Stealing the idea from SyrianHamster.
Map
Supreme General Crimson Grey of Noravea has ruled the nation for almost half a century, and is well into his 80's.
A ruthless dictator by trade, he swept to power in a military coup that culminated in the untold murder of thousands of political opponents and resulted in total oppression. Ever since, he has ruled with an iron first, suppressing the people mercilessly and ignoring the international community's half hearted attempts at restraining his barbaric reign.
But after a global economic meltdown, Hurphia's people fell on especially hard times. Starvation was rife, as the nation's economy totally collapsed, and international sanctions finally took their toll.
The peoples took to the streets, demanding democracy and for Crimson Grey's removal from power. Naturally, he responded with fighter jets, armoured columns and indiscriminate shelling. Tens of thousands died in what was known as the Four Weeks of Crimson. With any chance of peaceful revolution crushed in this despicable military crack down, the people were faced with little choice but to revolt.
All across the nation, terrorist cells quickly swelled into self-styled armies, taking the fight directly to local government forces. The civil war swept across the country, creating a grave humanitarian crisis for those caught between the fighting forces.
However, the revolutionaries are divided along political and ideological lines, and they have fractured into smaller groups. Noravea is now a cauldron of death and destruction.
Under intense media and public pressure, the world's governments formed a united peace keeping force, and dispatched it to the country with all haste. The exodus of the Noravens was dragging down the already weak economic recovery of the entire region and Crimson had made heavy investment in ballistic missiles and chemical weapons which might fall into the hands of anyone, such a threat for international security would cause further lost of confidence in the markets and no doubt further complications, everyone knew it would be better if Crimson remained in power but under the inevitability of his downfall, they decided to intervene.
The peace keeping forces, termed PEACEFOR, arrived in Noravea promptly and immediately set about destroying Crimson Grey's forces. However, the old dictator was stubborn, and committed his vast but under equipped army to defeating the invaders, leaving the core provinces lightly defended.
It is here that the rebel factions will finally have a chance at establishing themselves as true territorial powers. First they must take the oil fields, the airports, the docks, the strategic hubs and the industrial areas, before rolling on towards Noravea's capital, before their future is dictated by international powers.
-[D-Day -57 years] End of the Great War, Noravea gains some land from Cartania without opposition for it was on the winning side alongside with Laurentia while Northland remained Neutral. Noravea however, had been promised much more but is pressured by the Allied Nations to back down.
-[D-Day -54 years] Insatisfaction from the outcome of the war becomes unrest after a terrible harvest. Elections bring about many parties with few seats and a coalition isn't able to form. Two other elections are held in 7 months with the same results. The King dissolves parliament and brings in the army.
-[D-Day -53 years] The King and his family are killed in a coup. Colonel Martelus, Bornel and Gray march on the capital and declare a temporary military Junta while order is re-established, military intervention from Cartania to regain its land ends with retreat after a month due to international pressure.
-[D-Day -50 years] Martelus signs peace with an independent Wilhelmsland, a month later he has Bornel executed and tries to do the same with now General Crimson Gray to declare himself Supreme General. Gray's men prove too loyal however and Gray marches on the capital, declaring himself Supreme General instead and vows to retake Wilhelmsland after Martelus committed treason by granting its independence, war continues.
-[D-Day -47 years] The war ends with Wilhelmsland surrendering Taralba and Eastwood, but existing still. With Noravea exhausted from the war, it calls it a victory.
-[D-Day -20 years] Oil is found off the shore of Pleuria.
-[D-Day -17 years] Enriched and rearmed with the discovery of oil, Gray goes to another war with Wilhelmsland, now under the leadership of the son of the first President for Life that liberated the province first. The war is swift and ends after a series of major engagement while the advance stops at Southport. Wilhelmsland knew prolongation of the war could only end badly and Noravea prefered to end it quickly as it still had the Allied Nations breathing down its neck. Trade Sanctions begin to rain after that.
-[D-Day -8 years] Gray starts its program of weapons of mass destruction alongside ballistic missiles to deliver them, the Allied Nations send another wave of sanctions isolating Noravea even more.
-[D-day -9 months] A very bad harvest once again destabilizes the country, sanctions preventing it from buying food on the international markets.
-[D-Day -7 weeks] The harvest is terrible for a second year running and people riot in the streets, it takes 4 bloody weeks to put down the revolution, the 'Four Weeks of Crimson'.
-[D-Day -4 days] The Allied Nation security council manages to pass a resolution: 'Gray must surrender any chemical weapons, accept investigators to look for WMDs and war crimes and step down from power to hold free elections under the watch of international observers within seven days, or else.' The PCA and the FRE, through one of its member states, permanent members of the security council of the Allied Nations accept with the mention that this isn't a hidden trigger for war but the LSS and its main ally the GBU certainly don't act like it, moving forces to the countries around Noravea.
-[D-Day -??] It's been 4 days since the AN made its ultimatum and there will be 3 more until it expires. The reservists are mobilized and at the ready for a war that seems inevitable. The war will probably be in more than those 3 days however, the time the AN actually decides something, the wheels of democracies turn and so forth.
Players take on the roll of a faction,region as their base of operations, and then war with each other or the government forces for control over vital resources. Each region has a resource, whether its oil refineries, arms factories, docks, airports - anything of value to your cause.
Other than the above mumbo jumbo, it plays like any other NRP. Nurse your faction to strength through the eyes of your cell leaders, militant commanders, spies etc etc as you blow loads of things up and push back the government's army (or each others) in a quest to establish your own country with your own ideals.
This is a fictional environment, not set on Earth, but set in equivalent of the 90's. Threfore I'll allow for copy/pasting Earth military equipment, although renaming them might help with immersion. Alternatively, I'm all up for custom units.
As the main focus are the rebels, stuff will be pretty tacky until we secure arms factories and the like. Also, they might be able to import some advanced weaponry from sympathetic countries via docks and airports. We'll just make it up as we go I guess, and see how things pan out.
Each provinces has its own resources and strategic locations with the crowning jewel being Concordia. Most of these strategic elements will be revealed when the RP starts. Why? Because the map is also divided by religious, ethnic and ideological backgrounds. Your faction will be based on those firstly although I encourage players to invent these cultural factors by themselves, but: Please don't make your own ethnicity and religion for each group, lets have a few ones and divide ourselves between them.
-Aiona:
'If Aiona's drug fields grew corn no one in Noravea would starve!' goes the saying. While it is probably not the case, the region has been left for the last years to economical ruin by the world sanctions and it is acurate to say that over 65% of all economical activities there are crime related. These people scrape by while the strongest gang takes the lion's share: General Janus' soldiers.
--Ashden:
Main city of the province although not the residence of the military governor. It used to be a big pharmaceutical town but it was reconverted in the world's largest Heroin production hub and when the sanctions made it impossible to get opiates to refine, people got creative and created a new synthetic drug: Permonid.
--Kinwell:
The heart of Darkness, General's Janus' stronghold. Quite literally since his HQ is in the old castle atop of the hill. It is the province's main armory and drug depot, it also maintains a small heliport at the disposal of General Janus to terrorise the population.
--Blackwood:
The 'dirty backdoor' to Noravea from Northland, the city gets all the trash going from Northland to Noravea, being it sexual tourists or illegal weapon shipment. It is however, an entrance only.
