Victoria 3 Modlist for 1 October 2025

Years ago, I had a realization that capitalism contained the makings of its own downfall. Fiduciary duties in publicly-traded companies mean that the corporate officers have one responsibility – the stock price must go up. It’s not enough for that stock to go up: it must both beat expectations and provide better-than-average returns on investment. The consequence of failing to deliver would be investors selling off that stock, its price collapsing, and then the firm winding up in the hands of private equity. That ended up typically with the firm being sold off for parts, not a fun way to go.

Employees are a company’s greatest cost center. I know companies like to dress things up by saying things along the lines that their employees are their greatest assets, but that’s untrue. Look at their balance sheets, we won’t see employees counted the same way as physical plant, cash on hand, intellectual property, or other things that are bought, sold, and traded. Domesticated livestock can be counted as assets, but not human beings. Well, humans could be assets, but that would be slavery. We’re not supposed to do that anymore. Employees are a massive lump of costs, and firms wanting to become more profitable constantly look for ways to get as close to slavery as possible without breaking a law or destroying their viability as a corporate entity.

All this could change if fiduciary duties were redefined to include responsibility to a company’s labor force, but they’re not that way and don’t show any sign soon of becoming that way, so we race to the bottom.

Why is there age discrimination in the workforce? It’s because older employees tend to have higher pay rates. This is because of their experience in a role. This experience makes them highly effective in their roles, but also means they tend to carry a higher price tag. Firms looking at a bottom line for profitability have no way of pricing an older employee’s institutional knowledge, but see their pay rates and seek ways to drive them out of the firm and to keep them out. That, or the firms will just try to lower overall compensation and hold the line on payroll. This lack of aged experience leaves firms vulnerable to disruptions due to things that aren’t documented, but just “known” by the older hands. It also means the younger staff is learning things the hard way, without guidance or mentorship.

Training budgets are also costs firms aren’t willing to fund fully, if at all. A common objection I’ve heard is that providing training means an employee is more likely to leave. That wouldn’t be true if a firm compensated properly for properly-trained and more productive employees. But that means paying people more, so it’s a non-starter of an idea. Another common objection I’ve heard is that the only training an employee needs is what’s developed or available internally. Or free. Free is always good. But the internal-only stuff communicates a firm has blinders on. It’s not looking around, it’s not aware of what’s going on outside. It means that if the firm needs new knowledge, it’s going to hire it from outside, not grow it from within.

There’s also the impact from outsourcing, offshoring, contracting-out, and “gigging” practices. Cut labor costs by not paying them any benefits, or benefits at reduced rates in whatever jurisdiction they work in. The rich do get richer with these tactics, but the overall health of their economy is harmed by the lack of growth in purchasing power among everyone who isn’t rich. I speak of the USA, where employee compensation has been flat and declining after adjustments for inflation for a very long time.

Now there’s a push to go heavy into AI. Corporate officers see AI as a great way to slash staff costs. There’s no need to fire anyone, necessarily. Just let them leave the firm on their own and then don’t hire a replacement. Just buy an AI service to replace the employee and save big, right?

But then we have to ask, what happens in a world where corporate officers shed nearly all their human staff and enjoy massive productivity from their AI slaves? Yes – slaves – that’s what the hype about AI comes down to, legal slavery. If there’s collapsed demand among an unemployed mass, then there’s no benefit in having a capitalist system. If social and economic mobility is locked down, we simply have another oppressive, stratified, unjust system.

Historically, those kinds of systems result in people at the bottom choosing to opt-out and head to the hinterlands where they could start up or join a bandit group. Ancient rulers were aware of that pattern, which is why wise ones would reset things by ordering debt forgiveness, land restoration, and things like that to get it where the general populace had a stake in an ordered society. I don’t see that happening any time soon. We simply lack wisdom in our leadership for such a move.

So where are the hinterlands? The wilds of a completely-mapped world are not a physical place, but a digital one. Cybercrime continues to increase and I believe it’s connected to a lack of hope or trust in the existing capitalist system that fails to deliver rewards to hard workers that are hindered by their not being born rich.

The rise in cybercrime also has to be connected to the other things I discussed – firms wanting to cut costs by getting rid of experienced people and then not providing enough training for their younger replacement. And the AI? Two problems with that. One is that AI still requires experienced oversight, which is difficult to provide when experience is something firms aren’t paying for anymore. The other is that the AI will itself exploit vulnerabilities to get its tasks completed. AI on its own will make us less secure.

Being the bandit outfits that they are, the cyberattackers have a different set of guiding principles. The most important one is in rewarding training and competence. The rewards are not paid out directly, but are intrinsic to their success as operations.

In nations where capitalism does not dominate the thoughtspace the way it does in the USA, cybersecurity is much more important. They’re not having breaches in their systems as deeply or as frequently as what is happening in the USA. The USA’s firms make for the best targets and they have no fiduciary path towards long-term survivability. They are going to continue to pursue short-term gains by slashing personnel costs and that not only leaves them more vulnerable to cyberattacks, but drives more people into the ranks of the cyberattackers.

