[IAAR] Realpolitik: 2017

[Patchy]

Our great country is chosen by God to amass wealth, and will do everything to fill our coffers. Our party supports trade, settling near luxuries that give gold and pillaging. We will aim to get Judaism accepted as the state religion of Arabia and take beliefs that give gold.

Leader: TheLegend27
Members: None Yet

Yo what in the Good Name is this anti-semetic stereotype BS, Jewish party that will do anything to get money? Really? Get out of here with that, seriously.

 

[Lighthearter]

Anyone who wishes to join the Opposition should say so, in bold. The Administration also may take thread actions, and so may the Opposition Leader.

I trust the President is working in a turnset plan as we speak.

 

[Lighthearter]

THE REALPOLITIK REPORTER: SPECIAL EDITION

The Realpolitik Reporter serves as a vehicle for the expression of the citizenry of Arabia, and recently this anonymous letter was delivered to our offices. We have seen fit to publish it here, in accordance with the requests of its author.

Spoiler :

NINJACOW THE TRAITOR

After an election about the independence of the national council from a coalition determined to control it, Ninjacow has conceded a tied election. The only concession he demanded was a particular choice of religion, and that he be placed upon the national council as part of the controlling government. This is despite his claims that he planned to fight the council election on the principle of independence for it, in order to prevent the Ummahs domination of it. Ninjacow has betrayed the principles on which the Aswad Al Tahrir stood, and that he claimed to believe and wish to fight for. He cannot be trusted, and will only bite the hand that feeds him when given the chance.

We call upon all members and allies of the opposition to oppose the traitors ascension to the National Council with all the powers they have at their disposal. Those who turn their back on their allies for their own gain and break their word for power cannot be allowed to prosper. The only principle of greater importance in the next election should be the independence of the National Council. We also call upon the National Ummah to realise the snake they now harbour in their midst and to not support him in his plans to grab power. Learn from what he did to us and see that he will betray you in a moments notice if it will help him!

DOWN WITH THE TRAITOR!!! DOWN WITH NINJACOW!!!

The Realpolitik Reporter is not responsible for the content of this story and does not endorse it. We are merely the vehicle for its publication.

No camels were harmed in the writing of this story.

 

[Muhabir]

Spoiler :

THE REALPOLITIK REPORTER: SPECIAL EDITION

The Realpolitik Reporter serves as a vehicle for the expression of the citizenry of Arabia, and recently this anonymous letter was delivered to our offices. We have seen fit to publish it here, in accordance with the requests of its author.

Spoiler :

NINJACOW THE TRAITOR

After an election about the independence of the national council from a coalition determined to control it, Ninjacow has conceded a tied election. The only concession he demanded was a particular choice of religion, and that he be placed upon the national council as part of the controlling government. This is despite his claims that he planned to fight the council election on the principle of independence for it, in order to prevent the Ummahs domination of it. Ninjacow has betrayed the principles on which the Aswad Al Tahrir stood, and that he claimed to believe and wish to fight for. He cannot be trusted, and will only bite the hand that feeds him when given the chance.

We call upon all members and allies of the opposition to oppose the traitors ascension to the National Council with all the powers they have at their disposal. Those who turn their back on their allies for their own gain and break their word for power cannot be allowed to prosper. The only principle of greater importance in the next election should be the independence of the National Council. We also call upon the National Ummah to realise the snake they now harbour in their midst and to not support him in his plans to grab power. Learn from what he did to us and see that he will betray you in a moments notice if it will help him!

DOWN WITH THE TRAITOR!!! DOWN WITH NINJACOW!!!

The Realpolitik Reporter is not responsible for the content of this story and does not endorse it. We are merely the vehicle for its publication.

No camels were harmed in the writing of this story.

While the content of this anonymous letter is certainly a testament of the discontent public opinion against the ruling National Ummah and their supporters the Hashashin, which is a sentiment that we as the Mu'tazilite Party support to a great extent, I must formally declare that no member of our party has taken part in its drafting to the best of my knowledge. What NinjaCow did, though how ethical it was is up to debate, was fully within his personal rights as well as the rights of his position as a party leader. It can not be described as a Betrayal, and at most as an act rooted in the concept of Realpolitik to quote the Realpolitik Reporter.

However, one particular piece of the article stands out in the fact that what NinjaCow demanded for his help in the resolution of this electoral tie is exactly the same as what his reported loss of trust in me as an ally and his Vice-Presidential candidate was based on: The choice of a particular religion and a seat in the National Council. According to this logic, his logic, just as he was driven into doubting me as a political player, so must we as the Arabian people begin doubting him as a public official deserving of our trust. I know that I certainly do, as his actions in the aftermath of a hard-won electoral tie which left the National Ummah in a much more precarious position than we as the Aswad al Tahrir were at, that completely abandoned his position for what can barely be called a compromise speak favourably neither of his political acumen nor of his openness to being reasoned with.

