As the riders loped on by him he heard one call his name
If you want to save your soul from hell a-riding on our range
Then cowboy change your ways today or with us you will ride
Trying to catch the devil's herd, across these endless skies
For much of the humanity, 2049 seemed little different from 2039. The world was constrained to a few square kilometres, rapid communication with anything beyond your immediate community a distant memory. The daily routine was a struggle against hunger, sickness, and the dull worry that it didn’t matter if you would survive the day, because all that waited was tomorrow.
But for the scholars of the future comfortably looking back, 2049 was what could be considered the ‘plateau’ of The Troubles. After twenty years, the decline of humanity had finally bottomed out as the population came to match the capabilities of the crippled environment. A generation had been born, grown, and was now starting the next generation under the shadow of the dust cloaked over the globe, but with every year the sun grew brighter and warmer.
While most of the planet’s surface was still either lawless or ruled by warlords and isolated settlements, by 2049 the number of functioning, large-scale polities had reached over two dozen. Some of these were nation-states that had survived the World War and the ensuing Troubles, while others had found life during The Troubles themselves. Compared to the states of the early 21st century, these polities were fragile and impoverished. Refugees seeking safety from the chaos of the Troubles was causing overcrowding, worsening the already insufficient supply situation. Crumbling infrastructure made transportation and communication even within polities a difficult feat, and the almost complete loss of satellite coverage and overland and undersea communication cables meant most polities were cut off from all but their closest neighbours. Intercontinental travel was limited to only the most powerful and fortunate individuals that maintained aircraft, but air travel was risky, and the benefits of travelling were few. For now, the polities of 2049 were on their own.
In the East China Sea, many of the sprawling Korean, Japanese and Chinese cities had largely been reduced to hulking ruins during the Third World War and the ensuing civil wars. From the Southern Korean Peninsula, the
East Asian Emergency Council emerged. Under the protection of tech doled out by the universities and scavenged from the fallen militaries of the old world, the EAEC expanded to encompass the full Korean Peninsula and the western half of Honshu. Across the Yellow Sea, the new, martial
Iron Blood State stands opposite the old
Republic of China. Both hark back to their great civilisation’s imperial eras, and as they rebuild themselves, their peoples wonder what it will take for China to once again be one.
As the Communist Party had fallen in China, so had it’s Vietnamese counterpart. In its place, a resurgent
Republic of Vietnam has embraced political inclusiveness and nonviolence. South of Vietnam, the Western Indonesian Seaway is straddled by the ever-contributing corporations of the
Niijima-Haus Directorate.
New Zealand and Oceania had been spared most of the War’s worst violence, but the environmental and economic turmoil, along with a series of ill-timed earthquakes nevertheless broke down the old order. In its place, Aotearoa and Tasmania are now once again largely stable under the forward-thinking
Dunedin Treaty Organisation.
At the crossroads of South and West Asia, the conflagration between the old nuclear powers led to the rise of the
Islamic Khilāfa of Afghanistan, which overran the old territory of Pakistan and Iran. The extreme wahhabist caliphate is contrasted with the progressive Indian rump state, the
Dominion of India, which has risen out of New Dehli.
Decades of violence before the Great War had ravaged the old countries in the territory of the present
Sanctuary Republics, but as the world became increasingly unstable, Sanctuary became host to refugees from across the the regions surrounding the Middle East. Off Sanctuary's coast, the prewar
Republic of Cyprus still remains, having been largely spared from hostilities during the Great War. Bordering Sanctuary, the reformed
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia maintains its hold on the Arabian Peninsula, its democratic, constitutional monarchy a far cry from the pre-war theocratic rule.
Much of Africa remains fractured, but two polities maintain order in the east and west. The collapse of France during the War led to the
Sahel Protection Alliance, which under military rule has weathered the storms of the Troubles. On the other side of the continent, the green
Zanzibarland Reclamation Authority seeks to create a better world, with humanity finding its place in the world, rather than trying in vain to subjugate it.
Even in a time of restricted travel and little-to-no rapid long distance communication, tensions are already once again on the rise in Europe. The pre-war republics of
Bulgaria and
Italy are still maintaining their grip on southern Europe, eyeing each other across the Adriatic. On the Iberian Peninsula, only
Atlantica has risen from corpse of Portugal. In Western Europe, the
Socialist Union of Democratic Societies has spread out from the ruins of Paris, and has pushed up against the borders of the
Federal Republic of Germany rump state. Across the English Channel,
Oxford-Cambridge Directorate maintains tight but ‘fair’ control over southern Britain. In the east, the revolutionary
Federation of Soviets of Russia has created a mythic re-imagining of the USSR after overthrowing the increasingly authoritarian rule of of the old Russian Federation. While much of Europe strives for some form of socialism or wishes for a return to the neoliberal system of the pre-war world, the
Nordic Empire has embraced the once reviled fascist system of the early 20th century, cloaking it in the mythology of Scandinavia.
The vast Canadian and American northwest is now host to the socialist
NorSoc, while the northeast and Great Lakes region is home to the bizarre cult-like
Combined Syndicated States of America, and the remnants of the pre-war international community, the
United Nations of Earth. In the American South the socialist
Columbian Union spread out from Louisiana to incorporate Texas and Alabama. Further south, The
Mexican Federation, while reduced from pre-war Mexico, maintains a hold in Central America, and the Rastafarian
Kingdom of Zion unites most of the largest Caribbean islands under the leadership of Soldier, and their divine purpose of Liberation and, finally, Reparation.
