Particracy's FAQ

[Aquinas]

http://classic.particracy.net/rates.php

Probably should be included in there and stating that the LOD is the base currency, most equivalent to US dollars.

Returning to this issue, I'm wondering whether we could draft an FAQ that manages to link the exchange rate page (important, since that page isn't linked anywhere in the game), states that the LOD is the currency that has been most commonly used in international economic comparisons, but also avoids claiming Lodamun is Terra's economic powerhouse. Maybe something along the lines of...

Q. Does Terra have currencies and exchange rates?

A. The economic aspect to the game has not been deeply developed, but each nation does have a currency and some of these currencies have been assigned names. For more information and details of the suggested exchange rates, see http://classic.particracy.net/rates.php .

The LOD or Lodamun Dollar is the strongest currency and has traditionally been used as the unit of measurement for international economic comparisons.

As an aside, I recall a period in the game's history when it was possible for players in a nation to request changes in the name of their currency, but that is not the case now and the Mod controls do not allow me to change currency names. I understand this is something that can only be done by editing the coding of the game.

So far as I am aware, the currency names have never been strictly enforced by Moderation. For instance, when I played in Ibutho I called the currency "the Bead" rather than the "Ikradonian Drahme", and I was never challenged for doing that.

I am doubtful that the exchange rates have been strictly enforced either, though they are there as a default guide. Just speaking from my own perspective, I would not see a problem, for example, if, as part of simulating a situation of economic change, the players in two nations wanted to role-play a strengthening of one currency against the other's.

[Siggon Kristov]

http://classic.particracy.net/rates.php

Probably should be included in there and stating that the LOD is the base currency, most equivalent to US dollars.

Returning to this issue, I'm wondering whether we could draft an FAQ that manages to link the exchange rate page (important, since that page isn't linked anywhere in the game), states that the LOD is the currency that has been most commonly used in international economic comparisons, but also avoids claiming Lodamun is Terra's economic powerhouse. Maybe something along the lines of...

Q. Does Terra have currencies and exchange rates?

A. The economic aspect to the game has not been deeply developed, but each nation does have a currency and some of these currencies have been assigned names. For more information and details of the suggested exchange rates, see http://classic.particracy.net/rates.php .

The LOD or Lodamun Dollar is the strongest currency and has traditionally been used as the unit of measurement for international economic comparisons.

No problem here.

I am doubtful that the exchange rates have been strictly enforced either, though they are there as a default guide. Just speaking from my own perspective, I would not see a problem, for example, if, as part of simulating a situation of economic change, the players in two nations wanted to role-play a strengthening of one currency against the other's.

You can't allow that. If the RUT strengthens against the LOD, it can't only affect the value of the RUT and the LOD in each other. If you're using any column for currency exchange rates, changing any value will affect the relative values of all currencies, not just the value of the currency that you changed, or the value of the base currency that is featured in the column.

It wouldn't be okay to allow such RP, where a country's currency strengthens against the other, because it does not only affect those 2 countries. This is why I came up with the KRV, because it is dynamic, and the strength of other currencies against it is based on the budgets of those different countries. Of course the KRV is something players get a choice in acknowledging, but I don't think they should have a choice when it comes to acknowledging the game's rates which are static.

[Aquinas]

We will need an FAQ to explain the process of establishing a monarchy, which as some of you know, is a little laborious in Particracy. Perhaps...

Q: My nation is a republic. How do I establish an unelected Head of State, like a monarch or a President-for-life?

A: This is a bit of a process, but the easiest way is as follows. First elect a candidate with the name "." to the Head of State position. Then change your law on the "Structure of the executive branch" to "The Head of State is hereditary and symbolic; the Head of Government chairs the cabinet" and change the "formal title of the Head of State" to how you want the new Head of State's title and name to appear (eg. King Percy XVI).

Can anyone improve/build on that?

We also need an FAQ explaining about the somewhat controversial early election tactic. Anyone want to have a go at that one?

[Aquinas]

Some more ideas for the FAQ from me. Please feel free to comment, and don't feel shy about suggestions for changes to the wording. We want the best FAQ we can collectively come up with!

Q: What is this 'Particracy' thing?

