NATION

PASSWORD

[Issue chain draft] An Impending Epidemic

A place to spoil daily issues for those who haven't had them yet, snigger at typos, and discuss ideas for new ones.
User avatar
Techolandia
Envoy
 
Posts: 292
Founded: Feb 05, 2018
Ex-Nation

[Issue chain draft] An Impending Epidemic

Postby Techolandia » Wed Feb 28, 2018 5:58 pm

The issue will start on 1334, the first year of a major Eurasian Black Plague pandemic. Because coming up with all of the issues was enough, I'm only going to bother writing some of the fallouts and let others decide the rest.





#1334: An Impending Epidemic: Disease on Our Doorstep
The lead: Over the past few years or so, a disease known as Human Epidemic of the Lymphatic and Pulmonary Systems, or HELPS, for short, has been steadily creeping northwards through @@REGION@@, creating epidemics in countries south of @@NAME@@. It is highly contagious, and now, with the disease season upcoming, @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@ are starting to get infected. Something must be done, but the question is: What?

The debate:
1. "I can't believe this!" exclaims @@RANDOMMALENAME_1@@ over the phone from his house, periodically stopping to cough or gasp. "I decide to visit sunny Manamana down south, I come back, I break out with symptoms, and the doctor says that I have HELPS and have to stay home, lest I infect other people! I hadn't even heard of HELPS before, and I doubt that most @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@ have, either. Impose travel restrictions on all countries with a single case! I doubt that the population will resent it; I certainly wouldn't have gone if I had known that I'd get HELPS." He breaks into a coughing fit.
leads to #1335: Domestic Disease

(only for nations with public schooling)
2a. "No, there are already @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@ infected," counters @@RANDOMFEMALEFIRSTNAME@@ @@LASTNAME_1@@, who got HELPS from her husband in the bedroom when they thought that his cough was just a cold, as she takes the phone from him. "We need greater education to prevent the spread of HELPS and other diseases like it." She stops to cough and clear her throat before continuing, "Mandatory infectious disease prevention units in all health classes! Think of our children."
Fallout: Children tell their parents which brand of mosquito net to buy.
leads to #1336: Informed but Infected

(only for nations without public schooling)
2b. "No, there are already @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@ infected," counters @@RANDOMFEMALEFIRSTNAME_2@@ @@LASTNAME_1@@, who got HELPS from her husband in the bedroom when they thought that his cough was just a cold, as she takes the phone from him. "We need greater public awareness to prevent the spread of HELPS and other diseases like it. Information posters posted throughout @@NAME@@! Think of the @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@. Think of them."
leads to #1336: Informed but Infected

3. "The real reason that this outbreak is befalling us is because our citizens have sinned," declares @@RANDOMNAME_3@@, a cleric of @@RELIGION@@, as @@HE_3@@ is bitten by a mosquito that bit @@FEMALEFIRSTNAME_2@@ @@LASTNAME_1@@ yesterday. "Do to their heretical ways, the Great One has punished them with this foul pestilence. They must repent to heal, and I can help them. Fasting and prayer!"
Fallout: @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@ fast in the face of HELPS.
leads to #1337: Clerical Calamity

(only for nations that haven't gone metric)
4a. "Religion? Why listen to that nonsense?" rhetorically asks your Minister of Health, who wants to keep @@HIS_4@@ job, as @@HE_4@@ takes @@NAME_3@@'s pulse. "It has no scientific basis, and a bunch of 'cleansing rituals' can actually worsen a person's physical state. No, instead we must upgrade our health systems to treat the sick, as well as pour in funds for a vaccine and a cure. The research will be costly and will take a while, but once it's finally done, it will have been worth every penny." @@HE_4@@ gestures to a scale model of the HELPS virus in front of him. @@HE_4@@ comments, "Someone must have mislabeled the dimensions; that was supposed to be eighteen feet in diameter," as @@HE_4@@ picks up the eighteen-inch-high model and puts it on your desk.
Fallout: Vaccine researchers, plagued with setbacks, get infected with HELPS.
leads to #1338: Research Woes

(only for nations that have gone metric)
4b. "Religion? Why listen to that nonsense?" rhetorically asks your Minister of Health, who wants to keep @@HIS_4@@ job, as @@HE_4@@ takes @@NAME_3@@'s pulse. "It has no scientific basis, and a bunch of 'cleansing rituals' can actually worsen a person's physical state. No, instead we must upgrade our health systems to treat the sick, as well as pour in funds for a vaccine and a cure. The research will be costly and will take a while, but once it's finally done, it will have been worth every penny." @@HE_4@@ gestures to a scale model of the HELPS virus in front of him. @@HE_4@@ comments, "Someone must have mislabeled the dimensions; that was supposed to be eighteen meters in circumference," as @@HE_4@@ picks up the eighteen-decimeter-circumference model and puts it on your desk.
Fallout: Vaccine researchers, plagued with setbacks, get infected with HELPS.
leads to #1338: Research Woes

5. "Why waste precious time working on a killed-virus vaccine when we already have something just as good?" rhetorically asks Edward Jenner, standing a safe distance away from the infected individuals and using a coffee ground filter as an effective breathing mask. "Infection with MELPS, or Monkey Epidemic of the…, creates immunity to all varieties of PELPS, or Primate Epidemic…, even HELPS. Plus, MELPS only generates mild symptoms with no risk of death—except in infants and the elderly. Also, it's not contagious in humans except for blood transfusions, but that means that each person will have to be vaccinated separately. And it'll be tough convincing the anti-vaccine people…"
Fallout: Annual MELPS deaths in @@NAME@@ have spiked from 0 to 11.
leads to #1339: Help for HELPS



#1335: An Impending Epidemic: Domestic Disease
The story: Faced with a highly infectious disease, HELPS, creeping its way towards @@NAME@@, you decided to halt all travel between @@NAME@@ and infected countries.

The lead: While travel restrictions slowed the rate of cases inside @@NAME@@, new cases are still showing up due to @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@ who already got infected while traveling, as well as border-crossing animal vectors. With the possibility of a slowly-growing eventual epidemic in @@NAME@@, you must take action.

The debate:
1. "I think that we must accept the fact that the disease has infiltrated our borders and control its transmission through other means," reasons Edward Jenner, still showing symptoms from his self-injection with MELPS. "We've known about MELPS, a less virulent version of HELPS that provides immunity to the disease, and some medical knowledge from past outbreaks around the world. With that and a general awareness campaign, to help people avoid spreading the disease to each other, I think that we can dodge the HELPS bullet."
leads to #1339: Help for HELPS

2. "Live vaccine?" Don't you realize the dangers of a live vaccine?" reminds @@RANDOMNAME@@, head of @@CAPITAL@@ University's Virology Department, completely oblivious to the fact that this is a time-sensitive matter. "Remember what happened with the oral polio vaccine? My staff is already working on isolating a specific receptor that will solicit a response leading to immunity—assuming there is one. With some grants and some more staffers, we can probably finish this within a year."
leads to #1338: Research Woes

3. "No! That will be too late!" exclaims Deputy Minister of Health @@RANDOMNAME_6@@, your Minister of Health's, who is out sick with HELPS, much more radical replacement. "We must do anything necessary to protect our citizens from HELPS. Anything. Exterminate all the vectors, even the individuals that don't have HELPS yet. Quarantine anyone who gets infected! Ship them away! Burn them if necessary. ANYTHING NECESSARY!"
leads to #1340: Who's the real killer?



#1336: An Impending Epidemic: Informed but Infected
The story: You decided to avert a potential epidemic of HELPS by informing the public about symptoms of the disease and how to prevent its transmission.

The lead: While your strategy was effective in reducing cases significantly among @@NAME@@'s upper class, many @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@ who live in poverty and can barely make ends meet as it is can not afford to buy the necessary supplies, like bug spray, to prevent infection. With rapidly increasing infection rates among @@NAME@@'s poor threatening to spill over to the rich, something must be done.

The debate:
1. "This is just another reason why we need to take care of the lower class," begins @@RANDOMNAME@@, your Minister of Social Welfare. "We need to lower taxes for the lower class and give them increased social welfare so they can afford to buy mosquito nets and such. Or we could just go the direct way and give them the actual goods. That would probably be better, actually."
leads to #1339: Help for HELPS

2. "Where's the money for the welfare going to come from, huh?" questions @@RANDOMNAME_5@@, @@NAME@@'s richest private citizen, as @@HE_5@@ looks over his earnings for last quarter. "Taxes on the rich, that's what! Epidemic or not, I refuse to see my profits drop! I suggest you let the poor take care of themselves. If they get sick, just ship 'em away to where they can't infect anybody. On second thought, don't. I need them to staff my factories."
leads to #1341: Increasing Infection



#1337: An Impending Epidemic: Clerical Calamity
The story: In the face of an approaching epidemic of HELPS, you decided that the disease was a divine punishment and hoped that by repenting, it would go away.

The issue: Increased devotion has done nothing to curb the cases, and if anything, has increased the infection rate—with clerics experiencing the highest rates of infection. With the infected clerics bedridden and unable to perform their duties, maybe the decision to rely on repentance to avoid an epidemic should be reconsidered.

The debate:
1. "I can't believe you fell for the lies formally known as religion," Deputy Minister of Health @@NAME_6@@, the much more radical replacement for your Minister of Health, who is out sick with HELPS, while disinfecting a prayer book with iodide bleach before tossing it into the fireplace. "By listening to religion over science, you have let the epidemic consume our nation! The only way to possibly escape with any survivors is to take drastic action right away: Burn all of the infected, alive or dead, instate mandatory vaccination, even for those who have conflicting personal or religious beliefs, and put in all available resources into developing a cure!"
leads to #1340: Who's the real killer?

2. "Blasphemers like @@LASTNAME_6@@ are the reason why the Holy One has not accepted our calls for forgiveness," counters @@RANDOMNAME_14@@, one of the last uninfected clerics, while continuing @@HIS_14@@ fast for repentance. "Only once every single heretic has either righted @@HIS_6@@ ways through fasting and prayer or has been removed from the community. Only then will we be healed of all diseases, not just this one."
leads to #1341: Increasing Infection



#1338: An Impending Epidemic: Research Woes
The story: You decided to prevent a potential HELPS epidemic from spreading to @@NAME@@ by vaccinating the population. However, first you had to develop the vaccine.

The issue: Despite @@NAME@@'s scientists' best efforts, the vaccine research has virtually stalled, with many of the researchers having contracted HELPS themselves. With the vaccine now expected to be completed after the epidemic is over, the killed-virus vaccine's viability must be reconsidered. As you are the leader, you must call the shots about this issue.

The debate:
1. "While we may not be able to finish this in time alone," begins @@RANDOMNAME_7@@, one of the few healthy scientists left, as @@HE_7@@ prepares to upload all vaccine research done so far onto an international database, "other countries have also been working on this. If we collaborate with them, we may be able to supply not only @@NAME@@ but all other infected countries with a vaccine and a cure. Or, if it turns out they've already developed something, we'll just steal their research and pass it off as our own. They'll get annoyed, but who cares?"
Fallout: Lawyers hired to defend @@NAME@@ in an international research theft lawsuit contract HELPS.
leads to #1344: Eradication Alliance

2. "No! No! No!" shouts isolationist adviser @@RANDOMNAME_8@@ as @@HE_8@@ rushes in and shuts the computer down before file transfer can begin. "We'll be the laughingstock and the parasite of the international community if we become dependent on them for research. Look, we can still do this. We just need to broaden our recruitment to beyond epidemiologists PhD in virology. Maybe also those with a PhD in epidemiology but only a Master's Degree in virology, or even further if necessary."
Fallout: Drummers recruited to research HELPS vaccines get infected and choke to death on vomit.
leads to #1341: Increasing Infection

3. "It's too late," laments pessimist @@RANDOMNAME_9@@ as @@HE_9@@ collects food and water for the underground bunker. "This epidemic was inevitable, and now you have to start looking out for yourself. I suggest you spend 12 hours rounding up people who haven't been infected yet, and then take them to a secure compound, cut off from the rest of society, to wait out the storm, or in this case, the germ. Then, once it's safe to come out, help the other survivors to rebuild society."
leads to #1342: The End of the Tunnel



#1339: An Impending Epidemic: Help for HELPS
The story: Faced with HELPS approaching and beginning to cross the borders into your country, you took decisive action, including using MELPS to build immunity among @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@, to prevent a widespread epidemic in @@NAME@@.

The issue: Your efforts have been successful, and with the number of new HELPS cases in @@NAME@@ rapidly dwindling, you appear to have averted an enormous outbreak. However, the disease still persists in other countries, like Manamana, and the international community is calling on you to help.

The debate:
1. "Of course we must help our brothers!" insists virologist @@NAME_7@@ while preparing to upload @@HIS_7@@ college's vaccine research onto an international database. "Or our distant cousins, anyway. We were lucky to doge the bullet, but now we must help the less fortunate nations. With their help, we can eradicate the disease worldwide within a week! Okay, within a decade. Besides, maybe we have a vaccine this time, but the virus mutates every few years."
leads to #1344: Eradication Alliance

(only for nations with nuclear weapons)
2a. "Yeah, right," mutters isolationist adviser @@NAME_8@@ as @@HE_8@@ shoves @@NAME_7@@ aside. "First we're sharing scientific research, and then it's our nuclear codes! This is how our enemies get the better of us! We've dealt with this disease successfully once, we can do it again! Who cares if the vaccine doesn't provide immunity to the mutated form? We can make another in time by ourselves, right?"
Fallout: H3N2 HELPS is particularly deadly in @@NAME@@.
(does not lead to anything but allows the nation to get the same chain again)

(only for nations without nuclear weapons)
2b. "Yeah, right," mutters isolationist adviser @@NAME_8@@ as @@HE_8@@ shoves @@NAME_7@@ aside. "First we're sharing scientific research, and then it's sensitive military information. Where does it end? What it we get nuclear weapons? Will we share the nuclear codes with our enemies? We've dealt with this disease successfully once, we can do it again! Who cares if the vaccine doesn't provide immunity to the mutated form? We can make another in time by ourselves, right?"
Fallout: H3N2 HELPS is particularly deadly in @@NAME@@.
(does not lead to anything but allows the nation to get the same chain again)



#1340: An Impending Epidemic: Who's the real killer?
The story: In order to prevent HELPS from infected @@NAME@@, you allowed the then-acting Minister of Health to take all measures that @@HE_6@@ deemed necessary to control the disease. This included killing anyone who got the disease and burning the bodies.

The issue: While this has proved to be an effective method of controlling the epidemic, it has resulted in thousands of people, including your until-recently Minster of Health, getting slaughtered and cremated against their will. With some members of the international community beginning to criticize @@NAME@@ for this, it is only a matter of time before the questions come down full-force.

The debate:
1. "Those meddling international idiots don't understand what we're dealing with!" yells @@NAME_6@@, who is now your permanent Minister of Health, following the former Minister of Health's infection with HELPS, while getting some charts out of @@HIS_6@@ folder. "This disease is extremely contagious and extremely deadly. Just look at these charts!" @@HE_6@@ shows you a bar graph detailing the disease's mortality rate in other countries. "Manamana, 75%, San Ari (basically tropical Argentina), 71%, Suryanela (basically northern South America), 86%… Most infected @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@ would have died anyway. We need to accept that and instead focus on keeping the healthy healthy. If the international community doesn't like this, too bad! It can just let foreigners give foreigners HELPS."
(does not lead to anything)

2. "I cannot believe that you would commit such injustices against my siblings," decries @@RANDOMNAME_10@@, who moved to Brancaland twenty years earlier and is now its ambassador to @@NAME@@, whose five siblings in @@NAME@@ were killed even though they only had minor cases. "Treat them, yes. Quarantine them, yes. But don't kill them! Your crematoriums remind me of the Bigtopian Butchering, and I demand international observers to decommission the buildings and make sure that you do not continue this abhorrent practice!"
Fallout: @@NAME@@'s Minister for Help has been extradited to Brancaland for epidemic crimes.
leads to #1344: Eradication Alliance

3. "You know, maybe it wouldn't be so bad if the international community got involved," suggests @@RANDOMNAME@@, your Minister of Getting Others to do Things for You, after @@NAME_10@@ has left the room. "First they'll send observers, but when HELPS cases in @@NAME@@ climb again, they'll feel responsible and delegate some resources. All we have to do is defund and discontinue all other parts of our HELPS-prevention strategy, and then they'll run and fund our health system for us. Sure, we'll be taking advantage of them, but they won't know that."
Fallout: @@NAME@@'s public health system is entirely foreign-run.
leads to #1345: Infrastructure Upgrade



#1341: An Impending Epidemic: Increasing Infection
The story: When informed of a disease, HELPS, that was slowly creeping north from southern @@REGION@@ to @@NAME@@, you took well-intended but possibly misguided efforts to prevent an epidemic in @@NAME@@.

The issue: HELPS is now widespread in @@NAME@@, with many people dying from the disease each day. With an epidemic now in full swing, you must focus on the best way to end it as soon as possible.

The debate:
1. "It's time to stop being too proud," begins @@NAME_10@@, Brancaland's ambassador to @@NAME@@, as @@HE_10@@ takes notes on the state of your health system to send back home, "to request help from the international community. We're already providing aid to Suryanela, Manamana, San Ari, and more (see 1340.1 for explanations of names), and we'd also be willing to help you if you'd let us. Every day, @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@, attempting to flee the epidemic, and mosquitoes bring the disease north to our people. All we need is for you to open your borders and ports to international aid. For the sake of both of our countries, please say yes."
Fallout: "Made in Brancaland" labels frequent HELPS medications in @@NAME@@.
leads to #1344: Eradication Alliance

2. "No! No!" shouts isolationist adviser @@NAME_8@@ while burning a Brancalandian flag to @@NAME_10@@'s horror. "They help us now, but when all this is done, they're knocking on our doors, asking us to return the favor. Look, we already have some experimental vaccines and somewhat effective medicine. Okay, slightly effective, but it's better than nothing. With a self-sufficient health system, we can rid ourselves of reliance on foreign powers."
Fallout: @@NAME@@'s HELPS vaccines are either ineffective or live HELP viruses.
leads to #1343: Where am I?

3. "It's too late," laments pessimist @@NAME_9@@, who has curled @@HIMSELF_9@@ into a ball, "for foreign or domestic efforts to save the infected. Your only hope is to gather food and water, round up people who haven't been infected yet, wait in your secure underground bunker, cut off from the rest of society, until it's safe to come out, and then help the other survivors to rebuild society. At this point, it's the only way."
leads to #1342: The End of the Tunnel



#1342: An Impending Epidemic: The End of the Tunnel
The story: Faced with an impending HELPS epidemic, @@NAME@@ was unable to control the disease, which became widespread. With all other options cut off, you decided that the only choice was for the uninfected to stock up on food and water and wait out the epidemic underground in bunkers and basements.

The issue: As you and the other survivors finally emerge from the hot, humid, and dusty environment that you had been living in for the past seventeen days, you see an abandoned state. Taking in the empty streets, shuttered-up buildings, and the unreal view, the question is: How do you rebuild?

The debate:
1. "What a wonderful thing, a country all to ourselves!" joyfully shouts @@RANDOMNAME@@, who probably developed both PTSD and a neurosis during the past two weeks, as @@HE_11@@ as he twirls and dances through the abandoned streets. "With only others who survived the epidemic thanks to your actions alive to vote, you can enforce whatever policies you want! @@NAME@@'s new beginning will be even better than it's first one."
Fallout: Mass tragedies are celebrated as "a chance to start over".
(does not lead to anything)

2. "Have you forsaken us?" accuses @@RANDOMNAME_12@@, the only HELPS-infected @@DEMONYMNOUN@@ who survived, while snacking on food that @@HE_12@@ attained by resorting to looting. "Infected or not, we're all @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@, or at least we were when we were all alive," he says between sobs, "When you gave up on us, absolute chaos ensued! I saw bandmates choke to death on vomit, and not always their own!" He breaks out into all-out tears. Regaining his composure after several minutes, @@HE_12@@ finishes, "The government's job is to care of all of us, and right now, I don't think that you're doing a good job taking care of the sick."
Fallout: Politicians double as nurses for hospital patients.
(does not lead to anything)



#1343: An Impending Epidemic: Where am I?
The story: With your nation consumed by a HELPS epidemic, you authorized vaccination of all @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@. However, the vaccines used were experimental, and many people, including you, received live HELPS viruses.

The issue: You awake from your coma in a Brancalandian hospital. Slowly lifting your head, you see multiple IV tubes going into your arms, as well as a spinal tap. Noticing your movement, the nurse on duty says, "I think he's finally coming to."

The debate:
1. "Don't worry," says @@NAME_10@@, the Brancalandian ambassador to @@NAME@@, after authorizing another 20 million @@CURRENCYPLURAL@@ of health system spending on your behalf. "Your country's in good hands. Just wait until you finish recovering, then you can go back to running it yourself."
(does not lead to anything)

2. "Are you crazy? Don't listen to those tricksters!" shouts @@NAME_8@@, the only @@DEMONYMADJECTIVE@@ government employee to not contract HELPS due to a childhood immunity that @@HE_8@@ refuses to acknowledge, who has somehow escaped the restraints put around him after @@HE_8@@ broke into the hospital and tried to disconnect what he called "poison-filled IV bags" from you a few nights ago, running down the hall to your hospital room. As security guards intercept in the doorway, he adds, "Don't trust them at all. I've been careful not to take any of their poisoned 'medicine', and I'm fine. They drugged you and put you in a coma!" He breaks free of the guards, but there's a trip-wire in the doorway just in case that was to happen. While trying to get up, he continues, "When we get back to @@NAME@@, I suggest you try em' in international court for what they did," before he is taken away.
Fallout: @@NAME@@'s good Samaritan laws have been abolished.
(does not lead to anything)



#1344: An Impending Epidemic: Eradication Alliance?
The story: With a virulent viral disease making its way north through @@REGION@@ to @@NAME@@'s borders, you decided to cooperate with the international community in combating the disease.

