Things are looking up for Premier Joey Smallwood, of the Religious and Seafaring Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. After an embarassing defeat to Ontario in the Saltpetre War, Newfoundland pulled back to lick its wounds. Focusing heavily on city development, Newfoundland went into hardcore culture/econ/happiness/sciencemongering mode, managing to close some of the gap with the tech leaders. The Atlantic Republic was gunning for democracy, aiming for a peaceful victory while the rest of Canada began to tear itself with warfare.
However, this plan was about to be rather rudely interrupted.
Just 2 turns after cancelling a Mutual Protection Pact, Louis Riel of the Manitobans declared war on Newfoundland, quickly seizing the border town of Stephenston, at the southern tip of James Bay. Shortly thereafter, a bit of bribery convinced Saskatchewan to declare war on Manitoba in alliance with me. Through effective use of artillery, lots of drafting and the power of mobilization, Newfie forces managed to hold off the initial attack. Attacks struck all over, making annoying use of Manitoba's Right of Passage agreement with Ontario, which had just completed a state of the art railway system. It was not long before the middleman was cut out, and Ontario signed an alliance with Manitoba, bonding over their nigh-near identical, ugly flags.
Relishing the opportunity to avenge their loss in the previous war, Newfoundland fought a similar scrambling, defensive struggle for another few years, narrowly managing to defeat various amphibious assaults on the Isle of Newfoundland itself, before beginning to turn back the tide. The southern army has at last retaken Saint John (not to be confused with Saint John's, the capital), while the northern army liberated the briefly-occupied Labrador City (built at the same site as Gander, which Ontario razed during the Saltpetre War), before going offensive against Vaughan, taking one of Ontario's four cities on the Ungava Peninsula.
Newfoundland has never looked stronger, as fate begins to turn against the Ontarian behemoth. War rages across Canada, as Ontario's colonies fall one by one. Saskatchewan and Manitoba battle for mastery of the Prairies, while Newfoundland attempts to establish itself as the sole hegemon of the Atlantic Coast.
However, Ontario is not without hope. New Brunswick has fallen to Ontario, with Nunavut finishing off their last colony on Baffin Island, while British Columbia has halfheartedly joined the alliance against Newfoundland. Yukon and Northwest Territories are very loosely in the Ontarian camp, by a loose string of embargo and alliance.
Things are getting pretty crazy as we march forward into the heart of the Industrial Age.
I'm enjoying this commentary. Please do post up how the game ends.
