Alrighty, glad to see some interest. I'll start prepping the game in depth then. In the meantime, with four players I think I'll have everyone be settlement leaders.
Time to begin brainstorming your origins. Why did you leave Old Terra or the First World you originated from? What social model does your colony seek to achieve? What compromises have you made in order to coexist with other differing colonies you had to share the same colony ship with to get here? (Just because FTL is getting more common doesn't mean colony ships still aren't pricey of themselves.) You could be a rich person's private den of hedonism, supported by robots and biosynths. You could be a utopian commune, that wishes for total equality and unrestricted self-fulfillment. You could be a industrial colony, looking to get rich atop the resources of a new world.
From there I'll post a formal profile soon and leave you with some decisions on the exact starting assets of your colony before the first pirate attack. And from there, your choices on what to do afterwards.
It is the waning of the Second Space Rush, of the second great diaspora of Mankind from Old Terra and the First Worlds. Of the great rush of the young, the inspired, the hopeful, and the hopeless to escape the stagnation and unthinking order of the Central Authority with the advent of mass-producible hyperlane drives. While the CA initially attempted to control the expansion in the Lockdown War, thousands of new worlds have been settled and explored beyond it's vain attempts at control before internal dissent finally made it bid good riddance to the fools that would leave it's influence and protection.
For many, it is freedom. Freedom to build new societies unimaginable before under the conservative thumb of the CA. Freedom to trade and grow rich without the tight regulations and rules of the First World monopolies. Freedom to do what they wished.....including wage war.
As the time of the Second Space rush comes to a close by the limits of logistics and fuel supply for even the longest-ranged arks, the dangers of freedom are beginning to become evident. With no Star Patrol, piracy and crime has begun to rise with noone to enforce interstellar law beyond the CA. Failed colonies turn to desperation to survive, even preying upon their neighbors for vital technology or even people. Agreements among partner-worlds have begun to collapse with the mysterious disappearance of freighters and colony ships in transit.
The Second Space Rush has ended. The First Frontier War has begun.
On a world far removed from Old Terra called Aio, a collection of settlers and free-thinkers intent upon creating new utopias and societies for themselves have just suffered their first pirate raids upon their defenseless world. With aid unlikely to come from any of the other steadfastly independent worlds, they must face the reality that if they wish to make their future, they must fight to protect it.
* * * * * *
This will be a council-type player vs waves of NPC-enemies NRP where the players are the various leaders of a independent colony world that is about to be put under siege by pirates and hostile neighbors. With no chance of a outside savior or being able to muster a sufficient defense by themselves, the various settlements are forced to form a joint planetary defense force if they are to survive this storm.
Each player can be either a leader of a member-settlement of the planet or a major officer working for them. Leaders can decide what their settlement's culture is like and general composition, while major officers will be in charge of one specific area of the planetary defense and have more options in their category (Spaceforce, ground force, mercenaries, industry, etc).
This will be a stats-lite, narrative-heavy game where every player with have a collection of units and assets they will allocate for every major strategic turn. The strength and effect of those units can be heavily influenced by good roleplaying that can let units push their limits or come up with improvised solutions to challenges.
General aesthetic and tone of the setting is anime-ish soft sci-fi. With stuff like genetic engineering and extensive bodymodding for if you want to play more-than-human cultures, but no true aliens have been discovered yet.
I am looking for about 4-6 players tops for this game, with at least 3 being settlement leaders. Do I have any takers? Is there anything more you would like to know before joining?
Empire of Anvegad July 26th, 1910 Logistics and Signals High Command
The office of the Quartermaster Strategos was silent as Darius Kolbern contemplated the small script of a telegram laid out on his desk. A copy of a urgent dispatch sent to all the heads of the military and government from the diplomatic corps.
TO: 2ND STATE LORD FROM: AMBASSADOR TARELL
PRINCE WILEM OF ROTTEBURG ASSASSINATED IN TSUJIN STOP ASSASSIN AFFILIATION UNKNOWN STOP INFORMATION STILL COMING WILL CONTINUE INVESTIGATION FULL STOP
The Strategos sighed and took a long drag on his cigar as the machinery of his mind went into motion, pondering both the rational and irrational. When the meeting of the Strategos would inevitably be called, either today or tomorrow, all eyes would be turning to him for options on what to be done and what to do to ensure Anvegad would be ready for any probable outbreak of chaos. Kings may issue edicts, and Generals may command soldiers, but ultimately all of their actions had to be routed through his office as the person meant to actually pull off their demands. Further complicating the issue was this fiasco was happening right when Parliament and the King were both reconsidering the entire foreign policy stance of the Empire, and were actively pestering the military for options in that regard. If he wanted to get any point across, he needed to start building a talking position now and find some way to back up his point. Pushing probability and emotion aside, he quietly contemplated the future.
