Current
Can't believe that I actually got an RP close to its endgame, btw...
4
likes
22 days ago
Noble Arms is now either four years old, or three years and eleven months. The third thread had lasted for more than one year.
1
like
1 mo ago
New Interest Check, everybody!
2 mos ago
My Roleplay, Noble Arms: The ASEAN War, will reach its 4th year in June or July. It's been a long journey.
1
like
2 mos ago
Despite its massive flaws, my RP, Noble Arms: The ASEAN War, is still one of the longest ongoing RPs in RPGuild - It turns 4 years old in July and the current thread itself is more than a year old.
Big thanks. I'll try and work up a sheet on my phone while I wait for Amazon to send me a new charger for my laptop.
So far I'm thinking that the Netherlands managed to do fairly well after the great war given it had been spared the wars ravages on manpower and personnel. While still suffering from the depression in Europe the Dutch managed to make a pretty penny off oil, rubber, and other cash crops or resources from the east indies and managed to get through the worst of it.
With that I'd say the depression in Europe promoted significant Dutch immigration to the colonies for work, something which helped to solidify the Netherlands rule. Moreover the depression saw the ethical policy weakened, something that likely damaged the formation of Indonesian national consciousness as was the case in reality.
I'm thinking the current situation in the Europe would be a fairly rich but militarily lacking Netherlands while the state of affairs in the colonies would be one of increasing dissent. I imagine the bulk of the Dutch military would be in the colonies at rp start as a result of this.
It seems we will be in conflict then; I am Philippines.
Ahhh... we're trying to free up the colonies as much as possible...
...but I personally think it would be okay to allow the Netherlands to keep theirs. A British player could probably keep some colonies too, just not all of them.
Location: IRL Philippines. No Sabah...yet. Spratly Islands are Japanese despite me claiming them.
History: The Philippines was colonized by Spain, whose oppression welded together the disaprate peoples of the Islands into one nation, nay, one civilization. When the Philippines rose up in revolt, America then stepped in to help, then betray the rebels and make common cause with the rich landowners to undermine the revolution and set up a new colony that served its interests. That said, there were constructive elements to the US Occupation, such as in education and health care, as well as infrastructure. And credit where credit is due, the US did try and prepare the Philippines for Independence, acknowledging the skills of some of its people. Nevertheless, the Colonial Government's alliance with the rich landowners, who acquired estates larger than major cities under the American's tutelage, led to an unjust economic arrangement.
And when America went into civil war in the 30s, just after the end of the Great War, the people who were discontented with this state of things began to organize, led by one Gregorio Aglipay*, a former Catholic Priest who broke from the Vatican to establish his own Church, the Iglesia Filipina Independente (this was in the 1910s). Aglipay had Socialist and Communist leanings despite the two ideologies' hostility to religion, but rejected them to form his own ideology of 'Aglipayan Counciliarism', which stated that smallholder farmers and networks of small worker-owned businesses were the best organization of society, but that a strong, federally-organized government with a substantial armed force was needed to ensure the destruction of monopolies and the even distribution of largeese. This central government, however, would be elected bottom-up by the people and locally-organized councils.
Aglipay was also a married man (just like in the IRL Timeline, but earlier) due to his Church rejecting clerical celibacy and moving closer to Episcopalian and 'Old Catholic' theology. He had a wife, and through her, a daugther, Priscilla Aglipay, who in turn married one Manuel Rizal (both Priscilla and Manuel did not exist IRL), son of Paciano Rizal, brother of Jose Rizal, the National Hero of the Philippines. Priscilla was a finely educated woman, and also, to her father's surprise, physically strong and naturally assertive. Thus, she had been taken into his confidence and even taught how to use weapons and ride a horse and drive motorcars in her youth, and her new husband encouraged such things. And later on, she and Manuel joined Gregorio in founding the Second Katipunan, or Pangalawang Kataas-taasan, Kagalang-galangang Katipunan (PKKK).
The Second Katipunan was a revolutionary organization founded upon the rules of Anti-Monopolism, which meant overthrowing the landed estates and over-mighty corporations that were supported by the Americans, just as said support was weakening. This organization, founded on a network of cells with strong rules of secrecy, spread like wildfire as the United States withdrew the last of its troops due to its internal conflict. As the landed classes were divided on whether to declare their own 'Republic', seek Japanese 'tutelage', or do both as a protectorate, the Second Katipunan struck in a coordinated revolt. Workers ceased working, soldiers mutinied, and the peasants declared war on their landlords. The rich and powerful tried to resist using mercenary gangs of private militias, but the civil war, though brief and brutal, was won by the PKKK.
