Nations of Steel and Sabre

[Estro]

England:

With the marriage to Queen Mary, internal development, and a lack of real warfare, English population growth has been high. The 1685 French Census put its population at 6,475,000

The English education system was devastated by the civil war and then the flight of Puritans to the New World in the wake of French Victory. Reconstruction of the system remains underway, and while education in large cities, especially London, remains relatively high the countryside literacy rate has plummeted and hallowed institutions of learning have lost much of their staff and prestige in the last years. The current development level is Systemic 2/5.

+1 EP

Ireland:

Ireland remains a cipher. The 1685 French Census put its population at 2,202,600.

The Irish education system has not been treated kindly by English occupation, and has arguably improved under the French. It is the least developed of the British isles, but in a position to grow and establish itself as separate from the rest of the Isles and gain recognition in its own right. Its current development level is Scholarly 4/5.

+ 1EP

Wales:

Recent Welsh civil wars and tension have done nothing good for its population growth. Technological development, significant economic investment, and the developments of Cardiff have helped offset this, but growth is lower than the crown would like. The 1685 French Census put its population at 735,400.

The Welsh education system was not mauled nearly as badly as the English, and investment in Cardiff and similar institutions, as well as a small population to target with literacy pushes, has helped immensely. However, political tensions and civil war has harmed otherwise solid development. The current development level is Systemic 5/5.

+1EP, and I swear I deserve tech bonuses

Scotland:

+1EP, +0.5 to Electronics

Denmark:

+1EP, +1 year to industry


Naglfar:

You took over Sweden, be happy

Austria

Largely at peace and sheltered from the economic woes plaguing France and the USE, the Austrian population has grown healthily over the past few years. There has been some backlash to new policies, including emmigration to Prussia and the Netherlands, but largely the population has grown healthily. The Inter-German Annual Census puts its current population at 9,969,800.

Austria's internal education system has gained greatly from the NATO alliance. That said, in many ways it is the junior NATO partner in scientific matters and its institutions lag behind the wealth of Grantville or the great colleges of the Netherlands. Its current development level is Integrated 0/5.

+1 EP, +2 years to any two techs of your choice bar industry, +2 to industry

Prussia

yeee got shit mate
USE

A prolonged recession, government disinterest in domestic affairs apart from technological research, and immigration pushes from the New World have driven a wave of low birthrates and rampant emigration in the USE. The population is larger than it was in 1680, but only just. The Inter-German Annual Census puts its current population at 11,975,200

The USE has controlled Grantville effectively since its conception and has been making full use of this resource since its inception. Its current development level is Grantville 5/5.

++Wealth Disparity

Spain

While peace is less than popular at home, it has been a great boon to the Spanish people. The population has skyrocketed, with most estimating that it will overtake the population of the USE if current trends remain. The 1685 Biannual Census puts the Spanish population at 11,780,000

Increased centralization and concerted technological advancement have given Spain an advanced set of scientific institutions, albeit ones obsessed with military might. Its colleges may be desultorily referred to as War Schools in much of europe, but their efficacy and effect on Spanish literacy cannot be denied. Its current development level is Integrated 3/5.

+1 EP, +0.5 to all Military Techs

France:

Civil war and recession have done nothing good to population growth. Emigration to Quebec and the new world-including Mexico of all places!- is rampant and those who have left include highly moneyed nobles, an awkward loss for the crown. Still, medicinal advancements and especially distribution of the wondrous Panacea have reduced childhood mortality and deaths from sickness to levels even the USE envies, which has helped to buoy the population losses. The 1685 French Census puts its population at 28,289,500

While it has brought much social trouble to France, the rise of Grantville and proximity to the USE have resulted in enormous government investments in the scientific field simply to try and maintain parity. While the technological colossus of Grantville cannot truly be contested without taking the city, French scientific institutions are still a pride of the nation. Its current development level is Integrated 2/5.

Faction Revamp:

+ 1EP, + 1 year to electronics

Byzantines:

While the short war with Poland was bloody and many citizens have emigrated, the core of Greece has remained largely untouched and birth rates remain high while death rates continue to drop. The Third Imperial Census puts the population at 7,720,000.

The Empire is a new nation, and one without noteworthy scientific institutions. While it has access to advanced technology, this is more due to the process of setting up the country than internal scientific advancement and that advancement has not been a particular focus of the new regime. Its current development level is Scholarly 2/5.

Yee get shit

The Papal States:

You already got what you wanted, be happy

Russian Empire:

The calamitous state of the Russian economy has greatly hurt attempts to expand, however an enormous influx of Swedish immigrants, the new direction of the Tsar's rule, and integration of vast tracts of land have done much to boost the population and economy of the state. The tax records put the current population at 22,856,400.

Russia is widely spread and ill-educated, with attempts to change this being stymied by both social factors and the sheer size and spread of the population. While the great cities have institutions of learning they do not have the history or weight of other eastern nations nor the reach of smaller European states. Its current development level is Scholarly 1/5.

+1EP, +Internal tensions from colonialism

Poland:

The madness of the previous Polish King and a distinct lethargy of action on the civil front have done nothing good for Poland, but a strong economy counterbalanaces many ills and population growth remains strong, especially in the still-sparse Balkans. Swedish refugees and catholics in pursuit of economic gains have bolstered a population on the rise. The Voter Registration Census puts the current population at 5,623,600, though inflated population figures are published due to nobles and landowners insisting that there are more people living on their land than their actually are to secure more votes in the Sejm.

Poland boasts a solid education system in its core reaches, but its balkan territories are sparsely populated and have nonexistent literacy rates. In addition, the nobility have a distinct incentive to keep education out of the hands of the commons, especially under the new democratic rules, and have often go so far as to stymie and lobby against education efforts in the Sejm. Its current development level is Scholarly 3/5.

+ 1EP. I'd add a pithy comment about internal tensions, but you're in a civil war.

Netherlands:

Peace, a strong economy, and access to all sorts of foreign, exotic, and magical goods traded from faraway lands has seen the Netherlands population rise in a combination baby boom and immigration wave. It's a favored spot for economic migrants from the USE and political refugees from Austria, and growth is strong enough that its ever-more-influential mystics have begun to draw up mad plans for townships among the stars. The Inter-German Annual Census puts its current population at 5,738,000

The Netherlands scientific establishment is second only to the USE, with high literacy, a compact and centralized population, and universities whose prestige only seems to grow. Its current development level is Integrated 5/5.

+1 EP, +2 Naval tech

Portugal:

A stagnant Portuguese economy and colonial losses abroad have resulted in a wave of Emigration from Portugal. Many simply go to Brazil, but others flee to Columbia, Mexico, and even Spain despite the language barrier. Technological deveopments and a declining death rate help blunt the losses, but the Portuguese population is at risk of decline over the coming years. The Royal Census puts the population at 2,758,300.

