Principia Moderni IV (Map Game)

The Ming Dynasty still rules over the vast lands of China. On the other side of the world, the Hundred Years War continues between England and France. Europe is still stuck in the old ways of feudalism and chivalry while the notions of a New World are considered figments of imagination.

We welcome you to the long awaited fourth expansion of that immortal series. Welcome to Principia Moderni IV! Starting in 1400 AD, this is the dawn of the modern world and the tail end of the Middle Ages. The Renaissance is just kicking off in Europe, while the nations in the western side of the continent are locked in the last gasp of the Hundred Years War. The Muslim world is still reeling from the invasions of Turks and Mongols, with the Caliphate resting in the collapsing Mamluk Egypt and the Ottomans on the rise in Anatolia. Make it count.

The first game was the most successful on the wiki, leading all the way to the modern day with mostly plausible posts and little controversy. The second game reached almost to the modern day, but failed due to a plethora of ASB events and moderator bias. The third game was much more worthy of the first, almost running into implausibility but climbing back into a shining glory by the end. Riding on the latest reforms of map games since the end of PMIII, this is the most logical next step in that evolution. Remember  above all other rules — have fun.

The Map
1490 AD

Important Pages

 * Rules and Algorithm
 * Alliances 
 * Holy Roman Empire
 * Feudal Dynasties
 * College of Cardinals
 * Nations

Oversight Committee

 * Chief Overseer United Republic

The Night's Watch (Moderators)

 * Lord Commander Scrawland
 * First Builder JoshTheRoman
 * Commander of the Eastwatch by the Sea Reximus55
 * Commander of the Shadow Tower Wolves
 * First Ranger Callumthered
 * First Steward Edgeofnight


 * High King of Skyrim: ;) Feudy McPlagueface
 * Jedi Grandmaster and High Priestess of Sexiness (Honorary Moderator) CrimsonAssassin
 * Mapmaker NicDonalds
 * Overseer: United Republic

The Wildlings
All users currently on the wiki may play unless otherwise noted.

Banned Users
A ban from plausibility strikes lasts thirty days, afterwhich the third strike is repealed and the banned player is unbanned. However, the newly unbanned player rejoins the game with two strikes, as a form of probation.
 * Bibleboyd (1461)
 * Vivaporius (1490)
 * Nathan (1490) (see us about your discussion on issues here. -Feud)

Plausibility Strikes
'''Three strikes and you're out! Each strike resets after 30 years of the most recent strike.'''
 * Nova - II (1481)
 * Tim - II (1481)
 * Nathan - II (1487)
 * Feud - I (1490)

Moderator Strikes
These are strikes for moderators and how they moderate. The same three strikes rules apply. If a moderator is banned from moderating, however, they can still play as their nation. Mod strikes can be delivered in one of three ways: Moderators can be given strikes for the following reasons:
 * 1) If a sufficient number of players (more than half of all players voting) vote to give a moderator a strike.
 * 2) If I, Scraw, give them a strike.
 * 3) If a majority of all mods (ie more than half of the total number of mods, excluding that moderator) vote to give a moderator a strike.
 * 1) Exhibiting bias that would benefit the nation they are playing.
 * 2) Exhibiting bias that would negatively affect a player they have a personal dispute with.
 * 3) Making a ruling that contradicts a proven fact from OTL or an established fact from earlier in the game.
 * 4) Overruling a decision of a majority of moderators.



1500
Go vote here for the names of North and South America.

'''The Polish noble rebels prepare fight a desperate battle in Slovakia only to acheive a stunning victory over a smaller army sent by King Sigismund. Emboldened as they rout the remaining 16,000 of a 20,000 strong army, they retreat to Lviv and fortify. The Principality of Kiev responds immediately as it looks to gain some of historical Ruthenia from the beleagured and sends 10,000 troops as reinforcements hoping to strongarm the noble rebels into caving in the post war. The reluctant 34,000 strong force holds its ground at Lviv waiting for King Sigismunds 54,000 strong army to strike.'''

