NationStates Jolt Archive

Seeing the recent influx of newer nations RPing, and the decrease in RP by nations that I once new rather well, I asked myself a question, as I thought my own thoughts about this trend of newer nations immersing themselves in NationStates Roleplay. I then decided to ask this question to others who have invested so much time in this game as I have, possibly more.

Nations Older than January 2005:

Do you approve, in general, of the RP style, skills, etc. of nations younger than yourself (January 2005 and younger)?

This question lead me to think of the other side of the spectrum. Do these nations, who us 'Oldies' sometimes judge so harshly, see themselves as good RPers?

Nations Younger than January 2005:

Do you, in general, see yourself as an average or above RPer compared to nations older than yourself (January 2005 and older)?

I believe that an examination of these questions, once answered by as many NationStates players as possible, will help to explain the sometimes large rift between NationStates' older players, and it's next generation.

If you would like to participate in this study, please TG my nation with the following form:

Nation Name:
Nation Created (Month, Year):

Answer:

Comments (Optional):

Thank you for your time.

Nation Name: The Confederacy of Telros
Nation Created (Month, Year): (I am not quite sure when I made it and I don't know where to find out that information. But it was sometime last year, late last year.)

Answer: Hmmm....I don't ever see myself above older nations often. If they godmod, or do ridiculous posts that break rules of rping that everyone abides by, then yes, I do feel I am better. But on a whole, I think I am on par or at the level of most of the older nations that rp. Some are better and I hope to learn from them.

Comments (Optional): I am glad you made this, as it is very awkward trying to find rps I can get into. I mostly do ones that is with someone I know involved from the Universeii site. And I am also willing to rp with anyone, about anything...within reason of course.

Nation Name: Jenrak
Nation Created (Month, Year): Oct 2004

Answer: Of course.

Comments (Optional):
I'm seeing a large trend in the type of roleplay present in the nations that are newer. Younger nations, although the Rp quality they present is still quite commemorable, they tend to post much shorter posts, in contrast to larger, older posts from before. I myself post relatively well, decent sized posts, but they post usually 2-3 paragraphs of things at most sometimes, making it very fast paced. However, there's the notion of them getting things into their heads. Once an older nation who was a specialist in a certain has waned in terms of activity, bounties of newer nations come to claim the title the older nation previously held.

There are stark examples of newer nations being quite capable and well thought out posters, such as Jagada in his prime, or The Kraven before his sleuthing fan club began to join. They roleplayed excellently, and their kind of quality of role play amongst the newcomers are apparently cut amongst them as small, sporadic posts that while explain and provide moderate imagery, do not tell the story verl well. Then, however, there are the older nations who prove to be a testy and nasty representation of the older nations at general. Forgive my frankness, but two examples are violent Hataria nad grammar broken Sephrioth, whom if any new nations follow their examples and work purely by how long they've been here, could lead to devastating results for the NS I.I community at large, mostly since the newcomers of NS are attracted to violence and warfare rather than fantasy based roleplay, which is much more difficult to manage.

So my comments to my answer are to be regarded as so: There are flaws on both sides, that the newcomers of NS bring a new and quicker pased style of role play with them, while the old-fashioned long winding posts of the older NSers are slowly dying out to adapt to this form. I'm not used to the pace that the newer nations do, but I still approve of their RP style. It was much better than last year december, which was possibly the worst thing I've ever seen in my life.

I know what you mean Jenrak. I try to do long posts, but it is sometimes difficult, as I don't want to ramble on so as to seem as if I am just like the great rpers on here. I, however, do not go for just combat, though that is fun. I am experimenting with the politics behind a nation, its weaknesses and character development over long periods of time.

I do wish to maybe rp with you sometime in the future, you seem like an able rper and a good person.

I know what you mean Jenrak. I try to do long posts, but it is sometimes difficult, as I don't want to ramble on so as to seem as if I am just like the great rpers on here. I, however, do not go for just combat, though that is fun. I am experimenting with the politics behind a nation, its weaknesses and character development over long periods of time.

I do wish to maybe rp with you sometime in the future, you seem like an able rper and a good person.

Have you ever roleplayed with me or seen my roleplays?

Thank you both, your answers have been logged and are appreciated.

