Post by IAPA Admin on Nov 30, 2014 15:56:51 GMT -5
FAQ PAGE
International Arbitration and Peace Association
Q. What is the IAPA? Is it an alliance?
A. The International Arbitration and Peace Association is an intergovernmental organization established to promote international co-operation between all nations regardless of tech level, species, or ideals. Financed by assessed and voluntary contributions from its member states, its objectives include maintaining international peace and security, promoting speciotarian rights, fostering social development, protecting the environment, and providing speciotarian aid in cases of famine, natural disaster, and armed conflict. It achieves these aims through dialog and action.
It is not an alliance. An alliance is a pact, coalition or friendship between two or more parties, made in order to advance common goals and to secure common interests. It is a Political agreement between countries to support each other in disputes with other countries. The International Arbitration and Peace Association, by nature of its arbitrary endeavors, must remain a neutral party in disputes between nations and does not "take sides"; evidence is weighed rather than opinions blindly acted upon for sake of preserving treaties or truces. In this manner, no single nation can abuse its membership in the IAPA; the IAPA itself is comprised of a large body of nations not beholden to the parties involved in a dispute.
Q. How does my MT/PMT nation participate? My tech level isn't high enough to travel beyond the solar system.
A. Member nations of the International Arbitration and Peace Association provide transportation (overt or discrete) to those nations incapable of faster-than-light travel. This is done either through agreements between both member nations or else done at the request of the Secretariat. The International Arbitration and Peace Association covers the costs associate with transportation for all member nations seeking to physically attend sessions or participate in IAPA sanctioned events. That said, the IAPA functions as an association for PMT and FT nations.
We don't have the time to handle MT things. That's what the WA is for.
Q. Does the IAPA handle gameside situations such as raiders?
A. The International Arbitration and Peace Association does not participate in R/D. R/D is separate from Nation RP.
Q. Can my region join?
A. Membership is available on a nation-level. We will assist with IC Nation RP between regionmates if both members agree to have their dispute settled by the International Arbitration and Peace Association.
Q. Do you work with other organizations (MSU, GESO, etc)?
A. On occasion, we might work with outside organizations however the chain of command stops squarely with the IAPA. Per the Charter (VI.3), "The Chambers Council may enter into agreements with special agencies, defining the terms on which the agency concerned shall be brought into relationship with the International Arbitration and Peace Association. Such agreements shall be subject to approval by the Prime Assembly. It may co-ordinate the activities of the specialized agencies through consultation with and recommendations to such agencies and through recommendations to the Prime Assembly and to the Members of the IAPA." Special agencies such as the GESO, MSU, etc may also arrange to have a speaker represent them should said agency wish to address the Prime Assembly. In an effort to maintain neutrality, the IAPA will not form alliances with any outside organization or specialized agency, nor do those organizations or agencies rules and bylaws supersede the IAPA's.
Please note that we are located in the NationStates diplomacy subforum. It is a separate community from International Incidents. The IAPA is not involved with FT Prime projects though we highly recommend new players become familiar with how things are set up in II (good guidance there). Individual members, of course, are free to roam where they will. That said, please don't ask us to recognize canon just because "but I'm located in the Gamma Quadrant and belong to the Rogue Freetraders of Space Tea Region, and am a member of the Alien Spacebats Association".
IAPA is its own little franchise, apart from RP (old and new) found in established cliques, canon, or groups. We take this stance in order to decrease the arguments that often form when players from opposing groups join the same new organization.
Q. How do I donate troops?
A. The International Arbitration and Peace Association does not have a standing military. We do ask that nations alert us if they have resources to support a mission; resources are pledged during deliberation phases.
That said... the IAPA has its own security forces on board the Pax Concordia Station. These are donated by member nations. There is strict criteria that must be followed, including the types of weapons used, the uniform, and the jurisdiction limitations. Remember: Pax Concordia is a shared gaming setting. The IAPA is not the only group that uses it. Don't f*ck with the larger canon behind the Pax, please.
The Gaming Group - OOC Answers
Q. What player skill levels are allowed? Do you let noobs join?
A. Nation membership is based upon the nation itself but also how the player portrays it in forums. Player attitude also has bearing on whether or not a nation is accepted. Beginners are welcome to apply.
Q. Do you have requirements for posting in RPs?
A. Yes. Players should strive to post more than one line. No godmodding, no metagaming, no numberwanking. Dialog should be standard format, and colored fonts or specialized formatting to differentiate between characters is strictly verboten. All posts must meet the NS PG13 requirement; excessive gore or porn is not allowed. We have zero tolerance for sexting/cybering (read the NS OSRS).
Q. Why do you have age requirements for human characters?
A. Because too many young/inexperienced players want to play something close to their own age. This is fine were it a setting conducive for it. Legal adults make legal decisions however.
Q. How do I get nominated to hold an office or serve in an official capacity?
A. This is a tough one for people to wrap their minds around. The IAPA is more than nations dealing with nations. The player themselves needs to have a basic mastery of what they hope to portray. We've seen countless players state "my character wants to be Prime Minister" while confessing OOC that they don't know how to run a PM at all. In the case of the IAPA, we require people to have the abilities necessary to do the task.
