PREVIEW: staznes XI

I think, ultimately, we are in agreement: Solar power is possible. Its probably possible now but not commercially viable. As oil costs increase, it will get more and more viable as 1) demand increases and 2) technology improves. I think by the time 2030-2035 gets here, it will be a central part of many energy economies.

I think there are, as you have outlined, technical hurdles to be overcome, but i believe (Sorry -opinion again), the will and the funding will be there to handle them.
 
Gah, too late for any interesting nation. I suppose Ill express interest in Russia and Turkey in case either player drops, and take Italy in the meantime.

Italy's Projected Future
Spoiler :

NOTE: This Manuscript is going to evolve from a point by point analysis of the planned future to a more detailed plan. Eventually. For now, stick with me here. Also bear with the fact that I know little of Italy at the moment so will no doubt be making many mistakes on their current lifestyle.

Culture
Begin moving toward the right wing, nationalistic, militaristic, almost fascist in some ways. Resurgence in media such as movies reflecting this.

Military
Reducing the numbers immediately and instead placing an emphasis on technological advancements. Army becomes least popular and essentially gets shifted and placed in a defensive role while navy and air free increase strike capabilities with Marines and aircraft carriers and long range bombers.

Space
A space program is to be established, set up, and funded generously with the goals of establishing permanent space stations orbiting Earth, the Moon, and Mars all by 2035. Combined with military spending they are to create military and transport craft able to be used in space.

Nuclear/WMDs
A Nuclear Weapons program is to be set up and advanced as far as possible. Goal is to have Italian nukes and ICBMs by end of BT. Same got for WMDs. This is as a result of the intense militaristic culture shift.

Government
Also as a result of the culture shift, the type of government ends up getting changed in the first 5 years or so. What ends up coming into power is more or less a benevolent dictatorship with an 'advisory' committee elected by the provinces of Italy.

Economic Policy
All time lows in taxes are to be set up, and the government is to withdraw from most social welfare programs as a result of the right wing swing. More economic freedom is established, free market economics encouraged, and government subsidies, although mall ones, into growing industries. Encourage a re establishment of a major manufacturing base once again. Establish our own currency again and begin phasing the euro out a much as possible.

Climate Change
Climate Change? Really? Nobody in Italy cares. Its natural for the earth to wing between hot and cold periods. Pollution is cleaned up a bit anyways since it is separate and known to be bad, but no caps on greenhouse gases are instituted or any such nonsense.

Foreign Policy
Aggressive. Anti-Islamic. Pro-Israeli. Anti American. Italy wants North African colonies again. Need I say more? Well yes, I suppose I do unless I want Italy to do some truly stupid things in the BT.

Forces are to be prepared to invade and depose Libya's current government along with Egypt's. Muslim extremists in power? Bad, bad, bad. Assad in Syria is to be aided on the condition he stops antagonizing Israel and hands over all chemical weapon stockpiles. Spain is to be befriended. Hardcore response to any islamic terrorist organizations that pop up in Africa/Middle East. Send troops to Afghanistan to support the secular government. Offer aid to Iraq in stopping an all out civil war and rooting out opponents of democratic government since the Americans have abandoned them. If things in Libya/Egypt get really bad subjugate their governments under the Italian banner as Italian 'colonies' and work on sorting them out the hard way, although be generous and gentle with those who we can be sure of. Make sure the peoples know Italy i only after the bad guys. As proof, if the bad guys ever get eliminated begin pouring money into their economies and developing them as part of Italy.

Withdraw from NATO. Reduce our participation in the EU.

Energy
Oil is to remain at the forefront and our oil reserves are to be utilized as well. However we are to join Germany and France in stepping up to the forefront of ITER as well.


OOC: I realize all of this might not be in line with today's Italy, but bear in mind first that this is unfinished, and also it isn't anywhere near as ridiculous as the projections for America.

I don't think you get it and I havn't heard entirely becoming things from other players, so I am rejecting your application. Anymore posts in this thread will be removed by a moderator :)

Thread Opener said:
A note on joining. There will be applications necessary for the 1st tier powers. All other countries are first come first serve. I will allow players to join as non-governmental actors, including corporations, rebel groups, and opposition political parties.

Moderator Action: Azale. I'm sure you can guess my position on this. Your preview has attracted lots of interest and rejecting a player on hearsay is not only contrary to your OP, it goes against the the whole idea of community gaming and having fun. I would strongly urge you to reconsider your thinking. More active players is a good thing; if arya126 turns out to be a disruptive and uncooperative player, we can handle that, then. Thanks.
 
Birdjaguar, it's more that arya's proposal was completely illogical, nonsensical, and improbable. It just didn't fit with the tenor of the other posts, nor does it hold to any realistic standard or realistic understanding of Italian politics.

If I said "I take America and change the state religion to the worship of the moon," Azale would be right to reject that assertion. If my entire application was made of such nonsensical assertions, he would thus logically have grounds to reject my application in its entirety.

Granted, azale could have been more tactful in this explanation, but this is, I believe, his logic.
 
Birdjaguar, it's more that arya's proposal was completely illogical, nonsensical, and improbable. It just didn't fit with the tenor of the other posts, nor does it hold to any realistic standard or realistic understanding of Italian politics.

If I said "I take America and change the state religion to the worship of the moon," Azale would be right to reject that assertion. If my entire application was made of such nonsensical assertions, he would thus logically have grounds to reject my application in its entirety.

Granted, azale could have been more tactful in this explanation, but this is, I believe, his logic.

Assuming Im allowed to post here once again, I shall explain. First off, from my perspective as an American it is no more unlikely than what the american player wrote up. Secondly, I said in the post I knew little of Italy at the time, so I did my best to envision how I wanted it to change in the BT. And Thirdly, if he found it that unacceptable, I would have been happy to (and still am happy to) change it, even drastically, if only he had asked. And if that indeed was the reason for my 'rejection', seeing as I was never given a reason even though I contacted him outside of the thread, I would have liked to know since there wasn't much reason given as to why I had been 'rejected' aside from an unspecified reputation.

Re-reading it, I can see how I went clear overboard in some areas, and will change it. However if this truly was the issue Azale had, I would appreciate it if I was told, either in the thread or through a more private channel, and exactly how he takes issue with it so I can fix those specific parts.
 
Then perhaps an updated position paper on Italy by arya126 would help. If he is really interested in playing, I'm sure he would try to draft something more suited to what is expected. Is it stated anywhere what is expected?

Helpfulness is ... well, helpful.

EDIT: xpost with arya above. He gets it.
 
Moderator Action: Azale. I'm sure you can guess my position on this. Your preview has attracted lots of interest and rejecting a player on hearsay is not only contrary to your OP, it goes against the the whole idea of community gaming and having fun. I would strongly urge you to reconsider your thinking. More active players is a good thing; if arya126 turns out to be a disruptive and uncooperative player, we can handle that, then. Thanks.

My game, my rules. It was presumptuous of me to put you in the middle though, so sorry about that!

I have heard enough of what arya has done in other games (IOTs) from other players. As far as I am concerned, he/she already had their one strike and out with their application.
 
First off, from my perspective as an American it is no more unlikely than what the american player wrote up.

This is the point I would take issue with.

I would start by reading the last year of the Economist, followed by a year of reading back issues of The Financial Times. Ideally, four years would be best -- you really want to get a sense of current events from 2007, just before the recession.

First of all, you posit a right-wing government taking power in Italy that suspends democracy, invades Libya and Egypt, withdraws from the Euro, builds prestige nuclear and space programs, &c, &c.

What you fail to posit is any opposition to those policies. Which is absolute BS. Let's just take one of your premises -- withdrawal from the Euro.

It took ten years and billions of dollars to transition from the lira to the euro. Transitioning out of the euro will have the following effects:

* it requires the complete, overnight conversion of every cash register, ATM, vending machine (see: 2002 Euro transition)

* a bank run to end all bank runs; the second a bank opens, it will be thronged with panicked savers trying to extract their money while it still has value (see: Cyprus, right now)

* a total crash in the value of Italian sovereign debt, meaning that the government defaults and goes into bankruptcy -- and expect no help from the IMF, the ECB, or anybody else who thinks your government has gone completely ing insane (see: Argentina, 1997 Asian crisis)

These three happen the second you declare you intend to withdraw from the Euro. (See also discussions of Greek and Cypriot policy; I recommend economist blogs. Try reading Paul Krugman.) Combined with the total evisceration of social welfare programs, unemployment will likely exceed 50%, as the Italian economy totally collapses; expect street riots, as the population, now with literally no options other than starve, demand foreign military intervention to restore democracy.

