NationStates

I support the above decision by Mari, gotta so what is right for you. As for my own requests on the former caliphate, I’ll detail my preference, which I’d want to end up with, but will entertain discussions on it.

As we’re just talking about the Caliphate, and give the stated exception it represents to
‘The Deal’, my requested transfer is just from the former caliphate .

Preference:

GAIN: Egypt (All, save Mari’s Suez Canal Zone) & Libya
DROP: All Roman territory on South America

-Roma Invicta- wrote:I support the above decision by Mari, gotta so what is right for you. As for my own requests on the former caliphate, I’ll detail my preference, which I’d want to end up with, but will entertain discussions on it.

As we’re just talking about the Caliphate, and give the stated exception it represents to
‘The Deal’, my requested transfer is just from the former caliphate .

Preference:

GAIN: Egypt (All, save Mari’s Suez Canal Zone) & Libya
DROP: All Roman territory on South America

Okay, let's put this to the numbers:

Brazilian States of Ampa, Maranhao, Para, and Guyana = 16,416,405 (reduction to Rome, Source: Wikipedia)
Egypt without the Canal Zone as listed by Marimaia = 96,032,317 (approximately, source: Wikipedia and CIA World Factbook)
Libya: 6,754,507 (source: CIA World Factbook).

That is a net gain to Rome of 86,370,419. With my spreadsheet from when I had the Latin Empire, there are around 145 million people in the European portion of the claim (as listed and mapped) without going into Madagascar (25 million) and the other small island territories scattered about (which is probably around 4-5 million with Puerto Rico). Putting you roughly near 174-175 million people without South American claims added. 175 million (for arguments sake) + 86 million give you a population around 261 million people. I can't speak for others, but to get me to agree to this, you need to give up more than just territory in South America. It's not a "total population after all is said and done" thing, it's the "LOLHUGE" addition requested.

For the record, Britain with all of her territories around the world has a population total of 223,311,432. With the additional territories as listed by Marimaia (combined total of 13,507,543 CIA World Factbook 2018 estimates used) it would bring the British population to 236,818,975. Part of me doesn't even want that much population. Meh. Much to mull over at this point. Could mean a reordering of British territories outside the Home Island.

After discussions on Discord, with a view to both maintaining my Madagascar thread and in developing a more moderate expansion (from a population perspective), I have adjusted my request accordingly. I would still drop all Roman territory in South America, and gain the following:

Libya
Tunisia
Algeria (Tlemcen, Sidi Bel Abbes, Saida, Tiaret, Medea, Bouira, Bordj Bou Arreridj, Setif, Mila, Constantine, Guelma, Souk Ahras, El Taref, Annaba, Skikda, Jijel, Bejaia, Tizi Ouzou, Bourmerdes, Algiers, Blida, Ain Defla, Tipaza, Chief, Tissmsilt, Relizane, Mostaganem, Mascara, Oran, Ain Temouchent)
Guam
Samoa
America Samoa
Easter Island
Socotra

This would allow me to put together a significant Roman heartland, around the Mediterranean, and have the remnants of a Colonial Empire that I had originally planned, as discussed on Discord it stands to reason that Rome would have had been at the forefront of that sort of thing. This would give me a population of 225,275,873. Although, if easier from a map perspective I could always just take all of Algeria too, which would result in approx 240-245, as everything after Algeria is small-change and doesn't add much in population, but will add colour and a sense of history to Rome's territories.

-Roma Invicta- wrote:After discussions on Discord, with a view to both maintaining my Madagascar thread and in developing a more moderate expansion (from a population perspective), I have adjusted my request accordingly. I would still drop all Roman territory in South America, and gain the following:

Libya
Tunisia
Algeria (Tlemcen, Sidi Bel Abbes, Saida, Tiaret, Medea, Bouira, Bordj Bou Arreridj, Setif, Mila, Constantine, Guelma, Souk Ahras, El Taref, Annaba, Skikda, Jijel, Bejaia, Tizi Ouzou, Bourmerdes, Algiers, Blida, Ain Defla, Tipaza, Chief, Tissmsilt, Relizane, Mostaganem, Mascara, Oran, Ain Temouchent)
Guam
Samoa
America Samoa
Easter Island
Socotra

This would allow me to put together a significant Roman heartland, around the Mediterranean, and have the remnants of a Colonial Empire that I had originally planned, as discussed on Discord it stands to reason that Rome would have had been at the forefront of that sort of thing. This would give me a population of 225,275,873. Although, if easier from a map perspective I could always just take all of Algeria too, which would result in approx 240-245, as everything after Algeria is small-change and doesn't add much in population, but will add colour and a sense of history to Rome's territories.

Algeria is a small addition of only 42 million LOL

Uh, well, now that my cold is breaking and I can think without it hurting, I think I can say with 100% certainty there is ease in keeping everything closer rather than having is sprawled across the map. At the same time, either way, I am not 100% for or against anything at this point. Wishy-washy as I may be, if you were asking for my personal choice, I would say that your original idea is better IMHO than your compromise. My question to you would then be, which would do you prefer?

I prefer the compromise to be honest, as it’s closer to my original concept for a twenty first century Rome.

-Roma Invicta- wrote:I prefer the compromise to be honest, as it’s closer to my original concept for a twenty first century Rome.

Very well, I have no objections

I feel that it does make sense for Rome's empire to be concentrated around the Mediterranean. It seems improbable that the empire would have sought to compete with the Anglo-Germanic powers on the high seas in the long term, when rich and easy pickings lay closer to home and right where Rome could reasonably expect to monopolise them.

Perhaps, for the sake of other nations and their players ((California and others existing and likely to be proposed in future)), it could be said that Rome did briefly try to join in Asian and American colonisation, but found it inefficient compared to European and African expansion -especially given the comparative sparsity of Anglo-Walmingtonian privateers in the Mediterranean- and gave up relatively early, to focus on subduing Algeria and repulsing Gauls?