Examples:
- Nation 1 is level-headed in the NationStates General forum. He's seen as a person who can debate well but also who takes the time to research facts. He's polite rather than snarky. Nation 1 applies to the IAPA and expresses interest in serving in the International Arbitration Council. He offers to make a character specifically for that aim. He's approved.
- Nation 2 is an asshole. He bickers with everyone in General. He bickers with everyone in II/NS. He needs to be top dog. His tech needs to be the best. His empire needs to be the biggest. This nation might be approved for membership but he will not be allowed to hold a position in the IAC until he shows that he has the ability to be impartial and fair.
- Nation 3 tends to be helpful in II/NS. They're mature-minded and able to spot nonsense. They conduct themselves well and don't spend a lot of time involving themselves in TG and IRC drama-trauma. This nation expresses interest in serving in the Security Council. Chances are high that they'll be approved due to player temperament.
- Nation 4 means well. She wants to be a Council President of some kind. The problem is that she doesn't have much real life experience at managing anything. She isn't sure how to delegate responsibility. She doesn't have much in organizational skills. She'll provide a character that has those skills however a character can not bail out its handler when basic knowledge is lacking. She might find herself as second-in-charge in order to be mentored by a more experienced player, or she might find herself learning how to do these things by working in an experienced group. Our aim, as veteran players, should always be to encourage others to grow.
Q. I see nations holding multiple positions. I've noticed that there are character names, too. What's up with that?
A. Players can occupy more than one role. This is done by assigning characters to that role. The 'Nation of Example' serves in the IAC and SC. She has two different characters, one for each council, in addition to her Prime Assembly Delegate. She posts IC as a specific character when discussing specific issues.
Q. Okay, why do some players have multiple nations?
A. We permit multiple nations held by the same player. The player may only vote with one nation (the rest shall abstain) in order to not upset the balance.
Q. Wait a moment... how come my ubernation in the Powdered Lemming Galaxy can't join? You have other nations from other galaxies!
A. The cosmos is vast. So vast. So vast that there is plenty of playing space within the large Milky Way. Some nations hail from galaxies that are relatively close to the Milky Way: The Milky Way galaxy is currently in the process of cannibalizing the Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy and the Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy. Nations from these galaxies are in a position to make the long journey between the Milky Way and their home galaxy.
Other nations hail from galaxies outside the Milky Way but they, in their player's wisdom, aren't intergalactic powers. Hell, they aren't even galactic powers. They control a few systems, and might have colonies scattered on a half-dozen worlds. This is very plausible. They do NOT have massive intergalactic warship fleets comprised of millions of vessels. This would not be plausible. The logistics alone would be brutal.
One of our founding nations, the Greater Nifidium Convocation, is from an undisclosed location outside our Milky Way. They have appointed a witherward from the Trifid Nebula. This witherward has a tiny settlement in the Milky Way. It is through this settlement (a province of Swith Witherward) that the Convocation conducts its IAPA business. So a major player (potent nation) has a minor toe (tiny settlement) in the grand scheme of things. The player's approach is sensible. She is conservative in her approach. She invests an ungodly amount of time into tracking every last detail pertaining to the Greater Nifidium Convocation and all its unique colonies/nation-states (the witherward used for IAPA is an example of one). It is for this reason that her gaming group recognizes her as the only entity to have control of a supercluster (a cluster of galaxies which themselves occur as clusters). She does NOT expect all of NationStates to accept her canon, she doesn't impose her canon on anyone else save that she reserve the right to not involve her military, and she prefers to use tiny, mistake-prone colonies when gaming -- in other words, she's proven herself so we let her bring her canon to IAPA and other endeavors.
Please consider The Size of Your Nation by Hyperspatial Travel when designing your nation for NS RP purposes. We aren't striving for absolute realism in IAPA. There are magic FT nations. There might be pony FT nations. Hell, we allow for wonky tech and a soft approach. But we strive for balance. Nobody likes a numbers-wanker or a billy-badass. Nobody likes a trifling twit.
Q. Yeah? How would you stop me?
A. By ignoring your rants, by calmly banning you from the group, and by asking Moderation to remove your offending post. Poof! You don't exist in our universe anymore. IAPA is a No Drama Zone.
Q. How active do I have to be?
A. Your activity level doesn't have to be very high if you just want to be a member. Those serving in various office positions must be more active. Those serving in leadership roles must be extremely active, checking in daily in order for administrative work to be done.
Q. BBCode? Where are the spoiler things, and the other fancy stuff?
A. [violet] doesn't work for us. ProBoards isn't as versatile as other free forums such as Zetaboards. The usual spoiler codes (spoiler or sblock) don't work here.
This brings up a very important point: PLEASE DO NOT SPAM THREADS WITH MASSIVE, HOTLINKED PICTURES. Hotlinked "reaction shots" (anime characters pulling faces, table flipping gifs etc) are considered spam. You are responsible for everything you embed, including unintentional goatse swaps or complaints from artists over stolen artwork. You CAN embed YouTube videos related to the topic. Just be mindful of this forum's PG13 rule. No clopping, no yiffing, no pron. Think of the children. You'll notice that our Admin has hotlinked game-related images into their official posts. Yes, this is good. This is because Admin designed this site and has permission to add things that deepen the experience.
Q. Is there a TOS?
A. ProBoards TOS. The IAPA OSF isn't set to 18+ user age.
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