History Headscratchers / PapersPlease

** Obristan probably has lower standards for legal age. If you consider this with the fact that the son recently had his birthday, it's possible that he barely reached the required age for carrying a passport in Obristan. Either that or every person wanting to enter Obristan has to have a Passport with no exceptions whatsoever, ''even if the entrant is 10 years or less''.[[/folder]]

* If you detain Shae for having a Diplomatic Authorization that doesn't include Arstotzka, Dimitri makes up charges to have you arrested. Why doesn't he do the same if you just deny her entry? Is he less angry (since Shae ''merely'' gets sent back instead of being detained -- but still angry nonetheless) if you merely slap her passport with a denial stamp and send her back, or is there some offscreen law about unlawful detention that he exploits in the event Shae is detained?

* If you detain Shae for having a Diplomatic Authorization that doesn't include Arstotzka, Dimitri makes up charges to have you arrested. Why doesn't he do the same if you just deny her entry? Is he less angry (but still angry nonetheless) if you merely slap her passport with a denial stamp and send her back, or is there some offscreen law about unlawful detention that he exploits in the event Shae is detained?

* If you detain Shae for having a Diplomatic Authorization that doesn't include Arstotzka, Dimitri makes up charges to have you arrested. Why doesn't he do the same if you just deny her entry?

** Developer Alexander Pope made it clear Arstotzka is not supposed to be a replica of Soviet Union, but rather an independent fictional universe. Besides, there are official and complete translations of the game available, Pope avoided using words like "communism" or even "comrade" altogether, and requested all translators to take the same precaution.

** If you're traveling to a new country, it's generally a good idea to get that country's currency to use before you get there, regardless of whether or not you plan on bribing someone. As far as the coinage, why would someone bribe you with coins? Just because you never see Arstotzkan coins doesn't mean they don't exist.[[/folder]]

** Or other checkpoints, with different rules. Border with Kolechia just opened, but there could be checkpoints on other borders, or even an international airport in Arstotzka.[[/folder]]

** Speaking of, we know nothing about what inspector was doing during the war — he could easily be an ex-soldier too, or even a sniper. His assignment as a border inspector is completely random.[[/folder]]

* Why do EZIC think it's a good idea to give the names of their revolutionaries to an officer of the Arstotzkan government? It seems a bit stupid to just hope the inspector sympathises with their cause and is willing to betray his country to help them out. I suppose they're giving him money, which would help ''if they told him about it before asking him to break the law''. That's not how bribery works. Hell, if they just bothered to get proper documentation, it wouldn't even be necessary to have to ask an immigrations officer to illegally let them through.[[WhatAnIdiot These guys are the worst conspirators ever.]]

** Alternatively the immigrating Kolechians are either in extremely good standing with the Kolchian Government (and possibly spies, given what Arstotzka has been doing to them) or their permits are forgeries. Really really good forgeries (which is possible, given that Jorji will have one at some point).[[/folder]]
** It's actually really, really simple. Elisa is poor, so she can't afford the bribes necessary to obtain paperwork, despite being legally eligible. The other entrants have enough money to grease the corrupt system. It's very TruthInTelevision. There are places in the world where bribes are simply the normal way of getting things done.

* When the passport seizure program is instated, you are asked to confiscate passports from certain Arstotzkan citizens (and later all citizens), and when you issue the seizure slip, you inform the entrant that they have to call the number on the slip regarding their passport. But if you deny them entry into the country...how ''can'' they call the number? Unless the fictonal world's telephone system lends better to international calls.

* On Day 20, you can use the poison to kill anyone after the EZIC messenger who gives it to you. No one ever questions you about it. Wouldn't an investigation obviously trace back to you given that the victim bites it right after they leave your booth? Alternatively, wouldn't an investigator check the body, notice the suspicious powder on the stamp on the passport that the victim was carrying, and then investigate your booth and the rubber stamp that should also have some of the death powder?

** He wants proof that he cannot enter, if he gets a slip saying he didn't have papers then his boss will just tell him to get them. If he shows up with papers, and then they are stamped as wrong he has proof he can't enter with the papers he has and will get out of his contract.[[/folder]]