Tinsuvilia: No problem, always eager to help.

Jenrak: No, but from the way you speak, I can tell you have experience and since you know what you are talking about in lamenting the old long posts that are dying out, you probably write long ones as well.

If I am wrong, then feel free to correct me. And no, I have not roleplayed with you, to my deepest regret.

Tinsuvilia: No problem, always eager to help.

Jenrak: No, but from the way you speak, I can tell you have experience and since you know what you are talking about in lamenting the old long posts that are dying out, you probably write long ones as well.

If I am wrong, then feel free to correct me. And no, I have not roleplayed with you, to my deepest regret.

Well, I am back for a bit, and I am planning up a war with Kulikovia (sp?), perhaps you could join him and fight me.

Nation's name: Carbandia
Nation founded: June 06

answer: I try.

comments:
The big difference between a long, multiple paragraph, post, and a single line one is the time taken in actually thinking out, and writing, it.

Whenever possible, and sadly it is not always, I try to make my ic posts as detailed, and good quality, as time, and circumstances, allow, but sadly I'm not always successfull.
Also the fact that this is my second language causes me to occasionally make spelling mistakes, which I hope are forgiven by those that I rp with.

In passing, I hope that I can be a better rp'er than the examples mentioned before, and am always willing to listen to advice on that subject, assuming anyone is willing to give that advice.
I thank you for your time.

Nation Name: The Kraven Corporation
Date of Join: April 2005

Answer: Indecisive

Comments: I care neither for older or younger RP'ers, I will give respect where it is due, and many of the older nations have my Respect due to their abilities of writing a well thought out post and a good story, however, I'm not here for respect or admiration, I'm here as an artistic outlet for The Kraven Corporation, something that I created a long time ago, if other people like what I do then its a bonous, but at the same time, I am very thankful and appreciate those who join in my work.

Kraven

Nation Name: Cravan
Nation Created: September 18, 2006

Answer: Indeed I do.

Comments:
I try my best to RP to my fullest, which is why I don't make IC posts too much since I make honest attempts to only RP when I actually have the time/creativity to do a decent-length and well thought out post. Of course I cannot compare to some of the more famous RPers out there, but I like to think I'm fairly above average without making myself sound conceited. I have to agree with many points made here already, and I will keep this short so as to stop myself from repeating what has already been stated.

I do have to say, though, that although it is generally accepted older nations are better RPers, there are always exceptions. I have seen some exceptional '06 nations show themselves, as well as having seen '04 and early '05 nations which could not RP if their lives depended on it. It's a combination of experience and the age/maturity of the RPer in question which really decides the overall quality of the posts.


PS.: And Kraven, although you aren't here for respect, just know you've got mine. =D

Answers logged and appreciated, thank you.

Name: Naasha
Created: October 2006

Answer: I see myself as mostly equal in terms of the ability to construct or follow an rp. Although obviously there are some brilliant older members out there, I just haven't met them yet. My inexperience shines through, however, when it comes to technical issues.

Comment: I consider myself to be slightly more able than many of the new nations who joined alongside me, but I can be prone to writing shorter posts as I am poor at writing dialogue.

Sounds interesting Jenrak, what are the parameters of the war you are planning? PT/MT/FT?

Sounds interesting Jenrak, what are the parameters of the war you are planning? PT/MT/FT?

MT.

Naasha, answer logged. Thank you.

Name: Complicated. I am half of Ilë Sornë (http://wiki.esusalliance.co.uk/index.php?title=Il%C3%AB_Sorn%C3%AB).

Created: Friday, September 19, 2003

Answer: It's not a matter of age, just a matter of quality and experience in reading and writing in general; or at least it should be. The only advantages an older RPer would have would be knowing the norms, cliques, and techniques better and having a pool of OOC friends and IC allies to draw upon.

Comments: My experience is unusual in that I don't RP often, and when I do it tends to be split 50-50 between here and other forums, although the most important and polished work usually ends up here.

Nation Name: Chronosia
Nation Created (Month, Year): April,2003

Answer: Yes...And No.

