I've played a bit of the Kaiserredux submod for Kaiserreich and it's got me wondering how grimdark you could possibly go with a Kaiserreich/Kaiserredux game.
It is 1956. 20 years since Black Monday shredded what was left of the global financial system. 10 years since Oswald Mosley and Kaiser Wilhelm III signed the Belfast Accords, ending the War on Syndicalism and silencing guns around the world.
The Long March has soberly continued for a decade now. A multi-polar world prepares for its demise following the proliferation of nuclear weapons to revanchist autocratic regimes. From St. Louis to Berlin to St. Petersburg to Tokyo the most powerful men on the planet crunch numbers and build bunkers.
Reichspakt
German Reich - The "big dog" for the last couple decades and democracy-free for almost as long. Although there haven't been elections since 1932 they more than any other nation talk of defending liberty and freedom. Kaiser Wilhelm IV oversees a people (in the metropole, mind you) with the highest standard of living in the world, which falls behind OTL somewhat considerably.
Other Reichspakt states - Running the gamut from democracies with authoritarian impulses to hardline fascist states. Germany has refined their alliance to a point where it's becoming an effective neo-colonial vessel. All roads lead to Berlin.
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Turkey - They were getting beaten in the Great Middle Eastern War until the
Heer stepped in and established a military junta under a heavy German hand. They're more autonomous now but still on a short leash.
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China - AOG was able to unite China in the early 40s on the back of a lot of German guns and their opponents having been ground down by Sternberg or the Japanese. It functions how you'd imagine any state organized by corporate conglomerates would.
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Central American Republic - Although united with the help of George Van Horn Moseley's filibuster, the CAR would quickly reject American influence once the atrocities committed in Mexico became obvious.
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South Africa - Increasingly Dutch since their independence was declared in 1938. Germany is trying to have them make up for the massive loss of Mittelafrika.
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Austria - Dollfuss rapidly becoming the biggest thorn inside of the Reichspakt. The Kaiser is constantly trying to prevent them from coming to blows with Hungary or even Illyria.
American Bloc
Constitutional American Republic - President and Emperor of the Invisible Empire George Lincoln Rockwell is still trying to solidify his control of the country. The young foreign service officer who helped broker peace with Elijah Muhammed in 1939 has always faced resistance from America's 'Old Klan' faction (with their focus on imperialism), but seeing how the 'New Klan' (with their focus on ethno-nationalism) has spent the last decade ascendant Rockwell may not have to worry for much longer.
Venezuela - America's little buddy and only real ally. Venezuela has become crucial to President-Emperor Rockwell's 'New Energy Strategy' which has been going along well if you listen to him and not the thousands of corpses buried under the Texan sand or Venezuelan jungle.
Eurasian Bloc
Russian National Peasant State - Trying to determine whether Gorguloff's body or mind will break first.
(Well, you'll work harder / With a gun in your back / For a bowl of rice a day / Slave for soldiers / Till you starve / Then your head is skewered on a stake)
Mongolian Khanate - Sternberg's warlord fantasy was the perfect fit for an alliance with Gorguloff's Green Army but now Sternberg is gone and his more pragmatic Buddhist successors are having second thoughts about being so closely aligned to an ethno-nationalist primitivist state.
Mediterranean Bloc
Spain - The biggest beneficiary of the Bloc's economic union although they're being rapidly outshone by their allies on the geopolitical stage. Were it not for the constant threat of Germany, relations within the Bloc would almost certainly be more strained.
Kingdom of France - The Bourbon king loves his cousin and all but he's gotta get on the same page when it comes to getting even with Germany.
Brazil - Although they feel tied down by their adversaries in South America, they undoubtedly see themselves as the future of the Bloc.
Italy - The National Council is trying to reel in the Pope's power. Were it not for their internal divisions they'd probably be running the Bloc by now.
Portugal - Slowly coming to terms with the loss of their imperial domain, slowly.
Illyria - Very happy to be included. They owe the Bloc to their independence. Forever a thorn in the side of the Reichspakt.
Co-Prosperity Sphere
Japan - Constantly giving the Germans hell, although they are worried about the atrophy in both their political and economic sectors.
Other Co-Prosperity Sphere states - A place for anti-western misfits in Asia. Islamist Insulinda is beginning to reconsider this whole thing however.
Entente
Empire of India - Churchill is likely to step down this year and his advisors are
begging him to pick a native as his successor. Meanwhile, King Edward just sits around drinking and embarrassing himself.
Australasian Confederation - Eric Campbell is ready for war with anyone; Germany, Insulinda, hell even India if they get rid of King Edward.
West Indies Federation - Trying all they can to ensure that the Entente keeps its head down and avoids getting humiliated any further.
Others
Mittelafrika - Goering has spent decades putting down revolts and executing political opponents. Crazily enough his house of cards is still standing. His health is rapidly declining though and soon it may be time to hand the reigns over to his designated successor, Reinhard Heydrich.
Workers' State of Britain - The world's last remaining syndicalist state, Moseley's Totalist regime returned from Belfast to their atom-scarred nation and declared victory. Now the Ministry of Truth is busy concocting a false world where the people of Oceania and 'Airstrip One' will defeat their enemies and ensure the legacy of "Big Brother" Oswald Moseley.
