Hello,
there seems to be no documentation of the available options in the game’s main screen for players new to the Democracy franchise.
What do the Checkboxes do (Political Capital, Political Honeymoon, Dilemmas, Transitions)?
Thanks in advance.
Hello
I am a new player too and I will do my best to assist. (Although some of these are covered in the manual which I suggest you have a look at. If you have the STEAM version it is available from your STEAM GAMES list (RIGHT CLICK on D3 and select MANUAL), unfortunately the MANUAL button from the main game does not work with the STEAM version for some reason, but I imagine it works for the other versions. It is not long and explains the various game mechanics reasonably well. I would also suggest you do the TUTORIAL as it also explains some of these things).
Political Honeymoon : This refers to the period after you have been elected (not sure if it is each election or only at the game start) whereby polices become easier to pass. I am unsure if this is just modelled by an increase in POLITICAL CAPITAL at the start, or whether it also affects things like how quickly your MINISTERS begin losing loyalty. Eitherway it makes the start game (and possibly after a new election too) easier.
Political Capital : I am only guessing here by I would imagine it is just a switch to turn on/off POLITICAL CAPITAL in the game. As PC is a huge part of the game I would suggest NOT DISABLING it as you will miss out on much of the game. I guess it is there for people who don’t want to have a parliament modelled (I guess simulating a benign (relatively speaking) dictatorship) so they can essentially enact policies whenever they want and only have to deal with the effects. This is probably OK for have a play around but it seems that there are some very strong POLICIES in the game (ie ones with many or all POSITIVE affects and few or no NEGATIVE ones) that are balanced by having a large PC cost. Additionally there is a certain amount of realism/immersion in having a large PC cost on any POLICY that would attract much public dissent (ie legalizing illicit drugs).
Dilemmas : Again this is a fundamental part of D3. Dilemmas come up at the end of each QUARTER (ie TURN) and REQUIRE you to make a decision and pass judgement on a given issue. The affects of your decision are permanent and to the best of my knowledge do not expire so be prepared to live with them. They can be a significant factor so be careful 
Also in game when it says something like +0.05 from an EVENT (similar to a DILLEMMA but without any choices attached ie MARKET MELTDOWN (that ones sucks !)) that actually corresponds to 5% which is rather high in this game for many things. I would suggest playing with them as IMO they add a little flavour to the game, making a decision on ANIMAL TESTING, GAY MARRIAGE, REFUGEES, WHALING etc etc (pretty much every divisive issue in society). I also believe that some events are tailored to the country you play as I found it awful coincidental that when playing Australia the DILLEMAS reflected quite a few local issues. Anyway NO MORE SPACE, the MANUAL/TUTORIAL should answer the rest. Good Luck.