Note: all rules are subject to change, so please keep an eye out for them. Thanks.
House Rules
1. Do not flame, troll, or personally insult any other player OOC or IC. At all. You may comment on certain things negatively, but don't take it further than that.
2. Stay on topic. Make sure all comments are relevant to the fictional world of the current IOT and have nothing to do with your personal religious/political beliefs.
3. Your posts should actually consist of something relevant to your nation and not just one-liner comments. Do not spam.
4. Long diplomatic discussions belong to the realms of Social Groups or visitor and private messaging, not the Game Thread.
5. No powergaming. By definition, powergaming is making your country surpass every other country by all terms including armed forces, technology, etc.
6. The GM is supreme. He reserves the right to change game rules, ignore or modify orders, impose restrictions on players, disband player nations, and so on.
7. Please write your orders in
red and bold, so I can see them better.
Blue is reserved solely for me to make rule notices, warning players, etc.
8. Above all else, RESPECT THY FELLOW FORUMERS.
I'll usually warn players first if they break the rules. If they break the rules repeatedly, then I'll apply this:
1st Strike: Player is suspended from the game for one turn.
2nd Strike: Player is suspended from the game for three turns.
3rd Strike: Player nation dissolved, and the player banned from ever rejoining.
I reserve the right to ignore this policy for players who really piss me off, and kick them out of the game instantly.
Inactive players will not have their nations disbanded; they will instead be NPC’d. Once NPC’d, a nation is open for claiming. Players can avoid having their nation NPC’d if they let me know they will be inactive ahead of time. These players can rejoin the game at any time.
Joining the Game
There are two ways to join the game; firstly, you can pick an established nation. Established nations represent active player nations that existed at the end of IOT VII. All Established nations start with 25 territories (except the Latino Nation & Carthage- given that they were the superpowers at the end of IOT VII, they start with 40 territories); established nations are reserved for the player who controlled them at the end of IOT VII. If you wish to take control of an established nation & were not a member of IOT VII, PM the player & ask them to forfeit their reservation; if a nation that was reserved at the start of the game remains unclaimed for 2 turns, consider that nation open for claiming (The exception to this rule is the Federal Republic of the Coastal Nations; given that I controlled that country in IOT VII, it is open for claiming at the start). If you cannot or will not pick an established nation, simply claim any 15 provinces on the map. The provinces must be either contiguous or on the coast. Choose a name and a color, and then tell us about your nation. A flag is necessary, as is a government, religion, people, policy, etc.
Updates
This IOT is a turn-based game. Each turn ends and a new turn begins with an Update. Updates occur 48 hours after half the players have sent in their orders. Any players who have not sent in their orders by this point will be automated.
Roleplaying
Roleplaying is the essence of IOT. It’s how your nation develops. It’s how alliances are formed and broken. Roleplaying is very encouraged. Feel free to inhabit your nation with whomever or whatever you want, provided it fits with the setting and the etiquette listed above.
Expansion
If you are not at war, you will receive 5 XPs (Expansion Points) per turn; with these you can peacefully claim provinces at a rate of 1 XP per province. EPs can be converted to XPs at an exchange rate of 15 EPs to 1 XP. If no other nation claims the same territory, they will be annexed by your empire at the update. Claimed territories must be next to your own territories or on the coast; you must possess a navy to claim non-adjacent coastal provinces. Note that while you CAN expand peacefully during war, you will NOT receive any free XPs during a war.
If there are competing claims, you can either discuss it among yourselves, or a border skirmish will occur; two armies from each side will fight for the territory. You may notice that most island territories are enclosed by black lines; if the lines connect to other, larger provinces, then any islands enclosed by those lines are considered a part of the larger province. Island(s) completely enclosed by black lines & unconnected to mainland provinces are considered 1/2 territories; 1/2 territories cost 1/2 XP to claim. If an island group is completely enclosed by black lines & has a small black triangle attached to it, it counts as a full territory. Currently, island(s) enclosed by black lines that count as a full territory are:
- The Aleutian Islands
- Kodiak Island
- The Hawaiian Islands
- The Azores
- The Canaries
- Cape Verde
- The Balearic Islands
- The Aegean Islands
- The North-Central Philippines
- The South-Central Philippines
- The Caroline Islands
- The Solomon Islands
- Vanuatu
- New Caledonia
- West Fiji
- East Fiji
- Tasmania
Economics
Your nation has a population; each newly settled province adds 10 to this value (1/2 territories will only add 5 to the value). Each population is worth 10,000 individuals. Established nations & new nations start the game with 80 Population per territory, while Carthage & the Latino Nation start the game with 60 Population per territory. Your population will grow naturally at a rate between 1% & 6% per turn
In addition, you also have an Industry rating, which is essentially a measure of how developed you are. Your Industry will grow 1% per year or at least 0.001. All nations start at 0.025 Industry.
