NationStates Issues **SPOILER ALERT**

[Trotterdam]

#1180 Death Doesn't Discriminate

The Issue

The working population has become more difficult to sustain since many laborers have been selected for the rite of human sacrifice.

The Debate

2. "Only the elderly must be sacrificed," claims @@RANDOMNAME@@, preparing for her grandfather's geronticidal death. "Our elders have lived full lives; I mean, we're going to kill them anyway. Why not end their lives in a sacred way? They could rest in peace, and we'd no longer have to kill the working folk. It's an efficient and humane approach."

4. "I'm sure the gods wouldn't appreciate withered, elderly sacrifices," argues 55-year-old professor @@RANDOMNAME@@. "You should instead encourage parents to give their fatally sick or otherwise unwanted children to our cause. We can even have ritual abortions in hospitals, while we're at it."

5. "We don't need to sacrifice any @@DEMONYMNOUNPLURAL@@ when we could, ahem, 'capture' people from our neighboring countries," schemes Dr. Leo Cortisol, your underhanded Minister of Underhanded Solutions, who you don't recall hiring. "No one cares about them anyway. Everyone's gotta go some time!"

6. "It is not our place to say when a person must be killed," says @@RANDOMNAME@@, whose ancestors hail from the pious nation of Savoiia. "If our children or our elders were truly meant to die for a deity, then let the deity kill them, not us! This inhumane and unholy bloodshed must end, and all ritual sacrifice should be outlawed."

Issue by Jutsa
Edited by Zwangzug

[Furry Things]

Jolly Jousting Japes

The Issue
A motley group of sportsmen, equestrians, and medieval reenactment enthusiasts have petitioned the government to bring back the sport of jousting.

The Debate

1. “It’ll be awesome!” exclaims medieval scholar Fumiko Gates, pointing to a painting depicting the ancient sport. “Bringing back such a revered part of our past would invigorate our cultural life! That said, we’d need to do it the old-fashioned way — meaning a full commitment to lances, armour, and fine horses. What do you say? Let’s bring the past to life!”
   
2. “I think we need to jazz it up a little,” suggests popular daredevil Lance Knievel. “Instead of jousters using horses and lances, what if they instead play on motorbikes and sports cars? Participants can even use a variety of weapons, such as maces and axes! It’ll be bloody, but we’ll have so much fun!”
   
3. “This proposal gave me an interesting thought,” ponders your Treasury Minister Rory Stone, admiring her reflection in a polished shield. “Jousting could very well be a boon for the economy. We could even get the gambling industry in on it: let people place bets on jousting matches while we take a cut of the proceeds. I doubt event coordinators will have any problem filling stadiums with people who’d pay top dollar to experience this real-life, exciting sport!”
   
4. “Why are we only focusing on jousting?” asks posh aristocrat Agatha Burns as she cleans her glasses. “Don’t you think times were simpler and better when everyone knew their place? There were benevolent lords in their manors, peasants merrily tilling the fields, even courtly jousts conducted by illustrious knights. Shouldn’t we do our part to make these traditional values a reality again?”

The Tsardom of Nuremgard
Edited by Altmer Dominion

[Jutsa]

Funnily enough, I've got options 1 and 3 for my issue, so it works out.

Thank you both, and thank you Zwangzug for my 18th issue. >ω<

edit: lmao I'm actually not too surprised by the editor and author of 1181. Fun issue.
Super happy to see another issue installing feudalism.

[Jutsa]

Added both issues to the list! Kinda surprised there's no anti-jousting option in 1181, but I guess that's the dismiss button.

Quick question though: Lance Knievel isn't random, is it?

[Furry Things]

Added both issues to the list! Kinda surprised there's no anti-jousting option in 1181, but I guess that's the dismiss button.

Quick question though: Lance Knievel isn't random, is it?

It doesn't seem random, but I've been wrong before!

[Jutsa]

I just say because a) Lance (lances? get it?) and b) I thought Knievel was the name of some famous daredevil or something, but I can't think of where or how or why I'd have seen it.

[Trotterdam]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evel_Knievel

[Trotterdam]

#596 7 is apparently unavailable to some nations, though I can't tell what the validity might be. Note that the nation I failed to get it on is a democracy (albeit a very oppressive one), so it's not that.

[Candlewhisper Archive]

#596 7 is apparently unavailable to some nations, though I can't tell what the validity might be. Note that the nation I failed to get it on is a democracy (albeit a very oppressive one), so it's not that.

7/8 are for constitutional and absolute monarchies respectively, and though the option to tag yourself as a constitutional monarchy came around 193 days ago, it's only in one place and not on the most popular option, so it's not surprising you don't see 596.7 that often.

[Trotterdam]

7/8 are for constitutional and absolute monarchies respectively,

So apparently there's an option 8 we need to hunt for. Good to know.

