Some mutterings from the soldiers reveal that many had suspected they would not get their last paycheck before they had even left China. Some of the soldiers had been proposing marches on various state capitals in protest if their worst expectations had come to pass. Although you have seen no evidence of such a thing, it will be a fine example of proletarian self-organization.
You have also heard a few people murmuring approvingly of the assassination attempt.
News
A South Carolinian union was sued under antitrust laws. The demagogue prosecution foamed at the mouth, calling simple proletarians syndicalist conspirators. He likely would have succeeded in his case, if not for the intervention of Huey Long and his financial backers. The Kingfish called the case "corrupt" and suggested the prosecutor was a syndicalist in disguise. Then, he proposed the creation of a state-backed union to ensure "all the wealth gets shared." This has sparked outrage from the establishment and our own ranks, as one accuses him of class warfare and the other of class collaboration, but it is a position with no small amount of popularity. And in all the furor, no one has appeared to notice the corruption scandal vanishing...
Unstable food prices have begun to have a serious impact upon the yeoman farmers of the plains, with increasing numbers beginning to lose their jobs. In response, the Farmer-Labor governments of the states worse-off have begun implementing various subsidies and price restrictions, drawing a curious mix of condemnation and praise from the President, who proclaimed it "not the government's place, but also not the government's place to object."
A multitude of assassination attempts (by everyone against President Hoover have been launched, one actually wounding him. While martial law has not been declared, the atmosphere in Washington has become feverish. General MacArthur has announced that he and his men will be taking charge of the security of the president temporarily. They promptly established checkpoints in a several-block radius around the White House. His calm and deft handling of the crisis has won him acclaim. Even you are a little impressed. He may well be a dangerous enemy.
A week later, some sort of argument between the general and Vice President Curtis led General MacArthur to threaten to resign. The two seem to be frostily neutral for now, although that may change when the president recovers.
International News
It appears the Revolution has spread to Honduras! Left-wing militias, in an alliance with numerous factions inside the army and the political elite, have driven out the thugs and puppets of United Fruit and formed a new government. Little is known of it as of yet, but the Third Internationale eagerly reaches out a hand.
A Syndicalist protest in Germany turned bloody as the police opened fire, ruthlessly beating down and arresting those who tried to flee. This brutal deed was condemned throughout the Third Internationale, with even Vice President Curtis offering some tepid condemnation from behind the safety of a thick wall of troops. In response, Germany threatened to raise tariffs on American goods, and the cowardly vice president backed down immediately, drawing condemnation from all fronts.
You spent New Year's Eve with your family, but had to leave for New Year's Day, taking a train to Chicago to speak at a meeting of the IWW, then you returned to Washington, stopping in West Virginia to join a wildcat miner's strike in solidarity and take part in negotiating the reversing of firing a half-dozen miners for "malingering." Now you sit in your chilly office as snow falls outside the window and contemplate the news you have heard from New York.
The Stock Exchange has been slowly rising for many months, a point at a time as the slow recovery of the United States continues...but with the Decemberist Revolution, as they are calling it in Honduras, that growth has halted and United Fruit has collapsed utterly. While you celebrate the defeat of such a brutal and imperialist organization, this is bad news for many innocent American workers as the aftershocks work their way through the economy.
While many rally to the Socialist banner in hopes of relief, many more blame "Red agitation" for the increased faltering of the economy. The soup kitchens deflect most such criticisms in the cities, but where they are absent you have no such protection, and meanwhile, Long and his supporters broadcast constant attacks on you and your cause through the radio.
With the President still mostly absent and questioning from Democrats if Vice President Curtis's behavior in assuming many presidential duties is legal, the tension is rising in the United States.
You must build an organization strong enough to withstand the inevitable reaction and lead the revolution. The time is coming, you can feel it in your bones.
As pink-tinged snow falls on Washington DC, you stare out the window, the words of a poem not yet written drifting through your head before you dismiss such thoughts.
Comrade Flora comes in. "Your 5:30 is here, Comrade. Representative Wallace is waiting just outside."
"Send him in please," you tell her.
[Net +0 Influence, increase in urban support, decrease in rural support.]
You have 3 Influence and 2 Authority. You are not currently taking any Focuses.
Mandates: Provide legal or extralegal protection for strikers in Chicago before the general strike being planned commences in 3 months (from The Right). Provide state level relief or job programs in 6 months (from The Center). Provide revolutionary indoctrination or education in 6 months (from The Left).
General Actions
Hold a Rally: It's a classic for every political party for a reason. There's nothing quite like a grand rally with banners waving and people cheering to make you seem unstoppable and to gather more support. The demonstration of the energy and might of the working class will have the capitalists shaking in their boots. It is a message to your supporters as well, that all the power of the SPA stands behind them. ]Cost: 4 Resources and a risk of backlash and hostile interruption. Time: 1 month. DC: 15/50/85/120. Results: Variable change in support, chance of intimidating your enemies. Can synergize with other actions.
Wave the Red Banner: The Red Banner is not the only SPA-affiliated or favoring publication, but it is the only one produced by the Party itself. And it is immensely popular. New ones go out constantly, but you could write an article of your own and make a special edition. This would receive extra attention and possibly some new readership, allowing you to make your opinions heard and sway the hearts and minds of others. You could shape the narrative on something, make an argument for or against a particular course of action, attack an enemy or uplift an ally. The possibilities of the written word are limitless. Cost: 2 Resources and a risk of backlash. May be additional costs depending on the topic. Time: 1 month. DC: 0/25/50/75/100/150. Results: Variable change in support or party factions, results depend on topic. Topic must be written in. Some examples: "The importance of unity in the socialist cause," "The corruption of the Hoover administration," "Why feminism and socialism must go together," and "Why Farmer-Labor should unify with the SPA." Can synergize with other actions.
Speak to the Soldiers, Pt. 2: Between the rumors you have heard and the behavior of the two sergeants you saw at the rally, there is enough that you are anticipating some sort of disturbance or protest. If you find out more, you can offer support and advice, which would be hopefully returned whether or not the soldiers succeed or fail. Cost: None. Time: 1 month. DC: 0/10/50/80. Results: Find out more about the rumors you have heard.
Meet With the President: You are curious about what happened in the White House and what condition Hoover is in. While you are generally not welcome there, you are both a Senator and a leader of the third largest party. If you want to get in and find out what exactly happened (there have been all sorts of arguments in your offices, it could be a coup, the president could be dead, who knows), you can throw your weight around a little and be let in. Cost: None. Time: 1 month. DC: 5. Results: Find out more about what happened to the President and what's going on with MacArthur.
Send Social Agitators To: Nearly every street corner in Chicago, New York City, and Seattle has a man or woman standing on a crate and telling the passerby of the virtues of the cause and encouraging them to donate. They are often beaten brutally by the bourgeois or by police (and just as often protected by their listeners), but they nevertheless persist, determined to gain recruits and funds for the cause. Some of these agitators are amateurs doing it in their spare time, but quite a few are dedicated and skilled speakers. Sending these speakers in significant numbers to an area can result in an uptick of support, especially if it is followed up upon with meaningful organization. Cost: Risk to the lives and health of the agitators depending on where they are sent to. Time: 1 month. DC: 0/Variable/Variable. Results: Write in an area (such as New York state, the Midwest, New Orleans, etc. The bigger it is, the more diffuse the impact) and reduce Federalist and AFP support there.
Party Actions
Appoint a Party Whip: You have gained fifteen seats in the Senate and far more in the House. While you generally don't have to deal with congressional revolts, there may be occasionally controversial legislation you will have to deal with. Furthermore, having someone handle the day-to-day matters of making sure everyone is read up on the bills, helping your congresspeople manage their staff and campaigns, and coordinate filibustering would free up some more time you could use.]Cost:None. Time: 1 month. DC: No roll. Results: Subvote to determine who the Party Whip will be and how much to invest in them.
Create Shadow Government: You have had a brilliant idea: Though you lack power at the federal level, the Socialist Party has substantial control of many mayorships, county governments. You even effectively control some states of the Steel Belt. Creating a forum to help these various governments cooperate and resolve disputes will be useful, especially if you have further requests of these governments. You have only discussed this concept briefly, but the idea of the Interstate Committee of Socialist Governments (name subject to change) has dazzled many. Especially since it will help you gain influence over their legal codes, voting laws, and National Guard armories. Cost: Significant and dangerous backlash from within and without the Party, probable legal challenges. Time: 3 months. DC: 80/160/240/320. Results: Various states and lower-level governments integrated into a coordinated body, many new possibilities available, although the body could be unwieldy.
