North King
blech
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2004
- Messages
- 18,165
N3S II: The Eagle Awakens
This is a preview thread.
Welcome to the second NES in the second series of North Kings NESes. If you know anything about North Kings NESes, he has a tendency to end them prematurely. Alas. But in any case, my workload has somewhat decreased, and Im thinking of a fairly fun NES that could last a while, while being fairly non-work intensive.
The idea is, naturally, politics, because we all love it. To some extent. Or we hate it, but if you hate it, I suspect youve stopped reading already.
Anyway, in this NES, you start off as a Representative from any state in the Union that you please. You make political decisions in the lower branch of Congress, unless you should wish to run for the Senate, the Governorship of your state, or the Presidency. The parties are not fixed in any way shape, or form by me: you form them yourselves.
Obligatory wiki link.
The stats are very barebones.
Firstly, you tell me what your Characters name is, and then put your CFC username next to it (thats the one you post as).
Secondly, you decide where you are from. You are in the United States House of Representatives, and thus, you get to choose your state. For flavor, feel free to add your district. Next to that put the party you run under.
Thirdly is your money stat. This is how much you gain from fundraisingprivate and public. You all start out with the same base value, and depending on your stature, can rise from there. This money can be spent on anything you can think ofcampaign advertisements, holding events, and so on.
The voting record is how your character votes. Feel free to elaborate, but keep the actual entry into your stats to as concise of an entry as you can. Ill read whatever else you post, but I dont want to hit the 20,000 character limit in the stats post simply from someone who tries to fit in a ten page essay under their voting record.
Also keep in mind that this is how your character ACTUALLY VOTES. Not how they want to appear. Thus, once you enter this in the first time, you cant edit it anymore. It will depend only on how your character votes.
Your approval rating is how much people like you. You can be fairly sure that if its low, you are in trouble.
So what, exactly, do you do, you ask?
Well, on election turns (even numbered years), you might be running for office. As a House of Representatives character, youll be running for reelection every two turns. Given that were so spread out, I doubt well find many players challenging each other; conversely, if you do something stupid in Washington, that will reflect in this. You will most likely be reelected to your House seat unless you do something truly stupid, as mentioned above.
If a Senate seat is in play in your state, you can run for that. Some states have laws prohibiting running for two offices at once, so be careful that you dont run in one of those states for an office you cant get. The Senate is more prestigious than the House, more elite, and you have to worry about elections lessyou only have elections every six turns.
If you feel up to it, you can run for the Presidency. Primary systems will be done for major parties, or you can run as an Independent candidate.
In your spare time, you can speechify, connive with your fellow politicians, andgaspactually get stuff done. To do this latter rarity, introduce bills into Congress (aka, the thread), and your fellow players can debate on it, vote on it, and so on. Bills are usually introduced in the House of Representatives and move onto the Senate.
If you want to do something more in detail, such as committees, feel free to, but thats mostly up to the players. Its your world, do what you want with it.
Character NamePlayer
Representative from [put home state here][put political party here, or Independent]
Money: 1 per turn
Voting Record: [put your positions on the issues here]
Approval Rating: 50%
******************
The year is 2031, and the United States political landscape is in turmoil. Since President Obama and the Second Era of Good Feelings (so termed because of a general bipartisanship in Congress and the States), the electoral system abruptly started to grind to a halt, as charismatic figures seemed to be lacking in either of the parties.
The uninspiring Democratic administration of President Alan Keyes was ended after one term when the dramatic Chinese takeover of Taiwan increased nationalist paranoia, paving the way for the Presidency of Michael Daniels, a Republican who managed to alienate not only the Democrats, but his own party as well. The 2030 midterm elections changed the nation, as for the first time in decades, neither party had a majority in either the House or the Senate. Instead, the Democrats held a mere plurality in the House, while the Republicans were just a little shy of a majority in the Senate.
A dramatic revelation contributed heavily to this: in early October, a media investigation uncovered a staggering amount of evidence that Daniels was in the pocket of numerous corporations. The Republican Party was floored by the blow, but the Democrats, several of whom were also implicated in the corruption allegations in late October, were hardly viewed as a better alternative.
Rapidly, Representatives and Senators have distanced themselves from both the Republican and Democratic parties. The political arena is fairly open, with potential for new parties at its highest, and a number of charismatic candidates coming into the limelight.
These are the key domestic issues:
1. Moral Values (separation of church and state, risque literature and movies, violent video games, public school teachings, etc.)
2.The Public Education system seems to be failing miserably as the years go by.
3. The economy is beginning to feel the effects of oil shortages.
4. Likewise, non-petroleum energy subsidies are a MAJOR necessity--the question is, which ones to pick?
5. Statehood issuesThe Pacific Island territories of America are pushing for some degree of either independence or statehood. Furthermore, some of the Carribean, especially the richer parts, may desire admittance to the Union.
6. Environmental regulations are more and more heavily disputed, especially with the increasing burning of coal for electrical power.
7. There's the usual civil liberties discussionparticularly in regards to the internet and the direct integration of homes within the technological network (e.g., the use of hacking into a home security system hooked up to the Net in order to spy on people).
8. Universal Healthcare still has not been established.
******************
In other words, you are free to start as a Democrat or Republican and try to rebuild those parties, but it would be a tremendous uphill battle to try and revive those dying parties. As mentioned, a large portion of the current House and Senate are turning independent, so if you start a party and manage it effectively, you may get a large number of people on your side.
The first turn, 2031, will probably be an organizing turn for most of you, as parties begin to coalesce. A budget needs to be hammered out somehow by the Congress. Also, there is a looming matter of impeachment, as opinion polls show the vast majority of Americans of both party affiliations desire to see President Daniels impeached, and potentially his Vice President, Harry Wilmington, as well.
The second turn, 2032, will probably define the politics of the NES for a while to come. Senate Seats in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Washington DC, Deleware, Georgia, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming are up for the election.
And of course, 2032 is a presidential year...
******************
China is a major world power, though their excessive fossil fuels consumption is somewhat worrying, given the depletion of those resources. Japan and Korea are increasingly dwarfed by their neighbor. India is also a major world power; both China and India are space-faring nations. Indonesia is something of a rising power, and one of the key representatives of the Islamic world. The European Union is more and more fact than symbol. In Africa, the Western African and South African areas in particular are booming, somewhat like the post-World War 2 effects that happened in Europe. Alas, Central Africa is still somewhat desolate. The Middle East is running out of oil, but some of the more modern states--the UAE, Kuwait, Iran, are managing to do fairly well without it. Iraq, I think, is split in three. Russia is trying to position itself to become a great power once again--helped along by ample oil discoveries and efficient use of other natural resources. South America is bumbling along in its usual fashion--Brazil is taking a new prominence in the world, while Columbia's decades long civil war has largely petered out. Cuba is Democratic Socialist now, and probably the most prosperous Carribean country. Australia is doing fairly well for itself, but is of course largely ignored by the rest of the world.
All in all, the world is splitting more and more along the axes of China-Russia-Iran vs. United States-India-EU, though a new world war is not yet likely to happen. Some speculate that anti-missile defense will be cheap and effective fairly soon, which may well lead to the threat of MAD being extinguished, and a brutal conventional war flaring up. Meanwhile, Lunar and Martian landings have been overshadowed by expeditions to Europa, which have discovered life under the ice. Nothing sentient, of course--mostly just sulfur eating little blobs next to vents on the ocean floor. The Space Elevator may soon be a reality, which could make interplanetary industrial development a viable option--inevitably leading to activists preemptively decrying the presumed explotation of other-worldly animal life.
As an interesting sidenote, SETI has indeed discovered something, but it is unlikely, due to relativistic space travel, to have any effect on the NES whatsoever.
All in all, the key "foreign" (i.e. external) issues that a politician will have to be concerned with are:
1. Flaring Tensions in Asia and Europe
2. Potential alliances with African nations
3. The depletion of cheap oil is pretty much upon us
4. "Water Wars" have become a reality in the Sahel
5. The science race that's become something of a free for all between the USA, China, the EU, and India.
6. Funding for space exploration.
******************
This is a preview thread.
Welcome to the second NES in the second series of North Kings NESes. If you know anything about North Kings NESes, he has a tendency to end them prematurely. Alas. But in any case, my workload has somewhat decreased, and Im thinking of a fairly fun NES that could last a while, while being fairly non-work intensive.
The idea is, naturally, politics, because we all love it. To some extent. Or we hate it, but if you hate it, I suspect youve stopped reading already.
Anyway, in this NES, you start off as a Representative from any state in the Union that you please. You make political decisions in the lower branch of Congress, unless you should wish to run for the Senate, the Governorship of your state, or the Presidency. The parties are not fixed in any way shape, or form by me: you form them yourselves.
Obligatory wiki link.
The stats are very barebones.
Firstly, you tell me what your Characters name is, and then put your CFC username next to it (thats the one you post as).
Secondly, you decide where you are from. You are in the United States House of Representatives, and thus, you get to choose your state. For flavor, feel free to add your district. Next to that put the party you run under.
Thirdly is your money stat. This is how much you gain from fundraisingprivate and public. You all start out with the same base value, and depending on your stature, can rise from there. This money can be spent on anything you can think ofcampaign advertisements, holding events, and so on.
The voting record is how your character votes. Feel free to elaborate, but keep the actual entry into your stats to as concise of an entry as you can. Ill read whatever else you post, but I dont want to hit the 20,000 character limit in the stats post simply from someone who tries to fit in a ten page essay under their voting record.
Also keep in mind that this is how your character ACTUALLY VOTES. Not how they want to appear. Thus, once you enter this in the first time, you cant edit it anymore. It will depend only on how your character votes.
Your approval rating is how much people like you. You can be fairly sure that if its low, you are in trouble.
So what, exactly, do you do, you ask?
Well, on election turns (even numbered years), you might be running for office. As a House of Representatives character, youll be running for reelection every two turns. Given that were so spread out, I doubt well find many players challenging each other; conversely, if you do something stupid in Washington, that will reflect in this. You will most likely be reelected to your House seat unless you do something truly stupid, as mentioned above.
If a Senate seat is in play in your state, you can run for that. Some states have laws prohibiting running for two offices at once, so be careful that you dont run in one of those states for an office you cant get. The Senate is more prestigious than the House, more elite, and you have to worry about elections lessyou only have elections every six turns.
If you feel up to it, you can run for the Presidency. Primary systems will be done for major parties, or you can run as an Independent candidate.
In your spare time, you can speechify, connive with your fellow politicians, andgaspactually get stuff done. To do this latter rarity, introduce bills into Congress (aka, the thread), and your fellow players can debate on it, vote on it, and so on. Bills are usually introduced in the House of Representatives and move onto the Senate.
If you want to do something more in detail, such as committees, feel free to, but thats mostly up to the players. Its your world, do what you want with it.
Character NamePlayer
Representative from [put home state here][put political party here, or Independent]
Money: 1 per turn
Voting Record: [put your positions on the issues here]
Approval Rating: 50%
******************
The year is 2031, and the United States political landscape is in turmoil. Since President Obama and the Second Era of Good Feelings (so termed because of a general bipartisanship in Congress and the States), the electoral system abruptly started to grind to a halt, as charismatic figures seemed to be lacking in either of the parties.
The uninspiring Democratic administration of President Alan Keyes was ended after one term when the dramatic Chinese takeover of Taiwan increased nationalist paranoia, paving the way for the Presidency of Michael Daniels, a Republican who managed to alienate not only the Democrats, but his own party as well. The 2030 midterm elections changed the nation, as for the first time in decades, neither party had a majority in either the House or the Senate. Instead, the Democrats held a mere plurality in the House, while the Republicans were just a little shy of a majority in the Senate.
A dramatic revelation contributed heavily to this: in early October, a media investigation uncovered a staggering amount of evidence that Daniels was in the pocket of numerous corporations. The Republican Party was floored by the blow, but the Democrats, several of whom were also implicated in the corruption allegations in late October, were hardly viewed as a better alternative.