--Loxhall:
The drug pipe going to Northland, it's transit capacity is much less than Blackwood, but people here know to never ever ask questions about whatever they might see go through here and the Northland border patrols are easy to dodge.
--Foxcaster:
Ironic that the country's largest prison would also be in it's most criminal province. The place is built like a fortress and hosts mainly not criminals but political prisoners, all of them more than willing to fight back the regime most likely. Still, like in the entire province, there's something very wrong going on here. After all, it received 3 times its maximal capacity in the last year and still more people get sent to Foxcaster.
--Langhurst:
One of the more legitimate place to trive in the province is still based on illegal car scrapping and refurbishing. Still, despite its alure as a scrapyard and the hillbilly look of its citizens, Langhurst has a rare expertise in mechanic that can be used to repair and maintain almost any vehicle, civil or otherwise.
-Avalonia:
The land of Steel, it is dotted by mining settlements that send their ore to the foundries and steel workshops. It is hilly at best and montainous at worst and many abandonned mines are interconnected by tunnels to one another, making fighting there a nightmare.
--Ersegard:
Home of Governor Cromwell who's top priority is to keep the steel mills of the city running, an essential part of the military industry. He concentrates his troops in the main settlements and counts on the fact that his infrastructures are too critical to risk destroying to defend them with a lacking force.
--Jaynestown:
A place that sucks a lot of power from Enfield, it houses a modern Aluminum mill. It's use of electricity to produce components doesn't stop there however and it produces vast quantities of Liquid Hydrogen useful to fuel Rockets, from smaller anti-tank weapons to larger Ballistic Missiles.
--Lichterhof:
The smell of rotten eggs comes from the town's main production: Explosive components. From fire works to military grade explosives, the town is guarded by a sizeable amount of soldiers that don't hesitate to use the assets stocked there to fight back any attacker. Sabotage could be devastating here but the soldiers hold the worker's family hostage: The factories are destroyed, everyone dies.
--Niederguard:
Far away from any settlement, but also close enough to the train track to transport heavy equipment, Niederguard hosts the so called 'Cosmodrome' of Noravea, used for 'peaceful space exploration'. It is thus the main research center for missile technologies and hosts scientists, their famillies, experimental radars, a small air base and a whole bunch of guards with jumpy trigger fingers: Anyone seen is shot on sight.
--Unterberg:
People here have a hard time believing war is near, they read Laurentian journals and speak fluently the language of their western neighbors due to the constant trade there was before and a bit after the economic sanctions. Right now it is packed tight with starving refugees hopping to jump the border to Laurentia.
-Bretonia:
The future of Noravea, now! Massive investments were made to make what was a wilderness into a model of what Noravea would be, its massive hydroelectric projects dwarfing anything else around. Here, everything seems new even if the population is still pretty low. The urban environements aren't the same either, they show large open spaces and parks rather than tight alleyways.
--Enfield:
The main dam that stands defiant in front of Cartania, people here still follow the government out of fear of the bigger enemy across the lake that would flood half the country side. Here, the architecture is tricky: Every buildings double as a fortress, the wide streets allow the tactical maneuvering of tanks and the angles prevent effective bombing. The battle here will be long and fierce.
--Hazelburn:
A new model military base, it is built mostly underground and is equiped to face air raids and bombardments, with many redundent radars, entrances and exits as well as elevators for the helicopters, hidden inside.
--Westdam:
A large infrastructure project that included digging an entirely new river, it seemed that Gray wanted to flood Cartania completely. The ressources are now used elsewhere but what's already there: Multiple building material as well as trucks and bulldozers are still stored there with minimal guard until the contruction restarts.
--Riverhurst:
The smaller brother of the Enfield Dam, built to contain possible flooding in case the Enfield Dam is damaged and produce some electricity. A flourishing town was built around, since the zone is well suited to agriculture, probably one of the most self sufficient place in the nation.
-Concordia:
Seat of Gray's power, it is the crown jewel of the country and thus far, rebellion has been contained by crushing military presence. The army may have mostly left to defend the country, but the police is still brutal and enforces a 8PM curfew and forbids large gathering of people with lethal measures.
--Concordia:
Anyone claiming Noravea as a country must hold Concordia and by doing so will also control it's largest shipping port, airport and, if it isn't burned to the ground, all the data held by the Secret Police and the Ministry of War. It is governed by Gray himself and hosts a sizeable part of his fanatic Red Guard which currently roams as Death Squad.
--Tivarfell:
A riviera that hosts the house of the rich and powerful members and friends of the regime, the wealth here is great, the wealth the Offshore account passwords which may be found here might be greater still. Everyone there is completely loyal to the regime and the rest of the Red Guard is based there.
--Arden:
Main military airbase of the country to cover both Concordia and Pleuria in case of air attack, it houses both jets and helicopters as well as fuel to keep them going for a time.
--Marston:
Home of the main Concordian power grid supplier, it houses a gigantic electricity plan powered by Pleurian Oil.
--Flamewood:
Second power supplier, this one uses Vesperian Coal.
--Fairhaven:
The skyline of the city is mostly interesting by the large radar station next to it which covers both the Eastern Sea and the North East airspace with extreme accuracy, although it is capable of seeing all air movement in the country.
--Ilwell:
Another town doing well for itself, its main thing is of course the medical production complex which provides the country with the majority of its medicine.
-East Wood:
Another dead province, it used to cultivate an economy based around ship building but not many ships are needed anymore. People here suffer from high unemployment and blame the government for it.
--Eastport:
A few empty shells show the work that was going on to produce new ships for Gray but the hammering of the drydocks have stopped. Still, a surprising lot of expertise to be found here as ship building involved much knowledge in radar, engineering and gun building.
--Osthaven:
The place where the ship's huge turrets were assembled to be sent via special train to Eastport to be mounted, it was now reconverted in a standard artillery factory, producing some of the largest pieces of the country.
--Southwich:
An old town with old buildings, among them the Arsenal of Southwich built inside an old cathedral 50 years ago when tension with Wilhelmsland were high to arm the conscripts. The equipment stored there is considered obsolete, going so far as to be bolt action rifles and it would take a lot of work to make the tanks roll, which is probably why it is guarded only by a token force.
-Kingsland:
Used to be the capital of wood in the country but since they cut down all the forests the province tried to go to agriculture without success due to lack of irrigation. It's economy is grinding to a halt these days.
--Kingston:
Home of a friend of Gray serving as the governor, he single handedly made the country's second largest trade port a shadow of itself with his incompetance and corruption. Still, the infrastructures are there.
--Redwell:
The most economically active town of the province, it produces paper from the wood of Guildly to send to the printers of Kindale.
--Kindale:
Home of the journals, its printers have however stopped recently after the workers have gone on strike.
-Pleuria:
Land of oil, all its activities turn around it or around Northland, the border river is afterall reputed uncrossable outside of the few bridges on it, all mined to explode in a moment's notice.
--Northport:
He who controls Northport controls the underwater pipelines extracting the precious black gold. It's a boom town built around the construction of offshore platforms to be anchored on the sea floor, but still too many people moved there in hope for a better life and now half of the city is a slum.
--Eastwich:
The refineries producing enough gas for a nation and more. Of course heavily guarded as its lost or worst, destruction, would signify a large oil supply problem and maybe one of the worst ecological disaster of this century.
