Credit to Dutchbag for providing the foundation for this game.

[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/CBUIsol.jpg?1[/img][/center]

[I]"Laws are like sausages — it is best not to see them being made"
--Otto von Bismarck[/I]

[b]Bullet Points:[/b]
-- You play members of the US House of Representatives
-- The key to this game is cooperation and working together, not winning the game.
-- Fine, you want to win? Get yourself reelected and make the country a better place. That's the closest to winning you'll ever get.

[b]Setting:[/b] United States of America, present day.

[b]Situation:[/b] The presidential elections have just finished and a new commander-in-chief is in the White House. With the president comes a new cabinet, a new administration, and a new Congress. It's up to you to help the country by enacting new laws and policies that will benefit the people of America. Keep in mind that every choice and decision doesn't happen in a vacuum There will be resistance from members of the opposition, your own party, and even from the voters. As good as it is to change things for the better, it's also good to get reelected. Will your legacy be one of immense fortune and prosperity? Or one of economic ruin? Will you stand firm against the foreign powers of the world? Or bend the knee in the name of peace? Those decisions are yours to make. 

[b]In Character Info:[/b] You play a member of the US House of Representatives. The IC thread will be used for House discussions and debates. Each turn will consist of about six months, so we'll go through four turns before you'll need to be reelected. The only stat I'll be keeping track of is approval rating, both presidential and congressional. A higher approval rating from the president means his/her party could sweep a midterm election and make passage of laws and bills through congress easier, a higher congressional approval rating means reelection will be easier for you.

[b]Parties[/b]: The two main parties in the US are the Republican and Democratic parties. You can look up details on each, but the incredibly broad strokes are that the Republicans are the more conservative party and the Democrats are more liberal. Within the House there are factions inside the respective parties, from the TEA party and their hardline on the right to the Independent Democrats who take a more moderate approach on the left. You will need to choose your character's party and where they caucus within that party, keep in mind geographical regions will play a part in your character's party. Bleeding heart liberal Democrats very rarely come out of the rural Deep South, and a TEA partier from a big city like New York would be just as unlikely.

[b]Roles and leadership:[/b] I want to state right here that I want this game to be mostly realistic. I don't want any Frank Underwoods running around literally stabbing people in the back. This is about politics and there will be chances for intrigue and scandal if we can get this up and running. The majority in Congress will depend on the makeup of the RP. If we have six Democrats to four Republicans, I will take that and extrapolate the makeup of the house to give the Dems a slight majority in Congress. Whatever party is in the majority will get to pick the Speaker from their own ranks. The Speaker will be in charge of keeping debates civilized and calling for votes in pending legislation. My role as GM will to provide scenarios for the House to react to, as well as playing the president, Senate, and Supreme Court as they will be needed. Since this is a democracy, the chance of a higher office will be a possibility with some people if they have a high enough individual approval rating. They can move on and run for the Senate, become a member of the President's cabinet, or even run for the top office themselves. That's something I'm still trying to work out so it's a work in progress. 

[b]Sheet[/b] 

[b]Name[/b]
[b]Age[/b] (Keep in mind you have to be at least twenty-five to be elected to the House)
[b]District:[/b] [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_congressional_districts]List of Districts Here[/url]
[b]Years in Office:[/b] (Not everybody will be fresh-faced Congressmen, so I'd like to see a mix of newer and older members)
[b]Political Party/Faction within that party:[/b]
[b]Ethnicity/Religion[/b]
[b]Character Background[/b]