Game System
There are two fundamental ways to utilize Needs and Nations, with or without the underlying game system. If you choose not to use the game system, then sessions of play are going to be less rigid and structured, however, it will allow for greater improvisation and diverse decision-making. The rewards and motivation for play would be found in the achieving group goals.
The implementation of the game system brings a lot of engaging content as well broadening multi-disciplinary problem solving, critical thinking, and a decisive system for students to analyze for their success. There is not a definitively correct way to implement this game system. As with much in role-playing, these decisions to include or exclude ideas are left to the teacher to best suit their context. |
Costs/Benefits - Adjusting the NumbersAt its core, the game mechanics revolve around a system of statistics which increase or decrease as the nation makes choices or implements actions (policies). It is the duty of the teacher to increase/decrease scores depending on the actions of the students. This is also the tool that allows teachers to guide students towards course outcomes without controlling their actions. Each time a policy is enacted, the Order score must be adjusted (successful policies add, failed policies subtract). Also, teachers should consider adding/removing points from scores that correspond directly with the statistic. For instance, if a nation wants to prepare for an armed conflict, it could increase their Military, but decrease their Diplomacy.
Generally, (+/-) 1 to 5 would be a regular local/international policy (like hosting a national celebration, or increasing taxes), (+/-) 6 to 10 would be a rather large policy and a significant investment (joining in an international conflict or creating a new trade treaty with a former rival), any change over 10 would be a very radical policy (invading a peaceful country or committing all its resources to establishing a supranational organization for example). |
Game MechanicsEach of the game's core statistics has particular mechanical functions within the simulated world that correlate to a specific function of modern society. Each statistic has a numerical value (1-100) which indicates how good each nation is at that particular trait. For example, a nation with an 80 in Order would be a very calm and well-managed society with a relatively low crime or unrest. Each nation's starting values are determined by the teacher at the start of the simulation based upon their starting situation. For instance, a nation that must pursue self-determination via revolution at the beginning of the campaign would start with a relatively low Order score (i.e. 30) and a nation with a long-standing dictatorship or content democracy might have a higher Order score (i.e. 70). These numbers are then altered as part of the consequence step by the teacher in response to student-driven actions. If a class wants to increase its military, then they might gain +5 to their military score. A class pursuing open trade negotiations might gain +3 to is Diplomacy score.
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OrderOrder is the health and life of a nation's government. A higher Order score indicates an increase in societal productivity and a decrease in potentially negative national events (riots, protests, civil unrest, crime). However, a lower order indicates that a nation is failing its people and can have disastrous consequences (riots, armed resistances, revolutions, or civil wars). Successful policies will increase the order score of the nation (if they are judged to be in the people's best interest), and failed policies will decrease the Order score. The exact numerical changes are determined by the teacher. The cost/reward of pursuing an action or policy will depend upon the severity of the particular action.
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EconomyA nation's Economy score is its drive towards progression. Think of this statistic as an experience counter. Each new round (class of simulation), a nation received a 10% of its Economy score as Upgrade Points (also called GDP). A nation may then use these GDP points to upgrade other statistics at a particular cost. The cost of these upgrades depends on the statistic's current score. As statistics get higher, it costs more to upgrade them. This way, students will not simply maximize a particular statistic and use it to attempt to conquer the world. The base value for student-driven nations should range from 35-50.
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TechnologyTechnology is a statistic which measures technological progress. A highly technological nation would be likely to experience a Breakthrough. Each round, the teacher rolls a 100-sided dice (physical or digitally) to determine if a nation has a technological Breakthrough. If the dice rolls beneath the number that the nation has for technology, then they gain twice the amount of GDP upgrade points for that round. Unlike other statistics, the base value of each student-driven nation should start with a low value (10) in Technology.
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MilitaryThe Military statistic indicates how well a nation's military will do in an armed conflict. In the case of an armed conflict, compare each nation's military score, the nation with the better score is more likely to succeed. However, teachers may wish to reward ingenuity and creative planning, consider bolstering these scores temporarily when students make a unique plan or creative choice in their military planning. Base Military values at the start of the game should range around 30-45 for student-driven nations.
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DiplomacyThe Diplomacy score's purpose is to indicate how successful a nation is at discussing, proposing, and achieving national and international goals without using armed force. For instance, if a nation wants to send a delegate to discuss creating a bilateral trade agreement with a friendly nation, the nation with the higher Diplomacy score would gain the upper-hand in negotiations and likely a better deal in trades.
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