Imperia Mediterraneana

[SonicTH]

As a "beta" of sorts of MP2's mechanics, this a test run to alleviate my concerns. The theme is a Renaissance-Enlightenment era; this is not that exact time period, so much as a rebirth of it due to the usual Cataclysmic disaster. Each turn is 5 years long.



==Starting Out==

You start with 20 provinces.

You begin with 5 armies and 5 Agents.

==Expansion==

Spoiler:

You can order your armies to move out and invade one province a turn, to a limit of five. This limit is lifted if you are at war with an actual state. You can expand theoretically infinitely, but attempts to rope off large swaths of land will be punished with claims shifted.

Every x% your culture has over the average, is the x% neighbor provinces will join you, up to five per turn. Cultural investments are a great way to pull ahead.

==Economics==

Spoiler:

Income is tax revenue + tariff revenue + vassal revenue + miscellaneous income(grants, loans, etc.).

Your GDP is your population multiplied by your infrastructure with your trade added on top. Your tax rate(default 20%) is added on top of this. Higher taxes = more revolt risk.

You also by default charge a tariff of 20% on imports. For simplicity this applies across all imports mechanic-wise, and more or less represents the average. You can raise the rate, but every 1% will cause a random NPC to cut off trade with you until it is lowered.

Trade can be cut off by embargos and blockades; a strong navy is a must if you intend to be a trading power. By default, you trade first with nations that border you via land, and overseas for anyone else. For the over land bonus, their capital must be contiguous with the border.

Trade is automatic with every nation of the world. Controlling any single province that borders the five strategic canal zones will increase your trade tech by 1/1% per turn. Getting cut off from a canal will hurt any trade that goes through it; loss of access to the Suez Canal removes 5% of your Industry.

Infrastructure grows by 10% per turn and population by 5%. These percentages are reversed for third world nations.

You also have vassal revenue, which is 10% of your vassal states' GDP.

States can also give tribute, loans and grants to eachother.

==Technology==

Spoiler:

You can spend your income on your armies or diplomatic maneuvers, but can also invest it in the following technologies. Civilian techs are public, military techs private.

Infrastructure - every 1 gold invested is 0.0001. Increases 10% per turn.

Trade - determines how much of the global GDP you can tax. The rate is trade value / 2500.

Culture - Improves NPC relations, chances of annexing neutral territory nearby, and lowers cost to vassalise nations. Culture increases 20% per turn as your culture diffuses.

Espionage - Increases chance of success with espionage.

Land - Increases chance of success in battle.

Naval - Increases chance of success in battle.

===Diplomacy===

Spoiler:

You can declare war, embargos, alliances, etc. as necessary. Diplomacy is one of the key components to a long lasting IOT, as it keeps it from being more than RISK. Many diplomatic acts are not hardcoded, but some have mechanical effects:

-If you are embargoed, you lose access to that state(and its vassals)'s markets; you can also not use its territory for overland trade. If you embargo an NPC, they instead just lose 5% of their GDP. This simplifies trade.
-Open borders, military access, etc. allow you to move through a nation's lands. You can still move through anyway but that tends to constitute invasion.
-If blockaded, you lose income from any states you can no longer reach.
-War, obviously, causes your troops to freely engage eachother when in close proximity. Peace does the opposite and is the default state of all nations.
-Gift technology. The opponent receives half of the difference of your tech. You can only gift technology to ONE other nation per turn.
-Sell tech. The opponent receives as much of your tech as you specify; they must pay at least 50% of the value, i.e. they must pay a mimimum of 50 gold for 100 gold worth in one tech.
-Demand vassalisation. You can demand a minor power become your vassal, and they will accept if they have no real chance of fighting you off. Doing so causes neighboring nations to form defensive alliances and embargo you, so use it sparingly.

===Military===

Spoiler:

Armies cost 5 gold and 1 pop to recruit.
Navies cost 10 gold and 1 pop to recruit.