Meanwhile, the second you declare this plan in parliament, the opposition will introduce a motion of no confidence; should this Prime Minister fail to leave, the army gets called in. At this point, who has the legitimacy? (Hint: It's not you)

Those are the flaws with *one* of your provisions. I haven't even begun digging into any of the other problematic issues with your entry -- the fact that "leaving the Euro" is tossed out there, without any consideration of the real-world consequences of such an action, is disappointing.

Second, you completely blow off climate change, which Azale has stated he intends to make a serious part of this game. That's pretty disrespectful, both to the mod and to the game itself -- that's certainly not going to win you any favors.

Finally, Italy produced, in 2010, about 150,000 bbl/day of oil, putting it just above the oil-producing powerhouses of Brunei, Trinidad and Tobago, and Kansas.

Italy consumed, again in 2010, about 1,528,000 barrels of oil per day.

Please show me on a map where the proven Italian oil reserves are that can make up the extra 1,378,000 bbl/day for the Italian economy to continue functioning.

The rest of your entry is just as problematic. While, as the UN player, I would certainly be /amused/, the effects you posit in your submission are simply not going to happen in this universe. Even Hungary, whose president has these sorts of ambitions, is losing his staredown with the EU.
 
Ok. Since Taiwanese indendence is rejected, then ROC will remain the same. Nothing changes, so I see no reason to post a whole post about ROC.

So what are you going to send for BT orders? Nothing? You don't need to give me A Cambridge History of Taiwan, just model it off of what other people are doing in the thread.

Remember guys, right now what people are posting is background info. It's a weird synthesis of "where we stand in 2013" and "where we are going in the next 25 years".

BT orders will be sent once the official thread is up. For most of you, what has been posted in this thread will suffice but I may ask for a bit more prognostication in a few key areas. I may also install an emphasis system if I could ever decide on one.

I outline this because I know it might be a bit confusing. I'm letting the chaos roll for a bit to see what kind of CROWDSOURCED (woo buzzowrd) stuff we can cook up.

Also, the pre-nes and BT will be the hardest part for me to do, hence why I am being very careful. It will be difficult for me to retcon or amend anything in the BT, so I want to get it right the first time.
 
ChiefDesigner said:
Blah blah blah disaster if Italy leaves euro mumble mumble
ChiefDesigner said:
Try reading Paul Krugman.

FYI: Paul "Cyrpus should leave the Eurozone" Krugman would likely disagree with your position viz. a viz an Italian exit of the Eurozone.

ChiefDesigner said:
I would start by reading the last year of the Economist, followed by a year of reading back issues of The Financial Times. Ideally, four years would be best -- you really want to get a sense of current events from 2007, just before the recession.

I'm not convinced that either of those would help.

EDIT: Italy has been putting up with currency related shenanigans for a long time. A euro-zone exist would just be the latest of a long list.
 
Don't confuse this quibbling at the margins as an endorsement of the view that an Italian exist is a good thing. As a precondition of a realistic exit, the Italian economy would need to be doing far worse than it is. Furthermore, an Italian exit would almost certainly result in the exit of the Iberians and Greece if they haven't already had to bail. I'd suspect that Europe would lose the rest of the decade's growth if it happened in 2013.

ChiefDesigner said:
Isn't Krugman's position "Yes, bad things will happen if you get out, but worse things will happen if you stay?" Also something something ECB something something confidence fairy?
His view is more: the Euro was a bad idea; but the Italians are trapped; although if things get much worse, an exit becomes the better option. I'm also convinced that Draghi is a wizard.
 
First off, Im not sure I ever said leave the Euro entirely, merely adopt their own currency again. Sort of like the situation as I understand exists in the UK; they have the pound and the euro is accepted since they are in the EU, correct?

Secondly, all of you missed my point of not only letting me know how crap it was, but also that I was willing, and am going to, change it.

Azale I have never played in one of your NESes before, and in fact haven't NESed consistently in a while. Don't you find yourself being a little biased by these unconfirmed words, not to mention that to keep me 'rejected' would not only defy the Mod but also your own words on the front page?