The Portuguese scientific establishment is an impressive one, though oddly one far more ascendant in Brazil than Portugal itself. The population is small and highly literate, but foreign influence and scientific clout are still a dream to strive for. Its current development level is Systemic 1/5.

Yee get shit

Azawad:

While war has harmed the nomadic Azawad population, new territorial gains have come with them new citizens, and a booming economy has resulted in many children, more of whom have survived to adulthood than ever before. With the establishment of a proper capital, more growth looks to be in the future of Azawad, and with it the struggles of becoming a proper state instead of an alliance of warbands. The First Azawad Census puts its population at approximately 2,851,000

The Azawad scientific establishment is non-existent. Education was an afterthought before the war, and has only begun to be considered in light of the arrival of Qadis to the new capital. Even with them, much of the population is nomadic and shall be exceedingly difficult to reach with education efforts. Its current development level is Sporadic 0/5.

+ 2 EP, +Badassery, + Mad Max imagery

Mamlukes:

Years of expansion, aggressive terraforming, and peace have greatly increased the Mamlukate's population. While many of its newly integrated peoples are...contentiously controlled at best, they have greatly boosted the Mamluke population in these years of peace. The latest Egyptian Census puts the current population at 9,645,300.

The expansion has not treated its institutions nearly as well. Still developing at the best of times, the inclusion of vast tracts of land, new and culturally foreign peoples, and untold nomads has in practice greatly reduced the Mamluke literacy rate. The cities of Egypt and Mamlukate Arabia remain bastions of learning, but in the reaches of the empire modernity has yet to really affect the populace. Its current development level is Scholarly 5/5.

+ 2 EP, +internal tensions from colonialsim

Dahomey:

War has hit Dahomey hard. Territorial losses, Azawad raids, and even the sheer quantity of dead soldiers have all dearly harmed native population growth. The last Royal Census put population at 3,377,800, with a projected recover of growth thanks to the end of the war.

Centralization and modernization may not have sufficed in closing the technological gap, but they have managed to establish proper institutions in Dahomey. Though not acknowledged overmuch by Europe, most of Dahomey's technological development now occurs due to local research and studying basic principles instead of recreating Grantvillian miracles by rote. Its current development level is Systemic 0/5.

- 1 EP,

Mali

The one-two punch of famine and war has devastated the Malian populace The First Unified Census puts population at 7,682,600 due to massive deaths due to famine and war and segments of the population fleeing the country over its course.

While Mali once boasted a modernized education system the famine and war dealt irreparable damage to it. With its best and brightest leaving to other countries those who remain are left with the tattered remains of a good system, desperately pulling itself back together. Its current development level is Systemic 1/5.

Yee should be thankful I'm not taking away EP

Morocco

The sheer amount of death was a shock to the Moroccan system, but the war did not actually touch their lands. Population growths at home have been modest but consistent, and helped by new money and guarantees of safety brought about by their new allies and a strong economy. The First Unified Census put its population at 3,835,900, and rising.

That said, Morocco's educational institutions are not remotely the equal of Mali's. The Alouites, and now the Black Guard, have done much to remedy this but their attempts remain patchwork and miss many of the Berbers and nomads who call Morocco home. Its current development level is Scholarly 0/5.

+ 1 EP

Ashanti

The French invasion and Azawad raiding have devastated the Ashanti economy and butchered its population. The latest royal census, now done without an Emperor to decree it, sees the population at 5,545,200, though this is in large part due to the loss of territory that came with the treaty and is expected to recover in the next decade or so.

Ashanti's education infrastructure was in the process of modernizing before the war, but the death of the Emperor and subsequent chaos caused the push to fall apart. As such it remains a tattered thing, slowly integrating new discoveries from Grantville and Dahomey. Its current development level is Sporadic 3/5.

- 2 EP

Safavids

Despite light wartime casualties, the Safavid population is booming. The economy is doing acceptably well, its wars have been short and fought away from home, and the teetering powder keg of the communists have been largely disabled. The 1685 tax records estimate a population of 18,048,000

Despite some reforms in the past half-decade, much of the Safavid population is made up of far flung pastorialists and nomads, people whom education is difficult to get to even in the best of situations. this doesn't begin to account for its new population in Madagascar and recent conquests in Janid territory. Its current development level is Scholarly 3/5.

+ 1 EP

Anatolian Turkey

The blockade and a stagnant economy slowed Turkey's growth, but years of peace, trade, preparation, and governmental prompting have let it rise once more. The 1685 Anatolian Census estimates its population at 11,564,000

While Turkey has lost much since the Crusade, the absurd pace of modernization under the Last Ottomans left it in a better position than many would expect. Education infrastructure was widespread and minimally mauled by the war, and has been a concerted focus by the new rulers, though some say that one of the Sultan's many insidious deals remains active, pushing the education of even this shattered rump to rival European powers. Its current development level is Integrated 0/5 but is not inherited through conquest.

Yee get shit

Mughals

While the economy has done well, war and civil strife have done nothing good for the Mughal populace. Many died during the war, and more suffered as railroads they had become newly dependent on failed. The rebellion exacerbated this, with millions of Imperial citizens suddenly becoming a new state, and then wealthy and upper-caste people began to follow them. The conquest of Portuguese India has helped to stem this loss, and the sheer size of Mughalistan means it is less of a blow than one might fear. While Swedish refugees gained an enormous amount of government assistance, they were a rounding error in terms of population. The 1685 Three Indias Census put the current population of Mughalistan at 195,260,000.

While education efforts have been a personal concern of each Emperor after Grantvillian information reached the Mughals, the sheer size of their domain has proved an issue. The Nizams have little to gain from promoting the pushes, while many high-caste Hindus actively bristle at the concept and fight back against it, most quietly sabotaging efforts to educate peasants and untouchables in their own administrated regions. In addition, the sheer size of the country means that any attempt to bring in foreign aid at anything but the highest levels proves woefully insufficient as there simply aren't enough teachers to spare. This is slowly changing, but will take time and concerted effort by the Emperor and, likely, his successors. Its current development level is at Scholarly 0/5.

+ 1 to all techs, +0.5 to another two civilan techs of your choice

Japan:

Internal peace and a stable economy have treated the Japanese population well. Chinese and Korean refugees and internal growth have resulted in a ballooning of the population. The Chrysanthemum Census estimates the current population at 29,935,700.

Even before Grantville the Tokugawa had made Japan an educated land and the new Emperor simply reinforced this tendency. The introduction of Grantvillian text has largely simply provided more things to learn and provoked a more aggressive approach to foreign policy, rather than provoking some sort of fundamental change in the education infrastructure of the Japanese state. Its current development level is Systematic 4/5.

