Rulers of Equestria: political RP

[cb5]

Yeah so in the comment crew chat thread the idea of a political leader rp popped up and it was a pretty good one.

(shortened rules)

Basic rules:

To start off you state what form of government you as a player rule and you give a paragraph on how your country operates politically and economically.  You can send a declaration of war to others/attack them without warning/form alliances with other players/form economic alliances, however if you wish to form a alliance the other player will have to say yay or nay.  You can choose what species inhabits your country as well as their laws and courts system.  It's going to be a action heavy rp and you can give a dialogue to see if you can convince another player of your actions.  Like if you give a SHORT speech about why another player shouldn't go to war with you, in character, then it's up to the other player if they will still go to war.  And choose a place for your country on a grid.

Basically a action-reaction game of everyone starting off with the same resources.

Grid location:

Countries are located A to G horizontally and 1 to 7 vertically that should give us plenty of room for everyone.

Already picked spots by players:
Cb5 has chosen grid location D4, the middle of the map

Resources:

Everyone has equal amount of resources, equal amounts of land, equal amount of money, equal access to the ocean, equal amount of forestry and such.
Non-renewable resources do not renew no matter what.  You start with 100% and you choose how fast to use them.  The faster you use them the larger a economic boom.
Renewable resources renew a percent a year, however you can do things to fix your ecosystem and such.
If you want to move into another area for more resources you can ask for a random number generation of how much you find. I'll do three rolls of 1 to 10 and average it out.  A 1 is you don't find anything, a 10 is you've hit the jackpot.


Economies:

Economies work like a sine wave.  If you have a economic boom then eventually that boom will run out depending on how large of a boom it is.  Larger economic booms go into a recession faster and harder.
You start off at a 100% economy,  0% economy means you're out of the game cause your country is outright bankrupt.  Bankruptcy is a automatic lose.


Economic conditions:

Economic conditions are a universal condition that effects EVERY player and every player must react to it.  An example is if the economic condition is "There is currently a massive surplus of food sending food industries everywhere spiraling into a bust" every player has to react to it or face a economic bust in that sector.  They are random and they have no warning.  It's a magic eight ball roll and if you don't react then it hits you.  However if a action a player does changes the economic conditions then no it's no random, it's a effect of the players reaction.  An example would be since I'm selling all my oil and resources so fast the cost of resources is low.  It can be a great way to screw over another player if you don't want to go to war with them.  Wreck the economy they rely on.


Technological advancements:

To start off this is pre-industrial revolution.  As time goes on randomly a technological advancement will be declared.  Such as "The invention of the steam locomotive", again random and you have to react to it.

"Acts of god":

If someone is trying to cheat or did a god mode an "act of god" can be declared to throw a wrench in what they've done.  If someone does something that is totall bullshit an "act of god" action can be declared to balance out their action.  So like if someone is cheating when it comes to their economy I can go back and read their actions when it comes to their economy and declare a "act of god" to throw them a curveball.  If everyone agrees that it's fair then the act of god is valid.  So like if someone is cheating when it comes to their economy or has severly misshandled their economies to the point they should be in a depression instead of a boom or such an "act of god" can be declared that the player has to react to.

If it's something politically or militarily an act of god can be declared to hurt the player.  So like if a player says that everyone in their nation loves them unconditionally and will follow their every whim a "act of god" can be declared that they were caught on camera having a affair and as a result their politcal approval rating sunk drastically.

If someone is cheating you can request an act of god action to be taken, including against me.  However I will try to avoid acts of god unless it's totall bs, if someone just doesn't understand how economies work I'll declare a "economic condition" to try and keep it from getting out of hand.  If something is starting to get out of hand just tap me on the shoulder and I'll see what I can do.



(actual start of the game)
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
To start off I'll give my country and give a example of what I mean for setting up what sort of country I lead:

About me:
I am the leader of phoenixia.  I am a benevolent all powerful ruler able to supercede my democratically elected congess, however I have never had a case of doing so unless in dire situations.  I respect the decisions of the high court and place freedom, free speech and the needs of the people before anything else.  All species are treated equally under the law regardless of their age, sex, gender, species, politcal ideology, their economic standing or anything.  Any and all corruption is destroyed like the fist of a angry god.  Any protests merely need to sign a permit and only 8am to 5pm regardless of what they protest so long as they don't obstruct commerce.  We have a moderately sized armed forces.  We also are highly open to diplomatic, economic, and military alliances with other countries.

