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Description

Another year has come and gone, and much happens every day.
The world is boundless and open, so much to do.
But in this current moment you cannot do much but watch as the once free world closes in around you.
The big brother once the Union- now shifted to the Fraternity.
Your cousins of Mexico having been taken over.
And the distant relatives of Central America puppeted and manipulated.
But Texas- what stood as a thorn in the Golden Circle.
Now folds.
Of course Texas does not fold without reason or more importantly-
a plan.
It seems many a player wish to be like the shifty termite.
Enter the house of the Fraternity and collapse it from within.
Others- fewer than the termites seem to want to join and return the Fraternity to his old way as the Union.
Fewer still seem just pleasantly eager on joining the antics of the Golden Circle.

I do say I enjoy this little friendly competition of interest!

But let us be on our way and see how your antics stacked up.
Those Belgian diplomats have worked wonders, they've managed to muscle Texas some extra breathing room once it enters the Fraternal house. Of course while Texas shall not enter totally free or whole- there shall be more Texas leftover once the process ends. It appears two nations will emerge from the Texian one. The rump- but still important core of Texas, and the free Negro nation of Arizona. The rest of the Republic is still up for Fraternal grabs. But perhaps you could wrestle a little bit more towards you or at least- away from the Fraternity?

Erstwhile across the Republic, Colorado and her sunny ports and golden hearts have been the site of new factories and docks. Whilst Arizona continues to grow and thrive in thier harsh environment. Both are relatively small economies, but from Texas, Arizona, and to the Colorado a little age of prosperity comes for thier peoples. Let it continue beyond the absorption of the Republic.

In the downtime, in the space between busy hours come hushed talks of the Mesa Walker. The Navajo and Ute have each agreed to study and look after it themselves. While our experts have followed them to help aide with some of the more technically complex workings, the shamans and wisemen seem to've figured out what its true purpose was. It seems from what the shamans have been able to figure out at least- this was to be some sort of 'holy vehicle', intended to imitate much of what these pre-Puebloans considered 'godlike'. Its roaring engine and stomping of feet meant to imitate the enemy into submission and convince them of thier wrongness. If not intimidated this vessel proved capable of withstanding attack and blow- from Stone Age foes.

When the Walker was tested to see what it could withstand, it could stand to little. Spears, rocks, and hammers did little to dent its armor. Rifles were a bit more effective but couldn't topple it instantly. But the biggest danger was that of cannonshot. Even some of the old and outdated cannons in our arsenal could easily remove this machine from the field with a single clean shot or two in most cases. Explosives in general seem to prove really damn good against a walking stone statue. Honestly that was kind of obvious- blow up a stone and it goes everywhere.

But lets get one thing straight one at a time.

Shall we?

-=-=-=-
Texian Leverage
The Belgians have managed to spring the Fraternals to give us a bone. This combined with our diplomats promising to convert the Texian dollar at a rate equal to the market conversion between the Texian Dollar and the Greyback, which gives a slight but noticeable advantage to the Fraternity when annexation comes around. As such the Fraternity is willing to give us a more leverage on other deals. While we took a hit, we've gained an opportunity.
You have one option of many to choose.

Relief of Our Debt
Texian debt shall be taken in by the Fraternity and its banks. Resetting Texian debt to zero. The Republic shall be free of a worry that plagues many a nation.
(With Texian debt set to zero, post-integration Texas shall be able to take one extra action per category post-integration for the rest of the game. Perhaps more flexibility may help the Texian state.)

Sticking With Your Principles
Pulling on some of thier beliefs of states rights and autonomy, having the Texian State (and Arizona) post-integration be more separated and have less Fraternal officials involved in the formation of the Texian State.
(Texian autonomy shall be greater. The Texian State will be separated further from Fraternal authority. Allowing us to exist further outside the eyes of the Fraternal watchdogs.)

A Representative of Us
Texas and the other protectorate states shall be able to send (non-voting) representatives to the Fraternity's House and Senate. While we aren't yet states and thus cant vote, we shall be part of the Fraternity as a whole and we at least deserve to know the inner workings of our new nation.
(As stated a set of non-voting representatives will be sent to Washington. While this will link us closer with the Fraternity, it also means we can interact in greater capacity with the rest of the Fraternity.)

-=-=-=-
Snuffing Out That Light
Come on now, you gotta let go of the idea that you'll be the only one in the drivers seat of this wagon. But hey- isn't coop more fun anyhow? But anyway, Texas has to finish wrapping up its annexation. The gears of bureaucracy roll slowly thankfully but inevitably they come to an end. But as said before- the end of the game it is not. Simply a new phase it shall be!

Protectorates or Brothers in Arms?
Texas is a rather large pill to swallow with a lot of anti-slavery and abolitionist advocates- and with a slim Firebreather majority, the planters and slavers hope to digest Texas in more 'bite-sized pieces'.

Colorado Free State- Southern California (not the Baja), or 'Colorado' is home to a majority of the Californios and Hispanics on the western side of the Republic. Splitting it off as a free state would both satisfy Californians, Californios, and Fraternals. (This would complete a string of Fraternal protectorates from coast to coast- but we as Texas would be at the head of this little train. Almost quite literally- combined these protectorates control all of the Gulf-Pacific Railway.)
or
Hot Potato, Hot Utato- The Mormons aren't liked by the government in DC- Union or Fraternity apparently. And both Confederate and Firebreather would be happy and willing to grant protectorate ship to the Mormons- a large one- nearly encompassing the Great Basin- to the Mormons. (Whilst we would lack direct routes to the Pacific, the Mormons would provide a nice base of operations for the Rockies as well as continued interactions with various native tribes.)

The Other Bits

Half of the Republic or more is going to end up directly under Fraternal control as Territories and eventually States. The only question pertaining to them is what shall they look like on the other side?

We'll Take It From Here- Obviously adding the rest of the Texian states to the Fraternity would throw the balance off horribly. Around 7 new potential states at the most- would be added each with the populations more akin to a Fraternal Territory. But we could at least draw the lines to work in our favor. (Texas will enter the Fraternity with a total of 4-5 potential States.)

or
Have a Go Then- Fraternal statesmen working with thier Texian counterparts will draw new states. Lowering the amount of potential states Texas enters with- however the Fraternity claims it is rather fair- most of that territory aside from California is virtually empty. (As such the Republic will enter with 2 potential States, the rest of it being given to pre-existing Fraternal States and Territories. Which may lead to some interesting happenings.)

Fort Port Leopold
That little town on the edge of the Pacific held by the small Kingdom of Belgium. A few Fraternal politicians have called it "the thorn in the Pacific", others see it as a way to connect with Europe further. The ball however is in our court.

We'll Buy it Back- Fort Leopold shall be relinquished to Texas for a small sum- and then in turn to the Fraternity. Leopold cannot hope to hold it long-term. Best give it up without much hassle. (Leopold himself has a small chance (35%) of rejecting the proposal and refusing to hand it over. Which in the long-run may cause issues.)
or
What's a Hong Kong?- Belgium shall lease that 99 years after the accession of the Republic of Texas to the Fraternal States, the ownership of Fort Leopold shall be transferred to the Fraternal States of America as to comply with the wishes of both Belgium and the Fraternal States. (Who's gonna care, its in 99 years!)
or
The American Way!- Just as Walker with Los Altos, Lopez in Cuba, and us in Texas- the best way is to get a closely-related third party and do the dirty work. (Hiring a mercenary team to capture Fort Leopold means we don't have to pay or negotiate. What's more, we can blame the mercenaries on the Fraternity! Its a two-for-one! Save money and sabotage the Fraternity's diplomatic efforts!)

-=-=-=-
Building Our Walker
Like a reverse Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, we'll have to modernize this beast from an era long gone. For while it was a powerful weapon of the Stone Age, at best its going to lug cannons and supplies around without much hassle if we don't modernize its design. What good is it if we can't make it shoot?
2 Choices to modernize the Walker

Brick and *Mortar*- By strapping it with a light mortar this not only provides a raised platform (of around 5-6 feet) but also a fairly mobile platform from which one can fire mortars- providing a mobile artillery platform.

Stone Age, Meet Steel Age- Building the Walker out of metal- while more expensive and costly in the long-run than stone- would make it slightly lighter and able to withstand weapons fire. Longevity for survivability.

A Gatling Goer- Heavy, slow, but fairly stable. Slap a Gatling gun on there and it could lumber towards enemy positions and nosy tribes with ease- cutting them down like insects!

Mohammad Mesa- The Arabs have figured out how to survive in the desert for long periods of time- an important lesson is covering oneself to shield from the Sun. By installing a rudimentary cloth cover/roof over the Walker could allow it or its passengers to overheat as quickly.

Hooked On It- Adding a hook to the back of the Walker could allow it to carry wagons and carts- allowing for greater amounts of supplies and cargo to be carried without the need of horses or regular infantrymen.

Take It Apart More- Not an innovation, but this is a massive *step* forward for hydraulics and locomotion. Perhaps finding out how its inner workings function in greater detail can lead to the further investigation of other similar vehicles?

-=-=-=-
And that is all for this episode!
Future DLC for Wictoria III will include-
"The Soul-ar System"
"Huey Long's Funhouse"
"Fluffy Hyena Petting Zoo"
"Jesters Cursed Luck"
and more!
30 dollars each, or you can preorder the Collectors Edition for 300 bucks total!
Only at Pearadox Interactive do we provide such great deals and high quality service!

Voting for this episode ends November 10th.
Sorry for any delays, college is a bitch.
Feel free to leave questions, stories, comments, what have you!

Description

Another year has come and gone, and much happens every day.
The world is boundless and open, so much to do.
But in this current moment you cannot do much but watch as the once free world closes in around you.
The big brother once the Union- now shifted to the Fraternity.
Your cousins of Mexico having been taken over.
And the distant relatives of Central America puppeted and manipulated.
But Texas- what stood as a thorn in the Golden Circle.
Now folds.
Of course Texas does not fold without reason or more importantly-
a plan.
It seems many a player wish to be like the shifty termite.
Enter the house of the Fraternity and collapse it from within.
Others- fewer than the termites seem to want to join and return the Fraternity to his old way as the Union.
Fewer still seem just pleasantly eager on joining the antics of the Golden Circle.

I do say I enjoy this little friendly competition of interest!

But let us be on our way and see how your antics stacked up.
Those Belgian diplomats have worked wonders, they've managed to muscle Texas some extra breathing room once it enters the Fraternal house. Of course while Texas shall not enter totally free or whole- there shall be more Texas leftover once the process ends. It appears two nations will emerge from the Texian one. The rump- but still important core of Texas, and the free Negro nation of Arizona. The rest of the Republic is still up for Fraternal grabs. But perhaps you could wrestle a little bit more towards you or at least- away from the Fraternity?

Erstwhile across the Republic, Colorado and her sunny ports and golden hearts have been the site of new factories and docks. Whilst Arizona continues to grow and thrive in thier harsh environment. Both are relatively small economies, but from Texas, Arizona, and to the Colorado a little age of prosperity comes for thier peoples. Let it continue beyond the absorption of the Republic.

In the downtime, in the space between busy hours come hushed talks of the Mesa Walker. The Navajo and Ute have each agreed to study and look after it themselves. While our experts have followed them to help aide with some of the more technically complex workings, the shamans and wisemen seem to've figured out what its true purpose was. It seems from what the shamans have been able to figure out at least- this was to be some sort of 'holy vehicle', intended to imitate much of what these pre-Puebloans considered 'godlike'. Its roaring engine and stomping of feet meant to imitate the enemy into submission and convince them of thier wrongness. If not intimidated this vessel proved capable of withstanding attack and blow- from Stone Age foes.

