das
Regeneration In Process
Toteone, you should write on Modern Warfare I think. Especially the "Importance of Human Wave Attacks"
Gelion, so can I write about the Fresh Start NESes?
Gelion, so can I write about the Fresh Start NESes?
Guide to NESing!
- Thread starter Gelion
- Start date
Gelion
Retired Captain
@das
I will think of a way to squeeze it into the guide even under "players articles"
Go ahead with it
I will think of a way to squeeze it into the guide even under "players articles"
Go ahead with it
Human wave attacks are very important. 
(spelling is not too good)
Okiez, just making some notes here, writing down some thoughts. I could mention some examples that have occured in NES's...
UIS-India (the UIS had the biggest waves and won the draw)
DUCA-North America
Russia-Germany OTL
Resident Evil
Scenarios involving grotesquely bloated, under-equipped infantry divisions occur often with the victor the agressor with the most disposable bodies.
To aquire the human beings necessary for a successful attack you need only look to your nation, more often then not population will never truly be taken into account. You pay a citizen a fifty cents and he will die for you, gun in hand or whatever you see fit to arm him with.
Successful examples of such wars include China taking over eastern Russia, the US annexing Canada, Brazil overpowering her tiny neighbors and Starcraft.
Always keep in mind that the more soldiers you have the less likely their morale will break, mainly because the flow of bodies inhibit any backward progress but also because there is safety in numbers (exceptions include the use of tactical nukes). In sufficient numbers dead bodies become sizeable obstructions but also cover for advancing infantry units.
Human wave attacks will lower the morale of your nation so unless you're religious fanatics you must remember to pay enough money to make your nation devoted to you.
Mods usually don't make too much of a difference between elite soldiers and conscripts so the main point of human wave attacks is to wave a big flashy number at them that makes them think there's no way you can't win.
Also, blood is cool, real cool.
Especially when the rivers run red.
Field rations become unecessary.
Such attacks may also work as a distraction or a precursor to your real attack. Remember that your nation is a soulless entity which will not grieve for it's loved ones.
Also see 'Dropships' juxtapoxed with 'Capital' and 'Human wave attack'.
The enemy does not expect a major fleet of dropships from an allied empire dropping one million untrained soldiers in the middle of his relatively unguarded capital.
---
In order to negate human wave attacks one must have vastly superior technology and if not a sufficient force to account for your lack of nukes.
I'll make sense of this later and add some bits, just jotting down some thoughts for later.
(spelling is not too good)Okiez, just making some notes here, writing down some thoughts. I could mention some examples that have occured in NES's...
UIS-India (the UIS had the biggest waves and won the draw)
DUCA-North America
Russia-Germany OTL
Resident Evil
Scenarios involving grotesquely bloated, under-equipped infantry divisions occur often with the victor the agressor with the most disposable bodies.
To aquire the human beings necessary for a successful attack you need only look to your nation, more often then not population will never truly be taken into account. You pay a citizen a fifty cents and he will die for you, gun in hand or whatever you see fit to arm him with.
Successful examples of such wars include China taking over eastern Russia, the US annexing Canada, Brazil overpowering her tiny neighbors and Starcraft.
Always keep in mind that the more soldiers you have the less likely their morale will break, mainly because the flow of bodies inhibit any backward progress but also because there is safety in numbers (exceptions include the use of tactical nukes). In sufficient numbers dead bodies become sizeable obstructions but also cover for advancing infantry units.
Human wave attacks will lower the morale of your nation so unless you're religious fanatics you must remember to pay enough money to make your nation devoted to you.
Mods usually don't make too much of a difference between elite soldiers and conscripts so the main point of human wave attacks is to wave a big flashy number at them that makes them think there's no way you can't win.
Also, blood is cool, real cool.
Especially when the rivers run red.
Field rations become unecessary.
Such attacks may also work as a distraction or a precursor to your real attack. Remember that your nation is a soulless entity which will not grieve for it's loved ones.
Also see 'Dropships' juxtapoxed with 'Capital' and 'Human wave attack'.
The enemy does not expect a major fleet of dropships from an allied empire dropping one million untrained soldiers in the middle of his relatively unguarded capital.
