Geo-Political Simulator

[Emperor Fuckshit]

When I made the Art History comparison, I was being a bit tongue-in-cheek... I don't imagine you all sitting around with massive hard-ons sharing pictures of displaced Vietnamese refugees or anything like that.

I know what you're saying about the entwined nature of political and military history, but I do think it's possible to tread the line. I'd like to think that the module I'm currently studying has given me a good understanding of the social, cultural, economic and political issues surrounding the Spanish Civil War, without necessarily needing to show me where the Xs and Os lined up during the Ebro offensive. Certainly, I wouldn't call my understanding of the topic 'hollow', anyway. Although there's always the possibility I'm overestimating myself. EDIT: In short, I suppose the line is one between wars as cultural events and wars as military events. Not that the latter isn't important to study; but it's a different discipline, to a large extent.

EDIT EDIT: Then again, I'm usually in favor of interdisciplinary History, and most attempts at demarcation seem like stuffy harumphing at bottom. Everyone should do what they like, and hopefully the pile we get at the end will serve well enough as the sum of human knowledge.

Oh wait, that was the Enlightenment, wasn't it? And look how that turned out...

Sorry, what were we talking about, again? 'Peep Show', wasn't it?

Edited December 6, 2008 by Emperor Fuckshit

[StevenRichardsRules]

So...the game then...is it any good?

[Bigal]

It's not bad, but it's not worth the money.

Don't make the same mistake I did

[ADG]

I'm not any good at this game. I'm always ousted by the end of February.

[stokeriño]

I'm not any good at this game. I'm always ousted by the end of February.

...Who did you play as and what madness did you try and do?

[ADG]

Well I went the UK and invaded Andorra.

Then I went the US and invaded Canada.

Then I went Russia and basically started World War 3 by launching chemical weapons strikes on London, Washington, Rome, Paris, Helsinki and Tokyo and sending troops into Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Lithuania, Ukraine and Poland. China came in to back me up and attacked Japan and America while I dealt with Europe.

Then I went Switzerland and I chose to raise income tax by 1%.

Not fair.

[apsham]

I love how raising taxes by 1 percent can get you sacked as fast as launching chemical weapons against major world powers.

[stokeriño]

To the Swiss, they're pretty much the same.

[ADG]

And I just got deposed after 26 days as President of Cyprus because I couldn't control the budget deficit.

[jrhodes]

I love how raising taxes by 1 percent can get you sacked as fast as launching chemical weapons against major world powers.

I raised taxes in the UK by a little over 1% and I get an approval boost because of it. Then again I did put most of the revenue into scientific study and the education system.

I'm turning the country into a bunch of bookish nerds!

[Emperor Fuckshit]

Can you only raise 'taxes' by 1%? No scope for re-distribution of wealth via radically tiered taxation? WHAT A LIMITED DISCOURSE!!!!

EDIT: Oh, and AD, did Switzerland not bother with anything so formal as an election, then? Can you literally just get 'ousted'?

Edited December 6, 2008 by Emperor Fuckshit

[ADG]

So far with this game I've been deposed ten times, suddenly taken ill and died once, been blown up once and lynched once. Being blown up hurt the most since I'd just successfully invaded Ireland and caused them to capitulate.

[Tarheels.]

So there's no demo available for this and it's $60?

That seems pretty risky :/

[NotoriousGTT]

Too risky for me, so i ordered Hearts of Iron Anthology from Amazon for 8 quid instead. Kinda different, but 30-odd quid less it seemed like a better proposal.

[-phenom-]

Too risky for me, so i ordered Hearts of Iron Anthology from Amazon for 8 quid instead. Kinda different, but 30-odd quid less it seemed like a better proposal.

I got Hearts of iron and uninstalled it soon after. I just couldn't get a grasp on how to play it well. Things seemed too complex and you didn't really have that much freedom.

[stokeriño]

You do have a lot of freedom (diplomacy is the main area that's a bit lacking) in HoI once you get your head around it - but I agree, the learning curve is something like a 90% incline.

And even when you know how to play it, that doesn't prevent you from doing some things of mammoth stupidity. Yesterday in my Soviet Union game, I declared war on Germany early on, only to notice afterwards I had chosen the date of December 3rd to do so. Winter wars are death, even for Russians. >_<

Edited December 8, 2008 by stokeriño

[ADG]

Just had an immense game as Israel. It rapidly descended into World War 3 with everyone going after each other. A quick timelime of what happened:

Iran attacked Iraq

The United States and Great Britain declared war on Iran

Iran destroyed Baghdad with a nuclear weapon

France declared war on Iran

France violated my airspace to launch attacks on Iranian targets

I (Israel) pledged to support the defence of Iraqi territory and sent the armed forces to Iran, however to avoid pissing off Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia I moved them round the long way through the Red Sea and round.

China declared war on the US, Britain, France and Israel.

Venezuala, Colombia and the British Virgin Islands attacked the United States.

The United States, Canada and France declared war on Venezuala and Colombia.

China destroyed Jerusalem with a nuclear weapon killing three million people and also destroying the Palestinian West Bank.

Palestine declared war on China.

Bangladesh and Pakistan invaded India.

India declared war on Bangladesh and Pakistan.

China invaded India.

India declared war on China.

North Korea and Vietnam pledged their support to China.

South Korea declared war on North Korea, China and Vietnam.

Israel launched chemical weapon attacks on Beijing and Shanghai.

France launched a nuclear strike on Iran.

I pulled my forces back to Israel.

Syria and Jordan declared war on Israel.

Israel launched a chemical strike on Damascus.

And then I was deposed after sixteen months. Epic game (Y)

[stokeriño]

Venezuala, Colombia and the British Virgin Islands attacked the United States.

...What.

I shall bypass the fact that it's a British Overseas Territory (like the Falklands) and skip right to: it only has a population of 22,000. What what way could it possibly attack the US?

[ADG]

I don't know how they thought they had a chance either. Although in one other game I had the Channel Islands and Tuvalu (a British Overseas Territory, population 17,000) rise up and declare hostilities against me (Great Britain) all because I had invaded the Isle of Man.

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

Venezuala, Colombia and the British Virgin Islands attacked the United States.

...What.

I shall bypass the fact that it's a British Overseas Territory (like the Falklands) and skip right to: it only has a population of 22,000. What what way could it possibly attack the US?

Their chief weapon is surprise, surprise and fear.