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Choose Your Own Wallpapers: Let's Play Ostalgie: The Berlin Wall

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    • Lazer Raptor

    Lazer Raptor

    (Verified Queer)
    Council Candidate
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    IN SPACE
    Pronouns
    She/Her
    Welcome Comrades!

    Inspired by RousseauX's player-based playthrough of Crisis in the Kremlin on AH.com (https://www.alternatehistory.com/fo...-in-the-kremlin-alternative-ussr-1985.428908/), this is going to be a communal let's play of Ostalgie: The Berlin Wall, in which you will play as the leadership of one of the ruling parties of the Soviet puppet states in Eastern Europe, starting in 1989. Your goal, my friends, is survival. Unlike in Crisis in the Kremlin, there is no way to beat the US, the best you will be able to accomplish is to create a stable power bloc. Additionally, unlike Crisis in the Kremlin, Ostalgie, although made by the same developers, is now a realtime game with pauses for events, and the player has a much more direct role in shaping the economy. Thus, this playthrough will update more quickly than RoussseauX's, probably 1-2 times per day, and you will get to decide how active you want to be in shaping the development of your glorious socialist paradise.

    Now that all the formalities are out of the way, let me introduce the Worker's Paradises you can choose to be in charge of:






    First up we have German Democratic Republic, which the imperialist have named East Germany, the richest of the socialist brothers, and the one with the greatest ability to impact foreign affairs using the might of the Stasi. However, you are in charge of a state that the West would very much like to remove from existence, and the Soviets are starting to get fed up with Honecker's stubborn refusal of reforms. Nevertheless, East Germany has the potential to do great things.



    Next up is the People's Republic of Poland, whose government is in a bit of a pickle to put it lightly. The military government that has ruled Poland for several years now faces rapidly escalating protests and is quickly losing its hold on the situation. The People's Republic is poor, its citizens are unhappy, and even the PZPR is falling apart at the seams. However, a genius leader might be able to find that Poland has vast reserves of untapped potential.......



    Third we have the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, a nation that still bears the scars from the Prague Spring, and is at risk of being torn asunder by its own ethnic divisions. Additionally, the Czechoslovak special services are practically nonexistent, and her treasury could use some work to say the least. However, the Czechs are in a key strategic position, and perhaps Dubeck's legacy is not dead after all........



    The Hungarian People's Republic is a state that has caused the Socialist Camp no small amount of headaches over the years, and it seems to be likely to continue to do so. A power struggle is brewing within the MSZMP, and the country looks to be liable to fall to capitalism within the next several months, it would take a Herculean effort to do so, but maybe, just maybe, the MSZMP can resolve its differences and lead the country to a greater prosperity than offered by Goulash Communism.



    Next up is the Socialist Republic of Romania, led by the Genius of the Carpathians, Nicolae Ceaușescu, who has masterminded a punishing austerity policy to pay off the country's debts incurred after he contracted several foolish loans. Surprisingly, the people of Romania are not too happy with this move, and it remains to be seen whether the Genius can muster up the intellect to remedy the situation. If he hangs on, he will appoint one of his sons to lead the country, emulating the example of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, but if he falls, whether to internal party struggles or violent revolution, everything will be up for grabs.


    Second to last is the People's Republic of Bulgaria, the most loyal ally the Soviets could ask for. Yet it seems the Soviets do not appreciate their friends as much as they should, and seek to replace the leadership with "reformists". This will take much effort to prevent, and Bulgaria is not a nation with a surplus of money or global geo-political might. However there might yet be opportunities within the collapsing state of Yugolsavia to the West.....




    Last of our choices, but certainly not the least interesting, we have the People's Socialist Republic of Albania, bulwark against the capitalists and social-imperialists, defender of Stalin's legacy. A nation covered in bunkers, and cut off from all allies, it will have to find its own way forward......



    Finally, I'm going to give the option to choose whether any of the difficulties (aside from sandbox), should be enabled or not, beware, this is a very difficult game comrades. Votes will be conducted just as in quests, I give you options and you pick them.

    Options:

    Pick one:
    [] East Germany
    [] Poland
    [] Czechoslovakia
    [] Hungary
    [] Romania
    [] Bulgaria
    [] Albania

    Select all that apply:
    [] Party Doggery
    [] Pressure From Moscow
    [] Western Propaganda
    [] Gorbachev's Call (BEWARE)
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Hmm... seeing something that says 'BEWARE' has never been good for me, but I think I'm going to have to listen to my inner curiosity on it.

    [X] East Germany

    [X] Pressure From Moscow

    EDIT: Perhaps not with it.
     
    Last edited:
    Usili 2.0 said:
    Hmm... seeing something that says 'BEWARE' has never been good for me, but I think I'm going to have to listen to my inner curiosity on it.

    [X] East Germany

    [X] Pressure From Moscow
    [X] Gorbachev's Call (BEWARE)
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Let's just say that I have yet to win with it enabled and leave it at that.
     
    [X] East Germany

    [X] Pressure From Moscow
     
    1st "Turn"
  • Threadmarks
    • It looks like the Politburo has decided, and in accordance with the principles of Democratic Centralism, you will be controlling the German Democratic Republic, with pressure from Moscow:




    Now, here is the state of the world:
    By government type (red is "developed socialism", green is "socialistic reformism", blue is liberalism, and grey is authoritarianism):


    By military alliances (red is WARPAC, blue is NATO/US allies):


    And now by economic alignment (red is CEMA countries, green is countries that have trade connections with us but are not in CEMA, blue is US aligned economies, and grey are unaligned countries):

    Notice the numbers at the top of your diplomacy screen comrades, in order they are as follows: Party Unity, Approval of USSR, Support of the People, Westalgia, Standard of Living, Diplomatic Reputation, Socialist Camp Stability, and Money.

    Party Unity is an abstraction of the support within the party for your choices and actions, if it gets too low you will be removed by the party for incompetence.
    Approval of USSR represents how much Gorbachev supports your government, and if it gets too low he will begin taking actions to destabilize your regime.
    Support of the People is an abstraction of the mood on the street towards your administration, and operates in tandem with Westalgia, which represents the amount of desire for a western-style government the people have. If popular support gets too low and/or Westalgia gets too high, you will be overthrown by the people. Support of the People also dictates your success or lack therof in free and fair elections.
    Diplomatic Reputation is an abstraction of how your government is generally perceived by western governments like the US and NATO, and dictates which diplomatic actions you can and cannot take on the diplomacy screen. Lower numbers mean greater approval by the western powers.
    Socialist Camp Stability represents how stable the Eastern Bloc is in general, and as it falls, you will get more and more events of crises in allied governments, and your own....
    Money is just an abstraction of the liquid cash available to your government, and if it dips into the negatives you will have to either cut services or privatize industries to get back up to a positive budget, both of which have negative impacts.

    Now for the state of your internal governance:


    Here you can see your current leaders, economic policies, allowed parties, and policies both towards elections and civil rights, as well as modify them.



    Additionally, it introduces another two variables to keep track of, Threat of NATO, and Number of Agents

    Threat of NATO     governs the likelihood of NATO intervening in your country, you do not want it above 50 or you may find that at the end screen your government was rather short lived.
    Number of Agents is an abstraction of the ability of your special services to intervene in the affairs of other nations and your own, and obviously allows for additional diplomatic options and different event options.

    Now the other screens aren't super necessary for me to show directly, because they aren't very good at communicating info without mousing over them, thus I'm just going to summarize the economic situation of the German Democratic Republic myself, in a way that is easier to understand, and give you the means to choose the next course of action, which will include all you need to know about science:

    Economy:

    Note that all values are weekly values aside from construction costs.

    Buildings:
    • Agricultural Establishment (+.1 Money, +.1 Westalgia, +.1 Standard of Living) [Costs 8 Money]
    • Industry (+.2 Money, +.1 Westalgia) [Costs 5 Money]
    • Factory of Electronics: (-.2 Money, -.1 Westalgia, +.1 Standard of Living, improves speed of scientific research) [Costs 8 Money]
    • Army Base (-.2 Money, -.2 Westalgia, +.2 Number of Agents) [Costs 8 Money]
    • Alcohol Factory (+.2 Support of the People, +.2 Westalgia) [Costs 5 Money]
    • TV Center (-.2 Money, +.2 Support of the People) [Costs 5 Money]
    • Nuclear Test Site (One per region, cannot be constructed in Capital, Unity of the Party +.2, Support of the People +.1, Threat of NATO +.2, Approval of USSR -.2) [Costs 5 Money]
    • Special Services HQ (-.2 Money, -.2 Westalgia) [Costs 5 Money]
    • Research Institute (-.1 Money, improves speed of scientific research) [Costs 5 Money}
    • Lenin Square (+.1 Support of the People, value changes based on state system) [Costs 2.5 Money]
    • Foreign Intelligence Department (-.2 Money, +.2 Number of Agents) [Costs 5 Money]

