If the game's still open, I'd love to join. I'm thinking of playing the Ottomans, ruled by Abdul Hamid II who resisted being overthrown in 1909 and who refused to enter WWI. Thus, the Ottaman Empire was not dissolved by the Treaty of Versailles and remains a player in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. (This would probably change the holdings of @ZB1996 in the Middle East however.)