Depending upon the game, there may be several nations available, or only one.
Players select a city in which to create their initial noble.
The initial noble may be created in any city controlled by the new player's nation. The list of cities controlled by a nation is not published. To get a list of cities, new players should contact an established player in the nation they are joining and negotiate for that information. Optionally, the new player can choose to start randomly in some city controlled by the nation he is joining. If all else fails, the initial noble will be created in the nation's capital, even if that city has been conquered by another nation.