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What if the United States was a bit less... united?
What if every movement for independence and/or secession in the United States was successful?
How would the continent look?
I have begun work on an ambitious new mod/scenario that will attempt to answer that question. I hope I can enlist the help of many people here to make this a reality. Anyone interested in creative new scenarios or interested in alternative history should contribute.
Download here.
VERSION .03 - Added 8-25-07
Instructions:
1. Download file and unzip "Fractured States" folder into Firaxis Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 4\Beyond the Sword\Mods
2. Place Fractured States.CivBeyondSwordWBSave into Firaxis Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 4\Beyond the Sword\PublicMaps
3. Load Fractured States Mod
4. Select "Start Scenario" (from either single player or multiplayer)
5. Pick "Fractured States"
Background:
The promise of a liberal democracy set forth in the Mexican Constitution of 1824 was brushed aside in 1835 by President Antonio López de Santa Anna who centralized power under his harsh rule. Such an autocratic move angered the people and ten Mexican states went into open rebellion in response. President Santa Ana went to war to put down the rebellions, but in 1836, Santa Ana was decisively defeated at the Battle of San Jacinto by Texan revolutionaries. Santa Ana was captured and forced to agree to Texan independence.
Following the defeat, the situation continued to worsen for the Mexican government. Defeat by France in 1838 and unstable leadership contributed to a substantial weakening of Mexican central authority. In 1840 the Republic of the Rio Grande declared its indepdence. In 1846 the California Republic declared its independence. In 1848, Mormon pioneers under the command of Brigham Young declare independence for their nation of Deseret.
Meanwhile, in the United States a close election in 1844 gives victory to Henry Clay by a razor thin margin, winning New York by less than 5,000 votes over James Polk. Unlike Polk, Clay is not a champion of Manifest Destiny and does not seek to annex Texas or assert United States control over Mexican territory to the west. Nor did he seek to acquire the Oregon territory, leaving the territory in limbo with competing claims from both the United Kingdom and the United States eventually the citizens of Oregon decide to found their own nation.
With the possibility of additional land gains in the south west stymied (as with the possibility of additional slave states) all attempts at a compromise between free and slave states in 1850 break down. With no compromise in sight, South Carolina, fearful that slave states will soon be outnumbered in the United States, takes the first, bold step of secession. Followed soon thereafter by the rest of the South the Civil War begins in 1851.
I hope to not only create an enjoyable and entirely playable scenario, but make it historically plausible. For example, the election of 1844 really came down to 5,000 votes in New York. That is the margin that James Polk won the state, and with that state he won the election. Under Polk's administration and insistence of Manifest Destiny the United States annexed Texas, went to war with Mexico, and reached an agreement to take the Oregon territory.
But what if those 5,000 votes went in the other direction? What if Henry Clay won and his administration avoided all the expansionist policies of Polk? Such a small thing as 5,000 votes changed US and world history. This mod sets out to explore those "what if" questions that fans of history love so much.
Some other important questions to be probed:
Other potential features I hope to have in this mod include:
A very rough idea of the scope of the map:
This mod is still in the early stages, right now I am working on the map and figuring out the timeline and other generalities. I really hope to immerse people in America of the Nineteenth Century. With an approximate timeline of 1851 to 1930. I am very intent on keeping things balanced and not getting out of hand with new units/buildings/etc, while maintaining the look and feel of 1800's in America. Please lend a hand to make this a success:
What if every movement for independence and/or secession in the United States was successful?
How would the continent look?
I have begun work on an ambitious new mod/scenario that will attempt to answer that question. I hope I can enlist the help of many people here to make this a reality. Anyone interested in creative new scenarios or interested in alternative history should contribute.
Download here.
VERSION .03 - Added 8-25-07
Instructions:
1. Download file and unzip "Fractured States" folder into Firaxis Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 4\Beyond the Sword\Mods
2. Place Fractured States.CivBeyondSwordWBSave into Firaxis Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 4\Beyond the Sword\PublicMaps
3. Load Fractured States Mod
4. Select "Start Scenario" (from either single player or multiplayer)
5. Pick "Fractured States"
Background:
The promise of a liberal democracy set forth in the Mexican Constitution of 1824 was brushed aside in 1835 by President Antonio López de Santa Anna who centralized power under his harsh rule. Such an autocratic move angered the people and ten Mexican states went into open rebellion in response. President Santa Ana went to war to put down the rebellions, but in 1836, Santa Ana was decisively defeated at the Battle of San Jacinto by Texan revolutionaries. Santa Ana was captured and forced to agree to Texan independence.
