Please see the following post for full details on the current stage of events: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=11882471&postcount=4194
List of Updates
1900 (Update 0): Part One, Part Two, Part Three
1901 (Update 1): Part One, Part Two
1902 (Update 2): Part One, Part Two, Part Three
1903 (Update 3): Part One, Part Two
1904 (Update 4): Part One, Part Two, Part Three
1905 (Update 5) The Great War Begins: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five
1906 (Update 6): Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four
1907 (Update 7): Part One, Part Two, Part Three
1908 (Update 8): Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four
1909 (Update 9): Part One, Part Two, Part Three
1910 (Update 10): Part One, Part Two, Part Three
1911 (Update 11): Part One, Part Two, Part Three
1912 (Update 12): Part One, Part Two, Part Three
1913 (Update 13): Part One, Part Two, Part Three
1914 (Update 14): Part One, Part Two, Part Three
1915 (Update 15): Part One, Part Two, Part Three
1916 (Update 16): Part One, Part Two
1917 (Update 17): Part One, Part Two, Part Three
1918 (Update 18): Part One, Part Two, Part Three
1919 (Update 19): Part One, Part Two, Part Three
For new players, welcome aboard! Send me a private message and I'll be happy to recommend any nation that fits your desires. For everyone else welcome back. The rules have not changed too much and the whole format is designed to be easy to learn, but challenging to master. There are subtleties to the rules, as well as tricks that will serve veteran players of my NESes well. You veterans will want to read the new rules, as there are some key differences that will only be readily apparent upon reading Otherwise, fear not! There are many updates ahead, and more than enough time to restart with a new nation. There are no permanent losers, and all are welcome to return if their nation falls.
The stated goal of this NES is to push forward with an update for every year between 1900 and 2100. This is two hundred updates, and by estimation, this will likely take place over the course of four years in real time. I've been looking for some consistency these days, and I feel that this NES will be key in preserving at least one stable thing in my life. So I'll be here for four more years, I hope most of you will be as well. Capto Iugulum may not start as the most historically plausible scenario, but the whole NES has been rather exhaustively researched by me, as it is the NES I've always wanted to moderate. NESes like The World Turned Upside Down and A Brave New World could be seen as prototypes of this very NES. Covering two hundred years of the most dramatic changes in human history isn't going to be easy, and holding onto your nation and empire for all that time is even less likely. Consider this a rodeo in which you're all riding bulls, while trying to push everyone else off of their own mounts.
In the early 1850s, what was popularly known as the Italian Crusade came to a violent end at the walls of Milan. The coalition assembled by Pope Leo XIII brought about a smashing defeat for the quest for Italian unification, brutally shattering the strength and capabilities of the Brothers of Italy for years to come. It seems, albeit for just a moment, that the threat of a united nationalistic nation was put to an end. This hollow victory was nearly immediately shattered with the unification of the Russian Empire, and the bloody conflict which was to come. The 2nd Orleans War brought about a full-scale conflict throughout Western Europe as the two powers of Languedoc and Paris-Burgundy fought for supremacy. From this conflict, the Franco-Burgundian Confederation was born and Europe would begin to change forever.
The 2nd Orleans War was the last war to be fought upon the European continent for decades to come, as Europe's influence spread across the world. Many old independent nations fell to the power of machine guns and ruthless diplomacy, as European empires grew and developed, all while fighting petty conflicts among themselves. Now, at the turn of the century, nine great nations stand, well above the rest. The strongest of them, Britain and Spain, have begun to heal old wounds as both stride the world with empires upon which the sun never sets. Meanwhile, a rising threat to the new order emerges from the east, as the strengths of Scandinavia and Russia continue to work more and more closely together. In the west, the Dutch and French grow close as well, dominating Western Europe and issuing a strong economic challenge to the established economies and empires of Britain and Spain. With these new blocs growing, there remain three important wildcards. The beleaguered Poles, who have built new friends and strong relationships throughout Central and Eastern Europe. The belligerent Americans, locked in a vicious political struggle with their southern neighbors. Finally, the rising Japanese, who have challenged and won against the Europeans in the past.
