Chain Issue: An International Incident

[Sanctaria]

Even if not a banner, some sort of conclusion seemed necessary. Simply an additional sentence to our nation's description would've been enough. Perhaps reading something like, "the conflict with Brasilistan is over and peace/colonization/total annihilation was achieved!"

Yeah, a banner is likely to happen. This was all done before banners (except put in game) so the thought really didn't come about until you guys started mentioning it.

[Trotterdam]

Maybe a trophy with the amount of issues answered in the chain, but that's just an idea...

Well, specifically the number of issues in the path you took isn't necessarily something to be proud of. I calculated the unique longest path through the chain (9 issues, or 11 if you top it off with nuking everything after you've already won), which requires you to repeatedly change your mind (start out committing war crimes, then try to rein in your atrocities when you're called on them, then lose your patience and start doing war crimes again). There are many completely reasonable, sane paths appropiate to many types of nation (including evil ones) that are only 4 or 5 issues total.

Of course, I enjoyed mapping out the whole storyline more than actually playing through the chain normally (I haven't even gotten the start issue yet), so I effectively did receive the full value of all 19 issues

[The Emperor Fenix]

Apologies if this has already been pointed out but there's a typo in dilemma 395

"After The Wintergarden's hand-picked candidate for leader of Brasilistan was assassinated in broad daylight – and then the next hand-picked successor mysteriously disappearing overnight – it's becoming clear that propping up a new government that is friendly to The Wintergarden's aims is much more difficult that originally imagined."

[Eaischpnaeieacgkque Bhcieaghpodsttditf]

Maybe a trophy with the amount of issues answered in the chain, but that's just an idea...

Well, specifically the number of issues in the path you took isn't necessarily something to be proud of. I calculated the unique longest path through the chain (9 issues, or 11 if you top it off with nuking everything after you've already won), which requires you to repeatedly change your mind (start out committing war crimes, then try to rein in your atrocities when you're called on them, then lose your patience and start doing war crimes again). There are many completely reasonable, sane paths appropiate to many types of nation (including evil ones) that are only 4 or 5 issues total.

I guess you're right.

So A banner is actually being considered? Cool! I wonder what it would look like.

[Luna Amore]

Apologies if this has already been pointed out but there's a typo in dilemma 395

"After The Wintergarden's hand-picked candidate for leader of Brasilistan was assassinated in broad daylight – and then the next hand-picked successor mysteriously disappearing overnight – it's becoming clear that propping up a new government that is friendly to The Wintergarden's aims is much more difficult that originally imagined."

Fixed, thanks!

[Jafn]

Not sure on the number but,

""This is great news", your Foreign Secretary Hillary Smoochinger says with a smile. "We can finally end this drawn-out conflict in Brasilistan once and for all if we accept their surrender. This is the vast majority of the native armed forces, but there'll still be pockets of armed resistance left and doubtlessly some horrid guerilla [two R's] warfare. If we accept this surrender and treat the imprisoned survivors well enough, I think the remnants may be convinced to law down their arms.""

[Luna Amore]

Not sure on the number but,

""This is great news", your Foreign Secretary Hillary Smoochinger says with a smile. "We can finally end this drawn-out conflict in Brasilistan once and for all if we accept their surrender. This is the vast majority of the native armed forces, but there'll still be pockets of armed resistance left and doubtlessly some horrid guerilla [two R's] warfare. If we accept this surrender and treat the imprisoned survivors well enough, I think the remnants may be convinced to law down their arms.""

Fixed, thanks!

[Sanctaria]

Not sure on the number but,

""This is great news", your Foreign Secretary Hillary Smoochinger says with a smile. "We can finally end this drawn-out conflict in Brasilistan once and for all if we accept their surrender. This is the vast majority of the native armed forces, but there'll still be pockets of armed resistance left and doubtlessly some horrid guerilla [two R's] warfare. If we accept this surrender and treat the imprisoned survivors well enough, I think the remnants may be convinced to law down their arms.""