I am uncertain as to the point of the minor out-lying colonies in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, but not strongly inclined to vote against them for any particular reason.



Moving on to my own latest notion, I would like to state that I am considering a further relocation for Dra-pol, moving on from its down-sized place-holder position in Cambodia and the Mekong delta.

I have lately begun to tinker with an enormously over-due IC contribution from WoS, with thanks to Chrin for his approval for some British involvement. On all-but completing it as a news post, I find myself thinking that it will die there. One news post and done. Is there much point?

Instead, perhaps I should weave it into the frame of a new RP thread, involving Dra-pol. I think that it is high time for another war in AMW. I am happy that we have not had many, Rome's invasion of Madagascar aside, for quite some time, but it is also true that we have been even slower than we used to be. I do not think that anyone should be forced to RP a war if they are not so inclined, and as such I feel that it may be best for me to engage in another round of stop hitting yourself, and see who wants to join in.

I had a few ideas. One is simply to return Dra-pol to Myanmar, where the autarkic Kurosite model can surely be sustained, given the potential rice yields of the Ayeyarwady delta. Another was to shift Dra-pol to an island, perhaps helping to explain that very isolationism in some degree, and not bothering any neighbours.

Borneo was the first thought, with perhaps Brunei persisting as a concession as existed in previous iterations of the claim, but of course the Valendians are already there. Sulawesi, in Indonesia, and Mindanao, in the Philippines, might both work, being significant centres of agriculture, and somewhat defensible, with populations in the 20-million range. Whether their natural resources and/or geographical situation would have made them important enough for Walmington to fight over for a protracted period I am not sure.

I am leaning towards Mindanao, but am open to comment.

Once a decision has been reached, I will be starting a new thread, though I am not sure where it will be heading.

Walmington on Sea wrote:I feel that it does make sense for Rome's empire to be concentrated around the Mediterranean. It seems improbable that the empire would have sought to compete with the Anglo-Germanic powers on the high seas in the long term, when rich and easy pickings lay closer to home and right where Rome could reasonably expect to monopolise them.

Perhaps, for the sake of other nations and their players ((California and others existing and likely to be proposed in future)), it could be said that Rome did briefly try to join in Asian and American colonisation, but found it inefficient compared to European and African expansion -especially given the comparative sparsity of Anglo-Walmingtonian privateers in the Mediterranean- and gave up relatively early, to focus on subduing Algeria and repulsing Gauls?

I am uncertain as to the point of the minor out-lying colonies in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, but not strongly inclined to vote against them for any particular reason.

Well, where have I been lately? Busy!!! (Sadly)

I would agree with what WoS writes here that it makes all the sense in the world. Personally I have no input in the Med but I see no issue.

Walmington on Sea wrote:Moving on to my own latest notion, I would like to state that I am considering a further relocation for Dra-pol, moving on from its down-sized place-holder position in Cambodia and the Mekong delta.

I have lately begun to tinker with an enormously over-due IC contribution from WoS, with thanks to Chrin for his approval for some British involvement. On all-but completing it as a news post, I find myself thinking that it will die there. One news post and done. Is there much point?

Instead, perhaps I should weave it into the frame of a new RP thread, involving Dra-pol. I think that it is high time for another war in AMW. I am happy that we have not had many, Rome's invasion of Madagascar aside, for quite some time, but it is also true that we have been even slower than we used to be. I do not think that anyone should be forced to RP a war if they are not so inclined, and as such I feel that it may be best for me to engage in another round of stop hitting yourself, and see who wants to join in.

I had a few ideas. One is simply to return Dra-pol to Myanmar, where the autarkic Kurosite model can surely be sustained, given the potential rice yields of the Ayeyarwady delta. Another was to shift Dra-pol to an island, perhaps helping to explain that very isolationism in some degree, and not bothering any neighbours.

Borneo was the first thought, with perhaps Brunei persisting as a concession as existed in previous iterations of the claim, but of course the Valendians are already there. Sulawesi, in Indonesia, and Mindanao, in the Philippines, might both work, being significant centres of agriculture, and somewhat defensible, with populations in the 20-million range. Whether their natural resources and/or geographical situation would have made them important enough for Walmington to fight over for a protracted period I am not sure.

I am leaning towards Mindanao, but am open to comment.

Once a decision has been reached, I will be starting a new thread, though I am not sure where it will be heading.

I would say unless there was activity in and around the Bahamas area, Saint-Laurent would have 0 input or activity. I do think SL and WoS being in close proximity there could have some happenings and I'd be more than happy to RP stuff there but insofar as Dra-pol is concerned, I'd be too far away to be involved.

I really do wish people would do things with their multiple claims and the Caribbean, while kind of isolated, has a good # of players in it for some fun activities.

Walmington on Sea wrote:I feel that it does make sense for Rome's empire to be concentrated around the Mediterranean. It seems improbable that the empire would have sought to compete with the Anglo-Germanic powers on the high seas in the long term, when rich and easy pickings lay closer to home and right where Rome could reasonably expect to monopolise them.

Perhaps, for the sake of other nations and their players ((California and others existing and likely to be proposed in future)), it could be said that Rome did briefly try to join in Asian and American colonisation, but found it inefficient compared to European and African expansion -especially given the comparative sparsity of Anglo-Walmingtonian privateers in the Mediterranean- and gave up relatively early, to focus on subduing Algeria and repulsing Gauls?

I am uncertain as to the point of the minor out-lying colonies in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, but not strongly inclined to vote against them for any particular reason.



Moving on to my own latest notion, I would like to state that I am considering a further relocation for Dra-pol, moving on from its down-sized place-holder position in Cambodia and the Mekong delta.

I have lately begun to tinker with an enormously over-due IC contribution from WoS, with thanks to Chrin for his approval for some British involvement. On all-but completing it as a news post, I find myself thinking that it will die there. One news post and done. Is there much point?

