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Almalexia

Her Flamboyance, the Calipha
Duke
Hello Taleworlds! I apologize for the delay folks, I had some things to get out of the way before this got started, but here we are! Unfortunately, I've had some issues getting a map but I'll have one available as soon as possible. First, let me introduce you to the alternate world of Balance of Power: 1955.



BALANCE OF POWER: 1955

welthauptstadt_germania_by_manzanedo-d68ui7y.jpg

INTRODUCTION​

The year is 1955. Today marks the 10th anniversary of the end to the most destructive war in the history of civilization. Ten years ago to the day, the world changed forever in the glare of nuclear fire, first on VR Day (Victory over Russia), followed by the final conclusion of large scale combat after VA Day (Victory over America). What has resulted is the emergence of a new order, almost unrecognizable from where the world stood in 1939 as the Second World War began: for the Axis won the war. This is a new world, of crumbling European Empires replaced by new hegemons of ideology, one of nuclear weapons and jet power, and of proxy wars and power blocs formed from the competition of once staunch allies. Today we remember the past, commemorating either with celebration and victory parades and toasts of triumph, or marking the last days of defeat and of shattered nations, but all recall the lives lost in the dark days of the World Wars. And perhaps, take them as portent of the lives yet to be lost in the wars to come, their origins ignited even as the last war ended. But all of us look to the gleaming chrome future in this new world, and for some, to the stars beyond. 

GAME BASICS​

Welcome to BoP: 1955! The Balance of Power: 1955 game is set in a world very similar to ours as it stood in the 1950s, and yet so radically different. Our world is one where the worst has come to pass: the Axis has won the Second World War. And yet, the world lives and attempts to move on. The game is, beyond its alternate-history setting, best described as semi-historical, borrowing a number of elements from diesel/decopunk as well as references to classic film and media (as well as some more recent inspirations). But it is a world of competition, and this plays out in many fronts beyond the battlefield, as nations and empires compete for ideological supremacy, hone the cutting edge of technology (discovering technologies even beyond the achievements of the real world), and ultimately look skywards to spread their influence beyond the Earth.

Overall, a 'victory' through hegemony can be achieved through multiple means, either by military conquest, ideological domination, or through victory in the Space Race, as humanity begins its long journey towards the stars.

Preferably I'd like to keep a max of around 15 players, but I can reconsider if there are strong candidates still interested in the game. Below are a list of recommended nations available for play, but if you'd like upon request you can select other nations.

RECOMMENDED NATIONS

Major Powers:
The United States of America (Superpower)
The German Third Reich (Superpower)
Federated Republic of India
Kingdom of Italy
Empire of Japan (Superpower)
The Soviet Union

Regional Powers:
Brazil
Canada (And the Free British Commonwealth in Exile)
Free China
Imperial Government of Great Britain
Empire of Persia
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Fascist Spain
Kingdom of Siam
Republic of Turkey
French State​



COUNTRY REQUEST TEMPLATE

Everyone gets three options for their country, ordered by preference with number one being the most preferred! To submit, simply post your choices following the format in the thread, so everyone can see others choices and adjust according to their own wishes and according to the competition for any one country. Once a suitable number of applicants have put in their requests, the countries will be allocated based first upon prior experience in Balance of Power games, and secondly based upon player preference. For my reference, please post your experience in previous Balance of Power games. After about a week, or once I feel a good amount of players are accepted, I'll announce country allocations and open the main thread with all the details and mechanics of play.

YOUR NAME:
1. (Country Name)
2. (Country Name)
2. (Country Name)

Previous BoP Experience (if any):

COHOST APPLICATIONS:

If anyone is interested in co-hosting the BoP:1955 game with me, as this is my first time hosting a Balance of Power game I would certainly appreciate it! While I'm confident I can handle hosting myself, assistance in reports and/or country card processing is always appreciated, so if you're interested just send me a personal message and if I'm interested in taking on a co-host I'll let you know!
 
The World on the Eve of the 10th Anniversary of World War 2
The Political Geography of Balance of Power 1955​

GERMANY:
The German Third Reich, as the arbiter of the end of the Second World War and the resultant peace, stands at the apex of its power. Through blitzkrieg it has conquered wide swathes of territory in Europe, and as of August 15th, 1955, it controls territory comprising the former countries of Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania), the Low Countries (the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg), Norway, Denmark, northern France, and essentially the whole of European Russia and its former Republics up to the Ural Line. But well beyond this, it holds under its sway through allied or puppet governments almost the whole of the remaining Balkan states, Vichy France, and the Imperial Government of Great Britain, comprising the Home territories of Great Britain, and with variable authority over the remaining French and British colonies.

