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[ForbiddenDonut]

Blackshirt is a minimal, real-time strategy game about nationalistic fanaticism and war crimes.

The player takes control of a totalitarian regime during its rise to power, managing each part of the state. From annexations to purging political dissidents, the player guides the blood-thirsty regime in its unrelenting and lustful drive for power and oppression.

The narrative covers a range of topics regarding regimes, taking elements from both fictional and historical tyrannical societies.


Pieces

The player utilizes four board pieces in order to carry out the will of the state, representing each aspect of the regime's power.

Dictator

The Dictator is the pivotal figurehead of the state. The Dictator to raise national morale or attempt to annex states without military conflict. However, the Dictator is the most vulnerable piece. Assassination attempts and being stationed in a city in revolt will cause the Dictator to lose limbs until beheaded. Once beheaded, the Dictator is dead and the game is over.

- - -

Military

The Military is the combative might of the state. The Military is used to invade and annex neighboring nations. It can also be used to put down revolting cities. However, military operations become costlier over time.

- - -

State Police

The State Police is the investigative arm of the state. The State Police is used to analyze a city's opposition to the regime and hunt for the Revolutionary piece. As the state gets larger from annexations, the State Police's job becomes more difficult due to having to keep a larger nation in check.

- - -

Prisoner

The Prisoner is the industrial and labour force of the state. The Prisoner is used to build train tracks across the continent that transport State stolen goods and political dissidents. The Prisoner has a limit on how fast he can be worked and will lose limbs (eventually dying) if overused.

- - -

Stolen Goods

During occupation/annexations of other countries, the state may steal art, technologies or other goods. These goods can be converted into discoveries that the player may use. Discoveries range from horrifying weapons like the Atom Bomb to propaganda tools like the Radio.

An Atom Bomb ready for use.

- - -

Events

The game utilizes a procedural system that causes each regime to function a bit differently. The nation can fall into famine, uprising or a nation can militarily attempt to reclaim its territory. A Revolutionary piece can move undercover and attempt to create resistance against the state. An Assassin piece may be enlisted if the Dictator sits comfortably in one city for too long.

A wide-spread uprising.

- - -

Follow

I'm currently planning to release on PC and Mac (and maybe Linux if I can get some testing on it). I've also been testing iOS iPad builds, but that's still a bit off.

If this looks interesting to you, you can get immediate updates by following my Twitter:

@Jollyrogers99

[Pishtaco]

Do other countries use a similar system? Is there dictatorship everywhere?

The minimalist style is interesting. It makes things look bleak, and as though power is being exercised in quiet rooms behind the scenes. But I hope things aren't presented too clinically, and that there's some popular involvement as well.

[ForbiddenDonut]

Do other countries use a similar system? Is there dictatorship everywhere?

There is a possibility that this will be an event, but I wanted to move the game away from "dictatorship goes to war with dictatorship" and have it more about state management.

The minimalist style is interesting. It makes things look bleak, and as though power is being exercised in quiet rooms behind the scenes. But I hope things aren't presented too clinically, and that there's some popular involvement as well.

By popular involvement, you mean the nation's population being involved in supporting the dictatorship, right? Or am I misinterpreting this?

I am looking to add a citizen loyalty system, but I'd like to integrate it with the systems I've got going. At the moment, I'm still gauging what works or not on a play level.

[Pishtaco]

Do other countries use a similar system? Is there dictatorship everywhere?

There is a possibility that this will be an event, but I wanted to move the game away from "dictatorship goes to war with dictatorship" and have it more about state management.

Does that mean it's not a symmetric game of country against country (like a conventional RTS), but it's rather you against the world, with the world playing by simpler rules? That sounds like a good way to do things, since you're focusing on internal stuff.

The minimalist style is interesting. It makes things look bleak, and as though power is being exercised in quiet rooms behind the scenes. But I hope things aren't presented too clinically, and that there's some popular involvement as well.

By popular involvement, you mean the nation's population being involved in supporting the dictatorship, right? Or am I misinterpreting this?

I am looking to add a citizen loyalty system, but I'd like to integrate it with the systems I've got going. At the moment, I'm still gauging what works or not on a play level.

They should support the dictatorship, or fear the dictatorship, but I hope they appear in the game somehow.

[ForbiddenDonut]

Does that mean it's not a symmetric game of country against country (like a conventional RTS), but it's rather you against the world, with the world playing by simpler rules? That sounds like a good way to do things, since you're focusing on internal stuff.

Yeah, it falls more into the "you against the world" category. It's not a conventional faction vs. faction RTS.

They should support the dictatorship, or fear the dictatorship, but I hope they appear in the game somehow.

It'll be a bit of both - you'll have a portion of the population supporting because of propaganda and a portion in fear of it because of the police and regime methods like using show trials (an item option). It's when the Revolutionary piece comes into the game that the population that fears the dictatorship can try to work against it.

Of which you could always respond with more cruelty.

[ForbiddenDonut]

Small update (I'll usually do bigger updates in the weekends), but I now have a (sexy) Revolutionary piece.

The Revolutionary causes unseen resistance within cities. You have to use your State Police to reveal both. Cities in resistance move towards revolt (becoming more red) as the regime uses actions on it. Capturing and beheading the Revolutionary (yes, you get to physically behead him with the mouse) will end resistance for a short time.

Also, although it got swept away in the tidal wave that is E3, Graham Smith posted about the game on Rock Paper Shotgun. I appreciate the attention!

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/06/09/devlog-watch-blackshirt-party-animals-neon-struct-copod/

[ephoete]

It's actually quite intriguing, but hard to picture the gameplay without in-game footage at the moment.