    North:
    Building slots available/total: 1/3
    Contains: Special Services HQ, TV Center
    Net effect: -.4 Money, +.2 Support of the People, -.2 Westalgia

    West:
    Building slots available/total: 1/3
    Contains: Special Services HQ, Industry
    Net effect: -.1 Westalgia

    Capital:
    Building slots available/total: 4/6
    Contains: Factory of Electronics, Lenin Square, Berlin Wall (Unique, -.1 Approval of USSR, -.2 Westalgia, +.2 Number of Agents), Foreign Intelligence Department
    Net effect: -.4 Money, +.2 Support of the People, -.3 Westalgia, +.1 Standard of Living, +.4 Number of Agents

    East:
    Building slots available/total: 2/3
    Contains: Agricultural Establishment, Industry
    Net effect: +.3 Money, +.2 Westalgia, +.1 Standard of Living

    South:
    Building slots available/total: 2/3
    Contains: Agricultural Establishment, Industry
    Net effect: +.3 Money, +.2 Westalgia, +.1 Standard of Living


    Now for voting, I'm going to give you a list of available actions:

    You have: 25 Money, 2 Agents

    Diplomatic Actions:
    [ ] Recognize Syrian Lebanon     (-1 Diplomatic Reputation, allows for trade later)
    [ ] Fund the RAF in Germany (Costs 1 Agent and 2 Money, +1 Diplomatic Reputation, +.5 Socialist Camp Stability, +3 Ostalgia in West Germany)
    [ ] Fund the Generals for Peace (Costs 1 Agent, +5 Ostalgia in West Germany)
    [ ] Send Financial Support to an Allied nation (not USSR) (Costs 3 Money, +.1 Socialist Camp Stability, reduced chance of crises in that country)
    -[ ] Specify Which nation(s)
    [ ] Coordinate Military actions with an Allied Nation     (Costs 2 Agents, +.1 Socialist Camp Stability, reduced chance of crises in that country)
    -[ ] Specify Which nation(s)
    [ ] Send Humanitarian Assistance to Yugoslavia     (Costs 3 Money, +.5 Socialist Camp Stability)
    [ ] Send Humanitarian Assistance to Afghanistan (Costs 3 Money, +.5 Socialist Camp Stability)
    [ ] Send Military Aid to Afghanistan (Costs 2 Agents, +1 Diplomatic Reputation, +.5 Socialist Camp Stability, increased chance of Communist victory in Afghanistan)
    [ ] Sanction Pakistan (-.1 Money per week, +.5 Diplomatic Reputation, +.5 Socialist Camp Stability, increased chance of Communist victory in Afghanistan
    [ ] Support Libya (-1 Money, allows for trade)
    -[ ] Sign Trade Agreement (+.1 Money per week, trade with Libya opened)
    [ ] Sell Weapons to India (+.1 Money per week, +1 Diplomatic Reputation, trade with India opened)
    [ ] Sell Weapons to DPRK (+ 3 Money, +2 Diplomatic Reputation)
    [ ] Send Analysts to DPRK (+ 5 support of the People, + 2 Diplomatic Reputation)

    Economic Actions:
    [ ] Automate economic processes     (trust my judgement here and allow me to manage the economy)
    [ ] Expand a region (costs 4 Money at first level, 8 at second, 12 at third, etc. and opens up additional building slots, while slightly improving living standards and reducing Westalgia)
    [ ] Construct a building
    -[ ] Specify a region
    -[ ] Specify a building
    [ ] Stop Work at a building     (will no longer gain any benefits or downsides from it)
    [ ] Privatize a building (this option is currently unavailable)

    Political Actions:
    [ ] Replace a Minister     (Costs .1 Money and 5 Party Unity)
    -[ ] Which One?
    -[ ] With Whom?
    [ ] Modify a Policy     (Costs .5 Money)
    -[ ] Which One?
    -[ ] Liberalize or Retrench?
    [ ] Hold Elections     (Elections are currently always rigged)

    Scientific Actions (pick one):
    All take 359 days unless more research facilities are built

    [ ] Re-Equip Special Services (When completed grants -.2 Westalgia, +.2 Number of Agents, and +.2 Unity of the Party weekly) [Costs 1 Money]
    [ ] Mass Introduction of DPC and MACC (When completed grants +.4 Money and +.2 Standard of Living weekly) [Costs 2 Money]
    [ ] Priority Importance of Genetics (When completed grants +.2 Money, +.2 Sovereignty, and +.2 Standard of Living weekly) [Costs 2 Money]


    Holy cow that took about an hour to type up, so I'm probably just going to copy stuff over into new posts, and whatnot.

