Welcome to a world in tentationem, hanging between heaven and hell. There may be worlds where unchallenged superpowers reign over an impoverished globe. Worlds where the concept of a crusade, a holy war for the purpose of divine favor or undying glory, has been discredited.
This world is not among them.
For years, decades even, the powers of this world have plotted, intrigued, and maneuvered their way into position for the Next War. The last great war took mighty Britain as its victim. The one before that claimed Italy. No king, arbiter, president, or cardinal lays his head to rest without thinking, Who will be next? Will it be me?
Will it be you?
Welcome to a world where turbines begin to spin, where ships begin to glide or steam through choppy waters. A world where prayers to Allah and the Buddha are drowned out by the sound of cathedral bells and mortars. Perhaps you will seek to decide the coming conflicts. Perhaps you will seek to avoid them entirely. But are we not all drawn in, in the end? The diadem will crown your head, or the noose surround your neck. So many have tried to place imperial laurels upon their own heads, and failed. How will you fare?
Welcome, dear player, to a struggle. You will come out of it flush with victory, or humiliated. Welcome, dear player, to a challenge. You will rise to meet it, or be crushed mercilessly. Welcome, dear player, to the beginning and the end of all things.
Nation/Capital:
Leader/Player: Size: Government: Bureaucracy: Income(Agriculture/Industry/Trade): Taxation: Quality of Life: Confidence: Army: Navy: Military Description: Technology: Colonies: Society: Nation Description:
Size:
This combines the number of people living in your country with the amount of territory under your control. For colonial empires, colonies and the collective empire have separate size stats. Occupying enemy areas can eventually increase your size, but have to be peacefully integrated (and taxed) in order to contribute to income. A larger size will increase your upkeep, but potentially your income as well.
Tiny – Small – Medium – Above Medium – Large – Huge – Titanic
Government:
This describes your nation’s type of Government. As players, you represent the executive, or dominant organ of power, whether represented by a monarch, prime minister, or ruling party. Democratic, parliamentary, and decentralized states may encounter more resistance to new policies and decisions enacted by the Government. Ratification of treaties and declarations of war and peace MAY be contingent on legislative approval. A higher Confidence will make the Government run much more smoothly.
You may change your Government (with difficulty) or it may be changed for you. Stability ratings go from +3 to -3. Lower stability will make events like coups or rebellions far more likely.
Bureaucracy:
The army of civil service professionals that scurry about and do the Government’s will. If Bureaucracy is low, Government responses will be sluggish and unprepared for unexpected events. An efficient Bureaucracy will ensure that all your assigned funds go EXACTLY where you intend them to, instead of into the pocket of some provincial official. Local law enforcement and justice systems are also covered by this stat. A high Bureaucracy stat also improves campaign logistics.
Economy follows the formula of (Agriculture/Industry/Trade) - (Upkeep) = ep/turn.
(EP - Economic Point)
Base income totals are determined by your development in certain areas and your Taxation level. Certain factors like arable land area, industrialization levels, and colonies contribute to different areas of income. Upkeep is partially determined by the military size, and partially by the total land area of the empire, colonies included.
Players can either attempt to alter their base income, or modify their upkeep. Income can be deducted as a result of blockades, piracy, economic downturns, or war. It can also increase by colonial expansion, resource acquisition, and raising Taxation, though the latter may cause Confidence problems. If your income changes, I will typically note the cause and the amount.
Upkeep will steadily rise if players choose to expand their military, forcing them to make creative choices in order to sustain their growth. This is not a bug, it’s a feature. Income that remains unspent at the end of the turn will be lost, or in a best-case scenario auto-invested.
Taxation:
This is a qualitative level set by you. Your population (size) base provides taxes, which translates into income. Raising Taxation will increase your income, but will lower Confidence, especially if you have a low Quality of Life.
The term “living standards” is largely inappropriate by the modern era, as every society has upper, middle and lower classes in good supply, and some continents (Europe) have far higher standards of living than others (Asia). This stat broadly summarizes the amount of income expended by the Government on the “welfare” or well being of its’ citizens compared to its’ neighbors, and summarizes the overall domestic prosperity of the society. Income dedicated to education, public works, social services, pensions and other benefits are all amalgamated here. It also affects the general economic condition of your population. Be careful with this stat, as it can be changed by Government investment or random events. Generally, this stat will drop if regular payments are not made to upkeep it. If it drops, expect resentment, especially if accompanied by higher taxes.
Squalid – Very Poor – Poor – Meager – Tolerable – Decent – Fine – High – Splendid
Confidence:
The national approval ratings for the actions of the Government, and for you, yes you. High Confidence is important for domestic tranquility, and for keeping your job. Military success, economic prosperity, and stable Governments tend to encourage Confidence. Random events can lower it, as will any mistake that you inevitably make. This stat swings rapidly, and you can do plenty of things to help it recover. But if it gets too low, the next election may change the policies of the Government…or the next coup may change your location from palace to prison.
Your land and naval military is organized into armies and fleets. Colonial garrisons and militia are separate and listed under colonial stats, not including expeditionary forces. Many nations at peacetime will have one mass of troops and/or ships, which are presumed to be evenly dispersed throughout the provinces/ports of your nation. Especially for wartime, players are encouraged to attach armies and fleets to specific regions. These designations will be listed in the stats. A veteran expeditionary force will have a very different composition than a newly recruited home Army.
Every Army, or the armed forces as a whole, carries a Quality level. This is an amalgamation of experience, morale and equipment. The levels are listed here:
Rabble – Green – Tolerable – Normal – Better – Good – Veteran – Professional – Elite
The more technologically advanced the Army fielded, the larger the upkeep cost will be. Additionally, producing troops with a higher starting Quality takes longer, and carries a higher initial cost.
The base purchasing costs are:
Rabble: .5 EP per 10 divisions/squadrons
Green: 1 EP per 10 divisions/squadrons
Tolerable: 1 EP per 5 divisions/squadrons
Normal: 1.5 EP per 5 divisions/squadrons
Better: 2 EP per 5 divisions/squadrons
Good: 2.5 EP per 5 divisions/squadrons
Veteran, Professional, and Elite troops/ships cannot be built. In peacetime, some units can rise to a Veteran level. Professional and Elite level units can only be gained through combat.
On Quality: Upgrading troops to a higher quality level costs half of their initial purchasing cost. For example, upgrading 5 Tolerable divisions to Normal costs .5 EP, 10 divisions costs 1 EP, and so on. The army is in a constant state of flux, as new recruits are brought in, new units formed, and old units disbanded. Typically, units that see (and survive) combat will improve in quality level without your input. If an army is badly mauled in battle and becomes disorganized, some units will lose quality levels, as their equipment is abandoned in the field, officers killed, etc.
Several disorganized units of lower quality (i.e. 6 Rabble divisions) can be cobbled together into a moderately better unit (like 2 Tolerable divisions) on the fly. Just mention that you want divisions to be consolidated, and I'll handle the rest.
Upkeep: Upkeep costs are directly subtracted from your income (by your bureaucrats) so you (the ruler) don’t have to worry about it. Upgrading more than 10-15 divisions to a higher quality level will cause an increase in upkeep. Recruiting more than 10 divisions will cause an increase in upkeep, unless your economy is mobilized for war.
Mobilization and Conscription: When an industrialized nation mobilizes for war, it gains (after some preparation) the ability to draw upon pre-existing reserve troops, for a lower cost. Reserve troops begin at a Normal quality level at a reduced cost, being .75 EP per 5 divisions. The size of the Reserve is linked to the nation's Size stat, as follows:
The cost for mobilization is an increase in taxation levels, without the benefit of increased income, due to the depleted manpower pool. Reserve divisions should also be demobilized at war's end. (Note: Some nations outside of Europe may lack a reserve system. If so, they must use the conscription system, or implement a reserve system. Inquire if you are unsure.)
Conscript divisions can be raised at an even lower cost, being .5 EP for 10 Green divisions. Conscript divisions can be raised in almost unlimited numbers, but they are essentially cannon fodder, and will do little without the support of regular troops. While cheap to raise, deploy, and supply, they can severely cripple your economy if used excessively.
Conscripts and Irregulars: Conscripts can be drafted at a Green quality level for 10 divisions per economic point, or as Rabble for free. They cannot improve beyond Normal, barring exceptional circumstances. Typically mass conscription requires a state of war. Limits for conscription are dependent on population (Size) and political/economic restrictions. Most nations can rely upon a minimum of 30 conscript divisions in time of dire need. Irregular militias of varying quality may sometimes spring up if your territory is attacked, AND if the population hasn’t already been conscripted. They can be useful, but only in their home areas. Inquire for specific conscription limits.
Logistics: Logistics must be paid for. Military campaigns require logistical support and a solid line of supply. Standard overland offensives require at least 1 EP of logistical support, typically more. Overseas campaigns and major assaults may cost more. Inquire for details.
Colonial Military: Colonial militia, garrison troops and native allies will be listed in the ‘Colonies’ section. However, even if fleets are assigned to colonial ports, they will remain listed (along with their home port) in the main Navy section.
Technology:
This area briefly summarizes your domestic technology. As you specialize your industry this section will expand on your most advanced areas, giving your nation a special advantage or helping it catch up to the rest of the pack. Benefits are typically intangible but significant (well-targeted) spending can result in income increases, special weapons, or positive military outcomes.
Colonies:
Colonial stats are divided into four portions: A colony ranking, Size stat, Confidence ranking, and a military overview. More information on your specific colonies can be obtained, though if you ask too many questions the mod will be somewhat annoyed with you.
Invest in your colonies, and they shall invest in you! Colonies can be a major source (or drain) of Income.
Society:
Every nation has unique traits and values. Some of these are consistently expressed as a sort of cultural ethic. These can be both a blessing and a curse, and have myriad effects. Some are consistently on the positive side, like “patriotic” or “mercantile”. Other traits like “pious” or “egalitarian” have benefits and drawbacks, while some, like “urban dissent” or “internal corruption” are mostly negative. Basically a status report on the pulse of your nation, society can grant bonuses or maluses at unexpected times. Keep them in mind when making plans. Like all stats, these can change over time.
Other Spending:
Significant spending over time to a broad goal like “better ships” may give you a result…or maybe not. You can also target specific goals such as building an espionage/intelligence network, creating fortifications, founding colonies, placating certain elements of your population, or anything you can imagine a Government spending money on in the real world.
Economy points can be loaned/traded/given between nations, or used to undermine other nations' stability by provoking incidents. Investing in your own stability rating and/or a counter-intelligence network can help prevent this.
SpoilerOn Intelligence :
Intelligence is a difficult field. It requires both a native-born intelligence agency to act as handlers and contacts for foreign agents, and long-lasting penetration into the middle to upper echelons of an enemy government.
At present, very few nations have a coherent foreign intelligence service. This can be changed rather quickly. However, the utility of such a service will depend on the size of their objectives, and the amount of time and money invested into their training.
There is an element of chance in intelligence operations, as the information your receive may not be what you want, may be fed to you by a double agent, or may unexpectedly be more than anticipated. Sifting through this information might be difficult at times. At any rate, just throwing money at the problem will rarely give you what you want. The level of an opposing government's Bureaucracy and Stability will provide proportional resistance to penetrating that government.
Counter-intelligence can also be performed. Startup costs for an intelligence or counter-intelligence operation run from .5 to 1 ep, depending on the target, and the information required. Most operations require sustained involvement for 3-5 turns to provide solid information.
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On Orders: Please have them be timely. I simply expect them to be in. If they are not, your nation will suffer. We don't want that, do we?
On Stories: I welcome them, I view them as essential to the proper functioning of a healthy, interesting NES. Players who post stories that meet a minimum standard of quality (like a page or 2 in Word at least) will receive a random bonus of my choosing. But stories should not be written simply for the bonus, but for the love of a good story.
SpoilerFor a Stat by any other name would smell as sweet :
Kingdom of Arcadia/St. George
King Alfred IV (Lord Chancellor Richard Heron)/Kraznaya Size: Large Government: Autocratic Constitutional Monarchy (+3) Bureaucracy: Organized Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (6/6/6) (-9 upkeep) = 9 ep/turn Taxation: Significant Quality of Life: Fine (-) Confidence: Respecting Army: 10 divisions (Veteran), 15 divisions (Good) Navy: [3 squadrons St. George (Veteran+)] [15 squadrons Newcastle-upon-Charles* (Veteran)], [20 squadrons Portsmouth (Veteran)] [5 squadrons Kimberley** (Veteran)] *Boston **Angola Military Description: Well trained citizen-soldiers with an ample reserve force. Excellent naval forces, on par with Flanders and Portugal as the finest in the world, and growing ironclad elements. Technology: Particularly in the Northeastern Corridor that stretches from St. George to High Stratford, Arcadia resembles a European nation in advancement. Further west towards the Mississipus and the plains, agriculture predominates, though industrial centers are present. Colonies: Great Britain [Crown Jewel/Medium/Respecting/15 divisions (Good)]
The Canary Islands and the Azores [Outpost/Tiny/Respecting/1 division (Tolerable)]
Arcadian Northwest Africa [Unimportant/Small/Tolerating/3 divisions (Tolerable)]
Greater Kimberley* [Backwater/Medium/Tolerating/2 divisions (Green)] *Angola
Arcadian Caribbean [Viable/Small/Respecting/5 divisions (Decent)] Society: Anglican, rapidly industrializing, tolerant, restorationist, anti-French sentiment, anti-Portuguese sentiment, patriotic, increased westward migration, dominant right-wing parliamentary majority, underground nationalist-arbeitist movement. Nation Description: The Kingdom of Arcadia is the largest successor state to the Kingdom of Britain, and the British Empire, though it wasn't an official empire. The main line of the House of Northumbria still rules in Arcadia, (which ruled England since the Rising of 1388), which had simply fled to the colonies during the Fifty Years War (1724-1774). The problem was that when the British Isles were reconquered, they were in such a terrible state (the French occupying authorities had made sure to cripple Britain's economic potential as much as possible and generally wrecked things beyond recognition) that it was decided to rule on from Arcadia, which had by then gained considerably in population thanks to the constant stream of refugees and immigrants. Not all the other colonies accepted this, however. That mostly brings us to where we are today. Arcadia has the challenge of competing with both foreign powers and other post-English states in order to restore the Crowns dominance, all the while managing the industrializing world and the difficulties represented therein.