''' The Entrance of over 20,000 Bulgarian troops to the south prompts the Russians to commit an equal number of troops to the Polish King Sigismund. The Army is led directly by Tsar Romanov, who uses messenger birds and riders to keep in contact with his allies as the Army begins its Expedition. '''

''' The First Russian cossack expedition begins in Sibera pushing down the rough range of the Urals. '''

''' The First expeditions across the Atlantic ocean begin. '''

''' Some instances of piracy based out of North Africa begin to surface as they target any and all shipping in a disorganized fashion. '''

''' The Chimu empire continues to hold in its core territories but is slowly declining as more and more Quechua and their southern allies arrive  by the week. The estimated ratio of forces is nearly 5 to 1 with nearly 80,000 combatants at large as the Siege of the Chimu homeland continues. '''

''' The Malian revolt turns into a full scale independence war as an army of nearly 80,000 is gathered, with a good amount being a part of other tribes which join and wish to Rebel. A Man named Mahmud leads the army and is known to be a strategic genius. (Mansa Mahmud is definitively unplayable by a player at this point.) The organized army liberates most of Mali after inflicting a crushing defeat on a quickly mustered Benin army of 60,000 of which nearly half are killed and the army shattered. The decisive defeat quickly begins to inflame other rebellious units in the West African empire which begins to see more revolts mostly from muslim groups in the north. '''

''' All contact is lost with Ceylon by their overlords. There are no reports and all ships send to land never return. '''


 * Sultanate of Bengal: 20 ships are built this year. In other news, the Sultan hears about the Bahmanid contact with someone who calls himself a "Burgundian". The Sultan also wishes to conduct trade deals with China (OOC: Nova, please respond if you want to negotiate).The Sultan also orders the fortification of Chatagon. Heavy artillery will be placed among existing fortifications to make Chatagon truly impregnable. The current sultan, Shamsuddin Yusuf Shah, dies peacefully this year and is replaced by his brother, Jalaulddin Fateh Shah.
 * Ahom Kingdom: Nothing of note.
 * Kingdom of Ava: Nothing of note.
 * Stop making everything bold. -scraw
 * I am only bolding important things that should be brought to the attention of the reader, but I concede your point and will attempt to bold less. I apologize. ~LM
 * No problem.  Bolding is typically used for interacting with other nations, such as seeking diplomacy or making war or something, as well as OOC talking. -scraw


 * Benin: With the colony of Ireti is secured and the colonists returned to their homes, the government of Ireti returns to a normalized state of affairs in the area. Expansion of the colony is temporarily postponed, and focus on developing infrastructure around the settlements becomes the main area of concern for the colonial authorities. Development of the lands in Benin continue, with continued emphasize on the settlement of Western Benin, and the expansion of the cities in the region to accommodate the growing population of the empire. Additional arsenals are established throughout Benin to help fabricate cannons for the navy, as well as firearms for the army as its potential is realized by the state. With the Muslim population removed from Benin via the slave trade, the authorities find that Islam has almost entire disappeared from the empire thanks to the heavy-handed policies of previous Obas and their governments. With the formation of a strong organized religion in the empire, all the powers that be agree that Islam may never again return to the lands south of the Sahara.


 * I've since discovered that my ban was not permanent, but only a week long. My one month probation ended before that. Given that my ban had nothing to do with my behavior, or breaking the rules, or any nonsense like that; but a simple misunderstanding over the plausibility of my actions that I was cleared of, I've decided that I have every right to return to the game. Scraw and Feud both acknowledged that I as in the right, as did Josh and Andy. Edge can go suck on rocks for all I care. I'm tired of the biased attempts to boot me out of this game, even though I've done nothing wrong. I've had Josh, Andy, Feud, MP, and Edge all tell me that I was being targeted for a ban long before any of this nonsense happened, so I'm going to keep posting until I actually break a rule. Oh, and I discovered the Americas first, since Scraw stated that was the ultimate decision. ~Viva
 * I have not found any evidence on the wiki where any moderator said your ban was only one week. -scraw
 * Yeah no, I'm going to continue posting. You banned me on grounds you acknowledged were not worthy of a ban. So I'm holding you, Feud, Edge, and Andy to account for that. I have you all on record, and have screenshots of you and Feud acknowledging I was correct. Don't pick fights you can't win. ~Viva
 * LOL on what authority do you hold mods accountable to? Since when has a map game had rules that dictated the mods behavior? No, the rules are the mods holding the accountability of the players. If you don't agree with the way the mods run the game, then it's not your game. You don't own it. ~Nathan
 * You are correct... ~Viva
 * If your ban is overturned, you may start posting again. until then you can not post. Don't pick fights that no one wins.
 * First of all, sign you name Edge, and second, that depends on when I am unbanned. ~Viva
 * After this stunt your chances are slim pretty slim... I gotta say you pretty much have showcased the main reason i want to keep the ban in place. As a warning in an official capacity your ban is still under voting in which i told you it would be discussed and was not assured. If there is another instance of this, your ban is final for the games entirety with no chance of a vote to allow you back in. -Feud


