The Rules
As mentioned above, the Empire is an Absolute Monarchy. Therefore, the Senators have no direct power. Instead they
are distracted by the trappings of the Senate while real power is wielded elsewhere bring important matters to the attention of the head of state, and serve as a source of knowledge and wisdom. As alluded in the first story post, the Senate was formed by any men bold enough to grab the reigns of power. While they are lively overwhelmingly aristocrats (at least as first), nearly any other class of individual might have become one. The initial Senators have all been (re)appointed by Veronica, and any future ones are appointed at her whim.
As the current reform level is underground parties only, I am considering political parties to be loose associations of like-minded Senators rather than any organized set of entities. But your own writings and in-game events may start to change that. Political parties are now organized. The Empress tasked the Kyriarchía with 'instructing new Senators of the decorum of the Senate', but the other parties took the opportunity to organize, and to influence new Senators, as well.
There seem to be many stories being driven by other people, as well. I greatly enjoy this. However, if you wish to start one, you must first PM me a brief outline of what you intend. That should allow me to accommodate you in the storytelling, as well as set the timing well on my side. As well, please do be wary of playing God with other people's characters. Yes, this can allow them to interfere with your intended story, but I can help guide things, and sometimes the distraction can build to an even better story than what you had planned.
Senators are increasingly being given positions of authority: governorships and ministry positions. But this is for RP purposes only.
However, the Empress has recently formed a General Staff for the army, and this allows for some direct player influence on the game. The following rules apply:
1. The mod and the save from the latest update will be publicly provided (via gitHub), with the link on the forum thread for the AAR.
Download here.
2. For those unable to load the mod + save, strategic information will be provided by me on request.
3. Anyone who has created a character is eligible to participate.
4. Characters may propose battle plans covering what to do with a war with any given nation.
a. The plans must include a text description of what to do.
b. The plans may also include an in-game battle-plan using the Victoria 2 tools.
c. The plan should have a name, and be attributed to the creator(s) (using their in-character names)
5. Plans may only be proposed between the opening of a Senate session and the session being closed (see the normal flow of a round of updates, as demonstrated on the table of contents).
6. The Empress (played by me) can accept proposed plans.
7. Plans that have not been accepted can be returned to the Senate (for instance, if I think they're lacking in some detail, or multiple people propose plans for the same nation and I want a merged plan, I can ask for the proposed plans to be updated).
8. If a plan has been accepted, I must make a best-faith effort to follow the plan in event of war with the specified nation.
9. Only one plan for war with a specified country can be accepted at a time.
10. Plans cannot specify the creation of new armies, troops, ships, etc. Those kinds of requests should be made via the Senate, and put no actual requirements on the Empress (played by me).
11. Plans can specify mobilization, but those kinds of plans are unlikely to be accepted.
As there is no other direct power, I'm going to play loose with my rules for your characters for now. But I reserve the right to send rocks that fall and kill everyone, or any lesser GM powers. Out of character writing should be indicated by (( placing it in double parenthesis )). If you plan to use the same character repeatedly, it would be helpful if you announced the character in a separate post, and then signed off as that character or placed the name in your signature. I will list the characters in the next post.
When announcing a character, include the name, home, date of birth, and political party, and a brief description of the characters. The current active parties (they may change a little before things get fully running) are:
Patrikioi - Reactionary
State Capitalism
Protectionism
Moralism
Residency
Jingoism
The Patrikioi are the most affluent and influential aristocrats from across the Empire. They favour the preeminence of Greek culture, both as the pinnacle of civilization and a means of maintaining the existing order, although each noble's origins are varied. The positions of the monarchy and Orthodox Church are regarded as sacrosanct, institutions demanding both respect and unyielding loyalty. The Emperor is regarded as an absolute monarch whose divine right to rule cannot be questioned, although the aristocrats of the Patrikioi are ever ready to provide much-needed advice. War is seen is but a means of achieving the goals of imperialism and to make the Empire stronger, while the government's interference in economic matters is seen as a way of maintaining stability, especially against the fickle whims of a fluctuating market economy. Most important of all, the Patrikioi recognize the need for the imperial government to maintain control over an increasingly unruly populace, for the lower classes are regarded as ignorant and often express desires counter to that of the Empire as a whole.
