Dinh AaronMk

How to Write as a Nation?

Question like the topic suggested, how do I write a Nation? Like I understood that we roleplay the nation's citizen, but how about policy? I have no education in policy making, fiscal budget,... And while I had been spending a lot of time in reading wikipedia pages about the nation's policy/ agenda, how do I make the policies and the subsequent situation to not be an outright nationalist's wetdream?

Any suggestions on policy making, writing, and the whatever that related to nrp are much appreciated.

@Shovel

The most basic principle of writing political stuff is to approach it like this: all parties are the unions of individuals over a unified purpose or interest. Or to take it further a broad class interest. The way a state functions depends on who runs it, and the politics of that state is how that class works. A lot of it takes some creativity or even fore-knowledge on a subject, or even just keeping up with the news if you're doing things in a more contemporary setting. And don't worry about fiscal budgeting: that shit's so boring that no one really focuses on it, and it might only exist to fill out the setting but doesn't dictate much because most of NRP is to my knowledge not full of accountants. You can get away with a generalized understanding of a budget: there's only so many resources available to a given organization or state-body, and those have to be allocated; the best running functions of a thing are the most well funded or the most corrupt.

But as the more interesting stuff: again it depends on era. The easiest thing to write about might be feudal or prior societies where the functions of a nation state are poorly developed or not even developed at all in the least (national identity and the existence of the nation-state is after all a very new thing in human history, and there are parts of the world where it's still not yet fully matured). In the case of the feudal society, you have a government run primarily by the aristocracy. The interests of the aristocracy can be best described as personal networking and feuding. The aristocrats are building alliances between families and within families to compete with their rivals from within and without and to acquire the most basic of resources: land and man power. Advanced finance doesn't really exist, because the intrigues and the conflicts among the aristocracy most often lead to open war and the ability for a given noble to raise and assemble the most fighting men is crucial to exercise power against someone else because it's often just a matter of removing one rival's people from a location and replacing them with your own. Feudal social arrangements often feature the most naked and basic hierarchies: peasants are tied to the land and may never leave it, because they are directly or indirectly owned by a noble that owns the land they are allowed to live on for a rent or because they have some sort of fealty to that lord. That lord in turns owes fealty upwards to someone else; though they may not be always loyal to their capo. And so on up the chain of command to the king. The lowest does not exert any influence on the king, and the king's power just often becomes more a vibe the further down it goes (historically for example: the King of France has had practically no power for as long as the title of "French King" has existed).

The Final Conquest

As much as I hate to be "that guy", it might be better to get some experience roleplaying on this site before jumping into trying to GM your own RP. I know you have experience on other sites but trying to use that experience alone on a different site is a pretty shortsighted belief, and one that's pretty common. Your hook is really, really weak since what you have is pretty much the baseline for all NRPs here. Plus you're so new that people are less likely to jump on your idea since you are more or less completely unknown and the NRP community on this site at least is pretty close/small (or even insular).

@ClocktowerEchos

tbh I'd say that something being perfectly flat and formless isn't the worse thing that could be done. Sometime you just need a sandbox to do shit in and feel something out before you run it elsewhere. You never really know. If we let ourselves get too caught up on having so many unique hooks and catches then I feel like we could just become a host to infinite gimmicks. It's not like we really have a sandbox for this section of the site to run newbies through anyways and just sort of trust any of them would be able to approach any of our infinitely unique NRP concepts or deepest lores. So I think someone new to the area coming in with a nice barren sandbox RP would be nice to have, if to give even experienced writers here something low stakes to stretch things out in and even mingle more broadly.

As for what's been said about coming with a unique system: I wouldn't try. It often leads to a lot of railroadism and takes out a significant portion of the organic development of an RP, which should justifiably be about the stories. Now I'm sure you could probably come up with a good stat system but I think a lot of 'selling' that would come down to trust in the good sense of the GM and does require you're just a familiar face and have developed a base to help you. But in general in my personal opinion it's absolutely unnecessary, it's probably a hinderance even. The best stat system or mechanical system to an NRP is one that doesn't exist at all. Being able to build trust and cooperation between players is more the priority than having to build Yet Another Paradox Grand Strategy Title. After all: I do this after my job, why would I want to work a second?

