1906: Alternative Divergence [AH][OOC-DEAD]

[Theyra]

Actually, I may have time after all, but I would like to change my reservation

Reservation

Nation Name: Bengal Empire
Territory: The rest of India, Bangladesh and the western coast of Australia
#AltDiv (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)
*Note: Reservations will last for 72 hours. The OP board reserves the right to be subjective in regards to accepting reservations.

[Tracian Empire]

A bit of fun worldbuilding: since the Guerin era, the battlecry of French troops has been a distinctive rhythmic, disciplined chant, used originally to keep marching cadence under fire: "Soit! Fait! Sa vo-lon-TÉ!", with a sort of BUM! BUM! Ba-dum-dum BUM! rhythm. The image of French troops chanting "His Will Be Done" as they advance would be viscerally recognizable for most of Europe.

The East Romans would use their traditional chants like in the times of Justinian and Heraclius - Meth imon o Theos/Nobiscum Deus - God with us!, and Stauros Nika! - the Cross will be victorious!

Or the already classic and simple Nika!- Victory!

[Tracian Empire]

Actually, I may have time after all, but I would like to change my reservation

Reservation

Nation Name: Bengal Empire
Territory: The rest of India, Bangladesh and the western coast of Australia
#AltDiv (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)
*Note: Reservations will last for 72 hours. The OP board reserves the right to be subjective in regards to accepting reservations.

I'm fairly certain that there was another reservation for India before you. I didn't accept it, pending for the main OP to look at it, but it would still have precedence I'm afraid.

[Theyra]

Actually, I may have time after all, but I would like to change my reservation

Reservation

Nation Name: Bengal Empire
Territory: The rest of India, Bangladesh and the western coast of Australia
#AltDiv (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)
*Note: Reservations will last for 72 hours. The OP board reserves the right to be subjective in regards to accepting reservations.

I'm fairly certain that there was another reservation for India before you. I didn't accept it, pending for the main OP to look at it, but it would still have precedence I'm afraid.

Okay, I will wait and see what the Op thinks of that reservation then.

[Kazarogkai]

Been looking over the naval descriptions of most of the apps and I think it would a good idea have everyone's naval strengths be in line with each others. Most of everyone is keeping it reasonable with only a few battleships. I think a hard cap on the number of vessels should be at 30 as the British navy had 38 prior to the construction of the dreadnaught and since no one has that kind of globe-spanning empire no should that kind of navy either. Large nations with a strong naval focus should have between 10-16 battleships while smaller nations have under 10.

Depends on the types and nature of the mission. Some nations might have mass amounts of say light vessels namely gunboats and torpedo ships hence a number above 38 would make sense. A hard cap seems rather inflexible and doesn't take into account the aforementioned hence I would vote against it personally unless it explicitly only referred to say cruiser sized ships and above with no hard cap on medium sized warships like destroyers and frigates and alongside that light vessels like the aforementioned.

[Benuty]

Full Nation Name : The Golden Commonwealth of the Rus.

Majority/Official Culture : Russian & Russo-Monogolic.

Territorial Core : Russia, Finland, the Caucuses (Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan), Eastern Belorussia, Eastern Ukraine, Outer Manchuria, Central Asia

Territorial Claim : The lost princely states currently in possession of another power.

Capital City : Sarai

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarai_(city)

Population :

Government Type : A confederation of Rus principalities, and the Golden Horde combined into a nominal empire. The supreme ruler is elected in traditional mongolic fashion and granted the title of Khagan to note his/her supremacy of rule over the Mongolians. In regards to Russians and others, however, he or she takes the title of Golden Emperor. A nod to the former name of the Golden Horde, and the tradition of viewing the Rus, and beyond as the land of the Golden Sun. Outside of the direct territory of the emperor the Rus principalities, and other states practice near total autonomy as full members of the commonwealth.

They each have their own governments, and prerogatives, but so long as they give adherence to the imperial authority they are left to their individual duties.


Government Focus : There is no actual single unified focus for the government as many vested interests are involved within the governance of the Commonwealth.

Head of State : His Majesty Abd Al-Ahad Khan, Khagan of the Mongols, Golden Emperor of the Rus,

Head of Government : The High Princely Minister elected from the Princely Council of the Rus, and the Kurultai of the Mongols. High Lord of the Volga Bolghars, Protector of the Siberic Peoples, and King of the Finnish. Suzerain of the Church of the East, and caretaker of the City of Sarai.

Government Description :

Majority/State Religion : Nestorian [Church of the East]/ Russian Chalcedonian.

Religious Description :

Economic Ideologies : The commonwealth prefers a mixed economic stance due in part to its nature as a confederation. Different economic priorities suit different areas of the country.

Major Production :

Economic Description :

Development: Semi-Industrialized.

Development Description : The economic development of the Golden Commonwealth is highly mixed, to say the least. Novograd, for example, is highly industrialized compared to some of the other Rus principalities which have an agrarian-based economy. The lands of the Golden Horde aka "new Mongolia" are a mix as even though the majority are still settled high industry is only in a few areas. The rest is a mix between light industry, and agriculture.

Semi-industrialized in certain areas while many others are reliant on agrarianism or nomadic lifestyles. The Volga Bolghars have stuck to their traditional lifestyles even with modernization. One spot that doesn't match an easy definition is that of Siberia due to the fact has been settled over the centuries by a hodgepodge of groups for different purposes. Depending on which parts you are going you could find highly industrialized mining towns or frontier farm villages.


Army Description : [[Describe your nation's army in as much detail as you can]]

Army Weakness :

Naval Description : [[Describe your nation's navy in as much detail as you can]]

Naval Weakness :

Further Military Description : [[OPTIONAL]]

National Goals :

1) The Imperial Agenda: The imperial court seeks to reform the commonwealth into a nation with clearly defined branches, and areas of authority.

2) The Collectivist Agenda: The Collectivists though heavily divided into several schools of thought, and practice want to achieve greater representation for the worker. Whether they desire a workers state or a modern state which guarantees rights for the workers there is no clear majority in the collectivist thought.

3) Rus revitalization League Agenda: The Rus revitalizers believe inherently in the supremacy of the Russian language, culture, and religion. That said they don't have a uniform goal. Some believe in the establishment of a unified Rus state while others believe in placing the primacy of the Rus within the empire.

National Issues :

1) Industrialization needs to be uniformly enforced amongst the various regions, but local autonomy prevents such imperial overreach. As a result, the farther you get from the imperial territory, and the Rus heartland the more agrarian, and nomadic the commonwealth is.