You can only recruit up to 5% of your population per turn in peacetime. You can recruit 10% when at war, but be advised that this will drive up revolt risk very quick. Each unit also costs 1 gold in maintenance, so a large military will drag your economy into the mud.

===Combat===

Spoiler:

You set units to offense or defense each turn. Defense is automatic if they're not ordered to move out.

The standard combat system is simple. Number * Tech vs. Number * Tech for both sides. Added together, they each come up with a percentage, bonuses are applied, a random roll(best 2 out of 3) is made, and the winner is decided. The victor kills 25-50% of the enemy's numbers, whereas the loser kills 1-50% of the enemy's numbers.

So, 10 Tech 500 armies go against 10 Tech 250.

That's 5000 vs. 2500. The defender has a 1/3 chance of winning. Regardless of who wins, the winner can kill 3-5 armies, the loser 1-5. Numbers are just as important as quality, as they determine casualties. You also want a large amount of troops to survive; if at any moment all soldiers are gone, your country will be defenseless. At the same time, too many troops will kill your economy, so find a balance and try to get allies or vassals to assist.

Standard combat bonuses are as follows:

-10% for defender in any area
-10% if attacked from the sea for defender

No matter how many bonuses the offender has, the defender always had a 10% chance of victory. Call it the Thermopylae Effect.

----

Navies blockade ports to cripple enemy trade income. Most importantly, if at least one ship of yours is present in a sea zone, amphibious assaults are not possible. Navies can transport divisions at a conversion rate of 1 per fleet. If any navies are sunk, there's a chance the units on board will be killed as well.

==Revolt Risk==

Spoiler:

Revolt Risk is how likely your people will rise up each turn. If triggered, that proportion of provinces will rise up. Peasants generally will lose due to poor training, but they always have a 10% chance of winning, so beware. You will also lose economic power with revolts, as your people are butchered.

Raised by:

-Each tax over 20% will increase it by 1%.
-Each extra 1% recruited when at war will raise it by 1%. Raise 6% of your pop, 1% RR gained.
-Each army or navy destroyed raises it by 0.5% if an offensive war, 0.2% if defensive.
-Roleplay
-Events

Decreased by:

-Lowering taxes cuts it.
-Disbanding troops cuts it.
-Roleplay
-Events

===Roleplay and Events===

Spoiler:

Roleplay is rewarded. What your roleplay is about will determine what it goes towards; talk of trade agreements will increase your trade tech, economic reforms will boost your infrastructure, etc. Roleplay will not be applied until the second turn, however, so as to give players enough time to build a reasonable framework before the bonuses kick in and begin to skew power.

Events are added, removed and altered over the course of game, and serve to spice things up via the power of God.

==Vassals==

Spoiler:

Vassals are states that have become subjugated by yours in some way. They pay you 10% of their GDP as they hand out generous bonuses. They will support you in disputes and aid you militarily, generally.

To peacefully vassal a free nation, give them 100% of their GDP. You can get away with paying less if you have a stronger Cultural value - every 1% you have over theirs cuts 1% off. However, you must always pay at least 10%.

To coup a nation, order a coup staged via espionage.

Conquered nations can allow the previous government to stay in power, making them a tributary, or you can install a new, very loyal government via a coup.

Vassals have several grades of loyalty, based on how they were obtained:

-Tributary(Trib): Subjugated under threat of force, these states yearn to break free. Conquering a country and leaving the government be counts as tributary, and has the bonus of no civil war. They will break off if you are at war, based on their military strength vs. yours. Remember the Aztecs, and then remember to use this option sparingly. Can be purchased by another state.
-Ally(Pax): These states are purchased as vassals, and can be viewed as investments. They will break off if they reach 50% of your GDP. Can be be purchased by another state.
-Coup(Coup): These changed government as a result of a black op or a random coup. Some coups naturally occur each turn, obscuring who was targeted and who was not. Couped nations have a 25% chance of descending into civil war.
-Revolution(Rev): Imposed by a successful revolt. They will never abandon you, short of being couped.

