[DRAFT] I've Got 99 Theses...

[The Emperor Fenix]

In my mental issue tree I think this would be ISSUE ONE

After news breaks of a small town priest covering the interior of his palatial home in gold, some are calling for a reform of church practices.

Validity: Nations with an established religion

[option] "Preposterous!" booms Arch-Prophet @@randomname@@, wiping the face of her rolex on her silk robes. "If God didn't want the Church to be wealthy he wouldn't have inspired all those devout souls to donate their life savings to us. Isn't it time @@name@@ instituted a tithe? I'm sure I could get by on, let's say, 10% of people's income."
[effect] clergy can been spotted taking private jets to weekend services.
[stats] increase taxation, culture, spirituality spending, social conservatism.

[option] Filthy hermit @@randomname@@ stops nailing something to your door to scream "SIN, MAMMONRY, DEATH. The church must abandon this path of greed and bind itself to the virtues of humility and service to all." He pauses to steal a sandwich from your desk before continuing. "I've slept in a cave in the woods for nearly 15 years, drinking rain water and eating moss, and I've never felt closer to God."
[effect] newly homeless priests are conducting church services from beneath highway underpasses
OR perhaps
[effect] hundreds of devotees seeking solitude can be found crammed into every available cave
[stats] reduction in spirituality spending, culture, beverage sales. increase in income equality, niceness, trout fishing

[option] Grey robed Cardinal @@randomname@@ whispers to you from behind a curtain. "Sir, isn't the real problem here not that the church is wealthy, but that you're not enjoying any of the profits? Wouldn't it make more sense if you had yourself appointed head of the church? For the good of the people of course."
[effect] @@ leader@@ has been appointed supreme pontiff of @@faith@@
[stats] increase in authoritarianism, government size

[option] Secular firebrand @@randomname@@ shouts up at you from beneath your office "This is what state support for @@faith@@ has got us!" She hurls a brick that falls well short of your window. "It's time you removed state support for the church, maybe look the other way while I burn a few down."
[effect] @@denonnymplural@@ warm themselves in front of the merry glow and burning ancient centres of worship
[stats] decrease religiousness, spirituality spending, culture. no longer valid for state religion issues.

[EDIT] "right"/"write" not an auspicious start when I'm finding typos like that at the top.

[EDIT] My thinking here is that there are a couple of nation types that aren't served very much by issue trees. There are plenty spiraling down into military dictatorship or theocratic dictatorship, but the issues that talk about returning to a feudal society don't go so far, nor are other kinds of religious society [IE monastic] explored.

[The Emperor Fenix]

TEF Own brand issue number system ISSUE FOUR

[DRAFT] Iconoclastic Fantastic

Since taking your rightful place as the head of @@faith@@ religious factionalism has been been proliferating out of control, petitioners throng your office demanding you settle arcane theological disputes.

Validity: nations that choose option 3 from the issue above to make themselves head of the church. This I would argue sets them apart from issues that have them worshipped as the head of a personality cult.

also, for this I thought it would be possible to have this issue settle two different ways. Option 1 and 2 are essentially indistinguishable, one version of the issue would thus have choosing option 1 solve nothing and escalate the conflict in a further issue, with option 2 settling the matter, the other version whilst textually identical would do the reverse. This would mirror historical examples where temporal meddling in theological disputes were as likely to prolong conflict as solve anything.

[option] High Precept @@randomname@@ emerges from a thick cloud of incense into your office saying "@@Leader@@ blessings be upon you, I've no doubt you've heard of these deranged iconoclasts, calling for the destruction of precious, money earning, I mean miracle working, Icons. It's time you took a stand on this issue. As guardian of the faith I'm sure they'll listen to you and abandon their cause immediately."
[effect] is experiencing a period of unprecedented religious harmony
OR
[effect] defying state edict schismatic sects proliferate everywhere
[stats] decrease violence increase religiousness
OR
[stats] increase violence, decrease niceness

