Israelite9191
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IsrNES5: Still I Rise
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.
–"Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou
Shalom and welcome to IsrNES5: Still I Rise. This will be a normal, modern fresh start NES, something that seems to have been run out of the forums by a horde of random map fresh starts. As the leaders of your nations, it is your duty to overcome all challenges and adversity as you march on up the mountain to glory. And believe me, you will face adversity. The world is cruel and the Fates are harsh mistresses. Throughout the course of history disasters both natural and manmade will befall your people; but still, like dust, you’ll rise.
Rules
Starting Date
1000 BCE
Nations
There are two kinds of nations, Player Countries (PCs) and Non-Player Countries (NPCs) which, as the names suggest, are respectively those nations that have a player controlling them and those nations that do not. NPCs will be controlled by myself and while I won’t control them in the same way I would a PC in someone else’s NES, I will make them challenging opponents.
Players
There is no limit on the number of players, at least for now. To join, either fill out the template or, once this becomes a possibility, pick an NPC from the list. Now, remember that by joining you are making a commitment. I expect a lot out of all of you, but I also understand that things happen. As such, I will work with you, but I also expect that you will work with me.
Civilization Zones
At the start of the NES there is a civilization zones map. When you start a new nation, it will be located in either a red zone or a green zone. If in a red zone, it will be more developed from the get-go. However, corruption and societal laziness are also risks you will have to take if in a green zone, you will be less developed and will (normally) face greater risks from barbarians as well as from other civilizations. However, corruption, societal laziness, etc. are smaller risks. If you really want to do a specific nation, but it falls outside of the civ zones, then ask me if it is doable. I will likely say yes, but I may also say no so please check with me first. Also, do note that if you start outside the civ zones there are more challenges that you will have to face.
Orders
Orders are, simply, a description of what your nation is to do for the turn. Preferably they will be sent to me via Private Message (PM), however, if absolutely necessary I will accept orders via e-mail. They are required to include all diplomatic agreements, your stats, and calculations (ie 5 eco X 5 blah/eco = 25 blah). It is advisable that you maintain a balance between detail and concision. Finally, I have come to the conclusion that a constant, weekly schedule is an impossibility for me. Thus, I will be implementing what used to be the preferred system, changing deadlines. With each update I will give a different deadline. However, the time that orders are due will be 3:30 PM (15:30) U.S. Central Time (GMT -6). Now, I understand that things happen, and as such I am more than willing to work with you. However, I will almost always need you to tell me about complication before the deadline. I will generally continue to accept orders after the update in any case, but send orders late at your own risk. If you do not send orders four times in a row without giving me reasons, you will be NPCed.
Interesting Times (IT) and Boring Times (BT)
I will be using North King’s, as opposed to Das’, definition of the IT/BT system. The main reason for this is that while Das’ definition is focused on military conflict, North King’s is broader:
IT (“Interesting Times”
: A mode of the game which takes place in a much shorter timeframe, with turns lasting as little as 1 year, though early in game they will most likely be more like 10-20 years in duration. Otherwise, this is a normal NES, where you send in orders to the mod, and stories are written, updates are posted by me, etc. What you expect from an NES, in other words. An IT lasts for a period of turns defined as the end of a time period, or shall we say, a definite conclusion to that period’s story. Eg it could be the annihilation of a nation utterly at the end of an armed conflict. Or it could be the extinguishing of an ideology. Or the settling down after a cultural revolution, etc. Usually it will be done with player approval.BT (“Boring Times”
: A mode of the game which takes place over a much longer timeframe. Turns can last hundreds of years long, or fractions of a hundred. The length is up to the moderator. The primary difference from das here is that a “Boring Time” will not be a single long chunk of time, but simply a much less structured, more general update, that covers larger sections of history that have fewer conflicts (be they cultural or military) to resolve. There will be turns, but your orders should be more on the order (pun, haha) of guiding your nation in a general direction. Instead of a specific war strategy, just give a direction to act aggressively towards so and so. Instead of saying exactly how you want to spend your money, just say what areas you want to focus on improving.So, to recap, IT is like a normal NES, with much smaller time passing every turn, a BT will be like a traditional story NES, just much more general and vague than normal. Orders in an IT should be rather specific and direct orders on what you want your nation to be doing, including spending and military recruitment. BT orders are like general guidelines; you can say where you want your finances to go in general, or to focus on military recruiting, etc, but not specific things like “3 points into UU” or what have you.