2)

National Figures of Interest : 1) Leo Tolstoy:

2) Leon Trotsky:

3) Golden Emperor/Khagan: The current holder of the title is

National Ambition/Aspirations :

History :

United Mongolian Empire (1206-1227)

Genghis Khan's imperial ambitions in China would not see much success despite him spending much of his life in an attempt to conquer it. Regardless the Mongolians did expand outwards at a rapid pace like no other.

[1211]: Genghis Khan ravages western Xia, but one of his commanders overzealous in their actions attacks a town belonging to the Song dynasty. Following the massacre, the Song proceeded to break off diplomatic relations with the Mongolians.

[1214-1215]: The defeat of Genghis Khan at the infamous battle of Yinchuan by the combined might of Jin, and Song put an end to Genghis and his ambitions in China for the rest of his life. Historians argue that had the battle gone the other way China very well may have begun to fall.

[1217-1221] Genghis Khan begins a campaign into the lands bordering the various states of the Rus, and by 1221 nearly borders them entirely.

[1227]: The Khagan is struck dead during a battle against the Bolgars inhabiting near the Volga river. Despite winning the battle that day the offensive is stalled in part due to the necessity of arranging a kurultai to elect a new Khagan.

The Mongolian Empire Cracks (1228-1267)

[1228] Batu Khan is appointed over the far reaches of the western portions of Genghis Khan's empire.
[1236] The Bolgars on the Volga river fall in part due to the efforts of Batu Khan. He rests for the remainder of the year before beginning an offensive into the Rus.

[1237-1242]

[1267] Khan Khaishan who is ruling in Mongolia goes against the advice of other Mongol rulers and launches an attack on Jin dynasty lands in China. While the dynasty pushes back the Mongols. The dynasty still is heavily devastated from the raids, but this proves to be the last straw as the other major Mongol rulers separate from Mongolia.


Time of Revolution, and Upheaval [1880s-Present]

[1885] The kurultai elect Abd Al-Ahad Khan as the Khagan and Golden Emperor. He presents himself as a stern reformist in the midst of an empire of a quagmire. He firstly proposes the "two nations" theory in part due to the growing discontent between the Russians, and the Russo-Mongolians. In his inauguration speech, he claims that both Russia and Mongolia need each other to survive due to how intertwined the two are.

[1887] Opponents of the two nations theory form the Rus revitalization league. The general intent is to secure the primacy of the Rus within the commonwealth, but how the faction means to achieve this is currently unknown due to several divergent schools of thought operating.

A) Russian Unity Party: Believes in placing the Rus, its culture, and language as the source of primacy within the union. They also believe the principalities should be abolished, and unified as one nation.

B) Russian Autonomous Group:

C) Russian Independence Coalition:

[1900] The National Reform Congress forms with a coalition of several ideologies that while contradictory at several points intend on reforming the Golden Commonwealth into a proper nation.

[1904] Following a massacre of naval dock workers in the Rus principality of Pskov a revolutionary by the name of Vladimir Lenin stirs the principalities workers into revolution.

RP Sample: [[Either a link to a past post, or an example written right here.]]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... kassia.svg

#AltDiv (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)

[Jade Confederacy]

Depends on the types and nature of the mission. Some nations might have mass amounts of say light vessels namely gunboats and torpedo ships hence a number above 38 would make sense. A hard cap seems rather inflexible and doesn't take into account the aforementioned hence I would vote against it personally unless it explicitly only referred to say cruiser sized ships and above with no hard cap on medium sized warships like destroyers and frigates and alongside that light vessels like the aforementioned.

No, i meant only battleships. Protected cruisers, ironclads, torpedo boats and such would be at each players discretion but the number of battleships is what really determines a nation's naval standing and should be limited in case someone who does not have a proper frame of reference go overboard

[SCP Institution]

I'm fairly certain that there was another reservation for India before you. I didn't accept it, pending for the main OP to look at it, but it would still have precedence I'm afraid.

Okay, I will wait and see what the Op thinks of that reservation then.

I have withdrew my reservation, you can go ahead and claim those areas. Enjoy !

[Kamchakta]

Been looking over the naval descriptions of most of the apps and I think it would a good idea have everyone's naval strengths be in line with each others. Most of everyone is keeping it reasonable with only a few battleships. I think a hard cap on the number of vessels should be at 30 as the British navy had 38 prior to the construction of the dreadnaught and since no one has that kind of globe-spanning empire no should that kind of navy either. Large nations with a strong naval focus should have between 10-16 battleships while smaller nations have under 10.

I am going for a Naval Heavy Portugal. We have 6 Battleships though and they are all less than 13800 tons in displacement.

I have several armoured and protected cruisers and several destroyers. A fleet of 67 in total for Colonial Portugal.

[Remnants of Exilvania]

I mean, yes, but if you're Ethiopia there's only so much you can afford.

In general, I think the French Navy is good as it stands. It's powerful enough to take on any single Mediterranean navy on equal or superior terms, but not strong enough to stand up to all of them, which is enough to ensure that France remains primarily a land power.

If we don't get a French-Zentraleuropean naval race during this rp, I'll be very disappointed.

A naval race between France and the Empire is out of question.

A naval race between the French Atlantic Fleet and the German North Sea fleet on the other hand...

[Remnants of Exilvania]

Depends on the types and nature of the mission. Some nations might have mass amounts of say light vessels namely gunboats and torpedo ships hence a number above 38 would make sense. A hard cap seems rather inflexible and doesn't take into account the aforementioned hence I would vote against it personally unless it explicitly only referred to say cruiser sized ships and above with no hard cap on medium sized warships like destroyers and frigates and alongside that light vessels like the aforementioned.

No, i meant only battleships. Protected cruisers, ironclads, torpedo boats and such would be at each players discretion but the number of battleships is what really determines a nation's naval standing and should be limited in case someone who does not have a proper frame of reference go overboard

What about Coastal Defense Ships?

I mean they're still capital ships but not really in a league with battleships...

Asking because the Central European Capital Ship section consists out of three CDSs from the 1890s.

[Finland SSR]

Pfft, battleships. Armored cruisers for life!

[Remnants of Exilvania]

*notices flaw in app*

Oh crap, my light cruisers are too modern and heavier than my capital ships...

Welp, time to get rid of the Dresden Class in favour of the older light cruisers I've got.

[Tracian Empire]

I'll have to put some serious effort into describing my navy in detail at some point. I've actually spent more time thinking about the naval defenses in the Aegean, the Straits and the Suez than I did about the navy.

