Hello all,
Throwing something out for you chaps to kick around for a while -
this is entirely hypothetical, just want to get some opinions (and I'm sure
you all have some of those!!).....
How do folks feel about "rewriting history", not in the Stalinist sense of
course, but in terms of making some revisions and changes to a few of the
events already written into the "canon" of the GZG universe?
The basics of our GZG background were written back around 1990/91 -
in the 20 years since then, not only have real events moved past some of the
earliest bits (and come dangerously close to others...), but
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> On Thu, Oct 20, 2011 at 00:37, Ground Zero Games <jon@gzg.com> wrote:
> So, if it was up to you, what would you change, if anything? All
Well for one I would either replace powers with or add several Corporate
powers, as in corporate nation states that are de-facto governments
within their spheres of influence, quite possibly aligned with but
functionally independent from existing National Powers.
With that I would get rid of many of the
sole proprietorship planets/systems, Habitable colony worlds having
multiple territorial claims.
At least those are the structural changes i would make.
> At 09:13 20/10/2011, Evyn MacDude wrote:
Rather like the trans-nationals and meta-nationals in the Mars
trilogy by Kim Stanley Robertson? In those books, they were actually more
powerful than the nation states, which fell over themselves to
give subsidies/tax exemptions to attract the corporations (errrmmm,
hang on a sec - that's happening already - hardly a rewrite of
"history")
Given how things have been going over the past few years, I'd guess that the
various GZG federations would actually look somewhat different. Taking Europe
for instance, public revolution against austerity measures imposed by the EU
lead to the secession of Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy who form a
Mediterranean Bloc; Scotland votes for independence from Great Britain,
closely followed by Wales and Ulster (which also votes to reunite with Eire)
and the three countries form a Celtic Alliance, later opting to ally with the
US which in 2015 declared England as a rogue state for refusing to participate
in the war called by President Palin against the newly formed Islamic
Federation. Europe is falling apart and England opts to become part of the New
Saxon Federation................
Plenty of food for thought there, especially if we add in the big corporations
> not in the Stalinist sense of course,
I'm afraid any major 'overhaul' will feel like that to me. I'd probably
suggest a start-from-scratch write up, but you'd pretty much have to
have the five majors, as those are the main fig lines.
Please note, I always had major Corporate 'States' in my world view, but with
a strange disconnect between them and governments. The common man's
assumption is an Illuminati-like influence, one way or the other, but
the reality is as long as goods flow, the governments don't care about
corporate habitats' day-to-day, and the interstellar corporations are
thrilled to stay so low a profile as to be invisible.
"The reoccurrence of corporate influence witch hunts of the early colonial era
is too clearly in the minds of the CEO's. A string of insulting invectives
will still often include 'lobbyist'."
I even played it as the cycle of nation wars was offset to the corporate wars,
as idle military hardware, mothballed to corporate stations, was too tempting
to the corporate players trying to 'rationalize' in the lean times of low
military expenditures. 'You don't get rich supplying the colonies...'
> With that I would get rid of many of the
Are there any in the official history? You aren't going to suggest one can
control our fevered gamer minds, are you? ;->=
Seriously, I'd never play with many that others invented, and haven't an
impression of anyone using my Texaco Free Trade Zone. Doesn't stop them from
existing in the GZG Encyclopedia Galactica.
> On Thu, Oct 20, 2011 at 08:37:30AM +0100, Ground Zero Games wrote:
> How do folks feel about "rewriting history", not in the Stalinist
Speaking only for myself: I think it's important to keep the core powers
substantially are they are in terms of flavours of national stereotype.
Specific detailed events are another matter. After all, the point of the
setting is to come up with situations in which powers can fight each other
fairly freely...
> So, if it was up to you, what would you change, if anything?
Use a reverse distance blur: "recent" events in game-time can be written
up in detail, but the earlier they get (closer to the present day) the less
and the more vaguely they're talked about. (This is also the policy of the
Transhuman Space line, set in 2100, and I think it's a good one.)
> On 20/10/2011 3:37 AM, Ground Zero Games wrote:
I'm not sure I'd change much of anything. Even if plans have changed and FT
3rd Ed. is back on the front burner, I think the story is strong enough to
stand on its own, creates enough potential story hooks to provide reasons to
'fight' if needed, and has enough holes so that people can create their own
universes if they have to. Changing it now, no matter what direction you move
it in, will always open you to the accusation of "lack of creativity", because
no matter what you come up with (unless you go really wild) has already been
developed by somebody else.
My thought is, any time you spend considering the backstory canon would
probably be better spent working on minis or co-coordinating with new
rulesets. In the end, we didn't play FT because of backstory (though it's
always nice to have) - we played FT because, it had good and fast rules
and nice looking miniatures. I don't think revising the backstory will
generate much, if anything in the way of new business, and will risk
alienating anybody who feels the 'backstory' has become less 'realistic' by
the changes.
JGH
Amen on the needed work, but I'd have to disagree about the importance of the
fluff. It tends to be the major driver in anything new on the market,
including new versions.
The_Beast
Jerry Han <jhan@warpfish.com> wrote on 10/20/2011 10:14:23 AM:
***snippage***
> My thought is, any time you spend considering the backstory canon
> On Thu, Oct 20, 2011 at 10:37:11AM -0500, Doug Evans wrote:
Consider Battletech, where the fluff became its own separate section of the
business...
R
A cautionary tale, for sure. ;->=
The_Beast
Roger Burton West wrote on 10/20/2011 10:39:16 AM:
> From: Roger Burton West <roger@firedrake.org>
> On Thu, Oct 20, 2011 at 11:14 AM, Jerry Han <jhan@warpfish.com> wrote:
The world is a changin' and any assumtions made based on the trajectories of
the late 80's and 90's
> My thought is, any time you spend considering the backstory canon
Who is this "we" you are talking about? Your local FT Admiral's Club?
I disagree -- I know a number of people who play (sujectively
inferior) games BECAUSE of the fluff. I think the fluff should be
tweaked -- not changed per se -- but nudged in certain areas to align
it with the world as we know today.
D.
> On 20/10/2011 11:58 AM, Damond Walker wrote:
Most of the friends I played with for the past 25 years. For us, we bought
stuff because of the big subject matter (starships, mostly.) Then, we decided
to play it or not if we thought we could get a game in the amount of time we
had.
Case in point: all my friends loved Star Trek, but none of us played Star
Fleet Battles because it just took too damn long. We really liked the ideas
behind Renegade Legion, but, when we actually came to play the game, we found
it awkward and unwieldy, and we put it away. How many of us have picked up a
game, played it, and then decided that we weren't going to play it anymore?
What makes us decide that we're not going to play the game? The plot? Or
whether or not the game is fun?
> I disagree -- I know a number of people who play (sujectively
I think that's another issue: once you start revising in certain areas, you
create that precedent of change. In 20 years, you're going to have "align it
again", because the world is always going to change in ways we don't see and
expect. And how do you choose which areas to align it with? That, in and of
itself, is going to create a huge amount of discussion, and, as I said, you
can pretty much justify any future you want.
Besides, as far as I can tell, supporting fiction for Battletech and Games
Workshop and Halo (to pick three examples) didn't create massive game sales.
It was massive game sales that created the market for the fiction. And to flip
the question around: How many Battlestar Galactica games have found runaway
success? How many Stargate games?
Heck, look at the GZG ECC schedule for the past 14 years - a bunch of
FT canonical history stuff to be sure, but also a ton of variant universes,
variant rules, different miniatures. If the core game is good enough, people
will play it. (Do you think people care that Dominion's backstory is pure
vanilla and almost completely
non-existent?)
Also, I never said that all people are like this, just that, with the friends
I played games with, the rules and the minis were more important.
In the end, I guess what I'm trying to say is this: If Jon's really bothered
by the fiction as it stands, he's welcome to change it. After all, it's his
universe. I'm of the opinion that it's fine, the same way that I have no
problems with the fact the Eugenics Wars happened ten years ago now. He asked
for opinions, I offered. He's quite welcome to think I'm daft, the same way
you do.:)
But, if this change is motivated by the thought that changing the canon will
make a significant difference in terms of sales or recognition of the FT or
Ground Zero Games brand, I don't think that's going to happen without a lot of
work on a lot of things, as well as a radical change in the nature of
entertainment in the 21st century. (Because,
let's face facts - the traditional miniature gamer is a dying breed.)
That's why, if sales or brand recognition ARE the motivating factor, I'm
wondering if there aren't more 'bang for the buck' things that can be done
instead of kicking off a huge discussion about the backstory of Full Thrust.
But as I said, that's my opinion, based on my own personal experiences, and
what I know of the gaming and publishing industries. Feel free to ignore me.
You wouldn't be the first, you won't be the last.:)
JGH
> Amen on the needed work, but I'd have to disagree about the importance
Just a follow-up note to all: Please DO NOT read anything more into
this than its face value - I simply asked the question as an
interesting discussion point for the list, following a conversation with
someone at SELWG this weekend. It's not something that will take up time and
effort, I just thought it might provoke some interesting list traffic.....
Jon (GZG)
> Jerry Han <jhan@warpfish.com> wrote on 10/20/2011 10:14:23 AM:
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Popping my head in/up for jussst a moment here...
> On Thu, Oct 20, 2011 at 1:06 PM, Jerry Han <jhan@warpfish.com> wrote:
> On 20/10/2011 11:58 AM, Damond Walker wrote:
Then,
> we decided to play it or not if we thought we could get a game in the
Alternate case in point. When I first got into FT, I did so for the ease of
playability of the rules set (I was coming from SFB at the time). However,
while I liked the rules as they stood, I found the timeline at the time to be
wanting, and I wanted more fluff to my universe that I was going to play
in. I'm in no way imaginative enough to just make it all up myself. :-)
Besides, as far as I can tell, supporting fiction for Battletech and Games
> Workshop and Halo (to pick three examples) didn't create massive game
In regards to B'tech (I can't speak for the other two systems), I think the
game system and the fluff fed on each other as they both matured. I used to
play B'tech back in the late 80s, early 90s, then put it down. Picked it back
up again very recently and was stunned to see just how much it has progressed
and grown in that time, both the game system, and the fluff.
> It was massive game sales that created the market for the
I'll have to say, I do prefer a richer backstory than a blank background to
game in. It gives me depth to the game system, which otherwise is merely a
set of rules governing movement and combat of some non-descript units.
In the end, I guess what I'm trying to say is this: If Jon's really
> bothered by the fiction as it stands, he's welcome to change it.
(psst, damon; I think Jerry missed the Eugenics Wars, being all tucked away in
Canada and all; don't tell him the details!)
> He asked for opinions, I offered. He's quite welcome
Jerry, you once flew into a planet... ;-)
> But, if this change is motivated by the thought that changing the
The parenthetical statement I would strongly disagree with. There has been a
fairly significant resurgence in miniatures gaming over the past 10 years. As
one data point, how many companies now produce 15mm figures that didn't 10
years ago? Quite a number. Ditto on starships (but not quite to the same
magnitude level as 15mm infantry/tank producers). Flames of War has done
a lot to reignite WW2 miniatures gaming. The game shop I play FoW at has seen
a growing number of players in that system. A number of these players have
expressed interest in expanding out into other systems (though mostly
historical, not so much future/SF), if they didn't already play them to
begin with. Ambush Alley has come out with a some sets of rules in the past
year or so (and just this week, their SF rules set) that is fairly popular
with gamers around these here parts. I keep getting asked to join in AA games
pretty regularly (but my limited available time prevents me from
diving headlong into them). The Wings of War is another minis-based game
system that is fairly popular with some groups around here (I missed out on a
group game a few weeks ago, but one guy pulled a 'Jerry Han' when he flew
his WW1 biplane straight into a dirigible :-D ).
But as I said, that's my opinion, based on my own personal experiences,
> and what I know of the gaming and publishing industries. Feel free to
Your opinion is exactly what Jon was soliciting. :-) Since each of us
are coming from different groups and different experiences, we all have
different feedback to give.
I'm withholding mine on the FT fluff for the moment, though. ;-)
Mk
Which the idle speculations on your dark machinations do as well... ;->=
There have been some of exactly what you requested, and we WILL NOT be be
deterred in wandering all over the place.
By the way, I didn't read that into it; we all know you're too busy with
casting and schlepping to actually work at new background.
The_Beast
Ground Zero Games <jon@gzg.com> wrote on 10/20/2011 12:49:33 PM:
***snippage***
> Just a follow-up note to all: Please DO NOT read anything more into
***snippage***
> On Thursday 20 October 2011 08:37:30 Ground Zero Games wrote:
After trying 'future histories' myself, the best solution I came up with was:
1) Stuff happens. We colonise some worlds.
2) Something Bad happens sometime in 22nd/23rd century.
3) Civilisation rebuilds, but records prior to the Bad Thing are lost or
incomplete.
The big shake up at (2) means you don't need to detail (1), and pretty much
anything that happens in real life is irrelevent to (3), which is the bit you
detail.
Having said that, I quite like the nations as they stand now, but I wouldn't
complain if there's a reboot.
Indeed, I'd love to see a series of background books describing a new set of
background fluff.
There was a fellow who wrote a novel regarding the first contact with the
Karvak that was very well done and was a enjoyable read. I am at work and I am
sure folks on the list know the author but it seems to show to me the
background does hold up ok.
------Original Message------
From: Samuel Penn
To: gzg@firedrake.org
ReplyTo: gzg@firedrake.org
Subject: Re: Discussion topic - rewriting (future) history....?
Sent: Oct 20, 2011 11:10 AM
> On Thursday 20 October 2011 08:37:30 Ground Zero Games wrote:
After trying 'future histories' myself, the best solution I came up with was:
1) Stuff happens. We colonise some worlds.
2) Something Bad happens sometime in 22nd/23rd century.
3) Civilisation rebuilds, but records prior to the Bad Thing are lost or
incomplete.
The big shake up at (2) means you don't need to detail (1), and pretty much
anything that happens in real life is irrelevent to (3), which is the bit you
detail.
Having said that, I quite like the nations as they stand now, but I wouldn't
complain if there's a reboot.
Indeed, I'd love to see a series of background books describing a new set of
background fluff.
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Just as a note to this line of discussion; I would have BIG problems with
any rewrite that affected FCT. You don't mess with Free Cal-Tex, Dude!
On Thu, Oct 20, 2011 at 1:10 PM, Samuel Penn <sam@glendale.org.uk> wrote:
> On Thursday 20 October 2011 08:37:30 Ground Zero Games wrote:
In response to Jon's request, I went back and looked at the future
history of the GZGverse -- and frankly, I can't find that much that's
wrong with it. It should always be remembered that things change, and any
attempt to predict more than the near future is doomed to failure
before it starts. It's Chaos theory at its most basic level -- small
effects build up to become major ones over time. With that said, most of
Jon's predictions are at least as valid as anyone else's; for every
thing that didn't happen or is highly unlikely to -- like, say, the
Romanovs returning -- there is a possible explanation that can be found
for cetain events in the papers today which, while not what Jon may have
had in mind, still leads to the same place.
As an example, consider the case of Greece and the eurozone and their current
travails. Suppose that Germany gets fed up with having to bail out Greece (and
Spain, and possibly Portugal) to the tune of zillions of
euros, quarrels with France (who has always considered itself to be the
natural leader of Europe) over it and eventually walks out of the EU and
the euro. Eastern Europe goes with the money (the revived Deutschmark)
and follows them out. What do you have then? A East-West split in the EU
that isn't too much different from the FSE/NSL divide. I don't say it
will happen, but it could.
Other events like the destruction of Israel and the conflicts in places like
the rest of the Middle East, India and Asia could be all too likely
from what we hear. So overall there's not too much that needs revising, as far
as I can see. The establishment of the NAC has always been the most shaky of
the origins of the Big Four in my opinion, but even that is at least
plausible, and that's all that's necessary. Perhaps the events of the next,
say, 20 years could be reworked, but beyond that,
Chaos rules -- not in the sense of lack of order, but in respect of
unpredictablility, and the GZGverse future history is as valid as any other
when looked at from this point in time.
There are aspects of GZGverse canon (and fanon, by which I mean the
semi-official stuff about minor human nations that is included in things
like the GZGpedia) that I don't like, but I don't have to use them. I bought
my GZG minis because I liked the ships, not because I wanted to use the game
background. To be honest, I dislike most most game backgrounds; they are
generally too focused on providing regular opportunities for conflict (case in
point, the SFU, which warps Star Trek history out of all recognition so that
the authors can have their Big War) to be terribly interesting. I like FT as a
set of rules because
it is adaptable to any background and plays well; that it comes with a
reasonably entertaining background is a bonus, and most of what lifts it
from the morass of other backgrounds comes from the work of people on this
list.
So, apart from the very beginning of it, I would say that the history of
the GZGverse doesn't need a lot of work; I'd be more interested in revision of
the latter part. I don't particularly like the history of the First Xeno War,
specifically the way in which the Kra'Vak seem to be
unstoppable, which didn't seem to me to make sense in the light of their
description in MT and FB2 -- but that's my opinion, or taste really.
Phil
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"Rot Hafen" by Carlos Lourenco perhaps?
> On Thu, Oct 20, 2011 at 2:14 PM, <sepplainer@gmail.com> wrote:
> There was a fellow who wrote a novel regarding the first contact with
That's it. If anyone can link it that would be cool Sent via BlackBerry by
AT&T
[quoted original message omitted]
> Which the idle speculations on your dark machinations do as well...
;->=
> There have been some of exactly what you requested, and we WILL NOT be
Feel free to wander as much as you like, Doug!
My follow-up explanatory comment wasn't directed to you so much as to
Jerry's concerns (and anyone else who might be thinking the same) that (a) I
was actually starting to work on some new stuff (hah, I wish....) and (b) that
thinking about the background would then distract me from the more important
rules work if (a) were true.
