Restarting SDNations in the past

[Coiler]

I love the SDNations concept at heart, but to see it devolve into pointless bickering and WMD strikes for the second time in a row, combined with many players quitting because of that, has led me to believe that having it with modern technology simply doesn't work. The reasons Skimmer gave in the last thread both match mine exactly and are a concise, true explanation for why it doesn't really work.

So, to try and lure people back, and to give the game a fresh start, I'm starting this thread to discuss ideas for a steam-age SDNations.

I want it to be late 1800s-early 1900s, though that admittedly is a wide range. It could be anything from 1890-era technology to Russo-Japanese War level, though I don't want anything past that personally. I want people's suggestions for how this should be done.

I will volunteer to be moderator. While there are surely people with vastly more knowledge of the subjects up for moderation than I, I know enough to understand it, and the lower-tech nature of war in this time period means you don't have to know the exact range of some obscure radar to judge the outcomes of battles.

What I'd want to see in this game is:

Preferably a convenient point system regarding army and navy size, although that's my personal lean towards a casual style talking. Regardless of what system is employed, everyone will have to follow it. We can't have it be like the last time where some used the points and others didn't. It will have to be standardized for balance, and those who don't like it will either have to suck it up or not play.

Battles will be decided by having the combatants PM the moderator, listing what they have. I will then decide the outcome of the battle and PM it to them back, and they write an IC post with that outcome in mind. Sample naval battle-The players of the combatant nations PM me with their list of say, seven battleships on both sides. I PM them back with the result that Side A wins, with Side B losing one battleship to Side A's none) The players can write how Side B lost its battleship (Anything from a T-crossing and the lost battleship being at the front of the line and taking many hits to a lucky shot on a vital area), but the outcome itself is not in dispute. Of course, If I want to, I can also add how, but I prefer to leave that to the player's imaginations.

This system may seem like too much work for the moderator, but I feel that it's the best way to have fair outcomes.

So what do you think about this? Is anyone else willing to play in a simpler time? Make your opinions known.

[K. A. Pital]

No. I spent too much time building my nation. I won't play any more if this game is fucked up.

Moreover, I suggest if people really want to do something about Shepistan - attack and mass-murder it now, so that Shep doesn't have anything left to play with. Essentially do the same to him that he did to Astaria.

[Sea Skimmer]

Well, on paper one could make a new game with the same nations... just lower technology, saving a great deal of time and mapmaking. But, yeah I threw too much time into this after swearing off the last game. I wanted low tech for this game in the first place, people voted it down. I’m done with any and all new games for a good long time now. As long as this one lasts I’ll keep Japanistan around, maybe try to be more active if I get the spare time.. but that’s the end of it for me.

Edit: never mind on that, I’m done with SDN 2, and I’m not even putting a country profile into another game if people wont think more then one step ahead even when trying to wipe out whole countries.

[Shroom Man 777]

So, yeah. Let's all kill Shep in his sleep.

[Czechmate]

I support Skimmer's idea. Same nations, same world, lower technology. Maybe WW1/2 level? Earlier?

[Sea Skimmer]

I support Skimmer's idea. Same nations, same world, lower technology. Maybe WW1/2 level? Earlier?

Don’t go past 1930 or it would have no point at all. You’ll get too much trouble from players quickly reaching the point of atomic bombs and jet airplanes. Sometimes between about 1910 and 1886 (invention of smokeless powder, and thus modern firearms and artillery as we know them) would be best. I wont be taking part but I could lend time to help a moderator with technical stuff if it goes that far.

[Norseman]

If it happens I'll rejoin, and I'll be able to generate my own OoB since I *do* know the era 1886-1910 intimately, and I know what kinds of weapons and organisation was used back then. That also means that I'll be able to deal with any technical issues.

For the record 1880s and 1890s would make it feasible that Astaria would still have slavery, without being a pariah nation, but have increasing domestic and foreign pressure to abolish. This time around I'm telling you in advance that yes there will be gradual abolition However there's no real way of blowing up my whole country in that period so I'll have the time to do it on my own.

One thing though, most of Velaria ought to be divvied up between various colonial powers, or be about to be divvied up that way. Also the Frequesnan states would have to change their histories a bit, since much of Frequesne would be colonies.

[Shroom Man 777]

I know jack shit of that dark and primitive time period. Except... there was a Crusade or something... and the Filipinos ate Magellan's face or some shit.

[KlavoHunter]

I would love to be giving 1900's era Klavostan a try...

[Norseman]

I would love to be giving 1900's era Klavostan a try...

I personally would prefer starting in the 1890s, but 1900 is also good, provided we have a "No dreadnaughts before 1905" rule in place. Basically naval advances in the era were as fast as they were feasible.

[DarthShady]

This is bullshit. I've put to much time and effort into this game to simply restart it now.

I want to see us land on the goddamn moon.

[Coyote]

Ha, while everyone else was killing, I landed my colony ship on Alpha Centauri first!

...what? We're not playing Civ-IV? Crapola.

[Norseman]

Lots of players have already left... many of them were willing to give 1900 a go.

[Mr Bean]

The post great war was the best suggested Period. 1920-1935. The second generation tanks, the great Battleships and as for planes? Hah Biplanes and Triplanes. Attack blimps and the like.

[Setzer]

Sirnoth would still be a colony in anything pre-1960.

[Norseman]

Sirnoth would still be a colony in anything pre-1960.

We can always jiggle history a bit, this would have to be an alt anyway.

[KlavoHunter]

Hmmm... the 1920's would also be my choice, as I would love to start with confused interwar tanks and planes, and evolve new equipment as we went along in the game. Klavostan would by that point be at the peak of its power, as it would roughly plateau at up until 1943...

[Norseman]

Hmmm... the 1920's would also be my choice, as I would love to start with confused interwar tanks and planes, and evolve new equipment as we went along in the game. Klavostan would by that point be at the peak of its power, as it would roughly plateau at up until 1943...

Problem is that nukes come into play in 1945 (though no sooner, the Manhattan Project was about as quick as it could conceivably be), which is why I'd prefer an even earlier date. However I could settle for 1920.

[Zor]

If this is the case, i would vote 1920s, Baby tanks, airships for long range transport, Airships, the battleship still rules the seas and airpower is still undeveloped, sounds fun.

Zor

[Norseman]

In 1938 the first anthrax bomb was made...

I'm just saying that you can have airships, submarines, and stuff in 1900 as well, and that'd give us more time before all kinds of whacky stuff was available.

[Sea Skimmer]

You could make an anthrax bomb in 1900 too, but anthrax fucking sucks as a bioweapon. Like I said before, in terms of its actual properties it’s more like a very persistent chemical weapon then a bioagent that can unleash a widespread plague.

In the era before antibiotics and widespread vaccines however, one hardly has to care about biological weapons, which have been used in warfare all throughout history. Delivery systems are crude, travel is slower, manufacturing methods are crude, civil defence is better, and developing new bioagents is just not really possible the way it is today. Death from contagious disease (which anthrax is not) was simply a part of (shorter) life. Remember the Spanish Flu killed more people then WW1 in less time. Its a new thing to the 20th and 21st centuries for wars to kill more men with bullets then from diseases.