 * In January, the Iberian fleet led by Captain Esteban Ferrera bids farewell to the King and to the people of the United Crown. Each crew member is blessed by the Papal Nuncio, and thereafter the fleet of 25 ships, led by the Santa Maria, sets off on the dangerous quest to reach the other side of the Atlantic. The fleet makes landfall (on the east coast of Florida) at the end of the year, and what is discovered is not what Captain Ferrera expected. Having thought to have landed in India, it quite surprised him that much of the land was empty and occupied only by forests. However, a landing party did eventually find several primitive settlements manned by men dressed in strange clothing. Ferrera greets the natives in peace, and dubs them "Indians." He then proceeds to plant the Royal Banner on the soil of the new land, claiming all of India in the name and for the glory of the King and of the United Crown of Great Iberia. The crew will spend the next year sailing south and west around the peninsula, charting the coasts before returning home in 1502. Meanwhile, back at home, we continue to be ever vigilant, watching for any sign of a return of the Fuggers or Weslers. We wish to protect our home-grown enterprises, and with several exceptions (notably Sweden's Bank of St Birgitte) we want no foreign interference in our economics. The King eagerly awaits the return of the fleet and for Captain Ferrera's report on his findings. After hearing reports of North African pirates terrorising shipping, we deploy a fleet of 100 ships across the Mediterranean, projecting our naval power and actively hunting down and destroying these pirates. All property that they stole are seized by the Iberian Royal Armada and are if possible returned to their original owners.
 * OOC Person: Could you be a tiny bit clearer about what your doing in America. The East coast of America is quite large. I assume due to wind patterns you must be in southern Florida but I don't know that for a fact.
 * OOC Iberia: Done.
 * Cologne/Essen Diplomacy: Archbishop Emmerich of Cologne writes to the King of Iberia, thanking the Iberian Ambassador to Essen for his learned comments and defence of Catholicism from its critics. He also notes the recent inclusion of Princess Arianne in the prestigious Essen Abbey and sees this as an opportunity to cement good relations between the two nations, considering both nations' commitment to the Lord. Accordingly, he offers the King a formal allegiance between Cologne and the United Crown.
 * Iberian Diplomacy to COLOGNE: We are grateful for Cologne and Essen's warm and welcoming messages. While we are most definitely open to a positive and constructive friendship, we at this time would like to make the development of our relations gradual (OOC: I already have all 3 slots filled atm).


 * South Australian Civilization: The plague of skin disease broke out in the city of Nukunu, now given the name "Black Fever", and began claiming hundreds of lives. Bakan Waku, assuming authority over the city, turned to certain mystical traditions to stop the plague. He ordered those showing signs of the disease to be ostrocized from society, placing evil curses on them, and forced them to live together outside the walls. He also ordered hunderds of wombats to be immediately sacrified to the goddess Kunapipi. Although this does not stop the plague at the moment, it does somewhat slow down. In the city of Kaurna, Bakan Colebee has a leather robe fashioned for himself, sewn with diomands, to the stunning awe of all in his court. The people of Noongar expands their influence to the coast, and begins constructing canoes there off the design of those in Ngarrindjeri.


 * Korea: Dissatisfied with the rule of the Yi monarch, and with Korea in the edges of collapse, a yangban family in Gyeongsang forms the House of Kim. The House of Kim quickly amasses a peasant army and seizes control of Busan and the surrounding metropolitan area. The Yi monarch quickly sends a chunk of the royal army to Busan to put down the rebellion, but many soldiers defect to the opposing side, and the royal army is quickly defeated. Within months, the House of Kim manages to get the Gyeongsang and Jeolla provinces under its banner. Facing defeat, the Yi monarch commits suicide without leaving any successor. The House of Yi becomes powerless, drowning under succession issues, allowing the yangban to assert power and align themselves with the House of Kim. On September, a coup d'état attempt by a Yi General fails, but inflicts further casualties the Yi royal forces. On the following day, the House of Kim marches into the royal palace and murders the male members of the House of Yi, proclaiming the end of the Yi dynasty and the start of the Kim dynasty. In November yangban noble Kim Chung-hee is crowned as the King of Korea, taking on the regnal name Hwang.


