[DRAFT] Beware Bioweapons

[Golgothastan]

The idea behind this issue is you only get it if you choose to develop unconventional weapons (see Validity). That issue conflates biological and nuclear weapons, but this one is only about bioweapons.

Name

Beware Bioweapons

Description

An investigation has linked the recent outbreak of Spon Plague among the wild @@ANIMAL@@ population of Northern @@NAME@@ to a nearby military weapons facility, and the researchers involved have been ordered to appear before an oversight committee.

Validity

Response to Option 1 or 2 of Issue 151.

Options

[option]"The government signed off on this bioweapons research!" protests project supervisor Professor @@RANDOMNAME@@. "We were only following orders! Scientific progress sometimes involves missteps, and while the tiny little outbreak was unfortunate, it's a small price to pay for ensuring our nation's security. In fact, if we could obtain more funding for better facilities and staff training, we could almost guarantee there wouldn't be a repeat of this incident. Almost."
[effect]weaponised strains of VODAIS and Mad @@ANIMAL@@ Disease are sweeping the nation
[stats]Defence increases, Environment decreases, tax increases, Arms Manufacturing increases, safety decreases

[option]"Tiny little outbreak!? We're talking about deadly diseases here!" rants @@RANDOMNAME@@, Undersecretary for Public Health, Hygiene, and Headless Panic. "No sane nation would risk messing about with biological agents that could lead to a global pandemic. We should end this program immediately, and divert the funding to researching vaccines in case of terrorist attack."
[effect]bioweapons research has been scaled back
[stats]Defence decreases, Health increases, safety increases, Arms Manufacturing decreases, pacifism increases

[option]"Cutting a couple of programs doesn't fix the real issue: military secrecy," grumbles wildly unpopular investigative journalist @@RANDOMNAME@@. "The military simply classifies any programs they don't want us finding out about, and half their funding disappears into black projects that don't show up in the budget. We need to force them to be accountable to Parliament: make the General Staff have to submit open budget requests, and gain explicit permission before signing off on any spending."
[effect]military officials are too busy attending oversight hearings to plan for war
[stats]Political Freedoms increase, government size increases, Administration increase, corruption decreases

[Omigodtheykilledkenny]

Change "North @@NAME@@" to "northern @@NAME@@." "North Omigodtheykilledkenny" sounds like a crazy offshoot country just raring to nuke the fuck out of @@WHATEVER@@ City.

I also like the effect of the first option, though it sort of seems like just repeating the Issue Description, using different variables.

[Golgothastan]

I also like the effect of the first option, though it sort of seems like just repeating the Issue Description, using different variables.

I guess: I was trying to make it seem more extreme, like not just one small outbreak of one disease, but widespread outbreaks of multiple diseases. As in, the issue dilemma is the Dugway incident, but if unchecked, it leads to the Sverdlovsk incident. If there's a way of making it seem more outrageous, or just funnier, I'll rewrite it.

[Golgothastan]

(bump)

[Golgothastan]

I have submitted a slightly modified version of this to the Issues Contest.

However, I haven't submitted it in-game, so if it doesn't get accepted to the Contest I may continue drafting it anyway.

[Golgothastan]

I found out today this was not accepted in the contest, but I can keep drafting. So, any thoughts on making it submission-worthy?

[Sedgistan]

The title stood out as the weakest part of the issue. It's also often the hardest part of an issue to write - but this one can definitely be improved on.