You CAN submit orders for your vassals. IMPLIED orders may or may not be executed; specific ones are best as it helps with my memory.

===Black Ops===

Spoiler:

A more covert means to project power, ops can be strategically very useful.

Spies cost 10 gold per unit, being some of the finest individuals your nation can offer. Everyone starts with 5 spies by default.

Espionage missions are determined by numbers * skill vs. their numbers * skill, like in battle.

The number of spies determines damage, whereas technology assists in success. Base modifers are as follows:

-Defender has at least 20% chance of foiling the enemy; this is NOT added onto what they have
-Defender can only lose half their agents per attack; attacker can lose ALL of their agents.
-Whichever side wins gets its number of agents present in ESP tech. Whichever side loses gets the number of enemies it killed in tech. By default, 20% of each side's numbers are removed from the other's.

This system is meant to favor the defender. Human players should use their wealth to build a strong spy network, even if for defense.

With the Greek salad out of the way, the actual missions; you can only perform 4 per turn to cut down on turn times:

-Counterespionage. Default mission; there is no need to specify they are on such.
-Sow Discontent. Increases enemy revolt risk by 2%. Can be done multiple times for a total possible increase of 8%. If pooled with allies, your efforts can seriously destabilise an enemy regime.
-Incite riots. If successful, triggers a revolt and whatever would result from it. Your government can determine it is foreign in nature for balance purposes.
-Stage coup(NPCs only). Overthrows a country's government and installs one loyal to you.
-Steal tech. Gives you half the difference between your tech and the enemy's, in ALL categories.
-Destabilise economy. Your agents basically work to strengthen corruption and steal funds from your enemy. You knock out anywhere from 1-5% of their Infrastructure.
-Fund Resistance. If your enemy has occupied a nation and is encountering rebels, you can finance them. You must first slip past their spies; so long as one spy survives, your donation will not be confiscated.
-Steal Plans. Gives you a rundown of their orders, missions, and other secretive activities for the turn.

==Banks and the Stock Market==

Spoiler:

There are five banks, powerful, quasi-national entities that operate out of their own city-states.

NPCs are generally favorable towards these banks and will protect them from assault, particularly if they are shareholders. Banks are apolitical generally and will give loans to everyone, they will loan you up to 20% of your net income(you can thus borrow 100% if you rally all the banks), or 10% of their liquid assets, whichever is less. Banks charge 10% on the loan, and will automatically take a portion of your income each turn to pay it off unless you are at war. You can deposit your money in the bank to collect a 5% interest rate.

Defaulting on your loans is doable, but that bank will refuse to do business with you. Defaulting when you have money to pay the loan back is the ultimate transgression, and NONE of the banks will do business with you.

Banks also have public shares that are traded every 24 hours. Orders for share purchases and sales lock and unlock automatically, so make sure your choice is final before ordering it. The stock market offers a minigame between updates, but also a chance to use soft power: if you can rally control of the bank, you can determine its rates and who can and can't get loans out of it.

Shares change anywhere from -4 to 8% per 24 hour period. NPCs will not buy shares from you except for 95% of their value, and will not sell them except for 105% of their value. Shares can be demanded in a peace treaty, naturally. When you own shares, you do not vote on the proposals unless you have control; your country already has a representative who votes based on your nation's interest; this keeps the mechanic flowing smoothly. For example, your representative will use your shares to vote against loans to your enemies.

The home country of the bank controls 25% of each bank by default.

==Victory Conditions==

Spoiler:

These do not become effective until Turn 10.

Domination: There are 48 Regions. (Denmark-Zealand-Norway/Sweden counts as one for future reference) Islands are their own regions. Control 10 regions to declare victory.

Cultural: Have 20% of the game's culture value.