There a gems amidst the ruins and diamonds in the rough, that much is clear when it comes to younger nations. A vast influx of late have proven to be....Irksome and a poor show in terms of talent. I won't reduce myself to naming names, but its clear that a vast majority of newer RPers aren't putting thought behind their posts, not attempting to better their standards. Perhaps some are trying, perhaps some can't, or maybe others won't.

I'm under no illusions that I'm the best Rper, I try my best to weave a good story, and to further develop characters and concepts that I've laid down in the past, but what is essential is that newbies don't see NS as some mad dash to the finish line. All too often nations jump in with Ascended Beings and huge fleets, without taking the time to craft and develop a nation that can support these things, they want everything handed to them, or conjured with a minimum of commitment or effort. Not so for those of us who've striven to define our nations, to progress and polish our cultures and our skills.

It's those who put the work in who are the true examples of quality in NS, those who've crafted interesting nations with rich histories and who RP well and unconditionally. Too many RPs end in ignores or dogpiles through misunderstandings and complex webs of alliances.

We need to work together to better the community, a whole made glorious by the sum of its parts.

Nation: Terror Incognitia
Join Date: some time 2005. Started RPing early 2006.
Answer: Better than most, recognising the existence of far greater talents than my own.

I reckon myself to be pretty good as an RPer - I stick within the norms of RPing, I am prepared to lose, don't push realism too far, and have the occasional good idea.
However I can get stuck in a rut of one type of character, one type of nation, and my writing always seems (to me) to lack spark.
So I would say I can hold my end up in any RP, but I'm not sure I could be the central player to a great one.

Nation Name: Otagia
Nation Created (Month, Year): November 2004

Answer: Depends

Comments (Optional): There's quite a bit of variety in the quality of RPing around here. Much of it is poorly written, with horrible spelling and grammar, cookie cutter plots, and cardboard characters. Admittedly, there are some older players with this problem as well, but it's far more common in the "younger" generation. My personal feelings are that this has always been true, and the poor RPers quit after a while, or improve. Sadly, there are those who don't, and we get stuck with them.

Of course, there are also plenty of good RPers around in the new generation of players. Usually, these players stick around a good while longer than the crappy ones. I personally can't think of any names at the moment (mostly due to the fact that I've been awake for about 20 hours now), but they ARE out there.

Now, I'm not the best RPer out there. Far from it. However, I make sure that my spelling and grammar are impeccable, and I try to make sure that my plots are realistic (I've been laying the groundwork for an upcoming war for over a year now) and my characters are unique. Most of all, I try to put as much effort as possible into everything I do, whether it's arguing with an enemy diplomat to decide a war, or discussing shipping details for Pale Rider Arms. It's these details that I hope make me a good RPer.

Nation Name: Kamasha
Nation Created (Month, Year): First once back in 04 then a new nation during the summer

Answer:
I don't think the age plays do much part in a RPG. The outcome of a RPG depends on so many things, Who much time has the players used to investigate the subject which he RPs. Are you rping Napoleon era without really knowing who Napoleon was? Or Future tec without ever watching Star wars and Star treck?. Also how much time have you used creating your character. Those things plays a bigger part then the age of one nation.

Comments (Optional):
I think the reason so many rps dies is that older nations sometimes is to fixed on the GODMODING rules and new players don't regard it at all while they are writing. If the oldies in sted of thinking "Is that possible" then perhaps think "Does it mather?, so he moved 10 000 troops in a day, so be it, then I will move mine." The GODMODE rules are not really rules, only guidelines.

Answers logged, thank you. So far, 13 opinions have been logged. I would like as many as possible before Saturday, November 11th, when the study will be concluded.

Bump it up... Need more data, people.

Nation Name: Steel and Fire; or, the Imperium Corporation
Nation Created (Month, Year): May 6, 2004 (as far as I can remember)

Answer: As with anything, it really depends on the person in question. Some comparative newbies -- Xirnium, the Kraven Corporation, Aralonia, Skinny87, Velkya, and others spring to mind -- have shown great promise as roleplayers, composing well-thought out posts and displaying knowledge of their roleplaying situations. Likewise, several older nations -- I speak of the infamous Hataria, Sephrioth, to a lesser degree nations such as Chellis -- display the opposite characteristics, some such players even using netspeak and smilies in diplomatic communiqués, although this can be attributed to humourous effect.

