[Forum Game] World in Revolution: 1900 Mk. II

[Julius Maximus]

The Ottoman Empire​

Public Announcement on Naval Passage Through the Sea of Marmara and Bosphorus Strait

Due to the recent Russian declaration of war upon the Ottoman Empire, all vessels under the Russian Empire shall be immediately denied access into and out of the Black Sea, any and all non-combat vessels shall be boarded and the crew and vessel seized until the end of hostilities. Any attempt by Russian combat vessels or non-compliant vessels to enter the area shall be met with the full force of the Ottoman Empire, this is our only and final warning for travel into the region.

- - - -

Statement to the Muslim World from Sultan Mehmed V

My most gracious and pious members of the Faith, we have been brutally attacked with unprovoked aggression by the Russian Empire, we negotiated with them on the status of Armenians within the Ottoman Empire, they have now shown their true colors being full of greed and vile intent to bring ruin to the world of Islam using the Armenians as an excuse to do so.

As the Russians wish for bloodshed and the eradication of our most humble and honorable Muslim people, I as Caliph call for a Holy Jihad against the Russian Empire. With Allah as our guide and the heart and determination of all of the faithful we may defeat this tyrant together and bring the Faith to the forefront for all peoples of the world to respect and admire our courage and tenacity against such odds.

May Allah guide you all to total victory, repel the Russian, conquer our enemies, achieve the glory of Heaven as the unstoppable Mujahideen marches forward! Allahu Akbar!

​

 

[baboushreturns]

Notice from the Ethiopian Mission in Petrograd
​

The Ethiopian people and government will forever be grateful for the service rendered unto our Empire by the Tsar of Russia. From the assistance of African Cossacks such as Nikolay Leontiev, Count of Abai to the Russian Red Cross Mission in Addis Ababa the Russian government and people have long been an ally and a friend of our Empire. In our darkest hours it was the Russians alone who sent us the artillery and weapons we needed to repulse the invaders at the battle of Adwa. For millennia they have shielded Christendom just as we have, first from steppe nomads and then the Turk. For millennia too, we Ethiopians have battled the Ottomans and their ilk. News of the atrocities committed by them upon the innocent Armenians of the Caucasus was no surprise to us, but only served as a further reminder of the barbarity and cruelty of house Ottoman. For this reason the 1st Brigade of Adai will be sent to Russia, in order to fight alongside our Christian brothers in their fight to free the oppressed peoples of Armenia and beyond. This detachment will be led by Ras Lul Seged and Alexander Bulatovich should the later be available for service.

​

 

[Sneakyflaps]

The outbreak of war between the Russian and Ottoman Empires is most unfortunate and we hope that peace shall soon once more reign supreme in the region. Should either party wish for it, then the German Empire is more than happy to host any peace talks or negotiations between the warring parties to settle the issue.

On a more hopeful note, the German Empire is happy to see the nations of Greece and Serbia honour their treaty obligations signed in Berlin last year. This new revolution must be crushed as swiftly as possible and put an end to any radical who hopes to benefit from the lack of order and stability.

 

[Rolman99]

The Civil Service Examinations of the Qing Empire: Pre- and Post-Reformation

An Imperial examination hall at Guangzhou, 1873. The testing cells can be seen all along the left and right.

One of the longest-lasting constants of Imperial China was its civil service examinations. Ever since the Sui Dynasty, when the examinations became “fully formed”, the administration of the various dynasties of China had been dominated by the examinations. These examinations, albeit rather variably, would see that the most intelligent scholars and bureaucrats would govern over China in a remarkable case of meritocracy. Over the centuries, this would see a new bureaucratic upper-middle class of Chinese society form, one where long lines of highly intelligent administrators would be produced for the benefit of governing over such a large empire. However, as the Qing Dynasty declined in the 19th century in the face of a modernizing, industrialized world, so too did its administration. Massive corruption wracked the civil service at all levels, cheating on the examinations or even bribing one’s way through was common. But perhaps the worst aspect regarding the civil service examinations was their extreme obsolescence.

