Update 3 will be Friday, March 18, 2010
Introduction
This is a sort of a fresh-start NES, emerging from several ideas Jason the King gave me in the course of several discussions we had regarding a possible NES of his. All players will begin as a single individual who rallies a group around themselves in the wake of an apocalypse. The groups, assuming they survive, will eventually form the base of a nation. The core concept is to create new cultures from the ruins of our modern world. The skills your acquire in the first phase of this NES and the choices you make to survive will be critical in what sort of nation is formed from your group. Once things settle down from the initial chaos of the failure of modern technology, and most of the world's population is dead, we will move to phase two of the NES, in which nation-states are established.
This is really a study in sociology, and the creation of countries from the efforts of single people who perform deeds out of the ordinary. I ask you, do you have what it takes to lead a people to survival in a hostile world? Join in and we'll find out!
Background: The Change
On January 1st, 2012 3:14 AM Eastern Standard Time, a brilliant flash of light was seen by every person across the world, searing across the eyes. In the wake of this electricity soon failed, and other modern devices followed it. Planes dropped out of the sky and cars careened off road, as gasoline failed to power their engines any longer. As law enforcement and the military attempted to preserve order, they soon discovered their weapons were as useless as small clubs, as gunpowder failed to explode and instead merely fizzled. For all intents and purposes, every piece of human technology developed since the thirteenth century seemed to no longer apply.
The failure of technology means that a new order is soon to rise from the ruins, as people have to struggle to maintain some basic civilization upon the ruins of the modern world. Now, to the determined survivors, the question will be if they can avoid the mobs and masses trying to survive off the stockpiles of the old world. If they can, will they be able to rebuild a civilized society, or will they degrade into basic barbarism, dooming the world to a new Dark Age?
Creating a Group
First and most important: Creating a new group will be allowed at any point in the first phase of this NES. Just be aware, that the later you join in, the less likely you'll be able to survive, as many food sources will likely have already been consumed. You've been warned.
To set up your group, you begin with ten spending points to put in any category within your listed stats below. Begin with a leader name and determine their nationality. You may choose any nationality, regardless of your starting location, as your character may well have been on vacation at the time of the Change. Your nationality is especially important when you consider your location, as an American might have a harder time rallying support from a bunch of Russians in Siberia. Please keep this in mind.
Following that, all you need is to pick ANY occupation and background from the pre-Change world, and that will also affect further starting stats. Just remember, with jobs that have great modern authority, comes the great risk of being sought out by angry mobs or overwhelmed by masses and not enough food to feed them all. While you may have some greater legitimacy upon the conclusion of the apocalypse, it'll be MUCH harder to survive the first stages. Your choice of occupation will also affect directly the amount of followers which will flock to you, whether you like it or not.
One of the most important choices you can make, however, is your starting location. You may pick anywhere in our world to start out, just remember, there's six billion people out there, and all of them are likely to get very hungry very soon. While this would imply that a rural start may wind up to your benefit, consider that greater stocks of good equipment are available in the cities. Also, you may find it to your advantage to start in an area you personally are familiar with, whether it's your current real life home or just somewhere you frequently visit. Do not be afraid to start near another player, remember, you're both fighting for survival at first, not against each other. One other thing to keep in mind is the climate of the region you choose to start in. While northern Canada or Siberia may have the advantage of being somewhat remote, it may not be suitable for a long-term strong nation. Also, weather and so forth may emerge as problems throughout the various updates.
The skill sets of Survival Skills, Organizational, Skills, Scientific Adaption, and Archaic Knowledge are all discussed in depth below the sample stats, so read that. Each cost one starting point (out of your initial ten), and this is likely where you will direct most of your efforts.
You can also put your ten starting points into Followers, Food, or Equipment. If you want to start with any type of fancy equipment which would be applicable in the post-Change environment, simply ask me about it, and I'll give you a cost out of your points for it. As for followers, for each point you put into it, you receive ten free followers. For each point put into food, you receive ten free food units. Food and followers are discussed in depth below.
