Dictator Quest

[Keeper Of Storms]

Definetely! Completely insane! I'd even say suicidal for a man whose power derives from a dictatorship. As much as I dislike throwing money at the military - and believe me I do - I can't see a scenario where lowering their allotted budget that much won't end up with they thying to overthrow us. As possibly succeeding, or at the very least stirring up decades of shitstorms. But I admit I overreacted on that. How many turns did you reckon for reaching such a state? As long as the changes are minimal and gradual I can see we getting their budget down to 15%. Or we just increase our revenues so much that today's 30 is tomorrow's 10.

I completely concur. Researcher hero is super cost effective. The problem is that no matter how cost effective that is, how much revenue he is going to bring in the next 5 years, we are dealing with our problems right *now*. How do you think we focusing on research - something that is not immediate - is gonna fly with the Latverians? The Military? I'm of the opinion that regardless of the benefits research is to be invested in only in 3-4 turns. At the earliest. Not to mention that reforming our school-university system will only make our research that more effective. So there's actually that priority first. Imo anyway.

@Keeper Of Storms after what Gunther just said maybe you could reconsider how you are going about the researcher hero? It would take an extra turn but when the GM calls it the "optimal" road it's usually in our best interests to take it. [let the records say that I still disapprove getting research stuff right now. Just pointing out the more efficient way ]

And that gives me an idea!! What if we get not a researcher hero but a "Scout" Hero? that'd make getting further heroes that much easier and effective-er! Seriously!! Can we do something to that effect @Gunther?

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That last statement with regards to total revenue is partially the key. The other side of the coin is that with a Researcher Hero we can spend that money on even fancier toys than they already have. Finally, we're not a tin pot dictator who's only in power by military might. If you're going to still say that we're only in power because of our military, then I'll point out that at the end of the day that statement applies to every government on the planet. Yes, the Military largely siding with us is what allowed us to win the Civil War, but the people love us, we've set Latveria on the path to growth, and we're a rather talented leader.

The action in my plan this turn to spend time developing relationships with the military is to strengthen the already existing bonds further. Yes, they fought for Von Doom II in the Civil War. Yes, a fair few outright believe in Von Doom II's cause. The reality is, however, that 3% of GDP being allocated to Defence Spending is a quite sizeable number for any nation with an economy worth speaking of. It's not even about lowering the defence budget, it's about allocating a suitable portion of revenue and then using the rest to increase that revenue further. As things stand, it's unlikely the military will understand that. Just as they won't be too impressed with a Corruption Purge.

If, however, they actually know Von Doom II. If they trust him enough to actually listen when he explains, then we can leverage that Demagogue for all it's worth and get them to actively back our plans to grow Latveria into greatness. We're never going to cut out their knees, in fact we're going to be actively strengthening them in the years to come. They just need to know and believe that, hence building a relationship with them.

With regards to research... our economy is on the verge of getting back into positive growth. Power and Water are both well into Repairs, and as a result Farming is growing and Manufacturing is coming back. [My plan has] A Railroad suitable to encourage both of those is about to be started next turn, and we stand to be in position to recover a solid 10% of our budget from corruption next turn. Latveria is no longer struggling to keep its head above the water, so now is, as far as I'm concerned, the ideal time to go for it.

As for spending the extra action to refine the search for the Research Hero further... I don't think we need a Research 2 hero out of the gate, and I'm comfortable with the chances of us finding a Research 1 hero with a single personal.

 

[Iandude0]

Hey @Gunther will we be able to improve the scores of our heroes later?

 

[Carlos Augusto]

If you're going to still say that we're only in power because of our military

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What? Sorry I have your that impression but that's absolutely not what I meant. We are in power because we are loved by our people (although for some bizarre reason we did just lost 1% of popularity on the last update in spite of the ever groping national structure and quality... Any comments on that @Gunther?). What I meant is that as our legitimacy is based on the people's expressed voices and our international standing is somewhat frail - what with our being a dictator and all that jazz - if we were to make an enemy out of our military they might entertain mutinous thoughts. Rather easily at that. Worse of all, I can see either the USA or Russia actively backing such a play for power against us.

Power and Water are both well into Repair

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Uuh... I might've misread some of WoG's horn because it's my understanding that power is very much not "well into repair". One-two more turns at a minimum to get to such a state.



I say again. We've never a GM calls something an 'optimal road' I'm very afraid of not playing by it.

You are hell bent on research, I've already given up on us biding our time on that one. Mind reconsidering your use of Howard toward even *more* spending?

 

[Gunther]

Hey @Gunther will we be able to improve the scores of our heroes later?

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Hero scores evolve over time and with experience. The more time spent putting your heroes in the field, the better they get, but keep in mind that the more they're in the field, the more they come at risk.

(although for some bizarre reason we did just lost 1% of popularity on the last update in spite of the ever groping national structure and quality... Any comments on that @Gunther?).

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Just standard popularity erosion as time carries on. People like to grumble, and popularity is a fickle thing, so it may sway a bit. Approval rating is one of the most flighty of stats.

Uuh... I might've misread some of WoG's horn because it's my understanding that power is very much not "well into repair". One-two more turns at a minimum to get to such a state.

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Your electrical grid is under repair, and there's money and manpower flowing into it; jobs getting generated by it, etc. While your major industries are able to reliably continue work (no midday brownouts for the most part), there's admittedly a lot more to be done to bring your electrical infrastructure anywhere near modern.

 

[Iandude0]

Just standard popularity erosion as time carries on. People like to grumble, and popularity is a fickle thing, so it may sway a bit. Approval rating is one of the most flighty of stats.

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But we have done things that have openly benefited the people, not to mention have been showing huge returns. I'm going to side with Carlos for this one.

 

[Carlos Augusto]

Just standard popularity erosion as time carries on. People like to grumble, and popularity is a fickle thing, so it may sway a bit. Approval rating is one of the most flighty of stats.

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What @Iandude0 just said. I'm also siding with Carlos.

No, really. There wasn't clean water and the food crops were insufficient. Thanks to our mighty overlord now there is clean water, there are food surpluses and soon power will be widespread! Not to mention we cleaned 2 points of corruption! If anything our popularity should've already gone up from the starting 64% (wich actually seems kinda too low to make a revolution with. Was it higher before we were actually in power? Or we did it with that much popularity and it worked out anyway?)

Edit: I suffered quite a bit to tag you Ian. I kept trying to tag you as landude. It's Iandude. I hate it when words begin with l/I

 

[Gunther]

But we have done things that have openly benefited the people, not to mention have been showing huge returns. I'm going to side with Carlos for this one.

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It's only a couple percentage points. Things'll bounce back if you stay on the right track. And as far as 64% popularity goes... that's actually pretty stellar. Theodore Roosevelt had an approval rating of 63% on average. If you start broaching 70-80% you're talking cultural phenomenon levels here.

 

[Iandude0]

I'm also siding with Carlos.

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You see he sides with himself!

It's only a couple percentage points. Things'll bounce back if you stay on the right track. And as far as 64% popularity goes... that's actually pretty stellar. Theodore Roosevelt had an approval rating of 63% on average. If you start broaching 70-80% you're talking cultural phenomenon levels here.

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..damn?! Holy shit that's awesome.

 

[Dark Ness]

It's only a couple percentage points. Things'll bounce back if you stay on the right track. And as far as 64% popularity goes... that's actually pretty stellar. Theodore Roosevelt had an approval rating of 63% on average. If you start broaching 70-80% you're talking cultural phenomenon levels here.

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Not good enough. I won't be satisfied until our people consider us better then Jesus and Muhammad combined.

 

[Carlos Augusto]

It's only a couple percentage points. Things'll bounce back if you stay on the right track. And as far as 64% popularity goes... that's actually pretty stellar. Theodore Roosevelt had an approval rating of 63% on average. If you start broaching 70-80% you're talking cultural phenomenon levels here.

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That's! Wow! ... That might be my reaction if I understood the significance of your Roosevelt example
What I do know is that Putin's ratings oscillate between the 80s and 60s per cents. Recently it's been on 86% approximately. So... There.

 

[Iandude0]

That's! Wow! ... That might be my reaction if I understood the significance of your Roosevelt example

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He is considered one of the greatest and most loved presidents in the history of the US. For comparison I think most normal Presidents only had around 40% approval but I may not be right.

What I do know is that Putin's ratings oscillate between the 80s and 60s per cents. Recently it's been on 86% approximately. So... There.

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Yeah but that's Russia where they make it look like people have the right to an opinion and that people who disagree with him live.

 

[Gunther]

That's! Wow! ... That might be my reaction if I understood the significance of your Roosevelt example
What I do know is that Putin's ratings oscillate between the 80s and 60s per cents. Recently it's been on 86% approximately. So... There.