[Kazarogkai]

Full Nation Name : Free Guyana Revolutionary State
Majority/Official Culture : Guyanese Maroon
Territorial Core : https://photos.app.goo.gl/XvH2sUNyQEGMPMoa6
Territorial Claim : https://photos.app.goo.gl/LVGvYuYoNaDsNSDL8
Capital City : Elamana (Kajana, Suriname)
Population : 2,880,000
1800 150,000
1825 300,000
1850 600,000
1875 1,200,000
1900 2,400,000
1905 2,880,000

Government Type :
De-jure Revolutionary Government
De-facto Parliamentary Single-Party Federal Theocratic Republic
Government Ideology/Policies : Militant, Siege mentality
Government Focus : Maintaining independence, the liberation of the america's from old world colonialism, the destruction of Monarchism, and finally but certainly not least fighting the good fight in the name of heaven.
Head of State : The Grand Committee and by extension the Speaker of the National Assembly who heads it
Head of Government : De-jure Grand Committee, De-facto a tossup between the Consul of War, the Premier Chairman of the Faction, The High Elder of the Phalanx
Government Description :
GENERAL HISTORY
At its most basic the government of the Free Guyana Folk State, simply known as Guyana by most, as explained in the constitution is simply titled a revolutionary government. The Formal Government of Guyana generally is traced all the way back to the revolutionary freeman's council set up by Solomon Day who traveled with his 24 companions companions deep into the interior in order to elicit the support of the various maroon tribes in what would become a general rising among the slaves and maroons. When him and his 24 companions arrived into the interior and were able to convince the local maroon elders in Elamana of his intentions and bring them into the fold from here he set up his first stronghold from which he would continue to expand from. At first he largely concerned himself with military matters delegating administration to local civilians in a hands off approach shaping civil policy only in the abstract. As his government's influence and by extension his army began to expand he would set up within each maroon village a small and large council with the former comprised of the villages various headman and elders of note while the latter was composed of the entirety of the villages adult inhabitants. When he felt the time was ripe, spurred on by a local slave rebellion near the cost around Georgetown, he led his army in what became known as "The March to the Sea". Along the way as his troops captured the various mostly sugar plantations that dotted the landscape he would set up small local forums as they were called composed of the able bodied adult population of the former plantation and organize them into in effect a democratic commune tasked with organizing the provision of men and material for the war effort. Up until wars end there was no really true central government other than himself, the army, and a personal civilian entourage consisting of the aforementioned companions plus 2 representatives derived from each maroon village and freemen commune who with time were organized into what came to be known as the National Assembly. The period from independence all the war until the death of Solomon was a rather anarchic time with the central government being a rather adhoc affair almost entirely consisting of and being concerned with the military and it's affairs due to the rather hostile surroundings with Solomon ruling largely by decree both in religious and temporal affairs. During this time it was largely the local units set up by Solomon in the form of the Maroon Village Councils and the Freeman Commune Forums who bore the brunt of day to day governance. During the war was the time in which Solomon wrote his magnum opus collectively called Solomon's twins consisting of: The Golden Manuscript and The Manifesto of a Heavenly Revolution. The former was a codification of Solomon's Religious beliefs and ultimately would serve as a sort of Bible for what became the Phalanx of Heaven, while the latter would as sorta implied be a political manifesto on his own beliefs of what he believed would be a revolutionary society and of the government necessary to run it. Upon Solomon's death in 1820 at the age of 100 years his successors would go on making use of the aforementioned to create a society in a manner they believed he had personally envisioned and laid the groundwork for during his rule. The results were much more beautiful in theory than in practice like many such things.
GENERAL OVERVIEW
The structure in reality in it's fully encompassed form is best described as a Parliamentary Single-Party Federal Theocratic Republic. To break that down the overall government atleast in theory is meant to be centered around the National Assembly, serving as a legislative body, with the various other branches acting as pillars of support to uphold it and by extension the entirety of the nation. But the reality of the situation things play out a bit different.
BASIC STRUCTURE
I THE COMMITTEES AND DIRECTORS
- Starting from the top the executive is comprised of and appointed from members of the National Assembly and consists of small bodies that are known as Committees. These serve as the arms of the Legislative and handle the enforcement of laws and play an important part in the making of said laws too with the initial drafting and debating of laws beginning in the very Committees charged with that area of policy. Trade laws in the Committee of Diplomacy, education in the Committee of Culture, etc. All the various Permanent Committee heads known as consuls are organized into what is known as the Grand Committee whose membership consists of the aforementioned but also includes the Speaker of the National Assembly and a few officers of the government who have been empowered by the National Assembly notably the Premier Chairman of the Faction and the High Elder Marshal of the Phalanx of Heaven. Operating in a Parliamentary manner members of the executive, namely the consuls, are appointed by and consist of members of the National Assembly as mentioned before and serve at the pleasure of said body. Though technically they do have a official term length consisting of a single year at which they are individually required to face a mandatory confidence vote and by extension pass a budget, if either fails then a new consul(s) must be appointed and by extension a budget. If either is unable to occur then the Assembly can with a simple majority call for a snap election in which current incumbents are barred from running in.
II THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
- Continuing on from before the National Assembly serves as the Legislative body making and debating the laws of the land, appointing members of the executive, and determining a government budget. Though structurally a Unicameral body it is in effect divided into 3 coequal divisions known as colleges who all serve together. These colleges consist of representatives of local units, representatives of the guilds, and representatives for the Phalanx, each numbering 144 in total. All members serve a term of 4 years which while not term limited cannot be served consecutively. They are elected via Block voting from multi member districts whose representative numbers are based on population size, more specifically their number of voters. In the case of members of the first college said districts correspond with the aforementioned local administrative units, In the case of the second college this is done with each Guild(main economic units) functioning as a district, and finally the third college has it's own districts drawn up based on parish borders(known as regiments). Upon the completion of an election members are tasked with both forming a government, appointing the Consuls to the Permanent Committees and a speaker for the National Assembly, and finally making a budget. If unable to do either a vote for a snap election can be made with a simple majority, with the exception in times of war in which case it takes 2/3 of the body.
III THE TRIBUNES AND ARCHONS
