[OOC] the minimalist nrp

[Queen Raidne]

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The Goal:

A functional, reasonably-long lasting NRP.

Many NRP's seem to fail from the start. This NRP seeks to avoid that by having a minimalist nation sheet. Other RP's seem to fail during the course of the game. I'm trying to avoid that with specific, straightforward rules, heavy reliance on player interaction, and "roleplaying agreement" to fill in the gaps from nation sheets.

This is, of course, somewhat experimental, and may fail gloriously.

The Genre:

I see no need to specify this. We're roleplayers making a fictional world; whatever schizo-tech-magic mashup that results is just how that world is.*

The Rules:

• You must post two to three paragraphs. No less than two, no more than three. New paragraphs for a line of dialogue won't count toward the total.
• Unless you've said something to the GM, failing to post once every week means you will be kicked (school is an acceptable excuse!).
• At least two out of three posts should contain some kind of interaction with someone else's nation. This could be a diplomatic overture, troop movements along a border, espionage, trade, or any of the other millions of things nations do to and with each other. If we're not interacting... what's the point?

Rationale

• Too few words, and the RP moves too fast, and we can't follow it, and then we leave. Too many words, and nobody wants to bother reading all that, and then we all leave.
• Because this RP is heavy on player interaction, if you disappear, then someone's waiting on you to respond to their post and the whole thing grinds to a halt, and then we all leave.
• If we're just sitting in our respective corners, we lose interest, and then we all leave.

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Nation Sheet:

***DO NOT ADD ADDITIONAL CATEGORIES TO THIS SHEET!!!***

Also, please try to refer to at least one other nation in your nation sheet. That's a guideline, not a rule, but it's a guideline that will help spur interaction.

Name of Nation: Your Nation's Name

Color on Map: Which color on the map your nation corresponds to

Summary in 50 words or fewer: What your nation is/what your nation's all about

Write three solid paragraphs (doesn't have to be about your nation): This is to make sure that you're a reasonable writer who actually has some level of commitment to the RP. [If you need a prompt: "Unlock new potential for your civilization through active research in both technology and culture."]

Example Sheet

Name of Nation: The United Republics of Strokka

Color on Map:

Seafoam

Summary in 50 words or fewer: The URS is a major trading power about to undergo a major economic collapse. Its primary exports are magical healing spices grown on its islands, and lifting gasses (i.e. hydrogen and helium) from its interior. It's always felt a connection with Hot Pink, viewing them as kinsmen.

Write three solid paragraphs: Clarissa ran along access tunnel Thirteen. Her pursuers had certainly activated their scent implants by now, and CENTRAL would be coordinating their search via aethernet. She dove behind a pile of metal barrels. Her breath tore at her throat. Frantically, she keyed a message into her PDA, “Have box. Comp. chasing.” She risked a glance above the barrels. A CENTRAL agent was looking down the intersection between tunnels Two and Thirteen. He was sniffing the air. He paused, put a finger to his ear, said something over the aethernet, and flipped his visor up. Clarissa ducked back down silently.

“CENTRAL sees you,” the agent said. Fear leapt from her heart. Her PDA silently notified her of a new message. It was an immunity contract from CENTRAL, expiration date 30 seconds from now. The contract was 47 pages, and undoubtedly included a confession clause. The signature line pulsed, awaiting her response. Shotgun messages - something Anatid had told Clarissa about - were often used on CENTRAL holdings by subsidiary ad agencies. Rather than targeting specific users, shotgun messages got sent to the entire local aethernet. So this could be a shotgun message, and they had no idea where she was, or they had her pinned. 25 seconds.

Clarissa decided to wait. The timer countdown was agonizing, made even more so because she couldn’t fidget. She wasn’t brave enough to even breathe. Five seconds. Two seconds.

“Time’s up!” the agent said. He started walking down the corridor.

Damn. Clarissa got up and leaped forward, her breath coming in shuddery gasps after the sharp halt.

Preformatted Sheet

[color=orange][u]Name of Nation:[/u][/color]

[color=orange][u]Color on Map:[/u][/color]

[color=orange][u]Summary in 50 words or fewer:[/u][/color]

[color=orange][u]Write three solid paragraphs:[/u][/color]

Text-Only Sheet

Name of Nation:

Color on Map:

Summary in 50 words or fewer:

Write three solid paragraphs:

Map:

-The map is an icosahedron, the shape of a d20.

