a nation of creation |
december 2023 newsletter
soul
"A nation's culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people." -Mahatma Gandhi
The part of us that we cannot see. There are many ways it has been described. It's our personality, our feelings, our source of actions, our foundation, our core. It is our very being.
Our soul.
Everything we think and feel stem from who we are. The essence of a person. It is a unique thing. No two people are ever alike; yet, we are all still the same in that we understand and grasp the enigma known as the soul. What is the very defining thing of soul? When asked that question, a myriad of passions, dislikes, quirks, habits, traits, characteristics, etc. are all used to try and explain a soul. However, one thing can be agreed for soul. It is a sign of living.
It feels vibrant, warm, and certain. Not comfortable, certain. Resolute in what it is. Alive.
So when you take that step and move, in whatever direction, you are living---experiencing. There is no easy way to live life, but this does not mean we should stop living. Don't lose yourself. Don't let your soul fade away.
What does your soul say about you?
housekeeping
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roleplay of the month
What are some themes and ideas that inspired you to create βInto the Dread Labyrinthβ ?
What is the driving motivator of the plot currently?
How do you garner interest for your roleplays and keep your group engaged with the roleplay?
What is your favorite moment so far in 'Into the Dread Labyrinthβ?
If you had the choice to adapt your roleplay into a different medium which would it be; comic book, novel series, TV show, movie, or video game? Why?
How do you maintain stability, comfort, and community between roleplayers in the group? What about when new players join?
How did you start roleplaying?
Oh no! Staff-chan dropped you off in another world! What world would it be and why?
If you created a character based on a colour, what colour would it be and why?
Do you have any secret guilty pleasures RP ideas?
For upcoming GMs and newsletter readers, what roleplaying advice would you give to them?
Would you like to give a shout-out to your co-GMs, players, and/or friends? If so, please feel free to tag them here for us!
I want to do a rp that takes place in a dangerous world that can change at any moment. Exploring the themes of courage, 'whatever it takes', perseverance, 'fighting for one's life', and horrors and terrors that torment people, and how one can overcome them. Not to mention how humanity can push and find a way to move forward, progress, and become greater not just in the face of adversity, but when all hope seems lost.
What is the driving motivator of the plot currently?
Driving motivator of the plot would be the so-called Dread Labyrinth. I think the rpers in my roleplay are excited to see what exactly it is, and are very excited and interested to see what the Dread Labyrinth has waiting for their characters!
How do you garner interest for your roleplays and keep your group engaged with the roleplay?
The way I garner interest is the same for all my roleplays, I'd like to think. I come up with some hook, or unique setting, then present it, and showcase that the rp is an easy rp to get in, and easy to roleplay in, and Im an easy and fair gm. What keeps people engaged is the content of my roleplay, which is to say, I like to make unique characters, and situations, and don't take the conventional way or use too many tropes and the like. I also don't make too many roleplays, and make roleplays that I intend to stick it out with, and not something I'm gunna dump or hop ship on too fast.
What is your favorite moment so far in 'Into the Dread Labyrinthβ?
It will take a moment to explain. In this rp, people gain "Talents" and those talents have a grade. Like from A-F. However, for the player characters, we're given S-rank Talents. Meaning our talents are the best of the best. Anyway, my favorite moment is literally the second post, when Ariariababwa's character Lemondrop sort of crashes and takes over the reveal event for the player characters's S rank reveals. Theres a moment in the rp, when our characters are being revealed as S ranks to the masses, and Ari's Lemondrop just drops in and takes over, its really funny! Especially since I wasn't expecting anything like that, haha.
If you had the choice to adapt your roleplay into a different medium which would it be; comic book, novel series, TV show, movie, or video game? Why?
I could see it being both a comic series/or manga, and/or a video game. Movie is too short for this particular setting. But the setting would fit perfectly with a comic and manga. And there's mechanics in the world that would fit right inside of a video game, including stats and "skills" -which are like special attacks! The labyrinth is also set up like a video game, with different floors and monsters. The monsters get progressively stronger the lower floors you descend!
How do you maintain stability, comfort, and community between roleplayers in the group? What about when new players join?