A: Particracy is a free, browser-based online political simulation where you get to play a political party in the parliament of one of 58 nations in Terra, the alternate reality world in which Particracy is set. Players get to role-play debates; negotiate deals and coalitions; make-or-break governments; demand early elections or extend the term of office; propose and vote on legislation; set budgets and taxes; ratify or jettison international treaties; and use the forum to role-play newspaper reports and events like terrorist incidents, conferences, sporting competitions, song contests and even wars.

The political demographics of every region of every nation has a unique and slowly-fluctuating spectrum of ideological preferences spread across 9 separate political categories. One region might like big government parties, whilst another favours religious-leaning parties or another awards most of its seats to environmentalists.

Electorates are fickle and election results occasionally take even seasoned players by surprise. By honing your technique you can generally maximise the votes you receive, but the secrets involved there are for you to discover for yourself or cajole out of Particracy veterans. Many players - especially those who have won and lost more elections than they can count - find it is more satisfying to focus on role-playing a party with a realistic and stable political identity, rather than positioning themselves to maximise votes all the time. At the deeper level of playing, what matters is not so much whether you come top or bottom in the polls, but how you play your cards in each situation that unfolds. But your playing style is up to you - and probably likely to evolve over time too.

Every nation has a different history and cultural background, shaped by the collective imagination of players past and present. To give you a flavour, Luthori has overtones of imperial Britain, Dundorf looks like Germany, Beiteynu has echoes of Israel, Trigunia feels like Russia, Ibutho is Particracy's Africa and Indrala seems Chinese. But nothing is quite as it seems, since Terra is like the real world and also not like it - and if you become immersed in the game, it is rewarding to explore this. Even the religions are subtly different, with Hosianism (Christianity), Ahmadism (Islam) and Yeudism (Judaism) each having a history and character of its own that distinguishes it from its real-life counterpart.

Q: Does Particracy have rules?

A: Like most other games, Particracy has rules. It is a good idea to familiarise yourself with them here: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=5519

Q: What are Cultural Protocols?

A: Most nations have Cultural Protocols setting out their ethnic, linguistic and religious demographics. A full list of these can be viewed here: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=5240 You can usually see a nation's Cultural Protocols in an OOC (out of character) bill in its 'Bills under debate' section.

Cultural Protocols are official under section 6 of the Rules of the Game. Players are encouraged to reflect the Cultural Protocols in their choice of national titles, party names and character names. Google Translate (https://translate.google.co.uk ) and Behind The Name's Random Name Generator (see http://www.behindthename.com/random ) can be helpful for this.

Moderation can intervene to ensure Cultural Protocols are respected.

Q: I don't like my nation's Cultural Protocols. Can I change them?

A: If you succeed in passing a Cultural Protocols bill supported by two-thirds of the players with seats in your nation, then you may present it for approval by Moderation on the Cultural Protocols thread (see viewtopic.php?f=11&t=4374 ). However, in order for changes to be accepted, they must seem realistic. Your case will be strengthened if you can present strong role-play evidence for the changes you are proposing.

[Polites]

Looks really good, although I'd avoid making specific references to particular nations or religions, as those can change. It is entirely possible, for instance, for the Ahmadi players to get together and decide the religion should have a different name. It was not too long ago that literally all religions were renamed during the retcon, and such changes still happen (such as the recent renaming of Queranzariah into Israism). Also the nations' culture isn't set in stone, even with cultural protocols; one could for example imagine Indrala switching from having a Chinese culture to adopting a pan-East and South East Asian identity, if players there decide to make it so and have solid RP behind their decision.

[Aquinas]

Looks really good, although I'd avoid making specific references to particular nations or religions, as those can change. It is entirely possible, for instance, for the Ahmadi players to get together and decide the religion should have a different name. It was not too long ago that literally all religions were renamed during the retcon, and such changes still happen (such as the recent renaming of Queranzariah into Israism). Also the nations' culture isn't set in stone, even with cultural protocols; one could for example imagine Indrala switching from having a Chinese culture to adopting a pan-East and South East Asian identity, if players there decide to make it so and have solid RP behind their decision.

