The Campaign Builder's Guild

One of my favorite parts of worldbuilding is seeing different people's takes on ideas I've already worked on. As such, I'm going to be posting challenges to the community, where you all attempt to write a summary (as brief or as long as you want) about a particular topic. For the first one, I'm going to pose this question: "What the world would look like if America had undergone a successful Civil War?" This could be the historical Civil War with a different outcome, or a second one that occurred at a different point in history. Feel free to include any elements you want (super science, aliens, metahumans, magic, etc), and just have fun with it. As an option, feel free to have the Civil War begin recently and still be continuing. Make sure to note the cause of the war, the end result, and how that has impacted world events. Enjoy!

The Confederate States of America successfully managed to fend off the Union until they tired of fighting. Lincolin was never assassinated, and led the Union to a economic post-war boom and embargoes on the south, while the South, now bereft of a manufacturing center, allies itself with Germany and Austria-Hungary, both up-and-coming European nations.

World War one occurs, and with the South's aid in foodstuffs and troops, the German and Austrian Powers successfully beat the allied powers into submission, despite the North's late entry. The German and Austrian alliance, blaming Russia and the Allies for the beginning of the war, impose heavy economic restitution.

The South wins the Civil War after a decisive victory at Gettysburg, and pushes back to the Mason Dixie liene, establishing two separate Nations. The North quickly becomes an industrial power, and by the time WW1 rolls around, is hob-knobbing it with Germany and Austria. They Lead an attack on the South, figuring to reclaim their wayward states. years of trench warfare ensues, finally the North prevails, takign the Southern states. The lack of US troops and support in WW! causes Germany and Austrio-hungary to prevail, claiming most of western Europe as empirical powers. THis sets up the following years as ones of growing power and division between Sino Russia, The Germanic States, and the Reunified America.The African continent serves as a political chessboard for their struggles, until A global coalition of canada, South america, Australia, england, and various other states launch a massive assault on teh three powers. That's where we are today.

Quote from: Stargate525The Confederate States of America successfully managed to fend off the Union until they tired of fighting. Lincolin was never assassinated, and led the Union to a economic post-war boom and embargoes on the south, while the South, now bereft of a manufacturing center, allies itself with Germany and Austria-Hungary, both up-and-coming European nations.

World War one occurs, and with the South's aid in foodstuffs and troops, the German and Austrian Powers successfully beat the allied powers into submission, despite the North's late entry. The German and Austrian alliance, blaming Russia and the Allies for the beginning of the war, impose heavy economic restitution.

You took my starting point! Well... you handled WWI better than I would have.

Anyway...

The expansion of the United States into the West fizzles. China buys/claims the territory for itself. The colony booms, and the gold rush enriches China to the point where it can finally conquer Japan and Korea. The new Mandarin American States (pick a better name, someone who would know the name of such an entity) breaks off from China...

and that's all I've got. United States divided three ways.

I like all three. Still, I want more details so I'll pry deeper. :D

Stargate: Why was faith in Lincon not shaken by losing the war? Wouldn't the defeat have led to a rescession, not a boom? How did the economy boom with a large chunk of the country broken away? During WWI, was there any land war in America? If so, how did that go? If not, why?

@Fall2Me: How is life in the reclaimed southern states? Is there continued rebellion, or is it fully pacified? How devestating was the American land war? why did America side with Austria and Germany as opposed to Britian and France?

@Beejazz: I've never seen this take before. Facinating idea. How did China take over the eastern coast? what kind of resistance did Americans there put up? How many Chinese immigated to the MSA prior to the split? How bloody/violent was the split? Did the USA or the CSA or both back the MSA rebellion, or did they ignore it, or did one back the rebels and another back the Chinese? What kind of relations exist between the three nations?

QuoteAnyway...

The expansion of the United States into the West fizzles. China buys/claims the territory for itself. The colony booms, and the gold rush enriches China to the point where it can finally conquer Japan and Korea. The new Mandarin American States (pick a better name, someone who would know the name of such an entity) breaks off from China...

and that's all I've got. United States divided three ways.

This would have been much more believable if you had put "Russia," which, after all, had fur posts as far south as California.  I can't even begin to imagine how China would have accomplished this.  I mean, I know I'm supposed to just go with the scenario here, but... gah!  I can't do it!  :huh:

Imagine how the cold war would have been had Russia kept Alaska - with all its natural resources and everything.  Zounds!

Quote from: Eclipse@Beejazz: I've never seen this take before. Facinating idea. How did China take over the eastern coast? what kind of resistance did Americans there put up? How many Chinese immigated to the MSA prior to the split? How bloody/violent was the split? Did the USA or the CSA or both back the MSA rebellion, or did they ignore it, or did one back the rebels and another back the Chinese? What kind of relations exist between the three nations?

I really only had the starting point, but these are all excellent questions. The Chinese were involved in the expansion of America into the West to begin with (the Pacific end of the continental RR and all). I just sort of figured that in the absence of a unified US pursuing manifest destiny, China might pull a Britain and colonize, leaving (eventually) a new state. From a more realistic perspective, I can imagine a war between two Americas, China, Canada, and several Indian nations (who might stand a better chance in these circumstances) over the new territory. China, in opposing any one group, could win by an alliance with any one other. Moreover, there is the ability to get there by sea, setting up shop early and minus the Rockies. And if they get to the gold first, it's all over for the opposition as far as I can tell. And that would have far reaching effects on the value of American currency in the world wars (for what it's worth). Oh, and another possible ally/foe in the War of the West might be Mexico (fighting against Texas). There'd be a motive for an alliance there, as Chinese forces could surround the rebellious Texas, after which point Texas could help in a fight against the Confederates...

