Writing Crisis Notes
Writing good notes is crucial to accomplishing your goals in the backroom. When you write notes you should remember to write them in character. Invent someone you are writing to and pretend you are your character asking them to do something for you in the form of a letter. For the content the general rule for what to include is known as the three r’s.
The Three R’s
When writing a note, it is important to keep the information simple. One way to make your notes clear and concise is to describe the Three R’s: Resources, Request, Reasoning. Another way to think of this is what are you doing, how are you going to do it, and why are you doing it.
Resources: Over the course of a crisis committee, you will likely acquire several important resources. Additionally, you will have dozens of other delegates in your committee, who all have their own resources. This statement helps distinguish your note from the rest. All you need to do is state a reminder of what you already have. While this does not need to cover everything, it should be relevant to the next part of the note.
Examples of Resources:
“I would like to use my army of socialist university students.”
“I was thinking I should sell some of the bananas on my banana farm.”
“Remember my friend James, the husband of the president? We met in college.”
Request: The next step is to go through what you want to do next. Keep requests small for the most part, these are more likely to be granted. Ask for anything which is an extension of your current resources. You can move your resources, transform them into something new, upgrade them — there’s no shortage of ways to use a resource. As long as your request is simple and clear, it will likely be accepted.
Examples of Requests
“Move the army of socialist university students, along with their supplies, to the capital of France.”
“Sell these bananas and begin to buy catapults, trebuchets, and slingshots.”
“Ask my friend James if he wants to be the governor of Florida — I believe this role would suit him well.”
Reasoning: This final part is the most important in your note. It provides a justification for your request and gives the dais more insight into your ultimate strategy. When the dais has this information into your motivations, they can respond to your notes more comprehensively. So, give a short explanation as to why this request aligns with your agenda or plans.
Examples of Reasonings
“Once the army of socialist university students is in the capital, we can begin to protest the horrid capitalist policies of the government. Here, we can demonstrate, and soon turn this tyranny into a utopia!”
“After purchasing this medieval weaponry, we can set up a renaissance fair in New Jersey, where we will begin convincing New Jerseyians of the inevitable Dark Age Revolution (DAR).”
“If James wants to be the governor of Florida, I will endorse him in the primary elections, and will divert government funds to his campaign. With him as governor, we are one step closer to the independent Dictatorship of Florida.”
Now, let’s think about what happens when you put Resources, Request, and Reasonings together. You establish what power you already have, you make a simple request, and then you justify this request. When using the Three R’s, you present your note in an easily understandable manner, which is more appealing to the dais. You are certainly welcome to add more details in your note, but this is a perfect foundation to keep in mind. Here are some examples of what the note looks like when you put the Three R’s together.
Example 1
Dear Secretary,
I would like to use my army of socialist university students. Move the army of socialist university students, along with their supplies, to the capital of France. Once the army of socialist university students is in the capital, we can begin to protest the horrid capitalist policies of the government. Here, we can demonstrate, and soon turn this tyranny into a utopia!
Best,
Jean Valjean
Example 2
Hello Farmer Frank,
I was thinking I should sell some of the bananas on my banana farm. Sell these bananas and begin to buy catapults, trebuchets, and slingshots. After purchasing this medieval weaponry, we can set up a renaissance fair in New Jersey, where we will begin convincing New Jerseyians of the inevitable Dark Age Revolution (DAR).
Sincerely,
Dan the Banana Man
Example 3
Dearest husband,
Remember my friend James, the husband of the president? We met in college. Ask him if he wants to be the governor of Florida — I believe this role would suit him well. If James wants to be the governor of Florida, I will endorse him in the primary elections, and will divert government funds to his campaign. With him as governor, we are one step closer to the independent Dictatorship of Florida.
Love,
Charles Orlando
Adding Embellishments
Within notes sometimes it can be good to include more than just sentences. There are many things you can add to your notes that can help you accomplish your goals. This includes drawings, lists, graphs and many other things. Especially when you are trying to execute a complex task it can be helpful to include some diagrams to make your point. Visuals also make the notes more enjoyable for ACs to read, and if they enjoy your note they will be more likely to give you what you want. Drawings or diagrams won’t be judged on artistic ability, as long as the AC can understand what it is supposed to represent it’s good enough. Maybe if you're lucky your AC will even draw you something in their reply. Below are some examples of things you can add to notes and how to use them.
Data Visualization
On part of the page, you can draw a graph or chart. This can be added to any of the Three R’s, and can either be rooted in historical fact, or entirely contrived. These can make a note more captivating while supporting your claims.
Example
"As you can see in the accompanying chart, people want me to run for president."
Pictures
Drawing a picture is more for creative effect than practical purposes. Where words fail, pictures can do the job.
Example
"This will be the new flag of our nation."
Maps
Maps can be used to describe any geographical strategy. Especially for any military maneuvers, you should recreate accurate maps of the region along with any personnel, supplies, and targets you have in mind. These can also be used to describe territorial claims, environmental plans, trade networks, and more.
Example
“Begin to move all my soldiers to the southern border, in the forests where they can hide.”
Lists
If part of your note is getting too long, turn it into a list. This can be numbered steps or just bullet points. Either way, lists help keep your note organized.
Example
Here is the plan for the coup:
1. Organize all our special forces and move them to Washington D.C.
2. Once in D.C. the special forces will set up spy equipment around capitol hill.
3. On July 4th, break into capitol hill, and hold all government workers hostage.
4. Give them our demands.
5. Coup them.
Joint Arcs
Joint crisis notes are notes written together by multiple delegates. They allow you to pool your resources with allies and accomplish more than you could on your own without requiring frontroom approval. To write a joint crisis note you first need someone who wants to write a note with you. Once you have accomplished this step you need to establish a common goal you can achieve with your note. You can then start writing your note to accomplish this goal. You can write this more or less the same as you would any other note, but you should make sure to include as much detail as possible in order to maximize your returns. Along with this when utilizing resources you have amassed or connections you have made indicate which delegate is providing it. Make sure you indicate on the note that it is a joint note and who it is from. Since the note will only be on one of your crisis pads, it is good for other delegates to also send a note back saying that they submitted a joint note, this can also be a footnote on a larger note. Although they are a very useful tool you shouldn’t rely on them too much. While they are useful for execution they are not much better than individual notes at resource building.