Nonetheless if your bias has gone that far that you won't even give a player a chance, I would be happy to simply not play your game. All I ask is that you avoid giving such a rude welcome and avoid such obvious bias against other players who play your game in the future. I have tried every route, yet I am still being rejected based on unconfirmed things being said in the shadows by players whose names I can probably guess. I could say a few choice things about them as well, but that doesn't mean that those things would have any place in an application to a NES. I suppose its a good thing I didn't get around to changing that background post since it turns out it would have been a waste of time.
 
Republic of China



Government: The Republic of China, despite threats from the PRC, remains a democratic country. The main issue right now is still the identity crisis. Most old people view themselves as Chinese, but the younger generations view themselves only as Taiwanese. This conflict of identities is what shapes ROC politics. ROC is dominated by two parties: the pro - Chinese Kuomitang and the pro-Taiwanese Democratic Progressive Party.

Economy: ROC was hit hard by the Global Finacial Crisis and the economy of Taiwan became worse and worse. In 2019, however, the economy started to grow again, by 4%, and that would continue for 7 more years. This is mainly because ROC produced high tech products, like mobile phones and computers. Right now the economy is still growing, but by only a 1.3%.

Armed Forces: ROC, threatend by the PRC, needed a strong army. The PRC had huge manpower. So, ROC decide to focus on firepower and high tech weapons. Good training and massive firepower always win massive numbers, according to the current ROC military doctrine. ROC now has a small, but very well trained and equiped army.

Foreign relations: ROC has begun to co-operate more and more with the PRC in the economy. ROC also has, the un-offical, alliance with NATO and mainly with the USA.
 


Business Plan: 2013-2038

  • Strategic buyouts and acquisitions to become integrated global infrastructural solutions provider
  • New product modules to become main liability insurance provider for aerospace industry
  • Development of integrated insurance plans for individuals (bundling of home, auto, medical, and life insurance to create 'personhood insurance')

Summary

While Berkshire Hathaway was to some degree defined by the genius and tact of its founder, Warren Buffett, predictions that the conglomerate would collapse or decline proved mistaken thanks to the competence of Buffett's handpicked successor, Todd Combs, and his management team. The heady days of 30-40% annual growth did come to an end, however, as Combs shifted away from Buffett's strategy of opportunistic value investing towards the self-titled approach of "integrated solutions management," as Berkshire continued to acquire related groups of companies in the infrastructure, insurance, and energy sectors in which Berkshire already held significant assets. While criticized by some as reminiscent of Standard Oil-esque vertical integration tactics of the Gilded Age, Berkshire successfully avoided antitrust regulation (despite a minor scare in 2032) by the maintenance of a diversified portfolio and the careful avoidance of anticompetitive strategies.

Infrastructure

With its acquisition of Burlington Northern Santa Fe in 2009, Berkshire Hathaway had already become a leading player in the infrastructural sector of the US economy by the early 21st century. The following three decades would see Berkshire double down on this strategy, aiming to provide customers with integrated global transport capacity over land, sea, and air. Berkshire's biggest global play was the leveraged buyout of Maersk Group for the sum of 81 billion USD in cash and securities in 2023.

Several smaller purchases of independent operators in magnetic levitation and related linear acceleration fields led to the creation of the wholly-owned Berkshire subsidiary American Synchronized Motors, which soon began upgrading freight lines across the Central United States (most of which Berkshire controlled through Burlington Northern) to the high-speed technology, rapidly increasing efficiency and profit. A line of nuclear-powered container ships allowed Berkshire's companies to become far and away the *fastest* bulk shipping conglomerate in the world, if decidedly not the cheapest.

The culmination of these strategies saw Berkshire overseeing ASM's receipt of the largest high-speed rail contract for the modernization of the Northeastern United States routes, previously called the "Acela corridor," just before the politically controversial privatization of Amtrak in 2028. Berkshire acquired a controlling stake in the main spinoff, Atlantic Seaboard Lines, in 2031.

As of 2038, American Synchronized Motors is a main technology provider for the planet's first space elevator, currently in the advanced planning stages as proposal sites in Panama, Lagos, and Singapore are studied. The proposed elevator is a cooperative corporate venture backed by a consortium of Chinese, Japanese, and American corporations, with Berkshire receiving a 12.5% ownership stake as of the current arrangement. While the collective cost of the project may exceed 150 billion USD, all parties expect to recoup their investment within 20 years if revenue projections from service charges to governments and corporations seeking the elevator's use meet conservative projections.