[Chads United]

#1183: Bloodied but Unbowed [The Democratic Island Federation of Frieden-und Freudenland; ed: Baggieland]

The Issue

You have come to your office this morning to find that your tea hasn’t been brewed, your meeting schedule hasn’t been laid out, and your plants haven’t been watered. There has been a delay in everything as your assistant, Doris Beethoven, has been slacking off work today because it is her ‘time of the month.’

The Debate

Option 1: “I can’t take it any more @@LEADER@@!” wails Doris Beethoven, plumping down on your chair in her pajamas — then taking a sip from her chamomile tea and rubbing her belly. “For some women like me, periods are too bloody painful to concentrate on work. All female employees should have a right to paid menstrual leave for up to five days every month. Period. This way, instead of writhing in pain in our workplaces with little to no productivity, we can go shop — err, I mean, take a warm, relaxing shower and rest.”

Option 2: “Oh, cry me a river!” exclaims Stan Grimes, your misogynistic Minister of Finance, while rolling his eyes at Doris Beethoven. “Do you have any idea how much money these ‘menstrual vacations’ will cost our taxpayers? But no, these snivelling moaners find a new thing to whine about every day: they want breastfeeding breaks, employment quotas, and now this! Hey, my mother was a woman too, but she never complained about anything. When she was pregnant with me, she worked on our cotton field for 12 hours a day, even if it was her time of the month! Do away with this sex-based discrimination and abolish all special concessions to women. And tell this whimperer to take a painkiller — then get back to work!”

Option 3: “How could you even suggest this?” enquires Jack Myers, your Minister of Chivalry, with a condescending smile on his face. “I think we are looking at the problem in the wrong way. Has it ever occurred to you that doing office drudgery may actually be too harsh and stressful for the frail bodies of the fair sex? I think there would be no need for menstrual leave if women were strongly encouraged to do easy and stress-free menial jobs, like basket-weaving or bead-threading. What do you think?”

[Jutsa]

Woohoo! Another FuF issue! And one I've kinda wanted in the game but have been far too horrified I'd get wrong to actually do anything about myself.

Thanks for the report, Chads United.

edit: Oh yeah, also added 596.8 to my list of known missing options.
Funny, that one.

[Jutsa]

Ohey mind my asking if any names are fixed/random? .-.

[Chads United]

Ohey mind my asking if any names are fixed/random? .-.

I suck at guessing.

[Jutsa]

Naeh, I meant from an editor, or FuF. Thanks though.

[Altmer Dominion]

Added both issues to the list! Kinda surprised there's no anti-jousting option in 1181, but I guess that's the dismiss button.

Quick question though: Lance Knievel isn't random, is it?

Following up on this: first name is random, last name fixed. Such a fitting name first name for this occasion was simply a serendipitous occurrence.

[Frieden-und Freudenland]

Naeh, I meant from an editor, or FuF. Thanks though.

All names are random, the gender of the speakers in Option 2 and Option 3 is fixed.

[Jutsa]

Many thanks, you two.

Now I just got 1178, and noticed a couple of oddities.
1) Sebastian Sienna is actually fixed. Don't know the reference, but accept it.
2) The listed option 4 is actually option 5 (unless the text's exactly the same in both).

What I'm thinking is there might be a variant of option 5 for nations with corporal punishment.

Updating my list now.

edit: omg I had 1178.4 in my list already. *facepalms*

[Furry Things]

Many thanks, you two.

Now I just got 1178, and noticed a couple of oddities.
1) Sebastian Sienna is actually fixed. Don't know the reference, but accept it.
2) The listed option 4 is actually option 5 (unless the text's exactly the same in both).

What I'm thinking is there might be a variant of option 5 for nations with corporal punishment.

Updating my list now.

edit: omg I had 1178.4 in my list already. *facepalms*

I found out that Sebastian is a reference to Saint Sebastian and Siena is a reference to Saint Catherine of Siena, two saints who were masochists, apparently.
See here: viewtopic.php?p=35181324#p35181324
The draft also has two versions for corporal punishment or not.
Edit: Also, it's Sebastian Siena, not Sienna. It's misspelled in the issue entry.

[Trotterdam]

#997 [The Enemy Within] Not a Second Time

The Story So Far

With the @@CAPITAL@@ Stock Exchange bombing unlikely to ever be forgotten, @@NAME@@ has remained vigilant against the possibility of terrorist attack.

The Issue

In recent months there have been a number of lone-actor terror attacks across the world, wherein everyday vehicles are weaponised and used to run down innocent pedestrians along crowded city streets. These attacks have proven difficult to predict or prevent. After one such attack in @@CAPITAL@@, there is determination from all involved that there cannot be a second.