- The Judiciary is an odd ball of sorts in part inspired by the French Commonwealth, atleast in terms of basic ideals of Judicial Liberty, but in many areas very different. The basic structural component of the Judiciary is the Tribunes who are organized into 3 types high, district, and judgement. High Tribunes are standing bodies consisting of multiple members known as Archons and also Clergy members who are chosen via lot from eligible members of the public and serve a fixed non-consecutive term of 8 years in total. Each High Tribune numbers a total of 12 members and consist of 2 sub types: Constitutional and Statutory divided based on their role in terms of the law with the former being concerned with Constitutional Law and the latter being the highest courts of appeal in terms of the regular statutory law as set forth by the various Law Codes of Guyana. District Tribunes in contrast are temporary lasting only the length of their formation, investigation, and formal trial function both as courts of first instance and of appeal and are unlike their High varieties have defined judicial districts and henceforth jurisdictions based on where the Archons in question live. Judgement courts like the aforementioned are temporary bodies but are only formed after a formal trial is complete and ones appeals of been either exhausted or expired and unlike District Tribunes are composed of Jurists instead. Specifically 1 jurist from the victim(s) and/or their family. 1 from the guilty party and finally 10, with exceptions, other jurists from neutral parties.
- Now defining the 3 different members of tribunes: Archons, Jurists, and Clergy. Archons are those of the public who have been recognized and declared themselves as law speakers and are considered experts of secular law in all it's forms. In order to become one one must achieve a doctorate equivalent degree in law in a Guyanese University and declare themselves as an Archon and be vouched on by other Archons upon doing so becoming a member of a local district judicial pool. Jurists are similar to Archons but instead members of the public chosen by them to represent them in judicial affairs and are by extension meant to represent the spirit of the law in contrast to Archons who represent the word of the law. To become a Jurist one must have at the least a university degree in law and or humanities and upon doing so gain followers who are willing to be represented by you on court. Finally their is the Clergymen who have their own standards and are chosen via lot. They are there to make sure the law and by extension the enforcement of said laws is done in a manner that corresponds with Phalangite religious principles.
IV THE FACTION
- Officially titled The National Heavenly Workers and Farmers Unity Faction, commonly referred to as simply "The Nationalists Faction" or more Informally "The Faction" in day to day parlance. Within the writings of Solomon Day he very much expected similar to France that political factions were an inevitably and would emerge regardless of the best intentions and desires. He had an old cynical bone within him admittedly. Said factionalism would in his eyes be a threat overall to the unity of the nation and could tear it apart in times of great national stress, namely war. Hence in order to preempt such a thing he believed that a single party state was necessary within his system and would avoid much of the excess that came with typical political factionalism ultimately aiding in keeping the country on the righteous and revolutionary path that he set fourth and while keeping out those who might seek to internally derail the whole thing. That or at the very least contain the whole thing and keep it from poisoning the rest of the nation. At least in theory.
- Functioning in a manner Similar to many other organized political factions it does though have a few weird quirks to keep in mind. Organized in a somewhat hierarchical manner with the most basic and lowest organizational level being known as the block consisting of multiple party members within a given neighborhood. Each Block consists of a Forum composed of said members who operate along Direct-Democratic lines and who elect both an executive council who run day to day affairs for the block and delegates who are meant to represent the block in the forum above themselves. From this point onward in a manner similar to council democracy delegates chosen from the lowest level represent and also elect delegates above them from local to regional to finally national. The highest level is the national forum composed of delegates from the regional forums who themselves are delegates from the local forums and so on. The national forum like all the forums below them chooses from among their members an executive council which functions as the highest level executive organ of the party and they themselves choose from among themselves the Premier Chairman who is the head of the Party.
- Though independents are technically allowed to run for election to public offices the vast majority of the competition for said offices comes from members of the faction who in order to do so must seek the approval of the Faction and by extension the Premier Chairman of the Faction who wields untold power within the nation as a whole due to his position and ability to make or break an individuals candidacy for office.
V THE VOTERS
- Within Guyana elements of Direct democracy pervade through much of society but by far the most important of these is in the form of referendums and technically the election of various public officials within the National Assembly and Local Forums. Referendums are used exclusively for constitutional amendments and for the creation of a new constitution which occur every 8 and 40 years respectively. In contrast the election of public officials atleast on the national level occurs every 4 years while at the local level it varies.
- In terms of how to become a voter one must first be a citizen, and two finished their national service. In order to become a citizen one must either having been born within Guyana finished ones mandatory education, and declared and signed an oath of allegiance to the nation and the constitution or if not gone through the naturalization process which takes on average about 4-6 for immigrants. After one becomes a citizen to become a voter and by extension a full citizen one must finish their national service and have reached the age of 24. In the case of men this requires them to fulfill military conscript service whose duration depends on education level but varies from 8-4 years, with those achieving a university degree required to serve at the low end while those who only completed primary school required to serve at the higher end, and finally those who completed secondary being somewhere in between. Women in contrast, who've technically been able to vote since the first Constitutional period thereby making Guyana one of the first with female suffrage, must fulfill their national service via having 4 live born children(defined as those who have reached the age of atleast 2 years of age)
- The in terms of the amendments and referendums for them the process works as follows: In a manner similar to how laws bills are made, a initiative as it is known must be created within the respective committee from which it pertains too(War, Economy, Diplomacy, etc) and be put up for debate and ultimately approved by the Consul who heads the Committee in question. This Initiative then goes to the Grand Committee who then must debate and must ultimately approve of it. If such occurs then the speaker will introduce said initiative at a scheduled point in the Legislative Calendar at which point it will face a debate and initial vote which must see to it that approval is atleast 2/3 of the body. When that is done it will be put up upon the referendum calendar. When the next national referendum occurs voters within the nation may vote yay or nay to the proposed initiative and add unto the constitution so long as said vote equals 2/3 of the vote in which case it becomes an amendment.
- When it comes to making a new constitution, for each constitution by law is required to have an expiration date of 40 years after its creation. this works in a manner similar to how the amendment process works but a bit more convoluted and complicated requiring the establishment of Constitutional Forums and the like in the last 8 years of a constitutions existence. As of now Guyana is currently on it's 4th constitutional period with the period preceding Solomon's death regarded as the first despite the technical lack of a real substantial constitutional instrument with law being more or less a factor of his personal decrees, commandants, and local ordinances done in part in response to the former.