I think the way I do it is by being a sort of 'casual' gm. My rps really aren't all too "casual" so-to-speak, but I tend to be a bit easy going and forgiving, and I think the rpers sense that, helping the community feel more freeform and casual! 
Same exact thing when new players join. I welcome them, then add them to the rp as if they were always there. I'm not the type to make a big deal of the small things like that! Plus for new players, I work right alongside them to make sure they feel comfortable and satisfied.
Same exact thing when new players join. I welcome them, then add them to the rp as if they were always there. I'm not the type to make a big deal of the small things like that! Plus for new players, I work right alongside them to make sure they feel comfortable and satisfied.How did you start roleplaying?
Hmm, its a bit hard to remember exactly when it was, haha, but lets just say it was in high school. I started rping on some random rp site back then when I was really into a series called Warrior Cats. Yes, I know, heh. I was looking it up online or something, then somehow stumbled across a rp site dedicated to it, thought it looked "kinda interesting" and joined it. Since I was brand new to the scene, I ended up rping with this one other rper, and well.. the rp was kinda cringe, but it was fun at the time. That person became a close friend and I got super into rping ever since!
Oh no! Staff-chan dropped you off in another world! What world would it be and why?
Haha! Does this answer have to be specific? Heh. Itd be some sort of fantasy world. Perhaps even just generic fantasy. I love that stuff SO much. Anything and everything fantasy. That's where my soul lies haha.
If you created a character based on a colour, what colour would it be and why?
Blue, probably. I really like the color blue, and think theres a lot of thematic elements surrounding that color. I can just envision a blue-themed character right now. The character could reflect loneliness, sorrow, elements like water, or rain, or cloudy days, that sorta thing. I think theres a lot you could do with the color 'blue' when making a character. Either that, or RED. For the exact opposite reasons, haha. I tend to make chars that "go against the grain", or are the type of characters that "dont get along" with the majority of the group. I kinda like the added level of difficulty in an rp, haha. So I could see myself making a hotblooded redhead who is wild, courageous, and "in your face", always yelling, always ready to jump right in the action, everyone else be -erm- dammed." Can I say dammed?
Do you have any secret guilty pleasures RP ideas?
If I answer this, it wouldn't be, would it? Haha. I like rps that involve gender bender stuff. Or trans stuff. Some of my chars are either trans, or they're meant to be trans, or "trans in my head".
For upcoming GMs and newsletter readers, what roleplaying advice would you give to them?
Hm.. This is hard. I don't think much of what I do or how I rp translates very well to others. I cant very well tell people "Just be like me!" Thats a bit conceited lol. But it is kinda that, I suppose? I'd say. Don't sweat the small stuff. Be more open-minded. Don't be too strict or stringent with how players rp or post, or what their characters are. Obviously dont just allow every little thing, but sometimes its more fun for the rp to "just allow" something, rather than cut it out because you as a gm don't think it really fits. But obviously, don't be a doormat, never be a doormat, we don't want the inmates running the asylum! Lol
Would you like to give a shout-out to your co-GMs, players, and/or friends? If so, please feel free to tag them here for us!
A shoutout? Oh gosh, thats embarrassing! Im no good at this sorta thing! Hehe..
member of the month
Where does the username, Faynorae, come from?
How did you discover roleplaying?
How did you find RPNation?
Sky Coloured Rabbit. Thatβs a cute name. How come you didnβt use that for your username on RPN? What is the origin of Sky Coloured Rabbit?
Whatβs your favorite aspect of roleplaying?
Aside from roleplaying, what other outlets of creativity do you enjoy partaking in? Or perhaps just other hobbies in general?
From your hobby of writing, is there perhaps a piece youβd like to share with us?
Tying into our theme SOUL, how would you describe the very essence of your being?
It seems that youβre a very creative spirit, what are your favorite pieces of literature, music, movies, video games, etc.?
Are there any plans of future projects for RPNation or even outside of the site?
What advice do you have for the Newsletter audience?
Any shout-outs youβd like to include?