--Bridgewater:
Here the Northlanders and Noraven look at each other from the shores of the river, a bridge tying the two cities together. Here the people tend to curse the oil that drove a wedge between them as engineers are mining the bridge and light artillery batteries are getting into position to bomb any attempt at crossing.
--Cheton:
A petrochemical complex of importance due to its production of ultra-efficient fertilizers. It is only now entering production scale and is one of the little known effort of Gray to stabilize the country.
-Pomorum:
The most urban region after Concordia, it is also the province that always was the most rebelious and thus, which suffered the most lately.
--Varisso:
It's been burning for weeks, the new governor, Janus, also governor of Aiona, ordered to protect only the important infrastructure to show the people to obey. Here people openly fight the regime already, tired of slaving away to build the tanks of the regime in the country's large automotive factories. The international airport is now closed, only hosting jets and helicopters not flying a mile away to drop bombs.
--Presford:
The Presford base is the mobilisation point for the nation's reservist and is currently flooded with armed reservists which's moral and will to fight is doubtful, also one of the largest infantry armoury of the nation.
--Henburgh:
Millions of bullets go out of there every day, it is defended by a sizeable force besieging Varisso and also hosts the biggest guns of the country as they shell Verisso day and night.
--Keldmoor:
A small hydroelectric dam to provide some more juice to the east, it also controls the flow of water to Varisso and its countryside. General Janus wanted to either flood or starve Varisso of water but Gray himself had to remember him it would damage all the cities down the stream, including Concordia.
--Newburn:
Noravea's planes and attack helicopters are imported, but it still produces some of its own helicopters and cargo planes. All heavy lifters and using propeller, but useful non the less. Newburn produces these.
--Oakdale:
Forward Outpost of the Counter Terrorist Operation Bureau, it is officially there to train people to hunt down terrorists in the Vesperian mountains, but it mainly deals with tracking down the Northlander infiltrators that love to pass the border during the night. Taking this place down would allow Northland to act with more ease but would also provide the most intelligence outside of the Concordia Ministry buildings.
--Hewel:
A place of production for industrial Dye and Insecticides, it helps make better crops and good looking clothes, but the biproducts are extremely toxic and known to go somewhere... south, in Sylvania, with military escort.
-Rothland:
Choking on military installations, Gray knows PEACEFOR will employ tanks to break him but the only place where it would be practical to do a large scale attack with them would be in the Birchhurst gap, hills between the Westhausen river and Sylvan forest. Watch out for mines.
--Rothgard:
Built right on the border with Laurentia, you can almost see PEACEFOR assemble there. Rothgard was fortified to buy time. It would be in an ideal position to cut off an attack south by moving a large mechanized offensive accross open ground so it must be dealt with first, the war hasn't really begun until Rothgard falls.
--Altenhof:
Air base built to respond to Laurentian attacks and maybe strike back at them... The villagers report it is strangely undermanned.
--Birchhurst:
The heart of Gray's gambit to fight back PEACEFOR, if he can win at Birchhurst it could force the industrialized world to commit hundreds of thousands of soldiers, something it really doesn't want. He has thus stocked there his most advanced equipment to give a surprise to the would be invaders.
-Southmarch:
Used to be part of Wilhelmsland until 40 years ago. Old defensive works point north, while newer bases point south, for Gray believes Wilhelmsland can be dealt with swiftly on the offensive.
--Annesport:
Built as the HQ of the fleet, some thought of moving it north but that would be too costly and the Admirals prefered to be based as far away from Northland as possible. A navy was astronomically expensive, especially one that could stand its ground, having it cornered in port would have been humiliating. Thus Annesport holds the majority of the warships as well as an air base and the supply bases to mount an invasion south in Wilhelmsland's heartlands.
--Hartington:
The lost of Hatington hurt a lot Wilhelmsland, since from the days the two countries were one 50 years ago, it produced the trains of the kingdom. Keeping it running has been hard without the close distance of Wilhelmsland steel mills but as long as the line to Avalonia remains undisturbed it keeps on running.
--Dunby:
Probably rightfully called a terrorist training camp, people here venomously hate everything Noravean and somehow are always able to gather parts from the great battle of Dunby, 50 years ago, from the weaks of the hundreds of tanks left with a memorial on the open fields. These old tank shells make for excellent IEDs and some spare parts could maybe help to get tanks in working order.
--Southport:
Wilhelmsland never admited that Southport was a part of its country no longer. Gray can only be amused since this means that the sanctions applied to him don't apply there. Commerce flows and people try to get last minute deals before the war begins.
--Easthey:
Very fertile fields that are unfortunately only barely exploited, Gray found it too risky to invest there if tanks might roll over the crops at any moment. With some work, could feed a small army.
-Sylvania:
The remotest part of the country, it is almost entirely covered by forest and simply no vehicle will move anywhere else but on the roads. It is also the rumored location of the government secret chemical weapon design bunker as would suggest the helicopters frequently flying above the woods.
--Kirhall:
A hotbed of rebellion in the country, it liberated itself a few weeks back but was quickly put back under the control of the army. The governor was killed during the previous revolt and the military governor was also killed a few days ago by a grenade attack, so no one's in command at the moment.
--Guildly:
The begining of the so called paper trail, it is a town focused entirely around wood and its people, hardy lumberjacks and woodsmen, cut down trees to send to Redwell to be made into paper or to stay here and be turned into furniture.
-Taralba:
Culturally very far from the rest of Noravea, the accent there is so thick it's almost an entire other language! People here have no love for Gray but don't know if they want to go back to the old homeland of Wilhelmsland either. The general attitude is one of waiting for the right moment to rise and see for what to rise. More independence? Complete independence? Join back the homeland? Something else?
--Kleindorf:
Notable due to its airport, a rarity in the region, it also produces fridges... that's right, refrigerators and freezers as well as other appliances. They are extremely proud of it actually.
--Haldenhof:
Livestock products ranging from horses to cows, sheeps and others. The shepards of the region all help each other so that when the soldiers come to requisition food all the best livestock has mysteriously vanished in the country side. They are expert cavaliers.
--Oberhof:
The blockade runners, in a mule's ass, in a hidden compartment in your shoes, in a tunnel or by bluffing the guards, these people will get the drugs across the Noraven-Wilhelmslander border without a problem, despite it being one of the most tense in the world. The regional people however tend to dislike them as town is mainly composed of one minority generally known as petty thief, whores, etc... Although in this case they aren't wrong.
--Reichburg:
A place of great potential for modern technology that was left unexploited due to how close to a hostile rival it was, Reichburg produces a handful of rare earth elements that are used to produce electronics and fetch a high price on the world market, although it is very polluting to produce.
-Ursalia:
An extension of Varisso on the economical map, its large stretches of woodland still see power lines and train tracks going east and west. Any lucky prospector however might strike literal gold.
--Bitchbury:
Gold is mined here, providing a currency immune to international devaluation suitable for trade with the outside. The mine is owned by the government and it takes great care to see every nugget come into its pocket, ingots being carried in special armored trains to Concordia.
--Hazellea:
A mix of old and new technologies work here as the city produces the majority of the country's electronic products but yet ships them downstream via canal to Newburn where some is used to build aircrafts and the rest is shipped across the country.
