The Ashes of Rome (Map Game)

The year is 500 C.E., and the mighty Roman Empire has finally crumbled. Lying in its wake is its legacy state, the Byzantine Empire, occupying The Baltic Peninsula, Anatolia, and Northeast Africa. It remains the most powerful European state, though its barbarian neighbors continue to threaten its prosperity. To the East is the mighty Sasanian Empire, centered in Persia, although its forces seem to be steadily encroaching on southeastern Europe. In the Former Western Roman Empire, several Gothic Kingdoms have formed and continue to grow in size and power. The Visigoths are situated mostly in Hispania, the Ostrogoths in Italy, the Franks and the Burgundians in Gaul, the Gepids in Dacia, and the Vandals in Northern Africa. Additionally, the Celtic people, long divided and hostile, have formed the Celtic League, modelled after the long-dead Roman Republic. In addition to the centralized Kingdoms, Tribal groups of Germanic people are beginning to gain strength, though they are not quite yet unified. These groups include the Suebi, the Anglo-Saxons, the Jutes, the Danes, the Marcomanni, the Lombards, and the Saxons. To the Northeast lie the Baltic and Slavic nomads, far from unification, and still living in territory untouched by any true nationstates. In this tumultuous time, change is inevitable, but yet to be known is who will be lost to the sands of time, and who will emerge triumphant and mighty. (The chief difference in this ATL is that, as opposed to the OTL in which the Gothic kingdoms quickly fell, they have been effectively run, and are now actual, unified nations. They still suffer from countless internal problems, but less so.)

Rules:

 * 1) New turns will begin every day at 22:00 UTC. I will begin each turn in bold, sometimes including pertinent details from the previous term.
 * 2) Each turn signifies 5 years. This will most likely change as the game approaches the current year.
 * 3) Likewise, the game will end in the year 2015.
 * 4) The map will be updated every 5 turns (25 years)
 * 5) Inactivity for over 10 terms will cause your name to be removed from the nation you are playing. You may return whenever, however, you do not get priority, and if your country is taken, it’s taken.
 * 6) You may join the game whenever by putting your name on the nations list. You are allowed to join the turn immediately after signing up.
 * 7) Keep all actions plausible. Repeated infractions will cause you to be kicked from your nation, and possibly banned, depending on severity.
 * 8) Remember, your actions have consequences, invading territories, whether they were previously inhabited or not, will cause unrest. Keep in mind that when you invade another territory, its people will not immediately be converted to your language, culture, and religion.
 * 9) Be as specific as possible, especially when describing the invasion of another territory. If you are not specific as to location, the map-maker will most likely not understand exactly what you intend to do.
 * 10) Meta gaming is strictly prohibited, and several offences will result in a permanent ban.
 * 11) Keep the game and the talk page kind and mature. No major arguments.
 * 12) Do not edit the map unless you are a map-maker. If you see any issues with the map, write about it in the talk page.
 * 13) You may randomly switch nations only once, after which you must wait until your nation is defeated to switch.
 * 14) New nations will be added periodically to both the map and the nations list. You, of course, may sign up for these whenever they become available.
 * 15) In each turn, you may do one of the following:
 * Improve military


 * Improve economy


 * Improve infrastructure


 * Declare war or seek peace with another nation
 * Expand the nation into unsettled land. (It is imperative that you are plausible with this)

The Map

 * I’m a decent map maker, though I’m certainly not the best. If anyone would like to be the full-time map maker, please apply on the Talk page, and be sure to provide me with some examples of your work.
 * The map will, of course, be changed as more of the world becomes explored.

Nations (Signup)
-- Celtic League:

-- Visigothic Kingdom:

-- Frankish Kingdom:

--Burgundian Kingdom:

-- Gepid Kingdom:

-- Saxon Tribes:

-- Ostrogothic Kingdom:

-- Vandalic Kingdom:

-- Jute Tribes:

-- Byzantine Empire:

-- Sasanian Empire:

-- Suebi Tribes:

-- Marcomanni Tribes:

-- Lombard Tribes:

-- Danish Tribes:

-- Baltic Peoples:

-- Slavic Peoples: