This is the first turn of this years PBM. The King attempted to flee the country last turn but failed. He is not back in Paris effectively a prisoner. Now the Feuillant's plan for a constitutional monarchy seem very much In doubt. WHAT HAPPENED THIS TURN The Cordillier's speaker M. Des Moulin accuses mayor Bailey (and with him the entire liberal aristocratic government of being profiteers who are trying to starve "the people" into submission. This leads to a shift of loyalties of the peasants to the Cordilliers party. Girondist merchants establish a "Bank of France" modelled after the Bank of England (ie privately owned). This stabilizes the price of assignats (paper money Issued from the hoped for sale of church lands seized in 1790). The Emigres form a "Royalist" army In Germany to rally loyal monarchists to the cause to overthrow the revolution. (Note: All these actions were taken by power groups that were not In power of the government. They all acted on their own political agendas (Royalists want to restore the absolute monarchy; Girondists want Laizefare Capitalism; Cordilliers want to bring the King's government down). The Government can ONLY act on the agenda set for it by the Feuillants In charge; namely to establish a constitutional monarchy, and hold elections. They did neither of these.) POLITICAL FALL OUT Because the government did not solve the financial crisis this turn it suffers political fall out. In this case, the peasants become angry with the government. If they had not been snatched up by the Cordilliers they would have represented an independent party opposed to the government. The Girondists did make a move to stabilize the economy. This means that only two more successful actions need to be done in a row to solve the crisis. I bet the Feuillant government would love that. POWER GROUPS: POLITICAL POWER AND MAN POWER Head of State: Lafayette Faction Politics Man Power Pro Government: Feuillants Lib Aristocrats 2 1/2 Church 1 1/2 . =3 =1 Neutral: Royalists: The King 0 0 Emigres 0 1/2 . =0 =1/2 Neutral: Girondists: Middle Class 3 1 Girondists: Merchants 3 2 . =6 =3 Neutral: Jacobins: Paris Radicals 2 0 . =2 =0 Anti Government: Cordilliers: San Culottes 2 4 Cordilliers: Newspapers 2 0 Cordilliers: Peasants 1 8 . =5 =12 WHERE EVERYONE IS AND WHAT THEY ARE DOING PARIS: All the political leaders King Liberal Aristocrats Middle Class - Running government San Culottes - National Guard (loyal to government), Political debate (what M Des Moulin did), Work, Work Swiss Guard (loyal to the King) NORTHERN FRANCE: Peasants: Farm Farm Farm SOUTHERN FRANCE: Merchants - National Guard (loyal to Government) Peasants - Political debate, Farm, Farm ATLANT Merchants - Do Peasants - Farm, FarmEUROPE: Emigres - Royalist Army (1/2 streng Conservative Church THE ARGUMENTS THAT WERE TURNED IN THIS TURN Chris Morris (in) Action: Establish Bank of France (cf Bank of England) to borrow gold from Middle Class, Merchants, and Peasants secured against tax revenue at 5 1/2% Interest. Gold to be used to buy up assignats at 90 (current value = 87) and the land covered by these assignats to be sold at market value for gold. Result: Assignat stabilizes and government able to redeem loans/pay Interest from land sales. Argument: 1. Wealth depends on a stable currency. 2. Lenders have a stake in the country. 3. Lenders can do business at a profit. Chris Engle (out) Action: Work/Prepare - Merchants from Marseilles and Lyon meet and establish a Bourse in Lyon, independent of the Royalist dominated markets of Paris. Why? Because ... 1. Wealth - The Rhone river forms a wealth economic unit with silk weaving In Lyon, commercial agriculture in Burgundy, and the port of Marseilles gateway to the Mediterranean. 2. Do business - The business expertise is all In place to do this. It only requires a slight shift of capital from the Capital. 3. Logic - A totally free market, free from the control of the royalist and mob Influences of Paris will be better able to feed ALL the people of France. Result: Make Friend - The peasants of Southern France join the party that pays well, the Girondists. Chris Blair (in) Action: Heroic Action The Emigres form the conservative aristocracy into a Royalist army. Result: Prepare : They now have a 1/2 strength army in Europe. Reason: Loyalty : to the King and the Monarchy Social Class : We must put down the lower classes Motivation : We want to regain our feudal rights. Ian Engle (out) I have lost his order sheet but what he did was attempt to have the King die in prison. This would throw the issue of succession onto the table. Les Cordiliers M. Des Moulin gives a firery speech at the Palais Royal denouncing the Mayor M. Bailey for being a profiteer and skimming profits from the customs houses and as a result is adding to the famine which grips Paris. The only answer, he argues, is the establishment of a tribunal which will properly punish these profiteers. His points are these: 1. Moderate government does not meet the peoples needs. (Social Class). 2. The "Aristos" are attempting to starve the "people" into submission. (fear) 3. The profiteers and the Aristocrats eat good bread and sleep in feather beds while your children die of starvation in their mother's arms. (envy) Goals: To deepen the mistrust in the Feuillmot Government and move the peoples loyalties to the left. Your Fellow Citizen, M. George Danton (A.K.A.) Todd Fisher THE POLITICAL MATRIX Talk/Bargain Heroic Action Work/Prepare Cowardly Action Do Business Wicked Action Move Fight Have Fun Love/Hate Sad/Happy Fear/Fearless Shame Envy Make a Friend/Enemy Advantage Reputation Kill Victory/Defeat Political Agenda Natural Disaster Religion Social Class Politics Justice Tradition Wealth/Power Motivation Loyalty/Honor Personality Beyond your abilities Knowledge Logic "Magic" "Miracle" "Monster" "Adventure" Wild Card Wild Card Wild Card Back to Experimental Games Group # 19 Table of Contents Back to Experimental Games Group List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1991 by Chris Engle This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com