A historic nation sim game proposal

[The Duchess of Zeon]

Constitutions do not, for the most part, exist in this time period. The idea is vaguely there--but a written constitution would be a real and startling innovation and would overthrow the entire order of the period. States, such as they were, operated on "tradition" and the law was generally not even codified.

Taxation was a mess--for instance, in France there was the capitation, a general tax based on wealth which also applied to the nobility (but not to the Church), the taille, which was based on income and did not apply to the nobility, the gabelle, the salt monopoly--all salt in the Kingdom was owned by the government, a vital necessity for the people, who needed it to preserve food and as the only seasoning the poor could afford, and even then the government, of course, holding the monopoly, massively overcharged on it and thus gained a huge profit from it. There were also grants--The King could "request" a donation of money from the Church so as to maintain their traditional tax-free status, and similiar donations from the cities and the nobility, basically extortion.

Other methods included the summary devaluation or increase in the value of currency--which timed with the government's production of money, or buying it in, could bring in tens in millions of revenue at critical moments, even if it sent the economy into bloody chaos. There were also special taxes: Wine taxes, taxes on trade goods, taxes on cloth, etc; and of course tolls for the use of canals and roads.

Besides all of that, a favourite method of raising money was the Selling of Offices. The government of a country--or even the Pope, in Catholic Europe--would create a bunch of ludicrous government offices, things like "State Measurer of Grain" or something, which had a salary and the like and were in theory real government posts--and then sell them to bourgeoisie eager to improve their status in society. The idea was that this could raise tens of millions in a single year at a critical point, though of course if the crisis was extended the money might be lost by the cost of the salaries of the offices over that extended period--a bit of a gamble, but one that usually paid off if the situation could be brought under control in time.

There was of course the selling of bonds, something that seems more conventional to us, but dangerous--as the government had to pay them back. They were safer than outright loans, of course, and governments always had to resort to those, it seems, to pay for War. By the death of King Louis XIV, France was, according to one estimate, up to two billion Louis' in debt--an enourmous sum for the time in excess of several years of revenue. In the century before that, the Spain of Philip II, fighting France, the Netherlands, and England at various times, had ended up bankrupt three different times during his reign. Somehow they had squeezed and kept on going--but despite the silver and gold of the New World, warfare was vastly expense in this age of sieges, and it shows.

There were additional methods--titles of nobility could be outright sold, like offices, to wealthy merchants--and one innovative Chancellor then proceeded to have them revoked and sell them again to the same faux-nobles!, and when a conflict was over, there would always be efforts through the courts to find corrupt tax-farmers or money-lenders and squeeze the government's money back out of them, or avoid payment entirely; these had varying degrees of success.

Essentially, government in this era is a morass of new ideas built onto old traditions, and of harsh and intelligent new men--the merchants--utilizing the old system of feudal custom to exploit everything they can from the land, the people, and even their fellows, to fund the ambitions of their princes and themselves.

[Sea Skimmer]

Colony assignments

Sea Skimmer (Koronan) Dutch and English possessions
Alyrium (Kaiserreich) Spanish possessions

The choice of the above is meant to explain how the fuck our top two sea powers can afford there huge fleets. The Dutch East Indies provide money and North America timber to my power and Spanish possessions with the still active Manila galleons provide both to Alyrium.

There reaming historical possessions of European nations, those of Portugal and France are empty and up for grabs. We have many modest sea powers, which could seize them and enslave the locals until they all die off. Then you'll need slaves. If anyone has a problem with this feel free to bitch about it.

The game is now starting for those of us who have some form of finnal order of battle posted

[Sea Skimmer]

Sheppard the limit is one cannon per 500 men at most and you would not have sixty frigates

[Captain Cyran]

Hey, can someone host a picture of my nation? I did some detailed work like mountains, rivers, forests, main roads, and Cities, towns, fortresses, things like that. Everyone should probably do something like that for their nation, I think that anyway.

[Pablo Sanchez]

Hey, can someone host a picture of my nation? I did some detailed work like mountains, rivers, forests, main roads, and Cities, towns, fortresses, things like that. Everyone should probably do something like that for their nation, I think that anyway.

