I decided to reread the AAR before it got into the next game, a task at which I almost succeeded, and there were several moments where significant events could have gone quite differently. I've put some thought into alternate history scenarios:

- What if Poland lost the Great Oriental War or the War on the Don and was forced to become a Chinese tributary state? This would have significantly weakened Poland, and depending on how long it took to break free the Poles might not have been able to conquer Germany, which would have had very significant consequences down the line. I suspect that after breaking free, the Poles would be more aggressive in an attempt to repair their national pride, especially if they'd suffered any significant defeats while a tributary.

- What if the Moscow Pact wasn't established, and Poland stayed a single, massive country? On the one hand, the High King would have had a lot more wealth and troops at his direct disposal; on the other hand, maintaining the unity of such a vast realm would have been much harder. Additionally, the never-ending Slavic urge to expand eastward could very well have diverted the crown's attention away from the New World, resulting in a smaller Polish presence in Amatica.

- What if the Sejmic faction had won the Confederation Civil War? I suspect that this would have resulted in Poland becoming, de facto if not de jure, a noble republic of some sort. It's possible that the weakening of the central government would have made Poland vulnerable to hostile powers; it's certainly the case that there would have been a lot of unrest among the peasants, as the royalist faction had put a great deal of effort into convincing them that the Sejmics were trying to basically enslave them.

Thoughts, anyone?