Settlers of Islandia
Intro: The premise of the game is that you will take control of a group of settlers and make a name for yourself in the land of Islandia (again working title). You will have two basic starting options:
Backstories:
- NATIVE: Your life has been an endless cycle of migrations between the northern tribal encampments. Fed up with tribal squabbles and rituals, you have decided to forsake your old life and start anew on the island of Islandia. Now is your chance to create a better life for your children, for your people. It is your society, your civilization. Will it be one of greatness or will your people fall prey to disease, corruption, and death? Can you build a civilization that will stand the test of time?
- EMPIRE: Your life has been a long one of toil and strife to make a meagre living at the mercy of the Empire and its Bureaucracy. Sick of high taxes and political corruption, you took your few belongings, picked up your family and friends, and have made your way north to the virgin isle of Islandia. Now is your chance to create a better life for your children, for your people. It is your society, your civilization. Will it be one of greatness or will your people fall prey to disease, corruption, and death? Can you build a civilization that will stand the test of time?
Social Group: For the sake of this game, a social group is defined as a group of affiliated main/major characters and all of their followers and their followers’ followers. Social groups have a few base stats that define them: Name, Leader, Government, Society, and Race. You will define each of these at the beginning, and later will only be able to change them gradually if at all.
Society: At the beginning of the game you will be able to define your follower’s society through their values and social tenants. After that, only small changes by the eldest of a society will be accepted by members of a society. You can define your society in anyway you see fit, but all will share the same basic units of “values” and “social tenants”. A value is something held dear or expected by society. For example one society may have the value of physical strength, while another may value the acquisition of a certain skill. A social tenant is something your society expects of its members. For example a society may expect the women to subordinate to men (patriarchy), or they may expect people to divide themselves based upon profession (caste). You society can be strict and have many values/tenants, or it could be lax with relatively few.
Characters: There are three types of characters: Main Characters, Major Characters and Followers. Main characters are those controlled by a player. Major characters are those that hold titles/land/followers. Follower Characters are just that, they follow a Main or Major Character. Each of these types have their own stats associated with them. All types will require food to survive, and will age and die just as in real life.
- Main Characters: Controlled directly by the player, main characters are your avatar in the game. Just as you eat you must feed your main character in the game. Your main character eats ⅕ of one growth each season.
Stats:
- Major Characters: NPCs controlled directly by me. Major characters will come about when (1) there are NPC factions that pop up to make the game more interesting, (2) when you start a family and declare your heir he/she will then become a Major Character that you will still have to feed each season (congrats), or (3) when Followers of Main Characters are given titles or holdings (similar to a house elf). Promoted Followers will no longer blindly follow, but will have their own stats and followers. They will like the one that promoted them though!
- Follower Characters: Follow a Main or Major Characters. Follower characters are flat and devout. They will do what you tell them when you tell them. They will follow the Main/Major character that holds the highest influence over them. In addition, if they are starving, being killed, or otherwise in pain/danger jump sides if a Main/Major character in an adjacent tile has extra food stored up and is willing to take them (otherwise they will be forced to die/starve/or in some otherway be hurt by your negligence). Unaffiliated Followers will be randomly around and can be swayed to join through speeches or propaganda.
Stats:
Items: Items are things you can hold in your inventory that can give you perks ranging from increasing your character’s traits, to giving them extra defense, to helping them gain a skill more quickly. You acquire items by bartering for them with traders. (See section on trading).
Influence: I have set aside this separate topic for influence over follower characters because it is going to be such an essential part of the game. You can increase/decrease your influence over follower characters mainly through actions. Give a speech and they will like you more, lead them into an ambush and they will like you less. Influence is calculated temporarily and permanently. Temporary influence resets each turn, while permanent influence is long term and will never lessen due to time. Permanent influence is gained by garnering large amounts of Temporary Influence with a particular Follower. When your permanent influence is higher than that of who they are following, they will begin following you. Well timed speeches (for example after a devastating loss) can be powerful in winning over followers from your enemy.
Actions: Main Characters and Major Characters can perform three actions per turn. In addition, they can assign each of their followers one action each turn. Actions range from “move north”, to “kill player”, to “procreate.” Basically you can do anything (within reason) that you can think of. Just ask and I will tell you what the action would cost and requirements. I will however provide a base list to get the ball rolling. At the start actions will be basic, but will grow more advanced as your societies grows more advanced. Your actions will have a chance of failure and a degree of success that is largely dependent on what it is you're trying to do. Some things (like eating or breathing) are implied and will not take from your three actions.
Skills: You have the option of studying or training to acquire a skill. Skills can range from martial skill, to rhetoric skill, to diplomacy skills. Skills generally will increase the likelihood your action will be a success or its outcome will be more positive. In the case of martial skill, it will increase your ability to fight, whether that be defending from an attack, attacking another, or survival chance on the battlefield. You may only hold two skills at a time, Follower characters can only hold one skill at a time. Skills can be earned through the train/study action, and require ten skill gains to master (you can’t use it until you master it).
Here is a list of all the skills this game should require, though if you think of a new one feel free to send me a message and I may add it:
Technology: Technologic advancement in the game will come about very gradually to reflect the gradual nature of the turns. At the start, the game will be in bronze age level technology. This means the crafting of spears/shields/armor and rudimentary swords. As the game progresses, you will have new breakthroughs in technology but will never have to worry about directing this yourself.
Roleplay: Being on the NES forum, I expect a minimal amount of roleplay, however it is not required. Those who do roleplay will get a bonus to roleplayed actions/negotiations. That being said, roleplay people! The more you do the richer the game will be. Do assume though that whatever you roleplay will be common knowledge to every character in the game.
Updates and Turns: The game is divided into turns, and one season passes each turn. There are two seasons in a year (summer and winter). I am unsure how often I will need to update, but I’m assuming it will be pretty close to once each season. Nevertheless, it will be as much as is needed, no more no less.