However, overall I feel as though many new players display a poor quality of roleplay. This is only to be expected; some will learn, and become better RPers, and some will not, resulting in lower opinions of them by, uh, professionals (:p). But the overall quality of newbie RP on the forum has remained relatively constant since it was in 2005, and in 2004, and likely in 2003 (if there was a reported trend towards shorter posts then).

As for the answer to the second question... Do I see myself as a good RPer? Hell yeah. If I weren't, I couldn't make these judgments about others, without setting a standard myself. But should I judge my own RPing ability? No; I will leave that to my peers, as "good RPing" is relative, after all. A good RPer in 2003 could be considered a bad one today or vice versa.

Nation name: Haraki
Nation Created: April 15, 2003 (Resurrected December 2005)

Answer: Little bit of A, little bit of B.

Comments: I will give credit where credit is due. I, like Craven, tend not to make snap judgments based on join dates. If someone posts a brilliant RP, I won't care whether they're a day old or a decade old, they'll get my respect for writing skills, imagination, and all that sort of stuff. If they post a crap two sentence post, whether a day or a decade old, they will most likely lose some of my respect.

When it comes to what I have seen, I am going to go out and probably be the minority here and say I am somewhat disappointed with the level of RP quality I have seen since my return almost a year ago. Admittedly, reading old RPs from when I was here before, they were no better. However, my standards and expectations have grown exponentially between now and then, and now I all-but expect long, detailed posts. Yes, short ones can be fun to keep it moving fast, but they just don't have the same appeal.

What I have noticed is that the RP quality of most nations that I now see and disapprove of is that they are the same age as the RPs I recall where they were similar from before; similar post length, detail, character development, etc. However, nowadays there is an added level of older RPers (And some new ones - one of the most impressive RPs I've seen in a while was made by a one-day-old nation yesterday) who have put years of effort into fine-tuning their writing and RPing skills, and are now several cuts above the newer nations that do not have the same experience.

In this respect I am going to make my own inference and say I believe this is based off writing ability - bit of a no-brainer there. However, writing ability comes from writing, and so people with much experience writing, either in the real world or in NS or wherever, are much better RPers than those without. However, those who put effort into posts and spend time trying to improve their writing here on NS will get better over time, and eventually join the group of players like myself, Jenrak, and most of those I choose to RP with, who post detailed characters, developed plots, high-quality writing (at least I hope I fall into this category).

So what I am going to put as my answer is this:


Do I approve of the 'newbies' writing style, substance, etc? Partially. Some of them are amazing. Some of them are shit. In general, they're the same as what I expected years ago, and so I do approve in general, knowing that over time these nations and the writers behind them, will improve over time, and form a dedicated corps like those of us still around from 2003.

And do I see myself as a good RPer? I sure as hell hope so. Because if you don't have confidence in yourself, who can you have confidence in?

Nation Name: Steel and Fire; or, the Imperium Corporation
Nation Created (Month, Year): May 6, 2004 (as far as I can remember)

Answer: As with anything, it really depends on the person in question. Some comparative newbies -- Xirnium, the Kraven Corporation, Aralonia, Skinny87, Velkya, and others spring to mind -- have shown great promise as roleplayers, composing well-thought out posts and displaying knowledge of their roleplaying situations. Likewise, several older nations -- I speak of the infamous Hataria, Sephrioth, to a lesser degree nations such as Chellis -- display the opposite characteristics, some such players even using netspeak and smilies in diplomatic communiqués, although this can be attributed to humourous effect.

However, overall I feel as though many new players display a poor quality of roleplay. This is only to be expected; some will learn, and become better RPers, and some will not, resulting in lower opinions of them by, uh, professionals (:p). But the overall quality of newbie RP on the forum has remained relatively constant since it was in 2005, and in 2004, and likely in 2003 (if there was a reported trend towards shorter posts then).

As for the answer to the second question... Do I see myself as a good RPer? Hell yeah. If I weren't, I couldn't make these judgments about others, without setting a standard myself. But should I judge my own RPing ability? No; I will leave that to my peers, as "good RPing" is relative, after all. A good RPer in 2003 could be considered a bad one today or vice versa.

