«12. . .7,7887,7897,7907,7917,7927,7937,794. . .11,54811,549»
You can see under the votes if your delegate votes for or against
Krystalveil, Free republic of hong kong, Loveday, Drewish, and 2 othersPacifical, and West curan
How to be a pirate told to me by a stick figure.
Oh wait I didn’t see he was from the rejected realms
I must put in the famous Churchill quote: “Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.”
Here in Point Comfort Colony, we don't see democracy as an end itself, but as a method in service of Liberty, which is our higher goal. As the lead in The Patriot pointed out, 3,000 tyrants one mile away can oppress a man as well as one tyrant 3,000 miles away. Majority rule must be balance with minority rights, or it becomes mob rule (the reason behind American founding fathers using words like "republic" instead of "democracy"). One can only look at the horrible outcomes of "democracy" on unprepared third world populations, where one group or tribe gets power and then clobbers everyone else (identity politics are bad stuff), to know that democracy does not guarantee human liberty. *climbs down from soap box*
The Soylent Green Party, Flying Eagles, Brackilvanyia, Drewish, and 1 otherPianaville
Lest we forget:
The Official Newspaper of the 10000 Islands
July 2020
"News travels fast in places where nothing much ever happens."
-Charles Bukowski
Weather: sunny
Water temp: perfect!
Waves: nice medium swell
Okay, you've heard us say this before. We have loudly trumpeted the return of everybody's favorite Casino in the past, only to find we have only heralded a false alarm. But gamblers are already winning big tacos at Unlimited Roulette (Laissez les Bon Temps Rouler!) and 10000 Islands Cash Lottery (Prizes up to 20,000,000 Tacos). All this in addition to Blackjack and Slots! The good times never end at XKI Casino! Some of XKI's prominent citizens made a significant proportion of their filthy lucre at this very Casino. Pony up and place your bets! Get while the gettin's good!
July Senate Elections
-Himes West: Current Senator Marxist germany(TCP) has declined the opportunity to repeat. Running in his stead for TCP is Wille-Harlia. Quick to join the melee was WIP candidate Krystalveil.
-Lyonesse East: LE presents voters with a busy field, as Thedairos(TCP), Free Las Pinas(MSPP), and Haivon(WIP) all declared their candidacy as soon as the Election Board opened its doors.
Good luck to all candidates. It warms our collective heart to see such a busy field.
The spirit of political debate is alive and well in XKI. Minister of Labor @humansanity posed a plethora of puzzling questions for our candidates: https://10000islands.proboards.com/thread/39524/senate-candidates-7-20. To make sure they were all paying attention, citizen @flyingeagles had a few questions of his own: https://10000islands.proboards.com/thread/39528/senate-election-question-balance-powers. No sandbagging in this election! Candidates all made their respective statements to the press and public; be sure to check those out to keep these guys honest!
Whoever you preference, make your opinion count...VOTE!!
The Council of Nine
Last Updated: July 1st, 2020
Chief Executive: Markanite
Delegate: Kuriko
Minister of Labor: Human Sanity
Minister of Immigration: THX1138
Minister of Education: The tasmanian islands
Senior Senator for Himes West: Marxist germany
Senator for Lyonnesse East: The United Royal Islands of Euramathania
Senator for New Republica South: Controlitia
Senator for Blue Canaria North: Grea Kriopia
--Deputy Minister of Education: Wille-Harlia
--Deputy Minister of Immigration: Haivon
--Deputy Senator for Himes West: Central Russia
Certainly, the world has never been stranger than it has in the last few months, and alarmists and survivalists have surfaced everywhere. As a result the survival shelter business has been booming. But Mysterious money magnate Mortimer M. Mortimer has already covered that:
Due to a variety of different events and challenges that have occurred in 10000 Islands recently, it has become fashionable among certain parts of the populace to create and populate survival bunkers. As this trend has gained traction, like-minded people moved closer together, and expressed a desire to live more normal lives - but underground. Entrepreneurs quickly started building and selling underground areas for commerce and creating places to eat and drink. These underground commerce centers quickly became small cities. Due to this sudden uptick in demand, Underground Cities have become more valuable and earned Islanders that own them 250 tacos per each.
Mortimer Printout - July 2020
Economic Outlook
Sector: 1 - National Improvements
Item: Underground City
Bonus: 250 Ŧ
Mitigation: N/A
Adjustment: N/A
Stock Market:
From 01-June-2020 to 30-June-2020
Average Change: -8,076 Ŧ
Percent Change: -17%—Stocks Decline
Average Dividend (Base/Dividend): (325/270)
The stock report in its entirety can be perused at your leisure over a nice cup of Earl Grey, here: 
https://10000islands.proboards.com/thread/39493/hunker-bunker-july.
Just in case you’ve been living out beyond the orbit of former planet Pluto, we have a news flash that will get your attention anywhere in the solar system:
A picture is worth a thousand words, which won’t stop us on the verbal front either, as we loudly proclaim this major event in XKI history. Last month saw our first probes and initial colonization of several segments of the Moon. July repeated that refrain, soon to be a familiar one, and more Islanders lifted off to claim more lunar real estate: Paffnia, Hakketomat, Jabberwocky, New Fjordland, and THX1138. Much to everyone’s surprise, payouts have already been made based upon material and scientific discoveries. Everyone will be jumping on this extraterrestrial bandwagon; launch requests have already been made for the next cycle. Don’t be left behind!
This month’s eye opening interview centers about affable TITO XO, the inimitable Aschente.
TMS: What country are you from?
Asch: I am from Michigan in the United States
TMS: What’s the grossest food you ever had to eat to be polite?
Asch: The grossest thing I've ever had to eat to be polite was a sandwich I had picked from a plate at a volunteer thing labeled turkey. It had neglected to mention that it had like 7 pounds of horseradish on it and I struggled to eat half of it before someone started talking and I was able to ignore it in favor of listening to the person.
TMS: Who is your favorite musician?
Asch: I don't really have a favorite musician. I listen to a fair amount of electric music though.
TMS: What afterschool activity did you quit as a kid, and why?
Asch: I never really quit an after school activity. I was fairly active in the av club through highschool.
TMS: If you could turn the ocean into a liquid other than water, which one would you pick?
Asch: some sort of fruit punch probably. You can't really do carbonated things cause it would go flat and I'm not a fan of cold tea.
TMS: What is your favorite conspiracy theory? And do you believe in it?
Asch: my favorite conspiracy theory is easily that earth is flat. If you dig into it there are some insane things they say to attempt to convince others. And I certainly do not believe it.
TMS: Do you have a favorite author? If you could make them write for any TV show which TV show would it be?
Asch: It's a solid tie between Jim Butcher and Rick Riordan. Though I'm not sure I would want them in charge of the shows. Their writing is very detailed and visual adaptations never do justice to stuff like that.
TMS: If you could ban 1 food from the face of the planet what would you ban?
Asch: Any sort of fish. I hate 99% of it.
TMS: What is your favorite hobby?
Asch: video games are probably my favorite hobby. Especially now that I've started streaming on twitch a few days a week, it takes up a lot of my time.
TMS: What vice could you never give up?
Asch: probably junk food... I am trying to eat less of it but I would never be able to fully stop lol
TMS: If you could be any animal, what animal would you be?
Asch: If fantasy animals are allowed then a dragon would be my choice, otherwise I would say a wolf.
TMS: What will be the title of your autobiography?
Asch: "Why are you reading this biography" or something. I haven't done anything super interesting in life. Not yet at least.
Thank you for the compelling insight into what makes Mr. A tick.
