An Unusual Suspect [REBOOT|OOC|MT]

[Eurostine]

"Make a man a King and he'll desire to rule the world; but make that same King a puppet, and behold, he'll desire to rule his own table."
-Fredhiese Mörkich, Maulkiziti Philosopher (1387-1434)

LINK TO IC THREAD
Opening In Character(IC)

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Unknown Location, Southern Eurostine
1038 Hours Zulu

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Luther's cold gaze feel hard on the man in the chair opposite him as he watched him suck down a craft beer in an ice-chilled glass. An eager butler rushed forward with a new glass and silently replaced the former. The man nodded in appreciation but did not say anything for his lips were already reaching out for the new glass. He took a heavy sip and set the frosted mug onto the Calberta wood table in front of him. Turning his own gaze toward Luther, he finally spoke.
"Are we ready?"
"That depends your majesty, are you ready?"
"You know I've been waiting for this day for years Luther."
"Aye, I indeed do. I presume my payment is in line?"
"Indeed it is. Keep in mind your success necessary for payment."
"You don't say."
General Luther Gooden sighed and picked up his own alcohol, a chilled glass of whiskey, as he stared upon his King before him. Warm morning light shined gracefully through three large bay windows and lit up the monarch's face. 'Young and dumb' Luther thought to himself before chugging the remaining alcohol in his glass and smashing it upside down on the table.
"Your father may have made you a monarch, but tonight I'm going to make you a King. You better not fucking forget it Dromie."
With this final comment Luther stood up to leave the room. As he walked out he pulled a handheld VHF radio off his belt and spat into speaker.
"Skydiver Command, S1. Operation Stations Ready is a go."
Behind him, calm and motionless, King Jeremy Dromie did not say a word.

Hobart Estate Gates, Efessel Countryside
Later that Day
2000 Hours Zulu

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A cold sea-breeze rolled in from South, bringing with it a slight aftertaste of salt which contrasted a large hedgerow flanking the old brick and oak gate of the classical Hobart Estate. Night-Starns chirped their calming songs from the groomed bushes and were complemented by the rustling of the gargantuan Tamer-Apple trees which dutifully followed the driveway towards the main house. The night was black, but the sky was clear with stars which attempted to make up for the new moon. Out of the darkness, and suddenly at that, the sounds of cultivated nature were pierced by the low mumble of Diesel engines approaching from afar.
First came the noise, starting quietly then growing with force until headlights began to crest the knoll before the gateway. An elderly man clambered out of the small gatehouse and into the road and into the direct gaze of the unidentified trucks whose headlights blinded him.
"Halt!" the elderly gateman yelled out, raising his hand to shield his eyes from the light.
At first there was no response, but then a door opened and close and a young man in a sharp uniform came out of the shining light.
"Make way sir." The man said stiffly.
The old man shifted around as his attempted to figure out what exactly was going on.
"I'm sorry sir, but the Estate is closed at this hour... Perhaps you can try the guest house down the road?
Now fully out of the light, the uniformed man was easily identifiable as an officer in the Royal Guard. His gaze never met that of the gateman, but rather remained fixated on the gate.
"I've already been there my good man, nothing to see." The officer replied in a brisk voice before raising a fist up above his shoulder and pulled it back down fiercely. Behind him the trucks began to roll forward. The officer pulled the gateman out of the way as the trucks, which in the light were clearly armed Landrovers bristling with MGs and Royal Gaurdsman. The convoy pushed through the century's old gate, which cracked before them, and went onwards towards the house.
The officer turned and walked into the gatehouse, with the frantic gatesman heavy in tow.
"Sir! You have violated this estate and will be subjected to arrest by the police!" The old man called, only to receive no reply from the officer. Clearly distraught, gatesman pulled out his mobile and rang the police. As he cried for assistance over his mobile, the officer appeared in the doorway behind him his Glock 18 raised.
With a quick pull of the trigger, the Glock fired a single bullet into the old gatesman. An error in the aiming of the younger officer meant the bullet missed the heart of the old man, but the Glock 18's cartridge was more than enough to drop him to the ground where he quickly died choking as his lungs filled with blood. The emergency attendant on the other end of the phone began to frantically ask if their caller was okay; a questionnaire ended with a boot to device.

Several Minutes Later...

