GM Announcements

[von Streusser]

Content Clarification​

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Here is some disputed content that has become the issue of controversy lately. These are the facts as they are in the gameworld:

• Amric Al'Aeshir's shooter was shot and killed on top of the AAH building shortly after his shooting. It's right there in Voshkod's post.

• The Pension System of Eutopia: companies make payments to the pension control board, which administers the funds. Companies do not themselves pay pensions. Before you say "we pay a second pension", keep in mind that the pension mandated by Eutopian law is already very generous, and to pay another would be quite silly. Therefore, AAH employees will still get their pensions.

• Amric's surgery happened. Come now, we're pretty busy without doing every collarbone surgery there is in the country.

• AAH can keep their land in trust, unless they sell the companies. Any divisions sold will include that land relevant to that division.

• Construction and deconstruction requires a permit grantable by the Ministry of Interior.

• AAH was just about out of liquid assets at the time of its sale, meaning an account to pay taxes on land for 100 years is not an option.

• AAH has fired all of its employees without severance.

Anything posted in conflict with these facts has been deleted. Thank you.

 

[von Streusser]

General Assembly Voting​

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With a lot of new interest recently, the General Assembly votes have been getting a lot of attention...some from people who aren't technically in the GA.

PLEASE remember, you must be in the General Assembly to participate in voting on a bill. What would really help your Speaker and your GMs is if your Senior Legislator (or anyone, really) announced your new presence in the General Assembly in the General Assembly thread. That way, everyone knows, especially the people who have to count the votes. If you're not in the GA, you can't vote on bills (it's like your average Joe walking into a Parliamentary or Congressional vote).

But don't despair, there's plenty of GA seats for everyone. Just join a party and they'll place you in the GA right away if you want. But please announce your presence in the General Assembly hall.

If you don't like the current parties, start your own and run in the soon upcoming elections. Get a drop on the other parties and start campaigning! But please refrain from voting until you're actually in the Assembly. Thanks!

 

[von Streusser]

Campaigning​

Just a brief note about campaigns...when you begin your campaign and start making speeches and the like, please set up a fresh new campaign thread instead of using an existing thread, like the Townhall! It makes it infinitely easier for us to evaluate each party's performance when it comes time to vote.

Thanks!

 

[von Streusser]

Content Creation...Again!​

Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, gets us quite as riled up as content creation. I know you're eager to see realtime results in election season, and you want to make it as real as possible, but that does not give you license to simply make up polling data. Saying you had some organization or university conduct a poll and then giving the results of the poll you just made up is content creation, and as such is prohibited by multiple rules. The number of rules on point should give you an idea of how important this is.

Don't. Do. It.

People have a tendency to assume the best in their fellow players, and will assume you cleared this data with us. Then they will act on it as if it's true, and that is an unfair manipulation of the game environment.

And sometimes, the information is just plain flat-out 100% wrong.

Content is controlled by GMs. If you have a swell idea, or want to run some manner of event, PM us FIRST! We almost always say yes, even if after some adjusting to make it fit, and we're very nice people...until you surprise us. That we do not like. Don't think we're too busy and therefore you should just spring it into the game and see what happens. That always results in more work for us in the long run.

Content Creation: It's Very Bad Karma. Don't shoot yourself in the foot by doing it.

 

[The_Hawk]

More On How the Budget Works​

Since we seem to have some crossed wires, let me try and clarify some points about what the bulk of the NPC government does with the budgets you guys wrangle over every Term:

1) If a budget line receives an increase over the previous Term's budget, the added monies will not be spent unless someone (i.e. a PC) spends them on something. This "someone" can be either the GA, or the Minister who holds the portfolio that has enjoyed the increase. If nobody spends the increase by the end of the Term, it goes back into the pot of governmental income, to be spent on overruns in other areas, debt reduction, or surplus creation.

Case in point: In Term XII, the "Defense" budget line received 7 BP; in Term XIII it received 8. The GA approved the VPA, which increased costs to 7.25. Either the GA or President could've spent the other .75, but no one did, and so only 7.25 was spent in Term XIII.

There is, however, one notable exception -- for that, see #3.

2) If a budget line receives a decrease from the previous Term's budget, the NPCs who populate each department will attempt to make cuts as evenly as possible across programs unless the Minister in charge steps in and makes specific cuts. Obviously this may have repercussions.

3) If a previously cut budget line receives an restoration of part of its funding, the NPCs who populate each department will attempt to restore old programs to the extent it is reasonable to do so.

For example: In Term XII, Welfare was funded at 15, which was cut to 13 in Term XIII. In Term XIV, it's been bumped to 13.5. The folks responsible for Welfare have presumably used this .5 windfall to restore some of what was cut in Term XIII.

However, this won't apply across the board. For instance, say the .75 surplus in Defense is spent on submarines, and then in Term XV the Defense is cut to 7.25, only to be restored to 8 in Term XVI. General Burke won't go ahead and buy another .75 of submarines. Hence, "to the extent it is reasonable to do so."

Further inquiries regarding these matters should be directed to the Helpdesk.