Majority/State Religion : Phalanx of Heaven
Religious Description : It's a bit of a local thing but is atleast technically christian but maintains certain rather heretical tenets as set fourth by Solomon Day the prophets "Golden Manuscript". In some ways it's a weird cross between elements of Catharism believing that earth is hell and ruled over by Satan and his minions while heaven is separate and ruled by God and his own in a giant holy war esque situation, Unitarianism believing that Jesus was a prophet in a long line of ones, with elements of Voodoo believing in many other sorta minor deities like saints and and angels and demons and the proscribed battling alongside God and Satan in their cosmic battle for power. It is led by the High Elder and was founded and spread by Solomon Day in the period during and after the war of independence. It's a bit weird and is unsurprisingly considered an utter and complete heresy by the Romans and those living in general christian dome. A basic description would be as such:

At it's most basic within his Golden Manuscript Solomon Day, the prophet, spoke of a holy war between God Who ruled in Heaven and Satan who ruled on Earth/Hell. Humanity having fallen due to the sin of Adam and Eve who had left heaven and made their way unto earth/hell. From here they and their descendants were left to be tormented by Satan and all the various demons who had in times long ago turned against god and waged war against him and with that forced to be continuously reincarnated back over and over again to earth/hell with god in order to protect it forced to lock the gates of heaven. That was until Abraham received the word from God who had unlocked the Gates of Heaven and opened it up unto at first his chosen and later all of Humanity after the sacrifice of Jesus so long as they were of pure souls and free of sin. At this point the war between Satan and his minion and God and his own went from stalemate to once again open war with god gathering those, known as saints, from those of humanity who when they died had souls pure of sin and were allowed into heaven and into his war hall to prepare. The preparation was for a great climatic battle(apocalypse) between good and evil that would decide the fate of everything. On one side was Satan and his army of the Damned, and finally god and his phalanx of saints with all others in between forced to choose a side. If God is victorious heaven itself will be bought down unto earth with Satan and his own imprisoned in the center of Earth and paradise assured. If Satan is victorious then Heaven will be forced to once again lock itself in order to protect itself and once again Humanity will be bared from entering it with that Satan's rule will be cemented and dystopia will be assured. The Enemy and their Greater Chalcedonian Church were stooges of Satan warping the words of Jesus and the line of prophets set fourth by God and had fallen away from the Righteous path. Hence it was their ultimate destiny to redeem the greater church of Christ back to the path of righteousness lest it help contribute to the ultimate victory of Satan in the Coming war. At least that is the general thinking.

Economic Ideologies : Quasi-Socialist, Georgist, National-Syndicalist
Major Production : small arms, artillery, steel, textiles, raw rubber, glass, concrete, gold, aluminium, fish, tropical fruit, timber, livestock, agricultural implements, mining equipment
Economic Description : The overall system is a rather strange breed quite unique for the world they live in. The majority of the factors of production in terms of both the tertiary, secondary, and the primary sector are run along syndicalist/communal lines with all business organizations above the family being in effect required to be run on cooperative lines with all members benefiting more or less equally and running it as such along democratic lines. Said cooperatives range in size from a single factory all the way up to large nationally run federations known as guilds run via a council based delegate system in a manner along the lines of the aforementioned faction's political system. With delegates from below electing those from above. Said guilds receive direct representation and are technically incorporated into the national government to help create overall policy.

On the otherhand elements of state socialism do persist with certain strategic resources like precious metals and even whole industries like arms manufacturing being a state interest and being the principle element. These are meant to be used to help the nation as a whole but are also found quite significant sources of revenue especially the aforementioned arms manufacturing with said weaponry produced being typically sold to various government approved armed revolutionary groups that prove a menace to many nations present in the new world. This has earned them quite a bit of hate despite efforts to keep it on the down low. The socialist element also comes into play to some degree due to despite the fact that Guyana is technically a market based economy the government does provide a tremendous role serving as the main regulator of the whole chaotic morass and safe guarder of consumers and workers health. This is rather heavily exemplified by the incorporation of the various Guilds, national cooperative federations and major industries, into the government to represent their interests and providing the government a way to help influence and direct the overall flow of the economy.

One important factor to consider is natural resources namely Land, Water, and Air. These three are regarded as the providence of all members of the community and hence are organized and considered to be under community ownership though individuals and their families have the right to manage said resources so to speak. In effect this means that local governments, namely municipalities, are given the duty of administering said resources with said duty being their principle job and the rent derived from the use of it being a significant source of their revenue.

Elements of protectionism are at play primarily serving to protect from foreign competition who might flood the local market with cheap goods and thereby destroy the still rather fragile industries that comprise Guyana. Despite this the country is rather reliant on exports, most notably decent quality steel and alongside that weapons due to the rather small population and hence small market that is Guyana being insufficient to properly sustain the continuing industrialization of Guyana alone in spite of talk of and a desire for autarky by the government. This is kinda the dirty secret of the whole thing and hence the sever effect their isolation has had on their economy resulting in it being known as a rather poor country both in raw size and in per capita manners.

Development: Semi-Industrialized
Development Description : Though the elements of Industrialization came into play sometime in the post war period is didn't really hit off properly until the 2nd constitutional period sometime in 1840. Compared to most nations it was largely a state based initiative due to the rather weak capitalist class present. The initial focus was a two fold mix of the need for arms to equip the armed forces but also a need to feed and connect the growing population. The end result has been a rather excessively specialized system whose primary focus is centered on supporting the other 2 sectors of the economy the service and agriculture rather than being an independent and principle body of the economy in it's own right. One of the principle manufactured goods for example is agricultural and mining equipment to better allow for greater resource extraction(primary sector), another example is the arms manufacturing used to equip the military(service sector). Hence most of it's industry is categorized as being light rather than of the heavy variety and overall exports principally derive from the agricultural sector with only surplus production from the secondary sector being exported in rather sparing amounts. Still for a what is regarded as a rather small and poor new world nation it's still pretty good in areas where it does focus on namely being one of the premier arms manufacturers and producers of steel in the world with Guyanese guns and steel being found all over the place ranging from the bummest parts of non-colonial Africa to equipping the armies of other new world nations too poor to have their own significant development in that regard.

Army Description : With a force of 120,000 strong standing and an equal number in their ready reserve,making it one of the largest in the new world, and with in theory every single male until the age of 70 required in some way shape or form eligible for service they are a force worthy of being reckoned. To go on In a manner of speaking the Land Command of the Black Revolutionary Brotherhood Phalanx of the Heavenly Crusade, known simply as the Black Phalanx the world over, operates in many manners despite the time more like an old guerrilla liberation army than that of a modern European fighting force. Ranks are simple and name wise are largely functional with officers being all known as Commander followed by whatever they lead. For example Contingent-Commander is the name for a leader of a contingent(corps equivalent) in contrast Column-Commander for a leader of a column(battalion equivalent). With the exception of the term Legion which is rather archaic and a reference to the name of the personal army of Solomon Day himself most names are different from what they would be in other countries. block for companies, line for platoons, front for armies, ext. None the less one shouldn't be fooled by what appears to be a lack of sophistication though this is a force who in their 100 years of history since independence has seen little to no peace and has proven itself time and time again as a battle hardened and tenacious force. Beset upon by a wide variety of enemies over the decades who in many cases have almost always been better armed and arguably superior in most conventional manners and yet it has never truly been put down or cowed for any significant length of time even at their worst points and when the time comes they always comes out swinging and roaring. Guyanese troops have earned a reputation for toughness and are regarded by many as some the best on this side of the Atlantic. Their absolute brilliance on the defense, their long military traditions despite their young age, tremendous amounts of experience fighting in conflicts abroad, almost fanatic morale and fervor and brutality displayed by their regular enlisted, and near constant state of conflict with their neighbors since independence has allowed them to earn this reputation the hard way. Their forces have earned respect but also a tremendous amount of fear due to their rather infamous history of brutality actively encouraged and cultivated by Guyanese commanders since time immoral. Their have been cases throughout the history of this world when faced up against Guyanese troops over the horizon bearing down upon them with the heads of dead enemy soldiers proudly displayed as trophies on their belts, war paint slathered across their skin, white uniforms glistening in the sun, the black and white banners they fly proudly, and the war howls of the Legionaries sensing blood in the water lesser forces have been made to rout rather than facing them in the open.