Military: Have 20% of the game's land military value.

Economic: Have 10% of the game's GDP.

Trade: Control at least one of the five strategic waterways(Suez, Gibraltar, Bosphorus, Zealand, Calais), have 10% of the game's naval value OR 10% of the world's trade tech value.

Diplomatic: Have 33% of the NPCs as your vassals.

==Further Notes==

Spoiler:

Every update, there will be 72 hours to compile your RP, give orders, etc. The next 24 hours will be the lock period, where you must PM me your full orders. Note that if your orders are strewn across multiple PMs, I will ignore all but the last PM. If you must ever redo your orders, make sure to include everything from prior ones; this saves my time immensely.

Updates will be at the IOT Boards. Your roleplay and such is to be kept here; you may post full, actual orders at the IOT boards if you so wish, but it is not mandatory. Roleplay and diplomacy are to be kept on CFC so as to ensure everyone can read and respond in one place; think of CFC as the room where general exchanges are made, and the IOT Boards as where the final decisions are made.

My responsibilities to you are to try my best to update regularly and inform you of any mechanics changes. My rights include being able to ban disruptive players from the game, change the map, rules, etc. While I theoretically hold supreme power in the scope of the game, I try my best to be fair.

Your responsibilities to me are to take heed of GM warnings, behave responsibly(respect thy fellow forumers, etc.), and give me a regular set of orders or a general plan to follow. Also avoid spam that is unrelated to the game. Also, please use the edit button if you need to add notes within a short time after your last post; it keeps the thread from being flooded.

I will note if you are on vacation, but please notify me if you will be away; it is very disruptive to leave a game without any notification. Nations that persistently miss updates will be NPC'd at first but eventually dismantled.

I will create a FAQ, but if any questions are given that are blatantly in the rules, I will ignore them and tell you, well, to read the rules.

The GM is usually available for live chat at IOT Chat if you desire more quick responses to questions and concerns. If you use the chat, I suggest maintaining confidentiality, though I will try my best to delete posts containing sensitive information.

==Signing Up==

Read the rules. Your signup counts as having read the rules and having agreed with them.

Choose 20 provinces.

Fill out your nation bio as you see fit. However, please include these parameters:

-Nation Name
-Dominant religion
-Social Policy(from 1-5; 1 is very liberal, 5 is very authoritarian)
-Economic Policy(from 1-5; 1 is hands off, 5 is heavily planned)

These parameters help determine NPC relations towards you.

[SonicTH]

Reserved for FAQ; you may now post

[JoanK]

I get the twenty provinces in Catalonia+Aragon+Castile and León+Galicia+Navarre+Basque Country. Although that region is an abomination (and the whole peninsula).

-Name: Ebria
-Religion: Catholicism
-Social policy: 3
-Economic policy: 2

[Kinich-Ahau]

Cypriot Empire

Capital: Nicosia (Eastern Cyprus)
Government: Enlightened Absolutist Empire
Leader: Emperor Nikodemos Aegeus II
Language: Greek
Social Policy: 3- Moderate
Economic Policy: 1- Laissez-Faire
Trade Policy: Free Trade
Currency: Cypriot Aureus
Foriegn Policy: Expansionist
Religion: Cypriot Catholicism

Spoiler for History:

Following the Great Plague that brought untold ruin & devastation to Europe, Cyprus, like most areas, was in dissarry. The ruling government had collapsed, leaving a power vaccumn at the top of Cypriot Society- a power vaccumn that many struggled to fill. The cities of Cyprus spent the next several years fighting petty wars, until the charismatic King of Nicosia, Nikodemos Aegeus I, won a great victory against the forces of the Kyrenia-Famagusta alliance. With the Kyrenia-Famagustan armies in full retreat, Nikodemos Aegeus I pressed onward, quickly demolishing the remains of the fleeing army & securing the Cities of Famagusta & Kyrenia for Nicosia. Now controlling a full half of the island, Nikodemos marched his men south to take the wealthy trading port of Limassol. The allied states of Larnaca & Paphos, cut off from each other, saw the writing on the wall, and offered to surrender to Nicosia on the condition they remain vassals nominally in control of their remaining territory; Aegeus refused, and launched a two-pronged strike on the Larnaca-Paphos alliance, quickly annexing them & uniting Cyprus under his wise rule. The King, however, had great ambitions beyond the shores of Cyprus- his desire was to build an Empire to rival those of Caesar & Charlemange.

