IOT Developmental Thread

Decamper · Mar 15, 2015

So, in a day or two I'll be bringing over a game that's been running on the Frontier for a few months, once I finish tweaking some of the rules. Here's the basic pitch:

Fallen Star, is ~~a rip off of EQ's Botwawki~~ inspired by DnD/Pathfinder, in particular the King Maker module. Players control colonies sent to explore and exploit a newly discovered island that is the supposed landing sight of the titular fallen star. Players need to expand and improve their colonies by gathering resources (wood, stone and metal) to construct structures and settlements., while fending off all the lovely beasties that inhabit the island, along with whatever machinations the other players have going on. While the main agents controlled by the players are the colonists themselves, who are needed to man settlements and structures, gather resources, and be trained into various combat units, the players also have heroes that can be used in combat or to manage settlements, gaining experience and leveling up either way.

As the game has been going on for awhile, some players have pretty well established colonies, but new players will of course receive a good chunk of starting resources to get going. Here's the current map from update 8

Spoiler :

Also below is the full rule set, but it will have a tune up before getting posted in a main thread here on IOT. The main things that will be changed are related to how population is managed. Beware the mass of text.

Spoiler MASS OF TEXT :

Defacto · Mar 20, 2015

I am preparing a IOT to the near future. I'm doing a kind of anthropophagy "feeding me" of others IOT and NES. And the rules also will be used in Forgotten Ruins. It is a simple system and at the same time complex, half of it was used in a portuguese "play by post".

Mosher · May 12, 2015

So a couple days ago Red Spy asked me kind of sarcastically "Mosher, Dark Souls IOT when?"

Which got me thinking about doing a play-by-forum, DnD-ish sort of game based loosely on the Souls world and Souls mechanics, modified to fit a turn-based, forum game. Without going too deeply into the story of the world that tyo and I have been creating, the game would work something like this:

Vitality Every point equals 10 HP
Endurance Every 5 points allows for one action. Increases equip load.
Attunement Every 5 points (starting at 10) gives one attunement slot.
Dexterity Increases damage based on a weapon's dexterity scaling. Every 15 points, gives an extra action point. Highest dex score gets to attack first.
Strength Increases damage based on a weapon's strength scaling.
Intelligence Allows you to cast more complex sorceries, and amplifies their effect.
Faith Allows you to cast more complex miracles, and amplifies their effect.

With these being the stats that everything revolves around, and these being the starting classes:

Spoiler :

Combat would work a little something like this:

Spoiler :

I've got a long way to go before the game is done and obviously this is all subject to change. I'm interested in any sort of feedback, and would also like to know if anyone would be interested in a game like this?

Tyo · May 12, 2015

11/10 would chug flasks

SamSniped · May 12, 2015

8/8 already praising the sun in preparation for some jolly cooperating

Sonereal · May 17, 2015

Militarism in early IOTs was regarded as deviant behaviour by powergaming players. In the games since IOT 7, however, this perspective is no longer sufficient for explaining why aggressive expansion has become the norm even amongst the same players that once denounced it.

Structuralism, be it realist or ideational, dictates that behaviour is shaped by the system in which the actors participate.

In the case of IOT, the adoption of a specifically capitalist-oriented economy and its accompanying ethos has, largely subconsciously, reshaped the terms of interaction such that imperial expansion is the predominant, if not the only way to play. Market-centric mechanics reduce state responsibility to empowering the economy and thus increasing revenue, whose only real application is to expand the military, in turn used to seize the assets of rival powers to further bolster economic strength in a perpetual cycle.

With domestic sectors disregarded by the ruleset, any concern for the well-being of the citizenry is discretionary, the only feedback the roleplay of the ruling player himself.

Even in games that try to broaden their appeal through "soft power" tactics, the overarching framework remains rooted in brute force, a reflection of the failure of both players and game moderators to recognize this structural fault. Now, I don't pretend to think there's some irrefutable argument that'll suddenly make the usual suspects project a conscience toward text on a screen; and that is precisely why the civil sphere must be as mechanically well-developed as the military. There are dozens of other potential aspects to running a country that IOT could emphasize, and Project Marmot's end goal is precisely such a diversification away from the linear path to militarism.

The trick, of course, is finding a GM with the organization and patience to manage a game of such broad scope.

Nonetheless, if the player base puts any validity into the inspirational drought that provoked the supposed Fall Crisis this past September, this may be exactly the sea-change we need to pursue.

Incentives and disincentives are still fundamental to creating a ruleset. However, rulesets can fall off the cliff in one of two ways these days. The game can become so complex that not every possible interaction is, or can be, listed in the ruleset. Case and point, I introduced a trade system for Fire and Blood and a handful of players discovered interactions that weren't explicitly listed. In many ways, this is both good and bad.

On one hand, a level of mystery is fun! The reason why I and a handful of other GMs put so much effort into trade and economic systems is because both form the basis of every IOT. In the beginning, economic systems only existed to put some kind of limits on other players. No, you can't build a Basil-class Supercarrier because you don't have enough factories to build one.

However, the earliest systems weren't focused on factories. Everything was about provinces, and therefore, you build armies to gain provinces so you can build more armies.

These days, the incentives and disincentives in even the more basic IOTs running provide other outlets besides war. These days, the most important thing a ruleset should do is at least aim for increasing interconnection between players and their actions.

Interconnection is that Joe raising taxes in his country can have indirect and direct, material, effects on Mary down the street. As a game becomes more freeform, and more emphasis is placed on stories, the more isolated effects become.

