In terms of population, I'm pretty sure we're ahead, since the big, urbanized populations are in the Steel Belt and SPA aligned territories. (For example, New York is the most populated state at 12+ million, and something like half of that is in NYC alone. Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Ohio are the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th most populated, and they're all solidly on our camp.)
Still, while we've been doing a lot of attacking the Federal government (to great effect, as we can see), we haven't been doing nearly as much to show or argue that the SPA is going to be better. So that's something we're gonna need to work on next turn, lest Long get his message in first.
Scheduled vote count started by notbirdofprey on Jul 27, 2021 at 10:44 PM, finished with 27 posts and 14 votes.
[X] Plan: The Red Armies, Plural
-[X] [STERN] Slightly harsh. Imprisonment, beatings, and possible execution for desertion, imprisonment, beatings, and possible execution for rape and looting, verbal lecturing and shaming for lesser misconduct.
-[X] [CENT] There will be a small set of possible codes to allow for some limited flexibility.
[X] [STERN] Slightly harsh. Imprisonment, beatings, and possible execution for desertion, imprisonment, beatings, and possible execution for rape and looting, verbal lecturing and shaming for lesser misconduct.
Scheduled vote count started by notbirdofprey on Jul 27, 2021 at 10:44 PM, finished with 27 posts and 14 votes.
[X] Plan: The Red Armies, Plural
-[X] [STERN] Slightly harsh. Imprisonment, beatings, and possible execution for desertion, imprisonment, beatings, and possible execution for rape and looting, verbal lecturing and shaming for lesser misconduct.
-[X] [CENT] There will be a small set of possible codes to allow for some limited flexibility.
[X] [STERN] Slightly harsh. Imprisonment, beatings, and possible execution for desertion, imprisonment, beatings, and possible execution for rape and looting, verbal lecturing and shaming for lesser misconduct.
Huh. I guess this was the "everyone rolled well" turn of background rolls. Even the two Fed rolls that were below 50 (one being the lowest roll at 25) got made up by that Nat 100.
Also, we now have 18 Influence (and 2 Gravitas) thus putting us absurdly above our cap. Our next two turns should be devoted to making sure we have a handle on ourselves/spreading our popularity, putting out any inevitable fires... and then everything else into Subordinate stuff.
We can Back Up Butler to trade some support for Butler getting more Influence.
We can increase our cap from 10 to 12, giving us two more dice to use yourselves.
We have a Propaganda Team that can take dice, we have a Union Representative that can take dice, and we can spend 2 Influence to give 3 Influence to Thomas and the CLC total.
By the end of May the goal should be to again be just barely above the maximum Influence we can use... but so much richer when it comes to both our options each turn and the Subordinates we have. Butler and Thomas can be stronger, and we can add 2, or maybe even 3, new subordinates.
If we can spare the Influence next turn, we should take Newspaper Analysts.
Other actions with no to extremely low DC, like The International Question and The Legacy of John Brown, might also be worth looking at. They could go a long way to make some of our long-term plans (partnering up with the Syndintern and priming the people for the Revolution) go down a bit easier.
If we can spare the Influence next turn, we should take Newspaper Analysts.
Other actions with no to extremely low DC, like The International Question and The Legacy of John Brown, might also be worth looking at. They could go a long way to make some of our long-term plans (partnering up with the Syndintern and priming the people for the Revolution) go down a bit easier.
You're right, but I doubt we can spare it, because if we have spare Influence it'd be kinda silly not to get more subordinates rolled up or enhanced. Butler especially is important, since the third dice adds a lot to his flexibility.
Four men hunched over the table like they were planning a battle. And in a way, Sally thought, they were. This was to be the first Socialist Party rally in Louisville since Reed came and spoke in the aftermath of the election. After that affair, arrests and street clashes and blacklists had broken the back of the local party branch...but the spirit of the workers had been indomitable, and they had come back stronger.
The men who had led their repression had died one by one, and the party ascended. She thought back to long nights guarding party offices and days passing out pamphlet after pamphlet. At the time, it had been just her and the four men in the room with her, but they had exploited every opportunity they had been given. Careful publicization had filled newspapers with images of police beating nursing mothers offering them roses and Longist thugs attacking crowds of homeless men standing in line for soup. The chaos as the Democrat mayor and the Longist governor tugged back and forth over the city had led to workers falling through the cracks, and one by one those forgotten men had been radicalized.
And now they were planning a thousands-strong rally, one that would be guarded by thick ranks of Red Guards and take place in front of the currently vacant mayor's residence.
She grinned ferally, and interrupted her comrades. "We should occupy the mayor's house," she told them.
"We'll make it a party office. When the rest of the police fail to stop us, it will show all the city that the worker's time has come."
She thought back to her time in jail.
"We'll show them that everyone is free now."
She thought of the cold of her cell as she shivered, denied anything warm because she wouldn't bow and scrape. She thought of the meals they spattered across the floor of her cell until she had no pride left and licked it up.
"We'll show them that no one will freeze or starve ever again."
Her voice was rigid, unyielding. She would not bend and she would not break.
Her four friends, the ones who had stood by her every chance that they had gotten, the ones who had urged her on just as she had urged them, hesitated. They exchanged quiet glances, but then she saw resolve in their eyes.
"And if anyone tries to stop us?"
She gave them an ice cold smile.
They nodded. They had no more questions.
Now there were five crowded around the table, planning something that would be a bit more than just a rally. They added a list of places to be taken, a list that slowly grew longer. Police stations. Factories. The train station.
This was going to be more than just a rally.
As dawn rose in Louisville, the streets were thick with people. Red Guards and rallygoers thronged around, filling roads from door to door, denying what few cars were out this early passage.. But they were not the only ones. A ragged blue line guarded a few streets, the men in it trembling as they stared at the enormous crowd. More than a few thought they should have come down with some illness rather than try to fight this great red leviathan. But others had more courage.
Marching proudly into town was a great block of men in a motley mix of uniforms. The white hoods mingled with the starched suits of the Silver Legions and the gray shirts of Son of the Civil War and the outfits of a dozen other paramilitaries of varying size, all surrounded by the motley clothes of the Minutemen.
As they approached, Red Guards gathered to meet them. The great and the good of Louisville cheered the arrival of their potential saviors from the impending red terror they feared, while the remaining police decided they should defend their headquarters with extreme focus.
The whole city held its breath as the rival forces glared at each other. They looked across and saw a terrifying horde, out to ruin everything they held dear. They clenched their weapons and murmured silent prayers and looked to see who would make the first move.
The sun rose higher, and a gentle gust of wind stirred some dirt on the city street.
The silence grew thicker, and thicker.
And then someone took a step forward.
Shots rang out with wild abandon, arcing through the air. Screams and battle cries echoed off the hard surface of the road. But for all the ferocity of the clash, it didn't last long. Clumps broke apart, individuals fled, and by the time the sun rose, the Red Guard stood triumphant, and throughout the city red banners flew.
The transformations began almost immediately, as factories were seized one after another. A general strike was declared, with the elected Strike Committee taking the office of the mayor and running the city. Policemen and capitalists were put on trial, with some effort put into making them free and fair. The soup kitchens grew dramatically as the funding that went into them also grew.
And in a backroom at their old office, the person who had planned it all and the four who helped her sat back and drank a toast.
"To absent comrades," they said, five glasses raised as one.
Rumors and News
As March dies down, word comes from the White House. Hoover has recovered from the various illnesses that have afflicted him, and intends to make his State of the Union Speech.
It's possibly the biggest event of the year, at least in Washington. Hundreds of reporters are invited, not just from pro-Fed papers like TheChicago Tribune or The San Francisco Guardian or The New York World, but Syndicalist papers like The Red Banner and The Chicago Syndicate and The New York Worker and Longist papers like The New Orleans Times and The Texas Gazette. Even foreign reporters from a half-dozen countries are invited. Both houses of Congress are asked to attend, along with many other dignitaries and luminaries: industrialists, generals, ambassadors, and more...
Security is incredibly tight, of course. Everyone who comes is extensively vetted and searched, even you. You are searched a full four times in fact, from the time you entered the Capitol to the time you took your seat.
At last, Hoover entered. He is walking with a cane, and his hair has gone pure white. His face is lined in a dozen places, and the left corner of his mouth droops. But he still has a quiet dignity to him.
You expected a wave of boos and catcalls, and you were waiting to join in, but the shock of seeing how badly his condition has deteriorated has silenced you...and everyone else. He makes his slow way to the podium and stands for a moment, looking over you all. His gaze rests on you and Long for an instant longer than anyone else.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your time. I know these years have not been easy for any of us. But I have hopes that America can rise again. I know Vice President Curtis has made many decisions while I was indisposed. I am sure he was doing his best, but the results of his efforts stand before us: division, chaos, and unrest. I know many of you do not have faith in me, but I wish to assure you all I will be doing everything in my power to help mend this country, to feed the hungry and give succor to the weary, to share the wealth of America with all, to see a chicken in every pot. And to that end, the first thing that is needed is unity. To that end, I would like to invite Senator Reed and Senator Long to join my Cabinet as advisors..."
The stunned silence ends there in a flurry of shouting and outrage, until Representative Wallace rises. "What powers will they have to make your promises come true? Because we know you won't do a thing for it!"
The SPA and AFP delegations are briefly united in cheering on Wallace and jeering at Hoover, until he is forced to beat a hasty retreat.
And then afterwards come a slew of attacks through the media on you and Long, denouncing your "defiance," your "dictatorial tendencies," and your "boorishness." While those attacks have little impact among your supporters, they provide ammunition for your enemies as they seek to smear you, with limited success.
While the smear campaign falters, Hoover goes on a tour of the country to discuss economic support in various states. The fact that this mostly happens in states which have maintained some federal strongholds such as California, Florida, Virginia, and Texas does not go unremarked on, with Hoover stating outright that commitment to "democracy and the American way" is a vital part of success.
Long rallies against such comments with typical bombastness, while beginning his own reforms, which began in Louisiana but are soon mimicked elsewhere. Now, in addition to the state-sponsored unions, there is the Department of Industry, responsible for helping ensure that the state's economy is functioning and developing. While they have a broad array of powers, including the ability to request the relevant sections of the union go on strike, there is also a careful array of checks to make sure the state remains a good environment for capitalist exploitation. To your surprise, it appears no legal challenges are forthcoming.
And Long appears to be confidently securing his grip across the American south, although Texas, Virginia, Kentucky, and Florida are all resisting his influence as True KKK partisans and Democrat stalwarts rally to Hoover, who has gone from the hated incompetent to a martyred statesmen tarred with the failures of his rivals in their eyes.
You, meanwhile, manage to build on your successes in unifying the party, pushing through several resolutions designed to encourage debate over division. While largely successful, there are a few grumbles by those who have lost allies to the scythe of party discipline, but the real trouble comes from the Totalists, who kick enough of a fuss about the inflexibility of the codes and "undemocratic nature of their imposition upon dedicated syndicalists." This does little more than garner them a few interested looks from those who were otherwise uninterested, but a few Red Guards units do take it up, publicly rejecting any form of code except the one they make themselves.