The content of the pre-reform civil service exams were, quite simply, irrelevant to running a government. The guiding principle of the Imperial administration as a whole, and therefore its examinations, was that of Neo-Confucianism. Neo-Confucianism stressed the importance of a civil servant holding the traits of the junzi-- roughly translated as a “gentleman”. A junzi was expected to be cultured in various traditional arts, polite, virtuous, and aware of his station and the stations of others in the world. This reflected in the old contents of the civil service examinations. Subjects for testing included arithmetic, calligraphy, poetry and essay-writing, painting, and even musical skills through a performance before judges. While these tests would guarantee intellectuals entering the civil service, it did not guarantee administrative competence. Matters were made worse by the rampant corruption that began to grip the Qing. Cheating and even simply buying one’s way through the civil service system became increasingly easy, and therefore more common. This saw waves of entirely incompetent bureaucrats enter into the civil service, which was already aggravating the inadequate content of the examinations in the increasingly modernizing empire.

Since the days of the Guangxu Emperor’s Hundred Days' Reforms in 1898, there had always been some level of push within the Imperial Court for a reformed examination system. However, propositions as to how to do that were different. Some pushed for the abolition of the civil service examinations entirely, to be replaced by a more Western-style employment methods, others desired a system in place where degrees from Western universities could be more or less redeemed for a guaranteed position in examinations. During Cixi’s grasp on power, these ideas were never prominent, but the return of the Guangxu Emperor to real power, and his succession by the Baotian Emperor, changed the situation greatly. Finally, in 1910, the Baotian Emperor ordered his half-brother and de facto head of government Prince Chun to reform the examination system, “lest the whole Middle Kingdom collapse under the weight and pressures of the modern world”, in the words of one of the Emperor’s letters to Chun. Prince Chun quickly got to work alongside the other major reformers of the Qing court in devising a new examination system. The officials played around with various ideas, but eventually, the “hybrid model” was decided to be a choice. Instead of tearing down the old system, a choice which would make many Chinese conservatives feel threatened culturally-speaking, while on the other hand the more moderate progressives were unsure of the “diploma system”, the aforementioned degree-based replacement, would be viable in China. So, a balance was struck. A two-part examination was created-- the old curriculum remained, but was reclassified as “scholarly abilities”, which would be worth one half of the applicant’s grade. The new, other section fell under the category of “practical abilities”. Amongst these abilities were bookkeeping, accounting, and knowledge of the law, and the practical abilities were worth just as much as the scholarly ones. Therefore, an administrator hopeful would only be granted a position if they showed aptitude both in their scholarly and practical abilities, striking a balance between tradition and pragmatism. This was similarly reflected in military promotion examinations-- while archery and horsemanship were still tests, they were amongst new concepts such as defensive line-building, attack synchronization, and other modern, Western military skills.

Nevertheless, the rituals of the Imperial examinations remained the same: Candidates effectively lived in the small testing cells (many had beds within) for the duration of testing, which was usually two or three days long, and results were posted on a single, tapestry-like, long piece of paper mounted on a wall, and everything continued to be written in the centuries-old classical character style. The "ladder" of achievement, which held seventeen levels of achievement ranging from one who passed a town exam all the way up to the number one candidate in all of China, remained. Regardless of these cumbersome traditions, the changes to the curriculum seemed to have done much good, with a skilled crop of lesser bureaucrats being produced over the course of the 1910-11 examinations.​

 

[Noco19]

​

A letter from His Imperial Majesty Nicholas II of Russia​

to His Majesty Teodor IV of Albania​

Dearest cousin,

For a great many years, our Motherland has been assailed by the backward Asiatic - the Japanese barked outside our eastern empire, the Qing did much the same - but truly we have entered the premier conflict on behalf of western civilization. The preservation of Christianity in the east is a weight on my shoulders, as seem alone in standing between the vile Turk and its destruction of Christian history itself; every day I hear reports of new horrors, reports that seem to go unheard anywhere else.

So it is good and well when I receive letter otherwise, one of kinship rather than atrocity. For that, I thank you cousin.

No doubt we have both given much thought to war given our personal struggles these past few years, our family as a whole even, as the forces of terror operate in the Balkans against our kin. But I pray each night that this newest war shall result in a more peaceful tomorrow, stamping out the warlike Turk and confining its barbarity as much as possible - for both our sakes! I have come to the conclusion that much of our problems stem directly from this Ottoman menace, for has it not been the rampant oppression of the Christian that has lit the fuse? The Bulgarian, the Serbian, the Albanian, and countless more have been whipped - but for no longer!

It is clear to me, dear cousin, that the systems of France, of Britain, would not suit the Russian Empire; look at them, how they peek from beneath skirts to look at the carnage in the east! No doubt they bandy words of the matter, but I see little of moral firmness on the part to take action against the Turk. Were I to allow the rulership of the commoner, would he too shirk his Christian duty and instead clamor for matters of far less importance?