Lets make no mistake that IOTs, once the first update goes up, aren't usually hugboxes. A country may be friends with everybody, or it can be enemies with everybody, but most countries have rivals and friends and a toolbox for interacting with both. Because of this, we can't honestly call GMs of StoryIOTs moderators anymore. IOTs are competitive, and a GM isn't simply mediating disputes; he or she is handing down judgement and dictating gameplay. The GM is an arbitrator.

And so, once you get beyond the ruleset and excel sheets, you run into a potential problem. I want to do something with my currency in a freeform game, but I know more about economics and international trade than the game moderator. This is a dispute that is usually easy to resolve.

What happens if the GM doesn't like you however?

In StatIOTs, it is very hard for anybody but an explicitly dishonest GM to get away with rigging. TF's infamous ending to Imperia Mobiana is a prime example. In an exceptionally complex IOT, cause and effect for actions are not only built into the stat sheet, but consistent. In a StoryIOT, however, a GM's personal biases are at the forefront of decision making, whether or not the GM wants it to be.

The problem inherent in StoryIOTs is right in the name: they're more about narrative. We want massive conflicts between heroes and villains. We want the underdog to make valiant, devastating last stands against the invader. We want to see the empire thrashed by plucky bands of poorly-trained rebels. In the end, every battle has to be a Stalingrad. Every occupation has to be a Vietnam. Stalingrad and Vietnam did happen, but just as often the empire wins, and Rome defeats the underdog through superior numbers and arms.

And so, the empire cannot truly win, even when everything is in the empire's favor. The more focused a game is on a story, the more likely decisions will be made to make sure the story and narrative is maintained. Many GMs try to create sandboxes where everybody plays within the same structure. Our starts may be different, but in a StatIOT we trust that the reason the GM gives somebody a +10% production event isn't out of some desire to "maintain balance" or "narrative".

Complex StatIOTs may have muddied incentives and disincentives, but once an incentive or disincentive is discovered, you can expect it to be consistent giving the same situation. If somebody else in your shoes attempt the same action, written differently, the final result should turn out roughly the same.

StoryIOTs can have consistency, but the more rulings a GM has to make, the more likely inconsistencies will appear, especially once we get down to the problem that players will know more than the GM about many things. I know more about economics than most GMs running IOTs today.

Some players know far more about theology, or the specific historical details of countries and wars, or the full impact of many different technologies.

The advantage of a StatIOT is that, even if a player disagrees with the reasoning of a mechanic, the mechanic at least exists. If I made an IOT and the rule says raising taxes will double economic production because massive tax hikes encourages people to work, it may be objectively wrong on every level, but because players know the rule, they can operate within the confines of that rule.

Stats effectively allow a GM to outsource many decisions so very specific ones can be focused on. A factory costs $5. Wait, you want to build a special type of factory complex? I will read your idea, look at my ruleset, and make a decision on how to proceed. If a ruleset doesn't address a project, problem, or idea, it can at least give a foundation for a final decision.

Today, even the most storiest of StoryIOTs embrace the 5:1 economic system, ($5 to build a factory that produces $1 a turn, army cost = factory cost). So why stop there?

The more intricate a ruleset, and workbook, the more capable it should be of embracing and integrating the roleplaying and ideas of a player. If I have only four broad stats, then a decision can only affect one or more of those stats. However, if I have dozens of stats, a decision can affect one stat, which affects five more, which affect everything else.

"What about Kashmir?"

At its heart, Kashmir does something similar to most StoryIOTs, except the decision making process isn't out to maintain a story, but maintain a setting. Decisions have long term effects, and major events cause major changes in the sandbox. The recent use of landmines to turn the tide of not only a battle, but a war, has had a drastic impact on the calculations in the minds of players going forward when it comes to dealing with that country and one another.

However, at the very heart of that situation is this: the player ultimately set the ball into motion. The decision to use landmines wasn't a magical situation. It was steeped in the game's ongoing history and, looking back, it isn't too difficult to chase the line of causes and events that led to the deployment of landmines to reverse the tide of battle.

There will be bias always, and expecting 100% impartiality from GMs is unrealistic, but we don't want to see something flagrant. If there is an act of god, and a comet strikes Constantinople and dismantles and empire, nobody wants to feel that the decision was made out of some personal vendetta or bias.

We want acts of god without feeling god has a motive.

"Why aren't IOTs becoming exponentially more 'complex'?"

High school's over, simply put. For years, there were a handful of GMs making occasional leaps in new ruleset ideas, with many IOTs making incremental adjustments to those rulesets to fit their specific needs. Unsurprisingly, most of those jumps were based on somebody finishing a course (such as high school macro), and saying "Whoa cool let me make rules based on that."

But some classes are less applicable to these leaps. Everybody takes high school economics. Well, most people do. Not everybody takes college courses. Not everybody specializes in economics. Physics, while useful, are harder to use as the basis of a ruleset. Economics has the benefit of being like a ruleset in and of itself. So, these "leaps" may be nothing more than applications and modifications of an existing ruleset when you think about it.

And for a long time, there were only a handful of GMs creating mechanics that end up forming the basis of other rulesets. The 5:1 system is an example of a mechanic that somebody thought of years ago and ended up being used everywhere.

But we're more active these days than we were a few years ago. We get new blood who create new games and while many sink, many have nuggets of cool ideas just waiting for broad adoption and tweaks. Games by new blood are usually soaked in new ideas (such as Imperium of Man) because the new GM doesn't have any idea of accepted convention or what works and doesn't work yet.

Because it is unlikely IOTers are suddenly going to drop everything and become economic majors, the only way for diversity to increase is by adding new players and new GMs. Look at the front page right now and look at games ran by new members of the community and older members of the community and the difference is night and day.

