Players: Fred, Shuo, Cy, and Jamie

Using a narrow (decades-long) time span, we explored the rise and fall of a theocratic totalitarian regime. Both bookends were "The Glorious Revolution." Factions within factions, coups within coups, and CIA meddling were the main themes. We tried to keep it relatively modern and realistic.

After a religious revolution, Aelish, a C.I.A. plant (as we later learned) took the more radical route and helped to purge all non-believers from the country. She got carried away with power, and the CIA made a few failed attempts to stop her.

The CIA eventually got behind The Heathens and created a Messiah figure (unbeknownst to the "Messiah", but to his conspiring son) with the help of some theatrics and bullet blanks. Babbage, the new Messiah, eventually grows suspicious of his inner circle. The CIA wasn't really happy with this either, and Babbage got assassinated.

The popular uprising after Babbage's death was eventually subverted by... guess who... and the Glorious Revolution came again to hopefully get it right once and for all.

I gotta say, I love this premise. So gritty. I have a soft spot for real world histories (or at least close to real world, like our old "We have always been at war with Eurasia" game).