by Max Barry

Latest Forum Topics

Advertisement

10

DispatchMetaGameplay

by The Black Hawk of Come Join Us II. . 6,045 reads.

I'm New Here, What Do I Do?



Hello, and welcome to The Black Hawks!

If you're reading this, we're guessing you're a bit lost on what to do. First of all, relax! Raiding is about you having fun, and you can't do that if you're all stressed and worried. Trust us - we've spent more time doing this "raiding" thing than any other region on NS. What follows is our simple, short, and easy-to read guide to the very very basics of what we do here in The Black Hawks.


"Hey, I just got a message from your region, and followed it. What do I do here?"

First of all, welcome to The Black Hawks! Please, say "hi" on our Regional Message Board, and let us know if you need any more help after reading this guide! You can also feel free to send a telegram to me, Get Real, at any time. The Black Hawks is a region focused on the art of raiding - one of the main forms of military gameplay here on NationStates. If you want to learn a little more about our history, feel free to read this dispatch. or ask a question on the RMB. We also recommend you Linkjoin our discord in order to better interact with our community in real-time. Most importantly though - join the Reserves Program and follow their orders as soon as possible!


"So what is this 'raiding'?"

Here in NS, we've got a "World Assembly", which nations can join, giving them the power to elect regional delegates (among other things). In many regions, these delegates have certain powers over the region, allowing them to do such things as changing the region's appearance and kicking its members out. In short, raiding (also known as invading) is when a bunch of us get together and use this system of delegate elections to elect one of our members as the delegate of another region and then have some fun there. Since a player can only have one nation in the World Assembly, it takes the combined efforts of many of us to seize and hold regions. If we're not careful, the defenders will take them back from us and return them to their original owners!


"Cool, how can I join in?"/"What's this Reserves Program?"

Well, if you just want to be involved on the basic level, there will always be deployment orders posted in the World Factbook Entry at the top of the region page. These are the orders for our Reserves, though you don’t have to be accepted yet to follow them. To follow these orders, you should create a second nation (known as a "puppet" nation), join the World Assembly on that nation (and that nation only!), move it to the region linked, and endorse everyone the order says to endorse. To endorse, you click on a nation in the same region as you that is also in the World Assembly, scroll to the bottom of the page, and click the button that says "endorse <nation>." It's important that you do this on a puppet nation so that your main nation can remain here in The Black Hawks, allowing you to keep chatting here, as well as receive future orders! It is essential that this action occurs as soon as possible, or our operations will fall to our enemies! You may have also seen the Reserves Program dispatch linked above. This dispatch provides more information on how to formally join the reserves, gain points for your assistance, and be promoted to our elite Primary Reserves program!


"There's got to be more right?"/"Hey what are these forums and how do I get training?"

Yep! By the time the deployment process begins, our more advanced soldiers in Active Duty have already preliminary seized the region. These more advanced members of the region also perform various stealth and hit-and-run type assaults. The cool thing is, it's not hard to start down the path of joining those ranks! The biggest steps you need to take is registering on Linkour forums and joining Linkour Discord chat server, where we'll connect you with a trainer after you've introduced yourself. Stick with it, and you'll be on the front lines in just days! And if you find it's just not your thing, you can always go back to hanging out in the region and following the deployment orders like everyone else.

Want to see something more in-depth? Check out the Frequently Asked Questions!

I'm New Here, What do I do?🌏Frequently Asked Questions🌏Active Duty🌏Reserve Duty







From plane of light to plane,
wings dipping through
Geometries and orchids that
the sunset builds,
Out of the peak’s black angularity
of shadow, riding
The last tumultuous avalanche
of Light above pines
and the guttural gorge,
The hawk comes.
His wing
Scythes down another day,
His motion
Is that of the honed steel-edge,
we hear The crashless fall
of stalks of Time.



    TBH Frequently Asked Questions

    Let us begin with what raiding isn't:
    Raiding is not nation-based role play; there isn't any "war" between nations. Raiding is also not regional role play, meaning it's not a table top game whereby our nations invade a region and role play out a battle. The nation you use to join The Black Hawks becomes your main, and you will create puppet nations to use as your forces. (This is something you will learn during training).