Instead, perhaps I should weave it into the frame of a new RP thread, involving Dra-pol. I think that it is high time for another war in AMW. I am happy that we have not had many, Rome's invasion of Madagascar aside, for quite some time, but it is also true that we have been even slower than we used to be. I do not think that anyone should be forced to RP a war if they are not so inclined, and as such I feel that it may be best for me to engage in another round of stop hitting yourself, and see who wants to join in.

I had a few ideas. One is simply to return Dra-pol to Myanmar, where the autarkic Kurosite model can surely be sustained, given the potential rice yields of the Ayeyarwady delta. Another was to shift Dra-pol to an island, perhaps helping to explain that very isolationism in some degree, and not bothering any neighbours.

Borneo was the first thought, with perhaps Brunei persisting as a concession as existed in previous iterations of the claim, but of course the Valendians are already there. Sulawesi, in Indonesia, and Mindanao, in the Philippines, might both work, being significant centres of agriculture, and somewhat defensible, with populations in the 20-million range. Whether their natural resources and/or geographical situation would have made them important enough for Walmington to fight over for a protracted period I am not sure.

I am leaning towards Mindanao, but am open to comment.

Once a decision has been reached, I will be starting a new thread, though I am not sure where it will be heading.

Let me know what you've got going on with Drapol no matter its location. Might be somewhat interesting to me to poke that hornets nest.

Sulawesi it is. Let us appreciate the Directors like it is whatever blessed year in which AMW came to be!

Sula-besi, the iron island, trumps the various other options I have considered.

In fact I have been held back almost exclusively by my feeling that the indigenous fauna is not exactly what I had imagined for Dra-pol, the wildcat country being poorly served by the likes of the Sulawesi palm civet. Never the less, if I ascribe supernatural powers to said creature in Drapoel folklore ((and assume historic import of certain other beasts)) that issue should not prove prohibitive.

Picture it on a map, an independent nation state, and Sulawesi is... well, is it not just the right shape to be Dra-pol? A peninsula for each of the four historic kingdoms -Su'drap, Pin'drap, Ide, and Ke- that would eventually be united at Da'Khiem ((perhaps at Lake Poso)) and set firmly against the rest of the world.

The population is last estimated at 18,455,058 and probably rising ((compared with almost 34 million for Cambodia and the Mekong delta in Vietnam, where Dra-pol's place has been lately held)), and the island provides sufficient agricultural potential for my aims in Dra-pol.

In addition to shifting Dra-pol to Sulawesi, I should like to add the Moluccas -Maluku and North Maluku- to Wamington. This increases by some 2,844,131 the subjects, citizens, and protected persons of the Godfreyite realm.

I intend that, early in the Age of Sail, people now known as Walmingtonian should have begun the Christian colonisation of the eastern parts of what we know in reality as Indonesia. The Moluccas, with their unique spices, were the draw, and the larger island of Dra-pol was intended to be the anchor to which the Walmingtonian Far East could be secured.

It is through one of history's most brutal conflicts that Dra-pol breaks free of Walmington, while the near-by Moluccas remain under the yoke, tending the embers of Godfreyite interest in the region and tempting the Imperial Federation always to rejoin the fray upon the iron shores.

I would use these changes to build on the nature of the Imperial Federation. Regard!:

The old kingdoms of Angleland, Amberland, and Norbray united under one crown, and built an empire. When that empire began to crumble, the united kingdom reconstituted itself a federation, the three constituents becoming dominions of the one crown while the major colonies of Albany, Newfoundland, the Canadas, and the Fortunate Isles were raised to said same status, and the King of the Godfreyites came to rule seven Dominions.

His Godfreyite Majesty would also grant to private companies two royal charters by which to administer on his behalf the colonies of the Green Cape and Waynesia, while the Dominions would maintain a number of Overseas Territories, being Newry, Greenland, Coldshore; Saint Helena, Ascension, and Wendsleybury; and Gibraltar.

Now, the Dominions -chiefly those three which had been kingdoms-, shall retain the right to pursue colonial endeavours of their own, and so we find Honduras and what I had called the West Indies, the Spice Islands, the Indian Ocean Territory, Ceyloba, and the East Indies colonised variously by Angleland, Amberland, and others, and then subjugated by those states to the royal authority of the Imperial Federation.

I am inclined to drop the Lakshadweep and move, 'Ceyloba' to the Moluccas. That larger territory seems far more worth fighting for, and I can imagine the fateful intervention of a *Chrinthani* Admiral Coney saving an otherwise doomed Angleish outpost from apparently imminent destruction ((there is a pre-AMW reference for anyone ancient enough to recall!)), perhaps later to rue that action.

There shall be scope for other colonially-inclined nations to hold or to have held concessions on the new Drapoel coast, and any who wish to involve themselves in wars current or historic will find plenty of scope in this proposal.

These meandering paragraphs shall be given flesh, but now I plant my flag and retire for the evening.

Walmington on Sea wrote:Sulawesi it is. Let us appreciate the Directors like it is whatever blessed year in which AMW came to be!

Sula-besi, the iron island, trumps the various other options I have considered.

In fact I have been held back almost exclusively by my feeling that the indigenous fauna is not exactly what I had imagined for Dra-pol, the wildcat country being poorly served by the likes of the Sulawesi palm civet. Never the less, if I ascribe supernatural powers to said creature in Drapoel folklore ((and assume historic import of certain other beasts)) that issue should not prove prohibitive.

Picture it on a map, an independent nation state, and Sulawesi is... well, is it not just the right shape to be Dra-pol? A peninsula for each of the four historic kingdoms -Su'drap, Pin'drap, Ide, and Ke- that would eventually be united at Da'Khiem ((perhaps at Lake Poso)) and set firmly against the rest of the world.

The population is last estimated at 18,455,058 and probably rising ((compared with almost 34 million for Cambodia and the Mekong delta in Vietnam, where Dra-pol's place has been lately held)), and the island provides sufficient agricultural potential for my aims in Dra-pol.

In addition to shifting Dra-pol to Sulawesi, I should like to add the Moluccas -Maluku and North Maluku- to Wamington. This increases by some 2,844,131 the subjects, citizens, and protected persons of the Godfreyite realm.