When the Walker was tested to see what it could withstand, it could stand to little. Spears, rocks, and hammers did little to dent its armor. Rifles were a bit more effective but couldn't topple it instantly. But the biggest danger was that of cannonshot. Even some of the old and outdated cannons in our arsenal could easily remove this machine from the field with a single clean shot or two in most cases. Explosives in general seem to prove really damn good against a walking stone statue. Honestly that was kind of obvious- blow up a stone and it goes everywhere.

But lets get one thing straight one at a time.

Shall we?

-=-=-=-
Texian Leverage
The Belgians have managed to spring the Fraternals to give us a bone. This combined with our diplomats promising to convert the Texian dollar at a rate equal to the market conversion between the Texian Dollar and the Greyback, which gives a slight but noticeable advantage to the Fraternity when annexation comes around. As such the Fraternity is willing to give us a more leverage on other deals. While we took a hit, we've gained an opportunity.
You have one option of many to choose.

Relief of Our Debt
Texian debt shall be taken in by the Fraternity and its banks. Resetting Texian debt to zero. The Republic shall be free of a worry that plagues many a nation.
(With Texian debt set to zero, post-integration Texas shall be able to take one extra action per category post-integration for the rest of the game. Perhaps more flexibility may help the Texian state.)

Sticking With Your Principles
Pulling on some of thier beliefs of states rights and autonomy, having the Texian State (and Arizona) post-integration be more separated and have less Fraternal officials involved in the formation of the Texian State.
(Texian autonomy shall be greater. The Texian State will be separated further from Fraternal authority. Allowing us to exist further outside the eyes of the Fraternal watchdogs.)

A Representative of Us
Texas and the other protectorate states shall be able to send (non-voting) representatives to the Fraternity's House and Senate. While we aren't yet states and thus cant vote, we shall be part of the Fraternity as a whole and we at least deserve to know the inner workings of our new nation.
(As stated a set of non-voting representatives will be sent to Washington. While this will link us closer with the Fraternity, it also means we can interact in greater capacity with the rest of the Fraternity.)

-=-=-=-
Snuffing Out That Light
Come on now, you gotta let go of the idea that you'll be the only one in the drivers seat of this wagon. But hey- isn't coop more fun anyhow? But anyway, Texas has to finish wrapping up its annexation. The gears of bureaucracy roll slowly thankfully but inevitably they come to an end. But as said before- the end of the game it is not. Simply a new phase it shall be!

Protectorates or Brothers in Arms?
Texas is a rather large pill to swallow with a lot of anti-slavery and abolitionist advocates- and with a slim Firebreather majority, the planters and slavers hope to digest Texas in more 'bite-sized pieces'.

Colorado Free State- Southern California (not the Baja), or 'Colorado' is home to a majority of the Californios and Hispanics on the western side of the Republic. Splitting it off as a free state would both satisfy Californians, Californios, and Fraternals. (This would complete a string of Fraternal protectorates from coast to coast- but we as Texas would be at the head of this little train. Almost quite literally- combined these protectorates control all of the Gulf-Pacific Railway.)
or
Hot Potato, Hot Utato- The Mormons aren't liked by the government in DC- Union or Fraternity apparently. And both Confederate and Firebreather would be happy and willing to grant protectorate ship to the Mormons- a large one- nearly encompassing the Great Basin- to the Mormons. (Whilst we would lack direct routes to the Pacific, the Mormons would provide a nice base of operations for the Rockies as well as continued interactions with various native tribes.)

The Other Bits

Half of the Republic or more is going to end up directly under Fraternal control as Territories and eventually States. The only question pertaining to them is what shall they look like on the other side?