This gains little attention as the number of your supporters surge in cities and on the farms, bolstered by your demonstrations of support for their beleaguered populations and transparently partisan nature of Hoover's economic plans. As the number of supporters swells, so too does the number of minority supporters, something that made you somewhat concerned over how various factions would react. However, it was largely unremarked on, except for several AFL reps who commented on how pleased they are that the SPA is truly representing all workers. It appears even the bastions of relative conservatism within your ranks are beginning to recognize the importance of solidarity and justice for all.
But there's news of far greater significance to the party.
It seems that survivors of the Indiana Klan and members of the Minutemen in western Kentucky made contact with members of the Black Legion, and decided to demonstrate their strength. A large group of men, armed with rifles, a machine gun, homemade explosives, and accompanied by improvised armored trucks went on an attack in Indiana, looking to destroy local Red Guards branches.
Unfortunately, the Red Guards were warned by a sympathizer from Kentucky, and were able to set up an ambush on a forested stretch of wood, detonating explosives under the trucks and then harrying the Longists as they fled in disarray and confusion. Estimates suggest that approximately a hundred men escaped, while another hundred were captured, although some of them regrettably died of the wounds that resulted in their capture. The rest had their bodies burned. Butler was highly congratulatory to the units involved.
Outside of that clash, the nation has been relatively quiet, with no major assassinations or attacks. The skirmishes continue, intensifying in some cities and dying down in others.
And your comrades to the north report increasing effectiveness of the state repression as many flee south, getting smuggled through Detroit and Seattle or fleeing into the Great Plains. Meanwhile, efforts at developing a payment plan and normalizing relations have begun, with Canadian gold being shipped south in exchange for American machinery.
Plans from Subordinates
The Coordination Committee, with the growing ranks of the various town militias, will now be working on seeing to their ideological correctness in the hopes of turning them fully to revolutionary methods.
The State Legislative Committee is going to be looking to legally justify the seizures of various factories and acquire the services of lawyers to help them manage that.
Norman Thomas is going to be lambasting MacArthur, with Curtis unavailable and Hoover temporarily insulated to a degree from criticism. He will also be meeting with Floyd and taking aim at the partisan nature of Hoover's economic plans.
Smedley Butler will finish overseeing the institution of training camps and then begin working to make sure the Red Guards are as well equipped as possible.
Charles Schenk will be working to expand the secret ways in and out of Canada and begin creating better spies through formalizing and organizing previously ad hoc intelligence efforts.
Ben Stevens will be working to expand existing farming cooperatives and stiffen the militias there with more experienced and disciplined troops.
And the SPA cadres, finding themselves somewhat divided, will be working on a variety of tasks, including condemning pink unions, seizing further factories, and expanding mutual aid institutions.
You have 8 Influence and 2 Gravitas total. 0 Gravitas and 1 Influence are committed to ongoing actions. You have 2 Semi-Temporary Influence for Militant actions. You are currently taking On the Farms.
+5 to one Political action. +10 to one Union action.
The capitalist oppression of the working class grows more intolerable by the day. If the leadership of the SPA will not commit to their liberation by any means necessary, we will. Begin efforts to suppress and terrify reactionaries within 3 months (From the Fosterites. ++Strength to the Fosterites, +Relations with the Fosterites, +Support from the TUUL, IWW MM, and IWW MA, - Support from the AFL and SPU if completed. +Support from the AFL and SPU, --Relations with the Fosterites if failed).
While some in the party see the deeds of the Red Guards as minor excesses or necessary acts, the majority condemns them sharply. They must be taken in hand, and soon. Take multiple measures to keep them from running wild within 2 months. (From the Centrists, the AFL, the SPU, the ASA, and both factions of the IWW. +Strength to the Center, -Strength to the Fosterites, +Relations with the Center, the Anarchists, the Parliamentarians, and the Syndicalists, +2 Temporary Influence for Militant actions if completed. -5 to all Militant actions for 1 month, ---support from the AFL, SPU, ASA, and both factions of the IWW, -Relations with all party factions except the Totalists and Fosterites if failed.)
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. Here is what it says: Let your foes try and stop you. They will be ground under your heel. Cost: 1 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. Or to defend yourself and your decisions. The possibilities of the written word are limitless. Cost: 1 Resource 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.
Send Socialist 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 turn your foe's supporters against them, 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. Unlock actions to follow up on the agitation.
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 and county governments alongside even more widespread but less official influence. You even control most 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. However, given the likely federal determination to show strength, such a provocative action could be risky. Cost: Backlash from within and without the Party, possible legal challenges. Time: 3 months. DC: 55/105/155/205. Results: Various states and lower-level governments integrated into a coordinated body, many new possibilities available, although the body could be unwieldy.
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 support within the CSA. Time: 1 month. DC: 0/Variable/Variable. Results: Increase Relations and Strength of selected faction, chance of gaining support within the CSA.
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 number of changes to 1 subordinate. Can be taken multiple times. Cannot be done for SPA Cadres
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: 0/10/20/30/40/50/60/70/80/90/100/110/140. Result: One-time increase to Resources, amount is dependent on roll.
Open Investigation: If a subordinate is unpopular or incompetent, you can begin publically looking into their performance. This can wash off some of the reflected stink, particularly if you find something, but if there is no evidence of wrongdoing or fraud that can only make the situation worse or lead to questions of your judgement. Cost: Chance of -1 Influence. Time: 1 month. DC: 0/Variable/Variable. Result: Some chance of finding problems with chosen subordinate, options to deal with problems, chance of +1 Influence. Cannot be done for SPA Cadres
Support Subordinate: Expressing confidence in a subordinate, either by offering direct aid or by giving material support, can boost their performance, especially if there isn't a structural reason for their failures. Cost: None. Time: 1 month. DC: No roll. Result: Positive modifier to chosen subordinate, chance of them gaining positive trait.
The International Question: With contact made with the Syndintern, they will soon begin encouraging internationalist behavior. Considering the amount of assistance you will need for them, it would be wise to help support revolutions in Canada and in the various client states of America, along with taking part in the broader Syndintern in less overt ways. Gauging the positions of various factions on this will help you understand your position. Cost: None. Time: 1 month. DC: 0. Result: Find out the position of all factions of the SPA and CSA on internationalism.
Display your Dedication: You are being accused of weakness, softness, and cowardice. Despite all you have suffered and sacrificed, it is not enough for some. Fine then, you will show them how much the cause means to you. A whirlwind tour across the country, visiting every union and party office you can meet, will provide the proof and silence their accusations. From Seattle to New York City, from Portland to Houston, anywhere men and women struggle for their liberation you will stand in their support. Cost: No Personal Action next month. Time: 2 months. DC: 25/50/75. Result: Gain Relations with all SPA factions.
Squeeze the Fosterites: The newest group in the SPA has a dangerous ideology, one that threatens to provoke a reactionary alliance that could deal painful blows to your cause. The more mainstream factions recognize this, and would likely be willing to cooperate with you to hammer the divides in them and pressure them to return to the fold (with a price in mind, of course. Such is politics). Those who resist this pressure will be embittered, but they are going to be a minority of a minority. What harm can they do? Cost: Will further radicalize any remaining Fosterites, will politically indebt you to other factions. Time: 1 month. DC: 25/50/75/100. Result: Begin campaign to marginalize the Fosterites, will have options on how to handle it until it ends.
Pro-Liberation Politics: The anti-racism program must be built on. The party's ideological limitations on the matter must be removed. There is more to be done...there is always more to be done. Some will back you to the hilt on this, others will oppose it to the end, but you must trust that the desire for unity triumphs over factional bickering...and you will spend some time laying the groundwork first before announcing your new proposals, since they will likely be controversial. Cost: Relations with party factions, support in the CSA. Time: 2 months. DC: 0/25/50/75/125. Result: Lay groundwork for and then propose modifications to the party line to further support anti-discrimination measures. Higher Relations will mean better results.
Shore Up Support: You have sensed a slight chilling of your relations with the CSA, although many in their ranks are still your determined and dedicated allies. But you cannot predict how everything will fall out, and so rather than take their assistance for granted, you will spend some time speaking and working with them, making sure they know they are appreciated and hearing requests. It's simply part of being a leader, unfortunately, even if it's one you don't enjoy. Cost: Slight increase to Stress, time spent schmoozing is time not spent building up to a Revolution. Time: Until ended. DC: 10/25/40/50. Result: Reduced negative impact of actions on CSA support, hear requests and suggestions from your supporters.
Assistant Adjustment: Even as your assistants work to make sure their views are supported by the party machinery, they are also being genuinely helpful in managing the fractious ranks and building towards the coming revolution. You could always use a few more...or perhaps you need to remove someone. Cost: Political turmoil, modification to bonuses. Time: 1 month. DC: 0. Result: Options to change assistants.
Speak for Liberty: While the SPA is at least somewhat united behind you, your willingness to push for social revolution has had the anarchists in the party and their similarly socially left allies be some of your most enthusiastic supporters, despite their relatively small numbers. If you want to make use of that support, you will need to help them. Speak on the topic of liberty, encourage support for racial minorities, demand women's liberation...perhaps go so far as to say homosexuality is acceptable. Let them know they have an ally in you. Cost: Political turmoil. Time: 1 month. DC: 50. Result: Increase in Strength and Relations of Anarchists.
Condemn Atrocities: If you wish to keep the violent and vicious Fosterites from gaining strength, you need to lay the groundwork before you break them. Make it part of the SPA program to condemn excessive brutality, the murder of noncombatants and innocents, and wanton destruction. While the language will mostly be used against capitalists and Longists, it can also be applied to the sort of things they advocate for, making a useful cudgel against your enemies in the party. Cost: Some political turmoil. Time: 1 month. DC: 10/30/60/90. Result: Decrease in the Strength of the Fosterites.
Back Up Butler: Butler has done an excellent job of reforming and expanding the Red Guard, turning it from a barely-controlled paramilitary into an effective force However, some of the changes he has made have been contentious, and he plans more. Some have begun suggesting you should rid yourself of him...something which you have no intentions of doing so. Make that clear, and make it crystal clear that Smedley Butler has your full confidence. Cost: Loss of CSA support. Time: 1 month. DC: 5/10/15/20. Result: Increase to Smedley Butler's Influence
Expand Party Bureaucracy: The Socialist Party of America has a fairly large and effective bureaucracy: clerks and secretaries and accountants, paper-pushers of every stripe. They provide immense value to the party's efforts...you wish you had more. Fortunately, there is an easy solution to that problem. Cost: -2 Resources per turn. Time: 1 month. DC: 0. Result: +2 to the Influence cap.
Command the Cadres: The SPA Cadres have been enjoying their newfound independence, and will be reluctant to give it up again even temporarily, but you are liked and respected enough that they will do it. Even if they will complain. Cost: Political impact depends on what you choose. Time: 1 month. DC: 0. Result: Adjust SPA Cadre actions as you see fit.