So like, I don't speak English (well, I do but kinda maybe? It's not my home language.) I had to learn it to live more conveniently and I thought, bright idea: "How about I try communicating with people who speak English in EU/NA Online Games" So, I decided to invade this game called Fantasy Frontier and I needed to sign up with a name with English characters and I was like "What would an English person use as a character name" cause I couldn't use my go to "νλλΉν λΌ" (Sky Coloured Rabbit) so I soon decided on Nora because I knew it was apparently an English name people probably had and I liked how it sounded. Misfortunately, that name was taken so I was like... Baynora, "Bay" as in a body of water.
Sooner or later, my English had bettered (I think) and I realised "Hey wait a minute Baynora is totally lame and makes like NO sense" whilst making an account for a certain super toxic competitive game which I was trying to get good at in order to impress a guy I was way crushing on at the time and I needed something that sounded cuter and more delicate, aloof and smart. (Baynora sounded harsh and kind of plain to me since I was using it so much.) So I decided, HEY why not "Faynorae / Faenorae / Feynorae et cetera" as in... y'know "Fairy" Which I sooner or later learnt technically meant like "Destined to Die" but like, isn't that true for all humans? Welp, I love how it came out, 'cause coincidentally it relates to my awfully favourite poem of ALL time: Yun Dong-Ju's Foreword (μ€λμ£Ό β μμ)
How did you discover roleplaying?
Well, I guess when I was like 13 when I got a word for it. Back then, my brother allowed me to use his computer for like intervals in the day and I would log on MapleStory and when I wasn't grinding away my life improving my gear and making new characters, me and my friends would make up these nonsensical stories with our characters. It became horrible to remember, a convoluted mess that none of us understood, but we did, but we really didn't. It was our online version of playing with dolls, it was melodrama, romance, murder mystery and did I mention melodrama?
How did you find RPNation?
So, my friend groups were dying out and silencing online and I craved new perspectives and persons to converse with and make friends with folks who liked the things I liked. So, my first stopβTerraria Forums. I wanted to play terraria and have fun with a group but I had no friends who played the game at the time so my plan was to go on the forums and find a group there. Then I found the roleplaying section and was reminded of all my nonsensical dramas with my friends on MapleStory and LARPing with my brother and his friends in like... kindergarten. I joined this weird multiverse anything goes one-paragraph per post RP that had something to do with W.D Gaster and Flowey Undertale, Pokemon something and the Wall of Flesh. It was a LONG running thing and I joined when it was just about dying. Then it died and my desire to tell stories, make characters and be someone else was still unfulfilled...
Until I decided to look up "roleplay forum" on Google one day and voilΓ , RPNation was the first to pop up at the time and it stuck and I didn't look for anything else. It's nice hereβ‘
Sky Coloured Rabbit. Thatβs a cute name. How come you didnβt use that for your username on RPN? What is the origin of Sky Coloured Rabbit?
First of all, thank you kindly; making everything cutesy is my lifelong goal. B) Although I do enjoy "Cloud Coloured Rabbit" I feel it doesn't have that sound/the phonetics that I enjoy as it does in Korean as "haneul-bit-tokki" (νλλΉν λΌ) compared to Faynorae. It's also kind of annoyingly long, convoluted to say and doesn't have the same nickname potential Faynorae does (Fay or Nora et cetera). So I just reserve it for other uses instead.
As for its origin, uhm, I guess I'm kind of exposing myself a little bit, but, basically, it stems from my full name. In what way? I won't say, but other than that, I also very much wished at some point to be named "Ha-neul" (Sky) since it always sounds so elegant, beautiful and super cute as well. The part for Coloured comes from my other more used name in online spaces, "Aya" (彩) which means "Colourful." For Rabbit, well, let's just say I was a particularly passionate fan of a belovΓ¨d manga and show called: Bishojo Senshi Sailor Moon β‘
Whatβs your favorite aspect of roleplaying?
The stories, the people, the words UGH can I really choose a singular favourite? No, I cannot. The different styles in which people write are definitely something that interests me most. Folks' styles and mannerism in their writing varies, from what I've read in my... honestly very short-lived experience. From format to diction, there are just these things that make each person's posts differ in a way that I just can't explain. It helps me learn, especially in terms of words. Like, I need to read the dictionary once in a while.