The issue: Your combined efforts have been successful, and HELPS has been declared to have gone the way of smallpox. With live viruses only present in laboratories, the disease now poses no threat to humankind. However, there are still other diseases that are prevalent throughout the world. What do you do about them?

The debate:
1. "Of course you must help us on our new task to eradicate polio from the other side of the world as well!" begins Julius Pallet, Brancaland's governor-general and host of the international conference about disease eradication that you have decided to attend, as he shakes your hand. "And after that, the Guinea worm. Your efforts so far have been very much appreciated, and we'd love to see you continue. In fact, maybe instead of having you help eradicate diseases that we already know about, you can help us discover new ones before they spread. Brasilistan, Blackacre, and Marche Noire have already chosen this option. Just sign the treaty here, please." He hands you a pen.
(does not lead to anything)

2. "Are you crazy? Work with Brasilistan and MARCHE NOIRE!?" begins @@NAME_8@@, who may or may not have been Crazy Boris all along, while snatching the pen that Julius Pallet gave you out of your hand. "Not to mention Blackacre, which is responsible for the sinking of the @@NAMEINITIALS@@S Oklazona. You've been too open with @@NAME@@'s knowledge and intelligence as it is. You better back out of this now, before the leaders of Marche Noire and Brasilistan use the information that they gain against you. In fact, I don't even see how they get along with each other." The leaders of Marche Noire and Brasilistan proceed to get into a fistfight over Brasilistan's abduction of Marche Noirians. "Exactly. Remember the Oklazona!"
(does not lead to anything)



#1345: An Impending Epidemic: Infrastructure Upgrade
The story: You allowed other countries to temporarily run your Ministry of Health for you.

The issue: Upon getting control of your public health system back, you see that it has been radically improved. New laboratories, computers, medicines, and more have been installed. Is this simply an act of good will, or do the other countries expect you to repay the favor?

The debate:
1. "This is exactly what we've been hoping for!" exclaims @@NAME_6@@ as @@HE_6@@ hugs a state-of-the-art centrifuge. "And it didn't even cost us a dime! This is much better than we could have ever accomplished with our budget these days. But it will certainly need occasional maintenance. Maybe just increase our budget in the Ministry of Health just a little. It won't cost as much as it did to build all of this…"
(does not lead to anything)

2. "No! No! No!" shouts @@NAME_8@@, whom you have decided is either Crazy Boris or Holden Caulfield, as he kicks a column-shelf in a newly-built laboratory before entering a coughing fit. When he stops coughing, he explains, "The laboratories are all bugged, the medicine is just poison, and the computers have spyware. I say you tear down all of it and show those tricksters that we're not fooled. That'll prevent those phonies from trying to collect a favor from us in return for this swindle."
(does not lead to anything)

3. "Maybe that's not such a bad idea," suggests @@RANDOMNAME_!3@@, your Minister of Returning Favors, as @@HE_13@@ returns a favor that you did for @@HIM_13@@ yesterday. "This was obviously just meant to be a one-way gift, but to not pay them back would just be rude. Thanks to what they did for us, we have a little extra cash to use in our budget; let's improve another part of their infrastructure."
Fallout: Half of Brancaland's bridges say "Made by @@NAME@@".
(does not lead to anything)
Last edited by Techolandia on Sun Mar 04, 2018 8:25 pm, edited 8 times in total.

User avatar
Trotterdam
Postmaster-General
 
Posts: 10541
Founded: Jan 12, 2012
Left-Leaning College State

Postby Trotterdam » Thu Mar 01, 2018 12:24 am

Wow, this is pretty good for a player-made issue chain!

Your writing is pretty solid and you have a decent grasp of the macros.

Your effect lines are mostly missing and the few you have are poor, but you acknowledged that and said you were soliciting for suggestions, so that's fair.

Techolandia wrote:(only for nations with public schooling)
2a. "No, there are already @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@ infected," counters @@RANDOMFEMALEFIRSTNAME@@ @@LASTNAME_1@@, who got HELPS from her husband in the bedroom when they thought that his cough was just a cold, as she takes the phone from him. "We need greater education to prevent the spread of HELPS and other diseases like it. Mandatory infectious disease prevention units in all health classes! Think of our children. We might even be having another one."
leads to #1336: Informed but Infected

(only for nations without public schooling)
2b. "No, there are already @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@ infected," counters @@RANDOMFEMALEFIRSTNAME_2@@ @@LASTNAME_1@@, who got HELPS from her husband in the bedroom when they thought that his cough was just a cold, as she takes the phone from him. "We need greater public awareness to prevent the spread of HELPS and other diseases like it. Information posters posted throughout @@NAME@@! Think of the @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@. Think of them."
leads to #1336: Informed but Infected
I don't think public schooling matters too much. Anything you teach to children in schools now will only filter into the knowledge of the adult population multiple years from now, and epidemics usually come and go faster than that.

Techolandia wrote:3. "The real reason that this outbreak is befalling us is because our citizens have sinned," declares @@RANDOMNAME_3@@, a cleric of @@RELIGION@@, as @@HE_3@@ is bitten by a mosquito that bit @@FEMALEFIRSTNAME_2@@ @@LASTNAME_1@@ yesterday. "Do to their heretical ways, the Great One has punished them with this foul pestilence. They must repent to heal, and I can help them."
Fallout: The Ministry of Spirituality has taken over the Ministry of Health.
leads to #1337: Clerical Calamity
This is unclear about what it wants to do. What would "repenting" entail? Are you actually forcing citizens to participate some kind of religious ritual? Is that ritual just some prayer or something more intrusive on people's lifestyle?

Since this is an issue chain, the followup issue can help clarify details that the initial option left vague (by letting you decide them), but slightly more immediate detail is a good idea. Ideally, each option should explicitly do something on its own.

Also, coming back after having read further down, your proposed followup does not clarify any details. In fact, it only has two options, which are basically "continue the previous decision" or "nope, that was a mistake". As a guideline, each issue should have at least two options that build on, rather than reverse, your previous decision.

Techolandia wrote:5. "Why waste precious time working on a killed-virus vaccine when we already have something just as good?
"Killed-virus vaccine" might be a somewhat technical term to suddenly drop on players, especially since the previous option didn't mention anything about how vaccines work.

Also, you're missing a closing quote.

Techolandia wrote:#1336: An Impending Epidemic: Informed but Infected
The story: You decided to avert a potential epidemic of HELPS by informing the public about symptoms of the disease and how to prevent its transmission.

The lead: While your strategy was effective in reducing cases significantly among @@NAME@@'s upper class, many @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@ who live in poverty and can barely make ends meet as it is can not afford to buy the necessary supplies, like bug spray, to prevent infection. With rapidly increasing infection rates among @@NAME@@'s poor threatening to spill over to the rich, something must be done.
Consider the fact that some nations have very high income equality, or even communist economies, where citizens probably wouldn't be expected to buy their own bug spray to begin with.

Techolandia wrote:Deputy Minister of Health @@NAME_6@@,
That's @@RANDOMNAME@@, you're not talking about the name of the nation.

More pointedly, however, keep in mind that numbered name references are only kept consistent within the same issue. So you should reset the numbering for each issue, no point in starting at 6. If you want a character with the same name to appear in multiple issues, you have to use a fixed name.

Techolandia wrote:1. "While we may not be able to finish this in time alone," begins @@RANDOMNAME_7@@, one of the few healthy scientists left, as @@HE_7@@ prepares to upload all vaccine research done so far onto an international database, "other countries have also been working on this. If we collaborate with them, we may be able to supply not only @@NAME@@ but all other infected countries with a vaccine and a cure. Or, if it turns out they've already developed something, we'll just steal their research and pass it off as our own. They'll get annoyed, but who cares?"
Fallout: Lawyers hired to defend @@NAME@@ in an international research theft lawsuit contract HELPS.
leads to #1344: Eradication Alliance
That does a rather sudden 180-degree turn going from sounding really compassionate (working together both for faster results and so other nations can benefit too) to suddenly sounding really selfish and rude.

Techolandia wrote:#1336: An Impending Epidemic: Informed but Infected
The story: You decided to avert a potential epidemic of HELPS by informing the public about symptoms of the disease and how to prevent its transmission.

The lead: While your strategy was effective in reducing cases significantly among @@NAME@@'s upper class, many @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@ who live in poverty and can barely make ends meet as it is can not afford to buy the necessary supplies, like bug spray, to prevent infection. With rapidly increasing infection rates among @@NAME@@'s poor threatening to spill over to the rich, something must be done.

The debate:
1. "This is just another reason why we need to take care of the lower class," begins @@RANDOMNAME@@, your Minister of Social Welfare. "We need to lower taxes for the lower class and give them increased social welfare so they can afford to buy mosquito nets and such. Or we could just go the direct way and give them the actual goods. That would probably be better, actually."
leads to #1339: Help for HELPS
Techolandia wrote:#1339: An Impending Epidemic: Help for HELPS
The story: Faced with HELPS approaching and beginning to cross the borders into your country, you took decisive action, including using MELPS to build immunity among @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@, to prevent a widespread epidemic in @@NAME@@.
Did you mistype one of your numbers? This option says nothing about introducing MELPS, and I already thought it looked out-of-place compared to the other options that lead to #1339.

Techolandia wrote:(only for nations without nuclear weapons)
2b. "Yeah, right," mutters isolationist adviser @@NAME_8@@ as @@HE_8@@ shoves @@NAME_7@@ aside. "First we're sharing scientific research, but where will it end? What it we get nuclear weapons? Will we share the nuclear codes with our enemies?"
Nah. Make the speaker worried about something the nation already has. Nations without nukes still have plenty of sensitive military (or other) secrets. And of course, sillier is better.

Techolandia wrote:1. "Those meddling international idiots don't understand what we're dealing with!" yells @@NAME_6@@, who is now your permanent Minister of Health, following the former Minister of Health's infection with HELPS, while getting some charts out of @@HIS_6@@ folder.
Hmm. That's an interesting twist. Maybe include some text somewhere that suggests that he had an ulterior motive for encouraging you to kill off a group of people that he neglected to remind you just so happened to include the person who needed to die for him to get his job.

Techolandia wrote:"Manamana, 75%, San Ari (basically tropical Argentina), 71%, Suryanela (basically northern South America), 86%..."
I assume you don't actually intend for these parentheticals to be in the final issue?

If a new NPC nation's nature isn't relevant to the narrative, don't mention it. Let future issue authors flesh them out.

