The New Order--Information/Sign-up/Discussion

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Nearly fifteen years have passed since the cold, muddy trenches of Flanders were emptied and the despotic monarchies of the old Europe collapsed. However, all is not well in Europe or the world. Unemployment, hunger, and poverty have gripped even the richest nations as the so-called Great Depression continues with no end in sight while political strife rocks the streets of London, Paris, and New York while resistance to colonialism--both peaceful and violent--grows in Africa and India.

Yet optimism is on the uptick. In America, Franklin Roosevelt has been elected, promising a reformist "New Deal" to save American capitalism and fight destitution. The Soviet Union has been relatively unaffected by the Depression, and communist parties pledge to do in their countries what a glorious Comrade Stalin has done for the people of Russia, though the truth about the "workers' paradise" may be suspect. In Germany, a young Austrian corporal named Adolf Hitler has, through firebrand speeches, won over the hungry and desperate German electorate on a platform of economic recovery and national revival--the latter bringing a sense of unease to the Poles, Czechs, and French, and most of all the Jews who Hitler blames for the dire situation in Germany.

You will play as a leader of one of the great powers, and guide your nation and its people through these times. The traditional democracies of Britain and France wish to repair their own economies, maintain their vast empires, and prevent the radical ideologies of fascism and communism from taking hold in their countries. Nationalist regimes like Germany, Japan, and Italy promise a new order of national recovery and ultimately the acquisition of their "rightful" territories. The Soviet Union pledges to spread its values to the entire world, but only after it has fully transitioned from an agrarian to an industrial state. The United States also desires recovery and stability, but has little desire to aid the other liberal democracies in a hypothetical conflict with communist or fascist states.

Rules:

• Like Lumine's Balance of Power, this game will operate on a turn basis, two per year. Each turn will bring a set of issues to face that players will answer in the gameplay thread.
• Each player will act as the leader of a single great power of their choice--they stay in control until they either choose to drop out of the game, they are deposed in a revolution/coup or by a foreign power, or (in the case of democracies) their party loses an election. Popularity will be on a scale from Very High to Very Low, and will influence what decisions you can make and how likely you are to win/lose election or be overthrown.
• For the first couple of turns, the same events that happened in our timeline will happen here. Afterwards, players' decisions will hold more and more sway on history.
• I am the Game Moderator (GM), and will provide information and data that players ask for as well as update each turn with new information for each power, as well as a few random crises I will throw in. An assistant GM who I will select will control non-player countries, though will only do anything with them when they involve their relations with a player country (e.g. if Italy (player) invades Ethiopia (NPC)).
• The first major difference with Balance of Power will come through the war model--instead of a number generator will be a dice system, similar to Risk--I will roll three dice for the attacker and two for the defender, the two highest from the attacker coming against the two defender dice; one military being significantly stronger than the other (both at the outset and as the war rolls on) can rig the dice one way or the other. When large wars (between powers) begin, they will get a separate thread dedicated solely to them. Each war will take up six rounds per turn (one every month) due to the faster pace of warfare in this era.
• Like in BOP, players can communicate with each other via PM, though I must be included in all communication (or at least in all secret treaties agreed upon); otherwise they will be rendered null and void.

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[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Formal signups will begin now for:

President Franklin D. Roosevelt (United States): Bacon King
Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald (United Kingdom): GAWorth
Prime Minister Édouard Daladier (France): Dereich
Chancellor Adolf Hitler (Germany): MOP
Prime Minister Benito Mussolini (Italy): Ernest
General Secretary Joseph Stalin (Soviet Union): TNF
Emperor Hirohito (Japan): SJoyce
Chairman Chiang Kai-shek (China): Lumine


Other playable leaders may be added if there is enough demand to play--Nationalist China, Spain, Turkey, Brazil, and Poland are the most likely to be fully playable. People playing BOP now can sign up, though I'd kindly encourage them to wait before jumping in so that people who didn't get to play it get an earlier chance here.

And finally, here is the starting map for the game:

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

I would like to play as the Soviet Union.

Added.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Both added. When we have players for Germany (I expected this one to be in more demand ), Britain, France, and Japan I will prepare for the first turn.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Both added. When we have players for Germany (I expected this one to be in more demand ), Britain, France, and Japan I will prepare for the first turn.

I feel like there's a taboo against playing as Hitler.

To the Hitler player, whoever they may be: Yes, you will probably have to enact anti-Semitic policies. No, you do not necessarily have to do the Holocaust (which didn't really get going anyway until well into WWII). Nor do you necessarily have to ally with Fascist Italy (Germany and Italy were at odds over Austria for a while; Mussolini supported the fascist but anti-Nazi Austrian regime while Hitler of course wanted Anschluss.)

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

MOP added. I'll wait a little longer to see if anyone else wants Japan before adding Joyce.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Added. I will give Hirohito to Joyce if no one else claims it by midnight (ET).

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Assuming no one claims Japan within the next hour, all we need is a MacDonald and we can get going! Another thread will be made for the gameplay itself.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

That's fine. Joyce is officially Japan.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Unless there are any takers I'm pulling the position of Assistant GM (and will handle those affairs myself). Britain is the only great power is still open, though with increased demand I may add a couple more playable countries (China is the most likely, followed by Spain and maybe Poland)--but not until we have a Britain.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Ernest, the gameplay thread will be up soon; you don't have to post that yet.

More importantly, I still need a Britain before we start.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Since Lumine is discussing moving to this, bumped. If anyone who signed up before no longer wants to play, tell me now.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Accepted. We still need a Britain though.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

I need a Britain and to make sure that everyone who signed up is still on board.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

oh my god thank you so much

I will get back to writing up the first turn as soon as possible.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

And every player has confirmed that they're still in. I have to write up a bit of the first turn (particularly doing some research on what exactly was going on in China at the time ), but we're almost ready to go. The gameplay thread will be a separate one, while this thread will serve as discussion of the game itself.