Faction roleplay is unfamiliar to most, I will agree, but it pulls the focus back a step from the heroes fighting against the orc invasion to the elaborate games played between guilds, political parties, churches, or even entire armies, and as such can be a refreshing change of pace. Instead of the heroes being largely self-sufficient, they can cool their heels in one of their faction's safe houses, sell off excess loot, have reinforcements at the ready, and generally have more resources at their disposal in exchange for having duties and responsibilities to their faction.

I'm more of a fan of using factions as a tool to build up a character's background, as while I have given designing my own race and faction a shot (if only to explain where the fuck all those Saiyans were coming from when canon has it that their home planet was destroyed, a la Superman and Krypton), even mentioned them once in the news thread, that project ultimately fell by the wayside. Managing the resources of a faction of any size, as I've seen with the Val'Gara on AnimeLeague, is not an easy task, and not something everyone is cut out for, but from what I've seen, the reward is well worth the effort for those with the right mix of skills.

I play a faction, a mercenary faction. And from what I've seen it's others that play factions that are constantly trying to steamroll other factions or players that turn off people from NRP. Maybe if some took into considerations how others are feeling people would enjoy seeing more of it. But when you're playing only to win or make sure that only you have fun you'll push people away.

Well, I'm starting to get involved in NRP, and I find it enjoyable enough.

Except when I'm playing a character not involved, in Gambits bar, and Az/Barney start a massive firefight in there..... That's when it gets annoying.

I'm certainly not going to curb my RP because someone is getting "annoyed", because chances are they wouldn't do it for me. While the Multiverse is a great place for NRP and individual characters to mesh and co-exist, it's also a great place for it to become bogged down in bad RP practices and otherwise useless interactions amongst characters that really shouldn't be involved in the either NRP or individual RP.

Here comes the facts; NRP is what is to form the backdrop for individual RP. It isn't about gathering your army, sending them to your opponent and winning 'the game'. Especially in the Multiverse, all NRPers must realize that they are responsible for empowering more story-driven RP rather than attempting to inject and administer the RP. This requires skills and mentalities that not all people have, and thusly, NRP is not for everyone. Just like individual RP with one or two characters in the Multiverse is supposed to facilitate collaborate writing instead of simply one person trying to win out over the other; this is what the Multiverse has become, and few people are even concerned enough because they're satisfied with just seeing their wishes come to life, no one is willing to step outside of themselves and allow characters to actually act like themselves instead of simply being a vessel for you to explore your creativity. Sharing the experience of co-authoring an NRP where not only the strategic subject is written in cooperation, but individual characters unassociated with factions other than simply being in the crosshairs is more fun than simply coughing up a character, saying "He can beat anything" and then sending him off into the Multiverse.

Playing to win ruins all RP, and this is only exemplified in the grander scale of Nation Role Playing; which brings to light a second subject many criticizers of NRP can't seem to see. As a whole, in combat, the "national " aspect of a war is thrown out to allow for the injection of a much more standardized system of deciding things; this is called Military Role Play, MRP is what runs through the bar every night or so and while it might not always be the most respectful display of the NRP responsibility, some try and make mountains out of mole hills. MRP is focused on the strategic and tactical levels, often tossing individualism and specialties aside for a more regulated and logical combat system.

Whatever people say, there is just as much a right for NRP to take place in the Multiverse as there is for individuals to RP; self-entitled assumptions that "since anything can happen in the Multiverse, I can do whatever I want" doesn't aid or further the RP, people that attempt to combat NRP with this assumption tend to do nothing more than not just piss of the NRPers, but everyone else as well. There are problems on both side of the river, there's no denying that, but it appears that the majority of the blame has been placed on a select group of NRPers, despite the fact we've routinely produced characters and storylines directed toward creating a better unification between individual and NRP than those that criticize. What people not involved in the NRP scene need to realize is that factions will always be bigger than individual characters; certainly, the rules of the Multiverse can dictate that one character can defeat another character involved from a faction, and that is something all NRPers should be completely fine with -- we have more of them guys, really -- but there is always something larger than you. No matter what fiction you subscribe to, it's someone's inability to step out of themselves that ruins RP. This is true for all who RP, not just individuals.

I have to say it may be a good idea, it simply depends on how it is run. As one has already said, a grunt isn't really likely to make that large an affect on a faction unless they do something really spectacular and get moved up. Playing a whole faction is pointless unless you already have the character at the top in my own opinion, you should only be able to control the troops under your command and that is it. However the problem I see is once again, how do you work out the limitations on your troops. You're a leader of a small/large nation but my question is how do you realistically come with the numbers, money and equipment you have. I'd quite enjoy an NRP but I'm trying to work out how I'd work it. I'm not the warring type and generally I prefer to play a grunt or a simple commander as I couldn't come up with most of this stuff. Maybe a scribe or a messenger or a mercenary leader. I'm not into warring but the idea of running a nation is beyond me and thus, though I approve of the idea I'd be no good at it...