OOC: Aww, I feel so loved. Especially seeing my abilities judged by someone who created their nation after I quit RPing(with the small, recent comeback).

OOC: Aww, I feel so loved. Especially seeing my abilities judged by someone who created their nation after I quit RPing(with the small, recent comeback).

I'm surprised you haven't figured out that the world will judge you, whether or not you want it to. ;3

Nation Name: Pushistymistan (formerly a handful of other nations, none very well-known)
Nation Created (Month, Year): The PRP was created last month, while my first nation was created last year (I think it was around September; not sure)
Answer: I tend to, but it's really less of age, and more of simple skill. Some people come to NS without prior knowledge of how to roleplay a nation effectively and completely, whereas others (such as myself) started out with a solid cognizance of at least the basics. Others are simply raving lunatics that last perhaps a week or two, before they eventually get tired and leave. Some don't, but their writing style and comprehension of how a nation should work, especially in the international community (disregarding the ignore button), doesn't really get any better as they go along, either, and I've seen a lot of the rubber-stamped despotic regimés, with only minor variations and very little creativity in the way they subjugate or oppress their people--and that's just one glimpse of the spectrum.

OOC: Aww, I feel so loved. Especially seeing my abilities judged by someone who created their nation after I quit RPing(with the small, recent comeback).

*Sigh* Why is it that people think having age around here matters? All it is useful for is population and ego rights, that's it. So, please, don't use this flimsy excuse to act as if you were better, it gets tiring after a VERY short time.

Nation Name: Duckquackmuse
Nation Created (Month, Year): June 2006

Answer: No.

Comments (Optional): I think some of the comments above are very condescending, and even though a Nation is new is certainly doesn't mean they are worse than others. Bear in mind that the new Nations may have been on other sites etc and might have been RPing for a long time. I do not think that this type or Newbie is a gem but fairly common. Also even if they haven't been RPing for a long time at the end of the day, its not always about the qualities of the describtion of rain on the car roof that matters, its (for want of a better word) "loyalty" to the RP and not running off, trying to make it interesting and fun etc. As a whole I think new nations are a lot better at this.

Personally, I'm not very experianced in the world of RPing and maybe some of the above comments should be applied to me. I can sometimes be undescribtive but thats just because I feel endless pages of describtion isn't needed. Of course some is needed I'm not saying we should only state the facts etc. But lack of describtion is not a sign of an "inexperianced" RPer.

I still hold to my point that even though I say this I recognise I'm still learning from many of the more experianced older players on the board.

*Sigh* Why is it that people think having age around here matters? All it is useful for is population and ego rights, that's it. So, please, don't use this flimsy excuse to act as if you were better, it gets tiring after a VERY short time.

Quite simply because most of us who've been around for a long time, and I do emphasise the most for flukes like Seph and Hataria, have learned the ettiquette and general feel of NS. When I started it was very difficult for me to form the idea of a nation, mostly because I was used to RPing as singular characters.

Now I've gotten the feel of how I want Chronosia to run, how the main players fit in, even drafted a list of my Dramatis Personnae. I know totally how I want everything to form and unfold and I get on well with my peers when I'm arranging RPs, etc. Its not a question merely of age, but also of experience, experience not only in RP but in NS as a whole, as well as a focus on quality. I did Advanced Higher English with sections on Creative Writing, I was writing before that and I've not stopped yet. What started out as a short post to introduce a new Guard Regiment that I want to use crucially in RP's I ended up writing 5/6 A4 pages and still haven't finished, I managed to twist this to drop a reference to the Regiment and its significance in an RP with Coreworlds.

See how it all comes together? :P

Nation Name: Yafor 2
Nation Created (Month, Year): December 2, 2004 (I believe. My first nation, Yafor, is an October '04'er.)

Answer: In my opinion, the question in itself is not a great one. I have seen some really good younger RP'ers, but it seems that the older RP'ers who stick around (with several obvious exceptions) generally are the creme de la creme of the RP'ing world, and so from the point of a newcomer, everyone "older" than them is "good". The question itself is quite vague, but I like the idea of the study.

Comments (Optional): You know what answers you'll get, right? The "older" nations will say that the "younger" nations are "sometimes good, sometimes bad", and the "younger" nations will disagree, cite counter-examples, and a fight will ensew. There's no problem with the study itself, but that's just human nature.