AMERICA:
The Last Bastion of the Free World, the United States of America's territory still corresponds by and large with its borders in the modern day, though in terms of influence there are some key differences. Following the Fall of Europe, and particularly the collapse of Britain and the establishment of the Free British Commonwealth government in exile in Canada, the United States took a much more aggressive stance on the Monroe Doctrine, placing troops in Canadian territory and assuming control of some of Britain's island territories and fortifications off the Canadian coast. After a similar arrangement was rejected by the Mexican government, an American expedition replaced the government there with a much more closely aligned and compliant leadership. Not very long after the end of World War 2, this doctrine spread across most of the Americas under US leadership, attempting to seal themselves off and secure the two continents as the bastion of democracy.

JAPAN:
The Great Japanese Empire, operating under the aegis of the East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere, was the second biggest winner following the conclusion of World War 2. Their territorial conquests span the Pacific Coast, having wrested land from free nations and colonial possessions alike. As of 1955, their territory corresponds roughly with the nations of Korea, Manchuria, Nationalist China (excluding Tibet and the Central Asian territories), Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Burma, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, and innumerable Pacific islands and atolls. Beyond even this intimidating list of conquered trophies, it also has concession rights in Bombay, Darwin, Sydney, and Hawaii, the latter of which has been declared a demilitarized zone with broad autonomy rights and strong influence from the Japanese consulate.

THE SOVIET UNION:
Following the nuclear devastation of Moscow by Luftwaffe bombers, and the death and subsequent collapse of most of the High Command, followup offenses along the Ostfront led to the disintegration of the Red Army rivaled only by the losses sustained during Barbarossa. The subsequent occupation of all Soviet territory up to the Ural mountain chain followed up military collapse with a mass forced exodus of almost all civilians considered “Slavic” by the German Reichskommisariat to make way for the resettlement of European Russia by German settlers. What remained to the Soviet Union was the vast, then largely empty, expanses of Siberia, and while much of its industry had been moved beyond the Urals it had lost much of its capacity to feed its population. Nonetheless, under the leadership of Stalin, who miraculously survived the nuclear bombings of the capital (though rumored to have been brutally disfigured by the fallout, as he has made few appearances since the fall of the West) a remarkable new society has been built from the ground up in Siberia, utilizing at last its vast if remote resources to build a whole new nation, concentrated along the great river valleys of the land. While tens of millions have been lost, either dead or suffering in slave labor behind enemy lines in the homeland, the Soviet Union remains and continues a long and determined war against their most bitter enemy.

ITALY:
The third of the tripartite victors of the Second World War, despite many blunders and false-starts in its war efforts, which earned the still continuing disdain of its erstwhile allies, the Italian Empire through great effort managed to reform and build itself into a power of its own right. While still dependent on German assistance until the end of the war, through profits and experience earned through conquests it has become a much more competent force by 1955 than it was ten years ago. While Germany contented itself with continental conquests, Italy expanded itself through the old game of colonization, and while an increasingly archaic strategy it has thus far paid off. The Empire of Italy consists of the territories of Yugoslavia, Greece, and Albania in Europe, and overseas has expanded its empire from Libya into Tunisia, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the whole of the Horn of Africa. While its complete ambitions in Africa were frustrated by the settlement of peace with the main colonial powers of France and Britain, the relative weakness of these states leaves the possibility of future conquest deeper into the Dark Continent a possibility.

INDIA:
The last and the newest of the great powers in 1955, India is an up and comer as well as the most prominent member of the informal association of non-aligned states, though its independent status leaves it subject to the intense competition of influence by the major ideological blocs. Made independent not long before the end of the war following the crippling of the British fleet at Scapa Flow, and Imperial Japanese successes in Burma, the Federated Republic of India comprises of the whole territory of the former British Raj, including both India and Pakistan. However, its united image is underlaid with a kaleidoscope of territories and courts belonging to the Indian maharajas, rajas, and princes, who still hold considerable sway in the country, as well as an increasing friction between Muslims and Hindus which has been boiling for decades if not centuries.

