Dystopian Wars is a Victorian super science-fiction miniature wargame with steampunk elements published and manufactured by Warcradle Studios.
In total this team of model makers created an array of miniatures in 1/1200th scale covering the ground, air and naval theatres of war.
Markov fled to Russia where he sold the technology to other nations, such as Tesla directed energy weapons to the Prussian Empire, and helped modernize the Tsar's armies.
Particle beams and lasers are used as offensive weaponry while nuclear fusion is used to propel tanks, airships, planes, naval vessels, rockets and submarines.
Gravity Nullification Engines allow ships to skim above the surface, and Time Dilation technology permits the teleportation of units across short distances.
The earliest point of divergence is that Commonwealth of England industrialised in 1650 under the guidance of Oliver Cromwell, although the monarchy is apparently restored as normal later on, as Queen Victoria rules the Kingdom of Britannia in the Dystopian Wars present.
The Prussian Empire was strong enough at this point to launch an aggressive campaign of expansion, analogous to the Napoleonic Wars, that ended in defeat at the hands of the British Army at Waterloo in 1815.
Despite this defeat, where the first landships (massive tanks) were used in battle, the Prussian Empire remained strong and forged a united Germany sooner than occurred in our timeline (including Austria).
Italy, whilst not unified, is a similarly powerful League dominated by the 'Tetrarchy of Princes': the Doge of the Republic of Venice, and the Kings of the three Kingdoms, Sardinia, Lombardy and Sicily.
Japan, as the Empire of the Blazing Sun, broke its geographical isolation earlier than was the case in our world and occupied Korea sooner than 1910, suffering a major defeat but learning in the process.
Despite its fall from grace under the paranoid and megalomaniacal Emperor Heinrich Otto at the beginning of the century, the Prussian Empire has endured and prospered in the ensuing decades.
Through a combination of economic and military might and pursuit of a shrewd diplomatic strategy, the Prussian Empire has come to dominate Central and Eastern Europe, and even exert considerable influence in the western and southern portions of the continent.
Now under attack from the east and pressured from the west and south, the time has come for the Prussians to throw back their rivals, make their mark upon the world and cement their dominance of Europe for another century.
Prior to that, North America was dominated by the United States, composed of a combination of old Britannian, French and Spanish territories, and a large portion of what had been Mexico.
Led by Texas and Mississippi, the original targets of the US government's ire thanks to their rich reserves of oil and uranium respectively, the dissenting states seceded from the Union.
Nathanial Adams of the New Federalist Party, elected president that year, proclaimed the Federated States of America, and set about the process of turning the nation into a world power.
At the cutting edge of industrial and scientific research and development, yet steeped in the traditions of a bygone age, the Empire of the Blazing Sun has risen from nowhere to challenge the dominance of the established powers.
The Covenant even purchased South Georgia Island from Britannia, turning it into a city called The Gateway, as a means for foreigners to visit the new nation.
He toured Europe during his reign, determined to furnish his empire with the many technological wonders of the new industrial age, especially those he saw in Britain - steam power, early iron-plated boats and mechanised factories.
Sandwiched between the Prussian Empire and the Russian Coalition, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth has always stood in a precarious position in the volatile political intrigues and territorial disputes of central and Eastern Europe.
The Commonwealth is not inconsiderable in size – its lands stretch from the Baltic to the Black Sea coasts, with Riga its northernmost city and Odessa the southernmost.
Canadian designers have benefitted from contact with American scientists and engineers, thanks to Britannia's long-standing cordial relationship with the Federated States of America.
Alone amongst the other Scandinavian nations, the Danes have preserved their independence despite being almost wholly surrounded by the Prussian Empire and within easy striking distance of both the Russian Coalition and the Kingdom of Britannia.
None are more aware of this than the Belgians themselves, and the nation is studded with fortifications built up over scores of years in an attempt to limit the damage caused by frequent wars.
Unfortunately, a bitter civil war between supporters of Belgium's current ruler, Protector Jean-Paul Vermeirens and the Coronet, a rebel faction led by Godeleva, self-styled 'Queen of the Belgians' has torn the nation apart.
[6] Phil Spurgeon of The Shell Case describes Dystopian Wars as "an excellent game with great ambition and superb models."
[7] Raef Granger and Russ Wakelin of the D6 Generation gave Dystopian Wars a 2++ rating (97%), describing the game as very cinematic and praising the look of the models.
Overall, the D6 Generation team felt that Dystopian Wars mixes exciting elements of naval gameplay, steampunk and alternative reality to offer a unique gaming experience.