query: The United Kingdom was the world's foremost power.

pos: United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland , commonly known as the United Kingdom ( UK ) or Britain , is a sovereign country in western Europe . Lying off the north-western coast of the European mainland , the United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain , the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands . Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign statethe Republic of Ireland.Although Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that shares a land border with another sovereign state , two of its Overseas Territories also share land borders with other sovereign countries . Gibraltar shares a border with Spain , while the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia share borders with the Republic of Cyprus , the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the UN buffer zone separating the two Cypriot polities . Apart from this land border , the United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean , with the North Sea to its east , the English Channel to its south and the Celtic Sea to its south-south-west , giving it the 12th-longest coastline in the world . The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland . With an area of 242500 km2 , the United Kingdom is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world and the 11th-largest in Europe . It is also the 21st-most populous country , with an estimated 65.1 million inhabitants . Together , this makes it the fourth-most densely populated country in the European Union ( EU ) .   The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of governance . The monarch is Queen Elizabeth II , who has reigned since 6 February 1952 . The capital of the United Kingdom and its largest city is London , a global city and financial centre with an urban area population of 10.3 million , the fourth-largest in Europe and second-largest in the European Union . Other major urban areas in the United Kingdom include the conurbations centred on Birmingham , Leeds , Glasgow , Liverpool and Manchester . The United Kingdom consists of four countries -- England , Scotland , Wales and Northern Ireland . The last three have devolved administrations , each with varying powers , based in their capitals , Edinburgh , Cardiff and Belfast , respectively . The nearby Isle of Man , Bailiwick of Guernsey and Bailiwick of Jersey are not part of the United Kingdom , being Crown dependencies with the British Government responsible for defence and international representation .   The relationships among the countries of the UK have changed over time . Wales was annexed by the Kingdom of England under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542 . A treaty between England and Scotland resulted in 1707 in a unified Kingdom of Great Britain , which merged in 1801 with the Kingdom of Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland . Five-sixths of Ireland seceded from the UK in 1922 , leaving the present formulation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.The Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed on 6 December 1921 to resolve the Irish War of Independence . When it took effect one year later , it established the Irish Free State as a separate dominion within the Commonwealth . The UK 's current name was adopted to reflect the change . There are fourteen British Overseas Territories . These are the remnants of the British Empire which , at its height in the 1920s , encompassed almost a quarter of the world 's land mass and was the largest empire in history . British influence can be observed in the language , culture and legal systems of many of its former colonies .   The United Kingdom is a developed country and has the world 's fifth-largest economy by nominal GDP and ninth-largest economy by purchasing power parity . The UK is considered to have a high-income economy and is categorised as very high in the Human Development Index , ranking 16th in the world . It was the world 's first industrialised country and the world 's foremost power during the 19th and early 20th centuries . The UK remains a great power with considerable economic , cultural , military , scientific and political influence internationally . It is a recognised nuclear weapons state and is seventh in military expenditure in the world . The UK has been a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council since its first session in 1946 . It has been a leading member state of the EU and its predecessor , the European Economic Community ( EEC ) , since 1973 . However , on 23 June 2016 , a national referendum on the UK 's membership of the EU resulted in a decision to leave , and its exit from the EU is currently being negotiated . The UK is also a member of the Commonwealth of Nations , the Council of Europe , the G7 finance ministers , the G7 forum , the G20 , NATO , the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ( OECD ) , and the World Trade Organization ( WTO ) .

neg: Pax Britannica Pax Britannica ( Latin for `` British Peace '' , modelled after Pax Romana ) was the period of relative peace in Europe ( 1815 -- 1914 ) during which the British Empire became the global hegemonic power and adopted the role of a global police force .   Between 1815 and 1914 , a period referred to as Britain 's `` imperial century , '' around 10,000,000 sqmi of territory and roughly 400 million people were added to the British Empire . Victory over Napoleonic France left the British without any serious international rival , other than perhaps Russia in central Asia . When Russia tried expanding its influence in the Balkans , the British and French defeated it in the Crimean War ( 1854 -- 56 ) , thereby protecting the by-then feeble Ottoman Empire .   Britain 's Royal Navy controlled most of the key maritime trade routes and enjoyed unchallenged sea power . Alongside the formal control it exerted over its own colonies , Britain 's dominant position in world trade meant that it effectively controlled access to many regions , such as Asia and Latin America . British merchants , shippers and bankers had such an overwhelming advantage over everyone else that in addition to its colonies it had an `` informal empire '' .

neg: 18th century The 18th century lasted from January 1 , 1701 to December 31 , 1800 in the Gregorian calendar . During the 18th century , the Enlightenment culminated in the French and American revolutions . Philosophy and science increased in prominence . Philosophers dreamed of a brighter age . This dream turned into a reality with the French Revolution of 1789 - , though later compromised by the excesses of the Reign of Terror ( 1793-1794 ) under Maximilien Robespierre . At first , many monarchies of Europe embraced Enlightenment ideals , but with the French Revolution they feared losing their power and formed broad coalitions for the counter-revolution . The Ottoman Empire experienced an unprecedented period of peace and economic expansion , taking part in no European wars from 1740 to 1768 . As a consequence the empire did not share in Europe 's military improvements during the Seven Years ' War ( 1756-1763 ) , causing its military to fall behind and suffer defeats against Russia in the second half of the century .   The 18th century also marked the end of the Polish -- Lithuanian Commonwealth as an independent state . The once-powerful and vast kingdom , which had once conquered Moscow and defeated great Ottoman armies , collapsed under numerous invasions . Its semi-democratic government system was not robust enough to rival the neighboring monarchies of the Kingdom of Prussia , the Russian Empire and the Archduchy of Austria which divided the Commonwealth territories between themselves , changing the landscape of Central European politics for the next hundred years .   European colonization of the Americas and other parts of the world intensified and associated mass migrations of people grew in size as the Age of Sail continued . Great Britain became a major power worldwide with the defeat of France in North America in the 1760s and the conquest of large parts of India . However , Britain lost many of its North American colonies after the American Revolution , which resulted in the formation of the newly independent United States of America . The Industrial Revolution started in Britain in the 1770s with the production of the improved steam engine . Despite its modest beginnings in the 18th century , steam-powered machinery would radically change human society and the environment .   Western historians have occasionally defined the 18th century otherwise for the purposes of their work . For example , the `` short '' 18th century may be defined as 1715 -- 1789 , denoting the period of time between the death of Louis XIV of France and the start of the French Revolution , with an emphasis on directly interconnected events . To historians who expand the century to include larger historical movements , the `` long '' 18th century may run from the Glorious Revolution of 1688 to the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 or even later .

