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[CubeJackal]

The year is 1978. In a world not entirely dissimilar to our own, the small sub-tropical nation of Larenza is wracked by internal strife. The country's former president was killed in his sleep by an unidentified band of assailants, and the leaders of the nation's armed forces were quick to fill the power vacuum. The precious Larenzan ideals of democracy and free expression were quickly quashed in the generals' bid to solidify their power, using the soldiers at their command to terrorise the populace into accepting their rule. The once-proud country now seems doomed to decades under the heel of a harsh military junta... unless you step in.

This'll be an RTD for four players, in which each player acts as the founder and de-facto commander of their own resistance cell, with the eventual goal of overthrowing the hated military government of Larenza with both popular support and force of arms. Direct military confrontation would be suicidal at first, so you'll have to build up your forces and support with subservise guerilla operations until you're ready to face the enemy head-on. Alliances and feuds may form between the four factions freely, but only one commander can eventually become the new president. In addition, foreign interests may choose to aid either you or the reigning government, depending on your actions and ideals.

Each commander will begin the game with their headquarters already established in the distant hinterlands of Larenza, along with a modest stock of weapons and other supplies and a small band of supporters. It's important to use these scant starting resources wisely in order to achieve long-term success - a direct attack on a military base may be intimidating, but it would be wiser to curry popular support and conduct ambushes in order to build a stable power base.

Existing NPC factions:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The Larenzan Armed Forces are the subservient pawns of your arch nemeses, the generals who currently hold your country in an iron grip. Exorbitant taxes and existing state funds have been funneled into turning the formerly-weak national military into a modern, threatening fighting force, well-adapted to battle in Larenza's creeping jungles and usually backed up by mechanised and airborne units. Their command structure, however, is packed with greedy, self-serving and incompetent officers who were gifted their ranks in return for their support to the government. They will never assist or negotiate with rebel factions except in the most dire of circumstances, but will compete with them for the favour of the external powers.

The Western Federation is a powerful, democratic nation and a long-standing proponent of the ideals of free determination and the right to vote - at least, as long as it leads to a favourable outcome for them. Having been locked in an indirect power feud with the Eastern Union for the better part of the last two decades, they are actively searching for any front to oppose their rival's interests on. They are more liable to lend support to factions who promise to install democratic, liberal regimes in Larenza, and will also be more inclined to aid factions who oppose those supported by the Eastern Union.

The Eastern Union is a huge, socialist state, with military and economic power rivalling that of the Western Federation. They champion the interests of the people of the land - as long as it's their people, on their land, which they keep tight control of. They are every bit as desperate for an edge in the international theatre as the Western Federation, and will attempt to curb the progress of their more democratic opponent wherever possible. They are more favourable towards socialist, collectivist factions that mirror their own philosophies, and will be more willing to support factions that publicly oppose those backed by the Western Federation.

The Central Concordat is a loose collection of the formerly-powerful sovereign states that ruled much of the world back in the colonial era - indeed, it was a nation from the Central Concordat that originally laid claim to the landmass that eventually became Larenza. In this modern era, their policies focus primarily around increasing their capital and trying to establish some modicum of renewed control over the now-crumbled empires they once commanded. They are largely uninvolved in the ongoing feud between the other two major powers, only choosing a side whenever it benefits their members directly. They are more interested in supporting stable, authoritarian factions that are capable of putting a permanent end to Larenza's instability, and will also be more amicable to supporting factions that promise open trade and access to foreign investment.

Character Sheet:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Commander Name:
Faction Name:
Faction Ideology (socialist, democratic, authoritarian, etc.):
Additional Info (more about your commander, why they started a rebel faction, etc.):

[NJW2000]

Commander Name: Sebastien Cortes
Faction Name: The Knights Faragan
Faction Ideology: Very Authoritarian, semi-Royalist
Additional Info: A bitter opponent of democracy, Sebastien Cortes was third in line to a backward monarchy in an even smaller nearby nation, Farago. An excellent public speaker, though short and more sickly than handsome, he promises his followers a strong autocratic leadership, based on a royal bloodline. He claims to have been crown prince and heir to Farago, before his father was deposed by an Eastern-Union sponsored insurrection and a socialist state was created. He also lays claim to the crown of Larenza, through an unlikely and distant historical shared relation. He came to Larenza after seeing his hopes of Faragan leadership removed entirely, hoping to take advantage of the strained and mercurial political situation and install himself as monarch, before recapturing Farago with the easily stonger military of Larenza, and starting a Larenza-Faragan dynasty. He promises close supporters positions of power in the supposedly democratic government he plans to create to help him rule. In his speeches if not his policies, he rails against injustice, the socialist threat to democracy, the corruption and infighting in Larenza, and society's modern lack of morals.

Overall, Sebastien is populist and crowd-pleasing, a delicate man but one given to strong emotional outbursts and dramatic, extreme actions.


Is inventing "Farago" OK, if I promise never to involve it?

