Or I just make everyone's starting claims smaller.
We have 250 provinces, so theoretically we can fit in 250 players. Let's hope it doesn't come to that though. I'm not a computer.
IOT Developmental Thread
- Thread starter Joecoolyo
- Start date
Or I just make everyone's starting claims smaller.
We have 250 provinces, so theoretically we can fit in 250 players. Let's hope it doesn't come to that though. I'm not a computer.
SouthernKing
crickety cricket
Announcement: Soon there will be a public beta test of a free-for-all IOT, previously discussed in the O&D and HoF threads.
SouthernKing
crickety cricket
Doesn't mean it'll happen again.
hoplitejoe
Top fun-poster
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2010
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- 5,470
It suggests it will though 
DroopyTofu
Double Bass Double Bass
For this to work, I think we need to make sure all players are on board before hand about the commitment needed. THey all need to be ready to take it seriously and not go "Everybody invade everybody with everything!!!!!!!!" The formula worked to make a fun game to participate in in the old IOT's, so I think it can work now if everyone is (mostly) mature about. Check out the game threads for Imperial Offtopicum 3: the quest for Imperium Offtopicum 2 (where I got the inspiration) and some of the older ones. Maybe IOT IV ran by THorvald also. IMO, those were some of the more fun IOT's to play in. They were mainly character/story/diplomacy driven instead of people just posting orders or long monologues. Besides the different rules, I notice two main differences. The old ones were before the era of massive alliances and Cold War style blocs. This first emerged in IOT IV, but was still in its infancy. These threads were also before social groups became popular. There was a lot more spam, but IMO alot more interesting discussion and debate about international issues. Nowadays, alot of this stuff goes on in PM's, Social Groups, and VM's. The thread is often only for posting orders and monologues used for RP and plot developement. Most people will basically be writing a book about their own nation with minor regard to interacting with others. I miss when the game thread was more about discussion.
tl;dr: Besides simpler rules, to make a game like that successful you need:
1) Players that agree to the different format, are committed to making it work, and are (mostly) mature about dealing with the game.
2) Early power blocs and massive alliances should be held to a minimum. Stalemates between alliances or massive wars that the GM cannot handle often kill IOT's.
3) Diplomacy and discussion of world events should be in the main thread, not social groups and PM's. The main game thread should be about interactive role play and debates between world leaders, not monolouges about a pre-written national history.
Players need to be able to work with these expectations. I'm not saying the newer stuff it bad, but this is just what I notice between new and old IOT's and people need to be open to the different style.
tl;dr: Besides simpler rules, to make a game like that successful you need:
1) Players that agree to the different format, are committed to making it work, and are (mostly) mature about dealing with the game.
2) Early power blocs and massive alliances should be held to a minimum. Stalemates between alliances or massive wars that the GM cannot handle often kill IOT's.
3) Diplomacy and discussion of world events should be in the main thread, not social groups and PM's. The main game thread should be about interactive role play and debates between world leaders, not monolouges about a pre-written national history.
Players need to be able to work with these expectations. I'm not saying the newer stuff it bad, but this is just what I notice between new and old IOT's and people need to be open to the different style.
SouthernKing
crickety cricket
How about we use a pre-determined start? Say, 1914. (I know, this sounds like a NES, I'm trying not to make this like that)
Players would start playing, mod assists for a little while, then lets go.
Players would start playing, mod assists for a little while, then lets go.
DroopyTofu
Double Bass Double Bass
Well, yours seemed to be focused soley on war and didn't give any room for nation building or diplomacy. In the game I'm invisioning, war would be a last resort and diplomacy would rule. For example, in the older IOT's you'd see people making agreements and compromises where one side might not even get anything in the game sense. "You can have the island of Cuba, but you have to agree to export cigars to my country at a very low rate for 35 years as well as supporting any other claims I might have in the immediate future in the Caribbean." That sort of diplomacy wouldn't happen in yours unfortunately. However, I agree a GM should be present enough to moderate combat when it does happen and agree upon a map.