Do note that we have East Calypso (and, presumably, West Calypso) as an additional tropical nation now. Or, you know, you could use Ausblic or Tasmania, since you said the disease started in the south.

Techolandia wrote:"Your crematoriums remind me of the Holocaust,"
We usually avoid referencing real-world history in NationStates, not just because it's a touchy subject but also because, well, we aren't real-world nations. Consider referencing in-universe atrocities instead, such as the Butcher of Bigtopia.

Techolandia wrote:3. "You know, maybe it wouldn't be so bad if the international community got involved," suggests @@RANDOMNAME@@, your Minister of Getting Others to do Things for You, after @@NAME_10@@ has left the room. "First they'll send observers, but when HELPS cases in @@NAME@@ climb again, they'll feel responsible and delegate some resources. All we have to do is defund and discontinue all other parts of our HELPS-prevention strategy, and then they'll run and fund our health system for us. Sure, we'll be taking advantage of them, but they won't know that."
I like this one. I'm always for silly ministries ;)

Techolandia wrote:1. "It's time to stop being too proud," begins @@NAME_10@@, Brancaland's ambassador to @@NAME@@, as @@HE_10@@ takes notes on the state of your health system to send back home, "to request help from the international community. We're already providing aid to Suryanela, Manamana, San Ari, and more (see 1340.1 for explanations of names), and we'd also be willing to help you if you'd let us. Every day, @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@, attempting to flee the epidemic, and mosquitoes bring the disease north to our people. We've developed vaccines and medicines, and all we need is for you to open your borders and ports to international aid. For the sake of both of our countries, please say yes."
Fallout: "Made in Brancaland" labels frequent HELPS medications in @@NAME@@.
leads to #1344: Eradication Alliance
I think having someone just show up offering a ready-made vaccine is too convenient, compared to other paths where it takes an international effort, yours included, to produce results.

You can still have Brancaland offer to help, but tone it down from them already having a cure to them having some promising preliminary results that they'd like your help testing.

Techolandia wrote:1. "What a wonderful thing, a country all to ourselves!" joyfully shouts @@RANDOMNAME@@, who probably developed both PTSD and a neurosis during the past two weeks, as @@HE_11@@ as he twirls and dances through the abandoned streets. "With only others who survived the epidemic thanks to your actions alive to vote, you can enforce whatever policies you want! @@NAME@@'s new beginning will be even better than it's first one."
Joyfully? That doesn't sound like PTSD.

Also, you need variants for nations without elections. (Which, remember, can include both autocracies and sortition...)

Techolandia wrote:2. "Have you forsaken us?" accuses @@RANDOMNAME_12@@, the only HELPS-infected @@DEMONYMNOUN@@ who survived, while snacking on food that @@HE_12@@ attained by resorting to looting. "Infected or not, we're all @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@, or at least we were when we were all alive," he says between sobs before breaking out into all-out tears. Regaining his composure after several minutes, @@HE_12@@ finishes, "You should have taken care of all of us, and if that's not your priority, I'm leaving for Brancaland."
(does not lead to anything)
This isn't an option. It's not doing anything. Saying you should have done something differently earlier after it's too late to revert the consequences doesn't accomplish anything. What are you going to do about it now?

Techolandia wrote:who has somehow escape the restraints put around him
"Escaped".

Techolandia wrote:The issue: Your combined efforts have been successful, and HELPS has been declared to have gone the way of smallpox. With live viruses only present in laboratories, the disease now poses no threat to humankind. However, there are still other diseases that are prevalent throughout the world. What do you do about them?

The debate:
1. "Of course you must help us on our new task to eradicate polio worldwide!" begins Julius Pallet, Brancaland's governor-general and host of the international conference about disease eradication that you have decided to attend, as he shakes your hand. "Your efforts so far have been very much appreciated, and we'd love to see you continue. In fact, maybe instead of having you help eradicate diseases that we already know about, you can help us discover new ones before they spread. Brasilistan, Blackacre, and Marche Noire have already chosen this option. Just sign the treaty here, please." He hands you a pen.
(does not lead to anything)
Interesting that you would choose three of NationStates's more morally-dubious NPC nations for this. Oh, I see that was intentional, you mention it in the next option!

I think you should have this make a point of researching diseases that other nations are suffering from (especially the aforementioned not-too-friendly ones) but aren't currently found in @@NAME@@.

Techolandia wrote:Marche Noriers
The canonical demonym, as of #29, is Marche Noirians.




Oh, and one more thing: I've noticed that you keep using "Latin @@NAME@@" to refer to somewhere that's to the south of @@NAME@@. That's way too Americentric. Don't.

I'll be following this thread, but that's all I can type right now. It's getting late.

User avatar
Techolandia
Envoy
 
Posts: 292
Founded: Feb 05, 2018
Ex-Nation

Postby Techolandia » Thu Mar 01, 2018 8:02 am

Trotterdam wrote:Wow, this is pretty good for a player-made issue chain!

Your writing is pretty solid and you have a decent grasp of the macros.

Your effect lines are mostly missing and the few you have are poor, but you acknowledged that and said you were soliciting for suggestions, so that's fair.

Thank you. Do you have any suggestions for fallouts?
Trotterdam wrote:
Techolandia wrote:(only for nations with public schooling)
2a. "No, there are already @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@ infected," counters @@RANDOMFEMALEFIRSTNAME@@ @@LASTNAME_1@@, who got HELPS from her husband in the bedroom when they thought that his cough was just a cold, as she takes the phone from him. "We need greater education to prevent the spread of HELPS and other diseases like it. Mandatory infectious disease prevention units in all health classes! Think of our children. We might even be having another one."
leads to #1336: Informed but Infected

(only for nations without public schooling)
2b. "No, there are already @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@ infected," counters @@RANDOMFEMALEFIRSTNAME_2@@ @@LASTNAME_1@@, who got HELPS from her husband in the bedroom when they thought that his cough was just a cold, as she takes the phone from him. "We need greater public awareness to prevent the spread of HELPS and other diseases like it. Information posters posted throughout @@NAME@@! Think of the @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@. Think of them."
leads to #1336: Informed but Infected
I don't think public schooling matters too much. Anything you teach to children in schools now will only filter into the knowledge of the adult population multiple years from now, and epidemics usually come and go faster than that.

Yeah, but NS time isn't always at a one-to-one correspondence with real time. Also, what if the children tell their parents what to do? That could lead to a fallout like, "Children tell their parents which brand of mosquito net is best," or something.
Trotterdam wrote:
Techolandia wrote:3. "The real reason that this outbreak is befalling us is because our citizens have sinned," declares @@RANDOMNAME_3@@, a cleric of @@RELIGION@@, as @@HE_3@@ is bitten by a mosquito that bit @@FEMALEFIRSTNAME_2@@ @@LASTNAME_1@@ yesterday. "Do to their heretical ways, the Great One has punished them with this foul pestilence. They must repent to heal, and I can help them."
Fallout: The Ministry of Spirituality has taken over the Ministry of Health.
leads to #1337: Clerical Calamity
This is unclear about what it wants to do. What would "repenting" entail? Are you actually forcing citizens to participate some kind of religious ritual? Is that ritual just some prayer or something more intrusive on people's lifestyle?

Since this is an issue chain, the followup issue can help clarify details that the initial option left vague (by letting you decide them), but slightly more immediate detail is a good idea. Ideally, each option should explicitly do something on its own.

Also, coming back after having read further down, your proposed followup does not clarify any details. In fact, it only has two options, which are basically "continue the previous decision" or "nope, that was a mistake". As a guideline, each issue should have at least two options that build on, rather than reverse, your previous decision.

I intentionally stayed general with the religion because I was worried that doing so could risk contradicting the state religions of nations with at least 1 billion citizens who have already chosen a state religion.
Trotterdam wrote:
Techolandia wrote:5. "Why waste precious time working on a killed-virus vaccine when we already have something just as good?
"Killed-virus vaccine" might be a somewhat technical term to suddenly drop on players, especially since the previous option didn't mention anything about how vaccines work.

Also, you're missing a closing quote.

I'll fix the quote, but the term "killed-virus vaccine" is fairly obvious as to its meaning, nations could just look it up, and knowing exactly what it means isn't essential to making an informed decision anyway.
Trotterdam wrote:
Techolandia wrote:#1336: An Impending Epidemic: Informed but Infected
The story: You decided to avert a potential epidemic of HELPS by informing the public about symptoms of the disease and how to prevent its transmission.

The lead: While your strategy was effective in reducing cases significantly among @@NAME@@'s upper class, many @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@ who live in poverty and can barely make ends meet as it is can not afford to buy the necessary supplies, like bug spray, to prevent infection. With rapidly increasing infection rates among @@NAME@@'s poor threatening to spill over to the rich, something must be done.
Consider the fact that some nations have very high income equality, or even communist economies, where citizens probably wouldn't be expected to buy their own bug spray to begin with.

Techolandia wrote:Deputy Minister of Health @@NAME_6@@,
That's @@RANDOMNAME@@, you're not talking about the name of the nation.

More pointedly, however, keep in mind that numbered name references are only kept consistent within the same issue. So you should reset the numbering for each issue, no point in starting at 6. If you want a character with the same name to appear in multiple issues, you have to use a fixed name.

I thought that I could make it consistent throughout the whole chain. Is there another fix besides just not mentioning names?
Trotterdam wrote:
Techolandia wrote:1. "While we may not be able to finish this in time alone," begins @@RANDOMNAME_7@@, one of the few healthy scientists left, as @@HE_7@@ prepares to upload all vaccine research done so far onto an international database, "other countries have also been working on this. If we collaborate with them, we may be able to supply not only @@NAME@@ but all other infected countries with a vaccine and a cure. Or, if it turns out they've already developed something, we'll just steal their research and pass it off as our own. They'll get annoyed, but who cares?"
Fallout: Lawyers hired to defend @@NAME@@ in an international research theft lawsuit contract HELPS.
leads to #1344: Eradication Alliance
That does a rather sudden 180-degree turn going from sounding really compassionate (working together both for faster results and so other nations can benefit too) to suddenly sounding really selfish and rude.

I don't think that fallouts always have to be completely accurate.
Trotterdam wrote:
Techolandia wrote:#1336: An Impending Epidemic: Informed but Infected
The story: You decided to avert a potential epidemic of HELPS by informing the public about symptoms of the disease and how to prevent its transmission.

The lead: While your strategy was effective in reducing cases significantly among @@NAME@@'s upper class, many @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@ who live in poverty and can barely make ends meet as it is can not afford to buy the necessary supplies, like bug spray, to prevent infection. With rapidly increasing infection rates among @@NAME@@'s poor threatening to spill over to the rich, something must be done.

