Osiris - Zones and Territories
Players will be somewhat uniquely interacting with the planetary map of Osiris. Osiris has been organized into various zones. Each of these zones will have stats that tell you more or less what is in them — from resources, to potential dangers. However, Zones will be almost entirely unexplored when you arrive, so you will only have vague information about each one — even the zone you start in. You will have to train exploration units and send them on exploration expeditions. View the Exploration section for more information.
The primary tool to interact with zones are cities. Cities are where most of your resources will be physically located and will be the primary indicator of your control of an area. For more details on cities, view the Cities and Buildings section.
Inside Zones are better-known game tools known as provinces (called territories in this game). These are smaller than zones, and what is in them is more specific. Each territory can fit one structure, discounting cities, and has unique defensive bonuses or penalties. You can truly only know what is in a specific territory by exploring it.
Now that you have the run-down, I’ll be more specific. Each zone will have a naturally-occurring allotment of resources, such as minerals or food. Each controlled territory adds to how much of these naturally-occurring resources you will obtain. If you control all the territories in a zone, you will receive 100% of the resources. However, some territories might have something special hiding within it. You will need to control that specific territory in order to use that special thing. Special things you discover will be marked on the Zone Map in the territory it was discovered in. This will be the same map in which defensive bonuses/penalties are stored.
The Economy
Each polity will have to have a functioning economy, no matter how it works. However, each economy can be boiled down to the access of three things: Food, Energy, and Minerals.
Food is an absolute necessity for the continuation of humanity, this should go without saying. Each Pop(see Population) requires a fixed amount of food, and in order for your population to grow, you need even more food.
Energy is required for advanced civilization-building. A standard farm might not require energy, but a mass production facility sure would. You can kind of think of energy like a currency. Buildings and units might require it as upkeep or even as material in some cases.
Minerals are literally the bedrock of your society. Also what everything else is made up of too. You require minerals to actually construct buildings and the tools your units will use to combat the land and other polities.
As discussed above, Zones have a natural limit to how much of these three resources they have. However, more resources can be obtained by constructing various buildings. See Cities and Buildings for details.
Population
Population is very important in this game. Population is abstracted into Pops, based heavily on Stellaris’s Pops if you’re familiar. The jist of it is that population flock to cities, but they also branch out. Each Pop expands your control of a Zone outside your city by one bordering territory. In essence, your population dictates how much of a Zone’s total resource pool you take in. However, the amount of food required to grow a Pop increases with each subsequent Pop; a Zone’s natural food supply may not be enough to sustain a large population.
Each Pop is also somewhat unique. Each Pop has its own set of Societal ethics, largely based on that of the Pops it came from. Your first Pop will follow your Societal Theories to the T, but subsequent Pops may begin to acquire other values based on your stability. Or, if you conquer another city, the entire population may have a completely different set of ethics. Given good stability, they can be integrated into your society eventually. However, if your polity isn’t in good favor, your society may be the one at risk.
Cities and Buildings
So we’ve already talked a lot about cities several times now, but let’s get all your questions cleared up here. So, cities are population centers, resource centers, and more or less where everything gets done. It is then only natural that the vast majority of buildings will only be able to be built in cities. The buildings built in cities will mostly affect the zone in which the city resides in, with a few exceptions. Meanwhile, the few buildings you build in territories will affect just that territory; usually, this will take the shape of a defensive structure or a facility to collect a special material in that territory.
Leadership
Every entity needs its leaders, and a human colony on another world is no different.
Each polity has a “leader pool” which dictates the number of leaders they can use effectively. This number is at a base of 2. The leader pool is increased by pop number and technological development. Also, certain theories allow for more leaders.
When you hire a leader, they are given a random trait from the trait list, which can be good or bad depending. The likelihood of a good trait depends on RNG and your stability. You may hire as many leaders as you want at any time, but cannot hire more leaders than your pool can support. You can fire any amount of your current leaders (except your polity leader) and look for new ones, as well.
In order to make use of a leader, you must assign them a position. Positions include:
Governor: Runs a specific city. Cities with governors are much more efficient than cities without, especially when they get large.
General: Leads an army. An army without a general is nothing more than a mob set in a general direction with very little capacity for tactical combat.
Admiral: Leads a navy. Same as an army, but on water.
Explorer: Leads an exploration unit. Not necessary, but increases the likelihood of good finds.
Researcher: Leads research. Researching is generally more effective and breakthroughs are more common.
Spy: Conducts Espionage.
For the first turn only, I will roll leaders to your maximum capacity out for you to assign. Do not expect me to roll new leaders automatically when one dies or your capacity increases.
Society Theory
All societies are founded on principles — what these principles are is for you to decide, and to try to stick with.
