Hello there. I am Ojou-Sama, and...yeah, I am starting yet another quest which I hope to actually have last past the first few turns. I hope that, despite my poor track record, everyone enjoys the quest!
---===---
Never had you considered it to be possible to rise so far as you have now - but now, in a stroke of divine luck, after years of blood, sweat and toil, you have risen to one of the most coveted positions in the nation. From your new office in the capital you now steer the nation through a tumultuous 1930's: Will you manage to remain neutral in what may become a Second Great War, or will your nation be the one who sets the powderkeg of Europa aflame?
---==-=-==---
But first, what nation do you rule?
[ ] The Republic of Germania
The Republic of Germania is located in central Europa, and has been a beacon of stability in these dangerous times. Your predecessor, the famous President Lichendorff, has through a series of public works, economic reform and diplomatic wrangling ensured that the fragile democracy borne out of the Revolution of 1916 has managed to firmly take root: And now it is your task to ensure that, no matter what, stability and prosperity continues as it had before, or you may face a Vote of No Confidence in the Reichstag - and with the political opposition consisting of true-blooded Communists taking their orders from Moscovy and Ultranationalists...
Pro's:
Stability and Prosperity
Stable and prosperous for a nation in the middle of Europa in 1933, Germania is much easier to steer in a chosen direction due to a comfortable majority in the Reichstag - and while nobody really loves you as the replacement for Lichendorff, there is no denying that currently your party is the best guarantor for peace - provided you do not screw up.
The Pride of Modern Germania
The Reichswehr is a well-equipped, well-drilled, and motivated fighting force and has 36 divisions on standby, all ready to defend the Fatherland if need be: The best in bolt-action rifles, mobile machine guns and artillery allows for this small force to fight for two. It should be noted though that the Army may leverage its powerful position in internal politics...
Better diplomatic relations
Your predecessor, President Lichendorff, has made overtures to the Republic of Skaestern to the north, the Kingdom of Voslagia to the west, and the Polska Republic to the East. Diplomacy shall prove to not be as bad as you thought it would be given the tireless efforts of the Foreign Office.
Con's:
Dangerous Political Parties on the rise...
Even with the relative stability compared to the rest of Europa, fringe extremist political parties are becoming more active lately - chief of which have been the Germanian People's Workers Party and the Germanian National Völk Party. While not extremely dangerous right now, their respective ideologies, coupled with Germania's industrial and populational advantages, spells horror for Europa should they take over...
An Obsolete Navy
The Reichsmarine consists of two old Pre-Dreadnoughts, four cruisers built in the 1920's, and eight destroyers from the 1910's. It is hopelessly outdated - and due to international armament treaties, prevented from making ships with a high displacement and with guns larger than 380mm. However, should one of the various nations in the world cause enough of a ruckus, an escalator clause in the treaties may be activated...
Western Distrust
The Francois Empire and Kingdom of Briton have fought against the then-Germanian Empire in the Great War for three years, and have not forgotten the "Loss of a Generation" in the trenches that were so widespread on the Western Front: And while the Treaty of Harlem may have ended the war, unofficially a diplomatic and trade war is still going on to counter the highly efficient Germanian industry.
[ ] The Kingdom of Voslagia
Ah, the Kingdom of Voslagia. Located west of the Germanian Republic, Voslagia is one of the many smaller nations of Europa. Home to 9 million people, the King has graciously allowed you to be Head of the Government after the popular vote - but, of course, the King reserves the right to veto any law or initiative he considers to bring harm to the nation. In the meantime, you also need to consider the defenses of the colonies in Suttera with the Akitsushimans rearing their heads: After all, the loss of the colonies and the riches therein will have drastic consequences on the economy - and on the immediate future of your leadership...