Kyriarchía - Conservative
State Capitalism
Protectionism
Moralism
Residency
Pro Military
The Kyriarchía Party are the party of the Greek-speaking, Orthodox Christian, lower and middle classes; a populist alternative to the elitist Patrikioi for ethnic Greeks.
Komma Romanitas Autokratorikos - Liberal
Interventionism
Free Trade
Pluralism
Full Citizenship
Pro Military
Seeing the awkward situation the Foideratoi was in, Theodora decided to do something about it. After some negotiations with Julius Marco and Miro Taior, the three agreed to combine their factions into one; the Koinonikistai, which had been purged by the communist invaders during the attack on Constantinople, joined in later. As the name "Unified Imperial Citizens" didn't sound appropriate, she decided on the name Komma Romanitas Autokatorikos, which adequately summarized the new party's platform. The KRA upholds the ideals of Romanitas and full citizenship for all Romans. It supports Orthodox Christianity as the state religion of the Empire, but it recognizes and respects freedom of religious practice. The KRA is a proponent of free trade and interventionism when it comes to the economy and favors expanding the civil service along meritocratic lines to allow the common people more ability to participate in the government, though it fiercely defends the rights of the monarchy and the nobility as well. When it comes to passing legislation, the KRA will not hesitate to defend workers' and peoples' rights, though usually will try to first find compromises with the nobility, the monarchy, and the church. Membership is free and does not require anything other than a strong devotion to the Empire and its ideals.
Radical Party - Anarcho Liberals
Laissez Faire
Free Trade
Secularized
Full Citizenship
Anti Military
The party of choice for minorities who feel oppressed by the Empire: religious minorities; cultural minorities; linguistic minorities; commercial minorities; political minorities. They support freedom of trade, a fully-federalist empire, disestablishment of the Orthodox church, lacité and all the linguistic, cultural and domestic rights and powers that come with federalism and decentralisation. They are also against the army, but support the navy as a guarantor of free trade.
Koinonikistai - Socialists
State Capitalism
Free Trade
Secularized
Full Citizenship
Anti Military
They believe in worker's rights, and want strong government intervention to uphold these rights. They wish the church detached from government entirely, and are mostly opposed to the military.
I Koinotita - Communists
Planned Economy
Protectionism
Pro Atheism
Full Citizenship
Pro Military
The Pars Imperium Aecus Romani Operarii - Fascists
State Capitalism
Protectionism
Moralism
Residency
Jingoism
The Imperial Just Roman Workers' Party, is dedicated to the rebuilding of the Roman Empire and the establishment of a new Roman culture uniting the people. The party's roots are from the Romani vi Bonorum, the Roman Loyalist Force. Set up during the Time of Troubles the RvB waged a damaging but unsuccessful guerilla warfare campaign to oppose the Italian rebels. When the Empire made peace with the Italian government, the most radical members of the RvB relocated to southern Italy to create a political party to campaign for the rebuilding of the empire.
Past political parties:
Foiderátoi - Liberal
Interventionism
Free Trade
Pluralism
Residency
Pro Military
The Foederati support the Empire, centralization, the Greek language, and the military; but also free trade and secularism.
Christianikoú Kómmatos Metarrýthmisi̱ (XKM) - Liberal
Interventionism
Free Trade
Pluralism
Limited Citizenship
Pacifism
Christianikoú Kómmatos Metarrýthmisi̱ (Christian Reform Party) are social liberals who support interventionism, political reform and some degree of decentralization (but not necessarily outright federalism), but also oppose expansion and the military on moral grounds.
