[BoP: 1910] BoP: Europe 1910 - Introduction/Application Thread

Different government types determine the power that the player wields within the nation. The player does not control parliament, which means that in certain government types, rolls and ideology decide whether a law or decision made by the player passes parliament and gets implemented. Sometimes, parties will propose legislature themselves and will generally behave opposingly to the government and, as a result, the player. As the government is usually controlled by the majority party (although there are exceptions to this rule), acts and bills by the player will generally pass parliament, as long as they correspond to the interests of the party.
The different types of government are:

Republic: In a republic, both the head of state and the head of government (if separated) are elected individuals, and parliament party layout is directly dictated by populace ideology. Most to all legislative power ultimately lies with parliament, and the player is therefore very limited in his legislative powers.

Constitutional Monarchy: In a constitutional monarchy, the hereditary monarch is limited in his powers by a constitution and parliament wields considerable influence on legislature passed. In many cases, the monarch still has major powers but is compelled to refrain from using them by social norms. Depending on the action and support for the monarch, ignoring such social norms could cause discontent among the populace.

Absolute monarchy/Dictatorship: In an absolute monarchy or a dictatorship, the monarch or the dictator (either an individual or a group) wields supreme legislative power and is not dependent on parliament rolls or anything similar. However, overstep the bounds and the people might grow unhappy and start favouring a different form of representation for themselves.

It should be noted that, in many countries, the “official” government type differs from the actual way of government. For example: While Russia is officially a constitutional monarchy, it very much still is an absolute monarchy, with the State Duma often dissolved and comprised mostly out of yes-men. For dice-rolls, only the de-facto government type will be considered. (Enquire with your game master)

Every nation has a government, fully controlled by the player. The behaviour and the actions of ministers are, therefore, up to the player, however, the government has, in most cases, been elected in democratic elections based on party ideology or program. Complete disregard of voter will causes unrest among the populace, from minor protests to boycotts and violent revolts.

Since the game begins in 1910, most countries will soon hold their elections and players have the opportunity to steer voters in their desired directions. Actions taken by the government can either further party support for the governing party or drive voters away from it. While the GM (=Game Master) cannot provide you with a prediction of what the outcome of an action would be, he/she can inform you about the mood and interests of the populace. First and foremost, common sense should guide your actions.

There are many ideologies, but the most “important” ones are liberalism and communistic ideologies. Communism is complex during this period, and will progressively develop over time, depending on events. It will begin as socialism and may develop into a more extreme Marxism-Leninism/Bolshevism and so on. Point being, it may become more extreme and parties might splinter.

Different ideologies prioritise different issues:

Liberalism: A liberal populace focuses on internal issues, seeking to improve conditions for people within their own country.

Socialism: A socialist populace seeks to transfer power from the wealthy to the poor, a view most popular among the lower class, such as labourers and farmers. An anti-capitalist movement, it rejects enterprise control by single wealthy individuals. Such a populace is usually greatly opposed to aggressive war, seeking to change social standards within their own country. This ideology can develop into more radical forms of communism.

With this out of the way, the populations of most countries can’t be classified as being part of a single ideological group. Most populaces will be a combination of two or more ideologies, and different ideologies are more prevalent among different social groups, such as liberalism more popular among the wealthy and socialism more popular among the worker class.

The presence of ideologies will affect elections (through modifiers) which determine parliament layout (depending on government type) and therefore influence proposals and demands made by parties in parliament, both by opposition parties and by the government party. Remember, the player only controls the royal family, the army chiefs (to some degree) and the government, not the parties or their members. Depending on the government type, the government might have to pass a law through parliament. Approval or rejection thereof will be rolled, with large modifiers added depending on the parliament layout.

Elections will take place in the same intervals as they would have historically. Please inform yourself about the dates of your country's next election.

If you wish to know which ideology is present among your populace, do enquire with the game master. Nevertheless, please do research the circumstances of the country that you are playing, as with all matters!

Diplomacy between countries is entirely player-driven. Posts represent your nation and your diplomatic correspondence with other nations. Phrasing, wording, presentation and the content itself all matter and can change the course of things.

