Conflict

The conflict system is fundamentally the same as with many other xPowers games, with some adjustments to be done, and better integration into the Black Ops/Intelligence System.

The Conflict system is divided into 3 phases, Peacetime, Buildup and Wartime.

Peacetime

Each Claim has their own personal War Drive, however alliances may have their own joint War Drive. A War Drive is essentially a folder on Google Drive, shared with the mods, and is where players add all of their War Plans. Old players of SWWP will surely recognize this system.

During peacetime, a claim can draft up Defense Schemes, which is added to their War Drive. These are essentially contingency plans done to avoid being caught flat footed in the case of an unexpected war, and thus should only contain army units that are stationed close to (not necessarily right on) the border with the planned aggressor, and should include plans for mobilization for a defense. Think of it as a “Just in case ____ attacks me” plan.

In the same drive, you can also draft up War Plans, which are essentially the strategic plan for the first round in a war between you and an enemy (Plan for about a month of combat). Think of it as the classic war order in xPowers game, for the first round in a war between you and the enemy.

A claim can also do military exercises in peacetime, which allows for preparation for your troops in order to execute the outlined Defense Schemes or War Plans. Without this, your army’s performance will be far worse when executing said plans. Depending on the scale of your exercise, your neighbours and/or enemies can discover your intentions, sparking tension, or serve as a warning to them.

TL;DR: Defense Schemes are plans for measures to be undertaken if war with a nation happens immediately. War Plans are like they said, your plans for war if you actually have time to plan for it accordingly.

Buildup

Realistically, most nations go to war with at least some form of military buildup. Buildup is the phase where a nation preparing for war actually performs most of the necessary preparations in order to start it, however the enemy may detect these actions. This phase lasts for 2-6 months in-game. The options available includes:

Move your troops/planes/ships to the starting location of the War Plan. (Low Secrecy) (This must be done in the Buildup phase) This is because unlike in HoI, armies don’t line up all of their troops on any borders, they station them across the country, and thus any units that are not stationed in the proximity of the area of target by your War Plan must be moved to the proximity in order to execute the plan.

Any kind of battlefield preparation mentioned in War Plan like artillery placement, fortification construction, etc. (Low Secrecy) (Takes 2 months)

Begin mobilization (Medium Secrecy) (Takes 6 months)

Factory conversion (High Secrecy) (Takes 4 months)

Border Skirmishes (No Secrecy) (Will raise your plan's effectiveness as your troops test out the strengths of the enemies defense, but essentially broadcast your intentions)

These actions are done through a [Conflict] posts.

If the Defender manages to detect these actions, they may start their Buildup phase as well, and may also draft up their own War Order for the first round of the war.

Wartime

Once one side attacks, this phase begins. Here all cards are off and all actions are available.

If the Defender has not detected the Attacker’s intention during the Buildup phase, then they may not enter the Wartime phase until after the first round. Only their Defense Scheme may be used in this circumstance.

If the Defender has detected the Attacker’s intention during the Buildup phase, then the war will playout as classic xPowers wars do, with mods reviewing the War Plans on both sides before posting the resolution as a [Battle] Post.

For the second round onwards, each belligerent side submits their own War Plans in the same Google Drive, alongside a [Conflict] post on the sub.

Surprise Attack/Limited War

There is a way, however, to bypass that Buildup phase shenanigan, and basically start a war that would caught the other side on the back foot (cough Japan cough), or conduct a Limited War where you will only get in, get what you want decisively, then get out. This is a Surprise Attack. A Surprise Attack is essentially a type of offensive War Plan that only uses a small amount of force, which when executed (Signaled by a [Conflict] post on the sub) will essentially begin a phase called Limited War, which will only last for 1 round of combat, to be resolved by mods between the Surprise Attack Plan and the Defense Scheme on the Defender’s side. At the end of the Limited War phase, if it is an overwhelming success for either side, the 2 sides can come to the negotiating table (the losing side being less enthusiastic) and end the Limited War. If a resolution is not reached, perhaps due to the Limited War being not decisive enough for one side to enforce the demands they want, then either side can escalate it to a full-on war, entering the Wartime phase.

Civil War

Civil Wars are an interesting breed. Typically the frontlines in civil wars are very messy and do not solidifies until after a period of time. Thus in-game, this will be reflected as the Buildup phase is replaced by a 3 months Initial Phase of a civil war, which is entirely mod run and as a result will provide a solid (as solid as a civil war can be) for the sides in the civil war to enter the Wartime phase.

And that is it for the Conflict Mechanics! The next report will be about the Intelligence mechanics, or as it is mostly known, in the xPowers community, Black Ops.

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