Your base income is your Population number * your Industry. So, at the beginning, established nations start with 50 EP ((25 Territories * 80 Pop) * 0.025 Industry), while new nations start with 30 EP ((15 Territories * 80 Pop) * 0.025 Industry); Carthage & the Latino Nation start the game with 60 EP ((40 Territories * 60 Pop) * 0.025 Industry).
You can spend EPs to increase your infrastructure by 0.001; how much it costs per nation varies with each update. At the start, it costs 6 EPs for new nations to increase their infrastructure by 0.001, it costs established nations 12 EPs to increase their infrastructure by 0.001, & it costs 18 EPs for Carthage & the Latino Nation to increase their infrastructure by 0.001. Furthermore, prices will fluctuate as part of a global boom/bust cycle.
- Boom/Bust cycles are determined by a RNG roll of 1-50; an economic bust occurs if the roll was between 1-10, an economic boom occurs if the roll was between 41-50, & no boom or bust occurs if the roll was between 11-40. The severity of the Boom or Bust is determined by RNG. It is possible for RP to affect the Boom/Bust cycle- and I do not mean RPing that your nation is experiencing an unexpected surge in growth. The ways RP can affect the boom/bust cycle will not be explained.
Units
There are three types of Combat Units, three types of Command Units, & one type of Espionage Unit:
- Armies- Each Army costs 5 EPs, 5 Population, & gives you one roll (1-20) in the RNG. Defeated armies have a 33% chance of destruction, 33% chance of capture, and 33% chance of retreat. Armies can attack two provinces deep by default. Armies are pooled regionally. That is, one pool of units can deploy anywhere in a territory of yours that is contiguous. If you deploy 10 units in your European area and 20 in your Asian area for instance, they are confined to those areas unless you transport them. Therefore, the number of Armies defending an individual province is (# of Armies in a contiguous territory/# of territories that are contiguous); you can also order troops to defend individual provinces & leave others without garrisons. All armies get a +10% defensive bonus & a +10% defensive bonus against amphibious landings.
- Navies- Each Navy costs 10 EPs, 5 Population, & gives you one roll (1-30) in the RNG. Defeated navies have a 50% chance of destruction & a 50% chance of retreat. Navies can bombard shores; bombarding has a 10+X% chance of killing 1-2 units in the bombarded province, where X is your nation’s military technology. Navies have a 25% chance of shooting down attacking Air Wings. Each Navy can carry up to 5 Air Wings & 5 Armies. Navies can also blockade nations; blockaded nations lose 25% of their EPs.
- Air Wings- Each Air Wing costs 5 EPs, 2 Population, & gives you one roll (1-10) in the RNG. Defeated air wings have a 75% chance of destruction & a 25% chance of retreat. Air Wings can attack two provinces deep by default. Air Wings can target Navies; they have a 20+X% chance of disabling Navies for one turn & a (20+X)/2% chance of destroying Navies, where X is your nation’s military technology. Air Wings can bomb provinces; bombing has 25+X% chance of killing 1-4 units in the bombed province, where X is your nation’s military technology.
- General- Generals cost 15 EPs; see Leadership to determine their effects
- Admiral- Admirals cost 15 EPs; see Leadership to determine their effects
- Air Marshal- Air Marshals cost 15 EPs; see Leadership to determine their effects.
- Agent- Each Agent costs 5 EPs & gives you one roll (1-10) in the RNG when combatting other agents; see Espionage to determine their effects. Agents pool nationwide.
Major Cities & Buildings
Major Cities are centers of culture, science, & industry. They give a 40% defensive bonus & you get one free Major City for every 10 Territories you have. Every building except Forts, Drydocks, & Naval Bases must be constructed in a Major City. Major Cities count as territories for the purposes of determining population & industry loss due to warfare.
- Your Capital City is a special major city; at the start of the game, choose one of your major cities to act as a Capital. Your Capital City gives a 60% defensive bonus & counts as two territories for the purposes of determining population & industry loss due to warfare; if your Capital City is captured, all of your forces get -2 to Morale & all enemy forces get +1 to Morale. Whether or not you have a line of supply to your units is determined by the location of your Capital City relative to your units. You can change Capitals at any time, but doing so will cost 15% of your EPs & cause you to lose 15% of your EPs the following turn.