Terrain

Map Colors Key

From left-to-right, top-to-bottom:
Maroon | Dark Blue | Salmon | Olive
Seafoam | Hot Pink | (Olive) | Yellow | Purple | Bright Blue | Tan
Lime | Baby Pink | Green | Cyan | Orange | Red

Color Hex Codes

990000 | 00009b | ff9999 | 999933
99ff99 | ff00ff | (999933) | ffff00 | 993399 | 0000ff | ffff99
00ff00 | ff99ff | 336600 | 00ffff | ff9900 | ff0000

Political

Hybrid

Maroon-Centered

Green-Centered

Interesting Facts

Dark Blue and Maroon own the closest land to the north pole; Lime and Green own the closest land to the south pole.

Land area in hexes:
Maroon: 19
Dark Blue: 68
Salmon: 42
Olive: 63
Bright Blue: 49
Seafoam: 83
Hot Pink: 79
Baby Pink: 127
Yellow: 35
Purple: 71
Tan: 19
Lime: 42
Dark Green: 57
Cyan: 37
Orange: 20
Red: 11

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*

I have a theory that if we limit the nation sheets sufficiently, we'll give ourselves enough space to make up for "imbalances" through the course of the RP. I think this is what people refer to as world-building? Not sure.

[Queen Raidne]

Status of Nations

(note: only post your nation in the characters tab after it's been approved)

Nations that are available are white, nations that might be a good idea to take** are bold italic white, claimed nations are gray, accepted nations are full color.

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Maroon | Dark Blue | Salmon | Olive
Seafoam | Hot Pink | Yellow | Purple | Bright Blue | Tan
Lime | Baby Pink | Green | Cyan | Orange | Red

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**

These nations have been mentioned by someone else on their nation sheet, meaning that some solid player interaction should happen here.

[Queen Raidne]

This is a triplepost (sorry!) because I need to @mention some people.

Hider

@Hostile@Lauder@PentagonWhite@Charles@wxps350@Voltus_Ventus@bluetommy2@Superboy@Sadko

[Voltus_Ventus]

I'd still like to discuss the technology in this universe. Just in brief.

[Bluetommy]

So should I bring my sheet over for review?

[Charles]

Name of Nation: Bakalarian Sovereign State

Color on Map: Green

Summary in 50 words or fewer: The BSS a conquering nation. But, if we cannot get what we want we often use spies to get it. We are not keen on invading now, as we can barely hold up with limited trade and plunder. Our only trading partner is Purple

Write three solid paragraphs:
Evan runs through the courtyard and out into the street heading for the docks, not daring to look back in hopes of losing the creatures chasing him. He leaps behind a stack of barrels at the docks. Evan slowly pulls out his rifle hoping not to make much noise and aims it in between a crack in the barrels. He waits for a few minutes, holding his breath almost the entire time and the creatures appear 20 feet away. They look straight at Evan.
Evan makes sure his aim is right and open fires dropping all three creatures and running out from behind the barrels loading his clip into the resilient creatures. He crouches down, feels the pulse of the first one, slits it's throat and cuts of both ears. Each ear is worth 50 Penios in the shop. a weeks worth of food. He awkwardly shuffles over to the second one reaches for the ear and the creature jumps up and grabs Evan's throat.
"Why do I always make these cocky mistakes?" he asks the creature.
The creature just smiles and rasps, "Ooh well. Too late"
Suddenly, the creature is torn off of him as everyone watches and Evan looks to see a bullet through the creatures eye. Evan looks around and spots his brother who patrols this area as a Bakalar soldier.
"Thanks big brother!" Evan yells, his brother nods and walks off. Evan reloads and loads 5 bullets into the last monsters skull and continues to cut of the last 4 ears and walks away to the shop to collect his reward.

It's been awhile since I have written things longer than a paragraph. So, in this case that may count as 4 paragraphs. So, sorry if it does.