    Feel free to ask me questions about anything you are confused by, this is still a stupidly complicated game despite being massively simplified from its predecessor.

    EDIT: Added music.

    EDIT 2: Future posts will be far less meaty to say the least.
     
    Last edited:
  • Threadmarks
    • Hmm. I kind of feel like going for:

    [X] Fund the RAF in Germany (Costs 1 Agent and 2 Money, +1 Diplomatic Reputation, +.5 Socialist Camp Stability, +3 Ostalgia in West Germany)
    [X] Sanction Pakistan (-.1 Money per week, +.5 Diplomatic Reputation, +.5 Socialist Camp Stability, increased chance of Communist victory in Afghanistan
    [X] Sell Weapons to India (+.1 Money per week, +1 Diplomatic Reputation, trade with India opened)

    [X] Automate economic processes

    And maybe for research, I feel like going for this one?

    [X] Re-Equip Special Services (When completed grants -.2 Westalgia, +.2 Number of Agents, and +.2 Unity of the Party weekly) [Costs 1 Money]
     
    [X] Fund the RAF in Germany (Costs 1 Agent and 2 Money, +1 Diplomatic Reputation, +.5 Socialist Camp Stability, +3 Ostalgia in West Germany)
    [X] Sanction Pakistan (-.1 Money per week, +.5 Diplomatic Reputation, +.5 Socialist Camp Stability, increased chance of Communist victory in Afghanistan
    [X] Sell Weapons to India (+.1 Money per week, +1 Diplomatic Reputation, trade with India opened)

    [X] Automate economic processes

    [X] Re-Equip Special Services     (When completed grants -.2 Westalgia, +.2 Number of Agents, and +.2 Unity of the Party weekly) [Costs 1 Money]
     
    [X] Fund the RAF in Germany (Costs 1 Agent and 2 Money, +1 Diplomatic Reputation, +.5 Socialist Camp Stability, +3 Ostalgia in West Germany)
    [X] Fund the Generals for Peace (Costs 1 Agent, +5 Ostalgia in West Germany)
    New
    [X] Recognize Syrian Lebanon     (-1Diplomatic Reputation, allows for trade later)
    [X] Sanction Pakistan (-.1 Money per week, +.5 Diplomatic Reputation, +.5 Socialist Camp Stability, increased chance of Communist victory in Afghanistan
    [X] Sell Weapons to India (+.1 Money per week, +1 Diplomatic Reputation, trade with India opened)

    [X] Automate economic processes

    [X] Re-Equip Special Services     (When completed grants -.2 Westalgia, +.2 Number of Agents, and +.2 Unity of the Party weekly) [Costs 1 Money]
     
    Last edited:
    [X] Recognize Syrian Lebanon (-1Diplomatic Reputation, allows for trade later)
    [X] Fund the Generals for Peace (Costs 1 Agent, +5 Ostalgia in West Germany)
    [X] Support Libya (-1 Money, allows for trade)
    [X] Automate economic processes

    [X] Re-Equip Special Services     (When completed grants -.2 Westalgia, +.2 Number of Agents, and +.2 Unity of the Party weekly) [Costs 1 Money]
    Trade is Vital for the survival of our socialist system. Therefore we must open negotiations with socialist states outside the CMEA
     
    First events
  • Threadmarks
    • Alright, sorry this took so long to upload, but I have implemented the Politburo's choices, as a result, India is now trading with us, our comrades in the Red Army Faction are receiving additional support, and the imperialist running dogs of Pakistan have been cut off from our products and market.

    I have also taken steps to empower the national economy, and to that end have constructed additional industry and a Factory of Electronics. You can see the effects in the economy post I'm going to threadmark after this.

    Now, there are two events that the Politburo must respond to:

    First is the issue of the film known as "Intergirl" being shown in our big brother the USSR:


    We have two options, to either refuse to show the film in order to uphold our moral values and commitment to Socialist Realism, or to allow select films such as Intergirl to be shown and produced, but maintain veto power over what is shown:



    There is also the issue of Chemical Weapons to consider comrades, as it seems that Big Brother wants us to destroy our stockpiles in order to promote world peace:


    Here we have three options to choose from:




    Now for voting, I'm going to give you a list of available actions:

    You have: 4 Money, 1 Agent

    Pick one:
    [ ] Refuse to show Intergirl
    [ ] Allow it, but maintain a close watch

    Pick one:
    [ ] Eliminate chemical weapon stocks (Costs 1 Money and 1 Agent)
    [ ] Pretend to get rid of them
    [ ] Refuse to eliminate them
     
    Last edited:
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    The state of the economy
  • Informational
    • Economic Overview

    Note that all values are weekly values aside from construction costs.