+ 1 EP, +1 bonus to next two rolls

Joseon:

Monsters ravaged the Joseon populace, but the return of the Emperor to power and resultant intervention of the Steel Eye on Joseon Internal Affairs has helped stem the bleeding and the realm is otherwise at peace and is blooming appropriately. The Steel Eye informs the Emperor that the population is exactly 14,144,738 as of time of writing.

The Joseon educational system is well-developed but hyper focused upon the ruling Yangban. Especially with the growing might of the Seowon system, Joseon's system is extensive yet deeply flawed and the process of fixing the rot has only now begun. Its development level is Scholarly 4/5.

+1 EP

Yue:

The Yue population has benefited from a long stretch of peace and prosperous economy, albeit one broken by the war with Cambodia. Still, they managed to integrate significant territorial gains despite catastrophic losses near the end of the campaign, and the losses were wholly on the other side of the border and didn't hurt the country itself. The 1685 government census estimates a population of 38,200,000.

While better off than its wartorn neighbors to the North, the Yue government is still attempting to bridge the massive gaps between its core populations and has so far failed at creating an education infrastructure across both regions. Its recent conquests and new territory in Cambodia have done nothing to help, giving it more angry minds to teach and indoctrinate. Its current development level is Sporadic 4/5.

+ 1 EP, more pithy internal tensions comment

Ming:

The Ming are Dead. What they were is irrelevant.

- ALL OF EVERYTHING EVER

Shun:

While war has affected the population of its new territories terribly, and many have been subsumed by the Qing in the north, the Shun population has grown dramatically thanks to its conquests. Current population estimates are fragmentary at best, but taxes as of the capture of the Ming Emperor estimate the Shun population to be approximately 71,000,000.

Similarly, decades of regular war and horrific combat have broken the Shun educational infrastructure. Confucians and Eunuchs do their work, but it is scattered at best and wide swathes of the country are missed entirely. Nevermind the Ming, where the Emperor stopped even attempting to maintain the current system as the war dragged to a close. Its current development level is Scholarly 0/5.

Shun Base Econ is now 7.

Qing:

The Qing population has benefited from years of quietly exploiting the northern steppe and a war fought entirely upon hostile territory. While this is likely to reverse in the near future, for now the future looks bright. The 1685 Qing Census put its population at 33,466,800.

Of the Chinas, the Qing are perhaps best placed in terms of infrastructure. Decades of warfare have hurt them far less than their southern neighbors, and much of its old education infrastructure remains intact. Its current development level is Scholarly 3/5.



Oceania:

The Oil-Strike by New Canaan devastated the Oceanian economy and a previously reliable onflux of immigrants. While the oil wells were repaired and the economy slowly recovered, the enormous gains of 1680 and 81 were not seen again before the next census, despite a reliable trickle of increasingly inquisitorial migrants from Europe. The 1685 census put the Oceanian population at 4,521,100

Oceania is among the most technologically advanced nations in the world, and its educational institutions boast excellent connections with those of the Dutch. Slaves are, of course, kept as uneducated as possible but in the realm of people the Oceanians consider people literacy is near-ubiquitous and considered a point of pride. Its current Development level is Integrated 2/5.

+ 1 EP as soon as you get the oil working again

Mexico:

While war hasn't treated Mexico kindly, a surge of immigrants from Europe to the new world and territorial acquisitions, natives moving to a bastion of dignity and civil rights for them, and a magically secured food supply, has. The 1685 Church Census puts the current population at 5,960,000

Before the Spanish the nations of Mexico could boast of incredibly widespread education. The system was re-implemented with the ejection of the oppressors, but still struggles to make up for damage done and integrate new Guatemalan and north american native populations. Still, it is the pride of the native peoples of the new world and is expected to soon develop literacy rates to rival many European nations. Its current Development Level is Systematic 0/5.

Faction Overhaul:

Divine Bureaucracy: Theocrats, Educators, Religious [Mexican Catholicism]
Thirteen Heavens: Religious [Mexican Catholicism], Expansionistic, Europhobes
New World Adventists: Egalitarians, Religious [Mexican Catholicism], Traders
Military Staff: Militarists, Spanophobes, Interventionists
Nobles: Elitists, Modernists, Localists

+1 EP, +3 Style points

Platina:

Peace has treated Platina well, as has an almost absurd amount of room to expand into. The occasional surge of refugees or economic migrants doesn't hurt, of course, but is tiny compared to the simple fruits of not shooting at anyone. The 1685 Orangist Census puts the current population at 1,817,900.

While most of the original colonists were at least relatively educated, the oddities of setting up the new government have resulted in a slip of standards in comparison to the rest of the world. New ideas are slow to reach Platina, and are slow to filter through the many interests of a government still working out the exact nature of its governing body. Its current development level is Scholarly 5/5.

+ 1 EP,

Columbia

The past half-decade has not been kind to Columbia. A failed war in Guatemala, stymied political efforts in Guyana and Guatemala, and now a conflict in the carribean that appears to be headed south. Still, a thriving, slave-driven economy and coordinated advertisement campaign has drawn some immigration, while expansion into the interior of south america promises future wealth. A corporate census puts the population at 1,657,700, though this has been condemned as too low by El Presidente and the slaves of the record keeper involved executed as seditious elements clearly planning to subvert the state by witholding taxes from El Presidente through manufactured population numbers.

Education has never been a particular focus of El Presidente. The richest landowners are largely educated, but the poor and disadvantaged have no institutions dedicated to their improvement and, of course, no-one educates a slave. And to many in the Junta, this is for the best, for education begins to give people ideas. Its current Development Level is Scholarly 0/5.

yeee get shit

Guatemala


Nothing good has happened to Guatemala. A fifth of its population ceded to Mexico, an increasingly belligerent 'protector' to the south, and the precarious position of weak colonizers upon a mass of the angry colonized. Only the Canal and the hope of payoff at the end of the investment brings hope to a beleaguered and terrified government. The 1685 census reports a rough population of 750,000, with enormous errors due to current limits on government resources.

The education system is no better. The ruling Defensores party has been hesitant on extending education to a vastly more numerous native population and as such education remains a tiny edifice for the rich and powerful to maintain their power, something that may have to change in the near future. Its current development level is Sporadic 2/5.

- 1 EP

Al-Taltanis

Al-Taltanis has been devastated by the destruction of farmland and constant warfare, but peace with Beit Tsiya and aid from the Safavids has eased both of those ills. Combined with consistent economic growth, means that while current growth is low future growth promises to be astronomical. According to the 1685 Census the population is 1,471,000

While the exiles to Al-Taltanis, both in the original wave and the following Persian Sunnis, were educated setting up institutions to pass on that education has been difficult. Many of the natives were resistant, and war and famine have drained government resources that could have gone to making mass education a reality. Still, many in the country are dedicated to preserving a background that is educated and have made concrete steps towards making that a reality. Its development level is Scholarly 5/5.

Nein, nien.

