History Website / NationStates

-->"Bwaahh?!?" exclaims moustache-twirling driving-goggle-wearing charlatan RANDOMNAME, who was definitely not trying to tie your secretary to his toy train tracks. "Police with cameras? This is a breach of my civil liberties! What about privacy? Do we not have the inherent right to go about our daily, lawfully abiding lives without fearing these paparazzi pigs parading our precious picturesque moments to the putrid public as perfidious publications? Say no to copper cameras! Keep your eyes off my private business!"

** Other notable NPC nations are Maxtopia, Lilliputia, Tasmania, [[SpellMyNameWithAnS Marche Noir/Noire]], Marche Blanc, Smalltopia, San Vitenzo, et cetera.

** Pretty much the premise of the whole thing. Not all players though; many people use it to play as different characters than themselves.

** As well, the game sometimes barely even tries to hide the names of real-life products (e.g. a food company called Qraft) while some are more arcane, like the soda company Eckie-Cola (the in-game answer to Coke).
** Some aversions to this include early issues, like Issue 3 ("Literature/HarryPotter Censorship Row").

* NoCommunitiesWereHarmed: Befitting a game based around running your own country, several issues involve fictitious countries that serve as stand-ins for real world nations. For example

** The United Federation, portrayed in issues as a freedom-obsessed, gun-toting, heavily capitalist country, functions as this game's equivalent to [[{{Eagleland}} the United States]].
** Althaniq, an authoritarian, socially conservative oil-producing country whose issues are mostly based around foreign investments and corruption, is one for [[{{Qurac}} the Gulf States]].

* NonPlayerCharacter: There are several NPC nations, most of them hostile to the player's nation, who will appear in certain issues. For example:
** Bigtopia is a hostile dictatorship and the closest your nation has to an NPC ArchEnemy. Among its offenses include harboring anti-player-nation activists, calling for the extermination of your people, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking sucking away your nation's jobs]] with its [[EthnicMenialLabor cheap labor]]. Some issues imply that it has been (and might still be) at outright war with your nation. On the other hand, its emigrants suffer discrimination from both the player nation and other NPC nations.
** Blackacre is another dictatorship, seemingly engaged in a UsefulNotes/ColdWar with your nation. In addition, [[EvilIsPetty its dictator harasses and threatens other nations on]] [[BlandNameProduct Twitcher]].

** Other notable NPC nations are East Lebatuck, Lilliputia, [[SpellMyNameWithAnS Marche Noir/Noire]], Maxtopia, Tasmania, Smalltopia, Skandilund, et cetera.

** When a player creates a new nation, the "default" flag of the nation is the UsefulNotes/AustralianAborigines' flag. Which can stem from CreatorProvincialism, seeing how Barry himself is Australian.

** Brancaland is a cultured, friendly nation that's popular among tourists and retirees. Considering its multilingual policies, cold climate, and a [[BreadEggsMilkSquick violently separatist province]], it serves as the NPC nation equivalent of [[CanadaEh Canada]].

** Althaniq, an authoritarian oil-producing country whose issues are mostly based around foreign investments and corruption, is one for the Gulf State countries.

** Brancaland, on the other hand, is a cultured, friendly nation that's popular among tourists and retirees. Considering its multilingual policies, cold climate, and a [[BreadEggsMilkSquick violently separatist province]], it seems to be the NPC nation equivalent of [[CanadaEh Canada]].
** Dàguó is an authoritarian country akin to the People's Republic of China and often acts as your nation's rival. ([[BilingualBonus The nation's name means "big country" in Mandarin Chinese.]])
** Other notable NPC nations are East Lebatuck, Lilliputia, [[SpellMyNameWithAnS Marche Noir/Noire]], Maxtopia, Tasmania, United Federation, Smalltopia, Skandilund, et cetera.

* {{Conlang}}: Given that this is a nation-building simulator, ''NationStates'' has many user-created languages in varying levels of complexity and refinement.

-->'''[[https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?t=366917 Aura 001]]:'''It provides them with a 'Condemned' icon next to their region name, and a 'Condemned' tag in their regional tags. It offers no actual penalty towards the region. Due to this, many of the self-proclaimed 'evil' players on Nationstates attempt to 'achieve' a Condemnation. It is one of the WA's failures, as it was originally conceived that Condemnations in this format would drive users away from any regions [or players] with the label. It has typically done the opposite.

* CardCarryingVillain: Through certain acts, a nation or region is able to be condemned through a vote held at the World Assembly, this game's version of the UN. However, many players may attempt to be condemned or treat it as an achievement, such as [[https://www.nationstates.net/region=the_black_hawks the Black Hawks]], who has achieved two condemnations and is proud of this fact.

* CardCarryingVillain: Through certain acts, a nation or region is able to be condemned through a vote held at the World Assembly, this game's version of the UN. However, many players may attempt to be condemned or treat it as an achievement, such as [[https://www.nationstates.net/region=the_black_hawks the Black Hawks]], who has achieved two condemnations, and is proud of this fact.
->''"It provides them with a 'Condemned' icon next to their region name, and a 'Condemned' tag in their regional tags. It offers no actual penalty towards the region. Due to this, many of the self-proclaimed 'evil' players on Nationstates attempt to 'achieve' a Condemnation. It is one of the WA's failures, as it was originally conceived that Condemnations in this format would drive users away from any regions [or players] with the label. It has typically done the opposite."''
-->-- '''[[https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?t=366917 Aura 001]]'''

* SchizoTech: It's possible for your nation to have a space program while banning computer at the same time. In fact, the "Failure to Launch" issue requires both of these policies.

** The "Please read: A personal appeal from [=NationStates=] founder Max Barry" banner promoting Machine Man is a pretty obvious reference to the "Please read: A personal appeal from Wikipedia founder Jim Wales" banners on Wiki/TheOtherWiki.