However, if/when at some point in the future (a) does actually come
about, then the fact that we've already discussed this will be useful
and actually a time-saver in the long run..... ;-)
So, ramble away everyone, go as far off-topic as you like, and we'll
see if anything useful distills out of it all in the end! :-)
Jon (GZG)
> By the way, I didn't read that into it; we all know you're too busy
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1. I'm attached to the current timeline because it had some interesting
factions, twists, and strangely life came close to it in several particulars.
2. I liked the tone and flavour of the write ups in dirtside and stargrunt.
Still do.
3. A 'reboot' makes perfect sense from a business point of view. You could
phase out otherwise unfavoured miniatures lines, create new miniatures for new
powers, etc. This could be a good business motivator, so I understand it from
that perspective. Even if, Jon, this wasn't the inspiration, you may want to
consider that side of things.
4. The least likely things in the old continuity are the most heavily
entrenched in miniatures. The NAC was tremendously unlikely (I mean, God Save
Her Majesty The Queen of Canada, but Britain rescues North America? Don't know
if that works... and then taking over all of South America? Not likely). The
ESU probably at least as unlikely. But they are both popular blocks of minis.
If I had to think what I would do it would be:
1. Try to preserve the long term power blocks (ESU, FSE, NSL, NAC, etc) but
perhaps envision an alternate path from here to there... maybe the NAC is a
super-sized 'coalition of the willing' with the US having to take a more
moderate part due to an economic collapse.... maybe the ESU is the result of
strongman governments in Beijing and Russia cooperating to offset the power of
the NAC.... the NSL and FSE are the long term result of the demise of the
Eurozone due to economic collapse.....
2. Leave room for everyone's pet mini-states. No sense kicking about the
fans. That just means there has to be room for small splinter states.
3. Fix the demographics a bit - pure math says the NAC should beat the
heck out of the ESU and take its lunch money (based on modern day population
and
GDP).
4. Allow a few more powers. Big blocks might be more like NATO or some other
defense conglomeration more than super-countries. This would leave room
for a lot more independent countries and small navies and ground forces (aka
minis to sell).
PS - I've never played FT for mechanics, I've only ever played it
because of the background. As a ruleset, it is okay (no complaints really
other than the value in most games of the FoD), but as a ruleset married to an
interesting somewhat different background that has some flavour of 2300 AD
(colonialism pushed forward a few hundred years), it was a good tool for
telling stories. And those stories are tied to the background.
I've a PDF of it, but no place to post it. Speaking of which, has anybody
heard from Los lately. I think he was lurking sometime ago. I'd rather have
his permission to share. ;->=
The_Beast
Will the Special Amazon Service have pants in the rebooted Tuffleyverse?
> 3. A 'reboot' makes perfect sense from a business point of view.
> How do folks feel about "rewriting history", not in the Stalinist
Without wishing to sound *too* bitchy, after the essential business of
designing, moulding, and shipping minis is done, releasing the revised
editions of the existing rulesets, and *any* finished version of FMAS, should
be a higher priority for any spare energy than the background fluff IMNSHO.
Much of the original background always seemed wildly unlikely in the
context of real-world politics and economics anyway. The NAC never
struck me as even remotely credible. The Russian-dominated ESU was a bad
idea twenty years ago (it was written nearly a decade *after* Deng Xiaoping
launched the "new model China", leaving aside its cultural implausibilities
and unfortunate implications), and has only got worse since. How far can you
interfere with the history of major factions
without pulling a Games-Workshop-style Squats move?
So, so why not treat the existing background as a parallel universe, or just
add fifty to all the dates?
*If* any rewriting is done, I think it should be to include fluff on
megacorporations (tied to new lines - corporate security/mercenary
figures, corporate space fleets) with.any new fluff relating to the
nations/blocs being a decent way down the timeline, to prevent
real-world events overtaking what has been written (one possible
exception - the US financial collapse in 2049 is likely to happen
much sooner than that when PRC calls in all the US debt they hold -
possibly a much stronger rationale for the ongoing enmity between NAC and
ESU).
That being said, I think most of Jon's customers aren't interested in the
backstory, but love the miniatures and the FT rules (SG and DS don't seem to
be played very much). On the 15mm minis, I know that a
lot of SF skirmish gamers are using them outside of canon - eg New
Israelis and UNSC Light Infantry as HALO Spartans, NAC as
Aliens-esque space marines - I'm guessing that is at least part of
the reason for those ranges having received the most attention.
AS for miniatures gaming dying off, I'd tend to disagree for the reasons
outlined by another poster. A lot of people who used to game in the past have
been returning to the fold (myself included), in particular to SF skirmish and
WWII gaming. There are also a lot of people coming into "real" wargaming
having been caught up in the web of the Evil Empire of Nottingham, UK. Many
are coming in to the Ancients and Renaissance periods from computer gaming as
a result of the Fields of Glory rules.
I think what is less evident is people joining established
clubs/groups for gaming, instead forming their own groups with
friends locally or playing in local stores (again, something that can be
pinned on the EEoN,UK).
15mm and 6mm wargaming of all periods is also becoming more popular,
evidenced by the number of new producers/suppliers of figures,
terrain and rules.
What is behind the phenomenon of gamers returning after many years away? Many
reasons, but here are some: 1) kids grown up and left home, parent has space
and time to fill (and money to spend) 2) cheaper than many other adult hobbies
3) a sudden spark reignites their interest (true in my case) 4) they have an
interest in military history (or SF) and come across
a book or website about wargames (partly true in my case - it was
looking around on the web for something that led me to the
Tuffleyverse and reignited a long-dormant interest in gaming)
(I guess the last part of this post has diverted somewhat from the original
topic;))
Tamsin
> At 20:22 20/10/2011, you wrote:
Not
> likely). The ESU probably at least as unlikely. But they are both
but
> perhaps envision an alternate path from here to there... maybe the NAC
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I've a copy of the story, too, and have been wanting to run it through a
grammar, spelling, and structure edit session. But it's been about as far
down on my list as Jon working on "Bugs Don't Surf". :-D
Carlos is still out there, still gaming. He's on Facebook, though not too
active. He last posted a hunting-related photo back in late August.
Mk
> On Thu, Oct 20, 2011 at 3:51 PM, Doug Evans <devans@nebraska.edu> wrote:
> I've a PDF of it, but no place to post it. Speaking of which, has
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> On Thu, Oct 20, 2011 at 3:22 PM, Tom B <kaladorn@gmail.com> wrote:
> textfilter: chose text/plain from a multipart/alternative
Not
> likely). The ESU probably at least as unlikely. But they are both
I thought Jon developed the NAC as he did to have a fun tweak at those of us
across the Pond here. :-D I *thought* that's how he once explained it
to someone, but I could be misremembering.
Mk
> On 20/10/2011 2:03 PM, Indy wrote:
Define resurgence. (8-) DTP and the gradual increasing availability of
3D modelling and printing technologies (whether it's something as
'old-fashioned'
as casting, or as 'high-tech' as your local friendly RepRap or MakerBot)
means that you have more and more boutique publishers out there. So, you can
find things and alternatives that you couldn't find before.
But, an industry as a whole? I can't speak for international markets (maybe,
because of the strength of Games Workshop in the UK, the market there is still
significant in size.) But, here in Southern Ontario, all the signs point to
overall contraction. Even Games Workshop hasn't been able to make
their business model work - various stores in the area have closed, and
the main Canadian warehouse (as far as I can tell) is no longer in the area.
Most of the local hobby shops won't even carry miniatures anymore, everything
is special order. The local wargaming convention (which always featured a
large miniature gaming component) has been cancelled this year. I know
somebody who's married to a local gaming wholesaler, and even the gaming
wholesaler isn't carrying miniatures anymore. Right
now, I can think of one local hobby store that carries old-fashioned
lead -- and they limit their selection to Warhammer, Flames of War,
Warmachine, and a gradually shrinking stock of stuff from Spartan Press.
And that's in a metro area that has a half-million people within 20
miles.
Granted, nobody can say for certain without hard numbers, and there isn't a
NPD for boardgames/miniature games (at least, I've never been able to
find one). Maybe the Hamilton area is an exception, and there are a dozen fine
classic gaming stores in Toronto. But all the evidence I've seen (both first
hand and from stories, locally and across North America) points to an industry
that's in overall contraction, with fewer and fewer young people coming up to
replace the grognards. Now, that can be compensated a
little bit by the demographics -- people as they get older (especially
if their children are now independent) get back some free time to game, and
they have the resources to buy things. (Which I think is another
reason you see the explosion of boutique publishers - this demographic
is no longer looking for 3 battalions of the Old Guard, they're looking for
unique things that didn't have a large market, even in the good ol' days.) But
there's a big difference between this echo, and a genuine
influx of teens and twenty-somethings who are going to make miniature
gaming their life-long hobby.
Now, the 'non-traditional' miniatures market may still remain
large-scale.
The fact that both WizKids and Hasbro put out major releases this summer (Star
Trek Fleet Captains and Battleship: Galaxies) implies somebody still thinks
there's a substantial market out there for something. And maybe something like
'Skylanders' can be a gateway drug of sorts. But, it honestly looks like that,
while individual small publishers can succeed, and even thrive, the market as
a whole is shrinking, along with the RPG and wargaming market as a whole.
Of course, once again, you may think all of the above is daft. In the
interests of full disclosure, I have actually smacked a planet not once,
but twice. (8-)
JGH
> > How do folks feel about "rewriting history", not in the Stalinist
[snip]
Just to reiterate for clarity, this is NOT the situation - the
question was asked so that all you guys could kick the ideas around, precisely
so that I don't have to! It's for generating interesting list discussion only,
and will not affect anything else I'm doing.
:-)
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In a message dated 10/21/2011 3:08:39 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
> jon@gzg.com writes:
> > How do folks feel about "rewriting history", not in the Stalinist
[snip]
Just to reiterate for clarity, this is NOT the situation - the
question was asked so that all you guys could kick the ideas around, precisely
so that I don't have to! It's for generating interesting list discussion only,
and will not affect anything else I'm doing.
:-)
Jon (GZG)
What exactly are you asking Jon? I feel little confuzzled on what is being
asked here.
Vince
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Rather than rewrite history why not progress the story rather than have it
stalled.
Factions can then evolve.
But to look at the history with 21st century eyes.
A scenario for the ESU could come out of the remilitarisation of Russia. They
are earning hard currency by supplying gas to western Europe and then taking
that money and investing in weapons technology. A modernised military
adventurist Russia waving its big stick around at a time when America is cash
strapped and it's military tired after years at war in the middle east could
make for an interesting political position. If Western europe can't pay for
Russian oil and gas any more, they could sell it to China who could use
forclosing on US loans to pay for it.
Weaken the west and get richer at the same time a great scenario for the
eastern powers.
America would then need to take control of resources closer to home and south
america has all sorts of oil and natural resources and no significant military
to defend it. The must be pentagon scenarios covering taking out Chavez.
The thing I don't understand is how smaller factions get the money to make or
buy spaceships, they can't afford a wet navy cruiser so how do they get a
spaceship even if it only costs about the same?
I can see corporation / political forces making moves to expoloit space
base resources, maybe the NAC ships arn't so much owned by the NAC as leased
from the military division of Microsoft. Richard Morgan draws some interesting
dividing lines between corporation and state in his books.
What happens when corporations have a GNP larger than nations? Do they need to
be able to take care of their employees with welfare systems and benefits?
> textfilter: chose text/plain from a multipart/alternative
Quite simply, Vince, I'm asking folks here on the list to discuss
what aspects (if any) of the current GZG-verse canon they would
change or rewrite, given the chance. I'm curious to see if any real consensus
of opinion distills out of the discussion, but mainly it's just an exercise to
allow everyone the chance to say what they do or don't like about it, and to
get the list traffic flowing. There is no "hidden agenda" here, and whatever
comes out of it with neither speed up nor slow down anything that I'm doing
now, though of course any particularly good ideas may be useful in the future!
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Jerry,
Not sure if you are right or just working with bad data...:0)
There are fewer LGS than their used to be, but in the same respect their are
fewer record, CD, and book stores. Do you really think our consumption of
music and books has declined?
Bricks and mortar stores are expensive in that they require you to maintain
stocks. With on demand production (be that miniatures or game printing) and
PDFs being favoured in many cases (searchable!) for games, the reasons for an
LGS to exist are questionable. Even the boardgame sales have gone online
significantly.
So, yes, this part of the business has changed. I think you hastily conclude
this implies something larger about the hobby which I am not sure is
supported.
Counterpoints:
- more miniature manufacturers and variety than I've ever seen before by
a far cry (but selling over the Internet)
- major games conventions still seem to operate (if they are well
managed.... half the problem in this area is mismanagement)
- more rulesets available on the net for free or POD tor as PDF than
I've ever seen in times past
- Plenty of blogs on miniatures gaming out there showing people playing
the games and a wider variety of games than in times past
- more boardgame wargames available now than I've ever seen before (but
these are not your AH or SPI games... these have slick looking rules, boards,
and modern boardgame design)
If I had to presume a change, I would say:
- miniatures gaming now has more variety so their is less concentration
in any one flavour
- miniatures gaming does involve a lot of middle aged folk now, but many
of them are bringing their kids up into the mix
- many of those kids are also from the domain of mobile gaming, of VR
worlds, and of amazing computer games, so they may (as a concession to your
point) find miniatures gaming a bit mundane by that comparison
- bricks and mortar stores for everything that you can get by mail order
are
going away, except for in very major (or very boutique-ish) cases
There probably is less of a flow of teens into the hobby, but things like RPGs
and D&D have also went from things that most people in the generation would
say 'what is that?' to things most people have seen or played. This may not be
entirely extensible to wargames, but if you've played any of the recent
flavours of D&D which are very miniatures heavy, you're pretty close to a
skirmish game.
I think there is a lot of gaming going on out there with miniatures. I can't
tell how much. I don't think the industry is in any danger of disappearing
given the number of people publishing rules and selling miniatures and the
number of articles on this stuff on the web. The people are ordering directly
from suppliers and bricks and mortar stores and local gaming activity
associated with them are in decline, but the games have also gone a bit more
mainstream in exposure and participation.
Every gamer I know with kids is introducing his or her kids to it, so that
gives me a lot of optimism.
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> On Fri, Oct 21, 2011 at 6:55 AM, Tom B <kaladorn@gmail.com> wrote:
> textfilter: chose text/plain from a multipart/alternative
I wouldn't say bad data. I would suggest using a microcosm of data and
applying it to the macrocosm of the system. :-)
> There are fewer LGS than their used to be, but in the same respect
Another data point: look at how much time Jon has to work on any rules sets,
given that he's no longer producing miniatures as much anymore. ;-)
I think there is a lot of gaming going on out there with miniatures. I can't
> tell how much. I don't think the industry is in any danger of
Yeah. Gaming doesn't have the stigma it used to have 20-30 years ago, to
be sure.
I understand, Jer, that if you are basing your premises on what's going on
immediately around you you would think the industry is evaporating, but I
would suggest that you're working with a limited data set. Down here in
Maryland, minis gaming is going on pretty strong. I know it's going well in
New York, Virginia, and Ohio. And echoing Tom's notes about the internet,
yeah, there have been a number of minis-related blogs that have been
springing up, easier online access to stores, email listservs being more
active (not so much our GZG list here, but some of the 15mm lists I'm on are
moreso now than before; can't speak for any 25mm lists:)). I believe Eureka
minis in Australia is doing well; their 300 club has been getting some
production from the feedback I've seen in some of the circles I put my toes
in. And there are more companies now to choose from than 10 years ago.
All in all I think it's good. :-)
Mk
> TomB said:
> Jerry,
and
> PDFs being favoured in many cases (searchable!) for games, the reasons
> I think there is a lot of gaming going on out there with miniatures. I
All I can add to this is the simple fact that in over 20 years of
manufacturing and trading, I've never been busier than in the last couple of
years, and I'm glad to say that it shows no signs of
slowing down at the moment! :-)
Just to chip in a little on an area that I'm seeing rather a lot of these
days, and say "Hi!" to everyone on the list:
> --- On Thu, 10/20/11, Tom B <kaladorn@gmail.com> wrote:
Project GDP forward enough, though, and you do have China overtaking the
US -- particularly if the US gets "stuck" at its current output for a
long time, though that would also have follow-on effects slowing down
China.
It does make the Russia-centric ESU a bit odd; as others postulated
here, perhaps that is explained by Russia linking more tightly with China to
supply energy and other raw materials (nickel, etc.) and gaining a larger
voice because of it (though I think historically speaking, countries that are
"just" raw material suppliers end up on the down side of any such
relationship).
Technology wise, that advantage may follow over to China as well, but there
are a lot more "twitchy" effects with things like that. For all the numbers
that people love to throw around about how well high school students do in
China (or Asia) vs. the US, and how many college degrees China is granting in
Engineering, the fact is that when you get into the details that's comparing
apples and lychee, which I can get into if people want but otherwise no
worries. Suffice it to say,
creativity-wise the US is still far, far ahead, though if we standardize
our school testing down the line we might just shoot ourselves in the foot by
enough to lose that lead, too.
Fwee... back to work for me. ^_-
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> Just to chip in a little on an area that I'm seeing rather a lot of
Re the Russo-centric ESU, I think that may be a bit of a misreading
of the canon - remember that the ESU was originally formed after
China invaded large parts of Central Asia, and for a good while after
that the ESU was very Chinese-dominated. It is only in the latter
part of the canon timeline that the Russian elements of the ESU have seen some
real resurgence, and by the GZG "present day" I see it as
very much a balance between the Russian and Chinese influences -
hence the eclectic mix of ship class names! ;-)
Hey everybody,
Okay, multiple post time... (8-)
> On 21/10/2011 6:55 AM, Tom B wrote:
This one, I've actually seen hard numbers on - sales HAVE declined.