Keep Pushing: The Fosterites and some allies pushed you about the Commissars and you pushed back. With the Battle of New York allegedly started by the poor trigger discipline of a Red Guard, now is the time to keep pushing. Demand restraint, demand order, demand reorganization. Who would disagree, at this juncture? Cost: ??? Time: 1 month. DC: ??. Result: Major increase to political support for restraining the Red Guards.
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. Unlock actions for following up on the organization.
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: -1 Influence, potential loss of support from the CSA. 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.
Prepare Small-Town Unions: The farming cooperatives and the Red Grange are taking the lead in working with rural areas, providing the slowly growing unions there with expertise and assistance organizing. But another gap in your capabilities has been revealed. You don't have much reach in the small twins that only have minor factories or mines. Unions have begun to slowly form in some of these towns, but more work needs to be done to ensure that these unions will represent their workers, and not serve as another tool of oppression by the town capitalists, especially given their relatively weak ideological underpinnings. While many unions have begun forming with SPA encouragement, they tend to be more collaborationist than confrontational. Cost: None. Time: 1 month. DC: 10/35/70. Result: Strengthen newly formed unions organizationally and ideologically..
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. The examples of such institutions being created in Chicago have helped show the way. Cost: 1 Resource. Time: 1 month. DC: 20/40/80/100. Result: Improve quality of food kitchens. +0.5 Resources per month. Gain support from IWW MA and MM.
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: Very low chance of loss of support or Influence. Time: 1 month. DC: 0/10/20/30/40/50/60/70/80/90/100/110/120. Result: One-time increase to Resources, amount is dependent on roll.
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: 25/50/75. 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. Gain support from the Teamster's Union.
Social Bonds: With the credit unions established, one immediate possibility to secure desperately needed funds is a simple scheme inspired by ones begun then abandoned during the Weltkrieg. Ask people to buy Labor Bonds, which can be redeemed at a later date for an amount equal to their purchase value. The money raised in the meantime can be put to use for any number of programs or initiatives. Cost: You will have to pay them back in a year. Time: 1 month. DC: 0/10/20/30/40/50/75/100/110/120. Result: Large, one-time boost to Resources.
Form Farmer's Cooperatives: The newly organized farmer's cooperatives are young and fragile. They need tractors, fertilizer, organizational support, and more. The Red Grange is struggling to assist with these matters, lacking finances and reach. And the Dust Bowl continues to ravage the Great Plains. Government subsidies are being delayed and disappeared by hostile civil servants and damaged infrastructure. The party must take care of it's newest members...although they have been largely taking care of themselves. Cost: 4 Resources, minor loss of support within the CSA. Time: 1 month. DC: 60/80/100. Result: Expand and strengthen farmer cooperatives, gain Relations with Ultraleft Farmer Labor and support from the Red Grange.
Mass Recruiting, Pt. 2: The sheer mass and organization of the working class gives you a potent tool for further empowering the American socialist cause. The overwhelming pro-SPA propaganda has begun countering the decades of mystification the American workers have undergone, but there are still many groups who stubbornly resist the tide of revolution. Some, such as the petty capitalists and highly-paid workers, need an explanation of the benefits of your cause. Some, such as reactionary churches, need to be exposed for the falsehoods they spread. But for some, financial and material incentives will be needed to secure their support, along with reminders as to the fate of class traitors. Cost: 6 Resources.Time: 3 months. DC: 30/60/90. Result: Further increase to size of the unions.
Mass Organization: With the unions growing in size on a daily basis, measures need to be taken to ensure the democratic control of the unions is maintained. Through vote buying, carefully designed structures, and coercion, corrupt bosses maintain their positions, while other leadership figures openly advocate for reformism or racism. The Revolution will not succeed with dedicated leadership from dedicated syndicalists. The political fight caused by this will be long and bloody and painful, but it will secure your position in the party, hopefully without causing too much splintering or outcry. Cost: Significant losses of support from party factions and the CSA. Time: 1 month. DC: 40/80/100/160. Result: Grip on party politics strengthened, subvote, actions to follow up unlocked.
Medical Assistance: A small trickle of doctors and nurses have begun to join party ranks, motivated by a mix of fear, hope, and the fact that the SPA seems to be the only faction with some sort of direction in many cities. While this has led to some ad-hoc benefits, such as the formation of Nurse's Unions and the establishment of small clinics that offer discounts to SPA members, there is nothing widespread yet. Encourage and cultivate the development of such systems to make your urban supporters healthier and heartier. Cost: -2 Resources, -1 Resources per month. Time: 2 months. DC: 10/25/50. Result: Easier access to medical assistance for your urban supporters.
Further Factory Seizures: Though the strikes are beginning to slow as the federal government awakens from its apparent slumber, the workers definitely have the upper hand here. Strikebreakers are gunned down, scabs are being driven from the factories they try to operate. The only way is forward! Claim more factories, take the centers of economic power, seize the means of production from sea to shining sea! Cost: Hostility from outside forces. Time: 1 month. DC: 5/25/45/60. Result: More factories seized, further expansion to income.
Negotiate With Bosses: With the capitalists left destitute by the sudden loss of their property, they are denied much of their strength and leverage and reduced to begging for scraps. While some find it amusing and want to leave them dependent on charity and others want to force them into the street brigades, some propose a more humane alternative: giving them small pensions and encouraging them to integrate as workers. This kind treatment would not officially be dependent on them agreeing to give up any legal claim to the property they supposedly owned. But there would be that implication. Cost: Some minor displeasure from the left of the party, 4 Resources, -3.5 Resources per month. Time: 1 month. DC: 25/50/75. Result: Decrease in complaints from former factory owners about you, reduction in unrest.
Rural-Urban Exchanges: The current system of interaction between farming cooperatives and worker-run factories is ad-hoc and limited by the capitalist framework both currently function in, but frameworks can be worked around. Simply arranging for direct transfers of materials, food, and products between mines, factories, and farms would be the easiest way to solve this problem, and the least controversial. Many are concerned that this would not be capable of handling the complexities of a modern, industrial economy however. Cost: None. Time: 1 month. DC: 30. Result: Establishment of more formalized and direct exchanges between worker-run facilities, increase in economic efficiency.
Socialist Markets: An alternate proposal, one popular among the more Orthodox wings of the party, is that workers at these facilities could be given labor vouchers representing the value of their work. These vouchers could then be exchanged for products at markets. The main difference between this and conventional finance is that the value of vouchers would be decided democratically and that they cannot be accumulated. Cost: Decrease in support and relations with the syndicalist wings of the SPA and CSA, 5 Resources. Time: 3 months. DC: 45/90/135. Result: Increase in income, establishment of labor voucher based markets in locations with a strong SPA presence. Gain of support and relations with orthodox wings of the SPA and CSA. Increase in economic efficiency. Reduced strength of the Center, increased strength of the Orthodox.
A Union Shop: Socialized stores have become common in Chicago as workers inspired by the strike or owners compelled by it create democratically run stores. Though mocked by some on the left and some in the more syndicalist wing as "market socialism" and accused of not removing the profit motive, even their strongest critics cannot deny they serve a useful person during this transitory phase. Begin encouraging local unions to establish shops along these lines, and ask for a small cut of the proceeds perhaps? The widespread establishment of these grows ever more vital as the toll of being forced to pay ridiculous fees for the use of capitalist's services and the inefficiencies of going without begin to take their toll. Cost: loss of support from TUUL and ASA, loss of relations with the Orthodox. 5 Resources. Time: 2 months. DC: 20/50/80. Result: Increase in income, establishment of market cooperatives in locations with a strong SPA presence. Gain of support from IWW, Teamster's Union, and Regional Unions, increased Relations and Strength for the Syndicalists. Increase in economic efficiency. Decrease in Strength of the Centrists.
Rationalize Production Schemes: With the vast number of factories seized, different product schematics, manufacturing methods, and research facilities are now in the property of the workers. Though some of the men responsible for the more cutting edge possibilities are reluctant to work with "filthy Reds," sufficient bribery has overcome such concerns. Begin working to integrate the best of each factory and develop further innovations to turn the existing industrial base into the greatest in the world! Cost: 4 Resources, -4 Resources per month. Time: 1 month. DC: 25/50/75. Result: Begin integrating the segmented knowledge and innovations of the various companies and improving on their work.
Arms Production: The Red Guards need more and better weapons. They need ammunition. They need grenades and uniforms. They need vehicles to transport them and fuel to supply them. An army is an incredibly difficult thing to supply, but you will need to support one. While you can't make anything heavier than mortars currently, small arms can be produced in significant quantities. It's time to start arming the forces of revolution so that they can match the foot soldiers of reaction and the servants of capital. Cost: 8 Resources, -6 Resources per month. Time: 3 months. DC: 30/70/120. Result: Begin producing large quantities of weapons, Red Guards better armed and equipped, unlock new options to supply and train them.
Union-Integrated Planning: Currently, each factory and farm does as it sees best. While the creation of any market system would help coordinate their operations indirectly, doing so effectively would require the return of the profit motive and economic labor discipline. An alternative proposal, to be done separately or in combination, would be to create an Office of Economic Planning, responsible for creating 3-month production targets with the democratic input and experienced guidance of the workers. Such plans would be complex things, but they would also enable great economic efficiency. Cost: 3 Resources, -2 Resources per month. Time: 3 months. DC: 45/100/165. Result: Establishment of a democratic department for handling economic planning. Must establish what the goals of that planning are soon after. Decrease in Strength of the Centrists.
Appoint an Outreach Manager: With efforts at denying you support growing in numbers and sophistication, you need to develop your advocacy among workers in response. From the imported Chinese scabs and desperate Okies of California to the suffering smallholder farmers of the Great Plains to the exploited miners and factory workers to the American heartland, there are millions just waiting to join your cause...if only they could be persuaded of their exploitations and educated of their class interests. Cost: Influence, loss of support in the CSA. Time: 1 month. DC: 0/Variable/Variable. Result: Appointment of a subordinate responsible for outreach and agitation, vote on how much to commit to them, potential gains in Support or Relations.
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: 1 Resource. Time: 1 month. DC: 15/30/45/60. Result: Create stockpiles of "non-lethal" weapons for the use of the Red Guards.
Establish Sporting Clubs: The wholesale purchase of firearms and ammunition by individuals draws attention. But sporting clubs, shooting ranges, and similar institutions doing so would not be a concern. Create a network of these companies as a means of subtly acquiring not just equipment for the Red Guards, but a way for them to train. Cost: 4 Resources. Time: 1 month. DC: 20/60/100. Result: Increased armaments for Red Guards, ease of training Red Guards increased, further actions to arm and equip Red Guards unlocked.
California Supplies: While arming the entire Red Guards would be extremely costly, sending rifles and simple explosives down through Mexico and then up into California to equip the Red Guards units there with good weaponry would be a cheaper alternative and demonstrate that the party has not forgotten the cause in California. Cost: 1 Resources. Time: 1 month. DC: 25/50/75. Result: Increased armaments for Red Guards in California.