---
In order to negate human wave attacks one must have vastly superior technology and if not a sufficient force to account for your lack of nukes.
I'll make sense of this later and add some bits, just jotting down some thoughts for later.
North King
blech
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2004
- Messages
- 18,165
Looks all good... Any topics to write articles about? 
Insane_Panda
Deity
Can I write about something too??
Gelion
Retired Captain
You all guys can write about anything specific you want. I will include a section called "NESers articles" I guess. My only limitation is that I do not want you to write anything specific like updates, NESes in general. Anything like "my Fresh NES guide" or "key to be sucessfull" works....
das
Regeneration In Process
Nice work, Toteone. Just remember that lots of troops need lots of supplies, which basically means that pocketing huge amounts of troops, especially untrained troops, will make it extremelly easy to either destroy them, either herd them into forced labor camps.
Oh, and:
"Soldier after soldier, despite lack of much training or just about any bullets, charged at the machine guns at Toronto, jamming them with bayonets and eventually exhausting the Canadian military supply stock.
In Washington D.C., Jonathan Shade smirked. The program for solving overpopulation problems was already paying its rewards."
Oh, and:
"Soldier after soldier, despite lack of much training or just about any bullets, charged at the machine guns at Toronto, jamming them with bayonets and eventually exhausting the Canadian military supply stock.
In Washington D.C., Jonathan Shade smirked. The program for solving overpopulation problems was already paying its rewards."
Gelion
Retired Captain
Das this is your "new" small guide. I will let all the stuff I posted today hang a day or two to get your comments.
2.3 Standard NES example
Now that we are familiar with the basic NES types and concept we shall go into a more detailed overview of a Normal NES. So, what's what there?
Moderators - Usually there is only one moderator in a NES. Moderator is the one who runs the game: carrying out players orders, writing updates, making up random events, ruling NPCs, answering questions, updating the front page and solving disputes between players. They can be considered "Dungeon Masters" in D&D terminology. A NES is essentially a moderators game and all the players are guests thus what moderator says is final unless he changes his mind. The most important skill for a moderator is to stay consistent continuing moderating a NES which can be quite time-consuming. Generally moderators also create their own rules for a game or modify the existing rules of another moderator. The main duty of a moderator is to make sure that the NES is carried out in a way that is, hopefully, both fun and realistic (the latter part is often ignored).
Players - Its not hard to guess who those are - they are indeed the people who PLAY the NES. When they are guests of a moderator they are the ones who shape the NES with their actions. Players pick a country from the ones still free (i.e. NPCs) and rule it. Players write orders and stories, do diplomacy for their nation. If their actions are unrealistic for their country a mod will warn the player or will not carry out his instructions. Players can enter or leave the game at any time. Mods generally accept all the new players if they have space available. Sometimes, there are player limits, but most often there is no such a thing. Players should remember that NES is a game and that they are the driving force in it.
Stories - While stories are far from necessary, most moderators encourage them, especially as they help them to get more involved in the NES. Stories involve events that happened in your nation or with your citizens. Writing about other countries where you have no control will most probably be ignored by other players and the mods. As NESes began by people writing stories, story writing is encouraged and mods will often give bonuses or positive random events. Stories do not only include stories as such, but nicely written diplomatic messages, treaties, declarations of war, news reports (by players), articles from encyclopaedias, records of a meeting and any other form possible. Stories must be posted in the game thread(s).
Orders Orders are sent to NES moderators, sometimes in thread, more often by PM (or email) A moderator will set a deadline when the orders are due as he needs to compare and analyse them before making an update. In orders player basically says what he wants to do with his nation. Orders are even more diverse than stories: "continue wonder, grow economy once, grow education twice, invade Monaco with 5,000 conscripts" (though this, of course, is a simplification). Some orders will have an effect on stats (like grow economy), some will be memorised by the mod (i.e. prepare for invasion from Monaco. If Monaco invades they will have less success than if the order was not given). Some moderators want to see maps in the orders (if theres war for example); most appreciate detailed orders, but if they are not made at the same time clear enough they tend to be misunderstood. Mods like to see clearly organised orders and they are sometimes divided into sections: "Domestic", "Military", "Espionage" etc. Usually mods will not set any format for orders, but always try to make them clear. The times spend on trying to understand your orders could be spent writing good stories. If you do not want other player to find out what you are doing mark parts of your orders as secret and it will not appear in the update or will appear in a form that will not have a link to your nation. Orders are mostly the only way to affect the game.
