A spirit of innovation is generally the result of a selfish temper and confined views. People will not look forward to posterity, who never look backward to their ancestors.
-Edmund Burke, in his famous book Reflections on the Failure of the Revolution in France
MAP
IC
The sun rises over the glittering palace of Versailles in 1836. A proud testament to the power and resilience of the Ancien Régime, it serves Louis XVII as it did his brother: as an opulent refuge from the trials and tribulations of governing his nation. As London is a center of industry and commerce, Versailles is a testament to the refined, time-tested, and admired culture of French nobility: the pillars guarding its entrance honoring the Royalist heros of 4 decades past who's heroic actions spelled the end of La Grande Anarchie and the godless Terror of the so-called "National Convention" who'd almost brought ruin to the entirety of France. One only need look at the contrast between the Royal Palace and the slums of Paris; much of which still bares the marks of the destruction and death wrought by the attempted Revolutionaries, to breath a sigh of relief they had not succeeded that day.
In retrospect, it was hard to see how the Republicans could have succeeded in pushing back the October Counter-Revolution (Also known as The Redemption of Paris), when 30,000 Royalist patriots under the command of national hero Richer de Sévigny marched into Paris to answer the call of its rebelling locals, outnumbering the exhausted and demoralized Republicans 6 to 1. Only a military genius, unmatched by any other in the era, would have been able to succeed against such odds, but out of the generals loyal to the Revolution only Jacques-François Menou, a former nobleman himself, was available to command the defenders*. A timid and mediocre commander, Jacques would prove unable to sustain his men's moral in the breech: his men being overwhelmed by the Royalist charge and breaking under pressure, allowing the loyalists to storm the National Convention and slaughter the rebellious leadership in one fell swoop. Without direction , the scattered Traitorious armies could be hunted down piecemeal by foreign armies and one another; skirmishing over political rivalries, the Royalists holding Paris gleefully welcoming back the rightful Sovereign, Louis XVII, upon his (heavily escorted) return from exile. Radicalism had died, and the Old World's firm ideals of Order and Tradition once again vindicated. With the Revolution strangled in its cradle, the specters of a greater European war, driven by the total mobilization of the Levee en Mass were for a time settled, and the Kings, Princes, and Emperors sat easy on their thrones. And, of course, happy to see their French rivals taken down a peg or two by the chaos.
That does not mean, however, Europe has been entirely idle, for even if not entirely successful the embers that lit the Anarchy in France can not be entirely extinguished, and the great nations of Europe play the same games of influence on the world stage as they always have. The growing forces of Industrialization and the wealth it creates are putting increasing pressure on traditional society, threatening to start displacing the power of the landed aristocracy and the homes of the rural peasantry both in England and elsewhere. The Holy Roman Empire, an ancient institution creaking under its own weight, is increasingly becoming a zone of tensions between the different German states, as the powerful try to bend the institution to their will, the weak try to survive with their autonomy intact, and the different powers play their favored factions off one another, just as they do among the minor states of Italy. In Latin America, the independence of Haiti and increasing weakness of Spain seems to sound the death knell for one wave of colonization and raises the question of the morality of slavery... just as the increasing weakness and Opium-addition of China and frailty of the other Asiatic states seems to suggest the opening a new one. Yet, for the time being, the world has remained a mostly safe place for crowns and conservatives... the nobility and land-holding elites retaining power in almost every area that counts: even the American Republic having its own influential, psudo-aristocracy in the "Cotton Lords" of its slave-holding states, who continue to butt heads with the new, industrial forces of her northern states.
*Another General would have been available a few weeks earlier, one Napoleon Bonaparte, but due to his association with the former Robespierre regime, doubts about his loyalties following his refusal to command infantry the Vendee forces in the west and his unpopularity among the current powers that be in the parade of factitious and disorganized Revolutionary government, had conveniently allowed himself to be safely removed from the country by petitioning to be transferred to Constantinople, where he could receive the Artillery commission he desired.
Rules
Rule I: Though shalt not Mod any Gods before me: Self-explanatory. Everything you do has to happen for a explainable reason, and can't be too wacky or out-of-character. An example of breaking the first principle would be having an army of 20,000 teleport to the Americas. And example of the later would be the British throwing the Portuguese; their oldest and most loyal ally, under the bus.