[option] Shouting to be heard of an accompanying flock of cherubic choirboys Grand Bishop @@randomname@@ says "Your holiness, we the true disciples of the faith beseech you to aid us in rooting out the corruption that has, through no fault of your own, grown in the body of the church. Our scriptures clearly forbid images of any kind so you see we're compelled to oust these blasphemous clerics, and take the burden of their immense power and wealth onto ourselves."
[effect] is experiencing a period of unprecedented religious harmony
OR
[effect] defying state edict schismatic sects proliferate everywhere
[stats] decrease violence increase religiousness
OR
[stats] increase violence, decrease niceness

[option] Once again secular firebrand @@randomname@@ stands beneath your office window, pelting it with chunks of masonry. "See! This chaos is the inevitable result of state interference in religion. Take off your robes of office and let freedom ring throughout the land. We can reclaim the churches and turn them into something far more wholesome, like malls, or parking lots."
[effect] @@faith@@ loses state support
[stats] decrease spirituality spending, religiousness,

[The Emperor Fenix]

TEF Farme Growne Ma's Recipe Issue Number System Issue 5

[DRAFT] Devote Dustup Destroying Downtown

Attempts to curb theological infighting have failed utterly and the populace is divided, brawling in the streets over ever more minor religious differences.

[option] "This madness has gone far enough" blusters your Minister For Aggressive Solutions "I can scarcely set foot outside my door without a mob demanding I pick a side on some ridiculous matter or other. I'm all for violence but it should be us that's doing the violence...ing. I say we put an end to this disorder once and for all, declare martial law, send out the army, kill anyone who looks like they're about to start a fight. That should make things peaceful pretty sharpish."
[effect] the army has orders to kill on sight anyone who argues the morality of killing on sight
[stats] BLAH

[option] "There has to be a better way." cries your Minister For Timid Solutions, from within your panic room "why don't we invite learned scholar co-religionists from around the word to @@name@@ to find an amicable solution to all these disputes. Sure it'll cost a little to put together this kind of international forum, but what's money when compared to peace of the realm?"
[effect] airports are filled with I DON"T KNOW WHAT TO WRITE HERE
[stats]

[option] Despite recent improvements to your personal security secular firebrand @@randomname@@ narrowly misses hitting you with what looks to be a holy relic before shouting "Blood in the streets! A nation in turmoil! Is this what you wanted when you began us on this path of religious tyranny? Disestablish the church at once or it'll be the downfall @@name@@. And when you've done that we can finally return to the values I hold dear, ruthlessly exploiting the poor."
[effect] @@faith@@ loses state support
[stats] BLAH I'll put this in later, you can figure it out by now

ALSO

Basically this is the bad end of the tree for option three in issue 1. The secularizing option in any of these options would lead you to a "now what do we do with all these historic buildings [pay to have them kept up/let them run down/knock them down to build malls]" issue. I was thinking to make a chain for options 1 & 2 as well. Something along the lines of "The great prophet is looking to coup you" for 1 and, "The monasteries are gaining power [support them/reign them in/close the borders god wills it]" for 2. >.> I forgot if I was going to write anything else here. w/e

[Sanctaria]

I have no idea what you're doing here. One issue per thread.

Also we're not really looking at new issues trees or chains at the moment but we'll let you know if that changes.

[Annihilators of Chan Island]

I have no idea what you're doing here. One issue per thread.

Also we're not really looking at new issues trees or chains at the moment but we'll let you know if that changes.

He's going for a big ambitious religious issue tree. I have a gut instinct though that something like this may already exist.

[Valrifell]

I have no idea what you're doing here. One issue per thread.

Also we're not really looking at new issues trees or chains at the moment but we'll let you know if that changes.

He's going for a big ambitious religious issue tree. I have a gut instinct though that something like this may already exist.

Maybe one has another one after it, but I don't think there's a religion issue that spreads into a tree.

[The Emperor Fenix]

I have no idea what you're doing here. One issue per thread.

Also we're not really looking at new issues trees or chains at the moment but we'll let you know if that changes.