Beit Tsiya

Though the B'nei David are not keen on admitting it, Peace has done wonders for Beit Tsiya. The population grows, the natives are less restless, and a lack of skirmishing in the Bay has allowed its harvests to truly profit the jewish people. Population growth is solid and promises to rise. The 1685 census puts the current population at 1,028,000

Like the Moors to their south, the true issue for Beit Tsiya has been re-establishing the educational systems from before their exile. They have had more luck than their neighbors, but international recognition remains constantly just around the corner. Its current development level is Scholarly 5/5.

+ 1 EP, +2 Industry from FULLY AUTOMATED LUXURY GOLEMISM

Canaan

The revolution grows! While warfare blunts Canaanite population growth, there are always more slaves to free and bring to safety in the swamp, and the swamp itself is a bountiful land for the magically gifted Canaanites. Estimates are inaccurate at best, but as of 1685 Canaan is believed to have 1,200,000 citizens. Well, 'citizens'.

Education doesn't mean much in a swamp. It's not nothing, sure, but pretending that Canaan's literacy rate and scientific infrastructure is anything but a theoretical does no-one any favors. This is, however, liable to change as they finally have proper land to call their own and manage. Its current development level is Sporadic 0/5.

+ 1 EP, +2 to all civilian tech from repurposed oceanian equipment

USSA:
With a successful first election and a long stretch of peace, the USSA is enjoying what is being domestically referred to as the Great Population Boom. The soaring birth rate and plummeting child mortality is met by increased immigration from native peoples outside of its borders in light of a stellar native rights record and booming economy. The 1685 Census puts its population at 4,636,000.

Education remains a cornerstone of USSA domestic policy. While the now-ruling Terraceros have reduced education spending, it remains high not merely for the region, but for the world. Of course, old wounds are hard to heal and the USSA has difficulty with both international recognition and ensuring coverage across a large country. Its current development level is Systematic 1/5.

+1 EP, + 0.5 Organic chem

 

[Havocfett]

If I don't get sidetracked, I'll edit this into the 1685 patch soon.

Year One to Three: The Project

On the first year, pick a Civilian Technology to link the Quest to. This should be related to the fluff of your institution quest, Aeronautics for a space race, Medicine for a vaccination program, perhaps Industry for a literacy program (Though most things can be justified there). Then you gain 1 point, roll 1d6 on the following chart, and apply the relevant modifiers to get your tally for that year:

Spoiler: External Factors

1: (Scale) Population: High bad, low good (-1 12mil and up, +0 11mil to 5mil, +1 5mil and down)
2: (Funding) Economic Condition: High good, low bad (-1 Recession and less, +0 Stagnant, +1 Growing and more)
3: (Loyalty) Factions: Loyal Good, Disloyal Bad (+1 Ruling Faction is most powerful, 0 Other Faction is most powerful , -1 Least Loyal Faction is most powerful or tied for it)
4: (Warfare) Military: High bad, low good (-1 Active or Higher, +0 Mobilized, +1 Peacetime or Expanded)
5: (Tradition) Magic Rating: High bad, low good (+1 eight or less, +0 nine to sixteen, -1 seventeen and up)
6: (Politics) Government: Educator good, Elitist bad (+1 Educators more powerful than Elitists, +0 Tie/NA, -1 Elitists more powerful than Educators)

Pick all of the following that apply, and any sacrifices that you are willing to make. Your maximum points from a phase are 4.
+1: Take a -1 to your next Econ Roll.
+1: Effortpost
+1: Commit one thousand military points (can't be used for troops)
+1: Hero committed to the Quest (Only one can be committed at a time)
+1: Appropriate Artifact (Only one can be committed at a time. No double dipping!)
+1: 1 EP investment from a country with higher Development level than you (Only one at a time)
+1: 1 EP investment from a country with higher Relevant Tech than you (Only one at a time)
+1: Lose 1 Loyalty from a faction with greater than 2 Loyalty that does not have the educator trait
+1: Under one million pop
-1: Gain 1 Loyalty for a faction that has the Elitist trait
-1: Over 100 Million Population
-1: Curse
-1: Enemy troops or rebellion on your land

Year Four: Moment of Truth

Consult your points against appropriate chart. All tech gains are before Generation and Fast/Slow Dev effects and so increase or decrease appropriately, and each Institution Point gained adds one to your progress to the next Development Level:

Spoiler: Scholarly to Systematic

<4: +1 Institution Point
4-6: +2 Institution Points, +2 Years
7-9: +3 Institution Points, +3 Years to focused Tech
10-12: +3 Institution Points, +4 Years to focused Tech

Spoiler: Integrated and Grantville

<4: Four years to focused tech
4-6: Five Years to Focused Tech, one institution point
7-9: Six Years to Focused Tech, one Institution Point
10+: Six years to Focused Tech, two Institution Points

If you reach a new tier or exceed maximum (Integrated 6+/Grantville 6+) you gain an additional Boost during the Consolidation year

Tech boosts are effected by generation multipliers

Year Five: Consolidation

Nothing happens and you don't need to spend TP, you just can't start another institution quest this year. If you increased a development level the bonus boost happens here.

 

[Icarus]

There were some concerned players who were confused about the ability of their military units to modernize relative to their tech level.

We had an idea about representing the lag between technologies being developed and technologies being distributed throughout the military, but this caused a lot of confusion and worry among players who were asking, so it's been simplified.

Units that are built on production license from a technologically superior country have to be built and trained at the expense of the producing country as if it was its own unit. Militia-level units take less time but are less experienced, vice-versa for trained units.

Once that unit is built and deployed, its maintained at the cost of the recipient nation.

The producing country must commit points when replacing losses. Otherwise a 1930s tank brigade getting repaired by a recipient 1918 armor country will obviously fill the ranks of destroyed vehicles with inferior replacements.

Otherwise, a military unit is considered to have access, if not a ubiquitous supply, of any equipment that was available to a military unit in our timeline in the year of your current tech level.

The one... apparently crucial exception to these rules are fleet vessels.

To make matters simple, naval vessels will lose 1 level of experience to a minimum of 'Trained' when advancing into the next technological generation. They will also be able to add/subtract any modifiers to the vessel at the time of re-fit.

For example, the Brazilian battleship Minas Geraes was launched in 1908, in the "Anything before 1914" of our tech generations.

Once Brazil reaches 1915 navy tech, then a Legendary experience Minas can choose to either lag behind the tech cap at peak veterancy, as their hull reaches the point where it cannot modernize any further, or be re-hulled as a completely new type of Elite WW1-era battleship.

Similarly, moving past 1930 would make it an early WW2-era battleship demoted the rank of Veteran. Then breaching the cap at 1940 would make it Experienced. By the beginning of the Cold War tech era, the Minas is practically unrecognizable from its dreadnought-era predecessor, and has hit the minimum cap of trained.

