December World - game thread

We can confirm this with fine wine and a special fish feast based to the most wonderful of music, making one feel like a courtier at the courts of Atlantis!
 
Avé! Bossa Nova!

Spoiler :

1890, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky

Fyodor jerked awake with a splitting headache. This wasn’t all that unusual, between the winter, harsh even by the standards of veteran of the Bering Straits, the slabyy southerners who were making up more and more of his crews, and the Chuchki stealing his whales he was spending less and less time sober. What was unusual was that, instead of waking in his cabin or a greasy barroom table, he was apparently in an orderly office. The walls were covered in maps of the Directory, each with dozens of pins of varying colors stabbed into it haphazardly. Covering the desk he’d been using as an improvised pillow were several large stacks of paper, each set into their section of the grid carved into the desk. The entire room stank of lemon and soap, as though someone had soaked the entire place in an effort to clean it.

It was only when he heard the polite cough from the far side of the desk that he even noticed the small man sitting behind it. After his eyes managed to focus on the mousey man he began to notice the strange details, namely the enormous thick-rimmed glasses and an honest-to-God freshly pressed naval uniform. Who would bother to press their uniform out in this God-forsaken wasteland? His eyes drifted to his epaulets, noting the pair of double-headed eagles ornamenting it, and moved back to the-

Fyodor snapped fully awake as his body rose to its feet and his hand snapped into a salute to the Vice Admiral who was smiling at him. He could see another person step into his peripheral vision, but was too scared to tear his vision from the highest ranking military officer in the Pacific Directory. The man to his side broke the awkward silence first, his voice smooth and vaguely musical.

“Captain Fyodor Stravinsky, formerly of Saint Petersburg and current commander of the PDS Reindeer, PDS Monticello, PDS Oryol, PDS Tsvet Voiny, and the PDS Miach.”

The man moved around behind him, appearing in his peripheral vision on his far side, “Is this correct?”

“Sir yes sir!” He barked out, still on automatic as he frantically tried piecing together exactly what happened yesterday. The Tsvet had docked last evening, he and Pyotr went off drinking with Jenit, there was a scary looking-. He stopped breathing when he realized that the cler-the admiral had spoken and he’d completely missed it. Peripheral man was chuckling quietly and he could hear some kind of meaty growl behind him. Did this cler-admiral have some kind of pet bear? The admiral frowned slightly and shook his head as the Mr Periphery began to openly laugh.

“Oh for God’s sakes man, at ease. Vitus, knock it off. Captain Fyodor, I am Vice Admiral Volya, the newly appointed Chief Director of the Pacific Directory. I’ve heard a great deal about your exploits in the Chukchi Sea, brilliant work opening trade relations with the Inupiat.” The man’s voice was high and would occasionally break, like he was going through puberty again.

Fyodor slowly unfroze, hand dropping to his side, as Vitus slowly got his laughing under control. He’d done what with the Inupiat? Was the admiral talking about those natives he bought those adolescent Right’s from? Pyotr must’ve added it to the report, that was the sort of official paperwork he loved. “Th-thank you sir. I thought it was the appropriate thing to do at the time.”

“It most certainly was. I have need for men of instinct like you.” Volya stood, standing an unimposing 5’6”, and stood staring out the window as he continues. “A man like yourself is concerned with the here and now. The world is growing more chaotic. Just look at the massive number of revolutions and invasions that have taken place in this region alone: China’s shattered into three countries, Korea has just finished out of major civil war, the old Shogunate collapsed only twenty years ago, and don’t even get me started on the Atlantic War.”

Fyodor adopted his ‘Superior Monologuing’ expression of polite interest while Volya continued, “I’m going to be completely honest with you Fyodor: two weeks ago I was the Undersecretary of Naval Affairs in the Directories. I was sent here because I had some ideas which intrigued the Chief Director and the previous Director of North Pacific made some poor choices in terms of allies.”

Fyodor stood stock still, only half-paying attention. He’d finally put together what happened the night before. He was drinking with Pyotr and his daughter when he was approached by a friendly man wearing whaling furs, some Muskovite merchant who was trying to make it big buying whale oil. The four of them got royally drunk on the local rotgut, if he remembered it was the stuff made from fermented reindeer milk. They made some drunk half-promises about some sort of meeting and- Fyodor snapped his head and got a good look at Vitus. The man was an imposing 6’2”, with well defined cheeks and a supremely pleasant expression. He was the man who’d gotten him drunk the night before. Was this the meeting? Vitus cocked an eyebrow and made a slight gesture towards Volya, who was still talking to the window.

