History Website / NationStates

* PoorCommunicationKills: [[UpToEleven Taken to a truly absurd level]] in "Good Guy With A Gun" issue.

This is the premise of the browser-based game ''[=NationStates=]''. Despite (or because of) the [[ExcusePlot very limited premise]], Nation States can be played several ways, be it narratively (decide how your nation evolves through daily ethical issues [[ButThouMust that you alone can solve]]), competitively (try to become the world number one in Basket Weaving or some other area), creatively ([[RolePlayingGame Roleplay]] your nation on web forums, act out wars, resolve diplomatic crises, participate in World Cups or develop your [[GamingClan Region]]) or even to play an aggressive metagame (using the game mechanics to "Raid" the regions of other players and vandalise them, or "Defend" against this).

** The "Please read: A personal appeal from Nation States founder Max Barry" banner promoting Machine Man is a pretty obvious reference to the "Please read: A personal appeal from Wikipedia founder Jim Wales" banners on Wiki/TheOtherWiki.

!!Some Nation States [=RPs=] with their own pages are:

** Dàguó is an authoritarian country akin to the People's Republic of China and often acts as your nation's rival.

* BigBrotherIsWatching: Comes up as an issue in gameplay frequently. Subverted by certain highly libertarian nations, some of whom don't even bother to conduct a census.

** TurnedUpToEleven in "Controversial Coup Causes Commotion", where a former general of your country stages a coup in a peaceful backwater, which is based off an ''in-game'' headline of the former Arch-Chancellor of the [[TheFederation FRA]] (a Defender alliance) overthrowing the democratic government of [[TheGoodKingdom the South Pacific]].

* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: Most issues are actual political problems, but Easter egg issues go in strange directions. For example, the issue "Murder, He Shouted" is the end of a murder mystery, and you have to decide who did it (the victim's friend, your secretary, you or the detective) rather than making a direct policy decision.

** "Space Spectacular Sours Small Stargazers features", featuring a National Association of Adolescent Astronomers.

* AddedAlliterativeAppeal: The "Quis Custodiet Ipsos Custodes" issue provided us with this gem:

** "The Woman From AUNT" has the obvious reference to Series/TheManFromUNCLE and additionally mentions training orphans to infiltrate a mob operation run inside an orphanage with a circus kid by the name of [Characters/NightwingDickGrayson Grayson]] as a potential candidate.

* GreyAndGreyMorality: More freedom isn't necessarily a good thing by the game's standards; maximum freedom in all respects is classified as "[[AnarchyIsChaos Anarchy]]". Even an "[[GoldenMeanFallacy Inoffensive Centrist Democracy]]" can have ethically dubious policies. In the end, [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment much of it depends on personal opinion and interpretation.]]

* ViolationOfCommonSense: A serious problem when trying to make a specific type of nation, especially given the game's [[MortonsFork damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don't issues]]. For example, even reasonable decisions such as banning [[IncestIsRelative incest]] or [[ImAHumanitarian cannibalism]] can result in a decrease in personal or political freedom. Banning ''anything'', no matter how vile, can be seen as a restriction of freedom by the game's logic.

** Which gives rise to the entire raider (who do this) versus defender (who prevent this by either giving additional support to the original members, or by [[NotSoDifferent voting the raiders out]] before handing the control back to the natives) game.

** The "Dial L for Loan" has a Shout-Out for Literature/CasinoRoyale. Well, either that or the [[Film/CasinoRoyale2006 movie based on the book]].

* The "Dial L for Loan" has a Shout-Out for Literature/CasinoRoyale. Well, either that or the [[Film/CasinoRoyale2006 movie based on the book]].

* NoodleImplements: The issue "Dial L for Loan" centers around the government going bankrupt after an incident involving "a foreign casino, a gambling-addicted crime lord, and a secret agent that was a bit too confident in his poker-playing abilities".

-->“Bwaahh?!?” exclaims moustache-twirling driving-goggle-wearing charlatan Vladimir Hill, who was definitely not trying to tie your secretary to his toy train tracks. “Police with cameras? This is a breach of my civil liberties! What about privacy? Do we not have the inherent right to go about our daily, lawfully abiding lives without fearing these paparazzi pigs parading our precious picturesque moments to the putrid public as perfidious publications? Say no to copper cameras! Keep your eyes off my private business!”

** Creator/HarryPartridge even gets one when his character Dr. Bees shows up (with his briefcase full of bees) to give his two cents on the declining bee population of your country.

* ''Roleplay/VaporASteampunkRp''

* LampshadeHanging: Several cases. For an example in the "Hey Kid, Have a Cigar" issue, one of th options is:

-->"I have a reasonable third option!" interrupts passing minister @@RANDOMNAME@@, right around the time someone normally interjects with a crazy third option.

** Dàguó is an authoritarian country akin to the People's Republic of China.

** '''A'''gents '''U'''ndercover to '''N'''eutralize '''T'''roublemakers in "The Woman From AUNT" issue.