"It would be foolish not to recognize the greatness of Europe. But it would be equally foolish to forget the greatness of Asia."
-Jawaharlal Nehru
Ruleset
Example stats
New Jersey/RaibLestrange
Republic of New Jersey
Capital: Trenton
Influence: Canada (Major), Mexico (Minor)
Presidential Republic: President Ilyasviel von Einzbern
-Socialists (Majority Govt/Pleased): Rebuilding Infrastructure
-Liberals (Large Minority/Displeased): Economic Liberalisation
-Unionists (Small Minority/Content): Reunion with New England
Next Elections: 1952
Unrest: Low
Population: 8.1M
Living Standards: Very High (Medium Inequality)
Corruption: High
Income: 17 (34-17)/0
-Education and Research: -5 (Excellent)
-Health and Welfare: -4 (Good)
-Law and Security: -3 (Average)
-Military Upkeep: -5
Dependencies:
-Delaware: +I/0.9M/Direct Rule/Famine
-Long Island: -J/7.6M/Local Protectorate/Long Island Independence
Army (Quality 5): 2 Class V Divisions, 2 Class IV Divisions
-Delaware: 1 Class IV Division
-Long Island: 1 Class IV Division
Navy (Quality 4): 2 Class IV Squadrons
Air (Quality 4): 1 Figher IV Wing, 1 Fighter III Wing, 2 Bomber III Wings
Influence and Politics
Influence is a stat that will only appear for non-powers and represents the relative levels of influence any powers might have in your country (Minor -> Moderate -> Major -> Dependency).
Superpowers and Secondary Powers will have that status displayed on this line in their stead. More influence means more power over a country's politics, economy, and culture - however that might be used. Economic and trade deals, political agreements, financial or military assistance, migration, and simple cultural contact are all ways influence can grow.
The majority of countries in this game are already under a power's influence - to some degree or another - and most others will have foreign influence build up steadily over time. It is certainly possible to combat influence.
Opposing a power's machinations - and/or taking even more drastic measures - can reduce a power's influence. Of course, as with all things, there will be resistance, and when said resistance has the capability to force you into submission, it is best to tread carefully.
Politics works like this. Your government type is listed, alongside your leader or head of state (if applicable).
If your country has a parliament or legislature, then the ~2-5 largest and/or most influential political parties/blocs/groups will be listed, with (in order) their actual size in the legislature (Majority Govt, Minority Govt, Coalition Partner, Large Minority, Small Minority). Also listed for each is their level of satisfaction with the current government's policies (Rebellious, Angered, Displeased, Content, Pleased, Delighted). After the parentheses is listed each party's most pressing issue or desire - think of it as the "theme" their campaign might run. The idea is to give you a brief, abstracted overview of the internal situation and political landscape of your country. These political parties can certainly align themselves with - or against - foreign powers.
Countries with elections will also have a "
Next Elections" line that lists the year the next elections are constitutionally due by. In parliamentary governments it is very possible for elections to be held before this date, if the current government does not last that long or if the current government chooses to call them.
If your country is a single-party state, an autocracy, or otherwise does not have a functional legislature, then all this will be replaced by a generic "issues" line that lists what the ruling party or faction thinks the 2-3 most pressing issues facing the country are, or things that the ruling party or faction desires. These may not always align perfectly with the popular sentiment, so be wary.
In all countries, autocratic or democratic, it is wise not to alienate your support base. Enacting policies that act counter to their will is a good way to erode confidence in your government and bring about regime change. (Unless that's what you were actually after all along!)
Finally, there is
Unrest. This line is an abstracted measure of the general level of popular discontent in the country (None, Low, Moderate, High) which can take the form of protests, civil disobedience, riots, or full-on rebellion. Bear in mind that this discontent might not necessarily be against the government. The higher a country's unrest, the less likely the discontent is to be peaceful. High unrest countries are at risk of falling into civil war and/or becoming failed states.
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Economics and Spending
Your
Population is, rather obviously, your country's total population at the start of the year/turn in question, measured to the closest 100,000. Note that this number
solely counts people who live in your country proper; people who live in colonies, dependencies, non-integral territories, or whatnot are counted separately.
Living Standards are an abstract measure of how well-off your people are. Higher personal incomes, greater material wealth, better healthcare, better infrastructure, more pleasant living situations, better safety, greater access to culture and entertainment, and many more things all play into this. Higher living standards are obviously indicative of more developed economies, and therefore will allow more government spending.
Inequality goes hand-in-hand with Living Standards and is an abstract measure of how unequal your wealth is distributed - that can be inequality between classes, regions, or ethnic groups. High inequality can breed discontent.
Corruption is, well, corruption, and higher corruption is a major hindrance to your government. Corruption reduces the income that is actually useable by your government, and it also makes your government programmes less effective.