“-primary job is to maintain Russia’s Pacific interests and make it so we can, at will, seal the Arctic Ocean from the Pacific. The necessity has been made apparent by the rising power of the Shogunate and the Taiping Mandate. If we are able to control trade through the Arctic then that gives us tremendous influence on the world stage, making it possible for Russia to trade with any power without having to pay British tariffs through Suez or take the tortuous routes around Capes Horn or Magellan. To do this I need men of action, who have the skills I lack. Men who are unafraid of responsibility or hardship. True patriots.”

Fyodor nodded slowly, not entirely sure where this was going. Volya suddenly turned in place and rested his hands on the back of his chair, staring directly into Fyodor’s eyes. Fyodor mouth went dry as the man’s eyes drilled into his skull and filled his world. “Are you such a man?”

Fyodor’s mouth opened and shut a few times as he stood transfixed by Volya’s eyes before he could finally choke out his answer. “Y-yes sir.”

Volya smiled broadly at that and turned back to the window. “As I said earlier, the previous Chief Director of the North Pacific had made several poor allies and... retired early. He took several of his friends on the Board of Directors down with him, leaving several vacancies. I believe you would be perfect for the role of Director of Naval Affairs.”

Fyodor nodded slowly, then realized that Volya couldn’t see it and spoke, “I would be honored sir.”

He could see Vitus smile as Volya relaxed slightly, “Good. I will be having a meeting of the Board of Directors two hours past noon where I will discuss our broad strategies. In the meantime Jurgen has summaries of the latest draft of changes I intend to enact.”

Fyodor stood there awkwardly at attention for a moment until Vitus, still smiling, gestured to the door. Fyodor turned and froze in shock yet again as the source of the beastial growl from before became apparent. It was the ugliest man, or at least he assumed it was a man given he’d never seen a grizzly so small, he had ever seen, no mean feat given his usual company. Those parts of his face which were visible between his fur cap and the beard seemed to be entirely composed of scars, with a pair of evil-looking glints where his eyes were buried under immense eyebrows. The man, Jurgen apparently opened the door and grinned, revealing a mouth with only half its teeth left and the rest stained deep brown with tobacco. Fyodor sidled past him into the hallway, holding his breath in case the man was contagious, and felt him press what felt like ten pounds of paper into his hands. To Fyodor’s surprise Jurgen was capable of human speech, talking in heavily accented Russian, though Fyodor would eat his hat if he could place the accent. “Vequired veading”

“Why am I vead-reading everyone’s material?”

“Heh, zat iz just your material. Ze boss haz big planz.” Jurgen flashed another grin and stepped back into Volya’s office.


Fyodor stumbled out of the building, clutching the binder of paper tightly to his chest. He nearly dropped it when a mound of fur larger than him enveloped him and his daughter’s voice cut through his mental shock, “Father, we were so worried about you! Noone knew where you disappeared to last night and we couldn’t find you- father?”

Fyodor shook himself, the image of those eyes fading as he focused on his daughter’s concerned face in the midst of the fur. Off to the side he could see Pyotr shucked his overcoat and draped it over Fyodor’s shoulders. “I think we might be in a lot of trouble”

“Why? What happened?”

Fyodor shuddered, trying to shake the image of those eyes from his mind. He hadn’t stared into the eyes of a true madman since he lost the Zvedza. “The new boss has Plans.”

Jenit still looked confused, but Pyotr look worried as the capital letter clicked into place. Interesting times were coming and God help any innocent whaler who got in their way.


Volya only relaxed when Jurgen clicked the lock and slid the bolt on the door firmly into place. He turned to his friends, smiling sheepishly, “Well, how did I do?”

Vitus smiled back, “You did fine sir. I’m telling you, these are simple folks out here, nothing like those proklyatyy politicians back in Moscow.”

“I couldn’t bear to look. Did he listen?”

Vitus barely hesitated, “He was transfixed sir, though I think you should’ve stuck with the shorter version of the speech.”

“I couldn’t help it, once I get going its-”

“I understand sir, but these people aren’t interested in lofty ideals or economic geopolitics. They need tangible goals and bite-sized pieces of information. They need you to simplify the world for them.”

Volya shook his head, still smiling sheepishly, “So you’ve explained, but I still don’t understand. If they’re going to trust me as a leader they need to know that I’ve got a good plan.”

“Yes, but they don’t need to know every piece of reasoning behind it. That’s why it's called trust sir.”

Jurgen laughed, a sound like someone cutting down trees by running a train into them, “Ze boss iz ze simple man like me. Zat iz vy vee vork so vell together, ve each knowz our ztuff. You haz ze people skillz and ze boss haz ze planz.”