Bright search lights illuminated the drive and surrounding gardens as the approaching convoy searched for non-existent guards. Up ahead of the convoy, perhaps only some couple hundred meters out and approaching, was the beautiful Sunderly Greens manor house of the Hobart Estate. The gorgeous Georgian manor was well illuminated despite the late hours but seemed to be still and calm. Revving engines failed to mask the gunshot in the distance, but the Royal Guard had already benefited from the element of surprise, now it was time for shock and awe.

The third vehicle in the column held a little surprise, a large 120mm A6/M94 'Leopard' recoilless rifle, which upon entering range fired an HE round straight to a smaller outbuilding containing major electrical work for the originally electric-less manor. A massive fireball shot into the sky and all electrical systems shut off indefinitely.

Meanwhile, inside the manor, Lieutenant General Anrold Bisqui had just lain down for the evening when one of his servants entered his quarters and frantically informed the General of an approaching vehicle. Bisqui shoved the servant out, informing him that it was most likely just the late arrival of a guest whom he had expected several hours earlier. The servant left, affirmed but edgy, and Bisqui sat on his bed with the lamps off irritated at the disturbance. Not about to greet guest in his evening attire, he instead sat contemplating returning to bed. At that moment his wife, the decadent Mrs. Kate Timsly-Bisqui, came out of the master quarters bathroom fresh out of the shower and dressed for bed.
"What was the commotion Arny?" She asked solemly, almost as if it was more for conversation than curiosity.
Bisqui rose from the bed to hug and kiss his wife.
"Just a mistake" he replied.
Just then a large flash followed by a boom interrupted their hold. Bisqui ran to the window in time to watch the fireball dissipate in the air and to see bright lights shinning all along the house. He turned and sprinted towards the phone as Kate screamed in confusion. The sound of machine gun fire tearing into the lower quadrants of the house roared into Bisqui's ears as he hit red button on the phone to put him on an emergency line.
Nothing.
Bisqui starred in horror when he realized the power had been cut. It would be the last thing he saw, for moments later a 120mm HE round flew threw his quarters large windows and exploded. Bisqui died immediately, and the lovely Kate who had jumped into the bathtub perished in the fire only moments later.

Fortress Garner, Kumbruk
2000 Hours Zulu

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His heart pounded rapidly and blood seemed to rush to his ears with each painful beat. Lieutenant Mackeem's gaze remained fixated on his dark-red illuminated wrist watch his eyes strained to see. Every second seemed to take a year and the shuffling of boots and clanking of guns behind the large barrel-chested officer indicated his men though so too. In a matter of seconds he and nearly 115 more soldiers of Major General Gooden's 2nd Composite Army would rush out the back of the A400M they were currently waiting in and rush into the gauntlet. Even though everything indicated their attack would be a complete surprise, Mackeem and many others feared the short 1.4km run from the airstrip to Fortress Garner's HQ where their target was confirmed to be would be more than enough time for reinforcements.

His mind was everywhere and anxiety was being to set in, but there was no time for such foolish matters. His watch turned to mark 2000 Hours, go time for Operation Stations Ready. Mackeem looked up and, as if on que, the rear door to aircraft began to open. Moments later over a hundred armed soldiers charged onto the flight line, gunning straight for their target. Surprised aircrew who at this hour were mostly cleaning up shop looked on curious, many believing this to be some sort of drill until the crack of 6.3x40mm rounds came smashing into them and their surroundings. Some simply got up and ran, others fell to the ground either dead or trying to surrender and a few unlucky individuals actually returned fire with standard-issue P226 Combat pistols they happened to find or be carrying. This seemed to do little but attract fire from the hoard of soldiers and these crew were quickly overwhelmed.

Prisoners weren't something that could be afforded with such a small number of men, so those found surrendering were instead neatly zip-tied at the hands and feet. Killing countrymen wasn't necessarily the goal here. The battle for the flight line was quick and rather painless, and with the element of surprise still on their side the group split into platoons and began the rush along Sycamore Way towards the garrison HQ where their HVTs sat waiting, hopefully still unaware. Despite being weighed down by full battle gear the infantry still hauled the distance in less than 6 minutes which was spectacular in its own right. No hesitation was taken as 4th Platoon beat down the large oak door of the HQ, rushing in as their comrades took up defensive positions in the small gardens and parking lot outside.

Five Minutes Prior...