neg: France France ( -LSB- fʁɑ̃s -RSB- ) , officially the French Republic ( -LSB- ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛz -RSB- ) , is a country with territory in western Europe and several overseas regions and territories . The European , or metropolitan , area of France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea , and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean . Overseas France include French Guiana on the South American continent and several island territories in the Atlantic , Pacific and Indian oceans . France spans 643801 km2 and had a total population of almost 67 million people as of January 2017 . It is a unitary semi-presidential republic with the capital in Paris , the country 's largest city and main cultural and commercial centre . Other major urban centres include Marseille , Lyon , Lille , Nice , Toulouse and Bordeaux .   During the Iron Age , what is now metropolitan France was inhabited by the Gauls , a Celtic people . The area was annexed in 51 BC by Rome , which held Gaul until 486 , when the Germanic Franks conquered the region and formed the Kingdom of France . France emerged as a major European power in the Late Middle Ages , with its victory in the Hundred Years ' War ( 1337 to 1453 ) strengthening state-building and political centralisation . During the Renaissance , French culture flourished and a global colonial empire was established , which by the 20th century would be the second largest in the world . The 16th century was dominated by religious civil wars between Catholics and Protestants ( Huguenots ) . France became Europe 's dominant cultural , political , and military power under Louis XIV . In the late 18th century , the French Revolution overthrew the absolute monarchy , established one of modern history 's earliest republics , and saw the drafting of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen , which expresses the nation 's ideals to this day .   In the 19th century Napoleon took power and established the First French Empire , whose subsequent Napoleonic Wars shaped the course of continental Europe . Following the collapse of the Empire , France endured a tumultuous succession of governments culminating with the establishment of the French Third Republic in 1870 . France was a major participant in the First World War , from which it emerged victorious , and was one of the Allied Powers in the Second World War , but came under occupation by the Axis Powers in 1940 . Following liberation in 1944 , a Fourth Republic was established and later dissolved in the course of the Algerian War . The Fifth Republic , led by Charles de Gaulle , was formed in 1958 and remains to this day . Algeria and nearly all the other colonies became independent in the 1960s and typically retained close economic and military connections with France .   France has long been a global centre of art , science , and philosophy . It hosts Europe 's fourth-largest number of cultural UNESCO World Heritage Sites and receives around 83 million foreign tourists annually , the most of any country in the world . France is a developed country with the world 's sixth-largest economy by nominal GDP and ninth-largest by purchasing power parity . In terms of aggregate household wealth , it ranks fourth in the world . France performs well in international rankings of education , health care , life expectancy , and human development . France remains a great power in the world , being one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council with the power to veto and an official nuclear-weapon state . It is a leading member state of the European Union and the Eurozone . It is also a member of the Group of 7 , North Atlantic Treaty Organization ( NATO ) , Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ( OECD ) , the World Trade Organization ( WTO ) , and La Francophonie .

neg: London Protocol (1852) On 8 May 1852 , after the First War of Schleswig , an agreement called the London Protocol was signed . This international treaty was the revision of an earlier protocol , which had been ratified on 2 August 1850 , by the major Germanic powers of Austria and Prussia . The second London Protocol was recognised by the five major European powers -- Austria , France , Prussia , Russia , and the United Kingdom -- as well as by the Baltic Sea powers of Denmark and Sweden .   The Protocol affirmed the integrity of the Danish federation as a `` European necessity and standing principle '' . Accordingly , the duchies of Schleswig ( a Danish fief ) , and Holstein and Lauenburg ( German fiefs ) were joined by personal union with the Kingdom of Denmark . However , Frederick VII of Denmark was childless , so a change in dynasty was imminent and the lines of succession for the duchies and Denmark diverged . That meant that , contrary to the Protocol , the new King of Denmark would not also be the new Duke of Holstein and Duke of Lauenburg . So for this purpose , the line of succession to the duchies was modified . Further , it was affirmed that the duchies were to remain as independent entities , and that Schleswig would have no greater constitutional affinity to Denmark than Holstein did .   The major powers primarily wanted to ensure , by guaranteeing Denmark 's territorial integrity , that the strategically significant port of Kiel would not fall into Prussian hands . Eleven years later , this treaty became the trigger for the German -- Danish war of 1864 . Prussia and Austria declared that Denmark had violated the Protocol by introducing the November Constitution , which Christian IX of Denmark signed on 18 November 1863 . After an initial period of joint Austro -- Prussian administration , Kiel was ultimately delivered to Prussia in 1867 .

neg: History of the foreign relations of the United Kingdom The history of the foreign relations of the United Kingdom covers British foreign policy from about 1600 to 2000 . For the current situation since 2000 see Foreign relations of the United Kingdom .   Britain from 1750 to the 1910s took pride in an unmatched economic base comprising industry , finance , shipping and trade that largely dominated the globe . Foreign policy based on free trade ( after 1840 ) kept the economy flourishing . The overseas Empire recovered after the loss of America in 1776 and reached its zenith about 1920 , and foreign policy made sure it was never seriously threatened .   After expending enormous energy on the defeat of France and Napoleon ( 1793-1815 ) , British policy focused on achieving a conservative balance of power within Europe , with no one country achieving dominance over the affairs of the continent . This had been the basic reason behind the British wars against Napoleon , and the British commitment in the First and Second World Wars . The chief enemy down to 1815 was France , with its much larger population base and its powerful army . The British were generally successful in their many wars , with the notable exception of the American War of Independence ( 1775 -- 1783 ) . In that war Britain , without any major allies , was defeated by the colonials who had the support of France and the Netherlands , and France had support from Spain .   A favoured diplomatic strategy was subsidising the armies of continental allies , such as Prussia , thereby turning London 's enormous financial power to military advantage . Britain relied heavily on its Royal Navy for security , seeking to keep it the most powerful fleet afloat with a full complement of bases across the globe . British dominance of the seas was vital to the formation of the British Empire , which was achieved through the maintenance of a Navy larger than the next two largest Navies combined for the majority of the 19th and early 20th centuries , prior to the entry of the United States into the Second World War . The British controlled the oceans . So powerful was the Royal Navy , it needed to do little actual fighting from 1812 to 1914 . Although all of the other major Powers fought with their neighbours , the British army had only one relatively limited war ( the Crimean War against Russia in 1854-56 ) . The Army mostly handled garrison duty , and did have to deal with localized insurrections and colonial conflicts in Asia and Africa .

neg: Crown Estate The Crown Estate is a collection of lands and holdings in the United Kingdom belonging to the British monarch as a corporation sole , making it the `` Sovereign 's public estate '' , which is neither government property nor part of the monarch 's private estate . As a result of this arrangement , the sovereign is not involved with the management or administration of the estate , exercising only very limited control of its affairs . Instead , the estate 's extensive portfolio is overseen by a semi-independent , incorporated public body headed by the Crown Estate Commissioners , who exercise `` the powers of ownership '' of the estate , although they are not `` owners in their own right '' . The revenues from these hereditary possessions have been placed by the monarch at the disposition of Her Majesty 's Government and thus proceed directly to Her Majesty 's Treasury for the benefit of the British nation . The Crown Estate is formally accountable to the Parliament of the United Kingdom , where it is legally mandated to make an annual report to the sovereign , a copy of which is forwarded to the House of Commons .   The Crown Estate is one of the largest property managers in the United Kingdom , overseeing property worth # 12 billion , with urban properties valued at # 9.1 billion representing the majority of the estate by value . These include a large number of properties in central London , but the estate also controls 792000 ha of agricultural land and forest , more than half of the UK 's foreshore , and retains various other traditional holdings and rights , including Ascot Racecourse and Windsor Great Park . Naturally occurring gold and silver in the UK , collectively known as `` Mines Royal '' , are managed by The Crown Estate and leased to mining operators .   Historically , Crown Estate properties were administered by the reigning monarch to help fund the business of governing the country . However , in 1760 , George III surrendered control over the Estate 's revenues to the treasury , thus relieving him of the responsibility of personally paying for the costs of the civil service , defence costs , the national debt , and his own personal debts . In return , he received an annual grant known as the Civil list . By tradition , each subsequent monarch agreed to this arrangement upon his or her accession . However , from 1 April 2012 , under the terms of the Sovereign Grant Act 2011 ( SSG ) , the Civil List was abolished and the monarch was thenceforth provided with a stable source of revenue indexed to a percentage of the Crown Estate 's annual net revenue ( currently set at 15 % ) . This was intended to provide a long-term solution and remove the politically sensitive issue of Parliament having to debate the Civil List allowance every ten years . Subsequently , the Sovereign Grant Act allows for all future monarchs to simply extend these provisions for their reigns by Order in Council . The act does not imply any legal change on the nature of the estate 's ownership , but is simply a benchmark by which the sovereign grant is set as a grant by Parliament .