Yet the reality remains that what has passed is past. No good can come of catcalling our Vice-President, or any member of the Administration for that matter, a traitor or calling for their downfall. That is unless we can legally strive for an Impeachment or similar measures for any one of them. And though these measures could be debated in the coming days; in order to debate them, let alone act them out, we need the opposition to actually form up first. As of now, I am the only official member of the Opposition to the National Ummah. I have tried to open up communication channels with other non-affiliated parties to no avail. And I am using this opportunity right now to officially call out to the electorate for their support of and participation in the National Opposition. I have already made my plans and principles clear and stated that I am fully open for discussions and negotiations of all kinds both personally and in my capacity as the Acting Opposition Leader. The rest is beyond my hands, the rest lies with the electorate and their decisions as to who they place the sacred duty of administering their will and ruling with their mandate and support on. And no matter the results of such decisions, let me once again affirm my sincerest trust and deepest level of respect for the Arabian People and the electorate which they comprise.

Muhabir, Acting Opposition Leader and Chair of the Mu'tazilite Party

 

[Celticfury]

A preliminary set of orders for the current turnset has been established, as listed below. It is being submitted for review by the general populace, for comment on ways it may be improved, or any issues or mistakes that may have been overlooked.

Spoiler Turnset Orders :

Turnset ‘25


Immediately before the end of the 1st Turn of the Turnset
-Buy a Builder in Cairo. Improve the stone and two cattle directly adjacent to Cairo.

-Immediately switch civic from Craftsmanship to Foreign Trade. The builder will boost Craftsmanship to completion, quicker than we could research it ourselves.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Civics Path: Foreign Trade, then Early Empire. In the unlikely event we get both before the midterm, start on Military Tradition.

Tech Path: Astrology, Pottery, Writing, The Wheel, Irrigation.

Once Craftsmanship is complete, switch to the Ilkum civic.

Any envoys we receive will be directed to Amsterdam.

Cairo Production: Finish settler->Slinger->Builder->Second Settler

The first settler will be directed to location recommended by President Lighthearter, south of Cairo.

Second City Production: Granary->Campus, on the SE hex between the mountains->Library

The second settler will be directed to the west, on the tile east of the first river bend.

Third City Production: Water Mill->Trader->Builder

The trader will be directed to Amsterdam.

The second builder will be directed to improve the second city, improving the jade and establishing two farm on the most suitable land.

The slinger in Cairo will be sent north to assist the warrior in clearing the barbarian encampment. Once it is cleared, both units will regroup at Cairo, heal, them move west with the other slinger, once built, to clear the encampment along the coast. Once it is cleared, the warrior will explore the northwest, with the slingers defending our territory. The scout will continue to explore the east.

 

[Lighthearter]

For the record: Currently Muhabir is the only member of the Opposition, which puts Opposition membership at 9%. Opposition Strength started at Low because of the Electoral Tie, and is capped at Low until one more player states his/her intention to join the Opposition in bold.

I see no flaws in the turnsset plan. I will play it, assuming no other developments, Saturday Morning EST. The President and Vice-President need to take their thread actions by then or lose them.

We will begin National Council elections immediately upon my posting the midterm update.

 

[Lighthearter]

Thread Orders locked.

I will play the turnset very shortly. Expect the update lunchish, after I get out of bed and take some meds (colds suck).

Patchy and Celt have forfeit their inaugural thread actions. I will NOT accept attempts to issue actions now.

 

[Lighthearter]

The Celticfury Administration: '26-'50

Celticfury inherited a young, scrappy Arabia searching for its place religiously and scientifically. Halfway into his term, let's check in and see exactly where the Republic stands at the dawn of the first Midterm Elections.

Presidential Action(s): None
Vice-Presidential Action: None
National Council Actions: N/A
Opposition Action(s): Lay Opposition Groundwork

Right-click and "View Image" to see screenshots in full.

The Play-by-Play:

The Arabian Northern Force quickly located the source of the barbarians in the north, however, we also quickly discovered they had horse-mounted archers. Our generals are worried about the implications of Arabia's enemies having this degree of mobility while we are limited to infantry elements.



Several of our brighter military minds have already begun work on organizational and technological developments to counter enemy cavalry.



However, the enemy's new weapons did not prevent our brave soldiers from schooling the enemy six ways from Sunday. With light casualties and limited assistance from Amsterdam, we prevailed over the Dutch barbarians.

Meanwhile, in the east, our scouts made several interesting discoveries:



A Natural Wonder!



A new City-state(and a Eureka to go with it)!



And a village full of scientific minds!

Meanwhile, back on the home front, building parties swarmed around Cairo. Quickly they constructed two pastures and a quarry, which accomplished several things.





(The Realpolitik Reporter was unable to get a screenshot of another Eureka moment, for Horseback Riding. We apologize for this error and blame the Administration's lac of access for journalists.)