I also personally would prefer to see a strong background for your starting character and leader. This isn't required, but I will promise bonuses related to your background, within reason for good stories.
Michael Havel
Nationality: American
Pre-Change Occupation: Pilot
Pre-Change Background: Military
Location: Yosemite National Park, North America
Followers: 0
Food: 0
Survival Skills: 5
Organizational Skills: 3
Scientific Adaptation: 2
Archaic Knowledge: 0
Equipment: 6 Spears
Followers and Food
The base on which your nation will inevitably be built is your group of followers, who will provide the vital manpower you need to reshape the world. The more people you have the easier it will be to defend yourself against the hungry mobs of the post-Change world. Also, with more people, the greater the chance that the various traits you have will rise from the added experience of other people into your group. The more people you have at the end, the stronger your country will inevitably be.
There is a downside to a large group, for every follower you have you need to be able to feed them. Each turn, each follower will consume one unit of food. There are several ways to obtain food, the long way, but better long term, would to be to acquire farmland and raise crops. Admittedly though, this will take a considerable amount of time, though it is the only solution in the very long run. You can also secure pre-Change stockpiles of food from various sources, a technique which will heavily depend on your personal ingenuity and creativity. If worse comes to worse, you can always abandon your standards and prey on your fellow man. Just keep in mind the possible psychological and physical effects upon your people in the long run.
Group Skills
Survival Skills reflects the basic knowledge of day-to-day survival in a hostile environment. This includes everything from simple hunting and gathering to some basic medical knowledge and treatment. The higher this group skill is, the easier it is for your group to salvage food, set up a settlement of some kind, or simply survive in the more rural regions of the world.
Organizational Skills reflects your group's ability to remain organized in chaotic situations, sparking improved loyalty among your followers and increased efficiency at recruiting new followers. Dissent and disunion within your group becomes less likely the higher this skill is.
Scientific Adaption is the basic knowledge and what I previously called "Book Learnin'." This reflects the basic adherence to advanced knowledge from the pre-Change era, including civil engineering, scientific theories, and other important elements.
Archaic Knowledge is various skills which may have been learned as a hobby or even a side career before the change. This can include sets such as old-style farming, blacksmithing, or even archery. In a world without modern technology, the higher this is, the stronger you'll inevitably be when a nation-state is established.
Equipment
Unless you choose to spend some of your starting points on fancy applicable pre-Change equipment, this stat will be completely filled by what you manage to salvage or create from the ruins of the modern world. During the course of the first phase of this NES, there is no cost to working out any creation or acquisition of equipment. All that matters is that you have the requisite group skills or the fortune or knowledge of where to stumble upon working equipment. This is another reason starting in an area you may be familiar with is a good idea.
Orders and Updates
Each update will represent a period over a week of time, and your orders should reflect this. There is no spending or the like for it, and yes, this heavily involves creativity and story telling, as it should be in a Never Ending Story. Based on your group's location, you can choose to travel to another position, salvage for food or equipment, or anything else which suits your fancy and is plausible in the setting. Remember, the only stat you are bound to is food, and if you begin to starve, there's very little which will save you in the long run. Also, in the start, the six billion people which populate the earth will all still be alive and just as eager to survive as you are. If you start in an urban area, be prepared to fight for what you need to live.
Remember, the goal of this character based stage is not only just to survive the apocalypse, but to find a long-term place to live as well. You are the base of a country, and if you merely attempt to survive, you may find yourself weaker in the long run. Keep this in mind when planning out your orders and strategy.
Physics Behind the Change
According to the FAQ on the S.M. Stirling website, here's a brief rundown of what exactly has changed for those curious.
World Map
As stated previously, the entire world is in play in this NES, and you may choose anywhere to begin your part of the apocalypse. The map will begin blank, and the various groups will be represented by colors upon the map. If you have a color preference, be sure to mention it when creating your initial group.