Getting carried away is really the answer to that. Or perhaps writing them somewhere before I forgot about the whole thing. Yes I could have just written them in a file somewhere but for some reason I didn't. I mean probably more I wasn't under the misapprehension that the first issue was really good enough to make the grade so I was tinkering with the concept rather than write unrelated issues in other threads that would be just as hopeless.

I'm going to have to wait ages for this thread to die age of the first page and erase my shame eh.

[Sanctaria]

I have no idea what you're doing here. One issue per thread.

Also we're not really looking at new issues trees or chains at the moment but we'll let you know if that changes.

Getting carried away is really the answer to that. Or perhaps writing them somewhere before I forgot about the whole thing. Yes I could have just written them in a file somewhere but for some reason I didn't. I mean probably more I wasn't under the misapprehension that the first issue was really good enough to make the grade so I was tinkering with the concept rather than write unrelated issues in other threads that would be just as hopeless.

I'm going to have to wait ages for this thread to die age of the first page and erase my shame eh.

Well obviously we welcome creativity. But my recommendation would be work at one issue until it's acceptable and possibly added to the game. Then maybe think about "well, there is a consequence here that hasn't been covered before", and then we can think about treeing.

Passion, enthusiasm, and getting carried away are encouraging, but until you nail one issue, I wouldn't put too much thought into the next steps.

[Sadakoyama]

In my mental issue tree I think this would be ISSUE ONE

After news breaks of a small town priest covering the interior of his palatial home in gold, some are calling for a reform of church practices.

...


[effect] @@denonnymplural@@ warm themselves in front of the merry glow and of burning ancient centres of worship
[stats] decrease religiousness, spirituality spending. no longer valid for state religion issues.

Typo

[Sierra Lyricalia]

This is excellent. I hope you won't mind if I do some copyediting. I have nowhere near enough experience at this to detect any flaws in the substance of this issue as written; the stat changes sound about right. (maybe taking Option 2, the hermit, increases your Trout Fishing industry a bit and decreases Beverage Sales; Option 4 should decrease culture as well)

Suggested additions/deletions in simple red; suggested replacements in [red brackets].

[option] "Preposterous!" booms Arch-Prophet @@randomname@@, wiping the face of her rolex on her silk robes. "If God didn't want the Church to be wealthy he wouldn't have inspired all those devote [devout] souls to donate their life savings to us. Isn't it time @@name@@ instituted a tithe? I'm sure I could get by on, let's say, 10% of people's income."
[effect] clergy can been spotted taking private jets to weekend services.
[stats] increase taxation, culture, spirituality spending, social conservatism.

[option] Filthy hermit @@randomname@@ stops nailing something to your door to scream "SIN, MAMMONRY, DEATH. The church must abandon this path of greed and devote itself to the virtues of humility and service to all." He pauses to steal a sandwich from your desk before continuing. "I've slept in a cave in the woods for nearly 15 years, drinking rain water and eating moss, and I've never felt closer to God."
[effect] newly homeless priests are conducting church services from beneath highway underpasses
OR perhaps
[effect] hundreds of devotees seeking solitude can be found crammed into every available cave
[stats] reduction in spirituality spending, culture. increase in income equality, niceness

[option] Grey robed Cardinal @@randomname@@ whispers to you from behind a curtain. "Sir, isn't the real problem here not that the church is wealthy, but that you're not enjoying any of the profits.[?] Wouldn't it make more sense if you had yourself appointed head of the church? For the good of the people of course."
[effect] @@ leader@@ has been appointed supreme pontiff of @@faith@@
[stats] increase in authoritarianism, government size

[option] Secular firebrand @@randomname@@ shouts up at your from beneath your office "This is what state support for @@faith@@ has got us.[!]" She hurls a brick that falls well short of your window. "It's time you removed state support for the church, maybe look the other way while I burn a few down."
[effect] @@denonnymplural@@ warm themselves in front of the merry glow and burning ancient centres of worship
[stats] decrease religiousness, spirituality spending. no longer valid for state religion issues.