The Sword of Damocles - (Sign Up Thread) - Closed, 2017 Game Next

[Lumine]

Italy up! Apologies if the irony is just too blatant there, I couldn't resist.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Italy up! Apologies if the irony is just too blatant there, I couldn't resist.

That was even more shivering than Mecca. Good job!

[Cranberry]

Lumine, you are a maniac. Chapeau!

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

MAKE AMERICAFRANCE GRATE AGAIN

[Lumine]

That was even more shivering than Mecca. Good job!

Lumine, you are a maniac. Chapeau!

Funny that, between this game and the past millions of people have died and we've seen several instances of genocide, but apparently killing the Pope goes too far... xD

No, seriously, I needed a reason to explain why left-wing politics are rather unpopular in this world and why exactly would catholicism turn militant. A martyr pope (now a Saint) was the best way I could think of without overcomplicating the scenario.

Next up, China! Then the Ottomans, then Germany, then Russia.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Next up, China! Then the Ottomans, then Germany, then Russia.

Russian developments are likely to blew our collective minds.

[Garlan Gunter]

I would love to see any kinda proper Red Russian state in play...maybe Smith could join as that? Tsarist Kerensky and I are a bit white-on-white...

[Lumine]

I would love to see any kinda proper Red Russian state in play...maybe Smith could join as that? Tsarist Kerensky and I are a bit white-on-white...

Well, he has until I finish the Russian backstory if he wants to jump in. On a temporary basis, the state to the North (above Blair's Russia and right of Finland) is the People's Republic of Archangelsk, our red state (it could also be Siberia, Ukraine or the Caucasus).

[Garlan Gunter]

A Red Ukraine might be most fun? as it's directly between me and Kerensky if I'm reading the map aright...

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Red Caucasus would be more interesting, IMO. Maybe smaller area but very difficult.

Also, I'm not sure whether a Red state in Ukraine, between Germany and Kerensky's Russia, would be plausible. Too crucial of location for major players to accept such regime.

[Garlan Gunter]

Well Caucasus is near us both (espec me!) too, so I'd be pretty down with that as well

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Well Caucasus is near us both (espec me!) too, so I'd be pretty down with that as well

I see it as more plausible because I think it's easier for such regime to establish in this difficult terrain, than vast Ukraine.

Anyway, don't worry, Uncle Evner will look out for you.

[Dereich]

China was very well done. That being said, it seems odd to me that Sun "Expel the Manchus, revive Zhonghua, and establish a unified government" Yat-Sen was willing to bend the knee to the barbarian emperor. I suppose politics creates strange bedfellows...

Also, for future use, which faction or leader would have been the ones in 1922 to purge the pro-Japanese parliamentarians? From what I can tell, Sun Yat-Sen was still alive but Chiang was already in power. Was it Chiang?

[Lumine]

China was very well done. That being said, it seems odd to me that Sun "Expel the Manchus, revive Zhonghua, and establish a unified government" Yat-Sen was willing to bend the knee to the barbarian emperor. I suppose politics creates strange bedfellows...

Also, for future use, which faction or leader would have been the ones in 1922 to purge the pro-Japanese parliamentarians? From what I can tell, Sun Yat-Sen was still alive but Chiang was already in power. Was it Chiang?

Odd indeed, but the Emperor had already led reform efforts and had bravely resisted the reactionary generals, giving him enough popularity to make his removal a large complication. Since Dr. Sun knows China can't afford large scale warlordism, I'd say he would be up for a compromise even if he hates the Emperor. I can't say most of what I've written is "probably", I settle for "plausible".

Dr. Sun would have purged the pro-Japanese with full backing from all wings of the Kuomintang and most parties. The Japanese takeover of Korea really angered the Chinese, making them think Japan had betrayed them and would likely consider taking hostile action against China as well. To make matters simple, the leader of the pro-Japanese faction was Liang Hongzhi, who along with other officers would have been trained in Japan and therefore been sympathetic to the Japanese.

And before anyone asks, Liang Hongzhi (or another pro-Japanese leader if we change him) got a bullet between the eyes.

[Lumine]

Also, China and Ottomans up! Two more to go!

[Dereich]

To be fair to all these autocrats or quasi-autocrats resisting more democratization, there doesn't seem to be much proof so far in this world that democracy works. It worked for a while in the United States, but that ended in corruption, violence, and a coup. Every attempt to keep a republic working in France has ended in violence and/or autocracy. The same goes for Italy and Spain as well. The only really democratic place left is the United Kingdom, and that's recently led to a decade of successive failures in government by all sides of the political spectrum.

Edit: And of course everything I've said is now incorrect as Germany is the One True Democratic Hope.

[Lumine]

Dammit, Germany was a pain to write (it took me a lot of time to find suitable Chancellors, until I decided to go bold and pick Weber), but it's finished. Russia comes next.

[Lumine]

Damn you all, Russia left me exhausted. But the backstories are up.

Turn One begins on Monday afternoon or Monday night.

Be prepared.

[Dereich]

Well done!

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Wonderful!

TBH, I expected it would take longer time, so I'm doubly impressed.

[Blair]

Its amazing you're managing to get it done in such depth so quickly- I'm very excited

[Garlan Gunter]

Drooling with anticipation

Lovingly yours

Felix Yusuf Yusupov, Grand Prince and Great Khan of the Crimea

[Cranberry]

Lumine, this was amazing. You are truly a master. We bow before you in awe and anticipation.

[White Trash]

Just wanted to say, the Italy description was beautiful! This is going to be a lot of fun.

[Weyfield]

Amazing work, Lumine. Really looking forward to getting started now.