At least, of the 'real' versions compared to their 'digital' counterparts,
which is the main concern here. Remember, I'm not talking about gaming as a
whole (one only needs to look at the success of download services like Steam,
XBLA, PSN, the various Nintendo shops, et al), but the segment of miniature
gamers in the market, and whether it's growing or shrinking. You can mask a
shrinking reader base with growing revenue.
Now as I said, it's impossible to get hard numbers, so, at this point, we're
ALL speculating. But, a lot of people seem to be telling me that, in
an area (hardcore wargames/RPGs/niche gaming) where overall
participation is down, and overall revenue is down (in the past 10 or 15
years) the traditional miniature gaming market is the one area bucking the
trend?
> Counterpoints:
I addressed this from the 'shift' idea - this is also happening in music
and writing. It doesn't mean the market as a whole is larger, it just means
entry costs are lower so more people are fighting for the same slice of the
pie. We'd never get the numbers, but, I would be really curious how many Jon
Tuffley's it would take to equal the sales volume of 1 Games Workshop. Or even
Spartan Press?
> - major games conventions still seem to operate (if they are well
Well, this is something I wanted to actually look at in terms of a barometer;
the problem is, while I can find overall attendance figures (and those
actually look nice for the gaming industry as a whole), I can't find any nice
historical database with attendance broken down by event
category. Facts/figures for something like Cold Wars would probably be
more indicative though.
Either way, there's also the correlation/causation problem. When a
bunch of retail chains in Canada went bankrupt, sales at the others went up.
Was it because, all of a sudden, more people were going shopping? No, it just
meant the survivors attracted more attention. And you've got the management
factor as well.
> - more rulesets available on the net for free or POD tor as PDF than
That's the boutique effect again - lower costs of entry. Anybody can
publish stuff, for free. There's plenty of news websites and blogs out there;
but nobody is claiming the newspaper industry is healthy and vibrant because
of the number of available sources.
> - Plenty of blogs on miniatures gaming out there showing people
See above in terms of the boutique effect.
> If I had to presume a change, I would say:
Exactly. The problem is the stickiness - how many kids are going to
stick with it, and how much money are they going to spend on a hobby that is
by definition, crazy expensive? ($10 for a miniature, or $10 for three packs
of 'boosters'?)
> I think there is a lot of gaming going on out there with miniatures. I
Remember, I'm not talking about gaming as a whole, just miniature gaming.
Gaming as a whole may or may not be looking up (depends on what metrics you
use, etc.) I'm just pointing out that, even if there is an overall revenue
growth trend in miniatures right now, the overall demographics are against
long term growth. There's going to be stasis here, or decline,
unless video games and euro-games completely disappear from the market.
From Mark:
> I understand, Jer, that if you are basing your premises on what's
Well, we're just working with the same concept of limited data sets.:) Like,
does that mean the local miniatures gaming club has tripled in size with a
whole gaggle of new teenagers ready to take the helm? Does it mean that clubs
have stopped the bleeding and they're no longer shrinking in size? And what
does it mean in terms of the industry as a whole?
That's where I'm happy to admit (and have admitted) that the only way to know
for sure is to see national sales figures, which we'll never get. We can draw
analogies, but they're only analogies. I've heard the happy
stories too -- but I've heard more stories like what we've got around
here in Hamilton then stories about growth, continuity, etc.
> Jon T wrote:
And I'm glad to hear that. (8-)
> Bob D wrote:
To repeat the thought about boutiques and Internet: the fallacy here is number
of outlets and quality of product correlates to size of the industry. If costs
of entry into a market are low, you are going to get large numbers of people
involved, and you're going to get some gems, because large numbers are coming
in. But that doesn't mean the market as a whole is going to increase.
To draw an analogy, you need to look at the PC gaming market - a
lot more indies, some great stuff, an almost complete switch to digital
delivery, the video game market as a whole has increased in size by 500% since
2005 (just counting retail), and the PC gaming market has been in stasis, with
signs that gaming is going to continue to shift to consoles and mobile
devices. (Actually, there are a lot of parallels, including considerable
discussion over which way the PC Market is going, from
total doom to "we're going to reclaim the video game crown" -- and
that's in an industry that is relatively transparent.)
Look, trust me, I'm hoping I'm wrong on this. But, what hard data is out there
seems to suggest that glory days of miniature gaming are over, and it's going
to be a niche segment in an industry that is turning more toward more
'traditional' boardgames. I'm not saying miniature gaming is going to
completely disappear (at least within a timeframe that anybody on this mailing
list considers even remotely important.) I'm not saying you can't get great
stuff. But, in terms of the size of the industry as a whole, it's reached a
maturity, and unless something radical happens, there's going to be a decline
as the people leaving the hobby aren't replaced by people coming into the
hobby.
That's my opinion, because that's what the data suggests to me. *shrug* It
doesn't mean gaming is bad. It just means we're in a niche hobby.
And now, instead of looking up sales and convention attendance figures, I
really should get back to work. (8-)
Thanks, JGH
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> From Mark:
:)
> [quoted text omitted]
As a point, I was actually not basing my views on the miniature gaming
industry on the Maryland gamers alone. I know there's been a growing swell in
Virginia, New Jersey, New York, and Ohio, to name a few places that are not
directly influenced or affected by Maryland gamers.
> Like, does that mean the local miniatures gaming club has tripled in
Again, I'm basing my perceptions on not only the people I know in the states
noted above, but listservs, gaming blogs, etc. From everything I've been
seeing, the miniatures gaming industry is doing okay.
> That's where I'm happy to admit (and have admitted) that the only way
I'd like to hear those stories, because other than your note about the
Hamilton gaming environment, I'm not seeing any declines.
[...]
> Look, trust me, I'm hoping I'm wrong on this. But, what hard data is
I want to see the hard data you're looking at. Seriously. I'm just not seeing
what it is you're seeing. I think we're now in the glory days of miniatures
gaming, not at all past it.
> I'm not saying miniature gaming is going to
But, again, I'm seeing the replacements coming in, moreso than those who are
leaving the hobby.
> That's my opinion, because that's what the data suggests to me.
*shrug*
> It doesn't mean gaming is bad. It just means we're in a niche hobby.
It's always been a non-mainstream hobby, and I don't think anyone, least
of all you, said gaming was bad. I'm just hearing you say that miniatures
gaming is done, whereas I, Tom, and several others are suggesting to you
otherwise. :-)
Mk
> On Thursday 20 October 2011 19:03:41 Indy wrote:
However,
> while I liked the rules as they stood, I found the timeline at the
:-)
I got into GZG products when I bought some nice looking starship models for
use in my own space combat game. Then I found out they had rules associated
with them, and decided I liked FT better than my own Delta Vee.
B5 Wars I got and played because I liked the background. SFB I avoided because
I disliked the background. I'll buy Traveller models whenever I find them,
because I like the background. I've never played any games with them however.
I like the Saganami Island setting, but I've never persuaded anyone to try
playing a game of it, and though I've bought a few models, I won't buy any
more because they're boring.
FT is rare in that I didn't get into it because of the background.
The FT fluff is interesting in that it gives instant rivalries for wargaming
(and people can attach their own prejudices against the Brits, French,
Russians, Germans etc to make it fun), but there's not really enough there for
roleplaying in.
I don't think that we've ever once used the fluff for anything other than
choice of silly accents and types of insults to hurl at each other whilst
playing.
> On Fri, Oct 21, 2011 at 12:54 PM, Indy <indy.kochte@gmail.com> wrote:
> As a point, I was actually not basing my views on the miniature gaming
I agree -- the gaming situation is pretty darn good in MD. I'm about
20-40 miles (MD & VA) away from 10 game shops that I know about
(granted three of them are actual GW stores but they still count). That may
have something to do with the population compressed into this part of the
world so is by no means typical I'm sure. Having said
that...
The local groups have been pulling in new players at a pretty constant
rate IMHO -- it's not a massive bow wave of new players by any stretch
but they easily seem to keep up with the number of folks who exit the hobby
permanently.
One of the differences today compared to 20 years ago is that I find it's VERY
EASY to find gamers pretty much where ever you go thanks to the Internet.
Before moving to Fredneck (I mean Frederick, MD) I posted a message on TMP
asking about the local gaming community. The
responses weren't overwhelming by any stretch but there were a few --
that led me to finding AoCM, gaming shops I should check out, etc.
Having talked to GW reps about the demographics of the (and they will say
"their market" but you got to let that stuff slide) market, at least as far as
their product line goes, they pretty much assume folks will start with 40k and
stick with it a few years until they discover "other distractions" (along the
lines of females). They assume a number of these players will come back to
"The Hobby" and they do. Once these gamers reach a certain age they gravitate
to Fantasy Battles.
You can see this in the product lines and the relative weight and complexity
of the rules. In general you can visit any store and see
these demographics play out -- youngin's play 40k and graybeards lean
towards fantasy. It's not 100% mind you because folks like me still
like 40k and play it for what it is -- a simple fast game. I've
managed to find close to 20 people at work who still play 40k. I haven't
really searched for Fantasy folks because I'm mostly not interested in the
genre (though I've got a collection of fantasy figs to create HoTT armies...).
The ONE thing I have difficulty with is convincing folks to try other
rulesets. Some gamers are even scared to try anything else. I can't
explain this -- in my case I came up as a RPGer in the 80's. It was
nothing to jump from system to system to system. When I go to shops
today I don't see a vast selection in RPGs - though they are available
online.
I've had a few great successes in getting 40k players to try SG2 with their
figs because the system lets you model just about anything. One complaint a
lot of 40k gamers have is that Space Marines aren't the super heroes on the
table they should be (or that "Elites" are generally only "Elite" in the area
of the toys they have access to and not really on the inherent capabilities of
the troops). Using SG2 I could contrive a scenario where a handful of Marines
could hold against a vast horde of alien bugs, etc. Or you see the shock on
their face when a squad of Elite (in the SG2 sense) Imperial Guard actually
have the stones to face down a squad of Chaos Marines and win (the horror!).
In wrapping up this tome I'd like to weigh in on the side of "more vibrant"
than "stagnating or declining." There is more access to games, genres, and
gamers than there have ever been in the past. The HMGS cons are still
overcrowded. My buddies and I are constantly tempted by existing and new
product lines. Tomorrow's War should be
at my door Saturday -- GZG is going to be producing minis for this
book and if the game lives up to the hype (friends LOVE FoF) then I'll be
getting some 15s when they become available. In the meantime I'll use my 28s.
D.
> On 21/10/2011 12:54 PM, Indy wrote:
Well, most of the happy stories I've heard of are stuff I've heard on the
list, or from friends of friends based in Toronto. And the one store still in
the area that cares minis, they're still running weekly tournaments and such.
But, when the wholesaler isn't carrying as much product any more (I double
checked, they still stock some stuff, they're just not carrying as much as
they used to) there's something going on.
Maybe it's just Canada. *shrug*
> Look, trust me, I'm hoping I'm wrong on this. But, what hard data is
Well, as I said, I can't find numbers for miniature gaming sellers as whole.
I'm looking at print runs for wargames and rulesets and extrapolating. For
example, SJG is planning a 3000 print run for Ogre 6e. GMT Games usually sells
out with print runs of 3000 to 5000. Games Workshop revenue is flat over the
past 3 years. Little bits and pieces I've read over the Internet over the past
several years.
Admittedly, maybe I'm just used to larger numbers. Most of my
work/interest was computer games and stuff, so, I might be used to
much larger numbers. Maybe having "only" 5000 people interested in a certain
topic in a region like North America is actually good.
> That's my opinion, because that's what the data suggests to me.
*shrug*
> It doesn't mean gaming is bad. It just means we're in a niche hobby.
Well, I'm willing to admit I'm wrong. But, if you're distrustful by my
anecdotal evidence, I can be distrustful of yours.:) You almost have me
convinced, because I WANT to be convinced... but, at best, it creates a
conflicting picture. In the end, if all these people are adopting the hobby
nationwide (and assuming America/Canada as a single unified market
culturally in terms of minis), where's the money? Where's the chatter? Most of
all, where are the GZG ECC registrations?:)
JGH
> Weaken the west and get richer at the same time a great scenario for
The idea that Russia and China form some sort of "Eastern Bloc" has been
obsolete for decades. It was precisely concern about Russian power that led
China to start talking to the USA back in the 1970's. Why would a future
resurgent and militarising Russia on the doorstep suddenly seem like a good
idea in Beijing?
As for the "eclectic mix" of ESU ship-class names, of the fifteen ESU
class-names given in FB1, twelve are explicitly Russian, two are
non-Russian but use names (Manchuria and Tibet*) that are very much
deprecated in China, and only one (Beijing) is actually Chinese. The
on-line store's ratio is less skewed, with a ratio of only 2:1 in
Russia's favour, but it seems people of Chinese background are still
definitely "junior partners" in the cannon ESU.
*I'm not taking any position on this. I'm just wondering why the ESU would
adopt names offensive to the Chinese if they're anything like equals in the
Union.
G'day,
I'd say my one and only real bugbear about the futureverse is that the IF and
NI have to be so focused at each other's throats. Freed from such close
quarters you could imagine a diversification of tensions. This is a problem I
have with many "future histories" across many different fiction sources where
long term combatants on Earth transfer without pause into space. I know that
there are plenty of cases where there have been centuries of history between
two "nations" but geography plays a decent part to that.
However, this is not a reason to change anything though because there is
enormous scope to paint the existing timeline in a vast number of ways. As a
bit of fun years back I wrote a version up with a few more details that caste
a different light to the commonly held view on the same events. I won't bother
reposting here as it raised a few hackles at the time, but it was meant to be
one example of the many many ways you can caste the current GZGverse timeline.
In all I think that's a strength. In fact a geopolitical adviser friend of
mine was quite intrigued to hear it was written when it was, given things have
panned out since. He was very interested in it.
A more moderate whinge is I'm coming to the end of my Mars timeline of stories
(I've just about kicked the KV back off Mars... I hope to finish that this
summer) so it'd be nice to know how the humans eventually kicked the KV butt
in total (or whether the KV just dwindled away for their own reasons like the
Mongol horde) so I don't end up too off base
;)
Lets start the second Xeno war!;)
Beth
P.S. In case anyone is interested here are two example geopolitical
sketches/scenarios drawn up recently by some advisers as context for
some modelling work Im doing in Australia. This is pretty indicative of the
kind of broad brush strokes used in that realm, so you can see Jon isn't too
far off the mark in the way he does thing
> WATER CRISIS IN SE ASIA <<<<<<<
Water demand is growing fast across Asia, as large populations there continue
to grow, both in terms of population numbers, but also via industrial
expansion. This could potentially lead to tension as China is already water
poor, with changes in the regional climate contracting the water supply (from
Himalayan meltwater and monsoons) and making it more variable. Chinas desire
for control of its water supply is evident in the many water redirection plans
and the buffering infrastructure that have been built over the last 2000 years
(the Grand Canal project began in 16BC). China controls the headwaters of many
of the major rivers which feed India, Bangladesh, and SE Asia. This means that
Chinese decisions have significant potential to shape stability in the region.
Possibly the best outcome for the region is if all the nations in the region
agree to basin wide sharing and allocation of water, while simultaneously
becoming more efficient in their use of water (e.g. by adapting their
agriculture to use less water). The more likely business as usual trajectory
is that China continues to steadily divert more water from SE Asia into water
poor regions of China, though they would
likely refrain from redirecting waters destined for the sub-continent
for diplomatic and security reasons (as India is perhaps too big an enemy to
make and Pakistan is currently too good a friend). While the impacted SE Asian
nations could moderate the effects of reduced water availability by increasing
efficiency and adapting industrial practices it is still likely to increase
tenions (especially with Vietnam). The worst outcome would come if China
aggressively diverted water from all the headwaters to its parched east. This
would lead to significant tensions between China and both India and Vietnam.
Any war with India over water could have devastating implications, including
the possibility of a nuclear exchange. Tension of this kind would not only be
devastating for those directly involved, but the ensuing instability would
affects Australias trade and border security (massively increasing people
movement and illegal immigration pressures) as well as leading to changed
trade conditions and productivity.
> POTENTIAL UNIFICATION OF THE MUSLIM WORLD <<<<<<<<<<
As seen in the tumultuous activities of 2010-2011 there are many
pressures driving for change in middle eastern and African nations, including
fast growing populations with millions of unemployed youth (and education
gaps), a rejection of modernism and the West (which has been tainted by its
support for local dictators). This has provided an opportunity for many
different unifying concepts to be put forward, some democratic, some based on
the religious ideal of the caliphate and many antithetical to western powers.
At present it is unclear what form of government will ultimately emerge from
the upheavals of the Arab Spring. Democratic movements are only one faction
represented in the revolutions, with the Muslim Brotherhood (and similar
organisations)
typically much better organised than the democrats and on-going tension
and struggle between Shia and Sunni interests. It is possible that a single
unifying form of rule could extend from Maghreb, to the Middle
East, Pakistan and Indonesia in the east and the Sub-Sahara (e.g.
