1. Please post only fully developed ideas here.
2. This is not meant as a general discussion thread. Please keep off-topic chatter down; redirect it here.
3. Please also don't use a lot of images or larger images- if you need to, use the spoiler feature.
I really need to actually finish my proposal for the Modern Interwar game. Completely overhauled the scenario a few weeks ago because I was concerned the world was becoming too unrecognisable, but that has made a lot of what I've written obsolete, so I need to proofread and finalise.
Is there going to be an initiative to bring some of the still-alive games (or, in SAE's case, on life-support) over here at some point? I think a few of them would do well on this forum.
Is there going to be an initiative to bring some of the still-alive games (or, in SAE's case, on life-support) over here at some point? I think a few of them would do well on this forum.
Anyways, here's wonderwall the horizons of Tomorrow OOC post.
The Horizons of Tomorrow : An Alternate History 1919 Nation Game
-Map credits go to SectorKnight21 and TehBoss
Europe
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland: The United Kingdom to many had thought to have squandered it's supremacy after the Napoleonic Wars, it had turned a blind eye to France's revanchist grabs in Belgium coupled with a Dutch acquisition of Flanders. It's idea of splendid isolationism as many British politicians called it had ended in failure, ironically due to it's failure it was forced on a path of further isolation on the European continent. However, as the powder keg of Europe draws ever closer it is clear that the British position becomes even more tenuous, and cannot be ignored till the end of time. France's control of much of the channel ports have given the British navy at home a run for it's money. In central Europe the German Goliath is equally militarizing at a constant rate on par with the French. Many wonder in the United Kingdom where do they stand in the mess? Will the United Kingdom continue down it's path of isolation and slowly lose all relevancy or will it finally take a stand? One thing is for sure the decision cannot be made with haste as the British rely heavily on the French's good will in the colonial world, but could it allow a scenario where the German Empire dominates the French Republic or vice versa?
The Kingdom of France: Following Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo the second French era of Bourbon Restoration had started off strong. Louis XVIII had been put in a very precarious position where one move could earn him the ire of the entire country. Using his second chance at this restoration he quickly rolled back his changes reversing the effect of the French Revolution earning him instant popularity putting him back in the good graces of many in France. From there France's story is one of complete success it's resurgence as a premier power in Europe after it's staggering losses towards the end of the Napoleonic Wars were an extremely distant past that were pushed from many minds. France's dependence on Paris as it's only industrial hub ended through swift reforms meant to bring the rest of France up to speed as industrial sectors would pop up across the country and it's national dependence would end, sprouting major cities across the nation as the focus shifted from one city to rule them all. When the Kingdom of Belgium collapsed due to internal strife France quickly moved into Wallonia annexing it in the 1830's, the British responded with nothing short of insults, thus causing the an end to Britain's careful game of creating a balance of powers in Europe starting an era of unheard of British isolationism. Skip ahead to the Franco-Prussian war where the French and Germans fought a gruesome two year war that ended in a status quo ante bellum. The year is now 1919 and tensions are at an all time high as weapons roll out of France's assembly lines at a constant rate, it seems that a simple pin drop could thrust the nations of France and Germany into revisiting it's war of 1871.
The German Empire: While many will say that Prussia had lost the Franco-Prussian War of 1871 it had showed incredible prowess only losing in the end due to a war of attrition and the French regimental system improving as an effect for Prussia's embarrassing one sided victories against the French that saw it sweep across Wallonia and Alsace-Lorraine. While unable to achieve the final blow on a push through Northern France that would achieve it the territory of 'Elsass-Lothringen' it had unified the German states into a single entity creating (depending on who you ask) the strongest nation on continental Europe, enter 1919 you have one of the most industrialized nations that creates a plethora of weapons for the ever looming conflict of European domination against it's greatest foe, the French.
The Austro-Hungarian Empire: While many had called the Ottomans the sick man of Europe one nation had grown just as ill. In 1919 Franz Joseph I had died in his sleep, and with him the fallacy of the blanket of calmness that lay over the nation. Overnight ethnic strife was seething blatantly rather than through the shadows, Austria-Hungary itself is seen by many as an nonviable state, while others think through hard work, blood, sweat and tears the nation could be remolded. It came to a head when the military seized power from Charles I directly following his coronation. Their a debate in the military looming, one of the strongest arguments comes as a peaceful partition of the nation, however a government body to govern such a nation is undecided on.
