Instructions For New Kingdom Members

Hello, and welcome to the Gemini Kingdom! From myself, as your King, to my Vice Regent, HRH Mathius, through my trusted Lord Councillors, and especially from your People's Council, you have become a member in good standing of one of the newest, and very best Regions in NationStates.

Having registered as a member of our Forums, there are some few things that we need you to do right away, if you have not already done so. These are very important actions which will help unify and strengthen our Region.

1. The first thing you should do is to click on your "Settings" link on your home nation menu. Please make certain that the email address you have entered is correct, valid and active. (Very Important!) If it is not, correct your email address now. When you have completed this quest, please continue as instructed below.

2. Apply to become a member of the World Assembly in NationStates (NS). To do this, click on the "World Assembly" link from the menu on the left side of your home nation. When you arrive at the World Assembly, you will see, written in green, "Apply for membership". Click on that link. The game moderators will review your nation at this time, so you should be sure that there is no abusive, vulgar, or otherwise prohibited language anywhere on your nation page. If you nation passes inspection, you will receive a notification in your nation's email address, usually within one day, that your application for membership to the World Assembly has been approved. You will be instructed to click on a link within this notification to confirm your acceptance of membership into the World Assembly. Clicking on the provided link does nothing other than confirm your email address that is in your settings for the game. Once this is done, you are officially a member of the World Assembly.

3. You should now go to the Gemini Region of NS home page. Down, about 2/3 on the left, you will see a current listing of the total number of nations currently in our Region. Click on this green link, and a listing of the nations will appear on your screen. One of the nations you will see is the nation of our Region's King "The Constitutional Monarchy of Cirrus". You should click on this link, which will take you to my nation. On my nation's page, near the bottom, is a phrase, written in green which says "Endorse this nation...". You should click that now.

Once you have accomplished these steps, your membership in the Region will be very nearly complete. There is only one other step.

Return to these Forums, and find the "Introductions" Forum. About 1/2 way down the page, on the left, you will see "New Topic". Before you click this, let's talk a moment, shall we?

There are two kinds of Forums on this site. Unless specifically noted otherwise, all Forums are to be written "In Character". One of the huge parts of NationStates is its role playing part. Kings, Dictators, Generals, etc. are always "in character" (IC) there. These Forums are a very important extension of the game. For that reason, almost all of our Forums are IC, as well. Only in those Forums where you see an Out Of Character (OOC) Notice are you allowed to post as yourself. Our Introductions Forum is designed to be an In Character (IC) Forum. This means that you are to post your introduction "in character". You may notice that in my particular introduction, I did include a bit of my OOC history within the game, as well. As the leader of the Region, it is only fair for you to know something about my gameplay history. But, there is a long and illustrious "history" to Merlinus, the character as well. (More on that later!)

So, before you click on that "New Topic" button, please take a few moments to consider what you want the history of your character to be. There are a couple of rules for this.

1. The history of your character is completely fictional (made up, not true). Keep it that way. Every point of your character is entirely up to you, but must be fictional.
2. DO NOT EVER DIVULGE EVEN SO MUCH AS ONE "REAL" ASPECT OF YOUR PERSON IN THE GAME, OR ON THESE FORUMS. EVER. This is an absolute rule, and there may be not even the first time for breaking it. This includes personal telegrams, Regional Telegrams, PM's or posts in thiese Forums--at all, ever. We will build a strong community here. We will enjoy many, many hours of roleplay here. We will go to war, and win peace together here. But we must always do so "In Character". (IC) This is for several reasons that will become more clear to you as we grow, and as our Forums expand. But, the first reason is for your own personal safety. Up until today, I am personally familiar with every member of this Region. In the days, weeks, months and (Yes) years to come, I will not be. Neither will you. Among the things you must never divulge to any other member of this Forum, or of our Region:

Your real name(s)
Your age
Your gender
Your email address
Your phone number (ANY)
Your physical address
Anything to do with your school (Elementary, Junior, High School or College)
Your Social Security Number
Your Credit Card Number(s)

or any other information which is unique to you, or your family. It is my desire that everyone here enjoys a safe, supportive and encouraging environment to play a really great game. We will do all we can to provide that safe and friendly environment with you, but you must do your part. This rule NEVER changes! There will be no second warning, and any member found in violation will be immediately removed from these Forums, and from our Region. Yes, it really IS that serious. Not only must we protect our members, but we must protect our communtiy, and the game itself. There are a few Forums that are specifically Out Of Character (OOC) here. These rules apply there, as well. This also applies to any "extensions" of our Forums, including IRC. (Especially IRC, which is notoriously insecure!) If you do not yet know what IRC is, you will before too long. We'll cover those rules in a specific set of IRC instructions, but you can expect to see these rules repeated there.

Having stated that, it's time to think about your character, both in the game and on our Forums. There are many reasons to have Forums when playing this game. Here are just a few:

1. Forums provide an entirely different, and deeper level of game play.
2. Forums can help every member become a better player.
3. Forums create a sense of friendship and community that goes beyond the game.
4. Forums can create a deep "culture" for the Region(s) within the game.
5. Forums can expand the gaming experience for every player, no matter how new to the game, or how long the player has been "in" the game. Regions come and go, but Forum Communities last forever!

Your character will grow here. That growth will help you in the game. Where you begin is entirely up to you, although in our Region, we do prefer you to be a human. (Not all Regions are.) That's really the only limit for our Rorums community. Build your character as you wish them to be, but try to make them "believeable" characters. 27 foot-tall people are, well, just scary, okay? You may think of Giants and/or Giantesses as friendly types, but your fellow community members may not. As a result, they may not participate in your "story" as you might wish. And, believe me, this game and this community does want to participate in your story. That's one of the most important parts of our community. Make your character believeable, but not complete. Leave room to learn, and grow. Your story is only beginning, and you will have a long time to add to your character's story--even their history if you wish.

Now, build your character, and introduce "yourself" to us. I look forward to meeting you, knowing you, and learning, growing, and sharing with you.

BtB! YLtD!

HRH Merlinus, King of Gemini