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 Many years ago forum user The One and Only T ran an exciting game of Twilight Struggle - now I'm hoping to do the same! This post will be updated to represent the current state of the game. Please see the second post for how to join, if interested, and the third post for information about the game, if you're new! New players welcome anytime! Turn 2 - USA AR1   DEFCON - 2 VP - USA 1 USA President: Takanago Vice Presidents: TMM, VACANT Congress: bunnyofdoom, megane USSR General Secretary: Jossar Deputy General Secretaries: AJ_Impy, Davin Valkri Politburo: bubbafisk ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Join the discord! Thank you to TOaOT for the original game, as well as permission to lift large segments of your OPs! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Calm Before the Storm - September-December 1945 (Initial Setup) 0-0 - Opening Moves - September 1945 (Game Start) 0-1 - Rotes Osterreich - November 1945 (Soviet Setup) 0-2 - Countermove - December 1945 (US Setup) Opening Moves - 1946-1948 (Turn 1) 1-0 - Onslaught of Aid - January 1946 (Headline) 1-1 - Mosadegh - March 1946 (Soviet AR1) 1-2 - Revenge of the Majils - June 1946 (US AR1) 1-3 - Unrest in the East - September 1946 (USSR AR2) 1-4 - New Inroads - December 1946 (US AR2) 1-5 - A Region Catches Its Breath - March 1947 (USA AR3) 1-6 - An Iron Curtain Descends - June 1947 (USSR AR4) 1-7 - Quiet in the East - September 1947 (USA AR4) 1-8 - Defectors; The Bear Wakes - December 1947 (USSR AR 5) 1-9 - SEATO - January 1948 (USA AR5) 1-10 - Domino Theory - March 1948 (USSR AR6) 1-11 - The Romanian Abdication - September 1948 (USA AR6)] Cold War Heats Up - 1949-1952 (Turn 2) 2-0 - A List of Names - January 1949 (Headline) 2-1 - Monroe Breached - April 1949 (USSR AR1) sniper4625 fucked around with this message at 18:43 on May 28, 2020 |
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May 4, 2020 18:41
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Before I explain how to sign up for the game, a few Thread Rules:
  HOW TO SIGN UP  I will be looking for goons to take on one of the following roles:
If you wish to be a leader, vice-leader, or a Congress/Politburo member, then please do the following two things:
Leader Rules The President and General Secretary will be ultimately responsible for all decisions made for their team, but if you are playing one of these roles and know you are going to be unavailable (say, because you're out of town), you may post in the thread to temporarily promote one of your vice-leaders to the top spot. Once you are available, you may post in the thread again to regain your role. Likewise, if something unexpected comes up while I'm waiting on you and you find yourself having to care more about real-life poo poo than a board game on the internet, feel free to request a deadline extension in the thread. Please try not to abuse this though. If the President or General Secretary misses a deadline for submitting an action or decision without informing me in advance, then I will post in the thread saying so, and promote one of the vice-leaders to the top role myself. The new leader will then receive a new deadline for the decision. If a leader does this once, they may post in the thread to request their old role back, and I will grant it to them. If they do it twice, however, then that leader is out and the vice-leader will permanently take on the top role from then on. A leader who loses his or her spot will become a member of Congress or the Politburo. Deadlines Every card play and action will have a deadline by which a leader will have to submit their decision. For Headline Phases and the start-of-game Influence placing, there will be a 48-hour deadline to submit decisions, to allow each side time to review their new hand and come up with a general strategy for the Turn. Action Rounds and all other decisions (including decisions needed due to Events during the Headline Phase) will have 24-hour deadlines. Journalists Lastly, in addition to people actually playing the game, I also welcome goons to participate in the thread as Journalists, chronicling the events of the game as though they were observing the real thing and providing fluff for the thread. Being a journalist is not an "official" role, so you don't have to sign up or anything, and you can switch between being pro-US or pro-USSR as you like. Though it would be nice if we could get at least one explicitly pro-US and pro-USSR journalist each for maximum propaganda. 