Updates Updates are generally long stories that moderators write based on players orders (most part) and what happened in the thread (stories, diplomacy and other info). Some of players orders may not go according to plans of the players (for example, the army sent by San Marino to invade Monaco could be intercepted by Vaticans forces). Updates represent a certain time period that passed between the previous and the current update. They generally include that long story the mod wrote and a map to show the games progress. Other regular additions are also possible like random events, awards of bonuses for stories, or notes from the mod (rule changing, comments on orders) etc. Besides from writing the update the mod should also update the stats and other game information on the first thread page. Most moderators now try to update once a week on a certain day.
Front Page (First Page) is where all the info about the game is recorded. A mod opens the game by putting all the game stuff onto the first page then inviting players. Most of the time it includes: Introduction (welcome to a NES and stuff about the game), NES Rules (the game mechanics and stats explained), Purchase lists (for stat based NESes), Nation Stats (nation name, player name, economy, some type of info about the country like government or popularity, armed forces and so on), Map at the start of the game and Miscellaneous information (that could be list of wars, list of treaties, NES timeline, pre-NES timeline, bests of nations, weapons descriptions etc). The stats should be updated every update all the other information is updated when the mod feels like its time.
Threads Most NESes take place on one thread - it is there that the front page, the updates, the maps AND the player activity can be found. Sometimes, though, there are also separate threads for important organizations/alliances (for example, UN). Alliance and organisation threads, unless run by a mod, may be opened and ruin by players, but the mod does not have to keep track of them so it is up to the players to inform the mod of all other game threads.
Maps - Maps are supposed to represent the world situation at the moment of the update. The starting map is normally put by a mod onto the first page and a new map comes wit every update. Maps generally represent only the things that are needed for gameplay.
2.3 Standard NES example
Now that we are familiar with the basic NES types and concept we shall go into a more detailed overview of a Normal NES. So, what's what there?
Moderators - Usually there is only one moderator in a NES. Moderator is the one who runs the game: carrying out players orders, writing updates, making up random events, ruling NPCs, answering questions, updating the front page and solving disputes between players. They can be considered "Dungeon Masters" in D&D terminology. A NES is essentially a moderators game and all the players are guests thus what moderator says is final unless he changes his mind. The most important skill for a moderator is to stay consistent continuing moderating a NES which can be quite time-consuming. Generally moderators also create their own rules for a game or modify the existing rules of another moderator. The main duty of a moderator is to make sure that the NES is carried out in a way that is, hopefully, both fun and realistic (the latter part is often ignored).
Players - Its not hard to guess who those are - they are indeed the people who PLAY the NES. When they are guests of a moderator they are the ones who shape the NES with their actions. Players pick a country from the ones still free (i.e. NPCs) and rule it. Players write orders and stories, do diplomacy for their nation. If their actions are unrealistic for their country a mod will warn the player or will not carry out his instructions. Players can enter or leave the game at any time. Mods generally accept all the new players if they have space available. Sometimes, there are player limits, but most often there is no such a thing. Players should remember that NES is a game and that they are the driving force in it.
Stories - While stories are far from necessary, most moderators encourage them, especially as they help them to get more involved in the NES. Stories involve events that happened in your nation or with your citizens. Writing about other countries where you have no control will most probably be ignored by other players and the mods. As NESes began by people writing stories, story writing is encouraged and mods will often give bonuses or positive random events. Stories do not only include stories as such, but nicely written diplomatic messages, treaties, declarations of war, news reports (by players), articles from encyclopaedias, records of a meeting and any other form possible. Stories must be posted in the game thread(s).