Updates
My updates are slightly different from the norm. Rather than being designed manly as game updates, they are stories written as historical record. As such, I will not include troop casualties, stat changes, etc. within the update but will rather give you an idea of what happened. For specifics you will have to look at how the stats have changed. Updates will also likely include a spotlight, though I plan to do these quite differently than is traditional, "special bonuses" a la ITNES I – An Epoch of Change (in other words, rewards for various things such as having the most fleshed-out religion, the funniest stories, the best tactics, etc. depending on the mod’s mood), and OOC (including the orders deadline for the turn. In addition, if necessary, "privileged" information will be sent via PM to the necessary parties.
Map
I will be using the standard CFC map. Cities will be shown as black circles, eco centers as black circles with red rings, cultural centers as black circles with green rings, religious centers as black circles with blue rings, capitals as black circles with white rings, and cities that are both capitals and something else as a combination of white and the respective color. If a city is both, say, a religious and an economic center, it will be shown as religious; economic and cultural, as cultural; cultural and religious, as religious. Fortifications will be shown as lines of black squares. Rebellious regions will be shown as light grey. Thick borders on the map are those in between two nations, while thin borders show a variety of things including political subdivisions and geographic, cultural, ethnic, and religious regions (these will often overlap). Finally, I will show troop and ship locations on the map with rounded numbers in vague geographic locations. Troops will be shown in either black or white when on their own territory or in the color of the nation when in other’s territory. Ships will always be shown in the color of their controlling nation.
Barbarians
Barbarians are those peoples who have yet to coalesce into full-fledged states, though they may from time to time form themselves into “state-lets” and city states. Barbarian peoples consist of wide ranging cultures with varying values, some being the stereotypical warmongers and others being highly sophisticated, pacifistic artisans. On the map the general ethnicities and largest peoples will be named. You can have diplomacy with barbarian peoples, but the effectiveness will vary and, depending on the size and unity of the targeted peoples, the amount of people reached will be small. Never underestimate barbarians, but don’t overestimate them either.
Important Cities
This NES will utilize the three-city system of economic (eco), cultural, and religious centers. Unlike in previous incarnations of the three-city system, all benefits are at the discretion of the mod. This does not, however, mean the cities will have no effect and aren’t important. They will be key contributors to your economy, your culture, and practically all other stats. If you loose even one of them to an enemy it could be disastrous. In addition, maintaining your important cities will be much more fickle than before. Finally, it is possible to get a center due to a project, just as before, but such centers may (or may not, but more likely may) be more likely to lose their status.
Economic Centers: Economic centers are cities where economic activity is greatly concentrated. Eco centers are almost always due to the concentration of trade, but industry, finance, banking, etc. can also cause an eco center to come about. The benefits of an economic center will be one eco per turn, unless for some unforeseeable reason I make an exception. Modern examples of eco centers would include Tokyo, Dubai, Cape Town, London, Rio de Janeiro, and New York.
Cultural Centers: Cultural centers are cities where the culture of a nation, a region, or even of the world is personified. Art, education, nationalism, regionalism, philosophy, science, pan-nationalism, etc. can all contribute to the creation of cultural centers. The benefits of these cities are just as varied as their causes. Modern examples would include Sydney, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Cairo, Oxford, Buenos Aires, and Chicago.
Religious Centers: Religious centers are cities where major religions find there center(s) and where great pilgrimages take place. While religious centers will generally form without outside coaxing, government approval and conversion always help in the forming of such cities. The benefits will be mostly religious in nature, but may also extend into those areas benefited by cultural and economic centers. Modern examples would include Dharamsala, Jerusalem, Mecca, Rome, Istanbul, and Mexico City (Guadalupe).
Stories
While not required, stories are highly encouraged. In the past I have been very lenient on stories, but not any longer. You will still be able to progress without stories, but stories will definitely help. Also, keep in mind that stories, at least in my book, count as many things. Flags, descriptions of your government, descriptions of your religion, "historical records," and just about anything else that helps to flesh out you nation in a creative/artistic way will count as a story.
Deterioration
Your stats may deteriorate over time. In order to prevent this, invest eco.
Template
The template is the layout for stats. Where there are brackets, please fill in the requested information (all is subject to change by me, though change is unlikely). Where there are no brackets, please leave the line blank.