sniper4625 fucked around with this message at 18:45 on May 4, 2020 |
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May 4, 2020 18:42
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 "Now the trumpet summons us again -- not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need, not as a call to battle, though embattled we are -- but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle..." --John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Speech, January 1961 What's all this, then? Twilight Struggle is a two-player board game designed by Ananda Gupta and Jason Matthews, and published by GMT games in 2005. As the box proudly proclaims, the game chronicles the fascinating conflict between the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics between 1945 and 1989 that would later become known as the Cold War. Each player takes on the role of one of these global superpowers as they seek to spread their influence throughout the world and counter their opponent's, through both friendly diplomacy with other countries and... less savory means. Oh god, is this one of those games with a million different counters and thirty little things to worry about and-- Nope! Twilight Struggle is one of those board games that looks really complicated at first, but turns out to be relatively simple. There is a grand total of one type of counter that the players place on the board, and six different "status" tracks to pay attention to (two of which are simply the current turn and round). I'd say it's possible to learn all of the rules of the game in less than a half-hour. Fine. So why would I want to play this? Twilight Struggle has held the #1 all-time rank on BoardGameGeek for several years now, and with good reason. Not only is it an extremely well-balanced and approachable game, but it is probably the supreme example of a board game that successfully weds its gameplay design with its theme. Quite simply, playing Twilight Struggle feels like the Cold War. The game mechanics are designed to fill both the US and USSR with a constant paranoia that the world is one move away from falling to the opponent's ideology, and a need to respond to every single move their opponent makes, even if it turns out to be a bluff. Add to that the specter of global nuclear war, which both superpowers must constantly threaten but never actually allow, and you end up with a game that is intense and exhilirating to play. Wait, you said two-player? So we're just going to watch two random goons duke it out with no input? Not quite. While there will indeed be two goons playing the US President and the USSR's General Secretary, I will be taking a page from other excellent board game LPs, and will be allowing other goons to join in as members of Congress and the Politburo, to advise their leaders on the best course of action and hopefully spice up the thread. Twilight Struggle's gameplay is based heavily around a hand of cards that each side holds, so there will be some secrecy required for each team, but the scope of possible actions is limited enough that I'm hoping it will be possible to do some general strategizing in-thread. Also, in addition to people participating in the game itself, I will be allowing goons to participate in the thread as journalists, to chronicle the events that occur in-game and hopefully provide some historical context. Okay, I'm in. How do I play this game? And how do I sign up? Glad you asked! I'll be doing my best to summarize the rules below, but I urge all participants (and will require the two leaders) to read the official game rules on GMT's website. Sign-up details are in the second post, below!  Link to official rulebook The Board  (click for huge) The board of Twilight Struggle is divided into several Regions, each with their own scoring value. These Regions are in turn divided into several Countries, each with space for the Influence markers of the two superpowers. Each Country also has a number in the top right, known as its Stability. Certain countries have purple title bars, which indicate that they are Battleground Countries. Battleground Countries are mostly identical to regular Countries, but are much more important for scoring purposes. Controlling them is key to winning the game. Victory Points  The object of Twilight Struggle is to score victory points through playing cards and scoring Regions. Instead of keeping track of each superpower's individual score, Twilight Struggle only records the difference between the two. If either superpower attains a lead of 20 VPs, they immediately win the game. Otherwise, if the game runs through all of its turns, the winner is the superpower whose side the VP marker is on. Influence  Influence is the main "resource" of the two superpowers in Twilight Struggle. Influence markers can be placed or removed by playing cards, and can be used to take control of countries. A superpower has control of a country if the difference between their Influence and their opponent's is equal to or greater than that country's Stability. If a superpower controls a country, the colored side of their Influence marker is turned face up; otherwise the white side is used. Game Flow  A game of Twilight Struggle is made up of ten Turns, but this name is a bit misleading since players will alternate playing cards multiple times over the course of a single Turn. A better way to put it is that a game of Twilight Struggle is made up of ten "hands". At the start of a Turn, each superpower receives a hand of cards that they will make use of to perform various actions. The ten Turns of the game are also divided into three chronological periods: Early War, Mid War, and Late War. The current period determines which cards are available in the deck, as well as the number of cards each side receives and can play per Turn. Cards    Twilight Struggle makes use of a deck of cards, nearly all of which are based on an actual historical event or concept from the Cold War. All actions in Twilight Struggle require a player to play a card from their hand. Every card has four important aspects: a time period (along the top), an Event (the title and text), an Event affiliation (the color of the star in the top-left), and an Operations Value (the number in the star). Events can be affiliated with the US (white star) or the USSR (red star), or be neutral (half-red, half-white star). A card's time period determines when it will be available in the deck. At the start of the game, the deck is made up of only Early War cards. Mid War cards are shuffled into the deck at the beginning of Turn 4, and Late War cards are shuffled into the deck at the beginning of Turn 8. Playing Cards  At the beginning of a Turn, both players draw cards until they reach the current time period's hand limit, which is eight cards in the Early War and nine cards in the Mid and Late War. After each player has drawn their hand, a Turn is divided into two phases in which the players play cards: the Headline Phase and the Action Rounds. During the Headline Phase, both sides simultaneously choose and play a card from their hand for the Event. Both Events are immediately resolved, with the card with the higher Operations Value going first. The US wins ties. After the Headline Phase, play proceeds to the Action Rounds. Starting with the USSR, players alternate playing and resolving cards one at a time. During the Action Rounds, a card can be played in three ways:
