IOTMAD will feature national traits instead of technologies.
These traits will manifest in two categories, War Traits and Peace Traits, and each nation gets to pick one from each.
These decide your national character, from a seafaring land of traders to a warlike state of ace pilots and powerful factories, all the way to a more subtle land with a touch for producing great generals and dashing spies.
Trade, too, is completely redesigned from previous attempts in the Era IOT franchise. Gone is the "1IP from all nations" of IOTE2, gone also is the "1 trade route per province, plus techs and buildings" of IOTCW2. Now, all nations have a flat 3 trade routes, but - ala IOTCW2 - must specify what provinces they are between. However, you cannot trade twice with the same nation, though you can pour all three of your routes into one province.
A commercial nation gains additional income from trade, and even more additional resources from trading with other commercial powers - this naturally causes the commercial nations to form together into allied blocs, much like real life. Meanwhile, industrial and militaristic nations league together in an attempt to take the commercial nations' monopoly from them.
Province improvements are MUCH simplified with the removal of SSM batteries and the merger of SAMs and Guerrillas into Fortifications. These structures function as an entire additional unit in a battle - for a cheaper cost - but alone they cannot defend an entire province from attack. Useful in the early game, supported by defenses, and in the late game valuable additions to worn-out arsenals.
There will also be a superweapon system where you can unleash EMP, mass uprisings, conscription or even tactical nuclear warheads as you see fit, all for different effects. There will also be a DEFCON system to determine your nation's war footing, and the option of pushing The Button remains - though now things are simplified. Every nation simply has a "nuclear score" which is how many IP they've poured into nukes. If a nation reaches DEFCON 1, they can either use their superweapon or unleash their atomic bombs, with the results determined by the GM and their Nuclear Strength. Be warned that your enemies will automatically retaliate if you open fire . . . .
-L