But Gregorio Aglipay and Manuel Rizal were not there to see it, having lost their lives in the conflict. Priscilla Aglipay-Rizal, however, did, having found herself the most powerful woman in the Philippines. But instead of setting herself up as a dictator like she could have done, she instead set up free and fair elections that included her last remaining opponents; this enabled her to legitimately win the title of 'Lady President'. She then began the process of dismantling the landed estates, supporting the smallholders left behind, creating networks of worker-owned businesses, and establishing 'necessary' state-owned enterprises in areas where economies of scale were important, such as arms production, mining, and shipbuilding. Not merely that, but she also began establishing fellow Aglipayan Counciliarism (later renamed into Priscilline Conciliarist) movements in other post-colonial nations.
Other: The Philippine Military is made up of a 'regular army' of 40,000 men and women, and reservists and paramilitaries numbering 200,000 men and women (including independent women's units).
The Navy is composed of various ships 'left behind' by the US Asiatic Fleet during the final stages of the American Withdrawal and the Second Philippine Revolution:
Bangko Sentral Ng Pilipinas/Central Bank of the Philippines Headquarters - A 1920s' Art Deco building built 20 years after the 1920s as a show of strength by the remaining bourgeois elements in the Philippines. Now, the Central Bank is backing the newly-minted 'May 25th Movement' as a source of opposition to the ruling 'New Philippines Party'...
Misc:
Basically, the constitutional setup of the Federal Republic of the Philippines is a combination of the US, IRL Rojava, and even some of the more libertarian, council-based aspects of Hou's government.
Basically, the Federal Republic of the Philippines devolves most power to local communities and Worker Co-Operatives, and there are references to a 'Muslim Congress' for Mindanao. But direct democracy without an electoral college is used for the election of the President and (Federal) Congress. The Judicial Branch, meanwhile, is organized like Rojava's at the bottom (with the lowest courts being elected by the local community), and the US' system at the top (the Supreme Court). However, in-between the two are the 'Travelling Courts', mobile assemblies of lawyers and judges all trained in the law who meditate between the lower courts and the higher ones; preventing the former from becoming too insular or covering for the crimes of local members, while keeping the higher courts from getting too out of touch with the people.
The Death Penalty is abolished and prisons contain mostly people charged of grievous crimes like murder or rape. Actually, yeah, there are local, democratically-elected assemblies at the lowest level, and a Federal Assembly elected by the people themselves (most of them). To prevent either from stagnating, I am thinking of a class of 'mobile representatives' that move in-between each village, town and city to listen to problems and meditate between people; that or I can just have each 'regional assembly' change seats of power every so often.
=======
Philippines Nation Update
Domestic Events
The Philippines has pursued a policy of land reform and agricultural subsidization, as well as the introduction of new 'low-tech' inventions like charcoal briquettes made from the refuse from sugarcane processing. It has also acquired new crops like Teff, and new varieties of Coffee and Sugar in order to boost productivity. New agricultural techniques, including a system of raised platforms and water-filled trenches, have also been researched, and despite weaknesses in other areas, the country is producing a surplus of food and agricultural products.
Infrastructure continues to be modest, but surprisingly good, with the Bangko Sentral/Central Bank funding the construction of new roads and even a renovated railway for the transport of export goods as Priscilline Concilliarism is more lenient to trade and foriegn exchange than Houist Communism. Cottage Industry, primarily dedicated to the production of bootleg Russian guns, is flourishing all across the islands, due to the needs of defense. Civilian shipbuilding is enjoying a minor boom, as armed merchant ships are a requirement for travel from Manila to Kolkata.
Politics continues to be racous but healthily democratic, with mid-term elections being followed by the sudden resignation of the country's 12-year President, Priscilla Aglipay-Rizal. This has led to the next Presidential election being contested by Archibald Santos, agricultural scientist and member of Priscilla's New Philippines Party, and Aurelia Dizon, a rich landowner who was allowed to keep part of her estates in exchange for her allegiance during the Second Philippine Revolution. Aurelia has attained surprising appeal by promising electric lighting to the country...and actually following through on her promise.
Despite this, Archibald maintains an early lead in the polls, and the race is likely to be close.
And finally, one factor remains with corrupt Workers' Co-operatives in Subic Bay, whose policies of exploiting child and immigrant labor have earned them the ire of all sides. These corrupt Co-operatives are searching for Japanese aid in order to betray their own country...
Foriegn Policy
The Philippines' current policy is to put up a wall of allies in Southeast Asia, starting with Vietnam, where the Priscilline Concilliarist Lady Trung has the allegiance of Hanoi and the North, and has advanced to the city of Vinh, her hometown. A treaty has also been signed with the People's Republic of Thailand in order to blockade the reactionary forces (Capitalist Vietnamese and Capitalist French Remnants), thus tightening the noose on the obstacles to a strong and stable Vietnamese ally to the Islands.
To the Philippines' south, in North Borneo, two claimants to the Sultanate of Sulu fight; the first is Al-Hakam Kiram, a Filipino Citizen who is the spiritual head of all Muslims in the Philippines, while the second is Mubarak Kiram, his brother. Mubarak Kiram has taken control of Sabah/North Borneo and installed a reactionary Muslim Fundamentalist regime there, and plans to invade Philippine Sulu in order to restore the old Sultanate. Al-Hakam Kiram, however, has resources of his own, and is waging a war against his brother using pirates and rebels.
