Portal:Joining Micras

This guide is intended as a walkthrough for those who are new to the hobby of micronations and the community surrounding Micras, and who wish to participate. Please follow these step-by-step guidelines to familiarize yourself with how things work here!

Getting Started

So you've stumbled across MicrasWiki and want to learn more? Welcome to the MicrasWiki, home to micronationalism (or interactive geofiction)! Interactive geofiction, also called "micronationalism", is a hobby based on designing and simulating cities, countries, and entire worlds. Unlike regular geofiction and conworlding, it contains elements of role-playing, wargaming, and model government. And unlike most other conworld projects, which are often the work of a single author, Micras provides an unparalleled level of interaction.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is it acceptable to copy and paste whole portions of text from other sources while making only cursory changes to the content?
   • No. Please try to be original with your articles. If we except the fact that the original author may proceed legally against us, it is not nice. Being authentic is a sign of devotion and imagination.

1. Can I change the physical characteristics of the map?
   • No. You can change topographical features such as elevation, but features such as coastline, islands, landmasses, etc, remain static.

What is a Micronation?

A micronation is a political entity that claims to be a sovereign state but is unrecognised by the larger international community. There are two types:

Simulationist, or interactive geofiction, can claim land on other planets, and simulate geography, politics, economies, societies, etc. These are the ones on Micras.

Secessionist, or real-world micronations, are projects that wish to achieve independence from real world nations on Earth. These are not on MicrasWiki, so if you decide to make one, please do so at MicroWiki. See also: Secession, on Wikipedia

What is Micras?

Micras was created around 2000 by a group of like-minded individuals who, up until that time, had previously been unable to form a cohesive geography. At that time, micronations did not have common geography, and geofiction was still unheard of. Most existing micronations were secessionist, and based in the real world. But the advent of the internet changed all this. The internet also changed the age group of those who were involved in micronations. Very quickly the hobby became accessible to anyone with a modem. This included everyone from elementary-aged children to retired adults. It also shifted the core community of a micro nation from infrequent real-world meetings to online bulletin boards or forums. Suddenly a micronation could interact with its citizen base 24/7 and reach recruits globally. This drastically changed the dynamic of the micronational world as the genre shifted to nations that existed solely online.

With the sudden influx of online nations it became increasingly difficult for them to interact. With several different nations each producing their own maps there was no common ground, so to speak. Thus Micras was born as a means to share a common geography with others. The MCS was created as an oversight committee to both regulate and administer the map. Once granted membership, a micro nation is expected to uphold the values and rules of the Society.

Starting Your Own Country

If you are interested in starting your own country, it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with the existing (and even dead and defunct) nations of Micras. These can provide ideas and inspiration for your own project.

Once you have done some basic research and are ready to start, you can make use of a number of pre-made templates available. Simply copy and paste these templates into a new article, and fill in the required information.

Wikis and Forums

While bulletin boards used to be the primary form of communication between micronationalists, that method has gone out of use. Most interactions (and actions) are undertaken through descriptive narratives written on the wiki.

Communication is done through the MCS' forum, either by posting or via private message, or on Micras' Discord server.

Claiming Land

Claiming land is relatively easy. You will need basic image editing software. For IBM users MS Paint is the best option. For Mac users, Paintbrush is the best equivalent.

A nice walkthrough is available on the MCS' forum.

War and Peace

Wars and diplomacy are usually conducted directly between micronational leaders. It is common courtesy to discuss ones plans with your neighbor before planning a war or signing a treaty. Most wars are considered "recreational" and are conducted through articles co-written by the parties involved on the wiki.