What if Germany won World War 1? And what if World War 2 was right around the corner? Watanabe Kazuhiro is an expectant father who's not expecting too much. He has a good life, if a simple one, and the arrival of his firstborn should be more than enough excitement for one day. But luckily for Kazuhiro, a new child is only half the excitement that's waiting for him. Amidst a Japan that's blossoming into a full-blooded democracy - full of debate, decisions, and freedoms his generation is managing for the first time in his country's history - Kazuhiro seeks the right balance for his own life and that of his family. Will he take an opportunity, even if it costs him everything he's held dear before that day?

What if Germany won World War 1? And what if World War 2 was right around the corner? Ilya Mikhailov is a simple man. A family man. A man of the people. A man of the party. And the party is about to come to prominence. Called to work in Moscow on short notice, Ilya arrives in the city ready to take action against the traitors who threaten his vision for the future of Russia. Together with Aleksander - his close friend and one of the highest ranking members of the People's Republican Party of Russia - the pair lay out their plans for ridding their beloved homeland of detractors and defectors. With the world still reeling from Black Monday, the time is nigh for the nationalist revolution that will sweep Russia back to its proper place on the world's stage. And Ilya will be there for every step of the way.

What if Germany won World War 1? And what if World War 2 was right around the corner? Reginald Spenser has made the best of a bad situation. Forced to flee his beloved home in England after a socialist revolution, he's managed to establish himself in "the new world" despite its rabble-rousing locals, bilingual servants, and - of course - its weather. Now comfortably living in Montreal, he can turn his attention to the great task of reclaiming his homeland and restoring order to the world. Even though he's just one man in a room, he can see the future of the entire world laid out before him, and he knows he can guide that future like so many great men before him. All it takes is a little help. And good help, he's finding out, is hard to find.

What if Germany won World War 1? And what if World War 2 was right around the corner? Henri and Margeurite Dubois are children of the Weltkrieg, a pair of sibling survivors who grew up amidst the flames of war and revolution. Now grown into adults of their own, they are members of the first generation raised under the banner of Syndicalism. Yet for all the novelty of their world, life in the Commune of France continues largely as it had for hundreds of years before. People fall in and out of love, make plans for the future, and worry about their loved ones. Margeurite and Henri are close to the coming war, but they're closer still with one another, and their letters are filled mostly with the hopes, fears, and daily aggravations that siblings have shared in France for as long as there have been siblings.

What if Germany won World War 1? And what if World War 2 was right around the corner? Zheng Hui and her family know nothing about war. Neatly tucked away in their relatively remote corner of southwestern China, they've never been a large target for anyone seeking riches or power. They live a simple life and are happy to do so - tending their crops, looking after their livestock, and hoping for a bright future for their children. But February 3, 1937 will be the day all that changes. War, it turns out, is real. And it's coming to the neighbourhood.

What if Germany won World War 1? And what if World War 2 was just around the corner? The year is 1937, and the world is once again lurching towards a global conflict. Only this one isn't like the World War II we all learned about in history class. In this alternate history, Germany won the Great War (or Weltkrieg, in German), the United States of America never got involved in WW1, and all the Entente powers - including France, Britain, and Russia - collapsed into civil war and political revolution. For Karl Schreiber, a young university student in Germany, all that just seems like history, and one that doesn't directly impact him. But when he receives a call from his father asking him to return home, his personal life collides with the global forces set in motion by that history. A home town he barely recognizes, a family teetering on the brink of collapse, and the looming threat of his own mortality all swirl about as he finally realizes that his world is a world headed towards war. Based on the popular "Kaiserreich" mod for the Hearts of Iron 4 PC game, this first in a series of short stories are part fanfiction (based on the amazing work of the Kaiserreich developers) and part standalone alternate history fiction. Probably more enjoyable if you're a fan of the game/mod (or a giant history nerd) but hopefully accessible to all! This story begins our tour of the globe on February 3, 1937 - one fateful year after the global financial catastrophe that sent the world reeling and the gears of war into motion.