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40. How do General Assembly elections work?

General Assembly elections are held every twelve weeks RT, concurrently with the executive elections, and use a proportional representation system. In essence, each citizen casts a vote for the party of their choice, and parties receive a number of seats in the General Assembly identical with their percentage of votes. These seats are filled by the party as it sees fit. There are 100 seats in the General Assembly but, as noted below, the majority of those seats are filled by NPC back-benchers controlled (for the most part) by PC legislators. All seats are “at-large” seats, and are not tied to particular locations.

This is how things are described and handled in-game. In reality, things are a bit more complicated. A party is required to have a minimum of two members to run for the legislature; without two members, they will not be certified by the CRO. Provided this minimum threshold is met, any clear statement made to the CRO indicating that the party will run for the legislature will be considered sufficient to put that party on the ballot. Legislative elections are conducted in the same way as executive elections – players cast a ballot voting for single party for the legislature, and the GMs cast a number of votes equivalent to the total votes cast by the players.

If the party wins any seats in the legislature, they are required to produce at least one PC legislator. This “senior legislator,” and any other PC legislators, can be replaced by the party leader at any time. All other legislative seats filled by a party are NPCs. Usually, these NPC “back-benchers” will follow the PC senior legislator’s lead. Each party’s senior legislator therefore controls a bloc consisting of all of the party’s other legislators. On occasion, the GMs may have some or all of a party’s NPC legislators break ranks. Reasons may include parochial interests, an intended PC vote that seems to oppose party principles, political unpopularity of the position taken by the senior legislator, or any other situational factor that might arise. Each party should maintain a Caucus thread where PC legislators can indicate their intended vote on legislation and hear feedback or protests from NPC legislators.

Parties are not limited to a single senior legislator; as many other PCs as desired may represent each party as “junior legislators.” These PCs may represent a certain faction within the party if they desire. For example, in a conservative party, one legislator might represent fiscal conservatives, another religious conservatives, and a third monarchists. These junior legislators will then begin to attract their own blocs, which may, in time, become larger and more powerful than that of the senior legislator. Generally, however, these blocs will start small. A player who wishes to join the legislature on behalf of their party should petition the party leader, and should indicate if they intend to represent a certain portion of the party; the GMs will then determine what level of support that legislator receives.

Since it is important for the functioning of each party's legislative contingent that there always be a senior legislator, and the party chairperson is the only person who can replace the senior (or any other) legislator at will, the senior legislator and the party chairperson cannot be the same character -- this prevents a party's legislators from sitting idle while the party selects a new chairperson. However, the party chairperson may be a junior legislator if he or she so desires. In addition, no member of the executive may simultaneously serve as a legislator, senior or junior.
 
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42. How do I cast a ballot, and can I change it once I cast it?

Ballots are cast by sending a PM to the Moderator (in his capacity as CRO). The CRO will provide details on ballot format and the eligible parties when balloting begins; in Eutopia 4, this should be quite simple (as each player need only cast a vote for one party for the executive and one for the legislature.) Once cast, a ballot cannot be changed. Ballots must be cast by the deadline specified by the CRO; all dates and times in election announcements are based on Greenwich Meridian Time.
 
43. How do I join or found a party, movement or other organization?

To found a new party or organization, first discuss the idea in the Townhall to see if anybody would be interested in joining it. Once some players have shown an interest in joining, post an application at the CRO office. If the GMs feel there is sufficient interest, and provided the party/organization is sufficiently different from ones that already exist, they will allow you to formally set up the party or organization in question. GM permission is required chiefly to cut down on the number of one-member, ego-booster parties and organizations that typically have the life span of a lemming headed for the nearest cliff.

The first post in a party/ organization headquarter thread must contain - a party platform or description of the organization’s objectives - a CURRENT membership list; UPDATE THIS REGULARLY, and clearly indicate the date of the last update - a list of party or organization officers (party leader, deputy leader and such)

Once that is done, you're good to go.

To join a party or organization, simply post a membership application in their headquarters; that application must contain a link to your post in the citizen registry in order to confirm your citizenship status. If the party or organization officers cannot confirm that you are a citizen, they cannot let you join.
 
44. What do I need to do so my party can run in the elections, and what is meant by certification?

In order to run in an election, your party must apply for certification at the office of the Chief Registration Officer (CRO). Only certified parties will be placed on the ballot. Certifications are not permanent, so this needs to be done every time there is an election.

A party is required to have a minimum of two members to run for the legislature; a party leader, and a legislative candidate. The the party leader may not be a member of the legislature, but may fill an executive position.

When applying for certification, parties must also provide a link to the first post in their party headquarters, which must contain the following information:
- a comprehensive party platform
- the names of the party officers (party leader and deputy leaders, if any, and legislative candidate)
- a CURRENT AND UP-TO-DATE list of party members

Applications for certification must be submitted by the party leader or deputy leader, and within the deadlines specified by the Chief Registration Officer (all dates and times in elections announcements are based on Greenwich Meridian Time).
 
45. How can my party replace someone it sent to the General Assembly?

The party leader has total oversight over who is assigned to the legislature, and may replace those individuals at will. However, arbitrary replacements of legislators may cause back-benchers to get nervous, or even revolt.
 
46. How can a member of the Cabinet be replaced?

There are two reasons why a Cabinet member might be replaced – impeachable offenses, or vacancy. Impeachable offenses are an entirely IC matter, and impeachment is conducted in accordance with the Constitution. If a Cabinet member is removed by impeachment, the position becomes vacant.

Vacancies may happen for IC reasons (e.g. death, impeachment), but more commonly transpire for OOC ones (a player has become inactive and the duties of the position are not being cared for.) In either case, the President is empowered to replace any other Cabinet member on a finding that the position has become vacant. The President has sole discretion over making such a finding and over who should fill a vacancy, but note that an improper finding is grounds for an impeachment. When possible, the vacancy must be filled by a candidate from the party that won the Cabinet seat in the first place. If the Cabinet position in question is the Presidency itself, the Constitution will provide grounds for replacement.
 
47. How does the Eutopian budget work, and what does it do?

Earlier versions of the Eutopian budget relied on real-world figures. This led to a great deal of work for the moderators and players alike, and the budgetary process was frequently ignored. Therefore, Eutopia 4 has adopted a very abstract budget process, but one that forces players to consider the financial impact of their political activities.

At the beginning of Eutopia 4, the Eutopian government will have 100 “budget points” (BP) to spend on programs. These budget points can be allocated among the broad array of activities that the Federal government has to (or wants to) fulfill, such as defense, welfare, environmental protection, and the like. The 100 BPs are assumed to be the Eutopian economic baseline, and represents moderate taxation and moderate economic conditions such as trade and inflation. The 100 BPs is also assumed to be sufficient to handle the normal budgetary requirements of Eutopia.

Each term the President must propose a budget that allocates the available BPs to the legislature, which must take up the budget as its first order of business. A budget might look like this:

Code:
President
Government Administration	3
Defense			        10
Foreign Intelligence		4

Attorney General
Federal Law Enforcement	        5	
Domestic Intelligence		2
Border Protection		2
Court System			1

Interior Minister
Land Transportation		5
Air Transportation		2
Sea Transportation		2
Coast Guard			2
Environmental Protection	2
National Parks			1
Postal Service			2
Government Media		3

Finance Minister
Industry and Labor		8
Trade and Customs		6
Natural Resources		5
Treasury Enforcement		3

Social Services Minister
Public Health and Omnicare	15
Sports				1
Education			10
Science and Research		3
Drug Control			3

Total				100

Once a budget is proposed, several things may happen. The Eutopian Central Bank may comment on strengths and weaknesses. Various public interest groups may praise or attack it. Civil servants may quietly whisper that they aren’t getting enough money. In other words, there will be feedback. It is up to the players how they respond to the feedback, but complaints from the military that planes will soon start crashing may be more serious than complaints that the Olympic team will have to stay in a Motel 6.