I wouldn't mind using a historical start for issues like technology level and the like, but if you mean pre-fabricated countries and other historical elements I don't think I'd be inclinded to play. I'd like to give a little bit more room for creativity.
I'm going to start typing up what I'd like to see in a rule set. Anyone else interested can help me once I post my ideas. I would be willing to GM a game like this, but if someone else wants to (Southernking?) I'd be fine with that.
SouthernKing
crickety cricket
Droopy: We could try co-Modding it; I have the firm belief that you can have no more than 2 mods, and that 2 would help solve many problems.
I already have SKNES, so I can only do a non-intensive game.
I'll leave it up to you though.
I already have SKNES, so I can only do a non-intensive game.
I'll leave it up to you though.
DroopyTofu
Double Bass Double Bass
I just saw that IOT (Forget the number 
) ran by Tanicius is very kind of similar to what I had in mind. I didn't see it until there were already several pages in the thread and with Iron and Blood II coming out didn't pay it much attention, but maybe there isn't a need for a simple IOT right now? Of course, by the time we worked out rules and found enough players maybe Tanny's would be over or close to over.
@Southern: I'd be fine with that. I've never GM'ed, but I'm hoping one like this would be easy enough to start out with. The most the GM would have to do is update the map and run combat. Of course, it just occured to me I most likely wouldn't play if I GM'ed, but if there is a big enough demand for it I would be willing to do it.
) ran by Tanicius is very kind of similar to what I had in mind. I didn't see it until there were already several pages in the thread and with Iron and Blood II coming out didn't pay it much attention, but maybe there isn't a need for a simple IOT right now? Of course, by the time we worked out rules and found enough players maybe Tanny's would be over or close to over.@Southern: I'd be fine with that. I've never GM'ed, but I'm hoping one like this would be easy enough to start out with. The most the GM would have to do is update the map and run combat. Of course, it just occured to me I most likely wouldn't play if I GM'ed, but if there is a big enough demand for it I would be willing to do it.
SouthernKing
crickety cricket
I just saw that IOT (Forget the number
@Southern: I'd be fine with that. I've never GM'ed, but I'm hoping one like this would be easy enough to start out with. The most the GM would have to do is update the map and run combat. Of course, it just occured to me I most likely wouldn't play if I GM'ed, but if there is a big enough demand for it I would be willing to do it.
IX I think.
Alright, that works for me too then.
EDIT: Also, I reserved the brand name of IOT X a while back, I can give that name to this.
SamSniped
DJ Goodboye
How is this coming along?
Tani Coyote
Son of Huehuecoyotl
- Joined
- May 28, 2007
- Messages
- 15,195
MP2 -WIP-!
Income:
Same system as MP1. (Population * Industry * Tax Rate) + Trade Income + Client Income
Technology:
This is where it will really alter. There are twelve technologies. Except for WMD tech, one gold = one unit. There are four groups.
Military
Land - Self-explanatory
Naval - Ditto.
Air - Ditto.
Economics
Trade - Increases the percentage you yield from world trade each turn.
Industry - Every one gold spent raises the Industry by 0.01.
Diplomacy - Increases loyalty of NPCs and makes them easier to bribe. States with higher diplomacy will receive more support in confrontations.
Secret
Rocketry - Determines the range and quality of your warheads.
SDI - Intercepts enemy missiles.
Espionage - Ditto.
WMD
Nuclear - Destroy provinces in increasing degrees of severity. You start with relatively small bombs such as Fat Man or Little Boy, and work your up towards the Tsar Bomba and beyond. The amount of energy harnessed from such tech boosts industry.
Biological - Can potentially cause global pandemics and a weapon of last resort. The insight into microbes increases the quality of healthcare, boosting pop growth.
Chemical - Assist in combat, or can deployed against population centers. Agents created from the weapon boost population growth from higher crop yields.
Combat:
Divisions, Navies, Air wings cost 5 gold each and consume 1 pop. Divisions are needed to capture territory, navies blockade nations and serve as artillery support, air wings strategically bombard or back divisions. Quite simply, each turn you designate how many of each are on attack or defense.