Older GMs, like me, will almost always fall back on building new additions to an existing house. Newer GMs are more willing to pour new foundations, and build new houses.

Sonereal · May 17, 2015

Kinich-Ahau said:
Joining the Game

To join, simply claim any 20 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. Choose a Currency, and specify whether it is fixed or floating. All nations start with 5 military units, which may be any combination of Armies & Navies.

Spoiler The Map :

Expansion

Expansion is done through armies; each army may claim 1 territory. 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.
If there are competing claims, you can either discuss it among yourselves, or a border skirmish will occur; the armies each side sent 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 do not require armies to claim, only navies. 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:

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. Nations start the game with 80 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. All nations start at 0.25 Industry.

All nations trade automatically; the value of trade is 20% of the average of all nations domestic production (Population * Industry). Nations can sign free trade agreements with each other; this will increase their trading partners value by 25% when determining trade & increase the value of their partners currency.

You collect taxes off of your Real GDP; GDP is ((Population * Industry) + Trade). By default, all nations start with 20% taxes.

You can spend Income to increase your industry; how much it costs per nation varies with each update. It costs 1% of their GDP for nations in the bottom 25% of industry to increase their industry by 0.01%, it costs 2% of their GDP for nations in the middle 50% of industry to increase their industry by 0.01%, & it costs 4% of their GDP for nations in the top 25% of industry to increase their industry by 0.01%; for gameplay purposes, this is ignored at game start, with it costing 2% of their GDP for everyone to increase their industry by 0.01%. Prices will fluctuate as nations enter economic booms & recessions.

You may have noticed that income does not grow naturally; this is because of how GDP works. GDP =C+I+G+NX, where C=Consumption, I=Investment, G=Government Spending, and NX=Net Exports. Net Exports are represented by your trade value, while Government Spending is represented by what you spent the previous turn; for what remains of GDP, as a base, 70% is considered to be Consumption & 30% is considered to be Investment. Afterwards, I RNG a number between -10 & 10, which is subtracted from Consumption & added to Investment. The final value of the Investment component of GDP is put into industrial growth. Non-government industrial spending is worth 10% more than government industrial spending. For example, if you had a GDP of 120, with 20 coming from trade, NX would equal 20; say you had 20 Income last turn & spent it all, G would equal 20. That leaves 80 for C & I. RNG gives me a ten; meaning that 60% of 80 is C and 40% of 80 is I. Ergo, 32 Income would be put into industrial growth automatically, being valued at 35.2 due to being private spending.

Prior to an update, I will determine the average global growth rate for the turn; I will then RNG a number between -3% & 3% and add it to the average global growth rate. Any growth above this will be added to your inflation rate. A value equal to (Inflation Rate * GDP) is then subtracted from your GDP; what remains is your Real GDP. Every 1% of your income (Not GDP) that is not spent will decrease your inflation rate by 0.5%. Inflation will decrease naturally at a rate of 0.5% per year. The inflation rate is capped at 95% (though if you manage to get it that high I would suggest ragequitting).

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, with a roll of 1-50 being minor boom or minor recession, a roll of 51-75 being a moderate boom or moderate recession, and a roll of 76-100 being a major boom or a depression. Minor booms decrease the cost of industry by 20% & decrease the rate at which you gain inflation by 40%, Moderate booms decrease the cost of industry by 50%, decrease the rate at which you gain inflation by 80%, & give 0.1% free industrial growth, and Major booms decrease the cost of industry by 50%, make you immune to inflation, & give 1.0% free industrial growth; booms last for one turn. Minor recessions increase the cost of industry by 50%, Moderate recessions increase the cost of industry by 75% & wipe out 0.2% industry per turn, and Depressions increase the cost of industry by 100% and wipe out 2.0% industry per turn. Recession length is determined by RNG, with a roll of 1-20 downgrading the recession (Ex, Moderate ---> Minor), a roll of 21-60 keeping the current level, a roll of 61-80 upgrading the recession by one level, and a roll of 81-100 upgrading the recession by 2 levels; in order to decrease the severity of depressions, they instead have a 50/50 chance of downgrading or not changing. If you are in a recession, your roll will be increased by 50% for every nation that shares your currency. It is possible to put aside income to fight recessions, with the amount of income needed to downgrade by one level being X/(1/(1-(C%)), where X is equal to 100% of your income and C% is equal to what percentage of you GDP is made up of consumption spending; you can only downgrade a recession like this once per turn.

Currency

The Currency of your nation- and how it is valued- affects your nation in a variety of ways. Currencies are valued based upon groupings, the groupings being: strongest, top 25% strongest, middle 50% strongest, middle 50%, middle 50% weakest, bottom 25% weakest, and weakest. Having the strongest currency gives a 4% boost to industrial investments, having a currency in the top 25% gives a 2% boost to industrial investments, having a currency in the middle 50% strongest gives a 1% boost to industrial investments, having a currency in the middle 50% gives no benefits, having a currency in the middle 50% weakest gives a 2% boost to trade, having a currency in the bottom 25% gives a 4% boost to trade, and having the weakest currency gives an 8% boost to trade. You may change currencies at any time, but doing so will wipe out 1% or 0.001 of your industry

Currencies may be either fixed or floating; if a currency is floating, its value is increased by industrial gorwth & free trade agreements and decreased by industrial losses & inflation; if multiple nations have the same floating currency, values will be calculated separately & then averaged together, with the originator of the currency being counted twice; the impact of a currencys value will increase by 25% for every nation that uses the currency.