neg: Special Relationship The Special Relationship is the unofficial term for the exceptionally close political , diplomatic , cultural , economic , military and historical relations between the United Kingdom and the United States . It was used in a 1946 speech by Winston Churchill . Although both the United Kingdom and United States have close relationships with many other nations , the level of cooperation between them in economic activity , trade and commerce , military planning , execution of military operations , nuclear weapons technology , and intelligence sharing has been described as `` unparalleled '' among major powers .   The United Kingdom and United States have been close allies in numerous military and political conflicts throughout the 20th and 21st centuries including World War I , World War II , the Korean War , the Cold War , the Gulf War , and the War on Terror .

neg: H. H. Asquith Herbert Henry Asquith , 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith , ( 12 September 1852 -- 15 February 1928 ) , generally known as H. H. Asquith , served as the Liberal Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916 , and was the last Liberal leader to lead that party in government without forming a coalition . He had a central role in the design and passage of major liberal legislation . In August 1914 , Asquith took the United Kingdom into the First World War , but resigned amid political conflict in December 1916 and was succeeded by his War Secretary David Lloyd George .   Asquith 's father owned a small business but died when Asquith was seven . Asquith was educated at City of London School and Balliol College , Oxford . He trained as a barrister and after a slow start to his career achieved great success . In 1886 , he was adopted as Liberal candidate for East Fife , a seat he held over thirty years . In 1892 , he was appointed as Home Secretary in Gladstone 's fourth ministry , remaining in the post until the Liberals lost the 1895 election . In the decade of opposition that followed , Asquith became a major figure in the party , and when the Liberals regained power under Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman in 1905 , Asquith was named as Chancellor of the Exchequer . In 1908 , Asquith succeeded him as prime minister , with David Lloyd George as chancellor .   With their first majority government since the 1880s , the Liberals were determined to advance their agenda . An impediment to this was the unelected House of Lords , dominated by the Conservatives . When Lloyd George proposed , and the House of Commons passed , the People 's Budget of 1909 , the Lords rejected it . Meanwhile the South Africa Act 1909 passed . Asquith called an election for January 1910 , and the Liberals won , though were reduced to a minority government .   Although the Lords then passed the budget , Asquith was determined to reform the upper house , and following the general election in December 1910 gained passage of the Parliament Act 1911 , allowing a bill three times passed by the Commons in consecutive sessions to be enacted regardless of the Lords . Asquith was less successful in dealing with Irish Home Rule . Repeated crises led to gun running and violence , verging on civil war .   Asquith 's action in taking the country to war was one of the most important individual ministerial decision of modern times ; he did it with Britain united and with the postponement of the issues of Ireland and women 's suffrage . He assisted Britain 's ultimate success in the war through his early decisions on national mobilisation ; the despatch of the British Expeditionary Force to the Western Front , the creation of a mass army , and the development of an industrial strategy designed to support the country 's war aims .   But Asquith 's technique of acting as mediator among talented cabinet members such as Lloyd George and Winston Churchill was less effective in war than in peace , and setbacks in the war effort forced him to form a coalition government with the Conservatives and Labour early in 1915 . Bitter rivalries inside and between the three major parties worsened when Asquith was unable to forge the coalition into a harmonious team . It was weakened by his own indecision over strategy , conscription , and financing . Lloyd George organised his overthrow and replaced him as Prime Minister in December 1916 .   Asquith remained as leader of the Liberal Party , but was unable to quell the internal conflict . The party rapidly declined in popularity and was ruined by the 1918 general election . Asquith accepted a peerage in 1925 and died , aged 75 , in 1928 . His roles in creating the modern British welfare state , 1906-1911 have been celebrated , but his weaknesses as a war leader and as a party leader after 1914 have been emphasised by historians .

neg: List of tallest buildings in the British Empire and the British Commonwealth The title of tallest building in the British Empire ( later in the Commonwealth ) has been contested since the late nineteenth century . In this era the nations of the British Empire possessed a large measure of cultural unity and naturally looked to each other for comparison and competition . This was evident in the displays at Queen Victoria 's silver and diamond jubilees and in the creation of the British Empire Games in 1930 ( later the Commonwealth Games ) . A similar phenomenon occurred in the world of architecture and civics . Local boosters in cities and regions across the Empire covered the title of `` greatest '' , `` biggest '' , `` largest '' or `` best '' in the Empire .   This boosterism was concentrated in Canada where desire to claim the title spurned a race between cities and builders between 1905 and 1931 .   In general the boosters focused on commercial buildings , as claiming the title was part of marketing the building to potential renters ( and the city to the wider world ) . They conveniently ignored much taller non-commercial buildings such as St Paul 's Cathedral which stands 111 m and was consecrated in 1708 , or Victoria Tower in the Palace of Westminster which was built in 1855 and measures 98.5 m . The Commonwealth of Nations slowly evolved out of the British Empire over decades , but the 1931 Statute of Westminster is often used as a dividing point . During the twentieth century the title was held primarily by Canadian buildings . Since the 1990s , however Asian buildings have held the title .   Height restrictions have much to do with this list . Until the 1960s , London , the capital of the Empire , had especially strict height maxima to preserve the views of historic structures . Until the late 1920 Montreal limited all buildings to a maximum of 10 stories , and it still limits buildings to less than the sea-level elevation of Mont Royal . Since 1989 Vancouver restricted buildings from blocking the North Shore Mountains , creating a practical upper limit of around 137 meters , until 1997 when seven sites were pre-selected for taller buildings as exceptions to the rule . Singapore limits all buildings to below 280 meters because of the proximity of Singapore Changi Airport .   The International Commerce Centre in Hong Kong is not included because it was built after Hong Kong left the Commonwealth .   The list also excludes Toronto 's CN Tower as there is debate as to whether it is technically a building , or just a structure .

