~Darkening~
Weep, Mother.
[size=+3]Darkness II: The Prophet's Candle.[/size]
In my hands I hold a candle
whose flame is small to see
And if I give but one light to you
my life is filled for me.
But...
In your hands you hold a torch
for many eyes to see
So hold it high that they may light
their candlewicks from thee.
The Prophet's Candle
Welcome, all ye who are foolish enough to wade through this cesspit. In the tradition of ruining people's dreams, and wallowing in the depressed pit that is the thought of fresh-starts, I've come up with this pitiful excuse for a NES.
Template:
Nation:
Capital:
Government (Efficiency)
Army (Quality)/ Navy (Quality):
Life Quality:
Religion:
Economy (Provincial/City/Special / Total)
Education:
Projects:
Nation Background: [You fill this out]
Player Countries (PCs):
PCs are, naturally, player controlled nations under the (obvious) control of people rather than me. While the fact they are played by people, the formation of the states is much different than other NESes. To begin with, players are restricted to either of the gray zones (the light or dark). The lighter grey represents areas less civilized, while the darker grey is reserved for more developed regions. Players may take an existing city within the dark grey, start a new city in either region, or take a culture group and migrate out of the zones (explained in-depth in a minute). However, there are consequences for each and benefits to counter those disadvantages.
New Cities: New cities can be built in either the dark grey zone (the higher civilized zone) or the light grey zone (the lower civilized zone). The darker grey represents an area where civilization has already taken deep roots, an area holding a larger population, more access to trade routes, and possessing a larger infrastructure and agriculture base. A city based in the grey zone will be better off in the beginning, but it will suffer after time- larger demands are placed on the government, there will be fierce competition for more lands in the zone, and the city will face internal strife unless ruled properly.
Cities based in the light grey zones tend to be smaller and less developed, living on the fringes of the civilized world. These cities, while lacking much of the wealth their more developed neighbors possess, are made up of hardier citizens. In times of war, these citizens can be counted on to rise up and thicken their leader’s armies, providing a much needed boost in the number of men. In addition, these cities suffer less from the problems of bureaucracy. Finally, these cities are on the fringes of the world- making it easier to expand that their more developed neighbors. On the counter, these cities lack the wealth and sophistication of the developed cities and are far behind in the terms of science.
The grey zones will expand over time, as the world becomes more civilized. The light grey zones will expand over time and fill in the empty areas of the world. In addition, the dark grey zone will expand over the lighter grey as the world grows more civilized.
Established Cities: Existing cities have the benefit of not needing to establish their selves- they already have finished the hard parts. These cities are the true beacons of the age, unrivaled in terms of science; wealth, sophistication, and population- a single established city can often contain a larger population than an entire province of a new kingdom. They stand strong on nearly every front, easily able to defend against any incursion into their territory. Yet, their greatest weakness is this strength- the great number of citizens lying within their cities lays extreme pressure on their government and armies. These cities will find retaining armies, training new armies, and supporting their governments.
Migrations: Migrations can occur from two ways: either from a percentage of a defeated population moving from an old kingdom or a general migration, people from a culture heading from their homes to establish new ones. Either way, a migration has a single benefit over the cities- the ability to choose their own homeland. These people can take to the wind and scope out the best lands, and from there grow. The shortfalls of a migration can be harder to overcome, through, as any city founded by a migration will naturally have a much smaller population, no infrastructure, or immediate trade.
Non-Player Countries:
NPCs are countries placed under my command rather than any player. In general, these will be far less occurring than in other NESes. Rather, they occur only around competitive states and dissatisfied people. These will only occur around existing cities which are already founded, and generally take place in more developed zones. Still, despite this, they should not be underwritten- doing so could possible result in your own defeat.
Capital:
The capital of your empire is the center of your empire. These cities grow faster than your others and tend to be richer than the remaining cities. If destroyed, the loss of a capital can be a deathblow in war. If you manage to take a capital, resistance in your enemies kingdom will much lessened and the war can be easier won. Capitals tend to be the first cities of your kingdom, but if needed, you may change your capital with a minimal loss.
Government:
The government of your people is the institution put in place to direct their lives. Based on the aptitude of your government, a number of things could happen. A well governed state remains in full control, experiencing no rebellions. A well governed state will increase in wealth and sophistication. In addition, a poorly governed state will experience the worse side of those two. In the beginning, only despots are allowed. Over time, new methods of governing will be opened up.