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There's also the fact that you could get 105% approval rating! If you're not afraid of, you know, putting a gun to someone's head when they're asked whether or not they like you.

 

[Dark Ness]

There's also the fact that you could get 105% approval rating! If you're not afraid of, you know, putting a gun to someone's head when they're asked whether or not they like you.

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We don't need to put a GUN to there head, we will just use a cross.

 

[Carlos Augusto]

Further,

most normal Presidents only had around 40% approval

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... How did they even get elected in the first place? Oh. Never mind. It's the USA. You guys don't go by sheer votes numbers. Ok.

Yeah but that's Russia where they make it look like people have the right to an opinion and that people who disagree with him live.

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Yeah but Russia is not an *actual* dictatorship. I'd expect the guys who became dictator through his popular support to have more backing than drab old Vlad. Or at least have something closer to his approval ratings or something.
Over here (Brasil) our last president, Lula, actually left his position with around 80%approval as well. sources vary between 78% up to 84% due to his effectiveness as a populist. So it's not like that approval rating is the exclusivity of press-controlling freaks (considering our press was very opposed to him).

We don't need to put a GUN to there head, we will just use a cross.

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?I have no idea what you meant. Cross? Church? Maybe? Really, idk.

 

[Dark Ness]

?I have no idea what you meant. Cross? Church? Maybe? Really, idk.

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I don't know either

 

[Iandude0]

... How did they even get elected in the first place? Oh. Never mind. It's the USA. You guys don't go by sheer votes numbers. Ok.

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Because it is between someone you don't like and someone you hate? That and it uses a system that fuses democracy and republic. The people vote for the candidates so the ones who are given the ability to openly vote are elected by the parties. Theoretically the person could go against their party, but that would result in them never being able to do that again.

It is somewhat convoluted, yes.

 

[Gunther]

Turn 4 - Tea & Crumpets
January 8, 2013

GNP: $31B with 1% growth, Revenue $7B (Base: $5B, Other: $2b), Budget $9B, Debt $20B at 4% Interest.
Population 5.5M (1% growth rate, 3% Serbian immigrants)
Popularity High (66%), no overt revolutionary groups.
Internal Security 2, Crime Control 2, Civil Law 4, Corruption 5
Regulations: Business 6, Environmental 3, Egalitarian 4, Health & Safety 3, Vice 1
Military Power: Air 1, Land 7

Heroes:
Howard Hill (Administration 1)
Dr. Ianto Hikari (Research 1)

Budget:
Defense 35%
Education 5%
Health Care 10%
Law enforcement 2%
Regulation 4%
Social Programs 40%
Other 4%

This was a nice year, in review, because the year ended and you didn't have the misfortune of getting shot or having someone take out your personal jet with a MANPAD on its way back from India. Because that would really have soured your wonderful, wonderful nights. Nights spent debating that fantasy you had, long ago, of just taking out a couple hundred million in junk bonds, buying all the gold you can, and flying off to some remote island in the Mediterranean and paying the micronation there to never bother you again with anything regarding affairs of state.

Why, you ask?

Because you're pretty sure this nation is trying to give you an aneurysm or stroke. Which is fine, because you have an awesome medical staff that attend to your every need, but it's trying! To go through the laundry list...

First off, your military staff are fairly affable, but that's not the problem. By virtue of your social skills of course they're affable. The issue comes in the fact that, given your skill with oratory, you don't make gaffes as most people perceive them. You don't get drunk, you don't insult people. At the same time, however, no social interaction is a guarantee. Schmoozing is your forte, but the problems start to arise in that you encounter a fair amount of disconnect when doing the personal interactions. You, quite simply, just haven't led the same life these guys have. They tend to be cut from a harder grit in this area, and while you might pick that up yourself in time, you still have a bit of the softer edges of your education and socialite upbringing.

Still. Even if everything doesn't go swimmingly, you're making efforts, and that much is at least appreciated -- if not entirely successful -- by your military branches. This serves as fuel for your detractors to paint you as trying to cozy up as a military despot, but your approval rating is high enough for you to (quite simply) not give a damn.

In terms of the researcher hunt, you actually strike onto a promising candidate fairly quickly, and are doubly lucky to have the time to assess him more thoroughly. Here, at least, the universe takes pity on you. You procure one Dr. Ianto Hikari, a Chinese expatriate who landed himself in Latveria after an unfortunate run-in with the triads. His propensity for trouble carries on, as the good doctor seems to have indebted himself to the local mafia branch. It appears he's rather poor at dice, compared to his rather excellent work in chemical engineering. Even so, things aren't all that good for him in his brutal assault on one of the mob's collectors. You could no doubt hire him up with your protection and (potentially) paying his debts, but that will only put you further at odds with your nation's organized crime.

