HAWAII, KINGDOM OF
Back in 2009 I had this crazy idea of trying to create a VSF imagi-nation based on the idea that Hawaii had maintained its independence in the 19th century and had become a colonial power of its own. Admittedly this was a bit of a stretch, but it was a fun project that unfortunately never went past a single painted unit and a lot of background work.
In this timeline, an early exposure to European diseases devastates Hawaii well before its official discovery and opening to the west. This allows the island nation to recover with an increased resistance and immunity to many of viruses that helped Europeans to move in and take hold. Add to this an increased nationalism and an organized opposition to the adoption or western religion and the selling of Hawaiian lands to foreigners and you have a Hawaii that is better able to stand on it's own two feet. Granted it is the final element, an agreement with Great Britain that makes the kingdom of Hawaii a protectorate of the crown, that allows Hawaii to last long enough to resist being preyed upon by the industrialized world until it has established its own modern government and military.
The final form of the kingdom is one with it's own army and navy, built off of a mix of standing troops and militia. While the standing army would be provided and provisioned by the central government of the king, the militias would be recruited and supported by local noble lords from their workers and tenants. This would allow me to have an army that was made up of many different sorts of uniforms around a central theme. There was also an allowance in my plans for foreign mercenaries in service with the Hawaiian crown.
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| An example of a militia unit. Figures are Paraguayan War minis from QRF.
Recently, I have been thinking about working on this project a little bit more. It'll all depend on what minis I can get for it on the cheap.
If you'd like to see what I wrote on this project, check out the following links -
Thanks for reading!
-Eli
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Posts
Great stuff!
ReplyDeleteI love doing stuff like this: creating a culture & setting, with their history and deciding how they'll look and act in the game. Hawaii would be an interesting VSF nation... lots of politics and intrigue there, they'd have to do a lot of that to weave between the balance of the greater powers. Lots of potential there.