Rules (Onwards)

This page details the rules of Onwards. Please read these rules carefully.

General Rules

 * 1) Turns will release Monday and Friday afternoons EST unless stated otherwise by the mods.
 * 2) It is strongly recommended to make your turns contain lore on your nation. Please research the nation of your choice (e.g. government system, ruling and opposition parties if applicable, existing diplomatic relations, economy, natural resources, etc.). If you join later on in the game, learn the history of your region from previous turns.
 * 3) Your ENTIRE turn can be retconned if your turn is implausible or outright stupid. No Pakistan randomly annexing Mongolia, please.
 * 4) Repeated implausibility will lead to you being blacklisted from Onwards.
 * 5) If a moderator is inactive in his duties for at least five turns in-game, they will be considered as “honorary moderator” and will not have power unless requesting a return to the game with serious commitment.
 * 6) You only have three turns in-game to protest an implausible action. After this, the events that have taken place are deemed canon. However, if plausibility has suffered a big enough injury, an undefined amount of turns is allowed.
 * 7) A player can be temporarily removed from the nation if they are inactive for five turns. Their nation will become an NPC nation, but said player is allowed to resume control of their nation at any time, and other players may not join as that nation. If the removed player continues to be inactive for an additional five turns, they will be completely removed from their nation, which will now be free for other players to take control.
 * 8) Say "Onwards, [name of desired nation]" in the comments to apply for a nation. This is to make sure you have read the rules.
 * 9) You have one "free" switch to another nation every ten turns. You can also switch if your nation has been forcefully vassalized / conquered.
 * 10) You may play as a sovereign nation, either recognized or unrecognized, a separatist group, an extremist group, or a mercenary group. You may NOT play any organizations without a military wing and/or without the ability to control territory (e.g. corporations, NGOs). Playing as regional or international political unions, such as the European Union or the United Nations is also forbidden.
 * 11) Deliberately running a nation to the ground MIGHT lead to a ban of 10 turns or a retcon of your turn. If you wish to leave or change nations, you don't have to destroy your current nation.
 * 12) Major or important nations are strictly for experienced players. If you are inexperienced in map games and attempt to choose an important/major nation (Ex:: the US), staff can deny your application. If you do not know what is specifically important or major, be sure to ask staff.
 * 13) Please REFRAIN from metagaming. Metagaming is using knowledge outside of what you would know and act upon it. This would be case-by-case, as there are some circumstances where it is a coincidence. However, things that are obvious (especially towards sudden events), such as acting against "secret" messages between nations.
 * 14) Please REFRAIN from godmodding. Godmodding is when you decide the outcome of diplomatic or military events pertaining to your nation and another nation yourself, without consulting another player or (in the case of military action or an NPC nation) the mods. Godmodding will be punished by a turn retcon, and repeated godmodding will lead to you being blacklisted from Onwards. If the mods haven’t responded to a diplomatic or military action, feel free to message them on the Message Wall or Discord.
 * 15) Do NOT join as a nation just to spite another player. If you dislike another player, do not join a nation to make their gameplay and enjoyment of the map game difficult. If you have a problem, talk to staff about it and we can figure something out. We are looking for original intent. Again, this would be judged case-by-case.
 * 16) Each turn will be 1 year until 2100, where turns will be lengthened to encompass 2 years per turn.
 * 17) Every ten turns are to be archived to limit the amount of scrolling that needs to be done to get to the latest year. Be sure to check back once in a while to ensure proper continuity.

Moderator Rules

 * 1) Moderators are each assigned to a continent. If a moderator spot for a continent is open, you can apply for that spot if you meet the proper requirements. If no candidates are available, the Creator and mod team as a whole will oversee said continent.
 * 2) Only players with prior experience in map games, either on Future Wiki or on another site with active map games, can apply for moderator.
 * 3) The burden of proof of plausibility is put on the PLAYER, not the moderator.
 * 4) Moderators cannot use any moderator powers to dictate outcomes for their country’s diplomatic or military ventures.
 * 5) If a moderator or player wants a rule changed, he must ask the Creator.
 * 6) If an annual event or moderator response is in question, the moderator must ask the Creator.
 * 7) In the end, a moderator decision is final if the Creator agrees.