-Vandalia:
Agricultural Heartland of the country, it was hit hard by the crop failure this year, but they've still had enough to feed themselves and the unrest, caused by the army comandering some food to feed itself, it still minor. The terain is mainly flat farmland with villages here and there along with minor woods.
--Valgate:
Capitol of the Province, the governor is Crimson Grey's brother and is reputed a spineless coward which tries its hardest to ignore the current situation and act as if everything is well. Known for using the tax money for his own use but otherwise no human right abuse or obvious mishandling of justice. Valgate is also the heart of the textile industry and among other things, also produces the uniforms of the army.
--Portswich:
The best fed city of the nation, mostly because it's a fisherman's town and fishes are still aplenty.
--Harbrook:
Home of the Harbrook canery which produces 65% of the nation's canned food. If owned in combination with other food producing locations will no doubt keep a faction well feed.
--Thornmere:
Location of the State Grain Depot, it houses a significant garrison, but it has no proper defense and is on a flat terrain. Armored vehicles would easily roll in but infantry would get mowed down by machinegun fire.
--Miranda:
Medium scale Ethanol production plan, currently closed down since grain is better used to feed people than produce fuel, but if someone took it and had some corn to spare...
--Kinbeck:
The rail network crossroads, taking it would force anything going from Concordia down douth to pass by Pleuria, Aiona, Pomorum, Ursalia and Avalonia if it wishes to do so by train. It would also force Vandalan grain to be rerouted to reach the population heartlands.
-Vesperia:
The mountainlands and also the terminus of all the failed revolutionaries who ultimately hide and die out there, some lucky people might find abandonned cashes of weapons left long ago by another wave of rebellion.
--Huxbard:
Under military governance of General Manik, the general cares little for civilians and generally leaves people be but is known to not hesitate to shot in the crowd when people go out of line. Huxbard itself mainly produces coal to send east in train.
--Kinbreck:
Forward HQ of the army, they've begon to stash explosives of all kind by the ton, no doubt with the plan to reproduce the legendary defense against Cartania 120 years ago by burrying armies under the mountain snow. This powder keg is well guarded at the moment.
--Wilsingen:
A town of little strategic importance that will most likely be overrun as soon as the war begins, it still serves as the largest port on the Enfield lake and is a hub for the black market and illegal trade with Cartania as well as the number 1 spy infiltration spot to Noravea.
-Westland:
'Containment Land', Noravea received it as an extra from the civil war but has yet to find out what to do with this part of the country but use it as buffer in case of attack. The river is to hold off an entire war and has been heavily fortified.
--Westhausen:
Construction of bunkers and fortified positions led to an incredible number of military engineers being deployed here and here they remain until redeployed with not only concrete but bridging equipment, flame throwers and other specialized gear to attack and defend other fortified positions.
--Aquaegard:
A lost position, a completely indefensible settlement that will turn into a death trap for anyone trying to do so as anyone on the hills around will be able to take pot shots at the town without much risk of returning fire. The army only maintains a police force to keep order and the criminals working with Wilhelmsland to trade drugs and other things are unopposed.
--Talstettin:
The local industry survived and people here are working in expectation of the winter, making warm clothes with Taralban wool. Still, most of the city is on the western bank and is expected to be overrun by PEACEFOR at the start of the war.
We're all mature here, I'm sure, and I'm not going down the stats avenue because fuck that noise. If you want to attack a government held area, go for it. I'll expect descriptive battles full of death and depravity as your gung-ho militia snakes its way up satan's rectum in the crucible of glorious combat.
If you roll over the government forces with a fleet of bicycles, we'll have issues.
When it comes to other players, I'd prefer mutual agreements to be reached. There's no real winning here, only a story to be told.
Where there is an impasse, I'll simply roll a dice if the forces look evenly pitched, or make a decision based on who I think would win.
Simples :)
These are either your salvation or your doom, for each of these outsiders have their own interest and will help you or hinder you depending on your objectives and if you can help them. Their objectives remain clear and if we have enough players, then maybe some people will take control of them and add to this but until then, they'll remain NPCs.
-Northland:
Both Northland and Noravea have been guarded about one another for as long as both nations have co-existed but also happened to have a well defined natural border which warded both of them against war, this live and let live attitude however changed a few decades ago when oil was found in the Eastern Sea with both country claiming ownership of the sea in that region. Their aim is definite: Claim the oil rich region and insure that the coast is demilitarized so Noravea doesn't try and claim it back once it's back on its feet. They also suffer from international pressure and go to great extend to be seen as good guys and so work under the pressure of having to act as if they want peace but wishing for the civil war to last. Their forces are mainly marines that are well equipped but with poor moral known to flee whenever they are without air or naval support, but they've shown their ability to send commandos through the border to conduct Sabotage actions as well.
-Cartania:
The concern of Cartania is quite domestic: Noravea built a hydroelectric dam in Enfield which controls their entire eastern water supplies and flooded quite a bit of their land too, they want control of that dam but said infrastructure also powers a third of Noravea. Their military is determined but also is known for its hate of Noravens, rape and pillage generally follows in their wake and anyone saying they'll fight them easily has the support of the western provinces.
-Laurentia:
Laurentia is the most developed and the largest of the neighbors of Noravea but also always had its interest situated in the west. Noravea went from an annoyance to a massive problem when refugees flooded their border, too vast to watch completely, by the tens of thousand. Their forces are unwilling to fight this war and their attitude is one of profound cynicism: They want another strongman to maintain the peace, ideally one loyal to them. Their army is experimented and well equipped but prefer to stay mobile and win battles, not an occupation they know will be long and costly.
-Wilhelmsland:
Used to be a province of Noravea less than a century ago and much like Noravea found itself becoming a dictatorship 50 years ago. Their dictator and Crimson clashing, sometimes violently, at many occasions. The dictator there is however reputed to be... erratic. He wishes to remove the sanctions imposed on his own country by helping out PEACEFOR with a generous amount of manpower, but at the same time speaks of reuniting the two countries, of helping its own minorities, ethnic or religious, within Noravea, of conquest, liberation, restraint, humiliation and many other things that change from day to day. Still, their army is large but disorganized and poorly equipped with a terrible leadership which is corrupt beyond measure.
-PEACEFOR:
The rest of the world, mostly industrialized nations playing a high stake game of world politics way above Noravea. They wish to swiftly win, hold democratic elections and make everything great forever, all of this within... a month or so. It is simply impossible to win against their military might on a tactical level, they have the best equipment, soldiers, training and leadership out there coupled with a ton of experience and the numbers to match, but their problem lies in the fact that their leadership is political, not military. PEACEFOR dreads the long term cost in money of a long war but above all in lives, each of their soldier lost making headlines and collateral damages within the civilians making the ruling parties share of votes go down. It won't take long for them to obliterate the regime but what they'll do after people guess will probably be try and play king maker and crown the faction which seems the most PR friendly as their chosen ruler for this nation in turmoil, a blessing and a curse for the faction which might answer to this call.
Any takers thus far?
Also: Co-GM would be nice.
Failed State
A game where rebel factions of a fractured revolution vie for control of a failed state with each other and international peace keepers.
Map
Technology: Modern Era ('90s)
Setting: Fictional/Earth Like/Balkan Environment
Story Goal: Domination of the area through force or diplomacy.