That's a good point, though fortunately I am able to change the FAQs very easily using the controls, so if the nations change, we can update the wording (though we will have to be on-the-ball about remembering to update!).

[Aquinas]

Another suggestion...

Q: A party in my nation keeps holding early elections so I can never raise my Visibility and never win seats. Is this allowed?

A: Yes, this is allowed, but the "early election tactic" is not invincible in the long-run. The party calling the early elections will see its Visibility ratings decline over time, until eventually it is able to win no more seats than the other parties in the nation. Also, an inactive party with stronger Visibility ratings may reactivate and launch a successful challenge. And of course, if you hang around long enough, the party employing the early election tactic may relent, leave or become inactive. Few players in Particracy's history have sustained uninterrupted one-party rule for a prolonged period of time.

[TheNewGuy]

Another suggestion...

Q: A party in my nation keeps holding early elections so I can never raise my Visibility and never win seats. Is this allowed?

A: Yes, this is allowed, but the "early election tactic" is not invincible in the long-run. The party calling the early elections will see its Visibility ratings decline over time, until eventually it is able to win no more seats than the other parties in the nation. Also, an inactive party with stronger Visibility ratings may reactivate and launch a successful challenge. And of course, if you hang around long enough, the party employing the early election tactic may relent, leave or become inactive. Few players in Particracy's history have sustained uninterrupted one-party rule for a prolonged period of time.

An important one.

[Aquinas]

Some more ideas. As with all the others, feedback and suggestions for improvement are most welcome. Don't be shy. Just because I'm a Moderator does not mean some of you lot don't understand some things better than me and don't know how to write some things better than me.

Q: What do the acronyms "OOC", "IC", "IG" and "RP" mean?

A: "OOC" refers to comments, discussions and actions which are out-of-character, meaning they are done party-to-party rather than player-to-player. "IC" refers to in-character interactions (ie. party-to-party). Similarly, "IG" means in-game, although this term may also simply refer to what happens in the actual game interface, as opposed to on the forum or elsewhere. "RP" just means "role-play".

Q: A party is insulting me. What should I do?

A: The key thing to ask yourself is whether the comments are IC (in-character) or OOC (out-of-character). IC insulting is not uncommon in Particracy, just as it is not uncommon in real-life politics. So that is generally okay. However, OOC insults are forbidden and should be brought to the attention of Moderation.

Players are encouraged to make clear whether their remarks are OOC and IC, so as to prevent misunderstandings. One way of doing this is to put "OOC:" or "IC:" at the beginning of statements. Another possibility is to sign off IC contributions with the name of the character speaking them.

Q: How do I contact Moderation?
A: You can leave a post on the Moderation sub-forum (see viewforum.php?f=11 ) and a Moderator will respond to you as soon as he can. If you wish to communicate privately, you may send a message to the in-game Moderation account (see http://classic.particracy.net/viewparty ... tyid=15185 ) or send a private message on the forum to Amazeroth (see memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=108 ) and/or Aquinas (see memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=5108 ).

Q: Why is my Cabinet bill not passing?

A: In order for a Cabinet bill to pass, more than half of the legislature must vote for it and all of the parties included in the proposed Cabinet must support it. If your nation has a Head of State who is also the Head of Government, then the party controlling this character must also vote for the bill, since the Head of Government is also a member of the Cabinet. If any of these requirements are not met, the bill will not pass.

Q: I was waiting for an election to happen, then on the month it was due, no election took place and the "Next Election" date was pushed forward a month. What happened?

A: Don't worry! The election happened when it was meant to happen. It just takes a little while, usually up to an hour, until the election result is generated. The "Next Election" date will then correct itself.

Q: My party details page allows me to type in my own candidate names for positions. Can I put anything I want in there?

A: You should not use names of real-life politicians and well-known personalities, as these are not allowed under the game rules. Additionally, if, like most nations, your nation has an official cultural demographic, then your character names should usually reflect this. Moderation can require you to change your character names if they do not reflect your nation's culture and there is judged to be no acceptable explanation for this.

[J4C0B65]

Indeed, I agree. If we ushered more people onto the forums I believe RP would increase ten-fold.

I just cancelled the SATO Military Exercise because there was not enough participation.