GuideNES: The First Step for Lurkers and Newbies!

Good, we're not using tutor or teacher, we are using Advisor :p

However, if MooseWarrior doesnt mind refering to you as Village Idiot, i'm sure myself and Josef can accomodate ;)
 
Update 0: 1000 BC The Calm Before the Storm...

Throughout Europe, few took note of the monumental changes which were rapidly transforming the landscape of the continent. The age of Iron, now firmly in its early stages in the Near East, is seeing the use of much more formidable weapons and metallurgy, and the stage is set for great empires to arise...

On the Isle of Crete, from the city of Partessos emerged from the chaos of the Mycenean collapse the Partessian people, led by Tyrant King Partessos of the uncreatively named Partessian Dynasty. Aside from adorning the name Partessos to every aspect of their life, the Partessian people are characteristically of Greek origin, worshipping the Greek pantheon with considerable emphasis on the sea for survival. Perhaps themselves of Phoenician origin, the Partessian dynasty seemed to have emerged from the "Dark Ages" of the preceding centuries after extended contact with the Phoenician civilization, who imparted unto them skilled seamanship and trade that went hand in hand with their island sorroundings. Partessos marks itself as one of the more prosperous and secure of Greek states.

On the other side of the Mediterranean, the Sarahi people of Nuaf mark one of the strangest mix of cultures in Europe. Expelled generations ago from Yisrael for their less than fanatical devotion to military expansion, the Sarahi people turned to the Phoenicians for refuge. Led across the sea by the legendary King Yidor, the Sarahi people followed the Phoenicians as they explored the various coasts of the Mediterranean, eventually choosing to settle on the farthest expedition from their homeland as possible, a as of yet unnamed (NAME IT) strait that marks entrance to a vast ocean. The Sarahi people are marked by their since very Phoenicianized Jewish culture with Judeic religious beliefs, essentially a monotheistic faith with some mystical elements. The Sarahi people's unique position gives them a very good position along the tin trade routes with Britain.

In the lands of Lower Egypt, the Egyptian people, who pride themselves on the "ancientness" of their culture are well established. Once bitter rivals with the Hittite empire to the NorthEast, the Egyptians have in recent times found new Jewish empires to contend with. The Egyptians are one of the few states of this era, outside of the Near East, that can confidently claim a semi-modern definition of statehood. Currently in an era of disunity and chaos, the former cradle of civilization in the Mediterreanan will require a powerful leader to keep from continuing its descent into but a memory of history.

Furthering the trend of ahistorical and uncreative names (;)), the nation of "Kiev" (Strangely centered in "Moscow") emerged as a tribe of Bronze Age peoples of primarily Uralic origin. Despite the nomadic nature of their neighboring tribes, the Kiev tribe managed to eke out a living, led by their Emperor Joseph and his descendants. Skilled in the art of horse riding, and still semi-nomadic themselves, the Uralic people are thus far isolated from the rest of Europe, though with the spread of the Steppe people to the south, other settling Uralic tribes to the West, and the ascendent greeks in the Mediterranean, it is unlikely to remain so for long.

Yet another greek state, the state of Patras has participated in the rebirth of Greek civilization. Centered around the northern city state of Patras, the citizens of the city have waged wars of conquest, gathering a formidable swath of land under their control. Their tryant Kings have become renown for their ferocity in battle and firm control over their domains. Still, kept in check by powerful neighbors on virtually all sides, the war-like Patras have to contend with the mighty city states of Athens and Sparta if it to acheive dominance over the region.

Along the Northern Coasts of the Baltic Sea (You can rename these things, you know) the Fenni people have emerged as the counter part to the "Russian" Finno-Ugric people to the East. Much more sea-oriented than the other Finno-Ugric people, the Fenni have already shifted from their roots with contact to many other peoples to the West and South toward a more trade oriented, sedentary nature. Their mythical "Justov", or King, has served as the center of the faith and culture for the Fenni people, and it is from his authority that they have begun rapidly expanding across the Baltic sea.

Further bucking the trend of breaking the mold, but winning brownie points for a good mythical location, the Trojan people of the Dardanelles claim descent from the legandary Trojans of the Trojan war. Of Anatolian Greek persuasion, this probably isn't much of a stretch, and the Trojan people's strategic location in the Dardanelles has overseen a considerable growth in trade and expansion throughout the Aegean. Extended contact with Phoenicians and Hitties has also brought them knowledge of Iron Working, though proximity to large Phyrgian and Thracian tribes may spell trouble in the future.

On the isle of Sicily (Again, you can rename these things!) the Sicilian (Yawn) people, based out of Syracuse and ruled by their King Heracles, are a diverse mixture of Greek and Phoenician descent. Originally a greek colony, the Phoenician explorers have until the recent rebirth of Greek culture all but supplanted the Greeks as the primary source of trade and influence on the island state. With powerful neighbors on either side of the closest continental shores of Sicily, the Sicilian people will be hard pressed to find easy land to expand onto, and have adopted a somewhat defensive naval identity.

In the NorthWestern reaches of Europe lay the Albion tribe, centered around their refreshingly researched/creative (;)) capital of Caerix. The Albion have a surprisingly sophisticated culture for the far North, having been in extensive contact with the Mediterranean almost soley due to their virtual monpoly on the precious metal tin, which is key in bronze making. With limited Phoenician contact, and extensive contact with the Skara Brae to the North, the Albion have established quite the trading empire relative to their otherwise undesirable location. With the groundwork of their civilization lain with the riches of tin, can the Albion tribes outlast the decline of Bronze as Iron spreads throughout the Mediterranean?

Across the sea from the Sicilians lies the Kingdom of Tarantan, another ascending Greek state unified by King Tullus I. Based out of the capital of Taranto, the southern peninsular greeks have envisioned a "Magna Graecia", or Greater Greece, carved out of the Greek holdings of their immediate sorroundings. Already meeting the Sicilians on less than friendly terms, and wary of the non-Greek Romans to their north, the Sicilians are in a unique position of economic power but serious military competition.

The Central Greek state of the Aegean, the "Greek Alliance" is but a coalition of powerful city states in central Greece, brought under the heel og King Adrastos by force or seeking refuge from the expansionist Patras to the West. Ruled by a council which shares power with the King of Athens, the Greek Alliance is a complex but fragmented state, united by its common Greek roots but divided by the political realities of the era and the technological difficulties of maintaining empire. It will take a dynamic ruler, and perhaps a direct external threat, to maintain this tentative alliance and see its expansion.

Another Celtic tribe has made its home near the lands of Albion; the Nord Celtica tribe is ruled by a complex oligarchy of tribal leaders and powerful lords. Trading with the people of Albion and Skara Brae, the Nord Celticans have managed to maintain limited contact with the Mediterranean, otherwise more concerned with internal affairs than external.

Another wonderfully creative tribe is that of the Arevaci, who migrated from Gaul centuries ago to form the small Kingdom of Okilis, centered around their Chief Viriato and his descendants. Of primarily Celtic origin, the Avaraci rapidly intermarried with the Iberian people of the region to form a typical Celtiberian culture, and serve as its prime example. Expanding through the construction of primitive fortifications to secure large lands to graze, the Okilis have just begun their rapid assimilation of the sorrounding Celtiberian tribes, and have acquired the abilities of bronzeworking from their contacts with the Sahari and Albion people.

In the most desolate northern reaches of the NorthWestern isles, the Skara Brae people inhabit a series of rather rocky islands. The Skara Brae are of primarily celtic origin, though their distance from other groups of civilized celts has given them a unique culture unseen in other parts of Europe. A hardy and incredibly stubborn people, the Skara Brae have refused time and time again to abandon their highly unproductive homes, choosing instead to remain and trade with the Albion and Nord Celtic people for survival. There has been talk of migration to the mainland, and perhaps even further south toward the lands of Albion or straight East to the unknown, but the lords of Skara Brae have remained stalwart in their devotion to their land.

The hallmark of laziness, the Regnum Romanorum has served as the poster boy of a lack of creativity and streching of ancient demographics. Claiming descent from a relatively unknown group of Latin tribes, the Roman people have unified under their Primus Tarquinnius Leo Rex, expanding outward to push back their rival neighbor the Etruscans.

Great empires, far preceding the recent settling of tribes, still exist to the east, and other tribes not mentioned have cropped up throughout Europe, in competition with the others for dominance.
 
Spoiler Map, 1000 B.C. :
update0fo7.png


Note on map: Darker Grey represents larger populations of barbarians, lighter gray less so, and white as sparsely populated. Italicized names describe the type of barbarians in the region, colored names are labels for the NPC's. Don't worry about the Near East for now, but it'll likely have colored name labels as well.


READ ALL OF THIS BEFORE YOU POST ANYTHING, UPON PENALTY OF DEATH.

Keep an eye on this post, and things on the front page, for edits with useful info.

I'd like to address some issues, changes, and what to do next with the NES.