Argentine Protectorate/Fairport
Lord Protector Edward Stevenson/ Size: Medium Government: Constitutional Monarchy (+3) Bureaucracy: Competent Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (3/1/1) (-2 upkeep) = 3 ep/turn Taxation: Balanced Quality of Life: High Confidence: Respecting Army: 10 divisions (Normal), 5 divisions (Tolerable) Navy: [10 squadrons Fairport* (Better)] *Argentine and Arcadian naval forces are integrated. Military Description: A home-grown militia force, trained by Arcadian advisors. Superior to neighboring colonial militia, but more suited to defensive roles. Technology: Long a prosperous colony of Britain, Argentina industrialized somewhat after its temporary independence, and after reuniting with Arcadia it has remained fairly advanced. Colonies: None Society: Multicultural, Anglican, Gaelic minorities, Flemish minorities, some industrialization. Nation Description: The Argent Lands were an English colony, with small but prevalent Flemish and Gaelic minorities. They have had a fairly uneventful history, mostly involving peaceful expansion, the extermination of local tribes, and a brief period of independence and industrialization before reuniting with Arcadia.
Republic of New Albion (Directorate)/Fort Albans
Director Anderson Bullworth/Theige Size: Tiny Government: Republic (-2) Bureaucracy: Inconsistent Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (1/1/0) (-1 upkeep) = 1 ep/turn Taxation: Light Quality of Life: Tolerable Confidence: Tolerating Army: 5 divisions (Normal), 5 divisions (Tolerable) Navy: None Military Description: A semi-organized, Arcadian-backed military police force with significant paramilitary elements. Technology: New Albion is rapidly advancing thanks to migrants from Arcadia, Australia, and the more settled places of the world. Colonies: None Society: Religiously divided, frontier settlements, centralizing, jingoism, pro-Arcadian sentiment, anti-Japanese sentiment, rapid population growth. Nation Description: New Albion is a British shard state that assembled itself from a powerful collection of landowners during the Fifty Years War, when central British rule was abruptly terminated. Australia has officially guaranteed the Republics independence, and despite Albions corruption and disorganization, neither Arcadia nor Portugal wish to risk a war with the Confederates yet. It is home to much competition between Arcadian and Australian influences, in both religion and politics. The Direcetorate faction is supported by Arcadia and most Anglicans.
Republic of New Albion (Federation)/Fort Albans
First Director Hampstead Godwin/ Size: Small Government: Republic (-1) Bureaucracy: Inconsistent Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (1/0/1) (-1 upkeep) = 1 ep/turn Taxation: Light Quality of Life: Tolerable Confidence: Tolerating Army: 10 divisions (Tolerable), 5 divisions (Green) Navy: 2 squadrons (Tolerable) Military Description: A semi-organized collection of rural militia and city guard units, supported by Australian weaponry. Technology: New Albion is rapidly advancing thanks to migrants from Arcadia, Australia, and the more settled places of the world. Colonies: None Society: Religiously divided, frontier settlements, decentralizing, anti-Arcadian sentiment, pro-Australian sentiment, rapid population growth. Nation Description: New Albion is a British shard state that assembled itself from a powerful collection of landowners during the Fifty Years War, when central British rule was abruptly terminated. Australia has officially guaranteed the Republics independence, and despite Albions corruption and disorganization, neither Arcadia nor Portugal wish to risk a war with the Confederates yet. It is home to much competition between Arcadian and Australian influences, in both religion and politics. The Federationist faction is supported by Australia and most of the urban population.
Oklahoma/Kalhoma
/Contempt Size: Small Government: Tribal Republic (+1) Bureaucracy: Inconsistent Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (2/0/0) (-1 upkeep) = 1 ep/turn Taxation: Light Quality of Life: Fine Confidence: Respecting Army: 3 divisions (Veteran), 5 divisions (Tolerable) Navy: None Military Description: Levied tribesmen, mobile light cavalry equipped with rifles. Additional braves can be called up during wartime. Technology: The Plains Indians live without modern technology entirely, but have adapted western gunpowder for their uses. Colonies: None Society: Agrarian, nomadic, animist spirit-worship, tensions with white settlers in the borderlands. Nation Description: In the haphazard collapse and reorganization of the New World following the Fifty Years War, westwards and northwards encroachments of Arcadian and Portuguese settlers caused the Plains Tribes of Oklahoma to band together in a loose alliance. After several massacres of encroaching settler parties, both Portugal and Arcadia saw the need for a buffer state between their frontier territories, and accords were signed and honored with the natives. However, occasional violations of Oklahoman neutrality have caused the tribal councils to be aggressive in defending their borderlands, and skirmishes are common.
Tawantinsuyu/
/foolish_icarus Size: Large Government: Divine Monarchy (+3) Bureaucracy: Organized Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (4/1+/1) (-2 upkeep) = 4 ep/turn Taxation: Significant Quality of Life: Poor Confidence: Admiring Army: 5 divisions (Better), 30 divisions (Green) Navy: 10 squadrons (Tolerable) Military Description: Ill-equipped levies make up the majority of the Incan military, but they are supplemented by some guard regiments with European weapons and training. Technology: Backwards by choice, now attempting to modernize. Colonies: None Society: Rule by divine right, traditional polytheism, persecution of Christianity, largely agrarian, slow modernization, Japanese influences in court. Nation Description: Portuguese explorers, hands full with suppressing rebellions in the Mexica, never seriously attempted to penetrate into the Sun Kingdom. Recovering from a round of disease and power struggles, Tawantinsuyu imposed a strict policy of self-isolation and limited trade to keep the poisonous ideals of Flemish and Portuguese traders from infecting Incan society. An early attempt to modernize was reversed when an opportunistic Portuguese invasion and revolts in the coastal cities drastically undermined the Empires stability. However, the growing inadequacy of the Sun Kingdoms forces has raised new calls for modernization, and limited efforts have begun, though ultimately they could be sabotaged by a backwards-looking Emperor. Recent trade ties have been established with Japan.
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Europe:
SpoilerI come not to praise Caesar, but to Stat him :
Holy Kingdom of France/Tours
King Henri V (Cardinal Théophile Araigne)/North King Size: Above Medium Government: Theocratic Authoritarian Monarchy (+1) Bureaucracy: Organized Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (4/3+/2) (-3 upkeep) = 6 ep/turn Taxation: Significant Quality of Life: Tolerable (+) Confidence: Respecting Army: 5 divisions (Professional), 50 divisions (Normal), 10 divisions (Green) Navy: [20 squadrons (Good) Brest], [10 squadrons (Better) Barcelona], [5 squadrons (Good) New Leon] Military Description: Frances armed forces are well equipped, but standards of training and discipline vary widely between elite units and the overall mass of conscripts. Technology: Infrastructure is adequate in France, less so in Iberia and Africa. Scientific development is tightly regulated by the increasingly conservative ACC. (Avignon Catholic Church) Colonies: Algerie [Productive/Medium/Tolerating/10 divisions (Good)]
Nouvelle Leon [Viable/Small /Admiring/2 divisions (Veteran)] Society: Theocratic, xenophobic, ultra-nationalistic, entrenched military and clerical aristocracy, puppet king and pope, some urban discontent, major rural conservatism, smuggling, mostly-assimilated, restive Castillan minorities, dissident Leonese minorities, major conscription, skilled secret police. Nation Description: Frances modern history is marked by the failure of attempts to reconcile religious differences with Rome, driving her into the arms of the Avignon Church, and an increasingly influential cabal of cardinals. These cardinals made both the Avignon Papacy and the King puppets by the 18th century, consolidating control around a Council of Regents, and bitterly dividing France from the rest of Europe. Led by Cardinal lAzyr, the Fifty Years War saw France devastating Flanders, conquering Leon and forcing the British monarchy into exile, though her colonies were lost, and she became a diplomatic pariah for all time. The militarized theocracy is ruled in practice by several ecclesiastical councils, and administered by military prefectures. Dissent is crushed with an iron fist, and while France may succumb to the will of reform eventually, the Cardinals will only relinquish power when it is pried from their cold, dead hands.
Holy Roman Empire [of the German Nation]/Fulda
Emperor Frederick VI, King of the Germans/Dachs Size: Large Government: Federative Empire (+2) Bureaucracy: Competent Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (4/7/3) (-4 upkeep) = 10 ep/turn Taxation: Significant Quality of Life: Tolerable (-) Confidence: Respecting (-) Army: 5 divisions (Professional), 25 divisions (Veteran), 30 divisions (Good) Navy: [10 squadrons (Better) Kiel] [5 squadrons (Better) Hamburg] [3 squadrons (Normal) Veneto] [5 squadrons (Better) Humboldt*] *Capital of Imperial Orinoco Military Description: Excellent land military technology, particularly in artillery. Good morale and notable leadership. Naval power is middling for a European power, not very large but fairly modern. Technology: Heavy industrialization on the domestic front, steam powered vehicles and excellent infrastructure. Advanced chemistry and metallurgy, large military-industrial complex. Colonies: Deutsch-Orinoco [Valuable/Medium/Respecting/5 divisions (Better)]
Deutsch-Westafrika [Insignificant/Tiny/Tolerating/2 divisions (Normal)]
Deutsch-Baltica [Viable/Medium/Admiring/10 divisions (Better)] Society: Broader German Identity contrasted with lingering regionalism, rebellious Czech minorities, dissatisfied Italian and Polish minorities, widespread patriotism, Roman Catholic, militaristic, urban discontent, rapid industrialization. Nation Description:The Holy Roman Empire has been a dominant force in Central Europe for the past millennium. For much of its early history, the Empire was a disparate collection of states, governed by transient dynasties that never mustered the power to hold Germany in its entirety for long. Out of the House of Leiningen's dominance over southwestern Germany rose the powerhouse that would eventually seize control of the nearly defunct HRE and centralize it, successfully fighting off enemies from all points of the compass. A golden age in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries was capped by Karl V's successful war with Alexander of Egypt, although after the the Empire began to stumble somewhat again. The outcome of the Fifty Years' War in the eighteenth century was inconclusive at best, and the 1870s and 1880s saw nationalist rebellions all over the Imperial periphery combined with an Arbeitist-led social insurrection closer to home, although lately the Empire has begun to flex its muscle again, with interventions in the Balkans culminating in the destruction of Hungary as a major power. The HRE is ringed by rivals; Italy is irredentist, France is opposed to basically everyone else in the world anyway, Tver shows signs of breaking through the cordon sanitaire in Eastern Europe, and the Danes are getting frisky as well. Social problems associated with industrialization are also being held at bay, if temporarily.
Flemish Union/Antwerp
Executive Treasurer Isenbrant van der Linde/Azale Size: Large Government: Parliamentary Republic (+3) Bureaucracy: Efficient
Income (Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade)): (2/4/8) (-7 upkeep) = 7 ep/turn Taxation: Balanced Quality of Life: High Confidence: Loving Army: 10 divisions (Better) Navy: [30 squadrons (Veteran) Rotterdam], [15 squadrons (Good) Nieulande*], [10 squadrons (Good) Malaya] *Brasil
Military Desciption: Land military is of adequate quality, emphasizing colonial support, and homeland defense. An advanced and impressive navy is one of the finest in the world. Technology: Advancing, experimentation with steam power on sea and land. Good urban infrastructure/design. Major disparity between Flanders/Brazil and the African/Asian colonies. Excellent medicine, optics, and theoretical physics. Colonies: Brasil [Wealthy/Huge/Respecting/10 divisions (Tolerable)]
Gouden Kust [Productive/Tiny/Tolerating/3 divisions (Normal)] *Flemish West Africa
Vlaams Kongo [Minor/Small/Tolerating/2 divisions (Normal)]
Vlaams Zambezi [Unimportant/Small/Respecting/2 divisions (Normal)]
Vlaams Indië [Productive/Medium/Discontent/5 divisions (Veteran)]
Vlaams Maleisië [Wealthy/Small/Tolerating/3 divisions (Veteran)] Society: Commercial, maritime, diverse colonial ethnic populations, Flemish diaspora, Roman Catholic, moderate, democratic, arbeitist participation in government, conservative-leaning countryside, liberal-leaning port cities, anti-French sentiment, institutionalized racism in Brasil, booming colonial trade, upkeep issues. Growth of labor organizations and steam power. Nation Description: The Flemish Union has existed more or less in its current form since Flanders seceded peacefully from Imperial power in the Late Middle Ages. It gradually centralized, eventually forming a constitution and united government. Except a brief interlude when it was fragmented by French invasion in the Fifty Years War, it has remained mostly united and peaceful, allying with Germany for mutual protection. Colonized in the 16th and 17th centuries, New Zeeland has proven an excellent investment, the core of a far-flung empire which helps maintain the exceptional wealth and prosperity of the Flemish homeland. The constant threat of French invasion keeps the nation fairly conservative and defense-minded, however. Further abroad, a colonial rivalry with Portugal is now starting to heat up, with commercial competition and proxy wars in Asia causing increased tensions. Despite its small size, Flanders is a great power to be reckoned with on the European stage.
