[committee] Politics for Life (Relay For Life affiliate event)

[Stuart Paton]

Hello

I'd like to suggest an event between the UWA Politics Club and the
University Computer Club to raise funds for relay for life teams. Uh,
someone please come up with a better name.

Politic for Life (better name?)
Overview:
Play a game with little committees in Hearts of Iron 3 or something. People
voluntarily choose teams to run a state in Hearts of Iron 3, each with one
UCC member providing the interface between them and their country.

This is sort-of similar to the Model UN activity, but has a certain amount
of cutthroat realism and historical inertia to it. If it’s 1936 and you
know any history, you know what’s coming. It isn’t inevitable, but it is
messy. The participation of players or teams playing as Nazi Germany or the
Soviet Union, who have a morally colourful history, should be discussed at
some point. Allowing teams to play as one of them can introduce some
dramatic tension to negotiations (and blatant lying), but also opens the
door to a certain amount of toxic competitiveness and potentially racist
(but in character) dialogue. If a different game is chosen, it may have
less contentious moral stuff to cover, but I think The Second World War is
a familiar enough set so that people can acclimatise to it quickly. The
Great War and the leadup to it is also a valid option.

Also, for charity.

Teams
Players organise themselves into committees, or can be assigned one if they
don’t have enough friends coming. These can be of any size, and will vary
in size throughout the night as people tap out or join in. The event would
probably want between 4 and 10 teams overall, but this may be optimistic.
Committees can choose whatever decision making structure they like
internally, balancing democratic structures and dialectic opportunity with
the time that those take up.  These will be passing decisions on economic
policy, trade agreements, espionage, military production and investment,
research, and diplomacy. The game itself handles the political diversity
and makeup of the nations involved. The game will not be paused when the
decisions are being made.
They should choose a name for administrative purposes and a central
scoreboard. See: Quiz Night.
They should choose a preferred list of states they’d like to play. Probably
not Lichtenstein.

Diplomacy
There will be a public forum somewhere where delegates can meet and
negotiate. Nothing is recorded, but it will be publicly visible. Secret
cables can use the in game chat box, or personal mobile phones/laptops,
though committee members are encouraged not to look up strategies for
playing the actual game on their phone (as they are not specialists). This
rule won’t really be enforced, but use your better judgement as some
context is required to make appropriate decisions.
There will be tea.

Competition
Final scoring will be done via comparing a state’s starting position to its
ending position. The game has a scoring mechanism to facilitate this.
States not run by a committee cannot run for winnings (whatever those
happen to be, to be organised later). Perhaps shop around for some sort of
prizes. Other prize mechanisms could be considered.

Money Stuff
Donations can be upfront, or on a per hour basis after some time. This
happens over 24 hours. We will make forms for people to sign pledges (do
people still do that? E.g. for x hours over 4 hours spent at event, will
donate $y * x ?).
There will be periodic food breaks. During this time, communicating with
other players about the game is still fine, but the game will be paused.
This represents a convention of some sort. (choose thematically appropriate
time for this). People should buy into pizza runs and stuff, and organise
energy drinks or whatever else they need to get through 24 hours of yelling
at each other. Consider providing a tea station at the Hague.
Free event? Buy in? It will likely cost very little to run, given we’re
mostly using guild stuff. Some printing costs, probably
Donated money should be split between the clubs based on attendance. The
team forms should have times in and out. The donated money then goes to the
respective clubs.

Timing:
Perhaps just after mid-semester exams for pols students? I’d want to run in
the CCZ as it has separate rooms.


Anyway, mull it over. It could be really interesting. This may be too short
notice however.

Regards,
Stuart Paton
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