The main reason for this mechanical addition is to prevent the weirdness of a 1918 primitive submarine crew being able to operate a nuclear submarine with Legendary ability, while also allowing players to not have to wipe and then rebuild large swathes of their navy at these points in modernization.

 

[TenfoldShields]

New Faction Mechanic!
Cult (X): Cult indicates that one of your factions is now host to a secretive group of worshipers dedicated to the Thousand Tongued Worm. Cults begin at Cult (1) and take independent action to proselytize and grow. They are initially nonhostile to the government and any faction host to a Cult immediately gains +1 Loyalty/+1 Power to a maximum of 4/4. When a faction's Cult rating equals its power rating the faction is subsumed in its entirety, becoming a front for devotees of the New Eden...and unlocking new benefits and boons for the host nation. Governments may take actions to purge Cults from their factions, driving the worshippers into an underground insurgency, albeit at a cost to Loyalty/Power equal to the faction's Cult rating.

Regarding Irem
Nature of the Threat: The World Quest was designed with an eye to flexibility and the ability to accommodate plots outside itself. To be blunt: ignoring Irem and exploiting the chaos it creates is intended to be as viable as directly fighting Irem which is intended to be as viable as cooperating with Irem. While you probably shouldn't show up to the final battle with a fungal crown on your head it is 100% possible to exploit the resources and options Irem offers and walk away scot free. This doesn't have an asterisk attached. It is the Game Mod's absolute position.
​

 

[Crilltic]

Hello. This is just to let everyone know that I am taking over as the dedicated magic mod. So if you need spell costs, magitech modifiers, answers on interactions, or whatever please contact me for those.

I'm not going to touch anything retroactively if I can help it, but moving forward I'm the one to listen to when it comes to magic. (Except when it's about my own magic in which case ask @Havocfett, because he's going to handle Austria's magic)

 

[Crilltic]

Alright so new thing. Each turn, please post your Turn Post in this thread in addition to the IC post that you have been doing thus far. This is to help the mods and other players keep a better grasp of what everyone is doing without having to constantly flip through the IC thread to find someone else turn post.

 

[Crilltic]

Hello everyone, I hope you all are having a happy Thanksgiving. There is a slight military patch we're rolling out for 1686. We're adding 3 new general tags that players can use.

[Reservists]: These citizen soldiers spend most of their time as civilians, only taking up arms when they are mobilized for war. (0.75x, Do not count towards manpower cap when in reserve, Cannot go above Green)

[Terrain]: These troops are specialized towards operating in a specific type of difficult terrain. e.g. Mountaineers, Jungle Fighters, Ski Troops. (1.25x)

[Special Ops]: These elite troops are specially trained to participate in espionage and insertion operations. (1.5x)

For this turn only you can add these tags (And only these tags) to your troops without the usual Experience malus to adding tags to an existing unit.

 

[Crilltic]

Hello, and welcome again to Crilltic's Magic Patch Notes.

Today I'm here to talk about a specific type of hero that is finally getting rules specifically for them. That is the Heroic Inventor. These specific heroes have abilities that allow them to make equipment that would normally be classified as Magitech. These Heroes have special rules to help balance them.

• Anything produced by an Heroic Inventor (AKA anything that can then be added to a unit with a modifier) is manufactured in limited quantities. Heroic Inventors have a special action available to them [Create], where they will spend time crafting their wares for use. Each [Create] action a Hero does provides 2500MP worth of upgrades for the magitech on their sheet. If the Hero is not assigned to any actions, they passively produce 500 MP
• This stockpile is consumed from the marginal cost of adding the equipment to the unit. So for example equipping 100k men with a hypothetical 1.5x magitech would reduce the stockpile by 500 MP. Additionally, unit casualties will also reduce the stockpile as new reinforcements have to be equipped.
• Heroic Magitech is still subject to all the rules regarding balance, theme and costs as regular magitech.
• If the Heroic Inventor dies you loose access to a source, and once your stockpile is used up you lose access to this magitech until you can secure a way to recreate the magitech.

All heroes that fall under the the Heroic Inventor category are retroactively party to these rules, however every country that has a Heroic Inventor as of the end of 1686 will gain a stockpile of 7500MP.

 

[Cetashwayo]

Please PM your colonization plans, I am colonization and map mod now. You still have to post colonization publicly as before but I need to keep track of colonization. If you don't want to PM me, tag me in your turn post.

Colonization is now based on rolls. However I'll do these rolls myself. It's a 1d6. Here's how the roll goes:

0: Only possible with a negative modifier to colonization rolls. Can result in you losing territory.
1: -1 to next year's roll and failure. No, or very little, border change.
2-4: Moderate colonization of the focused area.
5-6 Great success or other potential rewards.

Now investing more EP has a substantive benefit. The default amount of investment required for any colonization effort is 1 EP. However, you can invest up to 3 EP (1 Base +2 Bonus) and get up to a +2 on your colonization roll.

This is area-specific. That means that when I'm rolling on a colonization, it's based on a specific contiguous area or a series of expansions in a single area, and so are the bonuses. This is mostly arbitrary, but if you're not sure what counts as one area ask me in the same PM as plans. Usually it's pretty broad, but it prevents you from using a single bonus when colonizing across multiple continents.

Each separate colonization action costs 1 MA, so colonizing South Africa and New Zealand are separate actions each costing 1 MA. If you want to get a +2 bonus on both actions, you need to invest 3 EP in South Africa and 3 EP in New Zealand.

Rolls add some randomness and make it so it's not just easy peasy, but they're relatively permissive. You have to really fuck up bad to do badly, since the dice are skewed towards success.

 

[ChineseDrone]

I'd like Orbits of Spells and Spaceships, where humanity did a desperate deal with Citallon to spread them out across a magi-terraformed Solar System in order to escape Irem engulfing Earth.

Click to shrink...

I've been thinking about this premise for a bit, and I think I have a general scenario mapped out if there is wide interest for something like this. I definitely don't have time to mod now though (and I'm honestly not totally sure I want to), so it'll have to wait or be run some other person or team of people:

Premise: Starting from a while bit after the game, a bunch of world wars Tear the world apart. Several people make deals with Citallion, Irem emerges after decades in incubation, magical catastrophes and nuke exchanges get thrown around, and the world is reduced to a barely habitable hellscape. Someone made a deal with Citallion that ended with Mars, Venus, Titan, and Ganymede being various degrees of terraformed and portals to a bunch of places in the solar system opening across the world. Humanity flees to the stars—some by magic, some with the aid of Citallion, and some with technology, which hit near-future levels by the end of the game in a select group of advanced nations. It is now somewhere between 50 and 100 years after humanity has been exiled from her homeworld, and her tired children struggle for control of the scraps of the solar system that remain. And thus, the saga begins of a new age, one of...