Coordination Planning Committee: The implementation of your idea would be a legal and political nightmare, but there is something to it. Cooperation and solidarity are the greatest strengths of the socialist movement, after all. The Combined Syndicates already help various unions work together, but more can be done. The first thing to do is to have some friendly lawyers find what you can do without prompting serious legal backlash. You will have less slack than the capitalists, of course, but there are possibilities you can think of, from empowering the CSA to confederating charities. There is likely more. Cost: None. Time: 1 month. DC: No roll. Results: Unlock new actions, bonus to certain actions.
Intra-Party Legislative Conference: Giving out orders to all the state senators and representatives and governors would not only go against your principles, it would lead to a revolt against you in the party ranks and likely cause a splintering that would devastate the chances of the revolution being successful. So instead you will call for a conference to ensure everyone is on the same page and propose an agenda, although what exactly that agenda is you will have to decide. Cost: None. Time: 2 months. DC: No roll. Results: Sub-turn.
Support Faction: The party is more than a little divided, even if everyone is determined to stick together, they still clash frequently, with each other and with you. Spending some time and effort backing a particular faction in these debates could gain you some gratitude, which is always a valuable currency. Cost: Risk of losing Influence or Authority. Time: 1 month. DC: 0/Variable/Variable. Results: Increase Relations and Strength of selected faction, chance of gaining Influence.
Union Actions
Send Union Organizers To: While agitators can disrupt other political organizations and explain why you are better, to actually gain support of the kind that makes people spend blood and gold and sweat on your behalf requires a different approach. Establishing that takes time, but sending union organizers to an area can make for a start. In many ways, the risks these organizers take is even greater than that of the agitators, especially if there is sufficient hostility to socialism already. Some have literally been tarred and feathered...Cost: Risk to the lives and health of the organizers depending on where they are sent to. Time: 1 month. DC: 0/Variable/Variable. Results: Write in an area (such as New York state, the Midwest, New Orleans, etc. The bigger it is, the more diffuse the impact) and gain temporary support there.
Appoint Union Representative: There are dozens of unions, many with hundreds or thousands of chapters. A rare few even have branches in Canada, with a rarer few having branches in Mexico. The Combined Syndicates serves as a forum to allow them to coordinate and cooperate, but the vagaries of time and travel mean that the larger meetings are often sparsely attended. Electing (although your influence will help make it an effective appointment) a representative to help manage the syndicates, smooth over disputes, and ensure all voices are heard would reduce the growing pains the CSA is suffering from. However, the notion is not entirely popular...Cost: Chance of -1 Influence. Time: 1 month. DC: 0/Variable/Variable. Result: Subvote to determine who you will support for Union Representative and how much to invest in them.
Expand Soup Kitchens: The urban masses are being fed, but only a few cities (Seattle, New York City, and Chicago) have anything like enough kitchens to provide for the sheer overwhelming number of people who must be fed. If you build even more kitchens and provide them with as much food as possible, you might just be able to keep the entire population of the cities fed. This expansion will cost a great deal of money and the amount it will cost to keep them all supplied is enormous, but the political and moral benefits are just as enormous. Especially if you can improve your messaging...Cost: 10 Resources, -4 Resources per turn. Time: 3 months. DC: 0/50/75. Result: Massive expansion to the food kitchen program.
Establish Community Gardens: The cities of America are filled with vacant lots and crumbling buildings. Reclaiming the buildings will have to be part of a larger effort, but the lots can be used to the benefit of the people by establishing gardens. Though they will take many months, the fresh vegetables will improve the quality of the food served by the soup kitchens...and hopefully reduce expenses. Cost: 5 Resources. Time: 1 month. DC: 30/60/90. Result: +1 Resources per turn after 3 months.
Create Strike Fund: Striking is the simplest way for the workers of America to make their demands heard directly. Strikes have won minimum wages, shorter hours, and worker's compensation. But many companies can outlast their workers, especially major conglomerates like Ford. The establishment of a strike fund unions can take from to support themselves will remove this advantage and help workers win victories. Cost: 20 Resources. Time: 1 month. DC: 10/20/60/120. Result: Increase in union size and effectiveness, increase to support.
Mutual Aid Foundations: While directly expanding the soup kitchens would benefit many, a less costly alternative would be the establishment of mutual aid organizations to ensure that people are fed. Since they are less directly dependent on the SPA buying food for them, they will be cheaper for you to maintain, but still serve to provide relief to the struggling masses and help expose them to socialist ideals. Cost: 2 Resources, -1 Resources per turn. Time: 1 month. DC: 30/60/90/120. Result: Small expansion to the food kitchen program.
Union Donation Drive: Your income comes from party dues and a cut from the incomes of the unions that make up the CSA. And it is proving insufficient for all the demands placed on your party. Asking for additional voluntary donations on a one-time basis would help ease the strain and buy time for you to begin finding additional sources of revenue. And doing it once shouldn't make you look too bad. As long as you make it clear you are asking. Cost: Extremely low chance of loss of support or Influence. Time: 1 month. DC: 0/10/20/30/40/50/60/70/80/90/100/150/200. Result: One-time increase to Resources, amount is dependent on roll.
Striking Education (Tactical): Some unions have developed extensive institutional experience in how to strike and protest effectively - how to gather community support, how to resist scabs and strikebreakers, even how to best build barricades. Some unions have had less opportunity to develop these skills, particularly newer ones or those who have been affiliated with the AFL. Asking these more experienced unions to provide educators on the tactics and strategy of resisting capitalist oppression would be useful. Cost: 5 Resources. Time: 2 months. DC: 25/50/75. Result: Increase to the effectiveness of unions.
Striking Education (Ideological): Many unions are not particularly desirous of revolution at the moment. They have more immediate demands - better wages, safer conditions, protection from arbitrary firings. Most can barely conceive of demanding profit-sharing, let alone workplace democracy or the complete abolition of capitalism. Anything too radical will likely make them abandon you wholesale. However, the SPA has many skilled agitators and speakers who could help change this, although attempting this education may backfire. Cost: 2 Resources, chance of losing Influence or Support. Time: 3 months. DC: 40/80/120. Result: Increase the Strength of the Left faction, increase relations with the Left faction, increase support from unions, reduce negative impact of other actions on your supporters.
Create Demands List: The General Strike will be commencing in March, on the day Presidents used to be inaugurated. A list of demands needs to be drawn up based on what the workers of Chicago are demanding, but also on what is radical enough to grab attention without being radical enough to demand full suppression. You can't stand up to the power of the U. S. Army, at least not yet. The careful balancing act of rhetoric must be completed if you want another Seattle Commune. Cost: None. Time: 1 month. DC: 25/50/75. Result: Create list of demands for the general strike, increasing odds of its success.
Militant Actions
Additional Weapons: The armaments of your "regular" Red Guards are highly irregular, and the "irregulars" who sometimes join in during protests or strikes are even worse off. Beginning to create armories of weapons will help equip both. The first step will be to acquire things like billy clubs and batons, both to avoid attracting unfortunate attention and because stockpiling guns in the current climate is needlessly risky...Cost: 3 Resources. Time: 2 months. DC: 15/30/45/60. Result: Create stockpiles of "non-lethal" weapons for the use of the Red Guards.
Instilling Discipline, Pt.1: (Benefits from Veteran in the Red Guards) Every branch of the Red Guards contains at least a few who do it more-or-less full-time. These are some of your most dedicated and radical supporters, and when the time comes they are the ones who will form the hard core of the Red Army. So they are the ones who need training and discipline the most. Based on what you saw of the Bolsheviks in Russia, the first thing that men who wish to be soldiers must be taught is discipline. And so that is what the training shall begin with. Cost: 2 Resources. Time: 4 months. DC: 25/50. Result: Improve discipline of Red Guards.
Encourage Veteran Recruitment: The recent veterans from the Legation Cities have not all signed up to join your ranks. And there are a fair few older veterans of other wars and "police actions" who could be perhaps convinced to join you. Their experience and familiarity with combat will help stiffen and strengthen the Red Guards, although some could be traitors...Cost: Loss of Relations with the Right and Left. Time: 1 month. DC: 0/50/100. Results: Recruit veteran soldiers, bonuses to other actions.
Go Hunting: (Benefits from Veteran in the Red Guards) In every city and town of America you face enemies. Hostile police forces, reactionary militias, mercenaries and Pinkertons hired by capitalists, and more. They all seek to oppress and suppress the workers. This cannot be borne. While the Red Guards continually battle in the streets, protecting protests, defending meetings, guarding agitators and organizers, they only rarely go on the offensive, and keep it strictly to retaliatory strikes on those most responsible for attacks. Asking for a more general attack would help weaken opposition, and perhaps see some justice done. Cost: Reduces support, reduces relations with the Right and the Social Democrats, chance of it going badly. Time: 1 month. DC: 25. Results: Red Guards begin attacking class enemies, chance of gaining Resources, Support, Influence...