Society Theory is basically how it is accepted for people to behave in your society. Society theories can manifest in three ways. A First Order society theory is core to your people’s identities. A Second Order theory is one that is right underneath what is core, something that is heavily encouraged but something your society could, if given precedent, can go on without. A Third Order theory is one that is accepted and generally encouraged, but a foreigner won’t be hated for specifically not sharing in this theory, as they might be if it was First Order.
To begin with, there are 8 Society theories to choose from. You must choose at least one, and one of your chosen theories will be a First Order theory. You can choose up to three; if you choose more than one, at least one of the chosen theories need to be a Third Order theory.
Conflicting social theories are not compatible.
Theory of Cooperation: Slaves are tolerated. Reduces food required by Pop by 5%.
Theory of Determination: Slaves are frowned upon. Increases energy production by 5%.
Theory of Toleration: Other Social Theories are tolerated. War stability is decreased by 5%.
Theory of Exclusion: Other Social Theories are frowned upon. War stability is increased by 5%.
Theory of Mind: Pop is more likely to change societal ethics. Increases all research by 5%.(will never lose Theory of Mind)
Theory of Soul: Pop is less likely to change societal ethics. Decreases all research by 5%
Theory of Leadership: +5% stability, increases mineral production by 5%.
Theory of Land: -5% stability, increases food production by 10%.
These are all very basic and barebones theories. As you develop, more advanced theories will become unlocked. You can only change Society Theory if a significant portion of your population has one you lack or if you unlock a new one. Generally, your populace will follow suit with the theories of the state when stability is positive. Nasty things can happen if there are significant differences between the ethics of your citizenry and that of your government.
Government Theory
Humans are social creatures, and hierarchies are bound to form. Government theory is just what you think it is: how you conduct your government. There are three to choose from to begin with.
Democracy: A leader was voted on before you left Earth. This leader will be there until they die, when the next leader will be voted on. +5% stability, +1 leader pool size.
Oligarchy: A handful of individuals were chosen using various criteria to form the head of society. The next leader will be chosen from the leader pool. +5% energy and mineral production.
Autocracy: A leader was chosen to be the absolute ruler before leaving Earth. The leader will be there until they die, when the person they had selected will take the mantle. Can choose successor, +5% slave mineral and food production.
Like with Society theory, these are very barebones government types, inadequate for advanced societies. Again like society, you can eventually develop more advanced government forms. When you change government forms, you will suffer a stability penalty depending on how different the new form of government is. Switching from one of the three broad archetypes (democracy, oligarchy, and autocracy) will incur the harshest penalties; reforming into a more advanced form of the archetype you are in will incur the least.
Economic Theory
The economy must be managed somehow in order for the colony to grow. This forms the basis of economic theory. There are three economic theories to choose from.
Monetary Economy
Goods and services are paid for by a currency guaranteed by the state. This system is summarized by high highs and low lows, experiencing bonuses and drawbacks in kind. This basic understanding of monetization is unstable, meaning market changes could be somewhat dramatic on the economy. However, the sense of individuality arising from determining what one does with their resources is assuring. +10% energy and mineral bonus maximum, -5% energy and mineral penalty maximum. +5% stability when economy is not contracting.
Manpower Economy
The expansion of the population is the priority for colonization, and that is the goal of the Manpower Economy. The government organizes the people to work in various tasks in order to achieve economic expansion. -10% slave Pop food requirement, each Slave Pop increases food and mineral production by 2.5%, -5% stability.
Resource Economy
Resources must be efficiently allocated to ensure the planet serves its purpose in the best way possible. In this, the government organizes a small, specialized population in order to achieve higher technological progress, making the resources they use have more meaning. +15% Pop growth requirement, +25% bonus to all research.
Economic theories do evolve over time like the others, but their evolution is much more natural. As you unlock key discoveries and develop your society, your economic system will slowly develop alongside it, involving no direct action on your part. However, attempting to change your economic theory to a totally different one would be very difficult. You can expect your economic archetype to be permanent unless something truly revolutionary changes in your nation.
Exploration
Exploration is a key part of the game in the beginning. As you explore, you will gain a better understanding of the resources at your disposal and indeed of Osiris itself.
All players will start with an exploration unit to start with. And exploration unit can look like essentially however you want, but they will all be weak fighters compared to dedicated military personnel. Each explorer unit can explore 3 territories per turn.
Again for the sake of simplicity, all players will be able to see what they find. This isn’t really realistic, but I can’t accurately simulate “fog of war” mechanics on a text-based forum game. I apologize for that :<.