I intend that, early in the Age of Sail, people now known as Walmingtonian should have begun the Christian colonisation of the eastern parts of what we know in reality as Indonesia. The Moluccas, with their unique spices, were the draw, and the larger island of Dra-pol was intended to be the anchor to which the Walmingtonian Far East could be secured.

It is through one of history's most brutal conflicts that Dra-pol breaks free of Walmington, while the near-by Moluccas remain under the yoke, tending the embers of Godfreyite interest in the region and tempting the Imperial Federation always to rejoin the fray upon the iron shores.

I would use these changes to build on the nature of the Imperial Federation. Regard!:

The old kingdoms of Angleland, Amberland, and Norbray united under one crown, and built an empire. When that empire began to crumble, the united kingdom reconstituted itself a federation, the three constituents becoming dominions of the one crown while the major colonies of Albany, Newfoundland, the Canadas, and the Fortunate Isles were raised to said same status, and the King of the Godfreyites came to rule seven Dominions.

His Godfreyite Majesty would also grant to private companies two royal charters by which to administer on his behalf the colonies of the Green Cape and Waynesia, while the Dominions would maintain a number of Overseas Territories, being Newry, Greenland, Coldshore; Saint Helena, Ascension, and Wendsleybury; and Gibraltar.

Now, the Dominions -chiefly those three which had been kingdoms-, shall retain the right to pursue colonial endeavours of their own, and so we find Honduras and what I had called the West Indies, the Spice Islands, the Indian Ocean Territory, Ceyloba, and the East Indies colonised variously by Angleland, Amberland, and others, and then subjugated by those states to the royal authority of the Imperial Federation.

I am inclined to drop the Lakshadweep and move, 'Ceyloba' to the Moluccas. That larger territory seems far more worth fighting for, and I can imagine the fateful intervention of a *Chrinthani* Admiral Coney saving an otherwise doomed Angleish outpost from apparently imminent destruction ((there is a pre-AMW reference for anyone ancient enough to recall!)), perhaps later to rue that action.

There shall be scope for other colonially-inclined nations to hold or to have held concessions on the new Drapoel coast, and any who wish to involve themselves in wars current or historic will find plenty of scope in this proposal.

These meandering paragraphs shall be given flesh, but now I plant my flag and retire for the evening.

That pre-AMW reference is completely lost on me, sadly. If I know more about that particular scene, then I can tell you yes or no.

As far as the shift, it has my complete support. Puts Drapol a bit closer to Chrinthania than I prefer (because reasons), but it isn't like they've become a massive superpower at this time. Anyway, feel free to toss England/Britain into Drapol history as it suits you. With British history being more-or-less "We colonized stuff and here we are today" it could definitely use some.... stuff.

The map is current as of right now (22:15 07 January 2020, US Eastern Time).

Removed:

Dashun, Erasnahar, Saint Laurent, Nuovo Lombardia.

Current Map as of now: https://i.imgur.com/Mbnj3xM.png

Removed: Kyr's claim due to.. not doing anything since claiming it.
Moved: Drapol to Sulawesi
Added the Maluku Islands (Maluku and North Maluku) to WoS.

This RP group is currently not accepting new applications while we reboot ourselves. Please be advised that this thread will be reopened to new members after our current members have a chance to reboot and get settled. We will inform you when we are accepting new members.

Reboot Countdown is on. So we are all clear, the reboot begins at 12 Noon today US Eastern Time. That's 17:00 UTC. There will be no accepting of applications before this time. For reference, it is currently 01:27 EST/06:27 GMT, so that's 10 hours 33 minutes to go until the reboot begins from the time of this post.

Applications for new members will begin after the current AMW membership has rebooted.

Yes, that's right, the reboot bonanza is now officially underway. The map is blank and ready for YOU!

https://i.imgur.com/a8saKZ1.png (see, blank!)

Members will have the ability to post their rebooted claims here right now! If you're staying put and not changing your location, please post that here for the rest of the membership to see. At this time, we are only allowing claims from current AMW members until they've had a chance to stake their claims in our reboot, then we will open the map to non members who wish to join.

Let the reboot BEGIN! YAY!

The Federal Republic of Russia

Claim*: Belarus, Crimea, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia (without Kaliningrad)
Population: ‭164,897,108‬ (CIA World Factbook and Wiki)
Belarus: 9,477,918 (July 2020 est.)
Crimea: 2,284,000 (2014 census, WIKI)
Estonia: 1,228,624 (July 2020 est.)
Finland: 5,571,665 (July 2020 est.)
Latvia: 1,881,232 (July 2020 est.)
Lithuania: 2,731,464 (July 2020 est.)
Russia: 141,722,205 (July 2020 est.)
Area:
total: ‭17,831,004‬ sq km
land: sq km
water: sq km
GDP per capita: $27,500
GDP: $4.507 Trillion
Government Type: Federal Democratic Constitutional Republic
Administrative Divisions: 34 (33 States, 1 Federal District)
National Anthem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOAtz8xWM0w (did you think it'd be anything else? LOL)
Head of State: President Katina POPOV
Head of Government: President Katina POPOV
Capital: Moscow
Coordinates: 55°45′21″N 37°37′2″E
Legislature: Bicameral Congress
Lower House: House of Councilors
Upper House: Senate
Judicial: Supreme Constitutional Court (with subordinate courts)
Military:
Total Active Personnel: 1,027,000
Army: 350,000
Navy: 187,000
Air Force 490,000
Total Reserve Forces: 2,000,000
Army: 1,2500,000
Navy: 250,000
Air Force: 500,000
Military Age: 18-33
Conscription: Only in times of national emergency
Chemical Weapons: No
Biological Weapons: No
Nuclear Weapons: Yes (determining amounts still)
Suffrage: Universal at 17 years of age
Currency: Ruble
Daylight Saving Time: No
Time Zone(s): +2/+3/+4/+5/+6/+7/+8/+9/+10/+11/+12 UTC
Internet TLD: .rs
Calling Code: +69
Drives on the: Right
System of Measurements: Metric
Date Format: DD.MM.YYYY

The Quick History... Very Quick History

1917: Revolution and Civil War
1922: Civil War ends with no clear winner, provisional government established
1939: Provisional Government fails, 2nd Civil War
1945: 2nd Civil War ends,Bolsheviks defeated finally, new constitution drafted
1947: New Constitution ratified
1948-2020: Some stuff happens.