Pro's:
The Colonial Riches
Voslagia is - and there is no other way around it - made rich on the back of her colonies. Massive plantations on Suttera, owned by both private and national Voslagian companies and worked by the cheap colonial labour, produce high-quality rubber that is then sold to other nations with Germania, the Britons, and the Francois being the primary customers who use it for all manner of things - from the novel aeroplane to trucks and cars. As long as the sale of natural resources to other nations in the world can continue, there shall be no problem in maintaining a government budget surplus.
A modern navy
Unlike her eastern neighbour, the Voslagian Royal Navy is relatively modern. The large mass of the Asiatic colonies and their importance to the national economy means that no expense was spared in the past to keep the Navy up-to-date with technological advancements despite the small nature of the nation and the various dockyards and drydocks. Four modern light and heavy cruisers, coupled with eight destroyers, make up the main Fleet in Being stationed in Suttera, while the homeland is home to three light cruisers and five destroyers. Being not a signatory to the Londinium Naval Treaties, Voslagia can expand her navy without worrying about restrictions - but going too far may incur the wrath of the Kingdom of Briton...
Con's:
Shell-Shocked Spectator of the Great War
As neutral Voslagia was the closest safe haven for refugees from the Western Front, where fighting raged between the Francois Empire and the then-Germanian Empire in Bogilia, they have been but all too close a spectator to the horrors of the Great War. As a result, a strong pacifist movement has grown to permeate large parts of the public, and presents the government with great difficulties in implementing any increase of military expenditure. Only the navy still enjoys a certain measure of prestige in the public eye. If you ever want to expand the Army, this pacifist movement needs to be dealt with.
Incompetent Army
The Army is under-equipped, under-funded, filled with incompetent officers from top to bottom, and out of touch with recent technological advancements: Aeroplanes are considered to have advanced little more than the triplanes that fought in the Great War, while the tank, used in numbers by almost all major industrialized nations, is considered to be just a passing fad. A large comprehensive program of Army Reform is needed before the Army can be made into a capable fighting force, or the hard realities of war shall be suffered to the full...
Aloof Neutrality
A policy of strict neutrality in all foreign affairs, first instituted by King Karles II, has kept Voslagia out of wars with any of its neighbours for nearly 100 years, and has, above all, kept Voslagia out of the Great War. The public's belief in their "talisman of protection" is therefore almost fervent, and the weak governments that came before yours have done little to go against the will of the people and take any concrete stance in international politics: Instead, they put their faith in the sensibility of the leaders of other nations, and otherwise adopted an aloof attitude to world events.
[ ] The Francois Empire
The mighty Francois nation stood victorious 20 years ago, and regained much of her lost lands from the abominable Hun. Alsace-Lorraine was regained through clever diplomatic wrangling in Harlem, and the Germanian colonies in Africa were added to the Francois Colonial Empire. But the peace in Europe is slowly yet surely unraveling - the Kingdom of Ildoa invaded Abyssinia less than a year ago in a flagrant disrespect of the Brotherhood of Nations, while the Orrussian Federation has increasingly begun hostile communist rhetoric to the 'decadent plutocratic despots of Europa'! Truly, danger is brewing in Europa, and to say nothing of what the Germanians are up to...
Pro's
The grand Armée de Terre
In the face of possible Germanian revanchism, Ildoan trickery and possible Briton betrayal, the Francois Empire has maintained a large conscript army far outnumbering that of other powers in Europa. However, much of it is spread out over the extensive Francois Colonial Empire and unavailable in Europa proper - and the quality of the units drawn from Africa is, at times, suspect. Still, one in ten civilians knows basic military training and can be conscripted when needed.
A modern armored force
While the Britons may have invented the tank, we Francois have perfected it. The Model FT had set the standard for any tank in 1916 onwards, and the Hotchkiss Model 35 is the best armoured vehicle in the world at this time! Even the limited amount of Germanian armor and the Orrussians cannot defeat us in this field!
The Francois Culture
Parisii is the cultural hot-spot of the world, and millions flock every year to our nation to visit museums, galleries of art, monuments and the wine-making regions. Tourist revenue is at an all-time high, and artisans and farmers both profit from the throngs of foreigners buying their goods: The good state of the Francois economy in comparison to that of, say, the Unified States is also a boon for tourism and immigration.