Arm the Police: In the cities where you control the government, the attitudes of the police have shifted dramatically. They are now proud and determined supporters of their fellow workers against the ravages of capital. While they will need further restructuring to truly socialize them, that will have to wait until after the revolution. For now, you must prepare to fight it. Taking measures to increase the discipline and armaments of friendly policing departments will strengthen your control of the cities. Cost: Loss of relations with the Anarchists, Syndicalists, and Parliamentarians. Time: 2 months. DC: 10/40/70/100. Result: Dramatic increase in the number and quality of the Red Guards.
Street Medics: 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: 1 Resource. Time: 2 months. DC: 30. Results: Red Guards gain street medics, help reduce casualties.
Acquire Explosives: The Syndintern has access to large stocks of a variety of explosives. In addition, there are many ways of making things that can blow up when you have access to vast amounts of industry. Begin stockpiling explosives for use in defensive or offensive actions, although giving them to inexperienced Red Guards could be risky. Cost: 2 Resources. Time: 2 months. DC: 25/50/75. Result: Acquire small but growing and highly eclectic stockpiles of explosives.
Establish Training Camps: There are many remote regions that the SPA has a prominent presence in. The mountains of West Virginia are littered with empty mines, while the endless plains of Iowa are nearly impossible to search without manpower that simply is not available to your enemies. These will be the perfect places to establish camps for your most dedicated Red Guards to begin turning them from paramilitaries skilled in street battles to soldiers of the Revolution. Cost: 2 Resources, -1 Resources per month. Time: 3 months. DC: 15/30/60/120. Result: Establish training camps in isolated areas for turning paramilitaries into soldiers in small numbers.
Toll Fees: With your control of railways and the strength of your paramilitaries in many transportation hubs, you could easily gain substantial incomes by insisting on donations for those passing through, although you will need to make sure there are exceptions for those who already support you or who it would be dangerous to stop. Cost: Decrease in support among moderates, increase in corruption. Time: 1 month. DC: 45/90/135. Result: Increase to income.
Scab Intimidation: The scabs and reactionary militias are outnumbered, outgunned, and outclassed. This may change as refugees continue flowing into the cities and capitalists fund their running dogs, but for now you have the advantage, and you must seize it. The Red Guards will defeat and drive off these "self-defense groups" and "protectors of the American way" and "private security forces" and show them that they are as dust before the tides of history. Cost: Risk of backlash. Time: 1 month. DC: 0/?/?/?. Result: Reactionary militias and scab groups defeated and destroyed in areas you are strong.
Security Procedures: The protection of leadership is the duty of the Revolutionary Guard, but there are not enough of those brave men to protect everyone. So it will be up to the Red Guards to protect union halls and party offices. To do so successfully will require the development of better security procedures than standing outside the front door. Cost: None. Time: 3 months. DC: 10/30/50. Result: Improved security for SPA facilities.
A Democratic Chain of Command?: The Bolsheviks increasingly relied on a fairly conventional military structure as the Russian Revolutionary War dragged on, while the Black Army had a system of soldier's councils and recallable officers. Both schools of thought have inspired the structure of various Red Guards cells, along with other sources such as the federal army, the militias of the American Independence War, and the forces of the Third Internationale. Devising a system that will be understandable, egalitarian, democratic, and above all effective must be a priority, even if it will not be possible to pressure all Guards units into following it, let alone the various splinter groups. Cost: ?? Time: 3 months. DC: 30/60/90. Result: Choices on how to structure the Red Guards and how much pressure to use for spreading it, dramatic increase in the effectiveness of the Red Guards.
A Red Terror: The furthest fringe of the party, as disorganized and bloodthirsty as they are, does have a point. You have allowed reactionary militias to prosper in places, and the miners of Montana and the workers of New York City have both paid the price for it. In the Midwest and West Virginia, preachers thunder brimstone sermons and incite their followers to arms against you. Collapsing Klan remnants and their equally-violent offspring cling to power in Indiana and Ohio and the Dakotas. And everywhere federal agents and police attempt to suppress the Revolutionary Spirit. It is time to cleanse your holdings of them. Cost: ?? Time: 1 month. DC: 0/10/30/50/70/90/110/150/190. Result: Begin operations to shut down remnants of reactionary and capitalist military forces begin
Instilling Discipline, Pt. 2: The Red Guards are still an irregular force. Only a small portion has experience serving in a military, and an even smaller part is able to devote their full time to fighting and training and drilling. But it is time to fix that. Working with respected figures among their ranks, it is time to raise expectations and tighten standards, to increase the amount of exercises, to begin honing the force, This will doubtless cause some to leave, or form their own organizations, but as long as they accept a degree of oversight over their operations, that is acceptable. Cost: None. Time: 5 months. DC: 25/50/80/110. Result: Improved discipline of the Red Guards.
Honor of the Regiment: One way to encourage good behavior of the Red Guards is to have that behavior reflect on something larger than themselves but more digestible than the syndicalist cause: their unit. Encouraging pride in the larger Red Guards groupings, the creation of distinct uniforms, and the utilization of unique symbology will hopefully create a spirit of socialist brotherhood between the members of the Red Guards groupings, and this spirit can be used through propaganda to make some of the more volatile individuals think twice. Cost: 1 Resource. Time: 3 months. DC: 25/50/75. Result: Create larger Red Guards units with a greater sense of esprit de corps.
A Show of Strength: The furthest fringe of the party, as disorganized and bloodthirsty as they are, does have a point. Reactionary militias are growing bolder, feeling empowered by the collapse of order. Wherever you are weak, they grow powerful, and this cannot be tolerated. Striking a few of these groups, such as some of the Green Mountain Boys who live close to your stronghold, will let your point be made with relatively little bloodshed. Cost: ?? Time: 1 month. DC: 0/15/30/45/60/75/90. Result: Launch a few operations to attack some easy targets.
Retaliatory Measures: The furthest fringe of the party, as disorganized and bloodthirsty as they are, does have a point. Reactionary militias have launched attacks on workers, in one case successfully massacring dozens. While the governments in some cases are protecting them, justice can still be found. The Blair Brigade, together with local forces, can be used to target these groups and make it clear that such slaughters will not be permitted. While there have not been any recent major attacks, there are past ones that have gone unpunished for far too long. Cost: ?? Time: 1 month. DC: 0/10/20/30/40/50/60. Result: Launch a small number of carefully planned retaliatory attacks.
Create Oversight Committees: One thing the capitalist "democracy" of America got right was making sure the military is entirely controlled by the civilian government. While de jure this is true for the Red Guards, it is not always de facto. One way to fix this would be to create committees of mixed soldiers and civilians that severe misbehavior can be reported to and that would generally provide oversight and direction. This may well be a controversial effort, but it will definitely be popular with some segments. Cost: Loss of Relations with Totalists and Ultra-Ultraleft, loss of Support from TUUL, SPU, and the Teamster's Union, potentially upsetting to Red Guards Time: 3 months. DC: 30/60/90. Result: Create oversight committees, greater control over Red Guards, increase in support from ASA, IWW, and AFL-CIO, gain in Relations from every other faction.
Self-Defense Units: The Red Guards need to expand. But they need to maintain their quality and discipline. The best solution you have currently is to not actually recruit more directly, at least not until you have a good way of training them. Instead, you will recruit those willing to fight as self-defense units, given more limited responsibilities under the oversight of those more experienced and capable. The only problem is getting enough weapons for everyone... Cost: None. Time: 2 months. DC: 10/40/70/100. Result: Create self-defense units, begin slowly expanding the number of Red Guards.
Making Bankers Bleed: While most banks have collapsed under the strain of crisis and depression, several have been consolidated into larger enterprises which are more effectively able to withstand bank runs and anti-foreclosure efforts. But these banks have offices and vaults in cities throughout America, cities dominated by the Red Guards and friendly police forces. Steal their gold, destroy their paperwork, execute their corrupt leadership. Make them understand that there will be no place for men like Morgan and Fargo. Cost: Likely to provoke a severe reaction, loss of support from AFL-CIO and SPU, loss of Relations with the Parliamentarians. Time: 1 month. DC: 0/10/25/50/100. Result: One-time influx of Resources, records of debt destroyed, bourgeoisie terrorized.
Target Rural Reactionaries: While local Red Guards have performed heroically,, there are various counterrevolutionary elements that remain strong throughout the Midwest. Hostile local militias, criminal gangs ranging from corrupt families who treat their towns life fiefdoms to bandits who resemble the villains of a Western movie, Longist groups, tendrils of the KKK and similar organizations, and more all threaten the newly converted socialists...many of whom have converted back when sufficiently intimidated or otherwise persuaded. While there has been something of a truce in the Midwest after the army moved in, some in the party speculate that they are merely seeking an opportunity, and should be defeated before they find one. Cost: Probable backlash, loss of support from the SPU, slight loss of support from the AFL-CIO. Time: 1 month. DC: 30/50/75/100. Result: Destroy hostile forces in some sections of the Midwest, gain relations with Syndicalists and Orthodox, gain support from both factions of the IWW, strengthen farming cooperatives.
Anti-Adventurist Measures: After the crushed march in San Francisco that attempted to force a series of judicial resignations and the severe anti-syndicalist propaganda created from the aftermath, discussions have begun about working to tighten military control over some of the more far-flung sections of the syndicalist movement. The various Red Guards units in California, the Red Bandits along the Mexican border, the scattered groups in Virginia and Kentucky...all of them have demonstrated a fondness for overaggressive action. Begin working to restrict that. Cost: Varies. Time: 1 month. DC: 15/30/45. Result: Options for increasing control over Red Guards units.
Purchase Arms: Relatively few arms factories were seized, but some were, and already Red Guards units have begun to benefit, but the acquisition of weapons for them is an often haphazard process and only a few units have even standard rifles. But it would be easy enough for larger quantities to be purchased and distributed so that the vast throngs of syndicalist soldiers have good guns and adequate ammunition. Cost: 3 Resources. Time: 1 month. DC: 5/10/25. Result: Better-equipped Red Guards.
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 Anarchists, 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.2: The first connections are drawn, the first pieces of theory are created. Now it's time to poke holes in them and see where it doesn't hold up, either to your ideals or to reality. Your ideas are published, but now it's time to see how people have torn them apart so that you can make them better. Cost: Chance of -1 Influence, chance of increased stress. Time: 1 month. DC: 30/60/120. Result: Refine the results of The American Revolution, Pt. 1
Organize Education: Education is a necessity for workers. Reading, writing, 'rithmetic, critical thinking and understanding history, the skills and knowledge so they can labor and explain why they labor, all these are vital. American schools are fundamentally capitalist institutions, but alternatives can be established. Cost: -3 Resources, -1 Resources per turn. Time: 3 months. DC: 0/25/50/100. Result: Create a system of cheap socialist private schools.
Organize Childcare, Pt. 2: You have designed your improvements to the ad hoc system of childcare, now it is time for the implementation to begin. All this will really involve is producing guides and perhaps some propaganda, but it will help. Cost: None. Time: 1 month. DC: 0/15/45/75. Result: Encourage the creation of more equal and better-designed childcare institutions.
