Lighthearter
President of the United States
The year is 1960 AD. From the old order of empires new nations are rising, great leaders taking the fore in commanding the fates of their realms. The fear not the tests on the horizon, nor the foes at the gates. In the end, they are determined to prevail and create the strongest nation on the face of the planet.
You are one of those leaders. Can your nation stand the test of the Cold War?
The Rules
Note: all rules are subject to change, so please keep an eye out for them. Thanks.
House Rules:
1. Do not flame, troll, or personally insult any other player OOC or IC. At all. You may comment on certain things negatively, but don't take it further than that.
2. Stay on topic. Make sure all comments are relevant to the fictional world of the current IOT and have nothing to do with your personal religious/political beliefs.
3. Your posts should actually consist of something relevant to your nation and not just one-liner comments. Do not spam.
4. Long diplomatic discussions belong to the realms of Social Groups or visitor and private messaging, not the Game Thread.
5. No powergaming. By definition, powergaming is making your country surpass every other country by all terms including armed forces, technology, etc.
6. The GM is supreme. He reserves the right to change game rules, ignore or modify orders, impose restrictions on players, disband player nations, and so on.
7. Above all else, RESPECT THY FELLOW FORUMERS.
8. If you have an issue with the way I GM this game, PM me with your issue before making a big stink about it.
9. Posting in this thread or the claims thread, PMing a player of this game for any IOTCW-related reason, or performing ANY sort of interaction with this game WHATSOEVER is declaring that you have read and understood the rules to the letter.
I'll usually warn players first if they break the rules. If they break the rules repeatedly, then I'll apply this:
1st Strike: Player is suspended from the game for one turn.
2nd Strike: Player is suspended from the game for three turns.
3rd Strike: Player nation dissolved, and the player banned from ever rejoining.
I reserve the right to ignore this policy for players who really piss me off, and kick them out of the game instantly.
Inactive players (AWOL for more than 3 turns) risk facing the Wrath of the GM (WoG) ie having their nation disbanded. These players can rejoin the game, but their old territories won't be restored to them; they'll start off with 2 claims like every new player.
Joining the Game:
To join the game, first choose a nation name and colour to represent your realms. Perhaps tell us a bit about your nation; your government, policies, history, and so on. Select two territories from the global map. They must border each other. After that specify a general area(anywhere up to 8 provinces) that you would call as your own. Then choose three Upgrades for your nation.
At the end of the 1st turn your nation will be randomly categorized into one of three categories:
Regional Power: 2 Provinces.
Major Power: 4 Provinces, may be overseas from each other if coastal.
Superpower: 8 Provinces, may be overseas from each other if coastal, only 2 or 3 will be chosen.
Updates:
IOTCW is a turn-based game. Each turn ends and a new turn begins with an Update. Updates will be rather irregular, but I will never update within 24 hours of a previous update. So, it is best to get your claims and orders in the first 24 hours of the turn.
I will make another thread, a Claims Thread, for claims and any orders and important announcements you want to post publicly. If there's anything really important you don't want me to miss come update time, post it in that thread. There is a zero tolerance policy on any diplomacy or OT talk in the Claims Thread.
Roleplaying:
Roleplaying is the essence of IOT. Its how your nation develops. Its how alliances are formed and broken. Roleplaying is very encouraged. Feel free to inhabit your nation with whoever or whatever you want, provided it fits with the setting and the etiquette listed above. If you're in doubt as to whether you're allowed to do something, just PM me about it first.
Expansion:
This is a rather simple issue. All territories are counted as nations called Minor Powers(Beyond your starting claims, of course). If a territory is unclaimed, there are three ways to take it over.
1) - Invasion. Basically akin to attacking another nation's territory, only you fight against neutrals who won't pursue a war.
2) - Liberation. If a nation you're at war with invades a nuetral territory that is contiguous with yours, there is a 50-50 chance that it will join your nation. If you have a fleet offshore of the territory there is a 30-70 chance.
3) - Economic. There is a 10% chance that a territory will join you if you offer them 1IP. Every IP you offer beyond that adds 10%, to a max of 80%.
Note: All islands in a single sea province are counted as one territory. If you want clarification as to specific borders, ask the GM.
Note: Dotted lines on the map connecting islands to each other or mainlands indicate they are part of the same province.
War:
If you declare war on an opposing nation, you are allowed to attack them with your armies and their fleets with navies. Here's how both work:
Armies are NOT represented on the map. They exist as a theoretical force that you build using 1IP to go and storm other people's countries. They are represented by an opposed D20 roll. Both sides roll 1D6 for morale - here's the listing of effects:
1 - -2 penalty.
2 - no bonus.
3,4,5 - +2 bonus.
6 - +3 bonus.
Armies that are not used to attack are used automatically for defense. You can only attack a province adjacent to yours or one that one of your fleets is offshore of even if it moves there during your turn. However, if your fleet engages a hostile fleet and is defeated you cannot launch an amphibious attack.
Navies ARE represented on the map as a block of your national color. Navies get their own section later, so I'll just move on here.
Air Wings are also constructed for 1IP, and, like armies, are not represented on the map. They can attack ground, sea, and air forces of enemy nations. They can only operate within 2 provinces/seazones of an airbase - a level 2 shipyard.
Industry Points:
Industrial Points or IPs are the game's currency. Each territory produces one. It's that simple. There is no banking. Every turn you lose what you don't spend. It IS possible to build a ship/army in one turn and use it that turn, but the same cannot be said about shipyard upgrades. Sorry. You have to wait until the next turn with them.
Naval Primer:
Ships are a huge focus of IOTCW. To begin with, navies are customizable. There are five types of ship you can build to go in them.
Note: All coastal provinces have a Shipyard(Level 2 for your capital, Level 1 for all others at start) that can be upgraded for 3IP to the next level. Level 3 is the maximum.
Note: There is a hard limit of 10 ships per fleet.
Frigate(1IP) - Requires LVL1 shipyard. 3HP. Deals 1 damage to all. BONUS: Provides Scouting to fleets on strategic map.
Destroyer(2IP) - Requires LVL2 Shipyard. 5HP. Deals 1 damage to all. Cannot damage Submarines.
Cruiser(4IP +1 per turn maintenance) - 7HP. Requires LVL3 Shipyard. Deals 1 damage to Cruisers and Destroyers, but 2 damage to Frigates. Cannot damage Submarines.
Carrier(4IP +1 per turn maintenance) - 4HP. Requires LVL3 shipyard. Deals 2 damage to all. Cannot damage Submarines. Attacks at range.
Submarine(2IP) - 3HP. Requires LVL2 shipyard. Deals 1 damage to all.
Naval Combat:
Naval combat is a bit more complicated then land combat, but only the GM really has to understand the mechanics I'm about to talk about. You can scroll down until you see another bolded message if you want to get to what you actually do need to know.
To begin with, each ship on each side is assigned a number(1-10). I pick the appropriate-sized die and roll it. Whatever ship was assigned the number I rolled is put at their side's top of the list. I do this for the other side to match up a pair of opponents. I do this until no more pairings are possible, either because all ships are in the lines of battle or there are a few on one side who aren't because the enemy doesn't have enough ships. In the latter case, I assign those ships randomly using the same number system to create a few 2V1 battles. This is represented by a modifier given to the side with numerical superiority(+1 if aided by a Frigate, +2 from a Destroyer, +4 from a Cruiser - Subs and Carriers cannot provide Support).
From that point, every round counts as an hour. Unlike IOTE, ships may fight at night, so there's no cutoff time.
Every round each ship rolls 1D20. The ship it's paired with then rolls. Higher roll hits and deals damage. This process is repeated all down the line until all ships have acted, at which point the hour is advanced, any morale checks are made, and the process restarts. Ties damage both ships.