Vitus rolled his eyes at this, “And vat er, what do you do Jurgen?”

“I am ze most important von of all: ze funny guy” and he made a sound approximating a cat being dragged across a blackboard which vaguely resembled laughter. Volya joined him and, after a moment’s hesitation, so did Vitus. They then got back to work, Vitus and Volya returning to letter-writing while Jurgen fetched tea. Volya’s vision of a unified North Pacific would take unwavering focus, dedicated labor, and lots of paper to achieve.
 
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Italy and Pacific Directory will also get their resource cookies.

@Kyzarc Fotjage - As much as I love the fact that your story takes place in my beloved hometown, do you mind moving it to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky? Khabarovsk is a riverine port too far south from the Bering Sea, and given its location on the left (Manchurian) bank of the Amur River, it was never built in this timeline. I love the rest of the story, though. :)
 
Pursuit of Lions, Fame, and Chancellorship of the German Federation

It was summer, 1890. The weather was hot, even by east African standards, and lions had just eaten two native workers near an unfinished railway. This was not an unusual occurrence by any stretch of the imagination. The land was untamed, local fauna and flora poorly understood, and the officers and bureaucrats who ran the colony felt distant and out of touch with this land so far from shining cities of the Federation. The Council of Savants who ruled the Federation, for their part, did not care enough about the colony's well being--as long as direct threats to it were neutralized and they continued to receive a steady supply of immigrants and resources from the lands, they were content to allow a couple of dozen people to be taken by the environment every so often. Unfortunately for the 'wise' rulers of the Federation, the free media and the papers often forced them to care more than they believe they should.

You see, while papers rarely reported on the dozens or hundreds of deaths by disease and insects that happened every year in the colonies, the death of a few dozen native workers by man-eating lions captured their attention like no other. Soon, the lions had consumed the imagination of the German population like ravenous beasts, morphing and evolving with every iteration of the stories and papers written about them until they became somewhat of a symbol for the colony itself--as noble and fantastic beasts that must nevertheless be shot or tamed for the sake of progress. Eventually, the rulers of the Federation grew tired of all the public query about what the government would do to stop this plague (the rumors had, at this point, snowballed from two malnourished lions to an entire plague of noble beasts) of man-eaters, and directed the local colonial garrison to issue a bounty on these creatures. A pointless exercise, I always thought. It would've been better to just construct chain fences around the construction sites or employ further guards and guides from the local population, but doing so would have required changing government practices in the region. And the Federation disliked change.

It was here that I had the dubious pleasure of meeting Dieter. He was a Prussian, hailing from some countryside of the grand duchy where he lived as a member of the gentry. He was not a very learned man nor pretended as being one in stark contrast to most everyone who hailed from Federation heartlands, but his reputation as a hunter apparently preceded him if the reaction of the Corp commanders and other military officers were to be believed. If the rumors were true, this man had hunted giant bears in the American Midwest, hunted elephants in Africa, and stalked tigers in the forests of Asia. The pursuit of lions in Ostafrika, he explained, was to be his finest work yet, and he was intent upon finding these creatures while the public imagination was still fixated upon them.

He was an arrogant and somewhat foolish man, and had the old fashioned views of society that were so typical of the Prussian gentry. I for one wanted nothing to do with the hunt, content with my position as a middle-ranked officer in the colonial garrison. Unfortunately, Dieter and his status as a nobility and a famed hunter allowed him to pick anyone to be his guide and assistant, and the pompous bastard chose me.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

After few days into the hunt, most of which passed by without idle chatter, I finally grew bored enough in the endless laying of traps and baits to ask him why he had chosen me to be his assistant. Dieter simply replied that I looked like I would be a good listener, and that was quite it. "Ah," I said. Dieter nodded to me as he went back to scribbling on his little notebook. I noticed that he spent an awfully surprising amount of time writing for such an active and pompous hunter that he was, and wondered aloud what he was writing.

He smiled, and revealed that he was, in fact, writing a script for a musical. "A musical?" I asked, genuinely surprised. Dieter nodded. "I never really wanted to be a hunter, you see," Dieter explained in a conspiratory tone, leaning close as if revealing an earth-shattering secret. "I mean, it is a terrible job--always out there far away from civilization, good food, and toiletry." I nodded in agreement. "No, I always had another job in mind."

"And that job is writing musicals?" I said, leaning in close and shaking my head in disbelief. "And starring in them too," Dieter added. "Of course, the major theaters in Frankfurt and Berlin would never hire some two bit poorly educated nobody from Prussia, which is why I need fame and accomplishments of my own before they can take me seriously." I shook my head at the silliness of this particular job-progression planning, but couldn't help myself but be drawn into his narrative and ambitions. "And then what?" I asked in an equally conspiratory tone. "You'll be the Shakespeare of the 20th century?"