I cannot have that risk, and I warn you of the path of constitutional binds. The low class are a cruel sort, not refined nor truly appreciative. Was not my grandfather Alexander hailed as a liberator, only to be slain? And did my own people call my name in praise, yet that did little to stop what some papers call a revolution in my own lands. Yes, it may seem tempting to stand in the chorus of the commoner, but it is a dangerous notion to allow greater power to the lesser person. Be careful, cousin.

I send my best prayers along with my letter; please visit us soon so that you may how much little Baby has grown.

 

[Kho]

The Return of the Hajji-Mujahideen
​

With order successfully restored in Eastern Anatolia, and with other regions of the Ottoman Empire once more secured, the duties of the Hajji-Mujahideen appeared to have come to an end. They arrived in Basra in early 1911, and were in Karachi - following an Ottoman notification to the British - a week later. While Amir Habibullah's Indian tour of 1907 had doubtlessly contributed to the awakening of a certain level of patriotic fervour amongst Indians, the landing of the Hajji-Mujahideen at Karachi was percieved as a powerful display of Afghan independence and the unity of Muslims and Asiatics everywhere in the fight against further European aggressions. When news came of the Russian declaration of war, many of the Hajji-Mujahideen demanded they be allowed to return to Basra, but the British refused and the Afghans were quickly shuffled off to the Afghan frontier, where they were met by leading members of the military and marched to Kabul. The homecoming parade of the Hajji-Mujahideen through Kabul was a spectacle. The Amir boasted in private to his Khivan and Bukharan guests at this display of Afghan strength, and he took the opportunity to give a speech before the gathered crowds.

Praising the courage of the Hajji-Mujahideen and their bravery in seeking to protect the greater Islamic homeland and its integrity, he formally created the Order of the Hajji-Mujahideen (for unparalleled bravery and faithful military service to Muslims and Islam). It was awarded to each of the three thousand returned fighters. The Amir went on to lambast Russian hypocrisy and treachery in their declaration of war against the Ottomans, and noted that it was the duty of all faithful Muslims in Afghanistan and Central Asia to heed the khalifa's call for jihad in whatever small way they could. Though by no means a declaration of war against Russia, given the nature of the Afghan people the subtle implications of his words were not missed by any.

The Hajji-Mujahideen would now go on to play a central role in the Amir's planned military reforms, and their advanced weapons would be studied by the Amir's foreign and other experts in the factories so as to secure an indigenous, domestically planned and produced, rifle for his military. The return of Hajji-Mujahideen, and the Amir's welcome and speech, was a sign that things were once more changing in the slowly modernising state of Afghanistan. While activity on Afghanistan's northern border had no doubt increased after the Ottoman call to jihad, this would certainly shoot up tremendously following the Amir's rhetoric.

It appeared that if slumbering Central Asia would not wake itself, the Amir would prod it till it did.

 

[Kho]

Private Letter from engineer James Miller to His Highness the Amir

Amir Sahib,

I have of late had the opportunity to examine, along with Your Highness' other experts, the German-made Ottoman rifles Your Highness bid us inspect. I would like to assure Your Highness that the facilities available in Your Highness' factories are more than sufficient to replicate the rifles to a suitable standard - though it may take a considerable period of time. Your Highness' request that we combine the best aspects of all available rifles to create what Your Highness has termed the Jezail-e-Jedid has proven slightly more difficult. We are, however, working day and night to make Your Highness' wishes a reality, and I will endeavour to keep Your Highness updated on all progress.
I beg to remain,
​

Your Highness' humble and obedient servant,

James Miller​

 

[MastahCheef117]

GM Note: The dreaded post everyone thought would be made but no one wanted to see; due to circumstances out of my reach (they being 1. the immense workload, stress, and frustration associated with running a game of this magnitude and [attempted] quality, especially at the rather revealing age of 20-and-7-days, and 2. current life circumstances), I am unable to continue running World in Revolution: 1900 Mk II at the present time. Therefore, I am indefinitely suspending the game. At some point in the future, when I find myself a bit more stress-free and with the drive and temperament necessary to run a game as this, I will perhaps return and pick up where I left off. If I do so, everyone that played is welcome to return, and as the same country if they so desire.

Alternatively, I can write an epilogue update which can stretch some 30 or 40 years into the future -- or maybe more, if I find the energy and science to do so.