A new dawn for the world is emerging through the twilight of the nineteenth century. The late order of commerce and industry dominated by Britain and Spain has begun to be challenged and surpassed by other states. The Anglo-Russian War nearly put the world to the brink of total war, demonstrating the sheer ferocity and brutality of a modern conflict. In Budapest, proletarists rose, dominated the city, before being crushed by a monarchist army. The old crowns still preserve their rule, but their thrones are shakier than ever before, and some wonder if even stalwart republics can survive the incoming storm.
A Sample Nation
Nation Name/Player Name
Government: Monarch/Ruling Party(Ideological Affiliation)
Capital: City Name
Manpower: Bank (+Per turn)
Economic Points: Bank (+Per Turn)
Domestic Spending : -EP Per Turn
-Education: -EP Per Turn (Amount of EP required for basic nation-wide education)
-Policy #2: -EP Per Turn
Stability: #
Army: Brigades
Army Quality: #
Army Doctrine: Type
Navy: Ships
Navy Quality: #
Air Force: Squadrons
Air Force Quality: #
Colonies: Total Colonial Economic Value
Colony Name: Economic Value
-Manpower: #
-Garrison: Brigades, Ships, and Squadrons
-Stability: #
Project Name: Spent/Total Cost
Your government is the style of regime your nation has. This can range from anywhere to the most free and open democracy to a brutal authoritarian theocratic monarchy and anything in between. Various types of governments can obviously get away with different actions, and you should always keep your government in mind. Democratic governments have elections every once in a while (determined by their constitution) and can therefore be subject to changing winds more than a monarchy. The type of ideology you follow will also alter the issues of concern of your people and bring different matters of stability to the forefront of your politics. Be aware however, that should you mistreat your people and disregard the formalities of your regime, you may be faced with revolution. Unless, of course, that's what you wanted to do in the first place.
Manpower and your Population
The manpower of your nation is representative (currently, may change with time) of a select part of your overall population. Namely, this is of standard age "warrior" males from your population. The people that are considered to be ideal soldier age by modern standards, namely men ages 16-50. The Manpower stat does not include anyone outside of this range. Regardless, you may consider these people linked to their unmarked families, and are the people who will create new families if left to their own devices. If you expend too much of your manpower in military service, your growth rate will suffer. Also, though it may be tempting for some nations, try to resist using ALL your manpower for military purposes. Doing so will not only END population growth while the situation continues, but will likely be highly unpopular with your people, unless you are engaged in a total war. If you need more manpower you can pass laws widening the amounts of people that you can recruit, or decrease the field of available people.
Colonial troops can be recruited from your colonies' manpower if you so choose. The number provided are those currently willing to join a colonial army. These troops are recruited in the colony mention and thus can be provided as a quick defense should you need to hold a colony. As a word of warning though, colonial troops that gain military experience may one day turn this experience back upon you. Use caution when building up your colonial defenses.
Your basic economy in this NES consists of Economic Points, which is the total portion of your economy which is currently useable to your goverment. Nations with a stronger economy have governments which can spend considerably more. The economy of your nation can be improved through trade agreements, technological advances, and the capture of new territories and establishment of colonies. You can use both the funds in your bank, and the incoming Economic Points in your spending orders for each turn.
It should be noted that your economy may fall on occasion from recession or, worse, national bankruptcy. If your expenses (your spending and your domestic policy costs) exceed your total bank and income, your bank will go into negative numbers and your national government will be forced to declare bankruptcy. Not only will this give numerous nations reasons to invade you or declare war, it'll throw your whole economy into chaos, making things even worse then they were before. On top of that, your stability will take a hit, threatening the development of even more chaos. Be very careful, falling into bankruptcy is a way to begin a very vicious circle which results in nothing good.
