Welcome to Europe!
This is an evolving guide intended to cover some of the basics involved with starting a nation, world building, and getting started in our 15 Year Old Community. Fifteen years has its stabilizing benefits, but joining our site has been described as "intimidating" because some of our traditions can be unspoken or hard to find. So instead of trying to stumble around a sea of words until you reach an epiphany as to what the heck we are doing around here - we have devised a simple guide to take nation and world building one day at a time.
Day 1
Introduce yourself! (
Take a look at our world map. (
Think about the story you want to tell. Traditionally we have One Player playing One Nation, for example Player Alpha plays Alphlandia and all of the people and organizations within it. Nowadays we encourage our community to also pursue worldwide interests by world building, i.e. filling in the infinite blanks involved with a small group of people trying to explain an entire fictional world.
Day 2
Present your concept. Whether you want to play a whole nation or play a character, institution, or everything in between: the Worldbuilding & Wiki sub-forum is the place to start (
Get involved off-topic. Besides our RP World, many of us blow off steam in other ways and places. A recent addition to the forum software has been
Day 3
Get visual. Start thinking about the type of flag you would like to use if you do not yet have one, and if you need help request some in this thread (
Tell us what's happening now? New nations conventionally start by establishing their current events in a news thread (
European Culture. In the Business, Organization, and Events forum (
Day 4 & Beyond
Take a breath and relax. We have been here for over fifteen years and intend to be here ten years from now in some capacity, so if those first three days were too much to process it's not a big deal. Take your time and enjoy having a creative outlet to stop by from time to time.
Get on the map. If you are playing a nation you'll want to apply for a map spot (
Tell a story or join one. In the World Stage area (
This is an evolving guide intended to cover some of the basics involved with starting a nation, world building, and getting started in our 15 Year Old Community. Fifteen years has its stabilizing benefits, but joining our site has been described as "intimidating" because some of our traditions can be unspoken or hard to find. So instead of trying to stumble around a sea of words until you reach an epiphany as to what the heck we are doing around here - we have devised a simple guide to take nation and world building one day at a time.
Day 1
Introduce yourself! (
You must be registered for see links
) Tell us about yourself or what you are interested in, and do not be afraid to ask questions. This is an informal starting point for all new players to be welcomed to our community. Additionally, we have a Basic Rule Book (
You must be registered for see links
) to cover a few of the basics not covered in this guide.Take a look at our world map. (
You must be registered for see links
) We maintain an often updated flat map, and an occasionally updated globe version of the map using Google Earth. Liberally we go by a rule of clustering of similar cultures and ethnicity, this is done to avoid inexplicable situations like an Old World Russia bordering a New World United States type nation.Think about the story you want to tell. Traditionally we have One Player playing One Nation, for example Player Alpha plays Alphlandia and all of the people and organizations within it. Nowadays we encourage our community to also pursue worldwide interests by world building, i.e. filling in the infinite blanks involved with a small group of people trying to explain an entire fictional world.
Day 2
Present your concept. Whether you want to play a whole nation or play a character, institution, or everything in between: the Worldbuilding & Wiki sub-forum is the place to start (
You must be registered for see links
). If details are your thing, write out a factbook for your nation (
You must be registered for see links
), or perhaps you are a big picture person wants to explain the concept first (
You must be registered for see links
).Get involved off-topic. Besides our RP World, many of us blow off steam in other ways and places. A recent addition to the forum software has been
You must be registered for see links
integration that serves as an informal chat room, your nickname is whichever you choose. In the OOC Talking Point forum we discuss anything from World News to World Music (
You must be registered for see links
).Day 3
Get visual. Start thinking about the type of flag you would like to use if you do not yet have one, and if you need help request some in this thread (
You must be registered for see links
), it also serves as a banner/signature request thread as well. These are not the most important stops for everyone, but many players enjoy starting with having identifying symbols for their nation.Tell us what's happening now? New nations conventionally start by establishing their current events in a news thread (
You must be registered for see links
). There is no single formula used for press agency threads, some use simple headlines, magazine feature articles, radio broadcasts, and anything imaginable to tell the news.European Culture. In the Business, Organization, and Events forum (
You must be registered for see links
) we conduct simulated athletics, music and movie competitions, and business transactions. Get involved in a sporting tournament or conduct business with another nation/entity.Day 4 & Beyond
Take a breath and relax. We have been here for over fifteen years and intend to be here ten years from now in some capacity, so if those first three days were too much to process it's not a big deal. Take your time and enjoy having a creative outlet to stop by from time to time.
Get on the map. If you are playing a nation you'll want to apply for a map spot (
You must be registered for see links
). Be mindful of where you are applying and who your neighbors will be, this is also a good time to reach out to your future neighbor nations/players to coordinate history and contemporary relations.Tell a story or join one. In the World Stage area (
You must be registered for see links
) we write out our characters in a wide variety of settings that range from the battlefield to the backroom business deal. These are the stories of our constantly changing world.
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