 * Swahili: Tens of thousands of local tribesman, foreign settlers and children born became citizens of our nation last year due to our policies of land reclamation and immigration attraction. We continue our agriculture policies. The royal guards continue capturing slaves. In the heartland of Mogadishu, the Bank of Mogadishu begin cooperation with landlords to construct hydraulic devices such as canals and irrigation projects to boost food production. Agriculture production has risen dramatically in Somalia. We continue to develop our colonies in the South and build ports for supply purposes.
 * Sweden: Imperial decree comes in, reforming the Bank of St. Birgitta into the Scandinavian Bank of St. Birgitta, unifying the Scandinavian economy. We continue our expansion of building and support Anglo-Norwegian ventures in finding Vinland and Avalon. We send the grandson of King Olaf IV Vasa, Prince Karl, to England to establish friendlier relations in Britain and seek out a betrothal for him in Brandenburg. We watch the Fugger dynasty build up and put ourselves the question if they are worth dealing with.
 * Cologne: Vivat membrum quodlibet! The first pupils graduate from the Church schools founded by the Neuss Plan. At the turn of the new century, Cologne is confident that it is leading the way in the Holy Roman Empire, and creating a better future for all. Archbishop Emmerich considers the measures against Augsburgites suggested by Iberia as generally favourable, but only restricts border policies insofar as corruption is concerned. Further, he thanks the Fugger family for offering to contribute towards helping the poor in wider Cologne through public housing complexes and says that he will happily accept a donation (please respond) but will organise the public housing complex under the auspices of the Church itself.
 * Essen: Abbess Meina is shocked at the allegations made by Zink in Augsburg about corruption and bias in the papacy, and gives a public lecture expressing Essen’s support for and solidarity with His Holiness. Since the mid-1450s, the Papacy has been committed to the Adelphinian Reforms, which are committed to anti-corruption measures within the Church, and the Abbess of Essen as a successor of Adelphina finds these allegations distressing to say the least. Meanwhile, her lectures continue in the vein of St Adelphina, and the horarium and manual labour measures are implemented in Essen Abbey and the surrounding non-sovereign abbeys. Finally, Abbess Meina offers to take in the unmarried Princess Diana of Norway as a secular canoness in the prestigious Essen Abbey if she is desirous of a more academic life or a life dedicated to the people. If she is not, the abbess will completely respect her choice but would like to offer this to her fellow woman in power. Meina is careful to note that this would not be permanent and Diana would be free to return to marry at any time, with a developed worldview from her experiences at the abbey.
 * Augsburg Dip: Jakob Fugger responds by offering that a small portion of the yearly income of the Fugger family will act as a trust for the housing projects in Cologne and Augsburg, allowing them to exist perhaps until the year 2016. Zink responds to the argument by stating "as long as elitism is allowed in the church there will be no end to corruption, a grandson of a peasant ascends to a position almost holier then himself and then is marginalized for it. Time and time again members of the college of cardinals change the the definition of sin to fit their personal gain. When it is noticed that Essen only accepts nobles, it is a given that unelietist people shall become marginilized."
 * Iberian Diplomacy to AUGSBURG: The Iberian Ambassador to Essen, having observed the discussion with interest, points out to Senor Zink that the Fuggers are far from peasantry, and that with all due respect the Fuggers are probably more likely to participate in money-laundering and financial cheating than the Church ever would. The Holy Fathers since the middle of the century have consistently reformed the Church organisation such that corruption is watched for closely and kept to a minimum. Are the Fuggers willing to crack down on corruption in their ranks, possibly at the expense of their finances? We think not. Furthermore, do not spout blatant lies about our honourable cardinals and their alleged connections to the bank. There are no records of any high-ranking church personnel opening any accounts with the Royal Bank. Senor Zink's slanderous falsifications will get him nowhere.
 * Iberian Diplomacy to ESSEN: The Governor General of Aragon, Princess Arianne of Great Iberia, having sought approval from her brother, requests that she be permitted to enter the Abbey as a secular canoness for a period of 5 years. She feels somewhat lacking spiritually, and hopes some enlightenment in such a holy place as the Essen Abbey will do her the world of good before returning to government.
 * Essen Diplomacy to IBERIA: Abbess Meina is delighted to welcome Princess Arianne of Great Iberia to Essen Abbey as a secular canoness, and promises that she will find great enlightenment in her position working alongside some of the most dedicated women in North-Rhine Westphalia.
