Historic Rp

[Social Democratic Confederation]

We've already talked about an Rp and decided we're both interested.

 

So, I guess the first thing we'll need is a time and a place.

 

I offer: 1750's-1790's? Te gusta?

[Renposa]

May I request to be invited? I'll be good.

[Social Democratic Confederation]

Erm. Beautancus and I are quite a ways away from Renposa. He's taking plot 172 and I'm not so far.

 

I guess if he's ok with it I am too. The distance factor might make things more difficult.

[Beautancus]

Eh- I tend to agree with SDC on this one. It's going to be set at a time when long distance travel wasn't cost effective for large numbers of troops, and the sort of conflict I had in mind was going to be regional -that being at least vaguely Occidental. Maybe in a limited capacity later in the story, some opportunity for mercenaries to play a role might come up, but until then I think it best to keep it "regional."

Edited July 4, 2007 by Beautancus (see edit history)

[Renposa]

Ah Ha ok i'll sit this one out.

[Social Democratic Confederation]

Yaharr... Penny for your thoughts Beau.

[Beautancus]

Well, I do have a few ideas. I have a generalized idea of what was going on in Beautancus around that time- and maybe, just maybe this little conflict could hinge around the last war of Cussian unification? Maybe. If Beautancus' southern-most kingdom/modern province, and that would probably be Kalupsis, were to have commercial ties to the Confederacy of that time- there might be some serious issues to come up when the would-be Emperor of a united Beautancus shows up and eradicates those ties.

 

That's one option. Another might involve a failed community on the part of either nation, invaded by the other. That would allow us to have a place to fight that's rather meaningless in the modern world, but meant a great deal back then. Maybe...I dunno, a tiny island chain used by whalers when returning with loads of blubber- or something. Maybe slavery was a cause, again with the offender being either party.

 

All in all, I imagine this wouldn't be a war on the scale of even the Revolution- but a tense and bloody situation nonetheless.

[Social Democratic Confederation]

Up until the latter half of the 1800's, the Confederation wasn't. Instead it was the Tarent Empire. I have a rather vague picture of anything prior to the coming of the AC and SDC.

 

I had an idea of using the 'triangular trade' aspect of imperialism in this. Say we use plot .31 (island off the west coast) and plot 169. One party controls both. Timber and iron from 169 goes back to the motherland and are made into weapons.

 

Plot .31 has been left behind techonologically and socially (like Africa), it is very divided ethinically and practices the slave-trade. Weapons from said country goes to .31 and encourages the slave-hunters. Slaves from .31 go to 169 to mine and lumber. Materials from there go back to the motherland and the process continues.

 

Until the other country attacks the coast of 169, cutting the other off from it's supply of raw-materials and downing the demand for slaves. The war would go on for a few months, and settle itself with a peace.

 

Perhaps most of the warfare would be raids on coastal towns and sea-skirmishes. But no large marching armies. The war would really end in a draw with the attack unable to take and hold the coast and the defender unable to prevent the raids. Peace is drawn, and histroy is written.

 

Is that any good? It does use your second paragraph above, to an extent.

Edited July 5, 2007 by Social Democratic Confederation (see edit history)

[Beautancus]

Maybe plot 169 is something like the Ohio Valley before the French lost it to the British in the French and Indian War, with trade settlements from both powers already present, though in limited capacities (low colonist populations and little infrastructure) and separated by several hundred miles (making large troop movements difficult and too expensive)? I imagine that Beautancus would abandon these colonies altogether within a generation after the conflict, due to religious strife back home, and a decreased demand for timber, and iron (as both become plentiful with territorial acquisitions in the north).

 

As to the slave trade idea...I have a few different ideas on how to work that. Both of them revolve around the Tarent Empire being the sole lord of Ilse 31. Either, the Cussians might seek to ferment a slave revolt amongst the Tarentines (?) via arming the slaves, or attempting to convert them; or they might attempt to burn the island's capital, after launching a series of diversionary attacks on the chief mainland port (on the coast of plot 169) in the slave trade. I shy away from the Cussians seeking slaves, as the way I have things mapped out in my mind at this point, the Cussians already have a massive population of native, low-caste serfs (as the caste system is still in place during this time) for forced labor, so it would be a bit out of the way to attempt such action as taking slaves from a distant land. That's not to say that the Cussians wouldn't take a temporary slave, or form a forced labor gang if a foe was captured after proving himself to be dishonorable- though castration, and other similarly nasty mutilations would be likely for such a captive.

 

Thoughts?

Edited July 6, 2007 by Beautancus (see edit history)

[Social Democratic Confederation]

Back in this time period... After the Tarent Empire had reached it's limit with taking extra-national territory, its Emperor at the time established about a dozen trade companies, which were given those areas to govern for profit. Sort of like the East India Company.

 

.31 and 169 are owned by separate companies. .31 sells slaves to most of the other companies (169 is important here), who use slave labor to extract profitable resources which they sell in the homeland. The Trade Company mercantile system would have been maintained until The Great Upheaval, which created the Confederation. After which, the new Confederation, not being great fans of mercantilism, would abandon the trade comapnies and their empire, favoring isolationism and nationalism instead of imperialism.

 

More specific to this; 169 being a pseudo-Ohio river valley is a brilliant idea. Few roads, maybe thick forests and hilly terrain make the use of large armies a bad idea. Most Tarenti settlements would be along the coast, as the trade co's rely on the local population and slave labor to do most of the work further inland. Beautancus tries something to disrupt the function of the Trade Companies, which flies as a serious offense to the Imperial Courts back home. They send the navy to take the Cussian possessions on 169. Both whatever the Cussians did and the Tarenti attempt at conquest fail, making this war a total fluke.

 

 

[Beautancus]

Maybe the local populations in plot 169 are distantly related to the Cussians? It would give the Cussians a suitable reason to attempt an intervention...Or maybe a band of Cussian scouts are mistaken for natives, and are taken in captivity? A visiting Cussian trader or noble would recognize them in bondage, and an unsightly incident could blossom into a round of massacre and counter massacre, after which time the conflict proper would begin, with small troop movements and isolated (but fierce) naval battles on the routes between 169 and .31?

[Social Democratic Confederation]

I don't think I have anything else to add

[Beautancus]

Awesome...so when would you like to begin? And who would like to write the first post, or maybe an introductory post? I'd actually kinda like to do the latter- with a brief set-up for both of our nations. That would give us some concrete particulars to run with, and would allow for casual readers to just pick it up and go.

[Social Democratic Confederation]

Go for it. I've got to head off to work in about twenty mintues, and won't be back for eight hours (damn evening shifts).

[Beautancus]

Cool. I'll get my part finished up tonight (maybe) and I'll have a list of particulars for the Tarent Empire waiting for you when you get back, or maybe tomorrow. And I understand about hard shifts: mine starts at 5:25 am, and lasts until about 3:00 or 3:30 pm. That's the earliest I've ever had to be anywhere for anything, and the longest time spent working continuously ever. I'm so ready for college in the fall (again, and for the last semester as a student!). But yes, I'm rambling. It'll get done sometime soon. Gah.

[Beautancus]

Ok, my free time disappeared over the past few days, so apologies for that. I've got most of the stuff done for Beautancus' introduction, such as the Emperor, his major representatives in the area, and a bare-bones structure of the colonies (4 good-sized towns) in the area. I've been coming at this with a date somewhere in the spring of 1784- if that's ok with you. Now what I really need is the information I mentioned above, or post it yourself if you'd like, after I open a new thread in the appropriate past times forum.