Introduction
This is a sort of a fresh-start NES, emerging from several ideas Jason the King gave me in the course of several discussions we had regarding a possible NES of his. All players will begin as a single individual who rallies a group around themselves in the wake of an apocalypse. The groups, assuming they survive, will eventually form the base of a nation. The core concept is to create new cultures from the ruins of our modern world. The skills your acquire in the first phase of this NES and the choices you make to survive will be critical in what sort of nation is formed from your group. Once things settle down from the initial chaos of the failure of modern technology, and most of the world's population is dead, we will move to phase two of the NES, in which nation-states are established.
This is really a study in sociology, and the creation of countries from the efforts of single people who perform deeds out of the ordinary. I ask you, do you have what it takes to lead a people to survival in a hostile world? Join in and we'll find out!
Background: The Change
On January 1st, 2012 3:14 AM Eastern Standard Time, a brilliant flash of light was seen by every person across the world, searing across the eyes. In the wake of this electricity soon failed, and other modern devices followed it. Planes dropped out of the sky and cars careened off road, as gasoline failed to power their engines any longer. As law enforcement and the military attempted to preserve order, they soon discovered their weapons were as useless as small clubs, as gunpowder failed to explode and instead merely fizzled. For all intents and purposes, every piece of human technology developed since the thirteenth century seemed to no longer apply.
The failure of technology means that a new order is soon to rise from the ruins, as people have to struggle to maintain some basic civilization upon the ruins of the modern world. Now, to the determined survivors, the question will be if they can avoid the mobs and masses trying to survive off the stockpiles of the old world. If they can, will they be able to rebuild a civilized society, or will they degrade into basic barbarism, dooming the world to a new Dark Age?
Creating a Group
First and most important: Creating a new group will be allowed at any point in the first phase of this NES. Just be aware, that the later you join in, the less likely you'll be able to survive, as many food sources will likely have already been consumed. You've been warned.
To set up your group, you begin with ten spending points to put in any category within your listed stats below. Begin with a leader name and determine their nationality. You may choose any nationality, regardless of your starting location, as your character may well have been on vacation at the time of the Change. Your nationality is especially important when you consider your location, as an American might have a harder time rallying support from a bunch of Russians in Siberia. Please keep this in mind.
Following that, all you need is to pick ANY occupation and background from the pre-Change world, and that will also affect further starting stats. Just remember, with jobs that have great modern authority, comes the great risk of being sought out by angry mobs or overwhelmed by masses and not enough food to feed them all. While you may have some greater legitimacy upon the conclusion of the apocalypse, it'll be MUCH harder to survive the first stages. Your choice of occupation will also affect directly the amount of followers which will flock to you, whether you like it or not.
One of the most important choices you can make, however, is your starting location. You may pick anywhere in our world to start out, just remember, there's six billion people out there, and all of them are likely to get very hungry very soon. While this would imply that a rural start may wind up to your benefit, consider that greater stocks of good equipment are available in the cities. Also, you may find it to your advantage to start in an area you personally are familiar with, whether it's your current real life home or just somewhere you frequently visit. Do not be afraid to start near another player, remember, you're both fighting for survival at first, not against each other. One other thing to keep in mind is the climate of the region you choose to start in. While northern Canada or Siberia may have the advantage of being somewhat remote, it may not be suitable for a long-term strong nation. Also, weather and so forth may emerge as problems throughout the various updates.
The skill sets of Survival Skills, Organizational, Skills, Scientific Adaption, and Archaic Knowledge are all discussed in depth below the sample stats, so read that. Each cost one starting point (out of your initial ten), and this is likely where you will direct most of your efforts.
You can also put your ten starting points into Followers, Food, or Equipment. If you want to start with any type of fancy equipment which would be applicable in the post-Change environment, simply ask me about it, and I'll give you a cost out of your points for it. As for followers, for each point you put into it, you receive ten free followers. For each point put into food, you receive ten free food units. Food and followers are discussed in depth below.
I also personally would prefer to see a strong background for your starting character and leader. This isn't required, but I will promise bonuses related to your background, within reason for good stories.
Michael Havel
Nationality: American
Pre-Change Occupation: Pilot
Pre-Change Background: Military
Location: Yosemite National Park, North America
Followers: 0
Food: 0
Survival Skills: 5
Organizational Skills: 3
Scientific Adaptation: 2
Archaic Knowledge: 0
Equipment: 6 Spears
Followers and Food
The base on which your nation will inevitably be built is your group of followers, who will provide the vital manpower you need to reshape the world. The more people you have the easier it will be to defend yourself against the hungry mobs of the post-Change world. Also, with more people, the greater the chance that the various traits you have will rise from the added experience of other people into your group. The more people you have at the end, the stronger your country will inevitably be.
There is a downside to a large group, for every follower you have you need to be able to feed them. Each turn, each follower will consume one unit of food. There are several ways to obtain food, the long way, but better long term, would to be to acquire farmland and raise crops. Admittedly though, this will take a considerable amount of time, though it is the only solution in the very long run. You can also secure pre-Change stockpiles of food from various sources, a technique which will heavily depend on your personal ingenuity and creativity. If worse comes to worse, you can always abandon your standards and prey on your fellow man. Just keep in mind the possible psychological and physical effects upon your people in the long run.
Group Skills
Survival Skills reflects the basic knowledge of day-to-day survival in a hostile environment. This includes everything from simple hunting and gathering to some basic medical knowledge and treatment. The higher this group skill is, the easier it is for your group to salvage food, set up a settlement of some kind, or simply survive in the more rural regions of the world.
Organizational Skills reflects your group's ability to remain organized in chaotic situations, sparking improved loyalty among your followers and increased efficiency at recruiting new followers. Dissent and disunion within your group becomes less likely the higher this skill is.
Scientific Adaption is the basic knowledge and what I previously called "Book Learnin'." This reflects the basic adherence to advanced knowledge from the pre-Change era, including civil engineering, scientific theories, and other important elements.
Archaic Knowledge is various skills which may have been learned as a hobby or even a side career before the change. This can include sets such as old-style farming, blacksmithing, or even archery. In a world without modern technology, the higher this is, the stronger you'll inevitably be when a nation-state is established.
Equipment
Unless you choose to spend some of your starting points on fancy applicable pre-Change equipment, this stat will be completely filled by what you manage to salvage or create from the ruins of the modern world. During the course of the first phase of this NES, there is no cost to working out any creation or acquisition of equipment. All that matters is that you have the requisite group skills or the fortune or knowledge of where to stumble upon working equipment. This is another reason starting in an area you may be familiar with is a good idea.
Orders and Updates
Each update will represent a period over a week of time, and your orders should reflect this. There is no spending or the like for it, and yes, this heavily involves creativity and story telling, as it should be in a Never Ending Story. Based on your group's location, you can choose to travel to another position, salvage for food or equipment, or anything else which suits your fancy and is plausible in the setting. Remember, the only stat you are bound to is food, and if you begin to starve, there's very little which will save you in the long run. Also, in the start, the six billion people which populate the earth will all still be alive and just as eager to survive as you are. If you start in an urban area, be prepared to fight for what you need to live.
Remember, the goal of this character based stage is not only just to survive the apocalypse, but to find a long-term place to live as well. You are the base of a country, and if you merely attempt to survive, you may find yourself weaker in the long run. Keep this in mind when planning out your orders and strategy.
Physics Behind the Change
According to the FAQ on the S.M. Stirling website, here's a brief rundown of what exactly has changed for those curious.
Spoiler :
World Map
As stated previously, the entire world is in play in this NES, and you may choose anywhere to begin your part of the apocalypse. The map will begin blank, and the various groups will be represented by colors upon the map. If you have a color preference, be sure to mention it when creating your initial group.
Oh so much fun.