    What is raiding?
    Raiding is a metagame sanctioned by site administration. The basics: Here on NS, we have the "World Assembly". Nations can join it, giving them the power to elect regional delegates (among other things). In many regions, these delegates have certain powers over the region, allowing them to do such things as change the region's appearance and kick its members out. In short, raiding (also known as invading) is when a bunch of us get together and use this system of delegate elections to elect one of our members as the delegate of another region, and then have some fun there. Since a player can only have one nation in the World Assembly, it takes the combined efforts of many of us to seize and hold regions. If we're not careful, the defenders will take them back from us and return them to their original owners.


    That's it, in a nutshell. Raiding/Defending has been compared to many things: cat-and-mouse; sporting teams playing against each other; etc. Purist raiders will disagree, of course. Raiding is raiding, and not like any other game.

    Unlike other sites where invading is popular, raiders on NationStates have to abide by rules. We can not grief people on a regional message board (RMB). We can not use tools to make jumps for us. TBH frowns on most scripts. We're old fashioned in that regard, but
    we are a formidable force.


    Misconceptions and propaganda regarding raiders:
    The Black Hawks are not cyberbullies. Cyberbullying is the use of technology to harass, threaten, embarrass or target another person. TBH do not target individual natives, nor do we seek to embarrass or harass them. As with any competitive game, we do gloat a bit in our report thread. The Black Hawks do not bully... they do not 'use superior strength or influence to intimidate individuals, typically to force him or her to do what one wants'.



    Who are The Black Hawks?
    TBH's raiders have many interests outside of raiding. Some are avid role players. Others enjoy sailing or horseback riding. Some are parents. Some are accomplished writers. We're young and old, rich and poor, students, labourers, executives, scientists, and medical professionals. We are cis and transgender, and cover a wide range of orientations. We're all colors and creeds. We're fam united by a common interest: raiding.



    Why should I join The Black Hawks?
    Founded in 2005, The Black Hawks are one of the oldest and most feared raider organizations on NationStates. We're rather proud of that. We emphasize training and teamwork rather than politics and crapposting. We offer camaraderie. You deserve to soar. We'll help you fledge.



    How do I join The Black Hawks?
    It's a very easy process.
      » Move your nation to The Black Hawks and post a greeting on the Regional Message Board.
      » Join our
      Linkforum.
      » Post in the Introductions section of our forum. Leadership will be along shortly to ask you some very basic questions.
      » While you're waiting, join our
      LinkDiscord Server so we can say hello!



    What happens after I'm approved?
    Wonderful things, my friend. Great and terrible deeds. But first, you have to be trained. One you are approved, you'll be able to access our guides, and you'll gain access to a new Discord channel to organize your training. Our members work with you as you learn. It's alright to ask questions. It's alright to make noob mistakes. It's a learning process. The more you put in to it, the faster you'll grow. You'll be raiding like a pro in no time!



    How involved do I have to be? Can I still do other things on NationStates?
    We ask that our members be as active in our raiding efforts as possible. We expect basic deployment if you're around at all, and if you choose to go to the advanced level, you get marked inactive if you do nothing for a month.We understand that real life makes this difficult for some. We do not limit you from enjoying other areas on the site. In fact, our members are active in NSG, nation and non-nation roleplay forums, F7, and other haunts. What we do require is conformity to Raider Unity.


    Basic involvement: Deployment orders are posted in the World Factbook Entry at the top of the
    TBH region page.

      To follow these orders -
      » Create a second nation (known as a "puppet" nation) and join the World Assembly on that nation (and that nation only!) It's important that you do this on a puppet nation so that your main nation can remain here in The Black Hawks, allowing you to keep chatting here, as well as receive future orders!
      » Move it to the region linked in the deployment orders, and endorse everyone the order says to endorse.
      » When you're deployed, you're acting as the main force of the army by securing our targets, assisting in the cleanup, and defending them from assault by our enemies. It is essential that this action occurs as soon as possible, or our operations will fall to our enemies.
      » Check orders daily because they do change.