neg: British Overseas Territories The 14 British Overseas Territories ( BOT ) are territories under the jurisdiction and sovereignty of the United Kingdom . They are the parts of the British Empire that have not been granted independence or have voted to remain British territories . These territories do not form part of the United Kingdom and , with the exception of Gibraltar , are not part of the European Union . Most of the inhabited territories are internally self-governing , with the UK retaining responsibility for defence and foreign relations . The rest are either uninhabited or have a transitory population of military or scientific personnel . They share the British monarch ( Elizabeth II ) as head of state .   The term `` British Overseas Territory '' was introduced by the British Overseas Territories Act 2002 , replacing the term British Dependent Territory , introduced by the British Nationality Act 1981 . Prior to 1 January 1983 , the territories were officially referred to as British Crown Colonies . With the exceptions of the British Antarctic Territory and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands ( which host only officials and research station staff ) and the British Indian Ocean Territory ( used as a military base ) , the Territories retain permanent civilian populations . Permanent residency for the 7,000 or so civilians living in the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia is limited to citizens of the Republic of Cyprus .   Collectively , the Territories encompass a population of about 250,000 people and a land area of about 667018 sqmi . The vast majority of this land area , 660000 sqmi , constitutes the almost uninhabited British Antarctic Territory , while the largest territory by population , Bermuda , accounts for almost a quarter of the total BOT population . At the other end of the scale , three territories have no civilian population ; the Antarctic territory , the British Indian Ocean Territory ( from which the Chagos Islanders were controversially removed ) and South Georgia . Pitcairn Islands , settled by the survivors of the Mutiny on the Bounty , is the smallest settled territory with 49 inhabitants , while the smallest by land area is Gibraltar on the southern tip of the Iberian peninsula . The United Kingdom participates in the Antarctic Treaty System and , as part of a mutual agreement , the British Antarctic Territory is recognised by four of the other sovereign nations making claims to Antarctic territory .   Although the Crown dependencies of Jersey , Guernsey and the Isle of Man are also under the sovereignty of the British monarch , they are in a different constitutional relationship with the United Kingdom . The British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies are themselves distinct from the Commonwealth realms , a group of 15 independent countries ( and the United Kingdom ) which each also have Elizabeth II as their reigning monarch , and from the Commonwealth of Nations , a voluntary association of 52 countries mostly with historic links to the British Empire ( which also includes all Commonwealth realms ) .   the Minister responsible for the Territories excluding the Falkland Islands , Gibraltar and the Sovereign Base Areas is Baroness Anelay , Minister of State for the Commonwealth and the UN . The other three territories are the responsibility of Sir Alan Duncan MP , Minister of State for Europe and the Americas .

neg: Monarchy A monarchy is a form of government in which a group , usually a family called the dynasty , embodies the country 's national identity and one of its members , called the monarch , exercises a role of sovereignty . The actual power of the monarch may vary from purely symbolic ( crowned republic ) , to partial and restricted ( constitutional monarchy ) , to completely autocratic ( absolute monarchy ) . Traditionally and in most cases , the monarch 's post is inherited and lasts until death or abdication , but there are also elective monarchies where the monarch is elected . Each of these has variations : in some elected monarchies only those of certain pedigrees are , whereas many hereditary monarchies impose requirements regarding the religion , age , gender , mental capacity , etc. . Occasionally this might create a situation of rival claimants whose legitimacy is subject to effective election . Finally , there have been cases where the term of a monarch 's reign is either fixed in years or continues until certain goals are achieved : an invasion being repulsed , for instance . Thus there are widely divergent structures and traditions defining monarchy .   Monarchy was the most common form of government until the 19th century , but it is no longer prevalent . Where it exists , it is now usually a constitutional monarchy , in which the monarch retains a unique legal and ceremonial role , but exercises limited or no official political power : under the written or unwritten constitution , others have governing authority . Currently , 47 sovereign nations in the world have monarchs acting as heads of state , 19 of which are Commonwealth realms that recognise Queen Elizabeth II as their head of state . All European monarchies are constitutional ones , with the exception of the Vatican City which is an elective monarchy , but sovereigns in the smaller states exercise greater political influence than in the larger . The monarchs of Cambodia , Japan , and Malaysia `` reign , but do not rule '' although there is considerable variation in the degree of authority they wield . Although they reign under constitutions , the monarchs of Brunei , Morocco , Oman , Qatar , Saudi Arabia and Swaziland appear to continue to exercise more political influence than any other single source of authority in their nations , either by constitutional mandate or by tradition .

neg: Culture of the United Kingdom The culture of the United Kingdom is influenced by the UK 's history as a developed island country , a liberal democracy and a major power ; its predominantly Christian religious life ; and its composition of four countries -- England , Wales , Scotland and Northern Ireland -- each of which has distinct customs , cultures and symbolism . The wider culture of Europe has also influenced British culture , and Humanism , Protestantism and representative democracy developed from broader Western culture .   British literature , music , cinema , art , theatre , comedy , media , television , philosophy , architecture and education are important aspects of British culture . The United Kingdom is also prominent in science and technology , producing world-leading scientists ( e.g. Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin ) and inventions . Sport is an important part of British culture ; numerous sports originated in the country , including football . The UK has been described as a `` cultural superpower '' , and London has been described as a world cultural capital .   The Industrial Revolution , which started in the UK , had a profound effect on the socio-economic and cultural conditions of the world . As a result of the British Empire , significant British influence can be observed in the language , law , culture and institutions of a geographically wide assortment of countries , including Australia , Canada , India , the Republic of Ireland , New Zealand , Nigeria , Pakistan , South Africa , the United States and English speaking Caribbean nations . These states are sometimes collectively known as the Anglosphere , and are among Britain 's closest allies . In turn the empire also influenced British culture , particularly British cuisine .   The cultures of England , Scotland , Wales and Northern Ireland are diverse and have varying degrees of overlap and distinctiveness .

neg: List of Prime Ministers of King George VI King George VI was the monarch of the United Kingdom , the British Commonwealth and the British Empire from 11 December 1936 until his death on 6 February 1952 .   During his reign George was served by a total of 31 Prime Ministers ; 4 from the United Kingdom , 7 from Australia , 2 from Canada , 1 from Ceylon , 1 from India , 1 from Ireland , 3 from Malta , 3 from New Zealand , 3 from Northern Ireland , 2 from Pakistan , 3 from South Africa and 1 from Southern Rhodesia .

neg: Robert Walpole Robert Walpole , 1st Earl of Orford , ( 26 August 1676 -- 18 March 1745 ) , known before 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole , was a British statesman who is generally regarded as the de facto first Prime Minister of Great Britain . Although the exact dates of his dominance are a matter of scholarly debate , 1721 -- 42 are often used . He dominated the Walpole -- Townshend ministry and the Walpole ministry and holds the record as the longest-serving Prime Minister in British history . Speck says that Walpole 's uninterrupted run of 20 years as Prime Ministeris rightly regarded as one of the major feats of British political history ... Explanations are usually offered in terms of his expert handling of the political system after 1720 , -LSB- and -RSB- his unique blending of the surviving powers of the crown with the increasing influence of the Commons.He was a Whig from the gentry class , who was first elected to Parliament in 1701 , and held many senior positions . He was a country squire and looked to country gentlemen for his political base . Historian Frank O'Gorman says his leadership in Parliament reflected his `` reasonable and persuasive oratory , his ability to move both the emotions as well as the minds of men , and , above all , his extraordinary self-confidence . '' Hoppit says Walpole 's policies sought moderation : he worked for peace , lower taxes , growing exports , and allowed a little more tolerance for Protestant Dissenters . He avoided controversy and high-intensity disputes , as his middle way attracted moderates from both the Whig and Tory camps .   Dickinson sums up his historical role : Walpole was one of the greatest politicians in British history . He played a significant role in sustaining the Whig party , safeguarding the Hanoverian succession , and defending the principles of the Glorious Revolution ( 1688 ) ... He established a stable political supremacy for the Whig party and taught succeeding ministers how best to establish an effective working relationship between Crown and Parliament .