In terms of railroad development, Mr. Hill seems a bit in over his head. He's making a spirited attempt to try and create an efficient, streamlined development plan, but the issue arises that there's only so much advanced planning he can do without a concrete budget. What he ends up developing looks to be a rather tangled mess of interwoven tracks and stations servicing several lines simultaneously (as the stations and depots are the most expensive part.)

He also manages to condense down the costs to about $3Bn, but with the key note that these rail systems are effectively a penny-pinched budget. Substandard rail materials, surplus computing systems that are a few generations out of date, and more than a few locomotives built domestically to capitalize on local industry at the expense of quality.

But it's done, and the plans merely await your approval.

Supervision of the water grid helps you to clamp down on more egregious examples of overspending. Your program grows, and your entrenching of bureaucrats results in a reduction of the plan's speed. This puts a bit of pressure on the network when former emigrants, having fled the fighting, start moving back in to abandoned homes and empty communities. This rush of immigration causes a spike of your approval, though your water networks being carefully redlined by the hands that built them.


Your efforts to put diplomatic ties in India in the aftermath of your officer's Bollywood cockup could have had a better start. To say that Indian ambassadors could be a little more impressed is a bit of an understatement, and while they assign a lesser ambassadorial delegate as the highest authority in diplomacy with your growing nation, at least it's a start to more formal overtures. India doesn't quite laugh at you, but they certainly view you as more of a curiosity than a political contender.

Turn Event: (63) Immigrants! A large group of almost half a million former nationals, having fled during the fighting, has begun to swoop back in to your home soil. Your more nationalistic populace view them as cowards who fled when the times got tough, and should be treated as new immigrants and nationalized. Your more liberal supporters, however, see more people as only a good thing, and that they should be accommodated quickly.

 

[Keeper Of Storms]

Right, well, between Hikari and the Immigrants it would seem we need to deal with Organised Crime now. On the upside, Economy is Growing!

Five Billion for a makeshift railroad is kind of sucky, though, @Gunther , how easy/hard/costly would it be to overhaul that Railroad in the future if we built it now?

*Edit* Sucky in the sense that that will hurt our ongoing debt levels...

 

[Iandude0]

[x] Plan Iandude:

Personal:

1. Continue developing relationships within the military, and try to find major individuals in it that could serve as personal heroes.

2. Make moves to sway public opinion in favor of the refugees.

National:

1. Get the military to crack down on organized crime throughout the country.

2. Continue developing the electrical grid.

Heroes:

Howard Hill: Use the opportunity of the crackdown to seize the assets of the major players in the organized crime rings.

Dr. Hikari: Start trying to research a way to reduce the effects of the toxic waste on the environment.

 

[munchkinomatic]

Yay, growth at 1%
[x] Plan Landude
I assume that this mean we will seize their property as well?

 

[The Laurent]

I don't think we should go after a 4th hero so soon. Military heroes are likely to have their own sick, sick ambitions. Also the QM all but said we might be hitting a wall here, in talking to them. And that it would erode some of our public perception.

Also, I wonder what happens when we soon outstrip the real world timeline and stuff. Hrm.

 

[Keeper Of Storms]

@Gunther , will a single National Action be capable of overseeing all three ongoing infrastructure projects to a useful level?

At this point, I'm thinking:

Personal
1) Aid Social Programs Audit
2) Back Crackdown on Organised Crime

Heroes
Howard Hill - Admin 1 - Audit Social Programs
Ianto Hikari - Research 1 - Develop Enhanced Solar Panels, Budget of 50 Million for the Year

National
1) Maintain Oversight on Ongoing Infrastructure Projects (Water, Power,)
2) Begin Organised Crackdown on Organised Crime

Budget
Shift Audit Recovered Funds from Social Programs to Debt Repayment

 

[Gunther]

Five Billion for a makeshift railroad is kind of sucky, though, @Gunther , how easy/hard/costly would it be to overhaul that Railroad in the future if we built it now?

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You'd likely want a researcher or someone more scientifically minded to handle redesigning it. Administrators are great for hacking down corruption and upping revenues (like the tax code), but what Hill did was basically slash the budgetary costs to some extremely thin margins. His creativity is in accounting rather than systems design.