Your
Income is how much money actually is useable by your government - this is influenced by a lot of factors, including corruption, how high your taxes are, how your economy is structured, and how much government involvement there is in the economy. The numbers are listed as
Net (Total-Spending)/Bank.
Spending is divided into three major fields. For each of these, there will be a rating (Nonexistent, Poor, Average, Good, Excellent) that give an idea as to the effectiveness and quality of government services in each, which is generally dependent on how much you spend per capita. The numbers listed are simply how much you paid last turn, and are not rigid; you can increase or decrease them as you wish, though doing so will have consequences. If you spend more or less, they will not increase/decrease automatically; they will take time to adjust.
-Health and Welfare covers funding for things such as healthcare, social security, pensions, and other foundations of your country's welfare system. Increasing funding into this can help sustain a high standard of living, make your population healthier and happier, and decrease social inequality, but having an extensive welfare system is not cheap and may have other (political or economic) consequences.
-Education and Research covers funding for schools, colleges, universities, laboratories, research grants, cultural programmes, and whatnot. Higher funding into education is a good way to not only increase literacy but to make any research programme you conduct significantly more effective. A more literate and educated populace will also make for a more competitive economy in the long run.
-Law and Security covers funding for general authority-keeping, the legal system, and police forces, and greater funding makes all of these things more effective. It also covers rather shadier things that may or may not include intelligence agencies and secret police. More funding means better police coverage, lower crime rates, a more efficient justice system - and, should they be applicable, more effective secret police and intelligence services.
There is also
Military Upkeep, which - more on this in the military section. You don't have to pay the full cost of this, but do note that not paying your soldiers is an excellent way to breed discontent or mutiny among people who have guns and are generally unafraid of using them.
One last thing I'm going to mention is
Projects which will return from my (and other people's) past games. Traditionally Projects have been the NES/IOT equivalent of Wonders from Civ, and certainly they could be that, but they are also a lot more broad (especially in this relatively modern era). They could be anything from mass engineering or infrastructure projects (i.e. building dams, new towns, roads, rails), to large-scale social programmes (i.e. mass relocation of people), to research projects, to far-reaching government policies (i.e. establishing new universities or providing electricity to everyone). If you're interested in something of the sort, contact me privately and I can provide cost and effects
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Dependencies
Dependencies here encompass colonial possessions, outlying territories, protectorates, or anything that for whatever reason is not considered an integral part of your country but is not independent enough to be considered a separate country.
Each dependency has four stats in its line. The first is the net income of the dependency - this is already added to/subtracted from your main income, so don't worry about having to deal with the maths here. (The total income of all dependencies is listed after "Dependencies:") The second number is the dependency's population. The third is the means by which the dependency is governed, be it directly from your country, through local self-government, or however. And the fourth is the most pressing issue facing the dependency. That - or simply a desire for independence.
Small islands or other relatively insignificant territories won't be listed here, even if you do control them.
Note that, unlike a lot of other games, quite a few colonies have net negative incomes. This represents territories that are a net drain on your country's economy and your government's resources.
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Military and Warfare
Each field of your military has a
Quality stat, representing an abstracted measure of both equipment technological capability and the ability of the leadership. This is important, as all Divisions, Squadrons, Submarine Squadrons, Fighters, and Bombers have a
class that represents the quality of that particular unit. The highest class for a country is equal to the quality of the relevant branch; so if you have an Army Quality of 4, you can build Class IV Divisions, and if you have a Navy Quality of 5, you can build Class V Squadrons and Class V Submarine Squadrons. You can upgrade a unit from one class to the next by paying 1/2 the build cost of the unit.
Quality can increase; it will naturally increase as your leaders gain experience and skill, either through physical battlefield experience or through better training. It can also increase with advances in the equipment your military has access to - either from research or from outside sources. Also, it can increase if your leaders receive training from countries with better quality militaries.
Army:
-Division: 4 EP cost, 1/3 EP upkeep
-Irregular Division: 1 EP cost, 1/6 EP upkeep. Irregular far divisions are weaker than regular divisions, but also far cheaper. They can be upgraded to full Divisions of the class corresponding to your current army quality for 3 EP each.
Navy:
-Carrier: 25 EP cost, 1 EP upkeep
-Battleship: 15 EP cost, 1 EP upkeep
-Squadron: 6 EP cost, 1/2 EP upkeep
-Submarine Squadron: 10 EP cost, 1/2 EP upkeep
New types of naval units may become available with time and technological progress.
Air:
-Fighter Wing: 6 EP cost, 1/2 EP upkeep. Note that
Fighter V and above have jet engines instead of propellers.
-Bomber Wing: 10 EP cost, 1/2 EP upkeep. Note that
Bomber V and above have jet engines instead of propellers.
New types of air units may become available with time and technological progress.
Fractional upkeep numbers are rounded up.