Gameplay Rules

 * 1) Players will not be able to declare war on other nations without a proper casus belli. Violation of this rule might result in penalization of the attacking nation.
 * 2) Do not overstate your military power. Basically; do not make your army or navy bigger than what's possible for your nation and technological level. Things like building AI robot mechs in 2025 are not allowed. Follow the turn events for technological progress.
 * 3) Nuclear weapons will not be able to be built unless your nation already has nuclear weapons, or your nation has had a nuclear program for 5 years and currently has access to radioactive material (e.g. uranium, plutonium, etc.) either domestically or from imports (DO YOUR RESEARCH!).
 * 4) It is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED to NOT launch your nukes willy-nilly. We do not want a Fallout rehash in the second turn.
 * 5) Any sort of futuristic WMD (antimatter weaponry) is to only be accessible once the moderator staff agrees to include them. Rules pertaining to these will be written if/when they are needed.
 * 6) Current binding UN decisions should be followed (The restriction on WMDs in space, etc.). Violation of these might not be good for your country’s well-being.

UN Rules

 * 1) The United Nations consists of two sections, the General Assembly, and the Security Council. The General Assembly has the ability to introduce legislation on general issues, such as climate change or humanitarian aid. The Security Council has the ability to levy sanctions and intervene in wars.
 * 2) The Security Council consists of a rotating board of 15 nations, of which between 3 and 7 will be considered permanent. The rotation of Security Council membership will occur every 4 turns and will consist of no less than one-eighth and no more than a quarter (2-4 non-permanent Security Council + any permanent Security Council) player nations.
 * 3) Permanent membership in the Security Council will be determined by the security council itself, where a 3/4ths majority of security council members may appoint a new permanent member. Removal of permanent membership will require 17 out of 20 of the security council to vote for their removal. Permanent membership brings with it the Veto Power, which may be used to unilaterally override any Security Council or General Assembly resolution.
 * 4) Passing resolutions in both the General Assembly and Security Council require a simple majority vote. Any resolution may be overturned by a permanent member of the Security Council. As player nations will most likely not constitute anywhere near a majority of the General Assembly, and the amount of nations within it is too much to simulate efficiently individually, the votes of NPC nations will be decided by a single d100 dice, which will need to pass above the percentage of player nations voting for the majority opinion in order for the vote to be flipped. If the player vote for a General Assembly resolution is 50/50, the dice roll result must be above 50 in order for the action to pass, and below 50 for the action to fail.
 * 5) Any economic sanction will negatively impact a nation’s ability to conduct war or colonization.
 * 6) Abolition of the United Nations will be automatic if more than half of the Security Council’s permanent members are in direct military conflict with one another. Otherwise, abolition of the United Nations can be passed by a two-thirds majority vote. Such a decision may be overturned by any member of the Security Council with permanent membership, where nations will thus have the option to leave the UN or remain.
 * 7) If the United Nations is abolished, another world forum may be created at the discretion of the players. Rules for such an international forum may be proposed to the moderators, where they shall tweak them for balance.

Space Exploration and Colonization Rules

 * 1) Interstellar exploration and extraterrestrial colonization is not allowed until the mods and/or the Creator say so. Check the turn events and the maps for the status of space exploration and colonization.
 * 2) If you defeat someone's homeland, you cannot claim their territories in space; you must land troops. The opposite also applies, as you cannot claim a homeland without physically attacking it.
 * 3) You cannot establish extraterrestrial territories if you have no space program and/or spaceport. However, you can buy ships and utilize others' ports if you have been given permission.
 * 4) You must gain permission to colonize territory on other planets. Doing so without permission would see the player penalized in-game.
 * 5) Colonial populations (e.g. Moon and Mars bases, etc.) can not grow on their own until they have reached 2,000.
 * 6) Colonial nations are counted as separate nations under the control of the main nation. War penalties, population, max military, government type, etc. applied to the homeland are not the same as the one applied to the colony and vice versa.
 * 7) Colonies should expand primarily towards natural resources. Think about how the economy works, and how your colony would help your economy.
 * 8) You may claim the borders of your colony once you establish it. However, other people may expand into your claimed area. You cannot attack them for expanding into your claim zone unless you border them. To establish dominance in your claim, you must engage in a colonial war, or otherwise, work out a settlement between the other power.
 * 9) Colonial claims can and will overlap. Expansion is first come first serve. If someone is on your land, fight them or negotiate with them for it.