It is January 1, 1813.
Napoleon’s Grande Armee has just returned to France after a disastrous invasion of, and retreat from, Russia. The Armee initially numbered 650,000 but returned to France with only 22,000 men left. While Napoleon was unable to force Emperor Alexander’s capitulation, much of Russia is left scarred and starving, crippling the great Eastern Empire for the foreseeable future although there have been some whispers of a Russian campaign into Poland in the coming months.
Napoleon’s hold on Iberia is under pressure as well. An Anglo-Lusitanian-Spanish force has liberated Portugal from French control and has made preparations for a larger campaign into Spain, in hopes of restoring the House of Bourbon to the throne.
Tensions between the British and the Americans are at a new high, unseen since the heat of the Revolution. President James Madison ordered an embargo of British goods, which led to a formal declaration of war between the new Republic and the old Empire. An attempted American invasion of Ontario has been repulsed but it remains to be seen how the British will respond.
The world at large stands at a critical crossroads. In Europe it appears that the Old Guard of Napoleon is under attack on several fronts. In North America the American Grand Experiment is in danger of collapsing from what is being called the Second War of the Revolution. Even in South American rumblings of colonial uprisings are beginning to reach courts in Europe.
This is the ultimate tests of
The Coalition System.
Basic Rules:Borrowed, with some amendments, from Lumine1. Turns: We will follow the BoP/SoD model (also seen in the brilliant Concert/Encore duology) as players play turns of a year (seven days in RL, with mid-turn updates possible at the fourth day), react to ongoing crises and events and post their policies, moves and reactions to what other players do. The Game starts on the first months of 1813 and history is, of course, considered to have gone as it did before that.
2. Messages: Secret messages between the players must include the GM, all of them. Assuming conversations take place off the forum I will insist on receiving some sort of summary of what is being discussed, in order to follow the events in a proper manner. I do not like Discord and will not be taking part in any Discord-based discussions.
4. Historical Events: I will be using a Random Number Generator to determine the outcomes of events. A 100 will indicate a great success, a 50 will indicate a push, and a 0 will indicate a terrible failure. I will not, however, rely solely on the RNG to determine the outcome of events, to account for game trends, disparity in forces, and other factors. Instead, I will determine if the RNG has produced a realistic, or plausible, outcome and then adjust accordingly.
5. Stats and Warfare: The stats for each player will be focused on "Popularity", "Legitimacy" and "Economic Status", with the special "War Morale" whenever a player nation is facing a conflict. This is one of the first periods with the use of professional, standing armies across Europe. As such, a return to the specific man-power numbers to signify military strength will be in order. Although must nations now have some kind of standing, professional army, they are not equal and that should be taken into account when planning military affairs.
6. Game Over: Game Over can come in a number of ways: Being deposed by another player, being deposed in a coup or revolt, or having your dynasty die out or lack an heir to continue playing. Having your monarch die, even by enemy action, won't be, by itself, a Game Over and the player will retain preference to continue playing said nation should they wish to do so. Potentially, the death of a monarch under a complex succession scenario could trigger a War of Succession and spin off into a new mini-game. In the few democracies, losing an election will also be considered a Game Over and that country will be made available to new players to take over.
7. Players, Nations and Simulation: NPC countries will be simulated as always, but with a twist. While it is my stated objective to answer all player questions within 48 hours (and will request that people post in public should I fail to answer to be reminded), the amount of information I can provide will be very limited, to represent both the limited amount of information reasonably available to the character being played and to avoid giving too much of an advantage to players as GM. Questions such as "What does NPC Nation want in return for this?" or "What would happen if I did X" will either not bring an answer or a very limited one.
Playable Characters:Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland: Prince Regent George of Wales (GoTFan)
United States of America: President James Madison (SawxDem)
Empire of Austria: Emperor Francis I (JacksonHitchcock)
Empire of France: Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte (Kingpoleon)
Ottoman Empire: Sultan Mahmud II (Lumine)
Kingdom of Portugal and the Algarve: Prince Regent John (Mycool)
Kingdom of Prussia: King Frederick William III (TrumanJohnson)
Russian Empire: Emperor Alexander (Dereich)
Bonapartist Spain: King Joseph Bonaparte (HenryWallaceVP)
Bourbon Spain: King Ferdinand VII (YPestis)
Kingdom of Sweden: Prince Regent Charles John (KingSaul)
Mexican Rebels: Father Jose Maria Morelos (Gorguf)
Kingdom of Italy: Viceroy Eugene de Beauhamais (Dr_Novella)
Other nations and characters may become available based on need, desire, and the course of the game.