Victoria 3 Modlist for 27 August 2025 – 1.9.8

Leave a reply

These are stable and I am enjoying them with 1.9.8. Hope you like them as well! JSON file on my Discord.

Unofficial Hotfix Mod https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3274932837
Community Mod Framework https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3385002128
Modern Political Map – Terrain Exterminator https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3011614285
Global Stats (GDP and POP) https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3312478537
More Informative Panel Tooltips https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3132089695
GDP Plotline Plus https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3190466673
Visible Goods Shortage https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3273620528
Better Savegame Delete-Button https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3041508165
Expanded Topbar Framework https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3508296963
GDP Ownership Display https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3290552216
power plant not local https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3158227001
transportation not local https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3158527045
Pre-Existing Claims https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3447812422
Losing My Religion https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3448052226
More People More Problems https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3449863781
Soul Train https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3508728927
Famous infamy https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2891239044
Irregular Nerf https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3083546609
Rarer Powerful IGs https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2886562127
Defensive Recapture Nerfed https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3090109247
Cold Water Ports https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2997299912
Better Natural Harbor https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2883344939
Sweet Sweet Sweet Victory https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3114096597
Welfare Payments Fixed https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2884595570
Upgradable Everything https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3092636193
Sink And Stay Sunk https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3083588942
Military Wages Also Impact Prestige from Navy https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3130358138
Double Incorporation Speed https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2882947823
Less Productive Subsistence https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3289745374
[1.7] Recruit 5 Commanders https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3291477179
Know When to Hold ‘Em https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2886364566
Battle of the Alamo https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3085410410
Smarter AI law enactment https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3305036532
later African colonization https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3167110827
Expanded Production Menu https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3322536687
Industry Realism https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3214935635
Political & Economic Changes https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2980730952
Industry Realism + PEC Compatch https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3241308181
Colonisation Speed Fix https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3374496556
Law Enactment Unlocker https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3374794139
Swift Reform 2.0 https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3362054958
Morgenröte – Dawn of Flavor https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2889925770
Industry Realism + Morgenrote Compatch https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3458726601
PEC+Morgenröte Compatch https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3508277202
Trade Rework (1.9) https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3205454881
Less Border Gore – Claim Colonial States https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3395583198
Law & Authority https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3114281747
Remove Mobilized Rulers from Command https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3513769458
Empires of History: A Map Mod https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3288407594
services not local https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3539310299
[1.9] colonies don’t auto join wars https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3542047152
[1.9] Waddle War Rework https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3474730999
OPTIONAL: The Lepsius Map https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3412374417

For Ted Lee

Leave a reply

Ted Lee was a good friend
He was tired of big lunches
Hello, Taco Casa!
It was sweet knowing him and having known him
Hail and farewell, Ted.

Victoria 3 Modlist 1.9.4 26 June 2025

Leave a reply

1.9.5 is going to release soon, but I wanted to update my list to cover some mods that were problematic or needed to be added to correct problems. I changed out the topbar mod, added a compatch for PEC+MR, and made a new mod, “Soul Train” to add more transportation to my games.

Unofficial Hotfix Mod https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3274932837
Community Mod Framework https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3385002128
Clear sky https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2926002119
Modern Political Map – Terrain Exterminator https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3011614285
Global Stats (GDP and POP) https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3312478537
More Informative Panel Tooltips https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3132089695
GDP Plotline Plus https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3190466673
Visible Goods Shortage https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3273620528
Better Savegame Delete-Button https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3041508165
Expanded Topbar Framework https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3508296963
GDP Ownership Display https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3290552216
Choose Map Color https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3136536603
power plant not local https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3158227001
transportation not local https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3158527045
Pre-Existing Claims https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3447812422
Losing My Religion https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3448052226
Many Obsessions https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3448084498
More People More Problems https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3449863781
Soul Train https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3508728927
Famous infamy https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2891239044
Irregular Nerf https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3083546609
Rarer Powerful IGs https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2886562127
Boxers Rebellion Fixed https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3089824334
Defensive Recapture Nerfed https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3090109247
Cold Water Ports https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2997299912
Better Natural Harbor https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2883344939
Sweet Sweet Sweet Victory https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3114096597
Welfare Payments Fixed https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2884595570
Upgradable Everything https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3092636193
Sink And Stay Sunk https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3083588942
Military Wages Also Impact Prestige from Navy https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3130358138
Double Incorporation Speed https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2882947823
Investment Rights Last Longer https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3275997824
Less Productive Subsistence https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3289745374
Liberate Country As Subject https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3241445760
[1.7] Recruit 5 Commanders https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3291477179
Know When to Hold ‘Em https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2886364566
Battle of the Alamo https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3085410410
Smarter AI law enactment https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3305036532
later African colonization https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3167110827
Expanded Production Menu https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3322536687
Industry Realism https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3214935635
Political & Economic Changes https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2980730952
Industry Realism + PEC Compatch https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3241308181
Hail, Columbia! – United States Flavor Pack https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3199730217 (If using with PEC, turn OFF two-party system in PEC in game rules)
More Icons For Different Orders https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3306581818
Colonisation Speed Fix https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3374496556
Law Enactment Unlocker https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3374794139
Swift Reform 2.0 https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3362054958
Power Blocs Expanded https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3387651487
Morgenröte – Dawn of Flavor https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2889925770
Industry Realism + Morgenrote Compatch https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3458726601
PEC+Morgenröte Compatch https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3508277202
The Lepsius Map https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3412374417
Statistics https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3429587193
Trade Rework (1.9) https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3205454881
Less Border Gore – Claim Colonial States https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3395583198
Less Cultures (European Cultures Exempt) https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3504470830
Law & Authority https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3114281747

