Imperium Off Topicum: Cold War 2

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Welcome to the Cold War, Mr. Leader. Your nation has emerged from the recent Second World War in a domineering position compared to a host of struggling regions wracked by warlordism and competing authorities. Into this vacuum, you and a legion of other states must struggle to survive in thrive in the frigid depths of chaos and turmoil.

The World Wars are over. The Cold War is about to begin. Can you survive the winter?

Joining the Game:

Start by selecting four provinces from the map below.



Tell me your nation's name and color. After that, tell me -us- about your country. The leader, how it survived the Second World War, what its role was in the vicious fighting that destroyed much of the old orders, what its people are like, and such. After that, pick one technology from the list under that sub-menu(Any one you like) and mark that you have one Guards Battalion. You are in the game, my friend, and it is time to read the rules in full to understand the tools at your disposal.

Infrastructure:

Your national infrastructure is simplified into "Industrial Points" which are representations of your supply and manufacturing capacity. Every province has a minimum of one factory complex(one Industry) which provides one IP. Building more factories will take up one Building Slot - every province has three of those, and you can fill them with any combination of the buildings listed below:

-SAM Network: 2STR Kill strike against air units, 1IP
-SSM Network: 2STR Kill strike against sea units in adjacent seazones, 1IP
-Guerilla Infrastructure: 2STR Kill strike against land units, 1IP
-Army Base: +1 Militia per turn, 4IP, enables research(Army)
-Naval Base: +1 Frigate per turn, 4IP, enables research(Naval)
-Airbase: +1 Interceptor per turn, counts as Airstrip, 4IP, enables research(Air)
-Airstrip: Ability to base planes from the province, 2IP
-Missile Silo: Ability to base nukes from the province, 3IP
-SDI: 50% chance of shooting down a nuke headed for the province or adjacent ones. 6IP. Requires research.
-Industry: +1IP, 3IP
-Commercial Hub: +3 Trade Capacity in the province, 3IP

Trade is the other pillar of your economy. Every coastal province has one Trade Capacity at game start, and can be paired with a coastal province of any other faction to create a Trade Route, providing each side with one IP. A province can only have as many different Routes as it has Capacity, and it cannot trade with the same province multiple times. Utilize trade in addition to your industry to gain an economic advantage.

You can only give IP to nations you either border or have a trade route with.

Military:

Ah, yes, the armies, Mr. Leader. When the diplomats have failed, the spies have been shot dead and bribes seem wholly ineffective, it falls to the men with guns. Let's have a look at the brave men in uniform, shall we?

Army:

Militia Battalion: A light infantry battalion with a few armored vehicles, limited training and outdated equipment. 1IP and 1STR.
Guards Battalion: An infantry battalion centered around mechanized and armored support elements, heavy artillery and helicopter support. 3IP and 4STR.
General: A well-trained commander on the battlefield. +30% STR. 5IP.

Navy:

Frigate: An older WW2 ship upgraded to survive modern naval war with a few missiles and sensors. 1IP and 1STR.
Destroyer: A purpose-built modern warship, with cruise missiles, CIWS and advanced sensors. 3IP and 4STR.
Aircraft Carrier: A massive warship laden with dozens of fighters and bombers, as well as subhunting helicopters and elite naval command staff. +30% STR. 5IP.
Submarine: A powerful modern warship, invisible to most sensors and carrying enough weapons to level a city. Capable of Kill strikes against sea targets at 4STR. Immune to bomber attacks. 3IP and 2STR.

Air Force:

Interceptor Squadron: Older late WW2-era jets with cannons and primitive missiles. 1IP and 1STR.
Supersonic Fighter Squadron: Modernized jet fighters capable of breaking the speed of sound, with powerful missiles and radar systems. Capable of Kill strikes at 2STR against air targets. 3IP and 4STR.
AWACS: A large plane with a huge sensor suite, capable of monitoring and controlling multiple air squadrons simultaneously. +30% STR. 5IP.
Bomber Squadron: Ground-attack jets of varying sizes escorted by long-range fighters. Capable of Kill strikes against land and sea targets at 4STR. Can destroy province improvements. 3IP and 2STR.