Setting: Fictional/Earth Like/Balkan Environment
Story Goal: Domination of the area through force or diplomacy.
Story (If You Can Call It That)
Supreme General Crimson Grey of Noravea has ruled the nation for almost half a century, and is well into his 80's.
A ruthless dictator by trade, he swept to power in a military coup that culminated in the untold murder of thousands of political opponents and resulted in total oppression. Ever since, he has ruled with an iron first, suppressing the people mercilessly and ignoring the international community's half hearted attempts at restraining his barbaric reign.
But after a global economic meltdown, Hurphia's people fell on especially hard times. Starvation was rife, as the nation's economy totally collapsed, and international sanctions finally took their toll.
The peoples took to the streets, demanding democracy and for Crimson Grey's removal from power. Naturally, he responded with fighter jets, armoured columns and indiscriminate shelling. Tens of thousands died in what was known as the Four Weeks of Crimson. With any chance of peaceful revolution crushed in this despicable military crack down, the people were faced with little choice but to revolt.
All across the nation, terrorist cells quickly swelled into self-styled armies, taking the fight directly to local government forces. The civil war swept across the country, creating a grave humanitarian crisis for those caught between the fighting forces.
However, the revolutionaries are divided along political and ideological lines, and they have fractured into smaller groups. Noravea is now a cauldron of death and destruction.
Under intense media and public pressure, the world's governments formed a united peace keeping force, and dispatched it to the country with all haste. The exodus of the Noravens was dragging down the already weak economic recovery of the entire region and Crimson had made heavy investment in ballistic missiles and chemical weapons which might fall into the hands of anyone, such a threat for international security would cause further lost of confidence in the markets and no doubt further complications, everyone knew it would be better if Crimson remained in power but under the inevitability of his downfall, they decided to intervene.
The peace keeping forces, termed PEACEFOR, arrived in Noravea promptly and immediately set about destroying Crimson Grey's forces. However, the old dictator was stubborn, and committed his vast but under equipped army to defeating the invaders, leaving the core provinces lightly defended.
It is here that the rebel factions will finally have a chance at establishing themselves as true territorial powers. First they must take the oil fields, the airports, the docks, the strategic hubs and the industrial areas, before rolling on towards Noravea's capital, before their future is dictated by international powers.
-[D-Day -57 years] End of the Great War, Noravea gains some land from Cartania without opposition for it was on the winning side alongside with Laurentia while Northland remained Neutral. Noravea however, had been promised much more but is pressured by the Allied Nations to back down.
-[D-Day -54 years] Insatisfaction from the outcome of the war becomes unrest after a terrible harvest. Elections bring about many parties with few seats and a coalition isn't able to form. Two other elections are held in 7 months with the same results. The King dissolves parliament and brings in the army.
-[D-Day -53 years] The King and his family are killed in a coup. Colonel Martelus, Bornel and Gray march on the capital and declare a temporary military Junta while order is re-established, military intervention from Cartania to regain its land ends with retreat after a month due to international pressure.
-[D-Day -50 years] Martelus signs peace with an independent Wilhelmsland, a month later he has Bornel executed and tries to do the same with now General Crimson Gray to declare himself Supreme General. Gray's men prove too loyal however and Gray marches on the capital, declaring himself Supreme General instead and vows to retake Wilhelmsland after Martelus committed treason by granting its independence, war continues.
-[D-Day -47 years] The war ends with Wilhelmsland surrendering Taralba and Eastwood, but existing still. With Noravea exhausted from the war, it calls it a victory.
-[D-Day -20 years] Oil is found off the shore of Pleuria.
-[D-Day -17 years] Enriched and rearmed with the discovery of oil, Gray goes to another war with Wilhelmsland, now under the leadership of the son of the first President for Life that liberated the province first. The war is swift and ends after a series of major engagement while the advance stops at Southport. Wilhelmsland knew prolongation of the war could only end badly and Noravea prefered to end it quickly as it still had the Allied Nations breathing down its neck. Trade Sanctions begin to rain after that.
-[D-Day -8 years] Gray starts its program of weapons of mass destruction alongside ballistic missiles to deliver them, the Allied Nations send another wave of sanctions isolating Noravea even more.
-[D-day -9 months] A very bad harvest once again destabilizes the country, sanctions preventing it from buying food on the international markets.
-[D-Day -7 weeks] The harvest is terrible for a second year running and people riot in the streets, it takes 4 bloody weeks to put down the revolution, the 'Four Weeks of Crimson'.
-[D-Day -4 days] The Allied Nation security council manages to pass a resolution: 'Gray must surrender any chemical weapons, accept investigators to look for WMDs and war crimes and step down from power to hold free elections under the watch of international observers within seven days, or else.' The PCA and the FRE, through one of its member states, permanent members of the security council of the Allied Nations accept with the mention that this isn't a hidden trigger for war but the LSS and its main ally the GBU certainly don't act like it, moving forces to the countries around Noravea.
-[D-Day -??] It's been 4 days since the AN made its ultimatum and there will be 3 more until it expires. The reservists are mobilized and at the ready for a war that seems inevitable. The war will probably be in more than those 3 days however, the time the AN actually decides something, the wheels of democracies turn and so forth.
How This Works
Players take on the roll of a faction,region as their base of operations, and then war with each other or the government forces for control over vital resources. Each region has a resource, whether its oil refineries, arms factories, docks, airports - anything of value to your cause.
Other than the above mumbo jumbo, it plays like any other NRP. Nurse your faction to strength through the eyes of your cell leaders, militant commanders, spies etc etc as you blow loads of things up and push back the government's army (or each others) in a quest to establish your own country with your own ideals.
This is a fictional environment, not set on Earth, but set in equivalent of the 90's. Threfore I'll allow for copy/pasting Earth military equipment, although renaming them might help with immersion. Alternatively, I'm all up for custom units.
As the main focus are the rebels, stuff will be pretty tacky until we secure arms factories and the like. Also, they might be able to import some advanced weaponry from sympathetic countries via docks and airports. We'll just make it up as we go I guess, and see how things pan out.
Regions
Each provinces has its own resources and strategic locations with the crowning jewel being Concordia. Most of these strategic elements will be revealed when the RP starts. Why? Because the map is also divided by religious, ethnic and ideological backgrounds. Your faction will be based on those firstly although I encourage players to invent these cultural factors by themselves, but: Please don't make your own ethnicity and religion for each group, lets have a few ones and divide ourselves between them.
-Aiona:
'If Aiona's drug fields grew corn no one in Noravea would starve!' goes the saying. While it is probably not the case, the region has been left for the last years to economical ruin by the world sanctions and it is acurate to say that over 65% of all economical activities there are crime related. These people scrape by while the strongest gang takes the lion's share: General Janus' soldiers.
--Ashden:
Main city of the province although not the residence of the military governor. It used to be a big pharmaceutical town but it was reconverted in the world's largest Heroin production hub and when the sanctions made it impossible to get opiates to refine, people got creative and created a new synthetic drug: Permonid.
--Kinwell:
The heart of Darkness, General's Janus' stronghold. Quite literally since his HQ is in the old castle atop of the hill. It is the province's main armory and drug depot, it also maintains a small heliport at the disposal of General Janus to terrorise the population.
--Blackwood:
The 'dirty backdoor' to Noravea from Northland, the city gets all the trash going from Northland to Noravea, being it sexual tourists or illegal weapon shipment. It is however, an entrance only.
--Loxhall:
The drug pipe going to Northland, it's transit capacity is much less than Blackwood, but people here know to never ever ask questions about whatever they might see go through here and the Northland border patrols are easy to dodge.
--Foxcaster:
Ironic that the country's largest prison would also be in it's most criminal province. The place is built like a fortress and hosts mainly not criminals but political prisoners, all of them more than willing to fight back the regime most likely. Still, like in the entire province, there's something very wrong going on here. After all, it received 3 times its maximal capacity in the last year and still more people get sent to Foxcaster.
--Langhurst:
One of the more legitimate place to trive in the province is still based on illegal car scrapping and refurbishing. Still, despite its alure as a scrapyard and the hillbilly look of its citizens, Langhurst has a rare expertise in mechanic that can be used to repair and maintain almost any vehicle, civil or otherwise.
-Avalonia:
The land of Steel, it is dotted by mining settlements that send their ore to the foundries and steel workshops. It is hilly at best and montainous at worst and many abandonned mines are interconnected by tunnels to one another, making fighting there a nightmare.
--Ersegard:
Home of Governor Cromwell who's top priority is to keep the steel mills of the city running, an essential part of the military industry. He concentrates his troops in the main settlements and counts on the fact that his infrastructures are too critical to risk destroying to defend them with a lacking force.
--Jaynestown:
A place that sucks a lot of power from Enfield, it houses a modern Aluminum mill. It's use of electricity to produce components doesn't stop there however and it produces vast quantities of Liquid Hydrogen useful to fuel Rockets, from smaller anti-tank weapons to larger Ballistic Missiles.
--Lichterhof:
The smell of rotten eggs comes from the town's main production: Explosive components. From fire works to military grade explosives, the town is guarded by a sizeable amount of soldiers that don't hesitate to use the assets stocked there to fight back any attacker. Sabotage could be devastating here but the soldiers hold the worker's family hostage: The factories are destroyed, everyone dies.
--Niederguard:
Far away from any settlement, but also close enough to the train track to transport heavy equipment, Niederguard hosts the so called 'Cosmodrome' of Noravea, used for 'peaceful space exploration'. It is thus the main research center for missile technologies and hosts scientists, their famillies, experimental radars, a small air base and a whole bunch of guards with jumpy trigger fingers: Anyone seen is shot on sight.
--Unterberg:
People here have a hard time believing war is near, they read Laurentian journals and speak fluently the language of their western neighbors due to the constant trade there was before and a bit after the economic sanctions. Right now it is packed tight with starving refugees hopping to jump the border to Laurentia.
-Bretonia:
The future of Noravea, now! Massive investments were made to make what was a wilderness into a model of what Noravea would be, its massive hydroelectric projects dwarfing anything else around. Here, everything seems new even if the population is still pretty low. The urban environements aren't the same either, they show large open spaces and parks rather than tight alleyways.
--Enfield:
The main dam that stands defiant in front of Cartania, people here still follow the government out of fear of the bigger enemy across the lake that would flood half the country side. Here, the architecture is tricky: Every buildings double as a fortress, the wide streets allow the tactical maneuvering of tanks and the angles prevent effective bombing. The battle here will be long and fierce.
--Hazelburn:
A new model military base, it is built mostly underground and is equiped to face air raids and bombardments, with many redundent radars, entrances and exits as well as elevators for the helicopters, hidden inside.
--Westdam:
A large infrastructure project that included digging an entirely new river, it seemed that Gray wanted to flood Cartania completely. The ressources are now used elsewhere but what's already there: Multiple building material as well as trucks and bulldozers are still stored there with minimal guard until the contruction restarts.
--Riverhurst:
The smaller brother of the Enfield Dam, built to contain possible flooding in case the Enfield Dam is damaged and produce some electricity. A flourishing town was built around, since the zone is well suited to agriculture, probably one of the most self sufficient place in the nation.
-Concordia:
Seat of Gray's power, it is the crown jewel of the country and thus far, rebellion has been contained by crushing military presence. The army may have mostly left to defend the country, but the police is still brutal and enforces a 8PM curfew and forbids large gathering of people with lethal measures.
--Concordia:
Anyone claiming Noravea as a country must hold Concordia and by doing so will also control it's largest shipping port, airport and, if it isn't burned to the ground, all the data held by the Secret Police and the Ministry of War. It is governed by Gray himself and hosts a sizeable part of his fanatic Red Guard which currently roams as Death Squad.
--Tivarfell:
A riviera that hosts the house of the rich and powerful members and friends of the regime, the wealth here is great, the wealth the Offshore account passwords which may be found here might be greater still. Everyone there is completely loyal to the regime and the rest of the Red Guard is based there.
--Arden:
Main military airbase of the country to cover both Concordia and Pleuria in case of air attack, it houses both jets and helicopters as well as fuel to keep them going for a time.
--Marston:
Home of the main Concordian power grid supplier, it houses a gigantic electricity plan powered by Pleurian Oil.
--Flamewood:
Second power supplier, this one uses Vesperian Coal.
--Fairhaven:
The skyline of the city is mostly interesting by the large radar station next to it which covers both the Eastern Sea and the North East airspace with extreme accuracy, although it is capable of seeing all air movement in the country.
--Ilwell:
Another town doing well for itself, its main thing is of course the medical production complex which provides the country with the majority of its medicine.
-East Wood:
Another dead province, it used to cultivate an economy based around ship building but not many ships are needed anymore. People here suffer from high unemployment and blame the government for it.
--Eastport:
A few empty shells show the work that was going on to produce new ships for Gray but the hammering of the drydocks have stopped. Still, a surprising lot of expertise to be found here as ship building involved much knowledge in radar, engineering and gun building.
--Osthaven:
The place where the ship's huge turrets were assembled to be sent via special train to Eastport to be mounted, it was now reconverted in a standard artillery factory, producing some of the largest pieces of the country.
--Southwich:
An old town with old buildings, among them the Arsenal of Southwich built inside an old cathedral 50 years ago when tension with Wilhelmsland were high to arm the conscripts. The equipment stored there is considered obsolete, going so far as to be bolt action rifles and it would take a lot of work to make the tanks roll, which is probably why it is guarded only by a token force.
-Kingsland:
Used to be the capital of wood in the country but since they cut down all the forests the province tried to go to agriculture without success due to lack of irrigation. It's economy is grinding to a halt these days.
--Kingston:
Home of a friend of Gray serving as the governor, he single handedly made the country's second largest trade port a shadow of itself with his incompetance and corruption. Still, the infrastructures are there.
--Redwell:
The most economically active town of the province, it produces paper from the wood of Guildly to send to the printers of Kindale.
--Kindale:
Home of the journals, its printers have however stopped recently after the workers have gone on strike.
-Pleuria:
Land of oil, all its activities turn around it or around Northland, the border river is afterall reputed uncrossable outside of the few bridges on it, all mined to explode in a moment's notice.
--Northport:
He who controls Northport controls the underwater pipelines extracting the precious black gold. It's a boom town built around the construction of offshore platforms to be anchored on the sea floor, but still too many people moved there in hope for a better life and now half of the city is a slum.