Insurance

Berkshire dialed down its interaction with consumer services, selling its stakes in Kraft, Wrigley, and American Express at a significant profit, partially to finance the other large purchases that occurred during this period. The largest and most significant exception was the institution of modular "personhood insurance" plans, which Berkshire began to offer through GEICO after the acquisition of Blue Cross Blue Shield Association in the wake of the Clinton Administration's bipartisan "correction" of the Affordable Care Act in 2021.

The plans featured customizeable, integrated liability insurance covering medical, auto, home, and other disastrous expenses. While extremely expensive, collectively consumers purchasing the full plan achieved a 10-20% savings, and the administrative costs saved on integration alone soon made Berkshire's insurance companies far and away the most attractive for the well-heeled, discerning middle class consumer, though their integrated approach was rapidly copied by competitors; they lacked however the strategic depth offered by Berkshire's control of both insurance and reinsurance companies.

After several high-profile and fatal low Earth orbit accidents in the late 2010's, Berkshire began offering catastrophic coverage plans to the rapidly expanding private spaceflight industry, in several cases receiving significant holdings in spaceflight corporations in lieu of cash payment. Berkshire's cautious strategy has yet to endorse a full scale move into space, as the profitability of such ventures are uncertain; it has however shepherded a massive expansion of the space industry through the protective cloak of its reinsurance policies, which have proved profitable as no major disasters have occurred since the explosion of the SpaceX capsule in 2020.

---

Additional section on energy sector investment strategy coming soon.
 
Taiwan Special Administrative Region



Government: The Taiwan Special Administrative Region, despite gentle encouragement from the PRC, remains a democratic territory. The main issue right now is still the identity crisis. Most old people view themselves as Chinese, but the younger generations view themselves only as Taiwanese. This conflict of identities is what shapes TSAR politics. TSAR is dominated by two factions: the pro-prosperity Kuomitang and the anti-prosperity Democratic Progressive Party.

Economy: TSAR was hit hard by the Global Financial Crisis and the economy of Chinese Taipei became worse and worse. In 2019, however, the economy started to grow again, by 4%, and that would continue for 7 more years. This is mainly because TSAR produced high tech products, like mobile phones and computers. Right now the economy is still growing, but by only a 1.3%.

Armed Forces: TSAR, feeling vastly inferior to the PRC, needed a strong army to maintain power. The PRC had huge manpower. So, TSAR decide to focus on firepower and high tech weapons. Good training and massive firepower always win massive numbers, according to the faulty TSAR military doctrine. TSAR now has a small, but very well trained and equiped army.

Foreign relations: TSAR has begun to co-operate more and more with the PRC in the economy. TSAR also believes it has unofficial alliances with NATO and mainly with the USA.

I approve of the Taiwan Special Administrative Region.
 
I have heard enough of what arya has done in other games (IOTs) from other players. As far as I am concerned, he/she already had their one strike and out with their application.

Common sense tells me not to get involved, but I simply can't let this statement go untouched.

IOT's are not NESes.

They are similar in nature, true, but even those that play both NES and IOT games tend to play the two very very differently, and judging a NES application based off of IOT experience is not a applicable move. IOTs are a more loose and freeform boardgame type environment, with people essentially making up nations as they go because they feel like it, not because it is realistic. NESes are completely about an alternate history. On creating a believable and realistic world. Judging someone on previous NES experience would be fair enough, but as arya says, he hasn't been involved in NESing consistently for some time. The last NES I saw him in was my own short-lived NinNES II, where he actually contributed quite a bit, more consistently than others to be honest. All of us are not experts on writing, or modern life and culture, he himself said that his application was very rough and a work in progress on the application. While I respect your position as mod of this game, this is a situation easily rectifiable had you simply told arya what needed to be changed.

/rant
 
The Communst Rebels who occupy the ROC provinces of Mainland China should stop joking.
 
this is a situation easily rectifiable had you simply told arya what needed to be changed.
Since nobody is addressing the elephant in the room (although CD made an admirable stab at it), the reason for the severity of the rejection probably isn't because he plays IOTs, it's because absolutely everything in that submission was goddamn atrocious. What to change? Everything.
 
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