Quickstart guide:
 
So you want to play >bloc and start off optimally? Welcome! Here you will learn how to do well early on.
The guide is for the best start and the best play, political opinions play no part.
 
First, read : http://blocgame.com/forums/index.php?topic=234.0
 
You don't have to master everything, but knowing a bit of how the game works before you jump in and blindly follow commands is helpful.
 
It'll also be greatly beneficial if you join us on the IRC or the kype group chat (which is text-only, not voice or video chat). Communication is hugely important in this game, and being part of the core group is always more fun. If you want to join the skype, send a comm to IIIlllIl ingame, or ask on irc.
irc.rizon.net
/join #NLR inkiepie
 
If you aren't familiar with IRC, don't fret; it's easy. Go here: https://kiwiirc.com/client
Click "Rizon" on the featured networks list, pick a nickname (preferably match your nation name for simplicity's sake), and set the channel to "#NLR" and click the little key icon and input "inkiepie" into the key field.
 
Next, pick the following for your nation :
 
Government Type : Multi-party Democracy.
 
Liberal democracies (multi-party in the creation screen) benefit from a bonus to US relations and with the new raw materials mechanics, scales exceptionally well with growth via elections. Liberal Democracies also have the ability to almost nothing on QOL if you do this right. You only need to avoid hitting the lowest tier (humanitarian crisis).
 
Economic System : Mixed.
 
You're mixed so you can use "privatize" in your first turn (later in this guide), which will set you to Free Market. Being a Free Market will give you more relations with America, and allows you to take the best decision for economic growth in the game.
 
Region Placement : Caribbean (Latin America)
 
Latin America has a discount in mines and is getting a buff (confirmed) to free markets / us-aligned. This will make us even stronger.
 
NOTE : NEVER. NEVER. NEVER. EVER. FOR ANY REASON : Run drugs to the USA. It will kill your reputation, the money you gain isn't worth the rep loss, and it will ensure you are hated by the USA.
 
 
Opening moves:
 
- Make sure you start off as a Liberal Democracy, Free Market, in Caribbean.
 
- The starting event is crucial, make sure you select "cement your rule" in order to raise stability.
 
- Change your starting flag, leader portrait, and description. This is to avoid an attack from people who think you don't know how to play or are inactive.
 
- Message IIIlllIl, Vizio, or Edrmousepad for an invite to NLR.
http://www.blocgame.com/stats.php?id=8759
http://www.blocgame.com/stats.php?id=39037
http://www.blocgame.com/stats.php?id=40925
 
- First, Conscript 6k soldiers (that's three conscriptions). Afterwards conscript once every single turn. EVERY SINGLE TURN.
 
- Then, Praise the Americans so that your official alignment is set with the Americans.
 
- Train your soldiers until they are elite.
 
- Raise Minimum Wage until your approval is "worshiped as a god". This will reinforce your stability next turn, don't worry about the loss of growth, your stability will auto-recover it one turn. Perform this action once, check your popularity, and repeat. Stop as soon as you hit "worshiped as a god".
 
- Go to the map, click on Caribbean, Gran Colombia, or Mesoamerica. Find the page with nations at 600 gdp. Find a nation with the default description that is NOT in an alliance and attack them for easy territory, growth, and GDP. Aim for people above 70 hours offline and with the weakest militaries you can find, preferably one with no airforce. **If you can find an eastern aligned nation, pick that one, as it will give USA points**. 15k is the default number of troops. Try finding one with less than this.
 
- If you war dec'd an eastern nation, you should have enough America points now to buy some airforce. Do so. IF YOUR TARGET HAS NO AIRFORCE, use your airforce to bomb their ground troops (kills 2k of their army minimum). Now launch offensive.
 
- AFTER you find a nation and HAVE ALREADY declared war, PRIVATIZE. This will reduce your GDP for instant cash.
 
- Use your new cash to arrest the opposition until you reach 100% stability (you can see this by clicking the stability tier on your nation page), then hold new elections.
 
- Your stability should be at "Unsinkable", and you should be liberal democracy.
 
- Remaining money should be spent on expanding Raw Material production (early on oil is irrelevant, don't worry about it for now. Any extra you obtain from eliminated inactive nations, you can sell to older alliance members who do need it.)
 
- After your first turn, regardless of who you war dec'd, you should have delicious American relationship points, use it to buy an airforce.
 
- From here on its a matter of playing smart. There are a lot of nuances, so don't be afraid to ask older members for advice.
 
 
Use of Alignment Points:
 
You should use your alignment points to get aircraft from the USA. Doing so will give you a great edge in early wars. Do this until you are at the most powerful airforce level possible. If you are doing everything else correctly, you should be getting several alignment points each turn. If you do the math on the cost of airforce (based on current RM prices) vs. army (forum market price), airforce is more efficient -- i.e. buy airforce with USA points, rather than army.
 
 
Turn by Turn priorities:
 
- Recruit soldiers, 2k or 4k troops. EVERY. SINGLE. TURN. Read the forum thread linked at the beginning of this to see exactly how manpower works.
 
- Upkeep training. ( do NOT stop at Elite, Elite is like a "letter score". Train until it says "Your men are the Elite of the Elite, you cannot train them further". NOTE : you can avoid this amount of rigorous training until about 30,000 Soldiers, before then just keep it up at Mediocre.
 
- Expand raw material (RM) production
 
- Expand oil production. Check the market to see what oil and RM are selling for to decide how to split your investment into these two. Keep in mind that you have to prospect for oil reserves.
 
- Don't spend cash on economic growth options, let your growth go up from stability and factories. Invest instead in mines.
 
- Build industry. Any foreign investment you build up with EFI (encourage foreign investment) should be saved, as it can trigger an event that results in a factory. This means you shouldn't nationalize it.
 
- Look for people to attack. They must be in a bordering region, NOT in an alliance, and easy to take over. Even better if you can find one in the opposite alignment (Eastern Bloc). Remember, 5k and lower is an instant kill, and 7k and lower is an instant kill if you bomb their ground forces once BEFORE launching an offensive. Make sure they don't have an airforce before you try bombing them.
 
 
 
Long term guide:
 
- Use Burger relationship points to reach max level airforce (this will take a while).
 
- Research chems only if / when you are already at Gandhi-Like reputation (NEVER research before).
 
- Try to get two factories ASAP. DO NOT bother buying weapons.
 
- As soon as you hit Vietnam Surplus, Build two more factories (You can keep building AK presidentes, but they are inefficient, switch to tanks ASAP)
 
- IRC.