In terms of composition Guyanese Legionaries, as they are known, as of now are still equipped in cotton white uniforms with black hats and sashes added with a wool green poncho added whenever it rains and/or when they are in a rather cold area. While quite comfortable this does as expected make their troops rather easy to spot even when moving in the jungle which while useful back in the black powder years has shown itself to be quite problematic in the modern world as exemplified when faced off against Swedish units in the most recent border clashes near Venezuela. This has caused a desire to see to it that a modern uniform be created for their units, though their still working on the matter as of now. In terms of weaponry being the premier weapons manufacturer of the New World their actually pretty solid in that regard compared to many with the the principle service rifle of Guyana being the rather recently modern and recently introduced SR-402 which is their first smokeless powder rifle and was introduced in 1900 or the 6th year of the 4th constitutional period as they would say. It was technically a derivative of an already existing black powder rifle that they had and hence it has some rather archaic and sometimes strange features. The overall weapon in effect is sorta a "notLebel" rifle with a 10-round tube magazine, an overall length of 50 inches not counting the 10 inch spike bayonet in total, and a rather strange .25 cal(modeled after the 6mm Lee Navy) high velocity cartridge that was like the Lebel cartridge a cut down of a much larger black powder .30 cal cartridge. Though since it's introduction they have taken pains to make sure all units are equipped with the new gun it is still an ongoing process. The entire main active Legions are armed with them but most Reserve Legions and their stockpiles still are largely equipped with the old black powder gun which in a future war might cause some logistical issues. In regards to most of the rest of their weaponry their a bit behind in most areas. In what are considered the basic elements of what is considered necessary in modern military units they tend to do reasonably well for their primary front line units atleast. In other areas they are either lacking or have had no significant development in said area. In terms of say artillery and machine guns due to a rather overwhelming tactical focus on infantry while reasonably plentiful in quantity they are lacking in terms of quality with most of their pieces being regarded as pre gen or outright obsolete while in other areas like chemical/biological weapons and protection and say grenades and aircraft their completely lacking. For example while they do make use of a relatively modern local maxim gun derivative their totally lacking in any sort of light machine guns or the like and machine guns themselves are used in a rather conservative manner not seen below the regimental/legion level and concentrated alongside other artillery pieces rather than being found at the Battalion/Column like it would in more modern countries.

In terms of Organization the most basic unit to keep in mind for Guyana Land Command is the Legion. In a manner similar to Regimental Systems found in other Nations the Legions are for the most part permanent units many with histories dating back to the early history of Guyana with individual names and traditions to boot. For example Legion III are known as "The Green Hell Marchers" a named derived from the fact that their Legion was derived from much of the units that participated in the assault on the French Fort of Macapá, having to march into much of the deeper portion of the amazon just to reach it. Alongside this comes territorial assignments with each Legion receiving a military canton from which conscripts/allotment's derived from are recruited exclusively into said Legion. All this helps create a rather strong Esprit de corps. This in addition to a long history of Expeditionary conflicts in which in many cases they were forced to operate alone and/or with little support from one another has led to a rather strong tradition of combined arms for said legions to allow for independent operations. Hence the overall organization of a Legion is as follows with each consisting of: A Service, Artillery, Cavalry, and finally 3 Infantry columns each numbering 864 men giving the Legion a total strength of about 5184. As of now their are approximately 20 Standing Legions and 20 Reserve Legions in total. The Land Command as a whole is broken down itself into 2 divisions, Field and Home. In line with their strategy of defense in depth the Home-Division is tasked with garrisoning the borders of Guyana as a first line of defense meant to either defeat smaller enemy forces in their own right or hold down larger enemy forces giving time for a counter offensive to be organized and made from non-committed units. The Home-division further consists of 3 fronts: West facing Venezuela, Coastal facing the traditional avenue of invasions, and east facing the coastal regions of Bresil. Home-Division Consists of 10 Legions each handling it's own garrison line so to speak and are deployed up into various hard points ranging from individual blockhouses of 12 men to full on earthen and wood fortifications of a few hundred with the cavalry unit serving primarily as active patrols to keep those that be out. In contrast while Home Division functions as the first line of defense the Field-Division is the second main line of defense and unlike the former are organized not on the borders but in the center. This makes it so that wherever they are attacked they can organize and deploy a counter composed of these units. Consisting of 10 Legions total rather than being organized into Fronts instead they are when deployed organized into Contingent's of 2 or more Legions which are adhoc formations created on an as needed basis tailored towards the mission. The final and third line of defense comes from the aforementioned 20 Reserve Legions which on average take up to about 2 weeks to mobilize and deploy to the battle field meaning they need time to get ready hence the importance of the other 2 lines of defense. When the first line is breached and the second line is getting pushed back the time necessary for an enemy to do so gives time for the reserves to ready the 3rd and final line and ultimately overcome the forces that are bearing down upon them. History seems to have in part vindicated them in that regard.
Army Weakness : Though they do they best with what they have with the Guyanese state spending on the level of 50% of the governments total budget equaling somewhere in the ballpark or between 15-20 of the total GDP. But even then Guyana isn't the most wealthy state with their very isolation being a crippling affliction in it's own right and hence even at their best they can only in terms of money reach a level that is best classified as subpar by the most wealthy and powerful. As stated the bulk of what weaponry they do have is aging and in some cases is outright obsolete. In this time of tremendous change the best they can usually do is match but never exceed the great powers of this world. While in core areas(like infantry weapons and artillery) they have shown the capability to match or atleast keep up with the powers that be in other more new arenas they aren't even trying. Notably they lack any sort of aircraft or armored fighting vehicles, chemical/biological weapons and protection is nonexistent. And if that was not bad enough automobiles have yet to make any sort of impact forcing Guyanese troops to have to rely on older oxen pulled wagon trains and animal power in general when away from their railways to supply their armies on the field. In terms of infrastructure Guyana has shown itself to be a reasonably solid nation building an extensive network of roads, canals, and rail to cover much of the populated regions of Guyana. This has allowed them them to supply and maintain their forces throughout the entirety of their lands, whenever they leave such is not always the case though resulting in them having difficulty in terms of sustainment outside their territory. Probably the biggest problem in general has to do with as mentioned the military being so political. In order to keep control and in general prevent a coup certain precautions have been made especially towards the officer corps that could be argued have resulted in a severe issue in terms of efficiency and competence. Things like Political commissars and the use of civilian courts to try military personnel in peace time and in some circumstances wartime and the tremendous emphasis placed on civilian control of the armed forces leads to much of the officers being barely above that of political cronies who are more interested in keeping their necks than being the best that they can be and hence are lacking in terms of things like personal initiative, lest they be seen as a nail that needs to be hammered down, and are rigidly procedural leading to a force largely devoid of much in the way of innovation outside weapons procurement to some degree. In terms of equipment though regarded in many areas as being brilliant by foreign observers from the legion level downward most of their weapons tend to be previous generation and they have a tendency to fall behind other nations while only barely keeping up at the best of times. Troops though well trained and disciplined the cult of elan that pervades the thinking of much of the military is sometimes emphasized to a detriment. Soldiers in battle are known for and expected to hold their ground and refuse to retreat or surrender even when it would be best to do so, and their commanders tend to place a too great emphasis on mass infantry tactics which can lead to heavy losses which honestly they can't really afford too much. Tactically their forces are a heavy footed lot never quite having mastered the more subtle aspects of warfare lacking in areas like small unit tactics and the like. Mix that in with a reputation for brutality leading to a force with issues related towards hearts and mind in the eyes of those living outside Guyana. All this combines together resulting in a force which while regarded as being absolutely brilliant on the defense within their own lands especially is a bit mediocre on the offense.
Naval Description : A rather small force more for show than anything else. Their is little to no reasonable expectation that in any large scale war with a conventional power that it would last particularly long. This in part is a factor of previous experience seeing so many ships get destroyed whenever the Spanish came back or another power tried to strong arm them. The hope is they can take down a few with them and atleast provide some relief and time for the land forces to get ready to repel the enemies back.
Naval Weakness : It kinda got stated already but in a nutshell the Sea Command is more or less the ugly step child that they sorta want and need but only sorta. Being that is the case it is almost purely a brown water force being concerned primarily with coastal defense and patrolling interior water ways like rivers. It always ends up at the bottom of the bucket in terms of funding and gets only the scraps of whatever the Land Command has taken in terms of the conscription pool. Hence it tends to be were the rejects and loosers of society end up and has a reputation that is accordingly as such.
Further Military Description :