The Russian Empire: With the death of Tsar Nicholas II and the Grand Duke Alexei in 1914 the Russian people were thrust into turmoil, however under the Tsarina Olga great social and political reforms changed the face of the Russian Empire as a constitution and functional Duma were implemented in 1916. On the foreign policy front the Russian Empire remains quiet on every matter involving the French and German crises that seem to break out on a monthly basis, the Tsarina saw it fit to focus on an old frontier... Asia. Reeling after it's loss from the Russo-Japanese War the port of Vladivoistok had been built to thrice it's size to house a very sizable modern navy built up by foreign contracts in Germany, France, and the United States, as well as a permanent army group to be stationed on the East lead by General Brusilov. This has provided a very tense situation in Asia, specifically between the Empire of Japan and Russia. With Russia and Germany reaching a detente over Russia's sphere of influence in Eastern Europe Russia has achieved a comfortable position on it's Western Flank as it's government goes through huge transitions. While reaching rapprochement with the Tsardom of Bulgaria through a carefully crafted marriage between Bulgaria's crown Prince and the Tsarina, in 1917 the exercised it's new alliance be overthrowing the Hohenzollern's rule of Romania and installing Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich as King with Dobruja being ceded to Bulgaria.
The Kingdom of Italy:*The Kingdom was founded in 1861 when King Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia was proclaimed King of Italy. The state was founded as a result of the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia. Italy declared war on Austria in alliance with Prussia in 1866: despite an unsuccessful campaign, it received the region of Veneto following Bismarck's victory. Italian troops entered Rome in 1870, ending more than one thousand years of Papal temporal power. Italy accepted Bismarck's proposal to enter in a Triple Alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary in 1882, following strong disagreements with France about the respective colonial expansions. However, even if relations with Berlin became very friendly, the alliance with Vienna remains purely formal, as the Italian lands of Trentino and Trieste are still under Austro-Hungarian rule.
The Kingdom of the Netherlands: In 1815 the son of the last Stadtholder, Willem I, returned to the Netherlands, triumphantly being crowned as king. Even better, the Congress of Vienna handed the Netherlands the entire Belgium. But while Willem proved to be excellent at rebuilding the country, building canals, factories and ports all over the place, he was also very good at alienating the Belgians. The Belgian Revolution in the end meant giving up large parts of Belgium to France and Prussia. Even today the Dutch claim these parts of Belgium and Limburg as their own though obviously these claims aren't pressed very hard.*Under his more liberal son, Willem II, came constitutional rights like universal voting for men, equal rights for Catholics and Protestants, and so on. His measures have made the Netherlands into a large affluent trading nation. His son, 'King Gorilla' Willem III focused more on industrialization and infrastructure. In 1919 the Dutch are neutral, and in good shape; the plantations in Indonesia and Suriname are working wonders and the Netherlands, mainly the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp, are important to Europe's economy. Foreign policy wise it often sides with Britain, having similar economic interests and avoiding the Franco-German rivalry.
The Kingdom of Greece:*the successful results of the Russo-Turkish War (1877-78) and the Balkan War (1912-13), in addition to the peaceful annexation of the island of Crete in 1866, have more than doubled the territory, prestige and power of the young kingdom of Greece in the international system. The nation enjoys a healthy parliamentary monarchy under the wise leadership of King George I, who has been ruling the country for the better part of sixty years, and his son Crown Prince Constantine, happily married to his cousin, Louise of Denmark. An industrialized country with a modernized primary sector, Greece, however, is slowly being engulfed by social problems and movements. The socialists are nothing to laugh at and, while they have adopted the German model, pose a significant threat to the nation's political stability. Furthermore, unsettled claims in Epirus and in the Aegean Sea mine the current government's support and the credibility of the Greek monarchy. Already there have been whispers in the lower corps of the army, resented by the continued stay of Prince Constantine as commander-in-chief, and a wild faction of radical revolutionaries has already arisen in the mountains of Thessaly, praying to the Olympian gods of old and nostalgic of the golden age of Athens...
The Kingdom of Portugal: The 19th Century saw Portugal endure reverses and a civil war in the 1830s between two brothers. Portugal's long-time relations with the United Kingdom soured in the 1890s when disputes over the Pink map opened a rift between the royal families. When King Carlos I tried to impose a dictatorial regime in the late 1890s, various liberal forces came together and forced him to abdicate with Queen Amelie ruling as regent to the Prince Royal Luis Felipe until he became king in 1906.*Due to the rift in relations with the UK, Portugal has sought to become more aligned with the German Empire who were related to the royal family. Portugal is weary of French domination over the continent and thus would seek to contain them.