Economy:
We have 0% import and export tax, low business tax and the minimum wage is a living wage.  Low risk indviduals from our own country or other countries can buy insurance, health insurance and get loans from us.  Tax for the wealthy is extremely high.  Children go to school five days a week all year round and college is paid for by the state.

Resources:
We currently rely on mining our resources at a alarming rate to the point our resources will in all probability be depleted in five years.  However we have a balanced budget amendment to our constitution and are already planning ahead.

Grid location:
D4, the middle of the map

(action)
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
And my first move would be:
We openly welcome any players to a tax free economic trading and any potential military alliances.

To which you would tell us about your country and say whether or not you reject my offer, then do a action.


Also we're kind of playing it by ear cause I haven't RP'ed that much in the past.
P.S. for the love of god don't write a essay's worth of a long post on your posts.





Players so far:
Scyto: nation of R'Shalok location F5
Harmony: The Republic location F2
Scienza: The Dominion location F6
Cb5: Phoenixia location D4

[Scyto Harmony]

History;
The nation of R'Shalok had once upon a time been small and quiet, Not really known for much of anything. Founded by a group of Unicorn settlers, they quickly laid claim to a plot of farmland that would be the home of their people for generation. Skip ahead many years, and The Republic Horns won their first election, ousting the well established the Unicorn Democratic Party for the first time. They would go on to remove race restrictions on all R'Shalok activities and lives, abolish the large un-employed population of the country, and establish a more ordered country. 30 years later it had become the Empire of R'Shalok.

The People;
Unicorns makes up 56% of the population and are the majority in the country, followed by 22% Pegasi and 15% Earth Pony. The other races make up the small 7%.

The Leader;
The Emperor of R'Shalok brings order and strength to our nation. He decides the fate of the country via use of advisers on every subject, which he takes suggestions into deep account. He is a huge believer in equality, stating that 'No Pony stands to gain more than an equally hard working Peer." and is the ruler that brought about the 'Unemployment Fixation Pact' that brought an end to Unemployment - forcefully. He commissions a small military force mostly used for the purposes of guarding borders, and is highly open to agreements that benefit his country greatly.

Economy;
R'Shalok economy is carried on the backs of its farmers, who's farmland make up more than half the countries economic income. Free Healthcare is available to all citizens, but Insurance policies have yet to hit a stride in the country. The economy is steady due to the 'UFP' which forces all citizens not attending a school to work in order to live. If no work is found by a citizen, they are put in public housing and required by law to work as farmers until they find their career. Criminals are also (for a time, depending on their crime) not put in jail but instead used for 'sudo-slavery'. Tax for the wealthy is high, while tax for the poor is low. Schooling is a requirement until adulthood, with schools running 6 days a week, 11 months of the year.

Resources;
Farming is the main resources of R'Shalok and support its economy. However there is no more land left to occupy with farms, but the population is steadily growing in the major population centers. Politicians have been avoiding the question.

Grid Location; F5 middle-lower-right.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

"We see no value in a mutual alliance at this time."

We open our borders for taxed tourism.

[cb5]

I am the new Emperor of R'Shalok, the powerful and sole leader of my people. I rule alone, with the help of my some hundred advisers. While all races are welcome here, we have a dominant population of Unicorns. We have a tax system based on your income - very high tax for the rich, very low tax for the poor. There is no homelessness and no minimum wage - basic housing comes with the lowest mandatory work. Schools are strict and teach obedience, and run all year, six days a week. Our biggest income is from farming - as it is the minimum required job, but this leaves very little land left in our country, and we will need to expand. We have a small armed force mostly used for defense, and are open to alliances that benefit us.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

"We see no value in a mutual alliance at this time."

We open our borders for taxed tourism.

"We gladly are open to allowing our citizens to tour your country and that any economic ties, be it tourism or other we will gladly extend to others and that we respect your decision to not seek a military alliance and respect your sovereignty."

Economic conditions:
Good, massive surplus of resources and fuel sources on international markets at a low price.
Technological advancements:
None at the moment. Pre-industrial era.

[Harmony Ltd.]

"The Republic"
grid location : F2

Settled in Pre-Equestrian time by a splinter group of the Pegasopolis pegasi, fleeing their freezing land but refusing to follow their old leaders out of distrust. It was originally a Feudal state, ruled by the pegasi elite. They brought along them a large portion of earth pony serfs, to grow food for them. For a long time, unicorns were denied access to the land, out of fear they would soon try to impose their own rule over the land, and mistrust of their tribe in general.
This situation continued for long centuries, until a terrible plague fell on the country. The pegasi, severely weakened, had to rely more and more on earth pony workforce to run the land. This situation led to the rise of a class of free and economically independent earth pony, who free to bargain for their needed workforce, started advocating for the end of earth pony servitude. Repressed, censored at first, their movement still managed to gain momentum.
Growing uneasy with this situation, the pegasi elite was divided, between those who wanted to crack down on those pesky dirt-thumper who didn't know their place, and those who thought that a violent answer wasn't the best way to solve the situation ; the later divided into numerous groups with opposing views as to what non-violent solution to adopt.
However, all came crashing down when a violent uprising erupted in one of the major earth pony cities, the protesters demanding the liberation of a number of convicts from the local prison, who they said had been unjustly imprisoned. Their protest was repressed in blood, and news of the event, deformed by both sides, amplified and repeated, sparked a general uprising of the earth ponies, leading to a civil war.
recounting this civil war isn't the object of this tale, so let us just skip to the end : with the pegasi elite at the end of its rope, a number of pegasi having joined the cause of the earth ponies, and the country in ruin from several years of conflict, the end of Servitude was proclaimed. All were now equals under the newly proclaimed Republic.

The contemporary Republic is legally open to all, as long as they conform to immigration laws, however there is still a popular distrust of unicorns (who only represent less than 5% percent of the population), although is has consistently receded with the passing centuries, their numbers growing and more and more citizens being exposed to them. There even exist a number of advocacy groups working for unicorn acceptance among the Republic's population.
Due to the promise of Equality offered by the Republic, numbers of individuals from all the spectrum of races in the world have immigrated to the Republic, though they still represent only a minority, the griffins and zebra representing the most important part of this group.
However, earth ponies and pegasi still represent over eighty percent of the Republic's population, with earth ponies being twice as numerous as pegasi.

Economically, the Republic is still mostly rural, cities only having around 10% of the overall population. A number of manufactures produces luxury goods and advanced items, which are consumed inside the country or traded internationally to bring in foreign currencies ; but these activities are for now marginal, most of the population still farming its own food.

There have been efforts on the part of the Government (then the Old Regime, followed by the Republic) since a century and a half ago to bring in unicorns inside the country, recognizing the strategic weakness of not having access to their magical abilities. The Academy has been working restlessly since then to try to unlock as much of the mysteries of magic as they could since then, but their available pool of unicorns is a bottleneck for these research, most of those immigrating to the Republic having little to no magic else than what is related to their special talent.

Efforts are being made to educate the citizenry, with schools being present in most village, and kids being required to attend at least thrice a week, when they are not helping their parents in the field or running the family business. The most talented individuals are sent by the Republic to study in the Capital, and the most talented of those to the Academy, to help to the scientific and technological development of the Republic.

Economically, the Republic is a blend of laissez-faire and centralized planning economic policies, the government trying to push the sectors of the economy it feels to be strategic, and only intervening in the rest of the economy when it feels it is needed : fixing an upper limit to the number of hours that can be worked each week, fixing a minimal income, etc...


[OOC : as far as most matters are concerned, the republic is at the early 19th century France level of development, as you can see in economic and social matters]

[Harmony Ltd.]

For information, the Republic itself, as a government, is less than a century old, probably around sixty to eighty years old. This explain how backward it may seem, as the Old Regime was by nature conservative in most respects.

On the other hand, the memory of the Revolution is still very present in its culture, and there's some idea of a manifest destiny to spread the ideals of the Republic (Liberty, Equality, Unity) to the whole world (an Universalist idea) ; if not by military power (they know how outclassed they are), by spreading its culture wide and large.

