Medium Powers
|
The so-called Medium Powers are those countries in the game that are interesting enough for novice players, but which may not give more experienced players enough challenges. These countries are military and economically of average strength. Each of the major powers could easily take control of these medium powers unless the medium power get help from one of the other major powers. Assasinations of the political leadership of medium powers is also possible. Novice players are adviced to first take command of a medium power and move carefully; this might provide a good opportunity to learn the game and one day be ready to assume command of a major power. |
|
Reasons for the Selection of Medium Powers In my discussions with Christian Schlobach my choice for the countries that would be dubbed 'medium powers' was under fire. Since Christian's questions were legitimate I would like to elaborate my choice for the countries listed below. First, let's start by defining what a 'medium power' is. In the game, a medium power is a minor power under player control. The difference between a minor and major powers is not an easy one, since it is subjective. Let's try an objective definition: a minor power is a country that is too weak (militarily, politically, and economically) to influence world affairs on its own. Now, this definition is rather vague. We are left with questions such as how to define strength, how we can measure influence, etcetera. Let's assume then that a minor power is a country not capable of destroying the balance of power on its own. On with the reasons for my choice. Remember that I define a medium as a minor power controlled by a player. The reason I haven't made each minor power a medium power is that in World Affairs and Crisis'38 I noticed this led to anarchy. Many players were bored with the few possibilities their poor and weak countries had. As a result, they began spamming the news or they began showing a-historical and unrealistic behavior. The reason I didn't opt to leave out medium powers is to give unexperienced players a chance to explore the game. Another reason was that for me as the GM to take control of all countries save the Big Eight could lead to stagnation of the game. As GM I tend to be too neutral; adding a few medium powers would make the game more interesting. So why did I opt to include the countries listed below and not others? Well, initally I intended to use only Poland, Romania, and Yugoslavia, as these were minor powers with well-respected military forces, which would not be overrun in the beginning of the game. Next to that, they weren't really neutral, as I noticed during several game that playing neutral countries can be pretty boring. After discussions with Christian, however, I included Turkey and Czechoslovakia. Turkey was added because it was neutral only superficially, but closer examination revealed that Turkey played out the Axis against the Allies. The special relations of Turkey with Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and the Soviet Union, makes this a very interesting country to play, even if it stays neutral during the entire game. Czechoslovakia was added on Christian's request as well: even though the chances are high that the Czechoslovakian player will not hold out for more than two game-years, it will provide an interesting challenge for those wishing to learn more about crises. The Medium Powers
|
|
|
