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Suzerain is about the problems real nations faced in the ideological struggle between spheres of influence in the early Cold War, albeit being about fully fictional nations. Sordland is nearly identically in the situation of the Second Republic of Spain. A former monarchy, a former empire, having gone through several disastrous attempts to reconcile a new democratic idea while experimenting with planned and open economies. Conservatives and Liberals infighting among themselves, while independent parties cut deeper into the pie of the country's future.
Actually coming out of the end of a presidential term in Sordland as a good person AND getting re-elected, is basically impossible. In terms of political science simulations, Suzerain is arguably one of the most realistic games in how it portrays leadership as a constant war between doing good for the people, doing good for the economy and doing good for just yourself. Nepotism rules the nation, corruption is in every ranks and the reformists are just as slippery snakes as the fascists, communists and the oligarchy. A rule of thumb is to truly make your own decisions, on how you wish to play President Rayne and be grossly skeptical of even your dearest friend's perspectives.
There is a booksized codex, which I did take the time to read initially and fans of the light-novel-lite mods like Kaiserreich and The New Order. More so the The New Order, however, in that it is very much so a visual novel with a strategy, 'map-painter' aesthetic and UI. The DLC, which I will be playing soon and earnestly, does have some HOI4-esque war mechanics that are apparently very worth checking out.
It would take forever explaining how Suzerain works, what it even is and frankly, the stories of my two initial playthroughs will explain everything within themselves pretty well enough.
Most people go for a moderate or reformist route, judging by the global achievement statistics. However, as someone who hates playing democracies in HOI4, I decided to effectively play the game in a self-imposed hard mode.
I tried my best to make Sordland a hardline communist state allied with the CSP, this game's equivalent of the Warsaw-Pact/Comintern. All while focusing on hyper progressive values and the people's rights and worker's liberation, before the needs of the economy. It doesn't take a genius of history to know that a revolution, violent or otherwise, "redistributes" things in a way that is hardly as linear as one hopes.
It doesn't help that Sordland itself basically borders on a social democratic pseudo-scandinavia allied with the not-Soviet Union directly, while sharing a direct border with Not-Legionary Romania, Fascist-Sympathetic Sort-Of Hungary, as well as the not-Russian Empire (and like Russo conspiracy theories, ran secretly by an Anglo Saxon royal family in bed with Turkey) and modern day oligarchal Russia. Being wedged between two spheres of superpowers and bordered by two flavours of non-Soviet Russia already ensures Sordland is bound for a very certain type of 'greatness'.
Oh, there is also a religiously backed minority facing extreme prejudice that has resorted to insurgency. Very clearly inspired by the Chechen insurgency of the 90s and 2000s, with a dash of the Marxist Kurds of today and a healthy peppering of the Basque-separatist group that struggled against Spain, ETA. Perhaps some Catalonia in there as well. As someone who basically lives half the year in Galicia, Spain - I honestly found these additions to very important.
My Rayne was a bleeding heart for women's rights, but also joining the CSP commie-bloc. I chose the people first, their rights, their healthcare, their modern education and made deals with all sorts of unsavory neighbors. I gave something resembling freedom to the Bludish minority, ending an insurgency before it even got on its feet, but only after I may have accidentally Yugoslav-tier-war-crimed them with my fascist neighbors. All to get into one of the superpower factions.
Rayne did everything morally right, even though Sordland ethically was already 20 years behind every decently modern and developed nation due to its years under a Francoist like planned economy. Rayne advocated for the Global Revolution and it cost the country greatly. He lost friends, but not his family. Although, I did send my son to get a communist education in the not-USSR. I knew that Rayne wasn't going to get re-elected due to the fact he was a mostly honest man with militarist leanings, but not the heart to be a dictator.
Despite bringing Sordland into the modern era socially and progressively, I had returned its economy to the stone age and very likely, the renewed United Sordland Party likely undid everything I did once I was ousted from politics. Including getting us successfully into the commie bloc to deter our unfriendly local imperialists.
My idealistic Rayne tried to change the world too quickly. He was a student of history, not economy and Sordland basically is doomed to fail regardless of who is in. Rayne resettled in the not-USSR with his family and lived a modest life as a history professor to his final days. I believe this was the best possible outcome for him. Leaving Sordland behind was probably the best thing he ever did.
But now it was time for revenge.
Commie Rayne had glasses, a Trotsky haircut and a Stalin Mustache with a typical suit. My Fascist Capitalist Rayne for my second run was a cigar chomping, fedora wearing mobster with a clean shaved face and perfect eyesight. A hater of women, an adamant supporter of Creationism, Free Market Policies and devil to the Bludish minority. I took every corrupt deal I could, aligned myself with literal fascists and destroyed social freedoms, drained the quality of life to near nothing and empowered the rich (mostly me).
All the "investments" into the economy actually ended up worse than Communist Rayne's philanthropist heart. Despite being a war mongering psycho-criminal, running Sorldand like Mafia and rubbing elbows with both the Old Guard and Oligarchs to ensure I walked away the winner at the top of the ladder, the king of the castle (I have a chair, I have a chair)... I was on my way to get re-elected. The power of corruption is that it corrupts absolutely and boy, was I absolutely powerful.
I ensured my own son was on the frontline of a war that played entirely in our favour, antagonizing the neighboring CSP and of course, despite being a fascist hyper-oligarch, corporatist nightmare - not-America was entirely happy to invite me into the not-NATO, "ATO", for the sole fact I was going to 'bring it' to the commies as a bulwark of the free market (and fourth world healthcare and education). My people may have lived like Arabs under the British, but I was going to ensure four friends held most of the wealth in my side of the continent.
With a modernized, elite military backed by a dictator's right wing death squads, adequate infantry equipment, a superb airforce and all balanced against ATO direct intervention - the imperialist dogs up north could not stop me from nabbing their central cities with shocking speed and violent cohesion.
I wasn't going to be the best president of Sordland, but I'd be the richest and the last.
And that is when the nukes dropped.
Suzerain is about how good men who intend to do good, don't always end up doing so. And how evil men, with enough money, can very literally ruin the world but still get a high approval rating because I fixed a few potholes in the roads.
By all means, Communist Rayne at least avoided war but suffered an unprecedented economic apocalypse. All his sacrifices and crimes ended up being for nothing. Yet Warlord Rayne doesn't even have a world left to retire to.
In true fashion, this is how I destroyed Sordland's reputation, GDP and ended up broke as hell, myself.