These instructions ONLY apply to expansion claims for existing nations. If you do not yet have a nation on the map or want to create an additional one follow these instructions instead.
Welcome to the Expansion Claims Guide! As the name implies, this is where to go when you want to reserve an area on the map for your nation to expand into. This guide and our requirements apply to nearly all types of expansions. If you believe yours is an edge case, or if you have questions at any point, please open a ticket in the #map-discussion channel on our Discord.
Expansions from an In-Character Perspective
While expansions can be present events in-character, they don’t have to be. The expansion could have occurred at any point in your nation’s history. Regardless, you should think about what is in that area at the time of expansion. The white parts of the map are not merely empty territory open for conquest. Perhaps another nation is there? A rival kingdom? An enemy tribe?
Why your nation is expanding is equally as important. Wars are a common form of expansion, but not the only one. Perhaps a strategic marriage brought two kingdoms under one crown? Maybe your nation is invading foreign lands to establish a colony?
Expectations
The most important thing to keep in mind is that expansions will require a good faith effort at roleplay. We’re open to different types and mediums (more on that later), but regardless of what you choose, you’ll have to put in a level of effort and time that the cartographers deem appropriate. We do not look kindly upon attempts to grow simply to increase your stats. It can and will sour any future requests you make.
If you’re new, we ask that you wait before undertaking this kind of project. We don’t have a strict length of time in mind, but you should be focusing on building a strong foundation first and getting familiar with how we operate here.
Once your claim has been approved and you’ve started working on your roleplay, we expect you to continue to work on it on a “regular basis”. We all have different lives, and this will mean something different to every claimant. We will check in on you every now and again if we see that progress has stalled. Keep in mind that larger and more attractive territory will cause us to pester you more often.
Procedure
Step 1 - Claim Request
In Nation Creation Starts Here, create a topic titled [EXP] Place (Nation) (e.g. [EXP] Baridabadi (Qayam) if you’ve already named the area or [EXP] Islands Northwest of Gondwana (Tretrid) if you haven’t). The post template is below. Please make sure to read the explanation for each field before posting.
**Area for a reservation:**
**Type of expansion:**
**Type of roleplay:**
**Population difference:**
**GDP difference:**
**New GDP per capita:**
Template Explanation (Read Me)
Area for a reservation: Provide a map indicating where you want to reserve. It does not need to indicate cities or a name.
Type of expansion: Whether it’s part of the “mainland” or a separate territory.
Type of roleplay: What format and medium will you be using? Examples include (but are not limited to): narrative forum posts, a wiki article, an in-character historical text, an in-character essay about the historical period, a series of detailed historical maps, etc. We encourage you to discuss your idea with us so we can discuss expectations, particularly if it’s more “unconventional”.
Population difference: How much population will this add to your nation? Write your current population and what it will increase to after the expansion. If it’s a territory, note your current overall population and how many people will live in the territory.
GDP difference: How much will this increase your GDP? Write your current GDP and what it will increase to after the expansion. If it’s a territory, note your current overall GDP and what the GDP of this territory will be.
New GDP per capita: New GDP / New population = New GDP per capita (and note the current GDP per capita).
Example
Area for a reservation: (insert map here)
Type of expansion: Mainland
Type of roleplay: A series of detailed historical maps
Population difference: 63M → 65M (+2M to population)
GDP difference: 1.5T SHD → 1.6T SHD (+100B SHD to GDP)
New GDP per capita: 24,615 SHD (formerly 23,809 SHD)
Step 2 - Approval
Once your post is made, you’ll have to wait for the approval of the Cartography Department before proceeding. You’ll get a reply from one of us under your initial post with the vote results. Proceed to the next step once it’s approved.
If your claim is denied, we’ll include a reason why in our reply to you. If you have more questions you can open a ticket. Depending on the reason, you may have to wait before submitting a new expansion claim.
Step 3 - Confirmation
Your claim was approved! Hooray! Once you’re accepted and you’ve started your roleplay, come back to your expansion thread and post a reply with the following information:
**Link(s) to roleplay:**
**Additional information:**
Template Explanation (Read Me)
Link(s) to roleplay: A link to your roleplay (or multiple if applicable)
Additional information: Anything else you’d like to add
Once you complete this step, we’ll add your reserved area to the map during the next update.
Step 4 - Completion
Once your roleplay is complete, return to your thread and post a reply saying you’ve completed your roleplay. The cartography team will evaluate your work, and if it’s sufficient, it will be marked as complete, become part of the Urth canon, and officially added to the map as part of the next update.
Rewritten by @turtle and approved by the Cartography Department in January 2025.