Forum RPs, for me, just makes reading feel much more digestible and involved (literally at times) in a way that books fail; in terms of my goldfish attention span.
On the other hand, maybe it's also the expression and how we can just make and act out characters that you've always just maybe dreamt of having the chance to fully explore. I find that things are most fun when done together with a group of people, it's another reason why I just can't get behind reading or writing books, it feels too lonely. Being able to interact with people is what I love most about roleplaying, you really can't do it just by yourself (Well, you can, but is that any different from just writing a piece of literature? I don't really know lolol) so it like encourages you to interact and talk with people, gush about your characters, future story plots and character drama, romance and... angst. <<<
You know what, I'll admit it, it's the people, the folks, the persons, friends and fiends alike. Controversial Opinion; I like people. to all you people out there reading this, I love ya for just you existing as you are, you're perfect. Every person is like a world that you can only scarcely peer into, after all, every single person has a life; millions of thoughts that we can just never truly understand or know without being born, being raised and existing as them in the first place.
Through writing, art, music, crafting and anything else we can do we get but a mere glance into that person's mind and thoughts and I wish I could just explain this feeling in words if there words that could convey it. It is crazy, ridiculous and absurd to think that we're like all just literally blobs of pink pudding operating a flesh suit and yet we think SO MUCH. Come wind or storm, the people are totes my fave part of roleplaying.
Aside from roleplaying, what other outlets of creativity do you enjoy partaking in? Or perhaps just other hobbies in general?
I'm a jack of all trades, master of none. B) (Just kidding but anyway--) I like doing art, it has been my most beloved and beloathed expression ever since I was 3 and decided to draw all my favourite fairytale book princesses. Although, most of what I'm proud of is traditional art that I'll never really show online much since I don't currently own a drawing tablet.
Other than visual art, I also enjoy performance art. When I was young, I always dreamt of being an idol who sang songs and made people happy, I always dreamt that it would be fun, glamorous and a decadently tantalising lifestyle that would make me happy and do good for the world. Then, after a few failed auditions and then failing at being a trainee, I called it quits and settled for a degree in musical theatre. Which I do not use at all... I honestly always dreamt of being an actress, a model or some sort of celebrity who would go onstage with massive fanfare and maybe a tragic star-crossed romantic scandal, perhaps in an alternate universe I never got so addicted to the internet as I am now and instead became some pop star who featured in a few K-dramas here and there.
My desire to perform is probably another reason why I enjoy roleplaying so much. Other than that, POETRY!!! Yeah!!! That, love it. Uhm, yeah I like poetry, a lot. I specifically like capturing a sort of fairytalesce feeling when I write my own poems since I also love fairytales, mythology and folklore... specifically scary folklore. Although, I feel as though my poetry is quite amateur and casual so please don't read it, or do read it, do whatever you'd please I guess >_>;;;
From your hobby of writing, is there perhaps a piece youβd like to share with us?
Sure, now, I would probably put up one of the poems I'm most proud of but like... It's hard to decide when I think all of my poems are kind of.... so-so. So, instead, I give you :
"I will love every creature destined to die"; thought I beneath the twinkling sky.
Anemone lay between the trembling grass, her petals a sudden burst of starlight
seemingly swaying as Zephyr brushes his hands through each and every blade,
And each and every moment, as billions of hearts throbβA world fades away
And lifted by the winds, its song soars into the azure, to dance with the stars.
Despite it being naΓ―ve to believe that every heart could hold love for one another,
Flowers still bloom in the cruel winter and so too shall the stars hear my voice.
As a teardrop splatters on the floor, for I shall simply fade away into the breeze
Anemone lay between the trembling grass, her petals a sudden burst of starlight
seemingly swaying as Zephyr brushes his hands through each and every blade,
And each and every moment, as billions of hearts throbβA world fades away
And lifted by the winds, its song soars into the azure, to dance with the stars.
Despite it being naΓ―ve to believe that every heart could hold love for one another,
Flowers still bloom in the cruel winter and so too shall the stars hear my voice.
As a teardrop splatters on the floor, for I shall simply fade away into the breeze
This is a poem I wrote with one of my characters in mind. I'll leave things up for interpretation since I find the interpretations and perspectives of others to be more interesting than my own intentions lolol.
