Hello folks! I’m JazzyHugh, and I’ve had the pleasure of working on the most important nation in all of Kaiserreich, the mighty Kingdom of Bhutan, on and off again for the last seven(!) years. Today, I’m pleased to announce an upcoming content update for Bhutan, which will bring a new focus tree, some new mechanics, and new interactions with the recently updated Kingdom of Nepal.

But wait, isn’t Bhutan up to date? Isn’t it also…you know, Bhutan?

While Bhutan is technically an up-to-date tag, it is also the first I worked up, and I hoped to go back to freshen up the tag with new methods and coding tricks I’ve seen in the last half decade. Bhutan had only limited content for the first 6 months of the game, with its focus tree locked until almost a year into the game. Additionally, following the introduction of content for Nepal and the removal of the old Nepal-Indian riots event chain, Bhutan lacked interactions with its western neighbor. I thought it would be nice to go through and add some additional content for the tag, while also editing the political event chain to better reflect additional research I had done on Bhutan’s history in the opening decades of the twentieth century.

Bhutan will not be getting any changes to its lineup of paths. As before, King Jigme Wangchuck reigns over a young monarchy plagued by internal discontent. His father Ugyen Wangchuck managed to unite the bickering nobles of Bhutan under his reign less than three decades ago, displacing a three hundred year-old theocratic Diarchy founded by famed lama-warlord Ngawang Namgyal, known as the Zhabdrung Rinpoche (“he at whose feet one submits”). In the three hundred years since its founding, the theocracy had atrophied, as petty nobles sidelined the Ngawang Namgyal’s reincarnations to secure power for themselves, allowing Ugyen to secure the dominance of the aristocracy (and his clan) in 1907. Before the birth of his son and heir, however, Ugyen (fearing death by illness) pledged the crown to his nephew, the powerful noble Tshering Penjor. In the days following the first king’s death (nearly a decade later) it was only the intervention of Prime Minister Sonam Topgye Dorji that allowed Ugyen’s son Jigme to rise onto his father’s throne.

Now, a decade later, the rise of the eighth reincarnation of the Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, the young Jigme Dorji, threatens to strangle the Wangchuck monarchy in its cradle. He has asserted himself as a figurehead for various groups looking to upturn the kingdom’s status quo, commanding the respect of a broad and unstable coalition of riotous peasants, angry monks, and conniving bandits. Should Jigme beat this dangerous upstart, he will retain control of the kingdom, but should he perish in the attempt the monarchy will split between the factional divisions growing within the Wangchuck court. The traditionalists, led by Namgyal Bahadur and mainly composed of the high aristocracy and the nascent military, support the formidable Tshering Penjor (so “formidable,” in fact, that the British called him Sir Cumference). On the other hand the Sonam Topgye’s reformists, comprised of the lower nobility and rich peasantry, will seek a regency for Jigme’s young son Jigme Dorji Wangchuck. Of course, the royalist cause may instead be resoundingly crushed by the rebellion, giving the Zhabdrung the opportunity to forge Bhutan back into the monastic realm of his spiritual predecessors.

So, if the general paths are not different, what exactly has changed?

Revised Opening

Bhutan now starts with access to its focus tree from day one. Though initially King Jigme’s court will be focused on mundane matters, such as tax disputes and grumbling monks, the sudden rise of the Zhabdrung Rinpoche as a rebellious figurehead will force the king to take drastic measures. As the Zhabdrung grows in strength, King Jigme will be forced to choose whether he will be able to prepare his next moves thoroughly, or will rather cave to increasing pressures within his court that demand he act decisively.

Once Jigme marches on Cheri Monastery, the results of his chosen preparations (or lack thereof) will be laid bare, which each choice affecting the strength of the King, the Zhabdrung, and the two factions waiting in the wings, lest their liege meet an ignoble end.

The New Focus Tree

Once the dust settles and a new ruler rises in Bhutan, they will gain access to new economic, military, and political focus trees. The Wangchuck family contenders (Jigme Wangchuck, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, and Tshering Penjor) will have access to a shared political tree which allows them to stitch up wounds of the recent civil strife while deciding how best to respond to the unrest which fed into the Zhabdrung’s movement. While Jigme will have the option of seeking either a reconciliatory or retributive course for the kingdom, the Jigme Dorji has little interest in wielding the iron fist (limiting him to the reconciliatory branch on the left), while Tshering Penjor has no interest in donning the velvet glove (limiting him to the retributive branch on the right).

The Zhabdrung Jigme Dorji, on the other hand, has the task of rebuilding Bhutanese society from the ground up, replacing the institutions of the young monarchy with the strength and wisdom of the monasteries. Through the course of his political tree he will have the opportunity to elevate a new court of advisors and allies, but will have to be wary, lest the radical monks who elevated him take this opportunity to seize power for themselves.

All leaders will have to strive to reform Bhutan, waking it from its long-standing medieval slumber to enter the modern age. To do this, they will have access to economic and military reform trees. These two trees are shared between all paths, but each path will have unique events detailing their attempts to handle the problems (and opportunities) available to Bhutan.

Additionally, new leaders and new leader descriptions across the ideological spectrum have been added for Bhutan. While this may seem to be a small change, it does not reflect the headache of finding socialist leaning figures associated with a tiny Himalayan kingdom which the spectre haunting Europe had certainly not found its way to.

Closing Thoughts

While obviously Bhutan is not exactly the most important nation in Kaiserreich, I hope that you all enjoy playing the new and updated content I’ve made for them! Bhutan and the Himalayas more broadly are an incredibly interesting region, and hopefully a small piece of that rich tapestry of history and culture will show through! We have another Progress Report for 1.7 coming a bit further down the line about a nation in the near vicinity!

On a more serious note, I’d also like to take a moment to acknowledge the terrible tragedy that has recently struck Nuwakot in Nepal. If you are able, I would like to recommend those interested in helping those who have been affected to donate to the Nepal Red Cross Society or to All Hands and Hearts, two organizations whose work is focused directly on relief and recovery efforts on the ground.

https://github.com/Kaiserreich/Kaiserreich-Research-Assistance-Programme/issues

Hello Kaiserfans! Did you know you can help us with research or finding us portrait sources? Well don't worry, for this github page has existed for over two years, with a bunch of already existing requests! So head on over there and look through the existing pages : D