Policies and Projects
As in prior NESes of mine, you can spend portions of your economy into either policies or projects. Projects are one-time programs designed to have a set expense for completion. The speed of these solely depends on how much you're willing to commit at any one time. To establish a project, simply inform me of your methods in conducting it and the goal to which you aspire, and a cost will materialize in your stats following the update.
Policies are more in-depth long-term expenditures. These are included in your stats underneath the Economic Points section. The policies are deducted from your EP bank at the end of every turn. Policies include things which you will always have to fund, and eliminating these will frequently result in internal political turmoil. Larger (geographically) nations will always have at least some policies in place, in order to fund the bureaucracy which keeps their empires going. Keep an eye on your policy expenditures, as you may find yourself bankrupt if you don't. If you choose, you can reduce expenses however you choose, just be warned this could have ramifications upon your stability or economy. On the other hand, sometimes cutting back expenses is exactly what you need to do to increase or economy or stability. The situation can vary from nation to nation.
Stability acts much has it has in my previous NESes. Stability is measured on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being a nation virtually in anarchy and in collapse, and 10 being a regime with very few internal problems. There are three major factors upon your stability that exist in your stats. The first of these is your manpower relative to your army. While you may desire an immense army, the process of recruiting for it is likely to destabilize your nation. Massive demobilizations of your army are likely to do the same. The other is your economy. Changes in the organization and strength of your economy likely to to destabilize or stabilize your nation. Finally, conducting too much change all at once will definitely result in instability. Typically, raising the level of control will destabilize your nation, and lowering it will stabilize your nation. There are exceptions to every rule, but this one holds fast in all cases at the start of the NES. Non-Western nations may also have to deal with other stability drops when attempting to introduce western ideals or military tactics into their nation.
Education and Technology
The education portion of your domestic spending is solely dictated by you, but it should be mentioned that the more you dedicate to education the more innovation and development, as dictated by the proportion of your manpower to the total amount of spending into education. Needless to say, a larger population will inherently require more spending on education to be truly effective. Having less than the recommended amount is ok, it's a recommendation, not a minimum. In the strictest sense, you may often be better served using the EP elsewhere, all nations will start with the full contribution, but you may reduce or increase it as you see fit. After all, Education provides a very intangible benefit, you may find the EP more useful elsewhere. When it comes to adjustments however, the less often you do it, the better for stability. Shifting back and forth too quickly only leads to pain and instability at home.
Now as it is, almost all research is out of the direct control of players. The independently researched stuff mostly includes civilian technologies and theoretical advancements. Therefore the broadest levels of research will not be under your control at any stage of the game, except for the speed at which they are achieved based on your education and portion of the economy dedicated to the private sector. Despite this, we now have the return of a limited "tech tree" to my NESes. Within this tech tree are technologies which would be within a government's interest for research during the relevant time period. Therefore this includes weapons technologies, and (eventually) nuclear and space programs. This method of research is fairly expensive and it should be noted that most of the tech tree technologies will emerge naturally even if the tech tree isn't used. The best use of the tech tree is if you want to gain a temporary edge against your nation's enemies. Unlike in the past NES, random technologies (with a few notable exceptions) won't be paraded about. Instead, they'll manifest in the "background" of the NES until eventually they're everywhere. This is to establish at least some realism in the sense that it is hard to predict what technologies will be the dominant ones in as short of a time as a mere decade.
With that it should be stated that ALL technologies (with exception of nuclear/space programs) are gradually shared among all nations when researched. This includes the tech tree along with advancements made by the private sector. Do not take this to mean that one nation cannot be backwards when compared to another. In addition to the levels of Army Organization, which help differentiate militarily, the nation which leads the way in technology will also take great leaps forward in economic and military quality stats (depending on the invention). Meanwhile, those not in the technological lead will progress in quality stats at a much slower rate. Therefore, even though you don't have to pave the way in technologies, it certainly won't hurt if you do.
One final note: if you have an idea for a secret technology research, feel free to ask me. Be warned, I will more likely than not shoot down your idea. Never hurts to ask though.