For combat, units * technology. Each side's "value" is compared, and this becomes their percent chance of victory. Bonuses are applied and three rolls are made, best two out of three.
Victorious armies destroy 50-100% of their value, whereas defeated armies destroy 25-50% of their value.
Espionage follows the same combat rules. Standard 20% bonus to defenses. Defenders can lose half of their standing forces at the start of each mission. Actual missions to be detailed post-MP, when balance will have been worked out.
NPCs:
Each has a personality randomly chosen for it. This decides how they react to you. Non-interventionist NPCs, for example, will not do anything, whereas imperialist NPCs will engage in wars of opportunity.
At 100% of their GDP, they can be bribed to your side, even if they are already on someone else's already. This percent goes down with diplomatic technology. The percent factors in the suzerain's diplo tech as well, so be wary of that.
Clients follow you in your actions - embargoing who you embargo, voting with you in the UN, allying with you in times of war, etc.
Clients can break away, but traditionally do so if you've been so horrifically weakened there's no further benefit. They may remain allied, but are no longer your puppet.
Clients have three grades of loyalty. Pax indicates they were bribed, and thus are friendly so long as the money keeps coming. Coup means they were installed by a coup or creation, and cannot be bribed. Revolution means they were created via an uprising that succeeded, and will not desert you, even if you were broken.
Income:
Same system as MP1. (Population * Industry * Tax Rate) + Trade Income + Client Income
Technology:
This is where it will really alter. There are twelve technologies. Except for WMD tech, one gold = one unit. There are four groups.
Military
Land - Self-explanatory
Naval - Ditto.
Air - Ditto.
Economics
Trade - Increases the percentage you yield from world trade each turn.
Industry - Every one gold spent raises the Industry by 0.01.
Diplomacy - Increases loyalty of NPCs and makes them easier to bribe. States with higher diplomacy will receive more support in confrontations.
Secret
Rocketry - Determines the range and quality of your warheads.
SDI - Intercepts enemy missiles.
Espionage - Ditto.
WMD
Nuclear - Destroy provinces in increasing degrees of severity. You start with relatively small bombs such as Fat Man or Little Boy, and work your up towards the Tsar Bomba and beyond. The amount of energy harnessed from such tech boosts industry.
Biological - Can potentially cause global pandemics and a weapon of last resort. The insight into microbes increases the quality of healthcare, boosting pop growth.
Chemical - Assist in combat, or can deployed against population centers. Agents created from the weapon boost population growth from higher crop yields.
Combat:
Divisions, Navies, Air wings cost 5 gold each and consume 1 pop. Divisions are needed to capture territory, navies blockade nations and serve as artillery support, air wings strategically bombard or back divisions. Quite simply, each turn you designate how many of each are on attack or defense.
For combat, units * technology. Each side's "value" is compared, and this becomes their percent chance of victory. Bonuses are applied and three rolls are made, best two out of three.
Victorious armies destroy 50-100% of their value, whereas defeated armies destroy 25-50% of their value.
Espionage follows the same combat rules. Standard 20% bonus to defenses. Defenders can lose half of their standing forces at the start of each mission. Actual missions to be detailed post-MP, when balance will have been worked out.
NPCs:
Each has a personality randomly chosen for it. This decides how they react to you. Non-interventionist NPCs, for example, will not do anything, whereas imperialist NPCs will engage in wars of opportunity.
At 100% of their GDP, they can be bribed to your side, even if they are already on someone else's already. This percent goes down with diplomatic technology. The percent factors in the suzerain's diplo tech as well, so be wary of that.
Clients follow you in your actions - embargoing who you embargo, voting with you in the UN, allying with you in times of war, etc.
Clients can break away, but traditionally do so if you've been so horrifically weakened there's no further benefit. They may remain allied, but are no longer your puppet.
Clients have three grades of loyalty. Pax indicates they were bribed, and thus are friendly so long as the money keeps coming. Coup means they were installed by a coup or creation, and cannot be bribed. Revolution means they were created via an uprising that succeeded, and will not desert you, even if you were broken.
Thorvald of Lym
A Little Sketchy
Mentlegen.
