- Location
- USA
"Yes, the chains which had held the world were broken. Links of imperative need, links of discipline, links of brute force, links of self-sacrifice, links of terror, links of honour which held our nation, nay, the greater part of mankind, to grinding toil, to a compulsive cause— everyone had snapped upon a few strokes of the clock. Safety, freedom, peace, home, the dear one back at the fireside—all after fifty-two months of gaunt distortion. After fifty-two months of making burdens grievous to be borne and binding them on men's backs, at last, all at once, suddenly and everywhere the burdens were cast down…"
WINSTON CHURCHILL
11:00 a.m. on the Eleventh Day of the Eleventh Month, 1918, an Armistice went into force, ending one of the most calamitous wars in human history. The Great War, the War to End All Wars, was waged over three continents, took place over four years, and ended with the deaths of untold tens-of-millions, military and civilian lives alike. It debuted a truly modern, industrial warfare conducted on the ground, at sea, and in the air. And its conclusion unraveled the foundations of empires and indeed the very structures which had defined a now-bygone era; the chains which had held the world were broken.
Now following Peace is a time of uncertainty. In Germany, recovery is overshadowed by a volatile foundation; on the streets of Italy, blood is spilled by radicals; out east, the Polish, Ukrainians, and Russians wage war under banners proclaiming a new order. A great tension exists for the war-weary and war-hungry of the world, and in the words of General Ferdinand Foch, the Treaty of Versailles was merely a twenty-year armistice, a reprieve while grudges old and new prepare to mobilize the masses.
Hello and welcome to The Chains Were Broken, a nation game starting on January 1st, 1920. This game serves as a spiritual successor to my first game attempted here on Sufficient Velocity, "The Temporary Armistice" as well as Cheef's beloved "A Temporary Armistice: 1923". From Cheef, I have stolen much, from statistical data to map-making techniques. Good night, sweet prince.
Setting, Rules, & Expectations
Players will roleplay as some of the most influential countries in the Interwar Period and beyond. The game will be divided into "turns", which represent a single year. Each turn is resolved by an update, known short-hand as the "main update". Other important events -- such as wars, battles/campaigns, important political and economic events, and technological discoveries and breakthroughs worthy of note may receive their own smaller updates, known as "mini updates" or "minis" for short.
In order to have a general effect on the world and develop events within your own country, you must send orders to me on a turn-by-turn basis. To do this, start a conversation with me titled "TCWB -- [Country name]". This conversation will be used for the duration of time that you play as that country.
There are three types of orders: normal orders, a war plan, and election orders. Normal orders may be used to launch new political programs, reform or expand your military, cultivate cultural development, and other things. War plans are used during times of conflict to direct your armies and navies, plan out general strategies, establish rules of engagement, and even determine orders of battle, if you're into that kind of thing. Just format it nicely and explain what you desire to do. Election orders are allotted to players whose countries conduct elections to determine the course and potential outcome of an election (players can either be objective in their election summaries or can choose a side to back if they so desire). You also do not have to use all these types of orders in a turn.
Any combination of normal and election orders must remain ~400 words in length. Nations in conflict that use war order may add an additional ~200 words. Obviously this means there is little restriction on how many orders you can devise. However, spreading yourself across ten things will not be as effective as two clear, focused goals.
I would like to give a fair warning to any and all prospective players: this game will be IC-heavy, especially for the Great Powers (the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Russia, etc.). There is technically no minimum limit to the amount of IC you post, nor the quality/length of the IC, but it does not hurt to write detailed and intensive IC. If you're a Great Power, the general rule of thumb is to write quality IC and to try and do it as often as possible. It helps me flavor the update appropriately and allows you to give more nuance than I can do for your nation.
Furthermore, a failure to send orders two turns in a row by the given deadline will result in expulsion from the game. I know we all have things in our lives, from work to school to family and other personal issues, and I understand that -- so I might actually show mercy if you try to give me a warning of absences ahead of time.