Lieutenant General Earl Holsum stared through dim light at a map of the UPE with troop movements and strengths highlighted through small wooden blocks shifting about the table. Beside him were two of his most trusted commanders, Brigadier Generals Thompson and Wayne, as well as a small assortment of their trusted Colonels. Each man stared towards Holsum waiting for the respected General to speak. On the wall behind him a vintage recruitment poster displaying a smiling serviceman holding his bayonet up stated: "I'll die for the UPE, Will You?". Ironically and unbeknownst to King Dromie and coup throwers, the military at this very moment was planning the exact same thing; only set for a few days later. Holsum's 1st Composite Army was selected by request of Holsum himself to invade Efessel under the guise of joining the war games in Northern Eurostine and the minor details of such were currently under dispute as the crack of gunfire prickled the flight lines not far away. Hidden in their soundproof room, Holsum's company noticed nothing.

In fact a young Captain was pushing blocks representing armored companies towards Efessel as the front down crashed in. Red lights flickered on in Holsum's war room as the Sargent outside hit the emergency light seconds prior to his own death. Inside Holsum's commanders scrambled to destroy evidence of the coup as rifle butts slammed into their locked metal door; precious moments which would save knowledge of the Military's coup from falling into the wrong hands before plastic explosives knocked down the door and 4th Platoon entered guns blazing as ordered. None survived and after checking for such Lieutenant Mackeem's men beat a hasty retreat towards the flight line in the dark of the night...

Private Compound, Maulk Countryside
2012 Hours Zulu

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A cold breeze drifted in from the mountains, rustling the leaves ever so slightly. Common crickets chirped their solemn tune into the night as Southern Nightgales and an assortment of bats ate through insects flying among the midland trees. Small mammals secured about hunting or scavenging in the moon light blissfully unaware of the forthcoming clash between man. An old road cut through the brush played host to cracks, leaves, animals and the slight crunch of combat boots on fresh foliage.

Dark green and black camouflaged soldiers blended in carefully to their dark forest background and they edged their way among the road and into final positions surrounding a large compound surrounded by thick concrete walls that seemed completely alien in the calm world it jumped out of. Large commercial lights lit up the compound and the thin section of grass separating it from the forest. For the men of the Royal Guard who now all but surrounded the facility, seconds were longer than hours. Given the leave of security around Major General Campton Wallace's private compound the impending firefight would not be as forgiving as that of the Hobart Estate and Fort Garner. As such, the Guardsmen waiting in ambush were to wait for confirmation from their command that the other two attacks had succeeded before putting their lives on the line. Such final confirmation came exactly twelve minutes after Stations Ready began.

Even such, it would be another five minutes of painful patience the Guardsmen would have to endure before the low beating sound of rotor blades approaching informed them of their air support and the first platoons began firing M4 Carl Gustafs at the thick metal main gate and surrounding wall area, their HEDP rounds doing excellent damage but still coming up short of opening a breech. Seconds later all hell broke loose and 4th Army soldiers guarding the compound lit up search lights, alarms and machine gun fire. Right in time for the beginning of the battle a small armored column consisting of three FV-4500 "Bailey" light tanks and an FV-4600EJ "Rhino" armed with a powerful short range Jammer rounded a bend in the road and began approaching the compound; followed closely behind by an Apache AH1 painted in spectacular Royal Guard black and red.

Yet, for all the planning and the undeniable fear factor, the Royal Guardsmen took a sudden jab to the jugular when a Starstreak Mk.II launched from an LML stationed on the roof of the Compound's main building slammed into the Apache AH1 mere seconds before the gunship began unloading lead on the facility. The explosive impact destroyed the bird's engines, control systems and caused the already low-flying helicopter to plummet to the ground; crashing into the wood line when guardsmen moved about providing gunfire on the compound walls. To further dampen the scenario, a soldier on the wall successfully fired a HEAT warhead from an M3 Carl Gustaf straight into the lead Bailey, it's warhead wrecking the vehicle with only the Commander and Loader escaping the wreckage.

Even with the situation growing out of control, the Royal Guard still held the advantage as the two remaining Baileys began firing 105mm HESH warheads straight into the compound wall, breaking massive holes for the guardsmen to exploit. However, given the lacking Intel assessment of the compound that lead to the loss of two expensive assets, the Guardsmen commanders choose not to immediately charge the gaps, but rather to begin a short siege of the compound which would allow their soldiers time to weaken the compound's defenses and for reinforcements to bring in better equipment such as mortars. This choice, however wise, would ultimately strike deadly consequences for Operation Stations Ready as a certain General Wallace was hidden inside his compound with full connection to an unknown ground line telephone and therefore access to the entire Eurostini Royal Armed Forces... Within half an hour of beginning Stations Ready had both succeeded, by killing off two important military generals, and failed; by allowing others to gain knowledge of the Coup and flee into Northern Eurostine where the ERAF was currently running war games.