Faithful readers will remember this column featuring local and visiting writers with a literary inclination. We discontinued the column due to lack of contributions, but Emoticonius has resurrected his thread, to our great delight. At that time, we had printed, among other notable short pieces, two parts to a piece that Emoticonius called Totes. We're happy to announce the arrival of the third instalment. Here it is:
It's been two days now. Just two days and yet it feels like an eternity. To think just two days ago he'd been blown up AND LIVED TO TELL THE TALE! He looked at himself in the mirror and couldn't help but think aloud, "You sure don't look like you were blown up." Turning back to his computer he came to the realization that he had been given a gift! He had an obligation to use this gift for good! But he couldn't just run around hitting people with his backpack. Not looking like he always does at least.
"It's bound to get messy and there's no way my allowance would be able to cover the cost of a damaged car or a hole in the wall. I'll need a disguise." Looking over to his computer he realized something, "I don't need a disguise...I NEED A COSTUME!" The only place in town that sold costumes was Old Man Elm's Nightmare Emporium and it wasn't gonna open for another eight months! Plus there's no way Old Man Elm would have anything that wasn't made of cheap material. Kyle knew he'd need something a little sturdier. He also knew that his budget wasn't exactly limitless. He couldn't afford to get some kinda awesome suit made from a complex material that was both bullet proof and flame resistant like that of The Obsidian Knight, Chiroptera Man or The Man of Titanium, Superb Man.
He'd have to make due with what his savings from work could get him. He had $400. Hardly enough for a state-of-the-art crime fighting costume. Fortunately for him, the internet had an abundance of people with the skills to build something passable and the will to be a bit flexible with the price. So he logged onto Amazoness Dime and spent the next couple hours scouring it for someone offering their services. It took a while but he found someone offering to do just that. Someone with the username "Ambuscade Ant521982." And for the staggering price of...$19.85!? "There must be a zero missing or a misplaced decimal point. He has a lot of glowing reviews. They all say that his attitude is poor but his products are outstanding. For just under $20 though how could he pass it up? So he contacted Ambusace Ant521982.
"Are you sure your listing was correct? High quality costumes for...$19.85?" As if starting a sales pitch, Ambuscade Ant went on a spiel about it, "That's right, my friend! High quality costumes for the amazing price of $19.85! I know it sounds a bit high but I assure you it is worth every penny! With my products you'll be the envy of everyone at Comic Con. Better yet you'll be fighting crime and flying off the shelves faster than The Red Blur!"
Kyle felt a bit awkward at the sound of it. "Fighting crime? Oh no, you're mistaken. I just want a great costume for Halloween. You're such a kidder, Mr. Ant! He he he he." Whatever you say, kid. You do you. And because I'm such a nice guy, I'll take the cash on delivery. I've already talked with the writer and I know your specifications *exactly.* It'll be at your door in six to eight seconds or your money back." Ambuscade Ant ended the call immediately. "Wait, what?" Kyle looked around frantically, "What are you talking about, Mr. Ant?"
He looked out the window. Lo and behold a Redex truck parked in front of the house. Kyle ran downstairs as fast as he could. He couldn't let his mom find out about it. His amazing new career as a crime fighter would be dead on arrival! Lucky for him she was still out buying dog food. He opened the door so fast he nearly startled the driver. "That'll be $19.85. The sender has already paid for shipping." As frantically as he could Kyle handed the driver $20, "Keep the change."
The driver rolled his eyes as the door was slammed in his face, "Oh boy what am I gonna do with this vast fortune you've bestowed upon me?" Kyle hurried back to his room and opened the box like it was Christmas. Much to his surprise there was indeed a high quality crime fighting costume inside. It felt like one anyways. Not that he knew what one felt like. Even more amazing, it was exactly what he had in mind! From the mask resembling a brown paper bag with a grin bigger than you've ever seen all the way to the stretchy yet somehow durable tote bag that at first looks like an ordinary Meal Ticket brand tote bag. but upon being turned inside out it has written on it in big black letters, "Totes!" It closed securely too to prevent objects from falling out of it. It seemed too good to be true. Yet somehow it was definintely true! Now all that's left is to make his debut. But where was he gonna find a crime in his quiet little mountain town? "It's a shame the bombing happened before I got my powers. I could have made my debut there and maybe stopped a bombing at the same time."
As if on queue Kyle's phone received a notification from the police. "Everyone in town must have got it. Let's see here. Please avoid the hospital until otherwise directed. There's been an attack by a person or persons unknown resulting in multiple casualties. Anyone seeking medical attention should report to the Outland High School Gymnasium where a triage station has been established." Kyle ran outside and made his way towards the hospital as quickly as he could. "This is my chance! This is my time! This is Kyle's time! I can't wait!"
Incidentally, The W.R.I.T.E. Club is looking for writers to contribute, either prose or poetry. It is entirely likely we at TMS will continue to publish these efforts.
Last month we noted the first step in Taco Island Charities Newsroom Stipends, and that TMS was the lucky first recipient of this award. We are pleased to announce that, as a result, The Mad Surfer is, also for the first time, able to pay our staff on a monthly basis. (That sound you hear is our small but vocal staff celebrating) In addition, new writers can now negotiate pay for their efforts. We are looking for…well, just about anything, so if you can wield a pen, apply for the job!
by
THX1138
In ancient Greece there were a group of teachers known as Sophists. They were essentially hired intellectual guns for the nobility and for young statesmen to obtain training in subjects considered virtuous at the time. This could range from mathematics to athletics, but most frequently the teachings emphasised the use of the tools of philosophy and rhetoric, and the ability to make convincing arguments. This, in society where thought and language were the fulcrum on which civilization and democracy pivoted.
Sophists can be said to be the precursor to modern day lawyers and were described by Aristophanes as 'hairsplitting wordsmiths'. Plato was no great fan of the Sophists, mainly because they charged for their services instead of sharing their knowledge freely for the betterment of society. They were wealthy, they were aloof, they were argumentative, and they suffered in their time from a deteriorating reputation, much of which they brought on themselves. History has not been kind to the Sophists. Today, words like Sophistry and Sophism have now come to mean deliberately misleading or fallacious arguments, deceitful means to ends, lawyer's tricks, weasel words.
Those who embrace sophistry in its modern context are alive and well today, and are extremely common. Anyone familiar with the 48 Laws of Power will recognize the inherent deceitfulness of the Sophists in terms of what those rules ask of an individual in terms of the language they must use to achieve their goals. These are the modern day gaslighters, demagogues, corporate psychopaths, etc.
Nation States, too, is a society built on words, and as such is not immune from these influences. Sophistry is a commonly used tool, especially in the WA, and particularly in recent arguments about the nature of the Security Council. What the Council has traditionally stood for is under threat from those who would see its mandate weakened. What was once universally abhorred in the SC is now frequently tolerated, and if certain elements have their way, will eventually be celebrated. Our NS society is at the tipping point on that fulcrum of civilization and democracy previously mentioned, and it will be by words that that tipping occurs.
A cautionary word, then, about the demagogues in our midst, and their seemingly reasonable but ultimately destructive and self-serving arguments. A reminder, to be vigilant and to beware of that which undermines the Council in its mission and mandate to provide security to the vulnerable regions of Nation States. An appeal, to fortify that mandate through your democratic vote in not applauding or excusing those who do harm to other regions, but rather to hold them to account for their choices and their actions.
Which brings us to June's first resolution, in review…
SCR#310 "Commend Crushing Our Enemies": The latest in Jakker's ongoing efforts to undermine the Security Council and render it inert. Despite being rejected by voters in a previous incarnation, this resolution was revised in true sophist form to both obscure reality and exploit the uninitiated. 75% supported the commendation, at least as it stands as a work of fiction.