History is sparse, but that’s mostly because I suck at writing war outlines. In general, following Russian history as closely as possible in AMW until the 1917 October Revolution. The War will end with a draw and a tenuous peace until it erupts 12 years later into another full Civil War. At the end of it, the Bolsheviks are defeated and the USSR never happens.

Society is socially liberal adhering more to a ‘your life, your decision’ attitude overall, though there are strong conservative pockets in the nation, primarily led by the Russian Orthodox Church. Extreme sports are common, especially the winter versions. Soccer is the national sport. The government promotes learning native languages and customs for those ethnic groups retained within the borders in order to help preserve their way of life. Suffrage is universal at age 17. The literacy rate is 99%. High speed internet is available to the vast majority of the nation, though sparsely-populated areas may find speeds lacking.

Education is provided by the state through the age of 18. Higher learning is divided into two camps: state-run, non-profit, free-to-attend colleges and private universities that require tuition, though the amount of tuition charged is regulated by the Federal government. Trade schools are completely state run in an effort to help fill in the gaps where labor jobs are lacking in talented, qualified individuals. Citizens aged 18-33 may also opt into the all-volunteer armed services where service to the nation comes with a free college education at the university of your choice providing you serve at least 4 years in the service.

The military is kept as a large force, ready to defend the nation in case of attack at home or abroad. The nation itself does not use war as a first option, but it will defend itself vigorously if required so to do. Numbers for the military will also include a national guard type of force. I haven't sorted out those numbers yet. They may be lumped into the reserves. I haven't sorted all that yet.

The government is your basic federal government divided between three branches: Legislative, Executive, Judicial, with the President as both Head of State and Government. The legislature is divided into two houses: the House of Councilors and the Senate. The Judicial branch is headed by the Supreme Constitutional Court with subordinate courts below it. There's also a good deal of power sharing between the Federal and State governments. State government handle the day-to-day operations of government within their borders with the Federal Government above to handle disputes between states, to provide for their common defense, and all the fun stuff most Federal governments do. Below the state governments are the Regions, which are, basically, really large counties. And below the Regions are municipalities. Russia does have one Federal District, that is Moscow, the capital, which is also surrounded by, but not a part of, the State of Moscow as well.

Television is highly popular throughout the nation. In total there are around 2,000 channels in operation between local, state, and nationally-televised networks and stations as well as native-language channels for ethnic minorities. There are four main national networks: Channel Five, Russian Broadcasting System, North Star, and The Bear. RBS is the state-run public broadcaster and the most watched in the nation.

Ultimately, while I labored to rename the claim to something other than Russia, there is hardly any other way to describe the people. The majority of the Kievan Rus in an area referred to by the Byzantines as Russia, in essence. So I kept the name. Don't let it fool you.

And if you have questions, feel free to ask.

*It should be noted that this could change if WoS retains Kaliningrad. If so, I may scale back and drop the Baltics altogether but retain Belarus.

OOC Note: So I've discussed this claim at length with Chrinthanium, and other's, to try and get as good a balance as possible between the kind of nation I want to have, and comparisons to the real life nature of the territory I'm claiming. I hope I've balanced a strong position with sufficient drawbacks (I hope) to counteract this and make both an interesting, and balanced claim.

The Kingdom of Apilonia

Claims: Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, District of Columbia
Population: 171,827,275
GDP per Capita: $44,000
GDP: $7,525,000,000
Capital: Royal District of Washington
Head of State: His Majesty King William V
Head of Government: The Right Honourable Sebastian Lawrence
Government Type: Constitutional Monarchy
Official Language: English

The Kingdom of Apilonia is a constitutional monarchy, borne out of the Apilonia Company, a private joint-stock company formed in 1600 with the expressed goal of establishing settlements on the coast of North America. The Apilonia Company faced staunch opposition from other such efforts, particularly those empowered and funded by European Kings, but was able to fund itself through a novel approach. The Chief Executive of the Apilonia Company, Sir Francis Hawkins, began to recruit wealthy, but not aristocratic, families as well as merchants and other artisans, with a promise of titles of nobility in the New World, which would have been very difficult for them to attain in their European homes. These initial investors, who put up the bulk of the funds required to build the ships and gather supplies for the expedition, would be rewarded with vast estates and titles once the New World was successfully settled, essentially ensuring that the new nation being settled would be organised as a constitutional monarchy. Although the Apilonia Expedition, as it was now officially known, was not lacking for capital, it was in urgent need of settlers, which were recruited from all over Europe.

The initial investors, concerned about retaining control of their own colony, adopted a written constitution which focused political power in the hands of the Crown and the Nobility. The large number of settlers that were required for the expedition were largely split into two classes depending on their ability to pay for their own passage and afford taxes upon arrival in the New World. Those settlers that could pay their own passage, and immediately contribute to tax revenue, received the deed for a parcel of land, with the option to pay more to increase the size of their grant, becoming the landed gentry of the envisioned Kingdom, known as Landed Yeomen. Those settelrs who could not afford to purchase passage, much less pay tax immediately upon arriving, received loans from the Apilonia Expedition Trust and did not receive a land grant, instead living as tenants on the land of the Nobility or a Landed Yeoman, and became known as zero-balancers. Critically, and revolutionary for its time, all citizens held equal protections and rights guaranteed by the constitution, however the three groups formed distinct social groups. This system survived for nearly a decade after the initial founding, before a more traditional immigration policy was adopted.