Historical Context

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In the wake the Red War (1926-1934) the recently reunited provinces of Eurostine sighed a breath of relief as the Crown was peacefully transferred from the Military Junta of the Blue Army to a respectful Nobleman in the coronation of King Harlod Dromie. To the average Eurostini the conclusion of almost a decade of fighting as well as the removal of armed Bolshevik forces were more than enough to praise the restoration of the crown, even if it had a popular uprising which started the war between the Republicans and the Royalists in the first place. Ever since that late September coronation whose vivid red, orange and yellow scenery was masked to the majority by the static of radio Eurostine has been under the rule of House Dromie.

By comparison to previous monarchs, both singular crown heads and crown Houses, House Dromie monarchs were over watched by a powerful parliament which failed to hold any level of control until the Treaty of Orabay (which concluded the Red War) established dominance of a Parliament over the restored crown. As such, House Dromie monarchs have governed in the light of a government elected by the people, and have been much more popular because of such. This practice lasted until early 1995 when the Royal Army staged a Coup against the Social-Progressive Party Coalition led Parliament which was elected into power that same year. Military forces successfully crushed the civil government and exiled King Franz Dromie II who openly supported the leftist government. In Franz's place they coronated King George Dromie, a second cousin to the late monarch and a member of the Royal Armed Forces.

George Dromie effectivly ruled Eurostine with the military in mind for only about seventeen years before he passed away by fault of cancer. His eldest son and current ruler of Eurostine, Jeremy Dromie, was coronated on August 15th, 2012 at the age of 22. In contrast to his father, the current monarch would like to see a great reduction of the Royal Armed Forces and has tried several times to dislodge Eurostine from its current junta-styled ways; but he has failed due to the consent threat of coup and replacement by his brother Alexander Dromie whose views more parallel their father.

The Issue

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Under constant reminder of his place beneath the military and the ever looming threat of being replaced by Alexander Dromie as King, Jeremy Dromie is incapable of governing Eurostine as a King and is more befitting the title of "Puppet". At every turn his attempts for progress are met with soldiers reminding him that he is replaceable and that he is "advised" to recall his comments or drop his support of X issue. The young King has finally garnered enough support to throw his leash, or attempt to... Whether Eurostine falls in line with their monarch, pledges loyalty to the military junta now likely to be headed by the brazen Foreign-Educated Alexander Dromie or perhaps even reignite the republicanism of the nearly century-old Red War is yet to be realized. Can collision be avoided, or was Eurostine destined for since January 3rd, 1995?

Key Players

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*NOTE: All characters listed are important to the plot at the onset of the story, however, none are necessarily invincible and are open to action. Although all actions have consequences and it is advised to look at the big picture rather than just attempting to "snipe" one of these characters from the get-go.

King Jeremy Archibald Dromie: Current sitting King of Eurostine. Coronated 8-15-2012. Leader and figurehead for the movement against his military "puppeteers". Left-leaning ideology, however, believed to be open to new ideas if the support is strong enough. Critized for a lack of experience and weak political support.

Prince Alexander Joyce Dromie: Prince of Eurostine, Duke of Gordon. Second youngest of the "Three Princes" (Jeremy, Alexander and Henry) and the most alike to his fathers image. 24 years old currently with four years of University education including overseas study-abroad opportunities. Currently in the Royal Airforce of Eurostine. Likely figurehead for King Dromie's opposition.

Lieutenant General Arnold Trawlsmen: Supreme Commander of the Royal Army. Politically-minded General organizing opposition against King Dromie. Considered to be the brains behind brawn.

Elizabeth Taully: Prime Minister. Head of the Eurostini Government. Avid supporter of a "new era" in Eurostine but the frequent receiver of Letters of Voidence from the Crown... (All signed by an auto-pen). Strong supporter of King Dromie and major garner of support for the monarch, although many suspect she sees the crown as a means to an end.

Choose Your Side

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The Royalists:
Union primarily composed of centrists and leftists who regard King Dromie's attempt to free the crown as a long-overdue uprising against the military-controlled government. Royalists openly advertise their support of a centrist constitutional monarchy with greater focus on trade and domestic affairs than on the military as currently pushed. Hold a high degree of popular opinion at the onset of the events detailed in this thread.

