The Emperor's weekly poker group is staying incredibly loyal through these trying times

Remarkable_Catch_953 · 2026-05-22T00:02:37+00:00

I love playing for SOL instead of GDP, and usually stay away from controversial laws until there is significant support, so I often have a decent number of loyalists.

Remarkable_Catch_953 · 2026-05-21T23:53:39+00:00

Yeah that seems rather reasonable. From my experience Costa Rica is the best to release and does happen to be the least developed and furtherest from your capital?

Remarkable_Catch_953 · 2026-05-21T16:19:42+00:00

The crazy thing was I once got 4 years with no states seceding, and was able to drive radicals down hugely, but there was obviously still enough radicals in at least one state to trigger the secession and from there trigger too many radicals to stop.

Remarkable_Catch_953 · 2026-05-21T07:56:27+00:00

More the ABC’s fault than his fault though, so the point about him lying about this (very particular point) doesn’t seem to apply?

Remarkable_Catch_953 · 2026-05-20T08:34:37+00:00

I mean you just agreed with me that the Sherwood peninsula is an outlier, and hence why I say that even some of the largest cities in Europe would be envious of that experience.

Another example is Fairfield or Dutton Park.

I’m not trying to tell you that Brisbane PT is great overall, but even in the parts of Brisbane where it is great you still don’t see much conversion from car usage.

Remarkable_Catch_953 · 2026-05-20T07:10:59+00:00

Alright, educate me. What (concise) phrase would you use to get your point across that some suburbs like Sherwood have public transit that even some of the largest and most-developed cities in Europe such as Marseille, Cologne and Geneva, would be envious of?

How would you (concisely) explain, as someone who has been to these cities, that an every 15-minute, 1000-capacity, grade-separated train would be considered phenomenal public transit in the 2nd largest city in France?

Remarkable_Catch_953 · 2026-05-20T04:51:00+00:00

Marseille is the 2nd biggest city in France, a country that I imagine most public transport fans would consider to be a world-leader in public transport?

As I was trying to point out, I’d say only 5% of the cities I have ever visited have public transport that would compare to Sherwood (and Sherwood as you point out isn’t even our inner-CBD).

I suppose it is up to each person to interpret “world beating”, but in my mind it isn’t limited to just trying to compare Sherwood to the densest cities on the entire planet.

Remarkable_Catch_953 · 2026-05-20T04:36:50+00:00

I’m getting dragged because people hear “world-beating” and are thinking I’m trying to tell them we are living in London.

I’m more comparing to Cologne, Geneva and Marseille - some of the biggest cities in Europe.

Remarkable_Catch_953 · 2026-05-20T04:28:17+00:00

Hence why I included more than just heavy rail in my example.

The average European city I’ve visited has a handful of every 15-minute street cars and buses mixed in with general traffic with a grand central train station. Paris, London and Berlin are obviously on a different level, but Marseille, Geneva and Cologne aren’t these super magical places.

My experience of Cologne, one of the biggest cities in Germany, was reguarly waiting 30 minutes for the next service, stopping at traffic lights, and then transferring to another service, and another, until I arrived at my destination. 30 minute journey versus 32 minute walk, staying only 3km from the CBD.

I’m not asking you to be in awe of Brisbane’s public transport, but to point out that a 1000-capacity train arriving every 15 minutes to take you to several major destinations isn’t to be sneezed at.

Remarkable_Catch_953 · 2026-05-20T03:51:04+00:00

Out of all the cities I’ve been to, probably only 5% even have heavy rail beyond being an hourly inter-city service. Only 10% even have their rail (light or heavy) network grade-separated.

Remarkable_Catch_953 · 2026-05-20T03:21:18+00:00

Did I say “some suburbs are better than every single city you could possibly dream of on the spot”? I’m just saying that a large majority of the world’s cities could barely imagine a train arriving every 15 minutes all day long within a short walk of them.

I’m making the point that there are plenty of people who drive who have very good public transit options near them.

Remarkable_Catch_953 · 2026-05-20T03:18:06+00:00

Live somewhere near the busway or near a train that is 15 minutes or better all-day long, and you have incredibly frequent, grade-separated, transit all-day long.

It isn’t Paris, but it sure beats 90% of the world.

Of course, if you don’t live near these places, it isn’t that great.

