NationStates

Luna Edit: don't delete; I need this to copy into the issues spoiler sticky when it runs out of posts.

Luna Edit: don't delete; I need this to copy into the issues spoiler sticky when it runs out of posts.

Luna Edit: don't delete; I need this to copy into the issues spoiler sticky when it runs out of posts.

Luna Edit: don't delete; I need this to copy into the issues spoiler sticky when it runs out of posts.

I might be wrong - But I think I've got a new one....

Tourists On Death Row

The Issue

A group of holidaymakers from @@NATION@@ have been arrested while visiting the scenic, yet corrupt and totalitarian, nation of Maxtopia on charges of drug trafficking - an offence which carries the maximum sentence of the death penalty. The story has provoked outrage from citizens, many believing the government should intervene to bring the tourists back home.

The Debate

1."Everyone knows what barbarians those Maxtopians are!" says Freddy Winters, parent to one of the arrestees. "They've not even allowed my son and his friends access to lawyers! That government is as corrupt as they are cruel, my boy would never have anything to do with drugs! You need to do something to save them, I'm begging you! I'm sure the Maxtopian officials will back down if you threaten trade sanctions or something. Right?"


2."You've got to see it from the other side," argues Jack Steele, a customs official. "While it's unfortunate that the sentence is so stiff, they really shouldn't have been smuggling drugs. I'm sure we wouldn't be happy if Maxtopians came over here with banned goods. I just can't sympathise: they were greedy, they broke the law, they got caught. What makes them so special that they should be bailed out? At the taxpayers' expense I might add. Let them be - it'll show we respect the judicial rights of other countries."


3."I agree," chimes in Jean-Paul Wall, an anti-drug campaigner, waving a banner which reads 'Don't Be a Fool, Drugs Aren't Cool'. "Did you ever stop to think that our foreign neighbours might have the right idea? A zero-tolerance attitude to the drugs issue is what this country needs! Death to the dealers!"


4."You people are so quick to lay the finger of blame," says Prudence Trax, an ambassador at @@NATION@@'s embassy in Maxtopia. "My motto has always been 'If you want something, give something away'. It is the government's duty to protect its citizens from harm! We don't want to cause too much international friction by making a mockery of their laws so we've got to settle things more diplomatically: they scratch our backs now and we'll scratch theirs later."


5."That's what they want! Leverage!" hollers Beth Wong, your Minister of Defence, storming into your office. "Advances in our markets, political favours - they'll do anything to undermine us! They've always hated us, those rats! If you ask me, this brouhaha isn't about drugs - it's a spit in our eye, that's what it is! What kind of people execute kids for having a few ounces on them? We ought to give them a good bombing, then they'll know how a proper country behaves!"

Issue by: The Novel Questioners of The New Inquisitors
Editor: Sirocco

Where's the option where investigators are sent to review the evidence and see if the charges are bogus or legit? Something about "Look before you leap."

Marcuslandia wrote:Where's the option where investigators are sent to review the evidence and see if the charges are bogus or legit? Something about "Look before you leap."

The fact that Maxtopia is described as corrupt implies that the charges are bogus, negating the need for an option to investigate the charges.

Palpatinist Coruscant wrote:

Marcuslandia wrote:Where's the option where investigators are sent to review the evidence and see if the charges are bogus or legit? Something about "Look before you leap."

The fact that Maxtopia is described as corrupt implies that the charges are bogus, negating the need for an option to investigate the charges.

Just because the officials are _usually_ corrupt doesn't mean that they're _always_ corrupt. If you're going take an international stance, it helps immensely if you have solid evidence to point to (or the opposition's lack of solid evidence). It would be tremendously embarrassing to loudly scream "You've falsely imprisoned our citizens!" only to have it later demonstrated that those citizens HAD, indeed, been smuggling drugs.

[If the notification had come with a demand for 50 million currency units "to have us dismiss the charges", the likelihood of the charges being bogus would have been more likely.]

*********************
Odd coincidence. Commented on this issue, and then I received it for the first time two days later. (Wish they "investigate further" choice had been added.)

The occurences of @@REGION@@ seem to have been abolished. In Issue 24 it now says "in our region" instead of "in @@REGION@@" and in Issue 218 it now says "of all the region" instead of "of all @@REGION@@".

Ballotonia wrote:Thanks Unibot, it's verified

The default religion is set to "a major religion", the default leader is set to "Leader". Was kinda hoping the latter would be a @@RANDOMNAME@@ or "Max Barry", or something funny-ish like "C. Ur. Settings".

Ballotonia

Would have been cute, but then players would keep being addressed as Max Barry or whatever until their nation was big enough to get the issue. And if you didn't want a national leader at all... plain old 'Leader' was the best choice as far as I could see. Gender-neutral and broad enough not to get in the way of players' imagined titles.

I think I've got one that's not here yet.

@@NAME@@ To Hold The Olympic Torch? (#246)

Enthusiastic sports fans have been petitioning the government all week to apply for the much-coveted honour of hosting the next Regional Olympics. While most citizens are excited at the prospect of a @@REGION@@-wide competition in their own country, some have expressed reservations about the enormous expense hosting would incur.
The Debate

1. "WAHAAAAY!" screams @@RANDOMNAME@@, captain of @@NAME@@ City's premier division ballroom dancing team. "Finally, a chance to show the world exactly how great I am! Everybody's always complaining that @@NAME@@ never does well in sports and you know why? It's because we're never in front of the home crowd, that's why! We're going to need a great big stadium! No! TWO stadiums! WHOOP! OL-YM-PICS! OL-YM-PICS!"