Orbits of Star and Sorrow

System: The system should broadly resemble NSS's, except with simplified army mechanics and a new tech system. Magic and tech are gone—at this point, all nations have developed down wildly divergent technological paths, and even technological nations are operating with fantastical devices not spoken of in the Grantville texts. Instead every nation just has an Intellectual Development level reflecting the strength of its innovative and academic abilities—whether these be in Hermetic magic, dieselpunk, Sufi mysticism, or "conventional" sci-fi technology. Different paths have different mechanical strengths and weaknesses, but two countries with the same Development level will have roughly the same overall capabilities.

Locations:

Mars: The "new home of humanity", Mars is the most perfectly terraformed of all the planets of the solar system and the most populous. Mars is home to the nations of:
The United States of Mars: Descendants of the USE, the United States of Mars is considered the hegemon of the planet, although not without heavy opposition. Its territory on the planet Mars is actually relatively minimal—consisting of only the area around the Hellas Sea and the fertile plains connecting it to the Martian Coast—but the USM also controls most of the orbitals near-Mars orbit, the massive habitat inside the moon of Phobos, and the settlement colonies in the Martian L2 Lagrange points. It's lost its overwhelming technological advantage at this point—both the Dutch Lunar Directorate and the Commonwealth are as or even slightly more advanced—but it still possesses one of the system's largest economies and an incredible amount of soft power on Mars (where most states are USM allies or satellites) and beyond.
The Huoxing Republic: China was extremely unstable when the Earth tore apart (the Shun government, always rickety, collapsed during the fall), and thus Chinese refugees fleeing from Earth did so in a chaotic fashion, scattering across the system. One of the largest concentrations of Chinese refugees can be found in the Huoxing Republic, an ally of the USM situated on the Aeolian Coast. The republic is a USM ally (the USM was the driving force supporting the creation of a Chinese republic in the first place) cobbled from many different cultural regions, and has become increasingly unstable. The Japanese on Elysium are angling to exploit internal divisions to pull Huoxing into its own sphere as a puppet, while nationalist forces increasingly push for unification with the Lunar Tian Dynasty
Japan: Japan controls the island of Elysium (and a number of orbital settlements) and is, along with Mexico and Persia, one of the leaders of the "United Front", an organization defined by opposing the USM hegemony over Mars. At the present, it primarily concerns itself with exploiting the divisions in Huoxing to pull the nation into its own sphere. Operates the Elysium Space Elevator.
Mexico: Controlling a large swath of arid southern Mars centered on the fertile Argyle Sea basin, Mexico remains under the control of Quetzalcoatl, and continues to oppose the USM's presumption of hegemony over Mars and its attendant insistence on things like democracy and not being ruled by immortal snake Jesus.
The Inca Republic: A descendant of the USSA in the Mariner Valley, the Quecha are friendly with both the USM and the Mexicans, allowing then to serve as a sort of neutral mediator between the USM and Unitsd Front. Only time will tell if it will eventually be drawn into one sphere or another or if it will be able to successfully chart a balanced course and retain its soft diplomatic influence.
Bharati Tharsis: The Three Indias alliance was theoretically supposed to colonize Tharsis together, a large region being allocated to then because of India's massive population. However, conflicts between the three nations (and within the large and unwieldy Mughal Empire whose colonization effort was undermined by a questionable decision by the Mughal Empire to include staunch opponents of the government in its colonization efforts) caused the collapse of the Bharati Tharsis Union, which has split into an unstable Mughal Empire torn between reactionaries (Hyderabadis and Nizams who want a return to a proper Islamic monarchy) and radicals (who want democracy and who actually believe in and want to impose Mughal syncretic pantheism instead of just making a few paeans to it) and allied with the USM and an alliance of the Rakasha, Rapjuts, and Maratha backed by the United Front. Also of note is the Olympus Space Elevator, an enclave of the USM in the Tharsis region.
Araby: Araby is the home of a number of smaller states that wren't really strong enough to claim large portions of territory on their own, and thus colonized under the USM umbrella. The Republic of New Tuscany (Italians), Kingdom of Joseon, Hispanic Union (Guyanese, Colombians, and Central Americans), Kingdom of Dahomey, and Swedish Republic are all here. Because Araby is largely desert with fertile areas largely hugging the coast, most of these states are small, rather poor, and have sparsely populated inlands.
The Hesperian Khanate: The Hesperian steppe was colonized by Manchu, Mongolian, and Central Asian steppe people fleeing Earth along with the Chinese. Although technically still part of Huoxing, with the Khan being a vassal of the Huoxing government, Hesperia has been de facto independent for the last decade or so and is looking to ally with Japan to make that de jure as well.
New Canaan: New Canaan is situated in the hot but largely infertile Xanthe Valley, and is an insular Mexican ally. Given that slavery isn't really a thing in Mars, and Canaan's ancient enemy the Commonwealth is on Saturn of all places, the nation is still struggling to figure out exactly what it wants to do with itself.
Israel: Beit Tsiya has colonized Noachia, a territory consisting of a few fertile oases around old impact craters separated by miles upon miles of extremely harsh desert--a desert which, as it turns out, is actually incredibly rich in minerals underneath the surface. As such, Israel consists of dense settlements hugging fertile areas, with a countryside that is exploited largely through golem labor with a few human overseers.

Mars Orbit:

The Celestial Realm of Iran: The third member of the United Front, Persia, controls a dense network of orbital settlements at Mars' L2 Lagrange Point, which seems like a relatively small slice of territory for a nation that on earth was the head of the United Front and a borderline great power before the Fall. However, the L2 settlements represent only a fraction of the Iranian Star Empire--the Iranians have leveraged their superior experience with aerial shipbuilding and djinn-ships to build a commercial, shipping, and colonial empire that stretches across the Solar System, with a presence across the asteroid belt and into the outer gas giants, and into a multitude of other dimensions, where a good portion of Iran's population now lives.

