pre-OptNES II: A Free City

First, to deal with a loose end. Some of you may be wondering what this means for my first NES. Basically, what this means is it's gone. I still like the concept, but I think my rules need some refinement before the format of that NES comes into its own, and I personally couldn't quite get my head around what I wanted to do with the NES. I'm certainly open to the possibility of using what we built there in a later NES, but this isn't it. Sorry to those of you who are disappointed, but I think what I have in mind here is likely to be even better.

Basically, what this is, is a reworking of an earlier idea I had for a NES, which was to be called 'CityNES'. That was a bit of a stillborn idea, but I held onto the concept of perhaps one day hosting a NES centred around cities. And so we come to this NES here.

What this NES is

This NES is centred around the Free City of Avacria, a farication from the mind of yours truly. Before anyone asks, yes, I have a map of this city prepared. However, the situation post-my last NES remains the same, or in other words I have no way to get it on my computer. I can get a one-off scan from one of my parents' workplaces, though, so it'll hopefully be up here soon.

The concept for you as players is somewhere in between a character-based NES and a nation-based one: primarily, you will be controlling one character. The possibility of them dying is very much a real one. However, due to the other part of the player format, this isn't game over. You will each be taking control of a family, from whatever origin (and I'll leave that up to you guys), funding and leading an expedition into the unknown (across the sea; most or all of the continent on which Avacria is situated is explored and settled). It's your choice who specifically leads that expedition. It doesn't even have to be a member of your family.

Other than that, there will of course be some good old-fashioned realpolitik going on within the city, along with family feuds, alliances and subterfuge that I expect probably won't seem as if they wouldn't have been out of place in Renaissance Italy. I'm sure you guys will live up to my expectations This will involve zones of control within the city, and elections once every two updates (updates will span one year each) which will determine who will rule the city. You as players will participate in these, as will NPC families, of which there will be a fair number, maybe about half to three-quarters of the number of players. Politics should work itself out for this; and corruption and the like is not only not banned, but encouraged. It makes things... more interesting.

So, essentially, what we have is a NES split between two places: the mysterious unknown, and Avacria itself; and between two disciplines: discovery, and politics. May the fittest survive.

What this NES is not

One word: Stat-based. While there will be stats and money, the assets you have will only be one factor in how your endeavours pan out (although you may find money quite useful when it comes to politics). Stats will be simplistic, consisting of only your current family members (if you want to make a family tree, that can and will be added to your stats), and your current treasury along with any income (this is not guaranteed, but will come through events in game or any endeavours you choose to support that net you profit). The NES will be largely story-driven, however, and this is the other part of what determines how well you do. I don't expect orders for this NES, but I expect roleplay galore in-thread, and through that show me what you want to do. Money can be invested anywhere it makes sense, and it will be a combination of that and the plausibility and quality of your stories that determine your success.

Updates will not be huge, but I hope to be able to churn out something decent that sums up the year's events, most likely taking one or two posts at the high end - after all, the stories you all write should tell most of the tale.

Joining

When joining, please fill out this template, trying to be realistic and stick with the (Renaissance/fantasy) theme (GM rule on what exactly can be taken as realistic. Don't powergame):

[B]Name of Family (House X)[/B]
[U]Head of House:[/U] The name and age of your current primary character.
[U]Spouse:[/U] Your primary character's wife or husband (if applicable), and their age. Avacrian gender policy is relatively egalitarian, so it is most certainly OK to have a female as your P.C. and a male as your spouse.
[U]Children:[/U] Any children of the above (+ ages).
[U]Other Family Members:[/U] List other family members and their genders and ages/relation to the Head of House)
[U]Location on Map:[/U] You don't have to fill this out until I get the map up. If you've already signed up when that happens, do this in a separate post, though. I probably won't touch any post more than once. You can edit your original post if you link me back to it, à la Iron and Blood IOTs (for those familiar with them).
Make sure to designate a family member as your heir (this can be any of your children or your spouse or a sibling, or anyone else if none of these exist) on your death.
[u]History/Other:[/u] Any history of your family, or any details you might find interesting go here.

The Rules

1. Be civil.
2. Don't powergame.
3. Follow the forum rules.
4. Don't spam. I have a GM-hammer.
5. Have fun. Or else.

Feel free to start signing up, and hopefully the map will be on its way shortly (within 5 days).

The Maps

Map of the Free City of Avacria




Map of the Unknown

None... yet.

Example Signup



House Allacasi
Head of House: Thessi Allacasi, 26, m
Spouse: Alia Allacasi, 27 (nee Anrosis), f
Children: Elsan Allacasi, 4, m; Siana Allacasi, 1, f; Alia is 6 months pregnant
Other Family Members:
- Dant Allacasi, 21, m, Thessi's brother. HEIR
- Asmar Allacasi, 18, m, Thessi's half-brother by a lowborn woman
- Caila Allacasi, 16, f, Thessi's youngest and only sister
- Onel Dedri, 50, f, Thessi's mother
- Waidor Allacasi, 47, m, Thessi's father's younger brother
- Astilla Allacasi, 20, Thessi's brother Dant's wife, four months married and five pregnant


Location on Map: The main Allacasi holding is located on the right-hand side of the main road coming into the city through the southernmost gate.

History/Other: The Allacasi are relative newcomers to the Free City, having migrated from the city of Sira down the coast to the south only three geerations ago. Nobody but the Allacasi 'clan' themselves know much about the family history prior to this event, but there have been rumours that some sort of large-scale theft was involved in their departure from Sira. However, on their arrival in Avacria, they proved themselves to be both hard-working and ambitious and, less than three-quarters of a century later, House Allacasi are the full owners of a large shipyard near the south wall of the city and wield considerable political power among the inhabitants of the suburb.

Submissions

House Trivoli (NinjaCow64)
House Crocetti (bonefang)
House Kazablan (momo1000)
House Stellatio (J.K. Stockholme)

Interested Parties Yet to Submit
SouthernKing
JoanK
KaiserElectric

pre-NES:

History I

Reserved V (really should be VI, let's go with that)

Reserved VII

Reserved VIII. You can post now.

In. i'll create something when I get the chance.

This sounds interesting. Actually, it looks like "The rising families of Greyport", but that looks interesting.

I hadn't looked at that, although when I did I could see the similaritites. The theme for this is very different, though.

Also, what happened to the old map-making Opt-NES?

There's an explanation in the first post

My interest is caught.

Interested.
Waiting for the map.... and other people to make their submission.

Here's the map - it's also in the second post, with explanations as to colours and line weights.

OCC: Phirst! If my famil is too powerful/isn't really what you wanted then please tell me and I will revise.

House Trivoli
Head of House: Nicholas Triovoli, 31(Head of Mafia business)
Spouse: Mary-Anne Triovoli, Maiden Name Johansson, 29
Children:
Nicholas “Nikky” Triovoli, Male, 6
Bella Triovoli, Female, 5
Stephen Triovoli, Male, 2
Other Family Members:
Benigna “Mama” Triovoli, Female, 69, Mother of Nicholas Triovoli (Is very brutal, took over all the prostitution places and most of the other shady businesses through cunning and killing, eventually organizing all the prostitution rings into one. However, once her daughter, Isabella Triovoil and her husband Nicholas Triovoli Senior died in a boating accident, she started a downwards cycle into a dementia-esque insanity, leaving Nicholas Triovoli in charge of the family and Giovanni to care for her)
Nicholas Triovoli Senior (Deceased), Maiden Name Romanov, Male, 81 (at death), Father of Nicholas Triovoli (Didn’t do much for the family business, he mainly painted and went on boats)
Giovanni Triovoli, Male 29, Brother of Nicholas Triovoli (Cares for Mama and also does most of the business that the family does. Is completely infertile)
Catherine Triovoli, Female 24, Sister of Nicholas Triovoli (Never really grew up, she was weird and reclusive before her sister’s death, she became worse after. Goes on long trips to unknown places)
Isabella Triovoli (Deceased), Female, 16 (at death), Sister of Nicholas Triovoli and twin of Catherine Triovoli
Amelie Triovoli, Maiden Name Beaumont, 26, Sister-In-Law of Nicholas Triovoli, married to Giovanni Triovoli (Ex-Prostitute, she used to be a major point of contention between Giovanni and Nicholas, but less so now. She does come up if they have major arguments though)
Clarence Triovoli, Fomerly Clarence Beaumont, Male, 8, Step-Nephew of Nicholas Triovoli, Son of Amelie Triovoli and some unknown man,
Roberta Beamont, 21, Sister-In-Law of Nicholas Triovoli, Sister of Amelie Triovoli (Is struggling to be a policewoman, her reputation makes it hard for her to advance in the royal police force)

Location on Map: That large province that has two major roads connected to it and that is near the coast.
History:

The Triovolis are the kings and queens of the underworld in Avacria. They own all the brothels in the city and a fair amount of legitimate businesses. They got into this position of power because of their family’s greatest matriarch, Beniga “Mama” Triovoil.

Beniga was born to a moderately wealthy family. Her mother died when she was very young and her father was too busy going to brothels, drinking and gambling to pay much attention to her, so she raised herself independently. When she realised that her father was going to waste all their money if he continued to spend like he was, he would make the family bankrupt. So she stole some money from her father and hired some men to take him out. Once he was dead, all of his money went to her. She thought back to the brothel, her father and many other men spent so much time and money there, if she could take one over she would be richer than she could imagine. So Beniga bought out the brothel that her father spent most of his time, the first brothel in the many that the Triovoli cabal would take over.

Beniga then began her campaign to monopolize the industry. She would make offers that no one could refuse to the owners. Those who did refuse them would find themselves dead or their business burnt to the ground. Within a year, this aggressive campaign had gotten her control of large proportion of the brothels in the city, which provided her with a vast amount of wealth. Begnia also bought a large amount of legitimate businesses, which were mainly fronts for her less legitimate businesses, but they also turned a tidy profit.