neg: United Kingdom company law The United Kingdom company law regulates corporations formed under the Companies Act 2006 . Also governed by the Insolvency Act 1986 , the UK Corporate Governance Code , European Union Directives and court cases , the company is the primary legal vehicle to organise and run business . Tracing their modern history to the late Industrial Revolution , public companies now employ more people and generate more of wealth in the United Kingdom economy than any other form of organisation . The United Kingdom was the first country to draft modern corporation statutes , where through a simple registration procedure any investors could incorporate , limit liability to their commercial creditors in the event of business insolvency , and where management was delegated to a centralised board of directors . An influential model within Europe , the Commonwealth and as an international standard setter , UK law has always given people broad freedom to design the internal company rules , so long as the mandatory minimum rights of investors under its legislation are complied with .   Company law , or corporate law , can be broken down into two main fields . Corporate governance in the UK mediates the rights and duties among shareholders , employees , creditors and directors . Since the board of directors habitually possesses the power to manage the business under a company constitution , a central theme is what mechanisms exist to ensure directors ' accountability . UK law is `` shareholder friendly '' in that shareholders , to the exclusion of employees , typically exercise sole voting rights in the general meeting . The general meeting holds a series of minimum rights to change the company constitution , issue resolutions and remove members of the board . In turn , directors owe a set of duties to their companies . Directors must carry out their responsibilities with competence , in good faith and undivided loyalty to the enterprise . If the mechanisms of voting do not prove enough , particularly for minority shareholders , directors ' duties and other member rights may be vindicated in court . Of central importance in public and listed companies is the securities market , typified by the London Stock Exchange . Through the Takeover Code the UK strongly protects the right of shareholders to be treated equally and freely trade their shares .   Corporate finance concerns the two money raising options for limited companies . Equity finance involves the traditional method of issuing shares to build up a company 's capital . Shares can contain any rights the company and purchaser wish to contract for , but generally grant the right to participate in dividends after a company earns profits and the right to vote in company affairs . A purchaser of shares is helped to make an informed decision directly by prospectus requirements of full disclosure , and indirectly through restrictions on financial assistance by companies for purchase of their own shares . Debt finance means getting loans , usually for the price of a fixed annual interest repayment . Sophisticated lenders , such as banks typically contract for a security interest over the assets of a company , so that in the event of default on loan repayments they may seize the company 's property directly to satisfy debts . Creditors are also , to some extent , protected by courts ' power to set aside unfair transactions before a company goes under , or recoup money from negligent directors engaged in wrongful trading . If a company is unable to pay its debts as they fall due , UK insolvency law requires an administrator to attempt a rescue of the company ( if the company itself has the assets to pay for this ) . If rescue proves impossible , a company 's life ends when its assets are liquidated , distributed to creditors and the company is struck off the register . If a company becomes insolvent with no assets it can be wound up by a creditor , for a fee ( not that common ) , or more commonly by the tax creditor ( HMRC ) .

neg: Anglo-Portuguese Alliance The Anglo-Portuguese Alliance ( or Aliança Luso-Britânica ) , ratified at the Treaty of Windsor in 1386 , between England ( succeeded by the United Kingdom ) and Portugal is the oldest alliance in the world that is still in force -- with the earliest treaty dating back to the Anglo-Portuguese Treaty of 1373 .   This alliance , which goes back to the Middle Ages , has served both countries . It was very important throughout history , influencing the participation of the United Kingdom in the Iberian Peninsular War , the UK 's major land contribution to the Napoleonic Wars and the establishment of an Anglo-American base in Portugal . Portugal aided England ( and later the UK ) in times of need , for example , in the First World War .

neg: Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence The Unilateral Declaration of Independence ( UDI ) was a statement adopted by the Cabinet of Rhodesia on 11 November 1965 , announcing that Rhodesia , a British territory in southern Africa that had governed itself since 1923 , now regarded itself as an independent sovereign state . The culmination of a protracted dispute between the British and Rhodesian governments regarding the terms under which the latter could become fully independent , it was the first unilateral break from the United Kingdom by one of its colonies since the United States Declaration of Independence nearly two centuries before . Britain , the Commonwealth and the United Nations all deemed Rhodesia 's UDI illegal , and economic sanctions , the first in the UN 's history , were imposed on the breakaway colony . Amid near-complete international isolation , Rhodesia continued as an unrecognised state with the assistance of South Africa and Portugal .   The Rhodesian government , which mostly comprised members of the country 's white minority of about 5 % , was indignant when , amid decolonisation and the Wind of Change , less developed African colonies to the north without comparable experience of self-rule quickly advanced to independence during the early 1960s while Rhodesia was refused sovereignty under the newly ascendant principle of `` no independence before majority rule '' ( `` NIBMAR '' ) . Most white Rhodesians felt that they were due independence following four decades ' self-government , and that Britain was betraying them by withholding it . This combined with the colonial government 's acute reluctance to hand over power to black nationalists -- the manifestation of racial tensions , Cold War anti-communism and the fear that a dystopian Congo-style situation might result -- to create the impression that if Britain did not grant independence , Rhodesia might be justified in taking it unilaterally .   Stalemate developed between the British and Rhodesian Prime Ministers , Harold Wilson and Ian Smith respectively , between 1964 and 1965 . Dispute largely surrounded the British condition that the terms for independence had to be acceptable `` to the people of the country as a whole '' ; Smith contended that this was met , while Britain and black nationalist leaders in Rhodesia held that it was not . After Wilson proposed in late October 1965 that Britain might safeguard future black representation in the Rhodesian parliament by withdrawing some of the colonial government 's devolved powers , then presented terms for an investigatory Royal Commission that the Rhodesians found unacceptable , Smith and his Cabinet declared independence . Calling this treasonous , the British colonial Governor Sir Humphrey Gibbs formally dismissed Smith and his government , but they ignored him and appointed an `` Officer Administering the Government '' to take his place .   While no country recognised UDI , the Rhodesian High Court deemed the post-UDI government legal and de jure in 1968 . The Smith administration initially professed continued loyalty to Queen Elizabeth II , but abandoned this in 1970 when it declared a republic in an unsuccessful attempt to win foreign recognition . The Rhodesian Bush War , a guerrilla conflict between the government and two rival communist-backed black nationalist groups , began in earnest two years later , and after several attempts to end the war Smith agreed the Internal Settlement with non-militant nationalists in 1978 . Under these terms the country was reconstituted under black rule as Zimbabwe Rhodesia in June 1979 , but this new order was rejected by the guerrillas and the international community . The Bush War continued until Zimbabwe Rhodesia revoked UDI as part of the Lancaster House Agreement in December 1979 . Following a brief period of direct British rule , the country was granted internationally recognised independence under the name Zimbabwe in 1980 .

