NationStates Basics
Hello dear student! The following is a walk-through of NationStates and The East Pacific, designed to give you the information you need. Think of this as the tutorial and myself as the tutorial gnome! You have managed to create a nation and find this forum, so you are head-and-shoulders above most players. It is an honor to have you with us, and a privilege to teach you.
I’ve arranged this guide in a straightforward question-and-answer format. I’ve also taken the liberty of simplifying the extraneous parts to focus on what you need to know to have fun as soon as possible. That is the whole point: to have fun.
What is NationStates?
Excellent question! I knew you were smart! If you haven’t noticed, the actual game is limited. You create a nation, then answer multiple-choice questions to decide a daily issue as your nation’s leader. Your nation grows each day by a few million, and in no time at all you will unlock the ability to name your capital city, leader and national religion (Gnome Note: it takes a few months to grow to a population of 1 billion).
You need to know how to do the following. You will find these features on the game’s menu bar on the left side of the screen.
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Send a telegram–You will have a dozen telegrams asking you to join their region. Why bother joining a wanna-be when you are already in TEP, the best region! Test out the telegram feature by sending me, Old Federalia, a telegram. (Gnome Note: a nation’s name does not include its’ title, such as “The Republic of…”)
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Change your settings–You have many options, so take advantage of them. Experiment to your heart’s content.
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Vote in the World Assembly–Join the World Assembly (http://www.nationstates.net/page=un), then vote for or against proposals on the World Assembly page. Please endorse the Delegate of The East Pacific by visiting their nation’s page (NationStates | The Vizier Puffin of Bachtendekuppen). Scroll to the bottom, and click “endorse.” This protects The East Pacific from tyrants by ensuring our democratically elected delegate stays delegate. (Gnome Note: Only one WA member nation per computer, so make sure your siblings don’t already have a WA nation or else both nations will be banned from the WA.)
What is The East Pacific?
The East Pacific is one of five default regions that new nations join when they are created. You’re incredibly lucky to have been born in TEP, because TEP is the best region!
Regions are primarily devoted to two things, roleplay and gameplay. Learn how to roleplay in the Nation Creation forum (http://theeastpacific.com/forum/1000745/). The University of The East Pacific (UTEP) will teach you the skills to succeed and excel in gameplay. Gameplay is devoted to the governments of regions and the diplomacy between regions. It may seem like a lot of reading, but do not fear, you will thank me for saving you the time and effort it would take to all of this on your own.
http://s18.postimg.org/t8r0xi8h5/il_fullxfull_356399501_75gk.jpg
You can trust the Tutorial Gnome!
The East Pacific exists as its’ region page on Nationstates.net (NationStates | The East Pacific), this forum (http://theeastpacific.com/index/), and two chatrooms (skype and Mibbit.com - Easy and fast Webchat in your browser channel on IRC ). The region page on NS.net has two important sections, the World Factbook Entry (WFE) at the top which acts as a bulletin board with essential information, and the Regional Message Board (RMB) at the bottom for players to post messages for the entire region to read. If you have skype, add “Old Federalia” as a contact and I will add you to TEP’s chatroom.
More specifically, The East Pacific is the paradigm of excellence. Most regions suffer from tyrants or oligarchies who control their region. The East Pacific is controlled by the Concordat, which protects the rights of citizens and limits our government. It plays one branch of the government off of the others, so instead of pushing you around, the branches push each other around. In fact, the Concordat has governed TEP for over five years when most Constitutions barely survive one year. TEP wades through the crises, disturbances and drama of normal regions by sharing four values:
Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, and most of all Dignity!
Everyone in TEP is free, treated equally, and they help each other. Most importantly, they treat each other with respect and behave maturely. personally, I would describe TEP as mature. That means TEPers listen to logic, which allows anyone to join TEP and change it for the better if they treat others with the respect they want in return.
What government does TEP have?
The Concordat is the supreme law of TEP. It created a four branch government based on the American Constitution. The first three branches are the executive, legislature, and judiciary. The fourth branch is unique to this game. It is a security council made of specially selected WA member nations called Viziers. The viziers are devoted to preserving the Concordat, and are charged with the task of removing any delegate who tries to destroy the Concordat. Only the most trusted and committed nations are made viziers since they have incredibly high endorsement counts.
The executive consists of the World Assembly Delegate and his/her appointed ministers. The delegate is the leader of TEP, being the Head of State and Head of Government. He/She is elected every four months on this forum. Each delegate may only serve two consecutive terms in office, but may serve again after not being delegate for a term.
The legislature is the Magisterium (http://theeastpacific.com/forum/3569/. Anyone can join the Magisterium by applying (http://theeastpacific.com/topic/987035/10/#new). Then the Magisterium votes on your application. If it is denied, you can appeal to the other citizens of TEP, and a referendum will be held to decide your membership. There are no terms in the Magisterium. Every three months it elects a speaker, called the Provost, to officiate votes and other procedures.
The judiciary is the Conclave (http://theeastpacific.com/forum/3579/). It is made of justices called Arbiters. There are four arbiters. Each serves a six month term, but must be nominated by the delegate then confirmed by the Magisterium. The Conclave is led by a chief justice called the Viceroy. The arbiters select one of themselves to be viceroy every six months. (Gnome Note: Don’t confuse viceroy with vizier, which is a common mistake)
Needless to say, the Delegate administers laws and represents TEP to other regions, the Magisterium passes laws, and the Conclave interprets the Concordat to decide the constitutionality of laws and is the judge and jury in criminal trials. Additionally, we have a forum devoted to the citizens of TEP called the Plaza (http://theeastpacific.com/forum/3562/). There you can check up on the latest happenings and vote in referendums from time to time.
How can I join the government?
Just the question I hoped you’d ask! You can join the Magisterium or the Delegate’s executive right now. However, if you’re new to NationStates, I recommend taking advantage of all that the University of The East Pacific has to offer. I remember how hard starting NationStates was, and it took a long time to really understand the fundamentals of gameplay. So this school is designed to give you a head start by teaching those fundamentals. There are no normal classrooms, only opportunities to try and fail–because making mistakes is the best way to learn!
The things you learn will cover all aspects of gameplay. The East Pacific is the best place for a new nation, and this school will show you why. Everything you do here will translate into useful experience and preparation for becoming a legislator, lawyer, ambassador, soldier, or journalist. However, don’t think for one second that you will be stuck in a cookie cutter class. I know that everyone is different, and you each have special strengths that no one else does. Are you ready to get started?
Four of UTEP’s subforums are devoted to teaching specific jobs:
Speaker’s Corner: Speech & Debate–Perfect your powers of persuasion. A must for magisters and Conclave lawyers. You will learn how to refine your argument and focus the reader’s attention on key points.
The News Room: Journalism–Who, What, When, Where, Why, & How: provide readers with interesting, pertinent news worth their time. You will learn the research and writing composition skills necessary to be TEP’s next star reporter.
East Point Military Academy: The Art of War–Players can utilize the WA’s endorsement feature to coup other regions’ delegates. It’s easier than it sounds, plus you get an automatic promotion in the East Pacific Sovereign Army upon graduation.
Statecraft: Inter-Regional Diplomacy–Become an expert of diplomatic etiquette and the secrets of building inter-regional relations. TEP needs dependable ambassadors to represent its’ interests abroad.