During the War and early in the Troubles, as the Northern powers and corporations grew increasingly desperate, they resorted to plundering the resources of South America. In the chaos of the troubles, the states and corporations of old were broken in massive upheavals across the continent. That once failed project of Simón Bolívar is now, over two centuries later, becoming a reality.
Gran Colombo may not have the expanse of its original namesake, but aspires to become the inclusive, pan-south american project Bolívar dreamed of so long ago. In the amazon, the radical ecosocialist
Intendência Verditas has taken stewardship of the region’s struggling ecosystem. Further south, Uruguay, Corrientes, and Paraguay have come under the Posadist
People's Socialist Republic of Uruguay. While some of their doctrine is a bit fringe, the people under the Republic see it as a sign of stability and progress, even if some of the leaders occasionally go on about dolphins.
The world has seen the worst catastrophe in human history. Life is still a struggle, even in the more stable regions of the world. But there is something in the air that hasn’t been around since the first bombs dropped. Optimism.
Welcome to the ‘50s
***
Bonuses:
The turbulent history of the
Nordic Empire has hardened its subjects: +Military Readiness
Councillor Yuna struggles to hold together the various factions and peoples of the
EAEC: +Cohesion
The mission statement of the UN lives on in the
UNE: +Cohesion
The Oxford and Cambridge elites dominate the
Directorate: +Cohesion
The
SPA's power remains in the hands of the joint military command: +Cohesion
Verditas ideology embraces technogaianism: +Bio expertise
King Yasir I successfully turned
Saudi Arabia into a functional democracy: +Cohesion
The military of
Germany is prepared to retake the rest of the country: +Military Readiness
The
Republic of China will restore the Middle Kingdom: +Cohesion
The
CSSA is lucky to have Chairman Anderson: +Cohesion
Trance research has brought
India to the forefront of the psych field: +Psych expertise
Zanzibarland is one with the world: +Cohesion
Zion is uniting the Caribbean under God, one island at a time: +Cohesion
Mexico has had to fight the narcos to maintain its northern frontier: +Military Readiness
In
Gran Colombo, peace has won out over greed and oppression: +Cohesion
The military is the core of the
Iron Blood State: +Military Readiness
Green tech is taking off in the
DTO: +Energy expertise
The Posadists may be odd, but
Uruguay owes its existence to them: +Cohesion
The
Soviets of Russia will show the world true socialism: +Cohesion
President Dario Lupi aims to bring prosperity back to
Italy: +Cohesion
The South is protected by the
Columbian Union's Guard: +Military Cohesion
Cyprus was largely unscathed during the war: +Province wealth
***
Stats (note, these are not actually being used during the intro turns. This is just meant to give you a feel of what your polity will be like once the full game starts. Numbers here are subject to change as I tune things.)
***
This turn will cover from 2050 to the end of 2054.
Every player has
5 Development Points to spend on actions. The available actions are:
- Claim a province. In the event two players claim the same province, rng will decide the winner, and the loser will be refunded their point next turn. Newly annexed provinces will have randomised ideology. Claiming a distant overseas province requires 2 points. There's a handy little line on the map in Antarctica that shows what is considered 'distant'. 'Blitz' claims are okay, but any encircling, wall building, snake chains or any other silliness will be dealt with.
- Improve a province. This will improve the wealth of a province by 5. (note: value may change as balance is fine tuned)
- Change Political Freedom/Centralisation. May change freedom/centralisation to any degree.
- Improve/Change Tech Expertise: provides 2.5 tech points, which can be placed into expertise. Can be placed in amounts as low as 0.5.
- Improve Cohesion by 5%. All polities begin at 50%.
- Improve military. Raises military readiness by 5, military reserves by 5, and 5 EP worth of military units (Army Div=1, Air Wing=2, Navy Group=5).
- Convert province ideology. Change the ideology of one province within your polity to your preferred ideology.
- Space program. Opens up an orbit ‘province’ for your polity with a small amount of wealth. This represents satellites.
- Improve space. Improve the orbit ‘province.’ NOTE: at game start, orbital development is greatly restricted by space debris. Represents expanded satellite programs.
- Remove space debris. Removes 5 ‘debris’ from orbit.
- 2 points, create npc in a nieghbouring province. You may create an npc using the regular signup sheet. Next turn the npc will handle its own development, but will be friendly with your polity and share your ideology. In the following turns, the npc will receive 3 points to spend each turn. Creating an npc in a distant overseas province requires 4 points.
New players are free to join at any time, just follow the sign-up instructions in the first post.
There is no conflict in the three intro turns. Diplomacy is open, but try to keep in mind that instant intercontinental communication is gone, and travel is highly restricted and expensive. At this point there's not really any reason for intercontinental interaction anyway.
Please send orders via
PM. Orders in thread will not be processed. As before, extra writing/RP/stories or whatever will get bonuses. Given the number of players, I'm keeping it to one bonus per player at the moment, simply because counting up all the player made content and bonuses is already getting to be too much. This may change.
Orders are due
Friday the 9th at around 19:00 JST. I'll give a 24 hour warning to remind you how timezones work.
If you have any questions, feel free to pm me on cfc or discord.
