May 1933 Results
Falling Off the Truck - 1 Influence, 63
"Theft is a crime born of poverty," you wrote. You are hardly the only person to claim that, but it is anathema to many of your supporters. Those who slave all day in the coal mines do not look kindly upon those who steal bread from their mouths.
So when you begin your campaign to encourage theft to better fund your soup kitchens, you...recontextualize it. The propaganda campaigns go out, suggestions delivered to your agitators and organizers. It's not a hard sell, really. Everyone has heard of the Boston Tea Party...how is this any different?
The question is asked and answered a thousand different times in a thousand different towns and cities. "It's not, it's not!" people shout.
Not only does excess food from canneries find itself making its way to the hungry waiting outside your kitchens, but many factory workers take the concept to its logical conclusion and salvage scrap, excess material, and discarded products for use, either for themselves or as contributions to the strike funds and union dues.
Factory managers try to stop this, to defeat it using a variety of measures, ranging from firing ringleaders to bringing in Pinkertons to guard their scraps, and the workers retaliate with zeal and skill. Work stoppages, wildcat strikes, sit-ins, work-to-rule, and even factory seizures are used, and managers across the country are defeated. Your anti-strikebreaker force sees action for the first time when Ford threatens the governor of Missouri to make him send the National Guard against workers.
After three days of bloody fighting inside the plant, the strikebreakers were driven back with a dozen dead and many more injured. Your Red Guards took heavy casualties as well, but they are already soliciting replacements and receiving fame and adorations from socialist newspapers and defamations and attacks from conservative ones.
Results: +2 Resources per turn, quality of soup kitchens increases, increase to effectiveness of the anti-strikebreaker force.
Credit to the Unions - 1 Influence, 68
Banks are familiar to people. They are seen as a pillar of stability, even after most of them collapsed, pulled themselves out of the rubble, and then collapsed again. Not individual banks, necessarily, but the institution as a whole. Your initial proposals are seen as somewhat...suspect by many. So you reframe it (something you are finding yourself doing very often).
Instead of suggesting replacing banks, you advocate for democratizing them. Putting this to the Council of the Combined Syndicates, the representatives of the unions accept it without further modification. Some of the more affluent representatives, who are naturally more familiar with banks, begin working with you to find banking employees you can recruit and begin designing a structure.
Result: The creation of a system of credit unions begins.
Demand the Strike Demands - 3 Influence, 41+100+77 = 218, Report From Thomas
This morning, before the business of Congress began, Thomas asked to meet with you. You agreed, rising painfully early to have plenty of time, as he laid out his plan and asked for your cooperation.
Now you are enjoying the fruits of it as the chamber erupts in pandemonium. "You bastard! You red, lying bastard!" someone howls at you, two of his fellow senators restraining them even as they shoot murderous looks at you.
You smile serenely. "My esteemed colleague," you say in the most insulting way you can manage, " one of your own allies introduced the bill, and you all voted on it. It's not my fault if none of you actually read all of it!"
Admittedly, the fact that the bill was a hundred pages long and dry as dust and had been introduced by (former) Democrats persuaded to jump ship after they were presented with a possible future had probably been what motivated their decisions.
You wonder what exactly Norman promised Long to get him to go along with it, aside from the inevitable fact that he would be handling the way the relief funds earmarked for his states would be handled - as a compromise measure, the funds for the soldiers and the relief programs would be given to the states with relatively few restrictions on what they could be used for.
The fact that it is causing Long to argue with three of his supporters suggests good things...
"The President will never sign it!" someone yells.
"And what will the soldiers do then?" someone else shouts back.
As the chamber descendants even further into more shouting, you turn to leave. You have some propaganda to produce.
Three days later, after Long came out in favor and three Georgia senators and representatives resigned in fury and even MacArthur proclaimed his favor, the bill was signed. The general strike ends. Your popularity explodes.
When you won so many states half a year ago, people thought it was a fluke. Now you are considered the most serious contender for the 1936 Presidency, despite the best efforts of so many to claim credit for this bill.
