ROM as Yugoslavia or ROME?

[kafka47]

Decided to start a new thread to cover some of the interesting discussions that are emerging on the design of the Second Imperium battleship thread...

Or could it be the Ramshackle Empire refers to the fact the ROM was merely a collection of Pocket Empires carved out from the different bureaux, competiting and cooperating with one another under the rubric a central government. Each polity having different resources thus pushing up the TL.

For instance, governors adminsitering over Vland would have the wealth of knowledge collected over centuries of different cultures and that of Vland...one big patent warehouse.

Those preciding over the Geonee would have access to some very high tech and excellent engineers and large populations.

Models for this type of uneven development abound. But rather than use the tired analogy of Rome, I would offer up the Second Yugoslavia as a model.

A small country but you could travel literally from the First World to the Third World in a two day car trip with lots of worlds in between. The growing dimension of ethnicity and nationalism seems to fit the ROM. As does the refusal to listen actively to the Central government. Yet, at the same time, maintain a highly disciplined and effective fighting force - the JNA. Highly differentiated economic processes going on throughout its history. Reforms that worked and reforms that bitterly failed.

Note, this thread, should be cautious not to venture into areas of the Political Pulpit, which issues dealing with Yugoslavia have a tendency.

 

[BillDowns]

I had the concept of the Ottoman Empire in the 17th century, or China in the early 20th.

Any of the above works, i think. Just a little flavor difference, I suppose.

 

[kafka47]

Back to the issues of technologies as an Open Marketplace, the ROM would indeed resemble a bazzar with new traded for old. And, the Vilani tinkers coming on board, employing Solomani ideas to improve upon it thereby changing the technology with a Solomani marketeer deciding to mass produce it before another individual just takes the premise and radically changes it further and so on.

 

[kafka47]

Furthermore, if jump routes would limited by technology we would be see a trunk and branch development along the main with lots of local feeder routes branches off. Some of those routes would be legally sanctioned others used by smugglers, pirates and assorted other bandits. Just like the old Yugoslav rail service that lots of feeder routes that people designed to service their dachas or simply to smuggle goods/people from one part of the country to another or even occasionally clandestinely from the Eastern bloc.