The Conventionalists:
Union primarily composed of conservatives and the Royal Armed Forces. Headed by generals of the Armed Forces with sworn allegiance to the Government of Eurostine. Conventionalists hold full control of all Royal-sworn military personnel (excluding provincial guards) and undoubtably hold the most power. Popular opinion is slanted against them, but the choice of the popular Alexander Dromie as their figurehead shows promise for improvement.

NOTE: The above factions are open to change and expansion, both in number of factions and support of factions.

Roleplay Premise

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Eurostine is approaching a possible Civil War which likely can't be avoided. The premise of the thread is to help determine the course of Eurostine's political future through support or harm to leading factions (as they emerge). Separate factions from the major two will be allowed, with permission, however it is advised not to take such a route; for each faction will be fairly easy to mold towards the perceptive of greatest support. Regardless of the path chosen during this thread, keep in mind Newtons Third Law.

One-Stop Rule Shop

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1: No Godmods! The point isn't to "win" with your uber-stronk military, it is to have a sophisticated and even keeled role play.
2. Keep it Cool! Roleplays can sometimes get heated as we all know, but try to keep it cool and always respect one another
3. OP's Word is Law. This is my thread and if I don't want/like something, it's gone. I am being very courteous and allowing this Roleplay a great deal of freedom, so don't fight back if a "No" ruling is handed down on your 10,000 jet spam.

Signup Application

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Code: Select all

[b]Nation Name:[/b]
[b]Formal Nation Name:[/b]
[b]Head of State[/b]
[b]Which Side do you Support?[/b] (Royalists, Conventionalists, Other)
[b]Reason for Joining:[/b] (Please be detailed here)
[b]Role play Example:[/b]


Maps and Other useful Intel

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Full Map
Transportation Map
Named Passes

[Christoslavia]

Nation Name:Christoslavia
Formal Nation Name: The Eternal Empire of Christoslavia
Head of State:SUPREME OVERLORD
Which Side do you Support? (Royalists, Conventionalists, Other)Conventionalists
Reason for Joining: (Please be detailed here)Our nation sees it as imperative that a military junta like ours not be overthrown, we are hostile to democracy
Role play Example: (disclaimer: multiple people in this thread have god modded because it kind of got out of control but over all good experience)https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=394215&sid=4a4e2cb8a763e62f61db0edf504d424b

[Emmerian Republic]

Nation Name:The Union of the Emmerian Republic
Formal Nation Name: Emmeria
Head of State President Cadotte Nolan
Which Side do you Support? (Royalists, Conventionalists, Other) Royalists
Reason for Joining: (Please be detailed here) To prevent the fall of a democratic government or monarchy into the hands of those who threaten peace
Role play Example:https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=382985

[Rausenburg]

Nation Name: Rausenburg
Formal Nation Name: The Royal Republic of Rausenburg
Head of State: Head Minister Sienna Johannsson
Which Side do you Support? Other (Peacekeeping, Humanitarian Aid)
Reason for Joining: Upon hearing of the tensions in Eurostine Rausenburg would enter the conflict as peace keepers or "makers". Needless loss of life and no pursuit of a democratic solution is something that Rausenburg looks down on. Thus a Neutral stance would be taken to attempt to bring the conflict to a close as soon as possible.
Role play Example: " Literally first post I ever did with this nation "

[Rhinocera]

Nation Name: Rhinocera
Formal Nation Name: The Empire of Rhinocera
Head of State Supreme Consul Tiberius
Which Side do you Support? (Royalists, Conventionalists, Other) Royalist
Reason for Joining: (Please be detailed here) Your my oldest ally aside from Zachatopia. I'd prefer that those who are currently affiliated with Rhinocera remain at the head of Eurostine's government (Though if I am correct our alliance was forged right around this time back when this was occurring, around the time the coalition was founded.
Role play Example: You know me

[Inyourfaceistan]

Nation Name: Inyursta
Formal Nation Name: La Républiqua D'Inyursta
Head of State Jean-Baptiste Calderone
Which Side do you Support? Conventionalists, mostly. Expect NIS & Sec Zéro to find republicans to try and pull into power.
Reason for Joining: The recent election of Jean-Baptiste Calderone has brought a wave of anti-monarchist sentiment through Inyursta's foreign policy (not that they have ever really been pro-monarchy TBH). Inyursta also fears loosing one of its few non-SACTO, non-Latin American trade partners should Dromie break control away from the junta they have been dealing with.
Role play Example: viewtopic.php?p=26438631#p26438631

[Libraria and Ausitoria]

At Rhinocera's request:

Nation Name: Aestoria
Formal Nation Name: Don't ask. (Nobody can tell anymore).
Head of State Don't ask. (Same problem).
Which Side do you Support? Royalists
Reason for Joining: Balance of Power: support of (multiple) allies, obliteration of enemies; support of free trade, support of centrists, support of constitutional monarchy; pushing of liberal agenda.
Role play Example: This. Or perhaps this. Or nowadays this.