Another three days passed before you were standing on the docks of New York to greet the first merchant convoy from the Commune of France.
Result: In addition to a general distribution of moderate funds to the states to be used for relief and paying soldiers whose pay have been in arrears, you were able to slip in language enabling trade and a degree of diplomatic normalization with the Commune of France and the Union of Britain. Furthermore, Norman Thomas convinced Huey Long to support the bill in exchange for SPA support in "Autonomous Negro Zones" which have led to revolts in his own faction.
A General Problem - 1 Influence
Butler meets you in his home, overlooking the Potomac. With him are four other men. He introduces them - Oliver Law, John Tisa, Benjamin Katine, and Maurice Rose. All good soldiers, he assures you, and staunch syndicalists. He tells you in a few minutes they are going to storm out in a few minutes and report the meeting to MacArthur.
You nod, not certain where Butler is going with this. He has had something of an eccentric reputation - you have heard he ordered police to dress up as Marines during his tenure in Philadelphia, for one.
As the men leave, he leans forwards. "Comrade Reed, you are making waves. I heard about your little display on the Hill. That's the sort of thing this country needs. And I am willing to help you get more of that. Even if not everyone is. Know who I am talking about?"
"MacArthur?" you ask with a raised eyebrow.
He pounds his fist against his thigh. "That fucker, yes. He's been talking, from what I heard. Thinking you are going to steal the election, that you have spies in the army, and he's going to be taking measures against both. You need to watch yourself."
He points his thumb at you. "Now, that's free. What comes next has a toll. I've heard things about Russia, and Britain and France and India. I know war, I know they are never clean, and I doubt revolution is any better. But if it comes to that, I want your word you will do your damn best to keep this country democratic and keep the terror to a minimum. I don't want you locking people in barns then burning them down or spitting pastors on the steeples of the church, got it?"
You don't want that either, and even if his manner is rough, you understand his fears. So you agree.
"I'm head of the VFW. My boys are the ones who aren't suckers anymore, who won't be sold out. So they'll fit right in with your Red Guards. They've got friends in every branch, I have friends of my own, and so do those fine young men you met. They'll help."
You lean forward, very interested, and begin asking what he means.
Result: New Militant and Intrigue actions unlocked, warning given, introduced to some friendly officers
Increase Power of the Legislative Congress - 1 Influence
It's a relatively simple affair to give the Legislative Congress the backing they need. You propose giving them a formal founding document, with a fairly standard electoral setup, and then you ask them to begin coordinating with non-state organizations and ensuring the passage of favorable laws. They promise to get down to business, and then promptly begin squabbling.
Result: The Legislative Congress formed as a subordinate with 2 Influence. They have the trait Clashing Priorities (20% chance each turn to temporarily lose 1 Influence), and a 5% chance to lose it each turn.
Expand Soup Kitchens - 1 Authority
There are several cities that haven't had soup kitchen networks formed despite SPA presences. That deficiency is corrected, despite the frequent harassment and attacks from police and other groups. As the number of kitchens grows, the amount of people who need to eat from them does, and the price of food continually rises. You may well have to revise your expectations for this program...
Result: The expansion continues.
Spend Time With Your Family
It's late one night. You lay in your bed, limbs interwoven with your wife the way that comes from sleeping in the same bed with someone you trust. Both of you have been woken up...by something. A shared dream, maybe.
Louise turns to look at you. "I'm worried about Hannah," she says softly.
"Me too. I think something is wrong at school."
In a detached, cold voice, the one she uses when she's too angry to let herself feel anything, she confirms that's the case. She tells a story that makes you want to vomit, a story of constant harassment and bullying, of indifferent staff and you being too busy to bother.
You want to vomit. She's your daughter, you should've been there, but there had been other things, things more important than...
"Than your daughter?" an internal voice demands.
You have no answer.
A deep breath. Blinking, pushing away tears.
"We'll get her a tutor. She can learn better away from that sort of thing. She should play with other children too, I can bring her into the local office, there's always a dozen or so there."