Trade-wise, the Philippines has an odd friendship with Rhodesia. Aurelia Dizon, Opposition Leader and candidate for President, has managed to pass a bill forming 'Special Economic Zones' where foriegn businesses, like Rhodesia's Cornell Tobacco Company, would be allowed to do commerce within 'semi-normal' conditions. This treaty was further sweetened by the Cornell Company selling several 'civilian planes' to Aurelia's plantation...many of which Aurelia gave away to the Phillippine Air Force to convert into military craft in case of Japanese Invasion.
Ethiopia, too, has taken an interest in the Philippines; with the African Kingdom gifting one of its Battleships (acquired in the aftermath of the Great War) to the Island Nation after being paid to do so by the United States, the Philippines' former colonial overlord. The US' reasoning was that despite the Philippines' breakaway status, a Japanese or Chinese hegemony over the West Pacific was worse.
@Pepperm1nts, What about taking Vladivostok and selling the Russian Pacific Fleet to the Philippines? We have gold, copper, zinc and cobalt, as well as foodstuffs.
Archibald Santos was born to a middle-class family of import-export traders in Manila who had prospered in peace under the American occupation, and even gave their son an English name as a sign that they wanted to emulate the people who had, for all their flaws, brought peace and order to the Philippines. Archibald was even given a scholarship to study in the United States itself, due to his' doing well in his studies at home. With naive anticipation, he had allowed himself to be shipped via boat and train to Minneapolis, where he had met a brilliant fellow student, Norman Borlaug. Borlaug and him were friends, despite the attitude of the campus towards Nonwhites, and both of them cooperated in advancing agricultural research.
But as the Great Depression drew on, and the Second American Civil War began to rumble, Archibald Santos had to leave the University of Minneapolis, leaving behind his friend to die in a riot against the MacArthur Junta. By then, however, there were irreconcilable differences between their approaches that would have led to enmity had he stayed and his friend lived.
Archibald walked through the dirt trails criss-crossing the new 'experimental farms' the Government had leased from the local smallholders, wearing only a simple white shirt and tough jeans - only his glasses, clipboard, and escort of aides marked him as an official. As he did so, the middle-aged man mused about those irreconcilable differences. Borlaug wanted to develop new breeds of rice and wheat, to spread the use of fertilizers and pesticides all across the world. Archibald wanted to use more potatoes and sweet potatoes in agriculture, agruing for their nutritional superiority to rice and grain. As he and his escort stopped to record the amount of crops being harvested, Archibald mused that he hadn't changed his mind; he had just included new and better ways of farming rice in his own agricultural revolution.
Looking around him, Archibald can now see that the farmers had adopted his recommendations well, constructing a system of deep sinks and raised beds*, the former which took in water in the rainy seasons and allowed for the farming of rice and ginger (there were deeper ponds for fish), and the latter which allowed for the growth of dryland crops, including the Sigarilyas/Winged Bean**, a plant that, just like peas and other legumes, added to the fertility of the soil by naturally extracting nitrogen from the air. Another plant Borlaug had neglected in favor of rice and wheat.
One of the farmers waved at him; it was Danilo, the headman of the nearby village. He had been the person Archibald had to pay to change the way he and his people dug up their fields and rice paddies and adopt this new 'Filipino Cropping System'. Now, carrying a large sack of rice over his shoulder, Danilo approached him, saying:
"Kaibigan (Friend)! You were right! Not just that, but the next village - the one you paid to plant potatoes, they're having the best harvest of their lives as well!" The brown-faced, wrinkled farmer, clad in a mud-stained white shirt and red trousers - how like a Katipunero - was smiling at Archibald, but did not show him any deference. That was what the Agriculturalist was going for. Archibald smiled widely, gave his clipboard to one of his aides, and embraced Danilo, getting his booted feet wet in the mud too.
The embrace lasted for a few brief moment, before Archibald said, "So, will you spread the word? The Federal Government cannot pay every vilage to change the way they do things." Or keep the stuff that does work; Borlaug would have advised farmers to buy fertilizer from abroad instead of just using crop rotation.
Danilo continued to smile; a signal of agreement, before he said, "So, want to eat dinner with my family?"
Archibald's grin was wide as he thought of how increased agricultural profits had allowed Danilo and his village to afford brick houses instead of just straw huts. "Sure; can my aides come?"
Danilo would have balked in olden days, but with the rich harvest he had received just now, and the profits that had come from adopting this new way of planting crops, he can now afford such expense. He extended his hand to Archibald for him to shake, and said: "My wife and children would be happy to receive your group."
Archibald would then muse; once dinner was done, he planned to announce a new gift; a set of new plows made up of steel mixed with chromium, made as a proof-of-concept by the Federal Steel Enterprise. That ought to be a surprise...
Member
Bacon
RPM
esqueleto
QJT
PrinceAlexus
ASDAValueMilk
IAmTheIsland