If a currency is fixed, I RNG the market value of what it is fixed to, and that is the value of your currency; the value of fixed currencies will not change according to industrial growth; fixed currencies have a 20% chance to increase by 0.4 every turn, a 20% chance to increase by 0.2 every turn, a 20% chance to not change, a 20% chance to decrease by 0.2 every turn, & a 20% chance to decrease by 0.4 every turn. You can change what you currency is fixed to at any time, which will cause me to RNG a new value for your currency. It is possible to peg your currency to the currency of any other nation, even if that nation has a floating currency; this will ensure that your currencies have the same value, but force you to pay 5% of your income each turn to ensure your currencies remain equal in value.

You will be able to set monetary policies for your nation; engaging in an expansionary monetary policy will increase the value of industrial spending by 25% and increase inflation by 25% or 1 per turn, whichever is greater; these effects will linger for 5 turns. Engaging in contractionary monetary policy will decrease the value of industrial spending by 25% and decrease inflation by 25% or 1 per turn, whichever is greater; these effects will linger for 5 turns. Once you set monetary policy, you are committed to that policy, and may not change it for 5 turns. Nations using a fixed currency may not engage in monetary policy.

Units

There are three types of Combat Units, three types of Command Units, & one type of Espionage Unit:

Armies- Each Army costs 10 Income, 20 Population, 2 Maintenance, & gives you one roll (1-10) in the RNG. Defeated armies have a 25% chance of destruction, 25% chance of capture, & a 50% chance of retreat. Armies can attack one region deep & take one province per turn by default. Armies are pooled regionally. All armies get a +10% defensive bonus & a +10% defensive bonus against amphibious landings.

Navies- Each Navy costs 10 Income, 20 Population, 2 Maintenance, & gives you one roll (1-20) in the RNG. Defeated navies have a 50% chance of destruction, 10% chance of capture, & a 40% chance of retreat. Navies can bombard shores; bombarding has a chance of killing some units in the bombarded region. Navies also have a 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 trade as appropriate. Even though each navy can transport up to 5 Armies, by default, Armies carried by Navies may only claim one full territory per turn.

Air Wings- Each Air Wing costs 20 Income, 5 Population, 2 Maintenance, & gives you one roll (1-30) in the RNG. Defeated air wings have a 75% chance of destruction & a 25% chance of retreat. Air Wings can attack one region deep by default. Air Wings can target Navies; they have a chance of disabling Navies for one turn & a smaller chance of destroying Navies. Air Wings can bomb regions; bombing has chance of killing some units in the bombed region. There is a chance for Air Wings bombing a region to be shot down by AA guns.

General- Generals cost 15 Income; see Leadership to determine their effects

Admiral- Admirals cost 15 Income; see Leadership to determine their effects

Air Marshal- Air Marshals cost 15 Income; see Leadership to determine their effects.

Agent- Each Agent costs 5 Income, 1 Population, & 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. The territories immediately surrounding a Major City give a 10% defensive bonus. 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 a -15% combat penalty next turn. You can change Capitals at any time, but doing so will cost 15% of your Income & cause you to lose 15% of your Income the following turn.

Forts are massive military installations built for protection. Forts cost 40 Income to build, & give a 75% defensive bonus. Forts have a 20+X% chance to shoot down air wings attacking the region a fort is based in & a 5+X% chance to shoot down air wings attacking neighboring regions, where X is your nations Aerial Technology; this is added to the base chance of Air Wings being shot down. If a General, Admiral, or Air Marshall is recruited at a Fort, they start with +2 Experience. Forts cannot be built in Major Cities or Capitals.

Kinich-Ahau said:
War

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 & 25% of the transferred industry being lost to war. Several factors will affect the final rolls; these factors include technology, supply, leadership, blitz, & shock.

Technology: Technology is divided into Land Technology, Naval Technology, Aerial Technology, & Espionage Technology.

Land Technology: applies to all Land Units. Land Technology represents how advanced your army is; every Land Technology level you have over an opponent adds +2 to your RNG rolls. Every 3 Land Technology levels above zero allow your armies to attack one province deeper into enemy territory and allow your armies to take one extra province per turn. Land Technology bonuses are applied before percentage-based bonuses. Land Technology costs 50X, where X is the Land Technology you are trying to research, and there are 10 Land Technology Levels available for research.

Naval Technology: applies to Naval Units. Naval Technology represents how advanced your navy is; every Naval Technology level you have over an opponent adds +4 to your RNG rolls. Every 2 Naval Technology levels above zero allow the Armies carried aboard your Navies to claim one extra province per turn. Naval Technology bonuses are applied before percentage-based bonuses. Naval Technology costs 50X, where X is the Naval Technology you are trying to research, and there are 10 Naval Technology Levels available for research.

Aerial Technology: applies to Air Units. Aerial Technology represents how advanced your air force is; every Aerial Technology level you have over an opponent adds +5 to your RNG rolls. Every 3 Aerial Technology levels above zero allow you to attack one region deeper into enemy. Aerial Technology bonuses are applied before percentage-based bonuses. Aerial Technology costs 50X, where X is the Aerial Technology you are trying to research, and there are 10 Aerial Technology Levels available for research.

Espionage Technology: applies to Espionage Units. Espionage Technology represents how advanced your agents are; every Espionage Technology level you have over an opponent gives your agents +25% to rolls. Espionage Technology costs 50X, where X is the Espionage Technology you are trying to research, and there are 10 Espionage Technology Levels available for research.