Public Libraries: While libraries are a common and immensely popular institution, they can be improved in a number of ways, from increasing the resources available to them to broadening the services provided to include rentable instruments and instruction programs. Cost: 2 Resources. Time: 1 month. DC: 10/40/70/100. Result: Improve the variety of services offered by libraries.
The Worker's School: There are many subjects not taught in great detail to the workers through the American education system. Leadership, management, socialist ideology...and of course anything behind the most basic parts of math, science, and history, not to mention various less immediately practical subjects. Creating schools for adults, or training wandering schoolteachers to help them, is yet another way to expand your influence and benefit the workers. Cost: 2 Resources, -1 Resources per month. Time: 1 month. DC: 35/70/105. Result: Establish schools for adult workers.
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: 2 Resources, -0.5 Resources per turn. Time: 1 month. DC: 10/30/50/70/90/ Results: Easier recruiting, increase to morale among the party.
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. The lack of any organized system for spreading your message has led to several individuals starting up their own newspapers and similar operations to express support for socialism and syndicalism, albeit with a somewhat critical attitude to you. Cost: 1 Resource. Time: 2 months. DC: 10/50/80. Result: The creation of posters and pamphlets to help spread your message, increased ease of recruiting.
Newspaper Distribution: Various socialist and syndicalist newspapers are produced by SPA members, affiliates, and allies, ranging in quality from the professional The Red Banner made using the equipment formerly belonging to The Chicago Tribune to smeared sheets being printed in basements. Not only do they allow for the expounding of your political program and views, but they perform a variety of community functions. Setting up new printing presses and newsstands can only help you spread your message. Cost: 1 Resource. Time: 2 months. DC: 15/30/45/60/100. Result: Expanded newspaper distribution, easier recruiting and organizing
Photos for All: Photography is an incredibly powerful medium for displaying the impact of events upon people. The Dust Bowl, the Bleeding Midwest, the many deprivations and horrors caused by capitalism...and the triumphs wherever such things are fought would all make excellent subjects for photography. The camera can spread your message and make another potent tool in your arsenal. Cost: 1 Resource. Time: 1 month. DC: 20/40/60. Result: Expanded use of photography in propaganda.
Propagandize Professionals: Doctors and lawyers and managers, all have been greatly affected by this latest crisis. More than a few have been forced into breadlines and soup kitchens alongside the workers they have once looked down on. Approaching them, convincing them to join their cause, will give you access to their skills, which are undeniably useful and valuable. Cost: None. Time: 1 month. DC: 25/50/100. Result: Begin propagandizing destitute professionals.
Expand Rural Propaganda: Speeches and radio messages are already being broadcast, describing in broad terms your goals, your successes, and denigrating your rivals. The news of the ever-growing syndicalist movement will surely persuade many, but there are certainly other tacks to be taken. Encouraging more agitators and investing more time into propagandizing rural areas will doubtless increase your support in the farms of the country to greater levels, hopefully squeezing out Long and the hostile remnants of Farmer-Labor. Cost: 2 Resources, likely to cost support in the CSA. Time: 1 month. DC: 40/80/120. Result: Increased and better propaganda directed at rural areas.
Publicize Accomplishments: You have forced concessions from the hostile federal government, run a city successfully for months, defended the rights of soldiers, and won battles by the score in fields ranging from the courtroom to the street. Broadcast your successes, shout them from the rooftops, because this is only the beginning. There are doubtless thousands of workers who are held in bondage only by their fear. Knowledge of your might will banish that fear. Cost: 1 Resource. Time: 1 month. DC: 30/60/90. Result: Increased propaganda about your successes.
Anti-Longist Propaganda: The Longists are ideologically incoherent, propped up by those they claim to oppose, corrupt, violent, brutal, prejudiced, openly favor the Confederacy and vilify heroes such as John Brown and Thomas Paine, and above all else they are ineffective. While their influence has been mostly expunged from areas you dominate, they still have some presence in parts of several states, most notably New York and the rest of rural New England. Target them. List their failures, condemn their faults, give them no rhetorical respite. Cost: 1 Resource. Time: 1 month. DC: 30/60/90. Result: Increased anti-Longist propaganda.
Mock Federal Incompetence: The federal government has demonstrated viciousness and idiocy in an incredibly variety of ways. There are districts of the capital city where Congressmen can't go for fear of being mobbed. States are tearing themselves apart while the army flails ineffectively and commits massacre after massacre. Dozens of attempts at reform have been struck down, disappeared, or rejected while millions starve and suffer. If you didn't see it, you wouldn't believe it, but there are plenty who reject the evidence of their eyes. Force them to see. Cost: 1 Resource. Time: 1 month. DC: 30/60/90. Result: Increased anti-Federalist propaganda.
Pillory Capitalist Greed: The Longists and the Federalists agree on one thing: capitalism is here to stay. They desperately seek to keep the same failing system, and they will spend as much blood as they need to in order to preserve their hierarchies and privileges. Capitalist greed is behind every death from want or violence since at least 1925. Politicians love to proclaim millions have died to syndicalism and revolutions. It is time to count the tally killed by capitalism and reaction. It is time to lay out the contradictions of capitalism and destroy any denial or defense. Cost: 1 Resource. Time: 1 month. DC: 45/90/135. Result: Increase in general anti-capitalist propaganda.
Establish a Propaganda Team: With the massive efforts for delivering propaganda undergoing, it may be wise to begin creating a dedicated group for managing the delivery and spread of information to the workers of America in order to present yourselves in the best possible light and strip the capitalist manipulation away from plain, unvarnished truth. The person you choose to run this team will have significant influence on what kind of news is being spread. Cost: -1 Influence. Time: 1 month. DC: 10/25/50. Result: Creation of a subordinate for managing propaganda.
Against the Opium: Religion has historically played a large role in American life, and the chaos of the Great Depression has led to something of a revival for its most unusual and esoteric branches. Many churches are strongly reactionary, offering pie in the sky for empty bellies on earth. And many are corrupt as well. Stephenson had pastors helping him, and reaping the sick "benefits" of his brutal actions. Publicize these sins, demand an accounting, and begin breaking the stranglehold of religion on American thought. Cost: 1 Resource, risk of backlash. Time: 1 month. DC: 50/100/150. Result: Increase in anti-church propaganda.
Radio Debates: One of the many potential uses of the new radio networks is to publicize debates between syndicalists and their opposition. The concept has attracted a great deal of interest, since such arguments were an important part of Lincoln's electoral victories. There is also a great deal of debate in how they are to be structured...Cost: Variable. Time: 1 month. DC: 15/30. Result: Votes on how to structure the debates.
The Moral of the Story: The radio is also being popularly used for entertainment, and there is the occasional show you like to listen to in order to relax. There's no reason the SPA can't sponsor a few shows about bands of thieves stealing from robbers, the ordinary adventures of hard-working laborers, or perhaps a grand tale of an alien world wracked by civil war...Cost: 3 Resources, -2 Resources per turn. Time: 1 month. DC: 30/60/90. Result: Create socialist-themed radio entertainment.
Street Art: Such artwork can be created in many other cities where you have a presence as well...it will probably go better if you don't have to deal with hostile police and "citizen's groups." You will create murals and graffiti in every style imaginable, showing the sins of capitalism and the glories of what will come after. Cost: 1 Resource. Time: 1 month. DC: 10/30/50/70. Result: Create socialist street art throughout SPA-controlled or influence areas.
Public Life: The gardens have begun to bring people together who were formally separate: members of different tenant's unions now work together to turn an abandoned ruin into a fruitful garden, people from all walks of life relax in them when they can do so without interrupting work, and the recent arrivals and old hands can come together over an appreciation of fresh vegetables. This is a success worth building on. While people are adding to these gardens already, asking musicians to play by them or setting up benches and tables on the edge, or even segregating spaces for children to play, you could encourage this effort to spread thousands of miniature parks alongside the gardens to help encourage the entwining of various communities. Cost: 1 Resource. Time: 1 month. DC: 15/30/45/60. Result: Expand community gardens with other (cheap) community activities and facilities, encourage interaction between different groups.
Challenge the Instability: The evident failures of bourgeois democracy are displayed before all of America: a president and a vice-president dead or incapacitated, no one able to determine who or how they should be replaced, state governments frantically banding together, federal authority beginning to vanish, rising unrest in America's colonies...what sort of nation could accept this, what sort of system could allow this? And what alternative is there? All these questions are to be answered. Cost: 1 Resource, risk of backlash. Time: 1 month. DC: 5/10/15/30/45/60/90. Result: Condemn the failures of the United States government, explain why your proposal is a superior alternative.
There is Power in a Union: Strength can be its own sort of comfort in dark and dangerous times. And you have strength aplenty. While there are many who might fear you, the alternatives are equally terrifying. Promise them protection, promise them safety as members of the CSA, promise them peace and stability, as much as can be gained. Cost: 1 Resource, risk of backlash. Time: 1 month. DC: 35/70/105. Result: Convince people to join you to protect themselves from various other threats.
Against Pink Unionism: The rise of "pink unionism" is a serious threat to your movement. Championed mainly by the SPU within your organization and by several external groups ranging from George Creel to Floyd Olson to Huey Long, it involves a bastardizing of syndicalist principles in an effort to steal your support, giving workers a slightly louder voice in a system still rigged to ignore them, while allowing those who agitate further for actual, meaningful gains to be tarred as radicals and destroyed or subverted. It is time to speak against it for what it is. Cost: 1 Resource, loss of support from the SPU. Time: 1 month. DC: 25/50/80/110. Result: Condemn "pink unionism," radicalize reformists. Transfer in size from the SPU to other factions.
Anti-Americanization: While the melting pot is a lovely concept, it also means that meaningful elements of various individual cultures are destroyed or appropriated. To resist such trends will require meaningful and long-term effort, but a start can be made through advocacy over the use of autonomy to establish holidays celebrating ancient customs and adding languages such as German, Yiddish, and Finnish to the days of schoolchildren so the tongues of their ancestry are not lost. Cost: 1 Resource, loss of support from socially conservative factions. Time: 1 month. DC: 10/20/30/60/90. Result: Agitate for expressions of local cultural heritage.
State Minority Rights: It is clear that there will be no progress on civil rights while the undemocratic and incompetent Hoover regime still controls the White House and Congress is so divided and disunited. Not unless that progress comes on the state level. Fortunately, there are multiple states willing and eager to pass various forms of equality-related laws, from sweeping bans of voting impediments to the abolishment of discriminatory laws to mandates to prevent abuse and discrimination. There will be backlash for pushing this, from allies and enemies both, but moral and practical imperatives drive you to pursue it nevertheless. Socialization requires liberation. Liberation requires equality. Cost: Likely loss of support, loss of support from conservative factions of the CSA. Time: 1 month. DC: 30/90/150. Result: Pass significant anti-discrimination laws, increas in support from socially-left factions, gains in support from minority populations.
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 has 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: 25/50/100. Results: You convince some members of the Democratic Party and aspects of their political machine to switch allegiance to you.
