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The Campaign Trail and You As you can see, the Campaign Trail is a game about choosing a historical election scenario, playing as one of the candidates and attempting to win the presidential race. It has a range of historical scenarios, plus a pretty active modding scene that is always adding more. You can play it here: https://newcampaigntrail.github.io/campaign-trail/index.html Gameplay Gameplay is essentially a multiple-choice questionnaire system where you answer a succession of questions broken up with the choice to visit states on a map of the USA to boost your local popularity there. What makes it truly interesting is the way your advisors give you feedback on your decisions and how these decisions can lead to unexpected consequences, including dealing with or avoiding historical incidents like Carter's infamous playboy interview and how they can bomb or salvage a campaign almost single-handedly. To win, you have to also keep in mind your stated positions, your actual positions and quite possibly most of all, the political context in which you operate. These scenarios go right back to the beginning of the US's political history and the atmosphere of the day is very, very important (hint: 19th century americans are racist and will not appreciate you saying good things about black people and god help you if you say they deserve rights.) Mods As I said, the game has a very active modding scene, with people adding more all the time. With the nature of the game and the size of the modding scene, quality is of course... variable... (one scenario on the mod loader involving Long is, somewhat infamously in the community, completely broken.) But there are a few standouts. Recently, a pretty interesting one as come on the scene, which I'll be demonstrating a bit of. It's called, simply, 1972d. First of all, to choose a mod you have to just click on the mod loader at the bottom and choose from the dropdown, before clicking submit. Remember to do this before anything else. The game is a bit janky like that.  This is the button, and if you're following along at home, this should be the aftermath.  And now we move onto what the scenario is. It's Nixon Vs Connally, an alt-history but not that big a change. It's main draw is that Connally's something of a conservative and a mainstream guy in an election year when everyone on the left was pinning their hopes on an outside like Mcgovern who had some appeal to the student base that's rapidly becoming the base for the dems in light of the breakup of alternate leftist orgs like the Students for a Democratic Society as the 60's ended. It's also got writing from the TNO mod for HOI4's USA Team! Anyway, He'll have a hard time overcoming their scepticism and distrust, but with careful work, he can build a coalition based on reasonable policies without giving up too much to no-hope causes like ending the war and radical feminism. He just needs to talk some sense into these young idealists and with your help as the player, it shouldn't be too hard to keep america on tra-  Wait, what? Yep, here's what the mod is actually about. Nixon's gone too far this time. He's straight up replaced his opposition with his own hand-picked man: John Connally, someone who in real life actually served in office as a conservative republican. As a result, any trust or support that the new left had in the establishment is gone. Into this vacuum steps the true outsiders, the communists, the black panthers, the student activists and the very, very angry people the united states intentionally works to fail. This scenario is very different. You are not working to win the presidency. You straight up have no chance whatsoever. What you are here to do is make people very, very angry and to bridge the gaps between the new left and the old left. You are Gus Hall, you are head of the CPUSA and you are a goddamn political fossil and an extremely flawed man. But you have three advantages: first is the sheer anger of the people at this blatant display of shutting them out. Second is that you are a political fossil, which means among the old left you have a well-known biography, an unblemished record of party-line orthodoxy and are generally safe. Third is that you're just smart enough to know that you need someone who is better than you at this: your running mate. Speaking of which, your running mate is a big, big choice, in a lot of scenarios, they're just a bonus or a penalty on some of the issues. Here? They affect everything about what you have to do and are the very foundation of the platform you want to build that will change the course of leftism in the USA forever.  Six Candidates await you, but first some general strategy. This is what you should keep in mind. You are not trying to be president. You are not trying to sway the moderates. The liberals think you're a kook, the right want you dead and the centre are the right without the conviction to wear the bloodstains proudly. Your conditions here for a victory are 1 percent of the general vote. You might think that's low: in reality, the CPUSA got .002 at most. 1% is massive. It's well over a million people willing to call themselves communists in the USA and that's among people who actively despise the idea of voting! Your limit, your absolute limit here, is 5%. Hit that and you will have dealt a blow to the US's political and cultural systems that will shake it to the seams and ensure that raeganism has been burnt in the crib, the reaction of the late 70's and 80's is sabotaged before it began and the student supporters and black communities, who are vital for the democrats to have any future existence as a political party have spat on them and joined causes in active rejection of the false