The baseline BPs can shift up and down, depending on actions of the players and the moderators. For example, if the President lowers taxes without taking some other action to raise revenue, then the BPs available to be spent will drop. If the fishing industry suffers major losses due to a storm, base BPs may drop. If, on the other hand, the President gets foreign aid from another country, base BPs may rise.

Any proposed legislation that will have an economic impact, either positive or negative (i.e., will create revenue or cause expenditures) must have an “economic impact analysis” (EIA) attached. The player must submit a proposed EIA to the Eutopian Central Bank which contains a recommendation for BP impact of the legislation, and a brief explanation of that recommendation. The ECB will either adopt the player’s EIA, or reject it and produce their own. If the legislation passes, the BP impact in the EIA will be applied immediately, even if this means the President will have to re-allocate the budget to satisfy this new requirement.

Deficit spending will be allowed for short periods (i.e., spending more BPs then Eutopia has) but will eventually result is a lower of base BPs as Eutopia’s economic standing in the world declines. On the other hand, not spending all the BPs will allow for the creation of a BP surplus, but may raise demands for tax cuts from citizens.
 
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48. What are the rules of conduct?

In addition to the specific rules laid out in other parts of this README, there are a number of general rules of conduct which players are expected to follow.

First and most importantly, the fact that Eutopia is an RPG does not mean normal forum rules do not apply. In fact, NORMAL FORUM RULES APPLY AT ALL TIMES. See the forum rules. Eutopia is part of the Paradox community and subject to the same rules that guides user behaviour in other Paradox fora.

Secondly, any behaviour that disrupts the RPG is to be avoided. Eutopia is supposed to provide a fun gaming environment for all its players; please act accordingly, and avoid behaviour that will make the game ‘un-fun’ for others.

Thirdly, always remember that this is an RPG, so don’t take things too seriously - just enjoy the game. Eutopia should provide a friendly gaming environment for everyone. Stay civil. Never post in anger. Do not direct personal insults at other players.

Fourthly, anything that goes on in Eutopia is to be kept separate from what's going on in other fora (specifically, don’t import discussions from the OOC-forum). Similarly, don’t judge posters on their in-game character or vice versa - especially since the two may be completely different (e.g., nothing stops someone who is an ardent anti-Monarchist in real life to play an equally ardent pro-Monarchist character in the game).

Finally, when you are planning something in-game but are in doubt whether it is within the rules, PM a GM. For example, you can always ask the GM about that nifty but borderline photograph you found on the web and would like to use in your next IC-propaganda piece.
 
49. What sort of rules apply to making posts in Eutopia?

All posts in the main forum should be in character; if you need to make an OOC-comment in the main forum, clearly mark it as such at the top of the post. All posts in the Eutopiary are OOC.

Please minimize your posts in threads of groups you don't belong to, and don't post there if you’re asked not to.

Do not submit multiple posts that are identical or virtually identical. If you have general announcements, identical questions or comments for several different groups or player characters, or hold an open press conference, post them in the Townhall or use PM.

Avoid clutter. Players are free to start new threads, but please check first whether your post may fit into an already existing thread.
 
50. Why do Party A and Organization B have several threads each? Isn’t that considered spam?

Parties and organizations may set up two threads: one headquarter thread which is PRIVATE, and one communications thread which is PUBLIC. Additional threads may be allowed for special reasons if the players obtain prior approval from the GMs (requests should be submitted by pm). For example, parties may wish to open a campaign thread during election time.
 
51. Can I play a fascist/ Stalinist/totalitarian character?

In principle, you can. However, Eutopia is subject to the normal forum rules, and this imposes certain restrictions on what your character can or cannot do or say. In the past, players who chose to use a character of this kind have often found the rules restricted them from playing the way they initially envisioned; others had to be removed from the game for disregarding the rules.
 
