Board Thread:Watercooler 2.0/@comment-3057831-20140115062316/@comment-7010721-20140124023636

Wars are decided by far more than population numbers. Strategic locations matter far more, and that's where eastern nations become largely useless.

It's clear that the bulk of the fighting is going to be in AmplectorI don't exactly see Cyprum or Novairia shipping troops halfway around the world to fight in a war that wouldn't benefit them in the slightest. Their governments may support the idea, but in the absence of a Pearl Harbor-esque situation, their populations most likely will demand peace once it becomes apparent that a quick victory is not in the cards.

Sri, Nov, Inesea, Pav, and Cyprum are not realistically going to attack Fanaglia/Servoth/Vitzenburg/Inoroth/Vjiay/et al. on their home front; at most, sniping their colonies or attacking any regional allies they may have (which, given the paucity of nations overall, is not all that many). The logistics would make it a complete nightmare for their military, and the effort would strain their economies immensely. Let's not forget that all of these nations have had a civil war, government change, or sizable unrest in the past decade. They're not going to be able to fight a massive war continents away. Similarly for Mishmahig, which is focused on rebuilding the Mishmite Union and expanding its influence over large swathes of Promethia. I would imagine that the same would go for Cygnar; large chunks of his army would probably be relegated to guarding or holding down his recently conquered Promethian holdings, lest a rebellion break out while he's occupied in Amplector.

In that case, I'd say that the war is definitely 50/50, given population levels. FIN has the advantage in technology, but that's evened by the sheer size of Fanaglia's and Inoroth's industries. (Perhaps an appropriate comparison would be Germany and the Soviet Union?) Additionally, OOC elements should be considered---Dal and Wirbel are inactive, which means special care is going to be used by both sides in the war to not abuse their status (no Vjiayan armies tearing across the countryside, but also no mass-suicide-charges from Wirbelese infantry, y'know?)

No matter which way it's faced, the war is most certainly an Amplectorian war, rather than a world war. A long, drawn out war, filled with trench and chemical warfare, and millions dead on all sides.

Even if one side wins, it's inevitable that the other side would return with a desire for vengeance. With an Amplectorian War lasting for roughly 5-6 years, and assume the usual post-war boom/bust cycle, that'd put us roughly around the 30s/40s, and we all know what's happening then. Let's not make this too much like real life.

So, my predictions? Initial flurry of cascading alliances and sweeping military movements/declarations, followed by a slow descent into the madness that is trench warfare, punctuated by occasional breakthroughs on either side. As Amplector grinds itself slowly into dust, the Zhaoian and Promethian nations rebuild themselves and seize the advantage, gaining influence and power at the expense of the Amplectorian Imperialists that are locked in their titanic struggle. In the end, even as one side triumphs over the other, the true victors will be everyone else.

Actually, I think it'll end in a status quo ante bellum.