Ranking: None (-5)-Pretend (-4)-Corrupt (-3)-Inept (-2)-Blundering (-1)-Tolerable (0)-Improving (1)-Competent (2)-Efficient (3)-Great- (4) Brilliant (5).
Armed Forces:
A strong and capable armed force can mean the difference between defeat and victory, in both defense and offense. Troop numbers will remain static for each time period, and will only change after a nation successfully reaches the required thresh level. To raise your training up a level, you have to pay two points for every ten thousand troops you want to raise.
Ranking: None (-5) – Rabble (-4) - Weak (-3) –Poor (-2)-Tolerable (-1)-Normal (0)-Better (1)-Good (2)-Properly Trained - (3) Above Average (4)- Exceptional (5)
The number of troops you get for each point is as follows:
-25,000= 1,000 Infantry, 100 Cavalry, 5 Galleys.
-25,000- 50,000= 2,000 Infantry, 200 Cavalry, 10 Galleys
-50,000- 100,000= 5,000 Infantry, 400 Cavalry, 10 Galleys
-100,000-250,000= 6,000 Infantry, 400 Cavalry, 10 Galleys
-250,00-500,00= 10,000 Infantry, 500 Cavalry, 15 Galleys
-500,00- 1,000,00= 10,000 Infantry, 1000 Cavalry, 15 Galleys
-1,000,000- 2,000,000= 15,000 Infantry, 1500 Cavalry, 20 Galleys
-2,000,000- 3,000,000= 20,000 Infantry, 2000 Cavalry, 20 Galleys.
Life Qaulity:
Life Quality is more a mesh of other stats such as confidence, infrastructure, culture, and living standards. A higher quality will result in a stronger people standing behind you, something than can never be overrated. Nations with a higher life quality have a stronger belief in the ability of their government, s better system of transport in their state, and a better off populace. In addition, a stronger life quality will result in a larger population. When combined with a strong government and education; a good life quality can make a state undefeatable.
Ranking: None (-5)- Barely There (-4)- Wretched (-3)- Poor (-2)- Barely Acceptable (-1)- Acceptable (0)- Above Average (1)- Decent (2)- Good (3)-Exceptional (4)- Incomparable (5)
Religion:
The religion stat shows the various belief systems present in your nation. If a nation has an official state religion (which most if not all will at least in the beginning of the NES) then it comes first, whether it is the most widespread faith or not; otherwise the most adhered to faith comes first. Religion will play a very important role in this NES, as it should but doesn’t in most NESes. A strong religion can prove important in the overall development of a nation, as it can bring great benefits to the people.
Economy:
The economy system I’ll be using is a mixture of different styles, hopefully with the best results. Your economy is basically made up of three different parts: the Provincial economy, the City economy, and the Special economy.
-The Provincial economy is the first number and is derived from the number of provinces you have at the moment.
-The City economy is the second number and is derived from the trade centers you possess. These cities are ringed in red.
-The Special economy is the third number and may come form a number of things, including payments, special incomes, and tribute. In addition, religious cities are ringed in green and included in the special economy.
-The final number is the total economy you have at your disposal, with any temporary payments included at the end. The number of turns that you will receive the payment is included in parenthesis, and the actual payment number is beside it.
For example, the following is a simple economy: 1/0/1/2 + (1) 1. The first number shows that you have one province; the second is proof that you don’t have any trade centers; the third number shows that you have one special economy, and the fourth shows that your total economy is two. Finally, the last pair of numbers shows that you will receive an additional point for one turn.
Provinces:
Provinces are the true lifeblood of your nation, contributing to both your economy and stability. Each province you have that does not include the national capital has a special city ringed in yellow and black that represents the capital of the Province. These cities are among your best shots for trade centers, requiring little more investment put into them, and are the centers of defense if the province is invaded. If the capital of a province is taken, then the rest of the province will fall much easier. Finally, provinces spread out the bureaucracy of your government, and allow for the easier rule in the area- as a result, provinces are naturally less taxing to control than a vast area organized into just a single kingdom.
To make a new province, you need three things. The first is an acceptable city- as surprising as it many sound; you can not build a province in a recently conquered region, an uninhabited wasteland, or on top of a standing capital. In addition to the city, you need an acceptable level of government (Inept or above), and you need enough economy points to fund the development. As a general rule, the following formula can be used to derive the cost of a new province: [X]+Y=Z. X stands for the government level you have, y stands for the number of provinces you currently have, and Z is the final cost. (The [] is my cheap method of saying the Absolute value clause.)