His first target was the historic city of Rhodes; in what would come to be known as the Dodecanese Campaign, he quickly subjugated the islands of Karpathos & Kasos, before moving onto the island of Rhodes itself. The city successfully held off Aegeus's forces for several months, until Cypriot spies bribed the city guards, allowing Aegeus's troops to swarm into the city. With Rhodes secure, Nikodemos turned his attention to the much larger island of Crete. The bloody war of subjugation lasted nearly a year, but after the conquest of Heraklion, the rest of the island could not deny the truth any longer & surrendered to Cyrpus. With the southern Aegean firmly under his rule, Nikodemos left with the bulk of his forces & launched a Campaign to conquer the Ionian Islands. Cythera, the closest island, quickly surrendered to Cyrpus; The islands of Zante, Leucas, Paxos, Antipaxos, & Corfu fell shortly afterwards. The islands of Cephalonia & Ithaca put up the most effective resistance, repulsing the first few invasion forces Nikodemos sent against them. After the humiliating battle of Kastro, in which an Ionian Army under the command of Kyrillos Lysias defeated a Cypriot force nearly three times its size, it seemed that the Ionians might be able to successfully resist the forces of Cyrpus; Nikodemos, however, refused to give up & could not bare such a stain upon his honor, and so, one month after the rout, he personally lead an army twice the size of the one lost at Kastro onto Cephalonia; the fighting was brutal, but in the end the Cypriot forces proved triumphant, and the islands of Cephalonia & Ithaca surrendered to Cyrpus shortly afterwards.

Now Cyprus was in control of two relatively large islands- Crete & Cyrpus itself- and a host of smaller islands; still, however, Nikodemos was not satisfied. Setting his sights further west, he eyed the Island of Sicily- the largest island in the Mediterranean, and the gateway between her western & eastern portions; controlling the island would give Cyprus quite a bit of influence in Mediterranean shipping. After diplomatic attempts to incorporate the island failed, the King launched a punitive invasion; the Sicilian Wars, as they would come to be called, lasted ten years, with Cyrpus alternatively gaining & losing territory with each war. These wars came to an end with the decisive Siege of Palermo, after which Sicily surrendered unconditionally to Cyprus. The King, never tiring of conquest, then launched simultaneous invasions of Sardinia & Corsica; the islanders put up heroic resistance- in particular, using the islands' mountanous terrain to great effect- but they too, soon fell to the might of Cyprus. Now Nikodemos, in control of a vast nation, abolished the Kingdom of Cyprus- which he himself had founded- and Declared the Cypriot Empire, with himself as Emperor. Seeking to expand his Empire further, Nikodemos, through the use of some very obsure- some say forged- documents, was able to establish a.... tenuous... Cypriot claim to the Balearic Islands & Ceuta; the major powers of the region, too focused on each other to care about the Cyrpiots, left the City-States of the Balears & Ceuta to their fates. Ceuta & the Balears were conquered soon afterwards, & Cyprus was now the uncontested master of the Mediterranean.

Enlightenment ideals arrived in Cyprus shortly after Nikodemos Aegeus II rose to power; embracing them whole-heartedly, the new Emperor began a series of social & economic reforms giving much greater freedom to the populace. Now, as the various states of Europe recover from the devastating plague & begin a new era of expansion, Cyrpus is poised to enter a golden age unlike any yet seen.

