1844c

1844c
Creators	rekkotekko (Writer/Coder) Atom Heart Mother (Editor) RouteVenus (Endings Writer)
Genre	Alternate History (Disputed)
Candidates	James K. Polk (D-TN) Henry Clay (W-KY) James Birney (L-MI) Joseph Smith (R-IL)
Canon Result	170 D 104 W

1844c is a mod where the player plays as Joseph Smith, a Prophet in all Mormon faiths. The mod takes place in the summer of 1843, before Joseph has announced a run for the presidency, eventually after a series of events, Smith will run for president as he did in the real world.

Gameplay and features

Opening screen and features

The opening of 1844c contains a unique theme, banner and description of the 1844 presidential election.

TV Tropes has suggested the scenario is a "fake-out" in a similar vein to 1972d, where the player is led to believe the scenario is a "simple rework" of the original 1844 scenario, but in reality, is different from the original 1844 scenario in many aspects of gameplay.

Gameplay

The scenario has been known for its extensive use of "choose your own adventure" (CYOA) mechanics, unlike most Campaign Trail scenarios, where a player aims to win a presidential election or win a certain percentage of the popular or electoral vote, 1844c has the player attempt to survive Joseph Smith until November 1844.

Endings (SPOILERS)

The scenario has three endings.

Death

The death ending is the most common and achievable in multiple different ways, including being shot to death by a mob in prison, and the actual fate of Joseph Smith.

Escape Westward

The player is able to escape the consequences of their actions by choosing to escape westward to several different locations, including California and Oregon. The option is based on real plans made by Joseph Smith, that were later realized under the Presidency of Brigham Young, an argued successor to Joseph Smith in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Pardon

The final ending is that the player may receive a pardon from Governor Thomas Ford, who in reality, was quite eager to end tensions between pro and anti-Mormon forces in the state. The player must make a sacrifice of their ideals to achieve this end, however.

Reception and controversies

The mod has been praised for its pioneering in the use of some CYOA mechanics, AngryGandhi described it as having some of the most complex CYOA of its time. The mod has otherwise been well received with some calling it "criminally underrated."

Alternate History?

Some have criticized, including RouteVenus and rekkotekko, two developers of the mod, that the mod is placed in the "AltHist" category of The New Campaign Trail. Preferring it would be placed in the "Historical" tab It is unknown why it has been placed in the "AltHist" category, however, it may be because the creators of The New Campaign Trail are unaware that Joseph Smith ran for President in 1844, and that the ability to play (and die) as Smith did in our timeline, is entirely possible in the mod. The Campaign Trail Discord Moderator Rubix expressed that he was unaware that Smith really ran for president.

Offensive to Mormon Church

Reddit user, /u/MilkmanGuy998, in a now edited post, believed that the mod was offensive to his faith, as he adhered to one of the Mormon faiths, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He was heavily criticised for this position, with some, such as Tom (1948Red creator) and the lead developer of the mod, /u/rekkotekko, believing that the mod was too generous in its portrayal of Joseph Smith.[1]