[Scienza]

“The Dominion”
Grid Location: F6
Background: The Dominion was originally a conglomerate of city-states established in and around the Palamino mountain range. Bonded by their common pegasus makeup, the inhabitants of the Dominion established a unified democratic government. This government survived for nearly a century until a successful military coup overthrew the previous system. The Dominion is now currently ruled by the Directory, a council of five generals and admirals who oversee the workings of the nation.

Government: The Dominion is a true meritocracy, with each of the five Directors having worked their way up from an enlisted footsoldier to their current positions. Individual cities are ruled by a military Prefect, usually a colonel or higher, along with a vestigial city council.
The military comprises all aspects of the Dominion’s government, overseeing everything from agriculture to alchemy. Service is mandatory at 17, and continues until the age of 65 unless discharged or designated to a secondary, non-military position.

Population Breakdown: The population largely consists of pegasi, who makeup approximately 57% of the population. Earth ponies follow that with 36%, and unicorns making up a small minority at 7%. Despite this, neither race nor gender is a hindrance in advancement. Wealth is mostly concentrated among those who live in the central cities, especially the capital of Moonrise, decreasing considerably the farther you get from the center. Those in the outlying cities and supporting farmland are among the poorest in Equestria.

Military Strength: Due to its military leadership, the Dominion has one of the largest militaries in Equestria. Some 65% of its population are always in active service, and over 93% can be deployed in a crisis. Their full military strength has only been utilized twice, once when fighting off a griffon invasion, and the other when putting down an armed insurrection 25 years ago. During the last crisis, the Dominion pressed youths as young as fourteen into service, the consequences of which are still being seen.

The Dominion’s airships are among the fastest and most well-armed in Equestria, leading to their fleets becoming extremely feared. They have constant issues with mutiny in the harsh conditions of the ships, and rebellious pirates plague the trading lanes between the cities. Much of the military's time is spent hunting down and attempting to eliminate these raiders.

Resources: Due to its mountainous locale, the Dominion is unusually rich in metals and other mined resources, however it suffers from a paucity of usable farmland. Food shortages and starvations are common. Several of the uninhabited outlying mountains have been strip-mined for resources.

Economy: The Dominion’s economy is highly regulated and controlled to ensure that food and other resources are distributed. However, some 75% of its income goes to funding its military, leaving nonmilitary projects severely underfunded. This has left the Dominion behind in terms of nonmilitary technomagical development, though their military technology is second to none. Wind-driven factories produce huge amounts of material to arm and equip their fighting forces.
[OOC: Gotta have the "mean" militaristic state to counteract all you softies.  ]

[cb5]

[OOC: Gotta have the "mean" militaristic state to counteract all you softies.  ]

[Is this a reference to star trek?]

Economic condition: Large scale need for food on internation market due to The Dominion

[Also]
Action: Phoenixia offers armistace to all countries.

[Scienza]

[OOC: Gotta have the "mean" militaristic state to counteract all you softies.  ]

[Is this a reference to star trek?]

[I'm going to smile and pretend that's what I was trying to do there.]

The Dominion demands to know the terms of the armistice and rejects it for now. The Directory has also elected to offer high-quality bronze in exchange for a steady food supply.

Also, as of now, the Dominion has mobilized 20% of its active duty forces (13% of overall population) into the unclaimed lands to the south in F7.

[Also, how is the outcome of war determined? I'm assuming it's based off of a die roll with modifiers, but how in depth are we going to go?]

[cb5]

[OOC: Gotta have the "mean" militaristic state to counteract all you softies.  ]

[Is this a reference to star trek?]

[I'm going to smile and pretend that's what I was trying to do there.]

The Dominion demands to know the terms of the armistice and rejects it for now. The Directory has also elected to offer high-quality steel in exchange for a steady food supply.

The terms of the armistace are merely a agreement to not attack one another and stating we do not wish to confront anyone.

[P.s. right now we're in pre-industrial era and everyone starting off has equal resources.  Steel hasn't been invented yet.  In a day or two I'll start adding technological advancements once in a while.  Right now we're circa 1730's about to start the industrial revolution. The reason why is so that we don't just start off with guns and nukes or such and the that industrial revolution was a important era]

[Scienza]

[P.s. right now we're in pre-industrial era and everyone starting off has equal resources.  Steel hasn't been invented yet.  In a day or two I'll start adding technological advancements once in a while.  Right now we're circa 1730's about to start the industrial revolution.  The reason why is so that we don't just start off with guns and nukes or such and the that industrial revolution was a important era]

[Ah. Nix the steel, it's bronze now.]