Street Medics: (Benefits from Veteran in the Red Guards) One of the tactics used by the heroes of the Shanghai Uprising was the establishment of street medics, noncombat members of the Left-KMT who helped keep injured members in the fight and provided aid and comfort before the soldiers of the Legation Cities resorted to bloodier measures. Implementing such measures could be useful...Cost: 5 Resources. Time: 3 months. DC: 35. Results: Red Guards gain street medics, help reduce casualties.
Personal Actions
Work Overtime: Although your heart and mind ache at the thought, the cause needs you. It will be stressful, it will be upsetting to your wife and daughter, you can feel your very soul revolting at the thought of spending even more hours working...but you must. The workers of the world demand it! Cost: Severely stressful, unhealthy, bad for your family. Time: 1 month. DC: No roll. Results: +1 temporary Influence.
Personal Attention: If you spend a few hours working on a particular task, it will likely go smoother. It will cut into the time you would normally spend with your family or your books, but it is a sacrifice you will have to make. Cost: Stressful, not great for your family. Time: 1 month. DC: No roll. Results: Small dice and narrative bonus to chosen action.
Exercise: You have gotten slightly out of shape thanks to the stress of the election. Getting back in shape would be good for your health and your image...and if you ever get the chance to to punch Huey Long in his fat face, it will help then too. Cost: Not great for your family. Time: 1 month. DC: No roll. Results: Decrease in stress, improvement to health.
Spend Time With Your Family: Your daughter Hannah misses you, as does your wife Louise. Spending some extra time with them this month will make up for all the times you missed doing it during the campaign season. Cost: None. Time: 1 month. DC: No roll. Results: Major decrease in stress, good for your family.
Write: You have been working on another book about your own thoughts and beliefs about socialism and syndicalism, as well as on a few poems, memoirs, and some other odds and ends. Spending some time working on that will help order your thoughts and ease your burdens. Cost: Not great for your family. Time: 1 month. DC: No roll. Results: Decrease in stress, possibility of new traits.
Free Actions
[] Choose A Focus: You currently have no focus. Select two from the Available Focuses spoiler.
In the Halls of Power - Your congressional delegations make a small but significant voting bloc. This leverage can be used to pass legislation to benefit workers and your organization. Time: 0.5 months. Effect: Unlock Political actions, +1 Influence
In the Songs of Workers - The stories and songs of the American worker are filled with Revolutionary potential. From George Washington to Abe Lincoln, make American culture resonate with the cause. Time: 0.5 months. Effect: Unlock Cultural actions, +1 Influence
In the Dark - Not every battle to bring the light of socialism to the world can be fought cleanly. Reactionaries will attempt to infiltrate and disrupt your movement, but you can do the same to them. Time: 0.5 months. Effect: Unlock Intrigue actions.
In the Thoughts of Those Who Strive - It is not enough to act. You must have a reasoning behind your action, a framework to guide your efforts. Time: 0.5 months. Effect: Unlock Intellectual actions
Scheduled vote count started by notbirdofprey on Apr 29, 2021 at 4:52 PM, finished with 7 posts and 5 votes.
[x] Plan: War of Position
-[x] Speak to the Soldiers, Pt. 2
-[x] Coordination Planning Committee
-[x] Intra-Party Legislative Conference
-[X] Striking Education (Ideological):
-[x]Striking Education (Tactical)
-[x] Create Demands List
-[x] Personal Action: Work Overtime
-[x] Focuses
--[x] In the Songs of Workers
--[X] In the Halls of Power
[X] Plan: Prepare for General Strike
-[X] Appoint a Party Whip:
--[X] Influence
-[X] Union Donation Drive:
-[X] Striking Education (Ideological):
--[X] Authority
-[X] Instilling Discipline, Pt.1:
-[X] Street Medics:
-[X] Personal Attention:
--[X] Union Donation Drive:
-[X] Choose A Focus:
--[X] In the Halls of Power
--[X] In the Dark
[X] Plan: Strike While the Iron is Hot
-[X] Send Social Agitators To: Chicago (we need to cement our control over Chicago as absolute and that involves getting as many of the city's working people to rally behind our cause)
- [X] Union Donation Drive: (Donations are often the lifeblood of many CSA-affiliated unions, raising more funds for our strike fund may be necessary to prepare for the genral strike)
- [X] Create Strike Fund: (We need to make preparations for the General Strike, which includes funds for legal defense for any striker caught by the system)
- [X] Send Union Organizers To: Chicago (Let's grind the Chicago economy to a halt, unionize as many workers and get them to support our strike)
You ask a few of the soldiers in New York City, and learn that the soldiers had often only been partly paid in Shanghai. Some had speculated that they wouldn't get the last paycheck they had been promised at all, and there had been many angry discussions on that topic. Some men had simply deserted over it, either back to America or into the Legation Cities, and there had been quite a few protests or riots over the matter in China that had left what seems like half the army briefly brigged and resentful of the U.S. Government and the military police.
You also learn that many of them were planning to go to Washington next month. This is clearly organized to some degree, but how much and who is in charge is unclear, and asking nicely hasn't gotten any results. However, none of the soldiers you have spoken to plan on going armed.
Result: You know that the Bonus Army is planning on marching in February and that they are very resentful, but not enough for large-scale violence.
Coordination Planning Committee - Authority
Laying the foundations for the Revolution to succeed is essential. You face many, many obstacles, and so the sooner begun the better.
A dozen of the rising stars of the Party are conscripted, mayors like La Guardia and union leaders like Muste, and asked to form the committee. Immediate, three priorities are noted.
First, the instruments of capitalist power within the controlled towns must be dismantled, ideally in a way that will not leave a potential fifth column in the midst of the city. While simply firing all police and replacing them will be simplest, it would be preferable to co-opt them.
Second, education and cultural institutions to counter the capitalist-realist lessons most are taught must be created.
Third, coordination between these various cities and towns will be important. While official, legal methods are somewhat complicated, especially in places like West Virginia where your control of the state government is not absolute or across state lines, unofficial methods will work just as well.
A fourth, lesser priority is ensuring that voting is as accessible as possible in socialist-dominated areas.
The Committee also proposes that they take the lead in ensuring these four priorities, and any additional ones you assign are met.
[] That sounds wonderful (1 Influence is committed to the Committee. They will spend 2 actions per turn on the priorities listed here until you reclaim the influence or change their directives. They will also likely do some pork spending on their hometowns.)
[] You prefer to handle it yourself. (Actions unlocked for building up power and control in towns and cities, National Spirit Town Coordination Committee created which gives +5 to relevant actions)
Intra-Party Legislative Conference - Influence, no roll
Result: See Interlude
Striking Education (Ideological) - Authority
A guest had come to the tiny town James had lived in all his life - not the city slicker who owned the mine, or the Pinkerton thugs he had sent after them to try and make sure they voted the right way, but a genuine member of the Socialist Party, who had fought in the Siege of Dearborn and led a dozen strikes. The whole town had been abuzz with the news, from the dance hall to the church. Even the few men who weren't part of the union had been interested.
The union members filled the dance hall, sitting and watching as a young, skinny man stood up. He was lean and scrawny and not particularly impressive.
He began to talk, something about history. It was rather boring, and the man seemed to realize that.
"Do you like the higher wages your union got you? Do you like the shorter hours and the new safety gear in your mine?" he demanded.
"Yeah!" James answered back, and so did many others.
"If it hadn't been for you - the proletariat, you never would have gotten those, but you wouldn't have gotten them if the Socialist Party didn't fight alongside you. We're winning for now, but in this society, no one wins forever. So we need to change our society! We need a revolution!"
James was fired up, ready to grab his hunting rifle and go fight, but one of the few non-union men stood up.
"I fought for this country, and I'll be damned if I fight against it!"
The two began to argue...and James didn't know who was right.
You and Browder sit and review the reports from the men and women you sent to educate the workers on the necessity for a revolution. It hasn't gone terribly, but there are clear difficulties. Many are not yet radicalized and question the need, not seeing the essential exploitation that is the heart of capitalism, while others object to the social aspects of the revolution, not understanding that the alienation and division created by gender roles and racism are deliberately made to weaken the working class. It will take more time and effort to even truly begin correcting this, and in the meantime, you face the obstacle of making your message more palatable without abandoning the core need for a Revolution.
You could...
[] Reduce the messaging on the importance of equality and the social revolution. (Will reduce support among minority groups until corrected.)
[] Commit to teaching orators ways to link the socialist revolution with American cultural touchstones. (Will commit a minimum of 1 Influence to The American Revolution or Christian Socialism next turn.)
[] Give it up and focus on more important things for the moment. (Action ends, chance of -1 Influence.)
Striking Education (Tactical) - Influence, 61
Tactics are something you are familiar with. Human chains and peaceful protest where the cameras are focused on you, fire and ferocity in the dark, doing whatever you need to bring about the day when all are equal. You have fought in many such battles...but they are not just physical battles, but fights for attention. The ire of the people must be turned against the capitalists, or all the bloodshed in the world will not effect meaningful change.