As a result, nobility and social status remains a major, but no longer omnipotent, presence in the Kingdom, with both land ownership and nobility no longer being a closed group. The social and political history of the Kingdom has developed over the centuries since the Kingdom’s foundation; firstly with the Apilonian Revolution of 1776, in which the wealthy, but landless, merchant class, along with the poor, fought a conflict to earn themselves the right to vote, which had until that point linked directly to landownership as a result of the Kingdom’s initial immigration policy. The Apilonian Constitution of 1776, endorsed by the new King, rebalanced the power structure of the Apilonian Parliament; whilst the nobility would remain highly influential and powerful, the House of Commons could no longer be simply ignored, or relied upon to support the nobility. After the Apilonian Revolution, as the Kingdom continued to expand to the Mississippi, new tensions began to increase between the more populated North, and the less populated South, which still relied upon slavery to harvest its cash crops. Ultimately, when the South refused to abolish slavery and seceded from the Kingdom, the Apilonian Civil War was fought over both the issue of slavery and, what the North viewed, as High Treason against the Crown.

The modern Apilonian political landscape is focused around the debate between conservatism and a more progressive agenda, however for several decades the Centrist Party has succeeded in forming all but a handful of Governments, although many of these were minority governments supported by either the Conservative Association or the Progressive Party, depending on the priorities of the day. The Centrist Party is consistently the largest party but has found itself out of power in the face of unified opposition. It has been many years without the Centrist Party being in power in some form, at least at the national level. This has allowed for a largely consistent consensus to exist in the Kingdom, although many compromises have been made on all sides as a result. The rise of Social Media has led to significant challenges to this consensus, however the balance of power has so far survived. The Kingdom is split into twenty-four semi-autonomous regions, each known as a Duchy, and ruled over by a Duke (or Duchess), typically with a line stretching back many years, with some older Duchies tracing their line back to the Foundation of the Kingdom. Each Duke exercises a great deal of autonomy over this Duchy, only having to comply with Royal Law, however following the Apilonian Revolution (in which Ducal Assemblies played a vital role) each Duchy has it’s own democratic legislature and judiciary, modelled on the national system.

The Kingdom enjoys a strong, varied and mixed economy, with a particular emphasis on manufacturing, with other main industries including petroleum, steel, construction, aerospace, telecommunications and finance. The Kingdom is a major aerospace manufacturer, both civilian and military, with the likes of Boeing, Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics representing a significant portion of the Kingdom’s industrial output. The Kingdom’s economy faces several challenges however, not the least being extinction of history industries as technology advances, and the associated job losses, as well as a consistent shift from low-skill, low-end industries to higher-skill and better pay industries, and the associated impact on the job market, particularly for the poorer and less educated communities. This has also increased the extent to which the Kingdom relies on overseas labour and imports although the Kingdom remains a major exporter, particularly aircraft, heavy machinery, pharmaceuticals and telecommunications. The Kingdom has remained a major trading nation, both imports and exports, throughout its history and this is represented in its well-established Merchant Marine.

Largely to support this, the Kingdom has long maintained a heavy focus on it’s Naval Service, over other military forces. The Royal Apilonian Navy (RAN) is a large, well-funded service dedicated to maintaining both a global presence, usually in the form of surface escorts and patrol vessels, to protect Apilonian trade, as well as a well-developed strike capability. As a result of the primacy of the RAN, the Royal Apilonian Air Force (RAAF) is largely concerned with the Air Defence of the Kingdom, air transport and surveillance roles, generally lacking global strike capability such as strategic bombers. The Royal Army, in peacetime, is a relatively small force concerned with protecting the integrity of the Kingdom, with a limited overseas capability, however in wartime the Royal Army will be significant augmented with both regular and volunteer regiments raised by the individual Duchies, allowing the Kingdom to field a large army in wartime, with sufficient build-up time, whilst maintaining a Royal and Ducal regular force during peacetime without breaking the treasury and taking valuable funds away from the Navy. As a result, internationally, the Kingdom avoids ideological entanglement in favour of protecting its own interests. Despite the lingering power of rank and title in the Kingdom, the cause of democracy is nevertheless one that will find support in the Kingdom, due largely to the growth of the power and influence of the House of Commons. In general terms, the Kingdom’s foreign policy can be seen in terms of ‘realpolitik’ or diplomatic pragmatism, and the Kingdom can be relied upon to protect its own interests first and foremost.

I have a TG from Convallaria... I'll post it here.



He's remaining in Chile and Argentina.

I am being hammered by life with two jobs, an interview for a slightly more stressful one, visa struggles worsened by the dumbfuck gimmegimmehyprocrit older generations in the UK and US alike, upcoming wedding, and so on and so forth, so my application is in less than the bare bones form at the moment, but Discord comrades have a vague idea on it anyway.

Gauls who don't just cross into Anatolia, but end up heading south, possibly as mercenaries for part of the trip, initially down the Tigris and/or Euphrates, before establishing their own kingdoms, which, in time, fall to Communist revolution lead by the Igovians.

Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Oman, Yemen; Eastern Province, Riyadh, and Najran in Saudi Arabia

I had initially speculated on leaving most of Yemen's population and just taking the eastern two provinces, but I'm leaning towards taking the country as a whole. That'd make 65,555,539 people, and obviously an enormous amount of oil and gas, if a little bit of a potable water deficit...

This would be a Gaulish-majority one-party socialist state propped up by petro-dollars, lavishing generous social programmes on the populace while preparing for its martial role in the anticipated world-revolution.

The borders stop just short of Mecca and Medina, leaving room for Islam in AMW, and leaving open the possibility that the Gauls tried to conquer the whole of the peninsula but were stopped by Muslim forces when closing in on the holiest sites.

Significant ethnic minorities would include Arabs, perhaps Greeks, and probably Jews embraced by the Gauls for being persecuted by all the people we hate most. Others yet to be decided based upon... who my neighbours turn out to be, of course.