Army Doctrine is a distant cousin of Army Organization from the last NES. While they may look the same at a cursory glance, I assure you they most definitely are not. Army Doctrine has a much more direct effect upon the costs of various units, and will not be a set cost for all units as it was in the previous phase of the NES. The actual details of Doctrines and how to conduct this are discussed in the Army Doctrine Post below.
It might seem that the effort may be too expensive, and you may be right. A very large army has a very difficult time in converting to a more modern design for their forces. This however is completely realistic and some may find it easier to simply have a smaller, but modern, standing army. Unlike in previous NESes however, Army Doctrine is significantly more important than Army Quality when it comes to deciding battles. Therefore, while you may be able to let your upgrading slide for a time, you certainly cannot forever. Ideally, a army will attempt to modernize its organization and doctrines once every ten to twenty years. As stated in the economic section above however, the economies of all nations will be inflated compared to past NESes, so this is not as daunting as it might sound.
The most important thing for all of you aggressive NESers, is that no matter how flimsy it may be, you need to have a reason for your wars. Your people will fight and die for you, but they'd like to know why. If it's a good reason, they'll fight all the harder. This may include to liberate an oppressed people, claim more land for exploitation, or to unify a national group. If it is a bad reason, they may rebel. Bad reasons may include totalitarian conquest of other nations, or no reason at all. Remember, if you want to fight a war, give the world a reason why.
I would give an explanation of war in the 20th century, but I have chosen not to. This is mostly due to the unpredictable nature of the possibilities of war in this period of time, and changing thoughts and ideologies. There is one very broad tip I can give however: Just because it's 1914, doesn't mean that all wars must be fought in the trenches; similarly, just because it's 1939 doesn't mean that setting the tanks to rolling is the same thing as a blitzkrieg. Know your wars, terrain, and army, as some armies, thanks to doctrine, may be better at certain things than others.
Unlike in army combat, where Doctrine is king, the key elements of naval and air battles are a much more equal combination of quality and tech. Better aircraft will outperform worse types, but it should be considered that a better quality air force may still outmatch a poorly trained one, no matter how good their planes are. This somewhat affects armor as well as the stats of armor are highly significant in modern battles of tanks. The right stats in the right places may turn the tide of a battle, regardless of what the enemies stats may be.
With the exception of Special Forces and Army Doctrines, ALL unit designs are solely created by EP. The more EP you invest in a type of unit, the better the unit that you create. All types will initially be fairly expensive to design, but as technology advances and changes, the design of varying types of units will become substantially cheaper. I should note one very important thing about this though. While you may be tempted to spend all your money on a uber-death tank, plane, or battleship, all units have weaknesses, and it should be noted that there is a definite correlation between the cost of a unit and the amount of stat points it has. The full details and costs are provided in the Army/Navy/Air Force Posts below this one.
Stories, Tales, and Culture
For a moment there, I bet some of you thought I had lost sight of the Story part of NESing. Not so! As in A Brave New World, I'll be bringing back a number of things which we haven't seen in a while. Among these will be movie reviews, as well as cultural tidbits for the update. This will include a section in the update for political cartoons, reviews of plays/movies/books, and perhaps any other little cultural pieces we'd like to add in there. If you'd like to contribute, simply post your idea on the thread or in your orders, and watch as your people make cultural history. I of course will be holding onto editorial rights to make sure that it remains consistent in style to the rest of the update and what can be included for space reasons.
An Order deadline will be at the top of this post every week, and we'll be attempting to manage an update a week to start us off. Update 1 may take two weeks to allow everyone to adjust and work out how the rules work and the best way to send orders. Each update will be a year of game time, so plan your wars and policies accordingly. The only requisite I have for the format of your orders is that you provide the name of your nation in the title of your private message. Other than that, feel free to format your orders in the way that best suits you.
World Map
CAPTO IUGULUM
List of Updates
Spoiler :
1900 (Update 0): Part One, Part Two, Part Three
1901 (Update 1): Part One, Part Two
1902 (Update 2): Part One, Part Two, Part Three
1903 (Update 3): Part One, Part Two
1904 (Update 4): Part One, Part Two, Part Three
1905 (Update 5) The Great War Begins: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five
1906 (Update 6): Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four
1907 (Update 7): Part One, Part Two, Part Three
1908 (Update 8): Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four
1909 (Update 9): Part One, Part Two, Part Three
1910 (Update 10): Part One, Part Two, Part Three
1911 (Update 11): Part One, Part Two, Part Three
1912 (Update 12): Part One, Part Two, Part Three
1913 (Update 13): Part One, Part Two, Part Three
1914 (Update 14): Part One, Part Two, Part Three
1915 (Update 15): Part One, Part Two, Part Three
1916 (Update 16): Part One, Part Two
1917 (Update 17): Part One, Part Two, Part Three
1918 (Update 18): Part One, Part Two, Part Three
1919 (Update 19): Part One, Part Two, Part Three
Introduction
For new players, welcome aboard! Send me a private message and I'll be happy to recommend any nation that fits your desires. For everyone else welcome back. The rules have not changed too much and the whole format is designed to be easy to learn, but challenging to master. There are subtleties to the rules, as well as tricks that will serve veteran players of my NESes well. You veterans will want to read the new rules, as there are some key differences that will only be readily apparent upon reading Otherwise, fear not! There are many updates ahead, and more than enough time to restart with a new nation. There are no permanent losers, and all are welcome to return if their nation falls.
The stated goal of this NES is to push forward with an update for every year between 1900 and 2100. This is two hundred updates, and by estimation, this will likely take place over the course of four years in real time. I've been looking for some consistency these days, and I feel that this NES will be key in preserving at least one stable thing in my life. So I'll be here for four more years, I hope most of you will be as well. Capto Iugulum may not start as the most historically plausible scenario, but the whole NES has been rather exhaustively researched by me, as it is the NES I've always wanted to moderate. NESes like The World Turned Upside Down and A Brave New World could be seen as prototypes of this very NES. Covering two hundred years of the most dramatic changes in human history isn't going to be easy, and holding onto your nation and empire for all that time is even less likely. Consider this a rodeo in which you're all riding bulls, while trying to push everyone else off of their own mounts.
Where We Are, The Old and the New
In the early 1850s, what was popularly known as the Italian Crusade came to a violent end at the walls of Milan. The coalition assembled by Pope Leo XIII brought about a smashing defeat for the quest for Italian unification, brutally shattering the strength and capabilities of the Brothers of Italy for years to come. It seems, albeit for just a moment, that the threat of a united nationalistic nation was put to an end. This hollow victory was nearly immediately shattered with the unification of the Russian Empire, and the bloody conflict which was to come. The 2nd Orleans War brought about a full-scale conflict throughout Western Europe as the two powers of Languedoc and Paris-Burgundy fought for supremacy. From this conflict, the Franco-Burgundian Confederation was born and Europe would begin to change forever.
The 2nd Orleans War was the last war to be fought upon the European continent for decades to come, as Europe's influence spread across the world. Many old independent nations fell to the power of machine guns and ruthless diplomacy, as European empires grew and developed, all while fighting petty conflicts among themselves. Now, at the turn of the century, nine great nations stand, well above the rest. The strongest of them, Britain and Spain, have begun to heal old wounds as both stride the world with empires upon which the sun never sets. Meanwhile, a rising threat to the new order emerges from the east, as the strengths of Scandinavia and Russia continue to work more and more closely together. In the west, the Dutch and French grow close as well, dominating Western Europe and issuing a strong economic challenge to the established economies and empires of Britain and Spain. With these new blocs growing, there remain three important wildcards. The beleaguered Poles, who have built new friends and strong relationships throughout Central and Eastern Europe. The belligerent Americans, locked in a vicious political struggle with their southern neighbors. Finally, the rising Japanese, who have challenged and won against the Europeans in the past.
A new dawn for the world is emerging through the twilight of the nineteenth century. The late order of commerce and industry dominated by Britain and Spain has begun to be challenged and surpassed by other states. The Anglo-Russian War nearly put the world to the brink of total war, demonstrating the sheer ferocity and brutality of a modern conflict. In Budapest, proletarists rose, dominated the city, before being crushed by a monarchist army. The old crowns still preserve their rule, but their thrones are shakier than ever before, and some wonder if even stalwart republics can survive the incoming storm.

A Sample Nation
Nation Name/Player Name
Government: Monarch/Ruling Party(Ideological Affiliation)
Capital: City Name
Manpower: Bank (+Per turn)
Economic Points: Bank (+Per Turn)
Domestic Spending : -EP Per Turn
-Education: -EP Per Turn (Amount of EP required for basic nation-wide education)
-Policy #2: -EP Per Turn
Stability: #
Army: Brigades
Army Quality: #
Army Doctrine: Type
Navy: Ships
Navy Quality: #
Air Force: Squadrons
Air Force Quality: #
Colonies: Total Colonial Economic Value
Spoiler :
Colony Name: Economic Value
-Manpower: #
-Garrison: Brigades, Ships, and Squadrons
-Stability: #
Project Name: Spent/Total Cost
Governments
Your government is the style of regime your nation has. This can range from anywhere to the most free and open democracy to a brutal authoritarian theocratic monarchy and anything in between. Various types of governments can obviously get away with different actions, and you should always keep your government in mind. Democratic governments have elections every once in a while (determined by their constitution) and can therefore be subject to changing winds more than a monarchy. The type of ideology you follow will also alter the issues of concern of your people and bring different matters of stability to the forefront of your politics. Be aware however, that should you mistreat your people and disregard the formalities of your regime, you may be faced with revolution. Unless, of course, that's what you wanted to do in the first place.

Manpower and your Population
The manpower of your nation is representative (currently, may change with time) of a select part of your overall population. Namely, this is of standard age "warrior" males from your population. The people that are considered to be ideal soldier age by modern standards, namely men ages 16-50. The Manpower stat does not include anyone outside of this range. Regardless, you may consider these people linked to their unmarked families, and are the people who will create new families if left to their own devices. If you expend too much of your manpower in military service, your growth rate will suffer. Also, though it may be tempting for some nations, try to resist using ALL your manpower for military purposes. Doing so will not only END population growth while the situation continues, but will likely be highly unpopular with your people, unless you are engaged in a total war. If you need more manpower you can pass laws widening the amounts of people that you can recruit, or decrease the field of available people.
Colonial troops can be recruited from your colonies' manpower if you so choose. The number provided are those currently willing to join a colonial army. These troops are recruited in the colony mention and thus can be provided as a quick defense should you need to hold a colony. As a word of warning though, colonial troops that gain military experience may one day turn this experience back upon you. Use caution when building up your colonial defenses.
The Wealth of Nations: Your Economy
Your basic economy in this NES consists of Economic Points, which is the total portion of your economy which is currently useable to your goverment. Nations with a stronger economy have governments which can spend considerably more. The economy of your nation can be improved through trade agreements, technological advances, and the capture of new territories and establishment of colonies. You can use both the funds in your bank, and the incoming Economic Points in your spending orders for each turn.
It should be noted that your economy may fall on occasion from recession or, worse, national bankruptcy. If your expenses (your spending and your domestic policy costs) exceed your total bank and income, your bank will go into negative numbers and your national government will be forced to declare bankruptcy. Not only will this give numerous nations reasons to invade you or declare war, it'll throw your whole economy into chaos, making things even worse then they were before. On top of that, your stability will take a hit, threatening the development of even more chaos. Be very careful, falling into bankruptcy is a way to begin a very vicious circle which results in nothing good.

Policies and Projects
As in prior NESes of mine, you can spend portions of your economy into either policies or projects. Projects are one-time programs designed to have a set expense for completion. The speed of these solely depends on how much you're willing to commit at any one time. To establish a project, simply inform me of your methods in conducting it and the goal to which you aspire, and a cost will materialize in your stats following the update.
Policies are more in-depth long-term expenditures. These are included in your stats underneath the Economic Points section. The policies are deducted from your EP bank at the end of every turn. Policies include things which you will always have to fund, and eliminating these will frequently result in internal political turmoil. Larger (geographically) nations will always have at least some policies in place, in order to fund the bureaucracy which keeps their empires going. Keep an eye on your policy expenditures, as you may find yourself bankrupt if you don't. If you choose, you can reduce expenses however you choose, just be warned this could have ramifications upon your stability or economy. On the other hand, sometimes cutting back expenses is exactly what you need to do to increase or economy or stability. The situation can vary from nation to nation.
Stability
Stability acts much has it has in my previous NESes. Stability is measured on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being a nation virtually in anarchy and in collapse, and 10 being a regime with very few internal problems. There are three major factors upon your stability that exist in your stats. The first of these is your manpower relative to your army. While you may desire an immense army, the process of recruiting for it is likely to destabilize your nation. Massive demobilizations of your army are likely to do the same. The other is your economy. Changes in the organization and strength of your economy likely to to destabilize or stabilize your nation. Finally, conducting too much change all at once will definitely result in instability. Typically, raising the level of control will destabilize your nation, and lowering it will stabilize your nation. There are exceptions to every rule, but this one holds fast in all cases at the start of the NES. Non-Western nations may also have to deal with other stability drops when attempting to introduce western ideals or military tactics into their nation.

Education and Technology
The education portion of your domestic spending is solely dictated by you, but it should be mentioned that the more you dedicate to education the more innovation and development, as dictated by the proportion of your manpower to the total amount of spending into education. Needless to say, a larger population will inherently require more spending on education to be truly effective. Having less than the recommended amount is ok, it's a recommendation, not a minimum. In the strictest sense, you may often be better served using the EP elsewhere, all nations will start with the full contribution, but you may reduce or increase it as you see fit. After all, Education provides a very intangible benefit, you may find the EP more useful elsewhere. When it comes to adjustments however, the less often you do it, the better for stability. Shifting back and forth too quickly only leads to pain and instability at home.
Now as it is, almost all research is out of the direct control of players. The independently researched stuff mostly includes civilian technologies and theoretical advancements. Therefore the broadest levels of research will not be under your control at any stage of the game, except for the speed at which they are achieved based on your education and portion of the economy dedicated to the private sector. Despite this, we now have the return of a limited "tech tree" to my NESes. Within this tech tree are technologies which would be within a government's interest for research during the relevant time period. Therefore this includes weapons technologies, and (eventually) nuclear and space programs. This method of research is fairly expensive and it should be noted that most of the tech tree technologies will emerge naturally even if the tech tree isn't used. The best use of the tech tree is if you want to gain a temporary edge against your nation's enemies. Unlike in the past NES, random technologies (with a few notable exceptions) won't be paraded about. Instead, they'll manifest in the "background" of the NES until eventually they're everywhere. This is to establish at least some realism in the sense that it is hard to predict what technologies will be the dominant ones in as short of a time as a mere decade.
With that it should be stated that ALL technologies (with exception of nuclear/space programs) are gradually shared among all nations when researched. This includes the tech tree along with advancements made by the private sector. Do not take this to mean that one nation cannot be backwards when compared to another. In addition to the levels of Army Organization, which help differentiate militarily, the nation which leads the way in technology will also take great leaps forward in economic and military quality stats (depending on the invention). Meanwhile, those not in the technological lead will progress in quality stats at a much slower rate. Therefore, even though you don't have to pave the way in technologies, it certainly won't hurt if you do.
One final note: if you have an idea for a secret technology research, feel free to ask me. Be warned, I will more likely than not shoot down your idea. Never hurts to ask though.