SECONDARY POWERS:

IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT OF BRITAIN:
Formed by the remaining government members who did not flee the country following the surrender to the Third Reich, and Germany's sponsored candidates in the Parliament, the Imperial Government of Britain has been responsible for the governance and rebuilding of the isles of Great Britain since the end of the war. While erstwhile independent, with its own governing institutions and at least the pretense of democracy, Germany still operates much behind the curtains, and in addition maintains a number of strategic special military governance zones through Great Britain, including the city center of London. Nonetheless, despite limited control over the government at home, life goes on and the sun still never sets on the Empire, for the London government still retains official control over the remaining colonies, though it must vie with the influence of the Free British government in Canada over the main settler colonies in South Africa and Australia. The last decade has been marked as hard times in the isles, but they remain one of the foremost remaining empires of Europe.

CANADA AND THE FREE BRITISH COMMONWEALTH:
After the collapse of the war effort in Europe and the impending landing of German occupation troops on the British Isles, many members of Parliament, including Winston Churchill, opted to leave the country and reform the government in Canada. The Free British Commonwealth, also known as the Ottawa Government, sought to continue resistance against Germany and return democracy to Great Britain: however, following the detonation of a non-nuclear V3 missile over New York City as a demonstration of Germany's capabilities and the ensuing panic, support for the war plummeted in their main benefactor, the United States. Not long afterwards, in response to the alarming expansion of the Axis powers and their continuing threat, the United States turned from an ally to a hegemon as it strong-armed troops and other concessions in violation of Canada's sovereignty. Nonetheless, the Canadian government and the Free British Commonwealth continue efforts to influence and restore control over its former colonies, and they have never given up on their goal of returning to their homeland on the British isles.

VICHY FRANCE
After the end of the war and the subsequent Axis victory, the peace conference in Berlin confirmed the existing territorial settlements brought on by the war, leaving France bisected and stripped of its ownership of its colonies in the Far East. Nevertheless, while the German occupation zone continued in the North, the de jure capital returned to Paris, the heart of the French nation, and while forces in the Metropole are kept limited, France retains some measure of pride in its Foreign Legions and its navy, which after the sinking of the bulk of the Royal Navy's strength at Scapa Flow, the French Navy is now the largest in Europe. Both are put to the test in the retaining of its remaining colonies, as nationalist movements in Africa and its concessions in South East Asia (Indochina, while under the control of Japan, is still administered by the colonial administration set up by France and its bureaucrats, and as such retains some rights in those territories) are compounded by the ambitions of the Italians. However, through the machinations of its leaders it has thus managed to maintain its sovereignty by playing off the fears and ambitions of the victorious Axis Powers, and can stand to rise again if its cards are played right.

FREE CHINA
Less a country and more a disparate collection of parties and organizations bound together by a shared cause of resistance, the Chinese Resistance is the longest fighting party in the world, having fought the Japanese for the past thirty years, and each other for the past forty. Composed of the People's Liberation Army under the Communist Party, remnant nationalist forces, local militias, foreign volunteers, freedom fighters, ethnic resistance groups, mercenaries, warlords, jihadis, even bandit armies, what Free China lacks in organization, it makes up for in conviction and experience. Regional strongholds and refuges dot the Western part of the country, with the most influence in Yunnan, Xinjiang, and Tibet, but there are networks all across the country, either in open resistance or waiting as sleeper cells. However, a three decade long war has gradually worn down its ability to fight and moral across the board is low, even as the New Qing government wallows in corruption and inefficiency, and weapons and munitions are growing increasingly scarce under Japanese weapon embargo. But while many Chinese have traded sovereignty for security, the cause for a free China may be reignited, if only given a spark and a leadership capable of fanning it into an inferno. All they need is the right chance.
 
YOUR NAME: Epicrules
1. Imperial Government of Great Britain
2. Vichy France
3. Switzerland. If Switzerland does not exist, Italy.

Previous BoP Experience (if any): BoP Lite 478 BC, Serva.
 
YOUR NAME: Pixel
1. Fascist Spain
2. Republic of Turkey
3. Free China

Previous BoP Experience (if any): ... like 9/10 bops since they started on this forum. I've hosted two and am hosting one.
 
JhnKing
1. Canada (And the Free British Commonwealth in Exile)
2. Imperial Government of Great Britain
3. Empire of Persia

Edit - Whoops, forgot the name!
 