The Dominion tentatively agrees to the terms of your armistice, under the condition that it still maintains the right to exit at any time and that its rights to expansion are recognized.

[Scyto Harmony]

R'Shalok offers a small portion of it's surplus food in exchange for Bronze from The Dominion.

R'Shalok agree's to this armistice.

[Scienza]

R'Shalok offers a small portion of it's surplus food in exchange for Bronze from The Dominion.

The Dominion sends a shipment of bronze, depleting its copper and tin supply by 5%.

The first settlement is established in Septania. Troops begin to secure the new borders.

[Scyto Harmony]

R'Shalok offers a small portion of it's surplus food in exchange for Bronze from The Dominion.

The Dominion sends a shipment of bronze, depleting its copper and tin supply by 5%.

The first settlement is established in Septania. Troops begin to secure the new borders.

R'Shalok reciprocates, sending guarded shipments of food in equal value.

[Scienza]

R'Shalok reciprocates, sending guarded shipments of food in equal value.

There is rejoicing in the streets. For many, this is the first real food they have seen in weeks.

The Dominion dispatches exploratory parties in Septania to scout out new resources. A Prefect is appointed for the new territory.

[My question about the in-game mechanics of war still stands]

[Scyto Harmony]

[We'll need to avoid war until we have the rules down. I had a thought for a system based on choosing how many soldiers of your total army fights in a battle, then both sides roll dice to see how many the other side loses until one surrenders or is out of troops.]

[Scienza]

[Okay. Also, how should resource distribution in unclaimed squares be determined? The Dominion has expanded into F7, and for the moment, I'm leaving it up to the DM to determine whether they find anything useful.]

[Harmony Ltd.]

Actions :

Trade & Diplomacy :
- The Republic offers to export 75% of its surplus food production in exchange for bronze and iron, up to who will take the offer.
- The Republic offers to export luxury goods in exchange for currency.
- The Republic wishes to open embassies in other major powers.

Other :
- Explorers are sent to the 8 neighboring territories. Mission focus : cartography.

[Scienza]

Actions :

Trade & Diplomacy :
- The Republic offers to export 75% of its surplus food production in exchange for bronze and iron, up to who will take the offer.
- The Republic offers to export luxury goods in exchange for currency.
- The Republic wishes to open embassies in other major powers.

Other :
- Explorers are sent to the 8 neighboring territories. Mission focus : cartography.

- The Dominion watches the Republic's expansion into territory surrounding it's own land with deep suspicion, especially since it has not agreed to any peace treaties. It mobilizes troops to its borders as a warning.
- It offers 10% of it's current bronze supply
- Scouting parties are dispatched into E7

[Harmony Ltd.]

Actions :

Trade & Diplomacy :
- The Republic offers 30% of its surplus food production to the Dominion for ten years in exchange for 10% of its bronze supply.
- The Republic offers to the Dominion to open an embassy in its Capital.

[Scienza]

Actions :

Trade & Diplomacy :
- The Republic offers 30% of its surplus food production to the Dominion for ten years in exchange for 10% of its bronze supply.
- The Republic offers to the Dominion to open an embassy in its Capital.

The Dominion agrees, transferring over 10% of it's bronze supply. Envoys are sent over to establish an embassy.

[Harmony Ltd.]

Fluff :

[the following is just for the RP part, but the various nations aren't supposed to know what is being said there]

Spoiler:

Actions:

Trade & Diplomacy :
- The Republic offers to R'Shalok to open an embassy in its Capital.

[cb5]

[Okay. Also, how should resource distribution in unclaimed squares be determined? The Dominion has expanded into F7, and for the moment, I'm leaving it up to the DM to determine whether they find anything useful.]

[Oh sorry.  Uh I'll add that in.  How about a random number generator?  It'd be simple to just use a scale of 1 to 10 on what you find.  Like 1 is "you're shit out of luck for finding anything" and 10 is "you're rich!".  I'll do three random generations and average them out so that the chances of someone rolling a 1 or a 10 are minimal and the game stays fair]

A 8, 3, and a 7 which averages to 6.  You find a okay amount of natural resources, enough to break even for the excursion, but not enough to justify further excursions.