The President initiated a new series of urban planning projects, which increased productivity in all cities. The trade-off, unfortunately, was a bit of a decrease in public worship of the President and fellow Politicians as gods. C'est la vie?



In 2800BC, Mecca was founded: the second city of the Arabian Republic: a state-sponsored colony close to Jerusalem.



It grew quickly, and a Cairo builder developed the jade and farmland around it even as the Administration opened the treasury to purchase good land for the construction of a scientific capital in the valley to the south.

Meanwhile, the Arabian Army had business of its own to the north and west.



It started with a scout rushing in from the west, confronted by the returning Northern Force and a new detail of Cairo slingers. The scout himself was quickly surrounded and annihilated, and so began Operation Celtic Fury.



Despite the presence of more enemy cavalry in the open plains, the assistance of Dutch warriors from the north gave Arabia a relatively unobstructed advance along the river. With slingers forming the "wings" of the Arabian formation, our military swept toward the coast.



Shortly after this map was drawn, the barbarian holdout in the woods was destroyed and their encampment burned. The southern scout fled, only to run into a unit from Jerusalem. They were offered the traditional terms of surrender, and their heads were mounted in the city-state's capital afterward. No Arabian units were lost in the campaign.

Turn 50:

At Turn 50, Arabia stands stronger, smarter, and larger than she did at Turn 25. She has completed mapping the terrain around her, and right here, allow me to present a compilation of maps.



The East. Note the barbarian encampment on the peninsula in the north. That is recently-founded. There are no major civilizations on this continent with us, at least in this direction.



A detailed look at our heartland. Note the improvements around Mecca and Cairo.



The West. Little has changed in the North, save the elimination of the Barbarian camp. it is possible that the continent continues northward and there is a major civ that way, but I believe it unlikely. In the South-



Our scouts discovered a tribe of raiders in the ice of the south, however they are far enough from Arabia that we are at little threat, especially with Jerusalem and Hattusa both on guard against the threat. Our scout survived this, by the way, and is currently transitioning to the North to continue exploration.



Our current Civics development. Political Philosophy has been boosted.





Our current tech developments.



Mecca, City Screen. Currently working on a Campus.



Cairo, City Screen. She completed the last of her build order this turn, and currently has nothing assigned. Here is her production menu:



Stonehenge was completed in a far-away land during this turnset. No other Wonders have been completed.



The last thing completed in Cairo was a Settler, which you can see just to the west of the city in this picture. It is bound for the tile 1NW of our Warrior on the riverline. Each of our Cities has a Slinger with the Volley promotion stationed in it, and our Warrior has Battlecry.



Finally, here is our victory progress. Religiously, we have slipped a few places.

The first turnset of Celticfury's presidency has been completed. Celebrate!

And the '50 Midterms are now in session! If you want to run for the National Council, now's your time! Come on!

The President and the Vice-President may each take one action. The Opposition Leader may now take two actions, in addition to his free uses of Adjust Opposition Strength(although his Strength remains capped at Low unless additional players join).

The Midterm Elections will conclude on the morning of Thursday, Feb 9, in order to give the First National Council a chance to respond to the President's plan or enact a single action. This is purely a measure for this first Midterm election.

 

[Magnive]

I formally announce my candidacy for a seat on the National Council.

 

[Muhabir]

I declare my support for Magnive to be elected to the National Council. My actual vote - and if necessary, endorsement - is to be determined promptly.

 

[NinjaCow64]

I declare my candidacy for the National Council as part of the Administration's Ticket.

 

[Wyverncraft]

I declare my candidacy as head of the Anti-Socialist Party

 

[Lighthearter]

Only three candidates have announced themselves. 48 hours remain in the election, and if no one else offers their candidacy the NC has already been decided.

 

[W|M]

I declare my candidacy for the National Council

 

[Lighthearter]

The election closes in 36 hours. If you plan to vote, now would be the time.

 

[dot80]

I declare my candidacy as well.

 

[Magnive]

My votes will be:

1) Magnive
2) dot80
3) west india man

 

[W|M]

My votes will also be:

1) Magnive
2) dot80
3) west india man

 

[dot80]

My votes will be:

1) Magnive
2) dot80
3) west india man

 

[Lighthearter]

After a good deal of thought, as some of you have no doubt guessed at this point, I am officially terminating this game. Like any democracy, a Realpolitik requires participation from the playerbase in order to function, in the form of a vibrant thread discussion. It's why we have the thread to start with. In addition, only 3 people voted in the midterms(votes cast after Thursday morning are not counted, and I stated as much ahead of time). The President and Vice-President did not take their thread actions or come up with a plan. Lately even the private coalition discussion threads have been dead.

I'm not bitter(seriously!). But all of the above pieces of evidence lead me to the conclusion that the only one invested in this game is myself. I apologize, but that conclusion was enough to end my own investment. Have a pleasant day.