We'll Take It From Here- Obviously adding the rest of the Texian states to the Fraternity would throw the balance off horribly. Around 7 new potential states at the most- would be added each with the populations more akin to a Fraternal Territory. But we could at least draw the lines to work in our favor. (Texas will enter the Fraternity with a total of 4-5 potential States.)

or
Have a Go Then- Fraternal statesmen working with thier Texian counterparts will draw new states. Lowering the amount of potential states Texas enters with- however the Fraternity claims it is rather fair- most of that territory aside from California is virtually empty. (As such the Republic will enter with 2 potential States, the rest of it being given to pre-existing Fraternal States and Territories. Which may lead to some interesting happenings.)

Fort Port Leopold
That little town on the edge of the Pacific held by the small Kingdom of Belgium. A few Fraternal politicians have called it "the thorn in the Pacific", others see it as a way to connect with Europe further. The ball however is in our court.

We'll Buy it Back- Fort Leopold shall be relinquished to Texas for a small sum- and then in turn to the Fraternity. Leopold cannot hope to hold it long-term. Best give it up without much hassle. (Leopold himself has a small chance (35%) of rejecting the proposal and refusing to hand it over. Which in the long-run may cause issues.)
or
What's a Hong Kong?- Belgium shall lease that 99 years after the accession of the Republic of Texas to the Fraternal States, the ownership of Fort Leopold shall be transferred to the Fraternal States of America as to comply with the wishes of both Belgium and the Fraternal States. (Who's gonna care, its in 99 years!)
or
The American Way!- Just as Walker with Los Altos, Lopez in Cuba, and us in Texas- the best way is to get a closely-related third party and do the dirty work. (Hiring a mercenary team to capture Fort Leopold means we don't have to pay or negotiate. What's more, we can blame the mercenaries on the Fraternity! Its a two-for-one! Save money and sabotage the Fraternity's diplomatic efforts!)

-=-=-=-
Building Our Walker
Like a reverse Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, we'll have to modernize this beast from an era long gone. For while it was a powerful weapon of the Stone Age, at best its going to lug cannons and supplies around without much hassle if we don't modernize its design. What good is it if we can't make it shoot?
2 Choices to modernize the Walker

Brick and *Mortar*- By strapping it with a light mortar this not only provides a raised platform (of around 5-6 feet) but also a fairly mobile platform from which one can fire mortars- providing a mobile artillery platform.

Stone Age, Meet Steel Age- Building the Walker out of metal- while more expensive and costly in the long-run than stone- would make it slightly lighter and able to withstand weapons fire. Longevity for survivability.

A Gatling Goer- Heavy, slow, but fairly stable. Slap a Gatling gun on there and it could lumber towards enemy positions and nosy tribes with ease- cutting them down like insects!

Mohammad Mesa- The Arabs have figured out how to survive in the desert for long periods of time- an important lesson is covering oneself to shield from the Sun. By installing a rudimentary cloth cover/roof over the Walker could allow it or its passengers to overheat as quickly.

Hooked On It- Adding a hook to the back of the Walker could allow it to carry wagons and carts- allowing for greater amounts of supplies and cargo to be carried without the need of horses or regular infantrymen.

Take It Apart More- Not an innovation, but this is a massive *step* forward for hydraulics and locomotion. Perhaps finding out how its inner workings function in greater detail can lead to the further investigation of other similar vehicles?

-=-=-=-
And that is all for this episode!
Future DLC for Wictoria III will include-
"The Soul-ar System"
"Huey Long's Funhouse"
"Fluffy Hyena Petting Zoo"
"Jesters Cursed Luck"
and more!
30 dollars each, or you can preorder the Collectors Edition for 300 bucks total!
Only at Pearadox Interactive do we provide such great deals and high quality service!

Voting for this episode ends November 10th.
Sorry for any delays, college is a bitch.
Feel free to leave questions, stories, comments, what have you!