Given that this event happened on the eastern seaboard, it didn’t have any direct impact or strategic implications for Anvegad being an entire continent and many empires separated from a nation born of a thousand city-states. But the complex web of alliances and treaties and marriage pacts on the eastern seaboard were notoriously interwoven, and something like this could easily spark a war, if it hadn’t already.
By past policies of independence and autarky alongside a considerable mix of natural resources, Anvegad stood apart from the Old Empires of the East after abandoning the few dreams of colonial power it had reached for and refocused on internal development. Railroads, oil fields, farmland, Anvegad had a sufficient mix of them all to be self-sufficient and live without foreign goods, which were Valkyrie-blessed gifts in light of the Great Hurricane of 1890 that drove the Anvegad navy into extinction and collapsed it’s merchant marine. But it also meant that they only had modest trade agreements and exchanges of embassies with other powers, with no true allies or definite enemies. And as much as he cared to consider it, Anvegad had done dismally little to secure deeper ties to any foreign power, even the Uruk Empire on it’s border after the last round of inconclusive skirmishes that constituted the last war, such as it was.
For now, the only course he would be able to recommend to the Supreme Strategos and the Crown was to sit and wait until more information could be acquired and the battle lines were drawn. Hasty action could drag Anvegad into unwanted conflict. Mobilizing too early would take away vital manpower and resources needed to finish the latest series of coastal batteries and railway double-tracking programs to secure the external provinces. Wars didn’t move into motion overnight, and there would be enough to do just to maintain a slightly elevated peacetime readiness level to brush the dust off some of the regional armies and get more machineguns in circulation to at least fill the on-paper requirements for every division.
On the other hand......focusing on precautionary buildups shouldn’t entirely negate other indirect options of securing alliances of our own. I know the 1st Strategos will bring that up, or the King. Damnit.Need to have some bone to throw at them that also lets us get our infrasturucture in order first. He thought as he walked over to a few folders on his office shelves with logistical reports from the neighboring countries, dwelling on the issue of modernization and infrastructure and deciding a few comparisons with a few other major powers were called for to maybe spark a talking point he could build around his efforts to stall and encourage patience. And a report from the Zeirchmeister Armory on the comparisons of their Armory Rifle with samples from other nations while he was at it (new assistant needed more breaking in, this belonged two drawers over). New Diya, the Uruk Empire, the Kratorian Imperium, the Segon Dynasty. He drifted through the documents, musing on what he was trying to find in the mix of details and numbers accumulated by dutiful diplomats and merchant observers while still contemplating Anvegad’s place in the conflict to come.
Beans. Bullets. Bandages. Armies require massive amounts of supplies just for day to day maintenance, let alone offenses and combat. The numbers speak for themselves no matter how much the other powers do a good work to obfuscate. Even a rich and powerful nation can run into trouble trying to keep their armies supplied, with Anvegad being no exception. To the point of building the logistics corps into a division of the military unto itself even. He honestly couldn’t think of any other nation that took supply so…...seriously.
Supply. Supplied. Supplying. Supplying.....the numbers described on the very documents he was looking at.
Well, it would be a longshot to propose to the rest of the Stratagos and the King, but what the hell. Better than trying to spin out a lecture on the benefits of double-tracking railroads like last time to get the point that they couldn't just dump men on the Uruk border and saber-rattle that way, ugh. He thought as he took out a piece of paper and began sketching out a few key bulletpoints for his coming debate while flicking a level on his switchboard for his secretary. “Adjutant.”
“Adjutant here sir.”
“Which planning teams are on priority-C projects right now?”
“Five, six, and eight sir. Focusing on the railroad program, Aiglar aircraft design proposal hearings, and dockyard readiness studies.”
“Tell six and eight to shelve what they are doing and prepare to begin conducting a full review on our present heavy industry and external shipping options, priority A. Have team leads in my office in three hours for further details on their new assignment.”
“Very good sir.”
“Also message the other Strategos. Inform them I will be busy revising contingency plans and devising new ones in relation to this sudden event and that it would be for the best to hold any emergency war council tomorrow so I can come with all the necessary facts in hand. Oh, and bring in a few sandwiches and some coffee would you kindly, I’m probably going to be working late again.”
Species: Humans and assorted demihuman part-beast population (predominantly wolfkin and rabbitkin)
Culture:
Anvegad is a very culturally diverse empire, owing to it's origins as a hundred minor city-states and kingdoms. While acceptance of the National Assembly and the King of Anvegad as overall ruler is absolute, individual territories are still permitted considerable autonomy and their own cultural traditions. As a whole, their society is slanted towards authoritarian principles and emphasis on the nation over the individual. General Anvegadians tend towards a very "work hard, play hard" attitude with high focus on labor and productivity, and proceeding to party in the beer halls afterwards.