"Oh good sir," Dieter said, shaking his head and mimicking my own movements. I barely resisted the urge to punch him. "Nothing as grandiose as that, I'm afraid. I have a much simpler ambition than to be a literary and artistic genius."

"Which is?"

He put his left arm to his chest and extended his right arm to the sky in a mock salute. "Chancellor!"

I stopped laughing when I realized that he was completely serious.

.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

"Seriously, sir? Chancellor?" I said in disbelief, still unable to help myself but grin slightly at the idea. "Is that really such an outlandish idea?" Dieter said, pouting slightly. "I think I would do a much better job than the one we have right now. Hells, I could even make you a general!" I giggled even more. "I find your humility your best quality, sir," I said, struggling to get my expression under control so that I could continue to pretend to be the professional military man that I was not. "It could work!" Dieter protested. "With enough popular support, campaigning with advices from trusted men, and money, I could make my way into the Council and be elected its leader!"

"Well," I said. "I suppose one must always have some ambition in life."

"Exactly," Dieter said. "I knew you would understand." I didn't, really, but I decided to let him think whatever he wanted. "So tell me more about this musical of yours," I said, changing the subject. "Romantic? Comedic? Perhaps a classical influence?" "More avant-garde than that," he replied, surprising me once more. He always struck me as the man who would watch those annoyingly old fashioned operas and plays. "There's a new movement that is sweeping the Federation back home, inspired partly by African culture. Industrial music, they call it. I am seeking to make a musical out of it, enough to knock the socks off of the high class men of learning in Berlin and Frankfurt. The plot is..."

The plot for the musical was surprisingly good, featuring a heroic man (whom I surmised would be Dieter) hunting the beasts hidden within society. At some point in the talks, I also realized that I had stopped being bored while talking to the man. He was a pompous and arrogant aristocratic bastard still, but perhaps things wouldn't be so bad with a man as shockingly disagreeale as Dieter was.
 
Extract from O. W. Wolters Observations of the Customs of the Taiping:

The day starts with prayers in the Heavenly Hall. The sun's first light has only just begun to be visible as the assembled take their seats. Men and women seated on opposite sides. The assembled first begin to wail, mourning the death of the saviors. With the sun now risen, low on the horizon, the faithful begin to sing. Pslam after psalm rings out filling the vast hall1. Thence follows the doxology: By whom and with whom, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, all honour and glory be unto thee, O Father almighty, world without end. Amen. Now a hymn. Perhaps, God is with us or A Mighty Fortress in the Chinese language. The musical arrangement however is instantly recognisable. At this point the officiating minister takes up closes the service with the reading of a sermon.

About an hour after the prayer, the great bells of the Heavenly Hall would alert the faithful to the morning meal. Breakfast was rice porridge, dried fruit, an egg, some greens and copious tea poured from man-sized urns. All of the Taiping partook in this simple fare from the Kings themselves to the lowest servant which was a matter of considerable pride to all. Before eating, the assembled would wait for the head of the table (usually the oldest Taiping) to say the following grace: Heavenly Father, the Great God, bless thy little ones, give us our day by day food to eat and clothes to war and deliver us from every evil, and receive our souls into Heaven. To which all of the assembled would say a hearty amen.

After breakfast the faithful would leave the hall to their daily occupations. The ladies would retire to their offices with the Ministry's of Personnel, Revenue, Religion and the Central Secretariat being under their control. Men being confined to the Ministry's of War, Punishment and Works. The all powerful Department of State Affairs and the Chancellery where the feared secret police operate out of being evenly split between the genders. Segregation in these two being quite loose, with men and women separated only by a light curtain. It was reported to me that these posts are favoured by those seeking marriage. Some of the best Taiping poetry has been written in these offices:

The coil of her hair,
Held by a single silk ribbon,
Kept bunched by a jade hairpin,
A pale blouse of the thinnest gauze.


Turning towards me,
There is a glimpse of a bud-like tongue,
A single song in her clear voice,
Breaks from parted cherry lips.


With noon approaching the Taiping take a break. Lunch is prepared by all with the rice as apt to be washed by a Minister of State as a stable boy. This is one means by which the Taiping keep close to the people. Another is to replace rice, the centerpiece of any Taiping meal, with humbler fare like soya beans and yams. This is to remind the Taiping of their origins and the meal is taken seriously. Lunch is always accompanied by the recitation of religious poems (the more risque works like the one above being reserved for private discussion):

If you go to the rescue of others in danger
Heaven will help you when you are in danger
Look at the calamity and misery of others as if it were your own
Look at the hunger and cold of others as if it were your own
To live for others is to live for God
Never pretend you do not know the truth
And let your opportunity slip by...