neg: Airpower Airpower or air power comprises the application of military strategy and strategic theory to the realm of aerial warfare . Airpower began with the advent of powered flight early in the 20th century . Airpower represents a `` complex operating environment that has been subjected to considerable debate '' . British doctrine defines airpower as `` the ability to project power from the air and space to influence the behaviour of people or the course of events . ''   Airpower is a function of air supremacy and numbers . Roughly speaking , a combatant side that has 100 % or near 100 % control of the skies has air supremacy ; an advantage of some 70 -- 90 % would indicate air superiority . A 50/50 split is air parity ; lower than this , one side may be said to be air denied or air incapable . Because aeroplanes generally take off from designed airfields on missions typically involving some hours of cruising , the precise state of air superiority is fluid and less defined vis-a-vis land or sea warfare . For example , a contested airspace directly above a battlespace bristling with anti-aircraft weapons may be denied to the air forces of both sides . Further , the completely different situations of a technologically advanced airforce with one flight of high-tech planes ( air supremacy but low capacity ) or a low-tech force of massive numbers of low-tech planes ( e.g. , An-2 ) resulting in high capacity but low long-term survivability demonstrate that ` air power ' is multi-faceted and complex .   Significant contributors to theorizing about air power have been Giulio Douhet , Billy Mitchell , John Boyd and John A. Warden III .   At the start of World War I , opinions differed on the national air forces and the value of airships .  Some early strategists/visionaries after World War I imagined that airpower alone would suffice to bring nations to their knees . The Bombing of Guernica was an early trial that revealed both capabilities and limitations . But yet another maxim , `` no war was ever won solely by airpower '' was challenged by the NATO victory in Kosovo . Airpower has been used to conduct lightning strategic strikes , to complement land offensives , to instill fear and lower morale similarly to a fleet in being , and to create broad-based destruction behind enemy lines . With airpower , supplies can be transported by cargo planes , providing a decisive edge in mobility .   Military and civilian aircraft interact in a number of complex ways , including shootdowns of civilian planes , whether mistaken or not ; military escorts of civilian planes ; civilian planes being used for military transport , espionage , or other purposes ; and/or no-fly zones being enforced to punish or sanction a target nation . Airpower also relates to space power , although militarization of space remains regulated by international treaty .   Developed nations have enjoyed a consistent advantage in airpower since the beginning of mechanized flight . Airpower has been wielded mostly decisively in the last hundred years by Nazi Germany , the United Kingdom , the United States , the Soviet Union , Japan , Italy , and France , with many client nations using aircraft developed by one or more of these nations . A mass technological base is considered necessary for the development of airpower .

neg: British intelligence agencies The Government of the United Kingdom maintains intelligence agencies within several different government departments . The agencies are responsible for collecting and producing foreign and domestic intelligence , providing military intelligence , performing espionage and counter-espionage . Their intelligence assessments contribute to the conduct of the foreign relations of the United Kingdom , maintaining the national security of the United Kingdom , military planning and law enforcement in the United Kingdom . The three main agencies are the Secret Intelligence Service ( MI6 ) , the Security Service ( MI5 ) , and the Government Communications Headquarters .   The history of the organisations goes back to the 19th century . The decryption of the Zimmermann Telegram in 1917 was described as the most significant intelligence triumph for Britain during World War I , and one of the earliest occasions on which a piece of signals intelligence influenced world events . During the Second World War and afterwards , many observers regarded Ultra as immensely valuable to the Allies of World War II . In the post-war period , intelligence cooperation between the United Kingdom and the United States became the cornerstone of Western intelligence gathering and the `` Special Relationship '' between the UK and the USA .

neg: 1952 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Economic Conference The 1952 Commonwealth Prime Ministers ' Economic Conference was an emergency Meeting of the Heads of Government of the Commonwealth of Nations . It was called by the British government of Sir Winston Churchill and held in the United Kingdom in December 1952 as a follow-up to a Commonwealth Finance Minister 's conference held in January 1952 . The conference was held in the context of British economic and military decline and the United States ' surging role in the world .   The principal topic of the conference was the convertibility and liquidity of Pound sterling into American dollars and British concerns that non-sterling Commonwealth countries were building up sterling balances for the purpose of conversion into American dollars , the future of the Pound sterling area , and the alleviation of Commonwealth trade restrictions and imperial preference , particularly in the light of the surging American economy and the desire of Commonwealth countries such as Australia for American investment in order for economic development to occur against British concerns that American economic dominance threatened Britain 's economic position . This discussion was necessary as the Commonwealth , with the exception of Canada , had a common pool of gold and dollar reserves . Little was accomplished in the economic discussion with the final communique being described as an `` agreement in platitudes '' .   British concerns at being excluded from the ANZUS military treaty between Australia , New Zealand and the United States were also a topic and were addressed by a communique issued by the prime ministers supporting Britain 's demand for a voice in ANZUS .   In addition , Commonwealth prime ministers , after months of discussion on whether the newly ascended Queen Elizabeth II should have a uniform Royal Styles and Titles throughout the Commonwealth or whether realms should adopt their own styles and titles , it was agreed that each member of the Commonwealth `` should use for its own purposes a form of the Royal Style and Titles which suits its own particular circumstances but retains a substantial element which is common to all '' and agreed to pass appropriate legislation in their respective parliaments . The prime ministers also agreed to proclaim the new Queen , Elizabeth II , Head of the Commonwealth in succession of her late father , George VI .


query: Role-playing games' original form was table top RPG.

pos: Role-playing game A role-playing game ( sometimes spelled roleplaying game and abbreviated to RPG ) is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting . Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative , either through literal acting or through a process of structured decision-making or character development . Actions taken within many games succeed or fail according to a formal system of rules and guidelines .   There are several forms of RPG . The original form , sometimes called the tabletop RPG , is conducted through discussion , whereas in live action role-playing games ( LARP ) players physically perform their characters actions . In both of these forms , an arranger called a game master ( GM ) usually decides on the rules and setting to be used , acting as referee , while each of the other players plays the role of a single character .   Several varieties of RPG also exist in electronic media , such as multi-player text-based MUDs and their graphics-based successors , massively multiplayer online role-playing games ( MMORPGs ) . Role-playing games also include single-player role-playing video games in which players control a character or team who undertake quests , and may include capabilities that advance using statistical mechanics . These games often share settings and rules with tabletop RPGs , but emphasize character advancement more than collaborative storytelling .   Despite this variety of forms , some game forms such as trading card games and wargames that are related to role-playing games may not be included . Role-playing activity may sometimes be present in such games , but it is not the primary focus . The term is also sometimes used to describe roleplay simulation games and exercises used in teaching , training , and academic research .

neg: Tenra War is a Japanese mixed-genre tabletop role-playing game designed by Jun ` ichi Inoue and FarEast Amusement Research . It was released in April 2007 . It is a triple crossover product , based on an oriental science fantasy RPG Tenra Bansho , steampunk western RPG Terra the Gunslinger , and post-apocalypse mecha RPG Angel Gear '' . All three of the original games were designed by Jun ` ichi Inoue .

neg: List of role-playing video games: 1994 to 1995

neg: Hol (role-playing game) HoL ( sometimes written as `` HōL '' ) is a role-playing game created by Dirt Merchant Games and produced by Black Dog Game Factory , a subsidiary of White Wolf which produced adult oriented RPGs . The HoL Core Rulebook was published in 1994 , and was followed up by one other supplement Buttery Wholesomeness in 1995 . Although HoL is playable , it was meant as a satire of RPGs . The pages of the books are written by hand , and the authors freely take stabs at other popular role-playing games , particularly Vampire : The Masquerade and Dungeons & Dragons , and those who play them .

neg: Online casino Online casinos , also known as virtual casinos or Internet casinos , are online versions of traditional ( `` brick and mortar '' ) casinos . Online casinos enable gamblers to play and wager on casino games through the Internet . It is a prolific form of online gambling .   Online casinos generally offer odds and payback percentages that are a bit higher than land-based casinos . Some online casinos claim higher payback percentages for slot machine games , and some publish payout percentage audits on their websites . Assuming that the online casino is using an appropriately programmed random number generator , table games like blackjack have an established house edge . The payout percentage for these games are established by the rules of the game .   Many online casinos rent or buy their software from companies like CryptoLogic Inc ( now Amaya ) , International Game Technology , Microgaming , Playtech , and Realtime Gaming .