Orders Orders are sent to NES moderators, sometimes in thread, more often by PM (or email) A moderator will set a deadline when the orders are due as he needs to compare and analyse them before making an update. In orders player basically says what he wants to do with his nation. Orders are even more diverse than stories: "continue wonder, grow economy once, grow education twice, invade Monaco with 5,000 conscripts" (though this, of course, is a simplification). Some orders will have an effect on stats (like grow economy), some will be memorised by the mod (i.e. prepare for invasion from Monaco. If Monaco invades they will have less success than if the order was not given). Some moderators want to see maps in the orders (if theres war for example); most appreciate detailed orders, but if they are not made at the same time clear enough they tend to be misunderstood. Mods like to see clearly organised orders and they are sometimes divided into sections: "Domestic", "Military", "Espionage" etc. Usually mods will not set any format for orders, but always try to make them clear. The times spend on trying to understand your orders could be spent writing good stories. If you do not want other player to find out what you are doing mark parts of your orders as secret and it will not appear in the update or will appear in a form that will not have a link to your nation. Orders are mostly the only way to affect the game.
Updates Updates are generally long stories that moderators write based on players orders (most part) and what happened in the thread (stories, diplomacy and other info). Some of players orders may not go according to plans of the players (for example, the army sent by San Marino to invade Monaco could be intercepted by Vaticans forces). Updates represent a certain time period that passed between the previous and the current update. They generally include that long story the mod wrote and a map to show the games progress. Other regular additions are also possible like random events, awards of bonuses for stories, or notes from the mod (rule changing, comments on orders) etc. Besides from writing the update the mod should also update the stats and other game information on the first thread page. Most moderators now try to update once a week on a certain day.
Front Page (First Page) is where all the info about the game is recorded. A mod opens the game by putting all the game stuff onto the first page then inviting players. Most of the time it includes: Introduction (welcome to a NES and stuff about the game), NES Rules (the game mechanics and stats explained), Purchase lists (for stat based NESes), Nation Stats (nation name, player name, economy, some type of info about the country like government or popularity, armed forces and so on), Map at the start of the game and Miscellaneous information (that could be list of wars, list of treaties, NES timeline, pre-NES timeline, bests of nations, weapons descriptions etc). The stats should be updated every update all the other information is updated when the mod feels like its time.
Threads Most NESes take place on one thread - it is there that the front page, the updates, the maps AND the player activity can be found. Sometimes, though, there are also separate threads for important organizations/alliances (for example, UN). Alliance and organisation threads, unless run by a mod, may be opened and ruin by players, but the mod does not have to keep track of them so it is up to the players to inform the mod of all other game threads.
Maps - Maps are supposed to represent the world situation at the moment of the update. The starting map is normally put by a mod onto the first page and a new map comes wit every update. Maps generally represent only the things that are needed for gameplay.
Reno
The Studio Ghibli Fanatic
I think this thread should be stickied, i'll send a reguest to a mod now.
Gelion
Retired Captain
Thanks although I much preferre this to be stickied once it is finished ...
and guys I am a little stuck....
I did so far
0. Autors Note (to be shown here later)
1. Introdcution (same)
2. What is a NES (most is posted here)
2.1 Basic concept, 2.2 Types of NES 2.3 Standart NES example
I will have
4. Playing a NES (for now list of ideas)
5. Modding a NES (done, but needs a lot of polishing)
6. CFC NESIng (our presonal ego place, includes NESing files, tips and hints, stories, CFC NESing articles, gloassary). - mostly up to you to make
7 Afterword (consists of 2 words atm)
Now I wonder where shall I put all the NES examples that this guide techniocally should have and what should I write between &2 and &4? (Don't say &3 please
)
...and guys I am a little stuck....
I did so far
0. Autors Note (to be shown here later)
1. Introdcution (same)
2. What is a NES (most is posted here)
2.1 Basic concept, 2.2 Types of NES 2.3 Standart NES example
I will have
4. Playing a NES (for now list of ideas)
5. Modding a NES (done, but needs a lot of polishing)
6. CFC NESIng (our presonal ego place
, includes NESing files, tips and hints, stories, CFC NESing articles, gloassary). - mostly up to you to make 7 Afterword (consists of 2 words atm)
Now I wonder where shall I put all the NES examples that this guide techniocally should have and what should I write between &2 and &4? (Don't say &3 please
)
Reno
The Studio Ghibli Fanatic
Why bother to wait?
And once it's stickied it will always be accessible by everyone (Wich is one of the the purposes of this thread) who comes to the NES forum.
Reno
The Studio Ghibli Fanatic
Now it's stickied, thanks.
das
Regeneration In Process
OOC: Nice, Gelion, but fix the "i"s, will you?
I don't know what to write in the "3", frankly. "Starting a NES"? But that will go to "Moding".
"The end"?
Hey, we're stickied! Didn't find the thread at first...
IC:
On Fresh Start NESes.
"If you don't play Fresh Start NESes, you miss out half the fun." [1]
- Xen (NESer, Fifth Generation)
Standard NESes mostly differ by moderator, by rules and by setting. A very popular and widespread setting is the Fresh Start NES, which, as one might guess by the title, involves starting afresh.
What quite does that mean? Fair question, I guess. While most other settings involve an already set-up world, with existing countries/whatever, a Fresh Start NES starts out with just a blank world map (usually a map of the Earth). Yep, blank map - that is to say, no cities, no nations, no roads. Dull, isn't it? No, it isn't, quite the opposite, as you get to create new nations.
Fresh Start NESes, by themselves, can be divided along the lines of "semi-historical" and "fantastic" (which doesn't mean FANTASY, but rather the opposite to "semi-historic"), and also along lines of realism. A semi-historical NES often has many NPC nations from OTL in the beginning, ESPECIALLY in regions such as India and Mesopatamia. That does NOT mean that your nation has to be historic, nor that future NPC nations that appear are necessarily such; also, often enough those "historic" nations are not strictly historic; most often they are anachronistic. Barbaric tribes also are "historic" in that, for instance, you get the Gauls, the Germans and the Balts, and the Scythians too, right where they were in roughly the same period. The most evident example of a semi-historic NES is probably the stNNES series. Note that most semi-historical NESes ARE "realistic".
But often, such semi-historic NESes are tiring for mod and player alike, due to all this research and the large amount of nations at the start. The fantastic NESes often can, for instance, have an ancient Ottoman Empire, Classical Age Islam and a Christian Arthurian United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 4000 BC. To the more historic-minded NESers, such NESes are NOT recommended for sanity reasons. But on the other hand they are quite easier to mod and generally can be more fun due to the insanity involved. The most evident example of this type in recent NESing would be the late stazNES V, no offense intended ofcourse. That said, there are better examples, but here I mean a "realistic" "fantastic" NES.
And now, realism. What do I mean under it? I mean such issues as speed of technological progress and expansion, and so forth. The "realistic" NESes have rather small expansion, lots of NPCs and also moderately slow technoprogress. Basically, a "realistic" mod will often have to draw on "what happened in the real history" for analogy; he should not mirror it, but he shouldn't really let hordes of Vietnamese overrun within a hundred years the entire Kazakhstan having crossed there through the Himalayas. Such stuff simply doesn't happen in the real life, and neither does extremelly fast technologic progress. Nukes in 1100 AD is rather... unlikely.
But those constraints, in a way, make NESes less fun for many. Which is why there ARE and were unrealistic NESes with rapid expansion, two NPCs on the entire map and 1200 BC WWIII - because its more fun, even if its not at all realistic. Need I tell you the most evident example of that? Probably not. For better or worse, its RTOR 2. (Not that I think that its bad. Just that its unrealistic.)
Anyway, the most widespread kind of Fresh Start NESes right now is the "realistic" variety, though there are many semi-historic, fantastic and borderline varieties in existance and thus it is hard to say which one of those is dominant. But even in most fantastic and borderline NESes, the truth is that there are always some sort of limitations. The most widespread one is the "no Americas" rule - i.e. noone may start in America, but there are often some other settlement and other limitations.
I do believe I should now get to the most important part. What is the appeal of the Fresh Start NES? What makes it so good?
Simple. The ability to start something from the scratch, to create a nation of your own and develop it, shape its culture, its society, lead it from humble beginnings to the glory of an empire or the prosperity of a mercantile city state. And even if you do not achieve those great goals - still, it is playing that matters, not winning.
So here's what's most important in a fresh start NES - the nations. In the beginning, YOU create a nation, YOU define it. Some put historic nations, other put "traditional Civ" ones of the likes of the Ottoman Empire or France. I myself preffer new nations of my own design (like the Malukate of Syria) or at least nations that are not overused (like the Khazarian Khaganate). You create them, and trust me, it is much better when you try to be creative. That does not mean you have to create a fully fictional nation - but a one which you like, which you understand. For after the creation, there is the development. Develop your nation - build roads and wonders, write stories, introduce new religions and governments... Make it INTERESTING for yourself, the mod and those other players and lurkers.