My last expectation is that players play with a degree of historicity. The greatest fun in games like this are portraying your nation and their leadership; things that are negative to your objective "power" but sensible are great. A large part of the interesting aspects of history come from a ruler's quirk, an ideological flaw, or general failure. I promise you that it will have disastrous results. Playing this game -- even as a relatively minor nation -- will require some reading on your part. Be that as it may, I am always willing to be a little lenient with some things; otherwise this wouldn't really be any fun, now, would it?
Metagaming is strongly discouraged and I will probably make fun of you for it in the updates by making you look foolish. You don't want that. To avoid that, don't metagame. You've been warned. You cannot stop the Dust Bowl. Repeated blatant attempts at metagaming will result in expulsion from the game.
Statistics
This game will operate with a few key statistical indicators for played nations. Do note: these are not the guiding principles of this experience. These exist mostly for fun and to keep some semblance of understanding of things like population, army quality, or number of ships. Stats will be posted following sign-ups, but posted below will be a sample.
German Reich
Government
Government type: Federal presidential republic
Leader(s): President Friedrich Ebert / Chancellor Gustav Bauer
Economy
Population: 60.894 m. (0.57% growth)
GDP: $170,235 m.
Growth: 8.71%
Military
Army: 6 infantry divisions, 0 mountain divisions, 2 cavalry divisions, 0 marine divisions, 0 armored brigades
Army quality: (13/20)
Navy: 0 light carriers, 0 battleships, 0 battlecruisers, 9 pre-dreadnoughts, 0 heavy cruisers, 2 armored cruisers, 13 light cruisers, 11 destroyers, 0 submarines [1 light cruiser laid up incomplete, +2 turns]
Navy quality: (7/20)
Air Force: 0 fighter wings, 0 bomber wings
Air Force quality: (1/5)
Manpower: 194,525
Played by: ???
Discord
Here is the link to our game's Discord server. Participation in this Discord is mandatory for any prospective players, as it will make things much easier to communicate.
Sign-Ups
I'll be using the THREE CLAIMS SYSTEM. Please list, in descending order, the countries you'd like to apply for. We will start with the Great Powers; after a day or two, I'll hand those out, and we will move on to the rest of the countries. If you really only want to play as one country, then only include that.
GREAT POWERS
These are countries with power projection capabilities across the globe. Their economies are large and advanced, and their military strengths are not to be underestimated.
French Republic
German Reich
Kingdom of Italy
Greater Japanese Empire
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
United States of America
SECONDARY / REGIONAL POWERS
Secondary and regional powers command respect and authority within their regions, but often lack that same gravitas in worldwide affairs. Still, they can exert their influence over lesser powers.
Argentine Republic
Republic of the United States of Brazil
Republic of China (China will have multiple players; see below)
Ottoman Empire
Republic of Poland
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes
MINOR POWERS
Minor powers command little influence even within their own regions and are often the subject of interference and influence by regional and great powers.
Kingdom of Bulgaria
Czechoslovak Republic
Republic of Finland
Kingdom of Greece
Hungarian Republic
Kingdom of the Netherlands
Kingdom of Romania
Kingdom of Spain
BRITISH DOMINIONS
The Dominions are functionally similar to minor powers, but owe their allegiance, and much (if not all) of their foreign policy to the United Kingdom.
British Raj
REBEL MOVEMENTS
Rebel movements seek to achieve various objectives: overthrow of a tyrant or government, ethnic or national liberation, or even just the implementation of certain policies.
Irish Republic
White Russian Movement
Syrian Kingdom
WARLORD FACTIONS*
China is being torn apart by numerous warlords, all vying for power, wealth, and influence in the wake of the National Protection War.
Anhui clique
Fengtian clique
Zhili clique
This list is those nations or movements that are playable at game start. This list may, of course, change over time as nations rise and fall in relevancy. If you have a pitch for a nation unlisted, you may make it, but I likely can't be bothered to write down your exciting exploits in Kathmandu. Below is posted a map for your perusal.