1. The exact dimensions of the Heavenly Hall are a matter of conjecture. This correspondent was not allowed to investigate the matter in detail. The Taiping while excessively polite were nonetheless concerned about espionage. In any case, it is is likely the single largest building on earth of that I have no doubt.
 
FAQ - Part 3
  • Can I come up with my own tasks, or am I limited only to Regional Quests? You can come up with your own tasks, yes. If they sound not too generic, I'll probably turn them into another Regional Quest for you. For example, if you want to build a railroad network across Central Africa, it's quest-worthy. :)
  • Do I have to address all Regional Quests ASAP? No, addressing them or not is up to you. Vast majority of them won't deteriorate for a long while.
  • What if I like the "problem" that a Regional Quest describes and don't want to get rid of it? Yes, some players may find themselves quite comfortable with certain "problems" existing in their nation (up to the point when the "problem" becomes a "feature"). I suggest that in the latter case you "solve" the Regional Quest by turning that problem into a feature. Say, aristocrats mass-murder each other via duels? Why not incorporate it into some military code as a tool of natural selection (for example). It may have some negative consequences, but it will have something positive in it, I'm sure.
  • If I use my military units (Corps or Squadron) to address some quests, will I be able to use them for my defense in case someone declares war at me on the same turn? No, once you commit a Corps or a Squadron to colonization or dealing with some Regional Quests, they're fully engaged into it until the next turn.
  • Can I send my orders early to get a Challenge Rating boost, but revise them before the early deadline? Of course. But remember: I won't be re-calculating the Regional Quests and other tasks I've already calculated. Otherwise, it's just too much work for me.
  • Do Regional Quests impact only the regions they exist in? The rule of a thumb is: if a quest exists only in one region, it impacts it the most. It may, of course, have some implications for the entirety of your country, but other regions may be less seriously impacted.
  • Do my tasks/Regional Quests have various scope? Absolutely. Some are bigger, some are smaller. Modernization of railroads across a fairly big and not-too-well-developed region would be a Regional Quest of a bigger scope than building a single railroad connecting two, or three, or five cities. If you're not sure, check with me, I'll give you some approximation of the scope the way I see it.
  • Can a larger project span across multiple regions? Yes, but in that case I'll create a separate Regional Quest for each region. If you take a look at the currently existing Transsiberian railroad Regional Quest, you'll notice it exists only in the Urals. After completing that part of the railroad, the player will be able to continue the railway further into Siberia by addressing a Quest I'll create in Central Siberia, etc. It helps me with scoping giant infrastructure projects, large-scale industrialization efforts, etc.
I'm updating the Rules document with a compilation of FAQ entries.
 
El Heraldo de California

Government to expand roads and railroads

The Secretariat of Communications and Transportation announced that the national government will begin an expansion of the national road and railroad network in all portions of the country. The proposed plan is expected to double the number of links between the central sections of the country and the reclaimed sections in the north and south. The plan will also promote the continued industrial and economic development of the country along with allowing merchants and farmers to find new markets for goods. The Army and Guardia will also benefit with the improved communications and speed in order to fight banditry.

Secretariat of the Interior to expand Rurales
With the reclamation of the northern sections of the country and the increased population, the Guardia Rural has been stretched thin covering the vast distances of the countryside. With the increasing problems of keeping law and order the Secretariat has ordered the expansion of the Rurales. Along with this expansion, the Rurales will also gain resources to become a more professional and better-trained police force. According to the office of the Secretary, the Rurales will be the public face of the national government in much of rural areas and will assist municipal police forces in crimes that cross several states or on government property. "Not only with the saber and pistol, but the Rurale of tomorrow will be armed with best science and technology that Mexico can supply".
 
FAQ - Part 4:

  • Do technological changes (updates or rollbacks) get applied on the same turn? No, changes in unit cost will get applied next turn. No deep rationale here, except just making my life easier at calculating everything.
 