Rapidly, Representatives and Senators have distanced themselves from both the Republican and Democratic parties. The political arena is fairly open, with potential for new parties at its highest, and a number of charismatic candidates coming into the limelight.
These are the key domestic issues:
1. Moral Values (separation of church and state, risque literature and movies, violent video games, public school teachings, etc.)
2.The Public Education system seems to be failing miserably as the years go by.
3. The economy is beginning to feel the effects of oil shortages.
4. Likewise, non-petroleum energy subsidies are a MAJOR necessity--the question is, which ones to pick?
5. Statehood issuesThe Pacific Island territories of America are pushing for some degree of either independence or statehood. Furthermore, some of the Carribean, especially the richer parts, may desire admittance to the Union.
6. Environmental regulations are more and more heavily disputed, especially with the increasing burning of coal for electrical power.
7. There's the usual civil liberties discussionparticularly in regards to the internet and the direct integration of homes within the technological network (e.g., the use of hacking into a home security system hooked up to the Net in order to spy on people).
8. Universal Healthcare still has not been established.
******************
In other words, you are free to start as a Democrat or Republican and try to rebuild those parties, but it would be a tremendous uphill battle to try and revive those dying parties. As mentioned, a large portion of the current House and Senate are turning independent, so if you start a party and manage it effectively, you may get a large number of people on your side.
The first turn, 2031, will probably be an organizing turn for most of you, as parties begin to coalesce. A budget needs to be hammered out somehow by the Congress. Also, there is a looming matter of impeachment, as opinion polls show the vast majority of Americans of both party affiliations desire to see President Daniels impeached, and potentially his Vice President, Harry Wilmington, as well.
The second turn, 2032, will probably define the politics of the NES for a while to come. Senate Seats in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Washington DC, Deleware, Georgia, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming are up for the election.
And of course, 2032 is a presidential year...
******************
China is a major world power, though their excessive fossil fuels consumption is somewhat worrying, given the depletion of those resources. Japan and Korea are increasingly dwarfed by their neighbor. India is also a major world power; both China and India are space-faring nations. Indonesia is something of a rising power, and one of the key representatives of the Islamic world. The European Union is more and more fact than symbol. In Africa, the Western African and South African areas in particular are booming, somewhat like the post-World War 2 effects that happened in Europe. Alas, Central Africa is still somewhat desolate. The Middle East is running out of oil, but some of the more modern states--the UAE, Kuwait, Iran, are managing to do fairly well without it. Iraq, I think, is split in three. Russia is trying to position itself to become a great power once again--helped along by ample oil discoveries and efficient use of other natural resources. South America is bumbling along in its usual fashion--Brazil is taking a new prominence in the world, while Columbia's decades long civil war has largely petered out. Cuba is Democratic Socialist now, and probably the most prosperous Carribean country. Australia is doing fairly well for itself, but is of course largely ignored by the rest of the world.
All in all, the world is splitting more and more along the axes of China-Russia-Iran vs. United States-India-EU, though a new world war is not yet likely to happen. Some speculate that anti-missile defense will be cheap and effective fairly soon, which may well lead to the threat of MAD being extinguished, and a brutal conventional war flaring up. Meanwhile, Lunar and Martian landings have been overshadowed by expeditions to Europa, which have discovered life under the ice. Nothing sentient, of course--mostly just sulfur eating little blobs next to vents on the ocean floor. The Space Elevator may soon be a reality, which could make interplanetary industrial development a viable option--inevitably leading to activists preemptively decrying the presumed explotation of other-worldly animal life.
As an interesting sidenote, SETI has indeed discovered something, but it is unlikely, due to relativistic space travel, to have any effect on the NES whatsoever.
All in all, the key "foreign" (i.e. external) issues that a politician will have to be concerned with are:
1. Flaring Tensions in Asia and Europe
2. Potential alliances with African nations
3. The depletion of cheap oil is pretty much upon us
4. "Water Wars" have become a reality in the Sahel
5. The science race that's become something of a free for all between the USA, China, the EU, and India.
6. Funding for space exploration.
******************
That seems unlikely...