The Range is only calculated if one side has a Carrier. It can be anywhere from 1-10. 1 is the Range at which Cruisers, Destroyers, Submarines and Cruisers can engage. Carriers can engage at any range. Carriers automatically engage each other at range before attacking other ships. Collective movement from the two sides will bring the fleets 1 range increment closer each hour(round).
Other Information About Naval Warfare And Such:
First off - navies take 1IP to repair. That's it. No matter if it's a fleet of 10 Cruisers that each have 1HP left or a single Frigate with 1 missing health it costs the same. Ships CAN be transferred between fleets, so I fully expect people to finagle this a lot. The fleet must also remain in the same naval province over the course of that one turn.
Fleets in the same province don't automatically find each other. It's a 1D6 roll for both if they have no Frigates. If both or one succeed(s) then battle is joined. If a side has a Frigate it's a 1D4 chance. If that side has 2 Frigates then it's a 50% chance of finding the enemy. If they find them and the enemy doesn't find the first party on it's roll, then with 2 Frigates you roll(1D4 chance) to gain the Tactical Advantage - AKA one free round of battle where the enemy is not allowed to return fire. If you have 3 Frigates it's a 50-50 chance. There's no special benefit to having more then 3 Frigates in a fleet.
If two fleets of yours are working together, then they share data seamlessly. However, if you have a fleet and are sailing into battle allied with a fleet from another nation entirely then if you don't both individually discover the hostile navy there's only a 50-50 chance that the side that did will be able to get the side that didn't to accompany them into the fight - for all sorts of reasons. Beyond that having an ally accompany you is just a means to get more hulls into battle.
There is a hard limit of 6 fleets in a sea zone at a time.
Canals:
If you own one of the Canals(Suez, Panama, Gibraltar, Kattegat) you can block travel to the nation of your choice. Do whatever you want with this power - enforce passage fees! Close the canal to nations that you mildly dislike! Whatever!
Upgrades:
In IOTCW you can issue Upgrades to your units. These are special things that allow you to customize your nation. Here's how to do it:
Pay 2IP and wait until the next turn.
That's it! There are 7 upgradeable units and you get three free upgrades at game start - but you can only have one upgrade active per unit at a time. To change it you have to pay the fee and wait a turn like normal. Here's the list:
Destroyer
- Aegis Destroyer gains a +3 to rolls against enemy Air Wings, functions as a carrier for support and matching purposes in naval battles, but cannot damage enemy ships at range.
- ASW Helicopter Destroyer can damage Submarines.
- AGS(Advanced Gun System) Destroyer gains +2 bonus chance to hit.
Frigate
- Electronic Warfare Frigate provides support at a rate of +3 instead of +1.
- ASW Missiles Frigate can engage submarines at range 4 or closer.
- Sensor Suite 1 Frigate now provides full Scouting bonus, 2 provide full Tactical Advantage chance.
Carrier
- Reconnaissance Wing Carrier functions as a Frigate for Scouting and Tactical Advantage purposes.
- Reinforced Construction Carrier gains 1HP.
- Supercarrier Carrier functions as an airbase(routs 1 air wing) on the global map.
Cruiser
- Cruise Missiles Cruiser engages at range 5 and below.
- Heavy Gun System Cruiser gains +2 bonus chance to hit.
- Shore Bombardment Cruiser may participate in adjacent land battle(functions as +1 bonus to allied army, stacks, limit of 6.)
Submarine
- SSBN Refit Submarines can each carry 1 nuke on the strategic map.
- Tube-launched Missiles Submarine can engage at range 4 or closer.
- Homing Torpedoes Submarine gains +2 bonus chance to hit.
Army
- Armored Spearhead Morale bonus on offense.
- Defense In Depth Morale bonus on defense.
- Human Wave Armies bought 2 for 1, significant Morale handicap.
Air Wing
- Fighters - +2 bonus when fighting other Air Wings.
- Bombers - +2 bonus when attacking ground targets.
- Attack Helicopters Allows Air Wings to support armies in the field(functions as +2 bonus, does not stack, Air Wing removed if army is defeated.)
Nuclear Weapons:
Nuclear Weapons are the ultimate expressions of your willpower. Hitting a territory with a nuclear weapon will reduce it to infrastructure LVL1 and destroy several enemy armies and potentially grounded Air Wings or even their own Nukes. It might potentially turn it into a radioactive wasteland barren of all human life. These weapons should only ever be used as a last resort.
Each one costs 5IP to build, but has unlimited range. They can only be built at DEFCON 3 and above.
DEFCON Meter:
The DEFCON meter is adjusted based on global tension levels. Here's the listing on the five levels and what each entails.
Note: The game starts at DEFCON 5.
DEFCON 5 - Peace. No significant tensions. No one may declare war, and only Regional Powers may invade NPCs.
DEFCON 4 - Slight tension. Major and Regional Powers may invade NPCs, Regional Powers may DOW other nations, Major and Superpowers can defend allies.
DEFCON 3 - Noticeable tension. All nations may invade NPCs, Regional and Major Powers may attack anyone, Superpowers may defend allies. Nuclear weapons may be constructed.
DEFCON 2 - Significant tension. All powers may attack anyone.
DEFCON 1 - Open nuclear war. Nuclear weapons may be fired.
Note that your nation's statistics will change - you will become a Major Power if you seize a 4th province, and a Superpower if you gain an 8th. Therefore the DEFCON meter is both an ally and an enemy, though there are ways of circumventing it, like supporting an ally that was DOW'd and using the war to build your territory.
Victory:
Victory can be achieved three ways:
The Global Revolution - You(or you and your allies, at least) control every territory.
Mutually Assured Obliteration - Have five more nukes then your closest rival.
Arsenal of Ideology - Have at least 10 more IP per turn then your closest rival.
By definition, a rival is a nation that you are neither allied nor at war with.
-L
You are one of those leaders. Can your nation stand the test of the Cold War?
The Rules
Note: all rules are subject to change, so please keep an eye out for them. Thanks.
House Rules:
1. Do not flame, troll, or personally insult any other player OOC or IC. At all. You may comment on certain things negatively, but don't take it further than that.
2. Stay on topic. Make sure all comments are relevant to the fictional world of the current IOT and have nothing to do with your personal religious/political beliefs.
3. Your posts should actually consist of something relevant to your nation and not just one-liner comments. Do not spam.
4. Long diplomatic discussions belong to the realms of Social Groups or visitor and private messaging, not the Game Thread.
5. No powergaming. By definition, powergaming is making your country surpass every other country by all terms including armed forces, technology, etc.
6. The GM is supreme. He reserves the right to change game rules, ignore or modify orders, impose restrictions on players, disband player nations, and so on.
7. Above all else, RESPECT THY FELLOW FORUMERS.
8. If you have an issue with the way I GM this game, PM me with your issue before making a big stink about it.
9. Posting in this thread or the claims thread, PMing a player of this game for any IOTCW-related reason, or performing ANY sort of interaction with this game WHATSOEVER is declaring that you have read and understood the rules to the letter.
I'll usually warn players first if they break the rules. If they break the rules repeatedly, then I'll apply this:
1st Strike: Player is suspended from the game for one turn.
2nd Strike: Player is suspended from the game for three turns.
3rd Strike: Player nation dissolved, and the player banned from ever rejoining.
I reserve the right to ignore this policy for players who really piss me off, and kick them out of the game instantly.
Inactive players (AWOL for more than 3 turns) risk facing the Wrath of the GM (WoG) ie having their nation disbanded. These players can rejoin the game, but their old territories won't be restored to them; they'll start off with 2 claims like every new player.
