ROLL TO NEGOTIATE:
Peace under the Ash
It's 2041, and the Second American Civil War is winding down.
Twelve years ago, in the autumn of 2029, the Yellowstone Supervolcano underwent the most violent geothermal eruption ever seen in human history. The Rocky Mountains were blanketed in in rock and debris, while the High Plains and the American breadbasket of the Midwest were rendered barren by the sunless skies. The Federal Government, which had devoted much of its disaster-preparedness toward mitigating the wild hurricanes savaging the East and Gulf Coasts, was utterly unable to cope with such an enormous catastrophe in the heart of the country. American hegemony vanished almost overnight as the armed forces were pulled in from around the world to assist, to varying degrees of success. The West Coast, cut off from the central government in the east, received the bulk of military aid, with the Mountain West left to languish under the ash. During the scramble to maintain basic law and order in the nation's population centres, economic productivity and civilian life were brought to a near-standstill. With the sun's light blotted out over much of North America, the winter of '30 was extraordinarily harsh, and several million died from starvation and exposure over the following months.
War broke out swiftly and unexpectedly. Riots erupted in the darkened cities of the Rockies and Southwest, some lasting for weeks or months, and the already-fragile governments of many states collapsed - their revolutionary successors immediately declaring secession from Washington. When summer brought a vicious storm to the Gulf, the Southern states followed suit. Texas broke apart, martial law was declared in Florida, and by the end of 2030, nearly half of the United States of America were in open rebellion. The country's diplomatic prestige vanished; conflict spilled over into other countries as the global system struggled to cope with the sudden disappearance of the US from the world stage.
That was eleven years ago. Since then, a series of new governments have claimed control over different portions the former territory of the US - the Old States, as they're known today. The Cascadian Convention, demilitarized and cosmopolitan, holds sway over the Northwest and courts a resurgent and reunified China, while the Sovereign State of Southern California brokers relations with an unsteady Mexico. The New Union, comprised of those states which bore the brunt of the disaster, stretches from Montana to Chihuahua, and claims large portions of the Midwest. The Federal Government of the United States, now better known as the Federal Remnant, nominally holds much of the northeast, but enjoys uncontested control only of a small sliver of land surrounding the Chesapeake. The vast expanse of Texas remains politically fragmented, torn between the Union, Mexico, and the Free States, a confederation of southern states roughly coterminous with the old CSA, who draw their economic power from the many ports along the Gulf Coast. Alaska, uncomfortably close to a militant Russia, willingly transferred its sovereignty to Canada - whose government has served as the perennial arbiter of the decade-long conflict. The center of the country, from Kansas to Ohio, has changed hands many times, and has been reduced to an infertile warzone, with the Open City of Chicago being one of the few oases of civilization in the devastated Great Lakes region.
Necessity has forced the development of many new technologies, both military and civilian. Because US military hardware and personnel - including the nation's nuclear arsenal - were unevenly distributed amongst its successor states, outright use of existing massively-destructive weapons was ruled out from the beginning of the conflict. The Dakotas, center of America's burgeoning drone industry, were one of the earliest hotspots of the civil war, and automated factories sprung up in every region as the war became increasingly roboticized. Where the Union had drones, the Federal Government retaliated with electromagnetic strikes, sending large portions of the country back into the nineteenth century. The Free States enthusiastically pursued a biological weapons program, initiating a series of pandemics across the nation. Cascadia, holding Silicon Valley for much of the war, instigated a brutal campaign of cyberwarfare, preferring to discredit and defame their enemies rather than outright destroy them. Southern California, as one of America's few remaining functional cultural centres, waged a fantastically successful propaganda campaign. Nearly every region researched new means of agriculture, as the entire continent faced an unprecedented food crisis. The United Nations, having fled a flooded New York for Brussels, Belgium, has lobbied aggressively for foreign intervention in the conflict, but has met with little success.
In recent months, the Union has forged a series of alliances with most of her rivals, save the Remnant, and launched an aggressive two-pronged offensive on Washington, with ground support from the Free States. In an effort to prevent a bloodbath, Canada, with assistance from some UN troops, has occupied an anarchic New England to force the various belligerents to the negotiating table at a Peace Conference in Toronto.
That's where you come in.What's going on here?It's
Twenty Minutes into the Future, and you're in the
Divided States of America. Each of you are diplomats sent on behalf of one of the new states of North America. Your goals vary wildly, and most of them are incompatible with one another, but the only alternative is massacre without end - so here you are.
How does this work?Below, you'll see a character sheet form. It's very simplistic, but the choices you make will determine what you (and your home state) want out of the peace conference, and how much clout and diplomatic prestige you have to achieve it with. Each motion is voted on by the entire assembled diplomatic corps - there are many more diplomats at this conference than there are players, so this "vote" is represented by a d6 roll.
1 or less: The motion is rejected out of hand. Your state's Prestige drops by 2. If your roll is modified to be less than 1, your Prestige drops by 3 instead. Your nation may have Powers stripped.
2: The motion is rejected, and your state's Prestige drops by 1.
3: The motion is considered, with many qualifications. You can deny the new motion on your next turn, and suffer -1 prestige.
4: The motion is considered, with some qualifications. You can deny the new motion on your next turn, and suffer -1 prestige.
5: The motion is adopted, and your state's Prestige increases by 1.
6 or higher: The motion is adopted enthusiastically. Your state's Prestige increases by 2. If your roll is modified to be greater than 6, your Prestige increases by 3 instead. Your nation is very likely to gain a new Power.
When you post, you may either outline a
motion to propose or a
power to use, or both in some cases, and roll a d6. This is the
raw roll and does not immediately indicate the motion's success or failure. Other players then post with other motions, and you are free to make fluff posts commenting on the proposals, or use an appropriate power if you haven't yet done so that round - however, you may propose no more motions. After a time, I will make a post adding up the motions' rolls, their proposing nations' prestige, and the plausibility I have determined for them. Their
final value, as on the scale above, determines their fate, and the round ends as Prestiges are updated and new powers are distributed. If the final roll for a motion proposed by your nation is a 3 or a 4, you may, on your next turn, deny it before making a new motion.
If you are posting for the first time, include a character bio, using the sheet below.
Motions are the primary action you may take on your turn. There are no strict rules for the motions that may be proposed, but unilaterally demanding concessions may result in your motion having a low Plausibility value (see below). A successful motion likely includes an offer to one or more other state.
Prestige is an attribute held by all playing nations/states, starting at different levels for different nations. If multiple players hail from the same nation, they share a Prestige value. Prestige acts as a modifier - Prestige/3, rounded down, is added to your d6 rolls. Prestige is raised or lowered by your rolls, as above, and can also be modified by some special powers. If you have a high prestige value, you can propose less-plausible motions with a higher chance of success.
Plausibility is the other modifier on dice rolls, and acts much like a circumstance bonus. Many actions have a plausibility of 0 - i.e., their plausibility does not modify the roll at all. However, motions that are very unreasonable ("Southern California demands control of the entire West Coast") may have a negative plausibility, and very forgiving motions ("The Free States offer Mexico the whole of Texas in exchange for a trade deal") may have positive plausibility. Except in extreme cases, plausibility will range from -3 to +3. If you make a motion offering something your state does not possess, it will very likely have a negative plausibility. Proposing high-plausibility motions is a good way to recover from low prestige.
Powers are special actions you can take on your turn. Powers usually replace the chance to make a motion, but some powers can be used alongside them. Some states, especially those with low starting prestige, may have access to some powers at the beginning of the game, but most powers are obtained from successful motions. Powers may require a d6 roll, or may not.
THE STATESNew UnionCAPITAL: NEW DENVERLARGEST CITY: PHOENIXHEAD OF GOVERNMENT: PRIME EXECUTOR S. THURSDAYComprised of the first states to leave the United States, the New Union is the oldest secessionist government still functioning. Having risen to power on a revolutionary tide of anger and unrest, the Union has a reputation for radicalism and aggressive expansion. With a highly centralized government and powerful, mechanical military, it is one of the more powerful and diplomatically agile governments party to the Peace Conference, but is also one of the least democratic. The leadership in New Denver is often split over petty power squabbles, occasionally destabilizing their ability to negotiate.