You can't fix that, but you can solve the current problem.
It will have to be enough.
Meet with Thomas
The two of you meet in your Washington, D. C. home after a long but triumphant day. You pour yourself a glass of whiskey and offer one to him. He takes it, but doesn't drink.
"Well, we did it," Thomas says.
You shake your head. "You did it. It was your plan, I just helped see it through."
He nods, clearly disagreeing, but not wanting to say so.
"You have more plans?" you press, hoping he says yes.
"A few, I want to build on what we accomplished today," he tells you, "But if you have some suggestions of your own, I will consider them."
You consider what to propose, and offer...
(Pick two)
[] Gaining allies in Congress
[] Rural relief bills
[] Encouraging organizations like your soup kitchens and credit unions
[] Strike protection
[] Weakening the army
[] Protecting minority rights
[] Politically isolating your enemies
Report From the Coordination Committee
They have reported significant successes dismantling the police organizations. The first step was to announce budget cuts, with pensions for anyone who voluntarily left but nothing for anyone who had to be hired. Anyone untrustworthy who didn't take the hint was removed, while those who were deemed acceptable to keep were rehired with new ranks as they were placed in command of enthusiastic and loyal party members who became the new police. The only blight was the formation of "self-defense" groups by wealthy individuals in several of the cities with their reformed police departments. A great deal of hostility is being directed the way of you police officers...but socialists are used to hostility.
Focus: The Struggle Carries On!
For years the SPA has battled for liberation. There have been grievous defeats, but also joyous victories, such as the undeniably successful general strike in Chicago, which has triumphed beyond all expectations. The gains made would be unthinkable just a few short years ago, but the crisis of capital has jammed a wrench into the gears and left the forces of reaction confused and divided. That your victory will come is inevitable, that it will be difficult and hard-fought is also true. But you will not give in, you will not falter, you will keep fighting.
And the struggle shall carry on!
Result: Gain National Spirit The Struggle Carries On! (+1 Strength to the Center of the Party per month)
"Theft is a crime born of poverty," you wrote. You are hardly the only person to claim that, but it is anathema to many of your supporters. Those who slave all day in the coal mines do not look kindly upon those who steal bread from their mouths.
So when you begin your campaign to encourage theft to better fund your soup kitchens, you...recontextualize it. The propaganda campaigns go out, suggestions delivered to your agitators and organizers. It's not a hard sell, really. Everyone has heard of the Boston Tea Party...how is this any different?
The question is asked and answered a thousand different times in a thousand different towns and cities. "It's not, it's not!" people shout.
Not only does excess food from canneries find itself making its way to the hungry waiting outside your kitchens, but many factory workers take the concept to its logical conclusion and salvage scrap, excess material, and discarded products for use, either for themselves or as contributions to the strike funds and union dues.
Factory managers try to stop this, to defeat it using a variety of measures, ranging from firing ringleaders to bringing in Pinkertons to guard their scraps, and the workers retaliate with zeal and skill. Work stoppages, wildcat strikes, sit-ins, work-to-rule, and even factory seizures are used, and managers across the country are defeated. Your anti-strikebreaker force sees action for the first time when Ford threatens the governor of Missouri to make him send the National Guard against workers.
After three days of bloody fighting inside the plant, the strikebreakers were driven back with a dozen dead and many more injured. Your Red Guards took heavy casualties as well, but they are already soliciting replacements and receiving fame and adorations from socialist newspapers and defamations and attacks from conservative ones.
Results: +2 Resources per turn, quality of soup kitchens increases, increase to effectiveness of the anti-strikebreaker force.
Credit to the Unions - 1 Influence, 68
Banks are familiar to people. They are seen as a pillar of stability, even after most of them collapsed, pulled themselves out of the rubble, and then collapsed again. Not individual banks, necessarily, but the institution as a whole. Your initial proposals are seen as somewhat...suspect by many. So you reframe it (something you are finding yourself doing very often).
