History Roleplay / GreatInterstellarWar

* OhMyGods: "By Stalin's sacred balls!"

* StealthExpert: Played straight with Zenya, largely due to the fact that 90% of the time 12 commandos get butchered against the much larger and better armed Wester units.
* SuperSoldiers: The Hei Gui commandos. Genetically modified until very little is left other than the instinct to kill.

** Red Grozny battlesuits have an enormous fear factor if used correctly, mostly because of their capability to deliver a full fiery fist of f*ck you to their enemies.

* AnOfficerAndAGentleman: Major Luke Jaeger.

* TheNeidermeyer: Zenya could arguably be characterized as this.

** Amasova also has one in the comic: "Follow my ass as if you could HAVE IT!"
* BioAugmentation: Major Luke Jaeger and Strelok the Hei Gui.

* GeneralRipper: Played with with Feng gunning for Shan.
* GunsVsSwords: One Red school of military thought calls for forcing the enemy into close combat to negate their technological edge and firepower. Practically every branch of the Red Army is equipped with some kind of sword to [[KnifeNut invoke this trope]]. Idealistic and brainwashed Red infantry are more than happy to.

* KillItWithFire: Another favorite of the Alliance, seen commonly in the form of their Blue Dragon warheads, a kind of form that turns into fire on contact. More traditional flamethrowers are used by elite close assault troops or mounted on battlesuits.

* NiceHat: The [[PlanetOfHats hat]] of the aliens farmers featured in the Red secret police special comic, who without fail all wore various pieces of nice headwear throughout their appearance.

* TheBerserker: If Red commandos arnt [[ColdSniper detached]] or [[SociopathicSoldier unfeeling]] they become this, using combat drugs to throw themselves at the enemy without any regard for their own survival.

* PlotArmor: The player characters, being player characters, are essentially unkillable.

* PatrioticFrevor: Red infantry are specifically noted to have much better morale than their opponents. Wester RI conscripts are [[OhCrap generally unprepared]] for the level of hardship the Reds are [[MotherRussiaMakesYouStrong willing to endure]] for their cause. While the Wester Army has better training and technology, the Red Army has their patriotism. The two sides are evenly matched.

* PyrrhicVictory: Almost every battle due to the massive damage inflicted by both sides sometimes due to SaltTheEarth.

* SecretPolice: The Reds have one.

** Red commandos have a combat drug/fighting style known as Hidden Dragon, used by Zenya. Meanwhile Feng's tanks can perform a maneuver known as Crouching Tiger. Since Feng and Zenya often play key pieces in the Polaris Cradle battleplans, their doctrine could be called... Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

* SniperDuel: Feng does this WITH A TANK. His favored tactic is to position his tanks in a defensive position then rain down death from a distance with his Crouching Tiger technique.

* TheBerserker: If Red commandos arnt [[ColdSniper detached]] or [[SociopathicSoldier unfeeling]] they become this, using combat drugs to throw themselves at the enemy.

* VodkaDrunkenski: The Reds are ALWAYS drinking. Vodka is of course their national drink. Chinese baiju is also popular. Cant help but take up drinking with this life.

* NicknamingTheEnemy: The Reds are called Ivan and Chang. Sometimes subverted when the Westers just call the Reds, Redfuck(s, ers, bags etc.) bastards or even just 'Reds.'

* PyrrhicVictory: Played straight almost every battle due to the massive damage inflicted by both sides sometimes due to SaltTheEarth.

* TheDreaded: Zenya becomes this in the Polaris Cradle campaign, but mostly because he's a member of Kom-23 rather than his actual reputation. The effect also carries over to people on his own side.

* UrbanWarfare: Played straight, several key battles involve horrific street fighting in Urban areas.

* ZergRush: Often used by Red infantry. Commissars and combat drugs inrease the effect.

* BadBoss: Field Marshal Feng the Elder, not to be confused with his cousin Colonel/General Feng Bao-Lin. A legendary figure in the Red Army, but actually serving under him during the Connor's Emerald campaign is... unpleasant.

* ElitesAreMoreGlamorous: Zenya's Kom23 played straight as deadly killers with the best kit but occasionally subverted.
** Inverted with Task Force Malashenko, who's elite status resulted in them being sent to the most hazardous planets and worst assignments.

* GunsVsSwords: Possibly played straight with Penal infantry using their bayonets to take on fortified Wester positions. Kind of justified because they're drugged and enraged. Also, due to normally outnumbering the Westers 10:1, it actually works.

* MillionMookMarch: Can be seen in the comic during Marshal Vostrikov's seizure of power.

* CallBack: At one point Captain Zenya jealously notes one officer had a personal assistant while he didnt. One year later, the next time he takes command of a squad, he titles one soldier as his equerry (job description including following Zenya around and doing what he says).

* DeadpanSnarker: Colonel Sergoff. Major Starace can be one as well, especially when interacting with Boston.

* HoldTheLine: Played straight several times.

* MaryTzu: In the Red Alliance, Mao Zedong received a HistoricalHeroUpgrade to this. As in, Sun Tzu and Mao are believed to be literally the same person.