GAR#491 "Rights of The Employed": Not quite as advertised, this resolution was less concerned with enhancing the rights of the employed and more concerned with enhancing the rights of a very select few among the employed. It wasn't very comprehensive. It was exceptionally agendist and overtly political. It barely passed, and there are a variety of reason why it should be repealed and replaced with better law.
SCR#371 "Commend 9003": In somewhat the same vein as Commend CoE above, albeit to a lesser degree, 9003 is a nation with a lot of admirable accomplishments in their region and in NS writ large, but there's that raider activity that's tough to overlook. Like Commend CoE, the supporting vote was about 75%
GAR#492 "Proper Hygiene For Medical Instruments": While I didn't care much for last month's repeal of 'Ensuring Safe Syringe Use', it did pave the way for this quite excellent piece of legislation. The scope of this resolution was much broader and laid down some universal rules for safer medical practice. 91% support.
SCR#312 "Repeal: 'Liberate Iran'": Another purpose built Kuriko special, seeking to return the ability to Iran to impose a password as first step toward an eventual clean-up and refound. Dedicated native Iramerica submitted the ask and 88% of voters were on-side with the plan.
GAR#493 "Language and Education Rights for Deaf Individuals": Title pretty much says it all. Good bit of business and loads of support with 94% voting in favour.
SC[b] "Commend Apulita" (did not pass): Seeking to celebrate the target's accomplishments in the Warzone community, but unfortunately there wasn't a lot else in terms of wider contributions to the community. 75% voted against, mainly because it was a bit too niche.
[b]GAR#494 "Regulating Desalination": Mostly harmless. It didn't strike me as legislation that was needed, but it certainly didn't do any harm, and passed with a little over 2/3 support..
SC "Repeal 'Condemn Vandoosa'" (did not pass): …and why would it?
GAR#495 "Supporting and Valuing the Humanities": I seem to recall their being an earlier attempt at something similar, but not sure if by the same author. Anyhow, this one got loads of support, and featured a practical plan for promoting sociocultural education throughout the multiverse
SCR#313 "Commend The Salaxalans": Commending the target for their many potato-based accomplishments, as well as leading roles in regional and international politics and diplomacy. Passed easily with wide support.
GA "Standards on Police Accountability" (did not pass): An effort to capitalise on the bad news of the day, this hastily written resolution wasn't very well crafted or well-received. 60% against, although, with that close a margin, a thoughtful rewrite and some time on the forum might produce a viable follow-up.
SCR#314 "Condemn Australian RePublic": An IC condemnation focusing mainly on the target's contributions in issue authorship, albeit not much else. This could have been better written and given more dimension and going the IC route limited that. It may have worked better as a straight commendation, regardless, it still passed with 66% in favour.
GAR#496 "Fair Arbitration Act": Mainly custodial, but still establishing some reasonable rules around the arbitration process, to ensure fair practices and removing the element of duress on bargaining through forced arbitration. Pretty easy choice for most, who passed it with 84% of the vote.
Vote well!
Deputy Minister Sargon reman, just prior to his abrupt departure, appointed our newest Featured Nation, Willeharlia!
The Empire of Wille-Harlia is a huge, socially progressive nation, notable for its museums and concert halls and devotion to social welfare. The compassionate, hard-working, democratic population of 308 million Wille-Harlians hold their civil and political rights very dear, although the wealthy and those in business tend to be viewed with suspicion.
The medium-sized government prioritizes Administration, with Education, Industry, and Welfare also on the agenda. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Cavaliersburg. The average income tax rate is 44.7%, but much higher for the wealthy.
The all-consuming Wille-Harlian economy, worth 27.6 trillion.
To get the whole story, read this: https://10000islands.proboards.com/thread/39309/10000-islands-featured-nation-harlia.
Just as we were going to press, we received an alert from our InterIslands News Bureau. The Senator of Himes West, Marxist germany, has named the RoQ for this, the third quarter of 2020. The recipient of this award had to rush to this ceremony directly after receiving his Featured Nation Award, the very same Wille-Harlia! Evidently not one to rest on his laurels, Mr. WH was short of breath as he humbly accepted his award.
Featuring
Sandy Shoals
Dear Sandy, I've been seeing a really nice guy, and agreed to marry him. My mother warned me he was he cheating kind, and told me she had been seeing his car around town. I stopped by his place one evening shortly before the wedding and found him in bed with another woman. He said it was a one-off, and swore he would never do it again. I let him think I believed him. In the meantime, I urged his mother and sister to quickly send off invitations. I maintained the pretense throughout. I let my family and friends know the wedding was off. The day of the wedding, I sat in my car, with my father and brother, down the street from the church, having left a note on the church door: “Stay with Jazmin, you deserve each other.” I took a great deal of delight watching people show up and puzzle it out. Tell me, was I right?
- Vengeance is Mine
Dear Vengeance, ordinarily I don't advise in favor of revenge, but this creep really had it coming. I, too, enjoyed the notion of your would be groom and guests arriving to meet disappointment. My hat's off to you, sister; I couldn't have devised a better plan. It seems calculated, but not unfeeling. Revenge might be a dish served hot after all.
Are you troubled too? Are you one of the many who seek advice for personal or professional problems? Ask Sandy Shoals!
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITES
The Mad Surfer is looking for highly qualified, motivated, dedicated writers. But maybe you would like to try your hand at it, too. And now WE CAN PAY YOU! Yes, we actually now have a payroll department! Stringent job examination includes placing a mirror in front of your mouth to see if it fogs up. Please notify Jabberwocky to apply.
The Ministry of Labour is looking for Award Designers. Apply to Markanite or new Awards Czar Hakketomat. Be sure to check out the job description here: https://10000islands.proboards.com/thread/39031/awards-designs-needed.
As always, XKI needs Emissaries to help conduct our foreign affairs. Please apply here: https://10000islands.proboards.com/thread/37610/emissaries-needed.
These job opening and more can be found publicly posted here: https://10000islands.proboards.com/board/71/10000-islands-job-opportunities.
You, too, can be one of the lucky few. Have TMS delivered right to your virtual door: http://10000islands.proboards.com/thread/35671/subscription-sign-list.
The Mad Surfer is:
Staff Writers: Jabberwocky, THX1138, Sandy Shoals, Sherlock Quixote;
Editor in Chief/Circulation/Advertising: Jabberwocky;
THX1138, Jabberwocky, Kohnhead, Valentian Elysium, and 6 othersHaivon, Dorab, Wille-Harlia, Margaux, Drewish, and Free Las Pinas
Greetings Friends and Comrades of the 10,000 Islands! Kaltovar is PROUD to announce we have publicly whipped 1500 randomly selected bureaucrats to punish them for the Government's horrible corruption! The KGID estimates bribes and ethical violations have fallen by 2.2%!
Later in the Corruption Report, stay tuned for the trial of a chemical factory owner accused of illegal bomb making who has used the defense that "He never knew the stuff he was making in that vat was RDX or why the Belgians were paying him so much money for it."
The Soylent Green Party, Kohnhead, Dorab, Margaux, and 6 othersThe yakubatian fedeal republic, Drewish, Free Las Pinas, Solsevara, Imqwerty, and Pacifical
Hello, welcome to 10000 Islands.
Here are a few articles that can help you.
·This guide aims to help you:
Prepare you for the limitless possibilities;
Find out the varying aspects of this game; and
Manage your nation.
This guide is reasonably long, and as such, it is recommended that you refer to the table of contents to aid you in locating the specific information you may desire.
Before this guide begins, I would like to personally express thanks and credit to Testlandia, Euroslavia, and Goddess Relief Office who have kindly provided commendable information and tips to this guide.[1]
Max Barry and was released on the 13th of November, 2002 as a means of promoting a novel Jennifer Government. The game has currently 223,380 active nations in 23,734 different regions.[2]Players (under the guise of their nation) operate their own country by making decisions that have an impact on the economy, society, and culture of their people. The object of the game is to lead a country in the way the player finds the best. At the start of the game, the player chooses a few basic characteristics including the name of the country, flag, motto, currency, national animal, and style of government. Answers to a short questionnaire determine the initial ratings of the country's civil, economic, and political rights. The nation's population starts at five million and increases every day automatically with play.
·
||| ISSUES ||| | ||| TELEGRAMS ||| | ||| POPULATION ||| | ||| DOSSIER ||| | ||| SETTINGS ||| | ||| PEOPLE, GOVENMENT, & THE ECONOMY ||| | ||| ANALYSIS |||
·
As time progresses, issues will determine the type of government a nation has, with the game categorizing the type from 'Democratic Socialists' to 'Psychotic Dictatorship'.
A player can decide how often he or she wishes to receive issues by accessing the settings page and choosing from a list of options under the sub-heading New Issues. The options available for selection are:
None;
One per weekday;
One per day;
Two per weekday;
Two per day; or
Vacation Mode (prevent a nation from receiving new issues and extending period after which a nation will be deleted for inactivity, from 28 days to 60 days).
Depending on the options a player selects, they will achieve varying ratings relating to their nation's Economy, Political Freedoms, and Civil Rights (visible on a nation's homepage).
A nation's government type is determined by an algorithm which calculates a nation's civil liberties, economic, and political freedoms and based on this result, allocates the nation a government type appropriate to that nation. There are 27 government types, ranging from Scandinavian Liberal Paradise to Iron Fist Socialists to Psychotic Dictatorship.
Government Category | Nation Count | Percentage |
Inoffensive Centrist Democracy | 52643 | 23.58% |
Democratic Socialists | 16958 | 7.60% |
Iron Fist Consumerists | 16719 | 7.49% |
Anarchy | 15750 | 7.06% |
New York Times Democracy | 15130 | 6.78% |
Psychotic Dictatorship | 13611 | 6.10% |
Father Knows Best State | 11356 | 5.09% |
Civil Rights Lovefest | 10677 | 4.78% |
Moralistic Democracy | 9530 | 4.27% |
Left-wing Utopia | 7038 | 3.15% |
Liberal Democratic Socialists | 6700 | 3.00% |
Corrupt Dictatorship | 6489 | 2.91% |
Capitalist Paradise | 5626 | 2.52% |
Corporate Bordello | 5236 | 2.35% |
Left-Leaning College State | 4705 | 2.11% |
Corporate Police State | 4241 | 1.90% |
Scandinavian Liberal Paradise | 4198 | 1.88% |
Authoritarian Democracy | 3556 | 1.59% |
Compulsory Consumerist State | 3056 | 1.37% |
Right-wing Utopia | 1933 | 0.87% |
Capitalizt | 1598 | 0.72% |
Iron Fist Socialists | 1494 | 0.67% |
Conservative Democracy | 1005 | 0.45% |
Free-Market Paradise | 935 | 0.42% |
Libertarian Police State | 901 | 0.40% |
Tyranny by Majority | 820 | 0.37% |
Benevolent Dictatorship | 772 | 0.35% |
Mother Knows Best State | 546 | 0.24% |
NationStates has five different categories in which issues are organized into; general, population-based, issue options, statistics, and special issues.
General issues:
General issues form the majority of issues that a nation will receive. Issues of this type are randomly generated with there being no precondition to receiving them.
Examples of general issues include:
Population-based issues
Population-based issues are those which can only be unlocked by a nation's population. If a player chooses to dismiss issues of this type when he/she received them or chooses an option that he/she may later regret, the player will still be able to receive population-based issues. However, the player will receive the specific issue later and not immediately after dismissing it. Through such issues, a player will be granted the ability to edit the player's capital city, leader, and national religion.
Examples of population-based issues include:
Issue-option
Issue-option is only unlock-able when a nation chooses a specific option to one issue. The result of the issue and the effect of the decision on the nation will be a catalyst for an Issue-option issue.
Examples of issue-based issues include:
Reclaim the Streets!. If a player selects option 1 which bans all cars, the player will unlock Without Cars, Going Nowhere Fast; and- Child Casino Shock. If a player selects option 1 which outlaws gambling, the player will unlock Gambling Interests Offer High Stakes.
Statistic-based issues
Statistic-based issues can be unlocked when a nation has reached a pre-determined statistic relevant to the issue. Depending on how a player chooses to lead his/her nation, different statistics will apply to the nation. For example, a nation which is led in a dictatorial fashion will most likely receive an issue which relates to tyrannical nations, for example, the issue
Too Low on Laws, Says Citizens. However, a nation that has high political freedoms would not receive such issues.Examples of statistic-based issues include:
- Too Low on Laws, Says Citizens is unlocked when a nation is categorised as an Anarchy; and
- Maxtopians Demands Return of the King is unlocked when a nation is rated highly culturally.
Special issues
Special issues do not occur often and are a rarity. For example,
World Assembly Woes are only unlock able by member-states of the World Assembly.Similar to special issues, there are easter egg issues which reward nations with a unique badge to be displayed on nations' main page. There are several easter egg issues available. However, the methods of attaining them vary. For a more detailed discussion on easter egg issues, please refer to this
discussion.
A player can choose to filter telegrams he/she receives by accessing Telegram Preferences. There are four categories a player can select:
Recruitment: Recruitment telegrams are sent by nations attempting to convince players to join their regions.
WA Campaign: WA proposal authors may send WA-member nations telegrams of this sort to lobby for a player's vote.
Region (official): Founders and (if allowed) World Assembly Delegates may send regional telegrams without the need for stamps. Unless selected, these telegrams will be sent to every nation residing in the region.
External: External telegrams are sent using stamps and in-which the author had not pre-selected the telegram label of 'recruitment' or 'campaign'.
A player may choose to block particular nations from sending him/her telegrams. A player may add a nation to the Ignore List by writing the nation's name in the search box of Telegram Preferences. Alternatively, the player can click on a telegram's timestamp which will link to a page showcasing the individual telegram, with there being a 'Block Sender' link near its bottom-right.
NationStates is a free game however there are upgrades available to a player. One such upgrade is an Inbox upgrade which is part of packages: Supporter, Postmaster, and Postmaster-General.
- Supporter will:
remove ads (for faster page loads);
reward with a supporter trophy for your nation page;
last forever;
permanently reserve nation name; and
give a player a 'warm, fuzzy feeling of supporting NationStates.'
includes the aforementioned benefits of Supporter;
expand folders to hold a 100 telegrams each (up from 20 telegrams);
create 3 additional custom folders; and
create a 'deleted items' folder which will retain a maximum of 100 deleted telegrams.
includes the aforementioned benefits of both Supporter and Postmaster;
expand folders to hold an unlimited number of telegrams;
create an unlimited number of custom folders; and
includes 500 telegram stamps.
Postmaster:
Postmaster-General:
Telegram stamps allow players to send multiple telegrams at one single time. Normally, a player would only be able to send a telegram to a maximum of eight nations. Mass telegrams using telegram stamps can reach substantial numbers of nations quickly and easily and provide Delivery Reports which detail who has received a telegram and who has not.
A player can personalize the telegram sent by applying %NATION% to the text of the telegram. This will automatically translate to the nation's name when he/she receives it.
- Similarly a player can select a particular group to receive the telegram:
region: <Name> will send a telegram to every nation residing in the region listed.
tag: New<Number> will send telegrams to the aforementioned number of newly founded nations.
tag: Refounded<Number> will send telegrams to the aforementioned number of refounded nations.
tag: NewDelegates<Number> will send telegrams to the aforementioned number of new World Assembly Delegates nations.
tag: Delegates will send a telegram to the every Delegate.
tag: WA will send a telegram to the every nation who retains current membership to the World Assembly.
tab: All will send a telegram to every nation in NationStates.
tag: Welcome will send an automatic greeting to new arrivals in their region. However, telegrams of these sort can only be sent by a Founder or Delegate of a region.
The population of a newly-created nation increases by 1 million per day.
The population of a nation is related to the descriptor of its size. As a nation's population increases, it progresses through a series of size descriptors, which are: fledgling, tiny, small, large, very large, huge, massive, colossal, and gargantuan. As a nation's population increases, it eventually gains several new custom nation traits, including the capital city (250 million), the nation name pretitle (500 million), the nation's leader (750 million), and the national religion (1 billion).
Population Mark | Change(s) |
5 million | The starting population, with the population size descriptor 'fledgling', and a population growth rate of 1 million per day. |
7 million | The population size descriptor changes to 'tiny'. |
10 million | The population growth rate increases to 2 million per day. |
20 million | The population size descriptor changes to 'small'. The population growth rate increases to 3 million per day. |
32 million | The population growth rate increases to 4 million per day. |
40 million | The population growth rate increases to 5 million per day. |
50 million | The population size descriptor changes to 'large'. The population growth rate increases to 6 million per day. |
62 million | The population growth rate becomes randomly variable, ranging from 5 million per day to 7 million per day. The population growth rate does not change after this. |
100 million | The population size descriptor changes to 'very large'. |
200 million | The population size descriptor changes to 'huge'. |
250 million | The nation can receive the issue to create a custom-named national capitol. |
500 million | The nation name pretitle changes from multiple-choice to a custom text field. The player may submit issues from now on, at the issues page. |
750 million | The player will have the option of stating the leader of their nation as well as attributing the national motto to said-individual. |
1 billion | The population size descriptor changes to 'massive'. The nation can receive the issue to create a custom-named national religion. |
5 billion | The population size descriptor changes to 'colossal'. |
10 billion | The population size descriptor changes to 'gargantuan'. |
The brief information provided in the dossier is limited to the nation's name, the nation's WA category (for example, left-wing utopia), when the nation was last active, the region in which the nation resides, and the WA status of the nation (whether the nation is a member of the World Assembly).
Similarly, the dossier provides brief information on regions that players choose to feature in their dossier. The information is limited to the name of the region, the population of the region, and the name of the region's World Assembly Delegate.
Another feature is Advanced Dossier. This feature allows for greater control of the nations which feature in a player's dossier. As opposed to having to independently select nations, a player can upload a text file to NationStates featuring nations' names. Alternatively, a player can download a text file that contains the identity of the nations in the dossier.
Banners are a rotating, targeted, customizable, unlock-able set of images on the nation's page. There are over 250 banners, which unlock upon achieving various feats, such as developing a strong economy or reaching high levels of political corruption. There are also custom slots for uploading a players' own images, once they have reached particular population levels. For a full list illustrating every banner achievable, you are invited to view this collection.
Government: An illustration and accompanying percentages showing the distribution of your budget, for example, education, environment, healthcare, public transport, and administration. The illustration also details the amount of a player's currency and the percentage of the player's total gross domestic product (GDP) spent on government expenditure.
Economy: An illustration of the division of the public, private, and state-owned sectors. Here, a player can also read the total GDP of the nation and the GDP per person.
In the major update, NationStates generates a World Census Report on a particular subject and will rank all nations and regions from highest to lowest. Such topics include 'Most Extreme', 'Most Cultured' and 'Best Healthcare'. If a nation scores highly in these reports, the player may expect to be rewarded with either a silver or gold badge which will feature on the main page of the player (top 10% and 5%, respectfully).
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Different regions have different focus points, some choose to be specifically themed with a general-purpose whilst others are just a casual gathering place for nations. The defining aspect of regions is their home-pages (which you can locate by clicking on a region's link). The regional home-page showcases a wide range of customizable features:
World Factbook Entry;
Regional flag;
Dispatches;
Regional tags;
Embassies;
World Census Report;
Regional polls; and the
Regional Message Board (RMB)
Nations can select the region they want to belong to by various means; accidental stumbling upon, specific searches, recruitment telegrams, looking at regional tags, etc.
For a comprehensive guide to "Building a region", you are invited to view this forum thread.
Membership to the World Assembly is entirely voluntary. A player may choose to join this organisation and in doing so, gain them in-game functions of being able to endorse other nations as well as receive endorsements. However, the player also submits their nation to the effects generated by various WA proposals. This may have an inadvertent effect on a nation's statistics, for example, their military situation (ability to construct nuclear weapons may be limited by a WA General Assembly resolution). A player can choose to join the World Assembly by clicking on the 'Apply to join' button in the World Assembly page.
Delegate are elected by a region to serve as their representative at the World Assembly. Unlike ordinary members, they can approve newly-suggested resolutions. Delegates may also have administrative control over their region, though this is entirely dependent on the settings decided with the region's creation.
Becoming a delegate can be an easy or difficult process, depending on the circumstances. To be elected, a nation needs endorsements (a minimum of two) from the majority of members in their respective regions. Whilst a region composed of said-nation and a friend(s) can guarantee the nation the delegacy, larger regions with a vast collection of players are often much more challenging. Not only must the nation convince people to support their cause (and potentially have the current delegate demoted), the nation needs to hold this position by respecting the demands of the region.
Gaining endorsements, you've decided to join a bigger region with little to no support from friends, here are a few tips to receive the endorsements needed: (note: the following is the author's own opinion)
Patience is a godsend. Don't expect to march in some random region and have endorsements thrown at you. You need to prove your place.
Get friendly with some of the other nations, people who you can count on to support your ascent to power.
If they have one, find out about the current delegate. Is he well-liked? Does he listen to the nation's wishes? Does he abuse his power? Use this to your advantage...
NationStates truly is a game of politics and roleplaying. To that end, feel free to blackmail and bribe your peers.
Councils, the World Assembly is divided into two entities; the General Assembly and the Security Council [3]:
The General Assembly is concerned with passing international law: resolutions to improve human rights, environmental standards, and the like. They have an immediate and material effect on all WA member nations, and can change your laws and category. For example, if you are a protectionist nation, and the WA passes a resolution promoting free trade, you may find your nation becoming abruptly more capitalist.
Broadly speaking, the General Assembly does not concern itself with individual nations or regions, but humanity as a whole. It has a vibrant roleplaying community in the General Assembly forum, which debates and drafts legislation.
The Security Council, on the other hand, is very much about specifics. It passes resolutions that Condemn or Commend particular nations or regions, and authorises Liberations, by removing a Delegate's authority to set a regional password (usually to restore order following its capture by invaders). Compared to the General Assembly, it is more concerned with gameplay (regional politics, invasions) than roleplaying.
Both Councils function similarly in that they accept proposals, which enter the voting floor to be voted on as resolutions. Each Council may have a resolution at vote at the same time.
To vote for a resolution, click on its link within the World Assembly tab. You'll be taken to a page giving you the full details, including the category, resolution number, and who proposed the resolution. Below that, you'll find a complete explanation, with the option of voting For or Against.
To pass your own resolution, you need at least two endorsements from members of your region. Once you have those, you can propose your resolution to the World Assembly. However, before people are given the chance to vote on it, it needs to be approved by 6% of the World Assembly Regional Delegates. If it reaches the necessary number of approvals, it will be brought onto the voting floor, where all members of the WA can make your resolution law, or fail to pass it. (note: the following is the author's own opinion)
When you decide to pass your resolution, you have two choices. You can create a brand new one, or you can attempt to repeal an old one.