Starting Prestige: 4
Starting Power(s):
- INTERNAL CONTRADICTION: If another Union diplomat has proposed a motion this round, you may sacrifice your turn to automatically reject it. Union Prestige drops by 1, but you automatically gain +2 plausibility on your next proposed motion.
Goals: The Union seeks to replace the Federal Government as the dominant power in North America as their primary diplomatic and strategic goal. Additionally, they resent foreign influence in the form of the United Nations, as well as Chinese, Russian, and Canadian influence, and seek to counter it wherever possible. Finally, they wish to deny any and all war crimes they have committed during the course of the civil war. They are primarily motivated by revenge.
CAPITAL: SEATTLEHEAD OF STATE: CONSUL C. BRYCEConsisting of pre-war Washington, Oregon, and much of Northern California, the Cascadian Convention was formed as a breakway government from another secessionist state, the SSSC. Disagreeing with their southern neighbours over a range of issues, including ownership of the US Seventh Fleet, they have broken away and remained largely unharmed by the natural disasters wrecking the rest of the nation. High technology thrives here, and the Cascadian Consulate, their collective leadership, has reached out to China and Russia with significant success. They enjoy a strong standing with the international community, and have spent much of the war passive, avoiding a brutal conflict over the Nevada and Utah between California and the Union.
Starting Prestige: 5
Starting Power(s):
Goals: The Convention favours the status quo. As producers of a great deal of advanced technological goods, they push for measures that rehabilitate America's ability to purchase and consume electronic wares. They support foreign intervention in the war and in general, and also seek to implement environmentally-friendly policy, however they remain strongly opposed to any proposal to reintegrate with another American state. They are primarily motivated by their independence and relatively weak position without foreign backers.
CAPITAL: SAN DIEGOHEAD OF STATE: GOVERNOR P. ALDRITCHComprised of pre-war California south of Sacramento, the SSSC casts itself as the glitzy, glittering bastion of Old States culture. In reality, the entire region is beset by deep class divisions, exacerbated by a severe water shortage throughout much of the state. Their leadership, intertwined with the film and media industries, seeks to preserve their up-scale way of life while holding back the growing dissent plaguing their region. They are extraordinarily dependent on the weak state of Mexico's government, which allows a thriving illegal drug market to persist, and cheap labor to be imported from across the border.
Starting Prestige: 1
Starting Power(s):
- SMEAR CAMPAIGN: You use your turn to reduce another state's Prestige by [d6]/2. Your own Prestige is reduced by 1.
Goals: The Sovereign State seeks recognition of their sovereignty, and preservation of the tributary relationship they have established with the Mexican Government. Their leadership, which is extraordinarily corrupt, seeks to preserve its exterior image and decadent lifestyle, while preventing an uprising amongst their lower-class citizens. They are motivated primarily by stability.
CAPITAL: ATLANTAHEAD OF STATE: PRESIDENT O. BLAIRA loose confederation of southern states, the Free States are defined by the stark divide between civilian and military quality of life. Ravaged by biological warfare, the South's main advantage is their control of the Gulf Coast, from which they can acquire the goods needed to keep their country running. Their use of biological agents has reduced their standing in the international community considerably.
Starting Prestige: -1
Starting Power(s):
- NEW STRAIN: Use this power while making a motion. By "complete accident", a new strain of a potent biological weapon appears in the population, damaging your infrastructure but attracting the sympathies of other states. Your prestige drops by 2, but you can add 3 to your plausibility for this round.
Goals: The Free States' leadership is comprised of a council of Governors, headed by a very weak president. As such, their interests tend to be provincial and inconsistent. Prioritize the interests you give in your character bio. The Free States are motivated primarily by individualism.
Not available for diplomats yet.Open City of ChicagoNot available for diplomats yet.Character SheetName:
Gender:
Age:
State:
General Bio:
Personal Goals:
Author
Topic: Roll to Negotiate: A Diplomatic Adventure (Read 2135 times)