This looks great, btw, and with three responses in less than an hour, I reckon you could definitely be selective with player choice.

[Atian the Elephantman God]

Commander Name: Atian Krado
Faction Name: Drakieng Brotherhood
Faction Idealogy:Socialist Authoritarian Republic
Additional Info: Atian is an expert Guerilla Warfare tactician he was forced to join a Special Ops Squad from a young age and trained for the Corrupt Larzenza Militaristic Government, but after completing a mission his squadron was betrayed by the government and everyone but him died in the "accident"! Atian wanted revenge and capturing everyone that was involved, turning it into a Faction along the way to overthrow the government and establish a nation that would make sure its citizens are safe!

[Harry Baldman]

Commander Name: Colleague Pallas
Faction Name: the Low Bureau
Faction Ideology: anarcho-syndicalist, though Colleague Pallas would decry such a description as lacking in imagination
Additional Info: pending

[Dustan Hache]

Commander Name: Durab Valen
Faction Name: The Larenzan Republic
Faction Ideology: Democratic Republic with a Capitalist belief.
Additional Info: A party with a deep seated longing to return to the old way, as their president had ruled. They are for the people, by the people with no one person leading. The head commander was one of a few loyal Sargents under the president's former lead. He was promptly discharged after the power grab, and, being one of the few with immediate military expertise, was immediately put in charge of the movement with a set of three advisors.

[Fniff]

Commander Name: Agent Wilhelm Zemendek
Faction Name: The Dead Hand
Faction Ideology (socialist, democratic, authoritarian, etc.):
Zemendek claims The Dead Hand follows 'Zemendekism'. His definition of what it is depends on the listener and is tailored to appeal to their beliefs and biases. In reality Zemendekism is the political version of fast-talk; it sounds like something real but is in fact entirely meaningless.
Additional Info (more about your commander, why they started a rebel faction, etc.): Wilhelm Zemendek was a foreign spy for one of Larenza's rival nations. However, when the government dissolved after a pyrric victory against Larenza, he was humiliated and left without a home. He entered a deep depression and came out of it with a vision. He would found a rebel group that would have no motive except to run Larenza into the ground. 'Dead Hand' was his former nation's plan for a revenge strike if it was destroyed by a nuclear attack. Zemendek finds it a fitting name.

[CubeJackal]

Is inventing "Farago" OK, if I promise never to involve it?

(Yeah, that's perfectly fine.)


Sebastien Cortes:
After months of preparation, you and the stalwart soldiers of the Knights Faragan are ready to begin your bid for control of the country. With a few fellow Faragan nationals and some disparate Larenzans at your side, you have enough soldiers for two squads, and enough surplus Concordat-made T1B1 SLR assault rifles to arm them all. You currently operate from a poorly-camouflaged, run-down farmhouse in the north of the country. Northern Larenza is the most populated section of the nation, with many of the jungles having been cut back and replaced with farmland and settlements. Two small farming villages exist near your encampment, and with LAF patrols in the area being light, you could risk open operations in them.

Atian Krado:
You and your Drakieng Brotherhood have managed to appropriate a long-abandoned LAF observation post in the east of Larenza as your base of operations. Two squads of LAF deserters and socialist-inclined proles abet your budding movement, and each is armed with a well-worn Union-made AV-49 assault rifle. The east of the nation is lined in totality by a coast leading out to the South Atlantean Ocean, with a few important port cities and military harbours punctuated by fishing villages and inland towns. The LAF are careful about protecting these lifelines to the external world despite the junta's restrictive policies on foreign trade, but establishing control over even a fishing village would make receiving external aid very simple.

Durab Valen:
With you at the helm, the Larenzan Republic is ready to stake its claim on the nation's throne. Working out of a defunct logging mill deep in the infamous western Larenzan jungle, your two squads of military deserters and democratically-inclined farmers are ready to defend themselves with their rusty Federation-made N18 assault rifles. Western Larenza is a sparsely-populated segment of the country, covered primarily by overgrown trees that the nation's primitive logging industry has made little headway into. There are very few major cities or military installations to speak of, so gathering support and materials between the spaced-out LAF outposts and jungle villages shouldn't be a huge problem.

Wilhelm Zemendek:
Now that you've hewn out a home in a formerly-collapsed mining complex, the Dead Hand is ready to cause some trouble in the already-unstable nation it will one day call its own. You're assisted by two squads of fellow extremists, criminals and angry townsfolk, wielding a variety of assault rifles from different nations. Southern Larenza has historically been the least stable chunk of the country, with all sorts of rebels and ne'er-do-wells passing through its winding valleys and rolling mountains since the ancient days of Concordat rule. Made up mostly of highlands, the majority of the region's populace work in the many mines and quarries that are present. As the needs of the military-industrial complex grow faster under the generals' rule, more people are herded into purpose-built 'mining cities' that are tightly guarded by the LAF while under construction. However, it shouldn't be a challenge to get to an old mining town, or ambush a convoy in the region's many labyrinthine mountain valleys.