Nation Name [Replace this whole line of text with the name of your nation]
Ruler/Player: [Nation’s Ruler/Your CFC Name]
Capital: [Nation’s Capital]
Government (Efficiency): [Nation’s government; be creative, but don’t be farfetched]
Size:
Army (Quality):
Navy (Quality):
Religion: [Nation’s main religion, use general polytheism if bored/uncreative]
Culture:
Economy (Points) (Total Points):
Important Cities:
Infrastructure:
Education:
Age:
Confidence:
Projects:
Nation Background: [You fill this out]
Capital
The capital is the political center of your nation. Capitals also have a greater chance of becoming cultural, economic, or religious centers. Furthermore, keep in mind that capitals have the ability to either unite or divide a nation. For instance, if you place your capital in between two or more bitterly opposed factions you may be able to prevent divisiveness. On the other hand, if you are not careful, a capital’s location in one region of a nation may cause hatred and secessionist feeling in another area. Capitals are powerful political tools, use them wisely.
Government
Your government is, simply, how you govern your people. In dictatorial governments you will have complete control. However, in parliamentary governments I will play the part of the parliament or other body. They are infinite possible variations on the dictatorial and parliamentary divide, and all have their advantages and disadvantages. Government is quite changeable, but I highly suggest that you do not change your government too many times in too small a time frame and that you consider the possible consequences before acting. Finally, government has an efficiency stat that shows how corrupt, how lazy, how bloated, etc. the government is. Basically, it shows how efficient.
The levels of efficiency are:None-Imaginary-Corrupt-Incompetent-Blundering-Tolerable-Improving-Competent-Efficient-Great-Brilliant
Size
This is, as the name suggests, the size of your nation. Size is an amalgam of both population and land area, as well as how easy it is for each part of the nation to reach the other part (a colonial empire, by its nature, will have a higher size stat than a nation of equal land and population size that is on one continuous chunk of land). As nations advance and efficiency and communication improve, the size stat will go down. Size determines how costly it is to upgrade a stat, as well as the effectiveness of various things (plagues, military strategies, increased taxation, etc.). The levels, and the points they require, are:
Tiny (1)-Petite (2)-Small (3)-Medium (4)-Large (5)-Huge (6)-Gargantuan (7)-Monstrous (8)
Army
The army is your nation's land forces. The army will be divided into thousands with five thousands infantry and two thousands cavalry available per eco point. In addition, remember that if you do not pay for military campaigns, those campaigns will almost certainly fail. Besides numbers, the army stat also shows the quality. This is an amalgam of training and leadership. Furthermore, remember that "an army marches on a stomach." Quality levels are:
Mob-Pathetic-Poor-Tolerable-Normal-Better-Good-Great-Mighty-Juggernaut
Navy
The navy is your nation’s forces on the sea. The navy will be divided into ships with five ships available per eco. Just as with the army, the navy has a quality stat combining training and leadership. Also as with the army, a navy sails on its stomach. You will need to pay for campaigns by your navy, or your navy will be forced to either return home or continue sailing and die of starvation, dehydration, scurvy, or some other nasty ailment. In fact, it is advisable to fund even non-military ventures, seeing as death knows not the difference between soldiers and civilians.
Unique Units (UUs)
UUs are specialized, elite units. In this NES, every nation is allowed two UUs, one land based and one sea based. It is possible to demote your UU forces to regular ones, but they will be unhappy, have a hard time integrating, and not be very good (at least at first and in most cases) seeing as they are unused to fighting as normal troops. UUs cost the same as a normal unit.
Religion
The religion stat shows the various belief systems present in your nation. If a nation has an official state religion (which most if not all will at least in the beginning of the NES) then it comes first, whether it is the most widespread faith or not; otherwise the most adhered to faith comes first. Religion will play a very important role in this NES, as it should but doesn’t in most NESes. Furthermore, I consider myself something of a religion/theology buff, which means I will vastly enjoy watching all of you developing your religions through stories and "stories."
A note on cults and official religions: In some nations’ stats the first religion listed is a cult variant on a larger religion with the larger religion listed second. For example, Phaiakia has Poseidon Cult Hellenic Polytheism listed as its first religion and Hellenic Polytheism as its second. The reason that this happens is that almost always membership within a cult, such as Phaiakia’s Poseidon Cult, overlaps entirely into the larger religion with practitioners focusing on their cult-figure but accepting and normally even worshiping other deities. The only reasons that these cults are listed are listed are: a) there is a significant chance that they will develop into a separate religion (for instance, early OTL Christianity would start out as Christ Cult Judaism) and b) they are state sponsored (for instance, OTL ancient Egypt’s state sponsored Cult of Amun) . The latter is the most common reason. In the case of the former the cult would be almost always (I would say always but I never say always) a minority religion. The same could be said of the latter, but there is a higher likelihood for the latter being widespread enough that it actually is a majority.