How to create a nation, though? Well, apart from resorting to simply taking a historic nation or using the approach I trully dislike and creating a "civ nation", there is the aforementioned creative path. Think about what society, what nation could you write about, what society and nation would be interesting for you. It is ofcourse best if it is realistic, especially in a semi-historic NES, but much more important is the interest. Having come up with it, think how and where could it come to be. I wanted to create a militaristic Asian divine monarchy with a semi-monotheistic religion playing an important part in its life. That was why I decided to use that religion I already once used, Baalism, and "install" it on a Middle Eastern people. How did I proceed? Simple, I sent some Arab nomads to invade Phoenicea, which they did, and as the two cultures met, the conquered partially assimilated the conquerors and thus, after a while, rose Syria - ruled by a Baal-Maluk, a God-King, one of the infinite number of faces of the Baal, the Only And All God(s), whose urbaners and buerocrats are the Phoeniceans, and whose warriors are the Arabs, whose ferocity in combat is here bolstered by the religious zeal. This was how I made Syria. All it took is creativity and a modest amount of historical knowledge. Anybody else who has creativity and interest can do something like that as well, if he wants.
This is the appeal of all Fresh-Start NESes - to oversee the rise of a nation that is your own, to which you are not indifferent.
[1] Probably not the exact quote. As it was originally adressed to you, Gelion, perhaps you know the precise wording.
I don't know what to write in the "3", frankly. "Starting a NES"? But that will go to "Moding".
"The end"?
Hey, we're stickied! Didn't find the thread at first...
IC:
On Fresh Start NESes.
"If you don't play Fresh Start NESes, you miss out half the fun." [1]
- Xen (NESer, Fifth Generation)
Standard NESes mostly differ by moderator, by rules and by setting. A very popular and widespread setting is the Fresh Start NES, which, as one might guess by the title, involves starting afresh.
What quite does that mean? Fair question, I guess. While most other settings involve an already set-up world, with existing countries/whatever, a Fresh Start NES starts out with just a blank world map (usually a map of the Earth). Yep, blank map - that is to say, no cities, no nations, no roads. Dull, isn't it? No, it isn't, quite the opposite, as you get to create new nations.
Fresh Start NESes, by themselves, can be divided along the lines of "semi-historical" and "fantastic" (which doesn't mean FANTASY, but rather the opposite to "semi-historic"), and also along lines of realism. A semi-historical NES often has many NPC nations from OTL in the beginning, ESPECIALLY in regions such as India and Mesopatamia. That does NOT mean that your nation has to be historic, nor that future NPC nations that appear are necessarily such; also, often enough those "historic" nations are not strictly historic; most often they are anachronistic. Barbaric tribes also are "historic" in that, for instance, you get the Gauls, the Germans and the Balts, and the Scythians too, right where they were in roughly the same period. The most evident example of a semi-historic NES is probably the stNNES series. Note that most semi-historical NESes ARE "realistic".
But often, such semi-historic NESes are tiring for mod and player alike, due to all this research and the large amount of nations at the start. The fantastic NESes often can, for instance, have an ancient Ottoman Empire, Classical Age Islam and a Christian Arthurian United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 4000 BC. To the more historic-minded NESers, such NESes are NOT recommended for sanity reasons. But on the other hand they are quite easier to mod and generally can be more fun due to the insanity involved. The most evident example of this type in recent NESing would be the late stazNES V, no offense intended ofcourse. That said, there are better examples, but here I mean a "realistic" "fantastic" NES.
And now, realism. What do I mean under it? I mean such issues as speed of technological progress and expansion, and so forth. The "realistic" NESes have rather small expansion, lots of NPCs and also moderately slow technoprogress. Basically, a "realistic" mod will often have to draw on "what happened in the real history" for analogy; he should not mirror it, but he shouldn't really let hordes of Vietnamese overrun within a hundred years the entire Kazakhstan having crossed there through the Himalayas. Such stuff simply doesn't happen in the real life, and neither does extremelly fast technologic progress. Nukes in 1100 AD is rather... unlikely.