I shouldn't, but I will. Also, I need a MAP! What's a BoP without a map? I refuse to recognize this BoP officially without a map. Maps are the entirety of the BoP experience! :sad:

1. Saudis
2. India
3. Brazil

Previous BoP Experience: It's been a long list, friend.
 
Grimmend

1. Japan
2. India
3. Siam

BoP Experience:
Eternal-1935: Cuba
Austupaio-2025: Greece
Lascivo-1750: Knights of Malta
Dodes-270: Achaea
Elisianthus-Kandallan: Realm of Kirdan
PoP-1919: Japan
Moose-Interregnum: Daggerfall
HULKSMASH-1700: Ottoman Empire
PoP-Conquistadors: Hernan Cortez
PoP-Serva: Dracona
 
Eternal said:
I shouldn't, but I will. Also, I need a MAP! What's a BoP without a map? I refuse to recognize this BoP officially without a map. Maps are the entirety of the BoP experience! :sad:

1. Egypt.
2. Saudis.
3. India.

Previous BoP Experience: It's been a long list, friend.

Again, sorry about that, things have been tied up in that regard by midterm week.
 
YOUR NAME: Benno Maximus
1. German Third Reich
2. United States
3. Soviet Union

Previous BoP Experience (if any):
1919 - Denmark
Interregnum - Colovian Estates
1700 - Denmark-Norway
War in Acadia - Top British commander
1815 - Netherlands
 
YOUR NAME:Arcadius
1. The German Third Reich
2. Free China
3. Kingdom of Italy

Previous BoP Experience:
BoP: 1945
BoP: 270 BC
BoP: Kandallan
BoP: Dacralia
BoP: Interregnum
BoP: 1815
BoP-Lite: 478 BC
BoP: Serva
 
MaHuD
1. 3rd Reich
2. Empire of Japan
3. Kingdom of Italy

previous bop experience;
Dodes 1945 Netherlands
Riflemerc's 2025 Canada
Eternal's 1935 Netherlands
Leoven's Fantasy Gardon Ext
Kazzan's Fantasy Karackis
Barny's Zombe Survival
Austupaio's 2025 netherlands
Lascivo's 1750 Netherlands
Dodes' 270 BC Batavia
Elisianthus' Fantasy Kandallan Ezrebit
Leoven's Aedin Tytania
Pimple_Of_Pixel's Alt-1919 Netherlands
Gaham's Alt-1800
Austupaio's Dacralia Herszchlig
BenKenobi's Starfleet 2 Martian vessels
HULKSMASH's BoP: 1700  Netherlands
Kazzan's Lords & Lands Myath
Pixel's Serva Warlord

 
YOUR NAME: McLovin
1. The Soviet Union
2. Fascist Spain
2. Imperial Government of Great Britain

Previous BoP Experience (if any): I'm currently in BoP: 1915 on the FSE Forums, and I have been for about a month or two, but I don't know if the game is the same. Please excuse me if I'm noobish.
 
Odyseuss

1. Canada
2. Soviet Union
3. Kingdom of Italy

Previous Experience:
1935, 270 BC, 1750, Kandallan, 1919, Interregnum, 1700, 1815, Serva and I hosted my own BoP-Lite, War in Acadia.
 
As an update in case you missed it, I've posted descriptions of all major nations and any countries with notably different borders (or otherwise extraordinary circumstances requiring explanation) in the second post. I'd encourage everyone to read it over, and if you'd like to switch nations feel free (or let me know if you'd like to inquire for information on any other nation) just let me know with a post here. Otherwise I'll be working on nation allocations in the next couple days, and start working on country cards.

*EDIT*

Another update! Hulksmash has generously offered to create the map for this BoP, we'll be departing from the norm and going with a highly stylized Art-Deco style, though with its bold lines there should be no problem with reading the map and the advances of the front lines. Player countries will be bold, colorful, and prominent so it'll be easy to keep track of your borders and the expansion of others.
 
Alright, application time is closing! If anyone was on the fence about joining, you have until midnight EST to put in your application, otherwise I'll begin allocating nations and working on country cards! The main thread will be up in a tentative week, but we'll see how things go with my time and progress on the map and other art assets. And for everyone who has already applied or given their well-wishes, thank you for the support.  :grin:
 
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