Portuguese Empire//Lisbon
Empress Maria I/conehead234 Size: Huge Government: Absolute Monarchy (Colonial Viceroyalties) (+2) Bureaucracy: Competent Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (5/3/10) (-10 upkeep) = 8 ep/turn Taxation: Moderate Quality of Life: High* (Colonial levels vary by colony and ethnic treatment) Confidence: Respecting Army: 10 divisions (Veteran) Navy: [15 squadrons (Veteran) Lisbon], [10 squadrons (Good) Tavira*], [10 squadrons (Good) São Inácio**] [10 squadrons (Good) Goa] [10 squadrons (Good) - Guangzhou] *Eastern Coast of Mexico **Southern Africa Military Description: The land military is superb, though some colonial garrisons are undersupplied. The navy is the finest in the world, on par with the other first-tier naval powers Arcadia and Flanders. Technology: Advanced but disparate, due to incredibly far flung colonies. Mexica and the homeland have burgeoning industry. Experiments into long-range communication and aeronautics are beginning. Colonies: Mexica [Valuable/Huge/Respecting/5 divisions (Veteran), 10 divisions (Normal)]
Edmundsland* [Viable/Medium/Discontent/7 divisions (Veteran)] *OTL Florida/Georgia
Malagasy [Backwater/Small/Tolerating/2 divisions (Normal)]
Zanzibar [Viable/Small/Tolerating/3 divisions (Normal)]
Gujarat [Wealthy/Medium/Discontent/5 divisions (Better)]
Inacio [Productive/Medium/Respecting/4 divisions (Better)]
Java [Valuable/Medium/Unhappy/3 divisions (Better)]
Canton [Valuable/Large/Discontent/7 divisions (Veteran), 5 divisions (Better)] Society: Racial diversity, communication/logistics issues, Roman Catholic, maritime power and excellence, English/Flemish minorities, various rebellious subject populations, ongoing industrialization, aeronautics experimentation. Nation Description: Queen of the seas, Portugal is mistress of the largest colonial empire in the world, with outposts on every continent but Australia. During the Fifty Years War, Portugal enlarged her dominions with French colonies, and picked up some from the crumbling Kingdom of Britain as well. In order for the empire to keep from collapsing under its weight, several viceroyalties were created, some semi-autonomous from Lisbon. Despite the threat of stagnation, Portugal maintains one of the worlds strongest and largest militaries. Theyll need it for the coming conflicts: Portugal is engaged in in a tense rivalry with Arcadia in the New World, colonial competition with Flanders, fighting Xin Ming inspired rebellions in southern China, and the ever-present threat of France looms over the homeland. The will of the Empress will be sorely tried in the coming months, but skilled alliances could play off these threats and ensure the continued dominance of the Empire.
Principality of Montferrat/Montferrat
Prince Rudolphe III/Masada Size: Tiny Government: Traditional Monarchy (+3) Bureaucracy: Competent Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (1/0/1) (-1 upkeep) = 1 ep/turn Taxation: Moderate Quality of Life: Opulent Confidence: Admiring Army: 2 divisions (Better) Navy: [1 squadron (Better) Varelle-sur-mer] Military Description: A small, well-maintained military aimed primarily at protecting the person of the Prince. Exclusively on a defensive posture. Technology: Pleasantly backwards. Medieval crenellations still adorn the capital, and the countryside is lost in time. Colonies: None Society: Agrarian, semi-feudal, aristocratic, Roman Catholic. Nation Description: An old medieval principality, Montferrat survived by cultivating a strong alliance with the Holy Roman Empire, and making itself a pleasant alternative to France for French exiles. It has accumulated a large amount of wealth, and her gambling houses are notorious with Europes nobility.
Republic of Italy/Rome
President Vittore Castiglioni/Kentharu Size: Medium Government: Presidential Republic (-2) Bureaucracy: Wasteful Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (2/1/2) (-2 upkeep) = 3 ep/turn Taxation: Light Quality of Life: Poor Confidence: Unhappy Army: 10 divisions [Tolerable], 10 divisions [Green] Navy: [5 squadrons (Tolerable) Genoa], [3 squadrons (Tolerable) Nuova Vicenza] Military Description: The navy is small and ineffectual, while the army has poor armaments and is ill-supplied. Italian forces are not beyond hope, but need major reforms. Technology: Early Industrial. German efforts to modernize Italy were cut short after revolution. Balkanized and semi-modern, steadily falling behind. Colonies: Nuova Vicenza* [Minor/Small/Tolerating/3 divisions (Tolerable)] *Africa
Sapienza* [Insignificant/Tiny/Respecting/1 division (Tolerable)] *Persian Gulf Society: Growing urban radicalism, conservative countryside, Roman Catholic, anti-German sentiment, anti-Sicilian sentiment, poverty, corruption, political disunity, urban crime, strong nationalism. Nation Description: Italy had long served as a battleground between the Imperial ambitions of Germany and Egypt, with German victory instituting a puppet state over the country. But the glorious casting off of German oppression some decades ago did not, unfortunately, lead to an Italian golden age, as Italians have yet to rule themselves effectively. Urban squalor and a corrupt political leadership have aggravated political tensions. Successions of presidents have been forced from power, and a growing divide between political factions may culminate in violence. The Papacy has renounced all claims to physical power, but the current government has failed to bring Italy prosperity. Some Italians wish for a return to papal leadership, while others advocate military rule, a stronger Republic, or even a new arbeitist order...
Kingdom of Sicily/Syracuse
King Adolf II/NPC Size: Tiny Government: Absolute Monarchy (+1) Bureaucracy: Decent Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (1/0/2) -1 upkeep = 2 ep/turn Taxation: Moderate Quality of Life: Tolerable Confidence: Tolerating Army: 5 divisions (Normal), 5 divisions (Tolerable) Navy: [5 squadrons (Better) Tunis] Military Description: Sicilys army is somewhat indifferent, as the realm is protected by a small, efficient navy, which patrols the trade routes in cooperation with Egypt. Technology: Fairly backwards and agrarian by choice, though some Egyptian innovations have been adopted. Society: Ethnic and religious diversity, pro-Italian dissidents, pro-Egyptian sentiment, German nobility. Nation Description: Sicily was originally part of the German-organized puppet system established after the Egyptians were finally forced out of Italy in the 18th century. However, after the Time of Troubles swept German garrisons and influence out of Italy, the Sicilian monarchy allied itself with Egypt, which offered protection from the nearby ambitions of both France and the new Italian Republic. This partnership has worked well for both nations thus far, but Egypt may soon need to take a more direct role in her allys defense
Kingdom of Norway/Christiania
King Bjørn I/NPC Size: Small Government: Absolute Monarchy (+3) Bureaucracy: Efficient Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (2/1/1) -1 upkeep = 3 ep/turn Taxation: Significant Quality of Life: Decent Confidence: Respecting Army: 10 divisions (Better) Navy: 10 squadrons (Normal) Military Description: Well-trained, solidly equipped soldiers and a middling fleet. Technology: Somewhat backwards, but advancing nonetheless. Large community of continental refugees ensures a thriving scientific community. Society: Nordic, nationalist, refugee populations, Catholic, minor anti-Swedish sentiment. Nation Description: A failure to conquer Britain in the 11th century mixed with fierce opposition to Danish expansionism ensured Norways independence and cultural purity right through the middle ages until the modern day. Norway joined the anti-French coalition and fought off Denmark in the Fifty Years War, and received the hearty thanks of Europe and a boatload of refugees. Since then it has remained guardedly militaristic, looking for an opportunity to enlarge her dominions in Scandinavia or abroad.
Kingdom of Sweden/Stockholm
Queen Beatrice I/Reno Size: Small Government: Moderate Parliamentary Monarchy (+3) Bureaucracy: Efficient Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (3/2/1) -2 upkeep = 4 ep/turn Taxation: Heavy Quality of Life: Opulent Confidence: Loving Army: 10 divisions (Normal) Navy: 5 squadrons (Better) Military Description: Largely a peacetime force with some ceremonial functions. Ill equipped for war; some German advisors are working to improve matters. Technology: Sweden remains somewhat backwards outside of the major cities, but innovations have been seen in agriculture and chemistry. Colonies: None Society: Tolerant, peaceful, half-assimilated Finnish minorities, pro-German sentiment, Roman Catholic, minor Arbeitist agitation, largely pre-industrial. Nation Description: Sweden is a quiet nation with a peaceful history. The Finnish territories were peacefully integrated some centuries ago, and since then the Swedes have backed down from any possible conflict with Norway or Denmark. It is increasingly pushed around by its more aggressive neighbors, and is increasingly leaning towards the Holy Roman Empire, being under strong German cultural influence and in dynastic ties with the Leiningens as of right now. Swedens main goal is to avoid the new conflicts which threaten to engulf Europe, but she will stand with her ally if necessary.
SpoilerWe few, we happy few, we band of Statters :
Kingdom of Denmark/Copenhagen
King Frederick XI/Adrogans Size: Small Government: Autocratic Consular Monarchy (+2) Bureaucracy: Decent Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (1/4/1) (-2 upkeep) = 4 ep/turn Taxation: Moderate Quality of Life: Meager Confidence: Admiring Army: 10 divisions (Good), 5 divisions (Better) Navy: [10 squadrons (Normal) – Copenhagen] Military Description: The recently reformed army is aggressive and mobile, after the Tverian model, and a slight strain on the economy. The navy is modern and growing, but indifferently led. Technology: Rapidly advancing, at an almost unsustainable pace. Denmark is a net exporter of weapons and finished goods, but may require more raw materials (i.e. colonies) to sustain her growth. Colonies: Danish India [Outpost/Tiny/Tolerating/1 division (Better)] Society: Patriotic, anti-Swedish sentiment, anti-German sentiment, xenophobia, major conscription, rapid industrialization, suppressed labor movements. Nation Description: Poor and militaristic, Denmark has waged several unsuccessful wars against Germany, attempting to reclaim their lost empire. Failure in these has left the kingdom scarred, embittered, and fiercely nationalistic, hoping for revenge against the HRE. Formerly backwards, Denmark is in the midst of a rapid and slightly unsustainable crash industrialization program and military buildup, seeking to keep pace with their southern “neighbor”. Militaristic rhetoric has been ramping up in recent years, but there is a distinct feeling among Denmark’s leadership that her diplomatic isolation has to end…and initial contacts with some like-minded European nations have been favorable.
Republic of Poland/Cracow
High Arbiter Zygmunt Okolski/Justo Size: Medium Government: Republic (+1) Bureaucracy: Decent Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (2/2/1) (-1 upkeep) = 4 ep/turn Taxation: Moderate Quality of Life: Decent Confidence: Admiring Army: 10 divisions (Better) Navy: None Military Description: Doctrine and equipment are partially scavenged from the HRE and somewhat backwards. Tactics are oriented towards defense of the homeland. Technology: Somewhat backward and rural, efforts are being made to emulate Tverian industrialization. Infrastructure is solid, and future advancement is possible. Colonies: None Society: Patriotic, radical, revanchist, pro-Tverian factions, pro-neutrality factions, anti-German sentiment, Roman Catholic, largely rural. Nation Description: A small, post-revolutionary state, Poland broke off from the Holy Roman Empire in a violent rebellion about twenty-five years ago. It has made moves to align with Tver, but is afraid of upsetting the fragile balance of power between the two rival empires. It remains a destabilizing influence on Polish minorities in Tver and the HRE, who habitually agitate for independence.
Republic of Croatia/Zagreb
Chamber of Bans/Agent Size: Tiny Government: Parliamentary Republic (+3) Bureaucracy: Organized Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (1/1/1) - 1 upkeep = 2 ep/turn Taxation: Balanced Quality of Life: Decent Confidence: Admiring Army: 5 divisions (Good), 5 divisions (Normal) Navy: 3 squadrons (Good) Military Description: The Croatian military emphasizes quality over quantity. Troops are remarkably disciplined and have served as mercenaries for other nations. Technology: Transportation links to Germany have allowed Croatia to begin modernizing, but a traditional lifestyle remains dominant outside of the capital. Colonies: None Society: Roman Catholic, nationalist, pragmatic/reformist, industrializing. Nation Description: Croatia, long threatened by Hungarian imperialism, attached itself instead to the Holy Roman Empire, and has served as a devoted German ally since then.