First of all, the stats are not technically done yet, and subject to change. The larger NPC empires will take a tad more time to finish up, but they will likely be up later tonight. The map may change slightly too, but in no regards to anything that directly affects Player nations. History is a bit hazy on the pre-existing empires, so I am doing my best to be accurate and to also simplify things for game play and my sake.

Secondly, know that any criticism of unoriginal names was purely in jest, and in no way affected your nation other than giving it a somewhat bland little description. I did my best to conform to the wishes of the players, but you may notice that those who bothered to use Wikipedia or to come up with nice creative names received more air time, and will probably develop a more unique and rich culture than those of you who simply adopt the stock culture of the region. That said, in more established areas like Greece, players have little choice in that arena, being somewhat forced to adopt the culture of the surrounding region. Look to Erez for an example of a unique culture, or Okilis/Albion for examples of using the established culture to your advantage and in an interesting fashion. If any of you want to develop your cultures or think of somewhat more historically accurate names, feel free to include them into your orders. Also, give unique names to islands, rivers, and seas; it adds flavor to the Alternate Timeline we are creating.

Some of you may have noticed on the map that certain cities have colored outlines; this is part of NESing's classic "Three City System". These special cities add income to your nation, each one granting 1 economy per turn to spend on whatever you want. The three different types are Economic Centers (EC's, Red outline), Religious Centers (RC's, Green outline), and Cultural Centers (CC's, Blue outline). They are fairly self explanatory in origin, but the effects of each (outside of the 1 eco/turn bonus) differ based on an innumerable amount of circumstances. OTL Modern examples of religious centers would be Mecca or Jerusalem, Economic Centers New York or Shanghai, and Cultural Centers Paris or London. Some cities may contain two different types, as seen in Albion, but still only generate 1 economy per turn. Special cities will begin to crop up all over Europe as the NES progresses, and part of your job is to encourage their growth in your land through innovative ideas and stories.

Note on Economy: The special cities are not included in your stats, only on the map, and you are required to count them up yourself. The "Economy" stat in your orders represents the economic performance of your entire nation, roughly attributed to tax revenue, agricultural production, etc, not centered on a specific city within your state. Therefore, a nation with (Growing +1) and one Economic Center would have 2 economy to spend that turn.

And now, what to do next. Now that your nations have been placed and given stats, you will be writing your first set of orders. With a couple of exceptions, most of you will only have one spending point this turn, but do not think that that limits your actions to one thing. Innovative ideas are what distinguishes NESing from your basic computer game, and as ruler(s) of your nations, you will be required to think up innovative plans, conquer your neighbors, and wisely spend your alloted economy. Without much to begin with in terms of economy, the most effective way to gain more is to either start projects, conquer neighbors, or come up with creative plans to make your nation more efficient, build up special cities, or whatever else you can conjure up. This is very open ended, and as such I recognize fairly confusing, but feel free to pitch ideas to me, ask me and Abaddon a multitude of questions (I'll generally tell you if something is a really bad/really good idea or will work), etc. Strive to be historically accurate, at least as much as possible, and keep in mind the historical and political realities of your nation as you write orders and come up with your plans.

Orders will likely be due Friday at 11:59 PM PST (GMT +8), however this is subject to change. If you find this time particularly inconvenient, say so, so I know if I should move it. However, I need weekends to update, so don't expect too much in the way of due date freedom. I'll likely get some sample orders up for you guys to look at, or maybe (at their permission) post the orders of one of the veteran players for the turn. Regardless, soon you will get much more concrete detail on what exactly to put in your orders. The update will likely span 100 years.

@ Tasslehoff: Yes, go ahead and join as one of the smaller NPC's that currently have stats, or fill out a template and join anywhere currently vacant.

I'll take this opportunity to remind everyone my AIM is Y2kbbandit2000 and Abaddon's is A8addon. This is my preferred method of answering questions, though PM works as well. The lack of questions so far has disturbed me and made me wonder if you guys are paying attention to what I write ;).
 
Reserved for friendly post. ;)

YOU ALL MAY GET EXCITED ALSO AND POST​

Spoiler Eep! So what do I do next? :


Righty, so the NES is off and running. What we are looking for now is your nations ORDERS.

These well us how you want your nation to develope over the next 100 years.