See, dictionary.com told me both was acceptable. It lied!

[Yukonastan]

I'm waiting for somebody to take the nuclear option, personally.

Late-ish, but after you get the nuclear option post-invasion (ie Brasilistan has now become your colony, and you're deciding what to do with it), you get two more issues. The first one has one option, which is pushing the button. I pushed the button. The issue after that is your general carrying out your orders, then walking back in with a single three-word statement (if I recall correctly), "It is done." The only issue choice is blank, wrapping up that path of the chain.

[Excidium Planetis]

I'm waiting for somebody to take the nuclear option, personally.

Late-ish, but after you get the nuclear option post-invasion (ie Brasilistan has now become your colony, and you're deciding what to do with it), you get two more issues. The first one has one option, which is pushing the button. I pushed the button. The issue after that is your general carrying out your orders, then walking back in with a single three-word statement (if I recall correctly), "It is done." The only issue choice is blank, wrapping up that path of the chain.

The Nuclear option, is in fact, only one option:

It's The Final Countdown

Issue Series
“An International Incident”

The Story So Far

You have decided that the only sensible response to the crisis in Brasilistan is a nuclear one.

The Issue

Excidium Planetis's nuclear missiles stand ready. You know the risks. You've weighed the options. But the EPSA requires your final approval before launching a nuclear strike on Brasilistan.

The Debate

"There is nothing left to discuss," says General Pete Nagasawa, his voice echoing strangely loudly in the crowded war room. "The way forward is clear. Indeed, it is the only choice remaining. We are locked into this course of action. There's no actual decision to be made at all. So go ahead. Press the button. There's no stopping it now."


Dismiss This Issue

Issue by: The Divine Republic of Sanctaria
Editor: Maxtopia

I think my choice was obvious.

And the Final Issue:
(There isn't even an option here. It's like Max Barry and Sanctaria are trying to make me feel bad about nuking a country.)

Issue Series
“An International Incident”

The Story So Far

You decided to deal with the crisis in Brasilistan by launching a wave of nuclear strikes.

The Issue

When you give the order to launch the nukes, your general briefly leaves the room. The moments tick by. When he returns, he simply nods once. "Birds in the air." There are almost two dozen people around this table, including some of the most brilliant minds and fearsome personalities in Excidium Planetis, but none of them speak. "Three minutes until impact." You expected more activity. But there's nothing to do. There aren't even any gigantic computer screens, tracing the path of the missiles. It's beneath you, you suppose. Your job is not to track the flight of missiles. Your job is simply to decide. And that's what you've done. You've decided to annihilate another country. You look around the table at your advisors and soldiers. Some nod back at you reassuringly. Some won't meet your eyes. Not everyone will agree with you, of course. But it's not their decision. It's yours. The general leaves the room several more times. Finally, he returns. "It's done," your general says. "It's done."

The Debate

Accept

Dismiss This Issue

[Nachmere]

still no chain issue for me

[Omigodtheykilledkenny]

Is there a way to check if a nation is eligible to receive this? I remember an Editor posting the validity but I don't remember what it was or if I had actually done those things.

[Golgothastan]

Allow emigration, have a military.

[The Bear Pits]

still no chain issue for me

You're not missing much; it doesn't sound like they're even proofreading these things.

[Phydios]

still no chain issue for me

You're not missing much; it doesn't sound like they're even proofreading these things.

If you are finding grammatical errors in issues, please report them so they can be fixed, rather than using them to criticize the Issue Editors. Thanks!

[Sanctaria]

still no chain issue for me

You're not missing much; it doesn't sound like they're even proofreading these things.

You're not missing much; it doesn't sound like they're even proofreading these things.

If you are finding grammatical errors in issues, please report them so they can be fixed, rather than using them to criticize the Issue Editors. Thanks!

This.

[The Bear Pits]

You're not missing much; it doesn't sound like they're even proofreading these things.

If you are finding grammatical errors in issues, please report them so they can be fixed, rather than using them to criticize the Issue Editors. Thanks!