Quite simply because most of us who've been around for a long time, and I do emphasise the most for flukes like Seph and Hataria, have learned the ettiquette and general feel of NS. When I started it was very difficult for me to form the idea of a nation, mostly because I was used to RPing as singular characters.

Now I've gotten the feel of how I want Chronosia to run, how the main players fit in, even drafted a list of my Dramatis Personnae. I know totally how I want everything to form and unfold and I get on well with my peers when I'm arranging RPs, etc. Its not a question merely of age, but also of experience, experience not only in RP but in NS as a whole, as well as a focus on quality. I did Advanced Higher English with sections on Creative Writing, I was writing before that and I've not stopped yet. What started out as a short post to introduce a new Guard Regiment that I want to use crucially in RP's I ended up writing 5/6 A4 pages and still haven't finished, I managed to twist this to drop a reference to the Regiment and its significance in an RP with Coreworlds.

See how it all comes together? :P

I understand that, but just saying "HAH IM BETTER CAUSE I MADE MINE *insert time here* AND YOU CAME LATER! HA PWNXOR!" Now, if you could calmly explain, as you did, why you believe he is being an upstart, then I would concede it to you. But beating us newbie's over the head with a stick really isn't a good course to go.

And besides, I would love to rp as good as you do, Chronosia. Hell, I'd be willing to rp with you even if my forces get wiped out by your Legions! =P Just the way I am. I just don't want the newbs to get discouraged because of people using their bigger stick on them, especially if the newbs have good ability to rp. And yes, I willl acknowledged the military pop since older=more troops.

But my rant is done.

Nation Name:Narod Krow Liliowych
Nation Created (Month, Year): May, 2006

Answer:Yup. But I find many of the other "younger"/"newer" RPers to not be up to par with the most of the truly incredible "older" RPers I've run into. The lack of capitalization and proper punctuation is one of the things that throws me off most when it comes to novice RPers. Another thing that bothers me is the aformentioned lack of depth to their RPs. They are entirely focused on violence, and seem unable to make tactical decisions which don't eventionally lead to goddmodding, or at the very least mass havoc.

Comments (Optional):
:: psssstt ::
make it into a poll!

Moorington, The Unified Dukedoms of,
June of 2005!

I am of course biased against the older nations. At least generally speaking. So of course when I say they are markedly superior in RPing, they must be far beyond my most liberal outlooks. All the really good RP communities like E20, AMW, and (RIP) European War with DMG had good, old players.

It seems that communities with large quantities of new players, anyone after Jan' 05, are more ad-hoc, die faster, and churn out poor material. I don't mean to point any fingers, but Earth 2015, Earth II, the recent WWIII RP, and even to a degree Earth V all have less then stellar people, lack proficient RPers, material and basic English skills.

Maybe I am just in a bad mood and want to vent, or maybe I have a kernel of truth. Regardless I try to invoke some nationalism, some spirit, some grammar wherever I go. I usually fail miserably, but I am progressing in a amicable manner skill wise, so I am trodding on less toes everyday.

Thank you for your time.

Telros, they aren't using just that, being older, they are being devestatingly eloquent, non-obtrusive, and generally the stereotypical older nation RPer. Slightly condescending, calm, and good at debating. While you are crying that it isn't fair, while you mention that older=more troops=pwnage.

Why can they not pwn a new country? WHy not destroy a weaker nation if you will do the exact same thing to a even younger nation. I know I may not make sense, but just take the bottom line that whining about how they are older they can't RP our countries to death is a little pathetic.

Morrington...Take two aspirins and call me in the morning, as you really need to chill. Youb obviously weren't getting what I was saying.

What I am saying(are you paying attention?), is that give the newbs some space. Now can you pwn them, yes, should you brag about it, no. Why? Cause it is a major turnoff when people do that and makes you not want to be part of the forums.

And the condescending attitude....ok, I suppose you are entitled to it but the jab you just aimed at me is a little ridiculous. I don't care if you were here at the dawn of time, I do deserve a little respect, and some nations have egos which hamper that.