The debate:
1. "This is just another reason why we need to take care of the lower class," begins @@RANDOMNAME@@, your Minister of Social Welfare. "We need to lower taxes for the lower class and give them increased social welfare so they can afford to buy mosquito nets and such. Or we could just go the direct way and give them the actual goods. That would probably be better, actually."
leads to #1339: Help for HELPS
Techolandia wrote:#1339: An Impending Epidemic: Help for HELPS
The story: Faced with HELPS approaching and beginning to cross the borders into your country, you took decisive action, including using MELPS to build immunity among @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@, to prevent a widespread epidemic in @@NAME@@.
Did you mistype one of your numbers? This option says nothing about introducing MELPS, and I already thought it looked out-of-place compared to the other options that lead to #1339.

Basically, anything that is successful at defeating the virus is one's nation leads to #1339.
Trotterdam wrote:
Techolandia wrote:(only for nations without nuclear weapons)
2b. "Yeah, right," mutters isolationist adviser @@NAME_8@@ as @@HE_8@@ shoves @@NAME_7@@ aside. "First we're sharing scientific research, but where will it end? What it we get nuclear weapons? Will we share the nuclear codes with our enemies?"
Nah. Make the speaker worried about something the nation already has. Nations without nukes still have plenty of sensitive military (or other) secrets. And of course, sillier is better.

I'll kind of do a hybrid of your idea and mine for that.
Trotterdam wrote:
Techolandia wrote:1. "Those meddling international idiots don't understand what we're dealing with!" yells @@NAME_6@@, who is now your permanent Minister of Health, following the former Minister of Health's infection with HELPS, while getting some charts out of @@HIS_6@@ folder.
Hmm. That's an interesting twist. Maybe include some text somewhere that suggests that he had an ulterior motive for encouraging you to kill off a group of people that he neglected to remind you just so happened to include the person who needed to die for him to get his job.

Actually, in the first issue, it gives some of the methods of transmission (mosquito, physical contact, airborne) by having everyone in the office (except the last person) contract HELPS. I just wanted to make sure that all future issues were consistent with it.
Trotterdam wrote:
Techolandia wrote:"Manamana, 75%, San Ari (basically tropical Argentina), 71%, Suryanela (basically northern South America), 86%..."
I assume you don't actually intend for these parentheticals to be in the final issue?

If a new NPC nation's nature isn't relevant to the narrative, don't mention it. Let future issue authors flesh them out.

Do note that we have East Calypso (and, presumably, West Calypso) as an additional tropical nation now. Or, you know, you could use Ausblic or Tasmania, since you said the disease started in the south.

The parentheses weren't intended to appear in the final issue. Most of the countries appear to based in or near the Middle East (the boarder definition that includes the Arabian Peninsula), all of the countries that I used had to be connected by land to @@NAME@@ (The spread of HELPS northwards is based off of Zika's spread.), and Brancaland is too cold for mosquitoes, so I had to make some more countries up. Althaniq is based off of Qatar, so it's in the Middle East. Marche Noire probably shares a border with Althaniq, so it's also in the Middle East. Based on the fact that East Lebatuck, which is the Soviet Union, is infiltrating it, Marche Noire is probably Afghanistan or something. Brasilistan also borders Marche Noire, and its aggression suggests that it might be Iran. etc…
Trotterdam wrote:
Techolandia wrote:"Your crematoriums remind me of the Holocaust,"
We usually avoid referencing real-world history in NationStates, not just because it's a touchy subject but also because, well, we aren't real-world nations. Consider referencing in-universe atrocities instead, such as the Butcher of Bigtopia.

I'll change the name.
Trotterdam wrote:
Techolandia wrote:3. "You know, maybe it wouldn't be so bad if the international community got involved," suggests @@RANDOMNAME@@, your Minister of Getting Others to do Things for You, after @@NAME_10@@ has left the room. "First they'll send observers, but when HELPS cases in @@NAME@@ climb again, they'll feel responsible and delegate some resources. All we have to do is defund and discontinue all other parts of our HELPS-prevention strategy, and then they'll run and fund our health system for us. Sure, we'll be taking advantage of them, but they won't know that."
I like this one. I'm always for silly ministries ;)

Thanks. I was going to have while getting you to throw @@HIS@@ trash away for you or something, but I already have enough long introductions.
Trotterdam wrote:
Techolandia wrote:1. "It's time to stop being too proud," begins @@NAME_10@@, Brancaland's ambassador to @@NAME@@, as @@HE_10@@ takes notes on the state of your health system to send back home, "to request help from the international community. We're already providing aid to Suryanela, Manamana, San Ari, and more (see 1340.1 for explanations of names), and we'd also be willing to help you if you'd let us. Every day, @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@, attempting to flee the epidemic, and mosquitoes bring the disease north to our people. We've developed vaccines and medicines, and all we need is for you to open your borders and ports to international aid. For the sake of both of our countries, please say yes."
Fallout: "Made in Brancaland" labels frequent HELPS medications in @@NAME@@.
leads to #1344: Eradication Alliance
I think having someone just show up offering a ready-made vaccine is too convenient, compared to other paths where it takes an international effort, yours included, to produce results.

You can still have Brancaland offer to help, but tone it down from them already having a cure to them having some promising preliminary results that they'd like your help testing.

Okay. I'll remove the first part of the sentence.
Trotterdam wrote:
Techolandia wrote:1. "What a wonderful thing, a country all to ourselves!" joyfully shouts @@RANDOMNAME@@, who probably developed both PTSD and a neurosis during the past two weeks, as @@HE_11@@ as he twirls and dances through the abandoned streets. "With only others who survived the epidemic thanks to your actions alive to vote, you can enforce whatever policies you want! @@NAME@@'s new beginning will be even better than it's first one."
Joyfully? That doesn't sound like PTSD.

The person obviously has at least a neurosis based on the fact that he/she is happy about a mass tragedy.
Trotterdam wrote:Also, you need variants for nations without elections. (Which, remember, can include both autocracies and sortition...)

I can't believe I forgot that. How about you don't need to worry about revolts or something?
Trotterdam wrote:
Techolandia wrote:2. "Have you forsaken us?" accuses @@RANDOMNAME_12@@, the only HELPS-infected @@DEMONYMNOUN@@ who survived, while snacking on food that @@HE_12@@ attained by resorting to looting. "Infected or not, we're all @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@, or at least we were when we were all alive," he says between sobs before breaking out into all-out tears. Regaining his composure after several minutes, @@HE_12@@ finishes, "You should have taken care of all of us, and if that's not your priority, I'm leaving for Brancaland."
(does not lead to anything)
This isn't an option. It's not doing anything. Saying you should have done something differently earlier after it's too late to revert the consequences doesn't accomplish anything. What are you going to do about it now?

I think that I was going to make it about improving the health system for the next epidemic and having it increase inclusiveness. I'm not sure, though.
Trotterdam wrote:
Techolandia wrote:who has somehow escape the restraints put around him
"Escaped".

Thanks. I'll fix that.
Trotterdam wrote:
Techolandia wrote:The issue: Your combined efforts have been successful, and HELPS has been declared to have gone the way of smallpox. With live viruses only present in laboratories, the disease now poses no threat to humankind. However, there are still other diseases that are prevalent throughout the world. What do you do about them?

The debate:
1. "Of course you must help us on our new task to eradicate polio worldwide!" begins Julius Pallet, Brancaland's governor-general and host of the international conference about disease eradication that you have decided to attend, as he shakes your hand. "Your efforts so far have been very much appreciated, and we'd love to see you continue. In fact, maybe instead of having you help eradicate diseases that we already know about, you can help us discover new ones before they spread. Brasilistan, Blackacre, and Marche Noire have already chosen this option. Just sign the treaty here, please." He hands you a pen.
(does not lead to anything)
Interesting that you would choose three of NationStates's more morally-dubious NPC nations for this. Oh, I see that was intentional, you mention it in the next option!

I think you should have this make a point of researching diseases that other nations are suffering from (especially the aforementioned not-too-friendly ones) but aren't currently found in @@NAME@@.

By making the country north of Manamana and south of Brancaland, I think that I put it in the place of the States in the Zika narrative. Polio no longer infects Americans (besides those who got polio while traveling elsewhere). To be fair, Max Barry is probably from, lives in, or once lived in New York, based on the fact that the UN letter implies that Max Barry must abide by New York state law.
Trotterdam wrote:
Techolandia wrote:Marche Noriers
The canonical demonym, as of #29, is Marche Noirians.

Thanks. I'll fix that. Is the demonym that I used for Brancaland okay?
Trotterdam wrote:


Oh, and one more thing: I've noticed that you keep using "Latin @@NAME@@" to refer to somewhere that's to the south of @@NAME@@. That's way too Americentric. Don't.

Again, I was using the Zika spread story. Do you have any suggestions for what I should call it instead?
Trotterdam wrote:I'll be following this thread, but that's all I can type right now. It's getting late.

User avatar
Candlewhisper Archive
Senior Issues Editor
 
Posts: 23650
Founded: Aug 28, 2015
Anarchy

Postby Candlewhisper Archive » Thu Mar 01, 2018 10:00 am

Trotterdam wrote:Wow, this is pretty good for a player-made issue chain!

Your writing is pretty solid and you have a decent grasp of the macros.


Ooh. This comment makes me want to actually read this thread properly, which I admit I wasn't going to. Trotterdam has a good eye for quality.

Will spend some time reading it properly, and come back with some comments this weekend.
Last edited by Candlewhisper Archive on Thu Mar 01, 2018 10:00 am, edited 1 time in total.
editors like linguistic ambiguity more than most people

User avatar
Trotterdam
Postmaster-General
 
Posts: 10541
Founded: Jan 12, 2012
Left-Leaning College State

Postby Trotterdam » Thu Mar 01, 2018 10:07 am

Techolandia wrote:Yeah, but NS time isn't always at a one-to-one correspondence with real time.
True, but you should keep timing sensible within a single storyline. You can vary how much in-universe time passes between issues (so some are immediate half-hour-later responses while others take a week to see the results), but not have two aspects of the nation explicitly move at different rates.

Techolandia wrote:Also, what if the children tell their parents what to do? That could lead to a fallout like, "Children tell their parents which brand of mosquito net is best," or something.
Now that would be silly, but the good kind of silly. If you do that, I retract my objections.

Techolandia wrote:I intentionally stayed general with the religion because I was worried that doing so could risk contradicting the state religions of nations with at least 1 billion citizens who have already chosen a state religion.
Understandable, but then again, not all religions would be arguing that medicine is evil, either.

It's a difficult balance to strike between being vague enough to be applicable to many religions while still saying something meaningful, but you need to try. For an example that just came to me, many religions across the world use fasting as a form of spiritual cleansing, as it shows dedication to your cause and detachment from material concerns. Fasting also sounds like one of the worst things you could possibly try doing when you're sick.

Techolandia wrote:I thought that I could make it consistent throughout the whole chain. Is there another fix besides just not mentioning names?
Like I said, you can use fixed names, like you already did with Edward Jenner.