But those constraints, in a way, make NESes less fun for many. Which is why there ARE and were unrealistic NESes with rapid expansion, two NPCs on the entire map and 1200 BC WWIII - because its more fun, even if its not at all realistic. Need I tell you the most evident example of that? Probably not. For better or worse, its RTOR 2. (Not that I think that its bad. Just that its unrealistic.)
Anyway, the most widespread kind of Fresh Start NESes right now is the "realistic" variety, though there are many semi-historic, fantastic and borderline varieties in existance and thus it is hard to say which one of those is dominant. But even in most fantastic and borderline NESes, the truth is that there are always some sort of limitations. The most widespread one is the "no Americas" rule - i.e. noone may start in America, but there are often some other settlement and other limitations.
I do believe I should now get to the most important part. What is the appeal of the Fresh Start NES? What makes it so good?
Simple. The ability to start something from the scratch, to create a nation of your own and develop it, shape its culture, its society, lead it from humble beginnings to the glory of an empire or the prosperity of a mercantile city state. And even if you do not achieve those great goals - still, it is playing that matters, not winning.
So here's what's most important in a fresh start NES - the nations. In the beginning, YOU create a nation, YOU define it. Some put historic nations, other put "traditional Civ" ones of the likes of the Ottoman Empire or France. I myself preffer new nations of my own design (like the Malukate of Syria) or at least nations that are not overused (like the Khazarian Khaganate). You create them, and trust me, it is much better when you try to be creative. That does not mean you have to create a fully fictional nation - but a one which you like, which you understand. For after the creation, there is the development. Develop your nation - build roads and wonders, write stories, introduce new religions and governments... Make it INTERESTING for yourself, the mod and those other players and lurkers.
How to create a nation, though? Well, apart from resorting to simply taking a historic nation or using the approach I trully dislike and creating a "civ nation", there is the aforementioned creative path. Think about what society, what nation could you write about, what society and nation would be interesting for you. It is ofcourse best if it is realistic, especially in a semi-historic NES, but much more important is the interest. Having come up with it, think how and where could it come to be. I wanted to create a militaristic Asian divine monarchy with a semi-monotheistic religion playing an important part in its life. That was why I decided to use that religion I already once used, Baalism, and "install" it on a Middle Eastern people. How did I proceed? Simple, I sent some Arab nomads to invade Phoenicea, which they did, and as the two cultures met, the conquered partially assimilated the conquerors and thus, after a while, rose Syria - ruled by a Baal-Maluk, a God-King, one of the infinite number of faces of the Baal, the Only And All God(s), whose urbaners and buerocrats are the Phoeniceans, and whose warriors are the Arabs, whose ferocity in combat is here bolstered by the religious zeal. This was how I made Syria. All it took is creativity and a modest amount of historical knowledge. Anybody else who has creativity and interest can do something like that as well, if he wants.
This is the appeal of all Fresh-Start NESes - to oversee the rise of a nation that is your own, to which you are not indifferent.
[1] Probably not the exact quote. As it was originally adressed to you, Gelion, perhaps you know the precise wording.
Gelion
Retired Captain
[1] I have NO idea where it came from but I will try and look for it.
This is a great read I will certainly include it. What do you mean by "fixing the i's?"
This is a great read I will certainly include it. What do you mean by "fixing the i's?"
Reno
The Studio Ghibli Fanatic
He meant these.
Gelion said:
&
Gelion said:
Gelion
Retired Captain
Oh okay...fixed long ago
Reno
The Studio Ghibli Fanatic
Then how are they still there? 
das
Regeneration In Process
They returned!
Any other ideas for number 3?
Any other ideas for number 3?
Gelion
Retired Captain
Well I am changing all the errors in my document. The effort it takes to repost a message is beyond me . Anyways if you dont find any ideas for N3 I will just polish what I have untill you do :S. I suppose.....
The question in a nutshell is: "where should all the example set of rules go?"
. Anyways if you dont find any ideas for N3 I will just polish what I have untill you do :S. I suppose.....The question in a nutshell is: "where should all the example set of rules go?"
