National Category Guide

RTP: Superpower Superpower Guides, Rules, & Announcements Guides
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Using the Discourse Forum for RTP Superpower

Welcome to our new Discourse-based forum for RTP Superpower! Below, you’ll find an overview of how to structure and post your actions, maintain your nation’s records, and keep everything organized for both players and moderators.

1. Overview of Your National Category

Each player has a main national category dedicated to their country. Within this category, you will see three topics that staff members have already created for you:

  1. National Budget
  2. Military Stats
  3. Scratch Pad

1.1. National Budget

  • Maintained only by moderators.
  • Contains your nation’s financial data, budgets, and any relevant fiscal details.

1.2. Military Stats

  • Maintained only by moderators.
  • Showcases troop numbers, equipment details, and other official military statistics.

1.3. Scratch Pad

  • A general-purpose topic for the player’s own notes.
  • Use this for brainstorming, personal tracking of ongoing events, or any other reference material.

Important: Please do not create new draft or idea topics in the main national category beyond what staff has already provided and the two listed below. This helps keep important information visible and easy to track.

2. Additional Topics to Create in Your National Category

Players should create only two additional topics in their main national category:

  1. Order of Battle (OOB)
  2. Table of Organization & Equipment (TO&E / TOE)

2.1. Order of Battle (OOB)

An Order of Battle outlines the structure and distribution of your nation’s military forces. To enhance clarity and immersion, we encourage using Google My Maps to visually display your forces, then embedding that map using an iframe in your OOB post.

How to embed your Google My Maps into Discourse using an iframe:

  1. Create or open your map in Google My Maps.

  2. In the left panel, click the three-dot menu next to your map title.

  3. Select “Embed on my site” from the menu.

  4. Copy the iframe code that appears. It should look something like this:

    <iframe src="https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=XXXXXXXXXXXXX"
        width="640"
        height="480">
</iframe>

  5. Paste this iframe code directly into your OOB post in Discourse.

Note: Sometimes Discourse forums enforce restrictions on iframes for security reasons. If you encounter issues, contact a administrator.

2.2. Table of Organization & Equipment (TO&E/TOE)

This post should detail how your forces are organized (e.g., divisions, brigades, battalions) and the equipment or vehicles they operate. It’s best to keep this post up to date as your force changes.

3. Action Subcategories

Within your national category, you will find subcategories that correspond to different action types. All player-initiated actions should be posted as new topics within the appropriate subcategory (rather than in the main category).

  • DPOL (Domestic Political Actions)
  • IPOL (International Political Actions)
  • ECON (Economic Actions)
  • INTEL (Intelligence Actions)
  • MILI (Military Actions)
  • PROC (Procurement Actions)
  • TECH (Research & Development)

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3.1. Posting Actions Correctly

When you want to carry out a new action (e.g., pass a new domestic bill, send a diplomatic note, purchase new equipment, undertake a covert operation, start a research project), go into the relevant subcategory for that action and create a new topic.

Example:

  • If you are sending a diplomatic communication to another nation, create a topic in IPOL.
  • If you’re enacting a new law or policy within your borders, create a topic in DPOL.
  • If you are procuring military hardware, create a topic in PROC.

3.2. Subcategory Scratch Pads

Within each action subcategory (DPOL, IPOL, ECON, INTEL, MILI, PROC, TECH), you will find another Scratch Pad post already created by staff. These scratch pads can be used to track on-going actions in that subcategory, note preliminary ideas, or keep any related reference material you see fit. However, drafting actions is best done by simply posting your full draft as its own topic.

4. Action Tagging

Each action topic should have at least two tags:

  1. Subcategory Tag – The type of action it is (e.g., DPOL, IPOL, INTEL, etc.).
  2. Draft/Submitted Tag – Indicates whether the action is still a draft (draft) or ready for moderator processing (submitted).
  • If the topic has the draft tag: Moderators will not process the action.
  • If the topic has the submitted tag: The action will be placed in the moderator queue for review and resolution.
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Note: This tagging system replaces the old “action catcher” thread approach from our previous JCINK and other past forums. Instead of posting a link in a centralized catcher thread, your actions are now tracked by the submitted tag directly on the post itself.

5. Key Differences from JCINK

In your previous JCINK forum, some actions may have been grouped into a single multi-post topic. With Discourse, each distinct action gets its own topic in the corresponding subcategory. This keeps discussions targeted and easier to track for both players and moderators.

  • Do: Create one topic per action under the correct subcategory.
  • Don’t: Lump multiple different actions into one single thread.
  • Do: Use tags to indicate the subcategory and whether the action is draft or submitted.

6. Best Practices and Reminders

  1. Double-Check Subcategories: Always confirm you are posting in the right subcategory (DPOL, IPOL, ECON, INTEL, MILI, PROC, TECH).
  2. Keep It Tidy: Avoid cluttering the main national category with new topics—use the subcategories instead.
  3. Follow the Staff Topics: Only moderators can edit your National Budget and Military Stats. Do not attempt to alter these.
  4. Stay Organized: Update your OOB and TO&E/TOE topics as your forces grow or change.
  5. Use Scratch Pads: Make quick notes or track ideas in your subcategory scratch pads.
  6. Tag Correctly: Use the correct tags on each action—subcategory type and draft/submitted.
  7. Security Settings: If you face any issues embedding iframes from Google My Maps, contact a admin for assistance.

7. Conclusion

By following these guidelines, you’ll help maintain a clean, well-organized environment where moderators can efficiently manage actions, and players can easily keep track of each other’s moves. If you have any questions or run into any technical problems, feel free to reach out to the moderators for support