The Debate

2. "It's near impossible for intelligence services or law enforcement to catch these lone actors," observes city planner @@RANDOMNAME@@, while suspiciously eyeing a nearby food truck. "So we must make it equally impossible for them to commit these acts. Knee-high concrete barriers dividing traffic from pedestrian walkways positioned along all major streets and bridges, the busiest areas car-free and accessible only to well-funded public transport, and we need thorough background checks and audit trails before any individual is assigned use of a vehicle."

4. "You're right that law enforcement can't predict these attacks easily," agrees @@RANDOMNAME@@, Professor of Sociology at @@CAPITAL@@ University, who never locks @@HIS/HER@@ own car as a matter of principle. "However, we can at least try to interrupt the radicalisation process that turns loners into terrorists. We need a nationwide 'Prevent' program, with monitoring and infiltration of the salons and clubs where radicals gather, a hotline for anonymous tip-offs, and early intervention. That's how you stop terrorism."

5. "If we haven't stopped terrorism, it's because you, the government, have not put law and order first," argues Officer @@RANDOMNAME@@ of the @@CAPITAL@@ Police Department. "We need the powers to arrest and detain suspicious individuals before they carry out terror attacks, and to prosecute those who are engaging with terrorist ideologies or groups. Also, we need to ensure that the population's weapon capabilities are limited, by blocking general access to anything that might be used to carry out terror attacks, be it explosives, corrosives, ballistics, or automotive vehicles."

Issue by Candlewhisper Archive
Edited by Gnejs

Likely validity for 1/2 is Socialism, and for 3/4 is No Internet.

[Jutsa]

Ah. This also means options 6 and 7 are restricted.

Let me guess, 6 is deactivated by prohibition and 7 by no immigration?
(in before 6 is also affected by theocracy)

[Trotterdam]

Ah. This also means options 6 and 7 are restricted.

Let me guess, 6 is deactivated by prohibition and 7 by no immigration?

Ah, good point. Those do seem like the most likely validities, and are supported by my data.

(in before 6 is also affected by theocracy)

My data does not support the Theocracy policy affecting affecting option 6 either way, although I'm pretty sure that Theocracy is a stats-based policy rather than a genuine flag.

Oddly my data does suggest that no nation with Theocracy has ever selected option 7, although this is likely a false positive due to that option being unpopular in general (only 15 data points total right now). There's a number of false positives on most options, including the usuals of Geronticide and Child Self-Rearing.

---

Also, Charminex telegrammed me this report of #1112. It's more useful here, so I'll repost.


That's most of our gaps closed. Except #998, which still escapes us. And #1182, but I don't believe it's a particularly rare issue, just new.

[Jutsa]

Woohoo! Thank you, guys!

What an excellent issue! Too bad we have to wait to find out who actually wrote and edited it...



don't worry I wouldn't do that to ya xd

[Trotterdam]

#1185 Should Be Sufficient

The Issue

Embracing autarky has reduced access to Merovingian chocolate and Gallopavian flowers, but the @@DEMONYMADJECTIVE@@ economy has more or less survived the transition. However, in the distant tiny island nation of Copiluaca, economic activity was formerly almost entirely dependent on @@DEMONYMADJECTIVE@@ trade, leaving them with crippling unemployment, tens of thousands in poverty, and an imminent famine.

The Debate

1. "How could we have done this to the poor Copiluacans?" asks @@RANDOMNAME@@, your Minister of Progress. "Without @@CURRENCYPLURAL@@ flowing into their nation, they're falling apart! We need to go all-out and send them as much aid as we can. This is our mess, and our responsibility."

2. "If a nation can't survive on its own, then we're not doing it any favours by giving it charity," says your grumpy Defence Minister, pouring himself a bowl of cereal. "Autarky is a moral choice, borne of opposition to globalism. We should propagate that ideological position with a little tough love. We should blockade their ports and patrol their airspace to stop any remaining international trade getting in or out, and they'll be forced to self-sufficiency. Give a man fish and you feed him for a day. Force him to fish at gunpoint, and he'll fish like his life depends on it. Which it does."

3. ???

4. "What about East Lebatuck, and Núi Và Sông, and Haptu?" inquires @@RANDOMNAME@@, State Director of the Novelty Latex Hat Assembly Factory, who used to export goods to all three nations. "That's a lot of comrades not getting the benefit of essential, high quality @@DEMONYMADJECTIVE@@ products. Abandoning global economic activity was a mistake — let's rejoin the world community of planned economies!"

Issue by Jutsa
Edited by Candlewhisper Archive

New nation alert!

Option 3 is a capitalist variant of option 4.

[Candlewhisper Archive]

Bonus points for anyone who can work out the etymology of Copiluaca.

Oh wait.

I totally forgot to put the other half of the joke in, which now makes the island name mean nothing. Fixed. Now reads:

However, in the distant tiny island nation of Copiluaca, economic activity was formerly almost entirely dependent on selling coffee to @@NAME@@, leaving them with crippling unemployment, tens of thousands in poverty, and an imminent famine.