Certain quirks of it's origins and diverse population with a sizable demihuman minority include several female-dominated city-states and wildly differing attitudes towards marriage and family structure. This has resulted in more than a few kerfluffles in the post-Unification War consolidation of the Empire that still remain today and are visible in the all-female regiments originating from the more hardcore matriarchal states. By and large most citizens just put up with the antics of other city-states so long as nobody is in too much askance of their own, though it seems to be a baffling system at times to outsiders.
Socially, demihumans are treated as second-class citizens across most of Anvegad territory. While no systematic persecution is in place, they are economically and politically disadvantaged and tend to be looked down upon. The primary exception is the meritocratic military, where anyone can rise in position so long as they have ability. Two of the Great Eight were demihumans.
Religiously, the dominant faith in the Anvegad Empire is Yiggidism and the worship of the Valkyries that maintain the link between the mortal Midrealm and the higher Celestial Realm through the tree of Yiggdrasil. By this faith, all souls must earn their ascent to the Celestial Realms and to become one with the Valkyries and achieve true enlightenment, those unfit to ascend are returned to the mortal midrealm, while the worst deviants are rendered into the material of the world tree. While not a official state religion, the common faith was a key plank in the unification of the Anvegad territories and is widely respected. The core tenants of the faith are loyalty, duty, honor, valor, family, and justice, with a typical follower expected to display their faith through action rather than prayer. While the stereotype of a worshipper is a death-seeking berserker on the battlefield (not unjustified given habits of some more zealous units during the Hundred Kingdoms conflicts still clung to by some cavalry regiments), the modern faith instead espouses a need to fight on behalf of those who cannot. A soldier must fight and survive for the sake of saving the souls of the factory workers and farmers who are unfit to be frontline soldiers, while in turn the families and civilians must render total loyalty and support to those fighting for their souls.
History:
The Empire of Anvegad was once simply the city-state of Anvegad, one of the Hundred Kingdoms of the Northwest subcontinent that were endlessly locked in a cycle of conflict and competition since the Silver Age of Feudalism. Alliances would shift and change with every war, no pact or agreement was upheld for long. Most foreign powers kept from intervening in the region for the simple reason it would be a nightmarish task trying to occupy the place.
It would ultimately take eight heroes of Anvegad to begin the long process of uniting the city-states into a nation by the beginnings of the Age of Industry. Some by force with miraculous victories of encirclement and maneuver, or simply the implementation of heavy artillery and imported fortress-buster howitzers. Some via diplomacy with marriage pacts secured in love, or assassination of the worst warmongers of rival states. The Unification War would be a decades-long struggle of politics, war, and maneuver, but under the Great Eight it was a inevitability eventually accepted by all. Ultimately it would end not in martial victory, but mutual acceptance of
While today there remains political and economic divisions between the varying cities and territories of Anvegad, the nation has rallied around the idea of being all one people in the face of a changing world and a desire to end the cycle of revenge for the sake of a Golden Age. But there are very few who believe it will last for long, even as the leaders of Anvegad proclaim wishes for peace and a desire to stay out of foreign wars.
Territory Claims:
Economy:
Anvegad is a large nation with widespread resources, as well as a strong heavy industrial slant in their modernization efforts. Past leaders and policies slanted toward autarky (self-reliance) in the face of the collapse of the Anvegad navy and decision to stay out of colonial land-grabs have resulted in Anvegad being able to cover most of its core economic and resource needs on domestic assets alone, though it is still open to foreign trade of its strengths (manufactured goods, oil, high-grade anthracite coal, aircraft) to cover for relative shortfalls (rubber, aluminum, shipbuilding).
With a lack of a navy and a merchant marine, Anvegad has had no choice but to rely upon private sector merchants for maritime trade, as well as embrace the probable reality that if war breaks out they will have no overseas trade. While this won't cripple Anvegad like it would more global powers, it does put a crimp in their ability to expand their economy and production power to remain competitive with the world.
Technology:
Technologically, Anvegad rates average by world standards across the board. While hardly a world-leader in technology, it has strived to keep apace with the world and implement the most critical developments as fast as possible while letting the private market assimilate the rest. This in part stems from the sheer size and population of Anvegad making it difficult to rapidly implement change even when the nation as a whole is behind it. In many ways this has actually been to their benefit in adopting the best practices of other powers while avoiding the potentially costly and disastrous expenses of developing experimental hardware completely on their own, but the list of Anvegad "firsts" is distressingly short.
Army: The Anvegad Army is divided into the infantry, cavalry, artillery, and logistics divisions.