Culture
Culture here will be based on the NK system with my own tweaks as well as some borrowed from Das. That means there will be no levels, but rather brief description of influences, divisions, etc.
Economy
I will be using a modified ITNES I (b) eco system. There will be a descriptor, either stable, rising, or falling, as well as two numbers. The first number will show you the base point value of your economy, including agriculture, trade, industry, etc. The second number shows the total available eco points when added to the points coming from important cities and any other sources of eco points for that turn. Players are encouraged to experiment and be creative in developing their economies.
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is the transportation network of a nation. A good infrastructure will aide various things, including army movement, the economy, culture/national cohesiveness, and government efficiency. A bad infrastructure will likewise damage those stats and possibly others. The levels are:
None-Dirt Paths-Pathetic-Barely Tolerable-Tolerable-Improving-Good-Efficient-Very Efficient-Great-Excellent
Education
Education is how enlightened your people are. Good education will benefit numerous things, ranging from the availability of the next age to government efficiency to the economy. Bad education, likewise, will have detrimental effects. Since education is a lifelong process, the benefits and detriments of education are long term and may not be felt immediately. However, do not let this discourage you or make you feel safe, for eventually you will feel their effects. Education will most likely go up due to economic investment, but it is not a guarantee. Upon reaching a new age (see below) education will almost certainly go down by two levels. The levels are:
Hopelessly Idiotic- Idiotic- Illiterate- Ignorant- Below Average- Average- Above Average- Clever- Smart- Wise- Enlightened
Age
This is a general descriptor of the technological development in your nation. Having a higher age than your opponents will have many benefits. In fact, it will benefit almost all things. The most obvious benefit will be on the battle field, where units with the most up-to-date weapons have an obvious advantage over those with outdated weapons. However, this does not mean you can just lay back when you are one, two, three, four, or however many levels above your enemy. Lower tech nations often have the ability to pull things out of their sleeves that their more advanced enemies would never expect. For instance, on numerous occasions the Spanish nearly failed in their conquest of the Inka due to the Inkas using a sort of long-range, high power sling shot that launched large stones at very high speeds which would subsequently burst into flames in midair. Age is a huge benefactor, but not an omniscient one. The ages, at least for now, are:
Stone Age
Copper Age
Bronze Age
Early Iron Age
Middle Iron Age
Imperial Age
Confidence
This is, basically, how confident the people are in their nation’s leadership. If the people are unconfident, then chances of rebellion, secession, etc. rise dramatically. If the people are confident, then chances are they will rise to support you, be it against foreign power, rebels, coups, or anything else. The levels are:
Lynching- Hateful- Resentful- Barely Tolerating- Tolerating- Respecting- Admiring- Loving- Cult of Personality
Projects
Projects are the equivalent of wonders. Ranging from large scale social reforms to giant harbors, projects can be just about anything. What really matters is that you: a) give me a name, b) give me the benefits of the project, and c) give me a description of the project; if any of these are missing, then the project will not be done. Depending on the project, there will be a cost in turns, as determined by my judgment. You will also have to pay some amount, assumed to be one eco unless I say otherwise, to get to the project started. Finally, you may invest a maximum of one eco per turn to advance the project by one extra turn.
Kvetching (aka Complaints to the Mod)
I am more than willing to listen to your gripes. In fact, I encourage them. If you believe that there has been a mistake or that you have been unfairly treated, tell me and I will address the problem as best as I can.
Contact
You may contact me in several ways. The preferred methods are AIM via the screen name stignatiusjew and PM. If you do not have AIM but wish to have the kind of fulfilling conversation only available through instant messengers, I can normally be reached on MSN via Israelite9191@hotmail.com . If you insist or if these are not possible, then you are welcome to drop me a line via e-mail at btzalel91@yahoo.com . This is not my primary account, so I may not get back to you immediately. However, I will get to you as quickly as I can.
Should any modifications become necessary, they will be made and the rules updated to reflect the changes.