Instead of suggesting replacing banks, you advocate for democratizing them. Putting this to the Council of the Combined Syndicates, the representatives of the unions accept it without further modification. Some of the more affluent representatives, who are naturally more familiar with banks, begin working with you to find banking employees you can recruit and begin designing a structure.
Result: The creation of a system of credit unions begins.
Demand the Strike Demands - 3 Influence, 41+100+77 = 218, Report From Thomas
This morning, before the business of Congress began, Thomas asked to meet with you. You agreed, rising painfully early to have plenty of time, as he laid out his plan and asked for your cooperation.
Now you are enjoying the fruits of it as the chamber erupts in pandemonium. "You bastard! You red, lying bastard!" someone howls at you, two of his fellow senators restraining them even as they shoot murderous looks at you.
You smile serenely. "My esteemed colleague," you say in the most insulting way you can manage, " one of your own allies introduced the bill, and you all voted on it. It's not my fault if none of you actually read all of it!"
Admittedly, the fact that the bill was a hundred pages long and dry as dust and had been introduced by (former) Democrats persuaded to jump ship after they were presented with a possible future had probably been what motivated their decisions.
You wonder what exactly Norman promised Long to get him to go along with it, aside from the inevitable fact that he would be handling the way the relief funds earmarked for his states would be handled - as a compromise measure, the funds for the soldiers and the relief programs would be given to the states with relatively few restrictions on what they could be used for.
The fact that it is causing Long to argue with three of his supporters suggests good things...
"The President will never sign it!" someone yells.
"And what will the soldiers do then?" someone else shouts back.
As the chamber descendants even further into more shouting, you turn to leave. You have some propaganda to produce.
Three days later, after Long came out in favor and three Georgia senators and representatives resigned in fury and even MacArthur proclaimed his favor, the bill was signed. The general strike ends. Your popularity explodes.
When you won so many states half a year ago, people thought it was a fluke. Now you are considered the most serious contender for the 1936 Presidency, despite the best efforts of so many to claim credit for this bill.
Another three days passed before you were standing on the docks of New York to greet the first merchant convoy from the Commune of France.
Result: In addition to a general distribution of moderate funds to the states to be used for relief and paying soldiers whose pay have been in arrears, you were able to slip in language enabling trade and a degree of diplomatic normalization with the Commune of France and the Union of Britain. Furthermore, Norman Thomas convinced Huey Long to support the bill in exchange for SPA support in "Autonomous Negro Zones" which have led to revolts in his own faction.
A General Problem - 1 Influence
Butler meets you in his home, overlooking the Potomac. With him are four other men. He introduces them - Oliver Law, John Tisa, Benjamin Katine, and Maurice Rose. All good soldiers, he assures you, and staunch syndicalists. He tells you in a few minutes they are going to storm out in a few minutes and report the meeting to MacArthur.
You nod, not certain where Butler is going with this. He has had something of an eccentric reputation - you have heard he ordered police to dress up as Marines during his tenure in Philadelphia, for one.
As the men leave, he leans forwards. "Comrade Reed, you are making waves. I heard about your little display on the Hill. That's the sort of thing this country needs. And I am willing to help you get more of that. Even if not everyone is. Know who I am talking about?"
"MacArthur?" you ask with a raised eyebrow.
He pounds his fist against his thigh. "That fucker, yes. He's been talking, from what I heard. Thinking you are going to steal the election, that you have spies in the army, and he's going to be taking measures against both. You need to watch yourself."
He points his thumb at you. "Now, that's free. What comes next has a toll. I've heard things about Russia, and Britain and France and India. I know war, I know they are never clean, and I doubt revolution is any better. But if it comes to that, I want your word you will do your damn best to keep this country democratic and keep the terror to a minimum. I don't want you locking people in barns then burning them down or spitting pastors on the steeples of the church, got it?"
You don't want that either, and even if his manner is rough, you understand his fears. So you agree.