Operations  If a superpower plays a card to Conduct Operations, it has three Operations to choose from:
If a superpower chooses to Place Influence, they may place Influence markers on the board in countries that contain or are adjacent to countries already containing some of their Influence at the time the card was played. It costs 1 Operations point to place 1 Influence in a country that is not controlled by the opponent, and 2 Operations points to place 1 Influence in a country that is. If a country "flips" out of the opponent's control while placing Influence, the superpower can continue placing Influence there at the lower rate. If a superpower chooses to attempt Realignment, it may attempt one realignment anywhere in the world for each Operations point on the card, and may attempt to Realign the same target more than once. To attempt a Realignment, the superpower chooses a country to target, and then both players roll a die. Each player adds to their roll:
If a superpower chooses to attempt a Coup, it may attempt one coup anywhere in the world, regardless of the Operations value on the card. To attempt a Coup, the superpower chooses a country to target and then rolls a die. The superpower adds the Operations value of the card to this roll, and then compares the sum to two times the target's Stability. If the sum is higher, then the Coup is successful, and the superpower removes the opponent's Influence from the target country equal to the difference. If the difference is higher than the opponent's Influence, any extra points are added to the Influence of the superpower that backed the Coup. Nothing happens if the Coup fails. Regardless of whether or not the Coup is successful, a Coup attempt in a Battleground country lowers the DEFCON status (see below) by one. All Coups also add the Operations value of the card used to the Military Operations track. The Space Race  Once per Turn, each superpower can choose to play a card on the Space Race. By playing a card with an Operations Value equal to or greater than the value listed below the next box, a superpower may roll a die and move their Space Race marker forward if they succeed in their roll. Advancing in the Space Race grants VPs and additional abilities to the superpower in the lead. While the VPs and abilities of the Space Race are nice, the real use of the track is to allow the superpowers to discard Events that they really, really don't want to see happen, since any card played on the Space Race has its Event ignored. Remember, though, that cards discarded this way might be shuffled back into the deck later! Scoring  The main way the superpowers earn VPs is through the several scoring cards scattered throughout the deck, one for each Region on the board. When one is played, both superpowers receive VPs based on their Influence in that Region. There are three states that a Region can be in for each superpower, and each Region has a VP value for each state:
In addition to scoring cards, a Final Scoring occurs at the end of Turn 10. At this time, all regions are scored simultaneously, as though their scoring cards had all been played. DEFCON  Although each superpower must fight fiercely against its opponent for control of the world, they also must ensure that the Cold War remains just that: cold. The DEFCON track measures tension in the world and the likelihood of the Cold War turning into a real one, on a scale from 5 (peace) to 1 (global nuclear war). Several things in the game will cause DEFCON to "improve" (i.e., increase) or "degrade" (decrease):
The DEFCON track is a bit of a paradox for both superpowers, since both high and low levels offer advantages and disadvantages. A high DEFCON means you can make Coup or Realignment attempts pretty much anywhere, but the same goes for your opponent. A low DEFCON (specifically DEFCON 2) means Coups in Battlegrounds aren't allowed at all and you could potentially instantly lose if you play a bad card, but it also means your opponent will have much fewer options for breaking control of your countries. In practice, though, games of Twilight Struggle will usually spend most of their time at DEFCON 2. There simply aren't that many ways to improve DEFCON, and if it does improve, both superpowers will immediately leap at the chance to perform a Coup in a Battleground country while it is still available, if for no other reason than to deny it to their opponent. The China Card  Although China was a major player in the Cold War, it does not have a space on the board. Instead, China's role in the Cold War is abstracted through The China Card, a special card that begins the game with the USSR. Unlike other cards, The China Card is placed face up in front of the superpower who holds it, and is not considered to be part of their hand. During the Action Rounds, a superpower that owns The China Card may choose to play it instead of a card in their hand, but using it requires the player to give the card to their opponent face down. The China Card remains face down until the Turn ends, at which point it turns face up and becomes available for use by its new owner. Required Military Operations  Lastly, there is a track on the board that records the Military Operations undertaken by each superpower in a Turn, in order to encourage the players to not be too passive. Backing Coups and certain Events will add Operations to this track. At the end of each Turn, if a superpower conducted fewer Military Operations than the current DEFCON status, they will lose the difference in VPs. For example, if the US conducted 1 Military Operation in a Turn, and the Turn ended while DEFCON was at 3, the US would lose 2 VPs.