Working With Republicans: A scant few Republicans have shown themselves to be potential allies, at least on legislative matters. Their party has for now absorbed the Progressives, creating a fragile and unstable union that could explode at any moment...and you might just be able to pick up the pieces. Insurgent Republicans and former Progressives have praised your advocacy for the recent, defeated laws. And they know together you will be stronger. Approaching them could be worthwhile. Cost: Unknown. Time: 1 month. DC: 20/40/80. Results: You convince some members of the Republican Party and aspects of their political machine to switch allegiance to you.
Condemn MacArthur: MacArthur has flouted the United States Constitution, slaughtered innocent, peaceful soldiers, possibly attempted a coup, and bungled his way into slaughtering dozens of people needlessly. And he speaks in third person like the utter clown he is. The fact that he is not the most hated man in America is a miracle. Perhaps you can start fixing that though...Cost: None. Time: 1 month. DC: 10. Result: Condemn and lambast MacArthur, hopefully having some effect.
Speak With Floyd: Floyd Olson is possibly one of the most popular Progressives in the nation. Even Curtis and Garner have praised him for his "restraint" and "vision of reform in a true American sense." What exactly that last phrase means is...unclear. He is also one of the Progressives who has not formally joined you, and has expressed reservations to some fellow Progressives and proposed readmitting the expelled Progressive leadership. Spending some time to find out what his reservations are would be worthwhile...Cost: Unknown. Time: 1 month. DC: 20/40/60/80/120/180. Results: Find out more about what Floyd Olson wants and plans.
Co-Opt the Machines: While the political machines in SPA-controlled areas have been dismantled thoroughly, some yet remain. Halt their gradual dismantlement and co-opt them into your service instead, helping you gain votes in some contested towns and cities. Of course, embracing them means embracing their shadier side as well. Cost: Increase in corruption, risk of backlash. Time: 1 month. DC: 15/25/40/50. Result: Increase in popular support, the Teamster's Union likes it.
Party Lawyers: Many potentially vital laws are being held up in the courts. And frankly, you have a shortage of good lawyers. There are some willing to work for free from dedication to the cause, but most lack the wealth for that or are entirely uninterested in working for you. But enough filthy lucre can solve that problem. Cost: 1 Resource, -1 Resource per turn. Time: 1 month. DC: 20. Results: Hire some lawyers to help defend the laws you get passed.
Agricultural Subsidies: Another potential way to bolster the farming cooperatives, and farmers in general, is to expand the subsidies to them. The state governments have enough money for it, and considering the behavior of several other governments, only a hypocrite would complain if they went even moderately into debt. Given that the factions which most disdain your rural focus also disdain electoralism, this will be exceedingly unpopular with some sections. Cost: Minus Relations with Syndicalists, loss of support with both factions of the IWW. Time: 1 month. DC: 40/85/120. Result: Expand agricultural subsidies, gain in support from The Teamster's Union, the Red Grange and Regional Unions. Gain in Relations with Ultraleft Farmer-Labor.
Expand Socialist Subsidies: The newly established subsidies for businesses that maintain certain standards of behavior have been decried as excessive interventionism, but they have also kept many fed and warm, and the value generated has been far more than the governments have been put in. Expand these subsidies to expand the impact...and possibly allow for the reasonable establishment of additional revenue streams by taking advantage of these policies. Cost: None. Time: 1 month. DC: 35/95/145. Result: Expand subsidies to workplaces, unlock further options for government intervention and business establishment. Increase in support from ASA and increase in relations with the Orthodox.
Sewer Socialism: American infrastructure is doing...poorly. Neglect and violence has led to bridges beginning to crumble, railways needing repair, and roads vanishing from dust and rain. The repairs will be costly and take a long time, but they can begin relatively simply by passing some spending bills in SPA-controlled states. Adjustments can be made to the infrastructure for the benefit of the workers, as well. Cost: None. Time: 1 month. DC: 25/50/75. Result: Infrastructure development begins.
Railway Socialism: The most essential piece of infrastructure is perhaps the rails. These are what tie together the mines and farms and factories and allow an industrial economy to function. Control of the rail hubs was what gave the Bolsheviks many initial successes in the Russian Civil War, and it was vital in the establishment of the French Commune as well. Even during the Slaver's War, the Union's superior rail network was vital. And if state governments are the ones repairing the rails and operating them, perhaps they should be the ones owning them...Cost: Expensive. Time: 3 months. DC: 30/60/90. Result: Begin massive railway repair program, seize the rails thus repaired through "legal" methods.
Begin Re-hiring: The massive purge was somewhat excessive. The new hires are lacking in experience. There have already been several severe issues, and it will be some time before they stop happening. Significant reforms are needed, but there might not be time for that. A simpler alternative would be to identify the most trustworthy of the purged bureaucrats and re-hire them. Cost: Slight loss of support from the CSA. Time: 1 month. DC: 25/50/100. Result: Reduced DCs for state-level actions, malus reduced or eliminated.
Patronage Networks: Patronage is a reality of any political system, no matter how reformers rail against it. It has even begun popping up in the newly cleansed state bureaucracies, to say nothing of unions or the small-town governments on your side. So it must be dealt with, and used to your advantage. Beginning to create and use these networks will also allow you to have at least a degree of control...which means you will be one making bargains with slimy bastards. Joy. Cost: Stress, increase to corruption. Time: 1 month. DC: 15. Result: Increase to support in the CSA, increase to support from the Teamster's Union, slight increase to popular support. Enhances effects of Assistants Adjustment
Anti-Corruption Agencies: Corruption is a double-edged sword, and one that could cut you deeply. It is time to start taking measures to protect yourself, first by beginning to work with state governments to establish organizations that will purge corruption within elected and unelected offices...and making sure these organizations are resistant to the lure of corruption themselves. Cost: Slight loss of support in the CSA, slight decrease to support from the Teamster's Union. Time: 3 months. DC: 30/60/90/120. Result: Slight increase in popular support, slight reduction in corruption, further actions for reducing it unlocked.
Expanding Electoralism: The State Legislative Committee and Norman Thomas are both finding that they have far too much to do, and not enough time to do it. The political situation is growing increasingly fraught, both in Washington and in the various state capitals. Even the territories see unrest, as plantation workers on Hawaii and miners in Alaska both begin to protest the abuses they recieve. They need further assistance, a transfer of staff and aids and your assistance in removing barriers...but with it, there will hopefully be significantly greater results. Cost: -2 Influence. Time: 1 month. DC: 0. Result: +2 Influence for the SLC, +1 Influence for Norman Thomas
Local Autonomy Programs: The first implementation of the principles of local autonomy will begin. A relatively simple set of legislation will be passed, allowing school districts to choose to have optional "Cultural Enrichment" classes where students will learn the language, history, and traditions of their ancestors and granting municipalities permission to have local paperwork and signage in any language they desire, so long as English is also prominently available. Cost: None. Time: 1 month. DC: 5/25/50. Result: The first beginnings of local cultural autonomy.
State Nationalizations: Huey Long has already done it, and so has the federal government and their supporters. It is time for the government of the workers to begin directly intervening in the economy. State-backed investors will purchase commanding shares in certain factories and facilities, transferring part-ownership to the workers and coordinating the economic functioning in order to bolster the state as a whole...and in order to better equip the workers for the inevitable backlash. Cost: Possible minor backlash. Time: 1 month. DC: 30/60/90/150. Result: Increase to income, some factories taken over by the workers and the states under the cover of law.
Legitimize Seizures: With the justification coming ex post facto, it is not easy to make it appear legitimate in the eyes of the capitalist state. In fact, it is downright impossible...but it can be made to look less illegitimate if the workers "deputized individuals investigating reports of anti-democratic agitation and abusive working conditions," and if they are "lawfully compensating victims of gross misconduct" instead of taking what is rightfully theirs. Cost: None. Time: 1 month. DC: 45/90/135. Result: Moderate reduction in backlash from factory seizures.
State Police Forces: With the National Guards hampered, there are other potential forces that could be used to suppress us...or used to crush reactionaries. To that end, the state police forces will be secured, their leadership replaced with trusted syndicalists, Red Guards will be hired, and they will be shifted to being under Congressional influence even as their arms are improved and their procedures revamped. Cost: Possible backlash. Time: 1 month. DC: 20/40/80/120. Result: State police forces have their loyalty secured.
Election Campaigns: In less than eight months the midterm elections will begin. Aside from a number of Senate seats and many state offices, other important elections will be the election of the New York governor, the reelection of the various small-town officials you have appointed, and the House elections where you could potentially win an outright majority. While favorable results are likely, politicians also need to campaign, to speak in their favor and denigrate their opponents, to hold rallies and parades, to shake hands and kiss babies...Cost: 8 Resources. Time: 1 month. DC: 0. Result: Begin massive campaigns for the upcoming elections.
The Legacy of John Brown: John Brown was a revolutionary martyr who fought for freedom. Abraham Lincoln sought to bring freedom to the enslaved. They would support you in your struggle to bring liberation to all. You will insist on it. You will quote them to say so. You might have to be a bit selective in doing so, but it won't matter. Cost: None... Time: 1 month. DC: 5. Result: Increased efficacy of The American Revolution actions.
Create an Educational Program: Designing a socialist education program will be just one of the many questions you have to answer after the revolution. There are important differences in content and teaching style and likely other things as well. Begin looking into who is an expert in such things and start drawing up the broad strokes of what a curriculum will cover. Cost: None. Time: 1 month. DC: 20/40/60. Result: Begin designing an education program.
A Socialist Structure, Pt. 1: How will the economy work? Will currency be abolished? How will you ensure racial equality? Though there are examples to look forward to from Britain and France, you will need to begin creating your own answers to these questions. Plans must be made, although they will be by necessity vague. But creating the most basic framework for what form American socialism will take will help ease your path forward. Cost: Probable loss of relations, chance of reduced support in the CSA based on the decisions. Time: 6 months. DC: 0. Result: Begin coming up with a more detailed roadmap for socialist America, begin unlocking actions to create small-scale imitations/programs related to this.
Judicial Reform: One of the matters most clamored for is judicial reform. The American justice system is incredibly corrupt, designed to allow the wealthy to skate away from criminal cases and lawsuits with equal ease, and the courts have long been a tool to prevent workers from liberating themselves. Lawyers, judges, juries...all will need replacement, reform, or renovation come the Revolution. Begin working out alternatives. Cost: None. Time: 1 month. DC: 25/50/75. Result: Begin coming up with a multitude of options for judicial reform.
Against the Socialism of Fools: Anti-Semitism is a virulent problem in this country. Father Coughlin spews anti-Semitic bile, many claim Jews are behind every problem and especially the syndicalists, even some of your party members and unionized workers mislike them. Countering these narratives may cost, but it is a worthy effort. Cost: Likely loss of relations, chance of -1 Influence. Time: 1 month. DC: 10/50/100. Result: Counter anti-Semitic narratives, increase in support from Jews, small chance of +1 Influence.