Supply: applies to all Land Units, Naval Units, & Aerial Units. Supply incorporates both how well supplied your troops are & the will of your troops to fight. There are three levels of supply: Unsupplied, Minimally Supplied, & Fully Supplied. Units that are unsupplied do not cost maintenance; unsupplied units have a 5% chance of defection, a 10% chance of mutiny, and a 25% chance of desertion; unsupplied Armies have a -10% combat penalty, while unsupplied Navies & Air Wings cannot fight at all. Units that are minimally supplied cost 50% normal maintenance; minimally supplied units have a 5% chance of mutiny & a 10% chance of desertion; minimally supplied Armies have a -5% combat penalty while minimally supplied Navies & Air Wings have a -10% combat penalty. Units that are fully supplied cost 100% normal maintenance, have a 1% chance of desertion, and suffer no penalties to combat. Nations will by default keep all of their units fully supplied.

Leadership: applies to all Lands Units, Naval Units, & Aerial 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 5% & decreases the chance that defeated Land Units will become POWs by 5%. 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; at Leadership 4 you get +1 to Army movement range & Air Wing strike range. Leadership bonuses are applied before percentage-based bonuses. Leadership is determined by the experience of your Generals/Admirals/Air Marshals. 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 +2 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 win an offensive battle, the troops that won will have +5% to offensive rolls for the next region 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 +30% to offensive rolls.

Shock: applies to all Lands Units, Naval Units, & Aerial Units. Shock represents how unexpected your attack was. It is determined through the quality of your RP orders. It can give an offensive bonus between 0% & 100%, and is determined through the quality of your RP military 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 only apply to the first strike launched in a War, and only if the first strike was a surprise attack.

 
Revolts

By default, everyone has a 5% revolt risk. Every 1% tax increase over 20% increases Revolt Risk by 1%. Every Army of yours that is killed increases Revolt Risk by 1%, while every Navy or Air Wing that is destroyed increases Revolt Risk by 0.2%; an Army, Navy, or Air Wing being captured increases Revolt Risk by 50% of what the increase would have been had the Army, Navy, or Air Wing been destroyed. Furthermore, aggressive wars double the Revolt Risk gained from military defeats. Revolt Risk from defeats decays as a rate of 20% for every year you are at peace (20% of the revolt risk gained from defeats, not a 20% subtraction). Revolt Risk is multiplied by 1.5 for every 20% increase in your population that takes place in a single turn. Rebels are unaffected by supply.

Occupation

Territories you capture are not immediately placed under your control; they are considered occupied territories. Occupied territories have a (revolt risk+20)% chance per turn per territory for rebels to appear and attack your armies. Occupied territories only contribute 1/2 of their potential income to your nation. Occupied territories will be returned to their original owner at the conclusion of the conflict unless a peace treaty specifies that certain territories are to be turned over or the war ends Uti possidetis. If a territory is occupied for 5 years, it is auto-annexed at the cost of +2% revolt risk; this will decline at the same rate revolt risk from military losses declines.

Espionage

Not all conflicts between governments need be overt; indeed, covert conflicts- otherwise known as Espionage Missions- can be some of the most fun conflicts in the game.
Agents are required to perform Espionage Missions. The chance for a successful espionage mission is the number of agents you have sent to perform the mission divided by the total number of agents involved in the mission (Covert War is the exception to this); mission success is calculated separately for every agent you send on a mission. You can send as many agents as you desire- provided you possess them, of course- to take part in a mission. If an agent fails a mission, there is a 20% chance for them to be captured; if an agent is captured, there is a 60% chance for them to commit suicide/die during interrogation/be executed, a 15% chance for them to escape without giving up any sensitive information, a 15% chance for them to escape after giving out sensitive information, & a 10% chance for them to become a double agent in employ of the enemy. Agents that have escaped are returned to you; you will not be informed if they have given out sensitive information to the enemy. If an agent has switched sides or given out sensitive information to the enemy, there is a chance for every other espionage mission you have taken against the enemy that turn to fail, that increases with the number of Agents who gave up information or defected. Double Agents remain under the control of the player who recruited them; however, the players secret stats will be made freely available to whomever holds the double agents true loyalty. It is possible for a double agent to defect again & become a triple agent, a quadruple agent, or any other degree of agent. There is a 10% chance per turn for a double agent to be exposed for every nation they have defected to. Some missions have multipliers to reflect the inherent difficulty- and in one case, relative ease- of what your agent is trying to do; if your agents go on a mission with multipliers, the number of agents is multiplied by the multiplier prior to the chance of success for the mission being calculated. The missions you can engage in are:

Steal Enemy Plans: Gain two extra RNG rolls in every battle against the target for one turn; nullifies any Shock bonus the target may have received that turn
Multiplier: 0.5

Steal Money: Steals between 1 & 10 Income per agent; the Income is spent in secret.

Bribe Commander: 1 Command Unit total, not per agent, defects from the target nation to your nation; will subtract between 5 & 25 Income from your treasury next turn; agents that have failed this mission have triple the normal chance to be captured.
Multiplier: 0.5

Ferment Rebellion: Fires the enemy revolt risk; revolts triggered with this mission act as if the revolt risk was double what it actually is.
Multiplier: 0.75

Covert War: You send your agents to attack their agents; this functions exactly like regular combat. Agents that have been defeated in a Covert War have a 60% chance to be killed outright & a 40% chance to be captured.

Terrorism: Decreases the targets population by 1 & increases the targets revolt risk by 2% per agent; revolt risk gained from terrorism decays at the same rate as revolt risk from military defeats. If you are discovered engaging in terrorist actions, your revolt risk will increase by 3% per agent you send on a mission.

Poison Water Supplies: Reduces the targets natural growth rate by 2% per agent; it is possible for the targets population to grow negatively (i.e., shrink) if you have enough agents perform this mission.

Industrial Sabotage: Reduces the targets industry by 1% per agent.

Nuclear Sabotage: Destroys 1-3 Nuclear Weapons total, not per agent; 10% chance for the Nuclear Weapon to go off, killing all agents you sent on the mission & destroying one of the targets non-city provinces.
Multiplier: 0.25

Infiltration: Reveals the targets secret stats next turn; reveals the location of the targets POW camp
Multiplier: 0.25

Disinformation: Feeds disinformation to your target; the target will only receive 1/4 of the benefits from any successful espionage mission taken against you this turn (3/4 for Covert War); unaffected by enemy disinformation campaigns.
Multiplier: 1.25

Counterespionage: Protects your nation from enemy agents; your agents will default to this mission if not specifically ordered to do anything else. Unaffected by enemy disinformation campaigns.

Nuclear Weapons

The secrets to the construction of Nuclear Weapons have long since been leaked to the world; all nations may build nukes at game start. In order to prevent trolling, I will require a good reason for the launching of nuclear weapons; this requirement is waived if you are in a Cold War, so long as the target is your Cold War rival.
Each nuke costs 50 Income. A Nuke will destroy 1 province, turning it into a wasteland that is unclaimable for 5 years. Nukes are set to auto-respond unless otherwise stated.

Cold Wars

A Cold War exists if two or more superpowers- defined here as nations with a military power (Military Technology * # of Units) at least triple that of the mean & an economy at least double that of the mean- possess nuclear weapons & have at least 1 opposing world view. Nations in a Cold War invariably adhere to MAD, and there is a 1% chance per nuke per turn for nuclear weapons possessed by nations in a Cold War to launch at the enemy- without the players consent. In the event of a conventional war between nations locked in a Cold War, the chance is upped to 5% per nuke per turn. It is possible- however unlikely- for there to be multiple Cold Wars occurring simultaneously.

*The GM must be made aware of any & all Diplomatic Agreements that have the potential to impact the game world. The GM must be invited to any & all Social Groups related to the game world.*

Use of Straits

Players controlling the following provinces can block other players from accessing the respective straits: Gibraltar or N. Morocco (Strait of Gibraltar), Suez or Sinai (Suez Canal), Istanbul or Bithynia (Bosporus), Aarhus, Copenhagen, or Malmo (Kattegat), Djibouti or Aden (Bab-el-Mandeb), Bandar-Abbas or Dubai (Hormuz).

Control of these straits can potentially close off the following seas: the Mediterranean, the Black Sea, the Red Sea, & the Persian Gulf. It can be very useful to block players; to stop them claiming or attacking certain regions. A player blocked in the Mediterranean cannot sail out, for instance, and can't claim or attack territories outside of the Med that is not adjacent to their own territories. You may also charge Income for the usage of your strait.

UN

The chairman position will rotate. That is I will RNG the nations, and it will start from top to bottom; 5 nations will share the position of Chairman for 5 turns. The Chairman Nations can veto proposals, but at least 3 out of 5 Chairman Votes are needed for a veto to take place. You may also propose banning of nukes, global embargos, & a variety of RP related resolutions, but you need to have a 2/3 majority. If an NPC appears from a rebelled area, you may call a vote to recognize the nation. When it is recognized, the nation that started the revolt may install a puppet government or allow the GM to take control of the country; the nation that controls it may demand funds and/or military action.

The World Bank

The World Bank is an international financial institution based on the International Space Station, and has branches in the Capital City of every nation on the planet. Every turn, Income equal to 5% of the Global Real GDP will be deposited in the World Bank. Any nation can apply for loans from the World Bank- beware, however, as the Bank charges a 10% yearly interest rate on every loan they give out. Furthermore, every nation on Earth can open an account & deposit Income in the World Bank; this will pay out 5% interest per year. In addition to functioning as a lender & a storage center, the Bank will also serve as a tool through which the GM can offer In Character comments on the happenings of the World & serve as an expository device.

Special Thanks to Sonereal, Taniciusfox, NedimNapoleon, & everyone else whose IOT's I dissected for several of these rules.

Posting for theft later.

SouthernKing · Jun 3, 2015

Tyo · Jun 7, 2015

I made a thing go look.

CivOasis · Jun 7, 2015

I have started an in-depth worldbuilding project, which is starting with the migrations of mankind away from where it evolved, and will eventually trace everything from language families and writing systems to religions and nations. I highly encourage people to help out in the current stage; it requires no commitment (no sign-up required, and you can miss as many updates as you want) at the current moment to participate.

Children of Adlivun will run uninterrupted, and still welcomes new players.

arya126 · Jun 9, 2015

The Tale of Men

The Tale of Men is an IOTNES set in the Elder Scrolls Universe, primarily focused in Skyrim although access to and interaction with neighboring lands is possible. Many may glance at the setting and dismiss this game, however this isnt a game about Tamriel, nor necessarily about the province of Skyrim, at least not the Skyrim you are familiar with. This game is centered around creating a rich and rewarding experience for the players involved, such as can be found in Kashmir and BOTWAWKI, and as such I hope for the atmosphere to reflect that.

I also said this isnt the Skyrim you all know and might love. This game will be set 100 years in the future from the appearance of Alduin and the beginning of the Dragonborn's journey, therefore in 4E 301. Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak won the Civil War and thus became High King of Skyrim, establishing Windhelm as the new capital. After a brief conflict in which the Sons of Skyrim ejected the Thalmor Embassy and associated agents from Skyrim, followed by a few years of consolidation, Skyrim was once again at peace.

The Second Great War occurred 65 years after the first one and involved a crippled Empire against the Aldmeri Dominion once again. It is no great surprise that Cyrodiil fell, only at how easily. The Aldmeri Dominion then swallowed all of Tamriel except for High Rock, Hammerfell, and Skyrim, all of which existed as independent nations.