The nation will return to being named Beddgelert. To the Gauls, this will reference the last resting place of one of their pioneering leaders, who brought them to this land. To the Jewish minority, Beth Gellert -pronounced similarly- will reference the home of the leader who sheltered them against pogroms in near-by states.

The nation will be ideologically opposed to Capitalism, traditionally hostile to Christianity, and nervously suspicious of Islam, while ostensibly trying to be progressive and inclusive.

The armed forces will be fairly large and well equipped, but of course the nation is likely to be two or three times smaller than many others, so 'large' is relative.

The Republic of the Shield

Claims: Portugal (incl. Madeira and the Azores) 10,276,617 (2018est); Curaçao 158,655 (2019est); the Maldives 392,473 (2018est); Palau 17,907 (2018est); Sao Tome and Principe 211,018 (2018est); may claim another ~300,000 worth of small islands to fit historical colonization patterns needed to mesh with other claims.
Total: 11,056,670
Economy: Exact numbers to be determined, but this will be a (likely significantly) richer Shield than the Eastern European version.
History and Current Events: Likely to be determined. Broad outlines: former glorious colonizer focused a bit too tightly on spices and sugar and fell behind Europe as those commodities waned. As the colonies sloughed away, the imperial court turned inward to stasis, pomp, and delusions of grandeur. Long-simmering frustrations broke into the Gull Flag Revolution, whose bloody and chaotic course was arrested after nearly a decade by a quasi-authoritarian strongman promising peace and stability. The liberal forces which were overthrown stew, often in exile, spending as much time feuding with each other as plotting against the regime. Meanwhile, the imperial family conspires with reactionary powers to effect their return and revenge. The new government can only survive by a policy of divide and conquer for its domestic opponents, but Ranalte's eyes turn to foreign adventure, sure he can count on his star for one final campaign...

Just a brief update, Walmington is (most likely) intending to stay as he were before the reboot, so to adjust, Kaliningrad will be dropped. I want to keep Belarus, but I didn't want to keep the Baltic States if Walmington stayed put. However, to keep Belarus and not the Baltic States leaves a Balto-Finnish Hole surrounded by Russia and Walmington. So, in dropping Kaliningrad for Walmingtonians to retain, I'm going to add Finland to Russia (don't tell the Finns!) which brings the population to around 165 million people.

The claim as it was: "Poland (Warmia-Masuria, Nowy Dwór Gdański, Malbork, Sztum, Kwidzyn); Kaliningrad Oblast; Gibraltar; Denmark (Zealand Region, Capital Region, Funen County); Germany (Rugen Island); Iceland; Greenland; Shetland; Orkney; Faeroes; Madeira; Canary Islands; Cape Verde; Cap-Vert, Senegal; Belize; Newfoundland & Labrador; Prince Edward Island; New Brunswick; Cape Breton Island; Saint Pierre and Miquelon; Anticosti Island; Magdalen Islands; Bahamas, Seychelles; Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha; Erongo, Namibia; Adaman and Nicobar Islands; Norway; Sweden"

As Chrin has granted me permission to toss my hat into the ring, I'd like to submit the following for consideration:

The Caribbean Confederation (CARICON)

Claim: British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, Venezuela

Population: 166,707,646
Demonym: Caribbean, individual national demonyms
Seat of Secretariat: Port-au-Prince, Haitian Republic
Government: Supranational Organisation
- Secretary-General: TBA

Total GDP: $2,333,907,044,000
GDP per capita: $14,000
Currency: Caribbean Dollar (CD)
Official Languages: English, possibly others depending on colonial history
Other Languages: Depends on colonial history


Very Brief History, to be fleshed out with relevant individuals:

CARICON was formed in the early 1970s as an attempt by various former colonial nations within the Caribbean and Central America to forge a united presence on the world stage, as they recognised that individually they lacked any real global voice. The organisation proved successful in stimulating cooperation between the member states in a variety of areas and over time the membership of CARICON expanded. In the year 2001, the organisation adopted a common currency called the Caribbean Dollar.

Politics:

CARICON is a supranational organisation comprised of 12 member-states with a Chairman and a Secretary-General. The post of Chairman is held in rotation by the Heads of State of the member states, and the Chairman is effectively the Head of State for CARICON. The Secretary-General is appointed by the Conference of Heads of Government for a five-year term with no term limits, and acts as the Chief Executive Officer of CARICON as well as the head of its principal administrative organ, the CARICON Secretariat. The CARICON Secretariat oversees and organises cooperation between the member states in a variety of economic and political areas.

The individual member states are all presidential democracies with varying legislatures (some unicameral, some bicameral), elected through universal sufferage.

Economy:

The Caribbean economy consists primarily of agriculture, resource extraction, and tourism. CARICON encourages investment from foreign sources and the organisation is eager to work with multinationals in order to improve the region's economy. There are a handful of large corporations existing within CARICON which have developed in the primary sectors of the Caribbean economy, and they are also welcoming of foreign investment opportunities. CARICON also operates the Panama Canal as a joint administration with observer members from foreign governments which have an interest in the Canal's operations. CARICON has also become the home of several potential offshore banking organisations, making the region an attractive proposition for wealthy individuals to stow their money away safely (and maintain luxurious vacation homes in the region as well).

Foreign Relations:

CARICON seeks good relations with all nations around the world and will always look for a peaceful resolution to conflicts as opposed to armed action.

Military

As an organisation, CARICON is not what you deem to be a military superpower by any stretch. Aside from a small CARICON Joint Reaction Force based in the Haitian Republic, the member nations maintain their own individual military forces. As a result, some members are better equipped and militarily stronger than others. CARICON has yet to face a military threat since its inception and therefore the effectiveness of military cooperation between the member states remains to be seen.

If anything requires discussion then I am more than happy to engage in such discussion (if it's deemed to be too large or the GDP is too high, for example)

History and such can be fleshed out once I know who my former colonisers are and which languages they speak, etc.

BRIEF UPDATE AGAIN: Walmington is still deciding where exactly he wants to go. So, for now, he's not on the map and the above briefing was less a claim and more a potentiality.... I suppose.