Nigeria etc) in the south. The presence of nuclear weapons in Pakistan (and
potential weapons programs in Iran) could exacerbate nervousness of nations
like Israel regarding the outcome of the revolutions. At one extreme Israel
and the USA may take decisive (and early) action to neutralize the nuclear
threat, while simultaneously preventing accommodation between Shia and Sunni
interests and supporting key oil producing Arab states so that they do not
fall into any caliphate. At the other extreme is the scenario where most
Muslim states come together in the caliphate, with a nuclear exchange between
Israel and Iran
disrupting global oil production; anti-Muslim sentiment leading to
pre-emptive suppression of Muslim minorities in China, Russia and
Europe. The later situation could degrade further if it leads to military
conflict; for instance, if Pakistan collapses the USA may feel compelled to
take surgical action to secure the Pakistanis nuclear stockpile, potentially
ending in a standoff with India if they also attempt to secure Pakistans
stockpile, the resulting posturing could see India take more territory in
Kashmir, securing territory in Afghanistan
and ending up in a further stand-off with China (who may feel compelled
to support Pakistan and enter Afghanistan against India). A more middle of the
road business as usual scenario is that not all Muslim states fall and only a
caliphate of sorts forms, which does not include all of the key oil producers,
Israel my still take out Iranian nuclear facilities and Pakistan may still
suffer at least partial collapse, particularly in the north where large bandit
regions of Taliban may form. However, it would be a much more heterogeneous
outcome than envisaged for either of the other, more extreme, scenarios.
textfilter: chose text/plain from a multipart/alternative
I was hoping you'd turn up, Beth.:)
> On Sat, Oct 22, 2011 at 4:11 AM, <Beth.Fulton@csiro.au> wrote:
> G'day,< snipped the awesome for brevity >
> G'day,
Hey Beth, thanks for posting these - very interesting, if you have
any more then please let us see them! As you say, some of it is
scarily close to some of the things in the GZG-verse.....
Actually I'd like it if you DID re-post your own piece that you
mentioned above, just for discussion - though if you think it might
upset some folks then feel free to email it to me off-list instead.
I do like to HOPE that we are all grown-up enough on here that we can
read other peoples' ideas and opinions without throwing our toys out
of the pram! ;-)
Best,
Jon (GZG)
> P.S. In case anyone is interested here are two example geopolitical
> textfilter: chose text/plain from a multipart/alternative
You're remembering exactly right there, Indy - which ties in with my
comments earlier about FT getting far more world-wide exposure than
was ever envisaged when it was originally written. Back in those
days, in pre-internet times (at least as far as I was concerned) and
not having any kind of transatlantic distribution, I really never
expected to sell more than a handful of books outside the UK - and as
a large number of the gaming products coming over here from the US
appeared to have a very "America rules the world/known space/the
universe" outlook, with the British being very much sidelined and ignored in
many cases, the formation of the NAC was very much an
"in-joke" to redress that balance a little! The premise behind it was
always, of course, a loooong stretch of credibility.... ;-)
Sorry, haven't been by the mail box, I hate 'I was offline...', for a bit.
Well, Jon, if you wanted some discussion, you got it. Still say you should
give up explaining what you DON'T want... ;->=
Haven't read everybody's in depth, but
<Beth.Fulton@csiro.au> wrote on 10/22/2011 11:35:15 PM:
> G'day,
And you didn't.
I won't claim it was the only holdover that seemed anachronistic, but it was a
major one. However, given the Mideast conflict is in the timeline as the
genesis of this brouhaha, not unexpected.
Ground Zero Games wrote on 10/21/2011 10:34:49 AM:
> Re the Russo-centric ESU, I think that may be a bit of a misreading
If anything, I thought the People Republic of China was still the major
partner, 'saving' the former Soviet Union from itself, but with limited
experience and knowledge or interest in space, a limited force in the VKF.
Okay, that's a bit anachronistic, given China's efforts in space
currently. ;->=
Finally, glad to hear Rot Hofen is available to all; best wishes to LOS. As
close as I get to historical is VSF, and the steampunk issue constantly rises.
G'day guys,
I'd would love to post more of the geopolitical sketches, but I don't have
permission sorry. I haven't tried googling any yet, but I would assume that
uni based geopolitical experts probably have similar grade sketches kicking
about. Google is your friend;)
As for the alternative history from way back when. For what its worth I've
gone and dug it out and stuck it below. I wrote it nearly a decade ago now
(went on the gzgpedia list back then I think) just to show how much
flexibility there was in the existing published timeline at that time (which I
wove in here, I'm obviously not challenging Jon's copyright). I wasn't
seriously suggesting it as a replacement, just to show that you could get a
radically different take on the list of events that had been included in the
published material and that that was good as people could paint it as they
wished. For instance, it was pointed out the OU came out rather well, but that
wasn't actually intentional (more an oversight of not passing out enough
"don't you get smug you did this" chits).
Its early entries are now as out of date as any and I've learnt a lot more
about sketching scenarios since then, so don't take any of it to heart. I was
mainly trying to point out that things didn't have to follow the prevailing
views of the 2002 worldview (which was colouring a lot of assumptions and
opinions around the gamer interpretation of the GZGverse at the time).
Cheers
Beth
> [quoted text omitted]
2014 Increasing tensions over the future of Gibraltar culminates in a Spanish
invasion. Factional rifts within the EC and the UKs continuing resistance to
complete integration with the other members of the EC means that while Spain
is condemned for taking military action it suffers no real punishment as a
result of its land grab. This proves too much for a UK already wary about
being swallowed by continental Europe and it withdraws from the EC in protest.
Interest groups and lobbyists within the US continue to successfully stall the
implementation of widely available, affordable alternative fuel sources.
Unlike their US counterparts members of the Arab nations have seen the writing
on the wall and channel portions of their oil based wealth into research and
investment in alternative power sources. The first major success comes when a
young EC educated engineer puts the first Muntasir generator through its paces
in the Egyptian desert. A combined solar
panel-wind turbine its unique raised elliptical profile means it can
harness the two great power sources of the Middle East, the sun and wind.
2016 After years of periodically intensive warfare Russian is flagging in its
attempts to keep control of the secessionist states. Russia is further
isolated when Latvia and the other Baltic states strengthen ties with the EC.
The central Asiatic states, looking warily at China to the East and India to
the south, move to establish a new federation of their own funded by their
increasingly stern control of their oil resources. Political and diplomatic
wheels are set in motion as negotiations over the return of the Romanovs to
Russia begin. The idea is not universally welcomed, but the weary Russian
peoples are looking for inspiration after decades of economic woe and their
increasing isolation. This process leads to the crowning of Tsar Nicholas III
in St Petersburg in 2018.
2023 Partly in reparation from the lingering impacts of their colonial
policies and partly to facilitate access to resources the EC
sponsors the metamorphosis of the twenty-year-old African Union into the
Economic Union of African Republics. Arab African countries do not trust the
EC motives and remain outside of this new Union, with only the Central and
Southern African states making the transition.
In danger of being overwhelmed by the surrounding trade and political
power blocs, the seventy-year-old League of Arab states (LOAS) swallows,
or suppresses, old rivalries and solidifies its position as a global player,
admitting a number of new member states. Their first unified act is to begin
construction of Muntasir fields in the desert plains of many of the member
states.
Increasingly restrictive taxation laws and a weakening of US protection of
technological and medicinal patents see research firms drift away from US
shores looking for more conducive conditions and fewer barriers. Unexpectedly,
coincident social reforms and changes to fiscal policy within China and Japan
see them become the biggest benefactors of this redistribution of research
investment.
Australian scientists begin an agricultural exchange program with the EUAR to
facilitate the introduction of new drought tolerant crops and efficient water
management systems into Africa.
2027 On the Eve of the celebration of the creation of the independent State of
Palestine and a new era of prosperity for the region a series of nuclear
explosions engulf Israel. The world is stunned at the senselessness. Theories
abound about extremists infuriated by the idea of the People of the Book once
again at peace and eyes are turned to neighbouring states as well as to
apocalyptic terrorist organisations from a number of religions. While the west
goes on to accept it as the vile act of an Islamic terrorist group, residents
in the Middle East (struggling to live with the aftermath of the explosions
and contamination, which envelop the entire area) continue to search for real
evidence. With the world under increasing economic and environmental pressures
little of the promised aid reaches the area and only the members of the LOAS
provide any real support for those caught up in the tragedy. Much of the
financing of this support is facilitated by a lucrative energy supply deal
struck with the EC as the early Muntasir fields come on line.
With the global clamp down on the trade of ivory and conflict diamonds, the
last of the EUAR rebel groups enter the negotiation process and soon there is
peace across south and central Africa.
2032 With the proceeds of their reforms and new investments swelling their
coffers once more a Japanese consortium of companies and government agencies
support the Gilderstein Foundations FTL research programme. This proves too
much for the US which sees the Gildersteins acceptance of the Japanese rather
than the (more restrictive) US offer as the ultimate slap in the face and the
US imposes subsidies on imported Asian goods. This infuriates its APEC
partners and the US market share in southeast Asia is slashed, an extended
period of distrust and economic tension begins.
Due to the success of their new agricultural program the EUAR rides out the
worst drought in a century without recourse to calling for international aid.
2035 Changing global weather patterns plunge Russia in to extended periods of
extreme drought, while the Indian subcontinent is hit by a series of large
earthquakes and widespread flooding. The resulting economic hardship undoes
most of the good work that twenty years of moderately progressive governments
had brought. Waves of refugees and then rioting and violence spread across
north and central Asia. Crime lords quickly move in and begin trafficking
environmental refugees across Asia and northern Europe.
2037 After years of sectarian and separatist violence and retributions cross
the increasingly ravaged subcontinent, further economic woes and unrest
brought on by the collapsing environment see a small band of Sikh
fundamentalists strike out at the Indian Government and detonate a small
nuclear device in Delhi razing most of the city. The Prime Minister loses his
entire family in the bombing of Dehli and orders the army to occupy Amritsar.
Consumed by grief at the loss of his own family in Dehli, the commander in
chief of the Indian forces turns the action into a retaliatory strike and
massacres the entire population of the Sikh city.
The biotech company Bormann International begins trialing a new strain of
beetle resistant tubers in central Europe, harvests are anticipated to rise by
350%.
Changes in south Pacific climatic regimes see Australia, New Zealand and Papua
New Guinea extend substantial aid to their South Sea neighbours. A formal
trading bloc known as the Organisation of Oceanic Unity (OOU) is established.
The EUAR begins selling their surplus grain to China.
2039 After repeated attempts to broker agreements with Malaysia to end their
support of guerillas and civil unrest within Indonesia, the shaky peace fails
and Indonesia invades Malaysia and after months of intense fighting they reach
as far north as the Thai border. What remains of the organised Malaysian
fighting forces retire to Borneo, where brutal jungle fighting ensues.
Bormann International confirms the potential contamination of local crops with
their trialed gene.
Scandal erupts in Odessa as a local newspaper journalist is found murdered
after initiating enquires into the campaign financing of the local mayor. The
Tsar relocates his family to their estates in the Ukraine, though he remains
behind to maintain his position as the figurehead of the CIS.
The US economy continues its slow downward trend as an ongoing series of
misreporting scandals come close on the heels of a market correction on
inflated tri-vid stocks. This in combination with fears over access to
fuel oil sees confidence in US markets slump and the dollar drops below the
Euro for the first time.
2042 The EUAR restructuring finally in place it follows the example
of the EC and becomes a federal super-state the Pan-African Union. The
abolition of internal state borders, and the adoption of a single constitution
based on tribal councils unified under a representative federal government
paves the way for a unified future in south and central Africa.
Members of a new generation of the House of Saud win recognition within
the LOAS for their on going work with the survivors of the Holon-Wint,
as the devastation of Israel is known. Outside the LOAS though their actions
are more controversial due to their advocacy of a powerful mix of discipline
and faith a mix that serves the desperate survivors well, but is seen as
oppressive by people not faced with the same harsh realities.
2043 In the same way as the EC and PAU had restructured themselves from
leagues to superstates the LOAS begins its transformation into the Islamic
Federation. The widespread approval for the ongoing endeavours of the House of
Saud is recognised when they sweep general elections held for the first IF
governing council.
A failed peace agreement leads to further clashes between the IC and Malaysian
resistance forces. As a result, the IC move to quell their Malaysian opponents
once and for all by overrunning their final strongholds in Borneo.
Christian fundamentalists within the US strike at government sponsored
research facilities in a wave of protest at the legalisation of human genetic
manipulation for the treatment of inheritable disease. The destruction of five
research laboratories and the crippling of six
research hospitals puts an already seriously over-stretched health
system in peril of collapse.
The potato crops of Europe and northern Asia rot in the ground as a new weed
plant ravaging the area poisons them, the Russian economy collapses as their
food reserves are exhausted. In the space of sixteen weeks, a succession of
five Chief Ministers to the Tsar find their position untenable and resign.
Looting becomes common place and thousands starve, thousands more are plunged
in to virtual slavery as organised crime lords seize control of the food
markets in Russia. The CEO of Bormann International commits suicide. China and
the central Asiatic states protest cross border incursions and appeal to
Moscow to stop the flow of refugees and more importantly to call their
military in to line and cease the raiding parties. Moscow is helpless and
local Generals effectively have carte blanche. Other Asian states are hit hard
by their own food shortages and economies are further undermined by the loss
of their major markets in Russia and parts of eastern Europe. One casualty is
the South Korean government, which suffers a landslide loss in general
elections as the extent of entrenched corruption is exposed by the famine.
Unfortunately, the new government finds reform frustratingly hard to achieve
and it soon loses credibility too.
The release of a cheap HIV vaccine within eight years of the first cheap,
universally available HIV treatment kit closes the door on the final great
threat to African social stability.
2045 China is outraged when two Russian fighter planes and supporting
coastal patrol boats claim that a Chinese super-freighter has crossed
into Russian waters and force it to make landfall in Vladivostok. Cross border
raiding becomes more intense and the Chinese lose patience with international
calls for calm and send in troops. When the brother of the wealthiest crime
lord in Russia attends a UK brokered peace summit between Russia and China,
only two months after the crime sponsored assassination of Tsar Nicholas III,
China withdraws in disgust and
fighting on the Sino-Siberian border intensifies. The Beijing Government
attempts to enforce its border claims against an unravelling Russia, which is
now financially and politically bankrupt. Only the strong leadership of a few
noted generals, not the least of which is the new Tsars youngest brother,
prevent the entire CIS collapsing in to anarchy.
North Korea reaffirms its long-standing alliance with China as it too
has to face a self destructing neighbour state.
Utah is rocked when one of the new nuclear reactors brought on line to ease
pressure on the national power grid is destroyed by a runaway
reaction after eco-terrorists sabotage its coolant system. The US
financial market totters, dropping 25% of its value, but does not fall. This
sharp drop in the market highlights inequity in employment rates and wage
levels and there are threatened strikes and civil disobedience by racial
groups in the south and along the seaboards as welfare qualifications are
tightened. The federal government intervenes, sending in the army to keep the
dockyards working, fearing the consequences of further losses in market share.
With much of the rest of the world in turmoil the IF achieves increasing
success with its Muntasir fields, capturing energy supply contracts with most
of the Asian and European nations. Even their local rival, the PAU, signs a
small resource trade deal with the IF.
2046 The Korean peninsular is caught up in a wave of posturing, claim and
counter claim after a south Korean aerobus is shot down by a North Korean air
defence battery. North Korea quickly calls upon its Chinese ally for support
when the South Koreans deploy missiles along the border. North Korea gives
South Korea ten days to withdraw the missiles.
When the deadline passes a combined Chinese-North Korean force makes a
lightning strike, capturing or immobilising all the mobile missile bases and
then taking Seoul in a short but brutal conflict.
2047 With the military in tatters and law and order seemingly a distant memory
in much of Russia, unrest prevails in the CIS as food shortages and harsh
weather persist. Infuriated with the corruption stealing provisions and
ammunition from his soldiers, the commander of the eastern front reorganises
his forces and institutes a local
cease-fire. Called to account for his actions Vasili Sakov returns to
Moscow, but his train is attacked on route. A week later he emerges alive and
leads a successful coup, capturing the Chief Minister and his cabinet. He
announces the formation of a communist military government and puts the Tsars
household under house arrest. Within days all but one of the Tsars brothers
either join him in detention or are found dead. Leading his loyal troops from
the southwest General Peter Romanov marches toward Moscow demanding the
release of his surviving brothers and the return of his other brothers bodies
so they may be given funerals befitting the royal family. He meets resistance
on route as units loyal to Sakov attempt to block his advance, but Peters
numbers are swelled by subordinates and their troops from across the western
half of the CIS. Peter's forces reach the outskirts of Moscow, but halt as his
brothers lives are held to ransom, and a stalemate ensues. Then in the first
use of orbitally inserted assault troops the Chinese respond to a request for
support from the new communist government by reinforcing a three pronged
attack by Sakovs troops on Peters position. Additional Chinese troops arrive
by high altitude planes and yet more reinforcements arrive via more
conventional land transport. Peter is in a difficult position and his decision
as to whether to withdraw or attack is made for him when the heads of his
brothers are delivered to him as part of the payload of a low level bombing
run. The new Tsar and his forces withdraw south and enter the Ukraine.
Belarus, the Baltic States and the Ukraine all denounce the communist coup as
a mix of Sakovs forces and Chinese troops line their borders. The Tsars makes
a direct broadcast to his people, ensuring his continued fight on their behalf
and promising to use all weapons at his disposal to protect them should
Communist forces breach their borders. The EC mobilises its troops and
intimates to Beijing that they will support the Tsars cause, any further
Communist expansion westwards will not be tolerated, whatever the cost. A
tense few days pass as the world waits to see the outcome of this
brinkmanship. Without warning the Communist forces begin to move, an overeager
EC commander responds by launching a wave of missiles, but when it is realised
the Communists are withdrawing the Tsar orders his air defence to bring the
missiles down. Even though largely successful a few missiles still make it
through and war is only averted when a Ukrainian fighter pilot out of
ammunition and low on fuel sacrifices himself to prevent a missile striking
the local Chinese
command. A demilitarised zone is declared along the Communist-Tsarist
borders. After solidifying their new border positions the Communists turn
their attention inward, instituting widespread social rehabilitation,
political restructuring and public works. Many of the crime lords secretly
seek refuge in the Americas. With this process firmly underway, the fragile
peace in the region is shaken, but not broken, when the Communist states
announce the creation of the Eurasian Union. The peace is again tested when
the remaining Commonwealth States, realising that divided they will be picked
off by the EAU, unite to form the Romanov Hegemony.