Argentina - South America's fastest rising nation, Argentina is ready to take on Brazil and cement its status as the dominant power of its continent.
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Peru - Argentina's ally in their fight against Brazil, hoping to benefit enough from a hypothetical war to be taken seriously internationally.
New Afrika - Elijah Muhammed is confident that Rockwell won't try anything. Besides, he has nuclear weapons just in case he's wrong.
Arabia - Getting loaded off of all this oil. Though they prefer Russia as a client they're smart enough not to get any closer to Gorguloff.
Bhutan - Experimenting with radical fundamentalist Buddhism at the moment.
New England - H. P. Lovecraft has become convinced of his final purpose. He's led his nation since 1937 and through the storms of the Second Civil War and War with Canada. Lovecraft has freed his beloved New England from the "scourges of syndicalism, Christianity, and those who sought to undermine the Anglo-Saxon bloodline." He's warded off the Germans and Americans alike with his massive arsenal of atom bombs and other assorted "wonder weapons." But now it is time to finish the job for good. You see, Lovecraft has begun to buy his own propaganda to a degree that would make L. Ron Hubbard blush. He͢ has n͜ów ͢be̶come c͝oņvįn̸c͡ȩd̴ ͞of̴ his ća҉use̛.҉
Á̷n̷͡͝d ͢͡wi҉̧l͏l͏ ͘d͘o͘͟ w̕͢h̕̕͢a͜͝t̷ ̶̢e̸҉͟v҉e͘͏r̨ ̷͢͠h̛͘͝è͠ ́̕͡c̀a͜n͢͝ ͞ţ̨̨o҉ ̛͜b̵r̴̴i͞n̡͜g̸ ̴ab͏̨o͞ųt̀ ͢҉á̷r͏má̕͢g͞ę͘d̛d͝ò̴n̵̢
Ţ̸̴̘͔̦̗́̕ò͎̘̘͇̦̱͚̗̘̯̤̞̳̹͢͠ͅ ̩̫͕̥̟̦̦̣̀͘e̡̛͕͉̠̫͕̘͎̭̪̼̹̩̼̹n҉̷͖̹̯̘̟̖̤͖̼̩̩̫̳̟͝ͅs̵͉̠̬̞̼̣̝̲͔͔͖͚̜̙̀u̷̸̶͇͚͉͔̥͓͍̘͔̩͝r͏̡̛̟̱̼̳è̸̖͖͙͈̣̤̱̪͓̫̮̘̻̗͇̠̺̭͈͘͞͡ ̵̨̡̻̱̳̞̠̞͖̦̰͉t̥̯̲̟̘̣͙́͠ẖ̢̬̬̻̫͈̗̙͈̺͔̠́ͅa̶̡̹͍̩̼̥̖̰̯̯̤͞t̶͚͖̣͓͈̰͔͇̲͖̙͡
A̵̒̾ͦ̚҉̵̰̟̪͍̱͖͔̹̲̳̕ͅz͖͍͔͙̮̤͚͔͓̘͎͇̞̮͚̻̖͂ͨͮ͊̒͗̆͑͟͟a̷̡̨̩̝͈̹͙̮͇̫͓̹̪͉͚͑̇̋̉ͨ͌ͤ͋̍͜͠t̶̛̙̩̘͈͕͚̻͖̟̩͓͍͓̰͕ͭ͛͐̽ͮ̍ͮͦͯ͆̿͂̇̔̚͞͠͝h̡̘̮͚͈̥̖̉̅͗̎̕ͅͅȯ̧̢̐ͦ́̓̔͗̔҉̛͖̦͉͎̪̬̩̮̺͕̯̟̦ͅt̶̸̨̠̩͓͓̬̠̻̣͙̥͇̤̘̮ͧͮ̈́͂̏̇ͦ̆͒̓̀̑͒̔͂̅̽̑͗͟h̨̩͇̻̰͉̼̗̪̙̱̫̱̰̹̽͋ͮͩ̈́̊̄́ͤ̍ͦ͗̋͝ ̷̧̮̝̳̗͎͙̼̤̖̣̟̝̩̖̘̦̤̝̄ͭ̍ͥ̿ͥͤ̋̓ͣͤͮͭ̍̓̚̚͟Ā̴̛̲̙͉̱̟̦͓̯̠̜̱̝̖͈̟̼̭̀̓͆ͭ̓͂͘͟͡w̢̧͈̙̘̩̘͔͍͙̤̯̬̮̟̜̫̅̀ͧͯ̔̎̀ͣ̋̎͛̄͢ͅͅä̽ͩ͐́͏̧̛̱͇̞̝͈͇͙̲̯̭k̶̤͎̗͎̼̤̱̥͓̲͖̪̩̖̠ͧͦ̐͛ͧ̊̔̋̔̿͆͛͊̾ͯ̚͘͢͝e̴̵͓̬̲͎̮̝̗͕̺̥͈̟̝̝̭̦̤̱͛̉̉̿̃ͦ́̃̐̍̅̍͐͗ͥ̊̚͜͢n̴̞̖̯̦̹̗̋̈͑ͧ̆̂ͣ͌̑͐ͦ́ͣ̋̇͢͢͝s̴̴̢̛̩̫̗͈͙̞̗̳̫̹͉͖̤̦̙̞ͣ̀ͭ̋͠