[Eurostine]

All are accepted!

I think we should take a moment or two to so any questions can be answered and then we can jump into IC shortly

[Emmerian Republic]

All are accepted!

I think we should take a moment or two to so any questions can be answered and then we can jump into IC shortly

Where is the IC?

[Libraria and Ausitoria]

Eurostine, is your factbook map accurate, and roughly what military forces are there around in your nation?

[Christoslavia]

Question, how strong is your nations navy and coastal defenses, and what are they

[Eurostine]

I'll have more detailed ORBATs and force maps up and posted when they become relevant, but as far as planning needs go Eurostine has as follows:

- Army Group North (Stationed in bases outside Borgride, Prescotte & Kurrup respectively)
- Army Group South (One part currently in the Northern Provinces for war games and One part In bases outside Hazelforth and Athal)

- Royal Navy(Stationed collectively in bases around the Gulf of Eurostine with small contingents up North in Castilo. Currently has 2 aircraft carrier, 6 cruisers and a number of destroyers, frigates, auxiliaries and small vessels)

- Royal Air Force (5 Collective Air Wings based primarily in Southern Eurostine & the Islands with capability to redeploy throughout Eurostine with decent ease)

If this harsh generalization of my forces is not enough, you can wait for the ORBATs or send me a telegram if you believe it to be absolutely necessary


@ Christoslavia: Such isn't important at the moment unless your planning on an invasion; which is something I won't be allowing until the story has progressed further

[Christoslavia]

Thank you thats really helpful, and no since im supporting the conventionalists i take it the navy would be friendly. Ya im going to wait til this escalates before troop deployments take place

[Rhinocera]

I thought your navy was a helluva lot larger than that, Eurostine.

[Inyourfaceistan]

I thought your navy was a helluva lot larger than that, Eurostine.

2 carriers is pretty much above average (median) for the world IRL...

[Eurostine]

I thought your navy was a helluva lot larger than that, Eurostine.

Not necessarily. Under NS stats it is MUCH larger, which if you're thinking back to Kraijzbergian invasion was such the case. I'm trying to play a much more moderately sized military so its less about who has the most torpedoes again lol

[Eurostine]

Thank you thats really helpful, and no since im supporting the conventionalists i take it the navy would be friendly. Ya im going to wait til this escalates before troop deployments take place

Sounds good to me.

Also it seems sides are slowly being set, so if Rhinocera, Emmerian and Libraria & Ausitoria want to start getting together as well as Christoslavia and Inyourfaceistan to start to think up some stuff, although ultimately if you work together or not isn't necessary. I'm thinking sometime tomorrow or Sunday I'll get the opening IC post up.

EDIT:

Also it appears I wasn't clear earlier to a question. The maps on my factbook are correct and can be reliably used. For this thread I'll post a single continuous map of the two connected just so it is easier to view the landscape.

I would like to point out that the linear blankness to the west of the map is room I left for a neighbor to collaborate with once I find one, but for the purposes of this thread I think we shall just treat is as a neutral country and not bother with it; the ocean to North, East and South are plenty room for those who want some wiggle room

EDIT 2:

So I combined both maps and added in the unaccounted for area. Unfortunately the new map is much to big for this so I will simply give a link to where I uploaded it at so you all can download/save it and play around with the zoom. If anyone has any difficulties let me know and I can send zoomed in segments.

Cheers!

[Libraria and Ausitoria]

Thanks for the map and figures! Very useful.

I thought your navy was a helluva lot larger than that, Eurostine.