I can say however: for a potential medieval setting global conquest is probably overambitious as all hell, even conceptually. It would take armies years to cross any amount of territory and the political systems that make up a "medieval" world are not centrally built enough to handle grandiose global conquest, they've typically fallen apart relatively quickly or at large scale begin to resemble factional relationships between local gentries than solidified, centralized nation-states. So if you want to go medieval, it would be in everyone's and the setting's best interests to just be regional. Otherwise a globalized medieval RP would either have people too far apart to mean anything.

Meme Thread

From Sick Man to Savior - An 1847 Nation RP

Government

Name:
The House of Saud

Flag/Badge:


Head of State:
Faisal bin Turki Al Saud

Head of Government:
Same as Head of State

Ideology:
Wahhabist

Military

Army Numbers:
6,000

Navy Numbers:
None

Army Equipment:

• 1836 Brunswick Rifles
• Jezali Pattern Rifles
• 1829 Delvigne Rifles
• Kilij
• Old Turkish muskets

Naval Ship Types:
Nonelol

History, Expansion, and Economics

History:
The origins of the House of Saud go back to the mid 15th century, when the Mrudah clan of bedouins settled in the city of Diriyah in central Arabia. The Mrudah clan would grow in size and power and eventually come to rule Diriyah itself, which came to grow and prosper in proportion to the strength of clan Mrudah. As the clan grew though so did its ambitions and the ambitions of cliques within it. And as the old Bedouin proverb goes, “I against my brother, I and my brother against our cousin, I, my brother and our cousin against the neighbors” the clan split along lines of interest, with one sect leaving for Iraq, and the other coalescing around Sheikh Saud ibn Muhammad ibn Muqrin and thus the House of Saud would be born.

The independent of the House of Saud would however not come until the 18th century when the rise of the Wahhabist sect of Sunni Islam swept Arabia. Angered at Ottoman ambitions to declare themselves the Caliph – defenders – of Islam, the Wahhabi movement was critical of the Ottomans for their boldness and even of their decadence. While Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab himself was never publicly inflammatory towards the Ottomans, his political followers in the House of Saud were so bold as to be publicly against the Ottomans. Though nominally a vassal of the Ottoman Empire, the Arab house engaged in years of low-level broiling war with the Ottomans raiding into Iraq and the Levant from their home in the harsh deserts of central Arabia, though controlling the entire peninsula at the time save for the Rub al-Khali, Oman, and Yemen.

Though the conflict with the Ottomans was at a low level, best described as grudges by one vassal against another, it was by no means insincere. Propelled by a combination of religious fervor and state building self-interest the Saudi war against the Ottomans entailed the cleansing of Arabia, attacks against the Iraqi city of Karballah and the destruction of its Shia shrines, and strict control of Medina and Mecca, banning the playing of drums and musics by pilgrims from Egypt, Syria, and beyond. Despite the violence, this was met with esteem and support by the peoples of Arabia who saw the strict Orthodox tendencies of the House of Saud a blessing and a matter of good rule. But to the House of Osman, this became a threat.

In 1811, growing tired of the aggression of the Saudis, the House of Osman declared war on them and ordered Muhammad Ali of Egypt to invade Arabia and deal with the problem posed by the Wahhabists. Muhammad Ali sent his son Ibrahim Pasha to put down the rebellion and over the course of seven years a slow campaign across the deserts of Arabia was initiated, involving the destruction of cities and the extermination of populations as the House of Saud scrambled to mount a defense against the Egyptians. Eventually, the war would come to an end at Diriyah, where the garrison and population was exterminated, and the walls and trenches of the city leveled and filled in. The Ottoman-Egyptian forces, decimated the Arabians and capturing the last Emir-Imam Abdullah bin Saud of the First Saudi State, sent him to Istanbul to be executed and his corpse displayed publicly as a then warning against further rebellion.

This though, did not kill the House of Saud.

Though scattered remnants remained and the last man capable of taking leadership of the house, Turki bin Abdullah Al Saud who was able to flee Diriyah before its destruction, living in exile in the desert before eventually leaving for India to seek refuge. His son Faisal bin Turki Al Saud was taken to Egypt by Ibrahim Pasha as a captive, where through lacking importance compared to Abdullah bin Saud was permitted to live for a time in soft exile in Egypt, before returning to Arabia, and on invitation from his father himself left for India.

In India, the remnants of the House of Saud gathered around the court of the Empire of the Sikhs as refugees. There they were clothed and sheltered and even began new military careers in the Sikh army. Though leading small parts, the refugees of the House of Saud showed admirable bravery in the war in Afghanistan. The Sauds also made a popular decision to back the Sindhanwalias in Sikh internal politics.

Though austere, the differences in Saudi belief in Wahhabism has not seen them alienated among the Sikhs who find only their belief in austere modesty a humorous modesty reminiscent of the gurus of the Indian subcontinent. While shunning decadence the family in India practices many of the virtues of the Islamic faith in charity and faith and has carved out a niche and a following in Punjabi society which has allowed the House of Saud to reconstruct a small military base in India that they someday dream of bringing back with them to Arabia, and lay out revenge against the Egyptians and Ottomans that decades ago so annihilated their people.

Despite the distance all the same, they maintain contact with the rest of their clan in Arabia and with the people through letters, and Faisal bin Turki Al Saud has inherited the practice of his father Turki bin Abdullah as a poet and a letter writer, regularly writing missives about his love for Arabia and his desire to return to its deserts and mountains. He remains in close contact with the chiefs of the high deserts of Nejd and beyond and close Saudi family still living in the area, which after the war still maintains a nominal political presence in Arabia, as the immediate and organized Wahhabist resistance to the foreigners has for the time being, been laid low.

As the proverb goes:
“I against my brother, I and my brother against our cousin, I, my brother and our cousin against the neighbors, All of us against the foreigner.”

Territory:
Effectively as an independent polity: none.
As local provincial rulers in Egypt: Nejd

Economic Description:
The basic economy of Nejd was nearly decimated by the Nejd Expedition during the Ottoman-Wahabbi War, where in many of the settlements visited by the armies many of the men over the age of ten were executed and much of the infrastructure destroyed. Though cities like Diriyah enjoyed a vibrant agricultural life blessed upon the region by the Wadi Hanifa.

Historical Claims:

From Sick Man to Savior - An 1847 Nation Roleplay

Government

Name:
The House of Saud

Flag/Badge:


Head of State:
Faisal bin Turki Al Saud

Head of Government:
Same as Head of State

Ideology:
Wahhabist

Military

Army Numbers:
6,000

Navy Numbers:
None

Army Equipment:

• 1836 Brunswick Rifles
• Jezali Pattern Rifles
• 1829 Delvigne Rifles
• Kilij
• Old Turkish muskets

Naval Ship Types:
Nonelol

History, Expansion, and Economics

History:
The origins of the House of Saud go back to the mid 15th century, when the Mrudah clan of bedouins settled in the city of Diriyah in central Arabia. The Mrudah clan would grow in size and power and eventually come to rule Diriyah itself, which came to grow and prosper in proportion to the strength of clan Mrudah. As the clan grew though so did its ambitions and the ambitions of cliques within it. And as the old Bedouin proverb goes, “I against my brother, I and my brother against our cousin, I, my brother and our cousin against the neighbors” the clan split along lines of interest, with one sect leaving for Iraq, and the other coalescing around Sheikh Saud ibn Muhammad ibn Muqrin and thus the House of Saud would be born.

The independent of the House of Saud would however not come until the 18th century when the rise of the Wahhabist sect of Sunni Islam swept Arabia. Angered at Ottoman ambitions to declare themselves the Caliph – defenders – of Islam, the Wahhabi movement was critical of the Ottomans for their boldness and even of their decadence. While Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab himself was never publicly inflammatory towards the Ottomans, his political followers in the House of Saud were so bold as to be publicly against the Ottomans. Though nominally a vassal of the Ottoman Empire, the Arab house engaged in years of low-level broiling war with the Ottomans raiding into Iraq and the Levant from their home in the harsh deserts of central Arabia, though controlling the entire peninsula at the time save for the Rub al-Khali, Oman, and Yemen.

Though the conflict with the Ottomans was at a low level, best described as grudges by one vassal against another, it was by no means insincere. Propelled by a combination of religious fervor and state building self-interest the Saudi war against the Ottomans entailed the cleansing of Arabia, attacks against the Iraqi city of Karballah and the destruction of its Shia shrines, and strict control of Medina and Mecca, banning the playing of drums and musics by pilgrims from Egypt, Syria, and beyond. Despite the violence, this was met with esteem and support by the peoples of Arabia who saw the strict Orthodox tendencies of the House of Saud a blessing and a matter of good rule. But to the House of Osman, this became a threat.

In 1811, growing tired of the aggression of the Saudis, the House of Osman declared war on them and ordered Muhammad Ali of Egypt to invade Arabia and deal with the problem posed by the Wahhabists. Muhammad Ali sent his son Ibrahim Pasha to put down the rebellion and over the course of seven years a slow campaign across the deserts of Arabia was initiated, involving the destruction of cities and the extermination of populations as the House of Saud scrambled to mount a defense against the Egyptians. Eventually, the war would come to an end at Diriyah, where the garrison and population was exterminated, and the walls and trenches of the city leveled and filled in. The Ottoman-Egyptian forces, decimated the Arabians and capturing the last Emir-Imam Abdullah bin Saud of the First Saudi State, sent him to Istanbul to be executed and his corpse displayed publicly as a then warning against further rebellion.

This though, did not kill the House of Saud.

Though scattered remnants remained and the last man capable of taking leadership of the house, Turki bin Abdullah Al Saud who was able to flee Diriyah before its destruction, living in exile in the desert before eventually leaving for India to seek refuge. His son Faisal bin Turki Al Saud was taken to Egypt by Ibrahim Pasha as a captive, where through lacking importance compared to Abdullah bin Saud was permitted to live for a time in soft exile in Egypt, before returning to Arabia, and on invitation from his father himself left for India.

In India, the remnants of the House of Saud gathered around the court of the Empire of the Sikhs as refugees. There they were clothed and sheltered and even began new military careers in the Sikh army. Though leading small parts, the refugees of the House of Saud showed admirable bravery in the war in Afghanistan. The Sauds also made a popular decision to back the Sindhanwalias in Sikh internal politics.

Though austere, the differences in Saudi belief in Wahhabism has not seen them alienated among the Sikhs who find only their belief in austere modesty a humorous modesty reminiscent of the gurus of the Indian subcontinent. While shunning decadence the family in India practices many of the virtues of the Islamic faith in charity and faith and has carved out a niche and a following in Punjabi society which has allowed the House of Saud to reconstruct a small military base in India that they someday dream of bringing back with them to Arabia, and lay out revenge against the Egyptians and Ottomans that decades ago so annihilated their people.

Despite the distance all the same, they maintain contact with the rest of their clan in Arabia and with the people through letters, and Faisal bin Turki Al Saud has inherited the practice of his father Turki bin Abdullah as a poet and a letter writer, regularly writing missives about his love for Arabia and his desire to return to its deserts and mountains. He remains in close contact with the chiefs of the high deserts of Nejd and beyond and close Saudi family still living in the area, which after the war still maintains a nominal political presence in Arabia, as the immediate and organized Wahhabist resistance to the foreigners has for the time being, been laid low.

As the proverb goes:
“I against my brother, I and my brother against our cousin, I, my brother and our cousin against the neighbors, All of us against the foreigner.”

Territory:
Effectively as an independent polity: none.
As local provincial rulers in Egypt: Nejd

Economic Description:
The basic economy of Nejd was nearly decimated by the Nejd Expedition during the Ottoman-Wahabbi War, where in many of the settlements visited by the armies many of the men over the age of ten were executed and much of the infrastructure destroyed. Though cities like Diriyah enjoyed a vibrant agricultural life blessed upon the region by the Wadi Hanifa.

Historical Claims:

What Are You Listening To?

Video Games: The General Discussion & Community Thread Number Two

And if your crew has high enough 'Brawler' each person in your four man PC party will feel like this

Video Games: The General Discussion & Community Thread Number Two

Wasteland 1 is about you and your Arizona Ranger crew rolling into town and picking up a missing person's case, killing a dog, finding your missing person, and killing the kid who owned the dog all the while probably looking like this:



And it's only act 1 and there's thousands more small animals to kill

I hate to say it...

If you could help an old beggar out and post in Nations that'll be great, thanks

Video Games: The General Discussion & Community Thread Number Two

Decided I'll give Wasteland a shot and installed Wasteland 1.

Can't wait for the eighties jank, but not tonight.