You ask experienced organizers and activists to teach what slogans to use and how to counter police and Pinkertons, how to organize mutual aid and communication networks that can't be easily disrupted, all the tricks they have learned from experience.
But you also make sure they teach strategy, that strikes and protests must happen with a greater goal in mind.
It's a long process. The network of unions you are asking people to teach is vast, and the lessons are many. It will take another month for everyone to be visited at least once, and even then there will be many things forgotten or misunderstood.
But some things will stick.
Result: Action continues.
Create Demands List - Influence, 90
The walk from the train station to your meeting place is long and cold. Even in your thick coat, you find yourself shivering. Shoving your hands into your pockets, you dive through the crowds, your guards and Comrade Flora following behind.
The streets of Chicago are filled with pink snow and the shivering of men and women, while above tower buildings of decaying brick and rusting steel. The city churns, full of hungering masses of laborers - meatpackers, rail workers, builders, street cleaners, and more. A thousand industries have their hearts here, and where there are workers there are socialists.
You see the signs in a thousand little things. Here, there's a man collecting coins for the party. He thanks you and then pauses as he tries to remember where he's seen you as you drop a dollar into his tin. There, a burned ruin lies, red paint labeling it as belonging to a thief and a reactionary. Off to one side, two boys are doggedly cleaning a monument to "The Martyrs of Haymarket." On the corner, a line of the destitute are fed as a pair of police officers watch nervously.
The SPA is strong here. Organized, disciplined, empowered by their victories in the street and the ballot box. Its members have their heads held high, its foes tremble, knowing history will soon leave them behind...or crush them if they try to stop it.
You make your way to Haymarket Square, where a black man greets you. "Abe Grey, comrade," he says.
You make an effort to ignore his accent. Some would take the way he speaks as proof his race is less intelligent. You know better...you just need to remind yourself of that from time to time.
"Jack Reed," you reply.
Then you surprise him (and yourself) by thrusting your hand out for him to shake. After a moment he takes it.
"We have a little cafe, everyone there is one of ours. The union bosses and party heads are all there, we're ready to hear your proposal and then vote on it," he tells you.
You nod. A few possibilities had occurred to you, ranging from the mild to the radical. The more extreme your proposal, the less likely it will be adopted, which would be a blow to your prestige. And even if it is accepted, the odds of the strike being successful decrease. But if the strike succeeds...
Comrade Grey wasn't lying when he said the cafe was small. The room is cramped and steaming. The glass windows are entirely covered by posters extolling the virtues of socialism, except for where they have been defaced.
Inside, two dozen men and three women are crammed together. They introduce themselves - leader of the Chicago Meatpackers Union, head of the United Pullman Workers, leader of the Midwest Chapter of the Catholic Socialist Movement, head of the Housekeeping Union, and more.
Now is the moment of truth...what position do you pitch?
[] The General Strike should demand that a Constitutional Convention be held to amend the Constitution so that elections cannot be won by a minority anymore. The fact that this would be seen as a middle finger to Hoover makes it far more likely to succeed than it otherwise would be - even a significant fraction of the Republican Party might be willing to go along with it.
[] The General Strike should demand that President Hoover be removed as he is unfit for office. Again, the unpopularity of Hoover will help you. Curtis might well be a more dangerous opponent...but the victory of getting a sitting president removed, even one who hasn't been seen in public for nearly three weeks would be an incredible boost to your momentum.
[] The General Strike should demand that wealth distribution laws be passed on a nationwide level. You are stealing from Huey Long and his "Share Our Wealth" movement, which might let him claim some of the credit...but it also might turn him into a temporary ally.
[] The General Strike should demand that the United States recognize and begin trading with the French Commune and the Union of Britain. Here, you may again find some unlikely allies, since so many bourgeoisie have lost profits from being unable to trade with the leaders of the Third Internationale.
[] The General Strike should demand the immediate payment of all American soldiers as the government has promised. This is to quite possibly the least controversial demand you could make.
[] Write-in.
Personal Action: Work Overtime
There is much to do and little time to do it. You barely see your family this month, in favor of traveling back and forth, from Chicago to Buffalo to Boston to New York City to Washington DC, even jaunting south and west into Kansas City to attend a meeting of the newly formed Cattle Driver's Union. Even on the train, you are writing feverishly, preparing speeches for your next stop, scrawling notes for legislation or preparing telegrams to be sent with instructions. Your back aches, your eyes strain, your head pounds, but you continue on nevertheless.
In between the busier moments, you steal seconds to write letters. You manage to send two during the whole month.
The Revolution waits for no one, no matter how much you wish it might.
Results: Stress increases, relationship with your family decreases, health decreases. +1 Influence.
Focus: In the Songs of Workers
The struggles with teaching the workers the importance of Revolution taught you something. The culture of America is strongly opposed to socialism and syndicalism in many ways. But there are aspects of it the can be used and emphasized - the imagery of Washington crossing the Delaware, the desire for self-rule, the distrust of those who have not "earned their wealth." If these things, these inventions of capital, can be turned against their masters your victory is assured.
Result: +1 Influence, Cultural actions unlocked
Focus: In the Halls of Power
You have twenty senators in your party, plus one Farmer-Labor senator who votes for you more often than not and a pair of Democratic ones who are occasional allies. Your bloc in the House of Representatives is even larger. All members of some state legislatures are members of your party, while you have minorities in nearly every state outside the deepest depths of the south. While the bourgeoisie parties often collaborate to check your influence, they can occasionally be outmaneuvered, and the Senate floor makes an excellent place for stump speeches. The Revolution may not come from the Capitol building, but eventually, it will come to the Capitol.
Scheduled vote count started by notbirdofprey on Apr 30, 2021 at 9:40 PM, finished with 22 posts and 11 votes.
[X] Commit to teaching orators ways to link the socialist revolution with American cultural touchstones. (Will commit a minimum of 1 Influence to The American Revolution or Christian Socialism next turn.)
[X] That sounds wonderful (1 Influence is committed to the Committee. They will spend 2 actions per turn on the priorities listed here until you reclaim the influence or change their directives. They will also likely do some pork spending on their hometowns.)
[X] Plan Wealth Redustrubtion
-[X] The General Strike should demand that wealth distribution laws be passed on a nationwide level. You are stealing from Huey Long and his "Share Our Wealth" movement, which might let him claim some of the credit...but it also might turn him into a temporary ally.
-[x] The General Strike should demand the immediate payment of all American soldiers as the government has promised. This is to quite possibly the least controversial demand you could make.
[X] The General Strike should demand that wealth distribution laws be passed on a nationwide level. You are stealing from Huey Long and his "Share Our Wealth" movement, which might let him claim some of the credit...but it also might turn him into a temporary ally.
[X] You prefer to handle it yourself. (Actions unlocked for building up power and control in towns and cities, National Spirit Town Coordination Committee created which gives +5 to relevant actions)
[X] The General Strike should demand the immediate payment of all American soldiers as the government has promised. This is to quite possibly the least controversial demand you could make.
[X] The General Strike should demand that President Hoover be removed as he is unfit for office. Again, the unpopularity of Hoover will help you. Curtis might well be a more dangerous opponent...but the victory of getting a sitting president removed, even one who hasn't been seen in public for nearly three weeks would be an incredible boost to your momentum.
[X] The General Strike should demand that a Constitutional Convention be held to amend the Constitution so that elections cannot be won by a minority anymore. The fact that this would be seen as a middle finger to Hoover makes it far more likely to succeed than it otherwise would be - even a significant fraction of the Republican Party might be willing to go along with it.
[X] The General Strike should demand that the United States recognize and begin trading with the French Commune and the Union of Britain. Here, you may again find some unlikely allies, since so many bourgeoisie have lost profits from being unable to trade with the leaders of the Third Internationale.
-[x] That sounds wonderful (1 Influence is committed to the Committee. They will spend 2 actions per turn on the priorities listed here until you reclaim the influence or change their directives. They will also likely do some pork spending on their hometowns.)
-[x] Commit to teaching orators ways to link the socialist revolution with American cultural touchstones. (Will commit a minimum of 1 Influence to The American Revolution or Christian Socialism next turn.)
-[x] Write-in: Combine the following demands:
--[x] The General Strike should demand that a Constitutional Convention be held to amend the Constitution so that elections cannot be won by a minority anymore. The fact that this would be seen as a middle finger to Hoover makes it far more likely to succeed than it otherwise would be - even a significant fraction of the Republican Party might be willing to go along with it.
--[x] The General Strike should demand that wealth distribution laws be passed on a nationwide level. You are stealing from Huey Long and his "Share Our Wealth" movement, which might let him claim some of the credit...but it also might turn him into a temporary ally.