Also:
Action:
Governmental reform
Phonexia slows down plundering their resources to stabilize their economy before growing too strong and then busting.  They have now adopted a stable economy and government that relies on keeping a steady growth rather than exponential growth.  Also they have changed their higher education rules.  Free college is now based on their academic standing, and college costs are based on their income lower income households pay lower costs while higher income households pay higher costs and also offer college loans.  The armed forces have a moderate cutback and are now primarily a highly defensive force constantly preparing for any and all attack and highly entrenched against enemy attackers.  Any potential attacker as a result, unless a surprise attack, will result in heavy losses.  However the defensive force works on shifts at all times.

Also, "We wish to extend to The Dominion a monetary loan with modest interest rate to further their excursions into the unknown."




Technological advancement:
The textile mill.  Clothing and fabrics are now easily mass manufacture resulting in a boom for agricultural economies.

Economic condition:
R'Shalok and The Republic see large economic boom due to being agricultural.
Phonexia sees okay short term economic boom.
The Dominion sees large short term economic boom due to reduced costs of manufacturing.

[Scyto Harmony]

R'Shalok moves east into G5, to expand their farmland.

R'Shalok accepts the Embassy from The Republic.

[Harmony Ltd.]

Events :

- Entrepreneurs in The Republic start establishing new textile manufactures, taking advantage of the recently discovered Textile Mill technology. Current raw resource used : wool, linen, silk. There is demand for a cheaper, more available raw material.


Actions :

- The Republic helps the private sector to finance the new textile industry by lending money at advantageous rates.
- Private Entrepreneurs from The Republic seeks new textile fiber to use in their manufacturing process.

[Harmony Ltd.]

Actions :

- The Republic sends explorers to the eight neighboring territories. Mission focus : cataloging exploitable resources.
- The Academy of The Republic offer to R'Shalok to begin an exchange program. They show an heavy interest in learning about magic.

[Scienza]

[Okay. Also, how should resource distribution in unclaimed squares be determined? The Dominion has expanded into F7, and for the moment, I'm leaving it up to the DM to determine whether they find anything useful.]

[Oh sorry.  Uh I'll add that in.  How about a random number generator?  It'd be simple to just use a scale of 1 to 10 on what you find.  Like 1 is "you're shit out of luck for finding anything" and 10 is "you're rich!".  I'll do three random generations and average them out so that the chances of someone rolling a 1 or a 10 are minimal and the game stays fair]

A 8, 3, and a 7 which averages to 6.  You find a okay amount of natural resources, enough to break even for the excursion, but not enough to justify further excursions.

Also, "We wish to extend to The Dominion a monetary loan with modest interest rate to further their excursions into the unknown."

The Dominion sees large short term economic boom due to reduced costs of manufacturing.

Trade and Diplomacy:
- The Directory decides to accept the loan, making a cut in funding for agricultural techniques in order to ensure that the government will have a base to build off of.
- The new resources acquired from Septania are put to use improving manufacturing techniques. Research is begun to see whether the new processes can be modified and applied to airship manufacture.

[Scyto Harmony]

Action:

-R'Shalok starts setting up textile mills in place of old work-houses.
-R'Shalok wishes to negotiate the terms of the exchange program. Does the Republic wish to send students to R'Shalok, or R'Shalok to send teachers?

[Harmony Ltd.]

- (to R'Shalok :) The Republic feels that both parties might gain more by exchanging both students and teachers. The Republic offers to exchange knowledge of Textile Manufacturing.

[Scienza]

- The Dominion fully claims E7 as it's own territory and sends troops into G7 using Phonexia's generous donations. Attempts to establish agriculture in the territories of Septania and Heptania are begun.

[Scyto Harmony]

- (to R'Shalok :) The Republic feels that both parties might gain more by exchanging both students and teachers. The Republic offers to exchange knowledge of Textile Manufacturing.

Action:
-R'Shalok accepts, and begins sending over members of the Universities.

Fluff:
-The R'Shaloki are immediately confused by the culture upon arrival, unsure what to do with the amount of personal freedom they have. But they are friendly enough and begin right away to teach.

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