Assorted Pamphlets in Progress from the desk of Commodore Vitus, Secretary of Marketing Cultural Affairs


Be a Man, Become a Whaler
Spoiler :

Are you a Scots/Welsh/Irish/India/Australian/Canadian (delete whichever doesn’t apply)-man who is tired of bending the knee to your English oppressors? Are you fleeing political oppression by your cruel noble/rich/revolutionary/conservative/liberal/secular/fanatical (delete whichever doesn’t apply) government? Are you seeking a New Life, far from Old Debts and Older Enemies? Are you looking to Strike it Rich in the Greatest Frontier in the World? Are you looking to make a Man out of Yourself? If the Answer to Any of these Questions is Yes then you are needed in the Stormy Waters of the North Pacific. This Land of Opportunity needs Strong Capable Men to Plunder its Riches from its Frozen Depths. Whether it be Gold, Petroleum, Great Game, or that Most Valuable of Prizes, Whale Oil, it can be found Here. Be a Man and Claim what’s Yours, before Johnny Foreigner takes it for Himself. Join the Pacific Directorate and Stake a Claim in the Greatest Fortune in the World. Ships leave Every Summer from the months of April to August bearing Brave Lads to their Destinies in the Bering Sea.

2014-01-13-character-thumb.jpg


Need to personalize for each region. It wouldn’t do for an Italian to get one talking about getting out from under the heel of the nobility or the Americans to get one for the Irish. Actually, the last one would almost work.


Whale Oil and You
Spoiler :

Have you heard the Startling Truth about the Natures’ True Miracle Substance? Whale Oil has been used across the world since Time Immemorial for illumination, even by Heathen Tribesmen, but the so-called Kerosene Barons would have you believe their Unproven and Probably Deadly chemicals are a suitable replacement for the Ocular Mother’s Milk that is Whale Oil. Each drop of Whale Oil is created over dozens of years by Nature’s most Majestic Beast until it has reached the peak of energy-density and flammability. Its Numerous Beneficial Effects, from Wholesome Smoke to Emergency Food and even Imparting a Healthy Gloss to Pallid Skin, have been Proven over Ten/Six (delete depending on secularism of target region) Thousand Years of Use. Compare this to Johnny-Come-Lately Kerosene, with its Arcane Processes and Extreme Hazards. Healthy, Nutritious Whale Oil can serve as a Valuable Addition to Any Diet, Bulking Out otherwise Thin Foods, while Kerosene, also known as the Devil’s Lampoil, is Deadly Toxic when ingested or inhaled. Its Artificially Low Price, forced down by Kerosene Barons pressuring Weak-Minded Politicians for Subsidies in an attempt to Destroy the Beloved Whaling Industry, is Putting Your Life and the Lives of your Family in Danger.

Whale Oil, on the Other Hand, is amongst Nature’s Most Useful and Benign Substances. Its uses go Far Beyond mere Food and Lighting, being used in a Wide Range of Industries from Automobiles to Cleansing Detergents. Most Gasoline Powered Vehicles you see use Whale Oil as an additive to their Motor Oil and Transmission Fluid. When applied to at-risk surfaces, Whale Oil can prevent Rust Formation and vastly increase the Lifespan of Metal Goods. Its used to create High Quality Soaps for use by Discerning Ladies and Gentlemen. If that Wasn’t Enough, Glycerine can be Extracted from even the Meanest of Whale Oils of a Wide Variety of Uses, including Dynamite. Truly Whale Oil is amongst Nature’s Greatest Treasures.


Volya disapproves due to lack of evidence. Must explain what ‘marketing’ means.


Have you accepted Whale Oil into your life?
 
Attention citizens of Kaapstad. This is the Mayor of Kaapstad. Who else would it be? I had a dream last night, a terrible nightmare: I dreamt of a vast, black ocean, filled with water so deep that not Argus himself could perceive the depths. As far as the eye can see, the horizon around me was ringed with dark waves and sea foam, and strange shadows lurking about just out of eye's sight, and the sky was dark and full of wicked veins of lightning. Suddenly a wicked terror rose from the darkness and wrapped its briny black tendrils around my neck, and I awoke with the feeling of a slimy dark coldness only just slipping away. The ocean is truly a horrible, miserable place, devoid of any feeling, filled with monsters that are all a cruel mockery of God's vision. True Boers make their living in the mines. Leave the whaling to those with no better choice.
 
I just want to apologize to everyone who's been PMing me on Discord, I haven't really been looking at it. I think I've now reached back out to everyone who reached out to me, but, yeah, I'll be more diligent in the future!
 
A General Missive from the Rigsdag of Denmark and the Storting of Norway— Published with the Grace of His Majesty— Regarding the State of Suffrage Laws in His Realm

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The Kingdom of Denmark and the Kingdom of Norway hence witness, under the goodwill and supervision of Christian IX, By the Grace of God, King of Denmark, of the Wends and of the Goths, also Styled as Christian VIII, the same of Norway, hence referred to as His Majesty The King of Denmark and Norway, a state of cordial debate and discourse regarding the future of administration and policy in both of His Majesty’s realms.

