ImmacuNES VI: Dreams and Legends

ImmacuNESVI: Dreams and Legends

Update One: Sowing the Seeds of Dreams and Legends
Update Two: Thundering Hooves Echo Across History (part 2)
Update Three: Sharing Secrets and the Fertility of Blood (part 2)
Update Four: The Returned, Ships Upon the Sea, Venom (part 2)
Update Five: Blood and Flames Among the Trees, The Northern March, A King’s Perogative (part 2)

Orders Due Thursday May 16th, 2013,
in [timer=5/16/2013 4:00 PM UTC][/timer]​

Co-moderator

I am co-moderating with Blackbard. He's mostly behind the scenes right now but if he does diplo on behalf of an NPC, consider it official.

Overview

Welcome to ImmacuNESVI, a fantasy, fresh-start NES wherein you will lead your fantasy nation to greatness from the humble beginnings of the stone-age. While your nation may one day to aspire to cavalry and bows or to throw fire with impunity, those days are far in the future. For now, most of your warriors are primitive warbands armed with stone-tipped spears (or claws) and your magic is very basic indeed.

I have to acknowledge a number of people, especially Milarqui- who is running a similar but more advanced NES which led to the idea for this stone-age version of his. Also props to TLK for the culture/UU system.

Game System

Ultimately, while your stats will contain many attributes, the majority are descriptive. You will need to primarily spend your gold or resources (depending on if you use coins yet or not) and your magic. Like in the NESes of others (thelizardking) you will also be able to design unique units based on your cultural strength. In addition to expenditure of gold/resources and magic, you may want to provide orders to your military units.

Your stats are a ‘black box’ system and while you may see quite a bit of whats going on vis-à-vis the results of your trades, economic projects and other assets, the specifics of how this all comes together is purposefully vague.

The Map

The map is moderator created but very earth-like with the same sorts of climates and basic continental formations.


The map will not be posted until after the first update so won’t be able to pick your starting position (sorry).

It will remain largely unknown until such time as you explore it. In the beginning of the game the game map will show the position of player nations and their surroundings but not what lies between them and not their relative location vis-à-vis one another.

Eventually you will get a sense where each of you lies vis-à-vis one another and a common map with ‘dark’ unexplored areas will emerge. Afterwards, further exploration may result in the private revelation of more of the map.

Be warned though, private exploration does not remain private for long and soon your precious explorations will become common knowledge.

Joining The Game

I will accept all players who want to play, who contribute to the game, and who submit orders.

Stories

Stories will be rewarded if a link to the story is included in the orders for the turn. If you forget to include a link and don’t get a reward that turn, feel free to include the link in subsequent turns and receive a bonus then.

LdiCesare Made a List of Stories as of May 7th, 2013

Seon/Celestia:
Images of Celestia
Celestian way of life
Hunting tarn herds
The Moral Art
The Red's Message
The Red and the King's views of their neighbours' (disgusting) customs

mgsmuhammad/Taha'ar League:
Zephyros and the beast
Zephyros and the Vahid
But we have to destroy them
Chief? Chief?

KaiserElectric/Jolustrym:
Jolustrym lore
Aezath and Seraleath

LDiCesare/Many Colored Land:
The Geasa of the sons of Nuada
The Sailing of Leer
Glam Dicinn
Iuchann the Clever
A Council of elders
Erevin-once-thin in Celestia
A meeting in the blue forest

thomas.berubeg/Baralhen:
That is how it happened
The Spirit's visit
The Wall of Faces

merciary/Aketua:
Masks

Devercia/(none):
Kodama

hbar/Ixii:
The Harvest
The Conclave

Patchy/Kodama:
A watcher in winter
The Kodama and the tendrils
The Purification Temple

Ekolite/Iwa-Saalit:
A Painted Map

Dogged57/Paddubblin:
Paddublins discover gold
Throthgl the inventor

Cannae/Adrialixtla:
The desert sands are parched and dehydrated. Only blood can quench this thirst.

Submitting a Nation

I am not allowing new nation submissions. If you want to join the game please choose an NPC or ask about NPCs that the player nations may not have met yet.

Nation Stats


Nation:
Player:

Race:
Favored Climate:

Governance:
Stability:
Descriptor:
Authority vs. Liberty
Centralized vs. Decentralized

Culture:
Cultural Strength:
Descriptor:
Tradition vs. Adaptability
Glory vs. Cooperation

Economy:
Gold Income:
Treasury:
Resources:
Descriptor:
Autarky vs. Interdependence
Regulation vs. Free Market

Technology:
Innovation:
Base:
Advances:

Military:
Descriptor:
Army Quality:
Navy Quality:
Airforce Quality:
Military Units:

Magic:
Descriptor:
Arcana:


Overview

Nation name and player should be obvious.

Race denotes the primary species making up the nation. The majority of the time this will not change over the course of the game. Your race will affect your other statistics and may allow unique units other races do not have access to. Each race belongs to one of: Man, Beast, Goblin-kin, Fey, Monsters, and Spirit. Men are made up uniquely of humans and have a great variation in the climates they thrive in, breed moderately quickly and are prone to cooperation and trade. Beasts may have attributes of animals or appear as anthropomorphic versions of animal- fox-people might be one example. Generally this grouping has a narrower climatic preference but may enjoy particular abilities for their units such as natural armor, partial amphibiousness or others. Goblin-kin include trolls, ogres, and other ‘savage’ races. They generally possess shorter lifespans and breed more quickly. They are inclined to decentralized government and to value glory. Fey are variable but include elves and their kin. They are long-lived, slow breeding races with a penchant for centralized government. Monsters include many strange variations but most have claws and sharp fangs. Naga or giants might be considered monsters. Generally they too possess unique abilities to strengthen their units. Spirits, like fey, have long life-spans to match their long breeding cycles. They often have a penchant for magic though individual races vary highly.

Favored Climate indicates where your nation, usually as a function of race, does best. Depending on your race and its technology this might vary from the icy north of Siberia to the burning desert of the Sahara. Your nation will not fare as well should it be specialized towards the jungle and find itself fighting or reigning in cold-swept mountains peaks.


Governance

Your stability is a number from one to one hundred. A stability score less than 10 indicates a nation on the verge of anarchy. A nation with a stability greater than 90 is unlikely to suffer internally derived difficulties. Your stability is affected in a large number of ways. The presence of a dominating, foreign, culture amongst your population can adversely affect stability, especially if it is hostile to your cultural values. The adoption of foreign technology can be destabilizing as can sudden changes within your nation. A strong cultural tradition can help reinforce your stability in the face of challenge but adaptability can help make changes easier to accept for the population. Of course, losing wars, territory or suffering economically can also reduce stability.

A short description will provide details of your government- be it an absolute monarchy or a tribal coalition.

Your government will have values and with either favor authority or liberty. An authoritive government will be more involved in the affairs of its people and may limit their freedoms. These governments may also be more efficient in tax collection and in commanding their militaries. A liberal government generally allows more individual freedoms. Individuals unconstrained by their government may have greater creativity and contribute new technologies or resources to their nation. A government may favor centralized or decentralized authority. A godking emperor may centralize most power within his own hands while a loosely aligned coalition of tribes will operate with a high degree of autonomy from central rule. Generally a centralized government is more efficient but must provide for the needs of a greater proportion of its citizenry while a decentralized government can rest assured that their people are taking care of themselves. A nation with a centralized government may be more dependent upon the national army during invasion whereas a decentralized one may have access to local militias of feudal serfs for defense.

Lastly you will have individual assets, things like community projects or mechanisms of government. Each of these has a rating and these assets contribute to many your government's control of its people. The stat is described by two numbers- the second being the maximal value, and the first being the current value. An example might be ‘tribal king (2)’ which denotes a tribal king bearing authority over the nascent nation. A governance asset may fall below its maximal value for a variety of reasons including a culture much weaker than its neighbors (the people don't follow your laws when they don't really respect what you represent)


Culture

Your nation’s cultural strength is a nebulous concept but may represent the richness of its songs and architecture or the blood they have sacrificed to their dark gods. Your cultural strength is indicated by two numbers and the first represents total strength- unifying concepts that members of your nation can point to and be proud of. Your culture can contribute to stability and can be used to destabilize your neighbors and trading partners.