Con's
An overextended Empire
The Francois Colonial Empire is large. Too large. Administration of vast swathes of territory is almost impossible due to a lack of infrastructure, while native rebellions in Indochina keep wearing the colonial administration down and, at times, destroy the highly profitable crops grown there. Further, the Armée de Terre is spread out over all of this territory and not capable of fully focusing their fire and manpower.
The Londinium Naval Treaty
Under the provisions of the Londinium Naval Treaty, the Marine Nationale is effectively neutered. Technological advancements cannot be implemented due to tonnage limits imposed upon us, while scrapping capital ships and building new ones is forbidden due to the ban on building large capital ships above a certain tonnage - which lasts at least until 1936, three years from now.
A Generation Lost
The Great War was...not kind to the Francois state. Hundreds of thousands died in the trenches on the Western Front, and though we saw heroes rise at Verdun and Arene, heroes do not return a generation of souls lost in one of the largest tragedies of mankind. As such, the Armée de Terre has markedly poor morale - and the generals are reluctant to send yet another generation to die in trench warfare.
[X] The Kingdom of Ildoa
In the Great War, Ildoa joined the Entente against the Germanian Empire and her junior partners, the Dacian Federation and the Osmanian Empire for several reasons - chief among them being the reversal of several humiliating treaties that Baltland forced upon Ildoa after the Second Ildoan-Baltland War! At the end of four years of fighting, we had expected to be invited to the peace conferences as equals: But instead we were scorned for our so-called poor performance against the Baltlands and left with the scraps of the others! But a new Ildoa has risen: One which shall right the wrongs committed against our nation, and ensure justice is done.
Con's
Overstretching of resources
It is a sad fact that Ildoa is but a small power playing at the game of the greats. Though we may have attained colonies in Africa and territory from Hiltria and Grecia, the small amount of resources Ildoa can muster are just not enough: There is always a lack in some resource or the other, and that is something not easily rectified, and thus Ildoa's cardinal weakness is that we need a military force significantly bigger and with fingers in significantly more pies than what our human, material and industrial resources permit.
Colonial burden
Ildoa's colonies are her pride, but also a burden. The former nation of Abyssinia serves as the crown jewel in the Ildoan Colonial Empire, yet also is one of the areas with the largest amounts of native resistance: Further, most of the colonies have proven to be less settleable - only the North African colonies so far have proven to be somewhat profitable. In addition, there are some resistance movements in North Africa too, hampering the Ildoans going to live there...
Incompetent officers
Due to a large expansion of the officer corps recently, many of our newer generals are incompetent and inexperienced - should Ildoa ever want to engage in conflict, these generals either need to be educated or replaced with officers who have not been rushed through officer school.
Pro's
Specialized Formations
While our resources in general may not be enough to equip the entire army, the relative power of our specialist formations cannot be denied. The Arditi and Bersaglieri are the pride of our Army and receive the best weapons and equipment the fastest, and are of exceptional quality even compared to the specialist formations fielded by other nations - and whatever they lack in skill they make up for with amazing courage.
Bravery, Ingenuity, Loyalty
It cannot be denied that our industrial base has precluded a modernisation of armaments used by our troops - in fact, the majority still uses the same weapons as they did during the Great War! But while the equipment of the armed forces may be outdated and the distribution of modern weapons skewed to the specialist formations, the bravery of our troops and their ingenuity in the field cannot be understated: They set examples for the entire world to follow in terms of courage!
Mare Nostrum
The Mediterranean is our sea, our Mare Nostrum - and the Regia Marina, the proud Ildoan Navy, are experts fighting in it! While Ildoan ships may be comparatively shorter-ranged than those of the Francois and the Britons, it would be foolish to underestimate the might of the Regia Marina!
0--=--==--=--0
Please do not vote yet - allow me to make two posts reserved for informational purposes, please!