And now...

Marimaia wrote:As Chrin has granted me permission to toss my hat into the ring, I'd like to submit the following for consideration:

The Caribbean Confederation (CARICON)

Claim: British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, Venezuela

Population: 166,707,646
Demonym: Caribbean, individual national demonyms
Seat of Secretariat: Port-au-Prince, Haitian Republic
Government: Supranational Organisation
- Secretary-General: TBA

Total GDP: $2,333,907,044,000
GDP per capita: $14,000
Currency: Caribbean Dollar (CD)
Official Languages: English, possibly others depending on colonial history
Other Languages: Depends on colonial history


Very Brief History, to be fleshed out with relevant individuals:

CARICON was formed in the early 1970s as an attempt by various former colonial nations within the Caribbean and Central America to forge a united presence on the world stage, as they recognised that individually they lacked any real global voice. The organisation proved successful in stimulating cooperation between the member states in a variety of areas and over time the membership of CARICON expanded. In the year 2001, the organisation adopted a common currency called the Caribbean Dollar.

Politics:

CARICON is a supranational organisation comprised of 12 member-states with a Chairman and a Secretary-General. The post of Chairman is held in rotation by the Heads of State of the member states, and the Chairman is effectively the Head of State for CARICON. The Secretary-General is appointed by the Conference of Heads of Government for a five-year term with no term limits, and acts as the Chief Executive Officer of CARICON as well as the head of its principal administrative organ, the CARICON Secretariat. The CARICON Secretariat oversees and organises cooperation between the member states in a variety of economic and political areas.

The individual member states are all presidential democracies with varying legislatures (some unicameral, some bicameral), elected through universal sufferage.

Economy:

The Caribbean economy consists primarily of agriculture, resource extraction, and tourism. CARICON encourages investment from foreign sources and the organisation is eager to work with multinationals in order to improve the region's economy. There are a handful of large corporations existing within CARICON which have developed in the primary sectors of the Caribbean economy, and they are also welcoming of foreign investment opportunities. CARICON also operates the Panama Canal as a joint administration with observer members from foreign governments which have an interest in the Canal's operations. CARICON has also become the home of several potential offshore banking organisations, making the region an attractive proposition for wealthy individuals to stow their money away safely (and maintain luxurious vacation homes in the region as well).

Foreign Relations:

CARICON seeks good relations with all nations around the world and will always look for a peaceful resolution to conflicts as opposed to armed action.

Military

As an organisation, CARICON is not what you deem to be a military superpower by any stretch. Aside from a small CARICON Joint Reaction Force based in the Haitian Republic, the member nations maintain their own individual military forces. As a result, some members are better equipped and militarily stronger than others. CARICON has yet to face a military threat since its inception and therefore the effectiveness of military cooperation between the member states remains to be seen.

If anything requires discussion then I am more than happy to engage in such discussion (if it's deemed to be too large or the GDP is too high, for example)

History and such can be fleshed out once I know who my former colonisers are and which languages they speak, etc.

I almost read it as ComiCon and not Caricon. Anyway, I have no issues with this. Long live the 12-nation Caricon and all who honeymoon on her beaches!

Hello everyone!

Significant developments currently underway will obviously require a more detailed response than this one, though if it isn't too little to count I'd at the very least like to declare (undoubtedly an over-grand word!) my continued interest in AMW. Gandvik, it appears, has missed the bus on this reboot, though of course that's no great loss!

Anyhow, the first idea for a new claim that springs to mind is a return to Iberia and the remainder of Spain, minus the Canary islands of course. I'd plan on repeating as many of Gandvik's qualities as practical, so this new Spain, which I'd probably try to give a predominantly Basque-Celtic population, would be a relatively turbulent society governed by a corporatist union of military, trade-union, and bureaucratic interests. Clearly a direct echo of the all-too-real evils of Francisco Franco is not desirable, so in my imagining this would steer much more closely to a Peronist course, authoritarian, certainly, and deeply corrupt, though not particularly violent and inclined to what is perhaps a dangerous leniency towards political opponents. More a problem of too little control, rather than too much. In place of RL Spain's high Catholicism I'd plan to substitute a deeply austere and Puritanical Calvinist-informed state church, theoretically supreme over a fractious mosaic of Christian and pre-Christian religions, many of which would stand to be insurgent in some fashion.

While this Spanish state would almost certainly be a heavily-militarized one, and probably a nuclear power, universal conscription and a high numerical strength would not, as in Gandvik, necessarily equal formidable power. Like in Gandvik, the mass of relatively poorly-equipped, indifferently-trained, and unmotivated national servicemen might well look upon the ideologically-pure elite formations as a more dangerous enemy than any prospective foreign power, while the highest level of military command would constitute a political arena in its own right.

A state-socialist economy would strongly emphasize export-oriented manufacturing, though GDP wouldn't exceed half of RL Spain's and might conceivably fall below that. All in all, a more dour, poorer, Protestant Spain, governed somewhat chaotically.

Above all, though, Ian definitely has veto power over this proposal. While I cannot for a moment pretend that I've ever been a model neighbor, and while I understand wholeheartedly if Ian would prefer not to repeat that dynamic, I do at least promise a degree of stability and a cooperative attitude with respect to historical matters and current relations. Indeed, this Basque-Calvinist Spain might, in my mind at least, provide Shieldian political forces across the spectrum with a useful rhetorical device, a looming foreign danger with a history of aggression yet whose clumsiness and internal divisions make it very much a paper tiger.

Some manner of colonial past would seem warranted, and a colonial present too, though as to exactly where, I'm not at all sure. Perhaps Western Sahara plus Mauritania, a handful of Indian Ocean islands, Reunion, certain of the French Antarctic Lands (which I've always found fascinating), and then the Maluku islands? Population would be Spain's 46 million (minus the Canaries) plus a colonial populace numbering in the region of six million.

Does this strike the involved parties as acceptable?