[Charles]

Ignore This post

[KremeSupreme]

Name of Nation: Crab Island

Color on Map: Olive

Summary in 50 words or fewer: Crab island is a state priding itself on democracy that originally sat on just a small continent between two landmasses. However, it invaded both mainlands and spread its control over two shores and set up two Military Territories, Pisces and Cancer. It's main exports are "Smoke", Meat, and Coconuts.

Write three solid paragraphs: General Marcus Tazville hummed happily to himself, leaning over the railing of the watchtower that overlooked a base full of soldiers going about their day. He sipped from his cup of Coconut coffee. In his seven years watching over Cancer he never got used to how terrible it tasted. Who in the right mind would make something like that, anyway? Sergeant Wilhelm Jobbe jogged towards Tazville holding a clipboard, saluted, and began reading off to him.
"Sir, I finished collecting all of this years votes. Looks like Tennigan wins again." The sergeant adjusted his glasses as he finished. General Tazville dumped his coffee and wiped his hands together. "I'd ought to get back to the Island tonight, then." He took the clipboard from Jobbe and walked towards the Landing Base.
As he walked, flipped through each page on the clipboard, detailing the votes of every single "citizen" in Cancer. He stopped when he got to page 7, seeing a large portion of votes for Hale. Unacceptable. If the fat bastard would keep his promise of decomissioning both Pisces AND Cancer, then Crab Island would be done for. He casually whistled as he pulled out the page, and grabbed for a nearby phone. "A-Base? This is Papa Devil, I'm going to need to delay the flight to Gil by say... Two hours, I'd like to make one last checkup on the base. Over." And with that, he plucked out Page 7 and pulled out a lighter, burning it to ashes.

[Sadko]

Baby Pink

Name of Nation: Tastager
Color on Map: Baby Pink
Summary in 50 words or fewer: A port city called Tas, ruled by snobbish bankers and spice merchants, is the seat of the Tastager government. They extend their influence over the mainland watched and protected by ancient clans fighting blood feuds. They exploit the sugar, tobacco and spice farms, as well as the mines rich with ores.
Write three solid paragraphs.
"A people descended from the valley Sirast, located in the present day isle of Tas; the tectonic plates have shifted and the Tagerian population split. Tas was a place rich in spice and was a highly valuable port, for it was built upon a strait.

The mainland Tagerians were bordered by many fiendish tribes, corsairs and marauders - becoming formidable fighters through years of warfare. This also enabled them to impose a strict way of life to their kin; never allow an insult to go unanswered. One ruler could never come to reign over Tagerians, for there was always someone unsatisfied with the way their king treated them, and rebellion would run rampant.

However, the Tasene people's wealth became too big enough for just an island, so they set their sights on conquering their ethnic relatives. Foreign mercenaries and privateers flocked to get a cut of the resource rich Tagerian mainland, clearing away the tangled mess of paganism, clan feuds, bandits and pirates to pave the road for Tasene aristocrats. After a couple brief outbursts, a normalisation in relations ensued, due to the Tas government sending scholars to the mainland, spreading literacy and knowledge of medicine and trade.

The island elite encouraged the cooperation of clan patricians by building them villas, honoring them with spears and bronze axes or armor, and bedslaves. This treatment also applied to the soldiers of fortune and sailors who had aided in the subjugation of the Tager. The foreign cutthroats started families and blended into the populace. Life went on.

[Queen Raidne]

Okay, sure, @Voltus_ventus let's talk about tech a bit. I had no preplanned idea for the UPR's tech level. I did mention steam engines and a magical healing plant, but that could go a lot of ways - steampunk, early industrial, magic steampunk, no magic but with a superstitious population calling science magic.

What do we, in general, think about tech? There's no requirement that everyone even developed at the same pace.

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@bluetommy2 No, your sheet from the interest check is fine. Go ahead and post in the characters tab.

~o~0~o~

@Charles Approved! Go ahead and post in the characters tab.

~o~0~o~

@wxps350 Approved! Also go ahead and post in the characters tab.

~o~0~o~

@Sadko Also approved! Post your sheet up in the characters tab.

[Sadko]

Sorry, I lost interest.

[KremeSupreme]

I don't think Technology should be too important. We should just develop our own nations, and see where we end up. I mean Crab Island is in a WW2 era of technology, with maybe some weak super-science.

[Charles]

Can we just start this please? I am getting bored and starting to lose interest.