Most of you have an economy of 1. You can spend this however you like, personally I would advise you to spend it in some way that will help grow your economy futher.. if you are unsure how, ask me or your Advisor

Your orders will be PM'd to Josef. This is how I would set out orders:

Stats:
Nation Name: Veneti
Nation Location: north-eastern Italy
Capital: Adria
Ruler: King Timavus// Abaddon (NPC)
Advisor: None
Government: Monarchy
Economy: (Growing) +1
Army: 8 Divisions
Army Description: Late Bronze Age Infantry
Navy: 4 Ships
Navy Description: Galleys of little experience.
Culture: A merging of the indigenous peoples known as the Euganei and a Trojan-Paphlagonian tribe known as the Eneti . Celtic and illyrian influence, as well as limited Greek, Etruscan, and Phoenician.
Confidence: Tolerating
Technology: Late Bronze Age
Projects:
Background:The Veneti are a unique tribe in the Northeast of Italy, of much Celtic admixture but spurred into organization by contact with Greek and Phoenician traders and colonists.
--------------------------------

Spending

1: Construct a market in my capital so that my nations trade economy may grow.

--------------------------------

Use my 8 Divisions to expand as much as sensible, capturing valuable farmland to feed my gorwing nation is a must!
With my 4 ships, patrol the local waters to protect fishermen from potential pirates.


These are very simple, but thats how a NES is initially, you only have very small economys and Armys to play with.. think of it as the first few turns of a game of Civ! Don't worry, a few updates later and things get a lot more complicated ;)



--------------------------------

@Tom ~ Fraid you will have to re-learn a little bit, but I will help as much as I can, I'm sure you will grasp it quickly!

@ Pinman, did you request one as you signed up? If so I should have assigned you one then.. if not we can still get one for you :)

@Moose ~ Indeed, your initial stats reflect the subtle differences in your nations, your Army may be small now, but can rapidly increase as your economy grows and you train more up :D
 
Good Job!

Nice update...

I suppose that you will allow some mistakes in our orders and gently correct us?:p

seriously, my orders for RFMK are usually more Can i do this? than actuall planning... i hope that's fine by yall... or do i have to relearn how to send orders :p
 
I will name the Formally Rhine river to: Hasnavak River.

(also, Nord Celtia is a filler. I don't like Friasians or Geats or Juts or Franks... I'll pick a better name.)
 
That is certainly impressive and I look forward to playing in this!:D

Do you two have the advisers ready yet?
 
Ooh, 11 ships with highly experienced crew-members!:)
But, only 4 army divisions:(, but they can't be used quickly anyways, as I am on an island.
 
Good Job!

Nice update...

I suppose that you will allow some mistakes in our orders and gently correct us?:p

seriously, my orders for RFMK are usually more Can i do this? than actuall planning... i hope that's fine by yall... or do i have to relearn how to send orders :p

Mistakes will be generally tolerated, though I can't guarantee that hilarious and sadistic outcomes won't occur ;). And as for the "Can I do this" orders, I'd prefer that BEFORE the orders so I can answer that question, but the generally experimental nature of orders will be preserved even in their final edition.

@Charles: Throw stuff like that into your orders, and it will be duly noted.

@Pinman: Abaddon is handling the advisor thing, so look to his post after mine for edits concerning that.

@Moosewarrior: Exactly :p.
 
OOC: Wow. I have a pitiful military. And my economy is receding. Not good.
 
OOC: Wow. I have a pitiful military. And my economy is receding. Not good.

You are in a tough location; it's not exactly particularly well suited for hordes of civilized tribes. Still, you're by far the biggest tribe for quite a ways, and somewhat less sedentary than many of the other nations in the Mediterreanan... so you are in a unique position to influence the Finno-Ugric culture and affect its migrations. Perhaps we will see Finno-Ugric peoples displace the Cimmerians or Celts in time ;).

EDIT: PM's will be answered promptly, starting later tonight after my classes and homework :p.
 
(I intend to join as the Iranians in a few years so that I can meddle with Greek politics and provide something of a "benign" threat as in OTL)

Lurkerism: The players control governments, the collective hive mind or the nudging hand of localized fate? I'm assuming governments, but it has to be made clear that (for example) once a certain kind of culture has been established, anything going severely against the grain is likely going to bring upon them the ire of NPCs within their own states.
 
Alright, well I sent in a template, but I'd like to re-write my background soon to make it more interesting, and I'll take Abbadon's advice and rename the geographical features.

*Cough* You mean my advice :p. Might wanna send a copy of that template to me too, so I can throw it on the stats and maybe even just put you into this update.
 
Orders will be in tomorrow. I will research... Rifling!
 
:hammer::hammer::hammer:

...more interested with internal affairs than external...


That just cracks me up... Me, isolated except a friend across the channel and a river less than 5 miles away... More concerned with interna affairs than external. What I meant is they they don't expand as fast and are much more stable AND trade a lot... your call. But that is so funny...
 
I have updated my post as to how things progress next, any questions?

@ SiP~ I hope you are joking :p
 
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