In any case, I greatly appreciate everyone sticking through as long as they did -- we had an insanely high rate of retention among players, even minor players, during the great gaps in between updates (which, again, fall squarely into my lap as my own faults and mistakes; the last eight months have not been very kind to me, to say the least). This game was a wonderful learning experience, both in the acquisition of historical knowledge and in how to properly run a game for a long period of time (long in-game, anyway; I can already hear Dadarian mentioning "one update per month"). I'm happy at least a few people seem to have enjoyed themselves with my mediocre writing and embarrassingly poor knowledge of history, and I appreciate the time everyone put into writing ICs, conferring with me, yelling angrily at other players, sending in creative (and sometimes ridiculous) orders, and genuinely [seeming] to having fun. This game basically started and ended during the most formative phase of my life thus far (then again, I'm barely a week into my 21st year of life, so I don't really know how much that really means), so life -- and this game -- have both been a real rollercoaster for me.

I will be setting up a new game soon with a smaller player base -- definitely fewer than 33 (!!!) players -- which will have shorter updates and will, overall, require far less effort on my part. I hope to see some people from this game applying for and getting spots in my new game -- if they're interested in it, anyway.

Time for some fun reflections on the game, from the GM point of view (and yes, this may have been a bit inspired by Dadarian):

WiR 1900 (Mk II):
In Review.
​

GM AWARDS
Luckiest(?) Player: @jacob-Lundgren (Kingdom of Italy). No one seemed to really want to mess with him. He built up a powerful navy, spurred modern technological and economic development, seized Italian claims in Dalmatia through peaceful means, and seems to have been the only winner of the Twelve Months' War through the winning of Tunisia. By the end of the game Italy seems to have been a respected power in all the courts and parliament houses of Europe and abroad (except perhaps in Ethiopia).
Sassiest Player: @Noco19 (Russian Empire). You know I love you.
Most Inconveniently Absent Player(s): TIE, @Riccardo93 , @Maxwell500 (Greater Japanese Empire/United Kingdom, Qing rebels, Taiwanese rebels, French Republic). You know I love you both, too. And I understand things in real life can get in the way of participation (yours truly is a perfect example). But good Lord, if there was ever a worse time for Japan to disappear, it was at the climax of the Russo-Japanese War. Work on that.
Least IC'd Player: @Duke Dan `the Man` (Great Korean Empire). IC more, man. It's fun and nice and contributes to the backstory. And you had a lot to IC about. But still, you did well as Korea. It turns out that Japan getting wrecked by Russia pretty much guarantees your survival in the long-term. Thanks for playing in what I believe was your first (?) World in Revolution. You're welcome back to the community at any time, of course -- so long as you want to come back.
Most Ambitious Player: @Ranger900 (Macedonian rebels). On turn one he made a massive battle plan to wage a guerrilla war in the mountains against the Ottomans. He hoped to create a unified republican Balkan state by preying on pan-South Slavic nationalism and eventually toppling all the monarchies of the Balkans and in Central Europe. An ambitious project, surely. But Stalin put a stop to that -- for a brief time, anyway. (He also wanted to weld iron and steel plates to tractors and drive them around as proto-tanks. That was entertaining.)
Most Promising Newcomer: @Rolman99 (Empire of the Great Qing). Qingqing Cixicixi.
Most Wonderful Foils: @etranger01 , @von_Rundstedt (United States/United Kingdom). Though they probably wanted to hang me together by my entrails numerous times, I don't think I've ever before seen a more wonderful pair of GPs naturally disposed to despising one another.
Most Psychotic Player: @Sneakyflaps (German Empire). Because losing 800,000 men for some reparations is okay, so long as you reset the balance of power in Europe (aka destroy your alliance and isolate yourself diplomatically). I'm only joking. (Not really.) And I poke fun at everyone, anyway. please don't kill me
Most In Love With Self-Coups: @Ab Ovo (Ottoman Empire/Kingdom of Albania). Couped himself (first as the Ottomans, then as the Albanians), then triggered a civil war, then brought it back together. He also had like five different intended monarchs in the same turn. Fun.