--Eastwich:
The refineries producing enough gas for a nation and more. Of course heavily guarded as its lost or worst, destruction, would signify a large oil supply problem and maybe one of the worst ecological disaster of this century.
--Bridgewater:
Here the Northlanders and Noraven look at each other from the shores of the river, a bridge tying the two cities together. Here the people tend to curse the oil that drove a wedge between them as engineers are mining the bridge and light artillery batteries are getting into position to bomb any attempt at crossing.
--Cheton:
A petrochemical complex of importance due to its production of ultra-efficient fertilizers. It is only now entering production scale and is one of the little known effort of Gray to stabilize the country.
-Pomorum:
The most urban region after Concordia, it is also the province that always was the most rebelious and thus, which suffered the most lately.
--Varisso:
It's been burning for weeks, the new governor, Janus, also governor of Aiona, ordered to protect only the important infrastructure to show the people to obey. Here people openly fight the regime already, tired of slaving away to build the tanks of the regime in the country's large automotive factories. The international airport is now closed, only hosting jets and helicopters not flying a mile away to drop bombs.
--Presford:
The Presford base is the mobilisation point for the nation's reservist and is currently flooded with armed reservists which's moral and will to fight is doubtful, also one of the largest infantry armoury of the nation.
--Henburgh:
Millions of bullets go out of there every day, it is defended by a sizeable force besieging Varisso and also hosts the biggest guns of the country as they shell Verisso day and night.
--Keldmoor:
A small hydroelectric dam to provide some more juice to the east, it also controls the flow of water to Varisso and its countryside. General Janus wanted to either flood or starve Varisso of water but Gray himself had to remember him it would damage all the cities down the stream, including Concordia.
--Newburn:
Noravea's planes and attack helicopters are imported, but it still produces some of its own helicopters and cargo planes. All heavy lifters and using propeller, but useful non the less. Newburn produces these.
--Oakdale:
Forward Outpost of the Counter Terrorist Operation Bureau, it is officially there to train people to hunt down terrorists in the Vesperian mountains, but it mainly deals with tracking down the Northlander infiltrators that love to pass the border during the night. Taking this place down would allow Northland to act with more ease but would also provide the most intelligence outside of the Concordia Ministry buildings.
--Hewel:
A place of production for industrial Dye and Insecticides, it helps make better crops and good looking clothes, but the biproducts are extremely toxic and known to go somewhere... south, in Sylvania, with military escort.
-Rothland:
Choking on military installations, Gray knows PEACEFOR will employ tanks to break him but the only place where it would be practical to do a large scale attack with them would be in the Birchhurst gap, hills between the Westhausen river and Sylvan forest. Watch out for mines.
--Rothgard:
Built right on the border with Laurentia, you can almost see PEACEFOR assemble there. Rothgard was fortified to buy time. It would be in an ideal position to cut off an attack south by moving a large mechanized offensive accross open ground so it must be dealt with first, the war hasn't really begun until Rothgard falls.
--Altenhof:
Air base built to respond to Laurentian attacks and maybe strike back at them... The villagers report it is strangely undermanned.
--Birchhurst:
The heart of Gray's gambit to fight back PEACEFOR, if he can win at Birchhurst it could force the industrialized world to commit hundreds of thousands of soldiers, something it really doesn't want. He has thus stocked there his most advanced equipment to give a surprise to the would be invaders.
-Southmarch:
Used to be part of Wilhelmsland until 40 years ago. Old defensive works point north, while newer bases point south, for Gray believes Wilhelmsland can be dealt with swiftly on the offensive.
--Annesport:
Built as the HQ of the fleet, some thought of moving it north but that would be too costly and the Admirals prefered to be based as far away from Northland as possible. A navy was astronomically expensive, especially one that could stand its ground, having it cornered in port would have been humiliating. Thus Annesport holds the majority of the warships as well as an air base and the supply bases to mount an invasion south in Wilhelmsland's heartlands.
--Hartington:
The lost of Hatington hurt a lot Wilhelmsland, since from the days the two countries were one 50 years ago, it produced the trains of the kingdom. Keeping it running has been hard without the close distance of Wilhelmsland steel mills but as long as the line to Avalonia remains undisturbed it keeps on running.
--Dunby:
Probably rightfully called a terrorist training camp, people here venomously hate everything Noravean and somehow are always able to gather parts from the great battle of Dunby, 50 years ago, from the weaks of the hundreds of tanks left with a memorial on the open fields. These old tank shells make for excellent IEDs and some spare parts could maybe help to get tanks in working order.
--Southport:
Wilhelmsland never admited that Southport was a part of its country no longer. Gray can only be amused since this means that the sanctions applied to him don't apply there. Commerce flows and people try to get last minute deals before the war begins.
--Easthey:
Very fertile fields that are unfortunately only barely exploited, Gray found it too risky to invest there if tanks might roll over the crops at any moment. With some work, could feed a small army.
-Sylvania:
The remotest part of the country, it is almost entirely covered by forest and simply no vehicle will move anywhere else but on the roads. It is also the rumored location of the government secret chemical weapon design bunker as would suggest the helicopters frequently flying above the woods.
--Kirhall:
A hotbed of rebellion in the country, it liberated itself a few weeks back but was quickly put back under the control of the army. The governor was killed during the previous revolt and the military governor was also killed a few days ago by a grenade attack, so no one's in command at the moment.
--Guildly:
The begining of the so called paper trail, it is a town focused entirely around wood and its people, hardy lumberjacks and woodsmen, cut down trees to send to Redwell to be made into paper or to stay here and be turned into furniture.
-Taralba:
Culturally very far from the rest of Noravea, the accent there is so thick it's almost an entire other language! People here have no love for Gray but don't know if they want to go back to the old homeland of Wilhelmsland either. The general attitude is one of waiting for the right moment to rise and see for what to rise. More independence? Complete independence? Join back the homeland? Something else?
--Kleindorf:
Notable due to its airport, a rarity in the region, it also produces fridges... that's right, refrigerators and freezers as well as other appliances. They are extremely proud of it actually.
--Haldenhof:
Livestock products ranging from horses to cows, sheeps and others. The shepards of the region all help each other so that when the soldiers come to requisition food all the best livestock has mysteriously vanished in the country side. They are expert cavaliers.
--Oberhof:
The blockade runners, in a mule's ass, in a hidden compartment in your shoes, in a tunnel or by bluffing the guards, these people will get the drugs across the Noraven-Wilhelmslander border without a problem, despite it being one of the most tense in the world. The regional people however tend to dislike them as town is mainly composed of one minority generally known as petty thief, whores, etc... Although in this case they aren't wrong.
--Reichburg:
A place of great potential for modern technology that was left unexploited due to how close to a hostile rival it was, Reichburg produces a handful of rare earth elements that are used to produce electronics and fetch a high price on the world market, although it is very polluting to produce.
-Ursalia:
An extension of Varisso on the economical map, its large stretches of woodland still see power lines and train tracks going east and west. Any lucky prospector however might strike literal gold.
--Bitchbury:
Gold is mined here, providing a currency immune to international devaluation suitable for trade with the outside. The mine is owned by the government and it takes great care to see every nugget come into its pocket, ingots being carried in special armored trains to Concordia.
