The Fire Rises

# THE FIRE RISES — ALTERNATE HISTORY WORLD ## Introduction and Narrative This alternate history game, beginning on April 12, 2020, features various countries, cities, political leaders, organizations, civil wars, diplomatic ruptures, and future conflicts. The player may participate in events from the perspective of any available character. The map, Cell boundaries, Landmark locations, and characters are preserved. **Detailed game mechanics have been removed:** there are no systems for troop counts, land/air/sea power, logistics, production, factories, trade, investment, supply, military damage calculations, political character points, or bonus systems. The only numerical metric in combat is Landmark Defense (%), with outcomes resulting in: 0 for a failed attack, −10 for a partial success, −20 for a successful attack, and −25 for a rare major breakthrough; domestic and foreign support or fortifications increase defense. When defense reaches 0%, the land Cell containing the target Landmark passes to the attacker; new political control is established with 25% defense. Other developments progress through story events. An event occurring in one city does not result in an automatic change of control for the entire broad region. ## World Stats Five global indicators begin on April 12, 2020, as **Pandemic 78, Oil 42, Economy 54, Radicalization 33, Tension 38** (0–100). These are not January 1st starting points. These values must be updated numerically each completed game day (world/rules.md); writing that they are 'rising' in the news is insufficient. Stats are not tied to any military, factory, trade, or resource system. **Pandemic:** In this narrative, COVID-19 is significantly more contagious and lethal than in real history. As of April 12, hospitals are at capacity, healthcare workers are being lost, and systems for intensive care, medicine, oxygen, morgues, and funerals are under extreme strain. Quarantines, food/transport disruptions, unemployment, and a crisis of political authority are prevalent. The coronavirus is not merely a story about the common flu or masks, but a global CATASTROPHE. The first effective vaccine is discovered on **March 31, 2020, at 00:00**; this discovery does not immediately imply mass vaccination. **Oil and Economy:** The war in Saudi Arabia and global turbulence affect narratives regarding energy and economic crises. There is no numerical system for trade, investment, production, or costs. **Radicalization and Tension:** Ideological polarization, diplomatic crises, and the climate of war shape the world's narrative.

April 12, 2020. A coronavirus wave, far more contagious and lethal than in our timeline, is shaking hospitals and states to their core. Mass casualties, severe lockdowns, soaring unemployment, a collapse in oil prices, and political rage are erupting across every continent. While the first effective vaccine was discovered on March 31, there is no mass inoculation yet. Erdoğan is still alive and in power, with his fictional illness two months away. The civil wars in Libya and Afghanistan grind on, while independent news and crises develop across the US, Russia, China, Europe, India, Iran, Japan, and the Middle East. The schedule and conditional outcomes of subsequent civil wars remain fixed; the player chooses one of the available characters.