NationStates Jolt Archive

Issue: Intelligence has come back from your spies that there is a resistance movement brewing on the outskirts of your nation. What makes this report unusual is that there is talk of assassination of high government officials, yourself among them.

Resolutions: 1. "Don't worry about it, sir," says the head of your secret police. "We'll send a few agents out and clean up these insurgents easily. Just give me the word and they're dead and buried."

2. "Um, sir?" says your personal aide, "If there are some prominent people behind this, a mass disappearance might cause questions. A propaganda campaign showing your virtuous ways and the value of our government would work much better, especially if we televised it. We'd get free PR for the next election too."

3. "Hmph!" grunts the head of your armed forces, "Don't know why you're standing for this. Single the blighters out and have them tried! That way, when you find them guilty, you've got the public on your side and you get rid of your threat."

4. "Why bother?" asks your brother-in-law as you chat over coffee, "These things happen and the whole 'fight the power' thing will die out in a few months. Take a vacation and when you get back, if anybody's been killed, the police will have had their manhunt and you can return to your place of power with your opposition taken care of."

5. Dismiss the issue.

Results: 1. Citizens who criticize the government, including some well-known comedians and political cartoonists, vanish without trace. (Political freedoms fall as citizens are less willing to take opposing stands on political issues)

2. "Big Brother is Your Friend" is dominating primetime TV. (Consumer confidence rises a bit as people feel better about their country however, political freedoms fall as the status quo is promoted as the only true form of government)

3. There are daily trials and executions of those who question the government. (Civil rights and political freedoms take a sharp downturn, as people are witness to the government arbitrarily selecting and killing citizens)

4. The leader of the country is rumored to be visiting family overseas and the Minister for Internal Affairs has been shot on the front steps of his own home. (Consumer confidence suffers as people wonder what will become of their country)

5. Politicians making speeches are frequently interrupted by gunfire. (Political freedom gets a boost, as people use high ordinance to make their views known.)


Any criticism? Suggestions?

First of all, if you dismiss an issue, it has no effects. :idea: In addition your issue is formatted wrong. Lastly, your effects can't be so one sided. And, you seem to be supportive of treasonous behavior. I wonder why this is so. :roll:

[option]#Write option here
[effect]#These words gets displayed in the description, if this option is chosen
[stats]#These are the effects on seats; no explanations should be given

[option]#second option
[effect]#blah, blah
[stats]#blah, blah

Thank you for your feedback, ambassador. Now allow me to respond.

1. Dismissing an issue does not automatically mean your people will not do anything regarding the issue in question. It merely means your government will do nothing. And there are issues that will resolve themselves quietly without government intervention. However, if a ruler receives word that someone is out to get him and his fellows and does nothing about it, while the word may turn out to be just rumor, it may also be factual and the ruler's ignorance then causes an abrupt change in who exactly is running the country.

2. Below my words is the properly formated issue. Again, if there are errors, let me know.

3. What options and effects, as mine are one-sided, would you suggest for such an issue? Are there options that I have neglected or missed? I would value your advice.

4. I can only assume your last comment is facetious. How exactly is wondering what a ruler might decide to do if threatened physically treasonous? We live in a world where there exist people angry, desperate or stupid enough to believe that killing one or two of the people in charge will change the way things are. Why not explore what preventative measures could be available to a ruler and the effects such measures would have on her populace?

The issue, with correct formats....

Intelligence has come back from your spies that there is a resistance movement brewing on the outskirts of your nation. What makes this report unusual is that there is talk of assassination of high government officials, yourself among them.

#"Don't worry about it, sir," says the head of your secret police. "We'll send a few agents out and clean up these insurgents easily. Just give me the word and they're dead and buried."
#Citizens who criticize the government, including some well-known comedians and political cartoonists, vanish without trace.
#Decrease political freedoms

#"Um, sir?" says your personal aide, "If there are some prominent people behind this, a mass disappearance might cause questions. A propaganda campaign showing your virtuous ways and the value of our government would work much better, especially if we televised it. We'd get free PR for the next election too."
#"Big Brother is Your Friend" is dominating primetime TV.
#Increase economy and happiness of populace. Decrease political freedoms.

#"Hmph!" grunts the head of your armed forces, "Don't know why you're standing for this. Single the blighters out and have them tried! That way, when you find them guilty, you've got the public on your side and you get rid of your threat."
#There are daily trials and executions of those who question the government.
#Decrease civil rights and political freedoms.

#"Why bother?" asks your brother-in-law as you chat over coffee, "These things happen and the whole 'fight the power' thing will die out in a few months. Take a vacation and when you get back, if anybody's been killed, the police will have had their manhunt and you can return to your place of power with your opposition taken care of."
#The leader of the country is rumored to be visiting family overseas and the Minister for Internal Affairs has been shot on the front steps of his own home.
[stats]#Increase political freedoms.

#Dismiss the issue.
#Politicians making speeches are frequently interrupted by gunfire.
[stats]#Increase political freedoms.

First of all,Although in RL, dismissing an issue does not make it go away, in nationstates it does. Thus, for instance, if someone finds an issue offensive, he or she can dismiss it with no ill effects. Secondly,leave out the # signs. They're not actually part of the format. I just used them like bullet points. The [/blahs] are not necessary either.
The stats will be the hardest part. Currently option 1 and 2 are biased, as it only decreases stats, and option three is biased because it only increases stats. Perhaps, they should decrease crime, as people will now be more reluctant to disobey the government. However, the two options should probly have different stats. Option four is biased for the opposite reason. It only increases stats. This shouldn't be tooo hard to fix, because there must be a downside to the abandonment of your country during a crisis.

Note: These may not be the correct terminology. That can be fixed later.