neg: Mystery Mansion (video game) Mystery Mansion is the name of a text-based adventure game written in 1978-1981 by Bill Wolpert while at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Keyport , Washington . It originally ran only on the HP HP-1000 minicomputer on the RTE ( Real Time Executive ) operating system , but was later ported by persons unknown to run under MPE ( Multiprocessing Executive ) on the HP-3000 . Although the development dates make it contemporaneous with other seminal interactive fiction games such as Adventure and Dungeon ( which went on to become the Zork series from Infocom ) , it remains relatively unknown due to the specialized computers and operating systems on which it ran .   Two C-language ports exist , one by James Garnett while a graduate student at the University of Colorado , and another by Bob Sorem of the University of Minnesota ( see illustration ) . The former is a line-by-line exact port in K&R - style C that runs on most Unix-flavor operating systems , while the latter is an adaptation with features not in Wolpert 's original in Borland C that runs only under DOS/Windows .   The object of the single-player game is to find one 's way through a run-down , foreboding mansion in order to find various treasures , solve a murder , sleep with the maid ( if very lucky ) , and avoid getting `` killed '' in the process all before the mansion is destroyed by fire at midnight to end the game . In addition to the 3 rooms x 3 rooms x 3 stories cube-shaped mansion , there are gardens , tunnels , nefarious characters , and other obstacles to make one 's way through or around . Being text-based , there are no illustrations at all , so the player has to imagine everything that is being described .

neg: Party (role-playing games) thumb | right | A party of adventurers in Tales of Trolls & Treasures .  A party is a group of characters adventuring together in a role-playing game . In tabletop role-playing , a party is composed of a group of players , occasionally with the addition of non-player character allies ( sometimes called henchmen ) controlled by those players or by the gamemaster . In computer games , the relationship between the party and the players varies considerably . Online role-playing games or MMORPG parties are often , in the above sense , of the same constituency as tabletop parties , except that the allies are always controlled to a lesser or greater extent by the computer AI . In single-player computer games , the player generally controls all party members to a varying degree .   Examples of games which have parties include the tabletop RPG Vampire : the Requiem , the single-player role-playing Baldur 's Gate series , MMORPGs such as World of Warcraft , Anarchy Online and Warhammer Online , and the multi-player computer action-RPG Final Fantasy XI .

neg: System Reference Document The System Reference Document ( SRD ) is a set of reference role playing game mechanics licensed under the Open Game License by Wizards of the Coast ( or WotC ) and based upon their Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game . The SRD forms the basis of WotC 's various d20 System role-playing games , including the d20 System itself , d20 Modern and d20 Future . The SRD is also the basis for role-playing games published by companies other than WotC ; these include Mutants & Masterminds , Arcana Evolved , Labyrinth Lord , and OSRIC , among others . Some other game systems ( such as FATE ) have also released their own mechanics under OGL-licensed `` System Reference Documents '' of their own ; however , this article discusses specifically the d20 SRD .

neg: List of role-playing video games: 1990 to 1991

neg: Educational game Educational games are games explicitly designed with educational purposes , or which have incidental or secondary educational value . All types of games may be used in an educational environment . Educational games are games that are designed to help people to learn about certain subjects , expand concepts , reinforce development , understand a historical event or culture , or assist them in learning a skill as they play . Game types include board , card , and video games .  An educational game is a game designed to teach humans about a specific subject and to teach them a skill . As educators , governments , and parents realize the psychological need and benefits of gaming have on learning , this educational tool has become mainstream . Games are interactive play that teach us goals , rules , adaptation , problem solving , interaction , all represented as a story . They satisfy our fundamental need to learn by providing enjoyment , passionate involvement , structure , motivation , ego gratification , adrenaline , creativity , social interaction and emotion in the game itself while the learning takes place .

neg: Polish role-playing games Polish role-playing games have been in production since the early 1990s . Now there are several games that have been designed in Poland , as well as many translations on the market .

neg: Merchant Prince Merchant Prince is a turn-based 4X strategy video game franchise set the Republic of Venice during the Renaissance . The first was published in 1993 ; in 1995 ; and in 2001 . All three were developed by Holistic Design ( HDI ) but had separate publishers . The first two use MS-DOS ; the third Windows . All three support up to four players and differ chiefly in their graphics and user interface .   In general , the games are trade simulators where items are bought low , transported , and sold high . They achieved notability , however , for their representation of Venetian and papal politics , with players able to bribe senators and cardinals for political , military , and religious power . Overt attacks against other players can destroy one 's popularity and influence , but the game offers a thieves ' den where covert options include arson , rumor-mongering , and assassination . The games are won after a predetermined number of turns ( years ) by the player with the highest net worth , including the value of bribed senators and cardinals .   The game 's world map has been praised as `` capturing what exploring is really like '' , as the player expands beyond the known and certain world into distant seas and lands which have been filled in only by rumor , legend , and wild speculation .

neg: Cyberpunk derivatives A number of cyberpunk derivatives have become recognized as distinct subgenres in speculative fiction . These derivatives , though they do not share cyberpunk 's computers-focused setting , may display other qualities drawn from or analogous to cyberpunk : a world built on one particular technology that is extrapolated to a highly sophisticated level ( this may even be a fantastical or anachronistic technology , akin to retro-futurism ) , a gritty transreal urban style , or a particular approach to social themes .   The most successful of these subgenres , Steampunk , has been defined as a `` kind of technological fantasy '' , and others in this category sometimes also incorporate aspects of science fantasy and historical fantasy . Scholars have written of these subgenres ' stylistic place in postmodern literature , and also their ambiguous interaction with the historical perspective of postcolonialism .   American author Bruce Bethke coined the term `` cyberpunk '' in his 1980 short story of the same name , proposing it as a label for a new generation of punk teenagers inspired by the perceptions inherent to the Information Age . The term was quickly appropriated as a label to be applied to the works of William Gibson , Bruce Sterling , John Shirley , Rudy Rucker , Michael Swanwick , Pat Cadigan , Lewis Shiner , Richard Kadrey , and others . Science fiction author Lawrence Person , in defining postcyberpunk , summarized the characteristics of cyberpunk thus :  Classic cyberpunk characters were marginalized , alienated loners who lived on the edge of society in generally dystopic futures where daily life was impacted by rapid technological change , an ubiquitous datasphere of computerized information , and invasive modification of the human body .   The relevance of cyberpunk as a genre to punk subculture is debatable and further hampered by the lack of a defined cyberpunk subculture ; where the small cyber movement shares themes with cyberpunk fiction and draws inspiration from punk and goth alike , cyberculture is much more popular though much less defined , encompassing virtual communities and cyberspace in general and typically embracing optimistic anticipations about the future . Cyberpunk is nonetheless regarded as a successful genre , as it ensnared many new readers and provided the sort of movement that postmodern literary critics found alluring . Furthermore , author David Brin argues , cyberpunk made science fiction more attractive and profitable for mainstream media and the visual arts in general .

