How to Get Started in the Continental Union

[z-Internal Relations Agent]

Letor, Second Minister of Internal Relations of the Continental Union.

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Welcome to the Continental Union and Continental Alliance![/center]

This thread is created for use by both new and returning NationStates players. NationStates has a few options and features that facilitate player participation, but most of the roleplay, interaction among members, and other activities take place mostly in a region’s offsite forum. Please note that registration and participation on the offsite forum is not a requirement for membership, but it is highly recommended.

To make things easier links are provided links that will either take you to a document that explains a particular topic or to a specific site mentioned in the text. Following this opening letter, there are several additional entries with information on NationStates-related issues and how to engage in regional activities.

New NationStates Players[/u]

• NationStates (NS) has a couple of features to help customize your nation. You can upload your own customized flag, change your nation type, select a capital city, choose a national religion, and name your leader. Some of these features are not available until your nation has reached a certain population. You can also alter the frequency of dilemmas sent to your nation for consideration.
  
  
• There is also a NationStates forum for all nations in the game to interact. Take care to following instructions for each board before posting. Some boards are “in-character” (IC), others are “out of character” (OOC), and each one is dedicated to a particular roleplay or NS theme. You can access the NS forum by clicking HERE
  
  
• In order to keep your nation active in the game, you must complete a task activity every 28 days. This usually involves selecting an option from the dilemmas the game generates for every nation. If there is no activity for 28 consecutive days, the NS system will deactivate your nation for inactivity and your nation will disappear. If you will be gone for extended periods of time, you can put your nation on “vacation mode,” which will allow your nation an additional 28 days of inactivity without it being deactivated because of inactivity. You can access that option in your nation’s settings.
  
  
• Just like each nation in the game, each region has a main NS page. The difference is that the region’s page has a listing of nations in the region, a listing of embassies with other regions, and a Regional Message Board (RMB) where any member in the region can post comments. Feel free to use this feature as part of participation in regional activities and interaction among other members. Keep in mind that our offsite forum is where most of our interactive events take place.
  
  
• You can also telegram nations (both in and out of the region) by clicking on the nation’s name/link in the regional listing of nations, clicking the nation’s link in a telegram sent to you, or by using the search program in the “World” listing on the left side of the screen. These messages are private correspondence between you and the other nation and do not appear on any public venue.
  

All NS Players[/u]

• The World Assembly (WA) is an NS roleplay organization that mimics the activities of the United Nations. All players are elegible to apply for membership. Please note that NS rules specifically state that a player can have only ONE WA membership, no matter how many nations they have in the game. Membership in the WA helps the region gain additional influence and additional votes on WA proposals. Each region selects a WA delegate to represent the region. We encourage you to apply for WA membership if you are eligible and endorse our region’s delegate. You may also endorse other WA members in the region. Please be sure that your endorsements do not exceed the region’s “Endo Cap,” which is posted on the Region's NS Factbook. You can apply for WA membership by clicking HERE.
  
  
• The Region’s offsite forum—as mentioned above—is an extension of the NS and regional activities. It is a community board hosted by ProBoards. There a several forums and boards each dedicated to specific roleplays, topic discussions, chatting/spamming, and other activities. Participating in the forum is a way to enhance the NationStates experience and provide additional roleplay scenarios and “in character” (IC) interaction with other members. You can register on the Unified Regional Board by clicking HERE

[/url], or review instructions on how to register by clicking HERE.[/url]
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We have several activities and other events on the Unified Regional Forum in which you can participate. We are continuously establishing diplomat exchanges with other regions, setting up roleplays, and operating a Regional Government. You can choose to participate in regional activities on the forum, on the NS region page using the RMB, obtaining WA membership and endorsing our delegate, or you can just sit back and have a relaxing stay with us and remain neutral. The choice is yours…you can create the kind of environment that best suits your time resources and interest level.

If you have any questions or need help with anything related to the Region or the game, please do not hesitate to telegram me here or PM me on the Unified Regional Forum. Thanks again for joining us. We hope you take full advantage of your membership in the Continental Union.

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[z-Quæstor General Agent]

Yávaros, Third Quæstor General of the Continental Union and the Continental Alliance

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Where to Go on the Regional Forum[/center]

As a new member, we want to make sure you are comfortable and know how to navagate through the many forums and boards on our Regional Forum. All boards are placed into different categories based on their content and subject matter. The most active boards are those located in the General Chat and Discussions category. All members have access to the boards in that category and can post comments and start new threads in any of those boards.

The Continental Union Roleplay category contains the different roleplay boards. Each board is set up for the type of roleplay in progress. Please be sure to read the rules or guidelines for each roleplay before posting. The first forum in the Roleplay category is dedicated to guidelines and discussions about the current roleplays. You can post suggestions for new roleplays there as well.

A quick and easy way to go through posts and decide on which threads or discussions you want to post in, click the "New Topics" button located at the very top of the forum board. This option allows you to view recent and new topics posted by other members. This is also a good way to make sure you have not missed any important topics to which other members have posted new material.

To the left side of the forum boards are a number of different info boxes. There are three boxes that contain links to important topics and other activities. The roleplay links take you directly to the major roleplays currently in progress. The Current Polls links will connect you with polls currently in progress. An EZ Links box contains important links to general information, statistics, and offsite links that are of general interest.

Please note that you many not have access to all boards and forums that may be listed in the info boxes. As new members join, their access is limited to the length of residency and membership assignment. Some links are available to members domiciled in different areas or those members who are Regional Officers. As we finalize permission masks and other access tools, a more detailed list of these access issues will be posted as a guide to all members.

If you have any additional questions or concerns, please post in the Help Desk forum. And, please scroll below to see the final post in this information topic.

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