You can buy and sell units to/from other countries, or have other countries build your units for you, and this is a way of getting units that are of a higher class than you yourself are capable of. This may also increase their Influence in your country though.
While going to war, it may be helpful to spend a few extra resources to ensure that your soldiers are properly supplied. Also, this being the mid-to-late twentieth century, wars can often be decided just as much by political willpower as they are by actual military prowess. Keep that in mind.
Another, potentially related aspect of foreign relations that I have no idea where else in the rules to put is
Espionage. Largely, this will function more or less automatically; your Law and Security budget is what determines how effective your intelligence agents are. They'll be collecting information and intelligence on their own, so if you need some detail, ask me, and I will respond insofar as your intelligence knows. You can, of course, direct your agents towards certain countries. You can also task your intelligence forces out on specific missions if you like; this is something I'll determine on a case-by-case basis so ask me privately.
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Doomsday
As of 1950, only three states are known to possess nuclear weapons: the Franco-British Union, the Intermarium, and Mexico. (Of these, the Franco-British Union is the only one to have used in war, having detonated a uranium warhead over the Russian city of Tsaritsyn at the end of the Second European War five years prior.) Meanwhile, rumours swirl across the globe of many, many other countries who desire the power contained within them.
I'm very cognizant of the fact that nuclear weapons have been a bane of this sort of game in the past. Keeping that in mind, a key feature of this game is the
Doomsday Clock - taking after the existing concept from real life. The time on the Clock what will control players' usage of nuclear weapons:
If the clock strikes:
-23:56: Nuclear powers can use small-scale/tactical nuclear weapons in ongoing conflicts.
-23:58: Nuclear powers can use any sort of nuclear weapons in ongoing conflicts OR small-scale/tactical nuclear weapons in a first-strike role.
-23:59: Any nuclear power can use any sort of nuclear weapons on anyone else, regardless of existing hostilities.
-
00:00: The buddha smiles
The Clock will start the game in 1950 at
23:53.
The Clock will be re-evaluated after every turn and adjusted as necessary, in response to ongoing world events. Increasing of tensions between nuclear powers, public expansion of nuclear weapons stockpiles, new countries conducting nuclear tests, and so forth all will push the clock closer towards midnight. On the contrary, warming of relations between nuclear powers, treaties to limit nuclear stockpiles, nuclear disarmaments, and moves towards global peace will all push the clock away from midnight.
Attempting to use nuclear weapons that aren't allowed by the Clock will result in the weapons not actually being used. However, other consequences may occur.
In any case
, the triggering of nuclear warfare on a large enough scale (to put it another way, triggering MAD) will result in the immediate end of this phase of the game. I'm not going to say what that "large enough scale" is, or will happen after that, just yet.
So all that aside, suppose you are a country who wishes to build nuclear weapons? Firstly, the Clock does not regulate what weapons you can actually build, simply their usage; so you can build away to your heart's content. Second of all, contact me privately for information and to see if you are capable of doing so. Conducting a nuclear programme - especially a nuclear programme if you have no outside help - can be
very expensive even if the weapons themselves ultimately are not.
Thirdly, nuclear stockpile numbers are kept hidden from the public.
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Space
It's within reach But not
quite yet. If/when a country finally breaks the Earth's atmosphere and successfully launches a man-made object into space, I'll expand greatly on this section.
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Housekeeping
I'd prefer to have orders sent to me via CFC PM (or whatever it's called now after the forum switch). That being said, I myself am not 100% acclimatised to the new system and so if you want an alternate way of sending orders I can probably work something out. Send orders in whatever format you're comfortable with; I have no real preference.
If you want to talk, I am usually somewhat active on IOT's
discord. This game has its own channel there - #clockwork, which you can directly reach
here. I encourage you to come there if you want to chat. Note that for reasons I am invisible on discord, so I will appear offline even when I am online, and if you ping me, I will respond to you as quickly as I can. I tend to leave my computer open even when I am AFK so forgive me if I don't respond immediately. Feel free to talk or ask questions about anything - the background, stats, random silliness, whatever. Trust me, I love engaging with people like this about my games, so no question you ask is stupid.
I'm also happy to answer questions via CFC (though I am still getting used to the new PM/convo system so please bear with me) or via my Steam (which I'll give out via request)
If you're new, I'm honoured that you're looking at my game! Feel free to contact me privately through any of the above means if you need help or have any questions whatsoever.
Please keep SRSBSNS drama, forum politics, or actual politics well out of the game or the Discord channel. I have very little patience for any of these (especially the last of the three) and continuing to bring them up to the point where it annoys me will result in me trying to have you kicked from the game. Also, please don't be a [fun word] to other players. This will also result in me trying to have you kicked from the game. My goal above all else is for everyone to have fun with this game, I'm simply trying to help with that as much as I can.