There's a few pieces of terminology in there that you might be interested to learn, Mr. Leader:

-Kill Strikes: These attacks are launched before the battle is officially joined, and take their casualties out of the enemy force immediately. Units without Kill Strike abilities cannot even return fire! After the Kill strikes are completed, the units responsible will rejoin the main force for the battle proper, at reduced strength. Bomber jets are a special case, as they cannot Kill strike other aircraft, but instead ground and sea units - but only if a battle is otherwise raging. The bomber's strength is NOT added to the normal strength of your troops in the battle, but otherwise its Kill strike functions as usual . . . assuming you can batter through enemy air defenses in the first place!
-Strength: This represents the unit's ability to deal damage and to take it. This is the number added to the RNG for your side from this one unit - and also the number that the enemy must beat in order to terminate it. More strength = more survivability and more damage dealt!

In the event of a battle, first rolls are made for Kill strikes to instantly deal casualties, then a roll is made based on remaining strength to determine the winner of the fight. After that, the casualty rolls are made - The winner can inflict up to 100% of his strength in casualties, whereas the loser can only inflict 75% - and there will always be ONE winner left alive, even if the casualty rolls CLEARLY indicate the loser wiped out all the winner's troops. This is to avoid confusion - SOMEONE has to be alive to win the battle, after all!

Espionage:

Spies are an unfortunate necessity in this divided world. Men of stalwart loyalty and dubious methods, willing to assist the Nation in any way required, never being honored nor recognized - and in many cases even being vilified - for their assistance.

Spies cost 1IP and can perform a variety of missions. More spies = higher chances of success.

-Coup Nation: Can coup the government of an NPC to become a Client State.
-Instigate Insurrection: Convince the people of a province to begin an Insurrection. They gain one Militia per two spies you dispatch. Only works on provinces with a free Province Improvement slot.
-Fund Rebels: Divert funds to an ongoing insurrection.
-Sabotage: Attempt to destroy as many province improvements as possible in the target province.
-Assassinate: Attempt to kill enemy spies.
-Counterintelligence: Default mission. Defends your land from enemy spies.
-Foreign Counterintelligence: Defends lands of an ally or client from spy attacks.
-Disarm Nuke: Attempts to destroy one enemy nuclear missile.
-Steal Nuke: Attempts to pilfer one enemy nuclear missile, which will be added to the stockpile of your nearest missile silo.

A client state is a nation sworn to the defense and partnership of a more major power. Its map color turns to a lighter shade of its master's, and the master can issue orders for the client state to use its income and forces on. Clients cannot backstab their masters without a successful insurrection in favor of another party, and will never break trade ties with their master. Master states can move troops and missiles freely into client states - in the case of nukes and planes, so long as the client has a silo or an airfield, respectively.

An insurrection occurs when rebels in a province gain enough of a footing, either through chance or through foreign assistance, to establish a Rebel Base province improvement, sometimes destroying an existing improvement in the process. At that point, the rebels will build one Militia a turn from this base, until they feel strong enough to assault the next province improvement. If the opposing military fails to stop them, the rebels will build a second Base in the province. A third base results in the province declaring independence as a client state of whoever initiated the insurrection, or a nation under its own colors. Any neighboring provinces of the nation the insurrection defeated have a chance of beginning their own insurrection at that stage - as do provinces of other nations, though it is much less.

Nuclear Weapons and Missile Silos:

Nuclear Missiles cost 6IP and have a range of 6 provinces.

A Nuclear Missile unit represents a powerful battery of missiles capable of reducing an entire province to dust. Can either be fired from a silo, self-destructed in the launch tubes or used in a tactical role to provide +20STR in a land battle, but an immediate 10STR Kill strike against all sides. Must be based in a Silo unless you have SSBNs. A nuclear hit on a province will destroy all improvements there, as well as obliterating any ongoing Insurrection.

Missile Silos can use cruise missiles to strategically bombard enemy province improvements with a range of 4 provinces.

Technologies:

Technologies cost 5IP apiece to research. You start with one free. Doctrines function differently - of the separated "sets" you can only ever have one doctrine active, and moving to another one will cost as much as researching a new technology.



These are but the first lessons, Mr. Leader. There are many other aspects of this Cold War that you must learn the hard way - I have taught you all I know. Your scientists, generals, admirals, air marshals, industrial ministers, spies and government officials all now look to you as the sun rises and snow falls.

Can you survive and thrive in the Cold War, Mr. Leader?

Next post reserved.

-L