idea of a USA that has overcome racism and inequality. To do this you will need to be loud at every chance you get: start fights, scream and shout, riot and march and tell everyone that Nixon deserves to be executed live for his crimes. Mind you, there is such a thing as too far and you can go over the line a few times. Also, never, ever, ever let the fact that you are an old man who does not understand modern causes shine through. Especially feminism. But the point is you are there to spit in the eye of anyone who thinks that the USA is a place that has ever believed in helping the downtrodden. Ally with the new left. Throw a few concessions to the old left. Hit race and the war, because they're what matters now. Make inflammatory statements and big moves and ignore, with some caveats, the media machine that created capitalist realism. Now, as for your running Mates... Angela Davis Issues: Black Liberation, Women's Liberation, International Communism. Oddly, she's the only person who is actually from your party. She's also an honest-to-Lenin Marxist. She's also extremely articulate, well-read, with connections in everywhere from the Black Panthers to the Gay Liberation movement which is barely a thing yet. This makes her a really reliable pick and the most "standard" playthrough. Keep to race, keep to women's liberation, let her take the lead. As an avowed communist she also doesn't have any problem with the eastern bloc and the rest of the socialist camp either. It's just everyone else, including most of your coalition, that does. When the choice comes up, maybe avoid Europe. Take note, by the way, that the cultural revolution isn't a thing the USA really knows about yet and so most people haven't made up their minds about China. Jane Fonda Issues: Media Presence, Anti-War, Women's Liberation. She's a liberal. And she's a depressingly fragile one at that. But she's easy mode because she's already on TV. The nation hates her but hate is good. Keep her away from the troops though. Far, far away. I'm not kidding about that easy mode though, do everything you can to get her on TV. For god's sake take her line on women and gay people though, because you're in your 60's and she's actually got a clue there. Also if you do open crimes in her name, she will cry and that's annoying. Take note that because she's against crime stuff and is a recognized liberal media figure, some things that wouldn't work otherwise because you are an avowed communist will work for her. Tom Hayden Issues: Student Movements, The collapse of the SDS, Uniting the Left. You might look at these student movements and those of the 60's and think "what a joke." But that's only because they failed. And they didn't fail because what they did was impossible, they failed because of numerous factors opposing them that they could not stand against. Hayden though, is no joke. When you can reach out to the students, do so with him. He'll turn them into something that actually works. He's also got the making of some real political chops, too. He could actually succeed and legitimize socialism as a inside political platform, if things go right and he has the guts to go for it. Anything that requires students to act as a real political force will go well with him. Ron Kovic Issues: The War, The War, The War, gently caress Nixon. The War. That's what it's about. Always go the war. gently caress Nixon too. He's a veteran, he can get away with stuff others will get punched in the face over. He's also surprisingly noticeable to the political establishment. Get in their faces if the chance comes up. He's a good speaker too, so let him speak. Also, the war. Bobby Seale Issues: Black Liberation, Student Activists, The Fact that he's in Prison. Everyone on the left loves this guy: he's like Angela Davis but with a better biography. The man co-founded the black panthers! He's articulate, fiery, well-connected and well-recognized. If it weren't for the fact that he's in prison, he would be easy mode. Go race, go equality, if you think an option might be bad because it gives him more prison time? Go for it anyway. He's a black political leader and an outspoken communist on top of that already. They were never going to let him out during campaigning season. Bring that to people's attention if you can, too, by the way. Edward Sadlowski Issues: Labour Power, Union Inclusiveness, Big-tentism. Hard mode. You chose to go with the guy who is an old left ally (not even a communist) at the time when you need the new left most of all. That whole thing about moderate appeal is worthless. You still need the new left and badly, but there's no chance with him to get 5% because you need the new left and they will never fully embrace you with him. That said, his union credentials and the old left focus make him possibly the most divergent in playthrough besides possibly Fonda. You need to give the New Left stuff, but mostly you'll be about trying to revitalize the old left. Note that union men will still hate you for being a communist, so getting directly involved with the public face of operations might still hurt you more than he helps. When the time comes, keep your assistance either to dealing directly with the old bosses you know or to let him handle things himself. He knows what he's doing, there. Now that that's all said, go on and play it for yourself. NewMars fucked around with this message at 14:53 on Mar 7, 2023 |
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Mar 7, 2023 14:40
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| # ? Apr 29, 2024 07:24 |
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Also, try to avoid doing this.
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Mar 7, 2023 15:25
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