About this time, Beniga met Nicholas Romanov Senior. He was a foreigner from a upper middle class family from another country. When they first met, they fell madly in love. Nicholas overlooked his wife’s less than ethical business practices as he loved her so much. He didn’t do a thing for the business, he was an artist he usually painted and sculpted as he purposefully ignored his wife’s activities. They had four children, Nicholas Jnr, Giovanni and twins Isabella and Catherine.

Then tragedy struck. Nicholas Senior and Isabella Triovoli, disappeared during a storm, while they were in a boat off the cost of Avacria. There was a search party, but neither a boat or any bodies were found. This sent Beniga into a downwards spiral of insanity, an insanity is comparable to dementia. This meant that other members of the family were forced to take over the business.

Nicholas Triovoli is considered to be the new head of the family. He runs all the illegitimate businesses that Beniga had invested into and has expanded the family’s assets. He knows that future colonies in the new world will require his…services, which is why he is investing in the exploration in the new world. He married his wife, Mary-Anne Triovoli, as she is the daughter of a large international crime lord. As Beniga wanted to secure her family in the international scene of organized crime, she organized this wedding. Although Nicholas and Mary-Anne aren’t madly in love, they do love each other to an extent. They have three children, Nicholas “Nikky” Triovoli, Bella Triovoil and Stephen Triovoli. They are two young to matter to the family business.

Giovanni Triovoli is considered by many as the brother that got the short end of the stick. He is in charge of caring for his mother, considering that in the rare lucid states that Beniga is in she talks about how brilliant Nicholas is, it is not easy for him. Giovanni is also in charge of all the legitimate businesses and fronts that the family operates. However, unlike Nicholas, he believes that the legitimate businesses are more profitable and stable than prostitution in the long term, which is a major point of contention between the two brothers. Especially with the new world issue coming up, Giovanni sees this as the chance to remove the criminal aspects out of this family, however Nicholas sees this as another business venture involving prostitution.

Giovanni met his wife, Amele Triovoli, when he was taken to one of the brothels by his brother. He wasn’t exactly ecstatic about the experience, he wanted true love. Amele was the prostitute that was given to Giovanni and he fell in love with her. He proposed to her and she accepted as she wanted to stop being a prostitute. This is another major point of contention between Nicholas and Giovanni. They have not had any children as Giovanni is infertile, a closely guarded secret that he has kept between himself and his wife.

The police have been trying to put the whole family in prison for years, but thanks to careful management, Triovoli’s team of expert lawyers and lack of funding for the police force, they never have been able to get anything substantial on them. They are hoping that a new generation of crime fighters will bring justice to the countless lives they killed and the many more that they have ruined. One of the new generation is Roberta Beamont. However, she is not trusted, as she is the sister in law of Giovanni Triovoli. The only reason she was not kicked out of the police academy was that she has a very keen investigative eye. She hopes one day that she can prove her worth, by nailing that horrible man who married her sister and the rest of their accursed family.

Added this example in Post #3. Hopefully it gets some ideas circulating, since I'd like to see some signups, particularly from some of the people who have already indiacted their interest, and ideally before Wednesday (sorry, that's not very long, but I want to go away and come back having thrown around some more ideas in my head as to how to integrate people's submissions into the History that I'm eventually going to have to write).

EDIT: Epic xpost! Didn't see that coming, posting just after my first signup xD

EDIT 2: What you've got seems mostly fine, one or two things stuck out though:
- The names: Your house name is fine, but ideally I want to try and avoid names that exist in RL common usage. 'Nicholas Romanov' is not quite right in my eyes, to name one. No real problems, just flavour stuff, but I'd like to nail that.
- Nicknames: The setting is inspired by renaissance Italy, try and factor that in - I have no problem with nicknames per se, though.
- @the reference to 'international' crime - this shouldn't really be too extensive, I'd prefer if nobody really has this much influence in the world of intrigue. Politics will be different, but once again it's a setting thing. Perhaps scale this down a bit.

Optical said:

EDIT 2: What you've got seems mostly fine, one or two things stuck out though:
- The names: Your house name is fine, but ideally I want to try and avoid names that exist in RL common usage. 'Nicholas Romanov' is not quite right in my eyes, to name one. No real problems, just flavour stuff, but I'd like to nail that.

Click to expand...

Okay, I'll try and think of something.

Optical said:

- Nicknames: The setting is inspired by renaissance Italy, try and factor that in - I have no problem with nicknames per se, though.

Click to expand...

Yeah...all the Nicholases came from my unhealthy obession with Russia, sorry about that. I tried to make Italianish nicknames though, I'm going for a Italian Gangster style though.

Optical said:

- @the reference to 'international' crime - this shouldn't really be too extensive, I'd prefer if nobody really has this much influence in the world of intrigue. Politics will be different, but once again it's a setting thing. Perhaps scale this down a bit.

Click to expand...

Oh don't worry, I just wanted a backstory for an otherwise boring wife character. You won't see any international stuff and if you do, then it will be incredibly minor.