Republic of Hungary/Budapest
Arbiter Jákob Németh/emu Size: Small Government: Puppet Republic (-2) Bureaucracy: Inconsistent Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (2/0/1) (-2 upkeep) = 1 ep/turn Taxation: Significant Quality of Life: Decent Confidence: Discontent Army: 5 divisions (Normal) Navy: None Military Description: Artificially small, and under German supervision. Low morale and poorly supplied. Technology: While Hungary is very urbanized, the death of the empire has caused decay and the departure of many professionals. Some machinery is produced in Budapest, however. Colonies: None. Society: Mostly Roman Catholic, anti-German sentiment, anti-Serbian sentiment, widespread unhappiness, Arbeitist presence. Nation Description: Once a mighty empire, hegemon of the Balkans, Hungary has finally been laid low by the Germans. Partially occupied for several years, Hungary lost most of her core lands and was forced to sign a humiliating treaty with the HRE; it is now more or less explicitly a puppet of the Germans. The ruling regime is viewed with much distaste by the old aristocracy and the lower classes alike. As in some other nations, revolution seems inevitable…
Kingdom of Tver/Tver
Tsar Mikhail IX/Shadowbound Size: Large Government: Authoritarian Parliamentary Monarchy (+2) Bureaucracy: Competent Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (2/6+/4) -5 upkeep = 7 ep/turn Taxation: Balanced Quality of Life: Tolerable Confidence: Respecting Army: 2 divisions (Professional), 20 divisions (Veteran), 20 divisions (Good) Navy: [20 squadrons (Better) – Memel] Military Description: The Tverian army is the finest in Eastern Europe. Skilled leadership prefers aggressive doctrines and makes use of a superb artillery corps. Tatar light cavalry sometimes complement the main army. The navy is improving. Technology: Steam power, mechanization, and mass production are all areas of Tverian specialty/leadership. Munitions are good but not up to the German/Danish level. Colonies: None Society: Politically diverse, militaristic, aggressive, highly patriotic, anti-German sentiment, anti-Chernigovan sentiment, growing social democratic movements, urban poverty, military-industrial complex, industrialist mentality. Nation Description: By the 14th Century, the Slavanian territories of the long-dead Rurikids were finally beginning to be united under a single power: Tver. The kings of this small principality were able to create a feudal empire that stretched across vast swaths of the north. It gradually evolved into a parliamentary monarchy with some royal prerogative, though it has lost none of its aggressiveness: wars against Poland, the Holy Roman Empire, and Sweden were all fought, resulting in a fair amount of territorial expansion, and siding frequently with France simply due to strategic realities. Economic modernization has been coupled with almost complete domination of the Golden Horde; Tver seems to have good prospects, though the ever-present rivalries with Chernigov, the Holy Roman Empire, and an arms race in the Baltic all may cause trouble in the near future...
Grand Principality of Chernigov/Chernigov (ceremonial), Odessa (administrative)
Grand Prince Mstislav V/alex994 Size: Large Government: Oligarchic Parliamentary Princedom (+2) Bureaucracy: Organized Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (5/4/2) -3 upkeep = 8 ep/turn Taxation: Significant Quality of Life: Fine Confidence: Respecting Army: 31 divisions (Good)*, 5 divisions (Normal) *2 divisions are garrisoned in Georgia. Navy: [15 squadrons (Better) – Theodosia] Military Description: An aged levy scheme is being replaced with a more current conscription system, and overall Chernigov’s military is fairly strong. Light cavalry Tatar auxiliaries are sometimes used. Her Black Sea fleet is also unchallenged. Technology: While not as industrial as Tver, Chernigov is the breadbasket of Europe and in tandem with Sweden, new technology for harvesting and processing crops has been developed. Colonies: Trebizond [Viable/Small/Tolerating/3 divisions (Good)] Society: Non-Uniate orthodox, patriotic, rural/urban divisions, some industrialization, moderately prosperous, large aristocracy, Buddhist Tatar minorities, Muslim Caucasian minorities, Jewish minorities. Nation Description: Descended from the old Polonian princes that once unified the South Rus in ancient days, Chernigov coalesced during the early middle ages as a decentralized state under the nominal rule of the Grand Prince. Fighting off and then allying with the Mongols, Chernigov gradually centralized, successfully colonizing the south once the Mongol threat had receded. Advances in agriculture have made Chernigov the breadbasket of Europe, though her industrial development still continues. Chernigov’s old ambitions to control the Balkans and the Straits have met with resistance, first from the (now defunct) Hungarian Empire and Bulgarian Principalities, and now from Serbia-Romea. Additionally, relations with Tver are awful, as Tver’s ambitions are decidedly pointed towards unifying Eastern Europe.
Empire of Serbia-Romea/Tsargrad
Emperor Stefan II/Lord Iggy Size: Medium Government: Imperial Autocracy (+1) Bureaucracy: Decent Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (3/1/2) -3 upkeep = 3 ep/turn Taxation: Significant Quality of Life: Decent Confidence: Tolerating Army: 10 divisions (Good), 15 divisions (Normal) Navy: [10 squadrons (Normal) – Tsargrad/Constantinople] Military Description: Strongly modeled after Germany, with a general staff and integrated cavalry/artillery support. Technology: Rapidly advancing, though balkanized like the rest of the country, Serbia and Tsargrad are the most advanced areas. Colonies: None Society: Uniate Orthodox, large Greek, Bulgarian, Hungarian minorities, assorted smaller minorities, suppression of non-Uniates, militaristic, settler colonies. Nation Description: Serbia Romea is a Uniate Serbian kingdom that, during the Third Balkan War (1868-1873), won big thanks to the Holy Roman Empire's assistance. Moving its capital to Constantinople, it assumed the identity of a "Byzantine successor state", in order to cement the unity of the Balkan Peninsula, which remains a complete ethnic mess; are you really surprised? Serbia Romea has to balance a multiethnic nation with external pressures from the other Roman Empires of Germany and Egypt, potential revanchist ambitions of Chernigov and an Anatolia brimming with young, aggressive new empires.
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Africa:
SpoilerIt is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying Stats :
Most Christian Kingdom of Egypt/Alexandria
King Alexander VI (Elected Heiros)/Insane_Panda Size: Above Medium Government: Parliamentary Monarchy (+3) Bureaucracy: Competent Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (3/5/2) (-3 upkeep) = 7 ep/turn Taxation: Significant Quality of Life: Decent Confidence: Admiring Army: 20 divisions (Good) Navy: [3 squadrons (Veteran) - Alexandria] [20 squadrons (Good) – Nicosia], [10 squadrons (Better) – Aden] Military Description: The Egyptian military is slightly outdated but far superior to its’ neighbors. Professional, European-style guard formations are complemented with Arab cavalry for scouting. Technology: While overall, Egypt lags behind Europe, Alexandrian engineering is still excellent, and Egypt possesses a large quantity of eclectic savants due to its’ diverse and (relatively) free nature. Colonies: Oman [Viable/Small/Tolerating/5 divisions (Normal)] Society: Egalitarian, diverse, Roman Catholic state religion, Muslim, Jewish, non-Uniate Coptic minorities, Norman aristocracy, heavily urbanized, skilled engineering, radical Ismaili dissidents, modernization in progress. Nation Description: Egypt has a long and storied history, but the current state is only loosely tied to the Norman Crusader state of the 12th Century. After several centuries of acting as the principal Christian portal to the Indian Ocean and being largely dominated by the Venetian merchant community, Egypt saw the coup and rise to power of King Alexander I in 1683. A brilliant monarch, he reformed the economy and military successfully, expelled the Venetians, and turned Egypt into an expansionist power that absorbed much of the Near East, the Balkans, North Africa, and even advanced into Italy and Hungary. Dreaming of restoring the Roman Empire, he was thwarted by a coalition of other nations; his successors gradually lost control of Italy, the Balkans, Anatolia, and later Iraq. Now Egypt stands as what is still the most powerful nation of the Eastern Mediterranean, but infidels and even Christian foes stand on every side...
Ethiopia/Addis Ababa
/Yui Size: Above Medium Government: Absolute Monarchy (+3) Bureaucracy: Organized Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (2/1/2) (-2 upkeep) = 3 ep/turn Taxation: Balanced Quality of Life: Decent Confidence: Admiring Army: 5 divisions (Better), 10 divisions (Tolerable) Navy: 10 squadrons (Normal) Military Description: Fairly well-trained professional soldiers, equipped with both Egyptian and Portuguese assistance. Technology: Somewhat archaic outside of the military sphere, though improving thanks to foreign assistance. Colonies: None Society: Egyptian influence, Portuguese influence, Uniate, restive East African Muslim minorities. Nation Description: The ancient kingdom of Ethiopia was “discovered” by Normans expanding their new fiefs south along the Nile. Being Christian, they were reunited with the Church and signed a now ancient defense agreement with Egypt. Ethiopia then served as a base for several successive crusades to wipe out East African Muslim statelets, and into the Indian Ocean beyond. In more recent years, the expansion of Portuguese influence into the Indian Ocean has allowed new contacts to be made with the Iberian seafarers, though Egypt resents this intrusion into what is historically their sphere of influence. Despite being torn between two greater empires, Ethiopia remains fairly modern and pleasant, ignoring the occasional Muslim rebellion.
Fur/Nyala
/NPC Size: Small Government: Tribal Confederacy (-1) Bureaucracy: Corrupt Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (1/0/1) (-1 upkeep) = 1 ep/turn Taxation: Balanced Quality of Life: Poor Confidence: Tolerating Army: 3 divisions (Rabble) Navy: None Military Description: Natives with sticks. Technology: Iron tools are a big hit. Colonies: None Society: Tribal, agrarian, occasional internal conflict. Nation Description: Fur is a tribal state that leeches off the tenuous triangle trade between Mali, Egypt and Ethiopia. It has not been conquered because no one has bothered to do so.
Second Malinese Empire/Niani
/Darkening Size: Large Government: Absolute Monarchy (+3) Bureaucracy: Decent Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (3/1/2) (-2 upkeep) = 4 ep/turn Taxation: Balanced Quality of Life: Tolerable Confidence: Respecting Army: 10 divisions (Normal), 20 divisions (Green) Navy: 5 squadrons (Normal) Military Description: An ambitious, somewhat modern force supplied by Portugal. Far superior to anything its’ tribal neighbors can deploy, but not quite up to European standards. Technology: Modernization efforts have been attempted, but the massive size and ethnic variety of the empire makes things difficult. Colonies: None Society: Ethnic/religious diversity, Muslim/animist majorities, Christian Portuguese missionary/trading presence. Nation Description: The newest incarnation of Mali was forged by a warlord named Bambara, who successfully assimilated to the culture of the Niger. The new Malinese state expanded along the river, soon making contact with Portuguese explorers. Portugal financed Mali’s European-style military, and bankrolled their modernization attempts, in return for a virtual monopoly on West African trade that this alliance has granted them. So far this has worked out for both parties, but potential tribal reactions and the constant difficulty of keeping such a large empire together may work against it.
Kanem/Garoua
/NPC Size: Medium Government: Tribal Monarchy (-1) Bureaucracy: Inconsistent Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (1/0/2) (-2 upkeep) = 1 ep/turn Taxation: Significant Quality of Life: Poor Confidence: Discontent Army: 20 divisions (Rabble) Navy: None Military Description: Fierce but untrained tribal warriors, with some marksmen. Technology: Kanem remains largely pre-industrial, though her farming schemes are rather innovative. Colonies: None Society: Tribal, mostly Muslim, agrarian. Nation Description: Kanem has prospered and expanded due to the trans-Saharan trade that passed through its’ original heartland, near Lake Chad. This wealth allowed it to enter the political realm, destroying and enslaving surrounding tribes and selling them to Arabs or Europeans for greater profit. This wealth allowed the tribe to form itself into a tribal confederation, and conquer its’ way down to the Niger. However, their expansion has now been checked due to contact with the coastal European settlements.
Asante/Kumasi
King Kwabena I/NPC Size: Medium Government: Tribal Monarchy (+1) Bureaucracy: Competent Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (2/0/1) (-1 upkeep) = 2 ep/turn Taxation: Significant Quality of Life: Tolerable Confidence: Admiring Army: 7 divisions (Better) Navy: None Military Description: Fierce warriors with European arms, well-trained in guerilla warfare. Technology: The Asante have largely avoided foreign innovations, but maintain an organized and literate bureaucracy and government. Colonies: None Society: Warlike, matrilineal, expansionist, mostly animist, widespread slavery. Nation Description: The Asante are a feared tribe in the heartlands of the northwestern African jungle. From their infamous capital of skulls, they have launched many raids against opponents native and European, and built up a considerable empire doing so. Their musketmen are, of course, terribly far behind the European colonizers' armies, but their knowledge of the jungle terrain means they can inflict plenty of damage despite that.
Nguni/Bulawayo
/NPC Size: Tiny Government: Tribal Confederation (-2) Bureaucracy: Inconsistent Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (2/0/0) (-1 upkeep) = 1 ep/turn Taxation: Significant Quality of Life: Squalid Confidence: Discontent Army: 5 divisions (Rabble) Navy: None Military Description: Fierce tribal militia. Some traded gunpowder weapons. Technology: Pre-industrial. Colonies: None Society: Tribal, agrarian, many sub-tribes, some Flemish contacts. Nation Description: The Nguni were one of dozens of tribes on the African savannah, until they were united under a strident militaristic regime. So far, all has gone well – their immediate neighbors were entirely subdued. However, even the Nguni are starting to realize the world is a very large place – but though contact with Europeans is inherently dangerous, it might provide many rewards as well...