"I'm head of the VFW. My boys are the ones who aren't suckers anymore, who won't be sold out. So they'll fit right in with your Red Guards. They've got friends in every branch, I have friends of my own, and so do those fine young men you met. They'll help."
You lean forward, very interested, and begin asking what he means.
Result: New Militant and Intrigue actions unlocked, warning given, introduced to some friendly officers
Increase Power of the Legislative Congress - 1 Influence
It's a relatively simple affair to give the Legislative Congress the backing they need. You propose giving them a formal founding document, with a fairly standard electoral setup, and then you ask them to begin coordinating with non-state organizations and ensuring the passage of favorable laws. They promise to get down to business, and then promptly begin squabbling.
Result: The Legislative Congress formed as a subordinate with 2 Influence. They have the trait Clashing Priorities (20% chance each turn to temporarily lose 1 Influence), and a 5% chance to lose it each turn.
Expand Soup Kitchens - 1 Authority
There are several cities that haven't had soup kitchen networks formed despite SPA presences. That deficiency is corrected, despite the frequent harassment and attacks from police and other groups. As the number of kitchens grows, the amount of people who need to eat from them does, and the price of food continually rises. You may well have to revise your expectations for this program...
Result: The expansion continues.
Spend Time With Your Family
It's late one night. You lay in your bed, limbs interwoven with your wife the way that comes from sleeping in the same bed with someone you trust. Both of you have been woken up...by something. A shared dream, maybe.
Louise turns to look at you. "I'm worried about Hannah," she says softly.
"Me too. I think something is wrong at school."
In a detached, cold voice, the one she uses when she's too angry to let herself feel anything, she confirms that's the case. She tells a story that makes you want to vomit, a story of constant harassment and bullying, of indifferent staff and you being too busy to bother.
You want to vomit. She's your daughter, you should've been there, but there had been other things, things more important than...
"Than your daughter?" an internal voice demands.
You have no answer.
A deep breath. Blinking, pushing away tears.
"We'll get her a tutor. She can learn better away from that sort of thing. She should play with other children too, I can bring her into the local office, there's always a dozen or so there."
You can't fix that, but you can solve the current problem.
It will have to be enough.
Meet with Thomas
The two of you meet in your Washington, D. C. home after a long but triumphant day. You pour yourself a glass of whiskey and offer one to him. He takes it, but doesn't drink.
"Well, we did it," Thomas says.
You shake your head. "You did it. It was your plan, I just helped see it through."
He nods, clearly disagreeing, but not wanting to say so.
"You have more plans?" you press, hoping he says yes.
"A few, I want to build on what we accomplished today," he tells you, "But if you have some suggestions of your own, I will consider them."
You consider what to propose, and offer...
(Pick two)
[] Gaining allies in Congress
[] Rural relief bills
[] Encouraging organizations like your soup kitchens and credit unions
[] Strike protection
[] Weakening the army
[] Protecting minority rights
[] Politically isolating your enemies
Report From the Coordination Committee
They have reported significant successes dismantling the police organizations. The first step was to announce budget cuts, with pensions for anyone who voluntarily left but nothing for anyone who had to be hired. Anyone untrustworthy who didn't take the hint was removed, while those who were deemed acceptable to keep were rehired with new ranks as they were placed in command of enthusiastic and loyal party members who became the new police. The only blight was the formation of "self-defense" groups by wealthy individuals in several of the cities with their reformed police departments. A great deal of hostility is being directed the way of you police officers...but socialists are used to hostility.
Focus: The Struggle Carries On!
For years the SPA has battled for liberation. There have been grievous defeats, but also joyous victories, such as the undeniably successful general strike in Chicago, which has triumphed beyond all expectations. The gains made would be unthinkable just a few short years ago, but the crisis of capital has jammed a wrench into the gears and left the forces of reaction confused and divided. That your victory will come is inevitable, that it will be difficult and hard-fought is also true. But you will not give in, you will not falter, you will keep fighting.
And the struggle shall carry on!
Result: Gain National Spirit The Struggle Carries On! (+1 Strength to the Center of the Party per month)
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