Overview
HOIMMRT is the central online role-playing project in “Network States.” It uses a heavily modified version of World War II strategy game Hearts of Iron IV and turns it into a persistent real-time simulation with many players assigned to each major nation.
Structure
HOIMMRT begins in 2018 with a small group of players. Because game time passes at the same rate as real time, the in-game world has advanced only from 1936 into the early 1940s by the period covered in the story.
Each major nation is run by a group of players rather than by a single player. Participants take political, military, logistics, naval, air, intelligence, and administrative roles. National factions coordinate across Discord, Telegram, Signal, WhatsApp, QQ, LINE, and other communication channels.
The project is created by Sovereigno, an anonymous founder who funds the game infrastructure. A group of worldmasters and modders maintain the game instances, custom interface, rules, and technical infrastructure.
Role in the Story
The narrator first learns about HOIMMRT through Harold Vaunnett, a British Empire faction player. As the article continues, the narrator interviews Allied players, enters Axis spaces, observes Chinese and Japanese faction communities, and follows the social politics surrounding the simulated war.
HOIMMRT becomes most consequential during Trapgate, when Chester Beauchamp, an Axis player known as Dongwaffen, leaks a Soviet battle plan obtained from Vera Velasquez. The leak helps the Axis faction begin its invasion of the Soviet Union and creates real-world fallout among players.
By April 2024 in the story’s article timeline, HOIMMRT has more than 700 active players. Its audience grows after Trapgate, and Sovereigno announces an infrastructure upgrade while soliciting cryptocurrency donations.