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May 4, 2020 18:42
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I would like to be a journalist.
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May 4, 2020 19:11
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Max posted:I would like to be a journalist. Welcome aboard!
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May 4, 2020 19:16
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Max posted:I would like to be a journalist. 
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May 4, 2020 21:04
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I would like to be a
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May 4, 2020 21:19
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Welcome aboard! Join the discord and I'll get your role setup. Note that joining Congress/Politburo also allows such opportunities, "Journalists" are simply able to see both sides
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May 4, 2020 21:28
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Politburo here. Possibly a deputy if need be.
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May 4, 2020 21:29
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AJ_Impy posted:Politburo here. Possibly a deputy if need be. Welcome back, Comrade!
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May 4, 2020 21:30
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I will take the position of the President of the United States of America. Putting all my cards on the table, I have a fair amount of experience playing Twilight Struggle though I am vaguely aware of the concept of "good strategy." It's my intention to work together with my team and keep things open and collaborative. I also intend to use my position as President to post so hard that Communism will collapse through the sheer force of posting alone.
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May 4, 2020 21:55
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I'll join up as a terrible yellow journalist!
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May 5, 2020 03:01
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"Today, at 9 am local time, representatives of the Japanese Empire signed surrender documents on the deck of the USS Missouri. The war is over now. The guns are silent. Our boys will be coming home. But the world they came back to will be different than the one they left. Who could have imagined, just a decade ago, Europe in ruins, the German dictatorship out of power. Who could imagine the development of a whole new way of war; of the tank, the plane, the aircraft carrier, and of bombs that can singlehandedly destroy cities?" "The world has changed, beyond imagining, as we have learned anew the lessons our parents taught us; of the destruction that war causes and the need to keep the peace. To do this, we will rely on the United Nations, in the hopes that now, wiser, it can do what the old League could not, put an end to aggression and offensive war. But we know that Americans will remember the lessons that the war taught us; that we must stand firm against aggression and dictatorship, to ensure that people around the world will, in the worlds of the prophet Isaiah, "turn their swords in pruning hooks, and practice at war no more." America, this is Epicurius from CBS News in Tokyo Bay, wishing you a good night and a happy tomorrow."
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May 5, 2020 03:08
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Welcome aboard new journalists! If anyone reading is interested in playing a more participatory role but is worried about not having any experience, please don't! Both sides now have an experienced player who will be happy to take your suggestions and show you the ropes. More the merrier!
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May 5, 2020 03:21
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I've always been interested in this game, but never had a chance to actually play. If you're willing to have a complete newbie as a player, could I join the USSR as one of the General Secretaries?
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May 5, 2020 03:36
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Davin Valkri posted:I've always been interested in this game, but never had a chance to actually play. If you're willing to have a complete newbie as a player, could I join the USSR as one of the General Secretaries? Welcome aboard, Comrade!
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May 5, 2020 03:43
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"Sources inside the administration indicate that one of the first policies of the administration in the post war world will be to provide economic and humanitarian aid to those countries in Europe and Asia that were devastated by war. In addition to trying to relieve the unprecedented humanitarian crisis, an State Department official has indicated that economic devastation following the last war helped contribute to the unrest that led to dictatorship and war. In other news, industries across the country are making plans to transition factories from war work back to a civilian economy, and leaders of major industries are in the process of talks with the unions and with government officials as to how to best do so. There is concern that, if this is handled badly, it will lead to increased unemployment and economic downturn. More news on this as it develops. America, this is Epicurius from CBS News, wishing you a good night and a happy tomorrow."