If an explorer finds !!something special!! You can use that explorer to create a !!special facility!!. The explorer unit will be consumed, and if you had a leader attached to it, they will be open for another duty. If you wish to do more exploring, you would have to create a new explorer unit.
Research and Technology
This game will run on a “research card” system similar to Stellaris. Each player will receive a number of possible research projects and must choose one to commit to. For my own sake, everyone will see what you have available to research, but what you actually choose will be known only to you and I.
Another layer to think about is that there are essentially four overarching research paths.
Bio-Integration is the theoretical unification of Humanity with the biosphere of Osiris, genetically changing humanity to be one with its new home. Bio-Integration cards will be marked green.
Techno-Integration is the theoretical singularity between man and machine, enhancing themselves beyond that of humanity and Osiris itself. Techno-Integration cards will be marked blue.
Purity is the theory of Humans remaining pure, focusing on shaping Osiris into something more Earth-like than it is instead of changing the human condition. Purity cards will be marked red.
Finally, and most boringly, is General Studies. General studies do not focus on any of the above theories, and are instead more in line with research for the sake of research and advancement in a more broad sense. For example, the secret to nuclear fusion would likely be here, as it has no bearing on any of the other fields. Many of the earliest technologies will be these kinds, as the other three will be in their infancy.
In addition, there are rare research cards that are an amalgamation of the three partisan paths. These cards will generally be expensive, but quite powerful and potentially revolutionary.
So now you know about research, but how do you actually commit?
In addition to the economic resources, your polity will generate research points. Each research card will cost a certain amount of these points; when you have enough points, they will be spent on the chosen research card. Your polity will immediately gain the effects of the technology and you may then select a new research project. How much research points you gain per turn depends on several things, including population, “special things” your explorers find, and sometimes luck.
Military: Armies and Navies
The military is split broadly between two branches, the Army and the Navy. There are air forces, but for the purposes of this game they will be integrated into each of the two branches.
An army is a composition of units, but they are somewhat abstracted in this game. I kind of shamelessly stole the model from Crezth. Ha.
An army is summarized by the following stats:
Mass: The number of boots on the ground. Think of it like health. Each point of Mass equates about 5000 soldiers and increases the cost of the army by 1 mineral.
Firepower: Heavy weapons focus. This is your army’s attack power. Each point of firepower means more anti-armor rounds, more artillery, and other things of that nature and increases the cost of the army by 10 minerals.
Movement: How effective your army is at moving. Think wheels and motors to begin with. Every 2 points of movement increases how many territories this army can travel in one turn by 1. Note that all armies start with the capability to travel to one territory a turn. Each point of movement increases the cost of the army by 5 minerals.
Organization: How organized your army is from the top to the bottom. Think radios and chain of command. Each point in organization decreases terrain penalty by 1%. Every two points of organization increases the number of modules(see below) the army can have by 1. Each point of Organization costs 3 Energy.
Support: Your army’s defensive capabilities. Think medical capability, support weapons, additional armor. Each point in support decreases enemy damage by 5% and costs 3 minerals. Eventually, Support faces diminishing returns, so you cannot ever block 100% of an enemy army’s damage.
Discipline: Loyalty of the troops. More of an insurance stat. Makes troops less likely to flee from a battle before the General orders a retreat and less likely to join their general if the general thinks to launch a coup. Each point of Discipline costs 10 Energy.
Every 3 points an Army has in total increases the upkeep of that army by 1 Energy, and have a minimum upkeep of 1 Energy. The only stat that does not increase the upkeep of an Army is Discipline.
Roughly the same logic as all of this can be applied to navies for our purposes. Differences below:
Mass increases the number of armies a navy can transport by 1 for every 3 in a navy and is more indicative to the size of the ships' hulls.
Movement increases the number of sea territories a navy can cross on a 1:1 ratio.
Under organization, modules were mentioned. Modules are attachments you can apply to a navy or army where applicable. This is where something like air forces would come in, or special ordinances unlocked by technology.
War[font]
War in this game is a bit more strategic than in most IOTs, because units will exist visibly on the map, occupying territory.
At land, only one army may exist in one territory; there is no stacking. At sea however, there can be multiple navies in a single ocean territory.
When armies and navies engage in combat, stats can and will begin to fall as an indication of battle damage and irreplaceable supply use. However, armies and navies can be reinforced by other armies and navies. Mass, Firepower, and Support will stack linearly, but Discipline, Movement, and Organization will average out. Therefore, if you do not wish to dilute your other stats, make sure to not have them significantly lower for a reinforcing army compared to the main army.
Espionage
You can send a leader designated as a Spy to conduct espionage campaigns against your enemies. It’s simple: allocate Energy to them and give them a task. Depending on the leader and the resources you gave them, they can meet varying degrees of success or failure.