Techolandia wrote:
Trotterdam wrote:This isn't an option. It's not doing anything. Saying you should have done something differently earlier after it's too late to revert the consequences doesn't accomplish anything. What are you going to do about it now?
I think that I was going to make it about improving the health system for the next epidemic and having it increase inclusiveness. I'm not sure, though.
I don't mean the stats. I mean the option text that's visible to players who receive the issue should more clearly propose an action.

Even simply apologizing would be doing something, though not much, in a way that merely saying you should have done things differently doesn't.

Techolandia wrote:Interesting that you would choose three of NationStates's more morally-dubious NPC nations for this. Oh, I see that was intentional, you mention it in the next option!

I think you should have this make a point of researching diseases that other nations are suffering from (especially the aforementioned not-too-friendly ones) but aren't currently found in @@NAME@@.
By making the country north of Manamana and south of Brancaland, I think that I put it in the place of the States in the Zika narrative. Polio no longer infects Americans (besides those who got polio while traveling elsewhere)./quote]If you don't say it in the issue narrative, then it didn't happen.

Techolandia wrote:To be fair, Max Barry is probably from, lives in, or once lived in New York, based on the fact that the UN letter implies that Max Barry must abide by New York state law.
Max Barry is from Australia. The UN headquarters are in New York.

Techolandia wrote:Thanks. I'll fix that. Is the demonym that I used for Brancaland okay?
Now that you mention it, I noticed that you typoed "Brancalanadian" instead of "Brancalandian". Other than that, you're good.

Trotterdam wrote:Again, I was using the Zika spread story. Do you have any suggestions for what I should call it instead?
You can just use "nations to your south" or something. #321 is clearly alluding to Mexico without naming any names.

User avatar
Techolandia
Envoy
 
Posts: 292
Founded: Feb 05, 2018
Ex-Nation

Postby Techolandia » Thu Mar 01, 2018 12:01 pm

Trotterdam wrote:
Techolandia wrote:Yeah, but NS time isn't always at a one-to-one correspondence with real time.
True, but you should keep timing sensible within a single storyline. You can vary how much in-universe time passes between issues (so some are immediate half-hour-later responses while others take a week to see the results), but not have two aspects of the nation explicitly move at different rates.

Techolandia wrote:Also, what if the children tell their parents what to do? That could lead to a fallout like, "Children tell their parents which brand of mosquito net is best," or something.
Now that would be silly, but the good kind of silly. If you do that, I retract my objections.

Okay. I'll do that and change the option to emphasize classes for all citizens.
Trotterdam wrote:
Techolandia wrote:I intentionally stayed general with the religion because I was worried that doing so could risk contradicting the state religions of nations with at least 1 billion citizens who have already chosen a state religion.
Understandable, but then again, not all religions would be arguing that medicine is evil, either.

It's a difficult balance to strike between being vague enough to be applicable to many religions while still saying something meaningful, but you need to try. For an example that just came to me, many religions across the world use fasting as a form of spiritual cleansing, as it shows dedication to your cause and detachment from material concerns. Fasting also sounds like one of the worst things you could possibly try doing when you're sick.

Sure. I'll make it fasting and prayer.
Trotterdam wrote:
Techolandia wrote:I thought that I could make it consistent throughout the whole chain. Is there another fix besides just not mentioning names?
Like I said, you can use fixed names, like you already did with Edward Jenner.

Edward Jenner was an actual person who I figured isn't well-known enough for me to have to alter his name. Look him up.
Trotterdam wrote:
Techolandia wrote:I think that I was going to make it about improving the health system for the next epidemic and having it increase inclusiveness. I'm not sure, though.
I don't mean the stats. I mean the option text that's visible to players who receive the issue should more clearly propose an action.

Even simply apologizing would be doing something, though not much, in a way that merely saying you should have done things differently doesn't.

Okay; I'll make it about the government possibly caring for the sick too much.
Trotterdam wrote:Interesting that you would choose three of NationStates's more morally-dubious NPC nations for this. Oh, I see that was intentional, you mention it in the next option!

Yeah; I intentionally did that, and included the fistfight, to make the isolationist's suggestion more viable.
Trotterdam wrote:
Techolandia wrote:By making the country north of Manamana and south of Brancaland, I think that I put it in the place of the States in the Zika narrative. Polio no longer infects Americans (besides those who got polio while traveling elsewhere)./quote]If you don't say it in the issue narrative, then it didn't happen.

Alright; I'll say still prevalent on the other side of the world or something.
Trotterdam wrote:Max Barry is from Australia. The UN headquarters are in New York.

If Max Barry lives in Australia, then why does he have to follow American federal law and New York state law?
Trotterdam wrote:Now that you mention it, I noticed that you typoed "Brancalanadian" instead of "Brancalandian". Other than that, you're good.

I figured that demonyms would be listed in the list of nations if they had already been decided upon, so I tried to make the demonym for Brancaland sound more like the demonym for Canada, which it is based on.
Trotterdam wrote:You can just use "nations to your south" or something. #321 is clearly alluding to Mexico without naming any names.
How about the southern outskirts of @@REGION@@ or something like that?

User avatar
Trotterdam
Postmaster-General
 
Posts: 10541
Founded: Jan 12, 2012
Left-Leaning College State

Postby Trotterdam » Thu Mar 01, 2018 1:26 pm

Techolandia wrote:If Max Barry lives in Australia, then why does he have to follow American federal law and New York state law?
I'm pretty sure trademarks are enforced by international law. Australia has probably agreed by treaty to abide by any valid trademarks registered in the United States.

Also, NationStates is an international site, so even if Max Barry could somehow escape direct punishment in Australia, it would have detrimental impact on the ability of his site to service players in the United States.

Techolandia wrote:I figured that demonyms would be listed in the list of nations if they had already been decided upon,
Not usually, though that's a good suggestion for a future addition. The best way to come by this stuff is to seach the issues in the spoiler thread.

Techolandia wrote:
Trotterdam wrote:You can just use "nations to your south" or something. #321 is clearly alluding to Mexico without naming any names.
How about the southern outskirts of @@REGION@@ or something like that?
Yeah, that's good. Citing @@REGION@@ gives some sense of specifity without intruding on players' canon.

User avatar
Techolandia
Envoy
 
Posts: 292
Founded: Feb 05, 2018
Ex-Nation

Postby Techolandia » Thu Mar 01, 2018 6:46 pm

Trotterdam wrote:
Techolandia wrote:How about the southern outskirts of @@REGION@@ or something like that?
Yeah, that's good. Citing @@REGION@@ gives some sense of specifity without intruding on players' canon.
I fixed it.

User avatar
Candlewhisper Archive
Senior Issues Editor
 
Posts: 23650
Founded: Aug 28, 2015
Anarchy

Postby Candlewhisper Archive » Fri Mar 02, 2018 5:20 am

Techolandia wrote:The issue will start on 1334, the first year of a major Eurasian Black Plague pandemic. Because coming up with all of the issues was enough, I'm only going to bother writing some of the fallouts and let others decide the rest.


That's some way down the line, but sensible to plan ahead!


#1334: An Impending Epidemic: Disease on Our Doorstep
The lead: Over the past few years or so, a disease known as Human Epidemic of the Lymphatic and Pulmonary Systems, or HELPS, for short, has been steadily creeping northwards through @@REGION@@, creating epidemics in countries south of @@NAME@@. It is highly contagious, and now, with the disease season upcoming, @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@ are starting to get infected. Something must be done, but the question is: What?


I'd note there's a real life medical condition called HELLP Syndrome. While that's not a deal breaker, I'd suggest it would be better to come up with a new acronym.

The game currently has VODAIS as an AIDS analogue, but I get the feeling you're going more for the Ebola outbreak.

The debate:
1. "I can't believe this!" shouts @@RANDOMMALENAME_1@@ over the phone from his house. "I just decided to visit sunny Manamana down south, I come back, break out with symptoms, and the doctor says that I have HELPS and have to stay home, lest I infect other people! I hadn't even heard of HELPS before, and I doubt that most @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@ have, either. Impose travel restrictions on all countries with a single case! I doubt that the population will resent it; I certainly wouldn't have gone if I had known that I'd get HELPS."
leads to #1335: Domestic Disease


I think your option speakers don't have a lot of differentiating character. Largely they have the same patterns of speech, and essentially the same voice. This one here, for example, is someone who has contracted a deadly infectious disease that we know is affecting his lungs, and which presumably is going to be something scary, painful and fatal. Yet he doesn't sound breathless, scared nor in pain. Likewise, the option he is proposing doesn't seem to be the sort of thing that someone who is terminally ill and infected would be suggesting.

Also, you've missed the fallout off here.

(only for nations with public schooling)
2a. "No, there are already @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@ infected," counters @@RANDOMFEMALEFIRSTNAME@@ @@LASTNAME_1@@, who got HELPS from her husband in the bedroom when they thought that his cough was just a cold, as she takes the phone from him. "We need greater education to prevent the spread of HELPS and other diseases like it. Mandatory infectious disease prevention classes for all citizens! Think of our children. We might even be having another one."
Fallout: Parents find their kindergarten through college graduation certificates voided until they complete pathology classes.
leads to #1336: Informed but Infected


Again, there's a fail of verisimilitude here. You have here a character who has caught the bug because she found out too late, and isn't in any way resentful or frightened. Instead she's talking like a policy-maker reacting to her situation.

The effect line here isn't in the format effect lines should be in. Honestly, if an author is going to take on an issue chain, they have to know the basics, like how effect lines should be presented, and why an effect line like this isn't the right approach.

3. "The real reason that this outbreak is befalling us is because our citizens have sinned," declares @@RANDOMNAME_3@@, a cleric of @@RELIGION@@, as @@HE_3@@ is bitten by a mosquito that bit @@FEMALEFIRSTNAME_2@@ @@LASTNAME_1@@ yesterday. "Do to their heretical ways, the Great One has punished them with this foul pestilence. They must repent to heal, and I can help them. Fasting and prayer!"
Fallout: The Ministry of Spirituality has taken over the Ministry of Health.
leads to #1337: Clerical Calamity


This is too out of left-field for this early in an issue chain, and is too by-the-book in NS cliche terms. The effect line, again, isn't of the style, format or quality required.

4. "Religion? Why listen to that nonsense?" rhetorically asks your Minister of Health, who wants to keep @@HIS_4@@ job, as @@HE_4@@ takes @@NAME_3@@'s pulse. "It has no scientific basis, and a bunch of 'cleansing rituals' can actually worsen a person's physical state. No, instead we must upgrade our health systems to treat the sick, as well as pour in funds for a vaccine and a cure. The research will be costly and will take a while, but once it's finally done, it will have been worth every penny."
Fallout: Vaccine researchers, plagued with setbacks, get infected with HELPS.
leads to #1338: Research Woes


You upgrade your systems and you get researchers catching the bug? That makes very little sense to me.