* SniperDuel: Feng does this WITH A TANK. His favored tactic is to position his tanks in a defensive position then rain down death from a distance with his Crouching Tiger technique.

* TheCommissar: Played straight with the Reds; they employ political officers to “motivate” their troops.
* TheDreaded: Zenya becomes this in the Polaris Cradle campaign, but mostly because he's a member of Kom-23 rather than his actual reputation. Shan attempted to prevent panic and morale drop among his battlegroup by referring to Kom-23 as the 23rd Special Ops unit instead (See the OnlyKnownByTheirNickname entry).

** The Red Alliance for that matter. A fusion of Russian and Chinese culture, among other smaller nations that would fall under that bloc.

The Great Interstellar War (GIW) is a shared roleplay universe on AlternateHistoryDotCom that was started by user Blackwave. It originated as a "future what if scenario" to be discussed as characters who were in-universe, but it eventually grew to become a full-fledged tactics RP (on both land and in space) with its own comic series as a spinoff, along with various short stories and other user fiction. The GIW universe is set about a few centuries into humanity's future, and the human-controlled galaxy has been rent asunder between two power blocs: the democratic Wester Federation and the communist Red Alliance. No other major factions have been mentioned, but Word Of God says that there are alien factions out in the galaxy that are aware of humanity but don't really care about the cataclysmic war tearing it asunder.

The Great Interstellar War (GIW) is a shared roleplay universe on AlternateHistoryDotCom that was started by user Blackwave. It originated as a "future what if scenario" to be discussed as characters who were in-universe, but it eventually grew to become a full-fledged tactics RP (on both land and in space) with its own comic series as a spinoff, along with various short stories and other user fiction. The GIW universe is set about a few centuries into humanity's future, and the human-controlled galaxy has been rent asunder between two power blocs: the democratic Wester Federation and the communist Red Alliance. No other major factions have been mentioned, but Word Of God says that there are alien factions out in the galaxy that are aware of humanity but don't really care about the cataclysmic war tearing it asunder.'

The series is known on AH.com's Shared Worlds subforum as being perhaps the longest-running RP, with the original RP beginning back in 2010 and surviving to this day. There were two "Space Combat" RPs from the same universe, but they are unfortunately defunct as of 2012. The current RP thread can be found [[http://alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=195052 here]], while the comic series can be found [[http://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=148978&highlight=interstellar here]]. (It is necessary to be a member of the site to see it.)

* NicknamingTheEnemy: The Reds are called Ivan and Chaing. Sometimes subverted when the Westers just call the Reds, Redfuck(s, ers, bags etc.) bastards or even just 'Reds.'

* Urbanwarfare: Played straight, several key battles involve horrific street fighting in Urban areas.

* NicknamingTheEnemy: The Reds are called Ivan and Chaing.
Sometimes subverted when the Westers just call the Reds, Redfuck(s, ers, bags etc.) bastards or even just 'Reds.'

* CallBack: At one point Captain Zenya jealously notes one officer had a personal assistant while he didnt. One year later, the next time he takes command of a squad, he titles one soldier as his equerry (job description including following Zenya around and doing what he says).

* CasanovaWannabe: Played straight with Boston.

** Selvaria Bles is also the name of a character from the game ValkyriaChronicles.

* Future Imperfect: Lost knowledge and saturated propaganda has lead to both sides having a...distorted knowledge of Earth history.

* HeroesPreferSwords: Neither Westers or Reds could be considered totally heroic, but the latter do love their swords. From infantry bayonets, to battlesuit inbuilt vibroblades, commando knives and ceremonial officer jian swords. For the Westers this trope has been thoroughly discredited in universe.

* MultinationalTeam: Although in the future most of humanity is part of two factions spanning the galaxy old nationalities as identities still exist so both armies are effectively this. For example, Boston is of Irish-Wester stock despite speaking with a generic Wester (North American) accent. Major Lucrezia Starace and her troops are Italian.

* AwesomeEgo: Boston sees himself as a military genius and sexy beast. The first is actually backed up with several battlefield successes. [[WannabeCasanova The sexiness on the other hand...]]

* WannabeCassanova: Played straight with Boston.

* AwesomeEgo: Boston sees himself as a military genius and sexy beast. The first is actually backed up with several battlefield successes. The sexiness on the other hand...

The Great Interstellar War (GIW) is a shared roleplay universe on AlternateHistoryDotComn that was started by user Blackwave. It originated as a "future what if scenario" to be discussed as characters who were in-universe, but it eventually grew to become a full-fledged tactics RP (on both land and in space) with its own comic series as a spinoff, along with various short stories and other user fiction. The GIW universe is set about a few centuries into humanity's future, and the human-controlled galaxy has been rent asunder between two power blocs: the democratic Wester Federation and the communist Red Alliance. No other major factions have been mentioned, but Word Of God says that there are alien factions out in the galaxy that are aware of humanity but don't really care about the cataclysmic war tearing it asunder.'