The unique legal separation between His Majesty’s two kingdoms indeed stands as a testament to the trials and tribulations underwent by each nation individually. Nonetheless, in an era characterized by strong national identity bolstered by growing ethnic, cultural, and even ideological camaraderie, the union states of Denmark and Norway together prove notably dissimilar in terms of legislature, administration, and other factors that ultimately have resounding ramifications unto the strength of their cooperative sovereignty and national unity. Thus is it imperative that in order to foster greater cohesion and national solidarity between the nations of Denmark and Norway, mutual concessions across various civic realms must be made. The road to co-national unity will be fraught with many obstacles– most from within– but will be entirely possible with best effort from both national populaces.

One of the most concerning disparities between the legislatures of His Majesty’s twin realms lies with the question of suffrage. In this modern age of democracy, it is unacceptable to recognize that a common law for majority universal suffrage is absent within the nations of the royal domain. Recognizing the tumultuous legal and political history of the Kingdom of Norway, there can be no rightful blame placed on the people and parliament of Norway for neglecting to amend the sanctioned Norwegian suffrage clause. While under the dominion of Sweden, there proved little agency available to the Norwegian assembly, but now, in this age of Norwegian liberty and sovereignty, action can and must be taken to amend this obsolete and discriminatory article of legislature. It is important to recognize that these twin Nordic states have, since the very conception of their respective modern constitutions, deep-rooted histories of common agency and the prototypical right to suffrage. For looking back into history, we note that the 1814 Eidsvoll Constitution of Norway operated a basic clause for suffrage rights; building of this, Monrad’s 1849 constitution for the Kingdom of Denmark established universal suffrage for men of age of majority. However, in the period of crisis witnessed by Denmark following the loss of Schleswig-Holstein, a statute to tighten suffrage rights was enacted by means of a Constitutional Act, bearing rise to a period of restricted liberty that has indeed continued within the realm to this day. Nonetheless, the government and populace of Denmark have not forgotten the common liberties introduced in 1849. Thus, keeping in line with our collective histories and national ideals, the Rigsdag of Denmark, in accord with the Storting of Norway, and with the acknowledgement of His Majesty The King of Denmark and Norway, moves to enact a pair of constitutionally sound amendments regarding the right to universal male suffrage within the constitutional texts of the Kingdom of Denmark and the Kingdom of Norway.

A motion shall be proposed in each of the two national chambers to amend the respective texts of the constitution– Section C, Article 50 in the Constitution of Norway and Section IV, Article 30 in the Constitution of Denmark.

The relevant article in the Constitution of Denmark shall be amended to the following:
The right to vote at Folketing elections shall be guaranteed to any male Danish subject who has permanent residence in the Realm of The King, and who have passed 25 years of age unless he is not in control of his own living.

The article pertaining to voting at Landsting elections shall be reverted to a modified section of the 1849 original article, which is the following:

The right to vote at Landsting elections shall be guaranteed to anyone who, according to article 30, has the right to vote in Folketing elections.

The relevant article in the Constitution of Norway shall be amended to the following:

The right to vote at Storting elections shall be guaranteed to any male Norwegian subject who has permanent residence in the Realm of The King, and who has passed 25 years of age unless he is not in control of his own living.

In forwarding these motions, this cooperative effort between the legislatures of our proud Union state hopes to encourage a tighter unity and closer national camaraderie between the brethren populace of His Majesty’s Realm, as well as to hopefully ease the transition of this Great Nordic Union unto this impending new century with a renewed sense of Christian grace, loyalty to the peoples, and commitment to resolute justice.

The preceding was recorded on the 4th of June, in the year of the Lord 1891, in Christiansborg Slot, København, the Kingdom of Denmark, with witness born by Speaker of the Danish Folketing Sofus Madgalus Høgsbro, Speaker of the Danish Landsting Henning Matzen, Speaker of the Storting Carl Christian Berner, as well as by His Majesty The King of Denmark and Norway
 
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So, some people have harder time than others understanding how the game works. It's okay, no worries. As I said before, a lot of micro-decisions can be delegated to me. However, if you want to understand your options better, here's a very watered down summary of the game stats:

  • Number of units and final resource amount (far right of the National Stats tab in the December World Stats workbook) are the key for you.
  • That is because any regional quest, or research of a new (not existing tech), or a generic task, require a unit (or combinations of units) to be completed.
  • Some units are better than others at certain things, follow the common sense.
  • Trade, basic diplomacy, adoption of existing techs and reforming existing policies don't require units.
  • Other useful tables:
    • Policy-State Matrix in the December World Stats workbook - tells you what policies you have.
    • Policy List in the December World Stats workbook - tells you what each policy means, how much it costs to reform, and what bonuses it gives.
    • Civic/Industrial/Army/Naval Techs in the December World Techs workbook - all existing technologies, their maintenance cost per unit and bonuses they provide.
    • Tech-State Matrix in the December World Techs workbook - tells you what techs you have.
 