--Hazellea:
A mix of old and new technologies work here as the city produces the majority of the country's electronic products but yet ships them downstream via canal to Newburn where some is used to build aircrafts and the rest is shipped across the country.
-Vandalia:
Agricultural Heartland of the country, it was hit hard by the crop failure this year, but they've still had enough to feed themselves and the unrest, caused by the army comandering some food to feed itself, it still minor. The terain is mainly flat farmland with villages here and there along with minor woods.
--Valgate:
Capitol of the Province, the governor is Crimson Grey's brother and is reputed a spineless coward which tries its hardest to ignore the current situation and act as if everything is well. Known for using the tax money for his own use but otherwise no human right abuse or obvious mishandling of justice. Valgate is also the heart of the textile industry and among other things, also produces the uniforms of the army.
--Portswich:
The best fed city of the nation, mostly because it's a fisherman's town and fishes are still aplenty.
--Harbrook:
Home of the Harbrook canery which produces 65% of the nation's canned food. If owned in combination with other food producing locations will no doubt keep a faction well feed.
--Thornmere:
Location of the State Grain Depot, it houses a significant garrison, but it has no proper defense and is on a flat terrain. Armored vehicles would easily roll in but infantry would get mowed down by machinegun fire.
--Miranda:
Medium scale Ethanol production plan, currently closed down since grain is better used to feed people than produce fuel, but if someone took it and had some corn to spare...
--Kinbeck:
The rail network crossroads, taking it would force anything going from Concordia down douth to pass by Pleuria, Aiona, Pomorum, Ursalia and Avalonia if it wishes to do so by train. It would also force Vandalan grain to be rerouted to reach the population heartlands.
-Vesperia:
The mountainlands and also the terminus of all the failed revolutionaries who ultimately hide and die out there, some lucky people might find abandonned cashes of weapons left long ago by another wave of rebellion.
--Huxbard:
Under military governance of General Manik, the general cares little for civilians and generally leaves people be but is known to not hesitate to shot in the crowd when people go out of line. Huxbard itself mainly produces coal to send east in train.
--Kinbreck:
Forward HQ of the army, they've begon to stash explosives of all kind by the ton, no doubt with the plan to reproduce the legendary defense against Cartania 120 years ago by burrying armies under the mountain snow. This powder keg is well guarded at the moment.
--Wilsingen:
A town of little strategic importance that will most likely be overrun as soon as the war begins, it still serves as the largest port on the Enfield lake and is a hub for the black market and illegal trade with Cartania as well as the number 1 spy infiltration spot to Noravea.
-Westland:
'Containment Land', Noravea received it as an extra from the civil war but has yet to find out what to do with this part of the country but use it as buffer in case of attack. The river is to hold off an entire war and has been heavily fortified.
--Westhausen:
Construction of bunkers and fortified positions led to an incredible number of military engineers being deployed here and here they remain until redeployed with not only concrete but bridging equipment, flame throwers and other specialized gear to attack and defend other fortified positions.
--Aquaegard:
A lost position, a completely indefensible settlement that will turn into a death trap for anyone trying to do so as anyone on the hills around will be able to take pot shots at the town without much risk of returning fire. The army only maintains a police force to keep order and the criminals working with Wilhelmsland to trade drugs and other things are unopposed.
--Talstettin:
The local industry survived and people here are working in expectation of the winter, making warm clothes with Taralban wool. Still, most of the city is on the western bank and is expected to be overrun by PEACEFOR at the start of the war.
Taking Over Regions
We're all mature here, I'm sure, and I'm not going down the stats avenue because fuck that noise. If you want to attack a government held area, go for it. I'll expect descriptive battles full of death and depravity as your gung-ho militia snakes its way up satan's rectum in the crucible of glorious combat.
If you roll over the government forces with a fleet of bicycles, we'll have issues.
When it comes to other players, I'd prefer mutual agreements to be reached. There's no real winning here, only a story to be told.
Where there is an impasse, I'll simply roll a dice if the forces look evenly pitched, or make a decision based on who I think would win.
Simples :)
The Foreign Powers
These are either your salvation or your doom, for each of these outsiders have their own interest and will help you or hinder you depending on your objectives and if you can help them. Their objectives remain clear and if we have enough players, then maybe some people will take control of them and add to this but until then, they'll remain NPCs.
-Northland:
Both Northland and Noravea have been guarded about one another for as long as both nations have co-existed but also happened to have a well defined natural border which warded both of them against war, this live and let live attitude however changed a few decades ago when oil was found in the Eastern Sea with both country claiming ownership of the sea in that region. Their aim is definite: Claim the oil rich region and insure that the coast is demilitarized so Noravea doesn't try and claim it back once it's back on its feet. They also suffer from international pressure and go to great extend to be seen as good guys and so work under the pressure of having to act as if they want peace but wishing for the civil war to last. Their forces are mainly marines that are well equipped but with poor moral known to flee whenever they are without air or naval support, but they've shown their ability to send commandos through the border to conduct Sabotage actions as well.
-Cartania:
The concern of Cartania is quite domestic: Noravea built a hydroelectric dam in Enfield which controls their entire eastern water supplies and flooded quite a bit of their land too, they want control of that dam but said infrastructure also powers a third of Noravea. Their military is determined but also is known for its hate of Noravens, rape and pillage generally follows in their wake and anyone saying they'll fight them easily has the support of the western provinces.
-Laurentia:
Laurentia is the most developed and the largest of the neighbors of Noravea but also always had its interest situated in the west. Noravea went from an annoyance to a massive problem when refugees flooded their border, too vast to watch completely, by the tens of thousand. Their forces are unwilling to fight this war and their attitude is one of profound cynicism: They want another strongman to maintain the peace, ideally one loyal to them. Their army is experimented and well equipped but prefer to stay mobile and win battles, not an occupation they know will be long and costly.
-Wilhelmsland:
Used to be a province of Noravea less than a century ago and much like Noravea found itself becoming a dictatorship 50 years ago. Their dictator and Crimson clashing, sometimes violently, at many occasions. The dictator there is however reputed to be... erratic. He wishes to remove the sanctions imposed on his own country by helping out PEACEFOR with a generous amount of manpower, but at the same time speaks of reuniting the two countries, of helping its own minorities, ethnic or religious, within Noravea, of conquest, liberation, restraint, humiliation and many other things that change from day to day. Still, their army is large but disorganized and poorly equipped with a terrible leadership which is corrupt beyond measure.
-PEACEFOR:
The rest of the world, mostly industrialized nations playing a high stake game of world politics way above Noravea. They wish to swiftly win, hold democratic elections and make everything great forever, all of this within... a month or so. It is simply impossible to win against their military might on a tactical level, they have the best equipment, soldiers, training and leadership out there coupled with a ton of experience and the numbers to match, but their problem lies in the fact that their leadership is political, not military. PEACEFOR dreads the long term cost in money of a long war but above all in lives, each of their soldier lost making headlines and collateral damages within the civilians making the ruling parties share of votes go down. It won't take long for them to obliterate the regime but what they'll do after people guess will probably be try and play king maker and crown the faction which seems the most PR friendly as their chosen ruler for this nation in turmoil, a blessing and a curse for the faction which might answer to this call.
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Any takers thus far?
Also: Co-GM would be nice.