--[x] The General Strike should demand the immediate payment of all American soldiers as the government has promised. This is to quite possibly the least controversial demand you could make.
The room is packed, the sheer number of bodies warming it above and beyond the dance hall you commandeered for the occasion. People in suits and fine dresses mingle with those who chose to emphasize their connections with the working class. This isn't just an opportunity for members of the Socialist Party to come together to ease the path of revolutionary transition, this is a party!
You cannot forget the people you are fighting for - once more your eyes were treated to visions of endless suffering and misery as you traveled to Boston. But neither can you mire yourself in the thousand problems that are not solved yet.
So you lean back and enjoy the wild jazz music and the sounds of people dancing together, swinging and shaking across the floor. You wish Lousie was here with you. She might not like this particular type of music, but she would dance with you to it anyway...
You shake your head and then turn to leave. It will still be two weeks before the last of the delegates arrive, and you have work that needs doing in New York City. As you step out the door a familiar sense of melancholy settles over you.
You check in every few days, holding meetings with individual delegates in the room of the hotel you have effectively bought out. When the last arrives, you reserve the conference room and overrun the feeble objections of the hotel manager. He might want to ban socialists from using his hotel, but he needs your money and fears your Red Guard. And no one else was going to be using it.
You are one of the last to enter, taking a discreet moment to straighten your tie as you look around, ignoring the decaying room you are in. In six states you completely control their governments, with massive majorities in both houses and control of the governors. In a further eleven you have some degree of power, but not enough to be able to override the other parties. Then there are four where you do not even have that much control.
You can practically tell who is from what by the way they carry themselves. The delegate from Texas keeps his gaze focused on the papers he brought with him, while the one from Illinois leans back with the easy confidence of someone who knows their victory is inevitable.
"Comrades, now that we are all together, I believe it is time to begin."
Everyone in the room straightens and looks towards you, leaning forwards like they are sunflowers and you the light. The exhilaration you have felt so often rushes through you, pushing you onwards despite your aching body and weary heart.
"We are here today because we are winning. The workers have made their voices heard in twenty-one states, nearly half of those in the republic. Just a few years ago that would be unimaginable, but now we are striding ever-forwards, ever closer to victory. Today, we even welcome a delegate from the Socialist Party of Texas representing the men the oil workers of Texas have chosen to represent us. What army can stop us? What fortress can withstand us?"
You are rolling relentlessly onwards.
"I pray nightly that victory will come about peacefully at the ballot box, but I fear that the forces of reaction will strike against us before that comes to pass. But we can and will defeat them. Our task today is to decide how to use our influence in the bourgeoisie state governments to build up our movements. Given the varying levels of control we have, I propose we create three separate programs, subject to modification for local concerns and practicalities. All in favor?"
About two-thirds of the hands shoot up. You let the debate begin, relishing the ebb and flow of words. Given the lack of crisis, you have time to argue, to come to a consensus, and after ten minutes you do.
Then comes the discussion of what the separate programs will be.
The general program for states where you control the governments utterly will focus on... (Choose 1 to 3)
[] [CONTROL] Making the National Guards loyal to the workers
[] [CONTROL] Enacting broad social-relief programs
[] [CONTROL] Weakening and marginalizing existing reactionary groups
[] [CONTROL] Encouraging the establishment of separate, dual-power institutions
[] [CONTROL] Establishing mechanisms for state funds to go the workers via the Party
[] [CONTROL] Encouraging the development of industry that will be useful to the workers
[] [CONTROL] Using a variety of methods to strengthen the control workers have over the government
[] [CONTROL] Write-in
The general program for states where you have partial control will focus on... (Same deal as above)
[] [PARTIAL] Establishing control in the lower bureaucracies
[] [PARTIAL] Protecting worker's rights
[] [PARTIAL] Championing social-relief programs
[] [PARTIAL] Encouraging the development of industry that will be useful to the workers
[] [PARTIAL] Pushing back against reactionary groups
[] [PARTIAL] Easing the process of organization and direct action
[] [PARTIAL] Focus on campaigning to gain more strength in the future
[] [PARTIAL] Write-in
The general program for states where you are weak will focus on... (1 to 3 again)
[] [WEAK] Obstruct hostile laws
[] [WEAK] Make legislative alliances
[] [WEAK] Protect unions as much as possible
[] [WEAK] Argue for worker's rights and social-relief
[] [WEAK] Focus on campaigning to gain more strength in the future
[] [WEAK] Write-in
Rumors
You have heard rumors of further clashes between MacArthur and Curtis.They actually seem to be getting along. The Vice President has begun to occasionally back the arrogant but charismatic general in his public confrontations with other politicians.
The stock market is...not yet crashing. In fact, it is still slowly rising. But something tells you it is still incredibly fragile, and you anticipate yet another crisis of capital to cause another crash...
News
Henry Ford has begun construction on a large factory complex on the border of Michigan and Canada. Progress is slow as he refuses to use unionized labor. After efforts to recruit from the local area fall through thanks to the interference of the Red Guards and a series of strikes and work stoppages at some of his other plants, he has begun importing labor from Canada and using hired convicts.
A large army of former soldiers has encamped themselves in Baltimore. Calling themselves the Payment Army, they have sent a barrage of telegrams to the White House and the Capitol demanding they receive the payments they were promised for their service. Coverage of the movement varies from sympathetic, to claiming it's a syndicalist plot, to being sympathetic despite it being a syndicalist plot (Long has recognized their grievances and promised to advocate for them, but also accuses their leadership of working for Reed. Vice President Curtis has demanded they disperse before they get their payment, they have replied by demanding they get their payment before dispersing.
The latest wave of Canadian strikes has completely collapsed after appeals from the Liberals in Parliament convinced them to come to the bargaining table. A few minor victories were won by the strikers, including the establishment of a minimum wage and worker's compensation, but in exchange, it seems the unions have allowed the legalization of yellow-dog contracts.
New England governments have begun purging suspected Syndicalists and Longists from the National Guards of their states. A small number of those "retired" have congregated in Boston where they have been recruited as police.
A network of Longist militias has begun to rise up, concentrated in cities, especially New Orleans. Cities with the state-backed unions Long has championed tend to have larger ones. However, they are being somewhat suppressed by several state governments, including Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida.
International News
Unrest in Russia has increased dramatically as the Mensheviks begin leading the remaining unions in a series of strikes, often clashing with Black Hundreds. The exact scale and who is winning is unclear due to the official state media under Sakvinkov refusing to answer questions about the arrest. However, the chaos has been cited by several of the breakaway provinces as to why they are failing to rejoin the Russian Empire. Given that they have been failing for over a decade now, the legal fiction is obvious to all.
In the reactionary dictatorship of the French Republic, rumors spread of several isolated garrisons vanishing and infrastructure being badly damaged. Perhaps the time for the liberation of the oppressed peoples of Africa has come at last!
A/N: Since there is a tie for the vote from the last update, the vote is still open.
Scheduled vote count started by notbirdofprey on May 2, 2021 at 12:04 AM, finished with 30 posts and 15 votes.
[X] Plan Power To The Workers v2
-[X] [CONTROL] Making the National Guards loyal to the workers
-[X] [CONTROL] Enacting broad social-relief programs
-[X] [CONTROL] Encouraging the establishment of separate, dual-power institutions
-[X] [PARTIAL] Protecting worker's rights
-[X] [PARTIAL] Pushing back against reactionary groups
-[X] [PARTIAL] Easing the process of organization and direct action
-[X] [WEAK] Obstruct hostile laws
-[X] [WEAK] Protect unions as much as possible
[X] Plan: There is Power in One Big Union
-[X] [CONTROL] Making the National Guards loyal to the workers
-[X] [CONTROL] Encouraging the establishment of separate, dual-power institutions
-[X] [CONTROL] Weakening and marginalizing existing reactionary groups
-[X] [PARTIAL] Protecting worker's rights
-[X] [PARTIAL] Easing the process of organization and direct action
-[X] [PARTIAL] Pushing back against reactionary groups
-[X] [WEAK] Obstruct hostile laws
-[X] [WEAK] Protect unions as much as possible
[X] Plan Power To The Workers
-[X] [CONTROL] Making the National Guards loyal to the workers
-[X] [CONTROL] Enacting broad social-relief programs
-[X] [CONTROL] Weakening and marginalizing existing reactionary groups
-[X] [PARTIAL] Protecting worker's rights
-[X] [PARTIAL] Pushing back against reactionary groups
-[X] [PARTIAL] Easing the process of organization and direct action
-[X] [WEAK] Obstruct hostile laws
-[X] [WEAK] Protect unions as much as possible
After a long and difficult month riding the rails and working all hours in your office, you return home, having snatched a couple of days to be with your daughter, your wife excusing herself to "let you two familiarize yourselves." Lousie is happy to see you again, you are sure.
