Committees: General Crisis
Undertale
The Underground, a haven for all of monsterkind located under the mysterious Mt. Ebott, has thrived for millennia. Despite the wonders of the mountain, every monster has dreamed of escape and feeling the warmth of the sun. Freedom, however, is impossible, as monsterkind is trapped inside by an impenetrable magical barrier. The secret ingredient to destroy the barrier? 7 human souls. Throughout thousands of years, the Underground has successfully collected 6 souls. It’s been centuries since the last human fell from the surface, however, and the monsters of the Underground are getting desperate.
As a member of the Underground, you will navigate political tension, resource scarcity, and the needs of the community. Will you ensure the survival of the Underground, or will you risk everything for a chance at freedom?
Norwegian Butter Crisis
You wake up in your quiet Norwegian hamlet to your phone ringing. It's an unknown number. When you pick up, your heart drops:
“The Prime Minister needs you in Oslo now. The dairy harvest has failed. Norway is out of butter”
Welcome delegate to the Norwegian Butter Crisis Committee at NYCMUNC XVII! You have chosen, or been chosen, to represent Norway’s finest in Norway’s crisis of the century. Butter–cornerstone of Norwegian cuisine, cultural identity, and holiday sanity–has vanished. Grocery shelves stand barren and smugglers move golden bricks across borders under cover of darkness. Counterfeit butter floods the black market. Grandmothers whisper of margarine. As the holiday season fast approaches, the nation teeters on the edge of butterlessness.
As a member of Norway’s finest, it is your task to manage collapsing supply chains, international trade, and internal pressure. Norway calls for buttery aid. Will you answer?
Dance Moms
When Dance Moms first aired on Lifetime in 2011, it immediately captured the attention of stage moms and young girls across the country. Now, just three years later, the show is at risk of being canceled in light of dance teacher Abby Lee Miller’s many public controversies. To make matters worse, the Abby Lee Dance Company is scheduled to compete against their arch-nemesis, Candy Apples Dance Studio, at nationals in Lake Tahoe in one month’s time. With both the show and the dignity of the Junior Elite dance team hanging on by a thread, delegates must navigate winning competitions, boosting show ratings, and keeping Abby Lee out of the tabloids. The future of competitive dance lies in your hands…so if you’re gonna cry, save it for the pillow.
European Monarchs
“I see nothing in this world that lasts” — Louis XIV
At the turn of the 1700s, Europe is on the verge of its most transformational centuries, as it undergoes changes in almost every facet of life. And at the center of it all? The “divine right” of a few to change the fate of many. But death comes for us all — monarchs, even those supposedly blessed by god, are no exception. In this non-traditional crisis, delegates will step into the high-stakes powder keg of the transition to modern Europe as they attempt to adapt to threats and challenges at every turn, including their biggest threat: the succession of power.
Delegates must navigate the ever-changing and persistent march of modernity in their time while eyeing the future, hoping to carve out a secure place for their descendants. But, this comes at a cost — with threats from both the masses and your fellow monarchs. All the while, the larger socioeconomic forces, such as the decline of the aristocracy, the rise of the bourgeois, revolution, and the rise of capitalism, continue on unabated. The path ahead is not a given, and the mistakes of today may become the downfall of tomorrow. Will you and your descendants succeed in ensuring the survival of your monarchy, or will you suffer a grizzly fate?