neg: Risk (game) Risk is a strategy board game of diplomacy , conflict and conquest for two to six players . The standard version is played on a board depicting a political map of the earth , divided into forty-two territories , which are grouped into six continents . Turn rotates among players who control armies of playing pieces with which they attempt to capture territories from other players , with results determined by dice rolls . Players may form and dissolve alliances during the course of the game . The goal of the game is to occupy every territory on the board and in doing so , eliminate the other players . The game can be lengthy , requiring several hours to multiple days to finish . European versions are structured so that each player has a limited `` secret mission '' objective that shortens the game .   Risk was invented by a French filmmaker in 1957 , and went on to become one of the most popular board games in history , inspiring other popular games like Axis & Allies and Settlers of Catan . The simple rules but complex interactions make it appealing to adults as well as children and families . It is still in production by Hasbro with numerous editions and variants with popular media themes and different rules including PC software versions , video games and mobile apps .

neg: List of miniature wargames Miniature wargames are a form of wargaming designed to incorporate miniatures or figurines into play , which was invented at the beginning of the 19th century in Prussia . The miniatures used represent troops or vehicles ( such as tanks , chariots , aircraft , ships , etc. ) . The games may reflect historical situations and armies , or may be futuristic or fantasy-based .   This list compiles published miniature wargames categorized by their subject matter , genre , or time period covered in their rules .  Where known , the publisher is given ( or , in a few cases , the designer ( s ) in the case of self-published or freely distributed games ) , as well as the date of first publication ( many games have been published in several updated editions ) .

neg: Music video game A music video game , also commonly known as a music game , is a video game where the gameplay is meaningfully and often almost entirely oriented around the player 's interactions with a musical score or individual songs . Music video games may take a variety of forms and are often grouped with puzzle games due to their common use of `` rhythmically generated puzzles '' .   Strong support for the convergence of live music and video games is evident with the success of the Video Games Live concert series . Emergent games for live concert performance , `` game-scores '' , augment traditional western music notation with the dramatic elements of animation , interactivity , graphic elements and aleatoric principles ( Anigraphical Music ) . The concept of incorporating game theory and music is not new and can be traced back to Musikalisches Würfelspiel .   Music video games are distinct from purely audio games ( e.g. the 1997 Sega Saturn release Real Sound : Kaze no Regret ) in that they feature a visual feedback , to lead the player through the game 's soundtrack , although eidetic music games can fall under both categories .

neg: Turn-based tactics Turn-based tactics ( TBT ) , or tactical turn-based ( TTB ) , is a computer and video game genre of strategy video games that through stop-action simulates the considerations and circumstances of operational warfare and military tactics in generally small-scale confrontations as opposed to more strategic considerations of turn-based strategy ( TBS ) games .   Turn-based tactical gameplay is characterized by the expectation of players to complete their tasks using only the combat forces provided to them , and usually by the provision of a realistic ( or at least believable ) representation of military tactics and operations .

neg: Rummy Rummy is a group of matching card games notable for similar gameplay based on matching cards of the same rank or sequence and same suit . The basic goal in any form of rummy is to build melds which consists of sets , three or four of a kind of the same rank ; or runs , three or more cards in sequence , of the same suit . You can also have mixed runs in all types of rummy so long as all 7 cards are in order . The original form of rummy is called Sai rummy , Straight Rummy , Standard Rummy , Traditional Rummy , or Basic rummy . The Mexican game of Conquian is considered by games scholar David Parlett to be ancestral to all rummy games , which itself is derived from a Chinese game called Khanhoo and , going even further back , Mahjong . The Rummy principle of drawing and discarding with a view to melding appears in Chinese card games at least in the early 19th century and perhaps as early as the 18th century and is , in fact , the essence of Mah-jong . Rummy is also very popular in India . It is most likely that Indian Rummy is an extension of Gin Rummy and Rummy 500 which originated from the USA . It is played with 13 cards , one or two decks , two or more players and with or without jokers .

neg: Pyramid (magazine) Pyramid is a gaming magazine , publishing articles primarily on role-playing games , but including board games , card games , and other sorts of games . It began life in 1993 as a print publication of Steve Jackson Games for its first 30 issues , though it has been published on the Internet since March 1998 . Print issues were bimonthly ; the first online version published new articles each week ; the second online version is monthly . Pyramid is headquartered in Austin , Texas . It replaced Steve Jackson Games ' previous magazine Roleplayer .   Pyramid features general gaming articles by freelance authors , as well as Designer 's Notes by Steve Jackson Games product developers , industry news , cartoons , and gaming product reviews . Although articles tend to concentrate on Steve Jackson Games products such as GURPS , it has published articles on other games such as d20 System , Talisman , Nobilis , Hero System , and has featured various comic strips and single-panel cartoons ( currently Murphy 's Rules ) . Steve Jackson Games also briefly published another online magazine , d20 Weekly for several months using a very similar model to that of Pyramid . However , the venture was not a success , and was eventually folded into a slightly expanded Pyramid .   The online subscription system used for Pyramid also granted access to subscriber forums , a dedicated chat server , and occasional pre-publication playtest material for Steve Jackson Games and other companies ' products . In 2008 this was changed : Pyramid is available as a PDF download from e23 , and the subscriber forums have been discontinued . Access to playtest material is contingent on participation in an actual playtest .

neg: Adventure! (role-playing game) Adventure ! is a role-playing game designed and published by Tori Bergquist in 1985 .

neg: The Rivals for Catan The Rivals for Catan ( Die Fürsten von Catan ) is an updated revision of the Catan Card Game , a card game adaptation of The Settlers of Catan . The game was released in 2010 . It is a member of the Catan series of games , and is published by Kosmos in German and Mayfair Games in English . Like its predecessor , The Rivals for Catan is a two-player game . As with the Catan Adventures series of games , the theme is based on the Rebecca Gablé novel The Settlers of Catan , a novel based on the original board game .   The development of The Rivals for Catan and its evolution from the Catan Card Game was documented on the official Catanism blog in eight parts , titled `` The Reform of the Catan Card Game '' . There are a few minor changes to the rules between the two editions . The two editions are not compatible with each other , but they share many cards in common . The changes were motivated by the escalating complexity of the rules in the Catan Card Game ( which had , in 2003 , undergone a major rules revision ) in order to make the game more accessible .   Cards in The Rivals for Catan are organized into `` Theme Sets '' , which broadly follow the progression of time on Catan . Included with the base game are three theme sets , `` The Era of Gold '' , `` The Era of Turmoil '' , and `` The Era of Progress '' , with each expansion of The Rivals of Catan containing additional theme sets . The Rivals of Catan supports three ( four with expansions ) different rulesets , called the Introductory ( no theme sets ) , Theme Deck ( all cards from one theme set ) , Duel of the Princes ( parts of all theme sets ) , and Tournament ( custom deck ) games .   In 2011 an expansion called `` Age of Darkness '' ( `` Dunkle Zeiten '' ) with the theme sets `` The Era of Intrigue '' , `` The Era of Merchants Princes '' , and `` The Era of Barbarians '' was released . This expansion contains new card types : Region Expansions , Extraordinary Sites , Road Complements , a new center card and Marker cards . Furthermore , there are now cards which can be placed in the opponent 's principality .   For 2012 a second expansion , `` Age of Enlightenment '' ( `` Goldene Zeiten '' ) was released . This 125-card expansion includes three theme sets : `` The Era of Explorers '' , `` The Era of Sages '' , and `` The Era of Prosperity '' .