@Gunther , will a single National Action be capable of overseeing all three ongoing infrastructure projects to a useful level?

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Depending on the definition of "useful", it'll allow you to oversee the programs going on, yes, and it'll also put national oversight on all of them to prevent anything too egregious in terms of corruption or things going off-track. You won't be breathing down the necks of low-level management, but you'll be keeping pressure on the big players to ensure nobody gets too far out of line.

 

[Carlos Augusto]

Let me just drop by and make a budget proposal.
Budget
Defense: 34%
Education: 6%
Health Care: 10%
Regulation: 4%
Law Enforcemente: 4%
Social Programs: 37%
Others: 3%
Debt: 1%

We would shift exactly 5% around. According too the QM that's what we can shift without personal/hero/national action. And without backslash from the public.

Doubled law enforcement budget. 20% more educational budget.

I'd like us to get a War Hero/General Hero in this round.

Oh. What a great surprise the railroad plan we had our administrator hero do is a bust. Who would've imagined that?

Let's stop throwing money around. Have Howard's to something sensible this round like cracking down on corruption (the leaks. What a great metaphor) on the social and educational parts. That should make the social programs run even more smoothly even though we just cut their budget by 3% thus netting us ever growing popularity.

Immigrants are awesome. That's the mentality our country should strive to achieve. Why? Because immigrants are awesome. National and personal action combined (this is really important. We can set the tone for us receiving nice immigrants forever. And that rocks. Because immigrants are awesome) action: draw a comprehensive plan of integration so that these expatriates who weren't appreciated in their awful countries get the life they deserve here. Latverians was founded by a myriad of groups who could see eye to eye. That shouldn't be restricted from these former outsiders. Also make a point of fostering ever-increasing higher sense of "belonging" among our subjects. We are all Latverians. Latverians rules.

The research dude (he's here under protest :/) should focus on diminishing the impacts from the toxic waste from those companies.

One national action lacking. Will think on it, wait there.

 

[Carlos Augusto]

[X] Plan Latveria is Awesome. Doubt it? Come check it out!
-[X] Personal: get a war hero/ general hero. We don't have their background and apparently it's making a big difference. There's bound to be a general who at some point in his life had *our* background. Find him. He'll be the bridge between the hard military and our magnificent self.
-[X] Personal *and* National: everyone should love Latveria. Immigrants and not-immigrants alike. Open our arms for our "immigrants". The old Admnistration sucked. They didn't fight the good fight, but they came back when it mattered. We are a nation formed greater than the sum of our parts. An boy do we have a lot of parts. The Great Dictator joins with the people in fostering a greater sense of belonging, both among the "immigrants" and the already nationals. Let's set the tone for the future. Latveria is awesome. You should live there too. We double down on the integration of the "immigrants" to all sectors of society. We foster institutionalizion of previous cultural dates. We use part of our *other* budget on cultural incentives. Public museums and theaters and all that jazz.
-[X] Hero Howard: crack down on corruption within our social programs and, if you have a little time, educational ones as well. It's our single greatest income eater. It should be streamlined. Since Howard is awesome even after we take away 3% from the programs it is still running smoother than it had been before his audit. The public rejoice.
-[X] Hero Ianto: there are companies dumping toxics in our great nation. Go inspect them and formulate plans/develop thech so that the impact they produce is greatly diminished.
-[X] National: with the influx of immigrants we need more space. Public hate for the crime grows ever higher. They deman better budgets for law Enforcemente and for joint actions between them and the military to take back what the mafia/crime lords have stolen. The public puts itself 100% behind the efforts against the crime in our great nation. The public is awesome.
-[X] Free Action: when announcing the shifts in budgets we use our magnetic personality/power among the media moguls to always present it in the best light possible.


Budget
Defense: 34%
Education: 6%
Health Care: 10%
Regulation: 4%
Law Enforcemente: 4%
Social Programs: 37%
Others: 3%
Debt: 1%




@Gunther is that free action fine? It pretty much states the obvious. I seriously doubt a demagogue wouldn't do that on his own. Shouldn't take more than a week of his time.
Also: just saw someone out on their plans to 'continue developing electrical grid' wtf? If we don't explicitly continue developing it every turn it gets stuck? Is that right?

Yay, growth at 1%
[x] Plan Landude
I assume that this mean we will seize their property as well?

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See Ian! I told you it was hard to type your name! @Iandude0