With a steep rise in the crime rate fuelled by the ongoing recession within
the US, the federal government proposes tightening of gun control as more
people die during the course of a crime in the US than fall in the first 3
weeks of fighting in the second Russian Civil War. The governors of the
southern states oppose the move and a further split is added to widening
differences between a relatively affluent, technologically comfortable north
east, environmentally devastated
mid-west and poverty stricken, struggling south. The other members of
the Organisation of American States, as well as the EC, PAU and even the IF
all offer financial and technical aid on the condition that trade subsidies
are removed and the US comply with World Bank calls for fiscal reform. The
Isolationist federal government refuses the aid rather than go against popular
opinion and scale back public works.
2049 When the Bormann blight hits the US only weeks after an outbreak of a new
haemorrhagic form of the mosquito born Fortescue River virus the US finally
turns to the world for help. The move is too late and the US economy
collapses. Hope that accompanies the election of a new President is dashed
when religious fundamentalists bomb the White House during the inauguration,
killing the Speaker of the House, many Senators and Congressmen from both
parties, the CEOs of seven of the richest
companies in America, the President and the Presidents (same-sex)
partner. When it emerges that a man known for his advocacy of the abolition of
states rights is the highest surviving member of the chain of command there is
an uproar amongst the governors. Initially a policy of appeasement and
attempted cooperation ensues as the unlikely leader attempts to get on with
the job until new elections can be held. This ends when ongoing disharmony
over racial differences in employment lead to rolling strikes in the power
industry which cripple further industry in general. A Presidential Mandate is
put forward allowing for the use of military men in the distribution of
services, strike breaking and law enforcement. Southern governors are outraged
and state militia are mobilised to oppose the entry of federal troops.
Sickened by what he is asked to do the Army Chief of Staff refuses to follow
orders and resigns his position. Many other officers follow suit. In the
belief that his nation is descending into anarchy and that military dissent is
leaving the US dangerously exposed to the new communist power of the Eurasian
Union General Parham declares the creation of a military government. Many
states ignore the military proclamation, violently opposing the armed forces
attempts to assume control. Worse still the US military fractures and the
world watches in trepidation to see who has the real power and who is in
control of the nuclear arsenal.
2050 General Parham requests UN military involvement to restore order in the
US, but the Security Council is divided and the request is ultimately refused.
The military government turns towards Britain and Canada for help. They are
initially reticent to send in troops and they hold back looking for a less
interventionist approach. When the commander of forces in Texas launches a
nuclear strike on Colorado and threatens Mexico with a similar fate, the US
looks likely to fracture into at least three warring, nuclear capable,
factions. The Canadians and UK quickly mobilise a Pacification" force and
begin landing troops in the north and east. The lightning strike through the
Gulf of Mexico disables part of the southern command structure, but Mexico is
destabilised when fighting spills across the border into Chihuahua and
Coahuila. The US factional commands do eventually capitulate after the Royal
airforce successfully immobilises the bulk of the factional forces with well
placed EMP bombing operations.
With the loss of their northern markets and distrust of increasing EC and UK
interest in north America the US inspired Organisation of American States is
dissolved and is replaced by the
Brazilian-Argentinian lead League of Latin American Republics. Angered
by the ongoing presence of Canadian troops in Mexico, the LLAR requests
their removal. The UK-Canadian coalition declines stating the need to
stamp out lingering factional resistance in the area. Assuming their
involvement in the US has absorbed all the UKs fighting ability the LLAR
turns to age-old scores as bargaining chips in the Mexican problem. The
LLAR intimates that it will use force to recover ALL territories occupied by
"Colonial Powers" and troops are mobilised along the Argentian coast.
Realising the implications of this move, but unwilling to withdraw from
northern Mexico as fighting intensifies against US guerillas, Britain advises
that it will use any weapons in its arsenal to protect its subjects in the
Falkland Islands. The LLAR continues to press the point and blockades the
Malvinas. When Canadian and UK Paratroopers are orbitally inserted on to the
Falklands and a Royal Naval taskforce is sent into the South Atlantic the LLAR
decides to bide
its time until the UK military is significantly weakened by its on-going
engagement in the US.
Recovered from its expenditure in the war with Malayasia, Indonesia turns its
attention to the Spratly islands. The Philippine government recognises that
with its economy and security weakened by the collapse of their US allies they
can ill afford to lose the resource rich Spratley islands. Vietnam also
opposes the Indonesian claims and island hopping skirmishes break out.
Confident that its Malaysian policy will serve it well throughout southeast
Asia the Indonesians invade Mindanao. When word reaches Cebu and Luzon that
rather than massacres and religious oppression at the hands of their invaders
the citizens of Mindanao are actually experiencing an improvement in living
conditions, the rest of the Philippine islands capitulate, one after the
other, to the Indonesians. All of the Indonesian islands are integrated into
the new Indonesian Commonwealth.
Fearing continual IC expansion the Gilderstein Foundation calls upon
protection from the Japanese. The Japanese dispatch a battalion of foot
soldiers to fortify the Gilderstein island and send a number of naval units to
protect the Straits separating the Gilderstein installation from IC forces
patrolling the northern Philippine islands.
In response to the expansion of the IC and the mobilisation of their troops
along the Papuan border, the final steps in the federation of the South
Pacific states are completed and the OOU formally federates to become the
Oceanic Union.
2051 In response to appeals for help from Communist revolutionaries fighting
for autonomy in Haryana, Utta Pradesh and Nepal, the Eurasian
Union crosses the Himalayas and invades the Indian sub-continent.
The Japanese space program continues to help with the construction of the
Gilderstein Foundations L5 orbital science facilities.
2053 A new Indonesian government angered by the continual flow of drugs and
other smuggled goods down the Thai peninsular close their Thai border. When
this fails to inspire change to their north, and keen to eradicate the
corruption and hedonism perceived to be rife across the rest of southeast
Asia, the IC attack across their northern border and push north toward
Bangkok. The Thai military does put up strong resistance, but disease and
logistical problems see them pushed back and the forces of the IC push on into
the heart of Thailand across the border into Myanmar (Burma).
2054 Vietnam and Laos declare war on the IC and come to the aid of the
remaining Thai and Burmese forces. A daring submarine strike at Hanoi through
the Gulf of Tongking by a new class of IC vessels causes massive Vietnamese
casualties. Political intervention hampers the national militaries
effectiveness and the war goes badly for the Indochinese. Political will
falters as the IC roll across Indochina and the casualties mount. When the
Indochinese allied forces lose control of the Irrawaddy and are pushed up into
the Patkai Hills in the west and Chaine Annamitique highlands in the east in a
final act of desperation the allied forces call upon the Eurasian Union to
send support. The Eurasian Union, still primarily occupied in central Asia and
northern Europe and equally unimpressed with the state of Indochina, is not
immediately forthcoming. The Indochinese hopes are completely dashed when the
Eurasian Union and Indonesian Commonwealth sign a
non-aggression pact and the IC agrees to respect the Yunnan border. The
surviving members of the Indonesian allied command flee and the IC formally
accepts the surrender of the various Indochinese states. Clashes with the
resistance fighters continue in the north however, and despite cajoling,
diplomatic envoys, intimations and outright threats the Indian and Bangladeshi
governments do not stop their small, though significant, supply runs across
the old Myanmar border. The Eurasian Union uses this indirect attack on its IC
ally as an excuse to renew its Indian offensive. While the same high tech
forces sent in to support the Russian coup are used as a feint and dropped
into Jammu and Kashmir, the IC quietly allows the Eurasian Unions conventional
forces to skirt the Himalayas and drive straight into the flank of India and
Bangladesh.
2057 Keen to formalise their ties in the face of the expansions occurring in
Asia, Britain, Canada and the United States unite under the
Crown and create the Anglian Confederation. The Nebraskan ex-Admiral
Dewsbury is elected by clear majority in the first US elections held since the
commencement of the second American Civil War. His leadership position within
the AC is confirmed when his election is formally acknowledge and he is
appointed first Lord Governor of the territory previously known as the United
States of America. Sensing weakness when Dewsbury agrees to withdraw AC troops
from Mexico the LLAR responds to small pockets of lingering racial discontent
in the region declaring
that the AC has no mandate to rule over the ex-Hispano-US peoples. Its
confidence inflated by substantial military construction, minor concessions by
the AC in the Caribbean, a financial down turn in the AC, and a call for
appeasement by many Anglian citizens, the LLAR takes its claim to the
international courts. Frustrated with the slow pace of their legal campaign
and unsettled by the reinforcement of the Falklands the LLAR secretly forments
unrest in the south, supplying money and arms
to anti-AC resistance movements. When a LLAR sponsored militia group
seizes control of the federal government buildings in Albuquerque Dewsbury has
no choice but to send in the federal law enforcement agencies to end the
siege. The commanders on the ground mishandle the operation, and emergency
workers are prevented from extinguishing an inferno sparked by the agencies
actions. Ten city blocks in a primarily Latino neighbourhood are destroyed.
This leads to renewed civil unrest in Latino quarters in a number of southern
states. The LLAR use this as a pretext to vent their frustration and they
decree California, New Mexico and Texas as LLAR territory under foreign
occupation, launching an immediate invasion of these areas from their bases in
Central America marking the beginning of the War of the Americas.
2059 Amateur astronomers across the global note the disappearance of the
Gilderstein Foundation's L5 Lab from orbit. The Foundation releases a
statement saying that it had suffered a malfunction and been
inactivated and spun off from the L-point it occupied.
Recognising the ACs increasing self-absorption as it battles the LLAR,
the EC adopts the mantle as the global philanthropic benefactor. Considered by
many to be a cynical move it does serve the ECs purposes ensuring that its
free trade agreements and access to resources remain strong.
2062 After persistent rumours and a spike of high-energy particles
after a flash event near Jupiter, the Gilderstein Foundation reveals the true
nature of the disappearance of the L5 Lab.
With increasingly severe impacts of climate change modifying the cycle of the
Nile and shrinking aquifers the IF appeal to the PAU for cessation of the
construction of a series of dams south of the Kabalega Falls. The PAU refuse
to comply and accuse the IF of trying to bribe them when they offer aid and
trade in recompense for abandoning the construction of the dams. As their
completion looms the new dams are destroyed in a nighttime raid by elite IF
forces. The PAU protest the action, and the millions wasted on the dam
construction, claiming they have every right to ensure their precious water
supply. The IF points to the downstream needs of its people and the ecological
disaster that would ensue if the As Sudd wetlands were lost. The PAU mobilises
troops along its northeastern border and the IF also move troops in to the
area. The EC sponsor a peace initiative, proposing that the opposing leaders
meet in Paris. When both sides fail to respond and remain focused on their
troop movements the EC begins a series of military exercises in the
Mediterranean and threatens to impose sanctions. The IF and PAU both agree to
attend the Paris Peace Conference, but it is really only a cosmetic compliance
as long and intermediate range missiles are installed within the region by
both sides.
2063 In an attempt to increase global unity the Gilderstein Foundation in
conjunction with the UN sponsor an international
trans-solar probe is that is sent to (and returns from) Barnards Star.
2067 Finding global rivalries to be counterproductive, the Gilderstein
Foundation builds on its earlier, largely independent, work and sends the
first manned FTL mission out of the Solar System.
Religious fundamentalists of every creed question whether humanity should be
travelling to the stars. Conservative factions attempt to gain power in many
areas. While these attempts at grabbing power do not succeed they do manage to
obtain significant influence in certain spheres.
2069 Seizing upon the symbolism of the act rather than the practicalities,
both the AC and the EC launch FTL craft and begin the colonisation of
interstellar space.
2070 Fearing the AC will use its FTL capability to circumvent the ECs direct
and indirect control of terrestrial resources and weaken the ECs position, the
EC provides in kind loans which facilitate accelerated completion of FTL craft
by the IF, PAU and RH. With these superstates in space competition flourishes
in the interstellar shipping and resource exploitation industries, preventing
the AC monopoly feared by the EC, but also providing these intermediate powers
with significant boosts to their economy, causing some commentators within the
EC to question the logic of continuing assistance and potentially weakening
the ECs position in the long term.
2072 Financially and politically exhausted, the LLAR sues for peace in the War
of the Americas and cedes all territories in North and Central America to the
AC. With little chance of recovering its losses and with AC naval and
airforces patrolling the major shipping lanes through the southern oceans, the
LLAR looks to space as a means of expansion.
Taking the time to develop a drive system free from the fuel problems dogging
the western engines, the Eurasian Union launches its first FTL ship and
renames itself the Eurasian Solar Union. Within months its methodical approach
pays off as the EC and then the AC suffer jump
losses as drives fail. The ESU then catches anti-Communist detractors by
surprise when within months it unveils and launches a significant
colonisation fleet escorted by a fully-fledged stellar defence force.
2075 The LLAR finally complete and launch their first FTL craft, followed soon
after by an ESU trained IC mission. With stellar and interstellar travel
proving to be a lucrative business, avarice begins to creep in and divides
between rich and poor widen once more. No nation is exempt, but after the
death of Prince Saleh Al Saud from Maha flu the governing council of the IF
begins to develop a particularly bad
reputation. When a hard-line cleric replaces a Jewish scientist who had
worked for three years to prepare for his position upon a survey mission to
Kappa Ceti formal protests are lodged both by the Jewish and scientific
communities within the IF. When these protests are not only ignored but
mocked, much of the hard won respect that aid after
Holon-Wint had won was lost. The Jewish scientist is granted a position
on the UN survey and colony initiation mission to Sirius. On his return
fifteen years later he instigates a debate within the Jewish community, which
culminates with the decision to begin again and partition the UN with a
settlement claim for the newly surveyed Epsilon Indi system.
The EC renames itself United Federal Europe.
2096 With their infrastructure finally in place, the formal establishment
ceremony and the signing of the new constitution brings New Israel in to
existence, centred on their main colony world in the Epsilon Indi system.
Internal politics turn into ugly scenes in the European parliament. The
Germans stage a walk out when all North Sea fishing rights are given to the
Spanish, the final in a long string of divisive decisions made since the
southern states gained control of a number of important portfolios and
committees.
2098 Never happy with the loss of the Isthmus of Panama to the AC, the LLAR
take offence at border incursions by AC troops, supposedly trying to apprehend
pirates sheltering in the Golfo del Darien. These clashes quickly escalate
into all out war and the AC executes a long planned invasion. They send brown
water naval vessels up the Amazonas, Sao Francisco, Parana and Negro Rivers,
while landing foot troops along the Cordillera Occidental mountains and on the
Oyapock and Morawhanna plains. When they find the jungle fighting hard going
the AC public begins to protest, fearing the war will bog down into a long
drawn out affair, like the First War of the Americas. In a calculated move,
aimed at delivering a quick resolution to the conflict, the AC release a
potent flu strain debilitating their ill prepared opponents and causing
international outrage. When asked about this years later General Fitzgerald
remarks they forgive you the world if you win. Within two years the LLAR has
lost all ability to fight and loses all possessions on Earth. Survivors of the
League government and its supporters flee to the small Brazilian colony on
Santa Rico
2099 The AC solidifies its claims on the particularly rich system their
surveying team recently discovered by establishing a settlement on Albion.
The ESU host the inaugural Interstellar Games. Noteworthy not only for the new
sports showcased, but for the rich art and cultural festival that accompanied
it.
2101 When the French UFE President castes a deciding vote awarding a major
defence tender to a French company rather than its German rival, the
struggling and unstable UFE finally disintegrates. Germany, Austria and
several East European states all disenfranchised by the apparent domination of
the UFE by its southern members withdraw in protest and found the Neu Swabian
League. Fearing legal challenge allowed by certain articles of the UFE
constitution, the remaining members of the UFE (notably France, Italy and
Spain) dissolve that organisation and reform as the Federal Stats Europa.
Quick to see the advantage in selling arms to both sides the Mafia stirs up
tension and very soon border incidents are common between NSL and FSE forces
on the many originally UFE settled worlds. With little additional provocation
these clashes intensify into open warfare. As they retained the bulk of the
UFE military assets on the colony worlds, initially the FSE have the advantage
and they overrun the NSL settlements of Trelleborg and Flensberg, Wittenberge,
Kecel and Lienz, despite determined resistance from the poorly equipped
colonial militias. On Earth Baden, Wurttemberg, Bayern and parts of the
Rhineland fall to a lightning FSE armoured thrust.
2102 Further FSE advances into Germany falter when General Janos Matthias is
given command. His academy friendship with the FSE commander sees him
anticipate the next strike and the NSL forces halt the FSE armour at the
battle of Breznice. Unfortunately a stray shell strikes his headquarters and
the General dies of his wounds shortly after. An
attempted counter-thrust directed by his replacement is not as inspired
and it succeeds in regaining territory up to the Danube. The war continues
intermittently for another three years.
2103 While the Terran and Inner Colony theatres of the Trans-European
war stagnate, the Outworld battles intensify. The NSL commando raids and
planetary assaults on a number of FSE colonies and bases have only limited
success. The NSL prove incapable of backing up their successful
hit-and-run strikes on FSE installations with full-scale assaults.
2104 The UN and AC sponsored treaty of Saarbrucken brings a the
Trans-European war to an end. The treaty confirms territorial boundaries
on Earth and the Inner Colonies and establishes spheres of influence in the
Outworlds. In their economically weakened state neither of the protagonists is
able to effectively protest against the treaty conditions, considered less
than satisfactory by both sides.
2110 Air attacks on Moresby by the IC airforce heralds the start of
their Papuan War with the OU. The relatively low-intensity war is
dominated by IC successes for much of the first year, as they inflict a
crushing defeat on the under manned 6th Infantry Division at Aitape before
going on to take the Long Islands, Admiralty Islands and
establish a beach-head on the New Islands. The strong IC advance is
finally stopped at the Mouths of the Fly River. Their troops rout upon seeing
the Presidents Guard break in terror when the OU mount the first
ever Grav-charge, launching their Grav propelled combat vehicles on mass
over the heads of their own infantrymen down into the centre of the IC
position.
2111 Flush with success, the OU forces seize the initiative and launch an
assault on IC territory. Using two armoured and three infantry divisions the
OU quickly overrun Traigan, Jamdena and Timor. Reversals in the Battle of
Ramang in the South Banda Sea see the OU advance halt. In turn this leads the
war slide in to another quiet phase and peace negotiations commence. The IC do
attempt a renewed offensive late in the year, but it lacks conviction, both on
the battlefield and back on the
home-front, and the war grinds to an inconclusive close.
2112 The UN negotiated peace initiative, headed by the Canadian General
Secretary Thomas B. Sydney, leads to the signing of the Sydney Accord, which
officially ends the Papua New Guinea War.
2123 When the IF intelligence forces gain information about a coming cleansing
of the Indian subcontinent the IF ruling council attempts to send in troops to
protect their religious brothers. Sadly the available troops are no match for
the disciplined ESU border divisions and the IF are reduced to artillery
strikes. With no on to protect them, Muslims
are massacred in an anti-Islamic pogrom that grips the Indian
sub-continent. Once the real reason behind the IFs aggression becomes
known the ESU rhetoric on the floor of the UN falls silent. While UN
diplomates are consumed by frantic manoeuvres aimed at avoiding a
full-scale escalation, the Beijing government deals with the horror of
the situation in its own way. Sickened by the act of its regional officials, a
blatant breach of the constitution at the core of their
multi-cultural Union, the central government removes them from power and
summarily sentences them to a life of hard labour on a gulag asteroid.
2124 With the settlement of further colony worlds the difficulty of
maintaining a strong centralised government leads to further liberalisation
within the ESU.
The increased financial pressure put on the citizens of the NSL by on going
tension with the FSE in the colony worlds leads to the disaffection of the
member states who are not gaining as much direct benefit from the colonies. In
a bid to strengthen their position these
states form a pseudo-trading bloc of their own. The ESU then signs
substantial manufacturing deals with the Polish- Czech-Slovak trading
bloc. When the German and Austrian dominated NSL government allows the
RH merchants free access to markets across the NSL-RH border in return
for mining rights in the main RH system the Poles and Slovak commercial
organisations are furious. With ties strengthening with the ESU and weakening
with the other NSL member states, the northwestern trade group decides to
withdraw from the NSL and petitions the ESU to formalise their trade deals by
admitting them as "economic partners.
When the New Israelis and the Islamic Federation both file claims for the same
resource rich system within hours of each other tension inevitably mounts.
With the death of the IF foreign trade minister in a flitter accident the hard
line parties gain complete sway of the coalition in control of the ruling
council. Within months the new IF government begins retaliating for setbacks
in space by imposing bigoted restrictions back on Earth. This leads to a
complete breakdown of relations with minority groups within the IF, such as
the Jews and Christians.
2127 The Russian peoples have benefited significantly from the support of
their Chinese comrades and the balance of power within the ESU slowly shifts
away from complete Chinese domination. As a symbol of their emergence as a
true interstellar power the ESU holds a referendum around the relocation of
some of their government bodies to a colony world. A resounding majority
embraces the vision and the first Party
Congress is held offworld in the mainly Russian-settled colonies centred
around Nova Moskva.
During her speech at the ceremony to mark one hundred years since the
Holon-Wint the President of New Israel announces she has
incontrovertible proof that a consortium of Arab terrorists were responsible
and that the Jewish government swears to stand by the age
old pledge of never-ending war against the anti-Zionists. When
approached later that evening for comment the hard line Rabbi Avraham Yoffe's
stated he had not seen the evidence, but had faith in his President and he
reiterated that the Jewish state would take each and every opportunity to
avenge the destruction of their homeland. Humanity would not have to wait long
to see what the Rabbi meant by this as within hours Operation Jerichos
Interface and Airborne units assaulted and destroyed all IF bases in the
disputed system, before going on to take a number of other IF holdings within
the Inner Colonies over the following months. The shadow war spearheaded over
the last few years by the Intelligence and Special Forces was now well and
truly in the open.
2128 When the AC establishes a major undersea salvage operation off the coast
of the Caroline Islands the IC feels threatened and somewhat cheated. However,
border clashes with the ESU have reduced the IC's capacity to respond in the
short term so they hire LLAR mercenary forces (the San Deseado Interface
Brigade). Jittery after months of inaction and aware that their IC employers
may find it difficult to pay their mounting bill, the mercenaries exceed their
mandate and make a
pre-emptive strike on the AC as the first of the salvage is brought to
the surface. The AC threaten to invade the Carolines and surrounding islands
to secure the salvage site to their satisfaction. Fully aware that they could
not sustain conflicts with the AC and ESU the IC desperately attempt to
conciliate the AC by letting the LLAR brigade go.
Unfortunately the transport plane crashes shortly after take-off and the
LLAR accuses the IC of a massacre of their troops. The IC protests its
innocence, but the LLAR persists with a UN resolution for compensation and
atonement. The offworld LLAR feel betrayed when the other Terran based powers
side with the IC, stating that the deaths were the result of an unfortunate
accident. Furious at the perceived injustice the LLAR unilaterally strikes at
the IC settlement on Easter. In an ironic twist both sides must rely heavily
on Mercenaries in this conflict and it becomes known as the "Mercenary War".
Primarily financially motivated and lacking a cohesive motivation many
mercenary units see action for both sides at some point in the conflict. This
is just a symptom of what eventuates as a very scrappy and inconclusive war
where the only real winners are the bank balances of the various mercenary
units.
Rebounding from their clashes with the small but spikey NI, the IF shifts the
direction of its major colonisation drive. This brings it on a collision
course with the PAUs axis of advance and the two powers clash over spheres of
influence in space. Attempting to maintain the mantle of elder statesmen that
the EC had fashioned for itself, the FSE enforces a peaceful solution. Cynics
also note that the enforced peace
also benefits certain partly-government owned FSE commercial enterprises
that were finding it difficult to maintain profitable trade routes with so
many areas on alert.
2129 Anxious to regain their Easter Island assets, the most important being
the base station for the worlds main space elevator, the IC commits itself to
hiring the highest reputed Mercenary unit, despite the fact theyre Dutch. The
Van Koost Armoured Legion quickly recaptures the Easter Island from the LLAR
for the IC, with a minimum of damage to their important infrastructure there.
The Turkish mercenary forces captured in the process are quickly released, but
the regular LLAR units are held for questioning for an extended period. In a
retaliatory measure, a Swiss strike force in LLAR employ raids a major IC
logistics centre in Manila. The raid is a failure though as the Swiss are
repelled by local IC forces exercising with Japanese mercenary troops. Fearful
of discovery by their other major employer the IC, the Swiss attempt to cover
their presence and execute a speedy and unhindered withdrawal by making use of
nerve agents. As anticipated by the Swiss there are heavy casualties and while
it is known that mercenaries were involved their identity remains unknown.
Nevertheless the Japanese despise the tactic and initiate severe protests in
the UN assembly.
2130 Shi'ite fundamentalists, tired of the growing extremism of the Sunnis
currently in control of the ruling council and its regional governing bodies,
declare independence from the IF on the Outworld settlements of Abu Haman and
Sad Al Bari. Saudi lead attempts to regain control of these colonies fail as
the IF military forces are also disaffected with the increasing loss of
freedoms within the IF and the bulk of the 2nd Islamic Legion, sent to
suppress the rebellion, switch sides after landfall and join the
fundamentalists under the banner of their charismatic leader Mullah Saeed ibn
Aamir. Making the most of this turn of events, the insurgents quickly declare
the formation of the Saeed Khalifate. In an effort to raise hard currency to
support their venture the SK soon decides to hire out their armed forces as
mercenary units. Their IF training serves them well and over the next few
years the Khalifate's mercenaries earn themselves the reputation of being
among the toughest units in the human sphere of influence.
2131 The IC maintains its policy of using mercenary units for their island
protection, while their regular units are posted to mainland bases.
Unfortunately a bureaucratic miscalculation of the tallest order results in NI
and IF mercenaries groups both being posted to Easter. While not normally a
problem, the mercenaries are a pragmatic group who look beyond nationalist
concerns, a riot breaks out when a group of Jews celebrating the birth of
their commanders first son accidentally runs into a car load of the IF
returning from evening prayers. The brawl soon spreads and quickly engulfs
both the units and most of the island. Both forces' contracts are promptly
revoked and, to save face, several IC Defence Ministry staff responsible for
the hirings are severely reprimanded and posted to unimportant positions on
minor IC holdings in space.
2132 The signing of the Freisland Charter formally ends the Mercenary War. The
LLAR views the Charter as a moral victory as the IC are forced to pay heavy
reparations for the San Deseado Brigade incident. More importantly, the
Charter lays out a code to which all mercenary units and their employers are
expected to adhere without exception. The majority of nations and power blocs
that either supply or employ foreign mercenary troops are signatories,
agreeing not to hire any unit that does not comply with the terms of the code.
As terraforming advances and favourable native climates lead to rapid
expansion of colonies on the most favourable worlds conflicts inevitably arise
between the many players on each planet. The largest of these conflicts is
between the ESU and AC forces on Chi Draconis VII. This is only a prelude to
five years of increasingly frequent "border skirmishes". The colonies of minor
powers are often caught in the middle of these clashes or, worse still,
targeted by more powerful neighbours. This leads to loud protests and division
on the floor of the UN.
2133 Radical French Christian separatists in the colony settlements of
Bretonneux, Doullens and Compville declare unilateral independence from what
they perceive to be the increasingly hedonistic FSE. Elements of the Colonial
Legion are sent to quell the insurrection, but they initially suffer setbacks
as local opposition is more determined, better equipped and on a larger scale
than expected. The Legion troops are finally able to defeat the separatists'
main forces once their external supply lines are cut by a blockade of the
planet. However, resentment among the populations remains high and their
ability to wage a low intensity conflict remains despite the loss of offworld
support. The Colonial forces are ultimately drawn into a prolonged and dirty
guerrilla war with remaining local troops and the chocolat boite posting
becomes a common duty rotation for FSE escorts.
2135 Taking advantage of freer access to resources and land on the colony
worlds the AC has pursued massive immigration and engineered population growth
programmes on its most promising colony worlds. Albion proves the most
successful of these enterprises and when its population is on a par with
Englands an act is put before the government to relocate the Parliament to
Albion. Despite the immigration policies there is still an immense shortage of
transport visas to the colonies and there is fear on the streets that by
moving the government offworld with so many billions still confined to Earth
will lead to a growing gap between those affluent enough to reach the colonies
and those left behind. Analysts sceptical of the move point out that by moving
the Parliament offworld the government is leaving the majority of the
population in a situation of restricted resources, but without the ability to
take their grievances directly to Parliament. The reigning monarch, Charles V,
attempts to calm the people by remaining on Earth, but he is eventually forced
to bow to government pressure. He does manage to argue successfully for a
compromise and it is eventually agreed that he should divide his time between
palaces in England, Vermont, Ottawa and Albion.
2136 Once established on Albion the government of the AC renames itself the
New Anglian Confederation and begins revising the Constitution. The stated
aims of the revision were to update the Constitution to make it relevant for
the new era. While the need to include all related colonies as independent
members is the oft quoted example of needed change, the modifications are
deeper and go to the heart of the freedoms of their citizenry. The first to
feel the power of the NAC governments new marshal powers are the citizens of
the ESU quarter of a shared colony.
2137 The ESU protests "the hostile actions and intents of the Imperialists",
but when the NAC occupation forces are not withdrawn the ESU leadership
declares war on the NAC. These acts mark the commencement of the five years of
intense space and land warfare that comes to be known as the First Solar War.
The conflict rages through the Inner Colonies and the Outworlds with equal
ferocity. ESU forces assault NAC settlements on Salzburg, but the defending
forces acquit themselves well and intense fighting sees the ESU suffer heavy
losses. The ESU Naval Infantry Assault Division fair better in their assault
on the important NAC Outworld base on Lancelot and the base falls to the ESU.
Despite this, it is not until the inconclusive skirmish between NAC and ESU
space units off Grendel that major Naval offensives by both sides begin.
Weary of being trampled by both sides of the First Solar War offensives, and
equally sick of being run over rough shod when the NSL and FSE fall out. The
minor powers (PAU, IF, IC, OU, RH, NI) begin a stealthy revitalisation of the
UN.
2138 Operation Jester, an NAC counter-thrust against the ESU is
launched with the initial rapid thrusts against the ESU possessions on Mariana
and Trelleborg going well for the NAC, but the momentum falters as an attempt
to take the major colony of Chiang is beaten back. The NAC 2nd Drop Cavalry
also suffers heavy losses in their failed attempt to retake Lancelot.
With their regular ESU subcontractors caught up in the ongoing conflicts the
PAU signs a major fleet construction deal with the NSL. The other members of
the minor powers consortium sign similar deals with both the NSL and FSE.
2139 The ESUs 15th Guards "Zhukov" Division and the 135th "Tyulenev" Division
land on Flensberg and invest the NAC settlement of Faith. Defended only by
Local Volunteer Reserve troops and the 3rd Infantry Brigade of the reformed
Gurkha Rifles, the colony nevertheless manages to hold out for nearly nine
months until relief forces under General Pauline Chappell beat the local
blockade and drive off the ESU attackers.
2140 A new NAC operation, Season's End, sees the NAC overcome heavy ESU
resistance and seize the ESU outposts of Mikhailovka and Showyang, vital
forward observation points.
The revitalisation of the UN increases in momentum as the remaining
independent nations and colonies sign on the process in an attempt to avoid
absorption by the larger ambitious power blocs. The entire UN infrastructure
and organisation is reviewed and overhauled and the first steps in the
formation of the replacement bodies are taken.
2142 Financially and materially fatigued the ESU and NAC finally agree to meet
each other over the negotiating table. This results in the Freisland Accord,
which formally ends the First Solar War. The NAC publicly hails the war as a
major victory, while the ESU is more reserved and focuses on the acts of
recovery. Human rights activists demonstrating against the NACs Parliamentary
decision not to lift the restrictions on movement and freedom of speech with
the end of the war are silenced in a series of dawn raids.
2143 The first sitting of the new Security Council sees the formation of the
United Nations Space Command. Created to enforce a ban on conflict in the Core
systems, and to provide peacekeeping forces where required in the inner
colonies the NSL, NAC, FSE and ESU are less than happy with its existence.
However, as they race to consolidate before their rapidly growing colonies
over extend themselves these large powers are not in a strong position to
resist it. Pressure form the large powers does see some restriction of UNSC
powers however, and the UNSC lose the ability to operate in the Outworlds in
anything except a
scientific-research capacity.
The first test of the UNSCs new power is attempted by the NAC, who tries to
incite their population to rise up and destroy the UN levy centres as a symbol
of their refusal to bow to a global government by stealth. Viewing the bans as
something that effects a government and colonies far out there, rather than
close by on Earth the citizenry of the NAC are not moved and only token moves
are made on UN buildings. Reading this passive resistance as the warning sign
of future insurrections sure to come, the NAC institutes a population
relocation policy, uprooting entire communities from across their holdings on
Earth and sending them to other sites on Earth or scattering them across their
colony worlds. This causes widespread unrest, but with so much of the
population in turmoil and with so many NAC troops on the ground there is very
little that can actually be down to resist, for now.
The NSL makes its own attempts to test the UNSCs power, this time in the Inner
Colonies, but the commanding Admirals are astounded when the force sent to
oppose them features many of the vessels recently supplied to the minor
states, but flying under UNSC registration not that of the purchasing powers.
While a major outlay, the minor states wager that by removing the continual
threat of absorption and freeing up trade routes this new fleet and others
like it would quickly pay for themselves. This faithias borne out with the
cessation of hostilities within the core worlds leading to an overnight
trebling of the value of the regional financial markets.
2145 Annoyed at what they perceive to be underhanded tactics of the minor
powers and threatened by the economic surge of powers such as the RH the ESU
moves to restore its position in the balance of power. The first evidence of
this is a surprise strike against the RH by ESU units, which heralds the
outbreak of the Second Solar War. Equally impacted by the presence of the UNSC
and concerned over an increase in the ESUs power base, the other major powers
are quickly drawn into the conflict. The NAC and NSL throw their support
behind the RH justifying their actions as a move to counter the savageries of
"Communist aggression". The FSE is angered by breaches of their space by NAC
operatives moving to strike at ESU communication relays. When the ESU presents
the UN with
evidence of an NAC-NSL lead massacre of ethnic Bhutanese on an Outworld
colony the PAU and FSE join the beleaguered ESU. The war does spread to
several inner colonies and then briefly on to Earth when NAC troops try
to wrest control of the Hawaiian Islands from the OU-Japanese
independence monitors so that the archipelago can be used as a forward base
against the ESU. An uprising of the local, recently independent islanders ends
with their brutal subjugation as the NAC command
pre-empts revolts elsewhere by making an example of the Hawaiian
islanders. Immediate action by a coordinated UNSC land and naval force
neutralises the situation and prevents the war intruding in to the Core system
again.
2146 The war moves in to a new period of escalation as the ESU launches a
major campaign to regain its possessions lost as a result of the First Solar
War and the signing of the Freisland Accord. In a series of short but bloody
campaigns the ESU colonies on Trelleborg and Showyang are liberated from their
NAC occupation forces. The war does not go all the ESUs way however, and on
Dnestr RH defenders bravely beat
back a joint FSE-PAU invasion force keen to take the Tantalum mines and
the FTL component manufacturing plants in the nearby towns. Despite the RHs
hopes that failure would magnify tensions between the African commands and the
French forces under their control, the reversal is not
a devastating one for the FSE-PAU forces and they merely fall back to
regroup without hindrance in the vast outback of this sparsely-settled
world.