GM NOTES
1. Yes, I know: I need to get my act together. Life sucks, and downturns in life suck more. I apologize profusely that basically all the problems in this game came from my corner. You have all earned my undying love and gratitude for somehow sticking through my untested qualities as a GM, my consistent all-nighters, and occasional absences. (Except @Dadarian. I loved you always anyway.)
2. Despite the clusterf--- that was China, I discovered I had a newfound love for early modern Chinese history. Thanks, World in Revolution. (All to the chagrin of @Mathrim, of course.)
3. Perhaps I should set a very hard limit on the maximum number of players. Thirty-three people are a lot to GM by yourself when you are a confused 20 year-old college kid. Oops.
4. Though I had big long-term plans for this game, i.e. it lasting into the 1940s or 50s, it still lasted longer than I initially thought it would. That's good, I guess.
5. I made additions to/reformatted stats probably once every other turn. I should have been more concrete in my stats before the game was launched. Whatever -- at least now I largely know what stats will look like in the future, should I ever GM another World in Revolution.
6. Remove the white bar on the top of the map because some people* say the darndest things, as a famous accused rapist once said.
7. Set a player cap. Did I mention making a hard limit on players? Yeah. Do that next time. It'll be for the better.
8. I think I did OK all-around, all things (i.e. age, general historical knowledge, and personal life) considered. I'll just be better next time. Funny how you learn things over time.
9. I have a game incoming soon which will be, as I already mentioned, easier and shorter for me, and hopefully fun for everyone who plays it. I hope to see some people there!

GM MOMENTS
Most Favorite: @Julius Maximus (Chilean Republic/Ottoman Empire) trying to self-coup the Turkists out of control of PUP, with deliciously disastrous results; Wilhelm II saying that the greatest enemy of the German is the Magyar; Porfirio Díaz touting the superiority of the "Mexican language".
Least Favorite: The Chinese Civil War. Or any war, really. Ugh. Also, France disappearing every other turn. Also Austro-Hungarian elections

* Everyone -- though, of course, the original quote is "kids say the darndest things".

A big thanks to everyone that stayed all the way through, and to anyone else that played even for less than a turn. You all know who you are.

 

[Korona]

不久​

 

[99KingHigh]

We were watching

 

[Noco19]

Алексе́й ​

 

[Nax24]

Would have been glorious!!!​

 

[etranger01]

The Imperial and Royal House of Roosevelt​

 

[Ab Ovo]

Anon from the castle walls
The crescent banner falls,
And the crowd beholds instead,
Like a portent in the sky,
Iskander's banner fly,
The Black Eagle with double head;
And a shout ascends on high,
For men's souls are tired of the Turks,
And their wicked ways and works,
That have made of Ak-Hissar
A city of the plague;
And the loud, exultant cry
That echoes wide and far
Is: "Long live Skanderbeg!”
​

 

[oxfordroyale]

All Hail the One True Leader of All China
​

While I only joined WiR 1900 part-way through, first as the ill-fated Taiwanese rebellion (never forgive, never forget) and then as the embattled Republic of China (and I was just about to get my American guns, damn it!), I can say for certain that this game was a blast to play and highly interesting to follow throughout its run. Not only were the quality of everyone's ICs great, but the updates were packed with so much detail that they were always a treat to read -- no matter how poorly I did. I count WiR 1900 as my first real experience playing in a nation game of this size and scale, and hope to remember it for some time to come. Thank you, Cheef, for your work as GM and your tolerance for my sometimes excessive and almost always repetitive questions. I look forward to playing in or reading any games you might make in the future.

To @Korona and @Rolman99: It was fun to fight against the both of you in that brutal, protracted civil war. Never has a three-way existential conflict been as good-natured. Let us politely debate who would have won till the end of time (or when/if an epilogue is posted)! Hint: It was me. I would have. Fight me.

 

[Ranger900]

Damn, thanks for the game Cheef! Macedonia was honestly some of the most fun I had because I could be completely unrestrained with my insanity.

\

Gruev's legacy will live on! The republic will form once again!

For Freedom, For your Families, For the Revolution!
​

 

[Arrowfiend]

Shame the glorious Argentine navy never got a chance to sink the dirty American imperialist fleet. Was a very good game though and I hope you continue to run games in the future.​

 

[Olligarchy]

It be my sole regret that in these times of tumult, I could not finish guiding Spain back from the brink. I feel I've taken good first steps, but the times of anarchy are yet to even truly begin!

Regardless, my humble thanks to you Cheef... for giving me a chance to dip my toes in this WiR ocean!​

​

 

[Nax24]

It be my sole regret that in these times of tumult, I could not finish guiding Spain back from the brink. ​

CoughCough off Portugal's back CoughCough

 

[Kho]

Yet again, Afghanistan's march towards glory under the Amir was temporarily foiled. BUT NOT FOR LONG! Habibullah would be back...
​

Thank you Cheef, for allowing me in when you were well over the limit - and thanks to everyone for making this RP simply brilliant.