On the Women's Question: Women's liberation must be part of the revolution. Some advocate for the complete destruction of the institution of the family...they may go a bit far, but you understand where they are coming from. There are things you can do to help them achieve true equality. Some of them are obvious, like removing infantilizing laws that restrict women's rights and tearing down barriers that prevent women from working. What else can you do? Cost: Cost: Unpopular with social conservatives such as the SPU and the AFL. Loss in Relations with Ultraleft Farmer-Labor and the Parliamentarians. Time: 1 month. DC: 20/40/80/100. Result: Increase in support from IWW MA and Regional Unions, increase in Relations with Syndicalists and Orthodox factions, begin developing a roadmap for women's liberation.
Justice for Jim Crow: The institution of slavery and its ideological legacies and descendants have left their marks upon even the most liberated black communities in America. Not only are they still frequently denied full equality under the law, but they frequently are forced to endure neglect or hostility from the police, charity organizations, and even the Red Guards. They have been systematically stripped of social, political, and economic power, and even when they acquire it violent attacks soon deprive them again, such as during the Sack of Tulsa. Steps must be taken to address these inequities, to dismantle Jim Crow and see justice done. Cost: Unpopular with social conservatives such as the SPU and the AFL. Loss in Relations with Ultraleft Farmer-Labor and the Parliamentarians. Time: 1 month. DC: 20/40/80/100. Result: Increase in support from IWW MA and Regional Unions, increase in Relations with Syndicalists and Orthodox factions, begin developing a roadmap for racial justice.
Relations with Reservations: There are scattered Native American reservations across the country, full of people who haven't been citizens until recently, who have been forced off their homes and into desolate places, who have had their history and culture defaced and desecrated. In many ways, the imperialism and colonialism inflicted upon them is America's first sin. You don't know what they want, you don't know what they need. You will have to begin asking those questions. Cost: Unpopular with social conservatives such as the SPU and the AFL. Loss in Relations with Ultraleft Farmer-Labor and the Parliamentarians. Time: 1 month. DC: 20/40/80/100. Result: Increase in support from IWW MA and Regional Unions, increase in Relations with Syndicalists and Orthodox factions, begin developing a roadmap for justice for Native Americans.
Help for Hispanics: As the SPA grows in influence in the American Southwest, awareness of the historical mistreatment the Hispanic population of the United States has endured. Just as with the Native Americans and the colored populations, you need to open a dialogue with these groups. Cost: Unpopular with social conservatives such as the SPU and the AFL. Loss in Relations with Ultraleft Farmer-Labor and the Parliamentarians. Time: 1 month. DC: 20/40/80/100. Result: Increase in support from IWW MA and Regional Unions, increase in Relations with Syndicalists and Orthodox factions, begin developing a roadmap for justice for Hispanic Americans.
A Replacement for Bureaucrats: The dismantlement of the state bureaucracies has proven difficult to overcome, even as replacements are hired as fast as possible. Furthermore, there has been a growing current of concern within the party that bureaucrats will end up becoming a new capitalist class. However, they are also recognized as being a vital part of existing apparatuses, and one that will be difficult to replace. Discussions need to be had on how their function can be handled in a post-capitalist society, or how they will be replaced. Practical experience from dedicated syndicalists working at varying ranks of state bureaucracies can be synthesized into the beginnings of a roadmap. Cost: None. Time: 1 month. DC: 25/50/75/125. Result: Begin developing the party-line on how bureaucrats and civil servants will be handled. Reduce malus from lack of experienced bureaucrats
Develop a Radicalization Pipeline: The newest unions are staunchly conservative on social and economic issues. Advocating for better wages and shorter hours seems to be a step too far for many, let alone more unusual proposals like requiring factories to have childcare facilities and compensation for injuries or outright revolution. While the Great Depression has affected them, and they have heard of the various horrors inflicted upon workers by the government, both matters are distant to them. The cruelties of capitalism need to be brought home to them. They need to be persuaded that there must be a revolution. Cost: None. Time: 2 months. DC: 20/40/60/80. Result: Begin developing strategies for en masse radicalization.
Create a Curriculum: For a socialist school system to exist, there must be a socialist curriculum, Having students elect their teachers seems faintly ridiculous, but there can be other ways for them to be exposed to the SPA's ideals from a young age, and there should certainly be a different emphasis on what is taught. No gender divide for one. Cost: None. Time: 3 months. DC: 20/40/60/80. Result: Creation of curriculum, improved results and lowered difficulty for Organize Education.
Document Rural Life: Farmers live vastly different lives than urban workers. And even within that broad category, there is a vast gulf of distance between a Midwestern smallholder, an Appalachian backwoods farmer, and a Southern sharecropper. Documenting some of their experiences, their cultures, their hardships, and their desire for themselves and their children could help overcome gaps of understanding and painful clashes that have bedeviled your efforts in rural propaganda and organizing. It might be seen as a boondoggle by some, but it also may add weight to your argument. Cost: None. Time: 1 month. DC: 15/30/45/60. Result: Reduced difficulty of rural organization and propagandization.
Justice and Violence: Violence is one of the eternal topics people argue about. When is it acceptable, why is it acceptable, what limits should there be? Some proclaim it all equally abhorrent, others insist it is always necessary. The SPA has an ample variety of attitudes, some of which are counterproductive. The cowardice of the SPU and the bloodthirst of the Fosterites both threaten the revolution. The correct course is obviously somewhere in between the extremes: self-defense is obviously acceptable, and so is violence in the pursuit of justice, but you must decide where the lines are...and when they should be crossed. Cost: Varies. Time: 1 month. DC: 20/40/60/80. Result: Decide what sorts of violence are acceptable and when, develop a more defined thesis on it.
Appoint a Committee of Ideology: This will be a contentious group whose arguments will echo throughout the party, but those arguments will be necessary for the building of a true socialist state. Economy, law, social organization, the role of religion and race, the question of minorities, internationalism, centralism, federalism, and councilism...all these things need to be discussed. And you don't have the time to do it, so you will have to get other people to do it for you. Cost: Likely to decrease the Strength of the Center, will occasionally make decisions you don't like. Will have to commit Influence and Gravitas. Time: 1 month. DC: 0. Result: Create subordinate to handle various Intellectual actions, vote on how much to commit.
Investigate the Machines: Fragments of the Democrats and the Republicans have begun drifting towards you over the past several months, with the latest gunfight bringing about a sharp change in several group's positions. However, they are still trusted insiders in their parties, and this gives you an opportunity to get an inside look at the often rather opaque workings of the party machines, to better co-opt or destroy them. Cost: Risk of discovery. Time: 1 month. DC: 20/55/105. Result: Gain information and opportunities to take over or break various political machines.
Siphon Party Funds: The first step in performing covert actions is to acquire funds to do so. Simply taking money directly from the party treasury strikes you as a bad idea, as the resulting vanishing will be wide open for anyone who looks. So instead you will arrange for a few dribbles of cash to vanish into an account you can use for off-the-books problem-solving. Cost: -0.1 Resources per month. Risk of discovery. Time: 1 month. DC: 30/60. Result: +0.1 Resources per turn goes into a dark fund you can draw upon for covert ops.
Siphon State Funds: With nearly unfettered access to many state governments and party loyalists being installed in treasury departments across the nation, you have an opportunity to enhance the party's financial position by arranging for subtle fund transfers from the government funds. There will likely need to be some sort of...shell to hide the directness of the money transfer. Cost: Risk of discovery. Time: 1 month. DC: 20/40/60/80. Result: Increase to income.
Sending Spies: Particularly given your purging of the police and the increasing difficulties the capitalists are having with oppressing the workers in areas dominated by syndicalists, there is something of a low-level exodus going on from the north, which means there is an opportunity to get eyes and ears in the lower level of the National Guards, U.S. Army, and hostile militias, to name a few possibilities. Cost: Risk of discovery, risk to the spies. Time: 1 month. DC: ??/??/???. Result: Write-in where you send the spy.
Newspaper Analysts: With the increasing influx of information, often heavily conflicting, getting an idea of what is going on in the country grows more difficult every day. Arranging for a few party members to subscribe to dozens of newspapers and compare them so they can brief you will be child's play compared to some of the things you have organized. Cost: None. Time: 1 month. DC: 0. Result: Improvement to Rumors and News section.
Send Covert Organizers: Unions cannot operate openly everywhere. Particularly in the South and Midwest, efforts to organize are met with bombs, knives, and bullets. Or worse. You have vivid memories of the results of your trip to Wilmington...But people still organize, they still fight. Sending covert assistance can lead to an increase to your strength in an area, and help increase the chances of more overt intervention. Cost: Risk to the lives and health of the agitators/organizers depending on where they are sent to. Time: 1 month. DC: ??/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 while increasing your own support there. Unlock actions for following up on the organization/agitation.
Covert Investigation: Quietly looking into the behavior of a subordinate might allow you to remove them before they can become an embarrassment, or simply confirm their innocence without risking giving the impression they have lost your confidence. Cost: Risk of discovery. Time: 1 month. DC: ?/?/??. Result: Find any wrongdoing for chosen subordinate.
Ears in the Party: To better keep abreast of movements in the Party and the doings of your subordinate, cultivating a small network of...trusted friends to let you know what they hear could be managed. Flora will probably have to be the one managing them, but you feel she is trustworthy. Cost: Risk of discovery. Time: 1 month. DC: 10/25/??. Result: Lower difficulty of actions involving intelligence within the SPA.
Create Shell Corporations: To help with some of your more...unpleasant deeds, you can avoid scrutiny by purchasing a few false companies and helping you to conceal any unfortunate money trails. Cost: Risk of discovery. Time: 1 month. DC: 10/??/??. Result: Increase chances of avoiding discovery for embezzlement actions.
Infiltrate the Army: With the contacts Butler has given you, you now have a simple way of infiltrating the army. Selecting volunteers from the Red Guards and having them sign up will enable you to gain some low-level infiltration, while going through the men he introduced you to will enable you to hear rumors and gossip from higher-levels. MacArthur is certainly planning to use the army against you, you must find out how. The steady sidelining of officers with syndicalist sympathies has left you with fewer avenues, although the recruiting spree does offer fresh opportunities for entering the lower ranks. Cost: Risk of discovery. Time: 2 months. DC: 40/80/?/??. Result: Make contacts within the military.
Find What They Want: The Syndintern has begun making contact with you, but not on a steady basis. You need to arrange a more reliable system of meeting with their representatives if you want to change that. And you need to change it if you want to get a good idea of what they want and gain access to the extensive support they could provide. Cost: Risk of discovery. Time: 1 month. DC: 10. Result: Gain access to Syndintern Mandates and Syndintern Abilities
Steal Weaponry: The National Guards of several states are in total disarray. Extensive orders have been placed in other states for more equipment. But federal troops are securing the majority of depots, with strict orders and intense security procedures. Only a few SPA and AFP-dominated states have resisted the federal commands, leaving fewer points of access for these thefts...and those points are certainly being watched. Cost: Risk of discovery, 1 Resource. Time: 1 month. DC: 75/??/??/???. Result: Begin creating stockpiles of weapons and equipment such as grenades, machine guns, mortars, etc.