The Infantry corps is the backbone of the military and it's largest organization in terms of manpower. As a whole, the infantry corps is slanted towards slow-moving siege and assault warfare as a result of the final conflicts of the unification wars and lessons learned from the bitter city-fighting in the last holdouts, as well as a hard calculus in being unable to motorize more than a fraction of the legions of troops even with Anvegad's growing automobile industry. The majority of trucks they do have are devoted to logistical support rather than moving troops around, and renders the frontline infantry to be a mighty colossus with a lumbering gait.
In total, the Anvegad Army maintains a standing army of 100,000 full-time professional regulars, approximately 400,000 reservists and regional defense troops at partial combat readiness that can be mobilized relatively quickly, and theoretically millions of troops in event of a maximum conscription mobilization. Actually mustering, training, and mobilizing all of the potential conscripts from hundreds of different territories and states is a daunting logistical challenge even for Anvegad however, and one it's military leaders are hesitant to draw upon due to the probable organizational hell a maximum mobilization would entail, ontop of the questionable combat effectiveness of the conscripts. But the will, patriotism, and plans to do so are in place if necessary.
The standard firearm of the Anvegad Infantry is the Zeirchmeister mark-2 Armory Rifle, a heavy caliber bolt-action firearm built for high stopping power and reliable fire rates at expense to range and accuracy under the general pretense that the average soldier rarely uses their weapon at maximum range and putting more rounds downrange with only one shot out of five in a clip needed to kill matters more than precision. Inaccuracy can be compensated by multiple riflemen shooting at once. The Armory Rifle also benefits from a extremely sturdy closed-feed bolt design that gives it considerable reliability even in adverse conditions of dirt and mud, though this slightly complicates manufacture under existing machining techniques. It is also fitted with a bolt mount for dagger and sword type bayonets as needed while basic cleaning supplies are stored in the stock for regular maintenance.
The Anvegad Army is also a keen adopter of machineguns, with the crew-served Hildir-06 serving as their core automatic weapon alongside licensed copies of foreign guns rechambered for Anvegad heavy rounds. Ongoing modernization efforts have put a recent emphasis on supplying them en-masse to infantry units since designs for semi-automatic rifles turned out to be busts, but presently only a handful of divisions have more than ten organized into five-gun support sections meant to function as strongpoints on a battlefield for infantry to rally and operate around. The primary flaw of the weapon is it's sheer weight even compared to other commonly used water-cooled HMG's of the time, requiring a six-person crew to effectively haul and operate, and several more to haul sufficient ammunition and replacement barrels for extended use. While studies are underway to develop a lighter version for squad-level use, they are largely paper-drawings and theories for now.
On a more contentious note, several rabbitkin units from the eastern city-states also utilize shotguns for close-quarters skirmishing companies in lieu of armory rifles. While problematic to use both tactically in field combat and logistically for their specialty ammunition and the various rabbit units still being unable to standardize upon twin or quad-barrel break-action shotguns or newer pump-action tube-fed guns, the Rabbit "Blitzer" units swear by them for city-fighting and assaulting strongpoints. Use of the shotguns is almost considered a war-crime by other Anvegad units that were on the receiving ends during the Unification War, especially given the lethal "Ripper" shrapnel ammunition commonly used, but for now they are still in use for lack of a more civilized replacement that is just as portable, lethal, and useful in close-quarters situations.
The use of mounted infantry has a wildly disparate history among the former city-states. Some favored cavalry as mounted horse-archers in cycling shoot-n-scoot maneuvers, others as heavily armored spearheads to break through enemy formations. Even after unification, there has been little effort to standardize the cavalry and they retain most of their regional trappings and unit traditions from before Unification.
Typically a cavalry trooper is equipped with some level of body armor (curass for light cavalry, partial plate for heavies), a melee weapon (sabers for skirmishers and light, halberds for heavies), and a rifle supplemented by multiple pistols for shooting and close-quarters gunslinging.
The cavalry is in slight competition with the artillery corps owing to their refusal to turn over their integrated horse-artillery units over to centralized fire command, with almost all of the units believing that tactical attached artillery matters more than indirect fire. The age of cavalry is seemingly waning, unless they can find their chance to shine once again.
The Anvegad Artillery Corps has a long and venerable history as a meritocratic and battle-proven pillar of Anvegad military success since it's initial inception as Prince Ozo's Royal Artillery, which would go on to lay down the basic tenants of artillery warfare against fortresses to be followed into the modern age.