In relation to conscription: Going into the nitty gritty the backbone of the whole thing is more or less reliant on conscription with all males upon finishing their education being required to serve in form or another effectively until they either have reached the age of 70 or have achieved 48 years of total service(not counting their initial service period), whichever comes first. Upon first completing mandatory education and depending on what level they graduated at young men will enter their first conscription period lasting from 6-2 years. The first 2 year of which is basically spent in training, the first in camp the second on the field. For those who pass Secondary School and during so went through the Gymnasium making them eligible for university they can take a temporary deferment until they complete it upon doing so they will be inducted into service for 2 years. The system makes use of conscription classes which more or less determine ones place when they do get conscripted. Those who passed primary school are made regular enlisted, those who pass secondary school usually become regular enlisted but are usually used for certain specialist positions pertaining to their education like combat engineers, those who passed Secondary school and during so went to Military Academy can become NCOs and later field officers if they apply themselves, while finally those who finished university go on to become staff officers. This allows for a rather functional if not always smooth system to be maintained with everyone kinda from the get go having their place. Now for conscripts upon completing the initial period of conscription go into the first reserve whereby they will be subject to the allotment system whereby they will be organized into groups of 12 who over a period time will be required to return to serve for 120 day periods of time in one by one for the next 12 years serving in active or A-type legions alongside those in the first conscription period. Upon finishing this up they enter the second reserve who are organized into B-type or reserve Legions and are required to train every 60 days or so for the next 12 years but in turn are only subject to serving when war mobilization takes place. Finally their is the 3rd and final reserve lasting until they turn 70 or have completed the last of their 48 years of required service. They are commonly referred to as the unorganized Reserve due to not being organized directly into legions instead their members are primarily meant to supplement units derived from the former.Those who are within the second and third reserve are able to gain deferments of service relating to occupation Most notably those employed in various utilities and arms manufactures and the like.

In terms of Organization, The Black Revolutionary Brotherhood Phalanx of the Heavenly Crusade consists of the following distribution of forces:
144,000 active personnel(72,000 conscripts,72,000 allotment troops)
144,000 second line(Organized Reserve)
288,000 3rd line(Unorganized Reserve)

A Land Command 120,000 + 120,000
a Field Division
- 10 Legions
b Home Division
- Western Front 4 Legions
- Coastal Front 4 Legions
- Eastern Front = 2 Legions
B Sea Command 18,000 + 24,000
- 12 Coastal Defense Columns = 288 Guns
- 12 Reserve CD Columns = 288 Guns
a Warships = 36 + 72
- 6 Destroyers
- 6 Frigates
- 12 Monitors
- 60 Light Vessels(Gun Boats,Torpedo Boats)
- 24 Other vessels(Mine layers, Tug boats, etc)
C Capital Guard 2000
- 1 Guard Column
D War Department Staff 4000
a Division of Logistics
b Division of Personnel Affairs
c Division of Planning
d Division of Operations

National Goals :
- Do something about Swedish Venezuela, having a colony next door feels a little insulting in their eyes.
- Get the economy in a better place somehow
- Secure their independence from Spain, a more permanent solution is necessary.
National Issues : Being a rather isolated land of ex slaves that remains largely unrecognized by much of the civilized world is a rather huge one. The economy i also rather poor and struggling to keep up with their neighbors
National Figures of Interest :
- Solomon Day, Founding Father, Prophet, Statesmen, Educator, Deceased
- High Elder Amon Brian Head of the Phalanx
- Premier Chairman Abraham Taylor
- Consul of War Samo Hera
- Speaker of the National Assembly Lot Tyler
National Ambition/Aspirations : The general hope is to bring an end to old world dominance of the new world and see to it the independence of the entirety of the continent and with that spread the good word of the Phalanx of Heaven if at all possible and with it their revolutionary ideals.

History : Finished, Separate Post

RP Sample:
viewtopic.php?f=31&t=348283&p=25335065&hilit=Cornelius+%22Cannibal%22+Willow#p25335065
viewtopic.php?f=31&t=326874&p=23421024&hilit=Cornelius+White#p23421024

#AltDiv (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)

[Remnants of Exilvania]

*investigates flaw in app*

Oh crap, all of my light cruisers are actually bigger, heavier, faster, more crew and more armaments than my supposed capital ships.