2147 After fierce and prolonged fighting, the ESU finally retake Mikhailovka,
using it as a base of operations for strike raids against the NAC settlements
of the previously peaceful Bifrost and Valhalla.
This intensification of the war in the colony worlds loosens the strangle hold
of the major powers on the people of the Earth. A number of disenfranchised
states break away and many ethnic peoples take the opportunity to seek freedom
under the umbrella of direct UN citizenship. Most notable amongst the
defectors is Nicholas Montgomery, a brilliant young researcher who had been
heading up the NACs research in to pulse torpedos. The NAC demands his return
claiming the team sent to bring him out did so against his will. The loss of
their chief researcher does slow the NACs pulse torpedo development process,
but the work does continue unabated.
2148 Admiral Sir Andrew Le Throux instigates the NAC Operation Dryland, a
surprise attack on the PAU settled world of Grand Lahou. Despite strong
resistance from the PAU and their FSE Naval reinforcements, the NAC assault is
stunningly successful, taking the major townships of Bouna and Markounda in a
rather lopsided affair.
2149 Buoyed by the success of Dryland, the NAC is joined by the NSL in
Operation Galahad, a joint strike to regain Lancelot. General Lech Pawodowski
of the 57th ESU Combined Division leads the defending forces
to success after success as they beat repeated attacks by the NAC-NSL.
The war of attrition can only favour the NAC-NSL forces though as they
are able to pour fresh troops in to the fray, while Pawodowskis numbers
dwindle. After seventy days of spirited resistance Pawodowski surrenders with
full military honours and leads the remaining one hundred and forty survivors
of his Division into the horrors of captivity.
2150 NSL forces attempt to sure up their position by capturing the FSE
settlement of Di Persano, but System Defence forces repulse them before they
can approach orbit. A PAU strike force dedicated to the recapture of Grand
Lahou is more successful, managing to achieve orbit, but they are all but
destroyed when they are surprised by the arrival of the majority of the NAC
Home Fleet concentrating for a major assault on the ESU naval yards in a
neighbouring system.
2151 RH assault forces, lead to believe they would find support among the
local people, land on the ESU colony of Nizhneudinsk. The levels of support
are not as high as they had anticipated and they are fall in to a prolonged
campaign to capture the major townships. NAC political agents continue their
attempts to incite civil unrest within this ESU, this time by trying to
persuade the Manchu government on Chiang to rise against the ESU. Mindful of
what the loss of ESU protection may well bring, and distrustful of NAC
promises the Chiang leadership remains firm.
2152 Boer Voortrekkers seize their opportunity to make good on long held plans
for expansion and assault across their common border with Iylichograd. The ESU
tries unsuccessfully to resupply its colony, but action near Nova Moskova
diverts vitally needed troops. The Boers use NSL supplied artillery to batter
the local militia in to submission before claiming a large area of this
subtropical land, renaming it Neu Transvaal.
Operation White Feather is launched by the NAC in the Chi Draconis system in
an effort to push the ESU out of the region. The NAC success are mixed, with
fierce fighting is space and on the ground. The Anglian
forces are ultimately defeated by an age-old tactic of the peoples of
the ESU, reliance on their superior knowledge of local weather conditions and
the sheer weight of the defending forces. Realising that the ESU is unlikely
to crumble before them the NAC makes the calculated decision to try to destroy
their allies and bring about their downfall in that way.
2154 Over stretched, suffering from the loss of strategic colonies and with
increasing civil unrest on Earth, the FSE leadership finally chooses to
withdraw from the Second Solar War rather than risk the collapse of the
federation. After short, but productive talks a peace
treaty is signed with the NAC-NSL-RH alliance.
While internally cohesive the PAU is no more capable than the FSE of
sustaining the pressure of a major interstellar war for such an extended
period. It initially takes a seat at the negotiating table, but when it is
suggested they give up rich agricultural lands in the Kambompo Delta to the
NSL they stage a walk out. Despite the ESUs strong desire to provide the PAU
with supporting troops, and by doing so give them a reason to remain in the
alliance, there are no troops to spare and the PAU is forced to attempt the
liberation of its lost colonies by itself. After a string of minor successes
it finally turns to the liberation of Grand Lahou. In a last abortive attempt
the exhausted PAU forces make the push for Grand Lahou, but when the remnants
of the PAU fleet are crippled their leaders have little choice but to rejoin
the peace negotiations.
2155 Feeling its isolation, the ESU makes one last and desperate attempt to
resist the machinations of the NAC. Deciding to strike at the NACs heart,
rather than risk exhausting itself on a long slow roll up of the NACs flanks,
the ESU assaults the Winchester system with a massive task force. The ESU
ships are prevented from reaching all the way into Albion, but they do manage
to secure a position around the original NAC colony in the system, the frigid
mining world of Winchester. By cutting off the NACs supply of Tantalum from
the mines there and silencing the communications relays housed in the vast
underground caverns of Winchester, the ESU hope to panic the NACs parliament
in to withdrawing their troops from the main theatres and giving the ESU
forces there some respite. Unfortunately for the ESU, the NAC political agents
posted to the base tell the Planetary Defence forces horrific stories about
what awaits them if they were to give themselves up to the Red and yellow
peril. Their fear sees the Defence forces hold on stubbornly through
Winchester's long and bitter winter despite suffering miserably. Judging that
the infantry forces will eventually prevail the ESU withdraws much of its
fleet to redeploy where it is most useful rather than let is lay idle while
they wait for the fall of Winchester.
2156 The NAC government calls for large-scale withdrawal to the
Winchester system to ensure the security of Albion, but wiser heads amongst
the military prevail and a more coordinated and disciplined redeployment of
troops is executed. Naval units under the renowned Rear Admiral Dame Jayne
Oppenburger jump into the Winchester system and soundly defeat the ESU fleet
there. The ESU land forces initially opt to stay where they are, believing
that the NAC fleet would never risk firing on them from space as that would
risk the collapse of the ice shelf and the loss of their own citizens in the
attempt to shake the ESU troops loose. The ESU forces couldnt have be more
wrong. After hours of intense bombardment 95% of the ESU and all of the NAC on
the planet lay dead. The remnants of the ESU fighting force, in danger of
death from exposure if not utter annihilation from orbital beam fire, are
unable to resist the marines landed to secure the ruined base. ESU forces
elsewhere fair better though, and the tide of war swings once again in the
ESUs favour, with the reclamation of many of its lost colonies, though there
are no significant gains of new ground.
2157 Following several false starts and lengthy negotiations mediated by UN
representatives, the Second Solar War is finally ended with the treaty of
Khorramshahr. Once again there is unrest amongst Human Rights activists as
marshal powers introduced during the war fail to be lifted. The government
becomes increasingly agitated as the Central Park and
Trafalgar Square Sit-ins stretch into their 13th week. Troops are
finally sent in to disperse the illegal demonstrations, but violence
erupts when a protestor strikes out at the heavy-handed treatment.
Relief quickly spreads though as commonsense appears to prevail with the
withdrawal of the troops. This relief soon turns to terror when the Paladins
are sent in. Such blatant slaughter of NAC citizens by their own military does
not sit well the general populace and rioting breaks out in many of the
cities. In a few locations the people rise in open rebellion.
2159 The NAC manages to quell much of the insurrection, but the harsh terrain
in the southeast of the North Americas works in the insurgents favour and they
resist all attempts by the NAC government to restore order. A strong belt of
resistance stretches from the provinces of California and Texas down into
northern Mexico. After years of reversals in the area the NAC troops are
withdrawn to the borders of the neighbouring provinces after the rebels secure
Los Angeles, Houston, Guadajara and finally Mexico City. The provinces declare
themselves independent from the NAC. Sympathetic uprising in the colonies of
Austin and Fenris also prove successful and they opt to join forces with their
cousins on Earth, renaming themselves New Pasadena in the process. Betting
that the financially strained NAC is in no position to launch itself so
quickly into a new war the OU supports the LLAR sponsored push for immediate
UN membership for the new nation. The NAC does not give up on its territories
so easily though and moves to retake Texas. UN troops move in to prevent the
advance, though they are not as successful at protecting Fenris and Austin
from harassment. The NAC refuses to acknowledge the independence of the new
nation and threatens to use whatever means necessary to retake the lost land.
The LLAR states it
will retaliate in kind if this were to occur. Small-scale clashes break
out on a number of shared colony worlds as tension grows between LLAR and NAC
forces. When a large NAC strike force sent to retake Fenris gives itself up to
the local government the NAC command is put in an intolerable position. Such
an outright act of defiance can not be tolerated, but rebuilding after the
last solar war has been slow and continued uprising across South America, in
response to the threats made against Texas, means the NAC does not have the
available man power to make good on its promises. After much diplomatic
protest and sabre rattling the NAC grudgingly
accepts the declaration and Free Cal-Tex is formally recognised.
2163 After decades of decline the IF hits rock bottom. A few powerful
warlords, the most prominent being Ahmad ibn Abu-Bakr, control the
military and the ruling council is recognised by all as an increasingly
corrupt, intolerant and distant government. Islamic fundamentalists pledge to
end this sorry and inequitable state of affairs and during the triennial
meeting of the Ruling Council the revolutionaries seize power in New Riyadh.
Refusing to surrender peacefully the old regime fight
back. The attempt is unsuccessful and only Ahmad ibn Abu-Bakr and a
handful of his supporters escape. The escapees return to Abu-Bakrs
forces preparing for the first of many battles in what becomes a
two-year civil war. Eventually the old powers fail and lead by the
reforms of the charismatic Haroun al-Qudsi the IF enters a new era of
prosperity. Its culture blossoms and its Muntasir once again form the backbone
of the African, and West European power grids.
Fearful of what a progressive IF could achieve on Earth and in space the NAC
and ESU move to restrict is power. This leads to low level
hostilities in the Inner colonies and renewed tension along the ESU-IF
borders.
2164 ESU forces in their remaining holdings on Iylichograd move across the
border into the Neu Transvaal colony reclaiming the mineral resources. The
Boers withdraw to the jungle areas and embark on a guerilla war against the
occupying ESU.
2165 NAC precipitate the Third Solar War with a "blitzkrieg" attack to regain
worlds lost to the ESU following the treaty of Khorramshahr. The initial NAC
successes falter as the FSE enters the war in support of their old allies the
ESU. The FSE not only provide men and materials, but they also provide capital
so that high grade IC and the LLAR mercenary contingents can be hired.
2166 The Third Solar War escalates further as the NSL launches attacks on the
nearby FSE frontier. The NAC bolsters its Special Forces capabilities by
hiring NI mercenaries. Still bitter over losses suffered in the past the RH
opportunistically attacks an ESU convoy and then refuses safe passage for IC
and LLAR mercenary units through its space
forcing them to take time-consuming detours around RH assets.
2168 ESU Naval forces surge in to the Treralis system and attempt to
take the RH-held settlement of Tsitsihar. Fleet Admiral Jia Dehuai leads
his forces to success against the system defence forces, but at high
cost, leaving the assault forces too weak to create a robust space-head
in the face of fierce resistance from the Planetary defences.
2169 Sponsored by NAC agents, the French separatists in Bretonneux and
Doullens overthrow the local FSE military bases, secure the government
buildings and proclaim the New French Republic. An insurrection in Compville
persecuted along similar lines fails when the mainly Italian forces stationed
there prove too strong for the separatist movement. Overcoming the dissidents
attempts on their base
the Italians cripple the separatist command with a well-coordinated
strike on its headquarters.
2170 Unwilling to loose the opportunity to secure a wide breech in the main
axis of FSE expansion, the NAC employs Scandinavian mercenaries to overrun
Compville, resurrect the insurrection and see its leaders installed as the new
government. After a bitter fight the Scandinavians
defeat the Italian forces stationed there, as well as the Greco-spanish
reinforcements sent to assist them. The formation of the separatist government
is facilitated and Compville joins the NFR. As little more than an NAC puppet
power the NFR tries to legitimise its existence by removing any internal
opposition to their existence. The bloody purges do nothing to placate the
diplomatic world and diplomatic recognition by the NFR continues to be denied
by the UN as the FSE lobbies hard to be allowed to reclaim its colonies from
what it considers to be NAC remote control.
In this midst of this turmoil, Haroun al-Qudsi sends shock waves through
religious circles when he reopens Mecca to non-Muslims. Declaring that
the only way forward for all religions is to return to the respect and
brotherhood seen in the days after the Holon-Wint.
2171 The Third Solar War enters a relatively quiet phase as the protagonists
pause to reconsolidate, involving themselves in little but minor skirmishing
and diplomatic posturing. The major powers use the next few years to rebuild
their depleted forces as an uneasy state of "peace within war" ensues. Many
students of history right papers on this period drawing comparisons between it
and the Cold War two hundred years earlier.
2173 During the Sumani IV peace conference ESU and NAC peace
negotiators are assassinated by operatives from Ahmad ibn Abu-Bakrs
Sitin extremist terrorist group. His attempt to cast aspersion on the IF and
bring the weight of humanitys greatest forces down upon his moderate enemies
fails as the strength of the explosion used to kill the delegates is misjudged
and the crucial forensic evidence placed to direct blame at the IF is
destroyed in the inferno. The years of distrust between the NAC and ESU leads
them to blame each other and the identity of the real culprit goes unnoticed.
Outraged by each others denials of culpability and dismissing the lunatic
ravings of Ahmad ibn
Abu-Bakr about IF involvement out of hand, the ESU and NAC declare the
peace process impossible. The death of the moderate ESU President Xi Xidang in
the explosion allows the more militant members of the Party Congress to gain
control and the newly rebuilt defence forces are again placed on high alert.
From its opulent chambers on Albion the NAC government also matches the move
and the foes fall at each others
throats again as the Third Solar War re-intensifies.
2176 IC archaeologists discover the remains of a non-human
civilisation on an IC settled rim world. While the anthropological and
scientific communities debate the authenticity and significance of the find,
the major religions go through a period of major sectarian violence between
hard line conservatives and other members willing to embrace the idea of wider
creation. There are rumours that the IC military R&D division removes
materials from the location, but this can not be confirmed.
2177 A lightning strike by an ESU fleet on the NAC Nagisa system signals the
start of the next "hot phase" of the Third Solar War. The Nagisa colony falls
quickly, preferring to accept the ESU Admirals generous terms for surrender
rather than face a threatened orbital bombardment from the Admirals warships.
Meanwhile, a combined force of NSL regulars and Swiss mercenary units strike
at FSE settlements on the shared inner colony of Flensberg.
2179 The colony of Bradley on Fliescher II greets the arrival of the 136th
Gloucestershire Regiment with little enthusiasm. They do not begrudge the
troops themselves but see them rather as a symbol of the exploitative NAC
administration and the hardship it has imposed. When the Gloucestershires
begin to falter in the face of the well disciplined troops under General Henri
de Pascalle a local resistance movement take shape, doing what it can to end
the Gloucestershires stay. In spite of these internal, as well as external,
pressures the Gloucestershires hold on determinedly and resist de Pascalles
troops for nearly six months. Broadcasting to the ecstatic citizens of
Bradley, de Pascalle pledges to defend them with everything he has, using his
immense reputation he convinces the FSE to establish a substantial base there
to extend FSE protection to the newly liberated people and forestall NAC
attempts to assault from their other colonies on Fliescher II and regain the
colony.
2181 On Kayleigh, NSL and then NAC armoured forces are defeated by brilliant
tactics of the new leader of the LLAR mercenary units stationed there.
Refusing to believe that such a small force managed to defeat four armoured
divisions the allied command relieves the local commander, General Heinrich
Vortsheimer, of his command. Shortly after he commits suicide, unable to live
with the shame of his ignominious reverse.
2182 In another attempt on the strategically important Tsitsihar, the ESU
lands Khalifate mercenaries as reinforcements for the offensive against the RH
units deployed in the colony.
2183 The UNSC Survey Cruisers McCaffrey and Niven are sent to catalogue the
features of the nebula near Lagos IV, on the fringe of PAU space, thought to
be the source of unusual energy readings originating in that vicinity. When
both ships fall silent and fail to return the PAU send a follow up mission
into the area. The PAU Captain finds identifiable debris from the Niven,
exhibiting obvious signs of battle, but no trace of either the McCaffrey or
any hostiles. In response the PAU put its Naval forces on high alert and send
a task force lead by the Battlecruiser Kinshasa to the New Lusaka system,
which neighbours Lagos IV. The final message from the taskforce indicates it
is under heavy attack from an unidentified hostile, by the time reinforcements
lead by the deadnaught Ulwandlekazi arrive only debris remains to greet them.
Mercenary units in ESU employ continue to serve them well with IC mercenaries
capturing NSL possessions on Salzburg and SK troops helping to finally wrest
Tsitsihar from the RH.
2184 The frequency of unexplained attacks increases and spreads beyond PAU
space into the jurisdictions of other nations. The sets of warring parties
continue to blame each other rather than publicly embrace more exotic
possibilities. Behind closed doors however, the leadership of both sides
realises that something far more important is happening. Initially, suspicion
is directed toward a secret developmental program by one of the minor powers,
the UNSC or even one of the larger interstellar corporations. The main suspect
is the IC, given the discoveries on their rim worlds. Incontrovertible proof
that the mysterious attackers are aliens comes when an NAC patrol squadron
surprises, and destroys, two alien vessels in an intense battle near Angel II.
The bodies retrieved from the debris are undeniably alien. All nations in the
human sphere of influence agree to an immediate
cease-fire in the face of such a powerful non-human threat.
2185 Despite the cease fire tensions still run high (especially within
diplomatic circles), but the militaries of both main powers (and several of
the smaller nations) are finally coming inexorably together in the face of a
much greater threat. The Battle of Sulaxar marks the
first co-operative action between the ESU and NAC against the aliens.
The two sides cooperate surprisingly well, given the tension that still exists
between them in pockets of the lower ranks.