- Forts are massive military installations built for protection. Forts cost 40 EPs to build, & give a 75% defensive bonus. Forts have a 25+X% chance to shoot down air wings attacking the province a fort is based in & a 10+X% chance to shoot down air wings attacking neighboring provinces, where X is your nation’s military technology. If a General, Admiral, or Air Marshall is recruited at a Fort, they start with +1 Experience. Forts cannot be built in Major Cities or Capitals.
- Drydocks are simple installations designed to construct ships. Drydocks cost 20 EPs to build, & cause all navies recruited in their province to start with +1 training. Each Drydock can only give their bonus to 5 Navies per turn. Drydocks can only be constructed in coastal provinces.
- Naval Bases are massive installations designed to construct, house & protect many ships & their crews. Naval Bases cost 30 EPs to build, & cause all navies recruited in their province to start with +2 training. Each Naval Base can only give their bonus to 10 Navies per turn, and you need at least 2 Drydocks in your nation to construct 1 Naval Base. Naval Bases can only be constructed in coastal provinces. Naval Bases give the province they are built in a 10% defensive bonus.
There are several buildings you may construct in your cities; they include Barracks, Military Bases, Airfields, & Airbases.
- Barracks are simple installations designed to house garrisons. Barracks cost 10 EPs to build, & cause all armies recruited in their province to start with +1 training. Each Barracks can only give their bonus to 5 Armies per turn.
- Military Bases are massive installations designed to house & protect multiple garrisons. Military Bases cost 15 EPs to build, & cause all armies recruited in their province to start with +2 training. Each Military Base can only give their bonus to 10 Armies per turn, and you need at least 2 Barracks in your nation to construct 1 Military Base. Military Bases give the city they are built in a 10% defensive bonus.
- Airfields are simple installations designed to house planes. Airfields cost 10 EPs to build, & cause all air wings recruited in their province to start with +1 training. Each Airfield can only give their bonus to 5 Air Wings per turn.
- Airbases are massive installations designed to house & protect multiple flights of planes & their crews. Airbases cost 15 EPs to build, & cause all air wings recruited in their province to start with +2 training. Each Airbase can only give their bonus to 10 Air Wings per turn, and you need at least 2 Airfields in your nation to construct 1 Airbase. Airbases give the city they are built in a 10% defensive bonus.
War
Combat is decided by RNG. The rolls of all units participating in a battle are added up, & the side with the highest total roll wins the battle. Ties are won by the defender. Whenever a battle is lost, the losing side may inflict casualties upon the winning side; casualties are between 0% & 50% of the total number of units that were on the losing side, rounding down. Casualties count as defeated units for the purposes of determining combat bonuses & the chances of death, capture, & retreat. Units that have retreated fight at 75% strength for the remainder of the turn. If a province is lost, a proportionate amount of population & industry is transferred to whoever captured the province, with 10% of the transferred population & 20% of the transferred industry being lost to war. Several factors will affect the final rolls; these factors include military technology, morale, leadership, blitz, & shock.
- Military Technology: applies to all Land Units, Naval Units, Air Units, & Espionage Units. Military Technology represents how advanced your military is; every Military Technology level you have over an opponent adds +2 to your RNG rolls. Every 2 Military Technology levels above zero allow you to attack one province deeper into enemy territory. Military Technology bonuses are applied before percentage-based bonuses. Military Technology costs 50X, where X is the military technology you are trying to research, and there are 10 Military Technology Levels available for research.
- Morale: applies to all Lands Units, Naval Units, & Air Units. Morale is the will of your troops to fight, and has a value between -8 & 8. At -8, Morale is crippling, and your troops get -50% to all rolls. At -7, Morale is unbelievingly low, and your troops get -40% to all rolls. At -6, Morale is extremely low, & your troops get -30% to all rolls. At -5 & -4, Morale is very low, & your troops get -20% to all rolls. At -3 & -2, Morale is low, & your troops get -10% to all rolls. At -1, 0, & 1, Morale is average, & your troops get no bonuses or penalties to combat rolls. At 2 & 3, Morale is relatively high, & your troops get +5% to all rolls. At 4 & 5, Morale is high, & your troops get +10% to all rolls. At 6, Morale is very high, & your troops get +15% to all rolls. At 7, Morale is extremely high, & your troops get +20% to all rolls. At 8, Morale is monstrously high, & your troops get +40% to all rolls. By default, all units start out at 0 Morale. Morale is determined by battle history & propaganda spending.