In recent times since the development of the hydropenumic reciprocator in artillery pieces, Anvegad has begun to lag behind other nations in the adoption and implementation of the latest fire control and direction systems. Rather than try to create inferior copies of their own and try to kitbash them into existing systems, Anvegad has instead focused on mass-producing the guns they have for saturation bombardments and laying down the logistical basis for longer and more extensive bombardments than ever before. By certain flukes of bureaucracy and hard-headed perfectionism by the current Supreme Gunmaster, logistical plans have been drawn up to the extent of weeks-long bombardments across miles of frontline with thousands of guns, a terrible nightmare scenario most gun-commanders are hesitant to consider even upon the worst enemies of Anvegad. But according to the logistical math, it is more than possible with the scope of modern industrial power so long as the right preparations are made
The ALSC is the second-largest division of the Anvegad military behind the infantry in terms of manpower and the artillery in material assigned to it, and for good reason. While stories are sung about the valor of the cavalry and the sacrifice of the nameless soldiers on the frontlines, few appreciate the titanic effort it takes just to get them there in the first place. Many disasters and miracles during the Unification Wars would cement the importance of solid logistics in the minds of Anvegad's generals, and it's importance has only increased as artillery and aircraft are seen as increasingly crucial in the great war to come.
The ALSC is responsible for managing military railroads, supply routes, telephone and telegraph lines, and a number of labor battalions and field sapper units in support of frontline troops. Its responsibilities have only grown since the advent of industrial warfare and all the horrifying prospects it brings, and there is active talk of contingency plans for the ALSC to begin to branch into direct control civilian sectors as well to secure production and logistics in event of incompetence or sudden urgent demand for short periods.
Despite it's large size, the Anvegad Empire was never a naval power by any measure. Bad coastlines, lack of long-term planning during the city-state period, and a focus on land warfare have left it's ports limited in size and shipyards only fit for civilian freighters at most. After a series of disastrous operations in it's past and a hurricane that drowned the last Active Fleet and crippled the Merchant Marine, Anvegad is ill-inclined to engage in another expensive military shipbuilding program and has turned the surviving naval elements into a Artillery external ordinance bureau manning coastal batteries and navy-schools to maintain some institutional experience in the hopes of one day restoring the merchant marine. But no Anvegad leader believes that day will come any time soon by Anvegad shipyards alone. For now Anvegad's coasts are defended by horrid terrain and strong internal lines to surround and crush attempts at naval invasion, while it's generals accept the reality of no naval power projection for the foreseeable future.
One of the few fields Anvegad has pioneered in the industrial age is flight, with the world's first biplane having taken off from the workshop of a Anvegad inventor and the design quickly being militarized during the final stages of the Unification War to improve recon and later for coordinating artillery strikes. While other powers have since surpassed Anvegad in pure technology of flight, the fledgling Anvegad air force has the organization and experience few can match in close air-artillery coordination and support for thousands of aircraft, with an estimated 1,500 planes in service of the Empire by 1910 (partly due to the collapse of the Navy forcing a replacement for coastal patrol craft).
While Anvegad's planes are predomiantly for scouting and artillery spotting, to the point where there are dedicated squadrons for specific gun-regiments, few think the skies will remain peaceful for long, and plans are already being made for armed warplanes with bombs and machineguns, while airplane manufacturers are preparing for production above and beyond anything asked before.
Rolls: (Can be generated by using 'rp!roll' in the Discord server.)
19 - Territory - Your nation is magnificently sized, a premiere empire of the day. There is plenty of land to go around. 13 - Tech - Your nation is decently modern, with an effective grasp of technology. It is by no means a trend setter, but it stays up. 6+4 - Army Size - Your army is decently sized, and is maintained year-round. 16 - Economy - Your economy is slightly above-average, and the nation can usually fund what it needs. 14 - Production - Your nation is somewhat majority industrial, with decent resource exploitation. 1 - Navy Size - You have no navy. 19+1- Airforce Size- You have a massive air force made up of a huge amount of biplanes. 9 - Mobilization Ability - It takes two months to mobilize.
Species: Humans and assorted demihuman part-beast population (predominantly wolfkin and rabbitkin)
Culture:
Anvegad is a very culturally diverse empire, owing to it's origins as a hundred minor city-states and kingdoms. While acceptance of the National Assembly and the King of Anvegad as overall ruler is absolute, individual territories are still permitted considerable autonomy and their own cultural traditions. As a whole, their society is slanted towards authoritarian principles and emphasis on the nation over the individual. General Anvegadians tend towards a very "work hard, play hard" attitude with high focus on labor and productivity, and proceeding to party in the beer halls afterwards.
Certain quirks of it's origins and diverse population with a sizable demihuman minority include several female-dominated city-states and wildly differing attitudes towards marriage and family structure. This has resulted in more than a few kerfluffles in the post-Unification War consolidation of the Empire that still remain today and are visible in the all-female regiments originating from the more hardcore matriarchal states. By and large most citizens just put up with the antics of other city-states so long as nobody is in too much askance of their own, though it seems to be a baffling system at times to outsiders.
Socially, demihumans are treated as second-class citizens across most of Anvegad territory. While no systematic persecution is in place, they are economically and politically disadvantaged and tend to be looked down upon. The primary exception is the meritocratic military, where anyone can rise in position so long as they have ability. Two of the Great Eight were demihumans.