5. "Why waste precious time working on a killed-virus vaccine when we already have something just as good?" rhetorically asks Edward Jenner, standing a safe distance away from the infected individuals and using a coffee ground filter as an effective breathing mask. "Infection with MELPS, or Monkey Epidemic of the…, creates immunity to all varieties of PELPS, or Primate Epidemic…, even HELPS. Plus, MELPS only generates mild symptoms with no risk of death—except in infants and the elderly. Also, it's not contagious in humans except for blood transfusions, but that means that each person will have to be vaccinated separately. And it'll be tough convincing the anti-vaccine people…"
Fallout: Annual MELPS deaths in @@NAME@@ have spiked from 0 to 11.
leads to #1339: Help for HELPS


Nice to reference Jenner, that's the first thing I've really liked here.

There's story inconsistencies here. Earlier speakers were on the phone, yet now we see Jenner standing nearby and protecting himself from infection. The option is somewhat unclear and muddled in what it is proposing. The fallout is nonsensical out of context, which is problematic, as often fallouts are encountered by third party nations reading a nation's front page descriptions. Besides that, it's not a funny line anyway, and is directly contradictory of the option saying that MELPS has no risk of death. That's not a bait-and-switch, that's just straight out lying to the player.

Looking through that first issue, I think it indicates that your issue writing is not in a place where you can present a chain yet. I suggest get more published issues under your belt first, and perhaps get to the stage where you can present drafts that look almost ready to publish from the first draft - the sort of level that Chan Island, Singapore No 2, A Humanist Science and a few other regulars have reached.

Right now, you're frankly not ready to present a chain that wouldn't be more work for an editor than writing a chain themselves. To get a chain published you'll need an editor who buys in to your chain 100%, and is ready to do the 50+ hours of work of translating that into the game. As things stand, that doesn't seem likely to happen.

So, good effort, and you're a good enough author to get published for single issues, but you're not quite there for chain writing. Not yet anyway.

Trotterdam is being much more generous than me, seeing much the same flaws but acknowledging your can-do attitude and willingness to improve things. That in mind, I'd say don't throw this away. Keep at it, and get it to a place where you think it's a good issue chain that you'd be happy to submit. At that stage give me a telegram, and I'll look over it again.
Last edited by Candlewhisper Archive on Fri Mar 02, 2018 5:25 am, edited 3 times in total.
editors like linguistic ambiguity more than most people

User avatar
Techolandia
Envoy
 
Posts: 292
Founded: Feb 05, 2018
Ex-Nation

Postby Techolandia » Fri Mar 02, 2018 8:26 am

Candlewhisper Archive wrote:
Techolandia wrote:The issue will start on 1334, the first year of a major Eurasian Black Plague pandemic. Because coming up with all of the issues was enough, I'm only going to bother writing some of the fallouts and let others decide the rest.


That's some way down the line, but sensible to plan ahead!


#1334: An Impending Epidemic: Disease on Our Doorstep
The lead: Over the past few years or so, a disease known as Human Epidemic of the Lymphatic and Pulmonary Systems, or HELPS, for short, has been steadily creeping northwards through @@REGION@@, creating epidemics in countries south of @@NAME@@. It is highly contagious, and now, with the disease season upcoming, @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@ are starting to get infected. Something must be done, but the question is: What?


I'd note there's a real life medical condition called HELLP Syndrome. While that's not a deal breaker, I'd suggest it would be better to come up with a new acronym.

The game currently has VODAIS as an AIDS analogue, but I get the feeling you're going more for the Ebola outbreak.

The name is actually supposed to be a parody of AIDS. The story is actually supposed to be based on several diseases. Besides the name, the disease's spread to @@NAME@@ is based off of Zika, I got the idea for its periodic mutation from influenza, and its modes of transmission are a combination of multiple diseases. Because HELLPS appears to be caused by inadequate bloodflow to the liver, not a pathogen, and the condition isn't too widely known, so I assume that unintentionally coping it is okay. While VODIAS is only transmitted sexually, HELPS can also be transmitted via mosquito, physical content, blood transfusion, and contact with bodily fluids, and well as airborne transmission.
Candlewhisper Archive wrote:
The debate:
1. "I can't believe this!" shouts @@RANDOMMALENAME_1@@ over the phone from his house. "I just decided to visit sunny Manamana down south, I come back, break out with symptoms, and the doctor says that I have HELPS and have to stay home, lest I infect other people! I hadn't even heard of HELPS before, and I doubt that most @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@ have, either. Impose travel restrictions on all countries with a single case! I doubt that the population will resent it; I certainly wouldn't have gone if I had known that I'd get HELPS."
leads to #1335: Domestic Disease


I think your option speakers don't have a lot of differentiating character. Largely they have the same patterns of speech, and essentially the same voice. This one here, for example, is someone who has contracted a deadly infectious disease that we know is affecting his lungs, and which presumably is going to be something scary, painful and fatal. Yet he doesn't sound breathless, scared nor in pain. Likewise, the option he is proposing doesn't seem to be the sort of thing that someone who is terminally ill and infected would be suggesting.

HELPS has a high but not 100% mortality rate, which, as for most diseases, is highly for infants and the elderly, so the man doesn't have that much of a chance of dying (although it is significant). However, I'll have him show symptoms. The entire first issue is supposed to kind of be a zig-zig-zag thing (with two additional zigs) in addition to demonstrating some of the ways in which the disease is spread).
Candlewhisper Archive wrote:Also, you've missed the fallout off here.

(only for nations with public schooling)
2a. "No, there are already @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@ infected," counters @@RANDOMFEMALEFIRSTNAME@@ @@LASTNAME_1@@, who got HELPS from her husband in the bedroom when they thought that his cough was just a cold, as she takes the phone from him. "We need greater education to prevent the spread of HELPS and other diseases like it. Mandatory infectious disease prevention classes for all citizens! Think of our children. We might even be having another one."
Fallout: Parents find their kindergarten through college graduation certificates voided until they complete pathology classes.
leads to #1336: Informed but Infected


Again, there's a fail of verisimilitude here. You have here a character who has caught the bug because she found out too late, and isn't in any way resentful or frightened. Instead she's talking like a policy-maker reacting to her situation.

The effect line here isn't in the format effect lines should be in. Honestly, if an author is going to take on an issue chain, they have to know the basics, like how effect lines should be presented, and why an effect line like this isn't the right approach.

I'll replace it with something that I came up with the idea for Trotterdam.
Trotterdam wrote:
Techolandia wrote:Also, what if the children tell their parents what to do? That could lead to a fallout like, "Children tell their parents which brand of mosquito net is best," or something.
Now that would be silly, but the good kind of silly. If you do that, I retract my objections.

Candlewhisper Archive wrote:
3. "The real reason that this outbreak is befalling us is because our citizens have sinned," declares @@RANDOMNAME_3@@, a cleric of @@RELIGION@@, as @@HE_3@@ is bitten by a mosquito that bit @@FEMALEFIRSTNAME_2@@ @@LASTNAME_1@@ yesterday. "Do to their heretical ways, the Great One has punished them with this foul pestilence. They must repent to heal, and I can help them. Fasting and prayer!"
Fallout: The Ministry of Spirituality has taken over the Ministry of Health.
leads to #1337: Clerical Calamity


This is too out of left-field for this early in an issue chain, and is too by-the-book in NS cliche terms. The effect line, again, isn't of the style, format or quality required.

I'll change it to something that Trotterdam brought up.
Trotterdam wrote:
Techolandia wrote:I intentionally stayed general with the religion because I was worried that doing so could risk contradicting the state religions of nations with at least 1 billion citizens who have already chosen a state religion.
Understandable, but then again, not all religions would be arguing that medicine is evil, either.

It's a difficult balance to strike between being vague enough to be applicable to many religions while still saying something meaningful, but you need to try. For an example that just came to me, many religions across the world use fasting as a form of spiritual cleansing, as it shows dedication to your cause and detachment from material concerns. Fasting also sounds like one of the worst things you could possibly try doing when you're sick.

Candlewhisper Archive wrote:
4. "Religion? Why listen to that nonsense?" rhetorically asks your Minister of Health, who wants to keep @@HIS_4@@ job, as @@HE_4@@ takes @@NAME_3@@'s pulse. "It has no scientific basis, and a bunch of 'cleansing rituals' can actually worsen a person's physical state. No, instead we must upgrade our health systems to treat the sick, as well as pour in funds for a vaccine and a cure. The research will be costly and will take a while, but once it's finally done, it will have been worth every penny."
Fallout: Vaccine researchers, plagued with setbacks, get infected with HELPS.
leads to #1338: Research Woes


You upgrade your systems and you get researchers catching the bug? That makes very little sense to me.

It's because the research hasn't led to a vaccine or medicine. The Health Minister mentions that it would be time-consuming even before researchers start getting sick.
Candlewhisper Archive wrote:
5. "Why waste precious time working on a killed-virus vaccine when we already have something just as good?" rhetorically asks Edward Jenner, standing a safe distance away from the infected individuals and using a coffee ground filter as an effective breathing mask. "Infection with MELPS, or Monkey Epidemic of the…, creates immunity to all varieties of PELPS, or Primate Epidemic…, even HELPS. Plus, MELPS only generates mild symptoms with no risk of death—except in infants and the elderly. Also, it's not contagious in humans except for blood transfusions, but that means that each person will have to be vaccinated separately. And it'll be tough convincing the anti-vaccine people…"
Fallout: Annual MELPS deaths in @@NAME@@ have spiked from 0 to 11.
leads to #1339: Help for HELPS


Nice to reference Jenner, that's the first thing I've really liked here.

There's story inconsistencies here. Earlier speakers were on the phone, yet now we see Jenner standing nearby and protecting himself from infection.

They're on the phone as part of quarantine.
Candlewhisper Archive wrote:The option is somewhat unclear and muddled in what it is proposing. The fallout is nonsensical out of context, which is problematic, as often fallouts are encountered by third party nations reading a nation's front page descriptions. Besides that, it's not a funny line anyway, and is directly contradictory of the option saying that MELPS has no risk of death. That's not a bait-and-switch, that's just straight out lying to the player.

Edward Jenner says that it poses no risk of death excpet to infants and the elderly, and presumably only a slight risk of death even in them. Also, would you please stop criticizing my fallouts so much? I know that they're probably my weakest filed in issue-writing even when I don't have to write 34 of them. I explained why not all are included at the top of the original post.
Candlewhisper Archive wrote:Looking through that first issue, I think it indicates that your issue writing is not in a place where you can present a chain yet. I suggest get more published issues under your belt first, and perhaps get to the stage where you can present drafts that look almost ready to publish from the first draft - the sort of level that Chan Island, Singapore No 2, A Humanist Science and a few other regulars have reached.

Right now, you're frankly not ready to present a chain that wouldn't be more work for an editor than writing a chain themselves. To get a chain published you'll need an editor who buys in to your chain 100%, and is ready to do the 50+ hours of work of translating that into the game. As things stand, that doesn't seem likely to happen.