- If your wins outnumber your losses by at least 3:1 or +15, whichever is larger, you get +3 to Morale. If your wins outnumber your losses by at least 2:1 or +10, whichever is larger, you get +2 to Morale. If you wins outnumber your losses by at least 3:2, or +5, whichever is larger, you get +1 to Morale. If your losses outnumber your wins by at least 3:2 or +5, whichever is larger, you get -1 to Morale. If your losses outnumber your wins by at least 2:1 or +10, whichever is larger, you get +2 to Morale (think last stands). It is extremely important to note that Battle History only applies to a War you are currently involved in, and will reset to zero at the conclusion of the conflict. Re-entering a War with the same combatant(s) within 4 turns restores the battle history that was present at the conclusion of the previous conflict.
- Propaganda has a value between -2 & 7. At -2, your citizens & soldiers are supportive of the enemy, and you get -5 to Morale. At -1, you citizens & soldiers are sympathetic to the enemy, and you get -2 to Morale. At 0-1, your citizens & soldiers are indifferent to the conflict, & you get no bonuses or hits to Morale. At 2, your citizens & soldiers are relatively supportive of your cause, & you get +1 to Morale. At 3-4, your citizens & soldiers are supportive of your cause, & you get +2 to Morale. At 5-6, your citizens are very supportive of your cause, & you get +3 to Morale. At 7, your citizens & soldiers are fanatical when it comes to your cause, & you get +4 to Morale. Propaganda increases by one level for every 10% of your income you spend, rounding up. Propaganda decreases by 1 for every 4 turns you spend at War. You can also pay, in public or in private, to decrease the Propaganda level of another nation; it will cost 15% of your income - again, rounding up. All nations start at zero propaganda. Winning a War increases your propaganda by 1 & losing a War decreases your propaganda by 1.
- Leadership: applies to all Lands Units, Naval Units, & Air Units. Leadership represents how well led you troops are. Leadership has a value between 0 & 6. Every level above zero increases the chance for defeated Land Units to retreat by 3% & decreases the chance that defeated Land Units will become POWs by 3%. Every level above zero also increases the chance for defeated Naval or Air units to retreat by 5% & decreases the chance that defeated Naval or Air Units will be destroyed by 5%. Every 2 levels above zero also gives +1 to the RNG roll; every 3 levels above zero gives +1 to Army movement range & Air Wing strike range. Leadership bonuses are applied after percentage-based bonuses. Leadership is determined by the training of your troops & the experience of your Generals/Admirals/Air Marshals.
- Training represents how well trained your troops are. Units that have been recruited normally have 0 training. Armies that have been recruited at a Barracks (Or Navies that have been built at a Drydock, or Air Wings that have been built at an Airfield) have +1 Training. Armies that have been recruited at a Military Base (Or Navies that have been recruited at a Naval Base, or Air Wings that have been built at an Airbase) have +2 training. You can increase the training of units that have not maxed out their training by paying 40% of the normal cost to recruit them, provided you have the ability to recruit the better-trained units normally; units that have re-entered training are taken out of action for a turn.
- Your Generals/Admirals/Air Marshals gain +1/3 experience for every battle they were present at & survived. Generals/Admirals/Air Marshals normally start at 0 experience, unless they were recruited at a Fort, in which case they start at +1 experience. Generals/Admirals/Air Marshals cap at 4 experience. If multiple Generals/Admirals/Air Marshals are present in the same side of a battle, only the General/Admiral/Air Marshal with the highest experience will count. If a General/Admiral/Air Marshal is present at a battle, & the battle is lost, there is an 80% chance for the General/Admiral/Air Marshal to escape, & a 20% chance for the General/Admiral/Air Marshal to become a POW.
- Blitz: applies to Lands Units. Blitz represents the momentum of your forces. Every time your troops capture a province, the troops that won will have +10% to offensive rolls for the next province they attack; it is possible to get multiple blitz bonuses per turn if your army remains on the offensive. The bonus disappears if the troops stay to defend or are defeated, and caps at +60% to offensive rolls.
- Shock: applies to all Lands Units, Naval Units, & Air Units. Shock represents how unexpected your attack was. It can give an offensive bonus between 0% & 100%, and is determined through the quality of your RP orders and whether or not your target has any contingency plans in place, and the RP quality of those plans. The shock bonus is nullified if your target has successfully performed the ‘Steal Enemy Plans’ espionage action. Shock bonuses are halved in wartime (as the enemy is by necessity expecting an attack).