My, oh, my - we can't have that; however will they learn that way? ;]

[Fin Dovah Junaar]

If only you could get other certain issues once.

[Charlotte Ryberg]

After a few days from reactivating the issues, I finally have the series. I've already planned the path out thanks to Trotterdam, so I'll start with Issue 387, option 2.

[Constaniana]

Has anyone decided to do a full-on invasion instead of tactical bombing yet?

[Trotterdam]

So, I finally played through the chain myself. Here's my results:


Following new legislation in Trotterdam, the nightly news reports prosaically on the government blindly throwing money at despotic kidnappers.
+2 Compassion (299 -> 301)
+2 Niceness (307 -> 309)
-1 Freedom from Corruption (159 -> 158)
+0.5 Safety (1342.681 -> 1343.181)
+0.5 Safety from Crime (366.693 -> 367.193)

Following new legislation in Trotterdam, the nation's coasts have been left unprotected while the entire navy sits in Brasilistani waters.
+2 Defense Forces (68 -> 70)

Following new legislation in Trotterdam, the might of the nation's air force has been deployed against people with sticks in boats.
-1 Compassion (301 -> 300)
-1 Niceness (309 -> 308)
+1 Defense Forces (70 -> 71)
+1 Happiness (14 -> 15)
-0.75 Safety (1343.181 -> 1342.431)
-0.25 Safety from Crime (367.193 -> 366.943)

Following new legislation in Trotterdam, the navy is playing the part of pirate hunter.
+1 Compassion (300 -> 301)
+1 Niceness (308 -> 309)
-1 Happiness (15 -> 14)
+0.75 Safety (1342.431 -> 1343.181)
+0.25 Safety from Crime (366.943 -> 367.193)


Net effect of full chain:
+2 Compassion (299 -> 301)
+2 Niceness (307 -> 309)
+3 Defense Forces (68 -> 71)
-1 Freedom from Corruption (159 -> 158)
+0.5 Safety (1342.681 -> 1343.181)
+0.5 Safety from Crime (366.693 -> 367.193)


I know that happiness (or its individual contributing factors) is tracked internally in much more fine increments than is displayed to the player. My happiness has been floating around the edge of 14 and 15 for a while now, but I have no idea how this particular thing managed to increase it, nor do I have a clue why the fourth issue ended up almost exactly reversing the effects of the third one.

There might have been other changes - I didn't check all of the stats, but I checked most of the ones that interest me. I noticed no impact on civil rights, lifespan, or economy, for example.



I've known for a while this was the path I was going to take. I've pictured this nation as thriving on maritime trade, with a relatively small but efficient military that's mostly a navy optimized for keeping our trading routes safe.

Because we try to be friendly and prefer trade and diplomacy to bloodshed, and because our minmaxed-to-keep-costs-down military isn't so great at conventional warfare (as opposed to protecting the seas from pirates, smugglers, poachers, terrorists, and unspeakable horrors from the deep), we didn't rush right into a costly war despite the Brasilistani government's reprehensible actions. But once the opportunity to cut Brasilistan down decisively with precise maneuvers from the type of warfare we're best at arose, we took it to save the time and lives that a slower bleeding-to-death would cause. The fallout of piracy was perfectly within our expertise to clean up, and we did so with professional efficiency and courtesy.

Has anyone decided to do a full-on invasion instead of tactical bombing yet?

Plenty, but I think not anyone who's posted here.

I think tactical bombing makes sense, though. If you have tactical bombs, use 'em. Even if you're planning to invade, it makes sense to soften the enemy up first so your soldiers have an easier fight ahead of them.

[Yukonastan]

Has anyone decided to do a full-on invasion instead of tactical bombing yet?

IIRC here's my path.

WAR
Tactical bombing
Follow up with full-scale invasion

This leads you to Colonyoscopy, at which point I nuked.

Cue the launch option, and those final two words; "It's done."