And another reason why they shouldn't deal death to younger countries....it is a little unfair to have just posted your factbook and are beginning a nation, when some nation three years old pops in and decides to level you to the ground for some perceived offense. It's like an adult picking on a five year and taking his lollipop.

Morrington...Take two aspirins and call me in the morning, as you really need to chill. Youb obviously weren't getting what I was saying.

What I am saying(are you paying attention?), is that give the newbs some space. Now can you pwn them, yes, should you brag about it, no. Why? Cause it is a major turnoff when people do that and makes you not want to be part of the forums.

And the condescending attitude....ok, I suppose you are entitled to it but the jab you just aimed at me is a little ridiculous. I don't care if you were here at the dawn of time, I do deserve a little respect, and some nations have egos which hamper that.

And another reason why they shouldn't deal death to younger countries....it is a little unfair to have just posted your factbook and are beginning a nation, when some nation three years old pops in and decides to level you to the ground for some perceived offense. It's like an adult picking on a five year and taking his lollipop.

If a dude took my kid's lollipop I'd burn and ravage his house and beat his family.

Understand the chain?

If a dude took my kid's lollipop I'd burn and ravage his house and beat his family.

Understand the chain?

Yes, exactly my point.

*Sigh* Why is it that people think having age around here matters? All it is useful for is population and ego rights, that's it. So, please, don't use this flimsy excuse to act as if you were better, it gets tiring after a VERY short time.

Please re-read my post, you didn't understand it.

He's judging my RPing ability, when he joined the forums after I stopped RPing for the most part. Its not about age. Its about having barely any basis to judge off of.

I admit, I'm not the greatest RPer ever, but I'm so detached from the game now, that its hard for me to role play anything; I have little to do. I'm not into putting lots of filler into posts, when I'm just trying to say that I'm moving a number of troops into this area, or whatever. I've had little chance to do character RPs, have any real conflicts, etc.

Don't presume so much.

Ah I see..well then...never mind, forget I said anything. Go on with what you were doing.

Generic Empire

June, 2004

Answer: I don't take issue with the newer nations, their RP skills, or how they do things, since it isn't my place to do so. If their styles work for them, and for their RPs, then excellent.

I recognize, however, that there is a bit of a disconnect between the older NS player styles and those of some of the new nations. Like has been said before, posts tend to be shorter, and the action faster paced. This, I think, is a good thing in NS RP, however, and rather than finding this to be a completely new development, it reminds me of alot of the RPing when I first joined the boards.

I created this nation at a bit of a strange time in the chronology of NS RPing. It seemed like the summer of 2004 was the last gasp of this faster paced, game-like, action oriented RP style, and at the same time, saw the emergence of both the story based roleplay and the staunch proponents of that particular form. Now, things seem to be coming full circle, and the longer, story based threads are beginning to decline, while the action oriented threads are more numerous.

While I believe there is a definite place for the "good read" roleplay, for the purpose of character development and national evolution, I always resented the attitude taken on shortly after my joining the forums that seemed to dictate that every post had to be at least 2 pages long to be considered important. NS became more of a contest in that regard than anything else as that sentiment took over, with people who made shorter posts being considered poorer RPers, no matter how good their ideas or creative senses were, in actuality.

I have a soft spot in my heart for the sorts of things I'm seeing on the forums, and I think now there seems to be a good mix in the RP of the younger generation of good storytelling and a faster pace that keeps things interesting and enjoyable for the roleplayers involved.

Still, for alot of the older nations, it's difficult to adjust, as we have a tendency to RP among ourselves, in our own particular cliques, often closing threads off, or making them "invite-only." I suppose this is why you see a lack of activity from the older nations, as it's difficult to organize these and keep them going, with so few players to fill the gaps when someone is forced to drop out for whatever pressing real life issue comes up.

I suspect that in time the cycle will continue, and our younger generation will become just as pompous as some of the older nations have become, but for now, I'm just happy to see NS, and our little II forum are still active and kicking.