Into the Navy: Another possibility for infiltration is the navy. A scheme to try and stabilize a few coastal cities has been passed, and the fleet is being expanded, meaning new sailors are being recruited. This is a perfect opportunity to begin slipping syndicalists into their ranks. Cost: Risk of discovery. Time: 1 month. DC: 30/??/??. Result: Make contacts within the military.
A Program of Subversion: The SPA has neglected the possibilities of infiltrating and subverting hostile organizations. Pink unions, anti-syndicalist militias, and rival political parties are all viable targets for the sowing of dissent, fostering of splits, and eventual destruction. But to do so effectively, we must build up our capacity for identifying those who can deceive, for preparing tactics and methods, for establishing lines of communication. Cost: -1 Resource per month. Time: 3 months. DC: 45/90/135. Result: Set up training program for political infiltrators and agent provocateurs, improve efficacy of spying.
(1 Influence Committed) Anti-Corruption Investigation: Time and time again, members of the SPA have betrayed the trust of the workers for their own financial gain. Such practices will no longer be tolerated. Books will be sorted through, testimony will be taken. Those who have embezzled or stolen, committed nepotism or accepted bribes will be found and punished. Cost: Likely to have political ramifications. Time: 3 months. DC: 15/45/75. Result: Corrupt individuals identified and punished.
Find the Red Army Faction: This "Red Army Faction" is a potential concern, although it's likely to be nothing more than a tactic to put some pressure on you. But if you feel it necessary, it would be fairly simple to spy on the place they asked you to deliver messages to and begin investigating their network to find out how they operate and what their goals are. Cost: May anger the RAF. Time: 1 month. DC: 35/70/105. Result: Begin investigating the Red Army Faction to find their membership, safehouses, and goals.
Hunt Infiltrators: The Longists and Federalists have doubtless begun infiltrating us, trying to sow division and sabotage our efforts. Perhaps this has already begun bearing fruit, or perhaps it will become a problem in days to come. Either way, the spies must be found and removed. With limited sources of information, it may prove difficult, but it is a task that must be accomplished as soon as possible. Cost: None. Time: 1 month. DC: 20/60/100. Result: Begin hunting for spies within the CSA.
Propaganda of the Deed: There are many tools for spreading syndicalism and disrupting reactionaries. Bombs and guns are excellent at doing both. By demonstrating the spirit of revolution, weakening the forces the oppressors can bring to bear, and striking fear into the hearts of those who stand against us, we shall strengthen the cause! The class war shall come and end the conflicts of history, and no price is too great to pay it! Cost: -3 Resources, risk of discovery, possible backlash. Time: 1 month. DC: 25/35/50/65/90. Result: Begin a campaign of political bombings and assassinations.
Protective Measures: With violence rising by the day, measures must be taken to protect the leaders of the revolution. The Guard must be expanded, with the new members set to providing protection wherever needed. Cost: 3 Resources. Time: 1 month. DC: 25/55/85. Result: Recruit more bodyguards.
Sabotage Records: An alternate proposal to outright attacking bankers and factory owners is infiltrating courthouses, banks, and other such locations and then destroying the records, usually in the guise of a robbery to avoid attention. While less likely to satisfy the bloodlust of some and not as punishing to the enemies of the workers, it does have some benefits. Cost: -1 Resources, risk of discovery, possible backlash. Time: 1 month. DC: 15/35/50/80. Result: Begin destroying records of mortgages, factory ownership, etc.
Robin Hood Revolutions: The Bolsheviks funded themselves through bank robberies before they were able to seize power. While the size and strength of the SPA mean such tactics are no longer needed, they could still be useful. A campaign of public, armed theft will do much to demoralize our class enemies and tie up their investigation and intelligence resources. Cost: -1 Resources, risk of discovery, possible backlash. Time: 1 month. DC: 10/30/60. Result: Begin a campaign of bank robberies, increase to income.
Union Entryism: Not every factory has been seized, not every union is a revolutionary one. In particular, there are several states with growing industrial bases that have minimal SPA support. Infiltrating these areas and their factories will be important, especially since many of these factories are responsible for producing the equipment needed by the slowly reforming Federal Army. It will be a difficult task for those agents assigned, one which will need a great deal of skill, but it will be an invaluable one for us and for the Syndintern. Cost: Risk of discovery. Time: 1 month. DC: ??/???/???. Result: Pink unions and non-unionized factories infiltrated, especially in states where support is lacking.
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! No matter what it costs you. 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 punch Huey Long in his fat face or strangle MacArthur, 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 twice per turn. Time: 1 month. DC: No roll. Result: May make 1 change to 1 subordinate's priorities (change order, add one, remove one). This will have a political cost if used on the SPA Cadres.
Ask For a Favor: Party members already sacrifice their time and money and sometimes their health and their life, but you must ask for more. Though it will cost some precious goodwill, continued success will bring it back, and so you can confidently ask for favors. Cost: Variable amount of Relations, changes in Strength of factions. DC: No roll. Result: May get as many favors as Relations and Strength allows.
Throw Your Weight Around: You are the leader of the SPA, the man who helped lead the Seattle and Chicago General Strikes to success, the man the Syndintern has trusted with bringing about the Revolution. Though you are democratically elected, you have undeniable authority. Authority you truly prefer not to use...unless you absolutely have to. Cost: -9 Relations with all factions of the SPA, narrative effects. The cost will change as you use it for better or worse. DC: 0. Time: 1 month. Result: Temporarily convert 1 Gravitas to 1 Authority.
Meet the Red Army Faction: The RAF put instructions in their letter for contacting and meeting with them. The letter doesn't say much about their intentions specifically, although you can guess at some of their goals and objectives. Arranging to meet with them might let you find out more, to learn how hostile they are to you, to see if you can gain any influence over what they have planned...Cost: None. Time: 1 month. DC: 0. Result: Meet with the RAF, options for what you do during that meeting.
Adjust Your Priorities: Long-term commitments are risky in the chaotic situation the American nation is in. Temporarily stepping back from them would allow you to handle crises as they come back. Cost: Minor penalties to targeted action. Time: 1 month. DC: 0. Result: De-commit Influence from selected action, narrative penalties.
Choose A Focus: You are currently taking Organize the Farmworkers. There is 1 month left.
The Union Forever! - Through the most difficult and darkest days, it was the unions that kept the revolutionary spirit alive. Let the unions stand forever. No reactionary or capitalist can defeat the people, united. Time: 3 months. Effect: Gain national spirit The Union Forever (Effect: +1 Strength to the Left faction per month).
A Lot of Chutzpah - Part of propaganda is not...lies exactly, but occasionally de-emphasizing certain aspects of your end goal for the sake of quieting opposition. It might take a lot of chutzpah to say yes out of one side of your mouth and no out of the other, but it also takes a lot of chutzpah to overthrow capitalism. Time: 1 month. Effect: +2 Appeal per month for white Americans, -1 Appeal per month for black, Jewish, and immigrant Americans.
The Failing Middle Class - The wealthy proletariat and the petit bourgeoisie are major backbones for MacArthur and the Democrat-Republicans. But as the economy grows worse, many fall into poverty and so become easier to radicalize. Time: 1 month. Effect: +10 to the next roll involving recruiting the wealthy.
Union Recruiting - Not every worker has chosen to join a union. Some are scabs, some are scared, some are reactionaries. Regardless, with tensions rising every day, the threat they pose to the Revolution grows. Pressure can be applied through the carrot and the stick to see them join unions and develop class consciousness. Time: 1 month. Effect: The next 3 union recruiting actions gain +5 to their roll.
Blitz the Soldiers - The current US Army and Air Force are powerful despite their small size. Well-trained and led by a skilled corp of officers who have cut their teeth in dozens of imperialist actions, they could deal significant damage to the Revolutionary cause...unless their soldiers could be convinced to join us. Time: 1 month. Effect: The next 3 actions for recruiting or co-opting soldiers gain +5 to their roll.
Political Alliances - Victories must be won not just on the battlefield, but in the halls of the rich and powerful. They must be convinced to side with you against Long's insanity and MacArthur's tyranny. Time: 3 months. Effect: Gain the national spirit of Political Alliances (Effect: +1 Strength for the Right faction per month).
Form Spartacus Columns - the KKK and the Silver Legion, to name just a few, inflict all sorts of horrific violence upon sharecroppers, and that is leaving aside the abuse they receive from police and frequent incidents of mob violence. Between a lack of weapons and a lack of organization, little can be done against them. Your strikers have defeated soldiers, paramilitaries, and police. They can do it as well. Time: 1 month. Effect: Easier to arm and organize the sharecroppers.
Letters From Cousins: Your most potent tool for recruiting among the sharecroppers of the Black Belt are the connections they have to newly unionized men and women who have traveled to Chicago and New York and Detroit and a thousand other cities, and found a welcoming community amongst the unions. Time: 1 month. Effect: Easier organization and recruiting in the Black Belt.
Organize the Farmworkers - The migrating farmworkers are perhaps the easiest target for radicalization. Their formerly prosperous lives ripped away from them, pushed into desperate poverty, the food they work so hard to grow frequently burned in front of them as they starve...Time: 3 months. Effect: Significant increase to support among rural populations, +10 to the next 3 actions involving organizing or agitating in rural areas.
Anti-Foreclosure Teams - The most immediate threat to the remaining farmers are foreclosures. There are a variety of methods of dealing with this problem, from paying the banks to driving off their agents to buying the property at auction then returning it. Begin doing so in mass. Time: 3 months. Effect: Gain +10 to all actions involving resisting foreclosure or eviction.
-[] Anti-Adventurist Measures (1 Influence)
-[] A Democratic Chain of Command?!--2 semi-Temporary Influence
-[] Scab Intimidation--2 Influence
-[] Back Up Butler--1 Influence
-[] Expanding Electoralism--1 Influence
-[] Establish a Propaganda Team--1 Influence
-[] Publicize Our Accomplishments--1 or 2 Gravitas
-[] Anti-Pink Unions, 1 Influence, or 1 Influence 1 Gravitas
-[] Expand Party Bureaucracy... can we spare 1 influence, and if so from where? Could we hold off on Butler, or?
Purchase Arms: Relatively few arms factories were seized, but some were, and already Red Guards units have begun to benefit, but the acquisition of weapons for them is an often haphazard process and only a few units have even standard rifles. But it would be easy enough for larger quantities to be purchased and distributed so that the vast throngs of syndicalist soldiers have good guns and adequate ammunition. Cost: 3 Resources. Time: 1 month. DC: 5/10/25. Result: Better-equipped Red Guards.
Last turn there was talk about how we were struggling with weapon shortages. With both training camps and self-defense units completing this turn, I think this is a must-have, just so we're not sending our fighters in without proper equipment.
Last turn there was talk about how we were struggling with weapon shortages. With both training camps and self-defense units completing this turn, I think this is a must-have, just so we're not sending our fighters in without proper equipment.
Not necessarily. We spent time with family last turn, so we could do something else this turn if needed. Probably not another Work Overtime until Reed's Stress is fully down to Low though.
