Interviews:
I interviewed two of our resident Roleplayers here. Both of them are very nice and friendly, and great to hang out with. Also, I see them as some of my best friends since I arrived here. Let me introduce Todd McCloud and Southern Yugoslavia!
Todd <font color=“green”>McCloud</font>
Me: What got you interested in roleplaying?
Todd: Probably the uniqueness of it. Initially I thought it was a little weird, but I was not aware of how intricate and exciting the extent of roleplaying one’s own characters and nations with other people, and playing out their plots and ideas in addition to my own. It’s quite fun, really. I recommend it to anyone.
Me: You put a lot of time and effort into the histories and backgrounds of your nation and characters. What was your reason of putting so much effort into designing your nation and characters? Would you recommend this approach to roleplaying to others?
Todd: I like history, personally. Applying history to my nations simply fulfills that like for me with respect to my nation. As far as backstories, they can be both beneficial and hindering. A little bit of backstory is okay, but too much or too heavy of a reliance on it can be stifling to other roleplayers. In the same breath, backstories can help other roleplayers get a glimpse of just what character or nation they are dealing with. So, I recommend a healthy balance, personally.
Me: How long have you been roleplaying? You don’t have to be specific. (Laughs)
Todd: About 2-2.5 years now. Off and on in between.
Me: You were just elected as one of the new Magisters. Congrats and welcome to the Magisterium. Now, what other positions in TEP’s government have you performed while a citizen of the East Pacific?
Todd: Well, I was the delegate of the region for one year, starting in 2009. After that, I became an arbiter and served there for a while as a judge in the region. I now do regional map updates and help in the magisterium.
Me: What were some of your responsibilities as arbiter, so that those who are interested in becoming an arbiter will have a good idea on what they have to do?
Todd: Essentially, I helped write the standing orders and ruled / debated on particular issues that were brought up in the conclave. Arbiters are selected, however. They should have a sense of what we do in The East Pacific in addition to having a level head. One of the things I tried to push when I was arbiter was to have people voice their opinions and not be afraid to go against the majority if they feel they need to. Great minds don’t think alike. They think for themselves.
Me: A lot of your characters are either athletes or interested in sports. Does this mean that you are into sports as well?
Todd: I was at a time. I played lacrosse in grade school. But aside from that I just simply like to stay healthy and exercise. I can’t sit in front of a computer all day. My brains turn to oatmeal. (Laughs) Of course, I’m not a health nut. But I guess I’d say I try to shake things up a bit.
Me: (Laughs) That is a good idea. It’s not healthy to be a couch PAX FRUIT. Here’s my next question: How did you get involved with TEP’s newspaper?
Todd: I don’t really remember off hand. I think it was because when I changed the embassies on TEP’s forums such that every region got their own sub-forum instead of just a thread. Doing that took a while, but the end product looked nice. I figured maybe it would be good to re-start our newspaper. We were all gung-ho for it, and the first issue was a success. I like newspapers that are big and have a wide variety of contributions from other players in the region. One person explaining what a region’s doing just seems a bit one-dimensional.
Me: When you’re not roleplaying or working, what do you do for fun in your spare time? This also includes when youre not working on your Nationstates Wiki.
Todd: Do you mean on NS or apart from NS?
Me: Apart from NS.
Todd: I have a group of friends I typically spend time with. I also like to go places during the evening and socialize with people.
Me: Okay, let’s go back to that same question, but this time, what do you do when you’re on NS?
Todd: Many things, (Laughs). Though nowadays I’m mostly just in TEP having fun there.
Me: A few weeks ago, I was reading an article in a roleplaying magazine that talked about a rise in godmodders. The article went to say that the vast majority of these godmodders aren’t doing it intentionally, but are simply doing it by accident as they are newcomers to roleplaying. My question is this: do you any tips, advice, warnings, and suggestions to newcomers to roleplaying on how they can avoid godmodding?
Todd: Just don’t make your nation too awesome. Try and have a balance between flaws and strengths. Don’t have “end-all” tech where no one can really stand up against you. Respect players with their RP histories, and don’t be afraid to make your nation lose. A loss that is roleplayed well is a win for the roleplayer himself or herself.
Southern <font color=“red”>Yugoslavia</font>
Me: What got you interested in roleplaying?
Southern Yugoslavia (SY): Towards nation roleplay?
Me: Yes.
SY: Probably just being able to have the power to control your own nation, and react to world events created by others in your world.
Me: You put a lot of time and effort into the histories and backgrounds of your nation and characters. What was your reason of putting so much effort into designing your nation and characters? Would you recommend this approach to roleplaying to others?
SY: I like just knowing what happened prior to current event, and what could have caused it along the timeline. It probably partly because I’m a history buff. And by approach do you mean creating histories of the nation and characters, or nation roleplay?
Me: That is correct.
SY: If you’re someone that’s into political/nation simulators, then yes, I would reccommend them creating a nation and finding a home to roleplay in to allow their nation to grow and flourish.
Me: How long have you been roleplaying? You don’t have to be specific (Laughs).
SY: Hmm… Well I’ve had Southern Yugoslavia for a little more than a year. I would probably say ten to eleven months on the Nationstates forums. Here at the East Pacific however, I’d say probably five months.
Me: In your free time, when you’re not roleplaying or working, or doing schoolwork, what do you like to do?
SY: Well I typical enjoy running, playing some video games (who doesn’t?), hanging out with some of my friends or watching movies.
Me: What advice or suggestions would you give to people who are just starting nation roleplaying? For example, how would you advise them in order for them from accidentally godmodding?
SY: Do your research. Pick a country that has roughly the same population as you. Check their economy and military. You can’t have a nation with seven million people, then try to say your economy is as large as the United States or China.
Me: Excellent advice.
SY: Thank you. And if you can’t seem to find a nation with the same population as you, then it’s okay to go up or down a few million.
I want to thank both Todd and SY for allowing me to interview them. That were very friendly and we had a lot of fun doing these interviews.
And also for the deadline extension, I thought I would have been able to whip something together sooner, but I’ll try to get the Magisterium article done in the next couple days.
Therefor, I did not do my customary comb-over for grammar and flow and whatnot. Take it or leave it, I hope will suffice!