That's...bad...

[Kamchakta]

No, i meant only battleships. Protected cruisers, ironclads, torpedo boats and such would be at each players discretion but the number of battleships is what really determines a nation's naval standing and should be limited in case someone who does not have a proper frame of reference go overboard

What about Coastal Defense Ships?

I mean they're still capital ships but not really in a league with battleships...

Asking because the Central European Capital Ship section consists out of three CDSs from the 1890s.

Which reminds me, I never thought of Coastal Defence Ships or torpedo boats

[Kamchakta]

I'll have to put some serious effort into describing my navy in detail at some point. I've actually spent more time thinking about the naval defenses in the Aegean, the Straits and the Suez than I did about the navy.

I never thought about Naval Defences too

[Reverend Norv]

Been looking over the naval descriptions of most of the apps and I think it would a good idea have everyone's naval strengths be in line with each others. Most of everyone is keeping it reasonable with only a few battleships. I think a hard cap on the number of vessels should be at 30 as the British navy had 38 prior to the construction of the dreadnaught and since no one has that kind of globe-spanning empire no should that kind of navy either. Large nations with a strong naval focus should have between 10-16 battleships while smaller nations have under 10.

I am going for a Naval Heavy Portugal. We have 6 Battleships though and they are all less than 13800 tons in displacement.

I have several armoured and protected cruisers and several destroyers. A fleet of 67 in total for Colonial Portugal.

Even given the fact that the French Navy is a secondary priority, it still seems strange for it to be smaller than the Portuguese Navy, considering the enormous difference in population and industrial capacity. I'm going to leave my numbers where they are for now, but if it becomes relevant in the IC, we may have to revisit it.

[Kamchakta]

I am going for a Naval Heavy Portugal. We have 6 Battleships though and they are all less than 13800 tons in displacement.

I have several armoured and protected cruisers and several destroyers. A fleet of 67 in total for Colonial Portugal.

Even given the fact that the French Navy is a secondary priority, it still seems strange for it to be smaller than the Portuguese Navy, considering the enormous difference in population and industrial capacity. I'm going to leave my numbers where they are for now, but if it becomes relevant in the IC, we may have to revisit it.

I find that strange too. I think you should not underestimate the French Navy. I would be fine if you had more. I do not think it is a problem with my Industrial Capacity but simply an underestimation of your navy. I tried to keep it very realistic and I searched Wikipedia and other sites on what might be realistic. Including the types of ships. My battleships run at 18 knots.

Furthermore, my empire is widely disconnected. The distance from Portugal to Luanda, Angola is far too great. It seems you depend very much on your Trans-Saharan Railway.

[Reverend Norv]

Even given the fact that the French Navy is a secondary priority, it still seems strange for it to be smaller than the Portuguese Navy, considering the enormous difference in population and industrial capacity. I'm going to leave my numbers where they are for now, but if it becomes relevant in the IC, we may have to revisit it.

I find that strange too. I think you should not underestimate the French Navy. I would be fine if you had more. I do not think it is a problem with my Industrial Capacity but simply an underestimation of your navy. I tried to keep it very realistic and I searched Wikipedia and other sites on what might be realistic. Including the types of ships. My battleships run at 18 knots.

My basic notion is that the French Navy should be stronger than the Portuguese and Spanish, slightly stronger than the WRE, roughly equivalent to the ERE, and weaker than Japan or the American Empire. I'll wait to see all of those apps done before I make any changes to the numbers, but that's the rough idea.

[Tracian Empire]

I find that strange too. I think you should not underestimate the French Navy. I would be fine if you had more. I do not think it is a problem with my Industrial Capacity but simply an underestimation of your navy. I tried to keep it very realistic and I searched Wikipedia and other sites on what might be realistic. Including the types of ships. My battleships run at 18 knots.

My basic notion is that the French Navy should be stronger than the Portuguese and Spanish, slightly stronger than the WRE, roughly equivalent to the ERE, and weaker than Japan or the American Empire. I'll wait to see all of those apps done before I make any changes to the numbers, but that's the rough idea.

It might work, even I simply haven't put anywhere near enough effort into the naval part of my app. The ERE would certainly have the ability to wield a pretty powerful navy, but I'm trying to keep things balanced, and I'm also trying to take into account the traditional Roman and Byzantine emphasis on their army instead of their navy.

It won't be a weak force by any means, but it will just be as strong as it has to in order to maintain its position in the Eastern Mediterranean and to protect the straits and the canal. The French Navy seems to be focused on defending its position in the Western Mediterranean, so they do have similarities in terms of their objectives at least.

[Finland SSR]

I just copied the OTL Spanish 1898 navy numbers and took them for myself. I've never had much interest in naval-wank personally. Probably won't even bother starting on a dreadnought.

[Theyra]

Okay, I will wait and see what the Op thinks of that reservation then.

I have withdrew my reservation, you can go ahead and claim those areas. Enjoy !

So since he withdrew his reservation, here is mine.

Reservation

Nation Name: Bengal Empire
Territory: India, Bangladesh, rest of Pakistan, Myanmar and the western half of Australia
#AltDiv (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)
*Note: Reservations will last for 72 hours. The OP board reserves the right to be subjective in regards to accepting reservations.

[Remnants of Exilvania]

I am going for a Naval Heavy Portugal. We have 6 Battleships though and they are all less than 13800 tons in displacement.

I have several armoured and protected cruisers and several destroyers. A fleet of 67 in total for Colonial Portugal.

Even given the fact that the French Navy is a secondary priority, it still seems strange for it to be smaller than the Portuguese Navy, considering the enormous difference in population and industrial capacity. I'm going to leave my numbers where they are for now, but if it becomes relevant in the IC, we may have to revisit it.

A Navy with just 3 Battleships for a country as big as France seems weird though.

The Germans built 24 Battleships from 1891 till 1906. Just to put this into perspective. Now yes, the Germans were dope and were trying to start ruling the seven seas but still...having just one 8th of that seems weak. Friggin' hell, you're at half the strength of the Austro-Hungarian Battleship fleet and I bet they'd kill to get your docks and ports. The Habsburgs were anything but a naval power.

I can guarantee you that Thrac will have a larger battleship navy than that. He needs to in order to actually control his part of the med from any other interlopers other than the French navy because this French navy is so weak that the K.u.k. Navy could've blown it out of the water.

So yeah, you really should invest some more into your naval sector. Even with a godly Army, this is too little for France and definitely too little to achieve France's strategic objective in the western med.