the world of rosta What does everyone here think of the Napoleonic Era?

[William Unsicker]

Ah, so I have an Idea for something I might post on the forums. It is a film based in The World of Rosta, and more specifically a newer setting called Project Draconis. The idea is what if England were somehow crippled by internal conflict, and then what if as such Napoleon Bonaparte managed to invade England to then set his sights on the Americas? 

The idea is that the story is told from the point of view of an English Whaler who has just arrived at port in New England on the 18 Sep 1811 after facing troubles in the Caribbean. 

I plan to continue this story. 

[LadyWYT]

15 hours ago, William Unsicker said:

what if as such Napoleon Bonaparte managed to invade England to then set his sights on the Americas? 

He'd likely run into the same issues the English had in the Revolutionary War--that is, it's difficult to fight on ground you don't know, and it's also difficult to keep your troops supplied across a vast ocean. The American wilderness is no joking matter, and any French troops that are sent to the Americas to fight are troops that won't be available in Europe to fight if someone decides to strike back at Napoleon's empire(rebellion or foreign invasion).

Also don't forget that the Monroe Doctrine was adopted in 1823, with the purpose of keeping Europe out of the Americas. While that might be shortly after Napoleon's time as leader, Napoleon's antics probably helped contribute to the sentiment, and in this alternate history scenario, may have been the direct cause for its adoption.

[William Unsicker]

Would That change if Hatti did not rebel due to Piracy in the Caribbean? (Especially if the pirates are willing to be privateers for whoever can pay them more?) 

Also how would it change if the world was more industrialized? 

Edited August 28 by William Unsicker

[LadyWYT]

1 hour ago, William Unsicker said:

Would That change if Hatti did not rebel due to Piracy in the Caribbean? (Especially if the pirates are willing to be privateers for whoever can pay them more?) 

I'm not sure this would really change much, but I suppose about anything goes when it comes to alternate history "what-ifs". The main key to remember is that the details need to at least be plausible enough for the audience to suspend disbelief. For example, the supply lines and home turf advantage--if you're a European power that's going to invade the Americas, you have to consider how you're going to deal with the denizens there that are acclimated to the area and know how to survive there, as well as how you're going to keep your own forces supplied across such a vast distance, especially if there are factions in Europe/Asia that might take advantage of your absence.

Also keep mind that France didn't have as many colonists(a lot of them were traders/trappers) in the New World as say, the English and Spanish had. It's also worth noting that Americans also tend to view both France and England favorably, even at this time. France, for its help during the American Revolution, and England, since many of the colonies and colonists were originally English. That's not to say that Americans didn't have unfavorable views about England and France either, but the Americans are absolutely going to get upset(and rightfully so) if either European power decides to try to invade.

1 hour ago, William Unsicker said:

Also how would it change if the world was more industrialized? 

Depends on who industrialized and to what extent. At a glance, early steamships seem to have taken around 3 weeks to cross the Atlantic, which is still a lot of time. If the Americas haven't yet been industrialized much at all, then France and England would probably be a distinct technological advantage. However, you still need to be able to keep such equipment supplied and maintained, and you also need to keep your opponents from capturing and adapting it for their own purposes. You also still have the problem of...if your army is on a different continent on a campaign, then it's not at home to defend the home territory and territories that have already been conquered. And France probably isn't the only industrialized power in this scenario.

And of course, industrialization doesn't mean squat if you aren't prepared to deal with the local climate, don't have resistance to the local diseases, and otherwise don't know how to acquire your own food in the local climate. You can't rely on taking food from the locals, since they're just as likely to torch their farms in order to get rid of you, and you certainly cannot rely on living off the land itself if you don't know how. Keep in mind that it takes a LOT to keep an army properly supplied, and if you don't take care of your troops they're not going to be able to fight as effectively, if they even remain loyal at all.

Another big question to answer--what happens with Napoleon's invasion of Russia? Because that disaster is one of the major things that led to his downfall. I suppose you could excuse it as he didn't need the economic leverage against England if he's already got the upper hand, however, Russia is still going to be a major threat to his European empire since I mean...it's a giant bear sitting on his doorstep. So why would he go after the Americas first, who are decidedly aren't a threat and will be difficult to invade while leaving his territories exposed, instead of focusing on Russia's threat instead? That's not even getting into the Ottoman Empire and whatnot...

 

[William Unsicker]

So, what do you think would need to happen for Napoleon to invade the Americas? 

[LadyWYT]

7 hours ago, William Unsicker said:

So, what do you think would need to happen for Napoleon to invade the Americas? 

I think at the very least, he probably needs to have Europe on lockdown and also have neutered the Russians and Ottomans as a threat somehow. If all his conquests have been relatively "easy" up to that point, then he might be cocky enough to believe he could invade the Americas and be successful. However, the best case scenario I envision for Napoleon at that point is that his armies could probably make some decent progress in the first few months/years, before gradually losing steam through attrition and getting pushed out of the Americas, if the mistake doesn't cost him his European empire as well.

But that's only one option. Like I said before, the key to telling a good story here is to be mindful of the details and come up with plausible explanations for why certain events unfold the way they do. "Rule of cool" and "because the plot demands it" are explanations that can be used as necessary to tell a story, but it's also very easy to misuse these and wind up breaking the audience's suspension of disbelief.

[William Unsicker]

And if the Russians and Ottomans have been Neutralized? (And Napoleon never develops stomach cancer) 

Oh also the British Navy has been burned as of 1810. Due to sea monster attacks. 

Project Draconis is a setting where all sorts of Leviathan Class organisms are real. (It was also a military project undertaken by the U.N.T.R.)(Vive la Terre!)

Edited August 30 by William Unsicker
Clarification

[LadyWYT]

5 hours ago, William Unsicker said:

And if the Russians and Ottomans have been Neutralized? (And Napoleon never develops stomach cancer) 

Like I said, if there's no major threats left in Europe, it's more plausible that he might turn his attention to conquering the Americas. That doesn't mean it will be an easy task though, and won't open up opportunities back home for the conquered peoples to more easily revolt.

 

5 hours ago, William Unsicker said:

Oh also the British Navy has been burned as of 1810. Due to sea monster attacks. 

Project Draconis is a setting where all sorts of Leviathan Class organisms are real. (It was also a military project undertaken by the U.N.T.R.)(Vive la Terre!)

I mean at this point, it's not so much a historical "what-if" as much as it is full-blown fantasy. Not that there's anything wrong with that, just that it makes it incredibly difficult to offer much advice if one is not incredibly familiar with the custom world that you've built. The best advice I can really offer, I've already offered above: the main points to consider/questions to answer are why would Napoleon want to focus on the Americas(especially if there are other, potentially easier, options for conquest), what risks will such a campaign present, how does he choose to address those risks, and how do others choose to react to such actions and the opportunities that may arise? Providing satisfying answers to questions like these helps keep the audience immersed in the world and invested in the story.