Earth Orbit: Earth itself is ruined, but a number of nations still call the areas that orbit around our home planet home. These include:
The Lunar Directorate: The Dutch were the first to reach space, and thus more or less already had control of the moon and low earth orbit by the time Earth broke and everyone else fled. Most of this space presence was operated by the Tychodian Society, and in the aftermath of the fall the Society has asserted full control over the Dutch state, transforming it into a technocratic science dictatorship dedicated to the Progress and Reason (note: amount of progress and reason may vary). The Directorate controls extensive orbital settlements in the L1 and L2 Lagrange points, which are wealthy, well-developed, and mostly populated by Dutch, and controls through varying degrees of arrangements most settlements on the Lunar surface, which are populated mostly by a mishmash of poor post-fall refugees exploited for cheap labor--the largest group of these refugees, almost forming a majority on the surface, are Chinese, with the rest being Malays, Africans, and Europeans. With its dedication to scientific advancement, the Directorate is the one of the most developed and technologically advanced nations in the world.
The Tian Dynasty: Located on the dark side of the moon, poor in the Helium-3 that most of the Directorate's surface settlements are meant to mine, the Tian Dynasty was formed out a group of overwhelmingly Chinese settlements that revolted against Directorate control about 25 years ago. While they have managed to make peace with the Directorate now (the Lunars didn't particularly care about the resource-poor dark side and were afraid that the rebellion might be able to seize the Lunar Konzern due to their unprepardness), asserting their independence under the Xinfeng Emperor, the Tian's ambitions do not stop at the dark side of the moon--they wish to seize the entire planet, rightfully the land of the Chinese, and from there expand their reach to Huoxing and Yue Venus and the Chinese populations in the Belt.
The Spanish Empire: The Spanish Empire is located in a large number of settlements at Earth's L3 and L4 Lagrange Points--it wasn't able to carve out a large slice of either Mars or Venus, and is extremely resentful about this. Militaristic and imperial sentiment is strong in Spain, which has come to believe that it is high time the nation use the great navy it has built up and secure for itself space to live and colonize and a place in the sun.
L5: The L5 Lagrange point contains an enclave of the United States of Mars in Earth orbit which is often considered a hotbed of neo-Richterists.

Venus: Significantly larger than Mars, with Earthlike gravity and less desert, Venus at first seems like it would be a paradise for humanity... if not for the heat.The coldest areas on Venus are about Mediterranean in climate, comparable to southern France--at the hottest parts of the equator, temperatures can reach 75 degrees Celsius, unlivable for human beings. As a result, the tropical regions of Venus are incredibly underpopulated. Oh, and the radiation. The removal of Venus' thick atmosphere also allows solar wind to buffer the planet constantly, and while Citallion's terraformation has increased the strength of the planet's magnetosphere, it's still weaker than Earth's. Because of this, while Venus is livable, rates of cancer and what not are extremely high, and life expectancy is low for all but those nations with a way around that. Venus is home to:

The Kingdom of France: Kingdom of France controls most of the northern continent of Venus and near-Venusian orbit. An "alchemical despotism", the French government is dominated by nobles who maintain power through near-monopolized access to alchemy thanks to the high cost of alchemical tools and ingredients and the extensive infrastructure and education needed to use them. While still an absolute monarchy under the Bourbon dynasty, France's second estate has been able to enrich itself massively by selling the alchemical medicines like Pancea that the masses need to survive, amplifying the already excessive wealth disparity of the Ancien Regime even further. This has naturally created a great deal of unrest and sympathy for various radical anti-government organizations bubbling underneath the surface. Despite this, however, France is one of the solar system's great powers, with it's largest economy and one of its largest populations, and is more or less the hegemon of Venus, with most other Venusian nations being its satellites one way or another.
The Papal State: Controlling a block of territory in the Venusian north pole surrounded by France, the Papal State is one of four remnant Papacies (the other three reside in Spain, in the Universal Monarchy, and in the Italian Republic) and, like the rest, is a puppet of its patron--in this case, obviously France. The Papal State has a reputation as a nation of healers, with the influence of organizations like the Jesuits extremely visible--it boasts one of the strongest medical establishments in the solar system and a robust social welfare policy, all meant to combat the Venusian radiation problem. None the less, these are still only partial fixes at best, and the Papacy is still ultimately reliant on the importation of French alchemical cures for its continued health.
Ireland: The Irish also settled in the north pole of Venus and are also more or less a French satellite and, given their small size, largely content in this position (the crazed rants of a few older colonists who insist Ireland had a glorious moon colony once long ago notwithstanding).
The Kingdom of Portugal: The Kingdom of Portugal controls some territory in the Venusian north pole (mostly for agricultural reasons), but the bulk of the nation's population is located in orbital settlements at the Venusian L2 Lagrange Point, affording it a degree of independence from France (although the two nations are still cordial)
Morocco: Controlling the island of Beta just north of the unlivable Equatorial band of Venus, Morocco's colonization efforts were assisted by France, and as a result the nation is a staunch French allied. Coastal Themis is fertile, but the island's inland is largely arid and populated mostly by Toureg, many of whom have settled in Morocco as well. Like the Papacy, Morocco is ultimately dependent on French alchemical medicine for its continued settlement of Venus, keeping it in the French economic sphere, but the government would like nothing more than to find a way out of this subordination...
The Kingdom of Kongo: Situated on the jungle island of Themis south of Venus' equatorial band, Kongo is also more or less firmly in the French economic sphere, although it hopes that the increasing development of native mystical medicine, which has shown promise of supplanting France's alchemical products as cures for the Venusian ailments, will allow it to break free.
The Yue Dynasty: The mountains of the central Venusian continent of Aphrodite are just cool enough to be livable, and an environment of tropical lowlands and forested highlands felt just like home for the Southeast Asian Yue Dynasty. Most of the population of the nation is concentrated in the highlands, while the lowlands are home to vast tracts of farmland worked by laborers operating from controlled, often domed settlements made livable with a combination of technology and Southeast Asian water magic. The Yue Dynasty has its own alchemical medical industry derived from Taoist traditions which, while generally thought of as less developed than France's, leaves it mostly economically independent. While the government is still largely cordial with France, it hopes to leverage this to assert itself as an independent power and draw other nations into its own sphere. However, the Yue are a fundamentally divided nation--the actually livable highlands are populated mostly by a privileged Cantonese population, while the miserably hot lowlands are mostly Cambodians and Vietnamese who are underprivileged in the Yue system and unhappy about it. The Cantonese have maintained control so far by playing the two (who also hate each other) against each other, but who knows how long this will last...
Central Aphrodite: Settlements in the mountainous areas of Central Aphrodite were established by the Malmuk Dynasty, but the Malmuk government, already weak, was ill-prepared to deal with being torn between a mass medical crisis and being placed under French economic domination. The Egyptian settlement in Central Aphrodite collapsed, splitting into an Ethiopian nation in the Artemis highland/chasm system in south-central Aphrodite (now a French ally) and an Arab nation in the Thetis Mountains that has been annexed by the Otaared Caliphate and now serves as their outpost on Venus, from which they hope to extend their influence into Morocco. Thetis is now a center of Otaared transhumanists, who have used their expertise at cybernetics to alleviate the worst of the Venusian ailments.
The African Protectorates: France offered much of the territory of eastern Aphrodite to settlement by African nations, primarily the Ashanti and Malians, out of the "generosity" of the French King. This was a damn dirty lie, as most of them discovered when they arrived in a territory so hot as to be unlivable. The French African Protectorates are a poor, miserable place settled mostly by people in overcrowded, poorly climate-conditioned domed cities and subterranean compounds that France exploits for cheap labor in the scorching hot jungles outside. This has naturally made them incredibly restive, and they would like nothing more than to cast off the French yoke.
Russia: Situated on the southern polar continent of Venus, Russia is an enigmatic and isolationist nation, not an ally of France and in fact possessing little contact with the outside world at all. Bizarrely enough, there is actual winter in Russia, extremely unusual in a nation where climates are warm at best and scorching at worst, and the whole nation seems to radiate with an great amount of traditional magic. Russia is a reactionary country, with a poor underclass of serfs (that don't actually get any cures to the Venusian ailments, and thus tend to die in middle age) ruled over by boyars and an Orthodox church that all tap deeply into Russian and Eastern Orthodox mysticism.
The Star Kingdom of Avalon: The descendant of Charles Bourbon's England is located at Venus' L1 Lagrange Point, chosen to allow Avalon to possess a degree of independence from France other nations couldn't really possess.