Religiously, the dominant faith in the Anvegad Empire is Yiggidism and the worship of the Valkyries that maintain the link between the mortal Midrealm and the higher Celestial Realm through the tree of Yiggdrasil. By this faith, all souls must earn their ascent to the Celestial Realms and to become one with the Valkyries and achieve true enlightenment, those unfit to ascend are returned to the mortal midrealm, while the worst deviants are rendered into the material of the world tree. While not a official state religion, the common faith was a key plank in the unification of the Anvegad territories and is widely respected. The core tenants of the faith are loyalty, duty, honor, valor, family, and justice, with a typical follower expected to display their faith through action rather than prayer. While the stereotype of a worshipper is a death-seeking berserker on the battlefield (not unjustified given habits of some more zealous units during the Hundred Kingdoms conflicts still clung to by some cavalry regiments), the modern faith instead espouses a need to fight on behalf of those who cannot. A soldier must fight and survive for the sake of saving the souls of the factory workers and farmers who are unfit to be frontline soldiers, while in turn the families and civilians must render total loyalty and support to those fighting for their souls.
History:
The Empire of Anvegad was once simply the city-state of Anvegad, one of the Hundred Kingdoms of the Northwest subcontinent that were endlessly locked in a cycle of conflict and competition since the Silver Age of Feudalism. Alliances would shift and change with every war, no pact or agreement was upheld for long. Most foreign powers kept from intervening in the region for the simple reason it would be a nightmarish task trying to occupy the place.
It would ultimately take eight heroes of Anvegad to begin the long process of uniting the city-states into a nation by the beginnings of the Age of Industry. Some by force with miraculous victories of encirclement and maneuver, or simply the implementation of heavy artillery and imported fortress-buster howitzers. Some via diplomacy with marriage pacts secured in love, or assassination of the worst warmongers of rival states. The Unification War would be a decades-long struggle of politics, war, and maneuver, but under the Great Eight it was a inevitability eventually accepted by all. Ultimately it would end not in martial victory, but mutual acceptance of
While today there remains political and economic divisions between the varying cities and territories of Anvegad, the nation has rallied around the idea of being all one people in the face of a changing world and a desire to end the cycle of revenge for the sake of a Golden Age. But there are very few who believe it will last for long, even as the leaders of Anvegad proclaim wishes for peace and a desire to stay out of foreign wars.
Territory Claims:
Economy:
Anvegad is a large nation with widespread resources, as well as a strong heavy industrial slant in their modernization efforts. Past leaders and policies slanted toward autarky (self-reliance) in the face of the collapse of the Anvegad navy and decision to stay out of colonial land-grabs have resulted in Anvegad being able to cover most of its core economic and resource needs on domestic assets alone, though it is still open to foreign trade of its strengths (manufactured goods, oil, high-grade anthracite coal, aircraft) to cover for relative shortfalls (rubber, aluminum, shipbuilding).
With a lack of a navy and a merchant marine, Anvegad has had no choice but to rely upon private sector merchants for maritime trade, as well as embrace the probable reality that if war breaks out they will have no overseas trade. While this won't cripple Anvegad like it would more global powers, it does put a crimp in their ability to expand their economy and production power to remain competitive with the world.
Technology:
Technologically, Anvegad rates average by world standards across the board. While hardly a world-leader in technology, it has strived to keep apace with the world and implement the most critical developments as fast as possible while letting the private market assimilate the rest. This in part stems from the sheer size and population of Anvegad making it difficult to rapidly implement change even when the nation as a whole is behind it. In many ways this has actually been to their benefit in adopting the best practices of other powers while avoiding the potentially costly and disastrous expenses of developing experimental hardware completely on their own, but the list of Anvegad "firsts" is distressingly short.
Army: The Anvegad Army is divided into the infantry, cavalry, artillery, and logistics divisions.
The Infantry corps is the backbone of the military and it's largest organization in terms of manpower. As a whole, the infantry corps is slanted towards slow-moving siege and assault warfare as a result of the final conflicts of the unification wars and lessons learned from the bitter city-fighting in the last holdouts, as well as a hard calculus in being unable to motorize more than a fraction of the legions of troops even with Anvegad's growing automobile industry. The majority of trucks they do have are devoted to logistical support rather than moving troops around, and renders the frontline infantry to be a mighty colossus with a lumbering gait.
In total, the Anvegad Army maintains a standing army of 100,000 full-time professional regulars, approximately 400,000 reservists and regional defense troops at partial combat readiness that can be mobilized relatively quickly, and theoretically millions of troops in event of a maximum conscription mobilization. Actually mustering, training, and mobilizing all of the potential conscripts from hundreds of different territories and states is a daunting logistical challenge even for Anvegad however, and one it's military leaders are hesitant to draw upon due to the probable organizational hell a maximum mobilization would entail, ontop of the questionable combat effectiveness of the conscripts. But the will, patriotism, and plans to do so are in place if necessary.