For example, if you have a government level of Inept (-2), and one current province, then your formula would be: [-2] + 1= 3. If you have a level of Improving (1), and three provinces, your formula would be: [1] +3= 4. Finally, the number of provinces you have can not exceed the ratio of 2 provinces for every 250,000 people.
Population:
In short terms, this reflects the number of people living within your nation. This is represented by both a general term (and number) and the number of cities you have shown on the map. A larger population means more troops can be recruited, and in addition a larger population results in more troops being recruited.
Education
Education is how enlightened your people are. Good education will benefit numerous things, ranging from the availability of the next age to government efficiency to the economy. Bad education, likewise, will have detrimental effects. Since education is a lifelong process, the benefits and detriments of education are long term and may not be felt immediately. However, do not let this discourage you or make you feel safe, for eventually you will feel their effects. Education will most likely go up due to economic investment, but it is not a guarantee. Upon reaching a new age, education will almost certainly go down by two levels. The levels are:
Hopelessly Idiotic (-5) Idiotic (-4) - Illiterate (-3)- Ignorant (-2)- Below Average (-1)- Average- (0) Above Average (1)- Clever (2) – Smart (3)- Wise (4)- Enlightened (5)
Projects:
Projects are the equivalent of wonders. Ranging from large scale social reforms to giant harbors, projects can be just about anything. What really matters is that you: a) give me a name, b) give me the benefits of the project, and c) give me a description of the project; if any of these are missing, then the project will not be done. Depending on the project, there will be a cost in turns, as determined by my judgment. You will also have to pay some amount, assumed to be one eco unless I say otherwise, to get to the project started. A project is advanced over time, moving up by one each turn. Finally, the project will advance by one for each point you invest into it, with a max of one point being able to advance the project a turn.
Stories
While not required, stories are highly encouraged. In the past I have been very lenient on stories, but not any longer. You will still be able to progress without stories, but stories will definitely help. Also, keep in mind that stories, at least in my book, count as many things. Flags, descriptions of your government, descriptions of your religion, "historical records," and just about anything else that helps to flesh out you nation in a creative/artistic way will count as a story.
Updates:
Orders are due Wednesday, with the update generally taking place either Friday or Saturday. The first two updates will be 500 years a peice, the second two will be 250 years a piece, the next ten turns will be one hundred years a piece, and so on.
Template:
Nation:/Player
Capital:
Government (Efficiency): You decide (Tolerable)
Army (Quality)/ Navy (Quality): Either 5000 infantry and 10 ships or (if landlocked) 5000 infantry 400 cavalry or (if lacking horses) 7000 infantry and 15 ships.
Life Quality: None
Religion: You decide upon the faith you want. If you’re uncreative, you may adopt another player’s faith or wait for one to develop in your lands.
Economy (Provincial/City/Special / Total)- You start off with one Province and one Special (you’ll always have one point in Special)
Education: None
Projects:
Nation Background: [You fill this out]
Cultural Name Migration/ Player
Staring Location:
Government (Efficiency): Despot (Corrupt)
Army (Quality)/ Navy (Quality): 5000 Infantry, 400 Cavalry, 3000 peasents.
Religion:
Economy: 0/0/2/2
Education: None
Projects:
Nation Background:
Example
Nation: Sumer/Somebody
Capital: Sumer
Government: Despot (Corrupt)
Army (Quality)/ Navy (Quality): 5000 Infantry and 10 Galleys
Life Quality: None
Religion: Sumer Polytheism
Economy: 1/0/1/2
Population: 50,000
Education: None
Projects: None
Nation Background: Sumer, a rising city based in the Crescent, has recently taken control of its surrounding countryside.
Arabic Migration/ Player
Staring Location: Near modern Sinai
Government (Efficiency): Despot (Corrupt)
Army (Quality)/ Navy (Quality): 5000 Infantry, 400 Cavalry, 3000 peasents.
Religion: Polythesim
Economy: 0/0/2/2
Population: 25,000
Education: None
Projects:
Nation Background:
Credits:
I owe credit to Isrealite for numerous things including the Province system, for the Three City System, and for seveval of the end sections. In addition, I'll give credit to the other developers of the Three City System. Finally, credit goes to Symph for the map.
