Really like the idea of this wip very inventive and has lots of potential keep it up 
You had me at the title, I’d say I’m pretty interested in it so good luck!
I too, am new to the forums of COG, and I am so looking forward to what you come up with! Best of luck!
Hey just curious why the Hamiltons
I’m happy that someone trying to stir away from all this magic like how most of the games are right know. These types of games (yours) have a lot great characters and great depth to the story. Just have fun with what you’re doing and good luck with the game. PS please make a demo.
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I’m sold on it 
This is quite the interesting idea, I look forward to seeing how this unfolds!
I will be queen all that matters is power right? 
OP, I hope you don’t feel pressured to add male MC if that’s not how you envisioned the narrative. This is your story after all.
That being said, I’m excited to see the progress on this! The premise sounds really interesting, part of what sold me to Choice of Romance in the first place 
Alternative histories are always really intriguing to me, too.
Wow, so many responses already! Thank you all for your interest. 
I’m happy to see so many people like the idea, I was kinda afraid it would come across as too similar to Hero Project or Choice of Romance, lol.
Replies! (It’s only letting me mention two for now, since I’m a new user, bleh.)
@idonotlikeusernames I’m a bit hesitant to include a male MC, to be honest. While I’ve always loved games with gender customization, incorporating a male POV would inherently change the story, in ways I don’t think I’m skilled enough to handle yet, narratively or mechanically. You see, the five love interests I have planned wouldn’t work if their genders were to flip with the MC’s gender and preferences – certain personality traits wouldn’t pan out as well, and in the case of the prince, the entire societal structure would have to change to matriarchy to explain why the princess would be inheriting the crown, and not one of her brothers. I hope that makes sense.
If I did ever add in a male POV, it would probably be as a side story, not a part of the main game. It would be a totally different story than the one I have plotted out, and that’s what makes it difficult to execute, even more than the coding. I’m not saying it could never happen, but I’m going to focus on the female story first. I’d seen a few other Choicescript games with gender-locked protagonist, so I hope this doesn’t make the game seem boring or non-inclusive!
@FairyGodfeather Oh believe me, I’m nervous about too many inconsistencies, lol. I’m drafting a general history and a few tenants of the law that might make sense in an American monarchy. Unfortunately, I’m not a history or political science major, so there’s probably gonna be a few things that would be a stretch in real life, but I’m hoping the overall story will be good enough to outweigh those little things. 
I don’t want to spoil too much about how the lesbian/bi romances will be approached, but I will say that the AU adheres to traditional Christian law on sexuality, and while homosexuality is not treated as a criminal offense, the atmosphere of the country is still fairly homophobic. This doesn’t mean that both love interests would be secret romances, however, nor that a respected noble couldn’t get away with more than a commoner could. Don’t worry – gay people will not be invisible in the story, promise!
@Rohie: Well, that’d spoil an ending! But I think I’d be remiss if I didn’t include at least a little of that possibility, lol. The Kingdom of America is, unfortunately, not a very happy place, and could use a good revolution – or, at least, a Magna Carta.
@aprilhare: The prince is definitely a planned love interest. However, it is very possible to have one love interest, and to be in the ‘running’ for marriage with another. Love interests depend more on your personality and your choices. The person you’re offered to for marriage depends more on your objective stats – more on this later.
The flouting lord is certainly a character! 
His name’s Lord Adrien Lafayette, brother to the Duke of Louisiana. And I’ve yet to decide a concrete year – civilization advanced much more slowly in this world than in our world, since monarchies tend to be regressive – but the technology level is about where ours is. A few things are different, though. Social media, crowdfunding, things of that ilk don’t exist, the Internet isn’t nearly as developed. Technology varies a bit from county to county, since all businesses must be approved by a lord, and lords often sponsor inventors for their work, as long as they can keep it to themselves and their lands.
Answered about homophobia above, but this is a good place for me to throw out this question: would including racial tensions in this game be poor form? I’m white, so I’d be hesitant to include something that might upset people. My reason for including it would basically be that monarchies are socially regressive, and that racist attitudes post-slavery would take a longer time to die out – but I wouldn’t include it at the expense of readers’ comfort, and definitely wouldn’t include outright slurs. I could just as easily say that the Kingdom of America never had slavery, and that race is a non-issue, even though other real world social issues exist. Of course, the protagonist can be any race the reader chooses to make her, and I have several PoC characters sketched out either way.
@Misa101: Well, I’d be lying if I said being a fan of the Hamilton musical didn’t influence it all, lol. But Alexander Hamilton was both extremely intelligent and very close to Washington. I’m fairly certain if he had to pick any kind of royal successor, it would have been Hamilton’s family, and they would have had the brains and political acumen to stop a civil war. Plus, in the Kingdom of America, the royal palace is in New York, which is where this version of Alexander elected to become count, keeping an eye on the banks and the economy instead of becoming a duke further down south. His descendants would already be familiar with the area and with the palace, which would aid them in battle.
Thanks to everyone for the encouragement! I’m hoping to have the first demo up in the next few weeks, schedule willing. 
Will keep this thread updated as work progresses.
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I wrote my own alternate ‘history’ story, it was tongue in cheek though, which makes it far easier.
I think mixing Hamilton with the Bachelor and those young adult books is a great idea.
I haven’t seen The Bachelor. I did watch this spoof on it, called [Burning Love](Burning Love (TV series) - Wikipedia earlier in the year. I’ve not read The Selection series either. I think I heard it wasn’t very good? I did read Princess Academy which seems to have a similar theme. And so many other young adult books with the picking of partners through various means.
If you’re hesitant to write male, then just write female. Do what inspires you. Don’t worry about a male POV. Admittedly some of us will be disappointed that the sort of story that interests us, won’t be possible with a male character, but I think it’s more important you tell the sort of story you want to.
Oh? You’re planning for it to be alternate-modern? I’d thought you were going for Victorian era, for some reason.
I’d likely suggest don’t do it. But that’s my own thoughts. Why not keep the spirit of Hamilton the musical alive? And have plenty of racial diversity? Keep things like the musical?
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This game sounds quite interesting! I’m excited to see where this goes! Personally, I like gender customization (I’m trans), but I wouldn’t mind being being a girl if that’s what it takes to be royalty. Also, will one of the love interests be from a certain Burr family?
This idea sounds so cool! i feel like it’s been awhile since there was this type of romantic choice in games. Keep it up!
Speaking as someone who also writes a gender-locked story in a (early) modern setting involving landed aristocracy, I’d say that so long as you’re okay with some people (myself emphatically not included: I’d very much like to see where this goes) simply not being comfortable enough playing another gender to pick up your story at all, there shouldn’t be any problems.
Speaking as someone who isn’t white, my advice would be to ensure that your readers understand that it’s the setting itself which is racially intolerant, not its author. If you can handle PoC characters with the respect they and their cultures, histories, and ethnicities are due, then putting them in a place where they have to struggle against the society they live in to get a modicum of that same respect adds to a story. If you have the time and effort to spare for the research, and are willing to take the feedback and lived experiences of those who might have some more insight on living as a person of colour in our world’s America, then I’d absolutely say “go for it”.
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Would there be the cliche childhood friend RO like on The Selection?? Lord knows I hated that guy.
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This does remind me of the selection and prince Maxon all the way
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I have…complicated feelings about The Selection series. I’m on the fifth book right now, and have read one of the novellas, largely because I do a lot of walking and driving these days and need something to listen to. In short: I think the concept is super intriguing, and the prose itself is fine, but somewhat flat characters and shallow worldbuilding get in the way of the books being truly good. The only book I’d say I enjoyed without reservations was The Queen, because the author allowed herself to have genuinely flawed characters that were much more interesting than her usual fare.
@sebastienflight Possibly! I don’t want to give away too much about the love interests because spoilers, but as many Revolution-era bloodlines continued to modern day in this universe, don’t be surprised if you see a Burr pop up somewhere.
@FairyGodfeather @Cataphrak Thank you both for weighing in on the issue of in-game racial tension. You both make good points, which makes the decision a bit difficult. I’d, of course, be very open to feedback from PoC readers on the handling of the setting’s racism if I were to implement it, but I also see the appeal of sparing those readers entirely by making race a non-issue. I’ll have to think on it some more. I do believe it could add a layer of depth to the gameplay experience if I could do it well, but there’s a good chance I’m not qualified to handle it.
@Lexa @Misa101 There is actually a childhood friend character! Though there aren’t many similarities to Aspen – I never did like him either, lol. She’s one of the first characters you meet in the story, though I won’t go into her exact role, for now. (For the record, the prince isn’t much like Maxon either. I had to change some things up to keep myself original, after all.)
Alright, so here’s the status of the project as it currently stands. I have the overall structure of the plot completely nailed down, and I’m working on coming up with a general outline of scenes and branching paths so I’m not flying blind as I write. I’m working on character bios and worldbuilding in my spare time as well. I’m afraid I don’t know enough about world history to say definitively what’s going on in every part of the world in this alternate universe, but I’m coming up with a global zeitgeist that might make sense in a history like this.
(Have a worldbuilding dump. Class is done and I’m bored.)
For instance: because the records and philosophies of Rome and Greece in this universe were destroyed during the Fall of Rome, there’s little accurate precedent for democractic forms of government; because of this, the monarchy is considered the height of civilized government. There was no Magna Carta, so even constitutional monarchy is seen as radical, and democracy is scoffed at as a kind of mob rule. France is the only European country to attempt a republic, and they’ve vacillated from republic to monarchy and back again countless times. They are currently on their Sixth Republic, and are once again on the brink of civil war. They’re something of a laughing stock of both Europe and America.
Germany is known as the Germanic Empire, and encompasses Austria, Belgium, Denmark, and parts of Poland as well as modern Germany. They’re an elective monarchy, as the Holy Roman Empire was, but the former king’s son is usually the heavily favored choice, and a single dynasty has held the crown for a century now. Hungary is its own minor empire, the major power in a heavily fractured Eastern Europe that’s constantly at war with Russia. The Ottomans are still kicking about in the south, Italy is a coalition of semi-independent princedoms and duchies. Canada and Mexico are still territories of Britain and Spain, respectively, and both have maintained their colonialist agendas into modern times.
Unfortunately, I know almost nothing about African, Asian, or Middle Eastern history, so I can’t yet say what’s happening in those parts of the world. It’s not likely to impact anything in-game, but I’d still like to know what they’re up to – it would make the game world feel more complete. If anyone has any ideas, I’d be more than happy to hear them.
In the meantime, a bit more about the Kingdom of America! As mentioned in previous posts, the country has sixty-one landed families: fifty counts, ten dukes, one king. In the past, it was very rare to see a countess or a duchess hold her family’s title, but with the introduction of the Outreach program, it’s become gradually more common. After all, a commoner would have to marry a female noble matrilineally, meaning that the family name gets passed on without bringing another noble family into the mix. Succession still favors the oldest son if one is present, however.
The current king is King Phillip Hamilton IV, married to Queen Alyssa Hamilton nee Grenville. Their children, in age order, are Princess Daphne Hamilton, Princess Elizabeth Hamilton, and Prince Malcolm Hamilton.
The ruling dukes and their duchies are as follows:
- Margaret Adams, Duchess of New England, presiding over New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts
- Thomas Franklin II, Duke of Jersey, presiding over New Jersey, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Delaware
- Nathaniel Jefferson, Duke of Virginia, presiding over Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Ohio, and Kentucky
- Morris Hancock, Duke of Carolina, presiding over North Caroline, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida
- Alain Lafayette, Duke of Louisiana, presiding over Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, and Oklahoma
- Samuel Houston V, Duke of Austin, presiding over Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado
- Eleanor Harding, Duchess of the Great Lakes, presiding over Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri
- Charles Lewis III, Duke of Clark, presiding over Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota
- Kenneth Wilburn, Duke of Dakota, presiding over North Dakota, Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana
- Frederick Spaulding, Duke of Washington, presiding over California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii
I have many more worldbuilding tidbits, but I suspect you’ve had enough for today. 
Just wanted to give you some info in lieu of an actual demo, which is probably still a while off. Let me know if you’re interested in hearing about this alternate American history, or if you’re curious about any other part of the game world!
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I’m so glad you’re going to include PoC characters either way. It probably would’ve just been easier to do what a lot of stories do and pretend we don’t exist. For me, my preference goes in this order: torture porn 
< white washed (or it’s arguably better or worse cousin “white cast with single token minority”) 
< diverse and race blind 
< and then there’s bae: diverse and able to acknowledge this part of the characters with sensitivity 
. I like the last one best because of it, I dunno, that acknowledgment.
EDIT: I hit send before I was done because a thing came up and I figured I didn’t have more to say. I still don’t but, when it comes to fiction, I really prefer the story isn’t race blind. I think that can be fun to see in shows like Hamilton and the movie, Cinderella (Brandy’s), but in fiction, sometimes it can wash the characters of color out since the audience and author has no visual reminder. (Like, I write race blind, personally. I’ll remember my characters are brown and junk in stories, say they are in descriptions, but people still tend to just assume they’re white.) I don’t think giving references to racial stuff in the story just means pain, pain, pain for the characters; that’d be torture porn.
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Just include some of that racism in your demo and I’m sure @Cataphrak will let you know if it passes his muster.
As for me, at present this doesn’t seem like this game is for me right now, but since I like the premise and the setting I do wish you all the best and I just think I’ll be silently following the no-doubt interesting discussions the WiP will generate around here.
Speaking personally as a historian and a man of colour, I wouldn’t quite feel spared by the erasure of racism from the complexion of a society which has historically (and remains, to this day) had racism mixed into the foundation stones. The stories and culture of a lot of immigrant communities are defined by their relationship with the changing definition of american whiteness.
I’d like to note that Magna Carta was in reality, less the foundation of British democracy as it was a codification of relationships between nobility and the King, with a few token universal rights thrown in. It would be more or less ignored over the next century, with the later Plantagenets dusting it off and paying it lip service so that they could extort more money out of their nobility via parliament.
The origins of popular rule as a whole developed in parallel via a number of different places, and the influence of both the Greek polis and the Roman Republic are vastly overstated in conventional historical narratives. The Anglo-Saxon Witan and the Haudenosaunee League were also instrumental in the conception of modern popular rule, as was the rather more dysfunctional government of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Ultimately, Western constitutionalism is a parallel development of feudalism, alongside absolutism. Certain societies developed the former as opposed to the latter due to societal factors and long histories of consensus politics (Britain, especially), while others centralised in chaotic circumstances to better defend themselves (Prussia, France, Austria).
Personally, I’d suggest having republicanism as a mostly-discredited ideology, like communism is in our world: beloved of certain thinkers and radicals, but dismissed as impractical at best and monstrously bloody at worst by most.
If Britain and Spain are still the mighty colonial powers they were at their height, then I’d expect Africa to be cut up into colonies, as it was in our world. So long as you have the medical and industrial technology to send well-equipped armies into the African interior, there was nothing stopping European colonial adventurers/conquerors from carving out colonial possessions, save for a few relatively well-fortified enclaves like Ethiopia.
As for East Asia, it’s possible that like in our history, Japan was able to quickly appropriate much of the West’s colonial technology and ethos and become a colonial empire in its own right. Whether that empire ended up overextending and collapsing in a self-destructive orgy of atrocity and murder (as it did in our world), or if it managed to stabilise around a model which could be sustained by its society would be up to you. Historically, China was saddled with an inept government and arch-conservative cultural baggage which forced it modernise too slowly to stop colonial powers from carving out spheres of dominance. However, this is alternate history, and even a partially industrialised China under the Qings (or the Ming, or the Guomindang, or the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom…) would have been able to rise to Great Power status (as it has in our recent history).
If the Middle East is still Ottoman, then it’s entirely possible that the Porte was able to follow through with this world’s equivalent of the Tanzimat reforms of the mid 19th-century, to create a relatively modern state capable of maintaining a relatively multicultural society. Alternatively, the Turkish nationalism of the Committee of Union and Progress could have taken hold instead, turning the Empire into a more “modern” authoritarian state, with a heavily industrialised and developed “core” in Asia Minor ruling over its minorities as effective slaves.
Wow, this post got a lot more rambly than I expected.
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So if some European countries are participating in colonialism, does this mean that slavery exists/did exist in this universe? I think answering would help you figure what you plan Africa to be like in this universe. I think questions like this are also good to help you decide how “modern” race relations are your universe-- since the past affects the present/future.
I’m a woman of color and I admit I’m really hesistant to see racism in game like this-- just cause I play these to ~escape from reality. It’d be AWESOME to see plenty of POC characters-- and to have these characters have important and valuable roles–and I would like my mc to be a POC. I don’t think I would personally like any in game racism. But I’m more than open to see how/if you decide to handle this. And if you would like any feedback on this from my perspective please let me know!
IMO, if you can create something in which America never becomes a democracy than you can “erase” racism OR come up with something super unique and creative as to why it doesn’t "exist " anymore.
I hope this wasn’t too rambly-- I have a lot of thoughts on this. Either, good luck with your game and I can’t wait for the demo!
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