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May 5, 2020 04:25
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EDIT: Post no longer relevant.
Jossar fucked around with this message at 15:55 on May 5, 2020 |
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May 5, 2020 15:30
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Jossar posted:Looking to join the USA here. Not particularly amazing, but i've played some. Welcome! Any loyal Soviets out there who want to restore some numerical balance?
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May 5, 2020 15:33
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Joining the US as Henry "Killemall" Kissenger (I guess as a member of congress really)
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May 5, 2020 15:49
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Well since I have been made aware that none of the USSR players wanted the headline job, i'll be switching to Primary General Secretary of the USSR.
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May 5, 2020 15:54
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Now that we have a leader for both sides, I will send out initial cards Tomorrow at 6PM Eastern! At this time anyone who has committed to a side will be locked, but anyone unspoiled may join at any time!
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May 5, 2020 16:02
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Backroom manoeuvreing has led to my promotion to Deputy General Secretary in support of my colleagues.
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May 5, 2020 16:30
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"There was a momentous exchange on the floor of the United Nations today when the US Ambassador called for the Soviet government to liberalize their government and guarantee democratic participation. The Soviets responded by accusing the United States and the United Kingdom hypocrites, who call for more political freedom in the Soviet government, while ignoring the wishes of the population of the Philippines, Sudan, India, and other colonies. Such exchanges have become more and more common of late, as the alliance between the democratic west and the Soviet Union appears to be beginning to breakdown in disputes over the shape of the post war world. When asked about the Soviet response, the President has urged everyone to keep an eye on the nations that are currently occupied by the Red Army, and that, if the Soviets are honestly committed to freedom and democracy, that the governments of such nations will be allowed to form free of Soviet interference. "In other news, we have a report that individuals within the Canadian government are questioning some of the proposed aid for Europe, arguing that countries such as Germany are suffering due to their own aggression, and that any aid would serve only to reward and encourage the German people. The Canadian government has made it clear that this is a minority position, and not at all the position of the government. Meanwhile, on the question of aid to Europe, President Truman has stated "The US, of course, has no intention of abandoning Europe. We fully intend to support all the free nations of Europe in this time of need.", stating further that it was American Lend Lease that assisted the Soviet Union when it was in danger of being conquered by Nazi Germany, and that distribution of aid would be dependent on local conditions. America, this is Epicurius from CBS News, wishing you a good night and a happy tomorrow."
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May 5, 2020 16:44
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Whoa whoa whoa I never said don't fund Germsny. I just said we should bomb Liechtenstein
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May 5, 2020 17:05
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  Both sides receive initial draw! USSR has 8 cards in hand, plus the China Card (Face Up). USA has 8 cards in hand. USSR will now play 6 influence into Eastern Europe! Next deadline: 6PM Eastern, Thursday, 5/7 ==========================================================================  Opening Moves - September 1945 While celebrations continued around the world in the wake of the surrender of Japan, senior leadership in the United States and the USSR were already coming to the realization that the one-time allies were now on the verge of a new kind of war. Not a hot war of millions under arms, but a quiet war of espionage and ideas. A war not between nationstates, but between ideologies, on a scale never before imagined. A secret conflict. A struggle for not only land, but hearts and minds. A Cold War. Like the war that had only so recently concluded, this would be another global conflict. But both sides knew that Europe, only just starting to recover from the devastation of the last war, would be the primary battleground for this new struggle. And so one quiet day in September, in a nondescript room deep within the halls of the Kremlin, General Secretary Iosarović gathered his most loyal and reliable officials to plan their first move…
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May 6, 2020 23:00
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I'd like to sign up as (a) US Vice President. Nelson "N-Rock" "Félix Faure" Rockefeller.