In mid-year, by the Terran calendar, the UN Assembly declares that a
state of war now officially exists between all the nations of Humanity and the
race known as the Kra'Vak. The (First) InterSentient War (the Xeno War as it
was quickly dubbed by the media) has truly begun.
2186 The cohesive nature of a joint response to KV aggression falters early in
the year when an NAC Admiral does not wait for his more cautious ESU
counterpart when alien forces are reported off Caleb. Commodore Farris escapes
with barely a quarter of his force and accuses the ESU of purposefully
standing off from the action in order to gain control of the Caleb system.
Fissures begin to open in the fragile human peace, but one person in the NAC
upper echelons has the strength to put the lives of millions, dependent upon
cohesion, before national pride and she leaves a copy of the bridge logs with
the UN General Secretarys office. The logs clearly show that Commodore Farris
own decisions were mostly to blame for the losses he suffered and so the
diplomatic repercussions gradually settle, the NAC embarrassed, but unable to
point the finger at anyone but Farris. The crisis past, cooperative operations
resume, though a deep distrust between the major powers persists.
The KV offensive gathers momentum and late in the year the first surface
assaults by KV troops are reported.
2187 The NSL outworld of Rheinhold is the location of the first major success
against KV ground forces. A combined force of NSL and NAC marines, long used
to operating together, aid local Militia units in defending the colony from an
attempted planetary landing by the alien invaders. The KV institute a siege of
Rheinhold, which stretches for five long months, and repeated attempt to land
forces on the planet surface. The KV are finally driven out of the system by
the arrival of a large UN lead joint task force, made up of NAC, NSL, Dutch
and Free
Cal-Tex ships (the first time FCT servicemen had operated with the NAC
since their independence nearly thirty years before).
Elsewhere humanity does not fare so well, and the aliens continue to make
inroads toward the core systems. In order to prevent widespread panic,
virtually no information is released to the public concerning what is
happening on the worlds taken by the KV. Unfortunately the reticence to speak
on the issue just fuels rumours of massacre, genocide, slavery and feeding
frenzies, resulting in widespread panic anyway. The bulk of the population,
which is still concentrated on Earth and in the core systems swings in favour
of pulling all forces back from the outworlds to defend the Core. While
politically acceptable, such a defensive concept does not find favour with the
Military, nor (naturally) with the colonial population. The divisions between
the colonials and the core worlders, which had begun nearly a century before
widens still further, to epic proportions, this insidious division will come
to govern many future events in the Human sphere of influence.
2188 When a survivor of the UNS McCaffrey drops in to orbit of Lagos IV in a
biomechanical pod he is almost incinerated in orbit, the inhabitants of Lagos
IV fearing a plague carrier. A UN xenospecialist on Lagos IV manages to
convince the local government to stay its hand until a UN quarantine force can
arrive. Seemingly in a state of catatonia the crewmen continuously repeats a
simple message a set of coordinates and an invitation to meet a friend, over
and over, in every surviving human language, one after the other. Piqued, but
suspicious the UN decides to follow up on the invitation, sending a top level
UN ambassador, one of
the foremost xenospecialist teams and a joint NAC-ESU taskforce. They
are greeted by the strangest of biomechanical amalgams. After an unnervingly
alien, and frustrating inconclusive meeting, the Humans leave unsure of
anything, but the simple fact they have made contact with a second
Xenosentient species, the Sa'Vasku. Obviously immensely powerful, even more so
that the KV, the human delegates return home numb, unable to assure the
various leaders as to whether the SV will prove to be friend or foe.
Encounters with the SV throughout the coming years of the Xeno War do little
to crystallise the situation, as SV ships appear, as if at random, sometimes
hostile, sometimes friendly, sometimes observing some event before leaving
without a single word. The technological abyss that lies between the SV and
Humanity makes it impossible to contact the SV unless they wish to initiate
it, and mankind remains ignorant as to their true motives or agenda.
2189 The KV continue to push toward the core unabated. Mankind seems capable
of scoring only minor successes against the KV onslaught. Late in the year,
the KV mount a rapid thrust deep into Human space. The attack is haltered when
it reaches Centaurus, where fierce resistance by allied human fleets and the
orbital colonies of the Centaurus system manage to repulse the KV, at the cost
of heavy losses and extensive damage to available systems. The ability of such
a large enemy fleet to penetrate so deep into the heart of human space
frightens the nations of
Earth into closer co-operation against the KV.
2190 A brief lull in the fighting is welcomed by a war weary populace and a
Military keen for space to rebuild. Unfortunately it is quickly apparent that
the KV are doing exactly the same thing, consolidating their gains and
regrouping after their defeat at Centaurus.
2191 Human hopes of respite are dashed when the KV offensive resumes. The
assaults follow a different pattern now. They are steadier
and more co-ordinated, lacking the piecemeal, almost piratical, strikes
characteristic of the earlier years. Completion of a number of new weapon
systems sees Mankind better able to battle the KV, but they still cannot
overcome their incessant surge and human forces inevitably give ground before
the KV advance. The fighting is spirited though and the rate of withdrawal is
much slower than it had been in the past. Nevertheless things do not look good
as the KV waves strike at system after system and still no one at home knows
the fate of those left behind.
2191 A FSE patrol force stationed in the Rhone system does not wait to find
out the origin of the small alien ships it detects jumping in to
the system, thinking it could be a new faction of the KV - the ships are
obviously too technologically inferior to be SV, despite their biomechanical
appearance. The Phalon Conglomerate attempts to convince the FSE commander to
cease fire, but his fear makes it impossible to sway him and his vessels soon
succeeds in the destruction of one of the Phalon ships. The remaining Phalon
ships do escape, but losing their ship and its valuable cargo to such an
inflexible opponent disturbs the Phalon sense of whats equitable and they seek
reparation. Without any means of communicating with humans the Phalons opt for
retaliatory attacks. They soon become dissatisfied with this approach though,
it is such a waste of potential resources and markets. Eventually proper
communication is established and the two races begin to get a firm picture of
each other. This does not make them any easier to deal with however and
diplomatic relations remaining frustratingly chaotic for he UN representatives
as the various Phalon factions interested in alternative outcomes act to suit
themselves, some siding with Humanity, some with the KV and all seemingly
without logic.
2192 The KV pressure on Humanity is unrelenting and in the Terran
mid-year a small KV force successfully slips through Sol's system
defences and reaches Mars. It hits several orbital facilities before defending
fleets can intercept and destroy the invaders. With the true scale of the KV
threat now blatantly obvious to the civilian populace panic takes hold.
Apocalyptic cults run rife, mass suicides and a breakdown in civil order
ensues. Only wide appeals by the major religious, scientific and Military
leaders of Earth stem the tide of rising anarchy. In particular a small group
of charismatic leaders grab the worlds attention and begins to weld the energy
and fear of the general populace into something far more useful in the fight
against the KV.
2193 It becomes obvious to the UN and Military intelligence gatherers that a
major KV push into the core, and probably to Sol itself, is imminent. In
desperation, the politicians in charge of the UN act on the earlier call for
the withdrawal of all human ships from the colonies to interdict for the core
worlds and order all Human forces back to Sol. Many units do comply, some are
trying to look to the future and the preservation of the majority of human
lives, and others are simply obeying orders. Not all units heed the call
however. In particular units drawn from the colonies feel that the
coreworlders are abandoning their families to a horrific fate and refuse to
forsake their colonial
home-systems, which are still under attack by KV forces. As the New Year
approaches, those units that did respond to the order to pull back gather with
the remnants of the UNSC and allied fleets to begin a
last-ditch defence of the core.
2194 Demonstrating their access to a significant resource base, the
anticipated KV strike force arrives in the core, even while other battles
still rage in many of the colonial systems. Barnard and the already mauled
Centaurus are the first to feel the power of the main KV fleet, as they
repeatedly attacked by the powerful KV force. As the year creeps on the KV
turn their attention to Sol and the first clashes with the outer defence posts
of the Sol system begin. Apparently aware that they would find the subjugation
of Earth a difficult task, the KV do not strike as quickly here as elsewhere,
but seem to adopt a more softly softly approach, as if they mean to attrite
the Human forces and starve them into submission. The Siege of Sol has
begun...
textfilter: chose text/plain from a multipart/alternative
Beth's historical projection is very interesting but I think it's too
militaristic.
War is expensive, it takes a lot out of an economy to wage war and that's not
counting for the potential for damage to the economy the war is being fought
in.
The current world ecomony is very interlinked, witness current economics,
Greece threatens to pull down the whole EU and there are ripple effects around
the world. China and Japan have based their economies on exports to the US.
The assumption this is based on is that the US economy is able to continue to
buy the goods. If the US economy stops the Chinese and Japenese economies will
also be severely impacted.. Factories making goods for the US market can't
suddenly make something else and who would buy it.
As the US dollar slips lower, the Chinese policy of pegging the Yuan to the
dollar must be starting to hurt. Everything they buy not in USD must cost them
more and that adds inflation to their economy.
So while the timelines are interesting militarily they take money out of the
world economy and at the same time trillions of dollars are getting invested
in theroretical space research.
The World economy is a giant confidence trick, if anyone calls in anyone elses
loans the whole house of cards will come crashing down and everyone loses. A
very apocolyptic end just not quite the apocalypse the church of Cthullu had
in mind.
I think the future will be full of conflict but it will be by corporate proxy,
and the weapons will be share prices and stock options rather than tanks and
planes.
I see near space taken by corporates (Nasa has already given up space) the
only current manned space capsules are 60 year old Russian designs. Corporates
will only do things for profit. So it's science research for chemicals and
materials in orbital labs that will generate the wealth to fund FTL rather
than governments. Governments will become the welfare and labour management
departments for mega corporations.
You very well could be right about warfare becoming more corporate and
financial, but that wouldn't make for a very fun gaming system or universe.
"Gads! The ESU has just dumped 40 million shares of
Waylan-Yutani stock! We need to strike back, quickly!"
Nah. I want space ships and tanks and infantry and planes. Much more
fun. :)
J
On Mon, Oct 24, 2011 at 5:28 AM, John Tailby <john_tailby@xtra.co.nz>
wrote:
> textfilter: chose text/plain from a multipart/alternative
the only current manned space capsules are 60 year old Russian designs.
Corporates will only do things for profit. So it's science research for
chemicals and materials in orbital labs that will generate the wealth to fund
FTL rather than governments. Governments will become the welfare and labour
management departments for mega corporations.
> [quoted text omitted]
> On Mon, Oct 24, 2011 at 10:21:22AM -0400, John Lerchey wrote:
I see your point, but if you want to do small special-forces type stuff
there's still a lot of scope for it in such a world.
(As my UNECRO players found out on Saturday, when they were sent in to keep
the peace between two corporations sharing a planet...)
R
"Gads! The ESU has just dumped 40 million shares of
Waylan-Yutani stock!"
What do they know that we don't?!
Michael Brown mwsaber6@msn.com
textfilter: chose text/plain from a multipart/alternative
Dear list
Some points in this arguement warrant a few observations and caveats.
> It's always been a problem to conqurer a hostile land.
England could not conqurer a hostile afghanistan 100 years ago. Even the
Norman conquest of Saxon England too hundres of years and relied on a
commitment to stay and intermarry with the local noble houses to breed out the
original inhabitants.
Depends your assertion is of "relied on a
commitment to stay and intermarry-" is
corret-- or committment to stay and
extirpate the existing population. What the British and everyone else desired
in Afghanistan is a quiet and quiescent buffer accepting titular overlordship.
The Afghan's have from time to time been willing to accept that the more
"titular" it was. Once you attempt to get the people on the ground
to do what you want- it becomes more difficult.
> The british
Not original. The Caliphs of the Muslim states of the first conquest
traditionally employed minorities or foreign tribal groups as outsiders simply
because their loyalty was to the Caliph. Unfortunately the Saljuk "slave
soldiers" soon replaced the Caliphs, and eventually the Ottoman's the Seljuks.
Saladin himself was a Kurd, and it goes on. The difference in Britishsrule in
India was it was more or less interested in extraction of moveable wealth.
Once you decide that you want
the land-- then you have to move the indiginous
population off it. But that's if you want to repopulate the land. If not
you're stuck with accepting titular overlordship and hoping for the best.
> One thing I don't
I assume you are speaking about invasions in some hypothesized game. (Texas
invading Mexico?" But you are forgetting-- what if they just
want the land and are prepared to exterminate the indiginous population or
force it off the land to die in the desert naturally. Again, it assumes that
"robbing from the poor" doesn't pay only if you are seeking portable,
extractable wealth. Simple
occupancy of the land even by hunter-gatherers or
nomads denies it to thos who wish to use it in a different way. Vis, the North
American Indians. See William Cronin "Changes in the Land." for a good history
of the asymetrical values and views of land between the white and Amerindian
populations.
Further, do not discount the allure of slavery. Nothing says there cannot be a
regression where occupying a state and enslaving the population simply to be
hewers of wood and carriers of water cant resurface. War is a labor saving
device of the highest order when looked at in this light. And what matter if
they die off-- there's always more where
they came from?
> There is also now a significant Muslim
There is no shift simply because quality of life in Muslim countries,
especially
for non-Muslims is hellish, while in the West Muslims
benefit from European ideas such as "equal protection under the laws,"
"toleration," and rule of law. Again these are political decisions and not
economic ones.
> I'm not sure that the unification of the Arab
Far less likely. "Unificaton" in our sense is political unification. This is
impossible in a society in which tribal and familial loyalties are far more
powerful than nationalistic once. The day of Arab nationalism as under Nasser
and others (yes even the late unlamented Khaddaffi Duck) is now over.
> [quoted text omitted]
Beth posed some interesting scenarios about wars over water. Looking at NZ
agriculture water use is proportional to intensity of farming and there is
even concern about how water is used and the impacts of farming on waterways.
Dairy farming is particulary bad as there is a lot of polution of waterways,
intensive crop farming needs lots of water and nutrients to support the high
density of farming. So I'm not sure that you can wave a magic wand and say
"make farming less dependent on water".
For this you really have to read Marvin Harris' "Cannibals and Kings" which is
a good basic grounding on the History of ecology. Harris and others postulates
food supply as the base reductio of power. Again, to give a nod to Marx, if we
are what we eat, then the struggle between agricultural models which produce
more calories more
efficiently-- will be the ones desired. Jarrod Diamond in his
"Guns Germans and Steel" and subsequent books tries to go down this road, but
not very well. The question is this.
If wars are to be about water and food, or whatever they are to be about, they
are to be fought by the good old fashioned methods of extreme applicaiton of
violence, whatever the cause. In this case the question of conquest becomes
entirely changed if we are talking about limited food supplies which (as
Harris and even Diamond assert) from inelastic sources (it's hard to see how
much more efficiency we can crank into agrobusiness. In this case we are
talking about conquering food production areas, including those whose
indiginous population may not be exploiting them efficiently. But such
conquest is quickly defeated if we have to support the indiginous population.
That is, why conquer more hungry mouths
to feed- some other -- dare I say-- "Final Solution" will have to be
found. In short wars over food will not be wars of conquest, but rather wars
of extermination.
> [quoted text omitted]
> If by invasion you mean political
Let us remember that the Germans, Belgian, French, and Slovakians did not
force the Greeks to have such a lavishly
overgenerous and under-funded state. It was
the Greeks themselves, that they are now being dictated to by the powers you
name seems to me to be something of their own fault. If there is any blame to
be had to the funding powers it is that they played the chicanery of debt,
making loans to people who they
knew could never pay them back, just like the sub-prime
mortgage rate in the US. As for the Greeks, this is a mess of entirely their
own making and my sympathy is unmoved.
> I can see potential wars over big unpopulated
I'm not so sure. The cost of extraction is immense and really the profits to
be made from them are applicable only to a society that is engaged in the
conversion of resources to materials. That's not a big part of the economy
now, the most of it being in transfer payments and consumer culture. The above
is the "heavy machinery mania that spawned Magnitogorsk and Pittsburgh, both
of which are now rusting away. The discovery of gold now
would-- in fact, be
catastrophic, vast new amounts of gold entering the markit place would cause
the bursting of the gold bubble, and DeBeers is finding out the paucity of
their strategy of controlling diamonds.
FAr more likely is the nature of food.
A bit of fact. In the United States today the number of people engaged in the
actual production of food-- that
is-- in agriculture-- is (hazared a guess?"
It is 5%.
The percentage of the population involved in the support of that 5% of the
population producing the food (which includes the fertilizer companies, the
seed companies, trucking, railroads, food processing, jobbers etc. is
20%.
Let's consider this. Five percent of the population produces such lavish food
supplies that Obesity is a rampant national problem in the United States, AND
we can afford to waste millions of tons per day, AND we can give it away to
every third world crap hole in the world.
THAT, my friends is the poster boy of Autarky. The United States could simply
say to the rest of the world "starve" and in three years world population
would collapse.
Which brings us back to Harris and Diamond-- their point is that in
the end--
calories are everything.
> Same for other hotspots. if there's ever
Perhaps. However will oil be that necessary? Only if consumer society as we
know it now does not change. Remember that most of the major powers have far
more oil reserves than they need now IF you are talking only of the military
needs for POL (Petroleum, oil, and lubricants). That's for the tanks and guns
and planes. But if on the other hand we are into wars where the object of the
war is not to anhihilate
the enemy army, but simply anhihilate the enemy- then
bio-chemical weapons
will be far more helpful in producing mega-deaths and not
tearing up the environment we wish to occupy for food production. Once for
example high food producing nations decide to keep it home and not feed the
rest of the world, the best thing to do is exterminate the hungry mouths. In
this case actual occupation BEFORE the extermination of the enemy population
is not desired.
In that case, actuall offensive operations might not be necessary-
simple denial of aid and service might be enough.
Political control, therefore, may be irrelevant.
Depends on how cold blooded you wish to be.
Otto