Then 15 years ago the Dominion invaded Skyrim, intent on ending Talos worship and dominating the race of men in totality. Over a ten year conflict the land of Skyrim was set ablaze, with the economy being shattered, the burgeoning population massacred, and many of the hold capitals reduced to rubble. It was only through the efforts of a coordinated resistance in the countryside led by the Dragonborn who defeated Alduin who was assumed to be dead. This Dragonborn came out of retirement as an old man on the verge of death and in 4E 295 sacrificed his life in the Battle of the Valheim Towers to see the Thalmor turned back, their army shattered. This in turn inspired revolts in Morrorwind and Cyrodiil, with the latter being put down mercilessly with no regard for civilian life. Morrorwind is still in a state of rebellion however.

And here we stand, in the year 4E 301, with the land of Skyrim on the road to recovery and the Thalmor busy elsewhere. It is a time of rebuilding, as the old hold capitals are rebuilt. Each Jarl has to tend to his own hold with no assurance any aid from others shall be given as the last High King died while defending Ivarstead early on in the war.

Each of the 9 holds shall be playable in this game. Additionally, if all 9 holds are filled, any other players who wish to join may do so as a Thane in any player controlled hold. That is, you are joining as his vassal, and you get a small grant of land in the hold and your own manor. The power of a Thane is lesser than that of a Jarl, and a Thane owes allegience in both coin and men to his Jarl, yet a clever Jarl may yet carve out his own Hold in these troubled times or even usurp the place of his liege.

As Skyrim has many external threats, primarily the Aldmeri Dominion but also two independent nations on its western border, the election of a new High King by the Jarls is recommended but by no means essential. A PC may be elected, or if not all the holds are filled by players, an NPC might as well. However be careful of electing a polarizing candidate that some Jarls will not submit to, as a civil war in this political climate could be dangerous, and would benefit nobody.

Trade

Trade will revolve around resources and the world market. Each hold will either be in possession of or can create different resource buildings, such as farms, mines, lumber mills. These resources will provide revenue according to their demand on the world market, which in this case only includes Skyrim. In order for Whiterun to forge new weapons for an expansion of the Guards, it must first acquire Iron. If there is no Iron being produced or sold then no weapons can be made. Likewise farms shall feed the people of the cities as although the population was decimated by the invasion, there are still those that need to be fed.

War

War is not recommended during the early turns although that doesnt mean it cant be done, or that it cannot be profitable. War can be carried out in a variety of means, from striking directly at the Hold Capital of another, to strangling their trade and resources by striking caravans and raiding resource buildings. Each player will have a certain manpower, which is all the men he can possibly recruit into the armed forces. Bear in mind that recruiting too many will be taking them away from other tasks such as Farming, and that you must find enough Septims to pay all of these men. Any men you recruit must be armed and armored out of your pocket, so ensure you have enough coin to buy the resources and pay the blacksmiths to forge the weapons for them.

You must decide where these men are to be based, as there is no national pool in this game. Will you have them patrolling the roads? Defending your capital? Garrisoning mines and farms to defend against bandits and jealous neighbors?

The types of weapons you equip them with, the terrain, fortifications, their leadership, as well as the skill of the individual soldiers will all determine your success in battle. Having a few mages on your side wouldnt hurt either...

Small Council

Each Jarl will have the ability to recruit a small council to advise and aid him in his endeavors. A steward will surely help with the economy and rebuilding the lands. A Court Wizard might be able to enchant weapons for your soldiers, or to conduct magical research on your behalf. Your Captain of the Guard could be your principle military leader in the field, be an able bodyguard, and otherwise assist you.

Thanes

You cannot be everywhere at once when ruling your hold. It will be important to delegate, especially if you wish to see your Hold prosper and grow quickly. Thanes are the nobility of your land. If you were a count, they would be your Knights. You can choose to grant them a plot of land within your control for them to cultivate and perhaps a small town of commerce will be established or the land will otherwise be improved without your need for involvement. They can respond to your call to arms and fight under your banner, sometimes bringing men of their own. It is also possible to honor noted individuals with the title without granting them land, thereby tying them to your court. However Thanes can be fickle and you always run the risk of appointing somebody who might turn against you later.

Guilds

Many of the Guilds you know and love are still around. The Thieves Guild and the Dark Brotherhood are the two with the biggest influence on the game. If you wish somebody dead and you can pay coin, the Brotherhood will gladly aid you. The Thieves Guild on the other hand is more subtle and can serve any other espionage ends you may have for them. There are several mercenary bands one can hire for the right price, and recently the Dawnguard has been discovering another resurgence in vampires so aid to them is welcome.

dragonprobably · Jun 10, 2015

Pirate IOT: Blood in the Caribbean

Music

So I've had this idea in my head for quite a while. It'd take place in the Caribbean a couple years before the Golden Age of Piracy. You can play as a colony (like Haiti), pirates (like Henry Morgan), or a tribe (like the Carib.) Each type having a different playstyle of how you get gold and keep your nation stabilized.

Here's how each plays out:

Colony:

Spoiler :

Pirates:

Spoiler :

Tribes:

Spoiler :

Universal Traits:

Spoiler :

Also there is a skills system similar to the SPECIAL system:

Charisma - Effects stability and how many political points you get per turn.
Honor - Effects military strength.
Salesmanship - Effects how much gold can be earned.
Luck - Effects exploration, decisions, and pillages.

There will also be an exploration mechanic. Send military scouts into unclaimed territory and a random event will occur. You can only explore up to 5 territories at a time. Exploring territories costs 4 Political Points each. If you claim unclaimed territory before exploring it, bad events will be more likely to happen.