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May 7, 2020 02:32
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USSR places 4 influence into Austria and takes control! USSR places 2 influence into Yugoslavia.   USA will now play 7 influence into Western Europe! Next deadline: 6PM Eastern, Friday, 5/8 ==========================================================================  Rotes Österreich - November 1945 The Austrian Elections of 1945 November 1945 marked the first time Austrians would go to the polls to elect a Legislature since 1930. While many predicted a slim majority for the center-right Österreichische Volkspartei, the campaign was thrown into chaos by the publication of a trove of recently discovered documents implicating key OVP officials in wartime-era atrocities. Protestations that the documents were forgeries fell on deaf ears, and support for the OVP collapsed, the party fracturing into component coalitions. At the same time, the reigning Sozialistische Partei Österreichs found itself beset by its own difficulties, pressed hard as lackeys of the bourgeois by the Kommunistische Partei Österreichs who had found seemingly unlimited resources. Through omnipresent agitprop and extensive community outreach, the KPO had managed by election day to completely supplant the SPO amidst the working classes of Austria. The ultimate results? A strong majority government for the KPO, which immediately signed treaties of friendship and mutual defense with the USSR. The Austrian elections marked the first major shift of the European ideological balance of power, and thus has become considered as the opening of the Cold War. Soviet Outreach in Yugoslavia At the same time, Josep Broz Tito was consolidating his control over the recently liberated Yugoslavia, instituting his own brand of socialism and completely rebuilding and reforming the state. The Soviet Union saw an excellent opportunity for extending their influence and were quick to provide Tito with a large quantity of military and economic assistance. While Yugoslavia was not yet an official part of the Soviet sphere of influence, for most geopolitical observers it seemed like it would only be a matter of time. sniper4625 fucked around with this message at 21:13 on May 7, 2020 |
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May 7, 2020 19:13
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Dateline, Vienna. The Soviet government today announced its willingness to recognize the government of Dr. Karl Renner. Renner, who had been three times Chancellor of Austria before the war, had, at the beginning of April, declared Austria's liberation and the establishment of a provisional government. The government, which consists of Socialists, Communists, and the conservative People's Party, is expected to pursue a neutral foreign policy and to be focused on rebuilding the economy and eliminating Nazi influence. The governments of Britain, France, and the United States have not yet responded to the Soviet announcement. And, from Belgrade, results have come in for the Constituent Assembly elections. As expected, forces loyal to Tito's partisans have won the majority. It is unknown yet what the new Consitutent Assemblies first steps will be, but it is expected to depose King Peter and establish a republic. America, this is Epicurius from CBS News, wishing you a good night and a happy tomorrow.
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May 7, 2020 21:07
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The ink is barely dry on Japan's surrender and already the sneaky Soviets have let their mask drop. The recent sham elections in Austria, held practically at the point of a Russian tank barrel, should confirm everyone's worst fears: the Russian bear is awake, and it is hungry. Already Stalin and his cronies are so secure in their hegemony over eastern Europe that they have barely bothered with their own neighbors and instead thrown the full weight of their influence as far westward as they can reach. The newly installed Soviet puppet government is a dagger thrust towards the heart of Europe, and if we do not act quickly then the newly liberated peoples of Europe will find themselves merely trading one dictator for another. Mr. President, your goal is clear: you must devote all the country's resources to propping up our European allies to act as a bulwark against the rapid onset of international communism. Austria is all but lost to us; if we do not act quickly, Germany, Italy, and France will soon follow. This country has already wasted far too long kowtowing to our Soviet "allies" under a weak, quasi-communist president. We must put our faith in the Lord God that the new administration is up to the task of safeguarding the free world against Stalin. Gabe S. Schittz-Pauster Political Commentary, New York Times
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May 8, 2020 00:38
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USA places 3 influence into West Germany USA places 1 influence into Austria. USSR loses control! USA places 2 influence into Italy and takes control! USA places 1 influence into Greece   Both sides will now play their headline card! Next deadline: 6PM Eastern, Saturday, 5/9 ==========================================================================  Countermove - December 1945 The victory of the KPO was a shot across the bow of the Washington foreign policy establishment, which turned with a will to the task of waging this new war of ballot boxes. With Europe increasingly ideologically bifurcated along geographical lines, the “front line” was to be Central Europe. US takes the lead in West Germany After the surrender of Germany, its territory was split into four, each to be administered by one of the victorious Allied powers. While Eastern Germany was effectively unified under the sole direction of the USSR, Western Germany was still tripartite under the United States, the United Kingdom, and France. An early breakthrough in the step towards rebuilding and normalization was the agreement by France and the UK to align their German policy with that of the United States. The effective result was a loose confederation of Western Germany, an intermediate step on the road to national elections and the return of self-rule. KPO finds new opposition in Austria While the newly elected KPO government set about their restructuring of Austria with a will, the disparate opposition forces - former OVP officials, moderate SPO members, and others - united into the Democratic Alliance, a big tent political coalition designed to attempt some counterbalance. While the KPO maintained their dominance and official policy still vastly favored the USSR, the US now had a foothold in what was shaping up to be a contested battleground. Italian Provisional Government signs treaty with USA While national elections were still a year away, the US wasted no time in extending assistance to the former wartime enemy-ally. As American soldiers assisted the fledgling government in the task of keeping order, Prime Minister De Gaspari delivered an enthusiastic speech praising President Takanago and celebrating the new relationship between Italy and the United States. Partisans and Politics in Greece The Greek Partisan movement had been divided between left and right, and the conclusion of World War Two meant the start of a new war for the future of Greece. The United States saw an opportunity, and with a modest application of military and economic assistance was able to ensure that the provisional government formed would be friendly to Washington. While not official yet, Greece seemed a likely ally in short order.