Rozwi Empire/Ezakheni
/NPC Size: Tiny Government: Tribal Monarchy (-1) Bureaucracy: Corrupt Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (1/0/1) (-1 upkeep) = 1 ep/turn Taxation: Significant Quality of Life: Poor Confidence: Tolerating Army: 1 division (Better), 10 divisions (Tolerable) Navy: None Military Description: Technology: Farming, mining and architecture are all somewhat sophisticated and well developed. Colonies: None Society: Mining/cattle herding, animist, anti-Portuguese sentiment. Nation Description: Hailing from the Zimbabwean Highlands, the Rozwi were a group of Bantu tribes that reformed their military into an extremely effective force that dominated all African opposition. They are now the premier native power of Southern Africa, though there are certainly questions now as to whether or not they can keep this position in the face of growing European power. Some chiefs are now calling for a preemptive war against the nearby Portuguese colonies.
Despotate of Ionia/Smyrna
King Gregorios II/NPC Size: Tiny Government: Absolute Monarchy (+2) Bureaucracy: Decent Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (1/1/1) - 1 upkeep = 2 ep/turn Taxation: Significant Quality of Life: Tolerable Confidence: Respecting Army: 7 divisions (Better) Navy: [5 squadrons (Normal) Smyrna] Military Description: A small, motivated army with modern tactics and good leadership. The navy is less advanced but competently led. Technology: European and modern. German and Flemish advisors have been hired to oversee the growth of industry. Colonies: None Society: Hellenic revivalism, anti-Serbian sentiment, pro-Egyptian sentiment. Nation Description: The Despotate of Ionia is a surprisingly ancient state, one of the Greek-ruled post-Byzantine statelets that survived the shattering of New Rome. In the Middle Ages, the Despotate ruled a respectable Kingdom in Anatolia, blunting the Turkish advance and converting them to Christianity besides. It has survived with minor Egyptian interruptions since then, and now remains a pragmatic state dedicated to preserving some shard of Hellenic culture, and perhaps expanding it, at the expense of barbarian Serbia-Romea, which has fought some recent border wars with the kingdom.
Kingdom of Angora/Angora
King Erman I/ Size: Tiny Government: Absolute Monarchy (+1) Bureaucracy: Inconsistent Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (1/0/2) -1 = 2 ep/turn Taxation: Balanced Quality of Life: Fine Confidence: Tolerating Army: 5 divisions (Tolerable) Navy: None Military Description: A somewhat antiquated royal guard with cavalry elements. Technology: Somewhat backwards and traditional. Colonies: None Society: Turkic, Armenian and Greek influenced, Christian, peaceful, mercantile. Nation Description: While most Turkic tribes eventually settled in Persia, coalescing into the Turgulid Shahate, the western spur of their migration ended in central Anatolia. More docile than their eastern neighbors, the Turks fell under the cultural influence of Ionia, converting to Christianity and embracing Hellenic cultural and architectural motifs. Buffered by the ambitious states of Ionia and Adana, and with Chernigov keeping a watchful eye on the south, Angora is content to remain as it always has: An island of peace and trade in the heart of Asia Minor.
Republic of Adana/Adana
/Supermath Size: Small Government: Theocratic Republic (+2) Bureaucracy: Competent Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (2/1/1) - 1 upkeep = 3 ep/turn Taxation: Significant Quality of Life: Tolerable Confidence: Admiring Army: 7 divisions (Good), 10 divisions (Better) Navy: 10 squadrons (Tolerable) Military Description: Professional guard formations supported by irregular light cavalry. Good morale and adequate leadership, though slightly less modern than its neighbors. Technology: A mixture of old and new. Military technology is advanced, while domestic technology is somewhat further behind. Colonies: None Society: Sunni Muslim, xenophobic, reformist, centralized, antagonistic, active Islamic labor movements, semi-revolutionary sentiment. Nation Description: After Alexandrine Egypt collapsed in the early 18th century, The Republic of Adana, as it became known, mixed clerical oversight with a reformist representative body, a somewhat revolutionary formula which allowed the state to keep opportunistic Ionia and Egypt at bay. Strongly nationalist, Adana is dedicated to the principle of liberating oppressed Muslims under heretical (Shiite) or heathen rule. It is a fanatical enemy of Egypt and the two nations have frequent border skirmishes. It has come to harbor some Arbeitist dissidents from Europe in recent years, but the effects on Adani Society could be greater than anticipated.
Armenian Empire/Yerevan
/carmen Size: Above Medium Government: Absolute Monarchy (+3) Bureaucracy: Organized Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (2/2/1) (-2 upkeep) = 3 ep/turn Taxation: Balanced Quality of Life: Decent Confidence: Admiring Army: 15 divisions (Better) Navy: 2 squadrons (Tolerable) Military Description: A fairly loyal, modern, and well-led force. Chernigovan training and assistance has proved invaluable. Technology: Armenia is modernizing, thanks to extensive financial connections to Europe that have helped bring in foreign investment capital. Colonies: None Society: Christian, ethnic homogeneity, pro-Chernigovan sentiment, mercantile, Armenian diaspora population. Nation Description: One of the first Christian nations, Armenia has had a distinctive culture from the very beginning, and have survived conquests by the Romans, Persians, Arabs, and Mongols, regaining independence in the 14th century. After that, the state has remained free and Christian, expanding into Anatolia at will, and though they have suffered their fair share of reverses, for now the Armenians look to a rather secure future.
Quraishi Emirate/Baghdad
Emir Husayn II/ Size: Medium Government: Shiite Theocracy (+3) Bureaucracy: Decent Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (3/1/1) (-2 upkeep) = 3 ep/turn Taxation: Significant Quality of Life: Meager Confidence: Respecting Army: 3 divisions (Normal), 20 divisions (Tolerable) Navy: [3 squadrons (Rabble) Al-Basrah] Military Description: Fanatical, Technology: Falling behind due to the anti-Christian tendencies of the Emirate. Some Egyptian infrastructure remains, however. Colonies: None Society: Shiite Muslim, theocratic, anti-Egyptian sentiment, Nestorian (non-Uniate) Christian and Sunni minorities. Nation Description: Iraq had been under the control of the Caliphate before it was absorbed into the Mongol Empire. They were unable to get back on their feet in any meaningful way by the time the Egyptian empire of Alexander I came along, and conquered them again. Later on, the governor-general of the province broke away from the main Empire, established a secular, Western-style state, but he was overthrown by tribal rebellion. Now it is a thoroughly Shi'ite state, quite hostile to most of its neighbors.
Mustafid Shahate/Yazd
Shah /andis-1 Size: Above Medium Government: Absolute Monarchy (+1) Bureaucracy: Inconsistent Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (3/1/1) (-3 upkeep) = 2 ep/turn Taxation: Significant Quality of Life: Meager Confidence: Tolerating Army: 5 divisions (Better), 25 divisions (Green) Navy: 10 squadrons (Green) Military Description: Technology: Some industrialization, thanks to support from western advisors, has begun in the cities. Colonies: None Society: Turkic Sunni ruling class, large native Farsi Shiite minorities, militaristic, nascent Persian nationalism. Nation Description: Iran has come a long way since the days of the Caliphate: with the Buwayhids rise and fall, invasion of the Seljuks, the Mongol Conquest, the rise of the Tutushid Empire, and tribal infighting that eventually led to the establishment of the present state. The Mustafid Shahate is dominated by Turkish tribesmen that have little relation to the majority Shi'ite Persians, but plenty of military power in the traditional sense. They are, however, not terribly modern, and whether the state can stay entirely intact is a troubling question. Coopting the Persian ideals of nationalism (and combining them with industrial development) may allow the Mustafids another lease on life, however.
Golden Horde/Omsk
/bombshoo Size: Large Government: Tribal Confederate Monarchy (-1) Bureaucracy: Inconsistent Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (3/2/1) - 2 upkeep = 4 ep/turn Taxation: Balanced* (variant) Quality of Life: Poor Confidence: Discontent Army: 3 divisions (Good), 30 divisions (Tolerable) Navy: None Military Description: The military is fractured between central and tribal control, and is somewhat mediocre except for the Khans personal guards. Technology: Some industrial centers are appearing, particularly in the far west and the Ural Mountains. Society: Tribal, industrializing, politically disorganized, pro-Tverian western prefectures, religious and ethnic diversity. Nation Description: The Golden Horde is the descendant, however distant, of the great Mongol Empire of Genghis Khan. After his empire began to split up, Mongol influence greatly declined, with the Russians reasserting their independence. After a long period of decay, the Golden Horde managed to reunite the Mongols, Turks, and Siberians of northern Central Asia into a massive Khanate, but they gradually found themselves under Tveran economic domination -- a necessary evil, perhaps, but no less a fact for that. The Horde, while potentially a power if fully united, has a variety of mismatched, ethnically separate governorates and prefectures with their own agendas, and central control is far from assured.
Uighur Khanate/Almaty
/ Size: Medium Government: Tribal Monarchy (+1) Bureaucracy: Wasteful Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (2/0/0) 1 upkeep = 1 ep/turn Taxation: Light Quality of Life: Tolerable Confidence: Respecting Army: 10 divisions (Tolerable) Navy: None Military Description: Mostly disorganized tribal levies. Technology: Completely unindustrialized. Colonies: Society: Tribal, nomadic, mostly Muslim. Nation Description: The Uighur Khanate is the most prominent of the principalities that owe homage to the great Khan of the Golden Horde. It is a fairly average steppe nation, and liable to be left behind in the new modern world.
Dagestan/Makhachkala
/NPC Size: Small Government: Absolute Monarchy (+3) Bureaucracy: Decent Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (1/1/0) (-1 upkeep) = 1 ep/turn Taxation: Significant Quality of Life: Tolerable Confidence: Respecting Army: 10 divisions (Rabble) Navy: None Military Description: Mostly tribal cavalry, used to raiding but not pitched battles. Technology: Completely, utterly pre-industrial. Were talking medieval here. Really quite bad. Colonies: None Society: Anti-Georgian sentiment, tribal, Sunni. Nation Description: Dagestan is one of the many fractious states that have littered the Caucasus. Being Muslim, they are strongly disliked even by their neighbors in the mountains, not to mention the large, influential nation that is Chernigov.
Georgia/Tblisi
/NPC Size: Small Government: Puppet Monarchy (+1) Bureaucracy: Organized Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (1/0/1) (-1 upkeep) = 1 ep/turn Taxation: Balanced Quality of Life: Decent (+) Confidence: Tolerating Army: 5 divisions (Normal), 2 Chernigovan divisions (Better) Navy: None Military Description: Adequately trained guard divisions with Chernigovan oversight. Technology: Fairly backwards, straddling the boundary between European standards and Central Asian ones. Colonies: None Society: Chernigovan influences, non-Uniate Orthodox, agrarian. Nation Description: Georgia is one of those innumerable nations that have risen and fallen in between the steppe and the Middle East in the Caucasus. Being Orthodox of the traditional line, they are quite suspicious towards what they regard as the Uniate heresy. They have recently come under the domination of Chernigov, and are in some danger of losing what little autonomy they still have.
Jafdid Caliphate/Mecca
/NPC Size: Small Government: Theocratic Monarchy (+3) Bureaucracy: Decent Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (1/1/2) (-1 upkeep) = 3 ep/turn Taxation: Significant Quality of Life: Tolerable Confidence: Admiring Army: 3 divisions (Veteran), 20 divisions (Green) Navy: 5 squadrons (Rabble) Military Description: The army is a mass of fanatic tribesmen, led by a small core of elite warriors. The navy contains only some ineffectual fireships. Technology: Industrialism is scorned except for munitions production and other weapons of war. Colonies: None Society: Sunni Muslim, jihadist, strongly anti-Egyptian sentiment, anti-Quraishi sentiment, Nation Description: The Jafdid Caliphate is, indirectly, the result of hundreds of years of intrusion by Christendom: first the Venetians (with the Knights of the Nile as their mercenaries), then the Egyptians both made considerable inroads into southern Arabia. The radical Jafdi sect declared that they would reform Islam along puritan lines, and led a guerilla uprising that eventually expelled the Egyptians from the interior of the Peninsula and the holy city of Mecca. Now, as the Islamic world undergoes a small-scale renaissance, it may rise to new, glorious heights... or simply fall back into its previous status as a provincial backwater.
Rajput Empire/Kota
/ Size: Medium Government: Absolute Monarchy (-1) Bureaucracy: Inconsistent Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (2/0/2) (-2 upkeep) = 2 ep/turn Taxation: Significant Quality of Life: Meager Confidence: Respecting Army: 17 divisions (Tolerable) Navy: 3 squadrons (Rabble) Military Description: A haphazard collection of forces, ranging from the elite to levied peasantry. Technology: The Rajput are lost in time, though some rajas have adopted western customs and weapons. Colonies: None Society: Primarily Hindu with Sunni minorities, semi-feudal, disunited, militaristic. Nation Description: After the Malla hegemony in Northern India began to fragment in the late 18th Century, the various Rajput tribes began to set up their own statelets in the west. Gradually, as they watched their mercantile neighbors in Gujarat fall to the Portuguese, they came to be united under a single ruler. Yet despite de jure unity, in truth the Rajputs remain fractious and violent, and lag significantly behind their neighbors in Bengal.
Malla Empire/Varasni
/NPC Size: Medium Government: Absolute Monarchy (-3) Bureaucracy: Corrupt Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (2/0/0) (-1 upkeep) = 1 ep/turn Taxation: Significant Quality of Life: Meager Confidence: Tolerating Army: 4 divisions (Tolerable), 3 divisions (Green) Navy: None Military Description: The military is antiquated and somewhat ineffectual compared to its neighbors. Technology: The Malla are tolerably well urbanized, but little modernization has taken place. Colonies: None Society: Diverse, caste-based, spiritual, internal corruption, decadent leadership. Nation Description: The Malla Empire rose after the collapse of the Sultanate of Delhi, ruled by the Gurkhas. After retaining hegemony over northern India for well over a century, the Empire went into an inevitable and long-lasting decline, shedding Bengal and the Indus, then becoming gradually crushed between the modernized Bengalis to the East and the tribal Rajputs to the West. Despite their tiny size, however, the Malla do hold the traditional heartland of kings, and perhaps a reversal in their failing fortunes could somehow be engineered.
Bengali Empire/Paharpur
Ajay Kamba Sagardighi/Abaddon Size: Large Government: Absolute Monarchy (+2) Bureaucracy: Decent Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (4/2/2) (-3 upkeep) = 5 ep/turn Taxation: Significant Quality of Life: Tolerable Confidence: Tolerating Army: 9 divisions (Good), 11 divisions (Normal), 3 divisions (Rabble) Navy: 10 squadrons (Normal) Military Description: Well organized European-style guard formations with good leadership. Fair artillery and cavalry support. Technology: Social reforms have streamlined agriculture and begun the development of native industry. Colonies: None Society: Liberal, militaristic, nationalistic, anti-Western sentiment, anti-Siamese sentiment, industrializing. Nation Description: Bengal rose with the fall of the Malla Empire, breaking away from their overlords and establishing a western-inspired, highly militaristic state. With social and religious reforms coupled to this new model army, they were able to take over leadership of all of Eastern India, and indeed in the 19th Century conquered Burma and even attempted to establish a colonial empire. While this has largely failed in the grander scheme of things, Bengal is certainly the most powerful native Indian nation, and could well challenge the West itself, though it will have to fight hard to maintain technological parity.
Sultanate of Hyderabad/Hyderabad
Nizam Abdul-Aziz/NPC Size: Medium Government: Absolute Monarchy (+2) Bureaucracy: Competent Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (3/1/1) (-2 upkeep) = 3 ep/turn Taxation: Significant Quality of Life: Tolerable Confidence: Tolerating Army: 10 divisions (Better) Navy: None Military Description: A well-trained army exists, skilled at repelling foreign incursions, though the seas have largely been conceded to the Europeans. Technology: Hyderabad uses advanced gunpowder weaponry and has recruited western advisors to help it modernize. Colonies: None Society: Muslim/Hindu split, relatively egalitarian, educated, anti-Western sentiment. Nation Description: Hyderabad rose as the Sultanate of Delhi fell. Building on the old successes of inland empires like the Rashtrukatas, it extended its influence throughout southern India, fighting off numerous Crusades by the Knights of the Nile and Venice. However, control of the coasts were eventually lost to the European adventurers, as the inland sultanate had little taste for seafaring; it watched the Westerners take much of its former land and trade. Now it is the second power in India at best. But though they must be careful around Bengal and the Christians, they can take comfort in the difficulty of any foreign power to exert control over the rugged and often divided Deccan.
Knights of the Nile/Crux Alba (Colombo)
Grand Master Hélion dAubergin/Bananalee Size: Small Government: Theocratic Oligarchy (+1) Bureaucracy: Organized Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (1/2/2) (-1 upkeep) = 4 ep/turn Taxation: Balanced Quality of Life: Fine Confidence: Admiring Army: 2 divisions (Veteran), 5 divisions (Better) Navy: 7 squadrons (Veteran) Military Description: Quality has been emphasized over quantity, with the traditional knightly class bolstered by foreign weapons and an elite class of heavy frigates manned by Christianized Ceylonese. Technology: Somewhat behind, but Western and outward-looking. Colonies: None Society: Roman Catholic, European knightly ruling class, Christianized native population, Buddhist minorities, missionary activities, strongly mercantile. Nation Description: The Knights of the Nile are a Crusading Order, founded in the 12th Century; they became prominent in the conquest and rule of Egypt before eventually raising the suspicions of the established order. With Venetian-inspired crusades raging throughout the Indian Ocean, they had no trouble finding jobs, however, and eventually conquered Ceylon with Venetian assistance, which they held as a fief even after Venices collapse. Becoming a commercial power, they are now home to the missionary Noahite order and one of the most respected nations of the Indian Ocean.
Kingdom of Vietnam/Hue
/NPC Size: Small Government: Traditional Monarchy (+2) Bureaucracy: Inconsistent Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (3/0/1) (-2 upkeep) = 2 ep/turn Taxation: Significant Quality of Life: Poor Confidence: Tolerating Army: 10 divisions (Normal), 10 divisions (Green) Navy: 5 squadrons (Tolerable) Military Description: Slightly large for the manpower base, but supported by Japanese training. Technology: Still significantly backwards and rural. Colonies: None Society: Agrarian, anti-Siamese sentiment, Japanese influence. Nation Description: Long living in the shadows of the Middle Kingdom, the Vietnamese took advantage of the golden opportunity presented by its collapse to also collapse, into dynastic wars. These wars were resolved by the Japanese, who helped Vietnam regain a semblance of central control. They then proceeded to attack Siam, fought several border wars, and have indecisively smoldered since then.
Siamese Empire/Bangkok
/LightFang Size: Above Medium Government: Absolute Monarchy (+3) Bureaucracy: Competent Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (3/2/2) (-3 upkeep) = 4 ep/turn Taxation: Balanced Quality of Life: Fine Confidence: Admiring Army: 3 divisions (Veteran), 15 divisions (Better) Navy: 10 squadrons (Better) Military Description: Portuguese training and equipment have been adopted by a reasonably skilled native leadership corps. The navy boasts some modern technology as well. Technology: Fairly advanced for an Asian power, and experimenting with steam technology and large-scale munitions production. Colonies: None Society: Pragmatic, liberal, pro-Portuguese sentiment, anti-Vietnamese/Bengali sentiment, significant politically influential Christian community, Buddhist majority. Nation Description: The lands of Siam have seen many empires over the years. Ayutthaya was one of the greatest, but under repeated Burmese invasions it folded and became the kingdom of Siam with heavy Portuguese assistance (which would later lead to a significant Christian community). Despite some infighting, it managed to surmount these, and in the 19th century, it became one of the greatest of the southern Asian powers. Now it has largely run out of expansion room, but the traditional Thai scheme of playing the Westerners off of one another might still bring dividends. There also have been repeated border wars against the Bengali Empire and Japanese-backed Vietnam; this, too, could prove a powderkeg.
Tibet/Lhasa
/NPC Size: Small Government: Theocratic Monarchy (+3) Bureaucracy: Decent Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (2/0/0) (-1 upkeep) = 1 ep/turn Taxation: Balanced Quality of Life: Meager Confidence: Admiring Army: 5 divisions (Green) Navy: None Military Description: A ceremonial and downright ancient military force, mostly enforcing internal order and protecting holy sites. Technology: Utterly backwards Colonies: None Society: Pious, agrarian, Buddhist. Nation Description: Tibet remains as it always has: Steward of the Himalayas, utterly impenetrable terrain for any southern aggressor to breach. It would not be an easy conquest, nor a useful one. Best to let sleeping Buddhists lie.
Xin Ming Dynasty/Chengdu
Emperor Nancheng/Ninja Dude Size: Large Government: Popular Monarchy (-1) Bureaucracy: Competent Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (5/2/1) (-3 upkeep) = 5 ep/turn Taxation: Significant Quality of Life: Meager Confidence: Loving Army: 8 divisions (Good), 11 divisions (Normal), 10 conscript divisions (Tolerable), 3 irregular divisions Navy: None Military Description: The traditional Chinese peasant-levies still dominate, but they are being rapidly replaced with a European-trained and equipped force. Technology: New rural reforms are beginning to make headway, and some light industry has been established with Flemish support. Colonies: None Society: Radicalized peasantry, White Lotus movement, underground pro-Xin Ming cells in surrounding nations, mostly Buddhist, significant Confucian and Legalist influences, anti-Western backlash. Nation Description: In the 16th century, China fell apart. The Qing claimed the Mandate of Heaven, but failed to conquer all of China due to an unexpected war with the Japanese Shogunate. Over the next 2 centuries, the Japanese and Portuguese Empires carved up coastal China for themselves, while the Qing solidified control over the north, and the south collapsed into small warlord states. Later in the 19th century, however, a popular uprising led by a Ming pretender and the White Lotus movement had overthrown those warlords and pushed the Qing out of central China. The south was also united at the expense of Japan and Portugal. The Xin Ming Dynasty is even now plotting to reunite China fully, combining populism with pragmatic modernization. While uprisings are organized in barbarian-occupied territories, a new, more modern army, trained by European "freelance" military advisors and paid for by the Flemings, is being prepared in the depths of China.
Qing Dynasty/Beijing
/flyingchicken Size: Large Government: Absolute Monarchy (-1) Bureaucracy: Inconsistent Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (4/1/1) (-3 upkeep) = 3 ep/turn (-1 next turn) Taxation: Significant Quality of Life: Meager Confidence: Tolerating Army: 4 divisions (Good), 22 divisions (Tolerable), 35 conscript divisions (Green), 3 irregular divisions Navy: 10 squadrons (Tolerable) Military Description: A small core of well-equipped imperial guards is bolstered by a traditionally Chinese system of massive feudal levies. The navy operates some local ships and converted Portuguese galleons. Technology: The Chinese and Inner Mongolian regions of the empire are somewhat modern, though less so than the Portuguese or Japanese territories. Siberia, despite some recent migrations, remains backwards. Colonies: None Society: Ruling Manchu elite, large subject Chinese peasantry, partially assimilated, pro-Xin Ming discontent, somewhat corrupt. Nation Description: The Manchus invaded the dying Ming Dynasty in the 17th Century, carving up All-Under-Heaven along with the Japanese and the Portuguese. Conquering the northern heartland and bringing many warlords under their nominal control, the newly founded Qing Dynasty was unexpectedly attacked by an expansionist Japan. This fragmented their control over China in the midst of a campaign to destroy Ming holdouts in the south. This failed, and now they face a large, surprisingly efficient popular monarchy in the Xin Ming Empire, while still having to balance the interests of the extremely powerful Japanese and Europeans. Modernization is not out of the question, but despite their pretensions the Qing remain very much a steppe empire.
SpoilerThe Stat's the thing, wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King :
Imperial Shogunate of Japan/Kyoto
Shogun Yamagata Aritomo/Nordstream Size: Large Government: Bureaucratic Monarchy (+3) Bureaucracy: Organized Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (3/4/4) (-5 upkeep) = 6 ep/turn Taxation: Balanced Quality of Life: Fine Confidence: Respecting Army: 20 divisions (Good) Navy: [19 squadrons (Veteran) – Kyoto ], [10 squadrons (Good) – Shanghai], [5 squadrons (Good) – Beikoku], [1 squadron (Good) – Chimbote*] *Peru Military Description: The original Western-influenced doctrines and equipment have been replaced with native-produced weaponry and strategy, but the Japanese army is equal to any enemy, and the navy almost on par with Europe’s finest fleets. Technology: Advanced, and on par with a European power. Colonies: Beikoku* [Valuable/Above Medium/Admiring/5 divisions (Good)] *Japanese America
Korea [Prosperous/Small/Tolerating/5 divisions (Better)]
Far Western Prefectures*[Wealthy/Large/Discontent/10 divisions (Veteran)]*China
Far Northern Prefectures*[Minor/Medium/Respecting/3 divisions (Better)]*Kamchatka Society: Modern, patriotic, expansionist, State Shinto religion, underground revolutionary cults, major persecution of Christians, anti-Portuguese sentiment. Nation Description: The land of the rising sun, Japan has been greatly influenced by the events of the outside world since the 16th Century, with the establishment of the highly Western-friendly, Christianity-tolerating Kato Shogunate after a bloody civil war. It went on to conquer Korea, then later to infiltrate China, expel the Italians and ally with the Portuguese. Reforms were enacted to try and keep the traditional Japanese society intact while still gaining the advantages of Westernization; the former drive culminated in a bloody reaction against the Christian population and a general massacre of all that could be found within Japanese borders. They were able to hold off a desperate Portuguese-Qing alliance, and went on to capture large parts of China, and later the northwest of the ocean continent. Now they are the best positioned of the native Asian powers, with an entrenched rivalry against the Portuguese and still wary of any kind of revival of Chinese fortunes.
Australia:
SpoilerGet thee to a Stattery :
Australian Confederation/Kitchener
First Minister Buford Haversley/Kal’thzar Size: Above Medium Government: Federal Republic (+3) Bureaucracy: Efficient Income (Agriculture/Industry/Trade): (3/3/2) (-2 upkeep) = 6 ep/turn Taxation: Light Quality of Life: Decent Confidence: Respecting Army: 15 divisions (Good) Navy: [15 squadrons - Port Chester* (Good)] [10 squadrons – Ainslie** (Good)] *Brisbane **Perth Military Description: A reasonably sized, well-trained force of citizen-soldiers, supported by a modern navy. Technology: Australia has modernized greatly since independence from Britain, and has a strong manufacturing base and mining industry. Colonies: New Yorkshire* [Productive/Small/Respecting/2 divisions (Good)] *New Zealand Society: Roman Catholic, egalitarian, pious, conservative, expansionist, anti-Arcadian sentiment, Maori separatists. Nation Description: The fall of the Kingdom of Britain was not taken well in Terra Australis. A conservative, loyal colony, the Australians were horrified by the removal of the monarchy to Arcadia, and especially the religious “reforms” which broke off the Kingdom from the Roman Church. Declaring the authority of the Arcadian Crown null, the now-independent Australian Confederation has remained an outpost of Britain’s old Catholic heritage, and mixed an expansionist foreign policy with conservatism (albeit democratic conservatism) at home. They have attracted their own community of dissident Anglophones and European refugees, and are just beginning to flex their naval muscle in both the Pacific and Indian oceans.