Mercury: Obviously impossible to terraform, Mercury is still a rocky planet characterized by extreme temperatures, whose only settlements consist of subterranean facilities insulated from extreme weather. It plans host to only:
The Otaared Caliphate: Mercury was previously more or less ignored by most major galactic powers, and was lightly settled by the Iranians as a location for semi-secret research facilities and solar energy collection--not a hugely populous, but a planet where many top scientists migrated to. The population of this station, however, disapproved of the increasing interaction between Iran and mythological dimensions populated by beings from religions other than Islam, viewing acknowledgement of their legitimate existence as a sort of shirk, and eventually broke off from Persia and declared itself an independent nation. Much of the population of Mercury was drawn from refugees from the rest of the Islamic world rather than from Iranians, leaving the planet that was majority Sunni and religiously hardline--it soon declared itself a caliphate, although it should be noted that Mercury is not a hereditary monarchy but rather a elected presidential dictatorship with the Caliph as head of state. Mercury is currently divided between conventional religious hardliners who disdain mysticism and simply wish to establish a prosperous and developed Islamic nation on Mercury and a growing contingent of cybernetic transhumanists inspired to adapt to space's harsh conditions.

The Asteroid Belt: The asteroid belt is home to a great number of settlements drawn to the mineral wealth of the region, most of which are mining colonies of larger nations or small semi-independent or corporate ones that are basically pointless to describe. The great spacefaring powers--Mars, France, Austria, the Lunar Directorate, the United Front, and the Commonwealth--and intermediate powers compete for influence over the Belt, each hoping to secure the bulk of its mineral wealth for itself. Below are some of the more important ones:

The Solar Belt Consortium: Descendants primarily of the VOC, with corporate interests from a number of other countries thrown in, the SBC owns a great deal of the asteroid belt's most minerally wealthy planetoids, where it acts as a corporate state. SBC's headquarters is actually not in the Belt but at 433 Eros (the almost comic suitability of that locale is not lost on them)--its facility on Ceres serves as the center of its Belt operations, and Ceres' inland water supplies allow them to exert considerable economic influence throughout the thirsty Belt. Most of the population in SBC stations are poor laborers, de facto or outright slaves and indentured servants (many unwillingly appropriated from Indonesia or remnants of Oceana's slave population).
New Munster: The closest thing to a Richterist state that currently exists, New Munster controls 2 Pallas and is run by radically egalitarian Anabaptists currently in revolt against the SMC due to generally shitty treatment by their corporate overlords.
The Covenanting State: Unwilling to migrate to Bourbon Venus, the Scottish Covenanters set up their own state on a swath of the asteroid belt that contains the motherlode protoplanet of 16 Psyche and a number of other mineral-rich asteroids, placing them straight in the crosshairs of just about every other nation in the system. This has made the Covenanters (even more) militaristic and fanatical, and it would totally drop a space colony on Sydney if it could. The Convenanters are loose allies of the Commonwealth on Saturn, which hungers for its iron and other minerals.

Jupiter: The King of Planets, most of the region around Jupiter is not fit for habitation due to crushing gravity and intense radiation. Of course, that doesn't stop everybody...
The Universal Monarchy: The continuation of Maria Anna's Austrian Empire in space, the Universal Monarchy controls almost all of Jovian orbit and exerts loose control over the Jovian Trojans. Obsessed with the idea that flesh is weak even before the Fall, Austria's evacuation to Jupiter only continued to promote its continuing cybernization, with almost all Austrians now at least in part metal. The Universal Monarchy is a totalitarian, militaristic state under the continued rule of Empress Maria Anna (who has been preserved in a massive cybernetic system, although the degree to which she is still conscious is sometimes questionable) which continues to hold to her ambitions of world conquest and control. The great mineral wealth of Jupiter provides Austria with the fuel it needs to feed its war machines, and her armies and fleets grow stronger by the day...
The Empire of Rum: Situated on the terraformed but mostly aquatic moon of Ganymede, which Empress Maria Anna graciously granted to the Romans still bounded by the flesh, the Empire of Rum is, depending on who you ask, a loose Austrian vassal or a close Austrian ally.
The Kalmar Union: The moon of Europa and its icy seas represents the one outpost of the Kalmar Union in our space. Most of the nation is located in a number of eldritch other dimensions which the rest of the world is unable to access--as such, Europa is the locale through which the Scandinavians do business with the rest of the world. Kalmar currently has a tense but so far cooperative relationship with the Austrians, allowing them to remain on the moon in exchange for a cut of the minerals found beneath the sea.

Saturn: Lacking Jupiter's crushing gravity and radiation, Saturn serves as the system's current primary source of Helium 3, which most technological powers use as fuel, although the price of extracting the gas from still quite massive Saturn may mean Uranus may eclipse it as a source in the future.
The Commonwealth: The Commonwealth controls Titan and Saturnian orbit, hoping to construct a Protestant utopia from which they can build strength, dominate the resources of the Belt and the Outer Planets, and one day, when the worst of the abominations on Earth have passed, retake the homeland. To outsiders, the Oceana presents Titan as a paradise, with breathable air, consistently comfortable temperatures, and universally fertile soil. The reality is less glamorous--Titan is indeed extremely fertile (although only for crops genetically engineered to suite the Titanian climate), and its planetary temperatures vary only between roughly 30 to 50 degrees Farenheit, but it's a cold and perpetually heavily clouded and dark planet often buffeted by ammonia-laced storms, creating an atmosphere that many have commented suit the Commonwealth's cultural attitude almost perfectly. Regardless, the Commonwealth has managed to establish a highly developed and fairly prosperous nation on the moon--their technological development is comparable only to the Lunars and to a lesser extent the Martians, and their access to the helium-3 of Saturn and the resources of the Saturnian moons and the resource of the outer rim give them an economic base to be envied.

The Outer Planets: The outer planets are not really settled, with the only humans past Saturn living on a few Helium-3 mining outposts on Uranus operated by Iran, the Commonwealth, the Martians, and the Austrians. Past that, there are only isolated settlements, usually populated by extreme religious movements or other kooks.