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May 8, 2020 15:50
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 US President Harry Takanago Truman The United States is proud to help the free nations of Europe rebuild and recover in the aftermath of this great and terrible war. Just as we sent lend-lease to help keep freedom alive, we shall send aid and assistance to help freedom bloom and prosper. In times of need, we will continue to show the world that there is no greater friend than the United States of America. May God bless you all.
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May 8, 2020 16:13
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 US presenting it's aid totals (Based on Tak's original) 
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May 8, 2020 16:40
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Dateline Vienna. The Renner government has fallen, as a schism within the Socialist Party has forced a vote of no confidence against the Chancellor. The "Free Socialists", as the faction calls itself, claims that those close to Renner do not have Austria's best interests at heart and that the Renner government is a tool of foreign interests. The Free Socialists have announced they will be contesting the new elections as part of a coalition with the People's Party. The People's Party, having been weakened by claims that some of their leaders were colluding with the Germans before and during a war, a charge they deny, have been opponents of the Renner Government, although the original Renner cabinet included a People's Party member as a show of unity. Renner's coalition of the Majority Socialists and the Communists are expected to win the new elections, but the long term future of Dr Renner, as well as of Austria, are very much in doubt. In Occupied Germany, the Allied Control Council is on the verge of dissolution, as the Soviets claim that the current four power control system is biased against them. This comes after talks by British, French, and American representatives to coordinate policy in their respective sectors, replacing the older system where all discussion was done through the Council. The Soviets, notoriously reluctant to cooperate with the Western Allies, feel squeezed out. News from Greece, where violence has erupted. An organized force launched an attack on a police headquarters in the province of Pieria today, only to be driven back after heavy casualties. The bandits appear to be former members of the People's Liberation Army, a Communist partisan group that was disbanded after Greece's liberation. There are stories from the Hill that Congress is considering military aid to Greece to help stabilize the situation and put an end to the violence. America, this is Epicurius from CBS News, wishing you a good night and a happy tomorrow.
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May 8, 2020 17:15
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Headline Flip USSR  USA  USA will resolve Marshall first.
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May 9, 2020 04:15
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Breaking news. Congress today passed a fifteen billion dollar aid package to rebuild devastated Europe. The package, a combination of grants and loans, includes funds to rebuild destroyed industry, modernize agriculture, and restore trade. The funds will be made available to any European former belligerent that chooses to participate.and agrees to trade liberalization. Secretary of State Marshall, in commenting on the bill, acknowledges that the cost will require sacrifice on behalf of the American taxpayer, but that such a program is necessary to prevent future instability in Europe. The President is expected to sign the bill tomorrow. America, this is Epicurius from CBS News, wishing you a good night and a happy tomorrow.
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May 9, 2020 06:31
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Today, representatives of several European countries allied to the Soviet Union have announced they will not participate in the discussions over the Marshall plan program, and have withdrawn their representatives from Paris, where a conference is being held to work out plan implementation. This comes on the heels of Moscow criticizing the plan as American imperialism and the announcement of the formation of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance, or COMECON, between the Soviet Union and those states. A spokesman from the Soviet Trade Ministry announced that the goal of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance is to negotiate and coordinate trade between its member states for mutual benefit. Although there has been no official linkage between rejection of Marshall Plan aid and COMECON membership, the implication is clear....if you take Marshall Plan money, don't bother applying to the COMECON. America, this is Epicurius from CBS News, wishing you a good night and a happy tomorrow.
