Welcome to Sol Aeternalis - Conduct guide & how to declare war

Congratulations, you've taken your first step into a larger world. Sol Aeternalis is the latest iteration of an inclusive roleplay community with nearly a decade of experience!

This dispatch is your guide to everything - how to participate in our roleplays, how to become a citizen, and how to ensure that your stay is an enjoyable time!

1. What is Roleplay? How do I start? Is that how I declare war?

Good questions! On NationStates, roleplay refers to all written 'in-character' actions between countries run by players. This encompasses all forms of diplomacy, trade, intrigue, and conflict. If you want to write a summit of leaders, that's roleplay. If you want to trade with your neighbors, or steal their secrets, that's roleplay. And, yes, if you want to invade other countries, that's also roleplay.

Want to get started? You're in the right place! Here's our easy guide:

1) Firstly, make sure that you reside in Sol Aeternalis or have telegramed South Sea a completed application form. They are the current roleplay OP, which means that they consider all requests from players wanting to join the roleplay.

2) Secondly, after being approved by a reply telegram, you can start to roleplay! Post in the in-character forum thread, writing in either first person (as the leader of your country) or third person (in the style of an in-character newspaper article). A good first in-character post typically outlines what is happening in your country's politics, society, or economy. After that, feel free to write about anything and everything happening in the monthly news of your in-character nation!

2. Okay, I've been approved to participate, but how do I interact with other countries?

The most important principle of roleplay is that you and you alone have control over the fate of your characters and nation. Nobody else but you should be able to decide that your country enters into a war, has protests, or suffers a natural disaster or terrorist attack.

That goes both ways, though - you can't declare war on another player without telegraming them to ask first, nor can you decide how many casualties they suffer in a battle, assassinate their leader, or occupy all of their territory without a fair fight.

Here is our three-step example of how to fight a war:

1) Firstly, telegram the player that you want to declare war on and explain the situation to them out-of-character. Make sure that they reside in Sol Aeternalis or are an approved roleplay participant. Tell them that you want to write about a war between your countries in the roleplay, explain the general plot (for example, "I'd like to roleplay a war with you. I, as Russia, want to invade your country of Sweden. During a prolonged war, Russian forces will occupy the Norrbotten region, but either be fought back following the arrival of Swedish allies or agree to a ceasefire in which all of Norrbotten falls under Moscow control. Will you consent to and participate in this RP?").

Note: if they refuse to grant permission, contact RP OP South Sea to explain your proposed RP plot, and note that the relevant player hasn't consented to the war. The RP OPs will consider the proposal, and talk with the impacted players to find an appropriate solution.

2) Secondly, after you have received the other player's out-of-character consent to roleplay a war, post a couple of times in-character creating tension and mobilizing your military forces. A good roleplay makes an effort to world build, so try and make it look like there is a history of poor relations between the two countries, and a valid justification for going to war prior to the start of hostilities.

3. Thirdly, declare war! Post the first moves made by your invading army, alongside a speech from your nation's leader and any reaction to the war from other political groups and the public.

Note: Be prepared to accept fair and reasonable casualties and setbacks during the war, and acknowledge the risk that you may lose if you have not prepared well enough, or the international community intervene!

3. I've not done this before, can I have some help?

Yes! We have several very experienced roleplayers who are happy to help new participants. The easiest way for us to help is if you join Sol Aeternalis, and introduce yourself as a new player on the Sol Aeternalis message board. One of our active players will normally follow-up with you within a couple of hours at most.

If you are an approved roleplay participant from outside of Sol Aeternalis, you are welcome to send a puppet nation to ensure that you can easily communicate with our team - just be sure let us know who you are when you arrive in the region!

Citizenship is an important part of this community - it means that you're committed to us, and we're committed to you. We support each other. To become a citizen:

Firstly, move to Sol Aeternalis, and and introduce yourself as a new resident seeking citizenship on the Sol Aeternalis message board.

Secondly, telegram South Sea requesting citizenship by completing this form:

Sol Aeternalis is an inclusive region, with a roleplay focus. We welcome all players who abide by our rules, and the rules of this website. Please read this Code of Conduct below, which is used for all of our roleplays and also governs use of our regional message board.

Code of Conduct

1) I will respect other players, even if we disagree in-character or on out-of-character issues.

- We are all people behind these NS accounts, not real nations.

- LGBTQ players are welcomed here.

- Bigotry, racism, and out-of-character fascist beliefs are not welcome here.

- Real statements that encourage out-of-character discrimination, harassment, or hate speech of any kind is not welcome here.

- Don't let in-character roleplay events ruin out-of-character friendships.

2) I will be fair.

- Always consult other players before posting anything which may impact their characters or nation in the roleplay, and refer to the RP OPs if you believe that another player is unfairly refusing to interact with you in-character or insists on always winning.

- No godmodding - be prepared to suffer fair loses yourself in-character - there are no invincible armies. Your characters and nations should all have realistic abilities and limitations.

- I will allow a fair right-of-response (ROR) timeframe for other players before progressing events that impact them in-character (4 IRL days if they have logged in but made no further action in response to a direct message on the issue, 14 IRL days if they have not logged in).

- No metagaming - if my characters don't know something, but I do have that knowledge as a player, I will not act on that information.

- I will not steamroll countries that exist in the roleplay but are not player controlled - I will request a DM/Non-Playable-Character controller to assume their actions when needed.

3) I will communicate clearly.

- Communicate openly and honestly with your fellow players. Characters can lie, for that is inherently part of all political simulation, but we are all one united out-of-character community.

- If issues arise, discuss them respectfully. Use clear, respectful language in out-of-character discussions. Do not resort to personal attacks or ad hominin 'debates'.

4) I will separate in-character from out-of-character.

- Maintain a clear distinction between in-character (IC) and out-of-character (OOC) interactions. Do not let IC conflicts affect OOC relationships.

- Avoid posting anything out-of-character in the forum thread. Avoid posting anything in-character on the regional message board.

5) I will accept the ruling of roleplay OPs and DMs/NPC Controllers.

- I acknowledge that our roleplay OPs and DMs/NPC Controllers attempt to make decisions impartially, for the betterment of the region and roleplay.

- I will present my view to the OPs & DMs/NPC Controllers, and respect whatever decision they determine.

6) I will abide by NS rules & site terms and conditions

- See the NS FAQ page, Terms & Conditions, & the NS Moderation subforum.

7) I acknowledge that breaching this Code may result in loss of citizenship, a ban from RP participation, or other penalties.

- Sol Aeternalis may apply penalties in response to breaches of this Code, up to and including loss of citizenship, a RP ban, and banjection from the region.

- Generally first and/or minor infractions will result in RMB post suppression (if on the RMB) or a RP retcon (if IC in the RP), and a friendly reminder of the appropriate protocols.

- Malicious behavior or flagrant disregard for the Charter and our community's wellbeing will result in an ejection from the region and a RP ban equivalent to persona non grata.