Posts themselves can be worded as press releases, political statements, newspaper articles, and so on. Remember, however, that you do not control your populace and that you cannot invent or create events, nor can you make the public react in a way you desire.
If you want to state the reaction of the public to an action, ask the GM prior about the reaction. However, you can naturally fabricate reactions for propaganda purposes. Other countries can ask about public reaction and the response they will receive depends on a roll and modifiers, so you should be careful not to fabricate too many false claims.

Treaties and agreements can be severed in a number of ways.

The diplomatically best way of “annulling” agreements would be per "opt-out" clauses, for example: “I will aid you in conflict against all nations but Luxembourg.” Opting out via such a clause will have no major detrimental effects on one's nation (besides the diplomatic ramifications with the affected country and/or neighbours).

The type of alliance determines which conflicts the signatories are compelled to join. Full military alliances compel the signatories to aid each other in all conflicts, while defensive alliances only apply to defensive conflicts and offensive alliances only to offensive conflicts.
Coalitions can also be a useful way for several countries to promote mutual defence against a common enemy.
Ultimately, the content of treaties and agreements is down to your imagination. Keep in mind, however, that certain concepts we may have today might not have existed back then, or might not have been yet widely accepted.

Regardless of which kind of treaty you sign, don’t sign agreements that you will break quickly. Doing so will massively damage your credibility and reputation among the countries of the world and will also make the public think differently of you.

Relations between countries are as they would have been historical as of 1st January 1910. This means that certain countries like each other more than others and vice versa. Always remember past events and your national history, as this may make finding friends and allies easier or harder depending on who you are and who your neighbours are. Nations who are historical friends or who share similar cultures may find themselves in good alliances, while historic rivals will have a harder time seeking cordial relations.

That does not mean, however, that the current relations between nations are a deadlock. Avoiding hostile encounters, seeking common ground and working together on an international scale can all help ease tensions and improve relations. The future of Europe is yours to shape, and it need not follow the historical timeline. War is delayable, and although it is difficult, perhaps even avoidable, depending on your actions.

With this in mind, remember that this is first and foremost a game intended to provide an enjoyable experience for everybody. This is not a competition, you do not play against each other, but with each other. Every player participates in creating a narrative, a book. There is no such thing as a defeat, and you should be able to ridicule and admire the failure and success of both yourself and your fellow players, regardless of the relation between your in-game countries.

In BoP: Europe 1910, each country has a limited amount of men, not all of which is accessible straight away.
In order to increase the available pool of manpower, mobilisation has to be enacted. There are four levels of mobilisation: Partial, General, Extensive and Total Mobilisation.
General Mobilisation is considered to be the main 'war mode' with certain negative economic influences that will increase over time. Extensive and Total Mobilisation are extreme steps that should be reserved for vital situations, as they have a detrimental effect on the domestic economy and essentially bring the country to a standstill.

War is an open state of hostility between nations with various ramifications for all participants. War can either be announced via a war declaration or not be announced at all. However, most playable countries are already bound to certain codes such as the Hague Convention and the First Geneva Convention and violation of these conventions will probably be met with severe protest by both other countries and your own public and politicians, depending on the circumstances.

Upon winning a war, the victorious party has a multitude of options to choose from:

Full Annexation - The entire losing nation is absorbed into the victor's lands (Easier for small countries, nearly impossible for large Western powers)

Land Concessions and Reparations - The losing party receives peace terms, which may range from small amounts of land being ceded to the victor to war reparations and demilitarisation.

Puppet State - The losing party becomes a puppet state of the victorious party, with their independence and sovereignty severely reduced.

Or anything else that you can come up with.

The losing party of a war also has a multitude of options to choose from:

Surrender - The losing party agrees to any peace terms the victorious party offers them.

Exile - The losing party's government goes into exile with a neighbouring country or ally. The war will remain active, along with hostilities and conflict, should opposing forces remain active on the battlefields. Exiled governments can return to their nations if they win or make great progress or simply feel safe enough to return.