Following the defeat, the situation continued to worsen for the Mexican government. Defeat by France in 1838 and unstable leadership contributed to a substantial weakening of Mexican central authority. In 1840 the Republic of the Rio Grande declared its indepdence. In 1846 the California Republic declared its independence. In 1848, Mormon pioneers under the command of Brigham Young declare independence for their nation of Deseret.
Meanwhile, in the United States a close election in 1844 gives victory to Henry Clay by a razor thin margin, winning New York by less than 5,000 votes over James Polk. Unlike Polk, Clay is not a champion of Manifest Destiny and does not seek to annex Texas or assert United States control over Mexican territory to the west. Nor did he seek to acquire the Oregon territory, leaving the territory in limbo with competing claims from both the United Kingdom and the United States eventually the citizens of Oregon decide to found their own nation.
With the possibility of additional land gains in the south west stymied (as with the possibility of additional slave states) all attempts at a compromise between free and slave states in 1850 break down. With no compromise in sight, South Carolina, fearful that slave states will soon be outnumbered in the United States, takes the first, bold step of secession. Followed soon thereafter by the rest of the South the Civil War begins in 1851.
Civs:
Republic of Deseret
Brigham Young (Industrious, Spiritual)
Confederate States of America
Jefferson Davis (Imperialist, Spiritual)
United States of America
Abraham Lincoln (Industrious, Financial)
Republic of Texas
Mirabeau Lamar (Horsemastery, Expansionist)
Mexico
Antonio López de Santa Anna (Aggressive, Imperialist)
Vermont Republic
Ethan A. Hitchcock (Philosophical, Protective)
Canada
John MacDonald (Expansionist, Protective)
California
John Fremont (Creative, Organized)
Oregon
John McLoughlin (Philosophical, Creative)
Republic of the Rio Grande
Santiago Vidaurri (Charismatic, Organized)
Great Sioux Nation
Sitting Bull (Horsemastery, Native)
Chinookan tribes
Comcomly (Charismatic, Native)
Apache Nations
Geronimo (Aggressive, Native)
Five Tribes of the Cherokee
Sequoya (Financial, Native)
Republic of Deseret
Brigham Young (Industrious, Spiritual)
Confederate States of America
Jefferson Davis (Imperialist, Spiritual)
United States of America
Abraham Lincoln (Industrious, Financial)
Republic of Texas
Mirabeau Lamar (Horsemastery, Expansionist)
Mexico
Antonio López de Santa Anna (Aggressive, Imperialist)
Vermont Republic
Ethan A. Hitchcock (Philosophical, Protective)
Canada
John MacDonald (Expansionist, Protective)
California
John Fremont (Creative, Organized)
Oregon
John McLoughlin (Philosophical, Creative)
Republic of the Rio Grande
Santiago Vidaurri (Charismatic, Organized)
Great Sioux Nation
Sitting Bull (Horsemastery, Native)
Chinookan tribes
Comcomly (Charismatic, Native)
Apache Nations
Geronimo (Aggressive, Native)
Five Tribes of the Cherokee
Sequoya (Financial, Native)
But what if those 5,000 votes went in the other direction? What if Henry Clay won and his administration avoided all the expansionist policies of Polk? Such a small thing as 5,000 votes changed US and world history. This mod sets out to explore those "what if" questions that fans of history love so much.
Some other important questions to be probed:
- What events could have happened to stop the Compromise of 1850 from happening?
- If the Civil War started in 1851, and the North didn't benefit from an additional decade of industrialization, could the South have won?
- Who would win the US Presidency in 1848, and what effect would they have on this unfolding timeline?
- With a fragmented United States, could the Native American tribes remain independent?
Other potential features I hope to have in this mod include:
- A comprehensive storyline and vision for this alternate history
- Modified civics
- Customized events/quests that fit in with the alt. history storyline (extinction of the buffalo, transcontinental railroad, indian raids, gold rush, etc)
- New tech tree
- New units
- New wonders
- New buildings
- New religions (Mormonism, Baptist, Catholic, Mainline Protestant, etc)
- New great people/generals from famous people from this period
- Quotes to flesh out the mod
A very rough idea of the scope of the map:
This mod is still in the early stages, right now I am working on the map and figuring out the timeline and other generalities. I really hope to immerse people in America of the Nineteenth Century. With an approximate timeline of 1851 to 1930. I am very intent on keeping things balanced and not getting out of hand with new units/buildings/etc, while maintaining the look and feel of 1800's in America. Please lend a hand to make this a success:
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