Given the size of Eurostine and its army, more akin to the US, it really is relatively small. (Absurdly small by Ausitorian standards, but I'll be the first to say Ausitoria isn't standard, and anyway a military junta usually does favour the army, while democracies favour navies). As a result it seems Ausitoria would be opening with 10 times larger naval forces than Eurostine but 100 times smaller ground forces in the theatre - but if that makes the RP too uneven I can always reduce the number of naval squadrons involved if you like? There are a lot of oceans to patrol, and if Eurostine is in a location where there aren't any large navies, there's not much likelihood Ausitoria would bother with such a large naval presence in the area.

Alternately I must say Ausitoria and Rhinocera do RP with more flexibly sized nations, so if you do want to increase to a happy medium in size, or even to NS stats, I'd be fine by that? (And slightly happier, as the Ausitorian government would be able to pay more attention without potentially overwhelming the RP - long ago I decided RPing a nation with hundreds of trillions of dollars in its GDP is simply way more interesting, but that means everything about Ausitoria is on a proportionately larger scale).

Anyway, about how the story will develop, I expect Rhinocera would have become worried about Eurostine and communicated those worries to Ausitoria, so to forestall it I expect Ausitoria would be planning to land a Marine Legion on what would politically be disguised as a 'routine instant friendly goodwill surprise visit' - or, in operations-speak, an advanced bridgehead, if that would fit in? (If any of you ever watched the Yes Prime Minister episode 'a victory for democracy' you'll know exactly what I'm talking about).

[Eurostine]

I don't think I'd go so far as to say it's small. Two super carriers is quite powerful if you look at IRL nations. I think I'm settling on 40-50 destroyers which is well on the way to the US's 60 something. I have an as of yet undisclosed number of submarines which aren't to be taken lightly as well. Furthermore 2 Eurostini Army Groups is roughly ~400,000 well trained and well armed active soldiers in a nation only slightly bigger than Ukraine, and we all understand the Provincial Guard (reserves) exist as well.

Last time I played NS stats and at the end of the day it really just came down to who had more torpedoes and anti ship missiles. Perhaps I wasn't ready then to try and make do with less is more, but I see it as a challenge and I get the impression you know what you're doing so maybe you could too?

[Inyourfaceistan]

IMO NS stats are stupid, boring and honestly just spammy.

My vote is for realism and plausibility.

[Eurostine]

IMO NS stats are stupid, boring and honestly just spammy.

My vote is for realism and plausibility.

Okay but that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying anyone can easily have an army big enough to have forces all over a nation and air power all throughout the sky. But to not have such massive force allows for more challenge and ultimately more plot

[Inyourfaceistan]

IMO NS stats are stupid, boring and honestly just spammy.

My vote is for realism and plausibility.

Okay but that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying anyone can easily have an army big enough to have forces all over a nation and air power all throughout the sky. But to not have such massive force allows for more challenge and ultimately more plot

That kind of is what I'm saying... If everyone has an obnoxiously large population that makes China look like a small nation, then everyone has an army big enough to have forces all over a nation and air power all throughout the sky; then as you said it becomes more about who shoots more torpedos than it does about who applies the right pressure where...

[Libraria and Ausitoria]

IMO NS stats are stupid, boring and honestly just spammy.

My vote is for realism and plausibility.

IMO you don't appreciate the possibilities for imaginative specialization and expertise that come with scale, the extraordinary scope for diversity, or the possibilities to go beyond RL for the sake of more interesting RPs. Of course I know it is all the vogue IRL at the moment to oppose anything complicated which might require expertise to understand.

Really it depends on whether you prefer the generic challenge of doing things small or the imaginative challenge of doing things big without relying on unknown future technologies. Personally I like to get to teeth with the sheer scale of the economic nightmare and opportunities posed in managing states of billions of people (which Knootoss RPs expertly), and the extraordinary ingenuity of getting maximum benefit from specialist weapons of war (which Parthan, Lyras, & Marquesan, to name a few, RP expertly).

But just because we have different preferences doesn't mean we can't work together and draw on the funner elements of both. I expect it'll be an interesting RP. To make it easier for the unfortunate hard-realists to RP here, I'll lay off the biggest ships, since I recognize they're a bit extraordinary from a RL perspective; although there's still a specialized 80,000 tonne amphibious warfare ship that I've been putting the finishing touches too and have been itching to try out somewhere, if that's alright, Eurostine?

[Eurostine]

I suppose it would be. I'll for creativity all day long but if I say something is too big/too many than it is. If you can agree to that then I'll do my part to keep an open mind to some extent.

[Libraria and Ausitoria]

Thanks - inasmuch as we're limited to Eurostine, that's fine by me.