[centre][h1]Two Billion Lives on the Brink[/h1][/centre]
[i]The year is 1899, the turn of the century is upon us and the world could not be in a worse state for it. Industry, thought to usher in a new age of wealth and expansion for all, has left the huddled masses in a state of poverty, whilst their employers feast on the fruits of their labour. Alongside the rapid industrialisation, there has also been much in the innovation and invention of new goods, chemicals are now being made in factories and shipped across the world for peoples use. Now of course Liberalism is by no means dead however it’s former allure is gone, many governments made the change to a democratic system however many more have kept, or reverted, to the old autocratic styles of years gone by. Great powers and empires are reaching a bulking mass now as the final rush for free colonial provinces comes to an end. Whilst many nations have sprung up in these free lands, many more have been squashed and replaced with friendly puppet states. Of course with this sudden drop in the amount of free land, many of the powers grow restless and seek to expand their borders in other ways. In all the commotion the world has become quite the powder keg, requiring only the smallest spark to ignite what could be a war to end all wars.[/i]

[u]Housecleaning Rules[/u]
1: Basic guild rules, let’s be sensible people.
2: Keep arguing out of the OOC, if it’s to do with the RP then let me know and I shall mediate between both parties to find an outcome, if it’s personal then just leave it out altogether.
3: My decision is FINAL. I will not have people argue with me or make snide comments, I am happy to listen to suggestions and your opinion but actually if you don't like my decision that much, leave.
4: I’m happy for there to be some language and some gore but nothing over the top, angry characters swearing is fine, swearing for the sake of swearing is a no go.
5: Enjoy.

[u]Mechanics[/u]
So in regards to posting, this will be mostly free form. You will have some stats and numbers to work with however these don't need to be posted at the end of each of your posts and I don’t need you too remember numbers, since I will do it for you! So feel free to take anyone’s perspective (Within your own nation of course) and make or change any laws and policy. One thing I do want you to do is put a quick summary of what you have done at the end of each of your posts in a hider. It may look ugly and be a pain but I need to get updates out and run this like a well-oiled machine and some days I just don't have the time to read through 1-3 pages of IC and work out what is happening. The first post in the IC will be mine, a quick check list of stats which I will keep updated and an introductory set of events and the like. After that it will be fair game. Try  not to leave anyone behind in IC though. In regards to building a nation there is a basic sheet to work from. From there you will choose traits from the list I have provided. Each traits either adds or minuses to your total score and you have to end on a score of 0 or higher. And you can only choose up to two traits that neither add or minus from your score. Each trait will be in the list below and have a basic explanation as to its overall effect. You will also get +3 as a starting point. In regards to advancing industry or building ships etc. I am going to go off of a law of ‘Be Sensible’ I don't expect you to work out a cost but if you have a poor GDP (My way of putting a number to economy) and then say you are building 5 new Dreadnoughts then I will take issue.

[u]Map[/u]
[img]http://forum.profantasy.com/extensions/InlineImages/image.php?AttachmentID=2523[/img]
Map is in, roughly, three parts. The left third is Edoniras, the middle third is Kashtaken (Our pseudo-America continent), and the right third is Modensa.(Our pseudo-Asia continent)

[hider=Traits]
[u]Army:[/u]
Large Army: Your nation maintains an army that is huge in size, it dwarfs your average rival’s. -2
Small Army: Only a relatively small army is employed by your nation. +2
Professional Army: Your nations prides itself on an extensive training programme and fine equipment for its armed forces. -3
Outdated Army: Your men are armed poorly, with weapons that misfire and break, and sometimes they aren’t even armed with guns at all, shortages being common place. +3 
Conscription: Your army is large but filled with the untrained rabble known as conscripts. They are huge in number but poor at fighting, untrained and break easily. -1
Ambitious Generals: Your generals all want a piece of glory. Sometimes even going to backstabbing each other and arriving to another’s aid ‘late’. +1
Never been out of the Village: Your men almost never leave their own borders. Weather change, foreign climates, it’s all alien to them and they struggle to adapt. +2

[u]Navy:[/u]
King of the Seas: Your nation has a glorious Maritime history and many grand ships fill your docks and sailors are viewed as heroes in the eye of the public. -3
Scared of Water: Your nation has never been one for their sea legs. Many naval loses and ship disasters have left your people un-supporting of any venture in which they need to leave the sight of land. +3
Sealegs: Your sailors have spent some time at sea and so can deal with storms and rough weather better than those of other nations. -1
Landlubbers: Your sailors don't exactly train on a boat, boarding and marine forces perform slightly worse due to the moving deck. +1
Dreadnought Fleet: Dreadnaughts are the new ocean behemoths and your nation see’s them as a needed expense. -2
Rusted Hulls: Your nation sees a navy upkeep as unneeded and so most of your ships are in partial, or total, disrepair and will require a large amount of money to be battle worthy or very seaworthy. +2

[u]Economy/Industry[/u]
Trading Hub: Your country is a home for trade and many ships either pass through or make birth in your ports. -3
‘Off the Beaten Track’: Next to no traders try and visit you, only those on government order. Sometimes it’s not even worth having an import tax. +3
Fertile Fields: Your nation has carefully maintained large fields of gold and brown whih supply yourself, and parts of the world with agrarian goods. -2
Depleted Resources: After years of exploitation your mines are dry, woods levelled and ground dead. Your land now only produces enough for the most rural of workshops to provide for itself. +2
Strong Industry: Factories reach into the sky and spew forth smoke 24/7. Your goods are produced quickly and effectively. -2
Fighting the Times: Your nation is not industrialised o any great scale. A few big factories exist in the cities however most of your goods are still produced rurally. Making output low and cost high, but quality high too. +1
Free Market: Your economy is not controlled by the state, it can fluctuate completely freely. This means that it can rise incredibly quickly making you very rich, however you are vulnerable to recessions and collapses. -1
State Controlled Economy: Your market is controlled by your ruler, every business is state owned and all works are employed by the state, you are less vulnerable to crashes in the market however with the lack of competition your country advances more slowly and the economy rises more slowly. +1

[u]Misc:[/u]
Minor Colonial Empire: Your nation was late to the land grab and so only some small coastal regions are your colonies. -2
Major Colonial Empire: Your nation epitomises ‘Colonial Power’ with large swathes of land under your control on different continents. -3
Local Empire: Your land in Edoniras is vast and takes in many of the different cultures and peoples. -3
“I’m not a racist but…”: Your people are disgusted by anyone outside of their own borders and this has massive ramifications in war, trade and general diplomacy. +1 [/hider]

[u]Nation Sheets[/u]
Nations Name:
Flag:
Form of Government:
Describe the System: (Describe how your country is run in some more detail.)
Location on Map Desired: (You may not get exactly what you want.)
Capital: (Please point out where in your land you would like this and your other settlements to be otherwise I will put them all on your borders for easy access of an invading army.)
Important Settlements:
Description: (Describe an average city in your nation. Culture, language, currency etc.)
Important Characters:
Traits:
Army: (I will roll this, population, navy, GDP and stability.)
Navy:
GDP:
Stability:
Population:

Interested Parties and their current status in this:
[@Bright_Ops] - Awaiting Start
[@duck55223] - Awaiting Start
[@Keyguyperson] - Awaiting Start
[@Iluvatar] - Awaiting Start
[@MrFoxNews] - Awaiting Start
[@Murtox] - Awaiting Start
[@Bastone] - Awaiting Start
[@eemmtt] - Awaiting Start