Creating a new resolution is basically one that does not currently exist. If you do so, make sure you look through all previous resolutions. There's nothing more embarrassing than attempting to introduce laws on toilet paper which already exist...
If you too are angered about the increase of tax on tea bags, then you have the chance to get things changed! You can vote to re-appeal a resolution, which will render the resolution in question null and void. This is normally when old laws conflict with new methods.
Tips on Passing a Resolution:
Gather up support within your region. If it was proposed by someone, all the better!
Spread the word on the forums. There is a section dedicated to the discussion of resolutions. You can make friends and get some critique on your law, which will let you make the edits necessary to give it an air of professionalism.
Don't get too frustrated if your resolution doesn't make it to the voting floor. You can always try again.
Influence is a game-determined categorisation applied to each nation. A nation's influence is a measure of how 'well-respected' a nation is considered in its current region. Nations earn influence in a region the longer they remain there, and the more WA endorsements they have accumulated. When a nation leaves, though, its influence in that region will begin to decline.
Influence serves an important gameplay purpose. The ability of WA Delegates to eject and ban nations from their region, and to password-protect it, is limited by their Influence. Delegates consume some of their Influence to exercise their power, so the more often the Delegate uses their influence, the more difficult it is for them to wield those powers in the future.
When a nation moves to a region, it does not influence within that region. Nations accrue influence in a region by remaining in the region, and by receiving endorsements from the region’s members. Arguably, being a member of the WA has no value unless the nation gains endorsements, the more endorsements one gets, the more influence one will accrue.
The regional influence is equal to the sum of the national influence of all its members (updated each game-update (refer to Analysis)), and is displayed as a ranking on a scale ranging from ‘moderate’ to ‘Extremely High’.
The national influence ranking (ranging from ‘Minnow’ to ‘Hermit’) is determined by the ratio of national influence to total regional influence and the previous WA update.
Influence levels achievable
↓ | Influence Level |
31 | Zero |
30 | Unproven |
29 | Hatchling |
28 | Newcomer |
27 | Nipper |
26 | Minnow |
25 | Sprat |
24 | Shoeshiner |
23 | Page |
22 | Squire |
21 | Apprentice |
20 | Vassal |
19 | Truckler |
18 | Handshaker |
17 | Duckspeaker |
16 | Envoy |
15 | Diplomat |
14 | Ambassador |
13 | Auxiliary |
12 | Negotiator |
11 | Contender |
10 | Instigator |
9 | Dealmaker |
8 | Enforcer |
7 | Eminence Grise |
6 | Powerbroker |
5 | Power |
4 | Superpower |
3 | Dominator |
2 | Hegemony |
1 | Hermit |
forum.]Welcome to 'Getting Started with Nationstates'. This (advice) will provide the basic framework for general rules and learning and all things in regards to how to properly Role Playing in the International Incidents and Nationstates forums. The following is merely a snippet of advice, please visit this forum thread for more comprehensive information and advice relating to roleplaying in International Incidents.
Work things out OOC: First piece of advice is fairly simple; you will find that when you start a roleplay with a nation you may have combat with, you will find that most of the time you will both have different technologies and ideas on how the roleplay will go. As such it’s important to work out any problems OOC before you start the RP. You can do this in MSN, telegram or even in a separate thread… if you don’t do this you may waste a lot of time arguing with the other nation over the power of your weapon, why they aren’t taking enough damage and so on.
Spelling, Grammar and Format: This is a quick addition, but basically if you want to be understood you should make it easier to read for everyone else. You should try and make sure that you’re spelling it reasonable, your grammar is ok and your format makes it easy for people to read. The best way to achieve this is to use a program like Win Word to spell check your post and maybe even point out some grammar problems.
Its freeform baby!: Yeah, I know I should have pointed this out earlier, but it goes without saying. You can RP anything you want and there is little anyone can do about it. Remember, while you can roleplay anything, you can also ignore anything. So while you can RP your nation being the best in the universe, everyone else can ignore such a claim and choose not to RP with you. That’s the beauty of freeform, and it’s the greatest frustration. This is why you should be reasonable.
Be descriptive: This isn’t really as important, but it makes the thread a whole lot better. The more description you put into it, the more interesting it is to read and the more you will enjoy the roleplay on the whole.
Have fun: It gets forgotten a lot of the time but Nationstates is just a game; albeit an addictive game which takes a lot of time and effort for some people. The important thing is to have fun; if you are not having fun then you should try something else. Tired of having wars with everyone? Chill out and try something else, make peace with those you fight or have a peace conference… that way you automatically have a character/diplomatic roleplay.
To garner more information on general roleplaying, the author strongly recommends a visit to the forum thread Roleplaying Tips and Suggestions.
Roleplaying in NationStates is such an exciting and fun aspect of the game, as such, there are thousands of people all around you who would be happy to help you, you need only ask. Similarly, if you are stuck on something or would just like a bit of advice here and there, the forum contains dozens of guides and helpful tips. Always remember, the world is full of possibilities and you are only limited by your imagination.
BBCode or Bulletin Board Code is a lightweight markup language generally used internet-wide format posts in blogs and message boards.
The BBCode tags usually have a beginning and ending tag similar to HTML. BBCodes are usually indicated by the square brackets [ ] and contain a keyword within the [] tag, and the ending tags have the same keyword with a backslash ” / ” preceding the keyword. These BBCodes are parsed during the run-time to produce HTML or XHTML that can be understood by the browsers. It should be noted that players need to nest the tags properly as otherwise, it might not work.
[The following information has been kindly provided by Testlandia and reproduced here with his express permission. The following list is not exhaustive. To view the full list, please consult with this dispatch, the Complete List of NSCodes.]
These BBCode-like tags can be used in Dispatches, Telegrams, Regional Message Board (RMB) posts, Regional World Factbook Entries (WFEs), and World Assembly proposals. Not all tags are valid for all message types: see below.