Rule II: Though shalt not be an idle: If you're not going to be reasonably active, please don't sign up. To avoid important nations being held up, reservations will be good for 48 hours: be sure to finish them before that.
Rule III: The shalt not use they language in vain: Please keep content and discussion civil, or at least period appropriate (speaking in positive terms about slavery or acting in shock to an atheist state would thus be acceptable, within limits)
Rule IV: Though shalt remember the Canon and kept it holy IE. The Canon is the law. If an event has already been established to have happened (by a nation reflecting on their own history, for instance) please keep this in mid and do not contradict it, and keep it in mind if need be (A war between the US and Britain in the resent past would make them reluctant to buddy-up, for instance)
Rule V: Honor thigh Limitations You can't do everything at once. Most countries have political, logistic, communication, ect. issues that prevent you from overextending yourself. Technology is also that of 1836 (military tactics are even worse, considering no Napoleonic Wars), so remember to keep that in mind. For example, you want to conquer part of Asia? Fine. But your men only have smoothbore muskets or early rifles and your ships are all powered by sails, and don't think you can keep control of all of China with just 3,000 men.
Rule VI: Do Kill BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD, SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE. Seriously; have some conflicts at some point; just keep in mind Rule VI
Rule VII: Do Commit Adult-ness: Avoid text-speak and generally childish ways of writing; we're all adults here
Rule VIII: Don't Steal too much stuff: Gather some secret intelligence is alright, but you don't know exactly what's happening in the palace of a nation on the other side of Europe; if they're moving troops, making major visible changes, ect. you can act like you know, but if it's written in a way that seems secret, keep it secret.
Rule IV: Nothing clever to say here Covet they neighbors stuff all you want
Rule X: Don't boil a kid in it's mother's milk: If you do, you're kicked out of the RP. A general rule against being too graphic; not too much blood or gore or inserting of tab A into slot B
Extra Rules: POD is October 5th, 1795. All events prior to that year are no-negotiable. Changes afterwords will be acceptable, but the more radical the changes, the better justification will be needed for it. Also, please keep in mind changes that would made by the lack of the Napoleonic Wars (For example, Prussia wouldn't control all of the Rhineland without some good reason, and the War of 1812 wouldn't have happened)
Remember to follow the principals of diplomacy as best you can. Having solid reasons for your wars, respecting the rights of civilized nations, ect.
Rebel Groups will only be allowed once a critical mass of nations has been accepted. Countries running nations will also be allowed run a Rebel Group once this happens, if it is aligned to/supported by your country. The exception to this rule is groups seeking independence from colonial rule in the Americas, who can be applied for from immediately.
Reservations
The Ottoman Empire: OP/New Granadeseret
NS Name:
Nation Name: (You are encouraged to include both its formal name and its informal name)
Head of State:
Head of Government:
Head of Diplomacy:
Territory (Vicky II Map type Preferred)
Flag:
Demonym:
Capital:
Currency:
State/Primary Religion:
Government Form:
Ideology: (Political, not economic)
Foreign Policy: (How does your nation see the world? What is its stance or position on issues outside its country? What important relations do they have?)
Domestic Policy: (What sorts of internal issues does your nation face? How are they dealing with them?)
Civil Freedoms /10:
Political Freedoms /10:
Economic Freedoms /10:
Military Size:
-Army:
-Navy:
-Elite Forces:
Military Description: (ie, quality of equipment, doctrine, etc.)
Strengths and Weaknesses: (What is your military good at, and what is it bad at?)
Short Description of Your Nation's Economy:
Short Description of Your Nation's Government:
Short History of the last 40 years:
Population of entire empire:
Rebel Group Application
Organization Name:
Areas of Operation: (Must be actual nation(s)/region(s):
Governmental Information
Group Ideology:
Leader: (If multiple leaders then please list all)
Group Information
Membership Size: (How many members do you have?)
Resources: (Does your group have access to any equipment? Facilities? If so, what kind?)
Militia: (If multiple militia forces, please separate into different groups)
Other information: