History
5 weeks from the time you read this, Prince Edward Island is somehow magically whisked away to what seems to be thousands of years ago.
The first few years were full of exploration and survival. A few things were discovered:
> Somehow, other groups appear to have suffered the same fate, but, their civilizations collapsed. All nearby areas, and most far-away areas are controlled by roving bands of nomads with modern weapons.
> History tells of a magic box that could produce items on command. At some point it stopped doing so, and, at some point, it was lost.
> The ISOT happened somewhere around 50-65 years ago. History was lost during "The Wars" which spanned a decade and nearly saw our own civilization collapse. One result of these wars was a strong isolationist bent; there is 0 appetite to explore areas off-island.
> 23 years ago, the modern system was formed, including the current Calender. It is therefore year 23.
> The "Records Building" burnt down 1 year before this. Since then multiple "Records Buildings" have been constructed all across the Island.
> Many parties existed at the time. The first Prime Minister was from the Conservative Party. He sat for 6 years.
> The second Prime Minister sat from years 6-10 and was from the Labour Party.
> The Conservatives re-took government from years 10-12. During this period, the final 4 parties were 'decided'.
> The PM from 12-15 was from the Liberals.
> The PM from 15-20 was from the Farmers. This is when things got a bit dicey.
> Over year 20, 2 elections were held, each resulting in a 4 way tie. During that time the Farmers, Labour, Conservatives, Farmers, Liberals, Labour, and Liberals held government, in that order.
> In year 21, 3 elections were held, each resulting in a tie. The Liberals held government during this time, but were unable to get anything done. Near the end of the year, a single bill was passed by all 4 parties allowing for the government to continue on auto-pilot.
> Year 22 saw no elections, but also saw Parliament not get anything done at all. During this period, the budget became exactly balanced due to the auto-pilot law.
> Year 23 is where the game begins. A new election law was passed by Parliament though a coalition of the Liberals and Farmers, which was able to gain the support of some Conservatives. The new law introduces a seat for the Prime Minister, thus, meaning a tie can never happen again.
Location
> There has been some sort of climate change. While surviving records from the first few years indicate the weather did not significantly change prior to and after the ISOT, however after "The Wars" the climate records indicate a major change. The Average Low in January has increased by 10 degrees centigrade, while the Average high in July has increased very slightly. Scientists estimate this has something to do with a significantly stronger gulf stream.
> Winds have also increased, and there is now an almost constant breeze. Most of the electricity on the Island is generated from wind sources. When needed, wood fuelled burners can add electricity to the grid.
> All trade occurs though Borden, and to a lesser extent, Wood Islands. Food items are the near exclusive export while resources, especially metals like Iron, are the near exclusive import. Due to isolationist policies, the Island has no trade fleet of it's own and awaits the arrival of fleets from elsewhere to trade. The Port at Wood Islands is set up to handle a specific popular design of vessel, and only has permits for direct trade of Grain, Potato, or Fish for Iron, Gold, or Silver. All other trades from all other ships must be done though Borden. Foreign ships are not permitted to dock in any other Towns or Cities.
> Oils are produced from refining Grain products and from certain fish products.
> The population has settled into a happy lifestyle.
> There are no cars on the Island. Most transportation is by train. Bicycles are used heavily outside the winter months.
> There are no great concentrations of specific industries.
> There are 3 "cities" on the Island. Charlottetown, Summerside, and Stratford. They have little real power.
Politics
There are four parties on the Island.
72 seats are from Rural areas, and 72 seats from Urban areas.
The four parties are as follows:
The Conservative Party.
A supported by land-owners and supporters of tradition. The Conservatives run candidates only in rural areas.
The Liberal Party.
A party supported by industrialists and capitalists. The party has an agreement with the Conservatives, the details of which are below:
The agreement is that they will not run candidates in Rural areas, thus the Liberals only run in Urban areas. This is a coalition that lasted since sometime during "The War" and has not been broken. A similar opposing coalition between the Labour and Farmers parties has lasted for a similar length of time.
While the Coalition has, from time to time, been 'bent' it has never been broken. The current government, for example, is a government of Liberals and Farmers. Despite that, the coalition between Liberals a Conservatives remains strong, and that remains the standard coalition in Counties and Parishes.
A temporary coalition had once been attempted between the Liberals and Labour; however this failed due to opposition from Rural members.
The Labour Party
A party supported by workers and labourers. The party has an agreement with the Farmers Party. The party is Urban-Only.
The Farmers Party
A party supported by farmers and fishermen. The party has an agreement with the Labour Party. The party is Rural-Only.
The Farmers Party and Labour Party are thought of as left-wing parties while the Conservatives and Liberals are thought of as right-wing. I hope that the comparison and contrasts help you guys understand where the parties stand; if there is any confusion, just ask.
Budgeting
Example budgets:
FALL 22
R:$153
E:$71
WINTER 22
R:$44
E:$131
SPRING 23
R:$103
E:$98
SUMMER 23
R:$100
E:$100
YEAR 22-23
R:$400
E:$400
Note that these are exact numbers based on a balance of 100 per season.
In short, if your summer budget is balanced, your yearly budget is in good shape.
If your spring budget is in deficit, your yearly budget is in trouble.
FAQs
Why an ISOT?
Helps me keep the game small, by eliminating foreign nations. It also allows me to change the issues of the day from "the usual" to things more interesting.
What's with the strange history?
I've tried to start a game like this before, but, in radically different ways (IE, not a political RP) so the history reflects some of that; as though this is the same game at a different point in history.
Can I post in this thread yet?
Not unless you played the last game. I'll edit the thread when you, as anybody, can sign up.
Do the coalitions have names?
Yes and no. Yes, they do have names, but No, I'm not giving them to you. Why? I want you guys to come up with unique names! Put your stamp on this.
When does the game start?
All the details are pretty well ready. The "how to play" is pretty much explained in the last game, only this one is much smaller.
Statistics
Trade (by value)
Export
Potatoes - 61%
Vegetables - 12%
Techs - 10%*
Grains - 8%
Fish - 4%
Lumber - 3%
Other - 2%
*Products created though technology and/or refinement. IE Chairs, Knives, Juice, Shovels, etc.
Import
Iron - 63%
Oils - 15%
Herbs - 11%
Spices - 7%*
Silver - 2%
Gold - 1%
Other - 1%
*Includes all sorts of spices, including but not limited to Sugar, Salt, Pepper, Paprika, etc.
Trade is conducted on an item-to-item basis.