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May 9, 2020 06:32
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The President has rocked the world with another devastating bomb, this time in the form of newly announced numbers for Secretary Marshall's postwar aid plan. To the surprise of absolutely no one the U.S. aid package is poised to utterly obliterate the pittance the Soviet Union is committing through its COMECON plan. Evidently printing Austrian ballots must be more expensive than we thought, if this is all they have left to give. So inadequate is the Soviets' response that their true intentions have become all too clear: no doubt they hoped to splash some money around their newly installed puppets to entice their former Axis neighbors to look Eastward (but not closely enough to see the unhappy fate of those poor states that have already fallen into the Soviet orbit.) As always, though, the Communist mind is ill equipped to understand the economic superiority of a free and democratic nation. Maybe in Soviet Russia you can buy loyalty with some borscht and rye bread, but once American grain and machinery begins flooding the ports of free Europe on the generosity of U.S. financing it should be clear to all which side has their best interests in mind. In time even the Austrians may come around. And one thing, also, should be clear: now that Russia's diplomatic carrot has failed so embarrassingly, it is only a matter of time before they turn to the stick. As always, the American military must stand at the ready to defend the world against the new wave of dictatorships that will surely descend. Gabe S. Schittz-Pauster Political Commentary, New York Times
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May 9, 2020 20:13
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USA places 1 influence in West Germany and takes control! USA places 1 influence in Greece and takes control! USA places 1 influence into Austria USA places 1 influence into Spain/Portugal USA places 1 influence into Italy USA places 1 influence into Turkey USA places 1 influence into Canada USSR places 1 influence into Yugoslavia and takes control! USSR places 1 influence into Austria USSR places 1 influence into East Germany USSR places 1 influence into Poland ==========================================================================  Onslaught of Aid - January 1946 The year 1946 dawned over a still-devastated Europe, torn asunder by years of war. Both the USA and the USSR realized that rebuilding was the order of the day - less out of altruism and more out of the realization that whoever was responsible for getting a country back on its feet would have a head start in the race for influence in the conflict to come. The USA was the first to act, as President Takanago directed Secretary of State George Marshall to devise and enact a plan for economic assistance for Western Europe, a plan that would come to bear his name in the popular conscious. January 1st marked the first shipments of aid to the pilot seven countries - the Western Germany territories and Greece, where enthusiastic government officials praised the unbreakable friendship between their peoples and America, Turkey, Italy, Spain and even Austria, where the Democratic Union was able to force the government to accept a modicum of aid. While minor at first, the Marshall Plan would give the United States a foothold through the region. While not part of Europe per se, Canadian Ambassador to the US Lester Pearson was instrumental in ensuring aid flowed to his own country, having fought so valiantly against the forces of Fascism. The Soviet Union, of course, launched their own economic assitance project - the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance, also known as COMECON. Not just a development aid program, the COMECON was intended to be a fully realized body for coordinating and facilitating economic growth between all the nations of the socialist world - a supranational body for prosperity under the benevolent direction of Moscow. The USSR, still rebuilding itself from the war was correspondingly unable to extend aid to as many nations - only Yugoslavia, where Comrade Tito delivered a speech vowing his unbreakable support for the new relationship, Austria, where the KPO greeted the arrival of Soviet aid with far more fanfare than they did American materiel, Poland, where the Polish Communist Party seized upon it to seize a leading position in national affairs, and East Germany, where the already Soviet-aligned government cheered the move enthusiastically. sniper4625 fucked around with this message at 19:04 on May 10, 2020 |
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May 10, 2020 18:56
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| # ? Apr 20, 2024 05:19 |
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  DEFCON decreases to 4! USA gains 1 VP! USSR plays card for operations! USSR coups Iran! Die roll is a 4! 3+4=7-4=3 USA loses 1 influence in Iran! USSR gains 2 influence in Iran and takes control! DEFCON drops to 3! USSR gain 3 MilOps!   USA will now play! Next deadline: 6PM Eastern, Monday, 5/11 ==========================================================================  Mosadegh - March 1946 *The Qavam premiership falls under an inability to resolve the Soviet violation of the Tripartite Pact, the new government under Mosadegh restores territorial integrity in exchange for bringing Iran under the protective umbrella of the Soviet Union. Socialist reforms, including nationalizations - the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company among others - proceed apace. USSR loses face (VP) for heavy handed tactics, and tensions rise. sniper4625 fucked around with this message at 19:22 on May 10, 2020 |
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May 10, 2020 19:14
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