So, good effort, and you're a good enough author to get published for single issues, but you're not quite there for chain writing. Not yet anyway.

What about chain issues as a stepping-stone to issue chains?
Candlewhisper Archive wrote:Trotterdam is being much more generous than me, seeing much the same flaws but acknowledging your can-do attitude and willingness to improve things. That in mind, I'd say don't throw this away. Keep at it, and get it to a place where you think it's a good issue chain that you'd be happy to submit. At that stage give me a telegram, and I'll look over it again.
I was responding to your post as I read it, so I assumed that you would respond to my response, but I've already taken the time to write it, so I might as well post it.
Last edited by Techolandia on Fri Mar 02, 2018 8:34 am, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Candlewhisper Archive
Senior Issues Editor
 
Posts: 23650
Founded: Aug 28, 2015
Anarchy

Postby Candlewhisper Archive » Fri Mar 02, 2018 8:30 am

No worries, I'll keep an eye. Good point on the mortality. Otherwise, will leave it to you for a bit and see how it looks some way down the line.
editors like linguistic ambiguity more than most people

User avatar
USS Monitor
Retired Moderator
 
Posts: 30747
Founded: Jul 01, 2015
Inoffensive Centrist Democracy

Postby USS Monitor » Fri Mar 02, 2018 10:07 pm

Is the thing about deaths spiking from 0 to 11 meant to be a Spinal Tap reference? If so, Spinal Tap is awesome and you should put more references to make it more obvious.
Don't take life so serious... it isn't permanent... RIP Dyakovo and Ashmoria
19th century steamships may be harmful or fatal if swallowed. In case of accidental ingestion, please seek immediate medical assistance.
༄༅། །འགྲོ་བ་མི་རིགས་ག་ར་དབང་ཆ་འདྲ་མཉམ་འབད་སྒྱེཝ་ལས་ག་ར་གིས་གཅིག་གིས་གཅིག་ལུ་སྤུན་ཆའི་དམ་ཚིག་བསྟན་དགོས།

User avatar
Techolandia
Envoy
 
Posts: 292
Founded: Feb 05, 2018
Ex-Nation

Postby Techolandia » Sat Mar 03, 2018 10:31 pm

USS Monitor wrote:Is the thing about deaths spiking from 0 to 11 meant to be a Spinal Tap reference? If so, Spinal Tap is awesome and you should put more references to make it more obvious.
No; it was just supposed to be a standard over-dramatic fallout. I don't even even know Spinal Tap is, but I could put in some references about that if you provide me with some.

User avatar
USS Monitor
Retired Moderator
 
Posts: 30747
Founded: Jul 01, 2015
Inoffensive Centrist Democracy

Postby USS Monitor » Sat Mar 03, 2018 11:42 pm

Techolandia wrote:
USS Monitor wrote:Is the thing about deaths spiking from 0 to 11 meant to be a Spinal Tap reference? If so, Spinal Tap is awesome and you should put more references to make it more obvious.
No; it was just supposed to be a standard over-dramatic fallout. I don't even even know Spinal Tap is, but I could put in some references about that if you provide me with some.

It's a mockumentary about a rock band, and the scene I thought you might be referencing is when they're talking about their amplifiers. They explain that the volume on a normal amplifier goes from 0 to 10, but on the amp they have, it goes to 11. The interviewer asks why they couldn't just get an amp that goes from 0 to 10, but is louder, and the guys from the band answer, "but this one goes to 11," as if they don't understand what the interviewer is saying. The way they deliver the line is really funny. Anything about going up to 11, there's a chance you're going to have readers thinking of that scene.

It's worth watching the movie if you have a chance.
Don't take life so serious... it isn't permanent... RIP Dyakovo and Ashmoria
19th century steamships may be harmful or fatal if swallowed. In case of accidental ingestion, please seek immediate medical assistance.
༄༅། །འགྲོ་བ་མི་རིགས་ག་ར་དབང་ཆ་འདྲ་མཉམ་འབད་སྒྱེཝ་ལས་ག་ར་གིས་གཅིག་གིས་གཅིག་ལུ་སྤུན་ཆའི་དམ་ཚིག་བསྟན་དགོས།

User avatar
Jutsa
Negotiator
 
Posts: 5513
Founded: Dec 06, 2015
Capitalizt

Postby Jutsa » Sun Mar 04, 2018 9:34 am

It's worth watching the movie if you have a chance.
I wholeheartedly agree with this.
You're welcome to telegram me any questions you have of the game. Unless I've CTE'd (ceased to exist) - then you physically can't do that.

Helpful* Got Issues? Links (Not Pinned In Forum) *mostly: >List of Issue-Related Lists | >Personal List of Issue Ideas | >List of Known Missing Issues/Options |
>Trotterdam's Issue Results/Policies Tracker | >Val's Bonus Stats | >Fauzjhia's Easter Egg Guide | >My Joke Drafts List | >Sherp's Author Rankings

Other Nifty Links: >Best-Ranked Useful Dispatches | >NSindex | >IA's WA Proposal Office | >Major Discord Links | >Trivia | >Cards Against NS | >Polls

"Remember, licking doorknobs is perfectly legal on other planets." - Ja Luıñaí

User avatar
Techolandia
Envoy
 
Posts: 292
Founded: Feb 05, 2018
Ex-Nation

Postby Techolandia » Sun Mar 04, 2018 12:34 pm

USS Monitor wrote:
Techolandia wrote:No; it was just supposed to be a standard over-dramatic fallout. I don't even even know Spinal Tap is, but I could put in some references about that if you provide me with some.

It's a mockumentary about a rock band, and the scene I thought you might be referencing is when they're talking about their amplifiers. They explain that the volume on a normal amplifier goes from 0 to 10, but on the amp they have, it goes to 11. The interviewer asks why they couldn't just get an amp that goes from 0 to 10, but is louder, and the guys from the band answer, "but this one goes to 11," as if they don't understand what the interviewer is saying. The way they deliver the line is really funny. Anything about going up to 11, there's a chance you're going to have readers thinking of that scene.

It's worth watching the movie if you have a chance.
I think that a wider variety of references might be better. Now that you describe it, I am having vague memories about the players talking about their lead drummer spontaneously combusting during a performance from a The Eighties episode about TV on CNN. But I think that that's the only clip from Spinal Tap that the episode had.

User avatar
Trotterdam
Postmaster-General
 
Posts: 10541
Founded: Jan 12, 2012
Left-Leaning College State

Postby Trotterdam » Sun Mar 04, 2018 12:44 pm

Forced references are worse than no references. Use them only where they feel natural, and the text still makes sense to people not familiar with the reference.

User avatar
Techolandia
Envoy
 
Posts: 292
Founded: Feb 05, 2018
Ex-Nation

Postby Techolandia » Sun Mar 04, 2018 1:15 pm

Trotterdam wrote:Forced references are worse than no references. Use them only where they feel natural, and the text still makes sense to people not familiar with the reference.
I removed it. Ironically, I came back online to change it to
The debate:
1. "I can't believe this!" exclaims @@RANDOMMALENAME_1@@ over the phone from his house, periodically stopping to cough or gasp. "I decide to visit sunny Manamana down south, I come back, I break out with symptoms, and the doctor says that I have HELPS and have to stay home, lest I infect other people! I hadn't even heard of HELPS before, and I doubt that most @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@ have, either. Impose travel restrictions on all countries with a single case! I doubt that the population will resent it; I certainly wouldn't have gone if I had known that I'd get HELPS." He breaks into a coughing fit, which ends abruptly with the sound of an explosion
Fallout: The number of annual spontaneous combustion cases has risen from 0 to 11.
leads to #1335: Domestic Disease

(only for nations with public schooling)
2a. "My poor husband," wails @@RANDOMFEMALEFIRSTNAME@@ @@LASTNAME_1@@, who got HELPS from her husband in the bedroom when they thought that his cough was just a cold, as she picked up the phone, "was until now one of already many @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@ infected, so it's no use trying to keep out a disease that's already inside our borders." Her sobs start to transition to coughs. "Instead, we need greater education to prevent the spread of HELPS and other diseases like it." She stops to cough and clear her throat before continuing, "Mandatory infectious disease prevention units in all health classes! Think of our children."
Fallout: Children tell their parents which brand of mosquito net to buy.
leads to #1336: Informed but Infected

User avatar
USS Monitor
Retired Moderator
 
Posts: 30747
Founded: Jul 01, 2015
Inoffensive Centrist Democracy

Postby USS Monitor » Sun Mar 04, 2018 6:28 pm

Techolandia wrote:
USS Monitor wrote:It's a mockumentary about a rock band, and the scene I thought you might be referencing is when they're talking about their amplifiers. They explain that the volume on a normal amplifier goes from 0 to 10, but on the amp they have, it goes to 11. The interviewer asks why they couldn't just get an amp that goes from 0 to 10, but is louder, and the guys from the band answer, "but this one goes to 11," as if they don't understand what the interviewer is saying. The way they deliver the line is really funny. Anything about going up to 11, there's a chance you're going to have readers thinking of that scene.

It's worth watching the movie if you have a chance.
I think that a wider variety of references might be better. Now that you describe it, I am having vague memories about the players talking about their lead drummer spontaneously combusting during a performance from a The Eighties episode about TV on CNN. But I think that that's the only clip from Spinal Tap that the episode had.


Yeah, they go through a lot of drummers, including one who spontaneously combusts. It's a running joke. But it's not my job to write the issues for you and put the references in.
Don't take life so serious... it isn't permanent... RIP Dyakovo and Ashmoria
19th century steamships may be harmful or fatal if swallowed. In case of accidental ingestion, please seek immediate medical assistance.
༄༅། །འགྲོ་བ་མི་རིགས་ག་ར་དབང་ཆ་འདྲ་མཉམ་འབད་སྒྱེཝ་ལས་ག་ར་གིས་གཅིག་གིས་གཅིག་ལུ་སྤུན་ཆའི་དམ་ཚིག་བསྟན་དགོས།

User avatar
Techolandia
Envoy
 
Posts: 292
Founded: Feb 05, 2018
Ex-Nation

Postby Techolandia » Sun Mar 04, 2018 8:27 pm

USS Monitor wrote:
Techolandia wrote:I think that a wider variety of references might be better. Now that you describe it, I am having vague memories about the players talking about their lead drummer spontaneously combusting during a performance from a The Eighties episode about TV on CNN. But I think that that's the only clip from Spinal Tap that the episode had.


Yeah, they go through a lot of drummers, including one who spontaneously combusts. It's a running joke. But it's not my job to write the issues for you and put the references in.
I researched the band and put three more references in, two about drummers choking to death on vomit and one about an eighteen feet vs. eighteen inches-high model (eighteen meters vs. eighteen decimeters in circumference for countries that have gone metric).


Advertisement

Remove ads

Return to Got Issues?

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users

Advertisement

Remove ads