The standard firearm of the Anvegad Infantry is the Zeirchmeister mark-2 Armory Rifle, a heavy caliber bolt-action firearm built for high stopping power and reliable fire rates at expense to range and accuracy under the general pretense that the average soldier rarely uses their weapon at maximum range and putting more rounds downrange with only one shot out of five in a clip needed to kill matters more than precision. Inaccuracy can be compensated by multiple riflemen shooting at once. The Armory Rifle also benefits from a extremely sturdy closed-feed bolt design that gives it considerable reliability even in adverse conditions of dirt and mud, though this slightly complicates manufacture under existing machining techniques. It is also fitted with a bolt mount for dagger and sword type bayonets as needed while basic cleaning supplies are stored in the stock for regular maintenance.
The Anvegad Army is also a keen adopter of machineguns, with the crew-served Hildir-06 serving as their core automatic weapon alongside licensed copies of foreign guns rechambered for Anvegad heavy rounds. Ongoing modernization efforts have put a recent emphasis on supplying them en-masse to infantry units since designs for semi-automatic rifles turned out to be busts, but presently only a handful of divisions have more than ten organized into five-gun support sections meant to function as strongpoints on a battlefield for infantry to rally and operate around. The primary flaw of the weapon is it's sheer weight even compared to other commonly used water-cooled HMG's of the time, requiring a six-person crew to effectively haul and operate, and several more to haul sufficient ammunition and replacement barrels for extended use. While studies are underway to develop a lighter version for squad-level use, they are largely paper-drawings and theories for now.
On a more contentious note, several rabbitkin units from the eastern city-states also utilize shotguns for close-quarters skirmishing companies in lieu of armory rifles. While problematic to use both tactically in field combat and logistically for their specialty ammunition and the various rabbit units still being unable to standardize upon twin or quad-barrel break-action shotguns or newer pump-action tube-fed guns, the Rabbit "Blitzer" units swear by them for city-fighting and assaulting strongpoints. Use of the shotguns is almost considered a war-crime by other Anvegad units that were on the receiving ends during the Unification War, especially given the lethal "Ripper" shrapnel ammunition commonly used, but for now they are still in use for lack of a more civilized replacement that is just as portable, lethal, and useful in close-quarters situations.
The use of mounted infantry has a wildly disparate history among the former city-states. Some favored cavalry as mounted horse-archers in cycling shoot-n-scoot maneuvers, others as heavily armored spearheads to break through enemy formations. Even after unification, there has been little effort to standardize the cavalry and they retain most of their regional trappings and unit traditions from before Unification.
Typically a cavalry trooper is equipped with some level of body armor (curass for light cavalry, partial plate for heavies), a melee weapon (sabers for skirmishers and light, halberds for heavies), and a rifle supplemented by multiple pistols for shooting and close-quarters gunslinging.
The cavalry is in slight competition with the artillery corps owing to their refusal to turn over their integrated horse-artillery units over to centralized fire command, with almost all of the units believing that tactical attached artillery matters more than indirect fire. The age of cavalry is seemingly waning, unless they can find their chance to shine once again.
The Anvegad Artillery Corps has a long and venerable history as a meritocratic and battle-proven pillar of Anvegad military success since it's initial inception as Prince Ozo's Royal Artillery, which would go on to lay down the basic tenants of artillery warfare against fortresses to be followed into the modern age.
In recent times since the development of the hydropenumic reciprocator in artillery pieces, Anvegad has begun to lag behind other nations in the adoption and implementation of the latest fire control and direction systems. Rather than try to create inferior copies of their own and try to kitbash them into existing systems, Anvegad has instead focused on mass-producing the guns they have for saturation bombardments and laying down the logistical basis for longer and more extensive bombardments than ever before. By certain flukes of bureaucracy and hard-headed perfectionism by the current Supreme Gunmaster, logistical plans have been drawn up to the extent of weeks-long bombardments across miles of frontline with thousands of guns, a terrible nightmare scenario most gun-commanders are hesitant to consider even upon the worst enemies of Anvegad. But according to the logistical math, it is more than possible with the scope of modern industrial power so long as the right preparations are made
The ALSC is the second-largest division of the Anvegad military behind the infantry in terms of manpower and the artillery in material assigned to it, and for good reason. While stories are sung about the valor of the cavalry and the sacrifice of the nameless soldiers on the frontlines, few appreciate the titanic effort it takes just to get them there in the first place. Many disasters and miracles during the Unification Wars would cement the importance of solid logistics in the minds of Anvegad's generals, and it's importance has only increased as artillery and aircraft are seen as increasingly crucial in the great war to come.
The ALSC is responsible for managing military railroads, supply routes, telephone and telegraph lines, and a number of labor battalions and field sapper units in support of frontline troops. Its responsibilities have only grown since the advent of industrial warfare and all the horrifying prospects it brings, and there is active talk of contingency plans for the ALSC to begin to branch into direct control civilian sectors as well to secure production and logistics in event of incompetence or sudden urgent demand for short periods.
Despite it's large size, the Anvegad Empire was never a naval power by any measure. Bad coastlines, lack of long-term planning during the city-state period, and a focus on land warfare have left it's ports limited in size and shipyards only fit for civilian freighters at most. After a series of disastrous operations in it's past and a hurricane that drowned the last Active Fleet and crippled the Merchant Marine, Anvegad is ill-inclined to engage in another expensive military shipbuilding program and has turned the surviving naval elements into a Artillery external ordinance bureau manning coastal batteries and navy-schools to maintain some institutional experience in the hopes of one day restoring the merchant marine. But no Anvegad leader believes that day will come any time soon by Anvegad shipyards alone. For now Anvegad's coasts are defended by horrid terrain and strong internal lines to surround and crush attempts at naval invasion, while it's generals accept the reality of no naval power projection for the foreseeable future.
One of the few fields Anvegad has pioneered in the industrial age is flight, with the world's first biplane having taken off from the workshop of a Anvegad inventor and the design quickly being militarized during the final stages of the Unification War to improve recon and later for coordinating artillery strikes. While other powers have since surpassed Anvegad in pure technology of flight, the fledgling Anvegad air force has the organization and experience few can match in close air-artillery coordination and support for thousands of aircraft, with an estimated 1,500 planes in service of the Empire by 1910 (partly due to the collapse of the Navy forcing a replacement for coastal patrol craft).
While Anvegad's planes are predomiantly for scouting and artillery spotting, to the point where there are dedicated squadrons for specific gun-regiments, few think the skies will remain peaceful for long, and plans are already being made for armed warplanes with bombs and machineguns, while airplane manufacturers are preparing for production above and beyond anything asked before.
Rolls: (Can be generated by using 'rp!roll' in the Discord server.)
19 - Territory - Your nation is magnificently sized, a premiere empire of the day. There is plenty of land to go around. 13 - Tech - Your nation is decently modern, with an effective grasp of technology. It is by no means a trend setter, but it stays up. 6+4 - Army Size - Your army is decently sized, and is maintained year-round. 16 - Economy - Your economy is slightly above-average, and the nation can usually fund what it needs. 14 - Production - Your nation is somewhat majority industrial, with decent resource exploitation. 1 - Navy Size - You have no navy. 19+1- Airforce Size- You have a massive air force made up of a huge amount of biplanes. 9 - Mobilization Ability - It takes two months to mobilize.
Full Name: Miles Julius Radcliffe Age of Birth: 1762 Nation Affiliation: Merenia Position: Citizen, Industrialist Bio: Miles Radcliffe is the master of the Radcliffe Industrial Works, a longstanding pillar of Merenia's military power that formerly originated as Radcliffe Heavy Shipyards building ships of the line for the navy that eventually expanded to mass-woodworking and iron production to further consolidate it's production pipeline into highly efficient shipyards to keep the navy supplied and well-built. While perhaps not the most ambitious or brilliant man, Miles is diligent and methodical and possessed of exceptionally good memory to keep track of a sprawling company and relations with all relevant admirals and politicians.
Despite the ongoing troubles and problems of the Kingdom, Miles is nonplussed. The Kingdom has had it's rises and it's falls, but it has always remained a constant. And all the recent trade trouble and conflicts just means more market opportunities are to come. Though whoever ends up taking the job of Prime Minister could be a concern for him for various reasons though, prompting a refresher of his political contacts.
In his off time, Miles enjoys reading foreign philosophy and some personal metalworking hobbies, and is a stern but caring father to two sons and a daughter.
Depending on character balance I am open to switching to a different role as needed. This is gonna be interesting.
Requesting to be assigned to Merenia, although I won't mind being shuffled around if needed to ensure player balance.
I presume there will be other GM-run other nations to deal with? Starting with PvP off the bat may not be the best beginning for the game. Some time to try and wrangle with NPC powers would help us get organized and used to the game system and setting.
In about an hour, I'll consider the "voting" finished and we'll get to nation generation. Still taking more players. The more characters we have, the better.
EDIT: Would players prefer some elements of what kind of nation they want to play or have them randomly generated and then you pick or are assigned?
I vote for arranging the players into however many teams are practical, then randomly generating the nations they have to play, then the players decide which position they want to play within that nation (or if they can do a swap of roles with a player from another nation)