    Buildings:
    • Agricultural Establishment (+.1 Money, +.1 Westalgia, +.1 Standard of Living) [Costs 8 Money]
    • Industry (+.2 Money, +.1 Westalgia) [Costs 5 Money]
    • Factory of Electronics: (-.2 Money, -.1 Westalgia, +.1 Standard of Living, improves speed of scientific research) [Costs 8 Money]
    • Army Base (-.2 Money, -.2 Westalgia, +.2 Number of Agents) [Costs 8 Money]
    • Alcohol Factory (+.2 Support of the People, +.2 Westalgia) [Costs 5 Money]
    • TV Center (-.2 Money, +.2 Support of the People) [Costs 5 Money]
    • Nuclear Test Site (One per region, cannot be constructed in Capital, Unity of the Party +.2, Support of the People +.1, Threat of NATO +.2, Approval of USSR -.2) [Costs 5 Money]
    • Special Services HQ (-.2 Money, -.2 Westalgia) [Costs 5 Money]
    • Research Institute (-.1 Money, improves speed of scientific research) [Costs 5 Money}
    • Lenin Square (+.1 Support of the People, value changes based on state system) [Costs 2.5 Money]
    • Foreign Intelligence Department (-.2 Money, +.2 Number of Agents) [Costs 5 Money]

    North:
    Building slots available/total: 1/3
    Contains: Special Services HQ, TV Center
    Net effect: -.4 Money, +.2 Support of the People, -.2 Westalgia

    West:
    Building slots available/total: 0/3
    Contains: Special Services HQ, Industry, Industry
    Net effect: +.2 Money

    Capital:
    Building slots available/total: 1/6
    Contains: Factory of Electronics, Lenin Square, Berlin Wall (Unique, -.1 Approval of USSR, -.2 Westalgia, +.2 Number of Agents), Foreign Intelligence Department, Factory of Electronics
    Net effect: -.6 Money, +.2 Support of the People, -.4 Westalgia, +.2 Standard of Living, +.4 Number of Agents

    East:
    Building slots available/total: 2/6
    Contains: Agricultural Establishment, Industry, Industry, Industry
    Net effect: +.7 Money, +.4 Westalgia, +.1 Standard of Living

    South:
    Building slots available/total: 0/3
    Contains: Agricultural Establishment, Industry, Industry
    Net effect: +.5 Money, +.3 Westalgia, +.1 Standard of Living
     
    Last edited:
  • Informational
    • [x] Allow it, but maintain a close watch

    [x] Eliminate chemical weapon stocks (Costs 1 Money and 1 Agent)
     
    Paramilitary woes
  • Threadmarks
    • In accordance with the will of the Politburo and the principles of Democratic Centralism, the German Democratic Republic has decided that the film "Intergirl" will be allowed to be shown in theaters. This has made people happy, and made us more palatable to the west, but has increased our citizens' interests in Western culture and capitalism (+5 Support of the People, +2.5 Westalgia, -1 Diplomatic Reputation):



    Meanwhile, the attempt to fake the removal of chemical weapon stocks has failed, and now the world community is angry at us...... (-2 Agents, +.5 Diplomatic Reputation, +1 Westalgia, -1 Popular Support)



    Nevertheless, here is already another issue for us to address comrades, that is the degeneration of the Combat Groups of the Working Class (Combat Groups of the Working Class - Wikipedia, a paramilitary wing of the SED that served as an unofficial army and police force):



    It seems that the Combat Groups are suffering from a breakdown in morale and enlistment, which may effect our hold on the country........ but it may be nothing, and the alternatives could possibly do more damage than taking action. We can choose to either accept this development, launch a campaign to remind the Combat Groups of their duty to the people, or replace them with a much smaller professional force:



    Members of the Politburo, what are your votes?

    Pick one:
    [ ] Do nothing
    [ ] Use the Stasi to purge the Combat Groups of wreckers and parasitic elements
    [ ] Dissolve the organization and create a professionalized alternative

    A/N: I'm not super happy about the size of the pictures, please tell me if I should start putting them in spoilers or downsizing them before posting. Regardless, I might do some experimentation in the coming posts.
     
    Last edited:
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