 * Cologne Diplomacy to AUGSBURG: Archbishop Emmerich thanks the Fugger family for the offer of a trust, and sends them plans for the building of a housing project in 1501, though he is privately uncertain about these housing projects' longevity.
 * Essen Diplomacy to AUGSBURG: Later that year, Abbess Meina makes another public response to Zink's claims. The very first policy change of St Adelphina under the Adelphinian Reforms, which this theologian appears to know nothing about, happened almost 100 years ago. For 100 years, Essen Abbey has been moving away from secular canonesses (of noble birth) and is now made up primarily of canonesses regular (of other birth). Abbess Meina would thank the scholar Zink to withdraw these comments and instead do his research on the current state of Catholicism. In fact, Meina extends an invitation to Zink to join the ranks of scholars at the University of Essen and learn about the reforms against corruption, which have involved significant decreases in elitism within the Church. Since the Concord of Luxembourg, members of the Church have become increasingly poor as individuals - there has been, indeed, none of this "personal gain". Finally, to further drive this point home, Abbess Meina highlights the banning of the selling of indulgences, which has been in place since the 1420s, and has been upheld by the Pope himself in the Indulgentarium Doctrina since the 1470s.
 * Papal States: The Papal Court is astounded by the utterly unfounded accusations of the upstart Augsburger "theologian" Zink. The Inquisition publishes a document Contra errores Zink which systematically refutes his unfounded assertions. Firstly, it points to the Holy Father's reasons for sending Cardinal Markus Fugger -who remains a cardinal and has not been "exiled from the college of cardinals"- to Iceland was precisely to avoid the appearance of corruption within the Church. Surely Zink can see how having the brother of the richest man in Europe permanently residing in Rome would raise the suspicions of those wishing to disparage the Holy Church? The reason Cardinal Markus has been sent to Iceland is not because he is the "grandson of a peasant", but precisely because he is the brother of Christendom's Croesus. Next, it refutes Zink's claims that "the Pope and the majority of the cardinals were born of noble birth [sic]". The Pope is not of noble stock, being the son of a middling merchant from Castile [OOC: Fernando Perez is a non-OTL person who I made up, so I get to determine who he is]. As for the Cardinals, it is true that some may be of the nobility, but it is incorrect to say that the majority are. Are men of noble birth to be excluded from Holy Orders and the cardinalate purely because of accident of birth? Is this not as unfair as if the poor were likewise excluded? Thirdly, the Inquisition is amazed at the sheer gall of Zink in claiming -despite providing no evidence [OOC: And none can be provided because Oct does not control my population]- that "at least one" of the three Cardinals from Iberia has "a account [sic]" with the Bank of Barcelona. Moving on to Zink's barely coherent ramblings directed towards the holy Abbess of Essen: The Inquisition refutes his assertion (if such an uneducated, ill-informed statement can be honoured with the word) that "Essen only accepts nobles" by pointing to the large numbers of poor women who have been admitted to the Abbey as Canonesses Regular since the famous reforms of St Adelphina. Finally, regarding his claim that "Time and time again members of the college of cardinals change the the definition of sin to fit their personal gain", the Inquisitors are utterly dumbfounded at the lies and untruths this so-called man of God will resort to in order to smear the name of the Holy Church. The Inquisitors ask Zink to provide a single example of such a practice. The Inquisitors close the document by detailing the many and varied methods the Popes of the past several decades have enacted reforms to renew ecclesiastical discipline, including but not limited to: empowering the Inquisition to punish those clerics living contrary to their vows and ecclesiastical discipline (1455), prohibiting all indulgences involving any transfer of money whatsoever (1471), and the current Holy Father Leo X's campaign to eradicate any luxury and loose living which remains in the monasteries. The document is printed and distributed throughout Europe. In other news, the Pope prays a public mass for Iberia's fleet, and especially for the priests on board who have care of the souls of the brave explorers. Scholars at the University of Bologna, however, view the expedition as ridiculous. Given their knowledge of the Earth's circumference, and of the rough size of the Eurasian continent, they deduce that a fleet of ships would surely starve on the absurdly long voyage West from Europe to the Indies. Additionally, the Iberian Ambassador to Essen is commended for his staunch defence of the Church.