Name | Validity | Code | Result |
Bold | Everywhere | [b]Nation[/b] | Nation |
Italic | Everywhere | [i]States[/i] | States |
Underline | Everywhere | [u]online[/u] | online |
Strike | Everywhere | [strike]game[/strike] | game |
Background | Dispatches | [background=#0080FF]text highlight[/background] | text highlight |
Background-block | Dispatches | [background-block=yellow]Block highlight[/background-block] | Block highlight |
Size | Dispatches | [size=150]Guide[/size] | Guide |
Font | Dispatches | [font=Newtimesroman]John Smith[/font] | John Smith |
Nation | Everywhere | [nation]Amerion[/nation] [nation=short]Amerion[/nation] [nation=short+noflag]Amerion[/nation] [nation=long]Amerion[/nation] | |
Region | Everywhere | [region]the South Pacific[/region] | |
WA proposal | Everywhere | [proposal=chester_pearson_1421530135]War Crimes Tribunal[/proposal] | |
WA resolution | Everywhere | [resolution=GA#2]The Rights and Duties law[/resolution] | |
Spoiler | Everywhere | [spoiler]Hi[/spoiler] [spoiler=Greetings]Hi[/spoiler] | Hi Hi |
Link | Dispatches & WFE | [url=http://maxbarry.com/]Max Barry[/url] created NationStates |
|
Anchor | Dispatches | [anchor=A][/anchor]The anchor will be placed here [url=/page=dispatch/id=444406#A]Anchor link[/url] | |
Image | Dispatches | [img]https://i.imgur.com/9h8jAdi.png?1[/img] |
|
Quote | RMB & Dispatches | [quote=amerion;100000]Oppa Gangnam Style[/quote] | |
List | Everywhere | [list][*]Bullet [*]List[/list] [list=1][*]Number [*]List[/list] [list=a][*]Alphabetical [*]List[/list] [list=I][*]Roman [*]Numerals [*]List[list] |
|
Unformatted text | Everywhere | [pre]You bold like [b]this[/b]![/pre] | You bold like [b]this[/b]! |
Color | Dispatches & WFE | [color=red]Red text[/color] [color=#0431B4]Blue text[/color] | Red text |
Alignment | Dispatches | [align=right]Right-aligned[/align] [center]Center-aligned[/center] [align=left]Left-aligned[/align] | Right-aligned Center-aligned Left-aligned |
Indentation | Dispatches | [tab=10]This is an indent[/tab] | This is an indent |
Horizontal Line | Dispatches | [hr] | |
Box | Dispatches | [box]This is a box[/box] | This is a box |
·
·
|
|
Ban | An act which prevents a nation from entering a given region. |
Cease-To-Exist (CTE) | The deletion of a nation after a period of inactivity lasting 28 days or 60 days if vacation mode is set. A nation can be 'refounded' by the owner by login. |
Eject | An act of ejecting a nation from a region. This can be performed by the Founder (with cost to the nation) or by the Delegate (with an influence cost incurred on the Delegate). Nations who have been ejected will relocate involuntarily to The Rejected Realms. |
Feeders | Regions that new nations are founded in. Sinkers include The Pacific, The North Pacific, The South Pacific, The West Pacific, and The East Pacific. |
Founder | A nation who 'founded' the region and hence is the original inhabitant. The Founder, depending on access to the administration panel, has the power to ban, eject, banject nations, change tags, suppress RMB posts, change the flag, construct and close embassies, and change the World Factbook Entry. |
Sinkers | Regions that nations returning to the game, or in the case of The Rejected Realms are ejected from a different region go to. Sinkers include Lazarus, Osiris, Balder, and The Rejected Realms. |
Out-of-Character (OOC) | Post of this sort is used to convey messages unrelated to the roleplay, such as informing fellow players that you will be out of town for a week and therefore will not be online in NationStates. |
Puppets | Nations created to be used secondary to the primary nation. Some players choose to use puppet nations as WA nations while others choose to use it to boost a region's population. Reasons vary and there is nothing wrong with creating puppets for one's purpose. |
Regional Message Board (RMB) | A chat function visible in a region (scroll down the region's homepage). This aspect allows nations to communicate and displays their flag as well as allowing them to 'like' others' messages and quote them. |
Telegrams | A private messaging system that acts as emails for NS. |
Warzones | Regions which have no founder and cannot be refounded. In these regions, ejections/bannings do not incur an influence drain on the Delegate but can only last a limited amount of time. Warzones include Warzone Airspace, Warzone Africa, Warzone Europe, Warzone Asia, Warzone Australia, and Warzone Sandbox. |
World Assembly | An institute of global governance in NationStates, similar to the United Nations in real-life. |
World Assembly Delegate | A nation who possess the largest number of WA endorsements in the region, thereby allowing it to represent the region in the World Assembly. |
World Factbook Entry (WFE) | World Factbook Entry is an area visible at the top of a region's homepage which describes the region, etc. Typically, it would state members of the region's governing entity, links to an offsite forum, etc. |
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The NationStates Guide
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*Or more sadly, the "I wished I had this comprehensive, yet mildly funny guide when I was new" Guide to NationStates
Please bear with us as we add more and more content.
Thank you all for your support!
Hello newbie, welcome to NationStates! NationStates is a multiplayer text-based nation state simulator which was created to promote a new novel known as Jenn- oh whoops you drifted off already.
Yeah no .. I'm not going to bore you. You're welcome. The guide is written in chronological order, but you can skip to specific parts using the contents page.
Yep. This sh*t is so comprehensive it has a table of contents.
Single player mechanics
1. My telegrams are being bombarded. How the f*ck do I stop this spam?
2. What are issues?
3. What are civil rights, economy and political freedom? Isn't 'political freedom' an oxymoron?
4. What are policies? And lul wut since when did I legalise polygamy?
5. What are the 'people', 'government' and 'economy' statistics?
6. What are ranks? Is this just more statistics?
Multiplayer mechanics
1. What are regions?
My telegrams are being bombarded. How the f*ck do I stop this spam?
Oof. The first thing most new players get is a cascade of junk mail in their inbox. A large majority of your spam mail are recruitment telegrams which want you to join their region (I'll explain that in the future, but basically they're like tribes or clans).
But right now you don't give a sh*t. Firstly, we need to stop more garbage polluting your inbox. To do this, click this link. Under Filter, go to Recruitment and click Block All.
Click update filter when done. Now you will no longer receive more recruitment bullsh*t! Hooray🎊! All you need to do now is to delete your inbox and send angry telegrams telling your spammers to never spam you again.
What are issues?
Issues are the main feature of NationStates and it's the thing that makes the game fun! You are the leader of your country, and issues are scenarios your country is going through. Each issue has a list of different options you can pick to resolve these scenarios. The fun thing about all the issues is that usually none of the options are 'good'. They all have drawbacks and some of the options you pick can have unintended consequences.
Let's take a look at an example...
Oh dear. In this issue, you basically have two options: force the company to give the pay rise or frankly fire the fish farmers furiously (I apologise for the abject alliteration).
So let's assume you go for the "DSJFJISDFJISDFJIPSDF CAPITALISM! DESTROY CAPITALISM NOW!!111" option. Under this scenario, the workers now have a 20% pay rise and the prospect of not having fish and chips this Friday has been thoroughly diffused. Power to the workers🚩! Viva la Revolution or whatever you hip socialists say nowadays, idk.
The unintended consequence however is that now your people know if they want something, they can go on strike. So they will do... like all the time. And you'll be getting a f*ckton of strikes now.
To illustrate why this may not be a good thing, I have hired an economist from the Department of the Treasury of His Excellency to draft a graph showing the relationship between economic productivity and the amount of people going on strike:
In other words, your economy is going to die. Oof.
So let's go for the other option then, i.e. "Tiannamen Square 2: Electric Boogaloo (ft. Margaret Thatcher)". Crush those fish f*ckers! Now you've given companies and corporations more power to make your economy more competitive. Yay to laissez-faire economics📈!
As a side effect of relaxing industrial laws, now thousands of people will randomly be fired (because their bosses don't like them or something), creating mass unemployment. And also.. uh.. rolling in the tanks isn't very.. shall we say.. conducive to democracy I mean like, as a dictatorship this is actually a very very good thing, but this guide is supposed to be "impartial" so pshhh.
So overall, none of the options are 'good' options. They all have glaring flaws in them. So you have to pick the best one out of all your crappy options. But that is what makes this game so fun! There is no 'right' answer, and some options have wildly unanticipated side effects. Issues are important because the way you answer issues affect the statistics and status of your country (which will be explained in more depth in the next question).
What are civil rights, economy and political freedom? Isn't 'political freedom' an oxymoron?
Civil rights, economy and so-called political freedom are the main gauges of your nation. Every time you do an issue, your civil rights, economy or political freedoms will go either up or down. Your nation classification (in this example, the classification is Civil Rights Lovefest) depends on how much civil rights, economic freedom and political freedoms your country has.
In this example, a progressive policy has led to the economy to go down. But don't worry! You'll soon have lots of other issues which will give you opportunities to get it back up. It is possible to have any classification and increase your statistics even if they're currently crappy, it just takes time and answering specific issues.