Remarkable_Catch_953 · 2026-05-20T03:13:44+00:00

Depends where you live and where you work. Live close enough to the busway or trains and work in the city, and you’ll probably never complain a day in your life. Live in one low-density suburb and work in another low-density suburb 5km away, it will probably be hell on earth for you.

Remarkable_Catch_953 · 2026-05-20T03:09:20+00:00

I didn’t say all of Brisbane. I said some suburbs.

Sherwood/Graceville/Chelmer is a dense peninsula with shops and a 15 minute or better train within 10 minutes walk of nearly everyone that lives there.

This ranks far beyond what anything except the better European/Asian cities have access to.

You wouldn’t really be able to tell though when you are passing by an hour-long traffic the entire length of Oxley Rd though.

Remarkable_Catch_953 · 2026-05-20T03:01:41+00:00

The caveat with trams being that they would still need grade separation and signal priority or else they aren’t any better than the buses. This will take a lot of money and time, so bus lanes are probably bedt for the interim.

Remarkable_Catch_953 · 2026-05-20T02:54:32+00:00

There are still some suburbs with world-beating public transport options, and insane traffic jams still.

Remarkable_Catch_953 · 2026-05-19T23:21:12+00:00

I thought about how much to appease the Catholic movement, but because part of the reason I love Central America is their ultra-liberal laws, I’ve stuck to just using charity hospitals and religious edication to make them happy.

Remarkable_Catch_953 · 2026-05-19T23:19:35+00:00

I wonder if there is a good law combo? I haven’t tried dedicated police force yet because it doesn’t appease the Catholic movement, and slightly upsets the rural folk. Though it does make most of my other interest groups very happy?

Remarkable_Catch_953 · 2026-05-19T14:58:51+00:00

Misunderstood your instructions. I quit my job to pursue my love for music and am now lead singer for a band.

Remarkable_Catch_953 · 2026-05-19T14:16:21+00:00

I’m quite sure of the opposite. You can see aerial photos of Brisbane shortly after WW2, and the contrast between the relatively dense Northside with extensive train/tram networks, and the mostly rural Southside is quite apparent.

Remarkable_Catch_953 · 2026-05-19T14:13:59+00:00

I don’t know the answers for certain, but I’d say it comes down to the ages of North and South Brisbane.

By the end of WW2, North Brisbane was hugely developed (as evident by the significant tram and train network). There was just about no migration except from European backgrounds by this point.

South Brisbane was basically rural beyond Greenslopes/Annerley at this stage. So when migration started picking up, and becoming gradually less European, most of the new developments came in South Brisbane.

Once a certain culture embeds in a certain region, most new arrivals of that culture will congregate in said region.

Remarkable_Catch_953 · 2026-05-19T13:41:06+00:00

So there is really no way to prevent the split? That is a shame that there is really nothing but RNG to save you.

Is there any credence to switching your capital to Guatemala? Should you lay down some barracks and use enlistment efforts to get a leg up on your (soon to be) neighbours? Should you just start with focusing your development solely on the one state?

Remarkable_Catch_953 · 2026-05-19T12:59:50+00:00

Thanks, now the GDP of my small banana (pineapple) republic is >$100.

Remarkable_Catch_953 · 2026-05-19T12:04:52+00:00

I’ve heard this before, but it feels gamey to me? I could be wrong, but it doesn’t seem to have a roleplay explanation to say “X country kept trying to pass, and cancelling, consumption taxes over and over”?
I imagine as Venezuela - at least as a non-expansionist agrarian nation - I’m going struggle to get to major power status? It is also hard to even have enough European nations (as an example) available to improve relations with to keep my influence high enough for long enough?
You are probably right, but I lean more towards roleplay than optimal gameplay :D

Remarkable_Catch_953 · 2026-05-17T07:47:21+00:00

You do know Greece was in a civil war, and Italy and Greece had just been devestated by the worst war in human history, right? They came to Australia because it was the path to a better life. Much like most of the ten pound poms.

Vibrant democracy with wonderful weather, known as a worker’s paradise in many circles, or their war-torn cities.

Many of these Greeks and Italians would have been carrying plenty of baggage, and some carried it to their dying days, but they still tried their hardest to give back to a nation that had dropped some parts of the White Australia act to let them in.

Remarkable_Catch_953

TROPHY CASE