Resistance - (Can only be used if fully annexed or puppeted) The losing party's government goes into hiding, and attacks on the occupying nation will begin. If left unattended the victorious nation might begin to lose control of the newly acquired lands as time goes on, with the nation gaining a chance to regain its sovereignty should the resistance movement prove successful. The likelihood of such success depends on the armament level of the population and actions taken to suppress resistance.

Or anything else that you can think of.

Countries can also support warring nations in different ways:

Declare diplomatic support - Simply publicly display your backing to one side (mainly used to scare/threaten others into not joining)

Supplying - Secretly or publicly sending arms, food, goods etc to a warring party

Allowing volunteers to fight/forming a volunteer corps - secretly/publicly send men that are not politically sent by your nation to fight on one side.

Simply declaring war - Declare war and fight with a warring party.

Or anything else that you can think of. There seems to be a pattern here...

The players are limited to taking broad strategic decisions to fight their wars, in-depth details will simply be used to a degree. Warfare in BoP: 1910 will be decided by rolling of dice, every action has a 50% base chance of success. This figure is changed by modifiers that apply to an action. Players who wish to plan an offensive/defensive strategy, or fight an all-out battle against their enemy must send their plans to the GM via PM.

Plans are key to winning wars so do not be afraid to be detailed in your broad strategies! Detail the movement vectors of your forces, detail the time at which an operation is meant to begin, etc.
If you send a plan which is not meant to be executed yet, please make sure to make this very clear in your private message.

Military actions do not happen in a bubble. If you give orders to attack on the 12th of the month, for example, the enemy player will be informed that an attack is underway after the post period for an update has ended and will be given the option to respond on a broad, strategic level (e.g ‘Move Army IX to Location Y). Naturally, the forces of the enemy player need time to move as well, but this simply a measure that allows players to have more control over their armies.


Logistics are an important part of any war; men need food, clothing, ammunition, blankets amongst others. Most transport methods consist of horse-drawn carriages and railroad (in areas with rails, duh), and most roads were of questionable quality. Placing too many men in an area of limited space will cause a backlog and complicate supply. Troops that cross deserts or freezing areas will require extra time to prepare with special equipment. Your armed forces generally prepare for the most likely conflict scenarios on its own, but you should send plans if you want to execute more complicated operations so that your forces can prepare adequately and stockpile the equipment necessary to execute those operations.


Naval invasions into enemy territory are very risky and need considerable planning. The resources required from your naval and land forces may be great, and once a naval invasion is underway, it is extremely hard to call it off and retreat. Make sure you want to invade and are prepared to do so. Nations with large and powerful navies are obviously better equipped to handle naval invasions and will get an advantage when doing so. If you are ordering a naval landing it will not be carried out instantly, but rather after a considerable amount of planning, usually one or two months.

Naval rules of warfare will be respected, with signed treaties dictating the rules of war and behaviour. Naval blockades against neutral nations are an act of war and must be publically declared, territorial waters extend 20km off your coast, shipping is not to be interfered with. At the outset of 1910, ALL powers ought to respect the rules of stop, search and seizure, if the ship does not comply then you may open fire. You can, of course, ignore these rules and commence unrestricted naval warfare, but other populations will greatly dislike you for it.

Naval landings into friendly territory, such as territory controlled by one's allies, require only a small amount of preparation, planning, and time to initiate.

Favourable terrain may give defenders the advantage, while unfavourable terrain may give defenders/attackers the disadvantage. It is up to you to familiarise yourself with the geography of your areas of operation.

- Most armies are outdated in terms of uniforms, tactics and sometimes equipment. Issuing military reforms can help to modernise your armies but replacing old equipment will progress slowly and can often take up to a year or longer to be completed for the entire military. It should also be noted that many military officials still hold the tactics and uniforms of old in high value, and there could be great resistance from military officials if military reforms are enacted without there being a clear necessity to do so.

Defenders are generally at an advantage versus attackers. It is up to your ingenuity to develop tactics to whittle down the will of your opposition.

Giving your forces time to dig in will strengthen their defensive capabilities, but will make it harder for your generals to react upon flanking manoeuvres. Troops will automatically dig in (on a small scale, specify any greater efforts) where they are left, even if it is a poor position that can be easily flanked or isolated. Give orders for where troops are to hold and contingencies for events that may happen.

Keep in mind that you cannot move your forces around instantaneously and that maneuvres take time, depending on the regional infrastructure.

Battle plans can be split into stages, with each stage being a possible battle should the circumstances allow it. Drastic changes to your battle plans can cause misunderstandings that could be fatal.

Scouts are fast, sneaky units mainly used to show one where his enemy is and what they are doing. Aerial reconnaissance is becoming more crucial as well! Scouting is based on a dice roll, for whether you see anything or nothing, and if you do see something, how much you see.

Your military's professionalism is an important factor in one's victories and defeats. A well-trained, professional, volunteer force will have a great advantage over a force of conscripts. However, the standing army of countries with conscription is similarly capable in skill to a volunteer force. In addition, should nations with a volunteer force decide to enact conscription, their conscripts will be considerably less efficient than those nations with a conscription army.

It is very important to keep the morale of your men in mind. Battles are (usually) not won by killing every enemy on the battlefield, but by crushing their will to fight or creating very unfavourable circumstances, encouraging your enemy to surrender. The size of your army is of secondary nature, and large armies will not guarantee that you win all battles. While it is considerably more difficult to outflank and push back a big force, it is still possible to rout the frontlines. So consider morale when creating your battle plans. You should also avoid making huge tactical mistakes or letting the country fall into destruction, as this will have an effect on the entirety of your army's morale and may affect the country's war enthusiasm as a whole.

Your nation's economy will, for the most part, run itself. Player-intervention will help during times of war to help supplement the needs of the military and people. Some nations have stronger economies and industry than others and this will show as a war begins to strain nations.

Trade is automatic in-game when nations are at peace. However, nations can choose to embargo one another or halt trade whenever they wish. Should trade be halted, it will naturally need to be reopened. Naval trade is vulnerable and can be attacked by hostile raiders.

Each country will have industrial project slots that they can fill as they wish.

These industrial projects can be things such as battleship production, company subsidies (for stockpiling), fortification projects, industrial expansion, railway expansion, and so on.. Time for these projects is at the discretion of the GM, and certain countries will complete projects faster than others due to their economic situation and capabilities.

Different countries will also have a different amount of slots, based on their industrial capabilities. For example, Germany and Britain have six slots, while Serbia has two.
Countries can try to improve their industrial rating and therefore increase their amount of slots by permanently dedicating a project slot or receiving foreign aid for this purpose, this takes considerable time, however.

Countries are able to focus their research on specific tech, with the status of the country determining the amount of research focuses. Major powers receive three focuses, minor powers one.

Every nation in this game has people. Citizens who go about their daily lives, work in the industry and fight their nation's wars. A happy and controlled population is much easier to work with than an unhappy, rebellious population. The placating and control of the civilian population is an important facet of BoP: 1910.

Governments must be careful not to ignore the will of the people (unless, of course, unrest is precisely what the player wishes to achieve), expressed in elections. While most decisions going against elected ideals will not pass parliament in the first place, the governing party will follow the lead of the party leader (so the head of government, generally) to some extent.

Worker Unrest will affect all countries to some degree and is not noteworthy any further. It may get more persistent with time, however, and worsening working conditions will increase the militancy of workers who feel ignored and left behind.

Women’s suffrage (= female voting rights) is also becoming increasingly popular among the female population. The movement gains in size over time, especially towards the middle to late phases of the 1910s. Currently, only the Grand Duchy of Finland has established women’s suffrage, therefore, no playable country has currently implemented women’s suffrage.
There is little one can do to calm this movement other than promising action on female voting rights. However, if you promise but not deliver, women will be very discontent indeed. The male population generally views women’s suffrage negatively, however, certain feats and circumstances might make them view such voting laws more favourable, such as women’s participation in the war effort.