So to roughly recap, here is a table you can refer to tell you what your country is like:
Statistic | Having lots means.. | Having little means.. |
Civil rights | Pot-smoking, gay rights loving, liberty spreading, freedom embracing lovefest | Slavery is a good idea as it gives people jobs which they can never resign from |
Economy | GDP is bigger than a potato | GDP is a potato |
Economic freedom | Pinochet did nothing wrong | Stalin did nothing wrong |
Political freedoms | Rule by ballot | Rule by ballistic missile |
It is also possible to check your statistics over time. If you go to Trend, you can see the ups and downs of your basic metrics (civil rights, economy and political freedoms) in the form of a graph.
Presumably you are a noob, in which case your graph will consist of three straight lines. If you're an old player, you can see something slightly more interesting than straight lines like squiggles, bumps, dramatic falls and exponential rises. *The audience proceeds to go "ooooh"*
Just look at this very exciting graph!
What do you mean you don't care?
However, civil rights, economy and political freedom aren't the only metrics and measurements you can use to gauge your nation. There are also other ways you can measure your nation such as the policies it has enacted (which will be discussed in the next question).
What are policies? And lul wut since when did I legalise polygamy?
Policies are general laws your nation has passed. You get new policies by answering issues. Depending on what policies your country has, you may get certain issues. For example, if you are an autocracy (dictatorship), you won't get any issues related to democracy. The fun thing about policies is they are a by-product of issues, and therefore sometimes you will enact a new policy as an unintended consequence.
For example, look at this cute little boy on the right. He has a passion for acting. Who could dare to crush his innocent dreams of being an aspiring actor? me lol SURPRISE BISH💥 You just legalised child labour. Now go work in the factories for the fatherland! *throws the cute child into the assembly line*
Or, another example, marriage laws. If you have a compassion level that is higher than a literal kidney stone, you would be naturally inclined to legalise gay marriage. However, read the small print very carefully. Or ... SURPRISE BISH💥 You just legalised polygamy. Not what you meant? Sorry, your civil servants got a bit overzealous and now you have this weird law you did not ask for or maybe you did, I mean I won't judge😒.
Like statistics and all the other metrics, policies are reversible. So don't worry if you have a democratic robo-socialist polygamous pot-smoking feudal society. Just give it time, answer the right issues, and it will change.
What are the 'people', 'government' and 'economy' statistics?
The categories of "people", "government" and "economy" are another form of metrics to gauge your nation. Each three of these options are presented in a pie chart. [insert sarcastic amusement here] It's not really that exciting unless if you like maths and yes I call it maths do you have a problem, no that's what I thought.
So unless if this arouses you in some way...
You really needn't bother. I am only aroused when 100% of money is spent on defending oil- I mean uh self-defence yeah.
What are ranks? Is this just more statistics?
Ranks are individual statistics to measure your nation. They vary from boring statistics such as "economic output", to more average ones like "averageness" (yes there is a literal statistic on averageness), to more exciting interesting ones like level of public "nudity".
"Holy sh*t. Why are there so many statistics in NationStates?" That's a dumb question. You're playing a text-based simulator you dimwit. What did you expect? "Are you making me ask stupid questions to insinuate and perpetuate stereotypes of my ignorance as a noob?" Yes.
Depending on how you answer every issue, your plethora of statistics change. To see these changes, you can scroll down after answering an issue.
What makes ranks so much more different that the other eight million other statistics in NationStates, is that you can get badges for ranking high on each of these ranks!
These badges appear below your nation's main page and they are usually a source of honour and pride for the owner of the account. Green badges are given to top 10% of nations (of that certain statistic) in the entire game, orange badges are given to the top 5% and golden badges given to the top 1%.
As you can see, this is my own private collection. I'm extremely proud and honoured to have the Top 1% for Public Nudity. "I don't care, do you have any other information regarding ranks?" My golden badge reflects on a sadder tone of general society. Societal progres- "Yeah OK, I'm going then." - WAIT WHERE ARE YOU GOING?
Time to finally explain what regions actually are. While your individual nations are the single player aspect of the game, regions are the multiplayer aspect. Regions are basically groups, clans or guilds. Every nation must be part of a region. As you've probably encountered beforehand, there are a f*ckton of regions and they all want you to join them.
If you are a newbie, you are probably in one of the five main starter regions: the Pacific, the North Pacific, the South Pacific, the East Pacific and the West Pacific. New nations are automatically randomly assigned to be born in one of these starter regions, s-pacifically known as 'feeder' regions. I refuse to apologise for this pun.
THX1138, Kohnhead, Dorab, Grea Kriopia, and 3 othersLoveday, Drewish, and Pacifical
Hello
I'm new here but some of the results of the issues are really bizarre and seems forced to create a dilemma.One example? choosing to donate gifts above a certain value leads to "the government recently donated a surfboard to an impoverished family in a landlocked region." why wouldn't they just sell it and give the money?
Most of the results of the issues are meant to be humorous.
Vivolkha, West curan, and Manurajya
Hey everyone, I’m not sure how interested anyone is in this but I want to make data videos about nation states countries and I wanna know if anyone would like me to cover anything about their country like GDP, Population or anything else. Here’s an example with a fake nation I came up with
youtu.be/Wb-qs4JgP5A
I already made one about my country but I haven’t uploaded it yet. Please dm or reply if you’re interested
Sulenia, Drewish, Point comfort colony, Free Las Pinas, and 1 otherManurajya
The game is satirical at its core, as Drewish said, most issues are humorous. Either the issues themselves do not make sense, or the results will almost always go horribly wrong or have bizarre consequences.
Flying Eagles, Dorab, Drewish, West curan, and 1 otherManurajya
Perhaps they are using its as a Allegory for the nature of many well meaning government decisions and policies tend to have unintended consequences.Anyway that brings me to the question that from a min max perspective is it perhaps better to dismiss most issues?
So I'm in some kind of lockdown again, as both Lleida and the entire area around Barcelona (covering 13 cities where most of Catalonia's population live; Barcelona proper is included by the way), experience serious coronavirus outbreaks again. The government has for now imposed some restrictive "recommendations" for 15 days, after that they'll probably apply an outright lockdown of both areas. A similar situation has happened in other areas of Spain where the lockdown has been reapplied, including areas of Galicia and the Basque Country.
It is a parody of the unintended and irreversible consequences political decisions can have, yes. From a min-max perspective, you need to do the exact opposite: reply as many issues as you can, even if the effects are seemingly contradictory. Pretty much anything you do in this game will drift you towards a certain direction, sometimes even by game design (for example, the vast majority of issues increase Average Income, and the same happens with Taxation).
The government is too afraid to admit that these "recommendations" are in fact orders and obligations, afraid of what I don't know, maybe they are afraid that they'll make the country stop growing economically and be compared to their previous government, another crisis will inevitably come, that's for sure
Vivolkha and Drewish
At this point Spain is on the brink of economic collapse anyway, and even worse the current government's economic policies are disastrous with or without the pandemic. What I think it happens is that they can't or won't bother to enforce it (as has been the case for most covid restrictions) so they label them "recommendations" to stop people from complaining about the rules being ignored by basically everyone.
It's truly sad how a country can change in a decade or even less, all the hope is getting lost and the government feeds off it, it's pretty obvious now that they want to divide the country politically, there have been articles and news saying that we are right now as divided as we were before the civil war, personally, I think that's a little bit too exaggerated, but still, I am afraid that we'll see another conflict between our people just because of greedy politicians. (Talking about greedy politicians, why so many ministers? seriously, Germany has twice the population that Spain has, yet almost half the amount of ministers than we have, how does that make any sense?)
Vivolkha, Tyranny of sam 2, Loveday, and Drewish
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