Ask Sheppard. I have a rather pathetic capability, so I can help as a last resort.

[Alyrium Denryle]

werent we going to start yesterday?

[Captain Cyran]

werent we going to start yesterday?

We did...look for it in Gaming and computers.

[Sea Skimmer]

werent we going to start yesterday?

We did

http://bbs.stardestroyer.net/viewtopic.php?t=28317

[Lucius Licinius Lucullus]

Perhaps I should have replied to this somewhat earlier, but you guys ought to take a look at a game called Europa Universalis.......

[Sea Skimmer]

Perhaps I should have replied to this somewhat earlier, but you guys ought to take a look at a game called Europa Universalis.......

That was already brought up moron now dont spam this thread.

[MKSheppard]

Sheppard the limit is one cannon per 500 men

Ok edit my stuff downwards

you would not have sixty frigates

Hows this?

Fifth Rate Frigates (30)

48 gun: 15
44 gun: 15

[Sea Skimmer]

Ok edit my stuff downwards

you would not have sixty frigates

Hows this?

Fifth Rate Frigates (30)

48 gun: 15
44 gun: 15

That's fine

[MKSheppard]

That's fine

Edited my cannon down

The creme de la creme of Württemberg, the Army consists of a well disciplined
cadre of 60,000 troops and 120 cannon. The Army is divided into three Corps.

I Corps: Protection of the Coastline
(15,000 troops, 30 cannon)

II Corps: Protection of the Interior of the country
(35,000 troops, 70 cannon)

III Corps: Reserve Corps.
(10,000 troops, 20 cannon)

Twice Daily, during the Summer and Winter, the army is taken out of it's quarters
and enages in manuevers to insure a high quality in both the men and officers.

Backing up the Army are the small Landstraat battalions which are raised individually
by the landstraats, for a total of 20,000 troops and 20 cannon capable of being
ready given a month's time.

[Pablo Sanchez]

That was already brought up moron now dont spam this thread.

We're all so very kind to newbies, aren't we?

[Sea Skimmer]

We're all so very kind to newbies, aren't we?

no

[Pablo Sanchez]

We're all so very kind to newbies, aren't we?

no

*looks up from his busy schedule of crushing dissent*

Nobody loves a smartass, SS... except himself.

[Sea Skimmer]

You know people, the odds of any pirates existing in the North Sea jack are squat. They be exterminated in a week, the area is too heavy patrolled and lacks any bases from which they could operate

[Dahak]

overland journey through the undeveloped northern areas of
the Holy Roman Empire on it's way to Bismarck.

Shep, my norhern areas are not undeveloped. For one, my capital is in that rough region, as is mining industry...

[MKSheppard]

Shep, my norhern areas are not undeveloped. For one, my capital is in that rough region, as is mining industry...

OOoops. I'll go and edit it

[justifier]

Did anyone end up taking that free slot next to the Balkan NPCs or is that an NPC too?

[Sea Skimmer]

Did anyone end up taking that free slot next to the Balkan NPCs or is that an NPC too?

Right now its empty. Several people said they wanted to join and got assigned it but none turned up. But then I have serious doubts this sim is going to go anywhere so they might be the smart ones.

[Sea Skimmer]

Alyrium, I've made no actual threats aginst your nation and so far all I've done is send some hand delivered war warnings. You have no way of knowing of these. Nor would your leadership know of anything I'm doing on the far side of the world in less then two turns. I dont think your getting this. Things move very slowly as do wars.

[Alyrium Denryle]

Alyrium, I've made no actual threats aginst your nation and so far all I've done is send some hand delivered war warnings. You have no way of knowing of these. Nor would your leadership know of anything I'm doing on the far side of the world in less then two turns. I dont think your getting this. Things move very slowly as do wars.

Think of it this way. I send a diplomaic communique offering an alliance... after MONTHS you have not responded. My shps carrying it have long since returned.

What else could we think? That you have no intention of allying with us. And with our competition over the seas, war would be inevitable.

Now, standard practice in a maritime war is to disrupt enemy shipping... So whether I know if you ordered it or not, it is a common enough tactic that we would warn our merchant fleet of possible commerce raiding.

We are simply preparing ourselves for a war that chances are, will be forced upon us.