Game 8

I'm hopefully not speaking out of turn by saying that as far as I know only two small positions are now available plus 2 or 3 pirate/rebel positions in game 8.

How about we all give the game a big push and try and get these last few filled?

I know a few PBM players I could contact. I'm sure between us we could get another few players? Especially as it's small/pirate positions that I imagine are good for a more casual game or just to give it a pop?

Coming back to G8 I opted (lol) for a smaller position. It'll be interesting to see what can be done with it.

In other games/times where I've pllayed small powers, companies or individuals, I've tended to become more of a character than with larger ones. I can already feel it happening with this one - so apologies in advance

I guess when you are small, unfashionable, not so glamorous and no one wants to dance with you at the masked ball... you have to make more effort in other ways to attract attention

I tend to like the roleplaying aspect of the game too. It is more than just moving pieces around the board, at least to me!

Mustang Shooting Stars wrote:I guess when you are small, unfashionable, not so glamorous and no one wants to dance with you at the masked ball... you have to make more effort in other ways to attract attention

What would be interesting is if enough small powers teamed up to take on a larger one. Though what generally happens with smaller, yet important, positions like ours is that larger powers try to get you on side for their own ends.

Be interesting to see, say, a rich papal states recruit the pirates and some of the rebels as its land and sea forces and maybe even free the slaves of Africa as a massive unskilled army - for example

I love the film spartacus too. Trouble with your idea is,the rest of Europe would unite to destroy the slave army. Including France,Spain,Austria and Portugal. Catholic states that give large sums of money to the Papal states,which without this money, would be skint.

Yeah, the economy of the new world in period runs on the back of slaves..

The other problem could be I could see the Papal States losing its honour very quickly if it tried such an approach...and I think once honour is low, you risk rebellion and could be overthrown...

However, perhaps if you were a pirate lord and wanted to try and organise a slave revolt in the West Indies if the powers were distracted in Europe? (No idea if it would work as never played a pirate)

I can see a Pirate trying to take the Spartacus route to become king of some section of the new world.

There certainly is a history of slave revolts in the new world:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slave_rebellion

It has a certain appeal as an idea Deacon

I think you boys are forgetting the time period.Spartacus and slave revolts are lovely romantic ideas, but in this period of time we have gunpowder. Muskets and heavy guns,mortars even.

Do you really think a slave army would dare to form or stand up against these forces? No gladiators to lead them either.

Raynal's prediction came true on the night of 21 August 1791, when the slaves of Saint Domingue rose in revolt and plunged the colony into civil war. The signal to begin the revolt was given by Dutty Boukman, a high priest of vodou and leader of the Maroon slaves, during a religious ceremony at Bois Caïman on the night of 14 August.[19] Within the next ten days, slaves had taken control of the entire Northern Province in an unprecedented slave revolt. Whites kept control of only a few isolated, fortified camps. The slaves sought revenge on their masters through "pillage, rape, torture, mutilation, and death".[20] Because the plantation owners long feared a revolt like this, they were well armed and prepared to defend themselves. Nonetheless, within weeks, the number of slaves who joined the revolt reached approximately 100,000. Within the next two months, as the violence escalated, the slaves killed 4,000 whites and burned or destroyed 180 sugar plantations and hundreds of coffee and indigo plantations.[20]

By 1792, slaves controlled a third of the island. The success of the slave rebellion caused the newly elected Legislative Assembly in France to realize it was facing an ominous situation. To protect France's economic interests, the Legislative Assembly needed to grant civil and political rights to free men of color in the colonies. In March 1792, the Legislative Assembly did just that.[20] Countries throughout Europe as well as the United States were shocked by the decision of the Legislative Assembly. Members of the Assembly were determined to stop the revolt. Apart from granting rights to the free people of color, they dispatched 6,000 French soldiers to the island.[21]

Yes, as the link showed and Mustang points out, slave revolts later did work. Earlier slave revolts in the Spanish new world resulted in Jungle encampments of guerrilla warriors that preyed on spanish interests and hid in the jungle.

Bear in mind the terrain of most of the new world is such that slaves wouldn't have to give battle and could attack from the jungle by surprise.

That said, I do think the mostly outcome would be rapid death for the slaves.

Most slave revolts (there were actually literally hundreds of them of different sizes) were brutally put down so Jamesbond is absolutely correct, but a few succeeded in this era.

Haiti was the only place to successfully end up with a 'slave-run state' - to put it a bit clumsily - but I gatherer there were 2-3 incidents of slave ships being taken over by slaves too... Not sure of the details but you could quickly change one of those big slavers into a decent 'pirate' ship etc

Anyway, not sure how we got so deeply into this one!

I think it is such a lovely idea. I think we would all like to see a slave revolt. The bigger the better. Then it would be interesting to see which countries come together to put it down.

Speak for yourself!

Though given the historically geographically confined nature of such revolts, I doubt that there would be any reason for multiple countries to be involved, let alone cooperate.

How about if it was in the americas ? in the middle of spanish/french/english territory.Bordering on all three territories, yet not actualy in any of them.That would prove interesting.

You really don't want to go putting ideas like this in my head....

Great.

Now look what you've done! You've awakened the dragon!

Virginal maidens are going to be eaten for sure now!

the problem is those most likely to sponsor a slave revolt in order to gain an imperial advantage (mainly France, Portugal, England, Spain) also have large slave populations, so in the main countries didnt as it could so easily be turned against them. moroever sponsoring rape and pillage will have an effect on ones honour.

I wonder if that brings us back to the idea of a pirate lord sponsoring a revolt Baggins? I think that's the sort of thing that boosts their 'honour' score

Indeed if a pirate chief was an ex-slave who decided to strike back at his former oppressors...

Or even just a free slave leading the uprising.

Not sure how many would want to play that position though, the odds are really stacked against you...

sounds like a job for the pirates!

Or a clever native American Indian chief from one of the big warlike tribes?