And Hannah certainly is, greeting you with an enormous hug and excitedly showing you all the drawings she had made, including one that is apparently of you...you notice it's crumpled a little. You ask her why, and her face falls.
"Daddy, are you a socialist? Some boys at school said you were and that I shouldn't draw them..."
Her lip wobbles as you embrace her in a hug and then sit her down and begin answering her questions, explaining what you are and why and promising that you don't want to kill anyone. You hold her and comfort her and tell her that yes, you are a socialist, because you believe in justice and democracy and freedom, that you want to build a world where no one starves or is exploited...and then you promise you will speak with her mother if she can get a kitten and discuss what sort of names it could have. She begins to get sleepy and so you cradle her as you carry her to bed.
And then, with a sigh, you give Louise a kiss and turn back to the stack of reports you took home with you.
Long has taken advantage of the strikes in response to Henry Ford's plant construction to launch a barrage of criticism, using sound trucks and radio networks to broadcast his condemnation, noting that you are actively preventing people from working unless they "submit to the will of foreign masters." Claiming you wish to reduce all Americans to a state of slavery, his message has resonated heavily in the south. Members of the party have grown alarmed at the apparent loss of support, and begun advocating for increased efforts to propagandize the workers. You are being criticized for failing to effectively organize the working class, but have defended yourself adequately for the moment.
[No Influence loss yet, decrease in rural support.]
Meanwhile, the Coordination Committee has begun to implement their program, drafting a plan for purging municipal police forces of reactionary influence by restructuring them and having former police integrated into teams with new hires picked for their dedication to the cause.
You have 4 Influence and 2 Authority total. 1 Authority and 2 Influence are committed to ongoing actions. You are not currently taking any Focuses.
Mandates: Provide legal or extralegal protection for strikers in Chicago before the general strike being planned commences in 2 months (from The Right). Provide state level relief or job programs in 5 months (from The Center). Provide revolutionary indoctrination or education in 5 months (from The Left).
Party Actions
Hold a Rally: It's a classic for every political party for a reason. There's nothing quite like a grand rally with banners waving and people cheering to make you seem unstoppable and to gather more support. The demonstration of the energy and might of the working class will have the capitalists shaking in their boots. It is a message to your supporters as well, that all the power of the SPA stands behind them. Cost: 4 Resources and a risk of backlash and hostile interruption. Time: 1 month. DC: 15/50/85/120. Results: Variable change in support, chance of intimidating your enemies. Can synergize with other actions.
Wave the Red Banner: The Red Banner is not the only SPA-affiliated or favoring publication, but it is the only one produced by the Party itself. And it is immensely popular. New ones go out constantly, but you could write an article of your own and make a special edition. This would receive extra attention and possibly some new readership, allowing you to make your opinions heard and sway the hearts and minds of others. You could shape the narrative on something, make an argument for or against a particular course of action, attack an enemy or uplift an ally. The possibilities of the written word are limitless. Cost: 2 Resources and a risk of backlash. May be additional costs depending on the topic. Time: 1 month. DC: 0/25/50/75/100/150. Results: Variable change in support or party factions, results depend on topic. Topic must be written in. Some examples: "The importance of unity in the socialist cause," "The corruption of the Hoover administration," "Why feminism and socialism must go together," and "Why Farmer-Labor should unify with the SPA." Can synergize with other actions.
Meet With the President: The President has been seen walking in the gardens of the White House, and his Cabinet is insisting he is fine. Curtis keeps doing his duties and refusing to explain what has happened. A motion to impeach Hoover has been defeated, but still there are no answers. Something strange is going on. Find out what. Cost: None. Time: 1 month. DC: 15. Results: Find out more about what happened to the President and what's going on with MacArthur.
Send Social Agitators To: Nearly every street corner in Chicago, New York City, and Seattle has a man or woman standing on a crate and telling the passerby of the virtues of the cause and encouraging them to donate. They are often beaten brutally by the bourgeois or by police (and just as often protected by their listeners), but they nevertheless persist, determined to gain recruits and funds for the cause. Some of these agitators are amateurs doing it in their spare time, but quite a few are dedicated and skilled speakers. Sending these speakers in significant numbers to an area can result in an uptick of support, especially if it is followed up upon with meaningful organization. Cost: Risk to the lives and health of the agitators depending on where they are sent to. Time: 1 month. DC: 0/Variable/Variable. Results: Write in an area (such as New York state, the Midwest, New Orleans, etc. The bigger it is, the more diffuse the impact) and reduce Federalist and AFP support there.
Create Shadow Government: You have had a brilliant idea: Though you lack power at the federal level, the Socialist Party has substantial control of many mayorships, county governments. You even effectively control some states of the Steel Belt. Creating a forum to help these various governments cooperate and resolve disputes will be useful, especially if you have further requests of these governments. You have only discussed this concept briefly, but the idea of the Interstate Committee of Socialist Governments (name subject to change) has dazzled many. Especially since it will help you gain influence over their legal codes, voting laws, and National Guard armories. Cost: Significant and dangerous backlash from within and without the Party, probable legal challenges. Time: 3 months. DC: 80/160/235/310. Results: Various states and lower-level governments integrated into a coordinated body, many new possibilities available, although the body could be unwieldy.
( 1 Influence Committed) Intra-Party Legislative Conference: Giving out orders to all the state senators and representatives and governors would not only go against your principles, it would lead to a revolt against you in the party ranks and likely cause a splintering that would devastate the chances of the revolution being successful. So instead you will call for a conference to ensure everyone is on the same page and propose an agenda, although what exactly that agenda is you will have to decide. Cost: None. Time: 1 months. DC: No roll. Results: Sub-turn.
Support Faction: The party is more than a little divided, even if everyone is determined to stick together, they still clash frequently, with each other and with you. Spending some time and effort backing a particular faction in these debates could gain you some gratitude, which is always a valuable currency. Cost: Risk of losing Influence or Authority. Time: 1 month. DC: 0/Variable/Variable. Results: Increase Relations and Strength of selected faction, chance of gaining Influence.
Make Changes To Subordinates: You do not have the time or capability to make all the decisions involved with bringing the Revolution to America, and so you have trusted subordinates to help. Occasionally, you will need to redirect their efforts, invest more in their success, or even replace them immediately. Cost: None. Time: 1 month. DC: No roll. Results: Make any change to 1 subordinate.
Party Donation Drive: Your income comes from party dues and a cut from the incomes of the unions that make up the CSA. And it is proving insufficient for all the demands placed on your party. Asking for additional voluntary donations on a one-time basis would help ease the strain and buy time for you to begin finding additional sources of revenue. And doing it once shouldn't make you look too bad. As long as you make it clear you are asking. Cost: Extremely low chance of loss of support or Influence. Time: 1 month. DC: 0/10/20/30/40/50/60/70/80/90/100/150/200. Result: One-time increase to Resources, amount is dependent on roll.
Union Actions
Send Union Organizers To: While agitators can disrupt other political organizations and explain why you are better, to actually gain support of the kind that makes people spend blood and gold and sweat on your behalf requires a different approach. Establishing that takes time, but sending union organizers to an area can make for a start. In many ways, the risks these organizers take is even greater than that of the agitators, especially if there is sufficient hostility to socialism already. Some have literally been tarred and feathered...Cost: Risk to the lives and health of the organizers depending on where they are sent to. Time: 1 month. DC: 0/Variable/Variable. Results: Write in an area (such as New York state, the Midwest, New Orleans, etc. The bigger it is, the more diffuse the impact) and gain temporary support there.
Appoint Union Representative: There are dozens of unions, many with hundreds or thousands of chapters. A rare few even have branches in Canada, with a rarer few having branches in Mexico. The Combined Syndicates serves as a forum to allow them to coordinate and cooperate, but the vagaries of time and travel mean that the larger meetings are often sparsely attended. Electing (although your influence will help make it an effective appointment) a representative to help manage the syndicates, smooth over disputes, and ensure all voices are heard would reduce the growing pains the CSA is suffering from. However, the notion is not entirely popular...Cost: Chance of -1 Influence. Time: 1 month. DC: 0/Variable/Variable. Result: Subvote to determine who you will support for Union Representative and how much to invest in them.
Expand Soup Kitchens: The urban masses are being fed, but only a few cities (Seattle, New York City, and Chicago) have anything like enough kitchens to provide for the sheer overwhelming number of people who must be fed. If you build even more kitchens and provide them with as much food as possible, you might just be able to keep the entire population of the cities fed. This expansion will cost a great deal of money and the amount it will cost to keep them all supplied is enormous, but the political and moral benefits are just as enormous. Especially if you can improve your messaging...Cost: 10 Resources, -4 Resources per turn. Time: 3 months. DC: 0/50/75. Result: Massive expansion to the food kitchen program.
Establish Community Gardens: The cities of America are filled with vacant lots and crumbling buildings. Reclaiming the buildings will have to be part of a larger effort, but the lots can be used to the benefit of the people by establishing gardens. Though they will take many months, the fresh vegetables will improve the quality of the food served by the soup kitchens...and hopefully reduce expenses. Cost: 5 Resources. Time: 1 month. DC: 30/60/90. Result: +1 Resources per turn after 3 months.
Create Strike Fund: Striking is the simplest way for the workers of America to make their demands heard directly. Strikes have won minimum wages, shorter hours, and worker's compensation. But many companies can outlast their workers, especially major conglomerates like Ford. The establishment of a strike fund unions can take from to support themselves will remove this advantage and help workers win victories. Cost: 20 Resources. Time: 1 month. DC: 10/20/60/120. Result: Increase in union size and effectiveness, increase to support.
Mutual Aid Foundations: While directly expanding the soup kitchens would benefit many, a less costly alternative would be the establishment of mutual aid organizations to ensure that people are fed. Since they are less directly dependent on the SPA buying food for them, they will be cheaper for you to maintain, but still serve to provide relief to the struggling masses and help expose them to socialist ideals. Cost: 2 Resources, -1 Resources per turn. Time: 1 month. DC: 30/60/90/120. Result: Small expansion to the food kitchen program.
Union Donation Drive: Your income comes from party dues and a cut from the incomes of the unions that make up the CSA. And it is proving insufficient for all the demands placed on your party. Asking for additional voluntary donations on a one-time basis would help ease the strain and buy time for you to begin finding additional sources of revenue. And doing it once shouldn't make you look too bad. As long as you make it clear you are asking. Cost: Extremely low chance of loss of support or Influence. Time: 1 month. DC: 0/10/20/30/40/50/60/70/80/90/100/150/200. Result: One-time increase to Resources, amount is dependent on roll.
(1 Influence Committed) Striking Education (Tactical): Some unions have developed extensive institutional experience in how to strike and protest effectively - how to gather community support, how to resist scabs and strikebreakers, even how to best build barricades. Some unions have had less opportunity to develop these skills, particularly newer ones or those who have been affiliated with the AFL. Asking these more experienced unions to provide educators on the tactics and strategy of resisting capitalist oppression would be useful. Cost: 5 Resources. Time: 1 months. DC: 25/50/75. Result: Increase to the effectiveness of unions.
(1 Authority Committed) Striking Education (Ideological): Many unions are not particularly desirous of revolution at the moment. They have more immediate demands - better wages, safer conditions, protection from arbitrary firings. Most can barely conceive of demanding profit-sharing, let alone workplace democracy or the complete abolition of capitalism. Anything too radical will likely make them abandon you wholesale. However, the SPA has many skilled agitators and speakers who could help change this, although attempting this education may backfire. Cost: 2 Resources, chance of losing Influence or Support. Time: 2 months. DC: 40/80/120. Result: Increase the Strength of the Left faction, increase relations with the Left faction, increase support from unions, reduce negative impact of other actions on your supporters.
Union Charities, Donations: The unions of the CSA have their own individual strike funds and incomes, used for various events. These funds are often rather significant in size, and could be used to supplement the charitable endeavors of the SPA. Doing so would ease the logistical strain providing for so many causes, but not every union is entirely dedicated to socialist ideals, especially not when it comes to the outsiders who will inevitably come seeking aid. Cost: Increased risk of corruption. Time: 1 month. DC: 25/50/100. Result: +X Resources per month.
Union Charities, Fundraising: The unions of the CSA have their own individual strike funds and incomes, used for various events. These funds are often rather significant in size, and could be used to supplement the financial resources at your command through direct donations and holding fundraising events. It may somewhat aggravate your supporters, but as long as you are using the money for their benefit there won't be more than grumbling. Cost: A new mandate. Time: 1 month. DC: 20/40/80/120. Result: +X Resources per month.
Militant Actions
Additional Weapons: The armaments of your "regular" Red Guards are highly irregular, and the "irregulars" who sometimes join in during protests or strikes are even worse off. Beginning to create armories of weapons will help equip both. The first step will be to acquire things like billy clubs and batons, both to avoid attracting unfortunate attention and because stockpiling guns in the current climate is needlessly risky...Cost: 3 Resources. Time: 2 months. DC: 15/30/45/60. Result: Create stockpiles of "non-lethal" weapons for the use of the Red Guards.
Instilling Discipline, Pt.1: (Benefits from Veterans in the Red Guards) Every branch of the Red Guards contains at least a few who do it more-or-less full-time. These are some of your most dedicated and radical supporters, and when the time comes they are the ones who will form the hard core of the Red Army. So they are the ones who need training and discipline the most. Based on what you saw of the Bolsheviks in Russia, the first thing that men who wish to be soldiers must be taught is discipline. And so that is what the training shall begin with. Cost: 2 Resources. Time: 4 months. DC: 25/50. Result: Improve discipline of Red Guards.
Encourage Veteran Recruitment: The recent veterans from the Legation Cities have not all signed up to join your ranks. And there are a fair few older veterans of other wars and "police actions" who could be perhaps convinced to join you. Their experience and familiarity with combat will help stiffen and strengthen the Red Guards, although some could be traitors...Cost: Loss of Relations with the Right and Left. Time: 1 month. DC: 0/50/100. Results: Recruit veteran soldiers, bonuses to other actions.
Go Hunting: (Benefits from Veterans in the Red Guards) In every city and town of America you face enemies. Hostile police forces, reactionary militias, mercenaries and Pinkertons hired by capitalists, and more. They all seek to oppress and suppress the workers. This cannot be borne. While the Red Guards continually battle in the streets, protecting protests, defending meetings, guarding agitators and organizers, they only rarely go on the offensive, and keep it strictly to retaliatory strikes on those most responsible for attacks. Asking for a more general attack would help weaken opposition, and perhaps see some justice done. Cost: Reduces support, reduces relations with the Right and the Social Democrats, chance of it going badly. Time: 1 month. DC: 25. Results: Red Guards begin attacking class enemies, chance of gaining Resources, Support, Influence...
Street Medics: (Benefits from Veterans in the Red Guards) One of the tactics used by the heroes of the Shanghai Uprising was the establishment of street medics, noncombat members of the Left-KMT who helped keep injured members in the fight and provided aid and comfort before the soldiers of the Legation Cities resorted to bloodier measures. Implementing such measures could be useful...Cost: 5 Resources. Time: 3 months. DC: 35. Results: Red Guards gain street medics, help reduce casualties.
Anti-Strikebreaker ForceBenefits from Veterans in the Red Guards) Pinkertons and police have been used to break many strikes, often injuring or killing innocent men and women who wanted nothing more than fair treatment and rarely suffering consequences for that. This cannot be tolerated any further. While such behavior can now be legally punished in many states, that doesn't always discourage it. More drastic measures must be taken. Find the best and most determined members of the Red Guards who are willing to do it full time and shuttle them around the country to protect major strikes. They will need some training and equipment of course. Cost: 3 Resources, - 0.5 Resources per month. Risk of backlash DC: 0/25/50/100. Results: Form small force of semi-professional troops who will be automatically deployed at major strikes and similar actions.
Cultural Actions
Christian Socialism: Most Americans are Christians, and despite the words of the Constitution it is widely considered a Christian nation. Given that many churches are staunchly opposed to socialism while socialism is a staunchly secular ideology, this could be troublesome. Fortunately, this Gordian knot can be cut rather easily. The concept of "Christian socialism" and claiming that Christ himself would be a socialist is simple enough, with ample support for this notion coming directly from the Bible. Combining this message with a few displays of piety will help reduce criticism from the pulpit, although significant portions of organized religion will doubtless remain hostile. Cost: Loss of Relations with the Left, loss of support from Jews and other religions. Time: 2 months. DC: 15/45/90. Results: Increase in support from Christians, increased ease of recruitment.
The American Revolution, Pt. 1: Lumpenproletariat and alienation and private property...socialist, syndicalist, and anarchist theory is rife with such words and concepts that many Americans find unfamiliar. They might like the results, but the name and the description turns them away. Fortunately, those things are easy to change. Begin describing American Revolutionism, where the work of George Washington must be completed by liberating the works of America from the tyrannies of King Georges with names like Rockefeller and Vanderbilt and Pullman. Sell people on socialism by not calling it socialism, sell people on the revolution by calling it a revolution. Cost: General loss of Relations, chance of -1 Influence. Time: 2 months. DC: 35/70/105. Results: Chance of significant increase in support and dramatically easier recruiting.
Songs of the Revolution: The Internationale. The Preacher and the Slave. This Land is Your Land. Solidarity Forever. Many are the songs of the socialist movement. Let everyone hear them. Establish choirs and wandering musicians and every other way to spread your message through song there is. Cost: 3 Resources, -0.5 Resources per turn. Time: 1 month. DC: 10/30/50/70/90/ Results: Easier recruiting, increase to morale among the party.
