Join Aurora
Thanks for your interest in joining Aurora. By deciding to take part, you're becoming part of a great community of people dedicated to having fun, learning history, debating politics, and improving their web skills.
There are a few things that you should do before committing to Aurora.
First of all, you should read through this website and familiarize yourself with the rules. By doing this, you will know what is expected of you. Don't worry, these expectations boil down to two things: be courteous and create a minimum of information on a website.
Second, read the discussion list that we use to communicate. You'll learn the latest news and events occuring in Aurora, and how they're presented. After reading the list, you'll get a feel for the atmosphere that we enjoy.
Next, visit the nations of Aurora. You'll see how the other players have decided to present their nations, which may give you some good ideas for your own nation. If you don't think you're web skills are on par with those of the other players, don't worry! The PlanetMaster has created a basic template for you to download and modify as you see fit. Another player has created a basic "tourist guide" style template. It's OK to create your nation's web presence entirely within the wiki. Also, many of the players of Aurora are more than happy to answer any questions that you may have.
After this, and assuming you've made the decision to join, think about the type of nation and culture that you wish to play. What are the people like in your nation? What sort of religion do they believe in? Do they value commerce? After answering these questions, think about which nations would be logical neighbors to yours. Nations that are close together tend to have similar cultures. This isn't a requirement, though- your nation can reside in any open territory. But if your nation is very different from those around it, you'll have to figure out why that's so (only as a factor of your nation's background, you won't have to take a test on this).
If for you the form and nature of a nation follow from its environment, look at the maps for an interesting place. Consider the general ethnic types that are shown, and the climate zones. What would the people be like who dwell there? What would they do for a living, or for fun? Would they be modern (up to Earth's 1940) or behind the times? Would they be isolated from the neighbors or constantly dealing with adjacent countries for resources? What might they grow, or make? Look at the scale of the maps - on the equirectangular ones, accurate only right at the equator. While the territories shown may seem limited, many are quite large. None are truly as tiny as Earth's Monaco or Singapore. If the ethnic generalities don't suit you, can you figure a backstory in harmony with Aurora's general history that would have brought in other people groups, or mixed the ones shown?
Now, fill out the Joining Form (below). Fill in all of the blanks, and be
as thorough as you can. Please, please, please do include a valid email - otherwise we have no way to contact you to
get you started! We will not give your email out without permission! This will give the PlanetMaster
( 
) an opportunity to give you advice or any other information
about your nation's area or background that might interest you. The PM will email you and let you know that your
request has been received. Follow up with additional detail if the form was not adequate to explain your plans.
There's an out-of-game section of the board just for presenting nation concepts.
After that you will work on your website. Remember, you can use templates that others have created if you wish. All you need to use them is a text editor. Also remember that your nation must contain the minimum information set down by the rules. Ask as many questions as you like in the out-of-game parts of the Aurora discussion board - others will be willing to coordinate their nations' details with yours, maybe even modify their stated history, if you present interesting opportunities. When your site is done, contact the PlanetMaster and let them know. Your site will be reviewed, and if you have the necessary information, approved. Once approved, your participation will be announced on the website by the PM. After this, you can start playing, interacting in the in-game portions of the discussion board and the wiki.