Just a reminder to everyone that economic, diplomatic, and domestic orders are due in 20 hours.

Still confused about the game and how it works? Just choose Regional Quests you care about and assign units to work on them. It's easier than most of games on this forum.
 
If a thief is found breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him, but if the sun has risen on him, there shall be bloodguilt for him. He shall surely pay. If he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.

Exodus 22

The Qing State is rather like a thief. In dark corners it has sought out others to steal our house right from under our feet. These wicked efforts have failed. None wish to associate with a criminal regime. And now, we the homeowners, have found the Qing attempting to break down our door anyway! What then can we do? Scripture is quite clear: we may slay the Qing and feel no guilt for it. If the Qing survive, then we may make them pay. But unlike the Qing we are a people of law and the law enjoins us to mercy for those who surrender to us and great harshness for those who resist.

When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace. If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject to forced labor and shall work for you. If they refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city. When the Lord your God delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it. As for the women, the children, the livestock and everything else in the city, you may take these as plunde for yourselves. And you may use the plunder the Lord your God gives you from your enemies.

Deuteronomy 20

Thus we call on the Qing to surrender and throw themselves on our mercy and spare their Kingdom a war of great power.

***

We undertake to respect the life, liberty and property of all foreign nationals witin the Qing State and all agreements that the Qing State might have reached with foreign parties with respect to the disposition of resources up to this point.
 
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A Marriage:

The bride and groom had met, as most do, in their workplace. I had been told they had met in a meeting at the height of summer. The day had been hot and the older brothers and sisters had been nodding off in the heat. A slight breeze had shifted the curtain that ordinarily kept the two genders seperate and the bride and groom had glanced at the same time through the resulting gap.

To say it was love at first sight would be going to far but it both sides were interested. The groom had sought out the good offices of his uncle, a mid-ranking civil servant who had approached his female counterpart and in a round-about means communicated the interest of his nephew in a girl in a certain meeting whose voice had entranched his newphew. Both sides knew it was a lie but both sides accepted it as the cost of doing business. Besides match-making was fun and a rare chance to have a legitimate reason for the two old friends to socialise across the gender line.

The two parties met after two months. The time taken to find the bride not a simple task. Delicate issues of just how the two had met were danced around. Trusted third parties were involved to clear the ground for a meeting. The matter was reported to both sides parents. It was reported to both sides work units. The commune head had to be consulted. In fact the two months to bring about a meeting was nothing if not swift. Both sides were in fact astonished at the speed and took this as a good omen about the other.

The first meeting when it occured was a chance encounter in the hallway. The two walked past each other and with eyes studiously averted, but netherless aware they studied one another. Seeing nothing that they disliked, he in fact rather liked how she walked and she rather liked how he held himself stiff-backed, the two resolved to have another meeting. This meeting was more structured and took the form of another meeting. Quite how it was arranged that all the other parties to the meeting were absent... is a difficult question to answer.

But the meeting went well and within six months having chopped the matter with all twelve interested parties: the two parents, the two work units, the two communes, the chops of at least two Ministries (Religion and Personnel), a board (Marriage) and the approval of three priests from different parishes. The complexity of the arrangements make sense when one considers that they exist to stamp out forced marriages and other such barbaric practices. The Taiping hold that while one layer might be corrupted, it is widely held to be impossible to corrupt them all. In this way all marriages within the Taiping are matters of the heart and free of compulsion.



 
Crisis update

The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom has declared war on the Qing Dynasty, citing Qing attempts to collude with foreign powers to undermine the Taiping mandate. Seems like war is coming back to China once again.


Qing Dynasty player (@justokre ) and Taping Heavenly Kingdom player (@Masada ) now have to write military orders for their army and navy in regards to the war.

Any interested parties and nations are now free to pile in and provide military orders if they choose to join the conflict. (Please remember that units used in other tasks will not be able to perform any military action in the Taiping-Qing war this turn.)

The final deadline for war orders is this Friday, August 25, 11 pm CST.
 
German Chancellorship

Demands an explanation to both Taiping and Qing regarding the alleged foreign collusion, and has mobilized the colonial garrison of Tsingtao in response.
 
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