Tying into our theme SOUL, how would you describe the very essence of your being?
I didn't know you asked such philosophical questions in these interviews >_>);;; I'd say I don't even know that myself. At heart, I am a childish brat dreaming of idealistic things that could never happen, dreaming of a poetic belovèd, a fairytale romance with expectations incapable of being met and yet although I realise that I am simply less than a minute speck of dust in the ever eternal universe of almost infinite stars, I still imagine seeing the sun as it explodes or touching beyond the edge of the universe's horizon. Unfortunately, I know I'll be long but dust and dirt by then. I am but simply a damsel dreaming about the impossible things she's read of, whilst trapped within a tower she'll never leave, waiting for a someone or shooting star to wish upon.
It seems that youβre a very creative spirit, what are your favorite pieces of literature, music, movies, video games, etc.?
insert epic hairflip here Glad you asked;
For literature, as said before my favourite poem is Foreword by Yun Dong-Ju. Other than that, I love fairytales; did I say that already? Well, my all-time favourite has to be "The Little Mermaid" by Hans Christian Andersen (I'm basic, I'm sorry.) It is awful, it makes me cry every time I go back to read it or when I think about it randomly while trying to sleep at 3 AM. Other favourites include "The Nightingale And The Rose" by Oscar Wilde, William Shakespeare's "Venus and Adonis", "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-ExupΓ©ry and probably the odd one out here "The Song Of Achilles" by Madeline Miller.
Now, backing away from Words of Paper let's go to books with pictures and text bubbles; Manga, I have a lot of favourites here, but my biggest is probably Takeuchi Naoko's "Codename: Sailor V" and "Bishojo Senshi Sailor Moon." Other faves are CLAMP's "Cardcaptor Sakura", Ikeda Riyoko's "Rose Of Versailles", Takemiya Keiko's "Song of Wind and Trees" and "Andromeda Stories", Mihara Mitsukazu's "Dokuhime" and Asano Inio's "Goodnight Punpun" and "Solanin."
In terms of music, I have nothing that special to show lolol. I mostly listen to City Pop and old tunes, OSTs, Vocaloid and Utaites. I really like Mafamafu (γΎγ΅γΎγ΅) [Suggestions from him, "I wanna be a girl", "γγγζγ¨εΌγΆγ γ" and "Watagashi"]. Orange Caramel (Korean Sub-Unit) is kind of the type of Idol I dreamt of being, singing songs that brought people together, songs that made people laugh, smile and cheer. Suggestions from them: "Shanghai Romance", "Magic Girl", "Catallena" and "Lipstick." I also really like music from Yukika, she's an idol who sings city pop themed songs, "NEON", "Cherries Jubiles" and "Loving You" are some of my favourites. I also really like Stella Jang and I love this band; Mili. Other idols I really like are Nakahara Meiko, Matsuda Seiko, Mariya Takeuchi, Matsubara Miki, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu and the list continues.
Moving onto television, my favourite anime would have to be "Full Moon wo Sagashite", although I do enjoy the manga by Tanemura Arina, I prefer the anime for songs and the direction the story chose to go. The two songs I really like from the OST are "New Future" and "Eternal Snow" (both by Changin' My Life) and the opening is living my head rent-free, "I β₯ U" by THEβ
SCANTY. TV show favourite, "She Was Pretty" (κ·Έλ
λ μ뻀λ€) which is just great. I also really love this cartoon, "Steven Universe" The OST has me crying and the story has me thinking and also crying.
Video games, so-- I really like RPG maker-style games, my first was probably "BishΕjo Senshi Sailor Moon: Another Story" on the Super Famicom. Other games that I really like from this genre include, "Witch's House", "Mermaid Swamp", "Mad Father", "Misao", "Ib", the strange men series, "Yume Nikki", "My Big Sister", "Pocket Mirror"... I realise all of these are RPG maker horror games. UHM,
I also really liked Style Savvy games and Animal Crossing. "Mystic Messenger" is a game that I will bring up in every conversation ever. As mentioned before, MapleStory was my childhood, but I also played another two MMOs, "Elsword" and "Grand Chase." League of Legends, although a classic game and I do like playing, I only began playing again to impress a guy I liked and then I never spoke to him again and got addicted to it for a while. Oh how glad I am that League can't run on 32-bit operating devices anymore, I'm free. In my childhood, I would play these flash games with a character called "Avata Star Sue", it also has a web series. I also really loved the games, "Spirit Hunter: Death Mark" and "Spirit Hunter: NG" Oh how I am excited for "Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II". "Lobotomy Corporation" and "Library of Ruina" are two games that are off the hook... I realise I could go on forever so I'll stop there.