Finally your cultural strength will define the number of unique unit designs you may possess. Certain unique units will have a design cost (others will not). The second part of the value is the sum of those costs and cannot be greater than your cultural strength. If the second number is much lower than the first, you may wish to consider developing a new unique unit.

A descriptor will provide a brief overview of some of your cultural identity. Its probably best if you write this, at least initially, yourself. Keep it brief.

Your culture will have certain values and may favor tradition or adaptability. A culture that favors tradition may draw more cultural strength from their architecture or religion and may be more resistant to the destabilizing effects of neighboring cultures. A culture that values adaptability may survive major changes with reduced effects upon national stability. Adaptability may also lead to greater innovation. A culture may also value glory or cooperation more highly. A nation that values glory may find that they do well in early warfare as their warriors vie for honor and laurels or gain stability and cultural strength from military conquest. A culture that values cooperation may accumulate greater wealth from trade and be more prone to centralization.

Lastly you will have individual assets, things like temples, theaters, etc. These contribute to your cultural strength. They too have to values. The second is the maximal value. The first is your current value. The current value could fall below the maximal value if you have poor governance or otherwise have disrupted culture- maybe there are raiders camping in your temples?


Economy

You gold income is the amount of gold you have available to use for the turn. The first number is your total income (after paying troops and other budgetary requirements). The second is your income spent on unit and asset maintenance. Unused gold is banked in your treasury which can also be used. Gold represents actual currency (whatever its form) and is used to pay bureaucrats, builders, merchants and soldiers. Until you actually develop some form of currency, your gold income will remain zero. A more authoritative and centralized government with greater stability will be more successful in its taxation.

Resources might better be called ‘economy points’ and ultimately represents the timber, ore, grain, labor, and everything else your nation can bring to bear to fund its projects and armies. Prior to the development of currency, your taxes will all be paid in resources. Post-currency, your resources may decrease as your population begins to use a common currency. Resources cannot be banked.

A descriptor provides an outline of how your economy operates in a few short sentences. Its probably best if the player provides this, at least initially.

Your economy will value either autarky or interdependent. An autarky will be insulated against the vagaries of trade and its economy will not be as affected by disruptions from war or embargo. An interdependent economy will grow more quickly and have capacity for greater wealth when other interdependent nations are available for trade and when a trade infrastructure is available. An interdependent economy may be more easily swayed or destabilized by neighbors with dominant culture. An economy will also favor either regulation or free-market. A regulated economy may seek to protect native industries or protect consumers or may simply seek to achieve particular socio- or macro-economic goals. A free market allows free reign to the merchant class, often to the detriment of the commoners and the gain of the government purse. Generally a regulated economy will not produce as much wealth as a free-market economy but will maintain culture and stability to a greater degree. A free-market economy may also lead to greater innovation.

Lastly you will have individual assets, things like farms, fisheries, mines or specific trade routes. Unlike other assets, these ones have two values, one after the slash and one before, like this: Mediterranean Sea trade (2/3). The second number is the maximal value (representing generated wealth) from asset. The first number is the actual value which may be lower due to poor governance or disruptions such as by banditry or pirates.


Technology:

Your Innovation stat describes how innovative your society is as a whole and is the result of things like libraries or elder councils or a cultural tradition of adaptability or a government with liberal values. A higher innovation value indicates your nation will develop technologies more quickly. You do not get to decide what technologies you develop though your resource and gold spending, as well as your various assets may greatly influence it.

The descriptor provides your basic degree of technological development. Typically all nations will begin in the stone age or early bronze age.

Advances include specific advances above and beyond the majority of your neighbors. You may be the first to iron-working or to written language for example. Occasionally the development of a new advance may nullify your assets in particular spheres, such as the development of gunpowder’s effect upon your ‘men with clubs’ army. The good news is that these effects often also affect your neighbors. Use your advances to good effect and develop new assets or military units.


