Post by rimbecano on Sept 7, 2019 3:47:25 GMT -6
When playing as the US or Britain, it is generally possible, with good planning, to have enough of a nest egg that demands for ship types you feel a bit behind on are actually a boon, and demands for types that you have more than enough of aren't disasters. As a poorer nation, however, you're often scraping the bottom of the barrel just trying to maintain a modern fleet across ship types, and you can end up in a situation where you are forced to freeze building capital ships for several years in response to the budget cut after a war, desperately claw your way back to enough budget that if you strain you can build two somewhat-competitive capital ships at a point in the game where that means $5M/mo each, plus maybe a spare $2M/mo for other construction, and then, with $5M in the bank, get a demand for 3 more battleships. If you accept, you get a bit of extra money, enough that things would be workable with $50M or $100M in the bank, but nowhere near enough with your actual funds to fund the extra three ships for even the 6 months until the construction program is evaluated and you gain/lose prestige, not even if the three ships you build are much too small to actually stand in the line. If you decline, then you lose prestige and budget and can no longer afford to fund both of the ships currently building.
Accordingly, it would be nice to have a few other options, for example:
Accordingly, it would be nice to have a few other options, for example:
- I'd love to build twice that many battleships, sir, but we're already on a shoestring, and there's no way you can possibly scare up enough money from $LEGISLATURE to possibly fund your proposal! Result: $LEADER scares up the money to prove you wrong, and is insulted that you assumed he couldn't. The public is angered by the extra taxes. Very large prestige loss, large increase in unrest. The cost per month of an 18 knot B with 4 guns, 22 knot BB with 8 guns, or 27 knot fast BB with 9 guns is evaluated (as appropriate to the era), with caliber equal to the heaviest gun in foreign service and appropriate armor, and you receive this much per requested ship. You must complete have the required number of ships building at the 6 month mark, and must complete all ships building at that point within 4 years ($LEADER doesn't just evaluate you at 6 months and forget about it).
- Agree under vociferous protest. Get the Navy league to start a subscription fund for the ships. Result: You receive at least $100M, maybe more if reasonably required to complete the order given your nation's budget. The $LEADER is angry at your insubordination and going behind his back to get funds. Jingoistic propaganda to drive the subscription program exacerbates foreign tensions. Large prestige loss, large increase in tensions. All ships must be completed within 4 years
- I'd love such a large construction program, but we simply can't afford it. Perhaps the government could issue bonds to fund the ships? Result: You receive a loan sufficient to pay for the ships with careful planning. The amount of the loan, plus interest, is deducted in 10 years, and the ships are due in 4. Interest on the loan should be sufficient that, even if you complete the ships, being incautious with your finances will result in being in the red when the loan is repaid. You lose 1 prestige per $5M in the red at repayment, plus normal losses from the finance ministry being unahppy. If the game ends with a loan outstanding, it is repaid at the end of the game and you lose 1 prestige off your final score for every $10M in the red.