You can make decisions at any point that can effect various aspect of your faction and (maybe) the game. Decisions cost 30 Political Points. Also, at the beginning of every update, a random faction will be required to make a decision (this won't cost Political Points).

There will also be a revolution mechanic that I need to improve. It will either be: political rebellion (acts like a colony), anarchic rebellion (acts like pirates), tribal rebellion (acts like tribes.)

Things I'll need:

~~A large map of the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico with lots of territories~~
~~How Tribes maintain stability~~
Criticism
Lots of Music
How my revolution mechanic should work
How many points should go into the specials system
Should there be a buried treasure mechanic?

dominatr · Jun 10, 2015

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=548737

I've opened a preliminary thread for a new NES that i will be running called The Blood Dimension. Please give it a look I am quite excited about it.

JohannaK · Jun 10, 2015

MartinLuther said:
Pirate IOT: Blood in the Caribbean

Link to video.

So I've had this idea in my head for quite a while. It'd take place in the Caribbean a couple years before the Golden Age of Piracy. You can play as a colony (like Haiti), pirates (like Henry Morgan), a tribe (like the Carib), or a company (like the East India Company). Each type having a different playstyle of how you get gold and keep your nation stabilized.

Here's how each plays out:

Colony:

Spoiler :

Colonies can spend 10 gold to create plantations which create more gold but you have to (automatically) pay maintenance for them. In order to keep up stability, colonies can spend 20 gold to create churches which give small boosts of stability but you also have to (automatically) pay maintenance for them. Stability is effected by how many territories you have (The equation for it will be Territories x Charisma = Stability.) Colonies have a 20% penalty when attacking at sea but a 20% bonus when attacking on land.

Pirates:

Spoiler :

Pirates gain gold by pillaging territories and trade routes (these must be done through PMs.) You can also be paid by other players to do pillages, the hirers and yourself both get an amount of gold. Maintenance isn't paid automatically, so you have to manually pay it. Not manually paying it will cause stability to drop. Stability is also effected by how many territories you have. Pirates have a 10% penalty when attacking on land but 30% bonus when attacking at sea.

Tribes:

Spoiler :

Tribes make gold by setting up land trade routes with foreign territories (which need to be drawn on the map) which make money for the tribe and the recipient (the tribes get more money than the recipients), but also costs (automatic) maintenance. I don't know what tribes can do with stability. PLZ TO HELP. Tribes don't receive as much instability from owning territories (Territories x Charisma x 2 = Stability.) Tribes have a 30% penalty when attacking at sea but a 10% bonus when attacking on land.

Companies:

Spoiler :

Companies make gold by setting up sea trade routes with foreign territories (which need to be drawn on the map) which make money for the company and the recipient (the companies get more money than the recipients), but also costs (automatic) maintenance. I don't know what companies can do with stability. PLZ TO HELP. Companies have a 20% penalty when attacking on land but a 20% bonus when attacking at sea.

Universal Traits:

Spoiler :

Stability is lost from getting pillaged

Stability is lost from having very low gold.

Territories x Charisma = Stability

Military cost 30 gold and costs 2 gold for maintenance.

NPCs pay no maintenance.

You can sell Military and Territories for Gold.

Also there is a skills system similar to the SPECIAL system:

Charisma - Effects stability.
Honor - Effects military strength.
Salesmanship - Effects how much gold can be earned.
Luck - Effects exploration, decisions, and pillages.

There will also be an exploration mechanic. Send military scouts into unclaimed territory and a random event will occur. You can only explore up to 5 territories at a time. If you claim unclaimed territory before exploring it, bad events will be more likely to happen.

You can make decisions at any point that can effect various aspect of your faction and (maybe) the game. Also, at the beginning of every update, a random faction will be required to make a decision.

There will also be a revolution mechanic if your stability goes <50 there is a chance you will have a rebellion. It will either be: political rebellion (acts like a colony), anarchic rebellion (acts like pirates), tribal rebellion (acts like tribes), or a buy-out (acts like a company.)

Things I'll need:

A large map of the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico with lots of territories

How Tribes and Companies maintain stability

Criticism

Lots of Music

It sounds interesting, but also perhaps too rigid. I'm personally more in favour of rulesets with vaguely explained mechanics. That is, in which mechanics are explained but not their workings. It's also more free for the GM, I suppose.

SamSniped · Jun 10, 2015

And so the Summer Flood begins.

dragonprobably · Jun 17, 2015

Update to Pirate IOT:

I removed combat bonuses and penalties and I removed companies as a playstyle.

Since companies were removed, Colonies can now set up trade routes.

dragonprobably · Jun 18, 2015

Update to Pirate IOT:

Came up with a way for tribes to maintain stability. Balanced exploration and decisions. Removed previous revolution mechanic. Added a lot more to the, "Things I need" list.

SouthernKing · Jun 19, 2015

gay_Aleks · Jun 19, 2015

also known as: How Kashmir will look in 1000 years

SouthernKing · Jun 19, 2015

Tolni said:
also known as: How Kashmir will look in 1000 years

nahi.

IOT Developmental Thread

..!

Stay safe

Mushroom dad

HANDS HIGH TO THE SOUND

DJ Goodboye

♫We got the guillotine♫

♫We got the guillotine♫

crickety cricket

HANDS HIGH TO THE SOUND

Ahuizotl

Squad Leader

The Poster Formerly Known as MartinLuther

Smoke Jaguar

Heroically Clueless

DJ Goodboye

The Poster Formerly Known as MartinLuther

The Poster Formerly Known as MartinLuther

crickety cricket

from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!

crickety cricket

Similar threads