules for Diplomatic personnel and stations are as follows:

Extraterritoriality of Embassies
Embassies are considered to be extraterritorial. Iuthian personnel may only enter with the permission of the Ambassador.

Embassy Law Enforcement
Embassies are responsible for their own security and law enforcement. Embassies are permitted a small armed force up to thirty (30) people to accomplish this. No foreign nationals may carry weapons outside the Embassy compound.

Subjugation of Iuthian Law
With the exception of the Ambassador and five members of the Embassy staff (chosen by the Ambassador) who will be granted Extraterritoriality, all Embassy personnel are subject to Iuthian law outside the Embassy itself.

Expelling of Diplomatic Personnel
The Lord General or Foreign Minister of the Iuthian Diplomatic Corps reserves the right to expel any and all members of any foreign government at any time, for any reason. With the exception of active hostilities between Iuthian and the government in question, any personnel so expelled are secure in their persons and personal baggage until after they have been removed from Iuthian territory (in other words, if we expel your Ambassador, he still has diplomatic immunity until he leaves Iuthian territory).

Diplomatic Security Outside Embassy Compound
Diplomatic security outside of the Embassy compound is the responsibility of Iuthian Diplomatic Corps personnel and National Police personnel. No foreign diplomatic personnel are allowed to travel unescorted within Iuthian territory. All foreign diplomatic nationals employed at the Embassy who object to this are free to live within the Embassy compound.

Electronic Communication Outside Embassy Compound
Each Embassy compound is permitted one- and only one- satellite communications station within the Embassy compound. Communications carried on this system may be encrypted or employ any other anti-intrusion measures the Embassy personnel consider prudent. All other message traffic must go through public communications circuits or be carried in the Diplomatic Pouch.

Diplomatic Pouch Communication Outside Embassy Compound
Messages between the Embassy and its parent government may be carried by one of the Embassy staff with Extraterritoriality in a Diplomatic Pouch- which may be no larger than a standard briefcase. This pouch will be secure against any search beyond normal non-invasive passive sensors. For safety reasons, the briefcase must be transparent to X-rays. Any anti-intrusion electronics within the briefcase must be demonstrated to Diplomatic Corps personnel before the establishment of the Embassy. Any subsequent changes to anti-intrusion electronics must also be demonstrated to Diplomatic Corps prior to its use being permitted within the Diplomatic Pouch. Any electronics within the Diplomatic Pouch that do not match the X-ray signature of the agreed-upon system will not be permitted entry. Embassy security personnel are permitted unrestricted access to the Diplomatic Security screening station before, during, and after the Diplomatic Pouch passes through to ensure that Iuthian is not attempting electronic breaching of the Diplomatic Pouch.

Communication with Foreign Nationals Accused of Crimes
Embassy personnel will be permitted to communicate with citizens of the Embassy's government accused of crimes within Iuthian territory. This communication will be monitored by Diplomatic Corps and National Police personnel, and is not considered privileged information. The Lord General or Foreign Minister of the Iuthian Diplomatic Corps reserves the right to restrict any such communication in the event it may (in the opinion of Iuthian Diplomatic Corps) it may jeopardize National Security.

Diplomatic Vehicles
Each Embassy will be permitted to import two non-military vehicles for use by Extraterritorial Embassy personnel. Diplomatic vehicles will be considered part of the Embassy compound when in use by Embassy personnel with Extraterritoriality.

Prior to entry, any such vehicle will be thoroughly inspected by a team from the Iuthian Diplomatic Corps in the presence of Embassy security staff. All equipment installed in or on the vehicles will be demonstrated to IDC personnel. Any additional equipment installed subsequent to approval must also be examined by IDC and its purpose demonstrated. Diplomatic vehicles will be examined at random intervals agreed to by the Ambassador. Any alteration to the agreed equipment will be considered a violation of the Diplomatic Agreement.

In the event of a suspected crime or threat to National Security, the vehicle and its occupants will be detained in place while Iuthian Diplomatic Corps requests access to the vehicle from the Ambassador. Failure to grant such access will constitute a breach of the Diplomatic agreement. Under these circumstances and in the absence of a state of war, the Embassy may send Security Observers to ensure that the vehicle is not searched or entered by Iuthian personnel as it is destroyed in place. The remains of the vehicle will be returned to the Embassy once destruction is completed. The Embassy will be closed and all personnel expelled once this is completed. The destroyed vehicle will be permitted to leave with the Embassy staff.

Diplomatic Personnel and Espionage
Any Embassy personnel engaging in espionage will be summarily expelled (if granted Extraterritoriality) or prosecuted within the full extent of Iuthian law (all others). Embassy personnel who escape (or attempt to escape) the supervision of their Diplomatic Corps escorts will be assumed to be engaged in espionage.

Travel Restrictions Placed on Embassy Personnel
No Embassy personnel are permitted to depart Iuthia Prima for any reason other than to leave Iuthian territory.

Assuming that these terms are acceptable, The Lord General and Foreign Minister of the Iuthian Diplomatic Corps welcome the opportunity to establish diplomatic relations with your government. Please send any applicable restrictions for Iuthian Diplomatic personnel in your territory.

Best Regards,

Foreign Minister Mick Lakely
Iuthian Diplomatic Corps
The Benevolent Dictatorship of Iuthia

Importance of Respect in Foreign Territory
These diplomats/ambassadors representing a specific nation within another territory must be sure that they are able to respect the laws and customs within the nation they are staying. If a diplomat were to act foolishly, and get punishment from the host country, relations between the two could be dramatically affected. If a supposedly respectful representative from another country cannot act with responsibility, then who says that the entire nation can? Harmful acts by a single man can ruin the reputation of an entire nation.


Declaration of War
Normally, diplomacy precedes and follows the employment armed forces, to fulfil the Policy Imperatives of the Nation to protect or project that nation's Interests. In fact, today, however, the employment of War as an Instrument of State Policy invariably implies the failure of Diplomacy. It, therefore, is important to realise that to fulfil the nation's policy imperatives the employment of diplomacy is of prime importance. For after all War is an instrument of last resort. This takes on more importance when we realise that invariably, a nation's Interests are invariably spelt out in economic terms and war is an extremely uneconomic venture.

War between any two nations will normally occur when there has been a situation created where the two develop irreconcilable differences, resulting in a clash of interests. The resultant is that the Policy Imperatives head for a collision course. We find that before the Second World War, Japan and the United States of America, both vying for the markets of China and East Asia had reacherd an impasse. The War became inevitable when the United States of America placed an embargo on the sale of petroleum products, to Japan. Thus pushing Japan, practically, to the brink of an economic disaster.

Similarly war became inevitable when Iraq occupied Kuwait and thereby threatened the supply of petroleum products to Western Europe, Japan and the United States of America.

Diplomats again take over, after the war to ensure that the Interests of their countries are safe guarded and at the same time not to create a situation, where the loser becomes desperate. It was the failure on the part of the allies, after the First World War, to give Germany a fair deal that forced Germany to go in its search for 'Lebensraum' and take on practically the rest of the World.

Sadly, after all diplomacy has failed, war is likely, meaning, this is the end of the thread. :p

[[reserved]]

[[reserved]]

Hey, did you see that list of spreadsheets that assist you in making a military. That looked like a good thing to ad..

Sorry, i don't remember the maker or the title.

TAG, great work Euro, put me on the athritarian part plz.

for the Authoritarian part, add me, because I do limit political power to only those that have served in the military (but, other then that, we have a democratic republic)

Hey, Euroslavia. Could you change me from Democratic Republic to Capitalist-Technocracy. It is a capitalist variant of technocracy.

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