NationStates

[name] Ai Yai Yai, Calypso!

[description] West Calypso President Victor Sánchez, infamous for being hopelessly corrupt, has taken a new approach towards his falling approval ratings — faking an international incident. A team of intelligence agents have returned from the tiny tropical island in disbelief, detailing how Sánchez fabricated a hostage situation at a non-existant @@DEMONYMADJECTIVE@@ embassy, going so far as to distribute doctored images and press releases. The smear campaign has been so effective that even @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@ are beginning to grow alarmed at the constant 'news' updates.

[option] "Is this a joke?" grumbles @@RANDOMNAME@@, one of @@NAME@@'s top diplomats. "I get that @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@ don't really follow the international news, but Sánchez's affair with his secretary made the '@@DEMONYMPLURAL@@ Examiner'. The man is a dangerous manipulator whose narrative needs to be squashed before any more damage occurs. It's worth trying to take advantage of his corruption by giving him a huge payout in exchange for ending this charade. My team of diplomats have a large case of @@CURRENCY@@ ready for transport."
[effect] tinpot dictators brag about @@NAME@@'s willingness to pay their ransom demands

[option] "Wait a darn second!" exlaims @@RANDOMNAME@@, your press secretary. "Are you telling me that we can just make things up? And it works? Why bother doing things diplomatically when you can just respond to West Calypso's lies with whatever you want? Next time their government makes a statement about the fake incident, just respond by claiming that Sánchez's government is about to release a biological weapon in retaliation or something. Baffle 'em with bull and you'll confuse them right out of the game."
[effect] government reports are structured like a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure game

[option] "I would not give them any ideas," sternly warns General @@RANDOMNAME@@, consulting a topographical map of the West Calypsoan island. "I am concerned that Sánchez is using this false panic as a pretense to pursue military action against @@NAME@@. West Calypso is not a formidable power on their own, but I have sources that claim that Blackacre has been using the island as a proxy to pursue regional interests. Rather than risk a serious threat, my recommendation is to dispose of Victor Sánchez through a coup d'etat and install a more truthful leader willing to follow our lead."
[effect] the nation's primary export is the Banana Republic

Australian rePublic wrote:Option 1- how do you plan to inform the people of West Calypso?

Minoa wrote:Is option 1 the war option? Because the real West Calypso considers even the smallest act of transgression as an excuse to go to war.

Altmer Dominion wrote:

Minoa wrote:Is option 1 the war option? Because the real West Calypso considers even the smallest act of transgression as an excuse to go to war.

Could you briefly explain what you mean by the "real" West Calypso? In the NS Verse, the island is very much a blank slate vaguely referenced in #985.

Minoa wrote:

Altmer Dominion wrote:Could you briefly explain what you mean by the "real" West Calypso? In the NS Verse, the island is very much a blank slate vaguely referenced in #985.

Sorry, I incorrectly said "real", when I meant to refer to the gameplay nation that I run. I never meant to say that you must add a "war" option, but it is worth considering — usually through increased military spending or an increase in the percentage of deaths due to war.

[description] West Calypso President Victor Sánchez, infamous for being hopelessly corrupt, has taken a new approach towards his falling approval ratings — faking an international incident. A team of intelligence agents have returned from the tiny tropical island in disbelief, detailing how Sánchez fabricated a hostage situation at a non-existant @@DEMONYMADJECTIVE@@ embassy in order to manipulate the public. This ruse having not been caught for a couple days, the West Calypsoan government has already gone so far to distribute doctored photographs and press releases of the 'catastrophe'.

In a banana republic, the corrupt dictator did something corrupt. This event had no bearing on @@NAME@@.

Candlewhisper Archive wrote:

[description] West Calypso President Victor Sánchez, infamous for being hopelessly corrupt, has taken a new approach towards his falling approval ratings — faking an international incident. A team of intelligence agents have returned from the tiny tropical island in disbelief, detailing how Sánchez fabricated a hostage situation at a non-existant @@DEMONYMADJECTIVE@@ embassy in order to manipulate the public. This ruse having not been caught for a couple days, the West Calypsoan government has already gone so far to distribute doctored photographs and press releases of the 'catastrophe'.

Hmmm...

Sorry, to me it reads as this:

In a banana republic, the corrupt dictator did something corrupt. This event had no bearing on @@NAME@@.

So where's the issue?

Altmer Dominion wrote:

Minoa wrote:Sorry, I incorrectly said "real", when I meant to refer to the gameplay nation that I run. I never meant to say that you must add a "war" option, but it is worth considering — usually through increased military spending or an increase in the percentage of deaths due to war.

I considered a bombing/invasion scenario just to round out the Cold War theme, but decided against it. Regime change could be considered a small-scale variant.

Baggieland wrote:Option 2. NAME has been, falsely, accused of serious misconduct, kidnapping of a head of state. But your only response is to say "you smell"?

Sresia wrote:Just a suggestion, but I'd slightly change the last option's effect line to "@@NAME@@'s primary export is..." or "The nation's primary export is..."