Counterplans

[Marxist]

So, I'm in an online parli tourny and I want to run a counterplan, how would I go about setting it up?

[Vegetathalas]

Different people do it different ways, but I've always preferred Observation 1: Plan Text, Ob 2: Competition/Non-Topical-ness, Ob 3: Solvency/Advantages (if needed).

[Flowers]

couple things to look out for when doing your counterplan:
1. (most important) make sure that it is mutually exclusive, that the government team can't permeate and do both plans with same advantages.

2. Be sure that a counterplan is necessary, a lot of times plan and solvencey take out contentions will work just fine

3.Be careful of topical counterplans. You're job as opposition is to refute the resolution and when you do the opposite you don't fufill your role. Also you explode your ground which is unfair to the government team because it leaves them nothing to argue. Impacts? decreases education because government team a.) has no way to deliever information and b.) you've spent your time running critik's and arguing about arguing as opposed to debating the res....yes I'm aware of the arguements for topical counterplans too, but those simply aren't important. :twisted:

[tarvis79]

I disagree with the notion that plan and solvency takeouts are enough. I've been voted down many, many times on opp for doing just that, because the judge votes on "risk of solvency." (Unless "plan takeouts" include D/As. )

[Flowers]

yeah sure D/A's arguements against plan if passed. As the opposition team you really don't have to do anything more than uphold status quo and alot of the times that's just fine, we know this because counterplans don't exist in every round--generally because there is not always a use for them and they are a little more difficult to run and defend. However, if the opp. grants status quo harms (which is what you do when you run a counterplan) you have to run it.

I've been voted down many, many times on opp for doing just that, because the judge votes on "risk of solvency."

I don't think this necessarily justifies instant counterplan usage. If you are able to develop strong enough disadvantages and refutations that will win the round then I say do that instead of running CP. "a LOT of times cp is not necessary."

[tarvis79]

Right. I missed the bit about "plan takeouts," I agree that good D/As are usually enough.

cp's are amazing i think. i'm too tired of hearing "risk of solvency outweighs" or "moral imperative to act on sq harms" just run a alt agent cp with a net ben DA and you're set. just don't do delay cp with politics DA b/c thats HELLA illegit.