Nation Name: Velkya
Nation Created (Month, Year): April 1st, 2005 (First nation, Athulia, created summer 2003).
Answer: For the most part, I see myself as on par with the majority of my older brethern, having developed formidable writing and roleplaying skills during my nineteen month residency of the International Incidents forum. While my own skills are quite satisfactory, I must give my thanks to the big guys like Automagfreek, Bretton (don't get cocky, Malik), Hogsweat, Yallak, Praetonia, Sarzonia and Doomingsland, along with countless others, have influenced the development of my writing style, and many are now good friends of mine. I'm deeply grateful and will always be thankful for the help these players gave me, whether it was direct or otherwise.

I must be frank, however, not all older players are good. Some lack basic RPing skills and ettiqute, and others are simply assholes, excuse my French, without mentioning any specific players. Such characterisitcs are becoming disturbingly prevelent in newer generations of players, who seem to value winning over having a fun experience roleplaying, and put the sancitity of imaginary armies and cities at the forefront of the goal of NationStates, which is to have fun while writing stories and meeting new (and interesting, on the whole), people. Unfourtunatly, this preference of victory over fun has turned most NS RPs (and lots of my own by in part my hand, I must admit) into massive OOC arguments because X has too many troops or because you think Y is a godmodder because he shot your soldier without your permission. This is freeform RP, not a contest of who has the bigger e-penis. This lesson needs to taught to the newer players so they can enjoy International Incidents for what it is, a home of talented writers and grand adventures, and not some text-based RTS.

Comments: For the newer players looking to make friends and meet the older NS alumni, I highly recommend the NationStates Draftroom (http://z13.invisionfree.com/The_NS_Draftroom/index.php?act=idx), a offsite forum for discussing tactics and military designs, LineArt Inc (http://z13.invisionfree.com/LineartInc/index.php?act=idx), an artistic site where many famous NationStates players display their awesome artwork, and the many IRC channels the forums offer, such as #draftroom and #nationstates, both located on the esper.irc.net server.

Nation Name: Velkya
Nation Created (Month, Year): April 1st, 2005 (First nation, Athulia, created summer 2003).
Answer: For the most part, I see myself as on par with the majority of my older brethern, having developed formidable writing and roleplaying skills during my nineteen month residency of the International Incidents forum. While my own skills are quite satisfactory, I must give my thanks to the big guys like Automagfreek, Bretton (don't get cocky, Malik), Hogsweat, Yallak, Praetonia, Sarzonia and Doomingsland, along with countless others, have influenced the development of my writing style, and many are now good friends of mine. I'm deeply grateful and will always be thankful for the help these players gave me, whether it was direct or otherwise.

Why thanks Velkya. Had me worried for a minute though: I was searching for my nation’s name to try and find an old post that wasn’t in my subscriptions when I saw this in the list, and my exact though was ‘Oh crap, I wonder who thinks I RP *&%*house.’ Anyway, glad I could be of some help to you.

Nation Name: Yallak
Nation Created (Month, Year): September, 2003

Do you approve, in general, of the RP style, skills, etc. of nations younger than yourself (January 2005 and younger)?
Answer: Well, most of the newer nations I’ve seen over the recent past tend to have very short/un-descriptive posts - yeah those kinds of posts, you’ve seen them before: Absolutely nothing but a few lines of speech and some arbitrary actions like person A get into helicopter and fly’s to point B.

Of course this is a massive generalization and there are many new RPers who are getting to the point of, are on par with or are as skilled as the ‘oldies’. At this point, I cannot go on without mentioning Xirnium – his is without a doubt, the best writing I’ve seen on NS since I’ve been here, and has been a big influence on my writing and yet he’s (in relative terms) a newer nation.

So without prattling on for too long I guess the simple answer is in general, I approve of the younger nations writing more so than I don’t (mainly though because I simply not not even bother reading the stuff I don't consider good/decent RP).

Nation Name: Hyperspatial Travel
Nation Created (Month, Year): November '03 (My first nation was.. early '03, I believe, although I didn't RP with it.)

Answer: To be honest.. it varies. What I tend to see, the more prolific newbies, the more prominent ones, tend to be.. well, worse. They require from themselves less plot justification to join a story, and need less time to write their posts. The.. less skilled, and more noobish (omitting names) among the newer nations tend to make themselves noisier, and more known than people such as Telros. But those people such as Telros are the newbies that I'll get to know, so it evens out.

Overall, it could be better. But it could certainly be a lot worse.