San Sarunal, the once-proud capital of Larenza, sits in the dead centre of the country, between the four cardinal sectors. LAF presence is at its most intense here, but gradually ramps down the closer you get to the borders.

The soon-to-exist conflict in Larenza has yet to attract any attention from the international theatre, though the new government is having a tough time making friends in the hegemonic factions of the world. The Federation decries the junta's poor treatment of its people and seizure of control by force, while the Union laments the government's single-minded focus on military industries and continuation of unhealthy capitalist policies that were implemented by the former president. The Concordat, meanwhile, resents San Sarunal's protectionist trade policites and rejection of foreign trade, as well as the government's refusal of external envoys or embassies.

For all intents and purposes, the potentially long and bloody war for Larenza begins here. Choose your first actions wisely, commanders.

[Fniff]

(Nice touch that my Bond villain gets a sprawling underground complex as a base.)
Order my troops, in disguise of course, to nail this proclamation/recruitment drive onto a nearby mining town's noticeboard, preferably one with a crime problem.

"Brothers and sisters of Larenza,
our once-venerated nation has fallen into chaos and disrepair. This district has suffered under the new regime, regardless of how well-intentioned it is. Bandits stalk the mountains while criminals pull strings in the local council.
But we're here to help.
We will watch your crops and drive out poachers. We will guard the passes and protect the travelers. We will help the village and restore the nation to glory.
If you wish to join us on our holy quest to drive out the wolves among the sheep, your first test is thus:
find us."

[Dustan Hache]

First off, Lets see if the sawmill has any supplies we can use. If we can get it running again, we can establish a fort or at least some defenses and proper housing. I assign this task to the squad of farmers.

Meanwhile, my fellow soldiers have the wonderful yet dangerous job of scouting out the area for nearby villages or other establishments. I split the squad up into four groups of three, and send them off.

If I have any other knowledge of geography or items related to it, I attempt to locate the nearest border.

[TheBiggerFish]

Oooh, PTW.

(Darn it how did I miss this.)

[Playergamer]

PTW.

(Damnit.)

[CubeJackal]

One important thing I forgot to make clear: if you'd like to perform a covert action that you don't want rival commanders knowing the details of, send me a PM detailing it and I'll roll for it in the following turn. The results of the action will be PMed to the relevant parties and possibly posted publicly, depending on how they turn out.

[DoctorMcTaalik]

PTW.

[NJW2000]

Go to one of the two farming villages, in a vehicle if possible, with one squad. Get people's attention non-violently, then, once people are listening, make a speech and further comments, along the lines of:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

"Farmers of Larenza, you come of noble stock. Weak presidencies and corrupt and evil military governments have robbed you of the profits that your fathers and their fathers' fathers have gained from the land since time immemorial. Your people have tended this noble land for millenia, and you know it in your blood, if not yet in your minds.

"Now, with protectionist policies and dangerous hostility to helpful nations, Larenzan farmers have been deprived of the riches they could earn if they were allowed to share the wonderful produce of Northern Larenza with the needy and grateful world! Our officials, to milk their personal corrupt cash-cows and white elephant projects, have shut us off from the rest of fellow humanity, stunting your earnings and withering your spirits. Larenza needs a strong leader, true to it's people, who shares the deep and spiritual bond with the land through an ancient bloodline.

"I do not ask support of me in arms, or for money. I merely ask for your cooperation, so that my troops - brave, strong lads of healthy Larenzan stock - may move among you undetected like a fish through water. And in return, I will eventually be able to increase your riches tenfold, and bring your country to glory.

"You may ask what my claim to the land is. Well, I was once a Prince, my father deceitfully overthrown by the Eastern Union, on your goodly island neighbour, Farago. I am also related to the former nobility of Larenza, and have the blood and strength to prevent tyranny ruling Larenza for centuries to come. To prove my goodwill, I bring gifts: I need a strong man, brave, who needs a farm and is willing to take up the noble work of husbanding the land on an estate I may share with him."

tl;dr introduce myself+my aims

Speech done, ask to speak with the elders/heads of the village. Ask them for recommendations on a man to run the farmhouse as cover for me. Then ask if they would like to make more money from their produce: do they make alcohol, or any other expensive or highly taxed good? Say that my men will do border runs for them, taking the risks, for a share of the profits.



Before I leave, tell my men to begin restoring the farmhouse: making it look more like a farmhouse. Not by nicking animals from nearby farms though.

Also (sorry, long action, just do part of it, I can do the rest next turn, if necessary), where is the nearest border, and which country is it?

[Atian the Elephantman God]

"It's time to begin."

Send the first group disguised as the normal Larenza to create a recruitment network in the port cities, find weakpoints, and how many soldiers are stationed in the cities.

Split the second group into 2 groups called the "Krangs" and "Lardens", the Krangs will move to meet with the mafia for supplies.

We will then wait to see if the stationed soldiers here move.