NationStates

Electrical Elegy

The Issue: Some power stations have been running dangerously close to their operating limit in recent months, and population growth shows no signs of stopping. Your advisors have joined you to plan an expansion to the power infrastructure to reduce the risk of brownouts.


Option 1. "It's simple," opines @@RANDOMNAME_1@@, your Minister for Simple Solutions, preparing to leave for lunch. "We simply set aside some taxpayer money to build lots more power stations - and power lines. Problem solved!"
Validity: All nations
Effect: Local avian fauna are known to go missing in the tangle of overhead wires.

Option 2. "Not so fast!" interrupts @@RANDOMNAME_2@@, the Minister for Convoluted Complications, excitedly dumping a stack of papers at your feet. "The problem isn't the amount of power, it's distribution! My thesis here describes the creation of a new regulatory agency explicitly for the maximization of electrical efficiency! Give me all the funding, staff, and internal review time I need, and I'll make everything run smoothly within the next decade."
Validity: All nations
Effect: All power stations have an emergency supply of clipboards and pince-nez glasses.

Option 3. A shout distracts you from outside your office, and a flustered official comes running in. "In the name of @@FAITH@@, stop! @@LEADER@@, does any of this sound simple or efficient to you? There's only one thing that can solve this problem without putting us in the red - business. Just agree to privatise all future expansion to the network, and bam! We'll be in the clear. And richer."
Validity: All nations
Effect: Poor districts of @@ANIMAL@@ City are showing an unprecedented interest in steam power.

Option 4. "Now just hold on a minute..." trails off @@RANDOMNAME_1@@, as they leaf through @@RANDOMNAME_2@@'s papers. "Look at all these safety regulations we're already stuck with! If we could just trim some of the fat on these, we could send way more power down the lines and generate way more at our existing stations! Now that's simple AND efficient!"
Validity: All nations
Effect: Some neighborhoods of @@CAPITAL@@ are lit only by the fires of burning substations.


Feel free to suggest alternative titles, I'm not fully satisfied with this one.

South Greesa wrote:Electrical Elegy

The Issue: The nation's power infrastructure is functioning adequately for now, but population growth shows no signs of stopping. Your advisors have joined you to plan for an increased power burden down the line.


Option 1. "It's simple," opines @@RANDOMNAME_1@@, your Minister for Simple Solutions, preparing to leave for lunch. "We simply set aside some taxpayer money to build lots more power stations - and power lines. Problem solved!"
Validity: All nations
Effect: Local avian fauna are known to go missing in the tangle of overhead wires.

Option 2. "Not so fast!" interrupts @@RANDOMNAME_2@@, the Minister for Convoluted Complications, excitedly dumping a stack of papers at your feet. "The problem isn't the amount of power, it's distribution! My thesis here describes the creation of a new regulatory agency explicitly for the maximization of electrical efficiency! Give me all the funding, staff, and internal review time I need, and I'll make everything run smoothly within the next decade."
Validity: All nations
Effect: All power stations have an emergency supply of clipboards and pince-nez glasses.

Option 3. A shout distracts you from outside your office, and a flustered official comes running in. "In the name of @@FAITH@@, stop! @@LEADER@@, does any of this sound simple or efficient to you? There's only one thing that can solve this problem without putting us in the red - business. Just agree to privatise all future expansion to the network, and bam! We'll be in the clear. And richer."
Validity: All nations
Effect: Poor districts of @@ANIMAL@@ City are showing an unprecedented interest in steam power.

Option 4. "Now just hold on a minute..." trails off @@RANDOMNAME_1@@, as they leaf through @@RANDOMNAME_2@@'s papers. "Look at all these safety regulations we're already stuck with! If we could just trim some of the fat on these, we could send way more power down the lines and generate way more at our existing stations! Now that's simple AND efficient!"
Validity: All nations
Effect: Some neighborhoods of @@CAPITAL@@ are lit only by the fires of burning substations.


Feel free to suggest alternative titles, I'm not fully satisfied with this one.

Why does RANDOMNAME_1 have two options?
Also I think I’ve seen a similar issue before. Try and check for overlap

The issue you present here is that the electrical grid needs an upgrade. What event brought this to @@LEADER@@'s attention? An accident? Some sort of report? etc.


I feel like the options are very generic (upgrade, red tape option, privatization, cutting regulations). Maybe try to focus on alternative methods of power delivery, such as renewable energy sources, nuclear power, etc.. Though I imagine such an issue may already exist, so you may want to look into that.

Honeydewistania wrote:Why does RANDOMNAME_1 have two options?
Also I think I’ve seen a similar issue before. Try and check for overlap

1) The narrative I wanted to set up is this: While you're hearing option 3, the person who spoke in option 1 is looking at the papers referenced in option 2. They come up with a new idea, which is option 4.

2) The issue you're thinking of is (I think) #69: Power Problems Need Bright Solution. In this one, a power station explodes from neglect, and it has to be replaced. The question is about whether you want fossil fuels, renewable power, or nuclear power. In my issue, I'm focusing on an expansion to an existing power grid, and the question is about a choice between two styles of public-funded response, a privately-funded response, or a 'no-funded' response. Based on this, I think my issue is sufficiently different from number 69 (though you may be thinking of a different issue).

Noahs Second Country wrote:The issue you present here is that the electrical grid needs an upgrade. What event brought this to @@LEADER@@'s attention? An accident? Some sort of report? etc.


I feel like the options are very generic (upgrade, red tape option, privatization, cutting regulations). Maybe try to focus on alternative methods of power delivery, such as renewable energy sources, nuclear power, etc.. Though I imagine such an issue may already exist, so you may want to look into that.

1) I was imagining it was just as a result of realizing that the power grid cannot cope forever with a growing population. I'll try rewriting that part.

2) The reason I didn't want to mention renewables is because of the potential similarities with issue #69. I wanted to keep the actual source of the power out of it beyond 'power stations', which could be renewable/nuclear/fossil fuels. That way the issue is applicable to any nation, regardless of fuel type.

The problem I see here is that the privatization vs public funds issue comes up in many, many issues. While not necessarily a bad thing, you can effectively replace the power infrastructure needing an upgrade with a variety of other circumstances, such as sanitation systems, water systems, even things like police and roads. I'm sure there are issues out there that already do just that.

So with that in mind, you may need to make the premise or circumstances of this issue more unique. How are you upgrading? Surely, if the government is going to upgrade then they want something newer, faster, cheaper, etc..

The other way you could take this issue is with what you implied in the description: a growing population. Though multiple other issues cover issues pertaining to population growth iirc.

how about putting something in the water supply to lower your nation's fertility. problem solved.

Having a guy with two options is a really bad idea. What does he stand for? What’s his stance? It makes it more confusing. It’s better to have a random bystander of better, a hobo that suggests something

I like the feedback I'm getting, but I'm going to go and get a haircut now. I'll implement the suggestions once I'm back.

Thanks for the help, gang.

In the process of editing this issue, it has become so drastically different that I'm going to submit it as a new issue once I've worked on it further.

South Greesa wrote:In the process of editing this issue, it has become so drastically different that I'm going to submit it as a new issue once I've worked on it further.

Please draft it, don't submit it outright

Would it be appropriate for you to continue to use this thread to draft Electrical Elegy II?

I suggest you add a validity for low-income nations because a lack of generation capability is not something that occurs in developed countries.

Also, Option 2 is a bit contradictory with how you've set up the issue - the issue says 'power stations have been running dangerously close to their operating limit', whereas Option 2 talks about fixing distribution.