Victoria 3 Modlist for 1.9.2 22 June 2025

Leave a reply

The modlist is shorter for 1.9.2 due to the number of mods that were incorporated into that build, as well as my not yet having tested the TGR (The Grand Revision) mods from Sasco. They are updated for 1.9.2, but I wasn’t able to test them due to my trying to identify a mod that caused a rather tricky issue in my testing.

1.8.6 Unofficial Hotfix Mod https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3274932837
Community Mod Framework https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3385002128
Clear sky https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2926002119
Modern Political Map – Terrain Exterminator https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3011614285
Global Stats (GDP and POP) https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3312478537
More Informative Panel Tooltips https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3132089695
GDP Plotline Plus https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3190466673
Visible Goods Shortage https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3273620528
Better Savegame Delete-Button https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3041508165
Extra Topbar Info https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2888391145
GDP Ownership Display https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3290552216
Choose Map Color https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3136536603
power plant not local https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3158227001
transportation not local https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3158527045
Pre-Existing Claims https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3447812422
Losing My Religion https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3448052226
Many Obsessions https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3448084498
More People More Problems https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3449863781
Famous infamy https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2891239044
Irregular Nerf https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3083546609
Rarer Powerful IGs https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2886562127
Boxers Rebellion Fixed https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3089824334
Defensive Recapture Nerfed https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3090109247
Cold Water Ports https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2997299912
Better Natural Harbor https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2883344939
Sweet Sweet Sweet Victory https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3114096597
Welfare Payments Fixed https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2884595570
Upgradable Everything https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3092636193
Sink And Stay Sunk https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3083588942
Military Wages Also Impact Prestige from Navy https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3130358138
Double Incorporation Speed https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2882947823
Investment Rights Last Longer https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3275997824
Less Productive Subsistence https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3289745374
Liberate Country As Subject https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3241445760
[1.7] Recruit 5 Commanders https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3291477179
Know When to Hold ‘Em https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2886364566
Battle of the Alamo https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3085410410
Smarter AI law enactment https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3305036532
later African colonization https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3167110827
Expanded Production Menu https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3322536687
Industry Realism https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3214935635
Political & Economic Changes https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2980730952
Industry Realism + PEC Compatch https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3241308181
Hail, Columbia! – United States Flavor Pack https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3199730217 (If using with PEC, turn OFF two-party system in PEC in game rules)
More Icons For Different Orders https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3306581818
Colonisation Speed Fix https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3374496556
Law Enactment Unlocker https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3374794139
Swift Reform 2.0 https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3362054958
Power Blocs Expanded https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3387651487
Morgenröte – Dawn of Flavor https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2889925770
Industry Realism + Morgenrote Compatch https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3458726601
The Lepsius Map https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3412374417
Statistics https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3429587193
Trade Rework (1.9) https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3205454881
Less Border Gore – Claim Colonial States https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3395583198
Less Cultures (European Cultures Exempt) https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3504470830

Thoughts on the Movements of Spheres

Leave a reply

Within the atomic particles, the quarks dance
Spinning, whirling, full of power and potential
Then the electrons fizz fuzz and cloud around nuclei
Freely going where they may go
With the flow
Of the current
Creating molecules as they go
Some molecules watch the others twist and form into longer chains
Chains that bind forces heretofore yet unseen
Forces of life
Twisting, bending, now working with each other
Building first that which self-replicates
Then that which self-replicates with changes
Then that which self-replicates with changes, incorporating other life from other things
Cell creatures
Then cell creatures with a guiding nuclear center
Then cells that bind with other cells
In symbiotic harmony
Developing into mutual needs – dedicating services towards one goal of life
Taller life
Aware life
Thinking life
Minds that reach out and question about the world about them
The planet only part of that world
And discovering that the planet wanders
The stars guide the planetary path
And, in turn, the stars guide the paths of other stars
Flowing in grand arcs about galactic centers
Galaxies themselves bending space around them with their gravities
Pushing here, capturing there
Colliding and combining even in the deep voids
Making filaments of galaxies
Superclusters of galaxies
Massive units of universal construction, they dance
Spinning, whirling, full of power and potential
Were it otherwise, I would have told you so

Global Investments

Leave a reply

Continuing my look at the situation in April of 2025, I do a deeper dive on the choices being made by central banks to reassure investors – and what the USA would have to do to make similar reassurances for its investment markets.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvbFlwMbqVw