Eternity RPC Board
Unless we have had our own Cold War, I also doubt that any RP nation would develop the absurd kind of arsenals like the US and USSR did. As most of the later nuclear powers, such as France, Israel, Pakistan, India etc, having nuclear weapons serves as a deterrent and they're happy with having only a small stockpile. Even the USSR at some point was confident a nuclear arms race could be averted and cherished illusions that only a few would do the job. Then US politicians in campaign mode invented the ''Missile Gap'' and began to convert it into mass production.
I think its entirely logical that they'd exist in our world, and usually, those few countries willing to waste their resources on developing do so because they fear someone else's invasion and just need something to deter. I doubt ''MAD'' would even be a thing in our world. Especially since ICBM's were created because the US and Soviet Union were so far apart. I can see some of the more paranoid countries among us being safe enough with a small stash of tactical or intermediate range nuclear missiles, capable of oblitterating whatever battlefield and the city that was unlucky enough to be it. I don't think the earth-destroying inter-continental entire populations evaporating arsenals of genocidal destruction would be the norm, if it hadn't been for the Cold War where two deranged superpowers reasoned they needed spare nukes to take out the nukes of their enemy on the other side of the planet and also have enough to genocide them from distance.
On top of that, this discussion and the thoughts of virtually all participants in this RP alone shows me we've become mature enough to handle such delicate fictional toys.
I think its entirely logical that they'd exist in our world, and usually, those few countries willing to waste their resources on developing do so because they fear someone else's invasion and just need something to deter. I doubt ''MAD'' would even be a thing in our world. Especially since ICBM's were created because the US and Soviet Union were so far apart. I can see some of the more paranoid countries among us being safe enough with a small stash of tactical or intermediate range nuclear missiles, capable of oblitterating whatever battlefield and the city that was unlucky enough to be it. I don't think the earth-destroying inter-continental entire populations evaporating arsenals of genocidal destruction would be the norm, if it hadn't been for the Cold War where two deranged superpowers reasoned they needed spare nukes to take out the nukes of their enemy on the other side of the planet and also have enough to genocide them from distance.
On top of that, this discussion and the thoughts of virtually all participants in this RP alone shows me we've become mature enough to handle such delicate fictional toys.