Are there any plans of future projects for RPNation or even outside of the site?
Uhmmm, not really? Well, I guess there are. I'm honestly waiting for that stroke of inspiration in a moment where I'm both ambitious and confident. I'm planning to stick around for as long as I have ideas and an urge to write, I have a few plots planned there for instance, one of my favourite characters I made needs to end soon and that makes me sad. If I ever get the chance, I wanna run a little RP of my own based around various things I like with the main things being like... Defying destiny, tarot cards, Magical Girls (and boys) and Fairytale/Mythological/Theatrical archetypes stuff. Maybe one day, when I feel confident in my ability to stick to a schedule and I have ample experience being a good narrator. I wanna write something that makes a lot of people cry, laugh and smile at the same time lolol.
What advice do you have for the Newsletter audience?
insert epic hair flip 2.0 here Hey guys, so, advice. I'm not enough of an adult to give good and responsible advice, but like I can at least say what I think and I think you should take a look around. Enjoy the fluttering wind as you walk down the street, stare into the eternal sky of the night admire the awfully distant stars and the moon, gaze into a puddle and watch as it ripples when you poke it. In a field, watch tiny little bugs and maybe think about their lives and what it is like to live like them, feel horrible for stepping on a snail you didn't see while walking in a field and feel annoyed as the sun burns against your skin. Remember to put on sunscreen when you go out on a sunny day. Maybe the sky reminds you of someone, maybe the sun reminds you of someone else, count the flying by helicopters and listen to the wind rustling the leaves of a tree. When I was so small and everything was big, the highlight of my day was running through a wet field of grass and dirtying my feet. Maybe go relive what was so fantastic for you as a kid again, go climb a tree, walk somewhere outside barefoot (Although the internet has made that kind of weird, so probably don't do that unless you live in a really quiet rural area.) maybe go watch a cartoon you have watched in decades. I felt so relieved a few months ago, when I did something honestly super dangerous which was so normal for me as a kid, exploring empty or restricted places like its my backyard. It was fun in a looking at liminal spaces online kind of way. Uhm, warning, DO NOT go and explore abandoned, empty or restricted places alone, that's very much A) Potentially Illegal (if its restricted) and B) Definetly dangerous-- That's bad advice. So, what I mean to say is, enjoy the world as it is for a moments. Drink some water and hydrate yourself. If you have relatives, grandparents and parents you love and care for, remind them about that, call them and remind them you love them. Treat yourself if you haven't in a while. If you're stumped, take a break. Taking a break for yourself and clearing your mind and just relaxing is NOT a waste of your time and you are NOT being inefficient and lazy for doing it. Capiche? Anyway, I may not know you, you may not know me, but I love ya. Toodle-oo chuckaboo~β‘
Any shout-outs youβd like to include?
smch smch, SHOUTOUTS GO OUT TO:
Most importantly, Siren, my BFF bestie, she may not be on the site and completely unaffiliated with this medium of storytelling (I think, but she wanted to roleplay an ant, so if anyone is doing a hardcore ant colony RP hit me up so that I can hit her up and she can live her dreams of being an ant), but she's my official BFF Bestie and I tell her everything whether she likes or not. β‘
My cat in heaven, and my rabbit in heaven who I most adore. Their names were μμ(Jageun) and νμ±(Hongchae) respectively.
People on RPN who I know and like talking to, uhm, Hiya~β‘:
learning more about
Genre of Nation Building with @Beckoncall
How would you describe the genre of world-building and dice roleplays?
For Nation Building beginners and players interested in trying them, how would you guide them through the mechanics of this style of RPing? Is there a lot of research involved to create a nation?
Youβve mentioned using dice, for players who have never used it before, can you explain a little more of how this is incorporated? Do you have examples that can give us a better idea?
What are some tips and tricks you can give new players? What are some appeals to nation building that can ease roleplayers into this?
Are roleplayers able to join Nation Building RPs if they just want to join with a character and belong to a NPC Nation or another player nation?
Any links or threads users can check out in relation to Nation/World Building?
Ooh - I actually like the term "World Builder" as much if not more than "Nation Builder" for the purposes of describing these RPs to people who otherwise wouldn't explore them. In a good Nation Builder, the WORLD is a character as much as everyone's OCs -- It develops depth and character from all the players interactions -- in a way becoming more important than any other singular character is the world you all inhabit and the kind of community that develops as a result of cooperation and competition in those worlds... but I'm getting ahead of myself.
A Nation building roleplay is generally a group RP where the scale of the RP/game is bigger than just the individual characters. While heroines and protagonists are a big part of it, you don't just roleplay one character -- you roleplay a whole nation -- motivating, directly or indirectly, a whole entity of supporting cast: be it a tribe of survivors, a noble house and all who serve them, and sometimes quite literally a whole nation of people. I've run such RPs where each player was the captain of a ship exploring an untamed archipelago, the commander of a fleet exploring the dark reaches of space, clans of magical cavemen in a dangerous and superstitious world, to a collection of colonies on a new continent working out how to survive just the same as they work out their differences and biases about each other.
They deliver a feeling of power and meaningful choices that other types of RPs may not... the suspense of whether long term plans come to bear fruit, the thrill of making orders and seeing them followed, the emnity or amity you find in the world and cultivate with other players/nations can be a serious kick. Themes like romance and individual power, and a lot of the best things about more traditional and smaller scale RPs can still exist -- Noble and political romances and marriages for love, unity and power for example. Depending on the scope of the Nation builder all sorts of themes that give us our RP fixes can be enjoyed with a whole other layer of wealth, power, and resource management. While keeping track of wealth and commodities might be very new concepts for traditional Roleplayers, I cannot stress how great it is collecting stuff you and other people want, be it strange technology, secrets, cultural advancements and the money or resources to make your desires for your nation and in the world count.
And we all RP for different thrills and craves I think. We seek beauty, or tension, or power, or struggle or romance in our RPs.... and a good nation builder can deliver on all of these things, just to name a few... but it offers new layers of RP that I think more people might enjoy exploring or being exposed to. Nation builders shouldn't be some "other thing" people don't look over at or never try. They can be really gratifying and rewarding if done well. Many ARE very rule heavy, mechanics heavy, and narrow in scope, but many can be open and surprisingly approachable if you're not intimidated by new rules and the "Culture" of a different style of RP.
A lot of nation builders use dice as a mechanism to establish probabilities and add tension and suspense to events and orders... these can be really fun if you give them a chance. Standard "Dice" RPs are often established systems like D&D or Exhalted or other games rulesets -- to which I say if you can find a GM (gamemaster) who's patient and willing to teach you, I say go for it. Dice RPs are generally even more structured and balanced than nation builders, because they usually depend on carefully balanced and tested rulesets. However Nation builders may be freer or more interpretive with the dice (I know mine are.)
I think one of the concerns these types of RPs deal with well is the issue of certain characters or aspects being OP (overpowered) and people god-moding or other potentially undesirable behavior. RPing within a framework keeps things balanced and while more powerful factions or players may emerge -- it ideally would be because of the quality of decisions they made and less on the insistence or establishment of a characters power in say, canon material or in the imaginations of the player.
More traditional Roleplaying is often about cooperative or collective storytelling, but nation builders and dice RPs have a kind of "Game" element that honestly I'd suggest everyone give at least two tries to see if they like it. These RPs are "crunchier" and tend to have more moving parts than more widely known formats -- but it's definitely worth seeing what all the fuss is about.
For Nation Building beginners and players interested in trying them, how would you guide them through the mechanics of this style of RPing? Is there a lot of research involved to create a nation?
My biggest tip for people getting their feet wet is NOT TO BE INTIMIDATED. There are almost as many sets of mechanics as there are GMs (the referees who generally run the games) but I would just go in with an open mind and see how welcoming and how steep any learning curve might be for a given game. In my experience most people running nation builders are more than happy to either teach you what you need to no on or before the RP's start, or some GMs (Like myself) try to reassure players that a lot of the moving parts and complexity in a nation builder can be left to the GM themselves as you make decisions and learn your way. I pride myself on my nation builders having some interesting and fun mechanics -- but I am just as proud of the fact that much of the dice rolling or "crunchiness" can be left to me so players can focus on enjoying themselves. Just have an idea of what you want to do/accomplish, and the GM and other players will usually be thrilled to help you get from A to B, if even any help is needed. My sincerest advice is not to be intimidated by the mechanics that may not be as prominent in other types of RPs and TRUST YOUR GM AND FELLOW PLAYERS. It doesn't have to be hard, and with a good GM (and a great community like RPN) it shouldn't be.
There are different processes for building a faction/nation for practically every game though one thing I'll stress is that it's often easier than people would think. You might need to come up with an idea (and flesh the idea out) for a leader in a nation builder, which in a lot of ways is just like dreaming up an OC for any other type of RP. Who is the boss of your nation? What are they like and what are their goals? What are their skills and abilities? Once you have an idea of a character in charge (if needed) very often "nation creation" can be outlined in just a handful of questions that fill in all the blanks and make sure everyone's concepts are balanced and not overpowered compared to other people's, so the game is more "Fair." Nation builders can be cooperative, competitive, or a mix of both, so I'd also try to get an idea (if it's not obvious from the interest check) what such dynamics might be.
Youβve mentioned using dice, for players who have never used it before, can you explain a little more of how this is incorporated? Do you have examples that can give us a better idea?
In nation builders that use dice (Mine do but not every nation builder does) my best advice is: "ROLL WITH IT!"
Keep an open mind, experiment, and ask questions. Dice help add uncertainty and surprises to a good game, and also, by allowing people to take chances or mitigate risks, make decisions more meaningful and allow you to use your intellect and skill to pursue better results in your endeavors. For example, my personal dice system is called "Tealeaves" -- and I pride it as being a learnable system, but what is great about it is you don't need to know how it works to play a game with me, especially in the beginning. Most GMs will be more than happy to help you understand how things work and get you playing smoothly, just like teaching any other kind of "Game" -- and that is a worthy distinction because nation builders can be a lot more "Gamey" than regular RPs -- managing resources, points, Victorious vs. Tragic outcomes... it's all part of the fun and if you don't get intimidated and let people know you're new to the genre, you should get all the help you need.
What are some tips and tricks you can give new players? What are some appeals to nation building that can ease roleplayers into this?
As stated above, come in with a little bit of openness, a little patience, and a willingness to go with the flow. Most GMs are happy to help new players learn, and often fellow players will be eager to help and teach especially if it means you'll plan and scheme and share with them in return. Trust your fellow players and GM(s), "roll with it" when it comes to dice, and let the cards fall where they may. What are some of the appeals over conventional roleplaying? I'd say first and foremost how it can take the best aspects of a game and mix it with traditional cooperative storytelling. There's not just what everyone wants or hopes for their characters to make up the story -- there is added elements of "Fate" with dice, and added elements of skill in using mechanics and cooperation/competition to your advantage and enjoyment.
Are roleplayers able to join Nation Building RPs if they just want to join with a character and belong to a NPC Nation or another player nation?
Every different GM or group of players is different, so I'd say it's possible some groups might allow people to just play characters in their games -- but I normally don't in my games. If I did I would probably give them roles such as superiors or antagonists or allies that wouldn't unbalance the game but instead add color and dimension to the roleplay. However, I encourage people to make their point of entry on the same footing as any other player -- theres more than enough soley character-driven RPs out there. I'll also say though that usually can you have your cake and eat it to -- the character(s) you make in your nation building roleplay can have satisfying character development and entanglements just like any other RP -- with the added layer of leading a nation or tribe or group of NPCs (Non player characters, ie, "supporting cast") involved tp take care of and make the most of.
Any links or threads users can check out in relation to Nation/World Building?
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