Military Roleplay

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Introduction
Military roleplay (also known as MRP) is a word with varied meaning and significance for many players of GeoFS. For some, it is an annoying distraction that takes away from the realism of GeoFS. For others, it is a "way of life" that is complex and valuable to them. Since military roleplay can be such a subject of controversy, it requires a detailed explanation.

Basics
Military roleplay at its core represents the ideals of a particular country, sometimes exaggerating the country's power. The country can be real or fictional, or it can even be a private military company. The flexibility of this rule allows for some air forces to far exceed the capabilities of the country they are trying to emulate. For example, the RCAF is the most powerful military force in GeoFS, though Canada in real life is only 21st in line according to GlobalFirepower.com. However, any air force in GeoFS can surpass the power of its parent country if they try hard enough.

Operation
To operate any air force professionally requires planning and expertise. It is a good idea to have a list of squadrons you are planning to fill, even if you cannot realistically fill all of them. Having a list of aircraft your nation uses in real life can be helpful, though there can't be much to prepare with if you are attempting to create a virtual nation. You also may run across the problem of communication. If it is difficult to communicate with other members of your group, it can be hard to put up a resistance against an attack. While having discord is a great idea, having alternate forms of communication, such as Padlet, email, and Skype, will be beneficial, especially during periods when many (including some high command officers) may be offline and can only talk through email or text.

Setting
Military roleplay has to simulate some sort of intention, whether it be for patrolling, fighting, or SAR. Otherwise, the whole idea falls apart. Your group must also be affiliated with some sort of ideology or political view. The ideology could be pro-democracy or pro-communism. It could even be against both.

The amazing part of military roleplay is that you can - or at least used to - choose where your air force is based. Due to this large discord server called the United Nations, it has become increasingly hard to find real estate. Often, members of large groups have founded multiple countries, all of which get "recognized" and are then counted as untouchable.

All sorts of countries, from Rwanda to South Korea to Uruguay have all been founded and recognized by the UN, which has surprisingly lax rules on recognition. For example, Rwanda's servers only has two members, but it is still counted as legitimate even though AFDG, with a maximum membership of 15, never was. That was because the UN recognized Italy, Austria, and Croatia as countries, even though nobody has ever seen members of those nations online. Since AFDG attempted to provide a stable, powerful air force for the entire region and not just one country, the UN never even considered recognizing them.

Superiority
An air force cannot be powerful unless it has many well-trained active members. The RCAF was for a very long time the reigning superpower since it had an active and well-trained leadership and subordinates. They were well organized, and had so much going on behind the scenes with operations and roleplay mission that they were emulated for their realism. In fact, many air forces were modeled after their staunch realism and organization. Unfortunately, in recent months, they, as well as the rest of military roleplay, became less realistic. USANG surpassed RCAF in the number of active members in June 2019, but is not fully centralized and is not as well-trained.

An air force also needs publicity. This goes hand in hand with activity also, since when players use the callsign provided for them by their air force, it automatically makes them into an advertisement. When enough players from a group get on at the same time, it tends to interest people and make them want to join the group.

Realism
While this topic was touched on quite often above, its controversial nature makes it much more than just a word. In GeoFS, realism used to be what the powerful air forces said they were. Currently, there is anarchy and chaos as smaller air forces try to force their own roleplay and their own realism upon others, even if that realism is not very realistic.

Everyone, naturally, asks what realism is then. What does realistic roleplay look like? For starters, look to the real world. Read up on what USAF, RCAF, and other air forces do with their time and budget. look at statistics on wars and see how air forces fared during different wars. Figure out for yourself what realism is. Some people, however are more interested in their own roleplay than trying to cope with others. When that happens, kindly tell them that what they are doing is not very realistic and point them in a more realistic direction. A realistic air force would do the following:
 * Search and rescue (SAR)
 * Aerial surveillance and reconnaissance
 * Tactical fighting (what F-16's do)
 * Ground Attack
 * Refueling
 * Transport
 * Training
 * Helicopter operations
 * Overseas operations (RCAF and USAF mostly)
 * Weapons storage
 * Nuclear weapons storage
 * Electronic warfare and radar

All of the above including having a well-organized and fiercely loyal central command group consisting off all squadron commanders and high command officers.