2. "Oh great," mutters @@RANDOMNAME@@, spokesperson for the Angry Taxpayer Society. "That's all we need, more things to pour money into for no obvious reason. Surely it would be easier to just let another country host the Olympics and keep the cash? Then maybe it could go to something useful, like, I don't know... my wallet?"


3. "We'd be missing an amazing opportunity if we pass this up," says @@RANDOMNAME@@, your Minister of Sports. "But we've got to be in it to win! Simply building new stadia won't be enough, we need to be funding new sports centres and hiring the best coaches for our entrants! You could put more money into public facilities too, like gyms or something. Then no one can accuse you of wasting everyone's tax soya beans, ha ha. Ha."


4. "There's nothing like a feat of strength to please the dull-witted masses, is there?" sighs @@RANDOMNAME@@, flipping through 'One Hundred Gambits for Advanced Go Players'. "It's so boring. Why can't more intellectual pursuits be given the spotlight, like chess or debating matches? Ban organised sports and make our dreams come true! I think you'll find it comes at a far lower price than the populist Olympics ever will."

Who wrote that issue? I'd like to add that information as well

BTW, added:
#245: Clash Of Cultures [Drunk cowboy junkies; ed:Sirocco]

Ballotonia

And now also added:

#246: @@NAME@@ To Hold The Olympic Torch? [Yenen; ed:Sirocco]

Ballotonia

Added:

#247: Where There's Smoke [Avartinate; ed:Sirocco]

I don't like option #2, it's just too much of an easy choice.

Ballotonia

@@CAPITAL@@: Capital city (from settings)
@@FAITH@@: National religion (from settings)
@@LEADER@@: National leader name (from settings)

I don't have any of these - how can I set them?

These become available after answering these issues positively:
#241: A Capital City For @@NAME@@? [Sirocco]
#242: Follow The Leader [Sirocco]
#243: A Question Of Faith [Sirocco]

Ballotonia

Found a new issue:

The Sky Is Falling

A particularly bad spate of bombings, hijackings and snake attacks aboard airline flights has crippled the air travel industry in @@NAME@@. The government has convened to discuss possible ways of improving airport security.

1. "It's a no-brainer," says @@RANDOMNAME@@, frisking you as you enter the meeting. "Put police officers on every flight, armed and ready to deal with those blasted sky pirates! It's deterrence and protection wrapped up in one. If anyone so much as says the word 'bomb' they'd better watch out!"

2. "You want to put people with GUNS on aeroplanes?!" asks @@RANDOMNAME@@, a security guard at @@RANDOMNAME@@ International Airport. "And at the taxpayers' expense to boot? For the love of Violet, keep the police out of this! Airport security should remain in private hands! Think realistically for a moment: government priorities change all the time but companies are in it for profit. Bombings are BAD for business! We don't LET them happen! So just... butt out will you? I'm not losing my job to a flatfoot!"


3. "We don't need no copper protectin' us! We can look after our own hides!" laughs @@RANDOMNAME@@, president of the @@NAME@@ City Rifle and Revolver Association. "Air flight passengers should be allowed to carry concealed weapons. If one of them terrorists thinks he's gonna walk all over @@NAME@@ like he owns the place then he's got another thing coming, ha!"


4. "I only wanted to tour @@REGION@@ for a few w-weeks," wails @@RANDOMNAME@@, recovering from a particularly vigourous strip search. "I have a right not to be probed and prodded at the whim of some wand-waving monkey with a high school education! For a whole HOUR I might add! They treat us like cattle! In the name of DECENCY, I request, nay DEMAND an end to the disgrace that is airport security! I mean, really, it's like they don't trust me or something!"


5. "Let's just ban all planes!" shouts @@RANDOMNAME@@, prodding you angrily in the chest. "Bombings and terrorist attacks aren't the only problems these things cause! The aeroplane is one of the worst pollutants mankind has ever created! They're loud, they're ugly, and they burn fuel like there's no tomorrow! There are more environment-friendly ways to travel than by plane even if they are slower! Much slower. But cleaner!"

Number? Author?

Ballotonia

ok, got it:

#248: The Sky Is Falling [Freedomstaki; ed:Sirocco]

Ballotonia

Added:

#249: Particle Accelerator Sparks High Energy Debate [Milostein; ed:Sirocco]

Ballotonia

Added:

#251: The Trouble With Hobos [Responsible; ed:Sirocco]

No idea (yet) what #250 is though.


BTW, we are now at a whopping 250 issues in the game! Way to go Sirocco for editing so many of them!

Ballotonia

<<Somone should update NS Wiki with the new Issues, stat changes and National happenings descripitons.>>

Ballotonia wrote:These become available after answering these issues positively:
#241: A Capital City For @@NAME@@? [Sirocco]
#242: Follow The Leader [Sirocco]
#243: A Question Of Faith [Sirocco]

Ballotonia

What is the population needed to get that issue? Also, does the which one lets you name your leader AND keep a democracy?

Greater Swedenn wrote:

Ballotonia wrote:These become available after answering these issues positively:
#241: A Capital City For @@NAME@@? [Sirocco]
#242: Follow The Leader [Sirocco]
#243: A Question Of Faith [Sirocco]

Ballotonia

What is the population needed to get that issue? Also, does the which one lets you name your leader AND keep a democracy?

From what I understand there is NO population marker for them and the 1st choices Will ALWAYS give you the fields in your settings page.

From what I understand there is NO population marker for them and the 1st choices Will ALWAYS give you the fields in your settings page.

There is a different population marker for each special issue, but the markers are relatively small.