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Diplomacy/Alliances/Wars:
War of the Two Dynasties: Qing Empire vs. Xin Ming Empire
Second Gangetic War: Rajput Empire vs. Malla Empire vs. Bengali Empire
Tripartite Pact between Denmark, Poland, and Tver, emphasizing industrial cooperation, military liaisons, and mutual defense.
Full Defensive Alliance between the Holy Roman Empire and Sweden, with added German liaison presence.
Full Defensive Alliance between Arcadia, Portugal, the Holy Roman Empire and Flanders.
Trade Pact between the Holy Roman Empire and Montferrat. (Deregulatory)
Trade Pact between the Holy Roman Empire and Serbia-Romea (Tariff Reduction)
Trade Pact between the Flemish Union and the Knights of the Nile. (Patent Exchange, Tariff Reduction)
9th Century: Start of the Medieval Warm Period. End of the Maya Classical Period. Unification of the Anglo-Saxon states around Wessex. Establishment of Danelaw in northeastern England. Formal establishment of Charlemagne's Holy Roman Empire, eventually followed by the partition of the Carolingian Empire in Western Europe. Rise and start of decline of Great Moravia; arrival of the Magyars to the Pannonian Plain. Establishment of the Bulgarian Empire in the Balkans. Establishment of Varangian dynasties in Novgorod (Rurikids) and Kiev (Askoldids). Retreat of the Byzantine Empire's borders before Bulgarian and Arabian attacks. Continued political disintegration of the Caliphate; establishment of independent North African and Central Asian dynasties. Breakup of the Tibetan Empire. Peasant rebellions in Tang China.
10th Century: Rise of the Toltec Empire in northern Mexico. Complete unification of England by Wessex. Settlement of the Normans in northern France. Start of the Capetian dynasty in France. Peak of the Caliphate of Cordoba's power. Establishment of the Ottonian Holy Roman Empire centered in Germany. Magyar raids and defeat thereof by HRE Otto I. Establishment of Polish and Croatian kingdoms. Spread of Greek Christianity to Kievan Polania. Decline of the Bulgarian Empire; rise of Askoldid Polania, successful wars in the Balkans and eventual personal union with Bulgaria (establishment of the Pereyaslavian Polano-Bulgarian Empire). Civil war in the Byzantine Empire, conquest of the Balkans and northern Anatolia by the Pereyaslavian Empire, complete collapse of the Byzantine Empire and emergence of quarreling despotates in Anatolia. Rise of the Fatimid Caliphate, with unification of North Africa, naval supremacy in the Mediterranean and expansion into Syria; conquest of the southern corner of Italy, Aegean Sea islands and southern Anatolia. Rise of the Buwayhid Dynasty in Iran; reduction of the Abbasid Caliphate to puppet status. Rise of the Ghaznavid Dynasty in Central Asia. Collapse of the Tang Dynasty, eventual establishment of the Song Dynasty after decades of infighting.
11th Century: Viking explorers reach North America. Rise and fall of the Canutian Empire in England, Norway and Denmark; civil war in England and ultimately unsuccessful Norwegian and Norman attempts to conquer it, overall decline of royal authority. Feudal infighting in France; failed attempts to strengthen royal power by the Capetians and to seize the throne by Normans and Angevins. Collapse of the Andalusian Ummayad Caliphate into Taifa states, revival of northern Christian kingdoms and rise of the Almoravid Dynasty. Inconclusive Imperial-Fatimid wars over southern Italy. Adoption of Catholic Christianity by the newly-established Kingdom of Hungary and Rurikid Slavania. Consolidation of the kingdoms of Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Establishment of independent Serbia. Decline and partial fragmentation of the Pereyaslavian Empire, attempts to rebuild the Byzantine Empire under the leadership of the Patriarch of Constantinople (and connected to this, the West-East Schism), temporary ascent of Rurikid Slavania with campaigns against all nearby states and subsequent disintegration and feudal collapse. Oghuz Turkish migration into/invasion of central Middle East; rise of the Seljuk Sultanate in Persia and clashes between it and the Fatimid Caliphate. Ghaznavid incursions into and conquest of northwestern India. Zenith of the Chola Dynasty's power and influence in southern India and the Bengal Bay.
(After this point bolding the divergences from OTL becomes pointless, as between direct ripples and the butterfly effect the divergence becomes virtually all-permeating, especially in western Eurasia)
12th Century: Collapse of the Toltec Empire. Ascent of the Flanders dynasty to power in England. Ascent of the Angevin dynasty to power in France; consolidation and centralisation of French royal authority. Collapse of the Almoravid Dynasty; failure of Christian Spanish kingdoms to take advantage of said collapse due to infighting and French meddling. Gradual decline of the Holy Roman Empire due to dynastic infighting and strenghthening of regionalistic feudal tendencies. Overall zenith of universalist Papal authority; start of the Papal reconquest of southern Italy with help from the malcontent poor German feudals. Personal union between Hungary and Croatia. Final collapse of the Byzantine Empire; temporary revival of the Kievan Principality in southern Russia and eastern Balkans, followed by its own disintegration into Polanian and Bulgarian principalities. Start of the Crusades on the joint initiative of the Pope and the King of France and with strong Venetian and Genoese support, aimed against the decrepit and weakened Fatimid Caliphate; limited success in Anatolia, establishment of French-dominated Kingdom of Jerusalem and Norman Kingdom of Egypt. Collapse of the Fatimid Caliphate; brief revival of the Seljuk Empire. First (unsuccessful) Venetian efforts to enter the Arabian Sea markets. Rise of the Ghurid Empire on the ruins of the previous Ghaznavid Empire; continued Muslim advances into northern India. Rise of the Jurchen Jin Dynasty in northern China; start of the Southern Song dynasty in southern China. Establishment of the Kamakura Shogunate in Japan. Zenith of the Khmer Empire.
13th Century: Establishment of the Inca state. Conflicts between Anglo-Saxon feudals and the Flemish ruling dynasty; establishment of a constitutional feudal arrangement based on the Golden Bull; English conquest of Wales. French subjugation of separatist Norman and Flemish feudals; growth of French influence in Italy; partly successful crusades in Spain and North Africa, conquest of Christian Aragon. Start of the von Holland/Wittelsbach rivalry over the Imperial throne, further disintegration of German central authority. Consolidation of Papal secular authority in central and southern Italy. Start of the crusades in the Central Mediterranean, and the conquest of Muslim-held islands, Cyreneica and Tunis by assorted lesser German and north Italian feudal adventurers. End of feudal anarchy in Poland; reunification under the Silesian Piasts and start of Saxon and Polish crusades against the assorted Baltic tribes. End of the Arpad dynasty of Hungary; its replacement by a junior branch of the Angevin dynasty and start of Hungarian predominance in the Danube basin; conquest of Galicia, Moldavia and Wallachia. Emergence of the Principality of Chernigov as the strongest Polanian state. Expansion of the Kingdom of Jerusalem into Syria and northern Hejjaz. Rise of the Mongol Empire under Genghis Khan; conquest of northern (and eventually southern) China, southern Siberia, Central Asia, Persia (destruction of the Seljuk Empire; this led to a new wave of Turkish migration-invasions to the west, and in particular to the establishment of a syncretistic Turkish state in Central Anatolia), Iraq, Khazaria, Volga Bulgaria, Georgia and Armenia, raids into Slavania, Polania, Syria and India. Eventual partition of the Mongol Empire into three uluses after a series of civil wars, with the preeminence of the China-based Yuan Empire. Establishment of the Delhi Sultanate; start of its southward expansion. Final decline and demise of the Chola Empire. Failed Yuan invasion of Japan.
14th Century: End of the Medieval Warm Period. The Black Death (somewhat later and milder than in OTL). Foundation of Tenochtitlan by Aztecs. Brief suppression of noble liberties in England and conquest of eastern Ireland and southern Scotland under Robert III Rufus; rebellions against his son Robert IV lead to the loss of control over Scotland, Wales and Ireland, and culminate the Great Rising of 1388, after which the House of Flanders is overthrown and a more moderate and conciliatory regime is established under the native House of Northumbria. Ascent of Castille and Portugal as Iberian powers; revitalisation of the up to then lackluster reconquista efforts and expansion of the Christian powers southwards. Growing disputes between the Pope and the King of France, both having pretensions of universalism and secular disagreements in Central Mediterranean; its culmination in Geoffrey V's Italian War and the Rape of Rome (1344), followed by the establishment of a rival Papacy at Avignon (and eventually, the Avignon Catholic Church) and the beginning of the Great Western Schism with the associated religious wars that see France, Hungary, Denmark and occasionally Leon and some German and Italian states on one side and the Papal State, HRE (especially the von Holland dynastic empire and the League of Stuttgart), Castille, Norway and England on the other, with Poland shifting back and forth between the two sides while pointedly ignoring the religious side of the question; the wars continue on and off without a decisive conclusion, but French ambitions in Italy and the Mediterranean are largely deterred, and the Roman Papacy recoalesces (losing some of its temporal authority, especially in Central Italy) and enters a period of religious reform. Growth of Danish incursions into northern Germany, capture of some coastal and border regions and extortion of tributes from free cities. Completed Polish conquest of Prussia and Lithuania; establishment of secular German principalities in the eastern Baltic region. Failed Hungarian attempts to conquer the Balkans. Start of the ascent of the Principality of Tver in Slavania. Establishment of definite and official Chernigovian hegemony in Polania Proper. Zenith of the First Malinese Empire. Start of the Egyptian Renaissance; reconstruction of Alexandria, consolidation of (parliamentarily-limited) royal authority, expansion into Upper Egypt and beyond and overthrowal of Jerusalemite "patronage". Establishment of a permanent Venetian presence in Soccotra, the Horn of Africa and southern Arabia. Start of active Ethiopian expansion at the expense of nearby Muslim states. Consolidation and golden age of the Despotate of Ionia; Christianisation of Anatolian Turks. Revival and expansion of Armenia. Collapse of the Il-Khanate in Persia and establishment of the Tutushid Empire; near-collapse of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and reconquest of southern Anatolia, Syria and Hejjaz by the Tutashids. Zenith of the Mamluke Sultanate of Delhi's power: conquest of central Deccan and eastern Bengal; start of its decline and collapse soon after. Overthrow of the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty in China and rise of the Ming Dynasty. Establishment of the Muromachi Sultanate in Japan. Zenith of the Majapahit Empire in Indonesia.
15th Century: English rediscovery of North America (Arcadia). Peak of the Aztec and Incan empires. Continued religious wars in Europe; France loses most of its allies and is gradually exhausted, but after a new series of religious, political and social reforms aimed at the consolidation of centralised power and overall militarisation becomes even more opposed to the rest of Europe and conquers Castille after two decades of brutal warfare, paving the way for the colonisation of much of Iberia by the poorer French nobles; also, devastating new invasions of Imperial Flanders and Italy are attempted, after the failure of which an uneasy peace ensues. Elevation of the House of Leiningen as the leader of the Roman Catholic League of Stuttgart. The Roman Catholic Church finally succeeds in its aim of formally reuniting with the Greek and Coptic Orthodox Churches, after several failed attempts in the previous centuries. Peak of Poland's power and influence; attempts at establishment of a true absolute monarchy in Poland. Consolidation of Hungarian influence in northern Serbia and Bulgaria. Gradual unification of northern Russia under the Prince of Tver; establishment of a strongly centralised feudal monarchy with emergent bureaucratic elements. European conquest of remaining Muslim outposts in North Africa (other than those in Morocco). Near-destruction of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and its lesser Levantine allies by the Tutushids and their eventual absorption by Egypt; start of new anti-Tutushid crusades and the reconquest of Syria. Temporary decline of Ethiopia after earlier gains. The Golden Age of Venice, connected to Venetian naval supremacy in the Indian Ocean, the establishment of close contacts with Ethiopia and several Indian principalities, and the capture of a few key ports. Start of the Indian Ocean crusades, aimed against the resistant Swahili city-states and southern and eastern Indian principalities; conquest of Ceylon by the Knights of the Nile. Collapse of the Sultanate of Delhi; emergence of the Sultanate of Hyderabad and the Gurkha-ruled Malla Empire. Start of the Ming Empire's stagnation after a brief commercial and cultural flowering, due to corruption and debilitating Mongolian and pirate raids. Deterioration of Japan into full-on feudal chaos and peasant uprisings.