    Advanced involvement: This is the meat and bones of raiding. We need you on the front lines. Typically, we raid multiple times a week. Most of our operations are "tag runs" that allow our raiders to hone their skills, as well as claim victories for the glory of our organization. You'll learn all of this in training.

      What this requires -
      » You'll create many puppet nations. The amount needed depends on that night's target list. (Your main TBH nation remains in The Black Hawks's region.)
      » You'll need to be on Discord in order to receive orders in live time. Most of our raids occur during the major update, but we do raid during minor updates.
      » You'll follow orders and, depending on how active you are an how much you contribute, you'll rise in rank.




    Who do I contact if I have questions?
    Never hesitate to reach out to Get Real. You may also contact any of our Regional Officers, or flag down the Council.


    Text excerpts courtesy of Ever-Wandering Souls


LinkDiscord LinkForum Region
The Most Feared Military Organisation in Nationstates
Read factbook

Want to see some more things about NationStates as a game? Check out the What Can I Do? guide!

Ever felt bored on this site, or unsure what you should be doing? This post will attempt to list and explain all the things you can possibly do in NationStates and in the region.


Starting Out

It is beneficial to familiarize yourself with NationStates itself. The following links will help you do so:

Game FAQ
New Player Guide
List of All Rules
Roleplay Information

The following link is regional specific and contains links to a lot of various regional information:

Western Isles Information


Developing a Nation

Solve issues. You can get one every five hours. If you leave for a while only five issues will be queued for you to answer.

Create factbook entries. Factbook entries are descriptions of your nation. What is your government like? What kind of military do you have? Where is your nation located? Put this and more information into factbook entries so other nations can learn about your nation. Ideally, create your factbooks in this order: military, map, trade, overview, other things.

If you want to make a more advanced wiki-style factbook like this, then check out this guide on how to do so.

Set up a national flag, motto, currency, and other information in your settings. Create your own flag using a program like paint or microsoft powerpoint.


Getting Involved in the Region

Post on the regional message board with an introduction of you and your nation. Afterwards, keep posting! Uses of the regional message board can be found here. Essentially, feel free to talk about yourself or your nation with other people. This is where you can get to know other players.

Ask for a spot on the regional map by sending a telegram to the Founder. Make sure to convey what area of the map you'd like to be on.

Develop a map of your nation like this one or this one. You can use programs like paint or microsoft powerpoint.

Post on our regional news thread.

Engage in some good old fashioned Democracy by voting in regional polls that take place on the region page. These polls will either be for elections, other formal votes, or just informal questions. There will usually be several polls each week.

Join the World Assembly and endorse others in the region who you want to be the regional delegate. The delegate gets more votes in the World Assembly, so endorse those who share similar values to your nation.

Run for an unfilled office or challenge a current officer for their seat. More information on this process can be found in the regional Constitution. Don't be afraid to challenge an officer; offices are meant to be cycled out through different nations.

Propose an amendment to the Constitution. Information about how amendments are passed is located in the Constitution under the Legislative Branch section.

Engage in regional role-play events. These events are linked to on the region page under Ongoing Events.

Discuss regional duties and interact with regional officers.

Read other nations' factbooks to get to know your fellow nations. Upvote their factbooks by clicking the top triangle in the upper right! This will help increase awareness for our region and boost all of our egos. Try it out with this factbook entry right now, haha.

Telegram other regional members if you want to get to know specific nations, discuss alliances or trade deals, or just simply to chat out-of-character.


Getting Involved in the World

Join the World Assembly and vote on resolutions.

Read and post in the Forums. There is a wide variety of different topics, from role-play events to rating other nations' flags to engaging in political discussions.

Read other nations' factbooks from around the world.

Play the challenge game.


Read dispatch



LinkDiscord LinkForum Region
The Most Feared Military Organisation in Nationstates

RawReport