[Sino nations]

invasion. but witch brasilistan am i invading? so many of them (sorry for bad english spelling)

[SuperHappySmileyWorld]

I decided to go full invasion, because that's how my country rolls

If I remember correctly, the story went something like... I invaded, I overwhelmed them and they wanted me to do something with the country now that I had toppled the government.

I decided to colonize it because, again, that's how we roll, with the options being full and immediate integration with the displaced people becoming full citizens. (not happening, my people don't have rights anyway)

A slower, long term game like what the US is doing in the Middle East (aka setting up a government that sympathizes with us... aka terrible god damn idea)

The third option (also the one I went with) is merely adding the country to your own, taking its valuable resources and forcing the former residents to live in the vallies and bogs or back waters of the country (or what happened to the Native Americas), and of course the nuclear option

7/9, fun issue string, it'll be fun to do more of these should they come out more and also have a bigger effect on your nation

[Mushet]

So, I finally played through the chain myself. Here's my results:


Following new legislation in Trotterdam, the nightly news reports prosaically on the government blindly throwing money at despotic kidnappers.
+2 Compassion (299 -> 301)
+2 Niceness (307 -> 309)
-1 Freedom from Corruption (159 -> 158)
+0.5 Safety (1342.681 -> 1343.181)
+0.5 Safety from Crime (366.693 -> 367.193)

Following new legislation in Trotterdam, the nation's coasts have been left unprotected while the entire navy sits in Brasilistani waters.
+2 Defense Forces (68 -> 70)

Following new legislation in Trotterdam, the might of the nation's air force has been deployed against people with sticks in boats.
-1 Compassion (301 -> 300)
-1 Niceness (309 -> 308)
+1 Defense Forces (70 -> 71)
+1 Happiness (14 -> 15)
-0.75 Safety (1343.181 -> 1342.431)
-0.25 Safety from Crime (367.193 -> 366.943)

Following new legislation in Trotterdam, the navy is playing the part of pirate hunter.
+1 Compassion (300 -> 301)
+1 Niceness (308 -> 309)
-1 Happiness (15 -> 14)
+0.75 Safety (1342.431 -> 1343.181)
+0.25 Safety from Crime (366.943 -> 367.193)


Net effect of full chain:
+2 Compassion (299 -> 301)
+2 Niceness (307 -> 309)
+3 Defense Forces (68 -> 71)
-1 Freedom from Corruption (159 -> 158)
+0.5 Safety (1342.681 -> 1343.181)
+0.5 Safety from Crime (366.693 -> 367.193)


I know that happiness (or its individual contributing factors) is tracked internally in much more fine increments than is displayed to the player. My happiness has been floating around the edge of 14 and 15 for a while now, but I have no idea how this particular thing managed to increase it, nor do I have a clue why the fourth issue ended up almost exactly reversing the effects of the third one.

There might have been other changes - I didn't check all of the stats, but I checked most of the ones that interest me. I noticed no impact on civil rights, lifespan, or economy, for example.



I've known for a while this was the path I was going to take. I've pictured this nation as thriving on maritime trade, with a relatively small but efficient military that's mostly a navy optimized for keeping our trading routes safe.

Because we try to be friendly and prefer trade and diplomacy to bloodshed, and because our minmaxed-to-keep-costs-down military isn't so great at conventional warfare (as opposed to protecting the seas from pirates, smugglers, poachers, terrorists, and unspeakable horrors from the deep), we didn't rush right into a costly war despite the Brasilistani government's reprehensible actions. But once the opportunity to cut Brasilistan down decisively with precise maneuvers from the type of warfare we're best at arose, we took it to save the time and lives that a slower bleeding-to-death would cause. The fallout of piracy was perfectly within our expertise to clean up, and we did so with professional efficiency and courtesy.

Has anyone decided to do a full-on invasion instead of tactical bombing yet?

Plenty, but I think not anyone who's posted here.

I think tactical bombing makes sense, though. If you have tactical bombs, use 'em. Even if you're planning to invade, it makes sense to soften the enemy up first so your soldiers have an easier fight ahead of them.

Where'd you get those numbers?