H
HeySeuss
Guest
Original poster
A member of the Swiss Army, circa WWII
- Alternate Universe, not Earth, setting.
- Equivalent to the WWII-era and WWII-tech.
- The Augstberg Principality is based on Switzerland and Finland; it is mountain terrain and forests and other terrain that favors a prepared defender, and it is a country with a strong militia/reserve force.
- Female characters welcome. That's part of why I chose to do an alternate Earth.
- The players will be the members of an individual squad in the Principality Armed Citizenry, a militia formation that all citizens join after serving their minimum two years of active duty in the Regular Army. However, these characters are reservists in the elite 3rd Jäger Battalion, probably serving in the same infantry platoon, if not squad. It helps explain why the PC's are perhaps a cut above the usual; they are alpine troops, though alpine troops that just got pulled out of college and their families and put back into uniform.
- At the same time, the characters have lives; University, careers, family and god knows what else. This is being disrupted by the callup of the strategic reserves.
- For centuries, the Principality has maintained neutrality through inhospitable terrain and its citizen soldiery, but the discovery of mineral wealth, especially in this technological age, make the Principality a riper fruit for the picking.
- The characters are citizens of the Principality of varying ages and backgrounds that have been called up (by lottery, or by volunteering) for active duty in the face of this danger. - Players are encouraged to help develop the setting, including the weaponry.
For centuries, the Augstberg principality maintained its independent rule and neutrality through the ferocity of its legions of citizen-soldiers, notable as loyal to their nation before other nations developed nationalism. The constitutional rule of law and the limitation of the Prince's authority in the realm and the parliamentarian/referendum veto system of governing ensured that Augstbergers were eager to repel the invasion of would-be rulers from neighboring nations. The fervor of its militia forces, harsh terrain and adverse climate, as well as a lack of treasure to make the invasion a worthwhile conquest meant that after a while, the neighbors stopped trying to invade.
These neighbors went to war and consolidated power among themselves, sometimes with Austberger mercenaries being hired out, and they gained a historical reputation for prowess before one of the reigning Princes convinced the parliament to suspend the practice of allowing Augstberger soldiers to hire out to foreign powers, convincingly arguing that such a practice may well draw the Principality itself into the fighting. And yet an exception was made for a few to serve as the honor guard for a specific few, owing to tradition, a practice that reminded the world that there were no easy fruits picked in the Principality.
Regrettably, the discovery of fissible materials and petroleum reserves in the nation have created a different situation, as now Augstberg's natural resources in conjunction with its healthy and self-sufficient industrial development and strong financial sector mean that it has become, ironically, a victim of its own success. As neighbors start annexing their smaller neighbors to gain strategic advantage against each other, Augstbergers know that one side or the other will decide that the road to victory lies through their small country.
Out of Character Info:
The characters will be called up members of a platoon of the 3rd Jäger Battalion. The 3rd Battalion is one of the reserve units where citizens serve out their reserve service (10 years of reserve service after two years active duty conscription) after having served in the 1st and 2nd Jäger Battalions. That means that the characters would be in better than usual physical shape and well trained, even if they are reservists. I don't think that a country like this would have an airborne formation due to a variety of strategic and budgetary factors, but alpine troops were the elite of several European armies prior to the introduction of airborne troops in WWII; of course, the Principality's armed forces might not have airborne troops...but the enemy probably will. In any case, they have a special hat and all that jazz.
The initial equipment of the unit will not be the top tech of the era, because they are switching over from a peacetime configuration (and production) to wartime footing.
There is little more to say, except that my only real standard in regardings to length/quality is I don't worry about how long a post is, but I do care about being able to read it. That's not because I am a grammar Nazi, but because I feel like it is the basics and it makes it easier for everyone to read what is written.
I'd like to make this a long term RP, so I'd like to hear people's ideas and work with people to brainstorm in a collaborative fashion. And yes, if you are asking, I did play Valkyria Chronicles a time or two, but I also was a history major in college (University to those of you outside of the You-Ess-Ay) and I decided to strip out the anime elements in favor of something a little closer to the history without being tied to real world events. Also a bit of a what-if, since the Swiss sat out this war...though the Finns were similarly a called up militia and performed well in the war.
Also, a piece on character development; I am willing to entertain multiple languages and ethnicities within the Principality and the development of politics in conjunction with people that want to work on that in brainstorming -- that's the fun of doing RP's, so let's hook up on Skype or whatever and work together on that!