Anyway... so... maybe... China moves in on the West, allies with Mexico against Texas. The South Allies with the Indian nations in an attempt to oust the Chinese, who ally with the Union (who is looking for a way to take back the South more than new territory). When China fights its equivalent of the Revolutionary War, Canada allies with China and the MSA allies with Mexico and/or the Union. China comes out on top largely because of their... well... GOLD. It's a big deal.

So yeah... that's an "I don't know" with lots of speculation.

Quote from: Mithy

QuoteAnyway...

The expansion of the United States into the West fizzles. China buys/claims the territory for itself. The colony booms, and the gold rush enriches China to the point where it can finally conquer Japan and Korea. The new Mandarin American States (pick a better name, someone who would know the name of such an entity) breaks off from China...

and that's all I've got. United States divided three ways.

If that works better, go with it... I'm just inventing a conflict in a power vacuum. The names of those involved on each side are secondary, outside of flavor.

Though... a Russian/Canadian alliance trying to quell a revolution of a Russian American state does seem cool, compared with the initial idea.

Quote from: EclipseStargate: Why was faith in Lincon not shaken by losing the war? Wouldn't the defeat have led to a rescession, not a boom? How did the economy boom with a large chunk of the country broken away? During WWI, was there any land war in America? If so, how did that go? If not, why?

Lincolin was a pretty popular president, and showing that he knew when to back out would at least keep him in office. As for recession, it was a stalemate, and the Northern economy would only benefit by having thousands of men coming back into the factories. The boom still happened, as they simply shifted to exports of grain from the western states that stayed in the union. I'd see The North expand to encompass the canada-bordering states, then fall south along the coast to California, while the South takes the southwest and parts of mexico.

As for war in WWI, I never really thought about it. I imagine that it was a mostly defensive war on the part of the south that resulted, like the civil war, simply in a stalemate.

also, beejazz, how does the north take the loss of California to Russia and/or china, which is by the civil war a state and part of the union?

Quote from: Stargate525also, beejazz, how does the north take the loss of California to Russia and/or china, which is by the civil war a state and part of the union?

Uh... well, considering it's a bit of handwavium that got the Civil War to end differently and China or Russia to have the means and motive to move in... I figure that the Union wouldn't have California at the start of all this, or is still recovering from a Civil War and is not yet ready for another (remember, the proposed alliance of the Union and China is intended as a way to finish what they started when otherwise they wouldn't have the economic means to do so... the return of soldiers would less likely mean "more work in the factories" and would more likely mean "labor surplus and rampant poverty.") Oh, as for the possibility of California not being a part of the Union (and for divorcing many of the existing Western States from their parents) consider the possibility that the war itself started earlier, or without the period of civility prior to the bloodshed. Remember how they kept adding states so that slaveholding and non slaveholding states could keep up with each other? Imagine the war just happening earlier.

Uhh... anyway... I'm rusty on my history, and play pretty loose. Analyze this too closely and this'll lose any resemblance to American history.

"Seward's Folly," that is, our purchase of Alaska, was in 1867, while gold was discovered in the 1890s.  Russian involvement in Alaska (and California) was always dependent on the fur trade, and when that started to give way there wasn't much point in keeping the colony.  Had things been a bit different such that Russia held on to the territory until the discovery of gold, there might have been a lasting Russian colony in North America - but I doubt may Russians would have been able to take advantage of it.  Americans still would have been the most likely candidates for actually going up to mine the gold; I imagine you'd have a situation like that of California or Texas, where the locals with an American identity overthrow their rulers in favor of either independence or cession to the US.  If an independent Alaska had managed to hang on until oil was discovered (unlikely, but possible), it might look a lot like our own North American version of Norway, way up there at the top of the world, with a mixed Russo-American population and a whole lot of oil money.  Certainly it would have been a hotbed of intrigue in the Cold War, assuming a sizable Russian population still existed by the 1940s.

Quote from: Mithy"Seward's Folly," that is, our purchase of Alaska, was in 1867, while gold was discovered in the 1890s.  Russian involvement in Alaska (and California) was always dependent on the fur trade, and when that started to give way there wasn't much point in keeping the colony.  Had things been a bit different such that Russia held on to the territory until the discovery of gold, there might have been a lasting Russian colony in North America - but I doubt may Russians would have been able to take advantage of it.  Americans still would have been the most likely candidates for actually going up to mine the gold; I imagine you'd have a situation like that of California or Texas, where the locals with an American identity overthrow their rulers in favor of either independence or cession to the US.  If an independent Alaska had managed to hang on until oil was discovered (unlikely, but possible), it might look a lot like our own North American version of Norway, way up there at the top of the world, with a mixed Russo-American population and a whole lot of oil money.  Certainly it would have been a hotbed of intrigue in the Cold War, assuming a sizable Russian population still existed by the 1940s.

I'm vaguely aware that it's infinitely more probable that One or both of the two Americas gets the West, possibly in very cold-war style of snapping up territory alongside one another until they can resume the conflict or one of the two parties collapses.

I just think what's probable and what would be interesting (I'm always thinking about gaming... even if this isn't strictly gaming related) are not always the same. I haven't even started thinking about the world wars yet.

During the actual Civil War, there was a lot of sentiment in Europe, particularly Britain and France, that perhaps destroying that upstart former colony overseas might be a good thing for them to do, and providing assistance to the CSA might be just the way to do it.

If they actually did it, and this caused the South to win, then resentment over this would be a pretty good reason for the North to join the Central Powers when the time came... :)