Army Doctrine
Army Doctrine is a distant cousin of Army Organization from the last NES. While they may look the same at a cursory glance, I assure you they most definitely are not. Army Doctrine has a much more direct effect upon the costs of various units, and will not be a set cost for all units as it was in the previous phase of the NES. The actual details of Doctrines and how to conduct this are discussed in the Army Doctrine Post below.
It might seem that the effort may be too expensive, and you may be right. A very large army has a very difficult time in converting to a more modern design for their forces. This however is completely realistic and some may find it easier to simply have a smaller, but modern, standing army. Unlike in previous NESes however, Army Doctrine is significantly more important than Army Quality when it comes to deciding battles. Therefore, while you may be able to let your upgrading slide for a time, you certainly cannot forever. Ideally, a army will attempt to modernize its organization and doctrines once every ten to twenty years. As stated in the economic section above however, the economies of all nations will be inflated compared to past NESes, so this is not as daunting as it might sound.
Wars, Warfare, and Units
The most important thing for all of you aggressive NESers, is that no matter how flimsy it may be, you need to have a reason for your wars. Your people will fight and die for you, but they'd like to know why. If it's a good reason, they'll fight all the harder. This may include to liberate an oppressed people, claim more land for exploitation, or to unify a national group. If it is a bad reason, they may rebel. Bad reasons may include totalitarian conquest of other nations, or no reason at all. Remember, if you want to fight a war, give the world a reason why.
I would give an explanation of war in the 20th century, but I have chosen not to. This is mostly due to the unpredictable nature of the possibilities of war in this period of time, and changing thoughts and ideologies. There is one very broad tip I can give however: Just because it's 1914, doesn't mean that all wars must be fought in the trenches; similarly, just because it's 1939 doesn't mean that setting the tanks to rolling is the same thing as a blitzkrieg. Know your wars, terrain, and army, as some armies, thanks to doctrine, may be better at certain things than others.
Unlike in army combat, where Doctrine is king, the key elements of naval and air battles are a much more equal combination of quality and tech. Better aircraft will outperform worse types, but it should be considered that a better quality air force may still outmatch a poorly trained one, no matter how good their planes are. This somewhat affects armor as well as the stats of armor are highly significant in modern battles of tanks. The right stats in the right places may turn the tide of a battle, regardless of what the enemies stats may be.
With the exception of Special Forces and Army Doctrines, ALL unit designs are solely created by EP. The more EP you invest in a type of unit, the better the unit that you create. All types will initially be fairly expensive to design, but as technology advances and changes, the design of varying types of units will become substantially cheaper. I should note one very important thing about this though. While you may be tempted to spend all your money on a uber-death tank, plane, or battleship, all units have weaknesses, and it should be noted that there is a definite correlation between the cost of a unit and the amount of stat points it has. The full details and costs are provided in the Army/Navy/Air Force Posts below this one.

Stories, Tales, and Culture
For a moment there, I bet some of you thought I had lost sight of the Story part of NESing. Not so! As in A Brave New World, I'll be bringing back a number of things which we haven't seen in a while. Among these will be movie reviews, as well as cultural tidbits for the update. This will include a section in the update for political cartoons, reviews of plays/movies/books, and perhaps any other little cultural pieces we'd like to add in there. If you'd like to contribute, simply post your idea on the thread or in your orders, and watch as your people make cultural history. I of course will be holding onto editorial rights to make sure that it remains consistent in style to the rest of the update and what can be included for space reasons.
Orders and Updates
An Order deadline will be at the top of this post every week, and we'll be attempting to manage an update a week to start us off. Update 1 may take two weeks to allow everyone to adjust and work out how the rules work and the best way to send orders. Each update will be a year of game time, so plan your wars and policies accordingly. The only requisite I have for the format of your orders is that you provide the name of your nation in the title of your private message. Other than that, feel free to format your orders in the way that best suits you.
World Map