16th Century: Beginning of serious English colonisation of mainland Arcadia; clashes with French, Imperial Flemish and Norwegian competition. Portuguese arrival to the new Western Continent; conquest of disease-ravaged Mexico and several other territories. Late in the century, start of Flemish colonisation of Brasil and earliest arrival of North German merchants and colonists to Orinoco. Further reforms and the establishment of a broader parliamentary monarchy in England. Personal union with Wales and permanent conquest of Ireland after failed attempts of French intervention in Irish infighting; a series of indecisive wars with Scotland and Norway. Decline of genuine royal authority in France, partly due to inbreeding; rise of the clerical-aristocratic Council of Regents as a permanent institution. Restart of the French religious wars with a series of invasions of Lorraine and Italy, which go on without much of a result while France also continues to conquer southern Spain and North Africa, now also clashing with Portugal and Egypt. Ascent of the House of Leiningen to the Imperial throne and inheritance of the eastern von Holland fiefs; beginning of the Imperial Reform and the reconquest of certain Danish- and Polish-held northern and eastern Imperial territories; official annexation of the Ostsee Principalities into the Holy Roman Empire. Consolidation of the autonomous Flemish Union within the Holy Roman Empire, reaching into northwestern Netherlands. Collapse of Hungary to civil war with strong dynastic and religious undertones; ensuing Polish and Venetian "crusades" against the Kovacsist heresy, that end up simply seizing desireable contested territories, drawing northern Balkan statelets into their respective spheres of influence and letting the radical heresy destroy itself in Hungary Proper, after which Hungary returned to the fold of the Roman Catholic Church under a native dynasty. Fortification (via diplomacy and military force) of Venetian influence in northeastern Italy, western Balkans, Greece and the Aegean Sea in addition to the Indian Ocean holdings. Establishment of a prominent Portuguese presence in West Africa. Malinese conquest of the emergent state of Songhay. First Egyptian construction of the Hectorian Canal (named after Hector IV). Ethiopian conquest of Adal and several other nearby countries; formation of a closer alliance with Egypt, aimed at the defense of the Nile region from Muslim rebels and Saharan tribes. Spread of the Venetian influence to East Asia. Continued stagnation of the Ming Empire and start of endemic and bloody peasant uprisings. Rise of the Christian-, Italian-friendly reform-minded Kato Shogunate in Japan after a bloody civil war; implementation of military reforms and successful conquest of Korea. Discovery of the passage from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific.
17th Century: English conquest of much of the Arcadian sea-board; establishment of colonies and outposts further inland and along the Mississippi. Start of political consolidation of the German colonies in Orinoco within the HRE. Failed European-inspired reforms in the Incan Empire; backlash after this and an opportunistic invasion by a nearby Portuguese governor leads to the establishment of a regime of strict self-isolation, with only sporadic and limited contacts with foreigners in some of the port cities. Conquest of the Greater Gold Coast in Africa by various European powers. English conquest and integration of Scotland; incipience of the Industrial Revolution. Overall decline and stagnation of France, loss of most American colonies and several North African and other gains. Failed attempts at reforms and reconciliation with the Roman Catholic Church (the latter in particular backfired badly, resulting in a new religious reaction and the start of the Age of the Cardinals, a time of more centralised theocratic government) after a final failed attempt to reclaim naval supremacy on the Mediterranean; attempted alliance with Egypt during the Great Mediterranean War. New bout of Imperial Reform in the HRE; establishment of a hereditary bureaucratic monarchy with the retention of various local liberties in a considerably curbed form (except for the Flemish Union, which later separates from the HRE on good terms); establishment of a new Imperial Army. Temporary reconsolidation of Papal power over most of Italy, under pretenses of an Italian Union. Decline of Poland after a joint Imperial-Tverian invasion; start of Imperial-Tverian infighting over the Ostsee Principalities; Tverian expansion in Finland at the expense of Sweden. Recuperation of Hungary; annexation of Serbia and Wallachia, establishment of hegemony over the Bulgarian Principalities. Establishment of a strongly centralised autocratic state in Chernigov after brutal purges; renunciation of the Patriarch of Constantinople's Union with the Roman Catholic Church and the creation of a rival Non-Uniate Patriarchate in Kiev; start of southeastwards and westwards expansion, colonisation of Crimea and nearby regions. Breakup of Mali under the pressure of barbarian invasions. Creation of the Portuguese-influenced Asante Empire in West Africa and the incipience of the Rozwi tribal "empire". Military coup d'etat in Egypt after a dynastic crisis (1683); rise to power of Alexander I; extensive reforms and establishment of an absolute monarchy; confiscation of all Venetian property; subjugation or disbandment of resistant orders, nobles and guilds, forceful economic modernisation and establishment of a quasi-egalitarian society; start of the Great Mediterranean War: conquest of Anatolia, the Balkans, Iraq, South Arabia and Africa up to Tunis. Egyptian invasion of Italy and Hungary, and the start of the direct war with the Holy Roman Empire and its allies in Hungary and Chernigov, with France siding with Egypt. Ultimately inconclusive warfare and a compromise peace (partition of Italy with a secular republic in the center, Egyptian withdrawal from Hungary Proper). Reforms aimed at the integration and unification of conquered territories, clashes between Egyptian secularism and Islamic revivalist movements in Asia. Establishment of a strong centralised state in Ethiopia. Final collapse of the decrepit Tutushid Empire. Arrival of the Portuguese (and, much later, of the English and the Flemings) to the Pacific and Indian Oceans; establishment of new colonial empires on the ruins of that of Venice and on newly-available lands such as the Cape; English discovery of Australia and start of its colonisation by convicts and the red monks (Ricardians), followed by various more normal colonists. Collapse of the Ming Empire due to peasant rebellions, semi-successful Manchurian (Qing) invasions and Portuguese and Japanese infiltration of the coastal areas; start of the scramble for China between the latter three powers as local warlords are defeated or coerced to serve the invaders as puppet rulers; partition of all coastal and northern areas, start of steady Qing expansion southwards after failed invasion of Japanese Korea. Rise of the Takeda Shogunate in a military coup d'etat (1635). Establishment of a Japanese-Portuguese partnership after the Venetians are driven out and all their property in Japanese territory is confiscated; new wave of all-around (military, social, political, economic) reforms aimed towards partial modernisation without the destruction of the overall social structure.
18th Century: The Portuguese force the Incans to open up to their trade; this is later rescinded when Portugal is distracted by European matters, despite some anti-isolationist uprisings in the coastal regions. Start of a naval and colonial conflict between England on one side and Flanders (with Imperial backing) on the other; this war goes on inconclusively, though dramatically, before both sides are interrupted by an opportunistic French invasion. Consolidation of Imperial power in Central Europe and its annexation of Poland and expansion into southern Italy in the wake of the collapse of Alexander's empire (this too is partly interrupted by the French). Consolidation of central power in France and a new bout of military reforms, naval build-up and forced economic mobilisation under Cardinal L'Azyr; conquest of long-resistant Morocco; start of the Fifty Years War (1724-1774) with an unexpectedly successful French invasion of England and Flanders, helped by Celtic uprisings in the former and social unrest in both; occupation of Flanders and much of the British Isles, and their subsequent devastation by policies aimed explicitly towards the crippling of their economic potential; formation of an Imperial, Norwegian, Portuguese, Leonese anti-French coalition, start of a brutal war on many fronts combined with anti-French uprisings in the British Isles; Tverian and Danish involvement on the French side, coupled with anti-German rebellions in Poland and Bohemia. Eventually, France loses most of its colonies and suffers damage to its fleet, being forced to withdraw from Flanders and then from the British Isles, but not before annexing Leon and making a new incursion into Italy and southern Germany. Eventual uneasy truce after nearly two more decades of war of exhaustion on the land and the sea. Mass exodus of Englishmen and other war-struck or otherwise impoverished Europeans to the colonies; collapse of the English Empire and reformation of its core European and North American regions as the somewhat more autocratic Kingdom of Arcadia (and later, establishment of a loose protectorate over the old English colonies in the Plate: the Argentine Protectorate), with a separate, state-ran Anglican Church; secession of New Albion and Australia; political crisis in the Flemish Union, resulting in its reform and the creation of more clearly-defined and powerful central institutions and an actual constitution. Establishment of Pax Germanica in central and eastern Europe; golden age in the Holy Roman Empire, start of a new cultural and intellectual flowering, recommencement of the rudely interrupted Industrial Revolution in German territory. Military, political reforms and economic modernisation in Tver. Rise of the Second Malinese Empire; military, social and economic reforms with foreign assistance, outwards expansion to the west and the east. A period of decline and infighting in Egypt after Alexander's death; loss of most distant gains, revival of the Hungarian presence in the Balkans, Armenian and Angoran expansion in Anatolia, eventual establishment of the Adana "republic" by a local Arabic sect helped by westwards-migrating Kurds and (Muslim) Syrian Turks; start of a radical, puritan reformist Islamic movement in Arabia, led by the influential Jadfdi sect. Religious and tribal infighting in Iran and Iraq; defection of the Egyptian governor-general in the latter and the brief establishment of a Westernising secularist state, later swept away by tribal uprisings. Reunification of the Mongolian, Turkic and other Siberian tribes into the Golden Horde towards the end of this period. Temporary decline of the European presence in Africa and the Indian Ocean (it rebounds in the last decade). End of Malla military hegemony in northern India; rise of the Sultanate of Gujarat, the Rajput tribal confederacy and Greater Bengal; start of wide-reaching western-inspired social, religious and military reforms in the latter. Consolidation of State Shinto in Japan and start of a bloody anti-Christian reaction (with the retention of technological advances gained and social reforms undertaken previously); a series of ultimately inconclusive wars between Japan and a desperate Portuguese-Qing alliance, expansion into inland China and conquest of unprotected English trade outposts in northwestern America. Shift of Portuguese support to Siam, and, after some complications and infighting, start of reforms therein driven in part by the growing Burmese threat. Beginning of a new wave of Christian mission activity in the Indian Ocean region, spearheaded by the Noahite Order.
19th Century: Continued spread of the Industrial Revolution throughout Europe and the more advanced settler colonies, and to some of the more advanced non-European countries. Emergence of the Arbeitist movement, and continued growth of nationalist sentiments, especially in Central and Eastern Europe. Coalescing of the neutral native Oklahoma Confederacy. Consolidation of central authority in Arcadia and integration of the more distant frontier regions; continued reconstruction and administrative reforms in the British Isles; rapid industrialisation and internal colonisation, restoration of naval supremacy, establishment of new African colonies and a renewed colonial competition with Flanders. Comparative decline and stagnation followed by new moderate reforms in France (local self-governance and some limited degree of religious freedom); this does not end the cold war between France and all of its neighbours (there has been some cooperation with Tver and Denmark, though, especially in the 1840s Border War with the HRE). A series of wars in the Balkans, driven by Hungarian attempts to reclaim hegemony over the peninsula and Imperial (and, at first, Chernigovian; later the war became that of the HRE and Chernigov scrambling to fill the balance of influence) attempts to prevent that, result in a considerable amount of exhaustion for the HRE, total collapse, territorial loss and revolution for Hungary, Imperial-sponsored independence for Croatia and the establishment of a Balkans-wide Serbo-Romean Empire after the defeat of Chernigovian ambitions in Bulgaria. The 1870s-1880s then see imperial overstretch, war expenses and growth of various dissent in the HRE culminate in the Time of Troubles: a succession crisis, a barely thwarted coup d'etat, arbeitist and constitutionalist uprisings, and nationalist rebellions in Italy, Poland and Bohemia; the former two are successful, with the establishment of a rump Polish Republic and a somewhat more intact Italian Republic, as well as the vassal (since the collapse of the Alexandrian Empire) German kingdom of Sicily simply deciding go on its own way, aligning itself with Egypt. After military suppression of most uprisings at home and the reconquest of Bohemia, partial social and political reforms commence, as do belated attempts to leave the diplomatic isolation the HRE had put itself into by the virtue of being too powerful. Growth of Chernigovian influence in the Caucasus, interrupted by a native rebellion and unsuccessful wars with Serbia (see above) and Tver. Start of extensive military and political reforms in Chernigov; movement of the capital to Odessa. Serbian and Chernigovian expansion into northern Anatolia at the expense of local statelets. Overall growth of direct European presence in Africa; beginning of inland expansion, establishment of new colonies, Flemish conquest of Kongo, Benin and some lesser native kingdoms. Resurgence, industrialisation and political reforms in Egypt; repair and reconstruction of the Hectorian Canal; consolidation of African and coastal Arabian holdings despite a successful Jadfdid uprising in Inner Arabia led by a descendant of the sect's founder. Emergence of the heavily militarised Nguni tribal empire in southern Africa towards the end of this period. Start of Tverian economic infiltration of the Golden Horde. Reform and consolidation of the Adana Republic into a genuine, unified state with a strongly anti-Egyptian agenda. Creation of a Shiite Arabic sultanate in Iraq and a Sunni Turkish empire (the Mustafid Shahate) in Iran and southern Central Asia. Military occupation and establishment of a Portuguese protectorate over the Sultanate of Gujarat. Conslidation of the Rajput tribes into a somewhat more centralised and modern Rajput Empire, consolidation of Rajput hold over Punjab and Sindh, defeat of Central Asian incursions there. Rise of Bengal and Siam as new, expanding, modernised powers; Bengali conquest of Burma and efforts at establishment of a colonial empire; Siamese unification of much of Indochina and resulting clasehs with Bengal and backwards, freshly reunited after a prolonged dynastic civil war, Japanese-backed Vietnam. A series of anti-foreign Chinese rebellions, culminating in the the Ming Restoration (1858); rise of the Xin Ming Dynasty, reconquest of much of inland Central China and Flemish-assisted military reforms; continuous on-and-off wars with Portugal and Japan. Consolidation of Portuguese hold on their Indian Ocean colonies; start of Portuguese competition with the expanding Australian Confederation.
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Principal of Montferrat reporting