Joining the Game:
To join the game, first choose a nation name and colour to represent your realms. Perhaps tell us a bit about your nation; your government, policies, history, and so on. Select two territories from the global map. They must border each other. After that specify a general area(anywhere up to 8 provinces) that you would call as your own. Then choose three Upgrades for your nation.
At the end of the 1st turn your nation will be randomly categorized into one of three categories:
Regional Power: 2 Provinces.
Major Power: 4 Provinces, may be overseas from each other if coastal.
Superpower: 8 Provinces, may be overseas from each other if coastal, only 2 or 3 will be chosen.
Updates:
IOTCW is a turn-based game. Each turn ends and a new turn begins with an Update. Updates will be rather irregular, but I will never update within 24 hours of a previous update. So, it is best to get your claims and orders in the first 24 hours of the turn.
I will make another thread, a Claims Thread, for claims and any orders and important announcements you want to post publicly. If there's anything really important you don't want me to miss come update time, post it in that thread. There is a zero tolerance policy on any diplomacy or OT talk in the Claims Thread.
Roleplaying:
Roleplaying is the essence of IOT. Its how your nation develops. Its how alliances are formed and broken. Roleplaying is very encouraged. Feel free to inhabit your nation with whoever or whatever you want, provided it fits with the setting and the etiquette listed above. If you're in doubt as to whether you're allowed to do something, just PM me about it first.
Expansion:
This is a rather simple issue. All territories are counted as nations called Minor Powers(Beyond your starting claims, of course). If a territory is unclaimed, there are three ways to take it over.
1) - Invasion. Basically akin to attacking another nation's territory, only you fight against neutrals who won't pursue a war.
2) - Liberation. If a nation you're at war with invades a nuetral territory that is contiguous with yours, there is a 50-50 chance that it will join your nation. If you have a fleet offshore of the territory there is a 30-70 chance.
3) - Economic. There is a 10% chance that a territory will join you if you offer them 1IP. Every IP you offer beyond that adds 10%, to a max of 80%.
Note: All islands in a single sea province are counted as one territory. If you want clarification as to specific borders, ask the GM.
Note: Dotted lines on the map connecting islands to each other or mainlands indicate they are part of the same province.
War:
If you declare war on an opposing nation, you are allowed to attack them with your armies and their fleets with navies. Here's how both work:
Armies are NOT represented on the map. They exist as a theoretical force that you build using 1IP to go and storm other people's countries. They are represented by an opposed D20 roll. Both sides roll 1D6 for morale - here's the listing of effects:
1 - -2 penalty.
2 - no bonus.
3,4,5 - +2 bonus.
6 - +3 bonus.
Armies that are not used to attack are used automatically for defense. You can only attack a province adjacent to yours or one that one of your fleets is offshore of even if it moves there during your turn. However, if your fleet engages a hostile fleet and is defeated you cannot launch an amphibious attack.
Navies ARE represented on the map as a block of your national color. Navies get their own section later, so I'll just move on here.
Air Wings are also constructed for 1IP, and, like armies, are not represented on the map. They can attack ground, sea, and air forces of enemy nations. They can only operate within 2 provinces/seazones of an airbase - a level 2 shipyard.
Industry Points:
Industrial Points or IPs are the game's currency. Each territory produces one. It's that simple. There is no banking. Every turn you lose what you don't spend. It IS possible to build a ship/army in one turn and use it that turn, but the same cannot be said about shipyard upgrades. Sorry. You have to wait until the next turn with them.
Naval Primer:
Ships are a huge focus of IOTCW. To begin with, navies are customizable. There are five types of ship you can build to go in them.
Note: All coastal provinces have a Shipyard(Level 2 for your capital, Level 1 for all others at start) that can be upgraded for 3IP to the next level. Level 3 is the maximum.
Note: There is a hard limit of 10 ships per fleet.