The Kingdom of Albania: The Kingdom of Albania has only recently gained its independence, after a successful revolt in 1912 against the Ottoman Empire, following its neighbouring countries, of throwing off the shackles of the imperial sultan. Its independence was officially recognized by the Great powers on 29th July 1913 during the Conference of London. With Prince Philipp of Hesse becoming King of Albania, he is seen by some as a foreign pretender but by others as the way forward from the old Ottoman style of administration. Entering 1919 it faces many challenges including the tension bruing not only in the Balkan region with Ottoman Empire, Austrian-Hungarian Empire, Greece and other newly independent countries but also the tension in mainland Europe. Will Albania stay pushed to the Adriatic Sea or will it push to gain other regions?
Asia
The Empire of Japan: Opening up to Western markets after the visit by the British during a brief Japanese civil war that saw the end of the Shogunate at the hands of Emperor Ueno. Ueno begun a mass program of reform of the Japanese nation. Industrialization begun, literacy programs were started modeled after the Western world and the army and navy were reformed with British and Prussian support. Japan over the last 40 years has risen to together with the United States and to a lesser extent Brazil to be a challenger to European domination. It has recently sucessfully beaten the Russian Empire to gain control over Manchuria over spheres of influence and acquiring Port Arthur to it's growing empire. The Empire now looks south to the Spanish colonies as the vital next target of expansion while at the same time it still remains at odds with the Russian Empire.
The Ottoman Empire: Once one of the mightiest Empires in existence, the Ottoman Empire had been in a slow but steady decline since the end of the 17th century. Shaken after Napoleons short lived invasion of Egypt and slowly modernizing, Egypt would rise up under Ali in the 1830's to seize control of the Empire. As the Great powers were still busy with the crisis in Belgium, no one came to the Empires help. Ali's westernized troops marched on until they were stopped at the battle of Ankara. The Empire managed to push them back eventually, but the damage had already been done. Egypt had gone and with it Palestine, Hedjaz, and most of the Arabian interior. The defeat discredited the traditionalists in the Ottoman court leading to a course of reform. Unfortunately however the modernization focused on secondary pet projects of the three following Sultans, like the navy, arts, and armed forces. Still the state slowly dragged itself to the modern world, while at the same time losing every war and shrinking every decade, every defeat bringing a new forced modernization boost with. Eventually the course has been reversed, as the long time decline has been stopped with the defeat of the Kurdish rebellion in 1910 and the ascension of a new Sultan. A new age has begun for the Empire. The cure was harsh, but the sick man of Europe is finally healthy once again.
The Sultanate of Nejd: An evolution of the First Saudi State, driven by the Al Saud's desire to rid themselves of influences from both foreign powers and domestic movements. The Triumph of Egypt under Ali against the Ottomans and defeat in the Persia-Arabia War of 1845 lead to a migration of the discredited Wahhabi movement to Egyptian controlled Hejaz, and an increasing moderation on Islam within the Sultanate as it turned inward. During the latter half of the 19th century, the Sultanate experienced a cultural renaissance on the background of a romanticized version of the Islamic Golden Age. A rebirth of Islamic science lead to multiple important discoveries primarily in the fields of medicine and chemistry and became even more important after the discovery of oil in 1902 by a joint team of British and French surveyors.The money from oil has been reinvested in social programs to turn the Sultanate into a 'jewel in the desert' and purchase modern weaponry from various European states to equip the fairly small armed forces. However, this has left problems. The gap between the wealthy and poor continues to expand, there is grumbling about the shock modernisation programs and the Al Saud family is splitting between pro-British and pro-French factions. One thing they agree on, isolationism is no longer an option for the Sultanate.
Sublime State of Persia: The collapse of the Ottomans, brought a wonderful possibility to the Shah, of trying to regain the prestige of Persia. The Mamluks within Iraq saw fit to declare their independence as a state, and in ways, seemed like an opportunity for Persia to redeem herself. In a matter of weeks (stretching to a couple of months), Persia would take control of Iraq, and re-cement her control over the historic region. Nonetheless, in other areas, such as Afghanistan, influence was degrading, and worries over the loss began. The breakout of a war between the British and Persia in 1846, would occur after Herat declared independence from Persian influence. When the war ended, the British would take the area of Kuwait under their control, as part of the humiliation suffered to Persia. Mohammad Shah was killed during the war, and his son, Nasser-e-Din became the Shah. Chancellor Amir Kabir, would put into place reforms to help lower the debt suffered by Persia, which in turn would help modernize the state. A major enemy at the time, was the Ulema (Islamic scholar class), which in itself posed a separate government from the Shah. Kabir put into place reforms, which were criticized, but designed to be long-filling, by putting into place liberal reforms and ideas. Over the period of the second half of the 19th century, Persia slowly modernized, trying to court other nations to help remove the Russian and British influence from Persia. This was for the most part unsuccessful, however the influence of the Ulema had been heavily hurt, and influence upon the government had dropped entirely. In the early stages of the 20th century, a legislative body would be added, to allow 'representation' by the people after popular demands for it, and the Shah accepting it. In 1906, oil would be discovered in Khuzestan Province, by a Persian national company, interested in seeing if it could find anything. The discovery of oil, combined with the first steel mill to open in 1908 in Persia, foreign investment seems to have arrived, and already people wonder the effects of it upon Persia. However, an issue to many Persians is the foreign influence that still resides, and if it can be removed.