[christos200]

Claim Greece, Istanbul and W. Minor Asia.

[christos200]

The Roman Empire:

Spoiler:

Nation Name: Rome
Dominant religion: Greek Orthodox Christianity
Social Policy(from 1-5; 1 is very liberal, 5 is very authoritarian): 5
Economic Policy(from 1-5; 1 is hands off, 5 is heavily planned): 5
Government: Absolute Monarhcy, Theocracy
History:
In 1453 the Pope managed to persuade the European Kingdoms to help the Roman Empire. After the Turks were defeated by the European armies, Constantine re-organized the Empire, the Army and the navy. Meanwhile the Ottoman Empire was in crisis and the Romans managed to take over W. Minor Asia. Constantine's son, Justian IV, invaded Greece and took it over, while he denounced the union of the churches. Current Emperor is Michael VI.

[Ailedhoo]

The Celtic Union of Holy Kingdoms

Government: Union of Monarchies.
Leader: the Great King Illiam II
Economy: Mercantile.
Religion: Celtic Catholicism
Seat of power: Dublin, Ireland.
Second capital: Peel in the Isle of Man.
Social Policy: 4
Ecomonic Policy: 3
History: with the chaos the Irish kingdoms were united under Illiam I, the first Great King. His son Paul would then claim the Isle of Man, Wales and parts of Scotland, all in the blessing of the Celtic Catholic Church. Now Illiam II aims to prove his worth in hope of uniting the Celts and becoming the dominant power in Europe.

Below are the claims

[christos200]

Post updated with History.

[Tambien]

The Sultanate
From the Ashes we rise

Government: Absolute Monarchy under the Sultan
Leader: Sultan Muhammad IV of the Sultanate
Economy: Trade with all Muslims, dont with any non-muslims
Religion: Islam
Capital and Seat of power: Granada
Social Policy: 5
Ecomonic Policy: 4
History: When the Second Great Plague destroyed the many nations of Europe, Islam had a resurgency in Iberia. First starting from Granada, but rapidly expanding outwards, the Sultanate has made its mark on Spain. It is only a matter of time before the Islamic communities of the world are reunited under the watchful gaze of the Sultanate.

Claims and world map: I am yellow.

[Kinich-Ahau]

Starting Post mostly updated; I am assuming the Balearic Islands are 3 territories instead of one.

Flag & History probably up tomorrow.

[momo1000]

The Republic of Batavia


Flag:

Spoiler:

Government: Confederal Republic
Leader: Stadhouder William of Orange
Economy: Mercantile
Religion: Protestantism
Seat of power: Amsterdam
Social Policy: 3
Ecomonic Policy: 1
History: After the Chaos, the towns and villages of the Low Countries banded together under Stadhouder William of Orange, who plans to spread the Enlightenment of the Batavian Republic across Europe.

Claims:

[Tambien]

New world map, fully updated.

[JoanK]

I assume that Tambien has absurdly pathetic geographic skills and the I am the yellow blob nowhere near where I really am.

[momo1000]

That's Tambien's Granada

[Tambien]

Originally Posted by JoanK

I assume that Tambien has absurdly pathetic geographic skills and the I am the yellow blob nowhere near where I really am.

I assume that JoanK doesn't read signup posts and so doesnt know that the yellow blob is me, the Sultanate.

[JoanK]

Then I assume that Tambien doesn't read them either, or he would have bothered doing a world map which actually includes all the nations. And "The Sultanate" could be anywhere in Turkey or the Middle East or North Africa.

[Double A]

The Merchant Republic of Andorra



some form of Protestantism
Social: 2
Fiscal: 1

[momo1000]

Your Spanish provinces have been claimed by JoanK, AA

[Double A]

I didn't see them on a map.

[Tambien]

Not only that, but your map is out of date.

EDIT: Thats because, as usual, Joan refuses to make a map.