Particular assets may include libraries or sponsored alchemists or other sources of innovation.


Military:

A brief overview of how your military functions is provided in the descriptor.

Army, navy and airforce quality determine how effective your forces are. Assets such as barracks or military smithies may add to quality as too may a culture that values glory.

Your units are a list of the units that make up your military and may include generic units available to you due to your technological advancements and may also include unique units available due to race or cultural investment.

Some of your units may be magical in nature and their strength will rely not only on your military quality but on a mixture of military quality and magical strength.

Assets contribute to military readiness and quality and may include shipyards, barracks, or other related projects.


Magic:

Arcana might also be called mana or divine favor- it doesn’t matter. It represents your command of the arcane mysteries and divine powers. It, like gold and resources, can be spent. Your arcane is represented by two numbers, like this: (1/5). The first number represents your total arcane energy after paying your maintenance costs and the second represents your actual maintenance costs. Your income is the sum of these two numbers.

There are a number of reasons why you would not be able to use your full arcana. It may be required to maintain units that use magic in the same way that professional soldiers require gold. It might also be used to maintain summoned creatures or magical effects. Lastly, particular projects or assets might require magical maintenance depending on their nature.

The remaining arcane (the first number) can be used as you see fit and can be used in conjunction with your resources, if you can justify using magic to pay for assets you are developing. Or it can be used to provide some sort of one-time boost to your military if you can justify its use in battle.

The descriptor provides some insight into how your magic system works.

Magical assets could consist of nearly anything you can dream of that pertains to your magical tradition- a magic circle, an enchanted oak, a school of wizardry, a bloody ziggurat- nearly anything.

Maps:

Turn 1:

Turn Two:


Turn Three:

War

Units

You can spend resources (or gold- all resource requirements can always be substituted for gold if you wish) to purchase armies. General units (warbands, archers, galleys) will be available to all nations/races. Additional units (unique units- see below) will be available based on race or culture.

Units become available the turn you buy them. All costs are in resources. If the unit requires maintenance (gold or aranca) the maintenance costs must also be paid the turn you buy them.


Unique Units

Racial Units. All nations of a particular race with the requisite technology can make the racial units. For example, if there is more than one wolfkin nation, then all wolfkin can make wolfkin reavers (with natural weapons and animal speed). These are separate from the unique units you can develop based on culture or

Cultural Units: You can have up to three unique units (types not individual untis) at once. Each unique unit has a ‘design cost’. The total design costs of your unique units designs add up to form the second number in your cultural strength stat and cannot be larger than your total cultural strength.

When designing a new cultural unit, submit your design and spend at least 5 resources and you’ll get a cultural design and resource cost. If in subsequent turns you ‘spend’ the culture (its not really gone- its just not available to make other unique units) and the resources (that gets spent permanently), then you can then build units of that type.

Note that if you want to free up cultural units you can disband all existing units of a particular type and scrap that unit design to make the points available for another design.


Spontaneous Generation

You may occasionally get spontaneously generated units, these are generally the weakest type available to you (warbands in the early game) and either come as a result of your population scrambling to defend itself in the face of aggression or from a decentralized nation’s outlying lords raising their own forces.

Turn Length

Early turns will be 20 years each.

Movement and Logistics


Use your common sense when providing military orders. Some units may require additional (or less) resources for long-distance campaigns. Consider the map’s scale and the turn length when planning your military campaign.


Magic


Your magical strength is measured by your arcana and along with resources and gold is one of the few stats you can spend. A little or a lot of your arcana may go to maintaining magical units. Shamans, wizards and whatever else will require arcana for their maintenance but will generally be stronger than a similarly priced unit otherwise.

You may develop assets that require arcana to maintain. I’ll leave it to you to figure out how and what you can do with your arcana to develop your nation.

Any arcana remaining after paying the upkeep of units and assets can be spent either for domestic development or to provide advantage in war. You cannot ‘bank’ arcana. (note: i have allowed a player nation to develop 'mana crystals' to bank mana but this was the result of a substantial investment on their part.)

You may want to consider ‘summoning’ units. In this way you assume the entirety of their costs upon your arcana and pay nothing in resources or gold. This may be a good, short-term way to develop additional forces in a hurry should you need them.

I’ll probably add to this section to address questions as they come up.


Technologies

I won’t be allowing directed research in nation orders unless you have a reason to believe a particular technology can exist (ie you see your neighbors wielding bronze weapons). Your national technologies will develop as a function of your ‘innovation’.

Innovation comes from things like libraries or an oral tradition or whatever else you think is worthwhile. Certain types of governments are also more innovative than others.

The development of stone age technologies will come faster than those of the bronze age which will come faster than those of the iron age.

Generally technologies will follow a progression well-developed already by the Civilization line of games.


Economic Development and Trade

Invest your resources and gold in domestic economic assets and see your income soar.
Don’t bother spending less than 12-15 resources on a project or your efforts will just be too diluted and you’ll waste your efforts.

You can make money from trade but since we are in the stone age, real trade is still a long way away. For one, none of you have any currencies yet and for another, trade routes have yet to be established. Trade will come, but please realize you will not see the same sort of returns on investment in the stone age as you would in the modern age.


Projects

Build wonders and massive projects to leave a lasting impression. Generally projects work just like assets but will have much higher ratings.

Common Units
Racial Units
Cultural Units

Baralhen
Thomas.Berubeg Mukakai
Arrow Gamer Neirygine Confederacy
Lord Of Elves Kingdom of Celestia
Seon Kodama
Patchy Aketua
Merciary

Jolustrym
Kaiser Electric Taha'ar League
mgsmuhammed Ixii
Hbar The Many Colored Lands
LDICesare Iwa-Saalit
Ekolite Padubblins
Dogged57

Adrialixtla
Cannae Ogashar
Angst Degad
Amesjay Abartách
Dark Sabre

edited

In. So damn in.

First of all, I am very glad to see this!

Secondly, is this all you want in terms of Joining?

Baralhen

The Baralhen are Orcs (Goblin-Kin) who live deep in rain-forests, near a large river. A Proud warrior people, the Baralhen have carved their home into the high treetops of the rainforest canopy. It is said that a Baralhen can travel through the treetops without ever touching the ground via an ingenious network of ropes and bridges connecting villages.

Perks:
1) (Racial) The Baralhen are diminutive (4 feet) and inhumanely agile.
2) (Racial) The Baralhen are equipped with tusks that grow with age, a hide that toughens with age, and claws that, with age, harden into razorsharp weapons.
3) (Cultural) The Baralhen are largely decentralized, though a tight camaraderie links local villages, and many families are spread throughout local villages.
4) (Magical) The Baralhen are all members of "families" each of which that have the ability to shapeshift into a particular animal. When a child is born with parents from different families, usually the child is given a spiritual choice between the two. Sometimes, even, the child's shapeshifting animal provides them with an animal completely different from that of either of their parents. This, usually, is the start of a new family lineage. (Note: The Families consider their animal their "Patron" and the elders are said to be able to commune with that animal spiritually.)
5) (Cultural) Children are required, at their coming of age (13), to go on a journey, physical or spiritual, and return with something that provides an advantage, whether it be to themselves, to the village, or to the Nation as a whole. The worth of the "gift" is judged by the elders of the Baralhen.

Subscribed, but not in at present. Darn interested, though.

Nation: The Mukakai
Player: Arrow Gamer

Race: Centaurs (beasts)

(1) Mass mobilization: Their lifestyle allows for a large majority o their citizens to be mobilized.

(2) Their Centaur speed allows for quicker attacks and such.

(3) Their horse matabolism allows for grass to be a major source of food

(4) Centaur pride: Their pride gives them a undying culture and devotion.

(5) War History: Their long history of war has made them both better at attacking and defending, as well as increasing their general war readiness.

Favored Climate: Steppe/Great Plains

Governance: Steppe Horde/Tribal
Stability:
Descriptor: Ruled by one dictator, but there is a civil war every time the king dies, between the claimants.
Authority vs. Liberty: Authority
Centralized vs. Decentralized: Centralozed

Culture:
Cultural Strength:
Descriptor: Based around warfare and ritualistic sacrifice
Tradition vs. Adaptability: Tradition
Glory vs. Cooperation: Glory

Economy:
Gold Income:
Treasury:
Resources:
Descriptor: Based around plunder and nomadic herding/grazing
Autarky vs. Interdependence: Autarky
Regulation vs. Free Market: Regulated

Technology:
Innovation:
Base:
Advances:

Military:
Descriptor: Based around raiding, numbers and speed.
Army Quality:
Navy Quality:
Airforce Quality:
Military Units:

Magic:
Descriptor: Ritualistic sacrifice to the gods, either sentient or otherwise, allows channeling of magic. During warfare, shamans can unleash terrible power if they have sacrificed before hand.
Arcana:

In. I will elaborate later on tonight

In. Elaboration comes later.

Nation: Neirygine Confederacy
Race: Lizardmen (Beasts)
Perks
(1) Unintelligible language -- as the Neirygine are semi-reptilian, it is difficult and often impossible for other races to comprehend or reproduce the full repertoire of sounds which make up the Neirygine language. For this reason the Neirygine are nigh-impervious to attempts at espionage by states and cultures which are racially dissimilar.
(2) Heat preference -- though they are not strictly coldblooded, the Neirygine prefer and are able to withstand warmer and more humid temperatures than other races.
(3) Natural armor -- as they have scales instead of proper skin, the Neirygine are better equipped to withstand the blows of most weapons than other races. Despite this, an armored Neirygine is still better protected and more capable than one without armor, and Neirygine soldiers still wear some form of protective vestment.
(4) Non-monogamous -- traditionally, Neirygine are not monogamous. They marry only to raise children, and marriage is considered a political or social contract, not a sexual obligation. Neirygine of importance usually keep harems, and all Neirygine males father multiple children -- for these reasons, the Neirygine have a larger population than other races.
(5) Martial society -- while not glory-obsessed, the Neirygine value military prowess and are ready and willing to make war upon other states. Warfare is often the only way for Neirygine men to make a name for themselves in society.

Preferred Climate: Jungle/equatorial grasslands.

Governance: Tribal Confederation
Stability:
Descriptor: A confederation of houses or clans, ruled by a single Romanesque dictator, called the Sjaerbast, who keeps order among the houses and operates the state with supreme authority.
Authority vs Liberty: Authority
Centralized vs Decentralized: Centralized

Culture:
Cultural Strength:
Descriptor: Primarily concerned with familial lineage, warfare and respect for the gods.
Tradition vs Adaptability: Tradition
Glory vs Cooperation: Cooperation

Economy:
Gold Income:
Treasury:
Resources:
Descriptor: Subsistence farming complemented by raiding, pillaging and general unpleasantness.
Autarky vs Interdependence: Interdependent
Regulation vs Free Market: Regulated

Technology:
Innovation:
Base:
Advances:

Military:
Descriptor: Large amounts of mostly-untrained villagers complemented occasionally by professional warriors.
Army Quality:
Navy Quality:
Airforce Quality:
Military Units:

Magic:
Descriptor: Based around worship and sacrifice to various deities. Mages or narybeti are considered revered, important figures who are exempt from much social convention and are considered the interlocutors of the gods.
Arcana:

Time schedule too cramped for another fresh-start NES at the moment.

I want to join, that's for sure though. Will be lurking for now.

Can spirit be an undead faction whose population grows by a slow but steady supply of escaping souls from the Netherworld (/immigration)?

not wholly and the reason i say that is that you need to be basically susceptible to the same things all nations are- hunger, need for agriculture, changes in weather, etc.

Perhaps in part- but your people would basically need to be limited by things which limit other nations.

That said, you could build a project that helps you capture souls and make them into units or something like that.

I'm in, probably going to recycle my Leth (fox-men) for this as well.