Africa
North America
The United States of America:*- The defeat of the United States in the American Civil War (War Between the States, War of Secession, etc, etc.) was a defining in the Republic's history. It shattered the idea of the Union and the ability for states to secede from the Union. After the defeat at Gettysburg and the death of General Grant at the Battle of Sharpsburg (a Union victory too little too late), the United States was forced to concede defeat and recognize the Confederacy after the war dragged on and the economies of all involved (including the British and the French, both major American trading partners) brought in British mediation in the side of the South. The war was over and America was disgraced. The Republicans lost the vast majority of their own support in the country's politics as they shouldered the majority of the blame for the loss in the war while the Democrats were forced to totally reinvent themselves as they had lost their most stable voting block in the South. Abraham Lincoln was a name scorned and followed by visible anger for a generation to come while the Republican Party fell to irrelevance by the late 1870s. At the start of the Gilded Age, the United States underwent a great economic and industrial revolution quickly becoming the largest and most powerful economy in North America. Anger and hatred towards the South however remained as American nationalism festered in anyway to make the United States more powerful than the Confederacy in every facet; the army remained large, the US Navy was built up, the Transcontinental Railroad was built and expanded and the American public voted in a string of nationalist politicians throughout the 1880s and 90s that dramatically increased the power and scope of the Federal government. The United States worked hard to become the exact opposite of the Confederacy. While the planter aristocracy persisted, the United States heavily industrialized, even as blacks were freed in the South and institutionalized racism sprouted in the form of Jim Crow, the United States passed laws (however flawed and shallow) that protected blacks and provided a small degree of welfare in the face of growing public racism against minorities thought the Post-War United States throughout the late 1800s. By 1910, the age of the "New Negro" (essentially the rise of the political, social and economic power of the black middle class) had arrived and new tensions stirred amongst blacks and whites as blacks began to demand more rights at work and in politics. Now, the United States has allowed hatred and disgust of the Confederacy to fester and the people seem to be ready for a rematch. Politicians openly insult and call for war against the Confederacy and where once people spoke of reunification and a war of reunification, the South has been labeled as a traitorous entity and vengeance has become the only thing on the minds of the people. War seems to be on the horizon.
South America
The Empire of Brazil: Ruled by Dom Pedro III. current, the House of Braganza, after a turbulent time in the 1880's which saw a brief civil war between the Republicans and the Monarchists, managed to eke out a victory after the New Imperial Army's highly successful 1886-87 campaign against the Republican Generals and their backers amongst the wealthy coffee planters. This came about primarily through the reorganization of the Imperial Army with the Aid of German advisers. Because of the Monarchy's success in keeping the reigns of power, the Empire's Golden age was allowed to continue and it was seen by many as an Emerging power, both economically and militarily. Of course the Empire's Success drew the ire of it's immediate neighbor, Argentina and an arms race between the two continues to this day. This has also prompted the Chileans to begin arming themselves better. While Chile and Brazil would make natural allies should war come with Argentina, the Argentinians have been playing a shrewd game of diplomacy with the Peruvians and Bolivians, both of whom have claims on Chilean Territory, making the Chileans hesitant to sign an alliance with the Empire. Currently as an additional obstacle to the Brazil's ambitions due to it's huge power in South America it has drawn the attentions of the French who have formed strong bonds with the government in Buenos Aires.