Frigate(1IP) - Requires LVL1 shipyard. 3HP. Deals 1 damage to all. BONUS: Provides Scouting to fleets on strategic map.
Destroyer(2IP) - Requires LVL2 Shipyard. 5HP. Deals 1 damage to all. Cannot damage Submarines.
Cruiser(4IP +1 per turn maintenance) - 7HP. Requires LVL3 Shipyard. Deals 1 damage to Cruisers and Destroyers, but 2 damage to Frigates. Cannot damage Submarines.
Carrier(4IP +1 per turn maintenance) - 4HP. Requires LVL3 shipyard. Deals 2 damage to all. Cannot damage Submarines. Attacks at range.
Submarine(2IP) - 3HP. Requires LVL2 shipyard. Deals 1 damage to all.
Naval Combat:
Naval combat is a bit more complicated then land combat, but only the GM really has to understand the mechanics I'm about to talk about. You can scroll down until you see another bolded message if you want to get to what you actually do need to know.
To begin with, each ship on each side is assigned a number(1-10). I pick the appropriate-sized die and roll it. Whatever ship was assigned the number I rolled is put at their side's top of the list. I do this for the other side to match up a pair of opponents. I do this until no more pairings are possible, either because all ships are in the lines of battle or there are a few on one side who aren't because the enemy doesn't have enough ships. In the latter case, I assign those ships randomly using the same number system to create a few 2V1 battles. This is represented by a modifier given to the side with numerical superiority(+1 if aided by a Frigate, +2 from a Destroyer, +4 from a Cruiser - Subs and Carriers cannot provide Support).
From that point, every round counts as an hour. Unlike IOTE, ships may fight at night, so there's no cutoff time.
Every round each ship rolls 1D20. The ship it's paired with then rolls. Higher roll hits and deals damage. This process is repeated all down the line until all ships have acted, at which point the hour is advanced, any morale checks are made, and the process restarts. Ties damage both ships.
The Range is only calculated if one side has a Carrier. It can be anywhere from 1-10. 1 is the Range at which Cruisers, Destroyers, Submarines and Cruisers can engage. Carriers can engage at any range. Carriers automatically engage each other at range before attacking other ships. Collective movement from the two sides will bring the fleets 1 range increment closer each hour(round).
Other Information About Naval Warfare And Such:
First off - navies take 1IP to repair. That's it. No matter if it's a fleet of 10 Cruisers that each have 1HP left or a single Frigate with 1 missing health it costs the same. Ships CAN be transferred between fleets, so I fully expect people to finagle this a lot. The fleet must also remain in the same naval province over the course of that one turn.
Fleets in the same province don't automatically find each other. It's a 1D6 roll for both if they have no Frigates. If both or one succeed(s) then battle is joined. If a side has a Frigate it's a 1D4 chance. If that side has 2 Frigates then it's a 50% chance of finding the enemy. If they find them and the enemy doesn't find the first party on it's roll, then with 2 Frigates you roll(1D4 chance) to gain the Tactical Advantage - AKA one free round of battle where the enemy is not allowed to return fire. If you have 3 Frigates it's a 50-50 chance. There's no special benefit to having more then 3 Frigates in a fleet.
If two fleets of yours are working together, then they share data seamlessly. However, if you have a fleet and are sailing into battle allied with a fleet from another nation entirely then if you don't both individually discover the hostile navy there's only a 50-50 chance that the side that did will be able to get the side that didn't to accompany them into the fight - for all sorts of reasons. Beyond that having an ally accompany you is just a means to get more hulls into battle.
There is a hard limit of 6 fleets in a sea zone at a time.
Canals:
If you own one of the Canals(Suez, Panama, Gibraltar, Kattegat) you can block travel to the nation of your choice. Do whatever you want with this power - enforce passage fees! Close the canal to nations that you mildly dislike! Whatever!
Upgrades:
In IOTCW you can issue Upgrades to your units. These are special things that allow you to customize your nation. Here's how to do it:
Pay 2IP and wait until the next turn.