52. Can I play a racist, homophobe or sexist?

No. Normal forum rules apply in Eutopia, so denigrating or discriminating against identifiable social groups is out of the question - as is advocating any ideology that calls for such denigration or discrimination.
 
53. Can I use insults, foul language or swearwords?

You can, but within limits. Normal forum rules apply. Moreover, Eutopia is part of the Paradox community, and thus attracts players of different ages and diverse backgrounds (who may have different conceptions about what is ‘offensive’ terminology and what isn’t). As a general guideline, anything posted in Eutopia should be ‘family-friendly.’
 
54. Can I post risque, graphic, gory, or otherwise questionable material, or provide links to such material?

No. The Paradox fora are frequented by people of different ages and from very different backgrounds, and material of this kind simply isn’t suitable.
 
55. Can I use material that is recognizably linked to real life organizations?

Eutopia is a socio-political RPG, not a free advertisement site for real life groups and individuals. In-game activities must not spill over into real life political advocacy. Consequently, players may not use real life symbols, pictures, photographs, texts and documents which are recognizably linked with an actually existing individual, movement or organization, unless they get prior approval from the GMs (pm the GMs with the material, its intended use, and any relevant Context).
 
56. Can I discuss real life politics, history, events and organizations in Eutopia?

Discussions of the real life politics and history of ‘other’ countries as well as real life organizations are to be avoided, unless they are part of a wider discussion that clearly focuses on Eutopia.

For game purposes, be aware that ‘the rest of the world’ is not just like the current RL world situation. We will not use real names for various world leaders, and they may be very different than their RL counterparts. For example, if you are the Eutopian president and want to talk to the US-President, do not assume the US President will be a real life individual (such as George Bush); rather, s/he will be a fictional character.
 
57. What are the penalties for breaking the rules?

That depends on the nature of the transgression, and whether it’s a first time or repeat transgression.

In most cases, there will be a gradually escalating scheme of penalties:

  1. on his/ her first transgression, Player X will be reminded to familiarize themselves with the README (all of it)
  2. if Player X continues to break the rules, s/he will get a warning
  3. the next step is a temporary suspension
  4. players who then continue to break the rules will be banned permanently.

Depending on the nature of the transgression(s), bans and suspension may apply to Eutopia only, to several other Paradox fora, or to all Paradox fora.
 
58. You have this really neat suggestion for an official event or storyline.

Proposals for events should be sent by PM to the GM Events. Before you do so, please do your homework: read the README and other background information. Suggesting things that are impossible (such as driving to Europe) are not looked upon favorably.

Stick to what you control: if you want to suggest something that has nothing to do with your character (such as meteor strikes, foreign nations declaring war, etc.) you are allowed to suggest them, but they are unlikely to happen. Events that relate to what your character can realistically do will be given serious consideration. Events that have no real bearing to what you can control will be less likely to be considered.

Be realistic: one person should not be able to take over an aircraft carrier, even if he is a former Navy SEAL but now a pastry chef. One should not expect to mug someone and steal one million ducats. One person should not claim to have cured cancer.

Finally, you do not control NPCs or other players’ characters: do not submit events that depend upon NPC or somebody else’s actions and then predetermine what those actions are. You can say what you would do if an NPC/another character did something, but you cannot say what the NPC/other character will do. Example: ‘If the guard believes my story, I will sneak in and steal Blade!’s wallet. If not, I will run like crazy’ is good. ‘I will pay the President’s guards to kill him and then I will make myself king’ is not.

Drones cannot launch or be critical players in events.
 
59. You are planning in-game actions that might be considered a major event.

If a player plans something which looks like it might be a major event, they need to get GM approval first.

If a player posts an event which the GMs decide is (a) fairly major and doesn’t fit their plans, or (b) doesn’t fit the game background and setting, they will remove that post (or request its removal).
 
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