The Kingdom of New Granada/Colombia: Once home to Chibcha peoples, who created gold-studded kingdoms hidden among the misty mountains and forests, New Granada fell under Spanish patrimony with the conquest of the New World in the 16th Century. First a subject kingdom and then a viceroyalty of the Spanish crown, New Granada once encompassed Venezuela and a not insignificant portion of some other nations within its purview. Early in the crisis of the early 19th Century, there was an attempt to unify the whole of this realm as the so-called United Provinces of New Granada (some preferred 'Colombia'). However, the 1812 constitution's signing in Spain quelled much of the revolutionary fervor of the country. What is today Venezuela, with its highly republican sentiments (and its devotion to Simon Bolivar, whom New Granadans today largely view as a brigand and a traitor), broke away from more loyalist New Granada. Hereafter, New Granada was a semi-independent state associated with the Spanish crown, whose formal status hung largely in limbo for a couple of decades thereafter. After the conclusion of the Carlist Wars and the death of the Infante Carlos, Count of Molina, the Carlist cause found both a relief and a disappointment in its more-or-less total exile from the Spanish homeland. As per the treaty concluded between loyalist and Carlist forces, and in response to increasing calls for Novagranadese independence, Carlos' son (also named Carlos) renounced his claims on the Spanish throne and journeyed to Bogotá across the sea to be crowned as the King of the New Granada. The largely conservative population welcomed their new, Carlist monarch, and soon became quite charmed with Carlos I of New Granada. The descendants of Infante Carlos, gazing enviously across the sea at Spain, today govern a realm with a swiftly-growing population and newly-developing economic opportunities. New Granada looks ahead to the remainder of this young century - hoping to make its mark.
United States of Argentina: After winning independence from Spain, Argentina had a relatively uneventful first half of the 19th century; however, this changed in 1877, when its President was overthrown in a military coup. Three years of civil war resulted between the republican loyalists and the military junta before the junta was finally toppled in 1880, its loyalists fleeing to Chile to cause no end of bad blood between Argentina and its western neighbour. One of the knock-on effects of this was a war between the two in 1889-1890, precipitated by Chile's unsuccessful attempt to annex Patagonia from Argentina. Chile was defeated, and the war ended after seventeen months with a return to the status quo ante bellum. To prevent any future attempts by Chile to annex Argentinian land, Argentina signed a Treaty of Alliance with Peru and Bolivia, both of which had been humiliated by Chile previously in the Pacific War of 1865-1872, Bolivia losing its entire Pacific coast and Peru the rich nitrate deposits of the Atacama desert. Argentina maintains a cool but peaceful relationship with its larger neighbour Brazil, but has an antagonistic relationship with Britain over the latter's continued occupation of the Argentinian-claimed Falkland Islands, and an openly hostile relationship with Chile. Border conflicts occur on average once or twice every year with Chile, and Argentina has been steadily building up its military over the past two and a half decades with the help of French military advisors, of licensing arms production from France.
Is there going to be an initiative to bring some of the still-alive games (or, in SAE's case, on life-support) over here at some point? I think a few of them would do well on this forum.
Ice and Fire will never die but will return, again and again, until even those who have been there since the beginning can longer understand what it is that is going on.
Is there going to be an initiative to bring some of the still-alive games (or, in SAE's case, on life-support) over here at some point? I think a few of them would do well on this forum.
I have no idea what Bob is doing with SAE, to be honest. I'm guessing that it's going to be staying on AH just because a significant number of people who are in the game said they weren't going to switch, although I'm not totally sure.
Ice and Fire will never die but will return, again and again, until even those who have been there since the beginning can longer understand what it is that is going on.
I have no idea what Bob is doing with SAE, to be honest. I'm guessing that it's going to be staying on AH just because a significant number of people who are in the game said they weren't going to switch, although I'm not totally sure.
I have no idea what Bob is doing with SAE, to be honest. I'm guessing that it's going to be staying on AH just because a significant number of people who are in the game said they weren't going to switch, although I'm not totally sure.
Not sure as of yet. I'd need to talk to Byz and Co about importing it over or if we'd want to start from scratch. Either way, I'd manage to saddle one kingdom or another with a psychotic co-monarch who's no good at sharing their spouse.
Okay. Let's get right to it for Horizons. We need volunteers for modding- it'll have to be a group effort. Personally I believe that we should not bar any SV players from nations. This is a trial game- if they fuck up we'll deal with it but we can use our discretion.
Okay. Let's get right to it for Horizons. We need volunteers for modding- it'll have to be a group effort. Personally I believe that we should not bar any SV players from nations. This is a trial game- if they fuck up we'll deal with it but we can use our discretion.
Not sure as of yet. I'd need to talk to Byz and Co about importing it over or if we'd want to start from scratch. Either way, I'd manage to saddle one kingdom or another with a psychotic co-monarch who's no good at sharing their spouse.
I'd love to see the ASOIAFNG start over from scratch with the initial structural issues of the game resolved; that would definitely be a blast even if New Valyria probably isn't coming around again
Okay. Let's get right to it for Horizons. We need volunteers for modding- it'll have to be a group effort. Personally I believe that we should not bar any SV players from nations. This is a trial game- if they fuck up we'll deal with it but we can use our discretion.
I'm still adamant about my Dance of the Dragons scenario but if everyone else wants to just completely reboot the old ASOIAF game I suppose I won't be able to stop them, will I?