That's it! There are 7 upgradeable units and you get three free upgrades at game start - but you can only have one upgrade active per unit at a time. To change it you have to pay the fee and wait a turn like normal. Here's the list:
Destroyer
- Aegis Destroyer gains a +3 to rolls against enemy Air Wings, functions as a carrier for support and matching purposes in naval battles, but cannot damage enemy ships at range.
- ASW Helicopter Destroyer can damage Submarines.
- AGS(Advanced Gun System) Destroyer gains +2 bonus chance to hit.
Frigate
- Electronic Warfare Frigate provides support at a rate of +3 instead of +1.
- ASW Missiles Frigate can engage submarines at range 4 or closer.
- Sensor Suite 1 Frigate now provides full Scouting bonus, 2 provide full Tactical Advantage chance.
Carrier
- Reconnaissance Wing Carrier functions as a Frigate for Scouting and Tactical Advantage purposes.
- Reinforced Construction Carrier gains 1HP.
- Supercarrier Carrier functions as an airbase(routs 1 air wing) on the global map.
Cruiser
- Cruise Missiles Cruiser engages at range 5 and below.
- Heavy Gun System Cruiser gains +2 bonus chance to hit.
- Shore Bombardment Cruiser may participate in adjacent land battle(functions as +1 bonus to allied army, stacks, limit of 6.)
Submarine
- SSBN Refit Submarines can each carry 1 nuke on the strategic map.
- Tube-launched Missiles Submarine can engage at range 4 or closer.
- Homing Torpedoes Submarine gains +2 bonus chance to hit.
Army
- Armored Spearhead Morale bonus on offense.
- Defense In Depth Morale bonus on defense.
- Human Wave Armies bought 2 for 1, significant Morale handicap.
Air Wing
- Fighters - +2 bonus when fighting other Air Wings.
- Bombers - +2 bonus when attacking ground targets.
- Attack Helicopters Allows Air Wings to support armies in the field(functions as +2 bonus, does not stack, Air Wing removed if army is defeated.)
Nuclear Weapons:
Nuclear Weapons are the ultimate expressions of your willpower. Hitting a territory with a nuclear weapon will reduce it to infrastructure LVL1 and destroy several enemy armies and potentially grounded Air Wings or even their own Nukes. It might potentially turn it into a radioactive wasteland barren of all human life. These weapons should only ever be used as a last resort.
Each one costs 5IP to build, but has unlimited range. They can only be built at DEFCON 3 and above.
DEFCON Meter:
The DEFCON meter is adjusted based on global tension levels. Here's the listing on the five levels and what each entails.
Note: The game starts at DEFCON 5.
DEFCON 5 - Peace. No significant tensions. No one may declare war, and only Regional Powers may invade NPCs.
DEFCON 4 - Slight tension. Major and Regional Powers may invade NPCs, Regional Powers may DOW other nations, Major and Superpowers can defend allies.
DEFCON 3 - Noticeable tension. All nations may invade NPCs, Regional and Major Powers may attack anyone, Superpowers may defend allies. Nuclear weapons may be constructed.
DEFCON 2 - Significant tension. All powers may attack anyone.
DEFCON 1 - Open nuclear war. Nuclear weapons may be fired.
Note that your nation's statistics will change - you will become a Major Power if you seize a 4th province, and a Superpower if you gain an 8th. Therefore the DEFCON meter is both an ally and an enemy, though there are ways of circumventing it, like supporting an ally that was DOW'd and using the war to build your territory.
Victory:
Victory can be achieved three ways:
The Global Revolution - You(or you and your allies, at least) control every territory.
Mutually Assured Obliteration - Have five more nukes then your closest rival.
Arsenal of Ideology - Have at least 10 more IP per turn then your closest rival.
By definition, a rival is a nation that you are neither allied nor at war with.
-L
)
. do you want me to drop out?
