Getting Started

1. What is this place?
This is a region, one of thousands in NationStates. You can think of regions as continents in real life. They are basically containers for nations, and nations can only be in one region at a time, though each nation can move as often as it pleases.

More specifically, we are the Land's End Company. Intended as a home for capitalists and individualists, the region is organized as a publicly-traded corporation. Certain values are held dear to us, as you will soon find out: quality over quantity, form over function, and rationality over emotional impulse. If you find yourself in agreement with those principles, you will be quite happy here, regardless of your economic standing.

2. What is there to do?
A better question may be, what is there not to do? We have roleplay in our Breakroom. We have games offsite. We offer military gameplay opportunities to those interested. Most importantly, because this is an ideologically-oriented region, most residents are strongly polarized on various issues. That means political and economic arguments are easy to come by. Just make sure to brush up on your debate etiquette and logical fallacies first!

3. What are the rules here?
-Do not act like a child. We are not fond of immaturity, and we will send disruptive players to our in-house daycare area.
-Do not ask for a welfare check. We all work for a living.
-Do not get offended when someone inevitably disagrees with you. The proper response is to address their points calmly.
-Follow the site rules. If you break the rules and attract NationStates moderator attention, you are likely to lose your job at the Company.

4. How does the government work?
Our setup is realistic and detailed, and is much more than a cosmetic theme. The Company is run by a seven-seat Board of Directors and a CEO. Each Board member is elected by Company shareholders (all residents are employees, who can become shareholders through a quick application). Meanwhile, the CEO is elected by the Board. Board members each have individual responsibilities within the Company, and collectively decide on bylaws that affect all employees. They also hire employees for Senior Management positions, which hold less authority but are still important for the business' operation.

5. Can I be the delegate?
Absolutely, and the process is simple: just start asking people for endorsements. Coming up with a clever, persuasive campaign will help your cause--your fellow shareholders will want to know how you can bring the Company to greater heights of profit! The delegate is the nation with the most endorsements each day, so go around and collect as many as you can. Even if you never become the delegate, you will at least gather a lot of regional influence.

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Now What?

Still wondering what this game has to offer? You are in luck! NS is a vast, complicated world, and you can play for years before you even break the surface. Here are a few resources to help you find something that interests you.

FAQ: The official game FAQ can be found here, and a more comprehensive version is maintained on the Technical subforum here.

Roleplay: On NS, roleplay (commonly known as RP) is text-based, and consists of players writing collaborative stories that bring their nations (or people within their nations) to life. It usually takes place on the NS forums, player-created offsite forums, or region RMBs.
RP Guide: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=170098
RP Questions: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=118474
Advice for New Players: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=33989

Gameplay: The term "gameplay" (commonly known as GP) encompasses a number of things. It includes the "issues game," where players answer issues to build their nations in a certain way and compete on World Census reports; the "invasion game" (commonly known as raiding and defense, or R/D); and regional politics.
NS Issues: viewtopic.php?f=13&t=88
R/D Guide: viewtopic.php?f=12&t=307728
Region Building: viewtopic.php?f=12&t=353470

Real-world debate: This is mostly self-explanatory, and takes place in the General subforum (commonly known as NSG), or on regions' offsite forums and RMBs.
First Stop for NSG: viewtopic.php?f=20&t=88796

World Assembly: The World Assembly (commonly known as the WA) is a mixture of RP and GP. It is the world's only international legislative body, similar to the real-world United Nations. Many players like to spend time writing their own WA resolutions or discussing proposals written by others. This takes place in the General Assembly and Security Council subforums. If this sounds interesting to you, it is highly recommended that you begin there, by asking questions and reading other players' work.
General Assembly Rules/Advice: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=159348
Security Council Guide: viewtopic.php?f=24&t=218040

Something is missing... So, you may ask, how does one declare war? What about setting up alliances, or trading? NS does not include functions for war or trade, but that should be no obstacle to you! If you have a large enough group, you may attack another region, which is called "raiding" (see "Gameplay" in the section above this). You can also begin an RP war with another player (complete guide here). Trade is RPed on NS, so the best place to go is the GE&T subforum (Help Desk thread). Alliances are a little more complicated, because they can take so many forms. Again, there is no built-in function for alliances, although embassies can be established between regions, and are sometimes used to signify formal agreements. In general, alliances between nations are RPed. Alliances between regions, on the other hand, are most often political gameplay agreements.

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