Unity In The Melting Pot: The Socialist Party and the IWW have long used multilingual speakers to reach out to immigrants. With the end of the Weltkrieg and the defeat of the Bolsheviks, thousands from Eastern Europe have flocked to America's shores to find conditions no better, while others have come north with Central and South America. Reaching out to those groups will be essential. The multilingual program will be expanded, to begin. Cost: None. Time: 3 months. DC: 5/45/90. Results: Easier recruiting, increased support among immigrants.
Socialist Radio Networks: Huey Long has used the radio to spread his reactionary babble to thousands of Americans. We can do the same. Through speeches and interviews, your message can be broadcast. While some may turn off the radio rather than hear the truth, the more you reach the more you can convince. The first step will be to purchase...whatever it is that produces radio waves for broadcasts. That was never something you needed to learn in school. Cost: 3 Resources. Time: 3 months. DC: 5/25/50/75. Results: Significantly easier recruiting, increased support.
Posters and Pamphlets: The speeches you give reach only those who hear you. Your speeches, written down, reach all who can read...but they are a bit too long for a poster discreetly put up or a pamphlet smuggled behind a boss's back. Beginning to create and produce snappy slogans and logos for posters and pamphlets will help you in the propaganda war, especially given the number of virulently anti-socialist publications that will smear you and your movement in any way possible. Cost: 1 Resource. Time: 3 months. DC: 10/50/90. Results: The creation of posters and pamphlets to help spread your message, ease of recruiting.
Political Actions
Impeachment: If President Hoover has been unable to leave the White House grounds for two months, he is clearly no longer fit for office. The two-thirds majority impeachment requires is veritably impossible to achieve, but even making noises about it could help you gain support and alliances, especially if you are high-profile enough. Some in your party consider it nothing but a waste of time, others feel it is a tactical error. Cost: Loss of Relations with the Center. Time: 1 month. DC: 5/20/70/200. Results: The Socialist Party initiates an impeachment motion for Hoover, chance of gaining legislative allies or support.
Ally With Farmer-Labor: Farmer-Labor is in many ways the party closest to you, but there are significant differences. Their left fringe overlaps heavily with your right fringe, and they are a primarily agrarian party with different concerns, but the instability in the market and the chaos it's causing among their supporters have left them looking for solutions. They may be willing to begin working with you, although they will likely balk at the prospect of a revolution. Cost: Unknown. Time: 1 month. DC: 25/50/75. Results: You make some form of alliance with some or all of Farmer-Labor
Poach the Democrats: The Democrats have traditionally been a party pulled in many directions - Bourbon conservatives, progressives, Southern populists, and union members, political machines - and while a significant portion of all these factions have left, there are always remnants, such as the Roosevelt family. The party as a whole rejects you wholeheartedly, but individual members can be convinced to change their allegiance. Cost: Unknown. Time: 1 month. DC: 45/90/135. Results: You convince some members of the Democratic Party and aspects of their political machine to switch allegiance to you.
Press the Progressives: The Progressive Party is now the second-weakest in America. Even the newly formed America First Party has surpassed them. They hold a few scattered seats in the West and Midwest and little more. This weakness is also what makes them vulnerable. They will collapse as a national party without intervention, you suspect. And you can offer this intervention. Cost: Unknown. Time: 1 month. DC: 15/45/90. Results: You convince some members of the Progressive Party to switch allegiance to you.
Pro-Worker Legislation: It's unlikely to pass, at least on a federal level, but demanding it will make a statement in and of itself. And you will not just push this legislation on a federal level. These laws will focus on the things workers have fought for. Better wages, workplace safety, price caps for company stores...with the stroke of a pen, they can be spread across the country, and it will be the SPA that will take the lion's share of the credit. Cost: Loss of Relations with the Left. Time: 1 month. DC: 15/30/75. Results: You pass worker-protection laws on the state and possibly federal level and can gain varying amounts of support.
State-Level Strike Protection: You know better than to even try legitimizing strikes on the federal level, and the state-level laws you are putting into practice will certainly face federal challenges. In some states, you don't have the full control that passing your Platonic ideal of a striker-protection law would require. So you will spend some time speaking with judges and statesmen and encouraging members of the SPA to do the same to get some form of the rules you want passed. Cost: None. Time: 1 month. DC: 40/80/120. Results: You accelerate the passing of striker-protection laws of varying usefulness in many states and ease the way for their defense in courts.
The Payment Army: The Payment Army is encamped in Baltimore, attempting to negotiate. Through sheer numbers (and a little assistance from the sympathetic mayor and workers) they have withstood three attempts by the police to remove them, and have sent representatives to ask for the money the federal government promised them. Make an issue out of this. Wave the flag. The American government said they would pay men to fight and die for 'freedom' and then it's going back on its word. This is not acceptable! Cost: None. Time: 1 month. DC: 5/25/45/95. Results: You pass a bill that ensures the Payment Army gets their money.
Appoint a Party Whip: You have gained fifteen seats in the Senate and far more in the House. While you generally don't have to deal with congressional revolts, there may be occasionally controversial legislation you will have to deal with. Furthermore, having someone handle the day-to-day matters of making sure everyone is read up on the bills, helping your congresspeople manage their staff and campaigns, and coordinate filibustering would free up some more time you could use. Cost: None. Time: 1 month. DC: No roll. Results: Subvote to determine who the Party Whip will be and how much to invest in them.
Personal Actions
Work Overtime: Although your heart and mind ache at the thought, the cause needs you. It will be stressful, it will be upsetting to your wife and daughter, you can feel your very soul revolting at the thought of spending even more hours working...but you must. The workers of the world demand it! Cost: Severely stressful, unhealthy, bad for your family. Time: 1 month. DC: No roll. Results: +1 temporary Influence.
Personal Attention: If you spend a few hours working on a particular task, it will likely go smoother. It will cut into the time you would normally spend with your family or your books, but it is a sacrifice you will have to make. Cost: Stressful, not great for your family. Time: 1 month. DC: No roll. Results: Small dice and narrative bonus to chosen action.
Exercise: You have gotten slightly out of shape thanks to the stress of the election. Getting back in shape would be good for your health and your image...and if you ever get the chance to to punch Huey Long in his fat face, it will help then too. Cost: Not great for your family. Time: 1 month. DC: No roll. Results: Decrease in stress, improvement to health.
Spend Time With Your Family: Your daughter Hannah misses you, as does your wife Louise. Spending some extra time with them this month will make up for all the times you missed doing it during the campaign season. Cost: None. Time: 1 month. DC: No roll. Results: Major decrease in stress, good for your family.
Write: You have been working on another book about your own thoughts and beliefs about socialism and syndicalism, as well as on a few poems, memoirs, and some other odds and ends. Spending some time working on that will help order your thoughts and ease your burdens. Cost: Not great for your family. Time: 1 month. DC: No roll. Results: Decrease in stress, possibility of new traits.
Free Actions
Tweak a Subordinate's Priorities: While those who are working with you are scattered across the country, between the train and the telegram they are within reach. Requesting a minor change to their priorities is a simple matter. Cost: May pick only once per turn. Time: 1 month. DC: No roll. Result: May make 1 change to 1 subordinate's priorities (change order, add one, remove one).
Choose A Focus: You currently have no focus. Select two from the Available Focuses spoiler.
In the Dark - Not every battle to bring the light of socialism to the world can be fought cleanly. Reactionaries will attempt to infiltrate and disrupt your movement, but you can do the same to them. Time: 0.5 months. Effect: Unlock Intrigue actions.
In the Thoughts of Those Who Strive - It is not enough to act. You must have a reasoning behind your action, a framework to guide your efforts. Time: 0.5 months. Effect: Unlock Intellectual actions
[x] Plan: The Workers Strike Back
-[x] Create Strike Fund
--[x]Influence
-[x]Socialist Radio Networks:
-[x]Send Union Organizers To assist the anti-Ford strikes
--[x]Authority
-[x] Write
-[x] Focus
--[x] In the Dark
--[x] In the Thoughts of Those Who Strive
Benefits from Veterans in the Red Guards) Pinkertons and police have been used to break many strikes, often injuring or killing innocent men and women who wanted nothing more than fair treatment and rarely suffering consequences for that. This cannot be tolerated any further. While such behavior can now be legally punished in many states, that doesn't always discourage it. More drastic measures must be taken. Find the best and most determined members of the Red Guards who are willing to do it full time and shuttle them around the country to protect major strikes. They will need some training and equipment of course. Cost: 3 Resources, - 0.5 Resources per month. Risk of backlash DC: 0/25/50/100. Results: Form small force of semi-professional troops who will be automatically deployed at major strikes and similar actions.